A Second Chance
by Breanie
Summary: What if Sirius didn't spent twelve years in prison, but was given a trial after four years? Follow the story of Sirius Black as he learns what it means to be a father/brother/guardian to his young godson & the story of Harry Potter, a young boy with a loving home who learns about the Marauders from the two men who should have raised him. Slow-burn Hinny. M for sex & violence.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the world or characters of JK Rowling - I'm just playing with them._

 _This just a little something that I started (back in February of 2018) due to the fact that I've been seeing a lot tumblr posts on my feed lately about the idea of how much better Harry's life would have been if he had been raised by Sirius like he was supposed to be. Someone posted this adorable fan art of Sirius riding his motorbike with a toddler Harry on a kid's motorbike and I just thought, oh my God, I want this so much! This is completely alternate universe obviously, but it's the start of a story and I'm trying to stick to canon as much as I can while also not; so it's alternate universe, but also semi-canon, if that makes sense?_

 _It is rated M because of language and violence and sexual scenes, which will be present later on in the story._

 _This will be the story of Sirius Black and Harry Potter which I think is important to mention. It is about how they find each other; how Harry learns about the Marauders; and how his life is different. This story is about Sirius and Harry, but also about Remus Lupin, but will ultimately be a Hinny fic in the end as that is what I love to write about and my favourite couple in the Harry Potter universe outside of Jily. It is slow-building and long and I think worth the wait (at least I hope so)._

 _I have also recently posted this story on Archive of Our Own which I am a new user with and used the following warnings/character descriptions for the story. I thought I would copy them here just as a_ _warning of mature themes once again._

 _Comedy; Father-Son Relationship; Sirius Black & Harry Potter; Remus Lupin & Harry Potter; Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley; Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks; Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s); Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter; Remus Lupin/Original Female Character(s); Harry Potter; Ginny Weasley; Sirius Black; Remus Lupin; Minerva McGonagall; Graphic Depictions Of Violence; Major Character Death; Underage; Multiple Sex Positions; Oral Sex; Sex; From Sex to Love; Sex Talk; Implied/Referenced Child Abuse; Past Abuse; Emotional/Psychological Abuse; Physical Abuse; Torture; Psychological Torture; Implied/Referenced Torture; Blood and Torture; Nightmares; Shower Sex; Gay Sex; Gay Character(s); Explicit Language; Multiple Orgasms; Friendship/Love; True Love; Recreational Drug Use; Masturbation; Rape; Mind Rape._

 _Also to any artists out there — if anyone is interested in sending me a drawing of young Harry and Sirius, I would love to use it for the cover._

 _For updates, mood boards, and other things related to this story or Harry Potter, please check out my tumblr —_ _breaniebree_ _._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

 _I hope you enjoy ~_ ** _A SECOND CHANCE_**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE:**

 **They were dead.**

They were both dead and it was all his fault.

He didn't cry. He had no tears left in him to cry. He didn't rage; he'd spent weeks doing just that, slamming his fists into the stones until his knuckles had bled; until his fingers were broken, but the pain never fazed him. He ate mechanically as the healer fixed his hands and the next day, he'd punched the stone all over again and again trying to feel something … anything.

He screamed. He shouted that he was innocent. He threatened to kill his former best friend, his brother. But it was for nothing.

It was all for nothing.

He was the one who had been betrayed; the spy who wasn't; he was guilty in the eyes of the world and nothing he could say was going to change that.

And no one was listening anyway.

At first he thought that at least _he_ would come. His best friend; the one who he had trusted most outside of the one who was his blood brother. The one who he had kept secrets for; the one who was so thankful and confused as to why they even called him friend, called him brother in the first place.

But he never came.

He too thought he was guilty; that he was just like the family that he had tried so hard to run from.

The days turned into weeks which turned into months. He paced; he ran on the spot; he spent hours doing push-ups and sit-ups; contemplated making a noose with his thin shabby sheet and just ending it until the rage consumed him once more. He was _not_ going to take his own life; not while _he_ was out there, the truly guilty party, the spy, the one that he had once called friend and brother.

The months dragged into that first year and his thin hold on his own sanity started to slip away from him as he counted the days, digging the rock into the stone to tally his sentence.

On his twenty-third birthday, he spent the day in fitful dreams; memories of the woman that he had called mother holding her wand above him and telling him how worthless he was; how spineless and unworthy he was to be in the Most Ancient and Noble House. He relived the feel of the torture curse, seeing his mother holding the wand; relived the pain of the belt that his father struck across his back and when he heard his own screams echoing in the stone cell — he clawed at the stone until his nails bled.

By the second year, he forced himself to transform the moment the memories came to the surface. He forced himself to think of happy thoughts, but he couldn't remember any. Had he ever been happy? He was innocent. It wasn't a happy thought, but it wasn't a miserable thought either so they couldn't take it away from him. He hadn't murdered those people, true. But could he really be considered innocent?

It was his fault that they were dead; his decision; his stupid mistake.

He was innocent.

He was guilty.

He was innocent.

He was guilty.

He paced the cell back and forth; back and forth, marking the days each morning when he woke. He slept as a dog; woke to eat the gruel that they called porridge; one hour of push-ups; one hour of sit-ups, keep the body disciplined, keep the mind sane, he told himself repeatedly. He'd nap as a dog; wake to eat the gruel that they called stew and as the first wave of unhappy memories would unfold into his system, he'd transform and whimper in the corner.

By the third year, he had his routine down to a science. No one spoke to him. The healer came to check on him once a month; let him wash with a bowl of lukewarm water and a clean cloth. The healer never spoke and the soul-sucking creatures hovered as the healer trembled, waiting for him to finish so that he could leave. The moment that the healer was gone, he became a dog once more.

When he started his count into year four, he knew that he would die alone in this very cell. No one would ever discover that his old friend had been the real one to betray them; the real one to trick those who cared for him.

No one would ever know his story.

"Sirius?"

The voice sounded foreign, almost too far away. He recognized the Scottish burr, but he couldn't place it. No one had spoken to him in four years, six months, and seventeen days. Was that his name? His head pounded, but for the first time all day it was clear, telling him that the soul sucking creatures had distanced themselves, at least partially, from his cell.

"Sirius Black?"

The hesitation in the voice now got his attention and he realized that it wasn't a memory; _someone_ was actually speaking to him.

Someone was outside of his cell.

He moved towards the bars, long thin fingers gripping the iron and his grey eyes bruised around the edges meeting the square beady brown eyes that he recognized so well and his heart stopped at the sight of them.

"Minnie?" he whispered hoarsely, the old nickname slipping out before he consciously thought about it.

The brown eyes rolled in exaggeration at him and for the first time in four years, six months, and seventeen days — he felt a bubble of laughter rising in his throat.

"Sirius," she said softly, reaching to hold his ice cold hands where they clutched the iron bars tightly. "You remember me? I was worried that I might have been too late. The healer said… never mind. You _know_ me."

He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs that lingered there. "Yeah," he said roughly. "Why are you here, Professor?"

Her eyes looked sad as she gripped his hands tightly from where they were clutched around the bars. "I'm sorry that it took so long, Sirius, I'm so sorry, but you are _finally_ getting a trial. A trial to prove your innocence."

His dark grey eyes met hers in shock. "What?"

"I don't believe for a moment that you betrayed James and Lily, Sirius. I never have. James was like a brother to you and you… you loved that little boy. You deserve a trial. Maybe if we can understand why you…"

Sirius snorted now, his fingers gripping hers as he realized what she was saying. "You believe that I murdered thirteen people in a crowded street, but I didn't betray my best friends. Interesting view you have of me, Minnie, my dear."

"Sirius," she said again, her voice quiet and stern. "I believe that you are innocent and I have been campaigning for you to be set free from the moment that you were arrested. Finally, the Minister has taken heed of my words and agreed to give you the trial you should have been given years ago. It will be in three days time."

Sirius squeezed her fingers gently. "I am innocent, Minnie. I would never have betrayed them, never!"

McGonagall nodded, smiling at him. "I know. I will see you in three days, Sirius. I'm rooting for you."

As he watched her leave, he felt the darkness pressing in on him once again and he moved away from the bars, letting his back rest against the cool stone.

Four years, six months, seventeen days — but he was getting a trial.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _Thank you for reading and please review._


	2. Chapter 2

_Authors Note:_

 _The trial begins._

 _I always kind of viewed Crouch in my mind as being a bad guy - how do you arrest someone without giving them a trial? He had good intentions, of course, trying to stop the Death Eaters and trying to save the world, but sometimes you need to hear the whole story - and sometimes you have to admit when you're wrong._

 _Also — I have this head canon that McGonagall was always there for Sirius like a second mother (Euphemia Potter was obviously the mother that mattered most in his life) but I always felt like McGonagall loved him like a son. She was there when he needed her; she respected him and him her. She knew what kind of terrible home he had come from, and she let him know that she was always there if he needed to talk about anything, which is why she is so devastated in Prisoner of Azkaban when she tells the story about Sirius in The Three Broomsticks._

 _So in my story — she is his_ _One True Defender._

 _Also, I know that Crouch was moved in 1982 to the Department of Magical Cooperation because of the trial of his own son, but I felt that in this case and because he was the Auror that put Sirius away, he would be able to conduct the trial with authority — just not with FULL authority._

 _There has been no reference to Sirius Black's wand as far as I know so I made up my own. Accept it. I voted on unicorn tail hair because unicorn hair produces the most consistent magic, least subject to fluctuations and blockages, most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts and the most faithful of all wands. And I just loved the description for dogwood: "Dogwood wands are quirky and mischievous; they have playful natures and insist upon partners who can provide them with scope for excitement and fun. It would be quite wrong, however, to deduce from this that dogwood wands are not capable of serious magic when called upon to do so; they have been known to perform outstanding spells under difficult conditions, and when paired with a suitably clever and ingenious witch or wizard, can produce dazzling enchantments. Dogwood wands refuse to perform non-verbal spells and they are often rather noisy."_

 _It just sounded so much like Sirius Black to me._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO:**

 _22nd of April, 1986…_

 **It was the Auror, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody who arrived three days later, his wand unlocking his chains only to lock them again to the Dementor, who would be following them to the Ministry of Magic for his trial.** He felt sick as the Dementor brushed him and the moment they stepped into the round courtroom that would be holding the trial, he vomited. He didn't even know that he had anything in his system to be throwing up, but he threw up just the same.

Moody, his wooden leg making him limp, reached up to click the chains around Sirius' wrists and ankles, locking him into place in the iron hanging cage in the middle of the room. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief when the Dementor stepped back. His eyes moved around the room, looking at the assembly of the full Wizengamot before him. He could feel his Aunt Druella's dark eyes boring into him from the public gallery and he refused to make eye contact with her. But he did wonder why she had dragged herself to his trial and why his own dear mother wasn't here to ask them to toss him back in and throw away the key. But he was thankful not to see her. She would be the last person to support him in his fight to clear his name. Dumbledore sat before him as Chief Warlock and McGonagall sat in the public gallery which cheered him up some. His eyes fell on the golden orbs of Remus Lupin and his stomach twisted at the sight of disgust in the eyes that he had once trusted so much.

The chatter died down and he gripped the iron bars before him, slowing the shaking of the iron cage a little as the Auror Bartemius Crouch stepped forward, wand pointed at the cage. His pencil thin moustache was starting to go grey and his perfectly parted short hair had streaks of salt peppered among the dark locks. His bright eyes were locked venomously on Sirius as he spoke.

"This man, Sirius Orion Black, sentenced to life in Azkaban Prison by yours truly on the first of November 1981 for leaking the hidden location of James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans, resulting in their death as they were then murdered by He Who Must Not Be Named; resulting in the attempted murder of their son Harry James Potter otherwise known as The Boy Who Lived; for the murder of thirteen people, one wizard called Peter Pettigrew and for twelve Muggles listed as follows: Alfred Bern, Madison Daniels, Lillian Fox, Justine Finch, Logan Matthews, Linda Morton, David Morton, Peter O'Shea, Pauline Preston, Gregory Sampson, Vincent Simpson, and Kendrick Wessex - all who were caught up in the explosion caused by the use of the blasting curse." Crouch declared, his eyes cold as they stared Sirius down through the iron cage. "One life sentence of a hundred years for each life you took means that you will die in Azkaban Prison before your sentence of thirteen hundred years has been served. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty," Sirius said, his voice hoarse.

His eyes were on Remus who was staring at him with so much contempt that he wanted to vomit again. His best friend believed him to be guilty of such heinous crimes; of betraying his true family. It was the worst feeling knowing that, worse than any torture that they could possibly inflict upon him.

"How are we, the court and the jury, supposed to believe that you, Sirius Orion Black, are not guilty of such charges when the evidence is so overwhelmingly against you?" Crouch demanded.

The man standing next to Crouch, dark locks over dark skin gestured for Crouch to back down. Sirius jolted as he recognized Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Mr Crouch, we asked you here as a courtesy to oversee the trial that you denied this man, but remember, you are no longer an Auror."

Crouch seemed to be seething in response, but his face kept its stern, disgusted look as he glared at Sirius. "I repeat: How are we, the court and jury, supposed to believe that you, Sirius Orion Black, are not guilty of such charges when the evidence is so _overwhelmingly_ against you?"

Sirius swallowed carefully, his throat so dry that it hurt to speak, but McGonagall had gotten him this trial and he wasn't going to do anything to screw up his chances of getting his story heard; no matter the consequences. He wasn't going to let her down after all that she had done for him.

"I was made out to be Secret Keeper for the Potters, this is true. They were in hiding because it was rumoured that the Death Eaters were searching for the Potters; but we believed that there was a spy amongst us and James and I…" Tears welled up in his eyes for the first time in years as he spoke. "We decided to change Secret Keepers at the last minute to keep them safe. We agreed that I was the natural choice and that Voldemort —"

"DO NOT SPEAK HIS NAME!" Crouch bellowed, interrupting his speech.

Sirius licked his lips. "That HE would know that they would choose me so we asked Peter, Peter Pettigrew and he agreed. Lily performed the spell almost immediately and they went into hiding right after."

"Are you saying that you were _not_ the Secret Keeper for the Potters?" Crouch demanded, his eyes still cold as they stared him down.

The tears blinded his vision, but he held them back, refusing to let them spill down his cheeks for fear that he may not be able to stop them once they fell. "That is correct, Sir. Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper. I… it was my job to check on him; to keep him safe. But on Halloween, when I went to pick him up, he wasn't there. James and Lily had invited us over for All Hallows Eve and when I arrived to bring him over, he wasn't there. I waited around for about thirty minutes and then I really started to worry so I headed to the house. James and Lily… the house… the whole side where Harry's nursery was… it was destroyed and they were both dead."

Crouch's cold eyes blinked at this before he turned to whisper something to the short woman sitting next to him. She had toad-like features as she nodded and scribbled down whatever he had just told her to write.

"What did you do when you found the Potters dead?"

Sirius swallowed carefully again, this time his eyes moving to McGonagall, whose brown eyes were urging him to go on. "I held Harry. I couldn't believe that he was even alive after I had seen the house and then Hagrid came, Rubeus Hagrid. He told me that Dumbledore had sent him; that he would keep Harry safe. It was at that moment that I realized that this had happened because of Peter - that he was the spy - and I wasn't going to let him get away with it. So I gave Harry to Hagrid and I went after Peter to find out what had happened."

"Did you find him?" Crouch demanded.

Sirius nodded. "I did. It took me almost a day, but I found him. I demanded of him how he could have betrayed us this way, betrayed his family, his friends who loved and protected him and he cowered away from me, used the Sonorous Charm on himself and bellowed to the entire street that I had betrayed James and Lily Potter and that I was the reason that they were dead. Then he blew up the street with a single blasting curse and vanished before my eyes."

"He vanished?" Crouch said with a smirk. "How completely convenient for you."

"He's an Animagus."

Crouch's eyes widened, locking onto Sirius' face now. "He's a _what_?"

Sirius swallowed slowly. He knew that revealing this now was almost like breaking a promise to his best friend, but after everything that Peter had done, Sirius wasn't taking any chances in letting him get away. "He's an Animagus. A rat. He transformed and vanished amidst the chaos of the curse and left me there, surrounded by dead bodies."

Crouch turned back to the woman next to him to confer and they whispered fervently amongst each other. Shacklebolt was staring at Sirius, his face revealing nothing of his thoughts.

Sirius' eyes found Remus in the crowd of the public gallery again. Remus was looking at him now in wonder. The contempt in his eyes had lessened slightly and Sirius could see the wheels turning in his friend's head as he tried to comprehend the story that Sirius had just told to the room at large.

"Sirius Orion Black, where is Peter Pettigrew now?"

Sirius snorted. "Hiding somewhere is my guess. He's a fucking coward is what he is. But if you find him, kill him for me."

"If you cannot produce the whereabouts of Mr Pettigrew then I cannot in good conscience allow a convicted murderer such as yourself freedom without evidential proof."

McGonagall stood up now, her eyes flashing in anger. "Crouch! That is preposterous and you know it! You have heard the boy's story and still not given him a fair trial! Have you even listened to what he was saying about Pettigrew?"

"He is a not a boy, McGonagall!" Crouch yelled. "Black is a twenty-six-year-old-man who has been tried and convicted of hideous crimes! His use of the blasting curse not only slaughtered twelve Muggles, but left nothing of Pettigrew but a finger! Now he's claiming some cock and bull tale about Pettigrew turning into a rat! Innocent is not the word that I would use on such a criminal!"

McGonagall huffed angrily. "He was never tried, Crouch! I believe every word that has left that young man's mouth! He is innocent! Use Veritaserum if you must! View his memories! Why haven't you checked his wand? I thought that this was to be a fair trial!"

"Permission must be given to use truth potion as you very well know!" Crouch exclaimed, the vein in his head popping slightly above the skin. The fact that he had been forced by the Minister to give the man before him a trial to begin with irked him enough and he wasn't going to be made a fool of in his own courtroom.

"Permission granted!" Sirius shouted, his grey eyes on McGonagall. The bubble of hope that had sprung up in his chest when she had so vehemently defended him had caught him off guard. Minerva McGonagall had always been there for him and seeing her now defending him so passionately was more than he ever could have asked for. "Use truth potion on me. You'll see that I'm telling the truth! Take my memories! Whatever you need to do! The Aurors took my wand; look at my spells if you must — I didn't do it!"

Crouch turned back to the woman, but this time it was Dumbledore that stood up to speak.

"Bartemius, I think using truth serum is an excellent plan," he said calmly. "Auror Dawlish," he said turning to the young Auror trainee at the door. "Why don't you grab a phial from the Auror Department? I assume, Alastor, that you brought Sirius' wand with you from Azkaban?"

Dawlish nodded, hurrying out of the room as Alastor Moody stepped forward. "I did, Albus, it's here," he said producing the wand from his pocket. "Twelve and three quarter inches, dogwood, unicorn hair, made by Ollivander and belonging to Sirius Orion Black since August of 1971."

Crouch looked livid. His eyes glaring daggers at Dumbledore as he issued orders to his staff in the courtroom. But he could see the jury shuffling in interest so he took his seat, fuming silently. He kept his mouth shut until fifteen minutes later when Dawlish stepped back into the courtroom with a phial of truth serum in his hands.

"Do you, Sirius Orion Black, allow us to administer this potion of Veritaserum to you?" Crouch asked tensely.

"I do." Sirius announced clearly.

Crouch handed him the phial and Sirius accepted it, tossing back the liquid and wincing at the sweetness of it as it burned a path down his throat.

"Sirius Orion Black, are you willing to speak truthfully now?"

"Yes." Sirius responded calmly. He could feel the effects of the potion already tangling his tongue, demanding that he speak nothing but the truth.

"Were you the Secret Keeper for James and Lily Potter?"

"No."

The chatter around the room heightened and Crouch held his hand up to silence them.

"Sirius Orion Black, who was the Secret Keeper for James and Lily Potter?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Did you kill Peter Pettigrew?"

"No, I did not kill him."

"What happened to Peter Pettigrew if you did not in fact kill him?"

"He blew up the street with a single blasting curse and transformed into a rat."

"How do you know that Peter Pettigrew is an Animagus?"

"He became one in fifth year. I watched him learn. He was my friend, my dorm mate." Sirius said calmly, stopping himself from continuing to tell the room that he himself was also an Animagus. He hadn't been asked the question so he wasn't obligated by any sense of disloyalty or by the potion to confess as such.

Crouch nodded, his cold eyes boring into Sirius'. "Did you, Sirius Orion Black, kill any of the twelve Muggles in the street the day you went after Pettigrew?"

"No. I have never killed anyone in my life."

The chatter filled the room once more and this time Crouch didn't stop it. Dumbledore spoke now, his eyes on Crouch.

"It seems that Mr Black has been honest here, Barty. Perhaps you would also like to view his memories to be even more positive that we have convicted an innocent man?"

Crouch's eyes hardened and his face flushed. "Actually, I would Dumbledore. Bring me the Pensieve from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," he demanded of Dawlish who only nodded and scurried out of the room again.

Moody stepped forward and handed Crouch the wand in his possession. "Let's look at the last spells that he used while we wait, Crouch."

Crouch looked positively livid, but he accepted the wand and performed the revealing spell. The courtroom watched as echoes of the last spells performed by the wand appeared before them: lumos, a dog patronus, a stunning spell, a dog patronus, and a summoning charm.

"Well, Bartemius, if Sirius did perform the blasting spell, he clearly did not use his own wand to do so," Dumbledore stated as Crouch shoved the wand back into Moody's hands, his eyes flashing in anger.

"You are not in charge here, Albus!" Crouch exclaimed angrily. He turned back to the woman making notes and he whispered something to her. She nodded and quickly scribbled away. "Now, it is time to extract those memories to be viewed."

"At this point, it seems like overkill, Barty," Moody said as he tucked Sirius' wand away in his coat. "His wand and the truth serum have proven him innocent of the crimes that he has been accused of. We never should have sent him to Azkaban in the first place. Minerva is right, he's innocent."

There was a murmur of approval around the room and Crouch's face flushed again. "Are you questioning my authority, Alastor? Are you questioning the authority of the very department that you work for? Of the Wizengamot? I have spent years rounding up Death Eaters and have never been questioned by how I did my job; by how those who followed He Who Must Not Named should be punished! Did I not put my own son away in Azkaban Prison for his crimes against the Longbottoms?"

Moody stared at him for a moment. "You were a great Auror, Barty, but this man deserved a trial and we never gave him one and it looks like he was innocent the entire time. It was a mistake. Our mistake. And you're not an Auror anymore."

Crouch only stared at him, his nostrils flaring angrily. "We need those memories."


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note:_

 _According to the site Gringotts Converter, the Wizard to Muggle Currency Converter of Gringotts Bank claims that 1,630 Galleon is £8,117 and 8 Pence._

 _Thank you so much for reading._

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE:**

 **"** **I'll do it," McGonagall said, standing up and moving to the centre of the room where Sirius was hanging in the cage.** "He trusts me, which as we all know, makes extracting memories safer for all of the parties involved." She stopped in front of Sirius and gave him a small smile of reassurance. "That is of course, if that is alright with you, Mr Black?"

Sirius nodded, his grey eyes staring at her gratefully. He was too afraid to think about them actually setting him free and he could see that it was clearly the last thing that Crouch wanted: To be forced to admit that he had been wrong. He was intrigued however at the idea that Crouch was no longer an Auror, he wondered why that was, but he pushed it from his mind. He had more important things to be worrying about at the moment. "It is. You have my full permission."

Crouch handed her three phials, nodding his acceptance of her taking on this task. "Black, I need three memories: The one where the Secret Keeper was changed; the night of Halloween 1981; and the day that you tracked down Pettigrew and were arrested."

Sirius nodded and concentrated as McGonagall's wand brushed his temple. Five minutes later, all three phials were full and the Auror called Dawlish had returned with the Pensieve.

Crouch carefully opened the first phial and poured the memory inside. He muttered an amplifying charm and the Pensieve flashed above the room onto the ceiling so that the entire Wizengamot and jury could view the memory.

Sirius watched it unfold, tears pouring down his face as the memory of his friends, his true family, played before him and making him feel like they were in the room with him once again.

 _"_ _I'm just saying, Evans, I remember how much Prongs drove you crazy, it only makes sense that you'd be annoyed by him still." Sirius said as he wiped Harry's face with a washcloth, trying to get all of the carrot mush off of his nephew's chin._

 _"_ _It's Potter now, Black, and oh, I am annoyed with him, but only because he keeps inviting_ you _over."_

 _"_ _Aw, come on Lily, you know you love me," Sirius said kissing her cheek. "I'm your favourite Marauder, we all know that you just married James as a front."_

 _Lily rolled her eyes, tucking her long red hair behind her ear. "Oh, you caught me, Black. I'm madly in love with you." She rolled her eyes, turning to pick up Harry from his high chair. "Ignore your crazy uncle Padfoot, Harry — he's a moron."_

 _"_ _Hey! I take offence to that!"_

 _Lily laughed and handed her son to him. "Go play with your godson while I clean up in here."_

 _Sirius bounced Harry in his arms who cooed happily at him. "Come on, Prongslet, we have manly things to do." He left Lily in the kitchen laughing at him, Harry in his arms and smiled at James and Peter who were sitting in the living room._

 _"_ _Here's your son, Prongs; all fed and cleaned up by yours truly."_

 _James took Harry, smiling happily as he kissed the top of his son's head. "Hi Harry, did Uncle Padfoot make a big mess feeding you dinner?"_

 _Harry only waved his arms and muttered, "Padfoof!"_

 _James grinned and kissed his son again, sliding down to the floor to let Harry wander as he toddled around - almost running, even though he had only been walking for three months. "Flirting with my wife again too?"_

 _Sirius only smirked. "I told her that we should run off together. She only rolled her eyes at me. I'm wearing her down."_

 _"_ _You know Lily loves me. And that you are the last person that I can imagine tying himself down ever, let alone Lily actually running off with."_

 _"_ _True. But maybe if it was for someone as amazing as Lily, I'd consider the scary commitment thing."_

 _James grinned at his friend, slapping his shoulder. "I'm the luckiest bloke alive, I know." He used his wand to make the tiny toy cars and trucks zoom around the room for Harry's amusement before he turned to his friends. "I asked you guys here tonight for an important reason. Moony's keeping busy underground otherwise I'd ask him to be here as well, but Dumbledore thinks that we have a spy amongst us."_

 _"_ _What?" Peter squeaked, his eyes widening. "D-d-does he know who it is?"_

 _James shook his head, sending the fire truck racing towards his laughing son. "I don't think so. He warned Lily and I to be on our guard. After our last near escape from Voldemort… well, he's after Harry now. We know that for sure."_

 _"_ _Do you know why?" Sirius asked, watching his giggling godson in amusement. "I mean, I'm sure that he's a bright kid, Prongs, but Harry's not exactly going to be duelling Voldemort to the death any time soon. Why would he care about a baby?"_

 _"_ _Voldemort wants him dead… we don't know why; maybe out of spite for Lily and I seemingly always escaping his grasp. I don't know." He smiled when Harry plopped himself onto his lap and snuggled close, yawning. "But for now, the spy is the problem. Dumbledore is worried that Lily and I will be compromised and he wants us to go deeper underground."_

 _"_ _You've already stopped doing almost everything, Jamie, and now he wants you to be even more underground? You and Lily have been hiding for months as it is!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes wide._

 _James nodded, dragging his fingers through his hair. "It's the last thing that I want to do, Sirius. All I do lately is sit around and do nothing to help with this war while my friends are out there risking their lives every day, but if it will save the life of my wife and my child — I won't hesitate. And I know that we talked about it before with Remus here last week, officially going underground and having a Secret Keeper to hide our location. But it's something that needs to be done today. We need to figure out who the spy is or none of us will be safe."_

 _Peter shifted uncomfortably and his friends turned to look at him._

 _"_ _What's up, Pete?" James asked as Harry crawled over to Peter and handed him his fire truck._

 _Peter let out a long breath before he spoke, accepting the truck from Harry and zooming it off with his wand so that Harry could chase it. "I-I didn't want to say anything."_

 _"_ _Say what?" Sirius asked, his eyes on Peter._

 _"_ _I think… I mean… I've had some suspicions about a spy myself. Things that I've learned on my missions who… who I've only told one person about, that have found their way to You Know Who and his Death Eaters." Peter said quietly, his eyes darting between his two friends. "I thought maybe that I was just getting paranoid, you know, but after hearing this from you guys, maybe I'm not so paranoid."_

 _James' arms reached out to steady Harry as he tripped over his feet in his attempt to catch the fire truck zooming across the floor. "Go on, Pete."_

 _Peter sighed. "I think it's Remus."_

 _"_ _WHAT?" Sirius exploded causing Harry to start to cry._

 _"_ _Shh, Harry, it's okay," James soothed, glaring at his friend as he picked his son up. "Don't scare the baby, Sirius!"_

 _Sirius ignored James and glared at Peter. "How dare you fucking accuse Remus of being a spy, Wormtail? Remus would never!"_

 _Peter shook his head, his eyes wide and fearful. "I don't want to believe it, Sirius! But I've told him things about my missions! About how Greyback seems to be working closely with certain Death Eaters and about how your brother got killed and… and well, things that the Death Eaters than used against us! How did they find out, Sirius? How did they know that we would be in Glasgow a few months back or in Piccadilly?"_

 _Sirius shook his head, his grey eyes stormy in denial. "Remus would never fucking betray us, Peter!"_

 _"_ _Siri!" James hissed, tilting his head at Harry. "Children are about!"_

 _"_ _Peter's trying to say that Remus is the spy, Jamie! Language isn't my concern at the moment," Sirius said, glaring at Peter. "Remus would never fucking betray any of us and you should be fucking ashamed for even bloody thinking it!"_

 _"_ _Siri say fuck!" Harry exclaimed, grinning widely as James glared at his friend._

 _"_ _Way to go, Uncle Padfoot," James muttered. "That's a very bad word, Harry, and Uncle Sirius shouldn't have said it."_

 _"_ _Fuck!" Harry said again and James covered his face with his hands._

 _"_ _I'm telling Lily that this is all your fault."_

 _"_ _What did Sirius do now?" Lily asked as she came into the living room._

 _"_ _Padfoof fuck!" Harry said and Lily's eyes widened before she cuffed Sirius across the back of the head._

 _"_ _Sirius!"_

 _"_ _I'm sorry, it just slipped out!" Sirius said trying not to laugh. "But Pete is trying to convince Jamie and I that Remus is the spy and it made me angry!"_

 _"_ _I don't want it to be Remus," Peter said softly. "But what about Marlene?"_

 _James looked at his friend darkly. "Don't say her name, Pete. Lily… she doesn't want to hear her name."_

 _"_ _It's all right, Jamie," Lily said, moving to sit on the floor next to her husband and to cuddle her son who immediately crawled towards her. "It hurts, but I can hear her name. I don't think that I'm ever going to get over losing one of my best friends. What about Marly, Pete?"_

 _Peter hesitated before he spoke. "I told Remus that Marlene and Mary were hiding out in Glasgow after You Know Who's attack on their families. Two days later, McKinnon was murdered by Death Eaters."_

 _"_ _That's just a coincidence, Pete," James said softly. "Its pure conjecture. Remus would never hurt Marlene."_

 _"_ _I told him where I hid Mary to keep her safe and three days later, Mary was murdered by Death Eaters," Peter told them softly. "I don't want to believe it. Please tell me that I'm wrong, but… Remus is the only person that I told that too."_

 _Sirius crossed his arms in front of him. "It's a coincidence, nothing more. I'll talk to Remus when he comes back tomorrow."_

 _Peter nodded, holding his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I trust you guys. If you think that I'm wrong, than I'm wrong. I just thought that with Moony's missions among Greyback… the way he's become rather attached to that Roberts bloke and his disciples… that maybe something in him snapped. But I hope to Merlin I'm wrong."_

 _Lily reached out to squeeze Peter's hand in her own. "It's not Remus, Peter — it just can't be."_

 _Peter smiled at her. "I hope you're right, Lily."_

 _Lily smiled at them. "Did Jamie tell you that Dumbledore wants us to go deeper into hiding?"_

 _Sirius nodded, still glaring at Peter. The thought of Remus being the spy was preposterous, but Peter's words were echoing in his head in a way that made him very uncomfortable. Marlene McKinnon dead; Mary McDonald dead — Remus was NOT responsible he thought. He shook the thoughts away and smiled at Lily._

 _"_ _Yes, he did."_

 _"_ _He wants us to use the Fidelius Charm to keep ourselves completely hidden in plain sight with the protection of our chosen Secret Keeper. We talked about this last week and about how we considered you, Sirius," Lily explained, smiling when James wrapped his arm around her. "Remember how Remus agreed and said that it was a great idea?"_

 _"_ _Dumbledore offered to be our Secret Keeper when we told him that we discussed it with the three of you," James told them as Sirius and Peter stared at them in surprise. "But I told him no. I wanted Sirius."_

 _"_ _What? Why? Dumbledore is like the strongest wizard alive, James! He defeated Grindelwald for Merlin's sake!" Sirius exclaimed, still surprised that his friends had chosen him. Even after a week of thinking about it, it still shocked him._

 _"_ _I know," James said, smiling. "And I trust him, but I trust my friends more. Rem agreed with me that you are the best choice, Sirius."_

 _Peter nodded as Harry came towards him again, crawling into his lap and reaching for the toy car that Peter had been fiddling with._

 _"_ _Mine, Wormy, mine!" Harry said, smiling when Peter handed him the car._

 _Peter smiled and showed Harry how to make the car move. "Like this, Harry, see —vroom!"_

 _"_ _Voom!" Harry said, grinning widely and making himself comfortable on Peter's lap, car in hand._

 _James nodded, smiling at his son. "We'd like Sirius to do it. He's Harry's godfather after all - and I would trust him with my son's life."_

 _"_ _As would I." Lily said, smiling at Sirius. "Will you do it, Sirius?"_

 _Sirius stared at them in surprise. "I'd be honoured." He smiled when Harry crawled off of Peter's lap and into his, wrapping his arms around the baby with a smile. "You really want me?"_

 _"_ _Sirius, I trust my Marauders more than anything in the world, but you have been like a brother to me; are my brother in every way that counts especially after my parents took you in. You are the best of my best friends and I want you to be the Secret Keeper."_

 _Sirius nodded and then he frowned. "No."_

 _"_ _What?" Lily asked in surprise, her fingers twining with James'._

 _Sirius shook his head as Harry crawled up his chest and tugged on his hair. Sirius carefully pried the tiny fingers off of his shiny locks and used his wand to make the cars zoom across the floor again. "I'm honoured, beyond honoured actually - but what James just said is why it shouldn't be me."_

 _"_ _I don't follow," Peter said, staring at Sirius in surprise. "He said that he trusts you."_

 _"_ _As he should," Sirius said calmly. "But Voldemort will know. Think about it, Jamie — we are brothers. We have always been side by side in everything. You made me best man at your wedding; hell I even walked Lily down the aisle because her own father couldn't be there. You made me godfather to your son. Of course he's going to know it's me! I'm the bloody most obvious choice!"_

 _"_ _I don't see why that's a bad thing, Sirius," Lily told him and then her eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. "He'll go after you."_

 _Sirius nodded. "Let him! I'm not scared of Voldemort, what I'm scared of is something happening to you three… Pete!"_

 _Peter jumped at the rather sudden exclamation of his name and he rubbed a hand over his right forearm. "Yeah?"_

 _"_ _You should choose, Peter." Sirius suggested, his eyes alight now. "Voldemort would never think of Peter."_

 _Peter shrugged at that, smiling at his friends. "I am the least formidable opponent, it's true."_

 _"_ _No," Sirius said with a laugh. "Not that, Pete, but that Voldemort would obviously think it's me, not you. It would be sending him on a wild goose chase."_

 _James nodded in understanding. "You do have a point." He looked at his wife, gently brushing her hair back from her face. "But it's not just me that has to make this choice."_

 _Lily smiled at her husband. "Pete's a Marauder, of course we trust him."_

 _Peter stared at them in surprise, his eyes alight with a gleaming happiness. "I would be honoured."_

 _Sirius grinned widely. "You can even stay here in Godric's Hollow, Voldemort will never know. Halloween is next week. We'll all come over and dress Harry up."_

 _Lily laughed. "I bought him a pumpkin costume, it's so adorable."_

 _James grinned and kissed his wife. "Okay, Pete, let's do this. Lily will perform the charm now. Sirius, you'll protect him?"_

 _Sirius grinned at Peter, clapping a hand to his shoulder. "With my life. Let's do it."_

The memory faded from view and the entire courtroom was quiet. Sirius watched as McGonagall took the memory from the Pensieve and carefully slipped it back into his mind, the warm pressure of the memory against his temple only reminding him of the tears that rolled unabashedly down his cheeks.

"Well, Mr Black was indeed not the Secret Keeper. Onto the night of Halloween then, 1981." Crouch said, pouring in the next memory and amplifying it above as he had the first, for the entire courtroom to see.

 _"_ _James, does Lily really have him dressed up as a pumpkin?" Sirius asked the mirror in his hand as he pulled his helmet off to hang it over the side of his motorbike and made his way down the street amidst the children walking around in costumes._

 _James' face was in the mirror in his hand and he grinned widely. "Yeah, look at him!" He held Harry up to the mirror in his pumpkin costume and Harry grinned. "Siri! Padfoof!"_

 _Sirius grinned, running his fingers through his hair to make sure that it wasn't too messy from the helmet. "He looks fucking adorable."_

 _"_ _Fuck!" Harry said and Sirius winced._

 _James laughed. "I know, right? And stop swearing around him — he copies you!"_

 _"_ _Moony's got a worse off mouth than me! He's the one that got him saying shite and tosser!" Sirius exclaimed as Harry then proceeded to shout out those two words and he winced. "Sorry, Prongs."_

 _"_ _Lily is going to beat both of you to death if you don't control your language around him! Anyway, listen we'll dress him up again when you get here. I'm going to take it off of him now so that we can feed him dinner. The kid makes way too much of a mess," James told him with a grin._

 _Sirius chuckled at that. "Should be there soon. I'm heading to Pete's flat now."_

 _"_ _Gotcha, see you blokes when you get here — and stop swearing, you git!"_

 _Sirius laughed as the mirror went blank in his hand and he was left staring down at his own face. He tucked it away in his pocket and hurried his pace down to the end of the block and up the steps to the third floor. Peter's flat was quiet and Sirius was pleased to see all of the wards were still strongly in place._

 _He let himself inside, tugging his scarf loose in the heat of the room. "Pete!"_

 _There was no answer so he made his way into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of a water, drinking it eagerly. After a few moments of still not hearing movement, he began to wander the flat in search of his friend. Finding it empty, he frowned checking his watch._

 _It was ten after five, Peter should have been home from work over an hour before and he had known Sirius was coming by for five. He waited a little longer, looking out the window for any signs of his friend, but he only saw a normal street below full of children in costumes._

 _He tapped his fingers on his leg, checking his watch again. Maybe something had happened with Peter's mother as lately she hadn't been doing well. He glanced towards the Floo and contemplated calling her to check in and then changed his mind as the clock struck half past. He didn't want to needlessly worry her._

 _But something didn't feel right._

 _He locked the flat up behind him and hopped onto his motorbike, using the new flying mechanism that he had installed as he flew straight to Godric's Hollow. He quickened his speed as he landed and moved down the street and the sight of the Dark Mark blazing green in the sky tore through him. He jumped off of the bike as it crashed onto its side and he started to run._

 _The sight of the cottage made him fist his hands over his heart. The front gate was blown open and the entire left side of the house, the second floor where Harry's nursery sat, was blown apart. Sirius gasped for breath as he hurried into the house._

 _"_ _JAMES! LILY!"_

 _His eyes widened when he saw James sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, his glasses askew on his face, his hazel eyes always so full of light staring blankly ahead. The sob tore threw him and he crumpled to the ground at his friend's feet._

 _"_ _James! You've never lost a duel, what the hell happened?" He grabbed his friend's hand, holding it to his heart and that's when he noticed that there was no wand. He jumped to his feet, tears welling up in his eyes as he found the wands of both James and Lily sitting on the couch in the living room next to a pumpkin Halloween costume and a camera._

 _"_ _Fuck," he muttered, clutching the wands in his hands. "Jamie, you idiot! Why didn't you have your wand?" He swiped furiously at the tears and then he thought of Lily's wand… had she still managed to Apparate away?_

 _He bolted up the stairs and he choked back another sob as he saw Lily lying in front of Harry's crib, her red hair full of blood and her green eyes staring blankly ahead. But it was the body of the pale dark haired wizard lying next to her that caught his eye._

 _Voldemort was dead._

 _"_ _Siri! Padfoof!"_

 _Sirius' heart literally stopped as he saw Harry standing in his crib, arms outstretched for him. His little chubby cheeks covered in tears and blood._

 _He stepped over Lily, picking up her son and cradling him into his arms. "Harry, little man, it's okay. Uncle Sirius is here."_

 _He used his wand to clean the blood away from Harry's face and frowned at the lightening bolt cut that sprang from his forehead. He attempted to heal it, but it didn't work, so he kissed it softly and snuggled the baby to him._

 _His eyes fell on the form of Voldemort and they darkened. He pointed his wand at the body and flung it out of the hole in the side of the nursery, watching it splatter on the ground below. He would not let that monster rest beside Lily Potter._

 _He kissed Harry's cheeks as he made his way downstairs, trying to shield Harry's eyes from the sight of his dead parents as tears rolled down his own cheeks._

 _"_ _I've got you, Harry, don't worry. Uncle Padfoot's got you."_

 _"_ _Mumma! Dada!"_

 _Sirius only shook his head and kissed Harry's cheeks. "I know, Prongslet, I know." He stepped onto the front porch and then he finally collapsed to his knees, cradling Harry close and he cried._

 _It was where Hagrid found him ten minutes later._

 _"_ _Sirius."_

 _Sirius' tear-stained face looked up at him. "Hagrid. James and Lily… they're dead!"_

 _Hagrid nodded, helping the young man to his feet. "Yeh need to give me 'Arry, Sirius."_

 _"_ _What? No!" Sirius exclaimed, holding Harry tighter against him, "I'm his godfather, he stays with me!" Hagrid reached for Harry and Sirius jumped back, holding the child closer and away from Hagrid's reach. "He belongs with me, Hagrid!"_

 _"_ _Sirius, Dumbledore asked me ter come take 'im. 'E needs ter be wit' his family now."_

 _"_ _I AM HIS FAMILY!"_

 _Hagrid looked sad, his large hand squeezing Sirius' shoulder in reassurance. "Sirius, 'e needs blood protection. Yeh aren't 'is blood."_

 _Sirius shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I am his family, Hagrid."_

 _"_ _Sirius, give him ter me. 'E'll be safe, I promise. Lily's sister will take care of 'im."_

 _Sirius stared at him for a long moment. "Petunia? She hated Lily!"_

 _Hagrid smiled sympathetically. "She'll take care of 'Arry."_

 _Sirius' hands trembled as he finally passed the baby to Hagrid and Harry cried out for him. He leaned in to kiss Harry's cheek. "I love you, Harry. I'll come see you soon, okay?"_

 _"_ _Padfoof! No go!"_

 _Sirius smiled at his godson and then he turned his attention to Hagrid. "There's something that I have to do. Take my bike, Hagrid." He tossed him the keys. "I won't be needing it."_

The memory ended there and Crouch nodded at Sirius as McGonagall again retrieved the memory and planted it back into his mind. Crouch poured the final memory into the Pensieve and one last time amplified it across the wall.

 _Sirius marched down the block, following Peter's trail from where he had chased him from his mother's house. He hadn't Apparated away, but instead had made a run for it, surprising Sirius more than anything as he followed him to the end of the crowded block._

 _"_ _Think being in a crowd of Muggles is going to save you, Wormtail?" Sirius exclaimed, grabbing Peter by the shoulder and punching him in the face._

 _Peter fell to the ground, his nose bleeding. "S-S-Sirius!"_

 _"_ _Don't you even start with me, Pete! You tried to turn us against the other! You tried to convince Jamie and I that Rem was the spy! Did you do the same to Remus? Is that why he said that he couldn't trust me? Did you tell him that I was the fucking spy?" He kicked Peter in the ribs and Peter whimpered. "And it was you all along! You spineless little worm! WE TRUSTED YOU!"_

 _He raised his wand, but Peter was faster, and he was blasted back by the explosion, his ears ringing._

 _"_ _HOW DARE YOU BETRAY JAMES AND LILY, SIRIUS? HOW DARE YOU?" Peter bellowed into the crowd, blood dripping from his right hand._

 _Sirius jumped to his feet, his ears ringing and his wand out. Then his eyes widened as he watched Peter transform into a rat and make a beeline for the sewer. Sirius slipped in the blood of the bodies near him as he tried to go after him just as six Aurors and Hit Wizards Apparated around him._

 _"_ _Sirius Black, you are under arrest! Drop your wand!"_

 _The laugh snuck out of him in desperation as he dropped his wand to the ground._

 _Peter fucking Pettigrew had tricked all of them and he had never even seen it coming._

The last memory finished and Sirius said nothing as McGonagall again returned it to his head. Crouch conferred with the people around him for almost ten minutes and then he nodded, standing up.

"Sirius Orion Black, after hearing your statements before and after obtaining truth serum; after using the revealing charm on your wand, and after viewing your memories, I regretfully admit that we were wrong and that you are innocent of all of the charges brought against you at this time." He held his hand up to silence the room. "The court will compensate you one thousand six hundred and thirty Galleons, one for each day that you were held wrongfully as a prisoner in Azkaban Prison."

Sirius snorted at that, but breathed a sigh of relief when the cage was opened and Moody waved his wand, dropping the chains and he rubbed his raw and bruised wrists gently. Dawlish approached him and handed him the wand that had been taken from him the moment that he had dropped it on command; held in the Azkaban offices until his death (where it would then be broken) or in the rare case that he was to be set free.

His eyes moved to where Remus had been sitting and was surprised to find his old friend had left the courtroom altogether and he felt a wave of sadness at that.

Had he stayed the whole time?

Why had he left?

Did he still think that he was guilty?

He found himself embraced by McGonagall before he could wonder more about it and he hugged her back fiercely. She had always been there for him and now he owed her his life.

"Minnie, thank you! Thank you for believing in me!" he told her, kissing her cheek as she pulled away.

McGonagall beamed at him. "Always." She hugged him again as Dumbledore stepped towards them.

"Sirius, I am glad to learn that you have been cleared of all charges. Minerva was most insistent on your innocence and I am only sorry that it took so long for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Wizengamot to see reason in allowing you to sit a fair trial for your crimes." Dumbledore told him, shaking his hand. "You are a free man now."

Sirius nodded. The words still seemed to be a surprise to him. He said goodbye to them both and found himself face to face with his Aunt Druella. "Hi, Auntie."

Druella Black sneered at him. "I thought that when you were sent to prison that you had actually manned up and did something for once in your pathetic life, but I can see now that even that was too cowardly for you. You couldn't even kill an old school friend. Your parents were right to be disappointed in you. You're worse than my blood traitor of a daughter."

"Always nice to talk to you too, Auntie," Sirius called out after her as she stormed out and Sirius found himself standing almost alone in the middle of the courtroom, unsure of where to go or what to do next.

He was free. But what did that mean for him?


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note:_

 _I'm keeping the head canon from my_ **Missing Moments** _story — where Remus visited Harry once and Petunia gave him the ultimatum of taking Harry with him or saying goodbye — no magic, but a normal childhood. The reason for it is because I had both of these written and actually took that Remus moment and added it to my_ **Missing Moments** _story — merely because it fit so well as a good 'missing moment,' but it belongs here or it will in a few chapters, but it is mentioned below._

 _Also, I have seen so many amazing fan artists out there draw pictures of Sirius with tattoos. I wanted to give a story behind the tattoos that I chose to be on his body and I tried to do that here. I hope that I did them justice._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR:**

 **He was free.** But what did that mean for him?

He accepted the change of clothes from Dawlish and removed his ratty prison uniform, feeling better about himself just from the change of clothes and then he left the Ministry, not wanting to spend a minute longer there than was absolutely necessary, and made his way to Diagon Alley. The clothes were the ones that he had been arrested in and the jeans were a little baggy, outlining the weight that he had lost while he had been locked away. He took some money from his vault and exchanged some of it for Muggle currency. He bought some healing potions for himself as well as some clean clothes and some fresh toiletries before he headed into Muggle London and rented himself a large hotel suite for the night, desperate to be alone and away from the magical world for a few moments.

He needed to clear his head.

He undressed in the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror. His sleek black hair, always so polished and clean was now ragged, covered in dirt and hanging halfway down his back. He had a full scruffy beard, hanging off of his chin and he scratched at it, feeling the dirt and buildup from being locked in the cell for so long without a proper washing. He definitely had lice too, he realized as he scratched. He used the razor provided and shaved the monstrosity from his face, deciding to leave a light dusting of stubble. He cut his hair next, trimming it until it was just brushing the top of his collarbone and then he turned the shower on. The hot water beat down on his sore and bruised body and he let the tears fall as he scrubbed at years of dirt from his skin. He scrubbed his hair and his scalp until the water began to cool down. He rinsed himself clean and then he finally turned off the shower only to fill the tub full of hot steaming water and bubbles.

While the tub filled up, he wiped the steam from the mirror to look at his reflection again. He brushed his hair, parting it to the side and smiling at the familiar look. He was starting to feel like himself again despite the haunted cheekbones and the dark circles under his eyes. He used the potion that he had purchased in Diagon Alley to heal his gums and teeth after years of misuse and gulped it back, trying to fight the urge to vomit. Then he magically cleaned his teeth and crawled into the tub, sighing in pleasure as the hot clean water enveloped him.

Four years, six months, and twenty days he had spent in prison.

It had felt like a lifetime.

He was twenty-six years old, would be twenty-seven in November, and he felt like he was fifty. He leaned back in the water, relaxing in the bubbles until the water chilled and then he climbed from the tub and dried himself off. He tied the towel around his waist and turned back to the mirror.

He could almost count his ribs, he thought as he touched his sides. His arms were still muscular, but he was skinny. The pushups and sit-ups he had done every day for hours in his cell just to pass the time, had helped keep him in great shape, but the lack of proper nutrition had affected him as well. He looked at the tattoos on his body and for the first time all day he let out a small smile.

The first tattoo that he had ever procured he'd gotten when he'd been sixteen. Peter had come with him, he remembered. They had gone to the tattoo parlour in Knockturn Alley and Sirius had asked the guy to inscribe the circular phases of the moon chart. It was how he had kept track of the days in Azkaban. The moon was charmed to change on his chest as it did outside, always telling him what day it was. A month later he had tattooed the Gryffindor house crest in bright red and gold on his right shoulder blade with the words: _Where dwell the brave at heart_.

The tattoos had infuriated his parents and he had loved them all the more for it and being the rebellious sort, he had then continued to cover his body in the gorgeous art that made his mother angry, and him so proud. The Marauders Crest over his left shoulder blade, detailing the friends that meant so much to him; the true family that he belonged to with their motto: _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_. All four of them had gotten it tattooed before their seventh year.

His eyes fell on the portrait of the rat and rage filled him.

He still couldn't fathom how Peter could have betrayed him like that; betrayed Lily and James.

He held his wand up for a moment ready to blast the rat from the crest altogether, but he stopped. The crest represented their friendship and the good memories that the four of them had shared together all those years ago. He wasn't going to change that by blasting apart his back. He _loved_ that tattoo and he wasn't going to change it.

He wasn't going to let Peter take something else that he loved from him.

Sirius dropped his wand and traced the runic symbols along his left forearm that stood for friendship (ᚠᚱᛛᛖᛅᛞᛋᚻᛛᛈ), family (ᚠᚨᛗᛛᛚᚥ), and Marauders (ᛗᚨᚱᚨᚢᛞᛖᚱ) that were outlined in the tiny footprint pattern from the map that they had created at school. On the inside of his left wrist, he had the outline of a red and gold phoenix sketched in flames that came around in a half circle. The raw bruises from his chains had cut into the tattoo slightly and he winced at the pain of them. At least they would heal, he thought and he knew that it wouldn't damage the phoenix. He remembered how he had gotten it as a symbol of hope. One could always use more hope in their lives.

His right arm, a complete sleeve done in different shades of black, greys, and blues - of a wolf howling at the moon, while a stag, dog, and rat circled around him, protecting him. The Celtic knot closed off the scene at the bottom encircling his arm just above the wrist. Above the scene was the star chart of Sirius and of Orion encased in a circle and covering his entire right shoulder. Across his collarbone it said: M _ischief Managed_ in loopy cursive. Across his right side, over his ribs he had his motorcycle apexed by three stars. And finally he then traced the Gothic lettering that was his godson's name, the last tattoo he had placed on himself, on his left side vertically down his ribs it said: _Prongslet, HJP, July 31st, 1980._ As he traced the lettering he remembered the way that Harry had called out to him from Hagrid's arms that night and he buried his face in his hands.

 _Harry._

He needed to see his godson. He needed to make sure that he was alright. His stomach grumbled loudly surprising him and he brushed his hair back from his face.

One step at a time, Sirius, he told himself. One step at a time.

Two hours later, Sirius had treated himself to a steak dinner and a large pint at the hotel restaurant and then he had crawled into the large bed in his hotel room and slept fitfully before sleeping on the floor, finding it more of what he had been used to over the last four years. The bed was just _too soft_ and he almost felt like he didn't deserve the comfort of it.

When he woke in the morning, he felt surprisingly refreshed. He ordered himself a full breakfast of bacon and eggs and ate every last bite before showering and grooming himself before he checked out and Apparated to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

He stared up at the house in Claremont Square that he had grown up in, his hands in the pockets of the jeans he had bought the day before. He hated everything about this place. Now his father was dead and his brother had been killed by Death Eaters two years before he had gone to prison. He took a deep breath and he headed into the house, stepping through the front door and wincing as the full sized portrait of his mother began to scream at him.

"DISGRACE! A TRAITOR TO YOUR BLOOD AND TO YOUR FAMILY!"

Sirius ignored the portrait and headed straight up the stairs to his old bedroom. He was halfway through packing his things when his mother's old house elf stood in the doorway.

"What are you doing here, you traitorous boy? You broke my poor mistress' heart!"

"Getting my stuff — and we both know my mother doesn't have a heart, Kreacher."

Kreacher glared at him. "Be quick about it. The mistress doesn't want you here."

"And I don't relish being here. I'm almost done."

Kreacher stayed where he was, watching him as he grabbed the last of his things, his eyes on the Gryffindor banner and the Muggle posters on his walls. "When you moved back in here to be closer to your friend Pettigrew, the Mistress allowed it. It was temporary she told me, and it really was. Less than two weeks and you went to prison. She was proud — oh yes. She said that you were finally doing what a Black should be and being imprisoned for such a dark crime was to be applauded."

"For a crime that I didn't even commit," Sirius spat at him, swinging his bag onto his shoulder. "And this was the last place that I wanted to come. Fee and Monty were my real parents in every way that counted. I didn't want to come back here and I don't want to be back here now. I just came here for my clothes. Don't worry, my dear mum will never have to set eyes on me again. Where is she anyway? Hiding until I'm gone so that she doesn't have to face me?"

Kreacher sneered at him. "The Mistress never want you here!"

Sirius rolled his eyes at the deranged house elf and stormed past him and hurried down the stairs.

"DISGRACE! FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR! YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE!" The portrait of Walburga Black screamed as he closed the front door behind him letting out a sigh of relief.

He had been more pleased than he wanted to admit to only have to see Kreacher and to not be forced to deal with his mother for even a moment.

As he stepped out into the street and the house disappeared behind him under the warding, he let out a deep breath of relief, and started walking. He had walked for almost three blocks before he realized that he had no idea where he was even going.

His Uncle Alphard had left him his old bachelor flat in London as well as the big cottage out in Sidmouth in Devon. He had lived in the flat after graduating from Hogwarts, but he had sold it a few years later. He had been planning to move in with Moony after his father had died, but then… they had stopped trusting each other he remembered. Peter had planted those seeds of deceit. He had been without a home.

Once James and Lily had gone into hiding, Sirius had returned to Grimmauld Place, because it was close to Peter, easy for him to keep his eye on his friend - or so he had thought.

He remembered how James had tried to talk him out of it.

 _"Padfoot, you can't go back there! That place is poison!"_

 _"It's just my mother now, Prongs, and that crazy old house elf. I'll be fine. It's just until I find something else. I never planned to stay in Uncle Alphard's old flat anyway. It was too small for me. It's only going to be for a few weeks, until I know that you guys are all safe. I have that cottage out in Devon, maybe I'll go there. But I need to be close by. Just until your safe. I can put up with Walburga until then."_

 _James had only glared at him. "If you would just talk to Remus —"_

 _"We did talk, James — I'll be fine. I'm not a child any more and I can deal with a few weeks under my mother's roof."_

But the two weeks that he had spent with his mother had been terrible. The memories of that house had haunted him and he had spent more time riding his motorbike, looking for clues; going on missions for the Order of the Phoenix, and trying to make the world safe for his best friend and his family.

Moony, he thought. His trunk and his stuff had all been moved into the Lupin cottage. They had planned on living together in the house that Remus' father had left to him when he had died. Remus hadn't wanted to be alone and Sirius had leapt at the opportunity to live with his best friend again.

But then Peter had wrecked it.

Sirius had let him wreck it, he realized.

 _"Do you honestly think that I'm the spy, Sirius?" Remus had demanded, his hands fisted in his hair. "After ten years of knowing me and suddenly you can't trust me?"_

 _"I don't know, Moony! How did Voldemort find out about McKinnon and McDonald? Pete says that he only ever told you!"_

 _Remus' mouth opened and then closed again. "Mary McDonald was my first girlfriend, Sirius. I adored her! And Marly… Merlin, how can you even think this of me?"_

 _"I don't… I mean, I don't believe you'd hurt them, Remus. I just don't know anymore! Someone amongst us is spying on the Order."_

 _"And how do I know it's not you?" Remus demanded._

 _Sirius looked outraged. "You think that I'm the spy? Are you fucking daft? I'm doing everything that I can to protect James and Lily! They asked me to be their Secret Keeper, for fuck's sake. Me! Not you, Remus!"_

 _Remus snorted in amusement. "Of course they picked you! Can't trust a werewolf, right?"_

 _"Oh, don't you fucking use the werewolf thing on me, Rem!" Sirius yelled. "I've known you for ten years and I know that you're not a monster! But those missions you go on to get information on Greyback and his cult; they are the real monsters and you being around them is not safe for anyone! I don't care about how different Adrian seems, he is a dangerous werewolf who wants you in his pack!"_

 _Remus' bottom lip trembled as he spoke. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to move in here anymore."_

 _"What?"_

 _"You heard me. I'll figure out how to afford this place on my own. But I can't have you here if you don't trust me and I don't trust… I don't know anymore, Siri. I don't know what to believe or who to trust anymore." Remus said, falling into the chair. "I think that you need to go."_

 _Sirius only stared at him. "Moony, I sold my flat to move in here with you."_

 _Remus' amber eyes looked up at him. "You can't stay here, Sirius."_

 _Sirius grabbed his wand off of the table. "I'll come back for my things."_

 _Then he had slammed the door behind him._

Remus had left for a mission the next day, he remembered and it had been the last time that they had spoken. Sirius adjusted the bag on his back.

It was time they did.

He Disapparated to the England-Welsh border and slowly made his way through Wrexham until he came across the familiar trail that led to the Lupin family home. The smell of the trees and the mountains made him sigh in contentment. He had missed being outside and feeling the cool air on his skin.

Sirius trudged through the woods, heading towards the small cottage that he knew was hidden back there. When the cottage came into view, a small smile formed on his face at the familiar sight and he knocked at the door.

There was shuffling inside before the door opened and Remus stood there, a cup of tea in his hands.

"Sirius."

Sirius smiled at him; the relief of seeing his old friend coursing through him. "Hi, Moony, can I come in?"

Remus simply stared at him and then he nodded, moving inside to sit down at the kitchen table, his tea still in his hands. "Do you want a cup of tea?"

"That would be great."

Remus poured him a cup, adding the three sugars that he knew he liked, and finally speaking as he passed the mug towards him. "You look better than you did yesterday."

Sirius nodded, sipping the hot tea and relishing in how good it tasted; how good _everything_ had tasted the last two days. The taste of freedom, he thought. "Showers will do that to you. Just need to fatten up a bit now." When Remus didn't respond, he sighed. "I understand why you thought it was me that betrayed them. I get it, Moony. I'm not mad at you. The evidence was against me and it looked… it looked like I was guilty."

Remus let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. "I didn't want to believe it, Sirius, but… Peter… he had convinced me that you were the spy, using the same excuses that he told you and James and Lily about only you knowing the whereabouts of Marlene and Mary and… then when I came back from my mission, you were in prison for killing Peter — and James and Lily were dead… Harry was… I didn't know what to think!"

"I know, and I'm so sorry for ever even thinking for one second that you were the spy! We were going to tell you that we had switched Secret Keepers, but you had left for another mission with Adrian's pack and well… you didn't exactly come back in time." Sirius said quietly, his hands holding his mug of tea.

"Until I saw those memories, Padfoot, I… I've been hating you; believing that you were the reason all of my friends were dead and now… Peter's still alive and you've been set free. It's a lot to take in." Remus admitted, his gold eyes on his friend's grey ones. "I'm sorry for what I said to you the last time we spoke."

Sirius nodded. "I know. I'm sorry too. It's why I came here, to see you, to apologize for everything. I'm sorry, Moony."

Remus nodded, his amber eyes on his old friend. "Me too. I should have trusted you."

"We should have trusted each other," Sirius said simply.

Remus sipped his tea. "So… what are you going to do now?"

Sirius was quiet for a moment. "I feel kind of lost, you know? I need to heal myself first, I know that. I took a few potions last night… but I'm going to see Dumbledore about seeing Harry and I think I'll ask Poppy to give me a once over. I don't want to go to St Mungo's if I can avoid it. I need a haircut. I just… I want to be _me_ again, you know?"

"You definitely need a haircut — though I see you cut off most of the shaggy mess you were wearing yesterday."

Sirius grinned. "I want it the way it was before, my hair that is."

"Always were a right pain in the arse about your hair. It had to be perfect."

Sirius smiled at him. "You were always jealous of my shining locks of perfection."

Remus snorted, standing up and opening a box of biscuits to put on the table, smiling when Sirius immediately grabbed one. "Once you fix your hair, you'll feel normal again, will you?"

Sirius fiddled with the silver hoop at the top of his left ear. "I don't know, but I think it will be a start. I want to look like myself and not like… not like I've spent over four years in prison. I don't want to scare Harry when I see him."

"Harry's living with Lily's sister Petunia and her family in Surrey," Remus told him, reaching for a biscuit. "I went to visit him right after the funeral and… she said that she'd take care of him."

"How's he doing? He has to be so big by now, five years old," Sirius said with a grin, remembering the adorable chubby cheeked baby who he had loved unconditionally. "I can't wait to see him! Does he know that I went to prison? Of course, he doesn't! I hope that he wants to see me."

Remus smiled sadly, tapping his long fingers on the side of his cup. "I don't know how he's doing, Sirius. I haven't seen him since after the funeral."

Sirius' eyes hardened. "Why the hell not? You're his Uncle Moony? He WANTS to see you!"

Remus leaned back in his chair, sighing. It made him angry as well, but he needed Sirius to understand why he had stayed away. "I went to see him, like I said. Petunia let me in and let me say goodbye to him. She told me that she had promised Dumbledore to take him in, to take care of him, but only if he was completely unaware of the magical world. She wants him to grow up normal. She told me that he was to have no contact with anyone from our world and that unless I was taking him from her, that was to be my only visit. So I kissed him goodbye and I left him with his cousin and his aunt and uncle."

"Why didn't you take him, Moony?" Sirius asked in bewilderment. "No contact with anyone from our world? Why didn't you take him with you?"

"And what, Sirius?" Remus demanded, his eyes flashing angrily now. "I have no claim to him! I was a family friend. A werewolf! The Ministry would never have granted a monster permission to raise a child if they found out! And how could I raise him? I have no one! My parents were dead. My friends were dead! What would I do when I transformed? How would I take care of him?"

Sirius shook his head, anger vibrating through his body as he spoke through clenched teeth. "You — are — not — a — monster!"

"The Ministry of Magic thinks that I am and therefore would never have granted me custody if they ever found out! You know that I would have to register myself as a werewolf to gain custody of him, which would be a catch-22 in the end, wouldn't it? I have no claim to that child, Sirius. I am not his family, not by blood. Petunia Dursley is."

"Well, I do," Sirius said, standing up now. "He's my godson. James and Lily made me his legal guardian. I have the paperwork in my vault at Gringotts to prove it."

"Are you ready to be a single father, Sirius?" Remus asked him quietly, his amber eyes staring intently at his old friend. "Do you really want to take him away from the family that he has been living with for four years; where he has a cousin his own age to play with, and an aunt and an uncle who care for him?"

Sirius shrugged, tucking his hair behind his ears. "Probably not. But after I see Harry, if Petunia isn't going to let me be part of his life, I'll fight for custody of him. I don't want to scare him when he sees me again, if he even remembers me at all. But I _will_ be part of his life. Petunia won't stop me. I just need some time to get settled in first; find a place to live for starters."

"I still have that spare room," Remus said with a smile.

Sirius grinned at his friend. "I remember. I was hoping you might also still have all of my stuff in it?"

Remus smiled. "It's all still there, from the posters of The Ramones to the two boxes full of motorcycle magazines and the box of your records. I didn't touch anything. I thought about… I couldn't bring myself to touch any of it."

Sirius reached out to touch his friend's arm. "Thank you, Moony."

Remus smiled and stood up, bringing his empty tea cup over to the sink. "Obviously you're free to stay here, but if you do decide to take Harry, you're going to need a bigger place and I don't have the room here. You know the cellar is where I — it would be too dangerous for him to be here."

"Uncle Alphard left me that cottage in Devon, remember, in Sidmouth? I haven't been out there in years, not since Jamie and I worked there that summer. I think that I'd like to check it out and see what it's like. I think I'll move in there, I remember it was pretty decent sized," Sirius told him. "I think that I'd like to stay out of the city; enjoy being outside again. But until I get myself organized, I appreciate you giving me my old room." Sirius smiled, standing up and tugging his friend close, hugging him tightly. "I missed you, Moony."

Remus hugged him close, smiling against his friend's shoulder. "I missed you too, Padfoot." When Sirius stepped back, Remus smiled and leaned back against the counter. "Of course, you can crash here as long as necessary. And I'll do you one better, we'll head into town and go to the salon. Merlin knows it must be killing you to look in the mirror with that hair."

Sirius laughed and stretched to his feet. "Sounds great."

~ASC~

 **Two hours later, Sirius followed Remus back to the cottage.** The hairdresser had fixed his hair, chopping the ends and layering it around his face so that the front pieces were at his chin, parted to the left side and his hair just brushed his collarbone. He had always liked his hair just a little long; long enough to tie back in a stubby tail if need be. He ran his fingers through the shiny new conditioned black locks and grinned at his friend as he leaned against the wall, lifting leaning his foot against it and posing dramatically.

"Am I sexy again?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Let's say that your hair looks great and leave it at that." He headed into the kitchen and opened the ice box. "I haven't done much in the way of grocery shopping, but I can probably throw a stew together."

Sirius nodded, slipping his hands into his pockets. "That's okay, Moony. I'm going to bring my stuff to my old room, find my old jacket, and head to Hogwarts. I want to get some potions from Poppy and talk to Dumbledore about Harry. I'll grab something there. I'll be back later tonight."

Remus nodded and watched Sirius head into the spare bedroom and come out a few minutes later with his black leather jacket. He watched him Apparate from the yard and for the first time in almost five years, his heart felt a little lighter.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Here are the tattoos that Sirius has on his body:_

 _1 - over his heart (moon chart that changes with phases of moon)_

 _2 - over right shoulder blade on back - Gryffindor house crest: where dwell the brave at heart written around crest_

 _3 - over left shoulder blade on back - Marauder crest - i solemnly swear that im up to no good_

 _4 - inside left forearm written vertically - runic symbols: family_ ᚠᚨᛗᛛᛚᚥ _; friendship_ ᚠᚱᛛᛖᛅᛞᛋᚻᛛᛈ _; and marauder_ ᛗᚨᚱᚨᚢᛞᛖᚱ

 _5 - around runic symbols - footprints from marauders map_

 _6 - inside left wrist beneath runic symbols - phoenix engulfed in flames_

 _7 - entire right arm a sleeve of a wolf howling at moon with stag, dog and rat near the whomping willow_

 _8 - celtic knot around right wrist beneath sleeve_

 _9 - right shoulder above sleeve - star chart of sirius orion_

 _10 - across collarbone - mischief managed_

 _11 - over left ribs - motorcycle with 3 stars surrounding it_

 _12 - over right ribs written vertically - Prongslet, HJP, July 31st, 1980_

 _Thank you and please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note:_

 _I always loved how in_ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban _when Sirius awkwardly broaches the subject of Harry maybe living with him once his name is cleared - how he's not sure if Harry would want to leave his aunt and uncle's house - as maybe he likes it there and he's all nervous about it and Harry is like, what of course I want to leave LOL! So I wanted to give that impression here. Sirius doesn't want to disrupt Harry's life, but he wants to be part of it no matter how big or small. But he's not sure how to approach Harry about it._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE:**

 **Sirius landed in Hogsmeade, walking along the familiar path to the gates of Hogwarts and smiling at the familiar grimacing face of Argus Filch, the caretaker.** He wanted to talk to Dumbledore, but he first made his way to the Hospital Wing to let Madam Pomfrey check him over.

"Thanks for doing this again, Poppy," he told her as she checked his heart rate and examined his ribs for signs of malnutrition.

Madam Pomfrey smiled at him as she used her wand to examine him. "Of course, Sirius."

He drank the potions that she offered him only partially listening as she explained how this one would help his teeth, that one his strength, and how one was full of protein antibodies. He wanted to do everything that he could to get healthy again as spending time in prison wasn't exactly the best place to get a tan and to build up a strong body when you were locked in a dark dank cell with no windows and lived on a diet of porridge and stew. When she loaded him up with a few more days worth of potions to take care of his problems; healed the raw bruises and cuts on his wrists and ankles; and told him that he would be back to normal soon, he made his way to Dumbledore's office feeling immensely better.

He smiled at McGonagall as the spiral staircase opened and she came off.

"Minnie!"

McGonagall rolled her eyes, but let him hug her. "Sirius, you're starting to look like your old self again! I like the hair," she told him with a smile.

Sirius grinned and ran his fingers through it, his hair falling just so in the layered waves. "Thanks. It was my first step in trying to feel like my old self again. Thank you, again, for everything."

McGonagall smiled and gently squeezed his arm. "Of course. Dumbledore is waiting for you."

"He always knows, eh?"

McGonagall smiled. "I think we both had a feeling that you would be arriving soon."

Sirius smiled and headed up the stairs to Dumbledore's office, his hands in his pockets.

"Professor," he said as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"Albus is fine now, Sirius, I've said it before. I haven't been your professor in many years," Dumbledore told him with a smile. His blue eyes twinkled at him from behind his half moon spectacles.

"Right," Sirius said with a smile. "I'm here about my godson."

Dumbledore's fingers danced together as he spoke. "I figured that you might be."

"I want to see him."

"He's safe, Sirius. He's living with Lily's sister and her family in Surrey."

"I know that," Sirius told him, taking a seat across from Dumbledore. "Remus told me and I remember Hagrid telling me that that's where you were planning on sending him. But from what I remember about Petunia Evans she wasn't exactly full of charm and she hated Lily. The last thing that she must have wanted was for her estranged sister's son to be forced upon her, especially after the death of their parents."

Dumbledore nodded, leaning forward, his half moon spectacles sitting on the edge of his nose. "Lily Potter sacrificed herself for her son, Sirius. You were there, you saw the way that she died in front of Harry's crib." When Sirius only nodded, Dumbledore continued. "That's old magic; forgotten magic. Her blood protected him from harm and I think that is how he defeated Voldemort. The world has been calling him The Boy Who Lived. They're claiming that he's a hero. So I sent him to the only living person who shares his mother's blood — Petunia Dursley."

"But Voldemort is dead! I tossed his body out of the nursery myself!" Sirius exclaimed, crossing his arms as he spoke.

"His body yes, but… I don't think that he's truly gone, Sirius. You were in Azkaban, do his followers believe him truly gone?" Dumbledore asked, his fingers continuing to tap. "No one ever found the body, Sirius."

Sirius hesitated. Those first few months, when he had been hopeful of getting out, of someone learning the truth about Peter, he had listened attentively. The other prisoners, the ones who had been followers of Voldemort had screamed all sorts of things. He even remembered hearing his cousin Bellatrix's voice shouting how when Voldemort rose again the world would see darkness like never before.

"There was talk about… some said that he had gone further in death than anyone. I didn't know what they meant by that, but most were convinced that he wasn't truly gone. At least, that's what they were screaming when they first arrived," he said. "Before they went quiet like the rest."

"Exactly," Dumbledore said carefully. "Voldemort went further into the dark arts than anyone that I have ever met and I don't think that he's truly gone, but how long until he returns, or if he will return is unknown. I want Harry to be safe and living with Petunia Dursley gives him blood protection unlike any other. I know that you want that for him as well."

Sirius nodded, shifting his seat. "I want him to be safe, yes, but I _am_ his godfather, and James and Lily made me the legal guardian of Harry if anything were to happen to them. I have the paperwork to prove it. He should be with me."

Dumbledore smiled. "Sirius, in all honesty, are you really ready to take on the responsibilities of raising a five-year-old-child by yourself?"

"I'll be ready if I have to be, Albus," Sirius told him sincerely. "I'm working on getting my life in order again, but I wanted you to know that I want to see Harry. I'm not saying that I'm going to swoop in there and take him away from his aunt and uncle. I just want to see him; to be a part of his life. If he's happy and safe with them, who am I to take him away from all of that? I don't want to disrupt his life, I just… I want him to know me."

Dumbledore nodded, smiling. "For now, let's get you settled back into the world. You still need to find a place to live; maybe get a job or put your life back together after being imprisoned for so many years. But I'm sure that you will find a place in Harry's life, Sirius, don't you worry about that."

"All things that I plan to do," Sirius told him. "But I wanted you to know that I plan to see Harry. I knew that you put him under protection and I didn't know what that meant in terms of getting visitors or warding."

"I never said that you couldn't see him," Dumbledore told him with a smile. "Just one step at a time, alright?"

Sirius nodded in agreement. He left Hogwarts feeling immensely better. The last thing that he wanted was to take Harry away from a home that he loved. He didn't want to ruin the child's life, but he wasn't going to let Petunia Evans Dursley keep him away from his godson, nor was he going to let Dumbledore. Not that Dumbledore was trying to keep him away, Sirius thought, he was looking out for the best interest of the boy, and he respected that. Dumbledore was a good man. But he wanted to get the chance to know Harry, to tell him about his parents, to teach him how to be a Marauder, and most of all, to show that little boy how loved he still was by the family that his parents had chosen for him.

Sirius made his way back to Gringotts after leaving Hogsmeade. Dumbledore was right, he did need to figure out where he was going to live. If he wanted Harry to come spend time with him, he wanted his godson to have his own space, maybe even his own bedroom so that he could come and stay with him, maybe on the weekends some time. Remus was right, he wouldn't be able to do that if he stayed at the tiny two bedroom Lupin cottage. He knew Remus wouldn't want him to see the cellar where his friend locked himself off in during the full moon either; at least not right away. To figure that out he needed to go to Gringotts and to organize his estate.

His Uncle Alphard had died when he had been seventeen and had left him a small fortune and all of his assets, infuriating his mother who had cut him off from the Black Family wealth over a year before. It took him an hour to get all of his paperwork in order from the goblins. The Auror Department had transferred his money from his wrongful imprisonment as well, he noted, as he headed to the house that his uncle Alphard had lived in to see if it was indeed habitable.

Alphard Black had been a bachelor for life, but he had taken a shining to Sirius when he was young, and was one of the few family members to keep talking to him once he had been sorted into Gryffindor, and a few years later when his own mother had disowned him and blasted his name from the family tree — Uncle Alphard had still been there. He had always been nice to him, but Sirius still hadn't expected the old codger to leave him everything.

He used the keys provided for the two story cottage in Sidmouth in Devon off the coast. The cliffs overlooking the beach on the English Channel were only a ten minute walk away and the lush forest surrounding the cottage was private enough that no one would know the house was there unless they were looking for it. He wondered if the Morrisons still lived in the yellow cottage on the right. He remembered the elderly couple from when he had been a teenager; they had always been kind.

The outside alone; the fresh air and the beautiful scenery made Sirius decide that this was where he wanted to live. After almost five years in a dark dank windowless cell, he wanted every opportunity to enjoy the outside world and living in the country would definitely provide that for him, he thought as he breathed in the fresh air.

Sirius stepped inside, coughing at the dust and lit his wand to see through the room. His uncle's house elf had died a few weeks after his uncle had and he imagined that no one had cleaned or touched the place since. Sheets covered the furniture in the living room as he stepped through to the large kitchen. There was a sunroom off the kitchen that was piled high with boxes. He made his way upstairs where there was a large master bedroom and two large bedrooms on the other side of the hall. One large bathroom at the end of the hall and a private bathroom in the master which he knew his uncle had installed himself a few years before he had died. Or rather, he and James had done it for him, he remembered, the summer before fifth year. The stairs at the end of the hall led up to the attic which was also a large room full of dusty boxes and sheet-covered furniture.

"Well," he said, rolling up his sleeves. "Time to get to work."

It took a full week to clean almost eight years worth of dust and cobwebs from the house. He'd eat breakfast with Remus and then head straight back to the cottage in Devon; working well into the night to put the house back in order.

But when he was finished, it was gleaming.

The hardwood floors shined, the walls were clean and grime-less and it smelt lemony pine fresh. He bought paint and supplies and he repainted the living room in an off white and soft blue, the natural wood of the room accenting everything. He bought new furniture, comfortable chairs and a sofa in blue and white.

The kitchen he decided to keep the cheery golden yellow, he just repainted it and fixed the dark backsplash, remembering how he and James had carefully glued each grey stone to the wall that same summer. He polished the wooden shutters, letting the sunlight into the kitchen. He left the sunroom closed up, deciding to go through the boxes in there another day.

Upstairs, he painted the master bedroom an off white and bought himself a brand new king-sized bed before he got to work on what he was thinking would be Harry's bedroom for when his godson came to visit him. The bedroom had a small balcony that looked out the back of the cottage, over the cliffs and the English Channel. It was the biggest of the two room choices and he decided to paint it grey, the wall the bed was against he painted a dark grey. He purchased a new Queen sized bed as the room demanded it, getting a Gryffindor bedspread and matching sheets. He put Gryffindor banners on the wall and some of James' old Quidditch posters giving the room red accents to brighten it up.

He added the photographs next: James and Lily; James and Sirius; James, Sirius, and Remus. He put up a few photographs of the four Marauders so that Harry would know who his parents friends were despite how much he wanted to scowl at seeing Peter's face. He found one of James, Sirius, Euphemia, and Fleamont, so he framed that as well, hanging it on the wall. Baby photos of Harry were the others: Ones of Harry with his parents, ones of Harry with Sirius and Remus, one of Harry just with Sirius, one of Harry zooming around on a baby broomstick, etc. He soon made a photo wall of memories for his godson to have.

He went to Diagon Alley again and found his way to the children's toy store and filled an entire chest full of toys including a toy broomstick before finding a Muggle toy store and buying more toys including a football, and to his delight, a children's motorcycle. He bought a few pairs of clothes as well and a few pairs of pyjamas, the woman in the store helping him happily.

He hung up the new clothes, folded the others in the dresser and carefully painted Harry J. Potter on the trunk that held the toys at the end of the bed. He placed a stuffed white stag, a stuffed black dog, and a stuffed golden brown wolf on the bed and smiled at his work. It looked great and inviting and he couldn't wait until Harry was going to see it. He was well aware that he had probably gone overboard - okay definitely had gone overboard, especially with the toys - but he had missed out on four years of Harry's life.

He planned on making up for it in any way that he could. And if he spoiled the child a little bit, well, there was nothing wrong with that in his opinion.

He made a little plaque for the door that read: _Harry's Room, Prongslet;_ and felt like he was finished. By the end of the second week, he had moved all of his own belongings into the cottage and reaffirmed all of the wards.

Being a Black, his Uncle Alphard had been paranoid already and the cottage was completely unplottable, invisible, and impossible to find with strong protection wards guarding every entrance and Anti-Apparating charms in place. Knowing the location allowed entrance onto the property, but if someone hadn't been there before, the property remained invisible unless access was granted by a Black. The Floo in the living room wasn't officially connected to the Ministry of Magic, but it was similar in that if you knew the location and had been granted access, you could find it. Sirius reinforced the charms himself and bought fresh groceries, making himself dinner and eating quietly by himself.

The knock on the front door surprised him. Other than Remus, no one else even knew that he had decided to settle here. He held his wand out as he cautiously moved towards the entrance and he sighed in relief when he recognized George Morrison, the neighbour.

"Mr Morrison," he said pulling open the door.

Mr Morrison nodded at him. "I told Margaret that it was you who had moved in. Heard you were in prison, boy."

Sirius nodded, scratching the back of his neck. "I was. They released me."

"And you'll be living here now?"

Sirius nodded again. "Yes, Sir. Uncle Alphard left it to me and it's where I'd like to stay."

Mr Morrison stared at him for a moment. "Alphard Black was a good man. He thought that you were something special. You were always kind to him and I remember back when you and your friends helped Margaret and I after that big storm. We're happy to have you living out here, Sirius."

"Thank you, Mr Morrison," he said with a smile.

"You're a grown man now, son, call me George. Will you be living here alone?"

Sirius shook his head. "Not always no. My godson will be here quite frequently as well. He's five."

Mr Morrison nodded. "Good, good. This place needs youth. Welcome home, Sirius."

"Thank you."

Sirius watched Mr Morrison head back to his own cottage and he grinned. He was very glad that he had decided to come here and to make it his home. He had friendly neighbours, if he wanted them, but Black Cottage was far enough away from them if he didn't. He couldn't wait to show Harry his home.

When he made his way up to bed that night, he undressed and looked at himself in the mirror again. His face didn't look haunted anymore. His eyes were lighter, the dark circles were gone and the potions that Poppy had given him had obviously helped as his teeth were back to normal and his gums were healed, the weight loss seemed less extreme though he knew that would still take some time. He continued to do pushups and sit-ups every morning and night, but he felt like he looked good.

He didn't look scary and that was most important to him.

He didn't want to scare Harry.

He climbed into bed, smiling.

Tomorrow morning, he was going to see his godson.

~ASC~

 **Sirius woke up the next morning, did his exercises, showered and dressed, tucked his shaggy locks behind his ear, parted it to the side and ate a full breakfast.** He locked the door behind him and headed out past the wards to Disapparate. He appeared silently in Surrey and made his way towards Little Whinging. He transformed into his dog form, bouncing along the street as he made his way to Number Four Privet Drive.

He had decided that morning to just scope out the house first.

It had been an interesting few weeks trying to get his own life back together and learning how to live again, something that had been a lot harder than he had expected. Dumbledore had told him that Harry was okay living with his aunt and uncle and the last thing that Sirius wanted was to take his godson away from a happy home. Blood protection was indeed a very strong and a very old branch of magic and if Petunia really had taken Harry into her home, she must have changed somewhat from the snotty little miss perfect that he remembered from James and Lily's wedding. But Dumbledore had told him that he could visit and he would.

But first, he would meet Harry in his furrier form. After all, every little boy wanted a dog and Harry had always loved his 'Padfoof.'

He hopped the small gate into the backyard of Number Four, sniffing around eagerly before his eyes looked through the glass doors of the gazebo and saw the family eating breakfast. The sight made him smile. There was Harry, sitting on a chair at the table eating a piece of toast. His little legs were swinging back and forth on the chair. His black hair was standing up in every direction just the way that James' used too and those bright green eyes that belonged to Lily, were hidden behind round glasses. He looked just like James, he thought; wondering if the glasses were a true sign that Harry might have even inherited his father and grandfather's atrocious eyesight. A chubby blonde boy sat across from him stuffing his mouth full of bacon. Vernon Dursley was reading the newspaper and Petunia seemed to be trying to get her son to use a napkin rather unsuccessfully by the looks of it.

Sirius crept a little closer to the house as Padfoot the dog, his ears perked up to listen through the open window that let the cool May air into the house. He watched as Harry finished his toast and hopped down from his chair and pulled a stool over to the sink and he began to wash the breakfast dishes. He was doing chores already, that was good, Sirius thought. Petunia was instilling a sense of responsibility in him.

But then his smile faded as he watched Harry reach for the heavy frying pan full of bacon grease which naturally weighed too much for his small frame and it tipped, splashing hot grease on his arms. He yelped and dropped the pan, tears bubbling up in his eyes.

Petunia grabbed Harry's arm, yanking him towards the sink and pushing his arm under the cold water. "Don't you dare cry!"

"Boy!" Vernon growled. "Look at the mess you made! Who do you think is going to clean that up?"

He bit his lip as the tears fell over his face and Vernon marched over to him.

"Your aunt told you not to cry, boy!"

"Sorry, Uncle Vernon," Harry said softly, sucking the tears back as his aunt dabbed the cool water on his arm.

"He's fine, Vernon," Petunia said, letting Harry's arm go. "It's not a burn, just a little red. It was more of a shock, you know?"

Vernon picked up Harry by the back of the oversized shirt that he was wearing and carried him to the back door, opening it, and tossing Harry onto the grass. "Water the flowers, boy! Petunia will clean up your mess and you'll be spending the rest of the day in your bed if you make another mess with any of your chores!"

He slammed the door behind him and Harry sniffed, crawling to his feet as he cradled his red arm to him. Padfoot approached the boy cautiously and stopped when Harry took sight of him. Harry froze, reaching for the hose and watched Padfoot approach him. As the dog leaned forward and licked his hand, a small smile formed on Harry's face.

Padfoot licked his hand again and Harry's face broke out into a huge grin. Harry tentatively reached out and scratched him behind the ears and Padfoot yipped in pleasure, placing two massive paws on Harry's chest and licked his cheek.

Harry giggled and threw his hands on the dog's paws to hold him in place. "You're a big puppy!"

Padfoot nuzzled his snout into Harry's neck and Harry hugged him tight, laughing as his face was licked again. Sirius' eyes went to the redness of Harry's arm and he was pleased to see that it was indeed okay, the redness already fading, but the shock of the hot splash had probably hurt him more than the actual injury, he thought.

"Boy! Why aren't you watering that garden?" Vernon bellowed from the house.

Harry scrambled to his feet. "Go on, boy. If Uncle Vernon sees you in the yard, we'll both be in trouble."

Padfoot only watched him, following him around the yard as he watered the rose bushes with the tiny watering can and the potted plants and then to his surprise a large garden full of lilies. When Harry was finished, he put the watering can away and rolled the hose back into place and then he went to sit in the grass in the corner of the backyard.

Padfoot brought a stick over and dropped it into Harry's lap. Harry picked it up and let it fly across the yard, laughing when Padfoot ran after it, yipping playfully. He brought it back to Harry, who scratched him behind the ears and took the stick, throwing it again. After twenty minutes of that, Padfoot collapsed on the ground next to Harry, loving the sound of the child's laughter as he wrestled with him, licking his face.

"Get away from that flea-infested mutt at once!" Petunia shrieked, running into the yard with Dudley waddling behind her.

"He's friendly, Aunt Petunia," Harry told her, his arms wrapping around the dog who nuzzled into his neck. "He won't hurt you."

"Shoo!" Petunia shrieked, waving her arms at the dog. She grabbed Harry's arm and yanked him away. "Get inside, quickly! If that dog is still there in ten minutes, I'm calling the pound! You have to get ready for school!"

Harry looked back at the dog sadly as his aunt dragged him into the house.

Sirius waited until they were inside and then he bounded out of the yard, wandering a few blocks away before he transformed back into himself and Disapparated. Dumbledore was right, Harry was okay, but there was something about that sweet child that he was positive that he had missed. The burn had alarmed him, but Petunia had put cold water on it, and the redness had already faded. Not to mention that it had looked as if his godson was the only child in that house with chores. He was skinny and the clothes that he had worn had clearly been much too big on him, which he did wonder about, but James had always been a skinny and scrawny kid up until he was thirteen or so, therefore that could be nothing to worry about at all.

But he definitely didn't like the way that Vernon Dursley had spoken to his godson.

Sirius decided that he would go back the next day in his dog form before he made any rash decisions. After all, he didn't even know if Harry would remember him let alone want to go with him.

The next morning, he hopped the gate again and watched the family eat their breakfast. Harry ate toast again, and when he was finished, climbed back on the stool to do the breakfast dishes. He wiped off the kitchen table and then he made his way outside again to water the flowers in the garden and the potted plants on the patio without incident.

Padfoot snuck through the rose bushes and barked and Harry's face practically split open with glee. He ran towards the dog, arms outstretched and hugged him tightly, laughing as the dog licked his face.

"Come on, boy — I have to finish," Harry told him, moving to finish watering the plants.

When he finished, he grabbed a stick and played fetch again. Harry laughed as Padfoot jumped into the air to catch the stick, running towards Harry at full speed and knocking him to the ground to wrestle as Harry giggled. He was worried that he had pounced too hard when he saw Harry visibly wince when he hit the ground, but when he had licked his face, Harry had smiled, and slowly sat up, seeming to be fine and had proceeded to wrestle the dog, giggling. Then they both lay on the cool morning grass and Padfoot snuggled next to his boy, who wrapped his arms around him tightly.

"Who do you belong to, boy?" Harry asked as he scratched Padfoot's belly. "I had a dream I had a dog like you once. I called him Padfoot." Padfoot barked at the name and licked Harry's face. "Padfoot?" Harry repeated and Padfoot barked again making Harry smile. "Do you like that name?" He barked a third time and licked Harry again. "I'll call you Padfoot. I told Uncle Vernon about my dream and how Padfoot turned into a man. Uncle Vernon told me that was stupid — but it was only a dream."

The dog whined and licked him again.

"Padfoot will be your name," Harry said smiling and hugging the dog close again. "You can be my friend."

Padfoot nuzzled Harry as he laughed until Petunia came out shrieking again and shooed him away.

Sirius spent a full week visiting Harry as Padfoot the dog. He played with him every morning after his chores and continued to watch the house carefully until Harry left for school. Harry was okay as he saw from the first day, but he wasn't sure that he liked what he saw. In addition to the breakfast dishes and the garden chores, Sirius watched as Harry scrubbed the kitchen floor, helped cook breakfast and swept up the grass after Vernon Dursley had mowed the lawn.

Each day, when Harry saw Padfoot, his face would break into a huge grin and he'd hug the dog tightly and each day, Harry told him something new. The Dursleys largely ignored him, he realized and Harry seemed desperate for a friend. After a full week of watching his godson, Sirius decided that it was time to stop being a pet, and time to visit him properly.

When he left Harry that last morning, he Disapparated to Hogsmeade and made his way up to the gates of Hogwarts. It was Hagrid that greeted him, making him smile.

"Hagrid, just the bloke that I was looking for!"

Hagrid smiled at him. "What can I do for yeh, Sirius?"

Sirius grinned. "I was wondering if you knew what had happened to my bike?"

Two hours later, Sirius had the unused 1970 Triumph Bonneville motorbike that he had left in Hagrid's care, purring under his hands and took off towards Surrey arriving in Little Whinging just a little after one that Saturday afternoon. He pulled his helmet off, the familiar smell of his leather jacket bringing back memories and making him smile. He parked the bike behind the shiny new car in the drive and made his way up to Number Four, ringing the bell.

He tucked his hand into the back pocket of his worn blue jeans, his wand in the inside pocket of his leather jacket, The Ramones tee shirt that he wore was tucked loosely into his jeans. He fiddled with the tiny diamond stud in his left ear and the silver hoop at the top of the same ear as he heard shuffling in the house before the door opened and the smiling face of Petunia Dursley quickly lost all of its colour.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note:_

 _I always got the impression that Harry was very much emotionally abused by the Dursleys, but I think that there was some physical abuse too, at least when he was younger. More will be explained._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX:**

 **"** **What are YOU doing here?" she demanded, her voice squeaky in her attempt to keep it lower.**

"Hi, Petunia, lovely to see you again after all these years," Sirius said, grinning widely at her. "Aren't you going to invite me in or would you like me to stand out here for all the neighbours to hear our business?"

Petunia ushered him inside quickly, slamming the door shut. "How _dare you_ come here?"

Sirius' eyebrow rose questioningly. "How dare I come here? He's my godson and I want to see him."

"I heard that you were in prison." Petunia stated, her eyes looking at his torn jeans, rock t-shirt, scuffed black boots, and black leather jacket in absolute horror.

"Was. They let me out."

Petunia flushed at that as she reached for the chubby blonde boy who waddled into the room and hugged him towards her as if worried Sirius might snatch him up. "You need to leave — now!"

"I will. After I see Harry."

"I told the other one of your kind years ago that I would only keep Harry here if no one from that world came here. He will have a normal childhood!" Petunia insisted. "I don't want any of that freakish business of his in my house!"

Sirius tugged his sunglasses off and hung them on his shirt. "Displaying signs of magic already, is he? Good little, Prongslet. Now where is he?"

"Petunia, dear, have you seen my blue and silver tie?" Vernon mumbled as he stepped down the stairs and his eyes widened at the sight before him. "Who is this riffraff and why is he in my house?"

"Sirius Black, Dursley — surely you remember me?"

Vernon merely opened his mouth in surprise and then glowered at him. "You and your kind are not welcome here, Black! I insist that you leave — at once!"

"As I already told your absolutely charming wife… not until I see my godson."

"Boy!" Vernon bellowed. "Come here!"

Sirius' mouth thinned.

In the week that he had spent watching Harry, he hadn't once heard anyone in the house use his actual name. Of course, he had only seen him in the early morning, watching until he had gone to school, and twice after school, but he had yet to hear his aunt and uncle call him Harry. But then his heart leapt as the door to the cupboard under the stairs opened and a scrawny mini James stepped out, black hair messier than ever, round glasses perched on the edge of his nose and Lily's bright green eyes looked out at him.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked timidly, closing the cupboard door.

"You have a visitor," Vernon said, his teeth clenched as if it caused him great pain to admit to such.

Harry looked up then, his head tilting slightly to the side as his gaze landed on Sirius. Sirius knelt down from his spot by the front door and smiled at Harry.

"Hi, Harry," he said softly, watching the boy closely.

He was wearing clothing that was hanging off of his skinny frame. The cut on his cheek that he had scratched on the rose bush that morning hadn't been tended to, Sirius noticed, and the lightning bolt scar was bold against his pale forehead.

"Hullo, Sir," Harry said carefully, staying in front of his cupboard.

"My name is Sirius Black," Sirius told him, smiling kindly. "I don't know if you remember me, but I used to babysit you when you were a baby. You used to call me Uncle Siri," he said with a grin. "I thought maybe since it is a Saturday, your aunt and uncle might let us hang out today. Would you like that?"

Harry's eyes darted towards Uncle Vernon whose face was flushed with rage.

"No! I forbid it! You've seen the boy, now get out of my house!"

Sirius simply stood up. "I didn't come here _just_ to see him, I came here to get to know him; to be a part of his life. And I'm taking him with me today. I'll have him back in time for bed."

Petunia made to protest, but Sirius reached for Harry suddenly, and Harry moved away, plastering himself against the door of his cupboard — eyes wide and full of terror.

"Ha! He doesn't want to go with you!" Vernon exclaimed, looking incredibly pleased with himself. "He knows that you're a hoodlum! Torn jeans and long hair and earrings! You are a _disgrace_!"

Sirius ignored them and knelt down in front of Harry. He hadn't meant to scare him and he wanted him to know that. "I'm your Uncle Sirius, Harry. You don't have to be scared. Would you like to come to the park with me? We'll have fun, Prongslet."

He extended his hand and Harry's eyes watched him for a moment, his eyes lighting up at the nickname as if he recognized it, but then he stepped away from him.

"He doesn't want to go with you — now get out!" Vernon demanded, holding the banister so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

Sirius turned to glare at him. "Why does he look so terrified, Dursley?"

"Look at yourself!" Vernon exclaimed, his face flushing purple. "You look like a hoodlum, why would anyone trust you?"

Sirius simply turned back and smiled at Harry. He hadn't counted on Harry being scared of him. He had seemed so loving and affectionate when Sirius had visited him as a dog. He took a deep breath and tried again, smiling kindly at the boy in front of him.

"You can trust me, Harry," he said, an idea forming. Ignoring the Dursleys, Sirius stepped back from Harry and before he could change his mind, he transformed into the big black dog and watched in delight as Harry's eyes lit up. Harry's arms went around him immediately and he nuzzled his neck, licking his face, and then he stepped back and transformed back into himself. "I'm your Uncle Siri, Harry - or Uncle Padfoot. You called me both when you were little."

Harry stared at him in awe and amazement. His eyes were wide as if he couldn't comprehend what had happened, but believed it wholeheartedly.

Vernon's face on the other hand had turned an even darker shade of purple. "How dare you use that — that freakish stuff in my house!"

"Shut up, Dursley! Your nephew is a wizard and he deserves to know," he held his hand out again to Harry. "Do you want to come to the park with me, Harry?" Harry nodded before he gently placed his hand in Sirius', who beamed at him. "Seems like he wants to go. We'll be back later tonight."

He led Harry out of the house by his hand, ignoring Vernon and Petunia, who were still protesting, and gently helped him into the child seat that he had installed that morning on the back of his motorbike, strapping him in and placing the helmet onto his head.

"Are you ready, Harry?"

Harry nodded as Sirius kicked the bike into gear and with a loud roar they zoomed out of the drive, Harry laughing at the speed as they headed out. Sirius took him to one of the larger playgrounds nearby and they climbed out and headed towards the jungle gym.

"Come on, Prongslet," he said with a smile as he climbed the monkey bars, holding his legs up high as he flew across the bars in gesture.

Harry hurried up to the top, smiling and followed Sirius' lead, flying across the bars with ease before following Sirius up the rope bridge and across the fort, giggling as he flew down the slide. They played for over an hour before Sirius decided to call it quits and thought that it was time for a snack. He grabbed the bag that he had packed and pulled out the bacon sandwiches that he had brought with some pumpkin juice and some fresh apple slices. He had used a cooling charm as well as a fresh charm on them in his pack. He spread a blanket on the ground for them as Harry sat down and accepted the apple slice that Sirius handed him.

"Are you in school, Harry?" Sirius asked as he made a plate up for the boy and poured him some pumpkin juice. He wanted to know all about him and after watching him leave for school every day this week, he had wondered how Harry had fared in a Muggle school system.

Harry nodded, eating so quickly that he almost choked.

Sirius pat him gently on the back and Harry practically jumped away from him. "Hey, hey, Prongslet, it's okay. Come sit down and eat. Slow down. You don't have to eat so quickly. The food's not going anywhere."

Harry slowed down a little, but he kept staring at the food in wonder as if surprised to see it still before him.

"So school? Do you like it?" Sirius prompted.

"It's okay," Harry said, swallowing his sandwich.

"Do you have lots of friends?"

Harry shook his head and drank the pumpkin juice. "No."

"No? How come? Don't you want to make friends?"

Harry shrugged. "No one wants to be my friend."

Sirius frowned at that, looking closely at his godson. He was eating slower now, but he kept glancing at the food in awe as if wondering why Sirius hadn't taken it away from him yet. He was dirty too, Sirius realized and not all of it was from playing in the park. The too big clothes on his little body. Looking at him closely now, Sirius knew that he really didn't like what he saw at all.

"How come no one wants to be your friend, Harry?" he asked him, eating his own bacon sandwich and watching his godson carefully.

Harry used his hand to wipe the back of his mouth and Sirius handed him a napkin.

"Use this, Harry."

Harry did as Sirius showed him and used the napkin to wipe his face. "Dudley doesn't let them."

"Dudley's your cousin?"

Harry nodded. "Evan was nice to me. He let me play with his fire truck, but then Dudley took it — and broke it — and now Evan doesn't like me anymore."

"Hmm," was all Sirius could think to say about that.

Harry didn't talk much unless he was prompted, but Sirius urged him to talk about his teachers, his classes, and what he had learned at school. His favourite thing was apparently story time which made Sirius smile.

"You like it when people tell you stories, eh? You must bug your Aunt Petunia for stories all the time."

Harry shook his head, his eyes wide. "No."

"No?" Sirius asked, smiling at him. "Why not? Doesn't she tell good stories?"

"Only to Dudley."

Sirius nodded as they finished up their food and he put everything away. Only to Dudley, he thought. Petunia was not giving him the attention that he deserved.

"You're a dog," Harry said quietly, surprising Sirius who had initiated all conversation for the afternoon.

Sirius smiled at him. "Sometimes. I thought maybe that I'd meet you as a dog first, to see if you remembered me. I think you did. You knew that my name was Padfoot."

"But you're not a real dog," Harry said carefully. "You said your name is Sirius."

Sirius grinned, leaning back on his hands. "Your dad used to tell me that I made a better dog than a man sometimes, but I'm not a real dog no. I'm an Animagus." At Harry's blank look, he smiled. "It's a skill a witch or wizard can learn where they can turn into an animal at will. I can turn into a dog and my nickname was always Padfoot, but my real name is Sirius. You can call me either one."

"You said, 'wizard'."

"There's magic in the world, Harry. I'm a wizard and so are you."

Harry only stared at him.

"Come on, Prongslet, we're going to go on an adventure."

"An adventure?" Harry asked, looking at Sirius in wonder.

Sirius smiled, reaching down to swing him up into his arms and stopping when he saw Harry flinch and scramble away from him before he could pick him up. His hands fisted at his sides immediately, but he kept his face calm as he held a hand out, which Harry tentatively accepted. "Yeah, an adventure. Come on, little man."

He strapped Harry back into the motorbike and smiled when less than two minutes into driving, Harry was sleeping soundly. He used the invisibility charm and roared off into the sky, landing near his new home in Devon. He drove through, parking the bike by the side near the shed and carefully unstrapping the sleepy child and carrying him into the house.

Harry woke up as he stepped into the house and his eyes widened in surprise to find himself in Sirius' arms. His eyes stayed on Sirius suspiciously, but he didn't try to climb down. Sirius carried him up the stairs and brought him into the bathroom.

"Alright, Harry, Uncle Padfoot is going to help you clean up and we'll put on some new pyjamas and then I'll teach you a fun game before I take you home, okay?"

Harry wrapped his arms around himself as Sirius filled the tub with warm water, his eyes wide and fearful as he looked towards the tub. "I don't want to have a bath."

Sirius smiled at him. "We got pretty dirty at the park, Prongslet. We have to clean up or your Aunt Petunia will think that we rolled around in the mud."

Harry shook his head, biting his bottom lip. "No, please." he said, his voice whimpering now.

Sirius looked at him then and the fear in the child's eyes had him stopping. "Harry, look at me." When Harry's green eyes met his, he reached out and carefully took both of Harry's hands in his own. "I am your godfather. I will _always_ protect you. I will keep you safe and I will _never_ hurt you. Do you believe your Uncle Sirius?"

Harry's green eyes stared at him for a moment and then he nodded. "Yes, but I don't like baths."

Sirius reached a hand into the warm water. "It's warm, see?" He reached for the children's bubble bath that he had purchased. "And we can fill the water with fun bubbles, watch this." He poured some of the rainbow liquid into the tub and smiled when Harry's face lit up at the blue, green, purple, and pink bubbles that floated in the water. "And," Sirius said, reaching under the cupboard and pulling out the two ships he had bought. "We have toys."

Harry stared in wonder and then he nodded and moved to get into the tub making Sirius laugh.

"Harry, wait we have to take your clothes off first, silly."

He reached forward to help him, but Harry took another step away again, looking scared.

"NO!"

"Harry," Sirius said carefully. "You can't take a bath in your clothes. Come on, Harry, let's get undressed."

Harry hugged himself tightly and shook his head, backing away from Sirius. "No! You can't see! Uncle Vernon said no one can see!"

Sirius' eyes narrowed at the sheer panic that was radiating from the small frame of the child in front of him, dread filling his chest. "What can't I see, Harry?"

Harry turned and booked it out of the bathroom before Sirius could stop him. Sirius climbed to his feet as he chased him, catching him just at the top of the stairs and when his hands gripped the child's shoulder, Harry flinched, and he carefully loosened his grip.

"Harry," Sirius said carefully. "Does Uncle Vernon hurt you?"

Harry was trembling under his hands. "I'm not supposed to tell! He'll get mad!"

Sirius gently rubbed his hands along Harry's arms. "It's okay, Harry. I won't tell, I promise."

"Really?" Harry asked, his green eyes wide.

Sirius nodded and held his hand out to Harry. "But you have to come with me and have a bath - that's the deal, okay?"

He stared at Sirius for a long time before he slowly reached for Sirius' hand and nodded, letting his godfather lead him back into the bathroom. Sirius carefully helped him undress and when he turned to climb into the tub, Sirius' heart jumped up into his throat.

Harry's tiny back was covered in fifteen welts. Some were fading; some old and scarred, but some were blistered, red, and ugly looking. Sirius felt the blood leave his face as he looked at them. His own father had used a belt on him more times than he could remember and he knew how painful they could be. The water was going to sting some on his poor back. He grabbed his wand and muttered a pain free charm on Harry's back before the child submerged himself in the water. It would only last thirty minutes, but he hoped it helped.

The Dursleys, he thought viciously, there was no way that he was allowing Harry to stay with them. Dumbledore had been wrong. Sirius should have taken him a week ago instead he had assumed that he was fine like an idiot; he had played the loyal pet when he should have swooped in and taken his godson the moment that he had seen him. He should have trusted his instincts.

Harry smiled in the water, laughing when Sirius blew the bubbles making them float around him, and he splashed with the ships watching them float as he played in the tub. After ten minutes of play time, Sirius reached for the shampoo and smiled at Harry.

"Okay, time to wash up now. You can keep playing while your Uncle Siri washes your hair, okay?"

Harry nodded as Sirius tugged his glasses off and placed them on the floor, using a small cup to wet Harry's hair, but Harry jumped to his feet and plastered himself against the wall of the bathtub. The water rose up from the tub; twisting like a water tornado, and shooting Sirius straight in the face as Harry's eyes widened in fear.

"NO!"

"Harry," Sirius said calmly, holding the cup of warm water in his hands and spitting out the soapy water. He waved his wand, trying to control the water twister to no avail so he instead kept his focus on his godson's face. "I'm only going to wash your hair, little man. There's _nothing_ to be scared of."

"Please don't hold my head under, I'll be a good boy, I promise!" he exclaimed as the twister rose higher, brushing the ceiling.

The coloured soapy water splashed the walls, splashed Sirius, and poured over the edge of the tub onto the floor, hitting everything but the boy plastered against the side of the tub, eyes wide in fear.

Sirius had never felt such rage in his life. But he talked himself down, smiling warmly at his godson. "Harry, I would _never_ do that to you. _Never._ Sit down, and I'll wash your hair while you sit here. Okay? Let's put the water back in the tub. The water is safe. You're safe. I promise."

Harry stared at him a long moment, his eyes wide as saucers. Sirius only continued to stare back, wondering if the child was going to move and then he let out a slow breath of relief when the twister crashed down into the tub, overflowing down the sides, sending soapy bubbles across the bathroom floor. But Sirius didn't think twice about the mess, his eyes were on his godson who had slowly sat back down in the tub. Sirius gently held a hand over his forehead to block the water and he gently poured water over his hair.

"See, just like this," he told him reassuringly as he lathered shampoo into his scalp, rubbing and massaging softly, but vigorously.

He smiled as he remembered the last time that he had given Harry a bath, the kid had stood up in the water and peed, grinning proudly. Sirius had been forced to drain the tub and start all over again as Remus, who had been helping him babysit at the time, had laughed up roaringly. He rinsed the shampoo from his hair and delicately lathered the soft washcloth with soap and carefully scrubbed the grime from Harry's body, and anxiously washing out the welts and cuts on his back and the back of his small legs. Once he was clean, he let used his wand to refresh the water, which had turned murky, to let Harry play some more. He used his wand to make the bubbles dance above his head as Harry grinned widely. Then he transformed into Padfoot, jumping into the tub with the child and making Harry giggle as he rubbed bubbles into his fur.

When bath time was over, Harry let Sirius lift him out of the tub and Sirius carefully dried him off with a warm fluffy towel. Sirius used his wand to clean up the big mess, reassuring Harry that he wasn't mad about the mess before he used some baby powder on him and Harry grinned as the powder went everywhere in the air. Sirius helped him into the new Star Wars pjs that he had purchased for him. He combed his hair, smiling at how it stuck up anyway, exactly the way James' had. Then he took his hand and led him downstairs and into the kitchen.

"How about a ham sandwich for dinner?"

Harry nodded, dragging a chair over to the counter. "Okay, Uncle Siri."

Sirius grinned at the sound of his name and then he realized that Harry was trying to make the ham sandwich. He lifted him off the chair and dragged the chair back to the table. "Nuh-uh, Prongslet, Uncle Padfoot will make the sandwiches. You just sit here and wait like a good little boy."

Harry looked confused, but did what Sirius asked, and then ate every bite of the ham sandwich and drank all of his milk without a word. He was yawning again as Sirius cleaned up the dishes and he brought him into the living room. The kid was exhausted from their day.

Sirius took a seat on the couch and gently pat the seat next to him for Harry to join him. Harry sat down and looked at Sirius as if waiting for what to do next. Sirius moved closer, draping his arm over the back of the couch so that Harry fell towards him a bit and he watched as Harry seemed startled by the close contact, but then he gently let his head rest against Sirius' chest and Sirius smiled.

"How about a story, Harry?"

Harry nodded and Sirius summoned the stuffed stag down from Harry's bedroom as well as _The Tales of Beedle the Bard._ He handed the stag to Harry, who looked at it in awe, and then snuggled it close to him. As Sirius began to read, Harry's eyes drooped and before he had even finished the first story, Harry was sleeping soundly, the stuffed stag cuddled in his arms.

Sirius carefully extricated himself from the couch, wrapping Harry up in the blanket before grabbing a handful of Floo powder and throwing it into the flames, sending his head flying towards the hospital wing of Hogwarts.

"Poppy!" he called out and he soon heard footsteps hurrying towards him.

"Sirius! What's wrong? Did the potions I give you not work properly?" Madam Pomfrey asked him.

"No, no, the potions are fine. I need a pedia-healer. Do you qualify?"

Madam Pomfrey looked confused, but she nodded. "Well, yes, but I'm a school healer, Sirius. St Mungo's is a much better route."

"I know, but for now I just need some advice. How do I treat welts - like as in made from a man's belt?" he asked, his eyes dark with rage. "Will a regular healing charm work if they are a few days, if not a few weeks, old?"

Madam Pomfrey's eyes hardened. "On a child?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

She took a moment to compose herself before she told him the healing charm needed and passed him the salve that he would need to keep them from being infected as well as a pain potion. "It will be painful, but there's three doses there to be drunk every twelve hours."

Sirius nodded. "Understood. Thanks Poppy. Can you also let Dumbledore know that I will be there for breakfast tomorrow morning to speak with him? Tell him it's rather urgent."

"Of course, Sirius."

Sirius ended the Floo call, pulling his head from the fireplace with the potions and salves in his hand. Harry was sleeping soundly on the couch and he saw that it was only seven thirty. The park and then the bath, Sirius had worn the little tyke out. He knelt down beside the boy and gently touched his shoulder.

"Harry, wake up, Prongslet."

Harry's eyes opened slowly and he eagerly accepted the glasses that Sirius held out for him. "Is it morning?"

Sirius smiled and gently pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead, surprising the boy momentarily. "Not yet, Prongslet. I got some salve for the cuts on your back."

Harry's eyes widened in horror. "You weren't supposed to see! You said you wouldn't tell!" He jumped to his feet, his eyes terrified as he struggled to kick off the blanket and get off of the couch. "Uncle Vernon said that no one can see!"

"Shh," Sirius said, taking Harry's hand and trying to keep him still. "Harry, I won't hurt you. I won't let Uncle Vernon hurt you ever again. I promise."

Harry stopped struggling and his green eyes stared up at him with so much hope that Sirius felt his heart jump into his throat. "Promise?"

"I promise." He said, kissing Harry's small hand. "But the salve I have for you, it's going to make you feel better, but it's going to hurt when I put it on because the cuts on your back are deep, okay? But it will only hurt for a little while, I promise, and it will make it feel better afterwards."

Harry nodded and then carefully pulled his new pyjama shirt over his head. Sirius winced when he looked at the cuts again. They were definitely at least a week old, but he could tell that they hadn't been treated properly and he wondered how badly they would scar him. He delicately applied the salve that he knew must be incredibly painful, but Harry didn't move a muscle or make a sound. Tears leaked down Harry's face, but he stayed silent. Sirius finished applying the salve and gently guided him to drink the potion, using his wand to heal the welts around the salve, and Harry let out a tiny squeak before biting his lip.

"I'm sorry, I won't cry!" he said, his voice terrified and ashamed.

Sirius gently brushed a finger down his cheek, kissing it softly. "You are a very brave little man, Harry. I know this hurts — and you go ahead and cry if you want to."

Harry only stared at him, his eyes wide as Sirius gently finished applying the second layer of salve and helped Harry back into his pyjama shirt. Then he held his arms out to Harry. Harry looked at him for a moment and then he carefully offered his hand instead. Sirius took his little hand in his own, wishing that he could cuddle the child to his chest in reassurance, but was terrified of scaring him - so he simply helped him off of the couch. He bent down to pick up the stag and smiled.

"Don't forget Prongs."

"Prongs?"

"Your stag," Sirius told him with a smile. "Come on. I have something to show you."

He led Harry up the stairs and turned on the lights in the hallway as he approached the door with Harry's name on it.

"That's me!" Harry exclaimed, pointing to the lettering on the door. "What's Proglt?"

"Prongslet," Sirius corrected affectionately. "That's your name too."

Harry stared at the door in wonder.

Sirius grinned. "It has your name on it because this room is all for you."

He pushed open the door and turned on the lights and Harry's eyes widened as he looked around the room. Sirius took a seat on the bed, gesturing for Harry to come over and Harry's eyes got bigger.

"This is my bed?"

"Yeah, it is," Sirius said with a smile.

"This bed is bigger than my whole cupboard!"

Sirius scowled at that. His cupboard? What the fuck did that mean? "You are _never_ going back there, Harry."

Harry climbed up onto the bed and touched the stuffed animals there, smiling as he touched the dog and then the wolf and then his eyes met Sirius' for a moment. "Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs."

Sirius grinned in surprise. He remembered some things, he thought. "That's right, Harry." He tugged the covers down and Harry eagerly climbed into the bed, his stuffed animals around him. "When you wake up in the morning, Harry, I'm not going to be here."

"Why?"

"I have to go talk to someone. But your Uncle Moony is going to be here."

"Uncle Moony?" Harry asked, yawning as he picked up the wolf.

Sirius nodded, smiling. "Yeah, Uncle Moony or Uncle Remus. He'll make you breakfast and I'll be back before lunch. You be a good boy and Uncle Remus will tell you all of the stories you can ask for. He knows hundreds."

Harry grinned at that. "I like stories."

"Me too," Sirius said, tucking Harry in carefully. "Goodnight, Harry, I love you. My bedroom is right down the hall if you need me, okay?"

"Okay," Harry said quietly as he yawned.

Sirius knew that the potion was kicking in as he watched his bright green eyes flutter closed and he placed Harry's glasses on the table next to his bed. He left the door open just a crack and he used the baby monitoring charm and the quiet sounds of the child breathing filled the living room before he Flooed Remus.

"MOOOONNNNNNYYYY!" Sirius bellowed into the fire as Remus came running from his bedroom.

"Merlin, Sirius — no need to howl!" Remus said as he sat down in front of the fire where his friend's head was floating there.

"Sorry, it's just that I need you. I need you to come to my new place in Devon, my Uncle Alphard's old place, do you remember where it is?"

"Vaguely," Remus said, scrunching his forehead in concentration. "Is that the one by the cliffs?"

"Exactly," Sirius said with a grin. "Right now would be great."

Then his head disappeared and Remus sighed, grabbing a pinch of Floo powder and dusting himself off as Sirius took his hand to pull him from the fire.

"Merlin, Sirius, what's the rush? I haven't seen or heard from you since you moved out here a few weeks ago." Remus exclaimed as he looked around. "Wow, Padfoot, this place looks great! You really have been keeping busy."

Sirius nodded, plopping himself down on the couch. "Yes, the last few weeks, but that's not important. What's important is that I'm going to Dumbledore in the morning — and demanding full custody of Harry."

Remus' eyebrow rose in surprise. "Padfoot, we talked about this…"

"We did, yeah - and I said that I wanted to be part of his life - so I went there, as a dog, and I played with him for a week — watching and —"

"You went as a dog?"

"Well, I figure that kids love dogs and this way I could see how he was doing without being suspicious."

Remus looked like he wanted to say something in response to that, but he shook his head. "No, actually I agree with that plan. So I assume that you are planning to reintroduce yourself to the Dursleys then?"

Sirius nodded. "I may have already done that when I took Harry out for the afternoon and er — kidnapped him."

"Wait, _what_?" Remus exclaimed, his eyes widening as he grabbed his friend's arm. "What do you mean you _kidnapped_ him? Did Petunia not let you into the house or something?"

"Rather grudgingly, but yeah, she let me in, and she mentioned that you also came by once - in a really condescending way by the way - but anyway, he can't stay with those people, Rem! He's terrified! Trying to touch him, he cowers away from you! He has deep welts on his back from being beaten and he sleeps in a fucking cupboard! I told Petunia that I'd have him home before bed, but after what I saw… he's never going back there, Moony. _Never_."

Remus stared at his friend in shock. "They _beat_ him?"

"I gave him a bath and he begged me not to hold his head under the water, Remus! What kind of fucked up people torture a child like that?" Sirius demanded, his anger vibrating off of him in droves. "He deserves better and I won't let those people touch him ever again."

"Agreed. What do you need from me?"

Sirius looked at his friend gratefully, "Thanks Moony. I knew that you'd understand." He sat on the couch and rubbed his fists over his face. "He's powerful already. I mean, we always knew that he would be. Remember when he summoned me to his crib in my dog form? Or when he kept changing his mashed carrots into mashed apricots? Anyway, I was giving him a bath earlier and he turned the water into a twister, sprayed the shit out of me and everything around me — but the water didn't even touch him. He's going to be a powerful wizard one day."

Remus smiled. "I would have liked to have seen you get blasted in the face with the twister."

Sirius grinned. "I'm sure that it was rather entertaining. Listen, I told Harry that his Uncle Moony would be here when he woke up to give him breakfast and to tell him stories. I promised that I'd be back by lunch."

"Of course, but you said be cautious with him?"

Sirius nodded. "No sudden attempts to touch him. If you watch his eyes he wants to know where you are at all times. That's most important, Remus."

Remus nodded in understanding. "Got it. He'll be safe here, Padfoot."

Sirius rubbed a hand over his face. "Yes, he will. He's never going back there. Not as long as I'm alive."


	7. Chapter 7

_Authors Note:_

 _A short chapter!_

 _I keep coming back to the dog idea because children trust animals explicitly in a way that can't be explained. They are loyal and loving and just there for you. Harry needs that and it's something that Sirius realizes and can give him._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN:**

 **It was after midnight when Remus left and Sirius headed up to bed, but he slept fitfully.** He still wasn't used to the luxury of a comfortable bed and the dreams were still too close to the surface. His own childhood memories combined with the knowledge of how Harry had been mistreated and he soon found himself staring at the ceiling of his room, wondering how he was going to raise this child. How was he going to get Harry to trust him?

He was pulled from his insomnia by Harry's cries some time after two in the morning. He rushed from his bedroom into Harry's, and sat on the edge of the bed, turning the bedroom light on.

"Harry?"

Tears rolled down Harry's cheeks as he clung desperately to the stag stuffed animal. "I'm sorry! I tried to wait until morning! I tried! I'm sorry!"

"Tried to wait for what, Harry?" Sirius asked and then he felt the wetness under his hand and realized what had happened. Harry had wet the bed. "Harry… it's okay, don't cry."

Harry looked at him for a moment, his face tear-stained. "You won't push my face in it?"

The outrage Sirius felt must have shown on his face because Harry cowered away for a moment.

"No, no, Harry — I'm not mad at you." He took Harry's hand in his and squeezed lightly. "I would _never_ push your face in it."

"I tried to wait until breakfast! I did!"

"Harry, why were you trying to wait?" Sirius asked, already afraid to learn the answer.

"Uncle Vernon says I can't get up in the night, I have to wait until breakfast time to use the loo. And the door is always locked so I can't get out!"

Sirius kissed Harry's little hand making his eyes widen in wonder. "No rules here, Harry. You use the toilet whenever you need to go. That door will _never_ be locked. Now, let's clean this up, shall we?" He pointed his wand at the bed. "Scourgify!" The bed instantly became dry and clean. He pointed his wand at Harry's pyjama pants, "Scourgify!" Harry was clean.

Harry stared at him in amazement.

Sirius smiled and tucked him in again. "Magic, I told you."

"Uncle Padfoot?"

"Yes?" Sirius asked, smiling warmly. The sound of Harry's little voice calling him Uncle Padfoot made him feel ridiculously warm and fuzzy inside.

"I had a dream that you were a dog like this," he said holding up the stuffed black dog and holding it out to Sirius.

Sirius smiled at him, accepting the stuffed animal. "I can be sometimes, remember? You used to love it when I was a dog when you were a baby."

Harry's eyes widened. "It wasn't a dream? You really are the dog."

Sirius tucked him in and then transformed into his dog Animagus, hopping onto the bed and snuggling himself next to Harry. Harry's arms came around him, giggling when Sirius licked his face. He snuggled the dog close, his sweet child smell making Sirius smile.

"Stay, Uncle Padfoot," he whispered and then he drifted off to sleep, his head snuggled against Sirius' soft fur.

~ASC~

 **Sirius woke up in the morning with Harry still snuggled up to him.** He carefully pried himself from the child and transformed back into himself, heading to the bath to shower and change. When he got downstairs, Remus was already there making breakfast.

"Good morning, Moony," he said, grabbing his leather jacket from the kitchen chair. "I showed him my furrier form and I slept with him. He was calm for the rest of the night."

"Good," Remus said, his eyes looking towards the ceiling. "We'll be fine."

Sirius nodded and headed outside to rev up his bike. He had been planning to see Dumbledore first, but after last night's bathroom incident, he had changed his mind. He used the bike's flying mechanism and soared through the sky invisible to the world around him and landed on the front lawn of the Dursley residence.

He rang the bell consistently until Vernon Dursley pulled it open and glared angrily at him.

"Where's the boy?"

Sirius pushed his way into the house, closing the front door behind him. "That boy is _never_ stepping foot in this house again." He shoved Vernon backwards until he was up against the wall. "How dare you treat your nephew with such contempt?"

"We never wanted him!" Vernon shouted. "He's a bad seed and was always getting into trouble — never doing what he was told!"

"So you beat him?" Sirius asked quietly, punching his fist forward as Vernon yelped in fright and Sirius' fist hit the wall next to his head. "Instilled a fear in him," he said, punching his fist out again and causing Vernon to yell as his fist hit the wall on the other side of Vernon's head. "That innocent little child and you beat him and mistreated him in ways that I can't even imagine." He tightened his grip on the front of Vernon's shirt and glared menacingly at him. "I should kill you right now."

"No!" Petunia screamed, her hands covering her mouth in horror from where she stood in the kitchen doorway.

Sirius dropped his hands away from Vernon and ripped open the door of the cupboard under the stairs, staring in disgust at the dirty soiled cot and clothing there. His eyes fell on the large stuffed white stag that he had bought for Lily as a joke back in sixth year, the one that she had given to Harry and he grabbed it, leaving everything else behind.

"You sicken me, Petunia. Lily always spoke highly of you. She always said how she regretted the way the two of you had drifted apart and how she wished you could be close again. How do you think she would feel about the way that you've treated her son?"

Petunia whimpered, holding Dudley close to her as his arms wrapped around her legs. "We never wanted _him_ ," she whispered.

Sirius let his fist fly again, but this time he aimed for Vernon's gut and watched as the man doubled over in pain. "You will _never_ see him again. You will _never_ touch him again. You will _never_ hurt him again. Do you understand me?"

Petunia rushed to help her husband and she nodded. "Yes."

Sirius looked at where Dudley stood, his hands covered in chocolate as he greedily ate a large piece of chocolate cake with his hands. Then he stormed out of the house, hopped onto his bike and flew straight towards Hogwarts making the eight-hour rode trip in just under two hours.

By the time he arrived outside of the front gates, most of his rage had calmed down, but not enough of it. He made his way up the stairs and found Dumbledore sitting at his desk, drinking tea and eating toast. "Albus, I see that you've been expecting me."

Dumbledore gestured for him to take a seat. "I expected you to be earlier if I'm honest. Would you like some breakfast, Sirius?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. Albus, I would not like some damn breakfast! I'm here about Harry."

Dumbledore nodded as Sirius took a seat in front of him. "Did you go visit him?"

"I kidnapped him actually."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "You — _what_?"

"Didn't plan on it, mind you," Sirius told him. "I was only going to take him to the park, get to know him a bit, but he can't stay there another minute, Albus. The Dursleys are abusing him."

"Abusing him?" Dumbledore asked in alarm, his eyes narrowing slightly over his half-moon spectacles. "That is an austere accusation, Sirius."

"He lives in a fucking cupboard under the stairs! He's scared of baths because someone holds his head under the water! He has deep welts across his back; can't bear to be touched or come upon suddenly in any way! He peed his bed because he's too afraid to go to the toilet without permission. He's afraid to show pain for fear of being punished. He has no friends because his cousin scares the other kids away from him and it's only been one day, Albus - I know there's more that I haven't even come across yet. I've barely scratched the surface of the mistreatment this child has undergone," Sirius explained, his eyes dark with rage. "He is NEVER going back there. I won't allow it!"

"Agreed," Dumbledore said, his eyes on Sirius'. "I kept my eye from a distance and from where I could see that Petunia didn't love him, he looked safe and that's where I was wrong. You did right, Sirius. I will terminate any guardianship Petunia Dursley has over her nephew immediately."

"And what about them?" Sirius demanded. "I want them punished for the way that they treated their nephew. In fact, the punch to the gut I gave Vernon Dursley a few hours ago hardly compares to what those horrible people deserve!"

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "I wish that you wouldn't have done that, Sirius."

"I want them punished, Albus! I want them punished for what they did to him — for how they treated him!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes flashing in anger. "And I'm telling you this because it took everything in me _not_ to kill them. I can't afford to go back to prison. Harry needs me now more than ever. I am his godfather."

Dumbledore nodded. He could see the rage vibrating from the young man in front of him and the restraint that he was holding back. He had made the right decision and Dumbledore was ashamed that he hadn't done more to check on the boy's welfare.

"You have the paperwork listing you as guardian?" When Sirius nodded, Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him. "First thing tomorrow, I'll bring it to the Ministry and we'll get the ball rolling on your custody case. Don't worry about the Dursleys, they will be getting a visit from the Auror Department very soon."

Sirius simply stared at Dumbledore. "Make it sooner."


	8. Chapter 8

_Authors Note:_

 _Just again a reminder that I am using the Remus side story from my_ **Missing Moments** _fic, which for those of you who don't know is a chapter by chapter of "missing moments" from Harry's life before and after the defeat of Voldemort and canon compliant. The moment I am using here is where Remus visits Harry just after the funeral of James and Lily Potter. Again, I had this scene written for_ _this story,_ _but felt like it fit in as a lovely 'moment' to use for that drabble so I borrowed it, but again it WAS written for this story first._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT:**

 **Harry woke up in the big bed, the stuffed dog and stuffed stag cradled in his arms.** He blinked owlishly as he looked around and then he remembered the man who had come to visit him; the man who could turn into a dog.

"Padfoot," he whispered, a small smile on his face. He carefully climbed down from the bed, grabbing the stuffed wolf as well, and keeping them in his arms as he slowly crept to the door, peeking out. There was no one in the hallway so he tiptoed to the stairs and looked down.

The sunlight was peaking through the front windows, illuminating the living room below. Harry slowly walked down the stairs, the three stuffed animals clutched in his arms. When he got to the bottom step, he heard sounds coming from the kitchen and he froze, listening. Music was playing and it sounded like pots and pans were clanging around. The sounds seemed normal so he tiptoed closer, peeking his head into the archway of the kitchen and eyes watching the unfamiliar man there.

He had golden brown hair and he was wearing blue jeans and a long sleeved denim shirt rolled at the elbows. One long thin white scar from his elbow to his wrist seemed to shine as he poured batter into the pan carefully. A minute later, he scooped two big fluffy pancakes onto a plate and turned, jumping when he saw Harry and smiling warmly.

The smile made his whiskey coloured eyes twinkle and Harry felt himself smiling back.

"Hi, Harry, do you like pancakes?"

Harry shrugged, clutching the stuffed animals closer to his chest. "I don't know."

The man continued to smile at him. He had a crescent shaped scar over one eye, very small, but Harry found himself staring at it. "They're delicious. We'll cover them in warm maple syrup, you'll love them. Come sit down."

He pulled a chair out for Harry and Harry carefully walked over. He put the animals on the chair and climbed up, clutching them back into his arms. The man sat down next to him, still smiling.

"I'm Remus, but you can call me Uncle Remus or Uncle Moony if you'd like."

Harry held the wolf up to him. "Moony."

Remus smiled and nodded. Leave it to Sirius to get him stuffed animals to distinguish the Marauders right away. "That's right."

"Uncle Padfoot said that you know lots of stories."

"I sure do. I love stories," Remus told him, carefully cutting up one of the pancakes. "After you eat some breakfast, I'll tell you one. Deal?"

Harry nodded, watching as Remus poured syrup over his food and held the fork out to him.

"Why don't we take Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs and sit them over here while you eat?" Remus suggested, holding his hands out for the stuffed animals.

Harry stared at him a moment and then carefully handed the animals over, eyes watchful, as Remus sat them on the other side of the table so that Harry could still see them. He accepted the fork and slowly stabbed a bite of pancake and brought it to his lips. His eyes widened at the taste and he eagerly ate, a small smile on his lips.

Remus poured him a glass of chocolate milk and watched as Harry looked at it suspiciously before again, smiling after tasting it. "Is it good?"

He nodded. "Yes, thank you, sir."

Remus stood up and cleaned up the kitchen as Harry ate. When he was finished, he placed Harry's breakfast dishes in the sink and turned to smile at Harry. "Why don't you run up to the bathroom and wash your hands and face while I wash the dishes? When you come back down, I'll tell you a story about a boy named Arthur who pulled a sword from a stone."

Harry grinned and ran up the stairs. Remus finished cleaning and scooped up the three stuffed animals, smiling as he looked at them: the wolf, the dog and the stag. He carefully placed them on the couch as Harry came down the stairs.

"Let's go back upstairs, Harry, I forgot to show you your toothbrush and we'll get dressed before story time." Remus told him, holding his hand out.

Harry tentatively accepted his hand and followed him back up the stairs. Ten minutes later, his teeth were brushed, his hair was combed and he was dressed in sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He followed Remus as they went back down the stairs and into the living room. He saw his stuffed animals on the couch and he quickly climbed up, clutching them to him as if surprised to still find them there.

Remus handed him a tall glass of orange juice, which he had used to disguise the healing potion that Harry needed to drink for his back, and took a seat next to him, stretching his long legs out in front of him. "Drink all of that up for me, Harry."

Harry drank the orange juice slowly, his eyes on Remus warily, but he drank every drop.

Remus smiled, putting the glass on the table. "Thank you. Are you ready for a story?"

Harry nodded eagerly, his green eyes wide as they looked at him, waiting for him to begin.

Remus smiled. "Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there was a young boy named Arthur Pendragon…"

By the time that Remus had gotten to the lady in the lake, the potion had kicked in and Harry was fast asleep. Remus carefully turned him, so that his neck wouldn't hurt and wrapped him up with the afghan on the back of the couch. He brought the empty glass back into the kitchen and then stood at the counter, eyes closed and fists clenched.

He never should have left Harry with those people. He closed his eyes as the memory washed over him.

 _Remus stood outside of Number Four Privet Drive nervously rocking on his heels and trying to work up the courage to knock. It had been just over two weeks since his entire world had collapsed around him. James and Lily: dead. Peter: dead. Sirius: imprisoned for murdering Peter and twelve Muggles and worst of all — for betraying James and Lily Potter. He still couldn't even believe that Sirius had been the one behind everything; the spy in the Order, the one working for Voldemort. It all seemed like some horrible dream._

 _His best friends, his true family, all gone in the span of a week and he was only twenty-one years old._

 _He dragged his fingers through his golden brown hair and finally lifted his hand to the door to knock. Dumbledore had told him where he had sent Harry, explaining how it was the safest place for him. Remus agreed with him. But Harry was the only family that he had left. He wanted to make sure that he was truly alright._

 _The door opened and he immediately recognized Lily's sister. He had only met her the once at the wedding, but her and her husband Vernon had made an impression._

 _"_ _Petunia, Remus Lupin," he said, extending his hand. "I was a friend of Lily and James. We met at the wedding."_

 _Petunia merely stared at him. "You were in the wedding party."_

 _Remus nodded, smiling. "I was. I wanted to check on Harry, see how he was adjusting to life with his aunt and uncle."_

 _"_ _He's fine." she said curtly, crossing her arms in front of her. "I don't really like unannounced visitors coming by the house. I'm trying to keep Dudders and our new guest on some form of schedule. It's not exactly easy to have two children under the age of two."_

 _Remus nodded, sticking his hands in the pockets of his pants. "I understand. I'd just like to see Harry for a moment, just to make sure that he's all right?"_

 _Petunia sighed before she nodded stiffly and opened the door wider, allowing for Remus to step inside. "Fine. But be quick about it."_

 _Remus nodded as she closed the door behind him. He stood in the entranceway of the house just as the boy he was looking for came running out of the living room towards him, arms outstretched in joy._

 _"_ _Uncamoo!" he shrieked, running into Remus' arms._

 _Remus' face broke out into his first smile in weeks as he scooped Harry up into his arms. He ruffled his black messy hair and kissed his chubby cheeks, hugging him close. He pulled back to grin at him and his eyes found the lightning bolt cut on his forehead. He gently brushed it with his finger and his eyes found Petunia's. "Is this where he —?"_

 _Petunia nodded. "From what I understand yes. It doesn't seem to bother him."_

 _Remus nodded. He knelt down on the floor, standing Harry in front of him and grinning at him. "I missed you, Harry. Do you like it here with your aunt and uncle?"_

 _"_ _No!" Harry said sternly, "Go! Moo! Padfoof!"_

 _Tears welled up in Remus' eyes and he choked them back. "Afraid not, little Prongs. This is your new home now."_

 _Harry crawled up his body, hanging off of his shoulder as he spoke. "No! Mumma! Da!"_

 _Remus looked at Petunia and sighed. "I know that he's safest here with you, but hearing him… I want to keep him safe. If Voldemort ever truly does come back… we don't know for certain that he's gone and Harry could be in the most danger if he ever finds out that he's still alive."_

 _"_ _Uncamoo," he exclaimed, his hands moving across Remus' face, fingers in his mouth as he grabbed at Remus._

 _Remus merely grinned. He was the cutest kid. It still surprised him how much he had come to love this little boy. When he called him Uncle Moo in his baby talk of "uncamoo" his heart soared. Nothing made Harry happier than when Remus and Sirius would come to visit and Sirius turned into a dog. The 'doggie' would make Harry giggle and laugh and Remus would hold his hands as he rode the dog around. Then Sirius would turn back and Harry would laugh, begging for the Siri to make the Padfoof come back._

 _Sirius had loved him. Remus could see that. How could Sirius have done this?_

 _"_ _Do you have enough stuff for him? Clothes and whatnot?" he asked Petunia, holding Harry close again as he jabbered incoherent baby talk in his ear._

 _"_ _Yes. From what I understand, the house is destroyed so I have whatever Dumbledore brought with him," she told him._

 _She had moved to pick up her own son, who was trying to touch the vase full of flowers on the table. He was a chubby blonde toddler who seemed to waddle as he walked._

 _"_ _It was," Remus said. "I just want to make sure that he's well taken care of. He's a very special boy." He kissed Harry's forehead and Harry snuggled into his embrace._

 _"_ _Slooch!" he said and Remus kissed him again._

 _"_ _I'd… I'd like to come by and see him when I can. Maybe once every few weeks or so. I can tell him about his parents and spend time with him. Get to see him grow up and become the great wizard that I know he will be."_

 _"_ _No," Petunia said sternly, moving to place Dudley in the playpen she had set up and crossing her arms in front of her again. "Absolutely not."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry?" Remus asked in surprise._

 _"_ _No," Petunia repeated. "I let you in today to say goodbye to him as a courtesy. I agreed to take the boy in for his own safety, but I won't have it in my house. No magic. No powers. No mention of an evil man who killed his parents. I will let him stay here with my husband and my son, if and only if_ , _I can give him the chance of a normal childhood. No funny business. How am I supposed to do that if you come around here and tell him those things. Absolutely not! I forbid it."_

 _Remus stood up, Harry still snuggled in his arms. "I get where you're coming from, Petunia but… my friends, my family are all gone. Harry is all I have left. I'd like to find a place in his life. Be the uncle to him that I was meant to be."_

 _Petunia glared at him, her hands on her hips. "Then you can take him off of my hands. That's the only way that you can have contact with him."_

 _"_ _I can't take him," he said desperately. There was no way that he could take Harry home and raise him safely not with his furry little problem. How could he possibly keep Harry safe when he himself was a danger to him three nights a month?_

 _"_ _If you won't take him then that's it. Say goodbye."_

 _Tears welled up in Remus' eyes. He understood what she wanted. It was safer for Harry if he had no contact; if no one magical even knew where he was. Dumbledore was right about that. This was Harry's family and they would take care of him. But the thought of leaving this little boy broke his heart._

 _But a broken heart was something that Remus Lupin was used to. He had already lost everything that mattered in his life: his parents, his best friends, his family. Losing Harry was in the best interest of keeping Harry safe and that's what truly mattered._

 _He kissed Harry's cheeks and then the lightning shaped cut on his forehead, holding him close for a hug as he spoke, "If I write to you, will you keep me informed on how he's doing?"_

 _"_ _No," Petunia said sternly. "Either take him with you or say goodbye."_

 _Remus nodded, unshed tears in his eyes. He cuddled Harry close. Harry tugged on his hair and planted a wet kiss on his mouth before he sat him down the ground._

 _"_ _You'll take good care of him? Keep him safe?" Remus asked her as Harry tried to shimmy back up his leg._

 _"_ _I will raise him to be normal," Petunia told him._

 _Remus nodded, wiping his tears away. "Thank you." He leaned down and kissed the top of Harry's head. "I love you, Harry. Be good for your Aunt Petunia. We'll meet again someday, I'm sure of it."_

 _Harry began to cry and it took every ounce of will that Remus possessed to walk to the door as Harry screamed after him, tears pouring from his eyes._

 _"_ _No! Moo! Go, Moo! Uv, Moo!"_

 _When Petunia closed the front door behind him, he stood on the front porch, tears pouring down his cheeks._

 _Harry would be safe. Nothing else in the world mattered, especially not the broken heart of a werewolf._

He opened his eyes, wiping the tears away. He had never in a million years thought that Petunia would hurt that little boy. If he had known… it was too late for what ifs now, he told himself. Now it was about keeping Harry safe. By taking him away from the Dursleys, Sirius had lost him the blood protection that he had with Petunia, and Remus knew how important that was to keeping Harry safe.

He made himself a cup of tea and took a seat on the couch next to Harry. He slipped the boy's glasses off, putting them on the table and gently ran his fingers through the soft messy hair, smiling when Harry turned and snuggled into the wolf stuffed animal.

Sirius would keep him safe and Remus would do everything he could to help him. He opened his book and began to read, glancing at the clock. He wondered how Sirius was faring with Dumbledore.


	9. Chapter 9

_Authors Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I don't own the lyrics to the song by The Rolling Stones._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE:**

 **Sirius left Dumbledore's office still feeling rather enraged.** He needed to get the paperwork in order for the next morning to pass onto Dumbledore about filing for custody of Harry. He needed to find a pedia-healer to look him over and make sure that he was all right.

He was about to become a full time guardian to a five-year-old-boy. He leaned against the castle wall and let out a long breath.

He had never been so terrified in his entire life. What if he messed it up?

Then without a second thought, he turned and headed down to the lower east floor to the transfiguration wing, knocking briskly on Professor M. McGonagall's door.

She opened it and smiled at him in surprise. "Sirius, this is a pleasant surprise. Come in."

Sirius took a seat in the chair in front of her desk, smiling when she opened a tin of ginger biscuits and offered one to him. "I remember the first time that I ever sat in here." When McGonagall only raised her eyebrow in question, he smiled. "I'd only been at Hogwarts about a month. My family was furious that I had been chosen to be in Gryffindor; my mother had sent that Howler and come down to the school to try to force Dumbledore's hand into switching me into Slytherin House. It was beneath me to be friends with blood traitors like James Potter and a half-blood like Remus Lupin; she forbade it. She told me that my cousin was watching my every move and would report back to her what I was doing. So I listened and I pushed them away. You sat me down in here and you told me that I was brave and that's why the Sorting Hat had chosen me for Gryffindor and that sometimes being brave meant going against the tide and making friends with who I wanted to be friends with. That family didn't always mean blood."

"I sound wise," McGonagall said, taking a seat on the edge of her desk.

"Wisest woman I know," Sirius told her. "You told me not to push my new friends away. That I needed them and that not being friends with them only because my mother told me that I couldn't be, wasn't a valid reason to push them away. And I listened — and it was the best choice I ever made. James and Remus and Peter, they were… they were my family. And Pete he… he destroyed that."

McGonagall reached out and took Sirius' hand in her own. "I know what kind of household you came from, Sirius. You never told me details, but I could see the pain in your eyes and when you were with your friends that pain lessened. All of your friends, even Peter. I can't tell you why he made the choices that he did. Maybe one day he will tell you, but he made the wrong choice and has been in hiding ever since which tells me that he knows he made the wrong choice and most likely has regretted it every day since. Sometimes fear brings out the worst in a person and they do things out of that fear that they normally wouldn't do."

Sirius only nodded, squeezing her hand. "Those Muggles… they weren't treating Harry right and I can't… I can't let that little Marauder stay with them. I told Dumbledore I want custody of my godson. He should have been with me from the moment that James and Lily died. The abuse he's suffered in their care, I blame Peter for that as well. I know that it was my choice to go after him — I made that decision when I should have taken Harry and ran but… I still blame Peter." He pulled his hand away and covered his face. "And I'm terrified of being a parent to that little boy. What if I mess it all up? What do I even know about being a parent?"

McGonagall smiled warmly. "When I lost my… I thought my world would end. Teaching here has been everything that I could have hoped for, seeing all of these young and eager faces, some more trouble than others," she added as Sirius smirked. "But I've seen them and I've watched them grow up to be incredible witches and wizards and you, Sirius Black, you are a good man. James and Lily Potter never doubted for a second in choosing you as Harry's guardian. Will it be hard? Undoubtedly. Will you be scared? Every day. Will you mess it up? Not everything is going to be as right as rain. But you won't be alone. You have friends who will step in and help like Remus Lupin for instance and don't be afraid to ask for help. Now, did you just come and see me for a pep talk?"

Sirius laughed, standing up and wrapping his arms around her. "I love you, Minnie."

"For Merlin's sake, Sirius, these nicknames you continue to bestow upon me —"

He laughed and hugged her tighter. "Minnie McG, always." When she smiled he grinned back. "No, I love you. You were always there for me when I needed you even before Fee and Monty took me in. You always believed in me, even when you put me in detention."

"I don't think I've ever given as much detention to any other student as much as you and Potter."

"I was an angel who did not deserve the months of detentions that you bestowed upon me."

McGonagall snorted. "More like a hellion, but sure you can believe what you want."

Sirius grinned at her. "You always believed in me; you always went out of your way to look after me. You always told my mother exactly what you thought when she came to the school to cause trouble and you were the first person to tell her that my real family was with the Potters. You believed in me when I went to prison and worked tirelessly for over four years to get me a fair trial — and you succeeded. I guess I just wanted to say thanks."

McGonagall sniffed back tears and pat his arm gently. "Oh, you, getting an old woman all emotional!"

"Minnie McG, you are not old!"

She laughed and hugged him. "If you need anything from me in terms of getting custody of Harry, let me know. You will always hold a special place in my heart, Sirius."

"You love me like a son," he told her as she laughed.

"Merlin, Black, I have missed you!"

Sirius nodded, smiling at her. "So, McG, just out of curiosity, did you ever know how many things Potter and I actually got away with in school?"

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "So help me, Black, I don't want to know."

Sirius only grinned wickedly at her. He really had missed her too.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius arrived back at the cottage just before lunch, feeling better about Harry and about himself.** He had gone to St Mungo's afterwards and made an appointment for the next morning with a pedia-healer for Harry. The receptionist had told him a Healer A. Castellanos was free at ten the next morning. Sirius had put his own name down, not wanting to broadcast the fact that The Boy Who Lived was going to be around the hospital.

When he stepped inside, he saw that Remus was lying on the couch, his head tilted back as he snored and his long legs stretched out across the chesterfield. The familiar sight made him smile and then he jolted in panic.

If Remus was sleeping, where was Harry?

He hurried forward and froze when he saw the tiny boy, snuggled between Remus' arms, his face resting on his stomach, rising and falling with Remus' snores. They looked comfortable, he thought. He turned to make his way into the kitchen and froze when he saw the staircase behind the living room. The cupboard under the stairs where his uncle had always kept their shoes now seemed menacing. Without a second thought, he used his wand to tear the door down, tossing it out the front door onto the porch. His eyes took in the shelves there and he nodded. He'd keep it open and make sure that Harry never saw it and remembered his place at the Dursleys. He'd fix it up, make it part of the room, he decided.

It would be his next project. With that in mind, he put a charm over the living room to not disturb Harry and Remus and got to work. An hour later, it looked completely different and he was satisfied. It would no longer be a scary sight for Harry. He thought he could store his records there. He made his way into the kitchen, lifting the charm from the living room, and leaving Remus and Harry to their nap as he thought about what he was going to make for lunch.

Sirius opened the ice box and looked inside. He really needed to learn how to cook. He decided on tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. He turned on the wireless record player, deciding to play The Rolling Stones on low as he worked, humming along to himself as he pulled out the bread, butter, and cheese.

Harry woke to the music, startled to find himself wrapped in the man's arms on the couch. Remus, he remembered, Uncle Moony. He had been telling him a story about a knight. He scrambled away, his heart beating in his chest, but then he stopped, standing over and looking at the face before him. The man had been holding him but he hadn't been scared, he realized. His small hand reached out and gently traced the thin white scars on his face, the roughness of the stubble surprising him.

The singing from the kitchen caught his attention and he wandered towards the sound, hiding in the doorway, not wanting to be seen.

" _I said I know it's only rock 'n' roll but I like it, I know it's only rock 'n' roll but I like it, like it, yes, I do, Oh, well, I like it, I like it, I like it, I said can't you see that this old boy has been a lonely_?" Sirius sang and Harry's face split into a grin as he watched him wiggle his hips and dance around the kitchen, pretending the wooden spoon in his hand was a microphone.

He spun in a circle, catching sight of Harry and almost tripping.

"Harry! Didn't see you there, little man!" Sirius said, catching himself on the counter and putting the spoon down. "Did you have a good time with Uncle Moony?"

Harry nodded, his hands staying on the edge of the door frame.

Sirius smiled at him. He was going to put a stop to this constant fear in his godson's eyes. He wanted Harry to understand that he was safe here. That he was free to be affectionate and happy. He knelt down and crooked his finger. "Come here, Prongslet."

Harry hesitated and then he stepped into the kitchen and walked towards Sirius, staying cautiously a few feet away.

"Come here, come closer." Sirius said, crooking his finger again.

Harry's big green eyes stayed on his face for a moment and Sirius thought that he wasn't going to move again, but then he took a tentative step, and moved closer.

Sirius smiled warmly at him and then he carefully put his hands on Harry's waist and lifted him up into his arms as Harry's eyes widened in fear. He stiffened as Sirius simply sat him on his hip, handing him the wooden spoon. "Want to help me stir the soup?"

Harry stared at the spoon for a moment before he accepted it and carefully stirred the tomato soup in the pot, relaxing slightly. The arms holding him were strong and the man smelt like a wood and leather. It felt weird to be held like this, but he felt secure; not afraid that he was going to be thrown to the ground. When he finished stirring, Sirius took the spoon from him and placed it on the counter, walking to the icebox and pulling out a pitcher of milk.

"Pour a little in the pot, little man," he instructed as Harry did so, taking his time to be extra careful, but when he still spilt on the counter, he stiffened in panic, and he covered his face with his hands.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to waste it! I'm not ungrateful!"

Sirius leaned in and kissed the hands that covered his face. He kissed the fingers and the backs of his hands until Harry lowered them from his face, looking at him in bewilderment. Sirius leaned in and kissed Harry's forehead. "Harry, it's okay. It was an accident. I spill things all of the time too."

"You do?"

Sirius nodded. "Sure I do. Accidents happen." He grabbed his wand off of the counter and quickly cleaned up the spill. "See? All clean. Good as new." He handed Harry the wooden spoon again. "Now, I need help stirring this soup again. Would you like to help me?"

Harry nodded, accepting the spoon and stirring the soup. Sirius kept him on his hip as he worked around the kitchen, buttering bread and slicing up thick chunks of cheese, giving pieces to Harry to eat as he worked and Harry smiled.

"I make the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the whole world, you know. They are so cheesy delicious and full of melty goodness," Sirius told him as Harry ate the chunk of marble cheese in his hands. "You know what I love most about making them? When you pull them apart and all the cheese melts away in this web. It looks brilliant, do you think so?"

"Uh-huh."

Sirius grinned at him. He put the bread together and placed the sandwiches in the pan. He used his wand to flip them high into the air and Harry giggled, making him smile. He flipped them twice in the air and caught them on the plate. "Voila! Sirius' Grilled Cheese Perfection!" He cut the sandwich into fours and picked up one quarter showing Harry how the melted cheese seemed to go on forever. "What do you think? Does it look good?"

Harry nodded, licking his lips.

Sirius smiled and put the plate on the kitchen table. He plopped Harry down into the chair and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard to put the tomato soup in and placed it down in front of Harry. He poured a little extra milk in the soup to cool it down and then poured a second bowl for himself and helped himself to a grilled cheese sandwich.

He took a seat next to Harry who was looking from the soup to the sandwich in confusion.

"What is it, little man? Do you not like tomato soup?"

"They're both for me?" he asked, pointing to the soup and the sandwich.

Sirius nodded, smiling. "Of course. You can't have tomato soup without a grilled cheese sandwich."

Harry picked up his spoon and took a small bite of the soup, licking his lips.

Sirius smiled and picked up his sandwich half. "This is how I like to eat mine." He dipped it into the soup so the melted cheese blended with the thick creamy soup and then he took a bite. "Mmm, Sirius' Grilled Cheese Perfection! You try it."

Harry put his spoon down and carefully picked up a quarter of his grilled cheese, dunking it in the soup. It fell right inside with a plop and soup spilt onto the table. Harry's back flung against the back of the chair, his eyes looking at the mess that he had just made in horror.

Sirius laughed, reaching into the soup to pull out Harry's sandwich. "Try it, Harry."

Harry took the sandwich quarter, covered in thick creamy soup and took a bite, his eyes widening in pleasure and his hands sticky. He ate every bite, drinking the milk Sirius provided him and then moving to his second sandwich quarter in silence.

Sirius watched him. He seemed surprised by the options of getting more than one thing for lunch, which made Sirius wonder exactly what kind of food Harry had been eating at the Dursleys. He had watched his godson serve bacon and eggs to his family but had only ever seen Harry himself eating toast. He hadn't even tasted a grilled cheese before which made him even more sure that he hadn't tried tomato soup. They ate in silence as Sirius' foot tapped to the music and Remus stepped into the kitchen.

"Sirius! So sorry, I conked out!"

"It's all right," Sirius said smiling at his friend. "I know it was a full moon two nights ago so I imagine you needed it. There's a sandwich over there for you and help yourself to some soup."

Remus smiled gratefully at him, making himself a bowl as he took a seat across from Harry. "Harry seems to be enjoying his lunch."

Harry's eyes met Remus' for a brief moment before he turned back to his soup.

Sirius smiled at his friend. "He knows that I make the best sandwiches. How did the morning go? Before your nap?"

"Fine," Remus said, dipping his own sandwich in the soup. "We had pancakes and then we washed up and I started to tell Harry the story of King Arthur. The potion knocked him out before we were halfway done."

"Good. He can have the last dose tonight. We're going to St Mungo's in the morning. I made an appointment with an A. Castellanos, a pedia-healer. I want her to look him over and make sure that he's healthy. I think that they were starving him, Moony."

Remus nodded as he watched Harry eat with enthusiasm. "I suspected the same. I don't think that he's tried very many foods before."

"I have to learn how to cook," Sirius said with a laugh. "Or we'll be living on grilled cheese, marmalade sandwiches, and lasagna."

Remus chuckled at his friend's predicament. "I can help with that. You know I'm going to be here for you both, right?"

Sirius nodded, smiling at his friend. "Without question."

Remus smiled. "I saw that you had some chicken breasts in the icebox. I'll head into town and pick up some fresh rosemary and thyme to marinate it with for dinner. Maybe I'll stuff them with cheese."

"Moony, you're a godsend."

Remus laughed and picked up his spoon. "I'll lend you a cookbook."


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TEN:**

 **After lunch, Remus offered to clean up the kitchen so Sirius scooped Harry into his arms and took him upstairs to clean up.** Harry had stiffened when he had grabbed him, but as Sirius placed him on his hip, he relaxed as they walked up the stairs. He washed his hands and his face and then Sirius took him outside into the backyard.

Sirius grabbed a football from among the toys that he had purchased and the two of them spent almost an hour running around the yard and kicking the ball around. Every time Harry scored (kicking it past Sirius), Sirius would swoop down, pick him up and swing him around in his arms. By the third time that he had done this, Harry looked forward to it, grinning and giggling as he spun in a circle.

They went back inside the house and had some water and Remus offered to continue his story. Sirius, not wanting Harry to clam up again, picked up his godson and simply sat him on the couch next to him, his arm around his shoulders, and his head resting against his chest.

Harry stayed there as Remus continued the tale of how the lady in the lake guided the young knight to find the Sword of Excalibur. They decided to take a break so that Remus could start dinner so Sirius picked Harry back up into his arms and they went back outside.

Sirius transformed into his dog form and wrestled the boy, loving the way that he laughed and snuggled into his fur, relaxed, until Remus called them in for supper.

Remus finished the story after they finished eating and then headed home for the night. Sirius got Harry ready for his bath. Harry hesitated, but this time only for a moment, before undressing and climbing into the big tub, his hands already reaching for the toy boats. Once he was scrubbed and cleaned, his teeth brushed, his hair combed, and the last of the potion drank - Sirius tucked him into his bed, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"Uncle Padfoot?"

"Yes, Prongslet?"

Harry yawned, the last of the potion Pomfrey had given him already kicking in. He bit his lip when the light went out and the soft whimper that came from him made Sirius sit back on the edge of the bed.

"What is it, Harry?"

"I don't like to be locked in the dark," he whispered.

Sirius stretched out on the bed next to his godson, turning to look at him. "It's not that dark in here, Prongslet. See the sliver of moonlight coming in through the window?" When Harry nodded, he smiled. "And the stars too. But sometimes, it's still too dark so how about this," he shot sparks out of his wand and a dozen tiny fairy lights sprung around the room, illuminating the room in a soft incandescent glow. "How's that?"

Harry smiled, snuggling the two stuffed stags close to him. Sirius had cleaned the larger one that he had taken from the cupboard under the stairs at the Dursleys and given it to Harry before bed. "Thank you."

Sirius smiled and gently brushed a fingertip down his cheek. "You are very welcome."

He climbed off of the bed and made it to the door before Harry spoke again.

"Uncle Padfoot?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Don't go."

Sirius turned and smiled at the child. "You know, I can't stay in here with you all the time, Prongslet. I have my own bed to sleep in."

Harry nodded, his eyes wide and sad. "I'm sorry. I'll be good."

Sirius crawled back onto Harry's bed, smiling at him. "I'll stay — until you fall asleep, okay?"

Harry smiled sheepishly and nodded, holding the stuffed dog out to him. "Dog?" he asked, his voice slurring as a result of the healing potion.

"Okay, Prongslet," Sirius said with a smile and he transformed.

Harry snuggled into the dog's thick fur, sighing in contentment and in less than two minutes was out like a light. Sirius stayed snuggled with the child for most of the night, finally sneaking off into his own room some time after two. He transformed back into himself, crawling into his own bed and closing his eyes.

Tomorrow would be another day.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius decided that using the Floo network was probably the best way to get to St Mungo's the next morning in time for their appointment.** After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon, he helped Harry dress in jeans and a tee shirt. He made sure his teeth were brushed and his hair was combed before he stood him in front of the fireplace in the living room.

"Now Harry, you know how I've been showing you how we can do magic things?" When Harry nodded, he smiled. "Well, one of the ways that witches and wizards can travel is by the Floo Network which is by fire."

Harry's eyes widened in fear as he looked at the flames and Sirius knelt down in front of him, his hands on his shoulders.

"Don't be scared. It doesn't hurt. And I would _never_ do anything to hurt you. I promise." When Harry nodded, he continued. "I'm going to hold you tight in my arms, we're going to take a pinch of Floo powder and say the location of the place we're going which for us is St Mungo's Hospital. Then we'll drop it and boom we're spinning through dimensions until we land in the grate that we want."

Harry didn't look convinced but when Sirius' arms came around him, he twined his arms around his neck and held on tight. Sirius smiled, grabbing the powder and stepping through the flames. When they arrived at St Mungo's, Harry was grinning like a fool.

"I like to spin!"

Sirius laughed and adjusted the hat that he had placed on his godson's head to hide the scar from the gawkers. "See? Nothing to worry about."

He headed to the spell damage floor with Harry in his arms, veering off to the end where the small children's clinic was. He told the receptionist that Sirius Black was here and took his seat with Harry in his lap.

"Can we spin again?" Harry asked him as they sat down.

Sirius grinned. "When we go home we can."

"Sirius Black?"

Sirius stood up, putting Harry on his hip as he followed the receptionist back into an examination room, sitting Harry up on the soft padded table.

"Healer Castellanos will be in with you momentarily."

The woman closed the door behind her and Sirius smiled at Harry.

"Remember what I told you this morning, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "The healer is going to check me over."

"That's right. And?"

"And it won't hurt."

"That's right, Harry," Sirius said. "And I'm going to be here the whole time if you get scared or if you need me just ask, okay?"

Harry nodded, swinging his legs back and forth in front of the table. "Okay."

The door opened and the woman in the white robe surprised Sirius. She was very beautiful. Golden blonde hair pinned up in a ballerina bun, loose tendrils dancing around her neck. She had soft hazel eyes and a pretty smile, but it was her age that surprised him. She had to be very young, he thought, maybe even a few years younger than himself.

"Mr Black?" she asked, her eyes finding his dark grey ones.

Sirius nodded, extending his hand. "That's me. You're Healer Castellanos?"

The healer smiled. "I am. And what are we here for today, Sirius?" she asked Harry, who immediately looked down at his feet.

Sirius smiled. "No, that's me, I'm Sirius Black. Healer Castellanos —"

"Healer Thea is fine, I know Castellanos is a difficult name for most people." she said laughing. "If you're Sirius, then who is my patient?"

"I gave my own name to keep it quiet. I know that healer-patient confidentiality will prevent you from saying anything." When she nodded, her eyes alight in curiosity he continued. "This is Harry Potter," Sirius told her, tugging Harry's hat off and watching her as her eyes immediately flickered towards his scar and then widened in understanding.

"Oh, yes! I see. Probably wise to keep his identity under wraps in here. Everyone is quite fascinated with The Boy Who Lived."

Sirius nodded, moving to hold Harry's hand. "Exactly. Listen, Healer Castellanos — Healer Thea — I'm in the midst of gaining custody over Harry, my godson. I recently took him from his aunt and uncle's house and they mistreated him. I just want to make sure that everything's okay."

Castellanos smiled warmly at him. "Of course. First things first, he needs to take off his shirt."

Harry immediately wrapped his arms around himself.

Sirius smiled and took a seat on the table next to Harry. "Prongslet, remember that she's not going to hurt you. I'm going to be here the whole time." He tugged Harry's arms away from his body. "Healer Castellanos needs to see your back."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not supposed to tell!"

"Shh, you can tell her like you told me. It's okay, I promise. You're safe, Harry."

Harry's eyes stayed on his as Sirius gently lifted the tee shirt over his head. He trembled as Sirius helped him stand up so that the healer could look at his back. Sirius held the little boy's waist, his eyes on his the whole time, leaning in to kiss Harry's nose and making him giggle.

"Madam Pomfrey of Hogwarts gave me a salve. I put it on two nights ago and have been giving him this healing potion every twelve hours since," Sirius told her, still holding onto Harry gently while Castellanos looked at his godson's back. "He took the last dose before bed last night; three times all together."

Castellanos leaned forward, her wand out, gently tracing the lines of the welts. A warm golden glow emitted from her wand as they went over each welt, healing them into soft pink lines. Harry's hand squeezed Sirius', but he didn't make a sound.

"The salve was good," Castellanos told him. "It worked on getting any infection out, which has allowed for me to heal the welts. I'm going to give you a cream to rub over the pink lines and it will greatly reduce the scarring. Hopefully all of it, but one can never be a hundred percent on these things, especially when they aren't recent."

She had Harry sit back down and she listened to his heart; checked his throat and inside his ears and had him stretch his arms up high over his head. She examined his scar, checking for any signs that it was affecting his brain. She measured his height and his weight and checked his reflexes. She used her wand to do a full diagnostic scan of his body. She told Harry to put his shirt back on when she finished the scan.

As Sirius helped him with his tee shirt, Castellanos made notes on his chart.

"So?" Sirius asked, tucking his hair behind his ear.

Castellanos smiled at him. "He's a very brave little boy, Mr Black. A bit malnourished. I don't like seeing the outline of a child's ribs like that, but I'm sure that you will remedy that?" At his nod, she continued. "I have that cream for you and I'd like you to get him started on a regiment of vitamins and protein. My receptionist can give you the paperwork. He needs to have three well-balanced meals a day full of vegetables, fruit, calcium, and protein."

Sirius nodded. "No problem."

He held his arms out to Harry and Harry wrapped his arms around his neck, snuggling in comfortably. Harry was trusting him now and Sirius found that it was a huge relief.

"But I think after seeing the damage of those welts on his back and the way that he seems to be frightened of touch, I think getting a child Mind Healer is a good idea. There are some great Mind Healers here at St Mungo's, but I can recommend a few private clinics as well if you'd prefer it."

"He doesn't need a shrink," Sirius insisted stubbornly, his arms holding Harry. "I've been just picking him up and holding him and he's learned that he can trust me. He's not as afraid he… he craves affection."

"Which is a great thing," Castellanos told him. "Whatever you're doing with him is working, I can see that he trusts you quite a bit already. But sometimes there's more emotional damage that you might not realize and maybe getting him to open up about it might help. Have you asked him how he got the welts on his back and his legs?"

Sirius shook his head. "He was too scared when I first saw them. It took everything I had to get him to stay in the bathtub."

"Ask him." She handed him the prescription paper and smiled. "Come back in a month so I can check his progress and do another diagnostic scan."

Sirius nodded. "Thank you."

Castellanos smiled warmly. "You're very welcome."

The door closed behind her and Sirius smiled at Harry. "Harry, you did very well. You were such a good boy for the healer. How about some ice cream as a treat?"

Harry smiled as Sirius placed the hat back on his head. "Yes, please!"


	11. Chapter 11

_Authors Note:_

 _For some reason I have this head canon that Aunt Marge may have instigated some of the abuse that Harry suffered. It goes back to her tripping Harry as a child so that he wouldn't beat Dudley at a game of musical chairs. I have him trusting Sirius because of the dog thing again — dogs are loyal — and Harry immediately made a bond and a friend with the animal and he feels that same trust with the man, but not as freely - at least not yet. Things are slow moving, but still good I hope._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN:**

 **After ice cream, Sirius got the potions and the cream that he needed as well as the vitamins and supplement potions from St Mungo's and a proper food nutrition guide for children Harry's age.** They went shopping for clothes in Muggle London afterwards, and soon Harry had close to thirty new outfits and six new pairs of pyjamas, plus socks and underwear and undershirts. Sirius knew that he had gone overboard, but he wanted Harry to have a wardrobe; something that he knew was his and only his. He wanted Harry to feel wanted and to feel loved and at the moment, he didn't care how much money he spent on him to help him feel that way.

He wanted Harry to never want for anything ever again.

They stopped at a pub for lunch and Sirius ordered Harry a hamburger and chips, which he ate with a smile, dipping the chips in the thick gravy with interest.

When they got back to the cottage, Sirius sat Harry down on the couch in the living room, his thoughts on what Healer Castellanos had told him. He did need to know how his godson had obtained the welts. Sirius knew from his own childhood the damage that a belt could do, but he wanted to know what Harry had done that the Dursleys had warranted such a harsh beating. And most importantly — had it happened before?

Sirius handed Harry the stuffed animal of a doe that he had purchased for him that day and smiled. "Harry, there's something very important that I want to talk to you about."

Harry snuggled the doe close to him, solemn green eyes on Sirius. "Okay."

"Your parents made me godfather of you which means that they wanted me to take care of you if something bad ever happened to them."

"Like a car crash?"

"Car crash?" Sirius asked, his eyes clouded in confusion.

Harry nodded. "Aunt Petunia said my mummy and daddy died in a car crash and they got landed with me."

Sirius pursed his lips. "No! No, Harry — that's not what happened." He ran his fingers through his hair, tucking it behind his ears and turned to sit sideways on the couch so that he was facing his godson. He hadn't imagined that Harry didn't even know what had happened to his parents. "Your mummy and daddy were two of the bravest people I ever knew. But there was this bad man named Voldemort. He was an evil wizard, Harry, hurting people and he came after your mummy and daddy."

Harry's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, but he didn't speak.

"James and Lily, your parents, they tried to hide from him so that they could keep you safe, but he found them. Your dad, he tried to protect you and your mum, but the bad wizard killed him and then he went after you and your mum. Your mum tried to save you and the love your mummy and daddy had for you gave you protection from the bad wizard. But it didn't protect them and your mummy was killed too. This scar," Sirius said, gently pressing his finger to the lightning bolt. "Is all you got when the bad wizard tried to kill you. Just this scar."

"Oh," Harry said quietly. "How did I get to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house?"

Sirius smiled, gently brushing Harry's hair out of his eyes. It pleased him not to see the boy flinch anymore, but his eyes still watched him warily as if he wasn't entirely sure if he trusted him completely.

"I was so mad when I found out that your mummy and daddy had died. I knew someone had done something bad to find them because no one knew where they were hiding except for their friends. So Hagrid, a friend of ours, he took you somewhere safe and I tried to find out why your parents were killed. But I got tricked and then I had to get locked up. So Dumbledore brought you to your mum's sister, Petunia, and asked her to look after you."

"You got locked up? In a cupboard with no lights and lots of spiders?" Harry asked, his voice higher than usual.

"Kind of, yeah, but an important friend of mine, your Auntie Minnie," Sirius said, grinning as the words left his mouth. Wouldn't McGonagall love it when he got Harry calling her that? He chuckled internally at the image. "She helped find out that I was tricked and got me released. So, I came to find you to see if maybe you liked living with your Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon or if maybe you wanted to come live with me instead?"

"Live with you?" Harry asked, his eyes wide. "Live here?"

Sirius nodded, smiling at Harry, tugging him up into his lap. "Would you like to stay here with me, Harry?"

Harry smiled up at him, his bright eyes full of trust as he nodded. "Yes, please. I'll try not to be ungrateful."

"Shh, I don't want to hear you say that. I am so grateful that I have you here with me." He kissed the top of Harry's head, smiling when Harry leaned back against him. "Harry, can you do something for me though?"

Harry turned to look at him, his eyes wide as he nodded.

Sirius gently ran his fingers through the thick mess of hair. "Can you tell me how you got those marks on your back? The ones that no one was supposed to see." As Harry trembled, Sirius pulled him closer, hugging him. "I promise that no one will _ever_ hurt you like that again, Harry. You're safe here. But you have to tell me what happened so I can make sure that no one ever hurts you again."

Harry's arms wrapped around Sirius' neck and he held on as Sirius gently ran his hands over Harry's shoulders and the top of his back. They sat like that so long that Sirius was convinced that he wasn't going to talk to him, but then he heard the whisper near his ear.

"I burned the bacon because Ripper chased me up a tree."

"Who's Ripper?"

"Aunt Marge's dog. He's a bad dog. Not like you. You're a good dog. He doesn't like anyone but Aunt Marge. She told him to eat me, so I ran, because he wanted the bacon. I climbed up the tree and Uncle Vernon shook the tree so hard I fell out. I hurt my arm," Harry said, holding his arm as if it still hurt.

Sirius took hold of the arm Harry was holding and gently kissed the spot where Harry was rubbing and Harry gave him a sweet smile.

"Aunt Marge grabbed my hurt arm and pulled me inside the house. She ripped off her belt and gave it to Uncle Vernon. She said that I needed to be taught how to be a good boy; how to behave proper. Then she held me down on the chair and Uncle Vernon hit me. I cried and she hit my cheek," Harry said, tears in his eyes as Sirius kissed the cheek tenderly. "I tried not to cry, but it hurt so bad. And Aunt Marge told Uncle Vernon that he wasn't hitting me very hard so he hit me again and again and then Aunt Petunia came in and she screamed. She pushed Aunt Marge away and pulled me off the chair and into the bathroom. She cleaned my cuts and she made me promise never to tell anyone what happened. She said that Uncle Vernon would be so mad if I told. Then she made me go to my cupboard and she locked me inside. She didn't let me come out for breakfast. I had to go to the bathroom on my bed," he said, blushing and tears in his eyes. "Aunt Petunia was mad."

"Who's Aunt Marge, Harry?" Sirius asked, feeling slightly relieved that Petunia had at least seen the horror in what her husband had done, at least in terms of embarrassment rather than actual concern, but still angry because she had done nothing to stop it and had locked her nephew in a cupboard to starve him and make him sit in his own filth for Merlin knew how long as if it had been his fault that he was beaten.

"Uncle Vernon's sister. She says I'm an ungrateful little brat who deserves rotten shite. Aunt Petunia got mad when I asked what 'rotten shite' was."

Sirius nodded, hoping Harry couldn't feel the anger from him. "It's not very nice, Harry. Did… did Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon lock you in your cupboard a lot?"

"Uh-huh. Uncle Vernon locked the door every night after supper and I never get out until it was time for breakfast. Aunt Petunia gives me five minutes to use the toilet and then I have to make breakfast. But don't burn the bacon or no toast for me." Harry told him solemnly. "I'm sad when I don't get toast, then my tummy hurts."

"Did you get a lot of food, Harry? I mean, what did you eat at Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house?"

Harry shrugged. "If I burnt the food I got to eat that because I'm trash so I can eat the trash. Sometimes warm bread and chunks of cheese. One time I ate a strawberry," Harry said, his voice full of wonder as if a strawberry was the most magical thing he could imagine. "And when I fell at school and hurt my knee, Miss Emily gave me a red lolly."

"Prongslet, look at me," Sirius said, waiting until Harry's eyes fell on him. "You are not trash. You are a very special, incredibly loved little boy who deserves nothing but the best in life. I want you to remember that."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

"Harry, did Uncle Vernon ever hurt you again after that day with Aunt Marge?"

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Sometimes when I ask a question he holds my neck like this," he reached forward and put his small hand on Sirius neck, trying to wrap his hand around it. "He holds me up and it hurts and I can't breathe. Sometimes he just lets go or he throws me in my cupboard or against the wall. It always hurts so I don't ask questions."

"You can ask me a million questions every day if you want to," Sirius told him, kissing Harry's forehead.

Harry reached up to touch Sirius' lips with his fingertips, jolting when Sirius kissed the fingertips. "Why do you put your lips on me?"

Sirius' heart broke a little as he kissed his forehead again. "That's a kiss," he kissed Harry's hand and smiled at him. "It means I love you. Sometimes it makes a hurt go away; sometimes it just means hello or goodbye, but it always means I love you."

Harry smiled and gently placed his lips on Sirius' cheek. "Like that?"

Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes as he remembered how freely Harry had planted big wet kisses on all of them as a baby. Remus, James, Lily and Peter — slooch, he would say — before planting a big wet one on the side of your face or on your mouth. And now, the poor boy didn't even know what it was.

"Exactly like that, Harry, slooch," he said smiling. "That's what you used to call them when you were baby."

"Why?" Harry asked, eyes full of bewilderment. "Slooch?"

"Smooch," Sirius said with a smile. "It's another word for kisses and your mum used to always say that she wanted smoochies and you couldn't say that so you said slooch." he told him.

Harry gently placed a kiss on Sirius' cheek and smiled. "Slooch, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius kissed his cheek in turn. "Back at you, Prongslet."

The fireplace glowed green and Harry's grip tightened around his neck.

Sirius gently ran a hand down his back. "It's okay, it's just the Floo, remember the spinning?"

Harry grinned at the memory, holding onto Sirius as he stood up. A tall thin man with a long white beard stepped out of the fire.

"Albus!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect you."

Dumbledore nodded, gently dusting off his robes. "I know, but I wanted to tell you in person about my day at the Ministry. Hello, Harry."

Harry buried his face in Sirius' shoulder.

Sirius gently rubbed his back and carefully sat him down on the couch, slightly flattered when Harry attempted to hold on before agreeing to sit by himself. "Harry, this is Professor Dumbledore. He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's the school where me and your parents and Uncle Moony went. Can you say hi?"

"Hello, sir," Harry said quietly, grabbing the stuffed doe and holding it close again.

Dumbledore smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling in such a friendly manner that Harry smiled back. "Hello, Harry, it's nice to see you again. And what's that you're holding so closely?"

"A doe. Her name's Lily."

Sirius smiled and shrugged at Dumbledore. "Lily's Patronus was a doe and James' was a stag, I thought that he'd like to have the stuffed animals as a reminder, you know?" When Dumbledore nodded, he crossed his arms. "So, what's going on? Did you go to the Ministry of Magic?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I did. I explained to Cornelius that Petunia Dursley had been granted custody of Harry due to her being his only blood relative and that the guardian chosen by his parents had been wrongfully imprisoned. Now that you have been declared innocent and all charges have been dropped and expunged from your record, you are now his legal guardian and therefore should be able to gain status. Cornelius explained how it would be a simple switch and in less than twenty four hours, you would be able to claim sole custody."

"What did he say about how Harry was treated?" Sirius asked, his eyes on Dumbledore. "I wasn't kidding, Albus, I want them punished."

"I understand, Sirius and that part is going to take a little longer. I did receive a copy of his medical chart from Healer Althea Castellanos this afternoon. The welts on his back and the malnutrition aside, you have further proof of his mistreatment?"

Sirius nodded. "He just told me some of it before you arrived. Physical and psychological abuse — reminds me of home. Thank Merlin they're Muggles because if they had access to the Cruciatus — they probably would have used that too."

"Sirius, no one would use that on a child," Dumbledore said sternly, his eyes dark with rage. "Don't even joke about that."

Sirius thought it was probably best not to tell Dumbledore just how often Walburga Black used that particular method as a form of punishment when he had been a child. "Right, anyway — what's happening?"

"The Auror Department is looking into the case. The more facts we have, the more crimes we can pin to them. But Alastor says that they can be fined and possibly be looking at time in prison if we push for it."

"Azkaban?" Sirius asked hopefully, an image of that whale cowering under the Dementors alone in a dark cell more pleasing to the eye than it should have been.

"Not likely," Dumbledore told him. "A Muggle prison. Alastor plans to present the case to the Muggle law enforcers and then have them follow up on the case. He'll twist it so that no one will come looking for Harry or looking into where he is now. But they will be punished."

Harry had stood up now, grabbing Sirius' hand and squeezing it. "I have to go pee."

Sirius smiled and lifted Harry off of the couch. "I told you, little man, you don't have to ask. Go on." Harry hurried up the stairs as Sirius watched him go, turning back to Dumbledore. "They denied him toilet rights, Albus. So much so that he wet the bed his first night here because he was terrified to go to the loo without permission. And then he was terrified that I would shove his face into his soiled sheets. That shouldn't be a fear."

"No," Dumbledore said, his voice sad. "It shouldn't be. Sirius, I know that you don't want to hear it, but I am very sorry I ever placed Harry there. I thought as his mother's sister, she would protect him and treat him like her nephew, if not her own child. At the time, I thought that it was the best choice for the child."

"Sometimes, Albus, your choices are shite. You should have given him to Remus."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm an old man, Sirius, and sometimes those choices are indeed shite." He reached for the Floo powder and looked around the cottage. "It's very nice here. The wards are strong and it feels well protected. If you ever need anything for Harry, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks," Sirius told him as he watched him vanish into the flames.

He picked up Harry's stuffed animals and made his way upstairs. It was time for someone to have a bath. He knew that Harry probably didn't need another bath, but he wanted to keep a routine going. To show Harry that baths were normal; that they were fun and meant to get clean. He wanted him to see the routine that he was putting together for him as normal. He also needed to get that cream on his back before bed too, he remembered.

They both needed to get used to the routine.


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWELVE:**

 **By the end of the second week, Harry and Sirius were settling in with each other quite well.** Harry was willingly reaching for Sirius, wanting to be held and cuddled and not flinching whenever he moved close to him. He was starved for affection and attention and Sirius had every intention of giving him as much of each as he could. They'd settled into a fairly good routine of breakfast; playing outside; lunch; nap time; more outside fun whether a walk into town or out in the backyard; cooking dinner; bath time; followed by story time, and then bed.

The only problem was bedtime.

Every night, Sirius would finish the story and Harry would beg him to stay in his dog form. And every night, Sirius caved. He'd transform into his dog Animagus and let Harry snuggle up against him. Once Harry fell asleep, he'd sneak out and finish up his own tasks before going to his own bed. And within two hours, Harry would wake up and cry out for Padfoot. Sirius would transform once again and end up spending the rest of the night in dog form snuggled with the child.

He explained this to Remus that Sunday as Remus put together a pot roast for them for dinner after spending the day playing football with them in the yard.

"I don't know what to do about it, Moony," Sirius told him, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "He's napping now and he's fine during the day, but when it's night time, he wants me there in my Animagus form."

Remus nodded, looking pensive as he chopped carrots. "Well, you did re-introduce yourself as the dog first and he immediately trusted you as such; he feels comfortable with the dog. Maybe he feels safer. You already said that he doesn't like the dark and even with the fairy lights, he feels calmer once you climb up into the bed with him as a dog. He feels protected."

"I don't want to do anything that's going to deter him from trusting me," Sirius admitted, taking a deep drink from the pint that he had poured himself when Harry went down for his nap. "But I also really want to sleep in my own bed, as you know, me."

Remus chuckled, moving to the sink to slice the potatoes that he had washed. "That's understandable. As someone who used to have pretty frequent nightmares myself, especially after a hard transformation, cuddling with a big friendly dog always made me feel safer. You make him feel protected, Sirius — that's what dogs do."

Sirius smiled as he remembered how many nights he had let his friend cry all over his fur after a gruelling night of the full moon. "I know." Then his eyes widened and he looked up at Remus in awe. "That's it, Moony! I should get him his own dog!"

"Wow," Remus said, turning to look at his friend. "Padfoot, that's a lot of responsibility for a five year old!"

"He's going to be six in a few months time and really think about it, his own puppy! He could sleep in his bed every night; he'll guard him and play with him. I think that it would be good for him. It would give him someone else to trust in his life; someone else to love; someone else who will love him unconditionally. Think about it."

Remus was quiet for a minute but then he nodded. "You know it's not the worst idea." When Sirius grinned, he held his hand up. "But, how are you going to be with another dog in the house?"

"I'm not actually a dog, Moony - despite years of joking that I'm a better dog than a man. I love dogs." He stood up, heading into the living room to find parchment and ink. "I'm going to write to Healer Castellanos and see what she thinks. We were talking about his mental state of mind and I think this is a great idea, but a professional opinion is always good too, right?"

Remus nodded, smirking at his friend. "And this would of course have nothing to do with the fact that this Healer Castellanos is, I quote: One fine bird."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Moony, Moony, Moony, how many times must I tell you, finding a bird attractive does not mean that I'm smitten. I just want her advice on the dog idea, that's all."

"Uh-huh," Remus said, turning back to the potatoes. "Let me know what she says."

But Sirius was too busy scribbling away to respond.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius was meeting Dumbledore at Hogwarts the next morning to discuss the progress on Harry's guardianship.** Remus had agreed to stay with Harry as Sirius didn't think bringing him to Hogwarts was a good idea. It was the first time since that first morning that Remus would be alone with Harry and he found himself rather looking forward to it.

In the two weeks that Sirius had Harry, Remus had only seen him twice. That first day and then yesterday afternoon when the three of them had played football and he had made dinner for them. But even in that two week span, Remus had noticed a difference in Harry.

He no longer flinched when Sirius came towards him. He was accepting of Sirius touching him; of picking him up and of almost everything that Sirius did. His bright green eyes would follow Sirius around the room, almost in adoration. Remus wondered if it was combination of the complete trust that Harry held for the dog that Sirius turned into as much as for Sirius himself, but the trust was there.

But it wasn't yet there for Remus.

Remus could feel the big green eyes following him as he moved around the house. Remus was careful to always stay within his eye of sight, to not move too quickly or do something that would startle him in any way.

It wasn't that Harry was uncomfortable around him, Remus could see that he was okay to be around him. He liked the stories that he told and he was always very polite, but he didn't laugh or smile the way he did with Sirius and Remus wanted that to change as soon as possible.

Sirius had just left and Harry had moved to the couch in the living room, his stuffed dog held tightly in his arms and his bright green eyes watching Remus.

"So, Harry, what would you like to do today?" Remus asked, sitting down on the couch next to him.

Harry shifted just slightly away from him and shrugged.

Remus smiled warmly at him, trying to ignore the ache in his heart at the thought of Harry moving himself away, even only a little. "Is that Padfoot in your arms?"

Harry nodded, smiling.

"Aren't you going to talk to me today, Harry?" Remus asked him, still smiling. "If I don't know what you want to do, how are we supposed to have fun together?"

Harry bit his lip and then he spoke softly. "I like your stories, Uncle Moony."

Remus smiled. He did love stories and sharing them with the adorable little boy in front of him was one of his favourite past times. Then he grinned to himself. He had the perfect idea.

"I have an idea, Harry. Would you like to go on a little adventure for stories with me?"

"For stories?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

Remus nodded. "Yes." He stood up and offered his hand out. "Do you want to come with me?"

Harry stared at him for a moment and then he placed his hand in Remus' and stood up. "Okay."

Remus pointed to the fireplace. "We're going to have to use the Floo to get there. Uncle Sirius said that you like the Floo."

"It spins!" Harry exclaimed, grinning.

Remus grabbed the notepad on the top of the fireplace and scribbled a quick note to Sirius letting him know that they would be back before dinner and then he smiled at Harry, bending down and holding his arms out. "Come on then."

Harry's eyes stayed on his as he let Remus pick him up, the dog still snug in his arms. He was shifted onto the man's hip and he wrapped his arms around him, the stuffed animal smushed between them as they stepped into the fireplace.

"Hold on tight, Harry."

Then there was a whoosh and they appeared into The Leaky Cauldron. Remus dusted both of them off, said hello to the barman, and headed out to Muggle London with Harry still in his arms.

"Have you ever ridden the tube, Harry?"

Harry shook his head as Remus carried him down to the subway station, placing his money in the slot and leading him towards the train in the London Underground.

"It goes very fast," Remus told him as they took their seat on the train.

There was only one seat available so Remus carefully sat Harry on his lap, keeping his arms around the boy's waist.

Harry was looking around at the people in interest. A very large man came through the doors and shoved his way through the crowd. Harry stiffened and he moved closer to Remus, turning his head into his chest.

Remus gently ran his hands along his back. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe with me, I promise."

Harry looked up at him, his bright green eyes grateful and Remus smiled at him.

"Look, here we go!"

The train started to move and Harry's eyes flew to the windows, trying to see the objects as they flew by. They were on the train for less than ten minutes before Remus stood up, holding Harry on his hip as they headed out of the station and headed to the Paddington Library.

Remus put Harry back on his own feet as they stepped inside the library, holding his hand out so that Harry would take it, smiling when the small hand fit into his own.

"This is a magical place full of stories. It's called a library, Harry. Have you ever been to one before?"

Harry shook his head, his eye wide as he looked around at all of the books.

Remus smiled. "This is the place of thousands of stories. Come on; let's go see what we can find."

Harry nodded and eagerly followed him to the children's section. Remus took a seat on the floor in front of one of the shelves and gestured for Harry to do the same. Harry sat down next to him and folded his hands into his lap.

"You can look at any book you want. Which one appeals to you, Harry?"

Harry's eyes fell onto a hardcover book with green writing and he pointed to it.

"Go on," Remus urged, smiling when Harry slowly and carefully pulled it down from the shelf as if it was made of precious glass. He showed it to Remus with a smile. " _The Wind in the Willows_ by Kenneth Grahame," Remus read.

"There's a frog fishing next to a… rat and a… a…"

"Badger," Remus supplied with a smile as Harry carefully opened the book, coming across a full picture of a little house and a map showing the forest.

"There's a mole too and he's wearing a coat," Harry told him.

Remus smiled. "He sure is."

Harry held the book out to Remus. "Can you read it to me, Uncle Moony? Please, Uncle Remus?"

Remus smiled, surprised at the way that Harry had interchanged his name. "I'd be happy to. But before I do that, let's keep exploring for more books." He took the book from Harry and placed it on the ground next to them. "Because do you know what the amazing thing about a library is?"

Harry shook his head. "No. What?"

"You can pick as many stories as you want and we can bring them home and read them."

"I can take them back to Uncle Padfoot's house?"

Remus nodded, smiling at him. "You can take them _home_ and then after you read them, we can bring them back and you can trade them for new stories. What do you think?"

Harry's eyes brightened. "Let's find more stories, Uncle Moony."

Remus grinned. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Thirty minutes later, Harry had made his way around the library with glee and Remus was holding ten books in his arms. He smiled at the excitement in Harry's eyes as he realized how many books that he would be taking home with him.

Remus led him to the front desk and they signed up Harry for his very own library card. Harry stared at the card with his name on it in awe and thanked the lady when she handed it to him.

"Your son is so polite," the librarian said to Remus.

"Oh, he's not —"

"And so well behaved," she continued with a smile. "I hope you enjoy your stories, Harry."

Harry beamed at her as Remus thanked the librarian, placing the books in his bag and taking Harry's hand in his own.

"Where would you like to go next, Harry? Are you hungry?"

Harry shook his head. "May I please have a drink of water?"

"Absolutely," Remus said, smiling. They headed to small coffee shop in the station and Remus pointed at the menu boards. "You can have anything you'd like, little Prongs. You can have water or chocolate milk or maybe some juice or some lemonade? What would you like?"

Harry stared at him in wonder. "I can choose?"

Remus nodded, taking his wallet out of his back pocket. "Of course you can."

"Chocolate milk please," Harry said with a smile as they approached the counter and Remus ordered two small chocolate milks and added two chocolate biscuits along with it.

He led Harry over to one of the tables and they took their seats. He opened the milk and put a straw in it, handing it across the table with the biscuit and smiled.

"I'm a big fan of chocolate myself," he told him as he broke off a piece of the double chocolate biscuit and took a bite. "And this is chocolate paradise."

Harry licked his lips, breaking off a piece of the biscuit to try it and he smiled. "Mmm, chocolate paradise."

Remus chuckled as he opened his own chocolate milk. "So Harry, do you like living with Uncle Sirius?"

Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "He's nice. He turns into a big black dog. And he plays with me and he makes Sirius' Grilled Cheese Perfection. He smells like a forest."

Remus smiled at the description. Sirius did often smell rather woodsy and a bit like leather. It was a mix of the soap he used and the jacket that he always wore and Harry obviously found it soothing.

"He's pretty great. He's my best friend."

"Uncle Sirius said my dad was his best friend." Harry told him as he reached for another piece of biscuit, looking to Remus to make sure that he was allowed.

Remus pushed the biscuit towards Harry with a smile. "We were all best friends. Me, Sirius and your dad. I've known them since I was eleven years old. How do you like your room?"

"It's big! And I have my own bed with a red blanket with a lion on it. Uncle Padfoot said its Gryffindor. And there's a poster on the wall of people flying on broomsticks and it moves!" Harry told him, bouncing in his chair as he spoke. "The picture moves, Uncle Moony!"

"It does? Are you sure?" Remus asked him, finishing up his chocolate milk and pushing the rest of the biscuit towards Harry.

Harry nodded eagerly. "It does! Uncle Padfoot said that he was going to show me how to fly on a broomstick, but I have to get bigger first."

"It sounds like you are making it a home," he said, smiling. "I'm glad to hear it. Maybe sometimes, you can come visit me at my home."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, so we can play and have fun together like we did today."

"Okay." he said with a smile. Harry finished his biscuit and drank all of his milk and then looked at Remus beneath his lashes, a small smile on his face. "Uncle Moony?"

"Yes, little Prongs?"

Harry's grin widened at the nickname and then he looked more serious as his fingers picked at the jeans that he was wearing. "Is Uncle Padfoot going to keep me forever?"

"Keep you forever?" Remus asked, his eyebrow raising in question. "What do you mean by that, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, his eyes looking up at Remus. "He won't send me back?"

Remus sighed and gestured for Harry to come close to him. "Come here, little Prongs."

Harry hopped off of his chair and moved to stand in front of Remus.

"Will you sit with me?" Remus asked him. Harry nodded and Remus picked him up, sitting him on his knee. "Uncle Sirius and I… we both love you so much. You are the most important little boy in the world to us. We want you to be safe and to be happy and we would _never_ send you away. Never," he promised him.

Harry was staring at him, eyes wide and Remus leaned down and gently kissed his forehead. Harry flinched, but then he threw his arms around him and hugged him fiercely. Remus hugged him back, blinking back tears.

"Thank you," Harry said against his shoulder.

"You're welcome, little Prongs. What are you thanking me for?"

Harry kept his head on his shoulder as he spoke. "You don't want to send me away."

"Never," Remus said with a smile. "I love you and Uncle Sirius loves you and we will always be there for you. Always."

Harry pressed his lips to Remus' cheek and gave him a small smile. "Slooch, Uncle Moony."

Remus laughed. "That's what you used to say when you were a baby. But I loved your slooches then and I love them now."

Harry reached up and tentatively brushed his fingers across the faded scar on Remus' left cheek. "You have a big scar."

Remus nodded, letting out a slow breath. "I have a lot of scars, Harry."

Harry touched the one on Remus' eyebrow carefully. "And another one here," he said, pushing his own hair back to show Remus the lightning bolt on his forehead. "I have a scar too."

Remus smiled at him. "Yes, you do." He leaned in and pressed his lips to the lightning bolt, smiling.

Harry beamed at him and kissed the scar on Remus' cheek. "We're the same!"

Remus bit lip as it trembled. This little boy, this precious little boy was beaming at him and Remus felt his heart expand with love. He would never let anyone hurt him ever again.

"Yeah, little Prongs, we're the same."

And then he wrapped his arms around the child and tried not to cry.

~ ASC ~

 **When Sirius arrived back at the house, he saw the note from Remus and smiled.** He had no idea where Remus had wandered off to but he hoped that he was enjoying his time with Harry. He knew that Remus wanted to get to know him just as much as Sirius did. Remus had given Sirius the time he needed to try to spend time with his godson, not to mention that Remus had been picking up double shifts at the Muggle book store he worked at lately. Sirius had barely seen him and had been relieved when he had offered to babysit while Sirius finished up the final paperwork.

Harry officially belonged in his care now and the relief that he had felt when he handed over the paperwork had been instant.

Harry was home.

He stepped into the kitchen to grab a drink of water just as the owl flew through the open window.

Sirius gave him a treat from the box in the cupboard, filling a bowl with water and watching as the owl drank eagerly before he took the letter. He recognized the medical coat of arms and smiled. He hadn't expected to hear back from the healer so soon.

 _Dear Mr Black,_

 _I am very glad to hear that Harry has opened up to you in terms of the suffering and neglect that he endured in the hands of his last guardians. As to you inquiring about getting him a pet, specifically a dog, I think this is, in all actuality, an amazing idea._

 _Studies have shown that animals often help bridge a child's emotions. By trusting the animal, it helps them to trust the people as well. A puppy would be a pet Harry could trust and grow with. If you are indeed serious about this decision — my brother's dog is pregnant — and he would be more than willing to give you one of the puppies. The dogs are golden retrievers, which are actually great dogs to help with anxiety. They are fiercely loyal and loving and would be great for Harry to have. But there are many other kinds of dogs that would work the same: Labrador retrievers, terriers, boxers, pugs, etc._

 _If you have any other questions or concerns please let me know._

 _Althea Castellanos_

 _St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries_

 _Pedia-Healer_

The healer agreed with him. And it looked like she even had puppies coming soon that he could choose from. Sirius glanced at the calendar with a smile, a little over two months until Harry's sixth birthday. He grabbed a fresh piece of parchment and began to respond, a smile on his face.

 _Dear Althea,_

 _Thank you for that fast response! I knew you'd agree with me about the dog being a good idea. Well, I hoped you would which amounts to the same thing. I am definitely interested in the golden retriever puppies. I know that they are great dogs and if you have puppies being born soon I am even more intrigued. Harry's birthday is the 31st of July and I was thinking that it might be a great present for his sixth birthday._

 _I'd like to surprise him. Any chance that I can meet the momma pup? How soon until the puppies will be born?_

 _Thanks again for your help._

 _Sirius_

He sealed the letter and held it out to the owl, who was eagerly drinking water from the bowl. She flew over and held her leg out for him to attach it. Sirius stroked her wing and smiled.

"Thanks girl."

He watched the owl fly out of sight and smiled to himself. He couldn't wait to see the look on Harry's face when he gave him a puppy.

And he couldn't wait to tell Remus his idea.


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note:_

 _Wrote a few more chapters the other night before my power went out due to wind damage. I'm hoping to find the time to edit them and get them published over the next few days._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the words to the story, those belong to Dahl._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN:**

 **Sirius smiled warmly at Harry as he listened to his godson tell him all about his trip to the library and eagerly showed him all ten books that he and Remus had picked out.**

 _The Wind in the Willows_ by Kenneth Grahame

 _War Horse_ by Michael Morpurgo

 _The Iron Man: A Children's Story in Five Nights_ by Ted Hughes

 _A Wizard of Earthsea_ by Ursula K. Le Guin

 _Owls in the Family_ by Farley Mowat

 _The Call of the Wild_ by Jack London

 _The Witch of Blackbird Pond_ by Elizabeth George Speare

 _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis

 _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ by Roald Dahl

 _The Wonderful World of Oz_ by Frank L. Baum

Sirius inspected each book that Harry handed him, reading off the titles and the summaries with a smile and then grinning at Remus when he was finished. "Some of these might be a little too old for him, don't you think?"

Remus shrugged. "Possibly a few might go over his head, but that's why we're here." he told him, stretching his long legs out from where he sat in the chair. "And the ones that do aren't going to hold his interest anyway."

Harry, holding the book by Roald Dahl, left the other books with Sirius and climbed into Remus' lap, surprising him. He smiled warmly, making room for the child as he made himself comfortable in the big armchair next to Remus.

"This is about chocolate, Uncle Moony, and you like chocolate."

Sirius laughed, grinning broadly as he brushed his fingers through his dark locks and Remus sighed in envy at how perfectly his friend's hair fell into place. He had always found it incredibly unfair. Not that his own hair was incredibly unruly, but it was very wavy and never seemed to cooperate much.

"Harry already knows your weakness, Moony," Sirius told him with a grin.

Remus accepted the book from Harry with a smile, smiling at Harry's own messy locks. Thank Merlin his hair was never as unruly as the Potters; though he had to admit, the messy locks suited the face much in the same way that it had always worked so well for James. "It is about chocolate, a chocolate factory where they make all of the delicious chocolate goodness."

Harry grinned widely at him. "Will you read it to me? Please, Uncle Moony!"

Remus smiled. He had honestly enjoyed his day with Harry so much and now this precious child was begging him to read a book that he had helped him pick out. There was no way that he could turn him down even if he wanted to, which he most certainly did not.

"I'd be happy too, little Prongs."

Sirius smirked at him from across the room as Remus opened the library book, moving his arm so that it was draped around Harry as he held the book. Their heads together as Remus' voice rang out.

" _These two very old people are the father and mother of Mr Bucket. Their names are Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine,_ " Remus read.

Sirius merely grinned at them, only partially listening to the story. He was glad that Harry seemed to have bonded with Remus, especially over something so simple like a love for stories. Remus had always been the more literary one of the four them. He was always reading something or another. It was one of the reasons that he had become friends with Lily back in their first year of Hogwarts, the two of them had both shared a love of reading. James had loved stories too, specifically epic tales like _The Odyssey_ and _The Count of Monte Cristo_. Monty had always spent time with his son, filling his head with stories of adventure and great mythic quests, but Sirius knew that it was rare for James to sit down and read a book himself. He had always simply had too much energy; always bouncing and bubbling around him to sit and concentrate on the book; though again that might have been because Monty had been so good at telling the story that actually reading it was moot.

Sirius had never been much into reading or stories. He couldn't ever remember a time in his childhood when his parents had sat him or Regulus down to read them a story or to tell them about an adventure. He had been surprised the first time that he had gone over to James and Lily's house and found Lily reading Harry _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ and had listened with rapt interest, ignoring James, who had teased him for his sudden intense interest in the children's story.

He was glad that Harry was going to get something like that from Remus. His attention moved back to the two of them when he heard Harry speaking.

"Chocolate!"

"Very good, little Prongs," Remus said in surprise. "You didn't tell me that you could read on your own."

Harry blushed and bit his lip. "Not good, not all the words."

Remus smile and pulled the bookmark out from the middle of the book to hold it under the current line that they were reading. "How about you read out loud to me and we'll help each other?"

Harry beamed at him, eyes on the words as he carefully read aloud. " _Walking to school in the mornings, Charlie could see great slabs of chocolate piled up high in the shop windows, and he would stop and stare and press his nose against the glass, his mouth watering like mad. Many times a day, he would see other children taking bars of cr-cree-creamy chocolate out of their pockets and munching them greedily, and that, of course, was pure…t-tor…"_ he turned to look up at Remus for help.

 _"Torture,"_ Remus supplied with a smile. "You're doing great, Harry. Keep going."

Sirius smiled at both of them. Harry _could_ read pretty well on his own, he realized. He hadn't even thought about stuff like that - reading, writing, arithmetic. Harry had been going to school for almost two years, he concluded. He had watched him head out to school from the Dursley household.

How much did he know?

Should he send him to school?

He had been homeschooled himself by his mother. He hadn't been given the opportunity to learn how to read by reading a story about a boy named Charlie who loved chocolate, Sirius had been forced to learn by reading the Black family history books and about the accomplishments of those who were worthy of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. That was probably the reason that he had never developed a love of reading in all actuality.

His father had been the one to teach him arithmetic by having he and Regulus help him count the gold in the vault by making lists of valuables and adding and subtracting their value. As for writing, his mother had been pretty fond of making them write lines, specifically lines about why the Black Family was basically considered to be royalty in the wizarding world.

Sirius definitely didn't want Harry to learn that way. He wondered if Harry knew how to write his own name or anything else for that matter. He remembered that Harry had recognized his name on the door to his bedroom so he probably could write it. What kind of things did kids Harry's age learn in school anyhow? As he watched Remus help Harry sound out the letters of the words he didn't know, he smiled at his friend's kind disposition.

Remus had always wanted to be a teacher.

Sirius knew that it was a dream that he had put aside because of his furry little problem and it was something that had always bothered Sirius. Remus was always so patient and he had that aura of someone who genuinely enjoyed knowledge and the ability to share it with others was something so wonderful to him that he couldn't wait to do it. He had tutored other students when they had been at Hogwarts and he had always done very well at it.

Leaving his friend and his godson to the story of Charlie Bucket, he headed into the kitchen to throw something together for dinner; lost in his thoughts.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus and Harry had read through the first two chapters of _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ before deciding to stop for the night.** After dinner, Harry begged Remus to come play with him while he took his bath, surprising Remus who sat on the floor and played with the boats in the water; and then Sirius had put him to bed, snuggling in as Padfoot when Harry asked him to, until the child had fallen asleep.

He found Remus sitting on the couch when he came back downstairs almost thirty minutes later.

"He's finally asleep. He really loved being with you today," Sirius told him as he took a seat on the couch next to his friend.

Remus smiled at Sirius. "I really loved it too. He's such a great kid and I want him to _want_ to spend time with me. His reading is really good, Sirius. I think that he's definitely reading at a higher level than his age."

Sirius nodded, scratching his eyebrow. "I was thinking about that earlier. Not his reading specifically, but — what he knows. He was in school when he lived with those tossers. He would have been finishing up his second year in primary school."

"That is true."

"Did you go to a Muggle school, Moony?" Sirius asked, suddenly curious and then he froze, cursing himself. "Sorry, I wasn't even thinking. I'm an arse."

Remus smiled at his friend in reassurance, gently nudging his friend's arm. "It's alright, it was an honest question. The answer is yes, I did go to school at least until I was bitten. Then my father was too afraid of letting me be around other children. Mum homeschooled me after that."

"I was homeschooled as well," Sirius told him. "But I'm sure that you can imagine what kind of horrors my parents taught me."

Remus smiled sympathetically. He did know what horrors his parents had taught him. Sirius had always been afraid that he would turn out like his parents and despite how many times he and James, Peter, and Lily told him how different he was; he still sometimes had a hard time believing it.

"Do you want to send Harry to a Muggle primary school?"

Sirius shrugged, putting his feet up on the coffee table in front of them. "I don't know, do you think I should?"

Remus was quiet for a moment, a pensive look on his face. "Well — what if he displays magic in front of the Muggles? Or if he tells one of his new friends that his godfather turns into a big black dog?"

"All valid points," Sirius told him as he considered what his friend had said. He couldn't remember if James and Lily had ever talked about how they planned to school Harry when he got older. They shouldn't have had to discuss it; they should have had years with their son before it was a concern. But that had been snatched away from them. "That's okay, Professor Moony can teach him what he needs to know."

"Professor — _what_?" Remus asked, his eyes going wide.

Sirius simply grinned at his friend. "You can teach him."

"Why me? You're his guardian. You teach him!" Remus insisted stubbornly, his eyes wide in panic.

Sirius laughed. "Moony, you're the intellectual one." When Remus snorted in response, he continued. "You always wanted to be a professor and honestly you have the patience for it. We need to figure out what he has already learned and then I think that you should teach him. Maybe three or four days a week or something and obviously I will pay you for it because it's literally going to be a full time job until he goes to Hogwarts."

Remus flushed at that. "I won't take your money, Sirius."

"It won't be mine, it will be James and Lily's. I'll use the money from the Potter Estate to pay for Harry's schooling and don't give me that look, Remus, you know that James would insist on it. You working in that Muggle book store is quaint and all, but you said so yourself, the manager is not impressed with the amount of absences that you've had. All things that Harry and I will understand — it's the perfect job for you. You love to teach!"

"I've never been a teacher in my life! How would I know that I love to teach?" Remus insisted as his friend laughed.

"You told me that you wanted to be a professor in sixth year."

"But I knew that it was never going to happen," Remus exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I can't be trusted to be around children and no one will hire me."

"Should I ban you from seeing Harry then?"

Remus glared at his friend. "I would understand it if you did."

Sirius shoved Remus so hard that he almost fell off of the couch. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Rem? After all these years and you still think that I don't know exactly who the fuck you are?"

He carefully moved back into his seat, his eyes downcast. "That's not… I didn't mean…"

"You are the nicest human being I've ever met, Rem. You're the kindest soul; always have been. James and I bonded instantly because we were both more or less gits, but you… you always put us in our place and we respected you for it," Sirius told him, his eyes raking over the soft white scars that adorned his cheeks, one down the side of his neck, one on his arm from his wrist to his elbow. "You're beautiful inside and out. You're intelligent and you have a genuine love for knowledge that makes you patient and understanding - which is what always made you such a great tutor back at school. Any school would be fucking lucky to have you as a professor and if you would think about it for two fucking seconds before you get your back up, you'd know that I'm right. Dumbledore would give you a teaching job in a heartbeat."

"Dumbledore's an old fool," Remus told him, his golden eyes smiling at his friend. Sirius had always had the ability to make him feel so grateful to be his friend. "Parents would protest."

"They don't have to know."

"You can never keep these things a secret forever, Sirius."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "We didn't do so bad."

Remus smiled. "When I stepped onto the train that first year, all I thought about was how lucky I felt to be going to Hogwarts, but how terribly hard it was going to be to keep this big secret inside. If Dumbledore hadn't been Headmaster, Sirius, I never would have been allowed to attend school. And then you three, you just pushed into my life and lying to you each month about being sick or my mother needing me home was so hard. When you realized what I was — and none of you were scared — it was like this miracle. I couldn't understand why you had all been so nice about it and then when you wanted to become animals so that I wouldn't…"

Sirius put his arm around his friend. "One of my biggest regrets about going to prison, Moony, is that I wasn't there for you when you needed me."

Remus hugged his friend tightly. "That you even think that just goes to show what I'm trying to say. You three made me a better person and made me feel like maybe I wasn't a monster. But it wasn't just you three. Snape found out and Lily… it's not something that you can keep hidden and parents wouldn't want a monster teaching their children. That is a fact, Sirius, no matter what you may think on the subject."

"You never even told any of the girls you were with, did you?"

Remus shook his head. "There's a reason that I don't deserve to be in a relationship, Sirius. I can't even be honest with another person about what happens to me three times a month. Mary was the nicest girl at school and she knew that I was lying to her. She accused me of cheating on her and you know what — I admitted to it, because it was a better alternative than telling her the truth."

Sirius only stared at his friend, his eyes sad. "One of these days, you're going to realize that you deserve more happiness than anyone else." At Remus' blush, he smiled. "But as I'm the only quote on quote 'parent' in this situation, I vote that you are now Harry's professor as I don't give a flying fuck that you're a werewolf. You can start next week."

Remus found himself smiling at his friend. "What am I going to teach him, Sirius?"

Sirius only shrugged. "Whatever the hell you want, Moony. You're the professor. So profess."

"That's not what a professor… never mind," Remus said, shaking his head. He knew better than to try to correct Sirius' logic as he would then find himself in a debate that he had no desire to part of. "And what are you going to do while I'm teaching Harry?"

"Haven't decided yet. But I know that I'm not going to sit around here and twiddle my thumbs," he told him, looking around the living room. "I want to fix up my bike, maybe add some things to it. Fix up the back garden, you can help me with that, the garden and whatnot; you always had a green thumb. I'd like to have a good shag at some point, as it has literally been years."

Remus laughed at that, shaking his head at his friend. "I'm actually surprised that it wasn't the first thing you did upon getting out of prison."

"With who?" Sirius asked, looking at his friend in bewilderment. "Not to mention that I didn't exactly look my best when I got out. And it's not like the Dementors are helping in that matter; though on the plus side, didn't really make me think about how much I wasn't shagging either so a little positive note. But no, I wasn't feeling or looking my best when I got released from prison, Moony. Then I've been dealing with the house and with Harry. Sex hasn't exactly been an option."

Remus chuckled. "You always found a way. Maybe you'll get lucky and that healer you keep writing will give you a pity shag."

"Oh piss off," Sirius exclaimed, throwing a pillow at his friend's face. "For the last time, I'm only corresponding with her about Harry's well-being. And I've only written to her twice concerning the idea of getting Harry a dog!"

Remus only grinned widely at his friend. "Didn't you once tell James, Pete, and I that you were only 'helping' Hestia Jones with her ancient runes homework when we caught her going down on you in our dorm in sixth year?"

Sirius shrugged, smiling at his friend. "She was learning the runic symbols of my new tattoos."

"The tattoos that are on your arms with her mouth wrapped around your —"

"— Shut it, Remus," Sirius demanded as his friend laughed.

"And what about that time you were only 'chatting' with Greta Catchlove about the importance of learning charms?"

"We WERE talking about charms! She was one of the best students in the class!"

Remus only raised his eyebrow. "And the fact that you were both completely starkers?"

"Well, the talking about charms might also have extended to using some of my considerable charm…"

"Uh-huh," Remus said with a laugh.

Sirius only glared at his friend. "Like you were so innocent! In seventh year, James and I found you humping that Ravenclaw prefect in the broom closet by the Great Hall."

Remus blushed as he remembered how his friends, having seen him on the map, sought him out and opened the door just as he had pinned Nora to the wall. "That's not the point, Sirius."

"Or what about that topless snog with that blonde Hufflepuff in Hogsmeade? You two were getting pretty heated when Pete and I found you out by the shack!"

"What about that time that you were looking for your potions paper underneath Glenda Chittock's skirt?" Remus exclaimed, trying to turn the attention off of him as he blushed in embarrassment.

"Moony, she was sitting right on top of my paper!" Sirius protested, his eyes laughing at the memory.

"How unfortunate that you had to search so thoroughly when she only would have needed to stand up?" Remus suggested, his eyes twinkling in laughter.

Sirius simply grinned widely. "Well, my fingers were _very_ busy checking for it."

Remus smirked, chuckling aloud. "You still have the worst excuses that I've ever heard."

"I thought that they were quite clever. Besides, you wankers never wanted to hear my tales when I started to explain how Sarah Anderson and I snogged in the broom cupboard across from Filch's office," he said smugly. "Or how Anderson and I almost got caught going at it in the Muggle Studies classroom — so I improvised."

"Needless to say, you weren't exactly a monk which brings me back to my original point of you and this healer."

"Purely professional, Moony, I swear it."

Remus only smiled at his friend. "I'll let you keep your delusions. But I will teach Harry."

Sirius beamed at him. "Knew I could count on you, mate! What are you going to teach him?"

Remus picked up his bag from the floor and shook his head. "I have no idea. That's what I'm going to work on for the next few days."

"Good. Thanks, Moony. And if the healer shows any interest, well, maybe I will get that shag I need."

Remus chuckled as he finished his drink. He said goodbye and used the Floo to head home as Sirius shut off the lights and made his way upstairs for the night.

Sirius peeked into Harry's bedroom and saw his godson sleeping soundly, snuggled with the stuffed animals of the Marauders sprawled all around him.

He slipped into the bathroom, planning to have a hot shower and after his conversation with Moony that had reminded him of the good times, his jeans were fitting a little uncomfortably in the crotch so maybe a wank was in order as well, he thought to himself.

Because Remus had brought up a good point, Sirius had always liked sex, but he wasn't looking for a serious commitment or a relationship for that matter. Despite it being Remus' term, he was more of a lone wolf and always had been. He knew what he liked, but he had lived for his friends; had never really made the time to invite a woman into his life, not like James had with Lily.

Sirius undressed, locking the bathroom door behind him in case Harry woke up and wandered inside. He stepped into the shower, letting the hot water and steam encase him and he sighed in pleasure, just loving the water for a moment. After almost five years of nothing but lukewarm water from a bowl and a washcloth, standing in a hot shower was by far the most pleasurable thing in the world. The water washed over him and he sighed, reaching down to grip himself tightly, letting his head rest against the wall of the shower as he worked himself from base to tip. He couldn't even consciously think of anything in particular except his own pleasure as he stroked himself faster and faster. When he finished, he had an image of the healer smirking at him and he grinned to himself.

Maybe his thoughts on the healer weren't _completely professional_ after all.

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning, after giving Harry his breakfast and getting them both ready for the day, Sirius decided that it was a good idea to write to McGonagall about how to help Harry with his education before Hogwarts.** She was a professor — the best professor actually — and who else to give him some ideas and pointers on the subject.

 _Dear Minnie,_

 _Harry and I have been adjusting well to living together and he is such a gem! Remus and I were talking last night about his reading abilities and what he learned in school when he was living with the Muggles. It got us thinking: What exactly are we supposed to teach him? Reading and writing sure, but what else?_

 _You're the person I'd ask, being a professor, not to mention the most brilliant woman I know. Why don't you come over for tea on Sunday? Harry and I would love to see you and I'd love to pick your brain on the subject._

 _Love,_

 _Sirius_

He folded the letter into the envelope and smiled at Harry who was sitting on the floor in the living room playing with the action figures of the Knights of the Round Table that Sirius had bought for him. He watched him play for a moment, a small smile on his lips.

McGonagall was definitely one of the best people to ask in his opinion. It wasn't like he had any family that he could talk to about raising kids; his mother was the last person he would even consider going to. If Euphemia and Fleamont were still around… Merlin he missed Fee sometimes so much that his heart hurt his chest. She had taken him under her wing and mothered him as if he had been her own son.

He would never forget the moment that he had stepped off of the train for the Christmas holidays in sixth year and she had engulfed him in her arms, kissing his cheeks, and telling him that she and Monty had the best surprise. When they had arrived at the Potter House, James had only grinned at him, gesturing for him to follow his mother up the stairs. Sirius had stopped in front of James' bedroom, planning to throw his stuff on his friend's bed, but James had stopped him.

 _"No, mate, you're not staying with me."_

 _"What?" Sirius had asked, looking confused. "But I always sleep in your room."_

 _Euphemia had only smiled from a few feet away as she pushed open the door next to James'. "Well, if you really want to stay with James I won't stop you, but the three of us have been working rather hard on your room."_

 _Sirius had only stared at her, his eyes wide in shock._

 _James had taken his arm and tugged him towards the door. The room had been painted a soft grey. There was a large double bed in the centre of the room with a warm quilt on it. Gryffindor banners on the wall with pictures of Sirius and his friends. Muggle posters of motorcycles and Muggle girls in bikinis; a complete diagram of an engine; music posters of The Ramones, The Beatles, Queen, and The Rolling Stones; and on the door in gold lettering it said: Sirius' Room."_

 _He had been embarrassed to feel himself choking up, but Euphemia had simply wrapped her arms around him. "Jamie picked out the posters himself; sent them along. I thought grey is such a lovely colour like your eyes, darling, almost stormy." She kissed his cheek. "And both of my sons deserve their own room with their own things."_

 _"Fee," he had said simply, kissing her cheek. "I never… when you said that I could stay I didn't… thank you." He looked over at James who was grinning widely at him._

 _Fleamont was standing next to Sirius' bedroom door, his hands in his pockets as he bounced on the balls of his feet. "Welcome home, boys. Are you ready to decorate the tree?"_

 _He had never felt more at home in his entire life._

Euphemia and Fleamont Potter had been his parents. He had practically lived with James from the summer of third year, spending most of his summer between James and Remus' home and one week each year with Peter. But after fifth year when he had gone home and had it out with his parents, resulting in them kicking him out at the age of sixteen, he hadn't expected the Potters to welcome him so openly. Then that Christmas, presenting him with his own bedroom had been the best gift of his life.

They had given him a family.

He had a home with people who loved and cared for him. Nothing had made him happier. And he missed them both more than he could possibly say aloud. Dragon pox had carried both of them off in less than three weeks, only six months after James had married Lily.

James had told him that he could stay in the house after they had passed, but Sirius couldn't stay there. He had moved into the flat that his Uncle Alphard had left him; not wanting to be alone with the memories of his only real family. It still made him sad to remember how excited Fee and Monty had been about the prospect of being grandparents. Euphemia had spent so much time helping Lily decorate the nursery; she had knit Harry's baby blanket and talked about all of the children that James and Lily would have for her and Monty to spoil.

But Lily had only been four months pregnant when they had both died, devastating all who had known them. Sirius wished that they were around to see how wonderful their grandson had turned out.

His Uncle Alphard was the only relative that he had ever really liked in his family and he had died when he had been in sixth year; leaving his seventeen-year-old-penniless-nephew a fortune. The only member of the Black Family who hadn't been furious with that announcement was his cousin Andy and she —

Andy!

Sirius cursed himself for not thinking of her immediately. Andromeda had always been nice to him. They had always gotten along, despite her being almost eight years older than him. She was just as much of a disgrace to the Black family name as he had been, especially after she married the Muggleborn Ted Tonks. Aunt Druella had been so furious when she found out that she had immediately blasted Andromeda's name off of the family tapestry. He had been fourteen when she had written him with the news that he had a new baby cousin.

Baby cousin, he thought, his eyes going wide. Andromeda had a daughter! She was probably old enough to be in Hogwarts now, he thought with a smile. She _would_ be in Hogwarts, he thought doing the math in his head. And if anyone would know anything about educating children before Hogwarts, it would be Andy. She would be the perfect one to ask. He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought about her immediately. But in all fairness, he hadn't spoken to her since he had been released from prison.

He smiled at Harry, standing up with the letter to McGonagall still in his hands. "Come on, Harry, we're going to go visit my cousin Andy."

Harry was still playing with his knights and only nodded vaguely.

The fact that Harry was so absorbed in his own world was a good thing. He was comfortable enough to let his own imagination take over. Sirius thought it was an excellent sign.

"Harry," he said again and this time Harry turned to look at him. "We're going to go visit my cousin Andy. Go put your toys away."

Harry picked up his toys and carried them back upstairs to his room, coming back down with the stag in his arms. "Can I bring Prongs, Uncle Padfoot?"

Sirius smiled and picked Harry up into his arms. "Absolutely. We're going to take my bike, okay?"

Harry nodded, grinning when Sirius put the helmet on him and handed him the sunglasses he had purchased for the him the other day when they had been in town for groceries. He let Sirius strap him tight to the seat on the back of the bike, loving the feel of the rumble beneath him as they sped off.

Sirius drove for almost forty-five minutes, peeking behind him at every light and stop sign to make sure that Harry was doing okay. He had a big grin on his face the whole time, making Sirius smile. When they drove into the town of Shoreditch, Sirius turned down the road towards the Tonks house with a grin on his face.

He had missed Andy. As he pulled up in front of her house, it occurred to him that he probably should have written first. Just showing up on his cousin's doorstep after spending almost five years in prison was probably frowned upon; not to mention the fact that he hadn't spoken to her since he had gone to prison.

Did she even know that he had been released?

Did she know that he was innocent?

He didn't get a chance to reconsider however, because the front door opened as he shut off the bike and Ted stepped out, his eyes raised in interest to see who was outside of his house on the motorcycle.

Sirius pulled his helmet off, shaking out his hair and hanging his sunglasses on his shirt. "Hi, Ted, sorry to drop by unannounced."

Ted stared at him for a moment and then he smiled. "If it isn't Sirius Black, the second White Sheep of the Black Family."

Sirius laughed, grinning widely. He and Andromeda had always joked that they were white sheep as opposed to black just because of the misnomer with their surname. "It's me." He reached down to pull the helmet off of Harry and unstrapped him, lifting him up into his arms. "And my godson, Harry Potter."

Ted's eyes widened in surprise. "Harry — The Boy Who Lived?"

"The one and only. Is Andy around?"

Andromeda stepped out from behind her husband. Her long black hair curling around her face and her arms crossed in front of her. "Edward Tonks, do not let him take another step towards this house!"


	14. Chapter 14

_Authors Note:_

 _Thank you again to all who have been reading. This story is definitely going on right until the end LOL, but I am having fun writing it, however long and epic it may be._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN:**

 **Sirius stopped his progress, Harry still in his arms.** He felt his face drop in shock and sadness before he quickly masked it. He didn't know what he had been expecting from the only blood relative that he actually liked, but he was extremely disappointed by the result.

But then he stumbled back in surprise when her small body tackled him. He found himself holding Harry closer as the boy held his breath in fear of the sudden invasion that was Andromeda Black Tonks hugging Sirius like her life depended on it. Sirius turned his head to kiss the boy's cheek in reassurance and he burrowed closer into Sirius' embrace.

Andromeda pulled back with tears in her eyes. "Why did you wait so long to come and see me, you stupid prat?" she exclaimed, punching him in the arm. She wiped at her tears furiously, her eyes flashing in annoyance. "I only just found out _yesterday_ that you were released from Azkaban weeks ago. _Weeks ago_ , Sirius Orion!"

He nodded, smiling at her and relaxing. "It was in the papers. Innocent man set free after four years, six months, and twenty days in prison for a crime that he never actually committed."

"I never read the damn paper anymore. There's never anything good in it," she told him honestly. "And who is this little darling? Hi, sweetheart."

Harry turned his head into Sirius' shoulder, holding Prongs tight in his arms.

"This is Harry. He's a little shy."

"Well, come in; come in!" Andromeda exclaimed, ushering her husband to go inside as Sirius and Harry followed.

Sirius took a seat on the lumpy couch in the living room that was surprisingly comfortable and grinned at Ted as he sat across from him in the rocking chair. "I'm sorry to just drop in unannounced like this. I was literally pulling up in front of the house before the thought even occurred to me that I should have written first."

Andromeda waved her hand as if that was nonsense, taking a seat on the arm of the chair that her husband was in. "No! I'm so glad to see you, Sirius! And you're looking so well too! When you were arrested… Ted and I couldn't believe it. Ted mentioned something about you supposedly working for He Who Must Not Be Named and how you had betrayed the Potters and I just couldn't wrap my mind around it! But… we kind of lost touch a little so I didn't know what to believe if I'm completely honest with you.

Sirius nodded, understanding. "I know. And I'm sorry that we lost touch. With the war going on, I was working undercover a lot trying to help with the Order. You know how dangerous some of those missions were." When his cousin only glared at her husband, who had indeed found himself on a few of those dangerous missions working with the Order of the Phoenix alongside of Sirius, he continued. "I became focused on being with my friends and trying to keep them safe — which I failed spectacularly at."

Andromeda moved to sit next to him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing lightly as Harry only moved closer to Sirius and away from her outstretched hand. "You were trying to protect your friends; anything that happened because of that is not your fault."

"I'm the one that insisted that they change Secret Keepers, Andy. If I had let them use me like James wanted to, they would still be alive."

"You don't know that," Ted said, leaning forward in his chair. "You don't know what would have happened. James and Lily Potter were very powerful, but they had a lot of close calls and you can't tempt fate, Sirius. Maybe they were meant to die young. I'm not saying that it's right, but fate works in mysterious ways, like that little boy you're holding — _The Boy Who Lived_."

Sirius smiled, turning Harry so that he was facing Andromeda and Ted. "If I hadn't made such a stupid mistake and gone after Peter, I would have had him from the start. Lily's sister was his guardian and she didn't take care of him. He's been living with me for almost three weeks now, but he's still rather shy around people that he doesn't know." Sirius gently brushed a finger down Harry's cheek. "Harry, this is my cousin Andy and her husband Ted. Can you say hi to them?"

"Hello," Harry said softly, cuddling Prongs closer in his arms.

Andromeda smiled warmly. "How would you like some pumpkin juice, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, please."

Andromeda smiled and stood up. "Sirius, would you like some tea?"

"That'd be great, thanks."

Ted stood up to help his wife and a few minutes later, they returned with tea and biscuits and a glass of pumpkin juice for Harry. Harry moved over to sit on the floor, still holding onto Prongs as he accepted the pumpkin juice.

Ted had pulled out a box of dominoes and opened it up on the floor next to Harry and was quietly showing him how to stack them close together and to build a winding trail around the room. Harry looked up at Sirius when Ted asked him if he wanted to build with him.

"Go on, Prongslet, it's okay," Sirius told him with a smile.

Harry beamed at him and crawled over to the dominoes that Ted had set up and listened attentively as Ted explained how you had to stack them just so to make the effect work when you knocked them down.

Sirius smiled as he watched Harry for a moment before he turned back to Andromeda. "Listen, I wanted to see you, obviously, and with everything that I've been doing — trying to get my life back on track, and now trying to organize my life with Harry… I'm his godfather, if you remember — and I have full custody of him now."

Andromeda nodded, her dark hooded eyes smiling at him. "I remember. You were so proud the day that you rushed over here and told me that your godson had just been born."

Sirius chuckled as the memory washed over him of the day that he had become a godfather.

 _He had been pacing within the halls of St Mungo's with Remus and Peter. James and Lily had been in the room for hours; felt like days._

 _"Sit down, Padfoot!" Peter insisted, leaning back in his chair. "Pacing back and forth like a mad man isn't going to make it go any faster."_

 _"Pete's right, Sirius; come sit down," Remus told him, patting the bench next to him._

 _Sirius only looked up at his friends, eyes wide. "I can't. I'm too… edgy. James is in there having a fucking baby!"_

 _"Well, technically, Lily's having the fucking baby, but I know what you mean," Peter said, grinning widely. "Never would have believed that tosser would have got the chance to date Evans let alone convince the poor girl to marry him and breed."_

 _Remus laughed, dragging his fists over his tired eyes. "That tosser wore her down and she had the hots for him for years; we all knew it. She was just smart enough not to show it."_

 _Sirius grinned. "Remember that time that she told him she'd rather kiss every Death Eater on the arse than spend another moment talking in his presence?"_

 _Remus laughed, smirking at his friends. "Merlin, I thought Prongs was going to die. He stuttered and stared at her like she had suddenly grown three heads. Now they are having a baby together. It seems like the world is really changing."_

 _"Just because they're having a baby doesn't mean our world is changing," Sirius insisted, his eyes on his friends._

 _"Babies change things, Padfoot," Peter told him, crossing his feet at the ankles. "Babies change everything."_

 _The door at the end of the hall opened and James rushed out, black hair sticking up worse than ever, crooked glasses and a face splitting grin plastered across his mouth._

 _"It's a boy! Quick, come see!" he exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waved them forward._

 _Peter and Remus stood up, following Sirius who was in the lead, as they made their way into the room where Lily was sitting. She was propped up in the bed, her dark red hair damp and plaited at her neck as she held a tiny bundle in a green and blue blanket knitted by Euphemia Potter._

 _"Marauders, I'd like for you to meet the first Marauder of the new generation, Prongs II," James announced proudly, beaming so brightly that he was practically glowing._

 _"James, for the last time — we're not naming him Prongs II!" Lily exclaimed, rolling her eyes at her husband. She smiled warmly at the three of them. "Come closer and meet your nephew, Marauders."_

 _"Nephew?" Remus asked, smiling brightly._

 _James grinned widely. "Obviously, Uncle Moony. Say hello to Prongs II."_

 _"Harry," Lily said, chuckling. "His name is Harry James Potter."_

 _"After my grandpa," James said with a smile. "He was an Auror and the coolest bloke around. And James for the coolest bloke in this little man's life: Moi."_

 _"Um, excuse me — godfather claims that status," Sirius said raising his hand in acknowledgement and taking a seat on the edge of the bed, looking at Harry. "Hi there, Prongslet, I'm your godfather."_

 _"That's Uncle Padfoot, Harry, otherwise known as Uncle Sirius or Uncle Moron," James said, smiling down at his son._

 _"Your dad's the moron, Prongslet. I'm the cool one. Stick with me, little man and we got this."_

 _Lily smiled up at the four men around her. The Marauders; the man she loved more than life itself, and the men he called his brothers. "Sirius, would you like to hold your Prongslet first?"_

 _Sirius beamed as Lily carefully placed Harry into his arms. "He's so small, Lil; barely weighs a thing!"_

 _Peter leaned in, smiling. "He's got James' black hair disaster."_

 _"You don't know that it's going to be a disaster, Pete," James said defensively, looking at his son's mop of black unruly hair._

 _Peter only smirked. "I think we do, Prongs."_

 _Sirius gently ran his finger down Harry's cheek, grinning when Harry's tiny hand gripped his finger hard. "Hi there, Prongslet, strong grip you've got there."_

 _Sirius passed the baby to Remus who looked panicked._

 _"Um, Peter can — oh boy," he exclaimed in panic as Sirius left the baby in his arms. "Hi, little Prongs."_

 _Lily smiled at him. "Relax, Rem, he's fine."_

 _"He's so precious," Remus told her, a soft smile on his face. "Right, Harry? Are you precious?"_

 _Harry only stared up at him, fingers twitching until he grabbed a hold of Remus' finger. Remus smiled and carefully passed the baby over to Peter who held him with expert ease._

 _"Hi, Harry," Peter said, cradling him against him. "You are going to be a great little Marauder, aren't you, Prongs II?"_

 _James grinned widely. "See, darling, even the boys agree that the Prongs nickname must live on!"_

 _Sirius smiled. "He is Prongslet, little Prongs, Prongs II."_

 _Lily smiled at them. "His name is Harry, but whatever endearing nicknames you three give him is for you blokes alone."_

 _James took his son from Peter, holding him closely in his arms. "He's our Harry," he said, taking Lily's hand in his own and leaning down to kiss her softly. "Thank you for giving me my son. I love you."_

 _Lily held his cheek in her hand, her green eyes on his as she kissed him. "I love you, James."_

 _His lips met hers again for a longer kiss and Peter cleared his throat._

 _"Well, we'll leave the new family alone to get acquainted. But we'll see you when you head home."_

 _Remus and Sirius nodded, saying goodbye before the three of them left the room._

 _"James and Lily have a fucking son!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I have a godson! We have a fucking nephew!"_

 _Remus grinned widely. "It is rather marvellous, isn't it?"_

 _Peter nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It really is. When my cousin had her first, it's the greatest thing. But now we're like uncles and that's just… the ultimate, you know?"_

 _Sirius grinned widely. "I have to go tell Andy!"_

 _"But Sirius, it's three in the —" Remus began as Sirius Disapparated on the spot, leaving his friends staring after him in amusement, and arrived just outside of the house in Shoreditch. He practically ran to the front door to ring the bell._

 _Andromeda answered, her eyes half closed, but they widened when she saw her cousin there. "Sirius, what's wrong? Are you all right? What happened?"_

 _Sirius grinned like a fool, picking her up and swinging her around in his arms. "I'm an uncle, Andy! I have a godson! A fucking godson!"_

 _Andromeda stared at him, her mouth open in shock for a full thirty seconds before she comprehended what he had just said. "Sirius Black! Did you just wake me up at three forty-five in the morning to announce that your godson was born?"_

 _He grinned sheepishly. "I don't even care, Andy! I'm godfather to the cutest mother fucking kid in the universe named Harry James Potter and I'm proud as hell."_

 _Andromeda finally smiled. "I can't even be mad, you git! Congratulations, Sirius."_

 _Sirius hugged her again. "I'm going to be the best godfather ever to this kid. My little Prongslet."_

 _"Prongslet?"_

 _Sirius grinned. "Nickname — long story." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "And a new tattoo idea. See you Andy!"_

 _He Disapparated again before she could respond and she was left standing at the front door of her home, grinning widely._

"It was one of the best days of my life. When James and Lily asked me to be godfather back before they even knew if they were having a boy or a girl, I was just so honoured and so excited, you know? Especially with Fee and Monty having passed before Harry was born. It meant a lot to me," Sirius told her, smiling. "And I loved that baby from the first instant that I held him." He looked over at Harry who was smiling at Ted as they shifted the row of dominoes around the side of the couch. "I want to be the best godfather I can be to him. He needs me, now more than ever."

Andromeda smiled at him. "He looks pretty content to me."

Sirius grinned at her. "The people that he was living with, they mistreated him; abused him. He's really come around the last few weeks with me and he's just really starting to trust Remus too, which is good. Remus is going to help out as much as he can as well."

"You know that if you need anything you only have to ask," Andromeda told him with a smile. "And Dora is old enough to babysit herself now when she comes home for the summer holidays. I'm sure she'd love it if you asked her over to play with Harry."

"Old enough to babysit? You're kidding, right?"

Andromeda chuckled, reaching for the picture frame on the table next to her. "I'm not. She's going to be thirteen in June."

Sirius grinned at the photo of his cousin standing between her parents. Her long brown hair was streaked with a dark pink, braided to the side and she had three earrings in each lobe making him smile. "I love the earrings."

"You would," Andromeda said as she looked at his adorned left ear. "She wants the top of her ears done now. I promised her that when she was thirteen we'd talk about it so I can imagine what our summer conversation is going to be."

"The pink looks great too, I'm surprised that you let her dye it."

Andromeda smiled. "Actually, I didn't."

Sirius chuckled, his eyes wide. "She went out and got it done herself? Brave little bird."

"Oh, she is that — but no. I guess you never got the chance to find out, but well, Dora's a Metamorphmagus."

"What?" Sirius asked in surprise. "As in the ability to change her appearance at will?"

Andromeda nodded. "One in the same. No one has had the ability in our family in four generations. I kind of assumed that it had died out, but here we are."

"That's brilliant!"

"She thinks so. She started young with it, but Ted and I didn't catch on. We thought that it was just her magic coming through. But do you remember how I could never decide what her eye colour was as it always seemed to be changing? She was doing that. And her hair would grow and shorten, it seemed almost with her mood, but when she was five, she asked me why the neighbour had such a strange nose. When I asked her what she meant, she showed me on her own face and I just about jumped out of my skin!"

"What did you do?" Sirius asked, rather intrigued. "How did you find out?"

"Well, I took her to St Mungo's where they tested her blood and found the gene that had gone dormant in the Black bloodline was active again in her bloodstream," Andromeda explained. "And Dora controls it so well. By the time that she started Hogwarts she could change her entire appearance in under thirty seconds. I'm hoping that she uses her powers for good, but Professor Sprout is always writing me letters about her escapades at school. It seems that she is a bit of a prankster."

Sirius beamed. "Excellent."

Andromeda laughed. "You would love it. I think that you got into more trouble at school than anyone I knew."

Sirius grinned, shrugging good naturally. "Possibly." He grabbed a biscuit from the tray and grinned at his cousin. "I did actually want to talk to you about something."

"Of course," Andromeda said, smiling warmly at him.

"Remus took Harry to the library yesterday. He likes stories, our boy does, and we discovered that he reads pretty well. He was attending a Muggle primary school before he came to live with me. But now that he knows about the magical world, I think putting him back into a Muggle school isn't the best idea," Sirius explained, looking over at Harry who was still ever so carefully stacking the dominoes. "I asked Remus to be in charge of his schooling. He's the smartest person that I know and he has such patience for teaching; bloke always wanted to be a professor. But the two of us were talking, and we don't really know _what_ we should teach him. I mean, what are the most important things that he has to know before he goes off to Hogwarts. What did you and Ted teach Dora?" Sirius asked with interest.

Andromeda smiled, sipping her tea as she looked thoughtful. "I assume that you are thinking like I did that the Black family way is not the best method." When Sirius only rolled his eyes in response, she laughed. "Ted and I talked about it and we decided that teaching Dora what we wanted her to know was all that mattered. Latin of course, and reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also some history, some literature, and some potion making. Ted taught her how to make some healing salves. Things they can do without magic. Ted also wanted her to know about the Muggle world so we went to see movies and concerts in the Muggle world and we had fun. It's about having fun, Sirius, and teaching Harry what you think he needs to know to be successful in the world."

"Oh," Sirius said, relaxing. "I think that I was making this out to be a lot bigger in my head — like I needed to know some secret to teach him."

She chuckled and set her tea cup down on the table. "No. So, tell me, did you move into Uncle Alphard's old place, the cottage in, where is it? Sidmouth?"

Sirius nodded, looking over at Harry who had his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth as he carefully lined up each tile as Ted instructed him, before turning back to his cousin. "I am. I repainted, but it's in pretty good repair. The garden needs some work, but I'll get to it. I think once Remus starts teaching Harry, I'll have some more time to myself."

"If you need help with the gardens let me know and I'll avoid you. I absolutely _do not_ have a green thumb," she said with a laugh. "But I'd be happy to help you pick out some lovely flowers or shrubs that I think will look nice. Just don't let me touch them."

Ted chuckled from the floor and grinned up at Sirius. "She's right about that, Sirius. I gave her roses for her birthday and they were dead the next day. I don't know what she does wrong."

Sirius grinned as Harry placed the last domino down. "Good to know."

"Push this one right here, Harry," Ted instructed, pointing to the first domino that Harry had stood up.

Harry looked hesitant as his eyes moved around to the large circular trail they had built. "Push it?"

Ted nodded with a smile. "Yes. It's what you do when you play dominoes. You watch the effect of your careful planning and see if you stacked them up properly."

"Go on, Harry, I want to see," Sirius said, coming to sit on the floor next to his godson.

Harry bit his bottom lip before he gently pushed the domino and grinned widely as the effect knocked all of them down in a mechanical motion, following the trail that he had built. "Wow!"

Sirius laughed and kissed his cheek. "Good job, Prongslet!"

Andromeda stood up and smiled at them. "You'll stay for lunch?"

"I never say no to free food, Andy," Sirius said with a grin, remembering the letter to McGonagall that he had put in his jacket pocket when he moved to stand up. "Hey, can I borrow your owl?

~ ASC ~

 **After leaving Andy and Ted's house, Sirius and Harry headed to Diagon Alley.** Sirius needed to purchase his own owl if he was going to be corresponding with anyone. He remembered the owl that he had when he had been at school. Her name had been Snow in direct contradiction of her dark feathers. She had passed away shortly after he had left school; having belonged to his family for almost twenty years.

He held Harry's hand as they stepped into Eeylops Owl Emporium later that afternoon. He smiled at the clerk behind the desk before they walked around to look at the owls. Harry's eyes were drawn towards a large tawny owl with red in her feathers.

"Do you like that one, Harry? She's pretty, isn't she?"

Harry nodded, looking up at the cage. "I like her tail," he said, pointing to where the reddish feathers fanned off into a soft gold and white.

"She is a beauty," the clerk said from behind him. "She's five years old; used to belong to my aunt, who sadly has passed on. Her name is Persephone. Are you interested? I can let her go for thirty Galleons."

Sirius watched as Harry tentatively reached a finger out to stroke her wing and Persephone closed her eyes, hooting in contentment and he smiled.

"Sold."

The clerk beamed at him. "Let me ring you up."


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note:_

 _I'm sure that you've noticed that I've been incorporating memories into my story. I want to keep doing this when I can - memories of the Marauders, memories of Sirius' life -things that I want to know so I assume others want to know as well, LOL. When I want to know something, I have a desire to write it (shrugs)._

 _I'd also like to give a shout-out to blvnk-art, who is my absolute favourite artist on tumblr and instagram. Not to mention her amazing blvnk-nsfw stuff, which is so hot and steamy and I'm in love with her art and her incredible talent. She has no idea who I am, but I am her adoring fan and her art inspires me. Anyway, off topic, but she wrote this amazing list of traits of James Potter and most of them I agreed with so much and had thought before myself on multiple occasions such as his love of Muggle music - specifically The Beatles and Elvis - playing the guitar, etc.. All stuff that I imagined myself and even used a few years back when I wrote_ **Crazy Little Thing Called Love** _— my Jily story. But looking at her artwork, it's absolutely inspiring and beautiful and to be honest, it is now ingrained in my head as complete canon — especially the Hinny stuff. Anyway, off topic again but in conclusion — James Potter loves the Beatles — so ergo in my HC, he wants to share that with his son._

 _DISCLAIMER: I don't own the lyrics; they belong to the talents of The Beatles._

 _I've been trying to figure out how I want Harry and Sirius to get closer; not just Harry bonding with Padfoot the dog - but with Sirius, his godfather - which means that Harry has to stop asking for Padfoot at night. I think that in this chapter, I got that. I think I finally managed to get across that Harry has realized that this is his home and he's comfortable there. He's excited to see Remus when he comes to visit and he's on a routine and he's happy; even when his past is still haunting him._

 _Also, well, my love of McGonagall and her relationship with Sirius — that in my head is 100% canon even though I have no proof of this — is vital. His respect and admiration for her and the way that he is working to keep her in his life as an important friend and confidant I think is very important._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN:**

 **Sirius spent the rest of the week cleaning out the sun room at the back of the house.** The sunroom had three walls that were all windows and he was thinking that it was the perfect place for Harry to have his studies with Remus. It was brightly lit, full of sunshine, and large enough for them to spread out if needed. Plus it was near the kitchen and had a view of the open back garden looking out into the forest.

After the first hour of Harry sneaking around into the room to watch him and trying to help out, Sirius agreed to let him. He did want Harry to get used to doing chores, but he was afraid to push it after seeing what Harry had suffered at the Dursley residence.

But Harry helped him wash the windows, laughing when Sirius held him up and put the rag on his back, dragging Harry across the glass as the child giggled in his arms. Sirius used his wand to get rid of the boxes of junk and found a long wooden table in the shed that he thought would be perfect for Harry and Remus to use. He bought two chairs to go with it and Harry helped him build the blackboard, asking questions as Sirius hammered the nails into the frame, letting Harry swing a tiny hammer as well and finishing off the work.

Sirius hung the chalkboard up on the wall and then built the other side of the wall up as a bookshelf. It took him the entire week to finish the room, shopping for new light fixtures and school supplies with Harry's help. He had found it surprisingly fun and cathartic to do everything the Muggle way as Harry asked an endless stream of questions about what he was doing.

Harry had immediately become intrigued when Sirius had explained to him that they were building a classroom.

"Why?"

Sirius had just smiled at him, pulling the boy into his lap as they took a rest with some pumpkin juice and some cheese and crackers for a snack. "So that you can learn."

"Learn school?"

"Well, instead of going to a real school, Uncle Moony and I thought that you could learn here and Uncle Moony will be your teacher."

Harry had looked at Sirius in surprise. "Just Uncle Moony and me?"

"Yup, just the two of you."

"No other kids?" he asked in confusion.

Harry couldn't imagine a school without kids, but a school without other kids meant that he didn't have to try to make friends with them. It meant that Dudley wouldn't hurt them if they tried to be friends with Harry.

"No other kids. But don't worry, Harry, we'll find you some kids to play with eventually," Sirius told him with a smile as he watched his godson eat the snack that he had prepared.

That was something else that he hadn't considered either. Harry would need to be around other kids at some point; it wasn't a necessity as long as he kept people around Harry. He didn't want him to be shy and unsocialized with others, but he selfishly wanted to keep him to himself a little bit longer too.

Harry smiled up at Sirius. "I can't wait to learn in my new classroom, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius beamed at him. "Me neither, little man."

~ ASC ~

 **By the time that Sunday came around, Sirius was even more anxious for McGonagall to come over and visit.** He wanted to show off the small sunlit classroom that he and Harry had prepared. Remus had seen it the day before and had told Sirius that it was perfect. He had even made a list of books that he wanted to get over the next couple of weeks to use in the future.

But at one fifteen on Sunday morning, Sirius' excitement over the classroom and McGonagall visiting was pushed back because it was the first time that Harry had had a nightmare in the four weeks that he had been with Sirius. Sirius' heart stopped in his chest when he was suddenly woke from a dead sleep in his dog Animagus, in his godson's bed, where he had continued to sleep most of the night — every night.

Sirius transformed back into himself as Harry screamed. He could see that he was still asleep, his little body writhed in terror as he moved around the bed. Sirius reached out to touch him and he screamed in panic again when Sirius' hands reached out to touch his body in an attempt to calm him and a surge of blue shot out and shocked Sirius.

Sirius immediately let go, dragging a hand through his own hair, his eyes wide in terror and his hair now standing up on end from the jolt that Harry had just given him. Merlin, the boy was powerful, he thought.

"Harry?" he called out calmly, trying to stop the fear from etching into his voice. "Harry, wake up, little man. Come on, Prongslet, wake up!"

It took him almost two minutes to pull the child from his nightmare. Harry's green eyes opened and the horror in them made Sirius' heart stop. He sat on the bed and held his arms out to the boy.

"It's okay, Prongslet, it was only a dream. It's okay."

Harry's wide eyes stared at him for a moment as if not processing that he was really there.

"Come here, Prongslet. I'll make everything okay," Sirius told him, still holding his arms out.

He wanted him to know that he was safe. And he wanted Harry to come to him, he didn't want to scare him - not with those green eyes already so wide in terror.

Harry continued to stare at him for a moment and then he moved into Sirius' arms, letting the man cradle him to his chest as he started to cry.

"Shh, it's alright, Harry, Uncle Siri is here," he murmured, kissing the top of his godson's head.

Harry's fingers clutched the front of Sirius' shirt as his tears soaked into the fabric.

"Tell me about your dream, Harry," Sirius told him, gently running his hand over the boy's back in concentric circles, kissing his cheek as they rocked back and forth. "It will make you feel better to tell me."

Harry shook his head, his little body trembling.

"You can always tell me anything, Prongslet," Sirius murmured reassuringly, dropping another kiss to the top of the boy's head. "It will be okay, I promise. You are safe here, little man. Uncle Padfoot's here."

"I… I was in my cupboard," he began, his voice barely a whisper. "Dudley was hitting the door and yelling so Uncle Vernon pulled it open and made me come out. Dudley told him… my teacher's hair turned blue. Dudley said that I did it, but I don't know how it was me!"

A magical sign, Sirius thought, he had wondered how many Harry might have had and how much it had contributed to the way his relatives had treated him because of the fear they held for something that they didn't understand.

"Blue hair and she was so mad. My teacher screamed when she saw that it had turned blue. She never blamed me for it, but Dudley said it was my fault. Uncle Vernon made me tell him why I had done it. I told him I didn't know how I did it. He… he hit me so hard in my tummy I fell over. He yelled at me to stand up and then he hit my tummy again. When I started to cry, he yelled at me. Freaks don't cry. Freaks don't belong. Freaks don't matter," Harry repeated bitterly, the venom in the words clutching Sirius' heart like a vice.

The way that Harry had repeated the words like a mantra told him that they were words he heard more often than anything else.

"He hit me in my tummy again and I threw up all over the floor," Harry said, his voice a little louder now, but still soft as if he still was dreaming.

Sirius continued to rub his back, not speaking. He didn't want to interrupt him.

"Aunt Petunia gave me a bucket so I could scoop up the puke with my hands. It smelt bad and I threw up again — on my clothes. Aunt Petunia yelled and said I was an ungrateful filthy little freak. She dragged me upstairs to the bath and made me get in. The water was cold and I sneezed, but then she pushed my head under the water. My throat hurt and I couldn't breathe. I choked, but she kept pushing on my head and," he snuggled closer, resting his face over Sirius' heart as he spoke, his warm tears soaking through Sirius' shirt.

"Then there was a crash and Aunt Petunia screamed. I choked on the water when she let go and when I looked up, the mirror was broken and there was glass all over the bathroom. Aunt Petunia said it just blew up and she hit my cheek so hard I fell back into the water. Uncle Vernon said only freaks make stuff blow up and that no one would ever love an ungrateful freak like me. He pushed me back under the water and then he picked me up with his hand on my neck and he squeezed — and it hurt — and then he threw me into my cupboard and I hit my head on the wall. He locked the door and said if I made a peep he would beat me bloody. It was so dark, I couldn't see and my tummy rumbled, but they didn't let me out. All day and I… I had to go pee and they didn't let me, so I peed in my cupboard. The next day my tummy hurt, but Aunt Petunia said that I was too ungrateful for food and it was dark and scary and I was all alone! I was all alone!" he cried, trembling again as his voice became slightly hysterical now. "I called and called for you, Uncle Sirius, but I was locked in the cupboard!"

"Shh," Sirius crooned, realizing now where the horror had come in. He had become trapped in his memory, calling for Sirius, but the nightmare had held him in too tightly. "I'm here, Prongslet, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"It was so dark," Harry cried, the tears rolling down his cheeks. "And I hurt all over, but they wouldn't let me out. I couldn't get out!"

"Shh," Sirius continued to croon, his arms cradling the boy as he rocked back and forth in his spot on the bed.

Harry was still crying and trembling, but the fear seemed to have subsided a little. He hummed quietly under his breath and when he recognized the tune of the song, he smiled to himself and began to gently sing as he moved, leaning back against the headboard and pulling the blankets up to wrap around both of them as he sang.

" _There's nothing you can do that can't be done, nothing you can sing that can't be sung, nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game, it's easy. There's nothing you can make that can't be made, no one you can save that can't be saved, nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time, it's easy. All you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love; love is all you need_ ," he sang, smiling as Harry relaxed against him a bit.

As Sirius held Harry and kept singing he realized that the last time Harry would have heard this song was when James had sung it, rocking baby Harry to sleep in his arms. James was a huge Beatles fan and he would sing this particular song to his son almost all of the time to calm him down. James was by far the more talented singer, but Sirius had a decent voice.

He remembered one of the first days that he had gone to visit James and Lily after Harry had been born. Lily had answered the door, smiling at him and giving him a hug as he came inside. Her red hair was in a messy braid down her back and she was wearing a Gryffindor Quidditch tee shirt and jean shorts.

 _"Sirius! Lovely to see you!"_

 _"Hi, Lily, you're looking lovely," he told her, handing her the gift of two large Honeyduke Chocolate Bars that he had brought with him._

 _"Liar. I'm a mess right now," she told him as she put a hand to the messy braid her hair was in. "Chocolate, how sweet of you!"_

 _He shrugged. "It was Remus' idea, so you can thank him. He said that babies get all of the attention and sometimes the mum needs a little treat for herself."_

 _Lily's eyes welled up and she hugged him tightly. "That's the sweetest! Sorry, my hormones are still a little out of whack and sometime I can't stop the waterworks," she told him on a laugh. "James is upstairs in the nursery with Harry. I'm going to take a shower — much needed."_

 _Sirius smiled and watched her head off to the bath so he made his way upstairs to the nursery, smiling when he heard his friend singing. He stood outside of the door, out of view from James who was sitting in the rocking chair, holding his two-week-old-son in his arms. His finger was clapped tightly in Harry's little hand and he was smiling at his son as he sang and Harry was staring up at him wonder._

"There's nothing you can know that isn't known. Nothing you can see that isn't shown. There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be, it's easy. All you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love; love is all you need."

 _He turned his head to kiss Harry's small head and Sirius stepped into the nursery as James looked up at him._

 _"Starting him off with the Beatles early on, eh Prongs?"_

 _James smiled, standing up with the sleeping child, kissing his cheek tenderly, and gently laying him down in the bassinet. "Can never be too early. He likes it when I sing to him. So far I've been alternating between 'All You Need is Love', 'I Will' and 'Blackbird.' He likes to hear me sing."_

 _He carefully crept away from the sleeping baby and gestured for Sirius to follow him down into the living room. He flicked his wand and the room suddenly filled with the soft sounds of Harry breathing._

 _"What the…?"_

 _"Baby monitoring charm," James explained, grinning at his friend. "So, what have you been up to, Padfoot? It's been almost a week since I've seen you!"_

 _Sirius shrugged, stretching out on the chesterfield and dragging his hand through his locks as they fell around his face. "Not much. Figured I'd give you and Lily some time with the new baby, get a routine down… like singing to him."_

 _"You're just jealous because I can sing better than you."_

 _Sirius grinned at him. "You can sing well, that's true. Probably could have been famous if you made an effort at it. Lily still love it when you play the guitar for her?"_

 _James smiled. "Of course. I've played for Harry once too. He becomes very calm when I sing to him."_

 _"The Beatles, every time?"_

 _"Mostly," James said with a grin. "What did you think I was going to go all conventional and sing 'Lavender's Blue Dilly Dilly' or 'Hush Little Baby' when there are so many amazing songs by The Beatles to sing?"_

 _Sirius laughed. Babies may change people he realized but not where it counted. "Never. You rock out to the Prongslet, Prongs."_

 _"I will." James had said simply._

Sirius knew that James sang to Harry almost every single night before he went to bed and he had wondered if on some conscious level, when he had started to sing The Beatles' lyrics to his godson, if Harry had remembered his father singing to him and had felt comforted by that just as much as by Sirius holding him. He hoped so. He hoped that James was here now, watching over his son and knowing that Sirius was doing everything he could to calm him and to show him how much he loved him.

He continued to sing and Harry relaxed more and more against him and then Sirius felt himself calm down when Harry had finally fallen asleep.

~ ASC ~

 **Sunlight flashed before his closed eyes and he blinked owlishly.** He hadn't remembered falling asleep himself. He felt the shift of the tiny body still snuggled close to him, his head resting over his heart and he smiled. It was the first time that he had comforted Harry as himself at night, not as a dog. Harry had been completely relaxed and trusting of the man holding him and not the dog.

He thought about the things that Harry had told him last night and he suppressed his anger. He wanted to know what was going to happen to them; what repercussions they would be facing for how they had treated such an innocent and sweet child, but at the same time — he was afraid to find out. He already knew that if they weren't as harsh as he wanted them to be he might not be able to stop himself from making them so. And Harry needed him. He wasn't going to do anything to hurt his godson and him not being there would definitely not be in Harry's best interest.

He wasn't going back to Azkaban.

He shifted slightly and Harry stirred, rubbing his cheek against Sirius' chest. Sirius gently rubbed his hand over his back. Harry snuggled into his embrace before he blinked owlishly, looking around half asleep.

"Good morning, Prongslet," Sirius said to him, smiling warmly. He reached over to grab his glasses and gently slid them onto his godson's face.

Harry's green eyes focused on him through the lenses and he smiled. "Morning, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius sat up, lifting Harry with him and sitting him on his lap. "Did you sleep okay?"

Harry nodded. "Uh-huh. Can I have breakfast?"

"You bet. What do you want to eat for breakfast this morning?"

"Pancakes and bacon," Harry said with a grin.

Sirius chuckled, standing up and sitting Harry on the bed as he did so. "Sounds great. Let's go to the toilet first and then we'll go make some. I'll show you how to make them with fresh blueberries."

Harry grinned widely and Sirius watched him hurry into the bathroom. He was going to be alright; he might not even remember having the nightmare, but he was going to be okay.

They would both be fine.

~ ASC ~

 **McGonagall arrived by Floo that afternoon, dusting herself off as she stepped into the living room, looking around the room in mild interest.** She smiled when she saw Sirius sitting on the couch.

"Sirius, thank you for inviting me over today."

Sirius grinned at her and ushered for her to take a seat. "I wanted to be settled in a bit before I did so, but you were definitely getting an invite."

McGonagall sat down in the armchair and smiled at him. "Where's Harry?"

"Having a nap," Sirius told her, glancing at the clock. "He should be up in the next half hour."

McGonagall smiled. "Already have him on a schedule, look at you the proud papa."

Sirius shrugged, grinning. "He's an amazing kid. And he's really anxious to meet you today. I told him that when he woke up from his nap we'd have a guest over."

"How are the two of you doing, adjusting to each other?" she asked, her eyes taking him in.

Sirius Black was still a very good looking young man. He sat before her in white-washed blue jeans with holes in the knee and a white muscle shirt. He had one leg crossed over the other, his feet were bare. His hair hung just so, parted to the left and perfectly around his face. The silver hoop and the diamond stud in his left ear gleaming. His face was covered in dark stubble that suited him, made him look slightly dangerous. His toned arms were covered in tattoos, hints of more beneath his shirt and he wore a set of dog tags around his neck. He looked the part of the handsome young rebel - twenty-six and dangerous - but he had a heart of gold and was now taking on the responsibilities of being a full-time parent.

McGonagall had to admit that she was more than impressed in him doing so. It was a lot of responsibility especially for someone who had thrived on avoiding responsibility all of his life. And spending almost five years in prison must have made him thrive to be even less responsible: To be wild and rebellious, and to live the life that he had deserved to be living all of those years that he had spent trapped with the Dementors.

Sirius smiled at her, stretching his arms up over his head. "We're doing pretty great, I think. He finally really trusts me, McG. He actually trusts me. He had a nightmare last night. Part nightmare, part memory actually, and he woke me up screaming. I couldn't touch him because it only added to the horror and panic that he was experiencing. It took me almost two minutes to wake him, which was terrifying to me — the longest two minutes of my life! Once I finally woke him, he just clung to me, and I was so relieved that he was awake that I just held him and I sang to him. We fell asleep like that. I woke up this morning with him cuddled over my heart and it felt right."

McGonagall's eyes were sad. She couldn't understand how anyone could hurt a child so badly that he had nightmares about it. "Did he tell you what he was dreaming about that was so terrifying for him?"

"Part memory like I said. I told you those Muggles that he was living with severely mistreated him," he said and she nodded in acknowledgement. "It was something they did because he accidentally did magic. He's a powerful child. From just the glimpses I've had into his past, he's turned a teacher's hair blue and exploded a mirror. I'm sure there's been others, but even those are pretty extreme cases of underage magic."

McGonagall nodded. "It sounds like fear forced them to the surface as well. Fear is a motivator for magic, but not always; sometimes one's fear suppresses their magic and sometimes it magnifies it."

Sirius nodded, fiddling with the dog tags around his neck as he thought about it. The only times Harry had shown magic so far had been when he had been scared so McGonagall's logic made sense.

"The son of James and Lily Potter is bound to be powerful. He jolted me last night when I tried to wake him; felt like I'd been zapped by a current — and the first night I gave him a bath, he made a water tornado that shot me straight in the face. Both times he was afraid. He's powerful already."

"Yes, he is," McGonagall said, her eyes wide. "I imagine that he will be even more so when he gets older. Sirius, what are those tags you wear? I remember you having them years ago too and I've always wondered."

"These?" he asked, letting them drop out of his hands. "A running gag between James and I. He bought them for me for my seventeenth birthday. They say: _Padfoot's Pride, if found please return to Moony or Prongs_. Then the second tag reads: _When he annoys you, put him in the doghouse._ "

McGonagall chuckled. "Very entertaining."

"I've never taken them off and they didn't take them from me when I was imprisoned, something I was incredibly thankful for. It just makes me feel close to James. I like to keep that with me," Sirius told her, smiling.

"As you should."

The Floo roared to life and Sirius looked up in surprise when Remus stepped out, dusting himself off.

"Hi, Padfoot. Oh, hello, Minerva," Remus said in surprise as he stood in front of the fireplace.

"Hey Moony, didn't expect to see you until Tuesday."

Remus nodded, wiping ash from his sleeves. "I know. I just wanted to drop off that book list I was telling you about and I was going to see if you wanted me to make something for dinner, but you have company."

"Oh you can definitely stay and whip up something for dinner," Sirius said on a laugh.

Remus grinned. "I'm going to make myself a cup of tea then. Minerva, would you like one?"

"Oh, right, host and all that," Sirius said with a grin. "Sorry Minnie."

"I would love a cup of tea, Remus, thank you and it's quite alright, Sirius."

As Remus headed into the kitchen to make tea, McGonagall smiled at Sirius. "I'm glad to see that Remus is helping you with meals. Are you not much of a cook?"

"Not much as in barely at all. I can do breakfast — mostly, and I can warm stuff up, but otherwise cooking is most definitely not my forte," he told her with a laugh. "But I'm trying to learn and Harry helps me. He has a surprising knack for it and stops me from making anything too disastrous. He might be the chef in this family when he gets older."

She chuckled, crossing her legs in the chair. "So your letter mentioned that you were thinking of homeschooling Harry?"

Sirius nodded, crossing his own legs. "Remus is going to teach him. I spoke to my cousin Andromeda about what she taught Dora. Remus and I spoke a little about it last week: About his skill level and what kind of things he should learn. But I thought hearing your thoughts were definitely important." He stood up, holding his hand out to her. "Come see what Harry and I did."

McGonagall accepted his hand and let him lead her into the sunroom off of the kitchen. She smiled when she saw the bookcase and the chalkboard and the table all set up.

"Sirius, it looks wonderful! It's warm and inviting. I think you've made a wonderful environment for Harry to learn in."

Sirius' neck flushed red a little from her praise. "Thanks. We worked hard at it and obviously we will be adding lots of books to the shelf and Remus will put together what he needs. Maybe we can cover most of this wall with Harry's schoolwork. It's going to be great."

She followed him back into the living room and sat back down. "I'm honoured that you'd think of me, Sirius, but what you decide to teach Harry before he comes to Hogwarts is entirely up to you. Reading and writing are obviously important but subject wise, Harry will learn the important things when he comes to Hogwarts."

"Uncle Sirius?" a small voice asked as Sirius turned in his seat to grin widely at the messy haired boy rubbing his eyes with one hand as he clung to Prongs and Lily in his other arm.

"Hey, Prongslet, how was your nap?"

Harry pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and nodded. "Good."

Sirius smiled at him. "Come here, Prongslet. This is the guest that I was telling you would be here when you woke up, do you remember her name?"

Harry walked over to where Sirius was sitting on the couch and turned to smile at McGonagall. "Hello, Auntie Minnie," he said softly, climbing up into Sirius' lap.

"Auntie Minnie — did he just…?" At Sirius' wide grin she laughed. "Sirius Black, you have to be joking?"

Sirius laughed up roaringly as Harry smiled at the two of them.

"What's so funny, Auntie Minnie?" Harry asked, his eyes moving between McGonagall and Sirius.

McGonagall smiled warmly at Harry and shook her head. "Nothing, Harry. It's lovely to meet you. You look just like your father."

"Except for the eyes," Remus said as he stepped into the living room carrying a tray of tea and snacks. "He has Lily's eyes."

Harry jumped off of the couch and hurried towards Remus, hugging his leg as he placed the tray down. "Uncle Moony!"

Remus chuckled and picked up Harry. "Hi, little Prongs, did you have a good nap?"

"Yes. I had a dream about singing."

"Singing?" Remus asked in interest. "Were you singing?"

Harry shook his head as Remus took a seat on the couch, pushing Sirius' legs off and sitting Harry between them. "No. A man with messy hair and glasses was and he was playing a guitar."

Sirius' eyes whipped to his godson's face. He _had_ stirred up memories last night; memories of James Potter singing to his son. He was incredibly pleased with himself at the thought. "What was he singing, Harry, do you remember?"

"No, but it was nice." He eyed the tray Remus had placed on the coffee table with interest. "Can I have a biscuit?"

"May I have a biscuit, Harry," Remus corrected, smiling.

"May I have a biscuit, Uncle Remus?"

Remus grinned and handed a biscuit to him. "Of course."

Sirius was watching Harry carefully and he seemed to catch himself, smiling and turning back to McGonagall. Harry just happening to have a dream about his father singing to him and playing the guitar wasn't merely a coincidence. Sirius had jogged an early childhood memory for him and he was ridiculously pleased with himself. He wanted Harry to remember the good things no matter how tiny and insignificant they were. Not having memories of the two people who loved him more than life itself was tragic and he hoped that he could remedy that in any way possible no matter how small.

Harry finished his biscuit, his eyes on McGonagall. "Do you have a little boy, Auntie Minnie?"

McGonagall looked taken aback by the question and Remus snorted into his tea, coughing.

"S-s-sorry," he choked, catching his breath and glaring at Sirius.

"No, Harry, I don't have any children. I'm a professor at Hogwarts."

"What's Hogwarts?" Harry asked her.

"It's a school where you learn magic," she said with a smile.

Harry's eyes were wide. "Learn magic? Like what Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony do?"

"That's right," she said, smiling warmly. "When you get older you'll come and learn too."

"But not now," he said, his eyes on his two uncles as if concerned that he was being sent off to some school of magic that very day.

Remus shook his head, finally controlling his coughing fit. "Not yet, no. You go to Hogwarts when you turn eleven."

Sirius smiled at Harry. "Harry, there was something else that you wanted to ask Auntie Minnie, wasn't there?"

His eyes were twinkling in mischief and Remus was looking between Harry and Sirius in mild amusement and horror.

Harry smiled widely, hopping off the couch and approaching the chair where McGonagall was sitting. "Auntie Minnie?"

"Yes, Harry?" McGonagall asked warily.

The boy in front of her was absolutely adorable, but the way that Sirius' eyes were twinkling in anticipation, she was ninety percent positive that the next words out of his godson's mouth were going to be something that only Sirius Black would come up with.

Harry looked up at her for a moment, biting his bottom lip before he spoke. He smiled sweetly at her and she felt her heart soften. "Uncle Sirius says that you can turn into a cat."

"He's right, I can. I'm an Animagus."

Harry nodded, understanding the term and smiled at her. "So does that mean you have a litter box?"


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note:_

 _I did some research and figured out that in the world of Harry Potter, a professor roughly makes between £32, 000-£47, 000 a year. When you convert that to wizarding currency it is equal to about £40, 000 which is 13, 273 Galleons 14 Sickles 5 Knuts_

 _365 days a year, 52 weeks; 4 days a week of teaching = 208 teaching days as homeschooling means also educated in the summer;_

 _40, 000 ÷ 208 = £192 per day which one then converts to wizarding currency_

 _13, 273 Galleons ÷ 208 = 63.8 Galleons_

 _14 ÷ 4 (days per week) = 3.5_

 _5 days, 5 Knuts, 1 Knut per day_

 _Daily wage: 64 Galleons (round up), 4 Sickles (round up) and 1 Knut_

 _For some reason, I really wanted this to be accurate and I spent a ridiculous amount of time figuring it out with the help of the website: Muggle Currency Converter of Gringotts Bank. And since Harry is being homeschooled so to speak - he is learning every week - so no summer vacation to speak of because he is at home already. My friends that were homeschooled learned this way and I agree with it so that's the route I took._

 _Also, I think that I mentioned it before, but I feel like most of us agree that Sirius came from a similar background of abuse in his own home and I wanted to go into more detail about that. Pottermore lists the death of Walburga Black being in 1985, so in my story, she died when Sirius was still in prison._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN:**

 **After Harry's help all week in putting the classroom together, Sirius had decided to slowly start implementing some daily chores for Harry into his routine.** Every morning after breakfast, he showed Harry how to make his own bed before he got dressed for the day. And he put Harry in charge of setting the table before each meal. They were small things, but he wanted Harry to get used to doing them and he could see how eager the boy was to help out in any way that he could. He remembered how much he liked being able to help Euphemia and Fleamont when they had taken him in. Being useful was more helpful to one's mental health than one would imagine.

By the third day, Harry didn't even have to be asked, He made his bed all on his own (albeit a little lumpy, but he did it) and he had climbed up onto the chair to get the dishes for breakfast before Sirius had even figured out what they were having. It made him smile. They were adjusting well to each other and he hoped that Harry was finally realizing that this was his home.

After breakfast that day, Sirius was taking Harry to see Healer Castellanos again for his second check up. They Flooed to St Mungo's as Harry giggled at the spinning in the flames before they stepped off into the hospital and made their way down to the children's ward.

A healer let them in immediately and Sirius sat next to Harry on the high padded table when the door closed.

"You remember Healer Castellanos, Harry?" Sirius asked him, gesturing for him to take off his shirt in preparation for his examination.

Harry nodded, pulling his shirt off and passing it to Sirius. "Yes."

"She's going to check you over again and just make sure that everything looks good, all right? I don't want you be worried."

Harry smiled at him as if to say that he wasn't worried.

When the door opened and Castellanos stepped in, Sirius had to grin at her widely. He had forgotten just how pretty she was or he had convinced himself that she wasn't actually as pretty as he had remembered. Either way, he had been wrong. Her golden blonde hair was pinned back with a clip today, loose tendrils sweeping her face. She smiled warmly at both of them as she closed the door behind her.

"Hi, Harry, how are you today?"

Harry gave her a small smile. "Good."

Castellanos smiled at Sirius. "How's his eating?"

"Good. We have a good routine going, I think. He has breakfast and then a snack, usually about three hours later, lunch around one, a little nap, and sometimes a snack when he wakes up. We have dinner around six and he's in bed by eight thirty or nine." Sirius explained to her, smiling warmly. "And he almost always cleans his plate. Snacks sometimes include biscuits or ice cream, but usually he has cheese and crackers or fruit."

"Excellent," she said, making some notes on her clipboard before placing it down on the table by the door. She pulled her wand from her sleeve and smiled at Harry. "Harry, I'm going to check you over like I did the last time, okay?"

Harry nodded and followed her instructions as she checked his heartbeat. She poked his ribs, looked at the thin scars on his back - mostly healed over, but lightly left imprints were still visible and probably would be there his whole life. She checked his ears and checked his throat. She weighed him and measured his height, writing down the results with a smile. When she was finished, she handed him his shirt and he tugged it back over his head.

"Everything looks really good. He's put on eight pounds in the four weeks since I've seen him which is a great start. Ideally, if he could put on another ten to twelve that would be wonderful. You said that his father had a similar build?"

Sirius nodded, watching as she tugged a quill from behind her ear and grabbed her clipboard. "James was always scrawny and skinny up until we were about thirteen. Then he finally started to fill out, you know?"

"Family history should be taken into account with his weight," Castellanos explained as she made her notes. "He's getting healthy and I can see the improvement in his nutrition and in his demeanour, I'd say that you're doing a very good job, Mr Black."

"Sirius."

"Hmm?" she retorted, her eyes looking up at him from the over the clipboard she was scribbling on.

"My name — it's Sirius."

She only stared at him for a moment. "As I said, Harry's looking great. Keep up what you're doing. Keep up with his diet of nutrients: Fruits, vegetables, calcium, and protein. Has he been taking vitamins?"

Sirius nodded. "Every morning, right, Prongslet?"

"The red candies?" Harry asked, his green eyes smiling. "I like those."

"See, every morning," Sirius said with a smile.

"Good. I can see that he's progressing well. Unless something comes up that is concerning you, I don't think that I need to see Harry again for another three months. I'll check on how he's doing and he'll be six by then?" At Sirius' nod she smiled. "We'll have some immunization potions for him by then. Six is the normal age that we implement a few key ones such as dragon pox and spattergroit which helps build up a child's immunity to the disease. Also a potion for scrofungulus and vanishing sickness. They won't stop him from catching them, but if he contracts them he will already have an antibody in his system fighting the disease which can only benefit him in the future. I'll have the front desk give you some literature on them for our next meeting. Until then, Mr Black."

"Castellanos," Sirius said, putting his hand on the door to prevent her from opening it. "What I wrote to you about, is there a day coming up where I can visit your brother about the you know what for you know who?"

Castellanos turned around to look at him. "I'll talk to him tonight and owl you the details."

"Thanks," he said with a grin, reaching up to gently tuck a tendril of her hair back behind her ear. "Maybe we can talk it over one night, over dinner perhaps?"

Castellanos only smiled. "I'll see you at Harry's next appointment, Mr Black."

Then she hurried out, closing the door behind her.

Sirius merely grinned. Not the result he had been hoping for, but he supposed he was out of practice.

Besides, she hadn't actually said no.

He turned back to Harry and smiled. "Ready to go home, little man?"

~ ASC ~

 **Harry had his first day of school with Professor Moony, as Uncle Padfoot affectionately told him to call his new teacher, that Friday.** Harry was excited about the prospect of going to a school that wasn't really a school. He ate breakfast, oatmeal with berries, and smiled when Sirius helped him pick out his clothes for the day.

"I'm going to be gone most of the day, Harry," Sirius told him as he helped him button up the plaid shirt that he was wearing. "But Uncle Moony will be here. You'll see me for dinner, all right?"

Harry nodded. "Okay."

He brushed his teeth, hugged Sirius goodbye and watched him ride off on his motorbike before he made his way into the sunroom where he would be learning from now on. Uncle Remus was already there, writing on the chalkboard that he had helped Sirius build.

"Good morning, Harry," Remus said, smiling at him.

"Good morning, Professor Moony."

Remus chuckled. "Harry, you don't have to call me professor."

"Uncle Padfoot told me too," Harry told him as he took a seat in his chair.

Remus smiled. "Well, if you want to, of course, but uncle works just the same." He dusted the chalk from his hands and smiled. "So, I know that we've been working on reading this week while we've finished up the story of _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,_ but I think that we should start with writing today."

Harry nodded, looking up at the alphabet that Remus had written on the board both capitalized and small letters. He had also written a list of random words and names next to the alphabet: Harry James Potter, Sirius Orion Black, Remus John Lupin, Padfoot, Moony, Prongslet, Prongs, Lily, Persephone followed by dog, cat, house, classroom, school, pencil, quill, godfather, uncle.

Harry stared at the board in interest.

"Come over to the board, Harry. I want you to write your name for me, can you do that?" he asked, holding a piece of blue chalk out to the child.

Harry accepted the chalk with a smile and carefully printed his name on the board. Remus grinned at him. "Perfect. Looks like we're off to a great start."

By the end of the first week, Remus had focused mainly on writing and reading skills. Harry would write out sentences as requested and spell out new words at the end of each class. By the second week, Remus started him on numbers, distinguishing between Roman numerals and Arabic numerals and he was surprised to find Harry picking up on both with no problem.

By the third week, Remus had formed more of a general schedule from nine am to three pm. They would spend the morning working with math, taking a break outside around ten thirty and then moving onto writing and literature where he would have Harry read aloud from whatever story that they were using at the time; followed by new words of the day and sentence structure. After lunch, they would spend half an hour outside, running and playing and doing whatever Harry wanted before he would have a nap. While Harry napped, Remus worked on his next lesson.

He had decided to teach Harry history since the boy loved stories and what was history if not great stories? He had always been fascinated and since his mother had been a Muggle and Hope had always shared her love of history with him as a child, he had quite a bit of knowledge on the subject. He wanted to teach them side by the side - that is Muggle history and Magical history - to give Harry a thorough understanding of the world.

After Harry woke up from his nap, they would have a snack, and then Remus would quiz him on his spelling words. They would spend the last thirty to forty minutes of their time together learning the beginning fundamentals of Latin.

Sirius and Remus had decided that they didn't want to overwhelm Harry, so Remus would teach him every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and every other Friday from nine to three. The days Harry didn't have school, he would hang out with Sirius or Remus either at the house or go out with them wherever it was that they needed to go or do.

So far it was turning out to be quite a success between the two of them.

Harry had also spent some time at Remus' house; a few hours here and there throughout the week, playing in the forest with Remus or going through his books. He'd asked to visit and it made Remus smile to know that Harry was comfortable enough with him now to want to spend time with just him and to come to his house to do it. Sirius had even helped Remus turn his spare room into a second bedroom for Harry for when they decided it was time for Harry to have a sleepover. Remus painted a map of the world on one wall and Harry picked out his own sheets and bedspread.

Sirius spent most of the time away from the house while Remus was with Harry. When he was home, he was in the garden, blasting Muggle rock as he worked on his motorcycle. He had taken apart his 1970 Triumph Bonneville T120, buying new parts for it and completely rebuilding the engine and adding special features to it, such as safety mechanisms for when he drove with Harry. He had extended the seat, adding a removable child seat. He painted the bike all black with silver accents and polished the chrome to a shine before he played with the charms.

He increased the pressure and speed of the bike with the hover and levitation charms, combining the two to help the balance of the motorbike. The invisibility charm was still going a little wonky as it tended to only last for short periods of time. Sirius fiddled with the charm, working it into the engine and adding a disillusionment charm to decrease the chances of being seen if the invisibility charm acted up.

He was having the time of his life doing it.

True to her word, Castellanos had sent him an owl about her brother's puppies the day after Harry's healer appointment. His dog was due any day now and he promised to owl Sirius the moment that she had given birth. It was only two days later when that owl arrived and Sirius headed out to the house to visit the puppies.

Apollo Castellanos greeted him warmly when Sirius knocked on his front door. He had the same blonde hair as his sister, but his was darker and Sirius put him as a few years older.

"Come in, come in!" he greeted, ushering Sirius inside. "Sorry about the mess, but with so many animals in the house at the moment it's hard for Medea and I to keep up on it. The puppies need a lot of attention right now."

Sirius followed him through to the back of the house, smiling at the small brunette who stood up, wiping her hands on her pants.

"Hi, you must be Sirius. Thea told us about you. I'm Medea, Apollo's wife."

Sirius shook her hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you. Thea told you about me, eh?"

Medea laughed. "She said that you asked her out."

"I did," Sirius said with a grin. "She never answered me."

Apollo grinned, reaching down to scratch the ears of a large retriever with a golden brown coat. "She can be stubborn when she wants to be," he admitted. "This is Zeus, he's the proud papa of the puppies. His mate is Aphrodite, my golden beauty sleeping over there. She had ten puppies yesterday."

"Ten?" Sirius asked in surprise, following Apollo over to the bed that he had prepared for the dog. She was sleeping peacefully, her ten puppies snuggled against her.

"Yes. Average for retrievers is to have between eight and twelve, guess we got lucky." Apollo said with a smile. "And as much as Medea and I love animals — we also have two cats so we can't keep ten more dogs around. We don't have the space for one thing. We agreed to keep two. Both female we think… we haven't decided yet to be honest."

Sirius nodded, grinning as he bent down to look in on the pups. "They're beautiful." Each puppy was an interesting mix of gold and bronze, some lighter and some darker than others and some with a reddish tinge to their coats.

"Thea mentioned that you were looking for your son?"

"Yeah. He'll be six at the end of July. He… he's my godson technically and before I got custody of him he was living in a bad way and he's a little shy and he's been through a lot. I thought having a dog might help him in more ways than one, plus give him a loyal friend to love."

Medea smiled warmly. "He'll love it."

"I think so too. I am very interested in one of those puppies if you're looking to sell when they're old enough that is," Sirius told them. "I want a male."

Apollo grinned, still scratching Zeus behind the ears. "We have seven males in the litter so you will have your pick. Why don't you stop by again next week and you can take another look, maybe hold and feed a few before you make your decision?"

Sirius smiled as he looked down at the adorable litter of puppies before him. "Sounds great. Maybe you can tell me how I can get Thea to give me an answer on that date?"

Medea laughed and linked her arm through Sirius'. "Oh honey, you're on your own there. Thea is too stubborn for that."

Apollo smirked. "And then some." He opened the ice box and pulled out two beers, offering one to Sirius. "What do you want to know about my sister?"

When Sirius left an hour later, he was feeling very good about Althea Castellanos. Apollo had told him that he was the fourth child of five in the Castellanos family, Thea was the youngest. They had three older brothers: Acheron, Aristokles, and Adonis. They had grown up in Athens and moved to England when their father Alexandros was hired by the Ministry of Magic as the Greek Ambassador for International Magical Relations when Althea had been fourteen, but all of the Castellanos children had continued to attend the Durmstrang Institute. Althea had always dreamed of being a pedia-healer and had been accepted into the Healer's Academy right out of school.

Althea was also single; living in London near St Mungo's in a flat with her best friend and fellow healer Priya Dara. She was twenty-three and the proud auntie of nine. And according to Apollo, was too stubborn for her own good. Apollo had also mentioned that his sister had a weakness for Muggle films and seven veils gelato.

Sirius took that to mean that Apollo approved of him and would keep it in mind for the next time he saw her again, which he hoped would be soon.

In the meantime, he visited Apollo and Medea once a week to check on the puppies. He discovered that Apollo also had a fondness for motorbikes and while they played with the dogs; they often became lost in discussions on how the engine ventilation breathed in the '70 Triumph Bonneville, something it solely lacked in the '68, and how much better the smaller oil-filled ignition coils were in the '70 Triumph. Medea only rolled her eyes when the two of them started talking about motorcycle anything.

It was nice to find someone as interested in the inner mechanics of automobiles and motorbikes as he was.

Sirius had also gotten back into a workout routine. Three days a week, he found himself without anything to do from nine to three so he needed to keep himself busy and active. He felt his screaming underused muscles from years of imprisonment start to rebuild their stamina through a routine, made him feel better. He did push-ups and sit-ups every morning when he woke up, but he could feel the muscles in his arms working hard as he fixed up his bike, lifting tires and parts and rebuilding the shed in the backyard to store his tools. He hung up his motorcycle pin-ups along the walls and thought it was really starting to feel like his home.

He had also taken to digging out the garden in the back; getting rid of the dead plants and planting new seeds. Ted had sent him an envelope full of seeds to plant of various flowers and vines with a note promising that Andromeda hadn't even touched the seeds, which made Sirius laugh. He wondered what it was about his cousin that plants took such a disliking too.

Sirius went to Gringotts as well, organizing a private account for Harry and putting the rest of the Potter fortune into a trust until Harry reached the age of seventeen. He sorted out a direct deposit fund from the Potter Estate to Remus Lupin, as professor to Harry Potter. After talking to McGonagall about what a decent wage for a professor was based on annual salary, Sirius calculated that if Remus taught Harry four days a week, every week for the year, Sirius should be paying him roughly sixty four Galleons, four Sickles and 1 Knut per day. He arranged to have the payment of two hundred and fifty six Galleons, sixteen Sickles and four Knuts transferred weekly into Remus' bank vault.

Remus' splutter of protest was met upon deaf ears.

Sirius knew that James and Lily would expect him to do nothing less than to force the payment upon Lupin for his teaching and he wasn't going to let his friend try to talk him out of it. He knew how much Remus had struggled from the moment that he had graduated from Hogwarts. His father had left him the small cottage when he had passed and Remus had struggled to afford it. No one would hire him because he needed time off to deal with the full moon; too many sick days — and they considered it a poor trait in an employee when he never gave a valid reason why. Sirius wasn't going to watch his friend scramble to make ends meet when he could help out and Fleamont Potter had left the Potter vault with billions (if not trillions) of Galleons. James had always said that he and six generations could live off of the interest, and still be rich.

Therefore, paying for Harry's education by Remus Lupin from the Potter Estate vault not only made the most sense, but Sirius knew that the Potters would have approved wholeheartedly.

But the surprise came for him at the end of June when an owl arrived from the Ministry of Magic.

 _Dear Mr Sirius Black,_

 _Please be at the Wizengamot Administration Services Office to see Darcy Floras at three p.m. this Friday, the 27th of June._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Darcy Floras_

 _Wizengamot Administration Services_

 _Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

 _Ministry of Magic_

Sirius stared at the letter in confusion. Why would anyone from the Wizengamot Administration Services want to speak with him? He had received his payment for his wrongful imprisonment after being released from Azkaban. Why would they need to see him about anything, especially almost eleven weeks after he had been released?

When he had shown it to Remus, he had been equally as flummoxed. "I have no idea, Sirius. But the Wizengamot doesn't only deal with the courts system. And it says the administration office, I bet there's some paperwork that you need to file or deal with concerning the custody of Harry."

The thought still made him slightly nervous. Did something go wrong? Had there been a problem with his guardianship that was listed very clearly in the wills of both James and Lily Potter? He had finished all of the paperwork already. He was sure of it.

He felt uneasy about the entire thing.

When Sirius stepped off of the elevator onto level two of the Ministry of Magic that Friday afternoon, he took a deep breath before making his way over to the Wizengamot Administration Services Office and smiling at the woman sitting at the front desk. He hung his sunglasses on his shirt and smiled causing the woman to smile back with an almost dreamy expression in her eyes.

Sirius only used it to his advantage. "Hi, darling, I'm here to see Darcy Floras for a three o'clock appointment."

The woman blushed, having caught herself staring and Sirius grinned. It was nice to know that he still had the power to charm women with his looks. He had always felt it to be a strong quality.

"Miss Floras will see you now, Mr Black."

He winked at her and she turned red, watching the saunter of his butt in the tight jeans he wore as he headed to the office.

Darcy Floras, a pretty brunette with square glasses smiled at him when he knocked on her office door. "Ah, yes, Mr Black, please come in."

Sirius stepped into her office, looking around in interest at the bookshelves and the paperwork that seemed to litter her desk. "Nice office."

"Thanks," she said, smiling warmly at him. "Please have a seat." Once he was seated in front of her, she crossed her arms over the desk, smiling at him. "I have two separate things to discuss with you today; both are needing your signature as well."

Sirius only nodded, leaning forward in his chair. "Can you tell me what they are in regards too?"

Floras smiled, her soft brown eyes lighting up in confusion. "Do you not know? Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr Black, I thought the reasoning was obvious." When he only continued to stare at her, she blushed and the grin he shot her way made her knees tremble. He was entirely too handsome for his own good — and he knew it. "It's about the custody of one Harry James Potter and the Black Estate."

"I'm sorry, did you just say _the Black Estate_?"

Floras nodded, shuffling folders on her desk until she found what she was looking for. "Correct. You are Sirius Orion Black, son of Orion and Walburga Black?" When he only nodded, Floras opened the folder and began to read aloud.

" _The last will and testament of Lord Orion Black, Viscount of Falmouth. In the case of my death, I bequeath my entire estate and fortune to my wife, Walburga, with a trust left for my son, Regulus Arcturus Black, not to be received until his seventeenth birthday. If for some reason, times continue to be hard and Regulus is not around to inherit, then the entire estate and titles of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, home and fortune, will be entrusted to my eldest son, Sirius Orion Black._ "

She looked up at him, handing the copy of the will towards him. "It came across my desk at the end of last week, having been put aside due to your imprisonment."

"Due to my… I'm sorry, my father left everything to _me_?"

"Yes," Floras said, tapping her fingers on the will. "You are now the sole heir to the Black Family Estate."

"My-my mother?" he asked, completely bewildered by this rather sudden turn of events.

Floras looked sad for a moment, but she masked it. "I'm very sorry to inform you, Mr Black, but she died last year. Her will came forward in September, after her death, outlining that upon her death - the will of Lord Orion Black would come into play. With your brother and father having passed away six years earlier, you were the only living heir left. However, you were imprisoned in Azkaban. When you were released, the goblins at Gringotts immediately sent word that you needed to claim your estate and the paperwork was re-sent out having been held in trust by Lord Cygnus Black. I apologize that it took so long to come forward, but it was rather backlogged I'm afraid because of your circumstances."

Sirius was only partially listening to her. His mother was dead.

That was why his Aunt Druella had been at the trial and not Walburga; she had been there to see what the truth was. When he had arrived at Grimmauld Place, he had thought it looked a little dusty, but he had been so intent on getting his things and getting out of there that he hadn't really focused on anything else. Kreacher had been weird, he remembered, but nothing out of the ordinary. If he was living in that house all alone with no one to talk to but the portrait of his mother, that would explain a lot of things and a lot of the weird.

He waited for some form of grief to work through him. His mother was dead. The woman who had given birth to him was dead… but he felt nothing but a sense of relief. She hadn't really been his mother — only biologically. His real mother had been Fee and when Euphemia Potter had died of dragon pox, he had sobbed uncontrollably for days, feeling like his heart had broken into millions of pieces and exploded out of his chest. He and James had comforted each other in their grief and then when Fleamont had died less than week later, they had drank themselves into oblivion to mask their sorrow.

He closed his eyes and focused on the words that the woman in front of him was speaking.

"— So if you could just sign here, we can get everything taken care of."

"I'm sorry, sign what?" Sirius asked, focusing his attention back on the pretty brunette. "I'm afraid I wasn't really listening."

Floras smiled sympathetically at him. "I only need you to sign here that you have heard and seen the will and then I can give you the key to the vault and the deed to the house."

Sirius nodded, signing his name and accepting the key and documents that she passed to him. "Thanks. What's the other thing pertaining to — about Harry?"

Floras shuffled more paper around, finding what she was looking for. "These are the papers detailing your official custody of one Harry James Potter. Everything is in order, the will of James and Lily Potter does specifically state that upon their death, Sirius Orion Black is to be the legal guardian of their son. I just need you to sign here stating that you have now officially filed all paperwork for guardianship and that's it."

"Seems like a lot of paperwork for so little," he mumbled, picking up the quill and signing his name.

Floras nodded, rolling her eyes. "Tell me about it." She stood up, offering her hand out with a smile. "Thank you for coming in, Mr Black. Everything is in order now."

Sirius accepted her hand, taking the key and the deed to the house in London off of the desk. "Yes, thank you."

When he Apparated back home, he found Remus making dinner in the kitchen. Harry jumped to his feet when he stepped in the house and had run into his arms. Sirius swung him up, making him laugh and carried him on his hip into the kitchen.

"Did you have a good day at school with Uncle Moony?"

Harry grinned and eagerly began to tell Sirius all about what he had learned that day: A new story about a girl named Dorothy who travelled to a place called Oz, conversational Latin - est tempus ad prandium? (is it time for dinner?) - and that in a place called Mesopotamia, there was a famous king known as Gilgamesh.

Sirius nodded along, smiling at Harry as he listened with interest. Harry really liked school and it made him smile to see it. He especially liked how Harry greeted him when he came home after being away. When Remus announced that dinner was ready, Sirius told Harry to go upstairs and wash up.

As he hurried off to wash up, Sirius placed the folder on the table. "My mother died."

Remus, who was in the middle of scooping the chicken Alfredo pasta into a bowl for Harry, stopped and stared at him. "What?"

"My mother — died. In September, apparently."

"Oh," Remus said quietly, continuing to fill up Harry's bowl and placing it on the table before he grabbed a second bowl for Sirius. "Are you sad?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't even care." He stood up, slamming his fist on the counter and turning to look at his friend. "I'm mad at myself for not caring. She was my mother, shouldn't I fucking feel… I don't know… something?"

"Don't be," Remus said softly, placing the bowl of food on the table. "She wasn't there for you. It's not wrong to not be sad when she treated you like she did."

Sirius nodded, closing his eyes. "I know, but I was remembering how I grieved for Fee and Monty and… I feel bad that I won't grieve for her. But all I can think of is how she kicked me out of that house."

Remus sighed, his eyes on his friend. "She didn't deserve you, Sirius."

 _When Sirius walked into his house the first day of summer holidays after fifth year, he literally sighed when the door closed behind him and he was engulfed in the semi-darkness of the entranceway. The large portrait that his father had gotten of his mother the year before, life-sized and massive, immediately began to scream at the sight of him._

 _"YOU DISGUST ME! NO CHILD OF MINE WILL BE A GRYFFINDOR!"_

 _Sirius ignored the portrait much in the way that he had all of last summer when Orion had hung it in the entranceway. He remembered how his father had merely winked at him. "Listening to her nag and scream would definitely deter any robbers or assassins from this place; won't even need the warding."_

 _Regulus had laughed. "Father, don't let Mother hear you saying that!"_

 _He dragged his trunk up the stairs to his room as Walburga, Orion, and Regulus chatted about how great Regulus' school year had been, barely acknowledging him. It was how he liked it best most times. He wondered how long he would have to wait until he could go see James._

 _He plopped himself onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling, grinning at the topless blonde Muggle in denim straddling a 1973 Gilera 125 Strada. James had found the poster for him last year when he had gone to New York with Fleamont. Sirius had enjoyed using a permanent sticking charm and placing it on his ceiling just to spite his mother who would hate it for the nudity and the fact that it was Muggle. A Muggle who had great breasts, he thought, staring up at them._

 _His door banged open and he merely raised an eyebrow, his arms folded behind his head. "Hi, Mum, realized I came home too?"_

 _Walburga Black stood there, hands fisted at her hips and her lips curling into a sneer. "How many OWLs do you think you will bring home?"_

 _"Couldn't say; won't get my results for a few weeks now, will I?"_

 _"I assume you're doing well in your studies though Regulus says that you seem to spend a lot of time in detention. Why am I just hearing about this now? Your Head of House should be writing to me to inform me when you step out of line. I will be writing to Dumbledore about McGonagall's absolute incompetence in keeping me informed of your well-being," she demanded, looking around the room in disgust when her eyes fell on another Muggle poster, this one was a redhead in a purple bikini leaning against a 1964 BSA Thunderbolt. "And why must you decorate your walls with those awful Muggle machines?"_

 _"I think they're cool," he told her. "McG doesn't write to you because she knows you don't care. I always get good grades, I'm sure my examination marks will be the same."_

 _Walburga only stared at him. "Your father and I have been talking about your choices and your behaviour. In November, you're going to be seventeen."_

 _"Aw, you remembered my birthday? I'm honoured, of course it's only June."_

 _She was across the room and her hand slapping his cheek before he could blink. He sat up on his bed and grabbed her hand. "I'm not a child anymore, you better think again before you hit me."_

 _Her eyes widened in fear for a moment before she masked it. "You will be seventeen this November and as the eldest son and heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, it's time for you to start to think about your future. The Dark Lord, he's approached your father and I about helping him build a better world. You should think about how you want to help him, Sirius. You would bring honour to your family."_

 _"This so called Dark Lord is recruiting henchmen to kill and torture Muggles and Muggleborns. No thank you."_

 _Walburga's eyes darkened. "He wants to build a world where the pureblood wizard is praised — is worshipped — and is treated with respect! It's about time that you realize what it means to be a Black. Your father and I have decided that you will wed Alecto Carrow. She's fifteen and a member of the sacred twenty-eight. You will marry when she turns sixteen."_

 _Sirius' mouth opened in horror. "Or not."_

 _"No, you will. I am tired of seeing my eldest son make terrible choices. It's bad enough that you were put into Gryffindor House over Slytherin and are hanging around with a Potter — blood traitors, the whole family has been for centuries — but to be seen with that half-blood Lupin and Regulus tells us that the redhead you hugged goodbye at the station is a Mudblood! You should be ashamed of yourself!"_

 _"Don't call her that!" Sirius exclaimed, his anger rising. "She's an amazing woman and I would choose her over you any day."_

 _Walburga merely smirked. "You will marry Alecto Carrow."_

 _"No, I won't."_

 _"You will marry her or I will get a message out to the Dark Lord about where this Mudblood of yours lives and we'll see how quickly you change your mind."_

 _Sirius stood up, towering over her and pointing his wand at her heart. He didn't care that he was underage; he would use it if he had to. "If you touch her, I will kill you."_

 _Walburga smiled. "There's the Black blood in you, my dear boy. Toujours Pur."_

 _Sirius lowered his wand, a sense of disgust washing over him. He was NOT like his family. He wouldn't let himself be. "I'm not like you."_

 _"Crucio!"_

 _Sirius collapsed to the ground, biting his lip to keep from screaming as the curse brought him to his knees. When she lifted her wand, he breathed in relief, catching his breath._

 _"You will marry Alecto Carrow. You will produce at least two pureblood heirs, preferably male. You will graduate with honours and join the ranks of the Dark Lord as a proud member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black," she demanded, her wand pointed at him. "And you will abandon all ties with that Potter boy and his traitorous parents once and for all. Have I made myself clear?"_

 _Sirius wiped blood from his lip, spitting on the ground in front of her. "Screw you."_

 _The curse hit him a second time and he screamed as it coursed through him. He felt like his insides were on fire, like someone was holding them in the midst of a burning flame and crushing them with rocks at the same time. His eyes caught movement in the doorway and his eyes met his brother's who was watching wide-eyed, hidden off to the side. When she finally let him breathe, he gasped for breath and rolled onto his side._

 _"It's about time you start showing respect to this family," she demanded, her eyes glaring at him with hatred and contempt. "You are an embarrassment!"_

 _Sirius climbed to his feet, grabbing his bed frame to steady his shaking legs. "Better an embarrassment than to be like you." When she raised her wand he grabbed it, ripping it from her arms. "I'm not a child that you can control anymore. The Imperious stopped working on me when I was twelve and this is the last time that you will ever use the Cruciatus on me so I hope that you fucking enjoyed it! I am going to be seventeen in November and I am going to be in charge of my own future and my own destiny. I will not be marrying a pureblood bitch just to breed with her. And I will not abandon my friendship with the blood traitor Potter as it would be a tad hypocritical of me being that I also befriend Muggleborns and purebloods alike."_

 _"This is your last warning, Sirius! If you want to be part of this family, you will do as I command!"_

 _Sirius stared at her. "Then I don't want to be part of this family. I haven't been, not really, in a long time. You trying to make me now is a fucking waste of both of our time."_

 _"You disgust me!"_

 _Sirius merely shrugged. "So you're nagging portrait told me when I walked in the door."_

 _"Get out! Get your stuff and get out of my house! You are no longer welcome here!"_

 _Sirius only stared at her for a moment and then he simply grabbed the trunk that he had dragged up the stairs and pulled it behind him as his mother screamed at him all the way back down. He dropped his mother's wand at the foot of the portrait and the last thing he heard was his mother blasting his name off of the family tapestry as he stepped back out on to the London street and he never looked back._

"She wasn't my mother, Moony," he said as Harry came bounding back into the kitchen and sat himself down at the kitchen table. "A mother wouldn't treat her child the way she treated me."

He took the bowl of pasta from his friend and sat down across from his godson. He served a helping of salad to Harry, urging him to eat the fresh vegetables, and he smiled. He had a family and he had never once regretted choosing the family he had over the family he had come from.

Not once.


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's Note:_

 _I love writing this story and I'm having fun with it. Also, I'm trying to stay a minimum of two to three chapters ahead (usually more than five) of what I'm posting so that you guys are at least getting something — but I can't make any guarantees._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:**

 **The month of July kept Sirius and Remus busy trying to figure out how they wanted to celebrate Harry's sixth birthday.** Sirius knew that he wanted to do something amazing. He was positive that Harry had never even had a birthday party before let alone had anyone celebrate his birthday. At least since Lily and James had thrown him his big first birthday bash which he obviously didn't remember. As the days got closer, Harry never even mentioned that he had a special day coming up, let alone had he asked for anything at all, which only confirmed Sirius' suspicions.

Sirius wanted to take him somewhere fun for the day and to spoil him rotten. Not to mention give him the puppy that he had picked out of Aphrodite's litter, a dark reddish golden retriever with soft brown eyes. He would be going to get the puppy while Remus took Harry back to his cottage with him so that Andromeda and Nymphadora could sneak into the house and decorate.

But they still had a few details to work out.

Sirius was considering those details as he leaned against his motorbike in tight black jeans, a white muscle shirt and his black leather jacket outside of St Mungo's with a double scoop of Seven Veils Gelato in his hand just as Healer Althea Castellanos stepped outside for her lunch break.

He winked at her, grinning as he stepped into her path. "Castellanos."

Castellanos looked at him in surprise. "Black."

"Thought you might be looking for something sweet," he said as he handed her the gelato.

She made to protest, but then she sniffed suspiciously. "Is that Seven Veils?"

"The chocolate gelato of your dreams, why yes it is," he stated as if genuinely surprised that he happened to be holding it.

She accepted the cup with a smile. "This is my favourite flavour."

Sirius grinned widely. "Apollo might have mentioned it."

Her eyebrow raised slightly as she licked the spoon. "When I said that I would introduce you to Apollo to help you pick out a puppy from the litter, I didn't mean for you to make friends with him."

Sirius shrugged. "We have a bit in common, not to mention a love of a good engine. He told me that you were stubborn."

She scooped another bite of gelato into her mouth and sighed happily as she swallowed. "I am. I'm also not interested, did he mention that to you as well?"

Sirius stepped closer to her, his hand gently brushing a tendril of her hair away from her face and her breath hitched causing him to smile slowly. "I'm not a healer, love, but the breathlessness, the increase in your pulse, and the way your eyes just brightened there. Babe, you are very much attracted to me."

"Attraction and interest are two very different things," she insisted, stepping away from him and taking a seat on a nearby bench.

"True," he said, moving to sit next to her. "But attraction is also the first sign of interest."

Castellanos merely stared at him. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a very annoying human being?"

"It's been mentioned once or twice," he said with a grin. "Usually they just go on about what a great kisser I am."

She snorted. "I rather doubt that."

Sirius grinned. "Guess I'll have to prove it to you." He leaned in and stopped half an inch from her slightly parted lips, letting his slow smile return. "Someone is interested to see if I'm right."

Castellanos jerked herself away from him, standing up. "I'm not actually. And I'm a very busy woman."

Sirius grinned widely at her. "Oh, I know. But I know you're off on Sunday and I thought maybe you'd like to come by for Harry's sixth birthday party?"

Castellanos looked at him in surprise. "You're inviting me over for your godson's birthday?"

"Well, yeah. It's a small gathering as Harry doesn't know very many people, but I thought as many people as he does know would be a good idea. So what do you say Castellanos? Are you woman enough to come to a kid's birthday party?"

She merely stared at him. He could see her weighing the options and when her eyes stubbornly went blank, he sighed. "Thanks for the gelato, Black. I'm afraid that I have plans on Sunday, but please tell Harry that I wish him a happy birthday."

Sirius ran his hand through his hair, smirking at her. "Scared to be alone with me, Castellanos, worried I might actually be the best snog you'll ever have?"

"As I said, Black, I'm _not_ interested," she insisted, her eyes flashing in annoyance. "I'm a very busy woman and I hardly have time to get into a relationship with a man who is single-handedly raising a child, who is also a patient of mine."

He merely licked his lips. "Alright, if you insist we can just have a few great shags."

Her mouth dropped open. "A _few_ great shags?"

"Well, calm down now, love. I'm an excellent lover. One time just wouldn't do it for you. You'd be putty in my hands and you know it."

Castellanos merely shook her head and made to turn and go back to the hospital in a huff of annoyance. Sirius grabbed her hand, spinning her around and pulling her up against his body. When she made no move to protest this, he swooped down and watched as her lips gently parted for his and he kissed them so softly that it was barely a whisper.

"Just wanted to give you something to think about, Castellanos."

He let go of her hand and was only a little surprised when her hands immediately fisted in his hair and she pulled his mouth down to hers. The kiss was hard and fantastic. He could taste the chocolate gelato on her sweet lips and when his tongue met hers, she made a delicious whimpering noise that made him smile.

When he pulled away, still tasting her on his lips, he smiled. "Castellanos, I'm impressed."

She merely shrugged. "If you're going to snog someone, Black, make it worth their while next time."

Then she headed back into St Mungo's and left Sirius grinning after her.

She was a little stubborn, he admitted, but he was hard-headed himself. And she was a pretty damn good kisser, he thought, grinning widely. He climbed onto his bike, whistling. She had definitely given him something else to think about.

He hoped that she thought about him for the rest of the day too.

~ ASC ~

 **When he got back to the house, Remus and Harry were just finishing up their lesson for the day.** Sirius had picked up Chinese food while he was in London and he carefully placed the take-out on the kitchen table, moving to find plates as Harry hurried upstairs to wash up for dinner.

"Are you staying for food, Moony?"

Remus nodded, smiling at his friend. "If you wouldn't mind. That smells amazing."

Sirius grinned. "Right? I was flirting with Castellanos and saw the restaurant on my way back. I invited her over for the party."

Remus' eyebrow rose in surprise. "Is she coming?"

"Nah. She's got plans — or so she says."

"Do you even know what the word no means, Padfoot?"

Sirius grinned widely. "Sure, I do. It means try again later."

Remus laughed and helped his friend open up all of the containers of food. "You are a terrible influence. No means no, Padfoot. Leave her alone."

Sirius simply shrugged. "I will, when she actually tells me the word."

Remus stared at his friend for a moment and then nodded. "Fair point."

"You're still taking Harry on Sunday morning?"

"Yes, Padfoot; don't worry."

Sirius shrugged, grinning widely. "Can't help it. I know it's only Friday, but I'm excited. I told Apollo that I'd be there by ten thirty to pick up the puppy. I bought all of the stuff for the dog today. I got him a collar, some toys, a dog bed, dog food, his own dishes. He should be set. Plus I got that toy broomstick I bought before I even brought Harry home. I have that wrapped too along with his other gifts. I know that he's going to be spoiled, but I can't help it! I don't want him to miss out on anymore than he already has."

Remus smiled at his friend. "I agree with you and if I had the money like you do, I'd be spoiling him too. I already bought him more than I had planned on as it is."

"He hasn't even mentioned it to me once that it's his birthday. I wonder if he even knows?"

"He knows," Remus said with a grimace. "He let something slip, I think by accident - the other day when we were reading _Alice in Wonderland._ He said something about how Dudley had gotten invited to his friend's birthday and that he had been surprised because he didn't know that everyone had their own birthday. He had thought it was something unique to his cousin Dudley. Petunia told him that he was stupid and that everyone had a birthday. She told him when his was and then when his fifth birthday came around a few months later, they completely ignored it."

"Fucking tossers," Sirius muttered under his breath, his grey eyes darkening. "I want Harry to know how special his birthday is."

"He will. Andromeda's making the cake, right?" Remus confirmed.

Sirius nodded. "She is. It's going to be great." He looked up as they heard Harry coming back down the stairs. "Let's eat."

~ ASC ~

 **Remus took Harry to his cottage on Sunday morning under the pretence of baking cookies.** But he had found a book in his room when he had gotten home the night before, one his mother had given him, and he had wanted to share it. He showed Harry the warm leather cover of the first edition copy of _Oliver Twist_ that his mother had given him for his sixteenth birthday. It was still one of his favourite books mostly because of the wonderful memories that he held in regards to reading it and having it read to him by his mother over the years.

Harry eagerly looked at it and he asked Remus to sit outside and read it to him. He still loved nothing more than stories and it pleased Remus that he enjoyed spending so much time with him. They were sitting under a big tree at the edge of the forest, Harry resting against Remus' arm as Remus read aloud to him.

The reading was interrupted when a beautiful silvery blue dog jumped towards them and Harry's eyes widened in wonder.

"It's so pretty, Uncle Moony! Look!" he exclaimed, standing up and pointing at the dog in amazement.

Remus smiled and closed the book, climbing to his feet. "It is, isn't it? That's a Patronus, Harry."

"What's that?"

"A spell," Remus informed him with a smile. "A very powerful charm. Each Patronus is unique to the wizard or witch who casts it. Patronuses can send messages to people; they amplify happiness, they can drive away the darkness, and they are a symbol of who you are — inside your soul. That dog belongs to Uncle Sirius."

"It does?"

"Doesn't it look like Uncle Padfoot?" Remus asked as the dog Patronus jumped around them.

Harry grinned, his eyes flashing in recognition. "It does! It is Uncle Padfoot!"

Remus smiled and held his hand out to Harry. "That's our cue to take you home, little Prongs."

"I can't stay with you all day," he whined as his bottom lip moved out into a tiny pout. "You said that we were going to bake cookies!"

Remus smiled and ruffled Harry's hair, tugging the boy close for a hug. "We got caught up in the story and ran out of time. But I promise you that the next time you come over, we'll bake tons of cookies. I'll even let you lick the batter."

Harry grinned widely. "Deal."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius was practically bouncing in excitement.** He had locked the new puppy up in the sunroom with a dish of water and some food, putting a silencing charm on the door so that Harry wouldn't hear the dog barking. His eyes had fallen on the chocolate cake with rainbow frosting that Andromeda had baked and brought over. In loopy red writing it said: Happy 6th Birthday, Harry!

He grinned widely at Ted when he came into the living room. "Do you think he'll like it?"

Ted smiled sympathetically, patting Sirius on the shoulder. He remembered being just as excited for his own daughter's first few birthdays. Sometimes it was harder on the parent, he thought. "Can't see why he wouldn't, Sirius. The place looks great."

Sirius grinned up at the decorations. His thirteen-year-old-cousin, Nymphadora, had helped him decorate, and the living room and kitchen were covered in red and gold balloons. Sirius figured that he might as well keep the Gryffindor spirit up for the party.

Nymphadora was sitting in the big armchair in the living room, her feet crossed at the ankles as she blew a giant pink bubble from her mouth, popping the gum loudly with satisfaction. Andromeda had let her pierce the top of her ear, he noticed. She had three earrings in each lobe and two hoops at the top of each ear. Her brown hair was to her waist and streaked with bright pink. She had it in a long braid down her left shoulder.

Sirius moved to sit on the edge of her seat. "Have I told you how great the place looks, Nymphadora?"

Nymphadora rolled her eyes. "Please don't call me by that atrocious name."

Sirius smirked. "Atrocious? Why Nymphadora, it is a long and beautiful name! Nymphadora Andromeda Mary-Ellen Tonks."

"My friends just call me Tonks. I'm trying to convince Mum to do so as well."

"Bit confusing though when there are two other Tonks's in the room," Sirius told her with a smile. "Let's stick with Dora for family occasions, okay? I promise that when your Mum isn't around, I'll call you by your surname."

Tonks grinned sheepishly. "Deal. By the way, Sirius, how old were you when you got your first tat?" she asked, standing up and grabbing his arm, turning it to check out the sleeve that was the full moon with he and his friends in their animal forms running below it. "They're all so gorgeous! I'd love to maybe get one some day. How many do you have?"

"I was sixteen," he told her, smirking. "Which is how old you have to be to get one without a guardian's permission, so don't hold your breath there, princess."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "I don't mean _right now_. Besides, I can give myself a tattoo whenever I want." She scrunched up her nose in concentration and on the entire left side of her face blue vines began to form, blooming into flowers as the tattoo continued down her neck. "See? But it's not the same. They don't have the same authenticity."

Sirius grinned. "Nice. I'm not big on face tats; they're tacky. If you're going to get a tattoo it should mean something to you; not just to get one to say that you have a tattoo, you know? Remember that, Tonks, my advice to you. And for the record, I have twelve tattoos. I'm thinking of getting another one."

Tonks' eyes widened. "That's brilliant! What do you want number thirteen to be?"

Sirius smiled at her for a moment. "Something to symbolize my life over the last few years, I think. But I haven't really decided yet."

The fireplace came to life and Sirius jumped to his feet, his grin so wide that it could crack his face. "Excellent!" Then his smile faded when McGonagall stepped out. "Oh, hi, Minnie."

"Don't look so disappointed, Sirius, I'll feel unwanted," she said, dusting herself off.

Sirius hugged her, kissing her cheek. "No, sorry, I'm just excited for Harry to get here." He took the gift from her with a smile and placed it on the coffee table. "I think you're the last to arrive."

Tonks smiled at McGonagall. "Hi, Professor, fancy seeing you here."

McGonagall nodded. "Miss Tonks."

Ted and Andromeda stepped out of the kitchen, both snacking on grapes. "Has Remus arrived yet?"

"No," Sirius said gloomily, plopping himself back down on the arm of the chair next to Tonks.

Andromeda laughed, rubbing her hands up Sirius' arm and kissing his cheek. "You'd think it was your birthday or something."

The fireplace lit up again and Sirius beamed as Remus stepped out, holding Harry in his arms. Harry looked around the living room as Remus put him down, his eyes drifting to all of the people before he simply ran to Sirius, his arms outstretched to be be scooped up. Sirius picked him up, kissing his cheek, his rough stubble making him smile as it brushed his skin.

"Why are all these people here?" Harry whispered, his eyes wide.

"For you, Harry," Sirius said with a smile. "Happy Birthday!"

Harry's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "But it's not my birthday for three more days?"

Sirius kissed his cheek again. "This is your birthday party and we decided to do it a few days earlier! We have guests and food and birthday cake and presents." He pointed to the table towering with gifts. "Happy Birthday, Prongslet."

Harry's eyes widened in amazement as they slowly took in the room, the decorations, the people and then the presents. "For me?"

Sirius placed him back on his feet, his hand on his shoulder in reassurance. "All for you, Prongslet."

Tonks laughed, coming over to kneel down in front of him and tickling his stomach. "No one else is turning six years old, Harry!"

Harry, who had only met her two weeks ago when she had come to visit and play with him — had instantly fallen in love with her charm. She was always tripping over things and changing parts of her appearance into a pig or a rabbit or making her hair funny colours. He threw his arms around her neck, giggling as she tickled him.

"I'm turning six!"

"You sure are," Sirius said with a grin. "And we have quite a day planned for you, Prongslet!"

Tonks picked him up, carrying him over to the table full of gifts. "And look, everyone brought you a gift."

Harry's eyes widened again. "No one's ever given me a gift before."

Sirius' eyes darkened slightly, but he pushed his emotions back. He had known that already so hearing his godson say the words shouldn't bother him as much as they did. He watched Tonks lead Harry around the room to show him all of the decorations and the food.

Harry was grinning widely as he spoke to McGonagall, who handed him some of the cheese and crackers from the table.

"Is he happy? He looks happy," Sirius asked Remus who had come over to stand with him.

"He looks very happy, Sirius," Remus told him with a smile. "I think you did well here."

"I didn't want to invite too many people, I mean, I didn't want to overwhelm him, you know?"

Remus nodded. He agreed with Sirius' reasoning. Ted, Andromeda, Nymphadora, and McGonagall were more than enough. Sirius was right, it was better to keep it small with all of the people that Harry had already met and was comfortable enough with.

Since Nymphadora had finished her term at school, she had been stopping by once or twice a week to play with Harry. Harry always smiled when he saw her. She was always laughing and playing games. She had taught him how to play football, tripping over the ball in the process and making Harry laugh as she had landed flat on her face. Remus had run over to make sure that she was all right and she had blushed furiously, insisting that she was fine. He hadn't wanted to embarrass her but he had been worried by how hard she had landed on the ground.

The next time that she had come over, she had brought chocolate brownies that Andromeda had made and she took Harry into the kitchen to show him how to make chocolate icing and together they had covered the brownies in the sweet icing, Harry grinning widely as Nymphadora had let him lick the spoon.

Harry loved it when she stopped by, his attention immediately leaving Remus' studies and going to the fun that he was going to have with Tonks as she affectionately insisted Harry call her. He was quite taken with her and he loved when she came over to play with him.

McGonagall had been by twice and once Harry had broken the ice about the litter box, she had laughed herself silly and entertained Harry by changing into her cat Animagus and letting him pet her, which she insisted was a one time thing - and only because he had asked so nicely. Remus thought that it was a miracle that Harry hadn't accidentally revealed that Sirius could turn into a dog at this point, but he often had a sneaking suspicion that McGonagall knew sometimes.

But he could never confirm it.

Andromeda and Ted were just the friendliest people and Sirius loved seeing Andy. Ted was funny and he had told Sirius that he was going to help him build a treehouse and fort in the backyard for he and Harry. Sirius was thrilled with the idea and he and Ted had already started putting their heads together over how to design it. It would be a fun surprise for Harry when it was done. But they were still working on how and when they were going to build it, not to mention the design of it.

They were a small group, but it was a good group and Remus thought that it was just the right amount of people for Harry's first real birthday party. And maybe by this time next year, Harry would have met kids his own age to invite. But for today, this was perfect.

His thoughts were interrupted as Sirius slapped his shoulder with a grin. "Think it's too early to start with gifts?"

Remus chuckled. "No, of course not. But leave the you-know-what for last."

Sirius nodded, grinning widely. Everyone had eaten by now and he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Remus was positive that he was more excited than Harry and found it highly entertaining.

Sirius immediately whistled and Harry, who was learning how to play Exploding Snap, jumped when the deck exploded in Tonks' face and he started to giggle.

"Singed eyebrows really go with the look, Dora," Sirius said, winking at her.

She made a v with her fingers and then apologized when her mother glared at her. "Sorry, Mum."

Sirius laughed and rubbed his hands together. "Well, I think that it's time for the birthday boy to open up his presents. What do you think, Harry?"

Harry smiled, his eyes moving to the mountain of gifts on the table. "Okay."

Sirius grinned and gestured for Harry to take a seat on the couch next to Remus before he carefully handed his godson the first gift. "Read the cards aloud, Harry, so everyone knows who the gift is from."

Harry nodded nervously, his smile twitching in excitement. He had watched as Dudley had always gotten mountains upon mountains of presents, ripping open the paper in a reckless frenzy to find the surprise inside, but he had never been given the opportunity before. He found himself both excited and a little insecure.

He accepted the large box from Sirius and carefully opened the card. "Happy Birthday Harry, from Professor McGo-naa-gall, your Auntie Minnie." He smiled warmly at her as he struggled with her last name and she smiled back.

He carefully tugged on the paper, afraid to rush it. The box was almost as big as he was and Remus was helping him hold it as he unwrapped it. He pulled out a red leather ball. He smiled politely.

"Thank you, Auntie Minnie."

McGonagall smiled. "It's a Quaffle, Harry. I thought maybe that you can practice throwing and catching. Your father was an amazing Chaser and when you come to Hogwarts you can help Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup; if you're in my house, of course."

Sirius laughed, picking up the Quaffle and tossing it up in the air before catching it. "Excellent! And don't worry, Minnie, I'm sure that he'll be a Gryffindor and I'm equally as sure that at least a trickle of James' Quidditch talent found its way into our boy here!"

Harry carefully put the Quaffle back in the box, noticing the book that was in there as well and picking it up. It was called _Quidditch Through the Ages_.

"Just a little sport history for you, Harry. Remus told me that you like stories and I thought maybe that you'd like to read about some Quidditch stories," McGonagall told him with a smile.

Harry smiled back at her. "Thank you."

Sirius handed him a brightly coloured gift bag. "Next one."

It was from Tonks. She'd given him a bag of sweets, an even mixture of Muggle and magical desserts. She had also gotten him a tee shirt that said: _Padfoot's Prongslet_ which made Sirius grin widely and applaud. Andromeda and Ted had gotten him some clothing for the fall, a few jumpers and some new jeans. Andromeda and Ted had also given him a chess set which Ted offered to teach him how to use. Harry was fascinated by the way the pieces moved around in the box. Remus' gift was small, but Harry loved it the moment his eyes had fallen on it.

Remus had given him a framed photo of Harry, Sirius, and Remus from the week before. Harry was sitting on Sirius' motorbike, sunglasses on and Remus and Sirius stood on either side of him. Along with the photo, there was three brand new books of stories for him and a necklace.

Seeing how fascinated Harry was by the dog tags that Sirius always wore, Remus had thought it was a good idea to get Harry his own. The silver tags read: _Prongslet, 31st July 1980_ and the second one: _Harry James Potter, Marauder of the Next Generation_. He thought it was something that Harry would grow to love when he was older as well.

Harry had hugged Remus tightly, thanking him for the gift.

Sirius' gift was last. Remus could see that he had definitely gone a little overboard, but being Sirius, he wasn't surprised. First he had bought a small leather jacket for Harry, eagerly grinning and telling everyone how they would match now when they rode the motorbike; second, a child's broomstick which flew only two feet off of the ground (Harry had immediately wanted to learn and spent almost ten minutes flying around the living room in glee until they convinced him to come back and sit to open more presents); third, three new Muggle board games; fourth, his own set of Gobstones; fifth, a toy lightsaber; and last but not least — the gift that he had hiding in the sunroom.

"Come here, Harry, I've got one more important present for you," Sirius told him, grinning widely.

Remus smiled as Harry left Tonks' arms, who he had been hugging when she was playing with his lightsaber and making noises as she slashed it through the air, and hurried towards Sirius. Sirius was practically bouncing in excitement at the prospect of showing his godson his new puppy.

"Harry," Sirius said, holding the boy's hands in his own as he led him into the kitchen. Everyone else was staying in the living room until they came out, so Sirius knelt down in front of Harry by the kitchen table.

Sirius was slowly trying to stop spending every night in his godson's bed. Harry was feeling more comfortable in his own room, but at least three, sometimes four nights a week, Sirius was awoken by his cries and Harry would beg for Padfoot. Sirius would transform into his dog form and sleep snuggled around the calm child. But it was no longer every night anymore and that was a good sign. He hoped that the new puppy would make it a permanent thing.

"You know how at night you like it when Padfoot cuddles with you?" At Harry's nod and smile, he grinned. "Well, I thought that maybe since you've been such a good boy that for your birthday I would get you your very own version of Padfoot."

Harry stared at him in confusion. "But I have you, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius smiled. "You do. And you always will. But this is something for you. Go in the sunroom, Harry."

Harry turned towards the door, looking back as Sirius ushered him forward. He opened the door leading to the sunroom and the tiny puppy jumped in excitement, running towards Harry, jumping up and licking his face.

Harry's entire face lit up with joy. He fell to his knees, arms outstretched as the puppy showered him in love and kisses, yipping in excitement. Boy and dog wrestled happily, both yipping and giggling with happiness.

Sirius knelt on the floor next to them, scratching the puppy behind his ears, a huge grin on his face. "What are we going to call this puppy?"

Harry's eyes were wide and wet as he looked up at Sirius. "He's really for me, Uncle Siri?"

Sirius smiled happily at his godson, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. "He's all yours. You'll have to feed him and play with him and take care of him. Can you do that do you think?"

Harry nodded eagerly, his hands still in the puppy's soft fur. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Sirius grinned. "You are very welcome. I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Uncle Siri," Harry said fiercely, throwing his arms around him and shocking Sirius. "I love my new home! And I love my new puppy!"

Sirius hugged him back tightly, blinking back tears. He hadn't realized how much he had wanted this little boy to love him back until the words had come out. He kissed him again, smiling warmly as he hugged the child tightly.

"Love you too, Prongslet."


	18. Chapter 18

_Author's Note:_

 _I'm a few chapters ahead (working on chapter 21 at the moment) but I'm trying to keep a few under my belt to have things for you guys to read as I mentioned before. Also I need to see Infinity War about two more times at least for the shock and emotional turmoil to sink in, but I am working on the story when I can._

 _DISCLAIMER - I don't own the lyrics to Stand by Rascal Flatts, but I really wanted to incorporate the words into this memory — it is mostly paraphrased, but I love the words so much and I think that it has incredible meaning on so many levels._

 _Also, Pottermore claims that the Wolfsbane Potion was invented sometime after Remus Lupin finished his education and that it was one of the factors in Remus becoming a professor at Hogwarts, knowing that Snape could brew it for him. It has expensive ingredients and it makes sense that there was no way for Lupin to try it on his own. In my world, 1986 is the year of its invention._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:**

 **Once everyone had greeted the new puppy, who in the excitement of seeing so many people had promptly peed on the floor, Sirius let Tonks take Harry and the puppy outside to play.**

Sirius grinned as he looked out the window and watched his godson throw the frisbee that he had gotten in the five other gifts that he had to open (which included all of the dog toys and necessities) and watched him chase after it, tail wagging in excitement.

"The dog was a good idea," he murmured, smiling.

McGonagall placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "An excellent one, I think. You're doing a great job with him, Sirius. Look at how he's smiling out there. This is a day he will always remember."

"I hope so. I just want him to be happy."

McGonagall smiled warmly. "He is, Sirius. He's a very happy little boy. You should be proud."

"I am. He just told me that he loves me, Minnie. It's the first time… since he was a baby." Sirius told her, surprised to find his eyes a little wet and he blinked back tears. "I thought my heart was going to burst."

McGonagall's smile deepened and she linked her arm with his. "He does love you. You are doing a really good job with him and being the father that he needs."

"I'll never be his father," Sirius told her, his eyes on Harry through the window. "I don't ever want to replace… James." The name came out almost like a whisper. "He would have been the most amazing father to him, you know?"

"James is gone, Sirius," she said quietly. "That doesn't mean that he wouldn't have been a great dad because you're right, he would have been an incredible father, but he's gone. You are his godfather, yes, but you are also the father figure that he needs right now. Be proud of what you have accomplished with him already. And don't be afraid to be a father to him, you won't be taking anything away from who is father is."

Sirius smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "I am. And I will be the best godfather to him that I can be - father figure, big brother, friend, whatever he needs, I will always be there for him. I will stand by him and for him."

"That's right, you shake it off and you stand, no matter what."

Sirius grinned at her, hugging her tightly before moving to lean back against the kitchen counter where he could still peek out the window to spy on Harry and Tonks with the new puppy. "You always told me that when I took a stand for myself and for those I loved that I would be able to do great things. I had no idea that it was going to include raising James and Lily's son, but I guess that's why life's like a book with the end ripped out; we're not supposed to know where it's going to take us."

McGonagall watched him for a moment. "Sirius, you always were much stronger than you thought you were."

He nodded, remembering the first time that she had ever told him that.

 _He was thirteen._

 _It was the end of his second year at Hogwarts and he had gotten into a fight with a few Slytherins when they had called him a 'Mudblood loving tosser'. He had been talking to Lily Evans out by the lake and Avery, Rosier, and Snape had wandered over, taunting Lily about being Muggleborn and Sirius had snapped. He'd punched Rosier in the face and jinxed Avery. Evans had begged him to stop, but he hadn't been able to. And her friend Snape had done nothing to stop his friends from insulting her and it had infuriated him. He'd gotten detention and the next morning a Howler had arrived from his mum._

 _"SIRIUS ORION BLACK, HOW DARE YOU DEFILE YOUR ANCESTORS! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO AND OR CORRESPOND WITH THOSE WHO ARE BENEATH YOU! YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER HOLIDAYS!"_

 _The letter had burned up at the table and Sirius had smirked at James. "Looks like I won't be able to come by this summer." He tried to look amused but the sadness in his eyes made James put his arm around his shoulder._

 _"Don't worry, mate. We'll jailbreak you if necessary. Do you think they'll really hold you hostage all summer?"_

 _Sirius had only shrugged. To be honest, he wouldn't be surprised if his mother attempted to brainwash him into thinking like her. Now that he was strong enough to fight off the Imperius Curse, he had made her life a little more difficult. Of course, she could always chain him up in the basement again like she had last summer._

 _He shuddered at the thought._

 _But when he had arrived home for the summer, that was exactly what had happened. Not right away, he had first been banished to his bedroom, but when he had received a letter from Lily Evans asking about his summer holidays, his mother hadn't been pleased with his correspondence. He had then spent almost a month chained to the wall in the basement of his family home. His mother had claimed that he had needed to be taught a lesson and that being locked up was the only way that the lesson was going to be learned properly. His wrists and ankles were rubbed raw from the chains._

 _Kreacher, the family house elf, had brought him food twice a day, sneering at him. Regulus had snuck down to see him after the second week._

 _"Siri?"_

 _"Hey, Reg, I'm okay," he told him, trying to smile at his eleven-year-old-brother in reassurance._

 _His father had belted him so hard that his back was still bleeding a little, but he kept it hidden from his brother. He had never wanted his little brother to see the pain his parents had bestowed upon him. It was his job to protect him. Always._

 _"Siri, why do you have to make them so angry? Why can't you just… do what they want?"_

 _Sirius smiled warmly at his brother. "I want them to understand that I'm my own person, Reg, and I don't want to be like them. They're cruel and they're horribly set in their ways and I'm not going to stop being friends with people just because of their blood. We all bleed red, Regulus. It's all red."_

 _Regulus had only stared at him, his bottom lip quivering. "What if… what if I'm not put into Slytherin House either?"_

 _Sirius stared at him for a moment. Regulus would be starting Hogwarts that September and he was both simultaneously excited and terrified for his baby brother. "It would be better if you weren't. I could protect you better. But the hat gives you a choice, Reg. I chose to be something different."_

 _"Is Slytherin House bad?"_

 _"No!" Sirius insisted, wincing at the muscle spasms in his arms and legs from a combination of the chained position he was stuck in and from the Cruciatus Curse, courtesy of his father only two hours earlier. "None of the houses are bad, none of them. It's just… our entire family is in Slytherin and the pressure in that house to do what the pureblood mantra is and does — that's a lot and I don't need that. I love Gryffindor, not because of the house, but because of the people in it."_

 _Regulus stared at him, his eyes wide. "If I'm not sorted into Slytherin, this could be me next summer."_

 _Sirius shook his head. "No, Reg, I won't let them do this to you."_

 _Regulus was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "If you kept quiet, Mother and Father wouldn't… hurt you."_

 _"My friend Lily wrote me a letter, Reg. Mother intercepted it. She claimed that the name Evans sounded too common and too simple to possibly be anyone worth my time. When I told her that she was Muggleborn, she sneered as if she had known the entire time."_

 _"You should have denied it."_

 _Sirius smirked. He knew better than to bother. "Reg, they know every pureblood in the fucking sacred twenty-eight. I couldn't have denied it if I wanted to. I told her we were friends and well, here we are. You do what you need to do, Reg, but I promise, if you decide that you don't want to be in Slytherin — don't let our parents force you. I'll protect you."_

 _Regulus stared at him for a moment, then he turned and hurried up the stairs. Sirius had simply hung his head and tried not to scream from the pain. The day before the Hogwarts Express left for his third year, his mother had used the Cruciatus Curse on him again, making him promise to stop befriending Muggleborn scum and to make more of an effort to be nice to the Slytherins._

 _He had said he would, but only to make the pain stop._

 _When he had boarded the Hogwarts Express the next morning and Lily Evans had run towards him to give him a friendly hug hello, he had considered it. Regulus had been sitting next to him in the compartment and his eyes had narrowed the moment the redhead had come into the room. Sirius introduced him and Lily had smiled warmly, wishing him luck._

 _When the Sorting Hat had called out Slytherin, Sirius had felt his heart break. On some level he had known that it was the first step his brother was taking away from him. He'd excused himself from his friends, claiming that he needed to use the loo, leaning against the stone wall outside of the Great Hall to catch his breath._

 _Professor McGonagall found him there a few minutes later, rubbing his raw wrists and gasping for air amidst a small panic attack. She had wrapped her arm around him, tugging him into a nearby empty classroom and told him to breathe, gently guiding him back to his normal rhythms of breath._

 _"Mr Black, it's quite all right to be upset that your brother was put into a different house. Not all siblings are put together," she said kindly._

 _Sirius ran his hands through his shaggy hair and nodded. "I know, Professor."_

 _McGonagall's eyes were on the marks on his wrist. "What are those, Mr Black?"_

 _Sirius shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Nothing to worry about, Professor. I spent some time paying for my sins this summer is all. Punishment is what I deserve most, isn't it?"_

 _Her nostrils flared angrily. "Those wrists are rubbed raw. You should go to the hospital wing to get Madam Pomfrey to take a look. They look quite painful."_

 _Sirius only smiled at her. "I'll be fine, but thanks McG."_

 _McGonagall rolled her eyes, taking a seat next to him in one of the desks. She tapped her fingers on the desk for a moment as if unsure on how to proceed. "Black, you know that as your Head of House I'm a lot more than just your Transfiguration professor?" When he nodded, she smiled. "I'm here as an advisor… a friend and a confidant if ever you need anything. Even if it's only to talk."_

 _"Talk about what, Professor?"_

 _"Anything you want. Homework, classes, your parents, your brother, your friends, your home life… I am here for you."_

 _Sirius nodded. "I don't have anything to talk about. My brother… he's a Slytherin, he's the golden hero of the Black Family now. I'm just the loser of the fight who keeps getting tossed back in and refusing to… toujours pur — that's what my mother says."_

 _"And you don't believe those words, do you Mr Black?"_

 _Sirius' eyes stayed on hers for a long moment and then he shook his head. "No, I don't. I don't know where my life is going to take me, but I do know that it's not going to be the direction that my family wants it to go and sometimes…" he trailed off for a moment. "Sometimes, I don't think that I'm going to get away. That I'm not strong enough to make my own decisions."_

 _McGonagall smiled warmly at him, reaching out to touch his arm. "You are very brave, Sirius, and that's only one of the many reasons why the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor. You are a lot stronger than you believe yourself to be. You may feel alone and helpless, like you've lost your fight — but you haven't. You have friends. You have a family here and you'll be alright. My grandmother used to always tell me to just stand and I always think back to it as being the best advice that I was ever given."_

 _He nodded, oddly touched by her words. He did have a family here. He had James and Peter and Remus and Lily and Marlene and Dorcas and Mary. And he was beginning to see that if he wanted - he had McGonagall too._

 _McGonagall smiled at him. "You stand for yourself and for those you love, Sirius. Nothing in the world is more important because when push comes to shove, you taste what you're made of. You might bend until you break because it's all you can take. When you're on your knees, you look up, and decide you've had enough. You get mad, you get strong, but wipe your hands, shake it off — and you stand. You just stand and you keep holding on. Every time you fall down you get back up, and one more small piece of you starts to fall into place. You stand. Do you understand what I'm saying?"_

 _He did understand. No matter how many times his parents beat him down, physically, verbally, and emotionally into submission, he kept standing back up; he kept choosing his own path. "Yes, Professor."_

 _"So you stand," she told him with a smile. "Life's like a novel that has the end ripped out. We're not supposed to know where it's going to take us or what's going to happen along the way. But those we keep with us and those we choose to spend our lives with; they make the difference. Family isn't always blood." She held her hand out to him and when he took it she tugged him to his feet. "Now let's go enjoy that feast while we can."_

 _Sirius smiled at her. "Thanks, Professor."_

 _McGonagall only nodded. "My office is always open, Sirius. No matter how big or small."_

 _Family wasn't always blood, he thought. And McGonagall had always managed to remind him of that. He pulled her into a hug, surprising her, but she returned it in kind._

 _"Mr Black, I think that it's time we head back to the feast, is it not?"_

 _He only grinned at her. "It is."_

Sirius grinned at the memory. "Then you stand, Minnie."

When McGonagall smiled back at him in kind, he turned and watched Harry running around outside with the puppy and with Tonks. He was proud, he thought, he was very proud and he loved that little boy more than anything in the world. He had chosen his family and that family had chosen him right back.

~ ASC ~

 **That night as Harry finished getting ready for bed, Sirius picked up the puppy and plopped him into Harry's bed.**

"I think that you wore him out today," Sirius said, as the puppy yawned, moved himself in a circle before he curled up on one of Harry's pillows, eyes closed. "What are we going to name him?"

Harry gently touched the soft fur, the puppy stretching under his hand. "I don't know."

Sirius tucked Harry in, grinning as Harry smiled happily at the dog next to him. "Well, we don't have to name him tonight. We have plenty of time."

Harry smiled up at Sirius. "This was the second best day ever, Uncle Padfoot. Thank you."

Sirius smiled, leaning down to kiss Harry's forehead. "You are very welcome, Prongslet. Now, I know that your actual birthday is on Wednesday, and Uncle Moony and I are going to take you out someplace where we can play games and have some food. You'll love it. But today, we wanted to give you a party." He gently brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes, thinking about what Harry had just said to him. "Why the second best day?"

Harry's eyes were beginning to droop close and it made Sirius smile. "Second," he slurred quietly. "Best day was when you brought me here to be my dad."

Then he was asleep, curled on his side, the puppy next to him and Sirius couldn't get the smile to leave his face.

~ ASC ~

 **When Sirius woke up the next morning stretched out in his own bed, he felt relief and a little sadness.** As happy as he was to actually be in his own bed for once, he was surprised to realize that he missed waking up beside the child. He padded into the bathroom, washing his face and brushing his teeth before he snuck his head in Harry's bedroom.

It was just a little after seven and Harry was sleeping soundly, the puppy snuggled up against his back. The image made him smile and he headed downstairs. He noticed that Andromeda had tidied up the kitchen before she had left and he felt extra grateful that he didn't have that to worry about it this morning as he poured himself a glass of water and eagerly drank it, quenching his early morning thirst.

The owl flew through the open window, depositing his _Daily Prophet_ and he rifled around in the kitchen drawer to find the money to pay him. He took a seat at the table and opened the paper, skimming it in earnest. He wasn't sure why he bothered to get the paper every day. He very rarely read it all the way through, but sometimes skimming the news articles made him feel like he had some clue as to what was happening in the world.

The article on the third page caught his attention immediately. His eyes narrowing as he read:

 _MAGICAL CREATURE REGISTRATION — TO HELP STOP A WEREWOLF!_

 _It has come to our knowledge that there are many witches and wizards with the blood of magical creatures in their system, who have not come forward and registered themselves with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures._

 _"We're not trying to single them out," Simon Fawley reported. "But it's important for us to study all blood types, even those with one quarter Veela, half-giants, part-troll, part-goblin, part-fae, those bitten by werewolves, new vampires, and anyone else who may be unique. It's all about learning and helping others."_

 _This has come as a shock to most people, who are unwilling to come forward and admit if they have any magical-creature blood in their system, but it should be done as soon as possible so as not to miss out on opportunities to help them find inner peace and to sort out what exactly the disease is that they may have._

 _This has become extra important today when Potioneer Damocles Belby told the Prophet that after years of hard work, he has founded a potion that helps one control the disease of the moon cycle, lycanthropy._

 _"It is not a cure," Belby told the Prophet. "I must stress that as being most important. It is not a cure. But it does help someone who is suffering from the disease keep their memory when they are forced to transform into the monster that lives inside of them. Once bitten by a werewolf, you immediately have lycanthropy, a disease that three nights a month, due to the rotation of the moon cycle, will turn you into a bloodthirsty monster. The night before the Full Moon, the night of the Full Moon, and the night after the Full Moon — all affect those who have the disease. You will want blood and you will need to hunt, but come morning, when that fever breaks and you have turned back to your human self, all memory of the night before is erased. People are often afraid of these monsters because of what they can do and how they do not show remorse for any of the damage that they have inflicted due to memory loss."_

 _Will this potion help them show remorse? Belby says no. What it does is allow one to keep their wits about them when the monster takes over their body._

 _Belby has been nominated to receive the Order of Merlin for his work on curing the dementia during a transformation of a lycanthrope in something he is calling the Wolfsbane Potion._

 _Anyone willing to try the potion and to see the effects must be monitored by Belby and his research team. Registration by the Ministry of Magic is required for all participants including making your name known on the official Werewolf Registry if you want to try the potion._

"The fuck is this," he mumbled under his breath, throwing the newspaper into the trash in disgust.

 _Dementia during a transformation of a lycanthrope._

Sirius grabbed the paper again. One of the things he had hated about being friends with Remus Lupin, was having to watch his best friend suffer. The disease as they called it, made him tired, feverish with chills, aching joints, lust-filled, hormonal, and testy. But the worst part always was the way that Remus' eyes would pour over every inch of their bodies the next day taking in every nick or paper cut and the guilt would fill his eyes before he hid it away.

Remus had always been convinced that he was a monster and that he would hurt one of them. And they hadn't exactly kept their distance from their friend when he had transformed, becoming Animagi to be with him during the full moon was something that Sirius had never regretted. But being with Remus during such a turbulent time meant that there had been a few close calls.

Sirius had been slashed and scratched a few times in his dog form, but James had always been quick with healing charms and when they did have to go to Madam Pomfrey, they were thankful that she never asked too many questions. He had a scar on his right thigh, another on his left hip and a third under his right ear. Any scratches made by a werewolf, even when he was transformed into his Animagus, scarred. But Sirius didn't regret a single one.

Only once had it been critical.

Sirius hadn't pulled him back in time and Remus had sliced James right across the abdomen. The white stag had fallen to the ground as his blood poured out and the howl that Remus had let out had chilled their blood.

It had taken everything that Sirius had to pull his friend away from his brother, from the smell of the blood that was attracting him. But he had done it. And Remus had been even more upset when he had discovered that they had lied to him. When he didn't remember what he had done, the guilt in which he assumed he had done the absolute worse, always consumed him. No matter what anyone had said, he took it to heart. He had the disease. He was the one who became a monster. It infuriated Sirius to watch him put himself down. He had never once in all of the years that he had known Remus Lupin looked into his soft amber eyes and seen a monster.

And if this potion, this Wolfsbane Potion, gave someone who turned into a werewolf the ability to keep their own mind when they transformed — that was a miracle. But there was no way in hell that he was going to let his best mate go down to the Ministry of Magic and register himself as a werewolf.

Lyall Lupin had done everything in his power to keep his son safe and free from the scrutiny of being seen as a monster. He had made him promise to stay under the radar as long he as he could. Sirius remembered how Remus had discovered why he had been bitten as a child; how much that discovery had hurt him.

He had been seventeen and it was the summer before seventh year and he had shown up on the doorstep of Potter House, tears rolling down his cheeks.

 _"Moony!" James exclaimed, throwing his arms around his friend and tugging him into the house. "What is it? What's happened?"_

 _Remus clung to James, the sobs wracking his body. Fleamont came into the entranceway, his eyebrow raised before moving to wrap his own arms around his son and his friend._

 _"It's okay, Remus. Come on; let's go take a seat, shall we?" Fleamont suggested, leading Remus into the living room. "Jamie, go and get Sirius."_

 _James had only nodded, turning to find Sirius standing there. "Padfoot."_

 _Fleamont kept his arms around Remus, until he pulled back, wiping at his eyes in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."_

 _"Don't be. Are your parents all right?"_

 _Remus nodded. "Yes."_

 _Euphemia came into the living room holding a tray of tea and biscuits. She placed it onto the table, moving to sit on the other side of Remus and wrapped her arms around him, cradling his head to her breast as if he were a child._

 _"How's my boy doing?" she gently brushed her fingers through his hair, leaning down to kiss a new scar just below his ear. "Always so brave."_

 _He blushed and hugged her back as James and Sirius moved towards him._

 _"I'm sorry to just show up like this," Remus began, but James shook his head._

 _"Don't be daft! What happened?"_

 _Sirius nodded, sitting on the floor at Remus' feet. "Want us to get Peter here?"_

 _Remus shook his head, wiping furiously at his eyes. "It's stupid. I'm making a big deal out of nothing. I don't want to bother Peter too."_

 _Fleamont shifted over so that his son could sit next to his friend. "I doubt that. Would you like us to leave you boys alone to talk?"_

 _Remus squeezed his hand gratefully. "It's alright. I know you… you know what I am — a monster."_

 _Sirius scowled and James's eyes hardened._

 _"Stop fucking calling yourself a monster, Rem! You are the furthest thing from it!" James exclaimed as Sirius nodded from the floor beneath them._

 _Euphemia leaned over and kissed Remus' cheek. "You are a sweet boy — young man," she corrected, her eyes smiling warmly. "My boys are all young men now."_

 _Remus blushed at her words - my boys. Euphemia and Fleamont treated Sirius, Remus, and Peter, all like they were their own children and he had never felt so blessed as he did when they were around. He closed his eyes as he spoke. "I found out… I know how I…"_

 _"How you what, Moony?" James asked, his eyes on his friend and his arm gently linked through Remus'._

 _Sirius reached up and touched Remus' other arm. "You can tell us, Rem."_

 _Remus let out a slow breath. "I know why I was bitten."_

 _Euphemia gasped. "Remus, knowing the why doesn't matter! It happened a long time ago."_

 _Fleamont reached behind his son and Remus and touched his wife's shoulder, shaking his head. "He should know, Fee. Why do you think you were bit, Remus?"_

 _Remus swallowed slowly, focusing on the feel of his two best friends as they touched his arms in reassurance of their presence. "My father… it was Dad. He… he made an enemy of a werewolf named Fenrir Greyback."_

 _Sirius' eyes widened. "Greyback? That vicious bastard who's following Voldemort and attacking all of those Muggles?"_

 _"One in the same," Remus muttered._

 _"How did your dad know him?" James asked, patting Remus' arm gently._

 _Remus' hands turned into fists as he spoke. "Dad used to work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Ironic that his son would turn into a dangerous creature," he muttered, wincing when James and Sirius both kicked him lightly. "Sorry. But he… Greyback was questioned over the death of two Muggle children, not surprising, I know. Dad said that back then the Werewolf Registry wasn't controlled very well and everyone was so afraid of werewolves that they didn't press trying to find out who they were because they wanted to make every effort possible to avoid them all together. Greyback claimed that he was just a Muggle and a vagabond at that, who was shocked to even be in a room full of wizards in the first place. But my dad, he… he didn't trust him and he thought that he exhibited specific signs of lycanthropy, specifically in his behaviour. He tried to get the committee to hold him for twenty-four hours because the full moon was coming up, but the committee thought that he was innocent and told Dad that he was crazy. They laughed at him."_

 _Euphemia rubbed Remus' back gently, her hand squeezing his. "He was embarrassed."_

 _Remus nodded, swallowing slowly. "He… he got so angry and he yelled out that all werewolves are 'soulless, evil, and deserving of nothing, but death.'"_

 _"Rem," James said, wrapping his arm across his friend's shoulders. "Rem, he didn't know. Like you said, no one really knew about werewolves except to be afraid of them. He didn't know. He didn't mean what he said."_

 _"He did mean it!" Remus insisted, pulling away from his friends and standing up. He dragged his hands through his wavy hair, his eyes wide. "Soulless evil! That's what he thinks of me!"_

 _"No, he doesn't," Sirius said coldly. "Your dad loves you. Whenever I come to visit, he does nothing but boast about how smart you are; what kinds of things you've learned at school and to go on about happy you are and how happy it makes him. He does not think that you are soulless and he certainly doesn't think you're evil."_

 _Remus didn't respond. He stood in the middle of the room, both of his hands still clutched in his hair as he spoke. "Dad was removed from the Ministry. They were going to alter Greyback's memory so that he wouldn't remember the Ministry of Magic, but he overpowered them with the help of two accomplices, who had been lying in wait for him, and he remembered what Dad had said about him and… he told his pack. He found out where we lived and two months before my fifth birthday, he snuck into my bedroom window and he… Dad saved my life, but he was too late for…"_

 _Euphemia stood up, wrapping her arms around Remus, ignoring his attempt to get free. "And he realized that everything he had ever thought about werewolves was false. You were still his son. His pride and joy. The clever and lovable child that he knew and admired and on those frightful periods of the full moon when he was forced to watch you suffer, his heart broke a little more each time."_

 _"He hates me, Fee." Remus murmured into her shoulder and then he began to cry again, his arms clinging to her as she soothed him._

 _After a few minutes, when he pulled away, wiping tears from his eyes, Fleamont stood up and wrapped an arm around his wife. "Remus, I knew your father before you met Jamie. I didn't know that his son had been bitten by a werewolf, but I did know that Lyall Lupin was spending his time doing endless research on werewolves, on lycanthropy, and on how to find a cure. He came to me about a potion, something that could take away your pain during a transformation. Of course, he didn't say those words, only that he was wondering if there was a way for a werewolf to undergo the transition without pain. To be honest, I thought maybe that he had been bitten and was looking for himself, but there's nothing. I gave him a few healing and painless potions, but he always came back claiming that they hadn't worked. Then about four years before you went to Hogwarts, he disappeared, and I never heard from him again. He uprooted your family over and over again, Remus, to keep you safe." Fleamont insisted._

 _Remus shook his head, but he didn't speak._

 _James and Sirius each moved from their spot, taking Remus by the arm and tugging him over to the couch to sit between them._

 _"Listen to Mum and Dad, Moony," James said kindly. "Why did your dad decide to tell you this?"_

 _"I asked him," Remus said simply. "Mum has been… she's speaking kind of incoherently lately. The cancer is eating away at her brain and sometimes she's not always clear on what she's saying and she said that… she told me that Greyback had bitten me because of Dad. I demanded of him what she meant and well, it all came pouring out of him."_

 _"What happened after he had told you?" Sirius asked, his hand squeezing his friend's lightly._

 _"I told him that I blamed him," Remus admitted, his voice low. "That I could have had a normal life if he had just kept his mouth shut. We rowed about it. He yelled that he had given up his life for me; to protect me because of a mistake that he had made. He said that he regretted it more than anything, but that my being bitten was a wakeup call. He said that it proved that werewolves could be human-like. 'Human-like,' those were his exact words."_

 _James' eyes widened. "Remus, he didn't mean it like that."_

 _"He loves you," Sirius insisted. "He loves you and he loves your mum. He doesn't think that you're a monster. He knows that you're not."_

 _Remus had only half-smiled at them. "He said that he loved me despite the disease and that my mum had made him promise to take care of me. He said that with Mum getting sicker, I can't stay there for the full moon that I need to find someplace to… Dumbledore said that I can go to the shack."_

 _James nodded, his eyes on his friend. "We'll be there, Rem. I promise."_

 _"Peter too," Sirius said with a smile. "Prongs and I will bring him. He'll want to be there for you."_

 _Euphemia smiled, leaning down to kiss Remus' cheek. "And if you're not ready to go home just yet, Monty and I will make up the cot in Jamie's room for you for as long as you'd like it. You always have a place here with us."_

 _Remus had only half-smiled. "Thanks, Mrs Potter."_

 _Fleamont snorted. "Remus, for the hundredth time, it's Fee and Monty."_

 _"Or Mum and Dad," James supplied with a wink._

 _Euphemia kissed her son's cheek. "Jamie, go get the cot ready for Remus. Moony is going to write a letter to his father letting him know where he is and when he will be going back home. I think that you both need a cooling off period before you speak again."_

 _Fleamont nodded. "Just remember, Remus. Parents aren't perfect. But your dad loves you more than you can possibly imagine. Don't let his biggest regret and his mistake influence your relationship with him."_

 _Remus had only stared at them, his golden eyes wide. "Thank you."_

 _Euphemia beamed at him. "While Jamie digs out the cot, you two can come help me with dinner. We'll have steak tonight. Sirius, you can set the table while Remus helps me peel potatoes."_

The memory made him smile. Remus had stayed with them for a week; going to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade for the nights of the full moon before going back home. He and his father spoke about it and Remus forgave him for keeping it a secret. As much as he wanted to blame his father, the fault belonged to Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf who had decided to exact revenge on Lyall Lupin by attacking his four-year-old-son in the middle of the night.

Lyall and Hope had moved around a lot; kept him home and away from other children; had protected him until Dumbledore had shown up on their doorstep and promised that he would be able to attend Hogwarts and learn with the other students as a normal child. For the first time in Remus' life he was going to be able to make friends and he had. James and Peter and Sirius had all become the greatest friends he ever could have asked for and Sirius was thankful every day that he was friends with Remus.

Sirius' eyes stayed on the newspaper article. Potions had never been his strongest subject, James had been the potioneer of the group, but still not to the level that his father had been. Lily had been the potions princess, but as neither of them were around, he was the only one left. He wondered if there was anyway he could find out the ingredients to the potion. Was it hard to make? What did it entail?

If this was something that he could do for his friend than he wanted to do it. He just had no idea how.

Persephone hooted at him from her perch by the kitchen window and he smiled. If anyone could find out for him it would be McGonagall. He grabbed some parchment and a quill with ink and quickly wrote out a message.

 _McG,_

 _Just saw the_ Daily Prophet _about Belby and this Wolfsbane Potion. Is it real? Have you heard anything? If anyone deserves that potion it's Remus, but like hell if I'm going to let him register with the Ministry as a dangerous magical creature just to obtain a sample of it. He has had a hard enough time finding work on his own, if the Ministry knew he had lycanthropy they'd ban him from even more jobs than he's already lost due to his absences._

 _I know he's too stubborn to ask, if he's even seen the paper, which I doubt as he never reads it, so I will ask for him. How can we find out how the potion is brewed and what it entails?_

 _Thanks!_

 _Love,_

 _Sirius_

Persephone hooted happily at him as he called her over to tie the letter to her leg. As he watched her fly off, he wondered again just what this potion really did and whether or not it would even benefit his friend. Or whether or not it was even worth getting his hopes up over.

Sirius didn't know, but he did know that it was a chance that he wasn't willing to give up.


	19. Chapter 19

_Author's Note:_

 _As for puppy names, I decided on Marauder, having written this a few days before geekymom suggested it — but still take the credit as it's an adorable name, so thanks!_

 _Also, we all knew that I was somehow going to incorporate a few of everyone's favourite characters and here's how I'm starting that off. I hope you like it._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETEEN:**

 **When Harry's actual birthday came around, Sirius and Remus took him out for the day.** Remus had thought that it was a brilliant idea to spend the morning at the London Zoo. Harry was fascinated by the animals and he held tightly to Remus and Sirius' hands as they walked through looking at all of them. For lunch they ate at a bistro and then Remus bought Harry an ice cream cone which he ate happily as they headed to the theatre.

Sirius remembered the first time that he, James, Remus, and Peter had gone to the movies and had loved every second of it, he wanted Harry to experience it too. It had been Remus' idea to go one summer before fourth year. Sirius and James had never been before, but Peter and Remus loved films. He wanted Harry to have the same feeling of excitement.

Remus had suggested seeing _The Great Mouse Detective_ being that it was a children's movie, but Sirius was insistent that they were seeing _Top Gun_ as it looked so cool. They loaded up on snacks and took Harry inside, sitting him between them. Harry loved the film, his eyes wide and his bum on the edge of the seat (Remus had to carefully whisper a charm to stop it from flipping the child back and trapping him into place) but he loved it.

After the movie, Sirius suggested that they go shopping so that Harry could pick out one gift to get on his actual birthday. Harry had simply stared at him in surprise but they went to a toy store in Muggle London and Harry chose a case of Legos. When they got back home, Sirius and Remus spent almost three hours helping Harry build the biggest castle with all of the Legos in the case.

It had been the best birthday ever, Harry had insisted while Sirius ushered him to get into the bathtub that night. As he climbed into his bed, he was still gushing in excitement about the day as the puppy jumped up, licking Harry's face and making him giggle.

The puppy snuggled up next to Harry. "I'm glad that you had so much fun, Birthday Boy."

Harry grinned widely. "It was the best! Thank you, Uncle Sirius!"

Sirius smiled, leaning forward to kiss Harry on the forehead. "You are very welcome. What would you like to hear as a bedtime story tonight, Prongslet?" Sirius asked, climbing into the bed next to Harry and stretching out next to him, leaning back against the headboard. He put his arm around Harry, who sat next to him, his head resting back against Sirius' shoulder, the puppy on his other side.

"Tell me about my mummy and daddy," he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

Sirius smiled, handing Harry the stuffed doe and stag. "Lily and James, they were two of the best people I ever knew." Harry snuggled the animals in his arms, looking up at his godfather eagerly. "Lily was one of the smartest witches in school, if not the smartest. She was witty and funny and not to mention sassy. She was so talented at Potions and Charms, they were her best subjects. All of the teachers loved her. James was really smart too. He hardly ever needed to study, stuff just came naturally to him. He loved Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts. He was funny and he always had a smile for everyone."

Harry smiled up at him as he spoke and Sirius grinned.

"One time, Harry, just after you were born. You were maybe two months old," Sirius said, remembering the moment clearly with a smile. "I popped in to visit and your dad was sitting on the couch, his guitar in his lap and he was playing 'Free Bird' and you were just staring up at him in wonder. Your mum came in and she walked over, kissing your dad and he changed the chord and started singing to her. She got this look in her eye and she kissed him again. They were so in love. You could see how much they loved each other in the way they were. But your dad loved to play the guitar and he loved The Beatles more than anything. He loved Elvis Presley too and B.B. King. He was big into music, Muggle music specifically. He was always singing, his foot always tapping or bouncing to some internal beat."

He smiled as he remembered how often they'd be sitting in the common room or study hall and James' foot or fingers would be tapping to some beat that only he could hear and when you'd call him out on it, he'd suddenly belt out whatever song he was mentally rocking out too.

"When we were fourteen, your dad and I once snuck out of school and went to London to see The Rolling Stones in concert. Auntie Minnie was so mad when she caught us sneaking back into the school. We had detention every night for a month. But it was worth it," he said with a grin. "Bloody fantastic concert. When we saw Queen the next year though, it was even better. Your dad always wanted to see The Beatles live and I remember when we were fifteen, your grandfather showed us a memory that he had gotten from someone he knew and Jamie and I were able to watch The Beatles play at Shea Stadium in New York in 1965. It was the greatest concert ever according to your dad. We felt like we were there."

Harry smiled at him. "Uncle Padfoot, was my dad a good singer?"

"Yes, he was. He had a really great voice. He used to sing to you all of the time. Do you remember?"

He vaguely remembered a dream where he had heard a man singing to him so he nodded. "Sometimes, I think so."

Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head. "He loved you so much and your mum too. They loved each other and they loved you more than anything in the whole world. They would be so proud of you. I know they're watching over us, checking in from time to time to make sure that I'm taking good care of you. They loved you. I don't want you to ever forget that."

Harry smiled up at him. "I love them too."

Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head again with a smile. "Alright, Prongslet, I think that's enough story time. He reached over to rub the belly of the sleeping puppy next to him. "I think it's time for you two Marauders to get some sleep."

He stood up and Harry grabbed his hand.

"Yes, Prongslet?"

"Marauder."

Sirius' eyebrow rose in question. "Yes?"

"Why were you and Uncle Moony and Dad called that?"

Sirius grinned, moving to sit down on the bed again. "That's a good question, Harry." He tucked Harry back in and smiled. "Me, your dad, Uncle Remus, and Unc — Peter," he corrected carefully trying not to grimace at the name. "We were all friends in school since our first year. We fancied ourselves being a popular gang and thought it would be rather brilliant to have our own name; something spiffy and unique to us. We ended up calling ourselves the Marauders."

"Why?"

"Well, marauder means to roam about or to search for plunder or treasure. It's a special name for rogues and we fancied ourselves as being vagrants of the castle. But it was actually Auntie Minnie that gave us the name."

"She did?" Harry asked in surprise.

Sirius smiled as he remembered fondly the day. "She did. It was right at the beginning of our second year, end of September. Jamie and I had just gotten detention for making all of the Slytherin robes scream in terror when they saw one of the students in our year, a boy named Snape. It was hilarious, but McGonagall knew that it was us at once as we had already kind of made a name for ourselves in the troublemaking department and she marched over to our table at breakfast, arms crossed in front of her. It had actually been your Uncle Remus' idea, but she didn't need to know that. Anyway she looked at us sternly and simply said, 'It is only September, can't you four marauders just behave for one year?' We loved it and after she gave us our punishment and took away house points, we agreed that we should call ourselves 'The Marauders.' So we did."

"I like it," Harry told him, smiling. "Marauder."

Sirius grinned at him. "Me too, Prongslet."

Harry smiled. "That's his name, Uncle Padfoot. He's a Marauder like you."

Sirius smiled, scratching the puppy behind the ears. "Marauder it is." He reached for the collar the puppy wore and gently etched the name into the bronze tag with his wand. "Now you and Marauder need to get some sleep." He kissed Harry's forehead with a smile. "I love you. Goodnight, Harry."

"Love you too," Harry yawned, turning to snuggle into the puppy. "Goodnight."

Sirius left the door open a little and he made his way downstairs. Marauder was a great name for the puppy, he thought. In fact, it was perfect.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was sitting on the swing that Saturday, kicking his little legs out in front of him as he swung higher and higher above the ground.** Remus had brought him to the park to play that afternoon after they had gone shopping at a local bookstore in a nearby town called Ottery St Mary.

But he was more excited now to be at the park even though it was almost dinner time and there were no other kids playing there. He loved the feeling of being on the swings and to be able to go as high as he could. He almost felt like he was flying. He waved at Remus who was talking to a white-haired man by the bench that he had met in the bookstore. Remus was asking him questions about the British Monarchy, one of the books that he had been looking for her. The man was a secondary school history teacher and Remus had soon found himself in an interesting conversation with him about teaching Harry history. Harry had gotten bored waiting for him, so they had continued the conversation across the street in the park.

Remus waved back at him and he grinned, slowing down and jumping off of the swing in joy, seemingly to float in the air for a moment, soaring before gravity took over and he rolled as he hit the ground and Marauder barked happily running towards him in glee.

He grinned at Remus, who's eyes looked like they had practically bugged right out of his head at the sight of Harry jumping off of the swing. Now he was staring at Harry with a mixture of pride and relief on his face which made Harry smile back at him.

Harry wandered over to the sand box, letting his hands scoop up the sand and watch it slowly roll down his skin and back into the sandbox. It looked like someone had recently been playing in it from the indents and the grooves in the sandbox. There was a teenage boy standing by the tree at the end of the park talking to a teenage girl who was laughing at something he had said. The girl's laugh reminded Harry of Tonks who had been coming over once or twice a week to hang out with him. She was fun. He liked it when she came over as she always made him laugh.

He dusted himself off and hurried up the rope bridge, laughing as Marauder eagerly followed him into the wooden castle in the middle of the playground. He belly crawled into the tall tower, lifting himself up through the hole by the fireman's pole, reaching down to lift Marauder up into the tower with him and stopping in surprise when he saw the tiny girl curled up there.

He had thought that he would be alone in the castle.

She had fiery red hair and freckles on her nose and her eyes were a dark chocolate brown as they stared at him in wonder. Then she merely threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly in lieu of greeting and planted a kiss right on his lips.

"Hi!"

Harry looked at her, feeling rather startled to be hugged and kissed by this random girl he didn't know, surprised by the feeling of warmth it gave him. "Er, hi."

The girl hugged him a second time and then she greeted the puppy even more enthusiastically as he eagerly licked her face in greeting. She hugged him and scratched his belly and Harry grinned.

"He likes you."

"He's beautiful! What's his name?" she asked, giving his belly a long rub that made Marauder's tongue hang out happily.

"Marauder."

She grinned, giving him one final pat and then put her finger to her lips when they heard the sound of someone's voice outside. "Shh, I'm hiding."

"From who?"

Her dark brown eyes twinkled in mischief, "I buried his journal in the sandbox."

"Why?" Harry asked, cocking his head to look at her in curiosity.

The little girl grinned widely. "To hide it, silly boy. Charlie wanted to see it so I took it. He wants to know all about Anna. But it's none of his business!"

Harry nodded, still not quite following. "So you stole it so Charlie couldn't read it?"

She grinned, giggling. "But it's in the sandbox where I hid it."

"Is Charlie your friend?" Harry asked, wondering if she was hiding then who was looking for her. He had only seen the two teenagers talking nearby.

She shook her head. "Brother. I'm Ginny and I'm going to be five soon!"

"Harry," he said smiling back at her wide grin. "I'm six."

He scratched his forehead and her eyes shot to the lightning bolt scar near where he was scratching and they widened.

"Harry Potter?"

"Yes," he said in surprise as Marauder yipped and nosed him in the leg.

She was in his arms again hugging him closely as Marauder barked happily and tried to butt his way in between them rather unsuccessfully. "I'm sorry about your mummy and daddy."

The words surprised him. He knew that his parents were dead. He wondered about them sometimes, but he didn't really think about them. He hadn't in a while he realized because of Sirius and Remus. He had a home and he had someone who wanted to take care of him; who loved him like his parents would have. And Sirius and Remus were always willing to tell him stories about them whenever he asked.

Harry hugged her back, jolting when she kissed his cheek before pulling away and Marauder immediately made himself comfortable on Harry's lap.

Ginny smiled widely at him and offered her hand out. "Come on; let's go get the journal. I think he's coming."

"Who? Charlie?"

Ginny shook her head as she slid down the fireman's pole and Harry followed her, carefully holding Marauder in his arms, just as a loud voice yelled out, "Ginevra! What did you do with it, you little minx?"

Ginny giggled and hid behind Harry, holding his hand tightly in her own.

The angry voice had scared Harry. When people got angry, bad things happened. But Ginny wasn't scared. She just kept giggling and then a tall figure stood over them. His fiery red hair was the same colour as hers and he wore it a little long and shaggy. Harry realized that he was the teenager who had been with the girl.

"Did you bury it?" he demanded, his arms crossed in front of him.

He looked at Marauder in surprise when he barked at him.

Ginny giggled again, moving around Harry and holding her arms up to the young man who simply picked her up and kissed her cheek. "I was hiding it from Charlie."

"Uh-huh," he said, shaking his head. "You're a little mischief maker, little one. But I love that you keep all of my secrets for me." He kissed her cheek again and he smiled at Harry. "Who's your friend, Ginny?"

"That's Harry Potter!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "He's nice."

Harry smiled sheepishly, putting his hands in his pockets as Remus approached them.

Remus put a hand on Harry's shoulder and smiled at the teenage boy who was still holding Ginny. "Hello."

The redhead smiled at Remus. "Hi, my sister was just causing trouble. I'm Bill and this is Ginny."

"Remus," Remus said, extending his hand. "Harry, did you make a friend?"

Ginny jumped down from Bill's arms and hugged Harry tightly again. "You come to my birthday!" Then she simply held her arms out to Bill again so that he would pick her back up.

Harry simply beamed at her and Remus smiled at Bill. "Looks like they both made a new friend. When is her birthday?"

Bill smiled. "The eleventh of August, but we're having her party next Sunday. Harry would be more than welcome if he wants to come. Is he really Harry Potter, _The Boy Who Lived_?" He asked, looking at Harry with interest.

Remus smiled. "He's really a six-year-old-boy, but yes, his name is Harry."

Bill flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean… it's just, he's become rather famous, you know? My parents even tell Ginny his tale as a bedtime story; about how he saved the world from You Know Who. It's sometimes hard to believe that a child is the one who really defeated him."

"I know," Remus said still smiling. "I just want him to have a normal childhood."

Bill nodded. "Well, he's most welcome at The Burrow, as are you. It's on the tenth. Be there at one. We're just five minutes away in Ottery St Catchpole."

Remus smiled warmly. "We'd be happy to come."

Bill smiled brightly. "Good, I know Ginny would be disappointed if she invited a new friend and he didn't show up at her birthday."

Remus smiled back, taking Harry's hand as they headed away from the park. Harry looked back to watch Ginny point to the sandbox, giggling madly again when Bill started to tickle her before they dug out the journal that she had buried.

"Can I go, Uncle Moony?"

Remus smiled warmly, watching the way Harry's eyes stayed on the tiny girl who was being tickled quite incessantly by the tall boy and they were both laughing like loons. "To her birthday?" At Harry's eager nod, he smiled. "Of course, you can. We'll have to get her a birthday present."

Harry grinned widely. The feel of the small girl with her arms wrapped around him had left a warm feeling inside of him. He had never had a friend before. He let Remus pick him up and he side Apparated back to the house, clinging to Remus and holding a squirming Marauder tightly. He didn't like Apparition quite as much as travelling by Floo and he was pretty sure that Marauder didn't like it either.

Sirius was waiting for them when they got back and he grinned widely, hugging Harry tightly as he ran into his arms. "How was your time in Ottery St Mary? Did you guys buy any books?"

"Harry made a new friend," Remus said as he closed the front door behind him. "A pretty little redhead named Ginny."

Sirius grinned widely, greeting Marauder who was jumping eagerly for attention at his feet. "A girl, eh? And a redhead at that, he really is Prongs' son."

Remus chuckled. "I think we have eons before we have to worry about _that,_ Padfoot."

Sirius laughed, putting Harry back on his feet. "I picked up some pasta in London on my way back. There's a warming charm on it, but let's go eat."

Harry went upstairs to wash up and Sirius turned to Remus. "So a redhead, eh?"

Remus grinned. "Yes, a redhead. She's turning five next week and Harry was invited to her birthday next weekend. I told him he could go. She was with her brother who extended the invitation to us."

"Where is the party?" Sirius asked, leading Remus into the kitchen to scoop out some pasta for Harry.

"Someplace called The Burrow in Ottery St Catchpole. I've never heard of it, but I'm sure that it can't be that hard to find. They're wizards as the girl recognized Harry by his scar."

Sirius nodded as Harry came back downstairs, hands freshly washed and took a seat at the table. He eagerly dived into the pasta with meat sauce.

Sirius smiled at his godson. "So, Harry, tell me about your new friend?"

Harry smiled widely. "Her name is Ginny. She hid her brother's journal in the sandbox. She has red hair and brown eyes and she hugged me and kissed me right on my mouth!"

Sirius chuckled. "First kiss already and from a redhead at that."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Don't start, Padfoot."

Harry only grinned at them. "She kissed my cheek too. Marauder liked her. She said she was sorry I didn't have a mummy and a daddy. She was nice."

Sirius looked sad for a moment. "She knew you were Harry Potter?"

Harry nodded as he ate. "She saw my scar."

Sirius sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Harry, remember how I told you that a dark wizard had killed your parents, but that when he tried to kill you, he was… he disappeared?" At Harry's nod, he continued. "People all over Britain tell your story. You are the little boy who made the big bad disappear; people feel safe again. They call you The Boy Who Lived."

"Oh," Harry said, looking pensive for a moment. "Because I didn't die like my mum and dad?"

"Yes, Harry, exactly."

Harry was quiet for a moment. "So everyone knows that I don't have a mummy and a daddy?"

Sirius smiled at him, looking at Remus and they both moved in and kissed Harry on either cheek so that he was squeezed between them like a sandwich, making him giggle. "Your mummy and daddy will always love you, but you have me and Uncle Moony and we will always love you too."

"And we will always be here for you no matter what," Remus told him smiling.

Harry smiled at them, hugging them both. "I love you, Uncle Siri. I love you, Uncle Remus."

Remus' eyes widened and Sirius grinned back at him as they both sat back down to finish their meals. He understood how his friend was feeling. Hearing Harry say those three little words meant more than he could possibly explain.

After dinner, Harry helped Sirius clean up the dinner dishes, standing on the stool as he carefully dried their plates and forks. Sirius helped him put the dishes back on the shelf as Remus took Marauder outside to pee.

Marauder was investigating a nearby bush in curiosity and Remus jumped when he saw the figure move out from behind the house.

"Nymphadora, you scared me!" Remus exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart. "What are you doing here?"

Tonks shrugged, moving over to scratch Marauder behind the ears. "I had some Transfiguration homework for a project to finish at Charlie's house and thought I'd stop by on my way home."

Remus' eyebrow rose. "Does your mother know that you just wandered off from a friend's house?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, popping a large pink bubble before she spoke. "I'm not a little kid and I used the Floo to get here. Sirius told me that you were outside. Charlie's little sister was all excited because she met Harry Potter at the park. Mrs Weasley thinks her daughter is hallucinating slightly, I think."

"Weasley? Arthur Weasley?"

Tonks shrugged, taking a seat on the bench. She wore a purple plaid skirt and a black vest with a black jacket over her shoulders. Her hair was in a high ponytail today and her black boots reached her knees. "I think so."

"I didn't catch Ginny's last name when we met her at the park this afternoon," Remus told her as Marauder finally peed and was now running around the yard, barking playfully at the butterfly that was flying near his head. "Arthur Weasley I've heard of though. I believe he does something concerning Muggles at the Ministry. And his wife, I think that she may have been a Prewett, I went to school with her twin brothers and I seem to remember their sister marrying a Weasley."

"Don't know," Tonks told him, hopping off the bench. "Did Harry choose a name for that adorable puppy yet?"

"Marauder," Remus told her with a smile.

Tonks smiled back at him. "Perfect!"

"Yeah, it's a pretty great name." Remus told her, smiling. "I see that you decided to add a darker pink to your hair. It looks nice."

Tonks blushed. "Thanks. Mum says the pink is too punk looking, but I like it."

Remus smiled at her. "It is a little punk, but that's what makes it look good. You have the colouring to pull it off."

She blushed harder, tripping over a small rock and her eyes widened when Remus caught her in his arms before she could fall over. "Thanks. I'm always so clumsy."

"You should be more careful. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

She beamed at him, a little disappointed when he let go of her arms. "I won't. Thank you."

Sirius stepped outside with Harry who ran to Tonks happily and hugged her. Tonks smiled at Remus before she gave Harry her attention and they took turns tossing the Frisbee across the yard at Marauder.

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at Remus. "Could see her blushing from the kitchen window, were you flirting my dear, Moony?"

Remus' face flushed. "Flirt — Sirius! She's thirteen! I would _never_!"

Sirius chuckled, slapping his friend on the back and leading him over to the two lawn chairs they had on the patio. "I'm just teasing, calm down. She fancies you."

"What?" Remus spluttered, his neck flushing now. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not," Sirius said with a grin. "She does. Andy noticed it as well. She said how it seems like Tonks wants to spend all of her free time over here with you and Harry."

"She loves Harry," Remus said stubbornly as he watched her throw the Frisbee rather impressibly as Marauder barked and yipped in his attempt to beat Harry to the toy. "She loves to spend time with him."

"True," Sirius said. "But she also usually pops by when I'm not here."

Remus' mouth opened in surprise. "Well — you… you're usually out and about and she's here when I'm teaching Harry. That's just a coincidence."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Moony, you're sexy in her eyes, deal with it. It's just a crush. We all had them. Remember when I was in love with Rosmerta?"

"Did you ever stop?" Remus asked him, making him laugh.

Sirius grinned wickedly. "On my seventeenth birthday, I snuck into Hogsmeade to get some Firewhiskey from Aberforth, right? But I popped into the _Three Broomsticks_ first to tell her that it was my seventeenth birthday. She was what, twenty-three, twenty-four at the time?" At his friend's nod, he grinned. "She told me that she had some beer in the back I could have to celebrate. I followed her into the store room and we snogged."

Remus' mouth opened in surprise. "You never told us that!"

Sirius shrugged, grinning widely. "We really, _really_ snogged. I think she was a bit embarrassed and made me promise not to tell anyone."

"Did you only snog?" Remus asked, his gold eyes on his friend's now.

Sirius' grin widened. "That time."

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed with a laugh. "How long did this go on? How on earth did you keep this a secret from us?"

He grinned, stretching his long legs out in front of him. "About three times before she said we had to stop. Let's just say I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor in front of her while she held onto the top of the shelf in the storage room."

Remus laughed. "Not that you complained."

"Not once," he said with a grin, licking his lips at the memory. "But seriously, our little Tonks has the hots for you."

"I'm twenty-six, Sirius, she's thirteen. I think she's a bit delusional."

Sirius grinned. "The heart fancies who the heart fancies. And hey, obviously you're not going to do anything because she's a child, I just wanted to let you know since you're probably the most oblivious person on the face of the planet when it comes to that sort of thing."

Remus looked offended. "No, I'm not."

"Okay, oblivious isn't the right word, denial is better. You always assume you're wrong because no one could possibly like you, 'oh no, I'm a lonely young man who turns into a terrible beast, no one can ever love or want me.'"

"Shut it," Remus said, scowling. "I don't sound like that."

"Do too," Sirius told him, smirking. "Anyway, be mindful of her is all."

Remus let his gaze fall back across the yard on the pretty young girl and he nodded. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her feelings. But she was only thirteen. She had to realize that he wasn't interested.

"I will, Padfoot."


	20. Chapter 20

_Author's Note:_

 _Been wanting to bring the healer back in and I am working to try that out here. Let me know what you guys think! Also, the steamy stuff is definitely coming up in the next few chapters!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY:**

 **It had been a week now since Sirius had brought Castellanos the gelato and had sneakily convinced her to kiss him.** She'd been on his mind almost every day, but he had been trying to be strong and stay away for a bit. After all, absence made the heart grow fonder, did it not?

But that Monday, Harry was having his lessons with Remus so Sirius hopped on his bike and sped off to London. He learned from her very cheerful receptionist that Castellanos only worked half days on Mondays. After making the young woman stutter and blush, he discovered that Castellanos usually walked home from work. He only waited about fifteen minutes outside of St Mungo's before she stepped out of the hospital and he smirked at her, arms crossed as he straddled his motorcycle.

Castellanos didn't see him at first, but then when her eyes landed on him, they widened, and she simply turned on her heel to head in the other direction. Sirius jumped up off of the motorbike and hurried after her.

"Hey, that was just rude."

She merely let out a breath of exasperation. "I don't have time for this, Black."

Sirius shrugged and tugged her over to his motorcycle. "The receptionist told me that you only worked half days on Mondays."

"Well, she's fired first thing tomorrow," Castellanos told him, making him laugh.

Sirius was still holding her arm as he straddled his motorbike and offered his helmet out to her. "Dare you."

Castellanos stared at him. "Of all of the childish things you could say to me that's what comes out of your mouth. You _dare_ me?"

Sirius' grin widened. "Double dog dare you."

Castellanos bit her lip and swore under her breath, taking the helmet from his outstretched hand. "I'm hardly dressed appropriately to be getting on this thing."

Sirius, watching as she climbed onto the seat behind him in her knee length black skirt riding high as her thighs pressed against him. She was in black high heels and a white sleeveless silk blouse. Her bag had her healer robe tossed over the top as she carefully extended the strap to tie it across her shoulders. She put the helmet on her head and wrapped her arms around his waist and he grinned widely.

"Isn't this much more comfortable, Castellanos?"

"Let's get this over with," she mumbled into his ear as he revved the engine.

Sirius only grinned as he sped off through the city. He drove down to Hyde park, stopping the bike and parking it on the street. Castellanos carefully climbed off, tugging the helmet over her head and handing it back to him. She adjusted her skirt, sighing as she looked around the park.

"Well, I took a ride. I'll see you next month at your appointment with Harry."

She made to walk off but he took her hand, tugging her up against him. The feel of her pressed so close to him, after she had just spent the last twenty minutes with her legs wrapped around him from behind made him tremble. She let out a small sigh when his hand wrapped around the back of her neck and he bent his head to kiss her. Her lips parted for his easily and he slid his tongue between them greedily, smiling against her mouth when her arms twined around his neck and were in his hair. He pressed her closer to him by the small of her back, making her very much aware of just what he was feeling as he kissed her.

Sirius licked his lips as he pulled away, grinning widely. "Fancy getting a bite, love?"

Castellanos eyes were glazed over a bit when she opened them. "I… we… I… we can't do this, Black."

He nipped gently at her lips. "Why not?"

"Because I'm Harry's healer."

"Uh-huh," he said, nipping at her neck. Sirius sucked at the pulse point there until her head fell back.

"It's unprofessional."

"It is," he agreed, his thumb rubbing the exposed skin on her left hip where her blouse had ridden up. "If I were the patient — but I'm not, Harry is."

Castellanos pushed him away, tugging her blouse down as discreetly as she could. "I _am_ Harry's healer and with that comes responsibility on my part to be professional in all aspects of his life. That includes not letting myself get involved with his guardian."

Sirius grinned, moving close to her again and sitting his hands on her hips. "All very gallant, Castellanos, high praise." Then his lips were on her neck again and she moaned, making him grin. "So wanna grab a bite to eat, love? Or would you rather I Apparate us somewhere a bit more private and I can bite you in all sorts of naughty places?"

She flushed against him, pushing him away. "Sirius Black!"

"Althea Castellanos!" he exclaimed in the same shocking tone she had just used.

"Don't you know the meaning of the word no?"

"I do," he told her, smirking. "As I just told my friend Remus the other day, it means try again later." His hand squeezed her hip gently. "And I hate to break it to you, baby, but you haven't actually said no."

Castellanos flushed in response and squealed when he pushed her back against the large tree, his knee between her legs and he kissed her deeply. Her fingers twined themselves in his dark soft locks and she sighed against his mouth. His fingers sat on her hips, gently stroking the soft skin from where her blouse had lifted. His lips met hers over and over as his tongue danced with hers. When he pulled away to catch his breath, she sighed.

"I should say no," she mumbled as his lips trailed hotly over her collarbone.

Sirius smirked against her skin, letting his thumb pop open one of the buttons at the top of her blouse revealing more bronzed skin and the lace of a white camisole. "But you won't."

"You don't know what I'll do," she insisted stubbornly as his lips brushed along the top of her camisole.

Sirius let his tongue trail along the side of her neck and he kissed her lips softly. "You're right. I don't know what you'll do. But I know when someone is interested and when someone is not — and you, babe, are interested."

At her look of annoyance, he grinned.

"But I also know that if we don't grab a bite at that bistro I had in mind across the way in the next few minutes, I'm going to cast a privacy charm and take you right here against this tree." His hardness was pressed against her stomach and she merely nodded.

"Merlin," she murmured, her eyes on his. "Okay, you win, I'm interested."

"Okay what, Castellanos?" he demanded, grinding himself against her now.

Her breath hitched and she nodded again. "Bistro."

Sirius kissed the pulse point in her neck again before he stepped back, holding his hand out to her. "Bistro it is."

Castellanos' hand curled into his and she smiled. "But for the record, I could have stopped you any time that I wanted."

Sirius smirked as he led her across the street. "Oh, of that I have no doubt — but that's the key phrase, isn't it, Thea?"

"What?" she asked, her voice breathless.

"You _didn't_ want to."

She stared at him eyes wide as they stepped into the bistro and got a table. "You are the most infuriating man that I have ever met."

Sirius smiled, ordering a glass of wine as she did the same. "I've been called worse."

"It wasn't a compliment," she retorted, grabbing the menu from the table.

Sirius only stared at her, smiling widely. "You're absolutely gorgeous."

She flushed, but she kept staring at the menu.

"First time I saw you, I thought she's beautiful. But you're more than that. Gorgeous… breathtaking… all of that bronzed gold skin and the dark eyes. A Greek goddess waiting for me to plunder her."

"I'm hardly waiting for you to… do you even know what comes out of your mouth?" she insisted, her eyes flashing.

Sirius grinned, leaning back in his seat. "Yes, I know."

The waitress came back and they each placed their order before Castellanos turned back to him. "Okay, I'm not playing ignorant here. We both know that I'm _obviously_ attracted to you."

"Aw, really?"

"Shut it," she told him, half-smiling. "I'm just saying that I don't… it's unprofessional to date someone who you meet at work. Even though you're not my patient, I see you on a professional basis because you have guardianship of your godson."

Sirius nodded, taking a sip of his wine. "I get what you're saying and I respect that. But I still want to lick every inch of you starting at your toes."

Her toes curled in her shoes. "That's not my point," she insisted.

"I know what your point is, but I'm saying it doesn't change the way that I feel." He took her hand in his and gently pressed a kiss to the centre of her palm, spearing heat through her system. "After lunch, you should show me your flat."

"No, I really shouldn't," she said, her voice breathless.

Sirius merely grinned. "Scared?"

Castellanos only stared at him. "Maybe a little."

"Good," he said simply, letting his thumb move in concentric circles on her hand. "So, Apollo told me that you have four older brothers and that you spent the first fourteen years of your life in Athens. Tell me about it."

Castellanos made to move her hand out of his grasp but he only smirked at her and held on. "I'm Greek obviously. I loved living in Athens and I often think about going back, but my whole family lives here now, and I love them and would hate to be away from them. I like knowing that they live close by, you know?"

Sirius smiled. "What's Durmstrang like? You always hear rumours about the other magic schools, but no one really knows details. My parents contemplated sending me there after I misbehaved too severely in my first year. It's said that you actually learn the Dark Arts there — is that true?"

She nodded, her dark eyes on his. "They didn't force it upon you or anything, but it was an advanced class for anyone who was interested. I was most definitely not interested. My favourite professor was Professor Dragomir. He was actually the charms professor, but he taught a duelling club that showed us how to defend ourselves against dark spells, much more useful I'd say. He was really helpful when it came time for me to take my final exams and to do my healing tests. I still write to him sometimes."

"Sounds like a cool bloke. I wish we had someone who did that at Hogwarts. I mean, Flitwick, our charms professor, he taught a duelling club as well and he really taught some mean charms and tricks, but he didn't have any real tips on defending oneself against dark spells. To be honest, I didn't even think there were specific things you could do."

Castellanos shrugged. "Yes… and no. But I found him helpful nevertheless," she sipped her wine and smiled at him. "You said that you misbehaved in your first year?"

Sirius grinned widely. "More like all of the time, but yeah." When she chuckled in response, he continued. "My best friends and I were quite the pranksters and troublemakers at school. Our head of house called us the Marauders and it kind of stuck like our own little gang. They were my family in every sense of the word; my best friends and my brothers and we had the most fun when we were at school."

"That's nice," she said as the waitress placed their food choices in front of them.

Castellanos watched as the waitress fluffed her hair and cocked her hip at Sirius as she spoke to him and the flame of jealousy that spit through her made her blanch. She _did not_ get jealous, she thought. She had no claim to this man. Sirius smiled at the waitress and turn to his food, his black locks framing his face and the dangerous stubble on his chin made Castellanos realize that she did want to claim him. Maybe not forever, maybe not even for that long - but the thought of that mouth starting at her toes and working its way up, and that stubble, scratching and tickling her skin while he moved. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. If he made love even half as good as he kissed she was definitely in trouble.

Not that she was going to sleep with him of course, she told herself. But if she let her imagination think about it… she loved stubble on a man. It just made them look so dangerous and who didn't love a bad boy? She might be in trouble, she thought.

He was giving her a knowing smile as if he could read her thoughts and she glared at him, pushing all of her thoughts behind her. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, grinning as he took a bite of his turkey sandwich and munched on a chip.

"Tell me about Harry," she said quickly, reaching for her own chip. "Why are you his designated guardian now?"

"I was always meant to be," he told her. He picked up his wine glass and drank quickly. "I was named godfather to Harry before he was even born. James and Lily asked me to sign papers that if anything were to ever happen to them that I would raise him. I promised I would and we made it official. Lily's parents died in our seventh year at school; a car crash. She was devastated. And James' parents… Fee and Monty died of dragon pox when Lily was pregnant with Harry. James was like a brother to me and his parents were the most incredible people I had ever known, I basically grew up with them. Anyway, they asked me to be guardian if anything were to happen and when Harry was fifteen months old… well Voldemort attacked; killed both of them and I discovered that they had been killed based on information one of my best friends had given Voldemort. I let my anger get the best of me and I went after him. He framed me. I got arrested and I went to Azkaban."

She nodded, her hand on her fry. "After you left that day, I asked about why your name was familiar to me. My receptionist told me that you had recently been released from prison after having been declared innocent."

Sirius nodded. "After I got out, I wanted to get to know my godson. He was being kept with Lily's sister and her husband and they mistreated him as you saw — and now he's with me, where he's safe and happy. I gave him Marauder, his puppy that he loves and sleeps with every night and plays with most days. The puppy sleeps at his feet while he does his studies and he plays with the dog in the yard after dinner and in the afternoon." Sirius told her, smiling. "He's happy. And I'm happy. My best friend, Remus Lupin, helps me out with Harry. He's practically his guardian as well as far as I'm concerned."

"And where is Harry at the moment?" Castellanos asked, taking a bite from her chicken wrap.

"At home with Remus. He's teaching him. I said I'd be home for dinner." Sirius told her, smiling. "But Remus has been wanting Harry to sleep over at his place and that can definitely be arranged soon."

Castellanos smiled as she ate. "I'm sure that it can."

They finished their lunch, talking about this and that before Sirius paid, taking her hand and leading her back out to his motorcycle. He held the helmet out to her.

"Hold on tight."

She climbed up behind him and wrapped her arms and thighs around his waist.

"Where do you live, Castellanos?"

She bit her bottom lip as if she was debating actually telling him that information and then she nodded and rattled off an address and Sirius revved up the motorbike and zoomed out.

It took less than ten minutes for her to get home, pointing to an area where he could park the bike. He killed the engine and she pulled the helmet off, handing it back to him.

"You should really wear a helmet too, you know."

He only grinned and helped her off of the bike, extending his hand. "I'll walk you up."

She hesitated. "You can't come in."

Sirius smiled at her. "I'll walk you up. It would be rude of me not to."

Castellanos accepted his hand and led him up to the third floor. Her flat was the second door on the left and she smiled as she pulled her purse over her shoulder. "Thank you for today — it was nice."

Sirius nodded, taking her purse from her so that she could find her keys. "It was nice. Thanks for finally agreeing to it."

She nodded, tugging the keys free. "Well, to be fair — you didn't give me much choice."

He grinned. "Sure I did, I dared you — but you could have said no."

"I did. Then you double dogged dared me."

"You didn't say no, Althea," he said softly and she licked her lips.

"Well, goodbye then."

Sirius only smiled. "You know that I'm going to kiss you goodbye."

"Are you?" she asked before she turned and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. The keys in her hand hit the floor and he pinned her back against the door, deepening the kiss.

Every inch of her was pressed up close against him and all he could think about was how much he had missed women. How much he missed this close contact with another person; how much he missed sex. Her lips were soft and firm and as his tongue met hers, she let out a deep moan and sighed when he pulled away. He pressed the keys into her hand with a smirk.

"Unlock your door, Althea."

Castellanos turned around and fumbled the key into the lock, unlocking the door. "You can't come in, Sirius."

Sirius' lips brushed hers so softly it sent a shiver through her body. "So you said." He let his lips linger once more over hers. "Go out with me again this week. When's your next day off?"

"Saturday," she told him, kissing his neck.

He grinned, letting his head fall back to give her better access. "I'll pick you up for six. Wear a little black dress and heels."

Her eyebrow rose, pulling back to stare at him. "Are you honestly telling me what to wear now?"

Sirius grinned and bent his head to brush his lips with hers. "Wear a little black dress, Castellanos." He tossed her purse onto the floor of the flat and grinned when she tugged him by his jacket towards her and kissed him deeply.

"My roommate only works until four," she murmured against his lips. "That's why you can't come in."

Sirius lifted her up by the hips and her legs wrapped around his waist. He pinned her back against the wall of the living room that they had just walked into and his hand slid provocatively up her thigh. "It's only two thirty."

She moaned when his fingers brushed higher up her thigh, touching the silk panties she wore. "No… no, we can't," she groaned. "Stop."

Sirius nipped her lips as he slid her down his body, letting her feel every last inch of him as she descended back to the ground and gently took a step away from her. "I'm stopping. Why are we stopping again?"

Castellanos' own breathing was heavy, but she shook her head. "No. This is just… too fast. Saturday, six o'clock. I'll wear a dress."

He grinned at her. "A short one?"

"Don't push your luck, Black."

"See you Saturday, Althea."

When she closed the door to her flat behind him, she leaned back against it and let out of a long sigh. Sirius Black was trouble alright, she thought and the real trouble was that she liked it.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius was whistling as he drove his motorcycle around the back of the house and into the yard.** He had a date with Althea Castellanos and he was looking forward to it. He shut the engine off just as Harry came bolting across the grass towards him with Marauder tripping over his feet behind him.

"Uncle Siri! Uncle Siri!" he shouted as Sirius climbed off of his motorcycle.

"Hey Prongslet, where's the fire?" Sirius asked him.

Harry threw his arms around Sirius' waist, grinning widely up at him. "Guess what?"

"What?" Sirius exclaimed, picking him up and hoisting him onto his hip.

"There was a big volcano called Vesuvius! And it went pow! And boom! And it covered all the people in ash!"

"There was?" Sirius asked, his eyes going wide in shock as he winked at Remus who was sitting in a lawn chair on the patio grinning at the two of them.

"Pompeii," Remus supplied. "Just a little Muggle history lesson today. Harry seems to like the Romans."

"Ah," Sirius responded, reaching down to scratch Marauder behind the ears who was begging for his attention. "Very interesting. What else did you learn today, Harry?"

He listened attentively as Harry told him all about his daily activities.

"Wow, it sounds like you had a very busy day."

Harry nodded, his smile wide. "I did and Uncle Moony said that I didn't have to have a nap if I didn't want to."

"Oh _really_?" Sirius said, placing Harry back on his feet as he plopped himself into the chair next to his friend.

Harry bolted back across the lawn, seemingly to burn off an endless supply of energy as Marauder barked and chased after him.

Remus shrugged, shifting his left leg over his right. "He's six now. He doesn't really need them. I figured I'd see how he dealt this week without a nap, but he seems fine. Look how much energy he has," he pointed to Harry who was shrieking in laughter as Marauder chased him. "How was your day?"

Sirius grinned widely. "Great actually. Had lunch with Castellanos and convinced her to go on a date with me on Saturday."

"Oh," Remus said with a knowing smile. "A date, eh? I kind of thought she was going to keep being stubborn."

Sirius laughed. "I let my lips do the talking, Moony. No one can resist these beauties," he replied as he made kissing noises with his mouth.

Remus laughed and shook his head. "Oh, sorry, forgot who I was talking to. You are so full of it."

"Still got the date," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "And hopefully a shag will soon follow so what about having that sleepover with Harry at your place on Saturday night? That way, if things go as I think they will, I won't be so worried about getting home late."

Remus nodded, smiling at his friend. "That sounds good actually. You know I've been wanting him to come stay overnight with me. By the way, I meant to say something to you yesterday, but you distracted me with the whole Nymphadora fancies me shite."

"Oh? You mean when I pointed out that our young Dora thinks you're sexy and you got all flustered? Yes, do go on."

Remus ignored his friend, but the backs of his ears reddened. "Nymphadora mentioned that she had been working on a transfiguration project with her friend Charlie Weasley and his little sister Ginny had been excitedly telling her mum about how Harry Potter was coming to her birthday party."

"Weasley?"

He nodded. "I vaguely recognized the name, but I wasn't positive. Didn't Fab and Gid's older sister marry a Weasley?"

"I think so, yeah. Man, I haven't thought of them in years. Remember when I snogged Gideon on a dare back in fourth year?"

Remus laughed, scratching the stubble on his chin. "I do. James told you to keep your tongue in your own mouth before he vomited. And then when you snogged Dorcas he threatened to vomit on you. I believe he said watching you suck face was enough to make Snivellus want to shower."

Sirius grinned as he thought about the memory. "Gideon was a good snog too, I'll give him that. Dorcas was too eager, I guess is the word. But she had breasts and touching them was better than any snog Gid could ever give me."

Remus chuckled. "I remember when Fabian dared you to touch Dorcas' breasts, you were practically bouncing in excitement."

"Ha, those were the days!" he said with a laugh. "I wonder how Fab and Gid are doing? We should write them and get them over here for dinner or something?"

Remus' eyes darkened and he shook his head. "Padfoot… they're dead."

"What?" Sirius asked, his eyes wide. "What do you mean _they're dead_? They were two of the most talented duellists I've ever seen outside of James and Lily — and Dumbledore, of course."

Remus only stared at him a minute. "About a month, maybe two, after you were arrested, Sirius… both of them. Dolohov went to prison for killing them, but Moody said that it took five DE's to take them down."

"Damn it!" Sirius exhaled, dragging his fingers through his hair and away from his face. "I guess we never got around to having _that_ conversation, did we, Moony?"

Remus shrugged, turning in his chair to face his friend. "The Order officially disbanded about two years after James and Lily were killed, but within six months we had all stopped going on missions. But yeah, we lost… a lot of amazing people, Sirius. Frank and Alice too, before the Prewetts."

"That was mentioned at my trial," Sirius said, vaguely remembering the Longbottom name being mentioned by Crouch. "I didn't know what Crouch had meant about his son in pertinence to the Longbottoms."

"You remember Bartemius Crouch Jr?" he asked. "He was two years behind us in school? Apparently he was a Death Eater. He worked with your cousin Bellatrix and her husband. They were interrogating those they suspected of working with Dumbledore in the Order, trying to find information on how Harry survived and their master had vanished. They tortured Frank and Alice with the Cruciatus."

"They had a son about Harry's age, didn't they?"

Remus nodded, his eyes moving to Harry, who was now throwing one of Marauder's toys and watching the puppy bound after it gleefully. "Neville, yeah. He's a few days older than Harry. They're not dead, Sirius. Frank and Alice are… they're insane. They live at St Mungo's."

Sirius stared at his friend for a moment, his eyes dark. "Idiots. Even my parents understood that to hold the curse into place for longer than two minute intervals attacks the brain. You don't get information from insane people. Poor kid — who's raising him?"

"Frank's mum. Remember her? Augusta Longbottom? She's a powerful witch and one of the most formidable women I've ever met. Even Frank was afraid to cross her."

"Poor kid," Sirius repeated, his eyes finding Harry who was giggling as Marauder wrestled with him. "I think it's better that James and Lily are dead. To have them… but to not really have them — that's got to be way worse, right? Do they even know that he's their son?"

Remus shook his head. "I don't know."

"We should get Harry and Neville together sometime. They could be friends."

"That's a good idea, Sirius," Remus said with a smile.

Sirius tapped his fingers on the side of the chair as they watched Harry play with Marauder before he spoke. "Who else is gone, Moony?"

"Well, you knew Marly and Mary were killed before James and Lily. Dorcas Meadows, remember Voldemort personally took her out two days before James and Lily. We didn't find out until after… and Edgar Bones? Death Eaters killed him, his wife, and his children just before Christmas. Benjy Fenwick was blasted apart by Death Eaters — Moody said that they had only found bits of him," Remus told him, his eyes sad. "And Caradoc."

"Bloody hell — Dearborn too, eh?"

Remus nodded. "He went missing. He's still officially MIA according to the DMLE, but we're positive he's dead. Last we heard, he was being chased by Death Eaters while on one of his missions. He was working with Fenwick when he went down so… all gone."

"Guess I should have known that losing James and Lily wouldn't have been the end."

Remus nodded, closing his eyes as he sadly remembered those he had once considered friends. "Once the known Death Eaters were rounded up and arrested, everything mostly calmed down by the end of January of '82. But we both know that not all of the DE's are in Azkaban. A lot of them are still unknown or too well protected to be proven. Dumbledore kept the Order going for almost two years after James and Lily died, he was convinced that Voldemort was still out there somewhere, but after Frank and Alice… the DE's that hadn't been arrested were hidden well underground and the war was essentially over by then."

"Like Peter," Sirius spat bitterly as Harry approached them, taking a long drink from the glass of water on the table.

"Exactly."

"Who's Peter?" Harry asked, still holding the water glass in his hand as he sat down cross legged on the grass at his godfather's feet.

"Hmm?" Sirius asked.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Sirius, don't feign ignorance, it's beneath you — and he deserves to know." Remus let out a slow breath before he answered his nephew. "Peter was our friend, Harry."

"Was? The other bloke in the photos?" Harry asked, his eyes on Remus. "Is he gone like my mum and dad?"

"I fucking wish," Sirius muttered, taking a long drink of water from the glass in his godson's hand.

"Sirius, don't swear in front of Harry," Remus hissed at him.

Sirius stared at Harry for a moment. "Peter's not dead, Harry, but he deserves to be. He was our friend and he betrayed us. He fell in with Voldemort and his Death Eater's and he…"

Remus reached over to squeeze Sirius' arm in reassurance when he trailed off.

Sirius swallowed slowly before he spoke. "He's the reason that I had to get locked up and the reason why you don't have parents."

Harry just looked at them. "Oh."

Remus reached down to lift Harry up into his lap. "Don't worry, Harry. He's gone deep into hiding. Sirius and I would never let him hurt you."

Harry nodded, hugging Remus. "I know that."

Remus kissed Harry's forehead with a smile. "Hey, Harry, how do you feel about coming to stay over at my house on Saturday? You can bring Marauder and you guys can sleep over. Then on Sunday, I'll bring you home in time for Uncle Padfoot to take you to Ginny's birthday."

Harry nodded eagerly. "Can we bake chocolate chip biscuits?"

"Definitely. And we'll make our own pizza and we can watch a movie on my new V.C.R.."

"Can Tonks come too?" Harry asked as he grinned widely. "She loves movies! And she makes the best chocolate brownies ever!"

Sirius grinned widely as Remus hesitated. "Yeah, Uncle Moony, can Tonks go too?"

Remus ignored his friend and gently brushed Harry's fringe back. "Well, I'm sure she's busy, little Prongs, but we can ask her."

Sirius only smirked at him. "Bet you ten Galleons she's free."

"Shut it, Padfoot," Remus said as Harry hurried off to play again. "Just don't say anything."

Sirius only grinned wider and wiggled his eyebrows. But he kept his mouth shut.


	21. Chapter 21

_Author's Note:_

 _As a few people have mentioned that this story has some underlying Wolfstar, I will say that I do ship them, but I really love Remus and Tonks — especially because of the whole Teddy thing later on — but I do really love to read fanfics of Wolfstar specifically my ultimate favourite one — We Were Infinite by WolfstarPups90 available on Ao3. But I don't write it. I want to give the impression of Remus and Tonks, obviously nothing will be happening any time soon being that she is a child at thirteen (young teen technically but a child nevertheless) and he is a twenty-six year-old-man, but it is coming._

 _Also, I have been power-housing today and wrote a few pages of a missing moment for my_ **Missing Moments** _story as well while writing this chapter, I finally got the rest of my inspiration for the three paragraphs on tattoos I had written for the missing moments that I never went anywhere else with. Then I came back and finished this chapter and wrote an incredibly steamy chapter 22. So please go check out my_ **Missing Moments** _update as well._

 _So without further delay — Happy Holiday Weekend, voila three chapters!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:**

 **Harry was sitting on the ground at Sirius' feet as he sat on a crate next to his motorcycle.** Tools were spread out all around them and the back wheel of the bike was leaning against the wall of the house.

"Harry, can you pass me that lug nut there?"

Harry reached for the nut and passed it to Sirius with a smile as Sirius explained what the lug nut was and what he was currently using it for. Sirius loved these moments with Harry. He loved fiddling with his bike as he taught his godson the intricacies and delicacies of an engine, of what a motorcycle represents, and how to repair it. Harry would listen attentively, asking questions that were actually quite inquisitive in Sirius' opinion.

After a few days of having Harry help him with the bike: checking oil levels, keeping it clean and working on the engine, Harry was now skilled enough that he knew what tool to pass Sirius when he asked for it.

Sirius blared Muggle music through the wireless record player that had been a gift from James for his fourteenth birthday. Thinking of his friend, he played The Beatles — switching back to Queen and The Rolling Stones, but always going back to The Beatles. Harry sang along to the songs that he knew, the ones that Sirius played often enough for him to have learnt. It made him smile to hear him singing, but unlike his father, Harry had next to no singing talent whatsoever, which only made it sweeter.

That Saturday morning, Harry was helping Sirius wash the bike, soaping it up and cleaning the motorbike with great care. He wanted it to be shiny for his date with Castellanos that night.

A large shadow fell over them and Harry looked up in awe at the figure of the tall man who stood over them. His hair was long and brown and scraggly as was his beard. He stood taller than the tool shed and he wore a big grin on his face as he looked down at Harry.

"'Arry! I 'aven't seen yeh since yeh was a baby!"

Sirius grinned widely, wiping his soapy hands on a dry towel. "Hagrid! What a nice surprise!" He extended his hand and the giant took it.

Sirius looked down at where Harry was still sitting on the ground, his mouth open and head all the way back as he stared up at Hagrid seemingly in awe.

"Harry, this is Hagrid, he works with Professor Dumbledore and Auntie Minnie at Hogwarts."

Hagrid chuckled. "Auntie Minnie, eh? 'Ow's Minerva liking tha'?"

Sirius grinned sheepishly. "She's annoyed and ridiculously touched at the same time." He bent down to pick Harry up, sitting him on his hip. "Say hi, Harry."

"Hi," Harry said, his eyes still wide. "You're tall!"

Hagrid's beady eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. "That I am!" He reached forward and a big hand ruffled Harry's hair.

Sirius smiled in surprise. First, Harry hadn't flinched at all. Second, Hagrid was very friendly, but he had still expected more shyness on Harry's part. And third, Harry was still staring up at the gamekeeper with a look of awe on his little face.

"You've shocked him, Hagrid," he said with a laugh, putting Harry back on the ground. "Harry, run into the kitchen and get two bottles of _Dragon Scale_ from the ice box and you can have some pumpkin juice."

Harry nodded as he eagerly ran off towards the house.

Hagrid watched him run off with a smile. "'E's so big now, ain't 'e?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, he just turned six. Come around the back and have a seat," he said leading Hagrid around to the patio. He tugged his wand out of his jeans, converting two of the old lawn chairs into a large chair for Hagrid before taking a seat on the bench.

Hagrid took a seat, his eyes roaming the backyard with a critical eye. "Could use some yard work out 'ere, Sirius — yer poor plants are dying over there!"

Sirius winced. "I know, Hagrid. I'm working on it. I don't know too much about gardening and landscaping."

Hagrid nodded. "I'd be 'appy ter 'elp out!"

"Thanks. I'll be sure to ask your advice when I get started."

Hagrid beamed as Harry came out the back door, carefully carrying the three bottles in his arms.

Sirius took them from him, passing one of the bottles of _Dragon Scale_ to Hagrid before he helped Harry open the bottle of pumpkin juice. Harry sat next to him on the bench, drinking eagerly. Sirius opened his own beer, drinking deeply before smiling at Hagrid. "So what do we owe this visit, Hagrid?"

Hagrid smiled, placing his beer on the ground next to him. "Dumbledore sent me. 'E wanted ter come 'imself, but th' Ministry needed him urgently for somethin' or other."

Sirius nodded and waited patiently for Hagrid to continue. He had always been charmed by the old gamekeeper, but he hadn't known him as well as Lily had. Lily had befriended him in first year; asking him questions about his gardens and helping him plant and dig and water on the weekends. She used to go over for tea once a week too, Sirius remembered.

"The whole Dursley situation 'as been taken care of."

"Meaning?" Sirius asked, regretting the words immediately. He already knew that if the punishment wasn't as severe as he wanted that he was going to be angry. It was better if he didn't know. "Actually, Hagrid, don't tell me. Just… are they being disciplined?"

"Yes."

Sirius nodded, slipping his arm around Harry and tugging him against his side. Harry merely grinned, leaning into the hug. "Good. I don't need to know anymore about it."

Hagrid smiled. "Yer doing a great thing 'ere, Sirius, takin' 'im in, raisin' him."

"He's a pretty great kid," Sirius said, grinning down at his godson. "My only regret is letting you take him that night."

Hagrid nodded solemnly. "I was only followin' Dumbledore's orders, it was'na personal."

"I know," Sirius told him as Harry put his juice down and hurried off across the yard to play with Marauder. "And it wasn't you, it's where he ended up. I know Dumbledore had the best of intentions, but they were shit and Harry suffered needlessly at the hands of those ruddy Muggles."

"He's a good man, Dumbledore, best there is, but 'ow was he supposed ter know?"

Sirius' fists clenched together. "He should have kept better tabs, but he didn't and well, here we are. I have him now. He's safe now and that's all that matters." He looked out as Harry chased Marauder and he smiled. "And I think that he's finally happy too."

"Sure looks like it," Hagrid said grinning. "Tha' 'is dog?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes. I gave him to him for his birthday two weeks ago. He named him Marauder. He's ten weeks old. Do you still have that big boar hound? Merlin, what was his name… Kane? No, Cujo? No, it was Killer!"

Hagrid chuckled, "I do. Killer is still kickin' it. 'E's still a coward too! I found 'im a mate, her name's 'Untress. Met a chap down at th; pub interested in breedin' 'em. Might get meself a new pup."

Sirius smiled. "Sounds great, Hagrid."

They chatted some more about dogs. Hagrid filled Sirius in on a few gardening tips; asked about the bike, complimenting Sirius on the new look of it and then he took off. He waved goodbye to Harry, who grinned widely at him and headed back to Hogwarts.

Sirius glanced at the clock as Hagrid left and grinned. He used his wand to quickly do a fresh clean on the bike, taking off any residue or soap scum that may have lingered due to the interruption and then he grinned at Harry.

"Time to go inside and pack up what you need for Uncle Moony's, Harry!"

Because he had a date. And he couldn't wait.

~ ASC ~

 **When Remus came to pick up Harry, he was only slightly startled to find Nymphadora there as well.** He had thought that he had crushed any idea of her coming over to spend the evening with he and Harry, but when he looked at his friend's smirking face, he knew instantly that Sirius had known his plan and had changed it.

It wasn't that he didn't want her to come, he told himself. He _liked_ Nymphadora. She was spunky and funny and she always made him smile and Harry absolutely adored her. It was just now that he knew she fancied him, he felt rather awkward. What if he sent the wrong message across? What if he gave _her_ the wrong impression? Or worst of all — what if he crushed her or hurt her feelings? It was the very last thing that he wanted. His life had been so much easier when Sirius had left him alone in his ignorant bliss.

He scooped Harry up into his arms, making sure that his knapsack was full of clothing and his toys before he grabbed the other small bag that held his stuffed animals and food and toys for Marauder.

"Are we ready to go, little Prongs?"

Harry grinned widely. "Bye, Uncle Padfoot! See you tomorrow."

Sirius smiled back. "Bye, Harry, have fun with Uncle Moony and Tonks."

"Nymphadora, can you bring Marauder?" Remus asked as he stepped into the fireplace.

Tonks nodded, holding onto Marauder's leash as she scooped the puppy into her arms and followed Remus through the Floo.

Remus was helping Harry take his knapsack off as she let go of Marauder and he made a beeline towards Harry.

Tonks dusted herself off, smiling warmly at Remus. "Thanks for inviting me tonight, Remus."

He nodded, his eyes on Harry. "Harry wanted you to come. You've made quite the impression on him."

She smiled warmly, "I'm glad. He's an adorable little boy."

Remus nodded and let out a long, slow breath. It would be fine. He wouldn't let her know that he knew that she fancied him. She was just a kid and he would treat her as such. Sirius had made him worried for no reason.

Remus told Harry to put his stuff in his bedroom as Harry eagerly showed Tonks the room they had renovated just for him. Remus knew that overtime the room would show signs that a boy lived there, but Harry loved it just the same.

"Well, if it's okay with you two," Remus began. "I thought that we could start with making those biscuits and brownies."

Harry grinned and jumped up in excitement as he made a beeline for the kitchen.

Tonks laughed and clapped her hands together in anticipation. "I have all of the stuff for brownies right here."

"Great," Remus said with a smile. "Let's get started."

Thirty minutes later, the three of them were laughing. Loud music was playing, Tonks had chosen Billy Idol who according to her was a total boss, and so tidy. Remus, who actually enjoyed Billy Idol himself, only rocked along to the music quietly as Tonks led the way in brownie baking.

Once the brownies were in the oven, they moved onto the chocolate chip biscuits. Harry eagerly slid his finger along the cookie dough in the bowl, grinning widely as he ate out the sweetness after they were finished.

Remus could see how much Harry loved to help out. Sirius had mentioned the chores and tasks that the Dursleys had forced Harry to do for them, treating him like a servant instead of their nephew. Sirius had started Harry off by doing simple chores, firstly because Harry wanted to help out (having been used to doing things constantly at the Dursleys) and secondly because Sirius knew how important it felt to do things, to help the people who took you in (Sirius had learned that while living with the Potters, he wanted to show how grateful he truly was for them allowing him to live there) and third, he wanted it to feel like home and being at home, one had these kinds of responsibilities.

Remus agreed with Sirius for all of the above reasons, but also because unlike Sirius, he had come from a much more modest household. His own mother had been a Muggle and his father, after having to change his job to deal with his son's new werewolf tendencies, had taken quite a big pay cut. The three of them had worked together to keep their home. He had grown up with the thought that a child should help out with the chores, not having a house elf like some of the wealthier families. Remus was very pleased that Sirius seemed to be keeping the same mindset, despite his own wealthier upbringing.

The three of them cleaned up the mess they made as the sweets cooked in the oven. It was quite warm outside, so Remus had filled up three baskets full of water balloons. He dug them out and Tonks grinned mischievously, grabbing one and immediately crushing it over Remus' head.

Harry's eyes widened in amazement and then he spluttered when a red balloon crashed into his chest and water exploded. Soon the three of them were outside having the time of their lives (Remus taking a short intermission to pull the desserts out of the oven) before jumping back into the fray.

By the time that the last of the balloons were gone, the three of them were drenched and clutching their sides in laughter. Remus handed Tonks and Harry each a towel to dry off and he tugged off his own tee shirt, wiping his chest and shoulders, oblivious to the way Tonks' eyes had widened as she stared at him in awe.

Harry immediately hurried over to him, touching the tattoo that he had on his left shoulder. "It's just like Uncle Padfoot's!"

Remus smiled, kneeling down so that Harry could examine it more closely. The summer before their final year at Hogwarts, the four of them had decided to get matching tattoos to commemorate their friendship. He had designed the crest himself, he remembered, the Marauder crest with their four animals each representing a side.

 _"Are we sure that we're doing this?" Peter asked for the twentieth time as they approached the tattoo parlour in Knockturn Alley. "We have to be positive!"_

 _"Wormtail, you've come with me for all of my tattoos — when am I not positive?"_

 _"Not you, Padfoot!" Peter said, rolling his eyes. "Us other normal three, who have yet to mark up our beautiful skin with ink."_

 _James' arm came around Peter's shoulder. "I love the idea, Pete! Something great to memorialize us! And the crest that Moony designed is perfect, don't you agree?"_

 _Peter nodded, grinning up at James. "No, I agree."_

 _Sirius grinned widely at the guy behind the counter. "Hey, Larry, I brought some friends with me this time," he said as he pulled his shirt off. He already had the moon chart; the Gryffindor crest; the star chart of his own name on his shoulder; and runic symbols with the footprints from the map surrounding it. "We all want the same tat."_

 _Larry nodded. He had spiky blue hair and fifteen visible piercings. Both of his arms were completely covered in tattoos in bright vivid colours. "Sounds great, Black! What did you have in mind this time?"_

 _Remus reached into his pocket and pulled out the parchment where he had detailed the Marauder Crest and the words: I solemnly swear I am up to no good. "This here."_

 _Larry nodded, eyeing the sketch. "Looks easy enough. How big are we talking and where is it going?"_

 _Sirius hopped onto the table, bunching his shirt in his hands. "About the size of a coaster?" he suggested, lifting one off of the glass table and holding it up to his friends who all nodded in agreement. "Wicked. I'll go first, since I've done this before." He lied on the table and pointed back to his left shoulder blade. "Just here, Larry."_

 _Larry nodded, getting to work to find his ink pallet and grabbing his wand. James, Remus, and Peter watched as he muttered a spell and used his wand to burn the ink into Sirius' shoulder blade. It took thirty minutes as he sealed it over. He added a quick charm over the tattoo, making each animal move in their area of the crest._

 _"Done. It looks great, Sirius," Larry told him._

 _Sirius grinned, jumping to his feet and checking out his back in the mirror. "Yeah, it does. Great work!" He turned and grinned at his friends. "Who's next?"_

 _James pulled off his tee shirt and hopped up onto the table. "Me. Same spot," he said, lying on his stomach._

 _Peter went third._

 _"Left shoulder blade?" Larry asked, holding his wand in his hand._

 _Peter shook his head. "No. I want it here," he said pointing to his right forearm. "Here by the base of the wrist. I want to see it."_

 _James grinned and slapped his friend on the back. "Perfect place, Wormtail!"_

 _Peter grinned, tugging his shirt off so that the artist had better access._

 _When he was done, the three of them turned to Remus._

 _He only smiled and pulled his own shirt off. None of them commented on the multiple white scars. They only smiled at him._

 _He sat in the chair and smiled at Larry. "On my shoulder please," he said tapping the top of his left arm. "Right at the top."_

 _Sirius grinned widely. "Great choice."_

 _When Remus' tattoo was inked, James pulled a camera from his bag. "Larry, would you mind?"_

 _Larry grinned at them, accepting the camera. "Not at all."_

 _James and Sirius turned so that their tattoos were visible. Remus stood sideways in between the two of them, his left shoulder visible, and Peter stood next to James, holding his forearm out. When the camera flashed, the four of them grinned widely at each other._

 _"My mum is so going to kill me," Peter said as he looked at the tattoo of the four moving animals with a grin. "Worth it."_

 _Remus laughed, looking at his shoulder with a big smile. "Definitely worth it."_

 _"Hey, Lar, you got time to do one more quick one for me?" Sirius asked as the three of them rolled their eyes._

 _"Sirius! What do you want on your body now?" James asked in bewilderment._

 _Sirius grinned at them. "'Mischief Managed' right across here, wicked right?" he asked as he pointed to his collarbone._

 _James laughed. "It's totally you — do it!"_

 _Sirius sat back in the chair and grinned. "Oh, I plan on it."_

Remus smiled at the memory. Every time he looked down and saw the crest on his shoulder he thought about his friends and it made him smile. It had been one of the best decisions that he had made and the only mark on his skin that he liked to see. His chest had three large scars across it: One across his left ribs, one on his right, and one just at his collarbone. Both of his arms had two scars over the forearms and his back was marked by four or five long thin scars across his skin. Sometimes, when he transformed he couldn't stop himself from hurting his own body.

He realized that Tonks and Harry were both staring at him and he shook the memory from his mind. "It defined our friendship," he said with a smile. "We wanted to mark it upon ourselves and it's one of my favourite memories."

Harry gently touched it. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he read.

Tonks grinned. "A great motto if I ever heard one."

Remus smiled at her. "I don't know if Sirius told you, but we got into a bit of mischief when we were in school."

"Mum mentions it whenever she gets a letter from Professor Sprout," Tonks told him honestly. " _Nymphadora, you better not be following in your cousin's footsteps — that boy was always in detention!_ " she mimicked in a well done impression of Andromeda.

Remus laughed, drying his hair with the towel and wringing out his wet shirt. "Are you a mischief maker, Nymphadora?"

She smiled mischievously. "Only if I get caught." When Remus laughed she grinned widely. "At the end of the year, I morphed into Professor Sprout and told our house that even though we had lost the House Cup to Slytherin, we were still having a party to celebrate our accomplishments. Then I went to the kitchens and got food and drink and we had a grand old time."

Remus' eyes widened. "You morphed _into_ one of your professors?"

Tonks nodded, grinning widely. "Only once or twice. Let me tell you, Snape _does not_ find it amusing at all when he catches you."

"Snape?" Remus asked in surprise, recognizing the name.

"Yeah, Professor Snape? Was he not a teacher when you were there? I guess he is pretty young actually, only finished school a few years back."

He remembered who Snape had once hung around with, and he suddenly had an image of him teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts (and it wasn't a good one). What was Dumbledore doing even employing him at Hogwarts? Remus had suspected him to be a Death Eater before they had even left school; all of his friends had turned out to be. But he had never heard anything or seen anything on any of his missions with the Order about Snape actually working for Voldemort.

"I do know, Snape. Sirius and I went to school with him. He was a greasy-haired git back then too, but we were never very nice to him. What does he teach?" Remus asked in interest.

"He teaches Potions and he's Head of Slytherin House too." Tonks said, grabbing the peach juice that Remus had brought out with him earlier and passing two of the bottles to Remus and Harry.

"Hmm, well I find that very interesting," Remus told her.

Potions had always been a special subject of Snape's. It wasn't the worst choice, he thought as Slughorn must have retired.

"He's crabby, but maybe that's only to me because I sent him hair care products anonymously every week for a whole semester until he caught me packing up the basket in the Owlery one day."

"Oh, that's priceless!" Remus busted into laughter. He could picture Severus Snape opening a package of hair care products, a look of pure disdain upon his face and his greasy hair falling forward.

Tonks grinned widely, moving to help Harry dry his legs better and squeezed out the water from his trouser legs.

"Definitely the same git. I tripped over someone's bag and knocked a textbook off one of the desks and he looked at me and said: 'Ten points from Hufflepuff since Miss Tonks isn't capable of walking into a classroom.' Git."

"Nymphadora, do me a favour and don't tell Sirius that Snape works at Hogwarts. He'll never shut up about it."

Tonks laughed. "Yeah, no problem."

He glanced at the clock. "I was thinking that we could make our own pizzas and roast them on a fire outside for dinner — what do you two think?"

"Wicked," Tonks said with a grin. "Don't you think, Harry?"

"Wicked!" he repeated with a big grin.

Remus smiled at them. "Well, what do we say then? Or are you guys up for a game of football first?"

Harry grinned, running to grab the football and kicking it eagerly.

Remus just smiled. It was turning out to be quite a fun night. He wondered how Sirius' date was faring.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _Thank you Bex for helping me re-word the last bit about Snape. Much appreciated!_

 _Also to those asking about the DURSLEYS — I made it so that Sirius never finds out exactly what happened to them for_ _3 reasons:_

 _1) Sirius wants to start new with Harry and just leave them in the past;_

 _2) There is nothing that I could honestly come up with that I considered justice for how they treated Harry; and_

 _3) Leaving it ambiguous with the thought that they WERE punished by the magical and Muggle world — you can form your own thoughts on what happened to them — I like to think it was fairly just._


	22. Chapter 22

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: This is a VERY steamy chapter!_

 _Happy Victoria Day!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:**

 **Sirius pulled his motorcycle up in front of Castellanos' flat at exactly six that evening.** He had made a reservation at an Italian restaurant in Lancashire. He planned on taking her to a nice romantic dinner in the fancy magical village and then maybe they'd go for dessert at the ice cream shop down the street. He wore black jeans with a navy blue dress shirt untucked and his black leather jacket over top to bite the wind. He left his helmet on his bike and made his way up the stairs to knock on the door.

It opened immediately to a tall gorgeous dark haired woman. She had black curls cascading down her back and her mocha skin was very revealing in the short cut-offs and red tank top she wore. She smiled appreciatively at him.

"Well, Thea didn't quite let on just how fit you were," she said with a grin.

Sirius grinned back and looked her up and down just as obviously as she had just done him. "And she didn't mention how sexy her roommate is either."

The woman grinned back. "I'm Priya; come on in, Sirius."

Sirius followed her into the flat, watching the sway of her hips. "Where's Castellanos?"

"She got called into the hospital for an emergency this afternoon and she's running a bit behind. She should only be a few more minutes. Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?"

Sirius shook his head, smiling at her. "No thanks. So what do you do, Priya?"

"I'm a healer like Thea, but I specialize in magical bugs and diseases. I give her high praise working with children all of the time. The few of them that I see are usually quite the handful."

"They can be. I have a six-year-old at home who definitely takes up all of my time. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Priya smiled. "Okay, that's sweet. Oh, here's Thea."

Castellanos had stepped out of the door on the right. She was wearing a short tight black dress, black high heels and a white leather jacket. Her golden blonde hair was fluffed down and waved around her face. Big gold hoops were in her ears and she had a long gold knotted chain around her neck, dangling between her breasts. Sirius' body reacted immediately and he shifted his stance slightly hoping that it wasn't completely obvious.

"Castellanos, looking sexy and you wore a little black dress."

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't do it for you."

He only grinned and winked at Priya. "She did it for me."

Castellanos smiled at her roommate. "See you when I get back."

Priya shook her head. "No, I'm staying at Pasha's tonight, remember? I'll see you tomorrow."

Castellanos said goodbye and she followed Sirius outside to where his motorcycle was waiting and her eyebrows simply rose. "You wanted me to wear a little black dress and heels, but you want me to ride that thing? Why don't we just Apparate?"

Sirius put his hands on her hips and let his eyes wander appreciatively down the tight dress, the bronzed legs and thighs and he sighed in appreciation. "I'd prefer you'd ride me, but for now the bike will have to do."

Her mouth dropped open and he grinned.

"Come on, you know you love the bike," he teased, holding his helmet out to her. "Those tight thighs clenched around my waist, the rev of the engine under you. It's sexy as hell."

She took the helmet and carefully slipped it over her hair. When she climbed behind Sirius wordlessly, her dress rode so high that if her thighs hadn't been clamped around his waist, she would be giving the world a full show of her black lace knickers. But when he started the engine, she had to admit (silently and to herself of course) that yes, it was sexy as hell.

Sirius flew the bike to Lancashire and when they landed in front of the restaurant, she punched his arm.

"You failed to mention that the bike flies!"

He grinned. "I might have tweaked it a bit," he told her, helping her off the bike and letting his eyes travel down her body appreciatively again. "Going to turn me in?"

Castellanos handed him the helmet and ran her fingers through her hair, hoping it wasn't too flattened by the helmet. "No." Her eyes widened at the restaurant choice. It was one of the best known restaurants and she had always wanted to eat here, but hadn't been given the chance before. "You have excellent taste, Black."

He twined his fingers with hers and tugged her up against him, taking her lips in a deep kiss and grinned at her. "I know 'cause you taste fucking amazing."

She laughed. "That was cheesy."

Sirius shrugged. "But it made you laugh and you do taste amazing."

He leaned in to nip at her lips again.

"Food, Black. I'm starving," she told him, kissing him once more before she pulled away. "But you don't taste so bad yourself."

He followed her into the restaurant, telling the hostess his name and a few minutes later they were seated at a table in the middle of the restaurant. The waiter brought them red wine and they ordered an antipasto before he grinned at her.

"Did I impress you?"

She smiled, sipping the wine in her glass. "A little. I've always wanted to come here."

Sirius picked up his own glass. "It's a great place from what I remember. I've been a few times with my friends years ago."

Castellanos nodded, her eyes on the menu. "I don't even know what to order."

He leaned across the table to whisper to her. "You know what the best way to order at these places is?" When she shook her head, he smiled. "Don't. Let them choose for you. It's always amazing."

She closed the menu and grinned at him. "Deal."

They placed their 'surprise us' order with the waiter, who smiled pleasantly and hurried off and then she turned to smile at him.

"So, you finally got me on that date without a dare."

"I did," he said, grinning widely.

Castellanos only smiled at him. "Where's Harry tonight?"

"He's having a sleepover with Remus. They were going to bake biscuits and have pizza and something about watching a Muggle film. He's bringing him home to me just before lunch tomorrow. Harry has a birthday party of a new friend to attend to tomorrow and he's pretty excited."

"Sounds fun."

"Should be," Sirius told her with a smile. "And Harry insisted on my cousin Tonks going over as well, which means Moony is all flustered." At her blank look, his smile widened. "She's thirteen and fancies Moony a bit. He's quite embarrassed by it, but she loves Harry and enjoys spending time with him so I figure it's a win-win situation for her — even if it makes Moony a bit uncomfortable."

Castellanos chuckled, sipping her wine. "I can see how that would make him uncomfortable. Moony is also Remus?"

"Right, sorry, nickname," he said with a grin.

"And Tonks is a name?"

"Surname," he said with a grin. "Her name is Nymphadora and she rather despises it."

Castellanos laughed. "I can see how that is a bit of a mouthful for her."

The antipasto came out, melanzane ripiene alla parmigana, and Castellanos told him about the emergency that she had been called to the hospital for. A child had suffered a severe reaction to an exploding potion. It had taken over two hours to calm the child and to get the boils off of the skin. Thankfully, he was going to be fine.

By the time their food was served, Sirius learned that she would be turning twenty-four in September and that she was leaving just after her birthday to spend a few months in Sri Lanka.

"Why Sri Lanka?" Sirius asked her as he dug into his scaloppine tosca that the waiter had brought him. "You told me last time how close you are to your family and how going back to Greece was too far?"

She smiled, taking a bite of her own meal, the pollo speciale. "It's for Healing Hands in Habitat. It's a wonderful organization started about a decade ago by a Scottish healer named Grant. It's completely run on volunteers. You go for twelve weeks - room and board are taken care of - and you go where you're needed to heal and to help those in need of medical care. Sri Lanka is currently amidst a rather intense civil war and thousands if not millions of people could use the help. It's an amazing thing and I want to be a part of it. I want to help in any way that I can, no matter how small."

"Wow," Sirius said, eyes wide. "I'm really impressed right now." When she blushed he grinned. "No, honestly. That's the bravest and most brilliant thing I could imagine. If I had the healing skills you do, I'd consider it myself. So you'd be back just before Christmas?"

She nodded, stabbing a fresh mushroom with her fork. "Or just after."

"And you're a hundred percent on board?"

"A hundred and ten percent on board. I've already got my work visa and my magical license to practice in another country set up. The portkey is taking eight of us from St Mungo's on September 30th," she explained with a smile. "I'm excited and terrified at the same time. There's a Muggle equivalent organization that works nearby and from what I understand we work with them to a great extent as well."

He just grinned at her. "That's truly amazing."

She smiled at him, wondering what he was thinking. "Are you disappointed that I'm going to be gone in two months after you finally got me to go out with you?"

Sirius grinned, reaching for her hand. "A little, but as I plan on shagging your brains out tonight, my mind may be on other things at the moment."

Castellanos smirked at him. "You really are bold, Black. You just assume that I would let you go all the way with me after this fancy dinner? I said I'd ride your motorbike not your broomstick."

Sirius smirked, his eyes twinkling at her. "With your roommate conveniently not being home tonight, Castellanos — you want me, and you know it."

"I did tell you that I'm a busy woman and that I don't have time to get involved in a relationship," she told him. "This was in the works when you first asked me out and I got confirmation yesterday that I am indeed part of the team going to Sri Lanka."

"And I did mention a few great shags was all I was looking for," he kissed her palm, his eyes twinkling. "You're gorgeous and sexy and I like you - but I'm not looking for a relationship either, Althea. I'm just getting my own life back on track and adjusting to being Harry's full time godfather. I'm looking to get to know you is all and where that may or may not end up well, that's half the fun of finding out."

Castellanos closed her hand, the heat of his mouth still on her skin. "You make an excellent point." She stepped out of her right heel, letting her foot trail up the leg of his jeans, smiling seductively at him. "And I suppose maybe, I might possibly, let you convince me that it would be worth my while to invite you…"

Sirius shivered as her foot gently kneaded his leg. "I'd be more than happy to try."

He paid the bill and when they stepped outside, he tugged her up against him and kissed her deeply, his hands moving to her waist, one sliding around to squeeze her bum in the tight dress. Her hands fisted in his hair and his tongue met hers fiercely, both fighting for control of the kiss.

When he pulled away, his eyes stayed on hers. His hand slowly slid up her torso, caressing a breast and moving over her arm, gripping her hand. "Want to grab some ice cream?"

Castellanos jolted in surprise and then her smile broke out. "Sure."

Sirius linked his arm through hers as they strolled down the street to the ice cream place. They each had a cone, Sirius chose strawberry and Castellanos chose chocolate and vanilla swirl. They walked back to the motorcycle as they ate and Sirius grinned at her as he finished his cone.

"Mmm, I do love strawberry ice cream, but there's definitely something else I'd rather be doing with my mouth," he told her, swooping down and tasting the ice cream on her tongue as he kissed her.

She licked her lips when he pulled away with a smirk. "You're a tease, Sirius Black."

His eyebrow rose in amusement. "A tease?"

She finished her cone, cleaning her hands with the napkin provided and tossing it the rubbish bin nearby. "Yes, a tease."

Sirius placed his hands on her waist and smiled at her. "How am I tease?"

Castellanos wrapped her arms around his neck, almost at his eye level due to her heels. "The other day, you said that you wanted to lick me all over — now you say you'd rather be doing something else with your mouth: Tease." She kissed the side of his neck and pressed herself up against him, her eyes on his before she deliberately stepped back. "It's been a really great night, but you should probably take me home."

She turned and picked up the helmet before he spun her around, crushing his mouth to hers. His hand slid over her bum, kneading and squeezing and his other hand trailed along the edge of her short dress, brushing the skin there seductively.

When he let her go, her eyes were glazed over and he grinned at her.

"Get on the bike, Castellanos."

Once she was wrapped tightly around him, he sped off towards her flat, parking his bike and following her up the stairs. She unlocked the door, turning to smile at him.

"We both know that I should say goodnight and close this door."

Sirius grinned, leaning down to brush his lips gently across hers. "Do we?" he murmured and then he smirked. Two could play this game, he thought. "All I know is that I can't wait to taste you on my lips."

She flushed and he grinned. She grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged him into her flat, kicking the door shut behind him. Her hands fisted into his hair and she kissed him.

Sirius met her demand, mouths meeting furiously in a desperate kiss and he grinned. His hands slid down her body, gripping her bum tightly and using his other hand to tug her leather jacket off. She yanked at his own jacket, dropping it to the floor and she unbuttoned his shirt.

"This is crazy," she told him. "We barely know each other."

He nipped at her ear, suckling the skin just below it and smiled. "Doesn't mean a thing when you're wet for me."

"Bloody bastard," she hissed, pushing his shirt over his shoulders and sliding her hands up his chest with a smile. "Maybe I just want to use you tonight — how does that make you feel?"

His grip tightened on her bum and she smiled. "Maybe I'll use you right back."

His lips met hers again and he slid his hands down her bum and under the hem of her dress, the firm outline of her bum just barely covered by the dress' posterior.

"Merlin, it's been too long," he murmured, his hand squeezing her bum in appreciation. Just the thought of what he wanted to do to her made him hard and he knew that he wasn't going to last long. It had been too many years since he'd been with a woman.

"Mmm, where's the zipper on this thing?"

She grinned at him. "You just, you know… peel it off."

"Merlin," he groaned as he slowly lifted the dress upward and he leisurely exposed more of her golden skin. When the dress hit the floor, he smiled completely beholden by her. She wore black lacy knickers and black high heels and he hardened even more at the sight of her. She hadn't been wearing a bra. "You truly are a goddess."

Castellanos crooked her finger at him and he followed her to her bedroom, grinning like a fool. He pulled her close to him, letting his mouth linger down to her breasts, tasting the skin there and suckling. Her head tilted back as he kissed her and he slid his hand between her legs, rubbing his fingers against her knickers and she groaned.

"Stop teasing me, Sirius!" she begged, her hands fisting desperately in his hair.

Sirius let her fall back onto the bed, crawling up over her as she undid his jeans, popping them open and sliding them down his hips. He covered her hand to stop her from tugging them off. He never wore undergarments, preferring not to, and at the moment he didn't want to be completely naked in front of her yet.

He had other plans.

His lips dropped from her breasts to her stomach, trailing down in hot open-mouthed kisses that had her hips arching to meet him. He grinned, kissing her belly button and letting his tongue trail lower. He placed his hands on her thighs, spreading her legs wider and he nipped at the sensitive skin along her thighs, kissing softly. Her dark blonde curls were damp and he grinned against her, letting his tongue trail along her thigh close, but not close enough to the heat where she wanted him to be and she groaned. His tongue slid along the crease of her thigh, nuzzling her gently.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, brushing his lips over her. "Sexy," he said, brushing his lips over her again and she bucked against him.

"Sirius," she moaned.

He grinned against her, nuzzling her again and then very softly kissed her. Her hands fisted tighter in his hair, but he didn't mind as he kissed her again, open mouthed this time and then kissed her some more. He let his tongue trail along the edge of her, gently dipping in and out in a teasing fashion that had her panting.

"Mmm, so delicious. Better than ice cream," he said as his tongue worked her over.

By the time he started sucking she was screaming his name and when his fingers found her, she literally lifted her hips off of the bed in pleasure.

"Don't stop," she begged, "Don't stop!"

He didn't stop, and when the orgasm ripped through her, she screamed his name — and he kept sucking her. She came twice before he finally let go of her and moved his mouth back up her body to suckle her breasts. He laved at her hard nipples eagerly and she desperately pushed at his jeans.

"I need you inside of me — now," she demanded.

Sirius grinned and licked the underside of her breast. "I could spend all night between your legs."

"Sirius, fuck me — now!"

He simply grinned wide and kicked off his jeans. "I'm not going to last long," he warned her. "How do you want me, Thea?"

Althea flipped him, straddling him. Her hand gripped him and she sighed at the heat of him as she worked him over and he groaned beneath her. "Now," she told him, guiding him into her. She placed her hands on his abdomen and she rode him. He felt her going over again so he sat up a little, pushing himself deeper into her and slipping two fingers between her legs and watching her head fall back in pleasure.

"So beautiful," he panted, his mouth finding her breast. "So fucking sexy!"

"Harder," she told him, gasping when he answered her call. "Just like that… oh! Just like that!"

He grunted and she came, her hands clutching his shoulders desperately and he followed her over, gripping her bum tightly and riding her hard.

As they both caught their breath, she nuzzled his chest as his arms came around her.

"That was…"

"Amazing," Sirius supplied, kissing her cheek.

She grinned against his chest. "You have a magical tongue."

He grinned. "I like to be thorough."

"Thorough," she said, still panting slightly. "That was… God help me, the best thing I've ever… you can do that again whenever you want."

Sirius laughed, kissing her neck and collarbone and running his hands along her damp back. "Gladly."

They stretched out across the bed and Althea reached out to trace her fingers along the motorcycle tattoo. "These are all so beautiful. Do they each have a meaning?"

He nodded, explaining each one as her fingertips traced them.

"The one for your godson is so sweet," she told him, kissing the tattoo. "And beautiful."

Sirius tilted her head up to him and kissed her. "Did I see a tattoo on your back?" He turned her, smiling at the tiny medical coat of arms on her right shoulder blade. "Very nice."

"Priya and I got them when we finished at the Healer's Academy," she told him, turning back to look at him as her fingers traced the lines in his chest.

"A sense of accomplishment, I like it." He kissed her softly again. "It's been a while for me, you know, prison and all, so that was a bit quicker than I usually like. Let's go again."

"Hmm?"

"Turn around."

She only smirked at him, but did as he asked, gasping when his thick length slid between her legs and she reached behind her, stroking his neck as he suckled a breast under her arm. All she thought was, she could definitely do this all night.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius woke up the next morning to the feel of a hand gently fondling him.** He smiled, grey eyes meeting dark brown ones. "Morning Castellanos."

"Morning Black," she responded, kneading his sacs gently. "Did you sleep alright?" Her hand shifted to stroke along his length and he bit his lip.

"Brilliant. You?"

Her nails scratched lightly and his breath caught, making her grin. "Quite brilliantly." She used her thumb to gently wipe his tip and then brought her thumb to her mouth and licked making him groan. "What time do you need to be home again?"

"Eleven thirty," he told her as her hand teasingly worked him over.

"Mmm," she said with a smile. "Good thing it's only seven. I am not done with you, Black, not by a long shot."

"Althea," he moaned as her hand movements picked up the pace. "I'm not going to last if you keep that up."

She smirked at him. "Why don't you let me taste you and we'll see?"

When she moved under the sheet, he merely grinned. "No arguments here, babe."

~ ASC ~

 **When he strolled into his own house at ten after eleven, he was whistling and grinning like a fool.** He hurried upstairs to shower and was just fixing his hair when he heard Remus and Harry come in. He finished what he was doing and went downstairs to greet them.

Harry grinned at him when he came down the stairs. "Uncle Padfoot! It's Ginny's birthday party today!"

Sirius grinned widely, nodding to the gift on the coffee table. He had taken Harry shopping for it on Thursday. Harry had picked out a stuffed animal of a dog for her as well as a huge container of coloured sidewalk chalk and a big bottle of bubbles with a few different sized blowing sticks. Sirius thought they were perfect as they were all Muggle gifts too which meant that they most likely would be something she didn't already have.

"We sure are, we have to wrap her present though. Go on into the sunroom and get some wrapping paper, tape, and scissors." Harry hurried off eagerly and Sirius turned to Remus. "So how did it go? He seems fine?"

Remus smiled. "He was great. He slept fine, though he did crawl into bed with me around two."

"He did?" Sirius asked, grinning in surprise. Harry hadn't done that to him yet.

"I think he felt strange not being in his own bedroom. Of course, with him also came Marauder," Remus said with a smile. "But he slept well. We had fun. And Tonks stayed until it was Harry's bedtime, then she Flooed home. We had a great time."

Sirius smiled at his friend. "I'm glad it went well. That means I won't feel so guilty when I'm not here next time."

"Did you feel guilty?"

"A little, yeah," Sirius admitted. "But then I was shagging Castellanos and mostly just felt pleasure."

Remus laughed as Harry came back into the room. "Naturally. You going to see her again?"

"Oh, I am mostly definitely going to do her again."

Remus rolled his eyes, chuckling at his friend. "Come on, Harry, I'll help you wrap Ginny's present."

An hour later, Remus said goodbye to Harry and Sirius and headed home. Remus was going to take care of Marauder as he said he had things to do and wouldn't be attending the birthday party with them. Sirius shrunk the birthday present and put it in the tiny trunk compartment that he had added to the back of his bike, strapping Harry in and making sure that his helmet was on. When he revved the engine, Harry grinned widely.

"Let's go, Uncle Padfoot!"

Sirius grinned at him, revving the engine louder to make Harry laugh before he took off down the street and headed to the nearby town of Ottery St Catchpole. He drove into the town and slowed to ask the woman near the Owl Post Office where he might find the Weasley residence and she told him to drive through the town and make a left and the Burrow would be straight ahead.

Sirius drove the bike in the direction she told him and headed up the lane towards a tall stone structure six stories high and slightly crooked. It had a charming farmhouse appeal to it. He slowed the bike down, grinning slightly when three small red-headed boys hurried out of the house followed by a tall thin dark haired woman holding the hand of a small blonde girl at the sound of the motorcycle. He shut off the engine and pulled off his helmet, shaking his hair out.

He grinned at the woman. "Hi, is the Burrow?"

The woman nodded, smiling kindly. "Yes, it is. And you are?"

"We were invited to a birthday party."

One of the red-headed boys, who Sirius realized looked completely identical to the boy next to him, moved closer, his eyes on the bike. "That's wicked," he said.

Sirius grinned. "Pretty brilliant, right? Sometimes Muggles know what they're doing."

He tried not to smirk when he bent over to get Harry and he heard the woman mutter, 'oh my.' He always knew when someone was checking out his butt, he thought. And he should know, as he had a damn nice arse and he knew it.

"Molly!" she called out, "Molly, you better come out here."

"What's wrong, Pandora? Did you find out where that noise was coming from? Oh!" she said in surprise, stepping out of the house.

Sirius turned with Harry in his arms, unshrinking the birthday gift and handing it to Harry as he placed him on the ground. He hung the two helmets on the motorcycle and made his way past the gate with the three boys following him and Harry. Sirius smiled when Harry stopped in front of Molly and Pandora.

"Hello," he said softly. "Uncle Padfoot and I came for Ginny's birthday party."

Molly smiled sweetly at him. "Of course you did, my dear! And who are you, darling?"

"I'm Harry," he said, extending his hand.

Molly's heart stopped. "What impeccable manners! I'll have to get you to teach my heathens, Harry," she said with a smile. "Welcome to the Burrow. I assume you must be Padfoot?"

"Guilty as charged," he said with a grin, extending his own hand. "Sirius, actually. Sirius Black. This is my godson, Harry Potter. Your son and daughter kindly invited us over today."

Molly simply stared at him, her mouth agape. The dark haired woman, Pandora, smiled at Sirius. "You'll have to excuse Molly, she thought Ginny's imagination had gotten the best of her and didn't actually believe her daughter had invited Harry Potter to her birthday. I'm Pandora Lovegood, this is Molly Weasley. We're pleased to have you here."

"Mum! Mum! Come quick, Charlie's stuffed Percy up the chimney!" Ginny exclaimed, running around her mother and spotting Harry.

"What?" Molly exclaimed, flushing red as the twin boys both yelled. "Wicked!"

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, running over to hug him happily as her mother hurried past her to deal with Charlie and Percy.

Pandora sighed. "Never a dull moment in this place. This is my daughter Luna. The twins are Fred and George, don't ask me to tell you which one of them is which, and this is Ron. I see Harry already knows Ginny," she said with a smile as Ginny took Harry's hand and tugged him inside. "So come on in and welcome to crazy."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Added this in for my Beta who claimed they didn't actually get any food at the fancy Italian restaurant! I chose the food based on the menu of my favourite Italian restaurant._

 _Antipasto: melanzane ripiene alla parmigana (eggplant filled with ricotta baked in a tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese_

 _Dinner: Pollo Speciale (breaded chicken breast prepared with spinach, fresh mushrooms, fresh tomato sauce and a touch of cream) and scaloppine tosca (veal scaloppine lightly battered and sautéed in extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic)._


	23. Chapter 23

_Author's Note:_

 _A short chapter, but I finished it ten minutes ago and thought it was cute and short and a little drabble for everyone to enjoy. Also I pulled a few of my ideas from this post I saw on tumblr from moony-cj-padfoot-and-prongs about stuff Fred and George did over the years, specifically on their birthdays. I absolutely love it and wanted to somehow incorporate it here. I just love the post! It is SO Fred and George to me! So keeping this in mind — I thought of the shenanigans those boys got up too, and I love them for it._

 _Also, I thought it would be fun to have some of the other Weasley relatives around at Ginny's birthday so using my knowledge from Pottermore and from the Harry Potter Lexicon, I created names for the multiple Weasley cousins ,who were present at Bill and Fleur's wedding and added a middle name for Charlie (thought his grandfather seemed like a good choice)._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:**

 **Crazy was definitely a good word for it, Sirius thought.** He followed Pandora Lovegood through the small kitchen and out into the backyard where Mrs Weasley was standing with her hands on her hips, shrieking in rage at the two boys on the roof. One of them had his legs sticking out of the top of the chimney while the other one held him by his ankles, shaking him. The sight made him laugh and he bit his lip when Mrs Weasley's eyes flashed to him angrily.

The two boys climbed down from the roof, the younger one rubbing soot out of his hair and glaring at his elder brother.

"CHARLES SEPTIMUS WEASLEY, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Mrs Weasley demanded as the thirteen year-old shrugged in response.

"He was being a ponce, Mum!"

"That is no reason to shove his head down the chimney!" She pulled the other boy to her, cuddling him to her breast. "Percy, darling - are you quite alright?"

He nodded, eyeing his brother with annoyance. "I'm fine, Mum. We were just messing around."

Mrs Weasley huffed in response. "Well, no more messing around! Today is Ginny's day! Now you boys go inside and finish making up the vegetable trays. Percy, go clean yourself up! You're covered in soot!"

Sirius merely grinned, taking a seat at the picnic table outside. It looked like the boys in this family certainly knew how to have fun, he thought with a grin. His eyes found Harry amidst the kids of different ages around the yard and he smiled. He was sitting next to Ginny on the bench swing in the yard, their legs pumping back and forth to propel motion.

He looked up at the tall thin red-headed man who sat next to him. His hair was wavy and dark red and was starting to thin a bit at the top. He adjusted his glasses and smiled warmly, offering his hand.

"Arthur Weasley."

"Sirius Black."

"Ah, right, the black sheep of Walburga and Orion," he said with a smile. "I have heard many tales."

"I prefer to call myself the White Sheep of the Black Family to be honest," he said with a grin. "And you, a Weasley — the biggest blood traitors outside of the Potter family in the last century, according to my mother that is."

"Most certainly," Mr Weasley said. "Welcome to our humble home. And yes, it usually is this chaotic."

Sirius laughed as he looked around and listened to Arthur point out the people in the yard. He was the father of seven. Bill was fifteen and was pushing Ginny and Harry on the swing. Charlie was thirteen and the troublemaker who had dangled his soon-to-be-ten-year-old-brother, Percy, down the chimney. The twins, Fred and George, were eight and at the moment were conspiring with his youngest son, Ron, six, by the broomshed. Sirius had noticed that one of the twins was holding a Zonko's bag and it made him smile to see it. Ginny was the youngest, turning five the next day, and the only girl.

The dark-haired woman, Pandora, was helping Mrs Weasley bring food out from the kitchen. Her daughter, Luna, was sitting in the middle of the yard blowing on dandelions and watching them float around the yard. Pandora was a Potioneer and she was married to Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of The Quibbler magazine.

Septimus and Cedrella Weasley were chatting with their two other sons, Bilius and Alphard; a healer vaguely introduced as cousin Lancelot; and great-auntie Muriel, who was drinking her tea and currently lecturing her great-nephew Charlie on why it was disrespectful to dangle younger brothers down chimneys, were all sitting at the picnic table next to Sirius and Arthur. Bilius' wife Lucretia was currently talking to one of her sons, Septimus. He was twenty-two and home on vacation from where he worked as a Herbologist in the jungles of Brazil. Gaius at twenty, worked as an Arithmancer at the Ministry of Magic. Marcus had just finished at Hogwarts and was working part-time as a Quidditch referee. Tiberius was in school with Bill.

Arthur explained that his brother Alphard and his wife Maureen's eldest son Caradoc had moved to New York and was working as an International Ambassador with MACUSA which was why he wasn't present; Valerius was a Healer in the Healing Hands in Habitat volunteer organization and was currently stationed in Afghanistan, where he had been working steadily for the last four months (which was why he wasn't present); Gabriel was a trainee in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; Maximus was entering his final year at Hogwarts; and Marius was in the same year as Charlie Weasley.

"Big family you have, Arthur," Sirius commented as he absently listened to the introductions on who was who. "Only time my parents ever had all of the relatives over was for formal balls. Not a lot of girls in your family for those, eh?"

Arthur chuckled. "No, it's a rarity in the Weasley family. My Ginny is the first girl born to a Weasley in seven generations. Molly had her heart set on a daughter and we were gifted with our Ginny. Sixth time _is_ the charm, I guess."

Sirius grinned as he watched Harry and Ginny hurry over to where Fred, George and Ron were playing, Ginny tugging Luna up to her feet and having her follow. "You definitely have your hands full."

"You have no idea!" Arthur told him, his eyes on his four youngest children. "The twins alone! They showed signs of magic at the youngest age of all of my children as well. At their first birthday, they somehow set half the house on fire and singed off Percy's eyebrows when their birthday cake exploded in his face."

Sirius laughed, holding his stomach at the image. "That's hilarious! At Harry's first birthday, he blew the candles out on his cake but they somehow turned into fireworks. Scared the shit out of Jamie, especially because the firework flew off the cake and into his hair while Harry clapped, yelling, 'Da-Da pretty' and Lily just stared in shock."

Arthur grinned. "Well, exactly! It's funny now, but in the moment, Molly and I were in shock. They've turned Percy's hair blue and Bill's purple; somehow transfigured Ron's stuffed animal into a giant spider when they were five — let me tell you the chaos that ensued! Molly's great-auntie Muriel vowed never to come back four years ago when George set a ghoul on her, who by the way has now made a home for himself in our attic with no intentions of leaving. Muriel did obviously come back again. They figured out how to break into the broomshed and stole Charlie and Bill's brooms to fly in and out of the house. And just last week, Fred and George somehow re-arranged the furniture in Ginny's room to be in Ron's room and vice versa. They are a constant headache."

"And you love every minute of it," Sirius said with a grin, looking at the eight-year-old-hellions with more interest. "Just wait until they get to Hogwarts."

"Merlin," Arthur said with a grin. "Then they'll be Dumbledore's trouble to bear."

Sirius laughed as he tried to imagine McGonagall's face when the twins started pranking everyone at Hogwarts. He knew that she'd immediately remember what life had been like when the Marauders had been at school. It brought a smile to his face just thinking about it.

Fireworks took off from the twins' hands as Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Luna watched in awe and Arthur sighed.

"I triple locked that broomshed door," he muttered standing up. "How the hell did they get in there?"

Sirius laughed again as he watched Arthur hurry over to his children. He always appreciated good pranks and he wondered if it would be completely tactless of him if he gave the twins any ideas. He chuckled to himself at the thought, smiling as Harry hurried over to him.

"Hey, Harry, having fun?"

Harry nodded, grinning widely. "Uncle Sirius, we're going to play tag."

"Okay, Prongslet," he said as Harry rushed off, chasing after Ginny who was giggling madly.

By the time the twins were lectured on letting off the fireworks without permission, Mrs Weasley had served sandwiches and chips. Five picnic tables were full and the younger kids all sat on the grass. Sirius found himself in discussion with Cedrella, who happened to be his third cousin or something akin to it. She was asking him about his parents.

"They're both dead now," he told her. "We weren't close and Mum blasted me off the family tree when I was sixteen. Fleamont and Euphemia Potter took me in."

Cedrella nodded, smiling sympathetically. "Monty always did have a big heart. I always figured that he and Euphemia would have had a house full of children, but James came late in their lives and Dorea always said that they spoiled and doted on him. They gave you a home?"

"Best home I ever had. They treated me, Remus, and Peter like we were their kids," Sirius told her. "Honestly two of the best people I ever met. Dragon pox took them both a few months before Harry was born. They would have adored being grandparents."

Cedrella smiled at the thought. "Yes, they would have. When I fell in love with Timus I knew that I would be disowned despite the fact that he was a pureblood — he was after all a Weasley. The day he proposed, my parents told me that I was a traitor to the Black family. I've never regretted for one moment my decision to choose Timus over my family. I have three wonderful sons and sixteen amazing grandchildren that my parents never got the opportunity to know. I couldn't be happier. You seem pretty happy yourself."

Sirius smiled at her. "I am. I wish my best mate was here to see and raise his son, but I'm here for Harry, and I always plan to be."

"Good," she said with a smile, her eyes smiling as Ginny hurried towards her. "Hello, my darling!"

Ginny wrapped her arms around her with a big smile. "Gamma, Mum says I can open gifts now."

Cedrella hugged her only granddaughter tightly and kissed her cheek. "Well, it must be time then. Go and tell Papa."

Ginny hurried into the arms of her grandfather, making his wide face light up as he covered her face in kisses. Sirius smiled when Harry crawled into his lap, gently brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"How was tag? Did you win?"

Harry nodded, watching Ginny with her grandparents. "I'm fast. No one caught me."

Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head, watching his godson's eyes stay on Cedrella and Septimus. He knew what he was thinking. "I wish you could have known your grandparents, Harry. They were the best people in the world and they couldn't wait to meet you but, well, they got sick and they passed away before you were born. They were like parents to me."

Harry hugged Sirius. "It's okay, I have you."

Sirius' heart felt like it was going to burst as he kissed his godson's head. "You definitely do. Always."

Harry grinned when Ron beckoned him over to the gift table and he took off, hurrying towards his new friends. Sirius watched him with a smile. He loved seeing Harry so happy. He watched as Ginny opened her presents, one by one and then to his surprise she opened a large box that exploded confetti and flour and sprinkles all in her face. Fred and George were cackling in laughter as Ginny merely glared at them. But to Sirius' surprise, she didn't yell. She simply wiped her face and thanked the twins for the prank.

Forty minutes later, Fred and George were stuck together upside down over the broomshed and Sirius had a sneaking suspicion that the tiny redheaded girl was behind it. He found himself oddly enchanted. He helped the twins down, grinning widely at them.

"I heard that you two are the mischief makers of the family, but obviously not the only pranksters."

Fred grinned widely. "We like to have fun and yeah we're learning not to mess with Ginny."

"No harm in it," George supplied with a smile.

Sirius knelt down in front of them with a grin. "I was a bit of a prankster myself back in school. You know what I used to do to my little brother?"

"What?" They both asked eagerly.

Sirius grinned. "One time I put whipped cream in his hand when he was sleeping, then I tickled his face with a feather until he slapped himself and put whipped cream right in his face."

Fred smirked. "We've done that to Percy — twice."

"And once to Bill, but we used chocolate pudding."

Sirius laughed. "I put itching powder in my all of my brother's underpants. He scratched for weeks."

"George put ants in Charlie's underpants while he was still wearing them," Fred supplied as George smirked.

"I put hair dye in my mother's shampoo and turned her hair green, but I heard you two have done that a few times as well."

Fred grinned widely. "A few times and we put a hair growing charm in Percy's shampoo and his hair grew down to his bum _and_ he got a moustache."

Sirius grinned. "Once my friend Jamie and I filled balloons with jelly and used James' mum's bra to slingshot them out at people in the street."

"Mum would kill us," Fred said with a laugh as his eyes twinkled at the image.

"And one time, Jamie and I inflated all of the furniture in the Gryffindor common room to be like balloons so whenever someone sat down they would pop it and fall to the floor. Or my personal favourite, switching food around on people."

Fred's eyes widened. "Like what?"

"Fill a jar of sandwich mayonnaise with vanilla pudding and then eat it right out of the jar or putting toothpaste in the middle of chocolate biscuits or using shaving cream instead of whipped cream on desserts. Lots of tricks like that."

George smiled. "We had an idea, but we were unsure on how to do it right."

"Oh?" Sirius asked with interest.

Fred leaned in closer to him. "Charlie gave us an entire pack of Dungbombs for our birthday."

Sirius simply grinned. "Have you ever placed them all together in one spot before?"

The twins shook their head.

Sirius grinned wickedly. "Listen up boys, I'm about to make your wildest dreams come true."

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was having the time of his life.** Everyone was so nice. He had been mildly intrigued when Ginny had pulled him aside and asked him to help her apply the Sticking Charm Potion to Fred and George's backs. Ginny had poured it into a spray bottle and they had squirted the twins with it when they weren't paying attention. Harry had helped her by telling them that he didn't believe that they could climb on top of the broomshed. He and Ginny had climbed up after them and Ginny had pushed George into Fred, causing them to stick together and then she had simply taken the rope from her belt and tied them to the tree branch hanging over the shed. With Harry's help, they had made it tight and she whistled as she winked at her brothers and left them dangling upside down by their ankles over the broomshed — completely stuck together.

Harry had merely stared at her. "You're tricky."

Ginny grinned. "I'm learning from them."

Harry laughed as he followed her over to where Ron was. He showed them how to use the chalk that he had gotten Ginny for her birthday and the three of them drew pictures. Ginny made a hopscotch design and eagerly insisted that Harry and Ron play with her as Luna instructed them on how to go through the game. Then they used the bubble blowers, Ginny laughing as they floated around her.

Ron made him laugh by pretending to miss one of the hops and falling out of the chalk lines, which annoyed Ginny and she lectured him which only led to Ron doing it wrong again on purpose. Soon the four of them were laying in the grass laughing like loons when there was a sudden explosion from the house.

Luna jumped to her feet immediately, eyes wide as Harry did the same, but Ron and Ginny stayed where they were. "What was that?"

"Fred and George," Ron and Ginny said together.

"How do you know?" Harry asked.

"It's always them," Ron said with a grin. "Wait for it…"

"FREDERICK GIDEON AND GEORGE FABIAN WEASLEY IF THAT GREEN SMOKE COMING FROM PERCY'S ROOM IS DUNGBOMBS YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!" Mrs Weasley shrieked from inside of the house.

Ron busted into laughter, standing next to Harry to get a closer look at Percy who had stumbled out of the house surrounded by green smoke and the smell was so atrocious that they coughed.

Harry gagged, his eyes watering at the smell. He smiled gratefully when Ginny took his hand in hers and tugged him away from the house over to where the Weasley's large extended family were still gathering.

"What did they do?" Ginny asked her father as Bill scooped her up into his arms and put her up on his shoulders.

Arthur sighed. "A whole box of Dungbombs inside Percy's bed by the sound of it." He stood up. "I better go see Molly before she strangles them."

Bill grinned as he watched his father sigh at the prospect of having to go 'discipline' his boys. He knew his father always wanted to discipline, but he was a push-over and he always enjoyed the pranks as much as his children did.

"It was quite clever, Dad; they somehow fit them all in his pillow and under his blankets, using the balloons from the party to hide them. When Percy tried to move the balloons, they all popped and set off the Dungbombs."

"There _were_ fifteen in that box," Charlie said, grinning at Bill. "I think they used every one. Percy's room is going to smell like shit for days."

Arthur groaned at this news and made his way into the house.

Bill smirked, grinning when Ginny ruffled his hair. "Just wait until Percy gets even."

Charlie laughed, slapping his hands together. "What do you say, Jitterbug, want to help us play a prank on Fred and George?"

Ginny grinned widely. "Yes!"

Sirius smirked into his drink, grinning at the three remaining Weasley children who were considering getting even. He had always loved prank wars; instigating them had definitely been his speciality.

Once in second year, he had stuffed Peter's dirty socks into James' pillow every day for a week. He'd concealed them with an invisibility charm and James had slept with his pillows on the floor, trying not to gag at the smell. When the charm had finally worn off and he discovered Peter's socks, he had proceeded to stuff his Quidditch practice robes under Peter's sheets, close against the mattress. Peter had literally vomited at the smell wafting out of his bed — which inherently started one of the biggest prank wars between the four boys. It had only ended when Remus defeated all of them by covering their bed in Muggle cling wrap and watching as they bounced off of it in an attempt to get into their beds in the middle of the night. The three of them consistently struggled in the dark until the fifth time when James fell on the floor, finally realizing what it was, only to get through and find himself trapped in his bed by a giant bubble charm. To this day they had never figured out how Remus had done it. But they had called a truce and voted against major pranks on each other in favour of major pranks on others instead.

He had really missed pulling pranks, he thought feeling slightly bad for the role that he had played in the current prank placed on Percy as he watched Mrs Weasley lecture her sons on using Dungbombs in the house.

"Better hope Mum doesn't find out you gave them the Dungbombs, Charlie," Bill said with a grin.

Charlie only smirked. "She won't. They know I won't supply them with anymore Zonko's products otherwise."

"Smart move," Bill said.

Charlie simply grinned. "Besides, I'm the one that suggested they let one or two Dungbombs off in Percy's room in the first place."

Bill laughed. "Still mad at him for telling Mum you had a baby dragon in our room?"

Charlie sighed. "I _knew_ that I couldn't keep him, but still, he tattled like a little git. Maybe next time he'll remember the importance of keeping a secret for his big brother."

Bill smirked in response. "I could say the same."

"Hey, Ginny stole that journal of yours — not me!"

"I know because she is the best secret keeper in the world, right, Ginny?" he asked, grinning up at his sister.

Ginny leaned down and hugged Bill's head from her spot on his shoulders. "Yes!"

Charlie stood on his toes to kiss his sister's cheek. "Yeah, she really is. She helped me with the dragon for two weeks before Mum found out."

Bill smiled. "Speaking of Mum, I think she figured out where the twins got their supplies. Let's make a run for it."

Ginny giggled as Bill took off towards the pond, her bouncing on his shoulders and Charlie hurried after him. After all, they were the only two siblings who had access to Zonko's on a regular basis and Mrs Weasley was going to figure out which one of them had supplied the Dungbombs.

She just hoped Fred and George didn't have any more hiding somewhere in the house.

* * *

 _End Notes:_

 _A little family tree here._

 _Arthur's parents: Septimus (Timus) and Cedrella Weasley nee Black_

 _Bilius Weasley m. Lucretia_

 _(a) Septimus Weasley_

 _(b) Gaius Weasley_

 _(c) Marcus Weasley_

 _(d) Tiberius Weasley_

 _Alphard Weasley m. Maureen_

 _(a) Caradoc Weasley_

 _(b) Valerius Weasley_

 _(c) Gabriel Weasley_

 _(d) Maximus Weasley_

 _(e) Marius Weasley_

 _Arthur Weasley m. Molly Prewett_

 _(a) William Arthur Weasley_

 _(b) Charles Septimus Weasley_

 _(c) Percival Ignatius Weasley_

 _(d) Frederick Gideon Weasley_

 _(e) George Fabian Weasley_

 _(f) Ronald Bilius Weasley_

 _(g) Ginevra Molly Weasley_

 _Molly's great-aunt: Muriel Prewitt_

 _Molly's cousin Lancelot Prewitt_


	24. Chapter 24

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer a few questions from reviews: Death Eaters weren't acting so strongly after Voldemort it was more those that refused to believe that Voldemort was gone. The Longbottoms were the last big incident after his "defeat", but those that refused to believe it were still trying to prove to their Dark Lord that they were loyal. I always imagined within a few months, it was mostly cleaned up and the people the Death Eaters were going after were those they knew were loyal to Dumbledore — in my head, by January of 1982 it was pretty much over. However, I think that Dumbledore, who didn't truly believe Voldemort to be gone, would have tried to keep the Order of the Phoenix up and running in an attempt to find out where he went and what he was doing, but after two years of nothing, the Order scattered._

 _And secondly, I do like the way that I have Sirius in my head so I do tend to write his character similar in every story I have concocted. He was one of my first fictional crushes (along with Nat Eaton from The Witch of Blackbird Pond, if anyone is curious)._

 _Anyway, I got this written after work today as well as three random scenes that have been bugging me, but I don't know where they fit into the story yet so they are on hold._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:**

 **Spending the day with the Weasley Family had been fun.** Harry loved it and from the moment they left, he'd rattled on and on to Sirius all about Ron — who collected Chocolate Frog Cards, loved to read some comic about _Marvin the Mad Muggle_ , and liked to play with the garden gnomes. About Ginny — who loved to have fun, prank her older brothers, and who adored Bill completely. Harry told Sirius about how he helped her prank the twins near the broomshed. About Luna — who was Ginny's best friend from the village, and how they loved to play outside and climb trees, and dance. Luna was nice and she liked to talk about all sorts of strange things that Ron and Ginny claimed weren't real. She had kind of a dreamy expression a lot and she also like to play with the garden gnomes.

He was excited to see them again and Sirius had promised him that Ginny, Ron, and Luna could all be invited over soon. They ate dinner and Sirius got Harry's bath ready for him. Remus dropped Marauder off on his way home just in time for Harry to go to bed.

As Harry crawled into bed that night, he smiled warmly at Sirius. "Today was fun. Thanks, Uncle Siri."

Sirius smiled, leaning down to kiss Harry on the forehead. "You're very welcome, Harry."

"The Weasleys are nice," he said, yawning hugely as Marauder licked his face, making him giggle.

"Yes, they are," Sirius told him, smiling. He tucked Harry in and gently scratched Marauder behind the ears. "Goodnight, Harry. I love you."

"Goodnight," Harry said, smiling widely. "I love you, too."

Sirius kissed his forehead once more before he stood up and closed the door halfway behind him before he made his way downstairs. He had thoroughly enjoyed himself that afternoon and he was pleased to see that Harry had as well. The Weasleys were a loud and boisterous group and Sirius thought that they were exactly what Harry needed: What a real family looked like.

He cleaned up the kitchen a bit before he sat down at the table with some ink and parchment. There were a few things that he wanted to do over the next few weeks and he jotted them down as a reminder. The next thing he knew it was after eleven and he decided to head up to bed. He locked the house up and then checked on Harry, who was sleeping soundly with Marauder. He changed into plaid pyjama pants and he climbed into his own bed.

His eyes had barely closed before he was fast asleep.

~ ASC ~

 **It was dark.**

He knew it was night time, but the darkness encircled him, and he shivered under the thin sheet. His stomach growled impatiently and he rubbed a hand over the ache, hoping it would stop. He reached for the string that turned on the light, forgetting that he had lost the privilege of having a lightbulb in his cupboard.

He could feel something crawling on his arm and he swatted at it, wincing when he felt the spider fall off. Spiders didn't really bother him, but he didn't want them crawling all over him.

It was the third night in a row that he had been locked in his cupboard.

A little girl named Chloe had befriended him at school. She had curly blonde hair and a big smile. He remembered how she giggled and clapped when he had hung upside down from the monkey bars in the playground. She had hugged him after recess and said that they were going to be the best of friends. The warm feeling in the pit of his stomach had made him smile.

He was excited to have a friend.

She waited for him at playtime and they ran to the monkey bars - laughing, and having fun. Then Dudley had come over, shoving Harry off of the top so that he fell over the side, landing awkwardly on his leg. He'd bitten his lip so hard that it had bled in his attempt not to cry.

Chloe had fallen next to him. "Harry! Harry! Are you okay? Does it hurt?" she asked, touching his leg in concern.

"Yes."

Dudley had snickered. "Baby."

Chloe stood up, her face red in anger. "You pushed him off, you big bully!"

Dudley shoved her and she fell back onto her butt. "Did not! Liar!"

Chloe's bottom lip trembled as tears fell down her cheeks. "You're mean!"

Dudley laughed, grinning at Piers Polkiss, a friend of his who laughed along with him. "Don't hang out with baby Harry, Chloe. Find a better friend."

"I'm not a baby!" Harry demanded, standing up, his leg shaky beneath his feet.

"You wet the bed!"

Chloe's eyes widened at this declaration. "You do?"

Piers laughed uproariously and Harry flushed. "Baby Harry! Only babies pee in their nappies! Are you wearing a nappy under those trousers?"

Harry glared at them. "No! I don't wear nappies — I'm not a baby!"

Piers grinned at Chloe. "Unless you want to be a big baby too, stay away from that freak!"

"Freak!" Dudley yelled, shoving Harry so hard that he fell back on his bum. "Freak!"

Dudley and Piers' taunts had been enough to drive her away.

He had limped into the house, his ankle swollen and sprained from his fall — and Dudley had shoved him. He tripped in front of his cupboard, sliding across the floor.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Aunt Petunia shrieked, picking Harry up by the shoulders and shaking him so hard that his glasses slid down his nose. "I just washed the floor! Put your school things away and get over here! You can re-do the smudges you made!"

Harry immediately got to work under Aunt Petunia's critical eye. He scrubbed the hardwood floor with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water. He had just finished when Uncle Vernon came home. He stepped over Harry, looking down at him in distaste and chastely kissed Petunia on the lips.

"That freak causing trouble again?"

Aunt Petunia pursed her lips. "He dirtied my clean floor. Dudders said that he was picking on some poor girl named Chloe today."

"That wasn't me!" Harry exclaimed, standing up to glare at his aunt. "Dudley was doing it! She's my friend!"

Petunia stared at him. "My Dudders would _never_ pick on a little girl! How dare you tell such lies, Harry James Potter! You are a dirty ungrateful little freak who will NEVER have any friends!"

"I'm not a freak!" Harry yelled back at them and then yelped when the back of Uncle Vernon's hand hit him so hard that he fell to the ground.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO YOUR AUNT LIKE THAT, BOY! WE TOOK YOU IN OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF OUR HEARTS AND YOU WILL TREAT US WITH RESPECT, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SNOT-NOSED BRAT!"

He raised his hand again and Harry winced a second before the slap hit him and he cried out at the pain in his ankle when he fell on it once more.

Uncle Vernon picked him up by the scruff of his shirt and bodily threw him into his cupboard. He unscrewed the light bulb and closed the door, locking it.

"Let me out!" Harry cried, banging his fists on the door.

Uncle Vernon smacked the door loudly. "You will not a make sound in there, boy! Not one sound! You can come out when I have deemed you grateful. Only grateful children deserve light. The dark will do you some good!"

It had been three days and Harry hadn't been let out of the darkness. He had soiled himself repeatedly. His head pounded, his ankle was swollen, and his stomach cramped in hunger pains.

When he finally was free, Aunt Petunia had forced him into an ice cold bath, scrubbed him so clean that his skin was red and blistered and then had sent him off to school without any breakfast. If he could be a good boy at school, he would get something to eat when he got home she had told him.

Chloe had approached him carefully at playtime, her head downcast. "Hi, Harry."

"Hi, Chloe," he responded already knowing why she was talking to him.

Chloe smiled at him. "I want to be your friend, but Dudley and Piers… they're so mean."

"It's okay," he told her. He was used to people leaving him. "I know."

He watched her hurry off to play with another girl named Amy and he sat on the ground by the monkey bars all alone once again.

Harry woke up, his heart pounding in his chest and blinked owlishly at the semi-darkness as the memory left him. He wiped tears from his eyes. He had always wanted a friend. Chloe had been so nice, but he hadn't dared try to talk to her again in fear of what Dudley and Piers would do.

Ginny, he thought. She was the nicest person he'd ever met. She had a big smile and she was full of laughter and Ron — he was funny and kind and Luna, so sweet. He grabbed the stuffed animal of the doe, hugging Lily to himself as the tears fell.

What would they do when they found out what a freak he was? They wouldn't want to be his friend anymore either. Sirius still liked him, he thought, grabbing the stuffed dog of Padfoot. The fairy light charm illuminated his bedroom and he felt comforted by it. Marauder was sleeping next to him, which was comforting too, but he wanted his godfather, he realized.

He crept silently out of the bed and stuck his head out the door. A small light lit up the hallway to the bath, but the downstairs was dark.

Harry moved into the hall and slowly made his way to Sirius' room, pushing open the door quietly. Sirius was sleeping sprawled across the large bed, snoring lightly. Harry hesitated for a minute. He had never snuck into Sirius' room in the middle of the night before — what if he got mad? He hovered in the doorway for a moment, trembling, and then he made up his mind, hurried into the room and climbed up onto the big bed to make himself comfortable under the covers. He moved closer to Sirius, until he felt his arm touching him, and only then did he close his eyes and go to sleep.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius woke up with daylight shining through the window.** He had forgotten to set an alarm, he realized, glancing at the clock in front of him. It was almost eight. Still early, but a little later than he liked to get up for his daily routine with Harry. He felt movement next to him and he turned, surprised to find Harry snuggled in his bed.

He reached for the child, tugging him close as he kissed the top of his head and Harry stirred in his arms, wrapping his arms around Sirius' neck and hugging him tight.

"Good morning, Prongslet," Sirius said with a smile. "What are you doing in here?"

Harry flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

Sirius kissed his cheek. "It's okay, Harry. You can always come to me." He gently brushed the dark hair away from his face. "What's wrong, Prongslet? Did you have a bad dream?"

"No," he murmured, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Sirius sat up, pulling the child fully into his lap and keeping his arms around him. "What's wrong, Prongslet?"

"Ginny… and Ron… and Luna… they won't be my friends anymore."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "What makes you say that?"

"Freaks don't have friends."

"Prongslet," Sirius said carefully. "You're not a freak. You have never been a freak. And you will never be a freak. Of course they're your friends."

Harry shook his head. "Uncle Vernon says I don't deserve friends."

"Well, Vernon is a fucking arse," he said, his eyes flashing in anger. "Harry, everything your Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia ever told you — is a lie. I don't want you to ever listen to it or believe it. Nothing they ever told you is true. Nothing!"

Tears welled up in Harry's eyes and he sucked them back, looking up at Sirius. "In my dream, I remembered how Dudley scared Chloe away and Aunt Petunia told me it was me. What if they find out about me? They won't like me no more."

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead, then both of his cheeks and then he cradled him in his arms like an infant and rocked him back and forth. "That would be stupid of them. And what are they going to find out about you, Harry? How kind you are? Or funny? Or nice? Or how much fun you like to have? Or how you like to read? Or how helpful you are? That all sounds like a pretty amazing friend to me."

Harry let the tears fall and stayed snuggled in Sirius' arms, his face pressed against his godfather's bare chest. "Promise?"

Sirius simply held him close. "I promise."

~ ASC ~

 **After a hearty breakfast and some more reassurances, Harry seemed to have recovered from whatever nightmare had put him into a twist about his new friends deserting him.** Sirius mentioned it in passing to Remus and they both agreed that it was obviously a good idea to invite one, if not all three of them, over as soon as possible to let Harry know that he still had friends.

It only further reminded Sirius of the terrible way that the Dursleys had treated Harry. Every time he hoped Harry was past it, something dark crept up from the boy's memories and it irked him. He wanted Harry to be past it and he knew how unrealistic that was. He had spent over four years being abused by them; he didn't even remember what it was like to be happy and to be loved by his parents. Sirius needed to remind him of that.

He hugged Harry goodbye as he settled himself into the sunroom with Remus. Sirius stepped into the Floo and landed in McGonagall's office, checking his watch, and knew that she must be around somewhere. He had just stepped into the hallway when Peeves zoomed by, backtracking and cackling with glee.

"Why Sirius-so-serious, whatever are you here for?"

"Not now, Peeves," Sirius said impatiently, ignoring the poltergeist who merely cackled as he zoomed away.

He had just stopped in front of Dumbledore's office when the statue moved and Dumbledore himself stepped out.

"Sirius!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Was I expecting you?"

Sirius shook his head, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. "No. I just… I was looking for Minerva actually, but if you have a moment?"

Dumbledore nodded and stepped back to allow Sirius into the moving staircase. "Of course, after you."

They rode up to the office together and Dumbledore followed Sirius inside, sitting on the edge of his desk and gesturing for Sirius to take a seat.

"How's young Harry doing?"

"Good. He's doing good." He ran his fingers through his hair and then let out a big breath. "He has nightmares about the Dursleys."

Dumbledore's eyes looked sad. "I regret that more than I can possibly put into words, Sirius. How are you dealing with his nightmares?"

Sirius shrugged, sitting down. "I don't know. I comfort him. I hold him. I kiss him. I tell him how loved he is. I told him that everything his aunt and uncle ever told him is a lie — and to not believe it. I don't know if I'm doing it right."

"It sounds right to me," Dumbledore told him with a smile. "You're giving him the love and attention that he needs. Trust your heart, Sirius. You love him, and that alone means that you're doing what feels right."

Sirius nodded. "Prof-Albus, he doesn't remember anything about James and Lily and how much they loved him. I mean, tidbits here and there. I sang to him one night after a bad dream and he faintly remembered the song as something Jamie used to sing to him; a far-off memory etched in his brain. I think that's wonderful, but I wish he remembered more."

"It's rare that anyone remembers anything of their life before the age of three and having suffered through a trauma such as watching his mother die before his eyes, anything he may have remembered he might have pushed further back inside of him," Dumbledore explained, tapping his long fingers together as he spoke. "I imagine the image of Voldemort pointing his wand at his head after having killed his mother is not something that he would want to remember even if he could. Then I made a terrible decision and put him with his Muggle relatives and he suffered abuse, emotionally and physically."

"So it's a miracle that he's even as kind and loving as he is, is that what you're telling me?"

"He's a remarkable boy, Sirius," Dumbledore told him. "But children are amazingly resilient."

"I know he is," Sirius said, smiling. "He's smart and he's kind and I absolutely love his laugh. He's starting to laugh a lot more now; deep laughs that seem to start in his stomach and work their way up. I want him to be happy."

"He is and over time he will get past the bad memories he does have and he'll remember all of the good ones you have given him in their place."

Sirius nodded. He knew that was true, but sometimes he just worried so much about what Harry had gone through and it made him remember his own childhood. The last thing that he wanted was to inflict any damage on Harry the way his parents had damaged him. "I just wish that there was a way he could remember the good stuff about his parents. They loved him so much, Albus. Jamie used to sing to him and Lily would dance with him in her arms. The silly stories they used to tell him. I just… I wish they were here to see their son. That's all."

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling and he stood up from his desk and moved to the cupboard by the door. "When one becomes Headmaster of the school, there are a few wonderful artefacts we are gifted with. One of them is a Pensieve. Do you know what that is, Sirius?"

Sirius stood up to look at the Pensieve, watching the silvery liquid swirling within, and nodded. "It contains memories."

"Memories that can be relived. It helps clear the mind and helps one to see things more clearly. They can be immensely useful as proved at your trial, but many wizards are afraid of them, for they can unintentionally hold all of our dark secrets," he explained, twirling his wand in the silvery substance. "But sometimes, reliving a memory can be a wonderful experience, something to bring joy back to our lives."

Sirius stared at him a moment and then a slow smile crept into his face. "You think I should fill a Pensieve for Harry?"

Dumbledore smiled. "He's a little young yet to truly understand, but if you were to start collecting memories, not just from yourself, but from those that knew his parents — I would imagine you could give him a wonderful gift in the future, maybe even obtain his own early memories and slip them into the gift. It could be the ticket to help him remember those who loved him and who love him now."

"Albus, that's genius!"

"I have my moments, I daresay," he said with a grin. "My brother Aberforth knows a few people who deal in the metal-making of a Pensieve bowl. I would be happy to speak with him about getting one made for you?"

Sirius nodded, smiling widely. "That would be fantastic. Thank you."

"Of course," he said warmly.

"Albus, there was something else that I've been wondering. I wrote to Minerva to ask her opinion on the subject, but I haven't heard back yet. Did you see that article about the potion invented by Belby in the Daily Prophet?"

Dumbledore nodded, moving to take a seat in one of the chairs. "Yes, the Wolfsbane Potion. It seems to be causing quite the stir at the Ministry as of late. The Wizengamot sessions have been full of it. You are thinking of Mr Lupin, I presume?"

"Yes," Sirius told him. "I know he doesn't read the paper much, so he probably isn't even aware of its existence yet, but — what do you know about it?"

"Alas, not much," Dumbledore admitted, scratching the end of his very long nose. "From what I understand by drinking the potion, the transformation of the werewolf is the same, but it allows one to keep their own mind; be aware of their surroundings the entire time and not lose themselves in the mind of the creature. Which in turn, keeps them calm and tame. It is very advanced magic, but not a cure by any means."

"I understand that," Sirius said carefully. "But Remus… the not knowing if he hurt someone or how he hurt himself… it's eaten at him as long as I've known him. If this is truly a chance for him to stay himself and to take away the chance of him hurting himself or others, I think that it's something good."

"I agree," Dumbledore said carefully. "But you are aware that the potion is only being released to those who register and cooperate fully within the Ministry of Magic guidelines of the experiment under the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures. They are not planning on selling it at any Apothecary — they want full access to anyone with lycanthropy."

Sirius' eyes darkened as he took a seat across from Dumbledore. "Oh, I'm well aware of that. And that's exactly what's _not_ going to happen to Remus. He's mistreated enough in our community as it is for being 'ill' so often. You have connections within the Ministry, is there any chance that you can get the ingredients to this potion? I'll make it for him if necessary."

"Sirius, this is a _very_ difficult potion to brew. I'm not saying that you couldn't make it, but any tiny mistake could alter the effects catastrophically."

"I have to try."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Your love and admiration for Mr Lupin is remarkably well placed. I'll do what I can to try to find out more about this potion; what it contains and what the warnings are in terms of brewing it. I can't make any guarantees, but I will promise to look into it."

"Thank you, Albus. That's all I ask."

Dumbledore smiled and stood up. "Well, I myself am very late for a meeting with Madam Bagnold and Cornelius at the Ministry and I imagine that Fudge is positively fuming with my tardiness by now," he said as Sirius chuckled. "Minerva is probably still out on the Quidditch pitch if you happened to still be looking for her. She likes to fly in the mornings when the students aren't here."

"Thanks," Sirius said, extending his hand.

Dumbledore shook his hand with a smile. "You'll hear from me soon, Sirius."

Sirius watched him step into the fire and Floo away and he smiled. He felt surprisingly better. He made his way out of Dumbledore's office and down out into the grounds. He could see two figures zooming around on brooms and it made him smile. McGonagall always had been a bit of a Quidditch fanatic, especially with her house team, but he had never before seen her fly.

He made himself comfortable on the bleachers and watched as she zoomed around, then realized it was Madam Hooch who was flying with her. He only waited ten minutes before she landed smoothly in front of him.

"Sirius."

"Minnie," he said in the same tone as he grinned at her. "I didn't know you were a flyer."

"I'm not really, but I like to be out on the field every once in a while." She turned to Madam Hooch, promising to meet with her again for lunch and took a seat next to Sirius on the bleachers. "What are you doing here today?"

"Looking for you," he said with a smile and leaned in to kiss her cheek, making her blush.

"Oh you!" she exclaimed, smacking his arm. "Never did have any manners."

"I told you I'd marry you, but you turned me down."

"First of all, you were in second year. Secondly, I am much too old for you and third, it was a ridiculous statement."

He chuckled and draped his arm over her shoulders. "I'd say it was fifty-fifty in the how much I actually meant it department."

"I should have said yes and watched you squirm," she told him with a grin. "How's Harry?"

Sirius shrugged. "Alright. Still has nightmares every once in a while, but he trusts Remus and I and he's quite really taken with my cousin Tonks so that's kind of nice. We were at the Weasleys' house yesterday, young Ginny was having her birthday celebration and Harry was invited after meeting her at the park. He's worried that they won't want to be his friend because he's a freak according to that dickwad named Dursley. I told him that was stupid and that he's wonderful and of course they are his friends. It's just… I'm always worried that I'm saying the wrong thing," he rambled, surprising himself in how much had simply come out at the sight of seeing McGonagall.

McGonagall smiled warmly at him. "It sounds like you're doing the right thing, Sirius. These things take time. You can't expect him to just be perfect after one day with you, nor a few months. He's going to remember the bad times as well as the good ones."

He nodded. "I'm coming to understand that. I ran into Dumbledore when I was looking for you and we talked. He suggested that I store memories in a Pensieve to help Harry remember his parents. I really like that idea. I think Dumbledore's right and he's a little too young now to appreciate them, but I would like to start collecting them. I want Harry to remember how loved he was and to see how loved he is now. That's important to me."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," McGonagall said. "I'd be happy to supply a few memories for him myself of some of the escapades you boys got into while in my classroom."

Sirius grinned widely. "We were angels, Minnie. I don't know why you spout these lies."

"Bollocks."

"Minnie! Language, my dear!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm sorry I haven't replied to your owl concerning Remus either, I just haven't had a moment to look into it. I think speaking to Dumbledore is the best course of action as he has Ministry connections."

"I did actually speak with Dumbledore about it this morning," Sirius told her with a smile. "He said that he would look into it for me and we'll go from there."

"Good," McGonagall told him with a smile. "Now, why don't you walk me back up to the castle and tell me more about Harry."

Sirius offered his arm out to her when she stood up. "Of course. When are you coming over for dinner so that Harry can see his Auntie Minnie?"

McGonagall smiled at him in amusement. "You're lucky I like you, Sirius."

He simply smirked. "Don't I know it."

~ ASC ~

 **Remus spent the morning working on Latin with Harry.** He was doing very well and he enjoyed watching Harry's progress, but there was something today that seemed to be bothering him. Sirius had mentioned the fact that Harry had snuck into his room last night, but he hadn't said much else. But as Remus watched him he could tell something was wrong.

After an hour of reading and translating the Latin, he decided a break was very much in order.

"Alright, Harry, let's take a little break for the day, yeah?"

Harry simply nodded, sliding down to the floor to rub Marauder's belly.

Remus smiled. "Let's let Marauder run outside for a bit."

Harry opened the backdoor, grinning when Marauder made a beeline for the yard and took off, but he didn't follow. He simply moved to sit on the grass and watched Marauder in the distance.

Remus moved to sit next to him, criss crossing his legs the way Harry was sitting. "Wotcher, little Prongs?"

Harry shrugged and peeked at Remus under his lashes. "Okay."

Remus watched him for a moment before he spoke. "You know, when I was at Hogwarts with your dad and Uncle Sirius and your mum, they always told me that I was the best listener. They could always tell me anything and I would just listen."

Harry didn't say anything.

"Your mum especially. She used to complain about her big sister Petunia and how she used to call her a freak, but she thought maybe she was just jealous because she didn't have any magical powers."

"Aunt Petunia called my mum a freak?"

Remus nodded, his eyes on Harry. "She did. All the time. It hurt your mum's feelings, not because of the name-calling, but because she felt like her big sister didn't like her anymore because she could do magic and Petunia couldn't."

"Aunt Petunia said I was a freak."

"You're not. Neither was your mum."

Harry glanced at him shyly. "I had a dream that I was back in my cupboard and it was dark and I was hungry and all alone. They locked me up because I was a freak. And Dudley scared Chloe off so I was a freak with no friends. I was alone."

"You're not alone now, Harry," Remus said softly, squeezing the boy's shoulder gently. "I'm here and Uncle Sirius is here for you and you started to make some new friends with Ginny Weasley, didn't you?"

Harry nodded. "She's nice."

"How was her birthday party?"

"It was fun," Harry told him with a smile. "I met her brother Ron and her friend Luna and her brother Percy and her brother Fred and her brother George and her brother Charlie and her brother Bill. They were nice. Uncle Siri said they are my friends and they won't call me a freak, but…"

"But what, Harry?" Remus asked gently.

Harry stared at the grass, tugging on the pieces as he spoke. "What if he's wrong? What if Uncle Vernon was right and I don't deserve any friends?"

Remus smiled sympathetically. "Well, I don't think that he's right. Ginny really liked you and she invited you to her birthday and she introduced you to all sorts of new friends. That doesn't sound like someone who doesn't want to be your friend. And I think that you know by now that Vernon and Petunia… they weren't very nice people."

"Uncle Sirius said Uncle Vernon was a fucking arse."

"Er, well yes. Harry, let's try not to repeat those kinds of bad words, even if Uncle Sirius says them, okay?"

Harry stared up at him. "But the other day when you tripped over Marauder you said —bloody fucking bollocks — is that okay to say if you said it?"

Remus flushed, sighing as he realized that he was honestly just as bad when it came to swearing as Sirius was. "No, definitely not. Sirius and I will try to… we'll stop saying bad words and so will you. Deal?"

Harry smiled. "Deal." He stood up, moving to hug Remus tightly. "I love you, Uncle Moony."

Remus hugged him back, kissing his cheek. "I love you too, Harry. And remember, you have lots of people who love you and lots of new friends who want to get to know you. Don't forget that. You are NOT a freak. You're special."

Harry nodded, grinning at him. "I'm special."

"Very special," he said with a smile. "Now, how about we ditch school for the day and go see a film?"

Harry grinned widely. "Really?"

"Really," Remus said with a grin, standing up and extending his hand. "Let's go."


	25. Chapter 25

_Author's Note:_

 _Some more steamy scenes for you guys below._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:**

 **While Remus and Harry went to the show, Sirius left Hogwarts and headed to London.** He waited outside of St Mungo's about five minutes before he noticed Althea heading out and he waved at her.

She smiled and headed in his direction. "Why, hello there."

Sirius grinned at her. "Hello to you too."

He wrapped his hands around her wrist and tugged her up against him, lowering his head to kiss her deeply.

Althea's face was flushed when he pulled away. "I was hoping you'd stop by this afternoon."

"Yeah?" he asked her, his voice rough with arousal, making her smile.

"Most definitely," she murmured, moving closer to him and kissing him again. "Where's your bike today?"

"Home; just came from Hogwarts so I Apparated."

Althea smiled and fisted her hands in his hair. "Hold on tight."

Sirius barely had time to register that they were Apparating before they landed somewhat haphazardly outside of her flat and he grinned. "Trying to seduce me, Castellanos?"

She took his hand, leading him up the stairs as she turned to grin back at him. "I didn't know that I had to try."

Sirius grinned wickedly and followed her into her flat. The door barely closed behind them before he pinned her back against the wall and feasted on her neck in such a way that the whimpering noise she let slip from her lips made him grind his hips closer to her. His hands slid her healer robes off, dropping them to the floor and finding the grey skirt and dark green short-sleeved blouse beneath. He unbuttoned the blouse, ripping it open impatiently and letting it fall to the floor before his hands slid her skirt down. His mouth never left hers as he left her standing before him in a pale green lace bra and matching knickers with black heels.

"Mmm," he murmured, humming as he kissed her neck, her collarbone, her shoulders, the exposed skin above her bra.

Althea moaned, letting her head fall back. "You have too many clothes on."

Sirius only grinned at her, kneeling down in front of her and using his teeth to tug her knickers off as she gasped. Then his mouth was on her and her fingers clutched his hair desperately, her hips jumping off the wall to meet his eager and talented tongue.

"Oh God, yes," she gasped.

"Sirius is fine," he murmured, smirking at her. "God is much too formal."

She swatted his head as he bent back down to her.

By the time he stood up, she was panting and then he spun her around, lifting her hips and lowering her onto him as his lips locked onto the back of her neck. She groaned, reaching back to squeeze his bum as she rode him.

They slid bonelessly to the floor afterwards, panting, and Sirius kissed her.

"Have I told you how glad I am that you only work half a day on Mondays?"

She laughed, kissing his chest. "No, but I'm starting to think it's a good choice as well." She stretched cat-like next to him and climbed to her feet, stepping out of her high heels and he sat up, slapping her behind.

"You have the nicest arse," he said, spanking it again.

Althea grinned at him. "Is that why you keep riding it?"

Sirius stood up, his hands settling on her hips as he kissed her. "Want me to stop?"

She reached down and gripped him. He was hard again and she smiled against his mouth. "Naturally. I have too many things to do."

"Do me instead," he told her, pushing into her hand.

Althea chuckled, kissing him softly. "I don't think that was on my to do list."

"Give me the list, I'll add it."

She grinned, gently stroking him torturously. "It's my to-do list, shouldn't I be the one adding to the list?"

Sirius nipped at her lips as she continued her ministrations and he groaned. "I think I need to see this list."

Althea slid her other hand down between his legs and he moaned. "Don't think so." Her hands squeezed and stroked and tugged and rubbed until he was panting and then she merely slid her hands up his chest and kissed the pulse in his throat. "I think it's time for you to go, Sirius."

"Is it?" he asked grabbing her hand and tugging her to her bedroom, where they fell laughing onto the bed. He pinned her wrists over her head and kissed her deeply, his tongue trailing down her throat, between her breasts and circling her belly button before he placed a soft kiss on the apex of her right thigh. By the time he reached her lips again, she was panting. "So are we coming or going, Castellanos?"

Althea struggled until he let go of her wrists and he was sitting on the bed grinning at her. She straddled him, lowering herself onto him, her hands fisting in his hair. "I'm planning on coming, are you?"

He groaned against her throat as she rode him; her head falling back and giving him a perfect view of her firm, round breasts bouncing before him and his stomach tightened. "I'm definitely coming," he moaned.

And they did.

Sirius zipped his jeans up a little while later and handed her the ripped blouse. "This may need to be replaced."

Her eyebrow rose slightly. "You're going to owe me a whole new wardrobe, Black if you keep this up. I've never been any good with household repairing charms."

He smirked at her, tugging his shirt over his head. "Too bad Priya had to work late, or she would see exactly what your wardrobe looks like strewn across the entrance here."

Althea blushed. "Next time we have to get to the bedroom first."

"Oh? Are you saying that there's going to be a next time?" Sirius asked her, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "Is that on your to-do list?"

She smiled as he took her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. "If you play your cards right."

Sirius stepped into his shoes, picking up her lace knickers as he did so. "I happen to be excellent at cards." He passed her the undergarment and she grinned.

"See you around, Black."

He shot her a wicked grin as he opened the door to her flat. "See you around, Castellanos."

When the door closed behind him, he couldn't stop grinning.

~ ASC ~

 **When he got home, he found the place empty except for Marauder, who yipped in excitement to see him.** He let the puppy outside; wincing when Marauder took off after a rabbit. He chased him for five minutes, finding him in the back garden of the Morrisons little pink cottage. After making small talk with the neighbours, he dragged the puppy home lecturing him on the responsibilities of staying in the yard before he headed up to take a quick shower. Thirty minutes later, he stood in the kitchen, opening cupboards and desperately trying to decide what to feed his rumbling stomach. He decided on bacon sandwiches and soon he was frying up bacon and watching in amusement as Marauder sniffed the air in appreciation.

Remus had been helping him a lot with the cooking and when he realized that his friend had a pot roast simmering in the crock pot on the counter, he thanked his lucky stars he didn't have to find food for dinner. Once he had put his mind to it, cooking wasn't that hard. It was like following a particularly detailed potion, something he had always done well enough at. It had always infuriated Remus and Lily how he and James barely had to study as things just came naturally to them both. Remus was still a much better cook than he was, but he wasn't terrible, and Sirius figured that was a vast improvement.

He remembered that there were potatoes in the pantry and he figured he could mash those up with some garlic and cheese and throw a salad together to go with the pot roast. He almost winced to himself at how incredibly domestic that sounded. But he liked it, he realized. He liked being domestic and taking care of Harry.

It was the two of them against the world and the feeling made him feel great.

Occasional bad dreams, shyness, and hesitation around adults he didn't know — but those were small things, and Sirius knew that McGonagall and Dumbledore were right, — he would eventually get past them. But it wasn't going to happen overnight. He wanted to help him in any way that he could.

He thought about the chores that Harry had quickly adopted over the last two months. He made his bed every morning, he set the table and helped with the dishes, and he was even helping Sirius with some of the cooking (he was a quick study in that department). He was great with tools and Sirius loved teaching him about the mechanics of an engine. He was a great little helper.

He should probably have an allowance, Sirius realized. He was working hard and should get something for it. He'd talk to Remus about it, he thought, draining the bacon grease from the pan before he made a few sandwiches.

He ate standing up in the kitchen lost in domestic thoughts about chore charts, allowances, and cooking. When he finished eating, he grabbed the Queen album _A Night at the Opera_ and placed it on the wireless, cranking the music up as he cleaned up his mess in the kitchen. He sang loudly; dancing around as he peeled potatoes and crushed garlic for dinner that night.

Sirius only realized Remus and Harry had returned because of the flash of the camera and his eyes widened as Remus simply smirked at him, camera in hand.

"Did you just take a photo of me?"

Remus grinned widely, turning down the record player so that he could speak. " _Padfoot Domesticated —_ what do you think?"

"Piss off, Moony! There's no bloody way we're keeping that photo!"

"No bad words!" Harry exclaimed, his hands on his hips as he looked sternly up at Sirius. "Uncle Moony said so."

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise. "He did, did he?"

Remus put the camera down and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sirius, we have to be more careful around him. The last thing we need is for Harry to grow up swearing like a sailor."

Sirius grinned. "The first week of school you told James and I that we were full of bleeding shite and to stop fucking taking the piss out of Peter. Are you saying that was bad?"

"Yes!" Remus exclaimed, flushing at the memory. "I was eleven and that was very bad!"

Sirius laughed. "True. Alright, Harry, Uncle Remus and I will try not to say so many bad words, all right?"

Harry grinned. "Okay. I'm going outside with Marauder."

"Sure, Prongslet," Sirius said, smiling as he watched Harry head into the garden with the dog before he turned to Remus. "This pork roast smells amazing, Moony, have I mentioned how much of a Godsend you are in terms of cooking?"

Remus smiled, moving to take a seat at the kitchen table. "I find it cathartic to cook sometimes. What are you making?"

"Figured garlic and cheesy mashed with a salad?"

Remus nodded in approval so Sirius continued what he was doing.

"Harry told me about last night," Remus said casually.

Sirius nodded, slicing potatoes carefully. "I spoke to Minerva and Dumbledore today. I just don't know if we're doing it right, Moony. I mean, he seems fine, but then at night… something scares him… or someone? How long is he going to be…"

"I think you know the answer to that, Sirius," Remus said quietly, tapping his fingers on the table.

"I didn't have a problem trusting people," Sirius told him. "It was only… it was different."

Remus didn't say anything.

"It was different," he insisted.

"You have to have noticed how similar you and Harry are by now, Sirius," Remus said carefully. "You were both abused by those who were supposed to take care of you."

Sirius shook his head. "It's different, Rem. I was older when it started for me, Harry was still a baby."

Remus merely tilted his head, eyes flashing in annoyance. "It's not different."

"It is! I remember the first time that my parents punished me for something. I was six years old and I'd run outside into the street to play after my father came home and I made friends with one of the neighbouring boys, a Muggle."

 _"That boy is a Muggle, Sirius."_

 _"I know, Father," he said grinning. "He said that he's going to show me how to play football. I don't know what it is, but it sounds brilliant!"_

 _"He's a Muggle, Sirius, we do not associate with such filth."_

 _Sirius' brow furrowed. "He wasn't dirty."_

 _Orion gestured for his son to follow him into the living room and told him to sit down. "Sirius, we're wizards. You know what that means?"_

 _"We have magic."_

 _"Yes, and Muggles can't do magic."_

 _"They can still do other stuff. Like those cars, Father — I want to drive a car!"_

 _Orion glared at him. "You will never do such a thing! Muggle inventions and Muggles themselves are disgustingly low creatures. They are not worthy to lick the mud from your boots, do you understand me?"_

 _"Muggles are bad."_

 _"Very bad. We are so much better than them. We do not associate with them. We do not play with them or speak to them at all if avoidable. Am I clear?"_

 _Sirius nodded, his eyes downcast. "Father, can Regulus come outside with me tomorrow to meet Robbie so he can show us what football is?"_

 _The slap sent him reeling. He fell off of the chesterfield, holding his cheek, his eyes wide as he stared up at his father. His eyes watered and Orion raised his hand again._

 _"That boy is beneath you, Sirius, and you will not learn a stupid Muggle sport from him nor play said sport nor subject your younger brother to that disgusting and foul creature. Have I made myself clear?"_

 _"But why? He was so nice."_

 _The second slap jogged his tear-ducts and they ran down his face._

 _"Blacks don't cry," Orion said sternly. "Now get upstairs to your room and think about what I told you. At dinner you will tell me what Muggles truly are."_

 _Sirius scrambled to his feet, sucking back his tears as Orion watched him. "Yes, Father."_

 _"I'm only doing this for your own good, Sirius," he said quietly. "I don't want to hit my son."_

 _"I'm sorry, Father."_

 _Orion nodded. "Go on now, upstairs, and think about what you've done."_

He shook the memory from his head. "I was never really… I was eight when they used the Imperius on me because I wouldn't follow the rules," he said. "Mum was pissed when I could throw it off by the time I was twelve, but I think that she was secretly pleased too, you know? Only the strongest of wizards can throw off the Imperius Curse."

Remus' mouth opened and then he closed it again.

"What?" Sirius asked in annoyance. He knew that look and Remus was trying to bite his tongue. "Just spit it out, Moony."

"Just because your physical abuse didn't start until later doesn't mean there wasn't emotional abuse early on. I won't say anything else on it, Sirius. I was only saying that you understand Harry in a way that I never will because of what you both went through. He trusts you and he trusts me explicitly and that's great, but he's wary around other adults."

"I know," Sirius said, moving to sit at the table. "He just needs to spend more time with them. Like the Weasleys for instance, they were great and they have such a big family, six sons and a daughter — they're friendly and full of life and I think that's a great influence on him to see that."

"I agree," he said. "We should try to get him to talk more about it or I don't know, try to implement more rules or something. He's… he's an angel and so sweet all of the time. Not that it's not wonderful, because it is, but boys his age should want to be a little devilish sometimes. He should want to get into trouble — to cause pranks and mischief. He just… goes along with whatever we ask of him."

Sirius nodded, eyes on the window watching his godson run around with his puppy. "He helped Ginny prank her twin brothers yesterday. When he told me about it, his eyes were just full of laughter and joy. He'll get there, Moony. We just have to give him the opportunity. Speaking of the Weasleys, I noticed that they had this chore chart on the wall of the kitchen and I kind of liked the concept. I was thinking that we should start one up for the three of us."

Remus rolled his eyes. "I don't live here, Padfoot; I'm not letting you con me into doing your chores."

Sirius laughed, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Damn, I thought I had you." At his friend's grin, he continued. "Harry makes his bed every morning and he helps me with dishes, sets the table, and helps with the cooking. But I thought maybe we could give him like a checklist of things to do over the week and as he completes them, he gets a prize or an allowance or something. I noticed Molly had gold stars and a list of things like five gold stars earns extra flying time or something. I don't know it was something I was tossing around in my head earlier."

"I think it's a great idea, Sirius. You can also implement a meal plan; you two can decide together food choices for the week, I can help with that and it will also help ensure Harry gets the vegetables, protein, calcium, and fruit that he needs on a daily basis. Plus it will stop you from having to figure out what to make each and every day, which is a chore in itself." Remus suggested, smiling at his friend. "And Marauder is his puppy, he should take more responsibility for him."

"Agreed."

"As for pranks," Remus began, smiling at his friend. "I was thinking we could start playing little pranks on him."

"What?" Sirius asked in surprise. "Play pranks on the child? Moony, are you joking? That can't be good parenting!"

Remus laughed, folding his arms in front of him on the table. "Now, now, hear me out," he said chuckling. "I mean fun things to make him laugh and to help him realize that it's okay to have fun. Like filling a glass full of jelly with a straw so it hardens and giving it to him as juice. Or making up our own daily fortunes as a lunch time surprise. Something funny like 'your brain is zombie food.' Freeze a bowl of cereal and give it to him in the morning. Or hide bubble wrap around the house under the rugs and watch his surprise when he steps on it. You know, stuff like that? My mum used to help me do those kinds of things all the time as a kid. I loved them."

"This explains a lot, Moony," Sirius told him with a grin. "Jamie and I always wondered how you were so annoyingly good at coming up with pranks."

"Mum once put a balloon in a cake pan and covered it with icing and sprinkles for my birthday. When I went to cut the cake it exploded everywhere. I laughed myself silly," Remus told him with a grin.

Sirius slapped his hands together, grinning wickedly. "I'm in. Operation Prank The Piss Out Of Harry Potter has commenced."

Remus grinned at his friend. "Let's start tonight. I have the perfect idea in mind for dessert."


	26. Chapter 26

_Author's Note:_

 _We all knew this was going to be discovered soon and obviously Sirius is not impressed!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:**

 **Harry ate every bite of his pork roast, mashed garlic and cheese potatoes, and his spinach salad.** He made faces as he ate the spinach, but he swallowed it all. It was rather chewy, but he thought the dressing helped it slide down easier. He wondered if Uncle Sirius would be mad if he said he didn't like it.

Remus smiled as Harry cleaned his plate. "Good job, Harry. It's nice to see you eating all of your dinner. How about some dessert?"

"Yes, please," Harry said with a big smile. Dessert was his favourite.

"There's a platter of chocolate chip cookies on the counter or if you check the ice box, there's a plate of brown-e's. You can choose." Remus told him with a smile.

Harry grinned, jumping down from his chair and heading to the ice box. He loved brownies. He carefully carried the covered plate over to the table and put it in front of Sirius. "Brownies please."

"Open it up then, Prongslet," he urged, winking at Remus.

Harry carefully pulled back the foil and his eyes widened. The whole plate was covered in brown letter E's. "Uncle Moony! This isn't brownies!"

Remus' eyebrow cocked in surprise, "Sure they are, little Prongs," he picked up one of the E's made from cardboard and painted dark brown. "See, it is brown and it is an E. A plate of brown-e's."

Harry stared at him for a minute and then he laughed. "Uncle Moony, you're silly."

Remus smiled at him. "Sometimes. Sirius told me that you helped Ginny pull a little prank on her brothers so I thought maybe I'd pull a little prank on you."

Sirius grinned. "Prank War's on, Moony, better watch out."

Harry stared at them in fascination. "Prank War?"

Sirius grinned widely. "It's going to be fun, Prongslet, just you wait."

Harry learned exactly what a 'prank war' was over the next few days.

Remus replaced Sirius' dishes with dog bowls; Sirius made Remus' shoes sing _Werewolves of London_ ; Remus put purple hair dye in Sirius' shampoo; Sirius and Harry painted pictures all over Remus' face when he fell asleep on the couch (including a very well-endowed penis covering most of his friend's arm); Sirius froze Harry's cereal and Harry put yellow food colouring in water, pouring it on Sirius' pillow while he slept; Remus let jelly harden in a glass with a straw and gave it to Harry for lunch; Harry put salt in the sugar container and watched Remus scoop it into his tea; Sirius put itching powder in Remus' boxer shorts; Remus put dog shampoo in Sirius' shampoo; and so on.

None of them could decide who the winner was, but they all laughed up-roaringly and Harry giggled in excitement at the prospect of being allowed to participate in such events.

By the end of the week, he was even urging Sirius and Remus to pull pranks. When the letter came from the Weasleys that weekend, inviting Harry over for the afternoon, Sirius thought that it was the perfect opportunity to let Harry have fun in a different way than their Prank War.

Sirius used the Floo to drop him off the next afternoon, dusting him off as they came into the Weasleys' living room and smiling warmly at Mrs Weasley.

"Thanks for inviting Harry over, Molly," Sirius told her with a smile. "He's very excited, right, Harry?"

He nodded eagerly as he smiled at her. "Thank you, Mrs Weasley."

She smiled warmly, a flowered apron around her waist. "You're very welcome, Harry, dear. Ron and Ginny are out back, go on!"

Harry turned to look at Sirius and he smiled. "Go on, Harry. I'll come pick you up after dinner, okay?"

Harry grinned at him before he hurried out the backdoor.

Sirius smiled at Mrs Weasley. "He's been bugging me about seeing your kids again, so thanks for the invite. Maybe next time they can come to my place?"

"Of course. Our house is always open and really what's one more?" she said on a laugh. "Is seven o'clock all right with you to come get him?"

"Perfect," he said, smiling. "I'll be home all afternoon if anything happens or if Harry needs me."

Mrs Weasley smiled sympathetically. "He'll be fine, Sirius."

"Right," he said, grinning. "See you later."

Harry was having the time of his life. They were playing hide and seek and he was loving every minute of it. They switched to tag and then Ginny convinced him to help her dress up the garden gnomes. He had been bitten three times, but they looked so silly, like little potatoes dressed in doll clothes, that it had been worth it. Especially when Ron showed him how to swing them in a circle and throw them across the field. At first, Harry felt bad, but when he saw that it didn't hurt them, he soon assisted Ron in tossing them away.

He wondered if he could sneak a garden gnome into Sirius' bed. That would be funny.

By the time Mrs Weasley called them inside for a snack, he knew that Sirius had been right. They were his friends. And they didn't think that he was a freak. He had told them about the pranks he, Sirius, and Remus had been playing on each other and Ron and Ginny laughed appreciatively before they told him about some of the stuff Fred and George had pulled off.

He had laughed so much his sides hurt.

They stepped into the kitchen where Mrs Weasley had prepared a snack of cheese, kielbasa, and crackers and made themselves comfortable at the table.

"Go wash up first," she instructed as Harry followed Ron and Ginny upstairs to the loo.

Once they were clean, they sat down at the table and Harry eagerly took a bite. They were delicious. He looked up when the tall thin red-headed man came into the room. He recognized him as Mr Weasley and his eyes stayed on him as he ate. He hadn't really spoken to him before and he wasn't sure what to make of the newcomer.

Mr Weasley moved around the table, greeting his children and smiled at Harry. He put his hand on his shoulder ready to squeeze in lieu of greeting, the way he had just done to his children. Harry jumped up from his seat so far, he knocked his pumpkin juice onto the floor, spilling it everywhere.

"Harry! Sorry, son, I didn't mean to scare you!" Mr Weasley explained, taking a step towards Harry in apology.

Harry moved further away, his eyes on the mess that he had just made. His stomach was clenched tight in a ball of fear that he couldn't quite explain. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to spill it! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, Harry," Mrs Weasley said gently, reaching down to pick up the cup and using her wand to get rid of the mess. "It was an accident."

Harry nodded, his breathing uneven and he continued to back away slowly until his back was pressed against the kitchen wall. They had invited him over and he had been ungrateful; he'd made a mess. They wouldn't want him to come over ever again. And Mr Weasley, he was the head of the family, and the head of the household always punished those who were ungrateful.

 _"Ungrateful little brat, I'll show you what the head of the household does to little twerps like you!" Uncle Vernon's voice echoed in his head._

 _"You think that hurt the other day, I'll show you what happens when you break something in this house that doesn't belong to you!"_

The memories consumed him for a moment and his whole body trembled in irrational fear as Mr Weasley walked over to him.

"Really, Harry, I didn't mean to startle you. Come back to the table, son." Mr Weasley took a step closer to him and Harry panicked.

"NO!" he screamed so loudly that all of the Weasleys jumped in alarm as the three kitchen windows shattered, exploding glass all around the room before Harry bolted out the backdoor and ran into the yard, his breathing heavy. He wasn't even sure why he was running, but when he got to the pond, he stopped to catch his breath, his eyes alight in panic when he saw Mr Weasley following him.

 _"Don't you run, boy! If I have to catch you, you'll have no food for a week!"_

"I'm sorry!" he yelled, his eyes wide and terrified as Uncle Vernon's voice echoed in his head. "I'm not ungrateful! I'm sorry! Don't — don't hit me!" The last words coming out in a panicked whisper as he held his arms up to protect himself.

"Hit you?" Mr Weasley exclaimed in astonishment. "Harry, I would NEVER hit you. Son, I'm not going to hurt you." He turned when he saw his daughter next to him and watched in amazement as she ignored Harry's panic and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's okay, Harry. My Daddy is the nicest man in the whole world! He's not mad at you."

Harry seemed baffled by her hugging him, but he soon wrapped his arms around her too and his breathing slowly returned to normal. The sense of panic slowly leaving him.

Ginny had just stepped back from him when he saw Sirius hurrying towards him and he bolted straight for his godfather, arms outstretched and let Sirius scoop him up into his warm safe arms.

"Harry, are you okay?" Sirius asked, hugging him close, kissing his cheek and sighing when Harry merely curled into him, clinging tightly with his face in the crook of Sirius' neck, as if terrified he would disappear before his eyes.

Mr Weasley looked baffled as he stared at Sirius. "I'm terribly sorry, Sirius, I seemed to have startled him. I reached down to squeeze his shoulder in greeting and he just… I'm sorry."

Sirius shook his head. "It's not your fault, Arthur. He doesn't… it's not your fault." He kissed Harry's forehead and his ear. "Prongslet, no one is mad at you. It was just an accident. Mr and Mrs Weasley know that." He gently rubbed his hand up and down Harry's back as he spoke. "Do you want to come home or do you want to stay and play with Ron and Ginny some more?"

"They won't let me stay," he whispered, his lips tickling Sirius' neck as he spoke with his head buried against his godfather.

"Of course they will," Sirius told him. "No one is mad at you. You're not in any trouble, I promise." When Harry's eyes met his, he smiled. "Would I ever lie to you?"

Harry smiled a little. "No."

Sirius kissed his nose and made him laugh. "Do you want to stay or do you want to go home?"

Harry hesitated and his little hands fisted in Sirius' tee-shirt before he spoke. "Can you stay too?"

Sirius smiled. "Definitely." He put Harry back on his feet, his hands on his shoulders as Harry turned to look at Mr Weasley.

"I'm sorry, Mr Weasley," he said quietly.

Mr Weasley smiled at him. "No worries, Harry. It was my fault, I scared you. Go on now and play with Ron and Ginny."

Ginny took Harry's hand, tugging him with her. Harry looked back at Sirius questioningly as Sirius smiled at him and urged him to go. He let Ginny tug him away as Ron gestured for them to follow and the three of them took off across the yard heading to the little orchard where Bill, Charlie, and Percy were playing Quidditch.

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed. "Thanks for calling me, Molly."

Mrs Weasley nodded, staring at her husband. "I just didn't want to scare him further. He seemed like he was going to have a panic attack. I've never seen a child look so terrified."

Sirius sighed. "Don't make any sudden movements around him, Molly. He needs to be aware of where you are at all times. If you do that, he won't panic."

Mr Weasley looked across where the kids disappeared by the orchard. "I've never seen a child react like that before. He… he begged me not to hit him. As if I would ever strike — is he alright, Sirius?"

"The people he was living with before mistreated him. He's going to be fine. But if he's too much for you lot to handle, I will take him home."

"No!" Mrs Weasley insisted, her eyes sad. "We love to have him here and Ginny and Ron like him so much. Arthur and I will be more cautious. It just seemed to happen so suddenly it surprised us. The windows exploded and… thankfully no one was hurt and it was an easy fix, but the poor boy was terrified!"

Sirius shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "That's partly my fault, I should have warned you. He's really only been around Remus and I and my cousin Tonks for the most part and he trusts us but he doesn't… he doesn't know you yet. Remus and I are still working on making him more comfortable with us. We've been pulling pranks on him to make him smile and he's starting to prank us back, which is fun. He's loosening up, not being so afraid to be a child. Being here with you and your family, I think it shows him what a real family is and that's good for him too. He trusts Ginny and Ron."

"Ginevra embraced him and hugged him tight until his breathing evened out and he let her," Mr Weasley commented. "It surprised me that he just let her move in on him like that after he was so terrified of me just standing near him. He trusts her."

Sirius smiled. "Children aren't the problem, Arthur. His tosser of an aunt and uncle were."

Mrs Weasley nodded. "Well, come on inside then, Sirius. If you're staying for dinner, I'd better get started on it."

~ ASC ~

 **Spending time with the Weasleys was very good for Harry.** He helped Ginny and Ron play tricks on their older brothers, usually with the help of Fred and George. And over the next two weeks, Harry had spent five separate days at the Burrow. He idolized Bill a little and he asked him endless questions about Hogwarts. Charlie was on the Quidditch team and Harry loved watching him soar around the orchard on his broom and his eyes gleamed in fascination. He couldn't wait until he was old enough to fly a broom. He loved it at the Burrow and he hadn't had any other panic attacks or bad reactions to anything at the Weasley household since that afternoon. On the fifth day, he had even hugged Mr Weasley goodbye, surprising Mr Weasley, who pat his head affectionately.

As for the Prank War at home, Sirius and Remus were still keeping it strong. They had covered Harry's bed in raisins and convinced him it was mouse poop; Remus had switched out some of Sirius' albums so that when he went to play AC/DC, Cyndi Lauper's _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun_ belted out or The Rolling Stones album was suddenly playing _I Will Survive_ by Gloria Gaynor and Blue Öyster Cult was Aretha Franklin demanding a little _Respect_ ; and Sirius cut tiny holes in the little bags Remus carried in his pockets full of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans so he kept leaving trails of candy wherever he went.

But it was the end of August when Harry had worked up the courage to pull a prank on Sirius and Remus together. He had been working on it for two days, keeping it a secret from them, but he had gotten help from Tonks, who was thrilled at the idea of endless pranking taking place.

They rigged the fireplace up with flour and confetti and sprinkles so that when someone tried to use the Floo, the hidden bucket would spill out, dusting the person in a mess.

Remus had Apparated that morning, but Sirius was heading out to see Althea and Harry was anxiously awaiting him to use the Floo. He didn't know who Althea was or why Sirius was going out to see her, but he couldn't wait to see his godfather get covered in his concoction.

But it wasn't Sirius.

The Floo lit up and a tall man with a crooked nose, a long silver beard, and half-moon glasses stepped out of the fireplace, covered from head to toe in flour, confetti, and sprinkles — and Harry giggled. The giggles turned into fits of laughter as Sirius and Remus stared open-mouthed at Albus Dumbledore.

"Albus, what exactly were you up to before stopping by?" Sirius asked, laughing.

Dumbledore carefully wiped his eyes which were twinkling in laughter. "Sirius, you may have a slight problem in your fireplace. The Floo seems to be malfunctioning."

Harry roared, clutching his stomach and Remus' eyes widened.

"Little Prongs, did you do this?"

Harry nodded in between his laughter. "It — was — supposed — to — be — Uncle — Padfoot!" he gasped in between his laughs and Remus busted into laughter.

"We've created a monster, Sirius," he said with a grin.

Sirius smirked, bending down and picking up Harry by the legs, holding him upside down, as the child cackled. "You thought I'd look funny like that, did you?"

"Yes!" Harry squealed, laughing as Sirius swing him upside down back and forth in front of his feet like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.

Dumbledore smiled, using a quick cleansing charm on himself. "I see you three are getting along quite famously."

Sirius lifted Harry up into his arms, settling him on his hip and grinning when Harry merely monkey crawled onto his shoulders. He reached up to hold his waist and to keep him steady as Harry's hands played with his hair.

"Been having a bit of a Prank War, Albus, sorry that you got caught in the crossfire."

Dumbledore waved his hand in front of him as he grinned. "Not to worry, no harm done."

Sirius smiled. "Harry, do you remember Professor Dumbledore? He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts. You met him once a few months ago?"

Harry nodded, smiling kindly at the man. "Hello. I'm sorry for the prank."

Dumbledore chuckled. "It was a very good prank, Harry. I'm only sorry that I didn't get to see you cover Sirius in it." When Harry beamed at him, he smiled. "Sirius, may I have a private word?"

Sirius nodded, lifting Harry down from his shoulders. "Of course. Down you go, Prongslet." He left Harry with Remus and he led Dumbledore into the sun room, closing the glass door behind him and placing a silencing charm. "As private as we can get. What can I do for you, Albus?"

Dumbledore smiled. "It seems you three are working well together. The fact that you have Harry pranking the two of you is quite a feat."

Sirius grinned. "It was Rem's idea and I think it was brilliant. We're trying to get Harry to see that he doesn't have to be a little angel all of the time. We want him to, you know — be a kid and have fun."

"An excellent idea and one I think is being executed well judging by that prank he had planned for you," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Has he had anymore nightmares since we spoke last?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, none that he's remembered anyway, but he has snuck into my bed twice more since then. And he had a panic attack at the Weasleys two weeks ago, but he's all right now."

"A panic attack?"

Sirius nodded. "I think he had some flashbacks of memory too from the way Arthur explained it to me, but Arthur Weasley startled him, and well it just set him off. He accidentally exploded all of the windows in their kitchen, but he loves going there now. He's even become friendly enough that he hugged Arthur goodbye the other day. He's coming around."

"That's good to hear. Him wanting to be close to you at night is perfectly normal as well," Dumbledore told him. "I'm glad to see him smiling and seemingly so at home and happy."

Sirius grinned. "Me too. Like you said, it takes time."

Dumbledore smiled as he reached into his cloak. "I have two things for you. First is this," he said as he un-shrunk the package that he had just pulled from his cloak to its rightful size and handed it over. "It's a Pensieve dish. Make sure that you find a safe place to store it as you don't want anyone stumbling across it accidentally."

"Thank you," Sirius said, his eyes on the wrapped box. "I haven't even mentioned this to Remus yet. But I want to get started on it soon."

Dumbledore nodded. "I think it's a wonderful idea. Secondly, about the potion we spoke about."

Sirius' eyes whipped up to his. "Did you get the recipe?"

"Yes, and no," he said carefully, taking a seat on the edge of the desk.

"What does that mean?" Sirius demanded. "Can we get it for Remus or not? The next moon isn't until the middle of September but — what's the verdict here?"

Dumbledore hesitated before he spoke. "It is an extremely volatile and difficult potion to make. It needs to steep for exactly six hours and must be drunk within thirty minutes of steep time completion and it must be drank within two hours of the sun setting. The ingredients are expensive as well." He rattled off a steep price, but Sirius just shrugged.

"I don't care how much it costs, I want to know if we can brew it."

Dumbledore shook his head. "It takes a lot of effort and a lot of time to make it once a month; something you won't be able to do with Harry around — but I think I have a solution for you."

"I'm open to anything," Sirius told him gratefully.

Dumbledore nodded. "I've spoken to the potions professor at Hogwarts and he has agreed to faithfully brew the potion for Remus if you supply all of the ingredients."

"Done."

He hesitated. "You would have to come to Hogwarts the day before the full moon to take the first sample of the potion to bring back to Remus. Once it is in his system, he can drink from the same potion for the next two nights, but it must always be within two hours of the sun setting for the potion to take full affect. Belby recommends one hour before, but says a two hour window is allowed if necessary."

"Not a problem, Albus. I'll make sure he drinks all of it."

Dumbledore smiled, tapping his long fingers on his thigh. "Severus will start brewing it on the morning of the seventeenth of September. You can come pick it up for Remus that evening. You will take the rest of the potion home for him for the next two nights. Severus will give you proper instructions then. Understood?"

Sirius nodded, grinning in excitement. "I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe there is a potion out there that will finally help him! And the fact that old Sluggy is willing to — wait, you said Severus _not_ Slughorn?"

"I did, yes."

Sirius' eyes darkened. "Albus, who exactly is the Potions Professor nowadays?"

"Severus Snape."

"Fuck no," Sirius exclaimed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "There's no fucking way Rem's taking anything that prick brews! He'll bloody poison him!"

"I assure you that he will not," Dumbledore told him quietly. "Severus is not going to let an old schoolyard grudge get in the way of helping a man in need. He will faithfully brew the potion for Remus without fail, I give you my word."

Sirius simply stared at him. "Bloody hell, Albus, Severus Fucking Snape — you hired bloody Snivellus?"

"Snape is a brilliant Potioneer and he came to me amidst the war seeking refuge. All of his friends had turned Death Eaters. I took him in and I gave him a job and he has never once disappointed me," Dumbledore told him sternly. "He will brew the Wolfsbane Potion for Remus. Unless you think that you can brew it yourself, truly?"

Sirius' fists clenched at his sides. He had always excelled at his studies, but Potions had never been his strong suit while Snape had O's across the board. Dumbledore was right, he was a brilliant Potioneer and turning down this opportunity to help Remus because of an old schoolyard grudge was not only petty and stupid, but it was downright ridiculous. He wouldn't let his cloudy judgment stop him from helping his best friend.

Even if he didn't trust Snape as far as Harry could throw him.

"Snivelly can make it," Sirius spat out and Dumbledore's eyes merely stared at him. "I mean — _Snape_ can make it."

He smiled. "Good. You'll be receiving an owl with a bill for the ingredients by the end of the week. The seventeenth, Sirius."

Sirius nodded, removing the silencing charm as Dumbledore headed out to go. "I'll be there."


	27. Chapter 27

_Author's Note:_

 _Bit of a writing binge this morning — had the day off and nothing too big going on (though I should be doing laundry, but here I go)._

 _Anyway, hope you enjoy!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:**

 **"What was that about?"** Remus asked, opening a pint of Dragon Scale from the ice box and taking a drink as Dumbledore Disapparated from the front drive.

Sirius shrugged, leaning down to kiss Harry's forehead from where he sat at the kitchen table, drawing. It was pouring rain outside and he knew that Harry was disappointed to be stuck inside. "A few different things. I'll fill you in later, I'm late as it is."

Remus smiled. "Castellanos must be getting angry. Are you taking her on a real date again soon?"

Sirius chuckled as he opened the door to head outside and Apparate. "We don't go on real dates, Moony — we're just shagging."

Remus rolled his eyes and Sirius smirked at him before he Disapparated. He hurried up the stairs to Althea's flat and knocked on the door.

Althea pulled it open and his mouth dropped. She was standing before him in a black heels and a red sheer nightgown with a lace trim. The red knickers and matching bra she wore beneath it were silk. She leaned against the doorjamb, twirling her hair around her finger as it fell down her back and over her shoulders.

"You're late."

He closed his mouth and stared at her for a moment. "I've never been so sorry in my life."

She continued to twirl her hair. "I don't tolerate tardiness."

Sirius' eyebrow rose in amusement. "Guess you'll have to punish me."

She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and tugged him inside. "Oh, I plan to."

The door closed behind him and she led him into her bedroom, pushing him down onto the bed. To his surprise, her knees indented the bed on either side of his head and she smiled down at him.

"As punishment, I'm going to use you terribly," she told him, wiggling out of her knickers sliding the silk along his cheek.

His breath caught and his cock twitched in his jeans. "I understand, I'll try not to enjoy it."

Then he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer and his mouth got to work.

By the time he let go, she was crying out his name. She eagerly tugged his jeans down just enough and she took him into her, riding him hard and fast until they collapsed against each other, breathless.

Sirius tugged off the rest of his clothes. "Have I been punished enough yet?"

She spanked him lightly, smirking when he looked at her in surprise. "Don't be late next time."

He crawled back onto the bed, his mouth covering her breast through the nightgown and bra she wore. "I had an unexpected visitor. I'm sorry I was late."

Althea smiled as he tugged the nightgown over her head and unclasped the bra so that she was naked before him. His lips trailed over her stomach and her hands fisted in his hair. "It's all right. You can buy me some pizza and we'll talk about it."

Sirius simply grinned and lifted her hips, sliding in deeply. "After."

"After," she agreed, holding him tightly.

Afterwards, they sat naked in her bed eating pizza and drinking wine as Sirius filled her in on the newest prank by young Harry.

She laughed. "I wish I could have seen the stout and sturdy Professor Dumbledore covered in flour, confetti, and sprinkles! That must have been a sight!"

"It was," Sirius told her, grinning. "But the sight of Harry just rolling on the ground and laughing, that was the real sight. He's… he's a kid, Castellanos, and it's the greatest thing."

Althea smiled at him in understanding. "I told you that it would take time, but that it would happen. Has he started acting out yet?"

Sirius looked at her in confusion. "Acting out? I just told you about his epic prank on Dumbledore."

"No," she said laughing. "I mean, that is pretty amazing, but I was talking about him testing you; feeling out your boundaries."

"I'm not following."

"Well, you said the last time that you and Remus were implementing more rules and making him eat more veggies and do more chores — has he questioned any of this?"

"A little," Sirius told her honestly as he thought back to the last few weeks.

He had made a chore chart with stars and Harry had no problem with it. He picked up Marauder's poop every morning from the day before. He fed Marauder and once a week they gave the puppy a bath (Sirius and Remus both helped). He made his bed and he cleaned his room, laughing when Sirius had tickled him with the feather duster and stuck it to his butt, as he slid him along the walls to 'dust'. He helped with dishes and he set the table, he helped with some of the cooking, and he was starting to make food requests and complaints.

"He has been complaining a bit about the spinach in the salads or even begging for desserts. And he's been whining a bit about bedtime, wanting to stay up later."

Althea smiled as she sipped her wine. "Normal behaviour. But yes, he's starting to test you now. He knows the good things you do for him and he wants to see how much good stuff he can get, especially because it's all new to him."

"So he's going to start acting out more?"

She nodded. "Oh definitely and it's a good sign," she told him with a smile. "And you're going to have to start thinking about how far you're willing to let him go. What kind of rules you want to instigate?"

"Rules," he said with a grimace. "I hate rules."

"They're not for you, Sirius," she said with a grin. "For Harry. Where he is allowed to go; what he is allowed to do; when he goes to bed; when he can have a treat; when he has friends over and what they are allowed and not allowed to do. Those kinds of basic rules that every family needs to maintain healthy boundaries and a healthy lifestyle of order."

He nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that makes sense. He's just been so good that I haven't had to think about it. Remus and I definitely got him enjoying the pranks though so that's always fun and it's nice to see his mischievous side too."

"You'll figure it out," she said, licking pizza sauce off of her baby finger.

Sirius nodded, reaching across the bed to hold her small breast in his hand. "How do you feel about rules, Castellanos?" His finger gently massaged her nipple, making it hard.

"Oh, I'm very big on rules."

Sirius gently kneaded her breast, leaning in to kiss her neck. "I always felt like rules were meant to be broken."

Althea placed her hand over his, sighing at the loss of contact when he let go of her breast. "Depends on the rules."

Sirius grinned at her. "Rules suck."

Althea shimmied out of his grasp and hopped off of the bed. She moved to the other side of the room, grabbing a notepad from the top of her dresser and quickly scribbled something down before ripping off the first page. "First rule of the night, Sirius — read this."

He rolled his eyes but accepted the piece of paper, chuckling. "Althea's To-Do-List?"

"Shut up and read it," she said, climbing back onto the bed.

Sirius cleared his throat as he began to read:

 _Althea's To-Do-List:_

 _Have pizza and wine._ _Get on knees and enjoy Sirius Black's wand — fully._ _Do Sirius Black_

Sirius swallowed slowly. "This is a VERY detailed and naughty list, Castellanos. You are a very naughty bird."

She simply smiled at him and slid down to her knees. "What comes after pizza and wine, Black?"

He glanced at the list and he grinned at her. "Enjoy Sirius Black's wand, fully."

She stared at him as he moved to the edge of the bed and she positioned herself between his thighs before she looked up at him. "Still don't think we should follow the rules?"

Sirius simply watched as her mouth moved over him and he let his head fall back. So maybe some rules were okay.

But only some.

~ ASC ~

 **When he got home late that night, Harry was already in bed and Remus was half sleeping on the chesterfield in the living room.** He lifted Remus' legs up, plopping them into his lap as he sat down next to his friend. Then he simply gripped his friend's legs and shoved forward and Remus slid off the couch, swearing when he hit the floor.

Sirius laughed and Remus turned to glare at him. "Really? Are you twelve?"

Sirius shrugged as Remus took a seat back on the couch, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Just after one. I thought you were taking Harry to your place tonight?"

"By the time we cleaned up the big mess his prank made in the living room, we decided to just stay here. How was your non-date?"

Sirius grinned widely, stretching his long legs out. "My broom was well-ridden."

Remus snorted. "I'm sure it was. What the hell are you two then? Do you ever go out?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. Not since that first date."

Remus simply smirked at him. "It's been a month. I can't believe she's okay with this."

"She's leaving in a few weeks for Sri Lanka. Neither one of us are looking for anything serious. We're having fun and really great sex, which is all we both need right now. I don't want to be in a relationship right now, Rem; I'm still figuring things out with Harry. He doesn't need any other big changes in his life at the moment and frankly, neither do I."

"You can't use Harry as an excuse to stop living your own life, Sirius," Remus told him, eyeing his friend carefully.

"I'm not," Sirius told him. "I like Castellanos, don't get me wrong, but she's going away in few weeks and she's going to be gone for months. I'm not going to start something up that's not going anywhere. If she comes back and we're both still single, maybe, but right now — I'm just enjoying her."

Remus smiled at his friend. "That makes sense."

"When's the last time you even got laid, Rem? Why are you hitting me up about girlfriends, you never let yourself find a girlfriend?"

"I'm different. I have other problems to deal with."

"Bullshit!"

Remus sighed. "And I'll have you know I met a nice girl named Robyn over Christmas."

"And?"

Remus simply smirked. "We spent two lovely weeks in her hotel room."

"That's my boy!" Sirius exclaimed making his friend laugh. "Anyway, I'm glad you and Harry stayed, I want to talk to you about why Dumbledore was here."

"When he asked to speak with you in private I was worried that it had to do with Harry?"

Sirius shook his head, standing up. "Let's go into the kitchen. I think we both need some whiskey for this."

Remus followed, his eyes on the back of his friend's head. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of needing whiskey to get through a conversation. It sounded ominous to him. He took a seat and watched his friend pour two fingers in a glass for each of them before he sat down.

"Do you read the Daily Prophet, Moony?"

"No, I stopped reading it years ago," he said watching as Sirius took a sip of his whiskey. "I don't trust what they print, as you very well known."

"There was an article about a month ago about Belby, a Potioneer at the Ministry, and he's invented a new potion that helps with dementia."

"Er, okay?"

Sirius nodded. "Dementia that is specific to those who have lycanthropy."

Remus' eyes shot up, amber orbs twirling in thought. " _What_?"

Sirius quickly explained about the article, pulling the old newspaper out from the drawer and showing his friend the article. By the time he started to explain how he had approached Dumbledore, Remus was trembling.

Sirius stood up, moving around the table and wrapping an arm around his friend. "I know you're scared, Moony. But think of what a difference this potion can make."

Remus pushed his friend away as he climbed to his feet. "I'm not scared, Sirius." He moved to the window and stared out into the darkness. When Sirius put his arm around his shoulders again he sighed. "I can't believe you did all of this without talking to me first."

"Rem - "

"No, Siri!" Remus shouted, turning to look at his friend and shoving his arm away again angrily. "I know you meant well and you were right to think that I wouldn't have done this for myself but… how expensive is this potion?"

Sirius hesitated. "The ingredients are hard to come by, I'll give you that, but Snape is going to brew it for you."

"How much, Sirius?"

"Well, I don't have the bill yet so I'm not sure of the exact numbers."

"Sirius," he said in exasperation.

He blew his hair out of his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Roughly three hundred and fifty Galleons and change."

"A year?"

Sirius bit his lip. "Kind of per batch of ingredients."

"PER POTION?" Remus exclaimed, his hands fisting in his hair as his eyes widened. "That's ridiculous! I can't afford that!" he shouted in shock. When Sirius made to speak he placed his hand over his friend's mouth. "Don't you even try to tell me that you're going to pay for this every fucking month! What about the months when there's two moons, eh? That's double the fucking price, Padfoot! Nothing is worth that much money!"

Sirius shoved his friend's hand away. "Moony, if you'd just let me speak —"

"No! I will write to Severus and tell him that he needn't bother."

"REMUS!" he shouted, shocking Remus who turned to look at him. "The ingredients can be used again. Some of the ones you buy are not just portion sized to that potion. It would be every four months that we'd have to shell out that money."

This seemed to calm Remus down a little so Sirius continued.

"And I don't care what you say. I would spend every penny I had on this potion if it gave you two minutes of peace! Do you know how hard it's been for me to know that every month since I've been released from prison, you've been undergoing these terrible transformations all alone? Do you know how badly I want to be there for you and I can't be?"

"Uncle Padfoot?" Harry asked from the doorway, rubbing his tired eyes. "Why are you shouting?"

"Sorry, Prongslet," Sirius said, rushing over to scoop the tired child into his arms. "Uncle Moony and I were just talking."

Harry yawned and snuggled into Sirius' arms. "I want to sleep with you."

Sirius smiled and kissed his cheek. "Sure, Prongslet." He turned to Remus. "It's late, Moony. The first batch is already taken care of either way, which means until Christmas — you will have this potion. Let's talk about the rest tomorrow."

Then he turned and carried the half sleeping child upstairs and left Remus alone in the kitchen lost in his own thoughts.


	28. Chapter 28

_Author's Note:_

 _I've been wanting to write how the Marauders reacted to discovering that Remus was a werewolf. I like to think that they were totally cool with it. As we know from JKR, the process of trying to become an Animagus is highly difficult and dangerous and we know that they found out about Remus in their second year, but didn't master the transformation until fifth year. And I don't know if its true, but I read on tumblr about how they started off as baby animals and I thought that was the cutest idea, so I wanted to implement that._

 _Anyway, this is Remus in a slightly long chapter. Enjoy._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:**

 **Remus did think about the conversation with Sirius the entire night.** He didn't sleep a wink. He paced back and forth in the kitchen of his little cottage, dragging his fingers through his hair as he paced.

Everything Sirius had said to him made perfect sense and he knew that.

This WOULD help him.

This WOULD change everything about how he transformed.

This WOULD benefit him in every way.

So why was he protesting it?

Remus knew the answer wasn't completely about money.

Yes, he was ashamed that without the money that Sirius was paying him for teaching Harry, he would barely be able to keep the cottage his parents had left to him in their will.

Yes, he was ashamed that without this teaching job, he would barely be surviving at all.

Yes, he was ashamed that he couldn't take care of himself just because he was a werewolf, and therefore was untrustworthy and unreliable within the work force of the wizarding world, according to the rules set forth by the Department and Regulation of the Control of Magical Creatures.

He had always been ashamed, and maybe that was the problem.

He had held a dirty secret about himself. He was the creature that the other children feared and he had been so for as long as he could remember. He barely remembered anything about his life before he had been bitten by Fenrir Greyback, when he had been four years old. He had thought that he was going to be doomed forever, to be forced to hide away and suffer through terrible transformations all alone.

When he had first been bitten just a little before his fifth birthday, his containment during his transformations hadn't been too hard for his parents to deal with. A simple locked room and plenty of silencing spells worked fine, and in the morning his parents would find him a little beaten up, the walls scratched, and anything in the room with him shredded — but he had been contained. However, as he grew older, so did his wolfish tendencies, and by the time that he was ten years old, he was capable of pounding down doors and smashing windows. Remus knew that his parents had been terrified about how to control and contain him as he grew older and stronger.

But then something amazing had happened.

Albus Dumbledore arrived on their doorstep and his parents had been so flustered that they had tried to stop him from entering their humble home. But using his personable charm, he was not only invited inside, but less than five minutes later Dumbledore was sitting at the fireside, eating crumpets and playing Gobstones with Remus. He remembered how kind the Headmaster had been to him. The Lupins never had visitors so that alone was a treat, but nothing had shocked Remus more than when Dumbledore told him that he saw no reason why Remus wouldn't be able to attend school and he quickly described the safe precautions that he was willing to implement to allow Remus to attend.

But, he would of course have to keep his condition a secret from the rest of the school.

Dumbledore had explained how he would leave for a secure and comfortable house in the village of Hogsmeade, guarded by many spells and reached only by an underground passage from the Hogwarts grounds, where he could transform in peace, and safely away from everyone.

Remus had been beyond excited. It was his dream to meet other children and have, for the first time, friends and playmates.

He closed his eyes as he remembered that first day on the platform.

 _He stood on the platform of nine and three quarters with his mother's arm draped around his shoulders. His hands were nervously in his pockets as he stared up at the scarlet steam engine before him._

 _"There's no need to be nervous, Rem. Professor Dumbledore has promised that every precaution will be taken. You will be safe."_

 _"It's not my safety that's a priority, Mum," Remus said softly, his eyes still on the train._

 _Hope Lupin kissed her son's cheek. "Every precaution will be taken, Remus. You can't worry about it. And you have a few weeks to get settled into your dormitory and make friends and enjoy your classes before you truly have to worry about it."_

 _Remus scratched the small crescent shaped scar above his left eyebrow. He had somehow done it to himself a few years ago and it was hardly the only scar. He felt his mother squeeze his shoulders tight and he smiled at her. He knew how worried she was about him going off to Hogwarts and the last thing that he wanted was to give her something else to worry over when it came to him._

 _"You're right, Mum." He kissed her cheek. "It's going to be grand. Don't worry."_

 _She beamed at him, hugging him tightly. "You write home at the end of the week and tell us everything! I want every last detail of your first week, okay?"_

 _Lyall Lupin pulled his son close for a hug. "Don't think about hiding your secret; just be yourself and make friends. Have a grand time. Play a few pranks."_

 _"Lyall!"_

 _"What? You're the instigator of that, Hope!" he said with a laugh as Remus grinned at his parents._

 _"We love you! Don't forget to write!"_

 _He smiled at his mother. "I won't. I promise. I'll see you at Christmas?"_

 _At her nod, he let her hug him once more before he headed towards the train with his trunk in tow as his parents waved madly behind him._

 _He found a compartment to himself and settled himself into the corner by the window, watching the platform as it filled with students and parents and younger siblings all there to send everyone off. He closed his eyes, turning his head away from the window. Starting school with the secret that he was holding was incredibly terrifying to him. He reached into his book bag and tugged out the novel he was reading. A wonderful work of Muggle fiction called_ Sherlock Holmes _and settled himself for a quiet train ride._

 _It was ten minutes later as Watson was demanding of his friend how he had possibly come to his conclusions that the compartment door slid open and a small slightly chubby boy stood there, dirty blonde hair and watery blue eyes. He was holding a cage with a brown owl as he looked into the compartment._

 _"M-may I sit in here? Everywhere else is full."_

 _Remus gestured to the empty bench. "Of course!"_

 _The boy sat down, carefully placing the owl cage on the bench. He shifted uncomfortably for a moment and then he simply leaned back and closed his eyes as the train began to move._

 _Remus turned back to his book. He read two more pages before he realized the boy was staring at him. He lifted his head and looked over at him. "Nervous?"_

 _The boy nodded, folding his hands in his lap. "M-my mum says I shouldn't be. I'm Peter."_

 _"Remus," he said feeling bad for the boy. He looked even more alone and isolated than Remus felt. "I'm a little nervous too. I don't know anybody."_

 _Peter nodded, smiling in relief. "Me neither." He reached into his pocket pulling out the deck of cards there. "Do you like Exploding Snap?"_

 _Remus closed his book and smiled. "I love it. In fact, I'm reigning champion."_

 _Peter laughed as he tugged the cards out of the bag. "Well, champion, prepare to be dethroned."_

 _Remus grinned back at him. "Bring it."_

 _It took ten minutes for the cards to explode and Peter jumped as his eyebrow was singed off making Remus laugh._

 _"And I still hold champion!" he declared, standing up and taking a bow._

 _Peter grinned at him as he cleaned up his cards. "You're really good. Well played."_

 _Remus nodded and leaned back in his seat. "So Peter, tell me something about yourself."_

 _"Like what?" he asked, putting the slightly burnt cards back into their holder._

 _Remus held up the book that he had been reading. "Do you like to read?"_

 _Peter shook his dead. "Definitely not. Mum always tried to instil a love of literature in me, but mostly I got bored. I like animals though and plants and Arthimancy, which I'm a little sad we can't take until third year. I'm kind of pumped to see what kind of neat things we'll get to do in Herbology though. And this is Owl."_

 _Remus' scared eyebrow rose in amusement. "You named your owl, Owl?"_

 _Peter grinned. "I did. Mum tried to get me to change it, but it stuck and now it's all he will answer to. I like it. It's original."_

 _"Yes, it is," Remus said on a laugh. "Well, I like to read. I read a lot actually. I like getting to disappear for awhile and become someone else, you know? It's rather liberating and exciting," he explained, crossing his feet. "Muggle stories especially."_

 _"Are you Muggleborn?" Peter asked, his watery eyes staring at Remus in surprise. "I mean, how else do you know about Muggle stories?"_

 _Remus laughed. "No, but my mum's a Muggle. My dad's a half-blood. Mum loves stories and she was always sharing them with me from the time I was a baby. Dad worked in the Department and Regulation of the Control of Magical Creatures."_

 _Peter nodded, grinning. "That's aces! That's where I think I'd want to work, at the Ministry I mean. Dad's job is terribly boring. He's in the Department of Magical Transportation. He does run the testing for Apparition though, so that's pretty wicked. My mum works at a flower shop in Diagon Alley."_

 _"My mum used to work in an insurance office, you know in the Muggle world. She said she might go back now that I'm in Hogwarts and not home for her to take care of."_

 _"How do you live between the two worlds, mate? Like with your mum knowing all about magic and stuff?" Peter asked, leaning forward in curiosity._

 _Remus shrugged. "It's not hard. Mum tells the Muggles that Dad works in M15 so his work is always classified. That's like the Muggle version of the Department of Mysteries. Even my grandparents don't know that Dad's a wizard. Your parents are both a witch and wizard then?"_

 _"Yeah. Mum's a pureblood, comes from a long line of witches and wizards, but my Dad's a half-blood too so they were pretty certain I'd be magical. Mum says I'm going to be in Hufflepuff like my Dad was, but I don't know, I feel like that's not where I belong, you know? Do you know what house you'll belong to?" Peter asked him, stretching his legs out on the bench._

 _Remus shook his head. "No. Dad wouldn't give me any clue as to how they pick the house either. He just said that it was like a test of the mind. He was in Gryffindor though."_

 _Peter smiled. "The House of the Brave. That's Dumbledore's house, you know? Dad always told me stories about how Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald. He could have been Minister of Magic and instead he's all about running a school. He must be weird."_

 _"Actually he's really nice," Remus told him honestly. It was Dumbledore after all who had come to visit him and to personally assure him that he would be allowed the finest magical education he could provide him. "I met him over the summer. My parents had questions about Hogwarts and well, I guess he was more than willing to answer them."_

 _"Wow," Peter said, grinning widely. "That's wicked, mate!" He crossed his arms in front of him. "Be brilliant if we were in the same house. It'd be nice to know someone right away."_

 _Remus smiled back. He had to agree with Peter's assessment. "Yeah that would be pretty great. Hey, how do you feel about wizard's chess?"_

 _Peter grinned. "I am the reigning champion of that. No one's ever beaten me."_

 _Remus stood up and reached for his trunk. "Well, it's about time someone did."_

The memory made him smile. Peter Pettigrew had been the first person to speak to him and then they had ended up in the same house along with James and Sirius. They had all become such great friends. He still couldn't believe that little Peter had been the one to betray them; the one to take James and Lily away from them.

He should have seen it coming. He should have known something was off about him.

But even looking back, he still had never seen it coming.

Peter had been so kind and funny and he had loved having him as a friend. Remus moved to touch the photograph he had framed on the shelf in his kitchen. Lily had taken it when they weren't looking in their seventh year. They looked so young and carefree here, he thought. How could Peter have done it? He had been so supportive the moment that he had learned that Remus was a werewolf.

All of them had been so supportive.

 _"Rem? Can we talk to you for a minute?" Peter asked, taking a seat at the large table his friend was sitting at in the library, books strewn around him._

 _Lily Evans was studying next to him and she looked up at Peter, her eyes unfocused for a moment as if she was still very much lost in the History of Magic text that she was trying to rather unsuccessfully memorize. "Hi, Peter."_

 _"Hey, Lily," he turned back to Remus. "So can we talk?"_

 _"Of course, Pete, what's going on?"_

 _Peter shook his head. "No, privately."_

 _Remus looked up from his Transfiguration homework. "I still have thirty minutes before curfew, Pete, can't it wait?"_

 _"Please, Remus."_

 _Remus sighed and began to pack up his stuff. "Sorry, Lily."_

 _She waved him off, yawning as she stared at the pages blankly. "Bye."_

 _Remus chuckled at Lily's struggle before he followed his friend out of the library. To his surprise, he didn't lead him to the dorm, but instead behind a mirror on the fourth floor. Remus gasped in surprise to find himself in a large cavern that seemed to lead out of the school before he grinned at James and Sirius._

 _"Did you guys find this?"_

 _"I did," Peter said with a grin, dropping his own book bag on the ground. "It leads to Hogsmeade."_

 _"Brilliant," Remus said, smiling at his friends. "Is this what you wanted me here for?"_

 _James sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair. "Partly. We did want to show you Pete's new discovery, but also we want to talk to you. Rem, we wanted to talk to you about how you've been feeling lately."_

 _"I'm fine," he insisted, scratching his nose. "A little tired I suppose. I have been studying extra hard lately."_

 _"To make up for the school you've missed," James supplied. "Yeah, we get it. That's what we want to talk to you about, missing school."_

 _Remus shifted uncomfortably. "Look, my parents need me home quite often. My grandmother is a handful and her memory loss is getting quite severe."_

 _"You're grandmother died last year, Remus," Sirius pointed out. "Or that's what you told us."_

 _"No, this is my other grandmother," Remus said._

 _Sirius rolled his eyes. "She died over the summer."_

 _Remus opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He hadn't realized that he had used some of the same lies, but obviously his friends had been paying closer attention to him than he had realized._

 _"The scars on Sirius' back, we know those are from his super crazy mother and father. But you seem to collect more scars on a regular basis," James said, gesturing to the eyebrow, neck, and encircling his chest and back with his finger._

 _"Not to mention that you seem to keep gaining and losing weight with an incredible frequency that seems to always correlate when you have to mysteriously leave the castle," Sirius added, leaning back against the wall of the cavern, arms crossed in front of him and one leg up, foot against the wall._

 _"Plus I saw Madam Pomfrey hide you in a cloak and hurry you across the castle grounds the other night," Peter said. "My dad works for the Department of Magical Transportation, Remus. If you needed to go home, that is the last way you would be getting there."_

 _James stared at his friend's large slightly panicked eyes now. "The new scar on your neck still looks fresh like you were scratched by a wild animal."_

 _"It's only the end of November, mate, and you've already been out sick nine days!" Sirius exclaimed. "And it's been almost the same days each month!"_

 _Peter slid down to the ground of the cavern, stretching his legs out in front of him. "We're just worried about you, Remus."_

 _"Don't be," he said quickly. "It's nothing to be concerned about. I appreciate the fact that you're worrying about me, but I'm fine. Honest."_

 _"When you came to stay with me that last week of summer, Rem, even Mum was worried. She said that you looked much too peaky!"_

 _Remus smiled at James. "Your mother is the nicest person I have ever met. But in August, I came down with one of those terrible summer colds and I was just coming off the end of it when Pete and I came to stay with you."_

 _Sirius glowered a little. Remus knew that he was still sad he hadn't been able to go. His parents had absolutely refused to let him go visit his blood traitor friend._

 _"You blokes are worried for nothing."_

 _"What about the fact that last night at dinner, the house elves had a special plate of food prepared for you which was a steak and kidney pie with the steak made rare?" Sirius asked, eyeing Remus carefully._

 _Remus chuckled now. "Siri, I just like my steak rare and asked the house elves if they wouldn't mind preparing me my steak as so. Jamie does that ALL the time with his requests of treacle tart at every meal — including breakfast!"_

 _James grinned. "It was probably a bad thing when Siri and I discovered how to get into the kitchens last year."_

 _Peter laughed, scratching his cheek. "But worth it."_

 _"Look, I think you blokes are grand for worrying about me, but I'm fine, really! Can we just go back to Gryffindor Tower now?" Remus asked, grinning at them._

 _"Only if you answer a few more questions," Sirius insisted._

 _Remus sighed and unbuttoned his cardigan. "Fine."_

 _James nodded at the fact that he was unbuttoning his jumper. "You rarely get cold."_

 _Remus shrugged. "I'm hot-blooded. Dad's like that too; poor Mum is under three blankets and by the fire and Dad and I are just fine in a tee-shirt."_

 _Sirius looked skeptical before he spoke. "Two weeks ago in Potions, Davies' potion exploded, and when he jumped back in shock ,he fell back into the shelving unit and the whole thing came crashing down — until you grabbed it and held it in place, pushing it back to the wall."_

 _"So?"_

 _"So that shelf was full of ingredients and textbooks and weighs a ton! You have to have super strength to hold it in place and put it back the way you did."_

 _"I hardly have super strength, Sirius," Remus said with a laugh._

 _James' eyebrow rose. "You are freakishly strong, Lupin, you must admit."_

 _Remus shrugged, a small smile on his face. "Okay, so I'm a little strong, is there something wrong with that?"_

 _"No, it's just weird," James said, his eyes moving over his friend's rather skinny arms and long legs. "Considering how skinny you are."_

 _"And pale!" Sirius added._

 _"Sirius, you're paler than me!" Remus exclaimed, rolling his eyes now._

 _"Every single time you have to leave for some family thing, the day before you have a headache and you move slower like your muscles and joints hurt!" James exclaimed, trying to make his friend take him seriously._

 _Remus simply stared at his friends. He couldn't believe how much they noticed about him. "Just spit out what you blokes are trying to say!"_

 _"You're eyes are the colour of golden whiskey, but when the moonlight hits them they turn almost a feral amber," Sirius said softly._

 _"You always have nightmares after you come back to school," James added._

 _Remus paled now. He thought about how last night he had dreamed he had transformed in the middle of Defence Against the Dark Arts class and Professor Kincade had instructed the whole class to kill him. He had woken in a cold sweat to James standing over him, looking concerned. He remembered how James had simply crawled into bed with him and started rambling on about some crazy dream he had where his broom was stolen by a centaur. The three of them were always doing stuff like that, Remus thought. Every time he had a bad dream, it was like they took it in turns. James, Sirius, Peter… one of them would simply be there._

 _They never asked him to talk about it._

 _They never questioned it._

 _Now it was November of second year — and they_ were _questioning it._

 _He closed his eyes and let out a slow sigh. "Everyone has nightmares. Sirius has nightmares almost as much as me."_

 _"Um, rude!" Sirius said, making James laugh._

 _Peter spoke up then. "And Sirius said the other day, the one that really made us worry, Rem, those days you leave always correspond with the lunar cycle. It was a full moon."_

 _Remus' fists clenched tightly at his sides and he grabbed his bag, turning to leave. Sirius grabbed his arm and he shoved him back, the strength surging through him. Sirius stumbled and James grabbed him. "I'm fine!"_

 _James grabbed Remus' arm now, but to Remus' surprise he simply pulled him into a hug. Sirius wrapped his arms around both Remus and James and Peter hugged Remus from the back._

 _"You're not fine, Rem. You're not. And lying to us all of the time can't be easy," James said, his voice low by his ear. "You're our best mate and we love you."_

 _"We really do, mate. Not to mention that you are the genuine to our genius!" Sirius supplied, with a smile and Remus chuckled into his shoulder._

 _"And we don't care if you howl at the moon," Peter added from behind._

 _Remus froze in their grasp and the three of them held him tighter._

 _"We know, Rem," James whispered._

 _Remus shook his head. "You — can't!"_

 _Sirius pulled back and gripped Remus' face between his hands, holding him still. "We've known since the end of last year. Well, we suspected at the end of last year, but we confirmed it this year."_

 _Remus pulled away from Sirius' grasp, but then James' hands replaced Sirius' on his face. "Let me go!"_

 _"No," James said. "You're our best mate and we don't care that you're a werewolf."_

 _The tears spilled down Remus' face before he could stop them and the sob that slipped out was so loud he startled himself. His three friends engulfed him in a hug again and he clung to them, crying. When he finally managed to control himself, he pushed them away._

 _"How did you know?"_

 _James grinned. "From all of the signs listed above, Rem." He pulled Remus down to the floor of the cavern and the three of them sat around him, a solid unit, each holding him. James held his left arm, Peter his right, and Sirius his ankles. "Right after exams last year, Sirius mentioned how it was kind of strange that you always seemed to have to leave suddenly around the full moon. Then after exams, the full moon came and you left early to go home. Over the summer, you looked peaky, according to my mum, and I remembered that the full moon was three days before you came over."_

 _Sirius smiled, squeezing Remus' ankle gently. "We started looking closer at you for more signs and sure enough, end of September, the full moon, you had to go home because your dad was sick."_

 _"Then when the October moon cycle came around, that's when we noticed the new scars and we started researching in the library," Peter said. "James said werewolf right away, but I told him you couldn't be because werewolves are vicious and dangerous creatures and you… you're nothing like that."_

 _The tears spilled down his cheeks again and he wiped them away hurriedly._

 _"After my birthday, we kept a close eye on you," Sirius said, watching his friend. "We watched for all the signs. Your strength, the headache and slow movements - and when sure enough right before the full moon, you went 'home': We knew."_

 _"We snuck under my invisibility cloak and we followed you to the hospital wing. We followed as Madam Pomfrey bundled you under this large cloak and led you across the grounds to the Whomping Willow tree. She immobilized the tree with her wand, hit something on the trunk and the two of you disappeared beneath it. Fifteen minutes later, she came out alone," James explained._

 _The tears streamed down his cheeks now and he tried to break free from his friends but they tackled him, lying on top of his body to hold him in place._

 _"I'm sorry I lied to you!" he exclaimed, struggling beneath them. "I'm a monster! Dumbledore knows, he planted the tree for me so that I could get away from people to keep them safe! I'll… I'll see if I can get a new room. Get — off — me!"_

 _"A new room?" Sirius asked in confusion. "Why would you need a new room? Is that what's beneath the Willow?"_

 _James glared at Sirius and turned back to Remus. "We still want you to be in our dorm, Rem."_

 _Remus stared into James' hazel eyes. "What? You want to room with a disgusting vicious monster?"_

 _James looked shocked. "Remus! How dare you say something so rude about Pete! You know how sensitive he is about his anger issues!"_

 _Peter shrugged good naturally. "Don't make me mad. I'll turn into a big green killing machine."_

 _Sirius laughed. "Hulk reference, nice," he said, grinning at Peter. "Which we would never know about if you hadn't shown us your Muggle comic book collection, Rem."_

 _Remus stared at the three of them. They were just joking around as usual. As if a huge bombshell hadn't just been dropped._

 _"What the fuck is wrong with you three?" Remus exploded, pushing them away and climbing to his feet, his eyes flashing in anger. "You just found out I'm a bloody werewolf! Do you have any idea how dangerous I am? I'm a fucking monster!"_

 _"You just look like Rem." Sirius said simply._

 _Remus' anger deflated instantly. "You… you don't care?"_

 _James grinned at him. "We already know how great you are and funny and smart and seriously mate, a right genius at pranks, but now we know your secret too. So you can be dangerous sometimes. You're a werewolf. So bloody what?"_

 _"But… but, I'm diseased!" he spluttered._

 _Sirius rolled his eyes. "Are you planning on biting any of us in our sleep?"_

 _"What?" Remus said in confusion. "No, why would I —"_

 _"Exactly," Sirius said, grinning at Peter. "Didn't Jamie just say that he was smart?"_

 _Peter shrugged. "Maybe he lost a few brain cells when we tackled him to the ground."_

 _James grinned widely and pulled Remus back to the cavern floor and the four of them huddled together. "And for the record, Rem, we don't think that you're a monster. You're just Remus. Our best mate."_

 _Sirius suddenly cackled, holding his hand over his mouth in surprise. "Merlin! Rem, I just realized!"_

 _"Realized what?" Remus asked carefully. He was still in complete shock over the three of them just accepting him as if he was normal._

 _"Your name… mate, you were meant to be a wolf."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Remus Lupin ,the werewolf! Mate, your name practically means Wolf John Wolf!" he said as he laughed._

 _Peter grinned, laughter escaping him. "Merlin! Sirius you're right!"_

 _Remus simply stared at them as they all busted into laughter. "My name is Wolf John Wolf and I howl at the moon," he said, grinning widely. "Son of a bitch."_

 _James' eyes turned serious as he draped his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Hey Rem, are you, I mean, when you, you know transform and whatnot, are you always alone?"_

 _"Of course I'm alone!" Remus exclaimed, eyes wide in shock. "I would hurt someone, Jamie! I'd probably kill them! I don't even… I wouldn't even remember it!"_

 _James nodded. "But only people, right?"_

 _Remus looked bewildered. "What? What are you on about?"_

 _A small half-smile formed on Sirius' face as he looked at James. "James, you really are bloody brilliant!"_

 _Peter looked between the three of them completely confused._

 _James smiled at Remus. "Werewolves don't bite animals."_

 _"What are you on about, Jamie?" Remus said in exasperation. "I turn into a fucking wolf! I can rip the throat out of any animal if I so choose to!"_

 _"No," he said grinning widely. "I mean, if you bit an animal, say a rabbit for instance, they wouldn't turn into a rabbit-wolf hybrid."_

 _"Well, obviously not," Remus said carefully, wondering why his friend was asking such a stupid question. "I mean, the rabbit would probably be dead, but no it wouldn't become a werewolf."_

 _"Animals are safe."_

 _Peter still looked confused. "So Remus can be around other animals when he's changed into a werewolf, so what?"_

 _Sirius slapped Peter on the back, squeezing his shoulder. "Exactly what James is saying, Pete." He grinned at Remus. "If we were all animals you wouldn't have to be alone."_

 _James nodded. "Precisely."_

 _Remus didn't know what to say. The three of them were grinning at him widely with love and admiration and he had never felt so good about himself in his entire life. "You… you want to be animals so that I won't be alone?"_

 _James grinned. "Yes. We'll learn to become Animagi."_

 _"Sounds great! James, do you know if we get to pick our animal? I think I'd want to be something bloody fantastic like a mother fucking dragon!"_

 _"Sirius, be realistic! How could we hang out with Remus in secret if you were a dragon?" James said, rolling his eyes. "That would be brilliant though!"_

 _Peter grinned. "And you don't get to choose, Sirius. My Uncle Don is an Animagus and he's a raven. He said flying is the best thing he can explain."_

 _"Aces!" Sirius exclaimed. "I'm pretty sure there's an old book on Animagus transformations in my father's study. I'll find it when I go home for Christmas."_

 _James slapped his hands together with a grin. "Excellent! I can't wait to get started."_

 _"You… you'd really do that for me?" Remus asked in shock, staring at them with wide eyes. "It's supposed to be incredibly difficult and painful to become an Animagus. It can take years! You didn't think this through," he insisted, his hands going up to his hair and making it stand on end as he looked even more frazzled._

 _Sirius and James simply smiled as Sirius spoke. "It's for you, Rem, we don't have to think about it."_

 _James grinned at Sirius. "Maybe you could be a griffin, those are pretty majestic!"_

 _Peter laughed. "Also hard to keep quiet about on the school grounds. I'd like to be a giraffe."_

 _"You just want to be taller, midget," Sirius said as he opened up James' invisibility cloak and wrapped it around the four of them. As the oldest at thirteen, he was also the tallest of the four of them._

 _Peter sighed. "Yeah, more height would be great."_

 _"We're only twelve, Pete, be patient," James said on a laugh. "Oooh, how great would it be to be a lion or a giant bear?"_

 _"Wicked," Peter said, tugging Remus under the cloak. "Come on, Remus, we have to get back to the dorm, it's way past curfew."_

 _Remus moved under the cloak with his friends._

 _His friends._

 _They accepted him._

 _He had never felt more like a normal boy in his entire life._

He stared at the sun rising in his backyard fourteen years later and he tossed his cold cup of tea. The three of them had changed their lives for him. They had worked so hard to do the research.

Sirius had found the book and brought it back to school with him after the winter holidays. They'd spent a month doing the research and Sirius had charmed questions out of McGonagall about what it was like to become a cat. Minerva had always seemed to hold a soft spot for Sirius. He'd even managed to get house points from her for his intelligent questions and extra-curricular school work.

It was the middle of February when they finally agreed to start the potion.

Peter, one of the best students at Herbology, had convinced Professor Sprout to give him some mandrake leaves. They had to keep the leaf of the mandrake in their mouth for an entire month including while they were eating and sleeping. Peter had been great at this, but Sirius had threatened to vomit at the first taste of the leaf upon his tongue. James had been indifferent, sucking on the thick soggy leaf as if it was a candy. They sucked their leaves religiously for the entire month, never taking it from their mouths.

James had taken the responsibility towards the end of the month of finding fresh dew on the grass. The trick was that it had be fresh and not exposed to either human feet or sunlight for an entire week. After questioning Hagrid on where he might find such a thing, Hagrid had suggested the Forbidden Forest. James, invisibility cloak in tow, snuck out after Quidditch practice and found the stash in the middle of the forest. Peter had stuttered on about his bravery for four days afterwards while Sirius had rolled his eyes and mocked him for his hero-worshipping of James.

Sirius, who was on fairly friendly terms with Lily Evans, had convinced her to charm Professor Slughorn, the professor who adored Evans to no end, to let her borrow a few key ingredients from his potions storeroom. Sirius had avoided telling her what they were for only narrowly as she stared at him suspiciously when he told her they were practicing a few potions to get ready for exams.

James did the actual potion brewing. Of the four of them, he was the best at potions. They decided to keep it hidden in the cavern behind the mirror on the fourth floor. As far as they knew, no one else even knew about the cavern. It was dark and dank and the potion needed to be kept out of sunlight at all costs so it seemed the perfect location.

Finally, as the full moon came out in June and as Madam Pomfrey snuck Remus out beneath the Whomping Willow for his transformation, James, Sirius, and Peter had snuck up to the Astronomy Tower, under James' invisibility cloak, to spit their mandrake leaves into a clear phial, directly under the bright rays of the full moon.

Peter carefully poured the potion into three separate containers and they added their phials to each one.

The next part was the trickiest, Remus remembered how they had to wait for just the right kind of thunderstorm, specifically a strike of lightning.

Months passed, but they were still waiting when finally at the beginning of third year, the storm they had been waiting on came. They were in the middle of History of Magic when the sound of thunder shook the room.

Sirius had bolted to his feet immediately. "Professor, may I go to the loo?"

The professor had looked slightly bewildered, but had nodded and Sirius had hurried from the room. Peter stabbed his finger with his quill and showed his blood-dripping hand as an excuse to go to the hospital wing and James had merely insisted on going with his friend. Remus remembered how the three of them had come running into the dorm room just before dinner all grinning widely.

They had done it. For him. They were ready to transform.

James had succeeded first, two weeks later. Every day at sunrise they would repeat the incantation, 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus' and every night at sunset they would say the words again as they attempted to change their bodies and every day nothing happened. But then the signs had started. First James had gotten soft white fur that seemed to sprout around his arms and legs and along his neck; his ears pointed slightly as he muttered the incantation over and over. And then suddenly an adorable white fawn tripping over his own feet was prancing around the boys' dormitory.

It had taken him an hour and a half to figure out how to turn back. But after six more attempts, James had mastered it. He was a white fawn.

Sirius had been next, only a few days after James. His black hair seemed to thicken and become softer as it spread over his skin, his nose growing longer and more snout-like and his ears long and droopy before a tiny black German Shepherd puppy yipped in excitement and chased the fawn around the room.

Remus remembered how much he had laughed at the sight of them.

It had taken another two weeks for Peter to master his, but when he changed into an itty bitty pink baby rat, Remus had scooped him up into his hand in astonishment.

They had really done it.

And they had done it for him.

It took them almost six months to master the transformations. They practiced on a daily basis and the more they practiced, the more their animals grew into the boys they represented. By October of their fifth year, they had finally mastered the intense transfiguration of becoming a fully grown Animagus. James, a majestic white stag; Sirius, a scruffy black dog; and Peter, a brown fuzzy rat.

Remus leaned his head against the window pane. He hadn't asked them to do it, but they had. He hadn't asked for Sirius to be with him when he transformed since he had come back, he had Harry and he understood that. But now… the thought that he could be himself when the werewolf took over… it was terrifying. Did he want to be Remus Lupin when he could look at himself as the monster he feared he was, and truly remember every moment locked within the mind of the creature? Did he want that? But at the same time, if he could look like the creature, but be the Remus Lupin he wanted to be… he slammed his hand against the side of the window in frustration.

He had been chosen for Gryffindor, the house of the brave at heart. He would not be a coward. He would follow the example of his friends and he knew without a doubt that he was also doing it for Sirius as much as for himself.

He looked over at the photo of the four of them again and swore under his breath.

He would take the damn potion.

And he would see what happened from there.


	29. Chapter 29

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:**

 **Remus was making breakfast in the kitchen when Sirius came down the next morning with Harry.** He smelt the bacon first and Harry rushed into the kitchen gleefully and shrieked in delight at the prospect of French toast and bacon for breakfast.

Sirius watched as Remus kissed and hugged Harry good morning before turning back to his cooking. He accepted the cup of tea that his friend handed him and he took a seat at the kitchen table, sipping slowly.

"You were right," Remus said carefully as he took the last of the bacon out of the pan. "I am a little scared."

"Rem —"

"— No," Remus said, interrupting Sirius. "Let me get this out." When Sirius nodded, he carefully scooped bacon onto the three plates with thick slices of French toast. "I'm scared. I'm really going to see myself if I take this potion, Sirius. See myself as the monster that I become and that scares me. Once I'm the wolf, it's like… I'm not really _me_ anymore and I don't remember how much violence I do and how much I hurt myself. When I wake up, I just feel the result of it. But to… to be aware the entire time and know exactly what's happening and to be trapped in that… as the wolf and still be me — it's amazing and it terrifies me at the same time. What if I still can't control it, but I can still see it and remember it? Will that make it worse or better because at least now I know? I don't know and it's that uncertainty that scares me."

He put the plates down in front of Sirius and Harry and then brought a third plate over for himself. He poured three glasses of orange juice for them before he took his seat, his eyes meeting his friend.

"But you did this for me, Padfoot. You… you found out about the potion and you made it happen. I won't let you down."

"Remus," Sirius said softly, touching his friend's arm. "Moony, you _can't_ let me down. I thought that this was a good thing for YOU. I thought it sounded like something that would help YOU, but if I'm wrong and it's only going to make it worse — than I bloody well don't want you taking it!"

"No bad words, Uncle Padfoot," Harry said sternly as he drank his juice.

"Sorry, Prongslet," Sirius said, grinning at Harry in amusement before turning back to Remus. "It's not for me, Remus, it's for you."

Remus smiled at him. "I didn't sleep a wink last night. I spent the whole night just pacing my kitchen and recalling old memories. My first train ride when I met Pete; the four of us becoming friends and the moment you guys found that hidden cavern on the fourth floor behind the big mirror where you changed my life forever."

"Always were a stupid git," he said affectionately. "Thinking we wouldn't want to be your friend anymore."

He smirked. "No, instead you made my life immensely better and I thank you for that."

Sirius shrugged. "Alright Wolf John Wolf, you're welcome. So are you going to try the potion or not?"

Remus grinned. "Yes, I am."

Sirius slapped his hands together. "Good. And this time, you won't be alone."

"What about Harry?"

Sirius smiled. "Don't worry, I got it figured out."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius couldn't quite believe what was happening.**

Harry was throwing a tantrum.

An actual temper tantrum.

On one hand, he was kind of thrilled that Harry was comfortable enough around him to do so, but on the other, he was being a little brat and he was even more annoyed by the fact that Castellanos had been right.

Harry acting out was definitely something that was coming.

It had started because Harry had asked if Ron and Ginny could come spend the day with them. Sirius had to tell him no. Sirius and Remus had some errands to take care of, including stopping by Hogwarts to talk to Snape about the Wolfsbane Potion as the full moon was only two weeks away. It killed him that he couldn't stay with his friend all night and this time he was determined to come up with a solution, but Remus was the only other person that Harry trusted enough to stay overnight with — which meant that Sirius couldn't leave Harry alone nor be there for his friend. He knew that Remus understood, especially since he had been undergoing his transformations alone for over four years now, but it didn't make Sirius feel any better about it.

But when Sirius had told Harry that no, his friends couldn't come over that afternoon, Harry had gotten angry.

"Yes, they can!" he shouted, his eyes wide. "You said they could come whenever I wanted!"

"Aye, I did," Sirius said carefully. "But we have plans tomorrow and Tonks will be here with you so it doesn't work. We can pick a new day for them to come over."

"NO! I WANT THEM TO COME OVER TOMORROW!" Harry exclaimed, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Harry, they're not coming over tomorrow," Sirius told him. "But if you are good for Tonks, maybe they can come over on Sunday."

Harry glared at him, but he had seemed to agree especially once be realized it would be the last time that he would be seeing Tonks for a while. She was going back to school next week.

But the same thing had happened two days later when Harry had insisted that he didn't have to eat his vegetables if he didn't want to. He argued and yelled at Sirius until Sirius had caved and let him only eat the potatoes and chicken for dinner, not touching his broccoli.

When Sirius brought it up to Althea that Monday afternoon while they were lying in her bed, she had laughed.

"Sirius, that's great to hear!"

"Why on earth is that great? He's being a little brat," Sirius told her in frustration.

Althea smiled, resting her head on her hand as she turned to smile at him. "He's being a child, Sirius. He's not afraid to ask you for things; to tell you no; to tell you what he likes and doesn't like. That's a really good thing."

"I think he's been spending too much time at the Weasley household and hearing them complain," he mumbled under his breath.

She laughed. "He's testing you, Sirius. He trusts you and he's comfortable with you, but now he needs to see exactly how far you'll let him go to get what he wants. And you caved like a marshmallow over an open flame, you didn't even make him eat the broccoli."

"He's never complained about the broccoli before," he insisted stubbornly. "Though he did tell me that he doesn't want the cauliflower because it looks like ghost broccoli, but I know that's Moony's doing," he said as Althea chuckled. "He always called it ghost broccoli and the man won't touch it."

"Ghost broccoli? That's actually hilarious," she said with a grin. "But as to Harry, you'll have to start thinking about how you want to discipline him when he misbehaves."

"Merlin, that's not something that I want to think about. He's had enough discipline to last a lifetime!"

She had only smiled. "One step at a time, Black. You've got this. Discipline goes hand in hand with rules. And you know that discipline is not even remotely the same thing that abuse is. You need to establish order and an environment that he's comfortable in and that includes rules."

The moment of discipline came two days later and neither one of them had been prepared for it.

A series of unfortunate events had occurred.

Mrs Morrison had knocked on the door looking to borrow some ink. Harry had opened the front door to her and Marauder had escaped, followed by Harry running after the puppy, who then saw a rabbit — and took off after it, barking gleefully. It had taken a full two minutes for Sirius to realize that Harry was gone as Mrs Morrison had rushed into the house to tell him and the panic in his stomach knotted so tightly that he felt sick.

He bolted out of the cottage, yelling Harry's name and once he was out of the sight of his neighbour, transformed into Padfoot, hurrying after his scent. The whole situation took less than fifteen minutes, but Sirius was terrified and downright pissed off.

When he found Harry by the woods in the back garden of the Morrisons' house, the first thing that he did was grab him by the shoulders.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! DON'T YOU EVER RUN OFF LIKE THAT AGAIN!" he yelled and watched Harry's eyes go wide and then to both their surprise, Sirius lifted his hand and whacked him twice on the bum.

Harry simply stared at him, mouth slightly agape, and then he began to cry.

"Oh shit," Sirius said, falling to his knees. "Bloody buggering… Prongslet, I'm sorry."

Harry's bottom lip quivered, but he let Sirius wrap him into his arms. "I'm sorry I ran away! I was looking for Marauder."

"I know, Prongslet," Sirius said, kissing his cheek, his own eyes watering. How could he have spanked him after everything that he had been through? "I'm sorry I yelled. You just scared me so much! I love you and I was so worried something was going to happen to you! You can _never_ just run off like that. You need to _always_ tell me where you're going. Always."

Harry nodded, wiping at his tears. "I know." He held his arms out and Marauder, who was lying on the grass next to Sirius, vanished with a loud pop and re-reappeared two seconds later snuggled in Harry's arms. "Good dog," he said, burying his face in the dog's soft fur as he held on. "Good dog."

Sirius' eyes widened slightly. Harry had just summoned the dog to him, he realized. He watched the boy cling to the dog, eyes full of tears and his heart broke. He was the cause of those tears, he thought, guilt swimming in his gut.

"Let's go home, Prongslet."

He held his hand out to Harry, smiling gratefully when the boy took it, still wiping tears from his face as they headed home, Harry holding tightly to Marauder's leash. Both of them full of guilt for how they had treated the other.

When they got back to the house, McGonagall was sitting in the living room.

"Auntie Minnie!" Harry exclaimed, rushing over to hug her.

McGonagall smiled warmly and returned the child's hug as he crawled up into her lap and hugged her back tightly. "Hello, Harry, where were you and Sirius coming from?" she asked, looking at both of their tear-stained faces in alarm.

"Marauder got excited and ran away and then I ran after him and Uncle Sirius had to come find us and he was mad and he spanked me and then we both cried!" he exclaimed, eyes wide.

McGonagall's eyebrows rose in surprise as she looked at Sirius. "You spanked him?"

Sirius dragged his fingers through his hair. "Harry, why don't you take Marauder into the yard and play?"

Harry nodded, jumping down from McGonagall's lap and hurried out the backdoor as Sirius collapsed next to McGonagall.

"I'm the worst godfather ever! I spanked his bum, Minnie! _Twice!_ I should still be in Azkaban!"

McGonagall patted his arm affectionately. "Sirius, you're not the worst godfather ever. Punishing a child is never easy. I think that it's hardest on the parent and you should hardly be in Azkaban for it."

Sirius buried his face in his hands. "I made him cry, Minnie! He looked at me and he fucking cried because of me!"

"I'm sure that he did," she told him reassuringly. "But then he came in here, all smiles when he saw me, and he told me what you did — and there wasn't any animosity in it. He knows that he did something wrong and he knows that you were forced to punish him for it. Now, whether spanking him was the right course of action or not is something that you need to decide for yourself."

Sirius simply stared at her. "It can't be the right course of action! He was… he was fucking physically abused by those tossers and the first time that he does something… fuck! He scared the shit out of me, Minnie," he admitted, looking into her eyes. "All of a sudden he was just gone and I had this image of him getting hit by a car or eaten by wild animals or kidnapped by the bloody circus!"

"The circus, really, Sirius?" McGonagall said in laughter.

He ignored her, still rambling hysterically. "I just panicked, Minnie, and by the time I found him - I was so relieved to see that he was perfectly fine and so angry that he had just taken off - it all culminated inside of me and I just snapped."

"That's understandable."

"I should never have spanked him. After everything that he's been through and I — Merlin, what if he thinks that I'm going to start hurting him now? What if he's scared of me?"

"Uncle Siri?"

Sirius looked up at Harry in surprise. "Prongslet, I thought that you were outside."

"It's raining," Harry said quietly. He shuffled across the room and climbed into Sirius' lap. "Are you mad at me?"

"No!" Sirius exclaimed, smiling in reassurance as Harry snuggled into his arms. He kissed the top of his head. "I was so worried and scared that something bad had happened to you and I'm so sorry that I spanked you, Harry. I love you so much."

Harry smiled up at him. "I love you too, Uncle Padfoot." He put his hands on either side of Sirius' face. "And I'm not scared of you. Don't worry, I know how good of a dad you are." He kissed Sirius' cheek gently and Sirius' felt tears in his eyes again.

He cuddled the boy close, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at McGonagall. "I won't _ever_ hurt you, Harry."

"I know," he said simply. The stress of the day getting to him and he was soon sleeping soundly wrapped in his godfather's arms.

Sirius held him close, breathing in relief as McGonagall smiled at him.

"I think that you got your answer, Sirius."

"Minnie .. I don't know what I did to deserve this little boy, but he's a gem."

McGonagall smiled at the two of them. "Punishment is never easy, Sirius. You and Harry will figure it out together. Time outs or grounding him or taking away something that he loves to play with until he learns how to behave - you will decide that based on what he does. That boy loves you and has clearly just proven to you that he knows the difference between what you did and what those Muggles did. He _knows_ , Sirius."

Sirius smiled at her, breathing in the scent of boy and nodded. "And I'm thankful for that. But I won't spank him again. _Not ever_. I won't be that parent."

"Then you won't be," she said simply.

"Minnie, why are you here?" Sirius asked her, realizing that he hadn't even questioned her presence in his living room when he had seen her.

McGonagall smiled and reached for the handbag that she had brought with her. "A friend of mine gave me some tickets, but unfortunately it's for the first week of school." She pulled an envelope out from her bag and put it on the table in front of her. "I thought that maybe you'd like to take Harry since I won't be using them."

"Tickets to what?"

She grinned. "Quidditch."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Really?"

McGonagall nodded. "It's the Wimbourne Wasps vs. the Appleby Arrows. One of my former students works in the Department of Magical Games and Sports and occasionally snags me tickets. The game got pushed back due to a player injury so now I won't be able to attend. I thought that you and Harry might enjoy it."

"That's aces, Minnie, thank you!" Sirius told her with a smile. "Harry would love it and so would I. I haven't been to a Quidditch game in ages. Since before James and Lily got married at least."

She smiled, standing up. "Good. Enjoy yourselves then."

"You won't stay?"

She smiled as she headed towards the fireplace. "I think that you and Harry should be alone today." Surprising Sirius, she kissed his forehead. "And for the record, you're doing a wonderful job with your son, Sirius."

Then she was gone and Sirius stayed where he was, curled with a sleeping child in his arms and lost in thought.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _I expect some people are not going to like this chapter and I accept that. Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I do not see this as a bad punishment. There is a huge difference between spanking a child and child abuse and I want to make that clear here. I was spanked as a child and my life didn't end. It hurt for a minute and then I was over it. I also know that it hurt my parents more to punish me then it hurt me._

 _That's all I have to say and whether you agree or disagree with me on the subject, I don't care. I write as my heart desires and if you enjoy it great. But this is something I think is important and needs to be brought to attention both for the plot of my story and for the relationship that is growing between Sirius and Harry._

 _Thank you for reading and please review!_


	30. Chapter 30

_Author's Note:_

 _I have a few ideas of where this is going but sometimes putting my thoughts into words are not always the same thing. Anyway, the big scary chapter is over and I hope not too many of you are holding a grudge against me after the spanking incident. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy my story because I have so much more to tell._

 _Also, this is the definitely the most awesome fort ever and I want it for myself LOL._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY:**

 **Harry woke up an hour later snuggled into Sirius' arms and the cushions of the couch.** Sirius was sleeping next to him, his own face scrunched into the pillow. Harry stayed where he was for a moment, listening to the steady heartbeat under his ear and grinning when he realized that Marauder was asleep on Sirius' legs. He stretched and sat up, causing Sirius to stir, eyes opening as they found Harry's.

"Hi Prongslet," he said, sitting up, wincing as he carefully tugged his legs out from Marauder. "Are you okay?"

Harry nodded, rubbing his tired eyes and smiling in appreciation when Sirius passed him his glasses. "I'm hungry."

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead. "Me too. Let's go find a snack."

Harry followed him into the kitchen and Sirius watched him carefully, but he seemed to have forgotten all about the spanking incident from earlier. The guilt swirling in his stomach over it made him anxious.

"Harry, we need to talk about what happened earlier," Sirius began carefully, unsure of how exactly to broach the subject now that he was no longer panicked at the thought of his godson taking off and getting abducted in some way.

Harry opened the ice box and helped himself to an apple, crunching into it as he looked at Sirius. "Okay."

Sirius took an apple out of the fridge too and gestured for Harry to sit at the kitchen table with him. "Do you know why I was mad at you, Harry?"

Harry nodded, his green eyes staring at Sirius. "'Cause I chased Marauder."

"Yes, but not because you chased him, I get that - you were worried that he would get lost or get hurt - but that's how I felt about you," Sirius explained. "I thought that you would be hurt or get lost or that something terrible was going to happen to you. I was so scared, Prongslet."

"You were scared? But you're a grown up!"

Sirius smiled. "Grown-ups get scared too."

Harry stared at him. "I'm sorry that I scared you, Uncle Siri."

Sirius moved around the table and knelt down in front of his godson. "I'm sorry too, Harry. I promised that I would never hurt you. And I made you cry. I guess we both have to figure some things out between us, don't we?"

Harry jumped down off the chair and put his arms around Sirius. "I'm sorry I made you cry. I know you didn't mean it."

Sirius hugged him tight, kissing his hair. "Prongslet, I know that I said no rules when you first came to live with me, but there is going to have to be _some_ rules. Rules to keep you safe and rules to make sure that something like that never happens again."

Harry nodded, his eyes suddenly going wide and fearful. "Are you going to send me away?"

"NO!" Sirius exclaimed, hugging the child tighter. "Absolutely never!"

"Promise?" he asked, his voice tearful and unsure.

"I promise." He kissed his cheeks, kissing the tears away and kissed the tip of his nose making Harry giggle. "Why don't we make some rules up together, hmm? What's the first rule already according to Uncle Moony?"

Harry smiled up at him. "No bad words!"

"That's right," Sirius said with a grin. He summoned the chalkboard and chalk from the classroom to him and wrote the first rule across the top. "How about we stop saying no to vegetables?"

Harry's scrunched his nose up. "Do we have to?"

Sirius grinned and scribbled a second rule on the board. "No dessert without veggies first including ghost broccoli," he added, making Harry grin.

"Okay," he sighed.

Twenty minutes later, Sirius and Harry had come up with a list of rules together to follow. Sirius was quite pleased with them and he felt that Harry was too. He charmed the empty wall by the kitchen to be a chalkboard and carefully inserted the rules there as follows; rearranging them in order of importance:

Our Family Rules:

1\. We are a family and we will love and respect each other.

2\. Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony are in charge. Period.

3\. No swearing.

4\. No dessert if you don't eat your vegetables - even Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony.

5\. If you feel sad or mad, tell someone. We will always listen to each other.

6\. Don't talk back.

7\. Clean up after yourself.

8\. Always keep your promises.

9\. Always tell the truth.

10\. Never be afraid to ask for help.

Consequences of Not Following Our Family Rules:

1-2-3 ~ Warning

4 ~ Time-Out.

5 ~ Loss of Privileges

6 ~ Grounded.

Harry smiled up at the post. He thought that it was perfect. "Do you think Uncle Moony will like it?"

Sirius grinned at the list that they had made. "I think he'll love it." He kissed Harry's cheek and carefully sealed the rules into place. "Now, why don't you pick an album to play while we get started on dinner? According to our calendar, tonight is meatloaf and mashed potatoes."

Harry grinned and hurried over to the shelf full of records and Sirius watched him with a smile. Yeah, they were going to be just fine.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus did indeed approve of the rule list after Sirius had told him about the events that had transpired the day before.** Remus had sympathized with his friend greatly. He knew that Sirius had taken his action even more to heart because of his own upbringing and how determined his friend was to never be like his parents. Knowing Sirius, the guilt had probably eaten at him for longer than he was willing to admit.

It probably still was.

Remus especially loved that Sirius and Harry had made the list of house rules together. He found it responsible and important because now Harry understood what the rules were and what the punishments would be if he did something wrong.

Sirius spent the next morning working out the final kinks of his design on the massive treehouse fort that he wanted to build for Harry. Ted came over to help him get started on it in the morning and he spent his afternoon with Castellanos.

As Sirius lay in bed with Althea, he told her all about the events that had transpired the day before as he gently danced his fingertips along her naked hip.

"Sounds like you both had a rough day," she told him, smiling sympathetically. "But the rules are wonderful, Sirius. And you wrote them together and that makes it better. They were from the heart."

He smiled at her, his fingertips moving up her side, along her ribcage and circling a nipple. "It was a really long day, let's just say that."

She smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "You're adorable."

He grimaced slightly. "Adorable?"

Althea grinned. "You're a wonderful father, Sirius. Harry is lucky to have you."

"Thanks," he said as he cupped her breast in his hand. "Ted and I started on the treehouse fort this morning too."

"Really?" she said in surprise. "I kind of thought you had forgotten about it."

"Nah, it just kind of got put on hold," he admitted. "I really need Ted's help. He's great with his hands. He knows how to build things and he's a great teacher. I did a little work when I was young, helping my uncle out with James' help doing some household repairs, but I've never built anything like this by hand before. And when I'm done, it's going to be massive."

She chuckled as the back of his knuckles gently stroked her stomach. "How long do you think it's going to take?"

"Ted says a month, but I told him that I think we can do it in two weeks. If we work every day, all day — I can't see why not."

"Then what are you doing here, Sirius?" she asked him, her lips brushing his earlobe.

His breath hitched slightly when she sucked his lobe into her mouth. "Much needed sex break on Monday afternoons; it's in the rulebook."

Althea chuckled against him, making him smile. "Oh, of course."

Sirius pinned her under him, planting soft kisses on her throat. "I'm really going to miss you, Castellanos. I'm going to miss talking to you and this whole friends with benefits thing."

She smiled against his mouth when he kissed her. "Friends with benefits, is that what we are?"

Sirius grinned, bending his head to lick her breast, his tongue swirling across her nipple. "Mmmhmm, yup." He kissed his way down her stomach, stopping at her bellybutton as she sighed in pleasure and worked his way back up to her mouth.

"Sirius," she moaned, her fingers gripping his hair.

Sirius kissed her cheek, her ear, her throat - and when she trembled beneath him, he simply spoke against her skin enticing gooseflesh to ripple across. "What do you want me to do to you?"

Her eyes met his and she smiled seductively. "I want you to fuck me hard and deep," she told him.

"How?" he asked her as she reached between them to stroke him.

Her strokes became bolder and he groaned, his cock growing under her ministrations.

"However you want me," she told him, her eyes twinkling.

Sirius groaned and rolled her over on top of him, sitting up against the headboard. He positioned her over him and when she lowered herself onto him he groaned in pleasure and then he gave it to her hard and deep; pistoling his hips upward, pinning her beneath him and taking her harder and eventually rolling her onto her side and taking her from behind while she gasped and cried out his name.

Afterwards they both lay there, half-sleeping, until they heard the door to her flat open.

"Shit, if Priya's here — I'm late," Sirius muttered, jumping to his feet and searching for his pants.

Althea stretched in her bed, smiling at him as she watched him try to find his clothes. "If you're already late," she said, sliding a hand down her stomach and between her legs. "Come back and join me."

Sirius watched her for a moment and then shook his head. "Can't. I promised Harry I'd be home for dinner," he leaned across the bed and kissed her softly, reaching his own hand between her legs to stroke her and she groaned. "But I can spare a few extra minutes to finish you off."

He'd taken an extra thirty.

But he was only twenty minutes late he told himself as he hurried into the house after Apparating home.

Remus' merely raised his eyebrow at him as he stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Running a tad behind, are we?"

"Sorry, Rem," he said tossing his leather jacket on the coat rack by the door.

Remus grinned at him. "It's fine. Harry's playing with Marauder in the back, I was just heating up the meatloaf from last night."

Sirius nodded and followed his friend into the kitchen. "Thanks. I am sorry I'm late. I got distracted."

"I bet you did," he said with a smirk. He nodded towards the new addition on the kitchen wall. "I really like this idea, Sirius."

Sirius grinned as he poured himself a glass of water and drank deeply. "Me too. I think it's a great thing for the three of us to have, you know?"

Remus smiled. "I think that you sometimes forget that I don't live here, Padfoot."

Sirius shrugged. "No, you living here doesn't matter, Rem. You are basically his parent in my eyes and you know it. All rules apply. That's why your name is on that wall too."

"Thank you for that," he said. "I know I am." He nodded towards the yard. "How did the tree house fort discussion go with Ted this morning?"

"Great," he told him with a smile. "We got some of the wood cut and organized and tomorrow he'll be here for eight so we can get started. I showed you the final design, right?"

Remus nodded. He had to admit that if Sirius and Ted were actually able to pull off this massive treehouse fort that they were planning to build for Harry, he would be quite impressed. "Ted's coming by every day?"

"Yeah, he's laid off for a month so he's willing to help. Something about an internal issue within the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects Office, apparently they are re-working the whole department one squad at a time and Ted agreed to take his vacation time now until they sort it out. He said he hates the politics of it and doesn't want to be involved, which works for great for me since now he's available to help. I want to have it done before the next full moon."

"Why?"

"It's a good goal, I think," he said with a smile. "Plus, once it's done I can focus on getting the potion from Snape and we can see how this works for you. The cellar at your place for one. It might not be the place you want to stay anymore if it really makes you feel like you."

"Sirius, you can't stay with me," Remus told him, glancing out the window to check on Harry. "We have Harry to worry about."

"Moony, I told you, I got this. And you're not spending another full moon alone. I'm going to talk to Andy and Ted about maybe staying here with Harry. He's starting to be more comfortable with them because of Tonks." He opened the back door and yelled for Harry to come in for dinner. "Now stop worrying."

Remus merely sighed. Like that was going to stop him.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius spent the next morning in the backyard finally beginning to construct the tree house fort.** He had finally perfected the design and was ready to get started. There were three huge oak trees at the back of the yard and Ted had agreed with Sirius that they were the best spot for his idea and Sirius planned on connecting his tree house fort through all three massive trees.

Sirius wanted to build the biggest and coolest treehouse fort that he could and he wanted it to be a surprise. He implemented privacy charms around his work area so that he could keep it a secret from Harry and he got to work. He and Ted worked on it almost seven days a week, but they did take a break that first Saturday afternoon so that Sirius could bring Harry to the Quidditch match with the tickets from McGonagall.

Harry had been absolutely amazed.

His eyes had followed the players around the field in awe. He stood up in his seat, eyes wide and mouth slightly open almost the entire time and when a team cheered, he would shriek in delight, not caring which side had made the winning goal. Sirius carefully explained the rules of the game to him, but he had picked up on how Quidditch was played already at the Weasleys from watching the older Weasley boys play the game in the orchard.

When the Appleby Arrows Seeker Henderson snagged the Golden Snitch and won the game, Harry cheered in excitement. Sirius even snapped a few photos of Harry at the game, delighting in his childhood excitement. After the game, Sirius and Harry went to a pub for dinner and Sirius told Harry that he had to thank Auntie Minnie for the tickets to the Quidditch game.

Harry decided to draw her a picture. Using his crayons and a large piece of parchment, Harry had finished his work that night. He had drawn figures flying on brooms with he and Sirius cheering from the sidelines. He wrote in large block letters across the top — Thank You, Auntie Minnie! Appleby Won! Love, Harry.

Sirius thought it was adorable and he had Harry fold it into an envelope and tie it to Persephone's leg. He knew that McGonagall would love it.

As Harry was busy with his learning from Remus, Sirius continued to meet with Ted on building the treehouse fort. Andromeda would occasionally stop by and sneak a look at their progress; sometimes bringing a picnic lunch over for Harry and Remus to join them. By the end of two and a half solid weeks, the treehouse was finished thanks to good weather and a lot of help from Ted Tonks.

Sirius had to admit, it was the coolest thing that he had ever seen, and he was incredibly impressed with himself for building and designing it. He and Ted had cut all of the wood by hand and used a combination of magic and woodworking skills to put it together. Not only did it look awesome, but it was safe. There were railings everywhere so that no one could fall off and the trees were so huge and sturdy. Sirius had even added glass to the windows in the treehouse that could be opened and closed so that Harry could access the inside in the winter time if he wanted to.

Ted wiped sweat off of his brow that Saturday morning as he looked up at the treehouse fort that they had built. "I have to say, we did damn fine work, Sirius."

Sirius grinned at him. "All thanks to you. You really are great with woodworking."

Ted smiled. "Worked in construction every summer. Muggleborn remember?"

"Well, it paid off. I never could have built this without your help."

Ted grinned, grabbing his water and drinking. "I'll take the credit. I'm damn proud of this fort. A little bit of magic and a lot of blood, sweat, and carpentry. Hell, I want to play on it."

"Tell me about it," Sirius said with a grin. "I can't wait to give it to Harry. We can camp out in it the first night."

"The windows are a nice touch. Keeps one safe from all sorts of weather," he added, looking up at the fort. "Everything is in place. The nets are safe and he can run across this obstacle course as much as he wants too. It was smart to make it at least ten feet above the ground."

Sirius nodded. "Well, I figure ten feet above the ground, then another eight feet per level — it's basically a three story floating house. Plus, I want him to be able to use it as he gets older. Even if he grows to be as tall as Rem he can still come out and do the obstacle course and have fun."

"He's going to love it, Sirius. It looks amazing."

"Want to stick around for when I show it to him?"

Ted grinned. "I'd love too, but Dromeda's expecting me. I promised I'd take her out somewhere tonight. I've been so busy helping you lately that I owe her a date night. I need to head home and shower. Dora is going to be so jealous of this when she sees it. I sent her a copy of the design in my last letter. She wrote that it was going to be wicked when it was done and I think she was right. That is totally amazing."

Sirius nodded. "Damn straight! Thanks again though, for all of your help."

"Of course, it was my pleasure. Not exactly how I expected to spend my time off, but well worth it, I'd say."

"Definitely."

Sirius said goodbye to Ted and hurried out to grab his last minute add ons for inside the tree house. He'd bought blankets, sheets and pillows for the beds and the hammock and he used his fairy light charm to illuminate the ceiling. He set the charm to come up as soon as the sun set. He made up the two bunkbeds, added the throw pillows to the hammock and found some beanbag chairs for the extra space. He filled the icebox up with water, pumpkin juice, and fruit punch. Then he simply grinned.

It was one hell of a treehouse kingdom.

He whistled as he made his way into the house just as Harry came home with Remus from their monthly trip to the library. Sirius ushered Harry upstairs to clean up and he grinned broadly at Remus.

"It's done."

"Really?" Remus asked, grinning at his friend's excitement. "And it looks as grand as you hoped?"

"Moony, it looks so much fucking better! I want to live in this thing!"

Remus laughed. He had taken a few peeks at the treehouse the few nights he had stayed past Harry's bedtime, but the work-in-progress hadn't told him much. But if Sirius had succeeded with even half of what the sketches looked like, Remus knew that the treehouse was going to be pretty great.

"Are you going to show it to him tonight?"

Sirius nodded. "I was thinking about right now. I thought we could camp out in it tonight. What do you say, Moony, you interested?"

Remus grinned. "Wouldn't turn it down, especially with tomorrow being the seventeenth."

Sirius smiled. "Then you definitely have to stay."

Harry hurried back down the stairs and picked up his bag of new books. "Uncle Padfoot, want to see what Uncle Moony and I got at the library?"

"I'd love too, Prongslet, but I have something to show you first."

"What?" Harry asked, looking up at Sirius' smiling face and grinning back.

"Well, Ted and I have been building a surprise for you in the yard the last few weeks. I wanted to maybe have it ready for your birthday, but we didn't get it started in time."

Harry followed Sirius into the backyard and looked around eagerly. "What are you building?"

Sirius led him across the yard on his shoulders, smiling when he felt the privacy wards. "Are you ready, Prongslet?"

Harry nodded eagerly, his hands resting in Sirius' hair as he looked out at the seemingly empty space in front of the woods in bewilderment and then Sirius lifted the privacy charm hiding the tree house.

Harry's eyes widened into saucers and his jaw dropped as he looked at the massive fort before him.

The tree house was definitely the biggest and the coolest that Sirius could possibly make. It was more like a mini kingdom expanding the length of three huge oak trees across the back of the yard and had multiple levels from which to explore.

The tree on the left had a ten foot high rock climbing wall that once was climbed over led to a large porch balcony overlooking the yard. The balcony led to the tree house itself, which was three levels with a fireman's pole in the middle of the room up to the second level. On the first floor of the house, he had built a bookshelf into one wall and inserted a hammock on the other side. A set of bunkbeds on one side; lanterns set about for light plus the fairy lights. He used military camouflage netting as decoration on the walls. The second floor had a large treasure chest for Harry to fill up with whatever he wanted, an entire chalkboard wall to draw and write on, and a chess table. There were windows on every side and a wooden sliding ladder to get to the third floor, which was a loft with a small railing to climb over.

The large porch balcony had a spiral staircase leading up to a second level that was a pirate ship and down to the ground for easy access. The pirate ship level had its own crow's nest with a wooden pirate ship steering wheel and a telescope, a large canon that would fire water balloons, and a huge mast that could be clipped into place as a tarp in the rain.

Next to the treehouse, the balcony wrapped around to the other side where a rope bridge accessed the second balcony on the second tree. This balcony also had a bell that could be rung and a speaking tube that connected to the ground below where a large tire swing hung from the side of the huge oak tree. It also had a four-sided-rope ladder that accessed a second level with a large slide that would bring one safely to the ground. If the slide didn't interest, one could climb into the huge net tunnel that went across into the third oak tree onto a small wooden landing with a bird feeder and a trapdoor with a spiral staircase leading to the ground. Underneath the ten foot platform were monkey bars to hang from or to hurry across.

"Wow," Harry said, his eyes wide as he stared at it.

"Holy shit, Sirius," Remus said, his eyes equally as wide. "That is actually bloody brilliant!"

Sirius grinned widely as he put his son on the ground and knelt down next to him. "Should we go inside, Prongslet?"

Harry nodded, his eyes still wide. Sirius led him over to the spiral staircase and they climbed up to the first level and into the treehouse itself. Harry simply stared in awe as Sirius pointed out all of the things that the treehouse provided. Remus was grinning like a kid behind him as he looked around.

"Padfoot, this is seriously wicked, mate, you did amazing!"

Sirius grinned. "Thanks." He was watching Harry though. He was still quiet as he looked around. "Harry, what do you think? Do you like it?"

Harry simply ran to his godfather, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. "This is the best thing in the whole world! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Sirius grinned, hugging Harry. "See, Marauder can come up the stairs and we can invite your friends over to come play with you in it. And I thought tonight, me, you, and Uncle Moony can have a sleepover in your new treehouse?"

Harry grinned widely. "Really?"

"If you'd like," Sirius said as Harry nodded eagerly, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Uncle Padfoot, this is the best!"

Sirius couldn't stop smiling as he watched Harry enthusiastically run around: First, finding the pirate ship, then running through the net tunnel, then climbing the four-sided-rope-ladder, then taking the slide down, and climbing the wall on the side.

It _was_ the greatest treehouse fort ever and Sirius couldn't wait to camp out in it with his godson and best friend.

He had done well, he thought. Score one for the godfather, he thought grinning. It was going to be a good night.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Pictures of the treehouse are posted on my tumblr at_ _breaniebree!_


	31. Chapter 31

_Author's Note:_

 _So I've had the idea for a while and today I finally managed to form my thoughts into words. I hope you like this chapter._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:**

 **Harry, Sirius, and Remus spent the night in the treehouse.** Sirius had made a campfire in the fire pit in the yard and they roasted marshmallows and made octopuses out of hot-dogs and Remus showed them how to make S'Mores. Remus was the captain of the pirate ship and Harry was their prisoner. Sirius and Remus chased him through the treehouse; up the wall and through the net tunnel as he laughed and shrieked in delight. Sirius sang to him through the speaking tube and Harry sang back to him as Remus pushed him on the tire swing. He snuck down the trapdoor, gripping the monkey bars tightly and giggling when Remus tickled him as he attempted to climb across. They blared Queen from the wireless player singing about 'Radio Ga Ga' and decided to sleep with the windows open. Harry and Remus took the bunkbeds with Harry on the top and Sirius made himself comfortable in the hammock with Marauder sleeping beneath his swaying form. The fairy lights twinkled around them. It had been a perfect night.

When Sirius woke the next morning, Harry was curled into his chest in the swaying hammock, the birds chirping through the open windows. Sirius snuggled the boy closer and just lay listening to the birds, to Harry's quiet breathing, and to Remus' loud snores from across the room.

Tonight was the day before the full moon.

He knew that he didn't want Remus to be alone, but he was worried about leaving Harry with Ted and Andy as well. He was meeting Snape for five to grab the potion and Andromeda was coming over to stay with Harry. The sunset was supposed to happen at 7:24 p.m. and Remus needed to take the potion by at least 6:24 p.m. for it to have any affect on him.

Harry stirred slightly, but didn't wake up, his dark head snuggling into Sirius' chest over his heart. Sirius gently ran his fingers through Harry's messy hair, a soft smile on his face. The kid was the greatest. Seeing his eyes light up yesterday when he realized that this fort was for him had been incredible. He and Remus had both had so much fun playing in it last night and he knew that Harry would be excited for his friends to come over. After the full moon, he'd send a letter to Molly to see if her kids wanted to come by for the day. Harry had been bugging him about it and they had yet to come over here, usually Harry would just go to The Burrow.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, lost in thought, fingers idling stroking Harry's hair, but he soon became aware of bright green-eyes staring at him and he grinned at his godson.

"Good morning, Prongslet."

"Good morning, Uncle Padfoot," Harry said, sitting up in the hammock.

"Didn't like your bunkbed?" Sirius asked, gesturing the top bunk where Harry was supposed to have spent the night.

Harry grinned. "I wanted to be with you."

Sirius smiled, ruffling Harry's hair. Hearing those words always sent a little thrill through him even though he knew Harry was supposed to be sleeping in his own bed. "Come on; let's go find some breakfast inside. We have a lot to do today."

Sirius handed Harry his glasses from the table by the bunkbed before he used the fireman's pole to get to the ground and Harry eagerly followed. Marauder was still sleeping so Sirius left him there with Remus. They found breakfast for the day and Harry chatted about the treehouse; Marauder and his trip to the library the day before. Sirius sent Harry upstairs to get dressed and to brush his teeth and he hopped into the shower. He stepped into his bedroom in unfastened blue jeans as Harry bounded in happily.

Harry watched him in interest as he brushed and styled his hair so that it fell 'just so' around his face and shaved his face back to the 'five o'clock shadow' look of stubble. Harry sat on the counter next to the sink in the master bathroom and just watched him. He kept pointing to things and asking questions much to Sirius' amusement and annoyance.

"Why do you have black hair there?" he asked, pointing to the trail of dark hair that started under his belly button and disappeared beneath his jeans.

"Men grow hair in different places. See?" He gestured, lifting his arm and showing Harry the long dark hairs under his armpit.

"Why?" Harry asked.

Sirius smiled at him. "It's just something that happens to you when you grow up. You get hair all over. Sometimes here too," he gestured across his chest. He had never really grown much chest hair, sticking mainly to his lower abdomen. "Uncle Remus has hair here," he said.

Harry pointed to the thin jagged scar on Sirius' left hip. "What's that?" He reached out and gently traced the white scar with his fingers.

Sirius smiled at him. "I got into a fight with Uncle Remus and he scratched me."

Harry's eyes widened. "Uncle Remus did that!"

Sirius chuckled. "We were just horsing around. See here," he gestured to the circular scar under his right arm. "This one is when your dad jumped in front of me and me, your dad and Uncle Remus fell on top of one another in a tangled mess of limbs and I got nicked."

"If it was only a little one, why did it scar?" Harry asked.

Sirius hesitated. He hadn't discussed it with Remus yet, but he wanted Harry to know that Remus was a werewolf. But he knew that he had no right to tell him without first asking his friend's permission. "When a werewolf scratches you it scars forever."

"What's a werewolf?" Harry asked.

Remus chose that exact moment to step into the master bathroom and his eyes widened in horror. "Werewolf?"

Harry nodded, reaching up to touch Sirius' scar. "Uncle Padfoot said he got scratched by a werewolf. What's a werewolf?"

Remus swallowed slowly. "A werewolf is a dangerous creature that lives in the body of a man. And when the full moon rises, the wolf bursts out and takes control of the man's body. They are very dangerous!"

Sirius finished brushing his teeth, ignoring Remus' glare. "Harry's been full of questions this morning."

"Uncle Remus, do you have hair on your chest?"

Remus looked bewildered and slightly confused by the sudden turn of the conversation. "What?"

Harry grinned widely. "Uncle Padfoot has hair under his belly button and under his arms and he said men get hair in different places and you have hair on your chest. Can I see?"

Remus hesitated for a moment, still confused by the rather sudden turn in the conversation, but then he nodded and carefully unbuttoned his shirt. The white zig-zagging scars across his abdomen Harry had seen before so he paid them no mind, but his eyes went to the light golden brown curls across Remus' chest and under his belly button.

"Why is the hair there?"

Remus chuckled and shrugged. "I don't know, Harry. Men just grow hair there." He jerked in surprise when Harry's fingertips traced his scars.

"Are these from a werewolf too, Uncle Moony? They look like Uncle Padfoot's."

Sirius rinsed out his mouth, eyes meeting Remus' in the mirror. "Yes, Harry, they are." He picked up his godson, carrying him into his bedroom and sitting him on the massive bed. "Prongslet, Uncle Moony and I need to talk to you about something very important."

Remus shook his head as he buttoned his shirt back up. He knew exactly what his friend was thinking. "No, we don't."

Sirius nodded. "Yes, we do."

Harry looked between the two of them curiously. "About what?"

"It's nothing, Harry, we're not talking about it today," Remus said, shooting his friend a rather menacing look.

"Yes, we are," Sirius insisted. "This isn't something that we're keeping from him. We tell the truth in this family, Remus."

Remus opened his mouth to protest and he promptly shut it. "We tell the truth."

"What truth?" Harry asked, his gaze dancing back and forth between them.

"About werewolves," Sirius said, sitting down next to Harry and gesturing for Remus to sit on the child's other side.

"Uncle Moony said that they are dangerous."

"They are," Sirius told him, smiling. "But that's only because they are wolves. But what's a wolf like?"

"A dog," Harry supplied with a smile.

"Exactly. Wolves are like dogs, but unlike dogs they don't want to be pet or cuddled or played with or fed. They want to hunt for their own food. They want to howl at the moon. And most importantly, they protect what is important to them," Sirius explained.

"My stuffed wolf is named Moony. Is Uncle Moony a wolf like you're a dog?" Harry asked, turning to look at Remus for confirmation.

Remus' hands fisted at his sides a little surprised by how easily Harry had made the connection and he jolted when Harry simply crawled into his lap.

"Are you a wolf, Uncle Moony?" His hands cupped the sides of Remus' face, looking into his eyes in wonder.

"Yes," Remus said quietly.

Harry grinned. "Can I see? Like Uncle Padfoot?"

"NO!" Remus exclaimed, standing up so quickly that Harry almost fell and he shoved Harry into Sirius' arms. "Absolutely not, Harry!"

"But Uncle Siri said they keep safe what's important to them so you wouldn't hurt me," Harry told him simply.

Sirius touched Harry's shoulder. "Uncle Moony isn't a regular wolf, Harry. When he was a little boy, a bit younger than you, he was bitten by a werewolf. Every month when the full moon happens, he is forced to transform into the dangerous creature."

Harry's eyes widened. "Does it hurt?"

Remus was watching Harry in bewilderment. He was waiting for the look of horror and disgust to come across the child's face, but he just looked sad. "Yes."

Harry jumped off of the bed and monkey crawled up Remus' legs making him chuckle as he lifted Harry the rest of the way up into his arms. Harry kissed the faded scar on his left cheek. "Is that better?"

"All better," Remus said softly, love pouring out of him as he snuggled the child. He took a seat on the bed next to Sirius as he held Harry in his arms. "Harry, when I change into a werewolf, I am very dangerous to be around. Do you understand? I'm not safe."

Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "Is that how you got all your scars?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. I sometimes hurt myself because I don't know what I'm doing."

Harry simply stared at him. "But only sometimes you're a werewolf?"

"Well, I'm the wolf all the time, Harry, but only when the full moon comes up am I forced to transform and it is when I am transformed that I'm dangerous," Remus explained.

Harry hugged him tightly. "That's okay then. Can we go play in the treehouse again?"

Remus simply looked at Sirius who grinned at him. Children were very accepting of things, he thought. Sirius was right. The truth was important and he felt relieved not to have to keep his secret hidden from Harry.

~ ASC ~

 **Andromeda and Ted came by that evening to have dinner with Harry.** Remus had gone home to lock himself in his cellar and Sirius used the Floo to get to Hogwarts and to meet with Snape.

When he stepped out of the fireplace into Dumbledore's office, he tried not to grimace at the greasy-haired man who stood before him in black robes and holding a smoking goblet.

"This is it?" Sirius asked, looking into the potion.

Snape nodded. "He must drain the entire cup." He handed the sealed cauldron to Sirius. "Here is the rest of the potion for the next two nights. It must be kept on medium heat; the charm I placed on it for travel will only last an hour before it must be placed back on the heat. Lupin has to drink it at the same time all three nights for it to work."

"Got it. We really appreciate you doing this, Snape," Sirius told him honestly.

Snape sneered. "I assure you, I did not beg for this job, but Dumbledore insisted it was important that I brew this correctly to take away Lupin's pain. I think we both know that taking away his pain isn't going to make him any less of a monster."

Sirius glared at him. "I was going to be an adult here, but I can see that you're still a snivelling little prick, Snivellus!"

"Too bad there wasn't a potion around to teach you how to not be a murderer."

Sirius' eyes darkened. "I am not a fucking murderer!"

"You proved you were capable of it when we were sixteen!" Snape sneered. "Don't even try to bullshit me!"

Sirius grabbed the cauldron and the smoking goblet of potion. "This better fucking work, Snivellus, or I'll show you exactly what I'm capable of."

He disappeared into the fireplace, the feel of Snape's antagonizing sneer on his back and he stepped into Remus' living room.

Remus had both of his hands on his head, kneading his wavy hair anxiously. He turned to look at Sirius, eyes wide. "Is that it?"

Sirius nodded, handing the smoking goblet to his friend. "Drink it all."

Remus accepted the goblet, took a deep breath and drank the potion in three big gulps. He coughed and grabbed his throat in disgust. "I can't decide what was worse, the taste, the burning sensation, or the smell."

Sirius gave him a half-smile and lifted the cauldron. "Snivellus says that this has to stay on medium-heat until you drink the rest of it on the third night."

"Snivellus? Really, Sirius?"

"Hey, I tried to be civil, but he's even more of a fucking ponce now then he was back then. How do you feel?" He asked eagerly, moving into the kitchen to settle the potion on the burner.

"A bit queer," Remus told him, placing a hand over his stomach. "It's like I can feel my skin bubbling and boiling under the surface like it usually does in getting me ready to transform, but my stomach is in knots. That might be nerves on my part. I imagine it doesn't work right away."

Sirius nodded, putting a protection charm around the cauldron to keep it on medium-heat and to make sure that it was fire-proof as the burner would be on for the next three days. "I imagine not." He glanced at the clock. "Sunset's in an hour."

"How was Harry when you left him?"

"He's fine, Remus," Sirius told him. "We talked some more this afternoon after you left about you turning into a werewolf. I told him how me being a dog and being here with you made you feel better, like how he felt when he had a bad dream and he wanted me to stay with him. I told him that I was going to stay with you all night until the morning and that Andy and Ted would be downstairs the whole time if he needed them."

"And he was okay with that?" Remus asked in disbelief. "He's not ready to be left without one of us at night, Sirius. You shouldn't be here. He needs you."

Sirius ignored his friend, leading him out into the backyard. "Yes, I should be. And Harry is fine. He likes Andromeda and Ted. He told me that he doesn't want you to be alone and that he would be good. You need me."

"What about Andy and Ted? What did you tell them?" Remus asked, taking a seat on the bench in his backyard.

Sirius sat next to his friend. "That I had something important to do and couldn't be there tonight. They don't know that you're a werewolf, Rem. I won't tell them and neither will Harry. We spoke about the importance of keeping it a secret."

 _"Harry, it's really important that you remember never to tell anyone that Uncle Remus is a werewolf, okay?" Sirius told him, kneeling in front of him so that his eyes were level with his godson's._

 _"Why?" Harry asked innocently._

 _Sirius sighed, smiling kindly. "Harry, there are a lot of people in the world who are ignorant and they don't take the time to understand things. There a lot of werewolves in the world who are truly bad and truly evil, but many of them are just regular blokes like Uncle Moony who are forced to undergo this transformation without their consent. If someone found out that Uncle Remus was a werewolf, they might try to hurt him not understanding that he's good. You can talk about it with me and Uncle Remus whenever you want, but to no one else, okay?"_

 _"I don't want anyone to hurt Uncle Moony," Harry said quietly._

 _"Me neither, Prongslet. So it's very important that we keep it a secret between just the three of us, okay? Not even to Tonks. It will keep him safe. Can you promise me?"_

 _Harry smiled and hugged Sirius tightly. "I promise. And we Marauders always keep our promises."_

 _Sirius kissed his cheek. "That's right, Prongslet. Always."_

"He knows that by telling anyone it will be unsafe for you and he doesn't want that. He promised me," Sirius told him.

Remus rubbed his stomach, rolling his neck around on his shoulders. "I still don't think that you should be here. We don't know what this potion is truly going to do, Sirius. It might affect me differently and I won't be tame. I could become more feral and more dangerous."

Sirius reached out to grip his friend's hand tightly. "I'm not leaving you alone again, Rem. I'm not. End of story."

Remus smiled gratefully at him and nodded. When the sun started to set, they headed inside and Remus carefully locked the cellar, using his wand to triple secure it closed. He locked his wand into a secret alcove up near the ceiling so that when he changed he wouldn't break it and then he began to undress. Once he was naked, he curled up in the corner, trembling from the chill of the room.

Sirius, who had already transformed into Padfoot, padded across the room, putting his head on his friend's shoulder in comfort and Remus scratched the dog behind the ears quietly.

When the transformation finally started, it was just as terrible as Sirius remembered. Remus' body seemed to shift and stretch and bend in impossible ways as his skin bubbled and boiled; fur sprouting across his body in dark golden brown and covering him. His face lengthened, snout-like and his ears elongated. His teeth grew sharper and he growled as the pain shot through him and he howled.

But when the transformation was over, the amber eyes of his best friend looked at him from the wolf's snout, without the feral gleam to them, and Sirius knew that it had worked. He lay with his friend quietly, the wolf snarling at the room, desperate to be set free. He sniffed Sirius suspiciously and then recognizing his friend's scent, merely moved on.

When the sun came up and Remus changed back into himself, Sirius covered his sleeping friend in a blanket and unlocked the cellar, using the Floo to get back to his own house. Andromeda and Ted were sleeping upstairs in the guest room so he snuck into Harry's room, climbing into bed with his godson and kissing his cheek.

Harry stirred a little, snuggling into Sirius' embrace.

Sirius woke up two hours later to the feel of Harry's body wiggling from his grasp. He opened one eye and found Harry grinning at him. "I was comfortable, get back here, Prongslet, you were my pillow."

Harry giggled and shimmied away from him. "Is Uncle Moony okay?"

Sirius smiled and reached out to gently brush a hand through Harry's hair. "Uncle Moony is going to be just fine. Come on; let's go get some breakfast."

 **Remus showed up just before lunch.** He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes lit up when Harry ran into his arms and he hugged him close. He sat down at the kitchen table, smiling gratefully when Sirius placed a plate of bacon sandwiches in front of him.

"Thanks. How was Harry?"

"He was fine. Andy and Ted left just after breakfast," Sirius told him, sitting down next to his friend. "How are you?"

Remus hesitated. "I'm tired and a little sore, but… I'm not in pain."

Sirius' eyes lit up. "At all?"

Remus nodded. "Just the normal soreness of my muscles from the transformation. I feel… fine."

"Do you remember?"

Remus nodded. "It was me the whole time, Sirius. I was the wolf and I was in complete control."

"I know. Your eyes, Moony, they were your eyes not the wolf's," Sirius told him.

Remus smiled. "I think it really worked, Siri, it really worked."

Sirius grinned and stood up to hug his friend, embracing him tighter when he felt his friend's tears on his shirt. Harry came into the kitchen after washing up for lunch and saw Sirius hugging Remus. He crawled into Remus' lap, hugging him tight and he felt Remus sigh in contentment as he accepted child's embrace in comfort.

When he finally pulled away, Remus wiped at his tears. "I can't thank you enough for doing this for me, Sirius."

Sirius shook his head. "You don't. I'm just glad it worked. Now remember, tonight you have to take the potion at the same time for it work."

Remus nodded, grinning widely. "I will."

"And this time, Rem, you're not locking yourself in that dark, dank cellar."

Harry's eyebrow furrowed. He was still sitting on Remus' lap. "You lock yourself up, Uncle Moony?"

Remus kissed the top of Harry's head. "I have to keep myself away from people so I don't hurt them."

"But with this potion, we know now that's not a problem," Sirius said casually.

"We don't know for certain," Remus told him. "It worked last night, yes, but tonight is the actual full moon. The effects might be completely different."

Sirius nodded. "Fine. Tonight and tomorrow, we'll be in the cellar. But if both nights are anything like last night, Rem, you're not staying in there another night."

"Are Andy and Ted coming back over tonight?" Harry asked, looking from Sirius to Remus. "So you can keep Uncle Moony company again?"

Sirius reached down and picked up Harry, kissing his cheek. "No. We're both going to keep Uncle Moony company tonight."

Remus' eyes widened in horror. "Sirius, are you fucking crazy? You can't let Harry anywhere near me when I'm that monster!"

"Uncle Moony!" Harry exclaimed. "No bad words!"

Remus flushed. "I'm sorry, little Prongs. I'm just so worried that if Uncle Sirius brings you with him tonight, that I might hurt you."

Harry simply smiled at him. "No, you won't." He jumped down from Sirius' arms. "Marauder and I are going outside to play in the treehouse."

Sirius watched him hurry off with a grin. "See, the kid gets it. And he'll be fine, Remus. I'll tuck him into bed in his bedroom and I'll be there with you in the cellar."

Remus looked hesitant. "Sirius… if I get out…"

"You're not a monster, Rem. You were you last night and you had total control over the wolf."

Remus managed a small smile for his friend. "He'll be safe?"

"You'll be in the cellar, Remus. He'll be safe upstairs."

~ ASC ~

 **When Remus woke up the next morning, he found himself wrapped in a thick quilt with a child snuggled on one side of him with a puppy and a big black dog on the other side of him.**

All perfectly safe.

He remembered how Harry had snuck into the cellar, Sirius had refused to lock the door, and how Padfoot had simply ushered the boy forward wordlessly.

Harry had knelt down in front of Remus, arms outstretched and hugged the wolf. Remus remembered how happy he had felt to see his pup and the sense of protection that had washed over him. Harry hugged him tightly and Padfoot and Marauder had wrestled nearby.

The child completely safe in a room with the pack.

He stood carefully, extricating himself from child and dogs. He got dressed and went into the kitchen to make breakfast, looking out into his yard as Sirius came into the room carrying a sleeping Harry.

"I told you that it was safe."

"It was stupid of you to let him in there, Sirius. What if I had hurt him?"

Sirius merely glared at him. "You felt even more protective of Harry last night then you do right now. You would never hurt him. The potion makes you safe, Remus. It makes you safe. And you'll never have to be alone on the full moon again."

Remus only nodded, a sense of relief coursing through him. He wouldn't be alone again. And Sirius was right, Harry had been safe.

The potion helped him tame the monster and the child helped him feel safe and protected as much as he wanted to keep the child safe and protected.

Belby had created a gift for him and Sirius had made sure that he was able to obtain it.

He had never felt so blessed in his entire life. Nor as grateful.

For once, he wasn't truly a monster. For once, he was Remus, just Remus John Lupin - the man and the wolf - and he couldn't have been more happy.


	32. Chapter 32

_Author's Note:_

 _It is currently 4:05 in the afternoon and I have literally been writing since 8:30 this morning. I am proud to say that I have got a lot accomplished plus a list of ideas of where this is going next. I wrote over thirty pages — so be prepared for a few chapter uploads as I am currently editing. But here is one to start you off._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:**

 **Harry spent almost every waking moment that wasn't school in his new tree house.** He was absolutely in love with it. And he couldn't wait to have his new friends over to see it. He begged Sirius to let him invite Ginny and Ron over and possibly Fred and George too, but Sirius had told him that he had to wait until Remus was feeling better.

This finally came on the weekend and Sirius sent an owl to Mrs Weasley inviting her five youngest children over. Sirius told Harry that he had to include Percy, who was also still too young to attend Hogwarts yet. Harry hadn't really spent any time with Percy, but he was more than willing to include him in the invite.

Mrs Weasley Floo called just before lunch and Sirius grinned at her.

"We'll be fine, Molly. Don't worry! You always let Harry over at The Burrow. Why don't you let your kids come here for once? I'm sure that you and Arthur would appreciate the break."

"Sirius, I don't think you quite understand the undertaking you are about to accept," Mrs Weasley told him sternly. "You will have six children under the age of ten and two of them are the equivalent of another six."

Sirius grinned widely at her apt description of Fred and George. "I'm well aware, Molly. Send them over after lunch. We'll be fine, I swear."

Mrs Weasley hesitated and then she shook her head in exasperation. "Alright then. They'll be over at one."

Harry yipped in excitement, jumping up and down on the couch in the living room. "They're coming! They're coming!"

Sirius scooped Harry up mid-jump. "Hey Monkey! No jumping on the furniture!" He hung Harry upside down and walked with him to the kitchen as Harry giggled. He sat him on the kitchen counter, placing his arms on either side of him. "Now, we're going to fill up that ice box in the tree house with fruit punch and pumpkin juice. And you can take a few bags of crisps and Exploding Bonbons and Crystallized Pineapple up to the tree house as well for the six of you to share. Now, what are the rules with friends over?"

"Be nice and share."

"That's right and who's in charge?"

"You!" Harry said with a grin.

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead. "That's right, Prongslet. Now go ahead and pick out whatever games you want to bring up to the tree house. You can stock it up for your friends."

Harry jumped down from the counter and hurried off to pick through his games, running into the backyard to put them in the tree house. Sirius packed a box full of drinks and snacks and floated it up to the treehouse so that Harry could stock it in the icebox. Once everything was all set, Harry settled himself at the kitchen table to eat his grilled cheese sandwich happily. He dipped it in his tomato soup with a big smile on his face as his legs kicked wildly under the table in excitement.

At exactly one o'clock, the fireplace lit up and Harry whooped in delight, running forward and engulfing Ginny in a big hug. Ginny hugged him back, kissing his cheek and then running over to play with Marauder who was just as excited to see her. Ron came out next, then Percy, then George, and finally Fred. The five of them looked around the living room in interest, all laughing and petting Marauder who was jumping around them in excitement at the prospect of more kids to play with.

"Down Marauder!" Sirius said sternly and Marauder stayed on his feet, panting slightly and happily accepting the attention of Ginny who scratched him behind the ears.

Sirius smiled warmly. "Welcome boys and Ginny of course. Harry is really excited to show you his new treehouse so you can go on outside and have fun. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. The loo is upstairs, yeah?"

Percy smiled politely. "Thank you, Mr Black."

Sirius grinned. "You can call me Sirius. Have fun."

Harry led them outside and pointed in glee to his new treehouse fort.

"Wow!" Fred exclaimed, his eyes widening. "That's wicked, Harry!"

The kids all made a beeline for the treehouse and hurried inside. Sirius finished cleaning up the kitchen after lunch and then grabbed himself a beer from the ice box and made his way into the yard. He had a notepad and a pencil in his hand as he attempted to try to come up with some ideas for how he could fix up the rest of the backyard. He listened with half an ear as the kids yelped and played in excitement.

Harry was more than excited to have his friends over. He and Ginny were sitting on top of the pirate ship. He was showing her how to stock the canon and shoot out the water balloons and they were both grinning like loons as they fired them upon Fred and George in the warm afternoon sun. Percy was down below using the speaking tube and pointedly telling off Ron through the tube for trapping him in the net tunnel.

Sirius climbed up to the top of the pirate ship, to check on the kids, his tongue in his cheek as he heard Ginny and Harry talking.

Ginny grinned widely at him. "This is the best treehouse ever! You're so lucky, Harry!"

Harry smiled at her. "It was the best surprise ever! Then we had a sleepover in it."

"That would be fun! Sleeping in here under the stars!"

Harry grinned. "Maybe we can have a sleepover one time."

Sweet-talker, Sirius thought with a grin as he waved at Harry and Ginny. He wondered if in ten years that might actually be a line that Harry would use and then he chuckled to himself.

"How are you two doing up here?"

Ginny hugged Sirius, grinning up at him. "Thanks for having us, this is the best place ever!"

Sirius smiled at her, gently patting her head as she ran back to the pirate's wheel. "I'm glad that you guys could come. Harry, did you offer your friends any snacks yet?"

Harry shook his head and Sirius yelled out for all of the Weasleys to come into the treehouse. Once snacks and drinks were distributed, Sirius left them alone to snack and play a game of Exploding Snap. He smiled when he got to the bottom of the stairs and heard the sound of Queen coming out from the treehouse. Harry was using the record player, he thought with a grin.

He made his way back to his spot on the patio and took out his pencil. He wanted to fix up the landscaping, but he also wanted to do something to the patio. Maybe set up a gazebo of some kind so that there was some shade for them to sit under. He also needed some better outdoor furniture as the rickety lawn chairs and one old wooden bench really did have to go at some point.

Of course it was the middle of September now, so anything that he planned to do would have to wait until next summer, but he felt productive making plans nevertheless.

Sirius only smiled at Remus when he stepped out onto the patio. "Hi, Rem, didn't expect you today."

Remus' eyes drifted to the music coming from the treehouse. "I see Harry is still loving his new fort."

"Very much. The Weasley children are up in it with him. They're having snack time at the moment."

"How many Weasley children?" Remus asked, his eyebrows risen in surprise.

"Five," Sirius said with a grin. "Bill and Charlie are at Hogwarts."

Remus nodded and took a seat in one of the rickety lawn chairs across from his friend. "I was going to see if maybe Harry wanted to make up the lessons he missed yesterday while I was under the weather, but he's out having too much fun."

"Yeah, he is," Sirius said with a grin. "I love how much he loves that treehouse. I wish I would have gotten it done closer to the beginning of the summer, but hopefully he still has at least a month to enjoy it before it gets too cold."

Remus smiled. "He will. Even in the winter I imagine he will enjoy it. You can put a few heating charms inside."

"Great idea," Sirius said with a grin, putting his parchment down. "I was just thinking I need to build something else back here, like a gazebo or an awning or something so that there's some shade. Maybe a table of some kind so we can eat out here. Plus next summer, I have to deal with the landscaping. Either get rid of all of the plants and overgrown gardens or replant them. I can't decide."

"You planted that one over there yourself."

"I did, yes," Sirius admitted, looking at the overgrown garden. "Then I promptly forgot all about it and it's quite horrid."

Remus laughed but nodded in agreement. "True. I like to garden, I sometimes find it rather soothing. I can help you put something together next year."

"Thanks, Moony."

They both jolted at the fireworks that took off over the treehouse and Sirius grinned, standing up. "Better go check on the kids, be right back."

He hurried across the yard and yelled up to the kids. "Hey! Which Weasley twin set off of the fireworks?"

A small skinny red-headed boy stepped out and raised his hand. "That would be me."

Sirius grinned widely at him. "Good job, George?" he asked questioningly and the boy laughed and nodded. "Fireworks are definitely allowed." He floated up the bag of tricks he had bought at Zonko's the last time he had been to Hogsmeade. "Got a few goodies in here; use them wisely boys."

George beamed as he accepted the bag of fun products. "Thanks, Sirius! Fred! Ron! Look at this!"

Sirius chuckled to himself as he made his way back across the lawn to where Remus was sitting.

"Did you really just give them the rest of the Zonko's products?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm not going to use them. Besides, I really like Fred and George, those boys have excellent marauder potential. I want to see where they go with it."

Remus smiled. "Just hope that their mother doesn't find out you gave them to her kids. From what Harry said, they're in trouble a lot."

Sirius laughed and crossed his legs at the ankles. "I won't get caught. Besides, I'm going to make a stop at Gambol and Japes tomorrow so I'll find more stuff for myself."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Not my point."

He grinned. "I know."

They watched the kids run around the yard, in and out of the treehouse and through the obstacle courses for a few moments in companionable silence before Remus spoke up.

"Sirius, I noticed when I was in the sunroom that you still didn't file away that paperwork from the Ministry of Magic. You really ought to get it put away in your vault," Remus told him, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

Sirius grimaced. "I know, I know. It's just… the Black Family Estate stuff is in there too and once I file it, its real — and then I have to deal with Grimmauld Place."

"Ah," Remus said, understanding where his friend's mind was. "You haven't been back then?"

"Not since the day I grabbed my stuff after I got out of Azkaban. I was in and out in less than ten minutes."

Remus nodded, his eyes on the treehouse as he watched Fred or George Weasley climb over the rock wall while his twin hung upside down from the monkey bars. Percy was in the middle of the four-sided-rope ladder laughing as Ron chased Ginny and Harry through the net tunnel. They looked like they were having fun.

"I know that I have to deal with the estate," Sirius said at his friend's silence. "And mostly I have to deal with Kreacher, that miserable old elf."

"You said that he used to like you."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, when I was a kid, until my mum decided that I was a bad seed. Kreacher worshipped the ground that my mother walked on so anything she thought or did he agreed with wholeheartedly. I own him now and the thought makes me kind of uneasy."

"You could have him clean the house here."

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment. "I could, I do hate cleaning, but I like that it's just me and Harry. We have a good system going between us and we get everything done that we need to. I don't need a house elf here."

"You could set him free."

Sirius snorted. "Be real, he'd die of the shock."

Remus chuckled. "What about sending him to one of the other noble houses with a Black family member to work in? The Malfoys maybe? Or would Andromeda and Ted want him?"

Sirius considered it for a moment. "The Malfoys have at least four house elves already, doubt they want another one. And Andy definitely wouldn't want him. I don't know, he can stay in Grimmauld Place for now. I'll figure it out. I'll go sometime in the next few weeks and see how bad the house really looks and what to do with it. See if I can sell it or something."

"Don't sell it," Remus said, surprising Sirius.

"Well, I sure as hell don't want it," Sirius told him, his eyes darkening. "I don't have a single good memory of that place! Why should I keep it?"

"I'm not saying keep it for you, Sirius," Remus said carefully. "But your father was paranoid, you always said so, and that house is more protected by wards and safe charms than maybe even Hogwarts itself. It wouldn't hurt to keep it clean and keep it up as a safe house if we ever need one."

"A safe house?" Sirius said, considering his friend's words. "The war is over, Moony."

Remus smiled. "It is, yes, but Dumbledore believes that Voldemort is still out there somewhere — and frankly so do I. You never know what might happen in the future. Having a safe house might not be such a bad idea. And hopefully we never need to use it, but maybe Harry will want it when he grows up or something."

Sirius nodded. "Alright, I'll think about it."

"Good," Remus told him, standing up. "Well, I'll leave you with your house full of kids. I have a few errands to run. Need anything?"

Sirius waved him off. "Nah, we're fine. You still all right to stay with Harry tomorrow night while I go out for my date?"

Remus grinned. "I'll be free by four."

"Thanks, Moony."

Sirius kept his eye on Harry and his friends as he turned back to his parchment. He had a few things he needed to think about, but Remus was right, he did need to deal with Grimmauld Place. And maybe keeping it up as a possible safe house wasn't a bad idea because Remus was right, he didn't think that Voldemort was completely gone either.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry had the most fun that afternoon as he and his friends raced through the fort; playing different games and yelling and laughing and when it was finally time for the Weasleys to go home, Harry was disappointed.** He didn't want them to leave. But he said goodbye and Sirius reassured him that they could come back soon.

He was thrilled at the idea of spending the next night with Remus so Sirius dropped him off at Remus' place, kissed him goodbye and Apparated to London to see Althea.

He picked up Thai food on the way and knocked on her apartment door, smiling widely.

"I come bearing food," he said, making her laugh as she let him in.

They ate at the kitchen table and Sirius filled her on how much Harry had loved the treehouse fort. She told him about how her plans for Sri Lanka were coming along. She would be leaving in less than two weeks time and still had a lot to organize and pack.

Then their mouths were on each other and Sirius kicked her bedroom door closed as they fell onto the bed, tongues meeting and hands grasping as they undressed each other and bodies crushed together in need. Sirius slid into her and her head fell back in pleasure as he rode her hard and deep, her legs wrapped around his waist.

When they caught their breath, she kissed the pulse point in his throat. "I can't decide if I'm going to miss your mouth or your cock more."

He smirked at her and kissed her softly. "Definitely my cock."

Althea chuckled against him, sitting on his stomach. "I am going to miss you though," she told him honestly, grinding against him and sliding slowly down his body until her head was between his legs. His breath hitched slightly as her mouth moved over him and he gripped a fistful of her hair as he groaned.

Her tongue slid sensually along his long shaft, causing it to lengthen and her hands fondled his balls, her mouth sliding off his shaft to join her hands and he sighed in pleasure. She lifted his balls, sucking the skin behind them and when her tongue slid up into him and he jolted and cried out in surprised pleasure as she nipped and sucked, pumping him rhythmically as she did so until he groaned her name and came hard all over her.

"Fuck," he muttered, grinning at her when she kissed his penis, her mouth moving up his stomach, sucking on his skin and leaving tiny bruised hickeys along his ribs.

Althea grinned, laughing when he flipped her over, kissing her deeply and then moving down to suck on her breasts. As he sucked hard on the underside of her right breast, his fingers moved between her folds and she moaned, her hips lifting up to meet him as he worked her, adding a second finger as she tightened around him. He kissed her stomach and added his thumb, pressing down on her nub and she cried out. Then his hands were gone and he was inside of her, pumping in and out while she cried his name and the orgasm washed over her.

She trailed her fingers along his abdomen afterwards, her head on his shoulder as she told him about what she still had left to do in order to get ready for Sri Lanka.

"You must be getting excited," he told her, his arm around her and his eyes closed as he listened to her tell him about it.

The Civil War had been going on there since 1983 and an insurgency was fighting against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelarn, better known as the LTTE or the Tamil Tigers. The death toll was rising due to a military offensive and many innocent lives were being lost in the fight.

Sirius gently ran his fingers through her hair as she told him the history of the conflict. "What about the wizarding population? Are they also involved in this insurgency fight against the Sri Lankan government?"

Althea shook her head. "They're doing what they can, but you know how the magical ministries try to avoid joining the conflict of Muggle problems let alone even getting involved unless it directly affects them."

He nodded. "Yeah, which I think is sad. Maybe we could help each other out of these problems and not have quite so many wars rather than just avoiding each other."

Althea kissed his chin. "You have such a kind heart sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" he said on a laugh and she grinned up at him.

"You know what I mean," she said sitting up to smile down at him. "You want to do good; to help others. It's one of the things that I admire about you. It's why I can't wait to go to Sri Lanka and do some real good for the people, you know. I want to help even if it's something as small as putting a bandage on a child who cut his knee. I want to help."

Sirius smiled, licking his lips as her fingertips traced his ab muscles. "You'll do good. I know it. You're a great Healer."

She smiled at him. "Thanks. I know I will be able to help, but I just want to do more is all." She stretched back next to him and crossed her arms across his chest, resting her chin on her forearms. "But enough about my upcoming trip."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, grinning at her. "What are we going to talk about then?"

Althea smiled up at him. "It's my birthday on Monday."

"I know," he said with a grin, eyes on hers. "You've mentioned it a few dozen times."

Althea laughed and smirked. "I don't want you to buy me anything."

"Oh no?" Sirius asked her, slightly surprised. He assumed by how many times she had mentioned it that it was exactly what she wanted and he had been debating on whether or not to actually buy her a gift. They weren't really dating, but since he did shag her often, he felt obligated to get her something. "What do you want for your birthday then, Castellanos?"

Althea smirked at him. She knew exactly what she wanted. Her birthday fell exactly five days before she would be leaving and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before she left. "I want you to meet me here for one o'clock."

"I do that every Monday already," he told her.

She shook her head, her eyes twinkling. "Oh, I know," she told him, her face flushing. "But this time, when you meet me here, it will be my birthday."

Sirius smiled at her. "I know. What are you trying to say Castellanos? You want me to take you out somewhere for once?"

She shook her head, sitting up and smiling at him. Her eyes darkened and her gaze moved slowly down his body and then back up and he instantly hardened. "No. I want you to spend the entire afternoon with your mouth and fingers on me, in me, nothing else."

Sirius' eyebrow rose and he smirked at her. "Just my mouth and my fingers, yeah?"

Althea nodded. "My birthday gift from you is going to be an entire afternoon of orgasms."

Sirius laughed and leaned forward to kiss her nose. "Deal. But you should be prepared because when I set my sights on something, I set my sights, and you Althea Castellanos are going to come over and over and over and over again and when you think that you can't possibly come again, you're going to keep coming until I've had my fill of you."

And then he was inside of her again and she was holding on tightly to him as he rode her and when the delicious orgasm whipped through her all she thought was that it was going to be the best birthday ever.


	33. Chapter 33

_Author's Note:_

 _A few of you have asked about Neville and I did mention him a few chapters back. I've had every intention of somehow bringing him into the story. Well, the seed has been planted so to say, but I have a few other things I am looking into at the moment as you will soon see._

 _Thanks to Steel for reminding me that I forgot this little scene._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:**

 **The next morning, Sirius took Harry to his final appointment to see Healer Thea for his shots and final check up.** He sat happily in the patient room, his legs swinging off the table as he pulled his shirt off. Sirius reassured him once more that Healer Thea was just going to check him over and Harry only nodded.

Althea smiled warmly at him when she came into the room. "Good morning, Harry. How are you doing today?"

"Good," he told her, still swinging his legs around.

She smiled warmly. "Good. Today, I am going to check you over like we did last time, but this time I have some potions for you as well, okay?"

He nodded and stayed still, his eyes on Sirius as Thea checked his ears, his heart, his eyes, his back, his throat, and checked him all over. She weighed him, pleased that he was up to forty-three pounds, telling Sirius that was normal and pleased to see he had grown a full three inches. His eyes looked good she told him, no change in his sight, and she was pleased to see that he had a scraped knee and little normal bruises of a child who had been playing and having a good time.

She left to get the potions for his immunizations and returned a moment later with six different potions. She explained to Sirius what each one would do and promised Harry that if he drank all of them he would get a treat. The first one, which was to prevent Dragon Pox, made him burp purple smoke, and he giggled afterwards. The others: To prevent Scrofungulus, another to stop Vanishing Sickness, another for Spattergroit, a fifth one to strengthen his immune system against the Magical Flu, and finally a last one to prevent him from catching any Muggle ailments (anything from Whooping Cough to Measles to Chicken Pox) further strengthening his magical core. Harry drank them all slowly, only almost vomiting once over the Vanishing Sickness one, which caused steam to erupt from his ears.

Sirius told him how good of a job he did as Thea checked him over once more to make sure that potions had taken and then let him choose a lolly. Harry eagerly accepted an orange one, grinning at her.

Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head. "You did great, Prongslet!"

Harry grinned at him, happily eating his treat.

Thea smiled at him. "Everything looks great, Sirius. You're taking great care of him. His height and weight are averaging in the normal zone for a six-year-old-boy. Everything looks good and the signs of malnutrition are gone. Those potions will last until he's ten and then he'll have to another dose of them. I suggest getting them taken care of before he goes to Hogwarts."

Sirius smiled at her. "Thanks, Castellanos."

She nodded and said goodbye to Harry. Sirius put Harry's shirt back on as he ate his orange lolly, smiling before telling him that they were going to Diagon Alley next. They left the hospital and took the London Underground do Diagon Alley. They made a stop at Gringotts Wizarding Bank first and Sirius took with him the paperwork and important documents concerning his guardianship of Harry and the Black Family Estate, placing them in his vault. He showed Harry where his own vault was and what the key looked like, before placing it back in his wallet. Harry loved the cart ride down into the vaults, laughing and grinning the whole time.

After the bank, Sirius needed a few things from the Apothecary to restock his own first aid kit. He needed some more owl food for Persephone as well as some dog food for Marauder and he took Harry into Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop for some fireworks and other fun things to replace the products he had given to Fred and George the other day.

When they went into Flourish and Blotts, Sirius told Harry he could pick out one new book since he had been so good all day and had been such a good boy for the healer. When he turned the corner he almost ran headfirst into a tall stately woman wearing a rather ugly vulture on her hat.

He recognized her immediately and smiled. "Lady Cumbria — how are you?"

Augusta Longbottom stared at him for a moment. The vulture on her hat seeming to stare up at him as well, its beady and intense gaze making him a little uncomfortable and then she shook her head in surprise. "Sirius Black, I heard that you were finally released from prison."

"Innocent of all charges."

"Stupid Ministry, they never could make any decisions properly. The Auror Department needs to sort out its priorities and start arresting the people who need arresting and not tossing in good men like yourself."

Sirius nodded, rather flattered that she considered him to be a good man. "I agree. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I was actually just talking about you a few weeks back with Remus Lupin. He was telling me that you're raising Frank and Alice's little boy now. I'm terribly sorry for your loss, I only just heard what happened to them."

Mrs Longbottom nodded, her eyes sad. "They don't even really know who he is, you know, when we go and visit. It breaks my heart — but I want him to know his parents. He wants to go see them and his heart just bursts in joy when Alice and Frank hug him close, but I'm not sure if they know who he is either."

"I can't imagine," he said honestly as Harry hurried over to him with a book in his hand.

"This one please, Uncle Sirius!"

Sirius ruffled Harry's hair. "Sure, Prongslet. This is Lady Cumbria, Harry."

"Oh, piss-posh with the lady stuff — Mrs Longbottom is fine, Sirius," she said with a smile. "Hello to you, young man!"

"Say hi to Mrs Longbottom, Harry."

"Hello, Mrs Longbottom," he said politely.

Mrs Longbottom's eyes widened slightly at the name. "Is that — you're raising him then?"

"I am. Remus and I were discussing maybe getting him to meet your grandson. Is he here with you today?"

Mrs Longbottom shook her head. "No, he's out fishing with my brother Algie. But that sounds like a nice idea. Neville is awfully shy around other children. It would be nice to try to toughen him up a bit. I'm worried that he might be a Squib to be honest. He's so shy and reserved, hasn't shown the slightest bit of magic at all."

Sirius smiled at her. "Give him time, Mrs Longbottom. With parents like Frank and Alice, he's going to be a great wizard one day, don't you worry. I'll send you an owl one day next week and he can come over and play with Harry."

"That sounds lovely. I think James and Frank would have enjoyed it if their children were friends," she told him, a small smile on her face.

"I do too," Sirius told her.

He said goodbye and paid for the book that Harry wanted as well as two books on gardening that he was hoping could help him out with his yard ideas and a new cookbook. They stopped at the Owl Post Office next and Sirius sent their packages home with a delivery owl after placing a featherlight charm on everything. He didn't want to carry them through London.

They went through The Leaky Cauldron and into Muggle London next, Harry holding Sirius' hand as they stepped out onto the busy street.

"We have one more stop to make, Prongslet," Sirius told him.

Diagon Alley was only a short subway ride from his childhood home, but before they arrived there, Harry claimed he was tired, so Sirius let him crawl onto his back to piggyback ride him the rest of the ten minute walk from the station. When they stepped onto the familiar street of Claremont Square, Sirius could feel his gut clenching in anxiety.

It was the last place he wanted to be.

But it had been over a month now since the woman at the Ministry of Magic, Darcy Floras, had told him that he had inherited the house along with the entire Black Estate. Remus was right, he needed to do something with it and he needed to figure out what the hell to do with Kreacher. He couldn't leave the house elf alone in this dusty abandoned house with no one to speak with but his mother's nagging and insane portrait, but he didn't exactly want to take custody of him either.

"Who lives here?" Harry asked curiously as Sirius stepped up onto the porch and the house seemed to appear out of nowhere, squeezing itself into existence between numbers eleven and thirteen. "How did it do that?"

"I used to, Harry. And by magic of course," he said with a grin. He took a deep breath and placed his hand on the lock. The blood magic spell recognized him the same as before and the door opened and they stepped into the blackness.

Harry's grip tightened a little around Sirius' neck.

"It's alright, Prongslet," Sirius reassured him, knowing that Harry didn't like the darkness. He muttered 'lumos' and his wand illuminated the dark hall and the portrait on his left immediately began to scream.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU FILTHY DISGUSTING BLOOD TRAITOR! YOU COMPLETE DISGRACE OF THE BLACK FAMILY NAME! YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE!"

Sirius tugged the curtains closed to block out his mother's screams and made his way down the hall and down the steps into the kitchen. It was warmer in here, the gas lamps lit and Sirius sat Harry down on the kitchen table. He had a peculiar expression on his face.

"What is it, Prongslet?"

Harry reached for him, hugging him tightly. "I don't like it here."

Sirius kissed his cheek and hugged him close. "Me neither. I'm sorry that picture yelled at us. We won't be here too long, Harry. I just… there are some things that I need to do here, all right?"

Harry nodded and stayed sitting on the kitchen table, his hands folded in his lap.

Sirius walked around the kitchen for a moment. There was a decent amount of dust collecting around the room, he noticed, but for the most part, it didn't look that bad.

"KREACHER!" he yelled out.

With a loud crack, Kreacher appeared before him. Harry's mouth opened in surprise as he took in the ugly creature wearing a dirty toga, pinned with the Black Family Crest on his right shoulder.

"Master Sirius calls for Kreacher," he said, his voice full of disdain.

Sirius stared at him. "I was here a few months ago, Kreacher — why didn't you tell me that my mother was dead?"

"My poor mistress, how Kreacher misses her terribly — and now her disgraced son comes back into her house. Oh, my poor mistress," he groaned sadly.

"Kreacher, I asked you a question," he demanded.

Kreacher's eyes met his. "You did not ask me last time."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "I demand that you stop letting this house go to rot. Get back to work and make it clean and habitable again."

"Yes, Master Sirius."

He disappeared with a loud crack again.

Sirius let out a slow breath. He turned to Harry who was looking at the spot where Kreacher had just stood in confusion. "Harry, that was a house elf. Rich, wealthy, old families have them as servants in their homes. They cook and clean and take care of the household for the family. Kreacher is the house elf of the Black Family."

"But he doesn't come to our house and your name is Black?" Harry told him, looking up at his godfather in question.

Sirius shook his head. "No, we don't need him there."

Harry nodded. He stood up on the table where Sirius had sat him and walked over to the end, wrapping his arms around his godfather. "It's okay, Uncle Siri, don't be sad."

Sirius hugged the little boy, his heart melting a little. Harry sensed his emotions and that made him smile. "Thank you, Harry. I didn't like growing up here and coming back here makes me a little sad."

"Why is it so dark? It's like my cupboard and I can't see the sun!"

Sirius nodded. That was one of the many things that he didn't like about living in this place. It did seem like the sun was hidden in a large portion of the house — though it didn't help that his mother's decorating had included thick black velvet curtains so heavy to even move, let alone let in any sunlight.

"I know. Come on; let's go check out all of the rooms and see what surprises my dear mum left us."

He put Harry onto his back again and they left the kitchen and headed into the rooms on the first floor. The library and the study that belonged to his father were pretty decently taken care of, he noted. The living room and parlour were greatly neglected, the curtains full of so much dust that Sirius suspected they might be full of doxies. When they headed up the stairs, Harry gasped at the heads of the house elves hanging on the walls.

"Sorry, Harry, one of my relatives many years back decided that it was a good idea to cut off the heads of our former house elves after they had served us and mount them on the wall," he said in disgust. "There's going to be a lot of stuff in here that we might see that looks scary, but you are safe with me, all right?"

Harry kissed the top of Sirius' head. "I know."

He checked out the bedrooms; dusty and abandoned. He knew better than to start opening cupboards or dressers in any of the rooms. His parents were more than capable of hiding all sorts of dark artefacts or curses within furniture and objects and he didn't want to risk hurting Harry while he examined them. He finally made it up to his old room, pushing open the door.

It looked the same as when he had left it a few months ago.

"This used to be my bedroom, Harry, when I was little boy."

Harry jumped down and moved to sit on Sirius' bed as he looked around. "This is much nicer."

Sirius chuckled. It was by far the nicest room of the house in his opinion and only because he had made it so. The walls were still a dark black velvet as were most of the walls in the house making everything seem darker then it actually was, but he had lightened it by putting Gryffindor posters on the walls and his Muggle posters of naked girls and motorcycles.

"Uncle Padfoot?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Why do you have a naked girl on your ceiling?"

"Shit," he said covering Harry's eyes with his hand. "Don't look up there!"

"But I already saw it! And you said a bad word!" Harry protested, struggling to remove his godfather's hand. "She has very big boobies, Uncle Padfoot."

"Harry!" he exclaimed with a laugh, his eyes moving up to the topless blonde on the motorcycle poster he had pinned up on his ceiling when he had been fourteen.

"She does!" Harry insisted.

Sirius laughed and let go of his godson. He had already seen it anyway so what was the use, he thought. He had used permanent sticking charms on all of his posters so that his mother wouldn't be able to rip them down when he had been away at school. The trick about a permanent sticking charm was that it was permanent to every person except the one who cast it. He pulled his wand out and quickly floated all of his old posters down into a pile in his hands. Maybe he'd put them up in the shed where he kept his bike and his tools along with his other posters. He was still rather fond of these old posters, especially the blonde, who — as Harry had so eloquently told him — had big boobies.

The Gryffindor banner came down as well. He checked inside his closet next. When he had been released from prison, he had come and only taken the small suitcase of stuff that he originally brought with him after his fall out with Remus before everything went to shit. He was pretty sure everything else was gone from his room, but he checked the closet anyway and under his bed and in his dressers. Everything was empty. He shrunk the posters and the Gryffindor banner down and put them inside the empty school notebook he had left on his dresser. He checked his nightstand as well and found a pack of cigarettes that made him smile.

He hadn't smoked in years. He had thought it was cool and started when he was fourteen, mostly because it was a Muggle thing and it annoyed his parents; something he took pride in doing as much as possible when he had been home. Once he had moved in with the Potters, he quit. He hadn't liked the taste that much and a few of the girls he had snogged mentioned how much they didn't like it. But it had infuriated his mother so he kept it up, smoking a lot in his bedroom when they were home.

He pocketed the cigarettes to toss them and picked up Harry again. He glanced into his parents' bedroom briefly and then continued on his way until he stopped at his brother's door. He pushed it open, his eyes going to the yellowed newspaper clippings on the walls of Voldemort and his Death Eaters' attacks. He felt the familiar pang of regret. He had failed his little brother in so many ways and now he was dead.

He made his way back down the stairs and into the kitchen, stepping into the boiler room to look at the pile of blankets in the cupboard under the sink where Kreacher usually slept. His eyes fell on the glint of silver reflected in the gas lamp light and he reached towards it wondering why Kreacher had anything that was silver in his possession at all.

 _"You are a disgrace and you'll never amount to anything!" Walburga bellowed. "Crucio!"_

He jolted slightly at the memory, but then Harry's shout made him freeze.

"NO!" Harry exclaimed suddenly, grabbing his forehead. "Ow!"

Sirius slid Harry around his body, his eyes full of concern. "What is it, Harry? What hurt you?"

Harry was rubbing his scar, tears in his eyes. "It hurts."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. Harry had never once mentioned anything about his scar hurting before. He tugged Harry's hand away from his forehead. The scar was its usual soft pink, a perfect lightning bolt, but it didn't look inflamed or anything. He kissed it softly and Harry buried his face in Sirius' shoulder.

"It hurts, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius sat down on the floor, his hand brushing the locket and as he did so, Harry yelped, his hand grabbing his forehead again. Sirius looked at Harry in alarm and then his eyes moved back to the locket.

"Harry, Harry, look at me," he waited until the green eyes met his. "Does it hurt when I touch this?" He picked up the locket and Harry's eyes filled with pain.

"Put it down! Put it down! It's bad!" he shouted, tears in his eyes.

Sirius dropped the locket and stood up, cuddling Harry close and hurried out of the boiler room. As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, Harry seemed to calm down. He looked back into the room in confusion. Why would an old locket make Harry's scar hurt like that? It didn't make any sense.

He sat Harry down on the kitchen table. "Harry, I need to get that locket in there. It's very strange that it hurts you, so we can't leave it here if it's not safe. Okay?"

Harry looked terrified, his eyes wide as he shook his head desperately. "Don't go back in there! It's bad, Uncle Padfoot! It's bad!"

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead. "I know, Prongslet. It's going to be okay, I promise."

Harry rubbed his eyes and nodded solemnly.

Sirius stepped back into the boiler room and Harry Apparated in front of him, his hands stretched wide up and his eyes panicked.

"Uncle Siri, no — it's bad!"

Sirius, who had only just fought back the unmanly scream that tickled the back of his throat at Harry's sudden Apparation, scooped him up into his arms and held him close. "Prongslet, it's okay! I know you just want to keep me safe." He kissed him and carefully placed him back on the ground. "Back into the kitchen, okay? I'll be right back. I promise."

Harry stared up at him, his bottom lip trembling. His fingers gripped the doorframe tightly as he kept his eyes on Sirius the whole time.

Sirius nodded at Harry and turned around to pick up the locket just as Kreacher came bursting into the room.

"NO! That was Master Regulus'!"

Sirius looked down at the locket, his eyes meeting Kreacher's. "What is this, Kreacher? Why do you have it down here? Tell me!"

Kreacher burst into tears. "Master Regulus told me to destroy it! But — I — can't!"

"What do you mean, Kreacher?" Sirius asked him, turning the locket in his hand. It was old and bronze, ornate looking with a jewelled _S_ in the middle of in what looked like emeralds. It was held by a silver chain. "Why did Reg have this? Where did it come from? Why did he want you to destroy it? Tell me!"

Kreacher stared at him for a moment. "It belonged to the Dark Lord."

Sirius' eyes widened and he glanced back to the kitchen where Harry was waiting for him. "Kreacher, I am going to bring Harry home and then I am coming right back for this locket. You are going to tell me everything. Do not touch this locket. Do not leave this house. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Master Sirius."

Sirius dropped the locket back onto Kreacher's bed and hurried back into the kitchen, scooping Harry up into his arms as he stepped into the Floo, spinning home. He sat down on the couch, cuddling Harry onto his lap for a moment. "Harry, does your head still hurt?"

Harry shook his head. "I saw bad things."

Sirius' eyes glanced at him in alarm. "What do you mean by that, Harry?"

Harry kept his face buried against Sirius' chest as he spoke. "There was lots of green light and a woman screaming my name. I didn't like it, Uncle Padfoot. Then my head hurt. And I could feel Uncle Vernon hitting my head against the wall. I didn't like it at all!"

"Shh," Sirius soothed, kissing Harry's head and rocking gently with him in his arms. "It's okay. I'm here. You're safe." He kissed Harry's scar again, rocking him gently. He glanced up at the clock, it was almost dinner time. Once Harry had calmed down a bit, he smiled at him. "I need to go back to talk to Kreacher, Harry. Can you go over to Uncle Moony's for dinner?"

"Don't go there, Uncle Padfoot. Bad things are there," he said, his eyes wide.

Sirius smiled and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back later tonight, I promise."

He Flooed to Remus' house and dropped Harry off with his friend. He quickly explained that something had come up and that he would explain everything when he got back, but that he might need Harry to spend the night.

Remus' eyes narrowed, his gaze on his friend. "Is everything all right?"

Sirius sighed deeply. "Yeah, just… something strange. I'll tell you later. And Rem, Harry might need a little extra attention today, yeah?"

Remus only nodded. "No problem."

Then Sirius Disapparated and returned back to Number Twelve to interrogate a house elf.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to my Beta, Bex, for her advice on Harry's little accidental magic outburst there — Apparition. And thank you Bex for all of your hard work thus far — 33 chapters of the old stuff edited!_


	34. Chapter 34

_Author's Note:_

 _Something I've been wanting to add since the moment I decided that Sirius wasn't going to be raising Harry in Grimmauld Place._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the tale of Kreacher, that belongs to the lovely JKR from chapter ten of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR:**

 **Sirius Disapparated back to Number Twelve and made his way through the kitchen and into the boiler room.** He grabbed the locket and the image slammed into his mind of standing in the boiler room, chained to the wall as his mother performed the Cruciatus Curse on him. The memory was so strong that he stumbled and then it was gone and he was left with an intense feeling of unease, of unhappiness, and of uncertainty.

He locked eyes with his house elf's gaze. "Follow me."

Sirius took a seat at the kitchen table, dropping the locket onto it and examining it more closely.

It was on a long silver chain, rectangular and definitely a few centuries old from what he could tell. The S was definitely imprinted with emeralds and the front looked like bronze. He tried to open it and found it was completely sealed shut.

"Kreacher, where did Reg get this?" he demanded, his eyes still on the locket he was now holding.

"Kreacher is forbidden to tell."

Sirius took a slow and deep breath. He knew that house elf magic was very strong and that if his brother had forbidden him to tell him that he would have to word it very carefully if he was going to get the truth out of the elf. "What did Regulus forbid you to do, Kreacher?"

Kreacher shook his head, his ears twitching. "Master Regulus forbid Kreacher to tell his master and mistress what I did, what he did."

Sirius nodded, his mind thinking about the elf's words. What Kreacher did, what Regulus did, okay that was focused on a task. But he needed to know about the locket and technically at the time Kreacher had made the promise, Sirius hadn't been his master. "Kreacher, did Regulus forbid you tell _me_ about the locket?"

"No."

"Kreacher, I demand you tell me every single thing about this locket including where you got it and how you obtained it."

Kreacher hesitated, but seemed to accept Sirius' words. "From the cave that the Dark Lord put it in," he said and then he began to cry, huge sobs that wracked his body, shocking Sirius as he let out a loud blood curdling scream. "Kreacher did wrong! Kreacher failed to do what his master ordered of him!"

"What orders, Kreacher?"

"You were a bad boy, Master Sirius! You broke my Mistress's heart with your lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper order; he knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood. For years he talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns… and when he was sixteen years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. So proud, so happy to serve…"

"Yeah, and it got him killed, didn't it?" Sirius exclaimed in anger, his eyes flashing and his heart hurting.

He wished that he had done right by his brother. If he had made more of an effort with him maybe he would still be alive. Maybe he wouldn't have been a Death Eater in his fifth year at school, at only sixteen years old.

He stared at Kreacher. "What happened after Reg joined the Death Eaters, Kreacher?"

Kreacher began to rock back and forth now as he spoke. "A year after he joined, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said… he said… he said that the Dark Lord required an elf. And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honour, said Master Regulus, an honour for him and for Kreacher, who must be sure to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do… and then to c-come home."

Kreacher rocked still faster, his breath coming in sobs. "So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher what they were to do, but took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea. And beyond the cave was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great black lake… There was a boat… there was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The D-Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it…"

The elf quaked from head to foot.

"Kreacher drank, and as he drank he saw terrible things… Kreacher's insides burned… Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed… He made Kreacher drink all the potion… He dropped a locket into the empty basin… He filled it with more potion. And then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island… Kreacher needed water, he crawled to the island's edge and he drank from the black lake… and hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under the surface…"

Sirius stared at him for a moment. Dead hands in a lake, it sounded like Inferi. "How did you get home, Kreacher?" Sirius asked, his voice kind. He couldn't imagine the horrors that elf had gone through all because his stupid brother had decided to give him over to Voldemort.

Kreacher raised his ugly head and looked at Sirius with his great, bloodshot eyes. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," he said.

Sirius nodded in understanding. Voldemort wouldn't have considered the magic of the house elf at all. He had expected the house elf to die in the cave, but Regulus had ordered Kreacher to return home after his task so he had.

"What happened when you returned to Grimmauld Place, Kreacher? What did Reg say when you told him what happened?"

"Master Regulus was very worried, very worried," croaked Kreacher. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house. And then… it was a little while later… Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell… and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord… "

Sirius felt his blood go cold. But for the first time in years, he realized that Regulus hadn't entirely followed his parents' beliefs. He had questioned something that Voldemort was doing and he knew immediately that it was this that had gotten his brother killed.

"Did you take him to the cave, Kreacher?" he asked carefully, already dreading knowing the answer.

Kreacher nodded. "Kreacher knew how to open the concealed entrance to the underground cavern, knew how to raise the tiny boat: This time it was his beloved Regulus who sailed with him to the island with its basin of poison. M-Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had," said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snout-like nose. "And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets…" Kreacher's sobs came in great rasps now. "And he ordered — Kreacher to leave — without him. And he told Kreacher — to go home — and never to tell my Mistress – what he had done – but to destroy – the first locket. And he drank – all the potion – and Kreacher swapped the lockets – and watched… as Master Regulus… was dragged beneath the water… and…"

Sirius paled, standing up now. His brother had been pulled beneath the water and killed by Inferi. He hadn't been murdered by Death Eaters. He dragged his hands through his hair, his eyes on the sobbing house elf. His brother had betrayed his brethren; he had been trying to do something good. What the hell was in that locket, Sirius wondered.

He spun around to stare at Kreacher. "So you brought the locket home and you tried to destroy it like Regulus asked of you?"

"Nothing Kreacher did made any mark upon it," moaned the elf. "Kreacher tried everything, everything he knew, but nothing, nothing would work! So many powerful spells upon the casing, Kreacher was sure the way to destroy it was to get inside it, but it would not open… Kreacher punished himself, he tried again, he punished himself, he tried again. Kreacher failed to obey orders, Kreacher could not destroy the locket! And his mistress was mad with grief, because Master Regulus had disappeared and Kreacher could not tell her what had happened, no, because Master Regulus had f-f-forbidden him to tell his mistress what happened in the c-cave…" Kreacher began to sob so hard that there were no more coherent words.

Sirius simply stared at him. He didn't know what to say. He had a sudden urge to comfort the elf who had been kind to him when he had been a child, but he didn't know how. Instead he closed his eyes as he spoke. "Kreacher, you did not fail Regulus."

Kreacher's bloodshot eyes met Sirius'. "I failed to destroy it! Those were his last orders to Kreacher and Kreacher did not succeed!"

Sirius stared at the locket on the table. "You did not fail him. You are instead passing on the task to me. Do you understand?"

Kreacher merely nodded, sniffling. "Yes, Master Sirius."

Sirius' eyes found the locket again. "Kreacher, do you know what is inside of that locket?"

Kreacher shook his head. "Kreacher does not know. Master Regulus did not tell him and Kreacher could not open it no matter how hard Kreacher tried."

Sirius nodded and offered a small smile for the house elf. Kreacher had been kind to him when he had been a child but the moment that he had decided to defy his parents, he had turned on him. He had been the one to tell Walburga and Orion when he had done something he shouldn't have: Playing with the Muggles in the street, corresponding with Muggleborns, telling Regulus about his blood traitor friends… But Kreacher had adored Regulus and Regulus had always been nice to him. He knew that not being able to fulfill the dying wish of his brother must have been eating Kreacher alive for years.

"Kreacher, you did good telling me of this. Giving me the locket was the right decision. Regulus would have been very proud of you."

Kreacher's lip trembled as he sobbed. "Thank you, Master Sirius! Thank you!"

Sirius nodded, still unsure of his thoughts on the elf. "Go on now and get back to work to clean this place up. I want it spotless and I want it completely free of all dark magic and any household creatures that have made themselves comfortable here. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Sirius."

Kreacher hurried off and Sirius picked up the locket, sliding it into his pocket. He felt queer almost instantly; sad and melancholic. Memories of his time being punished by his parents seemed to just be floating across the surface of his mind, but they didn't overcome him like they had when he had first touched it.

He threw Floo powder into the kitchen fire and appeared a few moments later in McGonagall's office.

He smiled at Bill Weasley who was sitting in front of McGonagall's desk.

"Sirius," he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I could say the same thing. Not in detention?"

Bill smiled, his quill tapping on the parchment in front of him. "Professor McGonagall is helping me with some extra credit work. I asked her to give me some extra challenges as I've decided that I want to be a curse breaker."

"That's brilliant, good for you!" Sirius told him honestly. "A job full of adventure, I'm sure."

Bill grinned widely. "That's what I'm hoping. Anyway, she just stepped out for a minute."

Sirius nodded just as McGonagall stepped back into her office. "Minnie!"

"Sirius, what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"Bill and I were just discussing his curse-breaking ambitions," he told her with a grin. "Actually, ironic — as I have found a cursed object that I can't seem to figure out." He tugged the locket from his pocket. "Is Albus around?"

McGonagall nodded, her eyes looking at the locket in curiosity. "Yes, he should be in his office. Go on up, the password is orange fizzy."

Sirius smiled, said goodbye to her and Bill, and made his way up to the West Tower and to Dumbledore's office. He headed up the moving staircase, the locket back in his pocket and he knocked on Dumbledore's door.

"Come in," Dumbledore said and Sirius stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Dumbledore's quill moved briskly across the desk and he held a finger up as he finished what he was writing. Then he looked up and smiled at Sirius. "Sirius, what a nice surprise, please have a seat."

Sirius sat down across from him and smiled. "Sorry to bother you, but you were the only person that I could think of coming to with this."

Dumbledore smiled warmly, his kind eyes looking over his half-moon spectacles. "Well, then I am quite honoured and hope that I can be of help to you."

"What do you know about scars left over by dark magic?"

Dumbledore's eyebrow rose slightly. "Well, they never fade; they are quite permanent as I'm sure you already know."

"Do they ever hurt?"

Dumbledore tilted his head slightly. "Are you telling me that young Harry's scar is hurting him?"

Sirius nodded and reached into his pocket to pull out the locket. "My mother died last year and I was informed that as Head of the Black Family - I had inherited the Black Family Estate. I took Harry there today to see it and to try to figure out what I want to do with it, something that I've been putting off. Our house elf, Kreacher, had this locket in his bed. My first thought was why would an elf be hoarding a necklace as my mother would never have allowed him to have it in his possession in the first place. When I stepped towards it, Harry started crying out in pain and clutching at his scar. When I touched the necklace, the pain seemed to get worse for him. And… he said he saw green light and he heard a woman screaming."

Dumbledore looked slightly alarmed now as Sirius placed the locket on the desk in front of him. "Did you feel anything yourself when you touched it?"

Sirius nodded. "A little off; like my emotions were being taken over. I was angry and sad, remembering some of my worst moments of being in that house. But… Harry seemed terrified, Albus."

"I have never heard of anyone having a cursed scar that hurt them in anyway, but Harry is quite unique. No one else has ever survived the killing curse before," Dumbledore said simply and almost to himself. "But since this necklace gave you a bad feeling as well, I think maybe it just affected Harry differently; forced him to relive the memory of how he was given the scar and the brutal nature of it made it seem like his scar was hurting when in reality, it was just the memory of it."

Sirius paled a little. "You mean — fuck! Excuse my language, Albus, but I didn't even put two and two together, I was just focusing on making sure that Harry was alright, but… he was fucking remembering when his parents were killed and the green light… Merlin!"

Dumbledore smiled sympathetically. "I think so, yes."

Sirius was quiet for a moment. "I tried to open it, but I couldn't. It belonged to Voldemort, Albus."

"What did you just say?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes hardening.

Sirius quickly relayed the story about how he found the locket and how Kreacher had told him about Regulus' role in obtaining it. "I don't know what it is, Albus, but if Voldemort felt the need to hide it in a cave with all of these dark spells and Inferi surrounding it… nothing it contains within it can be good."

"And Kreacher tried to destroy it?" Dumbledore asked, thinking deeply.

Sirius nodded, his eyes on Dumbledore. He could see his old professor's mind working hard behind his eyes and he wondered if he had any ideas at all about what the locket could possibly contain. "He said that he tried everything that he could think of and house elves are very powerful beings If he couldn't even get it open then maybe it really is for the best that it stays closed."

Dumbledore stood up then and walked across the room to the fireplace, throwing in Floo powder. "Severus, please come to my office immediately."

A moment later, Snape stepped out of the fire and made his way over to them. He sneered at the sight of Sirius. "Is Black here to make a complaint about the potion I so kindly brewed for him?"

"No, the potion was great. It worked wonders. Thank you," Sirius said sincerely, surprising Snape into silence.

"No, Severus, it is about this locket he found. It belonged to Voldemort."

Snape's eyes widened slightly and he stepped over to the desk to examine it. "I have never seen this before."

"Why would you have ever —" Sirius trailed off, his eyes going wide. "You did join him, didn't you?" He swore under his breath. "You bloody prick — and you! How can you allow a former Death Eater to work here? To teach the students here!"

" _Former_ is the right word, Sirius," Dumbledore said calmly. "Severus became a spy for me almost two years before Voldemort's downfall, at great personal risk to himself. I would trust him with my life."

Sirius only stared at Snape in suspicion. "A spy? _Why?_ What on earth would make you suddenly decide to stop supporting your precious Dark Lord?"

"Your brother's Dark Lord and your friend Pettigrew's too — don't you forget!"

Sirius glared at him. "Reg knew that he made a mistake! He's the one who stole this from Voldemort and tried to destroy it! He got himself killed for it!"

Snape's eyes widened slightly and he looked back at the locket. "But you don't know what it is?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, and it can't be opened."

Snape was quiet for a moment as he silently examined the locket. "It must have had some form of great personal meaning to the Dark Lord. I do not know what. But I do know that the Dark Lord asked us for a house elf and Regulus offered his own. After that day, Regulus seemed quite different, not as devoted and not as… interested in what the Dark Lord had to say or wanted to do. When the Dark Lord started working more intensely on his experiments, Regulus became even more withdrawn from him. When he disappeared, we all had assumed that the Dark Lord had killed him or disposed of him in some way for his insubordination and disloyalty."

"What experiments?" Sirius asked, his eyes on Snape.

Snape shrugged. "I never knew. He didn't tell us. But he mentioned more than once that mortality was fickle and stupid and that to truly be the greatest wizard of all time, achieving immortality would be an amazing feat. I remember a few of us laughed and told him that he already was the greatest wizard of all time. He never said anything more on the subject."

Dumbledore nodded. "Immortality… Tom always did have an interest in it, even when he was in school here."

"Albus, do you know what it is?" Sirius asked.

Dumbledore shook his head, his eyes on the locket. "I do not." He stared at the locket for a moment seemingly lost in thought.

Sirius met Snape's gaze, but he looked as bewildered as Sirius felt. Finally Dumbledore spoke up.

"Sirius, do you mind if I keep it here, locked away, until we can decide exactly what this is?"

"Please, I don't want it anywhere near Harry or myself. Do you think that we can figure out how to destroy it?"

"I don't know. At the moment, I think leaving it locked away is the safest bet until we have any idea of what might be inside of it," Dumbledore explained. "Dark magic is unpredictable and if just the influence of it being around you is causing these memories and to influence your very emotions, I don't think it's merely a simple curse inside of it."

"Do you have any idea what _could_ be inside of it?" Snape asked, his eyes on the locket as Dumbledore locked it in a small Chinese ornamental box, locking it again in a second box and then placing it in a small vault behind one of the many portraits in his office.

"Each thought is more unbelievable than the last," Dumbledore told them honestly, locking the vault and sealing the portrait behind it. "I think leaving it locked up is the best course of action for now."

Sirius nodded, standing up. "I think that's a good idea. Let me know if you figure it out."

"I will. Thank you, Severus, I'd like a moment with Sirius before he goes."

Snape nodded and headed out, closing the office door behind him.

"You really trust him after he was a Death Eater, honestly?" Sirius asked, his eyes watching Dumbledore closely.

Dumbledore didn't speak until the staircase had reached the bottom and Snape was gone. Then he turned around, holding his hands in front of him. "I know that you did not get along well with Severus when you were at school here, but I do trust him, and it would do good for you to trust him as well. He was a loyal member of the Order of the Phoenix for almost two years _before_ James and Lily Potter were killed. He gave us valuable information. I won't tell you why he turned spy, only that he has his own regrets to live with."

Sirius simply nodded. He understood that, but it didn't mean that he had to like Snape any more than he already did. "All right."

"Sirius, I want you to keep me informed if Harry's scar ever hurts him again."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "So you _do_ think it's suspicious?"

Dumbledore hesitated before he spoke. "I don't understand it therefore I am always slightly suspicious. Harry is the only known survivor of the killing curse, Sirius, and what we know about what happened that night is only speculation as Harry was too young to tell us. But cursed scars can sometimes leave traces of magic in them and maybe that is affecting Harry in some way. I do not know, this is random conjecture as I have no definitive proof of what I am saying. Maybe Harry only psychologically felt the pain when being in proximity of the locket and it brought back the memory of how he obtained it. I do not know. But just in case, I think it's important that we pay attention to any pain he may feel in it again if he even ever does at all."

Sirius nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Agreed. Thanks for taking that thing off my hands. I didn't know what to do with it, but I thought that if house elf magic hadn't been able to open it and destroy it, that it might not be something I should be messing around with. If you do figure out what it is and have an idea on how to destroy it, Albus, call me first, yeah? I want to help."

Dumbledore smiled, nodding. "Of course I will. But I can tell you right now, I have no plans of attempting to open it in the near future."

Sirius grinned. "Wise choice." He grabbed a handful of Floo powder from the jar next to the fireplace. "See you later."

Dumbledore stared at the empty fire for a moment, his eyes drifting to the locked vault and his mind deep in thought. There was a lot of questions there and he planned on finding out the answers, even if it took years for him to do so.


	35. Chapter 35

_Author's Note:_

 _Hope you liked that little surprise of finding a Horcrux early on. But I have my ideas and plans locked away — so just you wait. Right now it is safe with Dumbledore who no, has no idea what it is he is in possession of._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to the song, that once again belongs to The Beatles._

 _Thank you for your continued support and thank you very much for reading; please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:**

 **Sirius appeared back at Grimmauld Place and Kreacher immediately hurried into the room, beaming at him with such a friendly smile on his ugly face that Sirius was taken aback.** He couldn't remember the last time that Kreacher had ever looked even remotely happy to see him.

"Master Sirius is home! Should I prepare dinner?"

Sirius looked at the elf in surprise and he shook his head. "No, Kreacher. I just came to tell you that the locket is being taken care of. That you don't have to worry about it any more."

Kreacher nodded in relief, his shoulders visibly relaxed. "Thank you, Master Sirius."

"Kreacher," Sirius began, kneeling down to look the elf in the eyes. "I don't live here anymore and I don't plan on coming back to live here anymore."

Kreacher looked crestfallen. "But how will Kreacher serve the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black if the young master is not here for Kreacher to serve?"

Sirius smiled a little. He had forgotten how nice Kreacher could be when he wasn't disappointing his dear mother, who Kreacher quite literally had worshipped the ground that she had walked on. "I don't know what I am going to do with this house, Kreacher. But I do not want to live here. I am living at Black Cottage in Devon with my godson, Harry Potter. I will stay there because I like it better."

"Would Master Sirius like Kreacher to come there and serve him and young Master Harry?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, thank you. Harry and I are doing quite all right on our own. But I would like you to take care of _this_ house for me. Keep it clean. Keep it habitable. Make sure it is safe which means no dark curses and no dark objects of any kind. Do you understand?"

Kreacher nodded. "Yes, Master Sirius."

"I'll come check up on you once a week. If I need you for anything else, I'll call for you. You can check in when you'd like as well, but I don't need you to take care of Black Cottage."

Kreacher nodded eagerly. "Yes, Master Sirius."

He watched the elf hurry off and he let out a deep breath. He was slightly relieved that Kreacher seemed to have forgiven him enough to obey him without disdain, but he still didn't want the elf to be serving him on a daily basis. It was better that he stay here and take care of the house.

He Disapparated to Remus' and found his friend tucking Harry into bed. He glanced at his watch in surprise, he hadn't realized that it was so late.

"Uncle Padfoot!" Harry exclaimed, jumping up onto his bed.

Remus turned to smile at Sirius. "I was beginning to think we weren't going to see you."

Sirius kissed Harry goodnight and they both tucked him in. Sirius put the usual fairy lights on the ceiling and Harry sighed in contentment, snuggling with Marauder in his bed. Sirius closed the door halfway before he headed into Remus' kitchen, opening the cupboard and taking down a bottle of Firewhiskey. He poured two fingers into a glass and downed it before he poured himself a second one.

Remus merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"Trust me, I needed that," Sirius told him, closing the bottle and putting it back into the cupboard. "Do you have any food?"

Remus nodded and gestured to the plate on the counter. "It has a warming charm on it for you."

"Thanks," Sirius said gratefully as he dug into the pasta Remus had made for dinner. He hadn't realized how hungry he was either.

Remus walked over to the counter and put on the kettle, taking his time as he made himself a cup of tea. Sirius wolfed down the pasta with enthusiasm, cleaning his plate and putting it in the sink as he downed the rest of his whiskey.

Remus silently poured him a cup of tea as well. Sirius accepted the cup from his friend and with it in his hand he headed into the living room. He muttered 'muffliato' under his breath so that Harry wouldn't be able to make out any of the words he and Remus were saying before he took a seat.

Remus sat down next to him. "So what's going on?"

"How was Harry when I left?" Sirius asked, taking a small sip of hot tea.

Remus shrugged, putting his arm across the back of the couch and turning so that he could look at his friend. "A little withdrawn and kind of clingy at the same time to be honest. He sat on my lap the entire night and made me read him stories. He didn't say much except that Healer made him drink gross potions and then she gave him an orange lolly. When we ate dinner, he wanted to be right next to me the whole time. Every time I got up to grab something, he would follow me, his hand touching my arm or my hip, as if he needed the contact."

"Did he say what happened?"

Remus shook his head. "No. He just said that he missed his mummy and daddy. I held him and I kissed him and I told him how much they loved him. Is he okay, Sirius? Did something happen to him today?"

Sirius sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. "After his appointment, I had some errands to run in Diagon Alley, then we went to my mother's house. I figured it's less than a fifteen minute ride on the tube from there so I had no excuse to avoid going. You've been bugging me to go and I finally decided that today was the day. Anyway, it looked the same, dark and depressing, but I saw this locket in the boiler room where Kreacher sleeps and when I got close to it… Harry started saying that his scar hurt."

"His scar?" Remus exclaimed, his eyes widening. "What does that mean? Has this happened before?"

"No never," he told him. "It's never bothered him, even when I found him in his crib with his head bleeding, the cut didn't bother him. Thea said that she sensed a little magic from it on the diagnostic scan, but it was a cursed scar from dark magic, so she expected that. But it doesn't hurt him. It's unique to Harry."

Sirius quickly explained what had happened in Grimmauld Place, what Kreacher had told him, and how he had then brought the locket to Dumbledore, who called for Snape. He explained how Snape apparently had secretly been working as a spy for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, giving information on Voldemort and his Death Eaters for two years before Voldemort's downfall.

Remus simply stared at him. "That is a lot to take in. How are you holding up?" he asked, reaching out to squeeze his friend's arm. "I know you still blame yourself for Regulus."

"I don't blame myself, blame myself," Sirius said carefully. "I just wish that I had done more to get him out of there. When Mum kicked me out, I should have taken him with me to James'. Fee and Monty would have taken him in without question."

"He wouldn't have gone with you, Padfoot," Remus said carefully.

"You don't know that," Sirius insisted, glaring at his friend. "He was only fourteen and… I could have kept him safe."

Remus slid across the couch and wrapped an arm around his friend. "You did what you could for him. You made yourself available at school and he chose to shut you out. He chose to stay with your parents. You tried, Sirius."

"Maybe I didn't try hard enough," he said as tears welled up in his eyes. "He was a hero, Moony. I've been thinking all these years that he… that he was killed by Voldemort's inner circle for being a coward or for failing to do something that was asked of him, but he knew _something_ about Voldemort. He knew something important and he tried to do something about it; he tried to do the right thing — and he died for it."

Remus nodded, hugging his friend close. "He was a hero and I know that it doesn't change the fact that he's dead, but it does change how you remember him, Sirius. He was your little brother and in the end, he realized that you were right. He realized that he had made a mistake and don't think for one moment that what he was doing wasn't for you. He idolized you. When you walked out of that house the first thing you did was make sure that he knew you didn't leave him behind."

Sirius nodded, hugging Remus close as tears poured down his cheeks. As he grieved for the little brother that he had lost so many years ago, who he had tried to save but who had pushed him away.

 _Sirius stood on the street corner of Claremont Square across from Number Twelve, his hands shoved in his pockets as he waited for his little brother to step outside. Every Thursday at three o'clock, without fail, Regulus would head out and walk to the subway station and take the tube to Diagon Alley. Walburga and Orion had no idea that he used the Muggle transportation system as they would be beyond furious if they ever found out._

 _But Regulus had always been fascinated by it._

 _Sirius had shown him how to use it after his first year at Hogwarts and he loved putting the coins in the slot and just travelling around on the subway system. It was how Sirius knew he would be heading out that Thursday afternoon, Regulus was anything if not predictable._

 _He only waited fifteen minutes before he saw his brother's skinny frame slip out the front door. He waited until he was almost in front of him before he spoke, making the boy jump in alarm._

 _"Reg."_

 _Regulus turned, his eyes wide. "Siri, what are you doing here? If Mum or Dad sees you —"_

 _"They won't. They never look out into the street," he said, dragging his fingers through his hair. "I just… I wanted to make sure that you were okay."_

 _Regulus shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "They're not angry with me."_

 _Sirius nodded and gestured for his brother to keep walking as they spoke. "Did Mum really blast my name off of the family tree?"_

 _"Yep. There's a big burn mark on the wall and the tapestry."_

 _Sirius nodded as he draped an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Probably looks more evened out now, you know the burn marks more spread out now that it's me and Andy who have both been properly disowned."_

 _Regulus half-smiled. "You shouldn't joke, Siri."_

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _"Where are you staying?" Regulus asked, looking up at Sirius beneath his long lashes._

 _"With James. His parents are the best and they told me that I can stay there as long as I want."_

 _Regulus nodded. "Mum cried after she blasted your name off the tapestry."_

 _Sirius looked at his brother in surprise. "She what?" he asked in shock. He couldn't have imagined his mother had actually been upset to see him go._

 _"She did. Father told her that angry tears weren't going to stop you from being any more of a disappointment to them and that if the Black family name was going to live up to its reputation of an Ancient and Noble House that I would have to step up into the role of first son."_

 _Sirius looked sad. "Reg, I'm sorry. I know that by me leaving I just walked away and left you with even more responsibility than you want. But I couldn't stay there — you know that."_

 _Regulus nodded, his eyes on the ground. "I told Mum it was her fault. That she drove you away."_

 _"Reggie," he said quietly, urging his brother to look up at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you behind, you know that, right?"_

 _"Mum said that you did. She said that you only care about your blood traitor friends and the filthy Mudbloods you hang around with. She said that I was the good son, the faithful son, who wouldn't make stupid decisions and stick my cock into Mudbloods and filthy Muggle whores like you do."_

 _Sirius snorted at that. His mother had caught him shagging a neighbouring Muggle girl in his bedroom over the Christmas holidays last year and she had lost her shit. Sirius had had to smuggle her out quickly for her own safety, kissing her goodbye and promising to talk to her later. He had only brought her home with him in the first place to piss off his mother, and, if he was honest; it had been worth it. "Reg, do you remember what I told you a few summers ago about blood?"_

 _"Everyone bleeds red."_

 _Sirius nodded. "Exactly. Blood is red, Regulus. Every person bleeds red and that blood looks the same. It doesn't matter what our parentage is. I'm not any better than James just because he's what our parents deem a blood traitor despite the fact that he is a pureblood nor is James any better than Remus the half-blood nor is Remus any better than Lily or Mary who are Muggleborns. It's about who we are as people not what our bloodline says. I'm sometimes ashamed that it took me so long to fully grasp that; to understand why our parents are wrong."_

 _Regulus swallowed slowly as they turned down the street and headed towards the subway station. "Mum says that the Dark Lord is going to fix the world; to make it better."_

 _Sirius scowled. "This so-called Dark Lord is not going to make the world better. He wants to rid the world of everyone who isn't a pureblood. He's a genocidal maniac. Look at what's been happening the last few years, nothing good is going to come out of following Voldemort. People are dying."_

 _"Mum said cousin Bella knows him. That he's generous and kind and that he knows how to make the world better," Regulus continued on as if Sirius hadn't even spoken. "When I asked why we should trust him, Mum used the Cruciatus on me for daring to question her."_

 _Sirius sighed and hugged his brother. "I'm sorry, I wasn't there to stop her."_

 _Regulus pushed him away, his eyes flashing in anger. "No! You weren't there, Sirius! You left and now Mum says that I have to marry Alecto Carrow when I turn seventeen! I have to continue the Black Family line and I have to…" he trailed off, his eyes sad. "I have to follow cousin Bella and listen to what she tells me. That the Dark Lord will reward all those who serve him."_

 _"Reg, I'm so sorry," Sirius said desperately. "You don't have to do what Mum tells you. You can stand up to her."_

 _Regulus rounded on him. "I can stand up to her? What, like you did? I will not be punished by her for disobedience! I will not make YOUR mistakes! I am in Slytherin! I am now the sole heir to the Black Family Estate and I am the RIGHTFUL son! You are the moron who threw all of that away and for what? Your bloody morals?"_

 _Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets. "Aye, I did. And one day, I hope you'll realize that those morals are the most important thing I could have thrown it all away for." He nodded towards the entrance to the tube. "I'll leave you here. But Reggie, I will always be your big brother. If you ever need anything, anything at all, even to just talk, I will always be here for you. Always. Don't forget that."_

 _Regulus simply stared at him and then nodded, turning his back and heading into the station, leaving Sirius alone on the crowded London street, lost in his thoughts._

"He never forgave me, Moony, not really," Sirius admitted. "We spoke very little after that day. It was Rosier who told me that Regulus had joined the Death Eaters."

"I remember," Remus said quietly.

He remembered the day very strongly. The four of them had been sitting in the clocktower courtyard towards the end of seventh year when Rosier had marched over, sneering. He had insulted Mary McDonald who Remus had been dating at the time, called her a Mudblood. Sirius had stood up, threatening him and Rosier had simply blurted it out.

 _"Piss off Black, just because your little brother went and signed up for the right side doesn't mean that I'm going to stop being disgusted by the filth that I see walking around this school!"_

 _Sirius had paled. "What did you just say?"_

 _Rosier sneered. "Ask your little brother where his loyalties lie."_

It taken Sirius ten minutes to find his brother and to get the truth out of him. He had punched a hole through their dormitory wall after that and James and Remus had held him down as he cried and screamed at his brother's betrayal; at how it was all his fault that he had chosen to follow Voldemort, how he never should have left home, but had stayed and let his mother keep torturing him to keep Regulus safe — and when Peter had come in after detention and heard about what had happened, he had joined the group hug. He hadtold Sirius that Regulus was old enough to choose for himself now and that it wasn't his fault.

But Remus knew that his friend had never quite forgiven himself.

"I'm proud of him," Sirius admitted, pulling away from Remus and reaching for his tea. "His heart was in the right place. I just wish that he had come to me first. Maybe I could have helped him… maybe he'd still be alive."

Remus nodded. "I know." He squeezed Sirius' arm in reassurance. "But now that you know the truth, does it make it hurt any less?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, not any less, but I'm fucking proud of him. He was a hero and I'm going to make sure that the world knows that one day."

Remus smiled. "Good." He glanced up at the clock. "It's after one, you might as well just crash here. You're exhausted. The couch is quite comfortable."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "No thanks, I'll sleep with Harry."

Remus smiled, standing up and stretching. "I'll make us a big breakfast tomorrow. Maybe we can —" he stopped talking at the sound of the scream that came from Harry's bedroom.

Remus and Sirius both ran into the room, both rushing to Harry and sitting on either side of the bed, arms wrapped around him instantly as Marauder barked, rubbing his head by Harry's back to comfort him as Sirius and Remus each held him.

Sirius was relieved to find him awake. The last time that Harry had screamed like that in his sleep, Sirius hadn't been able to wake him up and it had terrified him. Now Harry clung to both of them, his little body trembling with whatever fears his nightmare had brought forth to him.

"Shh," Sirius soothed, kissing Harry's head as Remus did the same from the other side of him. "Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony are right here, Prongslet, we're right here."

Harry sobbed into their arms, clinging to them both, his eyes dark with fear. "There was a bad man and he was yelling," he cried, his small hands fisting in their shirts. "A woman was screaming my name and he hurt her and then there was a green light and I was all alone. I'm always all alone in the dark!"

"Shh," Sirius soothed, kissing him again. "You're not alone, Harry. We're right here."

"We're right here, little Prongs," Remus told him as they hugged and rocked the child in reassurance.

Sirius' eyes met Remus' over Harry. He knew that his friend was thinking the same thing. Harry had dreamed about the night Voldemort had killed his parents and he had no idea that his parents' death was what he was dreaming about. Neither one of them planned to inform him of this either. It wouldn't benefit him in any way to know that.

"It was just a bad dream, Harry," Sirius said, rubbing his back. "I'm here and Uncle Moony is here and Marauder is here. We love you and we're right here."

Harry seemed to calm down a little at that and he turned his head towards Sirius, burying his face into Sirius' neck. "Sing to me, Uncle Padfoot."

Remus smiled, pushing Harry fully into Sirius' arms as Sirius began to lightly sing.

" _Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise. Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free. Blackbird fly, blackbird fly into the light of the dark black night_."

Harry was soothed by the song as he clung to Sirius, Remus gently rubbing his back as the child drifted off to sleep. Marauder had calmed down as well and was curled up on the end of the bed, eyes watching Sirius and Harry calmly.

Remus stood up, kissing Harry's head. "He'll be all right."

Sirius nodded, tucking the child into the bed. "Can I borrow some pyjama pants?"

Remus smiled, returning a few moments later with a pair of striped pyjama bottoms. Sirius stripped off his shirt and jeans and changed into the pants before he climbed into bed with Harry, smiling when Remus climbed into the other side. Marauder only lifted his head at the intrusion before settling himself down again at the end of the bed. Sirius pulled Harry close to him, cradling him over his heart, Remus' hands on the child's back, stroking soothingly, and soon they had both drifted off to sleep with the child in their arms and the dog at their feet.


	36. Chapter 36

_Author's Note:_

 _Here's our favourite new friend and here's a steamy birthday._

 _Enjoy!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:**

 **Harry forgot all about his nightmare the next morning.** He had been happy to wake up in the bed between Sirius and Remus, the feel of them so close was reassuring to him in ways that he couldn't explain. The three of them ate breakfast together in Remus' brightly lit kitchen and then Sirius and Harry went home. Sirius took a shower and Harry got dressed for the day, brushing his teeth before going downstairs to wait for Remus to come over and teach him for school.

Sirius was glad that Harry didn't remember his dream and he was very thankful as well that Harry hadn't realized what it was that his nightmare was truly about. He didn't want Harry to have those kinds of memories of his parents. Only good memories would suffice in his opinion.

He said goodbye to Harry and Remus and hopped on his bike, driving into London. He stopped in to check on Kreacher and see his progress on the house, letting the elf know to leave all of the objects he found in the room with the family tapestry. Sirius wanted to inspect everything before he threw it out or donated it to anyone.

He had a few other errands to run and then headed back to the house. He wrote a quick letter to Augusta Longbottom inviting her grandson Neville to the house for the next Saturday afternoon. He had a feeling that Neville and Harry would hit it off quite well together and then he headed outside to dig up the disaster of a flower bed that he had attempted to plant at the beginning of the summer.

Until he knew what he was doing with his yard, everything must go.

By the time Harry and Remus were heading into the kitchen for lunch, he was ready for a much needed break himself and he smiled warmly as Harry told him all about his morning and what he had learned that day.

When Saturday came around, he finally got word back from Mrs Longbottom that she and Neville would be arriving just after one, and he told Harry that he had a new friend coming over for the day.

"A new friend?" Harry asked in interest as he threw the frisbee across the yard for Marauder.

Sirius nodded. "Yes. His name is Neville. His parents, Frank and Alice, your parents and Uncle Remus and I knew them. They were friends of ours. His grandmother is going to bring him by after lunch. You remember his grandmother, we met her the other day at Flourish and Blotts, Mrs Longbottom?"

Harry wrinkled his nose. "The lady with the scary bird on her head?"

Sirius laughed. It was a pretty accurate description he thought. "Yes, her. She says Neville's a bit shy, but you can show him your treehouse and introduce him to Marauder."

Harry nodded, smiling. "Okay."

Three hours later when Augusta Longbottom arrived by Floo, scary bird hat perched on her head, Harry smiled warmly at the little boy with her. He had blondish brown hair and a round face with chubby cheeks. He was a little shorter than Harry and his blue eyes were wide as he looked around the room that he had landed in.

"Sirius," Mrs Longbottom said curtly as she pushed Neville towards Harry. "Neville, this is Harry Potter. You are going to stay here and play with him this afternoon. Mr Black will watch over you." She turned to Sirius. "I'll be by after tea time to pick him up."

Then she was gone and Neville was left standing there, his bottom lip trembling slightly.

Marauder licked his face and the boy smiled, and then laughed when Marauder licked him again.

"Marauder welcomes you to the house," Sirius said with a grin as he knelt down so that he was eye level with the little boy. "You can call me Sirius, Neville. This is Harry, and I see you've already met Marauder."

Neville nodded, scratching the dog's head now. "Hello."

Harry smiled at him. "I have a big treehouse out in the back, want to see?"

Neville shook his head. "I don't really like to be up high."

Harry frowned, but Sirius smiled. "Don't worry, Neville. You can take the stairs and there's a house up there and lots of railings. You'll see. I bet you'll love it."

Neville didn't look convinced.

Sirius took the boy's hand in his and led him out into the yard and when they got outside and stood in front of the treehouse fort, his eyes were wide in amazement. "Wow."

Sirius grinned at him, squeezing his hand gently. "Go on and have fun. If you boys need anything you let me know."

Harry immediately made a beeline for the rock wall and started to climb up. Neville looked hesitant and instead moved around to the stairs, meeting Harry up at the top.

"Why don't you like to be up high?" Harry asked him as he climbed over the wall.

Neville shrugged, looking hesitantly over the side. "Aren't you afraid you're going to fall?"

Harry grinned widely. "Nah."

Neville looked completely dumbfounded by this. "You-you're not?"

Harry shook his head. "No. If you're always afraid to fall, how can you have any fun?" As Neville seemed to contemplate this, Harry hurried up the ladder to the pirate ship. "Wait until you see this!"

He let Neville steer the ship, grinning at his face when he realized that the top of the pirate ship actually moved from side to side as the charm Sirius had used on it made it really awesome.

"Uncle Sirius says our parents used to be friends," Harry told Neville, offering him some fruit punch when they went down into the treehouse an hour later.

"You live with that man downstairs?"

Harry nodded. "He's my godfather and he takes care of me. I used to live with Muggles."

"Muggles?" Neville asked in surprise, his eyes wide. "Really?"

"Yeah, but they were mean. Uncle Sirius came and took me away and now I'm not scared anymore."

Neville watched him for a moment. "What were you scared of?"

Harry shrugged as he pulled out his Gobstones kit to play and Neville nodded as he sorted out the stones. "The Muggles, they were really mean, and they told me I was a freak because sometimes I made stuff happen. But I didn't know about magic so I couldn't explain it."

Neville nodded. "Gran is always telling me that she thinks that I'm going to be a Squib and that I'll disappoint the family."

"What's a Squib?" Harry asked, taking a drink of his fruit punch.

"Someone who is born to two magical parents but can't do any magic at all," Neville told him, shooting a Gobstone across the floor.

Harry glanced at him quizzically. "Do you think you're a Squib?"

Neville shrugged. "I don't know. I don't feel like a Squib, but Gran can be scary sometimes so maybe she's right."

Harry smiled at him. "I'm sure that you'll be a wizard and we can go to Hogwarts together. But I don't want to go yet. I like living here with Uncle Sirius and Marauder and having Uncle Remus come over and teach me schooling. I can play with Marauder and play in my new treehouse or help Uncle Sirius work on his motorcycle. I don't want to leave yet. I like having… dads…"

The last word came out so quietly, Neville almost didn't hear it, but then he smiled. He understood what his new friend meant. "My Great Uncle Algie takes me fishing all the time. It's fun, but kind of boring sometimes too because you're just waiting for the fish to bite."

"I've never been fishing," Harry told him, shooting a Gobstone in Neville's direction.

Neville grinned. "Maybe you can come with us some time."

Harry grinned widely. "Okay."

~ ASC ~

 **By Monday, Sirius was quite anxious to see Althea and to give her the birthday present that she had so wickedly asked for.** He stood outside of St Mungo's near his motorcycle and waited for her to come out. Despite her having asked him for no material gifts, he had bought her a bouquet of sunflowers and Peruvian lilies in bright colours. It was an interesting mix, bold and colourful, but he thought that she was much the same so she would appreciate it.

He'd also purchased a pint of Seven Veils Gelato, which he had in his travel bag with freezing charm on the bag on his bike.

When she came out of the hospital, she smiled warmly at him, hurrying over and standing on her toes to kiss him softly.

"I thought that you were meeting me at my place?"

"Was. Thought I'd meet you here instead," he said hanging her the flowers. "Happy Birthday, Castellanos."

Althea smiled warmly, her eyes lighting up at the flowers. "Sirius, these are gorgeous! You didn't have to."

"I know," he said with a smile. "That's why I did."

Althea grinned at him and buried her face in the bouquet. "Would you hate me if I asked you to meet me in an hour? I have a few stops to make first."

Sirius smiled at her. "Not a bit. I'll see you at one, yeah?" His eyes travelled over her body greedily and he smirked at her, licking his lips. "See you."

He hopped on the bike and hurried off. He wanted to grab a bite to eat anyway. When he arrived at her flat an hour later and knocked on the door, she opened it up wearing a sexy black nightie and black lace knickers.

"Hi," she said smiling.

Sirius grinned at her, closing the door to the apartment behind him. "Stops to make, eh?" he teased, leaning down to plant a small kiss on her naked shoulder.

Althea smirked at him. "Maybe I wanted to make myself sexy first."

"You're always sexy," he growled, kissing her neck. He pulled back and held the pint of gelato out to her. "One more birthday present."

Her smile brightened. "Really?"

He laughed at how simple it was to please her. She hurried into the kitchen to put the gelato away and Sirius noticed that the flowers were on the kitchen table in a large blue vase.

When she came back into the living room, Sirius simply scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom as she laughed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, laughing when he dropped her on the bed.

Sirius' merely raised his eyebrow. "I believe you asked for my mouth and my fingers to be on you and in you as much as possible today, did you not?"

She flushed. "I-I might have been exaggerating a bit, I just meant that I wanted you to, you know, be here."

Sirius captured her lips in his. "Mmm, were you?" he murmured against her mouth. "I believe that I told you that I would make you come for me over and over and over again."

"Yes," she said arching up to meet his mouth. "But we were just teasing in our usual way."

"I wasn't," he said simply. "And after you come, I'm going to keep making you come, until you beg me to stop."

His lips moved down her throat as he tugged the nightie she wore up and over her head, his eyes taking in the black bra and matching knickers in appreciation. His fingers flicked open the front clasp of the strapless bra and it sprung open, her breasts bouncing free and he bent his head to take one of the tantalizing peaks into his mouth. His hand slid down her smooth stomach, over the soft lace between her legs and rubbing. She moaned softly and his hand moved under them, one finger slipping inside and finding her already wet for him.

His other hand stroked her left breast as his mouth suckled the right one. His finger stroked her gently, up and down, a slow circular motion that left her panting and then up and down until a second finger found her. By the time the third finger started pumping into her, she cried out his name and the orgasm ripped through her.

Sirius smiled at her, her nipple leaving his mouth as he worked his way down her stomach, kissing her belly button, dipping his tongue in gently and kissing lower. He looped his thumbs into her panties and tugged them down her hips, tossing them behind him.

"Shall we keep count, Castellanos?" he asked, placing his palm over her. "Score one so far."

Althea merely stared at him, her breathing heavy. "I want you inside of me, Sirius."

He smirked at her. "No, Castellanos; that's not what you asked for."

He bent his head and kissed her softly, spreading her thighs. His lips moved over the crease of her thigh and over to the other side doing the same and he kissed her all over, soft light kisses that tickled her. He trailed his tongue along her thigh muscles, teasing her and nuzzling her, planting small kisses along her folds, teasing his tongue in and out of her just enough to drive her mad with the torment of it.

"Sirius," she begged, spreading her thighs wider.

He slid his tongue into her, trailing it along her folds, dipping it in and out until he reached her nub. He twirled his tongue around it, under it, side to side and when he slid a finger into her, her hands fisted into the sheets around him.

"Yes," she panted. "Yes! Yes!"

When he drew her into his mouth, she literally shouted his name and he sucked harder, his fingers moving in and out of her with practiced ease.

"Don't stop," she screamed. "Don't stop!"

Sirius smirked against her, sucking harder, and he felt her let go. He licked his lips as his fingers kept working her, building her up all over again. "That's two, Castellanos."

When he ducked his head back between her legs once more she literally groaned aloud and when his tongue got to work all over again, she panted his name as the pleasure ripped through her.

By the time she finally begged him to stop, his face was flushed and he was so hard he was sure his cock had worn a hole through the denim. He unzipped his pants and slipped deeply into her, engulfing himself in the warm tightness and he groaned aloud, pumping in and out as she arched up to meet him, his finger pressing on her clit and she screamed his name as she came. He followed suit, collapsing against her, he licked his lips and kissed her, staying deeply inside of her.

"I should get a prize," he panted as she cuddled into his chest, her hair soaked with sweat.

"God," she murmured, "I couldn't possibly move for at least a week."

"I told you, love, my name isn't God, it's Sirius. But as I did make you come eight times, I'll take God."

Althea grinned at him. "I've never… fuck, I don't care if it _does_ increase your ego, I've never had that many orgasms in my life."

Sirius smirked at her, his eyes alight in pleasure. "Want to go for round nine? I might just need a minute here."

"You need a minute!" she squeaked, her hand reaching down to where he was still inside of her. "You only came once!"

Sirius grinned cheekily at her. "Not all of us can come eight times in a… " He turned to look at the clock. "Fuck, I am a god — you came eight times in a three and half hour period! That darling is a happy fucking birthday."

"What?" she exclaimed, sitting up to glance at the clock. "It's only just after four thirty!"

Sirius nuzzled her neck, his mouth moving down to kiss her breast. "Best birthday ever or what?"

Althea smiled, her head falling back slightly when he started to move his cock in her. "I'll say."

"Mmm, please do," he murmured as he rode her. "Tell me."

Her arms wrapped around his neck as he pumped deeper into her. She was so sensitive that she came quickly as he finished.

"Nine," he said smugly.

Althea punched him lightly on the shoulder. "If you touch me again I might self combust."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Are you telling me there is such a thing as too many orgasms? Why, Thea, that just can't be true?" he said smugly.

She sat up slowly. She was sore, she realized, but as she knew exactly why she was sore, she wasn't exactly upset about it. "Yes, there damn well can be!" she told him, grinning widely. "I'm so sensitive down there that it's almost painful."

Sirius' brow furrowed. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked suddenly concerned. He hadn't realized that too much pleasure could result in pain.

Althea smiled warmly and kissed him softly. His lips still tasted of her and she found it erotic. "No, Black. You made me come nine times, you definitely did not hurt me." She kissed him again. "And Sirius?"

"Hmm?" he asked, kissing her neck and sucking on the skin here.

"It was the best birthday ever."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius woke up in the dark, Althea's body cuddled into him.** He looked over at the clock and saw that it was eleven thirty. He carefully extricated himself from her arms and got dressed, smiling as she rolled over on the bed and snuggled into the pillow.

She was leaving on Friday and he realized that he really was going to miss her. Not just the sex either, though Merlin knew that was always incredible, but he was going to miss talking to her. She really had become a good friend. He loved telling her about Harry and the things he did or said and she was a great sounding board about Harry's bad dreams and nightmares.

He pulled his tee shirt over his head and then he leaned down and kissed her cheek, her nose, her neck, and then her lips.

She sighed into him, her arms reaching up to wrap around his neck. "Are you going?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I missed Harry's bed time. He's going to be mad at me. I guess we tired each other out."

"What time is it?" she asked, her eyes sleepy.

"Eleven thirty," he said, kissing her softly. "Still your birthday, darling; we just needed a six hour nap to recuperate."

Althea chuckled, tugging him back down into the bed with her. "I should show you how thankful I am for the wonderful birthday you gave me," she murmured against his ear as her hand slid down to unzip his jeans.

"Thea," he moaned when her fingers wrapped around him. "I have to go."

Althea shook her head, opening his jeans up fully. "Have I told you how hot it is that you never wear underwear?" Then she bent her head and took him into her mouth and his head fell back in pleasure.

"Thea," he moaned, his hand clenching her hair as he held her head in place. When she started to suck on him like he was her favourite lolly, he fell back onto the bed.

This was all the motivation she needed, she tugged his jeans down his hips, licking and nibbling on his balls, under them and around them as her thumb rubbed his tip in a slow circular motion. She lifted his hips and her mouth slid beneath his testicles, her finger slipped into him and her mouth hummed gently along his sack.

Sirius was panting now, his breath ragged as she pumped his balls, rolling his sack in her hands as her tongue slid in and out of him. When she finally wrapped her mouth around his cock again, taking him deep into her throat, she slid two fingers into him and he choked out her name as he came.

She kissed his member softly as he slipped out of her mouth with a loud pop and she smiled up at him. "Is that a sufficient thank you, do you think?"

Sirius merely stared at her, his eyes slightly glazed over. "Fuck, Thea."

Althea simply grinned. "Do you like it when I put my fingers inside of you? When I suck behind, around, and on your cock?"

"Fuck," he moaned, kissing her hard. "You have such a dirty little mouth on you, Castellanos."

She merely licked her lips. "And you like it."

Sirius smiled at her. "Yeah, I do." He kissed her lips gently. "I really do have to go though."

Althea nodded as she watched him tug his jeans back up. "Are we still on for Thursday?"

Sirius zipped his jeans and grabbed his leather jacket from the chair by the door. He slid his black buckled boots back on as he spoke. "Definitely." He walked over to the bed and kissed her once more. "I'm taking you to dinner on Thursday."

"What?" she asked in surprise.

He nodded. "Dinner. Anywhere you'd like. Wear that black dress that I had to peel you out of again."

Althea grinned up at him. "Deal."

"But then we're coming right back here," he said with a grin. "And we're staying in your bed and I am going to shag you until you have to be at the hospital for that portkey."

Althea's smile widened. "Okay."

Sirius left her grinning after him as he headed home.

He really was going to miss her.


	37. Chapter 37

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to this lovely Beatles song that I love so much!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN:**

 **The next day, Sirius began making a list of memories that he wanted to include in the Pensieve for Harry.** He agreed with Dumbledore that it should be something that he should wait on and not show to Harry until he was older because he would understand and appreciate it better, but he wanted to make sure that when Harry was given the opportunity to view it, it would be full of wonderful memories of his parents.

He smiled to himself as he made his list, listening with half an ear as Harry recited Latin phrases with Remus in the sunroom.

➾ _First time I met James and Lily_

➾ _Our best pranks_

➾ _First time I met Fee and Monty_

➾ _A few of James' embarrassing attempts to woo Lily_

➾ _Discovering Remus was a werewolf_

➾ _Telling Remus we still wanted to be friends_

➾ _First Animagus transformation_

➾ _The map_

➾ _Our Notorious Nicknames_

➾ _James playing Quidditch_

➾ _Harry's first birthday party_

He couldn't stop smiling as he wrote the list out and he didn't hear Remus come into the kitchen. He jolted when his friend spoke in his ear.

"' _James' embarrassing attempts to woo Lily_ ' — Merlin, that could be lengthy! What's this about, Padfoot?"

Sirius smiled at him. "Where's Harry?"

"He's outside burning off some energy with Marauder. I was going to have some iced tea and go watch him, want to join me?" Remus asked him as he poured himself a glass of iced tea and then a second one for Sirius.

Sirius nodded, accepting the iced tea from Remus before he followed his friend outside and they sat in the lawn chairs, grinning as Harry hung upside down on the monkey bars of the tree house while Marauder barked playfully around him.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about it, but with everything that's been going on, I kind of forgot," he said grinning sheepishly. "Dumbledore gave me the idea. I was telling him how I want Harry to have memories of his parents; to really get a chance to know them and he suggested that I place memories in a Pensieve for him to view."

Remus' eyebrow rose in surprise. "What a great idea, Sirius!"

Sirius smiled. "I thought so. I agree with Albus that he's a little too young yet to, you know, really appreciate them. But I thought if between the two of us we start collecting those memories now; show him our first interactions and our favourite moments that we had with James and with Lily and with both of them together, that he can get to know them a little bit. Minerva already said that she would be more than happy to contribute a few of her own from us misbehaving in her classroom."

Remus laughed. "I'd imagine that she would definitely have a few of those."

He grinned. "Yeah, a few. Some of the moments of James and Lily being in love with each other that we witnessed as well. You know, once Lily finally realized that she was in love with James. For example, do you remember when over Easter weekend of seventh year, James had to go to Paris with Fleamont because some great uncle was dying and Monty needed his support and help?"

"Vaguely," Remus said. "What about it?"

Sirius smiled as he spoke and jogged his friend's memory at the same time as the flashback came into both of their minds.

 _James had been gone for three days._

 _Sirius couldn't believe how quiet it was not having his best mate around. Lily was extra quiet; working on her Head Girl duties and dutifully studying for exams — but Sirius knew that she missed him. She was still grieving the loss of her own parents. For only a month before, she had lost both of them to a terrible car accident and James had hated that he had to leave her alone for even a second._

 _But his dad had needed him._

 _Remus, Sirius, and Peter had all promised to make sure that she was all right in his absence, but they weren't James and she knew it, no matter how much she appreciated them._

 _But on the third day of his absence, James' beautiful owl Poseidon came flying into the Great Hall that morning and Lily's face had lit up when he flew towards her and then she had looked confused at the sight of the bright red envelope in his beak._

 _"A Howler?" she asked, her eyes wide in horror._

 _Sirius grinned taking the letter from Poseidon. "You better open it, Evans. You know what happens when you don't. My mum used to send me enough of them. Trust me, I'm practically an expert."_

 _Lily hesitated before she carefully accepted the letter from Sirius' hand suspiciously. "Why would he send me a Howler? I… I haven't done anything wrong. Absolutely nothing to warrant a screaming letter!"_

 _Sirius grinned as it started to emit sparks. "Lil, it's going to blow. Open it!"_

 _Remus, tired of watching them arguing, had simply plucked the letter from Lily's grasp and popped it open, dropping it in front of her as Peter stuffed his fingers in his ears in anticipation of the screams._

 _The enveloped shrivelled up into a paper cut out of James' face._

 _But it didn't scream._

 _Instead, the letter began to sing. James' soft melodic voice filling the Great Hall._

"As I write this letter, send my love to you. Remember that I'll always, be in love with you. Treasure these few words till we're together. Keep all my love, forever. P.S. I love you; you, you, you. I'll be coming home again to you, love. And till the day I do, love. P.S. I love you; you, you, you! P.S. I love you; you, you, you! You, you, you! I love you."

 _When the letter finished singing, it merely lay down in front of her and folded in half and Lily knew that if she just opened it again, James' voice would once more fill the Great Hall. Tears welled up in Lily's eyes as some of the girls nearby made squeals of aw around her._

 _Sirius draped his arm around her shoulders. "Looks like Jamie found a new way to use a Howler, love."_

 _Lily punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm completely mortified!"_

 _Remus smiled at her. "And even more in love with him than you already were."_

 _Lily only smirked at him. "Maybe." She kissed Remus' cheek and then Sirius'. "But this tells me that he's coming home very soon!"_

 _Sirius grinned at Remus as they watched Lily take the letter and hurry off. "That girl's got it bad."_

 _Remus laughed. "So does the boy who sang the love letter."_

 _And the two of them just grinned at each other._

Remus smiled at the memory. "I forgot about that. Lily must have replayed that letter a hundred times or more in the two days it took James to come back."

"At least! The charm was definitely starting to wear off," Sirius said with a laugh. "But really, stuff like that, I think Harry would get a kick out of when he gets older and sees how much his parents were in love, you know?"

He quickly added ' _P.S. I Love You_ ' to the list.

Remus nodded. "I agree. And yeah, when's he's older. But let's collect as many as we can from everyone. Hagrid has some great ones of the time that he spent gardening with Lily by his hut. Lily adored Hagrid."

Sirius grinned as he made a note of it. "Exactly. I want memories from everyone who knew them. I want so many that it's going to feel like he was there, experiencing these things with us and with them. Their wedding for example — or when Lily asked me to walk her down the aisle."

"When they asked you to be dogfather," Remus said with a laugh.

Sirius chuckled. "You're hilarious, Moony. But yes, those memories."

Remus smiled at his friend. "It sounds like a great idea to me. How long are you going to wait to show him?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. I just think that when it is the right time, we'll both know, yeah?"

"I agree. For now, I guess we can both start collecting them."

"Perfect."

~ ASC ~

 **On Wednesday, Sirius was spending the day with Harry.** He and Remus had switched Harry's schooling to Thursday for the week since Harry would be staying with Remus so that Sirius could go on his last date with Althea. They had just sat down to lunch when Augusta Longbottom Floo called and Sirius hurried into the living room to answer it.

"Lady Cumbria, what can I do for you?"

Her face was stern and her eyes were sad as she spoke. "I… something's come up rather suddenly. Would it be possible for Neville to come over for a few hours and possibly stay into the evening?"

"Of course," Sirius said in surprise. "We'd be happy to have him. Is everything alright?"

Mrs Longbottom simply shook her head. "My husband… he's passed rather suddenly. I just need some time to organize everything and… it will be alright. Thank you. I'll send Neville right over."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs Longbottom," Sirius said sincerely.

She merely nodded, her lips tight and disappeared from the fire.

Neville tripped out of the fireplace less than two minutes later, falling onto his knees and whacking his elbow on the corner of the hearth. Tears welled up in his eyes as he cradled his elbow.

Sirius immediately moved to the boy, taking his arm. "Hey, there, little man, are you okay? Elbow hits are the worst!" he said, grinning at him. "They call it your funny bone, you know? Don't know why, because it only hurts and it's not funny."

Neville cracked a small smile and Sirius grinned back.

"Have you had lunch yet, little man?"

Neville shook his head. "No, Mr Black."

Sirius smiled warmly. "It's Sirius, Neville. Come on into the kitchen. Harry and I are eating potato, ham, and cheddar soup and some warm bread. Would you like some?"

Neville nodded, following Sirius into the kitchen and taking a seat next to Harry who brightened at the sight of him.

"Hi, Neville!"

Neville smiled back. "Hi, Harry."

Sirius served the soup and bread to Neville and then sat back down. He watched Neville take a tentative bite and smile before he dipped his bread into the thick cream soup.

"I didn't know you were coming over, Neville," Harry said with a big grin.

"Me neither," Neville said quietly.

Harry frowned. "What's wrong?"

Neville put his spoon down, his eyes on his feet. "Gran won't tell me."

Sirius watched the boy's bottom lip tremble and his eyes met Harry's for a moment before he got up and knelt down in front of Neville, touching his arm gently. "Neville, it's going to be all right."

"I was trying to get Granddad to play with me. He promised… and we were playing hide and seek tag. He found me and I ran and he was… then he just fell to the ground!" Tears welled up in his eyes. "I tried to wake him up. I shook him. But he just… he just stared at me, but he… he wasn't really seeing me. Then I yelled for Gran and she came running and she tried to wake him up, but she couldn't. He wouldn't wake up! It's all my fault, I made him play and he told me he was tired."

Sirius wrapped his arms around the boy as he cried into his shoulder. "Shh, it's okay, little man. It's not your fault."

"It is!" Neville insisted, in between sobs. "Now he won't wake up! Why won't he wake up, Mr Bl — Sirius?"

Sirius sighed. "He died, Neville. He's not going to wake up."

Neville's tear filled blue eyes met Sirius' grey ones. "I don't want him to die!"

Sirius smiled sympathetically. "I know, little man. No one wants to lose anyone we love. But sometimes these things happen and it's no one's fault. He was an old man and he lived a good long life. I'm sure that he loved playing hide and seek tag with you. I bet it was one of his favourite things to do, right?"

Neville nodded, sniffling and wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "He liked to hide in the laundry baskets and then he'd jump out and scare me."

Sirius chuckled. "That sounds fun."

Neville smiled a little. "One time, he hid in the closet behind Gran's cloaks and when I opened it and didn't see him, he jumped out and grabbed me and I screamed and he laughed and laughed. He said that he was trying to scare my magic out."

"See? He loved to play with you."

Neville nodded, sniffling a little. "I loved to play with him too."

Sirius rubbed his back gently as he cried and when he was done he pat his arm. "Try to eat up some soup okay and then the three of us will maybe read a story?"

Neville nodded and mechanically began to eat his soup. Harry was just watching him as he finished his own soup. When they were done, Harry started to fill up the sink with soap and Sirius shook his head, leaning down to whisper to him.

"We'll clean up later, Harry. Why don't you run upstairs and get your copy of _The Tales of Beedle The Bard_ , I think it's a good time to read about _The Three Brothers._ " he said, looking at Neville who was still sitting at the table looking kind of sad and lost.

Sirius glanced out the window as Harry hurried upstairs. It was kind of a gloomy day, but still fairly warm out. When Harry came back down with the book, Sirius told Neville they were going out into the treehouse.

The three of them stepped into the house and Sirius crawled into the hammock. "Come on you two, in with me."

Harry immediately crawled into the hammock, lying down next to Sirius.

Neville merely stared at them. "It doesn't look very sturdy," he said suspiciously as the hammock rocked back and forth.

Sirius smiled at him. "It's supposed to swing. It's very soothing. Come on, Nev," he held out his arms and Neville let him lift him into the hammock.

Sirius stretched his arms out, one arm draped around each child and he opened the book up to _The Tale of the Three Brothers_. He remembered the story as something that Lily had read to her belly when she was pregnant with Harry, just after Euphemia and Fleamont had died. He wasn't entirely sure what made him reach for it now, but he felt like it was the exact story needed to help Neville understand death and to understand why his grandfather had to leave him.

He smiled at the boys and began to read:

" _There were once three brothers_ …"

When he closed the book, Neville was sleeping against his chest on one side of him and Harry was just watching him on the other.

Sirius kept his arm around Neville, hoping the sleep would help the boy in his grief.

"Is Neville going to be okay, Uncle Padfoot?" Harry asked quietly, his eyes on his new friend.

"He'll be fine, Harry. Sometimes, we lose the people that we love and it's very hard on those of us who have to keep on living. Neville lost his granddad and he saw it happen — that's something that's going to be with him for the rest of his life, but he also has many happy memories with his granddad and those are always going to be in his heart," Sirius told him. "Death comes for everyone eventually, Harry, as we learned in this story. Lord Cumbria — Mr Longbottom, had a very good life. And Neville will miss him. But we never truly lose those who leave us. They will always still be there, right here," he said tapping Harry's heart. "In our hearts."

Harry snuggled close to Sirius, his face resting over his heart. "How can I make Neville feel better?"

Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head with a small smile. "Just tell him that you're sorry for his loss and just be there for him. That's all. Just be his friend, Harry."

Harry smiled. "That's easy, he's already my friend."

Sirius smiled and rubbed Harry's arm. "Exactly."

Harry watched Neville sleep for a minute and then he held the book back up to Sirius. "I'm not tired, Uncle Padfoot, can you read Babbitty Rabbitty?"

Sirius chuckled and opened the book back up. "Sure, Harry."

~ ASC ~

 **Neville slept for almost two hours.** When he woke up, he was wrapped around Sirius in the hammock, who was sleeping, and Harry was sleeping wrapped around the other side of his godfather. Neville looked rather alarmed by this set-up, but when he shifted, the hammock moved and he immediately lied back down, scared that he would fall out.

His movements caused Sirius to wake and he smiled kindly.

"Hi, Neville, did you sleep alright?"

He nodded. "I have to use the loo."

Sirius smiled and gently lifted Neville out of the hammock. He left Harry curled into the hammock and walked with Neville up to the house to show him where the toilet was. When he came back downstairs, he smiled at him.

"Do you need anything?"

Neville shook his head as Harry came into the house, yawning. "No."

Harry hurried over and hugged Neville. "I'm sorry about your granddad, Neville."

Neville smiled and hugged him back.

Harry grinned when he let go. "Want to build a giant domino fort in the living room?"

"Okay," Neville said, following Harry.

Sirius grinned as he watched them together. Neville would be all right, he thought. He'd be just fine.

~ ASC ~

 **By the time Thursday came around, Sirius was anxious for his last date with Althea.** Even Harry noticed that he was a little restless, but Harry seemed okay with spending the night and most of the day tomorrow at Remus' house. He loved going there to spend time with Remus and staying in his room. Neville had ended up sleeping over that night, Sirius had tucked him into bed with Harry, Marauder curled at their feet. Mrs Longbottom hadn't come back until almost midnight, apologizing profusely for leaving Neville with him for so long.

Sirius had told her that it was fine and that Neville was asleep upstairs and was more than welcome to stay until the morning. He offered his condolences again and learned that Mr Longbottom had suffered a heart attack and died quickly, but the shock of it was quite difficult for the family to deal with. He had filled her in on Neville's reaction and she agreed to leave him sleeping until tomorrow; thanking Sirius again for looking after him. Sirius told her that Neville was welcome any time. He was a cute kid and Sirius genuinely liked him.

Mrs Longbottom picked him up after breakfast and Sirius was left to deal with his plans for Althea. She had sent a letter the day before with the name of a Muggle restaurant in downtown London and Sirius had quickly gone and made a reservation for Thursday night at seven.

He dressed himself in black jeans and a black silk dress shirt which he left unbuttoned at the top. He used a leather strip to tug his hair back into a short stubby tail at the base of his neck. He had opted for Apparition as he was meeting her there.

When she walked into the restaurant in the black dress that he had requested she wear and a red velvet jacket overtop, he felt his face break out into a grin.

He stood up to greet her, kissing her softly, and then pulling the chair out for her to sit down.

"Hi, you look amazing," he said.

Althea smiled at him, taking in his rather dressed up appearance. "As do you," she said with a smile as the waiter approached their table. They ordered wine and an appetizer before Althea spoke again. "I was surprised that you wanted to do this dinner thing."

Sirius merely lifted an eyebrow. "Why? We've done it before."

"Yes," she said carefully, smirking at him. "That was before we started having lots and lots of fantastic sex."

He chuckled, reaching across the table to trail a finger tip along her forearm. "Don't worry, Castellanos, we'll be having lots and lots of fantastic sex later on."

She laughed and bit her bottom lip. "I can't believe that I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Are you excited?" he asked her as the waiter poured them each a glass of wine and left the bottle on the table.

She nodded, her eyes bright. "Very and slightly nauseous. I mean, it's going to be wonderful. It's an opportunity to travel abroad, which I've always wanted to do, but more importantly — I'm going to be helping people. But there's a war going on and that scares me a little."

Sirius smiled at her. "That's understandable. Only a complete moron wouldn't be scared."

Althea shrugged. "And I'm going to miss Priya so much. She's been my best friend and roommate for almost six years now. But I think that she's secretly looking forward to having the flat to herself."

Sirius' fingers continued to gently stroke her wrist as she spoke and he just listened, smiling at her and urging her to continue.

"Plus I'm going to miss my patients; all of those adorable kids that I get to take care of. But Healer Braxton is taking over most of them, including Harry by the way, and he's truly wonderful."

"He's a man? That sucks, I was looking forward to seducing a new healer."

She kicked him lightly under the table and he grinned. "Prat," she said laughing. "He's also in his sixties, but he's very kind. Harry will like him. If you even need to see him of course, as Harry is all up to date on his medical."

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

Althea sighed and sipped her wine. "Priya says that I'm projecting my anxieties onto my patients and that they will definitely be fine without me. But I just want everyone to be well taken care of while I'm gone, you know? I mean, who even knows how long I will be out?"

"I thought that it was only a four month contract," Sirius asked her, sipping his own wine. "Are you thinking of staying longer?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Who's to say what the future will bring? Maybe when I get out there I'll want to come back home right away or maybe I will want to stay longer. I just… I don't want to leave any loose ends behind."

"Loose ends?"

She ran her finger along the rim of her glass. "I really like you, Black. More than I expected I would, to be honest," she admitted as he grinned at her. "But I know myself pretty well and this thing we've got going between us… it's… it's not long term."

His eyebrow rose up in surprise. "Oh, it's not? And what makes you say that?"

Althea smiled at him. "First of all, you are more than a hundred percent dedicated to Harry and to raising him and I am well aware that he is first and foremost in your life as he very well should be. Second, you never hesitated in cancelling a date or missing a Monday afternoon at my place because of something that was going on like building the treehouse for instance. After your first break with me when you started the treehouse, I didn't see you again until it was finished. And third, we both knew from the start that it would only be short term."

"Are you breaking up with me Castellanos?" he asked with a grin as he drank his wine. "I'm wounded."

The waiter placed an appetizer in front of them of antipasto and calamari.

"We were never really together, Black."

Sirius took her hand in his and kissed her palm. "I do care about you. It wasn't just sex."

"No, it wasn't," she said with a smile. "I think that it's been a pretty great friendship too."

Sirius smiled at her. "Friends with benefits."

She chuckled as she bit into a piece of calamari. "Really _great_ benefits."

Sirius grinned widely. "Later on, I'm going to show you just how great those benefits can be." He kissed her hand again. "But until then, tell me more about Sri Lanka. I want to know everything you know and what you plan to do."

When she smiled at him, he simply smiled back and listened to her talk.

Later, when they got back to her flat, Sirius pinned her against her bedroom door, his mouth moving down her throat, her arms around his neck as she tilted her head back to give him better access.

His hands ran over her bum down her thighs and he peeled the dress off of her slowly, a wicked grin on his face, as he let his lips slowly trail over her body after the dress; kneading and suckling her breasts as his fingers found her, wet and pulsing for him. When the first orgasm ripped through her, he tugged his jeans down his hips and plunged into her where they stood, riding her slowly and thoroughly as she simply held on.

When she finally made it to her bed, Sirius crawled in behind her, slapping her bum lightly. "On all fours, Castellanos," he said hotly and she merely grinned, doing as he asked and then simply groaning his name when he slid into her. Her body rocking back towards his, her hands fisting in the sheets and then he pulled out, flipping her over and plunging into her again, hard and deep, and she closed her eyes as he hit her pleasure spot.

Afterwards, she ran her fingers along his tattoos with a soft smile on her face.

"I like goodbye sex."

He snorted and slapped her arse. "How is it different from regular sex?"

She grinned up at him. "Because I'm calling it goodbye sex."

He laughed and stretched in the bed. "What time do you have to be at the hospital tomorrow?"

"Four in the afternoon. Our portkey leaves at four thirty," she said, sliding her hand down between his legs and gently fondling him.

Sirius groaned softly. "I've got my work cut out for me then," he murmured, covering her hand with his and stopping her hand. "I believe I promised to fuck you until the moment you had to leave."

Althea grinned, straddling his hips. "I believe you did," she said as she rubbed herself against him. "What are you going to do about that?"

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pistoled his hips up and into her and she gasped in surprise. His mouth found her breast and she simply held on as he showed her exactly what he was going to do about it.

By noon the next day, Sirius had wiggled his way into her shower with her and was kissing her body as he washed her skin. They'd had sex four times the night before and twice that morning. He'd helped her finish up the last minute packing before she'd insisted that she had to shower.

When he slid into her with the hot water beating down on them, she smiled and kissed him softly and they stood there, riding each other under the hot spray.

Once she was dressed, her bags packed and ready to go, she stood on her toes and kissed him softly.

"Thank you for last night," she said, a soft smile on her face.

Sirius grinned at her. "I'm going to miss you, Castellanos."

Althea smiled up at him. "Good." She kissed his cheek. "I'll drop you a letter sometime and tell you about Sri Lanka and you can tell me how life with Harry is going."

Sirius nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Sounds great."

He hugged her goodbye and wished her luck and then she was gone.


	38. Chapter 38

_Author's Note:_

 _I will admit, I cried while writing and editing this chapter. Take from that what you will. I wrote most of this chapter back after I had first written the trial memories for Sirius. I just didn't know when and how I was going to use this yet. I hope you enjoy it._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT:**

 **After Castellanos left for Sri Lanka, Sirius felt himself getting into a bit of a rut.** He spent more time on his bike, taking it apart and playing with the engine, cleaning and waxing it. And he found the small children's motorbike he had purchased before he had went to see Harry at the Dursleys. The sight of it made him smile and he fiddled with it; tweaking the engine and putting more power into it, essentially removing the children's safety portion of the motorbike. He played around with different charms and spells on it and decided that if he kept fiddling with it, he might be able to make it a proper mini-motorbike and he could give it to Harry for Christmas.

Once it met his qualifications of course.

As October hit and the town of Sidmouth began to decorate for Halloween, the melancholy swept in and Sirius found himself forcing cheerfulness when he spoke to anyone. On the third day of his mood, Remus waited until Harry had gone outside to play with Marauder before turning to his friend.

"Is it Althea or October?"

"What?" Sirius asked, staring at his friend as if he had three heads.

Remus rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What has you so down, Sirius? Is it Althea or is it because it's October?"

Sirius sighed, dragging his fingers through his long hair. "I miss her of course, we… She was a great friend and well naturally I miss the sex, but I'm okay with her being gone. It's good for her and it will be great for all of the people that she's going to help."

"Do you love her, Sirius?" Remus asked quietly, watching his friend carefully.

Sirius shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Are you sure?"

Sirius nodded, his fingers in his hair. "Yeah, I'm sure. I like her and I care about her a lot, but no, I wasn't in love with her, Rem. She's an amazing woman and so easy to talk to, but we're better off as friends."

Remus smiled. "If you're sure, I don't need you pining around or anything like a lovesick pup."

Sirius snorted. "My name isn't James Potter."

Remus chuckled, glancing out the window to watch Harry wrestle with his dog. His expression blank for a moment. "So it is because it's October then, I thought it might be."

Sirius shrugged, moving to make himself a cup of tea. "It's been on my mind, yeah — are you telling me that it hasn't been on yours?"

He didn't answer at first, just stood staring out the window, twisting his hands together in a habitual way. "In one week, it will have been five years. Of course, it's been on my mind, Sirius."

Sirius nodded. "I want to do something fun for Halloween, something that James and Lily would have appreciated. I mean… should we take Harry out in costume? Would he like it, do you think? Or should we maybe just… watch a scary movie or I don't know…" he said, dragging his fingers through his hair. "We definitely need to do something."

Remus turned away from the window, his hands in the front pockets of the cardigan he was wearing. "I've actually been thinking about that quite a lot these past few weeks."

He merely raised his eyebrow in response.

Remus sighed. "I know that you haven't been since… but… I think that we should spend All Hallows Eve in Godric's Hollow."

Sirius paled, shaking his head. "You want to spend All Hallows Eve _where_?"

"Hear me out, Padfoot," Remus said slowly. "Harry should know where his parents are buried; where their graves are."

Sirius swallowed. "And you want to take him on the fifth year anniversary of their fucking murders?"

Remus sighed. "I think that it would be good for him, Sirius, and I think that it would be good for you too. There's a memorial there now and…" he trailed off, his last words almost a whisper. "You can say goodbye."

Sirius glared at him. "You think I need to — fuck you, Remus!"

"What?"

"You heard me! Fuck you! I was the one who ran through that house! I was the one who found Jamie lying in the entrance hall dead with his fucking crooked glasses and his wand… " his breath hitched. "Neither he nor Lily even had their fucking wands, Moony, did you know that? I found them on the couch next to Harry's pumpkin costume and a camera! They never even stood a bloody chance when Voldemort walked into that house! They thought that they were safe! I promised them that they would be safe!"

The outburst surprised Remus and when Sirius began to sob, he hurried over and tugged his friend into his arms. Sirius attempted to push him away, but Remus held on tight, hugging his friend.

Harry stepped into the kitchen at that moment. He stared at Sirius, his mouth slightly open in surprise and then he hurried over, pushing his way between the two men and hugging Sirius fiercely.

Sirius picked Harry up into his arms, wrapping his arms around the little boy and Remus hugged both of them. They both kissed Harry's cheeks.

"Why are you sad, Uncle Padfoot?" Harry asked, hugging Sirius tight.

Sirius smiled at him, kissing his forehead and exhaling slowly before he answered. "Uncle Moony and I were just talking about your mum and dad, Harry, and I miss them so much."

Remus gently brushed his fingers through Harry's hair, taking the child from Sirius and carrying him into the living room, kissing his cheek. "Harry, Sirius and I were talking about your parents and… about maybe taking you to their graves."

"What's a grave?" Harry asked, staring at Remus.

Remus sat down on the couch, cuddling Harry onto his lap as Sirius sat down next to them. "It's a memorial that tells of someone who has passed on. It usually has their names and the date they were born and they day they died on it. When someone dies, Harry, we honour our dead by erecting a grave or a tombstone so that the living can go there and remember them. We can mourn them or sometimes talk to them."

"Talk to them? Do they answer back?" Harry asked, his eyes wide and fearful as if he wasn't quite sure how to take the fact that the dead may talk to him.

Remus smiled. "No, they don't answer back, Harry. But sometimes, just going there and knowing that they're watching over you; it's a good feeling. I go visit my mum and dad's graves every year on their birthdays and I just sit there and I talk to them. I tell them about my life and about what I'm thinking and I like to think that they can hear me. I always feel a little better when I leave."

Sirius' hands were fisting on either side of him. "I don't think we should go, Harry."

Harry looked from Sirius to Remus, unsure who to listen to.

"Harry, I think that it would be good for you to see where your mum and dad are buried. To see their grave and the lovely memorial that was made to honour the sacrifice they made for you," Remus said quietly. "I want Sirius to come too because I don't think that he really said goodbye to them and I think that it would be good for him to see it. To see how much they are loved and honoured by the world and just to tell them how much we miss them."

"I don't want to go, Moony, end of story," Sirius insisted stubbornly.

"I go every All Hallows Eve," Remus continued, ignoring Sirius. "I bring Lily's favourite flowers and I sit there in the graveyard and I just talk to my old friends. When I go this year, I would really like it if you and Sirius came with me. But if you don't want to go, Harry, I would never make you."

Harry simply stared at him, unsure about how to respond. He glanced over at Sirius, who was scowling at Remus as if he strongly disapproved of everything that he was saying. He didn't remember his parents. Harry knew that Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius had been best friends with them; he knew that they loved him from the stories his uncles told him and he knew that they had died protecting him from the bad wizard. But he couldn't talk to them if they were dead.

But Uncle Remus had said that they were watching over him. And Uncle Sirius had said it as well.

"How are my mum and dad watching over me?" Harry asked, looking at Remus now with his brow crinkled in confusion.

Remus smiled. "When people die, Harry, they go to a better place. And in that place they can watch those they love and guard them; try to help them make right choices like a guardian angel. Do you know what that is?"

Harry nodded, scratching his nose. "Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia used to take me to Holy Trinity Church and the minister always said that when those we love die they become angels and the angels live in Heaven. Are my mum and dad in Heaven with Neville's granddad?"

"Yes," Remus said with a big smile now. "They are in Heaven. When you die, you go to a better place, somewhere truly wonderful where they can see all the loved ones they have ever lost."

"Can I go to Heaven and see them?"

"No," Remus said shaking his head sadly. "You can only go to Heaven when you die, Harry."

"Oh," Harry said quietly. He moved from Remus' lap, shifting himself into Sirius' and cuddling up against his godfather's chest with his head against his heart.

Sirius wrapped his arms around him. "Did Uncle Remus scare you, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

"Then what is it?" Sirius asked him, dropping a kiss on the top of his head.

Harry didn't answer at first. He liked the idea that his parents were in a good place, a nice place like Heaven. He didn't want them to be alone and sad or scared. He remembered when the minister had spoke about angels in church and he had hoped that maybe his parents were angels. He had asked the minister about it after the mass. Uncle Vernon had gotten angry, but the minister had told him that of course his parents were angels and that they were watching over him. It had made him feel good to know that.

"I want to go with Uncle Remus," he said quietly.

Sirius exhaled sharply. "What?"

Harry tilted his head back to look at his godfather. "On All Hallows Eve, I want to go."

Sirius closed his eyes and he nodded. "All right. Of course you can go."

"Will you come too?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, Prongslet. Not this time."

Remus nodded at his friend. "Alright, we'll go then, Harry. And we'll honour their memories together."

Harry smiled at that. "I'd like that."

~ ASC ~

 **When the day of All Hallows Eve finally arrived, Sirius could feel the grief working through him.** He tried not to let it show to Harry who was fairly excited at the concept of going to see his parents grave stones. Sirius knew that Remus was right, it was a way for Harry to connect with them; to see them as people who had lived and who had loved him and maybe his friend was right, maybe it would be good for him to say goodbye.

But Sirius couldn't bring himself to go. He had no desire to step foot in the place where he felt like part of his life had ended.

So that afternoon, Remus came to collect Harry and Sirius only shook his head, watching as the two of them left him alone in the house with his thoughts and his grief.

Harry held on tight to Remus as he Apparated them to the village of Godric's Hollow. Remus held Harry's hand as they walked through the town and came across the large obelisk covered in names.

"Harry, this is the war memorial of those who died because of Voldemort and his followers," he said, reaching down to pick Harry up just as the memorial transformed into a statue of three people: a man with untidy hair and glasses, a woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face, and a baby boy sitting in his mother's arms. "The people of the town wanted this statue up here to honour your parents and to remember you."

"Because I'm The Boy Who Lived," he said quietly.

Remus kissed his cheek. "You're parents loved you very much, Harry. You were their whole world. I miss them every day, but when I look at you, I see both of them and I feel the love that they had for you. I can feel them in you and how you love me and Uncle Sirius. I know that they are so proud of you."

Harry smiled at Remus, his eyes on the statue, watching as it transformed back into an obelisk. His heart clenched slightly at Remus' words. "My mum was pretty," he said simply, his eyes on the obelisk, willing it to change back.

Remus smiled. "She was very pretty, beautiful really. And she was way out your dad's league," he said with a chuckle. "But he made her fall for him. And they were so in love." The obelisk changed again and Remus set Harry down on the ground, holding his hand out for the child. "Come on; let's go to the graveyard now."

Harry followed Remus past the statue and into the graveyard just across the way. The trees were the colour of autumn and the cool breeze whipped leaves across the grass and across the tombstones. There were so many stones and Harry found his eyes moving across the names in mild interest.

Remus led him through the stones until they came across a large white marble slab that said:

 _In Loving Memory_

 _James Potter Lily Potter_

 _b. 27 March 1960 b. 30 January 1960_

 _d. 31 October 1981 d. 31 October 1981_

 _The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death_

Harry read the words aloud, his small hands gently tracing the letters of his parents names. "What does that mean, Uncle Remus? About the last enemy?"

Remus knelt down beside Harry. "It's a quote from the Bible, Harry. From Corinthians. Professor Dumbledore had the tombstone set for them and he chose the quote. I thought it fit well. To put it simply, we all die, Harry. No one is meant to live forever, and we all hope that we'll be old men and women who have lived full lives before death takes us, but sometimes that's not the case. Sometimes our lives are snatched away from us before they really even begin like your parents. But your parents died in the most noble way imaginable, to save you. We shouldn't fear death, but we should understand it."

Harry nodded, his hand still tracing the lettering of his parents' names. "Oh."

Remus sat back, still on his knees, reaching his arms around Harry and gently resting his chin on the boy's shoulder. "I brought your son to see you, Prongs, Lily." Harry jolted at this, but leaned back into Remus as he spoke. "He's a born marauder, pranking Sirius and I. You would be so proud, Jamie, bursting really. Sirius is doing a wonderful job raising him. He's being the amazing father you always would have been. He made me his teacher, if you can believe it. Harry is smart and he loves to read just like you did, Lily. Don't worry, I promise to share with him all of the stories that you loved. I'm doing my best by him, as is Padfoot. We love him so much."

Harry smiled, turning to whisper to Remus. "Can they hear me?"

Remus nodded, smiling. "I like to think so. Do you want to say something?"

Harry nodded, his eyes on the tombstone. "Hi, Mum, hi, Dad. Uncle Moony says that you can hear me. I don't really remember you, but Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony always tell me about you. Uncle Padfoot is really sad and he doesn't want to come here and say goodbye. Can you make him feel better? Thank you."

He kissed his fingers and gently placed them on the marble.

Tears welled up in Remus' eyes and he blinked them back, kissing his own fingers and placing them next to Harry's on the marble. He kissed Harry's cheek and using his wand he lay apple blossoms and yellow tulips which he knew were Lily's favourite flowers, on the top of the marble stone.

"We love you," Remus said, standing up and lifting Harry into his arms.

When they turned around, Sirius was standing there, hands in his pockets. Remus' eyes widened, but he didn't speak.

Sirius shuffled over to them, his eyes red from crying and he glanced at the marble. "Lily always loved apple blossoms."

"I know," Remus said with a smile. "They were her favourite and she always said that a sunny yellow tulip would make anyone smile."

He nodded, his eyes on Harry. "You all right, Prongslet?"

Harry nodded.

Remus squeezed his friend's shoulder. He knew how hard it was for his friend to have drummed up the courage to come here. "We'll give you a moment. Harry and I will be by the war memorial. Take all the time you need."

Sirius nodded as he watched his friend and godson leave him alone. He stood over the marble stone, staring at his friends names for the longest time, tears in his eyes. When he finally spoke, his words came out harsh and angry.

"You should still be here, both of you. It should be you raising Harry and not me. What the fuck do I know about raising kids? I'm completely winging it here."

"And doing a marvellous job if I say so myself," a woman said from behind him.

Sirius' eyes widened as he spun around. The ghostly apparition in front of him made him blink in horror and shock. "L-Lily?"

The apparition smiled and she reached out, a cool hand sliding through his shoulder. "My son tells me that you're sad, Sirius."

The messy haired young man who appeared next to her made Sirius let out a small sob.

"J-Jamie," he whispered.

James smiled crookedly, his arm snaking around his wife's waist. "Hey, Padfoot."

The tears rolled down Sirius' cheeks as he fell to his knees. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry! I never should have trusted Peter. I never should have… it's my fault you're dead! It's my fault that Harry had to live with those fucking Muggles and they… God, you must both hate me. I took everything away from you!"

James reached forward and Sirius felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. "Brother, I love you. You are not to blame. Lily and I were careless; we let ourselves believe that we were safe and when Voldemort came, we didn't have protection. You are not to blame. We put our trust in the wrong man, but that man was never you."

Lily's hand linked with James'. "We love you, Sirius. And we love Harry so much and you're doing such a wonderful job with him. You're an amazing father."

"Fath — Jamie, no, I would never think to replace you like that!" Sirius spluttered.

James grinned at him. "You're an amazing father, Sirius. I know you're not replacing me. I'm proud to have you raise my son. Your son. He belongs to you and Moony now."

"Tell Harry we love him. Tell him as many stories as he wishes to know about us. The Pensieve idea is wonderful, Sirius," Lily said with a smile.

"Thank you, Padfoot," James said and then they were gone.

Tears rolled down Sirius' cheeks as he knelt in front of the marble sobbing. He wasn't sure if his friends had really appeared to him or if he had just imagined it, so desperate to see his friends again, but it had felt so real. They were watching over him and over Harry and he knew it so strongly in his heart that it made him smile. And for the first time in five years, he felt the grief really lift from his heart. He would never stop loving them. He would never stop missing them. But he would stop mourning them. And he would stop blaming himself for what had happened to them.

When he finally stood up, darkness had fallen. He dried his tears on his sleeve and conjured a small brass stag and doe, which he then tucked into the flowers. He dropped a kiss to his fingers and touched the cool stone.

"Goodbye," he whispered and he swore he felt a warm breeze embrace him like that of a friend.

When he found Remus and Harry, he snuggled the child into his chest, kissing his cheeks and his forehead until he laughed.

"I love you, Harry."

Harry smiled up at him. "I love you, too."

"Let's go home."


	39. Chapter 39

_Author's Note:_

 _Sorry it's been a bit since I've updated. I know I spoiled you all with my binge writing and I have done some writing as well, but I've also been on a fanfiction reading kick, specifically some really amazing Dramione fics (which I don't even ship Draco and Hermione to begin with, I love Romione, but these fics were amazing and I just couldn't put them down) and anyway while I was reading them I remembered that I did want to introduce Draco Malfoy in some way into my story so I did — but it wasn't to introduce Draco, it was about Sirius, which I think you've noticed by now that this story is about Sirius, Harry, and Remus. I think each of their lives are equally important and what they are going through and not going through while learning to adjust to each other and to being each other's family._

 _So anyway, will Malfoy come back and befriend Harry? Will it change anything? I don't know. At this moment, I'm saying not immediately, but I like to think of Malfoy being a good guy, I always have and for those of you who have read my Beginning Series, you know I like to give him a second chance. How he will fit into this story or if he will even be a relevant character, I can't say because I haven't fully decided yet. But I hope you like my introduction of him._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE:**

 **As November breezed in and Sirius turned twenty-seven, he found himself finding a comfortable rhythm with his life.** He was teaching himself to cook some new recipes and was doing surprisingly well with them; even having made some large batches of casseroles and soups and stews to freeze and use later on. He enjoyed learning how as it reminded him of being in school and learning something new like a potion or a charm and he found that he enjoyed it most when Harry worked with him in the kitchen. He loved teaching his godson the new stuff that he had learned and they made a good team together. Harry was surprisingly really good as chef assistant.

For his birthday, Remus, Andromeda, Ted, and McGonagall had all come over for dinner. Andromeda made him dinner: Steak and ratatouille and a large chocolate mousse cake. Sirius spent the day playing _The White Album_ over and over again and every time 'Birthday' came on, he'd make Harry sing it loudly with him until the boy begged him to stop while Sirius tickled his ribs as Harry laughed and laughed. Harry had made him a birthday card and a tall pint glass that said: Padfoot's Pint. He had thought it was adorable and now drank everything that wasn't tea from the pint glass all of the time.

Remus was still teaching Harry in classes almost every day. Harry's Latin lessons were particularly strong and he was in the habit now of asking questions in Latin to either Remus or Sirius in ways to show his learning. Sirius enjoyed responding in French and watching his godson stare at him blankly.

As a member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, it was important to put up appearances and to show how sophisticated and intelligent an aristocrat one was. He had learned French, Italian, and Latin as a child along with ballroom dancing, the proper way of dining and etiquette at all formal and informal events, appropriate posture when sitting and standing, and the proper way to speak in public. As woe and behold if he had acted rashly or inappropriate at a formal event and embarrassed the Black Family — which he had done anyway by being blasted off of the family tree. But he found himself teaching Harry formal table manners, making a joke out of it as they set the table, and Sirius explained what each utensil was for.

Remus was amused by this, but he watched in earnest as his friend explained proper eating and table etiquette to Harry. When to use which fork and why, how to place the utensils on your plate mid-meal as opposed to a finished meal, how to hold them properly, etc. When Harry went outside to play with Marauder, Remus only grinned at him.

"You hated all of that as a kid," Remus said with a grin. "You complained about it all of the time. Yet here you are, patiently teaching Harry."

Sirius shrugged as he cleaned up the table. "I did, but that's because I hated my life and that entire 'toujours pur' life motto. I spent most of my childhood being forced to stand up straight, sit straight, eat with respect and dance with that pureblood and talk to that pureblood as it was demanded and expected of me and it was just all bullshit, Moony. But the more I've been thinking about it and the more I've been looking back on my life and I do think that some of it is important. I mean, don't you think it's always important to know proper table etiquette?"

Remus smiled and squeezed his friend's shoulder in reassurance. "I think it's a great idea. You can teach Harry how to be an aristocrat at formal events. It can only benefit him and it's not a bad thing to know. When he comes of age and takes over Potter House, it ill be good for him to know the ins and outs of the aristocracy. You should pass down some of your knowledge, Sirius."

Sirius smirked. "I'm having fun teaching him and it's not like we're going to get invited to any formal balls any time soon, but still it can't hurt for him to know, right?"

"No, it can't hurt, Sirius," Remus said with a grin. "As for the languages though, Harry has asked me twice now about you speaking to him in French. That could definitely be beneficial for him to learn."

Sirius nodded, scratching his nose. "Can you speak French, Moony?"

"No, but you can."

"You think I should teach him French?" Sirius asked incredulously. "I'm not teacher material, that's definitely all you, Professor!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "But I don't know the language, Sirius. Come on; it will be good for you. You can practice speaking it again and Harry can learn it. It never hurts to know another language and French is a great one to study."

"Tu es la personne la plus agaçante," Sirius muttered under his breath.

Remus' eyebrow rose. "See, I don't know what the means, but I know it was an insult of some kind. Let's not teach him any bad words, Padfoot."

Sirius merely smirked. "What? We don't want him walking around telling people — va te faire foutre." When Remus only stared at him, he grinned. "The first one was hardly an insult, I said you were annoying but okay, fine, I'll teach him French."

"Now tell me what the second thing you said was," Remus demanded.

He just grinned at him. "A smart professor like you, you can figure it out."

And he left Remus glaring at him in the kitchen.

True to his word, Sirius did start teaching Harry French. He made labels for things in the house and they started off by learning the different words in both languages. If they were eating ham and cheese sandwiches it was: jambon and fromage sandwich; or time for bed it was: heure d'aller au lit; etc. Sirius found that going between the two made it easier for him to recall his own memory and for Harry to grasp it.

November also brought more time for Harry to spend with his new friends. Neville was the biggest surprise and he seemed to have taken not only a great shining to Harry, but to Sirius as well. The last time that Neville had come to play, Sirius had spent the entire afternoon with the two boys: Listening to music, working on his motorcycle (which both boys wanted to help with), and then playing football in the yard. Harry had also visited the Longbottom residence, Cumbria Manor, twice and had gone fishing with Neville and his Great-Uncle Algie, coming home and eagerly telling Sirius all about the fish that he had caught and how Neville's great uncle had then shown him how to cut it open and how they had grilled it. He had been both fascinated and disgusted, but the fish had been delicious and Harry was in complete awe over the entire situation.

The Weasleys had come by a few more times as well. Fred and George had caused more mischief at home and Mrs Weasley had grounded them for sending a Fanged Frisbee through the house and decapitating one of her prized houseplants, followed by hiding fireworks underneath pots and pans so that they were immediately set off once the pot was lifted. Sirius felt a little bad since he had given them the products in the first place, but the result of them clearly having the time of their lives only made him smile; not to mention that Mrs Weasley had absolutely no idea that Sirius was the source of her sons' new found joke products and therefore newfound method of troublemaking and Sirius rather hoped that stayed a secret. Ron and Harry had both become a bit closer as well, the boys enjoyed racing through the treehouse obstacle course, running up the rock climbing wall and over and playing catch with the Quaffle. Ginny had introduced Harry to her favourite tree at The Burrow, which she liked to climb and hang from and the two of them had climbed all the way to the top laughing like loons.

Harry hadn't had a single nightmare since Halloween and Sirius felt like things were finally starting to calm down and fall into place. They had a life here and it was going quite well.

As for Remus, Snape had continued to brew the Wolfsbane Potion for him and it seemed to be doing wonders. His transformations were going smoother and his fear of hurting someone had diminished to the point where he was allowing Sirius and Harry to spend the night at his cottage during the full moon. He still wasn't thrilled with the fact that Harry sometimes slept in the same room as him when he transformed, but he knew that he would never hurt the child in his lucid state of mind and the thought calmed him and therefore calmed the wolf who likewise felt a strong urge to protect 'the pup'. However, he still felt better when Harry stayed in his own room while he and Sirius stayed in the cellar as despite Sirius' insistence, Remus refused to leave the cellar when he was transformed.

As December swept in and the snow finally started to fall, Sirius began to get excited for Christmas. He took Harry out into the forest to find the perfect Christmas tree and they laughed and joked around before Sirius showed Harry how to cut the tree down and they tied it up with a rope and dragged it behind them to the house. They went shopping for decorations and made some homemade ones as well, but soon the house was full of twinkling lights and Christmas cheer.

Sirius had most of Harry's presents all finished, including the child-sized motorcycle that he was extremely anxious to give to his godson. He helped Harry make a present for Remus and they wrapped it and put it under the tree. But they still had a few last minute stops to make which was why Sirius and Harry were bundled up as they hurried into Twilfitt and Tatting's for some new dress clothes.

Sirius left Harry warming himself by the fire as he saw the seamstress and hurried over to talk to her about what he wanted. Harry held his hands out by the warmth, sniffling a bit from the cold and jolted when he saw the boy sitting on his left as he hadn't noticed him there when he had initially made his way to the fire. The boy had white blonde hair and a pale, pointed face. His grey-blue eyes were looking at Harry in interest.

"Hello," the boy said politely, crossing his legs neatly. "Here for some formal wear as well?"

Harry nodded. "For the holidays, Uncle Sirius says that we have to dress up."

The boy tapped his fingers on the side of the armchair that he was seated in. "Mother always insists that we must look our best for every occasion. I'm Draco Malfoy."

"Harry Potter," Harry said, taking a seat in the other armchair.

Draco's grey-blue eyes widened slightly. "Harry Potter!" He jumped out of his chair and stood over Harry, slightly awed. "The Boy Who Lived?"

Harry nodded, his cheeks flushing. "I guess so."

Draco seemed to catch himself because he moved to sit back into his chair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pounce on you. It's just… you're rather famous, you know."

"So I've heard," Harry said, turning to look around for Sirius. Unlike the time when Ginny had declared his fame and simply hugged him, this made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

Draco nodded, smiling slightly. "Bet it gets annoying, people always telling you that. Mother says that fame is in the eye of the beholder whatever that means. She's looking for a new set of robes for me for the Winter Masquerade she's throwing. It's going to be the ball of the year as she so eloquently claims. Father says that I must be on my best behaviour at the ball. Is that why you need dress robes? Are you coming to the manor for the party?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so, what's a ball?"

"Cissy!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise causing Harry to turn around in time to see Sirius stop a tall beautiful woman with bright blonde hair and blue eyes. "Should have known I'd run into you here."

Cissy's mouth opened in surprise before she caught herself. "Sirius, I heard you were released from Azkaban."

Harry moved over to his godfather, abandoning the blonde boy and smiling when Sirius put his hand on his shoulder.

"I did. Cissy, this is my godson, Harry Potter. Harry, this is my cousin Narcissa Bl- sorry not Black anymore, Narcissa Malfoy, Lady Wiltshire."

Narcissa's eyes immediately moved to the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead. "So, he's the child who defeated He Who Must Not Be Named, how lucky for him."

"Mother," Draco said quietly from her left. "Is Harry Potter coming to the Winter Masquerade?"

Narcissa looked alarmed by this. "Of course not, Draco! You know about my terrible cousin Sirius Black — he was disowned by our family. He disgraced the family name and reputation. We do not need such riffraff at our event and if we invited Harry Potter, the trash would come too."

"Ouch," Sirius said, holding a hand over his heart and mocking being stabbed. "That was hurtful, Cissy." When she only rolled her eyes, he grinned. "Winter Masquerade, eh? Let me guess, blue and ice themed, huge ballroom for lots of dancing, finger foods and expensive wines and anyone who's anyone will be there," he said with a smirk. "Boy, am I disappointed to miss that."

Narcissa merely glared at him, ignoring the sarcasm that had dripped from her cousin's lips. "You weren't invited so it does not matter in the least. How dare you even speak to me after what you did to this family?"

Sirius snorted. "What I did to this family? Cissa, all I did was refuse to let my mother push me around and force me to marry a Carrow — and I was blasted off of the family tree. I'm hardly a disgrace for making my own choices." His eyes fell upon her son with a small smile. "But I see you have a son now, Draco, is it?" At the boy's nod, he smiled warmly. "Well, I'm your cousin, Draco, and it's lovely to meet you. You look quite a lot like your father."

"Thank you, Sir," Draco said, wincing when Narcissa rapped him lightly on the head and his posture immediately stiffened from the more comfortable slouch he had been standing in.

"How is Lucius these days, Cissa?"

Narcissa kept her hand on her son's shoulder as she looked at Sirius. "He's fine, thank you."

"Bella is still in Azkaban, which is a blessing, as we both know how bloody insane she was. Can't say I miss her. But I did have dinner with Andy last night," Sirius said conversationally as if he hadn't a care in the world. "She's doing great. Her daughter is wonderful by the way and she even watches Harry for me. She's at Hogwarts now. Her name is Nymphadora, incase you were interested, but she prefers to go by Tonks. She's going to be fourteen."

Narcissa's eyes looked sad for a moment before she masked it. "I'm not interested in hearing about how the other disgraced members of our family are doing and I am already perfectly aware of Bella's current status and whereabouts. Draco, let's go. We still have much to do for the party."

Draco waved goodbye as his mother pushed him from the store and Sirius smiled down at Harry. "Sorry about that, Harry."

"She's your cousin too?" Harry asked as he watched the blonde woman and her son hurry off down the street.

Sirius nodded. "She's actually Andromeda's younger sister. But Andy and I don't get along with anyone else from our family."

Sirius paid for the robes that he had purchased and led Harry down the street to _The Leaky Cauldron_ where they were soon eating hot corned beef sandwiches. Harry was still thinking about the boy. He didn't understand how Sirius was family to them, but didn't talk to them. Were they like the Dursleys, he wondered?

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Hmm?" Sirius asked as he buttered the bread in front of him.

"How are you related to Draco Malfoy and how come you don't get along with them?"

Sirius smiled sadly. "It's kind of complicated, Harry." He tapped his fingers on the table for a moment, trying to think of how to explain it. "You see, sometimes the world takes everything really seriously and well… sometimes people are snobs."

Harry only stared at him in confusion.

Sirius sighed. "I come from a really wealthy and old pureblood family, Harry. That means that my family has been around for generations and for centuries my family has been full of people with magical blood. No one in my family is like the Dursleys for example, Muggles or people with no magic. Well, that's a lie, we had a Squib once a few generations back, but they were disowned, anyway doesn't matter, everyone in my family has magic, do you understand?" At Harry's small nod, he continued. "And because our family can be traced back to such a prestigious beginning, they don't like being forced to be with people who are not the same. They don't like different people or change."

He reached for his bread, taking a large bite as Harry watched him.

"Harry, there are many pureblood families in the world and they pride themselves on the fact that they are pureblood, but the problem with this is that they are very prejudice towards those who are not. Do you know what the word prejudice means?"

"No," Harry said, looking up at him.

"It basically means that they judge people without even getting the chance to know them just because they are not of the same pureblood standing as themselves. My parents were very strict about who I could speak too, who my friends could be and who I could spend my time with. They all had to come from respectable pureblood families like ours. It's why I don't get along with any of my family. When I went to Hogwarts, I got sorted into Gryffindor, the first member of the Black family ever to not be put into Slytherin House and my parents were furious; beyond furious actually. Then there was your dad and while James Potter was a pureblood, he was not a respectable pureblood according to my parents. The reason was that his family had no prejudice and they were respectful to everyone like a person should be."

"Am I a pureblood?" Harry asked, his mind trying to grasp all of this new terminology.

Sirius shook his head. "No, Harry, you are what people would call a half-blood, respectable, but still not what my family would deem appropriate to be speaking with. That's the kind of people they were. You see, Harry, your mum, she was a Muggleborn. She was the only person in her whole family to ever have magical abilities. That's why your aunt wasn't magical and I think that's why she hated your mum so much. But your dad marrying her was considered a big taboo to my family. Anyway, that's why Andy doesn't get along with our family either. Ted is also Muggleborn and when she fell in love with him, my Aunt Druella and Uncle Cy told her that she had to choose between being part of the Black family or choosing the man that she loved and she chose to be with Ted. And she's very happy as you can see."

Harry stared at him for a moment. "I don't understand why it all matters."

Sirius smiled warmly. "That's just it, Harry — it doesn't matter. Or it shouldn't matter is the more appropriate saying. Your mum being Muggleborn, she was so talented and she was so good at magic that if you didn't know that she was Muggleborn you never would have guessed. It's like looking over there and saying that you don't like anyone with brown hair or that everyone who has a big nose is stupid. You should never judge anyone without first getting to know them. You don't know what kind of life they've had or why they are acting the way they are. Your dad said it the best to me once: we all bleed red. So give everyone a chance, alright?"

Harry smiled. "That's not hard, Uncle Sirius."

He grinned at his godson. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. Now, as to how I am related to Narcissa and Draco. Well, my mother's brother Cygnus is my uncle Cy and he and his wife, my Aunt Druella, are the parents of my cousins Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa. Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy and they have one son named Draco. Does that make sense?"

Harry nodded. "Yes."

Sirius smiled. "Good."

Harry was quiet for a minute as he ate his sandwich. "Draco seemed nice."

Sirius smiled and took a long drink of the butterbeer in front of him. "I hope he is, Harry. I really hope he is."

~ ASC ~

 **The next afternoon, Sirius visited Andromeda and Ted while Harry was doing his studies with Remus.** He sniffed the air appreciatively as he stepped into the house.

"Apple crisp?" he asked hopefully as the scent of apples and cinnamon overtook his senses as he stepped into the kitchen. Ted had his hands on the counter on either side of his wife, his body pressed up against hers and his lips on her throat. "Er, sorry, I can come back."

Ted kissed his wife softly before turning to smile at Sirius. "No, its fine. Come on in, Sirius."

Sirius smiled gratefully at him. "Didn't mean to interrupt."

Andromeda laughed, her hands going to her hair. "Of course not, we just lost track of time."

Ted smirked at her. "I'll head to the market and get those supplies for you," he kissed her cheek, nodded at Sirius and hurried off.

Sirius grinned at her. "I really didn't mean to interrupt. I mean, how long have you guys been married? You still snog in the kitchen?"

Andromeda laughed, turning back to the dough that she had been kneading with her hands. "Good grief, Sirius, Ted and I are hardly dead. I'm only eight years older than you! And yes, we still have lots and lots of sex." When he winced slightly, she grinned. "Did you get the dress robes yesterday?"

He nodded, smirking at her as he took a seat at the kitchen table. "That I did and I ran into your sister."

Her hands stopped kneading for a moment and he saw her tense up before she returned to the dough as if nothing had happened. "Oh?"

Sirius nodded, watching his cousin carefully. "She looks as beautiful and regal as ever. She has a son. His name is Draco. Looks a lot like Lucius, about Harry's age and he's obviously being moulded into a proper little aristocrat."

"Did she… is she happy?" she whispered.

Sirius came up behind her, turning her around to pull her close for a hug. "I think she is. Her eyes looked sad when I mentioned that I had dinner with you the other night and then she quickly masked it. I remember her at Hogwarts and she was madly in love with Lucius Malfoy. I assume she still is."

Andromeda cleared her throat, turning back to the dough that she was working with. "Well, I assume she's busy planning the big Winter Masquerade at Malfoy Manor. It's always the talk of the season."

"We should crash it."

She smirked. "That would give her a bloody heart attack not to mention what it would do to my mother if I walked in there."

Sirius chuckled. "But it would be fun."

Andromeda smiled at him, placing the apple mixture in the middle and folding the dough around it. "I suppose it would be, but that bridge was burned a long time ago, Sirius. Fifteen years ago in fact and… she made it perfectly clear that I wasn't part of her family anymore; part of her life anyway. I had disgraced the Black Family name."

"You were the first white sheep; gave me the inspiration."

She chuckled. "Do I regret losing my parents and my sisters by choosing Ted? I loved them, Sirius, and I will always love them, but my Edward… he makes me so unbelievably happy and we have a beautiful daughter and I would never give that up for the world. I miss my family sometimes more than I can bear, especially Cissy, we used to be so close, you know, but they cast me out and I'm not going to impose myself upon them when they don't want me there and when I have everything that I need."

"I know," Sirius told her as he watched her hands work. "I feel the same. I just… Harry was asking me how I was related to them and it got me thinking. I found myself telling him about what prejudice is and how important it is not to judge someone without first getting to know them first; basically the exact opposite of everything that we were taught as children. And I was just thinking of how Draco had slouched slightly and she thumped him lightly and his posture stiffened and all I could see was my own childhood of strict rules and formal gatherings and I'm so fucking thankful that I don't have to be part of that world anymore."

She smiled at him. "You could be if you wanted to be, you know. You are the Head of the House of Black now. You could throw the big parties and have the big events and invite all of them."

He smirked. "Never in a million years." When she laughed and placed the first tray in the oven, he smiled. "I have found myself teaching Harry proper table etiquette though. I'm not really sure why, but I am."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Andromeda told him honestly. "I did the same with Nymphadora. It was drilled into us as children and we should pass that knowledge down. You never know when or if it will ever be something that they will use in the future."

"You know what I love most about you, Andy?"

"What?" she asked him as she wiped her hands on her apron.

"You just get me," he said with a smile.

"Us White Sheep have to stick together," she told him, her eyes twinkling at him. "Now, let's talk about our Christmas plans. You boys are all coming here for dinner?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Sirius told her, grinning widely. "Now, was that apple crisp I smelt earlier?"

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(French) Tu es la personne la plus agaçante = you are the most annoying person_

 _(French) va te faire foutre = kiss my ass_

 _Thank you for reading and please review!_


	40. Chapter 40

_Author's Note:_

 _Been on a series Beatles kick and I am currently listening to the_ Rubber Soul _album while I write this chapter. I blame having James Potter in my head LOL. Anyway, here is some light fluff for you guys but I hope you enjoy it. Felt weird to be writing about Christmas in June, but got to write where the story takes you._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY:**

 **Harry woke up on the twenty-fourth of December with Marauder's wet tongue licking his face.** He winced and pushed the dog away from him, scrambling to sit up. He could hear Sirius singing carols downstairs and it made his stomach clench nervously.

He had never liked Christmas.

When he made his way downstairs, he found Sirius still singing Christmas carols in the kitchen. "Happy Christmas Eve, Prongslet!" Sirius exclaimed enthusiastically, ushering for Harry to sit down before he plopped a plate of chocolate chip waffles with whipped cream and strawberries down on the table. "Eat up! We have a big day today!"

Harry stared down at his plate, rubbing his hands over his nervous stomach. The waffles did look delicious, but Christmas had always made him uneasy. "What's happening today?"

Sirius sat down next to his godson with his own full plate. "It's Christmas Eve, Harry!"

Harry merely stared at him blankly. He could see that Sirius was excited at the prospect of it being Christmas Eve, but to Harry that made no difference.

To him, Christmas meant spending the entire day alone in his cupboard until Aunt Marge made him come out and sit quietly while she showered Dudley with presents and smirked at him as if expecting him to ask why she didn't bring him a gift.

To him, Christmas meant smelling the most delicious smells coming from the kitchen all day and then having to sit at the beautifully decorated table and be given stale bread dipped in hot gravy while the rest of the table ate roasted turkey and mashed potatoes and ham, followed by more desserts than Harry could name.

To him, Christmas meant listening to Uncle Vernon lecture him on how he was a freak and how freaks weren't allowed to be given gifts.

He knew Christmas was going to be different here and he knew that none of those things were going to happen to him, but the thought of it being Christmas Eve still made his stomach feel uneasy.

"What are we doing today, Uncle Padfoot?" he asked. He couldn't help but smile as Sirius grinned happily at him.

"Lots of fun stuff, I promise. Eat up!"

By the time they cleaned up breakfast and Harry got dressed for the day, Sirius had already started to live up to his promise. They spent the morning outside building a giant snowman and an igloo. By the time Remus came by just before lunch, Harry was already climbing through the igloo eagerly, pleased with their work. They went inside for a hot lunch and then returned outside where an epic snowball fight took place and Harry found himself giggling madly as Sirius pinned him down into the snow and covered his face with a wet snowball. When Harry broke free, he ducked behind Sirius, jumping onto his back and sliding cold snow right down the back of his neck, laughing as Sirius swore loudly at the cold. Remus conjured a small snowman to throw snowballs at both of them and they laughed and rolled in their attempts to duck before finally crashing Remus' snowman to the ground and making snow angels.

They went inside, changed into some warm clothes and curled up in the living room by the fireplace to drink hot chocolate with marshmallows and eat Christmas biscuits. Then they built a gingerbread house. Harry laughed because it was crooked and the chimney kept falling off which Sirius rectified by eating it. Remus helped Harry make tiny gingerbread men to stand outside of the house and Harry accidentally squirted red frosting out of the tube backwards and it hit Sirius in the face. After the shock of it wore off, a small food fight had ensued and the three of them were soon covered in frosting and pieces of gingerbread crumbs. They cleaned themselves up and ate pork roast for dinner.

Once the kitchen was clean, and the gingerbread house was standing (mostly anyway) in the middle of the kitchen table, Remus led Harry upstairs for a hot bath and to change into his pyjamas.

"This was the best Christmas Eve ever," Harry told him as Remus brushed his hair.

"I'm glad," Remus replied with a smile. "Come on. My favourite Christmas tradition was always reading _A Christmas Carol_."

Harry took Remus' hand and followed him back downstairs into the living room where he plopped himself onto the couch. Remus sat next to him and Sirius came to sit on his other side. Sirius summoned a thick blanket over, covering the three of them and moving to put his arm around Harry as he passed him a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows again, kissing the top of his head.

Remus opened the worn book with a small smile. He remembered his first Christmas at Hogwarts. He was so excited to go home and to see his mum and dad. It was the day before the train was going to leave and he had been sitting in the common room, the Charles Dickens book in his hand.

 _"Remus, it's after two in the morning, what are you still doing up?"_

 _He jolted at the voice, smiling at the pretty redhead as she joined him on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room. "Lily, you scared me."_

 _She lifted the blanket up that he had on his lap and joined him under the covers. "What are you doing up so late?"_

 _"I could ask you the same question, Miss Evans?"_

 _She laughed and tucked her long red hair behind her ear. "I couldn't sleep. I'm excited to go home for the holidays."_

 _"Me too," he told her honestly, smiling warmly. He held up the book in his hand. "I thought I'd get a head start on a family tradition. Mum and I read it every Christmas Eve."_

 _Lily's eyes widened in surprise. "We do too! Tuney mumbles about it; says that it's the same old story every year, but Daddy and I love it!" she admitted, smiling widely. "We sit by the fire, all cozy with hot chocolate while Daddy reads it. It's a wonderful tradition."_

 _Remus nodded, smiling back at her. "I agree. Mum and I take turns reading it now and Dad just listens to us, a smile on his face and cigar in his hand. We usually have hot cocoa too and sometimes chocolate biscuits."_

 _Lily took the book from him and opened it with a smile. "You're already up to the Ghost of Christmas Present," her eyes moving over the print. "Will you read it to me?"_

 _Remus smiled as he accepted the book back from her. "I'd like that."_

 _And as his voice told the tale of the second ghost to visit Scrooge, Lily smiled contentedly, her head back against the sofa as she listened._

It had been the start of a new tradition that the two of them shared every year on the last night before they went home for the Christmas holidays.

"This is a wonderful story, Harry. It's about a grouchy old man who hates Christmas until he learns what the true meaning of Christmas really is," Remus told him with a smile. "My mum used to read it to me every year and then when I went to Hogwarts, your mum and I would read it together every Christmas. Your granddad used to read it to her every Christmas Eve when she was a little girl."

Harry smiled up at Remus. "My mum liked this story?"

Remus wrapped his arm around the boy, smiling down at him. "She loved it. Do you want me to start reading?"

Harry nodded, snuggling between the two men happily, holding his mug of hot chocolate in his hands. "Yes, please."

Harry fell asleep before the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, but Remus kept reading until the book was finished. It was almost midnight by the time he closed the book, smiling at Sirius.

"I think we did good today," he said with a smile.

Sirius grinned at his friend. "Me too. We make pretty good parents, Moony."

Remus chuckled. "Well, you keep the house so I guess that makes you Mummy."

"Fuck you," Sirius said with a snarl and making him laugh. "If anything you're the Moomy and I'm the Dadfoot."

Remus laughed. "You keep thinking that, Siri." He brushed his finger gently across Harry's cheek. "He's going to wake up early tomorrow."

"Do you think?" Sirius asked, glancing up at the clock. "I don't know if he's ever really experienced a real Christmas. Look at me, this is the first time I ever heard that Dickens story and I was friends with you and Evans for years."

Remus smiled. "It was something that Lily and I both loved. Come on, let's get him up to bed."

Sirius nodded, lifting the sleeping child into his arms and carrying him up to his bedroom. He was just tucking him in, Remus behind him with the stuffed stag and doe that Harry had brought downstairs with him when the child opened his eyes.

"Is the story over, Uncle Padfoot?"

Sirius kissed his forehead. "Story time is over, Prongslet, it's late. It's time for bed now. If you're not sleeping, Father Christmas won't come."

"Father Christmas?" Harry asked, looking at Sirius in surprise. "He won't come anyway."

Remus smiled at Harry, his eyes slightly bewildered as he took a seat on the bed next to Harry and handed the stuffed animals to him. "Won't he?"

Harry shook his head, cuddling the stag and doe in his arms. "He never brings freaks presents."

Sirius' eyes hardened slightly as they met Remus'. Every time that he thought Harry was passed the way the Dursleys had treated him, something like this brought it all back and it infuriated him. He had suspected that Harry had never really had a real Christmas and his reactions to decorating the tree and singing carols had only intensified that belief, but had he never even been given a Christmas present? After knowing Harry's birthday had never even been celebrated it shouldn't surprise him, but it did and it hurt him to think about it. As bad as his own childhood had been, his parents still celebrated his birthday and holidays with him and he had always received extravagant gifts regardless of how much his behaviour was a disappointment to them.

He leaned down and kissed the top of Harry's head again. "Harry, Father Christmas brings all of the little children presents, every year. As long as they have been good and on their best behaviour."

Harry frowned at this. "Uncle Vernon was right. I am bad."

"No," Remus said, taking Harry's hand in his. "You are the kindest little boy in the whole world and Father Christmas has _never_ forgotten about you." His eyes met Sirius' before he spoke. "I think your cousin might have just taken your gifts for his own, to be honest, or your aunt and uncle simply gave them to him."

Sirius nodded. "The Dursleys wanted you to be unhappy, Harry, and you never deserved that. But I promise that Father Christmas has never forgotten you and that if you believe in him, he'll leave you some presents under the tree tonight."

Harry's eyes widened slightly. "Really? There will be gifts for me?"

Remus kissed Harry's cheek. "Really. But you have to go to sleep or he won't come."

Harry settled himself down, smiling as Sirius tucked him in and Marauder jumped up onto the end of his bed. "Dudley always put out milk and biscuits for Santa, does Father Christmas like those too?"

Sirius smiled. "Santa Clause is just another name for Father Christmas, Harry, and he loves milk and biscuits. Don't worry, Uncle Remus and I will put some out by the tree before we go to bed."

They both kissed Harry goodnight and Sirius closed the door halfway and they headed back downstairs. Sirius poured a glass of milk and put a cooling charm on the glass to keep it fresh before adding a plate of chocolate biscuits.

"Help me put all of the gifts out?"

Remus nodded and together they filled the space under the tree with gifts for Harry. Remus smirked slightly at the large box that he knew contained the motorbike. "I can't believe that you're giving him that."

Sirius grinned. "He's going to love it! Not that he'll really be able to use it until the snow melts, but he's going to absolutely love it."

"Yeah, he will," Remus said with a smile as he yawned. "I should head home."

Sirius put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "No, you shouldn't. It's Christmas, Moony. There's a spare bed in the other room. You should spend Christmas morning with Harry and I."

Remus smiled. "I was planning on coming over bright and early."

Sirius grinned. "Just stay and that way you won't miss any of it."

Remus smiled gratefully at his friend. "All right then."

Twenty minutes later, Remus had run home to get some pjs and was settled into the spare room and Sirius crawled into his own bed. He couldn't wait to see Harry's reaction in the morning and he hoped that he enjoyed it.

He was asleep before his head hit the pillow and was surprised when he blinked awake and it was still dark outside. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was just after six in the morning. And then he smiled.

It was Christmas.

He hurried into the bathroom to wash his face and clean his teeth and then he hurried down the hall to check on Harry. Harry was still sleeping soundly, snuggled up against Marauder, legs sticking out of the covers. It made him smile.

He snuck off into the spare room, pushing open the door and turning on all of the lights.

"Ah, fuck!" Remus exclaimed, pulling a pillow over his face.

"It's Christmas morning, Moony!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping on the bed and laughing when Remus simply shoved him off.

"Is Harry even awake yet, you prat?"

"But it's Christmas, Moony!"

Remus only rolled his eyes. Sirius had always been ridiculously excited for Christmas morning. Every year at exactly five on Christmas morning, an owl would wake Remus up with a note declaring Christmas cheer — usually a Howler to express Sirius' excitement. It made him smile to think that some things had never changed.

"Okay, I'm getting up, now go away! Put on a jumper and some slippers or something, you're going to freeze!" he exclaimed, shoving at his friend's bare chest and pointing to his bare feet.

Sirius grinned widely and hurried into his room for a jumper and some thick woollen socks before he made his way downstairs. He turned the wireless on to hear some Christmas music, turning it up loudly and flicking his wand at the tree to turn on the fairy lights and lighting a fire in the hearth before he went into the kitchen to make tea.

The kettle was just finishing up as Remus stepped into the kitchen yawning loudly. "At least you had the decency to make tea," Remus said, tugging his own jumper over his tee shirt and pyjama bottoms.

Sirius made tea for both of them and turned up the Christmas music. "Do you think the music will wake up Harry?"

"Sirius," Remus said with a laugh as he took his first sip of hot tea and felt himself slowly waking up. "He'll wake up when he wakes up."

Sirius sighed dramatically and headed into the living room to sit down and wait. They only had to wait about fifteen minutes before they heard Harry on the stairs. Sirius immediately jumped to his feet, grinning widely. "Happy Christmas, Harry!"

Harry rubbed his eyes under his glasses and then his eyes widened when he looked under the tree. "Wow."

Sirius scooped Harry up into his arms, kissing his cheek. "I told you Father Christmas would come!"

Harry simply stared, his eyes wide as Sirius placed him back onto the floor. He looked over at Remus and Sirius, his green eyes wide and shocked. "He really came?"

Remus stood up, leaning down to kiss the top of Harry's head. "He did. Happy Christmas, Harry." He sat down on the floor next to the tree and gestured for Harry to sit next to him. "Let's see what he brought for you, yeah?"

Harry only nodded slowly, taking a seat next to Remus and grinning widely as Sirius passed him a present.

"This one is from Father Christmas, Harry," Sirius told him, grinning at Remus. "Go on, Prongslet, open it up."

Harry smiled so big that he thought his face would crack as he carefully opened the box and found three new books. "Stories!"

Sirius laughed and kissed the top of his head. "Let's see what else you got, Prongslet?"

Thirty minutes later, almost all of the boxes had been opened a mixture of gifts from both Sirius and Remus and from Father Christmas. Harry had gotten new clothes; new books; some new board games; his own wireless record player; candy and chocolates galore; a green jumper with a gold letter H knitted into it from Mrs Weasley with a basket full of sweets and some thick woollen socks; and a motorbike.

Harry stared at the motorbike, his eyes wide as Sirius held a helmet out to him. "A motorbike!"

Sirius laughed and strapped the helmet onto Harry's head, urging his godson to climb on top of it. "A mini motorbike for you. It doesn't go as fast as mine obviously, but I think it's pretty cool." He showed Harry where the button was that made the engine rev loudly and he helped him turn on the headlight, laughing as Harry's eyes widened in excitement. "When the snow melts, we're going to go for a real ride together, Prongslet."

Harry grinned. "Thank you!" He flew into Sirius' arms and Sirius hugged him close, a big smile on his face.

"You are very welcome, Prongslet. Happy Christmas."

Harry flew into Remus' arms next. "Thank you! Happy Christmas!"

Remus kissed Harry's cheek. "Happy Christmas, Harry."

Harry had made a drawing for Remus and he and Sirius had made the frame themselves and painted it in brightly lit colours. The drawing was of a wolf and a big black dog snuggled with a small dark-haired boy with green eyes and glasses. It was clear a child had drawn it, but Remus knew that he would treasure it. For Sirius, Harry had gotten an old pair of denim jeans and he and Remus had changed into an apron and on the apron in bright red was Harry's handprints and in Harry's printing in different coloured paints it read: Sirius' Grilled Perfection. Sirius immediately put the apron on with a big smile to start making breakfast.

Harry eagerly helped as the three of them had bacon, scrambled eggs, breakfast sausages, and grilled potatoes with cheese and onions along with with tall glasses of orange juice. After breakfast, Sirius told Harry to go on upstairs and get dressed and to make his bed and he and Remus would clean up the kitchen.

Once the kitchen was clean, Remus Flooed home to shower and dress and when he arrived back, Sirius was freshly showered and dressed and he and Harry were playing Gobstones on the living room floor.

Sirius had just defeated Harry making Remus smile as he worked on his crossword puzzle and McGonagall stepped out of the fireplace.

"Minnie!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping to his feet and kissing the older woman's cheek. "Happy Christmas!"

McGonagall smiled, her cheeks flushed. "Happy Christmas, Sirius, Remus, and Harry. I hope you boys all have had a wonderful morning."

Harry grinned up at her, taking her hand and bringing her over to the tree where he eagerly showed her all of his new Christmas presents.

McGonagall's eyebrow rose slightly at the sight of the motorbike. "Sirius, if Lily Potter were still around you would be dead for giving her son that death trap."

Remus snorted into his tea. "My thoughts exactly, Minerva."

Sirius ignored her, grinning widely. "Ah, don't worry it's perfectly safe! Harry, hop on and show Auntie Minnie how it works!"

Harry put his new helmet on and climbed on the bike, laughing when Sirius used his wand to move the furniture out of the way so that Harry could rev the engine and drive through the house.

McGonagall's lips twitched slightly. "Hmm."

Sirius grinned. "Once the snow melts and we get it outside, it will be even more fun. Come sit! Would you like some egg nog or a tea?"

"Nog would be nice, Sirius, thank you."

Sirius immediately went to hunt up the egg nog as McGonagall took a seat in the chair by the fire after Remus had put the furniture back and conned Harry into putting the bike away.

"How was Christmas at Hogwarts this morning, Minerva?" Remus asked, smiling warmly at her as Sirius brought her a cup of egg nog.

"Wonderful as per usual. The feast will be in two hours so I can't stay too long, but I wanted to pop in and see how you all were doing on this wonderful Christmas day." She reached into her bag and pulled out a beautifully wrapped present. "And I brought Harry a little something," she said with a smile.

Harry's eyes widened as he accepted the present. "Thanks, Auntie Minnie!"

McGonagall flushed a little at the name and waved him off. "Happy Christmas Harry!"

Harry carefully opened the gold paper tied in a red ribbon and smiled when he opened the box and found a large red and gold leather book full of blank parchment. "It's empty," he said, staring up at her.

McGonagall smiled. "Yes, it is for now. It's a scrapbook, Harry. I thought that you could put all of your favourite memories in there, starting with today." She pulled out her camera and snapped a photo of Harry, Sirius, and Remus sitting under the Christmas tree and as the photo printed from the bottom she tapped it with her wand and handed the photo to Harry. "See, you can place it in like this and then you write the day on it."

Harry grinned widely as she wrote the words: Christmas, 1986. "

Thank you!" he hugged her tight and she smiled warmly, her eyes filling up with tears, which she furiously blinked back.

"You're welcome, Harry."

"Prongslet, sit up with Auntie Minnie and we'll get a nice photo of the two of you to put in your scrapbook," Sirius suggested, snagging his own camera which he had been using most of the morning to take photos of them opening presents.

Harry did as his godfather asked, surprising McGonagall by kissing her cheek and she looked pleasantly surprised in the photo every time as Harry's head turned and placed a sweet kiss on her.

After McGonagall left, Sirius, Remus, and Harry packed up the gifts that were still left under the tree and they headed to the Tonks family home. Andromeda greeted them happily with hugs and kisses as they made themselves comfortable in the living room near the tree. Harry immediately found Tonks and they began to talk about their new gifts as Andromeda made them comfortable in the living room with tea and desserts.

Harry couldn't believe it. Not only did he have even more gifts, this time from Andromeda, Tonks, and Ted, but they stayed for a Christmas feast of roast turkey, ham, potatoes, carrots, gravy, fresh bread, corn and green beans. Then there was apple crisp, treacle tart, strawberry tarts, and chocolate cake for dessert. He was so full that he fell asleep on the sofa, his head against Sirius' arm.

Tonks sat down next to Remus and grinned. "I think you blokes wore him out."

Remus smiled at her. "He's had a very full day and I think maybe a bit too much food."

Sirius wrapped his arm around Harry, snuggling the boy closer to him. "I think it was a pretty great first Christmas, Moony, what do you think?"

Remus grinned. "Pretty great to me."

And when Sirius tucked him into bed that night, Harry thought that it had been the best day of his whole life.


	41. Chapter 41

_Author's Note:_

 _I know a lot of you have been commenting on how much you like Althea Castellanos and I really liked her too, but at this point in the story, she is no longer important. Will she come back? I can't say (well won't say). But I will give you a little snippet here of why she is still gone, which I believe most of you saw coming._

 _Also, I am one of those fans who have a love-hate relationship with Snape. Was he a hero? Undoubtably he was, but was he a good man — no, I don't think he was that either. He was selfish and unforgiving and I think this part of him is often overlooked. I love Snape, especially in the films because Alan Rickman was one of the most amazing actors to ever grace the screen, but I think we all know that he and Sirius Black will never be friends. But just maybe, maybe, Sirius can convince him to give something back to Lily's son for Lily's sake._

 _I know I've been mentioning the Pensieve idea a lot and I want to do some Marauder stuff here, some great memories and some bad memories too so these next few chapters are going to be a lot of flashbacks that I have been writing a lot lately and I hope you guys enjoy them._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lovely memory of Lily and Petunia, that belongs to JKR from chapter thirty-three of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; however I did take liberty a wee bit._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY-ONE:**

 **With Christmas over and done with and as January ushered in 1987, Sirius felt like everything was going well.** He heard from Castellanos briefly after the new year, surprising him as she hadn't written once since he'd seen her off back in September. She had simply written a short note.

 _Sirius,_

 _Sorry, I haven't written. It's been so busy here and so heartbreaking. I have decided to extend my trip as I'm sure you've realized by now. I've taken a year long Sabbatical from St Mungo's to stay and help the organization. I don't know if that means I will be staying here in Sri Lanka for the full year or if I will be moving on somewhere else, but I just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year. I hope you and Harry are well._

 _Thea_

He had simply crumpled the parchment up into his hand and tossed it into the bin. Sirius had known on some level when she had left that she wouldn't be coming back. And while he missed her, he knew that he wasn't disappointed she was gone either. He wasn't ready to make any major changes in his life including a relationship. Harry _was_ his life and that was the only important thing.

As January breathed cold wind and blizzards into Britain, Sirius headed to Hogwarts to get the new batch of Wolfsbane Potion from Snape.

"Instructions are the same, Black, I'm sure even someone as simple-minded as yourself can follow them," Snape sneered at him as he handed over the potion for Remus.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Listen, Snape, I'm not going to pretend that I like you and I don't expect you to pretend you like me, but you are brewing this for Remus and that is appreciated more than you can know."

Snape opened his mouth to speak and seemed to change his mind, only nodding.

Sirius sighed. "I wasn't going to bother, in fact I had talked myself out of it, but this is for Harry and I think it's important."

Snape only stared at him, one sharpened eyebrow pointing upward. "You lost me, Black, that potion is for Lupin not the Potter brat unless you've decided to let Lupin bite the child than I can assure you, I have zero sympathy for your stupidity."

Sirius rolled his eyes again, biting his tongue to stop the sharp comment from coming out. "He's not just 'the Potter brat,' Snape." He took a deep breath before he spoke. "He's six years old and I know how much you loathed James Potter, but I also know how much you once meant to Lily."

"Don't you dare talk about her to me! You and — your part of the reason I lost her!"

"Don't make me laugh," Sirius said condescendingly, "You lost her because you chose the dark arts over your friendship and you can go on and on and keep thinking that James turned her against you, but we both know that you did that all on your own before James was even really in the picture."

A vein was popping in Snape's forehead now. "You — will — not — talk — to — me — about — her!"

Sirius only stared at him for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I want to get this out. Just once, and you will listen to me. Harry doesn't remember Lily and James, Snape. He has no memories of the people who loved him most in the world. Dumbledore gave me a Pensieve to give him some memories and I'm working on putting that together. I wasn't going to ask you, mostly because I hate you and I think that you're a huge prat, but Lily… you were her best friend once upon a time, Snape. You knew her before I did, before she even came to Hogwarts."

"You have the gall to ask me for memories of Lily to share with Potter's brat?"

"Potter's brat is also the son of Lily, Snivellus, so maybe you should start remembering that!" Sirius exclaimed, his anger rising now. "He has her fucking eyes! And her absolute goodness! All things that I want him to realize if he has a chance to get to know what his mother was like. You spent time with her; you were best friends with her at one time, and I'm not looking for you to show him some awful memory of when you lost that friendship, but to remember the good times. Is that really too much to ask of you? Lily would have been honoured if you chose to show her son this kindness! Are you really telling me that for the sake of the relationship you once shared with her — you won't even consider it?"

Snape sneered at him. "She wasn't my friend. She was a Mudblooded bitch."

Sirius' fist flung out and popped Snape in the side of the jaw, startling him. "Some friend, dickwad! Thanks for the potion."

He stepped into the Floo and left Snape standing in his office, wand pointed at the fire in rage, and Sirius was left with his thoughts of wondering not for the first time how the amazing woman that he had known as Lily Evans Potter had ever befriended such a foul git.

~ ASC ~

 **After the fiasco of daring to ask Snape for memories of Lily, Sirius figured that maybe the best start he could make was collecting and cataloguing his own memories.** It was where Remus found him one afternoon a week later while Harry was having his first sleepover at The Burrow. He was sitting at the kitchen table with the Pensieve basin in front of him and little bottles standing in front of it.

"What are you doing, Padfoot?" Remus asked, taking a seat at the table across from his friend.

Sirius nodded at the Pensieve, "Trying to decide if I should organize these chronologically and log them somehow or if I should just leave them to be a surprise as Harry views them."

Remus smiled and picked up one of the bottles. "Who are these from?"

"Me so far. I wanted to see how it went before I started collecting from others, you know? I mean, they are only copies of one's memory, but I want to collect as many of them as I can."

Remus nodded, turning the small bottle over in his hand. "Can I ask what your first memories are?"

Sirius smiled and took the bottle from Remus, pouring it into the basin. "My first train ride to school."

They both looked up at the tapping from the window, surprised to see a large brown barn owl. Sirius opened the window and let the owl inside to warm up, getting a small bowl of water for him as he carefully unhooked the package from his leg.

"It's from Hogwarts," he said as he brought it over to the table. "I wonder what Minnie has sent me."

Remus smiled. "Could be from Dumbledore," he said, but when Sirius only rolled his eyes he laughed. "You're right, it's probably from Minerva. She's probably just checking up on you."

Sirius laughed as he opened the package, his eyes widening at the bottles all containing the silvery blue-white swirl of memories. He reached for the letter, tugging it from the envelope.

 _Black,_

 _This is for Lily._

 _Do not speak to me of this ever again._

 _Snape_

"Holy shit," Sirius exclaimed, holding the letter out to Remus. "He actually sent me his fucking memories! Holy shit!"

"Who did?" he asked, his eyes moving over the words and his eyes widening in disbelief. " _Snape_? You asked Severus Snape to give you memories for Harry and he said _yes_? What in bleeding Christ did you do to him?"

Sirius snorted. "I guess he actually listened to me for once."

"The world must be ending," Remus said, making his friend laugh loudly.

"No," Sirius said with a smile. "I think I just got through to him about trying to do something to make up for everything that happened between him and Lily. He regrets it, anyone can see that. And I said to him that he was the first person to know her and to befriend her and that's an important memory to share with her son. I never in a million years thought he would actually… I wonder what they are."

Remus picked up the first bottle with a small smile on his face. "In terms of organization, if you were going to log the bottles, we would definitely have to view them first, right?"

Sirius smiled at his friend. "Yeah, I think we do, I mean strictly for organizational purposes of course."

Remus popped open the bottle and hesitated before he poured it into the Pensieve. "You already have one memory in here, should we remove it first?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nah, it's just my first train ride when I met James and Lily. We can view it after we watch Snape's."

Remus nodded and poured the memory into the basin and then they both smiled and leaned forward, losing themselves in the memory.

 _Severus Snape was standing nearby watching out for Lily with his dark intense eyes. His greasy black hair was in his eyes and he was holding onto this trolley so tightly that his knuckles had whitened in their grip. His mother, a rather plain looking woman stood behind him with a severe look on her face._

 _He didn't see his friend anywhere, but his eyes fell on a small scrawny boy standing nearby with his parents. He had black hair sticking up in every which direction and round glasses. He was practically bouncing up and down on his feet._

 _"Look Mum! There it is!" The boy called out, turning Snape's attention away from the platform where he had been looking for his friend Lily._

 _Euphemia Potter shook her head in amusement. She couldn't contain the ball of excitement that was her eleven-year-old-son. "James, come here!" she insisted, attempting to tame his messy hair. "You could have at least combed your hair this morning!"_

 _James maneuvered out of her grip, grinning broadly. "Nah, looks better this way! Don't you think so, Dad?"_

 _Fleamont Potter only grinned widely, hands in his pockets as he danced on the heels of his feet. "You'll change your mind when you get older. Leave him, Fee, he's fine. Another strong Gryffindor!"_

 _"Monty! You don't know that he's going to be in Gryffindor! He's a smart young man, maybe Ravenclaw is his house." Euphemia insisted, shooting her husband a look of despair._

 _Fleamont rolled his eyes and winked at his son. "Gryffindor," he whispered making James laugh. "Got to make your granddad proud."_

 _James grinned wider, laughing when his mum elbowed his dad playfully in the ribs. "The hat always knows what's best, James; don't listen to your father."_

 _Fleamont winked again. "Little secret, Jamie, the hat takes your opinion into count." He grinned widely at his son. "But any house would make me proud if it's what you wanted."_

 _Euphemia was picking lint and dog hair off of the back of James' shirt. "Jamie! How did you get so dirty already, we just left the house?"_

 _"Mum," he said in exasperation, wiggling out from her grasp. When she only stared at him, he sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be fine, Mum! I'll make friends and study hard and play lots and lots of Quidditch."_

 _Euphemia hugged her son close, kissing his cheeks. "What am I going to do without you hanging around the house all of the time?" She kissed his forehead. "I love you, honey."_

 _James blushed in embarrassment and moved to hug his dad. "I love you too, Mum! Geez — it's not like you're never going to see me again!"_

 _Fleamont laughed and hugged his son close. "Behave yourself," he kissed his son's cheek and then held him close for a moment as he seemed to be whispering something in his ear._

 _"There's your friend Lily, Severus," Mrs Snape said, tearing Snape's rather jealous gaze from the boy hugging his father to watch Lily with her parents and sister. He moved closer so that he could hear what she was saying._

 _He watched as Lily bit her bottom lip and she squeezed her father's hand tightly. The big red steam engine bearing the words: Hogwarts Express flashed before her. She looked up at her father nervously as he smiled down at her._

 _"I see Severus over there, Lily. He's not worried about going off on the train." Mr Evans told her, pointing over to where Snape was hovering, eavesdropping on the conversation with her family._

 _Lily smiled up at her father. "I know, Dad. I see him."_

 _Mr Evans knelt down in front of his daughter, gently tucking her long red hair behind her ears. "Are you nervous, sweetie?"_

 _She nodded, stealing a glance at her big sister of three years, Petunia, who was standing next to their mother, arms crossed in annoyance in front of her. Her mother caught her glance and smiled warmly at her and Lily swallowed carefully. "Tuney is still mad at me."_

 _Mr Evans glanced back at his eldest daughter and sighed. "Petunia is a very stubborn young girl, like someone else that I know," he added making Lily blush. "But today is about you, Lily, not Petunia. You have been given a wonderful gift. Something that no one else in this family has ever before been given. The gift of magic." He kissed her forehead, smiling when she threw her arms around his neck to hug him tightly. "I love you, sweetheart."_

 _"I love you, Daddy," she whispered, her face buried in his shoulder._

 _When he stood up, patting her gently on the head she turned to run into her mum's arms. Mrs Evans hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. "Now you be a good girl, Lily. Study hard and practice your skills."_

 _"I will, Mum, I promise."_

 _Mrs Evans smiled and gently ran a finger down her daughter's cheek. "And don't forget to have fun too." She tapped Lily's nose and she grinned at her mother._

 _"I will."_

 _"I love you, Lily," Mrs Evans said, kissing her cheek._

 _Lily smiled and turned towards her sister. Petunia's arms were still crossed in front of her and she had a snooty look on her face like something smelt terrible nearby. Lily simply wrapped her arms around her sister's waist, hugging her tightly. "I'm going to miss you so much, Tuney!"_

 _Petunia snorted, attempting to push her sister off, but Lily only hugged her tighter making Snape snort as Petunia continued to attempt to disentangle herself. "Honestly, Lily! Let go!"_

 _Lily pulled back and looked up at her sister. "Aren't you even a little sad that you won't see me until Christmas?"_

 _"No."_

 _"I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen —" she caught her sister's hand when she pushed her away and held tight onto it even though Petunia tried to pull it from her grasp. "Maybe once I'm there — no listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"_

 _"I don't — want — to — go!" Petunia said, and she dragged her hand back out of her sister's grasp. "You think that I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a — a —" Her pale eyes roved over the platform, over the cats mewling in their owner's arms, over the owls fluttering and hooting at each other's cages, over the students, some already in their long, black robes, loading trunks on to the scarlet steam engine or else greeting one another with glad cries after a summer apart. "You think I want to be a — a freak?:_

 _Lily's eyes filled with tears as Petunia succeeded in tugging her hand away. "I'm not a freak. That's a horrible thing to say."_

 _"That's where you're going," Petunia said with relish. "A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy… weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety."_

 _Lily glanced towards her parents, who were looking around the platform with an air of wholehearted enjoyment, drinking in the scene. Then she looked back at her sister, and her voice was low and fierce. "You didn't think that it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the Headmaster and begged him to take you!"_

 _Petunia turned scarlet. "Beg? I didn't beg!"_

 _"I saw his reply. It was very kind."_

 _"You shouldn't have read —" Petunia whispered. "That was my private — how could you —?"_

 _Lily gave herself away by half glancing towards where Severus stood nearby._

 _Petunia gasped. "That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!"_

 _"No — not sneaking!" Now Lily was on the defensive. "Severus saw the envelope and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of —"_

 _"— Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!" Petunia said, now as pale as she had been flushed. "Freak!" she spat at her sister and she flounced off to where her parents stood._

 _Lily moved over as well to hug her parents one last time, promising to write home every week and her heart breaking a little as her sister pointedly ignored her. She grabbed her trolley. She waved goodbye and made her way over to Snape, narrowly escaping a skinny dark-haired boy with glasses who almost crashed into her trolley in his attempt to get onto the train._

 _"Sorry!" he called out, stopping to smile at her._

 _Lily smiled back, trying not to let him see the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. His grin lit up his whole face and it was impossible not to smile back at him. "It's all right; no harm done."_

 _The boy grinned widely at her, adjusting his glasses. "I'm just excited to get on the train. I'm James."_

 _"Lily," she said, accepting his hand. "Have you been to Hogwarts before?"_

 _He nodded, grinning widely. "Once with my mum, but it was in the summer and no students were there. I'm a first year. I can't wait to be sorted into Gryffindor and to watch some Quidditch games! It's going to be the best year ever! Are you a first year too?"_

 _Lily smiled back at him. "Yes. What's Quidditch?"_

 _"Only the best sport in the whole world! You'll see! Come on; you can sit with me if you'd like!" he told her, grinning widely._

 _Lily pointed to where Snape was standing by awkwardly watching them. "My friend is waiting for me."_

 _"He can come too," James told her, waving at Snape._

 _Snape merely glowered at him and James shrugged, turning back to Lily. "Well, if you can't find a compartment I'll save you a seat."_

 _"Thanks, James."_

 _He waved goodbye and carefully lugged his trunk up the steps to the train with the help of an older boy. Lily headed over to Snape smiling. "That was James. He's a first year too. He told me about Gryffindor, another house."_

 _"Slytherin is the only house that matters, Lily," Snape told her shortly. "Trust me, you don't want to be in any other house."_

 _"You don't even know if you will be in Slytherin House yet, Sev!"_

 _He shrugged, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I just know. What did Petunia say to you to make you so upset?"_

 _Lily shrugged as the tears threatened her eyes again. "I know you could hear her, Sev! She hates me and it's your fault! You snooped and found that letter from Dumbledore."_

 _Snape's mouth opened in surprise. "It's not my fault she left it lying open in her trashcan like that. And you don't need her, Lily!"_

 _"She's my sister!"_

 _"She's only a —" He caught himself quickly; Lily, too busy trying to wipe her eyes without being noticed, did not hear him. "Come on; let's go find a compartment."_

As the memory swirled around them, Sirius and Remus found themselves once again on Platform Nine and Three Quarters but this time, it was Sirius who stood there.

 _Sirius stood on the platform looking at the Hogwarts Express wistfully. He had been dreaming of coming to school for years now. A chance to leave the nest and get out of the house of his crazy parents. A chance to have a bit of an adventure._

 _"Sirius, are you even listening to me?" Walburga Black demanded, her hands on her hips._

 _Sirius rolled his eyes before he turned to look at his mother. Her long black hair was pinned up in a tight bun and her grey eyes were glaring at him in annoyance "Yes. Behave. Be a good Slytherin. Stay out of trouble or you'll bring me straight home. Did I miss anything?"_

 _Walburga's eyes narrowed. "Don't get smart with me, boy!"_

 _Sirius took a slow breath in and out. "Yes, Mum."_

 _Walburga stared at him for a moment. "I expect you to do your best, Sirius. To bring fame to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black as a loyal Slytherin and first born son of Orion Black, you are going to do what's best for this family. Stay out of trouble and away from anyone who is beneath you. Make friends with the right sort of people. Remember, you are a Black. There is no higher honour."_

 _Sirius merely nodded, looking longingly at the steam engine up ahead. "I will, Mum."_

 _Walburga nodded, seemingly satisfied with his response. "Good. I expect a letter by the end of the week telling me all about Slytherin and about some of the friends you've made and the good families that they come from. Toujours Pur, understood."_

 _"Yes, Mum."_

 _"We'll see you at Christmas."_

 _Sirius nodded, grabbing his trunk and hurrying off. He jumped up onto the train, dragging his trunk up without help and moving to find a compartment to sit in. He opened the door to one, seeing a scrawny boy with glasses and messy hair stretched out across the bench. He knocked lightly on the doorjamb to get his attention._

 _"Got room in here for one more or are you keeping the whole place to yourself?"_

 _The boy grinned at him and gestured for him to come inside. He dragged his trunk with him and between the two of them they shoved their trunks up onto the rack before he sat down next to James, stretching his legs out across the same bench so that they were facing each other._

 _"I can see why you were stretched out; much more comfortable, mate."_

 _The boy leaned forward, extending his hand. "I'm James."_

 _"Sirius." he said, dragging his fingers through his slightly shaggy dark black hair. He wondered if James was someone his mother would deem socially acceptable for him to be talking too, he thought. "So James, you a first year?"_

 _"Definitely. I can't wait to start learning real magic! Seems like every time I want to do something Mum and Dad are always telling me to wait until I'm old enough. Other than Quidditch. I love Quidditch! I could spend the rest of my life on a broomstick!"_

 _Sirius' mouth twitched in amusement. "Flying is pretty great. You going to play on your house team?"_

 _James nodded eagerly. "You bet! I'm a pretty great Chaser. It totally sucks that you have to be a second year to play! What position do you play?"_

 _Sirius shrugged, scratching his chin. He usually only played with Regulus so it was hard to really know what position he liked. "Keeper usually, but I don't want to play on the school team. I'll just watch."_

 _"You don't like to play Quidditch?" James exclaimed, his mouth open in alarm. "That's practically blasphemy!"_

 _Sirius laughed, crossing his arms in front of him. The boy was radiating excitement at the mentioning of anything to do with Quidditch. James immediately began to tell him about his favourite teams (Puddlemere and Holyhead) and all about his new broomstick (the Nimbus 1000) and its many perks. Their Quidditch discussion was interrupted when the compartment door slid open and they both looked up at the redhead who was standing there._

 _"Hi, Lily," James smiled. "Come on in!"_

 _The girl had long red hair, tucked behind her ears and bright green eyes that were brimming with tears as she hastily tried to wipe them away. "Th-thanks."_

 _"Are you all right?" Sirius asked her, his eyebrow rising in question. Why would she be crying? Maybe she was scared to leave home, he thought. He was sure not everyone was happy to get away from their family like he was._

 _She nodded. "Fine."_

 _"This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" A short boy with greasy black hair exclaimed, coming into the compartment behind Lily. Lily nodded, mopping her eyes, but in spite of herself, she half smiled. "You'd better be in Slytherin," the greasy-haired boy said._

 _James looked up quickly and winced. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he asked Sirius who was still lounging next to him on the seat._

 _Sirius smiled half-heartedly at them. Slytherin always had a bad reputation because of the desire of Salazar Slytherin for it to be a pure house; one of purebloods only. His own family motto, he thought, toujours pur, always pure._

 _"My whole family has been in that house for centuries."_

 _"Blimey!" James exclaimed, eyes wide. "And I thought you seemed all right!"_

 _Sirius grinned. He liked the boy immensely and he hoped that he wasn't going to be judged on his family before he got the chance to show him who he really was. "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading if you've got the choice?"_

 _James lifted an invisible sword. "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad!" The greasy-haired boy made a small, disparaging noise making James turn to him. "Got a problem with that?"_

 _"No," he said, sneering at him. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy — "_

 _" — Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius interrupted, annoyed at the rudeness of the boy. James was the first potential friend he had ever really had and he wasn't going to let some little snot disrespect him._

 _James roared with laughter making Sirius grin. At least he was entertaining the potential friend, he thought._

 _Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike. "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."_

 _"Ooooo…" James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice and James tried to trip Snape as they passed._

 _"See ya, Snivellus!" Sirius called out as they opened the compartment door. The door slammed behind them and Sirius turned to grin at James. "What an unpleasant git! The redhead seemed nice though, do you know her?"_

 _James shook his head. "Nah, just bumped into her outside of the train. She seemed nice though. Sirius, has your whole family really been in Slytherin?"_

 _Sirius nodded, his eyes befitting his name as the train began to move. "Yeah, my Mum told me that I must continue the family tradition."_

 _"Gryffindor is a much better house, though! It's for the brave and the courageous and it's a lion instead of a snake, which is clearly the superior animal!" James told him, grinning. "We just have to be in the same house!"_

 _Sirius shrugged good naturally. "We've each got our own paths to take and my mum seems to think mine is to follow in the family tradition which starts with becoming a Slytherin."_

 _"My dad told me that the hat takes your opinion into the equation," James told him with a grin. "If you want to be in Slytherin, you can be, but if you'd rather be in Hufflepuff or say in Gryffindor like me then tell the hat. I guess it's supposed to listen to your desires."_

 _Sirius stared at James in surprise. "Really?"_

 _James nodded. "My dad doesn't lie."_

 _"Wow, I didn't know it gave you an option. As my dear mum always tells me, the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black is born and bred in Slytherin House, but maybe I'll be the one to break that tradition."_

 _"You're a Black? You must know my uncle Charlie and Aunt Dory!"_

 _Sirius nodded and then he smiled. "Charlus Potter yeah, does that mean… didn't your dad invent that hair potion back in the twenties? Isn't he like super old?"_

 _James shrugged, smiling. "Not super old, but yeah, definitely older. Mum thought that they weren't meant to have children because they tried so long and nothing, but then there was me. Mum was fifty-eight when she had me."_

 _"Bloody hell," Sirius said. "So you're an only child then?"_

 _James nodded, placing his hands behind his head. "Yup. You?"_

 _"Little brother, Regulus. He's nine. Kind of a pain in the arse mostly."_

 _James laughed. He had always wanted a brother. "I think it'd be great to have a brother. It's kind of lonely when you only have your parents to play with. Hey, do you like music?"_

 _Sirius wrinkled his nose. "It has its moments. I like the orchestra crescendos and stuff, I guess."_

 _James stared at him for a moment. "Well, classical is great for, you know, balls and stuff, but I mean like rock and roll music?"_

 _Sirius shook his head. "I don't know what that is."_

 _"The Beatles man? Are you serious?"_

 _"Yeah, I am Sirius, but I don't know what the Beatles are outside of an insect?"_

 _James rolled his eyes at the lame joke and jumped up to get into his trunk and find his wireless record player. "Ha, ha! Mate, you're going to love them! Just you wait!"_

Remus laughed as he rebottled the two memories, labelling them as first train ride. "James really did love music. Did you see Snape's memory, the way he was just watching James with his parents and then Lily with hers?"

Sirius nodded. "He looked jealous. His mum barely even acknowledged him to send him off to school. He didn't like James right away before he had even done anything. James even invited him to share his compartment right off the bat and he practically sneered at him. Pathetic git."

Remus stared at the bottles still sitting on the table. "I think he looked lonely and I think Lily was his only real friend which makes the fact that he pushed her away even sadder. I did notice that the very first time you met Severus you were an arse, how did I not know that?"

Sirius shrugged. "He was a git from the get-go! Mocking James for wanting to be in Gryffindor."

"After James mocked him for wanting to be in Slytherin," Remus said in exasperation. "You two were already causing trouble.

Sirius grinned. "We knew we didn't like the git, Moony, that's all I can say."

"These are great first memories though, Sirius. What's this second one you have here?" Remus asked.

"Oh, I think it's the Sorting," Sirius said absentmindedly as he picked up another bottle from the package Snape had sent. "Don't you want to see what else Snape left us?"

Remus nodded. "Most definitely."


	42. Chapter 42

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lovely memories bestowed from Snape those belong to JKR from chapter thirty-three of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; however I did take liberty a wee bit._

 _I sometimes find myself writing Marauder stories with no actual plot or plan or reason and sometimes I try to find a way to squeeze them in somewhere which I am doing now. I hope you enjoy them because I really loved writing them._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY-TWO:**

 **"Don't you want to see what else Snape left us?"**

Remus nodded. "Most definitely, but let's view the Sorting, Padfoot. It sounds like a good memory that I'd like to revisit."

Sirius shrugged and poured his second memory into the basin.

 _As the train slowed and they arrived at the Hogsmeade station, Sirius followed the girl, Lily, and her friend with the greasy hair off of the train and into the rowboats provided by the huge hairy man with the booming voice. He was pretty sure that he had said his name was Hagrid and he had immediately brought a smile to Sirius' face. He found himself in a boat with three girls that he didn't recognize, having lost sight of James amongst the commotion of disembarking, but he soon learned the girls were called Mary, Dory, and Hestia. Then they were moving towards the castle propelled by magic across the glistening Black Lake._

 _He followed them into the Great Hall, looking around eagerly. His eyes stopped as they fell upon a tall slender woman with dark brown hair pulled tight in a bun, square glasses on the end of her nose. She wore a dark green velvet dress buttoned at the neck and a black cloak. She was staring down at all of them rather sternly, but he caught the sparkle in her eye that immediately made him smile. To his surprise she smiled back at him before resuming her stern face as she looked at the upcoming students._

 _"Good evening. I am Professor McGonagall. I am Head of Gryffindor House, Deputy Headmistress as well as the Transfiguration teacher. I welcome you all to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I hope to see some of you in my own house and I look forward to being your teacher. You will soon follow me into the Great Hall where you will be sorted into your houses. Each house has its own unique history and background where you will discover new friends and a wonderful sense of House Pride. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Please note that you can earn your house points based on good behaviour and your studies or for any reason a teacher deems appropriate. Any rule breaking will result in a loss of points. At the end of the term, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup in a grand feast and celebration." Her eyes moved over the nervous fidgeting of the students before her gaze landed on Sirius again._

 _He simply grinned at her. There was something about her that made him smile. He had a feeling that she wasn't quite as stern as she was letting on, yet he had a strong sense that she wasn't one to be trifled with either._

 _"Now follow me," she announced before leading the students into the Great Hall._

 _Sirius' eyes widened as they stepped into the magnificent hall. The ceiling had been enchanted to look like the night sky outside and was covered in floating candles. There were four very long tables across the hall full of students and one large table across the front of the hall full of the professors. They walked up the middle of the hall, stopping in a crowd around Professor McGonagall where a dirty old hat sat on a stool._

 _To his surprise, it began to sing. As he listened to it outline the qualities of the four houses his mind immediately went to Slytherin once more. Was it really where he wanted to be?_

 _Slytherin the house for the cunning; the house of the purebloods; the house that held his entire family. Slytherin, where you could use your intelligence to step up in the world. It wasn't a bad house, but was he cunning enough? He didn't think so._

 _Ravenclaw where wit and intelligence were prized. They loved to learn; to answer riddles and to philosophize life. Was that him? He wasn't sure._

 _Gryffindor was for the brave and courageous; those who were chivalrous to others. He definitely wasn't very brave, he thought._

 _Hufflepuff was for the hard workers; the ones dedicated to fairness, acceptance, and loyalty. That one sounded nice. But since he had never seen fairness in his life that might not be the house for him either._

 _Sirius stared at it and swallowed slowly. Slytherin was his family house. The house everyone expected him to be placed in; to succeed in. But he knew that it wasn't the place for him. In fact, not one of the four houses that the hat had sung about sounded like a place he could belong. His eyes found James who was pointing to the hat in excitement. Was James' father right? Would the hat really take his thoughts into account? He looked at Professor McGonagall again, not listening to her words. Having her as head of his house would be kind of nice, wouldn't it?_

 _But everyone in the Black family went to Slytherin._

 _His palms began to sweat and he placed them in his pockets and he bit his bottom lip as Professor McGonagall unrolled the parchment in her hands and began to read names aloud:_

 _"Anderson, Sarah!"_

 _A small girl with curly brown hair hopped up onto the stool. The hat was placed on her head and there was silence in the hall and then -_

 _"Ravenclaw!"_

 _"Avery, Lionel!"_

 _"Slytherin!"_

 _"Black, Sirius!"_

 _Sirius stepped forward, his eyes on his feet as he moved towards the stool. His palms were sweating profusely and he closed his eyes as the hat fell over his eyes. He jumped when the hat spoke in his ear._

 _"Hmm, difficult. You want to prove yourself, but you don't want to be like the rest of your family. Lots of wit here, intelligence to be sure, loyalty... but where to put you?" Not Slytherin, Sirius thought, I don't want to be like my family. "Slytherin is not the house for you, of this I am sure, but with your courage, better be — GRYFFINDOR!"_

 _The last word was yelled out to the whole hall and Sirius couldn't stop the huge grin from plastering across his face as he made to take his seat. He was slapped on the back by a few Gryffindor students as he took his seat at the table feeling immensely relieved and terrified at the same time. His parents were not going to be pleased that he had chosen a different house than Slytherin. His eyes met James' who was grinning widely at him and giving him two thumbs up._

 _He listened to the names of the other students with half an ear: Brown, Burbage, Campbell, Carrow and Carrow, Chang, Davies, Diggory… and then he perked up when he heard, Evans, Lily. He watched the sweet little redhead from the train take her seat up on the stool nervously and the hat fell over her face. It took less than five seconds for the hat to call out Gryffindor and she hurried forward to sit next to him._

 _"Hi, looks like we're to be housemates!" she exclaimed, grinning widely at him._

 _He grinned back, a huge smile on his face. "It looks like. Your friend Snivellus will be disappointed."_

 _Lily's smile faded. "It's Severus. No need to be so rude," she said, turning away from him._

 _He shrugged and turned back to the hat as more names were called: Fawley, Flint, Fortescue, Gudgeon, Jones, then Kane, Deanna was also made a Gryffindor. She sat down across from Sirius with a big grin on her face._

 _"Gryffindors, eh? Fantastic!"_

 _Sirius grinned and turned back to the hat as McGonagall called out Kendrick, Li and then Lupin, Remus was the next Gryffindor chosen._

 _Sirius watched the boy with the crescent shaped scar over his eyebrow head over to the cheering Gryffindor table. He took a seat next to Lily and smiled. He had light golden brown hair and golden brown eyes._

 _Sirius smiled at him. "Hi! I'm Sirius, this is Lily."_

 _"Remus," he said smiling kindly. "Nice to meet you. That was more nerve wracking than I expected."_

 _Sirius nodded in understanding, turning his attention back. His eyes were on James who was still practically bouncing on his feet. He wondered if the energetic boy ever stood still. He hoped that he was in Gryffindor. He had never met anyone so full of life and energy as the scrawny boy or more determined to be sorted into the house._

 _Professor McGonagall continued to call out names: Mason and then McDonald, Mary and McKinnon, Marlene were also Gryffindors and Sirius moved down the bench to make room for the two new girls. Monroe went to Hufflepuff then Nott went to Slytherin, and then Parkinson before Pettigrew, Peter became the seventh Gryffindor chosen. Sirius cheered as Peter took his seat with them and then Potter, James was called forth._

 _"Gryffindor!" The hat called out and Sirius found himself clapping the loudest, grinning widely as James took his seat with them._

 _"You were right, mate!"_

 _James grinned widely. "I told you it was my house!"_

 _The names continued with the Ps, putting two twin boys named Prewitt into Ravenclaw before Rosier, Rowle, Sampson, Scamander, and then Shacklebolt, Kingsley was also made a Gryffindor and then Shafiq and then finally, Snape, Severus was called._

 _Sirius watched as Lily stood up on the bench to watch her friend try the hat on._

 _"Slytherin!"_

 _Lily sat down, her eyes sad. "We've been separated into different houses!"_

 _Sirius put his arm around her in reassurance. She looked absolutely crushed. "It's okay, Lily. It doesn't mean you'll never see him. We'll still have classes together and whatnot. I'm sure you guys will still be friends."_

 _She nodded, stealing a glance at Snape who wasn't even looking in her direction._

 _Now that all of the people were sorted, his stomach was starting to grumble and he wondered how much longer the food would be. He listened with half an ear as Spinnet, Wilkes, and then finally Zabini and Zusack were sorted._

 _Then the man at the front of the Great Hall in dark pink robes with purple moons on them stood up. His long white beard was tucked into his belt as he smiled at the room._

 _"Good evening to all. For those new students, I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of this school. I welcome you all to a wonderful year where I'm sure we will have much fun and learn a lot. I have a few important announcements to make. Quidditch tryouts for the house teams will be two weeks from today. There will be notices in your house common rooms. Only second years and above are eligible to play on the school teams. There is to be no magic used in the corridors. And the Forbidden Forest is of course, forbidden. New this year, Hagrid has planted a large tree out in the grounds called the Whomping Willow. I advise caution to all students approaching it as it is very solitary and doesn't like anyone to be near it. The tree will strike out if you approach it. Now tuck in." He raised his hands and food immediately appeared on all of the tables._

 _Sirius watched as Lily's eyes widened in wonder._

 _"Wow!"_

 _He laughed and helped himself to some food. He couldn't stop smiling._

Remus was grinning widely when they resurfaced in the kitchen. They all looked so young arriving at Hogwarts. He picked up another bottle. "I still can't believe that Snape actually sent you some memories and if they are half as good as that first one was…?"

Sirius grinned widely. "I know. I'm really impressed. We should look at another one of Snape's memories."

Remus chuckled, it felt kind of wrong to be viewing the memories that Snape had sent, but his curiosity was greater than his sense of morality at the moment. "Yes, we should," and he poured another one of Snape's memories into the basin.

The two of them fell headlong into the sunlight of the memory, their feet found warm ground.

 _When Sirius straightened up, he saw that he was in a nearly deserted playground. A single huge chimney dominated the distant skyline. Two girls were swinging backward and forward, and a skinny boy was watching them from behind a clump of bushes. His black hair was overlong and his clothes were so mismatched that it looked deliberate: too short jeans, a shabby, overlarge coat that might have belonged to a grown man, an odd smock-like shirt._

 _Sirius moved closer to the boy. Snape looked no more than nine or ten years old, sallow, small, stringy. There was undisguised greed in his thin face as he watched the younger of the two girls swinging higher and higher than her sister._

 _"Lily, don't do it!" The older girl shrieked._

 _But the girl had let go of the swing at the very height of its arc and flown into the air, quite literally flown, launched herself skyward with a great shout of laughter, and instead of crumpling on the playground asphalt, she soared like a trapeze artist through the air, staying up far too long, landing far too lightly._

Remus had sudden flashback of Harry doing almost the identical thing at the park a few months back, the day he had met Ginny Weasley. The thought made him smile as the other girl yelled at Lily.

 _"Mummy told you not to!"_

 _Petunia stopped her swing by dragging the heels of her sandals on the ground, making a crunching, grinding sound, then leapt up, hands on hips._

 _"Mummy said that you weren't allowed, Lily!"_

 _"But I'm fine," Lily said, still giggling. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."_

 _Petunia glanced around. The playground was deserted apart from themselves and, though the girls did not know it, Snape. Lily had picked up a fallen flower from the bush behind where Snape lurked. Petunia advanced, evidently torn between curiosity and disapproval. Lily waited until Petunia was near enough to have a clear view, then held out her palm. The flower sat there, opening and closing its petals, like some bizarre, many-lipped oyster._

 _"Stop it!" Petunia shrieked._

 _"It's not hurting you," Lily said, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it back to the ground._

 _"It's not right," Petunia said, but her eyes had followed the flower's flight to the ground and lingered upon it. "How do you do it?" she added, and there was definite longing in her voice._

 _"It's obvious, isn't it?" Snape could no longer contain himself, but had jumped out from behind the bushes. Petunia shrieked and ran backward toward the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. Snape seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of colour mounted the sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily._

 _"What's obvious?" Lily asked._

 _Snape had an air of nervous excitement. With a glance at the distant Petunia, now hovering beside the swings, he lowered his voice and said, "I know what you are."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"You're… you're a witch," Snape whispered._

 _She looked affronted. "That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"_

 _She turned, nose in the air, and marched off toward her sister._

 _"No!" Snape said. He was highly coloured now. He flapped after the girls, looking ludicrously bat-like, like his older self._

 _The sisters considered him, united in disapproval, both holding on to one of the swing poles, as though it was the safe place in tag._

 _"You are," Snape said to Lily. "You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."_

 _Petunia's laugh was like cold water._

 _"Wizard!" she shrieked, her courage returned now that she had recovered from the shock of his unexpected appearance. "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river," she told Lily, and it was evident from her tone that she considered the address a poor recommendation. "Why have you been spying on us?"_

 _"Haven't been spying," Snape said, hot and uncomfortable and dirty-haired in the bright sunlight. "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway," he added spitefully, "You're a Muggle."_

 _Though Petunia evidently did not understand the word, she could hardly mistake the tone._

 _"Lily, come on, we're leaving!" she said shrilly. Lily obeyed her sister at once, glaring at Snape as she left. He stood watching them as they marched through the playground gate, leaving Snape standing there in bitter disappointment._

The scene dissolved, and re-formed around them.

 _They were now in a small thicket of trees. Sirius could see a sunlit river glittering through their trunks. The shadows cast by the trees made a basin of cool green shade. Two children sat facing each other, cross-legged on the ground. Snape had removed his coat now; his odd smock looked less peculiar in the half light._

 _" …and the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school, you get letters."_

 _"But I have done magic outside school!"_

 _"We're all right. We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But once your eleven," he nodded importantly, "And they start training you, then you've got to go careful."_

 _There was a little silence. Lily had picked up a fallen twig and twirled it in the air, and Sirius figured that she was imaging it was her wand. Then she dropped the twig, leaned in toward the boy, and said, "It is real, isn't it? It's not a joke? Petunia says that you're lying to me. Petunia says that there isn't a Hogwarts. It is real, isn't it?"_

 _"It's real for us," Snape said. "Not for her. But we'll get the letter, you and me."_

 _"Really?" Lily whispered._

 _"Definitely," Snape said, and even with his poorly cut hair and his odd clothes, he struck an oddly impressive figure sprawled in front of her, brimful of confidence in his destiny._

 _"And will it really come by owl?" Lily whispered._

 _"Normally," Snape said. "But you're Muggleborn, so someone from the school will have to come and explain it to your parents."_

 _"Does it make a difference, being Muggleborn?"_

 _Snape hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over the pale face, the dark red hair. "No," he said. "It doesn't make any difference."_

 _"Good," Lily said, relaxing. It was clear that she had been worrying._

 _"You've got loads of magic," Snape said. "I saw that. All the time I was watching you…"_

 _His voice trailed away; she was not listening, but had stretched out on the leafy ground and was looking up at the canopy of leaves overhead. He watched her as greedily as he had watched her in the playground._

 _"How are things at your house?" Lily asked._

 _A little crease appeared between his eyes._

 _"Fine," he said._

 _"They're not arguing anymore?"_

 _"Oh yes, they're arguing," Snape said. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing. "But it won't be that long and I'll be gone."_

 _"Doesn't your dad like magic?"_

 _"He doesn't like anything, much," Snape said._

 _"Severus?"_

 _A little smile twisted Snape's mouth when she said his name._

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Tell me about the Dementors again."_

 _"What d'you want to know about them for?"_

 _"If I use magic outside school —"_

 _"They wouldn't give you to the Dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too —"_

 _He turned red again and shredded more leaves. Then a small rustling noise behind them made them turn: Petunia, hiding behind a tree, had lost her footing._

 _"Tuney!" Lily said, surprise and welcome in her voice, but Snape had jumped to his feet._

 _"Who's spying now?" he shouted. "What d'you want?"_

 _Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. "What is that you're wearing, anyway?" she said, pointing at Snape's chest. "Your mum's blouse?"_

 _There was a crack. A branch over Petunia's head had fallen. Lily screamed. The branch caught Petunia on the shoulder, and she staggered backward and burst into tears._

 _"Tuney!"_

 _But Petunia was running away._

 _Lily rounded on Snape. "Did you make that happen?"_

 _"No." He looked both defiant and scared._

 _"You did!" she was backing away from him. "You did! You hurt her!"_

 _"No — no, I didn't!"_

 _But the lie did not convince Lily. After one last burning look, she ran from the little thicket, off after her sister, and Snape looked miserable and confused…_

Remus stared at Sirius in surprise. "Look how close-minded he was even then. Poor Lily, she really trusted him, you know? That was always something she regretted, not making amends with him."

Sirius shook his head. "I still can't believe he gave these to me for Harry. Look how little Lily was and her sister… they really did use to be close, but you could see even then, Petunia was jealous of what her sister could do."

Remus nodded, scratching his chin as he scooped up the new memories and labelled the bottles. "These are really amazing, Padfoot. Harry is going to be so lucky to have these stored away for him one day."

"I hope so," he said eyeing the newly labelled bottles. "I'm almost afraid to see what other memories Snape left us."

Remus smiled and picked up one of the bottles that belonged to Sirius. "Well, let's check out one of yours and we'll see. Now that I'm trapped on this ride down memory lane — I'm intrigued."

Sirius chuckled and watched his friend pour his next memory into the Pensieve. "I'm debating about this one. But you can help me decide if it's something I should share or not."

Remus nodded and leaned his face down into the memory.

 _Sirius hurried up the stairs to his dormitory with the other boys on his heels after the feast. He stepped into the spacious room, smiling at the five beds there. Their trunks had already been placed at the end of each bed and he was pleased to find himself on the far right hand side. Next to him was James by the window, then on the other side was Peter, then Remus and then on the far left next to the door to the bath was Kingsley._

 _James hurried forward and jumped onto his bed, grinning widely. "This is great!"_

 _Peter laughed, jumping onto his own bed. "Definitely! It's so brill that we all got placed into Gryffindor! And I met Remus on the train first and you met Sirius!"_

 _James nodded eagerly. "Exactly, Pete! Kismet!"_

 _Sirius chuckled as he took a seat on his bed. "I for one am glad to be in Gryffindor, though I know my parents won't be pleased. Do you think they'd notice if I didn't write home to tell them?"_

 _Remus snorted from the doorway. "If they're anything like mine they most definitely would. I'm almost tempted to start writing home now just so I won't get nagged."_

 _James laughed. "I promised my mum I'd write by the end of the week, I think that's soon enough. By then I'll have way more to say anyway!"_

 _Sirius stretched out on his bed, tucking his arms behind his head. "Do you think classes will be hard?"_

 _James shook his head. "Nah, I think we'll be fine. We find out our schedules at breakfast tomorrow, that prefect Cross told me. Hey, why do you think the Forbidden Forest is you know, forbidden?"_

 _Sirius' eyebrow rose slightly. "Isn't there supposed to be dark creatures in there?"_

 _Peter scratched his head. "Centaurs and unicorns and stuff, but also I heard there's an entire army of giant spiders and werewolves."_

 _James laughed. "Giant spiders? No way that's true!" He glanced out the window of the tower. "Probably werewolves though and maybe vampires. I think I want to explore it one day."_

 _Sirius sat up, eyeing James suspiciously. "You're pulling our leg."_

 _"No really! I bet it's really brilliant in there. Probably scary too. Don't you wanna?" he asked, turning to look at them his eyes dancing in excitement._

 _"I think before we go wandering off to explore forbidden areas of the school grounds we should first figure out where our classes are and maybe how to find our way in the castle itself," Kingsley suggested, shaking his head at them with a smile. "Save the adventures for a while." he said as he made his way into the bath._

 _James grinned widely when the door closed. "I suppose he's right. And what's with this tree? If it's so dangerous to approach it why even plant it on the school grounds in the first place?"_

 _Peter nodded. "Yeah, that's weird. It must have some important herbological quality or something."_

 _"I'm knackered from all of that food," Sirius said, yawning loudly. "I'm heading to bed."_

 _He pulled off his shirt and James' eyes fell on the long white scars that crisscrossed on his back._

 _"Sirius, what the hell happened to your back?"_

 _"Huh?" Sirius asked, pulling his shirt back up. "Oh, nothing."_

 _"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry." James said quickly. He knew he had a terrible habit of just blabbing out whatever he was thinking._

 _Sirius shook his head. "No, it's okay. It's just they're old. Don't even remember how I got them. Goodnight guys." He closed the bed curtains around him and closed his eyes._

Remus nodded when his friend pulled him from the memory. He understood what his friend was asking. "You don't know if you want Harry to know how similar your childhoods were." When Sirius didn't answer, he reached forward to touch his friend's arm. "You still have those scars on your back, Padfoot."

"They're so faded now, you can barely see them. And my tattoos cover the majority of the scarring."

Remus got up to make himself a cup of tea as he spoke. "It's a nice memory, Sirius. You can see James was already chomping at the bit for adventure. I'm sure Harry would like to see that. I think as much as you can possibly show him is always a good thing."

Sirius smiled at his friend. "I hope you're right."


	43. Chapter 43

_Author's Note:_

 _Here are some more Marauder memories — I told you, I went a little overboard, but I promise it is important towards the next part of the story — plus its just fun; for me anyway._

 _Also, I just took a fun guess who the other mysterious Gryffindor was. I always felt like it was Kingsley, only because he's young and for some reason in my head canon, Frank Longbottom is always a year or two older than the Marauders. I just made up a girl name LOL._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY-THREE:**

 **Remus sat down at the table with two cups of tea.** "So, what do you have next on your memory agenda?"

Sirius smiled and popped open one of his own bottles, a smile on his face. "One of the rare ones of James and Lily getting along before she found him to be a complete git."

He laughed as he watched his friend pour the memory into the Pensieve. "So still early first year then," he said on a chuckle.

Sirius grinned. "I'll say."

Then he swirled his wand into the memory …

 _Sirius made his way into the Gryffindor common room with James, Remus, Peter, and Kingsley, moving to stand next to Lily, Dorcas, Deanna, Marlene, and Mary, listening in on their conversation._

 _Dorcas smiled warmly at them as she spoke to Lily while she adjusted the girl's tie. "Of course, my Dad is terrible at it and I've been fixing his tie for him for the last six years. He's going to be completely helpless while I'm at school."_

 _The prefect from the night before, a boy named Aidan Cross was leaning against the wall waiting for them as they settled into the common room. "Good morning, first years!" he said giving them a bright smile. His blond hair was a little long and tied back with a leather thong and his grey eyes twinkled at them. "I'll show you to the Great Hall and Professor McGonagall will give all of you maps as well as your schedules."_

 _Sirius followed the other Gryffindor first years out of the portrait hole and through the castle into the Great Hall. It looked a lot less menacing than it had last night. The ceiling today looked fairly normal, but Lily gasped in surprise when owls began to fly down around them and she jumped back in alarm, bumping into James._

 _He laughed and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Wow there, Evans, just the post!"_

 _"The post?"_

 _He nodded, grinning widely at her. "Yeah." He plopped himself down onto the bench and helped himself to some breakfast as Lily took a seat next to him._

 _"Owls?"_

 _James nodded, munching on some bacon. "Don't your mum and dad use owls?"_

 _Lily shook her head as Sirius sat down on the other side of James. "No, my parents aren't magical at all. They use the postman. I knew owls delivered messages, but to see so many at once is quite the spectacle."_

 _"You're Muggleborn?" Sirius asked in surprise, reaching for a glass of orange juice._

 _James' face lit up. "Brilliant! This berk had never even heard of The Beatles! Evans, you've got to tell him how brilliant they are! And Elvis! Not to mention The Rolling Stones and The Animals! This git thinks that I'm making it all up!"_

 _Sirius rolled his eyes. "I didn't say that you were making it up, I just have never heard Muggle music before yesterday when you played it on the train."_

 _"His family is hardcore purebloods, which means his knowledge of Muggles is let's just say sadly lacking," James told her, grinning. "Seriously though, how wicked are The Beatles?"_

 _Lily laughed at the excitement. "The Beatles are brill. I have a poster of John Lennon in my bedroom at home."_

 _"See, Sirius? I told you! Really, though, what's your favourite album? Ouch!" he exclaimed as the white owl in front of him nipped his fingers. "Sorry, Plato! I didn't see you!" He reached for a bit of his toast and tugged a piece off to give the owl as he unrolled the parchment, his ears burning red. "I told her I'd write at the end of the week."_

 _Sirius grinned as he looked over. "Aw, does your mummy miss you already, Potter?"_

 _James ignored him as he read the letter aloud._

Dear Jamie,

Dad and I hope you have a wonderful first day of classes. We sent Plato just to say hi and to make you think of us at home. Write by the weekend and send Poseidon with a letter, we want to know everything.

We love you!

Love,

Mum and Dad

 _"She's mental," James muttered, folding up the parchment his ears still burning._

 _"I think it's nice," Lily told him as she added a generous dollop of cream to her oatmeal and berries. "And for the record, I love_ Abbey Road _but also_ Revolver, Rubber Soul, _and_ Help _and most definitely_ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band _, but honestly, I love all of them."_

 _James' smile widened. "Lily Evans, I think we just became best friends."_

 _"Lily?" A voice said from behind them and they both turned to where Snape stood there, his hands in his pockets awkwardly._

 _"Snivellus, right?" Sirius said with a smirk. "I see the green and silver work for you."_

 _Lily glared at him. "His name is Severus."_

 _James put his hands up in mock surrender. "Ooh how terribly rude of us. I'd apologize, Snivellus, but I can already tell you're a git."_

 _Lily smacked him in the arm, her green eyes blazing. "I think I know who the prat is, James Potter!" She turned around fully and smiled at her friend. "How's Slytherin, Sev? Is it everything you hoped for?"_

 _He nodded, glaring at the boys who were talking amongst themselves now. "Can we talk?"_

 _Lily nodded, grabbing an apple. "What's going on?"_

 _Severus shrugged, his hands still in his pockets as he glared at James and Sirius who were clearly eavesdropping. "We're still friends, right?"_

 _Lily looked at him in bewilderment. "Of course we're still friends! Why would you think otherwise?"_

 _Snape looked back at the Slytherin table and then around the Great Hall where all of the students were eating breakfast merrily. "We've been separated by our houses, Lily. Everything is going to change."_

 _Lily laughed at his pained expression. She had no idea how being in different dormitories was going to affect anything. "You're being ridiculous! Just because we're in different parts of the castle doesn't mean that we still can't be friends and that we won't still see each other. We're still going to have classes together and we can study together and see each other outside of class."_

 _He gave her a small smile. "Gryffindor and Slytherin are supposed to be enemies."_

 _"Frenemies then, at least in our case," she said making him smile. "Why are they enemies?"_

 _"Not enemies per say," Snape said carefully. "But we have to be careful. Some people might not like it if I hang out with you."_

 _Lily's eyebrow rose at that. "Who are these people and why do you care what they think?"_

 _"Lily," Snape said in exasperation. "The magical world is different. Petunia thinks we're freaks because we have magical powers, but in this world, it's you who's different."_

 _"Me?" she asked in surprise, crossing her arms in front of her. "How am I different?"_

 _Snape looked uncomfortable and he shuffled his feet as he spoke. "Because you're Muggleborn and well, some people, purebloods namely, find that… repulsive. I just wanted to give you a warning incase someone says something to you that is you know, rude."_

 _"You're not a pureblood, are you?" she asked him, not liking the way the word rolled off of her tongue._

 _Snape shook his head. "No, I'm not, I'm a half-blood, but that's still a lot better than someone who comes from a non magical background."_

 _"Are you saying you're embarrassed to be my friend now? You told me that it didn't matter if I was Muggleborn!"_

 _"Oy!" James said, turning around in his seat. "Evans, is this git giving you grief?"_

 _"Potter, go away," she said, glaring at him and turning back to Snape. "Well, are you?"_

 _"No! No! I would never!" he mumbled, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I just… I just wanted you to know."_

 _Lily stared at him for a moment. "Okay, now I know. So what now?"_

 _Snape gave her a small smile. "Now we stay friends, no matter what."_

 _"I still don't really see why this changes anything, Sev, but if it makes you feel better that I know, then all right."_

 _He nodded. "Hopefully we'll have our first class together."_

 _Lily smiled as she watched him head back to his own house table. She looked over at the two boys as James spoke next to her. "Honestly, mate, you have to hear_ The White Album, _I'll play it later for you."_

 _Sirius merely grinned at him and turned his attention to Lily. "So Lily, how do you know that greasy-haired git?" he asked, brushing his black hair out of his eyes._

 _"He's not a greasy-haired git and his name is Severus Snape!" she exclaimed, taking a spoonful of her oatmeal. "He lives near me."_

 _"So you knew him before yesterday?" James asked as he cleaned his plate._

 _Lily nodded. "We met at the park. He saw me do magic and he told me that I was a witch. I had no idea, being Muggleborn and all, and then he told me all about Hogwarts and how because I was eleven I would get a letter. I thought that he was making up stories, but then the letter really came."_

 _"I always wondered how Muggleborns find out? I mean, do they think the letter's a prank?" Sirius asked, looking at James for confirmation. "I mean, really? How do they find out?"_

 _"Professor Dumbledore came to my house," Lily told them as she finished her oatmeal. "He spoke to me and my parents and told us all about the school."_

 _"Brilliant," James said, grinning widely. "I've just been bugging my parents for years about why I couldn't come to Hogwarts yet."_

 _Sirius laughed, snagging some more bacon and looking around to see if anyone noticed him taking seconds before he popped it into his mouth. "My parents just argued whether Hogwarts was the better choice for me over Durmstrang."_

 _James looked offended. "How could they even consider! Durmstrang doesn't even compare!"_

 _Sirius shrugged. "They have their reasons. But they decided Hogwarts was the better choice because our family has always been Slytherins." He grinned, "Bet I get a Howler when Mum finds out that I'm in Gryffindor."_

 _"What's a Howler?" Lily asked, her eyes on Sirius. "And there are other magic schools?"_

 _James nodded, smiling at her. "Oh yeah, there are schools all over the world. But Hogwarts is by far the best one. And a Howler is not something you want, trust me! It's a letter that's bright red and it screams at you."_

 _Sirius sighed. "I better write home and break the news."_

 _"You can use Poseidon if you want."_

 _"Thanks mate, but I have an owl."_

 _"Miss Evans?"_

 _Lily turned at the sound of her name and smiled at Professor McGonagall. "Good morning, Professor."_

 _"Good morning, here is your schedule and a map of the school. You're first class this morning is with me. I look forward to seeing you all." She passed out the rest of the timetables to the first years, reacquainting herself with names and faces._

 _Lily looked at the map of the school in interest. She ignored James and Sirius who were bickering now over whether or not Sirius should write home tonight or wait until the end of the week. She turned to Marlene and smiled warmly._

 _"Want to walk to Transfiguration with me?"_

 _"Gladly," Marlene said with a smile. "We can try not to get lost together."_

Remus laughed as he finished viewing the memory, "Honestly, Padfoot, you hadn't even gone to one class yet and you were already a huge arse to Snape. It's no wonder he hated you lot."

"He hates you too, you know!"

Remus chuckled. "True, but I think I got the brunt of the hate merely based on my association with you and James."

Sirius grinned. "Probably true. Anyway, I'm just thinking about my first memories with James and Lily, meeting them and being introduced to them and I thought these were fun ones to share. How we met, you know?"

"I think you're starting off great, Sirius. And I do think that you should label them as I have clearly been doing for you anyway. List them chronologically too, whatever you want to do. Either way, he will be able to view them whenever or how many times he wants too in any order he fancies. It's going to be something that he will treasure forever."

Sirius smiled. "I hope it is."

After Remus left to head home, Sirius found himself still sitting in front of the Pensieve, his own memories flooding his mind and he realized that there were some memories that Harry didn't need to see. There were some memories that he sometimes wished he could erase from his own brain no matter how important they were in defining his own relationship with Lily Evans and James Potter.

Thinking of those memories now, he carefully inserted one into the Pensieve wondering why he felt the need to torture himself by viewing it as he watched it unfold before him.

 _It was the third day of classes when a red envelope came soaring into the Great Hall and landed right on his plate. He gulped audibly at it._

 _"Guess Mum got my letter," he said with a grimace._

 _James' mouth opened in horror. "You better open it, mate. Get it over with."_

 _Peter nodded, his eyes on the red envelope. "It's even worse when you ignore it. My Dad ignored one from his mum once, it was terrible!"_

 _The edges of the envelope were steaming with rage and he carefully opened the flap, trying not to burn his fingers, his hands immediately covering his ears as his mother's angry screams filled the Great Hall._

 _"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! HOW DARE YOU DEFY THE HOME OF YOUR ANCESTORS! HOW DARE YOU BECOME A GRYFFINDOR OVER A SLYTHERIN! YOUR FATHER AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO ASHAMED OF YOU! I DEMAND THAT YOU SWITCH TO SLYTHERIN HOUSE IMMEDIATELY SO AS NOT TO RISK FURTHER DISHONOUR UPON THE MOST ANCIENT AND NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK! AND HOW DARE YOU PUT ITCHING POWDER IN ALL OF YOUR BROTHERS UNDERWEAR! HE'S BEEN SCRATCHING HIMSELF FOR DAYS! THAT IS INAPPROPRIATE! AND I KNOW IT WAS YOU WHO REMOVED MY SHAMPOO AND CHANGED IT TO GREEN HAIR DYE, SIRIUS BLACK! YOU WILL BE PUNISHED WHEN YOU GET HOME! AS FOR POTTER — DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THAT BLOOD TRAITOR! YOU ARE A BLACK! ACT LIKE ONE! TOUJOURS PUR!"_

 _The letter exploded in a poof and Sirius merely smirked as everyone laughed nervously at him. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously and smiled in apology._

 _"Sorry everyone, my mum is right ray of sunshine, isn't she?"_

 _James grinned and slapped him on the back. "You put itching powder in your brother's drawers and dyed your mum's hair green?"_

 _Sirius grinned sheepishly, his eyes dancing in suppressed laughter. "Thought they needed a little something to remember me by."_

 _James roared with laughter as his eyes met Remus'. "What are you looking at me like that for, Remus? Sirius isn't actually going to stop being my friend, are you?" he asked, suddenly looking at Sirius in worry._

 _Sirius shook his head. "No, of course not. She doesn't know what I do at school and she doesn't need to know."_

 _"Mr Black?" Professor McGonagall said from behind them._

 _Sirius turned to grin at her. "That's me."_

 _Professor McGonagall only pursed her lips together. "Come with me please."_

 _Sirius shrugged, standing up and followed her out of the Great Hall. She led him down the corridor and up the stairs to a great gargoyle statue._

 _"Caramel toffee," she said and the statue sprang apart revealing a winding staircase._

 _Sirius followed her up the stairs and he found himself in a large oval office full of twirling objects, hundreds of books and a beautiful red phoenix that perched over the grand desk where Dumbledore was sitting. He winced audibly when he saw his mother standing by the desk._

 _"Er, hi Mum."_

 _Walburgha Black spun on her heel and glared at him. "There's my traitorous son!"_

 _Professor McGonagall put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly in reassurance. "Being chosen to be in Gryffindor, Lady Falmouth, is not a treasonous offence."_

 _Professor Dumbledore stood up as well, folding his hands in front of him. "Now my dear, Walburgha, you cannot come barging into the school demanding that I remove your son from such a noble house. The Sorting Hat always places our students where they belong. You know this."_

 _"He did something to that hat to spite me! He belongs in Slytherin!" she demanded, her hands on her hips. "All Blacks belong in Slytherin!"_

 _"Sirius," Dumbledore said kindly, a smile on his face. "Did you trick the hat?"_

 _"No," Sirius said quickly, his eyes on his mother's enraged glare. "James Potter told me that the hat would listen to my own thoughts and that… that if I didn't want to be in Slytherin…" he trailed off and the last words came out so quietly that only McGonagall heard them. "I could choose not to be."_

 _"You stay away from that Potter boy, Sirius Black! His parents are filthy blood traitors, consorting with disgusting Muggles and Mudbloods and he's obviously already putting terrible thoughts in your head! You are the future Viscount of Falmouth and I will not have you throwing away your life with such riff-raff!"_

 _"Walburgha! I dislike that kind of talk in my school!" Dumbledore exclaimed, holding his hands up in surrender. "Sirius, did you ask the hat not to put you in Slytherin?"_

 _Sirius nodded, his eyes on Dumbledore. "The hat told me that I didn't belong in Slytherin."_

 _Walburgha looked horrified at his statement, taking an automatic step away from him as if he had some contagion. "Obviously I didn't do enough to distil the importance of the Black lineage in you, boy!"_

 _McGonagall's hand was on still on his shoulder and Sirius felt very reassured by it. "Sirius is in Gryffindor House and I couldn't be more proud to have him in my house."_

 _His mum only glared at McGonagall. "Can I have a few moments alone with my son?"_

 _Dumbledore nodded, gesturing for McGonagall to follow him out. "Of course. Minerva, shall we go have some breakfast?"_

 _Sirius simply gulped as the door to Dumbledore's office closed behind them and he turned to stare at his mother. "Why did you bother sending me a Howler if you were just going to show up and make a scene anyway?"_

 _His neck hurt from the impact of the slap and he carefully licked the blood from his lip._

 _"Don't question me, Sirius." she said coldly._

 _"Yes, Mum."_

 _Walburgha stared at him for a moment. She cast a quick privacy charm around them, blocking the two of them out from the prying eyes and ears of the portraits in the room. "I've never been so ashamed when your letter arrived and you told us that you had been placed into Gryffindor with a Potter at that!"_

 _"He's a pureblood!"_

 _"Who consorts with Muggles! Euphemia Potter is well known for working with Muggle charities and foundations and it's disgusting! You are not to talk to that boy, Sirius, do you understand me?" When he didn't answer, she slapped him again. "Do you understand me?"_

 _"He's my roommate! I can't promise that I won't talk to him!"_

 _Walburgha's eyes hardened. "I've had enough of your smart arse remarks. And those pranks you pulled before you left the house were immature and childish! You better beg for forgiveness because when you come for Christmas as I can promise — you will be punished accordingly."_

 _"It was just a joke," he said, his heart pounding in his chest when her wand turned on him._

 _"Imperio!" she said and he felt the familiar feeling of being completely relaxed, the tension leaving his body. "Beg for my forgiveness, Sirius."_

 _He felt his body bend as he fell to his knees. Why did she want him to beg? Oh right, because he had pranked his little brother. But did he have to beg? As the thought drifted through his mind, the spell lifted as he stood up and she backhanded him so hard that he fell back to the ground._

 _"I had hoped that you would have stopped fighting that by now," she told him as he climbed back to his feet. Her eyes moved to the closed door of Dumbledore's office before her wand turned on him again. "Crucio!"_

 _Sirius bit his tongue so hard it bled as the pain hit him, but he knew better than to scream. It felt like his insides were tearing apart as his he tried to fight his body to be still. It only lasted about thirty seconds, but it felt like eons and tears were in his eyes when she dropped her wand._

 _"Beg for my forgiveness," she said again, her voice cold._

 _Sirius caught his breath as he kneeled in front of her, blood dripping out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, Mum. I'm sorry I pranked you and Regulus. I'm sorry I dishonoured the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. I'm sorry that I'm a Gryffindor. Please, please, forgive me." he begged, his eyes on the floor._

 _Walburgha took his chin in her hand and forced him to his feet. "That's better. You need to learn to respect your elders, Sirius. And remember what I said about the Potter family. Make friends with the noble families that are part of Slytherin House and trust me, I will know. Your cousin Narcissa will be reporting to me and don't think that she won't tell me exactly what you are up too. Understood?"_

 _Sirius nodded, tears in his eyes. "Yes, Mum."_

 _She pulled him to her for a brief hug. "I don't like to punish you, Sirius. Why do you make me?" When he didn't respond, she pulled away. "Go finish up your breakfast."_

 _He nodded and with one last glance at his mother he hurried down the stairs and out of Dumbledore's office, his breathing hard. He stepped into one of the alcoves and leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. He could still taste blood in his mouth and he winced as he realized that he had bitten his tongue hard enough that it was still bleeding._

 _He hastily wiped the blood from his lip and moved out of the alcove, almost knocking Lily to the ground. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her._

 _"Damn! I'm sorry, Evans!" he said, grabbing her book bag and putting it over her shoulder with a small smile._

 _"It's all right," she said, smiling back at him. She frowned as she looked up at him. "Sirius, your lip is bleeding."_

 _"Yeah," he said, licking the blood off. "I bit my tongue."_

 _Lily stared at him for a moment. "You have the beginning of a fat lip."_

 _"I er, I bit my lip too."_

 _Her green eyes only stared into his. "You know, what your Mum said in that Howler. You're not a disgrace. I think she was just disappointed that you aren't following in the family footsteps."_

 _He snorted. Disappointed was not the word he'd use. "Yeah, maybe. Listen, if you see James, tell him that I'll see him at lunch."_

 _"Aren't you coming to class?" she called out after him, but Sirius ignored her and made his way down the hall and up to the Gryffindor common room. He barely made it to his own bed before he fell into it, finally letting the tears fall as he clutched his pillow in his arms and sobbed._

The memory faded away and the Pensieve swirled into the second half of his day…

 _When he went down for lunch, he took a seat at the table a few seats away from James, Remus, and Peter, reaching for a sandwich. He looked up in surprise when Lily sat next to him._

 _"Er, hi Lily."_

 _"Sirius, are you all right?" she asked him, placing her hand on his arm._

 _He forced a grin onto his face. "Of course."_

 _"You skipped Potions."_

 _"I just had a bit of a headache; needed a nap."_

 _She stared at him for a moment. "Why aren't you sitting with James, Remus, and Peter?"_

 _"Felt like sitting here," he said stubbornly as he buttered his bread. When she only continued to stare at him with her green eyes intently on him he put his knife down. "What?"_

 _"I don't know," she told him honestly. "But something changed about you. Are you sure that you're all right? I'm a really great listener, you know."_

 _He gave her a small smile. "You wouldn't understand."_

 _"Doesn't mean that I can't listen."_

 _He only continued to butter his bread, staring at his plate. He could imagine his mum's face if she found him talking to a Muggleborn. He had enough trouble on his plate, he didn't need to add any more._

 _"Thanks, but I'm fine."_

 _Lily smiled warmly at him and squeezed his arm gently. "Offer's always open." Then she turned to smile at Mary who sat down across from her._

 _Sirius ate his bread quickly, his eyes moving to the Slytherin table where his cousin Narcissa, a fifth year, was watching him with her cool eyes and he swallowed slowly. Yeah, he didn't need to add to his troubles._

The memory still made him grimace. He had almost let his mother convince him to push away his new friends. He remembered how miserable he had made himself that first month of school. The second week of classes he had even gotten into a fight, still torn between being happy with his new friends or listening to his mother. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

He didn't need the Pensieve for the memory to consume him.

 _They were leaving the greenhouses after a grimy Herbology class in which they were all desperately anxious to wash up when Snape, Rosier, and Avery surrounded Lily and Mary who were walking in front of Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter on their way back to the castle._

 _"Was kind of nice to work with our hands a bit, wasn't it?" Avery asked, eyeing the girls. "A little gardening work the good old fashioned Muggle way."_

 _Lily shrugged. "It was kind of nice, yes, but I do want to clean up now. Even my neck has dirt on it from those bouncing bulbs."_

 _Mary nodded sympathetically. "One of them bounced right over my head!"_

 _Lily giggled as she remembered how it had jumped over Mary's head and landed on Peter who had screamed like a girl. "That was hilarious! Peter's scream was so high!"_

 _Rosier sneered at her. "You shouldn't have laughed at him."_

 _"Even he thought it was funny," Mary said, smiling at him. "Everyone was laughing. Potter told him to man up as it was just a plant!"_

 _"But some of us aren't beneath him," Rosier said with menace, spitting on the ground in front of them._

 _"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily demanded, stopping in her tracks._

 _Avery smirked at them. "It means that filthy Mudbloods like you two have no right to laugh at your superiors."_

 _"Don't call her that, Avery," Snape said softly._

 _"You know that's what she is, Severus. Honestly, I don't even know how you stand the stink of her?"_

 _"What did you just say to me?" Lily demanded, her neck flushing. She had never heard the term before, but the derogatory way that he had sneered it, she knew that it wasn't good._

 _"I said that you're a filthy little Mudblood who should show her superiors — her betters — some respect!" Avery spat._

 _"You apologize to Evans and McDonald," James demanded from behind them, his eyes dark in outrage._

 _Avery snorted and looked at Rosier who only laughed. "Why should I? It's what they are, Potter! Filthy — little — Mudbloods."_

 _James' fist plowed into Avery's face and Lily gasped in shock as the boys fell on each other, pounding. When Rosier kicked James in the ribs, Sirius jumped forward and punched him in the face as Professor Sprout hurried over shouting, using her wand to separate the four of them._

 _"Muggle duelling! What on earth are you boys doing? Detention all of you and ten points from Gryffindor and Slytherin!" she shouted as James wiped blood from the corner of his mouth._

 _Avery and Rosier scrambled to their feet, glaring at James and Sirius before they marched ahead, pulling Snape with them who turned and mouthed an apology to Lily as he was pulled away._

 _"Worth the loss of points," James muttered as he helped Sirius to his feet. "Tossers. Thanks for coming to my aid, mate."_

 _Sirius nodded as he dusted the dirt off of his clothes. "Of course, not a fair fight when someone kicks you in the ribs." he said, poking James where he was tender and watching him wince. "You going to live?"_

 _"Think so," he said with a grin. He turned to Lily and Mary and his expression sobered. "I'm so sorry you girls had to hear that. Avery and Rosier should be given more than detention."_

 _Mary nodded, her eyes wide. "Thank you for coming to our aid like that, it was really noble of you."_

 _James grinned, draping his arms around each of their shoulders. "Chivalry is alive and well!"_

 _Lily smiled as James pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and attempted to wipe the blood from his lip. She took pity on him and helped him, her eyes on his bloody lip as she spoke. "I know what he said was bad, but I'm afraid that I didn't understand it."_

 _James froze slightly, his hand covering hers. "It's a really foul name for someone like you and Mary, someone who comes from a non magical background. It basically means dirty blood which is complete bullshit. It doesn't matter where you come from, it matters that you are witches, both of you, and most importantly, Gryffindors, and we stick together."_

 _"Here, here," Remus said, smiling at his friend. "Well said, James!"_

 _Mary stood on her toes and kissed Sirius' cheek and then James'. "And they say chivalry is dead. Thanks boys." She took Lily's arm and tugged her towards her. "Come on; let's go get a quick shower in before dinner."_

 _Lily nodded, her green eyes on James and Sirius. "Yes, thank you, both of you."_

 _"Can you believe Avery and Rosier?" James demanded twenty minutes later as he ran the towel over his wet hair while he continued to rant about the incident after Herbology._

 _Remus shrugged. "They're tossers. I'm glad you stepped up, James. I was moving towards them myself."_

 _James tossed his towel at the hamper. "Disgusting is what it was! I don't get how people can use language like that. Lily and Mary are both so nice! I never even would have known they were Muggleborn if they hadn't told us. Why does it even matter?"_

 _"Some people are just better human beings than others," Sirius said as he buttoned his pants._

 _Peter shook his head, combing his wet hair. "I don't believe that. You two were really brave though, punching those blokes."_

 _James grinned. "It felt good. They deserved it."_

 _Sirius only smiled as he tugged his shirt over his head and he found James staring at his back again. "Jealous of my battle scars, Potter?"_

 _James caught himself staring and shook his head. "Nah, just wondering why you tried to make yourself uglier. You'd already scare a troll as it is."_

 _Sirius laughed and threw his wet towel at James. "Piss off, Potter!"_

 _James laughed, catching the towel before it hit him in the face. "I'm starving!"_

 _Remus nodded, standing up. "We should head down to dinner."_

 _"I'll meet you down there," Sirius said, reaching for his comb._

 _"I'll wait with you," James told him, plopping himself on his bed as he tugged socks onto his feet._

 _Remus and Peter headed out and James watched Sirius for a moment._

 _"Are you okay, mate?"_

 _Sirius continued to comb his hair, not looking at James. "Yeah, why?"_

 _James shrugged. Ever since the Howler had arrived he had noticed a definite change in his friend. He seemed a bit withdrawn and he didn't joke around with them as much anymore. Half the time he didn't even sit with them at meals._

 _"Dunno, you've been acting strange."_

 _Sirius turned to look at him, his grey eyes carefully blank. "Look, Potter, the truth is, I don't really know if I want to be friends with you blokes."_

 _James' eyes widened in surprise. That was the last thing he had been expecting. "What?"_

 _"I'm a Black. I can't be friends with someone like you who comes from a family of blood traitors. Lupin's mother's a Muggle for Merlin's sake, even speaking to him is basically a crime in my family and Peter's okay, but a whiny little bitch. Don't even get me started on Shacklebolt, not that he really hangs out with us anyway, but I think it would be for the best if we were just roommates and nothing more, okay?"_

 _James simply stared at him, his eyes hurt. "Are you serious?"_

 _"Sirius Black, yes."_

 _James' mouth twitched at the joke. "No really, mate, you're just going to decide we can't be friends, what the hell is wrong with you? You defended Evans and McDonald today! You didn't even hesitate!"_

 _"I didn't like seeing two against one."_

 _"You're lying," James told him._

 _Sirius shrugged. "I don't need you so just leave me alone." He grabbed his wand and stormed out of the room as James stared after him in shock._

 _But later on that evening as Sirius was lying in his bed, his thick red bed curtains closed around him (to avoid seeing his roommates), were rudely pulled open by James who then proceeded to plop himself onto the end of the bed._

 _"Hiding, mate?"_

 _"No," Sirius said, shoving him off the bed. "Get lost!"_

 _James merely sat back down, crossing his arms in front of him. "No. I'm bored."_

 _"Well, go and find Remus or Peter or Kingsley. I'm busy."_

 _"Brooding? Doesn't sound like too much fun." James said simply, leaning his back against one of the poles. "So other than suddenly deciding to be a stuck up little bitch, why can't we be friends?"_

 _"I don't like you, Potter."_

 _James snorted. "Now that's a lie if I ever heard one, Black. I'm amazing. Everyone loves me."_

 _Sirius rolled his eyes. "Right, you keep on thinking that."_

 _James grinned and simply stared at him. Sirius was pointedly not looking at him, his arms crossed in front of his chest rather defensively and he could see that he was trying to not show how annoyed he was._

 _"Is it because of the nightmare you had last night?" James asked. He had heard his friend thrashing around in his sleep muttering no under his breath and apologizing but when James had woken him and asked if he was all right, he had muttered fine and rolled over._

 _"You're a nosy berk, do you know that? It's not your business what I dream about!"_

 _He shrugged good naturally. "Sometimes talking about bad dreams helps. I had a nightmare once where this huge dragon came crashing through the roof of our house and set everything on fire. It was terrifying! I woke up in tears and after I told my mum and dad about it I felt better."_

 _"We're not going to hold hands and braid each other's fucking hair, Potter. Go away!" Sirius demanded, kicking his leg out at James again._

 _James ignored him and stretched his long legs out across Sirius' bed so that his feet would butt him in the ribs repeatedly. "No. Not until you tell me why."_

 _"BECAUSE MY MUM SAID SO OKAY!" Sirius shouted, climbing off of his bed and moving to brood out the window._

 _James stayed where he was, watching his friend's back. "Because I'm a blood traitor is that it? We all bleed red, you know."_

 _Sirius only nodded, his eyes closed. "Look, James, it's better this way. For everyone."_

 _"Not for you," James said stubbornly, climbing to his feet. "You're effing miserable! What's the worse your mum is going to do if you decide to be friends with me? Come on, Sirius!"_

 _Sirius only continued to stare out the window. "My cousin Narcissa is a fifth year Slytherin. She'll spy on me and tell my parents. They will know."_

 _"I spent all last summer being grounded," James said with a smile. "Not playing Quidditch totally sucked, but overall it wasn't so bad. Plus, we can find in-clandestine ways to communicate."_

 _"James," Sirius said, opening his eyes. "No."_

 _"You really just do whatever the hell your mother wants you to, huh?" James said in disappointment. "Well, I'll have you know that I'm a great friend and you're going to miss out on that if you do this."_

 _Sirius closed his eyes again and bit his bottom lip, wincing as it was still tender. "I don't want to be friends with you, Potter."_

 _James let out a huff of breath. "Fine. Sit up and here and brood all alone then, you bloody wanker!"_

 _Sirius heard the door slam closed behind him and he winced. It was for the best, he thought. It had to be._

"We all bleed red, you know," Sirius whispered aloud to himself.

Those six little words by James Potter were words to live by and ones that had affected him his entire life.


	44. Chapter 44

_Author's Note:_

 _I've always had the idea in my head that Sirius was abused quite a lot as a child and he didn't know it; not really, he thought it was perfectly normal to be disciplined like that. I also have this head cannon where Sirius and Lily were always kind of friends from the get-go. Lily was friendly with all of the Marauders through most of first year until a lot of the pranks and ridiculous arrogance started to arise and that's when she started to view them as bullies and big-headed prats. But I think she and Sirius were always friends on some level. As were her and Remus who I just know bonded over muggle literature._

 _But I think that Sirius and James are one of the most important relationships to explore because they were essentially brothers in every way. And I wanted to show why that was so important to Sirius and why he loved James so much more than his other friends. Not that he loved them any less, but as to why James held such an important place in his heart and how that notion: we all bleed red — something Sirius told Regulus — became so important to him and to help him understand why he was so different from his family._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR:**

 **"We all bleed red, you know," Sirius whispered aloud to himself as he remembered James' words.** They were words to live by and he had never forgotten them despite how badly he had treated James Potter over the next few weeks.

Sirius remembered how he had spent the next two weeks moping around the castle. He had rarely spoken to anyone except to bark at them in anger. He ate in silence; did his homework in the silence of the library and sat at the back of every class, keeping his head down. He spoke to Narcissa every few days and told her to report back to his mother that he was friendless just like she wanted. He remembered how miserable that first month had been until Lily, McGonagall, and James had shoved him back into gear.

 _He kicked the stones under his feet, tossing one into the Black Lake, his hands in his pockets as a gust of cool wind blew off the water. He turned at the sound of his name and saw Lily walking towards him._

 _Unlike James, Remus, and Peter who had took him at his word and had stopped talking to him as much as possible since his argument with James, Lily had kept pestering him; asking him if he was okay and reminding him that she was a good listener. Every time he had tried to push her away she only ignored him and continued to be incredibly nice to him._

 _He had no idea why._

 _"Sirius!" she called again, waving at him. "Professor McGonagall is looking for you."_

 _"Thanks," he said, picking up his book bag and heading towards the castle, ignoring her when she called out after him._

 _It took him ten minutes to find her office, kicking his feet as he went, and when he knocked, her brisk 'come in' led him inside. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw his cousin Narcissa Black sitting in front of her desk._

 _"Evans said that you wanted to see me, Professor?" he asked, his eyes moving from her to Narcissa, her golden blonde hair in a long braid down her back._

 _"Yes, Mr Black, sit down."_

 _Sirius took a seat next to his cousin, smiling when McGonagall offered him a biscuit. "Is everything all right?" he asked. He couldn't fathom why he and Narcissa were both in here._

 _"Miss Black came to see me with worry about you, Sirius. She says that you don't have any friends and that you spend all of your time alone." McGonagall said kindly, her eyes on his._

 _Sirius looked at Narcissa in surprise. "Why?"_

 _Narcissa shrugged. "Aunt Wally's a bit extreme in her views, Sirius. I think you are taking her words too literally."_

 _Sirius glared at her. "She told me that you would spy on me and tell her if I did anything that she disapproved of!"_

 _Narcissa sighed and gave him a small smile. "I'm in fifth year. I don't have time to be spying on you, Sirius, and frankly I don't care what you do."_

 _He looked cheered up by this. "You — you don't?"_

 _"You were placed in Gryffindor for a reason. Be friends with whomever you want. I won't say a word to your mum. I swear." She stood up and nodded at McGonagall. "Look out for him, Professor."_

 _Sirius watched her close the door behind her and he reached for another biscuit, eating quietly. "Can I go now, Professor?"_

 _McGonagall shook her head. "Not yet, Mr Black." She folded her hands in front of her and just looked at him for a moment. When he started to shift uncomfortably she sighed. "Sirius, did your mother tell you that you were not to be friends with James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew?"_

 _Sirius only nodded, his grey eyes on hers. "They aren't worthy of the Black family name."_

 _McGonagall muttered under her breath as she spoke. "You defended Miss Evans and Miss McDonald when they were bullied by Mr Avery and Mr Rosier. You jumped in to help Mr Potter as he defended them. You chose to not be in Slytherin despite your mother's insistence that it was where you belong. That sounds like bravery to me, Mr Black; like a true Gryffindor actually."_

 _He managed a small smile at her words and brushed his hair out of his eyes before he carefully masked it. "She'll know, Professor. If she finds out that I defended a Muggleborn she'll know and —"_

 _"And she'll what, Mr Black?" McGonagall asked carefully, her eyes on his. The fear in his eyes before he quickly masked it alarmed her._

 _"I'm already in trouble with her. I don't want to be in any more."_

 _"Everyone gets in trouble now and again. I daresay it makes life a little bit more fun, does it not? I seem to recall a Howler a few weeks ago that told of a few pranks you played at home before coming to school."_

 _Sirius smiled slowly. "She hates it when I pull pranks, but it's fun and it's not like they hurt anyone. They just made me laugh. But Mum gets so mad and I know she's going to have Dad belt — I mean, ground me for the entire holiday."_

 _McGonagall noticed his slip up and her voice was soft when she spoke. "Does your father hurt you, Sirius?"_

 _Sirius shrugged, offering her a smile. "No, of course not. Just you know regular discipline when I misbehave, which I do — a lot."_

 _"Sirius, you know that there's a big difference between discipline and discipline that is harmful, right?"_

 _Sirius thought of the scars on his back and shook his head. "I know, Professor. I'm fine, really."_

 _McGonagall watched him for a moment. She hesitated before she spoke, choosing her words carefully. "You and James Potter are a lot alike, Mr Black. The way that you were joking and laughing with each other that first week, I could tell that you were going to be great friends. As for Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew, you all seemed to hit it off very well. Miss Evans always has a smile for you too and I've been watching you push them all way. I'd hate to see you lose out on such wonderful friendships because your mother thinks that they aren't worthy of you. Anyone brave enough to be chosen for Gryffindor should know how wonderful any friend they could make in the same house would be."_

 _"Even… even if that was true," Sirius told her, taking another biscuit when she offered it. "They hate me now." His grey eyes were full of sadness and she smiled warmly at him as his hair fell into his eyes._

 _"No, they don't." She stood up, coming around the desk to sit in the chair next to him. "I know that sometimes going against your parents is a very hard choice to make. But making your own choices are very important too. You have to do what you believe in, Sirius. If you truly do not want to be friends with those boys, then don't. But if you are only pushing them away because your mother insists on it, I think that you should reconsider."_

 _She surprised him then by gently brushing his dark hair away from his face, her eyes kind. "And if you ever need to talk about anything, my door is always open. Always."_

 _Sirius smiled at her. "Thanks Professor."_

 _"Now go on, you'll miss lunch."_

 _Sirius got to his feet and grabbed his bag, smiling at her before he hurried from the office feeling like a huge weight had just been lifted from his chest. He ran down the corridor, his grin widening when he spotted Lily Evans up ahead talking to Snape._

 _He grabbed her, tugging her to him and hugging her close. "Evans!"_

 _She laughed, hugging him back as he squeezed her tightly. "Sirius, what are you doing?" she exclaimed as he let her go and grinned widely at her. "It's nice to see you smiling again."_

 _"I'm sorry that I've been a prat lately, all moody and whatnot. You were really nice to me and I didn't deserve it." he told her honestly, smiling at her._

 _Snape crossed his arms in front of his chest, glowering at the two of them. "I'm going to go to lunch, Lily."_

 _"Oh, okay — bye, Sev!" she said, turning back to Sirius. "It really is nice to see you smiling again. Did you make up with James, Remus, and Peter?"_

 _He shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. "No. I want too, though — do you think they'll forgive me for being such a huge prat?"_

 _Lily shrugged, gesturing for him to sit on the bench with her. "I don't know. I guess it depends on how much of a prat you were."_

 _He smiled at her, his grey eyes watching her from under his long lashes. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said about listening and… I mean, if you'd still… I mean, you know…" He blushed and shifted uncomfortably on the bench._

 _Lily smiled, reaching out to touch his arm. "I'd love to listen to anything you want to tell me, Sirius."_

 _Sirius' smile widened as he looked at her. "Well, I don't want to burden you with my poor little rich boy problems."_

 _"Burden away," Lily told him, crossing her legs. "I have nothing more important to do than listen to someone who needs to talk."_

 _He watched her for a moment. He wasn't sure exactly why the sight of her had excited him so much. But after leaving McGonagall's office, he had seen her and he remembered how nice she had been to him; offering to let him talk;,making sure that he was okay. She had to be the nicest person that he had ever met and he realized that he wanted to be friends with her. A Muggleborn witch. Maybe it was partly to despite his mother, he thought, but it was also because of her. She made him want to be her friend._

 _"The other day when I got that Howler," he began, watching her green eyes focus on him in interest. "My mum came to the school to talk to Dumbledore. She wanted me to be removed from Gryffindor and be put into Slytherin immediately. We argued and Dumbledore told her that the hat always places the students where they belong. She was furious. She hit me which is why my mouth was bleeding," he told her as her eyes widened in shock. Her hand grasped his and he felt reassured by it. "But she told me that I couldn't be friends with James, Remus, and Peter because… because they're not worthy of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. When I argued with her she used Cruc — I mean, she um yelled at me and well… that almost always has the desired effect she wants. So I gave in. And I pushed everyone away. I did what she wanted."_

 _He was quiet for a moment. He had slipped up there a bit, but since Lily was Muggleborn he didn't have to worry about her understanding what he had been about to say._

 _"Thanks for listening, Lily. I hope that we can be friends."_

 _Lily smiled warmly at him. "We are friends, silly." She hugged him and kissed his cheek. "And if you ever need to talk, I'm always here to listen."_

 _He hugged her back and smiled. "Thanks. I have to go find James, Remus, and Peter and make it up to them. I'll see you around?"_

 _She nodded as he hurried off and soon Sirius plopped onto the bench next to Peter in the Great Hall and smiled at the three first year Gryffindor boys. "Hi, Pete."_

 _Peter turned to look at him in surprise, his mouth full of mashed potato. "Sirius!"_

 _"Has anyone ever told you to eat with your mouth closed?" He asked, flicking Peter's cheek as mashed potato dribbled down his chin._

 _Peter grimaced and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Only every day."_

 _"So what are you three doing this afternoon?" Sirius asked, watching them._

 _Peter looked nervously at James and Remus. "We're going down to the lake to enjoy the sun while it's still kind of warm out. I'd invite you, but I wouldn't want our unworthiness to rub off on you."_

 _James snorted at that and looked at Remus. "Remus isn't feeling too great, Pete, so he says that he's going to see Madam Pomfrey after lunch so it's just you and me."_

 _"What's wrong, Remus?" Sirius asked, his eyebrow furrowing. Now that he looked at him he did look a bit peaky. His face pale and clammy looking._

 _"Why do you care? It's not like we're friends or anything." James demanded, getting to his feet. "Come on, Remus! Pete and I will go with you to the hospital wing."_

 _Sirius watched them head off and he sighed. He definitely had a lot to make up for. Fifteen minutes later, he found James and Peter by the lake, skipping stones across the water as James carefully instructed Peter how to do it._

 _Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets as he approached them. "Nice one!" he said as James' stone skipped eight times before plunking beneath the surface of the lake._

 _James only looked at him. "What do you want, Sirius?"_

 _Sirius moved closer to them, his eyes on the lake. "I want to be friends, if you guys will have me."_

 _Peter grinned at this and punched him lightly in the arm. "That's all we wanted to begin with until you decided to be a great prat."_

 _"He's too good to hang out with the likes of us, Pete," James said, whipping another stone and watching it skip six times before sinking._

 _"I'm not," Sirius said desperately. "I'm a huge git and I don't deserve to have you guys as friends. I get it if you don't want to talk to me anymore. But I hope you'll change your mind."_

 _"And why should we?" James demanded, turning to stare at Sirius, his hazel eyes flashing in anger. "You pushed us away!"_

 _Sirius kicked at the stones by his feet as he spoke. "Because I let my mum bully me into thinking that I can't be friends with you blokes and I… I don't want to let her bully me anymore."_

 _James was quiet for a moment. "I'm glad that you came to your senses."_

 _Sirius looked up quickly, his grey eyes hopeful. "Really?"_

 _James smiled at him and hit him in the arm. "We like this guy, right Pete?"_

 _Peter nodded, smiling back. "Yeah we do."_

 _Sirius smiled at them. "I was hoping that you guys would say that because I've been thinking of pulling a prank in the common room and I could really use some help with it."_

 _James' arm draped over Sirius' shoulders. "Oh, I'm definitely in. What did you have in mind?"_

They had forgiven him immediately and it had been the best thing to ever happen to them. They had become his true family. He had made his second choice away from the House of Black and it had been worth it.

He glanced up at the clock with a start. Harry was sleeping over at the Weasleys tonight and he hadn't meant to spend so much time down here with the Pensieve, but time had gotten away from him as he travelled through his memories. There were still three more memories from Snape sitting there that he had yet to view.

Sirius shook his head, closing the box and heading up to bed. He would view them in the morning when his head was less foggy. But when he climbed into his king-sized bed, his dreams didn't come lightly to him.

He woke in a panic filled sweat, the cold and the darkness creeping in around him. He wasn't sure if it was because he was alone in the house for the first time since Harry had moved in or if he could strictly blame the memories, but he hadn't had such an intense nightmare in months.

He reached for his wand, desperate for the light and grateful for Marauder who trudged up to his bed to cuddle close with him, missing his boy. He stroked the dog for a few moments until his heart stopped pounding and then he made his way into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, his body trembling from the memory of the Cruciatus curse hitting him while his mother held the wand. His nightmare had been flashes: Walburga — Orion — James and Lily dead — alone in his cell in Azkaban — the carnage surrounding him when Peter disappeared and his heart was still pounding…

Sirius stared at himself in the mirror before he decided to take a hot shower, enjoying the warmth of the water before he made his way downstairs. He'd finally had the master bathroom fixed up the way he wanted it, equipped with a full tub and a stand-up shower. He'd splurged a bit here, but he didn't care. After his time in prison, he wanted to be able to enjoy himself while he kept himself clean. He had a large stand-up shower added plus he'd kept the big claw-foot tub under the window. He brushed his hair in front of the mirror and glanced down at his watch on the counter.

It was just shy of four, but he knew from experience that he wouldn't be going back to sleep. It had been a while since he'd had a nightmare that intense.

He made himself a tea, talking himself out of adding Firewhiskey to it, and took a seat at the table, his eyes on the bottled up memories. He stared at them for a moment and then picked up the next memory from Snape and poured it into the basin.

 _Lily sat in the library across from Snape. She was munching on the end of her pen, her three-ring notebook opened in front of her as she carefully re-copied her history of magic notes from the day before; colour coding them in different colour markers as she went. She hesitated when she felt someone staring at her and she looked up into Snape's amused face._

 _"What?"_

 _"That's ridiculous, you do know that, right?" he asked her, nodding at the notebook._

 _"Why?"_

 _Snape rolled his eyes. "You're just re-writing the same notes you made in class today. What a complete waste of time."_

 _"It is not," she insisted, smiling down at her perfectly organized and colour-coded notes. "It helps me focus on what I learned for the day and to organize my notes a little easier to study from. Besides, it's so much more organized in this than on bits of parchment everywhere."_

 _Snape only grinned at her. "You're quirky."_

 _Lily laughed and stretched her arms up over her head. "I accept that." She glanced over at the clock and sighed. "It's almost curfew, we should pack up before Madam Pince comes in and tosses us out."_

 _Snape nodded and began to pack up his own homework. "So, what did Black want earlier?"_

 _"Hmm?" Lily asked, bending down to pick up the markers she knocked onto the floor._

 _"Black. He came over earlier and hugged you like he hadn't seen you in weeks. I thought we agreed that he's a prat."_

 _"He is," Lily said, standing back up. "I mean, he can be. He seems kind of lonely lately."_

 _"So what you're friends now?" Snape demanded rather suspiciously._

 _Lily smiled at him. She knew he was a little protective of her; maybe a little too much. He seemed to be having a hard time adjusting to her having friends other than him. "Yes, I think we are."_

 _"He calls me Snivellus," he said bitterly._

 _Lily's brow furrowed at that. "I've asked him to stop, but it would go a long way if you stopped being such an ogre to everyone."_

 _"I'm not an ogre," Snape exclaimed, grabbing his book bag as they stood up._

 _"You are a little bit. You barely even talk to Mary or Marlene or Dory or Deanna or King when they study with us."_

 _"They're insipid bores!"_

 _"No, they're not," Lily insisted as they left the library. "You, Severus Snape are a snob."_

 _He snorted at her words. "Okay, maybe a little." When she smiled at him he grinned back at her. "I just miss when it was just you and me, you know? Now it's like we're both being pulled in different directions. Avery and Rosier think I'm stupid to still be friends with you and you're making all of these new friends. I just miss the way it was before we came here."_

 _"Sev, just because the two of us are making new friends doesn't mean that we can't make room for each other," she told him. "And I'm not overly fond of your new friends either. They call me a Mudblood."_

 _"I know and I'm so sorry about that!" Snape exclaimed, his eyes sad. "I've explained to them how great you are, but they are very set in their ways. I told them never to say that again to you."_

 _Lily nodded, thinking of the way James and Sirius had defended her that day. "It would have been nice if you could have done something in the moment, Sev."_

 _"What? Did you want me to punch them like Potter did? I'd never stoop to something so utterly neanderthal."_

 _"I didn't think it was neanderthal," Lily told him, looking at him from beneath her eyelashes. "I thought that they were very brave. And James Potter is the one who told me what that word meant. Not you. You could have given me a heads up, Sev."_

 _"Lily, that was weeks ago, why are you going on about it now?"_

 _"It's been on my mind and frankly, I'm still angry about it!"_

 _"It won't happen again, Lily. I swear it. I won't let them hurt you." Snape told her desperately, stopping to touch her arm. "I won't."_

 _Lily smiled at him. His eyes were full of desperation and hope and she sighed. She knew that he hadn't meant to hurt her, but when he hadn't defended her it had hurt her. The fact that he was trying to make up for it meant a great deal to her. "Thanks, Sev."_

 _They walked in companionable silence for a moment and then Lily stopped suddenly, turning to look at him. "Sev, you know lots of stuff about magic and… I know it's only October, so we haven't learnt that much yet — but I heard something today and I didn't understand what it meant."_

 _Snape looked at her questioningly. "What did you hear?"_

 _"Cruc… I don't know the rest of the word, he — it got cut off. It just sounded terrible, but I have no idea what it is."_

 _Snape's eyes widened. He looked at Lily in alarm before tugging her into an empty classroom and closing the door. "Crucio?" When she nodded he stared at her in horror. "Where on earth did you hear that word?"_

 _"Around. What does it mean? Is it awful?"_

 _Snape nodded, his dark eyes on hers. "More awful than you can possibly imagine. It's one of the Unforgivables."_

 _"What are those?" Lily asked, looking at her friend in worry. Snape looked terrified, a greedy look in his eyes upon hearing it._

 _"They're terrible curses," he told her, setting his bag down on the desk and pushing his greasy hair out of his eyes. "There are three of them and using any one of them on a living person automatically gets you sent to Azkaban Prison for the rest of your life."_

 _Lily's hand flew her to mouth as she gasped. "What… what does it do?"_

 _Snape looked into her wide horrified eyes. Her voice had barely been a whisper and he wondered again where she had heard the word. "It's called the Cruciatus Curse and it's the torture curse. My mum told me that its pain unlike anything you can imagine. It bends your body in ways it shouldn't; from the inside too so it's like your organs are straining to push through your skin. It's supposed to be awful. You can die from it if you are under for too long or worse you can be driven insane. The key to it though, you have to really want to cause that person incredible pain for it to even work at all. It's that horrible."_

 _Both of Lily's hands were covering her mouth now as tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped at them quickly and grabbed her book bag. "Who would ever use such a terrible curse?"_

 _Snape followed her back out into the hall and shrugged. "I've heard it's used to get information out of people and my mum said that its rumoured that some of the older pureblood families use it as severe punishment, but I think that's utter rubbish."_

 _Lily nodded, trying not to let the tears fall as they got to the end of the corridor that signalled her saying goodnight. "Thanks for telling me, Sev. I was just curious."_

 _"Are you alright, Lily? I didn't mean to upset you."_

 _"No, no, you didn't. It's just so horrible like you said." She smiled at him. "Goodnight, Sev."_

 _"Goodnight," he told her, turning and heading towards the Slytherin house._

Sirius stared at the memory, his eyes wide as he realized what he had just viewed. Lily had asked Snape to explain it to her; that's why she had… he closed his eyes. That moment, that one moment when he had seen her in the hall after speaking with McGonagall… when he had decided to ignore his mother's demands and to make friends with whomever he felt like. He had seen Lily and remembered how she had always told him that she was a good listener because he had just poured out what had happened… he had never meant to accidentally mention that curse, but he had.

And the moment the word 'crucio' had slipped from his lips, he had made a new friend in Lily Evans and a brother in James Potter.

That was a memory that Harry deserved to see, Sirius thought, placing his wand to his head and carefully extracting it. He watched it swirl around the basin a moment and then he stepped into his old dormitory in Gryffindor Tower and he relived it.

 _Sirius was standing by his bed in his slacks, searching his trunk for his pyjamas, his back to the door as he yelled out come in to whoever was banging on the door. Lily gasped as the light reflected the white scars there and he turned around._

 _"Lily, what are you doing up here?" he asked in surprise, tugging his pyjama top over his head._

 _She rushed towards him, tears in her eyes, and hugged him tightly._

 _Sirius awkwardly put his arms around her and held her tightly. "We're back to hugging, I'm okay with this," he told her._

 _James came out of the bathroom and looked at Lily and Sirius in surprise. "Hi, Evans, what'cha doing here?"_

 _Sirius shrugged, using his thumb to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Evans really, what's going on? Are you okay? Why are you blubbering?"_

 _She nodded, her eyes on his. "I'm not blubbering! I just… I just wanted to say that you are the bravest person that I know."_

 _Sirius' brow furrowed in confusion. "Did you hit your head or something? I haven't done anything to earn that compliment!"_

 _James laughed and slapped his friend's shoulder. "Take any compliment you can get, Black."_

 _Lily let go of Sirius, her eyes on James. "Potter, can I have a moment alone with Sirius?"_

 _James nodded, watching the two of them for a moment. "Yeah, of course. I was going to shower anyway." He grabbed his toiletries and headed into the bathroom and Lily turned back to Sirius._

 _"What you told me today, about your mother and what she desires of you to be. You are NOTHING like her, Sirius Black."_

 _He smiled at her, taking a seat on his bed and running his hands through his hair. "Uh, all right."_

 _"I would never betray your confidence, Sirius, in what you told me today. I don't know if James knows or anyone else." When he shook his head in response, she nodded. "I know what the word 'crucio' means." Tears filled her eyes again. "Your mum — she… she doesn't actually use that on you, does she?"_

 _Sirius hesitated. She was crying again. "Lily, stop crying, are you alright?"_

 _"Oh, Sirius," she said, hugging him tightly. "The torture curse. Please tell me that I'm wrong. It's not a torture curse, is it?"_

 _Sirius only nodded. "It is."_

 _"And she uses it on you?"_

 _"Lily, its discipline for when I've misbehaved. All families do it. You just don't understand because you come from Muggles."_

 _Lily shook her head, taking his hand in hers and holding it close to her heart. "No, I don't understand it and I refuse to believe that! I bet if you told James, Remus, and Peter that they wouldn't understand it either."_

 _"James is from a pureblood family too, trust me, Evans, his parents have used it on him when he misbehaves. I bet loads of times. It's called discipline."_

 _"Are the scars on your back discipline to?"_

 _Sirius shrugged then, tugging his hand free from her. "My father has a heavy hand with the belt, so what. When you misbehave you are disciplined. It's normal."_

 _"You ask James right now if that's normal!" she demanded, her voice quaking in anger._

 _"He's in the shower."_

 _"Right now, Sirius, or I'm not leaving," she insisted her green eyes blazing as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I may be from a Muggle household, but I'm telling you that you are wrong."_

 _He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, but you're the one who's going to look foolish." He headed into the bathroom and yelled for James._

 _James came out a few minutes later in his pyjama pants, using a towel to dry his hair. "What's the matter? Can't a bloke finish his shower in peace?" He grabbed a shirt and pulled it on as he scrubbed his hair dry._

 _Lily put her hands on her hips and glared at Sirius. "Ask Potter — now."_

 _Sirius rolled his eyes and smirked at James. "She's convinced that I'm lying to her, but I told her that she just doesn't understand coming from a Muggle household."_

 _"Understand what?" James asked, plopping himself onto his bed._

 _"Discipline for when you're bad."_

 _James grinned at that and scratched his chin. "According to my mum, I'm always bad. Let's see, uh… this summer I was grounded from flying and banned from going to Zonko's before Dad took my Nimbus 1000 away for two whole weeks — and that was pure torture! At least when I was only grounded from flying I could still clean the broomstick and polish it and whatnot, you know?"_

 _Lily smirked, crossing her arms in front of her. "I told you that it wasn't normal, Sirius Black!"_

 _Sirius looked at James in confusion. "That's_ how _your parents punish you? Come on, mate; you don't have to sugarcoat it! What if you do something they completely disapprove of?"_

 _James shrugged, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Well, a few years ago I switched all of the sugar to salt and vice versa and my granddad came over and put salt in his coffee," he said with a laugh. "Oh, Merlin, he was so furious! He picked me up by the scruff of my shirt and threw me into my bedroom and locked me in there for two hours; threatened to make me eat treacle tart, my favourite pleasurable treat, made with salt instead of sugar. My Gran told him that he was overreacting and let me out after two hours."_

 _Sirius looked pale, falling slowly to sit on his bed. "But, but… that's the worse punishment you've ever gotten?"_

 _"Mostly, yeah," James said, thinking it over. "When I was six, Dad and I were in Glasgow and I wandered off. When he found me he was so mad, he grabbed me hard and shook me so hard my neck hurt and he spanked me, but then he you know, smothered me in that whole — he was so worried that I was going to be kidnapped and killed and the I'm so happy you're alright version of parent panic. Why? What is Evans so mad and blubbery about?"_

 _Sirius looked at his hands, surprised to find them shaking. "You're parents have never… forced you to confess?"_

 _"Forced me to confess — what? I'm an only child, mate, there's only so many things I can blame on the dog," James said with a laugh._

 _Lily touched Sirius' arm. "You need to tell him." She kissed his cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."_

 _He nodded and watched her go as James came over to sit on his friend's bed. "Mate, really, what was Evans on about? Is everything alright?"_

 _Sirius hesitated, still staring at his hands, surprised to see them shaking. "You… that first night, you asked me about my back?" At James nod, he closed his eyes. "I put my mum's favourite pearl necklace on one of the mounted house elf heads in the hall and Dad belted me for it. He hit me so hard that… chunks of my skin flew off. I vomited. It wasn't the only time."_

 _James put his arm around his friend's shoulders, but he didn't say anything._

 _"Today, I was telling Lily that my mum made me promise to stop being friends with you blokes because you aren't worthy of the Black family name and how my cousin Narcissa helped me realize that I chose to be in Gryffindor so I can choose my own friends and my mum can't stop me," he said, sneaking a look at James who was watching him, his hazel eyes full of sadness. "My dad can get bad when he's angry, but my mum is the real… when she came to the school to demand that Dumbledore remove me from Gryffindor House, she was even angrier when I fought off the Imperius. I've been able to throw it off for almost a year now and it infuriates her that she can't control me so she…" he closed his eyes as he trailed off. "She uses the Cruciatus."_

 _James gasped, but he didn't speak._

 _"I mentioned it in passing by accident to Lily and she found out what it was and well, that's how this… Mum told me everyone used it on their kids. That… that it was the marking of a true Black if I didn't scream," Sirius said softly. "Your parents never…?"_

 _"No," James said softly, gently rubbing his friend's shoulder. "No, mate, they would never. I'm so sorry."_

 _He shrugged. "Nothing to be sorry about, mate. Like I said, I thought it was normal."_

 _James squeezed Sirius' shoulder lightly. He didn't speak for a few minutes and when he did his voice was soft, barely above a whisper. "I'm glad Evans was there to listen, but you can always talk to me._ Always _." He gave him a bright smile and grabbed his wand, cutting himself across his palm. "With this, I declare us blood brothers. Always to be there for each other no matter what." He held his hand out and Sirius stared at him._

 _Then Sirius used his own wand to cut his hand and they slapped palms. "Always."_

 _Sirius smiled at James as his blood mixed with his and for the first time in eleven years he felt like he was home._

Brothers… Sirius had always felt like James was his brother.

James had made him a blood brother that day in early October in their first year of school and from that moment on, he had never held anything back from him. James knew what kind of household he had come from, but Sirius had done his best to shield James from knowing about his summers of hardship. After that last summer before Regulus had come to Hogwarts, Sirius had rarely gone home again; spending as much time as possible away from his family.

Brothers, he thought with a smile.

He frowned over the memory of Snape and Lily in the library that Snape had given him. It seemed like a strange memory for Snape to have shared, but the questions Lily had been asking him in October of their first year were questions she had continued to ask him later on and maybe that was why he had found it important to share.

He picked up the last two memories from Snape as dawn approached the horizon and he twirled his wand into the substance and slid into the memories…


	45. Chapter 45

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lovely memories bestowed from Snape those belong to JKR from chapter twenty-eight of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and chapter thirty-three of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

 _I wanted to use all of the memories that Snape gave to Harry in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows without using the memories that change your perspective of him. As you should remember at this time, most of the world still believes Voldemort to be dead. Snape agreed to give memories of the girl he loved, but he's not about to let Sirius see him in his weaker moments; or moments of weakness in how he attempted to save Lily by turning spy for Dumbledore or his reaction upon learning that she had still died - that's not in his nature to share that information. However, I do think that he would give a certain memory from fifth year, only because it does show James Potter in a negative light as a bully and Snape would be proud to show that as much as it humiliates him to do so. As to why he even gave Sirius these memories, well that will be explained later on._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE:**

 **While Sirius was busy looking at memories and re-living the past, Harry was having the best time at The Burrow.** He really loved coming to stay with the Weasleys. He was comfortable with them and no one had ever mentioned to him about that one time that he had been too scared to stay with them. No one made him feel any less for it.

He found Percy a bit intimidating sometimes, but he was a lot of fun when he wanted to be. During the snowball fight in the afternoon, he had claimed they were all babies until Ginny's snowball smacked him right in the face. Percy had simply stared at her for a long quiet moment and then he had grabbed her, flipped her over his shoulder, and tossed her right into a huge snow bank before he covered her cheeks in fresh snow. She giggled and begged him to stop as he tickled her mercilessly. After that, Percy had stopped calling them babies and had kicked their butts in the snowball fight.

Fred and George were a lot of fun, but Harry thought that they were also a little scary sometimes, only in that they were very determined to have fun, but they were always making everyone laugh. George was quite protective over Ginny, Harry had noticed and when Percy had been attacking her in the snow pile, George had jumped onto his brother's back and freed Ginny before they ganged up on their older brother together. Fred loved to tease Ron. He kept showing him some cool new prank that would explode or blow up or shower Ron in some form of goo or sparkles or contraption that would leave Ron spluttering and Fred would burst into maniacal laughter. But then he would quickly help clean his brother up and show him how it worked. Harry figured it must be a sibling thing because he didn't quite get it and Ron didn't seem to mind.

Harry couldn't quite explain what it was about Ginny, but being near her seemed to calm him in ways that he didn't realize he needed to be calmed in. Whenever someone unexpected showed up at the Burrow - like this afternoon when Mr Weasley's partner Mr Perkins came out of the Floo, startling Harry who had been sitting close to the fireplace - Ginny had simply gripped his hand in hers and tugged him closer to where she and George were as they watched Percy and Ron play Wizard's Chess. Or when Mrs Weasley started to yell at Fred and George, her anger always made Harry feel a pang of guilt as if he was the one who was being punished, Ginny had simply tickled his ribs until he laughed. She was very insightful to his moods and he was grateful for it even if he didn't quite understand it.

That night as Mrs Weasley said goodnight and he was left alone with Ron's very bright orange half of the bedroom, Harry was in the non bright orange half that belonged to Charlie (when he wasn't at Hogwarts that is), and he realized that it was the first time that he had been without Sirius or Remus since he had left the Dursleys. Even that one time when Andromeda and Ted had stayed at the house, Harry had still been in his own bed with Marauder wrapped up next to him.

But Marauder wasn't here now. And it was dark.

Ron was grinning widely at him from across the room. "I'm not even tired, are you?"

Harry shook his head as he grinned back glad that he wasn't alone in the darkness. "No."

"Good," Ron said happily, climbing out of his bed and moving to sit on Charlie's bed where Harry was sleeping. He flicked his hand at the small lamp between the two beds and a twinkle of stars shot out and illuminated the ceiling. "Let's play a game."

"What kind of game?" Harry asked as he sat up as well, eyes wide up at the ceiling.

Ron shrugged. "I dunno; Percy always makes me play the minister's cat." He said making a face. "Fred likes two truths and a lie."

Harry simply stared at him. "I've never played either. What's the minister's cat?"

Ron crossed his legs, resting a freckled chin on his hand. "Oh you know, you have to go through the alphabet and come up with a new word each time to describe the cat. Percy says it helps one keep perspective and intelligence in times of boredom," he quoted, rolling his eyes. "But it can be fun sometimes. Like I would start by saying the minister's cat is an angry cat than you would have to go to the letter b so you could say the minister's cat is a boring cat and then it would go back to me with the letter c. The minister's cat is a cranky cat. Get it?"

Harry nodded, grinning now. "That seems kind of fun."

Ron shrugged, smirking. "It can be. Fred likes to add phrases and annoy Percy. Like you know, the minister's cat is a daring daunting doozy of a cat. Percy gets all flustered. He hates to lose, does Percy."

Harry chuckled. He remembered how annoyed Percy had gotten when Ron had defeated him at chess earlier in the day. "I do. He was very mad at you when you won."

"Bill's been teaching me to play most of the summer. I think I've gotten quite good. Do you play?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Ted taught me a little, but I'm not good. So are we going to play the minister's cat game?"

"Nah, let's play two truths and a lie. I will say three statements about me or my family and one of them will be a lie and you have to guess which one. Deal?" At Harry's nod, Ron grinned. "My favourite Quidditch team is the Chudley Canons; George is older than Fred; and Percy's rat ran away. Which one is the lie?"

"George is older than Fred," Harry said.

Ron shook his head. "Nope, he is older! Only by six minutes, but apparently he likes to rub it in when Fred gets annoying. Percy's rat did run away though. He just seems to have vanished from the house. You never met Scabbers, did you?"

"No."

Ron shrugged. "Ah well, he wasn't anything special anyway, but I think Percy was hoping to take him to Hogwarts in September."

"Going to Hogwarts sounds fun," Harry said, thinking of what Sirius and Remus had told him about the school.

"Bill says its great! He's a prefect this year, you know, fifth year and all. Mum and Dad are so proud and Charlie players Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Anyway, your turn. Two truths and a lie."

Harry was quiet for a minute as he thought about what to say. "My favourite colour is blue; Ginny was my first friend; and I used to live with Muggles."

Ron grinned widely. "Living with Muggles."

Harry shook his head. "No, that's true."

"Wow, really?" Ron asked in surprise. "What were they like? Muggles are so weird. Dad's fascinated by how they live without magic. Don't let him hear you say that or he'll want you to show him to work this new toaster he got. Have no clue what it does, but Dad says it makes bread hot."

Harry laughed and soon they were both giggling and talking late into the night until they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer.

But when he finally did drift off to sleep, Harry didn't sleep peacefully. His dreams were full of Uncle Vernon's voice, yelling at him and calling him a freak. Uncle Vernon's large hand had gripped his neck so tightly that he couldn't breathe and when he finally pulled himself from the dream he was gasping for breath, fearful that he was still actually choking. He wiped hastily at the tears in his eyes. Ron was snoring lightly from the bed next to him and he felt a little better when he heard the sound.

He wasn't trapped in the dark alone.

He wished Sirius was here, he thought as he put his hand on his throat, the ghostly feel of Uncle Vernon's hand still lingering. He hit the light on the table and watched the stars illuminate the ceiling, sitting up and pulling his legs up to his chest. His heart was pounding rather quickly and he knew that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. He rocked back and forth on the bed for a moment, his eyes on Ron.

Would he be mad if he woke him up? Don't be stupid, he told himself angrily. Ron will think you're a baby if you tell him you woke him up just because you had a bad dream.

Just then the door to Ron's bedroom opened forcefully and Ginny came rushing inside, running and jumping onto her brother's bed and startling Ron awake.

"Ah, ouch, Gin! What are you doing here?" Ron insisted, wincing as she elbowed him in the ribs in her attempt to get under the covers.

"I'm going to sleep here with you," she insisted snuggling up to her brother who looked extremely annoyed.

"No! Ginny, go to your own room! Harry's in here with me."

Ginny ignored him and smiled sweetly at Harry. "Sorry, Harry, go back to sleep." She kept her arms wrapped around her brother who seemed to have given up in his attempts to disentangle himself from her. "I had a scary dream about snakes. I don't want to stay alone."

"Go bug Fred and George."

Ginny ignored him, her eyes drifting closed. "No, I want you to make the scary dreams go away."

Ron blushed, but he rolled his eyes at Harry. "She's mental. You don't mind if she stays in here with us, do you? When she gets like this, it's almost impossible to get rid of her!"

Harry shook his head, a small smile on his face as he realized that Ginny was asleep already. "No, it's fine. Bad dreams are the worst."

Ron nodded, putting an arm around his sister. "Ginny hates snakes. Ever since this one time where Fred put one in her underwear drawer. She screamed like a banshee. I told her I'd protect her from the snakes if she gets rid of the spiders for me." He shuddered visibly, "I don't like spiders at all."

Harry smiled sympathetically. "Seems like a good trade off. I don't mind snakes or spiders."

Ron grinned. "Fred turned my teddy bear into a spider once. It … there were so many legs …" He shuddered in horror, wincing when Ginny's long red hair smacked him in the face as she turned to roll over. "Anyway, night Harry."

"Night," Harry said, watching as Ron settled himself onto the bed, Ginny sleeping peacefully next to him, her arms wrapped around a stuffed tiger.

He settled himself back into his own bed, feeling a little better about his own bad dream. And soon he was asleep again and this time, there were no nightmares.

~ ASC ~

 **As dawn approached the horizon, Sirius picked up the last three memories from Snape.** He twirled his wand into the substance and slid into the memories once more…

 _Lily and Snape were walking across the castle courtyard, evidently arguing. Sirius hurried to catch up with them, to listen in, gaging by their appearance it was fifth year by now, probably close to exams Sirius guessed._

 _"… thought we were supposed to be friends?" Snape was saying, "Best friends?"_

 _"We are, Sev, but I don't like some of the people that you're hanging round with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev, he's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?"_

 _Lily had reached a pillar and leaned against it, looking up into the thin, sallow face._

 _"That was nothing," Snape said. "It was a laugh, that's all —"_

 _"It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny —"_

 _"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?" Snape demanded. His colour rose again as he said it, unable, it seemed, to hold in his resentment._

 _"What's Potter got to do with anything?" Lily asked._

 _"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"_

 _"He's ill," Lily said. "They say he's ill —"_

 _"Every month at the full moon?" Snape said dryly._

 _"I know your theory," Lily said, and she sounded cold. "Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?"_

 _"I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are."_

 _The intensity of his gaze made her blush._

 _"They don't use Dark Magic, though," she said as she dropped her voice. "And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there —"_

 _Snape's whole face contorted and he spluttered, "Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his own neck and his friends' too! You're not going to — I won't let you —"_

 _"Let me? Let me?" Lily's bright green eyes were slits._

 _Snape backtracked at once. "I didn't mean — I just don't want to see you made a fool of… He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!" The words seemed wrenched from him against his will. "And he's not… everyone thinks… big Quidditch hero —" Snape's bitterness and dislike were rendering him incoherent, and Lily's eyebrows were traveling farther and farther up her forehead._

 _"I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag," she said, cutting across Snape. "I don't need you to tell me that. But Mulciber's and Avery's idea of humour is just evil. Evil, Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them."_

And the scene dissolved…

 _Sirius found himself in the Great Hall during the OWL examinations. He watched as James yawned hugely and rumpled up his hair, making it even messier than it had been. Then, with a glance towards Professor Flitwick, he turned in his seat and grinned at Sirius who was sitting four seats behind him. He gave James a thumbs-up._

 _Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. His dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance James could never have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully. And two seats along from this girl was Remus. He looked rather pale and peaky and was absorbed in the exam: As he reread his answers, he scratched his chin with the end of his quill, frowning slightly._

 _Peter was sitting near them and he looked anxious; he was chewing his fingernails, staring down at his paper, scuffing the ground with his toes. Every now and then he glanced hopefully at his neighbour's paper. James was now doodling on a bit of scrap parchment. He had drawn a Snitch and was now tracing the letters 'L.E.'._

 _"Quills down, please!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!"_

 _Over a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backwards off his feet. Several people laughed. A couple of students at the front desks got up, took hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows and lifted him back on to his feet._

 _"Thank you... thank you," Professor Flitwick panted. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"_

 _James hastily crossed out the 'L.E.' he had been embellishing, jumped to his feet, stuffed his quill back into his bag, which he slung over his back, and stood waiting for Sirius to join him._

 _Snape was moving between the tables towards the doors to the Entrance Hall, still absorbed in his own exam paper. Round-shouldered yet angular, he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, and his oily hair was jumping about his face._

 _"Did you like question ten, Moony?" Sirius asked as they emerged into the Entrance Hall._

 _"Loved it," Remus said briskly. "Give five signs that identify the werewolf. Excellent question."_

 _"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" James asked in tones of mock concern._

 _"Think I did," Remus said seriously, as they joined the crowd thronging around the front doors eager to get out into the sunlit grounds. "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin."_

 _Peter was the only one who didn't laugh. "I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes and the tufted tail," he said anxiously, "but I couldn't think what else —"_

 _"How thick are you, Pete?" James asked impatiently. "You run round with a werewolf once a month —"_

 _"Keep your voice down," Remus implored._

 _Snape remained close by, still buried in his exam questions as the Marauders and Snape all strode off down the lawn towards the lake, Snape still looking over the exam notes and apparently with no fixed idea of where he was going._

 _"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake," Sirius said. "I'll be surprised if I don't get 'Outstanding' on it at least."_

 _"Me too," James agreed. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a struggling Golden Snitch._

 _"Where'd you get that?"_

 _"Nicked it," he said casually._

 _He started playing with the Snitch, allowing it to fly as much as a foot away before seizing it again; his reflexes were excellent. Peter watched him in awe._

 _They stopped in the shade of the very same beech tree on the edge of the lake and threw themselves down on the grass. Snape had settled himself on the grass in the dense shadow of a clump of bushes. He was as deeply immersed in his OWL notes as ever. The sunlight was dazzling on the smooth surface of the lake, on the bank of which the group of laughing girls who had just left the Great Hall were sitting, with their shoes and socks off, cooling their feet in the water._

 _Remus had pulled out a book and was reading. Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored. James was still playing with the Snitch, letting it zoom further and further away, almost escaping, but always grabbing it at the last second. Peter was watching him with his mouth open. Every time James made a particularly difficult catch, Peter gasped and applauded._

 _"Put that away, will you," Sirius said, as James made a fine catch and Peter let out a cheer. "Before Peter wets himself with excitement."_

 _Peter turned slightly pink, but James grinned._

 _"If it bothers you," he said, stuffing the Snitch back in his pocket._

 _"I'm bored," Sirius whined. "Wish it was the full moon."_

 _"You might," Remus said darkly from behind his book. "We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you could test me. Here…" and he held out his book._

 _But Sirius snorted. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all."_

 _"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," James said quietly. "Look who it is…"_

 _Sirius's head turned. He became very still, like a dog that had scented a rabbit. "Excellent," he said softly. "Snivellus."_

 _Snape was on his feet again, and was stowing his notes in his bag. As he left the shadows of the bushes and set off across the grass, Sirius and James stood up. Remus and Peter remained sitting: Remus was still staring down at his book, though his eyes were not moving and a faint frown line had appeared between his eyebrows; Peter was looking from Sirius and James to Snape with a look of avid anticipation on his face._

 _"All right, Snivellus?" James called out loudly._

 _Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting an attack: Dropping his bag, he plunged his hand inside his robes and his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, "Expelliarmus!"_

 _Snape's wand flew twelve feet into the air and fell with a little thud in the grass behind him._

 _Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "Impedimenta!" he said, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet halfway through a dive towards his own fallen wand._

 _Students all around had turned to watch. Some of them had gotten to their feet and were edging nearer. Some looked apprehensive, others entertained._

 _Snape lay panting on the ground. James and Sirius advanced on him, wands raised, James glancing over his shoulder at the girls at the water's edge as he went. Peter was on his feet now, watching hungrily, edging around Remus to get a clearer view._

 _"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" James asked mockingly._

 _"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," Sirius declared viciously. "There'll be great grease marks all over it; they won't be able to read a word."_

 _Several people watching laughed; Snape was clearly unpopular. Peter sniggered shrilly. Snape was trying to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him; he was struggling, as though bound by invisible ropes._

 _"You — wait," he panted, staring up at James with an expression of purest loathing, "You — wait!"_

 _"Wait for what?" Sirius asked coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"_

 _Snape let out a stream of mixed swear words and hexes, but with his wand ten feet away nothing happened._

 _"Wash out your mouth," James said coldly. "Scourgify!"_

 _Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him…_

 _"Leave him ALONE!" Lily shouted as she marched over._

 _James and Sirius looked round._

 _James' free hand immediately jumped to his hair. "All right, Evans?" he said, his tone suddenly pleasant, deeper, and more mature._

 _"Leave him alone," Lily repeated; glaring at him in dislike. "What's he done to you?"_

 _"Well," James said, appearing to deliberate the point, "It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…"_

 _Many of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius and Peter included, but Remus, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and nor did Lily._

 _"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toe-rag, Potter. Leave him alone." she demanded, glancing over at Snape in pity._

 _"I will if you go out with me, Evans," James said quickly. "Go on… go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."_

 _Behind him, the Impedimenta Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out soap suds as he crawled._

 _"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," Lily screamed._

 _There were murmurs of laughter._

 _Someone yelled out, "Burn, Potter!"_

 _"Bad luck, Prongs," Sirius said briskly, and turned back to Snape. "Oi!"_

 _But it was too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James' face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled around: A second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants._

 _Many people in the small crowd cheered; Sirius, James, and Peter roared with laughter._

 _Lily's furious expression twitched slightly. She disapproved, yes, but that curse Severus had just used… drawing blood was never part of the Marauder pranking. She pursed her lips, anger bubbling up again. "Let him down!"_

 _"Certainly," James said and he jerked his wand upwards; Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, "Petrificus Totalus!" and Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board._

 _"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now._

 _James and Sirius eyed it warily._

 _"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," James said earnestly._

 _"Take the curse off him, then!"_

 _James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and murmured the counter-curse. "There you go," he said, as Snape struggled to his feet. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus —"_

 _"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"_

 _Lily blinked. "Fine," she said coolly. She hardened her expression, "I won't bother you in the future then and I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus."_

 _Laughter followed her remark, but James' hazel eyes were full of anger now as he glared menacingly at Snape._

 _"Apologize to Evans!" he roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him._

 _"I don't want you to make him apologize," Lily shouted, rounding on James. "You're as bad as he is!"_

 _"What?" James yelped. "I'd NEVER call you a — you-know-what!"_

 _"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can — I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!"_

 _She turned on her heel and hurried away._

 _"Evans!" James shouted after her. "Hey, EVANS!"_

 _But she didn't look back._

 _"What is it with her?" James said, trying and failing to look as though this was a throwaway question of no real importance to him._

 _"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate," Sirius told him._

 _"Right," James said, who looked furious now. "Right…"_

The scene vanished and Sirius felt a pang of guilt, wondering why Snape had thought to share this particular memory. He had known that he had been a bit of a bully sometimes in school as had James, but seeing the memory flash across as Snape had lived it… he had been more than an arse. He had been an immature git and looking back he was glad that Lily had put them all in their place.

Snape had called her a Mudblood, he remembered, and he was pretty sure that was the moment their friendship had ended. He wondered what the last memory was. He swirled his wand once more into the Pensieve to view it.

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _"I'm not interested."_

 _"I'm sorry!"_

 _"Save your breath"_

 _It was nighttime. Lily, who was wearing a dressing gown, stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower._

 _"I only came out because Mary told me that you were threatening to sleep here."_

 _"I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just —"_

 _"Slipped out?" There was no pity in Lily's voice. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends — you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You Know Who, can you?"_

 _He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking._

 _"I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."_

 _"No — listen, I didn't mean —"_

 _" — to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth 'Mudblood,' Severus. Why should I be any different?"_

 _He struggled on the verge of speech, but with a contemptuous look she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole._

Sirius stared at the memory for a moment and he actually felt sorry for Snape. It was only a fleeting feeling as he knew that the bloke had made his own decisions and that Lily had given him more chances than he had ever even deserved, but he still felt a little bad for him. He had pushed away his best friend all because of blood status and it sickened him. The Black Family motto was something he had been running from his entire life and to sit there and watch Snape argue with himself over the derogatory term and his best friend…

He remembered James' words: We all bleed red. He had told those exact words to Regulus. But sometimes prejudice could tear people apart without them even realizing that it was the underlying reason for their distance.

Sirius watched the sun rise through the kitchen window, lost in thought. Only when he had noticed that his tea had gone cold, did he put the memories and the Pensieve away. He had asked for memories and now his own brain was too muddled in them. He locked the memories and the Pensieve in the vault in his bedroom closet and then he turned on the wireless record player, tugging out _The Game_ album by Queen and blasting it through the house as he made himself breakfast.

His trip down memory lane had brought back some of the memories that he would rather have kept hidden and now he needed a distraction. After he ate, Sirius decided cleaning would do the trick and he scrubbed the whole kitchen from top to bottom before deciding to check on Kreacher at Grimmauld Place.

Sirius had been faithful to his word. Every week, he would stop by Grimmauld Place and see how Kreacher's progress was going and every week, he had been surprised. The house was barely recognizable now after over four months. All of the dark artefacts had been removed and Sirius had given them to the Auror Department to confiscate and examine. He himself had removed two boggarts and sprayed for doxies in his disgust to clean it. He simply got rid of all of the curtains in the house and most of the furniture.

It looked empty now and neglected, but it no longer looked as scary, nor was it dark and dangerous.

The only thing left was the portrait of Walburga Black, still screaming her disgrace at him whenever he stepped foot near the front door.

"The place looks great, Kreacher," Sirius told him honestly as he let the house elf make him a cup of tea eagerly.

"Thank you, Master Sirius, Kreacher is working very hard, sir!"

He managed a small smile for the squeaky voice. "Good." He drank his tea quietly for a moment before he spoke. "There's one more thing I'd like for you to do for me."

"Of course, sir!"

"I want the portrait of my mother removed."

Kreacher's eyes widened in horror as he tugged on his ears. "Sir, I is not knowing if I can remove it, Master Sirius!"

"I think you can, Kreacher," Sirius said sternly. "House elves have pretty strong magic when they want too and I think that you have the power to remove that permanent sticking charm if you try hard enough."

Kreacher simply nodded. "Yes, sir."

Sirius tapped his fingers on the table as he looked around the kitchen. "Keep the house up, in case I ever need it for anything, but for now, you've done a good job and nothing else needs to be done in terms of hardcore cleaning."

Kreacher nodded, an ugly smile on his ugly face. "Thank you, Master Sirius!"

"When you're finished here, maybe we can inspect the rest of the Black properties together and take care of them, if you wouldn't mind the extra work that is?"

"Oh, no, sir! Kreacher loves to work, sir! Anything Master Sirius wants!"

Sirius smiled kindly at him. "Alright, well, we'll talk about it again next time. Try to take that portrait down. You're doing a wonderful job."

The elf beamed at him.

Sirius left the house elf to his own devices when he finished his tea and made his way back home to Black Cottage. It was still barely even eleven. He wasn't supposed to pick up Harry until tea time. He plopped himself down onto the chesterfield, tugging the blanket up with him as he stretched out, yawning. He decided a nap sounded pretty great, but the moment he drifted off to sleep, his nightmare world grabbed hold of him once more.

He was in his cell.

Alone.

Dark.

Dank.

He could feel the horror and the darkness moving around him, gripping him and trying to drag him under into their world and he fought desperately against it. He was innocent. He hadn't murdered those Muggles.

It was Peter.

It was Wormtail.

He could hear screaming coming from further down; a mad cackle and more screams of madness and he covered his own ears with his hands in a desperate attempt to block out the sounds. The feel of the soul-sucking guards moving around the prison, in the halls by the cells, made his stomach clench nervously as he fought the urge to vomit as phantom pains of being tortured erupted in his limbs, in his mind, and he lost himself in the terrible memories.

He pulled himself from the dream, his heart pounding and he smiled in relief to feel Marauder's head on his chest, big paws on his ribs as if he had been attempting to wake him from the nightmare. He sat up, urging the dog to jump up onto the chesterfield with him and hugging the animal close.

"You really are an amazing dog, Marauder. Are you keeping guard over me?"

Marauder barked once in greeting and licked his face.

Sirius smiled and hugged the animal again. "Sometimes I'm not even brave enough to fight back my own nightmares, but when Harry is here and I'm dealing with his nightmares and just him… I forget my own troubles. It's a nice feeling."

The dog only stared at him.

Sirius scratched him behind the ears and rubbed his neck and belly. "You're a good dog."

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, dog in his arms as he stroked and rubbed the happy dog, but the sound of the clock chiming three had him standing up.

He pushed all thoughts of his nightmares from his mind. He had other things to concern himself with and wallowing in his own nightmares wasn't one of them.


	46. Chapter 46

_Author's Note:_

 _I am coming up to the point where I am doing some time jumps, I'm sure you've noticed. But don't worry, there is still lots more about young Harry before he goes to Hogwarts, but time jumps will be happening. I just thought the first year that Harry would be spending with Sirius was the most important and had the most impact on how he would grow up._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY-SIX:**

 **Sirius smiled when arrived at the Burrow to pick-up Harry and found him stretched out on the living room floor on his stomach next to Ginny and Ron.** The three of them were colouring on the same large sheet of parchment. Ginny was giggling and moving her green crayon across Harry's red lines as they attempted to playfully fight for the same spot on the parchment. Ron merely grunted in amusement and kept to his own side.

Sirius grinned. "Looks like you three are having fun."

Harry's face lit up and Sirius' heart melted as the child jumped to his feet and ran into his arms. The sight only made him realize how much he had actually missed him and it had barely been a day since he'd seen him. "Uncle Sirius!"

Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry, kneeling in front of him and hugging him tight, kissing the side of his head. "Hi, Harry."

Harry grinned back at Ginny and Ron as he let go. "Is it time to go already?"

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead, smiling. "It is. Don't worry you can play with them again real soon."

They said their goodbyes and Sirius stepped into the fireplace, bringing both he and Harry home. Marauder greeted Harry enthusiastically and he grinned widely, moving to play with the dog. While they ate dinner, Harry regaled Sirius with his exploits over the last twenty odd hours or so: From sharing a bedroom with Ron (who's side of the room was painted bright orange in honour of the Chudley Canons, his favourite Quidditch team), to spending time with Ginny in her tree (where he learned Ginny loved to laugh and to help everyone smile in any way she could), to having a big snowball fight in the backyard against Fred, George, and Percy, and to listening to Mr and Mrs Weasley tell them all a story from _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_.

Sirius couldn't stop smiling as they finished and cleaned up dinner and he got Harry upstairs into the bathtub. To see him smile and to be so happy and so carefree; to have fun with children his own age and to be comfortable enough to stay in their home was everything he could ever have wanted for him.

By the time that he was dried off and wearing a clean pair of pyjamas, Sirius led Harry to his bedroom for bedtime. He took a seat on Harry's bed, surprised to find his godson still standing in the doorway to his room.

"What are you doing, Harry? Come on; time for bed." He pat the bed next to him, "Dans le lit maintenant."

Harry smiled at the French, but shook his head. "I want to stay with you."

Sirius cocked his head at him. "You want to sleep in my bed tonight?"

Harry nodded, smiling when Sirius walked over to him and swooped him up into his arms, kissing his cheek. "Yes, please."

Sirius carried him into his own bedroom, flopping the warm, sleepy child onto the large bed. "Why, Prongslet?"

Harry snuggled under the covers. "You too," he insisted, patting the bed and only staying still once Sirius had lied next to him and Harry snuggled into his chest, his cheek over his heart.

Sirius held the boy close, kissing the top of his head. "Are you all right, Prongslet?"

"I had bad dreams," he whispered.

Sirius' arms tightened around him and he smiled. "At the Weasleys?"

Harry nodded, turning to look up at his godfather. "I woke up and you weren't there to make them go away."

Sirius smiled, kissing the top of his head again. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. What did you dream?"

Harry shrugged. "Stuff."

Sirius held the child close. He was quiet for a moment, unsure about what he was going to say. "I had bad dreams too."

Harry sat up in surprise. "You did?"

Sirius nodded, urging Harry to cuddle with him again. Once he was, his head in the crook of his arm, he spoke again. "I have bad dreams too sometimes. But Marauder was here, he missed you, and he made me feel safe. Did you wake up Ron?"

Harry shook his head, rubbing his tired eyes. "Ron doesn't have bad dreams."

"Everyone has bad dreams, Prongslet. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

He merely burrowed closer, remembering how Ginny had run to her big brother when she had a scary dream. "Ginny had a bad dream too and she came running into Ron's room and wanted to sleep with him. He told her to go away, but she didn't listen. And he let her stay in his bed."

Sirius smiled. He remembered Regulus doing that when he had been a kid too and he had slept in both Remus' and James' bed once upon a time when a nightmare overtook them and vice versa.

"Sounds like Ron is a pretty good big brother." When Harry only nodded in response, Sirius continued. "It sounds to me that if you had told Ron that you had a bad dream too, he wouldn't have minded."

Harry was quiet for a moment. "Uncle Vernon was in mine. I didn't… I don't want… Ron to know about…" He closed his eyes, his cheeks heating as if he was ashamed.

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "You don't have to tell Ron if you don't want to. But never be ashamed of having a nightmare or a bad dream. It is not your fault that those tossers treated you so badly. You didn't deserve it and it was a long time ago now, Harry. You have so many people in your life who love you."

"I don't want Ron to think I'm a baby."

"Is Ginny a baby?"

Harry shrugged. "She's younger, but no."

"Then why would he think you were a baby?" When he only shrugged again, Sirius smiled. "I had nightmares too last night, guess I must be a big baby too."

"But you're a grownup and grownups don't get scared!"

Sirius smiled at the simple statement. "Grownups get scared the most, Prongslet. My bad dreams were about when I was in prison in Azkaban," he told Harry. "I was scared and alone and it was dark and I was so sad over the death of James and Lily and losing you. When I woke up and you weren't here, I felt scared for a minute, thinking that something had happened to you, until I remembered that you were safe at The Burrow. And Marauder was here to make me feel better. I think I always sleep better when you're around too."

Harry smiled at that, his eyes closing slightly. "I love you, Uncle Padfoot."

"I love you too, Prongslet," he said. "Now you can stay with me tonight, but tomorrow its back into your own bed, deal?"

Harry smiled at him. "Deal."

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "Go to sleep, Harry. I'll be right here."

And when Harry drifted off to sleep, the feeling of safety and the feel of being loved engulfed him in warmth and he slept peacefully and deeply, all thoughts of his nightmares gone.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry woke up the next morning, Sirius was snoring next to him.** Marauder was stretched out across the end of the large bed and the sight made him grin widely. He had slept great. He started to sneak out of bed, hoping not to wake Sirius, when an arm gripped him around the waist and tugged him back into the middle of the bed. He barely made a sound before laughter erupted from him as Sirius tickled his ribs mercilessly.

"Where do you think you're going, mister?" Sirius asked as he tickled him.

Harry fought to catch his breath in between laughs. "No — nowhere — ah! Uncle Sirius, stop!"

Sirius only tickled him harder. "I didn't hear the magic word," he teased, his fingers moving to tickle Harry's feet as the child cackled in abundant laughter.

"S-s-snuffles!" Harry exclaimed breathlessly, the magic tickle fight word he, Sirius, and Remus had decided to use (an apparent old joke from when they were in school), as Sirius' fingertips brushed the arch of his foot.

Sirius grinned and dropped his hands, kissing Harry's cheek. "Alright, Prongslet, I give."

Harry caught his breath and then his own small hands attacked Sirius' ribs and soon the two of them were rolling across the bed lost in an all out tickle war.

"Snuffles!" Sirius shouted and Harry giggled, collapsing against his godfather who was laughing loudly.

"Just what are you two up to this morning?" Remus asked from the doorway, startling them both.

Remus was leaning against the doorjamb to Sirius' bedroom, his eyes full of laughter and his arms crossed in front of him. He had shown up a bit early hoping to catch them at breakfast, but the sounds of mad laughter had led him upstairs. The last thing that he had expected was to find his best friend and nephew amidst the throes of an intense tickle fight of which he had been watching in amusement for the last five minutes.

"Uncle Padfoot started it," Harry said, laughing when Sirius elbowed him lightly.

"Hey, don't throw me off the broom, Prongslet," Sirius exclaimed, picking Harry up and throwing him unceremoniously over his shoulder so that he hung upside down as he climbed off of the bed. "What are you doing here so early, Moony?"

Remus accepted Harry from Sirius, smiling when Harry hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Thought I'd join you for breakfast, but I see you two are running a bit late this morning."

Sirius glanced at the clock, surprised to find it was after nine already. "Guess so. Come on, Harry, go on and get ready for breakfast."

Harry hurried off into the bathroom and Sirius grinned at Remus. "So what'cha cooking, Moony?"

~ ASC ~

 **Later on that afternoon, with Harry playing outside in the snow, Remus pulled out the bottle with the memory that he had stored there for the Pensieve.** After watching Sirius' memories with him the other day, he had decided to add a small memory of his own to the mix: A memory of one of the first moments that he and Lily Evans had become friends. After peeking out at Harry once more, he hurried upstairs to take the Pensieve out from the vault where Sirius was keeping it and he added the bottle to the collection, smiling as he remembered the moment from that first month of school.

 _It was the evening after James and Sirius had defended Lily and Mary against Avery and Rosier outside of the greenhouses after Herbology. Sirius had distanced himself from all of his roommates; even getting into a shouting match with James and causing James to spend the majority of dinner ranting about what a complete git Sirius had been. James had continued to be bitter about it all evening…_

 _Remus took a seat in the Gryffindor common room, the heat of the fire making him tug off his jumper, as James' dark grey owl flew in through the open window and perched on his hand._

 _"Kinda late for a letter, isn't it?" Remus asked as he watched his friend close the window._

 _James shrugged. "It's not for me. I let Evans borrow my owl to send a letter home. She's never sent anything by owl post before and when I ran into her up in the Owlery, I offered Poseidon to her when she asked how to use the school ones." He nodded at the small redhead who was curled up under a blanket on the carpet by the fireplace reading_ Little Women _._

 _"Evans!"_

 _Lily jolted at the sound of her surname, eyes searching until she found James grinning at her. She stood up and moved over to sit on the chesterfield next to Remus. "What's going on?"_

 _"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," James told her with a grin as he sat on the other side of her. "Poseidon brought you a letter."_

 _"Oh!" Lily said, smiling as the owl held his leg out for her to take the letter off. "Thank you! I was beginning to think that they couldn't figure out how to send it back."_

 _"I told him to stay there with your family until they wrote you a letter," he told her, tugging some owl treats from his pocket._

 _Lily opened the envelope eagerly and began to read aloud:_

Dear Lily,

It sounds like Hogwarts is going to be a lot of fun. The owl is beautiful and when it flew through the kitchen window and landed on the table, Petunia screamed so loud that your mother knocked over the jug of milk and let's just say that Gatsby was very pleased with himself as he lapped it all up.

Your classes all sound very interesting. Transfiguring objects into different things, making items float and fly, brewing potions — I hope you're not huddled over a cauldron spouting 'double, double toil and trouble' as we both know how well that turned out for the protagonist. Defence Against the Dark Arts sounds particularly interesting to me, but also makes me worry about you having to defend yourself from dangerous spells and curses. Astronomy sounds amazing, you know how much I always loved learning about the stars and constellations. Herbology sounds a bit like medicine. History of magic sounds like it would be the most interesting though, I'd want to know everything about how the magical world came to be and how it was kept a secret from non magical people like your mum and I. But that's probably the history teacher in me. You'll have to let me know how that goes.

Your roommates sound very nice! I'm very happy that you have made new friends. I'm sorry that you and Severus aren't in the same house, but that shouldn't worry you, Roger McGill and I were best mates and then we were in separate houses. We even competed against each other on our house teams in football. And we're still friends to this day!

As for those flying lessons, the idea of you flying around on a broomstick is pretty hilarious to my young daughter who hates heights. Try to relax, sweetheart, and you will be fine. It sounds rather brilliant to me and don't look down, first rule. For someone who loves to climb trees, I can't fathom how heights scare you. You are a complete mystery to me, Lily.

Write back as soon as you can. We miss you and we love you.

Love,

Dad and Mum and Petunia

xoxo

 _Lily smiled up at James when she finished reading the letter. "My sister screamed so loud my mother knocked the milk jug over. I wish I would have seen it."_

 _James laughed, watching as Poseidon flew off. "Sounds like it was worth it then."_

 _Lily nodded, smiling as she closed the letter and tucked it back into the envelope._

 _James stood up, stretching so hard that his shirt rode up, and he ruffled his hair. His eyes followed Sirius as he came into the common room and headed straight up the stairs not looking at anyone._

 _"Did you three have a falling out?" Lily asked him as she watched James stare after the boy in sadness._

 _Remus shrugged. "He's not talking to any of us."_

 _James ruffled his hair again, sitting back on the sofa. "I don't know. He says that we can't be friends anymore. None of us, Remus and Peter included, and he's been ignoring us all evening, ever since he blew up at me after class earlier. Ever since he got that Howler from his mum he's been acting weird."_

 _Lily looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think he desperately needs a friend."_

 _"So do I, but he won't let me in," James said stubbornly._

 _Lily smiled at him. "Well, as someone whose honour was defended by you and he today, I think that you know how to be his friend."_

 _James grinned at her. "Yeah, I'll get through to him. Thanks, Evans!" He jumped to his feet and hurried up the stairs to the boys dormitories._

 _Remus watched him go with a smile. "I hope James gets through to him, he's been acting like a right git."_

 _"Don't you want to go up and help?"_

 _Remus shook his head. "I don't want to give him the impression that we're ganging up on him and James seems to be taking Sirius' abandonment a lot more personally. I'll let those two work it out. I don't really know Sirius that well anyway." He shifted and a book fell out of his cloak pocket._

 _"Are you reading_ The Great Gatsby _?" Lily asked in surprise, her eyes on the book._

 _Remus tugged the book fully out of his cloak and smiled at her. "Yeah, my mum sent it the other day. Have you read it?"_

 _Lily nodded, a big smile on her face. "I have. Dad loves it. He even named our cat Gatsby."_

 _Remus chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he leaned back against the sofa. "Nick just met the mysterious Gatsby. Do you read a lot?" he asked her, gesturing to the book in her hands._

 _"As much as I can," she told him honestly. "I'm a bit of a bookworm sometimes."_

 _Remus' smile widened. "Excellent. I could use another literary friend. James reads a little, but he has too much energy to sit and read. I love a good story."_

 _Lily handed him the book she was reading, her green eyes dancing in the firelight. "Have you ever read Alcott?"_

 _Remus shook his head, flipping the book over to read the description. "Is it good?"_

 _"Oh, it's wonderful! It's all about friendship and love and it's really good."_

 _"Maybe I can borrow it when you're done?" Remus asked, smiling at her. "Be nice to trade books. The library, I noticed, doesn't have too big of a reading selection for fiction."_

 _Lily nodded eagerly, smiling at him. "Ooh, yes, let's! I'd love that!"_

 _Remus smiled warmly at her, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Sounds like a plan."_

The memory made him smile. Lily was one of the few people he could share his love of reading with and now he was pleased to continue to share that love with her son.

"Uncle Moony!" Harry called as Remus hurried back downstairs, the memory safely locked in the vault with the others.

And he would definitely continue to share that love with him in tribute to Lily and the sweet girl and friend that he had loved.

~ ASC ~

 **As the breath of spring teased them, Remus celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday.** He was pleased to spend the day with Sirius and Harry where they went to visit the British Museum. And as March turned into April and the weather warmed, Sirius anxiously brought out the mini motorbike for Harry.

Harry absolutely loved it.

He drove around the backyard and all around the house, revving the engine in glee as he took off. It made Remus a little nervous, but Sirius had done a marvellous job with the bike. It went up to twenty kilometres an hour, thrilling Harry with the speed, but keeping Remus and Sirius feeling better by that low speed at the same time. He wore his helmet and his leather jacket and gazed adoringly up at Sirius. Remus made them sit on their respective bikes and he took a few photos of them together, laughing as Sirius showed him how to rev the engine and how to lift the front wheel up as he drove.

Harry fell off twice, but was so anxious and excited that he immediately got back onto the bike with no concerns about his well-being. When Neville came over one afternoon, he even let Neville try the bike out. The boy had been terrified, but Sirius had held his waist as he drove and when he let go, Neville was grinning foolishly as he drove around the yard in glee.

On the eleventh of May, Sirius decided to get another tattoo in honour of the one year anniversary of Harry living with him. He was pleased to find the same tattoo artist in Knockturn Alley and this time he knew exactly what he wanted inscribed. Beneath the tattoo of Harry's birthday, he had the date: _11th May, 1986_ inscribed horizontally around his side, so that he would always remember the day he officially became Harry's guardian and parent. Then on his left shoulder he had his prison number inscribed in a rectangular box: ᛈᛉ _-390_ and beneath it in loopy cursive: _Nov 2nd, 1981 - April 22nd, 1986._ He wasn't sure why he felt the need to brand himself with his time in Azkaban along with his prison number, but at the same time, he knew that he needed the dates and prison number there to recognize that dark time in his own life.

The beginning of May also brought a letter from Althea, surprising Sirius, who hadn't heard from her in months. When he slipped the letter from the envelope, he couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face as he read:

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _I know that I haven't been much of a correspondent and I apologize for that. Your last letter, answering my own tardy post in January, made me smile. I am so happy that things are going so well for you with Harry. He sounds like he is adjusting wonderfully and I think that you both have truly become the family I think you both needed and much deserve._

 _Things here have been insane. I've been non-stop and keeping busy from healing the sick to going, or on a trip for medical supplies, or to help build more homes and organize safe houses and movable healing stations. The group I work with most frequently: Myself, Anastasia, Nick, Jonathon, and Philip — have been making healing potions and brewing and chopping ingredients on almost a daily basis. I have also been sent to Aden in the Soviet Union to help with the political turmoil there and to deal with some of the slaughter and medical needs._

 _It is has truly been a most humbling experience._

 _Of course, I haven't been strictly working as it would have drained me completely by now, it being May already. Anastasia, Jon, and I have become the best of friends. We often go out to eat or out clubbing or dancing together when we have a night off, which unfortunately is often only every few weeks or so. Just the other night, we ended up in Columbo and we had a great time. It's hard sometimes to lose yourself in the good times when you know so many people who are suffering, but we make the most of what we could._

 _Medea wrote me last week to tell me all about the wonderful trip she and Apollo just took throughout Greece. They've been gone since October and only just returned home. Apollo visited our grandparents and family out there; met up with some of Medea's family that she had never met before and they toured the entire country. She says that it was the trip of a lifetime and worth every moment they took off to do it right. Apollo loved it so much that he decided to move back. I think my parents are a little sad to learn of this news, but Apollo has put an offer on a house just outside of Athens near our grandparents so it looks like it's fairly official. The house has lots of land and is in a great area for the dogs and for children — that's right, children, Medea is pregnant! They are both absolutely thrilled and I couldn't be happier for them. I love being an auntie._

 _Priya has been working much too hard; I can tell from her letters. She says she misses having me around the flat, but I doubt she's alone much. Her boyfriend is most likely there almost every night. At least I hope he is, I don't want her to be alone. But she won't be alone too long as she has decided to come out and join me come July through to September._

 _In September, I will have been out here a year and unless something big comes up to coach me into staying, I think I will be leaving Sri Lanka and the program for a short while at least. I want to spend some time in Greece with Apollo and Medea; the baby should be arriving around then and I want to see my grandparents and my aunts and my uncles and my cousins. It will be a much needed vacation before I go back to work._

 _My sabbatical will continue for a few months after however as I need to finish up my research on how dragon pox can affect the brain's stimulation and central nervous system, which in turn reacts to the growth and stability of the disease. I plan to focus on why it seems to be more pronounced in children and the elderly and what we as healers can do to try to heal those who are unfortunate enough to catch it. Or something along those lines, anyway. My research still has a lot to take in, but I have found quite a bit of information out here._

 _There was a severe outbreak of dragon pox back in February that kept the healers constantly on their toes. I made extensive and detailed notes that I think will be extremely helpful in my own research._

 _I'm sure that you are still confused as to why I'm writing you as I've barely sent you any post outside of my safe arrival and a late happy Christmas card, but I just wanted to say that I still think about you and I miss you. I hope that you and Harry are still well._

 _Your friend,_

 _Thea_

He grinned as he finished reading it. She missed him, he was glad to read it. He missed her too. She had been a great friend and he definitely had loved having her as Harry's healer and he would be lying to himself if he didn't also admit how bloody fantastic the sex had been.

Damn if he didn't miss sex.

Not that he'd been completely celibate since she'd left, but damn near enough. He'd run into an old friend from Hogwarts in Muggle London back in February and after a few drinks they may have found their way into a hotel room and brought back some old memories in a completely different way, he thought with a grin, as he remembered how he had spent the evening unexpectedly shagging Annalise Davies nee Zusack up against the wall of the hotel room… and then on the floor on all fours… and then across the bed.

She was recently divorced and had been looking for a good shag and Sirius had been more than willing to oblige her. But it had been a one night only rerun from the time he'd shagged her in the bathtub in seventh year in the prefect's bathroom while she'd moaned his name and claimed that he was the best lover she had ever had. But he missed spending the afternoons with Althea and talking and shagging and talking some more to her. But he knew that if she even were to return back to England it would still be months if not next year before he would see her again and he wasn't going to wait around her for when he wasn't interested in making it a serious relationship.

He had Harry to take care of and if he was completely honest with himself, he still wasn't looking for a serious relationship of that kind. He wasn't sure if he ever truly would be. He liked being single. He liked living his life as he wanted to live it and most of all he loved Harry and he didn't want anything to take him away from that child. Harry was the person he loved most in the world outside of Remus and he was never going to let either one of them down in any way.

Falling in love wasn't exactly something he saw in the cards for himself anyway, his name wasn't James Potter and he wasn't going to pine after some woman. If a Lily Evans Potter found her way into Sirius' life, he couldn't say what would happen, but at the moment, he was blissfully happy to be single and had every intention of staying that way.

He put the letter away with a smile.

Didn't mean he didn't miss her.


	47. Chapter 47

_Author's Note:_

 _I have this head canon that the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight is basically equal to aristocracy in the wizarding world in terms of wealth and official titles and they kind of lord it over everyone — an impression I got mostly from the grace and poise that is Jason Isaacs in his role as Lucius Malfoy, but also from the books in the way that Draco talks about his father and his home life. So I have thrown this idea into the ring and made up some titles to use (the Malfoy title based on the fact that their mansion is supposed to be Wiltshire) and I just kinda picked other random other names. I've dropped a few of them already with the Longbottoms being Cumbria, but it will all be explained at some point more clearly, I promise._

 _For those of you wondering and asking, this is a complete list of Sirius Black's tattoos in my universe. What they are and where they are located._

 _1 - over his heart (moon chart that changes with the phases of the moon)_

 _2 - over right shoulder blade on back - Gryffindor house crest: "_ where dwell the brave at heart" _written around the crest_

 _3 - over left shoulder blade on back - Marauder crest - "I_ solemnly swear that I am up to no good" written around crest

 _4 - inside left forearm written vertically - runic symbols for family_ ᚠᚨᛗᛛᛚᚥ _; friendship_ ᚠᚱᛛᛖᛅᛞᛋᚻᛛᛈ _; and marauder_ ᛗᚨᚱᚨᚢᛞᛖᚱ

 _5 - around runic symbols - footprints from marauders map (roughly 8 footprints to represent 4 marauders)_

 _6 - inside left wrist beneath runic symbols - phoenix engulfed in flames_

 _7 - entire right arm just below shoulder, a sleeve of a wolf howling at the moon with stag, dog, and rat near the whomping willow_

 _8 - right wrist - Celtic knot that closes off the sleeve_

 _9 - right shoulder above sleeve - circular star chart of Sirius and of Orion_

 _10 - across collarbone -_ Mischief Managed

 _11 - over left ribs - motorcycle with three stars surrounding it_

 _12 - over right ribs written vertically in two columns -_ Prongslet, HJP, July 31st, 1980

 _13 - left shoulder - prison number in rectangular box_ ᛈᛉ-390 _and beneath it_ Nov 2nd, 1981-April 22nd, 1986

 _14 - beneath Harry's birthday, date written horizontally around right ribs:_ May 11th, 1986

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN:**

 **A few weeks later, as June bloomed and spring finally seemed to rear its head with summer not far behind, Sirius found another surprise in the post.** This one coming from the Daily Prophet and written by this snarky quack of a reporter named Rita Skeeter.

Sirius had accepted the Daily Prophet from the post owl as he ate breakfast at the table in the morning. He never bothered to do more than skim the paper until after Harry was in his lessons with Remus, but as his eyes glanced at the front page, they widened in surprise.

 _HEAD OF BLACK FAMILY DEATHLY ILL_

He grabbed the paper quickly as his eyes read over the article.

 _Lord Cygnus Black, Viscount of Falmouth, 49, was admitted to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries last night, delirious and dazed, suffering from a severe attack of scrofungulus, which as the reader knows is a very contagious disease that often presents with severe swelling in the neck, making breathing difficult. It then moves on to affect the brain and can cause swelling in other parts of the body. Once it manifests within the system, the disease can last weeks or years and unfortunately is often deadly._

 _Lady Druella Black refused to comment when asked about her husband's illness and well-being. As one of the most influential families in the Sacred Twenty-Eight, all eyes are on the lovely Lady Falmouth to learn what will happen if her husband succumbs to the illness._

 _Lady Narcissa Malfoy, youngest daughter of Lord Black and wife of Lord Lucius Malfoy, Earl of Wiltshire, was seen exiting the hospital early this morning looking distraught. The Blacks have two daughters, but the eldest, Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus Lestrange are currently residing in Azkaban Prison for crimes including murder and torture in the name of He Who Must Not Be Named._

 _If the disease proves to be fatal, the question on everyone's lips is who will inevitably pick up the mantle of the Viscount of Falmouth. Sirius Black, nephew of Lord and Lady Falmouth, is the only living direct male relative left in the Black Family line — will we have a new Viscount under his name?_

Sirius spit his orange juice out, startling Harry.

"Sorry, Prongslet," he muttered staring at the paper in horror. What was Skeeter playing at printing something like that?

He glanced at the clock. Remus would be arriving any minute he thought, which was good because he desperately needed to speak with Andromeda.

Fifteen minutes later, he was knocking on the front door of the Tonks' residence in Shoreditch and Ted opened the door, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Good morning, Sirius," he said with a smile. "What can I do you for?"

Sirius only nodded at him. "I really need to talk to Andromeda."

Ted merely moved aside and Sirius hurried into the house. Andromeda was coming out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a short pink apron.

"Edward, dear, you didn't finish your breakfast," she said, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Sirius. "Sirius, what are you doing here so early?" She hurried over to kiss his cheek. "Want some breakfast, love?"

Sirius shook his head, taking her hands in his. "No, no, I'm fine. I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

Andromeda nodded, untying her apron. "Of course."

Ted smiled at them and finished his coffee. "I have to get to work anyway or I'm going to be late." He kissed Andromeda softly on the lips. "Love you, be back tonight."

"Love you too," she called out after him as he stepped into the fireplace and vanished in a twirl of emerald flames. She turned back to Sirius, her hands in her lap. "What's going on?"

Sirius simply passed her the newspaper.

He watched as she read over the article with wide eyes and then she passed it back to him. "I see Skeeter is still writing absolute balderdash."

Sirius reached over to squeeze her hand. "You weren't even mentioned!"

Andromeda shrugged, tucking a strand of her long black hair behind her ear. "Did you really expect me to be? I was disowned from that family long ago. Though I suppose if Skeeter wasn't above making a scandal, she may bring it up." She stared at the paper in Sirius' hand for a moment. "Do you think he has the deadly strain? Is he going to die?"

"I don't know, honey," he said softly. He remembered how close Andromeda had always been to his Uncle Cy. She had been the little princess, the spoiled and the pampered Daddy's little girl — all three of his daughters had been. But Andromeda and Narcissa had always been coddled much more than Bellatrix. The moment Andromeda had told her father that she was in love with Edward Tonks, her father had coldly and efficiently shut her out of his life: Socially, financially, and emotionally.

She closed her eyes for a moment. "But, Viscount of Falmouth, eh? Would it really be that bad?"

Sirius let loose such a stream of curse words that Andromeda's mouth actually opened in shock.

"You kiss your godson with that mouth? He better not be repeating any of those words, Sirius Black," she said with a chuckle.

Sirius merely smirked. "The last thing I need is to become the Viscount of Falmouth. I'm still not entirely sure how I ended up as Head of House Black to begin with after my mother blasted me from the family tree."

Andromeda shrugged. "Toujurs pur, Sirius, you are the last pureblood male in the Black family. Bella never had any children which is a blessing considering her sanity; Cissa's son could technically inherit it all, but he is already a Malfoy and therefore will one day inherit the earldom as Lord Wiltshire. Uncle Orion left it to you because you were his firstborn son and heir and even knowing that you had betrayed him by becoming friends with known blood traitors, he still left you in second place to your younger brother, who we both know should have lived a long life. Uncle Orion had no way of knowing that Regulus would be killed only a few months after his own death."

"Doesn't it bother you that you're not included, Andy? It's completely old-fashioned that it can only pass down to a male to begin with," Sirius exclaimed, his fingers tapping impatiently on his thigh.

She shook her head. "No, it doesn't. Ted is my life. Nymphadora is my life. I don't need an outdated aristocrat lifestyle and neither do you. If… if Papa does pass away, you will become Viscount, Sirius, whether you want it or not."

"Not," he muttered, thinking of the ramifications of that.

His own father had been the Viscount of Falmouth, the title was something that he had always known he would inherit, but then he had been disowned. Then Orion had died; then Regulus, and the title had moved to Orion's younger brother, Cygnus, strictly because Sirius Black, future Viscount of Falmouth, had been in prison. But Rita Skeeter had it right, if Cygnus Black died, Sirius would de-facto be once more, Viscount.

But he was pretty sure that he had a way around that.

"Sirius," Andromeda said with a smile. "It's not the end of the world. And… Pa —" she swallowed carefully. "Cygnus Black isn't dead yet."

"I know," Sirius said, sighing deeply. "I guess the article just shocked me. I ran from this life, Andy. Euphemia and Fleamont, they took me in, they gave me a home unlike anything I had ever experienced before; they called me son and they loved me. I guess I always thought that my choices then had stopped me from having to deal with this shit."

She smiled sympathetically. "Not quite." She kissed his cheek. "Now stop stressing over it as there's nothing to be done about it at the moment anyway. Tell me about your plans for Harry's seventh birthday party."

Sirius simply grinned at her. "It's going to be epic as fuck."

Andromeda laughed. "Alright, let's hear it."

~ ASC ~

 **As the weeks passed on, the paper continued to vaguely comment on the illness of Cygnus Black, but from what Sirius could see, the idea of it being deadly had been overly exaggerated.** He found himself rather relieved to hear it.

After his talk with Andromeda however, Sirius had been jolted into action and spent the next few days following his talk with her going through his considerable assets.

But it still didn't stop his surprise when at the end of June, an owl bearing the Malfoy family crest flew into his kitchen.

 _Sirius,_

 _I implore you to speak to Mother about the Black Family Estate. She is not knowledgable in any of it and Papa is very ill. The healers say that he will be able to come home soon, but his mind is very confused and he no longer has the mental capacity to handle any financial or business ventures. I know it's rather bold of me to write and ask this of you, but you are the Head of the Black Family Estate in all but name while Papa is still alive._

 _Will you come for tea at Malfoy Manor on Saturday afternoon to meet with Mother and I?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Cissa_

Sirius stared at the letter and let out an exasperated sigh. He had expected this if he was completely honest with himself, which is why he had been organizing everything. He had already detailed his decisions concerning the Black Family's assets and had decided what to do with everything.

He had just spoken to Remus about it the other day and Remus had suggested he talk to the Malfoys about it. But Sirius still thought that it was the last place he'd rather go, but they needed to know where his decisions had landed.

He flipped the parchment over and quickly scribbled a response.

 _Cissa,_

 _We both know that I have no desire to lead the Black Family anywhere. Harry and I will meet you and Aunt Druella at Malfoy Manor for three on Saturday._

 _Sirius_

And as he watched the owl fly off, he grimaced at the thought of the meeting he had no desire to attend.

By the time Saturday came around, Harry was eager to go. Sirius had told him he was visiting his cousin Narcissa Malfoy as they had some stuff to talk about and that Harry would be joining them for tea. It was the last place he wanted to bring Harry at all, but Remus had actually scored a date on Saturday with a woman who worked in the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad. Her name was Veronica Riley, but she went by Roni.

Remus had met her at the market in Diagon Alley, apparently they had laughed over some fresh cannolis and the woman had said something about they were the dessert that dreams were made of and Remus had responded in typical corny fashion with: We cannoli hope. They had laughed like loons, introduced themselves, and grabbed an ice cream together. Needless to say, Remus hadn't been spending too many of his nights alone as of late.

Sirius wanted to be annoyed at his friend, but he was too pleased that his friend was finally out there enjoying himself for once. Even though he already knew, Remus was going to push her away in a few weeks, either before or just after the full moon. The man was predictable as shit about that. He never gave anyone a chance to be around longer.

Sirius sighed as he strapped Harry onto his motorbike. He'd worry about Remus and his future relationship troubles later, right now he had a tea to attend and he had decided to drive there, mostly out of spite. He could imagine the horror on his cousin's face when he showed up on a Muggle motorbike.

It was roughly a three hour drive by road, but using his jury-rigging skills, he figured he could get there in just over an hour if he flew. He made sure that Harry was strapped in tightly and he used the invisibility shield to hide them from view as he levitated towards the sky and took off at high speeds; hitting the Muffliato Charm dim the noise affects of the bike to anyone around it. He blared Queen from his speakers as they headed towards Wiltshire and an hour and a half later, landed in front of the large iron gates of Malfoy Manor.

The house was white, big black iron gates hiding it from view. The mansion was three levels, long and expansive with extensive grounds and fixtures. It had been in the Malfoy family for almost six hundred years. Sirius had to admit, it was a beautiful manor.

The gate opened to allow him access and he rode the bike through the gate, parking in front of the steps and shutting the bike off.

Narcissa stepped outside, her lips pursed as she stared at him.

He was in faded denim, holes in the knees. His black leather jacket with a black cotton dress shirt open to reveal his white tank, black combat boots, and his perfectly styled long locks surrounding his face and falling just so to give him that carelessly handsome look. He had intentionally dressed down, also out of spite.

Just because he had agreed to attend didn't mean he was going to dress himself up to their standards.

He helped Harry off the bike and smiled brightly at his cousin. "Cissy! So lovely for you to invite us over," he remarked as she merely stared at him.

Narcissa looked just as beautiful and elegant as he remembered. She wore a navy blue dress with a white jacket, white heels and her hair was pinned back in an elegant bun; pearls at her ears and her throat. She looked very much the lady of the manor.

"Sirius," she said as she gestured him to follow her inside.

Harry held Sirius' hand, eyes wide as he they stepped into the manor. He followed Sirius through the grand entranceway, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, white columned arches surrounding the room as Narcissa led them across into the sitting room with its hardwood floor, settees and large portraits on the walls.

Sirius took a seat on the settee as Harry sat next to him, still looking around in awe. He only raised an eyebrow when Narcissa didn't sit with them. "Too good to sit with me, cousin?"

Narcissa pursed her lips again and Sirius could see she was trying not to roll her eyes. "I'll let Mother know that you've arrived. The house elves will bring tea in momentarily."

Then she was gone and Sirius and Harry were left alone in the sitting room.

Harry slid closer to Sirius. "It's so big in here!"

Sirius chuckled, draping his arm over the boy's shoulders. "Yeah, it is. Mrs Malfoy is a very rich lady, Harry, and she and her husband are involved in all sorts of different business opportunities."

"Nice way to explain it," Lucius Malfoy said from the doorway, moving to take a seat across from them. "Sirius," he said, offering his hand.

Sirius shook his hand and offered a small smile. "Lucius. Cissa looks well, guess you're treating her with the respect she deserves."

Lucius only nodded curtly. "Obviously. I see you are still dressing like a teenage rebel."

Sirius took in the black dress pants, black silk shirt outlined in silver with silver buttons and his black suit jacket with a silver tie. His silver-blonde hair hung just past his shoulders, but was currently pulled back in a low ponytail with a black ribbon. "We can't all look as good as you in a suit, Lucy."

Lucius' eyes narrowed at the name. "Charmed, I'm sure." He stood up when Narcissa came back into the room with Druella and Draco. Two house elves hurried in after them with trays of tea and biscuits and tarts and scones.

Once everyone was seated and served, Narcissa crossed her elegant leg over her other one, eyes on her cousin. "The fact that you came here today tells me that you are interested in discussing this."

Harry shifted on the settee and Sirius gave him a small smile. "I am. Why don't we let the boys go play? They hardly want to listen to this."

Narcissa hesitated, but Lucius nodded. "Agreed. Draco, why don't you and Harry run off and find something to do? Maybe go outside?"

Draco nodded, standing up. "Come on, Harry."

Harry looked up at Sirius for confirmation and Sirius smiled warmly at him. "Go on, Prongslet. Have fun with Draco while we chat."

Harry hurried off with Draco and Sirius turned back to the room.

"So, what are you three proposing?"

Lucius leaned back in his chair, a look of ease and elegance about him that showed exactly how aristocratic and entitled he was. "Cygnus is no longer fit to be in charge of the estate. Orion left his share to you and when Cygnus dies, as the last Black male relative, his share will also be transferred to you. We don't agree that should happen."

Sirius leaned back as well and crossed his right leg at his left knee. "I didn't exactly ask for all of this to be thrown onto my plate. I didn't even know that I was going to inherit until a letter from the Ministry came informing me that I was the sole heir upon my mother's death. Imagine my surprise when the very family that disowned and disinherited me somehow left me everything anyway."

Druella sneered at him, making eye contact with him for the first time since she had stepped into the room. "You don't deserve it. You're a traitor to your blood; to your family."

"Mother!" Narcissa snapped, placing a hand on the arm of Druella's chair. "We're not here to judge Sirius on his choices."

Sirius' eyebrow rose in surprise. "Well, bully for you, Cissa, never expected you to be completely on my side."

At the look she gave him, he couldn't help but smile. He had been close to Narcissa and Andromeda growing up. Narcissa had been a fifth year at Hogwarts when he had started off and he remembered how despite his mother's promises that his cousin would be reporting all of his troubles to her on a regular basis, Narcissa had straight up told him she wouldn't rat him out. He had always respected her and liked her and he could see that even after being married to Lucius Malfoy for thirteen years she was still just as much in love with him as she had been in school. It pleased him that she was happy.

"I'm not on your side, Sirius, I'm merely saying that what you've done in the past is just that, in the past," Narcissa told him, sipping her tea. "Uncle Orion and Aunt Wally may have overreacted at blasting you off of the tree."

Druella's eyes widened in shock. "NARCISSA!"

"Mother, you know that I'm right! He was friends with James Potter and Aunt Wally just tossed him out," Narcissa exclaimed, her eyes flashing in annoyance. "Has he really actually done anything to be removed from the Black Family?"

"Thanks, Cissa," Sirius said in surprise, a small smile on his lips. "According to my dear mum, I did a hell of a lot to deserve being blasted off that tree, but being friends with the blood traitor Potters was definitely high up on that list. And I was okay with it. Euphemia and Fleamont Potter were better parents to me than my own were. My only regret is that I didn't take Regulus with me when I left. If I had, he might still be alive."

"At least Regulus had the decency to stand up for his blood; for his true path and to follow the Dark Lord!" Druella insisted, her eyes flashing.

Lucius held his hand up and to Sirius' surprise, his aunt immediately shut up. "The Dark Lord is gone, Druella. Mistakes were made years ago and arguing about them now is not going to change the present. Sirius, do you have any plans with the estate?"

"No."

Druella's eyes widened. "You have kept everything?"

Sirius nodded. "I thought about selling it all off piece by piece, but Remus convinced me not too. I completely emptied Grimmauld Place: It is now devoid of all dark artefacts and all furniture and literally everything else. It is an empty shell of a place, but I've decided to keep it. Remus made a good point about my father and grandfather, being the extreme paranoid sons of bitches that they were, made that house safer than even Hogwarts. It's not a bad idea to hold onto it and to keep it as a safe house of some kind in case anyone ever needs it, especially with Harry."

"Why would you need a safe house?" Narcissa asked, brushing back a stray golden blonde hair.

"I am the legal guardian of Harry James Potter otherwise known as The Boy Who Lived."

"The Dark Lord is gone," Lucius said, his grey-blue eyes watching Sirius.

"For now," Sirius said, his own eyes meeting that of Lucius. "He was the darkest wizard the world has ever seen, are you telling me that you really think he was killed by a fifteen-month-old-infant? He's out there somewhere and if not him, someone with enough hate to want to hurt Harry for the Dark Lord. Not to mention my old friend, Peter, the fucking bastard who betrayed our friends, got James and Lily killed and me sent to Azkaban for a crime that I didn't commit… so yeah, I think a potential safe house is a good idea."

Narcissa nodded, her eyes meeting her husband's. "Abraxas doesn't think He Who Must Not Be Named is gone either, Lucius."

Lucius ignored his wife, but his eyes narrowed slightly at the name. "We're not here to talk about loyalties in a war that's over. Yes, we were on opposing sides, but this is about something entirely different."

Sirius wondered why Lucius looked rather uncomfortable at the mentioning of his father and his beliefs, but decided it was best to change the subject. "Look, let's get to the bottom line here, what do you want to know? How much money there is? How many properties are still about?"

"For starters," Lucius said, reaching over to touch his wife's hand.

Narcissa linked her fingers with her husband's. "Sirius, we're not looking to take it away from you, we just want to know what you're planning to do with it. You're not married. You don't have your own children. If you take the controls over the estate, will Lucius and I have any say in any of it? Will my mother?"

Sirius nodded, leaning forward and taking a bite of a strawberry cream cheese tart, chewing and swallowing slowly as he contemplated what she was saying. He had looked over everything over the last few weeks; reacquainted himself with what was his after reading about his uncle in the paper. He had known the question would come down to this.

"I'm not going to deny you anything that you are due, Cissa. I wouldn't do that. As to controls, I guess it will stay with me. I don't plan on getting married any time soon or having my own children, not saying never, but no immediate plans on either one. However, I do have plans for the estate; plans that I put into motion a week after I heard about Uncle Cy."

Narcissa's eyes widened in surprise. "What kind of plans? What did you do?"

Sirius merely smiled at her and reached into the bag he had brought with him, pulling out a folder and passing it over to Lucius. Lucius accepted it and quickly flipped it open, his eyes pouring over the documents there. "As you can see, everything is in order and perfectly legal."

"What did he do?" Druella demanded, her eyes on her son-in-law. "What did he do?"

"Calm yourself, Druella, he's hardly the villain you lot make him out to be," Lucius stated calmly, his eyes on the documents. "Black has merely broken up the estate."

"HE DID WHAT?" Druella exclaimed, glaring at her nephew in horror. "That estate has been held in high regard for centuries! How dare you!"

Lucius merely held his hand up again and Narcissa reached across to touch her mother's arms.

"Mother, shush!"

"Druella, stop ranting before you give yourself an apoplexy," Lucius stated smoothly as he flipped through the paperwork. "Sirius has divided the estate very well."

"Thank you, Lucy," Sirius said with a smirk, leaning back in his seat.

"Don't call me that, Black," he said simply, his eyes flashing in annoyance. "It says here that the estate is to be broken into four separate quarters with small trust funds made out to the appropriate parties. Forty percent of the wealth and the properties will be given to Draco; forty percent given to Andromeda's daughter; ten percent given to Harry Potter; and the remaining ten percent to be given to Remus Lupin. Why Lupin?"

"He's my oldest friend and for what he does for Harry alone, he deserves something for it," Sirius said simply.

Lucius merely nodded. "A trust fund has also been established for Druella Rosier Black, all funds belonging to Cygnus and Druella Black will remain hers until her death and then will be given over to her grandson, Draco. The properties include: A summer home in Greece, the flat in South Africa, the large penthouse condo in New York, the Black Manor in Sussex, and the summer home in Tuscany, which will all be held by Lord Sirius Black until Draco and Nymphadora reach the age of twenty-one and then they will be divided accordingly between them or sold and the funds divided evenly between them. The Manor in Sussex will however be controlled by Druella Rosier Black until her death. It is quite well defined actually."

Druella merely stared at him, her mouth slightly open. "Forty percent will be left to that filthy half-breed?"

"She's your granddaughter, Mother," Narcissa said quietly.

Druella glared at her youngest daughter. "She is not! Her mother made a choice and that choice was the wrong one."

"Your opinion doesn't matter to me in the least," Sirius told her honestly. "Andromeda is a Black and she deserves to have some of what belongs to her rightfully, not that she'd ever take it. She was pretty adamant about that when I spoke to her about it, but if I leave it to her daughter, she won't have a say in the matter. Now, I have already established a trust for Harry and as his guardian I am also in charge of the Potter wealth and gold and properties, but as my legal son he is also entitled to what the Black name gives him. You have two legitimate Black grandchildren, whether you acknowledge them both or not, and I am more than happy to give them almost the entire fortune. Are we clear, Aunt?"

Druella looked like she was swallowing bile, but she nodded.

Narcissa smiled, clasping her hands together. "Well, see, this was quite a good idea then to get this all out in the open like this."

Druella simply stood up. "I'm going to have a nap. Sirius, I hope that we don't meet again."

As she left the room, Narcissa glanced at Sirius sympathetically. "I'm sorry about her."

"Don't apologize, Cissa. I know what she's like," he told her. "As Lucius said, it's all legal and its formalized and approved so this is my plan. I made the trust for them when they turn twenty-one as opposed to seventeen merely for maturity sake, but at the age of seventeen, if you or Andromeda feel that they are responsible enough, it can be given early. But as I hold controlling shares until they turn twenty-one, I get the final say. "

Lucius nodded. "It looks good to me, Black. I think you took care of this very well. As to the title of Falmouth —"

"I absolutely do not fucking want it," Sirius insisted, putting his hand up to interrupt. "If something should happen to Uncle Cy, the title will pass to your son when he comes of age. I will hold the title only until then."

Narcissa's eyebrow rose. "Draco Abraxas Lucius Malfoy, future Viscount of Falmouth, the Earl of Wiltshire, it does have a nice ring to it?"

Lucius smiled. "Yes, it does. Thank you, Sirius. What if you sire a child?"

"If I ever decide to have children, the title will revert back to them, but otherwise, it will go to Draco. Deal?"

Lucius and Narcissa exchanged a look before they nodded. "Deal."

Sirius nodded, reaching for another tart. "These are delicious by the way." He glanced back behind him. "So, think the boys are getting along?"

~ ASC ~

 **The boys were getting along.**

Draco had left Harry outside in the yard where the stables were. They were brushing the horses.

"Father says that Malfoys should always have horses. These are Arabian horses. This white one is mine, his name is Aquila," Draco explained as he nuzzled the horse. "Do you have your own horse?"

Harry shook his head as he gently stroked the neck of the beautiful animal. "No, but I have a golden retriever. His name is Marauder. He's pretty great."

Draco nodded, a small smile. "I always wanted a puppy, but Grandfather says dogs are mangy beasts and no one should be forced to suffer their company especially a well bred gentlemen."

Harry looked properly offended. "Marauder's not a mangy beast! He's the best. He sleeps in my bed and everything."

His eyes widened. "Really? I'd like to meet him one day."

Harry smiled. "He's very friendly. You'll have to come see him. You can come play in my treehouse."

"A treehouse?" Draco asked, his eyebrow rising. "Why would anyone want to play in a treehouse?"

"Because it's the most brilliant treehouse in the world," Harry told him. "Uncle Sirius built it for me. It has a climbing wall and a swing and a pirate ship and canons and a place to sleep and play and a net tunnel. It's huge and so much fun."

Draco's eyes had widened at his words. "That does sound pretty fun," he admitted. "When I have scheduled play time, I usually fly on my broom or walk around the gardens."

"Scheduled play time?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Yes."

"What is scheduled play time? Can't you just play whenever you aren't learning?"

Draco shook his head. "No. Father says that I must always be learning, but he and Mother let me play whenever I want when Grandfather isn't around. Grandfather is very strict. A Malfoy must learn to ride like a gentlemen; must speak four languages; must be able to discuss current events and politics with any company. When he's in France, my lessons aren't as intense."

Harry simply stared at him. "Wow."

"Don't you have such lessons?"

"No," he told him honestly. "Uncle Remus teaches me history and Latin and we read all sorts of great stories. Uncle Sirius teaches me French and how to be a gentlemen. But I get to play with Marauder every morning and afternoon and on the weekends with Marauder or with any of my friends."

"Sometime Blaise and Theo come over; that's fun as we race our horses or race on our brooms, but that usually counts as scheduled play time," Draco told him. "Theo usually joins me for my lessons as well."

Harry grinned at him. "Well, your grandfather isn't here now, right?"

Draco shook his head. "No, he's at his house in France."

Harry's smile widened. "So let's play tag."

"What's that?"

Harry grinned. "A lot of fun. I'll show you."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius found Harry being chased by Draco fifteen minutes later, both were flushed and laughing and it made him smile to see it.** He shoved his hands into his pockets, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he watched them for a moment. He jolted when Lucius came to stand next to him.

"The boys are getting along."

"I see."

Sirius smiled at him. "I know we're not exactly friends, but I see no harm in letting Harry and Draco be friends if they want to be."

Lucius merely smirked. "My father would drop dead."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Sirius asked, half-joking.

He had heard the rumours for years that Lord Abraxas Malfoy, a loyal and true follower of Lord Voldemort, had bullied his son into following the so called Dark Lord and that Lucius had never truly believed in his cause. But Abraxas was a hard-ass and no one messed with him. He had been known to have people killed on a regular basis for grievances against him or his family; servants, neighbours, family, and political rivals alike. A Malfoy always found a way. Lucius seemed different and Sirius knew that his cousin was deeply in love with the man that stood next to him and he could see that he obviously loved her in turn, but his father was still very much in charge, despite passing the title of Earl of Wiltshire to his son, and would be for many years yet to come and Sirius wasn't sure how that affected Lucius and Narcissa.

"The Boy Who Lived is not the kind of friend Draco needs, Black," Lucius said simply. "I think it's probably time for you both to take your leave now."

Sirius only nodded. "I'll give them a few more minutes. I'd like to say goodbye to Cissa first."

Lucius nodded curtly and Sirius thought he seemed pleased by this.

He headed back into the Manor and found his cousin still in the sitting room, speaking to one of the house elves about the dinner menu.

"Cissa."

She turned and gave him a small smile. "It was lovely to see you, Sirius, really."

He smiled at her. "Quite a change you presented today from when Harry and I ran into you in December."

She let out a long sigh. "I was surprised to see you then and well… you _were_ disowned and disinherited and Mother has mentioned more than once how much of a blood traitor you became. Seeing you was a bit of a shock to the system."

"So we're back to being besties?"

She did roll her eyes now. "Hardly. But maybe I'll send you a Christmas card."

He chuckled and surprised her by pulling her into a hug. "I guess I can accept that. Andy misses you, Cissa, and I know you miss her. You should think about that. Don't think about Aunt Druella or that tosser father-in-law of yours, think about yourself and your sister."

"Goodbye, Sirius," she said, but the light in her eyes made him smile.

"Bye Cissa."

He smiled at her and then he went to get Harry.

It had been a very strange but eventful day.


	48. Chapter 48

_Author's Note:_

 _I just want to say for those of you freaking out — Sirius knows what he is doing. Harry has more wealth than he will know what to do with. He is leaving it to Draco and Nymphadora mostly because they are the Black legacy and Sirius has control over everything until they become of age, which means that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy have ZERO access to any of it as does Andromeda and Ted — unless Sirius Black gives them access. So please stop worrying. Also, it's not the end of the Malfoys, but Harry and Draco are not exactly friends._

 _Also, I think Remus deserves to get a little loving and to be happy not that he believes he deserves it but he does, so I give you Veronica, the older woman._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT:**

 **While Sirius and Harry were at Malfoy Manor, Remus found himself naked sprawled across a large feather bed with a beautiful and very naked woman, planting kisses over his chest.**

"You have so many scars," she murmured, her lips trailing over them.

Remus smirked. "I do." He kissed her lips as she straddled him and he jerked his hips up, slipping into her and watching her head fall back in pleasure. "We don't need to talk though, do we, Roni?"

Veronica Riley, platinum blonde curly hair that danced just past her chin, rode him deliciously, crying out his name as he pumped himself into her.

It had been just over two weeks since he had met her in the market in Diagon Alley. After they had laughed and bonded over the cheesy cannoli pun, Remus had been surprised by how much he had immediately liked her. She was intelligent and her talent with charms was incredible making her one of the best agents in the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad. After having ice cream that first day, she had surprised Remus by asking him out to dinner which he had readily agreed too.

They spent almost four hours in the restaurant talking. Veronica was fifteen years older than him, but looked younger as she was full of life and vibrant. She was intrigued by the stories of the famous Marauders and the trouble they had gotten into over the years at Hogwarts. She told him that she had been sorry to hear about the deaths of James and Lily Potter. He told her that he was a teacher, teaching primary magical education to his nephew, Harry. She was extremely intrigued to learn how he was mixing the education between Muggle history and magical and exposing Harry to many different kinds of literature.

Veronica was Muggleborn herself and told him how surprised she had been to discover that she was a witch; though her parents had been relieved to finally discover why their daughter could make things happen that she couldn't explain. She had two younger brothers, Jacob and Henry, and one younger sister, Charlotte, and all four of them turned out to be magical, much to the surprise and delight of their very Muggle parents.

Remus had asked her out again after that long dinner and they had shared a long, intense snog outside of the restaurant. For the second date, they had gone to a Muggle movie, but Remus didn't remember much of it as they spent almost the entire film snogging and to his surprise and embarrassment, she had slipped her hands into his pants and given him a knob job right there in the theatre without the use of a privacy charm, as she nipped at his lips and sucked on his earlobe, urging him to be as quiet as possible. Then they had made out like randy teens outside of the theatre.

Two nights later, Remus took her out to dinner again and then they fell into her flat after barely finishing appetizers and drinks and he took her on her sofa in the middle of the living room.

He'd been there almost every night since.

He groaned loudly as she rode him, feeling the pressure building and gasping as he emptied himself into her.

Afterwards, she snuggled into him, sighing happily. They had both dozed a bit, but she wasn't sure how long they had slept. "You are too good at that."

Remus grinned at her. "What?"

She smirked up at him, her hand sliding down to fondle him. "You know exactly what, Mr Lupin."

Remus' hand moved to fondle her breast, stroking her nipple to a hard peak before he lowered his mouth to suckle. "You aren't too bad yourself, Miss Riley."

Veronica placed her hand over his head to hold him in place as he suckled her. "I can't believe I ended up here with you after you gave me that cheesy ass line in the market."

Remus grinned up at her. "Aren't you glad you did?" he asked, his hand sliding down her stomach and between her legs. When his fingers found her, she gasped.

"Mmm," she moaned as his fingers began to pump in and out of her. "Don't stop!"

Remus' mouth moved back to her breast. "Oh, I have no plans of stopping and when you come, I'm going to bend you over and take you hard and fast."

She simply gasped and arched into his hand, crying out in pleasure.

After he had shagged her to his heart's content, Remus stood by the bed tugging on his pants while she grinned up at him.

"Are you sure that you have to leave?" She pouted, a hand over her stomach as she looked up at him still looking rather flushed and utterly fuck-able in Remus' opinion.

Remus nodded, reaching for his shirt. He had a firm rule. He never stayed the night. It stopped him from having to explain why he wasn't available during certain nights and prevented any of the women from overhearing any of nightmares that often hit him unexpectedly close to the full moon. If he didn't let them in, they didn't find out the truth, and no one got hurt. Remus thought that it was the safest way for all parties involved.

"I am." He leaned down to kiss her softly. "But name the day and maybe we can try this again sometime."

Veronica simply grinned up at him. "I'm free Tuesday night."

"Well, it just so happens that I am also free on Tuesday night," Remus said as he buttoned his shirt.

She smiled at him. "Well, why don't you come over on Tuesday and I'll make you dinner and you can bend me over the dinner table."

Remus' eyes gleamed feral as lust hit him again when the image of doing just that, her lush bottom exposed before him, her breasts bouncing as he fucked her. "Over it, on it, beneath it," he murmured as he hardened at his thoughts.

Her eyes widened as she saw the growing bulge in his pants. "You have incredible stamina… you couldn't possibly…" Her hands reached up to cup him, stroking him through the denim.

He closed his eyes and swallowed slowly. "Oh, I definitely can." he groaned as she stroked him. "Suck me off."

Veronica simply smiled at him. "Well, aren't you the demanding one."

His eyes locked on hers, gripping her moving hands. "Suck — me — off."

"You're a little big for that."

Remus only stared at her. "Take as much as you can."

She licked her lips and watched as he dropped his pants before her once more and his impressive erection stood before her again. Demanding or not, she had every intention of doing just that, she thought, and she leaned forward from her seat on the bed and wrapped her mouth around his tip. By the time her tongue started swirling around him, his hand had gripped her curls tightly and when her hands fondled him while she savoured, his hips jerked towards her.

And when she felt him tense, she removed her mouth and finished him off with her hand as he groaned her name.

Once he caught his breath, he simply grinned at her. "Thank you."

Veronica smiled back. "Looks like you didn't have to leave right away after all."

Remus kissed her softly as he tugged up his pants. "I really do have to go now though. I'll see you on Tuesday. Bye Roni."

And when he closed the door behind him he simply grinned. It really had been much too long since he had a woman and it felt bloody fantastic.

~ ASC ~

 **When Sirius stepped back into the house with Harry in tow, he felt surprisingly good, like a big weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.** He was technically still in charge of everything. He still had full control over all of the funds and properties and everything else that went along with being the Head of House Black, but he would be passing it onto the last two Black family heirs and that made him feel good.

It had made him smile to see Narcissa and Lucius very much in love. He knew his cousin had harboured a crush on the Malfoy heir for a few years before they had even started dating and it was nice to see that she was still in love with him and him with her. It was the one thing that he could say he was legitimately pleased about with his entire extended family. His two cousins were deeply in love with their husbands and considering the other cousin was bat-shit crazy and locked away in prison, he figured it was fair odds.

Abraxas Malfoy however, he was obviously still running the show and had no plans of backing down, which Sirius knew was a problem. He knew that Narcissa had never liked her father-in-law, had even gotten the impression that she was scared of him. He hadn't exactly liked the fact that his son had married Narcissa over Bellatrix either. Abraxas Malfoy had thought that Voldemort was a god who walked on water and he had known that his cousin wasn't overly impressed with that statement, but Lucius had been an avid follower of Voldemort. It had never officially been proven, but Sirius knew that he had been a Death Eater and not simply on opposing sides of the war as Lucius had so aptly put it.

He thought it was all very interesting.

Harry had told him all about Draco's horses and his scheduled play time. Sirius felt rather bad for his little cousin as he remembered having scheduled play time himself and how much of a struggle it had been to get that play time.

"Will Draco come over and play in my treehouse?" Harry asked him when they got home.

Sirius had only shrugged. "I don't think so, Harry. I don't think his mother and father will allow that."

"Why?"

Sirius simply sighed. How exactly was he supposed to explain a lifetime of bad blood to him? "It's just, Narcissa is my cousin like Andy, but we're not very close. She and her husband and Draco live very different lives from us. Draco has his own friends and you have your own friends. I don't think my cousin would want you two to intermingle."

"Why?"

"Because they're purebloods."

"That doesn't matter to me."

Sirius smiled, lifting Harry up into his arms and sitting him on the kitchen counter, his arms on either side of him. "I know that, Prongslet, but remember we had that talk about prejudice?" When Harry nodded, he smiled, gently brushing his fringe out of his eyes. His hair was getting a bit long, he thought. He was going to need a haircut again. "The Malfoys are very prejudiced in their own way and they believe that purebloods are the only people worth knowing. Maybe one day you and Draco can be friends, but I don't think that that's going to happen right now, okay?"

Harry nodded, staring down at his lap. "He was lonely."

Sirius hugged Harry to his chest, gently rubbing a hand up and down his back. "You have a very kind heart, Harry. Never lose that." He kissed the top of his head and then pulled away to grin at him. "So, tonight we decided on pizza — want to help me make the dough?"

Harry nodded eagerly, jumping off the counter and hurrying to the wireless record player to choose an album. Dinner preparations were never done without tunes. Sirius smiled when he recognized the opening to The Rolling Stones and the two of them got to work.

Nothing felt more normal.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius grinned when he heard Remus whistling as he made lunch for himself and Harry in the kitchen a few days later.** He knew that whistle well and it made him grin wider as he stepped into the kitchen in time to watch his friend do a little hip shake and a slide across the floor as he made ham and cheese paninis for lunch.

"Someone looks pretty happy these days," Sirius said, winking at his friend and taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Remus simply grinned back at him. "I am pretty fucking happy."

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "She must be pretty great at bjs."

Remus rolled his eyes. "There are other aspects to our relationship."

"Ah, a relationship! Do tell!"

"It is a relationship of a sorts, Padfoot," Remus said in exasperation. "I like her. She… she makes me smile. It's been a while since a woman has managed to do that."

"Maybe if you'd actually let a woman in every once in a while, it would happen more often," Sirius suggested, earning a hard glare from his friend. "I'm just saying, it would happen."

Remus sighed, chopping up some fresh carrots and celery sticks, cucumbers and some broccoli and placing them on the three plates while the paninis grilled. "You know the answer to that."

"Tell me why Roni makes you happy then."

Remus smiled. "She's gorgeous which is something, I mean, a woman who looks like that why would she even give me the time of day."

Sirius' eyes darkened. "Moony! You are a great catch not to mention very good-looking so stop putting yourself down."

"I'm not saying I'm ugly, Sirius, I'm just saying that she is out of my league in the looks department plus she's much older than me," he said carefully. "And she's smart and quick-witted and a genius at charms, obviously, by her career choice."

"And the sex?"

Remus grinned widely, his amber eyes twinkling. "Pretty great. She's very… open about it, I guess. We, uh, we went to a film and she…" he blushed as he spoke, the tips of his ears reddening and making Sirius grin at him. "She gave me a knob job me in the middle of the film."

Sirius grinned wider. "She sounds like a keeper, Moony."

Remus rolled his eyes, glancing at the paninis and flipping them over as he spoke. "It's been just over two weeks. We're enjoying each other." He glanced at the calendar on the wall. "I'm seeing her again tonight which… I guess we'll see."

Sirius' eyes fell on the calendar as well. "Full moon's not until Thursday, Rem."

"We'll see how it goes." He flipped the paninis onto the plates. "Get Harry inside to wash up will you? Lunch is ready."

As Harry filled Sirius in on his morning of schooling: New Latin phrases, reading Lewis Carrol's _Alice in Wonderland,_ and all about the fall of the Roman Empire, he munched on his lunch happily, bouncing in his seat as he spoke.

"Sounds like you've had a morning full of learning," Sirius said with a grin. "Tell me about this Wonderland."

Harry grinned widely as he dipped his carrot in the creamy dressing. "It's wicked! There's talking caterpillars and mushrooms that make you tall and mushrooms that make you so tiny you can fit into a shoe!"

"A shoe?" Sirius asked in surprise, grinning at Remus. "That sounds pretty awesome."

Harry nodded eagerly. "Alice just wants to find her way home. Uncle Moony said we can read more after lunch."

"And we will," Remus told him with a smile. "Sirius, I didn't get to ask, how was tea with the Malfoys the other day?"

Sirius shrugged, taking a long drink from his glass of milk. "Interesting. They accepted all of my arrangements, which why wouldn't they considering how much of it benefits them, but I don't know. It made me kind of wish Cissa and I were a little closer."

"You never could trust a Malfoy though," Remus added, remembering how Lucius Malfoy had been when they were in school. He had always held that superior attitude that he was better than everyone else simply because he was a pureblood and a Malfoy. Not to mention that everyone had known his father had so many ministry officials in his pocket that he had been able to get away with literally anything.

Sirius nodded. "That I do know. But… they are very much in love and that was nice to see. I'm not saying that makes him a good person, but it definitely made me wonder about a few things. Lucius seemed to agree to how I broke up the estate, especially since I am bestowing the title of Viscount of Falmouth to Draco."

"I'm surprised that you decided to leave it to Draco instead of Harry."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "He doesn't need it. Neither does Draco really, but he's being groomed to be the Master of the Manor, the Earl of Wiltshire; the title works for him."

Remus nodded, munching on a celery stick as he looked pensive.

"What are you thinking, Moony?"

Remus shrugged, chewing thoughtfully before he spoke. "Just thinking about Fee and Monty and the Potter House and what they… had, I guess. I think you were right, he's going to have a lot already."

"More than. I mean, the gold alone is legitimately enough for him not to have to work a single day in his life or his children or grandchildren to even have to work and still live quite comfortably. And they would still be considered rich. Monty knew how to invest. As for titles, Monty never even used it except for official ministry business and James barely even picked it up after his father passed, though did he claim his seat in the Wizengamot."

Remus nodded. "That's true… I guess that will be up to Harry if he ever decides to take on the Potter legacy in that regard."

"He has properties too, Moony," Sirius said, finishing off his milk. "Fee loved that flat in Egypt and the one in Greece, the summer house in Nice, Potter House in Scotland is still there. I think the fact that I'm still leaving him ten percent of the Black assets is even too much for him. One day, he is going to be a very rich young man. And if I ever have kids some day, the title will go to them, but as I doubt that will happen, Draco seems like the better choice. Harry will have enough going on with Somerset."

Remus smiled. "Maybe they'll name him the Eligible Bachelor of London Society like they did James."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Let's hope his ego isn't as big."

"James' ego?" Remus said on a laugh. "Are you confusing the two of you again?"

"Oh come off it!" Sirius exclaimed. "James was much cockier than me!"

Remus simply stared at him and Sirius laughed.

"All right, all right, I get the point," he said. "Anyway, I'm pleased with the results. And none of it is going to affect any of them until they reach the tender age of twenty-one anyway. I put the option in of discussing it when they reach seventeen, but it is ultimately my decision."

"I think that was a wise choice."

Sirius nodded. "I do too. Anyway, it was nice to see Cissa again, not that we were ever close, but it was still nice. And Aunt Druella, boy, is she still a ray of sunshine."

Remus chuckled, putting his dirty dishes in the sink. "Well, did you really expect differently?"

"Not in the least," he said, adding his own dishes to the pile. He turned to pick up Harry's plate, grinning at his godson. "Go wash up, Prongslet, and you and Professor Moony can get back to the story of Alice."

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked, green eyes on his.

Sirius grinned. "Very important birthday planning for someone turning seven."

Harry's face broke out into a grin. "For me?"

Sirius kissed his nose. "Maybe. Now get lost, Prongslet, and let the master do his work."

Harry grinned wider and hurried upstairs to wash his hands and face.

"His birthday is still over a month away," Remus said, filling the sink up with soapy water.

Sirius nodded, using his wand so that the dishes began to wash themselves and set neatly on the drying rack on the counter. "I know it and this year, he's going to be excited for it."

Remus grinned broadly. "Now that I can agree with. And I can see the wheels turning in your head. Don't go too overboard, Sirius."

Sirius simply grinned. "Me? Never."

Remus shook his head, a small smile on his lips. That was exactly what he was afraid of.


	49. Chapter 49

_Author's Note:_

 _Just a short one. Hope you enjoy it!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FORTY-NINE:**

 **Sirius spent most of the months of May and June fixing up the yard in his spare time.** He expanded the patio and built a gazebo (with Ted's assistance, but Sirius did most of it himself with pride) large enough to sit eight people comfortably around a table. He bought some new furniture for the yard, comfortable patio furniture as one would say. Sleek wooden lounge chairs with pillows for the patio and large country comfort wooden chairs for the gazebo.

Sirius was finding an odd comfort in building things himself and in making a home for himself and Harry. He enjoyed every minute of it.

McGonagall had suggested he buy throw pillows for the chairs in the gazebo to make them more comfortable and to give people the option of sitting up straighter. Sirius had Harry help him pick out some crazy throw pillows at a Muggle store and a few they had printed themselves. There were sixteen different ones: A picture of two cashews 'I'm gonna cashew!', 'don't sit here', 'reserved', 'laugh until you fart', 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good', 'I'm not responsible for what I say or do when I'm hungry', a large moustache outlined with the words 'kiss my stache', The Beatles pillow cover of _Abbey Road,_ a flower power pillow in 1960s tye-dye, the lips from The Rolling Stones, a neon coloured outline of Freddie Mercury's face, a wolf, a black dog, a white stag, and one with a large red lily on it.

Sirius put two on each chair. The large wooden table inside the gazebo that sat eight people matched the wood of the chairs. It looked quite homey and Sirius was very pleased with his work.

Hagrid had come by and helped him with the yard. They planted a small vegetable patch on the side of the house and ivy and jasmine around the back of the house, setting it up just so for it to grow up the walls. Around the gazebo they planted roses and clematis which would also climb the walls. Hagrid had even suggested planting a few more trees around the edge of the yard so Sirius had Harry help him dig holes and they planted two dogwood trees, two large English oaks, and two rowan trees around the yard.

Harry helped Sirius water and weed the gardens and together they chose which vegetables, fruit and herbs they were going to grow having decided on potatoes, spinach, carrots, broccoli, garlic, tomatoes, blueberries, onions, thyme, rosemary, basil, chives, oregano, parsley, peppermint, and sage. The herb and vegetable gardens were separated by a tiny fence. Remus was particularly pleased with the herbs and helped tend the garden as well along with Kreacher, who Sirius asked to help maintain the garden in case they forgot.

It was a big chore keeping the gardens, but it was soothing and Sirius found comfort going out in the morning and taking care of it.

By the time that July hit, the gardens were blooming well and Sirius was quite pleased with how his yard was looking. Now looking out the window, one saw a beautiful yard and a huge treehouse at the back of the yard and still a large lawn to take care of and to play on.

It looked really wonderful, even after Harry had pranked him by covering all of the new furniture in fake vomit. The kid really was getting good at pulling pranks, but Sirius had gotten him back by filling his closet with frilly dresses and hiding all of his other clothing. Harry had simply taken it in stride and strolled downstairs in a purple dress with puffy sleeves and a full skirt and asked for breakfast.

Sirius had taken many, many photos.

They were definitely more than at home with each other and Sirius couldn't be happier.

The day before the full moon in July, Sirius headed to Hogwarts to get the Wolfsbane Potion for Remus. He was early so he took a detour and found himself knocking on the office door of McGonagall.

McGonagall smiled warmly at him when he stepped inside. "Sirius, how lovely to see you." She blushed when he ducked his head down to kiss her cheek.

"Thought I'd pop in and see you before I picked up the potion from Snape. How did the end of the year go?"

"Very well, thank you. N.E.W.T.S. and O.W.L.S. went well and I'm just finishing up the last of my marking for the non-major examination years. Just have my first years left."

Sirius nodded, taking a seat on the edge of her desk. "Busy bee."

McGonagall smiled up at him. He had picked up a wooden carving of a sleek cat that she had been given as a gift many years ago from a student and was studying it rather intensely. "Something on your mind, Sirius?"

His quick grin flashed. "No. Just thinking. I'm planning Harry's seventh birthday party. It's going to be amazing. I assume you'll be there?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it. How is Harry?"

"He's great," Sirius told her with a smile. "You should see him on that motorbike. He loves it! And I got Neville to ride it when he comes over. Kid's always so nervous, it's nice to watch him try out some new and fun activities."

"Augusta mentioned that her grandson seems to really love going over and spending time with you and Harry; you in particular seem to have made quite an impression on him," McGonagall told him.

Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "He's a good kid. I think Augusta's a bit hard on him, but she loves him fiercely."

McGonagall nodded, watching as he played with the wooden cat. "Yes, she does. I cannot fathom how difficult it must be to watch your son and daughter-in-law grow older in a mental facility where they barely even recognize their own names. It must be even more difficult on Neville as I don't think he fully understands yet."

"Yeah," Sirius said, putting the cat back on the desk. "Anyway, I've got some pretty great plans ahead for Harry's birthday. I'm just finalizing everything and then Harry is going to help me with who gets invited."

McGonagall smiled. "I'm glad. How are you going to top the gift of a puppy this year?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Can you really beat the gift of a puppy?" He scratched his chin. "I've got the gift covered too. Anyway, his birthday falls on a Friday this year so you'll be there?"

"Yes, Sirius."

"Good," he said standing up. "Thanks, Minnie."

He gave her a casual wave as he left the office and she just shook her head. She knew that it wasn't really right to have favourites among her students, current and former, but she really loved Sirius Black.

And she wasn't ashamed to admit it.

~ ASC ~

 **As the full moon passed in early July, Sirius sat Harry down for a list of who he wanted to invite to his birthday.** It was a little over three weeks away and it was time to send out the invitations.

Harry was bouncing in his seat at the kitchen table. "I can really invite anybody!"

Sirius nodded, grinning widely. "Anyone you want! Now, I'm keeping the party plans a surprise, but it will be a sleepover too."

"Wow!" Harry exclaimed, happily. He couldn't imagine everyone coming over just for him and sleeping over into the next day.

Sirius chuckled. "All right, Prongslet, sit still and write down the names for me."

Harry eagerly took the quill and ink from his godfather to make his list and a few minutes later he slid the parchment down for Sirius to read the names.

➾ Ginny

➾ Ron

➾ Neville

➾ Tonks

➾ Fred

➾ George

➾ Percy

➾ Bill

➾ Charlie

➾ Luna

➾ Draco

He raised his eyebrow when he got to the last name. "You want to invite Draco Malfoy to your birthday party?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, please."

Sirius sighed and dragged a finger through his hair. "Prongslet, we can of course invite him to your birthday, but I don't think that his parents are going to let him come."

Harry's excitement vanished. "Why?"

"Remember how we talked about this after we went to Malfoy Manor? About how Draco lives a very different life and how his parents want him to be with people who live the same lifestyle as him."

Harry nodded, his eyes downcast. "I know."

Sirius reached across to ruffle his hair. "But we'll invite him anyway. Maybe I'm wrong. But don't get your hopes up, okay?"

He nodded, grinning widely. "Okay. I just thought maybe he needed a friend."

Sirius sighed, smiling at his godson. "You have a good heart, Prongslet. Never lose that."

Harry grinned, jumping off the chair to hug Sirius. "Is it really going to be a sleepover party?"

Sirius grinned. "Most definitely. Now, run along and play outside so I can send your invites out by owl."

Harry hugged him again and then whistled for Marauder and bolted out the back door.

Sirius looked down at the list in his hand with a smile. He had figured on all of the names already though Luna surprised him. Harry had only met the Lovegood girl a few times and only when he was at The Burrow, but he knew that she was friends with Ginny so maybe Harry was inviting her because of that. But Draco, that was indeed a surprise. He hoped that he was wrong and that his cousin would let her son attend the party, but he was pretty sure that she wouldn't allow that.

Harry was astute for his age though, Sirius thought; he did think his cousin would benefit in having Harry as a friend. But he was fairly positive that his cousin wasn't going to agree to that.

He dug the invitations that he had made out of the cupboard and quickly added the names at the top, grinning when he finished.

 _Event: Harry's 7th Birthday Extravaganza!_

 _Time: 2pm, Friday 31st July to 11am, Saturday 1st August_

 _Dinner & Snacks & Breakfast will be provided_

 _To Bring: Bathing suit, sleeping bag, pillow, pyjamas, and anything else needed for overnight_

 _Please RVSP no later than Monday 27th July._

He quickly tied the envelopes to Persephone and urged her to make the five necessary stops. She nipped affectionately at his fingers and hurried off.

Sirius wrote quick invitations out for the adults that he wanted to invite as well, grinning widely. He couldn't wait.

Within three days, all of the invitations had been returned with promises to attend except for one and the letter he received in return only made Sirius frown.

 _Sirius,_

 _It is very generous of you to invite our son Draco to attend the birthday party of young Harry, but I am afraid that he will not be able to attend. His grandparents are visiting from France and we need him here to stay with us. Lucius did tell you it wasn't wise for Draco and Harry to be friends._

 _I hope that he has a nice birthday._

 _Cissa_

Sirius had found the note rather nice considering, but when he told Harry that Draco wouldn't be able to come, he felt like he had crushed the kid's dreams. Harry took it well though and was too excited at all of his other guests who would be attending.

On the morning of Harry's seventh birthday, Harry woke up in absolute glee. Sirius made him his favourite breakfast of French toast with chocolate chips and strips of bacon with chocolate milk to drink. He was bouncing in excitement throughout most of his morning classes with Remus who only grinned at him.

Both Remus and Sirius remembered how only last year Harry hadn't even known he was supposed to celebrate his own birthday let alone was having a party. It was so nice to see him being so normal.

Harry had finally become a true kid and it was glorious to witness.


	50. Chapter 50

_Author's Note:_

 _This is technically the beginning of Part II. Harry's first year living with Sirius and Remus has come to pass and now there will be more time jumps to cover the next bit until he starts Hogwarts._

 _Got the idea of the Hook Man from an old urban legend I remember as a kid; changed it up a bit to keep it less Muggle, but still fun. Not as scary as a certain episode of Supernatural (one of my favourite television shows), but still a good scary story to use._

 _Also if there are any artists out there — anyone want to draw me a nice cover for my story of Sirius and young Harry? PM me if you are interested._

 _DISCLAIMER: I don't own the lyrics to birthday — belongs to the wonderful Beatles._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY:**

 **By the time one thirty came around, Sirius had everything set up.** He hadn't gone overboard, despite Remus' worries, but he did have a fun-filled day planned with back to back activities to keep the kids occupied until bed.

Harry was dressed in a red tee shirt that said _Birthday Boy_ in gold lettering and jean shorts. Sirius had even made him a little plastic golden crown to wear with golden antlers for the day. Harry was eagerly already wearing the crown along with his red birthday cape (according to Sirius, all birthday boys should wear capes, as he and James had insisted upon every single year when they were at Hogwarts).

Sirius remembered how in sixth year when he had shown up to class for his seventeenth birthday wearing a red cape and McGonagall had merely rolled her eyes. She didn't have to ask why they wore capes anymore. She didn't even mention that they were out of school uniform. You wore a cape on your birthday; end of story.

The memory made him grin and he wanted to bestow that tradition upon Harry.

 _"What is this, James?" Sirius asked in bewilderment as James hooked the fabric around his neck._

 _"It's your birthday cape."_

 _Sirius' eyebrow merely rose. "My what?"_

 _"Today is your twelfth birthday which means you must wear the birthday cape. It's tradition."_

 _Sirius had merely stared at him. "Tradition?"_

 _James nodded, grinning widely. "Dad says that the birthday cape gives you power over your birthday wishes and makes you feel just how special your day is. Therefore, you wear the birthday cape all day in honour of it being your special day. Mandatory Potter tradition."_

 _"I'm not a Potter," Sirius said, checking out the red cape in the mirror and grinning when he realized that in Gryffindor gold it said: BIRTHDAY BOY in big letters._

 _James rolled his eyes. "Blood brothers, remember — wear the damn cape!"_

And he had, Sirius remembered, every single year until he had gone to Azkaban. Remus and Peter had worn it too. Sirius had found it in the Potter vault and the sight of it had almost brought tears to his eyes at the memories it held. When he placed it on Harry that morning and told him of the long-standing Potter tradition of wearing the cape, Harry had grinned in glee.

"Like a superhero?"

"Exactly," Sirius told him, kissing his forehead.

Harry was running around the house now, Marauder chasing him and barking, his long red cape billowing out behind him as he ran. The sight made Sirius grin as the Floo lit up and the first guest arrived.

Sirius recognized the beautiful woman immediately as Pandora Lovegood and her lovely daughter Luna. He grinned widely at her. "Pandora, lovely to see you again."

She smiled warmly at him. "Hello, Sirius, it's kind of you to invite my Luna to your son's birthday."

"Harry's choice," Sirius said as Harry came running down the stairs. "Harry, your first guest has arrived."

"Luna!" he exclaimed, hugging the small blonde who hugged him back.

"Hi, Harry! Thanks for inviting me!" She looked over his attire and grinned. "I love the cape and the crown."

Harry grinned back. "Thanks."

Sirius accepted all of Luna's overnight belongings as well as Harry's birthday present from Mrs Lovegood as the Floo lit up again and Neville arrived with his grandmother. Neville grinned widely at the sight of Sirius, giving him a hug before grinning at Harry. Harry introduced him to Luna and Neville gave her a small shy smile as Tonks stepped out of the fireplace followed by Ted and Andromeda.

Within ten minutes the living room was full of birthday guests: Luna, Mrs Lovegood, Neville, Mrs Longbottom, Tonks, Ted, Andromeda, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Remus, Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, Percy, Charlie, and Mrs Weasley. After birthday greetings were given, Mrs Longbottom, Mrs Weasley, and Mrs Lovegood all left and Sirius grinned at Harry and his friends. He had been surprised to see that Charlie had decided to come, but he figured he had probably come for his friend Tonks as much as Harry. Bill had declined, which made sense seeing as he was going to be a sixth year in September and didn't need to be hanging out with his little brother and sister's friends.

"Alright, you lot, the party's going to be out back. Let's put all of your sleeping stuff upstairs in Harry's room for now. Why don't you all take turns changing into your swimsuits and then we'll head outside?"

The kids all got moving upstairs with their stuff (except for Tonks and Charlie who were not sleeping over, but did bring swimsuits) and Sirius turned to the adults in the room.

"Thanks for coming. I've finally got the yard set up a bit so make yourselves comfortable outside and Remus will find you some refreshments," Sirius announced as everyone headed out the back door in the kitchen.

As the kids made their way back downstairs in their swimsuits, Sirius led them outside into the yard to where he had set up the first birthday event. Two huge barrels were on either side of the yard, full to the brim with coloured balloons.

"Okay!" Sirius exclaimed, clapping his hands together with a grin. "For our first event at the Birthday Extravaganza, I am going to split you up into two teams. Harry, as the birthday boy you get to be captain number one and let's make Neville captain number two, yeah?" Both boys nodded so he grinned. "Alright, Harry, you go right and your team will be Ginny, George, Tonks, and Percy. Neville, that means you're on the left and your team is Luna, Ron, Fred, and Charlie. Got that?"

"What are we doing, Uncle Sirius?" Harry asked, still wearing his birthday crown and cape over his blue bathing suit trunks.

Sirius grinned widely. "Well, you each have two barrels full of balloons over there and those balloons are full of different kinds of jelly."

"Balloon fight!" Fred exclaimed, eyes wide. "Excellent!"

"Fight indeed," Sirius said with a grin. "The team that uses all of their balloons first wins. Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah!" They yelled.

Sirius grinned. "Go!"

He watched as they each took off, making a beeline for the barrels and he made his way over to the gazebo where Ted, Andromeda, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Remus were sitting.

"Looks like a fun start," McGonagall said as she sipped the glass of rosè that Remus passed her. "Do you have a full itinerary planned?"

"I certainly do. Up until they go home tomorrow morning at eleven."

"I told him that he's a brave soul," Remus said with a grin.

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, punching his friend in the arm. "You aren't going anywhere tonight so don't even try it, Moony."

Hagrid laughed as he drank his pint of Dragon Scale. "Don't want ter stay alone wit' ten kids?"

"It will only be eight tonight, as Charlie and Tonks aren't sleeping over," Sirius said. "But no, I'm not insane."

Andromeda chuckled as she watched the kids crack balloons full of jelly all over themselves and giggle. "Charlie is coming to stay with us tonight. He and Nymphadora are going to some rock concert at nine."

"Concert?" Sirius asked, his interest peeked.

Ted smiled. "Some new band called the Weird Sisters, Dora loves them. They're performing at the Merlin Concert Hall in London. Dora says that they are so punk rock and absolutely brilliant. We bought her two tickets for her birthday and she decided to bring Charlie."

"I can attest to that," Remus said with a smile. "I'm a fan of their music myself. They just finished school only two or three years ago."

Sirius grinned. "Sounds fun."

While Sirius was chatting in the gazebo, Harry and his team were trying to figure out how they could win. They were already one barrel down, but they were all equally as covered in different flavours of jelly. He grinned widely as he hit Ron in the shoulder, exploding orange jelly over him. They were all laughing as they chased and tossed balloons at each other.

George grinned broadly when he picked up a pink balloon. "Last one, Potter!" He aimed carefully and threw it at Fred, but instead of popping it simply bounced off of his head.

Fred let out a war cry and he and George wrestled over the last balloon, laughing when it exploded between them.

Sirius made his way back out across the yard, grinning. "Harry's team wins! Nice one, George!" He gestured for the kids to move around him. "Winners, you each get a gift card to Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade." They all cheered and Sirius grinned. "Neville, your team still did great so you guys each get a small box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Now let's clean you lot off."

Sirius muttered 'aguamenti' and jets of water streamed from his wand which he used to carefully rid them all of jelly. Once they were all jelly free and properly drenched (and refreshed, as it was quite muggy outside), he dried them off and sent them into the house to change back into their clothes.

As the kids made their way inside to change, he quickly cleaned up the yard with a few spells, removing all of the evidence of the intense balloon fight and he set up the white tee shirts on the clothesline.

When everyone was back outside, he handed each kid a spray bottle and set of different coloured dyes and instructed them to spray their shirts any way they wanted to. As they got creative and decorated their shirts in the bright colours, spraying sharply or intensely, Sirius merely supervised their work.

Ginny finished first, her shirt completely covered in bright blue and green and a hot pink that seemed to zig-zag through the shirt. Sirius placed a drying charm on it and a quick cleansing charm and then handed it back to Ginny who eagerly pulled it over her head.

Once they were all wearing their newly made tye-dye tee shirts, Sirius started a game of tunnel tag by declaring Percy, Luna, and Ron to be it. He counted to twenty to give them time to spread out and then the game began.

He moved back to the patio, smiling when Ted came to stand next to him. "What's the difference between tunnel tag and regular tag?"

"Tunnel tag is way more fun," Sirius told him with a grin. "The game ends when everyone is frozen. If you get tagged, you have to freeze in some sort of stance that makes your body a tunnel. The only way you can get free is for someone to crawl beneath you like they are moving through a tunnel such as between your legs or under your stomach - as Ginny is currently arching over onto her hands - see how Harry crawls under her? Now she's free."

Ted grinned. "They are definitely having a great time. Good job, Sirius."

Sirius grinned back. "Thanks."

Keeping on eye on the game of tag, Sirius served the vegetable trays and fruit trays out. He smiled when Dumbledore told a joke about a mermaid ordering a drink in a bar. It was nice to have adult company over for once, Sirius thought, and it was nice to just listen to them chat and have a good time. When Ted busted into laughter after hearing Dumbledore's joke he smiled. Everyone was enjoying themselves.

Sirius watched as Harry, overcome with a serious case of the giggles, collapsed on the ground after being tagged and made himself into a tunnel. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, even Charlie and Tonks, who were fourteen.

By the time five o'clock hit, the tunnel tag game had winded down and Sirius urged them to head onto the patio and partake in some fruits and vegetables. As they munched for fifteen minutes, Sirius put Queen on the wireless record player, smiling when Harry started to dance a little and his friends soon joined in as the band sang 'We Will Rock You.'

When they were done their snacks, Sirius led them over to the table he had set up on the far side of the patio.

"Now, this next game is a taste test," he said with a grin. "The point of the game is to roll the two dice and whatever number the dice lands on is the mystery food that you have to try. So if you roll a six and a three, then you have to mix a spoonful of number six and a spoonful of number three together — and eat it."

"Eww," the kids said, making him grin in appreciation. It was the exact reaction he had been hoping for.

"Exactly. And if you don't want to try it, then you reach into this bowl, and you have to do whatever the paper says to do. Deal?"

Harry grinned widely. "Deal!"

He took the dice from Sirius and rolled a four and a two, which according to the list meant that he had to eat pickle juice and ketchup together. Everyone made the appropriate sounds of disgust as he mixed them together and took a bite.

"Not bad," he said as he swallowed.

"That's revolting!" Percy exclaimed, arms crossed in front of him.

"You can go next, Percy," Harry said with a grin, drinking fruit punch from his glass to wash down the taste.

Percy was supposed to mix salsa with soy sauce, but he refused so he reached into the bowl for a suggestion. "Jump on one leg for twenty seconds with both hands on your head."

Percy sighed, but did what he had to as everyone laughed.

Next up was Ron. He had to mix salsa and ice cream and he went for it. Grimacing as he swallowed. Luna voted against mustard and sour cream and had to sing the alphabet backwards, which she was surprisingly quite good at. Fred ate the sour cream and salsa mixture quite pleased with his perfectly normal spoonful. George attempted to eat the cottage cheese and ketchup, but decided against it last minute and had to dance like a crazy elf for two minutes. Ginny mixed icing sugar with mayo proudly. Charlie said no to pickle juice and ice cream and had to stuff his face with crackers and then try to whistle. Tonks refused cottage cheese and hot sauce and had to do twenty cartwheels in a row which she rocked at. Last was Neville and he lucked out and rolled two threes which meant he was lucky enough to eat two spoonfuls of ice cream with a smile.

As the game winded down and the kids were full of laughter, Sirius and Remus had kicked the grill into gear and were barbecuing hamburgers and hot dogs. Everyone sat down at the picnic table on the patio to eat happily.

Then it was time for gifts.

Harry was grinning widely, his crown and cape still on his body as Sirius made him sit on the top of the picnic table and blared 'Birthday' by The Beatles on repeat. Harry covered his red face as Sirius and Remus both sang loudly to him while they brought him gifts.

" _They say it's your birthday! We're gonna have a good time. I'm glad it's your birthday. Happy birthday to you!_ "

Harry simply giggled and they both kissed his cheeks and began to hand him his gifts.

From the Weasleys, Harry received a super soft knit blanket in deep Gryffindor red with his name written in gold across it for his bed as well, as a full box full of homemade sweets. From Luna, he received a toy Quidditch set that allowed you to play an entire game with the mini figures. From Neville, he got a Venus Fly Trap for him to plant and play with as well as a box of chocolate frogs. Tonks gave him a book on pranks that he was eager to put to use. From McGonagall, some new clothes for the fall and a toy broomstick — the bigger and better model for the growing child, as it advertised. From Hagrid, he got a framed photo of Hagrid and Lily when she was a first year at Hogwarts in front of the pumpkin patch that she had helped Hagrid with, along with a book on a history of dragons which Charlie looked at with interest. From Dumbledore, six new stories from magical fiction authors. And from Ted and Andromeda, some new clothes for the fall.

But his gift from Remus and Sirius was by far the best. They had each given him one full day to spend with either of them going wherever he wanted and doing whatever he wanted to do. He couldn't have been happier.

Harry grinned widely as everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' and Sirius presented him a large chocolate cake with rainbow sprinkles in the shape of Marauder (Andromeda's baking expertise) and served with Neapolitan ice cream. Once cake and ice cream were eaten and gifts were put away, Harry said goodbye to Ted, Andromeda, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and McGonagall as Remus set up the last big game for the night in the yard.

Remus handed the kids (all minus Charlie and Tonks who had left with Ted and Andromeda to go to the Weird Sisters Concert) the cardboard, wooden boxes, and duct tape needed for the next game.

"All right, you lot have fifteen minutes to build two forts. If you were on Harry's team last time, this time you're on Neville's team and vice versa. Clear? Build forts." Remus instructed.

Sirius grinned as he watched them get to work. "I think that they're going to like this game."

"It was a good idea, Sirius. They're all having a great time. You did great at keeping them entertained."

"I'm glad," Sirius said as he flicked his wand and all of the leftovers and dirty dishes settled into the kitchen for him to take care of later.

Once they had the forts built, Sirius presented each of them with three cans of silly string. "Alright, time to go to war."

The kids laughed as they attacked each other with the different coloured silly string, hiding behind their forts and shooting each other freely and covering each other in string until all of the cans were empty.

Sirius instructed them to head upstairs and change into their pyjamas and to bring all of the sleeping stuff downstairs. It took twenty minutes for them all to shuffle down and Sirius and Remus led them into the tree house where they set up their beds. Harry took the hammock, Fred and George called dibs on the bunk beds. Ginny and Luna decided to snuggle together next to the hammock as Sirius and Remus helped them all make up their beds. Percy and Neville each had a cot to sleep on. When everything was set up, Sirius urged them all to come back outside where Remus had started a bonfire.

They all sat around the fire, Sirius showed them how to make S'mores and octopus hotdogs as Remus told them a ghost story.

"One day, a teenage boy and girl went out on a date together. The reports had been on the wireless all day about some crazy man who had escaped from St Mungo's Hospital. They were calling him the Hook Man since he had lost his right arm and had it replaced with a hook. He was a killer, and everyone in the region was warned to keep watch and report anything suspicious. But the girl was too excited about her date and could hardly be bothered about an escaped convict," Remus said, as the kids all watched him in the growing darkness, the flames the only light other than the moon."

Remus' face was illuminated by the flames as he continued. "The boy picked the girl up and they went out dancing and had a great time. They were snogging under a bridge, listening to the wireless that the boy had playing soft music from his back pocket. The music was interrupted to warn the public once more about the scary Hook Man on the loose. This time, it caught the girl's attention, and she pulled away from the boy, glancing around nervously at the darkness under the bridge. 'Maybe we should get out of here,' she told him. 'That Hook Man sounds dangerous.' The boy smiled, kissing her. 'Don't worry, baby, we'll be fine,' he told her, trying to get in another kiss. She pushed him away again. 'No, really! We're all alone out here. I'm scared,' she admitted. They argued for a moment. Then a huge thud seemed to pound over the tunnel. She gave a shriek and said, 'Let's go!' The boy rolled his eyes and told her that it was just a car crossing the bridge. But then there was another thud and a loud screech."

Sirius made a thudding and screeching noise in the background and had all of the kids jumping.

Remus smirked at his friend as he spoke. "The girl insisted they leave at once. The boy agreed and told her he'd go grab his broomstick where he left it around the corner of the bridge. The moment he was out of sight, there was another loud thud," Sirius made a thudding sound. "The girl called out for the boy, but there was no answer. Then she heard a scream. She ran, terrified that the Hook Man would find her, all of her worst fears culminated into that moment and then arms grabbed her from behind and she screamed again."

Sirius took this opportunity to grab Percy's arm from behind, making the boy shriek in fear and causing everyone else to scream as well.

"But it was only the boy," Remus continued, ignoring Sirius' scare tactics. "He held her close and reassured her that everything was fine. He held his broom out to her to show her that it was fine too. They climbed onto his broom and flew home, but she couldn't stop looking behind her. She felt like they weren't really alone. They got to her house and she climbed off of his broomstick and turned to kiss him goodnight, but a bloody hook dangling off the edge of the broomstick!"

Ginny looked pale and she moved closer to Fred and George, who she was sitting between. Percy scoffed, rather embarrassed to have let himself show his fear.

"Where did the bloody hook come from?" Fred demanded, his arm draping around his sister who had crawled into his lap by now.

Sirius grinned. "That's just it, no one knows."

There was nervous laughter now as they ate more octopus hotdogs and S'Mores and then Sirius and Remus hurdled everyone into the treehouse for bed. Sirius tucked everyone in, kissing Harry goodnight, smiling when Marauder lied down beneath his boy's hammock. He set the fairy lights up on the ceiling.

"Goodnight everyone. If you need anything, don't be afraid to come find me or Remus. Otherwise, we'll see you in the morning."

There was some giggling and talking heard from the treehouse, but within forty-five minutes, every child was fast asleep.

Sirius grinned at Remus as they cleaned up the kitchen. "I feel like I could sleep for a week."

Remus laughed. "Me too. Great party though." He yawned as he finished up the last of the dishes. "Are you setting an alarm for the morning?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I want to be up by seven. Who knows what time the kids will start waking up. Then I guess we'll start breakfast."

Remus nodded. "Sounds good. I'll be crashing in the guest room until then."

Sirius grinned. "Understood. Night Moony."

"Goodnight," Remus said as he headed upstairs.

Sirius headed outside to check on the sleeping kids once more before he made his way up to his bed. He heard footsteps in the house three times as kids made their way to the toilet, but otherwise he slept well.

He had breakfast cooking when Neville came into the kitchen first just before eight in the morning.

"Good morning, Nev," he said with a grin and ushered for the boy to take a seat. "Did you sleep all right?"

Neville nodded. "Mostly. I dreamed about the Hook Man."

Sirius grinned widely. "Good, that means we scared you. Don't worry, Nev, the Hook Man is just a story, he's not real."

"Good," Neville said, sounding rather relieved as Fred and George came into the kitchen next.

Sirius put _Led Zeppelin III_ on the wireless as he cooked and listened to the kids chat. Within thirty minutes, all eight of them were in the kitchen eating scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup as Remus refilled their cups with chocolate milk.

After breakfast, they all got dressed and packed up all of their stuff; double and triple checking that no one had forgotten anything (Neville forgot his socks, then his sleeping bag, and then his shoes). Sirius urged them to go outside and play in the treehouse until their parents arrived to pick them up. Mrs Longbottom arrived first and then Mrs Lovegood. Mrs Weasley came in just after they left and smiled warmly at Sirius.

"How was the party?"

"I feel like I was run over by a herd of rampaging hippogriffs, but other than that it was dandy."

She chuckled as she sent her children through the Floo with their belongings one after the other. "That means that you did it right." She wished Harry a happy birthday and disappeared after Ginny in the Floo.

Sirius plopped himself onto the chesterfield, stretching out and closing his eyes. He grunted when Harry climbed on top of him. "I need to sleep for a week. Maybe two."

Harry laughed and hugged him tightly, snuggling into his warm embrace. "It was the best birthday ever!"

Sirius kissed his forehead and smiled. "Good. Now how about you and me have a little nap?"

When Harry only grinned at him, he sighed.

The nap definitely wasn't going to happen.


	51. Chapter 51

_Author's Note:_

 _Time for some more time jumps. Also a little surprise, not what you guys were expecting I imagine but still important I think. The next few chapters, there will be quite a few time jumps ahead. Just a heads up._

 _Thanks to Steel for suggesting that I add in a little scene of Harry being sick for the first time. I think it was a great suggestion, and that it turned out quite well._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE:**

 **Harry used his two birthday special gift days within the first two weeks of August.** Sirius took him to a Quidditch game: Pride of Portree versus Puddlemere United; then they went to lunch in Muggle London, and went to the zoo. Remus took him to the aquarium for the day and they did a haunted ghost tour in Muggle London afterwards. Harry loved it.

Ginny's birthday party was just as fun this year and Harry went to the Burrow for the big family meal before Percy, Charlie, and Bill all headed off to Hogwarts this year.

Remus was spending more and more of his time with Veronica; talking late into the night. She was starting to show a genuine concern for his 'illnesses' and asked him if he wanted her to go to the healer with him.

"I'm fine, Roni, honestly," Remus insisted for the twentieth time that week.

Veronica pursed her lips. "There's no need to get so snippy, Remus. I'm just worried about you!"

Remus tried not to roll his eyes. "I appreciate that, but I swear, I'm fine. I'm just tired."

He was tired; tired of having the same conversation over and over again with her. When he had brought up his annoyance to Sirius, his friend had merely shrugged and suggested that he tell her the truth. Remus had flat out refused that one. The last thing that he wanted was to have her look at him in that way; full of loathing, or worse — pity.

Veronica simply stared at him. "You've lost weight, Remus! You have dark circles under your eyes — you've been moody! Don't tell me that you are fine when I can clearly see that you're not. Something is going on with you!"

"Roni, I've been busy helping Sirius with stuff and taking care of Harry. I'm just tired. I haven't been eating as much as I should. Stop worrying!" He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "If there was something wrong I would tell you."

Veronica let out a breath of exasperation. "I don't know if you would."

Remus' eyebrow rose. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that you're not exactly Mr Open About It!" she insisted. "You take me out, we come back to my flat, and we shag, but you don't share things with me. You never spend the night with me! Remus, what are we? Are we even in a relationship?"

Remus hesitated. He hated defining things like this when he knew he had no plans on sticking it out for the long run. "Roni, I told you upfront that I wasn't looking for a relationship. I just wanted to get to know you; to have fun."

Veronica nodded. "You did. But it's been over three months now, I thought maybe… so it is just the sex then."

"Veronica," Remus started, but she held her hand up to silence him.

"I really like you, Remus. You're smart and I love talking to you. I love kissing you. I love being with you. And the sex is great, not to mention that you have the biggest… that's not the point, but… don't you think that we could try to make this work, just a little? What are you afraid of?" she asked him, moving closer to him on the sofa.

Remus sighed as she cuddled into him. "I like you, Veronica, but that's not what I want. I'm sorry. I was upfront about that from the beginning. I'm just looking to have a good time."

She nodded, turning to kiss his neck. "You were and you're right. If I want you, this is what I get. I understand."

Remus kissed her and she sighed into him, taking his hand and leading him into her bedroom.

"I'll try to be what you need, Remus," she told him as she straddled him.

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Roni."

And his lips met hers.

But as September breezed in, Remus broke up with Veronica. She had begun to ask questions about his so-called illnesses again and he wasn't willing to discuss it. She wanted more from him and he wasn't willing to give it. In the end, she couldn't be what he needed and they both understood that. The breakup was amicable, but Remus was still rather miserable about it. He missed the companionship and he really missed the sex.

He ignored Sirius who tried to talk to him about allowing himself to be happy and he holed up in his own house for a few days brooding. He didn't deserve to be happy in that way and he had always known that. The last thing that he wanted was to lead some woman on with false pretences.

Nothing Sirius said to him could change his mind on the subject.

Remus spent his time with Harry or sitting at the piano in his living room just playing. Harry loved it when he decided to play the piano and would sit next to him on the bench just to listen. Remus taught him how to make the keys move, but Harry was more interested in listening than in playing, and Remus thought that was all right too. He hadn't played the piano in years and going back to it was an outlet that he truly loved and enjoyed.

Sirius hung out with Apollo and Medea one night while Remus watched Harry. They were visiting London for the week to show off their new baby, a little girl named Daphne, before moving back to Greece. Apollo told Sirius that Althea would be returning within the year and Sirius felt himself getting a bit excited at the prospect of seeing her again. He missed being friends with her more than anything and it surprised him.

It was soon after his night out with Apollo and Medea that he was pulled from a deep sleep by the sound of his son's timid voice.

"Uncle Siri," Harry murmured as a small hand prodded his back.

Sirius rolled over, his eyes moving to his son. "Harry, it's late."

"My tummy hurts," he told him, rubbing a hand over his stomach and his bottom lip trembling.

Sirius sat up quickly, grabbing his wand and throwing the light on, his eyes on his boy. Harry's face was a little flushed and the back of his neck all red. The boy was shivering in his Quidditch pyjamas. "Your tummy?"

Harry nodded, wiping his eye where a tear had trickled out.

Sirius picked him up and Harry snuggled into his arms, his head resting on his shoulder. He was hot to the touch, Sirius realized, and he was shivering.

"Cold," he whispered, his lips against Sirius' neck.

He placed a hand over Harry's forehead. "Harry, you're burning up!"

Harry merely burrowed closer to him. "Head hurts," he murmured, slurring his words as if he were half asleep as Sirius stood up and carried him downstairs.

They had just made it into the kitchen when Harry threw up, vomiting down Sirius' naked back and he wiped his mouth quickly.

"I'm sorry," he said, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Don't send me away!"

Sirius used his wand to clean up the vomit and snuggled the child close. "Never, Prongslet." He placed a kiss on his forehead before he sat him down on the kitchen counter. "I love you way too much. Show me what hurts, baby."

Harry put a hand over his stomach, then touched his head.

Sirius nodded and used his wand as a thermometer as he murmured a temperature charm. He frowned when it came out at 39°C. "You have a fever, Harry." He placed his hands in his hair trying to remember what he was supposed to do about a fever and panicked when nothing came to mind. He picked Harry back up, tucking him onto the sofa and wrapping him up tight in a big blanket and Harry started to cry. "Hey, hey, it's okay, Prongslet, you just sit here for a minute, okay?"

He sent a quick Patronus to Remus, demanding he get his butt over immediately before he sat down next to Harry as the child crawled into his lap.

Sirius wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him close as he shivered under the warm blanket. "Shh, it's okay, Harry; it's okay."

Remus stepped out of the Floo two minutes later. "What is it?" He caught sight of Harry and his eyes widened. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Moony, he threw up and his temperature is so high! What do we do? Do we go to St Mungo's? Should I get Pomfrey? Will Minnie know what to do? I should get Andy! What do we do?" Sirius questioned quickly, his voice slightly panicked.

Remus knelt in front of them, his eyes wide. "I-I don't know… he's shivering… if he has a fever, why is he shivering?"

"How the hell do I know?" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes wide on his friend. "Why do you think I called you?"

"Ow," Harry said, covering his ears from the loud voices of his panicked uncles.

Sirius pushed the sick child into Remus' arms. "I'm going to get Andy!"

Remus nodded, still looking rather panicked and worried himself. "Good idea!"

Sirius ran out of the cottage to Disapparate. He knew that there was no way that Andromeda and Ted would have their Floo open in the middle of the night as he banged loudly on their front door. Ted answered it in his robe, yawning.

"S-S-Sirius," he yawned. "What's wrong?"

"I need Andy, now — Harry's sick!"

Ted nodded and ushered him inside. "Of course!"

He ran upstairs to get Andy and Sirius paced the living room in a panic, his hair a dishevelled mess on the top of his head as Andy came downstairs two minutes later.

"What's wrong with Harry, Sirius?"

Sirius shook his head, his eyes wide. "You have to come quick! He's sick!"

Andy nodded. "Go home to him. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Sirius only nodded, opening her Floo to head home. Remus was sitting on the sofa still, his arms cradling the shivering boy.

"He vomited again," Remus told him.

Sirius moved to the sofa and they snuggled the boy between them as Harry shivered.

Andy came through the Floo a few minutes later with a medicine chest in her hands. She placed it on the coffee table and smiled at them. "Hi, Harry," she said kindly. "Are your dads taking care of you?"

"I threw up," he told her. "Twice."

"Aww, that's okay, baby," she said reassuringly, placing a hand on his forehead. "He has a fever and he's thrown up twice, so his stomach hurts?" she asked Sirius and Remus.

"And his head," Remus told her.

"Okay," she said, placing her hand on his forehead again to feel his temperature. "Take him upstairs and give him a sponge bath in lukewarm water. It should help bring the fever down and make him feel a bit better. Then I want you to mix this stomach and flu potion, two spoonfuls of it, into some honey, it will help it go down better for him. Then you tuck him into bed and you let him sleep it off. Keep checking on him every hour or so to keep an eye on his fever. But this should help bring it down. I'll check on you in the morning."

Sirius nodded, starting gratefully at her. "Thanks, Andy!"

Andy took the potion from the chest and put it on the table. "Floo if you need anything else, but he's going to be just fine, I promise."

Remus nodded as they thanked her, both feeling reassured by her presence. Remus carried Harry upstairs with Sirius behind him. Sirius filled up the tub with lukewarm water as Remus carefully undressed him, rubbing his hands along Harry's arms and shoulders as he shivered. "I know you're cold, it's okay, this will make you feel better."

Harry stared at them, his eyes trying to close and Remus lifted him into the tub. He and Sirius each conjured a sponge, gently sponging the warm water over his body, down his neck and over his head.

"I didn't mean to get sick," he whispered. "I'm sorry I'm so bad."

"Hey," Sirius said, kissing Harry's cheek. "You are not bad. Everyone gets sick sometimes, Prongslet, it's okay."

"Do I have to sleep outside now?"

Remus frowned. "No, of course not!" he said sharply, kissing Harry's forehead, pleased to feel a slight difference in his temperature, at least he hoped he felt a difference.

"Sick means bad," Harry murmured, leaning into his fathers as they sponged him. "Ungrateful freak; no one wants to take care of me."

"He's delirious," Sirius said, sneaking a glance over at Remus.

Remus nodded. "The fever… he hasn't been sick yet with us, Siri. Do you think they really made him sleep outside?"

"Probably, the fucking tossers," he said darkly.

The water had started to cool by now so Sirius lifted Harry from the tub, carefully drying his little body and applying baby powder before helping him into fresh pyjamas.

Remus carefully put two spoonfuls of the potion into a cup with two spoonfuls of honey, mixing it around as the honey melted into the potion. "Drink this up, little Prongs. It will make you feel better."

"Don't wanna," Harry said, turning his face into Sirius' shoulder. "Tired."

Remus gently rubbed a hand along Harry's back. "I know, little Prongs. But if you drink this up, you can go to sleep, okay, Harry?"

Harry stayed in Sirius' arms for a moment before he turned, placing a hand over his stomach again. "Hurts."

Remus gently rubbed his belly as he urged him to drink the potion. Harry accepted the cup and before it even touched his lips, he vomited again all over the bathroom floor. Remus quickly cleaned it up and handed him the potion with honey. "Drink up, you'll feel better."

Sirius rubbed Harry's back as he drank the potion in four slow sips and then accepted the water Remus gave him. He placed a kiss on the back of Harry's neck. "Good, Prongslet. Come on; let's go back to bed."

"Don't leave me," he murmured, twining his arms around Sirius' neck when he lifted him.

"Never," Sirius assured him, kissing his cheek. "We love you."

He carried him into the master bedroom and placed him in the middle of the king-sized bed, nodding at Remus, who crawled into the bed next to him. Sirius crawled into the other side, smiling at him as they both wrapped him up in the blankets. Marauder hopped up onto the end of the bed, settling himself across the bottom.

"I'm sorry I threw up," Harry said again.

They both leaned in to kiss a cheek.

"It's okay," Remus said with a smile. "Sometimes we throw up."

"Story," Harry murmured, his eyes drooping. "Please, Uncle Moony."

Remus kissed him again as he and Sirius lay next to him on either side, each with an arm wrapped around him. "Okay, Harry." He looked pensive for a moment and then he smiled. "In a far away kingdom, there once lived a man…"

Within ten minutes of Remus telling him the story of the _Arabian Nights_ , Harry was asleep. Sirius gently brushed his fingers through the boy's hair.

"Do you think he's really going to be okay, Moony?"

Remus kissed Harry's sleeping cheek. "I think he will be just fine, Padfoot." He kissed him again. "We'll check his temperature again at five, but Andy said the potion should take that down." He let out a slow breath. "Thanks for calling me."

Sirius grinned at him. "Do you think I knew what the hell to do?"

Remus chuckled, smiling at his friend as he gently ran a fingertip along Harry's soft pink cheek. "Guess this parenting thing is pretty scary sometimes, eh?"

Sirius nodded. "And then some! Do you think we should see Healer Braxton in the morning?"

"Yes, we should definitely bring him in, just in case."

Sirius smiled at him. "Hey, Moony?"

"Hmm?" Remus asked, his eyes closing slightly as Harry turned to snuggle into him in his sleep, desperately seeking the warmth that Remus always provided.

"Thanks for being here."

Remus smiled at his friend. "He's my boy, too."

Sirius smiled back, leaning in to kiss Harry's hand. "I know. We're lucky to have him."

Harry murmured in his sleep and Remus sighed as his boy nestled his head against his heart. He smiled at his friend in the bed next to him as held the sleeping child. They were lucky to have him and he knew that he would do anything for this child in a heartbeat. He kissed the top of his head, closing his eyes and he soon drifted off to sleep.

Andromeda came by again around eight the next morning. Harry's fever was thankfully gone, but his stomach was still a bit upset. Andromeda reassured them that it was just a stomach virus and told them to give Harry more potion with honey twice more, once when he woke up, and again before he went to bed. She said that it was important to let him sleep it off, to keep him hydrated with lots of water and fresh orange juice and that the potion would help with the vomiting.

Sirius made an appointment with Healer Braxton for the next afternoon, who assured Sirius and Remus in his kind grandfatherly way, that Harry was a perfectly fine and healthy seven-year-old-boy and that they had done everything right. He suggested keeping Pepper-Up Potion as well as cold and flu potion on hand for any future emergencies. By the time they left St Mungo's, Harry was feeling more like himself, wanting to play and run around and Sirius and Remus were both immensely relieved.

Harry didn't remember much from the night of his fever, but when he had woken up in Sirius' bed, snuggled between Sirius and Remus, he had never felt safer and more loved.

~ ASC ~

 **As September turned into October, Harry, Sirius, and Remus spent the afternoon of Halloween at Godric's Hollow again.** This time, Sirius wasn't as heartbroken to be there and they sat in the cemetery and told Harry stories about his parents. They went out to dinner and then to Muggle London to watch the Halloween double feature showing of _Dracula_ and _Frankenstein_.

Harry spent the next three nights sleeping with Sirius after having rather scary dreams. But Sirius was pleased by this. He was having normal bad dreams and he couldn't have been happier.

Christmas came and Harry eagerly got involved in the decorations and singing carols. They decorated the tree, had a snowball fight, and went sledding. Harry cuddled between his uncles as Remus read _A Christmas Carol_ aloud.

As 1988 reared its head and winter turned to spring, Sirius sat in a downtown café in Muggle London drinking a cappuccino and reading the _Daily Prophet_. He'd spent the morning buying new spring and summer clothes for his growing boy and had decided to stop in a for a quick drink before heading home.

He heard the chair move at his table and he glanced up in surprise at the woman who sat there. Her golden blonde hair was pinned up in a twist and her bright eyes were smiling at him as she held her latte.

"I saw you sitting here on my way out. How are you, Sirius?"

Sirius simply grinned. "You look fabulous, Castellanos."

She blushed and sipped her latte. "You don't look too badly yourself, Black."

Sirius took in her summer dress and high heels and grinned foolishly. "I was beginning to think that you were never actually coming back."

Althea chuckled and crossed her legs, grinning when Sirius' eyes immediately went to them. "I really loved it there. I was doing great work. I believed in it."

"I'm happy for you."

"How are you? How's Harry?"

Sirius smiled warmly, folding the paper closed in front of him. "He's great. We just had a little birthday gathering for Remus a few weeks back and he was at his friend Ron's birthday a few weeks before that. He's happy and adjusted and well, a little boy. It's great. Next month he will have been living with me for two years now."

"Wow, that's wonderful! I'm very happy for you both."

"Me too. He still has the occasional bad dream, but nothing like they were and now only every few months or if something particular brings out a memory. But he's wonderfully happy. He makes me wonderfully happy," he told her with a smile.

Althea smiled, her eyes twinkling at him. "I'm glad to hear it. How's Harry liking Healer Braxton?"

"We've only seen him twice, once for a check-up and meet and once back in September when Harry had the stomach flu. That was fun," he said on a chuckle. "Rem and I completely lost our heads and panicked, but luckily Andy came through and helped us take care of him."

Althea smiled. "Good. I told you before, you're a wonderful father." She sipped her latte and watched him. His dark hair was still long and layered, brushing the top of his shoulders and falling just so around his face and giving him that dangerous and deliciously hot look. His grey eyes were smiling at her, but that haunted look she had always thought he carried seemed to be completely gone.

"Are you back for good?" Sirius asked her, taking a sip of his own cappuccino.

She shrugged. "I just spent the last few months in Greece with Apollo, Medea, and Daphne. She's so beautiful. I'm completely enraptured by her, but I could be biased since she's my niece. I submitted my paper on dragon pox and got it published. St Mungo's is willing to re-instate me with the offer of Head of Paediatrics starting in July."

"That's great news and wow, head of the department! That's a big accomplishment for someone your age," he told her, beaming at her.

Althea nodded, her eyes bright. "I know. I haven't decided if I'm taking it yet. I have until the end of the week to make my decision."

"What's stopping you?" Sirius asked.

She shrugged again, a blush coming into her cheeks. "I met someone in Greece."

"Ah," Sirius said, nodding in understanding. "And it's serious?"

Althea nodded. "I'm in love with him, Sirius. I told him that I had to come back to London and… to make some choices, but since I left… I miss him. I… I feel like I lost a limb or something."

Sirius smiled at her. "Sounds like it could be more than something then."

She nodded and leaned across the table towards him. "But then I saw you sitting here and…"

He smirked at her. "Missed me, did you?"

Althea smiled and bit her bottom lip. "I did."

"I've missed you too, Thea." He wrapped his hand over hers. Her eyes met his and she turned her hand to hold his there.

"I didn't plan on seeing you again," she admitted, her eyes on his.

"I kinda got that based on how little you actually wrote," Sirius told her, gently rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand.

Althea sighed and pulled her hand away from him. "Are you seeing anyone?"

He shook his head, grinning at her in just that way and she felt desire flow through her. "No, not at the moment. There have been a few women since you left, but nothing serious."

"Is anything ever serious with you — and don't say your name," she muttered, sighing when he took her hand again. "Don't."

"Don't what exactly? It's been well over a year, are you still hung up on me or something?" he asked. "What about this bloke you left in tears in Greece?"

Althea pulled her hand away and stood up, shaking her head. "Seeing you again was not a good idea."

Sirius followed her out of the café, confused. "Castellanos, wait!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arm before she could disappear and wincing when he found himself side Apparating with her and landing in her flat.

"Well, Thea, that didn't take you long," Priya commented dryly from her spot in the living room.

"I didn't bring him here intentionally, Priya!" She turned to glare at Sirius. "How dare you! You could have been splinched!"

Sirius immediately reached down between his legs and grinned. "All in tact, baby."

Althea rolled her eyes. "Why did you follow me?"

"Because you left without explaining anything!" he exclaimed, his eyes on her. "Why?"

"I'm going back to Greece, Sirius."

Priya stood up and hastily made an exit from the flat.

"You're turning down the offer at the hospital for this bloke in Greece?" he asked in surprise. "You said you left, how do you know that he's still waiting for you?"

"I don't know, but it's a risk that I have to take. I'm in love with him."

"And seeing me made you realize how much you love him? Come on, Thea! What aren't you telling me?"

Instead of answering, she simply fisted her hands into his hair and tugged his mouth down to hers. The kiss was fierce and full of a desperation that Sirius didn't understand, but he kissed her back, pinning her back against the wall of the living room, his own hands in her hair as her tongue met his in long deep strokes that left him breathless.

They definitely still had chemistry between them, but it wasn't the same.

She wasn't the same.

He slid his hand around to the back of her dress, unzipping it and tugging it off of her shoulder as it fell to the ground. She moaned in protest and pushed him away.

"No, we can't," she said, covering herself with her arms.

Sirius merely pulled her arms free and dipped his mouth to the lovely swell of breast above the blue lace bra she wore. "Stop me."

Althea's head fell back and then she pushed him away. "No."

Sirius shoved his hands into the pockets of his black jeans, his eyes on hers as he took a step back. "You can't tell me that there's still not something here, Thea."

"Wanting you sexually means nothing, Black. And you can't tell me that it feels the same as it did. We're not the same people we were."

He watched as she bent down and tugged her dress back into place, carefully zipping it up. "You kissed me first. But no… it wasn't the same."

"Do you love me?" she blurted out, her eyes on his.

Sirius stared at her in shock for almost thirty seconds. "W-w-what?"

She smiled, laughter in her eyes. Seeing his reaction seemed to calm her. "What we had together, it was lovely. We were friends and we had amazing sex. I liked it. I liked you. But I wasn't _in love_ with you. Were you in love with me?"

"No," he said, his grey eyes sad. "But that doesn't mean that I didn't… that I don't care about you."

Althea smiled and moved over to sit on the sofa, gesturing for Sirius to do the same. "I know that. I fancied myself in love with you when I left, Sirius."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You did?"

She nodded, brushing her hair out of her eyes and wondering exactly how much damage his hands had done to her twist and then decided it was better to just take it out. "I cried when you left me and for a week I thought maybe that I had made a mistake in choosing to leave. Then I had the pregnancy scare."

"Preg — excuse me?" Sirius exclaimed, his voice getting slightly higher and his eyes widening in alarm.

She smiled, patting his arm in reassurance. "Scare, Sirius, breathe. I wasn't pregnant. But I thought that I was for about half a second and that made me panic a little. I knew that you didn't love me, but I knew that you would be an amazing father if it came down to it. Then I found out that it was a false alarm; my body was just reacting to the travel and whatnot and I felt immensely relieved, but also sad. I lost something inside me at that moment and in that moment, I knew that I wasn't in love with you. You had given me a good time, a great time actually, and we had developed a wonderful friendship and I didn't want to lose that. But every time I imagined coming home and seeing you, my mind immediately drew an image of what you could do to me in my bedroom."

Sirius grinned now, his shock having passed. "Doesn't have to be in a bed, Castellanos."

She chuckled. "I know that too. And I am very attracted to you still, but when I kissed you just now, what I thought about wasn't you, it was Xander and how incredibly happy he makes me and how completely in love I am with him. He's the one for me, I know it. I'm not going to let anything or anyone change that. I won't do anything to jeopardize that."

"Kissing me made you think of another man?" Sirius asked in bewilderment. "I must have lost my touch."

Althea grinned and kissed his cheek. "It did and no, you really didn't. Tell me you didn't feel how different that was?"

He sighed and took her hand in his. "No, it was different," he said. "I'm not in love with you either, Castellanos. But I did miss you; I missed our friendship. I missed being able to talk to you about Harry and what he was going through and what he was doing and how he's been growing up. And I did miss the sex, obviously, but there's also been other women for that."

She laughed. "We had spectacular sex, I'll admit it."

Sirius grinned. "But this Xander makes you happy, truly?"

"He really does. There's an opening there for a paediatrician at St Nicholas' Hospital, it's not as great as head of the department, but it's a job and it would be close to him."

"What does this Xander do exactly?"

Althea smiled. "He's a Healer at the hospital. He's a neurohealer, specializes in the brain. He's very intelligent and witty. I don't know what I'm going to do if he's not waiting for me when I go back."

"If he's not waiting for you, he's a moron," Sirius told her. She was practically radiating happiness and he couldn't help but feel happy for her. He kissed her hand. "How did you meet him?"

"He joined us in Sri Lanka for the last month that I was there. We hit it off right away and when I told him that I was heading to Greece to see my brother, we made plans to meet up there when he finished his contract. We spent almost every moment together there and again when he came to Greece. He bought a house and he told me that he wanted to…" tears welled up in her eyes. "That he wanted to have children with me and grow old with me and I told him that I had a job offer waiting for me in London."

Sirius nodded. "And you broke up?"

"I-I-I think so. I told him that I had to come home. I had to decide what I wanted and he told me that he understood. And I left."

"Oh, Thea, he's definitely waiting for you." Sirius told her. The bloke sounded more than over the moon for her.

"You think?" she asked, wiping the tears away. "I just left, Sirius."

Sirius smiled at her. "He's head over heels for you. Forget London, the job of your dreams is not going to make you happy if he's not here to share it with you."

She kissed his cheek. "I really did miss you! You're right! I'm going back to Greece."

Sirius hugged her tight and smiled. "Don't be a stranger though. Write to me. And I better get invited to this wedding."

She laughed and placed a nervous hand over her stomach. "Don't jinx it! But I promise."

He hugged her goodbye and wished her luck and closed the door to her flat behind him feeling oddly elated. He had missed her, but it was the friendship that he had missed most from her. Seeing her so happy and torn over this Xander character, he couldn't be happier for her. He turned towards the stairs and almost walked into the man coming up them. He had dark brown hair, bronzed tanned skin and bright blue eyes.

"Excuse me, do you know if Althea Castellanos' flat is up here? I'm a little turned around," he said in a heavy Greek accent.

Sirius grinned. "Are you Xander?"

The man gave him a puzzled look, but extended his hand. "Alexander Papakonstantinou, and you are?"

Sirius shook his hand with a smile. "A friend of Thea's, Sirius Black." He nodded to the door behind him. "She's back there."

Xander thanked him and knocked on the door. Sirius stepped into the stairwell just as he heard Althea's gasp of surprise.

"Xander! What are you doing here?"

"I'm moving to London, Thea. If this is where you want to be, I'll find a job here. I'll commute back and forth to St Nicholas' Hospital until a job opens up if I have too. I need you in my life, Althea." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. "I love you."

"Xander! I love you too!"

Sirius smiled as he made his way down the stairs. He couldn't have been happier for her.

~ ASC ~

 **The letter from Althea arrived two days later and he couldn't stop grinning as he read it.**

 _Sirius,_

 _You were right! Xander came to see me at my flat. He wants to move to London to be with me. He's willing to commute back and forth to Greece if necessary if he can't find a job out here. I told him that's ridiculous. He just bought that beautiful house and it's where I want to be. I took the job offer in Greece. He officially proposed. We're getting married next summer and I couldn't be jumping for joy anymore._

 _Thank you for listening and for understanding. I think seeing you again was exactly what I needed. And Xander, coming all the way to London just to see me! I'm so in love with him and I can't wait to become Mrs Papakonstantinou, an even more difficult name than Castellanos for people to say, but it will be completely worth it. You and Harry are definitely going to be invited to my wedding. Let's not lose touch this time._

 _Write to me and keep me updated on yours and Harry's lives and I will do the same._

 _With love,_

 _Your friend always,_

 _Thea_

He grinned as he closed the letter, feeling oddly elated at the news. He honestly couldn't be happier for Althea.

Remus came into the kitchen then, moving to the kettle to make himself a cup of tea. "What are you grinning at over there?"

Sirius held up the letter. "It's from Thea. She's getting married."

Remus' eyebrow rose in surprise. "Good for her. How are you?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm happy for her. I didn't want to marry her."

Remus grinned. "But you still want to shag her."

"We had really great sex," Sirius said with a grin. "But I'm honestly really happy for her. She's very much in love with this Xander bloke and he loves her too. And we talked and we're going to keep being friends, which is all I really want from her if I'm honest. I miss talking to her about Harry. She was always a great source of help there."

"She was at that. He's doing great though. I can't believe it's almost been two years already since everything."

Sirius smiled. "Tell me about it! Two years since I was released from prison… since I kidnapped him from the Dursleys… where did the time go?"

"Whatever happened to them? The Dursleys." Remus asked, putting the kettle on. "Did you find out?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. Hagrid came over to tell me that they had been taken care of. But I decided that I was better off not knowing."

"I agree with that, but I admit, I have been curious."

Sirius nodded. "I don't want to know, Moony. I'm worried that the punishment just wasn't harsh enough for them and if it wasn't then I don't want to do something that I will regret. I won't leave Harry alone again. I won't do that to him."

Remus smiled. "I know, Padfoot."

Sirius shook the dark thoughts from his head. "I know it's still a few months away, but Harry's eighth birthday is coming up and I think that he's old enough for a real broomstick this year."

Remus hesitated. "Eight is still kind of young, Padfoot. Most kids don't even learn how to fly until their first year at Hogwarts. Wouldn't it be better to just let him learn with everyone else?"

"Earth to Moony — who the hell is Harry's father? If James were here, Harry would have already been on a broom! He's got the motorbike down now so I feel like maybe moving him off of the training brooms onto a real broom is a good idea."

"Between you and Minerva, you two are both determined to make him a Quidditch star," Remus said with a smile. "What are you going to do if he takes after Lily and hates flying?"

Sirius simply smirked. "Trust me; that will never happen. Prongs will haunt us from the grave otherwise."

Remus grinned. "Alright, we'll look at brooms, but _only look_ , Sirius. I still think eight is much too young when most kids don't even learn until eleven — in the safety of the Hogwarts training grounds, under a trained instructor," he emphasized knowing that it wasn't going to change Sirius' opinion on the subject one bit.

Sirius just grinned wider. "Yeah, we'll just look."

Two weeks later, Sirius had purchased a _Nimbus 1700_ and hidden it in his bedroom for Harry's birthday while Remus had simply rolled his eyes with a smile. He knew Sirius was right, James would expect nothing less for his son.

When Harry unwrapped it on his eighth birthday his eyes had just about bugged out of his head, as did that of his friends. Sirius made him wait until after the party so that he could show him how to handle the broom properly; reminding him of his lessons with Madam Hooch back at Hogwarts.

Sirius patiently taught Harry how to be one with the broom; to get the broom to trust him, as McGonagall watched nearby. The moment Harry said the word 'up' with conviction, the broom flew into his outstretched hand as if it just been waiting for him to ask. Sirius grinned eagerly and helped Harry mount the broom and the moment he hovered above the ground and took off, he knew without a doubt, that Harry was his father's son.

Sirius jumped onto his own _Nimbus 1000,_ flying around his godson, grinning when Remus flew up and passed him a Quaffle. He tossed one in Harry's direction and watched in amazement as Harry dived to get it, catching it in his hand and easily controlling the broom as if he had been born on it.

When they landed, McGonagall was clapping in amazement. "This was his first time on a broomstick?"

Sirius nodded. "Outside of the kid ones that barely lift off of the ground, yeah. Does he have talent or what?"

McGonagall simply beamed. "Oh, I can't wait for him to join the Quidditch team! Did you see that dive? He might even have Seeker potential!"

Remus chuckled. "What are you going to do if he's not in Gryffindor, Minerva?"

"Bite your tongue, Remus Lupin!" McGonagall exclaimed. "I haven't had the Quidditch Cup in my office since James Potter left Hogwarts. I thought that this year was promising as Charlie Weasley is quite the flier, but alas, Slytherin snatched it from under us yet again!"

Sirius laughed, watching as Harry flew around the yard laughing and giggling with glee. "Don't worry, Minnie, I'm sure that Harry will want to play Quidditch when he gets to school."

McGonagall grinned. "Music to my ears, Sirius. Music to my ears."


	52. Chapter 52

_Author's Note:_

 _Like I said last chapter; the time for time jumps has arrived. There are a few key things I want to happen before Harry goes to Hogwarts, but it is coming soon. The next few chapters will all contain more and more time jumps._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to You Like Me Too Much by the Beatles._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO:**

 **After spending the day flying with Harry, Sirius decided to add another memory to the Pensieve.** Talking about flying and playing Quidditch only made him remember this fight that James and Lily had gotten into at the end of seventh year. James had won the Quidditch Cup and spent the night drinking and having fun with Gryffindor House to celebrate, but he had spent too much time celebrating and had forgotten about his date with Lily. She had been left waiting for him on the Quidditch pitch to celebrate their ten month anniversary and he had completely forgotten.

Lily had been furious.

She told him that he cared more about Quidditch than her. The row they had in the middle of the common room had been rather legendary; especially because James had not only won her over, but won the hearts of some of the other girls in the common room as well by his tactics.

Sirius remembered it fondly and watched the memory unfold before him.

 _"JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER!" Lily yelled as she stormed through the portrait hole._

 _James paled slightly, the glass of Firewhiskey halfway to his lips. "Oh shite, she said my middle name aloud."_

 _A few snickers could be heard nearby as people mouthed 'Fleamont' around him in amusement._

 _"Lily, darling! I've missed you!" James exclaimed, putting his drink down and attempting to kiss her._

 _Lily pushed him back and his balance rather precarious due to drink, made him stumble. "Don't even think about it, Potter!" Each word was broken up by her finger poking him in the chest. "You" — poke — "stood" — poke — "me" — poke — "up! — poke._

 _"I…" he paled as he suddenly remembered. "Lily, I'm so sorry! We were celebrating the win and I lost track of time. Padfoot kept giving me drinks!"_

 _"Don't bring me into this mate," Sirius said, holding his hands up in surrender._

 _Lily glared at him. "I've been waiting down on the Quidditch pitch for almost an hour!"_

 _James paled. "My romantic evening! I had it all planned out! Lily, I completely lost track of time!"_

 _"You lost track of time?" she repeated carefully making Sirius pale slightly._

 _"Mate, she's getting that look in her eye. She's going to blow like a top."_

 _James ignored his best friend, eyes on his girlfriend. "I was re-enacting that last epic goal. I broke a record this year, most goals by one Chaser in one game in the history of Hogwarts. Eighty-eight goals! Can you blame for me losing track of time?"_

 _"You're the one who arranged this!" Lily exclaimed. "And here you are too busy talking about Quidditch to spend any time with the girlfriend that you claim to love."_

 _"Lily!" James said, desperately. "Please, don't be mad, it was an accident!"_

 _"An accident?" she repeated sweetly._

 _He nodded, moving closer to her. "It won't happen again, I swear it. Don't leave me — you like me too much."_

 _Lily snorted. "At the moment I most certainly do not like you! It's our anniversary, James!"_

 _"I know!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arms. "I'm sorry."_

 _Lily glared at him. "I was alright with celebrating tomorrow due to the game, but no, you absolutely insisted that it was our anniversary today and that even a Quidditch game wasn't going to stop us from celebrating together, but obviously Quidditch is more important to you than I am!"_

 _"No!" James exclaimed, grabbing her arm again. "Nothing is more important than you! No one is more important than you!"_

 _Lily softened a little. "I'm still mad at you."_

 _He grinned and kissed her cheek. "You like me too much and I like you, remember?"_

 _Lily sighed. "You can't always use lyrics by The Beatles to get yourself out of trouble, you know?"_

 _Sirius took this as a sign and summoned James' guitar down from the Head dormitory and placed it in his friend's arms._

 _James simply grinned and began to strum and when he started to sing, Lily softened up all over again._

 _"_ Though you're gone away this morning, you'll be back again tonight. Telling me there'll be no next time if I just don't treat you right. You'll never leave me and you know it's true; 'cause you like me too much and I like you. You've tried before to leave me, but you haven't got the nerve; to walk out and make me lonely which is all that I deserve. You'll never leave me and you know it's true; 'cause you like me too much and I like you. I really do. And it's nice when you believe me. If you leave me, I will follow you and bring you back where you belong. 'Cause I couldn't really stand it, I'll admit that I was wrong, I wouldn't let you leave me 'cause it's true; 'cause you like me too much and I like you."

 _Lily simply sighed as the girls in the common room giggled in awe. James Potter really could be the most romantic bloke on the planet._

 _He continued to strum and to sing, making Lily sigh. He always made it so hard to stay mad at him. "'_ Cause you like me too much and I like you. I really do. And it's nice when you believe me, if you leave me, I will follow you and bring you back where you belong. 'Cause I couldn't really stand it, I'll admit that I was wrong. I wouldn't let you leave me 'cause it's true. 'Cause you like me too much and I like you. 'Cause you like me too much and I like you _."_

 _Lily stood up and kissed him deeply, making everyone in the room cheer. "You're an insufferable git, James Potter."_

 _"And you're desperately in love with me," he said as he kissed her, tugging her into his lap._

 _Lily straddled him and deepened the kiss. "Desperately, but you're still an absolute git and you owe me a romantic evening."_

 _James simply grinned. "I'll owe you three because I'm your absolute git. I love you, Evans."_

 _"I love you, too, Jamie," she said._

Sirius smiled as he bottled up the memory and added it to the collection. Quidditch had always been the most important thing to James outside of his friends and nothing had been more important to him than Lily and then later Harry. He thought the memory was a fun one that showed how much the two of them had been in love.

He locked up the vault of memories with a smile.

~ ASC ~

 **A few weeks later, Harry was madly racing through the treehouse with Marauder chasing him.** Lately he had decided to challenge himself and see how long it took him to make it over the rock wall, through the tree house itself, shimmy up the fireman's pole, down the spiral staircase, and across the rope bridge. From there he would swing himself down onto the tire swing which was five feet above the ground, swing high and fast until he had enough leverage to jump off and grab the four-sided-rope-ladder, climb to the top, and rush through the net tunnel before going down the second spiral staircase and across the monkey bars and jumping down to barrel roll onto the ground.

He'd been attempting this every day for about two weeks and so far, his record was seven minutes. Harry wanted to do it under five minutes. He wanted to prove how fast he was and then he could show Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus how brilliant he was at running through the course.

Marauder barked after him as he jumped down onto the tire swing, grinning as he pumped his legs back and forth in an attempt to gain more momentum and speed. He stood up on the swing, laughing as Marauder stayed up on the platform, barking at him.

"Shush, Marauder!" Harry said, trying to angle himself for the jump.

He held tight to the swing and on three, propelled his body upwards and towards the four-sided-rope-ladder and missed by a quarter of an inch, slamming his elbow into the wood and then his head before tumbling the eight feet to the ground.

His breath rushed out of him as he landed on his right arm and he heard something snap as his head bounced off the ground.

Marauder rushed down the stairs, barking madly, and hurrying towards his boy.

Harry groaned, using his left arm to touch his head and his hand came back bloody. _Oh no, Uncle Sirius is going to be so mad_ , he thought, and then he promptly passed out.

Sirius was washing his motorbike on the side of the house, 'The Immigrant Song' blaring from the wireless. He looked up with a grin as Marauder came running around the corner, barking madly.

"Hi, boy," he said, frowning when the dog continued to jump up and down, barking wildly. "Calm down, Marauder, what is it?"

Marauder continued to bark, turning his body and barking towards the yard.

Sirius put his rag down, eyes on the dog. "Marauder, what is it?"

Marauder gestured towards the yard again and Sirius' blood heated.

"Where's Harry?"

Marauder bolted back around the house and Sirius ran after the retriever. He saw Harry immediately, lying on the ground below the treehouse, and his heart stopped. He slid across the lawn on his knees, grabbing his godson, the sight of the blood running down his head making him pale.

"HARRY!" he yelled, turning the boy over. His head was bleeding badly and his right arm was bent sideways.

"Marauder, go get Moony. Go!"

Marauder raced off towards the house barking wildly and Sirius prayed that Remus hadn't left yet. He cradled the child in his arms and stood up, his knees shaking. He was going to be all right, he said to himself, he's going to be all right.

Sirius was practically running towards the house by the time Remus came outside to see why Marauder was dive bombing at the backdoor.

"Sirius, what the hell is wrong with Marauder he keeps — HARRY! " He paled, rushing forward, wand outstretched. "Put him on the chair, Sirius!"

Sirius carefully lied him on the lounge chair, his hands shaking. "Moony, his head… I… I think he fell. We have to get him to St. Mungo's! Braxton should see him! We have to get him to see a healer, I'll call Poppy and Braxton! What if they need to operate? I don't have a good first aid kit! I don't have any more pain potions! All I have is the stuff for when he's sick! Moony, he can't die!"

Remus slapped Sirius across the face so hard, his head snapped back. "Calm the fuck down! He's going to be just fine!" He pushed Sirius out of the way and hovered over Harry, his wand on his head. "Get inside and get some warm water and a towel and get your goddamn wand!"

Sirius nodded, so pale that Remus' handprint was visible on his face as he ran into the house.

Remus carefully turned Harry's head, his heart pounding like a jackhammer in his chest. He was pleased to see the small superficial cut on the back of his head. Head wounds always bled profusely, he thought, calming slightly. Harry groaned when Remus' hand touched his neck. "Shh, it's all right, little Prongs, don't move, okay?"

Sirius came rushing back out of the house with a clean towel and a bowl of warm water and his wand, which he had left in the kitchen. "Here, Moony!"

"Dab at his head, Sirius, it's just a small cut," Remus instructed carefully.

Sirius nodded, his hands still shaking and when Harry groaned again when the warm cloth touched his head, Sirius cried out. "Oh, Prongslet, it's okay, baby, it's all right, Uncle Moony and I are here."

Sirius carefully mopped up the blood and Remus put his wand to the cut, gently sealing it closed. Harry's eyes fluttered opened and he groaned again as he attempted to move his right arm.

"Ow," he murmured, eyes looking up at the two panic-filled faces of the men in front of him.

"Harry!" Sirius exclaimed, a huge grin crossing his face. "Hey, Prongslet, hi, my baby, you okay, Harry?"

"Sirius, give him a second," Remus said carefully, taking Harry's right arm in his hand. "Harry, I'm going to heal your arm. It's going to hurt a lot, but only for a few minutes, okay?"

Harry nodded, his left hand gripping Sirius' tightly. "Okay."

Remus carefully bent Harry's arm back and Harry cried out, biting his lip. "I know, little Prongs, I know, I'm sorry," he murmured, his wand pressing to the bone as he muttered 'brackium emendo.'

Harry bit his lip so hard it bled as he felt his bones re-knitting together like sharp needles stabbing him all over his arm. It only lasted a few minutes and then it was gone and Remus breathed a sigh of relief.

Tears rolled down Harry's cheeks now as he sat up and Sirius threw himself on top of him, arms crushing him against his chest so tightly that he found it hard to breathe.

"Uncle Padfoot!" he hissed, but Sirius only lessened his grip, he didn't let go.

"Harry, my heart stopped!" Sirius exclaimed, pulling back to look into Harry's eyes.

Remus reached over to grip Harry's face in his hands. "What happened? What were you doing, young man?"

Harry flushed. "I just missed the rope ladder is all."

Sirius' eyebrow rose in question. "Explain."

Harry quickly outlined his race plan and told them how he had been running across the obstacle course every day to see how fast he could go and when he explained how he jumped off the tire swing up towards the rope ladder, but had missed and fell, crashing into the treehouse as he went down, Sirius immediately crushed him to his chest again.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, YOU ARE NEVER TO DO THAT AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR ME?" Sirius yelled, his grey eyes flashing in anger. "If Marauder hadn't…" He swallowed carefully before he continued. "When I saw you lying there… blood…" He buried his face in Harry's neck as he hugged him. "What were you thinking?"

Tears rolled down Harry's cheeks as he clung to his godfather. "I'm sorry, Uncle Sirius. I was just playing and I slipped. I've done it before, dozens of times!"

Remus tugged Harry away from Sirius, crushing him up to his own chest. "Harry, Sirius and I were so scared when we saw you like that. We're not mad at you. We know that it was an accident." He breathed into Harry's hair, sighing. His heart was still pounding so fast that he knew Harry must be able to feel it against his cheek. "Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere else?"

Harry shook his head, clinging to Remus. "No."

Sirius' hands shook as he reached for Harry again, cradling the child into his lap. "Merlin, Harry, you scared me half to death!"

Harry buried his face in Sirius' bare chest. "I'm sorry."

Sirius held him close for a moment and then he pushed him back to cover his face in kisses. "My heart stopped, Prongslet. It just stopped and I completely panicked. If Uncle Moony hadn't been here… and my wand was in the house because I'm a fucking idiot… Uncle Moony had to slap me."

"What?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

Sirius nodded, smiling gratefully at Remus. "I wasn't thinking and Uncle Moony had to slap my face to get me to stop panicking. I thought that you were dead," he said, covering Harry's face in kisses again.

Harry buried his face in Sirius' chest. "I'm sorry. I was just playing and I fell."

Marauder butted his head in now, licking the back of Harry's neck and he giggled.

Sirius scratched Marauder behind the ears, grinning widely. "Marauder, you are a godsend and you are going to get nothing but the best fucking prime dog food money can buy. I'll even chop up a nice big juicy steak for you," he said, rubbing the dog's belly when he rolled over. "Yes, I will, because you are a good boy, such a good boy." He kept his arms around Harry, his eyes meeting Remus'. "Thank Godric you were here, Moony and thank you for slapping me. I needed it."

Remus smiled, gently rubbing a hand up and down Harry's back. "Of course. Even if I hadn't been here, Sirius, you would have been all right. You would have taken care of Harry."

Sirius nodded, kissing the top of Harry's head. "Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I need a giant fucking ice cream sundae."

Harry perked up, tear-stained face smiling. "Really?"

Sirius nodded, smiling. "Really. And while we eat this giant fucking ice cream sundae, you and me are going to talk about what you should and should not be doing on that jungle gym treehouse, okay?"

Harry nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Okay."

Remus slid Harry's glasses back onto his face. "Come on. Fortescue makes the best ice cream sundaes."

Harry took Remus' hand in his own and smiled as Sirius stood up, dusting his jeans off.

"I just need to find a shirt," Sirius muttered as he hurried into the house ahead of them.

When he stepped into his bedroom, he took a minute to catch his breath, staring at his still shaking hands. If that hadn't been the scariest moment of his entire life, he didn't know what was. He looked into the mirror and saw blood smears on his chest. He was pretty sure that Harry had just aged him five years. He quickly cleaned himself off, put on a clean shirt and made his way downstairs to his friend and godson.

They were definitely having a talk about rules on the treehouse and rule number one was going to be not to scare the living daylights out of Sirius Black.

And that was that.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius continued to write to Althea on a monthly basis and she responded in kind,** f **illing him in on her wedding plans, her new job and all about Xander, who he was liking more and more the more she told him about him.** Not only was he a very qualified and well-known healer in the study of the brain, but he was more than just intelligent. He had a dry sense of humour and he found himself chuckling at some of the jokes he had shared with Althea. The house he had bought was in Athens and apparently the view was spectacular. They were planning on a beach wedding on Zakynthos Island where Xander's grandparents lived. The wedding was to be for the next year and they were very excited about it. Althea also mentioned that Medea was pregnant again.

Sirius told her all the incident with the treehouse and how much he had completely panicked. She reassured him that his reaction was normal and that will boys will be boys and he would have to learn that Harry was going to hurt himself from time to time, though hopefully nothing quite as serious again any time soon. He told her all about Harry's first time on a broomstick, followed by the days of him flying afterwards. He spent almost every waking moment flying around the yard and having the time of his life. His friends came over often and Harry had even shown Neville how to mount the broom, but the broomstick had sensed Neville's fear and Sirius vetoed Neville actually flying. He convinced Neville to climb up onto the broom with him and fly and that seemed to calm him down as he clung desperately to Sirius in the air, the wind whipping through his hair (reminding Sirius of how uneasy Neville still was on his motorbike when it came to flying as well).

Sirius had let Harry take his broom to the Burrow to play Quidditch, grinning when Harry had told him that Ginny's brothers absolutely refused to let her play because she was a girl. Harry had then invited her over alone and let her fly on his broomstick, Sirius had been surprised by just how talented she was on a broom herself. Harry and Ginny had decided to keep her flying skills a secret; especially when in October, Ginny let it slip to Sirius that Fred had showed her how to pick locks the Muggle way and she had been breaking into the broom shed with her bobby pins and borrowing her brother's brooms at night time to practice in secret.

Sirius really liked that little spitfire.

Before Sirius' twenty-ninth birthday, he had to ground Harry for the first time, something that he was pretty sure had hurt him as much as it did Harry.

Harry had asked him if he could spent the night at the Weasleys and Sirius had said no because he had classes with Remus the next day, but maybe on the weekend. Harry had proceeded to wait until Sirius went into the yard and then he used the Floo to arrive at The Burrow. Sirius had spent a frantic thirty minutes trying to find his godson before Molly Weasley had Floo called to ask him why he hadn't sent Harry over with any pjs. Harry had immediately been sent home and Sirius had hated yelling at him.

"Harry, what were you thinking?" Sirius demanded, glaring at his godson. "I told you no and you went anyway!"

Harry looked down at his feet. "I know."

Sirius knelt down in front of him. "Why did you go when I told you no?"

"Mr Weasley said if I came over we were all going on a sledding adventure. And I wanted to go and if I went on the weekend than they would have already went."

"You didn't tell me that there would be sledding when you asked, Harry," Sirius told him. "If you had explained why specifically you wanted to go I might have changed my answer."

Harry nodded, his eyes meeting Sirius'. "So can I go now?"

"No," Sirius said sternly. "You went without my permission and directly disobeyed me. I am very angry with you. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I realized that you weren't here?"

Harry bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry."

"Good," Sirius said. "You should be sorry. And I'm afraid that you're grounded."

"Grounded!" Harry protested, his eyes wide. "You've never grounded me before!"

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Sirius said stubbornly. "Two weeks, Harry. You can't see your friends or play on your broomstick or ride the motorbike or go into the treehouse. You will study with Remus, take care of Marauder, and play in your room. Do you understand?"

Harry's eyes flashed in anger. "That's not fair!"

"It's not about fair," Sirius told him. "You did something wrong and there are consequences to that. Look at the rules in the kitchen, Harry. What does number nine say?"

" _Always tell the truth_ ," Harry read softly.

"Exactly and you lied to me, Harry. Prongslet, I am very disappointed in you."

"I'm sorry!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes filling with tears.

Sirius nodded. "I know you are and I'm sorry too. Punishment starts now, so go on up to your room. I'll call you down when dinner is ready."

Harry looked at him with such wounded eyes and Sirius' heart clenched, but he stayed firm as he watched his godson trench up the stairs.

It had hurt both of them.

The two weeks dragged on for both of them, but after Harry's parole was lifted, they both agreed that it had been a deserved punishment and Harry apologized again and again for lying and for sneaking out. He also had to apologize in person to Mrs Weasley for lying to her and telling her that he had permission to come over when he hadn't.

Christmas came and went and a simple Happy Christmas card arrived from Narcissa, reminding Sirius that she had made the promise to stay polite while still not associating with him, but he sent her a Christmas card in turn, a loud boisterous one that sang carols and he knew that she would absolutely despise it, which was exactly why he had chosen it. Sirius had a small New Year's Eve party at his house, inviting Harry's friends as well as his own to celebrate and to usher in the year 1989. They stayed up late and Sirius let the Weasley twins set off fireworks in the yard to usher in midnight and they all clapped in celebration.

Althea wrote another letter after Christmas, informing Sirius that his wedding invitation would be arriving within the next month (said wedding would be in August of 1989), that Apollo and Medea were having another girl (name still to be determined), and that his grounding of Harry had been the mature and smart decision to make no matter how tough it was to see through. Althea also mentioned that she was very proud of him for sticking to his guns and going through with the punishment.

 _Saying no is hard_ , she wrote, _but be firm and stick to your word_.

Sirius responded with happiness for her wedding and told her of this lovely black-haired beauty named Belle that he had met in Diagon Alley. She was five years older than him, recently divorced and had been looking for a bit of fun. Sirius took her dancing and they spent two glorious weeks together before she had to fly back home to Paris. He told Althea not to worry and that his date for the wedding would be Harry as he hoped to meet a sexy bridesmaid at her wedding. Sirius told her how Remus had recently gotten back together with Veronica Riley, only to break up with her again after two weeks when she suggested that they try to take things more seriously. Althea had responded with: _Someone is deeply afraid of commitment._

Sirius knew that commitment wasn't Remus' problem, but he couldn't exactly say that. He was worried about his friend though. He had been happy with Veronica but he had pushed her away just as he always did. Just because he was a werewolf. But nothing Sirius ever said to him made any difference. Remus wouldn't give any relationship a chance no matter what his friends said to him.

Remus refused to acknowledge his friend's words no matter how good intentioned they were. He was a werewolf which meant that anyone he potentially spent time with could be hurt and it was the last thing that he wanted. He didn't need the look of utter disgust to cross someone's face when they learned of his secret. He wasn't willing to put himself through that hardship no matter what.

Nothing Sirius said would change his mind.

Harry celebrated his ninth birthday with a big party in the yard and a day at the Muggle amusement park with Sirius (Ron, Ginny, and Neville attended as well) and as August came in, Sirius and Harry dressed up and waited to take the portkey to Greece to attend the wedding of Althea and Xander on Zakynthos Island.

The weather was beautiful, sunny, and warm and the smell of the ocean made Sirius smile. They sat in the back of the church as Althea and Xander promised to love and cherish each other until death do them part and then they headed out to the reception on the beach.

Althea greeted Harry happily, smiling and kissing his cheek. "Harry! Look at you, you've grown so much!"

Harry grinned up at her. "You look pretty, Healer Thea."

She smiled at him. "Thank you. But I'm not your healer anymore so how about you just call me Thea?"

Harry nodded and grinned.

Althea introduced him to Xander, who stared at Harry in awe. "The Boy Who Lived? Wow, what an honour!"

Harry blushed at this and moved closer to Sirius who ruffled his hair in comfort.

"We just call him Harry. Congratulations to both of you! What a beautiful wedding," Sirius told them sincerely, winking at the dark-haired bridesmaid who was smiling at him from across the room.

They spoke in small talk for a bit before Althea and Xander hurried off to greet the other guests. Sirius brought Harry over to Apollo and Medea. Apollo was holding Daphne and their new daughter Circe was in Medea's arms. Apollo asked Harry how Marauder was doing and showed him photos of Marauder's brothers and sisters, much to Harry's delight.

They ate dinner and Harry went to play with the other children on the dance floor so Sirius asked the dark-haired bridesmaid to dance. Her name was Persephone. Sirius told her he had an owl named as such and she grinned at him. They danced together for almost thirty minutes and after checking that Harry was still happily playing with the other children, Sirius let her lead him into a broom closet without protest.

In less than five minutes, her dress was hiked up around her waist and Sirius had her knickers bunched into his back pocket, his trousers undone as he rode her against the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she panted his name, her hands clenching his butt as he shagged her. His fingers slid into her and she arched towards him, her hips desperately moving against him, searching for release. When his other hand tugged the bodice of her gown down and his tongue found her bare breast, she cried out her release and he soon followed.

Twenty minutes later, they both felt immensely better as they straightened their clothing and grinned at each other. Sirius kept her knickers; whispering that she would only get them back later that night, and she kissed the back of his neck as they stumbled out of the closet.

Two hours later, Sirius took her again, bent over the vanity in the ladies dressing room. He handed her the knickers across the vanity when they finished.

"Don't forget these, love," he whispered, kissing her goodbye.

Persephone had just grinned at him.

Sirius danced with a few other women and danced with Harry on the dance floor. He had even conned Medea into one dance making the woman smile. When Althea and Xander said goodbye and goodnight and the happily married couple took off for their honeymoon. Sirius and Harry took a portkey back to Devon, both exhausted.

Harry rambled on about how much fun he had and how nice it was in Greece while he got ready for bed. But the boy was beyond tired and his eyes were already closing as Sirius tucked him in. He kissed his forehead and told him he loved him, but Harry was already asleep.

Sirius smiled as he watched his godson sleep for a moment. The love he felt for the boy sometimes grabbed him by the heart so tightly that he didn't now how to respond. He was nine years old already and in two short years he would be going to Hogwarts. He was incredibly proud and terrified at the thought.

Sirius closed Harry's bedroom door halfway and headed into his own room with a smile. Time really did fly.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Just to help with the names._

 _Apollo and Medea Castellanos_

 _Daphne (2)_

 _Circe (8 months)_

 _Althea Castellanos Papakonstantinou and Alexander Papakonstantinou_

 _Thanks for reading and please review!_


	53. Chapter 53

_Author's Note:_

 _There are a few key things I want to happen before Harry goes to Hogwarts, but it is coming soon. I like to think that if Harry and Neville had become friends when they were younger they would have talked more about how they both had lost so much; lost their parents and well bonded over it, I guess. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to In My Life by the Beatles._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE:**

 **The thunder cracked across the sky making Neville jump and Harry laughed as he settled himself in the hammock in the tree house.** Neville hopped up into the hammock with him, grinning back.

"It gets me every time."

Harry grinned. "I noticed," he said, chuckling at his friend. "Two days ago I was at a wedding in Greece with Uncle Siri and the first day you come over to play and there's a huge thunderstorm."

Neville smiled at him, settling himself comfortably in the swinging hammock. "It's okay. I like storms. I find them soothing."

Harry nodded, agreeing. He loved to just listen to the thunderstorm, watch the lightning illuminate the sky, and watch the colours of the sky change dramatically as the storm moved across the horizon. "Me too."

It was almost midnight and the lightning illuminated the night sky, but the fairy lights kept a dim glow in the treehouse. Neville was staying with them the whole weekend, much to the delight of both Harry and Neville. Augusta Longbottom was traveling to see an old friend in Paris and Neville had asked if he could stay with Harry and Sirius instead of going to stay with his great uncle Algie. Harry and Sirius had been pleased to have him.

They had spent the afternoon playing outside and helping Sirius wash his motorbike. Sirius had taken Neville for a spin on the bike and then the three of them had played football in the yard. Sirius had gone inside to make dinner and Harry and Neville had played with Marauder. Now Sirius was in the house and the two of them were supposed to be sleeping, but the storm had woken them up.

"This treehouse is the best thing ever," Neville said. "I still can't believe that Sirius built it for you. He's the absolute coolest."

Harry smiled. He had to agree with that statement. "Uncle Sirius is the best."

Neville smiled sheepishly at him. "You're so lucky to have him, Harry."

"I know, Nev," Harry told him. "I think about it sometimes, how different my life would be if I was still living with those Muggles."

"You dream about them sometimes, don't you?" he asked quietly, looking at Harry through the sides of his lashes. "They treated you badly."

Harry hesitated and then he nodded. He had never told any of his friends about how bad it had been before Uncle Sirius. He had been dreaming about them before the storm had woken him. "Sometimes."

Neville nodded. "You cried out in your sleep about not wanting to be alone in the dark and… not to hurt you, so I wondered." He was quiet for a moment. "I didn't want to ask you, but you were talking in your sleep and… were the Muggles really that bad, Harry?"

Harry nodded, looking at his friend. "They hurt me a lot," he admitted, his face flushing. "I did magic sometimes by accident and they called me a freak and they punished me for it."

"A freak?"

"Yeah," he said, flushing redder. "Uncle Sirius says that anything they told me is a lie and that I'm supposed to forget about it. But sometimes… sometimes, I can't forget."

Neville smiled at him. "I don't think you're a freak, Harry. I think you're just unlucky like me. Both of us lost our parents. Yours died, but you got Sirius. Mine are… well, you know, and I got Gran. Sirius loves you and he's the best dad in the world and Gran loves me and she's a great grandmother and mum too sometimes, but… they're not our real parents."

"I don't even remember my parents," Harry said as the thunder made both of them jump this time.

Neville nodded, his eyes looking out at the storm as he spoke. "Harry, can I tell you something?"

"Yeah?"

Neville bit his bottom lip before he looked at his friend. "You're going to think I'm stupid."

Harry nodded. "No, I won't."

Neville twisted his hands in his lap as he spoke. "Gran is taking me to see my parents tomorrow for our weekly visit after she picks me up."

"Uh-huh."

"I don't like going there."

"Don't you want to see your mum and dad, Nev?"

Neville shook his head. "It's rather horrible to go there. Mum and Dad just smile at me and talk about strange things. Gran says that they love me and that they love when I come visit but… I don't think they know who I am, not really."

Harry hesitated before he spoke. Neville had never really talked about his parents before. The only thing that Harry knew was they were still alive, but that Neville lived with his grandmother. When he had asked Uncle Sirius about it, Sirius had told him that something bad had happened to Frank and Alice Longbottom when Neville was a baby and now they had to live in a special ward in St Mungo's.

"Neville, why don't you live with your parents?"

"They're insane."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Insane?"

Neville picked at the string hanging from his shirt, not meeting Harry's gaze. "Death Eaters attacked us when I was a baby and they tortured my mum and dad. Gran says that they were very brave, but that their minds were destroyed. They don't really remember me nor who they are most of the time. But they know each other and love each other. Gran says that's a good thing. But sometimes when I go there, Harry, I don't know what to say to them. I come here and I see how great Sirius is and… I wonder if my dad would be brilliant like that, if he weren't crazy that is."

Harry nodded, smiling sympathetically. "I'm sure he would be."

Neville pulled a pink gum wrapper from his pocket. "My mum gives me these whenever I see her. Gran always tells me to throw them out but … I keep them. That's stupid, isn't it?"

"No, it's not. She's your mum, Neville. I… I don't remember my parents, not really. Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus are always telling me about them, but I don't really remember them," he said sadly. "But on Halloween, we go to Godric's Hollow and to their graves and we talk to them and on their birthdays we went this year too. And I feel bad when I go."

"Why?"

Harry shrugged, his eyes on his friend. "Because I go to see them and to honour their memory and I don't really remember them. Sometimes… sometimes I… I pretend that Uncle Sirius is my dad. I like to think he is."

Neville grinned. "He's the greatest dad. Sometimes I wish he was my dad too."

Harry grinned back. "The best dad in the world! But then I remember that I had a real dad once and I feel bad for wishing Uncle Sirius was my dad when I don't really remember my real dad."

Neville shook his head. "Nah, that's not a bad thing, Harry."

"It's not?"

"No. Sirius is kinda your dad. He lives with you and he takes care of you and loves you like a dad should. Your dad would too, but he died. I'm sure he'd understand if you thought of Sirius as a dad. I think my dad would understand that I sometimes wish Sirius was my dad too."

Harry rubbed his hand over his churning gut. "Maybe he would. My dad sounds like he was the coolest bloke. Uncle Sirius says that he once made an entire castle the size of the kitchen table entirely out of cheese and toothpicks. He decorated it with kiebalsa and crackers and would only let his mum get rid of it by helping him eat it."

Neville laughed. "That sounds awesome! We could make a cheese castle."

Harry grinned. "I don't know if we have enough cheese."

Neville smiled. "I bet Sirius wouldn't even get mad."

"Nah, he'd help us," Harry said with a grin. "Nev?"

"Yeah?"

"Sirius can be your kinda dad too if you want."

Neville beamed at him. "Thanks, Harry."

Harry beamed back at him. "So, should we go into the kitchen and see if we can make a giant cheese fort?"

Neville grinned widely. "Definitely."

Three hours later, they had definitely made a giant fort. It wasn't entirely made out of cheese, but it was held together by toothpicks and thick slices of bread held the corners together. The mix of bread, cheese, crackers, and salami covered most of the kitchen table. They used fruit for the doors and windows and broccoli as the decoration, adding tiny trees outside of it. Harry grabbed the camera and took a picture of their work and then they sat down and started to eat it.

It was where Sirius found them two hours later, curled up asleep in the kitchen half inside the fort they had made.

His eyes had widened at the sight of it and all he thought was that he should never have told Harry about James building a cheese fort when they were twelve. But he had to admit, they had done a bang-up job. He helped himself to the grapes on the top, heading over to the wireless record player and putting on the new Guns and Roses album that he had picked up in Muggle London.

Neville immediately opened his eyes, grinning at Sirius. "Good morning."

"Morning, Nev," Sirius said with a grin, helping him out of the fort. "Looks like you two were busy last night."

Neville yawned hugely, stretching his arms out. "The storm woke us up."

Harry crawled out next, blinking owlishly as he adjusted his crooked glasses. "Hi, Uncle Sirius."

"Hmm," Sirius said, crossing his arms in front of him. "Well, it looks like a pretty great castle, well planned," he said, eyes on the fort. "However, you did make it pretty large, which means I hope you two are hungry."

"Can't we have waffles for breakfast?" Harry asked.

Sirius grinned and shook his head. "Can't let this food go to waste, Harry. It looks like you two are eating this fort for breakfast _and_ lunch." He reached forward and broke off a chunk of cheese. "At least you used healthy choices," he said as he popped the cheese into his mouth and tapped the fort with his wand to keep the food fresh and chilled, smiling at the boys. "Now, what's the plan for today, guys?"

Harry and Neville grinned at each other and then they both tackled Sirius to the ground, tickling him as Sirius laughed and tried to disentangle himself from the boys. When he finally managed to break free, he grinned widely at them.

"Oh, this means war."

The three of them spent the morning playing an intense game of tag that involved hiding, pranks, and elaborate traps set to avoid getting caught. When Neville hid in the fort, Sirius was forced to eat his way through the salami and cheese sandwich to find him only to have his face covered in water and Neville escaped. Sirius cornered Harry, but got blasted by silly string as Neville shot him with the Nerf gun and distracted him so that Harry could escape.

Sirius picked up Neville, flipping him upside down and carrying him across the yard as he giggled madly and Harry laughed. "All right midgets, you two win!"

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed as Sirius put Neville on the ground.

Sirius smirked at them. "Now, how about we get dressed for the day?"

Neville grinned up at him. "Or you could tell us a story?"

Sirius smiled at him, ruffling Neville's hair. "I'm not much of a story teller, kid, that's more Remus' area of expertise."

Neville pouted. "Tell us something about our parents — you said that they were friends."

Harry nodded eagerly. "Yeah, Uncle Sirius, how were my mum and dad friends with Neville's mum and dad?"

Sirius sighed and took a seat on the lounge chair on the patio, smiling when the two boys each crawled up on either side of him. He extended the chair a bit to give them more room and draped an arm around both of them.

"Um, let's see, a good memory of the four of them?" He looked thoughtful for a moment and then he grinned. "Well, when James and Lily got married, Frank and Alice were pretty fun to have around."

Neville smiled up at him. "My parents went to Harry's mum and dad's wedding?"

"Of course they did! They were friends," Sirius said, grinning as he remembered. "Alice was even a bridesmaid."

 _Lily was standing in front of the full length mirror in the dressing room of the church, taking deep breaths. She smiled when Sirius' hands rested on her shoulders._

 _"You're an absolute vision, Evans."_

 _She smirked at him. "In less than an hour it's going to be Potter."_

 _Sirius chuckled. "Hard to believe sometimes."_

 _"You can say that again," Alice said as she carefully finished tying the blue ribbon around Lily's bouquet of pink apple blossoms. "Remember how hard she tried to deny it when it was obvious to everyone that she was falling for him?"_

 _"You mean when James pulled his sweaty Quidditch jersey off after a game and she stopped talking to me mid-conversation and stared at him, her eyes widening. I watched her lick her lips and then she flat out denied it." Sirius said, grinning at his friend._

 _Alice laughed. "Or when she had those dreams about him?"_

 _"I didn't get to hear about any dreams," Sirius said with a grin. "Maybe we need to share those."_

 _"No!" Lily said, flushing red. "We absolutely do not, Alice!"_

 _Alice smiled. "You and James were meant to be together, hun. We all knew it in fifth year."_

 _Sirius nodded. "Absolutely. Now, speaking of Prongs, I must go check on him as my best man status. Alice, keep doing what you're doing and keep her calm."_

 _He let himself out of the dressing room just as Mary and Marlene, the other two bridesmaids, headed inside with a bottle of champagne. Sirius grinned when he recognized Frank Longbottom outside the groom's dressing room._

 _"Frank!"_

 _"Hey, Sirius, I've been waiting on you."_

 _"What's up?" Sirius asked, slipping his hands into his pockets._

 _Frank nodded out towards the church. "Snape's in the back row."_

 _Sirius' eyes widened in surprise. "He showed up?"_

 _"I thought someone should know. I know he used to be friends with Lily, but I had understood that he was no longer her friend and I know he and James aren't exactly chummy, so I wondered on why he was here."_

 _Sirius nodded. "To see Evans is my guess. Don't worry about him, Frank, he's not going to do anything. But thanks for looking out."_

 _Frank grinned. "Naturally, how's the groom doing?"_

 _"Why don't you come inside and see?"_

 _Sirius opened the door, Frank following him inside and laughed when he heard Euphemia._

 _"Jamie, if you'd just stop pacing I could get the cufflinks on you!"_

 _"Mum," James said in exasperation, holding out his wrists to her. "How am I supposed to stand still? I'm getting married!"_

 _Fleamont slapped his hand on his son's shoulder, grinning broadly. "That you are. She's a hell of a woman too, James."_

 _"And she looks so gorgeous right now," Sirius said, grinning when his friend's eyes snapped to his. "I tried to convince her to have a nooner with me, but she said she didn't want to ruin the dress."_

 _"Fuck off, Padfoot," James said with a grin. "No way in hell she'd sleep with you."_

 _Sirius grinned. "I have my charms, Prongs."_

 _"James is looking a bit nervous, eh, mate?" Frank asked, passing him a glass of champagne from the bottle Remus was pouring out._

 _"I'm terrified and a bit queasy and so happy," he said, taking a sip of champagne._

 _Fleamont smiled at his son. "I felt much the same on my wedding day and it was one of the happiest moments of my life. You should be terrified and queasy because you are so in love with that young woman that you can hardly breathe without her. Today you will wed her and you two will belong together. You will love and cherish her and don't let a single day pass without you telling her why she is the most important person in your life. Any man lucky enough to find love should thank his lucky stars every day. I know I do," he finished as Euphemia beamed at him._

 _"Oh, Monty," she said, standing on her toes to kiss her husband softly. "I love you."_

 _"I love you more," he said, kissing her again._

 _Frank smiled at them. "I know I thank my lucky stars that Alice said yes. We've only been married for two months and I still can't believe it."_

 _"Us married couples will have to hang out sometime, have a party, play some games?" James said with a grin._

 _Frank grinned back. "Talk about our women."_

 _Sirius laughed. "Rem, Pete, you guys hearing this? We're being replaced by a woman and other married couples?"_

 _Peter grinned. "Prongs is stuck with us, Padfoot, don't worry."_

 _Remus nodded. "Lily already knows that by marrying Jamie she inherits us as well."_

 _James grinned and ushered his three friends in close, arms around them as they huddled together. "You boys will always be my life, my most trusted friends, and my brothers. Lily is the love of my life, the most important person in my life outside of you three. I love you, guys!"_

 _"Aww," Sirius said, kissing James noisily on the cheek._

 _James wiped at his cheek in disgust as he hugged his friends. "No kissing, you git!"_

 _Remus laughed and hugged James tightly. "Lily is basically an honourary Marauder anyway. We love her and we love you. Congrats, mate."_

 _Peter nodded, hugging James close. "You deserve this more than anyone. I hope you're both incredibly happy together."_

 _"Thanks, Pete." James grinned at Frank and opened his arms. "Bring it in here, Longbottom."_

 _Frank chuckled and hugged James. "Being married is wonderful, James. Congrats."_

 _Sirius slapped his hands together and grinned. "Alright, Mum, Dad, get our boy up to the altar there with Pete and Rem, I have to go find the beautiful bride-to-be and walk her up the aisle."_

 _James beamed at him. "I'm marrying Evans."_

 _Sirius grinned back. "You sure are." He squeezed his friend's arm and hurried back out to where Lily was. He stepped inside just as Mary spoke._

 _"I still can't believe that you are finally marrying James Potter after all the fuss you made about how much you would never even go on a date with him."_

 _"Oh shush, I was wrong, okay?" Lily said, grinning widely. "And I've never been so happy to be wrong."_

 _"Wow," Sirius said, staring at Alice, Mary and Marlene in horror. "She must be under a spell. I think Evans just admitted she was wrong. Did the world end?"_

 _Alice laughed and passed the bouquet to the bride. "Potter's heart will break when he learns the truth."_

 _Lily rolled her eyes and took another deep breath. "James is everything to me. I can't wait to marry him."_

 _Sirius kissed her cheek. "And trust me, love, he can't wait to marry you." He held his arm out to her. "Are you ready?"_

 _Lily accepted his arm, a huge smile on her face. "I've never been more ready in my life." She placed a hand over her stomach. "My heart is pounding and I'm… terrified and nervous as I've never wanted anything so much in my life."_

 _"Your parents would be so proud of you," he said, kissing her cheek. "And I'm honoured that you've asked me to give you away in your father's place."_

 _Lily smiled up at him. "I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather have walking me down the aisle in his place."_

 _Alice dabbed at the corners of her eyes. "Oh, Lily, you're so beautiful! Let's get you married!"_

 _Lily grinned widely and watched as Alice headed up the aisle with Mary and Marlene. When Sirius passed her to James, he was lit up like a Christmas tree, love in his eyes. The minister pronounced them man and wife and James scooped up his wife into his arms and kissed her deeply as the church cheered._

"At the reception afterwards, Frank gave a great toast to making new friends and growing old together," Sirius told them, a smile on his face. "Lily had always been friends with Alice, but we didn't really know Frank that well until after school had ended. He was two years ahead of us and we met him afterwards when we were fighting in the war. He was hopelessly in love with Alice. He would get this goofy look on his face whenever she walked into a room." He smiled at Neville. "That's why it's so wonderful to know that even though they don't have their minds fully anymore, their hearts still recognize each other like they recognize you."

Neville flushed and turned his head into Sirius' arm. "Sometimes I don't think they do."

Sirius kissed the top of Neville's head and then the top of Harry's head. "James and Lily and Frank and Alice were four of the bravest people that I have ever met. We can even call them power couples. They loved each other deeply and fully and they fought together back to back and side by side against the Death Eaters and against anyone who wanted to harm them or anyone they loved. Both Lily and Alice were beyond terrified when they found out that they were pregnant and when they learned that they were due almost the same day, they became even better friends, clinging to each other when James and Frank had to go out and fight and they were forced to stay back to keep you boys safe. Frank used to say that they were fighting the good fight so that their boys wouldn't have too. I remember watching the two of them, standing side by side in St Mungo's looking into the nursery and watching their sons sleep. They were friends and they were allies and the war hurt all four of them. Voldemort killed Jamie and Lily. His followers, desperate to find their master, tortured Frank and Alice. But you two boys are the result of those two great love stories — don't ever forget that. I don't know what it's like to not remember your own parents, but I did know your parents, and you boys should be so proud to be their sons."

Neville and Harry both wrapped their arms around Sirius.

Harry looked up at his godfather, his green eyes wet with unshed tears. "I love you, Uncle Siri."

Neville nodded, hugging Sirius tightly. "Thank you for telling us that."

Sirius smiled and hugged both of them close.

~ ASC ~

 **When Neville went home and Harry closed his eyes in his own bed that night, he thought about what Sirius had said about how brave his parents had been.** He hoped that one day he would be as brave as they had been. He wouldn't want to disappoint them.

Or Sirius.

It was the last thing on his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

He was crawling on the carpet while the grown-ups talked around him.

"And then I told her that if she didn't want me to bring her flowers anymore she only had to tell me," Peter insisted stubbornly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "And then she told me that I was too sweet for her! What does that even mean? So I walked out."

"Oh, Peter," Lily said, shaking her head as she draped an arm over his shoulder. "You are too sweet for her. I'm sorry that it didn't work out."

Peter shrugged, smiling at her. "Thanks Lily. Am I really too sweet for her?"

Lily smiled warmly at him. "The sweetest. Jamie never brings me flowers anymore," she said, looking over at her husband who was letting his Snitch fly out and clapping whenever Harry caught it in his hand.

"Hmm?"

Sirius slapped James on the head with the rolled up newspaper in his hand. "You don't bring your wife flowers."

James' eyes widened looking rather a lot like a deer caught in the headlights. "Sure, I do! Don't I?" he asked as Harry crawled into his lap attempting to take the Snitch from his father's hand amidst the distraction.

Lily bent down and kissed him, sighing when he cupped her neck and held her to him, deepening the kiss. "I still love you. You're safe."

He grinned foolishly as she stood up and he kissed his son's forehead. "You hear that, Harry? Mummy still loves me."

"Da, snish!" Harry exclaimed, hands groping the air.

James grinned and let the Snitch fly out again, smirking when Harry grasped it quickly. "Future Quidditch star, Evans."

Lily smirked and turned back to Peter. "Pete, do you want to stay for dinner? I know you were supposed to take Charlene out tonight."

Peter shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Nah, thanks though. I think I'm going to just go home. I'll check on Mum first on my way. Where's Rem tonight?"

"Dealing with Mr Lupin's lawyer. I asked him if he wanted me to come, but he wanted to do it alone," Sirius said, glancing out the window as if he hoped his friend would be walking up the drive. He stood up as well, kissing Lily's cheek. "I'll come with you to visit your mum, Pete, before I go home."

Peter nodded. "She'd love that." He ruffled Harry's hair. "Bye Prongs II."

"Bye-bye-bye!" Harry said, arms extended towards Peter.

Peter hugged him goodbye and Sirius did the same and then Harry crawled back over to his father.

"Da!"

James grinned and picked up his son, standing him on the floor before him. "I know you miss the Marauders already, Harry, me too."

Lily sat down on the floor next to her husband, stretching out and wrapping an arm around his waist, her head resting in his lap as she smiled at their son. "I feel so bad for Peter. Charlene treated him quite terribly."

"Mmhm," James murmured, his hand gently running through his wife's hair. "I didn't like her from the first."

"I know, but Peter seemed too. I didn't want to say anything to him, but I think she was cheating on him."

"I think so too. He deserves better."

"I wish he'd get back with Madison. They were great together," Lily said, remembering the brunette that Peter had dated for almost eight months and had brought to their wedding.

James smiled. "Babe, you can't try to marry off all of my friends. Let them find happiness on their own."

Lily smiled up at him, laughing when Harry lied down next to her, his head resting on his father's knee. "I can't help it. I want everyone to be as ridiculously happy as I am. Then I feel guilty for being so happy when there's a war going on." She kissed Harry's cheeks, his nose, his forehead. "And you make me so happy, Harry, yes, you do."

He giggled and planted a wet kiss on his mum's lips. "Slooch!"

Lily snuggled him close, sitting up and smiling when James opened his legs and she settled herself back against him, her son in her arms and James' arms wrapped around both of them. "Sometimes Jamie, I wake up in the middle of the night and I see you lying next to me and I just think, this is what happiness is. Am I wrong for wanting our brothers to have it too?"

James kissed her ear. "No, you're not wrong. I just think that you have many years before it happens. If anyone is going to take the plunge next I'd put my vote on Pete. Sirius is too much of a terminal bachelor; shags them and leaves them, and we both know how Rem feels about it."

"I wish Moony would see himself the way we do. Any woman would be so lucky to have him."

James kissed her ear again, smiling as Harry played with the necklace around his mother's neck. "I know, love." His lips trailed down the side of her neck.

Lily tilted her head to give him better access, smiling at Harry and sighing when James began to suck on her skin. "Jamie, Harry is right here."

James smiled against her skin. "So? It only shows him how much in love his parents are."

Lily turned and kissed him deeply. "Its time for Harry to have a nap anyway. Maybe we can have a little nap too, but ours will be naked."

James grinned widely and kissed her softly. "I like the way you think, Mrs Potter."

Lily passed Harry to her husband. "Why don't you go lie him down and I'll get dinner prepped?" She kissed Harry's cheek. "Daddy is going to put you down for a nap, Harry. Mummy will see you when you wake up. I love you."

"Mumma!" Harry said, smiling at her.

James tossed Harry up into the air before he snuggled him into his shoulder as he stood up. "Come on, little man, time for bed." He headed up the stairs, holding Harry close. "When you go to sleep, Mummy and Daddy are going to have their own little nap, a naked nap," he added grinning to himself.

"Da!"

James kissed Harry's forehead, sitting down in the rocking chair in the nursery. "Come on, Harry, time to sleep, okay?" He cradled him over his heart, gently rocking the chair back and forth. "Daddy will sing to you."

Harry stared up at him, green eyes wide as James began to sing.

" _There are places I'll remember, all my life though some have changed. Some forever not for better, some have gone and some remain. All these places had their moments, with lovers and friends I still can recall; some are dead and some are living, in my life I've loved them all. But of all these friends and lovers, there is no one compares with you. And these memories lose their meaning, when I think of love as something new. Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them, in my life, I love you more. Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them, in my life, I love you more_."

He placed a kiss on the top of Harry's head, "I love you more, Harry." He carefully put him down on his back in his crib, smiling down at him. "Now you go to sleep, little man."

Harry grinned up at him, eyes drooping and James gently rubbed a hand over his belly as Harry stared up into the loving hazel eyes.

When Harry opened his eyes, Marauder was sleeping on his feet and he felt like warm arms were wrapped around him. He could almost feel his father's hands on him and he reached for the stuffed stag, cuddling it close. His parents had loved him and he didn't know if that had been a real memory or not, but it had felt so real and he felt so loved.

"I love you more, too, Dad," he whispered before he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep, a big smile on his face.


	54. Chapter 54

_Author's Note:_

 _There are a few key things that I want to happen before Harry goes to Hogwarts, but it is coming soon and many more time jumps along the way._

 _This was just something that I was playing around with doing because I love having those moments with your friends where you talk in nothing but song lyrics or movie quotes and I felt like this was something that the Marauders would do. Also, I personally am not one to advocate recreational drugs of any kind, but there's no way that the Marauders did not get high at least once or twice while they were in school in the 1970s and I thought that this was the perfect opportunity._

 _I always thought James dated other girls and had relationships with other girls before Lily. He didn't just pine for her. I also fully support the idea that he may have done so in an attempt to make her jealous. Obviously Lily dated other people as well. Anyway, I hope you like it._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to: Don't Bother Me; I Saw Her Standing There; I'll Cry Instead; I've Just Seen A Face; I'm A Loser; I Am the Walrus; Act Naturally; Hold Me Tight; Carry That Weight; With A Little Help From My Friends; Across the Universe; While My Guitar Gently Weeps; Something; Eight Days A Week; Can't Buy Me Love; Because; Let It Be; and Strawberry Fields Forever — all by The Beatles of course._

 _I've been writing away here lately, Harry just got his Hogwarts letter and I'm considering how to proceed from here. We will see where the story takes me._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR:**

 **After Neville went home and Harry went to bed that night, Sirius took the Pensieve down into the kitchen.** Talking about Frank and Alice and James and Lily made him remember how hard James had worked to prove to Lily that he wasn't the arrogant toe-rag and conceited jerk that she thought he was. Remembering them in love was easy; it had been like breathing for them once they had finally gotten their act together, but the build up of James trying to win Lily's affections — that had been priceless, and it had truly taken years.

After they had written their OWLs, and Lily had stormed off, leaving James bewildered by her lack of interest by the Black Lake, James had seriously decided that it was time to pursue her. He had fallen in love with Lily Evans in third year, but Sirius knew that he hadn't really realized that he was in love with her until the end of fifth year. And he'd only thought himself in love with her. The moment that James had truly fallen after they were dating, that's when he had become the man she loved. The man she would love until her death.

Sirius thought of the memory of when he had made the bet with James, ten Galleons that Evans still wouldn't want anything to do with him by that time next year. He had lost the bet. They weren't officially dating by the end of sixth year, true, but Evans was definitely interested.

He hesitated as he remembered the bet they had made. James had gotten some marijuana from a seventh year Hufflepuff named Todd Robson and they had smoked it in their dormitory while drinking Firewhiskey, maybe that wasn't exactly the best thing to show Harry, he thought. He shrugged and then grinned as the memory started. It had been the seventies and they had all been sixteen, he thought with a grin. And they hadn't done it often, maybe five times ever. This had been the second or third time they'd smoked weed if remembered correctly.

He watched the memory unfold before him, a smile on his face.

 _James was lying on the floor in the middle of the fifth year boys' dormitory, records were strewn around him as the album_ With The Beatles _was playing on the wireless record player._

 _Sirius' eyes met Remus' as they looked at their friend. His eyes were closed and he was singing along to the record, a cloud of marijuana smoke around his head from the joint sticking out of his mouth._

 _"Uh, Prongs?" Sirius asked, lying down next to his friend, plucking the joint from his friend's mouth and taking a toke, choking a bit as he inhaled. "You okay?"_

 _James' eyes opened and he stared up at his brother. "This song is my life._ So go away leave me alone, don't bother me. I can't believe that she would leave me on my own, it's just not right when every night I'm all alone _."_

 _Remus' eyebrows rose as he sat down on the other side of James and accepted the joint from Sirius, looking at it in interest before he hesitantly brought it to his lips. He let out a long breath of smoke, finding it rather soothing as he choked softly._

 _"First of all, where did you even get this? Secondly, this song is not your life. Thirdly, Lily didn't leave you on your own because you've never even had her to begin with. What's going on, Prongs?"_

 _James dragged his fingers through his already messy hair, making it stick up in every which direction. "We go home tomorrow."_

 _"And?" Sirius prompted._

 _"I thought it was just… I mean, she's beautiful, right? And she's smart and she's funny and she's witty and Godric, she has fucking beautiful green eyes but…_ well she looked at me, and I, I could see that before too long, I'd fall in love with her _."_

 _Remus grinned. "Are you just quoting Beatles lyrics now?"_

 _James grinned sheepishly as he sang in response. "_ Well, my heart went boom, when I crossed that room and I held her hand in mi-iine! _"_

 _"Jamie, mate, how fucking high are you?" Sirius asked, taking another toke from the joint._

 _"I've barely had any. You know, two years ago I saw her standing there and I just… I fell in love with her. I refused to admit it to myself; it was just a fancy, I'd get over it but today… when she told me that she'd rather go out with the giant squid than me…_ I've got every reason on earth to be mad, 'cause I just lost the only girl I had, if I could get my way, I'd get myself locked up today, but I can't, so I'll cry instead. _"_

 _"Jamie, you never had her, mate," Remus said sympathetically. "Are you really in love with her?"_

 _James nodded, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm not sure when I fell, Moony, but today… she's just amazing. That hair and that smile, not that she ever directs that smile at me, but when she does… it lights up the room and her eyes… Merlin, she's just, she's just Evans, mate. She's fucking fantastic."_

 _Peter came into the room, choking on the marijuana smoke. "What the hell, guys?"_

 _Sirius simply passed the joint over to Peter._ "Help! I need somebody! Help! Not just anybody!"

 _Remus rolled his eyes. "Are we all speaking in Beatles lyrics now?"_

 _Sirius grinned as Peter stretched out next to him so now the four of them were lying in a circle in the middle of the dormitory, heads all close together. "If we have to listen to Prongs moan about his lost love then I vote yes."_

"Help me if you can, I'm feeling down; and I do appreciate you being 'round. Help me get my feet back on the ground; won't you please, please help me? _" James sang, closing his eyes._

 _Sirius walked over to his trunk and rifled through it before pulling out a bottle of Firewhiskey. "That's exactly why we're here, Jamie." He looked at Peter who was still examining the joint in his hands. "Put it in your mouth, Pete, and inhale if you want it, otherwise pass it back to Prongs."_

 _Peter did as Sirius instructed, coughing loudly as he waved at the smoke. "That's… wow."_

 _Sirius grinned and looked at James. "First things first, Prongs, if we're going to help you then you better drink."_

 _James accepted the bottle and took a swig of the liquor. "How is this going to help, Padfoot?"_

 _Sirius sat back down, his back against his bed post. "We're sixteen. We'll be sixth years next year and you my friend are going to get Lily Evans to fall in love with you. Now drink."_

 _James took another drink, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "How?"_

 _"She thinks you're a conceited arse which to be fair, you are. She also thinks you are a bully, which again, you are, at least to Snivellus — that stupid git. But she also knows you as James Potter, Quidditch star, McGonagall's star pupil, and the second best looking guy at Hogwarts, after me obviously."_

 _"Oh, brother," Remus muttered, taking the bottle from James. "Jamie, don't take his advice."_

 _"I have great advice."_

 _"I was the first one of us to lose his virginity which makes me the advice giver," Remus said smugly as Sirius made a face at him._

 _"Big deal, Moony, I shagged Sarah two days after you lost yours to Ji. Besides, in second year I got a blow job from Deanna Kane," Sirius huffed in annoyance. "Not to mention the first time I went down on a girl was in fourth year… who knew girls would taste so damn good down there?"_

 _James rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes you are both the experts and obviously whores to boot so shut it."_

 _Peter laughed. "And Jamie and I aren't virgins either," he said with a smirk. "I had sex with Ruth two months ago."_

 _"And then she dumped you for Florean, hoping to be the ice cream queen obviously," Sirius said with a laugh._

 _Peter glared at him. "Well, James slept with Delta this year and with Eesha!"_

 _"Thanks, Pete, I'm aware of who I've had sex with thanks," James said. "That's what I'm saying though! I've had girlfriends and snogging partners and why doesn't Evans like me?"_

 _Remus sighed. "Because with those girls you weren't trying to impress them, Prongs, you were just being yourself. With Evans it's like you don't know how to be yourself."_

 _James sighed at his friends. "You know the moment, it was in third year, all of a sudden it was like I saw her in an entirely different light. All of a sudden,_ I'd just seen a face I can't forget the time or place where we just met she's just the girl for me and I want all the world to see we've met, mm-mm-mm-m'mm-mm. Had it been another day I might have looked the other way and I'd have never been aware, but as it is I'll dream of her tonight, di-di-di-di'n'di. _"_

 _Peter rolled his eyes. "Can we please stop randomly singing during conversation it's confusing?"_

 _"I'm expressing my feelings through song, Wormtail!" James moaned, taking the joint again. "And Robson took pity on me and gave me this joint because he said that I had been publicly humiliated by the Black Lake like the loser I am."_

 _"You're not a loser, James," Remus said._

 _James changed the record to_ Beatles for Sale _, and sang wildly._ "I'm a loser. I'm a loser. And I'm not what I appear to be. Of all the love I have won and have lost, there is one love I should never have crossed. She was a girl in a million, my friend; I should have known she would win in the end. I'm a loser; and I lost someone who's near to me. I'm a loser; and I'm not what I appear to be. Although I laugh and I act like a clown, beneath this mask I am wearing a frown. My tears are falling like rain from the sky, is it for her or myself that I cry? I'm a loser! _" James pointed at the record player. "This song was written about my life!"_

 _"Don't be so dramatic or I'll start calling you Sirius," Remus said, passing the Firewhiskey to James._

 _"Hey! I take offence to that."_

 _"Shut up, drama queen," Peter said with a grin as Sirius shoved him._

"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together, _" Sirius said. "So that means you're all fucking drama queens too!"_

 _Remus grinned, ignoring Sirius and Peter's fight. "James, you're not a loser. You just have to learn how to be yourself. Stop going so out there to get her attention. Lily is a simple girl, James. The more you put yourself as the centre of attention the more you push her away."_

 _Sirius grinned and slapped James on the back. "He can just be the lonely sad man he is. You know:_ I'm the man that's sad and lonely, begging down upon his bended knee. I'll play the part but won't need rehearsing, all I'll have to do is just act naturally. _"_

 _"Piss off, Black," James said, shoving his friend. "I'm not sad and lonely. I just… I want Evans."_

 _Peter wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "He wants to sing to her," he grabbed James' arms, wrapping them over his shoulders as he sang loudly and off key._ "Hold me tight, tell me I'm the only one and then I might, never be the lonely one _."_

 _"Piss off, Wormtail!" James said, struggling out of his friend's arms as he laughed._

 _"_ Are you sad because you're on your own? _" Sirius said, taking a drink of the Firewhiskey. "_ Boy, you gotta carry that weight, carry that weight a long time _."_

 _"What weight?" Peter asked, staring at Sirius._

 _Sirius laughed and reached for the joint again. "Fuck if I know, now I'm just quoting lyrics because I can. Jamie here needs a little help from his friends."_

 _"_ With a little help from my friends, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends, keep on getting high, with a little help from my friends. I need somebody to love _." James muttered, closing his eyes._

 _"Fuck, we are high," Sirius said, closing his own eyes. "I lost track of the conversation, but Robson has good fucking weed."_

 _"_ Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup. They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe. Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind; possessing and caressing me, _" James sang softly, turning to pat Peter's arm. "_ With every mistake we must surely be learning, still my guitar gently weeps _."_

 _Peter grinned at him and took the Firewhiskey. "Now we're getting way too philosophical here. Let's get back on track. How are we going to get Evans to like Prongs or are we just going to sit here and sing random lyrics?"_

 _James sighed and a foolish grin appeared on his face. "_ Something in the way she moves attracts me like no other lover. _"_

 _"We know, Jamie, shut up," Sirius muttered, shoving his friend. "We know you love her_ eight days a week _and all that, but you_ can't buy her love either, she don't care too much for money. Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you _… that's fucking deep, man," he said, grinning widely and his eyes bugged out. "You should fucking sing to her!"_

 _James grinned, sitting up. "She does smile at me whenever I pull my guitar out!"_

 _Remus grinned at his friends. "She has said more than once that James has a beautiful voice and she does love to listen to him play the guitar. But I think if he just sang to her right now she would definitely turn him down. He needs to prove himself to be the man that we all know he is, but who Lily doesn't."_

 _"You are_ speaking words of wisdom _, Rem,_ let it be _," James said, giggling now._

 _"Show Lily your kind heart and stop being a conceited berk, m'kay?" Remus said, smiling at his friend. "Then maybe, maybe you'll get lucky and Lily will take you down to her strawberry field."_

 _Sirius giggled now, grinning. "Moony! Getting kinky, how do you know she has a strawberry field down there?"_

 _James grinned wickedly. "Bet it's all red and gold and dark browns like her hair. Do you think she'd let me you know, go down on her like that? I bet it smells like her, like lavender and honey suckle."_

 _Remus slapped James' shoulder. "Prongs, you have to convince her to go out with you first. Worry about that later."_

 _Peter giggled and burped loudly. "Prongs wants to be in her strawberry field forever."_

 _James shoved him and grinned. "Give me that whiskey and turn up the music. We have some detailed planning for next year."_

 _Sirius did as he asked and grinned. "To stop you from being a conceited berk? Prongs, that might take the whole fucking summer."_

 _"Fuck you," James said simply._

 _Sirius laughed and took another drink. "So Operation Make Evans Fall in Love with Prongs; what's step one, Moony?"_

 _Remus grinned. "Do I have to think of everything?"_

 _Peter grinned back. "You are the brains of the operation."_

 _"Nuh-uh," James said stubbornly. "I'm the brains of the operation and I know exactly how to make Evans fall in love with me."_

 _"Do tell then, Prongs my boy, do tell!" Sirius exclaimed, stretching his long legs out._

 _James simply grinned at them. "Watch and learn, boys, by this time next year, Evans will be mine."_

 _"Ten Galleons says she won't be," Sirius said with a smirk, his eyes on James._

 _James only glared at him. "You dare to bet against me, Black?"_

 _Sirius grinned. "I dare."_

 _James gave him the finger. "You're on and this time next year, you're going to eat your words."_

Sirius grinned as he finished watching the memory. James had made her fall in love with him. He had dated two other girls that year too and Sirius remembered how Lily had practically been seething with jealousy, not that she'd admit to it of course, but she had been. It had been fun to watch her and to nitpick her about how she was jealous and watch her vehemently deny it.

But James had won her over and watching the two of them fall in love had been a wonderful thing to see. He had never met two people who had belonged together more.

As he put the Pensieve away, he thought about what he told Harry and Neville and decided to add the memory of James and Lily getting married to his stash as well. He liked it when Neville came over. He felt like Neville needed him and he always enjoyed the way the boy seemed to look for affection from him. Harry didn't seem to mind either and Sirius thought it was nice the way they had clearly bonded over something.

They had both lost their parents.

They both couldn't remember a time when their parents were around; being insane didn't exactly count in Sirius' opinion in regards to Frank and Alice.

He knew Harry didn't want to tell Ron and Ginny about how bad his life had been at the Dursleys. Sirius knew that his godson was a bit embarrassed by it, but he often wondered if Harry had told Neville. The two of them had bonded in a different way than Harry had with Ron and Ginny.

Sirius sighed and snuck a peek into Harry's bedroom, smiling when he saw his godson sleeping with a huge smile on his face. He hoped he was having wonderful dreams, his boy deserved that. He went inside, wrapping him up and kissing his forehead, scratching Marauder's head when he looked up at him.

"Watch our boy," he told him.

Marauder looked at him as if that was obvious and went back to sleep.

Sirius sighed and headed into his own bathroom to get ready for bed. He opened the notebook on his dresser to write down the list of memories he had accumulated so far with a smile:

➾ Young Lily and Petunia

➾ Lily and Snape talking about Hogwarts

➾ First train ride to Hogwarts of James and Lily

➾ First train ride to Hogwarts of Sirius and James

➾ Remus' first train ride and meeting Peter

➾ The Sorting

➾ The first night in their dormitory

➾ The first day of school

➾ Sirius and James defending Lily and Mary from the Slytherins and his big fight with James

➾ When McGonagall told him to make his choice and pick his friends and how he made up with James

➾ Talking to Lily about his past

➾ Talking to James about his past and becoming blood brothers

➾ Sirius' twelfth birthday and the birthday cape

➾ Remus' memory about them confronting him about being a werewolf and deciding to become Animagus

➾ The incident at the Black Lake after OWLs

➾ Christmas at the Potters when they gave him his own room

➾ When Remus found out who had bitten him

➾ The Marauder tattoo

➾ The singing Howler

➾ The fight after the Quidditch Cup

➾ James and Lily's wedding

➾ The moment Harry had been born

➾ James singing to his son in the nursery

➾ Harry's first birthday

➾ When they chose Peter to be secret keeper

➾ When he found James and Lily dead

➾ When he went to Azkaban

➾ Remus leaving Harry with the Dursleys

➾ Operation Get Evans to Fall in Love With Prongs.

He smiled to himself. The collection was already getting very big. He and Remus had discussed it in length, whether or not to add the memories that Sirius had shown the court in his trial, but had decided to do so. Harry deserved to know everything about that night; as much as he could know.

Especially if one day Voldemort did actually return.

Sirius didn't want to think about it but he knew that one day, Voldemort would return and he knew that when he did, Harry would have a target on his back. It was something that terrified him.

He looked back at the Pensieve with a smile. He hoped that one day Harry would appreciate the work that he had put into the Pensieve; that he would get to see the wonderful lives his parents had lived and how much they loved him and loved each other.

He closed the notebook and locked it in the vault with the memories and the Pensieve and then crawled into bed, a smile on his face.


	55. Chapter 55

_Author's Note:_

 _Like I said last few chapters; the time for time jumps has arrived. There are a few key things I want to happen before Harry goes to Hogwarts, but it is coming soon. Not to mention that something else will be starting soon, kind of starting, more like implying as feelings come to the surface._

 _*Evil laugh*_

 _I hope you guys like it!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE:**

 **Sirius and Harry were invited to The Burrow at the end of the summer of 1989 to celebrate Bill's NEWTs and his upcoming apprenticeship with Gringotts _._ ** Bill was going to become a curse breaker and would be leaving to train for a year in South and Central America.

Harry made a beeline for Ginny when they arrived and hugged her tightly. She looked absolutely crushed, Sirius noted.

"It's okay, Ginny, Bill will come back home," Harry told her, knowing that's why his friend was so sad.

Ginny buried her face in Harry's shoulder. "What if he likes it better over there?"

"He won't," Harry insisted.

Ginny wiped tears from her eyes and smiled when George wrapped an arm around her. "George, everyone is leaving me!"

George kissed the top of her head. "No, we're not. You'll be back with us all soon; don't you worry, Gin."

Fred and George had recently been accepted to Hogwarts and would be starting in two weeks, leaving only Ron and Ginny left at the Burrow. The twins were beyond excited to be going to Hogwarts as they felt like they had been waiting forever for the opportunity. Charlie was a sixth year now and captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team; Percy was a third year.

"Then in two years Ron and Harry will come join us and then after that you'll come, Gin," George told her reassuringly.

Ginny sniffed back her tears. "I don't want Ron and Harry to leave me too!"

Harry hugged her tightly again. "It's okay, Ginny. Ron and I aren't going to Hogwarts yet."

Ron had shuffled over by now and grimaced when Ginny threw her arms around him. "Ginny!" He rolled his eyes at Harry. "She's mental."

Harry laughed as Mrs Weasley called them all over. Mr Weasley was making an announcement, smiling brightly as he spoke.

"Molly and I just want to say how proud we are of our eldest son William. Bill not only got exceptional grades all seven years, but he was both prefect and Head Boy and now his dream of being a curse breaker is finally coming true. Next week, Bill will be leaving with only three other students for South and Central America where he will be participating in a six month long training course on curse breaking. We know that he will excel at this just as he has at everything else he sets his mind too," Mr Weasley said, tears in his eyes. "Bill, we hope this is everything you want and always remember how much we love you. To Bill!"

"To Bill!" The yard cheered, lifting their drinks.

The entire Weasley extended family was there to celebrate Bill's departure. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and so many cousins that Harry definitely couldn't keep them all straight.

But Bill looked happy. His red hair was a little long, hanging over the edge of his collar, but he looked eager.

"What's the training entail, Bill?" Sirius asked him as Mr Weasley handed him another drink.

Bill grinned widely. "It's great! Every year the program trains somewhere else and this year it's looking at the ancient Mayan culture. We explore the culture and the tombs and the architecture and we learn how to look for potential traps. What's different between magical traps and Muggle ones and how to differ between them. It's absolutely fascinating. After my training, I can apply for a job directly with Gringotts Wizarding Bank or I can work in any of their outreach programs from Egypt to Australia to South America to Italy. The opportunities are endless."

Sirius smiled. "Sounds brilliant. A little adventure never hurt anybody. Good for you, Indiana Jones."

Bill's eyebrow rose. "I don't know who that is."

"Muggle hero; a very badass curse breaker. Harry and I just saw the film."

Bill's grin widened. "Then I'll take it."

"I can't tell you what a relief it's going to be," Mrs Weasley exclaimed to her mother-in-law from Sirius' other side. "I just hope that they don't cause as much trouble at school as they do at home."

Cedrella Weasley chuckled into her wine. "Timus told me that Arthur mentioned something about them causing some form of riot at King's Cross back in June?"

Mrs Weasley rolled her eyes. "They snuck past me an entire crate of mice and let them out in the middle of Platform Nine and Three Quarters! People were screaming and stumbling over the mice and the train station workers were trying to figure out where they had come from. It was an absolute mess!"

Septimus chuckled into his drink. "Fred and George do like to keep things interesting."

Mrs Weasley humphed in response. "Interesting is not the word I'd use, Dad."

Mr Weasley chuckled. "Now Molly, they're just having fun. We have to be positive that they will be on their best behaviour when they go off to Hogwarts."

"Do they even know what their best behaviour is?" Mrs Weasley asked her husband. She sighed as she looked at her mother-in-law. "Mum, are any of your other grandchildren this crazy?"

Cedrella laughed. "No, Molly, Fred and George are two of a kind."

Arthur's eldest brother Bilius and his wife Lucretia were talking about their eldest son's upcoming wedding. Septimus II had met a woman in Brazil named Bianca Sousa, a fellow Herbologist and they were planning on marrying before Christmas. Gaius had recently married himself. He was still an Arithmancer for the Ministry and his new wife Jillian Kinders Weasley worked in the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad. Marcus had moved into the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Tiberius, having just graduated with Bill had been accepted into the Healing Academy.

Arthur's elder brother Alphard and his wife Maureen were grandparents now as their eldest son Caradoc, who was still working in New York as an international ambassador with MACUSA, had married an Auror from MACUSA named Holly Gibbons. They had a little boy named Jeffery Weasley. Valerius was still a healer and still traveling the globe working for Healing Hands in Habitat. Gabriel was recently engaged to Susan Appleby, who worked with him in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Maximus had graduated from Hogwarts with honours and was now working as a lowly intern to the Minister of Magic. Marius was a sixth year with Charlie.

And miraculously, other than Val, every family member was in attendance; including Molly's aunt Muriel.

Cedrella introduced Sirius around as a fellow member of the Black family, telling her sons and grandsons that he was the white sheep of the Black family and making them all chuckle. They all knew that Cedrella had been blasted off of the Black family tree for choosing to marry the blood traitor Weasley.

Sirius merely smiled.

He found the extended Weasley family utterly fascinating.

~ ASC ~

 **While Sirius was being entertained, Harry, Ron and Ginny were playing out by the pond; swimming, laughing, and enjoying the sunshine.**

Ginny sat on the shore, kicking her feet in the water. "It's going to be so strange without Fred and George here."

Ron nodded, tossing the Quaffle across the water to Harry who caught it. "It's going to be really quiet, I reckon."

Harry smiled. "You'll get used to it. It's not like you'll never see them again."

Ron grinned. "We know that!"

Ginny smiled. "I like having all of my brothers home with me."

Ron rolled his eyes. "She likes the attention. Do you know that all she has to do is bat her eyes and Bill gives her anything she wants? Charlie too!"

"I do not bat my eyes, Ronald Weasley!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh whatever, Gin; Bill and Charlie spoil you!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Hey!" Percy exclaimed, stumbling over a root on his way to the pond. "What are you two yelling about? Do you think Harry wants to come over and listen to you two fight?"

Ginny looked ashamed. "No. I'm sorry, Harry."

Percy smiled at her, bending down to kiss the top of her head. "Good girl."

Ron stuck his tongue out at her and Ginny splashed him in the face as he spluttered making Harry laugh.

Percy slid into the cool water. "What was the argument about this time?"

"How Ginny always gets her way because she has Bill and Charlie wrapped around her finger!"

Percy sighed. "That's not true, Ron. It's just that… well, she's the only girl."

Ron simply glared at him. "So how come we gotta treat her different? She doesn't act like a girl! Yesterday she just rolled around in that mud bank with me, Fred, and George just the same and made mud pies too. She even made one and creamed Fred right in the face with it."

Ginny giggled and smiled at Harry. "There was a worm in it and it was hanging from his nose."

Harry laughed at the image.

Percy chuckled. "We all have our special skills, Ron."

Ron snorted and dove under the water to cool down. When he surfaced, he grinned cheekily at his older brother. "I'd rather have Ginny home with me with anyway. Mum is going to expect you to keep an eye on Fred and George."

Percy groaned respectfully. "I swear, those two better behave! I don't have time to be watching them twenty-four-seven. And Professor McGonagall is not going to put up with their shenanigans."

Harry grinned. "I don't know, Uncle Siri says that Auntie Minnie likes pranks."

Percy simply glared at him. "If you're talking about McGonagall, she will not put up with it, Harry. Trust me. And Charlie is only going to be concerned with Quidditch now that he's captain of the Gryffindor team this year. I think he's still working on that special project with Professor Kettleburn too, which will occupy most of his time when he's not playing. It's going to fall on me. Merlin, help me."

Ron grinned. "I can't wait to see what they do first."

Ginny giggled, jumping into the water and climbing onto Ron's shoulders and making him hurdle her around in the water. "I bet they prank Percy first."

Ron's grin widened. "Me too."

~ ASC ~

 **They did prank Percy first.**

Harry opened the letter from Ron, laughing as he read it aloud to Sirius the first week of September.

 _Harry,_

 _Fred and George are Gryffindors!_

 _They are very pleased as are Mum and Dad; that's everyone in the family! And they are off to quite a bang. Percy wrote home telling Mum and Dad that at the welcome feast, after the sorting, Fred kept flicking tiny wisps of whipped cream at Percy. I'm not clear on how or what exactly happened, but Percy ended up with an entire cream pie in his face and a food fight broke out right in the middle of the Great Hall. Apparently even Professor Dumbledore had some form of custard in his beard!_

 _Percy says that Professor McGonagall gave them two weeks of detention, no loss of house points though being as how it was only the first night. The twins thought it was the best ever and in Potions class the next day, they made tiny exploding clouds leap out of some of their classmates' cauldrons. Apparently the Potions professor was furious and took away house points._

 _Mum is livid. She sent a Howler and told them if they don't learn to behave she will bring them straight home._

 _Ginny and I have been laughing for days. We can't wait to see what they get up to next! Anyway, Mum needs to visit Auntie Muriel on Friday next for tea — any chance we can come visit you as we really don't want to go over there? Let us know as soon as you can._

 _Ron_

Sirius grinned widely when Harry finished reading the letter. "It sounds like Minnie has her hands full. Merlin, to have been a fly on the wall during that food fight!" he said, laughing. "We caused one food fight ourselves when we were at Hogwarts, but it was at breakfast back in fourth year. But to pull it off during the welcome feast — and they're first years!" Sirius chuckled. "Those two are something else."

Harry grinned. "Mrs Weasley sounds mad."

"Oh, I imagine she is," Sirius said with a grin. "Go ahead and write Ron back, Harry. He and Ginny are more than welcome to come over on Friday."

Harry grinned. "Excellent!"

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius sat at the kitchen table making his grocery list for the week.** It was mid November and while the snow had yet to fall, the bitter cold had swept in and reminded England that winter was around the corner. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were outside in the treehouse. Sirius had bundled them up for the cold and placed a warming charm in the main house where they were playing. He could see the lights through the kitchen window.

He was turning thirty tomorrow and couldn't quite believe it. In fact, he was doing his best not to think about it if he was completely honest with himself. Thirty, where the hell had the time gone, he thought.

He looked up when the back door opened and offered a warm smile to Ginny.

"Hi, there, Ginny; toilet break?"

Ginny shook her head and carefully took off her boots, coat, gloves, and toque. She climbed up onto the chair next to him. "Boys are stupid!"

Sirius grinned at her. "Well, I might be biased being that I'm a boy too."

Ginny rolled her eyes as if this was something too obvious for her to agree too. "No. You're a man. According to Auntie Muriel that means you are even dumber than boys."

Sirius choked on his tea. "Uh, thanks?"

Ginny merely shrugged, pulling her hair back into a high ponytail. "Can I hang out with you?"

"Aren't I dumb?"

She smiled shyly. "No, I didn't mean…" she blew her fringe out of her eyes. "Ron and Harry are stupid."

"Ah," Sirius said, standing up. "How about I make you a hot cocoa and you can tell me why they are stupid?"

Ginny grinned widely, her brown eyes smiling. "Yes, please."

Sirius moved to the cupboard to find the chocolate. "Well, what did the boys do to warrant stupid status?"

She sighed dramatically. "Ron is trying to teach Harry how to play chess. Harry said that Ted taught him, but that's he only played a few times as he's not very good. Ron loves chess. He's even managed to beat Bill and Bill's the absolute best at everything!"

"Uh-huh," he said, measuring out the vanilla ice cream to mix into the cocoa.

"I suggested that Harry try to take the Bishop, but Ron told him that was stupid and not to listen to me because I'm just a girl and girls don't even know how to strategize properly. And then Harry didn't listen to me and Ron did exactly what I tried to tell Harry that he was going to do in the first place! And do you know what he said to me?" she demanded, her hands on her hips. "He said that if I hadn't distracted him he would have made a better choice. And then Ron said that the treehouse was a boys only zone and that I should go play with some dolls."

Sirius' eyebrow rose slightly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. He had always saw Ginny as a bit of a tomboy and he couldn't even picture her playing dolls. "Do you even have dolls?"

Ginny glared at him. "No!"

Sirius chuckled as he mixed her beverage and added a poof of whipped cream on the top before placing it down in front of her. "Boys can be stupid, but you have six big brothers, Ginny, I don't think that this is a surprise to you."

Ginny looked at the hot cocoa in glee and stuck her pinky finger in the whip cream, licking off a taste. "I know. But when Ron bugs me I just go play with Fred and George until they bug me. But now they're all gone."

He smiled and knelt down next to her. "I know you miss your brothers. But you could always write them a letter. I'm sure that they'd love to hear from you."

She sighed. "It's not the same. And Bill is all the way in South America!"

"You and Bill are close, eh?" Sirius asked, remembering how it had been Bill and Ginny who almost three years ago now had befriended Harry and ergo introduced them to the Weasley family in the first place.

She nodded. "Bill's the best! When he's home from school, he plays with me and he reads me stories and he teaches me tricks and charms." She leaned close to whisper to Sirius. "He taught me some spells. He says that I'm going to be a great witch some day. And he taught me how to fly. Charlie showed me some tricks on the broom, but only when Mum wasn't around. Mum says that girls shouldn't fly on broomsticks."

Sirius smiled, standing up to sit back down in his seat. "I thought your brothers didn't let you play Quidditch."

Ginny scrunched up her face. "They don't. But Bill and Charlie let me fly with them, but only when they are around to watch and supervise me. Charlie says that a little thing like me can get carried off by the wind." Ginny gave him a pointed look as if to say she hardly believed that was going to happen. "But no Quidditch and I can only fly with them when they are instructing me. I'm too delicate for any other kind of flying."

Sirius chuckled. "You don't look delicate to me."

Ginny grinned widely and took a sip of her cocoa. "Daddy says that I'm his little princess, but even he knows not to say that I'm delicate! Sirius, can you tell me a story? I don't want to hang out with the stupid boys anymore."

He smiled at her. "I'm not really good with stories."

"Please, please, please!"

He sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. "What kind of story?"

She smiled brightly. "A love story."

He winced at that. "I _really_ don't know any of those."

Ginny pouted, her soft heart-shaped pink lips and her chocolate brown eyes staring up at him. "Pretty please!"

Sirius sighed and ran his hand over the stubble on his chin. "Alright, alright, just give me a minute here."

He tapped his fingers on the table. Damn if this little spitfire couldn't charm the horns off a goat, he thought. She had barely stopped talking since she walked into the kitchen and he was completely bewitched by her. A love story, he thought…

Ginny moved over to climb onto his lap, smiling up at him with her hot coca in front of her. "A really good love story!"

He smiled at her. "Um…" He didn't know any love stories, he thought, and then he smiled, well, he did know one actually… "All right, are you ready?"

She nodded eagerly, a bright smile on her face.

Sirius smiled back. "Once upon a time, there was a young boy named er, Jim, and he fancied this girl in his class named er, Lilah. Now Jim and Lilah had started off as friends, they got along and they liked the same music and liked the same jokes and had a good time together, but Jim didn't get along with her best friend, a boy named… Snyder. Jim's best friend Star also didn't like Snyder and together they kind of bullied him; treated him badly. Now Snyder wasn't innocent in this either, he often gave it back to Jim and Star as much as he could. He was jealous of them. Of their popularity and of how smart they were. But most of all, he was jealous of their friendship with Lilah. Anyway, Jim and Lilah were friends, but the more Jim didn't get along with Snyder, the more Lilah stopped liking Jim and one day Jim realized that he didn't just like Lilah. He loved her. The big L and he didn't know how to tell her."

He stood up, carrying Ginny on his hip as he went to the cupboard to grab a box of chocolate chip biscuits and put them on the table as he spoke, settling her back onto his lap comfortably. "Now, not knowing how to tell her made it hard for Jim. So he tried to do things to get her attention. Stupid things really. He ruffled his hair when she looked in his direction to make it look like he'd just been on a broomstick, he was a big Quidditch hero you see; he'd smile and offer her the best of all of the desserts at every meal; he'd quote love lines from their favourite music group, The Beatles. All of this she ignored. Then one day, he finally worked up the nerve to ask her out and Lilah thought that it was a joke. She told him there was no way she would ever go on a date with him. Jim was crushed. But when he told Star about how badly she turned him down, Star told him that maybe she was just scared and Jim took that to mean that he still had a chance."

Sirius bit into a biscuit before he continued. "Jim started asking her out whenever he could; surprising her at breakfast, in study hall, while working on projects, attempting to wheedle a date out of her no matter what and every time she said no with more and more conviction. Then one day, while he was being mean to Snyder, Lilah stormed over and demanded that he stop and Snyder said something so vile to her, something so hurtful that Jim became enraged. He demanded of Sniv-Snyder to apologize and Lilah became even more angry, said that Jim was just as bad as Snyder was and that she would rather go out with the giant squid then him. Jim was crushed, but he started to realize that maybe he was kind of a prat and maybe if he smartened up and stopped treating Snyder so badly, even though Snyder really, really deserved it, maybe she would give him a chance. So he did. All through the next year, he not only stopped being the bully, but he started stopping others from being bullies; taught them why it was wrong to bully people. He even apologized to Snyder who refused his apology and blamed him for losing Lilah's friendship even though Snyder did that all on his own. Jim continued to flirt with Lilah and one day, one day, Star noticed that Lilah was looking back at Jim too."

Ginny grinned widely. "Lilah loved him?"

"Shh, it's my story," Sirius told her with a smile. "Now Lilah didn't want to admit that she was falling for Jam-Jim, but she was, and the more he grew up and the more he matured, the harder she was falling until one day, she realized how much Jim had come to mean to her and finally, they went out on a date. They fell in love and Jim sang her favourite songs to her. They had fun together and with friends and one day after school ended, Jim asked her to marry him and it was the happiest day of her life. The wedding was beautiful, but a little sad too because Lilah's parents had been killed a few months before and her sister and she had drifted apart. Her sister came to the wedding, but it wasn't the reunion that Lilah had been hoping for so she asked Jim's best friend Star, who was also a good friend of hers, to walk her down the aisle which he did with pride. They promised to love and cherish each other until death parted them and they became man and wife."

"And they lived happily ever after?" Ginny asked, a small smile on her face.

Sirius' grey eyes looked sad for a moment. Happily ever after… for a little over three years after they married and then tragedy had struck them down. He smiled. "Yeah, they lived happily ever after."

Ginny smiled brightly at him. "I like stories with happy endings."

Sirius smiled back at her. "Me too. Now are you ready to go back out with the boys in the treehouse?"

Ginny shook her head. "I'd rather stay with you."

He chuckled. "Alright Red, if you stay with me you have to help me cook and the rules are, loud music is a must and you get to the do the chopping."

"What are we making?"

"I'm going to attempt a Shepherd's Pie with my leftovers. I've never made one before so it's going to be an experiment."

Ginny grinned. "I know how to make that already."

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise and then he grinned. "Of course you do, your mum is Molly Weasley. All right — let's get some tunes on and get chopping. You can show me what to do."

Ginny jumped off of her chair and grinned up at him. "Sirius?"

"Yeah, hun?"

"I don't think that you're a stupid man."

Sirius laughed and picked her up, sitting her up on the kitchen counter. "Why thank you, m'lady."

Ginny simply grinned at him. Yeah, she was a little spitfire alright, he thought. A spitfire indeed.

~ ASC ~

 **On Christmas Day of 1989, Remus found himself facing a big problem that he had never seen coming.**

He stepped into the Tonks' residence in Shoreditch for Christmas celebrations with Harry and Sirius, still feeling slightly affected from the moon only two weeks before. He had hit his winter hard time, which he liked to pretend didn't bother him, but he knew that he was in heat. Every winter, Remus found himself suffering through five to ten days of being in heat. He was sexual to the extreme and in times like now, when he was very much single, his hand got quite the workout trying to contain his strong wolfish desires for sex. It made being around people rather difficult, but he hadn't wanted to miss out on spending Christmas Day with Harry.

Now they were at the Tonks' house for Christmas Day dinner.

The young woman who was hurrying towards them in glee, throwing herself into their arms to greet them, was not the spunky little girl that he knew. Her hair was shoulder-length and choppy and she wore it completely hot pink now with soft lavender streaks that darkened it. Her eyes, the deep grey that ran in the Black family line, were outlined in long dark purple lashes and some female mystery had made the lids smoky and dark. She wore lipstick that matched her hair. Her ears were studded in bronze rings and dangling stars and she had a bronze choker around her neck. She wore tight blue jeans, barefoot with pink painted toes and bronze rings on three of those toes; a purple v-neck sweater that showed just a smidgen of cleavage and left her flat stomach bare revealing a dangling star bellybutton ring and when her arms wrapped around him in greeting, Remus' body responded.

Nymphadora Tonks had become an incredibly beautiful young woman.

She smelt like wildflowers and the scent tickled his nose as he carefully extracted himself from her, kissing her cheek chastely as he wished her a happy Christmas. He found himself watching her as she greeted Sirius and how she hugged Harry tightly, covering his face in kisses as the child giggled. She was so happy and carefree and Remus closed his eyes in horror as an image of pinning her back against the wall of the living room and diving into that mouth, his hands under her sweater, stroking her breasts came before him.

She was a child for Merlin's sake, he told himself in horror. A child and a friend at that and he had absolutely no business even thinking the thoughts that were going through his mind. He shifted, annoyed to find himself with a full blown erection and he closed his eyes, trying to will it to disappear; however he was on the fifth day of being in heat and he knew that was very unlikely.

He excused himself to go to the washroom; put a silencing charm on the door and quickly dropped his jeans, his hands immediately gripping his cock tightly.

He tried not to think about her. He really did. But an image of those plump pink lips wrapping themselves around his cock crossed his mind as he pleasured himself and when he came, he cursed himself for finding pleasure in thinking about her. He cleaned himself up and dressed quickly; calling himself terrible names. She was a child; okay in a few more months she would _legally_ be an adult at seventeen, but she was still a child. She was good and pure and the last thing that she needed was to be put anywhere near the darkness that he held within him.

He was absolutely disgusted with himself.

Remus took a deep calming breath before he stepped back out into the living room and one look at Nymphadora had his erection coming back into full swing. His blood hummed; reverberating through him as if he was attune to every move she made and he flushed at the thought. He used a glamour charm, hoping to hide it as best as he could and closing his robes tighter around his jeans, smiling at Andromeda when she handed him a glass of elfish wine.

Merlin, how would her mother react if she knew of the dangerous thoughts Remus was having in concerns to her only daughter. She would be horrified and disgusted. Oh Godric, he was a monster.

He sipped the wine and smiled at everyone, hoping to hide his thoughts. It only took fifteen minutes for Sirius to work his way over to him.

"You okay, mate?"

Remus shook his head. "No, I'm not feeling well. Do you mind if I duck out early?"

Sirius looked at his friend in concern. "You are rather flushed. Go on home; rest up."

Remus nodded and said his goodbyes, trying not to inhale Nymphadora's sweet scent when she hugged him goodbye, her delicious firm breasts pressing against him. He barely made it into his bedroom when he got home, pulling his jeans down and gripping his cock desperately. Her scent was still fresh in his nose and he thought about how her round bum had looked in those tight jeans as he pumped himself deliciously, fondling his balls and groaning as he came.

He was a bad, bad man, he thought.

A very bad man and as his erection grew again in his hand, he couldn't stop the thoughts of Nymphadora from coming into his brain and he cursed himself for it.

* * *

 _End Notes:_

 _What do we think of that Remus scene? LOL_

 _Just thought I would re-post this with my new additions just to help keep track._

 _Arthur's parents — Septimus and Cedrella nee Black Weasley_

 _Bilius Weasley m. Lucretia_

 _(a) Septimus Weasley eng. Bianca Sousa_

 _(b) Gaius Weasley m. Jillian Kinders_

 _(c) Marcus Weasley_

 _(d) Tiberius Weasley_

 _Alphard Weasley m. Maureen_

 _(a) Caradoc Weasley m. Holly Gibbons_

 _(i) Jeffrey Weasley_

 _(b) Valerius Weasley_

 _(c) Gabriel Weasley eng. Susan Appleby_

 _(d) Maximus Weasley_

 _(e) Marius Weasley_

 _Arthur Weasley m. Molly Prewett_

 _(a) William Arthur Weasley_

 _(b) Charles Septimus Weasley_

 _(c) Percival Ignatius Weasley_

 _(d) Frederick Fabian Weasley_

 _(e) George Gideon Weasley_

 _(f) Ronald Bilius Weasley_

 _(g) Ginevra Molly Weasley_


	56. Chapter 56

_Author's Note:_

 _Time for some more time jumps, but something big is definitely getting started here. And no, they are not getting together yet. But some feelings are definitely developing._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX:**

 **The New Year's Eve party of 1989 was just as fun as the last as they ushered in the new decade, but Remus found himself incredibly jealous when Nymphadora brought a date to the party.** A fellow Hufflepuff sixth year named Connor McGee that had his hands all over her and Remus found himself clenching his teeth in anger as he watched them.

A monster seemed to reside in his chest that had nothing to do with the wolf, despite the image that Remus had of turning into a wolf and ripping stupid Connor "handsy" McGee to shreds. What right did that little jerk have to touch her in that way?

"Moony, you look like you're thinking about attacking someone," Sirius said with a grin and then his eyes narrowed as he saw where his friend was looking. "That boy better watch his hands."

Remus nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

Sirius marched over there and whatever he said had Connor paling and Nymphadora glaring at her cousin, but it relieved Remus to see them no longer touching.

January 1990 came in cold and windy and Sirius and Remus took Harry sledding and skiing for the first time. Sirius was rather hopeless with the Muggle contraptions, but with Remus' help, the three of them were soon sailing down the hills happily and enjoying the cold weather.

March brought in Remus' thirtieth birthday and he smiled as Harry and Sirius celebrated it with him. Harry had pranked him by switching the cake and when Remus blew out his candles the whole cake blew up in his face, covering him in icing sugar and confetti as Sirius and Harry laughed like loons before Harry brought out the real cake.

Remus spent the night of his thirtieth birthday with a brunette named Amanda and as he rode her, he thought about Dora and he cursed himself for it.

He didn't stay the night and he didn't see her again.

At the end of March, Sirius was cleaning up after breakfast when the fireplace whooshed from the living room and they both hurried over to see who was calling them. Sirius' eyes widened as Mr Weasley stepped out.

"Arthur, this is a surprise."

Mr Weasley nodded, his eyes sad. "Sirius, can I have a private word?"

Sirius nodded, pointing his thumb behind him. "Outside, Prongslet."

"Aw, man," Harry said. "How come I can't know stuff?"

Sirius simply grinned at him. "Grown up talk. Go, put on jacket and take Marauder." He waited until he heard the backdoor close before he turned to Mr Weasley. "What's going on? Is everyone all right?"

Mr Weasley nodded, taking a seat on the chesterfield. "My family is fine, yes. I just wanted to let you know that… well, that Pandora Lovegood died last night."

" _What_?" Sirius asked in surprise, his eyes widening. "She's only two years older than me! What the hell happened?"

Mr Weasley nodded, tears in his eyes. "I don't know if you were aware, but Pandora is… was an outstanding Potioneer, brilliant and an absolute genius in her field, but a lot of that genius comes with the desire to create and to explore and to do that properly means experimentation. She was working on a new potion of some kind in her home potions laboratory and well… there was a terrible accident."

"Shit," Sirius said softly. The pretty brunette was so sweet and had been nothing but friendly to he and Harry. He wished that he had gotten to know her a little better outside of being a friend of Molly Weasley's and Luna's mother, he didn't really know her. "I never met her husband, but he runs a magazine, right? Is he with Luna?"

Mr Weasley's bottom lip trembled as he spoke. "Yes, he's the editor of The Quibbler. Luna was with her mother when the potion exploded. She watched her mother die and from what Molly told me… it wasn't slow. Xenophilius is with her now at the hospital. Luna had minor burns on her arms, but she hasn't spoken a single word since it happened, to anyone, not even her father."

"Merlin," Sirius whispered, eyes wide. "That poor child!"

Mr Weasley nodded, tears in his eyes. "Anyway, the funeral is going to be on Friday. I'm sure it would mean a lot to Luna if you and Harry came and I know that Xenophilius can use some friendly support. The poor man was head over heels for his wife and he's completely lost right now. Molly is heading over to the house now to help settle Luna in. She was supposed to be released from St Mungo's sometime this morning. She's going to see if he needs anything; to bring over some food and to see how Luna is doing. I just… I thought you should know."

Sirius nodded as Mr Weasley stood up. "No, thank you, Arthur. Let Molly know if she needs help with anything to let me know. I'd be glad to take the kids for a bit if needed as well."

"Thanks, Sirius."

Sirius stood in the living room looking out the front window for almost five minutes after Mr Weasley left. He couldn't imagine what Luna must be going through. She had only just turned nine years old last month and to have witnessed her mother's horrific death like that… he was afraid to find out what the potion was or what it might have contained that made it so deadly to Pandora and caused such burns on her daughter's arms. He sighed and made his way outside to where Harry was throwing a frisbee across the yard to Marauder.

"Harry!"

Harry saw him and hurried over, smiling. "What did Mr Weasley want?"

Sirius gestured for him to sit down next to him. "Harry, I have to tell you something very sad. Please come and sit with me."

Harry did as his godfather asked, eyes on Sirius. "What is so sad, Uncle Padfoot?"

Sirius half-smiled, wrapping an arm across Harry's shoulders. "Prongslet, there was an accident last night and Luna's mum was killed. She's dead, Harry."

Harry stared at Sirius, his eyes wide. "Mrs Lovegood is dead?"

Sirius nodded. "It was an accident, but she died and Luna was there. Mr Weasley said that the funeral is going to be on Friday and I think that we should go and show our support. It would mean a lot to Luna to see her friends there."

Harry was quiet for a long moment, his head on his godfather's shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. "Like with Neville's granddad?"

"Just like that, Prongslet," he said, kissing the top of Harry's head.

Harry turned into his godfather's arms, his own arms wrapping around him as he buried his face over his heart. "How can an accident take people away too?"

Sirius hugged him close, dropping another kiss to his head. "Sometimes life happens, Harry. Sometimes we lose those we love and it's very sad, but we have to believe that it was supposed to happen for a reason and that they are in a better place."

"Do you think Mrs Lovegood is with Mum and Dad and Mr Longbottom?"

Sirius smiled. "Of course. Your mum and dad are taking very good care of both of them. I know it."

Harry smiled against his chest. "Good. Luna won't want her mum to be all alone."

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead. "Come on; let's go finish our breakfast and then we'll see if Mrs Weasley needs any help for Luna's family, okay?"

Harry nodded, a small smile on his face. "Okay."

~ ASC ~

 **The funeral was on Friday.** Harry had never been to a funeral before, at least not that he could remember. He hadn't really known Neville well enough to go to his grandfather's funeral with him at the time. It was really sad and Harry didn't know what to do. He had liked Mrs Lovegood. She had been kind and pretty, but he didn't know her very well and he wasn't sad enough to cry. But Luna was his friend and she was sad.

At least he thought she was.

She stood up at the front, her long blonde hair in a braid down the centre of her back, her hand in her father's, and she stared at the wooden box that her mother was lying in. Sirius told him that it was called a coffin and that the box would be closed and then buried in a cemetery so that Mrs Lovegood could be placed at rest. Harry wasn't sure he liked that description. The thought of Mrs Lovegood being under the ground made him uneasy. Then he started to wonder if thats what his parents were in, some underground coffin and that made him even more uneasy so he pushed those thoughts aside.

Xenophilius Lovegood's long hair, the same shade as his daughter's, was pulled back in a plait at his neck. His eyes were bloodshot from crying and his face stained with his tears. Luna had shifted to rest her head against her father's ribs and his arm came around her protectively. He made a speech where he spoke about how he had met Pandora and how she had always called him eccentric, but he was her X and she was his everything.

After the funeral, Mrs Weasley told Sirius that Mr Lovegood had decided to take a year off and was leaving The Quibbler in the hands of his assistant while they were gone. He was taking Luna away on a trip to learn more about some of the creatures he wanted to write about and so that they could grieve together. Apparently they were starting in Denmark where a forest supposedly had a meteor that showed proof of moon frogs before spending some time in Greece to search for Heliopaths.

Mrs Weasley said that Luna still hadn't spoken a single word since her mother's death. Nor had she cried.

Sirius hoped that this year long trip with her father helped her grieve and to figure things out. The nine-year-old-girl needed to grieve her mother and needed to learn how to move on.

He understood that better than anyone.

~ ASC ~

 **In April, Sirius decided to take Harry on their first real family vacation.** After sending Kreacher off to check out some of the old Black family homesteads, Sirius had decided that they were going to Rome and were most definitely not staying in one of the Black family holdings. The manor in Sussex was occupied by his aunt and uncle; the house in Greece was currently being sub-letted to a wizarding couple who were working in the country on visas; the flat in South Africa was in much needed repair (Kreacher had agreed to go there and to make it presentable once again as he had already done to most of the Black properties thus far); and the condo in New York intrigued Sirius, having never been across the pond himself, but he ultimately voted on Rome.

Remus decided to stay behind, insisting that this was a vacation for the two of them as he had things he wanted to do here with them gone. Remus would keep Marauder while Sirius and Harry went abroad.

Sirius rented a large hotel suite in Rome for two weeks (deciding against staying in the decrepit Tuscany home) and planned the day-to-day activities before he told Harry about it. He was really excited. He couldn't even remember the last time that he had even gone anywhere himself. He was pretty sure that it had been after he had graduated from Hogwarts which to his surprise was over a decade ago.

When Harry finished his classes for the day on the Friday afternoon (he and Remus were up to the eighteenth century in both Muggle and magical history; quite fluent in Latin reading, writing and speaking; fairly fluent in French; and well versed in all forms of literature), Sirius was grinning widely at him.

"Got a surprise for you, Prongslet," he said.

Harry grinned back at him. "Must be a good one because you can't stop smiling."

Remus chuckled and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "He's got you there, Padfoot."

Sirius simply grinned wider. "Okay, okay you can see right through me," he said as Harry smirked knowingly at him. "Harry, we're going on holiday and we leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Harry's brow furrowed. "A trip?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah. We're going to Italy for two weeks. Just you and me. What do you say?"

His eyes widened. "Italy?"

"I thought it would be fun. We'll go around and see some of the old ruins, visit the ancient city of Pompeii and see the history there, catch a gladiator show and check out the venues, explore the catacombs and do some shopping… Plus there's an entire dragon reserve hidden in Tuscany where my family has a house. We're going to stay in a hotel, as I think you remember, the Black houses aren't in the best of conditions. What do you think, Harry? Does it sound fun?"

Harry's eyes had widened at the words 'dragon reserve'. "It sounds wicked! We're really going for two whole weeks!"

"We really are!"

Harry smiled at Remus. "You're not coming, Uncle Moony?"

Remus shook his head with a smile. "Nah, I got some stuff to do around here. But you and Uncle Padfoot are going to go and have a great time. And don't worry, I'll take good care of Marauder."

Harry beamed at him.

The next morning, Sirius and Harry both double checked their bags to make sure they were packed for the trip. Sirius had procured an international portkey straight into the Italian Ministry's Department of Magical Transportation otherwise known as the Dipartimento dei Trasporti Magici. Sirius had explained to Harry about the portkey and how it would feel to use one, but Harry still hadn't been fully prepared for the sensation of it and found himself on the ground looking up at his godfather when they landed in Rome.

Sirius simply grinned down at him and helped him to his feet. They were staying in the large wizarding hotel in the middle of Rome called La Locanda Magica (The Magic Inn). It was in the centre of Rome in the wizarding village of Caput Mundi. Once they were checked in and had unpacked a little, Sirius led Harry out into the wizarding village. It held a similar layout to Diagon Alley, but Caput Mundi also possessed a large Colosseum which had been built during the peak of the Roman Empire and was still very impressive and not actually in ruins. They went inside and walked through the barracks and the gladiator areas before seeing a Quidditch game held within the Colosseum, now used mostly as an arena for the sport.

"It's been years since I've come here," Sirius said wistfully after the Quidditch game.

Harry grinned up at him as they took a seat in a muggle café and Sirius, speaking perfect Italian, ordered them some food. "You were here before?"

"A few times. As a Black it was important to travel to important ministry functions and balls. I came to the Italian Ministry mostly for balls as a child with my parents but also a few times to the Zabini Manor in Sicily for parties and whatnot. The Zabinis are a well known rich family that have homes all over the world and the Baroness of Sardinia likes to throw elaborate parties. Plus we had a house in Tuscany, but I was only there once when I was about eight. The best time I ever had in Rome though was right after I finished school. Your mum and dad, Uncle Moony, and our friend Peter, and some girls from school, Mary, Marlene, and Dorcas, all came here for a bit. We took a big end of school trip; came here, went to France, Germany, Russia, and ended up in Hong Kong. We were gone most of the summer, it was an incredible trip," Sirius told him, reminiscing slightly.

"That sounds fun."

"It was," Sirius told him with a smile. "We had talked about doing it for years and the war was really getting darker and more intense and we decided that if we were going to go that was the time to do it. Fee and Monty pushed us to go. They said it would be good for us to get away and to see some of the world and not to let the war scare us into missing out on any opportunities. Monty said something about the war still being there when we got back and of course it was."

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Yes, Prongslet?"

Harry hesitated before he spoke, smiling at the waitress when she brought their beverages over, two tall glasses of pink lemonade. "You and Uncle Moony are always mentioning the dark times and the war," his brow furrowed slightly as he spoke. "Were you soldiers like in the Muggle books with uniforms and weapons?"

Sirius smiled at him, taking a sip of his own lemonade. "Kind of. We were definitely soldiers, but not quite the same. You see, Harry, you know all about who Voldemort was. He was a dark wizard, one of the worst in the world since Grindelwald. He had all sorts of followers and these people who followed him called themselves Death Eaters. The wizarding world was scared. People were dying and people were getting hurt and those that were followers of Voldemort, most of them did it in secret. They wore masks which meant that you never really knew who you could trust and who you couldn't. It was dark times and everyone was afraid. The Ministry of Magic and the Aurors were constantly working hard to try to put an end to Voldemort, but no one really knew how. But there was one person that Voldemort never really wanted to cross; someone that he was truly afraid of."

"Who?"

"Dumbledore," Sirius said with a smile. "Dumbledore's an amazing wizard, Harry. He's the one who defeated Grindelwald back in the 1940s. His battle with him is the stuff that legends are made out of. He's smart and brave and he seems to be almost fearless. Voldemort knew not to directly challenge him, but Dumbledore didn't know how to stop Voldemort himself either. He could see that Ministry of Magic wasn't quite up to the task themselves at least not in any way that he could see, so he started recruiting people that he trusted, people who he believed could help the cause and he formed a special organization to help fight the war in their own way. We were all involved in it. Some of us worked undercover in our jobs and some went undercover on missions to try to find out secrets and to learn who the Death Eaters were or who they were trying to recruit or to try to find out what Voldemort's next move was. It worked well as we caught some Death Eaters and that was how Dumbledore discovered that Voldemort was after your parents and you. But unfortunately it didn't do enough to end the war quick enough and to stop people from dying."

"Oh," Harry said quietly, drinking his lemonade.

Sirius reached across the table and squeezed Harry's hand in his own. "We were sworn to secrecy and we all trusted each other. We had each other's backs. It was a war and we were soldiers in that war. None of us wanted to sit back and wait for someone else to finish it; we wanted to help protect those we loved and to protect our homes. Do you understand that?"

Harry nodded as the waitress brought them sandwiches for lunch. "I understand." He was quiet for a moment, picking at the food on his plate. "Are you going to go off and fight again?"

Sirius' brow furrowed. "Fight again?"

"You… you said before that you didn't really think that he was gone; that he might come back some day. If he does, are you going to have to go away and fight again?"

Sirius smiled at Harry. "Harry, that is nothing that you have to worry about. Voldemort is gone. You defeated him as a baby."

"But he might come back, you said so?"

"He might," Sirius told him honestly. "But it's been almost nine years and there's been no sign of him anywhere. You don't have to worry about that, Prongslet. I'm here and I have no plans of going anywhere."

Harry smiled at him and took a large bite of his sandwich. "Good."

Sirius watched him for a moment. "Harry, are you worried about Voldemort? That was a long time ago, Prongslet. The war is over."

Harry shrugged. "I know that."

Sirius kept his eyes on him. "Prongslet, you know that you can ask me anything, right? Even if it's just a question about the war or about what happened when you were a baby. Questions are always allowed, remember?"

Harry nodded as he ate his sandwich. "I know."

Sirius helped himself to his own lunch, eyes on his godson. He had never really thought about Harry being scared of Voldemort. He had told him what had happened to his parents (who had most definitely not been killed in a car crash as Petunia Dursley had informed him) and that he had defeated Voldemort as a baby and was now known as The Boy Who Lived, but he had never really given the impression that there was something to worry about there. He didn't want to give that impression. He honestly did think Voldemort had disappeared almost too easily considering the damage he and his followers had inflicted upon the wizarding world for over a decade, but it had been almost nine years. Harry was going to be turning ten years old in July and there hadn't been any sign that the dark wizard wasn't truly gone.

But he remembered how sure the prisoners had been in Azkaban, how convinced they were that their master wasn't really gone. Dumbledore himself wasn't even fully convinced. But there was no need for Harry to worry about that. Sirius had no plans of ever letting anyone lay their hands on his godson.

Harry ate quietly and when he spoke again, it surprised Sirius who had become lost in his own thoughts. "I'm not worried about him. I just… sometimes I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't killed my mum and dad."

Sirius nodded, his eyes sad. "You would have grown up with some pretty amazing parents, that's what. James would have been the best dad in the whole world and I bet you would have had a few brothers and sisters. Lily wanted a big family and she loved you so much. She would have spoiled you rotten. But don't worry, I would have done the same as your godfather, obviously."

Harry smiled at the image. "But you are the best dad in the whole world, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius looked at Harry in surprise. "Harry," he said softly, leaning across the table to kiss his forehead. "You're the best son in the whole world and I couldn't be more proud of the fact that you think of me like a dad. I think of you as my son too, my baby boy. It's an honour to be here and to watch you grow up. James and Lily would be so proud of you."

Harry smiled at him. It always made him feel warm inside when Sirius told him his parents would be proud of him. He took a drink of his lemonade and grinned at his godfather. "What are we doing after lunch?"

Sirius just grinned back at him. "You'll see."

After lunch they spent some time in Muggle Rome and went to see the ruins. They spent the next two days exploring ruins and learning about the history of the Roman Empire. They took a portkey to Pompeii to explore the ancient city there and Sirius bit his lip to stop himself from busting into laughter when Harry asked the tour guide what the picture was in the brothel (a clear image of fellatio) among the graffiti painted on the wall.

The man had flushed red. "Er, well this was a special place for grownups to, er… explore… each other…"

Harry had only cocked his head. "It looks like a penis inside of her —"

Sirius had simply covered Harry's mouth with his hand. "Sorry! He's a curious little boy," he said, chuckling. He bent down to look at his godson. "Harry, a brothel was a place for grownups to come and to have sex. One day, when you're older we'll discuss sex, okay?"

"Why would you want to put your prick inside of someone else's mouth?" Harry asked, absolutely disgusted at the thought.

Sirius simply grinned at him, the back of his neck flushing red as the tour moved on ahead. "Harry, when you get older, you'll understand so let's just leave that alone for when you're old enough to understand it, okay?"

Harry only nodded as Sirius stood up and he pointed at another depiction of art. "Why is that woman on her hands and knees?"

"Harry," Sirius said, trying not to laugh. "Grownup stuff."

Harry sighed. "I just wanna know!"

Sirius draped an arm around his godson's shoulders. "Curiosity is a great thing. When you're older, I will answer all of your questions, I promise."

"How much older?"

Sirius grinned at him. "When you decide that it would be nice to kiss a girl on the mouth."

"Eww!"

"Or a boy," Sirius added afterwards. He didn't want to be close minded.

"Eww!"

Sirius chuckled. "Exactly why we will talk about it when you get older."

Harry simply stared at him in horror and Sirius laughed and they hurried off to catch up with the tour guide as he explained about the city that had been preserved by volcanic ash.

They spent two whole days inside of Vatican City, looking at the artwork and the statues and listening to the guides discuss the history of the Catholic Church. They spent time in Florence and looked around the gold market (Sirius purchased small gold hoop earrings); did some shopping from some venues (Sirius purchased a beautiful scenic painting of the city of Florence at sunset); and they sent some funny photos back to Remus in the Owl Post. They went to Pisa and climbed to the top of the leaning tower before heading to Sicily to the dragon reserve there.

Harry was beyond fascinated.

They spoke to the man in charge, a weathered looking man with salt and pepper hair and a huge handlebar moustache. His name was Carlos Santorini and he had been part of the reserve in Sicily for thirty-five years. They had sixteen fully grown dragons on the reserve including twelve newly hatched dragons and three nesting mothers.

"This is a Chinese Fireball, we call her Mǔ shī which essentially means lioness. She arrived here a fortnight ago, just in time to lay her eggs and one of our trainers insisted that we take her in," Santorini explained carefully guiding them near her. "Don't get too close now. She's very protective of her eggs. They should hatch within the next week. See those gold spikes on her? She will use them as a weapon if needed. She sliced the shit out of one of our trainers last week. And next to her is the one of the most dangerous dragons in the world, a Peruvian Vipertooth. They have venomous fangs like snakes and tend to like to eat humans."

Harry's eyes widened at that statement. "They eat people?"

Santorini laughed. "They can. We keep him under control. That's why he's chained down for now. See how his wing is injured? He's called Bruno as he's a bit of a tough guy. We captured him in Tuscany when we saw his wing was injured. Looks like maybe he was hit in the air by something, possibly those stupid Muggle aero-planes. He's small, but he can be deadly. Once he's healed up and he realizes that he can trust us, we'll set him free."

"Where do they go?" Harry asked in wonder. He had certainly never seen a dragon just flying around before.

"All over the world. Usually they live in caves or mountains, sometimes near volcanoes. A lot of them stay on the reserves. We don't force them to stay with us, but they are safest here. It's hard to keep them under control and not let the Muggles know of their existence," Santorini explained. He gestured over to where three newly hatched dragons were sitting. "Want to see the new whelps?"

Harry nodded eagerly, clinging to Sirius' hand as they were led over to the babies. "Can I touch one?"

Santorini nodded, reaching out to tickle the chin of the small green baby dragon. "Of course. Just be careful. They don't know their own strength and powers yet."

Harry carefully reached a hand out to gently pet the head of the green dragon. The scales were smooth and cold to the touch but radiated heat. He found it fascinating. "My friend Ginny's brother Charlie loves dragons. He wants to be a trainer like you."

Santorini smiled. "Well, we can always use more good wizards and witches to help us. This one is a Common Welsh Green, but we think she might have some Norwegian Ridgeback mixed in with her. See how her scales change colour like that? It doesn't happen too often, but they sometimes mix."

Harry nodded and grinned up at Sirius. "Hagrid would love this."

Sirius laughed thinking of the gameskeeper at Hogwarts. "Hagrid would definitely love this. But he would also have to be watched closely as he would probably try to take one home."

"Dragons don't make good pets," Santorini said sternly making Sirius laugh.

"You don't have to tell us that."

They spent three hours on the reserve, meeting all of the dragons and Harry asked questions about them all. Sirius kept his camera out and snapped photos of all of the dragons and Harry standing next to them. On the way out, they purchased a set of three decorative dragon eggs made of stone and jewels that Harry had been fascinated with along with a tiny Hungarian Horntail figurine that breathed real fire. Harry thought it was the coolest looking dragon and wished that the reserve had one for him to see for real.

After the dragon reserve, they headed back into the city of Rome where they explored the Catacombs. They went on a guided tour with the Muggles before taking the wizarding tour. The wizarding tour of the Catacombs came equipped with a detailed discussion on the history of the tombs and the jobs of the curse breakers who worked steadily to discover them.

One of the curse breakers, a tall beautiful woman with chocolate brown hair and mocha skin named Sareena Sahadi explained how new tombs and new curses were constantly being discovered the further they explored under the ground.

"How do you know it's cursed?" Sirius asked her as she explained about the process of how one particular tomb was opened safely.

Sareena smiled warmly at him. "Usually I find out when a report comes across my desk that some brainless Muggle tried to open it and is suffering from the pain of their organs being burning from the inside out or freezing inside of them or claiming to have seen a mummy on the loose. Otherwise, most witches and wizards know better than to try to open an unknown anything suspicious with a simple locking charm. It's better to use the revealing charm and to see what enchantments may be encompassing it."

Harry grinned up at her. "Does that always work?"

"Not always, but it sometimes puts us on the right path to discovering what comes next," Sareena explained with a smile. "Are you going to be a curse breaker when you grow up?"

Harry shook his head, blushing. "Nah. I'm going to be a Quidditch player."

Sirius laughed and draped an arm over his shoulders. "That would certainly make James happy."

Sareena went on to explain how some of the tombs and hidden passages within the Catacombs were cursed to live within dimensions and how some of the tombs intersected with a tomb in Paris and some of them were part of ancient tombs that were buried in Egypt and Jerusalem, but still had parts within Rome which meant that it had to be opened in the correct order and the riddle properly solved before it could be broken. Curse breaking involved a lot of riddles and charms and hard work from what Harry understood.

After being underground, Harry and Sirius decided to take in another Quidditch game, cheering on the Italian teams as they played against one another in the Colosseum. Then they had gelato as they walked through the city.

By the time they arrived back in Devon, they were both tired and happy to be home. Remus was waiting for them with a smile on his face and Marauder rushed towards Harry, barking in excitement.

Harry laughed, landing on his bum as Marauder eagerly greeted him. "Hi, Marauder! Hi, boy!"

Marauder barked again and again before he moved to greet Sirius.

Remus grinned at them both as Sirius placed their bags by the front door and greeted the dog. "Well, did you two have a grand time?"

Harry nodded eagerly and began to tell Remus all about Italy and what they had seen. He pulled out the photos too and explained all about the reserve and the Catacombs and the brothel and the gold market and the shopping and the Vatican and he showed Remus his new Hungarian Horntail figurine. Remus just listened with a big smile on his face.

"It sounds like you two had an incredible time and that you learned lots of stuff as well," Remus said with a smile.

Harry nodded. "I did learn lots of stuff! And some stuff I knew already from you about the Roman Empire. It's brilliant that so much of the ancient Roman architecture and stuff is still there."

Sirius ruffled Harry's hair. "It is pretty brilliant. Why don't you head upstairs and have a bath before bed, Prongslet? It's getting late. You can tell Uncle Moony all about our trip tomorrow."

Harry sighed, hugging Remus goodnight and hurrying up the stairs.

Sirius simply grinned after him. It had been a great trip and he couldn't wait to take Harry somewhere else.


	57. Chapter 57

_Author's Note:_

 _Remus doesn't want to admit what he is feeling. He is stubborn. Also, I remember some of the questions the kids asked when I was in Rome about the Roman art work and the more sexual graffiti so I thought it would be fun to have Harry ask the same ones. Hope you enjoy this chapter._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to 'Dream On' those belong to Aerosmith._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN:**

 **Remus crossed his arms in front of him as Harry headed up the stairs and Sirius sat their luggage in the living room, taking a seat on the chesterfield.** "I think it was a good trip for the both of you. Did you have a good time?"

"It was much needed. I needed a little break from here and just wanted to go out and see something new and explore and being there with Harry was positively hilarious. Harry was full of questions too, which was fun." He grinned as he remembered. "Do you remember what is on the walls of Pompeii?"

Remus looked puzzled for a moment. "On the walls? You mean the graffiti? What about it, Sirius?"

"Let me rephrase that," Sirius said with a grin as he remembered Harry's questions. "On the walls in the brothels of Pompeii?"

Remus still looked puzzled. "Well, there were depictions of the different sex acts. Some historians believe it was for the customers to choose how they wanted to be serviced by the prostitutes."

"Yes."

"What about it, Sirius?"

Sirius simply grinned. "Harry was full of questions, Moony," he said with a laugh. "You should have seen the face of the Muggle tour guide when Harry asked why anyone would want to stick their prick in someone else's mouth."

Remus flushed red. "Oh, Merlin!"

Sirius laughed, his eyes twinkling. "Then he wanted to know why someone was on their hands and knees."

"Oh, Merlin, Sirius, what did you say? Why didn't you cover his eyes?"

Sirius grinned, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "I told him that sex was for grownups and that when he was older I would explain in detail what those meant. He asked me how much older so I told him that when he had the desire to kiss a girl or a boy then we would talk. His response to that was a resounding 'eww.'"

Remus chuckled now. "Oh, God, Padfoot, the thought of giving him the sex talk…"

Sirius shrugged. "I think it will be fun."

"Only you would ever consider that fun," Remus said in exasperation.

Sirius grinned widely. "No, think about it, Moony. He'll be at that awkward stage and he'll be completely mortified by us discussing it with him. And you know that I have every intention of making it the most detailed talk in the history of detailed talks."

Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid to ask."

Sirius smirked. "I want him to be fully prepared, Moony. I plan on not only telling him what goes where, but safe sex obviously as well as how to properly please his partner. I want him to know about oral and about orgasms and about masturbation and about positions. As the god of sex, my godson should benefit from my great knowledge and expertise and therefore become a sex god himself when it is his time."

Remus simply stared at him. "I have no words."

"Remus, Remus, Remus, if my young progeny is not aware of how good it is to pleasure one's partner or how good it feels to be pleasured then my own experiences were for naught? Other than for my own pleasures that is." He grinned. "And I enjoyed every single one of them immensely."

Remus shook his head. "And how old is Harry going to be when you give him this information? Remember, it was in second year when you had your first sexual encounter."

"Yes, but I was thirteen, Harry has a later birthday and will mature later. I would think anyway. And I don't know, I guess probably around second or third year. When I start to notice him looking at girls I guess, or boys, or showing sign of any sexual interest I suppose."

Remus grinned at him. "As long as you have it all figured out."

"I do, mostly," he said with a smirk. "So what did you get up too while we were gone? Any interesting shags?"

Remus laughed and shook his head. "No. I haven't been with anyone since my thirtieth and there isn't anyone I am interested in at the moment," he added, stubbornly shoving thoughts of Nymphadora aside. "I played with Marauder and I spent some time in the garden. I did some reading. I relaxed. It was peaceful and kind of nice to spend some time alone actually. I did run into Hagrid in Diagon Alley and we had a drink at The Leaky Cauldron. He got a new puppy, another boarhound. He's named him Fang. He's only four months old and was the runt of the litter."

Sirius smiled. "That sounds nice and good for Hagrid."

"Also, I dipped into your vault to buy these," Remus said, grabbing the envelope off of the coffee table in the living room and passing it across to him. "I saw the ad in the Muggle newspaper and I knew that you would be disappointed if you didn't get tickets. I'll pay you back for my own one, but I thought we could take Harry as part of his birthday present."

Sirius opened the envelope in interest and his eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the three tickets there. "Concert tickets?" His grin widened. "Aerosmith? Excellent, Remus! Harry's first real concert!"

"It's what I was thinking," Remus said with a smile. "I know how much you love them and their new album. When I saw that they were performing in Dublin in August, I figured I couldn't pass it up."

Sirius immediately hurried over to the wireless record player, digging through the albums on the shelf until he came across their first album _Aerosmith_ and slipping it into place smiling as the music began. "Godric, I remember the first time I heard them back in sixth year."

"Lily was playing it in the common room, wasn't she?"

Sirius nodded. "She was. I think Mary had gotten her the album."

Remus grinned as they both thought back to that day.

 _Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter stepped into the Gryffindor common room just as Lily, Mary, and Marlene were swaying in the centre of the room and belting out the words to a song they had never heard before._

 _"_ Sing with me, sing for the years! Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears! Sing with me, just for today! Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you awa—ayyyy! Yeah, sing with me, sing for the year! Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear; sing with me, just for today. Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away. Dream on. Dream on. Dream on. Dream until your dreams come true. Dream on. Dream on. Dream on. Dream on until your dreams come true. Dream on. Dream on. Dream on. Dream on. Dream on. Dream on. Dream onnnnnnnnnnn! _"_

 _At the final note, Marlene was holding her bottle of butterbeer like a microphone and practically screeching on the final notes._

 _Lily was singing loudly, very badly and off key, but clearly enjoying herself immensely._

 _"Yo, Evans!" James called out, moving to the wireless to check it out. "Who is this?"_

 _"Aerosmith," Marlene told him, smiling. "Aren't they brilliant? They're from America."_

 _James looked at the album in interest. "I like this one, I like the beat."_

 _Lily pointed her wand at the record player and played back 'Dream On'. "The words to this one are just so beautiful," she said, grinning when Mary took her hand and spun her. "_ Half my life is books, written pages; live and learn from fools and from sages _." Mary spun her out and Lily laughed when she found herself in Sirius' arms. "Hi, Black."_

 _"Hi, Evans," he said with a grin, spinning her out and then back into his arms, dipping her and kissing her forehead, making her laugh._

 _"Didn't know you were such a great dancer," she said with a grin._

 _Sirius spun her out and she spun directly into James, her hands landing on his chest to steady herself. "I took lessons."_

 _James grinned at her, taking her hands in his as he led her into the next steps. "We both did." He spun her in a circle and back into his arms. "They aren't The Beatles, but I like this Aerosmith."_

 _Lily smiled at him, resigning herself to dance with him. "Mary's brother introduced her to the music over Christmas break. She was anxious to share it with us. They're pretty great. But I prefer The Beatles too."_

 _James beamed at her. "See Evans we're made for each other."_

 _Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to look at Sirius. "Why did you spin me into him?"_

 _Marlene laughed. "Oh poor, Lily; being forced to dance with the hottest bloke in school."_

 _Peter laughed, holding his hand out to Mary who accepted and joined the dancing. "Don't say that, Marly, you know who's going to take immediate offence."_

 _"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, grabbing Marlene and tugging her into his arms as Peter only nodded at Sirius as if to say, see. "That privilege belongs to you, McKinnon, being that you are in MY arms!"_

 _She laughed and looped her arms around his neck. "Oh, my apologies. But who is the star of the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"_

 _"You?"_

 _She grinned and pat Sirius on the cheek. "Good boy."_

 _James spun Lily out and back up against him as the song changed. "Don't worry McKinnon, if his ego gets any bigger he won't be able to fit through the portrait hole."_

 _"Is that why you brewed Shrinking Solution in Potions today?" Lily asked him, a smirk on her lips. "So you could make it up to your dorm?"_

 _James smirked back at her. "Nah, I brewed that so I could shrink the bits of the Slytherins by putting it in their soap. You should have seen the look on Rosier's face when he came out of the locker room, hands over his crotch and pale as can be. To be honest, I was surprised they could get any smaller in the first place."_

 _Lily rolled her eyes. "Potter! I am a prefect and will have to punish you for that!"_

 _James grinned at her. "Only if you saw it."_

 _Lily opened her mouth to protest and then she sighed. He was completely right. She hadn't witnessed it happening nor had she seen the Slytherins take the potion. She smirked up at him. "How small did they shrink?"_

 _James wiggled his pinky finger. "About half of my finger I imagine; I worked hard on that potion."_

 _Lily grinned widely. "I am not amused."_

 _James grinned back at her. "Sure you're not, Evans." He dipped her back. "A gentlemen might take this opportunity to lean in for a kiss. What do you say, Evans?"_

 _"Kiss me and I'll break your nose, Potter."_

 _James tugged her back up and licked his lips. "Might be worth it."_

 _Lily pushed him away, rolling her eyes. "Mary, start the album over. I want to listen from the beginning while I edit my Potions essay."_

 _"I'll read yours over, Lily," Remus offered, opening his own book bag. "Do you think you could look over mine as well?"_

 _"Of course, Remus," she said with a smile, her hips still swaying to the beat of the music as she took a seat on the chesterfield._

 _Sirius plopped down next to Lily with a smile. "Can we play some Queen afterwards? I really like them."_

 _James nodded, moving to tug out his own potions essay. "I vote on The Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd. Listening to some_ Dark Side of the Moon _sounds great at the moment."_

 _Lily smiled at him. "That can definitely be arranged on one condition."_

 _James' eyebrow rose. "Which is?"_

 _"You read over my Transfiguration essay for me?"_

 _James simply grinned. "Deal."_

"Lily introduced us to most of the music I've grown to love," Sirius said with a grin. "Jamie showed me The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. Lily showed me Queen, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, The Kinks, The Who… and remember when Mary came back in seventh year absolutely in love with that American surfer group, The Beach Boys?"

Remus laughed, grinning at the memory. "I do. And the more Muggle music we listened to, the more King and Deanna would insist on blaring Charmed that all witch rock group? King was in love with the female lead, had her poster by his bed?"

Sirius grinned at the memory. "Ooh yeah, Chelsea Saddle, that curvy blonde, she was sexy. Deanna loved that vampire band too, The Immortal Souls. She used to play that one song over and over again, do you remember? It went something like, ' _when you see me creeping up in the night, you know I just want a good fight with you, with you. When you see me holding you close, kissing your skin and missing you most, with you, with you. I am the dark to your light, I am the thing in the night, I am the dark lover to you, to you.'_ "

Remus grinned, the song coming to him now. " _I am the lover you crave in the night; I'm here to tell you it will all be all right, I am the lover you crave in the night, I am your dark soul and I want you tonight!'_ Merlin, she played it at least a hundred times."

"I think she wanted that vampire more than she let on," Sirius said with a grin. "They were a great band though, until the drummer got killed by Death Eaters."

Remus nodded. "Yeah, they were pretty great. And that rock group from Dublin, what were they called, The Shamrock Sams; four members all named Sam."

"Oh, yeah they were great! The drummer, that hot brunette with the big brown eyes, I had her poster next to my bed."

Remus rolled his eyes as he remembered. "I know. You used to leave your curtains open while you looked at it."

Sirius grinned. "I wasn't just looking at it."

Remus stared at his friend in annoyance. "I know."

Sirius laughed, grinning at the memories. "No, honestly, Moony, these tickets are great! Aerosmith is a great band for Harry's first concert and I'd love to see them live myself. He'll love it. Thanks, Moony."

Remus grinned. "You're welcome."

~ ASC ~

 **April turned into May and then May into June and Andromeda and Ted invited Sirius, Harry, and Remus over for Nymphadora's big seventeenth birthday bash.** Remus hadn't set eyes on her since New Years's Eve, but he was convinced that his mind had made her out to be much prettier than she actually was. After all, he had been in heat over the holidays, his werewolf tendencies had caused him to overreact.

Or so he had told himself over and over again for the last six months when she continued to creep up in his dreams and in his fantasies.

But one look at her in the tight blue sundress that cupped her round bottom and blue high heels that made her legs look like they went up to her ears had him thinking otherwise as his blood hummed and immediately pooled to attention between his thighs. Especially, when she took one step in those heels and tumbled forwards. Remus caught her, his hands on the curve of her hips and she blushed.

"Remus, I'm so sorry! I told Mum that I would never be able to walk in these things, but she insisted!"

Remus smiled warmly at her. "You look beautiful in them."

Tonks blushed deeper. "Thanks."

Remus noticed that she didn't take off the heels, but she still stumbled in them pretty regularly.

"Tonks, Happy Birthday!" Sirius said, standing up to hug his cousin, laughing when she stumbled towards him in her heels. "My, my, you must be beating the boys back at school. You sure grew up pretty, kid."

She grinned up at him. "Thanks. Dad says that I look more and more like Mum every day, but Mum says that she would never be caught dead with such pink hair."

Sirius laughed and ruffled his hands through her shoulder-length pink layers. "I like it. You rock the colour well. So, still have that boyfriend?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, blushing a bit as she attempted to fix her hair. "After you told Connor at New Years that if he even thought about touching me anywhere you would transfigure him into a dung beetle and step on him, why would I ever tell you if I did?"

Sirius grinned at her. "Tonks, he was pawing at you. I was merely looking out for your best interest."

"Maybe I wanted him to paw at me."

Sirius' mouth dropped open. "Nymphadora!"

"Don't call me that!"

"You can't just…" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes bulging. "You can't just let any bloke paw at you."

Tonks smirked at him as she sipped the punch in her hand. "I don't let just any bloke paw at me. It's the nineties, Sirius, I think I can make my own choices."

Sirius grinned at Remus, who was watching them with amusement. "Are you listening to this, Rem? She wanted that prat to paw at her? He didn't even have any skill."

She smiled. "Which I only found out by letting him try." She pat her hand on Sirius' cheek. "Don't worry, cousin, I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, love, but let's not take away all my fun. Some boy hurts you, I want to know about it."

Tonks grinned and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Sirius."

Sirius shook his head as he watched her hurry off to hug a friend. "When the hell did she grow up, eh?"

Remus only made a non-committal sound in response.

"Seriously though, I see anyone pawing at her like that again, I might have to make that threat happen. She's a gorgeous young woman now. She's officially an adult today." He paled as he looked at his friend. "Merlin, do you think she's still a virgin?"

Remus choked on his punch. "S-Sirius!"

Sirius shrugged, grinning widely. "Well, it's more than a fair question. I sure as hell wasn't at seventeen and the way she said… I'm not going to think about it."

That would make two of them, Remus thought. He definitely didn't need to be thinking about that.

A few of Tonks' friends from school had arrived, interrupting their conversation, including Charlie Weasley, but not the boyfriend Connor who she apparently had broken up with a few months back. Her new boyfriend, a Ravenclaw named Jonathan Pepper arrived with Charlie. He slipped his arm around Tonks' waist, leaning in to kiss her neck and she blushed.

Remus' hands fisted in his pockets.

Andromeda made her a giant rainbow cake in the shape of the number seventeen and Tonks blew out the candles happily.

Music played and everyone was dancing and having a great time. Tonks and Jonathan were dancing closely, his hands sat on her hips, his mouth by her ear as she kept her arms wrapped around his neck while they swayed. Remus tried not to watch her but the sway of her hips in the blue dress, her long bare legs and her sweet laugh made it hard for him not too. He imagined it was him holding her close like that; that tight body pressed up against his, the perky breasts against his chest as she swayed and pushed against him. He swallowed when he realized that he was hard again and desperately tried to think of something else.

Andromeda and Ted decided to head inside for the night around nine thirty, leaving Tonks alone with her friends and Sirius nodded. "We're going to get going too. I just have to pull Harry off of the dance floor. The kid is having an absolute blast."

Andromeda laughed as she watched Harry dance around the teenagers, smiling sweetly at them as they danced with him. He was definitely enjoying himself.

Remus said goodbye and made his way over to the refreshments table, taking a long drink of the punch there and jolting when he turned to find Tonks standing directly in front of him.

"You're leaving?"

He nodded, drinking the punch again. "It's late, us old folks need to head home."

Tonks rolled her eyes and grinned at him. "You're not old, Remus."

He smiled. "Old enough. Happy Birthday Dora," he said, cupping her cheek and kissing her forehead. "I hope seventeen is very sweet for you."

Remus turned to head into the house, surprised when her hand touched his arm and it sent an immediate reaction to his groin.

"You were watching me on the dance floor," Tonks said and Remus felt his blood pressure rise.

He closed his eyes. "I was just seeing that you were having fun with your friends the way a young girl like yourself should be. And making sure that boyfriend of yours is treating you right. Like Sirius said, we don't want you to get hurt."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself."

Remus simply smiled. "Not so grown yet, Nymphadora. Have a good birthday."

He kissed her cheek again, shoving his hands into his pockets to stop himself from touching her and he headed out to the Apparition point to head home.

She was a grown woman now he realized and even more beautiful than she had been the last time that he had laid eyes on her. He covered his face with his hands. He needed to stop thinking about her. She wasn't for him and he could never possibly deserve anyone so beautiful and pure as she was.

He was a monster, he thought once more, taking a seat on his sofa. He was a monster and he wasn't even remotely worthy of someone like her.

He hoped this Pepper was.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus spent the next two days alone at his house playing the piano and sitting in solitude.** He didn't go anywhere. He just contemplated what he was going to do about his naughty thoughts for Nymphadora and he hating himself for them. When had she grown up into such a deliciously tempting young woman? He wasn't sure, but he knew that his feelings were more than wrong. He was thirty and she was seventeen. He ought to be castrated for his thoughts alone, he thought bitterly.

He spent the next two weeks in lessons with Harry. He only stayed for dinner twice and didn't speak much about anything. Sirius had questioned him about it, but he had dismissed his friend. If Sirius ever found out what he was thinking… Remus shivered in horror. That was his little cousin.

He'd just finished making lunch for himself and Harry that afternoon when the backdoor opened.

"Perfect timing, little Prongs, lunch is served," he said with a smile, turning and jolting when he saw Tonks standing there instead of Harry.

She was in short jean shorts, yards of leg showing and a silver halter top that left her bellybutton ring gleaming and her perky breasts pushed through the top in a way that told Remus she most definitely was not wearing a bra. She smiled at him. "Lunch sounds great, Remus." She slipped into a chair at the table.

Remus swallowed slowly. "Can you ask Harry to come in?"

Tonks smiled. "Of course." She yelled out the backdoor for Harry and took her seat at the table again.

Harry came in almost immediately, hugging Tonks when he saw her. "Hi! Are you here to play with me?"

Tonks grinned at him. "Maybe. If Professor Lupin here lets you have a break after lunch?"

"Please, Uncle Moony!" Harry asked, his eyes pleading. "Tonks has been at school for-EVER!"

Remus smiled. "Sure, Harry. After lunch. Go wash up."

Harry skipped off to head upstairs to wash his hands. Remus placed a plate with a sandwich and some fruits and vegetables in front of Tonks.

"He loves it when you come over and play with him. I think he views you as a bit of a big sister to him," Remus told her, holding up a pitcher of pumpkin juice in gesture.

Tonks smiled at him, her grey eyes following him around the kitchen. "He's an easy kid to love. I enjoy coming over and spending time with him. He's my little brother as much as I'm his sister. Plus, coming here means I get to see you."

Remus handed her the glass of pumpkin juice without a word and swallowed slowly. "Why would you want to see me?"

Tonks simply grinned and took a drink of her juice. "You're fun to be around."

He offered her a small smile. "Where's your boyfriend these days?"

"Jon? He's visiting his grandparents in Paris this week. But next week I'm going to stay with him and his parents for a bit," she told him with a smile. "I've missed having him around every day."

Remus nodded; staying with her boyfriend, there was a thought he immensely didn't like. When Harry came back downstairs, Tonks spent the next thirty minutes regaling Harry and Remus with some of the pranks she had gotten away with at Hogwarts that year; including transforming into Filch and giving a few of her classmates detentions. She let Harry lead her outside afterwards and she followed him up the rock wall and into the treehouse as he insisted they play on the pirate ship.

Remus watched them through the window. Looking wasn't a crime he told himself as his eyes followed her long legs as she wrapped them around the pole and slid down into the treehouse. The image had him hardening as he imagined just what else those legs could wrap around and he hurriedly turned back to the dishes in the sink, soaping up the plates with gusto.

The sound of her laugh, had his gaze turning back to the window and he watched as she sat in the tire swing and let Harry push her. She was a child, he told himself. A child who was still full of childish delight and was here playing with Harry. Touching her would be more than wrong; it would be breaking all of the rules.

He had never liked rules, he thought.

Remus closed his eyes again. Sirius would kill him. That was reason enough. He would never betray his best friend like that. He needed to get her out of his mind.

Harry was wrestling with Marauder now and Remus jolted when he realized that she was walking back towards the house. Remus quickly went back to the dishes, his ears reddening as he realized that he'd been watching her for over half an hour and had only washed one plate. He set his wand to do the task and he hurried into the sunroom, shuffling papers on the desk in an attempt to look busy.

The sound of her clearing her throat from the doorway had him looking up. "Hello, Nymphadora, is Harry all right?"

Tonks smiled at him. "Harry's fine. He's decided to play with Marauder now," she said as she stepped into the room.

Remus nodded and moved the papers in his hand over to the file on the other side of the desk. "Good, good. Well, you should head home then. Harry and I must be getting back to our studies."

Tonks merely strolled over and took a seat on his desk, crossing her legs. She reached over and picked up a quill, twirling it between her fingers. "I don't have much going on today. Maybe I'll hang out and see what you're teaching."

"No," Remus said sternly. "You'll only distract Harry."

She smirked at him from under her long purple lashes. "I'll distract Harry? Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes trailing down his light blue dress shirt, partly unbuttoned and untucked over his worn blue jeans. She hopped off the desk and took a step towards him, grinning when he took a step back, trapping himself between her and the blackboard. "What's going on, Remus? You're acting strange?"

Remus swallowed slowly, his eyes on her lips and then he closed his eyes. "No, I'm fine. I just have a lot of work to do. You should go." He carefully pushed her away from him and hurried over to the desk, shuffling papers in an attempt to look busy.

Tonks merely raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that you're all right?"

"I'm fine. It was nice to see you, Nymphadora."

She smiled at him and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "See you around."

When she left the room, his hands fisted at his sides again.

No matter what he had told himself over and over again, she was definitely not a child anymore.

It was going to be a long summer, he thought.


	58. Chapter 58

_Author's Note:_

 _Remus is very stubborn, but we already knew that!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT:**

 **The next few weeks passed slowly for Remus.** Tonks had decided to spend most of her summer hanging out with Sirius and Harry. Every day she wandered around the house in short shorts and tank tops with either a bikini top underneath or no bra at all; her long legs exposed to the world. She played with Harry; helped Sirius with the garden and spoke of her strong desire to become an Auror.

They went to the beach for the day, and Tonks was there in a tiny blue bikini that Sirius claimed was indecent and made her wear a tee shirt much to Remus' relief who had felt the intense desire to pummel anyone who merely looked at her. She laughed and she joked and she flirted and when Jonathan Pepper showed up at the beach, she jumped into his arms, wrapping her long legs around his waist and Remus broke the cup in his hands.

Harry's tenth birthday came and went; Sirius took him and his friends to a local Quidditch match, the Sidmouth Spirits, and then out for dinner and ice cream. August swept in and with it came Ginny's birthday. Harry gave her a painting from Rome of the sun rising over the city and she loved it. Four days after Ginny's birthday, Sirius, Harry, and Remus went to the Aerosmith concert in Dublin.

The concert was loud and crowded and wonderful. Remus and Sirius sang along to every song, taking turns to sit Harry up on their shoulders as they danced and moved and sang and cheered. They bought concert tee shirts and wore them home. Harry thought it was the best thing in the world and Sirius told him that they would try to go to more concerts in the future.

When Harry woke up the next morning, it was a little earlier than he had expected after such a late night out, but his stomach grumbling made the choice about getting out of bed for him. He got dressed and hurried down the stairs deciding to find himself some breakfast while Sirius slept. He decided on waffles since Remus had showed him how to use the new waffle maker they had. He had just taken the first waffles from the maker when Sirius stepped into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Uncle Sirius," he said, drowning the waffles in syrup as he took a huge bite.

Sirius grinned, stealing his godson's fork and helping himself to a bite. "Mmm, good choice, Prongslet," he said, laughing when Harry stubbornly took the fork back. He gestured to the waffle maker. "Are those for me?"

Harry nodded, swallowing. "Uh-huh."

Sirius grinned widely. "Excellent."

Harry shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Since Uncle Moony isn't coming over for school today, can I have some friends over?"

"Of course," Sirius said with a smile. "Knowing your Uncle Moony, he's going to stay home and sleep the day away after that concert last night so it's probably just going to be me and you today anyway. Might as well invite some people over."

Harry grinned. "Brilliant!"

~ ASC ~

 **As August came to an end, Remus found himself almost disappointed to realize that Tonks would be going back to Hogwarts for her final year.**

Tonks, Ted, and Andromeda had all come over for dinner one night before she went back and Remus found himself daydreaming about her while he chopped vegetables in the kitchen, jolting when Sirius spoke to him. "Merlin, Padfoot, you scared me!" he exclaimed, quickly resuming his task.

"Didn't mean too," Sirius said with a smirk. "You've been very jumpy lately, Rem, everything okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, everything's fine."

Sirius merely stared at him. "Everything is obviously not fine, but whatever if you don't want to tell me. I know you, you'll crack like an egg eventually."

Remus chuckled. "I'm fine, really. I've just been out of it a bit lately. Since I turned thirty I guess. Haven't you felt the same?"

Sirius shrugged. "Nah, age is a just a number."

He couldn't fault him with that logic. "I know. I guess I figured by the time I was thirty I'd have more nieces and nephews to spoil. You'd be married by now and James and Lily would have had at least five."

Sirius laughed. "Me? Married? Is that some kind of sick joke?" When his friend only grinned, he smirked. "And what about you? You could be married and doing the kid thing yourself you know, if you weren't such a stubborn git."

"You should talk."

Sirius ignored him. "Moony, you are the commitment guy and we both know it. The reason you aren't living somewhere with a white picket fence and a handful of kids to bounce on your knee is because you have convinced yourself that you're unworthy of happiness which is complete and utter bullshit."

"I'm not unworthy of happiness."

"Good. About time you realize that."

Remus rolled his eyes. "I just… I'm a werewolf, Sirius. What kind of life could I ever give someone? I can't have a family and be normal because _I am not_ normal. I would never subject someone to that."

"What if it was their choice?"

"No one would ever chose that life, Padfoot," Remus insisted.

Sirius glared at him. It was always the same argument and he wished for once his friend could see him the way he saw him; as a good man deserving to be happy. "You don't know that though, do you, Rem? In fact, you have no idea because you never give anyone a chance to find out."

"And you do?" Remus asked in annoyance. "You stand there and question me on how I don't let anyone in and you're a terminal bachelor!"

Sirius chuckled. "Well, I'll never say never, Moony. But there hasn't been anyone for me who makes me think of forever. I remember what James used to say. That Lily made him dream of the future; that he couldn't imagine a future without her in it. She was the first thing he thought of when he woke up in the morning and the last thing he thought of when he went to sleep at night. If I ever find that than sure, I'd propose and settle down, maybe even knock out a few kids, but I haven't found that. So right now, it's me and Harry against the world and I'm all right with it."

Remus smiled. "Well, I'm fine too, Padfoot. So stop worrying about me."

Sirius grinned. "Fine. Now, hurry up with that chopping, Andy, Ted, and Dora are going to be here soon and I promised Andromeda that I'd whip up something special."

"Then how come I'm cooking?"

Sirius merely glared at him. "Shut up and chop, Moony."

Remus grinned. That he could do.

~ ASC ~

 **As September swept in, Althea sent word that she and Xander were expecting their first child and were absolutely thrilled with the news.** She said that the weather in Greece was agreeing with her far more than the weather in London had, but she was still anxious for news.

Sirius told her about Tonks going into her final year at Hogwarts with the strong ambition to become an Auror. It was a tough field and the Ministry only accepted the best of the best and that she would have to work her butt off this year for them to even look at her. Harry had spent a lot of time with her that summer and was feeling the melancholy of her having gone back to school, but was still enjoying himself with Neville, Ron, and Ginny as often as he could.

As October breezed into town, Neville was spending the day with them as Augusta had some personal matters to attend to in terms of medical care for Frank and Alice.

Neville was throwing the chew toy for Marauder, who would bound after it happily until one's arm fell off or until one stopped, whichever came first. Harry was flying around on his broomstick overhead as Neville watched and he dived towards them, grinning as he landed smoothly and stretched out on the grass next to his friend.

"I'm bored."

Neville nodded, finally giving up on playing catch with Marauder. "Me too."

Harry sighed and rolled over onto his stomach. "Uncle Sirius is inside, maybe we can convince him to take us out somewhere."

"Where?" Neville asked.

Harry shrugged. "Dunno, anywhere."

Neville followed him into the house as Harry called for Sirius.

Sirius was lying on the chesterfield in the living room, newspaper covering his face as he napped. Harry hurried over and shook him awake.

"Uncle Sirius!"

Sirius carefully tugged the newspaper down with a sigh. "I wasn't sleeping."

Harry only smirked at him. "Nev and I are bored."

"Bored?" he asked, his eyebrow rising.

Harry nodded. "Can we go somewhere?"

Sirius stifled a yawn as he sat up. "Then you'd just be bored somewhere else."

Harry rolled his eyes and hopped up onto the sofa next to his father. "Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh," Sirius said back as Harry groaned, burying his face in his hands.

He knew that if he responded now he was just going to get caught up in an annoying argument with his godfather.

Sirius moved in for the kill, his fingers tickling Harry's ribs as he doubled over in laughter; his arm snaking out to tug Neville onto the sofa with him and tickling him too until both boys begged him to stop and screamed 'snuffles.'

He dragged his fingers through his hair with a grin. "I win."

Harry simply smirked at Neville and they both tackled Sirius, tickling him mercilessly as he laughed and fought their hands off. The three of them lay like the dead in the middle of the living room floor, gasping for breath when Remus stepped out of the fireplace twenty minutes later.

"I see a great battle was fought here," he said.

Harry grinned widely. "Neville and I are champions."

"Are not," Sirius insisted, sitting up. "I am reigning champion."

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Children!" Remus said with a grin as Neville giggled at their antics. "Let's just call it a draw, shall we?"

Neville stood up and stretched. "Harry and I were bored."

"I thought you were trying to make that Venus Fly Trap bigger," Remus asked.

Neville nodded, "We did. It's huge and it snaps at everything now."

"Uncle Sirius was just napping anyway," Harry added, smirking at his godfather.

Sirius looked shocked. "I would never just nap while you two played outside." At Remus' look of amusement, he grinned. "Okay, I may have closed my eyes for a second." He sighed and stood up. "Alright, let's go see if a scary film is playing in preparation for All Hallows Eve."

Neville blanched. "But nothing too scary, right, Sirius?"

Sirius swing his arm around the child with a grin. "The scarier the better, Neville."

Neville had to disagree after sitting through a feature of _Halloween._ But he took the teasing lightly as Sirius attempted to scare him when they got back to the house. They ate dinner and Harry and Neville built a huge castle out of Lego that started in the living room and moved into the hallway with turrets and towers and moats. They had it moving up the staircase when Augusta came by to pick up her grandson.

Sirius smiled politely at her. "Hello, Mrs Longbottom."

"Sirius," she said with a smile. "Come on, Neville; time to go."

Neville said goodbye and they left by the Floo as Harry grinned up at Sirius. "Can I leave our castle here?"

Sirius hesitated as he looked at the growing kingdom. "All right, but if you and Neville don't finish it when he comes back on Saturday, it has to go away. And pick up every stray piece of Lego."

Harry nodded. "I will."

He didn't, Sirius noticed as his foot hit one particular piece after Harry was in bed and he swore viciously, tripping in his attempt to not cry from the painful Lego under his foot.

Harry was fast asleep upstairs, so he slipped out the back door, the cool October breeze greeting him as he sat in a lounge chair, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

October was getting easier for him to handle with each passing year, but every once in a while, it seemed to sweep in and grab him by the throat. He wished more than anything that James was here to see his son: To watch him be creative, to build his Lego kingdom, to fly his broomstick, and to take him to see scary movies. Sometimes his heart hurt more than he could bear whenever he thought of what he got to do with Harry that his parents would never get to experience; that Harry would never get to experience with them.

He looked up to the sky, his thoughts sad. He missed them something fierce. And Euphemia and Fleamont too; his family. Now Harry and Remus were his family and he loved Harry just as much if not more than he had his father and his parents, but he still missed them.

He watched the stars twinkle up at him and he sighed.

They deserved to be here. And with a pang he realized that next October, Harry would be at Hogwarts. He wasn't sure where the time had gone but the thought of spending next Halloween without Harry and his friends made his heart hurt.

James and Lily would be so proud of Harry, he thought. He kept his eyes on the stars, smiling to himself and lost in his own thoughts.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was running towards his cupboard, desperately trying to seek the only sanctuary that he could from his raging uncle.** Vernon Dursley was chasing him and despite his bulk and Harry's speed, his little legs weren't quite fast enough as he attempted to open the cupboard door and Uncle Vernon gripped him by the back of his hair, yanking his head back.

He cried out as flashes of light crossed his eyesight from the pain in his head.

"That was my best pint glass, boy!" he yelled.

It had been an accident.

Aunt Marge's dog Ripper had run right into Harry when he had been standing on the step ladder, putting the dishes away. The step ladder had gone flying and Harry had fallen off, glass in hand and it had shattered on the kitchen floor when he landed, slicing open his palm.

"That boy has been nothing but trouble since the moment he got here," Aunt Marge said, her eyes on Harry in disgust. "He should be caned or at least belted more often."

"No!" Aunt Petunia exclaimed, her eyes on her sister-in-law as she stepped into the hallway to glare at her nephew. "You went too far with the belt last time, Vernon. He's in school now. You can't leave marks on him. What if someone sees? And for God's sake, let me clean up his hand, he's bleeding all over my clean house!"

Uncle Vernon seemed to consider these options for a moment and then he nodded at his sister. "Give me your cane, Marge."

"No!" Harry shouted as Uncle Vernon forced him to bend over his knee. "No!"

Uncle Vernon ignored Harry, pinning him down as he extended his hand out for his sister's cane. But instead of passing it over to him, she slammed the wood down across Harry's spine so hard that he saw stars. The cane smacked him again and again before Uncle Vernon took it from her grasp.

"Not his back, Marge! Petunia's right, we shan't leave marks."

Harry struggled under Uncle Vernon's grasp, crying when Uncle Vernon shoved his trousers down, but then the cane was smacking him across his bare bum, once, twice. "Twenty strokes, boy, count them!"

Harry cried out as Uncle Vernon forced him to count each hit: The thick smack of the wood across his buttocks hard enough make his teeth hurt, and then he was roughly thrown to the ground after twenty. Uncle Vernon kicked him in the stomach as he stood up.

"Break anything else in this house and I'll break this cane over your face, boy. Now get into the kitchen and clean up that mess."

Harry crawled to his feet, pulling up his trousers and the slap across his face sent him reeling into the wall as Aunt Marge only smirked at him.

"Oh, dear, my hand just slipped."

Harry glared at her as he limped into the kitchen to pick up the broken glass, cutting his finger on one particular shard of glass, bleeding more than his hand already was. He winced and the shadow of Uncle Vernon standing over him had him cowering.

"Are you bleeding on my floor, you ungrateful little shit?"

He reached down to pick Harry up by the scruff of his shirt and Harry's eyes flew open, his breathing heavy. He rubbed a hand over his bum, still mentally reeling from the pain of the punishment in his dream. He looked at his left palm, the small thin white scar across it barely noticeable from where the glass shard had sliced him.

Marauder rolled over at the end of his bed and he sighed in contentment. He wasn't in his cupboard. He wasn't living on Privet Drive anymore. He was home with Uncle Sirius and with Marauder in his own room.

He was safe.

The fairy lights on the ceiling left a pale glow around his bedroom and he smiled as he reached for his glasses and looked at the walls. His father's favourite music posters, his father's signed Gryffindor Quidditch poster from the Hogwarts class of '78, the signed Quidditch poster Harry had gotten from the local Sidmouth Spirits from his tenth birthday party… The picture board of photos of his parents and their friends and the photos that Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus had helped him add over the years. Harry riding on Uncle Sirius' motorbike, Harry on his own motorbike, Harry's first Christmas with them, Harry and Auntie Minnie, Harry and Marauder, Harry, Ron, and Ginny in the treehouse, Harry and Neville with the Venus Fly Trap, Harry and Uncle Remus buried in the snow, Harry and Uncle Remus on a broomstick, Harry pushing Tonks on the tire swing, Harry at the dragon reserve, and so many other photos.

As Harry watched the pictures move, a sense of calm came over him and he relaxed. This was his home. Uncle Sirius had made it his home over four years ago and he never had to go back to the Dursleys ever again.

He never had to see them again.

He wondered why the dream had even come. It had been many months since he had last dreamed of his old life. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time that he had had a bad dream about them or even thought about the Dursleys in any way. He rubbed the lightning bolt scar on his forehead absently and considered trying to go back to sleep.

But the thought of going back to sleep and possibly remembering his old life again wasn't something that he was interested in so he climbed out of bed, leaving Marauder snoring and quietly made his way downstairs into the kitchen.

The moonlight illuminated the patio and Harry was surprised to see Sirius sitting in the lounge chair in his leather jacket, a cup of tea in his hands as he stared up at the night sky. He looked at the clock and saw that it was almost four in the morning. He wondered why his father was still awake. He poured himself a glass of water and then went into the front closet to put his own boots and coat on and then he stepped out onto the patio.

Sirius' head turned quickly at the sound of the backdoor opening and his eyes widened. "Harry, what are you doing out here? It's late."

Harry took a seat on the lounge chair next to him. "I was thirsty. Why are you sitting out here in the dark?"

Sirius' arm tugged Harry's chair closer to him and he draped his arm around his godson. "I was having a bad dream. Sometimes I like to come outside and stare up at the night sky."

Harry nodded, drinking from the water in his glass. "Oh. Does it make you feel better?"

Sirius smiled, kissing the top of Harry's head. "It does. It reminds me that I'm not locked up anymore and that I'm free. See up there, those lines that connect and look like a dog?" At Harry's nod, he grinned. "That's the dog star, my star, it's called Sirius or Canis Major. And that one next to it, see how it looks like a man? That's Orion, he was a hunter in Greek mythology. That's his belt."

"Like your tattoo," Harry said with a smile.

Sirius nodded. "Exactly. It's a thing in the Black family to be named after stars and constellations. I have no idea why, but it seems to be something they did for generations. It's one of the only things I ever liked about my family. Sometimes, when I look up at the sky, I think about what an infinite universe it is up there and how I'm just one small person in that universe." He shook his head. "I'm tired, I'm getting philosophical." He watched Harry for a moment. "Do you want to talk about your dream, Prongslet?"

"How'd you know?" Harry asked him.

Sirius shrugged. "You always sleep through the night unless a nightmare plagues you," he said simply, kissing the top of Harry's head. "What did you dream about, Prongslet?"

Harry shook his head. He didn't want to remember it and he knew that when he had dreamed about living with the Dursleys it always made Uncle Sirius sad. "I don't remember."

His godfather only nodded, but Harry could tell that he didn't believe him. "Okay." He pulled Harry closer, cuddling him to his chest. "But if you change your mind, you know I'm always here to listen."

Harry smiled. "I know." He drank his water in silence as they stared up at the sky.

He knew he was always here to listen and that was the best part about waking up from the bad dream, Harry thought — it was only a dream.

And he was home with his family.

~ ASC ~

 **The months passed on and Christmas arrived again.** Sirius couldn't help but grin when Harry had told him of his attempts to sneak down and to see Father Christmas this year, but he had come up empty. They built their annual gingerbread house, a little more successful this year than last until Marauder hit the table and the whole roof slid off crushing the gingerbread people. Harry had laughed and simply ate the victims as Remus assisted in adding more frosting in an attempt to make it look more presentable, but ultimately failing miserably.

They had an early tea with McGonagall and Sirius gave her the gold hoop earrings that he had purchased in Florence back in April and she smacked him, insisted that they were too much, and then gleefully put them in her ears. She kissed his cheeks and then Harry's and told Sirius that he was a sweetheart who was spoiling her. Sirius failed to agree. After everything that McGonagall had done for him, she deserved the world in his opinion.

After they had tea with her, they made their way to Andromeda and Ted's house for Christmas dinner. Sirius watched his friend stiffen when they stepped into the living room as Tonks moved forward to greet everyone. Remus had hugged her rather awkwardly he thought, wondering what that was about.

Remus was all smiles as he doted on Harry, playing chess with Ted and grinning, but Sirius could tell that something was bothering him. He watched his cousin trip over the mat by the door and Remus jumped up to catch her and she blushed in embarrassment. Remus sat back down, but his eyes followed her into the kitchen before he turned his gaze to the chessboard with renewed determination.

Tonks was always blushing in Remus' presence and Sirius figured that she hadn't quite gotten over that little school girl crush, but he hadn't ever considered the possibility that as Tonks grew up, his best friend might start looking back. He kept his eyes on his friend, but he was careful to almost never look at his cousin and Sirius started to wonder if maybe he was wrong.

But then during dinner, Tonks knocked over the gravy boat and drenched Remus' lap in gravy.

"Remus! I'm so sorry!" Tonks exclaimed, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at his lap.

Remus jolted when her hand brushed across his crotch and he quickly tried to hide his erection by grabbing her hands and stopping her wiping motions. "Its fine, Dora, it was an accident." He took the napkins from her and dabbed at the bulk of the gravy before using his wand to vanish the spill and clean himself up.

When he looked up, Sirius' eyes were smirking at him and he chose to ignore it.

After dinner, they all went outside to build snowmen in the freshly falling snow. It soon turned into a snowball fight and Remus laughed when a trickle of snow moved down the back of his neck and he turned to find Tonks grinning at him. She turned to run as he scooped up snow into his hands and chased her around the side of the house. He had just turned the corner when he was accosted with another face full of snow. He spluttered at the cold and snagged her arm, pinning her up against the side of the house and shoving the snow into her face.

She laughed and then her laugh died in her throat when her grey eyes met his. Remus had never looked at her like that before, she thought. His beautiful gold eyes had turned almost amber as they looked at her intensely and his cold fingers gently spread the snow across her cheeks, over her lips and he parted her scarf, spreading the snow down her neck. Her breath hitched and flushed, the snow melting from her body heat.

Tonks slowly licked her lips and she watched in fascination as the pulse in his throat seemed to speed up. He was so sexy, she thought. She'd fancied him off and on since she'd been thirteen and she wasn't ashamed to admit that he had been the subject of most of her fantasies. That sexy professor look she thought and she blushed as she remembered the dream she'd had over the summer of him taking her on the desk in the sun room of Sirius' house.

Remus was trying to convince himself to step away from her, but at the moment his fingers were gently pushing snow along the column of her throat, her soft creamy throat and he wanted to replace his fingers with his lips more than anything.

"Remus," she murmured, taking a step towards him.

It woke him up and he immediately dropped his hands, offering her a small smile.

"Sorry, Nymphadora, got caught up in the game I suppose," he told her with a grin. "Let's get you covered up again."

Tonks only stared at him as he tugged her scarf closed around her neck. "You were watching me."

Remus hesitated before he spoke. "You're a lovely girl, Nymphadora. It's only natural that I would notice. Now, we really need to get back to the others."

Tonks' grey eyes held his for a moment and then she took a tentative step towards him when his breath hitched, she smiled knowingly. "You're attracted to me."

Remus shook his head, his golden eyes wide. "You are a child."

"I'm an adult."

"You're still in school."

"I'm seventeen. I'm legally a grown witch who can make her own choices."

Remus closed his eyes. The fact that everything she had just said was true did nothing to make him feel better. "Let's get back to the others before they send out a search party." He turned away from her and she grabbed his arm, surprising him by shoving him back against the wall of the house. "Nymphadora! Please move."

"Not until you give me my Christmas present," she said, her voice husky. She had never once imagined that Remus would actually be attracted to her and now that she knew he was, she wasn't letting him get away from her that easily.

"I did give you a gift," he told her, his voice impatient. "Now move out of the way. You are acting like a child, blocking my exit this way."

Tonks smiled at him, licking her plump pink lips and only making him harden even more. "You did give me my gift and it was lovely," she said her fingers pushing her scarf out of the way so that she could play with the simple bronze choker that said 'Tonks' that he had given her, "But that's not the gift that I'm talking about. I want a kiss, Remus."

"What?" Remus spluttered, his eyes widening. "Absolutely not! I know you used to fancy me a few years back, but I am _not_ going to kiss you, Nymphadora. I don't know what game you're trying to play here, but that is not going to happen!"

Tonks only grinned at him, stepping closer and linking her arms around his neck. "I've dreamed of kissing you since I was thirteen, it's true, but until today, I never thought I had a chance of you actually wanting to kiss me back. I felt your eyes on me, Remus. I stood here against the wall while you looked at me with desire; while your fingers stroked over my skin. Are you going to stand here and tell me that if I kiss you right now, you _won't_ kiss me back?"

Remus kept his eyes closed, his breathing unsteady as her tight body pressed against him. "I don't want to kiss you back. You are a child and I am a grown man who has no desire to make a foolish mistake. You are wrong."

"I think you're trying to convince yourself more than me, Remus," she said, her lips a breath away from him. "Just one kiss. It won't hurt."

Remus' eyes opened and he lost himself in the dark grey orbs before him and he cursed himself, but he moved in. His hands sat on her hips and his lips crushed into hers. She tasted as sweet as he imagined and when his teeth nipped at her bottom lip, she moaned and her mouth opened for him as his tongue met hers in deep greedy bites that made him groan. Her fingers played in his hair and she pressed herself closer to him, moaning his name as he kissed her.

She tasted like honey and smelt like wildflowers. Her tight body pressed against him and he did everything he could not to grind his erection into her. His lips left hers to trail down her neck and his hand slid lower to cup her firm round bum through the tight denim; it was just as soft and firm as he imagined.

Tonks pressed herself closer to him. She could feel how much he wanted her and it made her dizzy. He was the sexiest man that she had ever met. His soft brownish blonde hair, his golden eyes… even the scars on him had done nothing to detract from his handsome face. He was well toned and muscled and he was so smart. When he spoke in that professorially way of his, she wanted to kiss him senseless.

She moaned his name and he froze, his mouth sucking her neck around the scarf. He pulled back, his breathing heavy.

"I-I-I have to go."

"Remus," she whispered, smiling at him. "Kiss me again."

"That was more than just a kiss, Nymphadora — and it's not ever going to happen again."

She pouted and Remus had a sudden desire to kiss the pout from her lips, but he firmly shut that door.

"No. This is wrong. This… this can't happen. I am much too old for you. You are a child. Goodnight, Nymphadora."

He pushed her out of the way and then hurried back around to the yard and smiling at Harry, helping his nephew in the intense snowball fight against Sirius. An hour later when he finally arrived in his own house he was still cursing himself.

Kissing her had felt more right than anything had in his entire life.

He was a disgusting monster, he thought and he ought to be killed for his crimes.

He buried his face in his hands, her scent still lingering on his skin and he swore.

He had made a terrible mistake.


	59. Chapter 59

_Author's Note:_

 _This is something that I was on the fence about doing, but I think it is something that needs to be addressed. The wolf is an important part of Remus' personality and of who he is inside and how it affects his life whether he wants to admit it or not which means that those wolfish tendencies and those wolfish traits are all part of his life. This includes things like being in heat, finding a mate, and wanting to feed. Remus can fight it as much as he wants, but we all know that eventually, he's going to cave._

 _I got some of this information from Pottermore on werewolves and some just from my own knowledge of fictional worlds, but I like to mix it in and see what you guys think. Also I've always loved the Roman story about the twins Remus and Romulus and I've always liked the idea of when Remus was working in the Order and was undercover that he had to use a codename so I think Romulus is perfect. Like I said, Remus is stubborn as we all know and he's hardly going to move in on Tonks when he's still insisting that she's a child (even though she's clearly not) but I did say from the get-go that I love them together so it will be coming; eventually._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE:**

 **The day after Christmas, Harry was playing in the front yard building a snowman and he turned to smile at Mrs Morrison, the elderly neighbour who lived next door as she made her way up the drive.**

"Happy Christmas, Mrs Morrison," he said smiling at her.

Mrs Morrison smiled back. "Happy Christmas, Harry. Did Santa bring you everything you wanted?"

He grinned. "It was a great Christmas."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. Is your father home?"

Harry nodded and hurried to the front door, tugging it open. "Uncle Sirius!"

Sirius poked his head up from the chesterfield. "What's a matter?"

"Mrs Morrison is here to see you."

Sirius frowned at that. The elderly couple had lived next door to them since his Uncle Alphard had owned the cottage and Sirius could count on one hand how many times he had spoken to them. The neighbours were close enough if one needed help, but far enough away that one couldn't see them or be forced to be social unless confronted, a fact he rather enjoyed most about Black Cottage. The Morrisons were kind enough, in their nineties and had two grown sons who lived in Australia. He had always liked them he just hadn't gone out of his way to be overly neighbourly to them. He stood up as Mrs Morrison stepped into the house.

"Happy Christmas, Margaret," he said kindly. "Please come in and have a seat. That's a long walk you ventured on."

She waved her hand at him. "Oh, pish-posh, it took me ten minutes," she said, taking a seat in the armchair. "Your boy is very polite."

"Good," he said smiling. "I'm raising him right. What can I do for you, Margaret? Would you like a cup of tea?"

Mrs Morrison shook her head, smiling kindly at him. "No, no, I don't want to disturb you. I just wanted to let you know that Matthew and Michael bought us a flat out in Sydney. They gave it to us for Christmas yesterday. It was quite the surprise."

"I'll say. I know your sons have been hoping that you would move to be closer to them."

She nodded, a small smile on her lips. "I know, but George and I have lived here in Devon our entire lives. Moving at our age… well, it's something you can't quite imagine."

He smiled warmly at her. "I guess not."

Mrs Morrison smiled. "I wanted to let you know that we'll be heading out by mid January and we're putting the cottage up for sale. Jennifer Berry, our realtor, will be around over the next bit as she works to sell the house."

"Is this what you and George want, Margaret?"

She smiled. "Our eldest grandson is getting married in the spring. We'd like to be closer to our family. We just wanted to let you know to watch out for the realtor and not to be alarmed when you didn't see us around anymore."

Sirius nodded. "Thank you for the heads up and congratulations to you and your family."

Mrs Morrison nodded, "Thank you. Also, the realtor is from the Ministry of Magic so hopefully she will find another magical family to take over the cottage. This area has strictly been wizards for almost the last century. We've come to value or privacy from the Muggles."

He grinned. "I'm sure this Miss Berry will do just fine." He helped Mrs Morrison stand up and adjust her coat and hat. "Are you alright to get home?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm ninety-two, not dead."

Sirius chuckled as he watched her mosey down the drive and say goodbye to Harry. Harry's snowman was massive and he grinned in amusement as he watched his godson drag a large ladder out from the side of the house in an attempt to put the head into place.

"Want some help, Harry?"

Harry shook his head, grinning widely. "No, I got it!"

Sirius smirked as he watched him struggle, but twenty minutes later he did it. The snowman stood six feet tall and was quite impressive looking. Harry had put a top hat on his head and used small pebbles for the face, a twig for a nose and entwined an old scarf of Remus' around the neck.

Sirius stretched his arms up over his head and smiled, leaving Harry to his own devices. He had a new years party to plan.

~ ASC ~

 **The day before the Christmas holidays ended, Remus was sitting in his kitchen drinking tea when the fireplace lit up.** He leaned against the doorjamb in his black jumper and blue jeans, a smile on his face at the thought of why Harry had come to visit him. His eyes widened in alarm when he saw Tonks stumble out.

"Nymphadora!" he exclaimed in surprise, almost spitting out his tea.

Tonks dusted herself off. She was in tight blue jeans, black boots, and a purple jumper that seemed to accentuate her small, yet firm, round breasts. Her 'Tonks' choker was around her neck and her hair was partly pinned back away from her face and she looked beautiful. She was nibbling on her bottom lip and the sight of her made him ache with a need for her that he couldn't fully explain.

"Hi, Remus."

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice coming out a little angrier than he had intended. He hadn't seen or spoken to her since he had kissed her against the side of her house on Christmas Day. But he certainly had thought about her. He'd thought about kissing her - about doing a hell of a lot more than kissing her, if he was honest with himself. The image of her flushed cheeks and those long lashes fluttering closed crossed his brain and he promptly ignored it.

Tonks walked over to him, taking his tea from his hands and helping herself to a sip. "I wanted to talk to you before the New Years Party at Sirius' tonight."

"Do your parents know that you're here?" Remus asked, his eyes on hers.

Tonks rolled her eyes. "You do know that I am not a little girl, Remus. I'm seventeen. I don't need to tell them my every move. But yes, they know that I went out to see a friend."

Remus swallowed slowly, moving into the kitchen and putting his tea cup on the counter. He placed his hands on the countertop for a moment before he turned to face her, but when he turned around she was standing directly in front of him, so close that he could feel her body heat. "What are you doing here?"

Tonks reached out and boldly slid her hands into the back pockets of Remus' jeans. "I wanted to see you."

Remus carefully pried her hands loose; the feel of her hands on his bum was not making this feeling any easier for him. "Look, Nymphadora, we were caught up in the game; in the moment. What happened the other day, it's not going to happen again."

Tonks smirked at him and stepped closer so that her body gently brushed his as she placed her hands on either side of the counter effectively trapping him between her and the counter as she looked up at him. "I asked you to kiss me and you did."

"I-I… it's not going to happen again."

She smiled at him, moving one hand to gently place it on his hip. "I've been thinking about that kiss for days. No one has ever kissed me like _that_."

Remus' golden orbs had widened at her words and when her hand slid back into his back pocket and squeezed his bum, he silently cursed his eager cock. "Stop," he told her, grabbing her hand and pushing her away from him. "You're a child and you're playing a game that you do not understand."

"I am not a child," she shot back. "I'm an adult and I can make my own choices! You're the one acting like a child, Remus. I want you to kiss me again."

"It's not going to happen."

Tonks took another step towards him, close enough so that he could feel her without her actually touching him. "Kiss me, Remus. I know that you want to."

He shut his eyes, willing his breathing to even out and when his golden brown eyes met her grey ones, there was steel in the gaze. "I don't make the same mistake twice."

She jolted back as if he had slapped her.

"Now go on home before you embarrass yourself," he insisted sternly. He hated the sound of his own voice, professor-like and full of authority. "I'll pretend this never happened for both our sakes."

Tonks merely glared at him and then she stormed out of the kitchen. Remus heard the Floo light up and he let out a sigh of relief.

She was gone.

And he had never wanted anyone so much in his entire life.

Closing his eyes, he unzipped his jeans and quickly sated himself where he stood, remembering the feel of her hands on his butt and he groaned.

He was definitely in trouble.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus stretched his arms above his head when he returned from Sirius' New Year's Eve Party later that night.** Tonks had been there and he had felt her eyes on him more than once, but he had been determined not to meet her gaze. She had looked incredible in the gold gown she had worn. It had been a very low v-neck that outlined the sides of her breasts and left her back completely bare. He had almost swallowed his tongue when she had turned to face him and he had caught sight of her dress.

According to Sirius, Andromeda had picked it out claiming that it was the dress of a woman and Remus had wondered what the hell her mother was thinking allowing her daughter to look so fucking sexy. The sides of those creamy breasts danced along the v of her dress and it took everything Remus had not to stare at them; not to imagine tasting them and he cursed himself — and then he cursed Andy for letting her wear it.

The Christmas holidays were now over. He wouldn't see her again until her eighteenth birthday in six months, surely that would be sufficient time for him to stop him from thinking about her, to stop imagining the feel of those lips pressed against his, to stop imagining how good it would feel to just sink deep into her, to hold those creamy thighs while he thrusted himself into her over and over and over again.

She had only grown more beautiful and now that he knew what she tasted like, how good it felt to kiss her — he had to work even harder to keep his distance. He'd tried to keep his eyes off of her as much as possible and he wasn't sure that he'd succeeded, especially when their eyes had met once during dinner. When he said goodbye, she'd brushed against him and the smouldering look in her gaze had been enough to set him on edge for the rest of the night.

He stepped into his bedroom, contemplating taking a long hot shower before he went to bed and flicking his wand to light up the room and his eyes widened in disbelief.

They very woman of his thoughts was stretched out on his bed wearing nothing but pale purple satin knickers and a matching bra. She was smiling seductively at him.

"I thought that you'd never come home," she told him, her hand sliding down her stomach and gently slipping a finger beneath the satin.

Remus licked his lips. "Nymphadora, you shouldn't be here."

She smiled at him and hopped off of the bed to stand in front of him. "Oh, we both know that I really should. You want me to be here." She reached for the hem of his jumper and tugged it over his head. "You have too many clothes on."

Remus closed his eyes and willed his mind to work. "Nymphadora, you need to go home. You don't know what you're doing."

Her hands moved to his belt and she quickly unfastened it and then her hand was inside and holding him and he was fairly afraid that he was whimpering at the contact. "I do know what I'm doing," she whispered, her lips moving to his throat as she stroked him.

Remus lost all control and he grabbed her, kissing her deeply, kissing to bruise and her arms wrapped around his neck as he let out a moan so lust-filled that he was positive he wouldn't last. He lifted her hips and those long legs wrapped around his waist and he moved to the bed, dropping her onto it and leaning over her, his lips never leaving hers.

She tugged on his shirt, unbuttoning it and her hands spread across his bare chest eagerly as he nipped at her lips. She pushed his shirt off of his shoulders and his mouth found the swell of her breast, kneading and suckling her through the satin as she moaned.

Her narrow fingers gripped him firmly and he gasped as he helped her push his jeans down, desperate for her to touch him. For her hands to finally be on him like he had imagined for months.

"Nymphadora," he whispered.

Her grey eyes met his, a secret smile on her lips, and then she bent her head and took him between those plump pink lips.

Remus' eyes flew open, his hand gripping his cock, surprising himself as he came. Fuck, he thought, sweat beating down his neck as he finished himself off and then reached for his wand to clean himself up.

She was haunting his dreams.

He remembered how she had tasted like honey and the thought of just how good her skin tasted made him groan and curse himself. He had never before in thirty years had such an intense sexual dream about anyone.

But he couldn't get her out of his mind.

Seeing her tonight, dressed up in that soft gold dress, her hair pulled back in a bun; he'd had a sudden image of sliding beneath the dinner table, spreading those legs and feasting on her instead of the meal.

He sat up, dragging his fingers through his hair. He needed to stop thinking about her. He needed something to distract him from thoughts of her. He tugged on pyjama pants and made his way into the living room, grabbing the book that he had been reading, but he found his attention wasn't there.

Instead, he found himself moving to find ink and parchment and he began to write. He didn't even know if he could help him, but for the first time in almost a decade, Remus found himself full of questions about being a werewolf.

 _Adrian,_

 _I know it's been almost a decade since you've heard from me. You know I was never into living the life of the pack, but was always more of a solo act. However, I am feeling full of questions that I think only a fellow wolf can answer. Questions that you tried to give me answers to years ago and ones that I refused to listen to._

 _I never wanted to know about werewolves. I was convinced that I already knew about the pain and suffering that I was forced to endure every month when I transformed; about the side effects and the little quirks like preferring red meat or being hot-blooded or having an increased sense of smell. I thought that what I knew was enough but… you were right,_ _I need to know more._

 _Every winter, my body goes through the heat — that five or ten days when I am so sexually charged that it almost hurts to wear clothing, but I've experienced this since I was thirteen and I'm used to it. I know how to deal with it. But lately… lately I've been having such vivid sexual dreams; wet dreams where I wake up on the brink of or just after having an orgasm. This hasn't happened to me since I was a teenager. I guess, I'm wondering, is this a phase that the wolf goes through like some form of second puberty? It's been months now and nothing I seem to do will stop it from happening._

 _Is this a wolf thing?_

 _What does it mean?_

 _Romulus_

He sent the letter off; hoping that by some miracle an answer would be provided for him from the members of the pack that he had once lived with while working undercover in the Order of the Phoenix during the war. What he was experiencing couldn't possibly be normal? His thoughts and his fantasies about Nymphadora were getting completely out of hand, almost obsessive. His body certainly didn't care that she was seventeen, he thought.

He made his way into the bathroom for an ice cold shower.

When he woke up in the morning, he was surprised to have already heard back.

 _Romulus,_

 _I think we should meet up in person and discuss this in detail. Do you even know what the body of a wolf goes through as the wolf ages? We need to talk._

 _The Top Hat, 3pm._

It wasn't signed. Remus stared at it for the longest moment and for the first time in months, he felt relief course through him. He was finally going to figure out what was wrong with him.

When he arrived at _The Top Hat_ at ten to three, he didn't recognize anyone as he took his seat and ordered two pints. But the moment he walked in, he felt the prickle at the base of his neck.

Adrian Roberts, the alpha of the pack that he had run with years before in his attempts to discover their loyalties during the war. The man had taught him things about being a wolf that he hadn't even known before. How to hone his senses; how to keep control of the wolf when he changed. He had been incredibly grateful to him even as he had been horrified by the violence that he allowed his pack to do.

They didn't intentionally set out to harm people it was true.

They isolated themselves underground, but during the moon they were running free in the mountains and embracing the wolf. Remus had run free with them once; feeling elated and feeling as if he was one with the animal inside of him. But his fear of getting loose and of hurting someone had been too strong and the moment the Order had disbanded, he had cut all ties with the pack without a single regret.

He nodded at Adrian when he sat down across from him. He was in his late forties, dark hair and blue eyes. "Thanks for meeting me."

Adrian nodded, taking a drink from the pint the waitress brought. "I'll admit I was surprised to hear from you. It's been inside of ten years."

"I know. I like to be alone, you know that."

Adrian stared at him for a moment over his beer. "Well, Romulus, that I do know. But like I've said before, the pack is always here when you need us. We're not all like Greyback."

Remus nodded gratefully. He knew that too. "I know and I thank you for it. It's why I reached out."

Adrian leaned back in his seat, his eyes on Remus as if he was trying to assess him. "You're using the potion."

Remus' eyes sharpened in surprise. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I can feel it. It's like you've tamed the wolf inside of you."

"I keep my mind when I change. It's rather enlightening to do it actually, but I don't for one second feel like the wolf has been tamed in any way," Remus explained. "I can still feel it there, fighting and clawing at me for freedom."

Adrian nodded. "To each their own, Romulus. Now, as to what you were writing to me about. Are you saying that you've been in heat longer than the usual yearly hit?"

Remus blushed, but nodded. The embarrassment of discussing something so personal wasn't as important to him as finding out why. "Yes, and no. I can tell it's different, but… I haven't been dealing with this kind of thing since I went through puberty."

"Tell me about the dreams," Adrian said, bringing his beer to his lips. "Are they always the same?"

Remus shook his head, his ears flushed as he spoke. "No. Different every time, but she's always there and when she pleasures me I wake up from the dream as if it had been real. That's where I'm starting to lose my mind."

"She?" Adrian asked, his eyes wide as he leaned in across the table. "Is it always the same woman?"

Remus nodded, sipping his own beer. "Yeah, is that significant?"

Adrian smiled now. "I'll say. At first I thought maybe you were experiencing a lack of pack mentality — no opportunity to shag other wolves, which can sometimes happen when you isolate yourself, but if these dreams are always about the same woman, than this is something entirely different. Have you met her? Do you know who she is?"

"Yeah, I know who she is," Remus said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Is that significant?"

"Have you shagged her outside of your dreams?"

"No!" Remus exclaimed, his eyes wide. "It would be very inappropriate for me to do so. I kissed her once and… well… I think that made it worse because now I know what she tastes like."

Adrian grinned. "Does your blood hum when she's in the same room as you?"

Remus swallowed carefully as he remembered that vibration that had seemed to reverberate through him when she was near; how his body immediately would stand at attention. "Yeah."

"Romulus, you've found your mate."

"My — _what_?"


	60. Chapter 60

_Author's Note:_

 _So I just wrote the ending to this story - still haven't written most of the middle, but I know how it's going to end LOL. Strange right? To quote Ron Weasley — I need to sort out my priorities ;)_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY:**

 **Werewolves had mates.**

Remus had no idea.

It made sense the more Adrian explained it to him. Each werewolf had a soulmate or a mate out there for them. The wolf can have known their mate for years, but it just takes one moment for the bond to click for them. The moment it does, the male is unable to stop thinking about the female. The male can have sex with as many other females as he so desires, but he will never be truly satisfied until he allows himself to bond with his mate. The male will only be sated when he finds his mate and spills his seed deep inside of her while he bites her hard enough to draw blood. The mark seals them as soulmates and as mated for life and it can never be erased once that step is taken; it will remain even after death. And once mated, the male will never stray to another. If the mate of the werewolf is human, it will not turn them or give them any indication that they are becoming a werewolf because it was a mating bite, done during intercourse and sealing the bond between the two. For the bond to be completely equal on both sides, the woman must also mark the man during sex and if the woman does not choose to do this, she can leave at any time, not bound to the wolf in the same capacity. The male will never be able to find another.

Remus simply stared at him. "I've known her for years and just… suddenly I saw her and it was like she was… she was the most beautiful woman on the planet."

Adrian smiled sympathetically. "I get that and if she was too young at the time, the bond wouldn't start to show itself until she had reached sexual maturity. But the reason you're having these dreams and these reactions to her is because she's your soulmate. There's no other explanation."

Remus nodded, his ears flushed. "What if I… reject this notion?"

Adrian shrugged, his brow furrowed. "You can. No one is going to force you to be with this woman nor vice versa, but without her you will always feel like something in your life is missing; that something is almost empty inside of you and as someone who is very happily mated himself — the sex will never be as good as it could be with her."

"What if I had sex with her, but I didn't bite her… I didn't mark her as my mate?"

"It's only going to make you more territorial until you stake your claim and make her yours, you will be jealous and irrational over anyone who even looks at her. That's the wolf in you. Having sex with her will sate you, make you feel better and make you relaxed and happy, but until you claim her as yours, you will continue to be unsatisfied and irrational. She has to know what it means for her if you bite her and if she isn't interested in bonding with you in that way, it will hurt you. Her rejection will affect you in more ways than you can possibly imagine. Your soul will ache for her — _always_."

Remus had went home that night feeling even more confused than when he had gone to meet Adrian. The only thing that he was absolutely sure of was that there was no way in hell he was going to hurt Nymphadora by allowing her to become his mate.

He would just ignore it.

If he ignored it, he couldn't give her the option of rejecting him and he wouldn't risk hurting her. He could deal with being miserable, that was something he was used to.

That was simple enough, he told himself stubbornly. Just ignore it.

~ ASC ~

 **The year 1991 came in with a bang and Remus did everything in his power to try to stop thinking about Nymphadora.** Sirius was starting to worry slightly about his friend. He had noticed a change in his behaviour since the holidays, but he was left wondering what the change could be as Remus seemed to be spending a lot of his time with different women as of late. Usually Muggles, but the occasional witch had found herself in the arms of one Remus Lupin and Sirius was wondering what exactly was going through his friend's mind as it was very out of character for him to be with so many women.

Adrian had told him the truth, but Remus was quite determined to prove him wrong. However, he was soon discovering that Adrian had been right. He was left unsatisfied no matter how many women he was with. His feeling of relaxation and of being sated lasted minutes only before an empty pang seemed to fill him. But nothing seemed to work. He dreamed of her, he fantasized about her and despite his intentions not too — he thought of her when he touched himself.

He found himself counting down the days until he could see her again; just to see her, he told himself. To see her would be enough. He would make it be enough.

While Remus was struggling with the new information that the Alpha had told him and trying to stop his rampant fantasies of Tonks from coming to head, Sirius left him alone for the most part. He knew his friend well enough to know that it wasn't the time to push, eventually Remus would come around.

Someone else came around in mid February in the form of a curvy redhead named Jennifer Berry, who introduced herself to Sirius and Harry while they were building a snow fort in the front yard.

Sirius stood up, dusting snow from his hands as she approached. "Miss Berry," he said, recognizing her from the photo on the for sale sign on the Morrisons' front yard.

"Hi," she said kindly, extending her hand. "Mr Black, right?"

He nodded. "Correct. You are the realtor for the Morrison cottage."

She nodded. "I am. I'm just introducing myself to the neighbours so that everyone will get used to seeing me around and about. I plan on doing some basic renovations on the cottage before I have an open house next week."

Sirius slipped his gloved hands into his pockets. "Sounds like a start." His eyes moved down her body and he wondered how much of her was winter gear bulk and how much was actual curves. He had always liked curvy women. "You'll be selling it to a wizarding family?"

She smiled, licking her lips. "That's the plan. If after two years, the house is still on the market that's when we will look into opening it up to the Muggles. But it's a great cottage and it's in a great location so I think that by the summer there will be quite a few interested buyers." Her eyes fell on Harry who was crawling out of the snow fort. "Is that your son?"

"Yes. Harry, this is Miss Berry. She's working to sell Mr and Mrs Morrison's house next door," Sirius said, smiling when Harry came to stand next to him.

"Call me Jennifer, please."

"Hello," Harry said politely, smiling at her.

Jennifer Berry smiled back warmly. "It's lovely to meet you, Harry. I'll try my best to sell it to a wizarding family with children. Maybe you'll be able to make new friends."

"That would be good," he told her, turning to Sirius. "I'm going inside for some hot chocolate."

Sirius nodded. "Go on, I'll be inside soon." He watched as Harry hurried off and he turned to smiled at the realtor. "If there's nothing else…"

She smiled at him. "No, nothing else. I just wanted to introduce myself." Her eyes fell on the cottage behind him. "Raising a son on your own; that's quite an accomplishment. Mrs Morrison spoke highly of you."

Sirius smirked at her. "Asked about me, did you?"

She smirked back. "When I learned there was a very shag-able single father next door, I might have pried a little."

Sirius grinned at her. "Shag-able?"

Jennifer took a step closer to him, her tongue flitting out to touch her top lip. "Precisely." She passed him a business card. "I'll see you around, Mr Black."

Sirius watched her saunter down the drive and he grinned. A sexy realtor working next door definitely wasn't a bad thing after all. When she disappeared from his sight, he headed inside to find Harry.

Hot chocolate sounded pretty good right now.

~ ASC ~

 **As March blew in, Sirius heard from Althea.** She had given birth to twin boys who they named Niko Alexander and Nilo Alexander. Babies and mother were all doing wonderfully and Xander was apparently quite the attentive papa. The news had made Sirius grin.

March also blew in more of Jennifer Berry.

The realtor had 'stopped by' twice more since her initial introduction, the third time inviting Sirius over to see the first open house. He agreed to stop by and Harry voted going over to visit Remus instead as he had no desire to go to the open house. It was probably a good choice on Harry's part, Sirius thought, as he pinned Jennifer up against the bathroom sink. When she had asked if he wanted to join her at the pub for a bite to eat, he had accepted and when she followed him into the men's bathroom of the pub before they had even ordered their food, he had only been a little surprised. But after her mentioning that he was shag-able, he was more than interested in proving her right.

It had really been too long since he'd had a woman.

He had tugged her into one of the stalls, his fingers moving between her legs and her eyes rolled back in pleasure as he worked her over. When he took her against the stall door, the groans she made were loud and Sirius buried his face in her shoulder as pounded her against the stall, the metal of the door shaking at the hinges with every thrust until he finished.

Jennifer grinned at him, her hair a dishevelled mess and she carefully adjusted her skirt. "I knew you'd be good at that."

Sirius grinned back at her as he zipped up his jeans. He nipped at her lips. "That was only a pre-show, darling. Take me home and you'll really see what I can do."

She had. And he had definitely shown her. And he had discovered that she wasn't a natural redhead.

March also brought in Remus' birthday and as part of Remus' birthday present, they went to see The Weird Sisters perform an afternoon concert in London. It was a great concert and they left with tee shirts again and smiles on their faces.

"I'm thinking of getting tickets to see Billy Idol for the summer," Sirius told Remus with a grin. "He's great and I love his stuff, but we _have_ to bring Tonks with us or she'd never forgive me."

Remus chuckled at that. Tonks was a huge Billy Idol fan. "You can make it her gift for finishing school."

Sirius nodded. "Alright, I'm going to check out tickets."

Harry grinned up at his godfather. "I like going to concerts."

Sirius grinned back at him. "Me too." He ruffled Harry's hair. "Do you think that we should get Tonks anything else cool? She was accepted into the Auror boot camp program."

"She heard back?" Remus asked in interest. The idea of Tonks being an Auror intrigued him.

Sirius nodded. "Andy told me the other day. Apparently she starts the camp in late August. If she makes it through the twelve week training camp, she goes through a series of in depth tests and then she can start training in the Academy. She's beyond excited. It's hard to get into that program."

Remus nodded. It was damn near impossible if he remembered correctly. One had to not only have the brains and the talent for it, they had to do something worthwhile enough to impress the judges. "Do you think her Metamorphmagus skills might have something to do with her getting in?"

"Oh, I imagine it's a huge asset, but if she didn't cut it in the other areas, that wouldn't be enough to get her in. She's pumped for the boot camp. Andy said that she's started running around the Black Lake every morning, trying to prepare herself for the physical aspects of the camp. I'm so bloody proud of her," he said with a grin. "She's going to be one hell of a badass Auror."

"Yes, I imagine she will be," Remus said as a mental image of her with handcuffs made him flush. "But er, concert tickets that seems like a great gift."

Harry grinned up at his uncles. "I want to give her something too."

"Of course, Prongslet. Anything you want. We have a few months to decide still," Sirius said with a grin. "In the meantime, let's go to that record store and see what new music we can bring home."

Harry nodded, grinning widely as he hurried into the store. He stopped rather suddenly in front of the steel stringed acoustic guitar that was sitting on the stand. He gently reached out and ran his thumb along the strings and Sirius smiled at him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Harry nodded, carefully tucking his hands into his pockets. "It is."

"Your dad loved his guitar. He was a musician at heart I always thought. It calmed him to play music, to sing. It was something he loved very much," Sirius told him, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Do… do you think I should play too?"

Sirius knelt down in front of Harry so that they were eye level. He touched Harry's chin and he smiled. "Do you want to play the guitar, Prongslet?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno."

Sirius flicked his chin lightly, smiling. "James Potter was an amazing bloke. He was funny and talented and smart and he had a wicked sense of humour. He was easy to love and he had a way about him that just made everyone feel welcome. You're a lot like him, Harry. I look at you and I see James sometimes in the way that you laugh and how you pull pranks and how you love and treat others. But you are more like your mother than your father."

Harry's eyes met Sirius' in surprise. "I am?"

Sirius nodded, smiling warmly. "You are. Lily was sweet and kind, but she had a talent for getting revenge when she felt it was due. She was funny and so sarcastic. You have her eyes, but you also have her big heart and her smile. And like your mum, you can't sing at all."

He laughed at that, grinning up at his godfather. "That's true. I'm not a very good singer."

Sirius smiled at him. "No, you are not. Neither could your mum, but your mum loved to listen and to watch your dad play his guitar. She thought it was sexy, but she also liked how it seemed to calm him down. After you were born, they were both worried about the war and worried about you growing up in such dark times and when Jamie would worry, he'd pull out the guitar and just absently strum it, tuning it, singing softly and mixing songs up to make her smile; to make you smile. But she never had any desire to learn an instrument herself. She wasn't a musician. Jamie could play almost any musical instrument, but the guitar was his speciality and he sometimes would play along side Uncle Moony on the piano or with your grandmother who also played the piano quite beautifully. But your Mum just loved to listen."

Harry stared at the guitar for a long moment. "So, it's okay if I don't learn how to play?"

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead. "It is more than okay, Prongslet. You are your own person, a perfect mix of James and Lily that makes you uniquely Harry. And you know what, Harry, you don't have to do a single thing that your parents did unless you want to."

Harry hugged Sirius tight and reached out to strum the strings again. "It is pretty."

He draped an arm over Harry's shoulders when he stood up. "If you want to learn how to play then you can learn, but if you just think you should because your dad did, then no, Harry."

Harry grinned up at him. "I don't want to learn how to play. I just want to listen to the music like my mum."

"Good choice, Prongslet," Sirius said with a grin. "Now come on; let's see what exciting new albums we can find.

An hour later, Sirius' arms were full of new records including _Innuendo_ by Queen, _Presto_ by Rush, _Blow Up Your Video_ by ACDC, _Bleach_ by Nirvana, _New Jersey_ by Bon Jovi, _Like A Prayer_ by Madonna (who was a total babe according to Sirius), _Wide Awake in Dreamland_ by Pat Benatar, and _Whiplash Smile_ by Billy Idol. He was quite pleased with himself.

They went home laden with their purchases and Sirius put the Rush album on the wireless as they made dinner. Harry carefully mashed the potatoes, mixing them carefully before placing them in the bowl and grinning at his godfather. The two of them had become quite the cooking duo over the years.

The fireplace lit up and Harry hurried out of the kitchen to see who it was, grinning widely at the sight of Ginny.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Ginny scratched her nose and smiled up at Sirius when he stepped into the living room. "Mum sent me over with this," she passed the large box to Sirius with a smile. "She said she made too much, but I think she just wanted to make sure that you and Harry got some of the fresh batch. She knows how much Harry loves her treacle tart."

Harry's eyes widened in glee. "Treacle tart?"

Ginny grinned at him and kissed his cheek. "It's good. I made this one. Bye!"

She hurried back in the fireplace and was gone as Sirius opened the box. "Mmm, this is quite a lot of treacle tart, Harry. We're going to have some good dessert after dinner."

"Maybe just a little slice now?" Harry asked eagerly, knowing exactly how good Mrs Weasley's treacle tart was and slightly intrigued to see if Ginny's tasted the same.

Sirius grinned at him and pointed to the rule board on the kitchen wall. "What does number four say?"

Harry sighed dramatically making Sirius laugh. "No dessert if we don't eat our vegetables."

"Right, so dinner first, Prongslet." He placed the box of fresh treacle tart on the counter and grinned at his godson. "Now, give Marauder his dinner so we can eat ours."

~ ASC ~

 **As March moved into April, Sirius continued to spend time with Jennifer.** He liked the realtor. He liked her smile and he really liked the sex. The last time he had Flooed to her place she had been sitting on the chesterfield completely naked with a glass of wine in her hand. She had merely smirked at him in greeting, spread her thighs and waited for him to undress.

He'd shagged her so hard they'd moved the chesterfield halfway across the room. She was intriguing to him and quite a tease. He was surprised by how much he liked her considering they had never been on an actual date nor had much in the way of conversations. By May, he was convinced the sex was almost too good to be true when she rode him against the front door of her home and then slid down to her knees to finish him off.

And he learned it was, when he showed up unexpectedly at her place at the end of May and caught her shagging another man.

He wasn't upset by it.

She had been nothing to him outside of the sex. He didn't even think they'd had an actual conversation, but Sirius Black had one strong rule — he didn't share.

And he told her as much when she tried to apologize.

"Jennifer, it's fine. Fuck him instead, but we're done. See you around."

He had left her shouting apologies to him as he Flooed away. Remus was sitting in the living room when he got back.

"Well, that was fast even for you?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, you're hilarious, Moony."

Remus merely raised an eyebrow when his friend took a seat next to him. "Thought you were going over to Jennifer's to shag?"

"Was. She was shagging someone else."

Remus stared at him in surprise. "Damn, I'm sorry, Padfoot."

Sirius shrugged. "Its fine. It's not like we were together or anything. I never even took her out on a single date."

"True," Remus said, grinning. "But I think she's the woman that you shagged the longest since Althea left."

Sirius grinned. "She was a good shag. But you know me, Moony, I don't share."

Remus smirked at him. "On that we are both in full agreement. Besides, there have been some bites on the Morrison cottage, I imagine she won't be around much longer."

"Whatever, I got some sex out of the deal."

Remus laughed. "Ever the gentlemen."

Sirius simply grinned at him. "Naturally. Where's Harry?"

"He's still outside trying to put together that huge lego village. It's taken up half the patio by now."

"That sounds immensely more fun than thinking about how I'm not going to get laid today," he said standing up. "Want to come outside and help, Rem?"

Remus shook his head with a grin. "No, you go. If you're back, I have a few things I need to work on at home. I'll see you later."

Sirius nodded at his friend as he stepped into the fireplace and he headed outside, smiling at the sight of Harry building diligently.

Jennifer Berry wasn't even a blimp in his thoughts.

~ ASC ~

 **When June came around, Harry was bouncing in excitement at the prospect of getting to go to Hogwarts for Tonks' end of school ceremony.** Hearing stories for years from Sirius and Remus about how great their time had been at Hogwarts, hearing from the twins and from Percy, Charlie, and Bill about how great Hogwarts was, Harry couldn't wait for his own letter to arrive, which Sirius assured him would be coming within the next month or so. But the prospect of getting to see the castle now… he was beyond elated.

"Uncle Padfoot, let's go!" Harry demanded, yelling up the stairs.

Sirius grinned as he buttoned his shirt on his way down. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Calm down, Prongslet. The ceremony doesn't even start for an hour."

Harry grinned as he watched his godfather button his shirt. "I want to see Hogwarts!"

Sirius smiled, ruffling Harry's hair. "Pretty soon, you'll be going to school there and you'll see it every day."

Harry smiled. "But today I get to see it now. Will Auntie Minnie be there?"

"Absolutely," Sirius told him, smiling. He tucked his shirt into his pants and adjusted his belt. "There, I'm ready. Do you have Tonks' present?"

Harry hurried over to the coffee table to grab the gift bag. "Here!"

Sirius smiled and checked his watch. "Moony is going to meet us there. Come on."

They stepped into the Floo together and took off, landing in McGonagall's office.

McGonagall smiled warmly at them. "Harry! Sirius!"

Harry hurried forward to hug her and she grinned. "Hi Auntie Minnie! Tonks finishes Hogwarts today!"

"Yes, she is," McGonagall said with a smile. She hugged Sirius when he embraced her. "You two are a little early."

"Harry has been beyond excited at the prospect of being in Hogwarts."

McGonagall chuckled. "I can see that. Alright, well, we can have a mini tour on our way down to the grounds."

Harry beamed at her and let Sirius take his hand as they followed McGonagall out of her office down the dark corridor. Harry's eyes were on everything, wide and fascinated as he looked at the suits of armour and the portraits on the walls. By the time they made it onto the grounds where the ceremony was being held by the Black Lake, Harry kept staring back at the castle in awe. The prospect of coming to school here was both daunting and thrilling to him.

He took his seat next to Sirius. He waved at the Weasleys, who were sitting in a different section to be closer to Charlie, who was also finishing at Hogwarts this year. Ginny was sitting on Mr Weasley's lap so that she could see the stage. Harry smiled when Remus arrived a few moments before the ceremony and sat on his other side. Professor Dumbledore spoke about the class of 1991 and the accomplishments they had made over the last seven years. When Tonks' name was called, Professor Sprout, her Head of House, proudly announced that she would be attending the Auror Boot Camp in August with plans of getting into the Academy. Harry cheered loudly for her as Andromeda mopped at her tears.

After the ceremony, Tonks hurried towards them, hugging Harry tightly and kissing her parents.

"I'm finished!"

Andromeda wiped tears from her eyes as she hugged her daughter. "Oh, I'm so proud of you, darling!" She kissed both of her cheeks. "You did so wonderful on your NEWTs and now you're going to be an Auror — I can't believe it."

Ted tugged his daughter close, kissing her forehead. "My brave little warrior. You're going to make a great Auror."

"Thanks, Mum, thanks, Dad," she said, hugging them both tightly.

Sirius wrapped his arms around her. "Try not to be so clumsy in training now, stealth is important."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm clumsy on purpose! And come on, I don't even start training until October. I have to make it through the boot camp first." She turned to Remus and hugged him tight, intentionally pressing herself up against him. She had many months to think about his reaction at Christmas and when she had seen him in the crowd, she knew that she wasn't going to let him just forget about that kiss. "Thanks for coming, Remus."

"You're welcome," he said, demanding his body to cool it. "Congratulations." When she pulled away, he almost sighed in disappointment at the loss of contact.

Tonks grinned widely at them. "So, where are we going to celebrate?"

Ted chuckled and draped an arm around his daughter. "I made us reservations at that Muggle Thai restaurant you love."

"Aw, Dad," she said, kissing his cheek.

They ate at the restaurant, smiling and laughing as Tonks told stories about her final year and some of the stuff that she had gotten away with prank wise, much to the dismay of her mother (Ted was actually quite amused which caused Andromeda to glare at him in disapproval).

Sirius kept his eyes on Remus as often as he could. He watched as Remus carefully tried not to look at Tonks unless she was speaking. He watched the back of his friend's neck flush when Tonks' fingers brushed his when she passed him the salt and he knew that he wasn't crazy. Remus was very much interested in his cousin and Sirius could also see that he was very stubbornly refusing to do anything about it.

Sirius knew the age difference was vast, it was true, but he also knew that age was only a number and if both of them were interested in the other, he saw no reason why they shouldn't attempt at making something work. But he also knew his friend and he knew that Remus was immovable when he wanted to be. Not to mention the most stubborn person he knew.

Tonks on the other hand was annoyed.

She was incredibly happy that her family had brought her out to her favourite restaurant to celebrate her acceptance into the Auror training program. She was pleased to see Harry, who essentially was her little brother, and Sirius here as well and she was even more pleased to see Remus. Her ex-boyfriend David had accused her of thinking of other things whenever they snogged and Tonks knew that it had been true. She had kissed three boys since Remus had kissed her over Christmas break and not one of them made her feel an inkling of what he had made her feel just by sitting next to her right now.

His golden brown hair was wavy around his ears and over the collar of his shirt like he had forgotten to get a haircut. He wore brown dress pants and a matching tweed jacket with leather elbow patches that Tonks found way sexier then she should. His white dress shirt was adorned with a gold and black tie. His eyes, those intense golden brown, almost amber surrounded by the pale lashes had haunted her dreams for months.

He was speaking to her father now, his hands moving as he spoke and she tried not to stare at him. He was explaining how in his lessons with Harry they had gone to the British Museum to look at the artefacts from the nineteenth century. His voice was melodic sounding, that patient teacher voice that made her want to lean in and bite his bottom lip.

What would he do, she wondered, if she simply leaned in and bit that bottom lip of his? Would he call her a child again or claim that it was a mistake that he had kissed her to begin with? Oh, that had hurt her and after she had gone home to lick her wounds, she knew that he had done it intentionally. He was attracted to her. She was sure of it.

Tonks reached for the spicy space, intentionally brushing his arm and she felt him tense at the contact. She tried not to smile in glee. Then she decided to be a bit bolder. She placed her left hand in her lap to fiddle with the napkin and then she carefully slid it to the left, gently brushing his thigh and he knocked over the glass of water on the table.

"Sorry," Remus exclaimed, quickly picking up the glass and attempting to dry the table cloth with his napkin.

Tonks only smiled to herself, an innocent look on her face. It definitely wasn't one-sided and she didn't care how long it took her, she would make him admit that he wanted her.

There was nothing she liked more than a challenge.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Just a helpful reminder of Thea's family._

 _Apollo and Medea Castellanos_

 _Daphne (2)_

 _Circe (1)_

 _Althea and Xander Papakonstantinou_

 _Niko Alexander & Nilo Alexander (Born in February 1991)_

 _Thanks and please review!_


	61. Chapter 61

_Author's Note:_

 _I know I've mentioned it before, but I've always loved the idea of Ginny having this special relationship with each one of her brothers, Bill especially. I like the use of nicknames for her brothers to use and I already mentioned Charlie calling her Jitterbug, but all of her brothers will have their own names for her._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the letter that belongs to the lovely JKR._

 _And I know, I know, 61 chapters in and FINALLY!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE:**

 **Tonks decided to spend some time at Sirius' house that summer again.** She played with Harry, taught him some new pranks, and raced him through the treehouse obstacle course. She also continued running every day in preparation for her training in August through September. She was determined to be in top physical form when she got to the boot camp.

But the part that she enjoyed the most about the summer, was doing her best to make Remus uncomfortable.

The second week she had caught him in the sun room writing on the blackboard. She had stepped up behind him, sitting on his desk.

"Keeping busy, Professor Lupin?"

He had jolted and merely turned to offer her a small smile. "Nymphadora, I didn't know that you were here."

He was the only person who ever called her Nymphadora outside of her mother and she found that when he said it, she didn't mind. "I thought I'd come by and see if Harry was interested in cooling off with a good old fashioned water balloon fight. Want to join us?"

Remus shook his head. "I have things to do and can't be bothered by childish games at the moment."

"That's a shame," Tonks said, hopping off the desk and smirking at him. "I thought maybe you'd enjoy watching me get a little wet."

"What?" Remus said, his eyes wide. She hadn't said those words, _had she?_

She smiled, a knowing smirk on her lips. "I said, I thought you'd enjoy getting wet, you know, cooling off for a bit?"

Remus swallowed slowly. Her eyes were twinkling at him in mischief and his heart was pounding a little too erratically in his chest, he thought. "I'm busy."

Tonks simply shrugged. "Well, we'll be out back if you want to join us."

He tried not to look out the window, he really did, but when she stood there in tiny shorts and a blue bikini top, he swallowed slowly. And when that first water balloon crashed into her, he closed his eyes in his attempt to be indifferent.

He would not let her get to him.

Sirius came home a little while later, laughing when a water balloon struck him right in the middle of his Ramones tee shirt and Harry giggled madly.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, tugging his wet shirt off and running after his ten-year-old-son. He took a balloon from Tonks and crushed it over Harry's head as Harry laughed.

Tonks grinned. "We thought we'd cool off a bit — this heat wave is killing me," she told him, sitting in the grass and stretching her long legs out in front of her.

Sirius smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me. It's supposed to be a scorcher today and it's barely even noon. Where's Remus?"

"Hiding inside."

"Hiding?" Sirius asked, his eyebrow rising.

Tonks simply smirked at him. "I invited him out, but he said that he was too busy for childish games."

Sirius frowned. "I'll drag him out."

Tonks grinned as she watched her cousin head into the house and Harry crushed a balloon over her head, the cold water making her gasp. "All right, get over here, Potter!" she yelled as she chased him, both of them laughing.

Sirius stepped into the sunroom where Remus was sitting at the desk, his eyes on the open book in front of him. The tension in his shoulders only told Sirius what he already knew. Remus was taking in nothing of the book in front of him. "Why are you being a party pooper? Come on outside and play with us."

"I have things to do, Sirius," Remus said stubbornly.

Sirius plopped himself into Harry's desk chair. "What things? Harry will be getting his Hogwarts letter any day now. We both decided by his birthday, you were done being his professor. He's ready to learn magic now, Moony. What can you possibly be doing in here?"

"I still have… things… we're going to cover Grindelwald next and…"

"Mooonnnnnyyyy," Sirius whined. "Come outside and play!"

Remus grinned at him. The whiny sound of his friend's voice reminding him of when they were at Hogwarts together. "Sirius, I… I just can't right now."

"Look, you can deny it all you want, I don't care — but I know that you are interested in that beautiful young woman out there. Now, maybe you are too cowardly to come outside and act like a human being because she's wearing a tiny little bikini and you are determined to deny that you have any feelings for her, but if you want to hang out in here like the coward that you are acting like, than you do that. I'm going to go outside and do something crazy like have a little fun. You should try it sometime, Professor."

Remus opened his mouth to protest this but the look in his friend's eyes only made him sigh. "She's eighteen, Sirius; what I feel for her is wrong."

Sirius smiled at him. "Come on; you used to be friends with her, don't you miss her?"

"I AM her friend."

"Her friend would not be stubbornly hiding out in here. Her friend would come outside and play with his friend and son."

Remus sighed. "All right, I'll come out. But we're not talking about this again. Nymphadora is… we're just friends."

Sirius simply smirked at his friend. "I'm not saying anything different, mate. And for the record — your feelings aren't wrong."

Remus' opened his mouth to protest this, but Sirius was already marching out of the sun room and into the yard. Remus waited almost five minutes, having a silent argument with himself but in the end, the lure of the laughter from the yard drew him out and soon he was drenched in water as Harry chased him gleefully.

When he removed his shirt, Tonks had simply swallowed slowly at the sight of those lean muscles. It had been years since she'd seen him without his shirt on. The Marauder tattoo and those mysterious faded white scars, a soft dusting of golden brown hair across his chest barely visible until the sun hit it… She wanted to touch him and she shoved her hands into her pockets to stop herself from doing so. He was truly beautiful.

Sirius conjured more water balloons and they started another fight, Tonks and Harry versus Sirius and Remus. Sirius was tickling Harry who was laughing in his attempt to crush his balloon against his godfather. Tonks, never one to pass on the opportunity, threw one at Remus which bounced off of his chest. He dove to catch it at the same time she did and they collided, laughing as she landed on top of him. She straddled him, sitting on his stomach and carefully crushed the balloon onto his chest with glee.

Remus grinned and threw her off of him, summoning a balloon and smashing it down on her. Her nipples poked through the bikini top and he swallowed slowly, crashing a second balloon over her as he convinced himself why it wasn't a good reason to sit up and take one of those tantalizing peaks into his mouth.

Tonks was laughing and pushed him off of her, jumping to her feet and running away. She rescued Harry from Sirius and the two of them formed a plan to crush the remainder of the balloons on the opposing team. Harry suggested that they use the tree house and Tonks nodded in agreement. She carefully hid balloons up on the top of the pirate ship with her wand while Harry distracted his fathers and then she moved in as Harry hurried into the treehouse.

Tonks just managed to escape from Sirius' grasp when the entire basket of balloons fell over, drenching Sirius and Remus in water as Harry laughed loudly from atop the pirate ship.

"We win!" Tonks exclaimed, high-fiving Harry.

Remus spluttered. "Nice move, little Prongs."

Sirius nodded, pushing his drenched hair away from his face. "Really nice move. All right, champions, let's have an ice cream break."

After ice cream, Tonks headed home and Harry headed over to the Weasleys for a sleepover. Sirius poured two glasses of Firewhiskey and handed one to his friend.

"All right, we're alone. Talk."

Remus accepted the glass, but only stared at his friend his eyebrow rose in question. "About?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You admitted that you find my cousin attractive, so talk. Is it just the age difference thing that's bugging you because I repeat: What you are feeling for her is not wrong."

Remus sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. "It's a big part of it. She is still a child, Sirius."

"She's an Auror in training, actually. Definitely not a child, but a grown woman. She's been legally an adult witch for over a year now." Sirius said, smiling at his friend. "How long have you been feeling like this? I suspected something last summer, but… has it been longer?"

Remus hesitated. Telling Sirius this was definitely not something he wanted to admit, but as his friend's grey eyes bored into him, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Sirius Black always could see right through him and he found it absolutely infuriating while being grateful to his friend at the same time. He tensed slightly as he spoke. "The Christmas before, when she was… sixteen — I was in heat though and I think it might have increased my attraction at the time. I'm so ashamed, Padfoot. _Sixteen_!"

Sirius chuckled. The back of Remus' neck was flushed red and he could see that his friend was beating himself up over it. "There's nothing wrong with what you're feeling, Moony. I want you to stop beating yourself up about it. She's young, yes, but she's a grown woman. She's the same age that James and Lily were when they got married. Lily was only a year older when she was pregnant with Harry."

"That's not…" he shook his head and took a drink of the whiskey. That couldn't be accurate he thought.

Sirius nodded, reaching out and touching his friend's arm. "I don't care what you do. I don't care if you ignore this feeling and just stay friends with her. I don't care if you decide to admit your feelings and you two shag like bloody rabbits. I don't want to see either one of you get hurt, but you are both adults. Both of you, Moony. If you are hesitant to do anything about this chemistry between of the age difference, that's fine, I accept that as a reason to be hesitant, but if you are holding back because you're a werewolf, I will punch you in the fucking face."

"Padfoot…" Remus began.

"No," Sirius said sternly, staring at his friend, his grey eyes hard as steel. "You are the most amazing man that I have ever known. You've been a werewolf almost your entire life and you have this insane notion that it makes you a terrible person; that it changes you in some way. That you're damned. It doesn't. You're not. You are the kindest, smartest, and most noble person that I have ever met. You would give someone the shirt off of your back if they needed it, but you consider yourself to be a monster and no matter how many times I tell you differently or how many times Harry looks at you with love and awe, you don't see it. If after over twenty years you still don't believe me, nothing I say now is going to change that. You're one stubborn son of a bitch, Moony. Immovable in every way when it comes to butting heads and to ignoring your friends when they try to tell you how great you are."

"I met with Adrian Roberts." Sirius stared at him for a long moment. Remus thought he wasn't going to respond but then his eyes narrowed slightly. "Sirius?"

"The Alpha wolf of that pack you lived with during your missions with the Order?" he said carefully, his fingers gripping his glass of whiskey tightly.

Remus nodded.

"Why? I didn't even… do you still talk to them?" he asked, completely taken aback by the change in the conversation. Adrian Roberts… he hadn't heard that name in over a decade and now… it scared him a bit to think of Remus speaking to him after all of these years.

Remus shook his head. He knew that Sirius was shocked by that and he was still pretty surprised in it himself for initiating contact in the first place. Talking to Adrian had made him feel better, but also made him more confused so he wasn't sure if it had been a good idea in the long run. He wasn't ready to admit that Tonks could be his mate and he definitely had no plans of telling Sirius that information.

"I haven't, not since the war ended but… my furry little problem has been off lately and he… he was the only person that I could think of to help me so I sent him an owl and I met with him. It was… I forgot how nice it is to talk to another wolf, Sirius. Sometimes I let myself think that I'm alone in this and I'm not, I just choose to be."

Sirius stared at him, drinking from his glass. He wasn't alone, he thought stubbornly. Sirius was always here for him and he wished his friend could see that. But he wasn't a wolf, his nagging conscious insisted and he sighed. "And?"

"Don't look at me like that," Remus said, eyeing his friend carefully. He knew exactly what was going through Sirius' mind. "I'm not going to head out and move in with them. I'm not interested in being with the pack, Sirius. I like taking the potion; I like being in control, but sometimes… lately, I've been losing control of myself because of… her."

Sirius' eyebrow rose now. "What do you mean?"

"It's not just the age difference, Sirius, and it's not just the werewolf thing - though both are very strong factors in the why I am not going to let something happen between Nymphadora and I - but I could _hurt her,_ Sirius. She doesn't even know that I'm a werewolf and if I were to hurt her… if she were to find out, the way she would look at me… it's the last thing that I would ever want. But I could hurt her in more ways than one and I don't want that." He drank slowly before he continued. "There's something else that we talked about and it made me think of things differently and… she deserves someone amazing in her life and I'm not that person. I don't want to talk about this again. I've made up my mind. Like you said, I'm immovable when I want to be." He finished his whiskey and stood up. "I'll see you on Monday, Sirius."

Sirius watched his friend head into the house to Floo home and he sighed. Remus Lupin really was a stubborn son of a bitch and he hoped for his sake that he came to his senses. He had never known anyone who deserved to be happy as much as his best mate.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry got to The Burrow, he was surprised to find it in such a flurry of excitement.** Bill had arrived home for the first time since Christmas and Ginny's eyes were wide as her fingers moved over the new tattoo on his arm. It was a circular sigil that Bill told her was the symbol for curse breaking. It was on his left inner forearm and about the size of an apple and he was quite proud of it.

Mrs Weasley was merely pursing her lips as she looked at it. "Bill, why did you mark up your beautiful skin like that?"

Bill rolled his eyes, winking at his sister. "Mum, I wanted it. I think it looks wicked cool."

Ginny nodded eagerly. "Its brilliant, Mum!"

"And that earring," Mrs Weasley said, her eyes on her son's left ear where he wore a dragon fang through the bottom of his lobe. "And your hair is really getting rather long, dear. You really should let me trim it up before you go back."

"Uncle Sirius has lots of tattoos," Harry told her as he munched on the fruit platter that was on the picnic table. "And earrings. Bill looks cool like he does."

"Hmm," was Mrs Weasley's response to that.

"Thanks, Harry," Bill said, grinning widely. "I always thought that Sirius Black looked the epitome of cool so I'll definitely take that compliment."

"Well, I mean, you can always take the earring out, dear," Mrs Weasley said carefully.

"Molly, he's a grown man, leave him alone," Mr Weasley said, smacking his son on the back. "And we're glad to have you back home, son."

"Thanks, Dad," Bill said as Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and cuddled into him. "Gin, I haven't been gone that long. You saw me at Christmas," he said chuckling as he wrapped his arms around his cuddling sister.

"It was forever ago!" she insisted, hugging him tightly.

Bill grinned and kissed her forehead. "I missed you too, Firecracker."

She beamed at him as Charlie reached over his brother for the bowl of crisps. "Where are you going next? I mean, you're officially working for Gringotts now, right?"

Bill nodded, resting his head on the top of his sister's. "Yeah, I'm in the international branch which is why I stayed the extra few months working with the Mayan curses. But I think they're transferring me to Egypt, which is cool."

"Egypt?" Mr Weasley said, his eyes wide. "That's where some of the most difficult curses are."

"The most difficult supposedly, but according to Santiago I have the skills and they think I will be a huge asset to the Egyptian team. I'll be posted there for at least the next three years. I start the first of August."

Ginny pouted, pulling back to look at her brother. "You'll miss my birthday!"

Bill kissed her cheeks. "I'll make it up to you, Firecracker." He smiled at his brother, lowering his voice so that his parents wouldn't hear him. "And you, have you told them about you-know-what yet?"

Charlie shook his head. "Not yet."

"You keep going off far away, Bill," Mrs Weasley said sadly. "Though at least this time you'll be on the right side of the ocean. Charlie doesn't want to hurry off and go off to another country like you do. He's going to apply to the Ministry; see if he can work in the magical creatures office."

Charlie hesitated. "Actually, Mum, I got a job offer last week and it is not exactly from the Ministry."

"What?" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Charlie, that's wonderful! Why didn't you tell us?"

He smiled, scratching the stubble on his chin. "It's not exactly the safe job at the Ministry that you were hoping for, Mum."

Mr Weasley sighed, taking off his glasses. "I always knew that it would be dragons."

Charlie grinned, his eyes twinkling. "Dad, how did you —?"

Mr Weasley smiled. "Not a safe job at the Ministry, with you it could be nothing else. You've always been fascinated by dragons even when you were a toddler. The more dangerous the creature, the more you were fascinated by it."

Charlie nodded, grinning widely. "Yeah, I have been. Professor Kettleburn reached out to a friend of his in Romania and they offered me a job out there. I'm leaving in August to work on the dragon reserve and train with the dragon tamers."

Mrs Weasley's eyes widened in horror. "Dragons! Charlie, they're so…" she looked at the excitement in her son's eyes. "It's your dream job."

"I know, Mum," he said, standing up to kiss her cheek. "I'll send money home."

"You most certainly will not!" Mrs Weasley insisted, her face flushing.

Bill rolled his eyes. "I saw you put the money I sent home back into my own bank vault, by the way. Mum, that money is for you and Dad; to help send the rest of the kids off to Hogwarts."

Mr Weasley shook his head, pride in his eyes. "We appreciate it, but you boys are grown now and have your own lives to live. That money is rightfully earned by you. You save it for when you need it. To start your own lives."

Ron grabbed a handful of crisps and grinned at Harry. "Can you imagine working with dragons?"

Harry shook his head. "It sounds wicked. When I was at the reserve in Italy it was brilliant!"

"And scary," Ron added, eyes wide. "Charlie, you have to send pictures home of the dragons."

Charlie ruffled his little brother's hair. "Definitely! The part of the camp that I will be training with to start is a breeding ground so it will be mostly nesting mothers. Kettleburn says that they're the most dangerous, but also the best kind of dragons to work with."

"Wow," Ron said, grinning widely.

"Ron, why don't you, Harry, and Ginny go swim in the pond and cool off? I'll call you when dinner's ready," Mrs Weasley suggested.

Ginny shook her head, resting her head over Bill's heart. "I'm staying right here with Bill."

Bill grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll toss her in the pond, Mum."

Ginny giggled as he carried her off and Harry and Ron hurried after them laughing.

Charlie grinned and turned to his parents. "So, what are we having for dinner, Mum, I'm starving."

~ ASC ~

 **They were eating breakfast the end of the second week of July when the owl flew through the open kitchen window and dropped the letter in front of Harry.** The Hogwarts crest on the inside of the envelope had his eyes widening.

 _Mr H. Potter_

 _Number 17 Willowby Lane_

 _Black Cottage_

 _Sidmouth, Devon_

"Uncle Padfoot!"

Sirius grinned at him. The look of confusion to excitement in less than two seconds had been entirely worth it, he thought. "Aren't you going to open it, Prongslet?"

Harry jumped to his feet, practically bouncing as he carefully opened the letter and removed the cream coloured parchment.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mr. Potter,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

 _Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress_

He slipped the paper behind and began to read the second sheet:

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

 _Uniform  
First year students require:_

 _1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4\. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags._

 _Set Books  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

 _The Standard Book of Spells Grade One by Miranda Goshawk  
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot  
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling  
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

 _Other Equipment  
1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter standard, size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales_

 _Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

 _PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

"IT CAME! IT CAME!" Harry exclaimed, jumping up and down, the letter held tightly in his hands.

Sirius stood up, lifting Harry up onto the kitchen counter, placing his hands on either side of the table next to him and kissed his son's forehead. "I told you it would. The moment you were born, your name appeared on the Hogwarts registry for September of 1991."

Harry looked down at the letter again, grinning widely. "Can I see if Ron and Neville got a letter?"

The Weasley owl Errol crash landed in the kitchen sink and Sirius smirked. "I think Ron got his letter."

He took the letter from Errol, passing it off to Harry who eagerly tore it open.

 _DID YOU GET IT?_

Harry laughed as he showed the letter to Sirius. The Floo flashed open and Neville toppled out, catching himself last minute before he crashed head first into the ground. He had his letter crumpled in his hands as he ran into the kitchen, beaming.

"IT CAME!"

Sirius laughed and scooped Neville up into his arms, sitting him up on the counter next to Harry. "I told you boys your letters would come."

Neville grinned widely. "We're going to Hogwarts, Harry!"

Sirius ruffled both of their heads, grinning at them. "Well, I think this calls for a celebration."

Neville hopped off the counter, smiling widely. "I told Gran that I was only coming over for a minute." He hugged Sirius tightly. "I'm really gonna be a wizard, Sirius!"

Sirius hugged him back and kissed the top of his head. "I told you so. Son of Frank and Alice, you're going to be a great wizard and don't let anyone tell you different, Nev."

Neville beamed at him and hugged him tightly again. "Bye Harry!"

He scurried back off to use the Floo and disappeared as Sirius grinned after him. "His grandmother is too hard on him." He grinned back at Harry, cupping his cheeks in his hands and kissing his forehead, then his nose, then his cheeks, then his chin as Harry laughed and pushed him away. "My baby boy is going to Hogwarts!"

Harry rolled his eyes, but grinned widely. "We have to owl back straight away!"

Sirius grinned and moved to the desk drawer in the living room to pull out parchment. "Write Ron back first and see if he wants to come out with us for the day to celebrate. If the answer is yes; tell him to Floo straight over. Auntie Minnie already knows you're going to school."

He passed Harry the parchment and watched as he eagerly wrote Ron back. Sirius sent a quick letter off to McGonagall telling her that of course Harry would be there on the first of September.

He sent a Patronus to Remus telling him to come over for a celebratory dinner that night because their boy was going off to Hogwarts in less than two months. Harry sent his answer back with Errol and then jumped up to hug Sirius.

"I'm really going!"

Sirius kissed his forehead again and hugged him tight. "You're really going and I'm so proud of you." He kissed him again, covering his cheeks in kisses until Harry pushed him away laughing and groaning and then he grinned. "Uncle Moony will come over for dinner and we'll celebrate, but today, it's just you, me, and Ron, deal?"

"Deal!"

Twenty minutes later, Ron was standing in the living room grinning widely, his freckled face beaming in excitement. "We finally got our letters!"

Harry nodded and high-fived Ron. "Uncle Sirius says that he's taking us out to celebrate."

Ron perked up and grinned at Sirius. "Where are we going?"

Sirius draped his arm around both boys' shoulders. "That boys, is a surprise. Harry, let Marauder outside before we go."

The surprise turned out to be the Muggle amusement park called _Alton Towers_. Sirius led them on rollercoaster after rollercoaster and they loaded up on popcorn and candied nuts and fizzy drinks before riding everything again. The three of them had the time of their lives and Ron grinned widely at them when they dropped him off at The Burrow on the way home.

"Thanks for a great day, Sirius!"

"Of course, you boys deserve it! Hogwarts acceptance is a big deal," he said with a grin.

They waved goodbye to Ron and headed back to the house to meet Remus for dinner. Remus congratulated Harry eagerly and hugged him when they came into the house. They ate dinner and Remus and Sirius spent hours telling Harry all about Hogwarts.

By the time he went to bed that night, his head was full of the idea of going away to the school and finally learning some magic.

He couldn't wait.


	62. Chapter 62

_Author's Note:_

 _This chapter is the beginning of what Part III would be, I suppose. So for those asking, if I were to have broken this story up (and no I am not going to)._

 _Chapters 1-49: Harry's first year with his dads._

 _Chapters 50-61: Growing up with his dads (Harry age 7-11)_

 _Chapter 62 starts of his first year at Hogwarts._

 _I have just been writing scenes out of sequence, the things that I'm dying to write about, and ideas jumping all over me, but I haven't got there yet in the actual timeline of where I should be writing — I am definitely an out of sequence writer — one of my lovely reviewers mentioned Gabaldon writes like this and I take that as the highest form of compliment as I have been an avid fan of her work for well over a decade now (outside of Harry Potter, Outlander is my favourite book series of all time). I just want to say that Harry's Hogwarts years will be similar to the books (especially the first and part of the second year) but that I have some key changes in mind — in a few different ways so bear with me through the similar stuff._

 _Also, as mentioned before - this is a story about Sirius and Remus as much as Harry._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO:**

 **When Harry woke up on the morning of his eleventh birthday, he couldn't quite contain the excitement that he felt.**

He was eleven years old today.

He was going to Hogwarts in one month and he was officially a real wizard (in the sense that he could learn magic now).

The feeling of euphoria made him jump up in glee, startling Marauder who looked at him in concern.

He hurried down the stairs, eager for breakfast and was surprised to find that Sirius wasn't even awake yet. He rummaged through his uncle's records until he found _The White Album_ and keeping to the tradition alive of the last five years, he put on his red birthday cape and blared 'Birthday' by The Beatles on repeat until Sirius came downstairs grinning at him.

"It must be your birthday," he said with a grin.

Harry grinned back and launched himself into his godfather's arms. "I'm eleven!"

Sirius kissed the top of his godson's head with a smile. "That you are, Prongslet. You're growing up on me." He gently caressed Harry's cheek with his thumb before he caught himself. "Come on — breakfast!"

"What time is everyone coming over?"

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Oh? Are people coming over today?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius smirked at him as he cracked some eggs in a bowl with milk and started scrambling. "I believe that certain unnamed birthday festivities may be beginning around twelve. I can't make any promises though."

Harry eagerly sliced four pieces of the fresh bread to eat with their eggs. "I can't wait to see everyone and to tell them that I'm going to Hogwarts!"

Sirius smiled affectionately at his son. He loved how excited Harry was to be going off to school, but he couldn't help but feel a little sad about it too. What the hell was he going to do without Harry around all of the time? He needed to invest in some new hobbies. Maybe he should actually find a damn job. Nah, that was too boring he thought. The sound of Harry's voice brought him out of his daydreams.

"I know Ginny is going to be sad that Ron and I are both leaving her this year. She's going to be so bored with no one at The Burrow to play with."

Sirius nodded. He knew that already. As the only girl in the family, she had become quite spoiled and used to having big brothers to play with her, to tease her, to teach her, and protect her. Suddenly being alone in the house was bound to be quite the adjustment for the little spitfire.

"She'll be all right, Harry. It's only one year and then she'll be at Hogwarts with you boys. And you and Ron will both write to her."

"I know, but still," Harry said, a small smile on his face. "I know she'll be sad."

Sirius added some salt to the eggs and carefully split them between the two plates. "Well, we can cheer her up later amongst the birthday cheer. For now, eat up."

Harry dug into his plate happily and Sirius just grinned at him. His bright green eyes twinkled in delight behind his round glasses; his dark messy locks that refused to be tamed stuck up in every which direction in a look that suited his small and lean frame. Looking at his short skinny boy, Sirius was reminded strongly of the scrawny skinny boy who had been his father so many moons ago. Harry really was the spitting image of James sometimes, but those eyes, those green almond shaped eyes were all Lily. The shape of his lips, the chin, and the ears were all Lily and Sirius loved looking at his godson and discovering something new about him that reminded him more of his parents. But looking at him today, on his eleven birthday, all Sirius could think of was that his baby boy had really grown up on him.

By twelve o'clock, the guests had arrived and Harry had his arms wrapped tightly around Ginny who was holding Ron with her other arm, encasing both boys in a tight inescapable hug that made Sirius laugh.

"Ginny, we're not leaving yet," Ron protested, trying to pry his sister's surprisingly tight grasp from his body.

Harry nodded, attempting to do the same but only being engulfed tighter in his friend's arms. "Seriously, Ginny, it's only July!"

Ginny pulled away and looked up at them, her chocolate brown eyes swimming in tears. "I don't want to be all alone!"

"Ginny, you're not going to be alone! Mum and Dad are still there and Luna lives nearby," Ron insisted.

Sirius, watching the situation, moved over and placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. "It's just going to be me and Marauder hanging out here, little spitfire, so you can always come by and say hi."

Ginny turned to hug Sirius tightly and he laughed.

"She's mental," Ron said, exchanging a grin with Harry.

"I'm not mental," Ginny insisted.

Sirius kissed the top of the girl's head and urged her to hurry off and follow the boys, who had made a beeline for the treehouse. Within twenty minutes, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Fred, George, and Luna were all up in the treehouse. Luna had only recently returned home after taking almost a year long trip with her father to deal with her grief. She was still rather quiet, but Sirius thought that the trip had indeed done her some good and he was glad that she had accepted the invitation to Harry's birthday.

Sirius grinned at Remus when he stepped into the kitchen. "Is Tonks here yet?"

Remus shook his head. "No, are we waiting on her?"

Sirius glanced at the clock and nodded. "She said that she was coming to help out."

Tonks stumbled out of the fireplace two seconds later making Sirius grin widely. She was in frayed denim shorts, a plain white tee shirt with the words: _Speaks Fluent Sarcasm_ , and tattered bright blue sneakers. "Sorry, I'm late! Are all of the kids here already?"

"They are all up in the treehouse," Sirius said, grinning at Tonks and Remus. "Who wants to share the plans for the night?"

Tonks grinned. "You should do the honours, Mr Pro Party Planner."

Remus nodded, smiling at Tonks before turning his attention back to Sirius. "Agreed."

Sirius grinned and led his cousin and best friend out into the yard, moving to the speaking tube on the side of the treehouse. "Will the birthday party please come onto the patio for the celebration to officially commence?"

They could hear laughing coming from the treehouse as the seven kids made their way down through the different exits. Once everyone was standing on the patio, Harry in the centre wearing his birthday cape with a big grin on his face, did Sirius speak.

"So, birthday surprise this year — the ten of us will be going on four separate surprise outings and we will be travelling using the Knight Bus. Everyone ready?"

They cheered and Sirius grinned leading them all outside to the front of the yard before extending his wand. Two seconds later a large three decker purple bus appeared out of thin air. Harry's eyes widened in surprised and when he turned to look at his friends, they all had the same dumbstruck expression on their faces.

A tall skinny teenager hopped out and smiled. "Welcome to the Knight Bus."

Sirius smiled and quickly paid for everyone, asking the driver to take them straight to London. Thirty minutes later, the ten of them were inside a large arena and the guide was explaining that they were about to play paintball.

Harry's eyes widened. "Paintball?"

Sirius grinned and ruffled his godson's hair. The teams were split: Harry, Ron, Neville. Sirius, and Fred versus Tonks, Ginny, Luna, Remus, and George. They were each given their gear and their guns as war broke out and they immediately ran off to plan and regroup.

Harry held his gun, hiding behind a large tree. This was by far the coolest surprise that Sirius and Remus had ever given him. The idea of running around and plotting against his friends in order to win at this paintball game was completely brilliant. He smirked at Ron when he hid behind the tree across from him just as George turned a corner and they both blasted him, smearing his armour in red paint.

Harry high-fived Ron and they hurried off to keep the game going. Harry liked the concept of it; coordinating with his friends, working as a team to defeat the enemy. It was just so awesome. He laughed as he watched Uncle Remus tackle Tonks to the ground, just avoiding getting hit by red paint from Fred's gun.

They were going down, he thought before he charged headlong into the fray.

They did go down.

Sirius was the only one left standing at the end of the one hour game, making Harry's team victorious. They cheered, laughing when it was over.

"That was brilliant!" Fred exclaimed, wiping sweat off of his brow. "Muggles really come up with some wicked things!"

George nodded, grinning at his twin. "I'll say! Paintball, who knew?"

Sirius laughed and grinned at them. "Glad you guys had fun. Let's take a quick breather and get something cool to drink before we head off to our second location. Trust me, if you think paintball is fun, this one is going to be even more exciting."

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, accepting the fruit punch that Remus poured into glasses for everyone.

Remus grinned. "Now, now, little Prongs; if we tell you, it won't be a surprise."

Ginny giggled and plopped down next to Remus in the large booth they were sitting in. "I like surprises."

Remus smiled at her. "Me too."

After having some refreshments, Harry was pleased to discover that next on the birthday itinerary was go-karts. Sirius had rented out a track for an hour so that Harry and his friends could race each other. Sirius eagerly got into a car himself and raced around the track in glee.

Remus watched in amusement from the stands, his hands in his pockets. He jolted when Tonks spoke behind him.

"You don't want to race?"

He kept his gaze on Harry's go-kart as he spoke. "I do. I'll go when Sirius comes back. We figured one of us should stay out here at all times just in case one of the kids needs something."

Tonks nodded smiling at him. She leaned back against the railing, tilting her hip as she turned to look at him. "There's a new restaurant opening up in Diagon Alley next week. I've been thinking of checking it out."

"Oh? That sounds like a fun idea," he told her, his golden brown eyes looking intently at the go-karts and deliberately not at her.

"I thought so. Why don't you come with me?"

"I can't. I'm busy."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "I didn't tell you what day yet."

"I'm busy every day," he said stubbornly.

Tonks shifted closer to him. "Remus, why are you being such a prat?"

"I'm not interested in you in that way, Tonks. Not to mention that I'm seeing someone right now," he added, thinking of the woman that he had slept with two nights ago. What had been her name? Sandra, he thought or had it been Sarah? He had no intention of seeing her again, but Tonks didn't need to know that.

She bit her bottom lip as she stared at him. "So you can't hang out with a friend?"

His gaze finally turned to her and the steel in it made her start. "No." He moved away from the railing. "I'm going to go drive a go-kart now."

Tonks watched him walk away and she blinked back tears. She didn't understand why he was shutting her out so completely. She knew that he was attracted to her. She could feel it in his gaze, in the way he spoke to her, but when they were one on one, he did his best to put up this wall between them. She blew her hair out of her eyes as she watched his tall frame climb into a go-kart. She was going to break down that wall, she thought. No matter how long it took.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was having the time of his life driving the go-kart around the dirt track, over the little hills and ramps and racing his friends.** He was laughing so hard his stomach hurt and he kept checking behind him with a huge 'eat shit grin' as he held the lead in the race.

His birthday so far was so much fun. He did come in first place, grinning and taking a bow when he stepped out of his go kart. He won a small plastic bronze trophy from the go-kart track and his grin widened.

When they left the go-kart track, the ten of them went to a pizzeria where Sirius had reserved a table for them to eat pizza and drink soda pop. It was here that Harry got an even bigger surprise. Andromeda, Ted, McGonagall, and Hagrid all showed up for dinner, hugging him close and wishing him happy birthday. Andromeda brought a large chocolate birthday cake in the shape of the Hogwarts sorting hat.

Harry opened his gifts, grinning widely the entire time at his new clothes, new stories, a broomstick servicing kit, candy, and chocolate, two new Quidditch jerseys, and tickets to see the local Sidmouth Falcons play in mid August. He thanked everyone happily as they ate the cake and celebrated.

After dinner and gifts, Andromeda, Ted, McGonagall, and Hagrid all left and Sirius, Remus, and Tonks took the seven partiers to the last stop. They were playing three rounds of laser tag. The kids cackled and hooted as they ran through the three level arena, running up and down ramps and working to defeat the opposing team (keeping the same teams from paintball).

Tonks, Ginny, Luna, George, and Remus won the best two out of three and Harry grinned at them. He didn't even care that he had lost. He had had too much fun to worry about it.

They all took the Knight Bus back, Sirius carefully dropping off each friend at their homes. Soon it was just Harry, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks left. Remus said goodnight, kissing the top of Harry's head and heading into his own cottage and Tonks smiled at her cousin.

"I'm going to head back with you."

Sirius raised his eyebrow in surprise but nodded. "Sure."

The Knight Bus arrived in Devon, shuffling down the street until the Black Cottage came into view. Sirius, having shrunk all of Harry's gifts and placed them in his pockets, hurried off with Harry and Tonks and they watched the bus zoom off.

"All right, Harry, it's late. Run on upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll come up and tuck you in."

Harry nodded, hugging Tonks goodnight and greeting Marauder enthusiastically at the front door.

Tonks smiled at Sirius. "I'll make tea while you tuck Harry in."

Sirius nodded and made his way upstairs with Harry's presents, carefully unshrinking them and placing them in his room just as Harry came inside.

Harry jumped up onto his bed, grinning widely. "Today was brilliant! Paintball and go-karts and laser tag! It was so fun! I had the best time!"

Sirius grinned and took a seat on the edge of Harry's bed. "Good. It's what I was going for." He gently brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes. "I can't believe that you are eleven years old already. You're growing up so fast, Prongslet."

Harry smiled at him. He didn't feel like he was growing up fast. "I guess."

Sirius kissed his forehead. "Indulge me."

Harry smirked. "Maybe you're just getting old."

"Listen here, you little brat, I am at the peak of perfection. I'm barely into my thirties."

"That's old, practically ancient. Your knee cracked the other day when you got off the couch."

Sirius swatted Harry across the head playfully. "Brat."

Harry grinned up at him. "Thanks for my party. You kept up pretty good for such an old man."

Sirius covered his mouth with his hand. "Alright, enough old man jokes or you're grounded."

Harry simply grinned at him, laughing as he pushed his godfather's hand away. "You'd probably forget anyway, the memory is the first to go."

Sirius laughed. "Oh shut it," he said standing up. "Go to sleep and if you're better behaved tomorrow, we'll head to Diagon Alley. Someone needs to get his school supplies. Hagrid is coming over tomorrow morning as well. He says that he has a special birthday present for you."

Harry's eyes widened in excitement. "Really?"

"Really. Now go to sleep, Prongslet. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he said smiling as Marauder jumped up onto the bed and making himself comfortable on his boy's feet.

When Sirius closed the door behind him, Harry thought that it had been his best birthday yet.

Sirius made his way into the kitchen and took a seat at the table, accepting the cup of tea that Tonks had made for him. "You okay, honey?"

Tonks smiled at him, tucking her hair behind her ear and fiddling with the row of four rose gold hoops. "I'm great. I'm excited to be starting the boot camp. I have an awesome Billy Idol concert to look forward too. I'm going to be an Auror, Sirius, what more could I want?"

He merely raised an eyebrow and she sighed.

"Remus kissed me."

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise. "And you're not happy about this?"

Tonks shook her head. "No, I _was_ happy! I've fancied him forever, but like… it's not the same now. I know him and I know what kind of man he is and what I feel for him now is definitely not the little stupid school girl crush I had when I was thirteen. He's sweet and he's funny and he's smart. And when he kissed me I felt like my head had been blown clean off."

"So what's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"He says that it was a mistake and that it won't happen again. It wasn't a mistake, Sirius. He… I see the way that he looks at me. You're his best friend, am I stupid to hope for something more?" she asked him, her hands around her teacup. "I don't know what to do."

Sirius sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. After the talk he had with his friend, he was surprised to even learn that Remus had made a move at all. "When did this happen?"

"Christmas Day during the snowball fight. Ever since he… we're still friendly, but it's not the same. He says that I'm a child. I am not a child!" she insisted, her grey eyes flashing in annoyance.

Sirius smiled at her. He reached across the table to take her hand in his. "Tonks, honey, the one thing that you should know about Remus Lupin is that he is the most stubborn and immovable man when he wants to be. He's attracted to you — we both know that. But getting him to act on that attraction could take years. Right now he is very insistent that you are too young. Don't say anything," he said when she started to speak. "Yes, I know that you're not a child anymore, but he is quite a bit older than you whether you want to admit it or not. Just be friends with him. Keep acting like you always did and maybe it will change things. When Remus sets his mind on something it is damn near impossible to change it."

"So I should just forget about him? I should just ignore my feelings?" she asked, her eyes sad.

Sirius sighed. "Concentrate on your boot camp and on getting into the Academy. After that, well… then we'll see."

Tonks nodded, standing up. "He thinks that I'm a stupid girl and that I don't understand my own feelings."

"No," Sirius said carefully. "He doesn't, and if I know Rem, it scares him. Be his friend, Tonks. For now, that's about all you can do; for both your sakes."

When Tonks left through the fireplace a few minutes later, he sighed. He didn't want to tell her to pursue his friend when he knew exactly how stubborn Remus could be. But he didn't want her to miss out on knowing him either. He was in a rock and hard place and he had no idea how to help either of them. Hopefully it would sort itself out.

He brought his tea to his lips and grinned. Remus had kissed her though, that was interesting. His friend didn't quite have the self control that he thought he did and Sirius was very intrigued by that.

Very intrigued indeed.

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning, Harry smiled up at Hagrid when he appeared at the front door of Black Cottage.** He had grown rather fond of the Hogwarts groundskeeper over the years who had dropped by occasionally to help out with Sirius' garden, stopped for a drink and to talk with Harry, and who had come to every single one of his birthday parties with a gift and a smile. Not to mention that he always had stories about interesting creatures to share and a few small memories about his mum.

Harry thought that it was rather awesome to know that he would have Hagrid at Hogwarts who he could go visit whenever he wasn't in class which was oddly comforting as well. He didn't want to tell Sirius, but he was a little scared to go out and to leave Sirius and his home. His life without Sirius Black had been hell and sometimes he wondered if when he went to school and Sirius wasn't there with him, what would happen? He'd lie in bed, hugging Marauder wondering what would happen if he had a bad dream or if he just needed his father — what would he do? But by morning he would talk himself out of worrying about it and assure himself that he would be fine.

He was eleven years old. He was ready to be a wizard.

"Mornin', Harry!" Hagrid grinned, a large object in his hands covered by a sheet.

Harry grinned up at him, eyes on the box. "Hi, Hagrid! What's that?"

Hagrid smiled proudly. "Yer birthday present!"

He followed Harry into the living room as Sirius came down the stairs. "Morning, Hagrid."

Hagrid nodded. "Hi, Sirius."

He carefully placed the object on the coffee table and lifted the sheet. A beautiful snow white owl blinked at them and Harry's eyes widened.

"You bought me an owl!"

Hagrid grinned. "Well, I knew yeh'd be sad yeh can't take Marauder off ter school wit' ya, so I thought I'd get ya a new pet an' one yeh can send letters wit' too! She's not native ter Britain, came over from North America, specifically Canada, but she's special! Loyal too. Yeh'll see! Give her a good name an' a good home."

Harry carefully opened her cage, smiling when she bent her head to his hand to greet him. "She's beautiful. Thank you!" He stroked her wing affectionately before he turned to hug Hagrid tightly. "Thank you!"

Hagrid beamed down at him, patting his head gently, but still hard enough that Harry felt the vibrations. "Yer welcome! I hope yeh put her ter good use."

Sirius stroked her wing with a smile. "She is very beautiful. An owl will be quite useful so you can write home to me as often as possible."

Harry rolled his eyes, but he grinned. "I will write, I promise."

Sirius dropped a kiss on the top of Harry's head. "Good boy."

Hagrid smiled. "I have ter head back, lots ter do before all yeh kids come ter school. I'll see yeh on the first, Harry! Happy Birthday!"

Harry and Sirius said goodbye to Hagrid. Harry was still stroking the owl who was blinking happily at him and making small coos of affection.

"What do you think I should name her, Uncle Sirius?" Harry asked, his eyes on his new pet in awe.

Marauder head butted Harry in the leg and he laughed, scratching his dog with his other free hand.

"I think someone is jealous," Sirius said with a grin. "And she's yours, Harry, you can name her whatever you'd like."

Harry was quiet for a moment as he looked into her eyes and then he smiled. "Hedwig."

"Hedwig?"

He nodded. "I remember reading about a Saint Hedwig in _A History of Magic_ with Uncle Remus. I think it suits her."

Sirius smiled. "I couldn't agree more. Hedwig she is."

Hedwig hooted at the statement and Harry grinned. "I think she likes it."

"I think you're right. Well, are you ready to go to Diagon Alley?"

Harry grinned up at Sirius. "Yeah, let's go."


	63. Chapter 63

_Author's Note:_

 _As before mentioned in chapter two; there has been no reference to Sirius Black's wand as far as I know, so I made up my own. Accept it. So I voted on unicorn tail hair because unicorn hair produces the most consistent magic, least subject to fluctuations and blockages, most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts and the most faithful of all wands. And I just loved the description for dogwood: "Dogwood wands are quirky and mischievous; they have playful natures and insist upon partners who can provide them with scope for excitement and fun. It would be quite wrong, however, to deduce from this that dogwood wands are not capable of serious magic when called upon to do so; they have been known to perform outstanding spells under difficult conditions, and when paired with a suitably clever and ingenious witch or wizard, can produce dazzling enchantments. Dogwood wands refuse to perform non-verbal spells and they are often rather noisy."_

 _It just sounded so much like Sirius Black to me._

 _Also, I'm doing my best to drop a chapter or two every week. I've been on a bit of writing binge and am already halfway through Harry's second year (about fifteen chapters ahead) but I'm trying to be strong and not super post all at once even though I want too LOL. I love you guys and thank you for sticking with this "drabble" that has turned into a rather never-ending saga with me._

 _I'm really enjoying writing it._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the scene with Mr Ollivander — that belongs to JKR — though I did tweak it to fit my story. Thank you._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE:**

 **Ten minutes later they were standing in Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley as Sirius held the list of books in his hands.** They moved across the second level of the store looking for the textbooks assigned.

"You already have your own copy of _A History of Magic,_ but a new edition came out last year so maybe we should grab another one?" Sirius suggested, taking the large and heavy text down from the shelf.

Harry smiled at him as he watched his godfather place the book in the basket. "Sure. I already have _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ too. Hagrid gave it to me for my birthday last year and he gave me the illustrated version as well. He said that Mr Scamander illustrated it himself."

"Yeah, he's a pretty great bloke from what I hear. Hagrid is friendly with him through Professor Dumbledore," Sirius said as he picked up _The Standard Book of Spells Grade One_ and _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration._ "There's the Waffling book on the bottom shelf, Harry, grab it."

Harry put the textbook on magical theory into the basket his godfather was holding and smiled as he found the Potions textbook next. "I think Potions would be fun. If I get really good at it, I can even make the potion for Uncle Remus every month."

Sirius smiled warmly at him. He was so kind hearted just like his mother, he thought. "Potions was your mum's best subject. Not to mention that your grandad was a Potions whiz. But that potion is more than tricky, Harry, and you won't be skilled enough to brew it until after you finish school, if not for a few more years later. But it's kind of you to want to."

Harry nodded. He knew that Sirius was probably right, but he hoped that one day he could help his uncle in some way. He reached for the book on the dark forces. "This is the last one."

Sirius nodded, eyeing the cover. "We used a different book when I was in school. I wonder who the defence professor is this year. You know, we always believed that job was cursed."

"Cursed?" Harry asked, his eyes widening. "Why?"

Sirius shrugged, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. "Can't keep the position filled. The Defence professor retired some forty years back or so and every year since someone else has been hired. No one lasts more than one year; it's quite unusual. I have no idea why, but the position just can't be filled properly."

Harry wrinkled his nose at this news. "Does this mean that I'm going to have a different professor every year?"

"Most likely," Sirius said with a grin. "Don't worry, I'm sure Dumbledore will make sure that you have a competent teacher, Harry, or at least he'll try."

"What book did you use, Uncle Sirius?" he asked, looking at the cover of his Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook.

Sirius scratched his nose as he thought back. "Don't remember exactly. It's probably still kicking around on one of the shelves, I'll check when we get home." He shifted the books in the basket and grinned. "Any other books catch your fancy, Prongslet, before we head out to Slug and Jiggers Apothecary?"

Harry shrugged. "Anything else you think I should have?"

Sirius glanced around the shelves for a moment, moving around to grab a few books. "There are a few books you should keep copies of in case you need them, like this one _Hogwarts, A History_. You never know when you need to know something about the school and Remus insisted that it's an absolute must have," he said with a grin as he rolled his eyes. "But I think we both can agree that Uncle Moony is a bit book crazy, yeah?"

Harry chuckled at that. "I guess that's true."

"Nah, he is," Sirius said making Harry grin. "It's part of his charm. Alright, let's go purchase these and get out of here."

Harry smiled as he followed Sirius to the cashier to buy his new school books. When they got to the apothecary shop ten minutes later, the elderly shopkeeper beamed at him.

"Hogwarts, dear?"

Harry nodded, grinning sheepishly at her. "First year."

The woman smiled and hurried around the desk to rummage. "We have the basic potions package to start off with. It contains all of the ingredients you'll need to start off the school year."

Sirius tapped his fingers on the desk. "We'll take the gold package, Mrs Jiggers. I want my son to be fully prepared," he said, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry smiled back at him, eyeing the ingredients in interest as Mrs Jiggers loaded up his ingredients. Sirius nodded at a medium sized wooden medicine box nearby and asked the shopkeeper to fill it up with the newly bought ingredients including his set of brass scales and new set of glass phials.

When they left, Harry was grinning. "Do you really think I'll use all of this?"

Sirius smiled. "Definitely. This way if you make a mistake, you'll have extra ingredients. Plus _Professor_ Snape will always have more supplies in the classroom for you."

The idea of Snape being a professor to Harry was definitely very unappealing to Sirius. He was trying not to think about it if he was completely honest with himself.

Harry followed him into Potage's Cauldron Shop next where they found his cauldron and then they headed into Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment for his new telescope. Next they stepped into Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions for his school uniform.

A small blonde boy was standing on the stool, making a fuss and wincing as the woman attempted to fit him for his new robes.

"Ouch! You poked me!" he insisted, glaring at her.

Madam Malkin placed her hands on her hips. "If you'd stand still, you wouldn't get poked," she told him sternly. "Now stay here while I grab some trousers for you to try on."

The boy rolled his eyes, his gaze landing on Harry and Sirius. Sirius recognized him instantly, the same grey eyes as his own looking back at him; the eyes ran in the Black family after all, but Draco's had a blue mixed in with is grey. "Draco, how are you?"

Draco looked at Sirius in curiosity. "Do I know you?"

"Sirius Black, we met a few years ago. This is my son, Harry."

Harry smiled at him. He hadn't recognized the boy at first, but once his godfather had said the name, he remembered him. "Hi, Draco. I went to your house once and we played in the yard."

Draco nodded. "Oh, right, I remember," he said, smirking now. "You're The Boy Who Lived."

Harry flushed a little at that statement. "Er, yes."

"Where's your mother and father?" Sirius asked, looking around the store for his cousin and her husband.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Mother is getting my supplies while Father checks out my wand. They've abandoned me here to get poked and prodded."

Sirius chuckled. "I can see that."

"Hope you're in Slytherin with me, Harry," Draco said with a sly grin, brushing his rather shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes. It was a bit curly and waved around his face.

"I'm going to be in Gryffindor," Harry told him, his green eyes on Draco.

Draco grimaced. "How completely embarrassing." He turned his gaze back to Madam Malkin. "Are you finished yet? Some people actually have lives, you know."

"Yes, you're done," Madam Malkin said, ushering him off the stool in annoyance.

Draco hopped down as she took the robes off of him. "I really hope you aren't a Gryffindor, Potter."

Harry simply stared at him. "Maybe you won't be a Slytherin."

Draco smirked. "Then my parents would disown me like your friend there," he said, his eyes moving to Sirius. "I have no desire to be the laughing stock of my entire family, thank you. See you around."

Harry watched him strut out of the store and he turned his gaze to Sirius. "I remember him being a lot nicer."

Sirius smiled, ruffling Harry's already messy hair. "Different worlds, Prongslet. Up onto the stool now so you can get fitted. Stay still."

Madam Malkin carefully began to fit him as he looked at Sirius. "What if I am in Slytherin, Uncle Sirius?"

Sirius smiled sympathetically. "Then you're in Slytherin. No matter which house you go into, I'm going to be proud of you, Harry."

He smiled, feeling a little nervous about the prospect of being sorted into his Hogwarts house. "I think… I think I want to be in Gryffindor though, like you… and Mum and Dad and Uncle Remus."

Sirius smiled back. "Then you will be. Now stay still."

Twenty minutes later, Harry and Sirius left the shop with bags full of five white dress shirts, seven white tee shirts (undershirts were a must at Hogwarts according to Sirius), twenty-four new pairs of black socks, ten new pairs of boxer-shorts, a pointed black hat, two pairs of dragon hide gloves (you always lose them, Sirius insisted), a thick black winter cloak with silver fastenings, two Hogwarts jumpers, two Hogwarts cardigans, and three Hogwarts sweater vests. They were to return next week to pick up the five pairs of black trousers and five sets of plain work robes that Sirius had ordered for Harry (because honestly three just wasn't enough).

"Do you want to grab some lunch before we go and get your wand, Harry? Or do you want to grab it now?" Sirius asked when he heard his godson's stomach rumble rather loudly, making him chuckle.

Harry grinned. He was hungry, but the magic wand was the one object he was most excited for. "Wand first, please."

Sirius smiled as they headed into Ollivander's, the bell ringing loudly as the door clanged shut behind them. Sirius placed their many purchases on the floor at their feet, surprised to find the shop empty.

A moment later, Mr Ollivander stuck his head out from behind the shelves.

His eyes immediately sought the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead. "Ah yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday that she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for Charm work."

Mr Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished that he would blink, he found those silver eyes to be a bit creepy.

"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for Transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Mr Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes. "And that's where…" Mr Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with his finger, surprising him. "I'm sorry to say that I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"

He shook his head as Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I think we understand, Mr Ollivander. However, Harry would like his own wand today."

Mr Ollivander grinned widely. "Sirius Black! Dogwood, unicorn hair, twelve and three quarter inches?"

Sirius smiled. "You have an amazing memory, Sir."

He smiled. "I remember them all," he said tapping his forehead. "When you were arrested and sent to prison I remember thinking that the man who owned that wand wasn't capable of the dark magic he was being accused of. Dogwood wands aren't meant to be used for such powers and nor do they respond well to them. But alas, you were proven innocent, as I suspected."

Sirius nodded. "Er, thanks. Today we're here about Harry, Sir."

Mr Ollivander nodded, clasping his hands together with a grin. "Well, now — Mr Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Er — well, I'm right-handed," Harry said, not entirely sure how to answer that as he looked back at Sirius for guidance. Sirius only grinned at him and gestured him forward.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and round his head. As he measured, he explained, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Harry took the wand and waved it around a bit, but Mr Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try — "

Harry tried, but he had hardly raised the wand when it too, was snatched back by Mr Ollivander.

"No, no – here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."

Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr Ollivander was waiting for. He glanced at Sirius helplessly, but Sirius only grinned at him. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.

Sirius whooped, wrapping his arms around Harry and Mr Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious... how very curious…" He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious…"

"Sorry," Harry said, "but what's curious?"

Mr Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother; why, its brother gave you that scar."

Harry swallowed.

"Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr Potter… After all, He Who Must Not Be Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."

Harry shivered as Sirius squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. They paid for his wand and hurried out of the shop. They used the Floo in The Leaky Cauldron to head back to the Black Cottage and Sirius carefully put down all of their purchases before he grabbed Harry's arm, turning the boy towards him.

"Prongslet."

Harry shook his head, unshed tears in his eyes. "Don't."

He wasn't entirely sure what he was saying don't too, but he knew that Sirius was going to try to reassure him in some way. But how could he reassure him? What did that even mean that his wand had a phoenix feather from the very same phoenix as the one that gave its feather to Voldemort's wand? Did that mean his wand was evil like Voldemort was? And Mr Ollivander had said that he had done great things — the wizard had killed his parents!

Sirius ignored Harry's protest and pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly. "It's okay, Prongslet. Mr Ollivander was just making a point about the power of the wand. He wasn't saying that what Voldemort did was justified or right in any way. He knows how evil he was. Mr Ollivander is a good man and the best wand maker around."

Harry's bottom lip trembled and he bit down to stop it. "I'm not sure I liked him."

Sirius chuckled and kissed the top of Harry's head. "That's all right too." He pulled back a little, his grey eyes meeting Harry's green ones and he carefully adjusted his crooked glasses.

Harry wrapped his arms around Sirius again and hugged him tight, unshed tears at the back of his throat.

Sirius hugged him back, gently stroking his back. "It's okay, Harry."

Harry wasn't sure why he was suddenly so sad, but he was. Mr Ollivander had known each wand that his parents owned; that Sirius owned; that Voldemort had owned — and it had all been daunting, scary even. And he felt a wash of shame rush over him for being afraid for no reason. It was the way he had spoken, he realized. Mr Ollivander had said He Who Not Be Named. He tilted his head back to look at Sirius.

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Yes, Prongslet?"

"Why did… why did Mr Ollivander say that it belonged to He Who Must Not Be Named instead of Voldemort?"

Sirius sighed, moving to sit on the couch and plopping Harry down next to him. "Harry, I haven't really explained to you the fear that Lord Voldemort instilled in the magical world. Even though he's been gone for over a decade now, people are still so scared that they won't even speak his name. That's something that you have to remember, okay? Everyone calls him He Who Must Not Be Named or You Know Who because it makes them feel safer."

"But it's just a name?"

Sirius smiled, his arm around Harry. "You're right and don't ever forget that. Dumbledore once claimed that fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself. Voldemort is just the name of a terrible wizard and I for one refuse to let his name scare me."

Harry stared boldly at him. "I won't either."

Sirius grinned at him, pride in his eyes before he leaned down and kissed Harry's cheeks making him laugh. "Now, why don't you show me that snazzy new wand we bought?"

Harry grinned up at him, feeling a little better. "Okay."

But later on that night when Harry was lying in his bed, he couldn't help but think of Mr Ollivander's words. Sirius had kept him pretty isolated from the wizarding world at large and he hadn't really had to deal too much with being The Boy Who Lived, the son of the deceased James and Lily Potter, and the one who had defeated the darkest wizard of all time when he was only a baby. But being in the wand shop and listening to Mr Ollivander talk about the terrible but great things that Voldemort had done made him wonder once again about the dark wizard.

It seemed like no matter how often Sirius told him that Voldemort was gone; that it had happened many years ago, that it still came up again. That someone would look at his lightning bolt scar and they would wonder: What made Harry Potter so special? Would they expect great things from him?

His father was great at Potions and a genius at Transfiguration with the ability to turn into a stag at the age of fifteen. His mother was a genius at Charms and a genius at Potions. He himself had somehow defeated Voldemort at fifteen months old, the darkest wizard ever.

What if when he got to Hogwarts he turned out to be a complete failure?

What if he couldn't even do real magic?

What if Professor Dumbledore had to tell him that it was a mistake and that he didn't belong there?

He knew that he was psyching himself out, but the questions haunted him and he slept fitfully, lost in bad dreams. After he woke up for the second time, his eyes moving to the clock and seeing that it was almost three in the morning, he crawled out of bed and headed into Sirius' room. He climbed into the bed, making himself comfortable like he had when he had been younger, something that he hadn't done in almost two years and he closed his eyes.

He didn't want to be alone.

But most of all, he didn't want to disappoint the man who he considered his father.

And that's what scared him the most.


	64. Chapter 64

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER I: I don't own the lyrics those belongs to The Beatles._

 _DISCLAIMER II: I don't own some of the scenes below as interwoven from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by the lovely JKR — there were just some things that were mandatory in my opinion._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR:**

 **The night of the Billy Idol concert was great.** Harry stood on a table, Sirius' arm wrapped around his waist most of the night so that he could see the concert. He watched in amusement as Tonks jumped up and down, singing loudly and dancing with Remus, with Harry, and with Sirius as often as she could.

It was loud rock and he had an amazing time.

When he woke up the next morning, he carefully ticked another day off on his calendar, smiling. Only two more weeks until he would be going off to Hogwarts.

He made his way downstairs, stomach grumbling, and helped himself to a banana while he opened cupboards trying to find something to eat for breakfast. He had just poured himself a bowl of cereal when he heard some loud noises coming from the direction of the Morrison house. It sounded like a lawn mower, he realized.

Sirius stepped into the kitchen stifling a yawn. "Fruit Loops, eh? Those do look good," he said, helping himself to a bowl.

Harry pointed out the kitchen window. "I think someone has moved into Mr and Mrs Morrison's house."

Sirius listened for a moment. "Or getting ready too. Remus said that there was a sold sign out front yesterday so they are probably getting the house ready as they should be moving in soon."

Harry nodded. "Do you think Mr and Mrs Morrison like it in Australia?"

"I'm sure they do, Harry. They are with their family," he said as he took a seat at the kitchen table with his bowl of cereal. "We'll have to keep a look out to see about meeting the new neighbours. Maybe it's a big family with some kids you can play with. Jennifer said that she wanted to find a family for the house."

Harry wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"What was that look for?" Sirius asked him in surprise.

Harry looked at him from underneath his lashes. "I didn't like her."

"Jennifer?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded. "She wore too much perfume and she spoke to me like I was a baby."

Sirius smiled at him. Jennifer Berry was a woman he had enjoyed shagging, but was very much relieved to have out of his life. It alarmed him a little that Harry hadn't liked her much himself and he had barely seen or spoken to the woman. "Well, if the house is sold you're not going to be seeing her around anymore so don't worry."

"Good," Harry told him, finishing his cereal.

Sirius decided that changing the subject was definitely in order. "So what's on the agenda this morning, Harry? We still have two weeks until you head off to Hogwarts."

Harry grinned widely at him. "I don't know, can I some friends come over?"

"Sure, send an owl or two, whoever you want."

Harry simply grinned at him. "Okay."

~ ASC ~

 **The next two weeks seemed to fly by and the next thing Sirius knew it was the thirty-first of August.** He was excited for Harry, he knew that, and he said as much to Remus as they helped him pack and organize his trunk with his new robes, Muggle clothes for the weekends, undergarments and socks and his extra school uniform supplies, his toiletries, his textbooks, school supplies, and all of the little last minute detail items that he would need for a successful year.

Sirius had a wooden box that he filled with owl treats and told Harry to leave Hedwig's cage in his bedroom as Hedwig could fly to Hogwarts on her own. The owl hooted happily and soared off into the night, a small letter clutched in her beak for McGonagall. Sirius simply sent her a card wishing her luck and to treat Harry like he was her favourite which he knew would make her smile and that she would ignore as McGonagall never showed favouritism, not even to students of her own house (not for lack of trying on Sirius' part).

Harry closed the lid of his trunk, grinning gleefully. "I can't believe that I get to go tomorrow!"

Sirius smiled at him as Harry hopped into his bed where Marauder was already sprawled out and waiting for him. "This will be my last night tucking you in for a few months."

Harry grinned up at him. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Uncle Sirius. I can put myself to bed, you know."

Sirius smiled, sitting on the bed as well. "Just because you can doesn't mean you have too, Prongslet." He leaned in and kissed Harry's cheek. "My baby boy's growing up on me."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Uncle Padfoot," he groaned, rolling his eyes at him a second time only because he knew that Sirius expected it — but he was secretly happy that Sirius was here in his bedroom to tuck him in for his last night before he went off to Hogwarts for the first time.

Sirius smirked at his response and leaned in and kissed him again, covering Harry's face in kisses as Harry struggled to push him away amidst his laughter.

"All right, all right, I get it. You're not my baby anymore." Sirius said, brushing his fingers through Harry's dark messy locks. "I'm going to miss you like crazy, kid."

Harry moved to cuddle close to his father. "I'm going to miss you too."

Sirius kept his arms wrapped around Harry and they both just sat like that for a few minutes.

"Uncle Padfoot?"

"Yes, Prongslet?"

"Can you… can you sing to me like you used to when I was little?" Harry asked, his voice quiet.

Sirius smiled, his fingers still gently in Harry's locks. "I'd love too, Harry." He swallowed slowly, making himself comfortable on the bed as Harry cuddled into his side. " _Who knows how long I've loved you, you know I love you still. Will I wait a lonely lifetime, if you want me to — I will. Love you forever and forever, love you with all my heart. Love you whenever we're together, love you when we're apart. And when at last I find you, your song will fill the air. Sing it loud so I can hear you, make it easy to be near you, for the things you do endear you to me, you know I will. I will. Love you forever and forever, love you with all my heart. Love you whenever we're together, love you when we're apart. You know I will love you forever and forever, love you with all my heart. Love you whenever we're together, love you when we're apart._ "

Sirius continued to sing the one verse over and over and when he looked down, Harry was fast asleep, his head over his heart. Sirius smiled in contentment, holding the child close. As excited as he was for Harry to get on that train tomorrow, he was going to miss him something terrible.

What was he going to do without his boy?

He planted a kiss on Harry's cheek, carefully sliding himself out from underneath Harry's body. He pulled the blanket up and gently brushed a finger along Harry's smooth cheek before leaving him to sleep.

He had a big and exciting day tomorrow and Sirius couldn't wait for his son to go off on his own new adventure.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry woke up the next morning, he blinked in disorientation for a moment and then he grinned widely, he was going to Hogwarts today!**

He jumped out of bed, hurrying into the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair before he got dressed. He made his bed and stared at his room for a moment realizing that it would be four months until he slept there again.

He carefully hoisted his trunk up, wheeling it behind him with loud clunks as it came down the stairs.

His grin widened when he stepped into the kitchen and saw Sirius and Remus sitting at the table, a full steaming plate of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit waiting for him.

"Good morning, Prongslet," Sirius said, bringing his cup of tea to his lips with a smile.

"Big day today, little Prongs," Remus added as he smiled.

Harry grinned at them as he sat down. "Ron, Neville, and I are going to have so much fun! I hope we're all in Gryffindor together!"

Remus chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm sure that the Sorting Hat will indeed sort you three marauders out."

"I wish that Filch wouldn't have nicked our map in seventh year. It would be grand for you to have it straight off, Harry," Sirius told him with a grin. "You can find the secret passageways and know where the teachers are so you don't get caught. Maybe you can sneak into Filch's office and steal the map back?"

"Sirius, let's get him to his classes first before detention, yeah?" Remus said in exasperation, but he was grinning and his eyes were twinkling in laughter.

Harry simply grinned at them. "I'll be good, I promise."

Sirius winked at him. "A little trouble now and again never hurt nobody."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Eat up, Harry. We're going to Floo to The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and then take the tube to the train station so we have to leave within the hour if you're going to make it on time."

Harry grinned and eagerly helped himself to his breakfast. Sirius and Remus spoke to him about their first day: How Sirius had met James and Lily on his first train ride, how Remus had been so scared that he wouldn't make friends, how wonderful the welcome feast would be, and about their first few classes.

He finished breakfast and brought his dishes to the sink to wash and Sirius placed his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"Leave those for me, Prongslet," he said, leaning down to kiss Harry's forehead. "Go brush your teeth and double check your bedroom to make sure that you have everything you need. I can always send you anything you forget, but still check it out."

Harry nodded and hurried up the stairs. He said a little goodbye to his room, brushed his teeth and made his way downstairs. Remus had already Flooed ahead with his trunk and Sirius was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for him, worn blue jeans, a black dress shirt rolled to the elbows and unbuttoned with a white tank underneath. Marauder sat next to him.

"Say goodbye to Marauder, Harry. He won't be coming with us to the station," Sirius told him.

Harry knelt down next to the dog, surprised to find tears at the back of his throat. "I'm going to miss you, boy. I wish that I could take you with me to Hogwarts, but there are no dogs allowed. You take care of Uncle Sirius, okay?" He wrapped his arms around the dog, burying his face in the soft reddish gold fur. He kissed Marauder's neck, wiping tears from his eyes and whispered quietly to the dog, "You can sleep with Uncle Sirius; make sure he doesn't have bad dreams."

Marauder barked in response and Harry hugged him tighter, kissing the dog's head once more before he stood up, wiping his tears away.

"I wish I could bring him with me," he said, his green eyes on Sirius.

Sirius draped his arm over his shoulders. "I know, Prongslet, but dogs are not allowed as personal pets at the school. I'll take good care of him, I promise, and he'll be waiting here for you when you come home for the Christmas holidays."

Harry nodded and scratched Marauder behind the ears. "Bye, Marauder."

"Are you ready to go, Harry?"

He kissed Marauder's head once more and nodded. "Yes." They stepped into the Floo together as Marauder made crying noises and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke and came out into the pub where Remus was waiting for them with a smile.

Sirius pulled Harry's trunk for him as they headed into Muggle London and took the London Underground to King's Cross station. They headed through the crowd and Sirius stopped in between platforms nine and ten.

"Now Harry," Remus said with a smile, his hand on Harry's shoulder, "The Hogwarts Express is on Platform Nine and Three Quarters."

Harry's brow furrowed. "But there's only a Platform Nine and a Platform Ten?"

Remus' smile widened as he squeezed Harry's shoulder in reassurance. "It's invisible, Harry and it's only open between ten and eleven a.m. today for students to catch the train." He held his hand out to Harry who grasped it tightly in his own. "Come on, little Prongs."

Harry's eyes widened as he squeezed Remus' hand tightly as his uncle led him towards a tall brick wall. "It's through the wall?"

Remus nodded with a smile. "It is. We'll go through together, yeah?"

Harry nodded and he closed his eyes, holding his uncle's hand tightly in his own before they went through the wall and when he opened them again, a beautiful scarlet steam engine stood before him as the platform was crowded with returning students and new students and their families. Remus let go of his hand, placing it on his shoulder instead and Sirius' hand landed on his other shoulder, squeezing in reassurance.

"The Hogwarts Express really is a sight to behold," Remus said with a smile. "I almost wish that I was going back."

Harry grinned at them. "It's really there!"

Sirius glanced up at the clock and smiled. "You have twenty minutes to spare, let's get your trunk on the train, yeah?"

Sirius and Remus boarded the train with Harry's trunk, tucking it into an empty compartment for him before he followed them off of the train again.

"Do you think that Neville and Ron are here already?" Harry asked.

As if in answer to his question, the redheaded family arrived next to him.

"Oh, please, Mum, can't I go too?" Ginny begged for the umpteenth time, her hand tightly bound in Mrs Weasley's.

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet," Mrs Weasley said. "Percy, dear, get your stuff up onto the train. You too, Fred."

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," Fred insisted, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother. Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear," Mrs Weasley said in exasperation.

"Only joking, I am Fred," he said, moving out of the way to avoid the swat across the head from his mother as George winked at her and headed onto the train after him, trunk in tow.

The three boys soon came off again, smirking as Percy was in the lead with his chest puffed out to show off his brand new prefect's badge.

"I can't stay long, Mother, I'm up front; the prefects have got two compartments to themselves —"

"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" George exclaimed with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."

"Hang on," Fred said, "I think I remember him saying something about it, once —"

"Or twice —"

"A minute — "

"All summer —"

"Oh, shut up!" Percy exclaimed in exasperation.

Sirius chuckled. "You boys are going to give your mother a brain injury the way you carry on."

George beamed at him. "We are perfect little angels, Sirius! I have no idea what kind of shenanigans you are implying."

Mrs Weasley rolled her eyes. "Angels, that's a good one! You two better behave yourselves this year!" she insisted, wagging her finger at them. "If I get one more owl telling me you've gone and blown up a toilet or —"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet!"

"Great idea though, thanks Mum!"

Sirius chuckled and squeezed Harry's shoulder tighter. "Harry, I give you full permission to blow up a toilet if the opportunity presents itself."

Remus smirked, shaking his head in exasperation. "Harry, please don't blow up a toilet."

Harry smiled up at them as the Weasleys gathered around their mother and sister to say goodbye. "I'll do my best not too, Uncle Moony." He smiled when Ginny appeared at his side to hug him tightly. "Bye, Ginny!"

"Bye, Harry! I wish I was going too!"

"Next year," he told her with a smile, grinning when she hurried over to Percy to hug him goodbye.

Harry smiled up at Sirius. "I wish Ginny was coming this year too — I bet she'd blow up a toilet."

Sirius chuckled and tugged him close, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "She is a spitfire. I am going to miss you something fierce, Prongslet. You have the best first year that you can possibly have, you hear me?" He kissed the top of his head with a smile. "You are going to love it there and have so much fun!"

Then Remus was hugging him tightly, kissing his head. "You behave yourself and study hard. I want to know what you're learning and I want to see you keep those grades up as I know exactly how smart you are, little Prongs."

Harry nodded. "I will, Uncle Moony, I promise to work hard."

"And have fun!" Sirius insisted, "A few pranks or misdemeanours are always welcome."

"Harry!" Neville called out, his hand in his grandmother's as they hurried towards them.

"Hi, Nev!"

Neville held his hands out to show Harry the toad. "I named him Trevor. Uncle Algie gave him to me for getting into Hogwarts." The toad leaped from his hands and he shouted in alarm, grinning gratefully up at Remus who had swiftly captured him. "Thanks, Remus."

Sirius clasped Neville on the shoulder. "Well, are you boys ready to head off into your first year?"

Neville nodded eagerly. "I think so, yeah."

Mrs Longbottom pursed her lips at her grandson. "Neville, keep watch on that toad and you make me proud, young man. I expect nothing but greatness from you."

"I'll do my best, Gran, I promise." He hugged her tight, clutching his toad in his hand.

Sirius gave Neville a one-armed hug with a smile. "You are going to be a great wizard one day, Nev. Remember, son of Frank and Alice, I know you'll be a badass."

Neville grinned widely and hugged Sirius tight. "Thanks, Sirius. Bye!"

Harry hugged Remus again, smiling when he kissed his cheek and then he threw himself into Sirius' arms one more time, his hands fisting at his waist. "Bye, Uncle Padfoot! Bye Uncle Moony!"

"Hurry up, boys!" Mrs Weasley called out. "There's only two minutes left!"

"I love you, Harry," Sirius said, kissing his cheek. "Have an amazing term and write home at the end of the week, yeah?"

Harry kissed his cheek back. "I love you too, Uncle Sirius."

Harry, Neville, and Ron hurried onto the Hogwarts Express as the whistle blew for last call. The three of them waved madly to their families on the platform.

Sirius watched the train move away until it was out of sight and he smiled at Remus, tears in his eyes. "I miss him already, Moony."

Remus slapped his friend lightly on the shoulder. "Me too, Padfoot, me too. Come on; let's get a drink."

~ ASC ~

 **Harry, Ron, and Neville made themselves comfortable in the compartment where they had stored their trunks.** They had just sat down when Draco Malfoy sauntered in, his bright blond hair slicked back instead of the messy tousled look he had worn the last time that Harry had seen him. He stopped when he saw them.

"Potter," he said, taking a seat on the bench as a lanky dark-skinned boy came in behind him.

"Hi," the boy said with a smile, extending his hand. "I'm Blaise Zabini."

"Harry Potter," Harry said, accepting the shake.

Blaise's mouth opened in surprise. "Are you really?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Is everyone going to treat you like some sort of celebrity?"

"I hope not," Harry told him honestly as Ron snickered next to him.

"No need to ask your name," Draco said hotly, his eyes flashing in menace at Ron. "Father's told me all about you. Red hair, freckles, and a hand me down robe, you must be a Weasley."

Ron flushed.

"No need to be a prat, Draco. His name is Ron and he's my friend and this is Neville Longbottom."

Blaise grinned at Neville. "Wasn't your father an Auror?"

Neville nodded, flushing a little. "Yes."

"Brilliant," Blaise said with a grin.

Draco merely rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, now we've all been properly introduced, big whoop. Still hoping to be in Gryffindor, Potter?"

Harry nodded, his eyes flashing in annoyance. "More than ever."

Draco smirked at him. "I'm telling you, Slytherin is the better choice."

Ron crossed his arms in front of his chest. "There's no witch or wizard or who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin, why would we want to go there?"

"Are you a dark wizard, Weasley?"

At Ron's blank look, Draco rolled his eyes. "Exactly. Merlin, I hope not all the first years are such complete morons or I'll never find anyone to appreciate my wit."

Blaise snickered. "Maybe that's for the best, Draco."

The door to the compartment slid open and a tall, beefy looking boy stood there.

Draco's eyebrow rose. "Are you lost, Goyle?"

Goyle's eyes moved almost menacingly around the compartment and when they landed on Neville with a sneer, Neville jumped, and Trevor escaped from his grasp.

"Trevor!" Neville exclaimed, sighing when his toad made a mad escape into the hall. "Come back here!" Harry made to follow his friend out but Neville waved him off. "Nah, I got him, Harry."

Goyle seemed amused by the escaped toad and turned to leave again.

Draco shook his head. "I'm telling you, morons the whole lot of them."

"Who was that?" Harry asked him as Blaise stood up to shut the compartment door again.

"Greg Goyle, his father is a friend of my father's, but he's a complete idiot," Draco informed them in annoyance. "Father says that I should try to befriend him."

Blaise nodded. "My stepfather said the same thing. 'Have to stick with the friends you know, son; families stick together.' It's rather annoying. I almost hope I get placed in Hufflepuff just to see if my stepfather has a heart attack."

Harry grinned at him. He liked Blaise immediately and he could see why Draco had made friends with him. "Hufflepuff would be all right, but I'm hoping to be in Gryffindor like my godfather. Plus my uncle and my parents were all Gryffindors."

Ron nodded, looking a bit nervous at the idea of the sorting. "All of my brothers are in Gryffindor too."

"How did we get stuck in here with these Gryffindor-wannabes?" Draco asked Blaise.

Blaise shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "Um, because Pansy started talking about her shoe collection and we abandoned Theo?"

"Oooh, right," Draco said grinning. "He's going to make us pay for that later."

"I'd rather hear Theo retell the story than Pansy tell it the first time," Blaise admitted with a grin.

The compartment door slid open again, but this time the trolley witch was there with a smile offering snacks. Harry, Draco, and Blaise immediately bought a few handfuls of sweets, Harry giving Ron half of his with a grin as they all chatted amicably and traded off chocolate frog cards.

As the afternoon stretched into early evening, the compartment door opened again but this time a bushy haired brunette stood there with rather large front teeth. She was already changed into her school robes.

"Excuse me, have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one?"

Harry grinned sheepishly at her. "Tell him to stop looking, Trevor will find him."

The girl looked taken aback by this and stepped inside. "I take it you've already been asked then?"

"Obviously," Draco said as he stared at her. "Tell him to use his wand and maybe he can summon him."

"I doubt as a first year he will be able to use such an advanced charm," she said hotly, brushing her bushy curls away from her face. "How is that going to do any good? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

She said all of this very fast and Draco merely quirked an elbow. "Muggleborn? How completely uninteresting."

Blaise smirked at him. "You're just jealous because you didn't learn all of your course books off by heart."

"Of course not," Draco said hotly, "I'm not a brown nosing twat."

Hermione flushed pink.

"Some of us actually have lives, Granger," Draco told her in annoyance.

Blaise smiled at her kindly. "Ignore him, I usually do. Blaise Zabini," he said, offering his hand which she shook with a smile. "This prat is Draco Malfoy; the redhead is Ron Weasley and the scrawny one in glasses goes by Harry Potter."

Hermione offered each boy a small smile, but her eyes widened at the mentioning of Harry's name. "Are you really? I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century._ "

"Am I really?" Harry asked, the back of his neck burning in embarrassment. Sirius and Remus had definitely failed to mention that.

"Didn't you know?" she asked in surprise. "Anyway, I expect we're arriving soon, you better get changed into your robes."

She turned to hurry out of the compartment again, stopping and glancing at Ron. "You have dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know? Just there," she said, pointing with her finger before hurrying out.

Ron grimaced in annoyance as he rubbed at his nose. "Whatever house I do get put into, I hope she's not in it."

Harry laughed and stood up. "She's right though, we should get changed."

The four boys all dug out their school robes, having just finished changing when the train pulled into the station at Hogsmeade.

Harry recognized Hagrid's gruff voice calling out for the first years and he gestured to Ron to follow him.

"Hi, Hagrid!"

Hagrid grinned down at Harry. "Harry! Welcome to Hogsmeade Station. Come along now; firs' years get ter take the boats across the Black Lake to the castle. It's a real treat."

Harry and Ron found Neville who had finally found his toad. The three of them ended up in a boat with a pretty blonde girl they learned was named Hannah.

Ron wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. "Do you think it's going to be hard, the sorting that is?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked him, gripping Neville's hands in his own in order to try to keep Trevor from leaping into the Black Lake.

"Fred said that we have to wrestle a troll and that sometimes students die before a house chooses them."

Neville paled. "A troll?"

Harry laughed. Leave it to Fred and George Weasley to make up such a ridiculous story for their little brother. "Ron, you should know better than to trust anything those two tell you! Uncle Sirius said that it's a hat. It tells us!"

Ron grinned happily as Neville looked relieved. "Thank Merlin, I'm going to kill those idiots!"

They followed Hagrid into the castle, eyes wide. Seeing the castle all lit up was truly a sight to behold. They were in the entranceway when Peeves the Poltergeist found them. Harry knew who he was because Sirius had warned him about the troublemaking ghost who wore orange. He was cackling in laughter, but whatever he had planned was immediately put on hold when Professor McGonagall appeared.

She was smiling kindly at them, but the sternness to her stance showed that she was definitely not to be trifled with. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall. I teach Transfiguration, am Deputy Headmistress of the school and am Head of Gryffindor House. In a moment, you will follow me through to the Great Hall where you will be sorted into your houses. The four houses are as follows: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. Your house will be like your family while you are here and you can earn your house points for a chance to win the House Cup at the end of the school year, any rule breaking will result in a loss of points. Now follow me, students."

Harry followed the group out into the Great Hall, past the four long house tables. McGonagall led them up to the front where a stool stood with a very old and shabby looking pointed hat. Then to Harry's surprise, the brim of the hat opened into a mouth and the hat began to sing all about the founding of Hogwarts and what each house represented. Then McGonagall pulled out the roster and began to read the names of the students.

"Abbot, Hannah," McGonagall called and the pretty blonde girl from their boat stepped forward and took a seat on the stool. McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head and then a few seconds later the hat yelled "Hufflepuff!" and the table under the yellow and black banner with a badger on it, cheered in glee.

Harry watched with interest as the names were called and each student went up to be sorted. Bones, Boot, Brocklehurst, Brown, Bulstrode, Corner, Cornfoot, Crabbe, Davis, Entwhistle, Finch-Fletchley, Finnigan, Goldstein, Goyle, and then Granger, Hermione.

When the hat called out Gryffindor, Ron groaned from next to him, making him laugh.

Then it was Greengrass, Hopkins, Jones, Li, and Longbottom, Neville.

Neville swallowed slowly as he made his way up to the front. He was pale and he looked so nervous as he took his seat. The hat was quiet for a bit and then a loud "Gryffindor!" was yelled to all and Harry cheered loudly for his friend.

MacDougal, Macmillan, and then Malfoy, Draco. Draco sauntered up to the hat with a smirk and the hat barely touched his head before belting out "Slytherin!"

Malone, Monroe, Moon, Nott, Parkinson, Patil, Patil, Perks, and then Potter, Harry.

Harry glanced nervously around him. When McGonagall had called out his name the entire hall had became almost eerily quiet with loud whispers of "Potter? The Boy Who Lived? Where? I see him! Can you see his scar?"

He tried not to look at anyone, but instead kept his gaze on McGonagall who was smiling warmly at him. He took his seat on the stool and blanched at the sight of every single student staring at him before the hat fell over his eyes and engulfed him in darkness.

"Difficult," a voice spoke in his ear. "Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… so where shall I put you?"

"Not Slytherin," Harry thought desperately as he gripped the edges of the stool. He wanted nothing more than to be in Gryffindor, but he knew that he really didn't want to be in Slytherin House.

"Not Slytherin, eh?" The small voice said, "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — no? Well, if you're sure, better be — GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry let out a sigh of relief and hurried towards the screaming table who were cheering for him so loud and amongst the cheers he could hear Fred and George chanting: We Got Potter! We Got Potter!

It made him smile as he sat down next to Neville as Rivers was called forward.

"Sirius was right," Neville told him with a grin. "Same house."

Harry grinned back at him. "I'm glad."

They both listened as Rivers was sorted into Hufflepuff and then Roper, Rowle, Runcorn, Smith, Thomas, Turpin and finally Weasley, Ronald.

When the hat called out for Gryffindor, Harry and Neville cheered loudly, slapping Ron on the back as he sat next to them. And then Zabini, Blaise was last and he was sorted into Slytherin.

Professor Dumbledore stood up, welcoming them to another year and soon a feast unlike anything Harry had ever seen before appeared before him. Ron's eyes had become as big as saucers and he immediately began to dig into the feast.

Harry simply grinned at Neville and his friend grinned back at him.

They were really here.

And they were all Gryffindors.


	65. Chapter 65

_Author's Note:_

 _To this review: 64 Chapters and 296,000 words to get to Hogwarts. That I believe is a record. A long wait , but well worth it. Thank You Sasha Starr — YOU ARE WELCOME!_

 _I didn't expect it to be this long at all, but it is and is definitely going to be WAY longer lol. I'm glad that you are enjoying my slow build up._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE:**

 **Sirius stood in the living room with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and his tongue in his cheek.** Marauder was sleeping in front of the fireplace and the silence of the house seemed oddly deafening. He glanced at the clock with a sigh, Harry was still on the school train.

He had been alone for less than an hour and he was already going a little crazy. How was he going to survive without Harry around the house? He smiled at Remus when he brought him a cup of a tea.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

Remus chuckled, handing the tea over to his friend before taking a seat on the chesterfield. "No. I miss him too. It's oddly quiet, is it not?"

Sirius dragged his hand through his hair before he sat next to his friend, taking a small sip of his tea. "Almost too quiet. What the hell am I going to do around this place for four months?"

Remus smiled, sipping his own tea, his long fingers tapping along the edge of the cup. "That is the question, isn't it? I myself am now also gainfully unemployed with no pupil to teach."

Sirius smiled at him. "Moony, you know that I —"

"No," Remus interrupted. "You know very well that I am not going to allow you to support me, Padfoot. You gave me the opportunity to be a teacher to Harry and I loved every minute of it. It was my dream job and I loved teaching him, spending time with him, and just over all being with him. He's my son too. But now he doesn't need me anymore, not in a teaching capacity. He's at Hogwarts, where he will be learning magic from _real_ professors."

"You are a real, professor," Sirius told him. "And I know you — you saved almost every Knut and Sickle you earned. You should be all right for a bit."

Remus nodded, sipping his tea again. "I will be, but I still need to find a new job. I can't just sit around idly and — I want to give you some of the money to invest and well, to do your magic there."

Sirius smiled. "Sure, I like to play the stock roulette wheel."

Remus smiled. He placed his tea on the coffee table and reached into his battered briefcase that still held the etched gold lettering, albeit now a bit faded, of Professor RJ Lupin, a gift from Sirius and James back in sixth year as a joke, but something that he had treasured for years. He pulled out the letter that he had stuck in there last night. "I'm thinking about this in the meantime."

Sirius accepted the letter from his friend, putting his own tea down as well. He unfolded the parchment and skimmed his eyes over the words. "You're still communicating with Roberts?"

Remus shrugged. "No. I haven't spoken to him since I told you last, but he sent this to me last week."

"It says that there's a lecture on the history of the werewolf myth at the University of Paris," Sirius' eyes met Remus'. "It's a Muggle university."

Remus nodded. "The professor giving the lecture is a wizard. Philippe Montgomery is a well-known historian and he worked for thirty-five years in the French Department of Magical Creatures. From what I understand, or from what Adrian says, this lecture outlines the history of the myth and mixes it with the facts. He said that Montgomery believes that he has made some new developments about werewolves. Adrian said that he knows I take the potion and he thought that I might like the opportunity to learn more about what it means to be a werewolf from an expert like Montgomery. I've only just begun to… I never wanted to know anything about being a werewolf other than what I already knew and recently I've realized that's a mistake and that I should take the time to learn everything I can. I've denied a large part of myself, Padfoot, and… I need to know more. This is an opportunity to learn more from an expert."

"Is Montgomery a werewolf?"

"Maybe," Remus said, biting his bottom lip. "Or at least Adrian believes he is or evidently knows someone who is, which helps his knowledge. I might learn nothing to be honest, Sirius, but I thought that it was something that I want to do. I told you that lately I've been feeling off and I thought maybe it was the whole being in my thirties thing and all that, but I think it's more… I think I could learn more about what I am."

Sirius chaffed at that. "Who you are is what's important, Rem."

"You know what I mean," Remus said, waving him off.

"All right, let's go to Paris then."

Remus hesitated, "Sirius… I think I need to do this alone."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Need to?"

Remus sighed. "I just… there are things that I want to ask him," he began thinking of the idea of having a mate, of Nymphadora and what it meant to both of them, especially if he continued to push her away. "I want to talk to him about… what I'm going through or to even learn and well… it's not that I don't want you to know these things it's just that —"

Sirius held up his hand to silence his friend. "No, I get it, Rem." He smiled at him and reached for his cup of tea. "You go. You go figure out whatever it is that you need to figure out and when you come back you can tell me all about it. How long are you going to go for?"

"At least a week, but probably two or three realistically," he said, smiling gratefully at his friend. "He has five separate lectures lined up, but I'd like to try to speak with him personally if I can as well. Adrian and Maia will also be attending so I will be spending some time with them as well. They have the answers I seek, Sirius. I think it will be good for both of us to spend some time by ourselves, especially you without Harry around. Maybe you should actually get a job."

Sirius snorted in amusement. "Please."

Remus smirked at him. "Just because you don't need to financially work doesn't mean you shouldn't, Padfoot. I just meant that you need to figure out something to do to keep yourself occupied or you're going to go stir crazy around here. You can't just sit around picking your nose."

Sirius nodded, fiddling with the silver hoop at the top of his earlobe. "Don't worry, Moony. I'll get myself figured out. I've been toying around with an idea anyway and it has nothing to do with digging for bogeys."

"What idea?"

"Bikes."

"You're not getting another motorbike?"

Sirius grinned at his friend. "Actually I bought three over the last year — well, let me rephrase that, I purchased three huge heaping piles of junk actually, but I thought that I could restore them and sell them. Regular restore them, Moony, so don't give me that look. My bike is the only beauty that gets to have those special features and I'm not dumb enough to sell that. I just love working on them and I thought that it would keep me focused and give me something to do."

"I wondered when you were going to start working on those heaps and what you were doing with them. To be honest I kind of assumed that you were using them for spare parts."

Sirius laughed. "That's fair, they are literal heaps of junk at the moment, but when I'm done with them, they're going to be glorious."

Remus grinned. "Good, I'm glad that you have something to keep you occupied for now. Learning to live without Harry is going to be quite the adjustment for both of us."

"He's probably having the best time on the train. And the feast later is going to be wonderful. I almost wish that I was going back."

"I know, I thought the same thing. Do you think that he'll be a Gryffindor?" Remus asked him. "I know that you want him to be, but honestly?"

Sirius shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. He possesses qualities from each house, but I think if he wants to be a Gryffindor bad enough then that's where the hat will put him. And Minnie will be horrified if those Quidditch skills go to an opposing house, especially Slytherin."

Remus laughed. "God forbid."

"So, I've been meaning to ask you something since Harry's birthday," Sirius began, finishing his tea and placing the empty cup on the table.

Remus merely lifted an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"After Harry's birthday, Tonks came back here to hang with me for a bit."

"All right…"

"You kissed her."

Remus' eyes widened and the back of his neck flushed. "It was a moment of weakness, Siri, I assure you — it will not happen again."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Git."

"Sirius, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to —"

Sirius held up a hand to silence his friend. "I'm not mad that you kissed her, Rem, I already told you that you two can do whatever the hell you want, it's not my business. I'm pissed because you kissed her and are now treating her like it was the biggest mistake of your life. She doesn't deserve that. I've watched you with her over the last month. You've only seen her three times and every time it was like you forgot how to be her friend. That saddens me."

Remus sighed, his fingers moving to his hair nervously. "I still want to be her friend, of course I do."

"Well, start acting like it. I'm not getting involved in whatever it is you two are tiptoeing around. You are being a stubborn git as per usual and I refuse to watch you blunder it even more. She's at the boot camp now and will be until the end of October. When she comes by next time, don't be such a bloody stuck up arse, that's all I ask."

Remus opened his mouth as if to protest and then promptly closed it.

"Good," Sirius said simply. "Now, let's find something to eat as I'm starving and you can tell me what else you plan to do while you visit Paris."

~ ASC ~

 **The first week of classes flew by for Harry.** He found each day to be more interesting than the next. His classes were cool and intriguing. Transfiguration especially because it was taught by Auntie Minnie, Professor McGonagall, he corrected. He had accidentally called her auntie the first day of class and she had pursed her lips at him, giving him a stern look that made him squirm uncomfortably in his seat for a moment and then she had taken five points from Gryffindor House for not using proper respectful idioms.

Rooming with Neville and Ron was definitely the best thing that Harry could ask for. He was used to them and he immediately liked Seamus and Dean as well who were friendly. They stayed up late the first Friday night just talking and getting to know each other a bit.

Neville told them that he lived with his grandmother and about his love of plants. Ron explained how he had a huge family and how sad his little sister was to be left at home. Harry told them about living with Sirius and staying with his Uncle Remus how much he missed Marauder. Seamus told them how his mother was a witch and his dad a Muggle and how shocked his father had been to learn the truth. Dean admitted that his mum was a witch, but that he never knew his father. The talk had turned more light hearted as they joked about their classes and whatnot and overall just having fun as they got to know each other.

He was sitting at his desk in his dorm now with his parchment and ink out as he wrote his first letter home. He almost wasn't sure where to start.

 _Dear Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus,_

 _Gryffindor!_

 _It's what the hat yelled out to the whole hall and I was very happy, but the hat did say that I was destined to do great things and that Slytherin would be a good place for me. But I begged the hat not to be put there and it chose Gryffindor instead. I couldn't be happier, especially because both Neville and Ron are in Gryffindor with me._

 _My other two dorm mates are Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. They are both nice and seem like decent blokes._

 _The train ride was fun. I ended up in a compartment with Neville and Ron and then Draco Malfoy and his friend Blaise Zabini. Draco is a bit of a prat, but Blaise was nice. Draco insulted Ron upon learning that he was a Weasley and both he and Blaise were placed in Slytherin House. I don't know what to make of him to be honest._

 _There's this really annoying girl in our year who also got placed in Gryffindor. Her name is Hermione Granger and she's such a know-it-all! On the train ride she claimed that she had memorized all of our course books over the summer. She raises her hand non-stop in class, is constantly taking notes, and her nose is always stuck in a book. She keeps correcting all of the other students in class if they don't pick up on the concept immediately like she does. Neville said that she makes him feel stupid. I wish she'd leave us alone and just study by herself. I met her on the train first and when she heard my name she told me that I'm in all of these books that she read — I don't know how I feel about being in books about the dark arts and history of the twentieth century either. In fact, it makes me feel a little uneasy. What do they say about me? Don't they need permission to write about me?_

 _Having Auntie Minnie as a teacher is interesting. She's very strict especially when you accidentally call her auntie instead of Professor. I lost five points!_

 _Charms is fun and kind of chaotic and Professor Flitwick has to stand on his desk to see everyone. When he read my name off of the class roster he squeaked with so much excitement that he toppled right over! In fact, most of the teachers seem to get this weird look in their eyes when they say my name. Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher, gave me this huge smile and Professor Quirrell, the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, got even more stuttered than usual and he stutters all of the time! Fred said that he apparently used to be the Muggle Studies professor when Bill was in fifth year, but he left to go study the dark arts in Albania and that this is his first year teaching the subject of Defence Against the Dark Arts. But he seems scared of his own shadow and he wears this turban on his head and it smells funny. George said he probably has it stuffed with garlic or something to keep him safe from vampires. Everything seems to terrify him._

 _As for Potions, the professor is interesting. He has this presence that like Auntie Minnie he can keep the attention of his class in seconds. He's not one to cross. But he seems to hate me more than anything. He claimed that I was the new celebrity and then spouted off a bunch of random questions and when I didn't know the answer he said that 'clearly fame isn't everything' — what does that even mean? Fred told me not to worry about it as I guess Professor Snape doesn't like anyone._

 _Ron, Neville, and I are going to visit Hagrid now for tea. I'll write again soon._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

He folded up the letter and sealed it in an envelope before making his way down to the common room. Neville jumped up from the couch when he saw him.

"Hey, Harry!"

"Hey, Neville," he said with a grin. "I'm going to bring this up to Hedwig, want to come?"

Neville nodded, walking beside him as they made their way out of Gryffindor Tower and headed to the Owlery. "I feel like I'm never going to find my way around this place."

"I know, it's huge!" Harry told him, checking his school map to make sure that they were actually going in the right direction. "I think within a few weeks we'll have it all sorted out."

"Is that to Sirius?"

Harry nodded. "And Uncle Remus. Just telling him that we're all in Gryffindor together and about my first week. I told him that I'd write and I know that he's probably waiting for my letter." He glanced at Neville who was looking pensive. "I really miss him and Marauder and Uncle Remus."

Neville smiled sympathetically. "I miss home too."

They made it upstairs and found Hedwig. Harry gave her some treats before giving her the letter and she nipped his finger affectionately before hurrying off.

"So tea with Hagrid?"

Harry nodded. "Let's go find Ron."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius was reading the morning paper when Hedwig flew in through the kitchen window.** He practically jumped out of his chair to greet her, happily taking the envelope from her beak and ripping open the letter.

His grin was wide the entire time he read the letter.

A Gryffindor, he knew it!

He fist bumped the air, grinning widely. He was glad that Ron and Neville had been sorted with him. It sounded like the school year was off to a great start though the idea of Snape teaching him and already mocking him as being the new celebrity was not something that went over well with him.

He planned on saying as much when he saw him at the end of the month for Remus' potion. The stupid git was not going to be treating his son like shit, end of story.

He flicked his wand at the wireless and set up the album he wanted, smiling when he heard the familiar opening beat of _Toto IV._ He tapped his fingers to the beat as he cleaned up his breakfast, floating the wireless outside with him to the side of the cottage.

Sirius had spent the last three days expanding his work area and building an attachment on his shed to store his motorbike and the parts for them. He wanted to have plenty of room to stretch out and work on them as well as store them. But today he wanted to get started on the first bike.

Remus had left two days after Harry, sending word that he had arrived safely in Paris. Sirius had spent his free time starting to build a large workshop on the side of the house at the top of the drive so that he could work on his motorbikes when the weather turned colder.

Sirius had immediately wanted to get working on the motorbikes, but instead he had let himself get distracted and had found himself at a Muggle junkyard and had come home with a '54 Adler MB250. The other three: A 1929 Motosacoche M414, a 1975 Ducati 450 Scrambler, and a 1968 BMW R50/2 — were still waiting for him in junk heaps in the shed and he couldn't wait to dig into them all. He'd spent hours searching for parts to get him started and he decided to start on the Ducati that morning.

Toto blared from the wireless before magically switching over to ACDC's _Back in Black_ as he worked. The hot sun beat down on him and he tugged his shirt off, wiping sweat from his brow as the beat of the music kept him sane while he worked. He had the Ducati in pieces around him when his stomach grumbled and he made his way into the house to make himself a sandwich.

Sirius stepped out onto the front porch as he finished his sandwich, drinking back the beer that he had decided to have with it. The hot sun beating down on him felt good and he slid his hands in the back pocket of his jeans as he stood up.

With Remus gone and Harry at school, he was surprised to find himself a little lonely. He knew that Remus was interested in meeting with this Montgomery as much for himself as for something to do because he too missed having their boy around. But Sirius was alone in the cottage now and he wasn't too fond of it.

In fact, having the place empty made him feel hollow inside. His nightmares had returned almost every night if he was being honest and Marauder had taken to sleeping in his bed with him, something that Sirius was incredibly grateful for. The dog being there calmed him quite a bit when he woke drenched in sweat and trembling from the fear of being stuck back in Azkaban or worse, finding James and Lily dead.

He found himself wandering into Harry's bedroom, turning on the light and sitting on his bed; touching the marauder stuffed animals that his son had left behind. He transformed into Padfoot, finding comfort in being a dog. Sometimes he found himself blinking back tears that he couldn't quite explain. He had never really been alone before and it was a lot more adjustment for him than he had expected. He missed his boy, his Prongslet.

He pushed the thoughts from his head, smiling as he remembered his son's first letter. Harry was having a great time at school already and nothing made him happier than to hear that.

He started to head back to work on the bike when the dog in him scented the feline a second before she pounced, but his wand was out in time and he quickly petrified her, watching in astonishment as a sleek black panther fell onto its side from his spell.

"What the hell —" he muttered, standing up with his wand out. He lived in Devon, where the hell had a black panther even come from? His eyes raked the front yard, looking for a sign that would explain why the large black cat had pounced on him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" An angry voice demanded from his left.

Sirius spun around to see the furious stride of a woman coming towards him. "What did I do to _her_? A fucking panther just tried to pounce on me!"

"Take it off!" she demanded. "Undo it, NOW!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. He had no intention of doing so without a little reassurance that he wasn't about to become cat food. "Is she going to attack me again? Because otherwise I'd rather not. I happen to like my bits just the way they are."

The woman glared at him through a pair of rainbow sunglasses, the large hat on her head hiding most of her from view, but he could feel the anger in her gaze as her ruby red lips seemed to pucker in rage. "She won't hurt you unless I order her to so take it off or I'll show you exactly what bits she can bite off and tear to pieces!"

Sirius snorted, but he did as she asked and quickly waved his wand as he muttered the counter curse. He had no intention of being bitten by the cat nor by the angry small woman before him. The sleek panther jumped back to its feet quickly, growling menacingly in Sirius' direction. "Looks real gentle. Who the fuck has a panther as a pet? Obviously you must be brainless as well as stupid."

"Excuse me?" she exclaimed, her hand on the panther's head. "She is my familiar and I'm not brainless, you conceited knob!" She stroked the panther's head. "I'm so sorry, Lady G, did the bully hurt you?" she asked tenderly as the panther's head nuzzled her waist.

Sirius rolled his eyes and marched down his drive, sticking his wand in the back pocket of his jeans since he had left his shirt inside, stopping suddenly when the cat growled again, holding his hands up in surrender. "Okay, look, I'm not going to hurt your damn cat or you. But she did try to attack me first — and on my property might I add!"

The woman pushed her sunglasses up her nose. She was in a jean cut off skirt, showcasing legs the colour of caramel decked out in brown four inch heeled cowboy boots. Her shirt was a paint flecked black tee shirt that was tied at the waist on the left side and her wrists were covered in jangly bracelets. "She didn't. She was just getting a lay of the land and she smelt a human and bolted. It's not my fault that you're outside half naked and sweaty and she caught your scent!"

"First of all, it's hot out here and it's my own damn yard, if I want to be completely naked no one has any say in the matter. Second, did you just claim that I was smelly?"

The woman flushed in response. "Lady G caught your scent, how you take that is up to you. But she doesn't hurt people. Go on, hold your hand out to her, let her lick you and see that your safe. She won't hurt you unless she thinks that you mean her harm."

Sirius hesitated. He didn't know this woman and for all he knew she was telling him to willingly feed himself to her pet, but he found himself extending his hand and sighing when the panther looked at it carefully, sniffing it and then gently licked his palm before nuzzling his hand with her head. He had to admit, the soft fur was appealing, almost satin like. He scratched her behind her ears and she purred in contentment. "All right, I see your point. She's beautiful. What did you call her before, Lady G?"

"Her name is Lady Godiva. I've had her since she was just a cub. I rescued her from these atrocious Muggles who were hunting her and her pack in Kenya. Her parents were killed and she was the only cub that I could find. I kept her safe and she decided to stay with me."

"Why Godiva?"

"I'm sorry?"

Sirius smirked at her, his hands in his pockets. "Why Godiva?"

"I always admired her bravery; standing up for what she wanted and doing the only thing that she could do at the time to make her stand. No one would listen to her and she had no power and no ability to use weapons. She wasn't a witch with powers to sway them so she set out on a horse, completely nude, and she got the attention she wanted. She made her mark. I found Lady Godiva in Kenya, hiding from the Muggles who had shot and killed her family, when I rescued her and confronted the Muggles, she jumped from my arms and stood in front of me, growling at them, almost daring them to fight her to get to me. I thought that she was making her stand, a cub with no power of her own, but she was trying. So I named her Godiva."

Sirius smiled at her. He had to admit, the name fit. "I like it. Lady G, very regal."

The woman smiled. "Thanks." She continued to pet her cat, her gaze glancing back to the cottage behind him. "I bought the house next door. Lady G and I just moved in yesterday and we're still getting the lay of the land. I decided to go for a walk, see how far away my neighbours were. She got away from me and I apologize for that. I know that having a panther running full blast at you is not exactly something you expect to see in Devon."

"No harm," he told her, extending his hand. "But obviously lucky that I'm not a Muggle as they might have reacted slightly different upon seeing a panther in Devon. I'm Sirius by the way."

"Zee," she said, shaking his offered hand with a smile. "And I'm glad to see that you're a wizard or the whole pet panther thing might have definitely warranted a different reaction."

He laughed and tucked his loose hair behind his ear. "It might have. Well, Zee, I have a Golden Retriever and a black German Shepherd that occasionally run around here so I'd appreciate it if you keep your eye out for them. I expect that they will both be looking around a little extra lately. We've recently been a bit lonely. Our boy just left for Hogwarts."

Zee smiled at him. "You have a son?"

Sirius nodded, his hands in his pockets again. "Harry, he's eleven. I miss him something fierce."

She smiled sympathetically. "I bet he's having a great time."

"Oh, I know he is, but still. I miss having him underfoot," he turned at the sound of Marauder barking from the house and smiled at her. "Do you want a drink or something?"

Zee smiled at him, her hat falling off when she bent to scratch her knee, and her long brown curls cascaded down her back, surprising Sirius. How on earth had she fit all of that hair under that hat? He wondered. "Thanks, but I should head back. Lots of unpacking to do. It was nice to meet you. I'm sure that I'll see you around."

He nodded as she picked up her hat and placed it on her head again. "Yeah, you too."

She smiled warmly at him. "Thanks."

He watched her walk down the drive, her hips swinging and he wondered what she had been doing in Kenya other than rescuing panther cubs. The last thing he needed was some annoying woman and her pet panther living next door and causing problems. The Morrisons had kept to themselves which is what he had liked most about them.

He headed back around the house to let Marauder out and knelt back down on the ground next to the Ducati. A pet panther, honestly, he thought, switching the wireless on and shaking his head. Despite the fact that she was absolutely gorgeous, she was obviously a complete idiot and the last thing that Sirius needed was an idiot with a panther living next door.

Hopefully she turned out to be like the Morrisons and stayed in her own cottage and away from his.


	66. Chapter 66

_Author's Note:_

 _Surprise visitor! And some good news from Harry._

 _I am keeping a lot of things the same at the beginning, but please bear with me!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX:**

 **Sirius was washing dishes when he recognized Harry's snowy owl Hedwig flying towards him and he quickly dried his hands off, the smile on his face before he realized how impatient he had been lately to hear any news on his godson.** Harry had been at school almost a month now.

He stroked Hedwig gently as he took the envelope and quickly opened the letter.

 _Dear Uncle Sirius,_

 _Hogwarts is brilliant!_

 _Ron and I keep getting lost on the moving staircases and poor Neville — his memory is so bad that he can hardly ever remember the password to Gryffindor Tower, which tends to make the Fat Lady quite annoyed with him._

 _Classes are going great. Flying Class especially has been pretty wicked. I asked Auntie Minnie not to say anything to you but… you're now hearing from Gryffindor's new Seeker! That's right! Auntie Minnie spoke to Dumbledore who is making an exception for me to be the new Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team!_

 _I know, it seems completely unreal and why are they bending the rules for me?_

 _Well, in Flying Class, poor Neville, he's still not quite comfortable on a broom unless someone is with him and because he was so scared, the broom saw his fear and took off and well he fell off and broke his wrist. He's going to be all right though so don't worry, but anyway Madam Hooch had to leave to take him to the Hospital Wing and she told us that if anyone flew while she was away that we would be expelled from Hogwarts. Mrs Longbottom sent Neville a Remembrall earlier in the week to help him out, as you know how bad his memory is sometimes — when he fell, it must have fallen out of his pocket because Malfoy picked it up and said something rude about Neville. I demanded that he give it over to me to be returned and he told me that I had to catch him first._

 _I knew that it was breaking the rules. But I hate the idea of Malfoy bullying Neville so I grabbed my broom and I started to go up after him. Then that really annoying girl, Hermione, she's so bossy and she's always up in everyone's business to tell us what to do and what we're doing wrong, she told me not to go and I think that it made me even more angry that she would try to stop me so I went anyway. He's a good flyer, Uncle Sirius, and I think that he knew that I was going to catch him so he threw the Remembrall and I just went for it. The next thing I knew, Auntie Minnie was marching across the training grounds demanding that I go with her to take me to Wood. I thought — I'm ashamed to say, that I thought for a minute that she was going to beat me with something wooden, but she meant Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and Keeper for the Gryffindor team. She was praising me to him, said I'd caught this Remembrall in a fifty foot dive and how Charlie Weasley couldn't even have done it. And now I'm new the Seeker._

 _The youngest Seeker in over a century!_

 _Isn't that completely brilliant? It's a secret though, no one is supposed to know until the first match. You and Uncle Remus will both come, right? I'm so excited I can't even explain it!_

 _How's Marauder doing without me? I miss having him sleep on my feet and have been wearing socks to bed to substitute the warmth of him. But I love my room and all of my roommates are pretty great._

 _Ron and Neville obviously, but then there's Seamus: He's from Ireland and so funny. Dean is cool bloke too. He's really into art and a huge football fan which completely baffles Ron. Ron can't wrap his head around a sport that only has one ball and doesn't involve flying. I told him maybe next summer we can go to a football match so he can see the appeal of it. But I don't think he's convinced. He just keeps asking me if thats the game we played where we kicked the ball around and why that would be something anyone would want to watch._

 _Also, the Potions teacher is a huge prat. I mean, he's a genius — and that's clear as he definitely knows what he is talking about, but he hates me! I barely have to do anything and he takes away points. And he scares Neville so badly that Neville practically trembles the moment he walks into the classroom! I don't know what to make of him yet._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

 _PS: I accidentally called Professor McGonagall Auntie Minnie in Transfiguration class again — she was NOT impressed and took away another five points!_

 _PPS: Please send my broom back with Hedwig as I need to practice with the Gryffindor team for our first match._

Sirius chuckled to himself, grinning down at the letter. Minerva took away house points from him, he would have to speak to her. He had called her Minnie all of the time and she hadn't… no, she had, he thought with a laugh. And she'd given him detention many, many times for it as well.

But the youngest Seeker in a century!

He had known Harry could fly and that he could fly well, but he must have seriously impressed McGonagall if she was willing to bend the rules just for him to play a year early. James would be so proud of him. A Quidditch prodigy, he thought with a grin. He couldn't wait to tell Remus.

He didn't have long to wait because Remus stepped into the kitchen with a grin, a letter in his hand. "Did Harry write to you?"

Sirius grinned. "He's a fucking Quidditch prodigy!"

Remus laughed, taking a seat at the table. "James would be beside himself."

"Oh I bet he is," he said with a laugh. "And you! I didn't even know you were back!" he said, moving to hug his friend.

Remus smiled, hugging Sirius back. "I got in late yesterday. Harry's letters have been finding me though. He seems to be having a great time."

"Yeah, he does," Sirius said, sitting down across from his friend. "But youngest Seeker in over a century! That is truly amazing! I'm getting him a new broom!"

Remus laughed. "What's wrong with his _Nimbus_?"

"Absolutely nothing," Sirius told him honestly with a grin. "But if my boy is breaking some record like that and becoming a fucking Quidditch prodigy at eleven, he is getting a brand new bloody broom. I'll head to Diagon Alley later on today and see what's out."

Remus chuckled, scratching his nose. "I think he deserves it. Though it sounds like he has a bit of a disregard for school rules — he didn't even question Madam Hooch's demand to not fly in class and was ultimately rewarded for it."

"We weren't exactly angels, Rem, we have to give him some leeway."

"True," Remus said with a smile.

"So, how was Paris? How was Montgomery?"

Remus grinned and shrugged. "Different than I expected, but well worth the trip I think."

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow.

Remus grinned as he explained about meeting Philippe Montgomery. The man was a Muggleborn wizard and his wife, Ava had been bitten by a werewolf a year into their marriage while she was pregnant with their first child. The first transformation on top of the stress of learning what was happening to her had caused to her to lose the baby. Philippe had thrown himself into the study of werewolves, determined to find something to save his wife.

But like the world knew, he soon discovered that there was no cure.

Ava tried to convince him to divorce her, to move on with his life, but he refused. She was still the same woman that he had fallen in love with. He built a cellar for her to go in and to keep her safe and out of the harm of others, but she craved being in the open, in the wild. Philippe learned that a werewolf is less likely to harm themselves or others if they have the ability to run and to be free so he found a forest full of magical creatures just outside of Avignon and Ava started spending her transformations there. She would come home feeling better. When she became pregnant again, they were worried that it wouldn't be safe to have the child.

But a werewolf and a wizard having a baby wasn't anything to fear. It wasn't impossible for a werewolf to pass on the genes of the werewolf, though the chances of it were astronomical. Although Montgomery learned that having a mother who was a werewolf did affect the child's moods even if they didn't inherit the werewolf bite. Their daughter Eliana was affected by the cycle of the moon, feeling wild and excited during the nights and wanting to be free from the house. But when she was outside she was calm and happy as if seeing the moon or being near the moon calmed her in some way. Their son Michael was the same, but perfectly normal — one would never know that they had a werewolf for a mother. And their last son, Henry, was the same.

Montgomery continued to study werewolves, the myth and the legend that surrounded them both in the Muggle and the wizarding world. Lycanthropy, a disease that is shared among those who were bitten, transferrable by the blood and saliva only when bitten during the full moon. The creation of the Wolfsbane Potion had done wonders for his wife and Ava was able to stay herself though she still preferred to be outside, in a forest or in the wild as even with the potion she felt calmer out there. Montgomery got the opportunity to be with her during the full moon as she was now not a danger to him when she had the potion.

But she was forced to register herself with the British Ministry of Magic to get access to the potion and Montgomery did not agree with that, but his wife was able to transform more peacefully and nothing else mattered to him.

The research on werewolves led him through folk and fairy tales, horror stories and fiction mixed with fact and to learn that those who turned into werewolves were not the monsters that stories made them out to be. Those who were bitten, were not the same as those who were born. They were the people they wanted to be and who they allowed themselves to be and if they were evil before that's what made them evil now, not the wolf.

"I could have told you that, Rem, the evil thing," Sirius said with a smile when Remus finished explaining everything.

Remus shrugged. "It was interesting, Siri. I learned a few things I didn't know, but most of it I did already. But the fact that he and his wife have kids is a little scary to think about and kind of overwhelming if I'm being honest. Adrian and Maia explained about the wolf and the werewolf and having children as well when the four of us went out with Montgomery for a bite. He found it fascinating as well as he was completely unaware of the pack culture."

Sirius grinned at him. "So you can have a family one day."

Remus paled. "Passing on anything werewolf related is not something I want to do, Sirius."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You just spent the better part of an hour telling me about a werewolf who gave birth to three perfectly healthy non werewolf children. The odds are astronomical that your child would turn into a wolf."

"Kids have never been in my future," Remus told him, his eyes wide. "We have Harry."

"Yeah, we do," Sirius said with a smile. "Our own fucking Quidditch prodigy!"

The alarm sounded from the drive, alerting him that there was a visitor coming up. No one ever came to the front of the house, but usually used the Floo. Unless it was someone who didn't have Floo access, the wards were there to keep those people out unless they knew the location of Black Cottage.

Sirius headed to the front door and peeked through the hole listing in his head who had access to the property, his eyes lighting up as he pulled the door open. Althea was standing there with two twin boys in her arms.

"Thea!" he exclaimed in surprise, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled brightly. "Xander and I are here visiting my parents and my brothers. I thought maybe that you'd like to meet my boys."

Sirius grinned as she carefully placed a baby into his arms, "Wow, hi."

Althea smiled. "That's Niko, he's the oldest by three and a half minutes and this here is Nilo."

"They're beautiful, Thea," he told her honestly, admiring the happy babbling baby. They both were blond like their mother, but Niko had green eyes and Nilo brown. "Where's Xander at now?"

"He was helping my father with something so I thought that I'd come by and visit."

"Who's at the door, Sirius?" Remus asked, stepping out onto the porch and his eyes widening. "Well, hello."

Althea smiled and offered her hand. "You must be Remus, Thea Papakonstantinou. I thought I'd stop by and introduce Sirius to my sons. It's nice to meet you," she told him honestly.

Remus smiled back at her. "You too. Your sons are beautiful."

"Thank you," she said, beaming.

"It's nice outside," Sirius said, "Let's go sit in the yard."

"I'll let you two catch up," Remus said with a smile. "Sirius, we'll talk later."

"Sure, bye, Moony."

Remus stepped back inside to Floo home and Sirius led Althea around the house to the back of the house, still carrying Niko in his arms. He used his wand to bring out two tall glasses of lemonade for them.

"So, have you heard from Harry? How is he liking Hogwarts?" Althea asked as she made herself comfortable in one of the chairs in the gazebo with Nilo in her arms.

"I have," he said with a smile. "He loves it obviously. I just got a letter from him this morning. He's been chosen to be the Seeker for his house team — the youngest Seeker in over a century, in fact!"

Althea's eyes widened. "Wow! What an accomplishment! You must be bursting with pride."

"And then some," he said with a grin. "I told Remus that I'm going to buy him a new broom to celebrate. It's an accomplishment that I am so proud of him for. I wish his dad was here to see it."

Althea nodded, gently kissing her son's cheek as he babbled happily up at her. "I can imagine. These guys burp and I'm full of pride, I can only imagine how I'll be when they actually accomplish something real and worthwhile. Not that important bodily functions aren't worthwhile, but you get my drift."

Sirius smirked at her. "You look great, Thea. Motherhood really becomes you."

"Thank you," she told him. "It's more than I ever could have imagined. I love living in Greece and being close to Apollo is wonderful too. Medea is expecting again. They're hoping for a boy. I'm on maternity leave from the hospital right now, but I do like working there. Xander is just wonderful. I'm doing really good. And how are you dealing with Harry being away?"

Sirius shrugged, smiling at her from under his lashes. "It's harder than I expected, but I'm dealing. I'm fixing up some old motorbikes to sell and I'm building a workshop of sorts on the side of the house so that I can work on them come winter as well. I'm keeping busy," he told her honestly, reaching for his glass of lemonade to take a long sip. "Almost got attacked by a panther a few weeks ago."

"What?" Althea asked, her eyes wide. "Did you just say a panther?"

Sirius nodded, grinning at her. "Aye, I did! I'm a sweaty mess from working in the heat, taking a break on the front stoop with a pint and this black panther comes running up the drive. I petrified the panther and the next thing I know this woman is yelling at me. Apparently the panther is her pet. What kind of brainless bint keeps a panther as a fucking pet?"

"Panthers are cats, Sirius, and cats can be great pets. I doubt that she's brainless if she's smart enough to have trained a panther," Althea told him honestly. "I hope that you didn't tell her that she was brainless."

"Of course I did! I don't think I said bint, but I definitely said brainless. She and her damn cat moved into the house next door. I haven't seen hide nor hair from her since she set her cat on me, but that's probably the most interesting thing to happen since Harry left," he told her honestly.

"The woman is your new neighbour?" Althea said with a grin. "Sounds entertaining. Have you gone over to welcome her to the neighbourhood?"

Sirius looked baffled by this. "No, why?"

Althea merely raised her eyebrows. "You don't want to speak to a woman? She must be very unattractive then."

"Ha ha," Sirius said in annoyance. "I didn't say that."

"So she's sexy then?"

"I didn't say that either," he said, frowning.

Althea grinned at him. "Then why haven't you welcomed her?"

"Were you not listening, Castellanos? She has a pet panther that tried to eat me!" Sirius exclaimed as if this completely explained everything.

Althea simply laughed. "You should still be neighbourly, see if she needs help settling in. How long has she been there?"

"Just over two weeks I'd guess, no maybe three or four actually as this happened after Harry had been gone a week. She's probably all settled in now, I'd imagine. The realtor said that she was selling to a family so she has tons of help."

"Does she have a big family?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Sirius asked her. "I only met her and that damn panther."

Althea rolled her eyes at him. "I see that you are still as hopeless as ever."

He grinned at her. "I've missed you, Thea."

"I've missed you, too." She carefully put Nilo down on the table and picked up Niko. "Hold Nilo for a bit, will you?"

Sirius did as she asked and picked up the second baby, cradling him in his arms. "I remember when Harry was this small. I can't believe my boy is at Hogwarts, I feel like it was only yesterday that he looked this tiny."

Althea smiled, watching him with her son, a small smile on her face. "You're good with kids."

"Surprisingly, eh? Never really been around them much except for my cousin Tonks and then Harry. Speaking of Tonks, did I tell you that she's at the boot camp to be an Auror? She has two weeks left and then she spends three weeks undergoing some gruelling physical and psychological tests. If anyone can do it, she can. That woman is not to be trifled with when she wants something," he told her with a smile. "She wants Remus actually, but he's a stubborn git."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Isn't he your age?"

"Yeah, which is one of the reasons why he's being a stubborn git. But age is just a number," he told her.

"Well, yes, but sometimes the age difference is too vast. Though, Xander is fifteen years older than me."

"Really?" Sirius asked in surprise. "I didn't realize that."

She nodded. "I was shocked when I found out, but the different age doesn't even matter to me. You don't even notice it. He's everything that I've ever wanted and he's an amazing husband and father. We're actually expecting again," she said, placing a hand over her still flat stomach.

Sirius' eyes widened. "Seriously? Moving a little fast, are you?"

She laughed. "It wasn't planned that's for sure. Niko and Nilo are still only seven months old, but I am pregnant again. We knew that we wanted more kids, but we were hoping to wait a few years first as now we're going to be extra busy with twin boys who will be walking by the time this baby comes. We're really going to have our hands full. But, this pregnancy came about anyway so I guess we'll have to be ready now."

"I'll say," Sirius said with a laugh, kissing the top of Nilo's head. "Congratulations, though. I'm happy for you."

Althea leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thank you." Her eyes narrowed slightly when her gaze landed just behind him. "You said that panther was friendly, right?"

Sirius stood up, turning to see the black panther sleek it's way into his yard. If the panther was going to keep getting loose he was going to have to get a fence or something, he thought as Marauder moved to bark at her. "She's fine, Thea, but no sudden movements. She doesn't know you. Marauder, stay back, boy."

Thea carefully accepted Nilo back into her arms as Sirius stepped out from the gazebo, closing the door behind him.

"Lady G," he said softly, hands open so that she could sniff him. She was looking at Marauder in disdain, but making no move to hurt him.

Zee stepped around the side of the house and Lady Godiva merely turned her head to look at her before moving towards Sirius slowly.

"Thea, get the boys inside," he said calmly, staying in front of her while she came out of the gazebo. "Go on, honey, inside, keep those boys safe," he told her as she went through the backdoor to the kitchen.

"She won't hurt you," Zee told him, snapping her fingers and Lady Godiva immediately turned and went to stand next to her owner.

"Not taking any chances when I see a panther on the loose," he told her. "Marauder, heel," he said snapping his fingers at the ground as Marauder trotted over and sat down next to him. "You should keep a better reign on her or put her on leash at least."

Zee rolled her eyes. "We were going for a walk and she was exploring the new territory. She recognized your scent. I think she rather likes you."

Sirius looked at the cat in interest now, her amber eyes locking onto his. "I can't say I blame her as I'm incredibly sexy."

Zee snorted at that. "Anyway, sorry to wander into your yard but — holy hell that is an amazing treehouse!" she exclaimed, her eyes having moved around the yard.

He grinned widely at her, eyes moving to the treehouse at the back of the yard. "Yeah, we love it. I built it for Harry a few years back."

"It's amazing," she told him with a smile, her rainbow sunglasses blocking her eyes. She was wearing the big hat again that hid all of her hair. But this time she was in denim cut off shorts and wedge heeled sandals with a pink vest blouse tied at the waist showing a bit of her rather impressive cleavage and revealing her flat and rather toned stomach, which to his surprise, had a dangling silver chain hanging from her navel, and a green and gold tattoo of some kind was peeking out around her ribcage.

Althea stepped out of the backdoor, her arms crossed in front of her. "Sirius, I put the boys in bed, is it safe to come out here?"

"Yeah, yeah, Thea, come here," he said gesturing her over. "This is the new neighbour Zee and her pet, Lady Godiva."

Althea smiled warmly at her. "A pet panther is so unique. She's beautiful. I'm Althea."

"Thank you," Zee said, stroking the panther's head who nuzzled into her hand in contentment.

"How are you liking the neighbourhood?" Althea asked, her eyes on the panther with interest.

"I like it," Zee said with a smile. "My neighbour on the other side is an elderly woman with six cats, all of who are completely fascinated by Lady G. Mrs Campbell is equally as fascinated with Lady Godiva. It's a nice thirty minute walk to Mrs Campbell's house and around the bend to pass here and make it back home. I like that we're all close enough, but far enough apart to give us our privacy, which I like."

Althea nodded. "I agree. This is a lovely area. Sirius has done wonders with Black Cottage."

Sirius grinned at her. "I do know what I'm doing thank you very much."

She laughed and elbowed him lightly. "I know. Well, sometimes," she smirked as he rolled his eyes at her.

Zee smiled at them. "Well, we better be heading back home. I just needed a break from unpacking. I've been painting everything and making it my own, but my bedroom is still a huge mess. I've only successfully unpacked the kitchen and bath so far. It was wonderful to meet you."

"You as well," Althea told her.

"Lady G seems to be cool with Marauder," Sirius told her with a smile. "Next time she comes around, I won't panic. She's welcome here."

"Thanks, see you around."

Sirius watched her saunter away, his eyes on her firm, curvy behind long enough that Althea hit him. "What?"

"You failed to mention how gorgeous she is!" Althea told him with a grin.

"I barely noticed."

"Please," Althea smirked. "You were just checking out her arse."

Sirius grinned back at her. "Alright, it may have crossed my mind once or twice. She was wearing that stupid hat again though."

Althea raised her eyebrow in question.

"She has a lot of brown curly hair, I don't understand why it's all up in that hat."

Althea just smirked at him. "She's a brunette?"

"It's more like a caramel, browns, and gold all mixed in with her curls. What?" He asked when he realized that she was staring at him in complete amusement.

Althea only shook her head. "Nothing. Come on; you can make me a cup of tea and tell me more about this mysterious Zee."

"There's nothing else to tell," Sirius said as he followed her inside, Marauder trailing after him.

Althea only smirked at him. "Not yet."


	67. Chapter 67

_Author's Note:_

 _Like I mentioned in the last Author's Note — some things will be staying the same, but some things will be changing as well — there are just some iconic moments that need to happen in Harry's life._

 _DISCLAIMER: I give the lovely JKR credit as I play with her characters._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN:**

 **Xander came to pick up Althea and the boys a few hours later and they ended up staying for dinner.** Sirius sincerely liked Xander and congratulated him again on the new baby as well as for the birth of his sons. The way Althea looked at him with so much love in her eyes, she had never looked so beautiful and so happy. The sight of it made him smile.

Not to mention how truly great it had been to spend the afternoon with Althea and her twin boys. The kids were great and Sirius enjoyed helping her burp and hold them. He even changed a nappy, surprising Althea in his nappy changing skills.

But talking to her, filling her in on how life had been with Harry, and doing it in person instead of via letter — had felt really good. She really was a great listener and he truly loved the advice that she gave him on how he was handling things with Harry and just how great Harry was doing including the latest news that his boy was a Quidditch prodigy and she had only laughed at the complete pride radiating from him. Althea told him how great of a father he was and it made Sirius feel good — he was doing the best he could and he felt like he and Harry were doing really great together.

He told her of how he was feeling a bit lonely lately with Harry being gone to Hogwarts and how he had started fixing up motorbikes. Althea had only smiled and said that Apollo would be jealous. He hugged her goodbye, kissing her cheeks, and shaking Xander's hand when they left. They were heading back to Greece in two days and he was truly sad to see them go, but thankful that she had made the time to come and see him.

The next day, Sirius went to Diagon Alley and to Quality Quidditch Supplies where he picked out the newest model of broomstick, a Nimbus 2000. He had it boxed up and ready to go before he used the Floo in The Leaky Cauldron to take him to McGonagall's office that Saturday afternoon. He put the box on her desk, scribbling a quick note and turning into his dog form before he hurried out and ran through the halls gleefully. He caught sight of Harry's messy hair with a redhead nearby out in the courtyard so he hurried out, bounding across the lawn and tackling Harry to the ground.

Harry laughed, spluttering in surprise and then his eyes widened when he recognized the dog. "Padfoot!" He hugged him tightly as Ron and Neville looked at him in amusement.

"Isn't that Sirius' name, too?" Neville asked Ron who only shrugged in response.

Padfoot barked happily and licked Harry's face and that was when Harry noticed the letter attached to the dog's collar. He pried it open and grinned.

"It says to go to McGonagall's office," he read.

Padfoot barked in response and took off towards the castle. By the time Harry, Ron, and Neville reached McGonagall's office, Padfoot was no where to be seen. But Harry's eyes lit up when he opened the door to her office and Sirius was sitting behind her desk with his feet propped up and crossed at the ankles.

"Uncle Sirius!" he exclaimed, running around the desk to hug him tightly.

Sirius wrapped his arms around him, kissing his forehead and holding him close. "Hey, Prongslet, I've missed you."

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, hugging him tightly. "Does Professor McGonagall know that you're in here?"

"No, she does not, Mr Potter," McGonagall said from the doorway as she arched one brow at Sirius. "Feet off my desk and butt out of my chair, Black — now."

Sirius grinned at her, keeping an arm around Harry as he stood up. "You've missed me, Minnie, admit it."

McGonagall merely shook her head. "What are you doing here? This habit of yours — using my Floo to pop in whenever you feel like it is really completely uncalled for."

Sirius only grinned wider. "I come to make you smile, Minnie." He tapped the large and long box on the desk. "And I come bearing a gift for Harry." He turned to Harry, smiling down at him. "Youngest Seeker in over a century! I am so incredibly proud of you I could burst! Your dad would be beside himself if he was here right now." He kissed Harry's forehead. "You should be so proud to have made the Gryffindor Quidditch team, especially at only eleven years old because trust me, you have to be good for Minnie to bend any rule of any kind."

"Sirius," McGonagall growled.

Sirius smirked at her. "It's true and you know it." He turned back to Harry. "Because I am so proud of you and so amazed by you, I thought that your old broom wasn't the best choice for the youngest Seeker in over a century."

Harry's eyes widened as he realized what Sirius was telling him, his gaze moving to the long rectangular box with glee. "Is that —?"

Sirius smiled. "Open it, Prongslet."

Harry gleefully unwrapped the package, pulling out the soft foil package and unrolling it to reveal the shiny and sleek Nimbus 2000.

Ron's eyes widened as he moved closer. "A Nimbus 2000! That's the best broom there is!"

Harry's eyes lit up as he carefully turned it over in his hands. The sleek wooden handle bore the name etched in gold on the side. "Uncle Sirius, wow!"

Sirius draped an arm around his shoulders again. "You deserve it, Prongslet. I can't wait to see you in your first match."

Harry turned in his godfather's arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I didn't expect… you're the best!"

Sirius chuckled as he hugged Harry, leaning down to rest his chin on the top of Harry's head. "I know that already. And you're very welcome." He pulled back to cup Harry's face in his hands. "I am so proud of you!"

Harry beamed at him, turning to grin at his friends. "Look at this!"

Ron and Neville moved to examine the broom more closely, oohing and awing in appreciation.

"There's no way that you're going to lose riding that!" Ron exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. "Do you reckon I could try it out?"

Harry nodded eagerly. "Definitely."

"Not until after the first match, Mr Weasley," McGonagall interrupted them. "Until then, Mr Potter will keep his new broomstick locked in his trunk unless scheduled for Quidditch practices with the team, understood?"

Harry nodded, smiling brightly at her. "Understood."

Sirius grinned, moving to drape an arm over the shoulders of Ron and Neville. "Congrats to you two boys for making it into Gryffindor as well. It is a pretty great house."

Neville beamed up at Sirius. "I was surprised that the hat chose me for Gryffindor, Sirius. I thought that I was bound for Hufflepuff. I'm not very brave."

Sirius squeezed Neville to his side. "Bravery comes in all sorts of ways, Nev, don't sell yourself short. The hat's never wrong."

Neville grinned. "I won't."

Sirius glanced over at McGonagall who was talking to Harry and Ron about the new broomstick, discussing its speed and the ability to turn a complete three hundred and sixty degrees in the air. He turned back to Neville with a smile. "Nev, Harry told me that the Potions professor worries you a bit."

Neville paled slightly. "He's so mean, Sirius, and he… he terrifies me."

Sirius smiled reassuringly. "You know what, Nev, his bark is worse than his bite. I went to school with him and he's nothing to worry about. He was a greasy-haired git then and he still is one now. Next time he says something to you, I want you to remember that his bark is the worse part. You are there to learn, not to be frightened. Don't let him worry you, okay?"

Neville nodded. "I'll try."

Sirius hugged him. "Good. That's all I ask."

Sirius hugged Harry goodbye again, kissing his forehead before he Flooed back home, leaving an amused McGonagall behind with a promise to see him the first Saturday in November for the Quidditch match. He couldn't wait to see Harry fly on that broomstick.

He greeted Marauder when he got home, grinning to himself. If only James could see his son now.

"A Quidditch prodigy, James," he murmured with a grin. "Only your son."

The thought made him smile and he headed into the kitchen to throw something together for dinner, whistling as he went.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry, Ron, and Neville left McGonagall's office with Harry's new broomstick wrapped back up in the box.** They were halfway to Gryffindor Tower when they bumped into Draco and two Slytherin boys named Crabbe and Goyle who had been hanging around Draco since mid September like two flunkies.

Draco stared at the package on Harry's shoulder. "First years aren't allowed to have broomsticks, Potter."

Harry merely shrugged. "Special circumstances, Malfoy."

Draco sneered at him. "Why? Just because you're some hot shot celebrity?" He grinned gleefully when Professor Flitwick turned the corner. "Professor! Potter has a broomstick!"

"What's that?" Professor Flitwick squeaked as he approached them.

"Potter has a broomstick and first years aren't allowed," Draco insisted as Crabbe and Goyle nodded next to him, snickering.

Professor Flitwick smiled at Harry. "Yes, yes, Professor McGonagall told me the news. Congratulations on making the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Mr Potter."

"Thank you, Sir," Harry said, laughter in his voice at the sight of Draco Malfoy's jaw dropping open in shock.

After Flitwick had turned the corner again, Malfoy sneered at him. "First years aren't allowed on the house teams."

"They made an exception for me," Harry said as Ron nodded next to him.

"He's the youngest player in over a century! He's the new Seeker."

"And I really owe it all to you, Draco," Harry said honestly. "If you wouldn't have stolen Neville's Remembrall, I never would have dived to catch it and impressed McGonagall enough to speak to Dumbledore on my behalf. So thanks."

Draco spluttered at this. "That's hardly… I hope Slytherin crushes you in the first match!"

Neville smiled. "The Gryffindor team is way too good now that they have Harry as Seeker."

"Was I talking to you, Fatbottom?" Draco demanded, turning to glare at him.

Neville blanched at this, flushing red.

"Show some respect, Malfoy!" Harry insisted, his eyes flashing in anger. "No need to be such a prat all of the time."

"Always standing up for poor Fatbottom, Potter, got a little crush? Do you want to fight me for him?"

"If you don't start leaving him alone then yeah, I will!" Harry answered hotly. It was only October and Malfoy spent almost every moment he could teasing Neville in some way and Harry was tired of it. Neville was one of the nicest blokes he knew and he did not deserve to be bullied.

"Fine," Draco said with a smirk. "I challenge you to a wizard's duel at midnight, tonight."

"I accept," Harry spat back at him.

Draco's smirk widened. "The trophy room, midnight be there."

"He will be," Ron said angrily. "I'm his second."

Draco nodded at this. "Fine." He glanced back at the two flunkies by his side. "Crabbe can be mine."

"If I win, you have to leave Neville alone," Harry demanded, his eyes flashing angrily.

Draco only smirked again. "Like you'd ever win. Midnight, Potter — be there."

As Malfoy walked away, Neville turned to Harry and Ron. "You guys can't fight in a wizard's duel! I appreciate the sentiment, but duelling is against the rules not to mention that it's extremely dangerous!"

Ron scoffed at this. "Against the rules, yeah, but come on, Nev — dangerous? It's not like it's a real wizard's duel! The most Malfoy and Harry will be able to do is shoot sparks at each other!"

Neville seemed to take this into consideration. "Well, I suppose…"

Harry smiled at his friend. "You come tonight too, Nev, you can be a witness."

Neville looked terrified at the thought of that. "Erm, okay."

~ ASC ~

 **At eleven thirty that night, Harry, Ron, and Neville carefully snuck down into the Gryffindor common room.** They breathed a sigh of relief to find it deserted as they slowly made their way towards the portrait hole. Just as they were about to exit, a voice spoke from behind them.

"And where are you three going at this late hour?"

Harry spun around to see Hermione Granger sitting near the fire with a book open in her lap. "It's really none of your business."

Hermione glared at him. "It is actually as I am also a Gryffindor and I don't want to lose house points because you three idiots are breaking school rules by sneaking out."

Ron rolled his eyes at her. "You're not the boss of us, go away!"

Hermione only clucked her tongue and to Harry's horror followed them out of the portrait hole. "Come back here! I earned twenty points today in Professor Flitwick's class and I don't want you to lose them because you need to go for a jaunt around the castle!"

"We won't get caught," Harry told her in exasperation. "Now go back inside!"

"I will," she said vehemently. "You three have absolutely no regard for school rules!" She turned around in a huff. "Oh no, the Fat Lady has disappeared!"

"Oh, darn," Ron said in mock sadness. "Guess you'll just have to sit out here and annoy yourself until she comes back."

Hermione glared at him. "I'm not sitting out here by myself! I'll come with you, but if you get caught I'm telling whomever that I was only trying to stop you!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Bugger off!"

Hermione huffed in annoyance as she scurried to keep up with them.

"I don't even know where the trophy room is," Neville said nervously, looking behind them to make sure that no one was following. "Do you really think Malfoy will be waiting there for us?"

"Shh," Harry said. "Be quiet, Neville, we don't want anyone to hear us."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're meeting Malfoy? What on earth for?"

"He challenged us to a duel," Ron said impatiently.

"And you morons accepted?" When they all just turned to look at her she sighed in exasperation. "Boys!"

They made it into the trophy room and Harry sighed. "He's not here yet."

"Probably won't even show," Ron said with a smirk. "Coward that he is."

"Come, my sweet, I think I hear voices in the trophy room," a voice said from the hallway and the four of them froze.

"Filch!" Ron whispered, eyes wide. "Run for it!"

They bolted out the backdoor of the trophy room and down the halls. They were halfway up the staircase when it decided to move and Harry groaned.

Neville looked terrified as the staircase stopped on the third floor and he hurried forward, stopping in the dimly lit corridor. "Harry, I don't think we're supposed to be up here."

"Filch is definitely following us," Ron said. "And his stupid cat, I don't care where we are, we just have to hide!" He moved towards the wooden door straight ahead and attempted to pull it open. "It's locked! We're done for!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and stormed across the corridor to the door where Ron was. She pointed her wand at the lock and whispered, "Alohomora!" The door clicked open and she ushered the boys inside.

"Hermione, how did you —?" Harry began.

" _The Standard Book of Spells_ chapter seven!"

Harry pressed his ear against the door, trying to listen for Filch. He could hear footsteps in the hall. "Shh," he said to his friends. "I'm trying to see if it is safe to go back out." Neville was poking him in the ribs rather roughly and he winced. "Nev, stop!" But Neville only poked him harder, grabbing his head and turning it towards the room.

Harry's eyes widened in alarm.

Standing before them was a giant three-headed dog licking its chops and drooling, staring at them in complete surprise, which Harry was positive was the only reason why they weren't dead — they had surprised him.

"I choose Filch over that," Ron exclaimed, pulling open the door as the four of them raced out just as the dog's three heads dived in for the kill and slamming the door shut on them.

They ran all of the way back to Gryffindor Tower, somehow without being seen by anyone. The Fat Lady looked at them in surprise when they yelled the password and they all stumbled into the Gryffindor common room.

Harry bent over in an attempt to catch his breath. "What was that thing? Some kind of Cerberus?"

"Why the hell are they keeping that thing locked up in a school for?" Ron demanded, wiping sweat off of his brow.

"That was the third floor corridor," Neville said breathlessly, looking up at his friends. "It's forbidden."

"With good reason!" Ron exclaimed.

"Didn't you bother to see what it was standing on?" Hermione asked them in a huff of annoyance.

"No," Ron said in disdain. "I was too busy looking at its heads because in case you didn't notice, there were three!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It was standing on a trapdoor which means it's obviously guarding something. Now, I'm going to bed before you three idiots come up with another way to get us killed or worse — expelled!"

She stormed off and up the stairs to the girls dormitories as Neville and Ron merely stared at Harry in horror.

"She needs to sort out her priorities," Ron said.

Neville snorted. "I think I'd rather be expelled than killed myself."

Harry grinned. "Do you think she's right? Is that dog guarding something?"

Ron shrugged. "Dunno, could be. Maybe that's why the corridor is forbidden. Hey, remember Percy was saying how someone apparently broke into Gringotts over the summer and tried to steal something, but it had already been removed?"

"Yeah?" Harry said as he remembered how Percy had showed them the article in the newspaper. "What about it?"

Neville nodded in understanding. "My Gran always says that Hogwarts is the safest place in the world. If I needed to hide something or keep it safe, I'd hide it here."

"And get a giant three-headed-dog to guard it," Harry finished.

Ron grinned at him. "Exactly. What do you think it is?"

Harry shrugged. "No idea, but I bet it's really valuable."

Neville stifled a yawn. "Do you think Malfoy got caught by Filch?"

Harry shrugged. In all of the excitement he had forgotten all about his wizard's duel. They hadn't seen any sign of Malfoy or Crabbe and Filch had come in just after midnight.

"I bet he didn't even show," Ron scoffed.

Neville nodded as they headed up the stairs to the first year boy's dormitory. "Or he tipped Filch off. It was kind of weird that he just happened to come into the trophy room, don't you think?"

Harry scowled at that. With the way that Malfoy had squawked to Professor Flitwick the moment that he had seen that Harry had a broomstick, he wouldn't even put it past him. But when he climbed into his four poster, shutting the curtains closed around him, he wasn't thinking about Malfoy, but about a giant three headed dog and what kind of amazing magical item it could be guarding.


	68. Chapter 68

_Author's Note:_

 _I think you guys might have guessed this was coming — I've been waiting to add this in for months - in fact, I wrote this section back in May/June, actually pre-Althea, and I'm so happy to introduce it now._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT:**

 **Sirius sat outside in his worn denim and an old white tee shirt with holes in it.** He was dirty with engine grease as he carefully worked on the engine of the Ducati bike in the drive. The workshop he had been building was pretty much done but it was rather warm outside today and he wanted to enjoy the warm October sunshine while he could as he knew winter was coming and when it did, he would be shut up in that workshop more often than not.

Halloween was in three days time and he had already promised Remus that he would go to Godric's Hollow with him, just the two of them. It was a tradition now and something that he felt he needed to do, but going there without Harry was going to be a bit different.

He stretched his legs out a bit as he reached for a cloth to wipe part of the engine clean. He was blaring his Clash album _London Calling_ as he worked, his hair tied back in a stubby tail with a leather band, loose pieces falling into his eyes. His sunglasses were dark, but the glare of the sun was extra bright that afternoon and he needed the shades as much as he needed the music.

It was a beautiful day and he had every intention of spending as much of it as he could finishing up the engine.

Marauder's erratic barking had him turning and he watched as Zee and Lady Godiva walked up the drive. Sirius grabbed Marauder's collar, holding him steady before he could bolt over to the panther. He hadn't seen her since Althea had been there a few weeks before, but he still wasn't entirely sure the panther was completely safe.

"Shh, Marauder, it's okay. They're friends. Sit," he ordered and Marauder barked once more before plopping his butt onto the ground and staring rather menacingly at the newcomers.

Lady Godiva stopped, yellow eyes on Marauder, but she made no move towards him.

"Stay Lady G, he's a friend," Zee demanded, smiling at her panther before she moved forward to pet Marauder.

Marauder, always looking for a new friend, immediately licked her hand and rolled over, exposing his belly for her to rub, all signs of menace gone.

"You have no shame," Sirius said in disgust as the dog's tongue lolled out and he stared at Zee in glee. "I see that you've met Marauder."

Zee smiled at him. "I have and he's a good boy, aren't you?" Marauder licked her hand again as she rubbed him and she grinned. "You said that you had a second dog?"

Sirius nodded. "Only sometimes. His name is Padfoot. He's a black German Shepherd, a little scruffy looking, but he's very friendly, maybe even more so than Marauder."

She smiled, standing up and wiping her hands on the sides of her blue jeans. Her jeans had holes in the knees he noticed and she wore the brown heeled cowboy boots again. She had on a white transparent blouse with the sleeves rolled to the elbows and a black vest underneath. Her chocolate brown and gold curls hung to her waist, twisted to the side in a long low ponytail over her caramel skin and her dark brown eyes were outlined in long dark lashes. Her rainbow sunglasses were on the top of her head. She looked sexy as hell he thought, stubbornly admitting it to himself.

"Padfoot and Marauder, those are adorable names," she told him.

"Thanks. So, just popping in to say hi or can I help you with something, Zee?" he asked her, wiping his hands clean on a nearby rag before slipping them into the pockets of his well worn blue jeans.

Zee smiled and her eyes went to the bike behind him. "We were just going for a walk and I heard the music. I thought I'd say hi. That is a gorgeous bike."

Sirius grinned, turning to admire it. "Thanks. I love it. I've had it since I was seventeen."

"Is that a '69 or a '70 Triumph?"

Sirius' eyebrow rose in appreciation as he glanced back at where his own motorbike was parked. "A woman who knows her machines, I'm impressed. It's a 1970 Triumph Bonneville."

Zee moved closer, her eyes taking in the chrome and the black leather seat. "She's beautiful. You've taken excellent care of her."

"I've done my best. I've completely rebuilt her twice now. She has all new everything and she runs like a dream."

Zee pointed to the red and blue levers on the left side. "I've never seen these on a Triumph before? Did you add extra features?"

Sirius grinned sheepishly. The woman _really_ knew her stuff. "I did. I may have illegally tweaked her a bit, promise not to turn me in?"

Zee's smile widened. "Depends on what she does."

"She can fly and I can make her invisible, but that charm doesn't last very long so one has to be careful," he said honestly. "I know tampering with Muggle products and adding magic to Muggle anything is technically against the law, but I have a friend who works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office and because it's for my own personal use and I'm not looking to sell it back to the Muggles with said extra magically enhanced features, technically I'm fine — its like a giant loop hole."

Zee crossed her arms across her chest and grinned mischievously up at him. "I'll make you a deal." Sirius' eyebrow rose at her words and she grinned. "I won't report you if you take me for a ride on that gorgeous bike and that ride must include taking me flying. I've never ridden a flying motorbike before."

Sirius grinned widely, tucking his loose hair behind his ear. "Take a beautiful woman on my bike? That sounds like a better deal for me."

She chuckled at that, her eyes on Lady Godiva who was cleaning her paws. "I have a weakness for motorcycles. Especially a 1970 Triumph."

"Do you have your own?"

She slipped her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "My papa had a 1937 BSA M20 when I was growing up. My grandfather fought in the Second World War, he was a Muggle, and it was his bike. He kept it when the war was over. He wasn't supposed too, but he snuck it home and kept it up. He passed it onto my father — my papa loved that bike. He used to take me for rides on it when I was young and he taught me to drive it."

"Excuse me while I drool a little. A '37? Shit, that is one gorgeous motorbike! Does he still have it?" Sirius asked, his interest peaked. He used to have a poster up of a '37, but it had been straddled by a naked brunette. He would have to see if he still had it, he thought with a grin.

"No, it's mine now. My mama is angry that he gave it to me. She says that it's not suitable for a young lady to be driving it around." Zee said, rolling her eyes.

"I'd love to see that," Sirius told her honestly. "A '37! I've always wanted to drive one of those."

Zee grinned at him, her dark brown eyes twinkling at him. "I love to ride it; the wind in my hair, the speed of it… I took it with me when I was in Australia last year — rode it everywhere I went. The power of it; the feel of it between my thighs was just so incredible. It was the absolute best. It's one of the best feelings by far, almost as good as sex."

Sirius nodded, licking his lips. The thought of her straddling that bike was the sexiest thing he could think of at the moment. "Almost being the key word there… I would love to drive it one day. Maybe we can do a little trade off - a ride for a ride?"

Zee tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "I think that could most definitely be arranged." She looked over at Lady Godiva who was resting in the sun as Marauder attempted to get her to play with him. Her panther was blissfully ignoring him. Marauder seemed to get the hint because he plopped down next to her, his eyes sad. "Your dog is heartbroken that Lady G won't play."

Sirius smiled, glancing over at Marauder. "He misses our boy. We both do, but poor Marauder has been feeling his abandonment a bit more I think," he said.

Marauder was sleeping with him almost every night or he'd curl up in Harry's bed to sleep and he liked having the dog there; it reminded him that he wasn't actually alone in the house. Not to mention that having Marauder close by helped quell the nightmares.

Zee nodded, her gaze moving to the engine he was currently working on next to the broken bike. "I just wanted to say hi when I heard the Clash playing, but I was distracted by your bike and — I'm sorry, is that piece of junk propped up behind you, parts of a Ducati?"

Sirius grinned widely at her. She definitely knew her machines. "The engine's over here, I'm rebuilding her. Pulled it from a junkyard, as you can see by the state of her."

Zee bent down to examine the engine and the broken bike next to it. "Let me see, five-speed and a wet clutch… this is a scrambler. I'm guessing a 450 — so a 1974 or '75 Ducati?"

"Damn, woman, you do know your shit," he said with a grin. He was incredibly impressed he had to admit. He knelt next to her. "That is exactly what this bike is, a '75. I'm refinishing her as you can see, she's a complete mess. But once she works, she should be running 130 km per hour with a horse power of 27 and a rpm of 8500. Right now however, she barely runs at all."

Zee grinned widely at him. "It looks like you're taking good care of her."

"I am. I've also got some other broken girls in the garage. A 1954 Adler MB250, a 1929 Motosacoche M414, and a 1968 BMW R50/2, but I haven't touched those three yet," he told her with a grin.

Zee smiled. "Sexy. The Triumph is great though, seriously, you did an amazing job on her. When she flies, how much faster does she go?"

"I've had her up to 175 in the air. It's amazing up there, almost like gliding," he told her honestly. "And incredibly beautiful to be up there, gliding through the clouds."

"I bet," she said with a smile, standing up and sticking her hands in the back pocket of her jeans again. "Anyway, I'd honestly really love to go for a ride, that is if your wife won't mind?"

"My — _what_?"

"Your wife? You said that you had a son after meeting the woman with the babies the other day… was she not your wife —?"

Sirius laughed, grinning at her. "No, darling, I'm not married. I've never been married. Harry is my godson, but I've raised him as my own since his parents died. He lives with me permanently. It's just the two of us."

"Oh," she said with a laugh. "I didn't… I'm sorry."

He grinned at her. "Come on inside. I'll get you a drink and we can discuss this ride trade off," he said, leading her around the house, through the privacy wards, and through the front door, leaving their two pets to sit in the sun.

She followed him into the living room, smiling at the photos hanging on the walls and around the fireplace and on the tables. Almost all of them had Sirius in them with an adorable little boy with messy black hair, bright green eyes, and glasses. Many of them were just of the boy and a few were clearly of Sirius when he was younger with three other boys. She followed him into the kitchen, her eyes finding the arched doorway with the measurements of Harry over the years on the side. It made her smile to see how he recorded his growth every three months on the door frame. She glanced around at the childish drawings on the icebox and the list of rules on the wall — it looked like a home, she thought.

Sirius handed her a bottle of Dragon Scale, "Beer okay?"

Zee accepted it with a smile. "Its perfect, thanks." She opened the top and drank deeply, smiling at him. "I'm ridiculously glad to know that you're not married."

Sirius' eyebrow rose and he smirked at her as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "Oh, really?"

She nodded, her dark eyes on him and the quick bolt of lust that flickered in his gut pleased him. "Really."

Sirius sat his beer on the counter and took a step towards her. "So if I were to do this," he began, placing his hands on her hips and tugging her up against him. "You wouldn't protest?"

"My husband might."

"Your —" he spluttered and then he saw her quick grin. "You're messing with me," he said on a strangled laugh.

"I am," she said, standing on her toes and slipping her arms around his neck. "So… about that ride?"

Sirius grinned at her, bending his head and gently placing his lips on the pulse in her throat, feeling the steady rhythm there. "I'm thinking about a completely different kind of ride at the moment, Zee."

Zee pressed herself closer to him, her hand sliding down his chest and under his tee shirt. "So am I."

Sirius wasn't sure who made the first move.

But the next thing he knew, his lips were crushed against hers and he was kissing her deeply and thoroughly, bruising her mouth as his hand fisted in her curls, the other hand sliding up her back, touching soft skin.

She moaned against his mouth and he softened the kiss, his lips meeting hers over and over and it was only when he made a growling noise in his throat that he caught himself and pulled away.

"Well, I didn't expect that," he told her honestly, his lips on her neck again.

Zee tossed her head back, giving him more access to her neck. "I just knew that you would be a great snog."

He chuckled against her neck, his fingers gently brushing her stomach beneath her shirt. "I can be a lot of things, Zee."

Zee kissed his neck, her tongue lapping at him in soft waves that sent a shudder through his whole body. She pulled away, smiling at him and with her hands on the bottom of his tee shirt, she pulled it up and over his head, tossing it aside. Her hands slid up his well defined abs, over his chiseled chest and she leaned forward to kiss his breast, her tongue flicking his nipple and he groaned.

Then his hands were tearing through her buttons, the blouse slipping from her shoulders and falling to the ground. His fingers worked at her jeans, slipping them down her legs and she kicked them off, laughing when he tugged her boots off and tossed them away.

His mouth sucked her collarbone, the swell of her breast, deep bruising kisses that he knew would leave marks, but he didn't care. Merlin, it had been much too long since he'd been with a woman, he thought.

Sirius groaned when her mouth moved over his abs and when her small hand slid under the waistline of his jeans and found him, he eagerly helped her unzip and tug down. He lifted her onto the kitchen counter, her legs wrapping around his waist, his jeans down at his ankles and he slipped his hand between her legs, moaning at the wet heat that greeted him. He tore her knickers in half in his attempt to touch her and when a finger slipped inside, her head fell back and a moan of ecstasy escaped her lips.

His lips met hers over and over and then his hand was gone and then she felt the thick length of him inside of her and her teeth scraped his shoulder as she groaned his name, her hips meeting his desperately as he moved deeper and deeper inside of her.

His fingers found her again and she went over the edge, crying out in pleasure only moments before he followed, his face buried in her neck and his legs shaking from the pressure and the pleasure of it.

He slid her down to the kitchen floor, still inside of her and cradled her to his side, their breathing heavy. Sirius' hand slid up her vest to touch her breast through her bra.

"Next time we'll get all of the clothes off," he said, kissing her lips.

Zee merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, do you think we'll do this again?"

Sirius chuckled, sucking on her earlobe. "Oh, baby, this is definitely happening again."

Zee smiled, moving to straddle him. "You know, when I came over here, this isn't what I imagined happening."

"No?" he asked, grinning widely. "I imagined it after you left the other day. But in my fantasy you were completely naked and covered in whipped cream."

She laughed and kissed him softly. "That could possibly be arranged."

Sirius growled and shimmied her lower, surprised to find himself so eagerly hard for her all over again. He thrusted up into her and he watched in pleasure as her eyes crossed and her head fell back as she rode him. She set the pace, riding him slowly, and when they both broke, he nibbled on her neck.

"So, Zee, I'm really glad that you moved in next door. Mrs Morrison never let me shag her on the kitchen floor or on the kitchen counter for that matter," he said making her laugh.

She tugged off her vest, unhooking her bra and treating him to her large bouncy breasts, which he immediately moved to suckle. "Mr Morrison didn't want to share, eh?"

Sirius chuckled against her breast, his teeth nipping her gently and she gasped. "No, he didn't. Fuck, your tits are gorgeous!"

Zee smirked at him, sighing as he kissed her breasts. "I really do want to ride that bike, Sirius."

He grinned against her, kissing her collarbone and then his grey eyes met hers. "Let's go then."

She laughed when he tugged her to her feet. She was still breathless and she slid her hands around his waist. "Right this very minute, huh?"

Sirius grinned down at her. Now that she wasn't in heels, he realized that she wasn't very tall. The top of her head barely reached his heart. He slid his hand down her finely shapely bum and squeezed, his eyes on the gorgeous red and gold dragon tattoo that travelled the length of her spine. She had a fantastic and curvaceous body, he thought; he wanted to spend hours touching her, possibly days, maybe even weeks. He bent his head and kissed her lips gently.

"Yeah, let's go."

Zee grinned up at him, standing on her toes to suck on his bottom lip. "Mmhm, tomorrow," she told him, kissing him again and letting her hand wander down his chest and between his legs. "I think at the moment I'd rather finish my beer and see what else we can get up too."

Sirius smirked at her as she stroked him. "Deal."

Then he took her lips in his again.

~ ASC ~

 **An hour later, they were sitting at the kitchen table eating left over Chinese food from Sirius' ice box.** Lady Godiva and Marauder were both still outside, neither one of them really acknowledging the other, though Marauder kept shooting the panther hopeful and playful glances when Sirius checked on them out the kitchen window. Sirius was wearing his jeans unbuttoned and Zee wore nothing but his old tee shirt full of holes. She was only about five foot two so it almost reached her knees.

"Tell me about your son," she said to him as she crunched into an egg roll. "I see his pictures are everywhere. He has rather beautiful green eyes."

Sirius grinned at her, taking a sip of his beer. "Yeah, he does. They're Lily's eyes, his mum. The same colour and shape of them. Sometimes it's almost eery to see them shining out of James' face, his father. He looks just like his dad, but if you look closely you can see the subtle differences. Poor kid did inherit his father's awful eyesight though and that insane unmanageable hair."

Zee chuckled, crossing her legs under the table. "That does happen sometimes."

He smirked at her. She had pinned her curls out of her face in a high ponytail to eat. She was so damn pretty he thought, his gut stirring with lust for her again.

Althea had known that he was attracted to her immediately and the more he had complained about how stupid she was to have a pet panther, the more she had smirked at him.

 _"You like her," Althea had said simply._

 _Sirius had scoffed at her. "No, I don't."_

 _"You do. I wonder how long it will take you to sleep with her."_

 _"Come on! I don't have sex with every attractive woman that I meet!"_

 _Althea chuckled. "No, but you will this one. She intrigues you."_

 _"She has a pet panther! She's an idiot."_

 _"She intrigues you, Sirius," Althea had insisted, her eyes twinkling in laughter. "I liked her and I can tell you straight off, she is far from an idiot."_

Sirius had been thinking about her, a lot, and now that he had seen her again and shagged her on his kitchen counter and on his kitchen floor, he knew that he was definitely more than just attracted to her. She did intrigue him. Not to mention her knowledge of motorcycles was completely interesting and a nice bonus. Usually he didn't care enough to learn that much about who he shagged, but having a fantastic shag with a woman who know something about bikes was different.

He couldn't remember the last time that he had sex with a woman he genuinely liked and wanted to spend more time with. Usually sex for him was just that, sex. A chance to relieve an itch. Not since, Althea, he realized in surprise, had he wanted to spend time with the person he was sleeping with, and that had been almost six years ago.

Zee was grinning at him. "Did I lose you somewhere?"

Sirius shook his head, licking his lips. "No, I was just thinking of where I could shag you next."

Zee smirked at him. "Come up with any good places?"

"A few," he replied as he scooped up a forkful of rice. "But sorry, you asked about Harry?"

She nodded. "You said that he's your godson. Tell me about him."

"He's wonderful," he said with a smile. "The absolute best thing in my life and the best thing to ever happen to me. His father was my brother in every way but blood and his mother was the most incredible woman, I loved them both more than anything. When they made me godfather, I was so proud. I got this," he said, pointing to his chest where Harry's birthday and initials were tattooed. "I call him Prongslet, it's a play on a nickname I called his dad."

"That's adorable," she said, grinning widely. "I like that, Prongslet."

He grinned. "I'm getting a bit worried he might be growing up a bit and might not let me call him that name much longer. He is eleven now. He's funny and he can be quite sarcastic when he wants to be. He has a heart of gold, which is amazing to me sometimes because he's been through a lot in his short life, but he always looks out for others especially with his friends Ron and Neville now that he's at school. He's smarter than he lets on and the youngest Seeker in over a century at Hogwarts! His first game is in a few days and I can't wait to go watch the match. I bought him a new broom to celebrate his accomplishment."

Zee smiled warmly at him. "I love how proud you are."

"He's my son in every way that counts and I wish every damn day his parents were here to see how amazing he is."

"How did they die?" she asked, her brown eyes on his.

Sirius' eyes hardened as he spoke, reaching for his beer and taking a long sip first. "Voldemort killed them."

Zee's brown eyes widened. "Oh, Merlin, Sirius, I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's… it was a long time ago. Ten years ago this Halloween, actually."

"This Halloween… Harry… is he — _Harry Potter?_ "

Sirius nodded, smiling when she covered his hand with hers. "Yeah, he is."

"I'm very sorry for your loss."

He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks. It was a long time ago now."

"Doesn't make the loss any less painful," she told him honestly.

"True," he said, smiling at her. "James and Lily were killed and one of our friends had betrayed them and I went after him. He tricked me and took off, leaving me standing on a crowded Muggle street surrounded by carnage and I was sent to Azkaban. I finally got a trial a few years later and they realized that I was innocent so I went out to get Harry. He was living with his mother's family, Muggles and they were treating him like shit — so I kidnapped him, and I took him home with me. We've both never been happier."

She nodded, chuckling at his description. "You just kidnapped him and they were fine with it?"

"Pretty much," he said with a grin. "I had to get the paperwork in order and whatnot, but I am his legal guardian and was always meant to be if something were to happen to James and Lily. Our other best friend, Remus Lupin helps out a lot too. You'll see him around here fairly often. We both think of Harry like our son and nephew. He's my world."

Zee smiled at that, biting her plump bottom lip lightly as she spoke. "As he should be." She used her chopsticks to scoop up some of the vegetable medley. "So, other than Harry and those gorgeous motorbikes outside, what else do you do in your spare time?"

Sirius' gaze lingered down her body and then back up slowly and provocatively. "I'm hoping you."

She laughed a rich and full hearted laugh. "I think that could be arranged."

"So other than having a pet panther and knowing a few things about Muggle motorbikes and having been in Kenya and Australia, what about you? The mysterious Zee, whose last name I don't even know."

"I don't know yours either," she shot back, smirking at him.

Sirius grinned back. "Black, Sirius Orion Black."

Zee smiled at him as she ate some broccoli. "Zacarias."

"That's why you go by Zee? What's your first name?"

She shrugged, smiling at him. "No, I go by Zee because my name is just Zee." At Sirius' raised eyebrow she smirked. "Zahira. My name is Zahira Zelena Zacarias."

"Zee," he said with a grin. "I like that. Zahira is a beautiful name and it suits you, but I like Zee."

"Me too," she told him a grin. "My father gave me the nickname."

"And what do you do, Zahira Zelena Zacarias outside of rescuing panther cubs in Kenya?"

She smiled sheepishly at him. "I'm a Magizoologist."

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise. He should have guessed it. What other kind of witch would keep a panther as a pet. "I can see that. What were you studying in Kenya?"

"Following a herd of chimaera from Ethiopia," she said with a grin.

Sirius simply smirked at her. "That sounds interesting."

It was, he realized. Zee told him how she had been tracking this family of chimaera across the African continent, studying their movements and their pattern and working to keep them safe from Muggles who were hunting them (thinking they were some rare form of lion as Muggles truly only saw what they wanted to see, refusing to belief in the supernatural, the mythological, and the unexplained). She had made sure that they were safe and studied them from up close. Zee worked for the Ministry of Magic in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (DRCMC) and had been there for the last six years. She spent Fridays in the office catching up on paperwork, but the rest of the week she was usually in the field working to keep the magical beings and creatures safe from both the wizarding world and from the Muggle world. She explained how just last week a unicorn had somehow found its way out of a forest near Dublin and how the Muggles' memories had to be fixed after seeing it.

She'd studied abroad for three years before accepting the position at the Ministry and travelled all over the world studying creatures and their natural habitats. Her father had been Muggleborn and an Auror in the Russian Ministry, her stepmother was a half-blood from Scotland and had been a journalist who had helped her daughter beg her father every time a stray crossed their path. Her house growing up had always been full of some animal or another from dogs, cats, and rabbits to nifflers, unicorns, and kneazles. Her love of animals had come at an early age.

"Did you grow up in Russia?" Sirius asked her, intrigued that her father had worked for the Russian Ministry.

Zee shook her head. "Only until I was about six and then my mother died. After he met Mama, my stepmother, he wanted to move to the UK to be close to her family. Papa kept his job in Moscow though. He liked the law enforcement unit there and he said that he'd much rather be an Auror in Russia than in England. My parents insisted that I go to the Koldovstoretz School of Magic instead of Hogwarts. Papa married Mama when I was eight."

"Why Koldovstoretz?"

"Papa went there and Mama thought that I would love it more as it has a lot of opportunity to work with animals and magical creatures than Hogwarts did, which she knew even then was my passion," Zee told him. "Plus, Papa's family lives in Russia and were close by if I needed anything."

"Fascinating," he told her honestly.

They were still sitting at the kitchen table, the empty plates before them. Zee glanced up at the clock and blanched. "Merlin, it's merely seven, I should really head home. I have to feed Lady G and not to mention that all of my windows and doors are open as I went out to enjoy my short walk after lunch."

Sirius chuckled as she jumped to her feet, her plump arse catching his attention as she bent to find her clothes. He encircled her waist with his hands, smiling when she stood up. "Why don't I walk you home? I'd love to see what you did with the Morrison cottage?"

Zee grinned up at him. "I'd like that."

Sirius fidgeted with the hem of the white tee shirt she was wearing. "I'm going to need my shirt back."

Zee smirked at him. "I'm sure you have another."

His hands guided the shirt up past her waist, revealing her flat stomach and the green and gold tribal elephant tattoo across her ribs on the right side… and then her full large breasts… the small niffler tattoo peeking out across the back of her neck… and then he finally tugged it over her head, his gaze lingering down her body. "I _really_ like this shirt."

Zee stared back at him, her dark eyes twinkling at him. "I need my own clothes, Sirius."

His lips upturned in delight and then he picked her up and laid her on the kitchen table, spreading her legs before him. "You can get those later, we haven't tried the table out yet."

Zee laughed as he covered her body with his and kissed her breast, his tongue trailing the underside of it. "No, I suppose we missed it earlier."

Sirius' tongue played her breast greedily and her hands fisted in his hair to hold him in place as she moaned in pleasure as his teeth nipped. His lips suckled her, nipping and kissing, licking and teasing her taut nipples, dancing around the edge as she squirmed under him in pleasure. Then he moved his mouth down her stomach, kissing her belly button, his tongue tickling the dangling silver chain that hung there and then burying his face in the dark triangle between her legs.

Zee cried out as his tongue plunged into her, lapping and sucking as he stroked her. He suckled her clit as she writhed beneath him, rolling it between his tongue in slow strokes to tease before he'd lick and suck. When he added his fingers, she cried out, her legs falling open wider before him. When the orgasm came over her, she cried out his name, her hands desperately holding the side of the kitchen table as he kissed his way back up her body.

"Off," she said desperately as she struggled to tug his jeans down his hips.

Sirius helped her, laughing when she straddled him and took him deep inside of her, riding him hard and fast on the kitchen table. He lifted his left leg, wrapping it around her as he held on, groaning her name.

Once they had caught their breath, she kissed him softly. "Still want to walk me home, Mr Black?"

Sirius grinned at her as she climbed off of the table and began to get dressed. "I mean, it is the neighbourly thing to do, Miss Zacarias."

And he laughed when his jeans hit him in the face.


	69. Chapter 69

_Author's Note:_

 _I hope you guys like Zee because I really do and I have plans for her._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lovely section of chapter ten from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone — there are some things that just can't be changed, thank you JKR._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE:**

 **On Halloween morning, Harry woke up feeling a little glum.** He was sad to realize that he wouldn't be visiting Godric's Hollow this year. He hoped that Remus and Sirius would still go and that Sirius would be alright without him there. He knew that his godfather still grieved James and Lily Potter the hardest at Halloween.

He was hoping that the Halloween feast would be a good distraction for him as he didn't want to spend the day thinking about how he should be visiting Godric's Hollow with Sirius and Remus.

He got a bit more than a distraction.

After breakfast they went to Charms where they were learning how to levitate feathers. Hermione had been even more annoying lately; questioning them about what they were doing at all times like she was a teacher who suspected that they were up to no good. Ron was particularly annoyed with her and had been complaining non stop about what an annoying person she was. When she corrected his pronunciation in class, he crossed his arms in anger and glared at her.

They were walking across the courtyard after class and Ron was still raging.

"What makes her think that she's better than the rest of us? She's not a professor! She can't just tell us what to do or constantly tell us that we're wrong!" Ron demanded.

Seamus shrugged. "She's a bit of a brown-noser, that's for sure. I heard Malfoy tell her the other day to keep her buck-toothed bushy head out of his way and she stormed off in a huff."

"That's just it!" Ron exclaimed as if making a point. "No one likes her! She has to realize that she has no friends!"

Harry heard a sob from behind them and he winced when Hermione pushed past them, her hands covering her face. "I think she heard you, Ron."

"Good," Ron said, but he looked rather guilty at the thought.

Harry started to feel a bit guilty himself when they sat down for the Halloween feast and saw no sight of Hermione. She hadn't come to any of their afternoon classes either.

"Ron, maybe we should apologize to Hermione, I mean, she's annoying yes but… does everyone really hate her?"

"We do," Ron said vehemently and then sighed at Harry's look. "Okay, I don't _hate_ her, but she's so annoying."

"Agreed," Harry said as Neville sat down next to them. "Where did you go after class, Neville?"

"Professor Sprout is letting me water the plants in greenhouse two so I had to take care of it before the feast, did I miss anything?"

Seamus shrugged and filled Neville in on what had happened after Charms class.

"She's been crying in the bathroom all afternoon," Lavender Brown informed Seamus, making Harry look up in surprise.

"Who?"

"Hermione Granger," Lavender said with relish. "Really wailing too; poor girl."

Harry's eyes met Ron's and he sighed. "I didn't mean to make her cry," he said sipping his pumpkin juice.

They were halfway through their feast when the doors to the Great Hall burst open and Professor Quirrell came running in at full speed.

"TROLL!" he bellowed making the entire hall go quiet. "TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" He looked blankly around for a moment. "Thought you ought to know."

And then he promptly passed out.

Immediate chaos ensued as students around them screamed and began to scramble from their seats until a loud 'SILENCE' was bellowed by Dumbledore earning instant respect and quiet attention. He ordered them to return to their dormitories led by their prefects while the teachers would head to the dungeons to see about the troll.

Neville gripped Harry's arm tightly as they headed up the stairs. "How did a troll get in?"

"Trolls are really stupid," Ron told them as they followed the other Gryffindors out of the Great Hall. "It must have wandered in by mistake from the Forbidden Forest."

"But how did it get all the way down into the dungeon?" Neville asked, his eyes fearful. "I bet Hermione would know, she's pretty smart."

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron both exclaimed at the same time making Neville stare at them in alarm as they looked at each other in horror.

"She doesn't know about the troll," Harry said to Neville and then he and Ron booked it down the corridor, leaving Neville staring after them in shock.

"It's in the dungeons, we should be able to get to the girl's bathroom to warn her and get back up to Gryffindor Tower in time," Ron said as they raced down the hall. "Just pray that Percy doesn't find us first!"

Harry swallowed, putting his arm out to stop his friend. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

"Percy!" Ron hissed, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.

Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy, but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Search me."

Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.

"He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.

"Can you smell something?"

Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet that no one seems to clean.

And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.

It was a horrible sight.

Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite grey; its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.

"The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."

"Good idea," said Ron nervously.

They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.

"Yes!"

Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a high, petrified scream — and it was coming from the chamber that they'd just chained up.

"Oh, no," Ron said as pale as the Bloody Baron.

"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.

"Hermione!" They said together.

It was the last thing that they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.

Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.

"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.

The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. It's mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.

"Oy, pea-brain!" Ron yelled from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.

"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.

The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.

Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid. He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped — it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.

Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.

Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright. Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.

It was Hermione who spoke first. "Is it — dead?"

"I don't think so," Harry said, "I think it's just been knocked out." He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy grey glue. "Ugh - troll boogers."

He wiped it on the troll's trousers.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" Professor McGonagall said with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed! Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.

Then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last. "I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them."

Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.

"Well… in that case..." Professor McGonagall said, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending that she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," Professor McGonagall said. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione left.

Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.

"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

They hurried out of the bathroom and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.

"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.

"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."

"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.

They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig snout," they said and entered.

The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius yawned as the owl flew in through the kitchen window on the morning of the first of November.** He recognized the writing on the side as McGonagall's and smiled as he unfolded the parchment.

Then he spit his tea across the table, spluttering and coughing.

He hurried to the fire and Flooed to Remus' house, calling his friend's name.

Remus stepped out of the kitchen with his morning cup of tea, his eyebrows raised in question. "Morning, Sirius."

"Harry fought a fucking mountain troll!"

Remus' mouth dropped open and then he closed it and it opened again in shock, but still no words came out.

Sirius waved the letter in his hand. "McGonagall — she's just written! Listen to this!"

 _Dear Mr Black,_

 _I am writing to inform you that your son, Harry, disobeyed school rules last night and snuck off to stop his friend Miss Granger from fighting a mountain troll on her own — or at least that's the story that I was given. Mr Potter and Mr Weasley saved Miss Granger from the mountain troll and effectively knocked it out with its own club._

 _No one was injured outside of the troll._

 _I awarded each of them five points for their bravery and for their sheer dumb luck._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall,_

 _Head of Gryffindor House_

 _Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts_

Remus simply stared at him. "Why the fuck was there a mountain troll at Hogwarts to begin with?"

"He knocked it out with its own club?"

They both stared at each other and then they burst into laughter. Neither one of them could stop the laughter from bubbling up inside of them, grinning widely and laughing harder.

"You told him to get into trouble, Padfoot," Remus said as he tried to catch his breath. "I guess pulling pranks is too good for him, he's decided to fight trolls instead."

Sirius simply grinned. "Let's just a hope a troll is the least of our worries. I mean come on, Moony, how can he possibly top that? We have nothing to worry about."

Remus grinned back at him. "Agreed."

~ ASC ~

 **When the post came at lunch, Harry recognized Persephone right away and he sunk low in his chair.**

"Ron, do you think that Professor McGonagall wrote to our parents?"

Ron looked up in question and then grimaced when he recognized Errol flying towards him. "I think she did."

Harry accepted the letter from Persephone, letting her eat some of his toast as he unfolded it, holding his breath as he read.

 _Harry,_

 _You fought a troll?_

 _I don't know whether to congratulate you on such an amazing feat or smack your head against Ron's for being so incredibly stupid! Minnie said something about you knocking it out with its own club? Clever, I suppose — but what the hell were you thinking?_

 _You could have been killed!_

 _You could have gotten your friends killed!_

 _You write me back an explanation right away, Prongslet, or the next letter I send — will be a Howler._

 _Love,_

 _Uncle Sirius_

 _PS: You should have earned way more than five points for that!_

Harry grinned sheepishly, sneaking a glance at Ron. "He's mad, but I think he's impressed too."

Ron smirked. "Mum's livid, but she sounds a little proud. I'll take it."

Harry pulled out his bag to find some parchment. "I have to write him back right away though. Persephone, will you wait?"

She hooted at him and helped herself to his toast again.

Harry quickly scribbled a response.

 _Uncle Sirius,_

 _I didn't plan to go after the mountain troll. It was in the dungeons and Hermione didn't know about it because she missed the feast. Ron and I went to find her to warn her about the troll, but we came across the troll and accidentally locked the troll in the girl's bathroom with Hermione._

 _We couldn't just leave her there!_

 _And I didn't knock the troll out, Ron did. He was a quick thinker. I just decided to jump on the troll's back to distract it, which didn't work out too well, though I did stick my wand up his nose by accident — he really didn't like that. It was stupid on my part._

 _I'll write more later; have to get to class._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

He folded up the letter and quickly and gave it to Persephone. She hooted at him and took off and he turned to grin at Ron.

"At least we didn't get detention."

Ron grinned back. "True."

~ ASC ~

 **Harry did write back home later that night, explaining to Sirius how Professor Quirrell had burst into the Great Hall during the feast, how they had seen Snape sneaking around instead of being in the dungeons with the other teachers, and how Hermione seemed to be their friend now.**

Sirius frowned as he re-read the letter, wondering why Snape hadn't been with the other teachers. That _was_ a bit suspicious.

Speaking of Snape, Remus had been picking up his own potion since September taking away Sirius' excuse to talk to Snape. He wanted to have a word with him if he was going to be treating Harry and Neville and the other students with so much disdain and rudeness.

Remus knew him well and was obviously doing what he could to stop a blowout, but Sirius had a feeling that it was coming soon.

He grinned at Remus when he saw him standing outside of The Three Broomsticks where they had agreed to meet.

"Hey," he said, walking over to his friend. "Are you as excited as I am?"

Remus grinned at him. "I was so excited I barely slept."

Sirius grinned back at him. "Me too." They walked side by side towards the gate to Hogwarts. "I know that you've been picking up the potion so that I won't see Snape."

Remus sighed. "I just don't want you two to start something that's going to affect Harry. He's his teacher after all."

"He is already affecting Harry and Neville! He's a git and Neville is so scared of him that he trembles when he walks into the classroom, how is that healthy?" Sirius demanded.

"I didn't say that it was," Remus told him with a sigh. "Just don't hex him when you see him — at least not in front of Harry. You have to set a good example now."

Sirius grinned gleefully. "I guess that's fair."

They both smiled at Hagrid as he let them in the gate and led them down to the Quidditch pitch for the match. They headed into the stands to sit with the teachers and the other parents as the stands filled up with students. Gryffindor was playing Slytherin, Sirius noted, grinning widely.

He moved over to sit next to McGonagall. "So, Minnie, two eleven-year-olds take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell about it and you only award them _five measly points_? Man, tough crowd."

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "They are lucky to be alive, Sirius!"

"Noted, but still… five fucking points?"

She smirked at him. "I blame you entirely, Sirius Black. Now go sit over there and behave yourself."

He grinned and kissed her cheek before returning to sit next to Remus.

The Gryffindor team marched out and pride burst from him as Harry came out last, Potter written across the back of his gold and red uniform and his Nimbus 2000 clutched in his hand. Madam Hooch marched across the lawn and the game began.

Sirius' eyes widened as he watched Harry fly. He was truly talented. He had a gift and it was something that he could never have learnt. It was in his blood. The way he held himself, the way he angled and swayed - it was a talent.

"I think he might even fly better than James," Sirius admitted to Remus who nodded next to him.

"I was thinking the same thing," Remus murmured, his eyes on Harry and a big smile on his face, pride beaming from him.

Sirius approved of the way that he was staying out of the thick of it; his eyes searching for that little speck of gold. When he saw it and dived, Sirius' heart jumped into his throat. He watched with pride and fascination as Harry made a spectacular dive for the Snitch, gripping the broom tightly with perfect control.

But then that control was gone.

Suddenly the broom started to buck and Sirius' mouth opened in horror as it flipped and Harry seemed to be holding on for dear life.

"What is he doing?" Remus demanded, standing up next to Sirius. "He's going to fall!"

"No, he's not," Sirius said sternly. "He's got this!"

But as the broom continued to buck and flip, his stomach twisted nervously. He looked to McGonagall who had her hands over her mouth in horror as she watched his son and he pulled out his wand. Forget this, he was marching right down there and getting his boy off that broom.

"You're on fire!" someone yelled and he fell to the side as everyone shifted in time to see blue flames engulfing Snape's robes. In the struggle everyone got knocked over and then Remus grabbed Sirius' arm.

"Padfoot!"

Sirius grinned as he watched Harry get back on his broom and dive towards the ground, landing rather roughly as he flipped and carefully landed on his butt.

"Did he get the Snitch?" Sirius exclaimed.

Remus' eyes widened. "He looks like he's going to —"

Harry blanched and Sirius' grinned as the Golden Snitch popped out of his mouth.

"AND HARRY POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

Sirius and Remus hugged each other and then McGonagall as the crowd cheered. They hurried down into the stadium, both of them squishing Harry between them in a big hug.

"That was amazing, Prongslet! You were born to be on a broom! What a save!" Sirius exclaimed.

Remus grinned widely. "You fly better than your dad did! But what the hell was happening up there?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. It was like all of a sudden my broom had a mind of its own. I couldn't control it."

"Snape was jinxing it!" Ron exclaimed, out of breath from his mad dash down from the stands.

Neville nodded from next to them. "We saw him! He was staring at Harry, muttering under his breath and he never broke eye contact!"

"That means he was cursing the broom," Hermione said matter of factly. "But don't worry, Harry, I set his robes on fire."

Sirius' eyes widened as he stared at them. " _You_ set his robes on fire? What the hell do you mean Snape was jinxing the broom?"

"Uncle Sirius —" Harry began.

Remus grabbed Sirius' arm. "Sirius, we don't know that's what happened! It makes sense, yes, that he was doing _something_ , but we don't know that he was jinxing the broom."

"But we bloody well know someone was and if that git does anything to hurt my son I'm going to bloody him," Sirius demanded, his grey eyes full of fire.

"Uncle Sirius, I'm fine, don't worry! We won!"

Sirius smiled at him, pride bursting from him. "You did and I am so proud of you."

He hugged Harry again, but when his gaze met Remus', Remus knew that Sirius was definitely not going to 'not worry' about it.


	70. Chapter 70

_Author's Note:_

 _Yes, yes, I know, Remus is being an asshole and an idiot — but don't worry. They will get there._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY:**

 **Sirius stormed into the dungeons after saying goodbye to Harry and made his way down to Snape's office.** He didn't even knock, he just barged in and watched as Snape raised one greasy eyebrow in greeting.

"Black, how completely unwelcome."

"Were you jinxing my son's broom?" Sirius demanded, his eyes full of anger.

Snape stared at Sirius for a moment, his mouth slightly agape. "First of all, that swine looks way too much like Potter to _ever_ be _your son_. Secondly, what I do at this school is none of your business as I am a professor and you are not my keeper."

"I've raised him! He is as much my son as he is James' so don't you dare stand there and tell me that I am not his father," Sirius exclaimed, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Now answer me, _Snivellus_. Did you jinx his broom?"

Snape shook his head. "I did not."

Sirius stared at him for a long moment. He believed him, but he wasn't sure why. "What _were_ you doing?"

"I was muttering a counter-curse. I could see that the broom was being jinxed and I was worried it would throw Potter completely off," he rolled his eyes at Sirius who was smirking at him. "I may not like the boy, but I hardly want him dead. That's more along the lines of something you'd pull."

"Get over it!" Sirius demanded. "It was a stupid prank and one that I did not think through. I never wanted you dead either, _Snivellus,_ and I apologized for that, but I was sixteen and stupid, I know that." When Snape only continued to glare at him, he sighed. "Thank you for trying to save Harry. Do you know who was cursing his broom?"

Snape shook his head.

"Now that I don't believe."

Snape glared at him. "I don't know, Black. I have my suspicions, but I don't know for certain. Now if you would be so kind as to get out of my office, I have work to do."

"Not quite yet," Sirius insisted, glaring at Snape and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You will stop behaving like an absolute git to Harry and especially to Neville."

"Gryffindor boys not brave enough? They need to cry to you to save them."

Sirius snorted. "What kind of teacher terrorizes his students? Right, snivelling bigots."

Snape's eyes flashed in anger. "How I teach is none of your bloody business, Black!"

"When it concerns my son, it more than damn well is! You better start treating him with some respect or we're going to have one hell of a problem."

"I am not going to let him strut around like his egotistical father did!"

Sirius snorted. "You really can't let it go, can you?" When Snape only sneered at him, he smirked. "Stop terrorizing the students."

Then he turned and stormed out of the office, feeling slightly better, but still feeling nauseous at the thought of how easily Harry could have fallen to his death today. Snape had saved him, he thought, the world really was full of surprises.

Now he just had to figure out who the hell had tried to hurt his baby because they were in for a world full of hurt when he got a hold of them.

~ ASC ~

 **When Sirius returned to Black Cottage with Remus, he grinned widely at the sight of Tonks sitting in his kitchen.** He hurried over to hug her.

"Hey, stranger!"

Tonks hugged him back, grinning widely at Remus before reaching up to hug him tightly as well. "Wotcher!"

"How did everything go? When do you start at the Academy? How was the boot camp? I want to hear everything!" Sirius gushed, taking a seat at the table.

Tonks smiled at them both. "I finished the last of my psychological testing this morning. I won't know for sure until Friday, but I'm almost positive I'm in. Kingsley Shacklebolt basically told me as much."

"That's great news," Remus said with a smile. "I'm proud of you. You're making your dreams come true."

She beamed at him. "Thanks. I'm excited to get started on the actual training. The boot camp was fun, don't get me wrong — but bloody exhausting! It was waking up at four in the morning for a five kilometre run, timed obstacle courses of climbing and jumping and escaping through all sorts of traps, and not to mention the hand-to-hand training. It was amazing! But I'm looking forward to the actual training at the Academy. King said that we start off with a mock mission that we have to pass so let's see how that goes. Then there's the actual courses on enforcing law, interrogation techniques, stealth, observation, and of course, disguise - which should be no problem for me," she said with a wink. "I'm anxious to get started. The courses go until the end of April and if I pass, I become an official A1 in the department. Of course, while I'm working I still have courses to upgrade, but I will be an Auror."

"That's amazing, Tonks," Sirius said with a smile. "We're really proud of you and I know your parents must be through the roof."

"They are," she said with a smile. "Mum is a little terrified I think; doesn't want to show me that she's worried, but I know she is. Dad just tells me that I can do anything I set my mind to. They are very supportive."

"As they should be," Remus said with a smile. "But they are also very proud. Congratulations, honestly."

"Thanks, Remus," she said, smiling brightly at him. She hadn't seen him since the summer, since before the boot camp started. His hair was a little windblown at the moment and the way he wore his blue jeans made her sigh. She definitely had a thing for his arse, she thought. "Where are you two coming from?"

Sirius quickly filled Tonks in on everything that she had missed concerning Harry.

"He's on the Quidditch team already _and_ he fought a mountain troll?" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Man, he's making my first year look sad and pitiful and I let Professor Kettleburn's entire colony of pixies loose in the castle!"

Remus chuckled. "That must have been interesting."

"It was," she said with a grin, remembering the event fondly. "They caused all sorts of mischief. My favourite was when one of them got caught in Snape's hair in the middle of the Great Hall."

Sirius burst into laughter. "That must have been priceless."

"It really was," she said with a grin. "I better write that brother of mine and tell him that I demand to be kept better informed of his adventures."

Remus smiled at her. "I'm sure he will write back and fill you in, Nymphadora."

Sirius stood up, stretching his legs. "I'm supposed to go meet a bloke at four about some more auto parts and I am going to be late if I don't leave right this minute. I should only be about an hour if you want to stick around, maybe stay for dinner?"

Tonks nodded, smiling at him. "For sure." She turned to Remus as Sirius headed outside to Disapparate. "What have you been up to, Remus?"

He shrugged, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. Sirius had disappeared too quickly for him to come up with an excuse to leave and he hadn't been alone with her in longer than he could remember. "Nothing much. I went to Paris for a few weeks, took in some lectures and played tourist. I'm looking for work now."

Her brow furrowed. "Work?"

Remus nodded. "Well, my job was teaching Harry and he obviously doesn't need me anymore so I'm looking to find something else. A man's got to work to survive, you know."

She smiled warmly at him, a dimple appearing in her left cheek making her look even more beautiful, he thought. "You should ask Dad, he knows everything and everyone when it comes to job status at the Ministry."

Remus smiled kindly at her. If only she knew why the Ministry of Magic was the very last place he could work. "Thanks, but the Ministry is not the place for me."

"Why not?"

For one thing, they most definitely were not going to hire a werewolf, he thought. "Don't worry about me, I have a few ideas in mind."

Tonks smiled at him, standing up and moving around the table to sit in front of him. "Too bad Hogwarts wasn't hiring. You were a great teacher."

"How would you know?" he asked her, his eyes wary as he watched her cross her legs in the tight red leather slacks that she was wearing.

Tonks smirked at him. His eyes were flashing in desire and she ached. Why wouldn't he make a move if he wanted her, she thought. "I spied on you a few times when you were teaching Harry. I wish that I would have had a teacher like you, so patient and so… yummy," she said leaning forward to plant a kiss on his stubbly chin.

Remus immediately moved his chair back and stood up. "Um… I think that I need to head home."

Tonks jumped down from the table and took a step towards him, slipping her hands into the back pockets of his jeans, loving the feel of his warm bum under her hands. She really liked his arse, she thought. "There's no hurry, Sirius said that he'd be back soon and we can all have dinner together," she said, squeezing his bum as she spoke.

"Nymphadora," Remus said, hardening at her touch, "We've talked about this. This… this can't happen."

Tonks stood on her toes and nipped at his bottom lip. "Why is that again?"

Remus swallowed slowly, her hands were moving in slow circles on his bum and he found it rather hard to concentrate. She smelt like spring, he thought, and when her lips brushed his, he closed his eyes and tried not to let her see how incredibly hard she was making him.

"We… we can't. It's… we just can't."

Tonks' lips moved across his jawline. He wasn't pushing her away and she planned on taking full advantage of that. She had been thinking about him for weeks, about how much she had missed him. Her lips trailed over his chin and down his throat, sucking on his neck hard enough to bruise and he let out a small moan. She continued the soft butterfly kisses, kissing his ears and letting her tongue trail along his earlobe and down to his collarbone.

"Nymphadora," he gasped, placing his hands very firmly on her hips.

Tonks only smirked at him and moved closer, covering his lips with hers.

She tasted like honey, he thought and he didn't fight it. Nothing had ever felt so good as her lips on his. He kissed her deeply, his fingers in her hair as her tongue met his in long languid strokes that made his cock twitch. She moaned his name and he pulled away quickly, his eyes flashing in guilt.

"Fuck, that shouldn't have happened," he insisted stubbornly.

Tonks made to step towards him again, but he held his hand out to stop her.

"No, this should not have happened."

"Why the hell not?" Tonks demanded angrily, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. Her grey eyes were full of passion and anger as she glared at him. "I want you, Remus, and I _know_ that you want me. Why do you keep putting a red light on this? Is it me that repulses you? I'm a Metamorphmagus, I can be whoever the hell you want me to be if that's the problem."

Remus stared at her, licking his lips. Her lips were swollen from his and her eyes were flashing in fury that only made her look even more beautiful to him. Not to mention that the smell of her arousal had him so turned on that he thought he was going to self combust. "Nymphadora, I wouldn't change anything about you. It's me… I'm too old for you. The age difference is just… its too much and you don't know everything about me. I'm not the man that you think I am."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't care if you're a hundred and five, Rem, I've never wanted to fuck anyone so much in my life."

Remus flushed a deep red.

"Oh, did I make you nervous?" she asked, grinning seductively at him. "Do you like it when I say that word? _Fuck_."

Remus was pretty sure if his cock got any harder he could drill right through his pants. "Nymphadora… don't."

"I'm not a virgin, Remus. I know what I want," she told him, moving closer to him again. Her hand slowly slid up his chest and her grey eyes were on his. "I want you to touch me. I want you to take me. I want you to shag me until I can't walk. Am I making myself clear enough for you?"

Remus licked his lips, swallowing slowly as he let his eyes rake down her body. He had never wanted anyone more in his entire life. But she was just so… pure and so perfect and he didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve to sully someone so precious and so good. Soulmate or not, she deserved someone so much better than him.

He pushed her away. "And I've made myself clear. The answer is no."

He was halfway across the kitchen before she spoke. "Am I really so repulsive to you?"

Remus didn't answer her; he just kept walking until the Floo brought him home. He was making the right choice he thought, it was better to hurt her now. She would understand that later.

But the question was: Would he?

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius began to correspond a little more regularly with McGonagall, asking her to keep an eye on Harry and to try to figure out who Snape suspected had been jinxing Harry's broom.** McGonagall promised to do her best to keep an eye on him as the thought of anyone cursing a student was something that needed to be dealt with immediately and she promised that Dumbledore would also be keeping an eye out.

Worrying about Harry, he found that he couldn't concentrate on his bike. Instead, he locked up the cottage and walked the five minutes down the road to his new neighbour's house. He hadn't seen nor spoken to her since they'd spent that first afternoon and evening in his kitchen. He rang the bell, teetering on the balls of his feet as he waited for her to answer.

The outside of the cottage had been repainted. It was still painted a light pink with white shutters and he thought that it looked rather quaint and refreshing with its new coat of paint.

He grinned when the door opened and Zee stood there. She was wearing blue silk boxer shorts, thick white socks bunched at the ankles and a white knit jumper that hung off her shoulder and almost down to her knees. Her hair was tousled around her face and she was holding a cup of tea in her hands.

"Hi, neighbour," she said with a smile.

"Hi, neighbour," he said with a grin, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "What are you doing?"

She shrugged, smiling. "Nothing really. I was just reading the paper."

Lady Godiva lifted her head from her spot in front of the fireplace as if to acknowledge Sirius' presence and then made herself comfortable again, closing her eyes.

Zee sat down on her sofa, her knees up to her chin as she sipped her tea. "What brings you over to my neck of the woods?"

Sirius took his coat off and hung it on the rack near her door, stepping out of his boots before moving to sit next to her. "A lot on my mind I guess. I tried to work on the bike, but I couldn't concentrate."

"Want to talk about it?" she asked, putting her tea on the table.

Sirius smiled at her. He hadn't had talking in mind when he'd made his way over here, but now that she'd offered it, he realized that he _did_ want to tell her. "I did, with Remus, and I don't think it helped."

She chuckled, linking her fingers together around her knees. "Try me."

Sirius quickly explained about the Quidditch match and how someone had tried to jinx Harry's broom. "I'm just worried about him."

"That's understandable," she said. "That's so scary! I think my heart would have stopped had I been there."

He nodded. "To see him up there… he's an incredible flyer though. He didn't lose his grip once and that thing was bucking like crazy, but he held on and still managed to catch the Snitch and win the match."

"Talent."

Sirius grinned at her. "And then some. If you would have known James Potter you'd see how funny that is. He was a Quidditch nut and the idea that his son is even more talented than he was is just amazing."

Zee smiled at him, brushing her curls out of her eyes. "Your eyes light up when you talk about him, it's kind of wonderful and the absolute sweetest thing."

He smiled at her. "He's my world."

"That's sweet and the way it should be." Zee told him before she dropped her knees and crawled over to straddle him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in and kissed him. "You said that you needed a distraction," she murmured, her lips trailing down his neck.

"I could use one," he said honestly, smiling as she kissed him.

Zee nipped at his ear, sliding her hands under his jumper and running her nails lightly across his stomach so that he shivered. "I think I can help with that."

"Oh?" he asked, smirking at her as she tugged his jumper over his head and then his tee shirt.

She kissed his chest, her teeth brushing his nipple, sucking it into her mouth and he moaned. His hand slid up to pull her own jumper over her head, tossing it behind the couch. He grinned to find her naked beneath it, his hands moving up to cup her breasts, watching them spill over his hands in pleasure.

Lady Godiva got up and prowled out of the room with a growl that sounded like annoyance.

"I think we've embarrassed your panther," he said as he chuckled, bending his head to her breast.

Zee laughed. "She'll get over it." Her hand slid under his waistband to cup him and he groaned, making her smile. "Is this the distraction that you had in mind?" she asked him as unzipped him and tugged his jeans down.

Sirius smirked at her. "I was thinking of taking you out somewhere, but this is better."

She stroked him, setting a faster pace as he gasped. "I can always stop."

Sirius slipped his thumbs into the silk shorts she wore, tugging them down along with her knickers. "No," he growled as she shimmied out of them.

And then he was inside of her and she could only hold on, crying out in pleasure, her head falling back as he thrusted and they both fell over the edge, clinging to each other until the sound of their breathing echoed in the room.

Zee smiled against his neck, kissing his skin. "I think that was a pretty great distraction." She nuzzled him in happiness.

Sirius stood up, surprising her as he locked her legs around his waist, still inside of her and he carefully carried her to the thick faux fur rug she had in front of the fire. Her back arched as he took her again.

Afterwards, they lay curled on the rug in front of the fire, Sirius' head resting on her large breasts.

"I really was going to take you out somewhere," he said with a smile, kissing her right breast. "I thought maybe we could take that bike ride that we discussed the other day."

Zee ran her fingers through his hair. "That sounds great. We definitely have to go soon, once it snows it's not exactly the best condition for motorbike driving and the temperature has already dropped quite a bit."

Sirius smiled at her. "Agreed." He sat up, tugging her with him and kissed her. "Let's go now then. Get dressed. I'll go home and get my bike and we'll go for a ride."

"Can I drive?"

Sirius smirked at her. "We'll see."

He didn't let her drive.

But when the bike flew up into the air, the English Channel below them and the cold wind biting into their skin, she didn't care, the view alone was worth it. When he used a 'muffliato' charm to tune out the sound of the bike to anyone below, she smiled. The speed of it, the feel of it beneath her was truly incredible.

Sirius was grinning. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist and she was laughing in pleasure, a rich throaty laugh that had him hardening. She sounded so carefree and so happy at the simple pleasure of the ride and he found it wonderful. She appreciated the simple pleasure that was riding.

Neither of them had a destination in mind.

"Can I drive it when we get back on the ground?" she asked in his ear, nipping at his lobe.

Sirius grinned. "I don't let anyone drive my baby, Zee."

She pouted against the back of his neck, making him smile and then his eyes widened when her hand slid under his shirt and down the front of his jeans.

"Zee," he hissed. "It's a little cold up here, don't you think?"

She kissed the back of his neck as her hand stroked his growing erection. "Obviously not _that cold_ , Mr Black."

He groaned as she played him, her hand moving in perfect synchronicity, stroking and rubbing and he tightened his grip on the handles of the bike as he came, groaning her name.

Zee kissed his neck, slipping her hand free and wiping it on his shirt. Sirius dipped the bike, landing quickly on a dirt road and coming to a stop before he turned around and kissed her deeply, his tongue meeting hers roughly as she clung to him.

He stood up, intending to tug her to the ground and to finish what she had started, but to his surprise she slid up into the driver's seat and started the engine, grinning widely.

"Hop on, baby," she said smartly, winking at him.

"Zee, move over," he insisted, lifting her off of the bike.

"Please, can I drive, please, please, please!" She begged, locking her legs around his waist.

Sirius kissed her. "No one drives her, but me."

She pouted. "I'd be really, really happy," she said dancing her fingers up his chest. "Don't you want me to be happy?"

He smirked and kissed her nose. "You are happy. And it's nothing personal. Just no one else drives her."

"Well, I guess that means that you can't drive my bike either," she said, grinning mischievously up at him.

His eyebrow quirked in amusement. "Are you blackmailing me?"

Zee shrugged, her brown eyes twinkling at him. "I wouldn't call it blackmail, I would just say that if you won't let me drive yours, why would I let you drive mine?" She kissed the pulse in his throat. "And if you let me drive yours, I'd be _really_ happy. Driving a motorbike makes me really… hot," she said, her tongue sliding along his neck. "And so… thirsty…"

Sirius swore under his breath. "You fight dirty, woman."

Zee shrieked in glee, jumping down and straddling the bike, smiling when Sirius wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his erection against her bum. "I'll take good care of her, I promise."

Sirius rested his chin on her shoulder as she kicked it into gear and the engine made a loud purr, "I'm trusting you, Zee, don't make me regret it."

Zee took off down the road, the engine roaring around them as Sirius held her waist. "I won't."

When she pulled up to Black Cottage forty minutes later, she was beaming. "That was incredible! The power of that… ahh, she's amazing, Sirius — amazing!" She tugged the helmet off, her curls cascading around her and Sirius scooped her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

"It's so fucking hot that you like to ride," he murmured, kissing her again and pinning her up against the side of the house.

Zee smirked at him, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively. "I love to ride."

Sirius groaned against her mouth, tugging her around the house and inside to the living room as they tugged at each other's clothes. When she pushed him down onto the sofa and knelt in front of him, he literally groaned at the image before him.

Her brown eyes stayed on his as she bent her head and took him into her mouth. She never broke eye contact as she sucked him, her hand fondling, stroking and squeezing while her tongue flicked and twisted as she worked him, taking more of him in with every movement.

"Fuck," he murmured as he felt his balls tighten. "Zee, I'm — _fuck_ …"

She smirked as she swallowed, her brown eyes full of desire. Sirius pulled her up and pinned her beneath him, tugging down her jeans and slipping two fingers inside of her, grinning when she arched beneath him, gasping.

His fingers stroked her up and down, side to side, and he pressed on her clit, flicking it with his thumb and sending her over the edge as he kissed her lips.

"Have I mentioned how happy I am that you moved in next door?" he asked her as the orgasm tore through her.

Zee grinned at him from beneath her long lashes. "You and me both."

Sirius sucked his fingers into his mouth, wanting to taste her. "Let's grab some dinner. We'll go out."

Zee kissed his cheek, pushing him up and off of her. "We can go out tomorrow. I'll throw some pasta together and then you can walk me home."

His eyebrow arched as she stood up and got dressed. "Walk you home?"

Zee grinned at him as she pulled her jumper over her head. "Yes, and I can show you my brand new bed."

Sirius grinned. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

Zee slipped her knickers back on and smiled at him. "I'm full of good plans. Now let's go find something to eat and then later, if you're good, I'll let you eat me."

Sirius licked his lips and grinned at her as he got dressed. "My favourite kind of dessert."

Yeah, he was really happy she had moved in next door.


	71. Chapter 71

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE:**

 **Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville had come to the conclusion that Snape had indeed been jinxing Harry's broom because he had obviously tried to get past the three-headed dog on Halloween since Neville had noticed him limping.** The only problem was that they couldn't figure out why. What could possibly be hidden in the school that Snape would want badly enough to risk so much?

After talking to Hagrid and telling him their suspicions about Snape, Hagrid had accidentally let it slip that he in fact owned the Cerberus who was named Fluffy and that what he was guarding was a secret between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel.

Hagrid had been horrified that he'd accidentally spilled that news.

Harry and Hermione both knew that they recognized the name Flamel from somewhere, but neither one of them could figure out where the name was from. Hermione told them that she would try to research it in the library. Neville thought that it was better to leave it alone, but Harry and Ron were much too curious for that to happen.

Harry wondered if he should ask Sirius or Remus, but after Sirius' reaction to the idea of someone potentially trying to kill him at his first ever Quidditch match he was pretty sure that he knew it would be a bad idea. Sirius would tell him to leave it alone and to definitely not go anywhere near the three-headed dog.

As December came around, Percy told Ron that they were all staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas holidays as Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ginny, and Bill were going to Romania to visit Charlie. Harry immediately shook his head at them.

"No way, you guys can't stay here! You can come home with me for Christmas," he insisted.

Percy merely smiled at him. "Harry, that's quite generous of you, but you haven't even asked Sirius if it's okay."

"I don't have to," Harry told him. "He would want you guys to come home with me."

Fred grinned broadly. "Excellent, thanks Harry!"

"Aren't you going to write home and ask first?" Percy insisted, giving Harry a stern look of disapproval.

Harry sighed. "If it will make you feel better, Percy, but I swear, you're all invited."

"Write home first and then we'll talk," Percy said sternly.

Harry merely rolled his eyes, but did as Percy asked.

The response from Sirius the next morning made him grin as he passed the letter to Percy to 'inspect'.

 _Harry,_

 _Of course Ron, Fred, George, and Percy can spend Christmas with us! The more the merrier! I told Andromeda and she said that they are more than welcome to join in the festivities. I'll set up some sleeping arrangements for them. Ron can stay with you and Marauder and Fred, George, and Percy will have to share in the guest room._

 _I'll write to Molly and Arthur to let them know that they will be staying with us._

 _Love,_

 _Uncle Sirius_

"Thanks, Harry," Percy said with a smile.

Harry only grinned at him in response. It sounded like this Christmas was going to be a really great one.

~ ASC ~

 **As December swept in, Sirius was starting to go a bit stir crazy.** Zee had been busy at work a lot lately and the time that they had managed to steal together was far and few between. He really liked spending time with her, he'd realized. She was funny and smart. She was an incredible cook and easy to talk to, not to mention beautiful. The sex was stupendous and he found that he couldn't stop smiling.

Even Remus had noticed his clear happiness and commented on how great it was to see him whistling and smiling all of the time. When Zee insisted on meeting Remus, Sirius found himself excited to show her off. She immediately charmed Remus who was laughing at her stories and smiling at her the whole time.

"You were holding her hand," Remus said accusingly after Zee left for the night.

"Hmm?" Sirius asked as he dried the dishes by hand.

Remus smirked at him. "When she was talking, you were holding her hand, running your thumb over her hand, squeezing her fingers, touching her arm. You _really_ like her."

Sirius smiled at him. "She's gorgeous and we have really stupendous sex."

"You have a girlfriend, Sirius, admit it," Remus said with a grin. "I don't even remember the last time that happened."

Sirius laughed. "Dramatic much?" At his friend's arched brow, he grinned. "Seventh year at Hogwarts, Marly… and I didn't say that she was my girlfriend. We haven't… labelled it. We're just hanging out. I've only seen her like eight times, maybe ten."

Remus had only grinned wider. "Interesting."

Sirius had decided not to comment on that.

He liked spending time with Zee and that was all that he needed to label it as for the moment. He enjoyed working on his bikes too, but he needed something else to keep him occupied as the weather got colder. When he was shopping for Christmas presents, he found another thing to occupy his time.

He had run into Prya, Althea's old roommate just outside of St Mungo's and Prya had mentioned that work was extra stressful because of all of the kids that had recently been admitted with a bad outbreak of Black Cat Flu causing most of them to be hospitalized until their fevers could be brought down and the illness better controlled. After talking to her, he found himself walking into the hospital and finding his way to the children's ward.

He had simply pulled a chair up at the front of the room, grabbed a book and started to read. Within ten minutes, he had fifteen kids ages four to nine sitting around him and listening attentively. By the time that a healer had come in, he was on his second book and the healer was so surprised to find someone entertaining the children that she simply grinned at him.

Soon he was going back every week and enjoying every minute of it. The kids were all just so happy to see him and so grateful to listen to him, to help him build huge Lego forts, and to have someone to play with. He felt useful and it made him smile to do it. To offer his time to kids who needed him and it felt really good.

It felt so good in fact that he also visited the Muggle hospital and did the same; spending four to six hours every week between the two. He didn't mention his new hobby to anyone. It just felt nice to do something good and it reminded him of how much he missed playing with Harry. His boy was getting a bit too big to do stuff like this with and it felt nice to have children who just were kids and wanted to play.

And it made him even more anxious to get his boy home for the Christmas holidays. With most of the Weasleys coming to stay with them, it was going to be a full house and Sirius wanted to make sure that it was a perfect Christmas.

Especially because Remus and Tonks were walking on eggshells around each other and it was driving Sirius a bit crazy as neither one of them would talk about it. He watched in annoyance as both of them not so subtly asked him about the other. He wished that they would figure things out between them because they were driving him batty.

But he couldn't wait for Harry to come home. He said as much to Zee as she cuddled with him on the chesterfield in her cottage one evening in the middle of December. He had his legs stretched across the sofa and she was snuggled into his side. Her legs were curled up under a thick faux fur blanket they were sharing and her head resting on his shoulder. Sirius twined his fingers through hers as they sat like that, talking and drinking wine.

"I can't wait to get him home for Christmas. I've really missed having him around the house, down the hall when I sleep and just hearing his chatter," he admitted, smiling at the thought. "I must sound like a ridiculous mother hen."

Zee chuckled against his shoulder. "No, you sound like you miss your son. I think it's incredibly sweet."

He snorted at that. "Sweet, right."

Zee grinned at him, gently plaiting her fingers back and forth between his. "It is sweet! It is part of the reason that I like you, if I'm honest. You are a big softie."

Sirius looked appalled. "I am not!"

She grinned, smirking at him. "Please, I bet Harry just has to turn those big emerald green orbs on you and you probably melt like butter on a hot day."

Sirius flushed at this. "I do not. I… I've had to say no plenty of times."

Zee's smile widened as she used her free hand to take a sip of her wine. "That little boy has you wrapped around his finger and you love every second of it. The way you talk about him, the way you tell me things that he writes home. I feel like I know I him already and I can't wait to meet him."

Sirius grinned at that. "I can't wait for you to meet him, too. He's just… he's the greatest kid in the world. Plus he has some pretty great friends like Ron and Neville. I'm sure that he's going to be even more full of stories for me when he gets home. I hope it snows some more. It's perfect out there now, but I don't want it to harden or melt before Harry gets home. We've kind of started this tradition of a snowball fight on Christmas and this year with four of the Weasley boys here, we can have a pretty epic fight."

"I've been partial to building snow forts myself, especially as defence mechanisms against giant snowball fights," she said.

He chuckled. "Worried you'll get decimated in the fight?"

She merely arched her brow. "Please, I am the Queen and you my lovely, are nothing more than the servant who must bow before those who rule above them."

He laughed, tilting her chin up to kiss her softly. "It's on, baby. It's on."

Zee brought her wine to her lips with a secret smile. "You will rue the day the you challenged me."

"Bring it on," he said, his lips meeting hers again.

He regretted those words when he woke up the next morning naked in a small snow fort outside with a note next to his head.

 _Levitated you out while you slept._

 _The Queen made her first move._

 _You're up._

He'd crawled over to the pile of his warm clothes that were hanging for him. He quickly dressed himself, barely finishing covering up and crawling outside when the first snowball hit him in the back of the head. He whirled around, grinning when he saw her with a basket full of freshly packed snowballs. He bent down, rolling one into his hand and throwing it in her direction, but to his surprise she twirled her wand and sent it barrelling back towards him.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Sirius exclaimed, reaching down for more snow. He blustered in surprise when ten snowballs came in his direction, almost all of them pummelling him, chest, arms, and legs. "You're in for it now," he declared, bursting after her.

The sound of laughter bubbling up in her throat as she threw snowball after snowball at him, had his grin widening. Then she shrieked when he tackled her to the ground. They rolled and Sirius pinned her beneath him, grabbing a handful of snow and crushing it in her face.

"Now who's down," he said smugly.

Zee brought her knee up, stopping just before connecting and his eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't dare."

She smirked mischievously, reaching down and squeezing him hard enough to make him squirm and she shimmied out from under him, getting to her feet before Sirius knocked her feet out from under her. He caught her before she crashed and pinned her beneath him again, this time locking her legs down as well. He shoved more snow in her face.

"Who's the King?"

Zee squirmed, wiggling and rolling beneath him in an attempt to escape and eliciting a low groan from him.

"Zee, stop that," he insisted, his skin heating despite the chill.

She only eyed him in feigned innocence. "Why?"

Sirius just bent his head and kissed her. The heat of her mouth under his practically melting the snow from their bodies. He nuzzled her neck, kissing her jawline and smiled at her.

"Let's call it a draw," he suggested, kissing her nose and then gasping when he felt ice cold snow slipping over his naked bum. He leapt to his feet and swore as the snow melted in his pants.

Zee jumped to her feet, giggling madly. "I aim to win. Bow before your Queen."

The snowball hit her right in the stomach and she laughed and made a run for it.

This time when he caught her, she let him. And the trail of clothes they left through her cottage to her bedroom made them decide that it had been a tie after all.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry stepped off the school train with the Weasleys in tow, he ran across the platform to greet Sirius, Remus, and Tonks who were all waiting for him.** Sirius simply smiled at him and held out his arms.

Harry, not caring who saw him, made a beeline for his godfather, grinning widely as Sirius wrapped him up tightly in his arms, kissing his cheek. "Hi!" he said, grinning as he was smushed against Sirius'.

"Hey, Prongslet," Sirius murmured against his cheek, kissing his face. "I'm so happy to have you home."

When Sirius let go, Remus squeezed his shoulder and Harry moved to hug him tightly, smiling when Remus kissed his cheek. "Little Prongs, we want to hear everything we've missed out on since you last wrote."

Tonks grinned and draped an arm over his shoulder, her eyebrow rising when she realized that Harry almost reached her shoulders. "You grew!" She kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair. "I heard you and Ron fought a mountain troll? I want to know everything! You've been lax on the letters, mate."

Ron grinned at her when she winked at him. "We accidentally fought a troll, Tonks, let's clarify that."

Percy rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised that Mum didn't have a heart attack when she heard the news. Fred and George haven't even done anything that stupid!"

"Percy," George said, "Are you implying that we do stupid things?"

Percy smirked at them and Ron busted into laughter.

Sirius grinned and draped an arm around the shoulder of each twin. "We have lots of fun stories to share, I'm sure. Now come on boys; let's go home."

They took the London Underground to The Leaky Cauldron and used the fireplace to get back to Black Cottage.

The first thing that they decided to do when they got to the cottage (after Harry had hugged and played with Marauder who was beside himself at the sight of his boy) was to go outside and build a giant snow fort.

The next morning, it had snowed some more so they were making progress on making the fort even bigger and grander than they had originally planned on. Fred and George were making thick snow bricks and the fort was already as tall as Harry. Percy was giving rather snooty instructions that kept resulting in the twins aiming snowballs at his back.

Ron grinned as they carefully made an arched doorway. "This is the coolest fort I've ever built by far."

Harry grinned back at him. "Agreed. When we have war later, we can hide out in here."

Ron nodded eagerly. "I already started a snowball stash in the corner," he said, pointing to the pile of snowballs. "We will not let Fred and George get the best of us this year!"

"Excellent," he said, grinning at his friend.

By the time the snowball fight took place, Sirius and Remus both came outside to join them. Harry grinned widely when Sirius transformed into Padfoot, jumping and barreling through the snow, rolling around in it and making them laugh at his playfulness.

That night, once everyone had gone to bed. Sirius sat down to write a letter to Althea, smiling as he did so. He knew that she would be entertained by it.

 _Thea,_

 _Sorry, I haven't written in a while. It has been quite the crazy couple of weeks. Let's start with the obvious — you were right. I like Zee._

 _She's wonderful. I really enjoy spending time with her. But funny story, I didn't see her again until a few days before Halloween and when she came by with Lady Godiva, she thought you were my wife. We bonded instantly over her vast knowledge of motorcycles and engines and mechanics. Her grandfather was a Muggle and fought in the Second World War and drove a 1937 BSA M20 and it's hers now. You can ask Apollo what a beautiful bike that is because it is gorgeous! She let me drive it a few weeks ago. That thing moves and it's in great shape and repair. She takes amazing care of it and she really knows her stuff._

 _That day she stopped by, thinking that you were my wife and I corrected her, well, I invited her inside for a drink to discuss a ride trade off between our respective bikes — we ended up having sex in my kitchen. Then we ate some left overs and just talked. She's a Magizoologist which makes sense as to why she has a pet panther. She used to freelance, but now she works for the DRCMC and she really seems to love her job. Not to mention that she's really good at it. She's smart and resourceful and she makes me smile. Not to mention that the sex is stupendous. I think it might just be the best sex that I've ever had if, I'm honest._

 _Zee is a completely fascinating person too. She's gorgeous. She wears three earrings in each ear plus a stud at the top of her right one. She has her belly button pierced, which is crazy sexy, and she has three beautiful tattoos. One on her ribs, which is a tribal tattoo of an elephant in gold and green that she received when she was in Africa, a gorgeous red and gold dragon that sleeps on her spine that she got in Romania, and my favourite one, a black niffler on the back of her neck, but it travels around her body when it feels like it. It was her first tattoo and she said that he reminds her of her love of animals. She's also snarky. She loves motorcycles and getting her hands dirty. She's an incredible cook and can whip together an amazing meal faster than anyone I've ever seen. She likes to read mystery, horror, and romance novels. Plus she had such a different upbringing than anyone I've ever met._

 _Her mother was from a small town in America in the state of Georgia and apparently came from a very racist town who wasn't two fond of the fact that her Muggle father had married a dark skinned woman, who also happened to be a witch, (this is an issue in the Muggle world I've learned). Zee says her mother underwent many trials and tribulations growing up there as they lived near a Muggle community. But once her mother was accepted to Ilvermorny, her life became immensely better. Her father, also a Muggleborn, came from Russia; complete opposite ends of the world almost. They met when they were twenty-one in Paris. Her mother was on holiday with her best friend and her father was working as an Auror for the Russian Ministry and was working on an assignment in coercion with the French Ministry. They were married within six months and she was born two years later. Her mother just moved to Russia to be with him; she was completely in love. But when Zee was six, her mother was killed by an assassin, because of someone her father had put away for his crimes. Zee moved to Georgia to live with her grandparents after that for almost a year until her father was sure that it was safe for her to come home again._

 _When she was eight, her father married a journalist from Scotland and they moved to Scotland soon afterwards as that's where her new stepmother's family lived. Zee grew up there and she always loved animals. Her stepmother is the mother she grew up with, already seeing Zee's love for animals and allowing her to bring home strays. Her father continued to work in Russia, travelling back and forth via international portkey every day. And when it came time for her to go to school, they decided to send her to the wizarding school in Russia — the Koldovstoretz School of Magic because it has such an amazing Care of Magical Creatures program. She speaks fluent French and Russian because of her upbringing._

 _I've been spending a lot of time with her, once or twice a week, sometimes more depending on how late she works. She's even popped over to share a meal with Remus and I a few times. Rem really likes her. He says that I'm different with her. I think that he's overreacting. We're not together, but we're together. We're just hanging out, getting to know each other and having lots and lots of great sex. She travels a lot for work too and just returned a few days before the start of the holiday from New Zealand where she was working with a dragon tamer. She's gone again now to St Petersburg to spend Christmas with her parents and her father's family — I guess they alternate between Russia and Scotland every year._

 _Harry hasn't met her yet and obviously won't as she will not be home until he heads back to school. As for Harry, we have a full house this Christmas. Molly and Arthur are spending Christmas in Romania with their son Charlie and their eldest son Bill has headed down there as well. Ginny is with them obviously. But Ron, Fred, George, and Percy are all staying with Harry and I rather than to stay at Hogwarts. It's been fun having them all here._

 _I've also gotten more information out of Harry on how his first term has been going. Other than becoming the youngest Seeker in over a century, fighting the mountain troll, and almost plummeting to his death in his first ever Quidditch match — he looks good. I'm glad to have him home. I've missed him more than I can express into words. I want to just snuggle him close and never let him go and it saddens me to think that he's getting too big to let me do that anymore. I think Remus is feeling pretty much the same._

 _Speaking of Remus, something happened between him and Tonks. I don't know what, but both of them have been walking on eggshells around the other for weeks now. Neither of them seem to want to discuss it either which makes it a bit awkward, I think._

 _How's Xander and the boys? How are you feeling? How's the baby doing? Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl or maybe twins again? Let me know._

 _Happy Christmas, Thea._

 _Love,_

 _Sirius_

He closed up the parchment with a smile, folding it into an envelope and writing her name and address on the front. One of his favourite things about writing to her was how cathartic he always felt when he was finished.

He stood up, stretching wide and grimaced when he saw that it was after midnight. He put the letter aside to send out in the morning and made his way upstairs. He gently pushed open Harry's bedroom door, smiling at the sight.

Ron was sleeping on the right side of the bed, his leg hanging off one side as he snored and most of the covers kicked off. Harry was on the left side, the blankets to his chin, his hair sticking up everywhere and a small smile on his face. Marauder was sleeping between both of them, sprawled out and taking up most of the bed as if he owned it.

It was nice to see Harry smiling in his sleep. He hoped that meant he was having wonderful dreams because it meant he was happy. He stepped into the room, gently brushing the hair out of his eyes and leaning down to kiss his forehead. He adjusted the blankets over Ron who rolled over, cuddling with the dog.

Sirius turned back to smile at them before he closed the door and made his way to his own bedroom.

Yeah, he was glad his boy was home.

~ ASC ~

 **By the time Christmas Eve came around, Harry was beginning to think that it was one of the best Christmas holidays ever.** They built an entire gingerbread village this year, double-decking two of the houses quite successfully with Percy in charge. They sang carols as they worked and when Remus broke out the Dickens, the Weasleys listened in fascination to the classic Muggle Christmas tale.

Harry woke up on Christmas morning, rolling over and grinning as Ron snored loudly on the other side of the bed. He shoved his friend, laughing when Ron grunted before opening one eye.

"It's Christmas!"

Ron grinned widely and jumped out of bed. The two of them hurried into the guest room to wake Fred, George, and Percy before making their way downstairs.

Sirius and Remus were already in the living room, drinking tea. There were tall glasses of orange juice out for them which they all drank eagerly before diving into the presents.

Harry was pleased to get some more clothes, including some Gryffindor sweaters and scarves. He got a new jumper from Mrs Weasley, this one with a gold H on the front and a little Golden Snitch. Mrs Weasley also sent him some homemade fudge and treacle tart.

It was when Sirius passed him the lumpy package from under the tree looking at it rather thoughtfully as he gave it to him that he became the most curious.

He carefully untied the ribbon, opening it up. It was a cloak, he realized. A really soft cloak that felt like velvet. He stood up, fanning the cloak out and around himself in curiosity as Ron's eyes lit up.

"Harry! That's an invisibility cloak!" He bent down to pick up the note that fell out of it. "They're really rare! I wonder who it's from."

Harry took the note from Ron. "It says: 'Your father left this in my position before he died. It's time that it was returned to you. Use it well.' There's no name," he turned to look at Sirius and Remus who were staring at it in shock.

"That belonged to your dad, Harry," Sirius said quietly, standing up to touch the cloak. "Rem and I thought that it was lost… I… let me see that note." He took the note from Harry, glancing at the words and he nodded. "Dumbledore."

Remus nodded as he stood up to touch the cloak. "Jamie lent it to him a few weeks before they were killed. Remember? He said that he thought it was strange that Dumbledore asked for it as he's powerful enough that he doesn't need a cloak to be invisible."

"This was my dad's?" Harry asked in awe. The thought of having something that belonged to his father made his chest hurt and he found himself holding onto it tightly, clutching it to his chest.

Ron's mouth opened in surprise. "Your dad had his own invisibility cloak? That's wicked, mate!"

Sirius grinned, carefully draping the cloak around Harry's shoulders so that only his head was floating in the living room. "It's been in the Potter family for generations actually. Fleamont gave it to James before he left for school. Fee was furious. She said that the last thing their son needed was an invisibility cloak to hang around the school in, but Monty snuck it into his trunk before he left for first year. We got into quite a bit of a mischief under that cloak. Until fifth year, all four of us could fit under it."

Remus chuckled. "Then we were too tall and realized our feet were visible not to mention we weren't scrawny enough to all squish under it so much."

Sirius smirked at Remus. "Then James used it to snog Lily. A lot."

Remus laughed, smiling at the memory. "That he did." He unhooked the cloak, smiling at Harry. "It's right that it's come back to you. Your dad would want you to have it." He kissed Harry's forehead with a smile. "A Potter and an invisibility cloak. It only makes sense."

Harry simply grinned at them. "I can really keep it?"

Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry, tugging him close for a hug. "It's yours, Prongslet. Of course you can keep it. But let's try not to cause too much trouble under it."

Harry grinned wickedly up at Sirius. "I do need to get Malfoy back for almost getting us caught by Filch for being out past curfew."

Ron nodded eagerly. "That could be fun."

Remus' eyebrow rose. "Harry, why were you out past curfew?"

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Malfoy challenged me to a wizard's duel when I told him to stop picking on Neville."

"And then the git didn't even show up, but ratted us out to Filch like his pants were on fire. Bloody coward," Ron muttered, wincing when Percy elbowed him. "Ow!'

"Ronald! I am a prefect! You cannot go around agreeing to a wizard's duel! How do you think that makes me look? Thank Merlin you weren't caught!"

Percy continued to ramble on about how incredibly selfish it was and how they could have hurt Gryffindor's chance for the House Cup. Fred and George mocked him from behind much to the amusement of the others in the room.

Ron made eye contact with Harry and they both grinned.

Some things were better left unsaid.


	72. Chapter 72

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lovely Dumbledore scene (though I did tweak it a wee bit). Thank you, JKR._

 _As I said before — little changes._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO:**

 **It wasn't until Christmas dinner at the Tonks residence that Harry managed to corner Remus.** All of the research that they had been doing on Nicholas Flamel had had led them to come up empty handed and Harry knew that if anyone knew who the elusive wizard was, it would be Remus.

He was the smartest adult that he knew.

Remus was sitting in an armchair in the corner of the living room drinking eggnog and his eyes were on Tonks who was laughing with Sirius about something. Harry took a seat on the arm of the chair, snapping his fingers in front of his uncle's face to get his attention.

"Uncle Rem!"

Remus jolted, blushing when he realized that he'd been caught staring. She'd hardly spoken to him since he'd so coldly shut her down. Not that he could blame her. He had been a complete arse and he knew it. But he missed her friendship and he missed the way that bright smile would shine in his direction every once in a while. And to have been caught staring at her like a lovesick pup was rather mortifying.

"Harry, sorry, I was… thinking," he said quickly.

Harry looked at him in amusement. "Looks like you were staring at Tonks."

Remus shook his head. "Well, er… I wasn't."

Harry smirked at him. He knew that Tonks fancied his uncle and he thought that it was rather amusing. He remembered how when he was six, Tonks told him that one day she was going to marry his uncle and that he would be forced to call her auntie. Harry had giggled madly and told her that she was crazy. But now that he was older, he found the idea rather appealing. Obviously his uncle felt the same about her, or at least in theory.

"So since you're not too busy staring at Tonks, can I ask you something?"

Remus flushed. "I wasn't staring at — never mind," he muttered in exasperation. "What can I do for you, Harry?"

Harry simply shrugged and smiled at his uncle. "I have a question for you. I was wondering if you knew who Nicholas Flamel is? I read his name somewhere before, but I can't remember where I know it and it's been bugging me. Hagrid mentioned that he's friends with Dumbledore."

Remus nodded, shaking the cobwebs from his brain. "He is. We talked about him before - he's a rather famous alchemist, Harry. He actually created the Philosopher's Stone, which is said to grant the user immortality and unlimited gold. He's a pretty famous bloke so it makes complete sense that Dumbledore would know him. Why do you want to know?"

Harry shrugged, feigning indifference. "No reason. I was just curious."

Remus stared at him for a moment, his whiskey eyes only watching him. "You're lying to me, little Prongs. Your eyes get really bright when you lie."

Harry grinned and stood up. "It's nothing to worry about, Uncle Rem. Honest, I just heard the name somewhere and I wanted to know who he was."

Remus smiled. "Is this going to get you in any trouble?"

"No," he answered a little too quickly.

Remus chuckled. The mischief in Harry's eyes was so delightful that he couldn't stop his smile. "All right, I'll let it pass. Behave."

Harry just grinned back at him. "Always."

But the first thing that Harry did was send an owl to Hermione informing her of what Remus had told him and who Nicholas Flamel was. He filled Ron in after they went to bed. By the time they returned to Hogwarts, all of them were convinced that the ability to be immortal was a dangerous weapon and that it had to be the thing Dumbledore was hiding in the school. And who wouldn't want that? It made sense that Snape would try to steal it.

But the thought of Snape being immortal rather made Harry want to vomit and they agreed to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity on Snape's part.

The first night back, Harry decided to use his invisibility cloak. He was going to see if Ron wanted to sneak out with him, but he changed his mind. The first time he used the cloak, his dad's cloak, he wanted to be alone.

He wandered the halls aimlessly, listening around him and feeling invincible at the thought that no one could see him. He swore when he turned a corner and almost walked directly into Filch. Harry caught himself before he fell and ran down the corridor when Mrs Norris started to meow. Invisible or not, he was still solid, and the last thing that he needed was to be caught out of bed after curfew.

He stumbled through an old classroom and gasped in surprise to see a huge mirror standing at the back of the room. It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

He closed the door behind him and approached it cautiously. It reminded him of Alice and her looking glass and he wondered briefly if it was safe for him to touch it or would he find himself in a new world as he fell through the glass. As he got closer, he wondered how cool it would be to look in a mirror and not see himself reflected back.

He grinned widely, jumping in front of the mirror, and he almost fell over in shock.

Not only was he clearly visible in the reflection, but James, Lily, Fleamont, and Euphemia were all standing behind him along with Sirius and Remus.

He whirled around, hands grasping the air, but he felt nothing. He turned back to the mirror, swallowing carefully. They were smiling at him and waving. The sight of his family before him brought tears to his eyes and he wondered how it was possible that they were there before him.

His family.

Together and whole and happy.

Harry practically ran back to Gryffindor Tower. He woke up Neville first and then Ron, tugging them both with him and begging them to come see the mirror that showed him his parents and grandparents.

Ron whined the whole time claiming that he could look at pictures of Harry's family in the morning, but Neville seemed intrigued.

"Look!" Harry exclaimed as he stood in front of the mirror. "Do you see them? Look how happy they are!"

Ron looked bewildered. "I only see you, Harry."

Harry frowned. "Nev?"

Neville shook his head, moving to stand next to Harry. "I just see us."

"Ron, stand here proper, now do you see them?" he asked.

Ron's eyes had widened the moment he stood in front of the mirror alone. "Bloody hell! It's me!"

Neville rolled his eyes. "Of course it's you, Ron, it's a bloody mirror!"

Ron ignored him. "No, it's me! And I look good. I'm — I'm Head Boy and Quidditch Captain too!"

Harry's eyebrow rose in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense."

Neville moved to stand in front of the mirror. "Let me see."

Ron moved aside rather grudgingly and Neville's eyes became as big as saucers. "What do you see, Nev?" Ron asked, craning to get a look, but only seeing Neville's reflection in the pane.

"I… I'm grown and… my mum and dad are behind me, smiling and holding hands, holding me… they…" He smiled, tears in his eyes. "They're happy and whole."

Harry gently nudged his friend, smiling. "They're healed."

"Do you think this mirror shows us the future?" Ron asked, hurrying to get in front of it again.

Neville's eyes widened. "It could! That's why you're so successful and why my parents are back and Harry's family is — oh," he finished lamely, his eyes sad. "That doesn't make sense."

"It can't be the future, my parents and grandparents are dead."

"Or it's foreshadowing that one day your family will all be together and — oh," Neville said again, clamping his mouth shut. "Forget I said that."

Harry glared at him. "That everyone I love is going to be dead? Is that what you're saying, Neville?"

Neville looked apologetic. "No, Harry — I'm sorry! I just got excited about Ron's theory."

"It does not show the future," Harry insisted, his eyes flashing angrily now.

Ron nodded, clearing his throat. "No, no, of course not." He and Neville exchanged guilty looks. "Should we head back up to bed then?"

Harry nodded, his thoughts still on the mysterious mirror as he followed his friends back to Gryffindor Tower.

But he found himself drawn back to it again and again.

He didn't know why he went.

He had pictures of his family. He had so many photos from Sirius and Remus, happy memories of them all laughing and smiling, but seeing them standing there behind him was a feeling unlike anything he could explain. It gave him butterflies in his stomach and made his heart ache. If his parents and grandparents had lived… if Sirius and Remus had been around to be his fun uncles instead of his fathers… to have grandparents and real parents — it would be the most amazing thing.

Then he felt guilty.

He did have parents. Two amazing dads who loved him more than life itself.

There was no one that he loved more than Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, but the thought of having James and Lily around too was something that he had dreamed about.

When he wrote to Sirius and Remus at the end of the week he contemplated writing about discovering the mirror, but he didn't know how to put it into words. He didn't want to hurt their feelings. He didn't want them to know that sometimes he wished that he had a mother and a father, that sometimes he wanted it so badly it hurt. Sirius and Remus were the best dads that he could ever have asked for and he loved them so much that wanting more seemed like he was saying that the two of them weren't enough.

And that just wasn't true.

So he omitted the mirror and told them instead that he had taken Neville and Ron under the cloak just to explore.

When he returned to the classroom that night, he ran to the mirror quickly, throwing the cloak off without any thought and sat in front of the mirror. The smile that came over him at the sight of his family made his heart ache.

The voice that came from behind him gave him a start.

"So — back again, Harry?"

Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice.

He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror that he hadn't noticed him. "— I didn't see you, sir."

"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," Dumbledore said, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling. "So," Dumbledore said, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "You, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"I didn't know it was called that, Sir."

"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"

"It — well — it shows me my family —"

"And it showed your friend Ron himself as Head Boy."

"How did you know —?"

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," Dumbledore said gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"

Harry shook his head.

"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"

Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want... whatever we want..."

"Yes, and no," Dumbledore said quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you the way that they should have been. Neville Longbottom, sees his parents cured and healed and being the parents that he has always dreamed of having. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask that you not go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry stood up. "Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"

"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks."

Harry stared.

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, it had been quite a personal question.

~ ASC ~

 **As the end of January came to a close, Sirius continued to visit the children's ward of St Mungo's and the Muggle hospital on a weekly basis.** He started bringing Marauder along with him as the dog eagerly played with the children, desperate for the attention that he missed with Harry being gone again. Being there with the kids, playing with them and reading to them and just listening to them was something that he truly enjoyed, but he still felt like he needed to do something.

He said as much to McGonagall when she popped over for Sunday tea one weekend. Her eyebrow had merely risen in amusement.

"Are you actually considering getting a job?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Everyone says that like it's so dramatic. I did belong to the Order once, I did work."

She smiled. "And being a full time father is a job in itself, I know that. Now that Harry has flown the nest, you feel a little lost. How are the bikes coming along?"

Sirius shrugged. "Great. The Ducati is almost done and I started tweaking the Adler last week. I love working on them, but I just think I need something else."

McGonagall took a sip of her tea and reached for a chocolate biscuit with a smile. "I have a suggestion, but I don't know if it's one that you're going to like or not."

"I'm intrigued, Minnie — hit me."

She smiled. "There happens to be a spot opening on the Hogwarts Board of Governors. It's run by wealthy patrons of the school and some parents who oversee how the school is run."

Sirius' eyebrow in amusement. "And why the hell do you think that I'd be any good at that?"

She chuckled. "You'd have a say in what's happening at the school. You'd have access to Hogwarts on a regular basis without having to resort to sneaking through my Floo, uninvited, I might add. I think it would be good for you. There are twelve governors and from what I understand Mr Ferryweather is retiring and stepping down at the end of the year. They are looking for fresh blood and being a Black, I think that makes you qualified enough for them."

"I don't know, Minnie," he said nervously. "That sounds like a lot of work that I know nothing about. Not to mention a whole lot of politics."

McGonagall smiled at him. "It's one a day week, Sirius. You meet for one to two hours every Wednesday night to discuss what is happening at Hogwarts, the educational system, and what needs to be addressed. You can make suggestions on things to add or take away from the school. You were always full of ideas."

"So can I suggest having a school wide slip n slide tournament using the house tables?" he asked eagerly.

McGonagall pursed her lips at him. "Within reason, Sirius."

He grinned. "Ooh, what about allowing boys into the girls' dormitories?"

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "If you're not going to take it seriously, then forget I said anything at all."

Sirius looked shocked. "Why Minnie! I, Sirius Orion Black, take everything seriously for I am Sirius, the most serious of them all."

"Oh brother," she muttered, drinking her tea.

Sirius chuckled and grinned at her. "I'm honoured that you'd think of me, Minnie. And maybe I will see about filling that twelfth spot. I think I would like a say in terms of what Harry gets to learn at school. I still think Muggle Studies should be a mandatory class, for example."

McGonagall smiled at him. "See, that's the kind of thing I meant. You have good ideas, Sirius and I think your opinion would do a lot to change how the governors think and work."

Sirius nodded, a small smile on his lips. "I'll consider it."

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry filled Hermione in on how Dumbledore had found him in the classroom with the Mirror of Erised and had only been intrigued that Harry had found it, rather than angry he had been sneaking out, she only stared at him in wonder.**

"I always thought that he was a little strange to be honest," she admitted, looking lost in thought. "I wonder what I would see if I looked into the mirror."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Probably the world's largest library."

Hermione glared at him before turning back to Harry. "We still have to figure out why we think Snape would be after the Philosopher's Stone."

Harry nodded in agreement.

But soon all thoughts of the mirror and the stone were gone from his mind when they went to visit Hagrid and found him locked in his hut, all of the windows and doors and curtains closed.

Harry understood why when his eyes fell on the dragon egg. Ron quickly identified the breed as Norwegian Ridgeback and Harry could only agree. But knowing the breed didn't help the situation. It was illegal to have a pet dragon in Britain, not to mention how incredibly dangerous it was for Hagrid to have it in his hut.

Hermione tried to reason with him, telling him that he lived in a wooden house, but Hagrid would hear none of it. He had always dreamed of having a pet dragon and nothing anyone said to him would sway him from the idea.

Harry had snuck down after dinner one night to help Hagrid feed him some fish as Ridgebacks were apparently quite fond of aquatic creatures, but when he turned the corner to head down to the castle grounds, he walked straight into Draco Malfoy, falling on his butt.

"Ow," he muttered as Draco glared at him.

"Watch it, Potter!" Draco said menacingly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Where are your goons, Draco?"

Draco sneered at him. "Like I need them to take you on."

Harry merely raised an eyebrow. "Well, you were too cowardly to show up for our duel; ratted me out to Filch instead, so forgive me for thinking that you need them."

Draco shoved him and Harry shoved him back. "I am not a coward, Potter!"

Harry smirked now. "Whatever you say." He made to move past him, surprised when Draco grabbed his arm.

"I know what your friend is hiding in there," he said smugly.

"What are you talking about?"

Draco smirked at him. "Dragons don't make good pets, Potter. You better tell the stupid oaf that before his house gets burned to the ground or before someone anonymously informs the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures that an illegal dragon was spotted in Scotland. It would be a real shame if he got himself arrested for his stupidity."

Harry glared at him. "Hagrid doesn't deserve to be arrested."

"Maybe you should be nicer to me then," Draco said. "I wouldn't want to let such a _secret_ slip out."

"What do you want, Draco?"

Draco simply grinned at him. "A favour."

Harry's eyes narrowed. He wasn't sure that agreeing to anything said by Draco Malfoy was a good idea. "What kind of favour?"

"I haven't decided yet," he said smugly. "You'll owe me." He held his pale hand out with a smirk. "Have we got ourselves a deal?"

Harry sighed. "Fine. Deal. But you don't say a word to anyone!"

Draco simply grinned and Harry felt like he had just made a pact with the devil. He said as much to Ron when he got back to his dorm. They both agreed that Hagrid had to get rid of Norbert (the name that he had given the baby dragon) as soon as possible.

Ron decided to write to Charlie to see if maybe he could help. They got a response back a few days later and Harry was relieved to read that a few of Charlie's friends would be able to stop by to pick up the dragon on their way to Romania.

 _Ron,_

 _It is VERY dangerous for them to be caught bringing an illegal creature over international borders. You and Harry have to get the dragon up to the Astronomy Tower on Friday night at eleven pm. Don't be late._

It didn't quite work out as planned.

Norbert accidentally set Ron's robes on fire and bit his arm and he was stuck in the hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey healed him. Malfoy decided to visit Ron and gloat about how his arm was injured, taunting him about telling the school nurse how he really got hurt. He knocked over Ron's school books on his way out and his eyes fell on Charlie's letter, eyes widening as he read it.

It was too late to change the plan now and Harry didn't know what exactly Malfoy was going to do with the information that they planned on getting rid of the dragon, but he knew that even owing him a favour wasn't going to help in this situation. Neville agreed to be the look out as Harry and Hermione tried to convince Hagrid to let Norbert go. Hagrid agreed that it was for the best, but it broke Harry's heart a little to see the big man cry as he carefully placed the baby dragon in the large crate they were going to store him in for the trip.

Harry and Hermione used his new invisibility cloak to reach the top of the tower in time for Charlie's friends to take the dragon away. They were cheering their success when McGonagall stepped out onto the top of the tower with Neville and Draco in tow. Harry shoved the invisibility cloak under his robes as he hung his head in shame while she lectured them.

Out of bed after curfew.

In the forbidden area of the Astronomy Tower.

Telling tall tales to get each other in trouble.

She was beyond livid.

Harry found out exactly how livid when she took fifty points from each of them and gave all four of them detention to be served on the next Saturday night.

Harry knew the next morning was going to be rough when Gryffindor House found out that three students lost one hundred fifty points overnight. He had been so worried about the reaction of the other Gryffindor students that he forgot about how his godfather would react.

The sight of Persephone landing at the table the next morning had Harry swallowing slowly. He thanked his lucky stars that it wasn't a Howler (which Neville had been unlucky enough to receive from his grandmother, but smart enough to take it and run before the whole hall could hear it).

Harry carefully opened the envelope and read the note.

 _Harry,_

 _Minnie tells me that you were not only out of bounds hours after curfew, but alone at the top of the Astronomy Tower with one Hermione Granger? Is there something that you want to tell me? Fifty points is a lot to lose in one night — I hope the girl is worth it. And what kind of lies were you and your friends making up about dragons?_

 _Explain._

 _I already know the loss of points and detention is punishment enough and being out past curfew and out of bounds past midnight is something I myself did many times in school so I don't think that I have the right to judge. However, as your godfather and de-facto father, I feel I must tell you, if you don't stop misbehaving and getting caught, I will have to ground you over the summer holidays._

 _Stop getting caught, Prongslet._

 _Love,_

 _Uncle Sirius_

Harry read the letter and chuckled, making Hermione glare at him.

"What is so funny, Harry Potter?" she demanded, her hazel eyes on his. "We lost one hundred and fifty points and you're laughing?"

Harry shrugged, smiling at her. "No, not about that. It's what Uncle Sirius said is all. He doesn't care that I snuck out, but that I got caught and he wants to know why I was alone up in the Astronomy Tower with you."

Hermione frowned at that. "Well, we weren't alone, there was a dragon and Charlie's friends from the reserve."

Harry smirked at her. "But he doesn't know that, Hermione."

"Oh," she said and then her eyes widened. "Oh!" Her cheeks flushed red. "Well, you better correct him, Harry!"

"Correct him?" Harry asked her in amusement. "Whatever do you mean?"

"She means, Potter, that Black thinks you were up there snogging her brains out," Draco said dryly from behind them. "Are all Gryffindors this slow or are you just special?"

Harry rolled his eyes, turning around to glare at the Slytherin. "What do you want, Draco? None of this would even be happening if you hadn't ratted us out!"

"You think I liked losing my house fifty points and having to serve detention with you losers? Please," he scoffed, rocking on his heels. "But you still owe me a favour and I intend to collect."

"Deal is moot, Malfoy," Harry said angrily. "You told."

Draco shook his head, grinning widely. "Ah, but I didn't. I said that YOU were sneaking a dragon out of the school, I never once implicated Hagrid."

Harry opened his mouth to protest and then frowned. "Shit."

Hermione smacked him. "Harry!"

Harry sighed. "What do you want, Draco?"

Draco grinned at him. "We'll be in touch, Potter."

And when he sauntered back to his table as Blaise called his name, Harry just sighed. He really didn't like the sound of that.


	73. Chapter 73

_Author's Note:_

 _Time jumps are a thing and will be for probably the rest of the story — just not huge ones, but little ones. I hope you are enjoying my never-ending story LOL._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE:**

 **Sirius grinned as he read the latest letter from Althea.**

 _Sirius,_

 _The more you tell me about your Zee, the more it sounds like you are completely smitten with her. Zahira sounds like she's quite the match for you on many levels._

 _Xander and I are doing well. I am hugely pregnant and can no longer see my feet, but we're very happy. Niko and Nilo are walking already which makes me trying to waddle after them very amusing, I'm sure. Xander's mother hired a house elf for us named Missy. She's been a blessing and she dotes on the boys. I'm due in four weeks and I feel like I will implode if he doesn't come soon. We've decided on a name, Phoenix Nikolas._

 _As for Harry, it sounds like he is having quite an intense first year. His new friend Hermione does sound like a platonic friend, but Harry is going to be twelve this summer. It might be time to have the talk about sex with him. You don't want to wait too long and learn that you're too late. Think of how old you were when you started to appreciate girls, or to masturbate, or when you had your first kiss. Take it into consideration and this summer might be the right time to have that talk._

 _I want to hear more about Zahira's trips — Zee sounds like she has the most fun job and I know she goes by Zee, but I love that name, Zahira. It sounds rather exotic, doesn't it? Tell me more about what you two get up too. She sounds good for you. Remember, you can't put your life on hold for Harry. You deserve a life too._

 _Thea_

Sirius folded up the letter with a smile as Remus came into the living room and passed him the glass of Firewhiskey. "What does Althea have to say?"

"Oh you know, the usual. She's having another boy and they decided on a name. And she's a bit entertained by Harry's adventures." When Remus made a face in response, Sirius grinned. "You don't find it amusing?"

Remus glared at his friend. He could see why Sirius thought it was funny, but he was trying to get his friend to see the implications of it as well. "Siri, I know that we weren't exactly well behaved in school, but it's only his first year and Harry has already gotten into a fight with a mountain troll, he's been caught out of bed after hours, sneaking around the school doing God knows what with a girl named Hermione Granger, and someone tried to kill him at his first ever Quidditch match! I think that we should be a bit concerned."

"I know! And that terrifies me, Rem, but nothing has happened since then!" he insisted, taking a drink. "As for the Granger thing, Harry said that Hagrid acquired a baby dragon and they were sneaking it off to some friends of Charlie Weasley's who were going to get it safely to the reserve in Romania."

Remus' eyebrow rose. "I don't know if we should let him keep that invisibility cloak, Sirius."

Sirius shook his head, crossing his arms in front of him. "I won't take it away from him, Rem. It belonged to Jamie and it's been passed down in the Potter family for generations. He deserves to have it. Not to mention that I'm glad he's having little adventures, even ones with girls."

Remus pursed his lips. "I think you might have to have that sex talk with him a little earlier than you planned on."

Sirius smirked and stretched his legs out, propping his feet up on the coffee table in the living room. "You think he's a stud already?"

"Be serious for one minute."

Sirius grinned. "I am Sirius."

He rolled his eyes. "Sometimes talking to you is like talking to a brick wall."

Sirius laughed. "I get what you're saying, Rem, and I agree. Harry has been over stepping a bit, and we'll talk about that. I'm not playing that down. I just want him to have a little fun is all. Like we did."

" _Like we did_?" Remus said, shaking his head. "Sirius, you do realize that when we were in school we broke underage magic laws! We broke school rules left and right. We snuck out of Hogwarts on a regular basis and into Hogsmeade, we broke Dumbledore's trust by letting a werewolf loose on the grounds, we smoked pot and drank, and not to mention that you became an Animagi, quite illegally. He should follow in our footsteps then?"

Sirius frowned at that. "Well, when you put it that way… shit."

Remus chuckled. "Exactly what I'm trying to say, Siri."

Sirius scratched his chin. "We'll talk when he comes home for the summer. I mean, after fighting a mountain troll, a little late night exploring isn't anything to worry about, but yeah - we'll talk."

Remus smiled and nodded at his friend. "Good." He took a sip of his own Firewhiskey.

Sirius grinned at him. "Maybe if he could find our map he wouldn't get caught so often? I mean, it has to be in Filch's office somewhere."

Remus shook his head. "And then he'll get caught sneaking into Filch's office — let's not encourage that, Sirius."

Sirius only sighed, "I guess so."

Remus took another sip of his whiskey. "So… how's Zee?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Subtle, Moony."

"Wasn't trying to be."

He smirked. "She's fine. She's been busy, I haven't seen her in a few days."

"Hmm," he said, bringing his glass to his lips.

"Don't 'hmm' me, Rem," Sirius said in annoyance. "I told you, I like her. We have fun together, but she has a full time job that keeps her very busy. In fact, next week she's taking off for Arizona. Apparently there's a colony of Thunderbirds there and she has always wanted to see one. The Ministry is letting her go for one month to study them and to document how they live. She's going to be writing an article about it for the magazine _Nature's Magic._ "

"An entire month, eh?"

Sirius scowled at him. "Don't worry about me, Rem, I'm going to shag her before she leaves."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Not my point. You two have just been spending a lot of time together. Have you told Harry that you have a girlfriend yet."

"She's not my girlfriend," Sirius protested. "We're just… hanging out."

"She was gone for the holiday to spend time in Russia and she was barely back two weeks before she left again for Australia for another two weeks and you pined for her. You invited her to my birthday dinner a few weeks ago. I think it's interesting for someone who's just… hanging out." He added with a grin. "Thought I'd point that out."

Sirius decided not to comment. "Hmm, speaking of points, have I told you today what an idiot you are?"

Remus' eyebrow arched.

"You didn't make up with Tonks. In fact, I think you two became even less friends than you were before. At your birthday dinner, you acted like you weren't even friends. What is wrong with you? You obviously want her, so stop being an idiot — and make a damn move on her already!"

"I thought you said that you weren't going to get involved?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You just turned thirty-two and you're acting like a twelve-year-old. You look at her and I can just see how much you want her, until you clam up and deny it."

"I… it's complicated."

"No, it's really not," Sirius said in annoyance. "You just have to make a choice."

"Sirius —"

"No," he insisted. "It's not that hard. You need to apologize to her; tell her that you still want to be friends or that you want to shag her, I don't care which — but make it up to her. You're friends and I refuse to let you throw that away because you're too much of a bloody coward to make a move on her."

"I'm not a coward," he said angrily, his eyes flashing in annoyance. "You just don't understand what I'm feeling! What I want —" He clamped his mouth shut, hissing through his teeth.

Sirius stared at his friend. "What are you feeling, Rem? What have you been keeping from me? I know that there's something that you haven't been telling me about why you are pushing her away and I can't for the life of me figure out what it is. At this point, I know the age difference is a bullshit excuse. So what is it?"

"When I'm near her my… my blood hums, it sings and it… being near her is… it's enough. I'm not going to subject her to my will and — she deserves better than me."

"Your blood hums… what does that even —" he paled, his eyes widening as he felt it all click into place. "She's your fucking _mate_!"

Remus flushed and stood up, storming into the kitchen and downing the rest of his Firewhiskey in one quick motion.

Sirius marched into the kitchen behind him. "She's your fucking mate and you are ignoring her! No wonder the two of you are so incredibly drawn to the other! What the fuck is wrong with you? You finally find the one person who you are _meant_ to be with and you bloody well push her away!"

Remus whirled on him, slamming the glass on the counter. "What I do with my personal life is none of your fucking business, Sirius! I made a mistake, all right! I know that! I lost my chance with her. I pushed her away and she wants nothing to do with me now! She deserves someone so much better than me… why can't you see that?"

"You're right," Sirius said quietly as Remus' wounded eyes met his. "She does deserve someone better than you. She deserves a man who isn't too much of a fucking coward to take what he wants. Go ahead and be fucking miserable. I don't care anymore."

Then he turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Remus alone with his thoughts.

~ ASC ~

 **While Sirius and Remus were arguing at Black Cottage, Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco were being led by Filch down to the Forbidden Forest where they were meant to serve their detention.**

Draco had stared at Filch in horror when he had told them this, declaring that the forest was forbidden, and he wouldn't dare send them in there. Filch had only smirked at him and left them with Hagrid, much to Harry's relief. He was mildly curious about the forest, but the idea of venturing in with Filch had made him a bit uneasy. But the sight of Hagrid and his boar-hound Fang cheered him up some.

Apparently something in the forest was killing unicorns and Hagrid was doing his best to find out what that could be. They split off into groups, Draco claimed that he wanted Fang so he went off with Neville and the dog and Harry and Hermione stayed with Hagrid. Hermione clutched Harry's arm at almost every sound and when they met the centaurs, she stared at them in awe. Harry had to admit, they were incredibly impressive.

Draco was being a twat to Neville and they split up again, this time Harry and Draco with Fang and Neville with Hermione and Hagrid. They had just moved down the path into a rocky terrain when Draco gasped.

"What?" Harry asked him, turning around.

Draco looked around him carefully. "Nothing, I thought I heard — never mind." He took a deep breath before he followed Harry down the forest path. "I can't believe that Dumbledore sanctions detentions in the forest! Wait until my father hears about this!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Do you have to be a complete whiny prat all of the time?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Grow a pair."

Draco snorted. "If you think I'm afraid, Potter, then you don't know me at all!"

"If it walks like a chicken and talks like a chicken…"

Draco glared at him and then his eyes landed on something behind Harry. "What is that?"

Harry turned to look in the direction that Draco was pointing. They had found the dead unicorn. Silver blood littered the ground around the animal, but that wasn't what was appalling. A hooded figure was kneeling next to the animal, bent over it, and drinking the blood.

Draco screamed and the figure looked up, silver blood dripping from the mouth and Draco ran for it, but Harry found himself frozen in place; a sharp pain radiating from where his scar sat, and he gasped from the pain of it. The centaur that jumped in front of him, startled him out of his stupor and he only watched in amazement as the figure ran, disappearing as if it had never been.

When he returned to the castle that night and told his friends the story, he still wasn't sure what to make of it.

According to Firenze, there was only one person in the world who would be drinking the blood of a unicorn, who was willing to live a cursed life, a half life in order to gain access to the Philosopher's Stone and to resurrect.

And that person was Lord Voldemort.

Suddenly it all clicked into place - Snape was trying to steal the stone for Voldemort.

The fear that pooled in the pit of Harry's stomach had his hands clenching together nervously. Voldemort wasn't dead and he was looking for a way to be immortal, to come back.

It was the worst thing that Harry could imagine.

"Are you going to tell Sirius and Remus, Harry?" Neville asked, his eyes wide and fearful as he twisted his hands nervously in his lap.

Harry shook his head. The last thing that he wanted was to worry his fathers even more. "No, I think its better if we just keep this between us for now. I mean, we don't have any real proof that it was actually Voldemort in the forest."

Hermione nodded, her eyes wide. "And you're forgetting one thing, Harry."

"What's that?"

"Who is the one person that You Know Who feared the most? Dumbledore! As long as Dumbledore's here, the stone is safe. As long as Dumbledore runs this school, the stone can't be touched."

Harry had never felt so relieved to hear those words. Hermione was right. Dumbledore was one of the bravest wizards he knew. Remus had told him the story and the legend that surrounded Dumbledore and his great defeat over the wizard Grindelwald. If Dumbledore was here, they were safe.

"Besides," Ron added. "We don't have any real proof, do we, just our conjecture?"

Harry nodded. His friends had a point. "Maybe we should find some."

Proof came a few weeks later when Ron received a letter from Charlie telling him about the dragon that they had taken into the reserve and how well Norberta (for it had turned out to be a girl dragon) was fitting in, that Harry realized that none of them had once questioned how Hagrid had come to own an illegal dragon in the first place. Where had he gotten it?

He had practically rushed down to Hagrid's hut the next day only to find out that Hagrid had won the dragon in The Hog's Head and that the man who had given it to him had been very interested in the types of magical creatures that Hagrid had taken care of. Hagrid had told him about Fluffy and that if you played music, the dog fell straight asleep.

A deep sense of foreboding took over Harry. He didn't even wait to see if his friends were following him, he ran immediately to see McGonagall.

"Auntie Minnie!" he exclaimed, out of breath when he crashed through her office with Ron and Hermione behind him.

McGonagall huffed in annoyance. "Mr Potter, for the last time, we are at school, and you will address me as Professor."

"I'm sorry," he panted, eyes wide. "But we need to talk to Professor Dumbledore, immediately!"

McGonagall merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Professor Dumbledore isn't here, Potter. He's had an urgent owl from the Ministry and he's left."

Harry's eyes widened in shock. "He's gone?"

"Harry, the Headmaster is a very busy wizard and he doesn't just lay around the school all day. Why do you need to see him? What's going on?"

Harry moved closer to her desk, placing both of his hands flat down on it. "Auntie-Professor, it's about the Philosopher's Stone."

McGonagall's eyes widened in surprise as she stood up. "How do you three even know about the stone?"

"It's a long story, Professor, but someone is going to try to steal it!"

McGonagall snorted. "I assure you that the stone is very well protected and that you have nothing to worry about. Goodness Potter, I had hoped that you would be less trouble than your godfather, but I can see now that you are looking to cause mischief just as much as Sirius once did."

"Auntie Minnie, it's not safe!"

"Harry!" she exclaimed, her tone annoyed. "The stone is perfectly safe where it is. Now stop worrying about it and go outside, relish in being done your exams. Go on!"

Harry trudged off gloomily, glancing up at his friends. "She didn't believe me."

Hermione shrugged and bit her bottom lip. "It does sound crazy when we say it aloud."

Harry glanced behind him at McGonagall's closed office door. "If Dumbledore's gone, Snape's going to try to take it tonight."

Ron swallowed carefully. "And you want to stop him."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Well, I don't want to, but no one else even knows about it. We have to try!"

Hermione nodded. "Okay."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius was curled up on the chesterfield, Zee in his arms.** She had been in Arizona for almost two months, having stayed a few weeks longer to work with a Magizoologist there, and he had missed her more than he'd realized. They'd exchanged owls, but having her here, holding her close, was what he had missed. They'd spent the afternoon playing water games in her big bathtub together before they'd thrown together a quick meal. Zee told him all about her trip and he filled her on his fight with Remus about Tonks, the latest news from Harry, and how his friend Althea had given birth to a new baby boy at the beginning of April who they named Phoenix Nikolas.

She'd opened another bottle of wine before they'd settled on the chesterfield. He had hooked up the television and the VCR and they were watching some cheesy romantic comedy called _Overboard_ that was one of Zee's all time favourites. He had to admit, it was pretty entertaining and the rich bitch definitely had it coming. She had just spent an entire day taking care of 'her kids' when the cat patronus burst into the living room making both of them jump.

McGonagall's voice echoed in the room.

"Harry is in the hospital wing. Professor Quirrell is dead. Come immediately."

Sirius jumped to his feet, almost knocking Zee to the ground as his hands went to his hair. "Where the fuck are my shoes?"

Zee jumped up and grabbed his boots for him, helping him put them on. "I'm sure he's okay, Sirius. She didn't say that he wasn't."

Sirius turned to glare at her. "And she didn't say that he was either!"

He stepped into the fireplace and Flooed to McGonagall's office. She was pacing while she waited for him.

"Harry?" he asked desperately, reaching for her.

McGonagall hugged him tightly. "He's all right, Sirius. He's sleeping it off. Madam Pomfrey's taking care of him."

"What the hell happened? Is Harry asking for me? Quirrell is dead? Why is Harry in the hospital wing? What the fuck happened?" Sirius demanded, firing off the questions rapidly.

McGonagall pulled back and smiled weakly at him. "He tried to tell me and I didn't believe him."

"Tried to tell you what?"

"The Philosopher's Stone," she breathed anxiously. "It's been hidden in the school all year, under safe guard and protection from each of the teachers. He somehow discovered its whereabouts and what it was, Merlin only knows how, but… he told me that someone was going to try to steal it and I thought that he was just causing trouble as he's been a bit of a mischief maker this year and I pushed him off and… then Dumbledore comes upstairs carrying an unconscious Harry into the hospital wing, scraped up and I just knew… he tried to stop it himself. Foolish, brave boy."

Sirius was gripping her arms tightly. "Take me to him."

He rushed through the halls, stepping into the hospital wing and seeing Dumbledore standing near one of the beds with Madam Pomfrey.

"Albus?"

"Sirius, good," Dumbledore said with a smile, gesturing him over. "Don't worry, Harry is going to be just fine. A few scrapes and bruises that will soon heal."

Sirius pushed past the headmaster, falling to his knees next to Harry's bed. He had a few shallow cuts on his face, hands, and neck and what looked like a good bruise on his ribs, but other than that, he looked all right. "Why is he unconscious?"

"Poppy gave him some sleeping draught to help him heal. He's been through quite an ordeal."

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead, taking the boy's hand in his and squeezing lightly. "What the hell happened? Minnie said something about you hiding some magical stone here and that Harry was personally trying to protect it? Why the bloody hell would he do that?"

Dumbledore nodded, pulling a chair over and taking a seat. Sirius sat in a chair as well, not letting go of Harry's hand. "My friend Nicholas Flamel invented it a few centuries ago, the Philosopher's Stone, it produces the Elixir of Life among other things. He and his wife have lived centuries off of it. He became concerned that it was no longer safe to keep it stored where he had it so I offered Hogwarts at his disposal and we put it under detailed protection. Hagrid gave us a Cerberus to guard the door. Pomona, a large Devil's Snare to keep out any unwanted visitors. Filius, a locked door only opened by a magical key with hundreds to choose from all flying around the room. Quirinus, a troll to be fought and passed. Minerva transfigured a giant chess set that had to be played as a chess piece successfully to make it to the door on the other side. Severus a riddle with a poison and a potion offering safe passage to choose from in order to cross safely. And, myself, I hid the stone within a magical mirror. Harry, Ron, and Hermione got through all of them."

Sirius' eyes widened in disbelief. "They — what? _All of them?_ "

Dumbledore smiled. "Miss Granger and Mr Weasley told me everything after I got Harry to the hospital wing. Miss Granger had apparently sent me an owl at the Ministry, but when I got there, I just felt like I had to be back here. I pulled Harry off of Quirinus I think just in time might I add. I thought he was…"

"I don't understand," Sirius said, gently brushing Harry's hair from his forehead. "You said that he's all right?"

Dumbledore nodded at Harry. "That scar saved his life, Sirius. The love that his mother had for him… she died protecting him, sacrificed herself for her son. I think that gave him a level of protection that is in his very blood. It's why I originally sent him to Petunia Evans because of that blood protection. Voldemort is alive, Sirius."

Sirius paled, his eyes raking over Harry desperately, his hands on his stomach, his ribs, his arms. He kissed his son's forehead, kissed the lightning bolt scar. When he finally spoke, his voice was dead calm and almost a whisper. "Are you telling me that my son faced Voldemort tonight?"

He nodded curtly. "He had latched onto Quirinus like a parasite, living within him. He was controlling him."

"AND YOU HAD THIS MAN BLOODY TEACHING HERE?" Sirius exploded angrily.

McGonagall's hands fell onto his shoulders. "Sirius, there was no way for us to know." She kissed his cheek and she felt him calm down a little. "Harry is safe. He saved the day. That's what matters."

Sirius smiled at that, his eyes on Harry's unconscious form again. "Go on, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded at McGonagall kindly before his eyes fell back on Sirius. Sirius wasn't looking at him, his focus was entirely on the sleeping comatose form of Harry, the child's hand still clutched tightly in his own. He cleared his throat before he continued. "Voldemort was using Quirinus to get to the stone, but I hid it in the Mirror of Erised. Harry had stumbled across this mirror back in January, as I had it in a classroom until I placed it below."

"You wanted him to find the mirror," McGonagall said in surprise. "Why did you move it into a classroom when it was already below guarding the stone? You knew that he would discover it."

Dumbledore smiled at her. "I've been watching him, Minerva. He's a brave boy and I admit that I was curious to see what would happen if he found the mirror. I never in my life imagined that this would happen as a result of it."

"What did happen, Albus?" Sirius demanded, rubbing his fingers along the top of Harry's hand.

"I hid the stone in the mirror so that only someone who wanted to find the stone, find it, but not use it, would be able to get it. Harry stood in front of the mirror and he acquired the stone whereas Quirrell could not. Voldemort knew that he was lying and he attacked him but —" he said quickly as Sirius' eyes flashed dangerously. "— when Harry touched him, the blood protection from his mother burned him."

"Burned him how?" he asked curiously.

Dumbledore gestured his head and Sirius turned his gaze to where one hospital bed was closed off and he gasped when Madam Pomfrey pulled back the curtain showing, the burned and decayed body of the defence professor. "He's dead."

Once Sirius was situated back next to Harry, his hand holding his, did Dumbledore continue his story. "I pulled him off, terrified that Harry was dead as well, but he was alive, but very weak so I got him to Poppy straight away and he's going to be okay."

He took the stone out of his pocket, holding it in his palm. "I need to get this back to Nicholas. Harry will be out for a few more hours at least, Sirius. Try to get some rest."

Sirius only scoffed at that as Dumbledore hurried out of the hospital wing. He turned back to Harry, bringing his hand to his lips and kissing it softly. He ran his fingers through his hair and he bit his bottom lip.

He smiled kindly at McGonagall when she sat next to him, looping her arm through his. "I'm sorry that I didn't believe him."

"Why the hell would you? I can't believe all of this happened and I had no idea… I mean… he didn't tell me any of it. I thought that we were a team. I thought he… I thought he trusted me," he said sadly.

"Sirius," McGonagall said softly, kissing his cheek. "That boy practically worships the ground you walk on. You are everything to him. He trusts you implicitly. You were an eleven-year-old-boy once, if you were doing something that was very much in the rule breaking category, had already been lectured by myself for it, and were planning on doing more rule breaking - would you have told me about it?"

Sirius sighed. She had a point. The fact that she had used herself instead of Orion Black as the example only proved to him how much she had a point, but he didn't have to like it. "No."

She smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "Exactly."

Sirius kissed Harry's hand again. "He faced Voldemort, Minnie."

McGonagall sighed. "He's vanished again. He's not inside Quirrell anymore, but that also means that he doesn't have a body. He's not strong enough on his own to do any damage. He's not a threat right now."

"But he could be," Sirius said, turning to look at her as he held Harry's limp hand to his cheek. "If he finds another body, another person to control… he's going to want to finish what he started. And to know that Harry is alive, the baby he tried to kill, who then in turn ruined his life… he's going to come after him."

"And you will protect him," McGonagall said softly. "We all will. He's not a threat right now."

Sirius stared at Harry for a moment, his eyes lingering on the lightning bolt scar. "I need Remus here. He needs to… he's going to want to see Harry."

McGonagall nodded and stood up. "I'll send word immediately."

Sirius only nodded and closed his eyes, his lips brushing Harry's hand again.

Voldemort was alive, he had always known it. Deep down he had always known he wasn't gone.

But it didn't make him feel any better to know that he had been right.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Althea and Xander now have 3 boys:_

 _Niko Alexander (b. Feb 91)_

 _Nilo Alexander Papakonstantinou (b. Feb 91)_

 _Phoenix Nikolas (b. April 92)_

 _Thank you and please review!_


	74. Chapter 74

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the little bit from chapter seventeen of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, that belongs to JKR._

 _This is technically the beginning of Part IV._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR:**

 **When Harry opened his eyes, sunlight was pouring in through the windows.** He blinked owlishly at the figure slumped over his legs. He reached around for his glasses, bringing the figure into view and they widened when he saw that it was Remus. Sirius was sitting on the other side of him, asleep in the chair. Harry moved and the bed creaked. Sirius' eyes popped open. Harry was surprised to see that they were a little bloodshot and that his father looked dishevelled like he hadn't slept or changed his clothes in days.

"Harry!" he exclaimed, moving towards him and kissing his forehead. "Hey, Prongslet, hey."

Harry stared from him to Remus in confusion. "What happened? Why are you and Uncle Moony here?"

Remus was roused from sleep by the voices and he sat up, his own bloodshot eyes on Harry as Harry took in his own sleepy and dishevelled look. "Harry!" He kissed Harry's cheek, taking his hand in his. "Are you all right?"

"Prongslet, do you remember what happened?" Sirius asked, running a finger down Harry's cheek.

Harry blinked in confusion, his brain still sleepy and then his eyes widened. "Quirrell! He was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone! Dumbledore has to —"

"It's fine," Sirius interrupted him with a smile. "It's all good. The stone is safe and you are safe."

"Ron and Hermione! Neville! We petrified him and left him in the common room!"

Remus' eyebrow rose at that. "You petrified Neville? Whatever the hell for?"

"He was trying to stop us from going," Harry said quickly as Dumbledore stepped into the room. "Professor! The stone! It was Quirrell!"

Dumbledore smiled and raised a hand to silence Harry. "My dear boy, it is all taken care of."

As the story came pouring out of Harry about stumbling across Fluffy and how they learned each step, how they suspected Snape and how ultimately they learned that it was Quirrell; Sirius and Remus sat stunned as they listened.

"You could have died like ten times!" Remus exclaimed, eyes wide.

Harry shrugged. "I didn't think about it, Uncle Rem. I just… I didn't want Voldemort to come back."

Sirius cradled Harry's hand to his heart, moving onto the bed and tugging the boy into his arms. "He is back, baby." He kissed Harry's forehead, wrapping his arms tighter as he held his son to his chest. "Prongslet, you stopped him - but he is back."

Dumbledore explained what had happened and Harry stared at him in awe, his head cradled over Sirius' heart.

"But what about the stone, Sir, is it safe?"

"I see that you are not to be distracted," Dumbledore said kindly. "Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."

"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?"

"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off of you."

"It was you."

"I feared I might be too late."

"You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer —"

"Not the Stone, boy, you — the effort involved nearly killed you," Sirius gripped him tighter at those words. "For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Harry said blankly. "But your friend — Nicolas Flamel —"

"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" Dumbledore said, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed that it's all for the best."

"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"

"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die." Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face. "To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

Harry lay there, lost for words.

Sirius pressed his lips against his temple and Harry smiled against his father's chest. The feeling of warmth and safety he felt was something he couldn't quite put into words. He basked in it for a moment and then he remembered his father's words: Sirius had said that Voldemort was back.

"Sir?" Harry said carefully, turning his head away from Sirius' chest, "Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"

"No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time — and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."

Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things that I'd like to know, if you can tell me…" he said as Sirius' grip tightened on him. "Things I want to know the truth about..."

"The truth," Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

"Albus," Sirius said softly.

"No, Sirius, he's right. He can ask them."

Harry looked between Dumbledore and his fathers before he spoke. "Well… Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But, why would he want to kill me in the first place?"

Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time. "Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know."

And Harry knew that it would be no good to argue. "But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."

"And there's something else…" Harry said carefully, his gaze meeting Remus' from across the bed before flitting back to Dumbledore.

"Fire away."

"Quirrell said Snape —"

"Professor Snape, Harry."

"Yes, him — Quirrell said that he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"

Sirius swore under his breath. "That git needs to learn to let things go."

"Sirius," Remus began, but Dumbledore held up his hand to silence them.

"Well, they did rather detest each other. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."

"What?"

"He saved his life."

" _What_?"

"Yes…" Dumbledore said dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt… I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace…"

Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped. "And sir, there's one more thing…"

"Just the one?"

"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"

"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone — find it, but not use it — would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking the Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes." Dumbledore stood up, smiling at Harry. "Now, I suggest you rest and let your family take care of you."

Harry nodded as Dumbledore left the room and Remus buried his face in his hands.

"Harry, the reason Snape seems to hate you… it's nothing to do with you. It's because of Sirius, your dad, and I."

Sirius nodded, kissing Harry's forehead. "We bullied him in school. We shouldn't have, and I regret it now, even though I still think that he's a great git - but we treated him unkindly. And at the end of fifth year, he was… he'd gone too far. He was always following us, trying to figure out where we snuck off too all of the time… and there was an argument by the lake and when your mother stepped in to stop us from hurting him he called her something foul. It infuriated James. When I caught him following us again, I just lost it. I told him that if he really wanted to see what we were doing then at midnight that night to go down onto the grounds, use a tree branch to hit a knot on the Whomping Willow where it would stop moving and then to follow the tunnel all the way through. Your dad stopped him before he made it."

"What was there?"

Remus paled as he stood up, his hands in his hair. "I was, Harry. It was a full moon."

Harry's eyes widened. "You…" he looked at Sirius in horror. "He would have killed him!"

Sirius nodded, his eyes horrified as he remembered how he had felt the moment he'd realized that himself. "I know. I was sixteen and I was stupid and I didn't think it through. In my head I just thought it was Moony and… it's a regret that I've had to live with. If James hadn't found out and pulled Snape back, he would have been killed and it would have been my fault. James was the person that Snape hated the most and to have him be the one to save him… but from that moment on, Snape knew that Remus was a werewolf. I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry that my actions have caused you this."

Harry shook his head, hugging Sirius tightly. "They didn't. You told me once that I'm not my dad so I don't know why Snape seems to think I am."

Remus smiled, tugging Harry into his own arms and kissing his forehead. "You're an incredible boy, Harry, and we love you very much."

Harry hugged him back. "Are you mad at me for saving the stone?"

Sirius let out a long breath. "You were incredibly brave and foolish and I am very proud of you for being so brave and… you did _try_ to do the right thing, you went to an adult and Auntie Minnie didn't believe you. So, I can't really be mad. But Prongslet, promise me this isn't going to happen again, yeah? No more near-death experiences? My heart simply can't take it."

Harry laughed and hugged his godfather, laughing when Remus made himself comfortable on the other side of his hospital bed and he was snuggled between the two of them. "Deal."

~ ASC ~

 **When Sirius and Remus left Hogwarts that afternoon, after being reassured by Madam Pomfrey that Harry was going to be released from the hospital wing that night, they were both exhausted.** It had been almost three full days before Harry had even woken up and neither one of them had been willing to leave his bedside.

Sirius collapsed on his couch, yawning hugely as Remus took a seat in the chair next to him. "If Harry keeps up these kind of near-death experiences, he's going to give me grey hair!"

Remus chuckled, scratching his chin. "I have a few already so suck it up."

Sirius laughed and grinned at his friend, running his hands over his face, his expression darkening. "He faced Voldemort, Rem. I don't care in what kind of form, but he fucking faced him. He knows he's still alive."

Remus nodded, crossing his arms in front of him. "I know. But like Dumbledore said, we're safe right now. He's safe."

"I know," he said, yawning again. "But it's still a little terrifying to think of Harry going through that and I had no idea. He didn't even give me any idea that all of this was happening at school, did you know?"

Remus hesitated. "I didn't know exactly, but he questioned me about who Nicholas Flamel was over the Christmas holidays and I remember thinking that was a weird person to ask about, but that it was so random that I didn't question it. Looking back now, I knew that he was holding something back, but I never imagined… being that you raised him and that he's the son of James Potter, I should have."

Sirius chuckled at those words. "Hey, now, that's not fair."

"It's true though," Remus said with a smile.

"And _we_ raised him, Moony."

Remus smiled at that. "Yeah, yeah, we have."

He had missed his friend, Remus thought.

They hadn't been spending as much time together lately because of the big fight they had had a while back about Tonks. Sirius hadn't brought it up again and neither had Remus for fear of setting his friend off again. He didn't need Sirius to tell him what an absolute idiot he was, he already knew that.

"Can you believe that three first year students got past all of those obstacles though? I mean, were they really that powerful or did the kids actually outsmart the teachers?"

Sirius nodded, eyes wide. "It sounds like they were. I mean, Harry is the youngest Seeker in a century, finding and catching that flying key was probably easy for him. He always writes about this Hermione being a complete know-it-all so I imagine she was helpful and we both know how good Ron Weasley is at chess. He's even beaten you a few times."

"Hey," Remus said, grinning at that. "I've just been rusty."

Sirius smiled. "Three smart young minds and they not only were successful, but they did it well. Dumbledore said that he was going to award them house points for it. I hope that they win the cup. When Minnie took away all of those points when he was caught up at the Astronomy Tower, I could tell how devastated he was."

Remus nodded, smiling. "Yeah, busy first year."

Sirius smirked. "And then some."

There was a knock on the front door, making both of them turn towards it. Remus stood up to answer it, smiling at the small beautiful woman who stood there. "Hi, Zee, come on in."

Zee stepped inside, her gaze immediately finding Sirius. "Hey, I've been checking every hour or so, is Harry all right?"

Sirius nodded, smiling gratefully when she opened her arms and he hugged her close to him. "He's fine. I'm sorry for taking off like that."

"Please! Obviously Harry is much more important," she said, kissing his cheek. "What happened? Is Harry all right? How did a teacher die?" She took a seat on the chesterfield, smiling when Sirius draped an arm around her shoulders and took her hand in his.

He and Remus quickly explained what had happened and her eyes widened in shock.

"You Know Who? He's back?"

Sirius nodded, gently rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand. "And now you're where we are."

Zee sighed. "Wow. Just wow. I don't even have words."

Remus smiled at them. "Look at you two, all cozy. I should be disgusted."

Sirius laughed. "We're not all cozy, Rem."

Zee smiled up at him. "We are pretty cozy, aren't we?" She kissed Sirius softly. "I kinda like him."

He rolled his eyes. "I think you more than kinda like me."

"Well, the sex is _really_ good," she said with a smirk. "Not to mention my panther likes you."

"All priorities I see," he said with a grin.

Zee chuckled. "Important, never the less."

Remus laughed. "You've been dating long enough now that you should have a few more priorities."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Are we dating?"

Zee shrugged, nipping at his bottom lip. "I thought we were just friendly neighbours who shagged - a lot."

He grinned. "This is why I like you, you don't feel the need to put a label on everything."

Remus chuckled. "You seem to make each other happy, whatever it is you're doing."

"Shagging," Sirius said. "A lot of shagging, in fact."

Zee laughed and wiggled out from his grasp to stand up. "Usually. Some of us have to work for a living though." She leaned and down and kissed Sirius softly. "See you later."

Sirius watched her leave with a grin, turning back to his friend. "What?"

Remus just shook his head. "I think it is time to admit you have a girlfriend."

Sirius waved him away with a smirk. "We don't need labels. We're just enjoying each other, nothing more. She's excited to meet Harry though. I talk about him so much she said that she feels as if she already knows him."

Remus nodded, standing up. "I'm sure Harry will be quite happy to see that you have a girlfriend, Sirius."

"Well, one of us should be having sex," he said, earning a glare from Remus.

"I do have sex," he insisted.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "We both know that you haven't touched a woman since at least last summer."

Remus merely glared at him. "I thought that you were going to leave it alone."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "If you want to ignore your soulmate, that's fine. I won't bring it up again. You have my word on that."

But as Remus watched his friend head into the kitchen, his heart pounded nervously in his chest. His soulmate…

He'd lost every chance he had with her and he knew it.

And knowing it was completely his fault only made it that much worse.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry woke up the first day of summer holidays, he was surprised to see that it was after ten in the morning.** He rubbed Marauder's belly vigorously as the dog simply beamed at him so pleased to have his boy back home with him.

The end of the year had been great. He had won a massive amount of points and helped win Gryffindor the House Cup. Neville had forgiven them for petrifying him, also because he too had earned house points for his bravery - and Ron and Hermione had as well. It had been a great celebration, but Harry couldn't help but think of everything that had happened and the idea that some day Voldemort might return.

That he had actually faced Voldemort again.

And survived.

He stretched as he climbed out of bed, quickly getting dressed and brushing his teeth before he made his way downstairs.

The familiar sound of music coming from the kitchen made him smile as he recognized Aerosmith. He was about to say as much to Sirius when he stepped into the kitchen, but he was too surprised at the sight before him.

Sirius was standing at the kitchen counter where a small dark haired woman had her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands were in his hair as they snogged quite intensely. Harry felt his mouth drop open in surprise.

The woman saw him and blushed, pushing Sirius away. "I think someone is awake, Siri."

Sirius licked his lips, turning to see Harry and grinned. "Morning, Prongslet." He lifted the woman off of the counter with a smirk. "We um, got a little carried away I guess," he said with a grin. "Come sit down, what do you want for breakfast this morning?"

"I'll make you boys breakfast," the woman said with a smile. "It's the least I can do for showing up so early. How do you feel about chocolate chip pancakes?"

"He loves them," Sirius said with a grin.

Harry shook his head, his mouth suddenly very dry. He wasn't feeling very hungry anymore. "I just want toast."

The woman looked slightly taken aback, but she smiled warmly at him. "Of course, toast sounds great."

Sirius put his hands in his pockets and grinned at Harry. "So Harry, um, this is Zee Zacarias. She moved into the Morrison house back in September. She's our new neighbour."

"I don't remember you sticking your tongue down Mrs Morrison's throat," Harry said, earning a smirk from Zee.

Sirius merely grinned at him, giving him a sharp look. "Well, Mrs Morrison was a happily married woman, Harry, and Zee is… well, we've been seeing each other."

"I got that impression on my own thanks," Harry said smartly, earning a light cuff on the head from his godfather. He turned to smile kindly at Zee. "It's nice to meet you, Zee."

Zee smiled brightly at him as she buttered the freshly toasted bread. "Its lovely to meet you too, Harry. Sirius talks about you all the time. I feel as if I already know you."

Harry simply nodded. "That's nice. He's never mentioned you."

Sirius flushed. "Harry!"

"What are we doing today, Uncle Sirius?" Harry asked, moving to take a seat at the kitchen table and ignoring Zee completely.

Sirius stared at his son for a moment, surprised at his words. He added jam to the toast and passed the plate to Harry before he spoke. "Well, Zee actually has some magical creatures for us to check out. She came by this morning to invite us along. She works at the Ministry as a Magizoologist. What do you think?" Sirius asked, sitting next to Harry. "She's been studying them and thought maybe you'd like to see a few?"

Harry nodded, tapping his fingers on the table. It did sound kind of neat, but he wasn't sure if he liked the idea of Zee coming along with them. He had been hoping to hang out with just Sirius and Remus. Before this morning, he hadn't even known she existed. "Okay."

Sirius draped an arm across Harry's shoulders. "Let's try to have a nice chill summer, Prongslet. Your first year at school was a little more intense than I banked on, yeah?"

Harry could only nod. Sirius wasn't wrong.

But the first week at home didn't feel much like home anymore, Harry thought. Zee always seemed to be there. She was always coming over; showing up for at least one meal of the day or joining them in whatever they were doing from working on the motorbike, flying, water balloon fights… she was just always there.

He said as much to his friends when he wrote to them. Hermione wrote back first with a response.

 _Is she his girlfriend, Harry? You did say that he was single. It sounds like he fell in love. Is that really a bad thing? Maybe you'll have a new mum?_

Harry really didn't like the sound of that and said as much to Neville.

 _Harry, Hermione didn't mean it like they are going to get married or something! But Sirius is all alone maybe he wants a girl in his life. Uncle Algie says that Sirius Black is still a very young man who never got to have his own life because he went to prison and then he was raising you. Now it's his turn to be happy._

That had made Harry angry too. Neville made it sound like Sirius had regretted raising him, taking him away from the Dursleys and being his dad. When he said as much to Ron, Ron made fun of him.

 _Of course he doesn't regret it, you dolt! Parents need lives too or so Mum always says. Her and Dad have a date night once a month. Once, Ginny and I caught them snogging in the kitchen, it was gross! But I guess it makes sense that Sirius would want to snog someone too — can't imagine why, it looks gross to stick your tongue in someone else's mouth._

But none of his friends had made him any feel better.

He was up in the treehouse, sitting in the pirate ship two weeks into summer vacation when Tonks climbed up and sat next to him.

"Wotcher, Harry!"

He smiled at her. "Hi, Tonks. How's life as an A1?"

She grinned widely and shrugged. "Pretty wicked. I like fighting the bad guys, makes me feel like a superhero."

Harry grinned. "You kind of are."

Tonks laughed and smiled at him. "I'm sorry that missed you at the train station to welcome you home, but I had to work. It is long hours as an A1, but I really like it. It sounds like you had a very intense first year."

"You can say that again."

She smiled and moved to sit cross-legged. "Sirius says that you're hiding up here."

"Not hiding, just… thinking."

"About what?"

He frowned and shrugged.

Tonks elbowed him lightly. "Come on, Harry, you can tell me. We're friends, right? I think of you like my little brother."

A small smile escaped his lips. "Yeah, but you're like a grown up big sister now."

She laughed and scratched her chin. "I guess I kind of am… doesn't mean that I can't listen. Zee is down there making something that smells delicious in the kitchen. Why don't we go steal some of it?"

Harry shook his head, his brow wrinkling. "Nah."

Tonks smiled at him. "Don't you like Zee?"

He shrugged, his eyes on the string he was fiddling with from his shorts.

"Sirius seems to like her. They've been together since just before Halloween, which is pretty much a record for him according to my mum. But she works a lot and travels for weeks at a time so if you put that into consideration I guess it hasn't really been that long since they were together really, actually barely two months. But he seems to like her. She's gorgeous. I wish I looked like her, curvy and beautiful, then maybe someone would notice me." she added bitterly, her gaze moving down to the patio where Remus was sitting with Sirius and laughing.

Harry smiled at her. "You're so pretty, Tonks! Way prettier than Zee."

She kissed his cheek and he blushed. "Flatterer! Now come on, tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "It's just… Uncle Sirius seems to really like her and she's always hanging out here with us and it's not just me and him anymore. I feel like he doesn't even care that I came home for the summer."

Tonks' eyebrow rose. "Not even care? Harry, that bloke is over the moon that you are home for the summer holidays! He has been nonstop excited to have you back! We had dinner a few weeks ago and he talked mine and Zee's ear off about how excited he was for you to come home! How he wanted to show you the new workshop and his work on the bikes, to spend time with you, and to fly with you, and to introduce you to Zee - who was so excited to meet you."

"She was?"

"Of course she was, silly! You're the most important person in Sirius' life! He'd want her to love you just as much as he does."

"Does he love her?" Harry blurted out.

Tonks smiled at him, reaching out and gently brushing his hair away from his face. "I don't know, you'd have to ask him. I know he cares about her and that he likes to spend time with her. She makes him smile. She makes him laugh. She has an exciting job and she's kind of a badass. She just came back from North America where she was working with Thunderbirds and she's leaving again soon to track some Jarveys in Spain. They have a lot in common."

"I think you're a badass," he told her making her laugh.

"Oh, I totally am, but she is one too."

"I guess," Harry said as he sneaked a glance at her. "But I like that it's just me and Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus and sometimes you."

She smiled at him. "I know you do and that's because it's what you're used too. But change is good sometimes. Just you know, give her a chance before you decide to push her away."

He sighed and was quiet for a minute as he watched Sirius and Remus chat below. "Does Uncle Sirius know?"

"That you don't really like Zee? Nah, he's much too oblivious and too happy to notice. Plus, I think he's still in that mindset of being so absolutely happy that you made it out alive at the end of the school year to even consider thinking or worrying about anything else. Remus is happy too. When they told me what happened…"

Harry watched her watch Remus for a few minutes. "You like him."

"Like who?" Tonks asked, looking bewildered and slightly flushed.

"Uncle Rem," Harry said smartly. "You still fancy him even after all of these years."

She chuckled. She remembered telling Harry when she had been fourteen that she was going to marry Remus Lupin one day and how he would have to call her Auntie Tonks. Harry had found that hilarious. "I never really stopped, but now I like him for completely different reasons than I did when I was a kid. Now I like the man that he is and it doesn't matter anyway, he doesn't feel the same about me. He still thinks that I'm a little kid."

Harry frowned at that. "You're not a little kid. You're a badass Auror, an A1 actually."

Tonks laughed and kissed his cheek. "And don't you forget it, Harry Potter!" She sighed. "Remus thinks that I'm too young for him, which I suppose is fair, he is quite a bit older than me and I get that, but still… "

"Not only that, it's because of his..." he trailed off.

He had never once spoken to anyone that Remus was a werewolf. He had kept his promise and he knew that even Tonks didn't know. But he knew enough that Sirius was always lecturing Remus on not putting himself down for something that he couldn't control. He knew that being a werewolf was something that ate at Remus. And he knew that the reason Remus was really pushing Tonks away was because she didn't know and he thought that she would be repulsed by him if she ever found out.

"Because of his what, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. It wasn't his secret to tell even though he thought she deserved to know the real reason. "He's stubborn is all. He asks about you a lot. Asks what we talk about and if you seem happy. I think he likes you too."

Tonks frowned at that, her gaze moving back down to where Remus was sitting. "He does, does he? Then why does he push me away? He doesn't even act like my friend anymore." She reached around her neck and pulled out the long chain she wore, fiddling with the wolf pendant on the end of it. "He sent me this for my birthday. I thought it was interesting as I've always liked wolves, but I didn't know that he knew that?"

Harry smirked. He found that even more interesting. "One day you will be my auntie, I think."

Tonks grinned widely and draped an arm over his shoulder. "And then you can be the godfather when I have a kid, deal?"

He grinned huge. "Deal."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Just reminder if you were to read this in sections, it is the following:_

 _Chapters 1-49: Harry's first year with his dads._

 _Chapters 50-61: Harry ages 7-11._

 _Chapters 62-73: Harry's first year at Hogwarts._


	75. Chapter 75

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE:**

 **As the week went on, Harry thought about what Tonks had said to him.** Why the idea of Sirius having a woman in his life made him so unhappy? He couldn't explain it. But every day when Zee appeared with a smile and a kind word, when she kissed Sirius or held him close - Harry felt a wave of jealousy and anger pass over him. He wanted all of Sirius' attention!

After all, he was the one who had faced Voldemort yet again!

He was the one who had bravely sought out the stone when McGonagall didn't believe him!

He was the one who had saved the day!

Shouldn't that be celebrated? Shouldn't that be praised?

He was acting like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum and he knew it, but he couldn't stop his emotions from beating him up and he found himself doing his best to find reasons not to like Zee. Even when he knew they were stupid.

He hated that she wore a big gardening hat when she worked outside.

He hated her rainbow sunglasses.

He hated her rich laugh that made her eyes twinkle.

He hated the way that she was always bringing over chocolate chip biscuits or freshly made danishes as apparently she loved to bake.

He hated that they were always delicious.

He hated that he was being so stupid.

When Harry saw that she was making dinner for them in the kitchen a few days later, his stomach twisted uncomfortably. Why couldn't she just leave them alone? Why couldn't it be like it was before he went to Hogwarts, when it was just him and Sirius?

And the one thing that had been bugging him the most: Why hadn't Sirius ever mentioned her to him before?

"I'm going to Uncle Moony's for dinner," he declared suddenly from the kitchen doorway when he saw her. He didn't want to spend any more time with her and Sirius. He wanted Sirius to himself the way that it was supposed to be.

If she was here, he didn't want to be.

Sirius looked up in surprise from the table. "Sure, Prongslet. If you want to."

Harry simply headed straight to the Floo, turning without saying goodbye and arrived in Remus' living room. Remus was sitting on his sofa reading a book and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Harry!"

Harry sat down next to him and feeling like a young child, rested his head against his uncle's shoulder.

Remus put an arm around him and held him close, dropping a kiss on the top of his son's head. "Hey, everything okay, little Prongs?"

Harry shook his head as Remus held him, feeling content for the first time all summer as Remus gently ran his hand up and down Harry's arm. "Can I sleep over here tonight?"

Remus' mouth opened in surprise, but he nodded. "Of course you can! Harry, are you all right?"

"It's not the same at home," he murmured quietly, closing his eyes.

Remus only smiled, his hand rubbing Harry's arm in comfort. "What do you mean by that, little Prongs? Coming home after school felt different? You did have quite an exciting year, I suppose."

Harry shrugged. "Not different because of that but just… _she's_ there."

Remus was quiet for a moment. "Zee?"

Harry nodded.

Remus smiled kindly, leaning down to kiss Harry's forehead. "Harry, do you not like Zee?"

He shrugged again in response.

Remus smiled, understanding now. "Little Prongs, she's new in your life, I understand that. She's really nice and she's funny and smart, not to mention beautiful, and Sirius really likes her."

"He doesn't need her," Harry said stubbornly. "He has me."

"Ah," Remus said, nodding as he realized the root of the issue. "But you're not there anymore, not all of the time. You're away at school and Sirius is alone. Do you want him to be alone?"

"Well, no," Harry admitted, shifting uncomfortably on the chesterfield. "But I'm back now so she can leave." At Remus' questioning look, Harry sighed. "She's always _there_ , Uncle Moony! Uncle Siri doesn't have time for me anymore. He's too busy snogging her. He doesn't even care that I'm home! He didn't even care enough to tell me about her!"

"That is absolutely not true. You are the most important person in Sirius' life and he will always have time for you," Remus said quietly. "As to why Sirius didn't tell you about her… I think that he just got used to keeping his… for lack of a better word — flings, private from you. Zee kind of snuck up on him, I think. I don't think that it was intentional on his part not to tell you about her."

"He'd rather spend time with her," he said bitterly, standing up. "We can't even have dinner without her being there!"

Remus smiled sympathetically. "Harry, Zee has become a very good friend to Sirius and he likes having her around."

Harry rolled his eyes. "He's always snogging her, Uncle Rem, I think they're more than just friends. Can we have pasta for dinner?"

Remus smiled, standing up as well. "I'm sure we can. We might have to make a trip to the grocery store first. But Harry, I want to talk to you about Sirius and Zee. You need to tell Sirius this."

"He won't listen to me."

"Hey," Remus said, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder and turning him to look at him. "He will always listen to you. Always. Now you can of course stay here with me tonight, but tomorrow morning you're going to go home and tell Sirius what you told me today."

Harry shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "That I want him to stop seeing Zee?"

"That's not fair, Harry," Remus said quietly. "Zee makes Sirius really happy. He deserves to have someone in his life, maybe to get married one day and maybe even have kids too, if that was what he wanted. I'm not saying that's going to happen, but he deserves a chance at it. It wouldn't make him love you any less. What if I found a woman and started dating her and spending time with her? Would you hate me for it too?" He asked, picking up his teacup and bringing it to his lips.

Harry stared at him for a moment and then shrugged. "Depends if I get to call her Auntie Tonks or not."

Remus choked on his tea, spluttering and his eyes widening. "Excuse me?"

Harry smirked at him. That certainly answered his question about whether or not his father had a thing for Tonks or not. "I think that you belong with Tonks so if it was her, I'd be okay with it," he said so matter of factly that Remus found himself simply staring at him in astonishment. "Uncle Moony, do you really think that Uncle Sirius is going to marry Zee?"

Remus was trying not to choke on his tongue. Where the hell had Harry come to that conclusion about Nymphadora? "Sirius is not thinking about marriage, I was just saying that you don't know what the future will bring," he said, moving to open his cupboard and to see what was inside as he tried to wind his mind back down from Tonks to Zee.

Where on earth had Harry gotten it into his head that he should be with Nymphadora? She had barely spoken to him since he had rejected her yet again back in November and he could hardly blame her for it. She'd been friendly at Christmas, putting on a big smile - but since then, he'd barely even seen her. Sirius had told him that she was doing great in the Academy and flying through all of the tests brilliantly, though she had come close to failing the stealth detection due to her clumsiness, much to Sirius' amusement. Now she was a full fledged rookie in the Auror Department, an A1. She had moved into her own flat in London just after the Christmas holidays and she was working hard.

He had sent her a birthday present. He wasn't sure why he had, he hadn't spoken to her since his own birthday celebration, but he'd sent her a present. A white gold chain with a small crystal wolf on the end.

He had no idea why he had sent her the wolf either, but when he'd seen it dangling between her breasts the other day, he'd felt an odd claiming to her that satisfied the wolf on many levels.

She'd sent him a polite thank you card in response and he'd crumpled it in his hand and tossed it into the fire.

And when she'd shown up at Sirius' for dinner the week before Harry finished school, Remus' entire being had beckoned towards her. But he stood his ground, greeting her kindly and promptly ignoring her outside of polite conversation.

As he would continue to do so for his own sanity. He was making the right choice, he continued to tell himself, even though he knew now that it had been the wrong one. But he was too late to fix it. He had pushed her too far and now he had even lost her friendship and he had no one to blame but himself.

He looked back at Harry, swallowing carefully. "Why did you say that about Tonks, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, opening a bag of crisps that he found in the cupboard. "You're always staring at her and she at you. It's obvious you like her, but that you don't want her to know that you're a werewolf, which is stupid because Tonks isn't going to care about that."

Remus only goggled at him. "How did you get so insightful while acting like an insolent child at the same time?"

Harry grinned. "So _you do like_ her? How come you won't tell her?"

It was probably better to change the subject, Remus thought. He cleared his throat. "Harry, let's go back to Zee here — is she not nice to you?"

"No, she is." At Remus' raised eyebrow he sighed. "She's very nice and she smells good. She's a great cook too. The other night she made this taco casserole thing and it completely rocked — and she's funny with a cool job. Lady Godiva is kinda wicked too."

Remus smiled. "So… why don't you want her around?"

"Because when she's around Uncle Padfoot doesn't have time for me. He ends up snogging her instead. I don't get why snogging is so great anyway," Harry said bitterly under his breath.

Remus chuckled. "You will one day," he ruffled Harry's hair and reached into the bag of crisps. "You'll talk to Sirius?"

Harry nodded, munching on the crisps. "I'll talk to him. But not until tomorrow."

"Deal," Remus said with a smile. "Now while don't you find some noodles and I'll get started on the sauce."

Harry beamed at him.

But Harry ended up spending three nights with Remus, conning him into staying longer and the happiness on his face when Remus caved made Remus think that maybe Harry having a little break from Sirius was good for him. It was on the second day that Sirius popped into Remus' kitchen as Harry was outside flying.

He glanced at his friend. "He's mad at me."

Remus, who was washing the dishes only nodded. "Got that impression, did you?"

Sirius sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. "He just took off and said that he wanted to come over here for dinner. I wasn't going to say no. I like that he knows he can come to you whenever he wants to, but it's been two fucking days, Rem."

Remus smiled at his friend sympathetically. "I'm not going to tell you what he told me, Sirius."

"That's not why I'm here," he said, peeking out the window to spy on Harry flying. "I just want him to talk to me. I want to know what's bothering him and… I miss him."

Remus put the kettle on and sighed. "He will, Sirius. We made a deal. When he goes home, he talks to you. He's going to spend tonight with me and then I'll send him home after breakfast."

Sirius only nodded, stealing one more glance at his godson. "I'm going to spend the night at Zee's if he's here." At Remus' raised eyebrow, he tilted his head. "What?"

"You're spending the night now?"

He shrugged. "We do from time to time yeah, but we haven't since Harry's come home. I won't… it's only me and Harry in the house all of the time, no sleepovers. I won't have her stay when he's there, I won't allow it."

Remus nodded. "That's a good rule."

Sirius sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I miss having him sleep across the hall."

"He'll be home tomorrow, Sirius. Now go on and scat before he sees you."

Sirius shrugged and headed to the fireplace. "Rem, tell him I love him?"

Remus smiled at his friend. "He knows, but I will. See you later, Sirius."

Sirius disappeared into the green flames with a sigh.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry arrived home the next morning after breakfast, Sirius was waiting for him in the living room.** He was stretched out on the chesterfield, the newspaper in his lap and Marauder at his feet. He merely raised on eyebrow when Harry stepped out of the fireplace and he took a sip of his tea.

"Morning, Uncle Sirius," he said.

"Morning, Prongslet," Sirius said, watching him carefully.

Harry shifted uncomfortably on his feet. Uncle Moony hadn't said that he had to talk to him right away…

"Are you going to tell me why you ran off so fast the other night and then decided not to come home?"

Harry flushed, looking at his feet. "I wanted to spend some time with Uncle Moony."

Sirius moved his legs to the floor and gestured to the couch. "Sit, Prongslet."

Harry shuffled his feet as he took a seat on the couch, Marauder hopping up and placing his head on Harry's thigh. Harry scratched the dog absentmindedly.

Sirius stared at him for a moment. Harry didn't meet his gaze, but continued to look down at Marauder. "Zee was worried that she upset you the other night, did she?" he asked carefully.

Harry shrugged, still keeping his eyes on the dog.

Sirius bit his bottom lip. "Harry, do I have to remind you that you can always talk to me - about anything? Nothing in this world is more important to me than you."

Harry's eyes met his and the flush of hope there surprised him. "You promise?"

Sirius sighed, moving closer and wrapping an arm around him. "Prongslet, of course I promise. What's going on? Did Zee do something to upset you?"

Harry tugged himself away from Sirius and climbed to his feet, suddenly feeling as angry as he had the day before. "She's always here!"

Sirius' mouth opened in surprise. "She's not _always_ here, Prongslet."

"Yes, she is!" he exploded, feeling ridiculously angry. "She's been here every day for at least one meal and she was here when we were working on the motorbike and you two just kept talking about engines and comparing the Adler to the Triumph and… and… when I asked a question you just gave me a quick answer and went back to talking to her, or to snogging her! You don't even care that I came home for the summer! All you care about is stupid Zee and having stupid sex with her! I'm going to stay with Uncle Remus for the rest of the summer." he declared, turning to storm off to his bedroom to pack his things.

Sirius grabbed him before he could make his escape and pushed him back onto the couch. "Harry! You are not moving in with Remus for the summer!"

Harry crossed his arms stubbornly. "I don't need you!"

Sirius' heart clenched at those words. "Harry, I do not care about Zee more than you. Zahira and I… we… I… I don't know, we have… _something_. I guess we're kind of dating… it has been a while and… and I like her. I like her a lot. She makes me smile and we have a lot in common. I don't only care about her and about having sex with her, though I do really enjoy that part."

Harry merely stared at him, a pretty little pout on his face.

Sirius sighed. "Harry, I love you. You are my godson; the son of my heart. What do you want from me?"

Harry glared at him and a whirlwind seemed to whistle through the room, bright flames coming to life in the fireplace that made Sirius jump. "If you like her so much how come you didn't even tell me about her? I didn't even know she existed until you were snogging her in the kitchen!"

Sirius' mouth opened in surprise and he realized that Harry was right. All of the letters he had sent; every time he had spoken to his godson, he had never once mentioned the new lady in his life. "Harry… let's calm down a bit here, yeah? Your magic is starting a fire."

Harry merely scowled and when he crossed his arms, the fire went out and the windows slammed shut as the breeze blew through the living room, but when Harry's eyes met his, Sirius knew he had shoved his magic down, not stopped it.

"Harry, I've tried to keep my private life just that, private and separate from you. I never wanted you to get attached to someone that I had no interest in being with longterm. I… I tend to sleep around. I shag women and that's it."

"Why?"

Sirius sighed, blowing his cheeks out slowly. "When you get older, Harry, you… there are urges… but that's not… I was always focused on you. _You are_ my entire world. I never wanted to let anyone or anything make you feel the way that you are feeling right now and I'm so sorry that I failed you in that regard. _You_ are what's important in my life, not the women I slept with. Zee moved in next door and there was just this… chemistry between us. But even when I knew it was different, I was still in the mindset that I should keep it hidden from you. I'm sorry for that, Prongslet. Zee is… she's different. She's my friend and I don't really know what that means yet, but she is _different_. She wanted to come over and to meet you because all I ever talk about is you. _You_ are the most important person in my life. I love you more than anyone. I'm sorry that I kept her from you."

Harry stared down at Marauder, still petting him softly as a tear rolled down his cheek. "You lied to me."

"Hey," Sirius said, putting his arm around Harry again. "I didn't mean too, Prongslet. I can be… I can be very selfish sometimes, it's one of my faults. I'm not perfect and I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

"Are you going to marry her?" Harry asked, his eyes full of unshed tears as he looked up at Sirius.

Sirius' mouth opened in surprise. "What?"

"Are you going to marry her?" Harry repeated, his eyes hard now.

"No, Harry," Sirius said, kissing Harry's forehead. "I don't plan on marrying her."

"Not ever?"

Sirius sighed. "I've never thought about marriage. That was always something your dad wanted. James was a big romantic and he wanted to marry your mum more than anything in the world. No more lies, yeah?" At Harry's nod, he kissed his forehead again. "At this moment, I do not plan on getting married. Not to Zee. Not to anyone. But, I can't predict the future, can I? I won't say never because you never know what will happen. But Zee and I… we're just friends and neighbours and we have a little something else. I care about her. But I love you."

Harry's eyes sharpened again when Sirius said he cared for her and the words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. Even though he knew they were selfish and childish, he didn't care.

"You spend all of your time with her and it's not fair! I want you here with me all of the time. I don't want you to see her anymore! If you really love me you'll make her go away!"

Sirius' mouth opened in surprise and then he closed it. "You want me to stop seeing her? To stop being her friend?"

Harry nodded stubbornly. "Yes."

Sirius sighed, his eyes sad. He was quiet for a long moment. Harry wondered if he might have pushed him too far, but then he answered. "Prongslet, if that's what you want… if… if that's what you need from me right now then… okay, I won't see her again."

Harry's mouth opened in surprise. "You — you won't?"

"No, I won't," Sirius said sadly. "I'll go over there right now and tell her that I can't see her anymore. Will that make you happy?"

"Yes," Harry said, hugging Sirius tightly. He was completely shocked that Sirius had agreed so quickly.

Sirius hugged him back, kissing the top of his head as Tonks came in through the Floo. "Hey, Tonks," he said, giving her a half-hearted smile.

"Wotcher!"

"Can you stay with Harry for a bit? I have to run next door and talk to Zee."

"Of course," Tonks said with a smile. "You okay, Sirius? You look so… I don't know, I kind of want to say wounded?"

Sirius shrugged with a smile. "I'll be fine."

When the front door closed behind him, Tonks turned to Harry. "What was that about?"

Harry shrugged, but he had a pit in his stomach that he wasn't sure he liked the feeling of nor did he like the taste it seemed to have left in his mouth.

But now he would have Sirius all to himself again.

Exactly the way it was supposed to be.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius stood outside of Zee's cottage, taking deep slow breaths.** The short walk down the street and through the trees to her cottage seemed to have taken forever and with each step he kept telling himself that no matter how much he didn't want to do this, he had too - for Harry.

He knocked briskly. He couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face when she opened the door. She was in a short red sun dress that tied around her neck, barefoot, and her hair was loose, tight curls pooling over her shoulders. She was so gorgeous, he thought.

"Hey, Sirius," she said with a smile, leaning in to kiss him quickly before inviting him inside. She smelt like cinnamon and vanilla and his gut clenched at the thought of not seeing her again. He really did care for her. "I didn't expect to see you this morning. I thought you were going to spend the day with Harry."

"I am," he said, dragging his fingers through his hair as he sighed, frowning at her. It would be better if he just blurted it out. "Listen, I came by to talk to you real quick. It's been great between us. I mean, whatever this is that we've had going on has been great, and you are amazing and beautiful, but I think that it's time for me to move on."

Zee's mouth parted in surprise. "Move on?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, move on. It's been fun, but I think it's time to end things between us."

Zee simply stared at him. "You're joking, right?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I've loved the easiness of just having to come next door to get laid, but it has gone on too long and to be honest, I think I can do better."

The slap stung his cheek and surprised him more than it should have, making his eyes widen.

" _Easy access to get shagged_? Did you just say that to me?" she demanded, her eyes dark and blazing. "How _dare you_? And you think that you can do better? Are you fucking kidding me? Could you be any more of a complete bloody prick right now?"

Sirius shrugged, rubbing a hand over his cheek. "Not my fault that you put out so easily." Her eyes flashed and he took a step back, carefully keeping a blank expression on his face. "Thanks for the sex. I'll see you around - neighbour."

Sirius turned to open the front door and Lady Godiva hissed at him. He nodded at the panther and closed the door behind him. He didn't look back. And when he got back to his own cottage, he took a minute to stand in the drive and compose himself.

It was done.

She wouldn't question it as he had been harsh for that exact reason and Harry would be happy now.

When he saw Harry's eyes light up at the sight of him, his heart clenched. He had never loved anyone or anything the way he loved his boy. He would go to the moon for him if he asked him too. Nothing mattered more than Harry's happiness and after knowing that Harry had faced Voldemort again at the age of eleven, he wasn't taking any of that happiness away from him.

Not even for a second.

Harry's happiness was all that mattered and anything and everything he could do to protect that, to protect him, he would.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius woke in the darkness, blinking as he reached across the bed, surprised to find it cold.** After what he said to Zee, there was no way that she would ever be gracing his bed to warm it again. He'd only ever had a nightmare once when she'd been there - dreamed of being back in his cell in Azkaban, and he'd woken her because he'd been drenched in icy sweat. It had scared her as she shook him, trying to get him to awaken. He'd briefly told her that he'd had a bad dream and then he'd kissed her, begged her to make him warm again and she'd kissed him back, straddling him and made him think of much better things.

They hadn't spoken about it again.

His dream tonight had been intense, he thought. He'd been chasing Lady Godiva as he searched for Harry and Lady G had hissed at the man in the turban, her teeth gripping his head as the face growing out from the back of his head screamed in agony and then the man's face had changed to Harry's, his eyes flashing red and he murmured the killing curse.

Sirius had stood there, holding a hand over the panther's head as Harry morphed into James.

"Why didn't you save him? You were too busy thinking with your cock as usual! It's your fault that he's become a murderer. He's the darkest wizard to ever have lived! You're even worse than your father ever was! Harry would have been better off living with the Dursleys!"

James turned into Zee who beckoned him forward seductively. "Don't worry about Harry, Sirius, you have me. All you need is me. I'm going to ride you until you pop like fresh champagne — come to me."

And then Harry was there, bloody and bruised at five years old, his eyes wounded and when Sirius reached for him, he flinched. "Don't touch me! I don't like to be touched! Why did you leave me here? Why didn't you save me?"

And then he was in his dark cell, the cries around him deafening, and his bloody fists banged on the walls as he screamed.

His own screams were what had woken him and he reached across the bed once more, still finding it cold and empty. Then he felt eyes on him and saw Harry and Marauder in the doorway of his bedroom.

"Hey, Prongslet," he said, his voice a little rougher than he had intended.

Harry merely stared at him. "Another nightmare?"

Sirius nodded, swallowing slowly. The last thing he needed was to worry his son with his nightmares. "I guess so. Don't remember it though which is good. Didn't mean to wake you."

Harry shrugged and moved to hop up onto the bed. "It's okay. I was dreaming about Voldemort."

Sirius nodded, wrapping an arm around Harry. "We're a pair, eh?" He kissed the top of his head. "Nightmares plaguing us, left and right."

Harry grinned up at him. "It sucks."

"Completely," Sirius said with a grin, kissing the top of his son's head again. "I guess you're probably getting too big to climb into bed with me and want me to make everything better, eh?"

Harry smiled at him. "I don't know, it sounds like you need me to make everything better now?"

Sirius smiled back. "Definitely. Just having you home again makes me feel better." He wrapped his arms tighter around him. "You're growing up, kid. It's terrifying."

"I'm still small! Ron towers over me and Neville is even taller!"

Sirius grinned, chuckling. Harry was still a little on the small side, still kind of scrawny despite how much he ate, but Sirius knew that his father had been the same. "Nothing to worry about, everyone gets their growth spurts at different ages. Your dad was the shortest until after second year than he towered over all of us. Then suddenly the summer before fourth year, Remus grew like a foot and put us all to shame. James and I were so mad, we liked being the tall ones."

Harry smiled back. "So I will grow taller? I want to be as tall as Uncle Remus."

Sirius chuckled. "Well, maybe not that tall, but you'll be tall don't worry. James was six foot two. Remember how much you've grown since just Christmas? I marked it on the post in the kitchen doorway. And you have grown taller, you almost reach Tonks' shoulders now."

Harry rolled his eyes. "But she's short!"

Sirius smirked at him. "She's not that short, Prongslet. You'll grow tall, I promise. Speaking of growing up, you're going to be twelve soon. What are we doing for your birthday this year?"

"You're not going to plan it?" Harry asked in surprise.

He grinned. "I can. I just thought that you're turning twelve and you have your new friends from school so maybe you had something in mind."

He shrugged. "I don't know. Can we just have a party here? With maybe music and a bonfire?"

"That sounds nice and simple."

"Simple sounds nice. Can I invite whoever I want?"

"A hundred people."

Harry laughed. "I don't even know a hundred people."

Sirius kissed his forehead. "Then the limit is endless. Send out owls tomorrow morning."

"Okay," he said, moving to hop off the bed. "Will you be all right if I go back to my own room?"

"Who's the parent here, mister?" At Harry's quick grin, he smiled. "Go, I'm good."

Harry only stared at him. "I can stay if you want… if... if you don't want to be alone."

Sirius smiled gratefully at him. "I'll be fine. Go to bed."

But he waited until Harry was back in his room sleeping soundly and then he made his way downstairs and outside to the workshop.

He wasn't going back to sleep tonight.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _I had fun writing this chapter. Harry has been spoiled by essentially growing up with the undivided attention of Sirius and Remus, so I thought that when that attention is diverted a bit, he would notice, and he wasn't going to be too fond of anyone who took it away. Not to mention that Sirius has never before introduced anyone he was dating to Harry until Zee. Harry only knew Althea as his healer and later as a friend of his godfather's. Sirius hasn't said anything about a new someone in his life — obviously Harry is not going to take that well._

 _Thank you for reading and please review!_


	76. Chapter 76

_Author's Note:_

 _Do we think Sirius made the right choice? He chose Harry over his own happiness. I guess we shall see._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX:**

 **Harry stayed in bed a little later the next morning, wondering if Sirius had gotten any more sleep.** He had heard him go outside and into the workshop — the workshop that was so perfectly suited to him, he thought. Sirius had posted all of his Muggle motorbike posters with the naked girls on the walls and some of his rock posters along with his old Gryffindor banner and he had hooked up the record player to blare through the workshop. He knew that Sirius was spending an extra amount of time out there since he and Zee weren't seeing each other any more.

He felt a little guilty for that, but he also really liked having Sirius around all of the time again and having him to himself. Sirius didn't need her, Harry thought, not really.

He made his way downstairs and helped himself to some breakfast. He was in the process of making scrambled eggs when Sirius came inside in faded blue jeans and his hair pulled back.

"Good morning, Harry," he said wiping sweat from his brow. "Sleep well?"

Harry nodded, adding more eggs to the pan. "Yeah. You?"

He shrugged. "Of course. Eggs look great, thanks. I'm going to go clean up."

Harry watched him head upstairs and he sighed. The smile hadn't quite reached Sirius' eyes in the last two weeks and he knew that it was completely his fault. He looked up at the owl who flew into the kitchen, taking the letter. He finished scrambling the eggs and put them on two plates with toast before he opened the letter, grinning when he recognized Hermione's neat writing.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I can't believe that you actually made your godfather break up with his girlfriend! What a terrible thing to do! The only way that I find this to be justified is if she was a terrible person and was hurting him or you, but by the sounds of her, she's great, and you're just acting like a spoiled child. I am very disappointed in you and a bit in your godfather. Why did he listen to a sullen eleven-year-old about his love life? However, I can't believe that he never even told you about her! If she was so important to him, how come you never even knew she existed? I don't know, Harry. I don't agree with what you did, but I don't think your dad acted very mature either. It sounds like there's a communication problem there._

 _How are you doing since everything happened? On top of the end of the school year, I imagine coming home to that bombshell wasn't quite what you expected. Are you all right?_

 _As for me, my summer has been quite exciting. Dad took me on a trip to Amsterdam and we went to museums and libraries and rare book stores. It was the best! Plus, we tried some great food and I told him all about my first year — and we had a serious talk about how this year I can't let you two idiots con me into breaking so many school rules. Mum was particularly annoyed with me for that one and I played down the whole you almost dying bit, but I think Dad was a little pleased. He always tells me I'm too high strung - which is ridiculous and completely insulting. Dad and I leave Amsterdam today and we're meeting Mum in Paris on the way home to stay a day or so. She was visiting her best friend from school, which is why she didn't come with us. I should be home in the next three days._

 _Maybe we can plan to meet up soon; get our school supplies together or something? Maybe by then you will have had a more exciting summer and stopped causing such mischief at home._

 _With love,_

 _Hermione_

Harry sighed as he read the letter. He knew that Hermione was quite right, he had acted like a child in asking Sirius to choose him over Zee. But he had been incredibly thrilled that Sirius had chosen him. It didn't matter. It was over with now and nothing he did was going to fix it.

"Prongslet, forgot to mention," Sirius said as he came back into the kitchen. "I got us a few tickets to see Manchester United next week, it's three days before your birthday. I got six tickets so I figured you could bring Ron, Neville, and Ginny, then you, me, and Remus can go. You said Ron was the one who didn't understand the game, right?"

Harry nodded, grinning at his father as he closed the letter in his hand. "Yeah, that sounds perfect!"

"Who's the letter from?" Sirius asked as he took a seat at the table and immediately dug into the eggs.

"Hermione. She's in Amsterdam with her dad."

Sirius' eyebrow rose at the name. "Hermione, right... I've been meaning to talk to you about her."

Harry gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Well, you did lose all of those house points because you were sneaking around with that witch in the Astronomy Tower no less, which I'll have you know, was _the_ prime snogging spot when I was in school."

Harry blushed. "Uncle Sirius! I don't — I mean, Hermione and I… I wasn't snogging her!"

Sirius grinned at him, winking now. "No? Not even a quick peck?"

Harry blushed further. "No! I told you! We were getting rid of Hagrid's dragon!"

Sirius watched him for a moment in amusement. "She's not your type or what?"

If possible, Harry turned even redder and slid down in his chair. "We're just friends!"

Sirius grinned, chuckling to himself. Harry wasn't ready for the talk yet, he thought. Not yet. But he had a feeling that by next summer, that talk would be something he'd have to have with his godson. "All right, all right. Just wanted to check, you know. When you start thinking about snogging, I want to know. We have important things to discuss about it."

Harry frowned, his forehead still burning. "Ugh."

Sirius only laughed. "Why don't you Floo over to Uncle Rem's and tell him about the tickets and then you can owl your friends and invite them? You can send owls out for your birthday too. We'll have the party the Saturday after the game, okay? I know it will be August then, but Saturday is the best day for the party."

Harry grinned and nodded, relieved that the subject of snogging seemed to have changed. "Okay!"

After breakfast, Harry headed over to Remus' to tell him about the football game and he was surprised when Remus told him that Ron, Neville, and Ginny were not allowed to attend the game with them.

Harry simply frowned at him. "Why not, Uncle Rem? I told Uncle Siri that Ron had to come because he doesn't really get the whole Muggle football thing and he already bought the tickets."

Remus simply shook his head as he leaned against the doorjamb to his living room. "Why should you get to hang out with your friends when you made Sirius stop seeing his?"

Harry stared at him in surprise. "I didn't." At Remus' look, he shifted uncomfortably. "He doesn't care, Uncle Rem."

But Harry knew that was a lie.

The last two weeks, Sirius had been incredibly attentive to Harry. They spent almost every waking moment together; talking and laughing and working on the motorbikes (the Ducati was completely finished and they had moved onto the Adler now), listening to music, flying in the yard, going to local Quidditch games, and hanging out with Remus or with Tonks. But as much fun as he had been having with Sirius, he could see that he did indeed care.

How often had he caught his father staring off in the direction of Zee's cottage? How often had he seen his father looking sad only to mask it? How often had he watched his father transform into Padfoot and wander next door just to 'go for a run' he claimed? And the one thing that Harry had noticed the most was how often his father was having nightmares again.

Harry wanted to protect Sirius from his bad dreams too: To be there for him the way that he was always there for him. He tried to be there when he woke up and give him a hug, but he could see that he needed something else. He didn't know if having Zee in his life helped the nightmares, but he certainly saw what not having her made his father feel.

Harry looked at Remus now, his eyes full of guilt.

Remus simply crossed his arms across his chest. "I asked you to talk to him, Harry, to tell him how you were feeling and you did the complete opposite of what I asked of you."

"No," Harry insisted. "I did talk to him!"

Remus sighed. "Asking him to break up with her wasn't fair. He misses her. She made him happy in ways that I don't think he realized he was unhappy."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He knew that Remus was right. He had known Remus was right the moment that Sirius had told him that he would stop talking to Zee, but he hadn't stopped him. He had just let his father go next door and end things between them. He couldn't count the number of times that Sirius had mentioned Zee in passing and then stopped himself whether in terms of the engines or the motorbikes, in terms of something they ate, or even when it came to movies or music and when he did, he would catch himself, and quickly change the subject.

And Harry had let him.

"I don't want him to be unhappy," Harry said, staring at his feet.

Remus gently lifted his chin so that he could look into his eyes. "You're going to be twelve next week. You're not a little boy anymore, Harry, and you don't need mine or Sirius' undivided attention twenty-four/seven anymore. We are _always_ here for you, both of us, whenever you need or want anything, but we have our own lives too. I think you owe both Sirius and Zee an apology, little Prongs."

Harry sighed, guilt swimming in his gut and making him feel nauseous. He knew that Remus was right. He had been selfish and inconsiderate and petty. "If I apologize can Ron and Neville and Ginny come watch Manchester United play with me? I haven't seen them all summer, not since the train station?"

Remus shrugged. "You apologize, Harry, and then we'll talk about it."

~ ASC ~

 **The day before the football game, Harry made his way down the street with Marauder.** Marauder was so good and so well behaved that he walked alongside him, never making an attempt to run or to scamper off. That was until he saw Zee's cottage, then he booked it across the lawn, barking happily in greeting and jumping at the woman wearing a large wide brimmed gardening hat and kneeling in the dirt.

Harry hung back as he watched her greet Marauder enthusiastically, scratching his belly and laughing as he stared at her adoringly for giving him attention. He liked that she loved his dog, he thought.

Her eyes briefly scanned the street and despite the rainbow lenses she wore hiding her eyes, he saw her jolt in surprise at the sight of him before she lifted her hand and waved at him. He waved back, making his way towards her.

"Hi, Zee," he said, laughing when Marauder came over and jumped up to lick his face.

"Hi, Harry. Where are you off too?"

He shrugged. "No where." At her raised eyebrow, he grinned. "Uncle Sirius thinks I'm in my treehouse.

"That's the coolest treehouse I've ever seen. Do you know how jealous I was when I saw that?"

He grinned widely. "Yeah, it's pretty brilliant."

She stared at him for a moment before she spoke. "Your father is going to flip when he sees that you're not in that treehouse, you know that, right? Do you have any idea how worried he was when he found out that you were in the hospital?"

Harry nodded. He remembered the worry in Sirius' eyes when he had woken up in the hospital wing so he did have some idea. "I know. I'll be back before he even realizes I'm gone. I just… Zee… I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean to make you think that I don't like you."

She smiled kindly at him. "Nah, I get it. It's just been you and him for a long time. It's hard to share. When my mum died, it was just me and my dad for a bit. It's hard to get used to someone else. But you don't have to worry, Sirius, doesn't want anything to do with me. He made that pretty clear."

"No!" Harry protested, his eyes wide. "No, that's because of me!"

Zee stared at him in confusion. "Sweetie, it had nothing to do with you!"

"I was jealous of you!" he blurted out quickly.

" _What?_ " Zee asked in bewilderment.

"It was different. When I came home again," he said quickly. "I thought it was going to be like before I went to Hogwarts, but Uncle Siri was always too busy with you to make time for me. I thought… I thought it meant that he didn't care about me anymore and when I told him, I said… I said that it was because of you and that I didn't want him to see you anymore. So he came over here and… I'm sorry."

Zee stared at him for a long moment and then she started to laugh. "You told him that he shouldn't see me anymore and he just agreed? Like that? Foolish, stupid man!"

Harry sighed. "He misses you, I can tell. And he's sad now and it's all my fault. Can't you please forgive him? You can hate me, it's okay, but please don't be mad at him! I promise I won't complain, not once! Even if you get married and have babies and forget all about me!"

"Harry, that would never happen, sweetie!" Zee exclaimed, tugging her sunglasses off and hanging them in the neck of her shirt. "First of all, Sirius and I like spending time together. We enjoy each other's company, but I'm not ready to get married. Hell, I'm not even remotely thinking about it — and I know that he isn't! I'm definitely not ready to have any babies! Second of all, even if I did marry Sirius, I would never for one second even consider replacing you in any way because part of the reason that I like Sirius so much is because of how much he obviously loves and adores you. You are his entire world, Harry, and nothing and no one will ever change that. I can promise you that."

Harry smiled at her. Hearing the words from her mouth about Sirius' affection for him, made his heart burst in happiness and made him feel that much more guilty about what he had done. "So, you'll forgive him then?"

Zee sighed and pushed her sunglasses back on her face. "I didn't say that either."

Harry grinned at her. "Do you like football?"

Zee smiled at him. "What a strange question. Yes, I like football."

"I like football. Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus, and I used to kick the ball around all of the time. My friend Ron has no idea what football is because he doesn't know any Muggles and Dean loves West Ham and talks about it all the time. It drives Ron bonkers. He can't understand how a sport would be interesting when there's only one ball. It's my birthday next week and part of my present is to go to the game tomorrow. We're going to see Manchester United play tomorrow afternoon. Ron, Neville, Uncle Sirius, Ginny, Uncle Remus, and I - but you should come too. I know Uncle Rem will give you his ticket. And it would make Uncle Siri so happy if you came and me too!" he said very quickly.

She laughed. "And why would Uncle Rem give me his ticket?"

"Because he says that Sirius misses you too," he responded simply.

Zee was quiet for a long moment. She looked out towards the trees in the general direction of their home as if she was lost in thought and then she sighed, biting her bottom lip. "What time is the game?"

Harry just beamed at her.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry managed to get back to the cottage without Sirius noticing that he had been absent.** At least he thought he had, until he found his godfather lying in the hammock in the treehouse waiting for him.

"Er, hi, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius merely raised a brow at him. "Sneaking off again? What did I do this time?"

Harry shook his head and crawled into the hammock with his godfather. "It was what I did."

Sirius didn't say anything and Harry sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Uncle Siri. I made you push Zee away. I was being selfish, I know that now. Uncle Remus told me. He said that I was selfish and that I should know better. That just because you liked spending time with her didn't change how you felt about me," he said softly.

Sirius opened his arms up so that Harry's head was on his shoulder. "I never want you to feel like you are not the most important person in my life, Harry, _never_! After what happened in June, I want you to know that even more. I love you, Prongslet. There is nothing and no one in this world that will ever change my mind about that."

Harry hugged him back. "I love you too, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius kissed his forehead. "And don't worry about me and Zee. I fucked up. You did nothing wrong! I should have told you about her from the first, or at least over Christmas, after we'd been hanging out for a few weeks. But I didn't and that's on me. But it's over between us now. I said some pretty terrible things to her. She's just going to be our neighbour from now on and that will have to be enough. "

"You don't want her to just be our neighbour. If you did, you wouldn't keep wandering over as Padfoot to see her."

Sirius' mouth opened in surprise. He hadn't realized that he had been caught. As Padfoot he had wandered to her house quite often, loving the feeling of her showering him in attention while knowing that he didn't deserve it after the way that he had treated her — but he just wanted to see her. The sight of her calmed him and Zee had no idea that Padfoot was Sirius in Animagus form. The fact that Harry had noticed his little visits annoyed him. He had felt like he was being rather discreet.

"Listen, wise guy, I took your advice already and I was a bloody arse to her. Trust me, she's not going to come around again any time soon."

"She might," Harry said with a grin. "If you stopped being a bloody arse."

Sirius smirked at him. "Oh yeah? And how do you suppose I do that?"

"You could bring her flowers," Harry said with a grin. "Mrs Weasley always get googly-eyed when Mr Weasley brings her some."

"Women do like flowers, that's true," Sirius said with a smile, amused by his son's advice. "But I think I hurt her a lot and that flowers aren't quite going to cut it."

"Well, you also have to say you're sorry. She's coming to the football game with us tomorrow so you can tell her then."

Sirius stared at him in surprise. "She's — _what_?"

Harry nodded. "I gave her Uncle Remus' ticket, with his permission of course. Maybe you could apologize to her. Tell her that it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Prongslet. I'm the idiot that broke it off with her and pushed her away. I'm the idiot that never even mentioned her to you, my son, and the most important person in my life. We both made mistakes, Harry."

"Do you love her?"

Sirius' eyes widened. "What?"

"Do you love her?" Harry repeated, watching his godfather's face closely.

"I… I like her a lot," he said carefully.

Harry nodded and crawled out of the hammock. "Don't be an arse then."

Sirius' mouth dropped open as Harry slid down the fireman's pole. "Hey! Get back here, you little twerp!"

~ ASC ~

 **The football game entertained Ron to no end.** Neville was equally as intrigued by it, but he had been excited to go in the first place whereas Ron had adamantly refused at first. But as the first few goals were scored, Ron was getting into the spirit of the game, cheering and shouting at the refs and making Harry laugh.

He turned to grin at Ginny, who had a big smile on her face. "I think he's enjoying himself."

Ginny nodded eagerly, smiling back at him, "Me too. Thanks for inviting us, Harry!"

"Of course," he said with a smile.

He had written to her a few times over the school year, but seeing her again felt kind of strange. He didn't feel like they were as close friends as they had been before and he thought maybe she felt it too. He had missed her though and when she had hugged him tight when she saw him, he realized how much he had missed having her around.

He had grown a bit, he realized because she seemed even smaller than before, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulders. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, his eyes on her as she watched the football game with interest. She would be coming to Hogwarts this year. That would be a change. Ron had already made a comment about hoping she didn't want to hang around with them all year. Harry wasn't sure what he thought about it. He liked Ginny and he did want to see her at school, but it wasn't like she was going to be in any of his classes or anything.

He pushed his thoughts aside, still unsure on what to think of that and let his eyes shift back to the game.

Sirius was sitting back from the kids with Zee, he kept sneaking glances at her, but she was ignoring him and watching the football game. He had an urge to wrap an arm around her waist, pull her back against him and nibble on her neck. But he had a feeling that it wasn't going to be accepted.

He figured he'd take a chance and he reached a hand out, brushing his fingers with hers. Her gaze moved to his, but he couldn't see her eyes as she was wearing those rainbow lenses.

"Have I told you how happy I am that you came today?"

"No, you haven't," she said.

Sirius linked his fingers with hers, pleased when she didn't tug her hand away. "I'm so happy you're here. I've missed you."

"Well, when you lose such a _convenient and easily accessible shag_ , it is a struggle to do better. Oh wait, you said you _could_ do better than me."

He winced and when she tugged her hand away, he understood. "Have I told you that I suffer from idiotitis?" At her raised brow, he grinned and moved closer to her. "I don't let my brain catch up with my mouth. I let my son dictate my life and the thought of losing my son made me question all of my own personal choices?"

Zee sighed and fully turned to look at him now. "I understand why you decided to dump me. You were terrified in June after what happened with Harry and I can't blame you. Harry threw a tantrum and you caved because like I've said before, you're a big softie."

Sirius smirked at her. "I'm also an idiot."

"Noted. Sirius, you never even told him about us. Did you really think that he would just be fine with it?"

"Have I mentioned that I'm an idiot?"

She smiled softly. "The first moment I saw you — _I wanted you._ You looked so damn sexy with those jeans sitting low on your hips, shirtless, sweaty, and covered in tats. The sexual pull surprised me and I lashed out more harshly than I should have over you jinxing Lady G, when obviously you reacted perfectly normal to a fully grown panther running towards you. Then you told me about your son and your eyes just lit up, your body relaxed and I could practically feel the love you felt just pouring off of you in waves. It only made you that much more attractive."

"I've missed you, Zee. More than you know," he told her honestly. "I didn't mean anything I said… I just… I just wanted to make you hate me so that you wouldn't question why I was breaking it off. I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve that."

"Harry told me that you missed me," she said with a small smile. "Padfoot keeps getting loose too, Sirius. I've found him in my yard quite often. He's a big softie too and he likes to cuddle with me. It makes Lady G rather jealous herself which just goes to show that even animals don't like change. Harry had every right to be angry with you and with me. I shouldn't have imposed myself on his life so quickly. I'll be around still, but you spend the summer with him, enjoy having him home with you while you can. He's what's important and I'm being assigned out of country again in a few weeks."

"It sounds like Harry was just full of information, wasn't he?"

Zee smiled. "Harry also told me that even if we get married and have lots of babies he wouldn't interfere in our relationship."

Sirius paled. "W-w-what?"

Zee laughed and stood on her toes to kiss him softly. "Don't worry. The thought scares me too."

Sirius chuckled nervously, but then her arms were around him and her lips were on his. When she pulled away to smile at him, he grinned back. "Am I forgiven?"

Zee shrugged. "Let's call it a path to redemption."

His eyebrow lifted. "I'm going to be working it off for a while, aren't I?"

She just smiled and leaned over to nip at his earlobe. "You have no idea."


	77. Chapter 77

_Author's Note:_

 _Harry does know that he was in the wrong and so does Sirius. But Zee doesn't want to make a scene in front of Harry's birthday celebrations — so don't worry, they will be having a talk._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN:**

 **Sirius smiled at McGonagall when she stepped out of the fireplace and into his living room the day of Harry's birthday party.** "Hi, Minnie," he said, bending to kiss her cheek.

McGonagall smiled at him. "Hi, how's Harry doing?"

"Pretty well. You wouldn't even know that he faced a dark wizard in June. The kid is resilient. We had a rocky start this year because of Zee but… I think we're good now."

McGonagall's eyebrow rose. "Zee?"

Sirius nodded, smirking at her. "Zahira Zacarias and yes, Minnie, you will finally get to meet her tonight."

McGonagall smiled. The thought of meeting the woman who had kept Sirius Black's attention the last few months was interesting to her. "Why did Harry have a rocky start?"

Sirius dragged his fingers through is hair. "I… I never told him about her. He was angry, as he should have been, and we… we argued, but we worked it out — I think. He seems okay with everything now. He's even the one who insisted that Zee attend his birthday today."

McGonagall nodded, smiling at him. "I'm looking forward to meeting this woman."

"I can't wait for you to meet her either… I mean, we still have to work some stuff out between us, I said some pretty terrible things to her before after Harry and I… I broke up with her because of how Harry felt, but we've made up, I think, and… well, she's coming today on Harry's request, but we haven't really had a chance to talk yet, the two of us, that is, but I really want you to meet her, Minnie. She's fantastic." Sirius rambled on, making McGonagall smile.

The thought that Sirius Black wanted her to meet his girlfriend was interesting to her. She hoped the woman met her expectations of the kind of person he deserved in his life. In her opinion, no one deserved a chance at happiness more than Sirius Black.

"I'm sure I'll like her then. Sirius, I wanted to talk to you about that position on the board before the party gets underway."

Sirius wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I still don't know if that's for me, Minnie, I mean, can you really picture me sitting on a board of governors?"

"Yes, I can," she insisted stubbornly. "I submitted your name too so you can do more than think about it, and consider actually taking the job. Ferryweather is stepping down come mid-October. He decided to stay on and get the new school year up and running before he leaves. But the job is yours come the thirty-first of August. They need twelve governors and I think that you would be a great replacement for him in that twelfth spot. You're young, your son is only a second year, and you know what to do about the school. Dumbledore only just finally found a new Defence Against the Arts professor as it is and the board only approved him yesterday."

"That job is cursed," Sirius said bitterly as he glared at her. "Me in politics? I don't know."

"Sirius in politics?" Remus said as he stepped out of the fire. "I don't know about that either."

McGonagall nodded at him. "Not politics, Remus, though I think do he'd do quite well with that given the chance, but I want him to take the post on the Hogwarts Board of Governors."

"Oh," Remus said in understanding. "He'd be great at that."

"You think?" he asked, looking at his friend in surprise. "I don't know if that's really my thing."

"Just do it, Sirius. Besides, Lucius Malfoy is on the board and think of how much you could annoy him by ignoring any motion he tries to pass," Remus suggested making his friend's grin widen.

"There is that," he said with a grin as McGonagall rolled her eyes. "No, honestly. I'll think about it and get back to you."

"I need to know by the end of the week, Sirius," McGonagall told him sternly. "But I think you'd be wonderful at it."

He nodded, smiling at her. "Thanks, Minnie."

"Professor!" Harry exclaimed, coming in from outside with Marauder.

McGonagall smiled warmly at him. "Hello, Harry, how is your summer treating you?"

"Good," he said with a grin. "Can I call you auntie now?"

She laughed and nodded. "Oh, I suppose!"

Sirius grinned. "She loves it."

McGonagall only glared at him. "Shut it, Sirius." She turned back to Harry with a smile. "Happy Birthday, Harry," she said handing him a package wrapped in brown paper.

"Thanks, Auntie Minnie!"

Sirius smiled at her. "Come on out into the gazebo, Minnie. You want a glass of wine?"

"That would be wonderful, white if you have it, please," she said with a smile.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Minnie, as if I would invite you over without first stocking up on your favourite Italian sauvignon blanc. I do also have that French rosé you liked the last time you here as well."

She smiled gratefully at him as she followed Remus out into the backyard.

Harry stood next to Sirius in his birthday cape while the Beatles sang _Birthday_ on repeat from the wireless in the kitchen. "When is everyone else going to get here?"

"Soon," Sirius said with a smile.

He and Harry had spent all of yesterday afternoon decorating the yard and the treehouse. They had the wireless set up to play the local WWN station, snacks and drinks set up, a huge bucket of water balloons, containers of silly string, and the bonfire set up for later. According to Harry, he and his friends were just going to 'hang out', which was fine with Sirius. He had invited Minerva, Remus, Hagrid, Andromeda, Tonks, and Ted as well for himself and because they came to every birthday. Dumbledore had also been invited, but he had something going on at the Ministry and wouldn't be able to attend. He had also invited Zee at Harry's insistence, but she hadn't arrived yet herself.

If he was honest, Sirius found that he was a little nervous for Zee to attend as she would not only be meeting Andromeda and Ted for the first time, but Minerva too. No one's opinion mattered more to him than the Gryffindor matriarch.

The doorbell rang and Harry yipped as Marauder barked in excitement. Sirius pushed Harry sideways so that he fell over the couch, making Harry laugh as Sirius went to answer the door. He opened the door, smiling at the man who stood there. The man had salt and pepper hair, but his face was young with bright hazel eyes and he nodded politely. That's when Sirius noticed the tiny girl next to him. She was short and had bushy brown hair, rather large front teeth, and big brown eyes.

"Er, hello, is this Harry Potter's house?" The man said kindly, glancing at the address on the side.

Sirius nodded and smiled, extending his hand. "It is. I'm Sirius."

"Greg Granger and this is my daughter, Hermione."

Sirius smiled at her, his wand tapping the wall on the other side of the door to allow them through the privacy charms. "Right, Hermione, the girl my son got caught with up in the Astronomy Tower."

"Uncle Sirius!" Harry exclaimed from behind him, flushing red.

Hermione blushed as well as Sirius chuckled.

"I'm just teasing, come on inside," his eyes fell on the red Ford Escort in the drive. "Nice car."

Mr Granger smiled. "I like it."

Hermione smiled at Harry and hugged him. "Happy Birthday Harry!"

"Thanks, Hermione.

"It took us over three hours to drive here. I had to beg Dad to let me even come at all," she said, turning to glare in annoyance at her father.

Harry's eyes widened. "Three hours? Hermione, why didn't you send an owl? We could have just picked you up much faster!"

"I was going too," Hermione said in annoyance. "But Dad insisted that he had to meet your father first."

Mr Granger nodded at his daughter. "That's right. I don't want my little girl going to someone's house that I don't know."

Sirius chuckled. "That makes sense. Well, come on back then, Greg, you can have a drink and some snacks and relax before you drive back home."

"Thanks," Mr Granger said kindly as he followed Sirius outside.

"I like the cape," Hermione said with amusement. "Though twelve seems a little old to be wearing one, don't you think?"

Harry shook his head. "Nope. It's a Potter tradition. You wear the cape every year. All Potters do it. Uncle Sirius says that my dad made my mum wear it every year too and when she turned twenty-one, I apparently spit up on it. My dad thought it was hilarious."

Hermione laughed at the image. "That's kind of wonderful, actually. I'm glad you're carrying on that cheesy tradition. Who else is here?"

"No one else yet," Harry said. "Except for Auntie Minnie and of course Uncle Remus."

"Auntie Minnie?"

"McGonagall," Harry said with a grin as the fireplace flashed and he hurried forward, catching Ginny as she stumbled out. "Ginny!"

Ginny laughed and hugged him tight, kissing his cheek. "Happy Birthday, Harry!"

"Thanks!" he said, smiling at her as Ron came out a few seconds later.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron said grinning. "Did you just get here too?"

She nodded. "Yes. Dad and I drove. Hi, you must be Ron's little sister, Ginny, right?"

Ginny nodded, smiling brightly. "Hi."

The fireplace lit up again and Neville came through, tripping over the stone ledge and Ron reached out to steady him. "Whoa there!"

"Thanks, Ron," Neville said gratefully as he placed the present in his hands on the ground. "That would have been bad."

Harry grinned. "Hey, Nev. Ginny, is Luna coming?"

Ginny smiled at him. "I think so. Her and her dad were supposed to have gotten back from Majorca last week."

Luna stepped out of the fireplace a minute later, a dreamy smile on her face. Since she had lost her mother, Luna had let herself become very attached to Mr Lovegood, to his beliefs, and to her imagination. But Harry was still glad to see her even though he'd only seen her twice since her mother had passed.

"Hi, Luna!" he said brightly.

She grinned. "Hi, Harry. Happy Birthday. Hello, Ginny, and Ronald. I don't know you," she said staring at Hermione blankly.

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"Luna Lovegood," she said, taking a seat next to Ginny on the sofa. "Is the party going to be in here?"

Harry grinned at her. "No, it's going to be in the treehouse. We're just waiting on a few more people."

"Who else did you invite, Harry?" Ron asked, scratching his nose.

"Seamus and Dean."

As if on cue, the fireplace lit up again and Dean and Seamus both stumbled out, laughing.

"Harry!" Seamus said with a laugh. "You just missed it! Our next door neighbour just found out her husband was cheating on her! Mum had her face pressed against the window trying to listen in as they made a huge scene right in the front yard! Mrs Danvers was chucking all of his stuff in the rubbish bins right in the yard!"

Dean chuckled. "Hilarious for those of us watching."

Seamus nodded. "We decided to book it out of there as soon as possible." He glanced around the living room with a smile. "So this is where the famous Harry Potter lives… nice space."

Harry grinned at him. "We like it. Come on outside."

The eight of them headed out into the yard and Harry showed them the treehouse. Hermione, Seamus, and Dean all stared at it in surprise. Harry loved it when people saw how incredible it was for the first time. He led them all up to the top where the pirate ship was so that they could sit in the sun, listen to the wireless, and talk away from the prying eyes of the parents.

Harry noticed that everyone else had arrived as well and were all making their way into the gazebo to sit with Sirius, including Zee.

"Is that McGonagall down there with Hagrid?" Dean asked, as he looked down into the yard.

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"Wow, mate, they come to your birthday?" he asked in amazement.

Harry nodded. "Uncle Sirius considers McGonagall to be part of his family, loves her like a mum and invites her to everything. Remember when I lost points the first month of school because I kept calling her Auntie Minnie in class? It's because I've known her my entire life. Hagrid is friends with Uncle Sirius as well so he invites him over all of the time. The other people is my dad's cousin and her husband and then their daughter, our neighbour, my Uncle Remus, and Hermione's dad."

Ron's eyebrow rose at that news. "Your dad is here?"

Hermione nodded. "He insisted that I couldn't come unless he met Harry's father first, but it was a three hour drive and he wouldn't let me send Harry an owl about getting a magical ride or anything. He's still kind of nervous about magic and doesn't understand much about it, you know?"

"No," they all said and she blushed.

"Imagine only just finding out that magic exists. It's hard sometimes," she insisted.

Harry smiled at her. "I guess it would be."

Seamus clapped his hands together. "Who wants to play 'Would You Rather'?"

Dean groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I'd rather not."

Harry chuckled and leaned back against the steering wheel of the ship. "I don't know, Dean, it sounds fun."

Seamus grinned. "Excellent! Birthday Boy can go first. Would you rather spend an entire day alone with Snape or shave Hagrid?"

Ron busted into laughter. "I'm sorry but — _shave Hagrid_?"

Harry grinned back. He couldn't even imagine Hagrid without his copious amounts of facial hair. "Shave Hagrid obviously, who would want to spend any time with Snape?" He shuddered.

"Wait, wait, wait," Ginny said, holding her hands up as her eyes twinkled in mischief. "Maybe I'm just too used to Fred and George but — shave Hagrid… _where_ exactly?"

Seamus laughed, grinning widely at her. "I was just thinking his face, Weasley, but if you were thinking somewhere else…"

Ginny flushed. "No! I just wanted to clarify."

"Appreciated," Harry said, grinning at her. "I choose to shave Hagrid's _face_ over spending any time with Snape."

Seamus laughed. "Right, so Harry, now you pick the person sitting next to you on the left or the right and the game continues."

"All right," Harry said. On his right was Ron, but on his left was Ginny. He smiled at her. Her brown eyes were twinkling in laughter and he nodded. "Ginny, would you rather never be allowed to go to Hogwarts or go not knowing a single person there?"

"Go no matter what," Ginny said with a smile. "Having an abundance of big brothers probably only makes it worse."

"Oy!" Ron protested this.

Ginny grinned and turned to Neville. "Neville, would you rather fly on a broom or on Sirius' motorbike?"

Neville paled. "Neither, but if I had to choose I guess the bike, I feel like it has less of a chance of me tumbling to my imminent death or more cushion for when I fall." He grinned and turned to Dean. "Dean, would you rather play football or Quidditch?"

Dean thought hard for a moment and then grinned right at Ron. "Football."

Ron scowled. "Hey, I went to a Manchester United game and it was all right, but it's definitely _not_ better than Quidditch!"

Dean shrugged and grinned at Seamus. "Seam, would you rather snog Millicent Bulstrode or Snape?"

Seamus made a face of disgust. "I think I'd choose Snape."

"Oh, come on," Hermione protested. "Millicent isn't that awful, is she?"

Harry grimaced. "I don't think she cleans her teeth and her breath smells something terrible."

"Snape has rather yellowish teeth himself," Hermione said indignantly.

Seamus nodded. "Yeah, but I bet he at least knows how to snog well."

This solicited laughter among the group as Seamus turned to Hermione. "Hermione, would you rather be forced to be year long Potions partners with Malfoy or Goyle?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Malfoy. He's second in the class only to me and despite his ignorance and rude demeanour, at least he's extremely intelligent, not to mention that Potions is his best subject. Goyle on the other hand, is a buffoon."

Harry laughed at that. "Fair point."

Hermione smiled and turned to Ron. "Ron, would you rather fail all of your classes and become a Quidditch star or would you rather be completely ordinary, but a genius?"

"Quidditch star," Ron said, his eyes looking at her like she was stupid. "Who would want to be ordinary?" He turned at Luna. "Luna, would you rather be a Slytherin or a Hufflepuff?"

Luna stared dreamily as if she was still lost in another world and then she smiled. "I think Slytherin would be a nice change for me."

They all chuckled a bit at that and then started the game over.

~ ASC ~

 **By the time Sirius called them down for dinner, they were all still laughing and chuckling to each other.** Harry opened presents, thanking his friends and family and then they used up the silly string and the water balloons, chasing each other and laughing before having cake and ice cream and setting up the bonfire.

Sirius, Remus, Zee, and Tonks sat at the kitchen table while the kids were outside by the fire. Tonks helped herself to a beer, bringing three more over for the others.

"Harry really is growing up! He's out there without supervision and everything!" she said, making Remus chuckle.

"He really is. It's nice to see him getting along with all of his dorm mates too."

Sirius nodded. "As long as he enjoys his birthday he can do whatever he wants." He smiled at Zee, kissing her fingers when her hand touched his. "Thanks again for coming. I know that we still need to talk about some things."

Zee smiled warmly at him. "Of course, after all I was invited by Harry to keep you company, so I could hardly say no." She opened her beer and took a drink. "And we will talk, Sirius, tomorrow, after the celebrations." She turned back to Remus and Tonks. "I'm leaving again soon for a few weeks, so I'm glad to stop by now."

"Where are you going this time?" Tonks asked in interest.

Zee smiled at her. "A new mission for work. We got a tip that there's a blood-sucking bugbear somewhere outside of Belfast. I've been assigned there to first find out if it's actually there, and if so, find it - and remove it, from the Muggle population. I would have to then find a safe place for it to live."

"And that takes weeks?" Tonks asked.

Zee nodded. "Sometimes. It really depends on what I find. I'm leaving Monday after I check in with the DRCMC and we'll go from there. The locals are getting the facts and files for me first plus I have to decipher what the Muggles think is going on as well. Sometimes what they dream up is more entertaining than the creature."

"Did Sirius tell you that he's contemplating working for the Hogwarts Board of Governors?" Remus asked, drinking his own beer.

Sirius shrugged as Zee looked at him in surprise. "I haven't decided yet."

"You're doing it, Sirius," Remus insisted. "It's less than three hours a week and McGonagall wants you personally on the board. What is your reasoning not to?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Plus McGonagall was telling me that they only just found a new Defence Against the Darks teacher, _two days ago_! As if the job wasn't cursed before finding out your predecessor was killed is bound to make anyone want to take it even less than before."

"Who is it this year?" Remus asked.

Sirius chuckled now. "Do you remember Gilderoy Lockhart?"

Remus shook his head before his eyebrow rose. "Wait… that fifth year Ravenclaw bloke who carved his initials twenty feet high into the Quidditch pitch when we were seventh years?"

Sirius nodded. "That would be him. I don't know much about him except that he was rather full of himself. Minnie thinks that he's an awful choice, but she says that Dumbledore always has his reasons. We'll see. Anyway, the Hogwarts letters are late because Dumbledore was waiting on the hire, but they should be out tomorrow or the day after."

Tonks smiled, sipping her beer and leaning back in her seat. "Isn't Lockhart that good looking blond fellow who won Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award?"

Zee nodded, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "I think he was. He's pretty famous and he's done a lot according to his books. He sounds like he would be someone the students can really learn quite a lot from actually."

Tonks' eyebrow rose. "I suppose. We'll see. I think it's great that McGonagall chose you personally for the job on the board, Sirius."

Sirius smiled. "Minnie loves me like a son."

"Which is why meeting her today was so nerve-wrecking," Zee said as she sipped her beer.

Sirius grinned at her. "You were nervous to meet Minnie?"

She shrugged. "Not nervous, but a little anxious, yeah. Sirius, other than Harry and Remus, she is probably the most important person in your life. The way you speak about her, she's like a mother to you. I want her to like me."

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "She said that you were smart, sassy, and beautiful - and that she likes that you make me smile."

Zee smiled at him. "She did?"

Tonks chuckled. "You two are actually adorable." She glanced at the clock and then at Remus before she stood up and stretched her arms up, her shirt sliding up her stomach a little to reveal her belly button ring, which she had replaced that morning with the little crystal wolf pendant. "I should really head home. I've had my own flat for almost six months now and I'm never there to really appreciate it. Plus, I have a breakfast date early tomorrow morning."

Remus' head shot up from where his attention had been focused on her navel. "A breakfast date?"

Tonks smiled at him as his gaze immediately went back to the dangling wolf. "Yes. He's my new partner for work and we decided that we should get to know each other a bit first. His name is Hugh Arnett."

"So it's just work related then?" Remus asked, his voice a little tense.

Tonks thought about what Harry had told her concerning Remus liking her at the beginning of the summer and she grinned. "For now. He is rather handsome and charming though so one never knows where something might go."

Sirius grinned at her. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "What does that include? Not having sex in public?"

"Well, actually, there was this one time — ow!" he said as Remus kicked him.

Tonks laughed. "I'll behave." She kissed Sirius' cheek. "Tell Harry I said bye. Goodnight." She kissed Remus' cheek too and then she sauntered off as Remus' eyes watched her go.

Remus cleared his throat and stood up. "Dating someone she works with is a bad idea."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "She can date whomever she wants, Rem."

Zee smiled, standing up as well. "I'm going to head home too," she leaned down and kissed Sirius softly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Sirius grinned at her. "See you." Once the door closed behind her, he grinned at Remus. "Are you heading out as well?"

Remus glared at the door where Tonks had gone to Apparate home. "Don't you think that dating someone she works with is a bad idea?"

"I'm not going to answer that. But if he's handsome, charming, and wants to shag her senseless and she's interested — she's going to let him. She's a grown woman."

Remus' eyes darkened and his hands fisted at his sides. "She wouldn't… it doesn't matter," he whispered. "She can do what she wants. She's a grown woman."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, she is. Merlin, you are fucking stupid, Rem. I'm going to go round up the kids and get them home."

Remus nodded as he watched Sirius march outside.

The thought of _his Nymphadora_ in bed with another man made his blood run hot and he bit his bottom lip angrily.

She's not for you, he told himself.

She's not for you.

But for the first time in over three years, he started to wonder: Why couldn't she be?

~ ASC ~

 **Twenty minutes later, Sirius had sent everyone home through the Floo network, with the exception of Hermione, who he was going to Apparate home.** Mr Granger had left after his drink to start the long drive back as Sirius had reassured him that he would get his daughter home safely and quickly. He instructed her to hold tightly to his hand and to not let go. She shrieked and almost fell over when they landed in her yard.

"It's rather unpleasant the first few times, I know," he said sympathetically. He followed her to the backdoor, smiling at Mr Granger. "Home safe as promised, Greg."

Mr Granger smiled back. "Thank you, Sirius. This is my wife Jean."

"It's nice to meet you," Sirius said with a smile, nodding at the woman with the same bushy hair as her daughter, though hers was a blondish brown. "I have to get back. But I'm sure we'll see you in Diagon Alley next week."

Mrs Granger smiled back at him. "Sounds good. Did you thank Mr Potter for bringing you home, Hermione?"

"Thank you, Sirius," she said with a smile.

"Of course and it's Black, not Potter. Everyone just calls me Sirius. See you."

When he Apparated back into his own yard, he grinned at Harry who was throwing the frisbee with Marauder.

"Not tired?"

Harry shrugged. "Guess not."

Sirius grinned at him. "There's more birthday cake?"

Harry grinned back and followed his godfather into the kitchen as Sirius sliced them each a piece of cake. "Thanks for my party," he said as he accepted the cake.

Sirius smiled at him. "Of course, your friends seem nice. Hermione especially."

Harry rolled his eyes. "For the last time — I don't like Hermione like that!"

Sirius chuckled. "Nothing wrong if you did." He got up to pour them each a glass of a milk and sat back down. "Harry, there's something that I want to talk to you about."

"What?" Harry asked, hoping that it wasn't going to be about if he had ever snogged Hermione again.

Sirius sighed as he spoke. "Minnie asked me to work on the Hogwarts Board of Governors."

"What's that?" Harry asked, drinking his milk to wash down the delicious chocolate birthday cake that Andromeda had made him.

"It's a group of individuals who govern and help make decisions about Hogwarts and stuff like that."

"Would you be at school with me?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. I mean, maybe you might see me once or twice, but it's only an hour or so a week."

"Are you going to do it?"

"Do you think that I should?"

Harry smiled at him. "You're asking me to decide for you? I thought that you didn't want the advice of a twelve-year-old?"

"No, I said I didn't want the advice of a sullen eleven-year-old, but twelve, well, you're obviously wise in your years now."

Harry smirked at him. "I learned from you."

Sirius chuckled as he finished his cake. "I think I'm going to do it."

Harry nodded. "Good. If it's what you want, then you should."

"Zee is heading out on Monday too for a job. She's probably going to be gone for the rest of the summer. I'd like to spend some time with her before she goes. And well, we need to talk about some stuff — namely I need to make it up to her the terrible things that I said to her when I broke up with her. Would you mind hanging out with Uncle Rem tomorrow while I do that?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I think that I'm old enough to stay home alone, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius merely stared him down. "I think maybe Voldemort tried to kill you a little over a month ago and I don't want you home alone."

Harry sighed. He could agree that was a fair reason. "Fine. But only because snogging Zee makes you happy for some unknown reason."

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. "That it does, my young man, and trust me, one day you will understand."

Harry just grinned back at him. It was great to see Sirius so happy again. They were back to normal and nothing else mattered to him.


	78. Chapter 78

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dobby's warning — but as always, I changed it a bit. Thank you ,JKR. And I know it is out of order as Dobby does not appear at the end of the summer but the beginning, but I have my reasons as you will soon see._

 _And maybe I have a few other surprises up my sleeve as well._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT:**

 **When Sirius arrived in front of Zee's front door the next afternoon, he had a bouquet of purple Hyacinths in his hand.** The manager of The Potterer herbological centre had told him that they represented the perfect sincere apology flower. While Sirius knew that he and Zee were all right, he also was well aware that the last few days she hadn't said anything to him about their so called break-up due to Harry's birthday celebrations and he was incredibly thankful to her for that.

He knocked on the door, smiling at her when she tugged it open. She was wearing a purple floor length strap-less dress and her hair was tugged back in a long braid.

"These are for you," he said, passing her the flowers.

Zee smiled back, accepting the flowers. "Is this the only way you know how to properly grovel? By giving me flowers?"

"Hyacinths," he corrected with a smile. "I was told they represent a sincere apology. I am really very sorry, Zee."

Zee nodded and stepped back to let him into her home. "I'm going to put these in water, but we do have to talk, Sirius."

He swallowed audibly and took a seat on the couch as Lady Godiva eyed him from her spot on the hearth. Zee came back a few minutes later with the flowers in a glass vase and she placed them on the coffee table.

"The Hyacinths are beautiful, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Zee stood in front of him for a moment and then she sighed. "Let's go in the back." He nodded and followed her out on the patio, sitting next to her on the bench swing. Zee crossed her legs, turning to look at him. "Just let me talk for a moment, okay?"

"Okay," Sirius said carefully, leaning back against the swing and turning himself to face her.

"I've been as bad as you at not being willing to define this relationship. I love my life, Sirius. I love my job. I love this house. I love spending time with you. You make me smile and you make me laugh. We can talk about anything and everything and it's so wonderful and refreshing to have someone to share that with. I travel a lot and realistically even though we started whatever this is before Halloween, we've only truly spent about three months together, but, they've been pretty wonderful. I know how important Harry is to you and I would never do anything to jeopardize that relationship."

"Zee —"

"— No," she interrupted. "Please let me finish." When he nodded she took a deep breath. "I can't imagine what you felt in June when you sped out of here to see your son in the hospital wing… to learn that he had come face to face with You Know Who again… the world thinks You Know Who is gone and Merlin knows that I hope he never regains his powers, but he was still a danger to Harry in June and I know how terrified you were. I know that Harry wasn't always with you and you told me that his Muggle relatives mistreated him and you have the biggest heart of anyone that I've ever known. I understand why the thought of him being unhappy was enough for you to push me away. I get it. I really, truly understand your motives completely."

"But you don't agree with them."

"No! You are foolish and stupid man," she said suddenly angry. "You deserve to be happy, too, and the way that you came over here and made up those bullshit lies about only being in it for the sex, about only shagging me because I live next door and it's convenient — that was hurtful, Sirius! Not just for the lies, but because I know that while we haven't labelled this thing between us, it is more than just simply _convenient_."

"Zee —"

"— It is more than that, Sirius," she interrupted. "We spend time together going on long motorbikes rides. I spend hours watching you work on the bikes. We cook together, we spend hours just talking, and yes we shag a lot, and that is just as wonderful but… Remus was right a while back, we're more than just friends with benefits. This is… this is the start of something…"

Sirius swallowed slowly. "Can I talk now?"

She nodded and he sighed.

"I care about you, Zee. I care about you more than I've ever cared about anyone before. I like doing all of those things with you but… I don't know if I'm honestly ready to be in a serious relationship with anyone. Harry is… he's the first and last priority in my life."

"As he should be," Zee told him. "I expect him to be and I don't want that to change."

"I like it the way we are right now, this friends with benefits thing. I like having you to myself. I like being with you and introducing you to my friends: To Minnie, to Rem, to Tonks, to Andy… you're the only woman I've ever invited to that house, I like spending time with you as this friends with benefits thing, bu… if you need something more … I'm willing to try," he told her, his eyes on hers.

Zee smiled at him. "Sirius, to be honest, I don't know if I'm ready for a serious relationship either, but what I do know is that I really love spending time with you, having really spectacular sex with you, and I know that if I really let myself go, if I took a moment to think about it — I could fall head over heels in love with you like that," she said, snapping her fingers. "And that scares me a little because I don't think I'm ready for that."

Sirius reached forward and took her hand in his, bringing the left one to his lips. "I care about you too, Zee."

She smiled at him. "I know that because you introduced me to Minerva yesterday. I know that you love her like a mother."

He grinned. "She thinks you're good for me."

She leaned in and kissed him softly. "I think we're both rather good for each other."

Sirius leaned in and nipped gently at her bottom lip. "I agree with that. Zahira, I know I messed up by hurting you the way that I did, but I want you to know that you're important to me, that I don't want to lose you from my life. You've completely bewitched me, woman," he said, nipping at her mouth. "And I plan to spend as long as it takes making it up to you until you've forgiven me for the awful things that I said to you."

Zee smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "That could take a while," she said. "I'm leaving first thing in the morning."

Sirius' planted hot open-mouthed kisses down her throat. "I'm willing to try if you are." When his tongue slid under her dress and between her breasts, her head fell back.

"I suppose I could let you _try_ to make it up to me a little before I leave."

He smirked against her skin, tugging the dress down over her full naked breasts, his tongue teasing her nipple. "Let me make it up to you."

Her hands slid into his hair as his mouth worked her breast. "Go on then."

Sirius grinned at her and lowered his head to her breasts again. As long as it took, he was willing to grovel to her because he happened to agree with McGonagall, he did think Zee was good for him, and he knew one thing — he didn't want to lose her.

And he damn well knew exactly how lucky he was to be here with her right now and he was going to show her.

No matter how many hours it took, he thought with a grin.

~ ASC ~

 **It was mid August before they finally coordinated a Diagon Alley day, Harry begging Sirius to meet up with Ron and Hermione to get their back to school supplies.** Sirius had agreed as they headed to Madam Malkin's first to get Harry his new robes. His shirts were okay for another year, but his pants were all too short as were his robes. Harry stood patiently on the stool as the seamstress measured him.

They got his new potion supplies and more snacks for Hedwig before Harry tugged out his Hogwarts envelope. He hadn't even opened it and he did so now, staring at the book list in surprise.

"There's a lot of new books here, Uncle Siri!"

Sirius glanced at the parchment, eyes widening. "Of course, how else is the prat going to sell any copies?"

"What prat?" Harry asked, but he was distracted by Hermione waving at him from outside of Flourish and Blotts. She was standing with her dad and who he assumed must be her mother. "Hey, Hermione. Hi, Mr Granger, Mrs Granger."

"Harry look!" Hermione squealed in excitement. "They're doing a book signing for Lockhart! He wrote our entire set list and we actually get to meet him! That's so exciting!"

Harry stared down at the list again. "Yeah, I just noticed that. Have you seen Ron?"

"Harry!" Ron called out, making him turn as he saw his friend coming towards them with most of the Weasley family.

Ginny was holding Mrs Weasley's hand tightly and grinning widely. "Hi, Harry! I just got my wand! It was my birthday present from Bill! It's yew and has a unicorn tail hair!"

Harry grinned back at her. "That's great, Gin."

Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "There's a huge line of witches here, let's try to get inside and get your school books, yeah?"

They carefully maneuvered their way forward. Sirius took the book list from Harry. "This is going to take hours. Harry, you wait here in line with your friends for the Lockhart books, I'm going to grab the rest of your list and meet you back here?"

Harry nodded gratefully as he watched his godfather hurry off. Someone bumped him and he fell forwards, grateful to whomever grabbed his arm and prevented him from toppling over into a crowd full of eager witches. "Thanks," he said before he was shoved again.

This time he caught himself before he fell and was almost hit with the man taking photos of the book signing.

"Get out of the way, kid," the man said angrily.

"IT CAN'T BE HARRY POTTER?" A loud voice rang out.

Harry winced a second before an arm grabbed him and tugged him forward. He found himself standing next to a handsome man with wavy blond hair, blue eyes, and the whitest teeth that he had ever seen.

"Smile, Harry, the two of us definitely make the front page," the man whispered with a bright smile as he draped an arm across Harry's shoulders. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he bellowed as Harry's eyes desperately sought out someone to take him away from this mad man. "When young Harry Potter came into Flourish and Blotts today he was only interested in getting my autobiography _Magical Me_ signed for himself, but he had no idea that come September, he would be getting the Real Magical Me. I have agreed to take up the post for the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts this year."

The crowd cheered and the man waved, smiling widely.

"Yes, yes, I know, it will be a challenging task, but I daresay that I am the man for the job." He finally let go of Harry, walking over to the desk and grabbing a stack of books. "For helping me share my news, I am giving Harry my entire collected works, autographed by yours truly, and completely — free — of — charge."

The crowd cheered again, clapping as Harry held the large stack of books in his arms.

He could feel his face flushing bright red as he quickly moved over to the Weasleys.

"Oh my God, he's going to be our teacher!" Hermione gushed, her eyes wide in excitement.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I guess." He passed the books off into Mrs Weasley's basket and smiled at Ginny. "Gin, you can have these. I'll buy my own."

"Harry —" Mrs Weasley began, but Harry waved her off.

"No, that bloke dragged me up there. I don't want his free books," he insisted stubbornly. "I want Ginny to have them."

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" A familiar drawl said from behind him. "Can't even go into a bookshop without being on the front page?"

"He didn't want all that!" Ginny said angrily, glaring at Malfoy.

Malfoy sneered at her. "Got yourself a girlfriend, Potter?"

Harry rolled his eyes as Ginny blushed from behind him. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

Malfoy simply grinned at him. "To remind you that you still owe me a favour."

"I know it. What do you want?"

A hand landed on Malfoy's shoulder and Harry found himself looking up at Lucius Malfoy. His silver blond hair lighter than his son's, but he wore it long and plaited with a ribbon.

"Draco, do introduce me to your friends."

"Father, you remember Harry Potter," Draco said dryly.

Lucius nodded. "I do."

"Lucy!" Sirius exclaimed from behind them and Harry smiled gratefully. "It's been forever."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "I see some things haven't changed, Sirius."

Sirius put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You okay, Prongslet? I was too far away when I heard Lockhart yell out your name."

Harry nodded. "I'm fine. I gave Ginny my books."

"Good. We'll get you new copies," he said, glaring at Lucius. "I see you've been grooming your son to be as much of an arse as you are, how sad."

Lucius' eyes flared angrily as Mr Weasley pushed over towards them. "Harry, Sirius, thank Merlin — it's a madhouse in here." He realized Lucius was there and his expression sobered. "Lucius."

"Arthur," Lucius said. "So many raids lately, I do hope they're paying you overtime." He shifted and bumped into Ginny, grabbing her cauldron and her arm to prevent knocking her over. He lifted one of the worn books from her cauldron when he looked down into it. "Obviously not."

Harry wasn't sure what happened next, but the next thing he knew, Mr Malfoy had handed Ginny back her books and Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy were fighting, shelves were toppling over, cameras were flashing, and Mrs Weasley was screaming 'Arthur no!'

Hagrid came out of nowhere and moved in to help break up the fight as Sirius picked up Ginny, grabbed Harry's hand, and tugged them from the bookstore with Ron and Hermione close behind them. By the time they were all outside in Diagon Alley, Ginny was still in Sirius' arms. He carefully placed her on the ground and grinned at them.

"Well, that was rather exciting."

Ginny pointed to the alley behind the bookstore as Sirius turned to look back for Mr and Mrs Weasley, her eyes wide. "It looks like Scabbers," she'd said in surprise, pointing the rat out to Ron.

Ron squinted at the rat in the distance. "Kind of, Gin, but Scabbers ran away eons ago. He's probably dead by now."

"Who is Scabbers?" Sirius asked curiously.

Ron grinned at him. "Percy's old rat. He lived with us forever and then just after we first met you and Harry, he disappeared. Fred always thought he'd crawled away somewhere to die."

Harry scratched his nose. "Oh yeah, I remember you telling me he'd run away. Are you sure it's him, Gin?" he asked, craning to get a look down the alley.

Sirius' hands gripped Harry's shoulders tightly as his own eyes raked the alley. He had felt like someone was watching him in the bookshop and the thought of a missing rat made his blood run cold. But as he looked into the alley, he couldn't see anything. He was being paranoid he thought, relaxing slightly, but he still kept his hand on his son's shoulder as Mr and Mrs Weasley came out of the bookshop.

Mrs Weasley did not agree with Sirius' sentiment about the fight being rather exciting as she instead yelled at her husband for causing such a scene and for setting a fine example for their children. Fred attempted to cheer her up by letting her know that Lockhart had thought it was brilliant and wanted the reporter to fit the fight into the story about him somehow. Sirius had only grinned at Mr Weasley and when Mrs Weasley was out of earshot, congratulated him on a great right hook making Mr Weasley grin.

Mrs Weasley went back inside to wait in line for the three sets of Lockhart books she still needed and everyone else headed to The Leaky Cauldron for lunch.

Overall, Harry thought the day had turned out to be quite an adventure.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry woke up the next morning to the sound of Marauder growling.** He sat up, reaching blindly for his glasses. He put a reassuring hand on Marauder's head who stopped growling and then he jolted when he saw the dirty little elf on the end of his bed. At first he thought it was Kreacher until he realized this elf was a lot younger and he had never seen him before.

"Er, hello," he said calmly, his fingers gripping Marauder's collar a little tighter.

The elf bowed so low that his nose touched the quilt. "I am so honoured to meet you, Harry Potter Sir," the elf said in a high pitched voice.

Harry nodded, offering a small smile. "Um, thanks. And you are?"

"I am Dobby, Sir, the elf!"

Harry nodded as if this made sense to him. "Er… I don't want to be rude or anything but er… what are you doing in my bedroom? Not that I'm not pleased to meet you, that is but, er, is there any particular reason that you're here?"

"Oh, yes, sir!" Dobby squealed earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir… it is difficult, sir… Dobby wonders where to begin…"

"Sit down," Harry said politely, pointing to the bed in curiosity. To his horror, the elf burst into tears - very noisy tears.

"S-s-sit down!" he wailed. "Never… never ever!"

"I'm sorry!" Harry said quickly, his eyes moving to his bedroom doorway to see if the sound had awoken Sirius from across the hall. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything —"

"Offend Dobby!" the elf choked. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard — like an equal —"

Harry, who was trying to say 'shh' and look comforting at the same time, ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last he managed to control himself and sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration.

"You can't have met many decent wizards then," Harry told him, trying to cheer him up. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain the house elf appearing in his bedroom if he woke Sirius up.

Dobby shook his head. Then without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the balcony door window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

"Don't — what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed. Hedwig, who had been sleeping peacefully in her cage, woke up with a loud screech and flew out of the open balcony doors angrily.

"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," the elf said. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir…"

"Your family?"

"The wizard family that Dobby serves, sir… Dobby is a house elf - bound to serve one house and one family forever…"

"Do they know that you're here?" Harry asked curiously.

Dobby shuddered. "Oh, no, sir, oh no… Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir —"

"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"

"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments…"

Harry was bewildered by this. "But why don't you leave? Escape?"

"A house elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free… Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir…"

"Can't anyone help you?" Harry asked. He couldn't imagine anyone holding the elf hostage in such a way. But to be honest, he didn't really know that much about house elves. He knew Kreacher served them and worked at the different Black properties. He appeared every once in a while, to check in, and insisted that he was here to serve Master Sirius and Master Harry, but that was it. "Can't I?"

Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude.

"Please," Harry whispered desperately, but it was too late as Sirius appeared in the doorway, his hair tousled and his hands in the pockets of his pyjama pants. Harry pointed at the wailing elf in confusion.

"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby… Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew…"

Harry blushed and Sirius grinned at him in amusement, leaning against the doorjamb and crossing his arms in front of his bare chest. He didn't say anything and the elf had yet to notice him.

"Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts, that's Hermione."

"Harry Potter is humble and modest," Dobby said reverently, his orb-like-eyes aglow. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He Who Must Not Be Named —"

"Voldemort?" Harry said, his eyes moving to Sirius whose expression had sobered.

Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned. "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!"

"Sorry," Harry said quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it."

Dobby leaned towards Harry, his eyes as wide as headlights. "Dobby heard tell that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time, just weeks ago… that Harry Potter escaped yet again." Harry nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears. "Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "Harry Potter is so valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later… Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."

"Dobby," Sirius said from the doorway making Dobby jump. "Why would you come here and tell Harry that?"

Dobby stared at Sirius in surprise, his eyes as wide as headlights. "Master Sirius, sir!"

"I am not your master, Dobby."

"You are part of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, sir, I must address you with respect, sir!"

Sirius only stared at him. "Dobby, why are you telling my son that he cannot go back to Hogwarts."

Dobby pulled on his ears as he spoke. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."

"Why?" Harry asked in surprise, staring at the elf in only more confusion.

"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," Dobby whispered, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"

"What terrible things?" Harry demanded. "Who's plotting them?"

Sirius had moved into Harry's bedroom now and placed a hand on his son's shoulder as Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.

"All right!" Harry cried out, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning me?" A sudden unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on — this hasn't got anything to do with Vol — sorry — with You Know Who, has it? You could just shake or nod," he added, worried that Dobby would start hurting himself again.

Slowly, Dobby shook his head. "Not — not He Who Must Not Be Named, sir," but Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint, but Harry was completely lost.

"Well, then, I can't think who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts, I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing — you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?"

Dobby bowed his head. "Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He Who Must Not Be Named at the height of his strength. But, sir —" Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper, his eyes flicking up to Sirius' briefly. "There are powers Dumbledore doesn't… powers no decent wizard…"

And before Harry could stop him, Dobby bounded off the bed, seized Harry's desk lamp and started beating himself around the head with earsplitting yelps.

Sirius picked the elf up by the scruff his neck. "Stop it!"

Dobby stared at Sirius, his eyes wide.

"You've given your warning, elf, now leave."

Dobby shook his head. "Harry Potter must promise he won't go back!"

"No way!" Harry said angrily.

Sirius put Dobby back on the ground. "You've given your warning, elf, now leave," he repeated.

Dobby stared at him for a moment before he sent a pleading look to Harry, snapped his fingers and vanished before them.

Sirius dragged his fingers through his hair. "Merlin, that was not how I expected my morning to go."

Harry simply stared at his father. "Do you think that he was telling the truth?"

Sirius rubbed a hand down his face. "House elves have a lot of magic, Harry. They are very powerful beings who essentially live to serve witches and wizards. Some are unfortunately mistreated. They are bound to the family and their magic is tied to the family they serve and they must do as the family tells them… to have taken a chance and to come here to try to warn you… Yeah, I think he's telling the truth."

"So something terrible is going to be at Hogwarts this year?"

Sirius nodded, moving to sit on Harry's bed. "Not Voldemort though… I mean, I guess that's good news… maybe it would be safer to keep you home…"

"No way!" Harry exclaimed, glaring at his godfather. "How is that fair? You don't even know what's going to be happening?"

Sirius nodded, draping an arm over Harry's shoulders. "No, I won't make you stay home, Prongslet, calm down. But I am going to look into this." He kissed Harry's forehead. "Promise me that you won't go looking for trouble this year? If something mortally dangerous is happening the last thing that I need is for you to end up in the hospital wing again."

Harry smiled at him. "I won't go looking for trouble."

Sirius smiled. "All right. Let's go make some breakfast. I'm going to Floo call Minnie. Maybe we can get to the bottom of this before anything suspicious starts going on."

Harry only nodded. But he couldn't help but wonder what the elf feared so much and that it couldn't be as bad as Voldemort, so there wasn't really anything to worry about. Was there?

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius spoke to McGonagall about the mysterious elf and Minerva agreed that it was very strange.** She promised to speak to Dumbledore and that they would keep their eyes open for a sign of anything strange happening at the school. And she promised to keep an extra close eye on Harry.

By the time the first of September arrived, Harry was anxious to go back to school. Sirius had accepted the position on the Hogwarts Board of Governors and grimaced when he realized that the first meeting was at ten in the morning on the first of September. When he said as much to Harry, Harry had grinned at him.

"It's okay, Uncle Sirius."

Mrs Weasley promised to take Harry with them to King's Cross the next morning as Remus had to work (having finally found a job at a Muggle book shop once again at the beginning of August). Harry was too excited to go back to school to care how he got there. He hugged Sirius goodbye, promising to write and took the Floo with his trunk to The Burrow.

He was intrigued to discover that Mr Weasley had a Ford Anglia and that he had enchanted it (without the knowledge of Mrs Weasley) in a similar fashion to the way that Sirius had done his bike, making it roomy enough to hold Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy all comfortable in the back seat. Ginny sat up front between her parents.

They barely made it to King's Cross Station in time after Fred forgot something, Ginny claimed she forgot her diary, and Percy forgot his hat. Mr and Mrs Weasley rushed through the barrier first with Ginny's hands clasped tightly between them. Fred and George went next, followed by Percy, who told them not to dawdle or they'd miss the train.

But when Harry and Ron made a beeline for the wall at 10:59, the wall was solid and they crashed, flipping over their trunks and falling over in disbelief.

Panicking and worried that they _would_ miss the train, Harry suggested they wait by Mr Weasley's car. The next thing that had ensued, Ron was in the driver's seat (having apparently watched Fred drive without the knowledge of Mr and Mrs Weasley obviously, but had seen him enough that he thought he could figure it out) and they were rising above the ground and flying off into the sky.

Needless to say, arriving at Hogwarts in a flying invisible car wasn't exactly the grand entrance that Harry and Ron had imagined it would be. First of all, it was hot and sticky up in the clouds. Second, the invisibility booster kept faltering. And thirdly, the car ran out of gas and spluttered, deciding to plummet to the earth at an alarming speed - and to Harry's horror - crashed them right into the Whomping Willow tree, cracking Ron's wand in half so that it was only hanging together by a thread. The tree, angry at them for crashing into it, then decided to knock them back and forth and crashed their car to the ground.

Mr Weasley's enchanted car, angry at their mistreatment, threw them and their trunks out and took off towards the enchanted forest rather put out.

After being lectured by Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore on breaking the law of magical secrecy and on the severity of their actions, they were lucky enough to scrape by with only earning detention. They couldn't believe their luck when they climbed into their beds that night.

But Harry couldn't help but wonder once again, why had the barrier sealed itself in the first place?

The next morning, when the Howler arrived for Ron, Harry grimaced sympathetically. He lowered himself in his own seat when Mrs Weasley mentioned his name and he flushed in embarrassment. But then this his eyes had widened when Persephone landed in front of him with a Howler as well.

Hermione smirked smugly at them. She had lectured them on how stupid it had been to steal the car in the first place and obviously thought that both of them receiving Howlers from their parents was just.

Harry carefully opened the envelope, flushing red. Sirius had never sent him a Howler before.

 _HARRY JAMES POTTER!_

 _HOW DARE YOU STEAL A CAR AND FLY IT TO HOGWARTS!_

 _I AM SHOCKED AND FRANKLY SO DAMN PROUD OF YOU THAT I COULD CRY! ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT, PRONGSLET!_

The Howler disintegrated in front of him and Harry burst into laughter. Hermione crossed her arms in a huff of annoyance and Ron and Neville grinned widely at him.

"Figures that he would be proud and my mum threatens to take me out of school," Ron said with a laugh.

Harry grinned back. "The thing with Uncle Siri is that I never know what to expect."

Hermione merely frowned at him. "I don't think he realizes that you could have been killed."

Harry smiled at her. "He will. Give him time."

Ginny simply chuckled as she drank her orange juice and Harry grinned at her.

It definitely wasn't what he had been expecting.


	79. Chapter 79

_Author's Note:_

 _Zee and Sirius still have a bit to go, but they know that they want to be with each other, but both are scared of it being anything too serious. We'll have to wait and see, I guess._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE:**

 **The first few days of classes, Harry found himself just waiting for a new letter from Sirius, waiting for his father to start to panic when he realized just how close Harry had actually been to dying.** Remus had already written him, lecturing him on how lucky he had been and the importance of magical secrecy, but Harry knew Remus was a little impressed as well, despite his lecture.

The second letter from Sirius arrived at the end of the first week.

 _Harry,_

 _In hindsight, stealing a flying car and flying it to Hogwarts with Ron was a very stupid move. First of all, you were seen, which is breaking the magical secrecy law. Secondly, you hit the Whomping Willow tree, which is a magical beast in itself, designed to protect itself at all cost. And third, I need more details on why the barrier at Platform Nine and Three Quarters wasn't open to you._

 _McGonagall and I spoke about Dobby's warning as well. The school was checked before the first of September for signs of anything that could be a problem, but nothing was found. Please try to stay out of trouble. Maybe try to find the map, pull some pranks, help Ginny with her first year — but please don't do anything life threatening._

 _Love,_

 _Sirius_

The letter made him smile. He knew that Sirius was right, but in the heat of the moment, he and Ron had just panicked. Flying the car to Hogwarts seemed like the most logical solution. In reality, they should have just waited for Mr and Mrs Weasley.

Classes started and the familiar rhythm of the school year took over and Harry forgot all about Dobby's warning. He was much too preoccupied with their new and completely idiotic Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Professor Quirrell hadn't been the best teacher, true, not to mention there was that whole bit where he had Voldemort possessing him, but at least he had taught them stuff. Harry had learned spells and jinxes and had exams.

Professor Lockhart on the other hand, was a complete idiot.

The first day of class, he had spent a large amount of time retelling them stories from the books that he had written. Then he had surprised them with a pop quiz to see if any of them had read his books thoroughly. The quiz had been entirely about him and there hadn't been a single question detailing anything remotely about Defence Against the Dark Arts.

As if the quiz hadn't been bad enough. He had then presented them with a cage full of Cornish pixies. He had set them loose upon the class, attempted to show them how to 'round them up', lost his wand, and hid in his office. The pixies created absolute mayhem. And poor Neville ended up hanging from the chandelier in the middle of the classroom.

Hermione, in her quick thinking, froze them in place. Harry levitated Neville down from the ceiling and he, Hermione, Ron, and Neville carefully shoved the pixies back into the cage.

"What a moron!" Ron exclaimed when they finally closed the cage. "He couldn't even perform the very spell that he tried to teach us!"

Harry nodded from next to him. "Right? I was literally thinking that Quirrell was at least a better teacher."

Hermione scoffed at them. "He's a genius! He did all of those amazing things in his books and I'm sure that he would have performed the spell admirably if the pixies hadn't stolen his wand."

Neville merely snorted at Hermione. "His quiz was all questions about him."

"And you got perfect!" Ron accused in disgust.

Hermione huffed. "Just because I actually did the reading there's no need to get jealous."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You just think that he's attractive."

Hermione flushed. "I do not!"

But she refused to speak to them for the rest of the afternoon.

Harry ran into Ginny on his way down to dinner that night. "Hey, Ginny, how's your first week going?"

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Only okay?"

Ginny sighed and tucked her red hair behind her ear. "It's a little overwhelming is all."

Harry nodded. "I know that feeling. Don't worry, once you make some new friends it won't feel so strange."

She smiled gratefully at him and hurried off. Harry just watched her go, his brow furrowed. Ginny was always full of so much energy, seeing her a little down like that made him worry. He wondered if Luna getting into Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor was part of it. He made a mental note to mention it to Fred and George. They were the best at cheering up their little sister.

When he got to dinner that night, McGonagall handed him and Ron each an envelope with their respective detention slips in it.

"I forgot about this," Harry admitted after she walked away.

Hermione glared at them. "You two stole a car and flew it to Scotland! Detention is the least you deserve!"

Harry agreed that they had been pretty fortunate in that regard especially because Dumbledore had warned them that the next time they broke any serious rules he would be forced to expel them. That was a terrifying thought and detention didn't seem so bad after knowing what they had escaped from until he opened his envelope. "I have to spend my detention with Lockhart!"

Ron groaned respectively and then opened his own. "I have to meet Filch in the trophy room! He's going to make me clean everything by hand, I can just feel it!"

"At least it's not until Saturday," Harry said helping himself to some food. "Hi, Oliver," he said as Wood took a seat next to him.

"Harry, good, we need to talk Quidditch."

"The first match isn't until November," Harry said, smiling at him.

Wood nodded. "I know. But last year we should have won, we had the team for it but, you know, that last match…"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had been unconscious in the hospital wing during the last Quidditch match and a team without a Seeker hadn't exactly had a chance at success. "Er, right."

"Tomorrow morning, be at the pitch for six. We're starting a new detailed training program and this year we are going to win! I can feel it!"

Harry nodded, grinning at his enthusiasm, "Right, six, I'll be there!"

"That's a.m., Potter," Wood added before moving down the table to sit with Alicia Spinnet, a Chaser on the team.

"At least I'll have Quidditch to tire myself out on before detention," he added brightly.

Ron simply scowled. "I think I'd rather take Lockhart over Filch."

Harry grimaced at him. "I'd trade you if I could."

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning, Wood spent almost two hours rambling on and on about his new regimented and detailed training camp that he had planned over the summer for the Gryffindor team.** Harry heard about thirty percent of it. He kept yawning. Fred was asleep on Angelina's shoulder and Katie was asleep with her head on George's leg. George's eyes were closed against the locker and Alicia was trying to look interested, but her head kept drooping.

Wood noticed none of it.

By the time they got down to the pitch, Harry was anxious to get on his broom and to fly again. He'd spent a good portion of his summer flying, practicing dives and turns and swoops, but to train for the team was something that he was excited to get started on.

But to his surprise, the Slytherin Quidditch team was moving towards them on the pitch. Ron and Hermione, who had come to watch him practice, hurried down from the stands as the opposing team approached them.

"Flint! I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today!" Wood exclaimed, angrily. "You and your team have no business being here!"

Marcus Flint, a burly sixth year and opposing captain merely glared menacingly at them. "You did, yes but Professor Snape gave us express permission to practice today as we have to train our new Seeker."

"New Seeker?" Wood asked in astonishment.

Harry groaned aloud when Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind the team. "Malfoy?"

Malfoy grinned at him. "That's right, Potter. And look what my father generously donated to our team to congratulate me."

The Slytherin team as a whole lifted their brooms. They were all sleek black Nimbus 2001s, the very latest model.

"Your father bought _everyone_ a new broomstick?" Ron spluttered.

Malfoy turned to glare at him. "That's right. He's very supportive of my extra curricular activities."

Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest. "At least no one in Gryffindor had to buy their way in, they got in on pure talent."

Malfoy's grey eyes flashed dangerously. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood!"

Ron gasped and pulled his wand out from his robes. "You apologize to Hermione, Malfoy!"

Malfoy merely smirked. "It's what she is, Weasley."

Harry attempted to grab Ron, but he wasn't fast enough. However, as Ron demanded that Malfoy eat slugs, his broken wand malfunctioned and backfired and it was his friend who was now being forced to belch up slugs.

"We have to take him to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said as the Slytherins all laughed at Ron's misfortune and Malfoy mimicked vomiting in the background.

"No," Harry said, helping Hermione with Ron and leaving Wood to argue with Flint. "Hagrid's closer."

Hagrid set Ron up with a bucket, grimacing sympathetically as Ron turned green and belched up another slug.

"Better out than in I always say."

Harry grinned at him. "Thanks, Hagrid." He moved to put an arm around Hermione. "Are you okay?"

Hermione turned to look at them, tears in her eyes. "I don't even know what it means so why should it upset me?"

Harry bit his lip, but Ron responded first. "It's a terrible thing! It means dirty blood and it's not true!"

Harry nodded. "It's something foul for Muggleborns and only Malfoy in his pureblood superiority would ever say it."

"An' there's not a spell our Hermione hasn't figured out," Hagrid said with a smile.

Hermione's lip trembled and she nodded. "Thank you for attempting to defend me, Ron."

Ron attempted a smile, but vomited another slug instead.

Harry glared out the window at the Quidditch pitch. "I can't believe Malfoy's father bought the entire Slytherin team new brooms! Is that even allowed?"

"No rules against it," Hagrid said, glancing out towards the pitch.

Hermione smiled at him. "Don't worry, Harry, Gryffindor has the better team."

Harry only nodded. "Hagrid, do you have any food? Wood made us miss breakfast and I'm starving."

Hagrid grinned happily. "Of course! Sit down, I'll whip yeh up somethin' nice!"

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius spent Saturday afternoon visiting Gringotts.** After sending Harry the letter he had started to consider that he needed a better way of communicating with his son. The two-way communication mirror that he and James had made when he had been in fourth year seemed like the best option. The problem was that Sirius couldn't find James'. He had searched through all of the stuff that had belonged to his best mate, but had come up empty handed.

He concluded that it had to be in the Potter Vault which was where everything from the house in Godric's Hollow had been placed.

The goblin Bogrod was watching him in annoyance from the doorway, but Sirius ignored him. He wasn't leaving here until he found it or that he knew for certain it wasn't here. To his delight, he did find it. There was a large black jewellery box on the shelf at the back of the vault. When Sirius opened it, the mirror was resting on the top wrapped in a red velvet bag.

When he lifted the mirror out, his heart clenched. Beneath the mirror were James and Lily's wedding rings. He had been with them when they had picked them out. They had wanted something simple. They were both Gryffindor gold. Lily's had a three small diamonds, James' was only a simple gold band. On the inside of each ring was an engraving: _in my life, I love you more ~ J; I love you, yeah, yeah! ~ L._ Next to Lily's wedding ring was her engagement ring. It had been passed down in the Potter family for generations. It was gold and full of diamonds with a large ruby as the centre. It had looked magnificent on her.

Beneath the rings lay the watch that James had gotten for his seventeenth birthday, the diamond hooped earrings Lily had worn when they had gotten married, and the simple gold necklace that said _Lily_ that Lily's father had given her for her thirteenth birthday. The sight of it made him sad, but it also made him smile.

Deciding to take the whole box with him, he turned with it in his hands. "This is it, we can go back up now."

The goblin merely nodded and Sirius followed him out of the vault.

He would put James' watch away for Harry's own seventeenth birthday, he would like that, he thought.

When he got home, he shifted through the box to see what else was inside and his smile widened when he saw the stag dangling off of Lily's charm bracelet. He had given her the charm in sixth year for her birthday, along with a stuffed animal of a stag. Lily had merely stared at him in bewilderment.

The memory made him smile and he decided to add it to the memory box for Harry as he placed it in the Pensieve to view.

 _"Happy Seventeenth Birthday, Lily!" Sirius exclaimed, hugging her._

 _She smiled warmly at him, tucking a loose hair behind her ears. "Thanks. It's nice to finally be seventeen. I can do magic whenever I want now!"_

 _Sirius grinned at her. "Welcome to the club. Just have to wait on those other slowpokes to catch up with us." He pulled the gift bag from behind his back. "I got you a little something."_

 _Lily beamed at him. "Oh, Sirius, you didn't have to do that!"_

 _Sirius shrugged but grinned. "I wanted to get you something. You've always been a great friend to me and a girl deserves something on her seventeenth birthday."_

 _Lily smiled warmly, moving to sit on the bench in the hall as she accepted the gift bag. "Well, thank you." She carefully parted the tissue paper as she tugged out the fluffy white stag. "Oh, it's so cute!"_

 _Sirius grinned mischievously. "Stags are rather magnificent creatures, aren't they?"_

 _Lily looked at him quizzically. "I suppose. They are beautiful and strong not to mention a great protector for all. Why did you choose a stag, Sirius?"_

 _Sirius smirked at her. "For those reasons obviously. By the way, his name is Prongs."_

 _Lily's eyebrow rose. "Prongs?"_

 _Sirius just grinned. "Keep him close, eh? Maybe sleep with him."_

 _Lily only smirked at him. "Sure, Sirius, thank you."_

 _Sirius nodded. "There's one more thing in there."_

 _Lily reached back into the bag and pulled out a small ring box. When she opened it up, there was a small silver stag charm there. "Oh, it's beautiful!"_

 _"I know how much you love that bracelet that your parents got you for Christmas a few years ago so I thought maybe you'd like to add another charm to it," he explained with a smile._

 _"I love it, Sirius! It's perfect! Again with the stag, I suppose his name is Prongs as well?"_

 _"Obviously," Sirius said with a grin. "It's a protection sign and I thought the stag was a good symbol of that."_

 _Lily unhooked her bracelet from her wrist and carefully clipped the stag charm into place. "It's perfect, thank you." She kissed his cheek just as James came around the corner._

 _Lily picked up Prongs and tucked the stuffed animal under her arm. "Potter."_

 _James' eyes had widened as he stared at the stuffed animal in her arms. "Stags, Lily?"_

 _"Prongs," Lily said with a smile as James' eyes widened even more. "He was a birthday gift from Sirius." She smiled at her friend. "Thanks again, Sirius."_

 _"Of course, happy birthday, Lily."_

 _Lily smiled as she said goodbye and she grabbed her things and hurried off around the corner._

 _James turned to glare at Sirius. "You gave her a stuffed animal of a stag and told her it was named Prongs!"_

 _Sirius simply smirked at her. "I figured it was the closest you would ever get to her bed."_

 _"I hate you, Padfoot."_

 _Sirius grinned at him. "Love you too, Prongs."_

The memory made him chuckle. He remembered how the following year when Lily had in fact discovered that James was an Animagus that could turn into a stag and had the nickname of Prongs, how she had hit Sirius in the arm and called him a prat. But she had loved that stuffed animal even more and she had given it to Harry when he had been a baby. It was a nice memory, he thought.

He locked the Pensieve and the memories away in the small vault in his closet along with the jewellery box. He kept the two-way mirror in his hand as he wrapped it up and carefully boxed it safely.

Knowing Harry had this mirror would make him feel a lot better. He would send it to him first thing in the morning.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry got to his detention that night, Ron was feeling loads better, but was unfortunately still belching up the occasional slug.** He knocked on the door to Professor Lockhart's office with dread. The thought of spending any time with this man did not interest him in the least.

"Harry!" Lockhart exclaimed in glee, tugging him inside. "Welcome! Welcome!"

"I'm here for my detention, Professor."

Lockhart merely grinned at him. "You are still welcome!"

Harry glanced around the office in curiosity. The walls were full of huge smiling portraits of Lockhart himself which he found a little unnerving. He took a seat in the chair at the end of Lockhart's desk where he was gestured to and waited patiently.

"Harry, Harry, Harry, I must say — when I heard about the flying car incident, I blamed myself entirely."

Harry looked up in surprise and bewilderment. "Why?"

Lockhart smiled, showing him each and every one of those pearly whites. "Well, I gave you the bug, didn't I?"

"The bug?" Harry repeated not understanding what on earth Lockhart was talking about.

"When we got our photo together, you got the bug! You like the limelight! Well, let me tell you, fame is a fickle friend, Harry. I know that you're quite famous already, in your own right," he added, his gaze flicking to his lightning bolt scar. "But there's no need to make yourself too over the top - people won't respect you otherwise."

"Uh-huh," Harry said, unsure of how to respond. "I didn't take a flying car here to be more famous, Professor."

Lockhart only smirked at him. "Harry, Harry, Harry, don't be coy with me! I saw right through you! Now, since you did break some rules, I asked Professor McGonagall to let you serve detention with me as I really don't think you should be punished at all. So I have a treat for you."

Harry smiled a little in curiosity. He wasn't going to be serving detention? Maybe being with Lockhart wasn't going to be too bad.

"You can help me answer my fan mail!"

He groaned. Scratch that. It was way worse than he had imagined.

Four hours later, it was definitely worse. His hand had started to cramp up. Lockhart spent the entire time telling him about his devoted fans and how he had done this great thing after another. Fans were important and they wanted to be appreciated as much as the star was and how being famous was a responsibility, not a right.

Listening to Lockhart drone on and on was part of the reason why he had thought that he was going a little mad when he had first heard the voice say the word 'kill.' When he looked at Lockhart in alarm, he didn't even notice, but then he heard it again.

"I'm sorry, did you just say you wanted to kill something?" Harry asked him, his brow furrowed.

Lockhart looked at him in confusion. "No, no, I said I wanted to try something new. You must be getting tired and goodness gracious, no wonder, we've been at it nearly four hours! Time really flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?"

Harry only nodded, grateful to be leaving. But as he made his way back up to Gryffindor Tower he couldn't help but wonder about the disembodied voice he had thought he'd heard and why Lockhart hadn't acknowledged it.

It was definitely very strange.


	80. Chapter 80

_Author's Note:_

 _And I know, I know, I've been dragging it out but ta-da! I hope you like it._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY:**

 **Sirius had just finished reading the letter from McGonagall aloud to Remus, Zee, Tonks, and Hugh Arnett who were all over at Zee's for dinner.** Zee had only just returned yesterday from her trip to Belfast, having been working non-stop on the case for almost four weeks. Sirius hadn't seen her since that Sunday after Harry's birthday and he had missed her terribly. Tonks had asked Sirius if she could invite her friend Hugh Arnett to the dinner, as he had apparently asked her to dinner that night, and she'd mentioned that she had plans. Sirius had told her to of course bring him along.

Remus had not liked that at all and Sirius had found it amusing the way his friend kept glowering at the man sitting next to Tonks.

Sirius finished reading the letter and grinned around the table. "I'm so proud of him. Flying a damn car to Hogwarts, he really is a Marauder!"

Remus frowned. "Sirius, he could have been killed!" he said in exasperation. "He crashed into the Whomping Willow for Merlin's sake!"

Sirius shrugged. "He's fine. Just a few bruises and besides, as if you aren't impressed he flew a damn car to school." When Remus' mouth twitched, he grinned. "Though I did ask him to try not to find trouble…"

Zee just laughed. "Any other parent would be freaking out as their son stole a flying car and flew it into a tree, but not you. You are simply impressed. You baffle me."

"He's baffled me for years," Remus said in annoyance. "McGonagall must have been pissed."

Sirius grinned. "She was, but she was also impressed. I can tell. She didn't even take away house points, just gave him detention. Bloody brilliant child of mine."

Tonks laughed and grinned at Hugh. "Hugh, I forgot to mention that my cousin is crazy."

Hugh chuckled at her, his blond hair falling into his eyes as he brushed it back. "That's alright, it sounds like his son is starting school off right this year."

"Thank you, Hugh!" Sirius said with a grin. "Though Dumbledore did write to me as well and a few days later to tell me that if Harry broke any other serious school rules he would have to consider expelling him, which obviously isn't going to happen. Dumbledore won't expel Harry. He won't be caught at that level of trouble again."

Sirius then spent the next twenty minutes entertaining his friends with Harry's new adventures. When he explained how Lucius Malfoy had purchased all new brooms for the Slytherin Quidditch team, Tonks had glared at him.

"That's bull! It shouldn't even be allowed! That's giving an entire house team an unfair advantage!"

Remus nodded, "Not that Harry needs it, he's an incredible flyer, but it's the principle of it."

Sirius had to agree and said as much, resulting in a heated argument about broom quality versus talent and how much the broom could help or hinder a player. Hugh was very outspoken on the subject and every time he responded, Remus would cut him off, making Sirius raise an eyebrow at him in question.

Remus glowered again, trying to mask his anger and feeling angrier at the fact that Sirius noticed. He had no right to be as angry as he was that Tonks had decided to bring a date tonight.

But he was.

He had continued to tell himself over and over that he had made the right choice about Tonks; that he wasn't the man for her. She deserved someone so much better, someone whole, and someone who didn't have a monster inside of them like he did.

Tonks had been different though, he noticed. She hadn't made any advances towards him; made no effort at all towards him if he was honest, and he found himself missing her friendship more than anything. But he was afraid to make a move in her direction, afraid that she would decide to cut him out of her life completely, something that he deserved anyway for the way that he had treated her, but he was too scared to see it actually happen.

He didn't know what he would do if she cut him out of her life completely, no matter how much he deserved it for the way he had treated her. But just being near her spurred him on in ways he couldn't explain.

Nymphadora Tonks had become a brave and beautiful woman, an Auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and he was so proud of what she had become. Remus was so impressed with her and so enamoured by her. He wanted to rekindle that friendship; to give himself a reason to be near her. He wanted to make amends, to apologize for pushing her away, and to explain to her that he wanted to be friends.

Just friends.

But the sight of her flirting and laughing with the man sitting next to her made him incredibly angry. He left nail indentations in his palm deep enough to bleed and the wolf inside of him was beyond furious at the sight of that male near _his_ mate, touching _his_ mate.

What right did this prat have to be _near_ her?

To _touch_ her?

He wasn't good enough for her.

He wasn't good enough to breathe the same air as her, he thought bitterly. He laughed and talked along with the conversation, hiding his anger as best as he could as his short nails dug into his palms.

It had been a direct blow to his gut when she had kissed that stupid prat right there at the dinner table and he had literally felt the hairs on the backs of his arms rise up. He didn't have any right to be upset, he told himself.

She deserves to be happy and you pushed her away, he thought angrily. She doesn't deserve to be with you.

But the moment Hugh got called away back to work on one of his cases and Tonks had left to head home herself, Remus had practically pounced on her, following her back to her flat in anger.

"How can you date someone so beneath you?" he sneered, his eyes flashing in anger. "He's not worth a second of your time!"

"He's an Auror, an A3 actually," Tonks said in surprise. The anger on Remus' face surprised her. He had barely spoken to her in months and now he had just followed her back to her flat, anger radiating from him. It alarmed her and it shot a lick of lust through her system that shocked her. "And he's really nice."

Remus sneered at that, standing in her living room. " _Nice?_ Who the hell wants nice in a relationship?"

Tonks glared at him. "What the hell do you know about relationships, Remus?"

Remus' eyes flashed dangerously. "I know what's best for you, Nymphadora, and that prancing little prat is not worth a second of your time!"

"Oh?" Tonks said sweetly, "You know what's best for me? How cute. I run my own life, Remus Lupin, not you!"

He took a step towards her and he decided that he was rather pleased to see her take a step back. "Hugh is a git and you are to break up with him immediately! I demand it."

Tonks laughed, her eyes widening in shock. She couldn't believe that he had the audacity to stand here and try to dictate her life. "Are you kidding me? I'm not going to break up with him just because _you_ tell me to! What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded, shoving him back a little. "You've barely even spoken to me, made any effort to be my friend in any way in the last few months — and now you follow me home to lecture me on who I've taken to my bed?"

Remus growled and grabbed her arm, his fingers bruising. "He better not be in your fucking bed, Nymphadora!"

Tonks' eyes gleamed in mischief now. "Oh? Why not? Would that make you _angry,_ Remus?"

Remus dropped her arm, his fingers going to his hair. He was more than angry, he realized, he was aroused to the point of pain ,and the thought of her in bed with anyone that wasn't him was enough to make him feel murderous. He had no right to her, he thought. He had to get out of here before he did something that he would regret. "I… I need to go. I'm sorry — I'm out of line."

Tonks grabbed his arm, turning him towards her as her grey eyes flashed in anger. "Oh, you went way past the line the moment that you followed me home!"

"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely, his golden eyes staring into hers. "I have no right to tell you who you can and cannot date, even if I think that he is completely unworthy of you. You deserve so much better, Nymphadora."

She smiled at that and she reached up to gently brush his hair out of his eyes. "You think that he's unworthy of me?"

"Well, I… I just think that you could do so much better. That kiss didn't even look like it had any passion in it. You deserve passion."

"Maybe you weren't looking close enough," she said.

Remus growled again. "I was looking pretty damn close."

Tonks grinned mischievously, suddenly realizing why he was so angry. "You're jealous," she breathed in surprise, a jolt of pleasure shooting through her. She, Nymphadora Tonks, had made Remus Lupin jealous. It was more than she ever could have hoped for.

"What?" he spluttered.

Her grin widened and she moved towards him and slid her hands in the back pocket of his jeans, holding him close to her. Merlin, she loved to grab his firm arse in her hands. It felt even better than she remembered. She was incredibly aroused and she knew that as angry as she wanted to stay at him, she wanted him too much to care right now. "You're jealous."

"Tonks, let me go."

"Tonks, hmm? What happened to Nymphadora?" She squeezed his bum lightly and then she slid her hands out of his pockets "I'm going to give you one more chance, Remus."

"Chance?" he asked, moving backwards slowly and inching towards the front door. "I don't know what you're talking about. I have to go. I shouldn't have come here in the first place."

Tonks rolled her eyes. She wasn't letting him get away from her that easily. Not this time. He had followed _her_ home. He had stormed into _her_ flat in a jealous rage - and it thrilled her. He _did_ want her and knowing it gave her a boost of confidence. She simply stared right into his beautiful golden whiskey coloured eyes and pulled her tee shirt over her head revealing a simple purple cotton bra and watched his eyes widen in disbelief.

"I'm going to my bedroom," she said as she shimmied out of her jean shorts revealing matching cotton panties. "I am going to lie down on my bed," she continued as she opened her bra and her small breasts escaped before his eyes.

Remus swallowed now, but his eyes were on her breasts, round like plump little apples and his eyes greedily washed over her, unable to tear his gaze away. She was even more beautiful than she had been in any fantasy. He shouldn't be watching her like this, he thought.

She shimmied out of her panties and dropped them onto the floor. His gaze found the perfect little triangle, intrigued to see that it was the same dark purple as the bottom layer of her hair. "One more chance, Rem," she said, gently fondling her breast as she watched him lick his lips, the gesture making her completely aroused. She smirked at him and then she turned and walked into her bedroom.

Remus stood there, his hands in his pockets and his erection pulsing. His blood was humming and he could smell her arousal even from the other room. He needed to get out of here. He needed to walk out the front door and Disapparate and he needed to do it — now.

When he heard a soft moan, he closed his eyes. She was touching herself, he realized, and before he could talk himself out of it, before he could rationalize in his brain all of the reasons why he shouldn't, why she deserved better than him - he found himself standing in her bedroom doorway.

She was lying on her bed with her hand between her legs, one finger slowly circling over her clit. Her eyes met his and she smiled in triumph.

"Are you going to help a girl out?" she asked tartly.

Remus stood there only a moment before he moved across the room and knelt on the floor at the end of her bed, spreading her legs open wide as he bent his head to taste her..

She tasted even better than he had imagined, he thought. His tongue lapped at her in long greedy strokes, circling her clit and moving in and out of her in a delightful dance that had her grip tightening on his hair. She moaned his name and he hardened in his jeans, desperate to finish her, to please her and when he suckled her deep, he felt that delicious tightening inside of her before she released, and she screamed his name. He didn't move as she came, but stayed in place, his tongue working her harder and harder until he could feel her orgasm building again.

"Remus…" she groaned, her body arching off of the bed. "Rem, I want you… inside me…"

Remus ignored her. She tasted too good. He had been waiting years to feast on her like this and he had no plans of stopping any time soon. He snuck a look up at her and watched in amazement as that brightly coloured hair shifted madly like a rainbow and when he looked back at her clit, that lovely purple triangle was shifting in colours as well and he smiled to himself. She had beyond lost control and he found it such a turn on, that he reached down to rub himself through his jeans before he lowered his head and began to lick her all over again until she came a second time, crying his name like a mantra. Once she finally stopped trembling beneath his eager tongue, he pulled away to look up at her.

Her hair was back to it's normal pink spikes and her cheeks were flushed in pleasure. The flush extended down her neck and between her breasts and he trailed his fingertips up her stomach and between those breasts, his light teasing touch making her tremble beneath him.

"Rem…"

Tonks' grey eyes met his and she watched in amazement as he licked his lips as if he needed to taste more of her and then he bent his head to her stomach, crawling onto the bed as he kissed her stomach, her breasts, her shoulders, her neck. He rolled her over, kissing her back, down her spine in featherlight kisses that left her breathless and then his mouth was on her bum, nipping lightly until his head was between her legs again and she gasped when his tongue found her once more and he brought her wickedly to the edge before stopping.

She was gasping, desperate for him. "Remus, please…" she begged. She had never experienced this magnitude of pleasure in her life and knowing it was from him only seemed to make it feel that much bigger.

Remus licked his lips again, grinning when she tugged his shirt off, her hands roaming over his chest and he undid his jeans, desperately tugging them down along with his boxers.

Her eyes immediately dropped to his impressive erection. She reached out to touch him, her hands cupping him gently, massaging him before she stroked him.

He closed his eyes, covering her hand with his. "No."

Tonks' grey eyes met his whiskey ones. "I want you."

He kissed her softly on the forehead and then lay down next to her, putting his hands behind his head. "Come sit on me, Nymphadora."

She grinned and eagerly straddled him. His hands came out to sit on her hips and he nodded at her as she slowly and torturously lowered herself onto him, her head falling back in pleasure.

"Ah," she said, her hands sitting on his flat stomach. "You're so… I've never been so…filled."

He grinned up at her. "That's because you've never been with me, love." He slipped a fingertip inside of her in a come hither motion and she whimpered. "Keep going, take me in. All of me."

Tonks nodded and pushed down, taking all of him inside of her, gasping in shock at the feeling of him and after a moment or two of adjustment, she began to ride him.

"Faster," she cried, sighing when his mouth moved to take her breast.

Remus did as she asked and she could feel it building, feel it coming and she cried his name as he finally brought her over the edge for the second time and felt him come with her, hips rocking tightly as she held him in place.

She collapsed against him, resting her face over his heart and sighing happily. She laid there wrapped around him for the longest time, neither of them moving, Remus' hand gently gliding along her naked back. It was almost twenty minutes later before she found the energy to speak.

"If you tell me that this was a mistake, Remus Lupin, I'm going to Avada Kedavra you right now."

He chuckled, his fingers gently stroking her hair. "The only mistake, Nymphadora, was not doing this years ago." He placed a kiss on her brow. "You're amazing."

Tonks smiled up at him, resting her chin on her arms. "What you did earlier, with your tongue… that was…" she blushed and bit her bottom lip. "I liked it. I _really_ liked it. I mean… did you…?"

Remus' raised his eyebrow in surprise. "I thought that you weren't a virgin?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't, but no one's ever… I mean…" she blushed again. "It made me feel… special," she said, averting her gaze.

Remus took her chin in his hands and kissed her deeply. "You are special. And men should be lining up to taste you. You're so beautiful and so incredible. I don't deserve you."

Tonks kissed him softly. "I choose who deserves me, Remus Lupin, and I chose you a long time ago, you stubborn arse."

He flipped her beneath him, planting small kisses on her neck, over her collarbone and suckling her breasts. His mouth moved over her stomach, kissing her thighs and he spread her legs, kissing her there, and she gasped when his tongue slid in again.

"Gawd," she cried out, so aroused already.

Remus smiled against her and enjoyed his feast.

When she finished writhing beneath him, he kissed his way back up her body. "I'm glad that Hugh never tasted you like that."

Tonks laughed. "Hugh's never really anything with me. We've been on like three dates, Remus, and only shared a few intense snogs."

Remus nodded, sucking on her earlobe. "Good, then he can live."

She laughed as he pinned her beneath him again, straddling her. "You're being insane. I've had sex before, you know."

He growled and his mouth clamped around her nipple, twisting it with his tongue and she cried out.

"I first — oh! I — I first had sex in sixth year — to… to… oh my Godric," she cried as he plunged into her again.

Remus' eyes were dark with need. "If you tell me the name of anyone who touched you, I will kill them."

Tonks grinned up at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and taking him deeper. "There… there were only two…"

He grabbed her wrists, pinning her arms over her head with his hand. "Now there is only me," he growled, moving faster and harder as she cried out in pleasure. "Only me."

"Yes, only you! Only you!"

She locked her feet at her ankles, holding on any way she could. When he let go of her wrists, she immediately locked her hands on his firm bum, squeezing and scratching, her fingers dipping into him teasingly as they both went over the edge.

Remus' breath was heavy in her ear as he collapsed next to her, his legs twined with hers. "Rest for a minute, love," he said, kissing her softly. "I'm going to take you again."

Tonks grinned at him, her hand sliding down to touch him, surprised to find him already stirring and hardening. "You couldn't possibly…" she said, stroking him in delightful glee.

Remus only smirked at her. It was a side effect of being a wolf. He had a fast metabolism and stamina was never a problem. He'd never put it to the test, but he'd once had sex eight times in one day and still could have gone for more. His lips brushed hers as she stroked him. "I most certainly can. You're not going to be able to move tomorrow when I'm through with you."

Tonks stared at him as his tongue flattened against her nipple and she thought she was perfectly okay with that.

~ ASC ~

 **When Remus woke up that Sunday morning, Tonks was curled around him, her head resting on his stomach, her legs twined with his, and he was fully erect he realized.** He turned his head to catch the clock, surprised to see that it was after ten in the morning. Then again, it wasn't as if they'd gotten much sleep. The last time he remembered seeing the time it had been after four.

He'd spent the night, he realized, eyes widening in surprise. He'd never spent the night with a woman before.

Remus attempted to slowly manoeuvre himself from her grasp, his breath catching when she turned, her head sliding lower down his stomach until he could feel her breathing against his cock. Shit, he thought.

He attempted to move again, carefully untangling their legs, but her hand gripped him tightly and he hissed.

"Someone is awake early," she said, her eyes twinkling at him.

Remus smiled at her. Her hair was tousled in a delicious 'I just got shagged do' and her grey eyes were smiling in happiness at him. It was more than he ever could have hoped for and then her hand began to move deliciously and he groaned, gasping her name as he came a little bit later.

Tonks sat up and stretched, smiling at him. "I'm going to clean up and then I'll make you breakfast. How does an omelette sound?"

Remus only nodded, smiling as he watched her hurry out of the room. He couldn't remember ever feeling so satisfied in his entire life. He used his wand to clean himself quickly before he tugged on his clothes and made his way into her kitchen. He found his way around easily enough, putting on the kettle.

He'd just poured them each a cup of tea when she came into the kitchen, her hair wet and wearing a Weird Sisters tee shirt that barely covered the curve of her arse. She stood on her toes and kissed him softly, grinning widely.

"Omelettes are about one of the only things that I can make. I take after Dad in the kitchen, I'm afraid," she said with a smile, gesturing for him to sit. "Which means I'm practically hopeless."

Remus did so, watching her move around the kitchen, smiling as he did. He knew that he should feel guilty for taking her, but he didn't. He felt wonderful and carefree and for the first time in longer than he could even remember, he felt complete and satisfied, like maybe he wasn't actually a monster.

"Nymphadora, what you said last night," he began, smiling when she flushed in response. "Has no one really gone down on you before me?"

She bit her lip, turning to smile at him. "Does that bother you?"

Remus shook his head, standing up and caging her against the counter. "No, it just baffles me. I don't understand how any man could look at you and not want to do nothing but give you pleasure," he said, nipping at her lips "— to taste you —" he nipped at her neck "— to worship you."

Tonks flushed, sliding her hands into the back pockets of his jeans and holding on. "I told you, there were only two before you and…" she blushed a bit as she spoke. "I've only had an orgasm twice before last night and I've never had one like… it was amazing."

"You led me to believe that you were much more experienced, love," he said, kissing her neck.

She smiled at him. "I wanted you in my bed, I would have told you anything to get you there and now that I know what it's like… I should have just jumped you."

Remus reached behind her and shut off the stove, removing the frying pan to another burner before he lifted her onto the counter. He kissed her deeply and then he knelt down and her breath hitched.

"Remus, you don't have to…"

He only smiled up at her, slid the tee shirt up her thighs and buried his head between them. "Shh, you're delicious and Merlin," he murmured as his finger pressed into her purple curls. He was delighted to already find her so wet. "You're so wet and so…" he slid his tongue along her folds and smiled. "Perfect."

He kissed her there before he inhaled the smell of her arousal, making his blood hum. The wolf in him was telling him to take her. To bite her and to claim her as his. But he only buried his nose in her dark purple curls and ignored the wolf, simply pleasing himself. He wrapped his lips around her clit, sucking on it, stroking it with his tongue in slow torture that her writhing above him. He would worry about the wolf wanting to claim his mate later. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy her.

And as she fell apart in his mouth, he did.


	81. Chapter 81

_Author's Note:_

 _Hope you enjoyed that Remus and Tonks interlude._

 _For those of you asking — I am a Hinny shipper so yes Harry will eventually get together with Ginny, but not any time soon. Patience my loves, patience._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lovely scene from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, that is the lovely JKR but as usual, I might have tweaked it a bit._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE:**

 **The letter from Sirius arrived at breakfast and Harry looked at the wrapped box in interest.** It was rare for Sirius to send him anything outside of a letter. He quickly tore open the envelope and unfolded the parchment.

 _Harry,_

 _I've been thinking that I would like to have a better way to communicate with you. When I was in fourth year, my home life was kind of bad and your father knew how much I hated to go home and stay with my family. So we found these old looking glasses in the attic of his house and we charmed them into two-way mirrors so that we could always communicate. I used to get teased all of the time for carrying a mirror around something about me being vain, but it's actually a communication device._

 _I meant to send this last week, but here it is nevertheless. I found your dad's in the Potter vault. I will_ _always_ _carry mine with me. If you ever need me for anything, all you have to do is hold the mirror to your mouth and say my name._

 _Try it out sometime today and we'll chat._

 _Love,_

 _Uncle Sirius_

Harry opened the box rather intrigued and carefully tugged out the rectangular mirror. It was a little bigger than his hand and had a thin black frame around it.

"A mirror?" Hermione asked in interest, looking over Harry's shoulder.

He nodded. "It's from Uncle Sirius. He said that it belonged to my dad; something the two of them charmed in fourth year."

He looked at it in interest before he carefully placed it in his pocket for later. He was going to be late for class.

It wasn't until after dinner that day that Harry finally found the time to tug out the mirror and inspect it. Ron and Hermione were in the library working on their Potions essay and Harry had gone back to his dorm to find his Potions textbook which he had misplaced. Seeing the dormitory deserted, he decided to try out the mirror.

He sat on his bed and pulled it from his pocket, taking in the rectangular appearance that fit so well in his hand. The black frame around it glimmered in the light and he carefully used the cloth to wipe the surface before he brought it to his lips and said: 'Uncle Sirius.'

The mirror shimmered before him and Sirius Black's face appeared in front of him, making him grin widely.

"Uncle Sirius."

"Prongslet!" Sirius exclaimed with a grin. "Busy day?"

Harry shrugged. "Classes. I'm supposed to be working on my Potions essay with Ron and Hermione, but I forgot my textbook. Then I remembered the mirror. It's brilliant."

"James and I thought so," Sirius told him with a smile. "If ever you need me for anything, all you have to do is say my name. I will always have it with me. It will vibrate in your pocket if I'm trying to reach you."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

Sirius smiled. "How's Ginny liking Hogwarts?"

Harry shrugged. "I think okay. I don't see her too much."

Sirius frowned. "Remember she was your first friend, Harry; don't let her flounder alone."

He grinned. "I won't."

"Good. I'll let you get back to your studies. I love you, Prongslet."

Harry smiled at him. "Love you, too."

Sirius' face vanished from the mirror and Harry smiled. It was definitely a pretty cool device. He stuck it in his pocket and grabbed his Potions textbook as he made his way down the stairs.

He almost ran over a tiny blond curly haired boy who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"You're Harry Potter!"

"Er, yeah," Harry said carefully, stepping around him and into the common room.

"I know all about you and how you defeated He Who Must Not Be Named when you were just a baby and how you survived with a lightning bolt scar on your forehead and how your parents died and it was tragic, but it ended the war and you're famous and how you flew a flying car to Hogwarts this year and I heard you fought You Know Who last year too and won and wow you're completely brilliant and famous and I've always wanted to talk to you and I'm Colin, Colin Creevey," he said all in one breath.

Harry stared at him completely dumbfounded for a moment. "Hi, Colin."

Colin beamed at him. "Do you think that I could take your picture, Harry?"

"Erm, not right now. I'm meeting some people."

Colin nodded in understanding. "Of course. We'll talk later."

Harry only nodded and hurried away from him. He ran into Fred and George outside of the portrait hole. "Hey, I was looking for you guys."

Fred smiled. "And here we are."

"What can we do for you, young Harry?"

Harry smiled at them. "Not for me. I just … I noticed the other day that Ginny seems a bit off. She's not her usual energetic self and I thought maybe you two could cheer her up."

George pat Harry's shoulder. "Gladly, thanks for looking out for our little sister."

"Sure."

He hurried off to the library to work on his essay feeling a little better.

~ ASC ~

 **It had been a full week since Remus and Tonks had found themselves in bed together.** Remus had never been happier in his entire life and he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. He hadn't spent the night with her since that first night, but they'd been together every night since and he was running out of excuses as to why he couldn't stay the whole night.

It wasn't like with other women, who had known that he was only shagging them. This was Tonks and they both knew that it was something more than that.

He carefully extricated himself from her bed so as not to disturb her and found his clothes. He had just opened her bedroom door when her voice made him stop in his tracks.

"Sneaking out again, are you?" she asked him, her voice sleepy.

Remus turned to look at her. The soft light from the night sky illuminated her just enough so that he could see her creamy skin and the soft curves of her body and just the sight of her made him hard again. "I have to head home."

Tonks stood up, stretching and walked towards him. She stood on her toes to kiss him softly. "Stay with me."

Remus kissed her back, his mouth trailing down her chin, over her neck and nuzzling her shoulder. "I shouldn't."

Tonks' fingers trailed down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt as she went with a small smile on her face. "If I have to seduce you again, I will."

He smirked at her. "That hardly seems fair when I only have to look at you to be seduced."

She blushed at his words. "So why won't you stay?"

Remus kissed her brow, his hands on her hips. "I don't sleep well and I don't want to keep you awake."

Tonks only smiled and popped open the button on his jeans. "I'm okay with staying awake. I'm sure we can find some ways to occupy ourselves," she said with a grin, her hand slipping into his pants to find him.

"You — you need to sleep, Nymphadora," he moaned, trying to come up with a reason to leave her.

Tonks ignored him and shoved his jeans and boxers down his hips. "I will sleep," she said, falling to her knees in front of him. "After you come back to my bed."

Then those plump lips, the ones that he'd imagined for years, wrapped around the tip o his length and he had to grab the doorframe for support as he tried to will himself not to just come immediately in her mouth.

"Dora," he groaned, his fingers in her hair.

Tonks only smiled up at him, her lips trailing along him and then up his stomach to his lips. "Come back to bed, Remus."

Remus watched her saunter back to the bed and he just stood there for a moment with his shirt unbuttoned and his trousers at his ankles and his erection pointing at his stomach. He figured he looked quite the sight at the moment. He stepped out of his trousers and underwear and pulled his shirt off, climbing back into the bed with her. He slapped her butt lightly and she giggled.

"You are the most beautiful creature in the universe," he said roughly, his mouth moving to her breast.

"That seems a little far fetched," Tonks said on a laugh, sighing as his tongue did wicked things to her nipple.

Remus smirked at her. "No, it's the truth." He kissed each breast lightly and then took her lips, deepening the kiss as her hands buried themselves in his hair. "So beautiful."

"I can make myself more beautiful. Change my body if you want me to?" she asked hesitantly.

Remus' eyes met hers. "Don't you dare. You are perfect the way you are. I don't know how I got so lucky for you to want me."

Tonks' hand slid down his back, the taut muscles there and the soft bumps of his scars making her ache. "I saw you and I thought that I had never seen a more beautiful man in my life. Strong, handsome, sexy… a warrior's body, all lean muscles and full of scars, soft golden eyes that seem to look into my soul… intelligent, patient, kind, other than the fact that he's a stubborn arse, that is."

He chuckled against her neck. "You wore me down." He kissed her neck, rolling her with him so that she was straddling him. "That first Christmas when you wore that gold dress, I could barely make it home in time before I had to give myself a good wank. I imagined you were there and I felt so dirty."

Tonks smirked and kissed his chest. "Yes, yes you're a dirty man," she said teasingly. "So, now that you have me, what kind of dirty things do you want me to do to you?"

Remus' arched a brow at her. "That's not a road that you want to go down, Miss Tonks."

Tonks grinned at him and teased his left nipple with her thumb. "Teach me something dirty, Remus. Let me please you." Her hand slid lower on his abdomen, down through the soft curls and wrapped around him. "Did you like it before when I put my mouth on you?"

He made a growling sound in his throat that made her grin and bite her lip.

"I've never done that before," she told him as she stroked him, "and you're quite big, but I'd like to try it again."

Remus could only nod as she slid down his body and those gorgeous lips wrapped around him once more. She was teasing him with her tongue, her hand still wrapped around the base of him, rubbing slowly while her tongue explored his length in little licks and nips before she wrapped her mouth around him and sucked on his tip. She let go, smiling at him and kissed his tip.

"Am I doing it right?"

"Christ, Nymphadora," he gasped as her head bent down to take him again. This time her teasing tongue lapped at him as she sucked and her teeth nibbled lightly as she lapped and he felt his balls tighten. "Dora, Dora, stop," he hissed, his fingers gripping her hair as she lifted her head up.

"Why? Was that wrong? I can't take all of you, but I can try harder."

Remus stared at her. Her swollen lips were wet from him and her eyes wide and full of desire. Her bright hair was tousled around her and she was still the most incredible beauty he had ever seen. "No, no, it was amazing but I … if you keep that up, I am going to come in your mouth."

Tonks grinned cheekily at him. "Exactly."

Then she bent her head and took him once more and he cried out her name as he came, doing his best not to jerk his hips into her mouth as he saw stars. When his eyes finally met hers, she slowly slid her lips off of his cock and then she swallowed. He only stared at her in amazement and then she was kissing his stomach, his chest, his shoulders and he started to gain his concentration back again.

Remus tugged her up his body, kissing her deeply, tasting himself in her mouth as he deepened the kiss, his hands on her breasts. He slid one hand lower, finding her ready and she gasped in his mouth as he worked her, bringing her to the edge and teasing her mercilessly until she begged him for release. Then he gave it, flicking his thumb over her and she erupted in his arms, crying his name in pleasure.

He nuzzled her neck as she snuggled up against him, her arms around him tightly. "Stay," she murmured.

Remus didn't know how to say no to her. And as he lay there listening to her soft breathing he knew that he had no plans of going anywhere.

~ ASC ~

 **By the end of the week, Harry was pretty convinced that the weird voice he had heard in Lockhart's office was just a sign of how overtired he had been.** Plus sitting there and listening to Lockhart go on and on about his fans and telling him about all of the people who loved him was bound to make anyone feel a little loopy.

September turned into October and a heat wave seemed to strike them, the cool autumn breeze of September disappearing. They spent time in the sun on their breaks and did their homework outside by the lake.

They learned about Mandrakes in Herbology, practiced turning mice into water goblets in Transfiguration, and Wood increased Quidditch practice to four nights a week. Snape sneered at him while he tried to brew a Forgetfulness Potion and he glared at Neville so hard that he knocked his cauldron right off of the table, spraying potion all over Crabbe and Goyle. Harry jumped to his feet to help Neville clean up his mess, elbowing his friend lightly when he saw his hands were shaking.

"It's okay, Nev. It was just an accident."

Neville only shook his head, his lips pressed tightly together.

If it was possible, Snape seemed to be even meaner this year.

The fact that Harry and Ron hadn't been expelled after the flying car incident seemed to have put him in a serious rage. Harry lost points for everything from arriving to class right on time, to using red ink in his notes, to cutting his ingredients too slowly. Nothing he did made Snape happy.

In fact, Harry was pretty sure that he had lost points today for breathing.

Neville was trying to stop being so afraid of Snape. Harry had heard him muttering under his breath more than once Sirius' words — _that Snape's bark was worst than his bite_ — but he knew how terrified Neville was of the Potions professor. He helped him clean up the spill, ignoring Snape who took another five points away from Gryffindor for neglecting his own potion.

When they left class, Hermione hurried off to the library, dragging Ron with her since he needed her help with his Transfiguration paper. Harry walked beside Neville, eyeing his friend.

"Are you going to be okay, Nev?"

Neville shrugged, looking at Harry helplessly. "Sometimes, I don't understand how the hat could have put me in Gryffindor. I'm not… I'm not brave. A teacher scares me. I'm pathetic."

Harry scoffed at him. "Don't be daft! The hat always puts you where you belong. I mean, mostly." His ears flushed red as he leaned in closer to whisper. "The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I didn't want to go, so it chose Gryffindor. Do you think I'm in the wrong house?"

Neville looked at Harry in surprise and he shook his head. "No! Harry, you're so brave! You — you went up against You Know Who last year!"

Harry blushed. "Well, in my defence, I just thought it was Snape."

Neville grinned. "That would scare me."

They both laughed and headed up the stairs to their dormitory.

"Seriously, Nev, don't let Snape bully you. Look at me, I lost what, thirty points today basically for breathing? He's a prat and a bully. You're really smart and I know that you can do well in Potions if you just try to forget about him. He's a teacher. He can't hurt you," Harry told him. "The best way to beat him is to do well in his class."

Neville nodded, tossing his book bag on his bed. "I promise to try, Harry."

Harry grinned at him. "Good and I'm always there if you need reminding."

They grinned at each other and headed down the tower to go to dinner. Harry saw Ginny sitting in the large chair by the fire in the Gryffindor common room and he urged Neville to head down without him. He moved around the couch and squeezed himself into the chair with her.

"Hey, Gin!"

Ginny half-smiled at him. "Hi, Harry." She turned back to look at the fire and Harry frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Harry poked her in the ribs and she squirmed. "Tell me."

"Nothing's wrong!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Tell me or I'll keep poking you."

Ginny glared at him, shoving his hands away. "I got into a fight with a friend."

"Which friend?" When she didn't respond, Harry rested his chin on her shoulder. "Ginny, you know that you can talk to me, right?"

Ginny sighed, turning to look at him. "It doesn't matter. It's just… he said some hurtful things and I'm starting to wonder if maybe he's right. All of the girls in my dorm are just so… boring and… it's hard to make new friends."

"You have us old friends around. What about Luna?"

Ginny smiled. "She's around as well. Harry, you don't understand… there are these two girls in my dorm who are so annoying and they practically worship you because you're Harry Potter — The Boy Who Lived."

Harry groaned and she laughed.

"Don't worry, I told them that you were nothing special when they asked me to join your fan club."

"Hey!" he exclaimed, making her grin. "There's that smile," he said as he smiled back. "You've been missing it lately. Come on, it's almost Halloween and the Halloween feast is always really spectacular. You'll love it. But right now, you should come down to the regular feast. I bet you're hungry."

Ginny clutched her notebook and a small black diary to her chest. "I will. I just want to finish writing to Bill first."

Harry nodded and climbed out of the chair. "All right. I'll see you later, Ginny."

She smiled at him as he hurried off. When the portrait hole closed behind him, he felt a little lighter. Ginny would be okay and writing to Bill would most definitely cheer her up.

But what had she meant about his fan club?

He was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer to that.

~ ASC ~

 **The day of the Halloween feast, Harry couldn't wait to see what the house elves had prepared for them.** But after talking with the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower, otherwise known as Nearly Headless Nick (who had prevented him from getting detention from Filch he tracked mud through the halls after Quidditch practice) he had been invited to a Death Day party. He hadn't known how to respond to such a statement and promised Nick that he would of course love to attend.

Harry decided to drag Ron, Hermione, and Neville with him. After the entertainment of the Headless Hunt, seeing that all of the food provided was rotten for the ghosts, and utterly freezing in the dungeons, the four of them decided that it was time to make a quick escape. Ron suggested that if they hurried they maybe could make the feast in time for pudding.

They were halfway to the Great Hall when the mysterious voice came through the walls again. Harry was convinced that he could hear someone muttering the words: Rip, tear, kill. The sound of it made his blood run cold. He froze mid run and Ron turned to look at him, his eyebrow lifted in question.

"What's up?"

Harry held up his hand as he heard the words 'must kill' echo down the corridor. "Don't you hear that?"

Neville turned around to stare at Harry. "Hear what?"

"I don't hear anything. Come on; let's head to the feast," Ron said, turning to move again.

"That voice!" Harry exclaimed, straining his ears to listen. It sounded like it was moving now.

"I smell blood… kill! Kill! Kill!"

"It's going to kill someone!" Harry shouted, starting to run now.

Ron and Neville looked at Hermione, who looked just as bewildered as they felt, as they chased Harry past the Great Hall and down the corridor.

"Ugh," Neville said in disgust as he stepped in water. "It smells like a toilet."

Ron nodded, grimacing as his shoes sloshed in the water. "I think it is toilet water."

"Moaning Myrtle must have flooded the girl's bathroom again," Hermione said in annoyance as Harry shushed them.

The three of them crashed into Harry when he stopped suddenly.

"Mate, is that… blood?"

Neville peeked around Harry's shoulder, his eyes wide as he stared at the words dripping across the corridor wall in blood. " _The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, Enemies of the Heir of Beware_. What does that mean?"

Ron was pointing now just past the message. "And what is that hanging there?"

Harry took a step closer, squinting at it. Mrs Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring. "It's Mrs Norris."

"Filch's cat?" Ron exclaimed in surprise.

"We have to get out of here, Harry," Hermione said quietly.

For a few seconds, they didn't move.

"Shouldn't we try and help —" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me," Ron insisted. "We don't want to be found here."

But then the rumble of feet echoed across the corridor informing them that the feast had just ended. The chatter grew louder and students began to appear en mass from both ends of the passage. Then the noise suddenly died and the silence seemed to echo in the hall as people noticed the hanging cat.

Then a familiar drawl yelled out from the crowd as he pushed his way to front. "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

"What's going on here? What's going on?" Draco's shout had alerted the caretaker and Filch began to push his way through to the students. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked. And his popping eyes fell on Harry. "You!" he screeched, taking a step towards Harry, his hands outstretched.

And before Harry could do anything, the caretaker had both hands wrapped around his neck.

"You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you!"

Harry gasped for breath, the familiar feel of it bringing back memories of Uncle Vernon and he looked desperately at his friends. Ron and Neville were each tugging on Filch's arms, but to no avail. In his anger, the man's strength seemed immovable. Black spots started to form in Harry's eyes and he blinked desperately.

"Argus!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "Incarcerous!"

Harry fell to the ground, choking for breath as Neville and Ron each grabbed an arm.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Neville asked in alarm.

He attempted to swallow and winced from the pain of it. "Yeah," he croaked.

Hermione linked her arm with his when he got to his feet and looked angrily at Dumbledore who still had Filch tied up.

"Come with me, Argus," Dumbledore said calmly. "You, too, Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, Mr Longbottom."

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly. "My office is nearest, Headmaster — just upstairs — please feel free —"

"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore said.

Lockhart, looking excited and important, led the way to his office as the crowd remained silent. They were quickly followed by Professors McGonagall and Snape.

As they entered Lockhart's darkened office, there was a flurry of movement across the walls. Harry saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.

Dumbledore released Filch from the ropes binding him and urged him to sit down.

McGonagall moved over to Harry, taking her chin in his hands and examining his throat. "This is going to leave a nasty bruise, Potter, are you sure that you're all right?"

Harry nodded, his eyes on Mrs Norris. "I'm fine," he croaked. "Is Mrs Norris dead?"

The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur as he examined her critically through his half moon spectacles, using his long fingers to gently prod and poke the cat. Professor McGonagall moved over and bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile.

And Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions. "It was definitely a curse that killed her — probably the Transmogrifian Torture — I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very counter curse that would have saved her…"

Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Much as he detested Filch, Harry couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him, though not nearly as sorry as he felt for himself: If Dumbledore believed Filch, he would be expelled for sure.

Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand, but nothing happened: She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed.

" …I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadougou," Lockhart said, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…" The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his hair net.

At last Dumbledore straightened up. "She's not dead, Argus," he said softly.

Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Not dead?" Filch choked, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all — all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," Dumbledore said.

"Ah! I thought so!" Lockhart declared triumphantly.

"But how, I cannot say…"

"Ask him!" Filch shrieked, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Harry.

"No second year could have done this," Dumbledore said firmly. "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced —"

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster," Snape said from the shadows, and Harry's sense of foreboding increased. He was sure that nothing Snape had to say was going to do him any good. "Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"

Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione all launched into an explanation about the deathday party for Nearly Headless Nick. "…there were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there —"

"But why not join the feast afterward?" Snape asked, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. "Why go up to that corridor?"

The three of them looked at Harry.

"Because… because…" Harry said, his heart thumping very fast; something told him it would sound very far fetched if he told them he had been led there by a bodiless voice no one but he could hear, "because we were tired and we wanted to go to bed."

"Without any supper?" Snape said, a triumphant smile flickering across his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties."

"We weren't hungry," Ron said loudly as his stomach gave a huge rumble.

Snape's nasty smile widened. "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off of the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

"Really, Severus," Professor McGonagall said sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong!"

Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look. His twinkling light blue gaze made Harry feel as though he were being X rayed. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly.

Snape looked furious.

So did Filch. "My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some punishment!"

"I think you punished an innocent boy enough tonight, Argus," McGonagall said sharply. "You almost strangled him! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Filch made to protest and then clamped his mouth shut, simply nodding at her.

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," Dumbledore said patiently. "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep —"

"Excuse me," Snape said icily. "But I believe _I_ am the Potions Master at this school."

There was a very awkward pause.

"You may go," Dumbledore said to Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione.

They went, as quickly as they could without actually running. When they were a floor up from Lockhart's office, they turned into an empty classroom and closed the door quietly behind them.

Harry squinted at his friends' darkened faces. "Do you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?"

"No," Ron said, without hesitation. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign."

Something in Ron's voice made Harry ask, "You do believe me, don't you?"

"'Course I do," Ron said quickly. "But — you must admit it's weird…"

"I know it's weird," Harry said defiantly. "The whole thing's weird. What was that writing on the wall about? The Chamber Has Been Opened… What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, it rings a sort of bell," Ron said slowly. "I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once… might've been Bill…"

"We'd better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else," Harry said quietly as the clock chimed midnight.

Hermione linked her arm with his. "Are you sure you're all right, Harry? Your throat looks… does it hurt?"

Harry shrugged. "A bit. I'll be fine."

It did hurt, but it also felt familiar, and he knew that when he closed his eyes tonight, memories of Uncle Vernon were going to be there. And as scared as he was of having a nightmare, the disembodied voice that no one else seemed to have heard scared him even more.


	82. Chapter 82

_Author's Note:_

 _I just wanted to say that the amount of animosity I have been getting in reviews lately have really gotten me down._

 _I love Hinny and I have always thought that they were perfect for each other which it states in my author profile. Ginny is everything Harry needs, brave, smart, strong, and when she loves, it's with her whole heart. Now when you first meet her, yes, she is an annoying eleven-year-old-fan-girl with a crush (hinted at in the first book) but we've all had embarrassing crush moments and the choices we make as children or young teens shouldn't be held against us for our whole lives. She grew up. She was smart and resourceful and was a great friend to Harry in ways that Ron and Hermione weren't — it was her who put him in his place in Order of the Phoenix when he needed it after Arthur's attack; it was Ginny who offered him the comfort he didn't know he needed in Goblet of Fire over Easter; and it was Ginny who knew how much she loved him but she just let him go off to war, didn't question it, didn't ask him to stay, didn't beg to go with him, didn't cry her eyes out and make him feel guilty for leaving - she just let him go because she knew that it was what he had to do and she could only hope that he would not only come back alive, but decide to come back to her. They made no promises or guarantees to each other. Not to mention that Ginny Weasley is the last thing that Harry thinks about before he sacrifices himself for the greater good, is her "blazing look"; thinking about her before he dies, if that's not love than I don't know what you people think love is._

 _Everyone is of course entitled to their own opinions — I read fanfics of every caliber, Harry & Ginny; Draco & Hermione; Ron & Hermione; Remus & Sirius; some Draco & Harry (But I do like Dramione better than Drarry); Harry & Luna etc - and many of them are truly excellent. But it is canon that Harry ends up with Ginny and as someone who has been reading Harry Potter for literally nineteen years (as of 2018) and had to wait for each book to be released with bated breath, it was something that I shipped then and I rejoiced in Half-Blood Prince when Harry finally realized that it was Ginny he wanted._

 _Harry and Ginny will not be getting together any time soon as it is only second year, but ultimately at the end of this story, they_ _will be_ _together. I'm sorry if some of you have a problem with that then I suggest you skip over those bits or pretend it's someone else or don't read it. But this is what will be happening._

 _To those wonderful reviewers who have defended my work and made their annoyance known for the negativity, I thank you for it. I appreciate all of the support that you all have given me. Without those of you reading this, I would only be writing for myself (which I would of course still do) but having someone read your work and enjoy it is all that I ask._

 _Also, in this story — Harry is friends with Ginny, she's the first friend he ever made. Of course he's going to worry about her and want to protect her, don't we all do that for our friends?_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lovely section from chapter nine of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, that belongs to the lovely JKR — I wanted to keep the story of the chamber mythology pretty much the same._

 _I know there's been a lot of repetition from the books, but bear with me, there are certain things that I believe are important._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO:**

 **For a few days, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Mrs. Norris.** Filch was being Filch, miserable and even more antagonizing towards students than usual, yelling at students for smiling or laughing in the corridors. And in case anyone attempted to forget the attack, he kept pacing on the spot in front of the girl's bathroom and scrubbing vigorously at the wall to remove the message, but it had no effect. The words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone.

Ginny seemed very disturbed by Mrs Norris's fate.

"But you haven't really got to know Mrs Norris," Ron told her bracingly. "Honestly, we're much better off without her." Ginny's lip trembled. "Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts," Ron assured her. "They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope that he's got time to petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking —" Ron added hastily as Ginny blanched.

Neville tried to explain to Harry that no one else had heard the voice. He asked Harry to describe it in more detail, what exactly had the voice said? But Harry couldn't explain it any better.

"Maybe you should talk to Sirius," Neville suggested.

Harry only nodded. He was worried that Sirius might overreact when he heard the news. But he did agree with Neville on one thing, it had been two days since it happened and the last thing that Harry needed was for Sirius to hear it from someone else.

Not to mention that he had been putting it off due to the nasty finger shaped bruises around his throat. They had changed to a sickly yellow by now but they still didn't look great.

He went up to his bedroom, sitting on his bed after dinner to find a quiet spot and pulled out the mirror, saying Sirius' name.

The mirror shimmered like before and about thirty seconds later, Sirius' face appeared.

"Hey, Prongslet!" Sirius said with a smile. "What's going on?"

Harry sighed. "I have something to tell you, but you can't panic, al lright?"

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Harry, this is not how you keep me from panicking. Are you all right? Are you hurt in any way?"

"No! I'm fine!" Sirius simply stared at him and Harry sighed. "Filch's cat was attacked and a message was left in blood on the walls." Harry quickly explained what had happened including the voice that no one else had heard.

Sirius listened intently, nodding but he didn't interrupt. "The voice said kill?"

Harry nodded. "I heard it before."

"When?"

"When I was in detention with Lockhart."

"Why were you in detention, Harry?"

"No, from the car situation, I wasn't in detention again," he quickly added. "But Lockhart didn't hear it. I thought maybe that I was tired, but now Ron and Hermione and Neville all think that I'm crazy. Neville thinks that I should have told Dumbledore, but Ron and Hermione say that hearing voices isn't a good sign."

"No," Sirius said in agreement. "It's not, but it is strange that only you can hear it."

Harry let out a long breath. "And everyone thinks that I hurt Filch's cat because I was found at the scene of the crime. Snape tried to get Dumbledore to kick me off the Quidditch team, but Auntie Minnie told him that was stupid because Mrs Norris wasn't attacked with a broomstick. I don't know what to think, Uncle Siri!"

Sirius smiled reassuringly. "It will be all right, Harry. I want to know if you hear this voice again, do you hear me? In the meantime, we'll just keep it between us. I'll talk to Minnie and get more details on this chamber thing. I have a meeting with the Board of Governors tonight and we'll discuss it then as well. I want to be kept informed, Prongslet."

Harry nodded. "Okay. I promise."

Sirius smiled at him. "I miss you. How's school otherwise?"

Harry shrugged. "The usual, I guess. Are you and Uncle Moony coming to my game next week?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Sirius said with a grin. "Tonks is off and she's going to come too."

"What about Zee?"

Sirius smiled. "She's in New Zealand at the moment."

"She travels a lot," Harry said.

Sirius smiled at him. "She does. You sure that you're all right?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Thanks for believing me."

Sirius smiled warmly. "Always. We never lie to each other, that's the rule, right?"

"Right," Harry said wth a grin.

"I love you. If I don't hear from you, I'll see you at the Quidditch match."

Harry grinned into the mirror. "Okay. Bye, Uncle Sirius."

"Wait!" Harry lifted an eyebrow and then gulped as he watched Sirius stare at him critically. "Move the mirror back to your neck, Prongslet."

Harry winced and Sirius stared at him. "It's nothing, Uncle Siri."

"If it's nothing then why are you hiding it from me? What did we just say about lying?"

Harry sighed and tipped the mirror down to show his godfather the ugly bruises. "Filch kind of lost it when he found me near Mrs Norris, I didn't want you to worry. I'm fine, I swear."

"Filch did that to you?" Sirius asked, his voice was very calm which worried Harry slightly.

"He was scared, Uncle Siri, it was his cat that was attacked — and I'm fine honestly. Don't worry, Auntie Minnie checked me out. It doesn't even hurt." When Sirius didn't answer, Harry sighed. "Honestly, I'm fine. It was an accident. He didn't mean to hurt me."

Sirius nodded. "If he puts his hands on you again, I want to know, Harry."

"He won't," Harry insisted. "But I promise I'll tell you. I'm fine, honest."

Sirius sighed and nodded. "Okay. I love you."

"Bye, Uncle Siri."

"Bye," Sirius said as his face disappeared from the mirror.

Harry sighed as he put the mirror away. He did feel a little better now, but he was still no closer to knowing anything about the mysterious voice.

~ ASC ~

 **When the eagle owl flew into the kitchen the day after he spoke to Harry, Sirius had a feeling that he knew exactly what it was.** There was no other reason why his cousin would be writing to him; at least no good reason that he could think of.

His fears were confirmed as he unfolded the parchment.

 _Sirius,_

 _Papa died last night._

 _You are now the Head of the House of Black. Is everything still in affect from the last time we spoke?_

 _Narcissa_

Sirius sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. Cygnus Black had been suffering for years now. Sirius was surprised that he had lasted as long as he had if he was honest with himself. Everything was still the same with the estate. He hadn't touched any of it since they had discussed it at Malfoy Manor a few years ago. He would control the Black Estate until Harry and Draco were of age. But with Cygnus dying, it meant that Tonks was going to be inheriting quite a bit and she had no idea. He had kept it a secret from her only because Andromeda wanted nothing to do with the money.

He was going to have to tell Andy that her father had died. He knew that she would grieve him. That she may have lost him years ago, but the grief would still be there. She had loved him. He rubbed a hand over his face at the thought of it.

He finished his breakfast before he made his way to the Tonks cottage, kissing Andy's cheek when she opened the front door.

"Sirius! What a wonderful surprise!" Andromeda exclaimed, gesturing him to come inside. "How is Harry's second year going?"

Sirius grinned at her. "Better than the first I suppose though he and Ron did fly Arthur's car to Hogwarts."

Andromeda's mouth opened in horror. "That article in the Daily Prophet about the Muggles who saw a flying car?"

Sirius nodded. "Yup."

She laughed. "He is keeping you on your toes!"

"You can say that again," he said with a smile as he took a seat on the couch. "His first match of the season is next week so I have that to look forward too. Andy, we have to talk."

Andromeda merely sighed. "That's never the way that I want to start a conversation."

"It's about Cygnus… he died last night."

Andromeda stared at him for a moment, her mouth slightly open. And then a single tear slid down her cheek. "Oh."

Sirius moved to wrap an arm around her. "I know that you have mixed feelings, but I know you loved him once, maybe even still do."

Andromeda only nodded, letting him hold her close as she cried on his shoulder. "The funeral?"

"Aunt Druella will be arranging everything. Do you want to go?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Sirius kissed her forehead. "Then we'll go."

~ ASC ~

 **History of Magic was the dullest subject on their schedule.** Not that it wasn't an interesting topic, but the way that it was taught made Harry want to claw his eyes out as he desperately wished that he was back in his sunroom, listening to Uncle Remus tell him stories.

Professor Binns was their only ghost teacher, and the most exciting thing that ever happened in his classes was his entering the room through the blackboard. Ancient and shrivelled, many people said that he hadn't noticed he was dead. He had simply got up to teach one day and left his body behind him in an armchair in front of the staff room fire; his routine had not varied in the slightest since.

Today was as boring as ever. Professor Binns opened his notes and began to read in a flat drone like an old vacuum cleaner until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep stupor, occasionally coming around long enough to copy down a name or date, then falling asleep again. He had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had never happened before. Hermione put up her hand.

Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed. "Miss — er —?"

"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," Hermione said in a clear voice.

Dean, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his trance; Lavender's head came up off of her arms and Neville's elbow slipped off his desk as he woke suddenly from his nap.

Professor Binns blinked. "My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise like chalk slipping and continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers —" He stuttered to a halt. Hermione's hand was waving in the air again. "Miss Grant?"

"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement, Harry was sure no student had ever interrupted him before, alive or dead. "Well," Professor Binns said slowly, "Yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at Hermione as though he had never seen a student properly before. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale —"

Everyone was staring at him, their interest peaked and eyes wide all desperately waiting to hear what he had to say. It must have been a first for him, Harry thought.

"Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see… the Chamber of Secrets… You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago — the precise date is uncertain — by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution. For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said stubbornly. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more and the silence of their anticipation seemed to echo around the classroom.

Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed. "The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course! Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

Hermione's hand was back in the air. "Sir — what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?"

"That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," Professor Binns said in his dry, reedy voice.

The class exchanged nervous looks.

"I tell you, the thing does not exist," Professor Binns insisted, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."

"But, sir," Seamus began, "If the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?"

"Nonsense, O'Flaherty," Professor Binns said in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing —"

"But, Professor," Parvati Patil piped up, "You'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it —"

"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't, Miss Pennyfeather," Professor Binns snapped. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore —"

"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't —" Dean began, but Professor Binns had had enough.

"That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"

And within five minutes, the class had sunk back into its usual torpor.

"I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony," Ron told Harry, Hermione, and Neville as they fought their way through the teeming corridors at the end of the lesson to drop off their bags before dinner. "But I never knew that he started all this pureblood stuff. I wouldn't be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I'd've got back on the train straight home…"

Hermione nodded fervently, but Harry didn't say anything. His stomach had just dropped unpleasantly. He met Neville's gaze, grateful that his friend didn't say anything. He had never told Ron that the hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin, but he could only imagine the look of horror on Ron's face if he ever found out.

As they were shunted along in the throng, Colin Creevy went past. "Hiya, Harry!"

"Hullo, Colin," Harry said automatically. He was used to seeing the tiny boy around now and nothing gave him more of a thrill than saying hello to Harry.

"Harry — Harry — a boy in my class has been saying you're —" But Colin was so small he couldn't fight against the tide of people bearing him toward the Great Hall; they heard him squeak, "See you, Harry!" and he was gone.

"What's a boy in his class saying about you?" Hermione wondered.

"That I'm Slytherin's heir, I expect," Harry said. After finding Mrs Norris and the message on the wall, everyone was staring and whispering about him.

"People here will believe anything," Ron said in disgust. The crowd thinned and they were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty. "Do you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked Hermione.

"I don't know," she said, frowning. "Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be — well — human."

"But how does a monster sneak around the school without anyone seeing it?" Neville wondered. "It doesn't make sense!"

Hermione nodded. "That's just it, Neville, how does it happen? And if it's a monster, why did Harry hear it speak?"

As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened. The four of them stopped, surprised to find it deserted, but the words were still rather ominously glaring from the wall.

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered.

They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.

"Can't hurt to have a poke around," Harry said, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues. "Scorch marks!" he said. "Here — and here —"

"Come and look at this!" Hermione said. "This is funny…"

Harry got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty spiders were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside.

"Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" Hermione said wonderingly.

"No," Harry said, "Have you, Neville? Ron? Ron?" He looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run. "Sorry, mate, I forgot about the spider thing."

"Harry, don't you think this would qualify as looking for trouble," Neville added, watching his friend search for clues.

Harry grinned at Neville. "Probably, but there's no way Uncle Sirius wouldn't have done the exact same thing if he were here."

"True," Neville said with a grin as he too began to look around. "Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from?"

"It was about here," Ron said, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing. "Level with this door." He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned.

"What's the matter?"

"Can't go in there," Ron said gruffly. "That's a girls' toilet."

"Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there except Moaning Myrtle," Hermione said, standing up and coming over.

It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom Harry had ever set foot in. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges.

Hermione put her fingers to her lips and set off toward the end stall. When she reached it she said, "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?"

Moaning Myrtle was floating above the tank of the toilet, picking a spot on her chin. "This is a girls' bathroom," she said, eyeing Ron, Harry and Neville suspiciously. "They're not girls."

"No," Hermione agreed. "I just wanted to show them how er — nice it is in here." She waved vaguely at the dirty old mirror and the damp floor.

"Ask her if she saw anything," Harry mouthed at Hermione.

"What are you whispering?" Myrtle said, staring at him.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly. "We wanted to ask —"

"I wish people would stop talking behind my back!" Myrtle said, in a voice choked with tears. "I do have feelings, you know, even if I am dead —"

"Myrtle, no one wants to upset you," Hermione said. "Harry only —"

"No one wants to upset me! That's a good one!" Myrtle howled. "My whole life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my death!"

"We wanted to ask you if you've seen anything funny lately," Hermione said quickly. "Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween."

"Did you see anyone near here that night?" Harry asked.

"I wasn't paying attention," Myrtle stated dramatically. "Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to kill myself. Then, of course, I remembered that… I'm… that I'm…"

"Already dead," Ron supplied helpfully.

Hermione glared at him, but it was too late and Myrtle gave a tragic sob, rose up in the air, turned over, and dived headfirst into the toilet, splashing water all over them and vanishing from sight, although from the direction of her muffled sobs, she had come to rest somewhere in the U bend.

Harry, Ron, and Neville stood with their mouths open, but Hermione shrugged wearily and said, "Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle… Come on, let's go."

Harry had barely closed the door on Myrtle's gurgling sobs when a loud voice made all three of them jump.

"RON!" Percy had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, prefect badge agleam, an expression of complete shock on his face. "That's a girls' bathroom!" he gasped. "What were you —?"

"Just having a look around," Ron shrugged. "Clues, you know —"

Percy swelled in a manner that reminded Harry forcefully of Mrs Weasley. "Get — away — from — there —" Percy said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms. "Don't you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at dinner —"

"Why shouldn't we be here?" Ron said hotly, stopping short and glaring at Percy. "Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!"

"That's what I told Ginny," Percy said fiercely, "but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled, I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of her, all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business —"

"You don't care about Ginny," Ron said, whose ears were now reddening. "You're just worried I'm going to mess up your chances of being Head Boy —"

"Five points from Gryffindor!" Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more detective work, or I'll write to Mum!"

And he strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron's ears.

"How dare he take away house points?" Ron exclaimed as Neville shrugged.

"At least he's not telling your mum, right?"

Ron glared at him.

"Besides, Mrs Norris will be all right. Professor Sprout is working with the Mandrakes. She's been letting me help her. It's really quite interesting to watch them grow up and see how they progress," Neville explained.

Harry nodded. "As long as no one else gets hurts outside of the cat or the whole school will really blame me."

"Harry, no one thinks it's you. You were just in the wrong spot at the wrong time."

"Yeah standing next to the petrified cat and under the words dripping in blood — trust me, they think it's me, Hermione."

Hermione chose not to comment as they made their way into the Gryffindor common room.

Harry saw Ginny near the fireplace sitting with Fred and George. She did look a bit peaky. "Do you think Percy was right about Ginny though?"

Ron shrugged. "I think so, yeah. She loves animals and it's her first year and all of this terrible stuff is going on, I'm not surprised that she's taking it badly. I tried to tell her that Dumbledore will find the culprit soon, but she's scared. And honestly, I can't blame her. We have no idea who's behind it."

"Who can it be, though?" Hermione asked, glancing around the common room. "Who'd want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggleborns out of Hogwarts?"

"Let's think," Ron said in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks Muggleborns are scum?"

He looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back, unconvinced. "If you're talking about Malfoy —"

"Of course I am!" Ron bellowed. "You heard him —'You'll be next, Mudbloods!'"

"Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" Hermione said skeptically.

"Look at his family," Harry said as he considered his friend's words. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin - he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants."

"They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" Ron said. "Handing it down, father to son… don't you think so, Nev?"

"Well," Neville said cautiously, glancing between Harry and Ron, "I suppose it's possible…"

"But how do we prove it?" Harry retorted darkly.

"There might be a way," Hermione said slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance across the room at Percy. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect —"

"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?" Ron said irritably making Neville grin.

"All right," Hermione said coldly. "What we'd need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us."

"But that's impossible," Harry said as Ron laughed.

"No, it's not," Hermione said. "All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion."

"Isn't that one that transforms you into somebody else?" Harry asked, his brow crinkling in thought.

Hermione nodded excitedly. "Think about it! We could change into four of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He's probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him."

"This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit dodgy to me," Ron said, frowning. "What if we were stuck looking like the Slytherins forever?"

"It wears off after a while," Hermione said, waving her hand impatiently. "But getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called _Moste Potente Potions_ and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library."

There was only one way to get out a book from the Restricted Section: You needed a signed note of permission from a teacher.

"Hard to see why we'd want the book, really," Ron said, "if we weren't going to try and make one of the potions."

"I think," Hermione said, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance…"

"Oh, come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," Ron said. "They'd have to be really thick!"

Neville chuckled and smirked at Harry. "We do know someone who loves to give out autographs…"

Harry grinned back. "That git will sign anything! Just watch…"


	83. Chapter 83

_Author's Note:_

 _I know one of the big problems with Remus being a werewolf was how hard it was for him to find work. He missed days, was sick a lot because of the moon, plus the stigma of his lycanthropy made people in the wizarding world not even want to hire him. I like to think that if Sirius had lived, he would have done everything in his power to help his friend. I mentioned it before, that Remus saved everything he made from teaching Harry. As he was someone who wasn't used to having much, I imagine he was a bit of a Sickle and Knut pincher too, so in my opinion, he saved a lot of money over those five and half years. Obviously, Sirius would want to help him, which is why back in chapter sixty-five, Remus asks Sirius to do some investing for him._

 _Also, been wanting to bring this up in some way since I originally showed the memory of James and Sirius — we all bleed red._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE:**

 **The funeral was different than Sirius had expected.** It was subdued and quiet. His aunt was up at the front all in black with Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco. Druella's eyes widened at the sight of Sirius, Andromeda, and Ted walking towards them.

"You are not welcome here," she hissed angrily, her cheeks blotchy.

Narcissa nodded at her sister. "Dromeda, of course you're welcome here. He was your father too."

Andromeda smiled gratefully, walking past her mother, her hand tightly in her husband's grasp as she looked into the casket at her father. Ted wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her back against him as she said goodbye, leaning down to kiss his cold cheek. Tears rolled down her own cheeks when she turned around and buried her face against her husband's shoulder.

Ted rubbed her back in comfort, his eyes on Narcissa's. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Narcissa only nodded at them.

"You've said your goodbyes — now leave. You are no longer a part of this family!" Druella insisted angrily.

Andromeda ignored her mother and moved to sit next to Sirius for the service. Draco's eyes were following her and when she offered him a small smile, he smiled back at her.

After the service, Druella was talking with Lucius and Narcissa, but Draco had made his way over to them, catching her before they left.

"Er, Aunt?"

Andromeda turned to look down at him in surprise. "Aunt Andy or Aunt Dromeda is fine, Draco."

He gave her a small smile. "I've always wanted to meet you. Mother talks about you a lot."

"She does?" Andromeda asked, her eyes searching for her sister's in the crowd.

Draco nodded, sneaking a look back at his parents who were both watching him with a cool gaze. "She does."

Andromeda smiled at him. He was a handsome boy, the spitting image of Lucius Malfoy, but he had the Black family eyes, that deep grey, but with a hint of his father's blue and when he smiled, she saw her little sister. "Well, it's lovely to finally meet you, Draco. This is your Uncle Ted. Your cousin Nymphadora is an Auror. I told her not to come today. She never even met her grandfather."

Sirius squeezed Andromeda's shoulder. "And that was his loss, Andy. Draco, your Aunt Andy is pretty great. Not to mention how awesome your uncle is."

"Grandfather Abraxas says that he's a Mudblood."

Ted shrugged at the word. He had heard it used most of his life by ignorant witches and wizards, but hearing the child before him use it, clutched at his heart a little. That those kinds of teachings were still being passed down was heartbreaking and despicable. "I am Muggleborn, yes."

"That's a terrible word, Draco. Do you even know what it means?" Sirius asked him, his grey eyes meeting the same eyes as his own.

"Dirty blood. Grandfather Abraxas says that Mudbloods should be eradicated."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "My best friend once told me something that changed my life, Draco. We all bleed red. You can't tell my blood from Ted's and vice versa because his is not dirty, it is red like mine, not muddy at all. You think about that the next time you're tempted to use that foul word. Come on, Andy."

Draco stared after them, his brow furrowed in thought, but he didn't say anything again.

Sirius smiled at his cousin. "You going to be all right?"

Andromeda nodded and kissed his cheek. "I will be. Come on, Ted; let's go home."

Sirius watched them Disapparate and he sighed.

Now he had to figure out how to tell Tonks that she had just inherited some gold. That should be interesting, he thought.

He checked his watch. His cousin probably wouldn't be home from work for at least a few more hours. He Apparated to Wales; making his way past the wards and towards the familiar tiny cottage amongst the trees, his hands in the pockets of the black dress slacks he wore. He didn't bother knocking, but slipped inside, closing the door behind him. He stepped out of his loafers and seeing that the living room was empty, headed towards the kitchen to see if he could see his friend.

Remus stepped out of the bedroom in worn blue jeans unbuttoned. "Sirius?"

"Hey Rem," he said, his eyebrow arching at his friend's attire. "Did I get you out of bed at —" checking his watch "— one oh eight in the afternoon?"

Remus blushed. "Er — no. I was… just changing my clothes." He reached down to close his jeans, but a hand slid around his waist and covered his hands. The back of his neck flushed in embarrassment.

Sirius grinned widely. "Ah, company — should have said," he told him, biting his lip to keep himself from laughing at his friend's predicament. His brow furrowed a little, Remus never brought women back to his cottage. He couldn't leave them after sex otherwise.

"Sirius, just give me a moment to —"

Sirius put his hands up. "No, it's fine. Come over later, yeah?"

Remus only nodded as the mysterious feminine hand rubbed his abs. "Sure."

Sirius slipped his shoes back on and headed out. No sooner had the door shut behind him before Remus spun around to glare at Tonks.

"He could have seen you!"

She grinned at him, licking her lips. "So what if he had? Are we planning on keeping this a secret forever?"

Remus leaned down to kiss her. She was wearing his button down shirt and nothing else. "No, but I don't think that this is exactly the way to introduce it, is it?"

She chuckled, standing on her toes to loop her arms comfortably around his neck. "I suppose not." She nipped at his lips. "I have to get back to work. My lunch is going to be over."

Remus placed his hands on her hips beneath his shirt, sliding them up her ribcage and cupping her breasts. "It was nice of you to stop by for a bite."

Tonks grinned at him, kissing him softly before she stepped back from him and pulled his shirt off. She felt his gaze on her backside as she found her knickers, slipping them on, followed by her navy blue uniform trousers with silver trim, her white lace bra, white blouse, and matching navy blue jacket with silver fastenings. She ran her fingers through her hair.

"Do I have 'I just got shagged half to death hair'?"

Remus smirked at her, moving closer to kiss her neck. "You definitely look like a woman who came four times in an hour."

Tonks blushed. "We are definitely doing it in that position again."

Remus grinned, looking incredibly pleased with himself. "Definitely."

She sighed and quickly fixed her hair in front of the mirror. She kissed him deeply and slid on her boots. "I want to stop by Mum and Dad's later and see how Mum is doing. I'll come by after that?"

"I might be at Sirius'. He wants to talk about the funeral I assume, why don't you go there? He'd love to see you," he said, slipping his arms around her waist. He kissed her lips softly — once, twice, three times — and then he smiled down at her. "Then you can come home with me."

Tonks grinned up at him. "Perfect." She glanced at the clock and grimaced. "I have four minutes to get back to the ministry." She kissed him quickly. "Bye!"

Remus watched her run out of his house to Apparate and he grinned. He loved it when she stopped by for 'lunch'. He headed back into his bedroom, doing up his jeans and grabbed the button down shirt that she had previously been wearing, slipping it on. To his delight he could smell her on it. He tucked it into his jeans, adjusting his belt and grabbed a light jacket to wear over top. He tamed his wavy hair down and put on socks and shoes before he headed into the Floo to go to Sirius'.

Sirius' eyebrow only rose from his spot on the couch when he appeared in the living room. "Didn't expect you to be over so soon, Moony."

Remus merely smirked at him. "Her lunch break was over."

Sirius grinned at him. "Naughty witch sneaking out for a nooner." He smirked at his friend. "She was at your place."

"So?"

Sirius arched a brow. "Don't 'so' me, Moony! In all the years that I've known you, not once have you ever brought a witch back to your bed. I know how you operate, Mr Sneaks Out After the Shag."

"And you always spend the night?"

"Sometimes, depends on the witch. But plenty of times, yes. Spending the night is how you get morning sex."

Remus shrugged. "She only came by for her lunch break, Padfoot. Can't stay the night when you only have an hour."

Sirius figured that made sense, but he was still a little suspicious nevertheless as it was extremely out of character for his friend. "So, who is she?"

"Just someone that I'm shagging," he said, attempting to sound indifferent. His friend only stared at him in amusement. "All right, don't give me that look. It's been going on over a month and it's…" a huge grin split across his face. "It's the best sex that I've ever had in my life."

He grinned widely. "Well, do tell, Moony."

Remus flushed. "I just did."

"No, no," Sirius said with a grin. "You can't just say it's the best you've ever had without adding a few more details."

He grinned. "It's just good okay… she's amazing and beautiful and sexy and so willing. We never do it in the same position. She showed up at the start of her lunch break today. She got undressed and told me to come shag her sideways. She… she tells me my scars are sexy and when she wraps her mouth around me… fuck, it's great okay?"

Sirius chuckled. He could relate to that concept. "Sounds like a special woman. Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Shag her sideways?"

Remus simply grinned. "Oh yeah, well, she was on her side, her leg up in the air and I — er — anyway," Remus said, determined to change the subject as his ears flushed red. "Incredible sex - but how was the funeral today?"

Sirius grinned at his friend, licking his lips. "Way to change the subject there, Rem."

Remus shrugged. "I already shared more than I should have. I assume you wanted me to come by because of the funeral this morning?"

He nodded, letting out a deep breath. "Yeah, I did. Mostly. I was hoping you could help me with something."

"Of course."

Sirius smiled at him. He was a little jealous of his friend's early afternoon activities. Zee wasn't coming back until next week. "Well, it's about Tonks."

Remus coughed slightly. "Oh?"

Sirius stared at him for a moment. That was a rather strange reaction, he thought. "Yeah, remember back before when we found out that my uncle was sick and I had organized the Black Family Estate and properties?" At his friend's nod, he continued. "Draco is set to inherit most of it, but Andy was disowned and disinherited when she was burned off of the family tapestry for marrying Ted. I thought that Tonks deserved to have something of her family's estate however, and I put aside forty percent for Draco and forty percent for Tonks."

Remus' eyebrow rose at that. "Forty percent?"

He nodded. "Technically, she was set to inherit at seventeen if I had told her about it, but I didn't. I put it off because Uncle Cy was still alive and well… I didn't want Andy to go berserk about it."

"If she and Draco are both set to inherit forty percent, are you keeping the other twenty percent to live on for yourself?" Remus asked, scratching his arm.

Sirius nodded. "Essentially, yeah. It will be passed down to Harry when I die, but the rest will be given over to Draco and Tonks upon their respective seventeenth birthdays or at any later moment or the moment they turn twenty-one. I have control over that decision."

"And you think that Tonks should have hers now?"

Sirius shrugged. "She's an A1. She has her own flat now, she's living on her own. I think that she should at least know about it, but yeah, I think that I'm going to pass it to her. My question for you is: Should I tell Andy first?"

Remus' eyebrow rose and he sat up straighter on the couch. "Andromeda doesn't know?"

Sirius shook his head. "She was so adamant about taking nothing from the people who cut her off, I thought mentioning giving it to her daughter was a bad decision at the time."

"Probably wise."

"I thought so. Anyway, I'm going to give it to her now. I'll owl her and see what time she gets off work."

"She'll be at Andromeda's tonight."

"Oh?" Sirius asked, grinning at his friend.

"Well, I'd assume, I mean her grandfather died and she knows her mother loved him and was grieving for him."

"Yeah, you're right, of course she'd want to go make sure that her mother was alright. I know that she wanted to go today to attend the funeral, to be there for her mum, but Andromeda was insistent. She didn't want her daughter to see the ugliness of the Black family. Good choice on her part too, Aunt Druella was a right bitch to her, insisting that she didn't belong there as she was no longer part of this family."

Remus nodded. "At a funeral nonetheless, classy."

"Right?"

"How was Andromeda?"

"Grieving," Sirius said, his eyes sad. "As much as that man treated her like shit from the moment she told him that she was in love with Ted; he had worshipped her before that. She was his world and she loved him. Even after he forced her out of his life, she loved him, and losing your father is going to be hard no matter what. Ted was her rock today."

Remus nodded. "I'm glad."

Sirius stood up. "I'm going to send Tonks an owl and ask her to stop by here after her parents' house. I'll tell her and worry about Andy later."

"Good plan," Remus told him standing up too. "Oh, by the way, I um… I lost that job at the bookstore."

"Fucking idiots," Sirius muttered, staring at his friend.

Remus shrugged. "I missed too much work and what did the manager say again, 'you look ill, Lupin.'"

Sirius snorted. "Prick." He grinned at his friend. "Actually, perfect timing then. I got this in the post this morning." He headed into the kitchen and sorted through the stack of letters on the kitchen table, pulling out one with the Gringotts seal on it and passing it over to his friend.

Remus opened it carefully and then his eyes widened as he read what was there. "This is a joke."

Sirius grinned and shook his head. "It's not. Apparently, I have a brain for a numbers, who would have thought it, eh?"

Remus continued to stare down at the letter.

At the beginning of Harry's first year, he had given Sirius half of his savings to invest in some of the markets that the Black Family Estate was invested in. He had discussed it with Sirius when Harry had first started Hogwarts and had done so, but had increased the amount given after Mr Granger had suggested at Harry's birthday that Sirius look into the markets of the Muggle world as well. Sirius, ever interested in seeing what he could do, immediately changed over the gold and did so, placing chunks of his friend's money and his own into different accounts and pots between the two stock markets. Obviously, he had made some great investments because the amount Remus had given him (half of what Remus had made teaching Harry for almost six years) had actually quadrupled between the two markets.

"I cashed in on every one," Sirius said with a grin. "You, Remus Lupin have made yourself quite a little fortune."

Remus simply stared at the letter and the envelope of cheques inside of it. "This can't be right."

Sirius grinned and slapped his friend on the back. "It is very much right. You gave me 48,000 Galleons, which was insane to begin with that you saved that much, you Knut pincher, but once I converted half of that to Muggle pounds and distributed half of it in the Muggle markets and half in the wizarding market amongst different stocks and bonds, yeah, you did pretty damn good for yourself. That's roughly almost half a million in Muggle pounds and close to the same in Galleons. I'll go with you to Gringotts to convert it."

Remus' eyes simply bugged out of his head. "Half a… fuck, Padfoot, this is a joke."

Sirius grinned widely. "It's not a joke, Moony. I invested and you came out on top. You don't have to worry about a job, possibly never again actually. You can pay off the rest of your cottage and still live comfortably for decades."

Remus' whiskey coloured eyes were filled with tears as he looked at his friend. "I - I don't know how to thank you for this. This is more than… I never expected… fuck!"

Sirius tugged his friend into his arms. He knew how much this meant to him. It's why he had spent his time seeking out as much advice on investing as he could. He had known his friend had saved almost every Knut and Sickle from what he earned from Harry's teaching. His cottage was almost paid off and Remus purchased very little for himself outside of necessities. He paid for his potion every month, but that was it. Money had always been a problem for Remus and to know that he now had enough to live on, to not have to struggle for work was a blessing.

"You deserve it, Rem."

Remus only nodded against his friend's shoulder, composing himself as he pulled away. "Thank you."

Sirius smiled and squeezed his friend's arm. "Of course. Why don't we head out and cash these cheques into pounds and head to Gringotts? You can buy me a pint to celebrate."

Remus grinned at his friend. He'd give Sirius anything he wanted for doing this for him. Anything.

~ ASC ~

 **It hadn't taken as long as Remus would have expected to go to the Muggle bank where he had opened an account and cashed the multiple cheques.** He had decided to leave half of the money in his Muggle account, only bringing some of it to Gringotts to convert. He agreed with Sirius that keeping things separate was sometimes a good idea. But he felt like the wealthiest man alive when he purchased two pints at The Leaky Cauldron later on that afternoon.

Sirius filled Remus in on the conversation that he had had with Harry about hearing a voice within the walls and about his meeting with the governors that same night.

"What did the governors have to say? I seem to remember a rumour about there being a secret chamber somewhere in the school?" Remus asked him as he drank his beer.

Sirius nodded. "Me too, but I can't quite recall it. The governors were shocked, but Lucius wasn't. He said that Draco had written to tell him about it himself so he knew already. One of the other governors, Mathias, mentioned that he remembered an old story about Slytherin hiding a monster in the school to weed out the 'undesirables', but the school had been checked over and over and no sign of such a monster or a hidden chamber existed."

"But we found all sorts of hidden chambers and corridors and secret passages when we were students," he pointed out.

"Exactly! While I'm not daft enough to think that we were the only students to ever have known about them, they were a secret to us, and not everyone knew about them."

"So you think the Chamber of Secrets might still be there as well?"

"Who knows? But someone believes it is, and someone did some form of dark magic strong enough to petrify a cat."

"And Dumbledore can't un-petrify her?"

"No, not without the potion which cannot be made until the Mandrakes mature."

"Do we think that this has anything to do with what that house elf said?"

Sirius dragged his fingers through his hair. "It has crossed my mind. Harry thought about it too. I mean, a mortal danger warning and a bloody message inscribed on the walls - it doesn't exactly scream safety. Not to mention that it's been bugging me that Dobby called me Master Sirius, which makes me think that he must have some connection to the Black Family, but for the life of me I don't know if that means he belongs to Aunt Druella or Narcissa."

"Narcissa would make sense if Lucius already knew about the Chamber."

Sirius nodded. "Does that mean that he knows more than he's letting on?"

"That's a scary thought. But he can't be behind it, he's not at the school."

"True," Sirius said quietly. "And Dumbledore already knows Harry isn't responsible despite the suspicious circumstances, because of the dark magic. It's too powerful for a second year to have concocted which then exonerates Draco as well."

"What about the voice that he heard?"

"I don't know. No one else heard it. That worries me a little. Like maybe someone is playing mind games with him? Either way, I don't like it."

"Me neither," Remus admitted. "Maybe it's in a different language? Harry does speak French and Latin really well."

Sirius' brow furrowed. "Someone would still hear the words even if they didn't understand the meaning."

Remus nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. It is interesting though."

"And this Lockhart sounds like a huge idiot. Apparently he tried to impress that if he had been there when it happened, he could have stopped it, but he can't explain what it was or how he would have done so. Harry says that he's learned absolutely nothing from his class."

"I know. He told me about the pixies. And he said that Lockhart keeps dragging him up to the front of class to help reenact exciting scenes from his books where he saved the day like the hero he is," he said, rolling his eyes. "I bought Harry a defence textbook. I'm going to give it to him so that he can start actually learning the stuff that he should be. An incapable teacher should not deter him from his education."

Sirius grinned at him. "Listen to you, Professor Moony."

Remus smiled. "Well, it shouldn't."

Sirius grinned. "Give it to him after the match on Saturday."

"I planned on it."

Sirius smirked at him, bringing his beer to his lips. "So, I think that we should really get back to this amazing sex you've been having."

"Oh?"

"Over a month, eh? When did it start? How did you meet her?"

"In September and it just happened. We have a lot of chemistry."

"Uh-huh. It's November."

"I'm well aware of what month it is, Sirius, especially since Saturday night is the night before the moon." And one of the reasons why he planned on spending most of the next two nights buried to the hilt inside of Nymphadora. He was hard just thinking about her and the added bonus of the three days of the moon only being two days away made him that much more inflamed.

"Which she obviously doesn't know."

"Obviously," Remus said.

"What's her name, Rem?"

Remus drank deeply. "Don't worry about it, Sirius."

"Best sex you've ever had and you are already thinking of how to ditch her before she finds out about your furry little problem, figures."

"I didn't say that I was planning to ditch her."

"Please, I know you. Why won't you tell me her name?"

"Why does it matter?"

Sirius stared at him. "You are keeping something from me. I find that very interesting, Rem."

"Why?"

"You never keep secrets, not really. In fact, you've kept exactly three secrets from me as long as I've known you. One, your furry little problem; two, your financial struggles after we finished school; and three, your feelings for my cousin. I wonder what this secret could be."

Remus simply drank his beer again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sirius grinned at his friend. Interesting, he thought, very interesting. He dropped the subject and they headed back to his cottage. Tonks had written back, saying that she would pick up on dinner on her way over.

She arrived around six with a pizza in her hands. "Wotcher!"

Sirius kissed her cheek, taking the pizza from her. "How's your mum?"

"All right," Tonks said as she took off her uniform jacket, leaving her in her blouse and dress pants before sitting next to Remus on the couch. "Dad says that she's been crying off and on all day, but she'll be okay. She went to lay down soon after I got there."

"She loved and worshipped her father. It broke her heart when he turned her away and I think she regrets never having made amends with him," Sirius told her.

Tonks nodded. "I just wish that she would have let me be there for her this morning, even if I never met the man."

Sirius shook his head. "It's better that you weren't, Tonks. Your grandmother was a huge bitch to her for even showing up. Your mother didn't want you to see that, to be exposed to those people."

"I've never met them before so I don't think it matters."

Sirius smiled at her. "It matters to Andromeda."

He turned to bring the pizza into the kitchen and Tonks turned to kiss Remus softly as soon as he was out of sight. "Hi, lover."

Remus licked his lips and kissed her back. "Hi, Nymphadora." He stood up, extending his hand to her and tugging her to her feet. "Let's go eat."

Tonks nodded and followed him into the kitchen, her eyes on his delectable backside. Sirius had put plates on the table and fizzy drinks as they sat and helped themselves.

Sirius smiled at her as he ate. "So, Tonks, one of the reasons that I wanted you to come over tonight was to talk to you about the Black family."

Tonks stared at him in interest. "Why?"

"As the only official Black left, I am Head of House Black and sole executer of the entire estate."

"I thought that you were disowned like Mum was?"

"I was," he said easily. "But through a series of unfortunate circumstances, it all came back to me. My father left everything to Regulus and put a note in his will that if something were to happen to his youngest son, everything would then revert back to me. Unfortunately, my father and my brother both died within a few months of each other and then everything was passed to my mother. She died while I was in prison and my father's will was then set into motion for it to pass on to me. Everything came out when I was released. I inherited everything, though Uncle Cy was heading some of it due to my imprisonment. When he got sick, your Aunt Narcissa wrote to me and asked that I help with everything. Little did she know that I had run far from my family and this life and didn't want the responsibilities of the estate and had done something about it a few months before."

"Okay," Tonks said, her eyes full of puzzlement. "And what does this have to do with me? I've never even met any of these people. I'm a Tonks, not a Black."

Sirius smiled at her. "I broke up the Black Estate and I organized it. I left twenty percent for myself and eventually for Harry as he has his own property and gold from the Potters and I split the other eighty percent between Cygnus' two grandchildren."

Tonks' eyebrow rose. "Okay…"

Remus grinned at her. "Nymphadora, you are his granddaughter and very much a Black."

She stared at Sirius. "You're joking."

He smiled at her. "Your mum was pretty strict about how much she didn't want it, but I figured that since she didn't strictly say you couldn't have it, that passing it to you was fine."

"Passing what to me exactly?"

"A small fortune basically."

Tonks' eyes widened. " _What_?"

Sirius chuckled. "Old money, Tonks, it's what the old pureblood families have and I left forty percent to you and forty percent to Draco Malfoy. But I wanted to give you yours now that Cygnus has passed. I have the paperwork all drawn up and you just have to sign it and it will be transferred over to you."

Tonks stared eyes wide between Sirius and Remus. " _What_?"

"I know, it's a bit of a shock. Rem got one today too."

"I gave Sirius money to invest and he made a small fortune for me in the stock market."

"That's different," she insisted. "That was your money, personally invested. This is… I don't deserve this."

Sirius smiled at her. "Darling, it's yours. You can give it all away if that's what you want." He stood up and grabbed the envelope with the documents in it. "This details what you've inherited."

Tonks opened the envelope, her hands shaking as she pulled the parchment. "This says… this says… this is over a million bloody Galleons!"

"Three and change to be precise. Draco is getting the same when he becomes of age."

"And… blimey, I don't own these properties, do I?"

"You do," Sirius told her. "Your grandmother is staying in Sussex and I left the manor to Draco as he would be familiar with it. But the two of you have equal shares in the properties in Greece, New York, Tuscany, and South Africa; something you can decide later once he's of age to make any decisions. Kreacher takes care of the properties for the most part and keeps me informed on their status. A few of them are being leased out."

Tonks stared down at the paper, her eyes still wide. "This is too much."

Sirius smiled at her. "Tell me about it. And that's only forty percent of the estate. I gave the title of Falmouth to Draco, I figured you didn't want it."

"But that's a family name, Sirius," Tonks told him in surprise. "I mean, I absolutely don't want it - but what about if you have your own kids? They might want it?"

Sirius shrugged. "There's a clause in there that if I ever do reproduce, which is highly unlikely, the title will revert to my heirs, otherwise it will move onto the Malfoy family and I am perfectly okay with it. Draco won't inherit it officially until he's seventeen anyway. But this, it's yours. Invest it, give it away, put it aside for your children - whatever you want, but it's yours now."

She nodded tucking the paper back inside. "Um, thank you."

"Just sign your name at the bottom there," he instructed, tugging the paper out again.

Tonks accepted the quill from him and signed the appropriate documents, her eyes still wide in shock.

Sirius signed his name as well and smiled at her. "Done. I'll bring these into Gringotts on Monday and make it all official. I'll have everything transferred to your personal vault."

Tonks nodded, her eyes still wide.

Remus chuckled. "I think she's in shock."

Then to Sirius' surprise, she turned and wrapped her arms around Remus. Remus' arms came around her and he rubbed her back.

"It's okay to be in shock, Nymphadora."

Tonks pulled away and smiled at him and then she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him deeply.

"Oy!" Sirius exclaimed, standing up from the kitchen table. "Is there something that you two would like to share with the room?"

Tonks licked her lips and turned to grin at him. "I think you saw my hand on his abs earlier today when I was on my lunch break."

Sirius grinned widely. "That was you! You're the best sex that he's ever had!"

"Really?" Tonks said, turning to grin at Remus. "The best ever?"

Remus blushed as Tonks grinned at him. "Sirius —"

"— No way, Moony," he interrupted. "It only took you how many years to get off your arse and make a decision. How did it happen? I need to know!"

Tonks laughed and picked up her slice of pizza again. "I made him insanely jealous and he followed me home."

Sirius grinned. "At my place that night with Hugh?"

She nodded.

"Told you that he'd implode if you made him jealous enough."

"What?" Remus asked, looking between them in shock.

Sirius grinned. "When she asked me if she could bring her new boyfriend Hugh to dinner I told her that she was welcome too, but that you would probably implode with jealously. Tonks thought I was crazy. Obviously, it worked."

"I hate you, Sirius."

Sirius smirked. "But now you're having the best sex of your life with the woman you've been pining after for years, so really — you actually love me."

Remus chose not to answer.

Sirius and Tonks grinned at each other in response.


	84. Chapter 84

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the section from chapter ten of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, that belongs to the lovely JKR and as always, I tweaked it as needed for my story._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR:**

 **As Harry had told Sirius and Remus, Professor Lockhart had pretty much given up on teaching them, but instead decided to reenact some of his accomplishments.** He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions. So far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling Curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him.

Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting as a werewolf. If he hadn't had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it. To think of attacking a werewolf made him want to throw up.

"Nice loud howl, Harry — exactly — and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced — like this — slammed him to the floor — thus with one hand, I managed to hold him down — with my other, I put my wand to his throat — I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm — he let out a piteous moan — go on, Harry — higher than that — good — the fur vanished — the fangs shrank — and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective — and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks."

The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet.

"Homework — compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of _Magical Me_ to the author of the best one!"

The class began to leave. Harry returned to the back of the room, where Ron, Neville, and Hermione were waiting. "This better work because if I have to be his guinea pig again I might throw up in my mouth," Harry told them as Ron snorted next to him.

"Wait till everyone's gone," Hermione said nervously. "All right…"

She approached Lockhart's desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Harry, Ron, and Neville right behind her.

"Er — Professor Lockhart?" Hermione stammered. "I wanted to — to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading." She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. "But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it. I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in _Gadding with Ghouls_ about slow acting venoms…"

"Ah, _Gadding with Ghouls_!" Lockhart said, taking the note from Hermione and smiling widely at her. "Possibly my very favourite book. You enjoyed it?"

"Oh, yes," Hermione said eagerly as Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at each other behind their friend. "So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea strainer!"

"Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help," Lockhart said warmly, and he pulled out an enormous peacock quill. "Yes, nice, isn't it?" he said, misreading the revolted look on Ron's face. "I usually save it for book signings."

He scrawled an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Hermione.

"So, Harry," Lockhart said, while Hermione folded the note with fumbling fingers and slipped it into her bag. "Tomorrow's your big Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear that you're a useful player. I was a Seeker, too. I was asked to try for the National Squad, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players or show you a trick or two…"

Harry made an indistinct noise in his throat and Neville merely tugged on his arm. They said a quick goodbye before hurrying off. The thought of asking Quidditch advice or taking private lessons from that prat made his stomach clench in revulsion. He hurried after his friends. "I don't believe it," he said as the four of them examined the signature on the note. "He didn't even look at the book we wanted!"

"That's because he's a brainless git," Ron said. "But who cares, we've got what we needed —"

"He is not a brainless git," Hermione said shrilly as they half ran toward the library.

"Just because he said you were the best student of the year —"

They dropped their voices as they entered the muffled stillness of the library. Madam Pince, the librarian, was a thin, irritable woman who looked like an underfed vulture. " _Moste Potente Potions_?" she repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Hermione; but Hermione wouldn't let go.

"I was wondering if I could keep it," she said breathlessly.

"Oh, come on," Ron said, wrenching it from her grasp and thrusting it at Madam Pince. "We'll get you another autograph. Lockhart'll sign anything if it stands still long enough."

Five minutes later, they were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle's out of order bathroom once again. Hermione had overridden Ron's objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so they were guaranteed some privacy.

Hermione opened _Moste Potente Potions_ carefully, and the four of them bent over the damp spotted pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head.

"Here it is," Hermione said excitedly as she found the page headed _The Polyjuice Potion_. It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. Harry sincerely hoped that the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces. "This is the most complicated potion that I've ever seen," Hermione said as they scanned the recipe. "Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass," she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. "Well, they're easy enough, they're in the student store cupboard, we can help ourselves… Oooh, look, powdered horn of a Bicorn — don't know where we're going to get that — shredded skin of a Boomslang — that'll be tricky, too, and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into."

"Excuse me?" Ron said sharply. "What d'you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking nothing with Crabbe's toenails in it —"

Neville snorted and Ron merely gave him a look.

Hermione continued as though she hadn't heard him. "We don't have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last."

"D'you realize how much we're going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea… I suppose I could order them from the apothecary, but that will be just as suspicious…" Harry said, thinking about how to get a hold of all of the ingredients.

Hermione shut the book with a snap. "Well, if you three are going to chicken out, fine," she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. "I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggleborns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in —"

"I never thought that I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break the rules," Ron said. "All right, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?"

"How long will it take to make, anyway?" Harry said as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.

"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty one days… I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients."

"The full moon is tomorrow night," Harry told her. "Do you know where we can find fluxweed?"

"Professor Sprout has it in greenhouse two," Neville told them scratching his chin. "This sounds really dangerous though. Are you sure that you can brew it, Hermione?"

" _We_ can definitely brew it," Harry told Neville with a smile. "Hermione and I will brew it together."

"A month?" Ron exclaimed, looking at his friends in shock. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggleborns in the school by then!" But Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously again, and he added swiftly, "But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say!"

However, while Hermione was checking that the coast was clear for them to leave the bathroom, Ron muttered to Harry, "It'll be a lot less hassle if you can just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow."

~ ASC ~

 **After everything that had been going on the last few weeks, Harry was anxious to finally play in his first Quidditch match of the season.** The season had started last weekend when Slytherin had crushed Hufflepuff, tiny blurs in the air on their new broomsticks.

He woke early on Saturday morning, a warm sticky substance on his stomach and in his pyjamas. He looked down in alarm, worried for a moment that he had somehow peed the bed. He lifted his pants up, looking down at his penis in confusion. He grabbed his wand and quickly used the new cleaning spell that Flitwick had taught them, suddenly feeling much better. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he definitely hoped that he hadn't started peeing the bed or something equally as embarrassing.

He lay for a while thinking about what he had dreamed about to cause such a strange thing to occur, but he couldn't remember his dream and then he remembered the coming Quidditch match. He was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Wood would say if Gryffindor lost, but also at the idea of facing a team mounted on the fastest racing brooms that gold could buy. He had never wanted to beat Slytherin so badly. After half an hour of lying there with his insides churning, he got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where he found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much.

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron, Hermione, and Neville came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre match pep talk.

"Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all types of weather —"

"Too true," George muttered. "I haven't been properly dry since August"

"— and we're going to make them rue the day that they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team." Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry. "It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to!"

"So no pressure, Harry," Fred said, winking at him.

As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Flying teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands and Harry was amused at the way they both seemed to stare rather threateningly at each other.

"On my whistle," Madam Hooch said. "Three… two… one…"

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch.

"All right there, Scarhead?" Draco yelled, shooting underneath him as though to show off the speed of his broom.

Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed.

"Close one, Harry!" George said, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again.

Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George hit it hard toward Draco, but the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head instead. Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him.

What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible…

Sirius and Remus were wondering the same thing down below.

"That Bludger has been following Harry the entire game!" Sirius insisted, looking through his binoculars and standing on his toes as if it helped him get a closer look.

Tonks watched carefully next to her cousin. "It's just a coincidence."

"It better be," Sirius muttered. "If someone's tampered with that Bludger they're going to have to answer to me. After what happened on Halloween, this is the last thing that Harry needs is some rogue Bludger after him all game!"

Up in the air, Fred was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.

"Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong. As though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.

It had started to rain; Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face, splattering onto his glasses. He didn't have a clue as to what was going on in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero."

The Slytherins' new brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to knock Harry out of the air. Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it.

"Someone's — tampered — with — this — Bludger —" Fred grunted, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry.

"We need a time out," George said, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time.

Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.

"What's going on?" Wood said as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," George declared angrily. "Someone's fixed it! It won't leave Harry alone! It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

"But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…" Wood said, anxiously.

Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in his direction.

"Listen," Harry said quickly. "With you two flying around me all the time the only way that I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."

"Don't be thick," Fred said in annoyance. "It'll take your head off."

Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys with uncertainty.

"Oliver, this is insane," Alicia said angrily. "You can't just let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry…"

"If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match! And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!" Harry demanded.

"This is all your fault," George exclaimed angrily to Wood. "'Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him!"

Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face. "All right," he said. "Fred, George, you heard Harry - leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own."

On Madam Hooch's whistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind him. He flew higher into the air, trying to race against the Bludger.

He looped and swooped, spiralled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open as rain covered his glasses. He could hear laughter from the crowd. He knew that he must look very stupid, but the rogue Bludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly.

"Look at him fly!" Sirius said, pride bursting from him. "He has complete control over that broom, but that Bludger is still all over him, Rem!"

Remus nodded. "Sirius, Harry knows what he's doing up there, we just have to trust him."

Sirius tapped McGonagall on the shoulder from where she was sitting next to Lee in front of them. "That Bludger's been tampered with, Minnie!"

McGonagall nodded, her eyes wide as they watched Harry circle the pitch, whirling and spinning to avoid the ball. "I don't know how anyone got access to it!"

Sirius frowned. "Look at him fly, he's outmanoeuvring that thing like a pro!"

A whistling in Harry's ear told him the Bludger had just missed him again. He turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.

"Training for the ballet, Potter?" Draco yelled as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Draco, he saw it — the Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above his left ear and Draco was too busy laughing and mocking him to notice it.

For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair trying to figure out how to get the Snitch without alerting Draco that it was right there in front of him.

He had stayed still a second too long.

His elbow smashed into his ribs and he winced as the Bludger had hit him. Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side. The Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time aiming at his face. Harry swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged in his numb brain — he had to get to that Snitch.

Through the haze of rain, he turned his broom and sprinted in the direction of the Slytherin Seeker. Draco's eyes widened in surprise and he jerked away from him in shock as Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch. He felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch, but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.

With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle and pain shot through his arm and up into his shoulder as he heard a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.

"Aha," he said vaguely. "We've won."

And he fainted.

Sirius, Remus, and Tonks had started running down the stands towards Harry the moment that Harry had grabbed the Snitch. Sirius' heart was racing as he watched Harry plummet from the sky and crash into the ground.

He was full on sprinting by now and he fell to his knees next to his godson, his face pale. Lockhart leered over Harry from the other side, having pushed Remus out of the way.

Sirius gently slapped Harry's cheeks and he groaned, turning towards Lockhart.

"Oh, no, not you," he moaned as he regained consciousness.

"Doesn't know what he's saying," Lockhart said loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. "Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm."

"No!" Harry said. "I'll keep it like this, thanks…"

"Harry," Sirius said, his hand gently touching Harry's broken arm. "It's okay, Prongslet, it's broken, but we'll get it fixed right up."

"No, not him!" Harry insisted as he tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. He heard a familiar clicking noise nearby. "I don't want a photo of this, Colin," he said loudly, turning when he saw Remus. "Uncle Rem, you fix my arm — not Lockhart!"

"Lie back, Harry," Lockhart said soothingly and ignoring Harry's protests. "It's a simple charm I've used countless times!"

"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" Harry insisted through clenched teeth.

"He should really, Professor," Wood said as he wiped the mud off of his face as he grinned widely, despite his Seeker's injury. "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular — your best yet!"

"Stand back," Lockhart said, who was rolling up his jade green sleeves as Fred and George attempted to get the Bludger back into the box behind him.

"Really, Lockhart, let me just take Harry to see Madam Pomfrey," Sirius said, bending down to scoop Harry up into his arms. "We appreciate the offer, but you're not a healer."

Lockhart shrugged. "Not to worry, not to worry! It's a simple charm!"

"No — don't —" Harry said weakly, turning into Sirius' shoulder, "He's incompetent, Uncle Siri."

But Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm.

A strange and unpleasant sensation started at Harry's shoulder and spread all the way down to his fingertips. It felt as though his arm was being deflated. He didn't dare look at what was happening. He had shut his eyes, his face turned away from his arm and buried in Sirius' shoulder, but his worst fears were realized as the people above him gasped and Colin Creevey began clicking away madly. His arm didn't hurt anymore, nor did it feel remotely like an arm.

"Ah," Lockhart said. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind."

"You, fucking idiot," Remus exclaimed from next to Sirius. "You removed his bloody bones!"

"Well, it's just a small side effect, I promise you that it can be fixed right up."

"That's not the bloody point, you wanker," Remus insisted angrily. "If you're not capable of performing a simple healing spell you shouldn't bloody well try to perform them on a student!"

Lockhart flushed and tried to look important. "So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey will be able to — er — tidy you up a bit."

Sirius glared at him. "I will take him to the hospital wing and then you and I are going to have a serious discussion about what an absolute arse you are."

Lockhart blanched. "Now see here!"

Remus shoved him out of the way. "Move it!"

Lockhart glared at him. "He's perfectly fine! It was a simple accident, a side effect and one that —" he blanched when Remus whirled around on him.

Remus' eyes were flashing in anger and he simply plowed his fist into Lockhart's face as Lockhart fell back, landing on his bum. "Listen here, you gormless knob head! If you can't perform a simple healing spell on a broken arm than don't attempt it and especially don't attempt it on my son, you bloody pillock!"

"Remus!" McGonagall exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from Lockhart. "Control yourself, there are students about!"

Lockhart was clutching his bloody nose and groaning as he stood up. "This barmy prat punched me!"

McGonagall simply looked at his nose. "Oh dear, Gilderoy, you might want to have someone check that out. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will be free to look at it after she fixes Potter's arm, but re-growing bones, dear, that is a slow business indeed, and Potter will need her complete and undivided attention. Unless of course, you can fix it yourself? After all, someone as _skilled_ as you can surely set right a broken nose like that," she said, snapping her fingers. She gave him a bright smile and looped her arm through Remus'. "Let's do get Harry up to the hospital wing."

Remus bent his head and kissed her cheek. "You're the greatest, Minerva."

She smiled and patted his cheek, walking along with him after Sirius who was carrying Harry as they went.

McGonagall left them at the door to the hospital wing to go check out the rogue Bludger, promising Sirius to update him the moment that she and Hooch had finished inspecting it.

Madam Pomfrey was furious when she saw what Lockhart had done. She reassured Harry that she would be able to grow his bones back, but that it was going to very painful.

"Can't you give him something for the pain, Poppy?"

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "No. It will counteract the Skele-Gro. You should have brought him straight here, Sirius. Lockhart is not a healer and obviously incapable of performing a simple charm!"

"I was going to do it, but he insisted, got in my way actually," Remus muttered bitterly. "I'm sorry, little Prongs, I should have stopped him."

"It's okay," Harry said, drinking the potion that the matron passed him. He drank it down, coughing in disgust. "Seeing you punch him in the face made it totally worth it."

Remus flushed. "Er — I may have overreacted a tad."

Tonks grinned widely at him. " _May have_? Merlin, that was bloody brilliant! The students are going to be talking about it for years!"

Sirius grinned at them as he fluffed up Harry's pillows. "Get comfortable, Prongslet. You're going to have a long night."

The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry.

"Unbelievable flying, Harry," George said. "I've just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy."

"Good on you for punching Lockhart," Fred said to Remus with a grin. "Everyone is talking about it!"

Remus blushed at that as Tonks just smirked at him.

They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice as they gathered around Harry's bed to celebrate Gryffindor's spectacular win, but Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, "This boy needs rest, he's got thirty three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!"

Sirius simply stared her down as Harry's team, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were all kicked out. "If you think we're leaving, Poppy, you've got another thing coming."

Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes. "I couldn't kick you out when you went to school here, Black, I'm not going to even bother trying now."

Tonks made herself comfortable on the end of the hospital bed, sitting cross-legged with her back against the footboard. She was grinning widely at him. "That was some seriously wicked flying, Harry! You were fast and capable and those moves! When you started the barrel roll to avoid that Bludger and turned it into a loop the loop while holding it sloth-like, I mean, wow! I can't pull that off now!"

Remus nodded, sitting in the visitor chair that he had tugged over on Harry's left. "I can only agree. Not to mention how good you're getting at dives."

Sirius beamed at him from where he was stretched out next to Harry in the hospital bed. "I can attest to that. You are without a doubt, a more talented flyer than your father, and that is saying a hell of a lot for a twelve year old."

Harry flushed under the praise. "Thanks. I was just trying to avoid that Bludger. I almost succeeded too, but when I saw the Snitch by Malfoy's ear, I froze. I thought I was going to lose the match, but he didn't see it."

"See," Sirius said with a smirk. "The broomstick doesn't make the player, Harry. You were incredible out there. As for that Bludger, someone tampered with it. I've never seen a Bludger follow one player like that."

"Fred and George were trying to stop it, but I couldn't play like that. How were we supposed to win if they were covering me and preventing me from seeing the Snitch?"

Remus grinned at him. "You could have said something to Madam Hooch."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Then we would have had to forfeit the game, Uncle Moony!"

Remus chuckled. "Merlin, do you sound like Jamie."

Harry grinned at them. "I'm glad you guys are here. Did you see Lockhart though? How incompetent he is?" He winced slightly at the sharp pain in his arm. It felt like hundreds of needles were stabbing him all over the place.

"He does seem to be a little bad at simple charms," Remus said, his eyes annoyed. "I wonder if he fixed his own nose yet."

Tonks chuckled and reached over to pat Remus' knee. "I can't believe you punched him in the nose."

Harry grinned. "It was brilliant, Uncle Rem!"

Remus flushed. "Well, I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me nevertheless."

Harry rolled his eyes. "No, he is a gormless knob head! Yesterday in class, he made me go up to the front and pretend to be this werewolf he defeated as he reenacted this scene from his book. It was awful! Do you know what I've learned from him this year? Don't do anything he says to," Harry said bitterly.

"He killed a werewolf?" Tonks asked, her eyes wide. "Like actually _killed_ one?"

"No, not killed one, but he made it sound like he did; about how the wolf turned back into a man and the village rejoiced," Harry snorted. "The full moon probably just ended."

Remus grinned at him, "Harry, I think that you're being a little overdramatic."

"A little?" Harry said in surprise. "Uncle Rem, he doesn't teach us anything! He just tells us stories of all of the so-called great things that he did."

Sirius kissed Harry's cheek. "All right, Prongslet, calm down. I know that you're mad at the bloke for removing all of the bones from your arm —"

"Obviously."

"I'm sorry he's such a bloody awful teacher," Remus said with a look of sympathy. "Which is why, I've brought you this gift." He reached into his bag and pulled out the textbook, passing it across the bed to Harry.

" _Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts,_ " Harry read with interest.

"It's a bit advanced, but I thought some of the stuff in there will be a great help to you. You can start teaching yourself some of the spells in there. Sirius and I can help you out if you need it. The first five chapters cover a good deal of what you _should_ be learning this year," Remus said with a smile.

Harry grinned widely. "Thanks, Uncle Remus."

"You're welcome."

"What else have you been up to since we spoke last?" Sirius asked him, taking the book and placing it on Harry's night stand.

Harry thought about the Polyjuice Potion they were brewing in the girl's bathroom. "Er, nothing much. Binns told us about the Chamber of Secrets." He quickly told them the story. "We've been speculating on who the heir could be. Everyone thinks it's me because of the whole Mrs Norris thing. Ron thinks it's Malfoy."

"Draco?" Sirius asked in surprise. "Why?"

Harry shrugged. "Because of what he said mostly, about Muggleborns. We don't have any proof though. Plus, he's just kind of a git."

Remus laughed. "I suppose that's reason enough. But remember last year when you boys thought that it was Snape and it wasn't."

"I know," Harry said. "We were just speculating."

Sirius smiled as he watched Harry wince slightly at the sharp pain in his arm. "Remus and I have a few things we wanted to tell you anyway."

"What kind of things?"

Remus flushed slightly. "Er, well, for starters… Nymphadora and I are together."

Harry stared between the two of them in surprise as Tonks linked her hand with his. "You are?"

Tonks grinned. "We are. Finally, right?"

Harry grinned. "That's brilliant!"

"I'm glad you think so," he said, smiling when Tonks squeezed his knee affectionately.

"Also," Sirius said, letting out a deep sigh. "My uncle passed away this week. You never met him, but he was Andy's father. I went with Andy to the funeral." He quickly explained about how he had run into Draco and how Draco had spoken to Ted so rudely.

When he was finished, Harry just stared at him. "I doubt your words will mean anything, but we'll see. Malfoy is still a huge git."

Sirius simply grinned. "Maybe he is. But I hope he takes my words into consideration."

Harry sighed and settled himself against his pillows. "Do you think that I could get some food, Uncle Sirius? I was too nervous to eat breakfast this morning and I'm starving."

Sirius grinned and ruffled his son's hair. "Anything for my Quidditch star."

Harry just beamed in response.


	85. Chapter 85

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE:**

 **Sirius, Remus, and Tonks left Harry's bedside at nine that night**. Sirius wanted to stay, but Harry insisted that he go home. He was only re-growing bones and hardly needed them to stay all night holding his hand. But within minutes of them being gone, he wished they were back as he now had nothing to distract himself from the pain in his arm.

He tried to read through the textbook that Remus had left him, intrigued at some of the charms and jinxes there including tickling, tripping and a leg-locker curse, all of which he was quite anxious to try out. Madam Pomfrey checked on him again around ten thirty and told him to try to get some sleep.

He attempted to get comfortable, but his arm now felt like he was being stabbed with large splinters, somehow he drifted off to sleep despite it. He was awoken quite suddenly hours later and yelped in pain. His arm was distinctly sore and uncomfortable, but he didn't think that it was painful enough to have woken him.

Then, with a thrill of horror, he realized that someone was sponging his forehead in the dark.

"Get off!" he said loudly, and then, "Dobby!"

The house-elf's goggling tennis ball eyes were peering at Harry through the darkness. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose. "Harry Potter came back to school," he whispered miserably. "Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?"

Harry heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby's sponge away. "What're you doing here?" he demanded. "And how did you know that I missed the train?"

Dobby's lip trembled and Harry was seized by a sudden suspicion.

"It was you!" he said slowly. "You stopped the barrier from letting us through!"

"Indeed yes, sir," Dobby said, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping. "Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward," he said as he showed Harry ten long, bandaged fingers. "But Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!"

Harry slumped back onto his pillows as he listened to Dobby try to explain why he had blocked the barrier to the Hogwarts Express. When Dobby told him how his Bludger obviously still hadn't been enough to send Harry home, Harry's temper flared.

"Your Bludger?" Harry demanded, anger rising once more. "What d'you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?"

"Not kill you, sir, never kill you!" Dobby said, shocked. "Dobby wants to save Harry Potter's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here, sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!"

"Oh, is that all?" Harry said angrily. "I don't suppose that you're going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?"

"Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!" Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. "If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world!"

Harry's face flushed in embarrassment as Dobby proceeded to praise him for his triumphant defeat over Voldemort eleven years prior. He winced slightly as the bones in his arm stabbed at him while they were regrowing and his attention re-focused when Dobby mentioned that history was repeating itself.

"So there is a Chamber of Secrets?" Harry whispered. "And did you say that it's been opened before? Tell me, Dobby!"

"Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell!" The elf squealed. "Go home, Harry Potter, go home!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Harry said fiercely. "One of my best friends is a Muggleborn and she'll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened!"

"Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!" Dobby moaned in a kind of miserable ecstasy. "So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not —" Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. Harry heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside. "Dobby must go!" The elf breathed, terrified.

There was a loud crack, and the elf was gone. Harry lay back down, listening attentively as the footsteps got closer and light from the corridor spilled through the door of the hospital wing.

Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying what looked like a statue and Professor McGonagall walked in carrying the other end as they carefully put it onto the hospital bed.

"Get Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore whispered, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry's bed out of sight.

Harry lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. He heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.

"Another attack," Dumbledore said. "Minerva found him on the stairs."

"There was a bunch of grapes next to him," Professor McGonagall said. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter."

Harry's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, he raised himself a few inches so that he could look at the statue on the bed and found himself looking at the frozen petrified form of a small blond haired boy holding a camera.

It was Colin Creevey.

He swallowed slowly as they attempted to open the camera, but the stench of burning plastic wafted through the hospital wing.

"Melted," Madam Pomfrey said wonderingly. "All melted…"

"What does this mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.

"It means," Dumbledore said slowly as Harry struggled to listen to the erratic whispers in curiosity, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."

Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore. "But, Albus… surely… who would do such a thing?"

"The question is not who," Dumbledore said, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, how…"

Harry waited almost twenty minutes after the professors had left before he tried to contact Sirius, but then he remembered that he'd left his mirror on his bedside table that morning, worried that it would get broken playing Quidditch, and cursed himself for it now. What had Dumbledore meant about the Chamber having been opened before and that it was indeed open again? And Colin… he had been petrified just like Mrs Norris. What kind of terrible thing could freeze someone in that way?

Harry didn't go back to sleep.

By the time Madam Pomfrey had come to see him in the morning, claiming him fit to return to his dorm, all thirty-three bones having regrown successfully, he practically sprinted back to Gryffindor Tower. He found his dormitory deserted, surprising him. He had expected Ron and Neville to at least have been waiting for him.

Dean stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and nodded at Harry. "Hey, great flying yesterday! How's the arm?"

"All bones regrown," Harry said with a grin.

Dean nodded sympathetically. "Lockhart's a real pillock. Glad your arm is okay. That was your uncle that punched him, wasn't it? It was brilliant!"

"Thanks and yeah it was. He was a little embarrassed afterwards, but I thought it was great. Dean, do you know where Ron and Neville are?"

"Dunno. They were both up and gone before I woke this morning."

Harry nodded and headed into the bathroom with his toiletries. He took a quick shower; getting the grime and mud and sweat off of him from the match yesterday. He cleaned his teeth and attempted to comb his hair as he got dressed and then he went back to his room, snagging the mirror from his bedside table. Dean was gone now so Harry held the mirror up to his mouth and said: Sirius.

The mirror shimmered and Sirius' face appeared there. "Morning, Harry! How's the arm?"

"It's fine," Harry said quickly. "Uncle Sirius, something happened after you left." He quickly told him about Dobby and about Colin. "Did you know that the Chamber was opened before?"

Sirius shook his head, his grey eyes full of worry. "Yeah, I heard a rumour that it was, I'm still looking into it. I don't like the sound of this that's for sure and Dumbledore obviously knows more than he's telling."

"I'm not in danger though, I'm a half-blood - hardly an enemy of the heir."

Sirius nodded. "In theory, yes… at least we know that the barrier and the Bludger was a severely misguided house elf, but yeah, I suppose in regards to that, you are safe."

"Hermione isn't though! Colin was Muggleborn and so is she!"

"Harry, there is nothing that you can do about this. Stay close to Hermione; don't let her wander off alone. Dumbledore will get to the bottom of this. It sounds like he has some idea of what is going on. I'll speak to Minnie and Remus… try to find out about the Chamber having happened before."

Harry sighed. "I'm sure if I just did a little investigating… maybe it is Malfoy!"

Sirius smiled at him. "Keep your nose out of it, Prongslet. I want you back in one piece this year."

"I know, I know," Harry said reluctantly.

"If I find out anything else, I'll let you know. You're not doing anything else you shouldn't be, are you?"

Harry thought about the Polyjuice Potion again and smiled innocently at his father. "No," he answered quickly.

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "Fuck, I don't even want to know, Prongslet, just stay safe."

Harry grinned at him. "I can do that. Uncle Sirius, what do you think Dumbledore meant when he said it's not who, but how? Do you think he knows who opened it?"

"No, he doesn't know who exactly or he would stop it, but I imagine knowing Dumbledore, he has his suspicions."

Harry didn't find that very helpful.

When Harry saw his own reflection in the mirror again, he slipped it into his pocket and hurried off to find his friends. After eating a full lunch in the Great Hall and listening to Wood praise him for his incredible save, he was starting to get concerned about his absent friends.

Ginny slid onto the bench next to him and carefully helped herself to some strawberries. Harry noticed her hand was shaking slightly and he reached over to take it in his own.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Ginny stared at him for a moment, her big chocolate brown eyes wide and fearful. "Colin was my friend."

"Hey," Harry said, dropping her hand and slipping an arm around her to hug her close. Ginny buried her face against his shoulder as he held her. "He's going to be okay, Ginny. He was petrified like Mrs Norris and as soon as the potion is ready he's going to be cured."

Ginny kept her face against his shoulder. "Harry, I…"

"What?" Harry asked her, pulling back a little to look into her eyes. "You can tell me anything, Gin."

Ginny bit her bottom lip. "No… it's stupid."

"That's okay, I like stupid."

She smirked a little. "I've just been having bad dreams is all. It's nothing to worry about."

Harry's brow rose slightly at that. "Never be ashamed of having bad dreams. You know where to find me as well as your brothers. Don't keep them to yourself, Ginny."

She nodded and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Harry."

George slid into the seat next to Ginny and stabbed a breakfast sausage with his fork. "Morning all, how's the arm, Harry?"

"All better," he said with a grin.

George slipped an arm around his sister's shoulders. "Missed you at the party last night, Nevra, where did you disappear to?"

Ginny shrugged. "I wanted some quiet."

"Scribbling away in that secret diary again?"

Ginny only picked up her toast.

Harry sighed. "There was another attack, George. Ginny's friend Colin."

"Ah, nuts," George said, tugging his sister close. "You're staying with Fred and I today, girlie, no arguments."

Ginny just nodded, but she seemed rather pleased with that news.

Harry finished his breakfast and hurried off to find his friends. After checking the library, the common room and Hagrid's, he was starting to wonder where they had run off too. Then he remembered the potion and carefully made his way up to the corridor and into the girl's bathroom. Ron, Hermione, and Neville were all there, but only Hermione was working on the potion.

"Harry!" she hissed. "You scared us."

"Sorry, I've been looking everywhere for you guys. Did you hear about Colin?"

Hermione nodded, her eyes dark. "It's why we're here. We have to get this finished so that we can talk to Malfoy."

Harry filled them in about Dobby and about what Dumbledore had said.

Neville's eyes widened in fear. "This happened before? When?"

"I don't know, Nev, but I think Dumbledore knows more than he's saying."

Ron let out a deep breath as if resigning himself to the inevitable. "Alright, Mione, what else do you need us to do?"

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius smiled warmly when McGonagall arrived for her usual Sunday tea that afternoon.** He kissed her cheek as she settled herself in his common room and he served her tea and biscuits. He enjoyed these Sunday afternoons with her that usually occurred at least twice a month since Harry had been accepted to Hogwarts.

Today, he had questions for her.

"So, Minnie, what can you tell me about the Chamber of Secrets?"

McGonagall sighed and sipped her tea. "Nothing more than you already know I imagine."

Sirius smiled at her. "Come on now, you are best friends with Dumbledore, you have to know more than that."

She chuckled. "I don't. And while Albus and I are close friends, I wouldn't say that we are best friends. He's a very… solitary man."

"Come on, Minnie, that's not true. You two were always discussing books you've read."

McGonagall blushed. "Well, to be honest, Albus and I both share a deep love for the romance novel. Albus just leant me one last week called _A Year in Arcadia: Kyllenion_ by a German author from the nineteenth century, a Muggle. It's quite good, I must say not to mention the last one, _Maurice_ by E.M. Forster was quite the page-turner." She cleared her throat as Sirius simply grinned at her. "But as to the Chamber, I imagine Harry has already told you that a student was attacked last night?" At his nod, she continued. "All I know is that the Chamber was opened before, but it was before my time as a professor here. Albus taught Transfiguration then and Dippet was Headmaster."

"You don't know who opened it back then?"

"I know someone was accused and whoever it was, expelled from Hogwarts, but Albus claims that they had been framed and he was never able to prove it, but he swears on their innocence."

"Interesting."

"A little. I just hope we find the culprit soon. The last thing I want to see is another student end up in the hospital wing."

Sirius nodded. "You and me both."

"What are the governors saying, Sirius?"

He shrugged. "They're worried. Lucius is running his mouth about Dumbledore not doing his job properly, but most of the governors realize that's bull. A few of them even mentioned sending in people to search the school for the chamber, but Dumbledore refuses to allow that. He says that the school has been searched many times for it and no one ever finds it."

"True. I don't know what to think, Sirius," she admitted honestly. "I really don't."

Sirius sighed and reached for a biscuit, biting through the oatmeal chocolate chip happily. "That doesn't reassure me."

She smiled, helping herself to a biscuit as well. "I wish that I could give you more. In better news, you must be proud of how wonderful Harry played yesterday."

"He's an incredible flyer, better than even Jamie was."

"I agree," McGonagall said with a smile. "I can't wait to see what he does in the air by his seventh year if he's already flying this well now."

"That Lockhart's a right git though, Minnie, he literally removed the bones from Harry's arm! How is that git an acceptable teacher? I've been complaining about him to the governors."

McGonagall's eyebrow rose in surprise. "What are they saying?"

"That unless a suitable replacement is found, he will be finishing out the school year. They've learned nothing in that class! Harry says that he just recounts them with his adventures."

"Hmm, while I do think he's quite full of himself, he is very intelligent. I'll speak to him about his curriculum and see what he plans to cover over the next few weeks." She smirked at him. "You'll be pleased to know that he couldn't fix his own nose. Filius took pity on him and did it."

"You enjoyed watching Rem punch him, didn't you?"

McGonagall smiled. "Of course I didn't, it was absolutely distasteful."

Sirius smirked. "Right."

She only smiled at him. "So, where is Zee hiding?"

Sirius grinned at her. "Subtle, Minnie."

McGonagall shrugged. "Well, I finally get to meet this woman that you're dating at Harry's birthday, I'm curious as to how she's doing."

"She's doing just fine and we're not dating. We're just… hanging out."

"Uh-huh," McGonagall said with a smirk. "I liked her. She was intelligent and she was a bit salty. I think she's quite good for you."

"Oh, you do, huh? I like her too. I mean, I really like her. She makes me laugh and I miss her like crazy when she's travelling. She's easy to talk too and we have quite a bit in common."

"Why don't you go with her when she travels?"

He shrugged. "I considered it. She invited me to New Zealand with her this time but… I don't want to be too far away from Harry and I had a bit going on around here lately. Maybe next time I will."

"She's in New Zealand?"

Sirius nodded. "Somehow a herd of Erumpents has arrived there. Zee says that they are native to Africa and she is there trying to safely transfer them back to their home and find out who moved them to New Zealand in the first place. It's not the right climate for them and they can be quite dangerous if provoked. Her first priority is always the animals and keeping them safe from harm."

"That is true," McGonagall said with a smile. "When does she come back?"

"Tomorrow," he said with a smile. "I've really missed her. She was gone almost all of August and was only home a week before she had to take off again. We've been writing letters, but it's not quite the same." He stood up, extending his hand to her. "Come on; I almost have the Adler finished, you've got to see how beautiful she looks."

McGonagall accepted his hand with a smile as she climbed to her feet. "Are you going to paint her red and gold?"

"Definitely. You can have the first ride."

"Sirius, I am not going to climb onto the back of that Muggle death trap. I don't know how many times I have to tell you this."

"We can talk about that later. Right now I just want you to see her."

She grinned at him. "I'm not riding that motorbike."

~ ASC ~

 **She didn't ride the motorcycle, but Sirius did get her to sit on it while he revved the engine much to her amusement.** He had just finished cleaning up their tea and was deciding if he wanted to make himself something for dinner or just eat a quick sandwich when there was a knock on the front door.

He yawned as he padded across the living room to tug the door open and his grin widened at the sight of Zahira standing there.

"Zee!"

Zee laughed when he scooped her up, carrying her across the threshold and spinning in her a circle before his lips found hers for a long, deep kiss that left her breathless.

"I thought that you weren't coming back until tomorrow!"

She smiled at him when he finally set her back on the ground. "They changed my portkey time. I missed you," she said, standing on her toes to kiss him again.

"I missed you too. Where's Lady G?"

"I left her at home. She was just as anxious as I was to return," she told him, her hand automatically scratching Marauder's head as he attempted to move between them in his demand for attention. "And she gets cranky after a portkey."

Sirius tugged her up against him, his lips going to her neck. "I've barely seen you since the summer," he murmured, sucking the skin there hard enough to leave a mark. "I have so much to tell you."

Zee laughed when he started to tug her jacket off of her shoulders and they tumbled onto the chesterfield in the living room, her lying on top of him. "I know, I've been travelling a lot lately, I'm sorry."

Sirius tugged her clothes off, his mouth on her newly exposed skin. "I need you first," he murmured, rolling her so that she was beneath him and lifting her shirt up to plant kisses along her newly exposed stomach. "Merlin, I need you," he repeated, his hips grinding her into the chesterfield and eliciting a delicious moan from her.

"I need you, too," she panted, fumbling with the button on his jeans.

Sirius didn't even wait to get undressed. He slipped her own jeans down her hips, along with her knickers, stopping at her knees and holding her legs together and then he simply yanked his own jeans down just far enough to free himself before he slid deeply into her in one quick motion.

Zee cried out in surprise, her hands sliding down to clutch his bum. "Sirius," she moaned as he began to move.

"You're already so wet, Zee," he panted. "Fuck, I need this."

All she could do was hold on as his hips pistoled her into the cushions and the delicious waves of pleasure overtook her. She held on to him as he brought her over the edge and she cried out his name.

She kissed his shoulders when he collapsed against her. "That wasn't quite the reunion I was expecting," she admitted.

Sirius nuzzled her neck, his arms holding her in place beneath him, still locked between her legs. "Mine neither, but I'm not complaining."

Zee chuckled and kissed him softly. "I really missed you."

"I really missed you," he said, kissing her deeply. "You'll stay tonight?"

Zee smiled at him, gently brushing her hand down his cheek. "As long as you want."

Sirius kissed her again, his thick length hardening inside of her.

That was exactly what he had wanted to hear.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as that is the lovely JKR — as per usual, I did tweak the Dobby scene a bit to fit my storyline._

 _To answer the questions about Zee's tattoos._

 _1 - Gold and green tribal elephant on right side of ribs_

 _2 - Red and gold dragon down her spine_

 _3 - Black niffler on back of her neck_


	86. Chapter 86

_Author's Note:_

 _And the changes have begun… *evil laugh* Haha!_

 _This is something that I have been planning from almost the beginning. I am very curious to hear your thoughts on it._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX:**

 **Sirius woke up the next morning wrapped around Zee.** She was lying on her side on the edge of the king-sized bed and he was spooning her, his leg twined between hers and his morning erection pressed against the small of her back. The sight of her in his bed, in his arms again, made him smile as he nuzzled her neck. He kissed her neck, her earlobe, her cheek as his hand slid up to cup a breast.

She moaned sleepily, turning her head slightly to kiss him.

"It's not morning."

"It is," he said with a smile.

"My clock is all off," she pouted, stretching in the bed and teasing Sirius as her taut body brushed against his. "New Zealand is eleven hours ahead of us, you know, and Africa is only an hour ahead of us so bouncing back and forth between the two was rather exhausting."

Sirius kissed her. "I know."

They had made love a second time on the couch in the living room the night before. Then Sirius had given her his tee shirt to wear as he put his jeans on and they had made egg sandwiches for dinner as he filled her in on what she had missed with Harry, on Remus and Tonks finally dating, and on the whole mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. Zee had told him all about the Erumpents and about working with them and the other Magizoologists in New Zealand.

Then Sirius had taken her hand and led her upstairs to his bed and shagged her twice more. He'd slept like the dead and having woken up holding her made him feel wonderful.

"I'm glad that you stayed last night," he told her, nuzzling her neck.

Zee smiled. "Me too. I really did miss you. I spent way too much time with Tripp Forester this time and I wanted to hit him."

Sirius frowned slightly. Zee had mentioned this Tripp fellow a few times before. He was a Magizoologist for the ministry as well and was often partnered with her on her trips. From what he had gathered, he believed himself to be a bit of a know-it-all and obviously had the hots for his partner and made every effort to let her know it.

"What did he do this time?"

She rolled her eyes. "The usual, tried to claim last minute that the Erumpents needed to be moved to a different location, not to mention that he hit on me again."

"Oh?" Sirius asked carefully, his mouth trailing along her throat. "Is he still alive?"

She chuckled. "He is."

"Hmm, that might change," he told her with a grin. "I don't share, Zee."

Zee slid her hand between them, her grip tight enough to make him gasp. "I don't share either, lover."

He grinned. "If he hits on you again, I think you should punch him."

"I'd like too, that's for sure. I found him in my tent pawing through my knickers. The pervert."

Sirius frowned. "Can I punch him?"

She smiled. "Hmm, depends, are you both going to be all naked and oiled first?"

He laughed as she let him go and trailed her hand up his bicep. "I just don't like the idea of some bloke giving you trouble is all."

"And I appreciate that, but I don't need you to fight my battles, Sirius."

"I know that too," he told her honestly with a smile. "You still want to go shopping today in Muggle London?" he asked her, kissing her neck.

"Mmm," she murmured. "Yes. I need some new clothes and I need to get my Christmas shopping done. Are you sure that you want to come with me?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he said kissing her neck. "I've missed you. I want to spend some time with you."

Zee rolled, straddling him in his bed and running her hands over his chest. "That sounds wonderful to me. But Sirius?"

"Hmm?" He asked, grinning up at her.

"I really like to shop so I don't want to hear any complaints from the peanut gallery."

He simply smirked at her. "Deal."

~ ASC ~

 **It had been three hours since it had happened and Sirius still couldn't explain how he had known.** All he knew was that he had been shopping in Muggle London with Zee. They had been walking, holding hands, and talking absently about the day and their plans when suddenly he had felt a familiar tingling on the back of his neck, like someone was watching them. When he had looked behind him, no one was there.

But then he saw him. And he knew.

He was sitting on the ground, scrounging for garbage from the nearby bin and without even thinking or giving an explanation, Sirius reached down and picked up the scraggly looking rat in triumph.

Zee stared at him in bafflement. "Sirius, what are you doing?"

Sirius ignored her. The rat was attempting to escape and bit into his hand hard enough to make him wince, but he didn't let go as the blood dripped down between his fingers.

He _couldn't_ let go.

"Bite me again, you bastard, and I'll skin you. Hand me that shoe box you have, Zee. Hurry." The rat was squealing now and Sirius glared down at him. "Did you think I wouldn't notice you, Wormtail?"

Zee carefully pulled out her new Jimmy Choos and put them in the bag, opening the box for Sirius. Sirius tossed the rat inside and closed the lid. Using his wand to seal the box shut and he poked three small holes in the top.

"Care to explain what that was about?" Zee asked him, her eyes wide.

"This is the rat who betrayed James and Lily Potter. The rat who sent me to Azkaban. He's an Animagus."

Zee's mouth dropped open and then she nodded. "Let's get him to the DMLE then."

Sirius only nodded, grateful that she trusted him enough not to demand an explanation right this moment as he clutched the box tightly in his arms as they hurried down the street towards the phone booth that was the London visitor entrance to the Ministry of Magic. He didn't say a word as they took the lift down and it was only when he saw Tonks sitting at her desk in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that he felt slightly calmer.

"Tonks," Zee said, hurrying towards her with a smile. "We need you to get the Head Auror immediately."

Tonks looked from Sirius' pale face to Zee and back before she nodded. A minute later she came back with Kingsley Shacklebot, newly appointed Head Auror of the department.

"We need an interrogation room," Sirius said quietly.

Tonks only nodded. She led them down past the cubicles and the offices to a stone circular room with a table, two chairs, and shackles on the wall. "What is going on, Sirius? You look like you've seen a ghost?"

Sirius put the box on the table carefully, his hands still holding it in place. "Close the door."

Kingsley closed the door, leaning his tall, dark frame against it. "Answer Auror Tonks, Sirius."

Sirius finally let go of the box, using his wand to pop it open and the rat jumped out, squealing in fright. Sirius petrified him and then murmured 'revelio' and watched in horrid fascination as the rat's body transformed into that of a man. A man who had greatly changed in the last decade.

He was still small, only 5'7, but his thick straw coloured hair no longer stood up, but instead was now thin and colourless. He had a bald patch at the back of his head. His small watery blue eyes were staring at Sirius in horror. His face almost looked rat-like and he was hunched over a bit as if living as a rat had changed his actual form.

"Hello, Peter," Sirius said pleasantly, his grey eyes staring menacingly at his old friend as he twirled his wand between his fingers.

Peter, if possible, paled even more. "S-S-Sirius!"

Kingsley crossed his arms in front of his chest, his own eyes wide. "Peter Pettigrew, as I live and breathe. We've been searching for you for years now. And here you are, handed over to us by Sirius Black. How incredibly poetic!"

Peter looked terrified. "Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord… you have no idea… he has weapons you can't imagine… I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen… He Who Must Not Be Named forced me… He — he was taking over everywhere! Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him? You don't understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Sirius exploded, his hands clenching his wand angrily.

Zee wrapped an arm carefully around his waist, her hand sliding along his bicep, down to his wrist, to his wand. "Sirius, lower your wand."

Sirius kept his wand trained on Peter, not even flinching when Kingsley used his wand to bind the shackles to Peter. He placed a charm on the shackles to prevent him from transforming back into his rat form, only then did Sirius lower his wand.

"Zee, you should wait outside now," Tonks told her, taking her arm. "We need to talk to Sirius."

Zee nodded. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek lightly and his grey eyes looked at her gratefully. Once the door was locked behind them again, Tonks gestured for Sirius to take a seat.

"Sirius, I think that we need to first recap everything that happened. We have the transcript from your trial," she said, sitting in the other chair.

Kingsley's eyes were on Peter. "How did you find him, Sirius? How did you know it was him?"

That was the question, Sirius thought.

It had first started at Flourish and Blotts back in August _._ When Lockhart had pulled Harry up onto the platform for the photo op, Sirius had felt like someone was watching him. He could feel that someone was nearby and that they were spying on him, but as his eyes had searched the crowd, he couldn't see any one of consequence. Then Ginny had spotted the rat sitting in the alley apart from the other rats.

 _"It looks like Scabbers," she'd said in surprise, pointing the rat out to Ron._

 _Ron had squinted at the rat in the distance. "Kind of, Gin, but Scabbers ran away eons ago. He's probably dead."_

 _"Who is Scabbers?" Sirius had asked curiously._

 _Ron had grinned at him. "Percy's old rat. He lived with us forever and then just after we first met you and Harry, he disappeared. Fred always thought he'd crawled away somewhere to die."_

When Sirius turned to look at the rat in question, he was gone, but he hadn't been able to shake the feeling that Scabbers was more than just an old pet rat. He'd been on his way to the Ministry for the first meeting with the Hogwarts Board of Governors in September when he had felt like he was being watched again. The sensation made him uneasy, but when he searched around, he could see nothing out of place, no one he recognized.

Then he had seen the rat, staring at him, and he knew. But the second he made his way towards him, the rat had vanished into the sewers, hiding in the throng of the millions of other rats that lived below the ground. But Sirius had continued to feel someone watching him - when he went to the hospital to visit the kids, when he went to Gringotts - but he could never prove it.

He had started to question himself on whether he was just getting paranoid.

But that day, the moment they had arrived in London, Sirius had known Peter was nearby.

He could sense him. When he'd turned and caught the missing toe on the paw of the rat, he had grabbed him without thinking. Now he was staring at the sickly and old looking man before him trying to remember what his friend had once looked like. He was only thirty-two years old and he looked close to fifty, Sirius thought.

"He's been following me. I don't know how long exactly, but I first felt like someone was watching me when Harry and I were in Diagon Alley to get his school things. Today, I just… I knew it was him and I pounced the moment I saw him."

"How did you know it was him?"

Sirius snorted. "He's distinct, is he not? Bastard cut off his own finger to frame me for murder. I tend to notice a rat who is a missing toe."

Kingsley nodded, his eyes on Peter. "Where have you been for the last eleven years, Pettigrew?"

Peter was sweating, his bottom lip trembling as he looked between Sirius, Kingsley, and Tonks. "I was running for my life! Sirius tried to kill me!"

"He did," Tonks said to him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "But you escaped before he could. You cut off your own finger and used a blasting curse so powerful it killed twelve Muggles in the vicinity. Sirius Black has killed no one."

"He — he betrayed Lily and James!"

Sirius scoffed now. "I'm not in prison anymore, Wormtail! Do you think that the truth has not come out by now? YOU were the Secret Keeper and it was YOU who sold them out to Voldemort!"

Peter flinched.

"Oh? Don't like the name of your old master, Pete? Afraid to hear his name spoken out loud?" Sirius demanded, his eyes flashing in anger.

"I — I — I didn't mean too!" he whined, tears pouring down his cheeks. "I was tricked!"

Sirius slammed his hands on the table. "You were fucking tricked? We trusted you, Pete! We trusted you with our fucking lives and that's all you can say is that you were tricked! Are you even fucking sorry that they're dead?"

Tonks stood up, her hands moving to Sirius' chest, pushing him back a little. "Sirius, you can't stay in here if you're not going to be calm."

Kingsley moved towards them. "We know what he's been accused of and we know from the memories that you provided that he was the keeper of the charm for the Potters. He is the one guilty of murdering those twelve Muggles. Not to mention that he's an unregistered Animagus. That alone warrants him time in Azkaban."

Peter whined in horror. "Sirius is an unregistered Animagus!"

Tonks and Kinglsey both turned to look at him.

Sirius swallowed slowly. "Tonks, I'd like to speak with King alone for a minute."

Tonks' eyebrow rose. "Sir?"

Kingsley nodded. "Get the paperwork started for Pettigrew's trial and extraction to Azkaban."

When Tonks left the room, closing the door behind her, Sirius turned to Kingsley. "Are we alone in here? Is anyone else watching?"

Kingsley shook his head. "No. Only I have the override to open the two-way mirror on the other side. We're alone." He cast a quick privacy charm around he and Sirius so that Pettigrew couldn't hear them speaking. "Explain."

Sirius dragged his fingers through his hair. "Wormtail is telling the truth about me."

"You know that's punishable by up to six months in prison, Sirius."

"I know," Sirius said dryly, his eyes meeting Kingsley's. "I was going to mention it at my trial but… I just wanted to be free. I wanted to find Harry and to be the best godfather that I could be to him." At Kingsley's nod, he continued. "James, Pete, and I… we all did it - succeeded in fifth year. We did it for Remus."

"For Remus?" Kingsley asked and then his eyes focused. "Because he's a werewolf."

Sirius nodded. "We wanted to help him. Once a month he went through this horrific transformation and as animals we could be there to support him, to help keep him calm, and he couldn't harm us. We did it for him."

Kingsley was quiet for a moment, his eyes on Peter. "Is that why I always found black dog hair on my bed at school?"

Sirius grinned sheepishly. "Possibly."

Kingsley's hand glided over his chin for a moment while he contemplated what Sirius had told him. "You've kept it a secret to protect Remus Lupin, which I admire. I'm well aware that he is not registered as a werewolf in the Ministry of Magic."

"He's not and we appreciate you having kept that a secret as well. Snape has been brewing the Wolfsbane Potion for him for years now; he takes it faithfully every month. He's never been a danger, King. You went to school with us for seven years, shared a dorm with us. Have you ever been afraid of Remus? I know that you found out he was a werewolf in seventh year and you said that you were okay with it?" Sirius asked him, trying to gauge where his old friend's mind was at.

"I have no issue with Remus. You four were always off on your own adventures in school, which was fine with me as my best friends were in Ravenclaw, but no, I know that Remus is not a danger to society — and no, I have no plans of revealing his secret. I said as much when Dumbledore inducted him into the Order years ago," he explained. "I take it Auror Tonks does not know his secret?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. She is completely unaware."

Kingsley nodded. "I will draw up the paperwork immediately concerning you as an unregistered Animagus, Sirius. You will register today; name, markings, and everything followed by the year and date in which you succeeded in becoming an Animagus. In return, I will let your sentence to Azkaban pass for your help in finding the wanted murderer and Death Eater, Peter Pettigrew. As Head of the Auror Department, I can choose to make a deal like this, but I will have to speak with the prosecutor first. You will be fined."

"And Remus?"

"No one has to know about him."

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "Deal."

Kingsley removed the privacy charm from around them.

Peter was hanging limply against the shackles as they both turned to look at him. "And what about me?"

"You will be tried for your crimes as soon as possible. You are accused of the following: The betrayal of the Potters and an accessory to their deaths, accessory for the attempted murder of Harry Potter, twelve counts of murder against the Muggles you killed with your curse, for being an unregistered Animagus, for framing Sirius Black for your crimes, and for running from the law. That's a hundred years per life, Pettigrew and we haven't even gotten to your other crimes. You will die in Azkaban unless the court decides a Kiss is in your future." Kingsley explained to him.

Peter whimpered. "Sirius, Sirius, please! Help me!"

"I did help you, Wormtail. I would have protected you with my life once upon a time and you threw it all away." Peter trembled in fear as Sirius turned to open the door. "King, I want to be at his trial."

Kingsley nodded. "I'll keep you fully informed."

The last thing Sirius heard as he closed the door behind him was Peter's whimpering and the sound of it reminded him so strongly of his friend when they had been kids that his fists clenched at his sides. He still couldn't see how someone he had trusted so much could have betrayed them all.

And that's what hurt him the most.

He still didn't see it.

~ ASC ~

 **Zee was waiting for him at Tonks' cubicle, her eyes full of concern when he came out of the interrogation room.** "Sirius?"

Sirius simply pulled her into his arms, his chin resting on the top of her head as he bent to hold her close. His heart was pounding in his chest and as he held her, he felt it steady out and he felt calmer. He pulled back a little to kiss her forehead.

"You stayed?"

Zee smiled up at him. "Of course, I stayed. Are you okay?"

He dragged his fingers through his hair and shrugged. "I'm not sure. I need… Rem needs to know."

"Of course," she said, taking his hand in hers.

Sirius kissed their joined hands. "You don't even question, I kind of love that about you."

Zee smiled. "I know you'll tell me when you are ready to."

He grinned and leaned down to kiss her softly. "I have some paperwork to fill out here. I don't know how long it's going to take. But we're going to have dinner tonight, Remus too, and… I'll explain everything."

Zee nodded. "Why don't I head home then? You and Remus can come to my place. I'll throw something together for dinner. Bring some wine."

Sirius kissed her again. "That sounds perfect. Thank you."

She smiled. "If you need me —"

" — I know," he said with a smile, squeezing her hand gently before he let go. He watched her leave the office before he took a seat in the visitor's chair in Tonks' cramped cubicle. "All right; let's get this paperwork underway and then you can come for dinner as well. I think that it's time you learn the whole story about why I was imprisoned."

"Sirius, are you really an Animagus?" she asked, her eyes wide.

Sirius winked at her. "Remember how much you love that stray Padfoot?"

Tonks' eyes widened. "That was you the whole time!" When he nodded she blanched. "I let you lick my face."

He laughed. "Pass me the paperwork, Tonks."

~ ASC ~

 **It was a little before five when Sirius arrived at Zee's house.** He let himself into the cottage, absently stroking Lady Godiva's head as he took his shoes off. She was in the kitchen, light jazz music playing from the wireless.

He slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. "It smells amazing in here."

Zee turned to smile at him. "Just an old family recipe; fried chicken and cornbread just like my grandmother makes. Then we have a spinach and tomato cucumber salad and some extra cheesy baked macaroni."

Sirius tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply, sighing when her hands fluttered up to his shoulders. "Thank you for today," he said, resting his forehead against hers.

Zee smiled. "I didn't do anything."

"You did everything," he kissed her again and pulled away. "I invited Tonks to come over too. She should know the whole story as well."

She nodded, turning back to the chicken. "Sure. Would you mind putting another setting out for her?"

Sirius headed to the cupboard to find the dishes as the knock sounded on the door. "I'll get it." He smiled gratefully at Remus when he greeted him at the front door, tugging his friend into a hug. "Thanks for coming."

Remus nodded, looking at Sirius in surprise when he pulled away. "Of course. You said that it was important. Are you okay?"

Sirius took a deep breath before he spoke. "I'm fine, but — Peter's in custody at the Ministry of Magic."

Remus' eyes widened in shock. " _What_?"

Sirius nodded. "Like I said, important." He gestured for Remus to follow him into the kitchen just as there was a second knock on the front door. "That's probably Tonks. She was there today so I wanted her to hear the story and to understand everything as well."

Five minutes later, they were all sitting at Zee's kitchen table as she finished frying up the chicken. Tonks was playing footsies with Remus under the table and he was doing his best to tell her to stop with his eyes, but she was having none of it.

"Tonks, why don't you pour us all some wine, and Sirius, you can serve up the food," Zee suggested as she finished up the chicken.

Soon they were all eating the fabulous meal and Remus was watching his friend's face. "How long are you going to make me squirm over here? How the hell did Peter get into custody?"

"Sirius caught him spying on him and captured him in a shoe box," Tonks said quickly earning a short laugh from Remus.

"You're joking?"

Sirius shook his head. "The last few months or so I've been getting this feeling like someone was watching me. When we were in Diagon Alley at the end of August, Ginny mentioned something about the Weasleys having an old rat who had run away years ago. She was rather convinced that she had spotted him that day. I thought it was kind of strange, but nothing to be concerned about until I started feeling like I was being watched again. Never here, never anywhere around my house or Zee's, but whenever I went out to London, I could feel it. I started looking at the rats. Maybe I knew on some level that it was… I honestly don't know… but then I saw him. Sitting there, bold as day. He was a rat, watching me. He escaped into the sewer before I could do anything, but today, Zee and I were shopping and I saw him again — and I just grabbed him."

"He asked me for my shoebox and he's holding this rat who is struggling desperately in his hands. It bit him and he has blood dripping down his hand, but he wouldn't let go. I handed over the shoebox and he sealed it in there, poking a few holes in the top," Zee explained, taking a sip of her wine.

"Zee just stared at me like she was a little concerned that I had gone insane and I told her that the rat was the reason I had gone to Azkaban. She says, let's go to the Ministry then, and we did," Sirius told them. "I found Tonks at her cubicle and I demanded to see the Head Auror, which by the way is King, I had no idea he had been promoted as such. Anyway, we got to the interrogation room and I made him reveal himself. It was Pete, Rem."

Remus stared at his friend, his eyes wide. "I was starting to wonder if he was dead."

Sirius swore. "Bastard deserves to be. He looks fucking awful. I think he's been living as a rat all these years. His hair is practically gone, colourless, and he's balding. He looks closer to fifty to be honest."

Remus tilted his head. "I imagine the stress of living in hiding all of these years wouldn't exactly be suitable to a healthy lifestyle. What did he have to say for himself?"

Sirius tossed back his wine, his hands clenching into fists as the anger coursed through him again. "He said that he was tricked. That it was obvious Voldemort was going to win the war and that oh yeah, what was his line — _he didn't mean too_."

Remus glared at that. "He didn't mean to fucking betray his friends? Is that what his excuse was?"

Tonks was looking between the two of them, her brow furrowed. "Will you two explain everything from the beginning please? I'm lost."

Zee nodded, smiling gratefully at Tonks. "Thank you, I feel the same."

Sirius sighed, leaning back in his chair as Tonks poured more wine into his glass. "Zee, you were in school in Russia, I don't know how much of the war you were aware of?"

"I was aware. My great uncle was killed by Death Eaters for saving the life of a Muggle family. I knew exactly what was going on and nothing made me angrier than being so far away from the family I had in Scotland," she said bitterly.

Sirius nodded. "When we left Hogwarts, James, Remus, Peter, and I got our own little flat, the one that my uncle Alphard had left me. We had decided we wanted to continue living together for a while. Not for long mind you, as James proposed to Lily soon afterwards, but the war had already escalated at this point. We became involved in the war effort, doing what we could to try to find out Voldemort's plans and to try to discover who his Death Eaters were. You couldn't trust anyone. People were under the Imperius Curse and being used and we didn't know until it was too late; others we never even discovered. James came from a strong pureblood family known for being blood traitors. Jamie was even approached about joining his cause when we were in seventh year by Evan Rosier. Rosier ended up in the hospital wing. When James proposed to Lily and the article about their engagement became public knowledge, James and Lily unknowingly became targets."

Remus tapped his fingers on the table. "James, a sought after pureblood who was a bloody Transfiguration genius and a champion dueller, was planning to marry a Muggleborn — it got serious attention. The Potters became more of a blood traitor family than ever before. And Lily, Merlin, she was bloody amazing. That woman could charm anything and her wand moved as if it was part of her, you couldn't defeat her in a fight. The two of them were like the ultimate power couple. While we worked undercover against Voldemort and his Death Eaters, there were plenty of attacks on those who had defied him. Lily and James themselves escaped death three times. When Lily found out that she was pregnant, she was terrified just as much as she was thrilled. She and James decided that the only way that they could get through the war safely was to go into hiding."

"Jamie was going stir crazy. He's the last person to sit on his hands and let others do the work, but his wife was pregnant and she needed him and he loved her more than anything in the world," Sirius explained with a smile. "We visited them as often as we could and when James' parents contracted dragon pox and died only weeks apart, we grieved with them. They never even got to meet their grandson."

Remus nodded sadly. "After Harry was born, Dumbledore told James that he believed his family was in more danger because he was convinced that among the group of us who were trying to figure out what Voldemort was up too, there was a spy. He didn't know who it was, but he knew that Voldemort had a spy amongst us and that James, Lily, and Harry were not safe and they agreed to really go into hiding - deep underground. This was where they made the decision to use the Fidelius Charm."

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "Jamie asked me to be the Secret Keeper. I agreed. He was my best mate, my blood brother, and I would have done anything for him. But I made a stupid mistake. I convinced him to make Peter the Secret Keeper instead."

"Why?" Tonks asked, fascinated by the story that she was being told.

"Because everyone knew my relationship with the Potters. I was the plague on the Black family: The heir who had been disowned and disinherited, the White Sheep who had chosen blood traitors over his own blood — I was a disgrace," Sirius spat bitterly. "And anyone who knew anything about James Potter knew that I was the most loyal friend he had ever had. It was obvious that I would be the one to know where they were hiding. So I thought I was clever. If they chose Peter, no one would ever suspect. He was our best friend, but he was rather shy sometimes and not the best at duelling, but he was our friend and he would die before betraying such a secret. Or at least he should have. It was my job to protect Pete."

"Sirius, you can't blame yourself —" Remus said quietly.

" — I do," Sirius interrupted. "Even after all of these years, it's still my fucking fault. I made them change secret keepers, Rem; it was me! If I had been secret keeper like they wanted me too, James and Lily would still be alive."

Zee reached over and took her hand in his, placing it over his heart. "You couldn't have known. You can't blame yourself for a choice you made."

Sirius watched as she gently massaged his hand where it sat as he spoke. "Remus was on a mission for the Order. We had no way of contacting him. James and Lily had invited Pete and I over for Halloween. Lily had found Harry a pumpkin costume and was so excited for us to see it on him. I spoke to Jamie on my mirror, told him I was picking up Pete and we were on our way, but when I got to Pete's flat, it was empty. I thought it was weird, but I waited around a bit. I just had this feeling that something wasn't right and I hopped on my bike and I flew to Godric's Hollow, but I was too late. The house was blown to all hell on one side and the Dark Mark was floating overtop. I ran inside and I found James dead first and by the time I got up to the nursery and found Lily… Harry was crying for me and I should have just taken him right then and there. But I was so fucking angry… I knew at that moment that the only reason my friends were dead was because Peter had told someone. I gave Harry to Hagrid and I took off after him. It took me almost twenty-four hours, but I tracked him down at his mother's house and found him there and then followed him when he Disapparated, which is why we ended up in that Muggle street. I wanted to know why he had broke, who had gotten to him — I was thinking that I hadn't done enough to protect him, but, I was wrong. When I got to him, he panicked. I had every intention of killing him and he knew it, but he surprised me. We were in a crowded Muggle street and he yelled out that I had betrayed my friends, cut off his own finger, and used a blasting curse before transforming into a rat and disappearing. I was left standing in the street surrounded by dead bodies and Peter was gone as Aurors appeared around me."

"It didn't look good. With the death of James and Lily and the world claiming that Harry was The Boy Who Lived as Voldemort seemed to have disappeared as well, Sirius was sent to Azkaban without a trial," Remus said sadly. "The world thought Peter was dead; that Sirius had killed him with a curse so powerful it had only left a finger. I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. My friends were all dead and Sirius was guilty and… I didn't want to believe it, but the evidence just seemed overwhelmingly against him and when he was sent to Azkaban… I broke and… I had lost the last person in my life who was important to me."

"Only Minerva believed me to be innocent," Sirius said with a small smile. "That woman… she is amazing and the best mum a bloke could ask for."

Remus smirked. "Until you call her mum."

Sirius laughed. "She believed in me and she worked tirelessly for years to get me a trial."

"I should have worked with her. I should have known that you never could have betrayed them. I'm ashamed of myself for that."

Sirius only smiled at his friend. "I don't blame you, Moony. With everything that had happened and the loss you experienced, I did look guilty, and I get why you thought I could have been. You thought I was the Secret Keeper."

"I still should have known, Sirius. Minerva did."

Sirius smiled. "She worked hard to get me a trial. And she succeeded. I was finally released and declared innocent in April of 1986. The Ministry of Magic apologized for keeping an innocent man locked up. But Peter… he's been missing this whole damn time."

"Why do you think that he was following you?" Remus asked, his eyes on his friend. "After all these years, no one had any idea where he was or if he was even still alive. Why was he following you now?"

Sirius shrugged. "I have no idea."

"So let's get back to the whole you being an Animagus thing?" Tonks asked, grinning at him. "And how come you never told me?"

Sirius smirked at her. "Because I was unregistered, Tonks."

"But you're registered now."

Remus' eyebrow rose. "You've registered yourself?"

Sirius nodded. "Peter let it slip that I am also an unregistered Animagus. King made a deal with me, I register, and in return for bringing Peter in, I only get fined rather than imprisoned."

Zee stared at him, her eyes wide. "What animal are you?"

Sirius smiled at her and moved away from the table and transformed into his dog, jumping into her lap to lick her face.

Zee stared at him awe for a moment. "Padfoot?"

Padfoot barked once and nuzzled her hand, whining in happiness when she rubbed his belly.

Remus grinned and shook his head. "He always was the most needy dog."

Tonks giggled, running her hand along Remus' thigh under the table. "He's not the only one who's needy," she murmured, smirking at him.

Sirius changed back into himself and kissed Zee softly. "So I'm a dog."

Zee simply smirked. "I knew that already."

Sirius rolled his eyes, taking his seat again. "I'm registered now anyway. Peter's trial is going to be set up soon. King promised to let me know. I want to be there."

Remus nodded. "As do I."

Sirius nodded at his friend. "Maybe then we'll find out why he was following me in the first place."

As the reason behind that was something Sirius hadn't even given himself a chance to think about and he wasn't sure that knowing the answer would make him feel any better.

He sighed. "Now we have to find a way to tell Harry."

Remus nodded, eyes wide. "Yeah, we do."


	87. Chapter 87

_Author's Note:_

 _Some big changes are coming your way soon._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (though I did tweak this lovely section a bit to fit my storyline) it does belong to the amazing JKR._

 _I know there's been some repetition, but this is the end of it — things are changing my lovelies, things are changing._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN:**

 **After Remus and Tonks left, Sirius sat on the sofa in Zee's living room smiling when she came to sit next to him, a cup of hot cocoa in her hands for him.** He accepted it with a smile, draping an arm over her shoulders as she leaned back against his chest.

"You were incredible today," he said, kissing the top of her head.

Zee sipped her own hot cocoa. "I hardly did anything."

"No, you did everything. I don't know if I would have gotten through the day throughout you," he told her honestly.

Zee turned to smile at him, her hand resting on his chest. "I feel like after today I really know you; the real you. You never… you never talk about that night, about going to prison as an innocent man. I know nightmares plague you sometimes…"

Sirius snuggled her back against him as he sighed. "I don't know what to say about it. I went to prison. It's over and done with."

"It's not that cut and dried, Sirius," she said softly. "I can't imagine what it was like to spend years there for a crime that you never even committed. To feel the Dementors sweeping in around you…"

"It wasn't great," he said quietly. "Some days I thought about trying to kill myself, but then I'd re-think it and I thought no one would ever know that Peter was the real betrayer if I killed myself. I tried to get the attention of anyone I could. I screamed. I beat the walls bloody. I cried. I sobbed until my eyes and throat hurt. It didn't matter. No one was listening. And when the Dementors got too close… that guilt, that knowing realization that if I hadn't convinced them to change secret keepers, that my best friend and his family would still be alive… it still fucking haunts me every day. Is that what you want to know?"

Zee leaned forward to place her cocoa on the table, leaning back and tugging his arm closer around her. She turned slightly to snuggle into him. "Babe, I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. I don't want you to keep it all locked up inside. Those nightmares… you've woken me a few times in the middle of the night and you're drenched in icy sweat or crying in your sleep…" she said, twining her fingers with his. "I want to be there for you. I want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you want me to be or need me to be."

He sighed, a small smile on his face. "I know."

"Good," she said, turning her head up to kiss the crook of his neck.

"Zee…" he said softly as her eyes moved up to his. "I'm so glad that you know about Pete and the whole thing. I feel… relieved."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I told you months ago that this thing between us, Sirius… this _undefined thing_ that we've both been ignoring labelling, it's more than the start of something. I want to be here for you."

"You are," he told her, kissing her neck. "You have been."

Sirius turned her around, tugging her up onto his lap and kissing her lips. His tongue meeting hers in long, languid strokes that left him aching. Her palms lay flat against his chest as he deepened the kiss, nipping and stroking his lips and tongue with hers.

She pulled away with a smile and stood up, holding her hand out to him. "Come to my bed."

Sirius smiled at her. "Go on up. I'll put these in the sink. I want to talk to Harry first."

Zee nodded, leaning down to kiss him softly. "Take your time. I'll be in the bath."

Sirius watched her go, his eyes following the sway of her hips and his heart lurched. He was more than falling for her, he realized and he had no idea what that meant.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was in the Gryffindor common room, yawning hugely as he attempted to finish his Charms essay.** He still needed two more inches and his brain had pretty much shut down for the night. He blinked owlishly around the common room, trying to find something to keep him awake, but almost everyone had wandered up to bed.

The vibration in his pocket made him start in alarm before he remembered the mirror. He fumbled trying to pull it out and yawned hugely as he looked at Sirius.

"Hi, Uncle Sirius," he said sleepily.

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Did I wake you? Shit, I didn't think that it's almost midnight."

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm trying to finish my Charms essay, but I think my brain is done for the night. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. How's the arm?"

"It's all good. All healed up."

"Good, good."

"What's up, Uncle Siri?" Harry asked, stifling another yawn.

Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. ''Something happened today that you need to know. Peter Pettigrew got arrested."

Harry stared at him, blinking owlishly. "Why do I know that… wait, Pettigrew?"

"He's the bloke who betrayed your parents, Harry. He's the reason that I went to prison, and the reason Voldemort found you, James, and Lily all those years ago."

Harry's mouth dropped open as he pictured the small boy with watery blue eyes from the photos. "The bloke from the photos."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah."

"He's in jail?"

"He's being detained at the Ministry. Kingsley Shacklebolt is going to let me know when his trial will be. Prongslet, I thought that you should know that he was arrested. I'll fill you in on everything when you come home for Christmas, okay? Remus and I want to go to the trial."

Harry stared at the mirror. "Can I go too?"

Sirius sighed. "We'll talk about it. I don't know what the plans are yet for the trial so when I know, we'll discuss it. It won't be for a while yet, definitely not until after the holidays."

Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "Okay."

"How are you doing otherwise, Prongslet? Anything new on the chamber since we last spoke?"

Harry shook his head as he scratched his nose. "No, but a notice went up this morning for a duelling club. I think we're going to check it out."

"A duelling club? That sounds brilliant! Not to mention a great place for you to learn some new spells. Is Flitwick teaching it? He was a champion dueller, you know?"

Harry shrugged, grinning. "Not sure. We're hoping so, but it didn't say."

"Well, have fun. Learn some new spells and you can show me what you've learnt over Christmas."

Harry grinned at him. "Deal."

"Night, Prongslet."

"Goodnight, Uncle Padfoot."

When his godfather disappeared from the mirror, Harry stared down at it for a long moment. Peter Pettigrew had been caught by the Ministry of Magic. He would be going to prison. He wasn't sure how he felt about that if he was honest.

He knew of the man, of course he did. He was the smaller boy with the thick head of hair smiling with his father and his uncles. He was the boy who symbolized the rat on the Marauder tattoos that both Sirius and Remus possessed. He was the man who had sold his friends out to Voldemort. Harry knew how much Sirius had come to hate the man that he had once called a friend, called a brother. But why had he been caught now after over ten years on the run?

Harry found that to be just as curious.

He stifled another yawn and decided to head up to bed. He would think about Pettigrew another day, when he wasn't so tired.

~ ASC ~

 **The duelling club came at the end of the week.** Harry found himself quite excited at the prospect, especially with the idea of someone as amazing as Flitwick to be teaching it. A former champion dueller had to have some pretty great advice not to mention some great spells to learn.

Harry had been spending some of his spare time pouring through the book that Remus had given him, teaching himself some of the cool defensive spells and charms offered. He had mastered three new ones, making Hermione quite jealous until he'd promised to show her. He'd learned: The Jelly-Brain Jinx, the Leg-Locker Curse, and a Trip Jinx. He was pretty sure that he could pull off the Jelly-Fingers Curse and the Jelly-Legs Jinx as well since they were so similar. And just that morning he'd taught himself Langlock, a particular favourite of Remus', he remembered. His father had told him that he'd often performed it on Peeves when he'd been a student here when the poltergeist was getting particularly annoying.

Harry was hoping to try it out soon; maybe even on the annoying poltergeist.

But the thought of going to an actual duelling club and learning some new hexes and curses strictly for duelling was a thrilling concept - until they arrived, and let out a collective groan at the sight of Lockhart up at the front in bright blue robes, smiling widely.

"Gather round, gather round," he instructed, showing off every one of his pearly white teeth.

"Might as well leave now," Dean muttered under his breath making Harry laugh.

Ron nodded, a look of disgust on his face. "What's he going to teach us? How to lose his wand to more pixies?"

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed in annoyance. "I'm sure that he'll have lots of great things to share. He's done some pretty impressive things!" Harry and Ron both just stared at her and she flushed. "Well, he has! Just look at his books!"

Lockhart was trying to gain the attention of the crowd, many of which were adoring female admirers. The Great Hall had been turned into a duelling stage where Lockhart was standing above everyone with a beaming smile.

"Welcome, welcome! Professor Dumbledore has kindly agreed to let me start this little duelling club to help you all learn to keep yourselves safe. Now, remember, this is a chance to learn some great defensive spells, not to be used in the corridors or on your classmates. Duelling is after all, against school rules," he said, clapping his hands together. "Now, let me get my trusty assistant up here, Professor Snape, who has kindly agreed to be my partner in this teaching demonstration! Professor Snape, if you please?"

Harry grinned at Ron as his friend spoke.

"Maybe Snape will just get rid of him now."

"Maybe they'll get rid of each other," Harry shot back.

Harry watched as Snape moved towards Lockhart and thought that if he was Lockhart, he would be running away. Snape looked anything but happy to be there. In fact, if possible, he looked even more livid than usual. He looked dangerous and annoyed which Harry was pretty sure was the worst combination for Snape to be in.

"Pay attention," Lockhart said with a bright smile. "Professor Snape and I will give a demonstration of a proper wizarding duel. First we bow, it shows respect to our partner." They both bent their heads, Snape somewhat quickly and in annoyance at the etiquette. "And now we duel!"

Snape's wand moved so fast, Lockhart hadn't even raised his own yet. "Expelliarmus!"

There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor. Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered.

Hermione was dancing on her tiptoes. "Do you think that he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers.

"Who cares?" Harry and Ron said together.

Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end. He looked flustered for a moment before he shook his head with a bright smile. "Excellent, Professor Snape! Excellent! A disarming charm, how clever, and might I add, it was quite obvious what you were going to do there. If I had wanted to stop you it only would have been too easy, however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…"

Snape looked murderous and Lockhart obviously noticed because he cleared his throat.

"So, let's set you up into pairs and see what kind of mischief we can get into," Lockhart exclaimed, slapping his hands together in anticipation.

Snape rolled his eyes and made no effort to hide the sarcasm from his voice. "Shouldn't we first demonstrate how to perform the disarming spell before allowing the students to attempt it?"

"Er, yes, once they are paired up, of course," Lockhart said.

Harry grinned at Ron and they snickered.

"So, pair up, then, go on!"

Harry immediately paired himself up with Ron, Neville chose Hermione, and Seamus chose Dean. Once everyone was situated around the room with their partners, they waited for instruction.

"So," Lockhart said, "The charm to the disarming spell is 'Expelliarmus!' Give it a go!"

Harry's eyebrow rose. "What is the wand movement, Sir?"

Lockhart beamed at him. "Excellent question, Harry! Excellent, indeed!"

Harry tried not to roll his eyes in response. It really wasn't an excellent question, it was a simple question. He watched as Lockhart demonstrated the movement with gusto. Harry remembered that Snape had made it look much simpler. The man was a git, but a hell of a lot smarter than the grinning moron before him, he thought. He thought back to how Snape had done it, waited for Lockhart's words and turned his wand on Ron, disarming his friend on the first try.

He was the only one to be successful.

Some of his classmates had nosebleeds, some were fighting off tickling charms and jelly-legs, and some were still standing around staring at each other bewildered.

Lockhart cleared his throat loudly. "I said to disarm only! Let's have another demonstration. Mr Potter, you disarmed Mr Weasley quite easily, come up to the front with Mr Weasley!"

"No," Snape said, moving towards Lockhart. "Weasley's wand can barely perform the simplest spells, how about Potter and perhaps someone from my own house… Malfoy?"

"Er, yes," Lockhart said, obviously still trying to look like he was in control of the situation.

Harry and Draco both climbed up onto the stage to face each other. Draco strutted over, a sly smirk on his pointed face.

"Face your partners," Lockhart called out. "And bow!"

Harry didn't take his eyes off of Draco's as they bowed, barely inclining their heads.

"Wands at the ready," Lockhart called out.

Harry swung his wand high as Lockhart counted to three, but Draco had started at two. His spell hit Harry so hard that he felt like he'd been hit with a heavy pot. He stumbled, but caught himself, shooting his wand towards Draco and muttered "Rictusempra!"

The silver light hit Draco in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing and laughing from the tickling charm. He was going to hit him again, but thought it was kind of uncalled for to jinx him while he was down.

Harry regretted this action immediately when Draco yelled "Tarantallegra" and the next second Harry's legs began to do a king of quickstep.

"Stop! Stop!" Lockhart yelled out.

Snape strode forward. "Finite Incantatem!"

The spells were lifted and Harry managed to control his dancing legs.

Lockhart moved over to Harry with a beaming smile. "Harry, let's go over a simple spell here. When Draco points his wand at you, you do this!"

He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action and dropped it on the ground before quickly picking it up and saying, "Whoops — my wand is a little overexcited!"

Snape meanwhile had moved closer to Draco and was whispering in his ear. For the first time that Harry could remember, he actually wished it was Snape giving him advice as he watched Draco smirk in acknowledgment of whatever Snape had told him.

Harry looked up at Lockhart again. "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

"Scared, Potter?" Draco muttered from the corner of his mouth so that Lockhart couldn't hear him.

"You wish."

Lockhart slapped Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"

"What, drop my wand?" he asked incredulously.

Draco raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "Serpensortia!"

The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.

"Don't move, Potter," Snape said lazily, as if watching Harry stare at a snake who could attack him at any moment was nothing to concern himself with. "I'll get rid of it…"

"Allow me!" Lockhart shouted. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward a Hufflepuff named Justin and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.

Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. He wasn't even aware of deciding to do it. All he knew was that he was running towards the snake and he cried out, "Leave him alone!"

The snake listened, dropping to the ground and not moving.

Harry felt the fear drain out of him. He knew the snake wouldn't attack anyone now, though how he knew it, he couldn't have explained. He just knew that the snake had listened to him and accepted that it wasn't a good idea to attack.

He looked up at Justin, grinning, expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful, but instead the Hufflepuff was starting at him in horror and fear.

"What do you think you're playing at?" he shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin had turned and stormed out of the hall.

Snape stepped forward and waved his wand and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke, watching Harry warily as if he suspected or knew something that Harry himself did not and it made him feel uneasy.

He was also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. Then he felt a tugging on the back of his robes.

"Come on," Ron's voice said in his ear. "Move — come on —"

Ron steered him out of the hall, Hermione hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away from as if he had some contagious disease that they were afraid of getting. Harry didn't have a clue what was going on, and neither Ron nor Hermione explained anything until they had dragged him all the way up to the empty Gryffindor common room.

Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm a what?" Harry asked, his eyebrows rising in confusion. He couldn't recall ever hearing that term before.

"A Parselmouth!" Ron repeated. "You can talk to snakes!"

"Er, I guess so. I mean, once I found a gardening snake in the yard and I asked it to go away and it told me that it was going, preferably to the English Channel. It slithered off and that was that. When I told Uncle Sirius he laughed and said that I had a creative mind."

"A snake told you that it was going off to the English Channel?"

"So?" Harry said, staring at his friends in confusion. "I bet loads of people here have spoken to snakes."

"Oh, no, they haven't," Ron said. "It's not a very common gift. Harry, this is really bad."

"What's bad?" Harry asked, starting to feel quite angry. "What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin -"

"Oh, that's what you said to it?"

"What do you mean? You were there! You heard me!"

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue," Ron interrupted. "Snake language. You could have been saying anything! No wonder Justin panicked… it was creepy, you know —"

Harry gaped at him. "But — I didn't realize — how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?" The scared looks on his friends' faces made his stomach clench nervously. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin's head? What does it matter how I did it as long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?"

"It matters," Hermione said, speaking at last in a hushed voice, "Because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."

Harry's mouth fell open.

"Exactly," Ron said. "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great-great grandson or something!"

"But I'm not," Harry said, with a panic he couldn't quite explain.

"You'll find that hard to prove," Hermione said. "He lived over a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be."

When Harry went to bed that night, he couldn't stop thinking about his friends' words. It was impossible for him to be related to Slytherin, Sirius would have told him if he had such a thing in him. Wouldn't he have? His father had been a proud Gryffindor, he couldn't possibly have any Slytherin blood in him or the Sorting Hat would have placed him in Slytherin.

Quietly, he tried to say something in Parseltongue, but only English came out. Maybe he had to be looking at a snake to do it, he thought.

But I'm in Gryffindor… the Sorting Hat wouldn't have put me in here if I had Slytherin blood…

 _Ah_ , said a nasty little voice in his brain, _but the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin, don't you remember?_

Harry turned over and punched his pillow. Now the whole school was going to think he was the heir of Slytherin; that he was the one had attacked Mrs Norris and Colin Creevey.

And he wasn't.

He would just talk to Justin in Herbology tomorrow and let him know what had happened.

But Herbology was cancelled the next morning. Professor Sprout had to fit socks on the Mandrakes, a tricky process and she only entrusted Neville, a third year Ravenclaw named Will, and a seventh year Hufflepuff named Brandon to help her as they needed the Mandrakes to brew the potion to revive Mrs Norris and Colin.

Harry fretted about it all morning. If Justin was afraid of him than other people were too and the last thing that he wanted was for people to think he was attacking other students. He would never do that. It was bad enough that people had accused him of hurting Filch's cat, and that Colin was attacked on his way to visit him in the hospital wing. Having Justin think he'd set a snake on him wasn't exactly the good news he was hoping for.

Hermione finally snapped at him for his erratic pacing in the common room. She was losing very badly at chess to Ron, something that infuriated her as she hated to be rubbish at things. She told him to just find Justin if it bothered him so much and explain.

Harry agreed, grabbing his book bag and letting them know that he would meet them in Transfiguration. He made his way towards the library, thinking maybe his classmates were studying there.

A group of the Hufflepuffs who should have been in Herbology were indeed sitting at the back of the library, but they didn't seem to be working. Between the long lines of high bookshelves, Harry could see that their heads were close together and they were having what looked like an absorbing conversation. He couldn't see whether Justin was among them. He was walking toward them when something of what they were saying met his ears, and he paused to listen, hidden in the Invisibility section.

"So anyway," a stout boy that Harry recognized as Ernie Macmillan was saying, "I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best if he keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggleborn."

"You definitely think it is Potter, then, Ernie?"

"Hannah," Ernie said solemnly, "He's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue." There was some heavy murmuring at this, and Ernie went on, "Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies of the Heir, Beware. Potter had some sort of run in with Filch. Next thing we know, Flich's cat's attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know, Creevey's been attacked."

"He always seems so nice, though," Hannah said uncertainly, "And, well, he's the one who made You Know Who disappear. He can't be all bad, can he? Not to mention that he's really cute."

The brunette next to her nodded. "Really cute. He has the most gorgeous green eyes!"

Hannah grinned at the brunette. "Definitely!"

Ernie rolled his eyes, lowering his voice. "His eye colour hardly matters, girls. And no one knows how he survived that attack by You Know Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful Dark wizard could have survived a curse like that." He dropped his voice until it was barely more than a whisper, and said, "That's probably why You Know Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him. He lives with a Black as well and we all know how dark the family is known to be. I bet his guardian has taught him all sorts of dark magic. I wonder what other powers Potter's been hiding?"

Harry couldn't take it anymore. Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped out from behind the bookshelves. If he hadn't been feeling so angry, he would have found the sight that greeted him funny. Every one of the Hufflepuffs looked as though they had been Petrified by the sight of him, and the colour was draining out of Ernie's face.

"Hello," Harry said. "I'm looking for Justin."

The Hufflepuffs' worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Ernie.

"What do you want with him?" Ernie asked in a quavering voice.

"I wanted to tell him what really happened with that snake at the Duelling Club," Harry said in annoyance.

How dare they all just sit here and talk about him? They had no idea what his life was like. They had no idea who the real heir was and blaming it all on him wasn't fair.

Ernie bit his white lips and then, taking a deep breath, said, "We were all there. We saw what happened."

"You mean how I spoke to the snake and it stopped trying to attack?"

Hannah bit her lip, looking from Harry to Ernie for an explanation.

"All I saw," Ernie stubbornly said, though he was trembling as he spoke, "Was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake toward Justin."

"I didn't chase it at him!" Harry said, his voice shaking with anger. "It didn't even touch him!"

"It was a very near miss," Ernie insisted stubbornly. "And in case you're getting ideas," he added hastily, "I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of — "

" — I don't care what sort of blood you've got!" Harry said fiercely. "Why would I want to attack Muggleborns? My own mother was a Muggleborn!"

Ernie didn't have a response to that.

"Harry, you do have to admit, it does look suspicious," Hannah added, trying to give him a small smile. She elbowed the brunette next to her, who Harry thought was named Megan, but he wasn't sure.

The brunette smiled at him. "You keep knowing or finding those who are attacked. You can speak to snakes. Who else can do that?"

Harry glared at them. "I don't know, but I swear I mean no harm against Justin or anyone else! And I'm in Gryffindor, not Slytherin!"

Ernie scoffed at this and the boy next to him, Kevin, Harry thought, gave him a hard look.

Harry turned on his heel and stormed out of the library, earning himself a reproving glare from Madam Pince, who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spellbook. Harry blundered up the corridor, barely noticing where he was going, he was in such a fury.

How could they sit there and talk about him like he was some kind of monster? He had been going to school with them for over a year, didn't they know that he would never hurt anyone like that? Hermione was a Muggleborn. His own mother had been a Muggleborn. Not to mention what they had said about Sirius! His father was nothing like the family he had come from and of course he hadn't taught Harry any dark magic!

He kept walking, his anger only increasing and he wasn't watching where he was going. The result was that he walked into something very large and solid, which knocked him backward onto the floor.

"Oh, hello, Hagrid," Harry said, looking up.

Hagrid's face was entirely hidden by a woolly, snow covered balaclava, but it couldn't possibly be anyone else, as he filled most of the corridor in his moleskin overcoat. A dead rooster was hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands. "All righ', Harry?" he said, pulling up the balaclava so that he could speak. "Why aren't yeh in class?"

"Cancelled," Harry said, getting up. "What are you doing in here?"

Hagrid held up the limp rooster. "Second one killed this term," he explained. "It's either foxes or a Blood Suckin' Bugbear, an' I need the Headmaster's permission ter put a charm around the hen coop." He peered more closely at Harry from under his thick, snow flecked eyebrows. "Yeh sure yeh're all righ'? Yeh look all hot an' bothered?"

Harry couldn't bring himself to repeat what Ernie and the rest of the Hufflepuffs had been saying about him. But the sight of Hagrid made him feel better and before he could question his decision, he moved into the large man and hugged him fiercely.

If Hagrid was surprised, he didn't say anything by it. He simply pat a large hand on Harry's back, patting gently.

"It's nothing," Harry murmured. "It's… been a long week." He pulled back and offered a small grin for Hagrid. "Thanks for that. I'd better get going, Hagrid, it's Transfiguration next."

"Harry, yeh sure yeh're all righ'?"

"I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile at his friend.

He walked off, his mind still full of what Ernie had said about him. Harry stamped up the stairs and turned along another corridor, which was particularly dark. The torches had been extinguished by a strong, icy draft that was blowing through a loose windowpane. He was halfway down the passage when he tripped headlong over something lying on the floor. He turned to squint at what he'd fallen over and felt as though his stomach had dissolved.

Justin was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. But that wasn't what scared him. It was the black and smoky figure of Nearly Headless Nick floating six inches off of the floor and he had the same identical look of shock on his face as Justin did.

Harry got to his feet, his breathing fast and shallow, his heart doing a kind of drum roll against his ribs. He looked wildly up and down the deserted corridor and saw a line of spiders scuttling as fast as they could away from the bodies. The only sounds were the muffled voices of teachers from the classes on either side.

He could run, and no one would ever know that he had been there. But he couldn't just leave them lying here. But this… him finding the new victims, everyone was going to think it was him!

This was only confirming the suspicions of his Hufflepuff classmates.

His heart raced as he tried to think about what he should do, but he couldn't decide on whether to make a run for it or to find help, but his choice was taken from him when Peeves bounced past him.

"What's Potter up to? Why's Potter lurking —" Peeves stopped, halfway through a midair somersault. Upside down, he spotted Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. He flipped the right way up, filled his lungs and, before Harry could stop him, screamed, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"

"Langlock!" Harry said, pointing his wand at the poltergeist and smirking when his tongue tied into a knot, sticking to the roof of the poltergeist's mouth and preventing him from screaming any further.

Peeves gave him a dirty look and zoomed off, but it was too late. The sounds of doors flying open, followed by a rush of footsteps echoed along the corridor and Harry found himself surrounded by students who were all staring at Justin and Nick in horror. Harry pinned himself back against the wall to prevent himself from being trampled.

Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her own class, one of whom still had black and white striped hair. She used her wand to set off a loud bang, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Ernie arrived, panting, on the scene.

"Caught in the act!" Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Harry.

"That will do, Macmillan!" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

Justin was carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Nearly Headless Nick. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs. Ernie was fanning Nick along like a silent black hovercraft. This left Harry and Professor McGonagall alone together.

She stared at him for a moment. "Come along, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "Auntie-Professor, I swear, I didn't!"

"This is out of my hands, Harry. I'm sorry."

He bowed his head in defeat and he followed her to a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle.

"Lemon drop," McGonagall instructed and the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two.

Even full of dread for what was coming, Harry couldn't fail to be amazed. Behind the wall was a spiral staircase that was moving smoothly upward, like an escalator. As he and Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, Harry heard the wall thud closed behind them. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher, until at last, slightly dizzy, Harry saw a gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.

He knew now where he was being taken.


	88. Chapter 88

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the parts of chapter twelve from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (though I did tweak it a bit to fit my storyline) it does belong to the amazing JKR. I just had to put in the part with the phoenix because I absolutely love it._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT:**

 **Harry stepped into Dumbledore's office.**

"Professor Dumbledore will be with you in a moment, Harry."

"Auntie Minnie, I would never hurt anyone! It's not me."

She reached out and cupped his cheek. "I know that you would never hurt anyone, Harry. Professor Dumbledore just wants to talk to you. Wait here, all right?"

He nodded and he watched her go, but his stomach clenched uncomfortably as looked around the office, trying not to stop himself from repeatedly worrying about how he was about to be expelled.

His eyes fell on the school Sorting Hat and he found himself moving towards it. Maybe the hat had been wrong. Maybe he had been put into the wrong house. The thought made him almost ill as he touched the hat, plopping it onto his head before he could think about it.

"Bee in your bonnet, Harry Potter?" A voice whispered in his ear.

"Sorry to bother you," Harry murmured. "I've just been wondering…"

When the hat only responded that it stood by what it had said before, Harry's stomach plummeted and he pulled the hat off of his head. He didn't belong in Slytherin; he couldn't, he insisted.

The hat was wrong.

The squawking noise made him jump in alarm and he turned to see the ugliest bird that he had ever seen perched in a cage next to Dumbledore's desk. It looked ill and was making gagging noises, Harry thought that it looked rather close to death and thought it would just be his luck if Dumbledore's bird chose this exact moment to die when the bird suddenly burst into flames. The flaming fireball burst and the ashes tumbled to the bottom of the cage just as the office door opened and Dumbledore strolled in.

"Professor!" Harry gasped, his eyes desperate and in shock. "Your bird — I couldn't do anything — he just caught fire!"

To Harry's astonishment, Dumbledore smiled. "About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on." He chuckled at the stunned look on Harry's face. "Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him…"

Harry looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one. A phoenix, he thought, relief coursing through him. That made sense.

"It's a shame that you had to see him on a Burning Day," Dumbledore continued, seating himself behind his desk. "He's really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets."

In the shock of Fawkes catching fire, Harry had forgotten what he was there for, but it all came back to him as Dumbledore settled himself in the high chair behind the desk and fixed Harry with his penetrating, light blue stare.

Before Dumbledore could speak another word, however, the door of the office flew open with an almighty bang and Hagrid burst in, a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on top of his shaggy black head and the dead rooster still swinging from his hand. "It wasn' Harry, Professor Dumbledore!" Hagrid said urgently.

" — Hagrid —"

" — I was talkin' ter him seconds before that kid was found, he never had time, sir!" Dumbledore tried to say something again, but Hagrid went ranting on, waving the rooster around in his agitation, sending feathers everywhere. " — I know Harry never —"

" — Hagrid!" Dumbledore said loudly. "I do not think that Harry attacked those people."

"Oh," Hagrid said simply, the rooster falling limply at his side. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmaster." And he stomped out looking embarrassed.

"You don't think it was me, Professor?" Harry repeated hopefully as Dumbledore brushed rooster feathers off his desk.

"No, Harry, I don't," Dumbledore said, though his face was somber again. "But I still want to talk to you."

Harry waited nervously while Dumbledore considered him, the tips of his long fingers together.

"I must ask you, Harry, whether there is anything that you'd like to tell me," he said gently. "Anything at all."

Harry didn't know what to say.

The last time that he had spoken to Dumbledore had been with Mrs Norris and before that the Headmaster had said he would be expelled if he broke anymore school rules. He thought about the potion that they still needed to get ingredients for, thought about how everyone thought he was the one attacking the students, about how he had the ability to talk to snakes and he had never known it. What could he tell him?

"No, sir. There's nothing."

Dumbledore only nodded. "All right, Harry. You may go."

But as Harry made his way back to Gryffindor Tower he wondered why Dumbledore had even wanted to see him in the first place if he had already known that Harry hadn't hurt anyone.

Did he know that Harry was keeping secrets? The thought made him feel a bit uneasy.

His stomach jolted when he turned a corner and saw Draco Malfoy strutting his way, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott with him.

Harry merely raised an eyebrow. "No cronies today?"

Blaise snickered. "They do seem rather minion-like, don't they?"

Draco ignored his friend. "Another Muggleborn down; getting scared?"

"Why should I be scared? I'm not Muggleborn. I see you've learned some manners though, about time."

"Why because I didn't say Mudbloods?" Draco sneered.

Harry simply shrugged. "We all bleed red." He looked at Blaise and Theodore with interest. "Don't you agree?"

"Theo doesn't like that kind of language, do you, Theo?" Blaise asked his friend and watched as Theo nodded.

"No, I don't. That's a smart sentiment, Potter, we do all bleed red."

"My godfather told me those words. And besides, it's not just Muggleborns being attacked, is it? Nearly Headless Nick was petrified! Whatever this thing is, it attacked a ghost."

Blaise paled a bit at that. "That is strange. What can attack a ghost? They're already dead."

Draco crossed his arms in front of him. "You still owe me a favour, Potter."

"Yes, I do, and if you ever decide to collect on it, let me know. I don't have time for your meaningless taunts. I'm late for Transfiguration."

He turned and hurried off, ignoring the three Slytherins, but he couldn't help but think about what they had told him. Muggleborns not Mudbloods, ghosts being attacked, and Blaise and Theo actually seemed, well - nice.

But they were still Slytherins and he was pretty sure that meant that they were up to something, he just didn't know what.

~ ASC ~

 **The next few days went by slow for Harry.** He had almost called Sirius half a dozen times just to talk, but he didn't know what he wanted to say or how to tell him what he was feeling. But for the first time in years, Harry wanted to just be wrapped up in his father's arms and told that everything would be okay like a small child and he found himself trying his hardest not to cry in frustration.

The whole school seemed to be against him.

People who had always been nice to him were now whispering behind his back and most of them weren't even making an effort to hide it from him. The evil glares, the rude remarks… everyone thought that he was guilty and it goaded at him. What had he done to these students to make them think that he was truly guilty of this heinous crime?

Lockhart was no help. He kept pulling Harry aside and telling him fame was a fickle thing and that sometimes being famous meant making sacrifices; that he was in the limelight now so people were looking to him for answers. He even had the gaul to tell Harry that he needed to stop turning up at the scenes of the crime or people would really start to think he did it. When Harry had tried to explain it wasn't his fault that he kept finding the bodies, Lockhart had ignored him and only given him more cliches on being a celebrity.

It was getting so bad that Harry started getting up early to eat breakfast before the other students just so that he didn't have to feel them staring at him. On his third morning of doing this however, he overheard the Fat Friar tell Peeves that he was only making himself look more suspicious by trying to avoid the other students altogether.

For the first time since he had come to Hogwarts, Harry wanted to leave. He found himself counting down the days until the Christmas holidays. He wanted nothing more than to be at home with Sirius and Remus and just to not feel like he was being judged by everyone around him.

He knew that it was getting bad when his nightmares returned.

Harry couldn't remember the last time that he had truly had a bad dream about his life before Sirius. But he woke up three nights in a row, drenched in icy sweat with the roar of Uncle Vernon's voice in his ears telling him what a freak he was.

The third night, Neville pulled back his bed curtains and slid into his bed.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, leaning back against the poster at the end of the bed.

Harry shrugged in response. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Neville only smiled at him. "I was already awake so when I heard you tossing and turning, I thought I'd come over." When Harry didn't respond, Neville only nodded at him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

Neville shrugged. "Whatever you want. Your dream. About the chamber. About how everyone is blaming you."

"What do you want me to say, Nev?"

"It can't be easy is all, the whole school thinking it's you."

"That's the understatement of the century."

"Oy!" Seamus said, opening Harry's bed curtains. "Some of us need beauty sleep, mate."

Harry smirked at him. "You better sleep for a decade then."

Seamus snorted at him, moving to sit next to Neville. "You aren't in here plotting your next victim, are you? 'Cause if we get to choose, I think that annoying little twat Ernie could use a good scare."

Harry snorted. "You caught me. I'm telling Neville all of my evil plans."

Dean yawned as he slipped past the curtains and sat next to Harry. "Can you all stop talking so loud?"

Ron moved in behind Dean, lying down across the middle of the bed. "Are we having a secret meeting?"

Harry grinned at them. "I didn't mean to wake you all up. I just had a bad dream is all."

Ron nodded, grinning at his friend. "I thought Seamus said you were plotting to set the monster after Ernie?"

Seamus snorted. "Or maybe that Cornfoot bloke, he's always staring at me and it's starting to creep me out."

Dean grinned. "Couldn't be because he caught you wanking off in the loo the other day, could it?"

Seamus blushed. "Maybe." At Harry's raised eyebrow, he sighed. "Look, it just happened the other day after lunch, I thought I was alone, but then Stephen came in and I forgot to close the stall door and well, we made eye contact as I… you know, and well it _was_ rather awkward."

"I'll say," Dean supplied with a grin. "No wonder he's creeped out."

Ron goggled at him. "Mate, that's just… wrong."

"Sometimes you can't help it, you know!" Seamus protested as he blushed. "I couldn't very well go to class with it pointing straight out now, could I?"

Neville giggled. "No." He scratched his chin and turned to Harry. "Harry, you all right?"

Harry smiled at his friends. None of them believed that he was attacking the students and he suddenly felt loads better knowing that. They were his friends and they knew he was innocent. "Yeah, I… thanks, guys, for believing me."

Dean grinned at him. "The Heir of Slytherin can't possibly be a Gryffindor, Harry, let's be real!"

Harry grinned. "It could be, we can't just assume the Slytherins because of the name, but I just wish that we knew who was behind it all."

"Have you talked to Sirius or Remus about it?" Ron asked, yawning and stealing Harry's pillow to snuggle into it.

"No… I don't want to worry them. They don't even know about the other attack yet. Uncle Sirius is trying to get information from the Hogwarts Governors on when the chamber was originally opened before."

"He'd want to know what's going on," Neville told him. "Especially with the whole school thinking you're guilty."

Harry shrugged. "I know. I'll tell them both, just… not yet."

Seamus grinned and leaned back against the headboard. "Well, in the meantime, let's play 'Would You Rather' since we're all up."

Dean groaned. "Seam, can't you pick another game? For once?"

Seamus grinned and slapped his hands together. "Dean, would you rather be caught wanking by a teacher or your mother?"

Dean paled. "A teacher. My mum would kill me."

Ron grinned. "Agreed."

Dean turned to Harry. "Harry, would you rather go to bed or continue to play Seam's stupid game?"

Harry grinned at Seamus. "Play the game."

Dean only groaned in response.

Harry smiled at Neville. "Nev, would you rather face the unknown monster from the chamber in a dark alley or Snape?"

Neville laughed. "The monster."

Seamus chuckled. "Probably much safer, let's be real."

Neville grinned and looked at Ron. "Ron, would you rather be friends with Malfoy or Snape?"

Ron grimaced. "Neither, but I suppose I'd choose Malfoy only because I wouldn't be worried he'd poison me all of the time. Seamus, would you rather snog Lavender or Sophie?"

Seamus smiled. "I think Lavender, but Sophie's really pretty too, so either one would be fine." He grinned at them. "I mean, when I get the chance, right? I've never, er, kissed a girl before."

"Me neither," Harry said as everyone else nodded in agreement.

Seamus looked relieved by this. "Good."

Dean grinned at him. "Hey, do we still have that stash of candy from Halloween or did Weasley eat it all?"

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed, "I resent that." He stood up and headed to the window near Harry's bed, opening the seat there. "And there's still tons of candy in here."

"Toss it over then," Dean said with a smile. "Might as well make the most of the night."

As his friends all made themselves comfortable on his bed, Harry only grinned.

Not everyone was against him and that truly made all of the difference.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus couldn't quite explain his relationship with Nymphadora.**

They spent most nights together. Sometimes at her flat, sometimes at his cottage. She was a snuggler and Remus could hardly move without her wrapped comfortably around him. He wanted to be annoyed with it, but the feel of her there, wrapped around him, her skin against his, and the sound of her heart beating in time with his, calmed him. His blood hummed and his skin tingled whenever she was near him.

She did case paperwork and studied for her A2 test which she would be taking at the end of January and Remus worked on crossword puzzles or read books while their fingers brushed or arms touched, both of them needing the contact with the other. Remus cooked for them, attempted to teach her, but it usually just involved a big mess, and had them laughing. Chocolate brownies were her speciality and one of the only things she was good at making in the kitchen. Remus almost swallowed his tongue when she unbuttoned her shirt, dipped her finger in the fresh chocolate batter she'd made and brushed it across her breasts.

His tongue was on her almost instantly, desperately licking the chocolate off and tasting her beneath it. They made love and they shagged and they snogged and every time he touched her, he found it harder and harder not to bite down, to break the skin, and to mark her as his.

He wrote to Adrian again, telling him that he was with his mate, but didn't know how to broach the subject of making her his. Adrian had responded a few days later with one simple question: What does she want to do to you?

Remus wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that. But he did know that when he went with her to her office Christmas Party and Hugh Arnett put his hand on her hip when he asked her to dance, he wanted to rip the man apart limb by limb. His rage must have shown because Tonks placed a hand on his chest, her other hand on his hip and she leaned into him and he immediately calmed down.

"I think I like it when you're jealous," she said with a smile, kissing him quickly.

Remus scoffed at her. "I'm not jealous."

She merely raised her eyebrow in amusement. "No? I think you growled."

Remus glared at her. "I didn't like it when he touched you."

"Why is that?" She let out a little squeal when he tugged her up against him.

"Because you're mine." He kissed her hard, bruising almost. "You — are — _mine_."

Tonks framed his face in her hands. "I am yours." Then she kissed him softly and slowly and when she pulled away, she smiled up at him. "And you are mine, Remus Lupin, and don't you forget it."

They had danced together most of the night; the feel of her in his arms made him feel content, made him calm. He could feel her heart beating, almost hear the blood pumping through her veins and each little sigh of contentment she made only increased his desire to claim her fully.

But he couldn't do that.

He couldn't claim her without telling her and he wasn't brave enough to tell her, not yet. He was too afraid that she would turn him away; too afraid to see the disgust in her eyes. He needed more time.

Tonks smiled, her chin on his chest as she tilted her head up to look at him. "Knut for your thoughts?"

He smiled and gently brushed a curl away from her face. Her hair was curled and pinned up around her face to match the fancy black dress she was wearing for the party. She looked beyond stunning.

"I'm just thinking about how much I like being with you."

She smiled and kissed his chin. "I feel very much the same. You make me incredibly happy, Remus."

It was her that made him happy.

He couldn't stop smiling. He felt lighter and for the first time in his thirty-two years, he was actually considering a future. His mate was here before him. Beautiful and smart and willing and the thought of having her by his side was more than he ever could have imagined.

He kissed her again, love for her swelling within him and he whispered that it was time to go home. They went back to her flat and he made slow love to her in her bed, holding her close as her body trembled and quaked in the aftermath.

And when the dream came over him, he knew it was too late to stop it.

It hurt. God, it hurt. Some nights it seemed like the wolf wanted to rip him apart, tear his muscles and wear them like a second skin. His bones broke and his heart rate sped up. As the snout formed, his sense of smell increased and he caught that familiar coppery tang. He wanted blood.

And she was there, waving at him, beckoning him forward.

She smelt familiar like coconut and honey suckle, but the blood was pulsing louder in his ears and when she reached a hand out, her eyes alight in laughter, he pounced.

When he ripped out her jugular, that sweet taste of blood gushing into his mouth before she could even scream made the wolf sigh in satisfaction and the man scream in horror.

His eyes flew open, his heart pounding in fear.

He tried to even out his breathing as Tonks shifted from where her head was resting on his chest. She slid her hand up his abs and lifted her head to kiss his cheek, taking his hand in hers and placing it over her heart.

"My heart is racing as fast as yours. I can feel your fear," she whispered in wonder. "It was just a dream, baby." She kissed him softly and he felt comforted.

"I — er… I'm going to head home. I'm not very tired and I —"

Tonks merely covered her lips with his. "Why do you always try to run off after you have a bad dream? There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm not ashamed, I just don't want to keep you awake."

Tonks snuggled closer, nestling her head in the crook of his shoulder. "You won't. I want you to stay, I want to take your mind off of whatever terrible dreams you keep having. You can tell me about them, you know, it will help."

Remus shook his head. Tell her about them? _Oh yeah, I've been having a dream where I hunt you down and rip open your neck with my teeth… yeah, right_ , he thought. "No, I um… don't remember."

She smiled against him, kissing the spot over his heart as her fingers gently played with the springy blonde curls on his chest. "Uh-huh, liar."

"I'm not… I just don't want to talk about it."

Tonks nodded, her fingers continuing to play with his curly chest hairs. "That's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's bad enough you mysteriously disappear a few nights a month as it is."

Remus swallowed slowly. "I told you, there are things that I have to take care of."

"Uh-huh," she said again, kissing his chin. "I'm not going to pry, not yet anyway. But at the moment, Remus Lupin, you are definitely not leaving this bed."

"Oh, I'm not, eh?" he asked with a small smile as his heart rate finally slowed back to normal.

"Nope," she said with a smile. "I'm sure there's _something_ we could do to help you go back to sleep."

Remus ran his fingers through her hair. The last thing he wanted to do was touch her that way after a dream like that. The fear of hurting was still much too close to the surface. "Tell me about some of the pranks that you got up to at school."

She smiled against his chest. "That could take hours."

"Perfect then," he said with a smile as he kissed the top of her head.

Tonks stretched her legs out, tossing one over his legs as she moved closer. "Well, let's start with I did to Filch. Did I ever tell you that in my first year I kept changing my appearance to look like McGonagall and lecture Filch on proper respect towards the students?"

Remus chuckled, entwining his leg with hers. "No, I don't believe you did."

And as she spoke, he listened and fell more and more in love with her with every word and it terrified him to his very core. When she learned the truth about him and she inevitably realized that he was a monster, he knew that it would break him, and for the first time in his life - he was terrified for the man. Now that he knew what having her was like, he knew without a doubt that life without her would be unthinkable.

She held his heart and soul and she had no idea the power she had over him. He listened to her speak, a small smile on his face and he sighed in contentment. He was complete with her and he knew that her heart beat in time with his and it made him feel whole.

But his blood hummed with the desire to claim her; to bite down on her skin and mark her, but he ignored the urge.

It wasn't time.

Not yet.

And tomorrow was the night before the full moon. He had other things to concern himself with.

~ ASC ~

 **The next night, Harry hurried down into the dungeons, glancing at his watch to check the time, worried that he would be too late.** He literally ran into Snape's office, almost colliding with the doorframe as he snuck through and Snape merely raised one greasy eyebrow at him.

"Potter, how unfortunate to see you here."

Harry decided to ignore him. "Did Uncle Remus come by for his potion yet?"

"No."

Harry nodded, pleased. "Good. I need to talk to him."

Snape carefully poured the smoking potion from the travel cauldron into a goblet. "So, you can talk to snakes?"

Harry's heart raced at his words but he gave a shrug. "Yes, I can."

"But still the headmaster is foolish enough to leave you in the school. The evidence is overwhelmingly against you, Potter."

Harry glared at him. "I haven't attacked anyone and you know it! Why would I attack Muggleborns and cats and ghosts? It doesn't make any sense."

"To get attention? Lockhart keeps telling the staff how much of an attention seeker you are, looking to further your celebrity status in any way you can. The duelling club only proved how much you look up to the man."

Anger flared through Harry. "I — am — not — seeking — attention! That git is barmy!"

Snape actually smirked at that as the fireplace behind him lit up green and Remus stepped out, dusting off his robes.

"Harry," he said in surprise.

Harry beamed at him. "Uncle Rem! I wanted to see you."

Remus nodded, smiling warmly. "I don't have very much time, I'm afraid."

"I know," Harry said, glaring at Snape. "I just need a few minutes."

"Of course. Severus, perhaps we could borrow your office for a few moments?"

Snape's eyes flashed dangerously. "No."

Remus smiled kindly and nodded. "Of course. Lead the way, Harry."

Harry turned to head out of Snape's office and led Remus into the empty classroom next door. As soon as the door closed behind them, Harry hugged Remus tightly.

Remus' arms came around him with a soft smile, bending down to rest his chin on the top of his son's head. "Hey, you okay, little Prongs?"

Harry smiled at the nickname, pulling away to meet Remus' eyes. "I just… missed you."

Remus smiled and hugged him a second time. "I miss you too. I imagine school is pretty tough this year with the scare of the Chamber of Secrets going around."

"And I've been thinking about… Peter."

Remus nodded, meeting Harry's clear green eyes. "Me too."

"Why was he following Uncle Padfoot?"

Remus shrugged and sighed. "That's a very good question. I don't have the answer. Let's hope that at the trial we learn that."

"When is the trial?"

"With the holiday coming up, Kingsley said everything will most likely not be figured out until January. The Aurors are interrogating him and trying to learn where he has been and what he has been doing for the last decade. He's being held in the dungeons of the Ministry of Magic until a trial date will be set."

Harry nodded.

Remus cupped his chin. "Harry, he's well protected by the Aurors and the Dementors and he's not going to hurt you."

"He could have hurt Uncle Padfoot."

Remus sighed as he realized what Harry was afraid of. "He didn't and I don't think he would have. Peter… he always was a bit of a coward, brave when he wanted to be, but in direct situations, especially in ones where his own life was involved, he valued his own life first. He would never put himself in a situation where he would fight Sirius one on one because he would lose, and he knows it."

"Then why was he following him?"

"I honestly don't know. Thinking back to that boy that I knew, my first thought was that he was trying to apologize but… I have no idea."

Harry nodded, moving away from Remus and sat on top of one of the desks. "I want to go to the trial."

"When we know more about when it will be, you, Uncle Sirius, and I will talk about it," Remus told him watching him for a moment. "Harry, is there something else on your mind?"

Harry shrugged. "It's just… everyone thinks that I'm the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets. They all blame me and… Snape says that I should be expelled."

"Hey, you are not going to be expelled. Sirius and I would never let that happen. We know that you didn't do this, Harry." He walked over, bending down to kiss his forehead. "I thought Snape had stopped giving you such a hard time?"

Harry shrugged. "Depends on his mood. My potions have been too good for him to criticize, but at least once a week, I get a zero because he 'accidentally' drops my work. And last week he took points away because I was breathing too loudly."

Remus frowned at that. "Well, that's definitely going to stop. Has Lockhart improved at all?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I think he got worse. That book you gave me has helped a lot though."

"Good." Remus glanced at his watch. "I'm sorry, little Prongs, I have to get going."

Harry nodded. "I know. Don't forget to take the potion."

Remus grinned at him. "I won't. I had a hard enough time getting myself here tonight."

"Why?"

"Nymphadora."

Harry frowned. "You still didn't tell her?"

"Don't give me that look," Remus said, his eyes on Harry.

Harry snorted. "I'm not giving you any look. I just don't understand why you think she's going to care. She loves you, Uncle Moony."

Those words made Remus' heart clench. Neither of them had said the words to each other yet. "Maybe, but she's going to care, Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she's going to be pissed off that you never told her."

Remus sighed. "I'm not going to argue with you about this. I'm not ready to tell her yet. Now, I have to go. Please try to stay out of trouble. I'll see you in two weeks for Christmas. I love you."

Harry watched his father hurry out of the classroom and he sighed. Talking to him really hadn't made him feel any better, but his heart felt lighter just the same.


	89. Chapter 89

_Author's Note:_

 _This is a bit of a long chapter and a steamy chapter too!_

 _And in case you haven't noticed yet — Harry's body is going through some changes ;)_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE:**

 **It was a few days later when Hermione asked Harry for a distraction in Potions class so that they could get the rest of the ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion, that he really started to wonder if Malfoy was really capable of attacking other students.** Dumbledore had insisted that a second year wasn't strong enough to perform those kinds of tasks and Sirius and Remus seemed pretty sure that he wasn't guilty. But at the same time, Harry couldn't think of anyone else who would want to hurt Muggleborns at the school.

Hermione decided that she should be the one to do the actual stealing of the potion ingredients. They agreed that stealing them was the best idea as ordering the ingredients together would ensure that someone would know that they were brewing a Polyjuice Potion and the last thing they needed was for someone to find out.

Harry agreed to be the distraction, tossing a firework quickly into Crabbe's cauldron in the middle of Potions class, causing a small explosion as the potion splashed everywhere. They were making Swelling Solution and Crabble's face swelled up, his hands puffing like pufferfish.

After class, Harry was convinced that Snape knew that it had been him, but he couldn't prove it which was the only reason why Harry had escaped without detention, loss of points, or a threat of expulsion.

Harry hurried off after Hermione to help her finish the potion. He felt confident enough to assist her and was quite pleased with their results when Hermione said that she thought it should be ready just before they left for the Christmas holidays.

The Christmas holidays were fast approaching and students were flocking towards going home; all anxious to escape the dangers of the chamber threat. Harry was surprised to learn that Malfoy planned on spending Christmas at Hogwarts.

"Why isn't he going home?" he asked Ron as they got ready for bed that night. "He's always boasting about the big parties and the amount of gifts he gets, and whatnot. Why is he staying here?"

"Dunno," Ron told him as he crawled into his bed. "Couldn't tell you. But he's obviously safe, pureblood and all that."

But Harry had too many thoughts as he heard Ron start to snore and he found himself tossing and turning. Finally at two, he grabbed his mirror and headed down into the deserted Gryffindor common room. He made himself comfortable in a big armchair by the fire and stared at the mirror for a moment.

It was late.

But then he shook his head, bringing the mirror up to his mouth and saying his godfather's name.

It took almost a minute before Sirius' dishevelled face appeared. His hair was sticking up slightly and Harry knew by the look in his godfather's grey eyes that he had probably woken him from a nightmare.

"Harry," Sirius said rather hoarsely. "Hey, good timing, Prongslet."

Harry smiled at him. "Bad one?"

"The worst. Nothing to worry about. I haven't heard from you in a while, everything okay? Of course, it's not okay, it's two in the morning."

Harry smiled at him. "No, nothing bad happened, don't worry." Sirius merely looked at him and he sighed. "I just couldn't sleep."

Sirius smiled at him. "What's on your mind, Prongslet?"

"I didn't tell you, but… there was another attack two weeks ago. Justin from Hufflepuff and Nearly Headless Nick."

"Nick's a ghost, Harry."

"I know," Harry said, running a hand through his hair. "He was petrified too."

Sirius was quiet for a moment. "What aren't you telling me, Prongslet?"

"I found them… and everyone thinks I did it."

"What? Why?"

"Uncle Siri… I don't want to be expelled!"

"Harry, you have no reason to be expelled! You haven't done anything wrong, have you? And don't give me that look, I know damn well you're not attacking students, but have you been doing other things?"

Harry simply scratched his nose. "No. We think maybe it's Malfoy though."

"It's not Draco, Harry," Sirius said simply. "He's only a second year, there's no way he would be able to do it."

"He could… he does seem to hate Muggleborns, though he did say that the other day, Muggleborns instead of Mudbloods. It was… almost nice."

"It's not Draco, Harry," Sirius insisted. "It would be easy to blame him, but it's not him."

Harry sighed, stifling a yawn. "Draco's staying at the school over Christmas. Why would he do that otherwise?"

"He's not going home for Christmas?" At Harry's eager nod, Sirius ran a hand over his face. "I don't know, Harry, that is strange, but it doesn't mean he's the culprit."

"I guess," Harry said reluctantly.

Sirius smiled at him. "Everyone thinks it's you, huh."

"I keep finding people after they've been attacked. Everyone is turning against me."

"Everyone?"

Harry sighed. "Not the Gryffindors, but all of the other houses, yeah!"

"Harry, I know how terrible it is to know people are talking about you and to be accused of something that you didn't do, but I promise you that it will blow over. Uncle Rem told me that you're also worried about Peter."

Harry shrugged. "I'm not really, but… why was he following you?"

"Harry, he's under guard at the Ministry of Magic, you don't have to worry about me. You have your friends to talk to and I'm always here to listen when you need to talk about anything."

"I know," he said, sadly, biting his bottom lip. "I'm sorry that I woke you for nothing."

Sirius smiled at him. "Never be sorry for that. I'm always here for you, you know that, even to talk about nothing. Try to get some sleep. I'll see you on Friday, okay?"

Harry nodded. "Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Harry. I love you."

But when his father's face disappeared from the mirror, Harry didn't go back up to bed. He just sat in the common room watching the fire turn to embers and the dawn creep in through the windows.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius placed the mirror back on his nightstand, rolling over to stare up at the ceiling.** Harry had woken him from a bad dream about Azkaban. He had been alone in his cell, screaming himself hoarse as he beat his hands bloody against the stone.

He smiled when Zee snuggled into him, distracting him from his thoughts, his arm wrapping around her.

"Everything okay with Harry?"

He nodded, kissing the top of her head. "I think so. The whole school thinks he's the one hurting these students and I can see that's getting to him, but there's something… something that he's not telling me."

Zee kissed the centre of his bare chest. "He'll be home in a few days. I'm sure that he'll want to talk to you then."

"Yeah, maybe."

Zee placed her hands on the bed on either side of him, turning to prop herself up and lean down to kiss him deeply. "He will."

Sirius smiled, his hands going to her wild curls, framing her face as he kissed her, sighing as her soft breasts pressed against him. "I'm glad that you're here." She smiled and he let one hand trail down to rest on her hip as he kissed her deeper, his tongue languidly stroking hers to the same rhythm that his finger stroked her hip.

Zee kissed him softly, a seductive twinkle in her eyes. "I'm glad that I'm here too," she said teasingly, locking her lips on his again.

Sirius purred in contentment against her mouth, gasping for breath as she trailed her mouth down his neck. Hot open-mouthed kisses that made him pant with need. Her mouth trailed lower, over his collarbone, around and over his nipples, his ribs, his abs… Her tongue dipped in and out of his belly button and her hand slid between his legs to palm him, pressing against the hot velvet.

Sirius groaned and she kissed his thighs, his hips, his knees, and then her tongue slid up his inner thigh slowly and seductively. His hand gripped her curls, whether to hold her in place or to tug her away he hadn't decided, but then her tongue was trailing over his length and all he could do was whimper her name.

She seemed to savour him. It wasn't just about pleasing him, though she immensely wanted to do that; it was about enjoying every moment of it. Her lips and tongue worked in perfect tandem with her fingers and hands as she stroked and licked and tugged and sucked; while she fondled and rubbed. She reached down, slipping two fingers inside of herself, the wetness covering them and those two fingers slid beneath him and into him and he cried out her name at the shock of it.

Zee only smiled wider.

She pressed her fingers in deeper, took more of him into her mouth and she squeezed him, rubbing gently with her other hand. Her fingers were slick as she worked them in and out in the opposite rhythm in which she sucked him. Sirius was panting, gasping her name with each movement.

"Oh… God," he cried out as she sucked just his tip, her fingers still slipping in and out of him. "Oh, God! Zee… fuck, I need you!"

She ignored him and added a third finger, making him swear and she felt him tighten. She licked him from base to tip and removed her mouth and hands, kissing his stomach and his chest, twirling her tongue around his nipple.

"Zee," he groaned attempting to slip inside of her.

"No," she said with a smirk, covering him with her hand. "Not yet."

He groaned at that and her mouth met his again for a long deep kiss, rubbing herself against him; the sensation so good that she almost cried out herself. She kissed her way back down his chest and then she straddled him, gently sliding him along her folds, but not letting him in.

"Fuck, you're going to kill me," he panted.

She smirked and continued her slow torturous movements. His hands moved to her breasts and she took them off, pinning his wrists over his head. "I didn't say that you could touch me yet," she whispered, licking his neck.

Sirius' hips moved towards her, but she simply slid off of him. She turned around, sitting on his stomach, her hand gently massaging his balls, rubbing and rolling them in her hands, and he moaned her name.

"God Zee, what are you doing to me?" he hissed. He was so hard, so desperate for release, and she was denying him. It was the hottest and most frustrating thing he had ever experienced.

He knew that she was suffering just as much as he was. She was so wet that she was leaving a hot trail along his stomach as she worked him. He gripped the bars of the headboard desperately, doing his best not to touch her as he watched her round beautiful arse bounce along his chest while her hands worked him. The red and gold dragon along her spine glistening in the soft night light. Then she turned around to look at him, reaching down to slip one finger inside of herself and he groaned.

"I want to touch you. I want to bury myself so deep inside of you that I don't know where you begin and I end," he told her, his eyes on her finger.

Zee only smiled at him. The finger she had been using on herself slid over his lips and he licked eagerly, sucking it into his mouth to taste her, popping it out of his mouth loudly and then she moved that finger beneath his balls and slid it back into him…

"Holy fucking… God, Zee… Merlin!"

She smiled, pressing it against him, massaging in a slow concentric circle that was maddening. Sirius' legs twitched, falling open wider, and he dragged his knees up as Zee slid back down his body and slid her teeth along him. The soft bite making him groan.

She pressed his thighs open wider, sliding his thick length between her large breasts and he groaned in response. She slid him between them, fondling him as she squeezed him between the large soft mounds.

"Zee… please," he panted.

Zee bent her head and sucked on the tip pointing out between her breasts, sucking gently, and his balls tightened. She fondled them, squeezing lightly and then she dropped him again and he swore.

"Zahira!"

She grinned, sliding back up his body, her tongue rolling across his nipples as she adamantly denied him orgasm. "Not yet," she told him, moving to suck at the pulse in his throat. Her wet thighs slid over him, across his abs and then she was kneeling over him, hovering and he licked his lips a second before she pressed herself down and his mouth found her.

He held the headboard tighter as his tongue swirled and flicked. If he touched her now… if he let his hands go, he was going to shag her so hard… he'd let her play this game he thought, suckling her as she cried out and when she came, he drank her in, groaning into her as his cock pulsed desperately between his legs.

Zee slid down his body, rubbing herself against him, kissing his lips, his neck and then covering him with her mouth again. He groaned her name, repeatedly panting it with every kiss and when he felt his balls tighten again a second before she released him he swore.

"Zee, I swear to God… if you don't let me fucking come, I'm going to —"

"You're going to what?" she asked him, blowing softly on his erection. Her hand palmed him gently, enough to torture him further. "I'm just distracting you."

He grinned at her. "Fuck me."

Zee smirked at him, kissing him softly. "Such a naughty mouth on you, Mr Black, you really should be punished."

She slid her hand down, rolling them onto their sides and she spanked him lightly. She slid a finger into his mouth again and he sucked on it dutifully, still holding the headboard so tightly that his fingers had turned white. She tugged her finger free and slid the tip lightly along his bum, slipping in and out, dancing along the edge, teasing him and his hips rolled into her.

"Zee…"

Zee smirked and kissed him, pushing him back onto his back and straddling him. She slowly took him into her, inch by inch as he panted, desperate for her. "Touch me, Sirius," she whispered.

Sirius didn't need any more encouragement. He sat up, lifting her legs and throwing them over his shoulders as she cried out and he slid deeply into her. Zee threw her head back in pleasure and he bent his head to suck on her breasts, his hips moving quickly against hers in tandem.

His balls tightened and he cried out her name as he finally came, burying himself deeper inside of her, stretching her as his orgasm went on and on, the intensity of it shocking him. Colours flashed before his eyes and he bit her nipple hard and she screamed in pleasure, coming over the edge with him. She continued to ride him, milking the last bits of pleasure from him and then she slid bonelessly backwards, her legs sliding off of his shoulders and she ran a hand through her sweaty curls.

"Well, that was definitely a distraction."

Sirius grinned at her, his own hair sticking to his forehead, his limp cock pressed against her. He stretched out on top of her, twining his fingers with hers and kissed her deeply. "That was… that was the most intense orgasm I've ever had in my life," he told her honestly, kissing her neck. "That was fucking fantastic."

She could only nod, sighing against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed in surprise when they merely slid bonelessly back onto the bed. "That was the most intense thing that I've ever done in my life."

Sirius kissed her softly. "I love you, Zahira."

Zee's eyes flew open in surprise. His grey gaze was staring down at her in adoration. "You — _what_?"

Sirius kissed her nose. "I'm in love with you."

"Is this because of what just happened?" she asked.

He grinned, his hand moving to fondle her breast. "No, though it might have made me love you even more… I've… I've been falling for you for a while now and I just… I looked at you just now and I knew it. I'm in love with you. Completely, irrevocably in love with you."

Zee cupped his cheek in her hand, her dark brown eyes on his. "I'm in love with you too."

His eyes lit up and he kissed her deeply, rolling her onto her side and spooning her gently, their lips meeting softly. He broke away and kissed her shoulder, her arm and tightened his arms around her. He loved her and the only thing he knew was that she made him incredibly happy.

He kissed her shoulder again. "Zee?"

"Hmm?" she asked, her eyes drifting closed.

"Will you be my girlfriend, officially?"

She laughed, turning her head to grin at him. "I guess it has been over a year and all, we should be official at something."

He grinned and kissed her. "Exactly."

"Sirius?"

"Hmm?"

She kissed him softly. "I'd love to be your girlfriend."

He grinned against her mouth and snuggled her tightly in his arms. "Good."

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning, the potion was ready and Hermione was insistent that they had to use it before Friday if they were going to get anything out of Draco.** They voted on the Thursday night before they went home for the holidays.

Harry and Ron were going to be impersonating Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione had filled some cauldron cakes with a sleeping draught to knock them out. Hermione was going to be Millicent Bulstrode, as she had apparently gotten some of her hairs off of her robes in the duelling club. Neville would be the watchdog, to help get them back to the girl's bathroom safely for when the potion ran out.

Harry and Ron were successful, grinning at each other as they locked Crabbe and Goyle in a broom cupboard with some of their hairs clutched between their fingers. They dropped it into the potion, watched it bubble in disgust as Ron stated how glad he was not to be drinking anything with Crabbe's toenails and quickly gulped it down. Hermione stayed hidden in her bathroom stall after drinking the potion and refused to come out. They only had an hour, so they reluctantly left her with Neville, who had promised to stay with her before they hurried off to find Draco.

As they headed out, they tried to take on the characteristics of the two boys who usually trailed after Draco Malfoy looking tough.

They were lucky enough to find Draco leaving the Great Hall and bounded over to him.

"There you two are! Have you been stuffing your faces this whole time?"

Harry and Ron, now Crabbe and Goyle, nodded quickly.

Draco gestured for them to follow him so they did, trailing after him towards the dungeons and ultimately the Slytherin common room. The password was 'pureblood' as Draco said it with relish and the hidden door opened revealing a large circular stone common room decorated in silver and green.

It was mostly deserted, many of the students still at the holiday feast. Marcus Flint looked up from his spot by the fire and nodded at Draco.

"Good timing, the Bloody Baron just left, he's putting everyone on alert since Nearly Headless Nick got petrified. He says no ghost is safe and that we have to stay in our common rooms."

Draco rolled his eyes as Flint got up and hurried over to greet the dark-haired girl who had just entered. "Can you believe that a ghost was attacked this time?" Draco asked, turning to glare at the two of them. "It's unbelievable! Why would anyone even be bothered to attack a ghost? What's the bloody point?"

Harry shrugged. "You must know who could have done it."

"I've told you a million times I don't, Goyle. If I did… maybe I could help them, get rid of the Muggleborns. Like Granger."

"What about Granger?" Blaise asked, coming up the stairs from where Harry assumed were the boys dormitories. "You still mad that she bested you on that Potions quiz?"

"Shut up, Zabini! She didn't best me! She got one mark higher - there's a difference!"

"Yeah, one mark of a difference," Blaise said as Draco scowled at him.

Harry grinned. He was glad that Hermione had bested Draco and that it goaded on him enough to complain about it. "We were talking about the Chamber of Secrets."

Ron grunted from next to him in a very Crabbe like manner. "We want to know who the heir is."

Blaise whistled, tossing himself onto the couch and stretching his legs out. "So would we all. Your dad still won't tell you about who opened it before, eh?"

Draco shook his head, plopping down into the armchair across from Blaise. "Not a word. He says that it was before his time and that a girl died. He says that I don't need to know anymore than that. You know what he's like."

Blaise nodded. "The girl was Muggleborn?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah, she was. It's probably why he says that I have to stay here for Christmas. With Grandfather coming in from France, he doesn't want me peppering him with questions."

Blaise snorted. "You hate your grandfather."

"Exactly, so it's more than fine with me. Mother is upset though, wants me home."

Blaise nodded. "You can come stay with my mum and I."

Draco rolled his eyes. "And watch your mum make googly eyes at her new husband? No thanks. Theo offered to let me go with him as well, he's heading to some foreign country or something, but I'm going to stay here. I just wish that I could figure out who opened the Chamber. Can you believe the nitwits at this school actually think its Potter? Like he has the brain cells to pull off something like that!"

Harry's temper flared at the insult, but then Ron elbowed him, tilting his head towards the door. A glance at the clock told Harry that they had to get back to the bathroom on the other side of the castle before the potion wore off. And they weren't going to learn anything new here.

Blaise was looking at them funny. "You two seem more quiet than usual."

Ron stood up suddenly, grabbing his stomach and Harry did the same. "Er, stomach ache, hospital wing," Ron said and Harry nodded, both of them hurrying off as Malfoy and Zabini looked after them with confusion.

By the time they got back to the girl's bathroom, the potion had almost completely worn off. To their surprise, Hermione had accidentally added cat hair to her potion and the sight of her had all three boys laughing, despite her angry glares. They brought her to Madam Pomfrey and then Harry and Ron filled Neville in on what Draco had said.

"So it's definitely not Draco then," Neville said, nodding. "I'm not really that surprised."

"Me neither," Harry said honestly. "I just wish that I knew who it was. He did seem the most likely culprit with his remarks."

Neville nodded as they headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

But that night, Harry couldn't sleep again. Thoughts on who had opened the chamber were once more on his mind and he kept tossing and turning. Finally he decided to just go down to the common room and try to finish up some of his homework so he wouldn't have to do it over the holidays.

He snuck down the stairs quietly with his book bag and stopped on the bottom step when he heard the voice. He hadn't imagined anyone else would be up this late.

He stuck his head around the stone to see who it was and his eyes widened in surprise. It was Alicia Spinnet, but it wasn't her lying on the rug there that made him gasp, it was the fact that she was completely naked. Her dark brown hair brushed her shoulders and her naked breasts pointed out, taut nipples pebbled from the bite of the air. Lying in front of her, his mouth between her legs was Oliver Wood.

Harry's eyes widened as he realized that Wood had his tongue inside of her and Alicia was panting, her hands in his hair and her head tilting back almost far enough to see Harry standing on the steps.

He swallowed slowly, gripping his book bag and he hurried back up the stairs to the boys dormitory, his face flushing in embarrassment. He crawled back into his bed, closing the curtains around him tightly. The image of Alicia's naked body swam before his mind and his cock twitched in his pants, pulsing at him.

He had never really thought about girls before, if he was honest with himself. They were around, sure, and he knew that at some point when he got older he might want to kiss them or something, but seeing Alicia naked, those pointed breasts swollen with need, the way Wood's tongue had wrapped around the bud between her legs had been really sexy, he thought.

Harry reached a hand in his pyjama pants to grip himself firmly, trying to stop the pulsing there. How was he supposed to play Quidditch with her now that he'd seen her naked? He rubbed himself, unsure of what he was doing and a groan escaped him. He turned to bury his face in his pillow. He didn't want any of his dorm mates to hear him. He rubbed himself again, the friction making him sweat as he imagined he had been in Oliver's place, kneeling before that beautiful body and he came all over his hand, shocking him.

He swallowed slowly, removing his hand and looking down at the stickiness that stuck to his fingers. That had been new, he thought to himself and he flushed in embarrassment. He carefully headed into the bathroom to clean himself off and stared at himself in the mirror for a moment. Seamus had said that he had wanked himself off in the boys bathroom after lunch one day so what he had done was definitely not wrong, was it?

It hadn't felt wrong, he thought, still unsure on what exactly had transpired.

He tugged his pants down to look at his limp cock in wonder. Dark hair had started to come in under his belly and above his penis and he touched the coarse hair curiously. The hair had only started to come in over the last few months and Harry knew that his body was definitely doing something strange because he had lost count of how many times he'd woken with the same sticky substance all over his stomach. The only thing that he did know was that he definitely hadn't peed the bed and he was immensely relieved to realize this as the thought had crossed his mind the first few times it had happened.

The thought of asking Sirius about it had him flushing in embarrassment.

He tugged his pants back up, washed his hands and headed back to his bed. It was probably best not to think about it, he thought.

But when he closed his eyes, the image of naked Alicia was there again and half dozing, his hand slid into his pants again and he couldn't stop himself as he rubbed his slowly hardening cock to pleasure.

~ ASC ~

 **On the train ride the next morning, Hermione was still taking potions.** She still had a bit of fur on her face and hands and was doing her best to hide them with a toque and a scarf. She was worried about what her parents were going to say when they saw her.

Harry was anxious to go home for Christmas. He wanted to see Sirius and Remus and Tonks and even Zee. He just wanted to go home. He was tired of people talking about him; pointing at him in the halls. He was tired of the fear that seemed to emanate from people when they saw him as if they were truly worried that he would attack them at any given moment.

He attempted to play chess with Ron, but lost so badly that he gladly handed the game over to Neville. Hermione had fallen asleep against the window and Ginny was curled up on the seat next to her, staring blankly out at the moving landscape.

Harry moved around Neville to sit next to Ginny, startling her out of her stupor. "Hey."

"Hey," she said with a small smile.

"Are you excited for Christmas?"

She shrugged. "I'm excited to see Bill and Charlie. School was just getting… too intense."

"Tell me about it," he told her honestly. "I just want to go home too."

Ginny smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Harry, do you really think Colin and everyone are going to be all right?"

"I think so, yeah. Dumbledore is pretty confident and you can always trust him."

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Ginny, are you okay?"

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

The train slowed as it reached King's Cross station and Harry nodded at her. He wasn't sure if he believed her, but he thought Christmas with her family would definitely help. He really didn't like to see her so quiet and withdrawn and he felt like since she'd started at Hogwarts, she wasn't the same fun and energetic girl that he was friends with.

When he stepped off the train with his carry-on, he spotted Sirius chatting to Mr and Mrs Granger and he hurried towards him.

Sirius grinned, tugging Harry into his arms and hugging him tight. "Harry!"

Harry grinned at his father, arms wrapped tightly around him. Sirius only smiled, leaning down to rest his chin on the top of Harry's head. It was a good minute before Harry pulled away to look up at him.

"Hi, Uncle Sirius. Hi, Mr Granger, Mrs Granger."

"Hello, Harry, dear," Mrs Granger said with a smile and then her eyes widened. "Good Lord, Greg! Hermione, darling, what happened?"

Hermione flushed under their wide eyes. "Mum, Dad."

Sirius' eyebrow merely rose, a smirk on his face. "Hi, Miss Kitty."

Hermione glared at him. "It's not funny, Sirius!"

Harry snickered. "It is a little." He grinned when Sirius took his bag from him and draped an arm across his shoulders. "Madam Pomfrey says that she'll be all right in a few days."

Sirius only nodded as they waved goodbye and headed over to the London Underground. "Are you going to explain to me why Hermione looks like she attempted to transfigure herself into a giant cat?"

Harry shrugged as they paid to get through the barrier and slid onto the tube. "Er —"

Sirius grinned. "Something you weren't supposed to be doing, I take it."

Harry smiled at him. "Hermione and I may or may not have brewed a Polyjuice Potion."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "That's a highly advanced potion. The two of you brewed it successfully, but used animal hair… where are your whiskers?"

"By accident, she didn't realize it was cat hair in her potion."

"And who was she trying to impersonate?"

"Millicent Bulstrode, a Slytherin girl in our year."

"Uh-huh. And you were?"

"Gregory Goyle, a Slytherin boy in our year."

"Uh-huh," Sirius said again, his eyebrow rising. "Why?"

"So that we could try to find out if Draco opened the Chamber of Secrets or not."

Sirius sighed and draped an arm over the back of Harry's seat. "He didn't, Harry. I thought we agreed on that."

"Well, I know he didn't _now_ ," he said carefully. He quickly explained about how Neville had stayed with Hermione while he and Ron, under the guise of Polyjuice had pretended to be Crabbe and Goyle and had found their way into the Slytherin common room to talk to Draco about the Chamber. "Someone died last time, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius sighed as they headed out of the underground and towards The Leaky Cauldron where they would be taking the Floo home. When they stepped into the living room of Black Cottage, Sirius used a quick cleaning charm to get the soot off of both of them and gestured for Harry to take a seat on the chesterfield.

"Harry, I told you that I would look into this. You don't need to be investigating something so dangerous on your own."

"I do when the whole school thinks it's me," he protested. "Everywhere I go people are talking about me or pointing at me and running away from me like they're scared or worried that I'm going to attack them at any given moment. I'm sick of it!"

Sirius nodded. "I get that, Prongslet, and that can't be fun, but I want you to stop this. A girl died last time and… it's dangerous."

"What about the voice?"

"Have you heard it again?"

"Before the last attack, yeah."

"But not otherwise?"

"No."

Sirius sighed. "It doesn't make sense that no one else can hear this voice. Harry, are you sure that you haven't seen anything else out of the ordinary? How did that duelling club go? You never did tell me."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Lockhart taught it. It was a joke. Snape was the other teacher and he disarmed Lockhart in two seconds! It was embarrassing and then Lockhart told us to do the disarming charm, but he never showed anyone how to do it. I figured it out by watching Snape. But then Snape had Draco set a snake on me in our duel and well everything went bad after that."

"Why?"

Harry sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Uncle Sirius… did you know that I can speak Parseltongue?"

Sirius opened his mouth in surprise. "I — no. I mean, you told me once that a snake told you that he was going to the English Channel, but I just thought you were being creative or imaginative."

"I can speak to snakes. I didn't know that it was a different language and I certainly didn't know that it's a mark of a dark wizard!"

"Hey!" Sirius said, draping an arm across his son's shoulders. "It most certainly doesn't make you are a dark wizard! I have no idea why you can speak it, but I do know that it is a hereditary talent that is often passed through the wizarding bloodline, but that it sometimes can skip a generation. Like Metamorphamagus for example. No one in my family has had that talent in centuries and look at Tonks." Harry only frowned and Sirius kissed the top of his head. "Harry, did you talk to the snake that Malfoy set on you?"

"Lockhart tried to be all brave and get rid of it, but he failed — _again_ — and only succeeded in throwing the snake into the ceiling, which only pissed it off when it fell back down. It turned to attack the nearest person which just happened to be this Hufflepuff boy named Justin and I don't know I just yelled out for it to leave him alone and the snake listened to me, but then everyone was staring at me. They all looked so scared and Ron was pulling me away and they told me that I spoke a different language… and then the next day Justin and Nick were attacked! Everyone thinks it's me." Harry said very quickly, his temper flaring.

"Harry, let everyone think whatever the hell they want," Sirius told him. "I know how hard it is to know that people are talking about you. But I know that you didn't do this. I know that you are not hurting these people and so do the important people like the teachers and your friends. Dumbledore will find the real culprit, I know that. I just want you to be safe. Okay?"

Harry nodded, sighing. "I've never been so glad to be home."

Sirius grinned, kissing the top of his son's head. "I'm glad that you're home too. Listen, I waited for you to decorate so why don't we go find the perfect tree and start getting into the Christmas spirit, yeah? We'll talk about all of this stuff later when we're done?"

Harry grinned back at him. "Okay."

Four hours later, they had found and cut down the perfect Christmas tree and had decorated it beautifully. Harry helped string fairy lights around the living room and they dug out all of the Christmas decorations.

Both of them were starving after their hard work, and Sirius went out to pick up a pizza for them. Harry ate happily, grinning at his father.

Sirius grinned back, sipping his wine. "All right, Harry, there are a few things that we still have to talk about."

Harry nodded, reaching for his fizzy drink. "Okay."

"First of all, I finally heard word from Kingsley today. The trial for Peter Pettigrew is going to take place at the end of January. He's been detained in a dungeon, fully charmed to keep him inside of the basement in the Ministry of Magic so that he can't transform into a rat and escape and he's guarded by two Dementors, night and day."

"Can I go to the trial with you and Uncle Rem?"

Sirius let out a long breath. "Are you sure that you want to be there, Harry? This man… he's the reason that you don't have parents."

"I know," Harry said softly. "And I know that he was once your friend, Uncle Siri, I… I want to be there."

Sirius nodded. He wasn't sure if he wanted Harry there, but if he wanted to go, if he wanted to watch the man get the justice he deserved, he wasn't going to stop him. "Alright. Then you will be there."

Harry smiled gratefully at him. "Good."

"As for Peter, I didn't really get a chance to tell you how this all happened." He quickly explained to Harry about how he had suspected someone was watching him and how when Ginny had mentioned Scabbers in Diagon Alley, he had begun to worry. He explained how he had been out with Zee, caught sight of the rat and trapped him before bringing him to Kingsley. "So, now I'm a registered Animagus with the Ministry, but Peter is being held in custody and that's what matters."

Harry nodded. "What did Zee think when she found out?"

Sirius smiled. "She was great. Better than great, she was magnificent. She's another thing that I wanted to talk to you about." At Harry's raised brow, he sighed. "I'm in love with her, Harry."

Harry looked up in surprise. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Sirius said with a chuckle. "Nothing different really, I suppose. We're just taking things slowly and moseying along. She's my girlfriend and I love her. That's all."

"Is she going to live with us?"

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "No, she has her own home, Harry, and I'm not ready for her to live here."

Harry simply nodded.

Sirius watched him for a moment. "I thought you liked Zahira."

"I do," Harry said quickly. He did like her and he knew that after his stupidity in the summer he wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize this budding relationship again.

"What is it?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's just… things are changing."

Sirius smiled and reached across the table to gently brush his son's hair out of his eyes. "You can say that again. You're growing up on me. Harry, I love Zee. But we're still taking things slowly. Neither one of us are ready for some kind of big commitment and just having her around makes me happy. We're just dating and enjoying each other. That's all."

Harry smiled. "She makes you happy."

"Yeah, yeah, she does," he said with a smile. "And she helps keep my nightmares at bay, too."

"I'm glad. Is she going to spend Christmas with us?"

Sirius smiled. "She's going to come by and spend the afternoon with us on Christmas Eve, but she has her own family to spend Christmas with. See, nothing is changing, it's still us."

Harry grinned at him. "I know."

Sirius smiled. "But Moony and Tonks haven't told Andy and Ted yet that they are dating."

"Why not?"

"Remus is worried that they won't approve as he is so much older than her. I told him he has to do it before Christmas, but we shall see so just in case, keep your trap closed, okay, Prongslet?"

Harry smirked at him. "Okay."

"All right and the last thing that I want to talk to you about is about the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry's eyebrow rose in surprise. "You do know something!"

Sirius chuckled. "I don't know anything, Prongslet, not really. But I did learn a few things at my meeting last night. Abraxas Malfoy, Draco's grandfather, attended school the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened which was in 1943. He was a fifth year when a Muggleborn girl was killed and a prefect came forward and someone was caught and accused of the crime and ultimately expelled from the school. But, Dumbledore never believed that person was guilty. He was always convinced that the person was innocent and wrongfully accused, but he could never prove it."

"Who was it?"

Sirius hesitated. "I happen to agree with Dumbledore on this, Harry… I don't think he was the culprit either." At Harry's look of confusion, Sirius sighed. "Hagrid was accused."

"Hagrid!" Harry exclaimed in shock. "He would never!"

"He had a giant Acromantula hidden away in the castle. Now this species is dangerous and will hurt humans, but Hagrid had tamed it, taught it to be kind. Not to mention that these giant spiders do not have the ability to petrify someone like what is happening to the students."

"So he was innocent?"

Sirius nodded. "I think so, yes, but like me, the evidence was against him and he was expelled. Dumbledore convinced the headmaster at the time to let him stay on as gamekeeper all of these years, which only goes to show that he knows he's innocent, but no one could ever find the real culprit and after Hagrid was expelled, the attacks completely stopped. The governors are getting nervous and are thinking of removing Hagrid from the school because the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again."

"But he didn't do it!" Harry insisted.

Sirius sighed. "I know, Harry. I'm doing my best to let them know that. I just wanted you to be aware."

Harry nodded, yawning. "Hagrid would never hurt anyone, Uncle Siri."

"I know, Prongslet. We have another meeting the first week of January to discuss some options. But I'm doing my best to stop them from using Hagrid as a scapegoat." He stood up, stretching his arms wide. "Come on; it's late. Let's go up to bed. In the morning, we'll talk about our Christmas plans, yeah?"

Harry nodded and headed to bed. He changed into his pyjamas and rubbed Marauder's belly before the dog stretched out across the end of his bed. He said goodnight to Sirius and was surprisingly asleep before his head hit the pillow.

~ ASC ~

 **The sound of Sirius calling his name surprised him awake the next morning.**

Harry moaned and rolled over, the sticky wetness coating the front of his pyjama pants again, making him flush in embarrassment as he tried to look innocent at his father in the doorway. "Er, morning."

Sirius frowned at his blushing son. "Breakfast is ready. You okay?"

Harry nodded, tugging the covers higher. "Uh-huh."

Sirius only stared at him for a moment. "Okay. Come on down when you're ready. Marauder's been begging me for bacon for the last thirty minutes."

Harry nodded as Sirius left the room. He grabbed his wand from the nightstand and then remembered that he was home now and couldn't use magic. He cursed and attempted to clean his pyjamas in the bathroom, scrubbing at them quickly before dropping them in the hamper and cleaning himself off. He felt less awkward as he cleaned himself and got dressed before he headed downstairs.

Sirius had made French toast and bacon, his favourite, and Harry happily helped himself to breakfast as Rush sang about a working man from the wireless. They were planning on wrapping gifts and then heading to the store to buy their Christmas groceries, including the infamous ingredients for their gingerbread house.

Harry couldn't wait.

He was just happy to be home.


	90. Chapter 90

_Author's Note:_

 _I've been trying to decide how I wanted to do this for a long time. I thought back to what I learned, how I learned it and what was said; did some online research too and spoke to a friend of mine, who works at a teen health centre. But here it is._

 _It is time for that super awkward parent-child conversation._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY:**

 **It was two days later when Sirius opened the hamper in Harry's bathroom to do laundry and found three pairs of wet pyjama bottoms in there.** He frowned in confusion, wondering why they were soaked in water and he could see bits of hand soap rubbed into the crotch of them. Why would Harry be trying to wash his own clothes this way? He wondered and then he frowned.

 _Shit,_ he thought, filling up the basket with his son's dirty laundry. He knew exactly why.

He contemplated to himself how he was going to bring it up. It was a lot harder to broach than he had thought it would be. Sirius remembered how he had assumed having the talk with his son would be an absolute breeze, but now that the task was undoubtably before him, he wasn't so sure that it would be so easy.

He Flooed Remus after breakfast, smiling at his friend. "Hey Rem, got a minute?"

Remus merely nodded, bringing his tea from the kitchen and into the living room to kneel before the fire where Sirius' head was dancing along the flames. "Of course, what's going on?"

Sirius explained what he had found that morning. "I think it's time to have the talk about… you know, sex and stuff."

Remus grinned. "Better you than me."

"Oh, come on, you're not going to come over and help?"

Remus chuckled. "What happened to not being able to wait to mortify him with details on everything from you and your immense knowledge as the god of sex?"

Sirius grinned. "Oh, I still plan too. Thea gave me some topics to start off with such as what his body is doing before I get into the sex stuff, but I just thought maybe you'd want to be there?"

Remus shook his head. "Not even a little bit."

"Remus," Sirius said with a laugh. "We should do this together, don't you think? You're just as much his parent as I am."

Remus sighed as the backs of his neck flushed red. "No, you're right. When do you need me to come over?"

They decided to just go for it after lunch. Remus came over to join them for lunch and listened as Harry filled him in on the Chamber of Secrets. They had finished eating and cleaning up the kitchen and Sirius smiled at Harry.

"Hey, Prongslet, there's um… there's something else that we need to talk about."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Something else?"

Sirius nodded, moving to sit at the kitchen table. "Yeah, have a seat."

Harry sat down across from his fathers, looking at them in bewilderment, his eyes moving from Sirius to Remus. "What do we have to talk about?"

Sirius let out a deep breath. "Well, I was going to sit you down this summer, but I just thought that maybe you weren't ready yet and maybe I should have spoken to you about it then, but… Harry, this might be an uncomfortable conversation for you, but there is _nothing_ to be ashamed about, okay? Remember, we are always about honesty in this family."

Harry only looked at Sirius curiously. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sirius grinned. "I want to talk to you about your body."

Harry blushed. "Er — my body?"

Remus smiled at him. "About the changes your body is starting to go through and most importantly about sex."

Sirius nodded, scratching his chin as he began. "You're growing up now, Harry. We talked about it a bit during the summer, about how you're getting taller now and that means that your body is changing too. I measured you the other day and you've grown another five centimetres since the beginning of last summer. You have already started to go through what's called puberty. Everyone goes through it, boys and girls, it's completely normal. You start to grow hair in places that you didn't have any before," Sirius said. "Maybe under your arms and around your navel and probably down above your bollocks, yeah?"

Harry nodded, his eyes downcast.

Sirius smiled. "There's no need to be embarrassed, Harry, it's normal. Everyone goes through it."

Remus smiled at him. "I have hair all over my chest, Sirius doesn't; some men get it and some men don't. Some men even get it on their backs."

Harry looked slightly horrified by this.

Remus chuckled. "James didn't have much chest hair and nothing on his back so I think you'll be fine, Harry, don't look so panicked."

Sirius nodded. "As you get older, you'll start growing hair on your face too and your neck and you'll have to start shaving, but that usually doesn't come for another year or two at least and sometimes not even until your much older. It's not just hair growth though. You're muscles are getting stronger as you grow and you might feel some pain in your limbs as your body stretches to adjust to these changes."

Harry swallowed slowly, the back of his neck still red as Sirius continued on.

"Now, with boys there's a few other things that start to happen. You will also start to notice that your penis has gotten longer and that your testicles have gotten bigger. They are forming to make you a man and with this change in your bollocks, this also means that testosterone is being produced in your body at a larger rate and this produces something called wet dreams. It used to happen to me all of the time and I was always so embarrassed at first, until I got the talk, and I found out that it was perfectly normal. I used to have a lot of wet dreams."

"What's — what's a wet dream?" Harry asked carefully.

Sirius smiled and looked at his son rather sympathetically. "Well, your body is starting to become that of a man, which means that your body is producing more testosterone, a major male hormone. Do you remember when we talked about the differences between men and women? How men have more testosterone and women have more estrogen and the whole chromosomes thing and what it means in terms of having babies?"

Harry nodded. "Yes."

Remus smiled. "Well, when a boy starts to become a man, the testosterone really starts to build in his body and because it is a hormone, that also means your sex drive is waking up, and sometimes it wakes up before you realize that it has woken up. This means that you might have wet dreams. Wet dreams are something that happen in your sleep when you are dreaming about a sexual image or something that attracts you and your penis rubs against the sheet or against your hand or against your bed in some way that pleases you and it brings you pleasure and you don't even know it's happening, but you are stimulating your sex drive and you ejaculate in your sleep. Sometimes, you'll wake up before you climax and you'll have an erection and sometimes it will happen while you sleep and you don't even know that it's happening until you wake up and find yourself covered in semen. This is perfectly normal so don't be embarrassed by it."

Sirius walked over to the fridge and poured them each a soft fizzy drink before he sat back down. "So what Uncle Remus is saying is that if you ever wake up and you have this sticky substance on your penis and on your pants or in your bed, that's what happened, you've just had a wet dream."

"Oh," Harry said, taking a drink. "That's er… that's happened a few times."

Sirius smiled sympathetically. "I get it, Prongslet, it used to happen to me too and to Uncle Remus. Don't worry, it doesn't last forever. Just clean yourself up and move on and don't worry about scrubbing your pyjamas clean, okay? The wash will get the semen out."

Harry nodded, his cheeks burning as he thought about his attempts at cleaning his pjs only that morning and realized that obviously Sirius had found them and knew what he had been attempting to do.

Sirius cleared his throat. "So moving on from that, I want to talk to you about masturbation or more commonly called wanking."

Harry only stared at him, his face heating even more.

"Everybody does it. Boys, girls, men, and women, it's healthy and perfectly normal, I want you to understand that." He took a drink before he continued. "Uncle Rem and I both went through puberty too and let me tell you, there's nothing worse than waking up to or suddenly having an erection and not really knowing what to do about it. Your body is just adjusting and anything can set you off, sometimes it's not even a sexual thing but your body is just ready to go. Sometimes you just have to think hard about something that's not sexual in nature; your homework, Snape, or something equally as disgusting —" Harry smirked at that as Sirius continued. "— and your erection will go away. But sometimes it's a bit harder and when that happens you might need to help it along by touching yourself."

Harry flushed a deeper red.

Sirius blushed a bit too. "It's okay to touch yourself and it's healthy to do so. You should know how to give yourself pleasure. But the same thing as a wet dream, Harry, when you're done, clean yourself up and move on. There's no shame in having a good wank, in fact, I encourage it, but go somewhere private where you will not be disturbed and finish the job. You should explore your own body. You should touch yourself all over, know what gives you pleasure and what feels good, not just your bollocks, but all over. You should know what every part of your own body feels like and how it likes to be touched because one day, you are going to decide to share your body with another person and how can you pleasure them if you don't know what brings you pleasure first?"

Harry only nodded, drinking more from his soda pop. "Uncle Sirius, do we _have_ to talk about this?"

Sirius smiled at him. "Yeah, Prongslet, we do."

Harry's face positively burned in protest.

Sirius dragged his fingers through his hair. "We're not doing this to embarrass you, Harry, though it is a parent's privilege to embarrass our son, but you need to know about your own body. Waking up with morning wood is pretty much the standard for blokes and I can promise you, Uncle Rem and I still wake up with a stiffy ourselves. It's normal. Soon your voice is going to change too, get deeper and you won't sound like a child anymore. It's not only sexual changes that are taking place. You are going to notice a difference in how you smell as your body will be producing adult hormones and you will have to start keeping yourself extra clean, using the right toiletries such as deodorant and maybe even cologne if you want. There's the annoyance of acne, Merlin, we all hate that."

Remus chuckled. "I still get the occasional zit to annoy me. But there's also mood changes. One minute you might be incredibly angry for no reason and then maybe really sad and you can't completely explain why. It's a really tough time for you, but it's just a phase that your body is going through and everyone is going through the same thing as you, but it happens to everyone at a different pace. Some of the boys in your class might already be trying to kiss girls or be interested in dating and in some boys it might not even be something they are thinking about for two or three more years or longer. Everyone is different." He sighed. "But it is the sexual component of puberty that Uncle Siri and I want to talk to you about today."

Sirius nodded and let out a slow breath. "Harry, do you know what sex is?"

"You and Zee have it."

Sirius flushed at that. "Well, yeah we do."

"And now Tonks and Uncle Remus are having it."

"Yes, that's true, but, do you know what it is?"

"It's when a man puts his penis inside of a woman and they make a baby."

Sirius grinned. "Yeah, we had that baby conversation, didn't we? Sex makes babies, true, but people don't only have sex to make babies. They have sex because it feels good. Remember when we were in Pompeii and we saw those paintings on the walls and you asked me what those people were doing?" At Harry's nod, he smiled. "They were having sex, but not to make babies - but for the pleasure of having sex."

Harry simply stared at him.

Sirius sighed. "Having sex is an amazing pleasure where you are with another person, pleasing them as they are pleasing you. It's a wonderful thing to experience when you are old enough and more importantly, when you are ready. Soon, you're going to start thinking about kissing, Harry. Kissing is a pretty great thing to experience. Everyone enjoys a good snog. And it's not just about your lips, but about how you can use your lips."

Harry stared at him as Sirius explained how kissing someone you were sexually attracted to was very different from kissing a friend or a family member. He explained how to kiss someone softly, deeply, open-mouthed, close-mouthed, how to use tongue, how to know what the correct amount of tongue was, how to lick and suck and nibble, and what to do with your hands when you were kissing someone. Sirius suggested holding their waist, holding their face, running your fingers through their hair, along their back.

"When you kiss someone for the first time, you feel a spark there, something that tells you that you like kissing them and if you don't feel that, then maybe that person isn't the right one for you," Remus explained to him.

Sirius crossed his arms in front of his chest and sighed. "All right, next we're going to talk about foreplay."

Harry flushed deeper, but he listened as his father explained how once you had spent time kissing someone how you might want to move a little further and that if both you and your partner were ready for that, you might want to touch each other. Remus explained that this touching was like the touching you did on your own body, exploring their arms and their back and their chest and their stomach; stroking and maybe even kissing.

"It depends on what you and your partner are ready for, Harry. You move at a comfortable pace for the two of you."

Harry only nodded.

Sirius moved on from touching above the waist to below it and pleasuring your partner. He drew moving diagrams of the male and female body, explaining what erogenous zones were.

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Yes, Harry?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "The night before the train brought me home, I went downstairs because I couldn't sleep and I —"

"And you?"

He peeked a glance up at his father before he quickly looked away. "There was a sixth year girl in the common room and she was naked and… she had really pretty breasts and… a sixth year boy was kneeling in front of her and he had his tongue inside of her, you know… down there… and he sucking on this little… bud-thing…"

Sirius smirked at him. "Inside of her vagina?" When Harry nodded, he grinned. "How did that make you feel?"

Harry flushed. "I, er… I ran back upstairs so that they didn't see me."

"Did you touch yourself?"

Harry's ears burned so red that he thought there had to be real flames coming from them. "Yes."

Sirius smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that, Harry. I bet it was pretty sexy to see actually, not that you should be spying, mind you. But what that sixth year was doing to the girl was giving her pleasure by performing oral sex, something called cunnilingus. Trust me, that is fantastic for the girl and for you. He was sucking on her clitoris, or clit for short." He pointed to the diagram on the table and explained where the pleasure points were and moved on to discuss the pros and cons of oral sex including the use of hands, fingers, mouth, and tongue. He explained the importance of pleasuring the clitoris and how to do so using mouth, tongue, fingers, and cock. "You'll feel her walls fluttering, pulsing against you when she's ready and it feels incredible."

"Tastes incredible," Remus said with a smile. "But being inside her when she's climaxing is the most amazing experience."

Sirius nodded. "You can say that again. But we're talking about using the tongue, Moony."

"The feel of your tongue inside of her when she comes is also an amazing experience," Remus added as Sirius grinned at him.

When Sirius went on to explain how to pull the clitoris into your mouth while still working it with your tongue, Harry blushed scarlet, and buried his face in his hands.

"Orgasms are important, Harry," Remus insisted, making an embarrassed Harry look up at him. "You want to give your partner as many of those as you can and most importantly — you want her to come first. It will make the sex more enjoyable for both of you and the actual shagging more enjoyable for her."

Sirius nodded and went on to explain how to use one's fingers expertly and Harry sunk lower in his chair.

"You experiment, Harry," Remus said simply. "Everyone is different and not all girls are the same. You kiss and you touch and you see what she likes you to do. Don't be afraid to ask her what she likes; get her to show you."

"That's hot as well," Sirius added, wiggling his eyebrows. "Watching a woman touch herself is foreplay on its own. Trust me."

Remus nodded. "He's not wrong. Remember, give your partner an orgasm. You just have to be patient and a good lover enjoys his work. Trust me, Harry, once you have a girl naked or semi-naked in your arms, you are going to know what to do. You won't be thinking of how and when, you'll be thinking, I want to kiss her here, or I want to touch her there and it will all make sense after that. This is just the basic guidelines to help you feel more comfortable. But together, you will figure it out, I swear."

"And you can always do a bit of everything, don't think that it has to be one thing. Sometimes the foreplay can start with oral and end with sex or vice versa or mix it up somewhere in the middle. It's about you and your partner. Don't overthink it," Sirius explained.

Four hours later, Harry's ears were ringing and his cock was so hard it hurt. He tried to think of other things like Uncle Sirius had suggested, but hearing how someone could touch him or suck on him or how he could put his cock into someone only made him even harder. Remus told him about knob jobs, blow jobs, and rim jobs, using Sirius' moving diagrams to point out where one's fingers and tongue should work for maximum pleasure and he stared at them between his fingers covering his face. Sirius had then gone on to explain all about sex and sexual positions and had moved on to teach him how to have safe sex.

When he finished, he smiled kindly at Harry. "Now, that was embarrassing enough for all of us. I'm going to get dinner started, why don't you go upstairs and think about what we just discussed. If you have any questions or if there's anything else that you'd like to know, just ask me or Uncle Remus, Harry. Remember, we don't lie to each other and we're always here to answer any questions you may have about absolutely anything no matter how embarrassing you might think it is — don't be afraid to talk to us."

Harry only nodded and hurried up the stairs, his cock pressing uncomfortably into the denim of his jeans. He closed his bedroom door behind him, unzipped his jeans and watched in fascination as his hard penis sprung free. He remembered what Sirius had said about it being perfectly normal to touch one's self and he reached down to fondle himself, an image of Alicia's breasts before his eyes again as he began exploring his sack and his anus in curiosity before he rubbed his palm over his privates, up and down and around until he came and he grunted in relief.

As embarrassing and traumatizing as that conversation had been for him, he was grateful to Sirius and Remus for finally explaining everything and he was grateful for the fact that Sirius had done everything in his power to not make it awkward.

It was still incredibly awkward, but it could have been a lot worse, he thought.

He cleaned himself up, deciding to shower before dinner instead of after.

He just hoped that he didn't have to talk about it again any time soon.

~ ASC ~

 **Once Harry was upstairs, Sirius looked at Remus and let out a long breath.** "Do you think that we scarred him for life?"

Remus grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "No, I don't think so, but we did throw a lot of information at him. I think that you got everything across well."

Sirius glanced up at the ceiling. "I feel like he's probably sitting in his room wishing he was anywhere but here."

Remus smiled. "At least we were nice enough to only give him the talk, do you remember how we learned about this stuff?"

Sirius flushed, but nodded. "Oh, I do. Summer before third year Monty overheard me telling you and James that I had gotten a knob job. He invited us out to camp with him that night in the yard and we sat around the fire roasting marshmallows as Fleamont Potter told us all about wet dreams and masturbation. I was completely mortified and then when he started to explain about oral sex and asked me what I knew about it since I was obviously the experienced one of the group… Merlin, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die."

Remus chuckled. "And then some. But he was thorough. He told us what we needed to know and then he carefully sent us along that book at school, remember, what was it called?"

" _Pleasing Your Witch or Wizard, A Step by Step Guide,_ " Sirius recited with a smile. "I still have my copy. I was thinking of giving it to Harry for Christmas."

"That's a smart idea. I think the book will answer any of the other questions he may have without having to embarrass him further."

"Me too. It covers erogenous zones and lists all of the sexual positions with illustrations; breaks down the male and female reproductive system and how to give pleasure plus the first chapter is on safe sex practices."

"Do you think Fee ever knew he sent us that book?" Remus asked.

Sirius grinned. "I'd rather not think about it to be honest."

Remus laughed. "Agreed. I must admit though, I'm glad that talk is over with. You did a good job, Padfoot."

Sirius grinned and ruffled his hair. "Merlin, I hope we both did. And I hope it's a while before we have to worry about him doing any of that stuff. To think that he's almost the same age I was when I had my first knob job is unthinkable."

"Tell me about it," Remus said with a chuckle. "You should take him shopping though, help him pick out his own soaps and deodorant, maybe choose a cologne. Help him decide what he wants to wear. He's growing up, Padfoot, and I think making his own choices on that stuff will be good for him."

Sirius nodded, letting out a long sigh. "Agreed. We'll do it tomorrow, I need a few things myself, plus I forgot to get the stuff for the eggnog which Minnie loves, and I forgot to get butterbeer."

Remus chuckled. "Sounds like a plan then."

"I'd ask you to come along, but you need to figure out when you're going to tell Ted and Andy that you're dating their daughter."

Remus blanched. "I don't think now's a good time."

"They need to know, Rem, especially before we're all over there on Christmas Day."

"I know, I know… I've just… I've never been through the whole meeting the parents thing. This is all new to me."

Sirius only grinned at him. "You've already met the parents and it's not the only thing that you need to think about, Moony. Tonks knows that you care about her. She knows how long you pushed her away and how stubborn you were in ignoring your feelings for her, but I already know she doesn't know why."

Remus hesitated. "Padfoot —"

"No," Sirius interrupted. "Don't 'Padfoot' me on this, Moony. She's your soulmate. She feels that bond just as clearly as you do and you need to tell her that."

Remus swallowed slowly. "When she learns what I am —"

"What? You think it's going to change how she feels about you?"

Remus bowed his head in shame. "I couldn't bear it. Not from her."

Sirius reached over to squeeze his friend's shoulder. "The longer you wait to tell her, the more it's going to come across as betrayal to her. She's known you for years and you've never told her this about you, but now that you're together… Moony, you have to tell her that you're a werewolf."

Remus only nodded, biting his bottom lip. "I know. God, I know." He buried his face in his hands. "I don't even know how to do that."

Sirius smiled sympathetically. "Rem, we just gave our twelve-year-old the talk about puberty, masturbation, and sex. You can bloody well tell your girlfriend you're a werewolf."

He chuckled and grinned at his friend. "It's hardly the same thing."

"No, fuck it's got to be way easier!"

Remus smirked. "I will. I just… not yet… I need more time."

Sirius simply nodded. "You don't have to tell her right this second, Rem, but you have to tell her soon. All right?"

"All right."

Sirius only hoped that his friend listened to him.


	91. Chapter 91

_Author's Note:_

 _Hope you like this one!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY-ONE:**

 **Remus had thought long and hard about what Sirius had told him, but he still wasn't quite ready to tell Tonks about his secret.** She had yet to question him on his non-availability on the three nights of the moon and he wondered on that too. Why _hadn't_ she questioned him? Didn't she want to know where he went or what he was doing?

But at the moment, all of those thoughts had gone straight out the window as he trapped her between the counter in her small kitchen the next afternoon and kissed her deeply. His hands sat on her hips and her hands were in the back pocket of his jeans, squeezing his bum.

Remus really liked it when her hands were on his arse.

He really liked it a lot.

He nipped at her lips, grinning when she sighed and arched her head back. "Mmm, I think that we should move this to the bedroom."

"Should we?" Remus asked her, placing soft kisses on her neck. "Why is that?"

Tonks grinned at him, turning her head to bite playfully on his earlobe. "I have naughty plans for you, Mr Lupin, very naughty plans."

Remus' eyebrow only rose. "Oh? So do I and I think this counter is an excellent place to start them off."

She squeezed his bum tighter and pressed her lips to his as she kissed him. Her lips met his softly and slowly, lingering over each touch as if she had all of the time in the world to kiss him on this lazy afternoon.

Remus pulled her closer, his hands gently pressing on her hips, one hand sliding up the middle of her back as he pressed her closer to him. His tongue danced with hers and his blood positively hummed in her presence. Being near her made him feel complete, made him feel whole, and his heart sped up. He wanted to bite her, to mark her as his, to claim her as his mate once and for all.

The pressure to do so had him pulling away, tilting his forehead against hers. "Nymphadora…."

Tonks simply smiled at him. "Remus?"

His lips touched hers again softly and he shook his head, lifting her up onto the counter. His hand moved over her thigh, pressing between her legs and rubbing the denim of her jeans hard enough that the friction made her gasp.

"Let's get these off," he murmured, pressing his lips to her neck. "I want to touch you; taste you…"

Tonks only nodded, her head falling back against the cupboard when his hand slid inside the denim and his fingers found her. She let out a small gasp, her hips moving into his hand as his fingers worked her. His index finger slid up to circle her clit just as someone cleared their throat behind them.

Remus turned, slipping a third finger inside of her as he pressed on her clit, ready to threaten anyone who dared to interrupt them, but the sight of the man standing there had him blushing and he quickly removed his hand from inside Tonks' jeans and knickers and shoved it in his pocket. "Er, hello, Ted."

Ted had his hands in his own pockets as his eyes were wide with surprise. "I — I came by to see if Dora wanted to… er, sorry."

He made to leave, but Tonks hopped off the counter and rushed forward. "Dad!"

Ted turned, his ears flushing red. "I just used the Floo, I should have Apparated and knocked, it's my fault. I didn't…" He glared at Remus. "I didn't know _Lupin_ was going to be here."

Tonks smiled and took Remus' hand in her own. "Dad, Remus and I are together, there's no need to use such formalities as you've known him for years."

"Yes, I have known him for years which only goes to show that he should not be snogging my daughter in her kitchen and putting his hands…" He glared openly at Remus.

Remus flushed and attempted to pull his hand away from her, but she held on.

"Dad, who I date is my choice, not yours."

"Dora," Ted began, but Tonks glared at him and he promptly shut his mouth.

"And you should be happy for me because he makes me incredibly happy," she said, her eyes moving to Remus' face, a soft smile on her lips.

Ted was quiet for a moment. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since the last week of September," Tonks said defiantly.

Ted only nodded.

Remus swallowed slowly. "Ted, I know that I'm the last person that you imagined to be with your daughter, but she's the most incredible woman that I've ever known and I know that I don't deserve her… I tried to tell her as much but… she's rather stubborn."

Tonks grinned at him. "That I am." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.

Ted nodded, his eyes on Remus' before he gave a curt nod. "Why don't the two of you come to dinner at the house tomorrow night?"

Tonks beamed at him, moving over to kiss her father's cheek. "Thanks, Dad."

Ted only nodded. "See you for five."

When the Floo lit up behind them, Tonks moved back into Remus' arms. "Not the way that I planned on letting my parents know, but that works too. You know, Mum is well aware that I have sex, as I've told her, but Dad… I think that he just had a rude awakening that I'm not five years old anymore."

Remus chuckled. "I can't believe that he didn't hex me into next week actually. Nymphadora, my fingers were _inside of you_."

"He wouldn't," she said with a smile. "Dad's not like that and well, at least I still had my clothes on."

Remus chuckled, licking his lips. "Good thing he didn't come five minutes later then."

She laughed, her eyes crinkling. "And why is that, Mr Lupin?"

Remus lifted her back up onto the counter, trapping her hips between his arms with a wicked smile. "I think you know why, Miss Tonks."

She grinned and kissed him deeply. "Why don't I help you with that?"

He smirked as her hands unzipped her jeans and she tugged them down her hips. "Why don't you?" he said, kissing her again and slipping his finger back into her knickers.

The mewling sound she made made him even harder as he stroked her and when she pulled his mouth down to hers, he felt like he was home.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius did take Harry shopping the next afternoon.**

He helped him choose some new soaps and Harry was pleased to choose some new toiletries for himself. He found one he particularly liked, a new soap that smelled of citrus and cedar and he chose a new shampoo that smelt rather woodsy itself. Sirius convinced him to let him buy this men's cologne that smelt like oak and spice, but Harry was unsure on whether he wanted to use it or not.

"You don't have too," Sirius told him with a smile. "But trust me, a spray of this in the morning after your shower and you'll feel great and you'll smell great and the girls will love it. But no more than two sprays, you don't want to overpower people with scent."

Harry had blushed in response.

Sirius had also gotten him some deodorant which Harry was grateful for, thinking of his sweaty Quidditch practices. Plus, he convinced Sirius to let him get some new undershirts too as some of the ones after practice were getting quite grungy.

But Harry felt better when he went home with his new purchases and he did admit after his first shower with his new products, he did feel more grown up. When he stared at himself in the mirror, he wondered about the physical changes. The tiny hairs under his arms were barely there and he wondered how long it would be until he got hair on his face. He used his new deodorant but decided against using the cologne when he made his way downstairs for dinner.

Sirius was just setting the table when he stepped into the kitchen and he grinned at him. "Looking good, Prongslet, bet the girls are noticing. Maybe even a few boys."

Harry blushed. "Uncle Padfoot!"

Sirius laughed and pointed his wand to the archway in the kitchen. "I think it's time to measure you again."

Harry rolled his eyes but he grinned. "We just did it when i came home, five centimetres, remember?."

"We did and I think that you've grown again. Stand against the wall."

Harry dutifully stood against the doorjamb as Sirius measured him, marking the wall with a notch from his wand.

"Told you," Sirius said triumphantly. "Another half a centimetre."

Harry grinned at him. "I'm a real giant now."

"Hey, no need for sarcasm, you will be taller than me one day, Unfortunately Jamie bested me in the height department, the great prat that he was."

Harry chuckled. "What are we having for dinner?"

"I made a Shepherd's Pie; it should be just about done. Grab some of the raw vegetables from the fridge too." At Harry's face, he grinned. "Vegetables are good for you."

"You know what's really good for you, treacle tart. It brings happiness. It's a known fact."

Sirius laughed. "Nice try, smart-ass. Get the veggies, I'll get dinner on the table."

Once they were seated and Harry was crunching on the veggies did Harry speak again. "Uncle Siri?"

"Harry?" Sirius questioned, a small smile on his face.

"I know I keep complaining about him, but Lockhart is honestly the worst teacher ever!"

Sirius chuckled as he swallowed his food. "Harry, I know that you don't think that he's doing a good job and frankly, he is clearly an imbecile, but he is unfortunately your professor. I don't make the rules about that."

"At the duelling club, I learned more from Snape."

"Well, Snape is a git, but he is intelligent, I admit." Sirius told him, an annoyed look on his face as if admitting to such was truly a crime.

"I'm serious!"

"No, I'm Sirius," Sirius said, grinning when Harry simply rolled his eyes in exasperation at the joke.

"He removed thirty-three bones from my arm and Uncle Remus punched him in the face."

Sirius laughed. "Merlin, that was a good day. It takes a lot to rival Moony up that much; especially to actually throw a punch."

"He hasn't taught us anything!" Harry said desperately. "All of his tests are just about him. We did a term overview test and the first question was what kind of shampoo does Gilderoy Lockhart like?"

Sirius frowned at that. "Is he testing you on anything Defence Against the Dark Arts related?"

"I had to compose a poem about how he defeated the werewolf," Harry said in annoyance. "And last week, he wanted us to write a limerick about his wonderful role getting rid of ghouls."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Limericks and poems? What about charms and hexes?"

Harry shrugged. "I learned that when you perform a spell on Cornish Pixies, don't let them take your wand and throw it out of the window."

Sirius sighed and scratched his nose. "Look, I know that he's a moron and so do you and obviously so do the other teachers. McGonagall can't stand his pompous arse, but no one else is available as a defence teacher, Harry. I told you before, the job is cursed. It has been for over forty years. He was the best person Dumbledore could find for the job, according to the Governors it's getting to the point that no one is even willing to become the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"That's not true," Harry said, reaching for a second piece of Shepherd's Pie, "Uncle Moony could do it."

"Now there's a thought," Sirius said with a smirk of interest. "He would be a great defence professor. Of course, you know that he'll be stubborn about it if we bring it up."

"I've already learned way more from what he told me to study than I did from Lockhart all year," Harry said with a smile. "He would be brilliant. Can't you ask him if he wants the job and make Dumbledore hire him instead?"

Sirius grinned. "Well, I don't know if I have that kind of power, but you know what, Prongslet, I'm going to look into it. Let me send an owl to the governors about replacing Lockhart's position and when we meet in the new year, we'll see. But let's keep this between us for now, okay? I think we both know how much Moony would try to bluster his way through it and I'd have to speak to Dumbledore first. I don't know if this will work, but I will try my hardest to get rid of Lockhart, okay?"

Harry simply beamed at him.

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning, Harry was helping Sirius by shovelling the fresh snow off of the driveway.** They were only about halfway done when Tonks walked up the path with a smile.

"Wotcher, Harry, Sirius."

Harry grinned at her, wiping sweat from his brow as despite the chill, shovelling snow was heavy work. "Hi, Tonks. I didn't expect to see you before Christmas."

She smiled widely at them and shrugged. "I brought my homemade brownies. Can I lure you two inside for a bit?"

Harry immediately dropped his shovel making her laugh.

Sirius waved them forward. "I'm just about done. I'll finish up. Get some hot cocoa started, Prongslet."

Harry nodded and stomped into the house, taking off his boots and winter gear and rubbing his cold hands together. He led Tonks into the kitchen and immediately began to make hot cocoa.

Tonks opened the tin of brownies and sliced a few pieces, placing them on a plate and putting them on the kitchen table before she let out a long sigh.

Harry simply smiled at her. "You okay?"

She shrugged and walked over to hug him tightly. Harry was the same height as her now he realized, maybe even a bit taller than her five feet five inches. She kissed his cheek and pulled away.

"Harry, I'm going to ask you something. And when I ask you, I want you to promise to tell me the truth."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Well, I don't plan on lying to you?"

Tonks ran her hands through her hair. "Remus is keeping a secret from me. Yes or no."

Harry hesitated and Tonks pointed at him.

"Hah! I knew it!"

"Tonks, that's not fair! You can't ask me to tell you his secret!"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not asking you to do that. I just wanted confirmation that I wasn't crazy. He is keeping something from me and I know it. I spend most nights with him but… sometimes, he won't let me stay or he won't stay with me and he won't give me a valid reason. He says that he's spending it with Sirius."

"What about me?" Sirius asked, pulling his hat off and dragging his fingers through his hair.

Harry sighed. "Tonks wants to know what Uncle Moony is hiding from her."

"That's another thing, Moony; why do you call him that?" she demanded, her eyes wide. "You're Padfoot, he's Moony, and Harry is Prongslet. Why?"

"Well, Harry is Prongslet because Jamie was Prongs so we kind of adopted his nickname when Harry was born," Sirius explained, taking a seat at the table and stretching his long legs out before him. "I made him Prongslet, Rem calls him little Prongs. As for Moony, it was just a nickname we came up with at school. You know that, remember I told you that Peter was Wormtail. You've seen my Marauder tattoo and I damn well know you've seen Rem's."

Tonks sighed. "Yes and his symbol is a wolf, but he's not an Animagus like you and Peter and James were, why not?"

Harry bit his lip and turned around to stir the hot chocolate. The last thing that he wanted was to accidentally give his father's secret away. He had tried to tell Remus that she needed to know and now he could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

Tonks was far from stupid.

"He didn't want to be an Animagus," Sirius said. "He just wanted to study it."

She looked at him skeptically for a moment. "You know, a few years back, I remember thinking that it was rather odd that Remus sometimes seems to be under the weather on the days when there is a full moon. For a while I even contemplated whether or not he could be a werewolf, isn't that crazy?"

Sirius let out a slow breath. "Tonks, whatever Rem's secret is, it is not for us to tell you. You need to talk to Rem and tell him that you want to know what he's keeping from you. We can't help you with that."

She nodded, biting her bottom lip. "We're having dinner with my parents tonight. Dad walked in on Remus and I snogging in my kitchen yesterday. He was a tad peeved."

Sirius looked at Harry and they both grinned identical smirks. "Sounds fun."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "It's going to be fine." She reached for a brownie and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. "And I think you two helped answer my question as well." She kissed them each on the cheek. "I have to go meet Remus. I'll see you on Christmas."

When she headed out to Disapparate, Harry looked at his godfather. "Did we just confirm that Uncle Remus is a werewolf? Does she know now? Is it our fault?"

Sirius sighed. "I think that she's always known on some level, Harry, and I think she's only just now starting to put the pieces together. Remus has to tell her soon."

"Do you think that she's going to be mad?"

Sirius shook his head, smiling at his godson. "Mad? She loves him. But the fact that he's lied to her, that's something else entirely."

Harry only nodded and poured the hot cocoa into two mugs. "I hope that he tells her soon. It doesn't change who he is. He's still the greatest."

Sirius accepted the mug with a smile. "He will, Harry, especially if he's going to have dinner with Ted and Andy tonight."

"Why?"

Sirius grinned as he took a sip. "Ted used to be in the Order of the Phoenix with us."

Harry looked bewildered. "What does that mean?"

"Quite a lot, I think."

Harry didn't find this helpful at all.

~ ASC ~

 **When Remus and Tonks stepped into her childhood home just before five that evening, Remus found himself shifting uncomfortably.** He had started to feel very much at home in this place over the years, coming over every Christmas, and he had felt like they had become his family too.

Now he was feeling very much like an unwanted outsider.

He cleared his throat and smiled warmly at Andromeda when she took his coat from him.

"Dora," she said with a smile, kissing her daughter's cheek. "And Remus, come in!"

Remus smiled back at her as Tonks greeted her parents affectionately. Ted gestured for Remus to sit down and he chose a seat on the sofa, pleased when Tonks sat next to him, entwining her fingers with his. The feel of her skin on his calmed him and he could feel the beat of her heart pulsing in her blood in a slow and steady rhythm and his own slowed to match it. Just being with her always made him feel better.

"This is a surprise for us as I'm sure you can imagine," Andromeda said carefully as she took a seat on the love seat next to her husband.

Tonks only smiled. "Mum, he makes me happy."

Andromeda smiled back, nodding. "I can see that. Dora, why don't you come help me in the kitchen? I want to talk to you."

Tonks only nodded, standing up to follow her mother out, kissing Remus softly on the cheek as she stood. "Talk indeed as we all know me and the kitchen don't mix." Remus smirked and her father chuckled. "Be nice, Dad."

"I'm always nice," Ted said defensively.

Tonks only shrugged at that and followed her mother into the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

Andromeda was at the counter chopping peppers, an apron around her waist and she didn't turn around when the kitchen door closed.

"I know what you're going to say, Mum."

"No, you don't," Andromeda said, not turning around.

"I know thirteen years is a big difference, I'm not stupid."

"I never said that you were."

"He's the most incredible man I've ever known, Mum."

"He is intelligent and very handsome," Andromeda admitted.

Tonks sighed, hopping up onto the counter next to where her mother was chopping furiously. "More than just intelligent and handsome, Mum. He's kind and patient and charming and funny and he makes me feel things that I can't quite put into words."

"He also struggles to find work, Dora."

"Mum!"

Andromeda sighed and put her knife down, wiping her hands on her apron. "I like Remus. He is all of those wonderful traits and much more, not to mention that he has always been there for Harry and Sirius. He loves that child like he was his own son. But… he gets ill a lot and his illness seems to hold him back from truly making a career for himself, a life. Surely you know that. He has an illness that…"

"He doesn't… you don't understand."

Andromeda closed her eyes, speaking carefully now. "He does seem to be ill a lot, Dora. He always has for as long as I've known him. Sirius is loyal to a fault. He tells me that he's on the right potions and that he will be fine and he usually is, but _he is ill._ You can see it in his eyes sometimes when the sickness… I don't want you to be a nursemaid to a sick man."

"Mum, he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself!"

"Then why doesn't he have a job? He's been fired from more jobs than I can even remember. If Sirius hadn't paid him to teach, Harry, he would be barely scraping by! You are on the fast track to becoming an incredible Auror, soon you'll be an A2, and are you planning to let him hold you back from your ambitions?"

Tonks glared at her mother. She had never imagined that Andromeda of all people would judge a man by his wealth. "Honestly, Mum, are you even listening to yourself right now? I guess some of those Black family genes really did stick; like father like daughter."

Andromeda paled. "Nymphadora!"

"No!" Tonks exclaimed, her grey eyes on her mother. "I'm in love with him!" she declared passionately. "Sometimes I think that I've always been in love with him. He kissed me, you know, two years ago, here, at Christmas. God, it was the best moment of my life up until that point. He apologized, tried to pretend like it didn't happen, but it did and I… I wanted him so badly and he said no. He says that he doesn't deserve me. He's the most incredible man and for some unknown reason he doesn't think that he deserves me of all people. I know that he's older than me. I don't care. I know that he has trouble keeping a job as he misses a few days each month. I don't care. I know that he gets ill sometimes. I don't care. Being with him makes me happier than I can even form into words. My blood hums when he's near me and I never want that feeling to go away. Don't you remember when you were in love with Dad?"

"I'm still in love with your father, desperately and completely," Andromeda said quietly as she watched her daughter's eyes dance in joy as she described her feelings. "Dora, I just want you to be happy, darling, nothing else matters to me. Nothing."

Tonks hopped off the counter and hugged her mother tightly, smiling when her mum's lips pressed against her cheek. "He makes me so happy that I could burst. It's only been a few months but… this thing between us has been building for years. He's… mine, I know it. I have this… need to be possessive of him, to make him mine that I can't quite… I _need him_ , Mum, and I'm terrified to tell him how much in case it scares him off again."

Andromeda framed her daughter's face in her hands, a small smile on her face. "He's a wonderful man, Dora, don't think that I don't know that. If he makes you this happy, if he is truly who you want, I won't ever stand in your way. I love you, my darling little pixie, and all I want is for you to be happy and to follow your dreams."

Tonks smiled at the childhood nickname, kissing her mum's cheek. "I love you too, Mum."

Andromeda held her daughter close for a long moment and then she sighed. "Now, help me get this chicken roasting and you can tell me all about how this happened. I especially want to know about this first Christmas kiss."

Tonks grinned, moving to get the spices down from the cupboard. "You do know about it already. Remember, I told you that I had the best kiss of my life while playing in the snow?"

"The one after the snowball fight?"

Tonks nodded. "Exactly."

Andromeda grinned. "Well, that was quite the steamy kiss from what I remember you telling me, I think that we should talk about it again now that I know it was Remus and not someone from school."

Tonks grinned wide. "Mum, he's just… he's amazing."

"And handsome."

"So fit and so sexy," Tonks said with a smile. "I told you that there was somebody special in my life."

"You did and you said it was somebody who gave you your first real orgasm, I listen, Dora," she said with a smile. "But you did conveniently leave out the part where the man's name was Remus Lupin."

Tonks hugged her mother from behind. "I know, but now you know."

"I do. Now, do tell," Andromeda said with a smile as her hands got busy prepping the chicken. "And we can talk about why you haven't told him how you feel yet."

Tonks just smiled, hopping back up onto the counter and nodded. "What do you want to know?"

Andromeda smiled at her daughter. "Everything."

~ ASC ~

 **Remus was sitting in the living room with Ted feeling a bit uncomfortable.** He wondered if Andromeda was telling Tonks that they couldn't be together and frankly he would completely understand it. He was closer to Andromeda's age than to Nymphadora's and he knew that he wasn't the man that she had pictured for her daughter. As for Ted, Remus was still surprised that the man hadn't tried to hex him into next week after walking into his daughter's kitchen and discovering Remus with his hand inside of his daughter's knickers.

Ted was tapping his fingers against his beer pint, his eyes on him for a long moment.

"I know that this isn't what you expected and I know that I'm the last person that you ever wanted to get involved with your daughter," Remus said carefully.

Ted held up his hand to stop him. "Don't put words in my mouth, Remus."

Remus bit his bottom lip.

"Am I pleased that you are dating Nymphadora? Not particularly, but frankly, I felt the same about all of her previous boyfriends, so I wouldn't take it personally. Do I think that you're too old for her? Age is irrelevant to me. What concerns me is something else entirely." Ted said carefully, his eyes moving to the closed door of the kitchen before he dropped his voice. "What concerns me is what happens to you three nights a month."

Remus paled. "Er — what do you mean?"

Ted rolled his eyes. "I was the in the Order of the Phoenix too, Remus. You went on some pretty dangerous missions; interesting ones from what I recall, especially the ones where you crossed paths with Adrian Roberts and who else you dealt with on those missions… a few of us suspected there was a reason someone so young was chosen to go on them and to make contact with the Alpha of a werewolf pack. We did some research on werewolves, learning about them and their habits. We wanted to know everything we could in case you were successful and you brought more werewolves into the Order. You've been coming here for years, Remus. You are basically part of this family already because of your friendship with Sirius. After all these years, did you really think that I wouldn't notice the symptoms? That I wouldn't notice that three nights a month, like clockwork you were ill? The first time Sirius left us alone with Harry, that Christmas four years ago when you were too sick to attend dinner, the illnesses… Andy thinks that you have some incurable disease or a form of a cancer of some kind and I haven't had the heart to tell her the truth if she hasn't figured it out on her own — that this illness of yours tends to correlate with the moon cycle. I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell her nor have I said anything to Dora on the subject."

Remus swallowed carefully. The last thing he had expected was for Ted to know the details of his biggest secret. "I don't… I don't know if I can stay away from her. I tried and… she's…"

"Your mate," Ted said simply, bringing his beer to his lips for a long drink. "I rather got that impression already and once I got over the shock of finding you two in Dora's flat, I realized that I had already known."

Remus stared at him in amazement. He had no idea that Edward Tonks was so observant or had he in fact just given that much of himself away? "How?"

"The possessive nature; the way you practically ripped off her boyfriend's head a few years ago with a look. I told you, we did research on werewolves during the war, on what they are like, on their personalities, and on their lives. Did you really think that I didn't notice you watching my daughter? I saw the way you tried to ignore it, the way you stayed away from her and I also know that my daughter probably didn't make that easy on you. She's too much like her mother, Merlin help her. September was when you finally caved?"

Remus nodded, biting his lip as he spoke. "She was dating Hugh Arnett and… the bloke had to go. I went to her flat and I told her that she had to break up with him. That she couldn't date him."

Ted chuckled. "If you don't want Dora to do something, the last thing you do is try to tell her not to do it."

Remus smiled. "I didn't mean for it to happen… I tried to resist her I just…"

"She's your mate," Ted said again and when Remus nodded, he sighed. "She has no idea, does she?"

Remus shook his head. "I haven't been able to bring myself to tell her."

"Have you told her that you love her?"

Remus shook his head again.

Ted stood up, moving to sit next to Remus on the chesterfield. "The only thing I have ever wanted for my baby girl was for her to be happy, Remus. She's doing her dream job, achieving her dreams and she's fancied you for many years. She told me that she grew out of it when I teased her about wanting to go over to Sirius' to see you, but that little crush, it grew with her. She's a grown woman now; strong and independent and you are what makes her happy, any fool can see it. I think on some level I always knew that she would end up with you."

"And the fact that I'm… a monster?" he whispered.

Ted shrugged. "A werewolf, you mean? It's only three nights a month, the man who loves and worships my daughter is who I care about, not the wolf. I've watched you over the years with your son, for he is, you know, every much as he is Sirius' - he is your son. You're an amazing father, a great uncle, and a wonderful friend. I don't correlate those terms with the word monster. A man with those qualities, a man who clearly loves and worships my daughter, is not a monster. Just promise me one thing?"

"What's that?" Remus asked, his heart beating quickly in his chest. He couldn't believe that Ted was so accepting of the fact that his daughter was dating a werewolf.

"Promise me that you won't ever hurt her, that you'll take care of her when she lets you, and that you will love her with all of your heart."

Remus stared into Ted's eyes, completely baffled by the trust the man was showing him. "I can promise that."

"Good. Oh, and Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Tell her the truth soon - or I will."

Remus could only nod in response.

He had absolutely no words to convey his reaction. Ted knew that he was a werewolf, had known for years by the sounds of it and had known that Remus and Tonks were drawn to each other. It alarmed him a bit. Had he been that obvious? Had he truly given it away?

And most importantly, if Ted had figured it out — did Nymphadora know?

Remus sipped his beer and closed his eyes.

He had never been more terrified to find out the answer.


	92. Chapter 92

_Author's Note:_

 _A few reviewers have been asking me for my playlist for this story. I listen to whatever I feel like when I'm writing or a just at random tend to write in silence, but I sometimes imagine songs that fit in certain scenes. As I love every single one of these songs personally I also recommend listening to this playlist just to listen to it (preferably in the car lol) as it's fantastic! So the following is a list of all of the songs I have mentioned or used lyrics from in the last 92 chapters. Enjoy!_

 _It's Only Rock n' Roll But I like It - The Rolling Stones_

 _All You Need is Love - The Beatles_

 _Stand - Rascal Flatts_

 _Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd_

 _A Night at the Opera (album) - Queen_

 _Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon_

 _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper_

 _I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor_

 _Respect - Aretha Franklin_

 _Blackbird - The Beatles_

 _PS I Love You - The Beatles_

 _The White Album (album) - The Beatles_

 _Rubber Soul (album) - The Beatles_

 _The Game (album) - Queen_

 _Birthday - The Beatles_

 _Led Zeppelin III (album) - Led Zeppelin_

 _You Like Me Too Much - The Beatles_

 _In My Life - The Beatles_

 _G N' R Lies (album) - Guns N' Roses_

 _Don't Bother Me - The Beatles_

 _I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles_

 _I'll Cry Instead - The Beatles_

 _I've Just Seen A Face - The Beatles_

 _I'm A Loser - The Beatles_

 _I Am the Walrus - The Beatles_

 _Act Naturally - The Beatles_

 _Hold Me Tight - The Beatles_

 _Carry That Weight - The Beatles_

 _With A Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles_

 _Across the Universe - The Beatles_

 _While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles_

 _Something - The Beatles_

 _Eight Days A Week - The Beatles_

 _Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles_

 _Because - The Beatles_

 _Let It Be - The Beatles_

 _Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles_

 _Dream On - Aerosmith_

 _Innuendo (album) - Queen_

 _Presto (album) - Rush_

 _Working Man - Rush_

 _Blow Up Your Video (album) - ACDC_

 _Bleach (album) - Nirvana_

 _New Jersey (album) - Bon Jovi_

 _Like A Prayer (album) - Madonna_

 _Wide Awake in Dreamland (album) - Pat Benatar_

 _Whiplash Smile (album) - Billy Idol_

 _Dark Side of the Moon (album) - Pink Floyd_

 _I Will - The Beatles_

 _We Will Rock You - Queen_

 _Toto IV (album) - Toto_

 _Back in Black (album) - ACDC_

 _London Calling (album) - The Clash_

 _I have a few ideas here and interesting plots that are building or will be unfolding eventually. And again no, this doesn't mean that he's been redeemed._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY-TWO:**

 **Sirius smiled at Zee as she stood on her toes to kiss him quickly.** He hadn't seen her in four days and he had missed her terribly, but she had insisted on giving him time to spend alone with Harry and he was grateful to her for that.

"Hi, I've missed you."

Zee smiled and kissed him again. "Hi, I've missed you, too." She leaned in to kiss him as Harry stepped into the kitchen. "Hi, Harry."

"Hi, Zee," Harry said, moving around them to open the ice box. He tugged out some of the leftover ham from the night before and began to make himself a sandwich.

"We just ate lunch an hour ago," Sirius said with amusement.

Harry grinned at him as he spread mustard on his bread. "Uh-huh, I'm a growing boy, remember?"

Sirius smirked at him. "Smart-ass."

Zee chuckled, tucking a dark curl behind her ear. "You two are adorable. Listen, I just popped in to say hi. I have some paperwork to finish up at the office and then I'm going to my aunt's for dinner. But I'll see you on Thursday for Christmas Eve."

Sirius pouted and tugged her back into his arms. "But that's still two whole days away!"

She pat his cheek and smirked at him. "You'll survive." She kissed his lips quickly and smiled at Harry. "Take care of him for me, Harry."

Harry smiled at her as he watched his father watch her go. She really did make him happy and he liked her even more for it. He finished eating his sandwich and stabbed an extra piece of ham from the container.

"What time is she coming over on Thursday?"

"Don't know, whenever she gets here," Sirius said with a smile. He walked over to steal a piece of ham for himself as Andromeda came into the kitchen. "Hi, Andy, what a surprise!"

Andy kissed his cheek, then kissed Harry's. "Hi, boys, eating standing up I see. Harry, doesn't your father ever feed you?"

Harry laughed. "Nope, lets me starve. See, I have to eat it cold and everything."

Andromeda chuckled and immediately opened the ice box to search it's contents. A few minutes later, her hands were full as she was quickly preparing a meatloaf.

"Andy, are you honestly making us dinner? What are you doing here?" Sirius asked her, putting the ham away and glancing at Harry who looked just as bewildered as he was.

"I just… Ted and I had a minor disagreement and I needed to get out for a bit; figured I'd come see what trouble you two were causing." She cracked an egg over her bowl of ingredients. "Dora and Remus are dating."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Does it bother you?"

She shook her head. "No, he makes her so happy, it's rather lovely I just… I'm just surprised by it is all. And I feel like I knew on some level… she's fancied him a long time so I don't really know why I'm so surprised."

Sirius nodded. "She has and so has he."

Andromeda continued to mix the ingredients in the bowl, her fingers working through the raw hamburger with clarity and ease. "She always did tell me everything that girl. We never kept secrets from each other. I knew when she first kissed a boy and when she was ready to have sex and… she always told me everything and when she told me about the man who… I guess finding out it was Remus was a bit more of a shock than I thought."

"Andy, nothing is really changing."

She smiled at him. "No, of course not, she's just… she's all grown up now is all. I miss my baby girl sometimes."

Sirius nodded at Harry who was leaning against the kitchen counter. "You can say that again."

Andromeda smiled at Harry. "Someone else is really growing up over there. Any requests for Christmas dinner other than treacle tart?"

Harry grinned widely at her. "Strawberry pie."

"Apple pie," Sirius said with a grin.

"Just pie," Harry said on a laugh.

Andromeda nodded, smiling at them. "I can do that. Harry, Sirius has told me about the Chamber of Secrets scare, I bet that you're glad to get away from the school for a while; to be home with your family."

"Yeah, it was nice to leave," he told her honestly. "Everyone thinks that I'm guilty of hurting people because I keep finding the victims."

She frowned. "A second year student could never… Sirius, you still have no idea who the attacker could be?"

"None," Sirius told her. "Dumbledore is working on it in his own way but, we have no clue."

Harry shrugged. "Ron and I thought that it was Draco Malfoy. Mostly because he's a git, but also because he's staying at Hogwarts for the holidays. He's good at being suspicious, but he has no clue who opened it either." He scratched Marauder's ears when the dog came to greet him. "Uncle Siri, I'm going to take Marauder for a walk."

Sirius nodded. "Sure, don't go too far. Keep the mirror on you! And dress warm!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I will. Bye Andy."

Sirius smiled at his cousin as he watched Harry head to the front door to bundle up. "It's been getting to him, the accusations and the stares. I hope once he goes back to school it will die down a bit."

She nodded. "Did he say that Draco is staying at school for the holidays?"

"Yeah, sounds like. I thought it was strange too. Cissa always throws an elaborate over the top Christmas party and invites everyone. I can't imagine why he's not going home."

Andromeda nodded. "No one should be at school over the holidays."

"Well, I agree, but if he wants to stay — hey, where are you going?"

But Andromeda was already stepping into the fireplace and disappearing from the cottage.

Sirius merely stared down at the half formed meatloaf and shrugged. He might as well make meatloaf for dinner then, he thought and he washed his hands before digging in the bowl of ingredients to finish the job.

~ ASC ~

 **Andromeda greeted Hagrid at the gate to Hogwarts a few minutes later.** She smiled as he led her through the grounds and over the bridge to the castle. She rubbed her hands together, still chilled despite her gloves and smiled kindly at McGonagall when she came to meet her in the entrance hall.

"Andromeda, this is a surprise. Whatever can we do for you?"

Andromeda smiled warmly at her. "I would like to speak to Draco Malfoy."

If McGonagall thought that this was a strange request, she gave no sign. Instead, she only nodded. "Of course. I'll take you to my office and have his head of house fetch him."

"Thank you."

Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting in McGonagall's small sitting room, a hot cup of tea in her hands as Draco entered the room. He only glanced curiously at McGonagall when she left them alone.

"Hi," he said shortly, his grey-blue eyes staring at her in confusion. "Professor Snape said that I had a visitor."

Andromeda smiled warmly at him. "You do. Draco, how lovely to see you again. Please, have a seat." He hesitated a moment, but then he walked over to sit in the chair across from her. "Will you have a cup of tea with me?"

Draco carefully made himself a cup of tea as she watched him. Only after he had taken his first sip, did she speak.

"I'm sure that you're wondering why I've come today," she began as Draco merely stared at her with indifference. "I've been thinking about you since we spoke at my father's funeral. You are my nephew and despite the troubles that your mother and grandmother and I have, you will always be my nephew."

Draco looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he clamped his mouth shut.

"Harry mentioned to me that you are staying here for the holidays which is how I knew that you would be at school."

"Potter should mind his own damn business," he muttered.

Andromeda smiled. "Christmas was always Cissa's favourite time of year. She loved the parties and the dancing and the decorating of the tree, I can't imagine that's changed much."

"No, she still loves it."

"Do you like Christmas?"

"Of course I do, what's not to like?" he asked, his voice sharp and annoyed.

Andromeda nodded, watching him carefully. He was doing his best to hide his emotions which she found interesting, but she could see the wariness and the curiosity in his grey-blue eyes. "Of course. Hogwarts puts on a great Christmas feast, I'm sure, but with the scare happening, Minerva tells me that only ten students have stayed which makes it a small and probably a bit of a strange holiday feast. And you all alone in Slytherin House on top of it."

"What do you want, Aunt — Mrs Tonks?"

She smiled and let out a slow breath. "Aunt Dromeda, please, Draco. And well, frankly I would love it if you came and spent Christmas Day with me and my family."

Draco simply stared at her. "You're joking."

"No," she said sternly. "I'm not. Ted and I always make way too much food. My daughter Dora would love to finally meet you. Sirius always comes with Harry and Remus; it's just the six of us usually. I'm quite a good cook, you know. It won't be anything like what you're used too, I'm sure, but you'd be with family."

"If I wanted to be with family, I'd go home for Christmas."

"And, you don't want to be with your family, is that it?" she asked him, her eyes on his.

Draco was quiet for a moment, sipping his tea carefully. "Grandfather and Grandmother are visiting from France and Mother thinks it would be better if I stayed here for the holidays."

"Having met Abraxas and Isla Malfoy I happen to agree with your mother's sentiment, but they are also your grandparents, and I'd imagine that they'd like to see you nevertheless."

Draco simply shrugged.

"I would really love it if you came and spent Christmas with us, Draco."

Draco took another sip of his tea, watching her carefully and then he shrugged. "All right, sure."

Andromeda beamed at him. "Wonderful! You can Floo over straight after breakfast! I'll see you on Friday morning."

Draco simply nodded as she gathered up her things to go. "Aunt Dromeda?" When she turned to smile at him, he merely shook his head. "Friday then."

She kept smiling the entire walk back to the Apparition point.

~ ASC ~

 **Christmas Eve started off much the same as usual.** The snowball fight was even bigger this year and Harry cheered when Zee snuck up behind Sirius from her house and shoved his face down into the snow. Sirius declared immediate war and went after her, pelting snowballs at her left and right. But to Harry's surprise, Zee waved her wand and snowballs formed around her, protecting her and pummelling Sirius who was laughing.

"Harry! Come help defend my status as champion!" Sirius called out, ducking his head behind his arm to avoid a snowball to the face.

Harry grinned at Remus who tossed a snowball at Sirius from behind. "Nah, I think it's time you were dethroned!"

He and Remus smirked at each other and then the two of them joined Zee in pummelling Sirius with snowballs until he was collapsed on the ground, hands over his head, laughing.

"All right, all right, I give!" he cried out.

Remus chuckled and extended his hand out to help his friend to his feet. "Beaten. Finally." Then he gave him a little shove and Sirius fell back into a snow pile, swearing.

It had been extremely entertaining.

After the snowball fight, they went in for hot chocolate and Zee opened a tin of freshly made chocolate chip biscuits.

"Thanks for helping me defeat Sirius," she said with a grin as she passed the biscuits around.

Remus grinned at her. "He deserved it, don't you think so, Harry?"

"Definitely." Harry said, taking a biscuit and smiling at her.

Harry had only seen her the one day briefly in the kitchen since Sirius had admitted to being in love with her. But he was watching her slowly now, trying to gauge what he really thought about her.

He knew that she was nice. And she made the best biscuits he had ever had in his entire life. She did have a pretty cool job and the fact that she had a pet panther was pretty brilliant. She liked to have fun as was evident by her joining the snowball fight and she was competitive. Harry could see why Sirius was attracted to her. She was rather on the short side, but curvy and he had to admit very beautiful. She had a loud rich laugh.

But the part that he decided that he liked best about her was that she always made Sirius smile.

And to his surprise, he was all right with her being around. She was fun.

They decided to build the gingerbread village next as Remus took all of the gingerbread that they had baked that morning out and spread it across the kitchen. Tonks came over to help and Harry was quite pleased with their work. They had an entire village surrounding a three story cottage (that was straight for once thanks to Zee) and when they finished it was a success. The five of them built it together with big smiles.

Sirius checked on the pot roast that they were having for dinner as Zee moved to sit next to Harry in the living room.

"Hi, Harry," she said brightly.

Harry smiled back at her. "Hi, Zee."

She let out a slow sigh. "I know that we haven't really talked since the summer, but Sirius told you that we're together now, for real?" At Harry's nod, she smiled. "Sirius means a lot to me, Harry, and I promise that I will take good care of him when you're at school."

Harry smiled at her. "You make him really happy."

"He makes me really happy too," she told him. She reached next to the chesterfield and pulled out the gift she had wrapped there. "I have my own Christmas tidings to attend to tonight and tomorrow, but I wanted to give you your present before I left."

"My present?"

Zee smiled at him. "You're the most important person in Sirius' life which means that I'd really like it if we could at least be friends. Sirius told me that I didn't have to, but I wanted to get you a little something for Christmas. Just from me."

Harry nodded, accepting the gift from her. "Thank you."

She nodded, grinning at him. "Open it."

Harry quickly made work of the wrappings as he looked curiously on to what was inside.

"I know that Hogwarts doesn't offer Care of Magical Creatures until third year and I don't even know if you would be interested in attending the class, but I thought that this was something that you would find interesting anyway," she said carefully as he lifted the red magnifying glass from the box. "This magnifying glass allows you to see through to a creature's true form. I thought about it after Sirius told me that he was an Animagus."

"Does it only work on those who are an Animagus?"

Zee shook her head with a smile. "No. It shows you every magical creature and it also warns you if there's a danger level from that creature as in that they might be about to attack you. It monitors their adrenaline levels. Watch, hold it up to Marauder and look through the glass."

Harry did as she instructed. He could see Marauder yawning through the red glass and then the glass turned clear. "The glass changed colour. It's clear."

She smiled. "That means, Marauder means you no harm, but is friendly and as he is just a normal dog and not a magical creature per say, there's nothing special there. Now, go look at Sirius."

Harry's brow crinkled in curiosity as he stood up and headed to the kitchen doorway where he could see Sirius was talking to Remus and Tonks. He held up the glass to his eye and to his surprise the form of Sirius in the glass kept shifting between Sirius and the German Shepherd that he could transform into. "Wow," he said with a grin. In curiosity, he looked at Tonks, she looked the same just tinted red from the glass, but when he turned it on Remus, he watched in horrid fascination as his father's face elongated into that of the wolf before changing back into himself.

He went back over to the couch with a smile. "That's awesome. Thanks Zee!"

And to Zee's surprise, he hugged her.

She hugged him back lightly and smiled. "You're welcome! I'm glad you like it. It's an old tool that witches and wizards used to use in Eastern Europe. It kind of fell out of fashion a century or so ago, but after what happened with Sirius' old friend, stalking him in his Animagus form, I thought maybe you'd like to have the ability to see people's true forms."

Harry nodded, smiling at her. "I would. Thank you very much."

"You're very welcome." She stood up, slipping her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "I'm going to say goodbye to Sirius and head out. You have a very happy Christmas, Harry."

"Happy Christmas, Zee."

He watched her head into the kitchen and he grinned widely. Yeah, she was pretty cool, he thought.

After Zee left, Tonks, Remus, Sirius, and Harry ate dinner and then curled up in the living room for desert as Remus pulled out Dickens. They listened to him tell the familiar tale, finishing just before midnight.

Tonks hugged him goodnight, promising to see them at her parents house for dinner the next day and Harry grinned as he watched her kiss Remus rather passionately, leaving him flushed.

He grinned at his uncle when she left. "Snogging looks okay, I guess."

Remus laughed and ruffled Harry's hair. "Bed, little Prongs. Or Father Christmas won't come."

Harry only rolled his eyes, hugged his uncles goodnight and went upstairs to get ready for bed. He had just slipped under the covers when there was a knock on his bedroom door.

Sirius poked his head inside. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Harry nodded, sitting up in his bed as Sirius moved to take a seat on the end of it. "What's going on?"

Sirius smiled. "Nothing is going on," he said with a grin. "I'm a little sad that you don't need me to tuck you in anymore."

Harry smirked at him. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Uncle Siri."

"I know," he said with a smile. "I wanted to see if you were okay with… with Zee being here earlier?"

"I like her," Harry told him with a smile. "She makes you happy."

Sirius grinned at him. "She does, yeah. It surprised me, too, but she really does. What did Zee give you for Christmas?"

Harry explained about the magnifying glass and Sirius grinned.

"That's incredible."

"Uncle Sirius, are you okay?"

Sirius smiled, standing up. He leaned down and kissed Harry's forehead. "I'm more than okay. Now, let's get some sleep and then we can see what Father Christmas brought you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Uncle Sirius."

"Goodnight, Prongslet."

Sirius closed Harry's bedroom door behind him and he leaned back against the wall in the hallway for a moment. His little boy was really growing up and he couldn't explain the pride and love pouring out of him at the thought of it while feeling immensely sad at the same time.

He sighed and headed into his own room to get ready for bed. He was glad that Harry and Zee seemed to be getting along as well. Thoughts of Zee were the last thing on his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

~ ASC ~

 **Christmas morning started off pretty much the same.** Music blared, presents were opened, and a big breakfast was eaten.

Harry had flushed in embarrassment when he had opened the book from Sirius and Remus titled _Pleasing Your Witch or Wizard, A Step by Step Guide._ When he had opened the book and saw the first chapter was on safe sex, he had thought it was a just a handy guideline, but then he had kept flipping and his eyes had practically bugged out of his head when he saw an outline of a man and a woman moving in tandem on the page and he quickly shut the book again, his cheeks flaming red.

Sirius had merely grinned widely and told Harry the last chapter was a detailed description of two hundred and forty five sex positions and how to perform them. He told Harry that he and Remus wouldn't bring it up again unless Harry asked, but the book should answer any other questions he may have on the subject.

Harry tried not to think about it.

He got some more new clothes, new cleaning tools for his broomstick servicing kit, and new gloves for Quidditch.

After breakfast, they all showered and dressed for the day before McGonagall came over for eggnog and gifts and then they headed to the Tonks household for Christmas dinner.

The last person that Harry expected to see sitting on the sofa in the living room was Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy!" he exclaimed in surprise.

Andromeda hurried into the living room at his outburst and kissed his cheek. "Happy Christmas, Harry! I invited my nephew to spend Christmas with us today. After you told me that he was staying at school by himself I thought, we can't have that."

Harry only nodded in surprise.

Sirius draped an arm across his shoulders. "I know that you usually head out into the yard with Marauder now and start building the snow walls for the after dinner snowball fight, why don't you take Draco out with you?" At Harry's eye roll, Sirius only grinned at him. "He doesn't want to stay in here with us anymore than you do, Prongslet."

Harry sighed and nodded as he put on his gloves and toque. "Draco, you're coming outside with me."

Draco only stared at him a moment and then nodded. Once they were bundled up, they headed outside into the lovely winter wonderland and Marauder bounded through the snow happily making Harry laugh. He didn't turn back to see if Draco was following him or not he just kept walking until he reached the back of the yard where the first little snow wall always went up.

"What are we doing out here, Potter?"

Harry turned to grin at him. "After dinner, we always have a massive snowball fight. It's kind of become a tradition. The last few years, I've taken on the task of compiling the snow walls for each team before dinner. You can help." He reached down to grab the container he used to make the bricks of snow, pleased that it packed so easily. "Only make it ten bricks high, it's just a ducking point."

Draco stared at him for a moment and at first Harry thought that he wasn't going to help out, but then he reached down for the second container and began to pack it with snow.

They worked in silence for almost ten minutes before Draco spoke up.

"Why did you tell her that I was staying at school for Christmas?"

Harry shrugged. "She was asking me about school and if I was doing all right with the scare of the Chamber of Secrets and all that. I told her that I was fine, but glad to be home and it kind of slipped out."

"How does that accidentally slip out?"

"I might have mentioned that I thought you were the one to open the Chamber of Secrets and staying on at Hogwarts over the holidays only made you seem more suspicious."

Draco snorted. "I didn't open the Chamber of Secrets."

"I know."

Draco's eyebrow rose. "But you just said —"

" — that was before," Harry interrupted. "But you told Ron and I that you didn't and alluded to not wanting to go home for Christmas because your grandparents were there."

"I did not say that to you or to the Weasel."

Harry smirked at him. "Well, we were disguised as Crabbe and Goyle at the time."

Draco stared at him for a minute and then he laughed. "You're more clever than I give you credit for. Unless of course Granger orchestrated it all, then it makes more sense."

"Thanks, I think."

Draco carefully slid his gloves hands along the edge of the row they finished, smoothing out the snow. "Have any other suspicions on who opened it now that you know it's not me?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I wish I knew though. I mean, I know you don't seem to care that people are getting attacked, but I do."

Draco opened his mouth to protest this and then promptly closed it.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, you were going to say something."

Draco sighed and let out a long breath. "My grandfather was at school when the Chamber of Secrets was opened the last time."

"Uncle Sirius told me that your dad mentioned it to the Hogwarts Board of Governors. I also know that someone was accused and expelled for the crime, but they were innocent. No one ever found the real culprit or discovered the monster. But all of the attacks on Muggleborns did stop after that girl died."

Draco nodded, glancing back towards the house. "I've never really talked to a Muggleborn before today… Grandfather always made them out to be villains. Like just being in the same room as one will contaminate you in some way, but Ted… he's… he's nice and he's funny. When I arrived here, his daughter came downstairs and he levitated the carpet as she stepped onto it and sent her on a ride around the living room before he flipped her onto the sofa. She was laughing… and I could tell it wasn't the first time he's done that… I can't imagine my father ever doing… he's just different than I expected."

"Ted is great! He's so funny and smart. He works at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He's an officer in the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. He really likes his work and he loves that Tonks is in the Auror Office too because she's close by. She's studying to be an A2 and can take her exam at the end of January," Harry told him as they finished the first wall and Harry led him across the yard to start building the second one.

"Why does she go by Tonks?"

Harry grinned. "She hates the name Nymphadora; says its too old-fashioned and pretentious sounding. Her mum and dad call her Dora though and she's okay with that, but only Uncle Remus gets away with calling her Nymphadora. Everyone else calls her Tonks. She's kind of like my big sister. Andy is the best too. She's a brilliant cook and always makes me the best birthday cakes every year."

Draco nodded. "I don't really know them… she… she says that I should call them Aunt Dromeda and Uncle Ted but… it seems strange. And if my parents find out that I'm here… or my grandmother… it is well known that Andromeda Black was disowned from the family and to be honest, until a few years ago, I thought that she was dead. That's how much we _don't_ talk about it."

Harry shrugged. "They won't find out that you're here from me."

Draco smiled at him. "Potter… Harry, I don't feel like being close to the — to — _Uncle_ Ted will contaminate me."

"Because it won't. In fact, it might just make you a better person."

Draco only rolled his eyes. "Please."

Harry chuckled as he smoothed out another row of snow. Marauder yipped, propping his two front paws up on Harry to lick his face, making him laugh. Then to Harry's surprise, Marauder hurried over, tackling Draco to the ground and licking his face as well.

The laugh that erupted from the boy surprised Harry as he watched him wrestle with the dog.

"BOYS!" Andromeda called out from the back door. "TIME FOR DINNER!"

Harry grinned at Draco, holding his hand out to help him to his feet. "Marauder is usually an excellent judge of character," Harry told him, scratching his dog behind his ears.

Draco grinned back at him. "He's a pretty cool dog."

Harry smirked. "Come on; let's go wash up."

Dinner was a noisy affair as per usual, but Harry found himself incredibly entertained by how surprised Draco seemed to be by it all. When Sirius and Andromeda started telling stories from their youth, he listened attentively intrigued. When Sirius asked his cousin if she remembered when they had stolen all of Cissa's hair combs and products and watched her chase them around the house, Draco had even smiled.

"My — " everyone turned to look at him when he spoke and Draco swallowed slowly before continuing. "Mother once told me that Aunt Bella beheaded all of her dolls and hung them from the ceiling fan in her bedroom and then went on to hang the limbs from the ceiling in her sister's room. Is — is that true?"

Andromeda nodded, a sad smile on her face. "Cissa and I were always close as kids but Bella was… there was always something off about her, something… truly evil. She enjoyed inflicting pain on others. She enjoyed watching people suffer. The day I married Ted, she sent me a cursed necklace. Ted summoned it away from me before I could put it on — he still has the scar on his hand."

Ted held up his hand to show the beaded white scar across his palm. "It burned right through my skin to the bone and I barely touched it."

"How did you know that it was cursed?"

"Dromeda was reaching for it and it seemed to have her under some sort of trance. I called her name a few times, but to no avail so I summoned it away from her. The Aurors took it and Moody told me that if Andromeda had succeeded in placing it around her neck it would have burned her alive," Ted said, reaching for his wine to drink deeply. "I didn't let her open another package without my approval after that for almost two years."

"I didn't know that," Sirius told her, his eyes on his cousin. "You never told me she did that."

Andromeda shrugged. "You were still at Hogwarts. I didn't want to worry you. You were barely older than Harry at the time." She smiled at Draco. "Does Cissa talk about Bella a lot?"

Draco shook his head. "She tries not too. Whenever she does, she gets upset. But Grandfather does. He's always telling my father that Aunt Bella would have made a better wife for him, more suitable in every way, but he had let Lestrange steal her hand away from him because he had made a stupid mistake, but I don't know what his mistake was. Father always changes the subject."

Andromeda smiled at her nephew. "Draco, your grandfather is an arse and he always has been. As for Cissa… I haven't seen Cissa outside of our father's funeral a few weeks ago in over twenty-two years, but I can tell you that she and Lucius… they were so in love with each other. She was head over heels for him and he with her. At every ball, I used to look for your father just to watch him, watch her. His eyes would follow her around the ball and whenever she'd look over at him, he'd get this smirk on his face. One time, this man asked your mother to dance at the Christmas Ball at Black Manor… she was about fifteen years old at the time, your father was eighteen. This man asked her to dance and he was… well drunk and inappropriate. Your father was doing his duty and dancing with Bellatrix and when he saw Cissa trying to politely get this man away from her without making a scene, he literally spun Bella away from him, marched over and turned Cissa into a dance so seamlessly that you'd never have known he'd saved her if you hadn't been watching them."

"Father was supposed to marry Aunt Bellatrix?" Draco asked in surprise.

Andromeda nodded. "Oh, yes, it was all arranged and a contract was drawn up and everything. He was the proud Malfoy heir and Bella was the oldest Black daughter, it made sense that they would be promised together. But Lucius kept insisting that the marriage date be pushed back until he finished construction on the manor in Wiltshire, but looking back now, he knew exactly what he was doing; he was biding his time. Your parents dated for almost a year in secret, without my parents' knowledge and Bella didn't know either or I'm sure she would have done something about it. I was the only person Cissa had told. The day Cissa turned sixteen, he showed up at our house. I'll never forget it. He flew his broom up to our bedroom window, knocked on the glass. I let him in and he got down on one knee and asked Cissa to run away with him. She didn't even hesitate. She climbed behind him on the broom and they flew off into the night. I swore to my parents that I knew nothing of where Cissa went, but the next morning, the Black Tapestry updated itself to show that Narcissa Black had wed Lucius Malfoy. My parents were furious."

Draco grinned. "They never told me that."

Andromeda smiled. "They were very much in love and from what I saw at the funeral, they are still very much in love. Your father's parents never really approved of Cissa, but your father didn't care. Remember that, as much as your father respects his own father, he doesn't _always_ do what he says. And well, after they eloped, a new marriage contract was drawn up between Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy and a huge wedding was planned with hundreds of guests invited. Very few people knew that they had been married three months prior. I was her Maid of Honour and it was the most beautiful wedding that I could ever imagine."

Ted linked his fingers with hers. "I know that you wish you could have had a big wedding like Cissa, love, I'm sorry that I never gave that to you."

"No, you gave me so much more," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. She smiled at Draco. "A week after your parents wedding, I told my father that Edward Tonks proposed to me and that we were going to be married and that was it, I was never invited to anything from the family again. Cissa and I wrote letters, long letters full of our lives for a few years. When I told her that I was pregnant she was thrilled for me, but then our father found out and he threatened to disown Narcissa too if she didn't cut me out from her life. So the letters stopped and only Sirius stuck by me."

"Always," Sirius said with a smile. "White Sheep of the Black Family, Andy."

She chuckled and smiled at Draco. "But I'm tired of these old prejudices and of family fighting against family. You are always welcome in my home as would your parents be if they were so to choose. Remember that."

Draco nodded and reached for another helping of roast turkey and he couldn't help but smile back at his aunt.


	93. Chapter 93

_Author's Note:_

 _I have mentioned multiple times about Sirius having a role on the Hogwarts Board of Governors and I wanted to show that role. I want him to do some good there. As for the members, it is only known that Lucius Malfoy was a member so I just added others myself — used names from the Sacred Twenty- Eight and people I felt would be worthwhile to be on the board._

 _A few surprises here as well. And don't worry, I promise the thing you are all waiting for — it's the next chapter :D_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY-THREE:**

 **After dinner, the snowball fight commenced.**

Remus tugged Tonks around the side of the house to where they had shared their first kiss and pinned her against the wall to kiss her deeply.

Tonks wrapped her arms around him with a happy sigh. "They're going to notice we're missing."

He smirked and kissed her softly. "I know. I just wanted to give you your gift away from prying eyes." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the square velvet box. "Happy Christmas, Nymphadora."

Tonks stared at it in surprise, carefully untying the ribbon as she opened the lid and saw the necklace there. A thin gold chain with a heart-shaped blood red pendant the size of a baby's fist dangling from it sat in the box. "It's beautiful!"

Remus smiled, his eyes unsure as he took it from the box. "I had it made for you." She loosened her scarf and turned so that he could tie it around her neck.

The moment the pendant nestled between her breasts, she could feel the warmth of it, the pulsation and the beat.

"What is that?"

Remus took her hand and placed it on his chest over his heart. His eyes on hers, wary and uncertain. Tonks only stared at him for a moment and then she realized the necklace held his heartbeat and her eyes widened.

"Remus… is this…"

He nodded and gently brushed her hair away from her face. "It holds a piece of my magic and with that comes a piece of my heart. It's an old fashioned idea, but an old friend of mine, Adrian, mentioned that it's the gift that one should give to their mate."

"Your mate?" she asked with a smirk on her face. "Is that what I am? Have I become your property then?"

Remus kissed her deeply and she could feel the necklace vibrating with his increased heartbeat. "If anything, Nymphadora, I am yours." He adjusted her scarf and nipped lightly at her lips. "Shall we return to the fight then?" he asked, extending his hand out for her.

Tonks nodded and clasped her gloved hand in his, the warmth of his heartbeat and the warmth of his magic against her skin. His mate, she thought with a smile. Nothing sounded better to her ears.

They definitely had some things to talk about, she thought, but she wasn't going to push him. She touched the necklace, the pulsing beat spreading warmth throughout her, his mate, she thought, and she couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry hugged Andromeda, Ted, and Tonks goodbye after the snowball fight, smirking at the stunned look on Draco's face when Andromeda pulled him close for a tight hug, kissing his cheek.**

"You must come back and visit us, whenever you'd like," Andromeda insisted, hugging him again. "You are always welcome here, Draco."

Draco nodded, smiling kindly at her. "Er, thanks. It was a nice Christmas."

Sirius slapped a hand on Draco's shoulder. "You're welcome to stay with Harry and I for the duration of the holidays or here with Andy and Ted. You're not obligated to return back to school."

Draco nodded. "Um, thanks, but I think I'll go back." He looked alarmed when Andromeda hugged him again before he grabbed a handful of Floo powder. "Thanks. Bye."

Then he was gone and Andromeda slid an arm around her husband's waist, snuggling into his embrace. "Do you think that he'll come back to visit?"

Ted kissed the top of her head. "I think you gave him a lot to think about, Dromeda."

Sirius smiled at them. "We're going to head home. Thanks for a lovely dinner."

They waved goodbye and used the Floo to get back to Black Cottage. Harry wasn't sure what to think of Draco having spent Christmas with them. He had seemed to enjoy himself, but had also held himself rather aloof. He supposed it must have been weird to be with a family that he had never really met before.

The rest of the holidays were rather uneventful. Harry helped Sirius work on the Adler, adding the last coat of paint and perfecting the Gryffindor colours on the bike. It looked sharp and Harry grinned at their hard work.

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Hmm?" Sirius asked, dropping his paint brush in the bucket to soak before he would use the charm to cleanse them.

"Maybe this summer, do you think that I could learn to ride one of your bikes?"

Sirius turned to smirk at him. He remembered how Harry had loved that mini motorbike he had boughten him years ago. He had gotten almost two years out of it before he had outgrown it. He had wondered if his godson would have any desire to ride the real bikes when he grew up.

"I can't see why not," he said with a smile. "If you promise to work hard and keep up your grades for the rest of the term, I'll teach you how to ride this summer."

Harry grinned widely. "Deal."

~ ASC ~

 **Tonks was stretched out on the sofa in her living room as she watched Remus.** He was bent over the coffee table, giving her a wonderful and delectable view of his behind as he attempted to search through the pile of books he had plopped there a few days earlier.

They had been discussing Defence Against the Dark Arts and Tonks had mentioned that one of her professors, specifically the one from sixth year had been the best professor that she'd had on the subject. She had been a retired Auror.

Remus had then decided that it was time to find some suitable books for Harry to start learning some actual defence. He was tired of listening to how incompetent Lockhart was and he wanted his nephew to actually utilize his skills.

"Harry's really bright when he takes the time," Remus was going on as Tonks tried to pull her attention back to what he was saying. The sight of his arse in the denim was enough to make her knickers dampen as she played with the necklace at her neck, Remus' heartbeat pulsing in her hand. "I just thought if I could find some really great books, I could even teach him a few things myself if necessary." He found a book that seemed interesting enough and tugged it from the pile gleefully, turning to sit next to Tonks.

His eyebrow rose slightly when he saw her lick her lips, her mouth slightly parted.

"What?"

Tonks merely moved to straddle him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "My sexy professor, wiggling his tightly clad arse in front of my face and then looking completely flummoxed to discover that I want you."

Remus smiled at her. "For the last time, I'm not a professor."

"Mmm," she said, kissing his neck. "You were Harry's teacher and we both know you are still taking the time to teach him again, to make sure that he's learning."

Remus, still holding the book, dropped it onto the couch next to them. "That's my responsibility as a parent, it doesn't make me a professor."

"Uh-huh," Tonks said, nipping at his bottom lip and eliciting a soft groan from him. The necklace around her neck pulsed and she knew that his heart was racing. "Why don't you teach me something new?"

"You are a certified Auror, you hardly need me to teach you anything," Remus said with a smirk.

Tonks nipped at his earlobe, her hand sliding over his shoulder and down his chest, kneading softly. "No, I'm sure there's something you want to teach me, something you want me to do to you, perhaps?" She rocked herself over him as she spoke.

Remus' breath hitched and she grinned wickedly as his heart sped up. "I wish I could, but I have something tonight; I… I promised Sirius. I'm afraid that I have to get going actually."

He carefully lifted her off of him and stood up, leaning down to kiss her softly.

Tonks pouted. "I suppose, if Sirius has to claim you."

He smiled. "We made plans last week, I'm sorry."

"Where are you troublemakers off too?"

"Oh, you know, just going to get a drink or two, chat is all. Just us, no women."

Tonks smiled, standing up and kissing him. "When you leave, come stay the rest of the night with me."

"Er, well — we're usually out until dawn," Remus said, looking for a quick excuse.

Tonks kissed his chin and smiled. "So come at dawn."

Remus only nodded, kissing her quickly. "I'll see. Bye, Dora."

Tonks watched him hurry out the door to Apparate and she sighed. It hurt to know that he had just lied to her and the part that hurt the most was that he clearly had no intention of coming clean any time soon. She had thought when he had given her the necklace it meant that he was going to tell her.

She wrapped her arms around herself, moving to look out the window. The sun was beginning to go down and she could see the outline of the moon starting to rise. She couldn't quite stop the chill from dancing along her spine at the sight of it. She had started to suspect what he was keeping from her and tonight was only solidifying her thoughts.

Let him be safe, she whispered.

Just let him be safe tonight.

~ ASC ~

 **The first week back at school, Harry felt like the holidays had basically not even happened.** People were still whispering about him and snickering behind his back. The only thing that made him happy was that his friends clearly supported him.

Having Fred and George around definitely helped as well. The twins had taken it upon themselves to loudly mock Harry whenever he was around: Asking him if he had enjoyed his spot of tea with Slytherin's monster, or if he wanted to nip down to the Chamber for a snack. The laughter that followed this mocking helped Harry realize that not everyone in the school hated him and thought he was guilty of such a heinous crime.

He had kept his word too and hadn't told anyone about spending Christmas Day with Draco. Draco himself had seemed a bit withdrawn, hardly mocking anyone anymore, but only staying close to Blaise or Theo with Crabbe and Goyle still wandering behind him rather minion-like.

But two things had changed.

First was Lockhart.

Harry hadn't imagined it was possible, but the man had truly become an even worse teacher than before Christmas. He started his first class off by telling them all of the attacks would be stopped soon as he was personally looking into it. Then he proceeded to spend thirty minutes telling them about how he had recently been voted to win Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award for potentially the sixth time in a row and showed them the poses he used for the photographer over Christmas break. Then he had told them it was time to learn some important jinxes. He listed off twelve really interesting sounding ones, attempted to show them the first one — which failed — as he dropped his wand and only succeeded in shooting red sparks at Lavender and setting her notes on fire.

Class was then cancelled as Lockhart had to take Lavender to the hospital wing since her hands had been singed by the red sparks.

Harry merely wrote down the names of the twelve jinxes and decided to learn them himself. He said as much to Hermione who expressed an immediate interest in learning with him.

The second thing that had changed was Ginny.

Harry had thought that going home for Christmas might have helped her get her old energy back, become her old self again, but it seemed as if she had become even more withdrawn and less like the girl whose friendship he valued. He spent the first few days back from the holidays just watching her, to see if he could figure out why she was so withdrawn. She would always brighten when Fred or George came by to tease her or to check in on her, but the moment that they were gone, she would withdraw into herself again.

The only time that Harry saw any of the fire she normally had was when Percy threatened to write home if she didn't smarten up.

It was the first weekend after the holidays now and Harry had left Ron and Hermione bickering over their Charms homework. He was determined to find Ginny and try to get her to talk to him about what was wrong. He found her in an alcove in the back of the library, curled up on the window ledge. Her cloak was wrapped around her legs and she was writing furiously in the tiny black diary that she had been carrying around the entire school year.

Harry hopped up onto the ledge next to her, startling her out of her writing. "Hey, Gin."

She nodded at him, closing the book before her. "Hi, Harry."

"How was your Christmas?"

She shrugged. "It was fine. Bill and Charlie both came home."

"That's nice," he told her, nodding at the diary. "Writing your life story in there?"

She blushed. "It's a diary, Harry, which means it is full of my private thoughts and secrets."

Harry grinned at her. "I didn't know that we had secrets."

Ginny sighed. "That's not… of course we both have secrets."

Harry only raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm just worried about you. I know that you're tired of hearing that from Percy, but he's not the only one. You've been so quiet and withdrawn this year. I hardly ever even see you with Luna anymore."

"You've only spoken to Luna twice since she started at Hogwarts!"

Harry flushed in response to that. "I'm sorry, that's not intentional on my part, it's just that I don't see her around. At least you're in Gryffindor with me." He elbowed her lightly and the diary slipped off of her lap. Harry's quick Quidditch reflexes had him snatching it before it fell to the ground.

His curiosity got the best of him and he glanced down at the book, which had opened when he had caught it, expecting to see Ginny's neat writing, but instead frowned as every page was completely blank.

"What, are you writing in invisible ink or something?"

Ginny attempted to snatch it back from him, but when she touched the diary, pain shot through his scar so intensely that he immediately let go and Ginny, expecting more of a fight, fell back and smacked her head against the stone.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening as she watched Harry hold a hand to his forehead. "Why are you hurting? I'm the one who smacked my head."

But Harry wasn't listening to her now. He held his hand over his scar, the intensity of the pain fading, but it had felt like someone had taken a white hot poker and placed it over his scar. He could almost still feel the sizzle of it.

"Harry?"

Harry turned to look at her, his hand dropping from his forehead. "What is that book, Ginny?"

"It's — my diary," she said quickly.

Harry stared at her, shifting closer to her on the window ledge. "Why is it blank?"

"It's… not," she said, staring at him now. "Tom keeps my secrets hidden."

"Tom?"

Ginny's eyes widened in alarm. "It's just the name of my diary."

Harry wrenched the book from her grasp again, ignoring her protests, his eyes finding the tiny gold letters etched on the leather that said: 'Tom Marvolo Riddle'. He held the diary tightly in his hand for a moment, but there was no pain from it.

"Harry? Can I have my diary back?"

Harry handed her the book, his eyes still on it. "Was that the previous owner of the diary? Tom Riddle?"

Ginny nodded, accepting the book from him. "I guess so. The book was blank, when I got it."

"When did you start writing it in it?"

"A few days before I came to school. I wrote about how nervous I was and how excited I was feeling at the prospect of coming to Hogwarts."

"And?" Harry prompted.

Ginny shrugged. "And the diary keeps my secrets, Harry." She shoved the book into her bag and hopped off of the window ledge. "And I'm fine, stop pestering me about it."

Harry watched her storm off and he put a hand on his scar, the lingering pain still echoing on his head. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he was starting to wonder if the previous owner of the diary was doing more than keeping Ginny's secrets.

He stayed on the ledge a few more minutes until the pain in his scar had subsided to a dull lingering ache and then he made his way up to the Owlery. He found Hedwig quickly, offering her treats and praise as she hooted happily at him and then he sat down by the window to write Sirius a letter.

 _Uncle Sirius,_

 _Sometimes I have this dream where I'm in your old house and this locket makes my scar hurt more than I can possibly explain. Its like a burning pain, like someone is holding a white hot poker to my head, and it's so painful that I can practically hear the sizzle of my skin from the heat of the flame; almost feel the burn._

 _Today, that pain became more than just a dream._

 _I was talking to Ginny and she has this diary that she's been writing in all year. She dropped it and I attempted to catch it and she tried to take it away from me. The moment both of our hands clasped around the leather, it was like this sharp pain in my head, directly on my scar. But then it was gone; as if it had never been. This happened once before last year too when Quirrell was drinking the blood of a unicorn in the Forbidden Forest; a sharp pain and then it was gone. I don't know what to make of it._

 _I thought it was strange. Do you reckon all of the Chamber of Secrets stuff is making me crack up?_

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

 _PS — Any news from the Governors on Lockhart?_

He carefully sealed the letter and sent it along with Hedwig, but he wasn't sure if writing the words made him feel any better.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius was sitting in the conference room at the Ministry of Magic doing his best not to roll his eyes as Lucius Malfoy tried to convince the governors once more that Dumbledore should be removed from the school if these attacks weren't stopped.**

John Matthias, one of the elder wizards on the council only stared at him. "For the last time, Lord Malfoy, removing Dumbledore from the school would be the worst decision that we could make. He's been through this before, he's a powerful wizard and he will find out who is behind this."

Bernice Caulder scowled. "Lord Black, you had a new topic that you wanted to talk about? Perhaps we could move onto that."

Sirius nodded, sitting up a bit straighter in his seat and leaning forward. "I want to talk about Gilderoy Lockhart."

Josephine Fawley let out a girlish giggle. "I heard that he's doing quite wonderful as a teacher. Started a duelling club for the students and everything."

Sirius didn't bother to hide his eye roll. "He's a git." He sighed. "Talking to my son and hearing about what he's teaching is unacceptable. He may be a best-selling author, but he's completely incompetent as a teacher. Lucius, has your son said anything to contradict my statement?"

Lucius nodded. "Draco has mentioned in passing that Defence Against the Dark Arts is a worthless class."

"It is not a worthless class," Sirius insisted. "In fact, it's one of the most important classes that our children should be attending. It's about how to deal with the world, how to defend one's self, how to prepare for a life in the magical world. Something that Lockhart is very ill placed to be doing. The man is vain and self-serving. He only cares about his status as the hottest celebrity and he isn't teaching them anything about Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"What is he teaching them then?" Matthias asked.

"The students were made to purchase his entire works. They have been assigned to read them which granted, there is some defence in his works, but he then tests them on their knowledge of him _not_ the subject at hand." Sirius said, reaching into the folder he brought to tug out Harry's latest test. "This is my son's last defence test, tell me how any of this is relevant to the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Fawley accepted the paper, picking up the glasses from around her neck and perching them on the end of her long nose and began to read aloud. "In _Gadding with Ghouls,_ what hair care charm worked best to keep one looking good when ghoul fighting? When fighting a werewolf in _Wanderings with Werewolves_ , what colour did Gilderoy Lockhart say was his favourite? What kind of shampoo does Gilderoy Lockhart love the most? In what book, does Gilderoy Lockhart tell the reader the best way to get out a pesky stain? In _Year With a Yeti,_ what does Gilderoy Lockhart say the villagers thought of his smile?" She flipped through the test paper to the end. "There are fifty questions on this test and the last one reads: What is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest ambition?"

"Good Lord… this is a school test?" Lucretia Dettweiler exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Sirius nodded. "My son has told me that his homework has consisted of writing poems and limericks to explain how Lockhart was successful at his tasks. The first day of class, he introduced Cornish Pixies. The Pixies stole his wand and threw it out the window and Lockhart hid in his office, leaving the students to deal with the mayhem of rounding up the newly released troublemakers. This seems to be the closest they have gotten to actually studying the subject at hand."

Lucius' eyebrow rose at that. "I do remember Draco mentioning that."

"My daughter has been complaining about his teaching methods too, but she also spends a great deal of her time praising his work," Julius Abbott said, his eyes on Sirius.

"Daughter being the appropriate word, Julius," Augusta Longbottom interrupted. "She fancies him."

"On top of this," Sirius continued, smirking at Mrs Longbottom for her comment. "He attempted to perform a healing charm on my son's arm after a Quidditch injury and instead of mending the bone, he removed all thirty-three bones from Harry's arm. He's completely incompetent and he needs to be removed from the school not only for the educational well being of our children, but also for their safety as he's clearly a menace."

Matthias tapped his fingers on the table, a thoughtful look on his crinkled face. "Lockhart was the only candidate that came forward this year. It is getting harder and harder to find someone willing to take on the task of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. No one has wanted the post since Galatea Merrythought retired back in 1945. We can bring this to Dumbledore's attention of course, but ultimately as Headmaster, he gets the final say in who teaches in his school."

Sirius nodded. "Let me speak with him. I have a few ideas on the subject."

Caulder smiled at him. "I think that's an excellent idea, Lord Black. You can let us know what he thinks at the next meeting. Perhaps Lord Malfoy can attend the meeting with you?"

Sirius glanced over at Lucius. "Sure."

Lucius nodded in his direction.

Octavius Greengrass folded his hands in front of him. "Lord Black, we have decided that tonight will be the vote on your last suggested amendment to the school curriculum. If you remember, the way we make changes to the educational system is through democracy, but we do insist that ten out of the twelve of us vote yes for the change to come into affect."

Lucius scowled. "Are you telling me that you are actually considering taking this ex convict's advice on adding Muggle Studies as a compulsory class?"

"Not just Muggle Studies, Lucius, but adding a class on Life in the Magical World for students who don't know about magic until receiving their Hogwarts letters," Caulder said with a smile. "I, in fact, think it is a marvellous idea and one that should have been brought forward decades ago."

Abbott nodded. "I agree. It's about time these reckless ideologies of blood status be put to an end. Learning about the background of each society will be extremely beneficial to the students and will be giving them a much rounder understanding of the world as a whole."

Fawley smiled. "Let's vote then. All in favour of making Muggle Studies compulsory for students, raise your wand."

Eleven of the twelve governors raised their wands in the air. Lucius merely scowled in response.

"Majority rules," Fawley stated. "A new curriculum will be written up concerning the introduction of Muggle Studies as a mandatory class for all students not coming from a Muggle household. Second vote. All in favour of introducing Life in the Magical World as a compulsory class for all first year students not raised in the wizarding world before attending Hogwarts, raise your wand."

The vote was unanimous.

Fawley looked very pleased and made a note on it. "Perfect. Now, Lord Bulstrode, there was something else that you wanted to add to tonight's agenda?"

Marcus Bulstrode tapped the end of his rather large nose and nodded. "I know that Lord Malfoy has mentioned it before, but I think that we do need to take a closer look at Rubeus Hagrid. He was accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets back in June of 1943 and was expelled for it. He could be doing it again."

"That's bullshit and anyone who knows Hagrid understands that," Sirius interrupted.

Elphias Doge let out a small wheezing cough before he spoke. "I agree with Sirius. The ideology of one's family status and blood is important in this situation because the students being attacked are from Muggleborn families. Hagrid is not a pureblood, why would he care if other non purebloods were at the school? I said it in '43, he should not have been expelled."

Castor Parkinson let out a snort. "Whether he is responsible or not, he is the one with the record of letting a monster into that school and it does need to be taken into consideration."

Matthias raised a hand and the table went silent. "The Chamber of Secrets was opened once more by someone in that school, fact. There have been two students, one cat and one ghost petrified by the idea of the Chamber, also fact. But we do not have _any facts_ telling us that Hagrid is the man doing this and Dumbledore is very adamant that he is not responsible. Once again, I implore you that we need to trust the Headmaster to do what he deems best. In the meantime, Lucius and Sirius will meet up with Albus Dumbledore and discuss a possible solution for the Lockhart problem. Meeting adjourned."

Chatter rose up immediately and Sirius climbed to his feet, smiling at Mrs Longbottom when she stood next to him. "It's nice to see you, Lady Cumbria, er — Mrs Longbottom," he corrected at her raised brow. "How was your Christmas?"

"Very nice, thank you. Neville also spent a good portion of his holiday informing me of Lockhart's inaccuracies as a teacher. Who do you have in mind for a replacement?"

Sirius grinned at her. "Remus."

Mrs Longbottom's eyebrow rose and then she nodded. "Acceptable. Good luck with Dumbledore."

Sirius nodded as she hurried off and he turned to smile at Malfoy. "I'll send Dumbledore an owl when I get home and set up a meeting."

"Did I just hear you say that you want your friend Remus to be the professor?"

Sirius nodded. "Before you get your knickers in a twist you should know that he is more than qualified. He had the third highest grades of our year in OWLs and NEWTs; he's patient and has always wanted to teach. He spent six years teaching my son before he went to Hogwarts and he's very intelligent. He knows what a student should be learning and he's gifted at teaching. He tutored other students from third year through to seventh year and every one of them got excellent grades due to his teaching."

Lucius merely raised an eyebrow. "He does sound immensely better than Lockhart."

"Exactly," Sirius said with a grin. "I can only hope Dumbledore agrees."

"Let me know when the meeting will be."

Sirius nodded. "I will. Goodnight, Lucius."

"Goodnight," he said and headed out of the room.

Sirius grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, checking his watch. It was only a little after eight so he Apparated straight to Zee's cottage, knocking on the door.

Zee opened the door with a smile. She was in her favourite oversized sweater in a deep blue that hung off her left shoulder and reached just above her knee. She had thick black woollen socks on bunched above the ankles.

"Hi," he said, leaning down to kiss her softly.

Zee stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, smirking against his lips when he kicked the door closed behind him and scooped her up into his arms. He carried her over to the sofa, sitting down with her on top of him, his lips still meeting hers.

"How did the meeting go?" she asked, making herself comfortable on his lap.

Sirius smiled and gently brushed a caramel curl away from her face. "Better than I thought." He quickly explained about the new amendments to the curriculum and about how he was planning to try to get Remus to be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"Wow, it sounds like this was one of the most successful meetings you've had."

He nodded, his hand sliding up her smooth leg in concentric circles behind her knee. "It was. How was your day?"

"Oh, it was fine," she said with a smile. "Tripp and I were dealing with some Grindylows that someone let loose in a Muggle indoor swimming pool. A few memory charms had to be made and the Aurors came in to investigate."

"Tripp, huh?"

Zee grinned and kissed his neck. "Yes, my partner."

"I don't like him."

She chuckled. "You haven't even met him."

"Maybe I should."

"Are you jealous?"

"No," he said in annoyance and then he grinned. "Maybe a little. Is he still trying to make a move on you?"

"Sirius," she said, smiling at him. "I am a very skilled witch who is more than capable of taking care of herself."

Sirius smiled. "I know it. It's what I like about you."

Zee chuckled. "Ever the charmer." She kissed his lips again and then smiled. "There's actually something that I've been meaning to speak to you about."

"About Tripp?"

She laughed. "No, not that prat. About my parents."

His eyebrow rose. "Merlin, is it time already?"

"I think it is. You did introduce me to your de facto mother after all."

He sighed. "What am I supposed to say when they ask how we met? Well, her panther tried to attack me and then I fucked her on my kitchen counter."

Zee laughed. "We will very much leave that second part out, thank you."

Sirius grinned and nipped at her lips. "Should I tell them about how when I asked you to be my girlfriend you had just pleasured the fuck out of me with your mouth?"

"You are incorrigible! I take it back, you can't meet them."

"Excellent, see I've won."

Zee kissed him. "Papa is busy at work now anyway, but he and Mama will be coming back in April for my birthday and to move into the house in Scotland for a bit. Papa always takes a full month off in the middle of April to May as his vacation each year. Maybe then, we can take an evening and have dinner with them?"

"I suppose maybe we could do that as it is still months away," he said.

Zee kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

Sirius slid his hand up her thigh, revelling in the smooth skin there and grinning when he found the silk boxer shorts that she was wearing. "In the meantime, why don't we see what happens if I let my fingers slip under these shorts?"

Her breath hitched as his fingers slid up the shorts and stroked over her. "Yes, why don't we?"


	94. Chapter 94

_Author's Note:_

 _Thoughts on that surprise? And I promise it's in the next chapter — but you shall have to wait :D_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY-FOUR:**

 **Harry had spent most of the night wondering about the sudden and intense pain in his forehead and he had kept his eyes on his friend, watching her as she scribbled away in the diary in the common room.** It didn't make sense that a small leather book had made his scar hurt. And how come when he touched it a second time, there hadn't been any pain?

He found it very strange.

He made his way upstairs to his dorm later on that night and offered a smile for Neville who was propped up in his bed reading the new edition of the monthly Herbology magazine Which Plant?

"Anything new and exciting in there, Nev?" Harry asked, moving to change into his pjs.

Neville nodded. "Always. I won't bore you with the details, but they think they've found a new way to reduce swelling with Bromelain, a tropical plant and using it in potions can also help reduce stress levels."

"Interesting," Harry said as Seamus came into the room grinning widely.

"Hey, Seamus," Harry said pulling his pyjama bottoms up over his boxer shorts.

Seamus grinned wider as Dean stepped in behind him. "Guys… I just snogged a girl."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Really?"

He nodded and Harry and Neville laughed as he did a quick little jig.

Ron came in as he was dancing and his eyebrow rose. "What did I miss?"

"Seamus snogged someone."

Ron's mouth opened in surprise. "Really? Who?"

Seamus stopped dancing and jumped onto his bed. "Lavender Brown."

"What was it like?" Dean asked him, sitting next to his friend.

Seamus shrugged. "It was nice. Her lips were really soft and moist."

"Are you going to go out with her now?" Ron asked, staring at Seamus with a mix of awe and disgust.

Seamus shrugged. "Maybe. We were just studying in the corner together and she asked me if I had ever kissed anyone before."

"What did you say?" Ron demanded.

He grinned. "I told her I hadn't and she said that she hadn't either, but Parvati had and she wanted to know what it was like. So she asked if we could kiss just to, you know, see what it was like. I think I just nodded, and then she leaned in and pressed her lips to mine."

"Just like that?" Dean said in amazement. "Wow."

"See boys, when you get to be thirteen like me, everything changes."

Dean merely rolled his eyes. "You turned thirteen three months ago, mate, you're not old and wise now — and I'm older than you, by one month."

Harry chuckled and dragged a hand through his hair. "This year really is changing for us, eh? I went home for Christmas and got the sex talk. We come back and you're snogging girls."

Neville blushed. "You got a sex talk for Christmas?"

"A few days before actually. It was mortifying. Then Uncle Siri gave me this book for Christmas all about sex."

"Really?" Seamus asked, a smirk on his face. "You got a sex book? Can we see it?"

Harry shrugged and went to dig it out of the bottom of his trunk and held it up for the other boys to see it.

" _Pleasing Your Witch or Wizard, A Step by Step Guide,_ " Seamus read. "It looks old."

Harry nodded. "It is. But it's filled with lots of information," he blushed a bit as he opened it up to the chapter on sexual positions. "Plus, there's this."

The four boys' eyes all widened as they watched in fascination as the male figure held the woman figure's hips and rocked his own into her arse. Harry turned the page and the woman figure was sitting on the male figure's face, then the woman figure was sitting backwards on the male figure as her hips rocked back and forth and so on.

"Merlin's bollocks, this is hot, Harry!" Seamus exclaimed, looking down at the green (male) and yellow (female) figures that were faceless coloured forms showing the different sexual positions. "This book has everything!"

"It does. I spent more than few days exploring it," he said with a grin.

Dean pointed to the one where the female figure was bent over, hands on the ground and the male figure was standing over her, rocking his hips into her. "Damn…"

Ron was blushing furiously. "Sirius let you bring this to school!"

Harry nodded. "He said it would answer all of my questions."

Neville peeked a look at the page Seamus had flipped too now where the female figure was knelt in front of the male and he blushed. "Wow. Uncle Algie definitely didn't mention _that_ when we had the talk."

"Neither did Dad," Ron said, his eyes on the page. "Mostly he just blushed, but Bill filled me in on some stuff."

Neville blushed further. "What kind of stuff?"

Ron shrugged, attempting to look nonchalant. "You know, about girls and wanking and what not."

Seamus grinned, turning the page to the diagram on erogenous zones for the male and female form. "Dad gave me the talk last summer when he caught me wanking in the shower. It was embarrassing, but I'm glad he did. Look at this," he said pointing to the male diagram. "I didn't even know this was a pleasure spot, it says 'where the glans meet the shaft on the underside of the penis just below the head, the frenulum'… mate, this is how you master wanking yourself."

Harry laughed awkwardly. "Er, I guess."

Seamus eyebrow rose. "Well, it's true."

Dean chuckled. "Or you just have more wet dreams."

Neville turned tomato red and Harry clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly.

They spoke a bit more about the book as they got ready for bed. Harry put the book back at the bottom of his trunk, burying it under some of his clothes before he climbed into bed. His mind was full of the thoughts his friends had told him.

Most of them had had a similar 'talk' experience over the last six months from their parents or uncles or brothers, but Harry was pleased to learn that his fathers had definitely given him the most information on the subject despite him being the last one of the five of them to be 'talked to'.

He thought about how Seamus had kissed Lavender tonight. Kissing a girl could be fun, he thought, but he didn't think that he was ready for that. Seamus was older too, he was thirteen as of October, as was Dean whose birthday had been in September, so maybe that was why he liked kissing girls already.

He did like girls, he thought as he thought about the poster of the naked blonde with full breasts and a round backside riding the Harley Davidson motorbike in Sirius' workshop. Her nipples were large and pink he remembered and then he thought about how Alicia's bouncing breasts had dark pink nipples.

Harry merely rolled over in his bed, his hand finding his way into his pyjama pants and wrapping around his shaft to stroke it as he thought about breasts in general. He definitely liked girls, he thought, but he wasn't sure that meant that he was ready to be snogging any of them just yet.

When he finished, he used his wand to clean himself off, sighing in relief and slowly drifting off to sleep.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius was frowning as he read Harry's letter at breakfast.** He had spent the night at Zee's and hadn't gotten the post until that morning.

His son's scar had hurt.

Harry had only once ever complained about his scar. Sirius still remembered the moment vividly as he had held the six-year-old in his arms.

 _"NO!" Harry exclaimed suddenly, grabbing his forehead. "Ow!"_

 _Sirius slid Harry around his body, his eyes full of concern. "What is it, Harry? What hurt you?"_

 _Harry was rubbing his scar, tears in his eyes. "It hurts."_

 _He tugged Harry's hand away from his forehead. The scar was its usual soft pink, a perfect lightning bolt, but it didn't look inflamed or anything. He kissed it softly and Harry buried his face in Sirius' shoulder._

 _"It hurts, Uncle Padfoot."_

 _Sirius sat down on the floor, his hand brushing the locket as he did so and Harry yelped, his hand grabbing his forehead again. Sirius looked at Harry in alarm and then his eyes moved back to the locket._

 _"Harry, Harry, look at me," he waited until the green eyes met his. "Does it hurt when I touch this?" He picked up the locket and Harry's eyes filled with pain._

 _"Put it down! Put it down! It's bad!" he shouted, tears in his eyes._

 _Sirius dropped the locket and stood up, cuddling Harry close, and hurried out of the boiler room. As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, Harry seemed to calm down. He looked back into the room in confusion. Why would an old locket make Harry's scar hurt like that? It didn't make any sense._

 _He sat Harry down on the kitchen table. "Harry, I need to get that locket in there. It's very strange that it hurts you so we can't leave it here if it's not safe. Okay?"_

 _Harry looked terrified, his eyes wide as he shook his head no. "Don't go back in there! It's bad, Uncle Padfoot! It's bad!"_

He had handed that locket over to Dumbledore as quickly as possible. To this day he still had no idea what that locket had contained to make Harry cry out in such horror and fear, but the pain in his eyes had been very real. And now touching Ginny's diary made his scar hurt, but only the one time… and then last year in the forest… it was definitely very strange. What did it mean?

He was meeting with Dumbledore the next afternoon to discuss the Lockhart situation. Maybe it was time that he spoke to the old wizard about that mysterious locket and see what his thoughts were on the pain in Harry's scar resurfacing once more.

He quickly wrote a response out to Harry.

 _Harry,_

 _That is interesting about your scar and very unusual. Your scar did hurt you once before, it wasn't a dream, you were six years old and when I picked up a locket you claimed that it made your scar hurt. You have never mentioned it hurting again until yesterday. When you picked up the diary a second time, you felt nothing?_

 _I don't know what this means, but I plan on looking into it. In the meantime, please let me know if it happens again._

 _As to the Lockhart situation, I am meeting with Dumbledore this afternoon. We will see, but I can't make any promises._

 _Love,_

 _Uncle Sirius_

He sent the letter off with Hedwig who had waited for him in the kitchen, sharing from Persephone's water dish and then headed upstairs to get ready.

It sounded like he and Dumbledore had a few things to discuss.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius arrived at Hogwarts through McGonagall's Floo just after lunch.** She was marking papers at her desk and he bent down to kiss her cheek, making her smile.

"Hi, Sirius," she said, dropping her quill.

"Hi, Minnie. I have a meeting with Albus, but I was wondering if you'd sit in on it with me?"

Her eyebrow rose slightly. "Of course, may I ask why?"

Sirius grinned at her. "I feel that you will have some invaluable insights into what I need to discuss."

She nodded and stood up. "Let's go then."

Sirius linked his arm through hers, kissing her cheek again. "By the way, you look positively ravishing today, new dress?"

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "Oh, shush."

He grinned as they headed towards Dumbledore's office. McGonagall said the password and they rode the griffin staircase up to the door.

Lucius Malfoy was already waiting inside for them.

"Ah, Sirius and Minerva too, welcome," Dumbledore said with a smile, conjuring a third chair for McGonagall. "Lucius was just informing me that you are looking to make some changes in my staff, Sirius."

Sirius nodded as they both took a seat. "I am. I also know that you are perfectly aware that Lockhart is a barmy git and not at all a suitable teacher."

"I've spoken to Albus about this myself," McGonagall said, crossing her legs and accepting the cup of tea that Dumbledore passed her. "I told him that he's a vain, celebrity-hungry fraud who should not be teaching the students."

"And I believe that I mentioned that there is still plenty to learn from a bad teacher; for example, what not to do and how not to be."

Sirius frowned. Sometimes he forgot how cryptic Dumbledore could be. "Well, I think the students have more than learned that lesson by now, Albus. I remember Lockhart from when I was at Hogwarts. He was few years younger than me, but he was obnoxious then and I happen to agree with Minnie's assessment of him being a complete fraud. He can't even properly demonstrate any of the spells or curses or jinxes that he used in doing his own accomplishments."

"Agreed," Lucius said, nodding at Sirius. "I spoke to my son after the meeting the other day and Draco tells me that Lockhart spent yesterday's lesson droning on about an interview he had with a magazine and how much the reporter fawned over him. If you believe him to be fraudulent of something, I daresay someone should come forward and expose him for the fool that he is."

Dumbledore nodded. "I agree, which is part of the reason why I agreed to let him teach here."

"Why did you choose him, Albus?" Sirius asked. "Anyone would have been better."

"I wanted to keep an eye on him for one. He's claimed to do quite a lot of great things in the nine short years since he has left school. I was curious to see how much he had changed."

"He's a vain and selfish man who hasn't changed at all," McGonagall claimed as she let out a huff of annoyance.

Sirius nodded. "Well, I think it's about time that he was fired."

Lucius nodded. "I agree with Black. He needs to go and we have the backing of the governors on the subject."

"But I have final say in who teaches at my school."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Albus, don't play the fool, I have another suggestion."

Dumbledore simply smiled, linking his fingers together. "And I am here to listen."

Sirius grinned at him. "Hire Remus instead."

McGonagall's mouth opened in surprise. "Remus Lupin? He would be a wonderful choice, Albus! Top marks, tutored other students all through school, not to mention he's been working as a teacher to young Harry for many years. But he did very recently throw a punch at Lockhart - which is not exactly professional."

Sirius grinned. "That was amazing and well deserved since the git removed all of the bones from our son's arm! And you're the one who was too busy to fix his broken nose afterwards."

McGonagall only smirked in response.

Dumbledore seemed to consider this for a moment. "He would be an exemplary choice, I agree, but I'm not sure that he'll accept it."

"Why the hell wouldn't he? It's his dream job," Sirius said in exasperation.

"I take it you have not asked Remus if he would like to pick up the position?"

"No, I haven't," Sirius said darkly. "I didn't want to get his hopes up of giving him his dream job and then crushing it."

Dumbledore nodded. "I offered the position of the Defence Against the Dark Arts post to Remus Lupin once before back in 1982. He told me that I was a foolish old man and he absolutely refused to take the position."

Sirius' mouth opened in surprise. "He never told me that."

"I understood and accepted his reasons at the time, but if you could convince him to take up job now, I will happily fire Lockhart without hesitation."

Sirius grinned widely. "No problem."

Lucius stood up. "Well, it seems that this was easier to accomplish than the governors suspected. I will be going. Sirius, I'll see you next week to discuss your distasteful new amendments."

Sirius grinned at him. "Too right you will, Lucy."

When the office door closed behind him and they heard the staircase take him below, McGonagall smiled at him. "What new amendments did you get passed to set off Mr Malfoy?"

"Still in the works, but unanimous vote minus Malfoy to make Muggle Studies compulsory for all children who did not grow up in the Muggle world and to introduce a new compulsory course for all children who did grow up in the Muggle world called Life in the Magical World."

"Sirius, that's wonderful!" McGonagall exclaimed, grinning widely and kissing his cheek. "This is exactly why I wanted you to be on that board! You are doing real good and it's about time the board steps up and does something worthwhile for the school."

Dumbledore nodded, smiling as well. "I concur. I would be happy to introduce both of those as soon as I can. Will you want to offer it to incoming first years only or will it be for all students?"

"I would hope for all students, but the details will still need to be worked out."

McGonagall beamed at him. "I'm so proud of you, Sirius."

Sirius flushed a little and his heart felt like it was going to burst. Hearing those words from McGonagall was one of the best things that he could ever imagine happening to him. "Thank you, Minnie." He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, making her smile before he turned back to Dumbledore. "Albus, there's something else that I was hoping to speak to you about on an entirely different matter."

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course."

McGonagall made to stand up but Sirius ushered her to sit back down. "No, stay, Minnie. I'm intrigued to see what you think as well."

McGonagall nodded and sat back down.

Sirius sighed. "Albus, six years ago I brought you a cursed locket."

Dumbledore's eyebrow rose. "You did. It is still locked away tightly in my vault."

"Did you ever find out what it is?"

"No," he admitted, folding his hands in front of him. "I've taken it out once or twice to prod and poke at it, but without knowing what kind of curse was cast upon it, I dared not attempt to open it."

Sirius nodded. "I told you that day that the locket seemed to bring bad memories to the forefront of one's mind. I was reliving the torture that my mother inflicted upon me in that boiler room and Harry… he relived the moment his parents were killed."

McGonagall let out a small gasp. "The poor boy!"

"His scar hurt him."

Dumbledore nodded. "I remember. Has it happened again?"

Sirius nodded. "It has. He said it was sudden and unlike the locket when he attempted to find the source of the pain, it didn't return. It happened once only, but he said it felt like someone was holding a hot poker to his scar. But no flash of memories or anything just the pain."

"It has only happened on these two occasions?"

"No. He mentioned that his scar bothered him once last year when he was in the forest and saw a figure drinking unicorn blood. We know now that it was Quirrell, but he thought nothing of it at the time."

"What did he touch to make it hurt this time?"

Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. "He was talking to his friend and he touched her diary. He said that they both made to grab it at the same time and the pain hit him. But when he touched it again there was nothing there. He thought that it was a strange fluke of some kind. The diary didn't bother him at all outside of that one touch so it's obviously not like the locket. Do you think that it was a strange fluke?"

"It very well could be," Dumbledore said quietly. "But it's also very strange to have come on so suddenly after all of these years."

"That's what I thought too. What does it mean?"

McGonagall squeezed Sirius' arm gently. "His scar is unique, Sirius, and maybe he will always feel a little twinge of something?"

"I don't know, but I don't like not knowing what it is, Albus."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a long moment. "As do I. Let me know if it happens again maybe we can make some form of correlation as to why and when it is acting up."

Sirius nodded. "Thank you." He stood up, slipping his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. "What about Lockhart?"

"As to Lockhart, you get me Remus Lupin, and I will get rid of him," Dumbledore said simply.

"What about the fraud you suspected he committed?" Sirius asked curiously.

Dumbledore only smiled, his eyes twinkling in mischief. "Leave that to me.


	95. Chapter 95

_Author's Note:_

 _I know, I know, I've been dragging it out but I had this image of the exact moment that I wanted it to happen so here it is. Finally!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE:**

 **Sirius left Hogwarts and went straight to Wales to see Remus.** He let himself into the cottage, calling out his friend's name and grinning when he saw Tonks come out of the kitchen holding a glass of white wine.

"Wotcher, Sirius!"

"Hi, Tonks, is he here?"

"I'm in the kitchen," Remus called out.

Sirius followed Tonks into the kitchen. Remus was sliding pork chops into the oven and he closed the door, turning to smile at his friend.

"What's going on?"

"I have wonderful news that's what."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Sirius took a seat at the table, grinning at Tonks. "We voted on the board last night that it's high time that Lockhart gets the boot. The git is an absolute idiot as we can attest to that fact since you punched him in the face back in November."

Remus blanched. "That was a bad decision at the time."

"No, it really wasn't," Tonks said with a chuckle. "It was bloody brilliant in all honesty."

Remus blushed in response making Sirius chuckle.

"Dumbledore agreed to fire him, but the problem is that there has to be a suitable replacement and since the job has been cursed for decades, no one will apply for it," Sirius told them, quickly outlining the problem.

Remus nodded. "That's true. How are you going to find someone who — fuck! Sirius, you didn't!"

"Of course I did!" Sirius exclaimed with a grin. "Who else would I think of? You are perfect for this job, not to mention that it's your dream job to be a professor at Hogwarts."

Remus bit his lip. "You know why I can't."

"No, actually, I don't. You have a potion to take and Snape brews it for you and Snape just so happens to work at Hogwarts; seems pretty self-explanatory to me."

Remus tore a guilty look at Tonks. "I can't take that job. I won't."

Sirius nodded and stood up. "Tonks, talk some sense into this arsehole. I expect an answer by tomorrow morning. And Dumbledore told me that you refused the job in '82, Rem. You aren't refusing it again."

"You have my answer already," Remus said angrily. "I will not endanger the lives of all of those students in that school by forcing them to… no, Sirius, why the hell do you think I said no the first time?"

Sirius smiled at Tonks. "Talk some sense into him."

Then he was gone.

Tonks only stared at her boyfriend for a long moment and then she stood up and in three quick steps, her hands were fisting in his hair and she dragged his mouth down to hers.

Her lips were soft and pliant yet demanding and greedy as she nipped at his mouth. When her tongue danced along his mouth, demanding entrance he gave it and groaned when her body pressed against his and he was pressed against the counter in turn. His arms went around her, hands sliding up that lean back and he deepened the kiss.

"Remus," she murmured, her lips moving over his jaw and down his neck.

The sound of his name brought him back to reality and he shook his head. "Nymphadora —" he began.

Tonks simply clamped her mouth over his again, kissing him into complacency. Remus didn't protest this. Her lips found his throat again, sucking his skin and leaving a hot wet trail as she went.

"Nymphadora," he said again.

Tonks slipped her hands into the back pockets of the denim jeans he wore, pulling his hips toward her. "Remus, don't even try to tell me that this is a mistake. You want that job. Maybe even as much as you want me."

Remus tilted his head down, pressing his forehead to hers. "I don't deserve you or this job no matter how much I may want them."

Tonks nipped at his lips. "Those students… they definitely _deserve you_. They deserve a professor who is going to teach them what they should be learning, a professor who strives to be the best that he can be and shows them the same in turn, and a professor who is patient and kind and one who they will respect and value. They deserve you and you deserve them. But maybe I'm the one who doesn't deserve someone as amazing as you in my life."

He looked shocked. "What? Have you gone completely mad? You are a vibrant and incredibly sexy woman who has so much to live for and I'm just… well, me. And Dumbledore knows exactly why I can't teach the students; they deserve a much safer professor."

She smiled, squeezing his delectable arse in the pockets of his jeans. "They have Lockhart, who is terrible." When he only stared at her she smiled. "And last year the professor had Voldemort living in the back of his head! And what does Dumbledore know about you that I don't? Why are you unsafe, Remus?"

Remus swallowed slowly. "Something… Nymphadora, I've been keeping something from you and… Sirius and Harry have both told me that you're going to be angry when you find out that I've kept it from you and I… the thought of losing… you are _mine,_ " he said vehemently and passionately enough to send a shiver down her spine.

"I am yours," she repeated with a smile, kissing his lips. "When you kiss me, I come alive, Remus. I've… I come alive in ways that I can't quite explain. My body hums for you. Don't tell me that you don't feel it, this connection, this chemistry." She reached for the necklace that she had no plans of ever taking off and clutched it in her hand. "You gave me your heartbeat."

He shook his head, his tongue twirling around her earlobe. "Of course I feel it. You make me want things… the things I want to do to you," he murmured, his mouth moving to her throat.

Tonks threw her head back to give him better access. "Why won't you do them, then? You always seem to be stopping yourself from something… what is it you want? What aren't you telling me?"

Remus groaned, his teeth scraping her skin. "Nymphadora… I…"

"No," she said, moving to suck on his ear. "I'm not letting you push me away this time, Remus. Not without an explanation. You said that taking that job would endanger the lives of the students and you've used that term with me before too. You are not dangerous."

Remus held her hips and gently pushed her away from him. He dragged his fingers through his wavy hair, realizing that he was in desperate need of a haircut. "Let's go into the living room, okay?"

Tonks nodded and followed him to his lumpy sofa. She sat next to him, her legs touching his and she smiled at him. "Well? It's time to tell me the truth, Remus."

Remus dragged his fingers through his hair again and let out a slow breath. "I … I …"

Tonks put her hand on his thigh, moving it slowly upwards and he groaned, grabbing her hand and putting a stop towards the direction that he very much wanted it to continue in. "What, Remus?"

"There's something that you don't know about me."

Tonks smiled seductively at him. "All things that I've been trying to learn, but someone keeps keeping me at bay."

Remus gave her a half smile. "No, actually, this is… serious."

She folded her legs up under her, turning herself to face him. "So, let's talk. What don't I know about you? I know that you're intelligent and patient and kind. Ridiculously sexy and utterly shag-able, but I can tell that you're a bit shy about the fact that I think so. You're giving and the best lover I have ever had. You're funny and mischievous. You like to prank people, which makes us very much compatible. I know that you've known loss and that the war hurt you in more ways than I think you're willing to talk about. I know that you were close to your mother, not as close to your father, but that you loved them both unconditionally and still miss them. You're an amazing father and uncle to Harry, absolutely wonderful with children, and when you truly smile, your eyes light up, and you get this twinkle in them."

"Nymphadora," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "You're completely selfless and are always putting other people's happiness above your own. You are brave and daring. You love to do crossword puzzles and when a particular clue stumps you, you get this little line right here," she said sliding her finger gently between his eyebrows. "And then when you inevitably figure it out, this look of triumph appears and a sweet little dimple flashes on the left side of your mouth. When you get nervous, you fidget with anything that you can get your hands on: The thread of your sweater, the saucer of your teacup - and when you're excited about something, you tap your fingers to the beat of 'We Will Rock You' by Queen. You love to read and to go on long walks. When it thunderstorms you sit by the window or outside with a cup of tea and watch it come down. And you get this look of absolute tenderness in your eyes whenever Harry tells you that he loves you, like you can't quite believe it or understand it. And when I say I want you, you look at me with bewilderment and confusion as if you can't quite understand why I chose you. You are an amazing man, Remus Lupin and I am so attracted to you on every possible level."

Remus simply stared at her. Some of the things that she had mentioned, he didn't even realize he did. She was so observant and he had no idea what to say to her now. He swallowed and started to fidget with the loose button on his cardigan and caught himself when she smiled knowingly.

"Do I make you nervous, Remus?" she asked, leaning in to gently nip at his mouth.

"Nymphadora," he started again.

"Do you know that you are the only person that I allow to call me Nymphadora? I'm not sure why I let you, but when it rolls off of your tongue, it just sounds right. Like I'm yours. I want to be yours and no one else's. I am yours, Remus, yet you continuously worry that I will turn away from you. I won't."

Remus swallowed again, his hands moving back to his hair. "Nymphadora, there is something about me that you don't know. Something… I've only ever told one person in my entire life. Others know but they… well they found out on their own or from a third party in some way, that's not important. What's important is that when you learn… I'm, what I… your opinion of me is going to change and I know that you're going to be angry that I've never told you this before and… you might not want to be mine anymore or want to be with me at all because it's going to disgust and horrify you and that… terrifies me."

Tonks simply climbed into his lap, straddling him and looping her arms around his neck. "My opinion is going to change?"

He nodded. "Well, I would imagine it… there's a strong possibility that it might… yes…"

Tonks kissed him softly, her hands playing with the buttons of his sweater and splaying it open. She slid her hands up into his hair as her mouth played with his and he groaned as she unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it over his shoulders and off. Her hands slid along his lean chest, touching the scars and then she pressed her lips to each scar, kissing it softly. "You are so sexy," she murmured, her mouth kissing the jagged white scars. "Nothing you can possibly tell me will change my opinion of you."

"Nymphadora," he moaned as her mouth puckered his nipple. "I'm… we need to talk."

Tonks smiled cheekily at him. "I have a terrible attention span. I think I'd listen much more attentively if you were naked."

Remus grinned at her and then gasped when she undid his jeans and her hand slid beneath the denim to cup him. "Oh fuck," he moaned.

Tonks smiled, biting her bottom lip. "I love how you feel in my hand, like hot velvet," she said, capturing his mouth for a long kiss. She climbed off of him, tugging his jeans down and leaving him completely nude on his lumpy sofa. Then she was kneeling in front of him, her hands on his thighs. "And I love how you taste," she murmured, her hot breath between his thighs and Remus simply threw his head back as her tongue darted out to touch him. "And nothing you will ever tell me will make me want you any less."

Her tongue brushed the length of him, painted his sack and then lingered on his tip before she took him into that hot mouth. Remus groaned her name, his hands fisting in the sofa, his whiskey eyes turning a dark amber as he watched her mouth work him over. She was getting much too good at this for her own good, he thought, groaning her name.

Tonks basked in the taste of him. She loved pleasing him. She loved tasting him this way, taking him over and having complete control over his body. She wanted to take more of him, but she couldn't, not yet. She slid her lips over him, licking and sucking, focusing on the tip of him. She felt him tighten, and she smiled, taking him deeper and when he came she clutched his thighs, swallowing him. She licked her lips when she was finished, kissing his stomach, his neck, and then finally touching her lips to his.

"Nymphadora," he moaned, tugging her mouth back to his and kissing her deeply, tasting himself. "You are getting entirely too good at that."

She smirked at him, straddling him again. "If you'd let me practice more, I'd get even better and maybe I'll even be able to take all of you in my mouth."

Remus' neck flushed red.

Tonks laughed and kissed him softly, her hands sliding along his chest. "I forgot to mention that you have the largest and the most beautiful cock that I have ever seen."

Remus rolled his eyes, his neck still flushing red. "That's an extreme exaggeration."

Her eyebrows rose. "Complete fact, Professor Lupin."

Remus tugged her mouth back to his. "Dora," he murmured, kissing her softly. "There really is something that I need to tell you and… part of that is why I can't become a professor at Hogwarts."

"Don't tell me that you're incredibly gay for Sirius Black because sometimes the way you two look at each other…"

Remus laughed and kissed her cheek. "I'm not gay for Sirius, no, but I suppose if someone had to make me turn…"

She swatted him playfully. "Prat."

He grinned and gently cupped her face. "I love being with you. You are an incredible woman and for you to even look at me twice is a blessing but… I'm not the man that you think I am."

Tonks wrapped her arms around his neck again. "What kind of man are you then, Remus? Tell me. Tell me what foolish notion you think will make me turn away from you because I can assure you, I won't."

He hesitated. "I need to get dressed. I can't be… naked while we talk about this."

Tonks stared at him in confusion as he pushed her off of him and stood up. "Why should you being naked change anything?"

Remus reached for his jeans as he spoke. "Because I'm not a man, Dora."

Tonks simply stared at him, her eyes intentionally moving down to his large and growing erection. "So if you're not a man, explain how I just gave you a blow job?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "That's not… I mean, I'm a man - obviously - but I'm… I'm an animal."

Tonks' eyebrow rose as he tugged on his jeans, not bothering to tie them before he started to pace back and forth. "In bed, most certainly."

"Dora," he said impatiently as he shook his head as if still not sure what to say. His eyes met hers and she was surprised to see the fear there before he quickly masked it. "Nymphadora… I love you. I love you more than I ever thought was possible to love someone other than Harry and my friends. You are… I feel you in everything I do and when I'm not close to you, I feel melancholic, like part of me is missing."

"Remus —"

" — No, I have to get this out or I never will," he said quickly. When she only nodded he let out a slow breath. "My body comes alive when you're near me. When you touch me my blood hums and sings for you, and I know that you are _it_ for me. You are the one that I've been waiting for my entire life. Adrian told me that being with your soulmate is the most incredible thing that he has ever experienced and once I make you mine I will truly understand that. I have been doing everything in my power to not dive in and make you mine, Dora, to not… _mark you_ as mine once and for all."

"I want you to mark me," she said huskily, moving to her knees on the couch. "I feel all of that, too, Remus."

Remus shook his head. "No, you don't understand… when — when I was a child my father used to work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He came across a creature there who he was convinced had fooled the department into believing that he was an innocent Muggle. My father tried to convince the Ministry to keep the man prisoner, to prove that he was the monster who had attacked the children in the community. The ministry thought that he was crazy and they let the creature go. My father was livid. This creature, who only wore the mask of the man, set free by the department, sought revenge upon my father. In his revenge, he found out where my father lived where… where we lived and he snuck into my room just a little before my fifth birthday and he attacked me. My father rushed in to save me, but it was too late. I… I had been bitten."

Tonks' eyes widened as she climbed to her feet, gripping his hands in her own. "Rem, I'm so sorry."

He shook his head, swallowing slowly. Now that he had finally begun he was determined to get the words out. "The man's name was Fenrir Greyback and he's a notoriously well known and dangerous werewolf. I'm not notorious, but I am dangerous and… a werewolf," he finished lamely and tugged his hands away from her, marching into the kitchen, his hands in his hair again.

Tonks watched him march away from her and she followed him, spinning him around and slipping her hands into his back pockets again and holding him against her. "I know that already. So what?"

Remus simply stared at her. " _So what_? That's all you can bloody well say! I just told you that I'm a fucking werewolf!"

Tonks nipped at his bottom lip. "And I figured that out already. Did you think I didn't suspect when you always left me on the moon cycle? Your scars? Your possessive nature? I like a little danger, Remus. I'm an Auror."

"Nymphadora, I am not _a little danger_! Do you have any idea what a creature like me can do? I can break through doors and walls with my strength! I can track you for miles, I can hear anything almost ten miles away. Look at me!" he exploded, pushing her away angrily and slapping his hands on his bare chest. "I did this! Me! I lock myself away and if I don't take the Wolfsbane Potion without anything to hunt or to kill I claw at myself, scratching my own skin off, clawing at myself in desperation! That monster lives inside of me! The wolf is inside of me all of the time! I am the wolf all of the time! The mask of the man just hides my true face. Do you understand? Why the fuck are you not freaking out?"

She nodded, moving towards him carefully. His eyes were wide and amber now, his hair tousled from his hands. He looked panicked, she thought, and even more like the sexy bewildered professor she fancied. She placed her hands on his abs, sliding her palms along his rib cage, up his chest and over his shoulders. "I think that you're freaking out enough for the both of us to be honest," she said teasingly, kissing the skin below his ear. "I like your mask, but I think that it's time for you to take it off now."

Remus stared at her in confusion. "Nymphadora, you're not even listening to me!"

Tonks put her hand over his mouth. "No, you're not listening and I'm pretty sure that's a serious flaw in your personality. Are you honestly standing there waiting for me to change my mind about you?" His eyes flickered in pain before he masked it and her own eyes narrowed. "I'm a klutz, a complete spaz, if I'm honest with myself. I had hoped that I would grow out of it, but obviously it's something that is part of me no matter what I do. The wolf is part of you and I think that it's time that you get off your high horse and stop being so bloody ashamed of it."

Remus' mouth opened to protest, but she simply clamped her hand tighter.

"You were bit as a child, well boo-fucking-hoo," she said angrily. "Do I pity that child? Yes! Does my heart ache at the thought of you as a little boy having to undergo a painful transformation during every full moon? Of course it does! My heart breaks for you," she said, tears in her eyes now. "And hearing you tell me this, the hate in your voice, the self-hatred that you possess for the wolf is beyond me. You do not disgust me. I am not horrified by you. The wolf is you, Remus, and you are both man and wolf and wearing a mask to hide who you are is not only insulting to the many people who love you, but also to yourself. The man is not the mask and the fact that you thought hiding this secret from me was for my own good both insults me and shames you. I fucking love you, Remus Lupin, and I know that I'm your soulmate - did you really think that I couldn't feel it too?"

She pulled her hand away and tugged her shirt over her head, dropping it onto the kitchen floor. Her hands moved to her bra next and Remus' eyes widened as she unhooked the clasp and her breasts were free before him.

"What-what are you doing?" he spluttered, staring at her in confusion. He had just admitted to her that he was a werewolf and she was taking off her clothes.

"I am going to finish taking off my clothes," she said as she stepped out of her shoes. "And then I'm going to make myself comfortable and naked on your bed," she continued as she unhooked her pants. "You have two choices, Mr Lupin. One: You can sit out here and mope like the idiot that you think you are. Or two: You can follow me into the bedroom, bend me over the bed and fuck me like the animal you are, and then please me like the man, before you _make me yours_. Understood?"

Remus' mouth dropped open as he watched her saunter off to his bedroom in nothing but a pair of blue cotton knickers. She dropped them outside of his bedroom door and he got a peek at her beautiful and entirely biteable behind before she disappeared into his room.

He stood there for a full minute, his erection painful in his jeans and then he stormed into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Tonks was lying on her side, her fingernails gently grazing her left nipple. "I was hoping that you were smart enough to make the right choice."

Remus practically growled as he moved towards the bed. "You want me to take you like an animal? Is that what you want?" he growled, spanking her butt before he slid two fingers inside of her. "You want me to bend you over and let you ride me, is that it?"

Tonks gasped as he added a third finger. "Yes!"

"You want me to bite down hard enough to draw blood? To mark you as my mate? As mine, Nymphadora; mine and only mine? Is that what you want?" he demanded, his fingers furiously moving in and out of her in a fast and demanding pace.

Tonks panted, her head falling back in pleasure. "Yes! Make me yours, Remus, be mine."

Remus pushed her over, holding her in place at the back of her neck, his fingers leaving her just long enough to get his jeans off and then he was inside of her, deep and rough, and she screamed his name as he rode her, leaning back against him and gasping in pleasure as she rode him and he hit that sweet spot over and over again. When the orgasm tore through her, his teeth grazed her neck and then he pulled out, flipped her over and continued to ride her deep. She came again, crying out his name and he finally went over, burying his face in her breasts as he finished.

Tonks slid a damp hand into his hair. "Merlin that was fucking fantastic."

Remus grinned sheepishly at her, slipping out of her and holding her close. "You're so beautiful," he said, kissing her breast.

She smiled at that. "That's called post-coital bliss. I'm delightfully average in the looks department. But I'll take the compliment."

Remus mouth continued to work her breast. "You slay me, Nymphadora, utterly and completely."

Tonks smiled at him. "I can say the same," she stroked her fingers through his hair, smiling widely. "I love you."

His golden eyes met hers and the look in them, the complete bewilderment and wonder had her heart bursting.

She cupped his cheeks and tugged his face up to hers, kissing him deeply. "I'm completely in love with you, Remus John Lupin. I love everything about you. Even that stubbornness. I love the wolf part of you just as much as I love the man."

Remus closed his eyes as he kissed her, his lips on hers. "I'm completely in love with you too, Nymphadora. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I am."

Tonks kissed him tenderly. "I could say the same," she murmured.

His grip tightened on her and the urge to bite her, to mark her as his mate made his skin hum, his blood thump. "I want you to be mine."

Tonks smiled at him. "I am yours. I've always been yours. Mark me."

He shook his head. "You… you don't know what I'm asking, Dora."

Tonks pressed her lips to his. "Yes, I do. Mark me, Remus."

Remus stared at her for a full minute. The blood was pumping in his ears and his heart was pounding in his chest. "Are you sure?"

Tonks moved to straddle him, gasping as she carefully slid onto his erection, taking him deep inside of her, the feel of his heartbeat nestled between her own breasts. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Remus. Mark me."

Her hips rocked against him as he moved deeply inside of her, the pressure building within him and then he sat up, moving deeper within her and she cried out in pleasure. His eyes were on hers as she rode him, bringing her closer and closer to peak. She was panting his name, her hands in his hair and her hips bucking against him desperately and he bent his head to her breast, locked his mouth around her nipple and sucked so hard, she buckled. He placed a soft kiss next to her left nipple and then his teeth pierced through the skin of the underside of her breast.

She felt a slight pinch at the bite, but then it was pleasure like she had never imagined.

It was as if he had given her something of himself. She could feel his length moving deeply inside of her, pumping away and giving her pleasure, but at the same time she could feel the tight warmth of herself fluttering as she wrapped around him as he thrusted and the combined pleasure was enough to make her scream his name and the orgasm crashed over both of them again and again and again.

When his tongue lapped over the bite, sealing it closed, her body collapsed against him in relief. She snuggled into him, completely sated and she could hear his heartbeat against her ear as she felt it in the necklace nestled between her breasts. She stroked a hand over his chest and felt his skin gooseflesh around it and smiled.

"You bit me and I liked it," she said with a smirk, kissing his chest.

Remus nuzzled her hair. "You're my mate, Nymphadora, and now I made you mine."

"I've always been yours," she said with a small smile. "And you, Remus Lupin are just as much my mate as I'm yours. I'm a very lucky woman."

He smirked into her hair. "Only you would think that."

"Remus?"

"Hmm," he asked, his lips trailing over her neck.

"I guessed the werewolf thing a little while ago. I've never been ashamed of you. And I'm guessing the potion that Sirius mentioned is the Wolfsbane Potion?"

Remus nodded, his eyes on hers. "It is. Snape brews it for me each month."

Tonks danced her fingers through his wavy locks. "I think you owe Sirius an apology, Professor Lupin, because you are accepting that post."

"Dora… if any of the parents found out that a werewolf was teaching their children they'd —"

"Have to answer to me," she said smartly, kissing his lips. "I know you want this. If you are saying no because you don't want to be a teacher that's different, but I used to watch you when you were teaching Harry and you were in your element. This is the job for you. Take it."

Remus kissed her softly. "I'll probably have to stay at the castle."

She grinned wickedly. "Think of all of the naughty things we can get up too there."

He chuckled and then let out a long sigh. "I really do love to teach," he admitted.

She smiled. "So take the job, Remus."

"All right, I'll take it. I'll be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts."

Tonks slid her hand around to squeeze his bum. "Good choice, Professor." She circled her finger over his bum and down between his legs. "Now, why don't you show me how good that werewolf metabolism is?"

Remus simply grinned at her. "First I better go check on those pork chops because I think I ruined dinner."

Tonks grinned widely. "It's okay, I'm hungry for something else anyway."

Remus laughed and for the first time in over a decade, he felt light and happy and at peace with himself.


	96. Chapter 96

_Author's Note:_

 _Well, here it is beginning… let me know your thoughts please._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY-SIX:**

 **By the middle of January, Harry found himself becoming even more frustrated with Lockhart.** Every time the man opened his mouth he wanted to throw something at him. When he said as much to Ron, his friend only nodded and mentioned something else stupid that they had seen the man doing lately. He wished Remus was their teacher, but there was still no news from Sirius on that front and Harry was beginning to think his hopes had been dashed.

He headed down to the Quidditch pitch for his first practice of the new year, broomstick over his shoulder. He had spent the morning teaching himself the jinxes and curses he had written down in Lockhart's class and was pleased with the fact that he had mastered eight of them already. He was itching to try some of them out too, but had yet to find an opportunity.

The bite of the cold winter wind whistled past his head as he pulled open the door to the Quidditch locker rooms and he made his way down the hall to the Gryffindor section. He stopped short when he saw Oliver and Alicia embracing. Oliver had his leg between hers and Alicia was leaning against her locker, her arms around his neck, his hands on her hips as they snogged. The memory of watching them doing something else entirely flashed in his mind and he made an awkward coughing sound to let them know that he had arrived.

Oliver grinned at him when he pulled away. "Oh, sorry, Harry."

Alicia smiled warmly at him, turning to grab her jumper and tug it over her turtleneck. "Hi, Harry, did you have a nice holiday?"

He nodded. "Yeah, you?"

"I did, thanks."

Fred, George, and Angelina came in together all laughing and talking and Harry turned to his locker to change, wondering what to do about the fact that he now had an erection. He remembered Sirius' words and grinned. Snape, he thought, picture Snape. And before the thought had even finished forming in his mind, he felt his body obey and grinned. He quickly dressed in his warm red sweat pants and socks and then tugged on his undershirt and his Gryffindor Quidditch hoodie. He added a toque and put on his new gloves, smiling at Katie as she rushed inside and rolled her eyes at Oliver who declared her one minute late.

Then they headed out to the pitch.

Wood wanted to work them hard, get rid of the holiday laziness, he claimed. He started practice off by having them hold their brooms draped across the back of their shoulders and running up the steps of the Quidditch stands. Harry was panting by his second time heading up and he laughed when Alicia called her boyfriend a sadist.

They did ten laps up and down the stands before Oliver let them jog slowly around the pitch. Five laps around the pitch and then onto their brooms for flying laps (fifteen), followed by pass the Quaffle (twenty minutes), and then he finally released the Snitch and Bludgers for the team to practice.

Two hours later, Harry was dragging his feet back to the common room, exhausted but in a good way. He had taken a quick shower in the locker room, putting his things back in his locker and had changed into blue jeans and his knew knit jumper from Mrs Weasley. He was only halfway to the Gryffindor common room when he ran into Hermione.

She was curled on the window ledge in the corridor, a big quilt wrapped across her legs, a scarf at her neck and a book open in her hands.

He smiled as he made his way over to her. "Hey, what are you doing out here? You must be chilled to the bone."

"A bit," she said with a smile, marking her place in the book she was reading. "But I used a warming charm on the blanket. How was practice?"

"Exhausting, but good," he told her, hopping up onto the ledge and tugging part of her blanket over his legs. "Ron pissing you off?"

Her brow furrowed. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Well, you're out here all alone so I figured that was probably the reason?"

She smiled and tucked her curls behind her ears. "No. He was playing chess with Neville by the fire and I wasn't in the mood to watch. I needed some peace and quiet and my dorm wasn't the place for it."

At Harry's raised eyebrow, she sighed.

"Lavender and Parvati were just so gossipy, I couldn't stand it! Apparently Lavender kissed Seamus and she and Parvati were gushing about it."

"Yeah, I know, Seamus told us the other day. He was pretty stoked about it. His first kiss and all."

Hermione blushed. "I mean, don't you think that we're a bit young to be doing… that?"

Harry shrugged again, leaning back against the wall and turning to face her. "I dunno, it depends on you, I guess. Uncle Sirius says that it's whenever you think you are ready and it doesn't matter if you're twelve or twenty."

"He's wise," Hermione said.

Harry laughed. "I suppose. But let's not tell him that," he said making her chuckle. "What about the other girls, what's their names, Sophie and Nat? What do they have to say on the whole snogging thing?"

Hermione sighed. "They're just as bad. Sophie says that she has a boyfriend back home, but I don't know if I believe her. And Nat fancies Malfoy something terrible. She's always going on about how fit and handsome he is."

"No wonder you prefer to hang out with us blokes."

She smirked at him and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I don't really know how to be friends with other girls. Mum says that I'm too independent and too headstrong and that I intimidate them. Do you think that's true?"

"How am I supposed to know?" he asked her.

She chuckled. "I thought maybe Ginny and I would be friends when I met her at your birthday, but I don't think that she likes me very much."

"Ginny likes everybody. She's like the epitome of the friendliest person on earth. It takes a lot to get on her bad side. She likes you. She's just… going through something right now and I can't quite pin it down. It's been bothering me. Ever since she came to school she's been very different from the girl I knew. Trust me, Hermione, she's a great friend to have. I'm sure she'll come around."

Hermione shrugged. "Sorry to bring you in on this pity party, Harry. See this is why I'm sitting here alone."

Harry smiled at her. "Hey, I'm always around to listen if you need me."

She smiled gratefully at him. "I know, thanks."

"And pity parties are allowed, sometimes. You didn't say much about your holiday. Were your parents mad that you made the Polyjuice Potion and turned into a half human half cat hybrid?"

"Confused more like it," she said honestly. "Sometimes it's hard to explain things to them because they don't understand it. I told them how the potion could make someone essentially become another person, but I don't know. Dad thought it was brilliant and wanted to know everything. I told him that we brewed it without permission and how it wasn't really a potion most second years could brew. He was pretty proud of that fact. He's always been a bit more understanding of me in that sense."

"Your Mum was mad?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, not mad, but she was pretty relieved when all of the fur disappeared after a few days. I think sometimes as proud as she is, the idea of me having these powers and abilities scares her a bit," she said with a smile. "Christmas was good. My Nonno came to stay with us and I told him all about my adventures. He loves to hear about them."

Harry smiled at her. "Did you tell them that we brewed the potion in hopes of discovering if Malfoy was the culprit?"

"No, but I told my Nonno," she said with a smile. "He told me that sometimes those who look the most obvious are the ones who are the most innocent. I wasn't sure how to take that."

"Uncle Sirius says that of course it couldn't have been Malfoy. But knowing that his grandfather was in school here when the Chamber was originally opened is definitely something to think about."

"I agree," Hermione said, tucking a stray curl away from her face. "Maybe the library will have something about this grandfather of his and maybe that will lead us to more information on the Chamber. Were any of the teachers even here at the time so that they would remember it?"

"Dumbledore obviously, as he was the Transfiguration Professor back then. I mean, Binns is a ghost, but who knows how long he actually taught here. But when you asked him about the Chamber he never mentioned it had been opened before or had any knowledge of it outside of the myth," Harry said carefully. "I don't know if he was the history professor when my parents were here."

"He wasn't," Hermione said smartly. "I asked McGonagall and she said that Binns was hired to replaced Bathilda Bagshot who retired from teaching in 1976. He was a retired historian himself but agreed to come in and teach until a suitable replacement could be found. Apparently one day in 1979 he started teaching as a ghost and has never left."

"Wow," Harry said with a grin. "That's a little freaky actually. Can you imagine one day he's your professor all alive and whatnot and then the next day he walks in all translucent and pearly white? Very strange."

"Agreed," she said with a smile. "So, I guess that he's out of the running, which only leaves Dumbledore. None of the other teachers are old enough to have been here. McGonagall's only in her fifties, Sinistra is forty-three according to the Head Boy as I heard him saying the other day that she's a TILF."

Harry smirked at her. "Hermione, I'm surprised at you."

"What?" she asked. "I don't know what it means!"

He grinned. "Teacher I'd Like to Fuck."

Hermione blushed scarlet. "What a thing to say! How could he even… boys are gross!"

Harry laughed and bit his bottom lip. "I suppose we are. She is pretty attractive though, for you know, an old person." At Hermione's look, he simply grinned. "And come on, 'Mione, Lockhart?"

Hermione simply shrugged. "But I wouldn't ever… I mean, he's just nice looking and…it's different, Harry!"

Harry chuckled at her obvious discomfort and blushing cheeks. "Anyway, after Dumbledore, the oldest teacher is Vector and he's only in his early sixties."

"And Professor Sprout is the same age as McGonagall."

Harry nodded. "So only Dumbledore would have been around to remember. Doesn't exactly help in finding out who it could be."

"No, it doesn't."

Harry sighed. "At least some of the pressure seems to be off of me. Fred and George have helped a lot with that."

"By saying you're off to the chamber for a spot of tea? It's rather childish of them, don't you think?"

"But it's working," Harry told her with a smile. "People are realizing it's kind of ridiculous to blame me."

"What about the talking to snakes thing?" Hermione asked, resting her chin on her knees. "You know, I did some research in the library on Parseltongue. It turns out it is a unique language that Salazar Slytherin was gifted with. It's not something that someone learns so much as they just inherently know it from birth. Slytherin's bloodline has always known the language and it seems to have passed down to them in each generation, but it's not just them. Other wizards have claimed to have the ability and they had no connection to Slytherin's bloodline which from what I've read, is extinct. But it is incredibly rare. It's impossible to learn it though someone can imitate it enough if they were to try, but they wouldn't necessarily understand it if someone where to speak it back to them. There wasn't much else on it except what we already knew - it's considered a dark art, but only because of the snake thing."

Harry nodded. "I asked Uncle Sirius about it and he said it's a wizarding genetic trait that could have been passed down to me after being a hidden skill for generations. Like his cousin Tonks, she's a Metamorphmagus. She has the ability to change her appearance at will and she's the first Black to have that skill in centuries. She was at my birthday if you remember, the one with the pink hair?"

"Oh, right, the one you said is your sister."

"She basically is," he said with a grin. "But maybe the skill is something like that."

"Well, that's something to think about then."

Harry nodded, tapping on the book that she was still holding in her hands. "So what were you reading? Not out here studying like mad, are you?"

She smiled. "No, I'm taking a break. It's fiction."

He grinned. "Good. What's it about?"

She smiled. "A young girl who grew up on an island free and independent to do whatever she wished, which in her case was running around and reading and learning. She becomes an orphan and has to move to America to live with her aunt and uncle, who are Puritans, and they highly dislike everything that she does. She's not proper and not the lady she is supposed to be. She makes friends with a handsome sailor and an elderly Quaker woman, who people believe to be a witch."

" _The Witch of Blackbird Pond,_ " Harry said with a grin. "I read that one. I liked it."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You always surprise me, Harry."

He grinned and hopped off the ledge, extending his hand out to her. "Come on; let's try to learn the rest of those jinxes that Lockhart mentioned in class. At least teaching them to ourselves makes me feel like I'm almost learning how to defend myself."

Hermione grinned at him, accepting his hand and hopping down herself. "All right, let's go."

~ ASC ~

 **During the last week of January, Harry was finishing up his Potions essay in the common room with Neville.** He was doing his best to help his friend with the Wide-Eye Potion, otherwise known as the Awakening Potion, but Neville was so nervous that he was chewing on the middle of his quill as he attempted to do his homework.

"Nev," Harry said, waiting for his friend to look up at him. "It's fine, you've got this. Let's just go over the prep once more and then we can formulate how to write the essay."

Neville nodded, dropping his quill and running his fingers through his hair. "I hate Potions."

Harry grinned. "Nah, you hate Snape, there's a difference. Potions is like the cool things you can do with all of the plants you love."

Neville smiled at his friend's words. "Still doesn't make it any easier."

Harry laughed as he felt the vibration in his pocket. He tugged out the mirror and grinned at the sight of Sirius' face. "Hi, Uncle Padfoot."

Fred looked up from the chair behind Harry, his brow furrowing. "What did you just say, Harry?"

Harry looked back at Fred. "Oh, nothing Fred, just talking to my father." He stood up, the mirror in his hand and turned it to Fred. "Say hi to Uncle Sirius."

Fred nodded. "Right, hi Sirius."

Harry nodded at Neville and moved out of the portrait hole so that he could hear his godfather over the loud volume of the common room. "What's going on?"

Sirius grinned at him. "We've got a few things in the works, you know. Listen, I need to talk to you. Head on up to Auntie Minnie's office. I'm on my way."

Harry nodded and tucked the mirror away, ducking his head back inside the portrait hole to let Neville know he had to go McGonagall's office. He wondered what was so important that Sirius had to come see him in person. He made his way down the stairs to the lower levels and into the Transfiguration wing. He knocked on her door, smiling when she opened it.

"Hi, Aun-Professor, is Uncle Sirius here?"

McGonagall smiled at him. "Yes, come in, Potter."

Harry followed her inside, surprised to not only see Sirius, but Remus too. He hugged them both and took a seat in the chair across from them. "Surprise visit?"

McGonagall smiled at them. "I'll give you three some time. I'll be in the staff room if you need me."

Sirius nodded as he watched her leave, closing the door behind her before he turned to Harry. "We wanted to tell you in person, we heard from Kingsley today about Peter's hearing."

Harry's eyes widened. In all of the excitement with the Chamber of Secrets and wishing that Lockhart would stop being his teacher and worrying about Ginny, he had almost forgotten. "And?"

"It's tomorrow, little Prongs," Remus said quietly. "It starts at nine in the morning and will most likely last most of the day, possibly into the next."

"Can I go?"

Sirius hesitated, leaning forward and taking Harry's hands in his own. "Harry, are you absolutely sure that you want to be there? This man is the reason that your parents are dead. You are going to hear some horrible things and maybe see some memories that are… violent. I don't know… but he was a Death Eater, Prongslet, he might have truly done some heinous things that Rem and I don't even know about. I don't know if you should be a witness to that."

"I don't want you two to be there alone. I should be there too."

Remus smiled, draping an arm across Harry's shoulders. "We're supposed to take care of you, Harry, not the other way around."

Harry shrugged. "You're the ones who keeps saying that I'm growing up and to me that means we take care of each other."

Sirius grinned and kissed his forehead. "Abso-fucking-lutely we do."

"Sirius, language," Remus hissed, making Harry laugh.

"I want to be there. I want to be there for you and Uncle Rem and I want to be there for myself. I don't remember this Peter, but you told me how he used to be your friend, how you trusted him and I… I want to understand why he betrayed that trust. I want to know what happened."

Remus nodded, leaning in to kiss Harry's forehead as well. "We want the same answers."

Sirius nodded, squeezing Harry's shoulder. "All right, I have permission from McGonagall to take you home tonight then. We have to be at the Ministry of Magic for eight thirty if the hearing starts at nine. Do you need to bring anything home?"

Harry shook his head as he climbed to his feet. "No, but I was helping Neville with his Potions essay and my books are still out in the common room. Can I just go tell my friends where I'm going?"

"Yeah, of course, go on. We'll be waiting here for you when you get back."

Harry hurried out of McGonagall's office and raced back to Gryffindor Tower. Ron and Hermione had joined Neville at the table now.

"Hey, Harry, what did McGonagall want?" Ron asked, scratching his nose with the back of his quill.

"I'm going home for the night. The trial for Pettigrew is tomorrow and I'm going to attend."

"The bloke who betrayed your parents?" Neville asked, his eyes wide. "It's finally happening?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it's finally happening. Uncle Sirius says that it might be a few days. I'll see you guys when I get back." He put his books together and stuffed them in his bag, tossing it over his shoulder.

"Good luck, mate," Ron said with a nod. "I hope he's punished for what he did."

Hermione hugged him close. "We'll be thinking of you."

He nodded. "Thanks. See you."

~ ASC ~

 **While Sirius and Remus were waiting for Harry to return, Sirius sat on McGonagall's desk and smirked at his friend.** "Whenever I'm in here I have this vivid memory of being in detention."

Remus chuckled. "You did spent seventy percent of your school career in detention."

"Seventy percent, that seems extreme, more like sixty-five."

Remus laughed and dragged a hand over his face. "You worried about tomorrow?"

Sirius nodded. "More than I'd like to admit."

"Me too," he said, rubbing his hands up his arms as if he was trying to ward off a sudden chill. "I don't know if I'm ready to see him again either."

"He doesn't even look like the same person, Rem."

"That's what you said."

"What do you think about what Harry said, about us taking care of each other?"

"I think that he sounds exactly like James," Remus said with a smile. "That's what he always told us, it was about taking care of each other. He really is growing up quite a lot this year. There's been a lot of changes from him."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, there has been. Hey, you know that he's going to ask me about the Defence Against the Dark Arts post? Should we tell him?"

Remus shook his head. "No, not yet. Dumbledore is still meeting with Cumberland to determine all of the details. Let it be a surprise."

"Can you believe Dumbledore is going to do it so publicly? I mean, he wants Cumberland to speak."

Remus nodded. "I know, it surprised me too, but actually I think it's a great idea. It is truly setting an example of what not to do in a final way that his teaching already has exemplified and I applaud Dumbledore's plan. And it will be nice to surprise Harry by just showing up to teach one day."

Sirius grinned at him. "I agree." They both looked up as Harry hurried into the office. "Ready, Prongslet?"

Harry grinned at him. "Ready."


	97. Chapter 97

_Author's Note:_

 _*** WARNING DARK AND GRAPHIC BELOW *****_

 _Well, here is the start of it — I have had this plot point in mind for quite a while (most of it even written) but the trial aspect had to be moved around it. Also Peter's middle name was never revealed nor was Lily's so I made them up._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN:**

 **When Harry stepped out of the fireplace and into his living room, the familiar sight made him smile.** Sirius and Remus came out behind him and Sirius performed a quick cleansing charm to get rid of the soot and ash from the flames before Harry hopped onto the chesterfield just in time for Marauder to jump up onto his lap, barking happily.

Sirius and Remus both sat on either side of the boy and dog. Sirius sighed, reaching out to scratch Marauder behind the ear. "Harry, do you have any questions about tomorrow?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I understand that it's a trial and that we'll finally learn the whole story about why he… sold me and my parents out to Voldemort."

Remus nodded, linking his arm with Harry's. "That's something that we'd all like to know. Why he did it, how he did it, and most importantly, what he thinks we did to warrant such a betrayal. He adored you as a baby, I don't know how he could have allowed Voldemort to hurt you."

Harry nodded, laughing when Sirius leaned in to cover his face in kisses. "Uncle Siri!" he exclaimed, rolling his eyes as he pushed his father away in amusement. "I'm not five! Stop!" he said, laughing.

Sirius grinned. "Sorry, I was remembering you as a chubby cheeked little baby. No, you most certainly aren't a baby anymore, nor five years old."

Harry smiled at him and then laughed when Remus leaned in to do the same thing. "Uncle Moony!"

Remus grinned at him. "Couldn't resist," he said, leaning in to kiss Harry's forehead tenderly. "All right, why don't you get yourself upstairs and ready for bed. It's already after ten and we have to be there first thing in the morning."

Harry stood up and snapped his fingers at Marauder who eagerly followed him up the stairs.

Sirius sighed and looked at his friend. "Tomorrow is going to change everything."

Remus shook his head. "You don't know that, Siri. Tomorrow, we're going to find out the truth; something that we've both been waiting for - for a long, long time."

"What if he reveals that you're a werewolf to the court?"

Remus shrugged. "Then he reveals it. I didn't think that I could hide forever as an unregistered wolf and… Nymphadora knows now. She knows everything."

"About fucking time," Sirius told him, shaking his head. "And did she care?"

Remus blushed. "She… already suspected, maybe even knew."

"And she didn't fucking care. I told you."

Remus nodded. "I know you did. She was the only person I was… if he tells the court, he tells the court. The DRCMC would make me register and I'd most likely have to spend time in Azkaban for keeping it a secret, but if it means Peter gets punished for what he did… I'll take whatever comes my way."

Sirius dragged his hands through his hair. "Would it make Dumbledore change his mind about hiring you?"

Remus smirked, "I rather doubt it. If I had to spend time in Azkaban it would probably only make him want to hire me more. He's an eccentric genius and a fool sometimes. It's going to be all right, Sirius. If they find out, they find out. I've always known it could be possibility. Tomorrow is about Peter and him obtaining justice."

Sirius nodded, chewing on his bottom lip as he looked at his friend nervously. "Yeah, yeah, it will be."

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning, Harry, Sirius, and Remus arrived in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic.** Harry looked around in amazement. He had never been inside of the Ministry before and the gleaming entrance hall with its large elaborate statues and its shining floors was quite the impressive sight. The golden statue by the fountain, the Fountain of Magical Brethren according to the sign, depicted a wizard standing in the circular pool pointing his wand high and surrounded by a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf. All were looking up at the witch and wizard in adoration, which Harry thought was strange as he watched the water pour from the statue.

After their wands were checked and measured by security and they were each given a visitor's pass, they made their way down to the lowest level and followed a long stone passageway until they entered a wide circular hall surrounded by doors. Each door had a different Roman numeral on it. Remus opened the door marked IX and they stepped through.

The room was large and gloomy. The dark stone only seemed to make it more depressing and glum looking. Harry followed his fathers across the staging area where a chair sat, chains surrounding it, and he followed them up the steps to the stone benches that arched up the end of the room like a stadium, looking down at the chair. He took his seat between Sirius and Remus, only two rows up, and he didn't protest, when both of them linked their arms with his.

Harry watched in fascination as the room continued to fill up. He was surprised, but pleased, to see McGonagall take a seat next to Sirius, Dumbledore on her other side and then at five minutes to nine, a second door on the left opened up and a small balding man was led through by two Aurors. His hands and feet were both chained and he had tears running down his face, his watery blue eyes bloodshot and terrified. If Harry hadn't known who it was, he wasn't sure if he would have made the connection between this man and the young boy from the photos.

The Aurors connected his chains to the shackles in the chair and waved their wands over his chains, emitting a soft silver glow.

"What did they do that for?" Harry asked.

"It's a binding spell, to keep him in the chains. He's an Animagus and can turn into a rat so they don't want him to transform and escape. The spell prevents him from doing so," Remus explained patiently and quietly.

Harry nodded as a dark skinned wizard in dark robes declaring himself to be Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Head Auror, came in followed by seven more Aurors. He watched as they stationed themselves around Pettigrew and the Head Auror sat at the podium at the front.

"We are here today to set trial for one Peter Pernell Pettigrew," the Shacklebolt declared, his voice deep and melodic as it echoed throughout the court room. "As Head Auror, I will be overseeing this trial along with our jury of seven," he said nodding at the witches and wizards who were sitting off to the side. "Transcribing this trial will be Amara Madison, scribe of the court. Let us begin."

Shacklebolt cleared his throat, his eyes on Pettigrew as he spoke. "Let the court be aware that Mr Pettigrew will be administered Veritaserum if there is any hesitation in his answers." He tapped his wand on the podium like a gavel and then he directed his focus on Pettigrew. "Mr Pettigrew, today we accuse you of the following crimes: Working as a Death Eater alongside the Dark Wizard known as He Who Must Not Be Named; accused of accessory to He Who Must Not Be Named in the attempted murder of Harry James Potter; accused of selling out James Fleamont Potter and Lily Mary-Brenna Evans Potter to He Who Must Not Be Named - which resulted in their deaths by murder at his hands; accused of twelve counts of murder by your own hand against the Muggles killed by the Blasting Curse you used to hide yourself from one Sirius Orion Black - the Muggles names are as follows alphabetically: Alfred Bern, Madison Daniels, Lillian Fox, Justine Finch, Logan Matthews, Linda Morton, David Morton, Peter O'Shea, Pauline Preston, Gregory Sampson, Vincent Simpson, and Kendrick Wessex; accused of being an unregistered Animagus of a rat which you then used to hide from the court for almost eleven years; accused of framing Sirius Orion Black for your crimes; and lastly - accused of being a fugitive of justice from the Ministry of Magic and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. How do you plead?"

Pettigrew swallowed slowly, his eyes downcast. "Guilty."

Chatter amongst the court erupted a bit and Kingsley held up his hand to silence them. Sirius tugged Harry's arm a bit closer to him.

"Let's start with the first crime on the list, Mr Pettigrew. You have been accused of being a Death Eater. You plead guilty to this crime?"

"Yes," Pettigrew croaked. "I was a Death Eater."

Sirius let out a small gasp and Harry shifted closer to him, wrapping an arm around his father's waist and he felt him relax a little and he watched as McGonagall gripped the hand on Sirius' other side.

"How did you come to be a Death Eater?"

Pettigrew was quiet for a moment and when he spoke, his squeaky voice was loud and almost pitiful sounding. "After I left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I moved in with my best friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter in a small flat in Muggle London that Sirius had inherited from his uncle. It was just what we needed after finishing school, a little break from everything. We went on a summer trip, hopping from country to country and when we were in Paris, I ran into an old classmate, Evan Rosier. He was visiting his girlfriend for the summer, and he recognized me. Rosier was a Death Eater and he had tried to recruit the four of us to his cause before we left Hogwarts, it ended with James beating him bloody. He taunted me about how I had chosen the wrong side, about how one day soon I would know what it felt like to have my world altered; to regret turning the Dark Lord down. I ignored him, but his words bothered me. Soon after getting back to London, James proposed to Lily and within a year, Sirius had sold the flat and I had my own place. My first week in my new flat, Rosier and Avery broke in and kidnapped me."

"You were kidnapped?"

Pettigrew nodded. "I was sleeping in my bed when I heard the wards break. Then before I could even grab my wand, a pillowcase was shoved over my head and then something hit me to knock me out. When I woke up I was chained to a chair, much like this one and… the Dark Lord was standing there, twirling his wand between his fingers."

"What did you do upon seeing the Dark Wizard?"

"I… I…"

"Let the court be aware that Auror Dawlish is now administering a dose of truth potion known as Veritaserum, to the accused."

The potion was forced down Pettigrew's throat and when he looked straight ahead again, he was focused and alert.

Kingsley cleared his throat. "What did you do upon seeing He Who Must Not Be Named after you were kidnapped?"

"I pissed myself," he said honestly and some of the court chuckled.

"And?"

"The Dark Lord laughed. He asked me if I was scared of him. I told him only stupid people weren't scared and that I wasn't stupid. He seemed pleased with my remark. And then he pointed his wand at me and used the Cruciatus Curse."

Kingsley nodded, closing his eyes. "We would now like the court to witness the memory of Peter Pettigrew's kidnapping to help form a better understanding of what Pettigrew underwent. For anyone without a strong stomach, I must warn you of the graphic nature of this memory."

Harry watched as Kingsley open a crystal phial and poured a silvery blue wispy substance into a basin before projecting the image above him to hover above the room like a film on screen.

 _Peter was crying and shaking._

 _His hands and feet were chained to the chair and he was trembling all over._

 _A tall wizard with dark-hair streaked in grey was standing before him. He twirled his wand between his fingers, his sunken face and dark eyes seeming to stare at Peter in wonder and delight._

 _"Your father tells us that you are quite the accomplished young pureblood, Peter, with ambitions to work in the Ministry. I heard that you've recently been hired in the Transportation Department, but that you are hoping to find your way to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, is that true?"_

 _Peter nodded. "Yes."_

 _"I can make that happen for you," the Dark Lord drawled. "I can simply snap my fingers and you can begin working at your dream job. Would you like that, Peter?"_

 _"No."_

 _"No?" The Dark Lord asked, turning to smirk at Rosier and Avery who stood around him. "You wouldn't like to follow your dreams?"_

 _"I mean, yes, but not from you."_

 _"Crucio!" A woman's voice shrieked and Peter's body began to bend and stretch in ways that it shouldn't and he screamed._

 _"Enough Bella," the Dark Lord said, waving her off. "Let him speak." When Peter caught his breath, he smiled. "A brave Gryffindor - aren't all of you much the same?" He leaned closer to him, touching his wand along the edges of his face. "You will join my cause."_

 _"No, I won't!" he declared._

 _The spell hit him again and he screamed in pain and then it was lifted._

 _"You will join my cause."_

 _"No, I won't!"_

 _The spell hit him again and again until the Dark Lord merely smirked at him._

 _"Such resilience! I thought that you said he was a weakling, Rosier, not even brave enough to stand up for himself?" He leaned in closer, smiling a cruel and unforgiving smile. "You have bravery, oh, yes, but are you brave enough to defend others?" He snapped his fingers. "You are a pureblood wizard, why wouldn't you want to fight for the cause that understands you? That wants to see you succeed? I can give you everything that you have ever desired, Peter; things beyond your wildest dreams."_

 _"I can earn them myself," he panted._

 _The force of the slap sent his head back and the Dark Lord only smiled._

 _"You are friends with two individuals that I find very interesting to me. One, a blood traitor who has escaped my grasp on two occasions, James Potter. The Potter family interests me for many reasons and the monetary value of having their estate at my disposal would be greatly valued as Somerset is quite the grand scale, but having both Potter and Sirius Black, two blood traitors, and making them turn coat, my… it would change everything."_

 _"James and Sirius will never follow you!" Peter declared, spitting blood out of his mouth._

 _Rosier backhanded him so hard the chair fell over._

 _Avery used his wand to flip the chair back into place._

 _"You are weak, Peter! Do you think that your so called friends are even looking for you? Do you think they care that you've been taken hostage? They don't even know you're missing."_

 _"You're wrong," Peter said defiantly. "We'll defeat you, you'll see!"_

 _The Dark Lord only smiled. "Bella, dear, why don't you show our young friend what happens when I'm unhappy."_

 _Bella smiled gleefully, standing on her toes and planting a small kiss on the Dark Lord's cheek. "Happily, my lord."_

Sirius placed a hand over Harry's eyes as the memory progressed to the start of a deep and disturbing torture of Peter Pettigrew. Remus placed a bubblehead charm over Harry's head so that he could no longer see nor hear what was going on as Bellatrix Lestrange was anything if not thorough. She used the Cruciatus on him. She nailed spikes through his hands and feet, and when she tugged his clothes off, leaving him naked on the chair, Sirius knew that what was coming next wasn't going to be any less pleasant.

Sirius swallowed back his bile as he watched the memory unfold before him - too disturbed to watch but unable to tear his eyes away. Bellatrix called over Alecto Carrow, the young woman his mother had once wanted him to marry and he watched in horror as she knelt before Peter, fondling him and rubbing him and like any normal red-blooded man, his erection grew in her hand and he watched as she raped him, denying him release as he screamed and cried to be let go.

He was unchained and tortured again with the Cruciatus. It went on for hours and with each rape and with each beating, Peter cried and screamed for help, begged for Sirius or Remus or James to save him and it tore at Sirius' heart as he watched his friend suffer violently before him. He gripped Remus' hand tightly in his own and held McGonagall's in his other hand, nodding at his friend when he saw that the tears rolling down Remus' face mimicked his own.

Kingsley sped through the memory, moving past the torture until Voldemort was standing before Peter again. A few days had passed at this point and Sirius remembered how Peter had gone missing for a week before the Order had rescued him just before Christmas of 1978.

Peter had refused to speak of what had happened to him. Sirius, Remus, and James had all slept at his flat for two weeks, not leaving him alone for a minute. Peter had been reassured by their presence and promised them that he was fine. But he had never told him what they had done to him and now Sirius understood why.

He turned his attention back to the court as Kingsley spoke and Remus lifted the charm from Harry so that he could listen once more.

"Why did you do that?" Harry hissed at him.

Remus smiled and gently brushed his fingers through Harry's hair. "No matter how grown up you are, little Prongs, there are some things that you don't need to see. If I have to do that again, I will."

Harry saw the tear stains on his father's face so he only nodded. He wasn't sure what it was he had missed, but he knew by the expressions on Remus and Sirius' faces that it must have been bad.

Kingsley was speaking again. "Mr Pettigrew, you claim that a month or so after you were kidnapped, you noticed that you were being stalked?"

Pettigrew swallowed slowly. "Yes. I first noticed Rosier following me, then Avery, then Rookwood. I began to fear that they would try to take me hostage again. I stayed with James at Potter House and then with Sirius and Remus for a bit, but I wasn't approached again as long as I was with my friends. But the moment that I was alone, they were there once more."

"Did they approach you when you were alone?"

Pettigrew shook his head. "No, but I felt unsafe and they let me know that at any moment I could be kidnapped and tortured once more. They broke into my flat and left severed fingers on my bed, once a photo of my mother sleeping, and once a photo of my father - who I had come to learn was Imperiused - torturing Muggles. I snapped. I ran outside of my flat to where Rosier was watching me from across the way and I screamed at him to just leave me alone, to stop taunting me."

"And how did Rosier react?"

"He only smiled and Disapparated."

"Did they continue to stalk you?"

"No. I was left alone until June."

Kingsley nodded and opened a second phial. "Let the court know that I am now showing the memory from June of 1979."

The memory played before the court again.

 _"Peter, we've missed you," the Dark Lord said with a smile as he appeared in front of Peter's flat._

 _Peter swallowed slowly. "I won't join you. You can't make me. I'd rather be dead."_

 _"Well, that can most certainly be arranged," he said coyly._

 _Rosier disarmed Peter and they forced him to walk with them, Apparating him to Malfoy Manor where a grey-blond haired wizard was waiting for them._

 _"Brax, let's get our guest settled in, shall we?"_

 _"You know Abraxas Malfoy, of course," the Dark Lord said pleasantly as if introducing him at a party. "He has graciously given us his home to talk to you in."_

 _"I don't want to talk," Peter said._

 _The Dark Lord grimaced. "Now, no need to be rude." He waved his wand and chains shackled Peter. "And I know all about your little rat problem so no, you won't be able to transform while in those. But you can keep on trying."_

 _He paced in front of him, twirling his wand between his fingers for a moment._

 _"James Potter is marrying a Mudblood in two weeks time. Are you as disgusted by his traitorous ways as I am? Hmm, no answer," he said mockingly. "I plan on changing this world, Peter. I want society to understand why we must protect our magic; why we must stop these Mudbloods from sneaking in and stealing it from us. They take our jobs and they muddy our blood which makes us lose our magic, Peter. All purebloods must learn to breed only with each other to create perfect pureblood children. Do you understand, Peter?"_

 _He ran his finger down the side of Peter's face with a cruel smile._

 _"Alecto rather liked riding your little prick, maybe you'd like to let her do it again? Maybe you'd like to get her with your child and start helping to rebuild this society the way it should be. Would you like me to summon her out here, Peter? Do you want to fuck her?"_

 _"N-no," Peter whimpered._

 _The Dark Lord smiled cruelly. "I thought that you might choose that option, which is why I've helped make the choice for you."_

 _The doors opened behind him and two Death Eaters in masks held their wands in front of them as they floated a body towards them. The body was lowered to the ground before Peter and he let out a desperate gasp._

 _"Dad!"_

 _"He's not dead yet," the Dark Lord said mockingly. "But I'd be happy to make him so. We had him help us with a little trouble in the East Village. Your father is quite good at raping little girls, the younger the better, I'll say. He tried quite valiantly to fight against my Imperius Curse, but he failed. But I won't have to use the curse on you, Peter because you, you are going to be my most trusted servant."_

 _Peter's lip trembled. "I w-w-won't j-join you."_

 _"Ah, so you say now. But here's the thing, Peter, I need to know what Dumbledore is up too. Dumbledore… that man has never trusted me and now I hear you and your friends are working with him to try to overthrow me in his little rebellion? How completely pointless," he said with a cruel smile. "I need a spy on the inside. I need someone to tell me when and where and what and who and you, Peter, the weak underling, will do this for me."_

 _"No!"_

 _The Dark Lord simply smirked. "Ah, but I didn't get to the best part. Enervate!"_

 _Mr Pettigrew's eyes fluttered open and he locked his gaze on his son. "Peter!"_

 _"Dad," Peter cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't know!"_

 _"No, Pete, no, it's not your fault, son. You be strong now!"_

 _"Silencio!"_

 _"No! Let him talk!" Peter cried out as he watched his father try to speak through the silencing charm to no avail._

 _The Dark Lord smiled. "Peter, you will accept my mark and join my cause and turn spy against Dumbledore for me. If you do not agree, I will once more Imperius your father and have him rape and torture and ultimately kill your mother." Mr Pettigrew's eyes widened in horror. "But before I do that, I will find a pretty little Muggle girl, a young child maybe eight or nine, and make him do it to her first while your mother watches and sees what a terrible man her husband has become. And after your mother has suffered, I will kill both of them and make you dispose of their bodies."_

 _Peter was so white he was almost translucent. "No!"_

 _"No? You don't think I'll do it? Oh, I assure you, that is the least of the horrors that I will inflict upon you. Accept my mark, join my cause or your parents' deaths will be on your conscience and their blood will be on your hands."_

 _Peter swallowed slowly. "If — if I do what you ask, you'll let them go?"_

 _"Of course," the Dark Lord said with a smile. "I will not kill your parents if you do what I ask."_

 _Peter was silent for a moment and with tears rolling down his face he nodded. "I will join you."_

 _The Dark Lord smiled widely and nodded at Rosier. Rosier rolled up the sleeve on Peter's left arm and Voldemort touched the tip of his wand to the inner forearm._

 _Peter screamed in pain as the dark magic inked itself into his skin in the shape of a skull with a serpent wrapped around the head and coming from the mouth. It oozed blood before turning black as coal._

 _Voldemort smiled. "Welcome to the Death Eaters, Peter."_

The memory ended and Kingsley put the memory back into the phial.

"The court would like to take a short fifteen minute recess, Dawlish, bring the prisoner back to the dungeon."

Sirius turned to Remus, tears in his eyes. "He… he tried to fight them."

"Did you really think so little of him?" Remus asked, tears in his own eyes. He wrapped an arm around Harry, hugging him close to him. "How are you doing, little Prongs?"

Harry shrugged, feeling immensely relieved when Sirius hugged him from his other side. "I didn't expect… if those were the memories that were okay for me to see, I'm glad you used that Charm for the first one."

Sirius kissed the top of his son's head. "Me too. I feel a bit better knowing that Peter fought them, that it took something that extreme to get him to go over to their side."

"What is that tattoo, Uncle Padfoot?"

"It's the Dark Mark, Harry. I didn't realize that Death Eaters are branded with it and from the looks around the court room, no one else knew that either. Voldemort used to put that mark up high into the sky after he had killed someone, leaving his mark there so that the world knew he was behind the crime. He or his Death Eaters."

Remus nodded, his eyes on Sirius. "He still killed Peter's father, Sirius. If that was two weeks before James and Lily got married, remember, they were on their honeymoon when Peter's father was found murdered."

Sirius nodded. "I remember. But he saved his mother so that's something anyway."

"June of '79," Remus said. "James and Lily weren't killed until October of '81 … all those years and we never… he must hate us."

Sirius crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Just because I sympathize with what happened to him, Remus, doesn't mean that I don't wish him dead for what he did to Prongs and Evans."

"He didn't want to be a Death Eater," Harry said, his eyes on his godfather. "He tried to fight."

"Yeah, little Prongs, he did," Remus said quietly.

The three of them let out a long sigh as Pettigrew was brought back into the room and once more shackled and spelled to the chair.

Kingsley held his wand up to gain the attention of the court before he spoke. "Mr Pettigrew, you have now admitted to joining the Death Eaters in June of 1979, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Why did he brand you with the Dark Mark?"

"It was a symbol for all of the Death Eaters to bear. If you have the mark, you were one of his followers, only his most loyal and his oldest acquaintances were forfeited the mark. By touching the mark on the arm of any Death Eater he had the power to summon us to him, send us messages. The mark would burn and you could feel your blood sizzle when he touched it," Pettigrew explained. "It gave him even more power over us."

Kingsley nodded. "Alright, moving on. Let us hear about your work as a Death Eater. You Know Who claimed that he wanted you to be a spy against Dumbledore. What did that entail?"

Pettigrew swallowed slowly. "I gave him information on Dumbledore, anything he wanted to know about where he was going or what he was doing. He knew that Dumbledore had organized a resistance group against him called the Order of the Phoenix, he knew that I was part of it. I gave him the names of the Order members. I helped coerce them into joining his cause. Two more turned coat against Dumbledore because of my information."

"Name them."

"Elaine Ryan and Nigel Winters."

"Both of them were killed in missions fighting against He Who Must Not Be Named."

Pettigrew nodded. "The Dark Lord killed them himself when they tried to change their minds about turning. Ryan was… she was sexually tortured and violated by eight other Death Eaters before the Dark Lord finally killed her. Winters was killed on the spot."

Kingsley looked down at his notes, tapping his wand lightly against the podium. "All right, you turned spy. Let's get down to the third and fourth charges against you, the attempted murder of Harry James Potter and the murders of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Mary-Brenna Evans Potter. Why did you betray them?"

Pettigrew lifted his head to look around the courtroom for the first time, his eyes stopping when they found Sirius and Remus. He licked his lips before he spoke, locking eyes with his old friends before he spoke.

"Because they deserved it."

Remus wasn't fast enough to grab Sirius before he jumped down from his seat and landed in front of Peter, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and plowing his fist into his face.


	98. Chapter 98

_Author's Note:_

 _*** WARNING DARK AND GRAPHIC BELOW *****_

 _Thought about leaving you all with that cliffhanger a little longer, but I'm too nice lol — Happy Thanksgiving Weekend, here's a present._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT:**

 **"Dawlish, Anderson! Contain Black!"** Kingsley shouted as two Aurors each moved to stop Sirius from plowing his fist in Peter's face a second time.

Harry, Remus, and McGonagall had all stood up the moment that Sirius had jumped down onto the stage to approach Peter. Remus grabbed Harry's arm, holding it tightly to prevent him from going down after Sirius. McGonagall had her hands over her mouth and she was shaking her head.

Auror Dawlish and Auror Anderson held Sirius' arms behind his back, shaking him roughly to get him to calm down. It was obviously what he needed because he paled and looked towards Harry and Remus.

"Lord Black!" Kingsley declared angrily, his eyes narrowed on Sirius who was standing rather stiffly in place. "I understand that this must be hard for you, but we both know that Pettigrew is on trial here and he knows he has nothing left to lose. No matter how hurtful his words may be."

"He provoked him, Shacklebolt!" McGonagall exclaimed, her eyes stern. "No one truly believes that James and Lily Potter deserved to die! And the boy I once knew certainly doesn't believe it now."

Peter was panting heavily, blood dripping down his face from his broken nose. "What? Don't like to hear those words, Padfoot? Afraid they might be true?"

"You fucking piece of shit!" Sirius exclaimed, angrily, struggling in the arms of the Aurors again. "They were your friends! Your family! How dare you sit there and claim that they deserved to die at the hands of that maniac?" Sirius shouted.

"Silencio!" Kingsley exclaimed, pointing his wand at Sirius. "Lord Black, if you do not sit quietly in this courtroom, we will ask you to leave. Don't make me charge you with assaulting a prisoner and interrupting an official investigation or I will personally send you back to Azkaban! Do you understand?"

Rage was vibrating from him, but he nodded, his eyes moving to Harry. Harry was watching him, his eyes wide and fearful and Sirius realized that he had to contain his anger. McGonagall was right about something, Peter knew how to push his buttons, he always had and he was letting him. He couldn't afford to let Peter push them now. He wasn't going back to prison. He wouldn't dessert Harry like that.

He wasn't going back to Azkaban.

"Ten minute recess. Anderson, fix Pettigrew's nose. Lord Black needs to take a moment outside of the courtroom to compose himself," Kingsley demanded.

Sirius nodded as Kingsley lifted the silencing charm and Auror Dawlish led him from the courtroom. The door closed behind him and he turned to the stone wall, kicking it savagely. His fist hit it next, again and again as he bloodied his hands.

"Sirius!" A voice exclaimed from behind him, startling him from his beating.

Hands gripped his waist and he turned around, the touch calming him, and when he saw her there, eyes full of worry, he simply collapsed to his knees. He pressed his face against her stomach and breasts, arms wrapped around her tightly and tears rolled down his face.

"I didn't expect it to be this hard… I… I have never hated and pitied and loved someone so much at the same time," he whispered. "I couldn't control myself in there. And Harry… what must he be thinking to hear this and to see me," he babbled. "I can't go back… Zee… I can't go back."

"Shh," Zee whispered, running her fingers through his hair. "I know." She bent down to kiss him softly and removed his arms from around her waist to touch his bleeding hands. "You're not going back. Let me heal these."

Sirius shook his head, folding his hands together. "They're fine."

Zee held her hand out for his and simply looked at him until he sighed, putting his injured hands on top of hers and letting her heal them. "There." She reached up to kiss him softly. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be here right for nine. I tried to get the departmental meeting moved, but Dobson wouldn't hear of it."

He shook his head and tugged her up against him. "It's fine. You're here now." He buried his face in her neck, sighing as he breathed in her scent, cinnamon and jasmine.

She just held him for a full two minutes, neither of them speaking. Then he shifted, kissing her neck as he pulled away and nodded at her.

"Okay, let's go inside."

Zee offered her hand and he took it, clutching it tightly as they stood up and moved back towards the door marked IX. He opened the door to Courtroom IX and they walked inside. The healer was still looking over Peter as Sirius led Zee up to the spot where Remus and Harry were sitting. Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry when he sat down, kissing the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, Prongslet, I shouldn't have overreacted like that."

Harry smiled at him and hugged him tightly. "It's okay. I get why you did. Hi, Zee."

Zee smiled at him, leaning in and kissing Harry's cheek and then Remus'. "Hi, Harry, hi, Remus. I'm sorry I'm late."

Harry nodded, smiling at the warmth her kiss had given him as Zee wrapped an arm around Sirius' waist, sitting close to him, her hand clasped tightly in his for support. Harry held Sirius' other arm, linking his left arm with Remus forming a tight unit and he smiled at his uncle.

"Where's Tonks?"

Remus nodded down towards the staging area. "She was in interrogation this morning, but she said that she has guard duty on Pettigrew for the afternoon. She should be here soon."

It was another ten minutes before everyone was settled and Kingsley resumed the trial. Harry's stomach was clenching uneasily as he sat nestled between his two fathers, each holding each other as if for dear life. Some of the things that he had heard horrified him and he knew that he would have nightmares, but he couldn't convince himself to leave. Sirius and Remus needed his support and if he was completely honest with himself, he needed to be here too. He needed to understand what his parents had done to warrant their friend betraying them.

He had suffered, Harry could see that, and he had been backed into an impossible corner in deciding to become a Death Eater, but where did it go from there? How had it escalated to this extreme?

Harry watched as Kingsley got the attention of the court. "If everyone is ready, I would like to continue to question Mr Pettigrew on the charges of betraying the Potters." He tapped his wand on the podium and nodded. "Mr Pettigrew, you stated to the court that James and Lily Potter deserved to die. Why would you claim this? They were twenty-one years old, new parents, and childhood friends to you. What had they done in your eyes to warrant their deaths?"

Pettigrew began to rock back and forth in his chair now, the shackles clinking as he moved. "If they just would have given the Dark Lord what he wanted, they would still be alive."

"What did He Who Must Not Be Named want, Mr Pettigrew? Are you saying that he didn't want to kill them?"

Pettigrew shook his head. "He wanted their child dead. Harry Potter should have died, not James and Lily. I sent him after their child."

Kingsley frowned. "Why would he want a toddler dead? What was the purpose of wanting a child dead?"

Pettigrew shrugged. "The Dark Lord has his reasons for all. He said that the Potter boy had to die, that he had to be taken care of in order to create a new world, that a filthy half-blood like him didn't deserve to be loved when his Mudblood mother was nothing, but a lowly creature not good enough to lick the dirt from his boots. He said that James Potter could live, even with the Mudblood as long as they gave him the child. He said it would be painless. They could have another child if they so desired but this one - this particular boy - had to die."

"It seems strange that he would use the tainted blood as an excuse to kill the child, but then claim James and Lily Potter could have more children. What wasn't he telling you?"

Pettigrew stared ahead. "The boy was dangerous. The boy had to die. Kill Harry. Kill Harry. Kill Prongs II, kill the baby," he said, rocking more dangerously now as tears began to fall from his eyes. "I tried to stop him. I… Prongs II, my little baby nephew, who I loved to play with. His eyes would light up when he saw me and I didn't want him to die. I tried to say no; I tried to find out why he wanted him dead, but I didn't know. I couldn't figure it out. I tried to pretend like I didn't know… but the Dark Lord always knows when he's being lied too. He always knows."

"How long did you try to delay him?"

"Months," Pettigrew said desperately. "Months I tried to delay him. I gave up other Order members. I killed Mary Macdonald for him. I gave him Marlene McKinnon and I listened to them beg me why when they found out that I betrayed them, but I did it… because they weren't little Harry. Their deaths didn't matter."

"You're saying that you tried to protect the child?"

Pettigrew nodded, tears streaming down his face. "I tried and every time I didn't give the Dark Lord what he wanted, he tortured me. I had prepared myself to die at his hands. I was ready. And then… and then Sirius convinced James to make me Secret Keeper."

"How did this change things?" Kingsley asked.

Pettigrew closed his eyes. "They trusted me. I knew that what I had been doing was wrong and I knew that they were trusting me with their lives and I wanted to come clean, to tell Sirius that he couldn't choose me; to admit to the truth."

"What stopped you?"

"The Dark Lord forced me to make an Unbreakable Vow to keep my agenda hidden until I had done what the Dark Lord asked of me."

Kingsley nodded. "So the Potters made you Secret Keeper and then what happened?"

Pettigrew swallowed slowly, his watery blue eyes staring blankly ahead. "I tried to pretend that I didn't know where they were, but every night after Sirius checked in, Bellatrix was waiting for me. She would torture me and… we'd… she'd force me to have sex with her or she'd…" he paled slightly now. "Or she'd hold me down while her husband raped me."

"They would both rape you?"

He nodded. "By the eighth day, I couldn't… I couldn't take it anymore. And I came home from work and Bella wasn't there, but the Dark Lord was."

Kingsley nodded and picked up another phial from the bin. "I'm going to show this memory to the court."

He poured the memory into the basin and once more amplified it across the courtroom so that the audience could view it.

 _"Peter, Peter, Peter," Voldemort chanted, twirling his wand between his long fingers as he watched the short man grovel before him on his knees. "Bella tells me that you've been most uncooperative."_

 _"Please, don't make me do this," he begged, tears running down his cheeks._

 _Voldemort reached down and cupped his chin, lifting his head up. "You must like it when the Lestranges take you. Do you enjoy it when they fuck you? Is that what you want to happen again? Tell me where they are or I will force you to take your mother's life, to torture her endlessly, rape her, let the Lestranges have a go and make you watch and then I will kill you myself. Give up your friends, Wormtail. Isn't that what they call you? Wormtail. A snivelling excuse of a name, rat-like just like you are. Choose now. Your mother and ultimately your own life or the life of one child."_

 _Pettigrew stared up at him, tears rolling down his cheeks and he began to sob. "Godric's Hollow, the house on the corner of Third Street."_

 _And he began to sob harder, tears falling from his eyes like rain as he rocked back and forth on his knees, his hands covering his face._

 _Voldemort pat his head like a child. "Good boy. Bella, help our friend get to his mother's house and put him in place. If he gave me false information this time, I'm going to watch him hurt his mother."_

 _Peter's sobs grew louder as Voldemort Disapparated._

Kingsley took the memory down and nodded to the jury. "I'd like to call for a lunch break. Court will resume in one hour. Anderson, Dawlish, bring Mr Pettigrew back to the dungeons."

Harry turned to look up at Sirius. He was clutching his hand so tightly that Harry couldn't feel it anymore and Zee was running her free hand up and down his arm. He turned to Remus, whose face was cold and hard as he watched the Aurors haul Pettigrew up from the chair and cart him off.

"They threatened him," Harry said simply. "He wanted to save his mum and his own life."

Sirius nodded curtly, but didn't speak.

Remus stood up, putting his arm around Harry's shoulders, kissing his temple when he stood up next to him. "Come on; let's take a break."

Zee helped Sirius to his feet and the four of them slowly moved out of the courtroom.

"There's a bistro across the street that has a nice clubhouse; let's go there and grab a bite, yeah?" Zee suggested. "I think that it would do the three of you some good to get some food in your systems."

Remus nodded and they followed her quietly up the stairs and into one of the elevators to take them out of the Ministry.

Tonks was in the atrium when they came up and she took one look at them, moving to engulf Harry tightly in her arms and kissed his cheek. "Hi, Harry, how are you?"

He shrugged. He didn't have an answer for her. What was he supposed to say? He nodded towards Remus and she smiled, moving to wrap her arms around her mate and kissed him deeply, holding him close.

"And you?"

Remus nodded. "Much the same. It's harder than I imagined to sit there… to see how it all went down. Did you… did you already view all of his memories?"

Tonks nodded. "Most of them, yeah. I watched some of the interrogation and the collection of evidence. He agreed to take truth potion for the entire trial. He's guilty and he knows it."

"We're going to the bistro across the way for lunch, will you come with us?" Zee asked her, her arm still wrapped around Sirius' waist as they walked.

Tonks smiled. "Yes, I will."

The five of them ate in silence. Harry could see that no one quite knew what to say or how to talk about what they had just witnessed. He wanted to hate the man who had betrayed his parents; wanted to wish him dead for what he had done - but after watching what had happened to him, how far Voldemort had pushed him… he wasn't sure if hate was truly what he felt.

He pitied him.

He pitied the man who had once been a friend and who had lost everything in trying to save it. He pitied him and it left a cold lump in his stomach that made him uncomfortable.

He excused himself to go the bathroom. He was staring into the mirror when Sirius came in and he quickly made to wash his hands.

Sirius placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and bent his head down to rest on the top of his. "I know, Prongslet, I'm feeling it too."

"He didn't want to betray them. He tried to… to save me."

Sirius nodded, tears in his eyes. "I know. But he did betray you and your parents and… he made his own bed and when he had to lie in it — he was too far gone to get back out."

"He just wanted to save his parents," Harry said, tears in his eyes. He wiped at them furiously. "He didn't want to betray them."

Sirius turned Harry around and held him close to his chest, his head resting against Sirius' heart. He rubbed his hand up and down his back, his own tears pouring down his cheeks. "Are you sure that you want to stay for the rest of this, Harry? It's okay, if you want to go home. You don't have to stay."

Harry shook his head and clung to Sirius tighter. "I can't leave you alone."

Sirius smiled and kissed the top of Harry's head. "I'm not alone, Prongslet. I have Remus and Zee and Tonks and Minnie."

Harry tilted his head back to look up at him. "You need me here too."

Sirius brushed his fingers through Harry's hair and nodded. "Yeah, I do," he said honestly making Harry smile as he kissed his forehead. "Are you going to be okay?"

Harry nodded. "I want to stay until the end."

Sirius nodded. "All right." He kissed Harry's forehead again and then moved to wash his hands. "We'll get through this together. We're a team you and me."

Harry smiled as Sirius finished. "Yeah, we are a team."

Twenty minutes later they were sitting back in the courtroom waiting for Pettigrew to be brought back in. Harry smiled at McGonagall when she moved to sit with them and Dumbledore sat next to her.

Kingsley stood up before he spoke. "The morning has been full of charges. Mr Pettigrew has pled guilty to being a Death Eater; to working for He Who Must Not Be Named resulting in the death of a few select witches and wizards; and for giving You Know Who the location of the Potters with the knowledge that he planned to kill Harry Potter. I want to move onto what happened to make Mr Pettigrew a fugitive from the law. Auror Dawlish has given Mr Pettigrew a new dose of Veritaserum before bringing him back before the court."

Harry watched as Tonks kept her wand ready and on her guard as she stood near the door as Pettigrew was once again brought into the courtroom and chained and spelled to the chair.

"Mr Pettigrew, I would like for you to tell the court now what happened after You Know Who left you with Bellatrix Lestrange with the intention of going after the Potters."

Pettigrew licked his dry lips and his voice cracked as he spoke in a blank tone that reflected the truth potion he had been given. "We went to my mother's house. She tied my mother to a chair and she used the Cruciatus on her. I begged her to stop, but she just kept torturing her and when she did, she laughed. She laughed at my mother's pain and this went on for hours."

"Did your mother understand what was going on?"

He shook his head. "No. But I told her."

"I'm going to show a new memory to the court," Kingsley said, picking up a new phial and adding the memory to the Pensieve.

 _A woman in her fifties with light blonde hair was tied to the chair as Peter knelt before her._

 _"Please Mum, just do what they want or they'll kill you."_

 _"Petey, my Petey, what has happened to you? Tell me why this is happening to us?"_

 _Peter wiped tears from his eyes. "It's my fault, Mum. It's all mine. I tried to save Dad and they… they tortured me and now… he's going to kill Jamie and little Harry and Lily."_

 _"He's going to kill them?"_

 _Peter nodded, rocking back on his knees as he sobbed. "He's going to kill them, Mum and it's all my fault. It's all my fault. I told him where Jamie and Lily and Harry are to save you. I did it to save YOU, Mum."_

 _Mrs Pettigrew stared at him for a moment as if she didn't recognize him. "My life is not worth the life of those three innocents and definitely not worth the life of that precious child. Peter, you love that little boy! How could you ever do something to endanger his life? Peter, you should be ashamed of yourself."_

 _"I'm so sorry, Mum," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean too, I swear, I didn't mean it."_

 _Bellatrix backhanded him. "Stand up you snivelling git and stop crying. What you did was help your master, your lord, and you should be honoured that he gave you the task! You should be on your knees thanking him for this wonderful opportunity!"_

 _Peter stood up now, his eyes burning with rage. "Honoured? You think I should be honoured to have just sent my best friends to their death? Just because you'll do anything the Dark Lord says including whoring yourself around doesn't mean I should feel honoured to do the same thing."_

 _Bellatrix glared at him. "I may whore myself, but you whored information and killed precious Order members by spying. And I know one thing, Wormy, when my cousin finds out you betrayed that blood traitor he loves so much, he's going to come after you. And do you really think that I'm going to protect you?"_

 _His wand moved fast and he blasted her out of the house. He turned to look at his mother, leaned down to kiss her cheek and nodded._

 _"Mum, I'm sorry, I can't… you know too much now. This is for your own protection. I love you." He kissed her cheek and then pointed his wand at her. "Obliviate!"_

 _Mrs Pettigrew's face softened and she looked around in wonder as Peter untied her. "Hello, Pete, what are you doing here, darling?"_

 _"Just popped in to say hi, Mum. I have to go." He kissed her cheek just as Sirius stepped into the kitchen._

 _"Sirius, my love, it's so wonderful to see you. Did you come by for a spot of breakfast?"_

 _Sirius shook his head. "No, Mrs P, I need to talk to Pete."_

 _Peter paled and turned to run, but Sirius grabbed his robes just as he Disapparated._

 _Sirius caught himself, wincing as they landed haphazardly in the middle of a crowded Muggle street._

 _"Pete!" he yelled as Peter turned to run away from him. "Think being in a crowd of Muggles is going to save you, Wormtail?" Sirius exclaimed, grabbing Peter by the shoulder and punching him in the face._

 _Peter fell to the ground, his nose bleeding. "S-S-Sirius!"_

 _"Don't you even start with me, Pete! You tried to turn us against the other! You tried to convince James and I that Remus was the spy! Did you do the same to Remus? Is that why he said that he couldn't trust me? Did you tell him that I was the fucking spy?" He kicked Peter in the ribs and Peter whimpered. "And it was you all along! You spineless little worm! WE TRUSTED YOU!"_

 _He raised his wand, but Peter was faster and he was blasted back by the explosion, his ears ringing._

 _"HOW DARE YOU BETRAY JAMES AND LILY, SIRIUS? HOW DARE YOU?" Peter bellowed into the crowd, blood dripping from his right hand._

 _Sirius jumped to his feet, his ears ringing and his wand out. Then his eyes widened as he watched Peter transform into a rat and make a beeline for the sewer. Sirius slipped in the blood of the bodies near him as he tried to go after him just as six Aurors Apparated around him._

 _"Sirius Black, you are under arrest! Drop your wand!"_

 _Peter watched from the sewers as Sirius Black was arrested and he turned and disappeared into the tunnel, following the other rats to freedom._

Kingsley pulled the memory out and placed it back into the phial.

"Mr Pettigrew, you faked your own death after murdering twelve Muggles with your Blasting Curse. You chopped off your own finger and transformed into a rat, your Animagus form, and disappeared. Is this accurate?"

"Yes," Pettigrew said quietly. "It's all true."

Kingsley nodded. "Now, the last charge laid against you is the fact that you remained hidden from the wizarding world at large for eleven years. How did you accomplish such a feat?"

Pettigrew swallowed slowly, his dry lips chafing as he spoke. "I stayed with the rats for a few weeks, trying to gauge what had happened. I knew the Dark Lord had fallen, I knew that Harry Potter had survived, but I didn't know anything else. I tried to find protection, to find safety, but everyone I knew believed I was dead and I knew that Bellatrix would be shouting for my death after I had cursed her and ultimately led the Dark Lord to his downfall by giving him the Potters' whereabouts. For months, I wandered the cities, unsure of where to go or what to do and then one day I saw a wizard walking with his son and I made my way over to them. The boy had red hair and he seemed to take an interest in me so I let him pick me up. He asked his father if he could keep me as a pet and the father agreed. He called me Scabbers."

Harry's eyes widened and he looked at Sirius. "Percy's old rat!"

Sirius nodded, shushing him, his eyes on Peter.

"So you went home with a wizarding family?" Kingsley prodded.

Pettigrew nodded. "I did. They adopted me and I listened and I learned. Sirius was accused of my murder and blamed for the death of James and Lily and had been imprisoned. I knew I couldn't find Remus because he thought I was dead and I thought that the moment I approached him, he would kill me on the spot. My mother also was led to believe that I was dead. The Death Eaters… they blamed me, claimed that I gave the Dark Lord false information on the night of his death. I knew that I had nowhere else to go so I stayed as a rat. And when the family that took me in went to sleep, I changed back into myself and I searched their house for anything to help me, any sign that I could live my life safely once more, but I knew… the Death Eaters who hadn't been caught by the Ministry, those who walked free, they would kill me. So I hid."

"Who were these other Death Eaters that you were concerned about? Lestrange including her husband, Rudolphus, Avery, and Rookwood were all imprisoned. Rosier was killed. Name the others who concerned you."

"I never learned who they were. The Dark Lord thought it was better if only he knew the names of his loyal servants. No one knew more than five or six of the Death Eaters at any given time."

"How long did you stay with this wizarding family pretending to be a rat, a family pet?"

"Five years," Peter said smoothly.

"Why did you leave after five years?"

Pettigrew swallowed slowly. "I thought that I was safe there, I figured that no one would find me and then I learned that Sirius had been released from prison; that he had proven that I was still alive somewhere and I panicked. I thought that I would be safe with the family who took me in, but a few months after his release, Sirius showed up at the house with Harry for the youngest child's birthday party and I knew if he saw me, it would be over. So I ran."

"Where did you go?"

"I lived with another wizarding family for a bit and then I went to Hogwarts, lived near the gamekeeper's hut for a while, but Sirius spent a lot of time there too so I ran further and I came to Muggle London."

Kingsley nodded, tapping his wand on the page to record something. "When did you first decide to start following Lord Black?"

"About a year ago," Pettigrew admitted. "I watched him leave the hospital one day and I knew I had to speak to him."

"Why?"

Pettigrew shrugged. "Eleven years is a long time to live as a rat with a guilty conscious."

"You were seeking redemption?"

Pettigrew shrugged again, his eyes moving to where Sirius and Remus were sitting with Harry between them. "He looks like Jamie sitting there between you. The spiked up messy black hair, the same face. It's ironic, isn't it, that you two would be flanking him the way that you used to flank James? I never quite fit in, did I? Not really. I didn't mean for it to happen the way it did. I never meant for anyone to get hurt."

He bowed his head and let out a long sigh.

"I didn't mean too," he said again, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I just… I didn't want to die."

Kingsley held up his wand to keep the silence of the room. "Let's give the jury some time to make a decision. Recess."

Sirius stared down at Peter, his grey eyes meeting the watery blue ones. "He's not even sorry, did you even hear him apologize? He just wants to ease his guilty conscience."

Remus squeezed his friend's shoulder. "He apologized to his mum, Siri."

"He intentionally sought me out, but he didn't even offer an apology, what was he hoping to gain?"

McGonagall reached over to squeeze Sirius' hand. "I think that he was hoping you'd kill him; take away his pain for him, and stop forcing him to live a life as a fugitive full of guilt for the crimes that he committed against his friends."

Remus nodded. "I agree with Minerva, Sirius. He's past seeking redemption, but too cowardly to take his own life. He wanted you to do it for him and he was banking on your rage taking over, on you letting your temper get the best of you. But eleven years is a long time and you've changed and he had no way of knowing that you would never risk leaving Harry to exact revenge on him."

Zee smiled, kissing Sirius' cheek. "And now he's going to get the punishment that he deserves."

Sirius was quiet for a moment. "I don't want him to get the Kiss."

Harry's eyes widened. "You don't want him to die, Uncle Sirius? I thought you said that he deserved it after what he did."

"He does, he does deserve it, Harry," Sirius said carefully. "But I want him to suffer. I want him to have to keep on living with his guilt, to know that he's the one who betrayed his friends and got them killed. I want him to have to live with that."

Remus nodded, his eyes on his friend. "So do I. It is a much harsher punishment in my book." He smiled at Harry. "How are you doing after all of this? Are you dealing okay with hearing everything and seeing what happened?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. And I agree with you both, I don't think my dad would have wanted him dead either. You three were his family and even knowing that one of you betrayed him, I think… I think letting him rot with the Dementors is a much worse off punishment for his crimes."

McGonagall smiled sadly and hugged each of them in turn. "You three are becoming wise. Oh, the three of you better sit down, I think the jury has already made a decision."

They watched as the seven jurors came to be seated and they nodded at Kingsley to continue with the trial.

"The jury has reconvened so I think it's time to hear the decision," Kingsley stated. "To the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of becoming a Death Eater, the jury votes?"

"Not guilty," a woman said clearly from the front of the group. "He was clearly coerced and blackmailed by You Know Who into accepting the Dark Mark and joining You Know Who's cause."

Kingsley nodded. "On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of working as a Death Eater alongside You Know Who, the jury votes?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of accessory to He Who Must Not Be Named in the attempted murder of Harry James Potter, the jury votes?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of selling out James Fleamont Potter and Lily Mary-Brenna Evans Potter to He Who Must Not Be Named, which resulted in their deaths by murder at his hand, the jury votes?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Alfred Bern?

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Madison Daniels?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Lillian Fox?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Justine Finch?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Logan Matthews?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Linda Morton?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle David Morton?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Peter O'Shea?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Pauline Preston?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Gregory Sampson?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Vincent Simpson?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of the Muggle Kendrick Wessex?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of Marlene McKinnon?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the murder of Mary Macdonald?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of being an unregistered Animagus of a rat, the jury votes?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of the framing of Sirius Orion Black for your crimes, the jury votes?"

"Guilty."

"And lastly, on the charge against Peter Pernell Pettigrew of being a fugitive of justice from the Ministry of Magic and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for eleven years, the jury votes?"

"Guilty."

Kingsley nodded to the Aurors to unchain Pettigrew from the chair and chain him to the large iron cage that he would be transported in. "Peter Pernell Pettigrew, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You are hereby sentenced to a hundred years in Azkaban for each murder that you committed, six months in Azkaban for being an unregistered Animagus, ten years in Azkaban for framing an innocent man for your crimes, and eleven years in Azkaban for each year that you spent as a fugitive. This court hereby sentences you to eighteen hundred and thirty ones years and six months in prison. You will die in prison. Do you understand?"

Peter nodded, his watery blue eyes brimming with tears.

Harry watched as Peter was shoved into the iron cage, a spell cast around him once more to prevent him from transforming, and the cage was carefully levitated from the courtroom.

"Court dismissed," Kingsley concluded once Peter was gone.

He turned to look at his family and Sirius and Remus each moved in to hug him close.

"It's over," Sirius said, relief coursing through him. "It's over, Prongslet."

Harry hugged both of his fathers back tightly, their lips pressed against his cheek and his temple as he closed his eyes.

He wasn't sure what he felt about it all, but what he did know was the sense of profound relief he experienced was rather soothing.

Justice had been served.


	99. Chapter 99

_Author's Note:_

 _Harry experienced a lot of horror at the trial and obviously that is something that's going to affect him. Not necessarily in his every day life, but it's going to stay with him; feed into his own nightmares, even though the really bad stuff, the rape and the torture, he never actually saw or heard — they were still discussed by the court after the fact or mentioned in later memories._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETY-NINE:**

 **After the trial, they all headed back to Black Cottage and Zee immediately said that she was going to cook up something fantastic.** Within ten minutes she had delicious smells coming from the kitchen. McGonagall stayed as well and the six of them ate dinner quietly, all still in shock from the stress of the day.

Pettigrew was to be transferred to Azkaban Prison first thing the next morning. Tonks explained about the names Peter mentioned in the trial were being investigated by the DMLE, but that most of the so-called Death Eaters had already been exonerated by the Ministry at the end of the war if they hadn't been locked up, including Abraxas Malfoy, who had claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse and was proven innocent. Sirius' snort of disbelief had only made her shrug, claiming it was before her time and new charges wouldn't be drawn up against him especially because the memory had shown nothing new nor of him committing any crime. Rosier was dead; Voldemort gone and the Carrows and Lestranges in prison, so there was no one left to investigate about Peter's memories. Pettigrew had been the only one left.

McGonagall hugged Sirius tightly, kissing his cheek and telling him that if he needed anything to let her know. Harry loved how Sirius just looked at her gratefully, kissing her cheek in turn and promising to let her know and promising to send Harry back to Hogwarts after dinner the next day. She hugged Harry tightly as well before she left and he smiled at her.

Sirius insisted that they needed time together to process and Harry was rather relieved to know that his father wasn't sending him back to school immediately. The entire day seemed to have been part of someone else's life almost and he felt like he was in a bit of shock after learning so much about the man who had once been a friend and a brother to the two men that he loved most in the world.

After McGonagall left, Zee and Tonks both took off as well and left Sirius and Remus alone with Harry. Harry was sitting on the chesterfield with Marauder's head resting on his knee as he rubbed him down mindlessly. Remus sat down next to him and Sirius chose his other side, lifting Marauder's butt and plopping it onto his own lap as the dog merely turned to look at him like why are you disturbing me?

Harry waited until they were both sitting next to him before he spoke. "So that's what Voldemort is capable of."

Remus sighed and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Harry," he said quietly.

Harry shook his head. "No, I wanted to know the truth and I think today… I got more of it than I ever thought I would and you didn't even let me see all of the memories."

"Some of them were too dark," Sirius said gently. "Prongslet, Peter was tortured and he was raped and he was physically and psychologically traumatized by Voldemort and by his Death Eaters. And yes, that's exactly what Voldemort is capable of."

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, sighing when Remus merely tilted him to rest on his shoulder. "I — I never knew a bloke could be raped."

Remus' eyes met Sirius' before he spoke. "Anyone can be raped, Harry. Anyone. A lot of people assume that because a man is stronger, because a man's sexual chemistry is easier to set off than a woman's that the man lets it happen somehow. But that's wrong. If someone touches you and you don't want them too, it's wrong."

"But he…" he trailed off, his face red as he realized what he was going to say. "Before you blocked the memory out… he had an erection."

Remus nodded. "Harry, we had the talk two months ago about your body and about how your penis reacts sometimes without you realizing it. If someone is to fondle or touch or play with your testicles, you _will_ get an erection from it. In fact, it's almost impossible for you not too as the blood rushes down to that organ. That doesn't mean that it's not rape because if you don't want it to happen and someone forces you to have sex with them, that is rape. Rape is not about sex. Rape is about the control and the violence of the sexual act. That's important for you to remember. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman, if you don't want something to happen and someone forces it upon you, then that is considered rape."

Harry nodded.

Sirius sighed. "Harry, there was a lot of stuff at that trial today. A lot of terrible things that happened to Peter and things you saw… and things that you didn't see directly, but that were implied to have happened."

"I know… he… Voldemort tortured him. That curse he used…"

"The Cruciatus," Remus supplied. "It's one of the Unforgivables. There are three and performing any of them on a living person is enough for a life sentence in Azkaban."

"It's the torture curse, Harry, and as you saw before Uncle Remus blocked it out for you, it creates pain."

"How though?"

Sirius dragged his fingers through his hair. "Harry, the curse affects your entire body. It bends and stretches and breaks in ways that you didn't know your body could move in. It feels like… a thousand knives are stabbing you all over while an electrical current is shocking you from the inside out… it is beyond horrible. More pain than you can possibly imagine."

"And the Dark Mark?"

Remus hesitated.

Sirius nodded and looked into his godson's eyes. "It's a form of dark magic that Voldemort performed to scare people during the war. It was an eerie green and would be hovering above where he had committed a crime, often leaving bodies behind. It was a sign that Voldemort or his Death Eaters had been there. It was everyone's worst fear during the war to come home and see that symbol hovering above your house. Until today, as far as I'm aware, no one outside of the Death Eaters knew about the branding of the mark on the skin of his followers. And Peter mentioned that Voldemort was clever in that sense, no one knew the names of more than six other Death Eaters at a time, keeping it exclusive and mysterious and extremely hard to track down all of them and also therefore preventing them from ratting each other out once they were captured."

Remus leaned in and kissed Harry's forehead. "How about you head on upstairs and try to get some sleep. It's late and today was emotionally draining on all of us."

Harry nodded, said goodnight to his fathers and made his way upstairs to get ready for bed. He fell asleep quickly, but the dreams were there waiting for him.

The nightmare was familiar at first and Harry knew it for what it was. Uncle Vernon was kicking him, but then there was a flash of green light and the Dark Mark hovered above the house in Godric's Hollow, but when he looked back down from the sky, Voldemort's face was straining against the back of Quirrell's skull. Peter was whimpering on the floor next to Quirrell and Voldemort was leering at him, his hands outstretched to grab at his throat, strangling him as the scream begged to be let out.

The scream woke him and he gasped for breath as Sirius and Remus both came running into his bedroom and Marauder barked madly.

Harry's bottom lip trembled and he willed himself not to cry as Sirius engulfed him in his strong arms, holding him tightly and rocking him gently.

"Shh, it's just a bad dream, Prongslet, just a bad dream."

Harry buried his face in his godfather's shoulder and took deep gulps of air, his heartbeat racing as Remus ran his hand in long gentle strokes up and down his back and his godfather muttered reassurances in his ear. It took a few minutes, but he calmed down and pulled away from his godfather, turning to Remus who sighed when he wrapped his arms around him.

"I'm sorry."

"Shh," Sirius said with a smile. "Never be sorry, Prongslet. After today, how could you not have a bad dream?"

"You stayed, Uncle Rem."

Remus kissed his temple. "There is no where else I'd rather be."

Harry nodded, hugging him tightly before he pulled back, smiling gratefully at his fathers when they each made themselves comfortable on either side of him in his bed. "There was… green light and Uncle Vernon and Voldemort and Quirrell, but Peter was there too."

Sirius nodded, kissing Harry's forehead. "It was just a dream."

"But — "

"No," Sirius said sternly. "It was just a dream, Prongslet. Voldemort is gone. He's too weak at the moment to do anything and Quirrell is dead. You saved your friends and you stopped Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's Stone, from gaining immortality. He is weak and pathetic right now and Merlin hopes that he will stay that way. It was just a dream."

"I know," Harry told him, rubbing his tired eyes.

Sirius kissed his forehead again. "Harry, when you're at school, I want you to use the mirror to call me if you have a bad dream. I don't want you to be undergo these nightmares alone."

"What if it's every single night and the exact same dream?"

"I don't care. You call me if you need to. I am always here for you."

"As am I," Remus said, running his hand along Harry's back. "Day or night."

Harry hugged his father tightly, the feel of Sirius' strong arms calming him and making him feel safe and loved. "I know that."

Sirius held him for a long moment, kissing the top of his head before he pulled away, smiling when Harry merely turned to hug Remus again. "Do you think that you can go back to sleep or should we go downstairs for some hot chocolate?"

Harry gave him a half-smile. "Hot chocolate."

Sirius smiled and stood up, grabbing Harry's glasses from the nightstand and passing them to his son. "All right, hot chocolate it is. Then back to bed."

Harry nodded gratefully and followed his godfather out of his bedroom, Remus' arm around his shoulders. But he knew that when he went back to sleep, his thoughts were still going to be restless, he just hoped the hot chocolate helped keep the nightmares at bay.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry went back to Hogwarts the next day, he found his friends in the Gryffindor common room and he quickly tugged Ron, Hermione, and Neville aside to fill them in.** When he explained how Remus had hidden most of the one memory from him due to its violent nature, Hermione had only gasped.

"You'd think You Know Who would have wanted people to like him," Ron said, a queer look on his face. "To torture someone until they agree to join your side doesn't seem like an effective way to make your point."

Neville nodded. "Bellatrix Lestrange… she hurt everyone."

Harry gave his friend a sympathetic smile. "And then some. Hermione, are you okay?"

She nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. "Yes. It's just so awful. I feel bad for him. He didn't want to make those choices, but he felt trapped, like he had no other way out and look what happened to him."

Ron crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. "He chose his own life over his friend's lives. That's selfish! He did have a better choice! He could have told his friends about what was happening to him and they would have protected him!"

Hermione took his arm in hers. "Most people would choose survival, Ron, it's basic human nature. It doesn't make him selfish for not wanting to die."

Ron shook his head. "I get the not wanting to die thing, Hermione, but to betray the people that he loved most? I could never! I'd rather die! He should have told his friends."

"He wanted to, but they made him swear an Unbreakable Vow."

Neville's eyes widened. "Forced him to swear the vow on top of it? You said that it was awful?"

Harry nodded. "Beyond awful. Uncle Remus hid a lot of it from me and I was angry at first, but what I did see was… so horrible, I can't imagine anything worse happening and I don't want too. He was tortured and he was raped and he was psychologically terrorized, I can see how he caved and made his choice even if I don't agree with it."

Hermione nodded, her hand still over her mouth in shock. "But he's going to prison now?"

"He's there already. Tonks told Uncle Sirius and I this morning that he was transported and put into his cell at nine o'clock this morning."

"And he was really sentenced for almost two thousand years in Azkaban?" Neville asked.

"Yup. The lives he took alone were a hundred years each. He's going to die in prison."

"Why was he following Sirius?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes on his. "Did you find out?"

"Not officially," Harry admitted. "But we think it's because he was tired of living on the run, of living with the guilt and being forced to hide out as a rat. Uncle Remus thinks he chose Uncle Sirius because he's hot-headed and he was hoping that Uncle Sirius would do the job for him and take his life."

Ron blew out a long breath. "He wanted to die?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but Uncle Sirius says that he's too much of a coward to take his own life which is why he's glad he's sentenced to die in Azkaban because the Kiss is too good for him."

"The Kiss?" Hermione asked, her brow crinkled. "I don't think that I've ever come across that term before."

Ron scratched his chin as he spoke. "The Dementors that guard the prison, they feed off human souls and when a prisoner is sentenced to death they kiss them and suck the soul from their body. Dad says that it's worse than death to live without a soul."

Hermione's eyes were wide. "That's barbaric!"

"How is it any different than the death penalty was, Hermione?" Harry asked her.

She shook her head. "Because it was the death penalty, Harry! You die and it was over, which was still barbaric, but to be forced to live without a soul… I don't know, doesn't it seem… worse somehow?"

Harry sighed. "It's… I guess so, yeah. It was a lot to take in, I admit. I think I'm going to head up to bed, try to clear my head and… I just need to think. I didn't sleep well last night."

Hermione nodded, leaning in to give him a hug. "If you need us…"

"I know," he said with a smile. "Thanks."

And when he climbed into bed and shut his eyes, he could see that courtroom and he felt the pity deep in his gut.

Peter had chosen the wrong side and everyone he knew and loved had suffered for it.

Including himself.

It was something that did result in Harry feeling pity and he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that.

Dreams plagued him again that night.

He tossed and he turned, visions of Peter's torture mixing in with his own past and Voldemort's head appearing on the back of Quirrell's as Harry tried to run. He woke with his heart pounding in his chest and he lay there for a moment fighting the urge to cry.

After a few minutes, he decided to get up and made his way down the stairs and into the common room, he was surprised to see Ginny dozing by the fire and he made his way over to her, climbing into the chair with her.

She jolted awake when he touched her and offered him a small smile. "Hi, Harry."

"Hey," he told her with a smile. "Mind if I sit with you for a bit?"

She shook her head, watching him for a moment. "Bad dream?"

He nodded, relieved when she linked her arm through his.

Ginny smiled at him. "How did the trial go?"

"He's being sent to Azkaban obviously, but it was hard." He quickly explained what had happened, minus the extreme graphic details, and watched as her eyes widened. "It was weird, Gin. I mean, I knew that he is the reason why my parents are dead, the reason why Uncle Sirius had to go to prison but... I felt bad for him. The way Voldemort manipulated him and tortured him into doing what he wanted. I pitied him and I don't know if I can really hate him."

"Hate is a harsh feeling, Harry. Papa always says that hate cages all of the good things about you. He says that having the capacity to love and to forgive are two of the best things about people. He says that loving Gamma and having her love him in return, despite the hate that followed their choice from Gamma's family is the best decision he ever made," Ginny told him with a smile. "And Bill says that hating anyone is too much work and not worth the effort."

Harry smiled and hugged her. "Thanks, Ginny."

Ginny hugged him back. "I didn't do anything."

He only hugged her tighter. "Yeah, you did."

She smiled when he made himself comfortable next to her. "I'm sorry about the last time we spoke, Harry. I'm not… I've just been feeling really lousy lately. Bill always says that sometimes it's best to write out your feelings and frustrations, but the more I write them out in the diary, sometimes the worst I feel."

Harry's brow furrowed as he recognized the tiny black book on the table next to them. "Ginny, you said before that you write to 'Tom' because that was the name of the previous owner, but why are all of the pages blank? If you are writing to him, where is your writing?"

She hesitated a moment and he wondered if she was going to answer him but then she let out a slow breath before she spoke. "When I write my thoughts, they disappear into the book as if they never were."

Harry frowned at that. "Don't you find that strange?"

She nodded. "I was scared at first because Dad always told me never to trust anything if you can't see where it keeps its brain, but then…"

"But then?" Harry prompted.

Ginny bit her bottom lip. "But then the diary answered me back."

Harry's brow rose. "What? And that didn't scare you?"

Ginny shrugged. "He gives me advice. He's my friend, Harry. Like a pen pal. What could be scary about that?"

Harry reached for the diary, relieved that his scar stayed normal at the touch before he flipped it open and looked at the blank pages. "What do you write to Tom about that's too private to tell your brothers or your friends?"

She shrugged. "My hopes, my dreams, my fears, my thoughts… it's what a diary is for, Harry. I just record my feelings and what my day was like."

"And you're comfortable with the fact that the diary seems to answer back? Doesn't it seem… I don't know, strange? Have you ever heard of a diary that spoke back before?"

"That's why it's special, Harry! Tom is… a friend."

Harry only nodded. "Well, as _your friend_ , will you tell me if Tom says anything that hurts you again? He's upset you a few times, Ginny, which doesn't sound like a very good friend to me."

Ginny smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "It's just a diary, Harry." She stood up and stretched her arms. "I'm going to head up to bed. Are you going to be okay?"

Harry nodded, smiling at her. "Yeah. Goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight, Harry."

He sat there for a few minutes watching the fire.

Ginny was right, it was only a diary and it was healthy for her to write out her thoughts and feelings the way that she did, he imagined it was even kind of liberating sometimes. He was just being paranoid because the diary had somehow provoked pain in his scar that one time. He still didn't know what to make of that.

But he was curious about who this Tom Riddle was and he decided that he was going to try to research him. He had probably attended Hogwarts at some point so finding out who he was shouldn't be too hard. Hermione would be glad to help out he was sure.

Harry stood up and made his way back upstairs to bed feeling exhausted. After everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours, he just wanted to sleep. His eyes were closed before his head hit the pillow and he slept dreamlessly.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius woke up suddenly.**

He wasn't sure what had woken him up and he blinked owlishly around his bedroom to try to find the disturbance, but there was nothing around him. He turned onto his side, a small smile on his face as he looked at Zee. She was curled in a tight ball facing him, her wild curls all over the pillow, one hanging over her eye and down her back. She was wearing his Ramones tee shirt and the sound of her soft breathing soothed him.

He let his eyes travel down her body, carefully tugging the sheet down as he looked his fill. He trailed a finger over her cheek, down her neck, her shoulder, her arm to her fingertips and then slowly down her hip and leg, marvelling in the smooth skin and the way gooseflesh pimpled up where he touched her.

She had been incredible the last few days; just holding him and soothing him and helping him try to understand the pity that he was feeling for his friend - the friend who had betrayed them all. Having her with him at the trial had felt right, had felt like exactly what he needed.

Having her love him back still seemed like something that was too good to be true.

He let his fingertips trail around her ankle and then slowly brush up her calf to her thigh. He brushed his fingers gently over her, sliding them up her stomach and beneath the tee shirt to pebble a nipple and placing his mouth over her other nipple and through the shirt. He sucked gently before moving his lips up to her neck and planting soft kisses on her shoulders and throat as she let out a soft moan.

"Sirius…"

He smiled against her skin. "Morning, Zahira."

She opened her eyes, a sleepy smile on her face. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Trying? Aren't I succeeding?" he asked, his hand sliding over to cup her breast and thumbing the pebbled peak.

Zee smirked at him. "I don't know yet, maybe you should try harder."

Sirius just licked his lips and bent his head to her breast.

The moan that erupted from her seconds later had her debating on teasing him that he hadn't been successful as she felt the heat pool between her legs. His hot wet mouth was wrapped around her nipple, expertly sucking her through the tee shirt while his hand had slid up the shirt to fondle her other breast and the other down to tease her folds, his fingers intentionally not touching her where she wanted him most.

His mouth switched to her other breast and his hand slid over. He let his fingers trail along the edge of her, dipping in occasionally to emit a small gasp from her before retreating back to tease. He pulled his mouth from her breast and tugged the shirt over her head, tossing it behind him and lowering his mouth again. Her fingers were in his hair as she held him to her, sighing in pleasure as he kissed her breasts.

His mouth moved down, licking and nipping at the underside of her breast, down the sides of her ribs, stopping to suck at the skin and his finger circling her belly button, dipping in gently and then out. His lips followed his fingers, over her abs, down her sides and into her naval, soft kisses and sucks, nips and licks, down and over her thighs, between her legs — intentionally ignoring the pool of heat.

She groaned his name, sighing in pleasure when his fingers finally slipped into that wet heat. The feel of her hot and wet around his fingers almost undid him, but he worked her, slowly and torturously, sliding a third finger inside and watching her eyes widen.

"I'm close," she gasped.

Sirius pulled his fingers out and kissed her lips softly. "Can't have that, love."

He slid back up her body, mouth on her breast again and his hands everywhere except where she wanted them most. He rubbed against her, mouth on her throat, sucking and nipping as he slid it down her body and then his hot breath was against her and his tongue slid into her.

Zee cried out, her body arching towards him as he licked and nipped, swiping his tongue over her in long languid strokes, fast and quick and circling her around and around and then his tongue was gone and she cried out in disappointment. He was kissing the inside of her thighs, his fingers trailing over her bum.

"Sirius…"

He smiled against her leg. "Yes, love?"

Zee's fingers were in his hair again and she tugged him up to look at his devilish smirk. "Stop playing games."

Sirius kissed her quickly. "Am I playing games?"

"I want you in me."

He grinned and kissed her again softly. "Eventually."

She groaned as his mouth went back to her throat and he started his torturous trail down her body all over again; hot kisses; soft licks and then he was back between her legs, his tongue sweeping over her deeply and roughly and when his fingers joined in, she cried out his name. His tongue over her clit, suckling it into his mouth as his fingers moved in and out of her. He rolled it between his teeth and tongue - once, twice, three times - before releasing her.

"Fuck, Sirius… please…"

He grinned against her, reaching down to tug his pyjama pants off and slipping his tongue back into her. He swept it over her, side to side, up and down and then licked her thoroughly before kissing his way over her, up her stomach, between her breasts and then he turned her on her side, lifted her leg to his chest and plunged into her so deeply she gasped.

"Siri… _yes_ …"

Sirius held her leg against him, his other hand holding her hip as he pounded into her, his pace quickening, as she felt so perfect wrapped around him; how warm and soft and tight she was. He slid his fingers back inside and she released, screaming his name as she came not once, but twice. He kissed her ankle as he held her leg, his fingers working her desperately while he moved in and out of her, rocking against her.

As her third orgasm built, he lost control and they both crashed together, riding the wave of their emotions out, both crying out in pleasure.

Sirius tugged her up against him, spooning her happily from behind, his hands splayed across her flat stomach, one creeping up to hold her breast. "I love you."

Zee snuggled back against him, her heart still pounding in her chest and her body still vibrating from the aftermath of the pleasure that he had just given her. "I love you."

She felt him smile against the back of her head and she couldn't help but smile back. And then they were both drifting back to sleep, happily cocooned in each other's arms.

~ ASC ~

 **As January changed into February, Lockhart seemed to become more unbearable than usual to Harry's mind.** He was giving autographs out to those students who completed their homework (which was beyond pointless in Harry's opinion as the homework still never had anything to do with actual Defence Against the Dark Arts) and he was always singing in the hallways.

Harry had gotten detention from Filch for tracking water in after Quidditch practice as even though he had changed in the locker rooms, the snow was still on his boots as he clomped back up to the castle. After being forced to spend the evening scrubbing the floor of the hospital wing, Filch instructed him to bring a package up to Lockhart's office before going to bed for the night.

Harry had groaned at this prospect as he had done everything in his power to avoid Lockhart outside of class since he had removed the bones from his arm. He knocked on the door and heard a muffled sound from behind it that sounded strange, almost like the person was in pain. He knocked again a minute later, and there was shuffling before Lockhart opened the door with a big smile on his face.

"Harry! What a wonderful surprise! Come in, come in!" he insisted.

Harry ignored him and stayed in the doorway. "Mr Filch asked me to bring this to you."

"Oh, yes, thank you!" Lockhart beamed, showing off every one of his pearly white teeth. He turned to smile at the boy grabbing his book bag. "Yes, off you go, Damien, you be back tomorrow at eight to finish off that detention."

The boy, a third year Ravenclaw that Harry recognized, looked pale and a bit uncomfortably ashamed almost as if it had been his first detention or something as he turned to nod at Lockhart.

Lockhart's smile widened. "Misbehaving in my class, I do so hate to give out detentions but when you have to, you must, you know?"

Harry nodded. "Right. Anyway, I have homework to do."

"Of course, Harry, my boy, of course! If you ever need advice or help with that homework, please come to me! I would be honoured to share my expertise with you! I'd love to teach you a few things."

Expertise, Harry thought with a smirk, right. "Right, thanks. Goodnight, Professor."

Harry headed back to the common room, thankful to have escaped another conversation on fame appreciation. He made it up to his dormitory before he pulled out his mirror to call Sirius. He smiled happily at the sight of his godfather's face.

"Harry, what's going on?" Sirius asked brightly.

Harry sighed. "Can you just crush my dreams already and tell me that Uncle Moony is never going to be the new professor?"

Sirius laughed. "Harry, I told you, these things take time. I can't promise anything. I can only give my opinion, but ultimately Dumbledore has to make the decision."

"He's just so annoying!"

Sirius grinned. "Be patient. We'll see what happens, all right?"

Harry nodded and used the time to fill his father in on the last few days, but he couldn't help but wonder if they were really going to be stuck with Lockhart for the rest of the school year and why Dumbledore wouldn't want Remus instead when he was clearly the better choice.


	100. Chapter 100

_Author's Note:_

 _Wow! A hundred chapters — I am impressed with myself LOL!_

 _Been plotting this a for a while and have dropped a few hints in the last ten chapters-ish so I hope you find it interesting. Also, been waiting and waiting to add this little scene and memory in. I also added this little memory from something I saw on tumblr so credit goes to whoever thought of it. Thank you._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED:**

 **By the time Valentine's Day arrived, Harry stepped into the Great Hall to be greeted with a room full of pink and red decorations and confetti flying through the air.**

To be honest, it looked like someone had vomited red and pink everywhere.

He made a disgusted face as he sat down at the table. "What the bloody hell happened in here?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Who do you think?"

Not two minutes later, Lockhart stood up in bright pink robes and a big smile on his face. "Happy Valentine's Day my lovely students! I wanted to brighten the school today with thoughts of love and happiness. To those students who have sent me Valentine's Day cards already, I am grateful for them, and much love back to you all. Muah!" he said as he kissed his hand and blew the kiss out across the hall.

Harry scowled slightly.

Ron grimaced as he looked at Hermione. "Please tell me that you weren't one of those students."

He and Ron exchanged smirks when Hermione suddenly became very interested in the book that she was reading.

He listened with half an ear as Lockhart went on about how to celebrate the day in all of their classes and suggested that they ask Professor Snape to show them how to brew Amorentia - Harry figured that was a death sentence straight off and was pretty sure no one was stupid enough to ask that one from the Potions Master.

When Lockhart claimed that he had a little surprise for them, he could only groan with the rest of the student body as he learned that little card-carrying cupids would be sending Valentines out to students anonymously all day.

And the dwarfs who were dressed in golden wings looked extremely unhappy about it.

It sounded the like the worst thing that he could possibly imagine.

His mortification over the idea really came to head when one of the cupids caught him just after lunch before Potions class. He tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf tripped him and sat on his legs to serenade him.

" _His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad. His hair is as dark as a blackboard. I wish he was mine, he's truly divine, the hero who conquered the Dark Lord._ "

Harry flushed red as Draco, Blaise, and Theo all began to laugh and Draco asked him rather mockingly if his girlfriend was around to sing it to him in person.

Harry had never wanted to sink into the floor more in his entire life, but he laughed it off and smirked at Draco. "At least someone other than Pansy sent one to me."

Draco flushed at that.

Pansy Parkinson had sent him a singing Valentine herself, but hers had been much less subtle. Something along the lines of: _Draco, my love, one day we will be man and wife and every day I will love you, all of my life. Love, Pansy_. Draco definitely hadn't found it to be entertaining, but had flushed beet red.

Draco turned to the crowd of first years, who had watched as Harry had attempted to out run his Valentine, and he sneered at them, "Potter didn't much like your love letter, Weaselette."

Ginny had paled and turned to run, but Luna had put her arm around her, whispering something and Ginny only nodded. Harry's eyes were on her in curiosity. Had _she_ actually sent that to him? Why would she think that he would want a singing Valentine? And when had Ginny started having feelings for him that weren't of friendship? He hadn't meant to offend her. He opened his mouth to say something and then promptly closed it.

He had no idea what to say to her.

Snape came out then, his cloak billowing around him as he barked orders for students to get into his classroom, taking points off for being late (not for the Slytherins of course) and Harry pulled out his potions ingredients in annoyance. Snape on top of that Valentine was just not making his day any better.

By the time that he had made it to the Great Hall for lunch he was feeling rather annoyed and bitter about the entire Valentine's Day experience. He was pleased to see that the Great Hall decorations had been taken down and his mood improved a bit at the sight of it. He took a bite into his thick carved turkey sandwich and glanced up at the Head Table, eyes widening when he saw Remus slip out of the back room behind the Head table and clasp McGonagall on the shoulder. She squeezed his hand in reassurance and nodded at him. He made eye contact with Harry and winked and Harry grinned back.

"Finally!"

Neville reached around Harry for some strawberries as Hermione looked up from her book at his declaration. "What's Remus doing here, Harry?"

"Making our lives infinitely better," Harry said with a smirk. "At least I hope so."

"What do you mean, Harry?" Hermione asked, turning to look over at where he and Neville were watching Remus speak with McGonagall.

"Just watch."

"Professor Lockhart," Dumbledore said loudly, the chatter in the hall immediately coming to an end. "I would like to thank you for decorating the Hall to look so lively this morning, it is a welcome change, but I'm afraid that Mr Filch had to take them down as some of the confetti was ruining our lunch."

Lockhart beamed, smiling proudly and showing off every one of his pearly white teeth. "You are very welcome, Professor Dumbledore! Love itself is a holiday and should be celebrated! I've heard many of the students have already been blessed with lovely song declarations of love!"

Dumbledore nodded and moved up to the podium. "Students, today is Valentine's Day, which I'm sure you are all aware, is a special day for lovers. But I firmly believe that today is no different than any other day when it comes to telling that special someone how you feel. Love is an important emotion and those with the ability to love possess power far above all others. Sometimes, the ability to love is so powerful that it can actually counteract magic meant to harm them."

Harry was staring at Dumbledore in confusion now. Was he actually going to tell the school that love from his mother is what had saved him from Voldemort all those years ago? Why? What would be the point? Why was he stressing the magical power of love?

"The heart cannot be turned in the same way that the mind can be," Dumbledore continued and Harry let out a breath of relief — it wasn't about him. "I would like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine named Maggie Cumberland who has a love story to share with us today, Maggie?"

A short dark-haired woman with streaks of grey made her way out from the back room where Remus had just been. She walked purposefully up to the podium and nodded at Dumbledore.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, for inviting me here today." She was quiet for a moment and then she smiled brightly at the students who were all looking up at her in curiosity. The fact that Hogwarts had invited a guest was rare enough let alone having one speak.

"For the last four years, I have been working in England as a Healer, but I had this feeling inside of me that something was missing in my life; that something wasn't the way that it was supposed to be — and when I saw two people in love walking by, holding hands, that feeling intensified within me. I couldn't explain it. Finally, a few months ago, a friend of mine recommended that I see a Mind Healer to try to figure out why I was feeling this way and much to my surprise, I discovered that something _was_ missing from my life. Someone had stolen my memories from me."

There was a collective gasp around the tables and Harry frowned, wondering what on earth this woman was doing here and why she would be telling this story.

His eyes moved to his father who was moving closer to Lockhart now and had clasped a hand on his shoulder, offering him a small reassuring smile. Lockhart's own smile was as bright as ever, but looked strained, worried even.

"My entire memory wasn't gone, but the memory that was gone was about the man who I loved, the man I had married twenty years ago, and pledged to love forever on this very day - on Valentine's Day. David Cumberland, my husband, was a renowned vampire specialist. The man who had single-handedly turned an entire family of vampires off of murder, by helping them to live a life that didn't involve killing others to survive. My husband is the hero who saved a village in Romania from being slaughtered by vampires."

Chatter was beginning to bubble around the hall now and Harry listened as Neville leaned over. "Didn't Lockhart say that _he_ did that in his book?"

Hermione nodded, paling slightly. "Yes, he did."

The woman continued to speak now, her voice getting louder. "Imagine my surprise when the memory of the man that I loved was restored and I learned that someone else had taken credit for his achievements: That his memory had also been altered to believe that he had not achieved what he had, to not remember me, nor any of his accomplishments. That someone, a young man who had come to interview David and I on his accomplishments, had decided to claim those achievements for his own."

Lockhart was trying to slip away from Remus now, his face pale. Harry watched as Snape stood up and clasped his hand on Lockhart's other shoulder, nodding curtly at Remus.

"That man who came to interview my husband and I, his name was Gilderoy Lockhart, and he stole my husband's life work for himself, and then he took our memories from us."

The hall seemed to gasp in surprise as a whole as everyone began to chat amongst themselves.

Cumberland turned to look back at Lockhart, hatred in her eyes. "I read your books, Lockhart, and I would bet good money that those other things you 'claimed to have done', were also done by other witches and wizards whose memories you then erased to claim the credit of their good works. You should be ashamed of yourself! How many lives have you ruined?"

Lockhart glared at her. "You stupid witch! You couldn't just leave your life alone, could you? Do you think anyone wants to read about some boring old man who helped vampires when they could imagine _me_ doing it? No! Or that some old Armenian warlock actually helped a man with lycanthropy? Or some ugly old hag was the one to learn how to get rid of a banshee? No! It was me who did it! Me! I _did all of those things_! All of it!"

Tonks and Arnett came out from the back room. Tonks used her wand to handcuff Lockhart's hands behind his back as Arnett began to speak. "Gilderoy Lockhart, you are hereby being arrested for using the Memory Charm on unsuspecting witches and wizards without their knowledge or consent, for fraudulently taking credit for work that you yourself did not do, and for making yourself rich from it. You are being charged with fraud and implementing false memories in Maggie and David Cumberland. Investigators and Mind Healers will be visiting every single place mentioned in your books to discover who else might have been one of your victims. You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."

Students soared to their feet, some clapped and cheered, some were crying, but all eyes watched in amazement as the Aurors brought Lockhart from the Great Hall in handcuffs.

Stunned eyes moved back up to the front where Dumbledore was waiting for them to quiet down.

"I am sorry to say that this means that you will no longer have Professor Lockhart as your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Criminal charges will be brought against him for his fraudulent ways. If anyone has anything to say on the matter, issues may be brought forth to your Head of House," Dumbledore said calmly. He had a twinkle in his eye as he gestured for Remus to move forward. "Starting today, your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor will be Professor Lupin. Now that lunch and the excitement of the morning are over, let's get moving to our afternoon classes."

Harry popped another apple slice in his mouth before he hurried towards the Head table, grinning widely. "Hi, Professor!"

Remus beamed at him. "Hi, Harry. I heard that you had this crazy idea of getting me hired."

Harry shrugged. "I may have mentioned something to Uncle Padfoot about it."

Remus smiled and squeezed Harry's shoulder. "Well, I'm glad to take up the post. I'll see you in class and remember, it's Professor Lupin _not_ Professor Moony."

Harry smirked at that and hurried back to his friends.

The day was turning out to be really interesting, he thought and he couldn't wait for his first Defence Against the Dark Arts class. He knew that it would be infinitely better and he was equally as pleased that Lockhart was finally gone. But he hadn't expected him to be a criminal.

Had he really erased the minds of witches and wizards only to claim that he had saved them instead? Who would do such a thing only to be famous?

As the day went on, students were talking about Lockhart's arrest everywhere they went. Rumours were flying around that Lockhart hadn't truly accomplished anything on his own and that all he was good for was signing his name on things. Many of the students seemed quite upset with his arrest, the girls especially, who were embarrassed to have fawned over him in the first place.

But the really big news came out around dinner.

Lockhart was being charged with a new crime.

It seemed that his Fan Club had consisted of a few private tea parties in his office. Harry wasn't completely sure how true the rumours were, but he heard that Lockhart had been having affairs with some of his students. Two seventh year girls had claimed that he had shagged them, one fifth year girl claimed that he had touched her inappropriately, and two third year boys had come forward claiming Lockhart had forced them to orally pleasure him during detention.

Teachers were investigating the rumours, but it sounded like Lockhart was going to be spending the rest of his life in Azkaban prison.

It wasn't until the next day after lunch that Harry got to experience his first class with Professor Lupin. Harry eagerly hurried into Defence Against the Dark Arts class, beaming at his father who was sitting on the edge of the desk in open black robes revealing his brown tweed jacket, a light green dress shirt and tie over his black jeans. He was smiling at them all, looking relaxed and completely at ease to be at the front of the classroom.

Once everyone was seated, he smiled warmly at the class.

"Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts, I am Professor Lupin. I look forward to teaching you all this year and to try to help you get through your exams successfully despite the dismal topics you've covered under Lockhart."

"What topics?" Seamus asked, making the class laugh.

"Exactly, Mr Finnigan. So today, I would like to start off with an overview of some of the topics that we should be getting into. One of the first ones is curses and jinxes, particularly those used in duelling."

Chatter immediately broke out among the class, intrigued at the idea of using any form of spell in a duel against another student. Remus immediately quashed that idea however by reminding them they would be learning strictly in the safety of the classroom and that duelling was prohibited in the corridors and on school grounds.

He had Harry and Hermione go up to the front and demonstrate a few of the ones they had been practicing and the whole class was grinning by the time it was over. They were off to a great start.

Harry stayed behind to grin at his father as his classmates shuffled out. "That was great, Professor!"

Remus smiled at him. "It's a start, Harry. The workload is going to be quite intense because everyone is so behind, but I will do my best to try to make sure everyone is getting the education that they deserve."

Harry beamed at him. "You're the best."

Remus chuckled. "We thought about telling you when you were home two weeks ago for the trial, but Sirius and I decided to surprise you, as we still didn't know when I would be officially starting. Dumbledore was still figuring out the Lockhart situation.

Harry nodded, his eyes sobering as he looked up at his father. "Uncle Moony, there are rumours going around that Lockhart was having sex with some students."

Remus' brow rose. "That's a serious accusation and it certainly won't help his cause. The seventh years… well, technically if they were seventeen he may get his charges diminished, but as a teacher in the school… that's dangerous grounds to be stepping on. I did hear, after he was arrested, that a few students went to their heads of house with some complaints. I just hope that it's not true, as no one should feel that they can't trust their teacher."

"I heard a few third year boys as well and a fifth year girl is claiming he touched them inappropriately - do you think it's true?"

Remus let out a slow breath. "I don't know, little Prongs. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the Aurors find. Now go on, you'll be late for History of Magic."

Harry just grinned at him. Having Remus at Hogwarts with him made him safe and happier then he had felt in a while.

Finally, something was going right.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry got up to his dorm room after dinner the next day, the last thing that he expected to find was Fred and George sitting on his bed.** He raised an eyebrow at them.

"Hi, guys, looking for Ron?"

Fred shook his head. "Nope, you. Come sit." He pat the bed in between the two of them.

Harry merely smiled at them. "What are you plotting?"

George looked hurt. "We just want to have a little chat, so rude of you to assume otherwise."

Fred grinned. "But also wise."

Harry smirked and moved to sit between them. "What's going on?

"Fred and I have been talking about something we heard you say the other day and then again at dinner today that made us rather suspicious.

"Er, suspicious about what exactly?"

Fred scratched his chin as if he was lost in deep thoughts. "Well, two weeks ago when you left to go home for the trial you called Sirius by a different name when he called you. I thought I heard you call him Padfoot?"

"Okay…"

George sighed. "And then today at dinner you said how defence was great because of having Professor Moony."

Harry winced at that one. He needed to make sure he always called Remus by his surname and not the name that he had grown up calling him. It was going to be like the Auntie Minnie fiasco of first year all over again, though he was pretty sure Remus wouldn't take points away, he hoped. "Maybe."

Fred grinned. "Padfoot and Moony, we just found those very interesting names - distinct even."

"Quite distinct, I'd say," George added with a sly grin. "Any chance you'd care to explain them?"

Harry shrugged, looking towards his closed dormitory door. "Just nicknames they had when they were young. They made them up in school and taught them to me. It's why Uncle Siri calls me Prongslet because they called my dad Prongs."

Fred's eyes lit up now. "Prongs… and Wormtail?"

Harry's eyes narrowed. The name bringing up memories of the trial he had been trying to forget about. The dreams had been extra intense lately and even when he woke up Sirius to talk, he still found them intense and often couldn't go back to sleep with his heart pounding and his mind full of thoughts and memories that he wished he didn't have. "What do you two know exactly?"

George grinned widely, slapping his hands together and nodding at his twin who immediately pulled out an old folded up piece of old parchment. "When we were in our first year, Harry, we were young and carefree and innocent —"

Harry snorted.

"— Okay more innocent than we are now," Fred added sheepishly. "We got detention from Filch."

"Shocker."

"Shh, we're telling you about our epic adventures," George said.

Harry grinned at them. "So, you were in detention?"

"No, not in detention quite yet," Fred added.

"We were merely being lectured by Filch for letting off a Dungbomb, which upset him for some unknown reason, and while he was ranting and threatening us with the usual —"

" — Disembowlment —"

" — Shackles —"

" — and what not, I happened to notice that one of the drawers in his filing cabinet was marked: Confiscated and Extremely Dangerous. Now, being that I am a curious soul, I began to wonder —"

" — what kind of things was Filch hiding in the school that could be classified as 'extremely dangerous?' We were concerned for the student body as a whole," George added.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."

Fred grinned. "So, we planned a distraction and the next day, with our friend Lee Jordan's help, he and George distracted Filch, and I snuck into his office."

"Fred broke open the drawer and pulled out — this!" he said triumphantly, holding the old parchment in his hand.

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Old parchment, how exciting."

"Harry, if you knew what this old parchment was, you would understand," Fred said patiently. "We reckon Filch never figured it out on his own." He handed the parchment over to Harry.

Harry took the parchment from them and stared down at it. "I still don't get it."

Fred sighed and tapped it with his wand. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

To Harry's surprise, lines of ink began to spread across the parchment to form writing in a neat slanted hand that he immediately recognized as belonging to Remus.

 _Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present — THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

Harry's mouth dropped open as the ink spread to reveal the small sketch of Hogwarts and when he opened the folded parchment he found a perfectly drawn map of the entire school including corridors, hidden staircases and passageways, and hundreds of dots dancing around the page revealing the location of every student and teacher within the school.

"Is that — Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"Pacing in his office?" George said with a grin.

"He does that a lot," Fred said. "And here's us," he said, pointing to the three dots in the Gryffindor second year boys dormitory.

Harry grinned widely as he stared down at the parchment. "Uncle Sirius is going to be so ecstatic when he learns that you two found this!"

Fred grinned widely. "Which brings us back to our first question, Harry… you call Sirius by the name of Padfoot and if you notice, one of the Messrs is called Padfoot also?"

Harry nodded, a big smile on his face. "He and my dad and their friends created this map when they went to school here."

"Wicked!" The twins chorused together.

Harry grinned back at them. "You two have had it since first year?"

Fred nodded. "It took us about a day to figure out how to open it and then we mostly used it to sneak around, prank Filch, and pull stunts on Peeves, but yeah. It's a brilliant piece of magic and it has pretty much everything on here. But… it doesn't have the Chamber of Secrets."

George shook his head. "Trust us, we've looked."

"That doesn't mean that it doesn't exist," Harry told them. "It just means that Uncle Sirius and his friends never found it therefore couldn't place it onto the map."

Fred looked thoughtful for a moment and then he nodded. "True… Harry, we have so many questions and we love this map! It has aided us straight and true for almost four wonderful years now. We owe them so much helping a new generation of lawbreakers such as ourselves."

George nodded next to him. "But seeing how it was your fathers who in fact made the map, it does seem like it belongs with you."

Harry watched as the little dots moved across the map. "You're really giving it to me?"

Fred nodded, slapping Harry on the back as he stood up. "You are essentially the son of three of _the Legendary Marauders_? It's all yours. Besides, George and I have memorized all of the secret passageways out of the school by now anyway."

"Speaking of, we're pretty sure that Filch knows about these ones and these two are blocked," George told him. "And this one under the Whomping Willow, we have no idea where it leads, though it looks like Hogsmeade. Fred and I have never dared to get close enough and after what that tree did to you and Ron at the beginning of the year, it's probably safer if you stay away from it altogether," he added with a grin. "But this is a pretty safe bet to use, takes you right into Honeydukes!"

"Mischief Managed," Fred said, tapping his wand on the parchment and Harry watched as all of the lines faded away as if they had never been.

"Thanks," Harry said with a grin.

Fred and George simply grinned back at him.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius grinned when he saw Hedwig sitting at the kitchen table the next morning.** He took the envelope from her, a big smile on his face as he read Harry's words.

 _Uncle Sirius,_

 _You came through!_

 _Uncle Moony is already a WAY better teacher — thank you so much!_

 _I always knew that Lockhart was an idiot, but I had no idea that he was a criminal! It was kind of brilliant to watch Tonks take him away in handcuffs. The whole school has been talking about it all day. Plus there are some crazy rumours going around that he was having sex with students. Uncle Remus says that he doesn't know if those are true or not but either way, I'm glad he's gone — the barmy git._

 _It's hard to believe that he actually stole people's memories and used the life work they had accomplished for his own personal gain into fame. He should be ashamed of himself!_

 _Uncle Remus started his class yesterday by going over some curses and jinxes, mostly the ones that he already told me to study and then he had Hermione and I demonstrate them to the class since we had already taught them to ourselves. He's a really good teacher and super patient. Over half the class had mastered the spells he taught by the end of the lesson. He's going to be a great improvement._

 _Also, the next Quidditch game has been posted — it's at the end of March. Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. See you then!_

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

Sirius folded up the letter with a smile. He felt better knowing Moony was at the school himself. The stuff about the Chamber of Secrets had yet to be resolved nor the puzzle revealed, and having his friend nearby made him feel safer for his son's well being.

He noticed a second piece of folded parchment had fallen to the table and he picked it up curiously, unfolding it and his face broke out into a grin as he read.

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _As you know, we like to have fun and to cause a tad bit of mischief every once in a while. Four years ago, we stole something from Filch's office that was hidden in a drawer marked Confiscated and Extremely Dangerous — we're pretty sure Filch never figured out what it was._

 _But we did._

 _I'm sure you can imagine our surprise when we suddenly found ourselves with a full map detailing the entirety of Hogwarts and all who were in it._

 _We have recently surmised that the so-called Messrs, who we owe so much to, includes not only Harry's departed father, but yourself and Professor Lupin._

 _We just wanted to say thanks for creating such a wonderful gift for us to find and not to worry as we bequeathed it to the rightful Marauder Heir just today._

 _George Weasley_

 _Fred Weasley_

 _PS — How did you make it?_

Sirius grinned widely, snorting in laughter. If anyone was to stumble upon the Marauder's Map he couldn't be more pleased to learn that it was the Weasley twins. And the fact that they had given it to Harry pleased him even more. He pulled out some fresh parchment and his quill with a grin.

He was always happy to share some wisdom with a fellow marauder, he thought, and he immediately began to tell Fred and George about the Homonculous Charml which was an important tracking device that when cast onto a map enabled the person who who had a map of an area, to track everyone in that area and show their path. He explained how they had snuck out and mapped out the school in careful detail down to the broom closets. They finished it in sixth year and had been immensely proud and satisfied with their work. He also let them know that the map had a piece of each their personality embedded into it as a charm because they each used their own magic to create it. This entailed that when someone they knew took hold of the map and attempted to learn its secrets without revealing the password first, their Marauder personas would jump off the page with a witty or sarcastic statement. It spewed random insults if it was someone they didn't know.

Not to mention the endless insults they had created the map to say in case Snape ever stumbled across it.

After he sealed the letter and sent Hedwig back to the school with a response to the twins, he smiled to himself.

The map didn't only insult, he thought.

He remembered one time at the end of sixth year, he had been studying the map carefully in an attempt to find Regulus. But he had been interrupted by Lily and had quickly closed it down.

 _Lily was staring at the parchment in his hands. "What are you doing out here, past curfew, with that old bit of parchment?"_

 _Sirius shrugged. "Er — nothing."_

 _"Wow, that was a genius lie, however can I possibly see through it."_

 _"Sarcasm, Evans - I'm shocked."_

 _Lily rolled her eyes and tugged the parchment away from his grasp and stared down at it, turning it over in her hands. "Why do you have this?"_

 _"To record my thoughts. I have deep thoughts you know."_

 _Lily chuckled and tapped on the parchment. "Lily Evans, prefect, demands you reveal your secrets."_

 _The parchment immediately began to scroll ink across the page in a neat cursive writing which Lily then read aloud._

 _"Mr Moony would like to say that Miss Evans is a wonderful Charms student, but still doesn't have the charm to unlock this secret." She looked up in surprise. "What the…"_

 _Sirius just grinned and nodded at the parchment. "Keep reading…"_

 _Lily did as he asked as the writing changed. "Mr Wormtail would like to say that he's noticed Miss Evans napping in History of Magic and thinks that she could do better. Mr Padfoot wants to say that Miss Evans needs to mind her own business and stop harassing innocent students in the corridors. Mr Prongs would like to add that Miss Evans is insane-ly beautiful and her eyes shine like emeralds in the dark. Miss Evans would make a fine match for that James Potter."_

 _Lily blushed scarlet and shoved the parchment back at Sirius. "I don't know what this is —"_

 _Sirius shrugged. "Harmless fun. Look, it even complimented you!"_

 _"Only the one who calls himself Prongs, the other three charmingly insulted me, before I was told that I would make a good match with Potter? I don't think so!"_

 _Sirius simply grinned. "I know how you can figure out the secret."_

 _Lily's eyebrow rose. "The secret?"_

 _"To this parchment. You're right, it does do something special."_

 _"Oh?"_

 _Sirius shoved the parchment into his pocket and smirked at her. "Go on a date with Jamie and you'll see."_

 _Lily rolled her eyes and turned to storm off in a huff of annoyance. "Now you're trying to set me up with him? Merlin!"_

 _And Sirius had just laughed as she had stormed off. He couldn't wait to tell James that the map couldn't even insult Lily on his behalf._

Sirius chuckled to himself as he remembered that day and he quickly bottled the memory to add to the Pensieve.

He glanced at the clock and stretched lazily. He was going to be late to read to the kids at the hospital if he didn't get a move on, he thought and hurried upstairs to shower, whistling as he went.


	101. Chapter 101

_Author's Note:_

 _A few important aspects I wanted to add here._

 _Also just so you understand my thought process, Defence Against the Dark Arts is an optional course in sixth and seventh year, depending on what students are taking in terms of their career goals in life, therefore one class per year rather than two (in case you were wondering where I got the number twelve from): Two first year classes, two second year classes, two third year classes, two fourth year classes, two fifth year classes, one sixth year class, and one seventh year class. Hope this helps!_

 _Some people have said that this story is being dragged out and I suppose it is, but I like the pace that I'm going at. If it doesn't interest you, that's fine, don't read anymore, but I will write at my own pace and take however long I want to take with however many chapters I want to write whether it stops in fifty (it won't lol) or at three hundred (it might at this rate). I am encompassing a lot of information and this story is just as much Sirius' and Remus' as it is Harry's. Thanks._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ONE:**

 **Harry was still having nightmares.**

Not every night, but frequently enough that it was starting to take a toll on him,

He sat in Remus' Hogwarts suite, legs outstretched across the sofa as his father stood over him.

"How much are you hiding from Sirius, Harry?" Remus asked sternly, placing a hand on Harry's forehead.

Harry smiled at him. "I'm not sick, Uncle Moony. And I'm not hiding anything from Uncle Sirius." At Remus' look he grinned sheepishly. "I'm just not sleeping that well which he already knows, as he makes me use the mirror and wake him up every time I have a bad dream."

Remus lifted Harry's legs, sitting next to him on the sofa. "About the trial?"

Harry shrugged. "Sometimes."

Remus sighed. "I don't think that Sirius and I should have let you come with us. It was much too violent and much too graphic for a twelve-year-old to witness."

"No!" Harry insisted, sitting up. "It wasn't! I'm glad that I know!"

Remus smiled at him. "Our brave boy," he said, patting Harry's leg. "Harry, there's nothing wrong with being too young for things. In all honesty, you want to stay as young and innocent as you can. You've… well, you've had a rough time of it, but I think that Sirius and I helped to give you the childhood you deserved."

"You did," Harry told him, moving to hug him tightly. "And the nightmares aren't that bad, Uncle Rem. I've only woken up screaming one time and it was that first night with you and Uncle Padfoot, when I was at home. I'm really okay, I swear — don't worry about me."

"That's my job, little Prongs," Remus said with a smile. "Now, I want you to do something for me."

Harry nodded, watching Remus closely. "What's that?"

Remus reached over the coffee table and pulled out a worn brown leather notebook tied with a string and handed it over. "It's a diary."

Harry must have had a look of disgust on his face because Remus laughed.

"Journal, if it sounds less horrific to you," he said with a grin. "I want you to start writing in this every night before you go to bed. I'm not going to read it unless you would like me too, this is for yourself. It's charmed so that anyone who opens it will only see notes from my class."

"Why?"

Remus smiled at him as Harry reluctantly accepted the notebook. "Journaling is a very healthy way to help you clear your head, Harry. It can help you clarify your thoughts and feelings; help you to better understand yourself and those around you. It can help to reduce stress in your life because you might write when you're angry or sad or happy and sharing those thoughts on paper will make you feel better. It can help you problem solve - because sometimes those thoughts are too much in your head and by looking at them in writing, it becomes clear. It can even help you resolve disagreements with others. But most importantly, I want you to talk about your nightmares. I think the more that you write about them, about what you dream, and about what you see in those dreams, the less intense and scary you will find them to be - and maybe you won't even have them as often. Not just the bad dreams either, write down anything that you dream of. It's a healing and a coping mechanism for your mind as well as your heart."

"Just keep writing everything down?"

Remus nodded. "I think that it will be good for you. Record your day and your adventures and anything that you feel like you need to talk about, but don't know how to tell others yet or if you even want to tell anyone about it at all. Will you do this for me? For yourself?"

Harry stared down at the journal. He had just been thinking the other day that the reason Ginny probably kept a diary was because it probably felt cathartic to write everything down and he knew that Remus was right, it probably would make him feel better.

"Yes, I will."

Remus smiled and ruffled Harry's hair. "Good. And you know that I'm always around if you need to talk about anything. I'm extra close by now."

"I know," he said with a smile. "Plus you have this wicked new place to hang out in and the house elves bring snacks, specifically chocolate."

Remus smirked at him. "Don't think I don't know exactly how much chocolate I have, little Prongs. Stay away from my stash."

Harry simply grinned. "I don't know what you're implying."

Remus chuckled as Tonks came out of the fireplace, dusting her Auror uniform off and greeting them both with a bright smile as a knock sounded on the door at the same time.

"Yes, you do," Remus said with a grin, standing up and opening the door, smiling at Ron and Hermione. "Hello, Ron, Hermione. Harry was just leaving. Oh, by the way, little Prongs, I heard that someone sent you a singing Valentine the other day?"

Harry blushed scarlet. "Where did you hear that?"

Remus chuckled as Tonks plopped down on the chesterfield next to Harry and hugged him. "A few students in my class mentioned how Harry Potter tried to outrun the singing cupid and got tackled in the dungeons before said Valentine was delivered. What did it say?"

Harry blushed a deeper shade of red. "I don't remember."

Hermione smirked at him, grinning at Ron. "I do! It went: _His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad. His hair is as dark as a blackboard. I wish he was mine, he's truly divine, the hero who conquered the Dark Lord_."

"Hermione!" Harry groaned as his friend laughed.

"Oh, Harry, don't be embarrassed, it was sweet!" Hermione insisted, grinning at him in jest.

Remus was grinning from ear to ear. "Who sent it to you?"

"Ginny," he mumbled so quietly that Remus only blinked at him.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

Ron smirked. "My sister. No idea why she'd want to send one to Harry, nor one so cheesy."

"Ginny? Hmm, that's very interesting."

Harry stared at his father, the back of his neck still flushing lobster red. "Why is that interesting?"

"Someone has a little fancy," Tonks said with a smile. "That's adorable."

Remus simply grinned at his son. "Wait until Sirius hears that you got a singing Valentine."

Harry simply groaned in response.

Remus laughed. "I won't say anything to him, don't worry. He's a like a dog with a bone when he hears things like that. Now scram, go do some homework or hang out with your friends."

Harry stretched as he stood up and said goodbye to Remus and Tonks.

Yeah, having Uncle Moony at Hogwarts was definitely the best thing ever. Even when he teased him about singing Valentines.

~ ASC ~

 **A full week after Lockhart had been dragged away from the Great Hall in handcuffs, the Daily Prophet wrote a story about him.** The article was all anyone could talk about for days. Harry didn't get to see it until almost lunch time when Hannah Abbott passed it to him in Herbology class.

He leaned close to Hermione, Ron, and Neville as he read the article aloud to his friends before class started.

 _GILDEROY LOCKHART: DERANGED AND DANGEROUS?_

 _Valentine's Day was not quite the day of love that is usually enjoyed by the handsome five time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, Gilderoy Lockhart. The thirty-one-year-old-famous-author, well known for his adventures and amazing feats as detailed in his published works including:_ Break with a Banshee, Gadding with Ghouls, Holidays with Hags, Travels with Trolls, Voyages with Vampires, Wandering with Werewolves, Year with the Yeti, Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests _and of course his best-selling autobiography titled_ Magical Me.

 _Lockhart, who has been working as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was arrested on the 14th of February for the following charges: Fraud; performing the memory charm on unsuspecting witches, wizards, and Muggles; for taking credit for other people's work; and for implementing false memories in over a dozen witches and wizards._

 _The Auror Department didn't have much to say on the arrest except to confirm that everything that Lockhart claimed to do in his books was in fact a lie and had actually been accomplished by other witches and wizards around the world._

 _"Lockhart interviewed witches and wizards on their accomplishments and then used a memory charm to make them forget achieving them and then claimed the credit for himself," Auror Tonks stated after arresting Lockhart at Hogwarts. "He altered the memories of entire villages and towns to claim the fame for himself. He will be tried for his crimes. In the meantime, we're still investigating the evidence before a trial date can be set."_

 _Fans of Lockhart are shocked and claim that it must be a mistake._

 _"Gilderoy is such a sweet and handsome boy," Glinda (last name asked to be omitted) claims. "I think that they've made a mistake somewhere."_

 _When asked how Professor Albus Dumbledore feels knowing that he hired this man as a teacher, he didn't have anything to add. He merely stated that a new teacher had been found for the subject._

 _But the story gets worse._

 _Lockhart's crimes were not just about the memories and taking credit for other people's works. As a professor at Hogwarts, he also took advantage of his position. Seven students ages 13-17 have come forward and claimed that they were sexually molested by their professor. Lockhart's lawyers refuse to comment on this. Three of the seven students were young, unnamed males, who claim that he forced them to perform oral sex on him while in detention, claiming it was punishment for their behaviour. Two young girls have claimed rape and two young girls have also claimed it was consensual - but being minors, Lockhart is still guilty of child molestation and rape._

 _His fans are in an uproar and claim that the crimes have been fabricated by the Ministry of Magic, who are jealous of his success. Others are wondering how much is true. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is being investigated and the students spoken to about Lockhart's character and to find out if there are any other students who have been too afraid or too embarrassed to come forward._

 _Lockhart is being held under house arrest by the Auror Department while the investigation is under way. A trial date is tentatively set for mid April pending the status of the investigation._

 _But this reporter can say with absolute certainty, things don't look good for Gilderoy Lockhart._

"So it's true then?" Neville asked when Harry finished reading. "He was doing _stuff_ with his students?"

Harry shrugged. It certainly seemed like it was and he did remember that third year boy who had been in Lockhart's office when he had dropped off the package. He wondered if Lockhart had been doing something to him. Forced oral, the article claimed, and he shuddered at the image.

Hermione was shaking her head. "You're supposed to be able to trust your teachers."

Ron put his arm around her. "You can, Hermione, but we always knew he was a crackpot."

"He really was a terrible teacher, but I never imagined… he could… I just thought he was a bad teacher."

"And then some," Neville said with a small smile. "Remember our first class? I ended up hanging from the chandelier!"

They all laughed as Professor Sprout called the class to attention. It seemed like Lockhart definitely had a lot to answer for.

~ ASC ~

 **After Defence Against the Dark Arts class that day, Remus asked Harry to stay behind for a moment claiming that he would write a note for McGonagall, explaining his lateness.** Once all of his classmates had abandoned the room, Remus told Harry to follow him into his office.

Harry was surprised to find his godfather pacing back and forth there.

"Uncle Sirius," he said in surprise, closing the office door behind him.

Sirius immediately rushed forward and crushed Harry into his arms.

"Uncle — Siri — can't — breathe," Harry said as his godfather loosened his grip. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Sirius cradled Harry's face in his hands so tightly his lips puckered like a fish as he kissed his son's forehead. "Harry, I love you!"

Harry finally managed to disentangle himself from Sirius' grasp. "I know that, you nutter! What's going on? Have you gone mad? Why are you acting all wonky?" He gasped when Remus grabbed him tightly from behind and held him in a bone-crushing hug. "Uncle Rem, not you too!"

Remus kissed the top of Harry's head before he let go. "We love you."

"I know that," Harry said in annoyance. "Have you both gone mad, then?"

Sirius ran his hand through his hair. "No, we haven't gone mad. Harry, I saw the article this morning in the paper about Lockhart. He never… I mean… did he ever… _touch you_?"

Harry eyes widened in surprise. "No!"

Sirius' hands rested on his son's shoulders as Remus came up next to him again. "If he ever did anything inappropriate towards you, at all, you would tell me, right?"

Harry stared at them. "No. He never touched me, I swear."

Remus let out a long breath of relief and kissed Harry's forehead. "We both read the article and we thought that with the increase in your nightmares lately and… oh thank Merlin."

Sirius nodded and hugged Harry close to him again. "I thought that if he had you would have told me but — fuck, I panicked, I'm sorry."

Harry smiled at them gratefully. "It's okay. It's nice that you worried." He scratched his nose as he spoke. "He was always trying to get me alone, telling me to go to him for advice on Quidditch and about my homework and on being famous, but I avoided him because he was a git, and I definitely didn't want advice from anyone that barmy. I was only ever alone with him once and he made me answer his fan mail and it was the first time I heard the voice, remember?"

Sirius nodded. "I remember. He seemed to have taken a liking to you though and well that made me worry and I overthought everything."

"He never touched me, Uncle Siri, I swear. But…" he quickly told them about that Ravenclaw student he had seen serving detention with him. "Do you think he was… doing stuff to him?"

Remus and Sirius exchanged worried glances. "I don't know, Harry, it's possible. Do you know who the boy was?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but Lockhart called him Damien."

Remus nodded. "I'll talk to Flitwick then and we'll make sure someone speaks to Damien. Merlin, this is a nightmare! How could no one have realized that this was going on? This is more than incompetence — this is criminal and disgusting."

Sirius hugged Harry again. "Go on, get to class. I'm sorry that we worried you. We just… we needed to make sure."

Harry smiled at them. "I know and… I would have told you.

Sirius smiled. "Good. Get to class. We'll talk later."

Harry closed the office door behind him as he left and Sirius and Remus looked at each other in relief. Thank Merlin Harry was all right, but there were still two hundred and seventy-nine other students at Hogwarts and each one would have to be spoken too.

The teachers and Aurors had a lot of work ahead of them.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry spent the next few weeks doing his best to research the mysterious Tom Riddle.** The talk about Lockhart had mostly died down, though two other students had come forward. He knew from Remus that the school was doing their best to keep the names unknown, but the charges were piling up against Lockhart.

Harry decided that the best way to avoid hearing so much about the man was to do the research on Riddle that he had been putting off.

He had asked Madam Pince for help in going through old Hogwarts students records and she had directed him to the card catalogue. He hadn't asked Hermione for help yet. He still wasn't sure why he felt like he had to figure out who this mysterious boy was on his own, but he was determined to learn all he could about him. There was just something about him that bothered him and if he was honest with himself, he didn't like that Ginny wrote to him. He didn't like that she went to this mysterious diary pen-pal friend for advice and he wanted to make sure that he was a good person for her to trust.

He searched for three solid hours, having only made it to the late 1950s before he decided to give it a break. He took his glasses off and pressed his hands to his eyes.

"Harry, I'm going to start calling you Hermione," Ron said as he slid into the seat across from him.

Harry smirked at him as he put his glasses back on. "I don't think that I've reached her level yet."

Ron merely raised an eyebrow at the mountains of books on the table. "Are you sure?" He picked up one from the top of the stack that Harry hadn't reached yet. "You've been hiding out in here for days now. Hogwarts records circa 1945-1950? Why are you looking these up?"

"I heard this name and it's been bothering me. I want to find out who this boy was."

"What's the name?"

"Tom Marvolo Riddle. I think he was student here."

"He was. He won an award for a special service to the school," Ron said simply.

Harry's eyes widened in disbelief. "How in the bleeding hell do you know that?"

"What? I can't know stuff sometimes?" Ron asked. At Harry's pointed look, he shrugged. "Well, you'd remember it, too, if you'd cleaned his trophy as many times as I did. I kept vomiting slugs all over it and had to start over. Filch took a sick pride in it, too, I just know it, the git."

"What was the award for?" Harry demanded, his grin widening.

Ron shrugged. "No idea. It just said special service to the school and had his name and June 1943."

Harry's mouth dropped open and he shoved all of the books into his book bag, throwing it over his shoulder. " _1943_? Are you sure, Ron?"

"Er, yeah — hey, where are you going?" Ron scurried after his friend, grabbing his arm before he got to the hall. "What's going on?"

"I need to see that award," Harry told him.

Ron just nodded and the two of them hurried to the trophy room. Ron brought Harry over to the display and pointed to the trophy where Riddle's name was written. "See? It doesn't say what the award is for."

Harry nodded, turning in excitement to his friend now. "Ron, remember Uncle Sirius told me that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened before, in 1943? What if Riddle's award was because he 'stopped' the attacks?"

Ron's brow furrowed. "But you said that Hagrid was accused and there's no way that Hagrid opened the Chamber. He would never hurt anyone."

"Accused yes, but… I think that we need to talk to Hagrid. I think we need to hear his side of the story. He does have a reputation for trying to befriend rather monstrous creatures after all."

Ron snorted. "Oh, do you mean Norbert and Fluffy? Yeah, the thought occurred to me too. But who is this Riddle bloke that you're so focused on? Where did you hear his name?"

Harry hesitated. Ginny had told him about the diary in confidence and he wasn't sure if she wanted him to tell her brother. "I just heard it somewhere."

Ron stared at him. "Liar."

"I can't tell you, Ron, not yet. It's not really my secret to tell. We need to talk to Hagrid though."

Ron watched his friend for a moment and then he nodded. He knew that Harry would tell him eventually so he wasn't worried as he watched his friend hesitate. He would never ask his friend to betray a secret. "Agreed. But it's almost curfew already so it'll have to wait until tomorrow unless you want to sneak down under the cloak?"

Harry sighed. "No, it can wait. Come on; you can help me return all of these books back. We'll see him tomorrow."

"Figures there'd be a catch."

Harry simply grinned at him.

~ ASC ~

 **But they didn't have time to see Hagrid the next day.**

The increase in their school work kept them confined to the library, the study hall, and the common room. Not to mention that Wood had increased Quidditch practice to four nights a week. Harry was studying extra hard, much to Hermione's happiness, but he was determined to do well in all of his classes as he had the promise of learning how to drive the motorcycle in his sights, when he got home.

He said as much to Neville who had laughed and grinned at him.

He had also kept his promise to Remus and was journaling. At first, not quite every night, but now he had gotten into the habit of sitting up in his bed late into the night and scribbling away on the pages. He had to admit, it was rather nice to write everything down and he did feel like a weight had been lifted from his chest as he wrote about everything from his past to his present to his worries and his concerns and about the details of his nightmares. He felt lighter and to his surprise, it did seem to help the nightmares.

Instead of waking Sirius up after having a bad dream, he would catch his breath and pull out the journal. After writing everything down, he would read it over and it didn't seem so scary then, didn't seem as daunting nor as life-threatening, as it had in his head. And he found that he could then lie back down and go back to sleep without any problems.

The nightmares were also coming less frequently, but still more than he wanted to admit to having. He kept the journal under his pillow and it felt good to have it under there; like his thoughts were protected.

The school year continued to be hectic and crazy not to mention that Quidditch was still number one on Harry's priority list. The Quidditch game against Ravenclaw was a win for Gryffindor putting them at the top. If they won the next match against Hufflepuff they would only have to beat either Ravenclaw or Slytherin for the Cup. Wood was feeling very anxious about the possibility of it.

As Harry was settling into the busy homework schedule, Remus was getting used to being a teacher to so many students. He had twelve classes over the course of five days and he found it completely amazing. He loved teaching. He truly loved it and watching as each student struggled to grasp the concept, or learned it immediately, was an amazing feeling to him. He took the time and patience to make sure that every student was learning what they needed too.

His fifth and seventh years were the most challenging, worried about their OWLs and NEWTs and how Lockhart's lack of teaching was going to affect their grade. Remus was implementing a review system for them and had even started a study group on Wednesdays and Thursdays to go over anything that they were concerned about for their upcoming Ministry exams.

He had his own private teaching suite with access from his office through a password guarded portrait. He had a decent sized bedroom, a bathroom, a sitting room and a tiny kitchen nook in case he didn't want to eat down in the Great Hall. It was perfect for him and he immediately felt at home there. He had given Harry the password to his new flat so that his son knew how to find him if he needed anything. And for the moon cycle, he would return to his own cottage, where Sirius would sit with him in his Animagus form, as per usual, after he took the potion from Snape. It was turning out to work splendidly for him.

For the first time in longer than he could even remember, he felt like he was living the life that he had always wanted. He was doing something that he loved. He had friends and family who loved him. And most of all, he had a mate.

He couldn't imagine loving anyone the way that Nymphadora made him feel.

It was the end of March and he was in his office marking papers from his fourth years, when she came in through the Floo, smiling at him.

"Wotcher," she said as he held up a finger to finish reading the sentence he was on.

He knew that if he stopped now he wouldn't make it through the rest of the essay. But when he looked up, he was alone in his office, and he frowned. He looked back at the fireplace, but it was empty. He stood up, pushing his chair back from his desk and walking to the open door to peek out, but he didn't see her anywhere.

He always left his office door open so that students knew he could be approached if they needed anything. The rule was when the door was closed, do not disturb, but he left it open until eight every night.

Remus shrugged at being alone. Knowing Tonks, she had probably gone off to grab something while he was busy marking. She had been stopping by almost daily to see him; teasing him about his teaching and spending her nights riding him or wrapped around him in his new flat. When she was early like this, she sometimes wandered off to talk to McGonagall or sometimes to con some food from the kitchen elves so that he could finish up his marking. He always appreciated how she gave him the time and space to get his work done.

She'd be back.

He moved his chair back to the desk and sat down just as there was a knock on his open office door.

"Come in!"

McGonagall stepped inside, a bright smile on her face. "Hi, Remus, how are you doing tonight?"

"Good," he said, smiling warmly at her. "Doing your regular check in, Minerva?"

McGonagall chuckled, leaning against the doorframe of his office. "I like to stop in and see how you're doing and how the teaching is going, that's all. I know that you're in your element here and I love your open door policy."

Remus smiled as a familiar touch on his leg had him freezing. "What can I do for you, Minerva?" He could feel the back of his neck heating up as his zipper slid down and soft hands freed him from his jeans.

She wouldn't, he thought, not with McGonagall standing _right there_ in the doorway.

"I just wanted to check in and see how you were fairing now that you're almost two months in. I know that you have your work cut out for you this year, especially with the students being so far behind in their studies due to the incompetence of our last teacher, and with everything else that's been going on as well."

Remus nodded and bit his bottom lip as his girlfriend's hands tugged him free of his boxers so that he could feel her hot breath on him and her hand slid along his length slowly and torturously. "Er, yes, it is, but I think that I've got a fairly good system going. I'm trying not to give too much homework just yet, but I have stressed that the workload will be getting bigger due to the amount of material we still have to cover."

McGonagall smiled. "I like the idea of the Wednesday and Thursday night tutoring sessions for your OWL and NEWT students. They definitely seem to appreciate it. I've been hearing nothing but great things about it."

Her hand was wrapped around his base now and her tongue was trailing over him as he tried not to make a sound, his growing erection too pleased with the attention it was getting to care that McGonagall was standing in the doorway talking to him while his desk blocked what was happening from her view. The little minx was going to pay for this, he thought.

"Yes, well, I thought that they deserved the extra treatment. I remember how stressful those two years can be and on top of everything they haven't learned this year - I thought they'd appreciate the help."

"Agreed," McGonagall said. "If you are looking for any more books, I found a few of the old defence textbooks in the back of the staffroom. I left them on the table for you there to browse when you get the chance. I know that you didn't want to assign new textbooks mid-semester."

"Th-thanks," he stuttered as his tip was engulfed in her mouth. "I'll make sure to check those out as soon as I-I can."

McGonagall's eyebrow rose slowly. "You're looking a bit flushed, Remus. Are you feeling all right this evening?"

He nodded, biting his bottom lip hard as her mouth worked him over, her nimble fingers kneading his sack and tickling the base of him, slipping beneath his balls to tease him. "I'm fine, just a little warm in here with the fire. I might put it out."

"You do that," she said, eyeing him carefully.

Her finger slid into him and he jolted. "I will."

McGonagall gave him another worried look. "How are you and Sirius doing with Peter being sent to Azkaban? Sirius says that he's okay when we have tea on Sundays, but I know how he likes to keep things hidden. It's been almost two months since everything was wrapped up and I still find it hard to believe myself that he was the one to actually betray the Potters."

Remus nodded, trying not to gasp aloud as she began to suck harder, her soft lips licking and sucking half of him into her mouth as her hand continued to pump his base. He could feel her eyes on him and he refused to look down. If he made eye contact with her right now he was going to orgasm and he wasn't going to come with McGonagall standing right there.

 _He absolutely wouldn't_ , he thought desperately.

"We're all right. We're both relieved that it's all over," he said a little breathlessly as she slid her mouth over to tease his sack, sucking and kneading and kissing before taking his cock into her mouth again, her tongue flattening over the head.

"I worry about the both of you. With everything he did… even being in Azkaban has got to be hard on the both of you. He was your friend at one time. I know you boys thought of each other like brothers. And to see what he went through without your knowledge and now knowing that he's suffering in Azkaban with the Dementors, I know you have a bleeding heart, Remus."

Remus nodded, his balls tightening. _Don't come_ , he thought desperately, d _on't come, don't come, don't come…_ "We-we-we did, yes. But people ch-ch-change… he ch-changed. I-I think justice was s-s-served."

Her mouth and hands were working him harder now as her tongue teased that place just under his head as her nails gently grazed his sack and he could feel the tightening in his balls. He was so close it almost hurt and then she was sucking him again and he let out a tiny gasp as his head hit the back of her throat.

McGonagall nodded, her eyes sad. "Yes, people do. Anyway, I'll let you get back to marking those papers. If you need help with anything, Remus, please don't hesitate to ask. You know my door is always open."

He nodded, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood as Tonks began to suck him faster and deeper and he couldn't stop it: He came, gripping the edges of his desk desperately. "I-I know. Th-th-thanks."

"Are you sure you are all right, Remus?" McGonagall asked, halfway out the door. "You really are _very_ flushed. Maybe you should stop downstairs and see Poppy; get a little pick me up potion of some kind."

Remus nodded as the orgasm tore through him. "N-n-never b-b-better," he said breathlessly.

McGonagall nodded. "All right, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow."

The door closed behind her with a click and he groaned aloud as the last of his orgasm was milked from his body and Tonks' mouth released him with a soft moan before she began to lick him clean.

Remus simply stared down at her. "You couldn't have waited until Minerva was gone? McGonagall was standing right there, you minx!"

Tonks simply grinned at him and she licked her lips. "No, that only made it more fun, my naughty professor." She slid her hands up his thighs and slid up into his lap, straddling him. "I've always wanted to do that." At his raised eyebrow, she smiled and sucked on his neck. "Go down on a professor in his office, under his desk… so naughty."

"And who was the lucky professor you fantasized about, Dora?"

Tonks grinned at him, pulling her jumper over her head. "Well, Professor Lupin, if it helps I used to think about slipping under that desk in the sunroom of Black Cottage. I wondered if you would have stopped me once my hand was wrapped around your cock."

As the image was far too appealing, Remus chose not to answer.

Tonks smiled, reaching back to unclasp her bra. "Mark those papers later," she told him, her lips trailing across his jaw to his ear. "Lock the door and fuck me on the desk now."

"Well, with an offer like that, how can I refuse?"

Tonks simply grinned at him and then lost herself in his touch.

Yeah, she really liked that he was a professor.

 _Her_ professor; _her_ mate; _her_ lover.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.


	102. Chapter 102

_Author's Note:_

 _And a few more changes here as well. Some little things, like Harry did not find Riddle's mysterious diary on Valentine's Day as I'm sure you've noticed, and he already knows that it talks back. But I still think it's important here._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWO:**

 **Life at Hogwarts seemed to balance out and for the first time in longer than Harry could even remember, it felt like a regular school year.** There had been no sign of Slytherin's Heir since the attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick before Christmas and people had stopped being scared. The school work load was getting heavier, but having Remus as a teacher helped quite a bit and Harry honestly loved having him at the school. It felt like a part of home was with him and it relaxed him in ways that he hadn't felt since the Chamber of Secrets had been opened.

He continued to search for information on Tom Riddle, but what he found didn't tell him much.

Riddle had been part of Slytherin House, Head Boy and a prefect. To be honest he sounded a bit like Percy Weasley, very dedicated to his studies and not fond of rule breakers. But there wasn't any other information on him.

Harry was convinced that he had hit a dead end when he, Ron, Hermione, and Neville finally decided that it was time to go down to Hagrid's hut to talk to him about why he had been expelled. They were surprised to find him not home and Harry was starting to worry a bit about what that meant. He felt like Hagrid was avoiding him and he didn't like the thought of that either.

He and his friends headed to Remus' office to ask him what he thought, but as no one else had been attacked nor any mention of the Chamber of Secrets had taken place since before Christmas, Remus didn't have anything new on the subject either. He kept the name Tom Riddle to himself, not even sharing the knowledge with Hermione or Neville. He didn't want to say anything to Sirius or Remus either because he couldn't really explain his reasoning himself. Instead, he wrote about what he had learned in his own journal and tried to come to terms with his own thoughts.

Harry began to spend time looking closely at the map before he went to bed each night as well, but the twins had been right, there was no sign of the Chamber anywhere on it. And if he was honest, he didn't really know what he was looking for anyway.

When he showed the map to his friends, they had all delighted in it and applauded the hard work that the Marauders had made going into it. Even Hermione was quite impressed and wanted to know more about how they had made it and how long it had taken them to do so. Ron was a little bitter his brothers had never shared it with him to begin with, but he agreed that it should belong to Harry, considering his fathers were the ones who had created it.

Around the middle of April, Harry went to toss some old parchment into the trashcan in the Gryffindor common room and found the familiar black diary sitting at the bottom of the can.

Harry couldn't understand why Ginny would have decided to chuck her diary. She had been nothing but possessive of it for months. Seeing it there, thrown on top of the rubbish bin, unnerved him and he found himself reaching for it and tucking the book into his pocket before anyone could see what he had done.

He spent all morning walking around with it in his possession and he felt strange to have it; like he was hiding a deep secret of some kind, but he also felt like telling anyone that he had it would be betraying Ginny in some way.

It wasn't until lunch time that he was able to sneak back to his dorm room and sit at his desk to examine it.

The worn black leather looked the same as it had the last time that Ginny had shown it to him. The faded etched gold writing on the bottom still bore the name Tom Marvolo Riddle and every page was still pristinely blank.

He glanced around his dorm uneasily, but he was alone. He pulled out his quill and ink and carefully wrote on the first page.

 _My name is Harry Potter._

He watched in fascination as the words disappeared into the page as if absorbed by something and leaving no trace that he had written anything and then his eyes widened as cursive script appeared at the top of the page.

 _Hello, Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come across my diary?_

 _It was chucked in the trash bin._

 _How terribly sad that she would treat me so horribly._

 _Who are you?_

 _I am merely a memory preserved in the pages of my old diary._

 _A memory?_

 _Yes. I was a student at Hogwarts once._

 _Do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?_

 _Yes._

 _Can you tell me? I'm at Hogwarts now and someone has opened the Chamber of Secrets and people are being attacked. We don't know who is behind it._

Harry watched as the book made no sign to write back so he quickly dipped his quill again just as writing flashed once more across the page.

 _A girl died when I was a student, but the culprit was caught and expelled. I can show you my memory of that day…_

How could he show him a memory through a diary? Harry dipped his quill and quickly scribbled a response back.

 _I already know that Hagrid was accused. I don't need to see the memory. He never opened the Chamber of Secrets. He was WRONGFULLY accused._

 _Maybe so, but once he was expelled, the attacks stopped. If it wasn't him — who was it?_

"Harry?"

Harry quickly shut the diary and turned to see Neville standing in the doorway to the dormitory. "Yeah?"

"Are you coming to lunch?"

He nodded, shoving the diary back into his robes. "Yes, let's go."

But the thought of the diary and why Ginny had tossed it away was still heavy on his mind.

~ ASC ~

 **After lunch that day, McGonagall passed around booklets on course selection to the second years at the Gryffindor table.**

"In third year, you're to choose a few extra classes to help broaden your knowledge and education. These are course selection booklets to help you decide. You have until the end of next week to make your choices."

"Oooh," Hermione said in excitement as she opened up the booklet.

"Does that mean we can drop a class or two?" Ron asked eagerly.

McGonagall only pursed her lips. "No, Mr Weasley, you will still maintain all of your current classes."

Ron shrugged good naturally and grinned at Harry. "Getting rid of Snape's class would be fun."

Harry had to agree. If Sirius found out how mean Snape actually was to him he knew there would be war so he chose it put up with it. But poor Neville was still having a hard time. The other day Snape had told him his perfectly sliced ingredients looked like a five-year-old had done them, scooped them off the desk and threw them away -demanding that he start over. This resulted in an already nervous Neville not having enough time to complete his potion so Snape gave him an automatic zero for stupidity. Neville had simply trembled in response. He wished there was something he could do for his friend in terms of dealing with Snape.

He looked down at the booklet in his hand in interest. "It says that we have to pick two new classes to add to our timetable plus an extra curricular. Oh no, scratch that, the extra-curricular is optional, but we must add two new classes."

"What do you reckon?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know."

"I definitely want to take the Study of Ancient Runes," Hermione said with a smile. "It sounds absolutely fascinating! It says: 'The study of runic scriptures or Runology to learn the art of translating the ancient runic scripts of magic.'"

Ron nodded, scratched his nose with his thumb. "Bill took that one. He liked it and I know it's something that's important for curse breaking. Percy takes it too. Charlie chose Care of Magical Creatures and Divination."

"Divination sounds like rubbish to me," Hermione said in annoyance. "No one can actually predict the future, it's too unstable, and ever changing."

Harry nodded. "Maybe. What about Arithmancy?" He wrinkled his nose as he read the description. "Predicting the future using numbers with a bit of numerology.' Sounds incredibly complicated."

"Bill took that one too. He needed it for curse-breaking. He said that it was cool, but hard. I don't think it's for me," Ron said as he skimmed the list. "I think Care of Magical Creatures could be fun. It was Charlie's favourite class. Fred and George both take it as well and they think it's great."

"How come it says Muggle Studies is no longer being offered as an elective? Are they removing it from the subject list?" Hermione asked, frowning as she looked down at her booklet. "Fred and George both take it."

Harry shook his head. "Nah, it's going to be a new mandatory course."

Hermione looked to Harry in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, Uncle Sirius is working on it. It was his idea and he got the Hogwarts Board of Governors to pass a vote on it. He said that they are still working out the kinks for next year."

"So we'll actually have three new classes next year on top of Transfiguration, History of Magic, Potions, Charms, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Flying, and Astronomy. Bloody hell," Ron muttered under his breath. "And the work just keeps coming!"

Harry laughed. "Well, Flying isn't mandatory after second year, Ron. I stopped taking it halfway through last year."

"That's because you were the youngest Seeker in over a century!" Ron exclaimed. "But true, I can drop Flying class - I just like it. Merlin knows Hermione did as soon as possible. It was just fun."

Hermione blushed. "Flying is barbaric!"

Harry grinned. "You're only saying that because you're afraid of heights."

Hermione glared at him and slammed her Charms textbook closed. "Come on, we're going to be late for Charms class."

Harry only chuckled to himself as he shoved the booklet into his book bag and followed Hermione out of the Great Hall and to Charms class. He would write to Sirius later and see what he thought about his class options.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was just finishing dinner that night when he caught Ginny laughing with Luna on her way out of the Great Hall.** He hurried over to say hi.

"Hi, Ginny, Luna, how are you?"

"All right," Luna said dreamily. "I can't find my shoes."

Harry looked down at her feet, surprised to see her just in her stockinged feet. "Where did you put them last?"

Ginny shook her head. "Someone keeps stealing them from her, Harry. They think it's funny."

Harry frowned at that. "Well, it's absolutely not. I'll help you find them, Luna."

She smiled. "Thanks, Harry."

"Ginny, can I have a moment?"

Ginny nodded and said goodbye to Luna, following him out in the hallway. "What's going on?"

He pulled out the diary from his robes. "I was studying in the common room this morning and saw this in the trash bin. I took it without thinking."

Her eyes widened and fear flicked across them before she masked it. "I threw it away."

"I noticed that," he said with a smile. "I wrote in it, to try to see the appeal."

"You wrote in it?" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You _spoke_ to Tom?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, today at lunch and he — hey!" he exclaimed, startled when she stole the book back.

"What if he tells you all of my secrets?"

Harry laughed. "Ginny, he didn't say anything about you."

She looked panicked, but held the diary close to her chest, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I can't —"

And then she ran from him, the diary clutched tightly in her grasp.

Harry watched her go, his brow furrowed in confusion. He didn't understand why she needed the diary back when she had thrown it out to begin with.

But the absolute panic in her eyes made him frown.

There was something fishy about that diary and he was determined to find out what it was. He made his way up to the Gryffindor common room thinking maybe he could try to explain to her that he hadn't read her diary, but she had gone up to her dormitory.

He wrote his letter to Sirius instead still brooding over Ginny's strange reaction.

 _Uncle Sirius,_

 _Auntie Minnie passed out the new course selection booklets today. I don't really know what I should take. I thought maybe you could help me out, give me some opinions on the classes. I have to choose two new classes. Here our my options:_

 _Arithmancy_

 _Care of Magical Creatures_

 _Divination_

 _Study of Ancient Runes_

 _They all sound like they could be interesting. Plus there is the option to choose an extra-curricular:_

 _Art_

 _Frog Choir_

 _Ghoul Studies_

 _Magical Theory_

 _Non-Magic Studies_

 _Music_

 _Orchestra_

 _Xylomancy_

 _I'm not sure if any of the above even remotely interest me. Ghoul Studies sounds appealing just because it's the study of ghouls and ghosts and poltergeists and the why and how of them and how to defend yourself against them if necessary, but I think Uncle Remus will cover most of that in Defence Against the Dark Arts. I am most DEFINITELY not artistically or musically inclined. I think I'm going to pass on the extra curricular options all together as I do already have Quidditch four nights a week._

 _Hermione asked why Muggle Studies was crossed out and I told her that it's going to be a new class next year or at least that's the plan. She seems excited. I didn't tell her about the other class that she herself will be attending. I don't know why she would want to take Muggle Studies anyway since she's Muggleborn, but she's a constant mystery to me._

 _In other news, Ginny has been acting strange lately. She threw her diary away and I found it, but when I tried to explain how I found it, she freaked out, and was worried that I would have read all of her secrets. I tried to tell her that of course I wouldn't do that, but she took off. And the diary didn't bother me, that one time must have been a strange fluke of some kind. My scar was perfectly normal as it always is. I can't explain why it hurt so much that one day._

 _Anyway, write back and help me choose classes please. Thanks._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

 _PS - say hi to Zee for me. I'd like to know what she thinks about my class options too — and yes I know that she will insist on me taking Care of Magical Creatures._

He sent it off with Hedwig, stroking her wing affectionately and giving her a snack before sending her off to Devon with his letter.

~ ASC ~

 **The next few days passed in a blur for Harry and he didn't see Ginny at all.** He found himself bogged down with schoolwork and was pleased to hear so many of the students talking about how great Defence Against the Dark Arts class had become now that Lockhart was gone. He had even heard a seventh year mention in passing that it was about time that Dumbledore had hired a competent teacher and it made him grin.

He had known having Uncle Remus around would be the best decision ever and he was pleased to see that most of his fellow students were agreeing with him. Classes were good as Remus taught them about curses and jinxes and began to discuss some of the magical creatures as well with an emphasis that they would spend more time on creatures in third year. Not to mention they had an entire unit on Ghoul Studies, assuring Harry he had been right in knowing his father would teach that. He also gave Harry some of his own advice on third year class choices and he suggested taking the Study of Ancient Runes because he thought Harry would find it fascinating.

After Defence Against the Dark Arts class, Harry found a pair of Luna's shoes hanging from the rafters and he carefully climbed up the wall with the help of Ron to get them down, frowning. He didn't like that people were bullying his friend and he made it his next state of business to find a Ravenclaw prefect and put an immediate stop to it.

After speaking to a few of the Ravenclaws and demanding that they leave Luna alone, Harry decided that he was going to confront Ginny once and for all about what was going on with her. He had noticed that Ginny had started to keep to herself again and every time he approached her about the diary she changed the subject and wouldn't give him a straight answer. He even tried to talk to Luna about her while he was attempting to help her find her things, but Luna told him what he already knew, Ginny wasn't acting like herself this year. Luna also told him that Ginny was avoiding him since she had sent that Valentine which only made Harry blush. He had forgotten about the singing Valentine if he was honest and still unsure about why Ginny had sent it to him in the first place.

But he still wanted to talk to her about what was going on with her.

Something about that diary made him uncomfortable and maybe it was time that he asked Remus about it. As the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, he would know if something was wrong with it.

At least that had been the plan, but the letter from Sirius distracted him from his thoughts as Hedwig greeted him affectionately and he gave her an owl treat for her fast delivery.

 _Harry,_

 _Third year already? Where did the time go?_

 _Of course, I would love to help you choose some new classes. Let's start with the obvious — Divination is absolutely rubbish. Do not take it. You will hate it. You will find it to be a complete waste of your time. And I mean this in the nicest way possible, Prongslet — you do not have the inner eye. I was stupid enough to take this class and dropped it in sixth year faster than you can say: 'Divination'._

 _As to the other classes, Zee definitely says take Care of Magical Creatures as animals are the best and the most fun to work with. I happen to agree with her choice. Kettleburn is a little funny, but he's a great teacher and he really loves animals and beasts. I think that you'd enjoy getting to learn about different magical creatures._

 _The Study of Ancient Runes is a pretty great course from what I remember of Remus' homework. He loved it and he said that it was fascinating to learn how to read these ancient tablets and artefacts. I know that it's something that would be important if you decide to be a curse-breaker like Bill Weasley or a historian or even an Auror, but I can't imagine it being something you would use otherwise._

 _Arithmancy is numerology at it's finest. Jamie took that one and excelled at it. He always loved numbers and the way that it could connect and chart together to form patterns. You always did like mathematics and it is quite similar, but on a more intense and magical level. It could be a great option for you._

 _Anything you choose I will support you obviously — except Divination that is, you'll be grounded. I'm just kidding, if you really want to take Divination you are more than welcome to, just know that I will tease you mercilessly for the rest of your life when you complain about it (if for some unknown reason you actually enjoy it, I will eat crow)._

 _As to what you told Hermione, we are finalizing the last of the new educational curriculum this week and yes, Muggle Studies will be a mandatory class starting next year for ALL students years one through five. We will also be introducing a new class to the students who come from a Muggle home or environment called: Life in the Magical World which your friend Hermione will be taking instead of Muggle Studies. We are still working out the kinks and the details, however, so let's keep this between us for now._

 _I know that you're going to ask me, so I'll tell you. I chose Divination and Muggle Studies to spite my parents who wanted me in Arithmancy and the Study of Ancient Runes; James chose Arithmancy and Muggle Studies, he also took music as an extra-curricular and taught some of the first through third years to play the guitar and he was also on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; Remus took Ancient Runes and Arithmancy as well as Music Studies and taught piano; Peter chose Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies; Lily chose the Study of Ancient Runes and Arithmancy._

 _Ultimately, the choice is up to you. Choose wisely._

 _As for Ginny and the diary, I'm sure that she was just embarrassed that you might have read her diary even if you didn't. It is her private thoughts that she writes in there after all. You're keeping your own journal, if someone you knew stumbled upon it, wouldn't you be worried that they might know your secrets? Cut her some slack._

 _As for me, life here has been pretty uneventful as of late. I've been helping build the curriculum for the two new classes for Hogwarts and I officially finished the Ducati and have been working on the Adler and yes, I broke down and decided to charm it to fly as well (the Ducati, not the Adler). I can't sell it, Prongslet, it's too gorgeous and riding it is absolute freedom like I can't explain. I've been keeping busy with that as of late and Zee's parents are coming back home to Scotland for the next three weeks. She has been bugging me to meet them. I've been too busy to do it. I don't know why exactly, but the idea of meeting her parents seems like a big deal and I don't know if I'm ready for that. I've never done the meet the girlfriend's parents thing before. But she's pretty amazing and I love her and I don't want to let her down. I'll let you know how that meet goes — I imagine they will be_ thrilled _to learn that I spent time in Azkaban Prison._

 _We'll see how that goes._

 _I love you and try not to get into too much trouble these last two months. When you come home, we'll talk about you learning how to ride the bike._

 _Love,_

 _Uncle Sirius_

The writing at the bottom was different, more loopy and slanted, and he found himself smiling when he realized it was from Zee.

 _Harry,_

 _Thanks for thinking of me when choosing your course selection. You're right, I do think Care of Magical Creatures is a wonderful choice and I do think you would enjoy it if you want the opportunity to learn more about animals and magical creatures. But it looks like you have some great selections to choose from. Sirius keeps telling me how incredible your flying skills are and I look forward to attending the upcoming match with him to watch you in action. See you at the match._

 _Love,_

 _Zee_

 _PS — Feel free to write to me any time you wish. I would love it._

Harry was pleased that she wanted him to write to her and a little surprised that he was excited for her to come to his next match. He wondered how his father was going to fair when it came to meeting her parents and he grinned to himself as he put the letter away. He had a feeling that would be a fun story to hear.

~ ASC ~

 **As May swept in, the second years submitted their new class choices and Harry heard the voice again for the first time since before the Christmas holidays, making him stop dead in his tracks.**

Hermione had been walking in front of him and she turned to stare at him, her brow crinkled in confusion. "What is it, Harry?"

"That voice…" he whispered, his eyes searching the corridor.

" _Rip… tear…_ "

Neville looked pale as he glanced around in fear. "You can hear it again?"

"You guys still _can't hear_ it?"

Ron shook his head, his eyes on Harry. "No, mate. There's… I can hear something, but it's not a voice. It's more like…"

"Movement? Sliding?" Neville asked, following Harry to the wall and putting his ear to the stone. "But I don't hear a voice either?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "Harry!"

"What?" he asked, turning away from the wall to look at his friend.

Hermione simply bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "I have to go to the library!"

And then she was running down the corridor, her bushy brown curls bouncing behind her.

"Why does she always have to go to the library?" Harry asked, looking at his friends.

Neville shrugged.

Ron grinned. "Because that's what Hermione does: When in doubt, go to the library."

Neville was still staring at Harry, his worried eyes on his friend. "Do you still hear the voice, Harry?"

"No," he said sadly. "It's gone." He pointed to the line of spiders moving in a line by the window. "But look, there's a line of spiders again, running like they need to get away. You do have to admit - that's strange? And it's not the first time that we've seen it either!"

Ron nodded, swallowing slowly and keeping his eyes on the spiders as if worried they might spin around and attack him at any given moment. "It is, yes, but spiders aren't important right now, Harry. Come on — you're going to be late for the Quidditch game and Oliver will have our heads!"

Harry nodded and hurried after his friends back to Gryffindor Tower to get his broomstick. By the time he made it down to the pitch, he only had five minutes to spare and Oliver was ranting about how important the match was going to be. He changed quickly in the locker room, his mind going a mile a minute.

Why had he heard the voice again?

What had Neville meant by hearing movement in the wall?

Did the monster live in the wall?

How did it get out?

How did it attack people?

How come no one ever saw it?

Why could he hear a voice that no one else could?

Why were there always spiders moving away after he heard the voice?

What was so terrible that it scared spiders?

He didn't have any of the answers and he was starting to wonder if it was even worth worrying about. After all, the attacks had stopped. But then again, he also hadn't heard that mysterious disembodied voice since before Christmas - and to hear it today out of the blue rather unnerved him as well.

His fears were alleviated when he walked out onto the Quidditch pitch and Professor McGonagall was marching towards them, her face grim.

"This game has been cancelled."

"What?" Wood exclaimed, his eyes wide. "You can't cancel Quidditch!" At her look of exasperation he grimaced. "But Professor, it's for the Cup!"

"I know, Wood, but it's out of my hands."

Wood made to protest this, but the look McGonagall sent him silenced him immediately.

McGonagall turned to Harry. "Potter, I think that you better come with me." She looked up as Ron had hurried down the stands to see what was going on and came up next to Harry. "You too, Mr Weasley."

The last thing either of them had expected was to find themselves in the hospital wing.

And even more shocking, to look down upon the petrified frame of Hermione Granger, eyes wide in shock and fright, body frozen and unmoving.


	103. Chapter 103

_Author's Note:_

 _I mentioned it before, that I love the idea of each one of the Weasley boys having their own nickname for their sister. So far, I have only mentioned a few of them: Bill has Firecracker, Charlie has Jitterbug, and George calls her Nevra. For Ron, I wanted it be a little different — and then I thought, well the two of them are barely a year apart which means that little Ron would have had trouble saying his baby sister's name as a kid. For example, children often struggle with the 'g' sound and instead it comes out like a 'd' so I thought it would be cute if sometimes Ron called her Din instead of Gin, in remembrance of that time in his life when he called her as such. I wanted to continue that idea here as something Ron doesn't usually call her, but in this instant, it fits._

 _Also — just love this Ron quote from the movie_ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets _so I had to find a way to put it in._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THREE:**

 **The entire school seemed to be in chaos once more.**

Everyone was talking about how Hermione and a sixth year Muggleborn Ravenclaw prefect named Penelope Clearwater had both been attacked near the library with a mirror. No one could explain what had happened and no one had seen anything. Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Zee had all come to see him, as they'd been at the match, and offer comfort about Hermione. Sirius told him they would get to the bottom of it, but Harry could feel his father's frustration just as much as his own. The only consolation on Harry's part was that for the first time since everything had happened, no one blamed it on him.

A few of the Hufflepuffs had even came over to apologize to him, claiming that he would of course never attack his best friend and that they were sorry for ever having doubted him in the first place

But Harry could only nod, still in shock himself.

Why had Hermione rushed off to the library the way she had and why was she with that prefect? He didn't have the answer and it worried him even more.

But that night, as McGonagall claimed that everyone had to be in their common rooms and that everyone had to be chaperoned by a teacher from class to class for protection, no exceptions, that Harry and Ron decided that they really needed to talk to Hagrid. They couldn't wait any longer.

Neville dug out Harry's invisibility cloak from his friend's trunk. "I'm coming with you guys."

Harry just nodded. He felt like he was partly numb over learning of Hermione being attacked. He kept telling himself that he should have stopped her from running off to the library alone; he should have insisted on going on with her. He knew that Ron was feeling the same way, but it didn't make him feel any better.

Hagrid wasn't happy to see the three of them and he was embarrassed when they told him that they knew he had been accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago and that it was the reason why he had once been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year. Harry reassured him that they didn't believe he had attacked anyone and that they were only trying to find out the truth.

But Hagrid didn't have any answers for him. He didn't know what was going on any more than they did and he didn't know who had opened the Chamber of Secrets back then let alone who was responsible for it now. He wished that he could help them and he was very sorry to hear about Hermione.

The next few things that happened, Harry couldn't quite explain.

The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, showed up with two Aurors at Hagrid's cabin, demanding Hagrid's immediate arrest and immediate removal to Azkaban Prison for opening the Chamber of Secrets and sicking a monster on the students (for after all, his record was against him) which Dumbledore tried to prevent, but ultimately failed - as Lucius Malfoy showed up, claiming that the Hogwarts Board of Governors needed him urgently to attend an emergency meeting to discuss whether or not he was still fit to serve as Headmaster (apparently Malfoy had tried to convince the Governors as such, but had come up against Sirius and Mrs Longbottom, who adamantly refused his terms and demanded an audience with Dumbledore himself) much to Malfoy's dismay. Dumbledore left a cryptic message, looking pointedly at the exact spot where the three of them were hiding unbeknownst to everyone else under the invisibility cloak, about he only being truly gone from the school when no one who remained was loyal to him. Hagrid was then taken away to Azkaban, but he mentioned to the empty room at large that someone would need to feed Fang while he was away and that if they were looking for information to follow the spiders; and then the three of them watched in sadness as Hagrid was taken away they're mouths all open in shock.

The next week passed with Harry feeling incredibly sad. Hermione was still in the hospital wing waiting for the Mandrakes to mature, Hagrid had been arrested, and the scare of the Chamber of Secrets was back in full swing. The somber mood was affecting the entire school.

Ginny was avoiding him and Ron and if was honest with himself, he was too worried about Hermione to figure out why. Remus made sure to pop by the table at every meal and offer a reassuring word, telling them not to worry and that the Mandrakes would soon be matured and their friends would be okay, but it was the idea of the Chamber of Secrets itself that worried Harry. He said as much to Sirius in his latest letter, asking why a monster would specifically target Muggleborns and petrify them. Was it just the terror that the Heir of Slytherin was feeding off of or did he have another goal in mind?

The sight of Persephone flying towards him brought a small smile to his face as he greeted his father's owl and opened the letter, eager for news.

 _Prongslet,_

 _Dumbledore is under pressure because of the Chamber, but he WILL be returning to the school at the end of the week, I'm not letting Malfoy remove him as Headmaster no matter what he wants. All of the governors agree that with Dumbledore there, the school is much safer, despite what has been happening. However, I do think that Dumbledore knows more than he is letting on and Mrs Longbottom and I particularly have been drilling him for information on the first time the Chamber of Secrets was opened in 1943. Zee says between the idea of it being Slytherin's monster and the petrifying, it sounds like a Basilisk, but everyone knows that they have been extinct for centuries. According to Zee, the last known reported sighting of a Basilisk was in the sixteenth century as they are extinct. It is strictly prohibited by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to breed them, but it is also true that not everyone follows the law._

 _I'm so sorry about Hermione, Prongslet. But don't worry, the Mandrakes will be ready soon. Just try to keep your head down and get through your studies. Stick with Ron and Neville. If you see or hear anything suspicious, including mysterious voices again, go to Uncle Moony. Listen to the teachers. Do not do any more late night exploring until this is solved._

 _We will get to the bottom of this._

 _I love you._

 _Love,_

 _Uncle Sirius_

Harry sighed as he folded up the letter, but he didn't feel any better after reading it. He remembered covering Basilisks briefly in Defence Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Quirrell last year, but Quirrell had also stated that the so-called King of Serpents was extinct. But the idea of the monster being a snake or something similar to a snake did make sense as the symbol of Slytherin House was a snake. But it still didn't give him any more information on where or what the Chamber of Secrets was and what the Heir was hoping to accomplish outside of terror.

Later on that day in Potions class, he noticed a line of spiders moving quickly to exit the castle and he remembered Hagrid's advice, pointing it out to Ron. He had to admit, the more that he saw the spiders fleeing from the castle as if they were afraid of something, the more nervous it was making him. They both decided that it was time to see what following the spiders entailed.

Neville had only raised a brow at them when they told him that they were going to down to check on Fang.

"Harry, we're not allowed to go wandering off alone! What if the monster sees you?" he asked fearfully.

Harry grinned at him. "Nev, stay here, Ron and I will be fine. We're just heading down to check on Fang and check on Hagrid's stuff. You don't have to worry."

Neville rolled his eyes. "Right."

Ron grinned widely. "We'll be fine, Nev. We're just popping down to Hagrid's."

Neither of them had decided to mention the idea of listening to Hagrid's advice on following the spiders. Both had immediately regretted that decision on both fronts.

Neither of them had expected to be led into the Forbidden Forest, to come across an entire army of Acromantulas, and to speak to Hagrid's own childhood pet named Aragog - nor had they been pleased when said giant spiders then planned to eat them and they were unexpectedly rescued by Mr Weasley's Ford Anglia, which had apparently been living in the wilds of the Forbidden Forest all year after crashing them into the Whomping Willow and throwing them from the car back in September.

When they were ejected from the car safely back onto the Hogwarts grounds, Ron was swearing bitterly.

"Follow the spiders! Follow the spiders! If Hagrid ever gets out of Azkaban, I'll kill him! Why couldn't it have been follow the butterflies?"

Harry only grinned at his friend. "Ron, calm yourself! Look, Aragog confirmed it, Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets!"

"We already bloody knew that, Harry," Ron said bitterly, still rubbing his arms and legs in fear of spiders crawling on him. His eyes were wide with shock and he was still swearing under his breath.

Harry nodded. He knew how much his friend hated spiders and he was quite impressed that Ron had held up as well as he had considering the circumstances. "I know, but now that we have a clue about the monster. It's something that spiders fear above all else. And we know that the last time the Chamber was opened the girl died in a bathroom!"

Ron simply stared at him. "So?"

Harry grinned at him as they headed back. "I think that it's time we talk to Sirius."

"Why?" Ron asked as they hurried back towards the castle.

"Because I don't know why I didn't think about it before, Ron! Zee is a Magizoologist if anyone would know the answer about what this mysterious monster is she would!"

"How come the Care of Magical Creatures professor doesn't know then? Wouldn't he be just as knowledgable?" Ron asked, still a little annoyed from the spider fiasco.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. Kettleburn's a little old and worn out though so maybe not. I heard that he's retiring in June and if he knew anything about it, he would have come forward by now, right?"

Ron scratched his long nose. "Then maybe Zee won't know either."

"Maybe not, but I still want to ask her. Sirius told me in his last letter that she originally suspected a Basilisk, but they've been extinct for centuries. She has to have another idea."

They both grinned as they saw Neville waiting for them in the entrance hall.

"I was getting worried! You two said you that just had to feed Fang at Hagrid's, but it's been hours and when I went down to his hut, you two weren't even there!"

"Aww, Nev, have you been checking up on us?"

Neville scowled at Harry. "It's almost curfew! And Filch keeps lingering around demanding of me why I'm loitering in the hall! What happened to you two? You're both covered in dirt."

"We got attacked by giant bloody spiders that's what happened," Ron muttered. "But Harry thinks it's a good thing."

Harry snorted. "Not that we got attacked by giant spiders, Ron, but I think that Zee can help us and that's a good thing."

"Sirius' girlfriend?" Neville asked in confusion as they headed towards Gryffindor Tower. "What can she help you with? She already said that she didn't know what the monster could be."

The last thing he had expected to find at the top of the staircase were three familiar Slytherin boys.

"Sneaking out after hours? How scandalous!" Theo said with a smirk, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Could say the same, Theo, except we still have ten minutes until curfew so not after hours at all. What do you guys want?" Harry asked, eyeing the three of them suspiciously. The three of them waiting for him could hardly be considered a good sign in his book.

Blaise grinned. "We were hungry and made a trip to the kitchens."

"Then Draco heard you talking and wanted to chat," Theo added with a smirk.

Neville crossed his arms in front of him and glared openly at the three Slytherin boys. "The kitchens are downstairs. What do you want?"

Draco merely raised an eyebrow. "Really, Fatbottom? We can't want to stop and say hello."

"Stop calling him that, Draco," Harry interjected.

Draco sighed. "Right, fine, sorry _Longbottom_ , don't mean to hurt your sensitive sensibilities."

Neville simply stared at him. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

Draco stared at them for a moment, his eyes meeting Harry's. "Potter owes me a favour."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Which you have been taunting me about for over a year look — when you finally figure out what the hell you want, talk to me! Until then, we have more important things to do."

"I'm here to collect."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Actually?"

Draco nodded and gestured for them to follow him. He led them into an empty classroom, closing the door behind him. "I'm here to see if you're interested in a little tit for tat?"

Neville sighed. "We're not here to make a trade with you, Malfoy. If Harry owes you a favour then he'll provide it, but you need to actually ask for something."

"No one was speaking to you, Longbottom!" Draco said angrily. "And trust me, what I've got to say is worth listening too. You know I'm right or you wouldn't have made Polyjuice Potion to sneak into the Slytherin common room just to talk to me before Christmas."

Ron's eyes widened. "How did you —?"

Draco smirked at him and turned his attention back to Harry. "Pipes."

"What?"

"It's travelling through the pipes, Potter."

"What's travelling through the pipes?"

Draco rolled his eyes, his gaze moving to the backs of Blaise and Theo who were watching out for teachers. "The monster."

Harry eyed him for a moment. "Why are you telling me this? What's in it for you? How do you even know this?"

Draco looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Look, maybe I overstepped back at Halloween. I was… wrong to wish something harmful upon Granger even though she's an annoying brown-nosing bint, but, she didn't deserve to be attacked anymore than the others, well, maybe Filch's mangy beast, but… you're a Parselmouth."

"Yeah, so?"

"Merlin, Potter, I thought that you were smart," Draco drawled in annoyance. "The monster is a Basilisk, you know — a giant fucking snake?"

Harry paled. It was the second time today someone had mentioned the mythical King of Serpents to him. "How do you know that? What do you get out of telling me this?" Harry demanded.

Draco merely shrugged. "Just remember who helped you."

Harry's brow only furrowed as he watched the Slytherins leave, turning back to his friends. "A Basilisk? Zee said that they're extinct and have been for centuries."

Neville only shrugged. "Let's get back to the common room and look at _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,_ I'm sure it must be in there and then we can confirm Malfoy's story. I think I remember Hermione telling me they were one of the creatures that could live for centuries so maybe it's an old one, if that's even what it is. Why would Malfoy tell you that?"

Harry only nodded in response, but he was starting to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was a strange thing for Malfoy to suddenly decide to share with him. And he hadn't provided Draco with anything back so what did he want? How did he know it was a snake? But then, a snake was the symbol of Slytherin House so having the snake as the monster would make the most sense and it would explain why Harry could hear the snake speaking through the walls. It was in the pipes and if it was in the pipes it had to come out somewhere to attack the students, but how was it getting out?

He stopped mid walk and reached out to grab the arms of his friends. "Mate, if Draco is right about the pipes… the girl who died back in '43, Aragog said that she had died in a bathroom - well, what if she never left? What if she's _still_ in that bathroom?"

Ron froze, his eyes widening. "Moaning Myrtle! All those times we were in there, why didn't we ever ask her how she died?"

Neville's eyes were wide as he looked between Ron and Harry. "Guys, what are you thinking?"

The loud voice of Professor McGonagall echoed throughout the halls like a speaker.

"All students are to return to their dormitories immediately. Your prefects will explain upon arrival. Do not delay. All students must return to their dormitories, immediately, there will be no exceptions."

Harry shook his head. "The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in the girls' bathroom! That's how it's travelling through the pipes! That's how Myrtle died! It came out and attacked her!"

"Harry, you don't know that!" Neville protested, his eyes wide in fear.

Harry ignored him. "Come on; let's go tell McGonagall what we know, it might help!"

Ron nodded and the three of them ran towards the staff room. But on their way, they had to stop when they saw McGonagall and Snape standing in front of the very girls' bathroom that they had just been discussing.

Harry tugged Ron and Neville behind the wall so that they could listen.

"We'e too late, the school is going to have to close," McGonagall said sadly. "Dumbledore is on his way back, but what else can we do?"

"Closing the school can't be the only option, Minerva, there has to be a way to put a stop to this," Snape insisted, his voice sharp. "Someone in this school knows exactly what is going on!"

"And no one has come forward, Severus. A student was taken by the monster itself! We've reached the point of no return, the school will have to be closed."

"Who did the monster take, Minerva?" Snape asked quietly.

McGonagall's bottom lip quivered for a moment. "Ginny Weasley."

Ron's eyes widened in shock as the teachers moved away from the wall and they were able to read the bloody message written there.

 _Her body will lie in the Chamber forever._

"Dinny," Ron murmured, his eyes wet with unshed tears. "But she's a pureblood!"

Harry was staring intently at the bloody message on the wall as the teachers deserted the corridor. The sound of Ron murmuring his childhood nickname for his sister sent a dagger through his heart. "No! Her body won't stay there forever! If the monster took her that means he didn't kill her."

Neville was pale as he stared at Harry. "How can you be sure?"

"The monster hasn't killed anyone, Neville, it only petrified them. She has to be alive down there or why would it take her down into the Chamber otherwise?"

Ron was gripping his broken and spello-taped wand tightly in his hands now. "You're not going down there alone."

Harry looked at the determination on Ron's face. He knew his friend was thinking the same thing he was. He turned to look at Neville. "Nev, you run and tell McGonagall what we found out. Ron and I are going after Ginny."

"Harry! Don't be daft! You can't just simply go after her! You don't even know what's down there! Malfoy says that its a giant snake, but you don't know that for sure! And Basilisks have been extinct for centuries so he _can't_ be right!" Neville exclaimed, his eyes flashing in horror. "What about Professor Lupin? He's the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher! Let's get him to help us!"

Harry stared at his friend for a moment and shook his head. "Uncle Remus can't help us, not tonight," he said quietly as his gaze moved to the full moon in the sky through the window which told him that Sirius would also be unavailable at the moment. "And you're right, I don't know for sure what's down there, but I do know that I can talk to snakes - so maybe I can stop it from hurting her, or me, and… Malfoy's right, Nev, a Basilisk or at least a snake, makes the most sense and… she's my friend, Nev. I'm going."

Neville simply nodded and he took a deep breath. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not. We need someone to tell McGonagall where we are."

"And she's my sister so I'm going," Ron insisted.

Neville let out a slow breath. "All right. But for the record, I just want to say that I thought this was a stupid idea, so don't die — okay?"

Harry smirked at him. "Come on; let's go talk to Myrtle first. We just want to find Ginny."

Neville nodded and visibly gulped.

The three of them took a deep breath and then they slipped into the girl's bathroom to talk to Moaning Myrtle.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry stepped into the antechamber, the large circular door rolled to a close behind him with an echoing bang.** He and Ron had opened the door to the Chamber of Secrets by a sink in the girl's bathroom. They had slid down the tunnel and found themselves in a large underground cavern full of bones. They yelled up to Neville to let him know they were all right before they began to move forward. The sight had horrified them and with each crunching step they knew that Harry's suspicions were correct.

Ginny had been alive when the monster had taken her.

They followed the tunnel with the snake skin, the sight of it making Harry's eyes widen. Anything that could shed _that_ was definitely not an ordinary garden snake. It had to be at least fifty feet long and fifteen feet high. The sight of it made him gulp and he clutched the mirror in his pocket. Sirius would be furious at him when he found out that he had come down here, but Sirius wasn't available. Sirius was running as Padfoot and staying with Uncle Moony. He was doing his duty and as far as Harry was concerned — Harry was doing his.

They had made their way through a small tunnel and Harry whispered 'open' in Parseltongue and the door rolled open, slamming into the rock on the side so loud that it echoed and a huge jolt of power seemed to sizzle through the cavern. The walls shook and Ron's eyes widened in horror.

"It's going to come down around us," he said, his eyes frantically searching for safety.

"Quick, into the tunnel," Harry yelled, but as he rushed forward the door closed behind him and he heard Ron's fists hit the door.

"Harry! Open the door!"

Harry instructed the door to open, but it remained shut. He tried to pull, but it was made of solid steel and didn't budge. There was a shimmer behind him and he turned in time to see a magical ward lift away.

"Ron, it won't open," he yelled back. "There's some kind of warding, I think it's runic!"

Ron swore. "Go on, Harry! I'll be fine, just… just find Ginny!"

Harry could only nod as he heard his friend's voice and he took a deep breath moving deeper into the tunnel. He could feel the magic pushing on him as entered as if warning him of the power within. After reassuring himself that Ron would be fine, Harry had stepped through the open door at the end of the cave.

He had promised to go on.

He would find Ginny.

 _He had to._

He followed the long tunnel, twisting and turning in the eerie glow of the cavern, the stone damp and mossy, looking more and more like an underwater castle. He had come across another large circular door, this one marked with a large stone snake that sat across the top. He swallowed as he heard screaming from behind the door and he demanded it to open in Parseltongue.

The stone snake slithered around the door, unlocking, and the door swung outward. Harry simply took a deep breath and stepped through it.

The echoes of the screams he had heard coming from behind the door were still in his ears as he sprinted in the direction that he had thought it was coming from. Now that he was inside the antechamber, he could only hear silence and the trickling of water, and it gave him an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn't like. He had no idea where the monster was, but he did know that those screams had belonged to Ginny.

He ran down the wet stone path, rushing around until he was under a large stone statue the size of a building, of Salazar Slytherin himself.

He saw Ginny on the ground beneath the statue and he fell to his knees, sliding across the wet stone to her side and his wand falling to the ground next to him. His hands went to her immediately and the sight of the blood staining the stone and turning the water around her red, had him paling considerably.

"Ginny!" He shook her a bit and she moaned.

Alive, he thought, she was alive! He wrapped her arms around his neck and scooped her up into his arms, the tiny black diary falling to the ground.

"Hold onto me, Ginny, I've got you. We're going to get out of here," he told her, standing on his shaky legs as he held her. As tiny as she was, he wasn't sure that he could make it all the way back to the chamber door carrying her.

"She won't wake," a voice said from behind him.

Harry spun around, eyes on the young boy walking towards him. "Who are you?"

The boy smirked, twirling the wand in his hand between his fingers. "Lightning bolt scar, you are Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived — isn't that what they call you?"

Harry nodded. He could feel Ginny's ragged breath against the side of his neck, her head resting against his shoulder. His hands were stained with her blood, but he couldn't see where she was hurt; her robes covering her. "You know who I am, now who are you?"

The wand continued to twirl from finger to finger idly in a gesture that Harry found oddly familiar, but he couldn't place it. "My name is Tom."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Tom Riddle? _From the diary_?"

The boy nodded. "She won't wake. You might as well put her down."

Harry didn't want to obey the boy, but holding her upright for as long as he had, _was_ tiring. She was passed out and dead weight in his arms. He carefully lowered her back to the stone floor, tugging his robe off and rolling it under her head as a makeshift pillow. Her hair was wet from the water. There was a white sticky substance in her hair and on her face and neck as well as down the front of her robes. And she was bleeding from somewhere, but he didn't know where.

"You were a sixth year in 1943," Harry said, his eyes leaving Ginny to look at the teen standing before him.

"I was," Tom said simply.

Harry wrapped his fingers around Ginny's wrist, the slow pulse there making his heart race faster. He needed to find a way out of here, to get Ginny to the hospital wing. She was badly injured and he didn't like how cold her skin felt to his touch. "It's 1993. Yet, you don't look a day over seventeen. How is that even possible?"

Tom smirked. "You are an intelligent boy, I'm sure that you've already contemplated the possibilities. You wrote in my diary, but you didn't like what I had to tell you. Did you?"

"You framed Hagrid."

Tom shrugged nonchalantly. "He was a stupid oaf always trying to make monsters into his pets. Who in their right mind wants to own an Acromantula or anything that can kill them in a second? It made sense for it to be him. He was dangerous."

"Dumbledore didn't believe it. Dumbledore knew that Hagrid wasn't dangerous."

Tom sneered at that. "Dumbledore never quite trusted me, it's true, but with the attacks having stopped, he had no choice but to admit that Hagrid was the obvious guilty party."

Harry ran a thumb gently over the top of Ginny's hand as he spoke, his eyes moving to her pale face briefly before watching Tom who continued to twirl the wand. Something about that gesture made a pit form in the bottom of Harry's stomach as a sense of deja vu overcame him and he didn't know why. But it truly unnerved him as if it was trying to tell him something important. "Is that what you do then? Accuse others of your crimes? Is that how you get your rocks off? Forcing others to do your dirty work for you?"

Tom's face flushed. "I don't have to force anyone to do anything! They are thankful to be in my presence at all. As for little Ginny there, well, she was truly my most pitiful follower. Do you have any idea how _boring_ it is to listen to the life of an eleven-year-old-girl? Her sad and pitiful life about how much she missed her big brothers, how the brothers she did have largely ignored her, and how her best friend, the infamous Boy Who Lived, was too busy with his new friends to even notice her? How when he did show her attention, she was embarrassed because she had come to the conclusion that he was special to her in a different way? And my favourite, the fear she began to show when she couldn't quite remember things that happened to her."

"What do you mean she couldn't remember things that happened to her?" Harry demanded, his thumb moving gently to her wrist, still moving in slow circles, trying to reassure her that he was there, that he would protect her.

Tom smiled. " _Dear Tom, today I woke up in the corridor covered in blood and feathers, but I don't remember how I got there or where it came from? I think I'm going mad! Dear Tom, today Harry asked me if I was all right, but I couldn't tell him the truth, that I think I'm going insane and that I keep having dreams about summoning a monster. What will he think of me? Dear Tom, I think that I'm attacking these students! I think that I attacked Colin! He's my friend, why would I hurt him? I think that I attacked Hermione! Hermione, Tom, Harry's best friend! Ron's best friend! How will they ever forgive me? How do I stop this? Help me, Tom! What should I do?_ " he mimicked in a childish mocking voice. "Pathetic, stupid, little girl."

Harry's eyes had moved back to Ginny's form now, the diary was next to her sopping wet from the water and her blood and there was a bloody bone by her feet. "She wouldn't attack anyone! She's too good. She would never hurt anyone - not willingly."

"Ah, but she would if I told her to."

"Give me back my wand, Tom. We need to get Ginny to the hospital wing."

He smiled coldly. "No, we don't, Harry Potter, for with every breath I take, she loses more of her life force - and with her death, brings me new life."

Harry swallowed slowly. "What do you mean? How is that even possible?"

"Ginny Weasley _willingly_ gave me her soul, which I have spent months feeding off of and finally, I will possess her soul fully and once more become fully corporeal and alive."

"Give it back to her," Harry demanded, his eyes on Ginny's pale face. "You can't have her soul! I won't let you take it from her!"

Tom smirked. "I can have anything that I want from her," he said smartly. "And I can take anything from her that I so choose. I am in control here not you, which is why you will tell me how a baby, completely devoid of any magical powers outside of blood was able to survive against the greatest wizard of all time?"

Harry simply stared at him. "Why do you care? Voldemort was after your time."

"Voldemort is my past, present, and future," Tom said boldly.

When Harry only stared in response, he waved Harry's wand through the air like he was writing and sharp printing flashed through the air to write the name Tom Marvolo Riddle. He waved his hands and the letters began to rearrange themselves, forming a sentence that sent chills down Harry's spine.

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.

And suddenly it made sense. Harry remembered watching Voldemort twirl his wand between his fingers as he had taunted Peter in the memory. It was a tell that he had obviously had for years.

"Now tell me, Harry Potter, how did you survive against the greatest wizard to ever live?"

Harry swallowed. He couldn't possibly be trapped down here with Voldemort, he thought — it wasn't possible.

Not again.

He had to bide his time, to try to find a way to get his wand back and most importantly to help Ginny. He desperately hoped that help was on the way, that Neville had convinced McGonagall to come.

And if it wasn't… he just had to hope above all else that he could at least save Ginny.

He just didn't have any idea how that was going to happen.


	104. Chapter 104

_Author's Note:_

 _I do not own the pieces from chapter eighteen of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that are incorporated and interwoven here, those belong to the lovely JKR. There were important parts that needed to be brought up again as you will see by what I have planned in the next few chapters. I have been writing like a fiend and am already almost finished Harry's third year. I hope you enjoy the twists and turns I have coming up!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR:**

 **Harry and Ron flew out of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets with Ginny wrapped in Harry's arms, as they held onto the tail of Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, and landed on the bathroom floor.** The two of them were covered in dirt and blood and Ron was covered in dirt. The last thing Harry had expected to find was Neville, McGonagall, and Dumbledore standing in the middle of the bathroom arguing.

"I didn't exactly _let them go_ , Professor!" Neville exclaimed. "The sink moved, a door opened — and they _just jumped_!"

McGonagall let out of a huff of annoyance. "Stupid, brave boys! I've got my broomstick, Mr Longbottom. I think that the best thing to do is to fly down there and try to find them. I'm not letting them get hurt down there, not now that we know where the entrance is. How did Potter open it?"

"Professor, I don't think —"

"— No, Longbottom, I will not let those boys wander around down there where they could be hurt! How did Potter open the door? You said that it was by the sink?"

Neville sighed. "He spoke in Parseltongue, Professor."

McGonagall paled. "And when they jumped down there —?"

"The door closed itself."

"Mr Longbottom, you did right by coming to seek out Professor McGonagall and myself. Minerva, without the ability to speak Parseltongue, I don't know how we can open the door."

McGonagall let out a huff of annoyance. "We can get inside by removing the entire bloody sink!"

"But Professor —"

She pushed her sleeves up, turning to flourish her wand furiously "No, Mr Longbottom! They are MY students, from MY house, and I will not let them die down there for their stupid bravery. Harry is my —"

" — Here," Harry said, coughing as he let go of Fawkes and fell to his knees, the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets once more closing behind them.

Ginny moaned, her arms wrapping tighter around his neck. "Ow," she said quietly.

Harry wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him, as Ron fell to his knees next to his friend and his sister.

"Ginny!" Ron exclaimed, his arms reaching for her. His blue eyes flashed in relief when she turned from Harry, throwing her arms around her brother and clinging to him tightly. "Ginny, where are you hurt?"

Ginny merely buried her face in Ron's shoulder, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Dinny," he cooed gently, using his childhood nickname for her, his hands rubbing up and down her back. "It's okay, I'm here, I've got you."

"Harry, you have a sword!" Neville exclaimed, reaching to touch the bloody weapon in his friend's hand along with the school Sorting Hat. "Is that the Sorting Hat? What the hell happened? How did you get a sword? Why do you have the Sorting Hat? Is that Dumbledore's phoenix?"

"Harry, what happened? Are you all right?" McGonagall insisted, kneeling in front of him, her hand on his chin as she turned Harry's face to and fro to check for any signs of damage.

"I'm fine," Harry said, "It's not my blood. But Ginny needs to see Madam Pomfrey."

Dumbledore was tapping his wand on the sink that had just closed the door behind Harry, Ginny and Ron. "Fascinating."

McGonagall nodded, standing up, her eyes on Ginny, who was wrapped tightly in her big brother's arms. "Come on, Miss Weasley, let's go up to the hospital wing."

Ron scooped Ginny right up into his arms as if she weighed nothing, holding her tightly as they followed McGonagall out of the girl's bathroom and down to the hospital wing where Mr and Mrs Weasley were arguing with Madam Pomfrey, demanding to see their daughter immediately.

Mrs Weasley was crying and Mr Weasley touched her arm when he saw Ron carrying his sister down the hall. He ran towards his children, lifting Ginny into his own arms and crushing his daughter against his chest. He took one look at Ron's face covered in dirt and Harry whose robes were covered in dirt and blood and he paled considerably.

He kissed his daughter's forehead. "I've got you, baby girl, Daddy's got you."

"GINNY!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, leaning into her husband to kiss her daughter before turning to Ron and Harry. "You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"

"I think that we'd all like to know that," Professor McGonagall said weakly, still a bit in shock over the sudden appearance of the three Gryffindor students. She gestured to Neville as she spoke, "Mr Longbottom informed Professor Dumbledore and myself that you two simply opened the door and _jumped_?"

Neville nodded and gave Harry and Ron a helpless shrug as Mr Weasley carried his daughter into the hospital wing as if she was made of precious glass. He carefully placed her on the bed and gently brushed her hair from her face, frowning at the crusty substance there.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Mr Weasley asked her tenderly.

Ginny only nodded, her eyes on Harry who walked into the hospital wing and laid the Sorting Hat, the ruby-encrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle's diary on the bed next to the one that Ginny was lying on. He took a seat on the bed next to the sword, not saying a word as McGonagall sat next to him and Dumbledore took a seat in the visitor's chair near the bed.

It was only once everyone had settled around him that he started to tell them everything.

For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into the rapt silence: He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how he realized that it was a Basilisk that he was hearing and with help from Draco that it was in the pipes; how he and Ron had followed the spiders into the Forbidden Forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the Basilisk had died; how he had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been that victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets must be in her bathroom…

"Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, "So you found out where the entrance was — breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add — but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Harry?"

So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Fawkes' timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle's diary - or Ginny. She was cradled between her parents, her head resting against her mum's shoulder and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in a panic. Riddle's diary didn't work anymore… how could they prove that it had been he who'd made her do it all?

Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled faintly. "What interests me most," Dumbledore said gently. "Is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Miss Weasley, when my sources tell me that he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania?"

"W-what's that?" Mr Weasley said in a stunned voice. "You Know Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not… Ginny hasn't been… has she?"

"It was this diary," Harry said quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen…"

Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt, soggy, and bloody pages. "Brilliant. Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen." He turned around to the Weasleys who were looking utterly bewildered. "Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself fifty years ago here at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving school… travelled far and wide… sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous and magical transformations that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable by anyone who had known him. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome teen who was once Head Boy here."

"But, Ginny," Mrs Weasley said carefully. "What's our Ginny got to do with — with — _him_?"

"His d-d-diary!" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back to me all year —"

"Ginny!" Mr Weasley exclaimed, absolutely flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything! What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that - it was clearly full of Dark Magic!"

"I d-didn't know," Ginny sobbed. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it! He was… I thought he was… nice at first… like a friend! He made me believe he was my friend!"

"Miss Weasley needs to rest up and let Madam Pomfrey take care of her," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser witches and wizards than she, have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort. Bed rest, some dreamless sleep potion and maybe a large mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up."

Mr Weasley kissed his daughter's cheek, holding her close in his arms. "That sounds like a good plan. Thank you, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded. "Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, why don't we let Miss Weasley rest up.

"My office is just around the corner, Albus," McGonagall said, urging the boys to stand up with her.

Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Minerva. We still have a few more things to discuss. Mr Longbottom, please go on up to your dormitory. You are dismissed."

Neville nodded, looking a bit put out at having to leave. He smiled reassuringly at Harry and Ron and took off towards Gryffindor Tower.

Harry and Ron shuffled their feet as they followed Dumbledore and McGonagall to her office. Once inside, Harry put the sword, the school Sorting Hat, and the diary down on the desk before he and Ron shifted uncomfortably as McGonagall stepped in behind them.

"You know, Minerva," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go down and alert the kitchens?"

"Right," McGonagall said crisply, moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?"

"Certainly," Dumbledore said.

She left them alone in the Headmaster's office and Harry and Ron gazed at Dumbledore uncertainly. What exactly had McGonagall meant 'to deal with them'? Surely, they weren't going to be punished for saving Ginny?

Dumbledore was quiet for a moment. "I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules."

Harry and Ron both looked at him in horror.

Dumbledore smiled. "Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words. You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School and — let me see — yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."

Ron went pink and he and Harry grinned widely.

Dumbledore nodded at them. "Mr Weasley, why don't you head down to the hospital wing and check on your sister. I'd like a moment with Harry."

Ron nodded at Harry, glancing back curiously at both of them before he closed the door behind them.

"Sit down, Harry," Dumbledore said kindly and Harry sat, feeling incredibly nervous. "First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you." He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. "And so you met Tom Riddle, I imagine he was most interested in you…"

Harry nodded and the next words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Professor Dumbledore… Riddle said that I'm like him. Strange likenesses, he said…"

"Did he, now?" Dumbledore said thoughtfully looking at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows. "And what do you think, Harry?"

"I don't think that I'm like him!" Harry exclaimed a little louder than he had intended too. "I mean, I'm — I'm in Gryffindor, I'm… Professor, the Sorting Hat told me I'd — I'd have done well in Slytherin. And everyone thought that I was Slytherin's Heir for a while because I can speak Parseltongue."

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," Dumbledore said calmly, "Because Lord Voldemort — who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin — can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm very much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night that he gave you that scar. Not something that he intended to do, I'm sure…"

"Voldemort put a bit of himself _in me_?" Harry said, thunderstruck by that statement.

"Yes."

"So, I should be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me and it —"

" — Put you in Gryffindor," Dumbledore said calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness — determination — a certain disregard for rules," he added, his moustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."

"It only put me in Gryffindor because I asked not to go in Slytherin," Harry told him in a defeated voice.

"Exactly," Dumbledore said, beaming at him. "Which makes you _very different_ from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned. "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest that you look more closely at this."

Dumbledore reached across McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword and handed it to Harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt: Godric Gryffindor.

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," Dumbledore said simply.

The fireplace came to life just then and Sirius spun out of it, spotting Harry, and quickly engulfing him in his embrace and kissing the top of his head.

"Harry! Are you all right? Minnie just sent me a Patronus and I… what the hell happened? Is this blood? Are you hurt?" he demanded, his hands running over Harry's arms and back trying to find the source of the injury.

"No, I'm fine, Uncle Siri - it's not my blood."

Sirius paled a little at that and tugged Harry back into his arms for a bone-crushing hug, his gaze moving to Dumbledore. "What happened?"

"I'm sure that Harry will fill you in, Sirius, but there's no need to worry. Harry was a hero tonight and will be receiving a Special Award for Services to the School. Now, Harry, why don't you go get yourself cleaned up. I hope to see you in the Great Hall for our celebratory feast," Dumbledore said as he pulled out a quill and a bottle of ink. "I need to write to Azkaban, we need our gamekeeper back."

Harry led Sirius to the door, but when he reached for the handle, the door burst open so violently it bounced back off of the wall. Lucius Malfoy stood there and his face was furious. Cowering between his legs and heavily wrapped in bandages was Dobby.

"Dobby!" Harry exclaimed in surprise as Malfoy gave him a cold look.

"Good evening, Lucius," Dumbledore said pleasantly.

"How dare you return to this school without the Board's approval, Dumbledore?" he demanded.

"The Board never wanted him gone, Lucius," Sirius said angrily, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You insisting he stay on for endless board meetings in an attempt to vote him out, was a waste of everyone's time. He needed to be here at the school, where he could protect his students."

Malfoy glared at Sirius before turning back to Dumbledore. "So — have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"

"We have," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Well?" Malfoy said sharply. "Who is it?"

"The same person as last time, Lucius," Dumbledore replied. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."

He held up the small black book with the large hole through the centre, watching Mr Malfoy closely. Harry however, was watching Dobby.

The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr Malfoy, and then hitting himself on the head with his fist.

"I see…" Mr Malfoy said slowly.

"A clever plan, even from Albania," Dumbledore said in a level voice, still staring Mr Malfoy straight in the eye. "Because if Harry here —" Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look, "— and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why — Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove that she hadn't acted of her own free will… And imagine what might have happened then… the Weasleys are one of our most _prominent pureblood_ families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and — killing Muggleborns… very fortunate the diary was discovered and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise… "

"Very fortunate," Malfoy said stiffly.

Dobby continued behind his back to point to the diary, then to Mr Malfoy, then to punch himself in the head, and suddenly it all made sense. Harry remembered standing in the bookstore talking to the Malfoys, the way Mr Malfoy had picked up Ginny's books and he turned to stare at him.

"Don't you want to know how Ginny got a hold of that diary, Mr Malfoy?" Harry demanded.

Sirius looked at Harry in surprise.

Lucius spun around and glared at him. "How should I know how that stupid little girl got a hold of it?"

"Because you gave it to her," Harry said. "In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside of it, didn't you?"

Malfoy's hands clenched and unclenched. "Prove it," he hissed.

"Oh, no one will be able to do that," Dumbledore said, smiling at Harry. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley for one, will make sure they are traced back to you."

"Dobby, COME!" Malfoy exclaimed, shooting daggers at Dumbledore with his eyes.

He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through the open door. Harry could hear Dobby squealing in pain as he was kicked down the corridor.

"How can he treat him like that? How is it allowed?" Harry demanded, his eyes desperately hoping that Sirius would do something about it.

Sirius sighed. "He owns him, Harry, for better or for worse - Dobby is his property. Unless he frees him, the elf must do whatever his master insists on. I know that it's awful, but there's nothing that we can do unless Malfoy gives Dobby clothes."

Harry stared at Sirius for a moment and then he turned to look at Dumbledore, his eyes on the diary. "Can I have that?"

Dumbledore's eyes went to the diary and he gave Harry a bewildered look. "Whatever for?"

Harry didn't wait for an answer, he grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office and down the corridor, not even waiting for Sirius to catch up. He could hear Dobby squealing ahead of him and he kicked off his shoe, tugging his slimy, filthy, wet sock off and stuffing the small diary into it and then with a burst of speed hurried after Malfoy. He caught up with them at the top of the staircase.

"Mr Malfoy," he gasped, skidding to a halt. "I've got something for you —" And he forced the smelly disgusting sock into Malfoy's hand.

"What the —?" Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, tossing it behind him and then looked furiously at the ruined book. "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Potter. They were meddlesome fools too, and trust me, the Black family name isn't going to protect you," he said, shoving the diary back into Harry's hands. "Come, Dobby!"

But the elf was staring at the item in his hand. "Master has given Dobby a sock. Master gave it to Dobby… Dobby is free."

Malfoy stood frozen as Sirius caught up with them and he glared at Harry. "You've lost me my servant, boy!" he declared, lunging towards Harry.

Sirius' wand was in his hand, but Dobby threw himself in front of Harry. "You shall not harm Harry Potter!"

There was a loud bang and Malfoy was thrown backward, crashing down the stairs three at a time and landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below.

Sirius busted into laughter, biting his lip as he watched Malfoy climb to his feet, his face livid. "Bested by an elf, Lucy. My, my, how the mighty have fallen. Maybe you should stop listening to Daddy's advice and think for yourself for once."

Lucius glared at Sirius and with a last look of loathing at Harry, turned, and stormed off.

Sirius grinned and slapped Harry on the back. "That was priceless! I'm so glad that I was here to witness that momentous occasion of Malfoy being put in his place by his own former house elf!" he exclaimed, a big smile on his face before his eyes narrowed at his son. "Now, what the hell did I miss, Mr Hero?"

Harry blushed at that statement, but Dobby spoke before he could answer.

"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" the elf said shrilly. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!" His big toothy grin made him look even uglier. "Whatever can I do to thank you, sir!"

Sirius draped an arm around Harry's shoulders smiling. "What do you think, Harry? What would you like Dobby to do in terms of thanks?"

Harry smiled at the elf. "Promise to never try to save my life again."

Dobby simply beamed at him. He hugged Harry tightly around the middle and then hugged Sirius before he disappeared, a wide toothy grin still on his ugly face.

Sirius turned to Harry again, his eyes worried.

"So? Are you going to tell me what the hell happened? If this isn't your blood, it belongs to someone? Dumbledore said that you were a hero and are receiving a Special Award for Services to the School? What does Ginny have to do with anything? That's her diary, I take it?"

Harry sighed. The thought of going over the whole story again made his head hurt.

"Harry, good!" McGonagall exclaimed as she hurried up the stairs towards them. "Why don't you go on upstairs and change out of those dirty clothes and then wake up your friends? We're going to be having a wonderful midnight feast. Go on! You can talk to your father later."

Harry beamed at her, hugged Sirius and hurried off.

"Harry!" Sirius called out.

Harry just smirked at him and kept moving as he called back, "I'll fill you in later!"

Sirius sighed as he watched his godson disappear out of sight before he turned to McGonagall. "He looks all right. Your message had me worried."

"Not as serious as last year, which is a good thing, and he is fine. Not a scratch on him. The blood on his clothes is from Miss Weasley and the Basilisk."

"Basilisk — did you just say — _what the bloody hell happened_?"

McGonagall chuckled and linked her arm through Sirius'. "He fought the dragon and rescued the damsel." She kissed his cheek. "Go home. He's fine. He can tell you all about his adventures when he comes home for the summer. I have a house to wake up so that we can celebrate the Chamber of Secrets horror being over and done with and Madam Pomfrey, Professor Sprout, and Professor Snape are finishing up the potion now with the Mandrakes ready to wake up those who were petrified. We have a lot to celebrate tonight."

Sirius simply shook his head. "He has to decide to be a bloody hero on the night of the full moon; can't wait until Remus is here, oh no."

She chuckled. "Home, Sirius. I'm sure that Remus needs you tonight."

Sirius nodded, glancing out at the full moon still high in the sky. "Yeah, yeah he does. I just…"

"He's fine. I promise. I will take care of him. Go home."

Sirius nodded and kissed her cheek. "I'm going."

McGonagall watched him go with a smile on her face. She couldn't blame him for being concerned, but Harry had proven himself to be quite a hero and she agreed with Dumbledore, it was time to celebrate the happy news of the horror of the Chamber of Secrets being over.

The feast turned out to be the best one that Harry had ever been too.

First off, it happened at one in the morning which was kind of fantastic all on its own.

Second, Dumbledore announced that the culprit who had opened the Chamber of Secrets had been caught and defeated making the school safe once more.

Third, that Ginny, who had been taken down into the Chamber was recuperating in the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey was administering the potion to wake the other victims now that the Mandrakes were ready.

Fourth, Harry and Ron were both awarded Special Awards for Services to the School and given two hundred points each, securing Gryffindor a win for the House Cup for the second year in a row. And Neville received fifty points for the role he played in guard duty and in telling McGonagall and Dumbledore where his friends had run off too.

And lastly, just before dawn, Hermione came into the Great Hall, hugging Harry and Ron tightly and telling them how proud she was of them for solving the mystery and soon after Hagrid returned, thanking them for officially clearing his name.

It had been one of the best nights of Harry's life.

Remus arrived in time for breakfast where the celebrations were still going strong and when Dumbledore announced that as a special treat, all regular exams were cancelled (this didn't include OWLs and NEWTs as they were Ministry run tests), the whole school cheered. Hermione hadn't found the final announcement very exciting.

By the time he made it up to his dormitory close to lunch time, he was exhausted and he fell face first into his bed and was asleep before his head even found the pillow.

And for the first time in a long time, he slept dreamlessly.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius walked into Black Cottage the next morning, rubbing his tired eyes.** He had been up all night with Remus who had been on the final leg of the full moon, which meant he was extra restless, more so since Sirius had to leave only thirty minutes after Remus had transformed due to the Patronus from McGonagall. Her Patronus had said: _Harry has gone down into the Chamber of Secrets and rescued Ginny Weasley. You should come. All is in good order._

Sirius hadn't known what to make of that, but he knew that he had to leave his friend to go to Harry.

He stumbled up the stairs yawning loudly and made his way into his bedroom, dropping his clothes where they fell as he walked to the bathroom. He turned the shower on hot and stood under the spray for a long moment, just basking in the hot water as it sprayed his face. He lazily washed his hair and had just moved onto his body when the glass door to the shower opened and a naked Zee stepped inside with him.

He smiled at the sight of her and tugged her close for a long kiss as the hot water beat down upon them.

"Good morning," he said, kissing her again. "To what do I owe this surprise?"

"I came by to chat and heard your shower running."

"Tempted by my body, were you?" he asked with a smirk.

Zee's gaze drifted down over his wet chest to the dark hair that surrounded his semi-hard cock and down his muscled legs. "Well, it is a rather lovely view."

He grinned and let his own eyes slide over her generous curves, cupping a full breast in his hand and watching it spill over the side of it. He bent his head to lick the nipple, his hand sliding around her waist and covering the tattoo on the side of her right ribcage outlining the green and gold tribal elephant, and trailing up her spine to tap the dragon. The black niffler was enchanted to move around her body and at the moment, it was sleeping on the back of her neck.

His tongue played with her nipple, his teeth grazing her aerola as her head tilted back and she held his head in place with a soft sigh and her hand slid down to wrap around him. She stroked the length of him, once, twice and then she was pinned against the wall, grinning smartly at him as he lifted her, and slipped into her as she wrapped her legs around his waist and she held onto him for support.

Twenty minutes later she was making him a cup of tea in the kitchen as he came down the stairs. She handed him the cup with a smile. "I don't know about you, but that was exactly the wake up I needed."

Sirius grinned back at her. "I can agree with that statement." He accepted the cup of tea and then kissed her softly. "And you made me tea. Have I mentioned how great you are?"

Zee smiled at him and poured herself a cup of tea. "I don't think you said so today; please do go on."

Sirius took a sip of his tea and placed it on the counter, caging her against the counter with his arms and body. "Your sexy and gorgeous, always agreeable to morning sex, and you make a mean cup of tea. I love you."

Zee grinned, standing on her toes to kiss his lips. "I love you and it is because I love you, that I wanted to stop by and chat this morning."

Sirius reached his tea and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You didn't just stop by for shower sex then?"

"No," she said pointedly. "My parents are only in town for another week and _someone_ has conveniently been busy or otherwise occupied for almost an entire month."

Sirius grinned at her. "I have no idea what you're implying. I have been busy trying to write an educational program and to calm the Board of Governors over the whole Chamber of Secrets incident. Not to mention I've been dealing with Lucius Malfoy, who wanted to have himself a pissing contest over removing Dumbledore from Hogwarts, but that is finally done and over with."

"Oh?"

He nodded, sipping his tea again. "I don't know all of the details yet as Minnie claimed I could find out later, but Harry helped figure it out and saved Ginny and anyway the Chamber has been found and dealt with and all is good there. Minnie says that I have to wait to hear the story from Harry when he comes home from school, but that won't be happening."

"So you're free every night this week then?" she prompted.

Sirius hesitated. "Well, Wednesday I have my weekly board meeting but I suppose otherwise… are you sure that you want me to do this?"

Zee smiled at him. "Are you saying that you're too scared to meet my parents?"

"If I said yes would you consider me less of a man?"

She chuckled and leaned in to nip at his bottom lip. "Completely emasculated."

He sighed dramatically. "I don't do parents."

Zee nipped at his lips again. "I think it's time for you to make an exception. This week. For my parents. My father is starting to claim that I'm making you up."

Sirius chuckled. "All right, all right, I'll do it — but only because you've been begging, and it's very annoying."

She laughed and kissed him quickly. "Eee! Thank you!"

He tugged her up against him and kissed her roughly, his stubble scratching her chin. "I want some kind of reward for this," he insisted, his lips moving down her throat.

Zee let out a tiny shriek as her eyes found the clock on the wall. "Ah! I'm going to late!" She kissed him quickly on the lips and pushed away from him. "We'll talk later. Love you, bye!"

And she hurried out of the kitchen leaving him staring after her in surprise and incredibly nervous at the prospect of meeting her parents. He was so not ready for that, he thought as he took a sip of his tea.

Nope, definitely not ready at all.

He glanced up at the clock and wondered if Harry would be sleeping. He tugged the mirror from his pocket with a shrug. He didn't care. He needed to talk to his son.


	105. Chapter 105

_Author's Note:_

 _In my story, Ginny is close with all of her brothers, but Bill is her favourite and she trusts him more than anyone in the world._

 _Side note: 'Ypa' is a Russian saying for 'cheers' basically or good cheer in the same way that we say 'sláinte mhaith' in Gaelic meaning 'good health'._

 _Harry comes home from school in the next chapter. According to the timeline, the Chamber of Secrets incident was at the end of May and they still had about three more weeks left of school to attend too. And yes, Harry and Sirius WILL talk._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE:**

 **Ginny woke up in the hospital wing the next afternoon feeling drowsy and sore.** She shifted, grunting a bit and large hands immediately gripped her own hands and warm lips brushed over her knuckles. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at the sight of her favourite brother sitting in the chair by her bed.

"Bill," she whispered hoarsely.

"Hey, Firecracker. Have some water," he instructed, holding out a glass with a straw for her to drink slowly. "Good girl," he said placing the water back on the nightstand. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she admitted, nestling back against the pillow. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you."

She smiled and then tears welled up in her eyes. "Did Mum and Dad tell you what I did?"

He nodded solemnly, kissing her hands again. "Yeah, they did, baby girl."

Ginny's bottom lip quivered as she tried to hold her tears back. "Am I going to Azkaban?"

"No!" Bill exclaimed, climbing into the bed with her and tugging her close. "Never. It's not your fault, Ginny. Don't you remember that Dumbledore told you there would be no punishment? You were bewitched by You Know Who. It's not your fault."

"It is!" she insisted, "I wrote in the diary. I opened the Chamber of Secrets! It is my fault that everyone was attacked!"

Bill kissed her forehead, cuddling her close. "No one blames you, Ginny. No one. Professor Dumbledore made it _very clear_ that you were possessed by a cursed object enchanted by You Know Who. Gin… you're lucky to be alive, do you know that? He was… he was trying to take your soul from you."

She snuggled into his embrace, the tears tricking from her eyes. "He came out of the diary…"

Bill froze at her words. He rubbed his hands over her arms as he held her. He had overheard Madam Pomfrey talking to his parents when he had first arrived early yesterday morning. The possession had taken a toll on her body both emotionally and physically, but it was the physical damage that worried him for the moment. Madam Pomfrey had told them that she had been penetrated: The blood had come from the loss of her virginity and the thought of someone raping her, of hurting her like that, made him so angry. She was only a child. Mrs Weasley had made that pretty clear insisting that Ginny hadn't even experienced her womanly cycle yet as she was still only eleven years old.

"What happened when he came out of the diary, Ginny? Will you tell me?" he asked her, his voice quiet. He wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to know, but he thought that it was a good idea to get her to talk about it, if she was willing too. And his Firecracker had always told him everything.

Ginny kept her face buried in his shoulder. Her voice was muffled, but Bill heard every word. "I… you… you won't love me any more."

Bill pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll love you even more if you trust me with this. Do you trust me, Firecracker?"

Ginny stared at him for a long moment and then she buried her face in his shoulder again. "He spoke to me at first, thanked me for helping him get free. He told me that I was going to be rewarded for my good work. He didn't look real, Bill - it was like a spell - the way he seemed to fade in and out almost ghost-like. And then he wasn't so ghost-like anymore…"

Bill continued to run his hands up and down her arms, but he didn't speak, worried if he interrupted her she would stop.

"He grabbed me by the front of my robes and he called me a pathetic little girl, too stupid to understand what was happening… and he ripped my robes open. He took my wand from me and he backhanded me across the face," she said softly. "My cheek burned and I bit my tongue and tasted copper. He asked me if the infamous Boy Who Lived would try to save me when he realized that I had been taken. I told him that Harry wouldn't come for me. He sneered at me and said that he had a feeling he would and then he hit me again and I fell down."

Her voice wasn't trembling anymore. It was almost like she had gone into a trance like state as she spoke, calmly and quickly, as if desperate to get the words out now.

"He kicked me when I fell and I cried out and he laughed. He said… he said that he liked it when they cried and then he knelt over me and he shoved his hand up my skirt and he pulled my knickers down and he… touched me… _there_ … I tried to get away from him and he laughed and then he took this big dirty bone from the ground and he… he put it up inside of me and it hurt so much and I cried and he shoved it in harder, laughing as he did. He said that the crying made it better, made him enjoy it more… so I stopped crying and he… that made him mad. He slapped me again and then he… he licked the blood from the bone and he smiled at me. And then he undid his trousers and he… he touched himself. I tried to crawl away, but he held me in place, kneeling over me as he… there was panting and grunting and then there was this hot, sticky, white stuff on my face and on my neck and he grunted again, his knees holding me in place and then he did up his trousers, fixed my robes, and then he kicked me again and again and the last thing that I remember was him twirling the bone through his fingers and smiling down at me before everything went dark."

Bill kissed the top of her head, holding his anger in check as his eyes flashed furiously.

"When I woke up, Harry was holding me and he was covered in blood and there was a giant snake with a sword through its head and Tom was gone… _he saved me_ , Bill. He saved me after I hurt all those people. I didn't deserve it. I should have died down there."

"Hey," Bill said, holding her close. "No, this is not on you, Ginny. It wasn't you. You were possessed by the darkest wizard that the world has ever known. You can't be held accountable for what happened to you. You weren't yourself."

Ginny shook her head. "But I kept writing in it! I remember what Dad said about never trusting anything if you can't see where it keeps it's brain, but I thought he was nice - I trusted him! Harry was suspicious of my diary, but I didn't listen to him and now look… he must hate me! He's not going to want to be my friend anymore!"

"Shh," Bill said, rocking her gently in his arms. "And you put your trust in the wrong person. It happens, Ginny. You couldn't have known. No one blames you. No one hates you - least of all Harry."

Ginny only nodded, but Bill could tell that he didn't believe her. Madam Pomfrey came in to check on her patient and frowned when she saw him lying in the hospital bed, but her eyes softened when she watched Ginny turn into him, her face resting over his heart.

Ginny let the matron check her over and all she could think about was how much everyone was going to hate her now. How was she ever going to apologize to them? And Harry? How much did he hate her now? It was bad enough that she had convinced herself that she had this silly crush on him and sent him an embarrassing singing Valentine and now this… she had ruined their friendship! She sighed when Bill held her closer, closing her eyes at the feeling of warmth and safety engulfed her. She could smell his cologne and the faintest whiff of powdered sugar. He made her feel safe.

She smiled at her parents when they came back into the room and let her mother cradle her to her breast like she was a child. She took her potions and drifted off to sleep again, the sounds of her parents and eldest brother talking quietly around her. She was grateful for the dreamless sleep potion as she lost herself in a deep and dreamless sleep.

The moment that she was asleep, Bill looked at his parents, his fingers tapping impatiently on his leg. "She remembers all of it. Once the possession wore off, she remembered everything. She knows what she did while he had control over her. This isn't going to be something that we can sweep under the rug and make go away."

"I know that," Mrs Weasley said, gently running her fingers through Ginny's hair. "It's time for me to have a long talk with her too."

"Detailed talk, Mum, _very detailed_. He did… You Know Who… his memory - whatever he was - he raped her."

Mr Weasley's eyes were dark with rage, but when they turned upon his daughter, they softened. "Did she tell you that?"

Bill nodded. "Just now, I got her to talk to me. I don't think she really understands what happened to her. He used a bone to do it so I guess that's one small consolation, but he still ejaculated all over her. She was forced to watch while he pleasured himself, turned on from the pain of raping her."

All of the blood drained from Mrs Weasley's face at her son's words, her fingers gently brushing Ginny's cheek. "She doesn't know what that means."

"She knows enough, Mum. She's innocent, and she needs someone to explain all of this to her; to explain exactly what happened and what it means and to tell her about what sex can be," Bill insisted. "We can't let this traumatize her. We can't let her grow up with this being her sexual experience and sexual knowledge. She needs to know."

Mrs Weasley nodded. "I know. When we bring her home, I'm going to talk to her. We're going to have a long chat, her and I. Poppy says that this experience might bring on her monthlies as well. The shock of it, she says, it can increase stress hormones and jump start puberty. She's still young yet. I never received my monthlies until I was thirteen, but every girl is different. We're going to bring her to a Mind Healer as well."

Bill stared at his sleeping sister and leaned back in his chair. "Why don't you all come out to Cairo for a few weeks? It will be tight in my flat, but I'd love to have you. I can show you around, you can see what I do there, and I think the change of scenery will be good for all of you, especially for Ginny."

Mr Weasley smiled and squeezed his son's shoulder. "That sounds like a good plan, Bill, but we can't afford that right now."

"Let me take Gin then. A few weeks, it will be good for her. We have a great Mind Healer on site in Cairo as some of the stuff we find can be rather disturbing. She's great and Ginny will like her."

Mrs Weasley hesitated, her eyes on her husband. "Arthur, we do have that bit put away for a new roof and this would be…" she trailed off at her husband's look. "No, you're right, it's too much right now."

Mr Weasley smiled at his wife. "Let's get our baby home and we'll see how everything goes. If after two weeks, we think that she could use the break, we'll send her to you."

Bill nodded, smiling at his parents. "Deal."

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning, Harry made his way to the hospital wing and over to where Ginny was still recuperating.** He saw Bill sitting by her bed, his long legs resting on the end of the hospital bed and crossed at the ankles as he flipped through the newspaper in his hand. His red hair was tied back at the nape of his neck, a few loose tendrils hanging in the front. He smiled when he heard Harry approach.

"Hi, Bill, is she awake?"

Bill nodded, grinning at him and jumping to his feet. "Yeah, she is." He shook Harry's hand vigourously. "Thank you for saving her."

Harry shrugged and blushed. "Can I have a moment with her?"

Bill squeezed Harry's shoulder gently. "Of course." He leaned around the curtain to smile at his sister. "Hey, Firecracker, Harry's here to see you. I'll be back in a bit."

He left them alone as Harry walked around the bed to sit in the chair Bill had just vacated. "Hi, Gin."

Ginny smiled at him. She was wearing her father's favourite jumper, despite the fact that it dwarfed her, the feeling of warmth it provided comforted her as if he was still in the room with her. Her hair had been washed and braided and she looked better, less pale and scared. "Hi, Harry."

He sighed. "I'm sorry."

Ginny stared at him. " _You're sorry_? Harry, I'm so sorry! If I only would have listened to you — if I had just realized that the diary wasn't good for me… all of those people… Colin and Hermione especially… I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?"

Harry shook his head and leaned over the bed to take her hand. "You didn't know, Ginny, and I didn't know either. It was Voldemort's fault, not yours."

She nodded, flinching slightly at the use of the name. "Everyone keeps saying that, but I was there, Harry, I still did those things."

"Yes, you did, but it wasn't really you," he told her. "When I got into that chamber, I thought that you were dead… there was blood. I was scared that I had been too late. I can't lose you, Ginny."

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "You saved me."

He flushed a little. "Anyone would have —" he trailed off at her look. "Er, all right, yeah I guess I did."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She smiled and closed her eyes for a moment before those chocolate brown orbs met his. "Did you really kill that giant snake with a sword?"

Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it _was_ trying to kill me." She only smiled and he grinned at her. "Get some rest, all right? Ron's still sleeping, but I'm sure he'll come see you when he wakes up."

She nodded as he stood up. "Thanks, Harry, for everything."

Harry only nodded and smiled at her.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius took a deep breath before he let himself in the front door of Zee's house a few days later.** The idea of meeting her parents was more way terrifying of a prospect than he wanted to admit. Parents were weird people to him. His own had been the worst imaginable and the Potters, they had been the best kind of parents that he could ever imagine. But meeting his girlfriend's parents? That was something else entirely.

At least that's what he kept telling himself.

He had spent the last few days getting evasive answers from his son on what had happened and he was frustrated by it even though Harry promised to explain everything when he came home. He needed this distraction, he thought. He needed something to prevent him from marching down to Hogwarts and demanding that Harry tell him everything.

His hands were full of the gifts that he had brought and he smiled warmly at Zee when she stepped into the foyer to greet him.

"Sirius!" she exclaimed, standing on her toes to kiss him softly. "What's all this?"

He passed her the bouquet of mixed tulips. "For you," he said, bending to kiss her again. "And these are for your parents."

Zee beamed at the flowers. "They're beautiful! You didn't have to do this."

He shrugged. "I wanted to."

She smiled at him. "Stop being nervous. My parents are going to love you. Come on; they're in the living room."

Sirius only sighed as she placed her hand on his arm and led him through the archway into the living room. The couple was sitting on the sofa and he smiled at them.

The woman was beautiful. Sirius guessed she was mid to late forties, but he would have easily put her ten years younger if he didn't know who she was. She had dark brown hair that she wore pulled away from her face. Her eyes were a deep hazel. The man was tall with salt and pepper in his dark blonde hair worn short and military style. He had intense blue eyes that screamed Auror, but were the same exact shape as his daughter's.

"Mama, Papa, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, my parents, Sorcha and Misha Zacarias."

Misha stepped forward, extending his hand. "Sirius, it is nice to meet you at last."

Sirius accepted the man's hand, shaking it. "You as well, Mr Zacarias." He handed the man the bottle he had brought with him. "I brought this for you, Zee tells me that it's your favourite."

Misha accepted the bottle of Stolichnaya with a smile. "It is, vank you. Do you like vodka yourself?"

"I usually drink Firewhiskey or beer, but I've never tried that particular brand of vodka before, no."

Misha smiled and tapped the bottle. "Ve shall have to open it ven so you can sip real Russian vodka. Ve make va very best!"

"Misha," Sorcha said with a smile. "Stop harassing the poor man."

"Sorcha," he said with exaggeration making her smile.

Sorcha extended her hand out to Sirius, blinking in surprise when he kissed her knuckles. "I am Sorcha Zacarias."

Sirius handed her the bouquet in his arms. "Sirius Black; Sorcha, a beautiful name. These are for you, Mrs Zacarias," he told her passing her the bouquet.

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, how gorgeous! Water roses, oriental lilies, astrantia, and is that eucalyptus? Thank you! I do love my flowers. Zee must have told you about my little greenhouse back home."

"You're welcome and yes, she did."

Zee smiled. "Mama, why don't you come put those in water along with these lovely tulips that Sirius brought me. Papa, I'll get you some glasses for your vodka."

Misha nodded and placed the bottle on the coffee table before he sat down. Sirius took a seat on the love seat across from him, smiling at Lady Godiva when she came over and rested her head on his knee. "Va panther rather likes you."

Sirius scratched the large cat behind the ears and smiled. "Seems too. She's pretty friendly."

Misha snorted. "I vouldn't say vat. Vat cat bit her last boyfriend in va… you call vem bollocks?"

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

Misha nodded. "She's a very good judge of character vat one. She knew vat last man, he vasn't good. So she acted. Lady Godiva and I vink alike."

Sirius only nodded unsure whether or not to believe Misha as Zee and Sorcha came back into the room with four glasses. Misha put a freezing charm on the bottle, chilling the vodka before he poured them each a double shot and passed it around. He held the glass up as a toast and smiled.

"Ypa!"

Sirius tossed back the vodka, the smooth flavour it of it on his tongue. He had to admit, it was damn good. He smiled at Zee as she settled next to him and patted his knee gently.

Misha poured them all a double shot again as he spoke. "Zahira vells us vat you have a son?"

"I do. Godson technically, but he's been with me since he was five."

"Are you a good parent?"

Sirius smiled. "I think so."

"He's a wonderful father," Zee told him with a smile. "Harry is very lucky to have him, Papa. Sirius and his friend Remus have both raised him."

Sorcha rolled her eyes. "Misha likes to think that he is intimidating."

"I am!" he insisted, turning to glare at her.

Sirius chuckled. "If I didn't know you were an Auror, I would have known you were an Auror or at least in law enforcement. You have that scary intimidating eye stare perfected."

Misha looked pleased with this. "I have been an Auror now for virty-two years. Been married to my Sorcha now for venty years. I am happy vith my life."

Sorcha took her husband's hand in her own, kissing his fingers and smiled. "Zee says that you repair old motorcycles and work for the Hogwarts Board of Governors?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I love motorbikes and working on the Board has been a nice change of pace for me."

"You don't vant to get yourself a career, do something important," Misha asked. "Zee vells me vat you already spent vime in prison?"

Sirius nodded, letting out a slow breath. "I did. For a crime that I never committed. I was pardoned and released, and no - I don't plan on having a career any time soon. My life involves my son, raising him, and doing what I can for him to keep him safe. My job on the board has recently been taking up a lot of my time as well as we're building on the education program. I enjoy what I do. And I don't need to work financially to survive."

"Va Black family is rather vell known, even in Moscow. I met your father once, Orion, vas it?" At Sirius' nod, he grimaced. "You are nothing like him."

"That I can assure you is the highest form of compliment you can give me. My father and I did not see eye to eye, especially not once the war broke out. He thought Voldemort had the right idea at the time."

Misha nodded, holding up his glass again and urging the others to do the same. "Ypa!"

Sirius drank it back, the icy burn feeling good on his throat.

"You vought in vat var?"

"I did until my best friends were murdered by Voldemort and then I went to prison."

Misha watched him for a moment and poured just he and Sirius another glass. He brought it to his lips and shot it back. "Ypa!"

Sirius did the same. Misha poured them each another double shot, toasted, and once again knocked it back and Sirius followed suit.

"You are a very brave man," Misha said simply, placing his empty glass on the table and then he turned to smile at his daughter. "Vhat are you making us for dinner, Zahira?"

Sirius smiled. He felt like he had just passed a test of some kind and was pleased when he managed to stand successfully with the vodka making his head pound. But he had to admit, Misha and Sorcha Zacarias were not anything like had expected.

Dinner was even rather enjoyable not to mention that the food was amazing. Zee made her infamous Scottish salmon with neeps and tatties along with her father's favourite pirozhki stuffed with cottage cheese and jam. While they ate, Zee's parents talked about how they had met.

After Zee's mother Magnolia had been killed, Misha had been on a revenge mission. After bringing Zee to Georgia to live with Magnolia's parents in America, he did everything in his power to hunt down the man who had murdered his wife. It took him over a year to do so. It was soon after finding the culprit and putting him in prison that he was interviewed by a young, new and upcoming Scottish reporter named Sorcha Brown, looking for a juicy story. They fell in love and moved from Moscow to Edinburgh with Zee in tow and Zee continued to spend one month out of every summer in America with her grandparents. They lived half the year in Scotland and half the year in Russia so that Zee was able to spend time with the Zacarias family and the Brown family when she wasn't at the Koldovstoretz School of Magic. Misha was Head Auror of the Russian Law Enforcement now, having been elected three years prior and he enjoyed it immensely. It also meant that he no longer did field work as often, which pleased Sorcha. Sorcha worked as a freelance journalist for newspapers and magazines both in the United Kingdom and in Russia.

Sirius told them more about Harry and himself, how James' parents had taken him in when he was sixteen. After dinner they had tea and pie and Zee's parents headed home, kissing their daughter goodbye and hugging her close. Sorcha hugged Sirius and Misha slapped him on the back with a big smile.

When Zee closed the door behind them she grinned up at Sirius. "See? That wasn't awful, was it?"

Sirius sighed as she wrapped her arms around him, her head resting over his heart. "No, it wasn't awful. Your parents are very nice people."

She smiled against his chest. "I think Papa even liked you and he's hard to please. Plus you did four shots of Stolichnaya before dinner without batting an eye, that impressed him alone especially because Papa's idea of a shot is two shots to most people."

Sirius grinned and bent his head to kiss the top of her head. "Your mum is sweet. I liked both of them very much. I see both of them in you. You look a bit like your dad, in the shape of your eyes and around the mouth, but you have your mother's innate kindness."

"I like to think so," Zee said with a smile. "I look quite a bit like my mother though. Have I ever shown you a picture of her?" She moved over to the fireplace and reached for one of the fifteen picture frames there and grabbed the one of her parents' wedding. "Her skin was darker than mine since my grandmother was African-American, but we look very much the same otherwise."

Sirius had to agree. Magnolia had the same wild hair, though Zee's was lighter, more caramel, but he could see the similarities. Zee's eyes were slightly more slanted, like her father's, and her skin the colour of rich caramel. "So the curls come from your mum then?"

She smirked. "Papa, too, though he'd never admit it. It's why he keeps his hair so short to begin with. He says they are unmanly."

Sirius chuckled and put the photo back down. "Well, I've met the parents. Now where's my reward?"

Zee laughed when he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the love seat, sitting her sideways in his lap as he sat down. "A reward? I don't believe that I agreed to this."

"No, you just claimed that you were late for work and took off."

"I was late to work because someone distracted me in the shower!"

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Who imposed on who's shower, baby?"

She laughed and kissed him softly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He smirked and popped open a button on the blouse she was wearing. "Lies."

Zee merely grinned at him, her chin defiantly out. "What kind of reward were you looking for?"

"Sexual favours of the most deviant nature obviously," he said, his lips moving to her throat.

"Deviant?"

Sirius licked the pulse in her neck. "Most deviant."

Zee let out a small gasp when his lips trailed over her shoulder, sliding her shirt off. She hadn't even realized that he'd unbuttoned the entire thing. "I don't think I agreed to deviant."

Sirius' tongue trailed under her arm, his lips pressing hot open-mouthed kisses along the underside of her arm and to her elbow. "Oh no? You're about too."

She didn't know what to say when he stood up, holding her in his arms and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. He dropped her onto the bed, vanished her clothes, and summoned the silk tie from her bathrobe into his hand before he tied her hands above her head and secured her to the headboard.

"Sirius!"

He smirked at her, his hand trailing between her breasts, over her stomach, and down between her legs, teasing gently.

"Yes, baby?"

"Untie me!" she insisted, struggling against her tied wrists.

He kissed her gently, softly, and lingering over the taste of her until she was trembling. "Trust me."

Zee's dark eyes looked up at him and she nodded.

He smiled in triumph and pulled his tee shirt over his head, carefully tying it over her eyes.

"Sirius," she said softly.

"No," he said, kissing her lips. "Shush."

And then he stretched out sideways across the bed on his stomach, lifted her leg, and placed it over the back of his neck and bent his head to feast on her.

She cried out in surprise as his tongue swept across her, "Sirius!"

He simply smirked against her and kept going, the angle different than anything he had done before as he eagerly swept his tongue over her and into her, tasting her as she trembled and gasped his name. When the orgasm swept over her, she screamed his name in and he grinned triumphantly, kissing his way up her stomach and taking off the blindfold.

"That was the dessert that I needed," he said.

"Untie me," she demanded, breathless.

Sirius did as she asked and she pounced on him, tugging his jeans down and freeing him as her hand slid over him, stroking his balls in delight. He arched into her hand and she smiled.

"Do you know what I love about you?"

"What?" he asked, groaning as her nails slid gently over his sack.

"How much pleasure you take in pleasing me. It's such a turn on. I've never been with anyone who was so giving, so good at getting me off."

He smirked at that as her thumb brushed over his tip. "I love watching you come for me."

Zee stroked his length. "I love coming for you."

Sirius chuckled and then groaned when she pumped him twice, stopping to fondle him again. "Zee…"

"What do you want me to do to you?"

Sirius' eyes met hers. "You know what I like."

"Mmm, yes I do, but what do you want right now?" she asked, her thumb stroking the underside of his thick length achingly slow. "Where do you want my hands? My mouth? My body? Tell me." She squeezed him and he groaned. "I want to give you that reward that you were so keen on a little bit ago."

"Mouth," he hissed when she pumped him again.

Zee merely raised an eyebrow. "Where do you want my mouth? Here?" she asked, kissing his abs. "Or perhaps here," her mouth slid along his ribs in soft whispering kisses.

Sirius groaned. "Anywhere."

She smirked and kissed the inside of his elbow, then the underside of his knee, his thigh, his ankle, his sack, his right nipple, his throat… and he was panting.

"Like this? Is this how you want my mouth?"

Sirius continued to pant as her thumb continued to idly stroke the underside of him. "No."

"No?"

Sirius grabbed a fistful of her curls. "Put your mouth on me."

Zee smirked and placed her mouth on his throat. "Like this?"

Sirius tugged on her hair. "Suck my sodding prick, Zee."

She laughed and kissed his lips softly. "There's that naughty mouth that I love so much."

And then she slid down him, his hand still fisted in those curls, and proceeded to do exactly that.


	106. Chapter 106

_Author's Note:_

 _Some big changes are coming which I think you all realized due to Peter's trial in Harry's second year and the instating of Remus Lupin as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor in February of second year — but, Sirius is figuring out what's going on here and he has some serious (no pun intended) thinking to do._

 _As for my last two chapter updates, I don't write this one chapter at a time and post it, I am ahead of this story (Harry is almost done his third year), you are only getting one or two chapters at a time so for those of you thinking that I'm skipping over things or not addressing issues, remember that you don't have the whole story. Be patient. I have it all planned out._

 _This would I guess be the beginning of Part V._

 _Also for those you continuously using reviews to bash Ginny — once again, I am a HINNY shipper. It says this WILL BE a Hinny story in the description. Nothing you say will change that so if you don't like Hinny or don't like Ginny than I suggest you not bother reading any further as I like her and she will be a BIG part of this story._

 _For those of you adamantly defending my story in reviews specifically to E-Dett, WarMunger98, MMMARGEAU, Steelcode, and coloredwords, I thank you for your kind words and for your support. Nothing in the world makes an author feel better than to see someone sticking up for them. I value your reviews and I thank you for reading._

 _Also, Happy Halloween._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIX:**

 **When Harry stepped off of the Hogwarts Express on the 19th of June, he was a little nervous to see his godfather.** He saw that Sirius was waiting for him with Marauder and the dog took one look at him and made a beeline straight towards him. Harry laughed and fell to his knees to greet the dog who barked happily, licking his face and hands in happiness. Harry kissed the top of Marauder's head and hugged him close and the dog let him hold him. When he stood up and made his way over to Sirius, he smiled.

Sirius was talking to Hermione's parents and he rather looked a bit guilty when his eyes caught Harry's.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked as he approached them.

"Harry, what does your father mean that our daughter was 'petrified solid'? What does that even mean? Is she all right?" Mr Granger demanded as Mrs Granger held her hand over her mouth in horror. "How come no one informed us of this?"

Harry winced. "She's fine. Honest, look!" He gestured to Hermione who was walking with Ron and smiled at the sight of her parents. Harry pulled her close for a tight hug so that he could whisper. "Uncle Sirius accidentally told them you were petrified. I'm sorry."

Hermione glared at Sirius before hurrying over to hug her parents.

Sirius draped an arm over Harry's shoulders. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Big mouth," Harry said simply.

Sirius laughed and kissed the top of his son's head. "I listened to Minnie and I waited, not so patiently my three weeks, Prongslet, I want to know every last detail of what the hell happened down in that Chamber. Minnie insisted that you were okay and that all was well. Now, how much was she just reassuring me so that I wouldn't hover around the castle, _Mr Kept Insisting You Were Perfectly Fine Every Single Night I Called You On The Mirror_?"

Harry grinned. He had known that Sirius would hound him in the minute that he had come home and he couldn't blame him. "I'm okay, Uncle Padfoot as I told you _every single night when you called me on the mirror._ " At Sirius' raised eyebrow he sighed. "I didn't want to go through it all again that night and I just… I will tell you everything, I promise. Let's just go home first. I only want to say it once and Uncle Rem still wants to know everything too."

Sirius nodded and whistled at Marauder, who was greeting Ginny with enthusiasm. It had been killing him not to rush to the school every day and demand of Harry what had happened, but Minnie had assured him that his son was fine and Harry had also insisted that he was fine, but the not knowing had left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Harry wasn't a little boy anywhere and when he had insisted he go home, that he was fine and not to come to the castle, Sirius had listened. Now as he watched his son wheel his trunk and Hedwig's cage out of the station, he wondered if he should have just ignored his son's wishes and rushed headlong back to the castle the next morning and cradled him like the child he had once been.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry, Sirius, and Marauder arrived at Black Cottage. Sirius told Harry to bring his trunk upstairs along with Hedwig's empty cage and unpack. Hedwig was already in the kitchen with Persephone. By the time that Harry was unpacked and his dirty clothes in the laundry basket, Remus was there too.

He smiled at his fathers and headed into the kitchen for a snack, opening the ice box and pulling out the platter of grapes, cantaloupe, and pineapple that was there. He popped a grape into his mouth, turning to find Sirius leaning against the doorjamb.

"What?"

"Minnie says that you slayed the dragon and saved the princess."

Harry smirked at him. "Er, actually it was a Basilisk."

Sirius only raised an eyebrow. "Come sit down and tell us, Prongslet. I need to know what happened."

Harry sighed, carrying the fruit platter into the living room and holding it on his lap so he could eat as he spoke. He knew that his father had been going crazy not knowing what had transpired that night. He had called Harry incessantly on the mirror, asking if he was okay and if he needed to talk and Harry had done his best to reassure him that he was al lright, instead blabbing on about them winning the House Cup, Hagrid's name being cleared and the Mandrake potion having woken everyone up, but he knew that Sirius had seen through him. He had promised to tell him everything as soon as he came home and had asked Sirius to just please wait until then. It was only after Remus had cornered him for the eighth time that he had asked them to leave him alone. He only wanted to go through it once and he would much rather tell his fathers together at the same time when he was home.

Besides, he hadn't spent any time in the hospital wing this time around so they didn't have to worry too much — did they? Yeah right, they were both going to be so mad, he thought bitterly.

Harry popped another grape in his mouth and sighed. "I was going to tell McGonagall, but then I thought that since I have the ability to talk to snakes, only I could get in there anyway."

Sirius frowned, moving to sit next to Harry and propping his feet up on the coffee table. Remus was sitting on the other side of Harry and they were both just watching him carefully. "Hmm, tell a teacher or go after the monster by yourself - seems legit in the choice-making scheme of things."

Harry flushed. "I wasn't alone, I had Ron." At Sirius' face, Harry blanched. "Uncle Sirius, I didn't mean that I —" he trailed off and sighed. "It was stupid."

"Very stupid," Remus said sternly. "I heard part of it from McGonagall and I don't know how you aren't dead! Do you know how dangerous that was? Do you have any idea how worried Sirius and I have been about you? And you just kept telling us that you were fine. Kept insisting that you would tell us everything when you came home."

Harry nodded. He hadn't really been thinking of any of those things in the moment. He had just been thinking about saving Ginny. "I know and I am fine, I swear! But you weren't there! You didn't see Ron's face when we found out that it was Ginny down there! And no one even knew where the Chamber of Secrets was and we thought that we'd figured it out and well… I can talk to snakes so it made sense for me to go… and Ron and I had already learned that the Acromantulas weren't the problem and —"

" — Wow, wow, wow," Sirius interrupted. "Back up a minute, did you just say Acromantulas? Where the hell did you run into an Acromantula in Scotland? Minnie told me that you faced Slytherin's monster, not a fucking Acromantula!"

Harry let out a deep breath. "All right, so you already know about the diary," he began and as he told them about the diary and about Tom Riddle and about Hagrid and how everything had unfolded; they just sat there and listened to him. They didn't interrupt, though Sirius occasionally made a stuttering noise, and when Harry told them how the Basilisk fang had sunk into his arm, how he had felt the venom rush through his blood toward his heart before Fawkes saved him, Sirius actually gasped aloud.

"YOU ALMOST FUCKING DIED, HARRY!" Sirius shouted, his eyes bulging. "Do you understand that? If Fawkes hadn't been down there, the three of you would have bloody well died in that Chamber and no one would have sodding found you! How could you have told us you were fine? This doesn't sound fine to me!"

"Sirius," Remus said, grabbing his friend's arm.

"No," Sirius said angrily, glaring at his friend. "He needs to understand how serious this is!"

"I do!" Harry shouted back, putting the empty fruit platter on the table. "I know it was stupid and I know that I should have found a teacher first but… last year when I went to McGonagall, she didn't listen to me! She didn't trust me — and Ginny was down there! Uncle Siri, she was down there, and I wasn't going to let her die! I wasn't!"

Sirius stared at him for a moment, the slight hysteria to his son's voice had him calming down. "All right, shouting isn't going to solve anything here." He took a deep breath and looked at his son. "We're going to talk about this again, Prongslet. About what the difference is between being brave and courageous over being brave and stupid. You know what you did was brave and I know exactly why you did it. I know that you wanted to save Ginny, but, on the other hand, I want to ground you for being so stupid!"

"What?" Harry exclaimed in horror. "But Uncle Padfoot, that's not fair! I did a good thing and I know that I made a few bad choices along the way, but —"

Sirius held up his hand and Harry immediately quieted. "I said that I want to, not I'm not going to. You did an amazing thing, Harry. You went down there to rescue her from a monster and you succeeded. Dumbledore gave you a Special Award for Services to the School and I can tell you, those are not given out lightly. I am so incredibly proud of you that I could burst. You were a hero and Ginny will always remember that you came for her. That you slew a Basilisk for her. But regardless of how good the deed was — and trust me, it was a truly amazing feat — you are only twelve years old! You shouldn't have had to save her alone. Ideally, Ginny shouldn't have played around with dark magic in the first place, but —"

"— She didn't know!" Harry interrupted, his eyes flashing. "It's not her fault, Uncle Padfoot! It possessed her and he… Riddle, he was taking her soul from her!"

Sirius frowned at that, his eyes meeting Remus'. "He was taking her soul? What do you mean by that?"

Harry nodded, desperate to make them understand. "That's what he told me when I found her. That I couldn't save her because he had claimed her soul for his own and was feeding off of it in some way; that he had used her hopes and her dreams, her fears and her insecurities as a gateway into her soul. She had no idea it was even happening!"

Remus let out a slow breath, his eyes on Sirius. "Have you ever heard of a possession that went after the soul?"

Sirius shook his head, his grey eyes on his son's. "Once from my grandfather, but that was dark magic of the worst kind and…" He didn't elaborate, but instead let out a slow breath. "Harry, I think that you are leaving something out about this. You did not explain the dangers of the diary very well when we first spoke of it. What aren't you telling us right now?"

Harry swallowed slowly, closing his eyes and speaking really fast. He figured that if he said quickly, his fathers might not think it was so bad. Yeah, right, he thought as he quickly babbled to them the one part that he had conveniently left out of the story so far. "ImighthaveforgottomentionthatTomRiddlewasasixteenyearoldVoldemort."

His words were met with complete silence.

It was so quiet, Marauder's heavy breathing by the fireplace seemed to echo in the room.

"What did you just say?" Sirius asked, his voice deadly calm.

Harry gulped and repeated it more slowly. "Tom Riddle was a sixteen-year-old-Voldemort."

The empty fruit tray went flying across the room and crashed into the wall as Sirius marched across the room angrily.

"Sirius," Remus began, but Sirius ignored him and punched the wall again and again. "Sirius!" Remus said louder.

Harry jumped up off the chesterfield and flung his arms around his father from behind, his face pressed into the middle of his back. "I'm sorry! I didn't know who he was! I just wanted to save Ginny!"

Sirius relaxed, turning around to tug the boy into his arms in a tight bone-crushing hug. "Harry, I love you! I love you so much, and the thought of you coming face to face with Voldemort a second time… a sixteen-year-old-version of him… how?"

Harry nodded and he quickly explained how Voldemort had put a memory of himself into the diary so that when Ginny had been possessed, she was possessed by Voldemort - which was why Dumbledore knew that she wasn't to blame for any of it.

Remus stood up and walked over to hug Harry from behind so that the three of them were all smashed together, kissing his son's temple. "We love you and we're so proud of you, but we are also terrified _for you_ , do you understand that?"

Harry nodded at them when they finally let him go. "I know that I broke all sorts of school rules and I know that it was wrong of me but… Ginny is going to be all right and we solved the puzzle of the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk is dead so no one will ever be hurt by it again. I didn't know that it was going to Voldemort, I swear."

Sirius sighed and kissed Harry's forehead. "Yeah, Prongslet, you good. We're not angry at you for rescuing Ginny, we're angry at the situation. It's not fair that you were the one forced to go rescue her."

"But I'm the only one who could open the Chamber of Secrets!"

Sirius nodded and kissed Harry's forehead. "You are twelve years old and you should have gone to a teacher, to Auntie Minnie, and I know why you didn't, I know you were worried that she wouldn't believe you a second time. And Remus and I weren't available to you because of the full moon, and Dumbledore had been forced from the school to attend the board meetings under my direction to avoid suspending him and goddamnit, you did what you had to do! I get that, but I don't like it — and I don't like that you kept all of this from me, that Minnie and Albus both did. I don't like that you wouldn't let me stay with you; that you made me wait to hear about all of this! And I especially don't like that you kept telling me how fine you were. _You are not fine_ after all of this, Prongslet. This was a lot to take in." He kissed his forehead again. "I love you."

"I love you too, Uncle Padfoot," Harry told him, wrapping his arms tight around Sirius and resting his cheek against his father's heart. He could see the fear and worry in his eyes and he didn't want him to worry any more. "I didn't mean to make you worry. I just… Uncle Moony needed you that night."

Remus leaned in to kiss the top of Harry's head. "I am a grown man, Harry, and you always come first; over everything including it being the full moon."

Sirius sighed. "Here I was worried about meeting Zee's parents and I knew that you weren't bloody-well fine, but you wouldn't talk to me!"

Harry sighed as Sirius burrowed him closer to him in another bone-crushing hug. "I'm sorry, Uncle Sirius. I just… I wanted to prove that I was okay by myself that I didn't need… you to… I didn't want to feel like a little kid."

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "Never again, Harry. Never again are you to keep anything like this a secret from me. I want to know everything. Depending on someone else doesn't make you a child, it makes you human. We all need friends and family to love and support us. Okay?"

Harry nodded, grinning when Remus tightened his grip on their big group hug. "I promise. I'm sorry that I pushed you away."

Sirius sighed. "Forgiven, but only because I'm so damn happy to have you home right now." He kissed the top of his head.

They were quiet for a long moment and then Harry's stomach grumbled loudly and Remus chuckled. "I think our growing boy is looking for dinner."

Harry smiled at his two fathers. "What are we having?"

Sirius kissed his forehead again and dragged his fingers through his hair. "I forgot to go shopping so how about we order a pizza?"

Harry grinned. "Okay. After dinner, can you maybe show me how to ride the motorbike, Uncle Padfoot?"

Remus looked at Harry in surprise. "Harry, I think that you're a bit young for that yet."

Sirius smiled. "I told him if he kept his grades up and stayed out of trouble we'd talk about it, but with exams being cancelled, how do I know that you had good marks?"

"Oh, come on!" Harry said desperately, making him laugh.

"We'll talk about it. Not tonight, but we'll discuss it in more length. You are only twelve after all."

"I'll be thirteen in July."

"And thirteen is still a bit young to be driving," Remus said again, looking at Sirius like he had completely lost his mind.

Harry shrugged. "Ron drove in September."

Sirius' brow furrowed. "Oh? He did, did he? You mean when the two of you stole Mr Weasley's car and flew it to Hogwarts illegally breaking the statute of secrecy?"

Harry blushed. "Er, yeah, we'll talk about it later."

"Wise words, Prongslet," Sirius said with an amused look in his grey eyes. "Wise words."

~ ASC ~

 **But after Harry went up to bed that night, the last thing on Sirius' mind was sleep.** Remus had stuck around, saying goodnight to his son before he watched his friend pace frantically in the living room. Sirius knew that Remus understood him well enough not to question him until he spoke. He had been trying to work out Harry's story most of the night in his mind.

A Basilisk.

The Chamber of Secrets.

The Sword of Gryffindor.

The diary.

Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Voldemort.

It all seemed so unreal.

But what seemed the most unreal to him was the idea that the shade or the ghost of Riddle had come to life in corporeal form through a diary. The diary that possessed Ginny Weasley; that fed on her soul and brought her fears to the forefront in a way that nagged at him. He remembered something that his grandfather had once said about committing a crime so heinous that it split one's soul into pieces; something about some of the darkest magic imaginable.

He turned to look at his friend, his eyes wide and muttered a privacy charm around the living room in case Harry came back downstairs.

"It was part of him, Moony."

Remus raised an eyebrow at his friend's words and Sirius dragged his hands through his long locks.

"The diary. Voldemort put a part of himself inside of it."

"His memories in some form, yes," Remus said carefully as he watched his friend continue to pace. "We established that. It is how he was able to possess Ginny so completely. I must admit, it's a form of dark magic that I didn't know was possible."

Sirius shook his head. "That doesn't add up for me. What kind of object is powerful enough to possess another human being in any form without direct correlation with a ghost? It would leave a trail of some kind - whether it was ectoplasm or sulphur, a residue of the ghost would be there. This had none of those things. It wasn't merely a simple possession, that diary fed on her very soul. It sought out her worst fears and brought them to the forefront of her mind in such a way that she clung to that diary even after realizing that it was a bad thing to have. Ginny's a smart kid, Remus; a simple object possession would not exert that much control over her."

Remus nodded, his eyes on his friend, but still not quite understanding what Sirius was getting at. "What else could it be? Dumbledore said that it possessed her."

"Dumbledore isn't always right, Moony," Sirius replied, running his fingers over the stubble on his face. "He's the most brilliant man that I know, true, but he's not all knowing. However, in this instance, I think that he has part of it right, I just wonder if he put the other piece together."

"What other piece?" Remus asked, completely bewildered now.

Sirius sighed. "Rem, do you remember the first time that I went back to Grimmauld Place with Harry?"

Remus nodded. "You brought him to me and told me that he would need extra love that night. He clung to me and woke up screaming a few hours later."

"Kreacher told me that night that Reg had gone after something that Voldemort had hidden in a seaside cave. A locket that he knew was vitally important to Voldemort and had to be destroyed, but he was killed before he could follow through with it and Kreacher couldn't open the locket to destroy it," Sirius told him. "When I was near it… Merlin, the memories swamped me like stepping into a deep fog. I could feel the torture my mother inflicted upon me in those memories; the feel of the whip, the feel of the Cruciatus, it was like I was back there, like it was happening all over again. And then Harry started crying and begging me to put the locket down and I did. I ran out of there, thinking of nothing else but keeping him safe."

"You brought it to Dumbledore."

Sirius nodded and glanced up at the clock. "I did. And I think that it's time the two of us have a chat about it once more. Can you stay?"

"Of course, Padfoot, but what is it that you need to chat with him about?"

Sirius shook his head. "I'll explain after. I'm not sure that I want to believe where my mind is going first. Not until I'm completely sure — because Merlin, I hope I'm wrong."

Remus nodded, but he was watching his friend with worry in his eyes. "Of course."

Sirius only gave his friend a grateful smile and sent a Floo call asking to meet with Dumbledore. Five minutes later he disappeared into the fireplace and he stepped out into Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk absentmindedly stroking Fawkes, the destroyed diary sitting in the middle of his desk and he nodded at Sirius.

"I had thought that you might want to speak with me after speaking to young Harry."

Sirius moved to sit across from him, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Is that what I think it is?"

Dumbledore looked up in surprise. "Is it?"

Sirius stared him down. The last thing that he felt like doing was listening to his old Headmaster's cryptic words. "Don't play games with me, Albus, it's late and what I want to talk to you about is more serious than anything either one of us can possibly imagine. You should have spoken to me that night."

Dumbledore simply touched the tips of his fingers together. "I'm not sure what you are implying, Sirius. I had assumed that you wished to speak with me about Harry and Harry was just fine as you saw for yourself."

"Harry was hardly fine but… he wanted to wait to talk to Remus and I so I respected that, but you should have told me what happened! You should have told me what it was that he fucking faced down there! You should have prepared me for what he dealt with!"

Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes on Sirius. "You're right. I should have come forward and discussed it with you and I didn't. I let you go off to be with Remus, which is where you were needed that night and where Harry knew that you needed to be."

Sirius stared at him. "Remus is a grown man and as much as I need to be there for him, nothing on this earth comes before my son and before my son's well being! That's an excuse for you being too cowardly to tell me that Harry came face-to-face with Voldemort again in this school! You should have told me about that diary, Albus!"

Dumbledore held up the diary with the giant hole through the middle that he had kept on his desk. It was still covered in black ink and in blood. "This can do no more damage, it was completely decimated by the Basilisk venom."

"An object that can possess another human being, possess someone so completely that it was feeding off their very soul is not something that most of us have seen before. In fact, a possession that powerful is a hell of a lot more than a ghost or a mere memory," Sirius said carefully, his eyes on Dumbledore's clear blue ones. "I remember when I was a child, my grandfather once told Reg and I a story about wizards who had created a spell for almost everything including immortality, but that most wizards feared it because it involved murder, which ripped their soul to shreds."

Dumbledore's two pointer fingers tapped together or a moment. "I've spent the last few weeks pondering the same thoughts, Sirius, but I didn't know that night what this was, not for sure."

Sirius simply nodded. He tapped his fingers on his knee and knelt forward, his eyes on Dumbledore. "But you suspected." When Dumbledore didn't answer him, he sighed. "I once brought you a locket that possessed both Harry and I of terrible memories and moments so keen in my past, that I almost felt like I had been transported back to that time and place in my life, that I'd rather forget about. My priority at the time was keeping Harry safe and nothing else mattered to me so I brought it to you. We spoke about it once and you told me that you've kept it locked away; that you haven't attempted to open it and find out the candy prize within."

Dumbledore nodded, standing up and moving to his vault hidden behind one of the portraits. He waved his wand and the vault opened and a few minutes later he pulled out the little ornamental box that he had once placed the locket inside of and pulled out the necklace, placing it on the desk next to the diary. "You believe them both to be pieces of each other."

It wasn't a question, but Sirius responded anyway. "Do you think I'm wrong?"

Dumbledore stared down at the two objects for a long moment. "He was always an intelligent student, Tom, always looking for more and wanting to increase his knowledge in every way possible, but… I guess I never wanted to imagine that he could be capable enough to do it; nor to find the knowledge on how to accomplish it. Hogwarts hasn't carried books with that kind of knowledge in centuries - though we both know that that they exist."

Sirius stood up and moved around the desk to take a closer look at the locket. The immense darkness he could feel pulsing from it, pushing on his own memories, had him stepping back again. "I should have known it for what it was the moment that I saw it. He made a fucking Horcrux."

The Headmaster furrowed his brow as he stared at the locket as if lost in deep thought. "Your grandfather truly told two young boys about something as dark as a Horcrux?"

Sirius snorted. "My family and anything remotely to do with dark magic? You bet your arse he did. Blacks should be proud of that knowledge. The stuff he used to read to us gave Regulus nightmares as a kid and I know that we have books on the subject in the library of Grimmauld Place. But Albus, this locket, the power it wields, how house elf magic bounced off of it the way that it did… this thing has to contain part of his soul. What else could it be?"

Dumbledore frowned at that. "I have to agree with you. I admit that I haven't looked at the locket more than once since we put it away, I put it from my mind, but the moment I heard Harry's tale… about how Tom was able to remove himself from the diary and gain corporeal form… you think that this diary was a Horcrux as well?"

"Are you telling me that you don't?" Sirius asked him incredulously. "If that's not a Horcrux — I'll snog Snape."

Dumbledore chuckled at that. "That will hardly be necessary, though entertaining for the rest of us, I'm sure. No, I am fairly positive that this was not only a Horcrux, but most likely the first one he ever made. He was… resourceful and brilliant and very charismatic when he was at school here and I imagine that he used all of that to perfection when speaking to young Ginny through the diary."

"And Harry said that when the fang slid through the pages there was a screaming sound that sliced through the air, which I would imagine is the sound one's soul makes when it is destroyed — and he has two of them."

"If indeed two is what he truly went for," he advised cautiously.

Sirius paled and sat back down. "You think there are more? How else was he able to escape the Potters' that night? He should have died when that spell rebounded on him. Of course he made more!" Sirius exclaimed almost to himself.

"A lot of questions about that night have always bothered me, Sirius. Many of which I am still ashamed of, including believing you guilty of betrayal," Dumbledore said quietly. "But no, any other wizard would have died, yes, but he was prepared. It's why he came looking for the Philosopher's Stone last year and how Lucius managed to smuggle this into the school this year… he's working on finding himself a body again."

"Without possessing another human?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I believe that takes too much energy and he would always be at war with the dominant soul in which the body resides. The only alternative would be to choose a body in which a Dementor had sucked the soul from, only then would he have full control over the mind of that person, but it would never be ideal, for it would still be possession and not his own. Even then… he must be searching for some way to come back. If this locket is put into the wrong hands… he could come back again, stronger than ever."

Sirius stared at him. "Voldemort placed parts of his soul in that locket and in the diary, in some sick way of trying to live forever… I was hoping on some level that you were here to tell me that I was wrong."

"He was searching for immortality and he used dark magic to try to obtain it. As long as there are pieces of his soul stored away somewhere, he cannot be truly killed. For a man's soul is as much a part of him as the rest, if not more vital to who that man is."

Sirius stared at the locket for a long moment. "My grandfather always said that to kill a man's soul was to burn it alive with Fiendfyre. He taught me the spell when I was thirteen and I almost burnt the house down."

"A very dangerous spell and one that can turn in a second upon he who cast it. Controlling it in any case is difficult for even the most advanced of Charmers. But yes, there are two known ways to kill a living soul, which in turn could also then destroy a Dementor — for if the souls inside of them are destroyed, they would burn from the inside out."

"Fiendfyre and —?"

Dumbledore merely gestured to the ruined diary on his desk. "Basilisk venom as Harry discovered."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Of course! The venom of a Basilisk is corrosive! When Harry told me that it had bit him… it has the ability to kill a soul and therefore destroy a Horcrux. We need to get down into that Chamber and get some more of those fangs."

"I would like to go down into the Chamber, Sirius, but I cannot access it and Fawkes cannot get me down there. He was able to aid Harry when he needed him, but he can't take me below to the Chamber of Secrets otherwise, as there are wards against it — I tried. But the Chamber of Secrets does need to be seen; the body of the Basilisk needs to be removed from the school for one thing, and for another, it needs to be made safe once more in case another student somehow discovers it. It is part of Hogwarts and it's history," Dumbledore said carefully.

Sirius nodded. "Of that we're in two minds, but if you can't get down there, that's not going to happen."

Dumbledore made to speak and Sirius simply shook his head.

"Don't even think about suggesting it, Albus."

"He would only need to open the door."

"No!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes flashing in anger. "He almost died down there! If your phoenix hadn't shown up and healed him, he would be dead, eaten by that fucking monster! Do you really think that I would _ever_ make him go back down there and see the body of the monster he killed? To bring up those kinds of memories? He found his first friend in the world bleeding on the floor down there and you want him to go back! Absolutely not!"

Dumbledore sighed and twirled a finger in his long white beard. "It might be good for him, Sirius. To face it once more, to talk about it and to open up about what he saw down there."

"He did talk about it and we will discuss it more at length, don't you worry about that, but there's no way in hell that I am letting him go back down there, Albus! It's the playhouse of the fucking Heir of Slytherin, who bloody knows what else is down there? The Basilisk could have been child's play. There's obviously still wards and protection spells below to keep it hidden — and strong ones at that!" Sirius said, his voice rising. "It could be a trap down there."

"All valid points," Dumbledore said calmly. "But I really do insist that you speak with your son about venturing back as I really do need to get in there at some point and if Basilisk venom is our best chance of destroying Horcruxes, we are going to have to get some of those fangs."

Sirius simply narrowed his eyes. "Over my dead body."

"Think about it, Sirius. Think about what we were just discussing. Do you honestly think that these two objects are the only pieces of Voldemort's soul? I can tell you with great certainty that I do not. I taught Riddle for seven years and it was I who first visited him at the Muggle orphanage that he grew up in to tell him that he was a wizard. Having known the boy and then the young man, if I had to wager a guess, I'd say he made at least three, but in all reality, he would have aimed higher. He would have aimed for a number of important magical value. A number that he knew to be worthy of such a task."

He knew what the headmaster was saying. He knew exactly what number Voldemort would have considered such a high prize and he could feel his heart beating erratically in his chest as he spoke. "You think that he bloody-well split his soul into seven sodding pieces!"

"It would make the most sense, would it not?"

Sirius buried his face in his hands and swallowed slowly. "Bloody buggering hell. What are they? How would we ever even begin to find them?"

Dumbledore sighed and tapped his fingers on the desk. "That is the question. I would like to go back and to investigate Riddle's past a little more thoroughly. You did intrigue me enough to do some research over the last few years, specifically pertaining to where your brother found the locket."

"In the cave?"

"By a seaside where the orphanage used to take the children over the summer break," Dumbledore said, his fingers tapping gently. "Riddle was a bully even then, harassing the other children and determined to get his way. He kept trophies and when I found them in his wardrobe, I made him give them back. I think something important happened to him that day in that cave and that was why he chose it. But as to what else he could have chosen, I am not sure."

"He's the Heir of Slytherin, right? So that makes him a Gaunt? The Gaunts were the last known ancient house from Slytherin's direct line. Did he know?" Sirius said, mentally checking the pureblood genealogy chart that had been ingrained into his brain since he had been a child.

"I suspected that he found out in '42, but I never had any definitive proof," Dumbledore admitted. "The summer before the Chamber of Secrets was opened, an entire Muggle family was murdered in the town of Little Hangleton. The Gaunts lived near there and the son, Morfin, was arrested for the murders of the family. He died in Azkaban prison. He confessed to the murders, but I thought that it was suspicious at the time."

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Dumbledore sighed. "He had no reason to murder those Muggles. His father and sister were both dead, he was the last member of the Gaunt family that he knew of and Tom had been asking many of the teachers about who his family was, where he hailed from - as he was convinced that his father must have been a very powerful wizard. He never once considered that the power came from his mother. And the family who was murdered? Their son was also called Tom Riddle."

Sirius crossed his arms in front of him. "You've been doing more than just research, Albus, you were keeping tabs on him. For how long? Since the beginning?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "He had… he had something that when I first met him alarmed me on some level, but he was a child, a bully, and someone who obviously enjoyed using his powers to sway his will over others even before ever stepping through the doors of Hogwarts. The woman who ran the orphanage had even informed me that he was a strange boy and when I spoke to him and told him that he was a wizard, he simply looked at me as if he had known it all along. He said he always knew that he was different." He stood up and moved to the cupboard against the wall. "Let me show you my memory of that day…"

Sirius nodded and let Dumbledore project his memory in the Pensieve and he watched as a much younger Dumbledore approached the Muggle orphanage. Sirius watched in fascination as the matron led Dumbledore up the stairs making comments about what a strange boy Tom was and she gave the impression that she was desperately hoping someone would take him away by her comments and actions.

"You set his wardrobe on fire? That seems a little harsh?" Sirius said with a snort once they exited the memory.

Dumbledore shrugged nonchalantly. "He wanted proof and I think I wanted to scare him a little. See how he demanded of me to tell him the truth, as if he was used to manipulating people in some way? I could feel him pressing on my mind almost like an Imperius that wanted me to succumb to his will, but I mastered Occlumency many years ago and I could feel what he was trying to do. He terrified and terrorized the other children. The matron believed that he was the one who had strangled another child's pet rabbit and he seemed to enjoy hurting others; having control over them. I worried about him a bit and I worried about what he would be like when he came to the school for I could see that he had strong ambitions, but he was also cruel as well as a thief. I wanted to keep my eye on him."

"And did you?"

"I did. He was very respectful when he came to the school. He was immediately sorted into Slytherin House and all of the teachers had nothing, but kind words to say about him. He was intelligent and bright and wanted to learn everything that he could," Dumbledore admitted. "He was very different from the boy I had met in the orphanage. When I saw him trying to find his family, I did a bit of my own research in an effort to assist him and I think that I learned who his mother was just after he did. Merope Gaunt, the sister of Morfin."

"What happened to her?"

"She died during childbirth and the father wanted nothing to do with her nor his child. I contemplated going to Tom with this information, letting him know that I knew who the ancient wizarding family was that he had come from and discovering that a Tom Riddle lived in the nearby town, a wealthy Muggle."

Sirius nodded. "A wealthy Muggle… that certainly would have pissed me off. Mum's dead, dad's got money, but he was put into an orphanage? I can see the rage there."

Dumbledore nodded. "Exactly. So I waited, I thought that I would see how he dug into the family history before I shared what I knew. And less than two months later, Tom Riddle Senior and both of his parents were found murdered at their dinner table with not a mark on them. Morfin confessed to the crime, had a speedy trial and was sent to Azkaban and when Tom came back to Hogwarts a few weeks later, he was wearing a signet ring of the House of Slytherin."

"How did he get that?"

"Exactly my question, so I obtained permission from Alastor Moody to visit Morfin Gaunt in Azkaban and I discovered that someone had planted false memories into his brain. By the time I cleared the cobwebs, I discovered that Tom had found him and questioned his family background only to learn that he had come from a Muggle father," Dumbledore explained. "I told Alastor that I believed Morfin was innocent of the murders, but he had already had a signed confession and the man was very ill. He died soon after."

Sirius was pacing back and forth across the office now. "You think that he created the diary then? When he returned to school, he used the deaths of his own family to split his soul the first time and he created the diary at what… sixteen years of age?"

"I do. After he accused Hagrid of the crime, he knew that he couldn't open the Chamber of Secrets again without getting caught. I suspected him then as well, but once again, I had no definitive proof and Headmaster Dippet insisted that Tom could never have been responsible. I had no physical evidence to tie him to the crime of it."

"But you said that Morfin's memory was changed? By him?"

Dumbledore sighed. "It is my belief yes, but Morfin's memory was of speaking to Riddle and then someone obliviating him. He did not actually see his nephew kill the family nor see Riddle as the one to obliviate him."

Sirius nodded, his eyes widening. "I bet the signet ring is one. Think about it. It was a Gaunt family heirloom, probably one of the only things that they even had left of Salazar Slytherin. The locket probably belonged to his mother. I bet the ring is a Horcrux as well."

"It very well could be," Dumbledore agreed, scratching his long nose. "But we don't know where he could have hidden it."

Sirius sighed and took his seat again. "Albus, we need to seriously discuss getting a team together and trying to find these monstrosities. They need to all be found and destroyed, preferably before he finds another body. He cannot come back. I won't let him near Harry. Not again. We need to form a team of witches and wizards and start hunting for these things as soon as possible."

Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes squinting behind his half moon spectacles. "Sirius, do you know why I insisted so vehemently for James and Lily to go into hiding with young Harry?"

He shook his head. "Not officially, but I had gotten the impression from James that it was because Voldemort was after them directly - because the Potters wouldn't join his cause, and James kept escaping his grasp. Then at Wormtail's trial, we found out that he wanted Harry dead."

"Harry was the reason that I insisted, Sirius," he said carefully. "I've been pondering this for many years, telling myself that I shouldn't tell you, that it would only alarm you, but after this, after everything… you need to know."

"What do I need to know?"

"There was a prophecy, Sirius."

Sirius snorted. "Albus, we both know that Divination is complete bullshit."

Dumbledore smiled and folded his hands in front of him. "Usually I would agree with you, but there are some who do have the sight; some who are truly gifted with seeing the future. One of those people is Sybil Trelawney, at least in terms of one night many years ago when I was interviewing her for a new position as the Divination professor here at Hogwarts. As I was finishing up the interview, having determined that she was actually a fraud and possessed none of the sight that her grandmother had been blessed with — she gave a very real prophecy."

"How do you know that it was real if you had already considered her to be fraud?" Sirius asked him, his golden eyes looking at Dumbledore in curiosity.

"She had no memory of it after she spoke the words, Sirius, and trust me, it was very real."

Sirius simply swallowed slowly. His gut was clenching uncomfortably now and he knew that he wasn't going to like what Dumbledore was telling him. "What did it say?"

Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair. "The prophecy warned of a child who would be born at the end of July, who would have the power to defeat the darkest wizard that the world had seen in centuries. There were two babies born at the end of July that year, Harry and Neville."

Sirius stared at the headmaster before he spoke. "You had both the Potters and the Longbottoms go into hiding. Why? It's not like Voldemort knew about this prophecy?"

"A Death Eater who had been spying on me, overheard part of it. He didn't hear the entire prophecy, but only the beginning and it was enough to worry Lord Voldemort and enough to make him decide that killing the child was the best course of action."

"What did it say, Albus?" Sirius demanded.

Dumbledore sighed and carefully extracted the memory from his mind, lying it in the Pensieve and pointing his wand to the basin. A woman in a shawl with large glasses rose from the swirling liquid, her voice trance-like as she spoke.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

Sirius stared at Dumbledore, his eyes wide. "Does that mean…?"

Dumbledore waved his wand and the image of Trelawney disappeared. "That Voldemort chose Harry to be his equal and ultimately marked him as the one with the power to destroy him… the answer is yes, Sirius. Harry is the one who is destined to kill Voldemort."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Just a helpful reminder and no, I am still not officially splitting up this story._

 _Part I — Chapters 1-49: Harry's first year with his dads._

 _Part II — Chapters 50-61: Harry growing up with a family, ages 7-11_

 _Part III — Chapters 62-73: First year_

 _Part IV — Chapters 74-105: Second year_

 _Thank you and please review!_


	107. Chapter 107

_Author's Note:_

 _Been planning this for a while and I did the research on it; looked up driving directions including how long it would take, and how far to drive it. Google was very much my friend here LOL. I have plans my lovelies, so many plans._

 _Bit of a binge writing this weekend — guess who has most of third year written, but not edited or organized, this girl! Plus I made quite a few notes for fourth year._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVEN:**

 **When Sirius stepped back into Black Cottage that night, he was at a complete loss of words.** Not only had Dumbledore fully confirmed his suspicions about Horcruxes, but he had also dropped the prophecy bombshell on him. Arguing had done nothing to lessen that blow; not to mention the multiple objects that Sirius had destroyed in his rage by throwing them around the Headmaster's office like a petulant child.

Dumbledore should have told him before this; it was something that he needed to be aware of. He should not have been kept in the dark about this and most of all, he had no idea what to do with the information now that he had it.

And he had no idea what the hell he was going to tell Harry.

Sirius had always believed Albus Dumbledore to be a brilliant and powerful wizard, if not a bit set in his ways. He had always led people to the greater good even when Sirius didn't always agree with his decisions, but he knew that having Dumbledore on your side was something everyone wanted. It was why he had trusted him with the initial finding of the locket over six years ago.

Now he was cursing himself for not realizing instantly what he had found. He dragged his fingers through his hair and went into the kitchen in search of whiskey. He needed a drink.

He had just finished pouring two fingers into a glass when Remus stepped in from outside, Marauder with him.

"Hey, I was beginning to think that you were going to stay out all night," he said casually, moving to take a seat at the kitchen table.

Sirius stared at his front and nodded. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bail like that."

"Did Dumbledore reassure your worries?"

Sirius shook his head and downed the whiskey. "He made Horcruxes, Moony."

Remus stared at him for a moment. "I'm assuming by the look of horror on your face that those are bad?"

Sirius nodded and took a seat across from his friend. "It's very old and very dark magic. I should have known that the locket was one six years ago, but I was too focused on Harry and too caught up in my own fucking head to deal with it back then." He poured himself a second glass and Remus covered the glass with his hand.

"Sirius, what is a Horcrux?"

"A piece of his soul."

Remus stared at him, his mouth open in abject horror as his friend reiterated the conversation he had had with Dumbledore that evening. "Dumbledore believes he made seven? Bloody hell! _Seven_!"

"Now you are where I am," he muttered, pouring a glass of whiskey for Remus.

Remus accepted the drink and knocked it back, coughing slightly before his eyes met Sirius'. "And the prophecy… he's sure it's about Harry?"

Sirius nodded. "It has to be, Moony. It said that the Dark Lord would choose his equal and he chose Harry by going after him as a baby. He marked him with that fucking scar, it makes sense."

"How are we going to tell Harry any of this?"

"We're not fucking telling him!" Sirius fumed, his voice rising. He caught himself and muttered 'Muffliato' under his breath to give them privacy in case Harry woke up and wandered downstairs. "He's twelve years old!"

"I didn't mean right this second, Padfoot," Remus said slowly, "But we can't keep this from him!"

Sirius tapped his fingers on the table. His grey eyes were stormy with rage, but he nodded. "Fuck, I know. I know that…" he dragged his fingers through his hair. "But we can't tell him yet. I-I don't want to tell him yet. I don't want him to have this huge prophecy hanging over him and make him think he has to… he's only a boy… _our boy_ … if this year proved anything, a boy who has a habit of making himself a hero. He has such a good heart, Moony, _such a good heart_ , and he wants to protect everyone and… Merlin… he's already come up against Voldemort three times and he's only twelve!"

Remus nodded and brought his hands to his hair. "I know. It terrifies me as well. Do you think that he knows on some level that this fight between him and Voldemort isn't really over?"

Sirius glanced up at the ceiling, rubbing a hand over his heart. "I don't know. I'm afraid to know the answer."

Remus sighed and poured himself a second glass of whiskey. "As to the Chamber of Secrets, I do think that it's a good idea to take Harry back down there, Siri."

Sirius' eyes darkened black. "No."

"Padfoot, you of all people should understand how something traumatic like that can fester in someone. I think going back down there would be good for him; we can show him that it's safe now and that the snake is really gone and so is Riddle." His eyes raised to the ceiling as he spoke. "He had a nightmare about it while you were gone."

Sirius' eyes darkened. "Is he all right?"

Remus nodded. "He's fine. I heard him crying in his sleep and I went in to check on him, Marauder was nudging him awake and he was hugging his dog. He said something about Ginny and there being so much blood. I think that she was more injured than we thought she was; more than Harry really knows."

"I'll write to Molly and Arthur again and see how she's doing," Sirius told him. "Did he say anything else?"

Remus shook his head. "Not really, just muttered something about Voldemort leaving part of himself behind. I didn't quite understand it and he said that he was fine; insisted on it and told me not to worry. When I left he was using his journal which made me feel a bit better."

Sirius nodded. "That was a brilliant idea on your part. I think journalling helps him quite a bit."

"I wish you would use the one I bought you, Padfoot. If anyone needs to work through their nightmares it's you."

Sirius smiled at his friend. "They aren't as bad as they used to be and having Zee there helps more than I can say."

"Do you actually talk to her about them?"

"Sometimes, yeah," he admitted. "But I don't want to worry her either so I try not to tell her too much."

"You're not worrying her when she loves you," Remus told him. "Ever since I… talking to Dora helps me in ways that I can't explain, Padfoot."

Sirius only nodded and his friend sighed.

"So, what else did Dumbledore say about these Horcruxes? Are we going to form a team to help find them?"

"We're going to talk more it, yeah. Albus is going to spend the summer trying to find out more about what Voldemort did after he graduated from Hogwarts, before he adopted the nom de guerre of Lord Voldemort. He's hoping it might help us get a better idea of what the Horcruxes are. I think that Albus knows more than he let on as well, but to be honest, I just… I need time to mull this over and the last thing that I want is for Harry to be worrying about it. Once he's back at school and away, we can buckle down and try to form a plan on this. I don't want this weighing one him. We can spend the summer to regroup and research."

"And what about the Chamber of Secrets?"

Sirius sighed. "I'll talk to Harry about it, but I don't want him to go down there again. We can use Fiendfyre to destroy them, Moony. We don't need the Basilisk venom."

Remus nodded. "Not officially no, you do have the Sword of Gryffindor available for that."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "The sword doesn't have the power to destroy a Horcrux; it's strong, goblin steel strong, but not exactly soul destroying."

Remus smiled. "The Sword of Gryffindor's enchantment absorbs everything it comes into contact with, Padfoot. Harry stabbed the Basilisk with it which would have absorbed the blood and the venom into the blade; I think it would work against the Horcrux as effectively as a Basilisk fang."

Sirius grinned as he realized what his friend was saying. "That is one small blessing."

"But, you should still consider bringing Harry back down into the Chamber. Not right this second, maybe in September and maybe Ginny as well. It could help them both deal with what happened."

Sirius sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. "I'll think about it, all right, Moony?"

Remus smiled. "That's all that I ask. Harry is playing this off, but he slayed a Basilisk to save Ginny and he almost died doing it. Don't let him push this down this summer, get him to talk about it and I'll do the same. If he talks to us, he'll feel better, and Merlin knows that we both will too."

Sirius was quiet for a long moment before he poured himself some more Firewhiskey. "I've been thinking about taking him away this summer."

"Away where?"

Sirius shrugged. "Everywhere. I had this idea of taking a road trip on the bike and… just me and Harry. It would give us a chance to talk and to just mellow and adjust to everything that has happened over the last two years. What do you think?"

"I think it sounds brilliant. I think you both could more than use the vacation and getting Harry away from it all for a bit, alone, I think that he'd really open up more."

"You could meet us out somewhere for Harry's birthday, what do you think? I mean, of course you're welcome to come too, but I know you won't be up for the motorcycle part."

Remus smiled. "Of course I'll be there for his birthday, Padfoot, but this trip sounds perfect for the two of you. You could both use it. But in all honesty, you'll think about what I'm saying about the Chamber of Secrets? You'll discuss it with him?"

Sirius nodded, removing the privacy charm from the kitchen. "Yes, I'll think about it and I promise that I'll talk to Harry about it, but not the prophecy… not yet."

Remus nodded, his eyes on his friend. "All right, Padfoot. One thing at a time."

Sirius only stared at his friend, his eyes sad. "Let's see what Dumbledore's research entails this summer and then we'll talk about it again."

Remus only nodded. "Okay, that sounds like a good idea."

"And Rem?" When his friend's golden eyes met his grey ones, he swallowed slowly. "I want to fill Zee and Tonks in on all of this, but the prophecy… let's just keep that between us two for now until we… figure things out."

Remus nodded, his face somber. "Agreed."

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning Harry made his way downstairs and made himself some toast.** He'd had a nightmare about the Chamber, about finding Ginny too late and Tom using his own wand against him. He felt restless and tired, but he didn't want to worry his godfather anymore so he had made his way downstairs anyway. Sirius came down a few minutes later stifling a yawn and looking like he had gotten even less sleep than Harry. He pointed to the chores chart on the fridge as he drank his tea.

"I think that it's time for us to revamp this."

Harry nodded, his eyes on the chart. "Revamp as in give me more chores? Like a punishment?"

Sirius chuckled as he watched his son butter the toast. "Well, I was thinking more along the lines of more responsibility rather than punishment."

Harry pouted. "It still sounds like punishment."

Sirius only grinned at him. "For example, you are pretty good at throwing a meal together. I think we should start splitting the cooking duties around here. Maybe three nights a week, you can cook dinner, what do you think?"

"I like to make food especially when I get to eat it."

Sirius grinned. "Perfect then. We can still make our weekly dinner plans, but now you'll be the chef three nights a week. If we're lucky, maybe we can even con Zee into coming over and cooking for us once a week-ish. That woman really knows how to cook!"

Harry had to agree with that. Mrs Weasley was the best cook he had ever met, but Zee might be even better. She was always whipping up something small and simple that turned out to be absolutely incredible. "Maybe. How did meeting her parents go?"

Sirius shrugged and smirked at him. "They were nice. I've never met a girl's parents before. It was different."

"Never?" Harry asked in surprise. "Like, _ever_?"

"Well, I met Lily's parents once upon a time but no, never a girl I was with. I told you, Prongslet, I never did the whole girlfriend thing, not really."

Harry nodded and watched Sirius as he stole an apple from the basket on the counter. "That's why Zee's special, right?"

"She's special for a lot of reasons, but yeah, I guess that's why."

Harry ate his toast quietly for a moment. "Maybe she'll teach me some of her recipes."

Sirius smiled at him. "I'm sure that she would love to. You should ask her about it." He took a drink of his tea and bit into his apple. "So, what are the plans for the summer? Did you make any plans with your friends?"

Harry shook his head. "Not really. Neville is actually going to Brazil for two weeks with his great uncle Algie. He wants to see the rainforest and has been begging him to go so that he can learn more about some kind of plants or something. Mrs Longbottom thinks that it's a waste of time as she wants him to become an Auror like his dad, but his great uncle says that it sounds great."

"That sounds amazing. Nev is going to love that," Sirius told him honestly. "Mrs Longbottom needs to realize that Neville is very different from Frank. That sounds like an exciting trip for him."

Harry grinned. "I agree. He loves Herbology and the opportunity to spend time surrounded by vegetation is going to make him very happy. He won't be back until around our birthdays. Hermione is going to Paris for an entire month. They're staying with a friend of her mother's and she says that she plans to travel everywhere and visit every museum that she can find."

"Sounds rather ambitious."

"I think so. Ron wants to stay close to Ginny and to home. Bill mentioned something about taking his family to Egypt, or at least Ginny, to help her heal he says, but I don't know if that's happening or not," Harry admitted.

Sirius nodded. "Sounds like everyone is going on vacation."

"We're not," Harry said.

Sirius shrugged. "Want to?"

"Just like that?"

"Why not? We haven't been anywhere since we spent time in Italy other than our little time in Greece for Thea and Xander's wedding. Let's go somewhere, just the two of us."

Harry grinned, popping the last bite of toast into his mouth. "Really?"

Sirius smiled and leaned back in his chair, expertly balancing on the two back legs of the chair. "Yeah, let's go somewhere. You've had a long and stressful year with the Chamber of Secrets and dealing with Voldemort all over again, which still scares me to the very depths of my soul, so let's just book it out of here. Just the two of us. Go somewhere new and exciting and play tourist. What do you say?"

"Yeah!"

Sirius grinned and slapped his hands on the table. "Where do you want to go?"

Harry shrugged. "Anywhere."

"I'm glad that you said that." At Harry's look, Sirius dipped his chair back to the ground and walked into the sunroom. He came out with a folder. "Ever since we talked about you possibly learning to drive the motorbike, I started planning us a little vacation for this summer. Actually, a _really big_ vacation."

Harry's eyes lit up and he moved his chair around the table when his father sat back down. "You've been planning something?"

"For a few months now. I was thinking that we could take a road trip. We can rent some badass Muggle sports cars if you want too, but I was thinking that we could drive the Ducati the entire way and if you're lucky, I'll teach you how to drive it."

Harry's eyes widened. "Actually?"

Sirius shrugged. "Maybe. I was thinking the Ducati would be great. The way I've planned it, Prongslet, it will take most of the summer. I was thinking of going for fifty days."

" _Fifty days_?" Harry exclaimed in surprise. "Really? Where are we going?"

Sirius opened the book and pointed to the map. "Well, I did a little research on the best road trip places in Europe, talked to a travel minister and well, I got a list of where to go — but in all honesty, I'm thinking, 11 countries, roughly 15,000 kilometres in 50 days."

Harry stared at him in awe.

"It's too much, right? I just that thought it would be full of landscapes and fun places we can stop off on, not to mention a shit ton of driving, but we can travel around, see the sights, take a ton of photos and just unwind. You've had two very intense years of school, Prongslet, and both of them involved meeting a form of Voldemort at the end of the year and I think that we both need this. It could be fun, no?"

"Uncle Sirius, this is brilliant! When can we leave?"

Sirius grinned. "Excellent. I say the beginning of next week."

"Are we really going to do it all on the Ducati?"

Sirius grinned. "We are. I just need to add a few adjustments to it."

Harry couldn't stop smiling. "What about Zee?"

"What about her?" Sirius asked, looking over the pages of notes he had made on road maps. "She's working and she travels for her job all of the time. She's getting ready to make a trip to Brazil and to Hong Kong herself for most of the summer. She'll be fine without me."

"I know that she'll be fine," Harry told him, rolling his eyes. "But will you be fine without her?"

Sirius grinned at him. "Listen here, kid, I don't need to be with her twenty-four/seven. I love her very much, but this trip is about us. Besides, you and me, we need some time to ourselves, don't you think?"

Harry nodded and grinned widely. "It sounds brilliant. What about Marauder?"

"I'm sure that Uncle Remus and Tonks will take care of him or we can ask Andy and Ted. Uncle Remus is going to meet us for part of the trip, maybe for your birthday? What do you say?"

He could only keep grinning in response. It sounded like the coolest thing in the world to him; especially if Sirius was going to teach him how to ride the motorbike.

~ ASC ~

 **By the end of the next week, Harry and Sirius had everything organized and ready to go.** Remus helped them each put an undetectable extension charm and featherlight charms on their book bags which they filled with clothes, toiletries, a camera with tons of film, a few school books for Harry as he had summer homework to do, some priority vinyl for Sirius, and Harry brought along his journal.

The '75 Ducati 450 Scrambler was ready to go. Sirius had added some features to it including cushioning charms, extending the seat to give the two of them more room, flying capabilities, and he magically installed a record player underneath the seat, using a Sonorous charm to have the music play in the two helmets.

Harry was beside himself with excitement.

It seemed like the coolest trip he could ever imagine and spending all of that time with just Sirius would be really great. It had been a while since the two of them had spent any real time together especially in the last few years with Harry going to school and spending time with his friends and with Zee coming around and with Remus and Tonks getting together. Remus had agreed to come on the trip as well, but only for a few days - promising to meet up with them in Norway which would be around Harry's thirteenth birthday.

Sirius warned him again that it would be a lot of driving; a lot of time spent on the back of the bike, but Harry was too excited. The sights and the landscapes to see alone would make it worth it. Not to mention that he was itching to learn to drive it.

Zee came to see them off on the twenty-eighth of June with a big smile. She'd packed them a basket full of food for the road with a cooling charm to keep it fresh in Harry's book bag. When they returned on the sixteenth of August, she would just be getting back into town herself, but she promised them she would be back before Harry went back to Hogwarts. She kissed them both goodbye and Harry grinned widely when she kissed his cheek, hugging her tightly as she smiled warmly at him before he slipped his book bag onto his back and accepted the helmet from his father, putting on the aviator sunglasses Sirius had bought him (they even matched his prescription so that he was able to see through them) and then he climbed onto the back of the Ducati. It was extremely comfortable with the cushioning charm and he had tons of room to himself, but he still had to hold onto his father when he drove.

Sirius used his wand to set the first record into place as ACDC belted out _Back in Black_ and they took off down the road, the roar of the engine muffled from the music. The warm wind whipped through the tee shirt that Harry wore and he was grinning widely as they started their journey towards their first destination: France.

They stopped four hours in to eat some of the food that Zee had packed for them and then headed back out, stopping once more for a quick bathroom break before arriving in Provence, France late that night. Sirius set up privacy wards and he unpacked the tent that he had purchased and he and Harry got to work, nailing the tent into the ground at all sides.

Sirius wheeled his bike into the tent and Harry followed him inside yawning. The tent was large. There were two large beds on either side of the tent, privacy curtains to separate the beds from a small living room area and a small kitchen between the two bedroom areas with a bathroom at the back.

Harry had already been given the task of cooking dinner that first night and he hurried over to their supplies to see what was there. Twenty minutes later, he had bacon and tomato sandwiches ready for them and cheesy mashed potatoes. He and Sirius ate in silence for a few moments before Sirius spoke up.

"I'm really glad that we decided to do this, Harry."

Harry grinned at him. "Me too."

"You were okay on the back of the bike today? We did drive for almost sixteen hours and I know that we stopped to rest a few times, but still — it was a really long day."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, your charms were great, plus it's great to be on the bike. Where are we headed tomorrow?"

"Well, we're in Provence at the moment, so I thought that we could see some of the market towns to start. What I want this trip to be about is anything that we see along the way that interests us, we're going to stop for it. It's about what we want to do together. Deal?"

He grinned widely. "Deal."

Harry couldn't imagine anything better.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus fed Marauder and glanced at the clock.** Harry and Sirius had already been gone for over a week. If they were keeping to schedule, they should have already left France and moved into Italy and would be leaving Italy within the next day or two to head to Romania. He wondered how Harry was doing on the back of the motorbike and if Sirius had caved when it came to letting their son drive.

He wasn't surprised that Harry wanted to learn nor was he surprised that Sirius wanted to teach him, he had just thought that his friend would have waited until Harry was old enough.

He should have known better.

He was supposed to be meeting Tonks at her office for five thirty. They had reservations at her favourite Muggle Thai restaurant that night and he was looking forward to it. Not only had it been too long since he had eaten Thai food, but far too long since the two of them had actually gone out together on a real date. With him accepting the post as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and moving into Hogwarts castle for the last few months, she had been coming to him.

He _really liked_ that she had been coming to him.

Remus had never imagined that he would be spending his time as a professor sneaking around the castle in the middle of the night like a horny teenager, but he was. Tonks was insatiable and mischievous and he loved it. They'd had sex against and on every surface in his office, including in his desk chair. He'd made slow love to her on the sofa in the staff room in the middle of the night, in his chair at the Head Table in the Great Hall, in a broom closet by Gryffindor Tower, and twice in the library — once in the restricted section. She'd gone down on him in his office, twice in different alcoves around the castle and once in a broom closet. His favourite moment by far was when he'd used his mouth on her on Sprout's desk over and over and over again as she cried and begged for him. He'd also pleased her in the kitchens when the house elves left them alone and he'd bent her over Snape's desk more times than he wanted to admit. The last time they'd almost been caught, giggling and laughing like children as they ran before Snape found them.

But it wasn't just their middle of the night sexual adventures.

They spent countless nights curled up in front of the fire just talking about everything and anything. Remus would read to her or tell her about his lessons or tell her about the research that he'd done on lycanthropy over the years including what he had learned from the professor in Paris and she would talk about work, on the cases that weren't classified, and told him about what she had tripped over that day when he asked about her newest bruise (as she was adorably clumsy).

She made him so incredibly happy that he sometimes couldn't even begin to put it into words.

He changed into comfortably snug blue jeans and wore a sage green dress shirt rolled to the elbows, his eyes noticing his scars on his arms. That was another thing, he thought, ever since he had come clean to her about being a werewolf, he wasn't ashamed of his scars anymore. He didn't work to hide them from others like he always had. He was comfortable with himself and for the first time in his life, he felt truly proud of who he was.

He scratched Marauder behind the ears and promised the dog to be back later that night before he Apparated to the Ministry of Magic. He registered himself as a visitor and made his way to the lifts, whistling as he went. He hadn't seen Tonks since yesterday and he had missed her terribly as she had worked a double shift. He was used to seeing her every day, holding her almost every night and to be without her left a void in him that he was unused too.

He looked up in surprise when the familiar platinum blonde woman stepped into the lift with him and smiled brightly at him. "Remus! Hi, it's been so long!"

He nodded, smiling at her. It had been a long time, he thought, trying to remember back; Harry had been around seven when he had the affair, he thought. "Yes, it's been quite a few years. How are you doing, Roni?"

"Very well thank you! I was on my way out for the day when I realized that I forgot my purse at my desk," she told him hitting the button for floor three. "My mind is in a million different places today."

Remus nodded, smiling warmly. "Well, it's lovely to see you again," he said as the lift began to move.

Veronica nodded. "I agree. I admit that I've thought about you quite a bit from time to time." Her tongue trailed across her bottom lip as she looked at him. "Even contemplated calling you for a good rogering. You were definitely worth the time in the bedroom, Remus, such stamina and so… well endowed."

Remus blushed bright red as the door dinged for the second floor: Department of Magical Law Enforcement. "That's kind of you to say. It was good, our time together. We had fun. This is my stop though, it was nice seeing you again."

Veronica made to speak and then closed her mouth and stepped off of the lift with him instead. "Remus!"

He turned to look at her in surprise. "Yes?"

She took a step towards him, biting her bottom lip and she tapped her fingers up the buttons on his shirt. "I could be persuaded to invite you back to my flat if you maybe wanted to have a little fun, for old times' sake."

Remus blushed and took her hand off of his chest. "I'm flattered, but I'm actually seeing someone. I'm here to meet her now actually. She's an Auror."

Veronica nodded, her fingers curling around his hand. "You could not meet her," she said seductively, moving closer to him. "We could head back to my office and I can get on my knees and wrap my mouth around your —"

"Remus!" Tonks called out, heading towards him.

Remus, if possible, turned even redder, pulling his hand away from Veronica's grasp. "Nymphadora," he said gratefully as he stepped away from Veronica. "Um… this is Veronica Riley. She's an agent in the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad. Roni, this is my girlfriend, Nymphadora Tonks, she's an A2 in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Tonks held out her hand to Veronica, wrapping her other arm around Remus' waist and slipping her hand into the front pocket of his jeans in a very possessive gesture that she knew surprised and pleased Remus at the same time. The way the woman was looking at her mate was enough to make Tonks want to claw her eyes out. She could feel Remus' heartbeat rapidly pulsing between her breasts. "Hello, Roni, is it?"

Veronica looked taken aback. "Yes. Remus and I are old friends."

Tonks let her eyes travel up and down Veronica with distain. "I can see the old part."

" _Excuse me?_ " Veronica exclaimed, her eyes narrowing in Tonks' direction.

Tonks simply stood on her toes and kissed Remus' cheek. "Are you ready to go, babe?"

Remus was biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. Veronica looked like she could blow a gasket at any moment and Tonks was being extra touchy, he thought as his mate's hand slid over his abs. He was enjoying it more than he should be, he realized. "Yes, let's go. It was nice to see you again, Roni, truly."

Tonks linked her fingers through Remus' hand and turned to look back at Veronica as they stepped into the lift, who was staring at them with seething eyes as the door closed behind them. She looked up at Remus the moment the doors closed. "You shagged her."

Remus opened his mouth and then promptly shut it again.

"You did! She's like ten years older than you!"

"Age is the question here?" He asked, his golden eyes on her grey ones.

She blushed. "We're different. She's old."

He smiled. "She's hardly old. _Older_ , yes, but not old by any means. She's forty-eight and we mutually enjoyed each other for a while."

The lift opened and Remus led her through the atrium and out through the front door.

"How long exactly?"

"How long exactly what?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Did you mutually enjoy each other?"

"Oh, about six or seven years ago, I guess."

"No, how long did you bang her for?"

Remus chuckled as they headed into downtown London. "Dora, it was a long time ago. Long before you and I."

Tonks was quiet for a moment. "Was she good?"

"Nymphadora!" Remus exclaimed in exasperation. "What kind of question is that?"

"I want to know," she insisted, stopping and turning around to face him. "Was she good?"

Remus sighed. "There's no way for me to answer that without coming off as a huge prat."

Tonks frowned. "So she _was_ good! Was she better than me?"

Remus put his hands on her hips and tugged her up against him, grinding his hips gently into hers as he kissed her lips. He pulled away and tilted his forehead down to hers. "There is no need to be jealous, Nymphadora. I had a past. I slept with people before you. Now there is only you and no one else. I love you and no one on earth compares to you," he said fiercely, gripping the heartbeat that nestled between her breasts.

Tonks smiled at his words and sighed, "But you know who I was with. You know there were only two before you and that —"

His lips crushed against hers to silence her and her arms wrapped around his neck. He kissed her deeply until she was breathless and dreamy-eyed when he pulled away. "I love you and only you." He kissed the tip of her pert nose. "But you are utterly adorable when you're jealous."

She huffed in annoyance. "I am not jealous, I just want to know."

He smirked at her. "Jealous."

Tonks scoffed at him. "At least I didn't almost cause a scene like you did with Hugh at the Christmas party!"

Remus grinned and tugged her closer so that he could suck on her neck. He knew that if he pressed his mouth at the spot where her neck met her collarbone she would moan and melt in his arms. "You are my mate and if he touches you, I'll kill him. That's not me being jealous; that's just simply a fact."

Tonks pulled away from him, her eyes on his. "Well, if that cougar bitch touches you, I'll make her wish that she'd never laid eyes on you. And that's not me being jealous — that's just a simple a fact."

Remus grinned. "Wench."

"Prat."

"Bitch."

"Arse."

"Jealous minx."

"You're my prat."

He smiled and kissed her. "And you are my heart."

Tonks smiled and arched her head to give him access to her neck. "I think we're going to be late for dinner."

Remus simply smiled and pulled her into the alley, pinning her against the wall and kissing her deeply. "We're going to very late," he said against her neck as his hand slid under her shirt. "Very late indeed."


	108. Chapter 108

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer a few questions from reviews: Yes, Harry is going to bond with Zee a bit, it is already written. I have a plan for year three that I think I've been dropping small hints about for a while and it does involve Azkaban; and no, they are not sweeping this under the rug, Harry went through a big ordeal. Sirius and Remus are going to work through it with him, but they want him to do it at his own pace as well._

 _At this posting — I have most of year three written and ideas jotted down for year four, but not edited and not organized so give me some time. I write scenes out of sequence and often have to work at organizing them into chapters chronologically._

 _I spent a lot of time on this chapter so I hope you enjoy it._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT:**

 **France had been amazing.**

Not only had the scenery been breathtaking, but doing the trip on the Ducati was definitely worth it. They spent four days in Provence visiting the little market towns and doing some shopping. Harry found a painting that he really like of the countryside in Provence; some vintage tee shirts and he started picking up small things for his friends.

For Ron, he started collecting tee shirts; the really cheesy tourist ones with a stupid saying like: 'my best mate went to France and all I got was this lousy tee shirt'. For Hermione, he collected a book about every place he went to and wrote little messages about why he had chosen each one for her and told her something that had happened that day. He knew that she would love them, even when they were in a different language, which knowing his friend would only motivate her to learn said language. For Neville, he collected plants — anything that he found that looked different or strange, he'd bottle it up and Sirius would charm it to keep it preserved and Harry would write a little note about where it was from. He figured that Neville would get a kick out of that and he was leaving the discovery of the plant up to his friend as well. And for Ginny, he started collecting postcards.

He would find a postcard at the market that best described something that he and Sirius had done that day and then he would write her a message on the back telling her about what they had seen that day and how he was just checking in.

By the time that they got to Romania, he had sent three separate postcards with messages for her and he knew that he wanted to keep doing it. He hoped that she was having a good summer and that she was working through the horrors that she had experienced in May. He had a feeling that more had happened to her with the whole being possessed by Voldemort situation than he even knew about and he imagined it was tough for her.

He wanted to try to make her smile and he hoped his postcards succeeded.

Sirius also decided to make sure that they took a picture of the two of them making stupid faces in front of an important landmark in each city or town. He had this idea of making a collage for McGonagall of them.

But it was in Italy, when Harry, his eyes following a rather buxom blonde in a red striped bikini, that made Sirius decide that it was time to tease his godson, something that he had been waiting for the opportunity to do.

"She's rather beautiful, eh?"

Harry blushed when he realized his godfather had caught him staring. "Er, yeah."

Sirius grinned widely. The fact that he had just caught his Harry staring at an attractive woman was more amusing to him than he realized it would be. "So outside of the whole Chamber of Secrets rescue mission, did _anything else_ exciting happen this year that you'd like to share with me?"

"Like what?" Harry asked, turning to look at Sirius in confusion as he unpacked the tent from his book bag. "You already know everything."

Sirius grinned, looking like the cat that had swallowed the canary. "Um, I think that you left a few things out actually."

"Like what?" he repeated.

Sirius grinned mischievously. "Like maybe a Valentine perchance?"

Harry groaned aloud, holding the tent in his hand and staring at Sirius in horror. "Uncle Moony said that he wouldn't tell you that!"

Sirius chuckled. "He didn't. Tonks let it slip months and months ago about it being from Ginny. I waited for you to tell me about it and when you didn't, I thought that I'd much rather wait and ask you about it in person."

"It was embarrassing and I knew that you'd tease me!"

Sirius' grin widened. Harry knew him well, he thought gleefully. "Exactly why _you_ should have told me, Prongslet! Is that why you rescued Ginny? Did her Valentine make you fall in love with her?"

"Uncle Sirius, we're _just friends_ ," Harry insisted, his face flushing. He had forgotten about the Valentine, mostly, and he was pretty sure that Ginny most certainly didn't fancy him anymore. At least, he rather hoped that she didn't as he didn't know what to do with that information. They were friends, good friends. "I don't like Ginny that way! I don't like anyone that way!"

"Are you sure? I mean trust me, Harry; Potters like redheads."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Uncle Siri, just because my mum had red hair doesn't mean that all Potters in the history of Potters, like redheads."

Sirius just wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "And your grandmother had red hair too, but honestly, Ginny is pretty great."

"She's more than just great! She's brilliant and funny but… I don't like _any_ girls right now."

"I don't know, you sure had your eyes on that blonde's generous cleavage a few minutes ago."

Harry flushed and gave Sirius a look of loathing that made him laugh.

"Okay, so who's the bloke?"

"Uncle Padfoot!" Harry said in exasperation trying not to laugh now. He had known that when his father heard about the Valentine this was going to happen, which was why he had made the strategic choice _not_ to tell him. "There's no one!"

"Okay, if you say so."

"I do," Harry said adamantly.

Sirius was quiet for a minute and then, "I heard the Valentine sang too; so what did it say?"

Harry just groaned again. He knew that he was never going to hear the end of this any time soon. He needed to have a word with his so-called big sister about betrayal. He knew he was right when he heard Sirius singing under his breath a minute later.

" _His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,_ " he sang as he magically hooked up the tent and crawled inside.

It was going to be a long summer, Harry thought.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny was sitting in the kitchen of Bill's flat, the hustle and bustle of the market outside of the window a welcome sound.** The entire family had come to stay with Bill in Cairo and she was thankful to have them there. But she found herself nervous for today.

Her mother had been hassling her something fierce, insisting that she needed to talk about what had happened to her, but once she had spoken to Bill, gotten the words out that first time in the Hogwarts hospital wing, the thought of telling her mum made her sick to her stomach. She'd spent almost a week in the hospital wing where both Madam Pomfrey and her mother had filled her on the details of the witch's talk: Menstruation, puberty, pregnancy, and sex. It had been mortifying and only made her even more determined _not_ to talk to her mother.

Ginny loved her mum more than anything in the world. She was strong and loving and fiercely protective of her children, which also tended to make her a bit overbearing at times. She knew that her mother loved her and she knew that nothing she could ever tell her would make her mum love her any less, but the thought of seeing her mum's face when she told her what Tom had done to her — Ginny couldn't bear the thought of putting that look in her mother's eyes. It was one thing for her mum to know, but it was something else entirely for her to tell her about it.

She smiled at Bill when he came into the kitchen, bending down to kiss her cheek before he poured himself a glass of orange juice and drank it standing up. Ginny knew that he had only used a glass because their mum was nearby and the thought made her grin; some things never changed.

"What are you grinning at over there, Firecracker?"

Ginny shrugged. "You."

He grinned and sat his hip on the table. "I'm really glad that you've agreed to this."

Ginny shrugged again, biting her bottom lip. She had been trying not to think about it if she was honest. "I wasn't really given much of a choice."

Bill's eyebrow rose. "Ginny, you need to trust us. We love you and it may not seem like this is something that you want to do, but _you need to do it_."

She only nodded. "Can you take me? I don't want Mum and Dad to… will you take me today? Please, Bill."

Bill smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Of course, I will."

Twenty minutes later, Ginny looked up at the marble building and gulped. She held her brother's hand as he led her through the emergency department and up the stairs to the floor that was labelled: Mind Healing. She swallowed slowly as Bill led her through the doors and over to the receptionist desk.

Bill urged her forward five minutes later when her name was called. She hesitated, wanting to ask him to come in with her and then blushing in embarrassment at the thought of it. She had to do this by herself and it had taken her parents and her brother weeks to get her here in the first place. She couldn't ask her big brother to come with her. She had to be strong and take this step by herself. Ginny shook her head and followed the healer through the wooden door and into a small sitting room. The healer told her to take a seat and that MH Hickey would be with her soon.

Ginny chose the plush purple armchair, crossing her legs underneath her and tugging the throw pillow up into her lap to hold close. The door opened a few minutes later and a tall, thin woman with dark black hair and brownish gold skin came inside, a bright smile on her pretty face.

"Hello, Ginevra, my name is Mind Healer Hickey, but you may call me Na'eemah."

"Ginny," she said quietly as the healer sat in the arm chair across from her.

Na'eemah smiled warmly, crossing her legs. "How charming. You are from England?" At Ginny's nod, she continued, "My husband Daniel is originally from England, Sussex actually. It's how I have the very Egyptian surname of Hickey."

Ginny's smiled a little and fisted her hands against the throw pillow.

"Your brother Bill is quite the charming young man, I met him a few times when I went to visit the dig sites. He works with my husband, who is also a curse breaker. Bill told me that you had a very intense first year of school — Hogwarts, right?"

Ginny only nodded.

Na'eemah smiled patiently. "I know that this is daunting; coming in here and speaking to a complete stranger. There is no pressure here, Ginny. Nothing you tell me will be told to anyone else unless you ask me too. No one outside of this room will know anything of what you've spoken to me."

"I don't want to talk."

"That's all right too," Na'eemah said, tapping her fingers on her knee. "We can just sit here and you can talk when you are ready to. You can talk to me about anything, Ginny, it doesn't have to be about the reason why you came to see me today."

Ginny stared down at her lap. She could feel the pretty woman's soft gaze on her and she shifted slightly. "Bill gave me a journal to write in and… I write my thoughts in there and that helps me think."

"Journaling is a wonderful tool, he was right to give you one."

"Everyone keeps telling me that it wasn't my fault, but it feels like it was."

Na'eemah smiled. "Why does it feel that way to you?"

"I wrote in the diary and I brought him to life even if I wasn't aware of it."

"The diary was cursed, Ginny, you couldn't have known."

"I should have."

Na'eemah nodded. "Blame is often the big question here and I want you to understand that you are not to blame for this. You are eleven years old, a girl still on the verge of womanhood. A sixteen-year-old-wizard manipulated you. He possessed you. He molested you. But you're still here. You're still sitting here before me - which shows me how strong you are, how powerful."

"I don't feel very powerful," she whispered.

"Girl power is the strongest and the toughest to knock down," Na'eemah said with a smile. "And together I think that we can work to bring that power back to you. What do you say?"

Ginny shrugged. "You already know what happened."

"Bill told me the facts, yes, but knowing what happened and hearing of your experiences are two different things."

"Mum and Madam Pomfrey told me that sex isn't like what happened to me."

"It's not. What happened to you was wrong and terrible and it's not just the physical that needs to be healed, Ginny. The mind is resilient and versatile and the strongest part of the human body. It needs to be treated with as much respect and care as you would treat your own body."

Ginny hugged the pillow close to her. "What if I can't?"

Na'eemah only smiled warmly. "It won't happen in one day, Ginny. It's going to take time and effort on your part and you have to talk to me, to trust me. I am here to help you and if you let me, we will work together to help you heal. Time heals all wounds."

Ginny only nodded, picking at the string on the corner of the pillow. "And if I don't talk to you?"

"Then we'll just sit here for the next hour and a half quietly and that's okay too. We'll get started when you're ready and not a moment before."

Ginny turned to look at the window, her heart beating in her chest. She didn't know where to start. She didn't know how to start. She didn't know what to say and she didn't know how to say it. She swallowed slowly, the ticking of the clock behind her seemed to echo through the room loudly. She closed her eyes and Tom stepped out of the diary.

"He said that he was my friend," she said quietly.

Na'eemah didn't speak, she only watched her, a reassuring smile on her face.

"He said that he was my friend," Ginny repeated, opening her eyes to look at the mind healer. "And I believed him."

~ ASC ~

 **By the first week of July, Harry and Sirius made it to Romania.** They visited Bran Castle where the legend of Dracula was known to have lived. They spent time along the Transfagarasan Highway where they explored the Romanian countryside, passing through the Fagaras Mountains. The road was winding and curved with many large drops of rocky cliffs making it beyond beautiful and terrifying to drive on. Harry had merely held Sirius tighter as the bike weaved in around the bending road. They visited Bucharest, hit some more markets and went through some tours to learn more about the country.

Harry continued to collect souvenirs for himself and his friends and Sirius was collecting his own souvenirs.

It started when he saw the little bee charm at the market. It was silver and gold and a symbol of Provence and he bought it while Harry was browsing the postcards. When they were in Italy, he found a little silver Italian wolf charm after passing through the mountains so that by the time that they got to Romania, he found himself looking for a charm to symbolize the country. He found it in Brasov, a little gold eagle charm with a cross in its beak that he made the decision to make his own charm bracelet for Zee with important animals from every country. He and Harry were enjoying finding the charms for it as they travelled.

When they got to Austria, seventeen days into their trip, one of the magical villages they stopped in had a newspaper stand out front of a little market. Sirius grabbed a copy when they saw that it had Gilderoy Lockhart on the front page. He used a translating charm so that they could read it.

The investigation against Lockhart was still strongly underway, but the Hogwarts portion of the investigation had finally come to an end. Lockhart had been formerly charged with child molestation and rape against nine students. One girl, aged eighteen and recently graduated from Hogwarts, refused to press charges against him claiming that the other students were telling lies and that they were in love and going to get married one day.

As to the pending investigation on fraud and memory charms, the Aurors had only made it through three of the locations that Lockhart had mentioned in his books, but already had Mind Healers working on fifteen people. It looked like he wouldn't be going to trial for quite a while yet while they continued to gather evidence. The Magical Law Enforcement Department were keeping him contained in the Ministry jail cells for the time being with a trial upcoming in September for the charges of rape and child molestation. The Aurors declared that they could try him for the other crimes after he was in Azkaban. There was no doubt to his guilt.

Harry only stared at Sirius when he finished reading the article. "Guess he's guilty then."

"More than guilty by the sounds of it," Sirius said, his eyes flashing in anger. "I hope the Aurors are looking for more than just fraud in these villages and towns. I mentioned it to King when I saw him in June. Hogwarts can't be the first time he's done things like this."

Harry only nodded, but chose not to answer. The entire Lockhart situation still made him cringe a bit. He had been so focused on wondering why Lockhart was such a terrible and incompetent teacher and all of this had secretly been going on. He was glad that no one he knew had directly been affected and that made him feel a bit bad too. He said as much in his journal that night and felt better for it after writing it down.

He woke that night, drenched in sweat and the smell of Ginny's blood in the air. His heart was pounding and he reached for his glasses, seeing the shadow of his godfather sitting at the table in the kitchen under the soft light.

Harry crawled out of bed, pushing open the curtain that gave him privacy and moved to sit across from Sirius. He had a notebook opened in front of him and seemed to be writing.

"Is that the journal from Uncle Moony?"

Sirius smiled as he finished writing his thought and closed the book. "It is."

"He'll be happy to know that you're finally using it."

Sirius hesitated, his eyes on Harry. He could see the haunted look in his son's eyes and it made him sigh. "I'm not really. I'm using it for something else entirely. Want to talk about it?"

Harry shrugged and reached for the glass in front of Sirius, sniffing the context and making a face. "How do you drink that stuff?"

"With pleasure," he said with a grin. He stood up and went about making hot chocolate, putting two steaming mugs in front of them. "Talk to me, Prongslet."

Harry took a sip of the rich chocolate, closing his eyes and savouring the taste. "I don't know what to say."

Sirius sipped his own hot chocolate and leaned back in the chair. "We haven't spoken about it since the day that you came home from school. I've left it, left you with your thoughts, hoping that you would come to me on your own. You're here, Harry, talk to me."

He was quiet for a long moment. His thumb slid along the rim of his cup, around and around and around. He took a long sip of hot chocolate and then his gaze met his father's. "I thought that she was dead."

Sirius only took another drink of his hot chocolate. He didn't want to interrupt.

"There was so much blood and I thought that she was dead. She was almost cold to the touch and when I felt a pulse, I had never been so relieved in all of my life. When Tom told me he was taking her soul… she was my first friend, Uncle Padfoot. We've drifted apart over the last two years because she wasn't at Hogwarts with me and then she was but… she wasn't… and it wasn't the same and I felt bad about that too. I don't know, I just keep re-living that moment, but in my dream, she's dead and I… Voldemort is real and alive and…"

Sirius moved around to his son, tugging him to his feet and wrapping his arms around him, kissing the top of his head. "It's only a dream, Prongslet. You saved her. She's very much alive and very much still your friend. Sometimes we drift apart from people, it doesn't mean that we stop caring about them."

Harry fisted his hands in the back of Sirius' tee shirt, the familiar scent of forest and leather reminding him that he was safe, that he was protected. "I know."

Sirius smiled at him when he pulled away, cupping his chin in his hands. "As for Voldemort, he is real and he is alive. We both know that. But he is not a threat right now. He is an unknown entity, a parasite living somewhere in Albania unable to do anything or to take form to hurt you." He kissed his son's forehead. "I won't let him hurt you, Prongslet. The last two years… it's been too close."

Harry nodded and hugged him again. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I'm sorry that I wouldn't talk to you after everything happened. I just… I didn't want you to worry and I… I didn't want to talk about it again, not right away, not after I had already spoken to Dumbledore and McGonagall. I knew that you'd worry and I'm sorry."

"It's a parent's job to worry, Prongslet," he told him with a smile. "I worry about you every damn day. You let me worry about my worrying and you just keep being the fantastic son that you are, okay?"

He beamed at him. "I can do that." He sighed when Sirius hugged him again. "Uncle Padfoot?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you tell me what you're writing in the journal if you're not using it for journalling?"

Sirius was quiet for a moment, his eyes on the book. "After we spoke about the events of the Chamber of Secrets, I went to speak to Dumbledore. We came to some conclusions about the diary and about the Chamber and about that locket that you and I found in Grimmauld Place six years ago."

"What kind of conclusions? What does the locket have to do with the diary and the Chamber?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

"They're all connected to Voldemort in some way. We want to know why."

Harry stared at him, fear in his eyes. "Connected how?"

Sirius smiled, gently running his fingers through his son's unruly hair, taking a seat and tugging Harry down to sit on his knee, his arms wrapped tightly around him from behind. He didn't want to lie to him, but the last thing that he wanted was for Harry to be as concerned as he was. "That's for us to figure out. Now, why don't you try to get a few more hours of sleep. We have lots of sight-seeing to do tomorrow in Austria."

"Uncle Sirius, we don't lie to each other, right?"

Sirius kissed his cheek, keeping an arm around Harry as he guided him back to his bed. "Never. When I understand everything, Harry, we'll talk again, I promise. But until I know what's going on, I'm not going to bore you with my theories. Understood?"

He nodded as he climbed back into his bed, smiling when Sirius tucked him in. "Okay."

Sirius leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I love you. Get some sleep."

"I love you, too, Uncle Sirius," Harry said, smiling when Sirius closed the curtain around his bed.

He watched the shadow of his father clean up with their mugs and then the light went out and he heard him crawl into his own bed. Only then, did he close his eyes and fall into a dreamless sleep.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry and Sirius and spent the next four days exploring Austria and Vienna.** They visited Salzburg Fortress, drove through Wachau Valley, toured the Schönbrunn Palace and spent time driving on the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse-High Alpine Road to see the sights. They made stops for food and photos and shopping and camped in Hohe Tauern National Park under the privacy wards.

The day they decided to leave Austria and make their way the roughly six hundred and fifty kilometres to Germany, Harry had just finished packing up the rest of their stuff when Sirius handed him the key to the Ducati. Harry's mouth had simply dropped open.

"Take it," Sirius said with a grin.

Harry beamed at him and accepted the key, immediately hopping into the driver's seat of the bike. Sirius climbed up behind him and put his arm around Harry's torso, resting his hands on top of Harry's on the bars of the bike.

"You've helped me clean and take this bike apart. You know where everything goes and how everything works. Show me, where is the accelerator?"

Harry's hand touched the hand grip on his right side; the brake control was next to the accelerator, the clutch lever near the dashboard. He pointed to the rear brake lever and the rear break pump. Sirius showed him how to change gears and tapped the steering damper handgrip with a smile.

"Sound easy enough?"

Harry nodded eagerly.

"The hardest part is that the motorbike is heavy, Prongslet. You are in charge of keeping it upright and keeping it in control as you drive it," Sirius explained patiently. "We're just going to do a little test drive here, just through the trail here in the park. No roads. Okay? Start the engine."

Harry inserted the key, turning the ignition and the engine roared to life. The sound of it practically purring under his hands and he grinned widely. Sirius' hands sat on top of Harry's on the grip bars.

"I'm not letting go, Harry, not yet, I don't want you to lose control of the bike. Now, legs up onto the pedals… good, and brake off… yeah, just like that and accelerate slowly…SLOWLY, Harry!" he said when the bike vamped forward quickly. "That's it, just squeeze lightly, keep it steady… there we go."

Harry couldn't believe it. He was driving the motorbike. Granted he was only going about twenty kilometres, but it was moving. He _was_ driving.

"You turn with the bike, your body must be one with the bike. Like this," Sirius said as they moved in a circle.

"This is brilliant!" Harry told him, grinning widely.

Sirius smiled at him, his eyes twinkling in delight. "I know it. The first time that I rode one of these I was in love."

"How old were you?" Harry asked as Sirius had him move in a figure eight pattern around the trail to practice his turns, still going slow and steady.

"I was fifteen. A Muggle girl I had dated briefly that summer, her brother had one. I was admiring it and he asked me if I wanted to take it for a spin. I was on that bike faster than you could say: 'Quidditch'. I listened to his instructions and I was gone. I went around the block six or seven times before I finally brought it back. I started collecting magazines on motorbikes and pictures of motorbikes and girls with motorbikes. as you know, and I knew that I wanted one of my own. The summer before seventh year, I bought my Triumph and Lily took me to some bookstores where I found everything that I needed to know about mechanical engineering," Sirius explained as he moved his arms back a little and let Harry mostly control the bike on his own. "I wanted to know everything about motorbikes that I could. But I only drove it that once until I had my own."

Harry nodded, breaking swiftly when Sirius told him too. "It's brilliant to drive. It's almost as great as being on a broomstick."

Sirius grinned. "That it is. Alright, Prongslet, budge up. You can have a go again when we get to Germany."

Harry simply beamed at him.

~ ASC ~

 **In Germany, once they were settled into their tent for the night outside of Bavaria, Sirius again asked him again if there were any girls he fancied at school, or maybe a cute boy.**

"Uncle Sirius!"

Sirius grinned. "I just want to know! I'm curious and you've been oddly closed mouth since we had the big sex talk."

"I have nothing to say that's why," Harry said indignantly.

Sirius laughed. "What about your dorm mates? Any of them into girls yet?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know if they're into girls exactly, but Seamus snogged Lavender after Christmas. He said that it was nice."

"Just the once?"

Harry shrugged again. "I think a few times, but he never asked her to go to Hogsmeade or anything."

"Ah, snogging buddies then. Classy bloke."

Harry laughed. "Well, she did ask him to snog her. She said that she'd never snogged anyone before and wanted to see what it would be like."

Sirius nodded. "That's a pretty good reason for a first kiss I suppose."

"How come you're so concerned with everything about girls anyway? Are you worried that I'm secretly dating someone and that I never told you about it? I'm not even thirteen yet!"

Sirius smiled. "Just looking out for my boy is all. When you are ready, I want to help you with your game. Jamie was a bit of a babbling idiot, especially around Lily. That boy never could form the right words around her."

Harry smiled at that. He liked the stories of his father's attempts to woo his mother. They always seemed to end with his mum calling him foul names and the thought of her falling in love with him later on always made him smile.

"There's no one, Uncle Sirius. When there is, I promise I'll come to you for advice first."

"Good," Sirius said simply. "That's all that I ask. Come on, you can practice driving around the park a bit before we turn in for the night."

Harry practically ran out to the bike.

~ ASC ~

 **They spent the next four days exploring Germany, visiting the impressive Neuschwanstein Castle near the Alps, seeing the parts still left standing of the Berlin Wall including the stunning artwork left on the East Side Gallery and the Brandenburg Gate.** They stopped in Trier, the oldest town in Germany and drove the Moselle Valley, stopping at picturesque villages and even a few vineyards. Sirius let Harry drive through the Valley and Harry was beside himself with excitement. They spent their last night in Germany tucked away in the Black Forest and Sirius told Harry that he could drive some of the way to Norway when they headed out in the morning.

Harry drove the first two hours to Norway and then Sirius let him drive the final two of the fifteen hour drive. When they pulled up in Oslo, Harry was stiff, but still too excited to have driven in the first place to care. They stopped in to one of the museums and checked out the history of the Vikings and the Norse gods before finding a place to set up their tent for the night.

They visited Tromsø and Geiranger, the beautiful scenery absolutely breathtaking as Harry and Sirius snapped photo after photo. But it was when they made their way to Trollstigen to see the Stigfossen waterfall that they finally met up with Remus.

Harry was driving and pulled up in front of his father, shutting the engine off with a huge shit-eating grin on his face. He loved the feel of the engine beneath him and the power of the bike. He was getting quite good at it to and he was pleased with himself when he parked it.

Remus sighed. "You do know that he's only twelve years old, Padfoot."

"And he drives like a pro, Moony. Don't worry, I won't let him get caught," Sirius said as he pulled his helmet off and sat it on the back of the bike.

Remus shook his head. "It's not about him getting caught, Padfoot. Twelve years old is still too young to drive. In most countries you have to be at least fifteen to even obtain a permit of any kind."

"I want him to know how in case he ever needs too," Sirius said. "Besides, I'm doing most of the driving. He's driven maybe eight hours and most of that was practice, and we weren't even on the road."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Excuses. If Lily were alive she'd kill you."

Sirius laughed up-roaringly. "Oh, yeah she would, which is why if Lily were still around, this would be a lovely secret between godfather and godson."

Harry laughed. "It's brilliant, Uncle Moony! I love driving!"

Remus sighed and then his eyes twinkled in mischief. "Alright, little Prongs, take me for a spin."

Harry beamed and hopped back onto the Ducati as Sirius passed his helmet over to Remus with a knowing look in his eye. Remus wrapped his arms around Harry and winced as Harry took off, speeding down the road, but Remus had to admit, Sirius had taught him well.

They drove for almost ten minutes before Harry turned the bike around and they headed back to Sirius. Sirius was grinning widely at them, having set up the tent while they were away. When Harry shut the bike off, Sirius smirked at Remus.

"See? He drives like a pro."

Remus chose not to answer as Sirius guided the Ducati into the tent and he followed his friend inside.

Harry pulled his helmet off and headed into the tent, grinning at his father. "Uncle Moony, I'm a great driver!"

Remus sighed. "I'm not saying otherwise, Harry. It's just that you are only twelve years old."

"I'll be thirteen in four days!"

Remus smiled and pulled Harry close for a hug. "Still not old enough to drive even if you are good at it. Merlin, you grew again," he said as he hugged him. "You're getting taller, little Prongs."

Harry grinned. "I know."

Remus smiled at him. "And how have you been?"

"Great."

"Nightmares?"

Harry shrugged. "A few, but I'm fine."

Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to tattoo that across your forehead one day."

Harry smirked. "I'm fine, I promise."

Remus hugged him again. "I know Sirius has probably been on your case about your nightmares anyway, right?" At Harry's nod and slight eye roll he chuckled. "You know I'm always here when you want to talk."

"I know. Thanks, Uncle Moony."

Sirius moved to prepare dinner as Harry filled Remus in on everything they had done and seen so far. Remus listened attentively, asking questions about some of the historic sites and landmarks and grinned as Harry told them how many rolls of film they had already gone through.

Remus was going with them to Iceland, but he was Apparating where as Harry and Sirius were going to fly the motorbike from Norway to Iceland the next morning. It would take them just under three hours to fly there and Remus told Sirius to make sure that they used a few extra warming charms when they left.

The flight over was breathtaking and Harry had to admit that Sirius putting a flying charm on the bike was rather brilliant as it was so cool to see the ocean beneath them, but also a bit scary too. The sound of the engine roaring beneath them as they smelt the crisp ocean air was incredible.

When they arrived in Iceland, they met up with Remus on the shore and immediately headed out to see some of the amazing landscapes. Iceland was known for its volcanoes, the lava fields, the ash deserts not to mention the incredible waterfall at Dettifoss and the hot springs at Myvatn. It was amazing to see. Harry wished maybe they could have seen the Northern Lights as he heard from a few Icelanders how incredible they were, but the lights wouldn't return until September. They did get to do some whale-watching though at Husavik and Sirius found a little whale charm to add to his collection.

They spent Harry's thirteen birthday snowmobiling on Langjikull, the second largest glacier in Iceland which was absolutely incredible not to mention so beautiful. It was located 1300 metres above sea level. Technically, you were supposed to be sixteen to participate in driving the snowmobile, but Harry was perfectly alright with sitting behind Sirius on his as they raced Remus through the snow with the rest of the tour of Muggles. They went on a guided ice tunnel tour and then explored the Lava Cave in Viōgelmir. They stopped at the Whales of Iceland museum and they ate at a restaurant near the harbour.

Harry kept claiming that it was the best birthday ever making his fathers smile.

Harry and Sirius packed up on the first of August to fly the bike to Denmark and Remus hugged them both goodbye. The full moon was the next night and he needed to get back to take his potion He told them both that he would be fine alone and that he couldn't wait to hear about the rest of their trip.

The trip to Denmark took six hours on the bike, flying over the water, and Sirius and Harry rested on the beach for a bit, snacking on the food they had purchased at the market before leaving Iceland.

Denmark was four amazing days exploring the Råbjerg Mile, where they saw the sand dune from the great sand migration in the sixteenth century. They went through Skagen, stopped at some museums and then headed to Fur Island before hopping back on the Ducati and flying it over to Scotland.

The familiar Scottish countryside made Harry feel homesick for Hogwarts and when he told Sirius, Sirius only smiled and hugged him close. They spent time touring the Scottish Highlands, driving the North Coast 500 to Skye, seeing the Grey Cairns of Camster, the castle ruins, the smuggler caves, the emerald lochs and even stopping in Inverness. They stopped at a few distilleries as well.

Harry had nightmares a few more times that summer, waking up with his heart pounding in his chest. Sirius would rush across the room, pulling him into his arms and kissing the top of his head. "It's all right," he'd whisper and hold him close. "It was just a dream."

That night the nightmare had featured Ginny's sharp screams through the door and when Sirius rushed over, Harry hugged him tightly.

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Yes, Prongslet?" Sirius asked, keeping his arms around his son.

Harry hesitated before he spoke, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand. "I-I think Riddle, he…"

"He what, Prongslet?"

"I think he… _raped_ her."

Sirius' eyes widened. He had suspected as much from what the Weasleys had mentioned to him when he had written asking after Ginny's well-being at the beginning of the summer. "What makes you think that?"

Harry shrugged, but his eyes were full of pain. "There was a lot of blood but… it was on her upper legs and thighs and there was… semen… it was on her robes."

Sirius sighed. "Harry, this was not your fault. Is that why you keep dreaming about it? Are you blaming yourself for her getting taken?"

"If I would have just talked to her, if I had taken the diary when I first thought of it instead of letting myself get distracted —"

"No," Sirius interrupted. "Could you have stopped this from happening? Maybe, but if you start looking at what ifs, you will drive yourself crazy! How were you supposed to know, and if not her, it could have been someone else! She was being possessed, Prongslet. She wasn't in her right mind because she trusted the diary."

"She should have known better."

Sirius sighed and tilted Harry's head so that it fell on his shoulder, holding him closer as he kissed his forehead. "Maybe so, but it's not her fault, the fault lies solely with Voldemort. And you are even less to blame than she is. You saved her life, Harry. I'm sorry that it happened to her and I hope to Merlin that you're wrong if she was but… she'll be okay. I can promise you that. She has six big brothers who love her very much and her loving parents not to mention all of her friends. She's a little spitfire and one of the strongest girls that I know. She will be alright."

Harry nodded, "I hope so."

Sirius kissed his forehead and sighed. "Maybe Remus is right, maybe we should go back down there."

Harry turned to look at his father. "Go back where?"

"To the Chamber of Secrets," Sirius told him. He had almost mentioned it at least a dozen times that summer and every time he had stopped himself, but he was starting to suspect that his friend was right. "Dumbledore wants to retrieve the body of the Basilisk and get rid of any of the dangerous wards that might still be in place within the chamber. Uncle Moony thinks that you should go down there too; that it might help you to see it again now that the monster is dead. It could help you sort everything out. I told him that it wasn't happening; that I wasn't going to let you go back down there after everything you went through but… I'm starting to think that he might be right."

"Ginny too?"

Sirius smiled and nodded. "Yeah, maybe it would be good for her. I'll mention it to Arthur. Do you want to go back with me and Uncle Rem and possibly Ginny, Dumbledore, and Auntie Minnie?"

Harry was quiet for a few moments and then he nodded. "Yes. I think that I need to see it again. I need to make sure that he's… he's really gone."

Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head. "All right, Prongslet. When school starts up again, we'll go down there. We'll put your mind at rest. Maybe not right when school starts, but we'll go soon, okay?"

Harry smiled at him and hugged him tight, sighing as Sirius held him close, his fingers gently running through his hair. He needed to go back, he thought.

He needed to see the Basilisk and he needed to make sure.

He just needed to know that he was truly gone; that the Basilisk was really dead.

He just needed to know.


	109. Chapter 109

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINE:**

 **Bill rubbed his hand over his face as he closed the door to his flat behind him and nodded at Charlie who was standing by the fireplace.** He had finally managed to get all of his brothers alone and to get his parents and Ginny out of his flat for five damn minutes. He had forgotten how hectic having a big family could be sometimes, he thought with a smile. As annoyed as he was, he was happy that they were all here.

He took a slow breath, glancing up at the clock. His father had told him that they would try to stay away until at least three, which gave him almost an hour. There was something that he and Charlie wanted to say.

"Ginny will be staying with me for the rest of the summer," Bill announced, his eyes on his brother's surprised faces. "She doesn't know it yet, but she is. I want her to be close to Na'eemah Hickey and I think that staying with me will be good for her. Charlie is going to stick around an extra week as well."

Percy looked up at Bill, his eyes somber. "You blame us."

Bill closed his eyes. "I don't blame you, Perce."

"We should have done a better job as brothers," George said quietly as he looked into his older brother's eyes. "We should have realized something more was going on with her than just first year jitters."

Bill sighed. "You blokes can beat yourself up as much as you want, but the fact of the matter is that Ron is the one who went down into the Chamber of Secrets to find her and Harry was the one who saved her."

Ron flushed under Bill's praise.

"But yeah, all of you should have kept a better eye on her," Bill continued. "She's going to be twelve in a few days and she's terrified to go back to school. She's scared that no one will talk to her and that the tentative friends that she did make are going to be gone. She needs the four of you to be there for her. Perce, I know that you're Head Boy this year and that's great, and I'm proud of you for following in my footsteps, but don't let your new duties get in the way of your most important duty."

Fred frowned, scratching his nose. "Bill, we're sorry."

Charlie crossed his arms in front of his chest, his expression firm. "You should be sorry. Ginny is the light in this family and she needs us to always be there for her. She is always there when we need her and this year when she needed us most, we abandoned her. Now, Bill and I get a little leeway here since we were both in different countries, but even from her letters — did I not write to you, Percy, and ask you to check on her? Did I not say that something seemed off?"

Percy lowered his head in shame. "I tried to check on her, Charlie! I gave her Pepper-Up Potions and I thought that she was sick! I took care of her!"

"He did," Ron said, nodding at Percy. "He nagged her so much that she initially got rid of the diary, but when Harry told her he had it — she freaked out, and took it back."

Charlie smirked. "See? Being an annoying ponce can be a good thing."

Fred snickered. "Look, Percy, you found a calling in life!"

Percy glared at his brother and displayed a rude hand gesture that made George gasp.

"Fred! The Head Boy is being very unprofessional!"

"Oh, sod off," Percy said in annoyance.

Bill held his hands up to silence his brothers. "Charlie and I don't blame any of you for letting this happen. No one could have known this would happen, but we think that if you had kept a better eye on her at school, it would have made a difference. Second year is going to be hard for her. She's going to be starting all over again; having to make friends and having to adjust to the day-to-day life of classes and homework."

"What about Na'eemah?" Ron asked, his eyes on his oldest brother. "Do you really think that one summer is enough? Ginny really seems to like talking to her now? She opens up quite a bit."

Bill smiled at Ron, squeezing his shoulder. "No, it's not enough, which is why Charlie and I have retained her for the foreseeable future. Professor Dumbledore has agreed and arranged for a portkey to bring Mind Healer Hickey to Hogwarts once a week so that Ginny can continue her sessions."

"You're both paying for it?" George asked, his eyes on his brothers.

Charlie nodded. "It's a big expense and Mum and Dad have enough expenses with you lot still at Hogwarts. We insisted and they grudgingly agreed to let us since we won't take no for an answer. Ginny likes her and we think that staying with a healer she's comfortable with is most important. Most of last year is still coming back to Jitterbug in flashes and nightmares as you all know. Anything that we can do to help her adjust and help her to be herself again is what we're thinking of."

George nodded. "We'll keep our eye on Nevra, Charlie, we promise."

Fred nodded solemnly next to his twin. "We won't let her fall through the cracks."

Bill merely sighed and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "As the oldest, it has always felt like my responsibility to watch out for you blokes. You are my brothers and it's my job to lead. When Ginny was born, I always felt like she wanted to take care of me and I knew that I wanted to take care of her. I wanted to take care of all of you and every time Mum became pregnant, we'd sit down, and we'd talk about how important it was to be a big brother."

Charlie smiled. "I remember sitting next to Bill when Percy was born and Bill told me how important it was to be a big brother and how it was my job to always look out for Percy the way that Bill looked out for me; to be there for him, to protect him, and to be his friend and confidant. That didn't mean that I couldn't tease him or poke fun at him which we all do pretty often, but I knew that I loved him and that I would watch out for him. And when Mum had Fred and George, I gave Percy the same talk Bill gave to me."

"And the three of us spoke to Fred and George together about looking out for Ron," Percy said with a smile. "I remember."

"And when Ginny came along, Dad told us how special she was. The first born daughter to a Weasley in seven generations! She wasn't just our little sister, she was the only Weasley girl, the only granddaughter and she was special," Charlie told them with a smile. "And every one of us fell in love with her and even when she was being an annoying little brat, I knew that I would protect her. That's what big brothers are for, to love and to protect our younger siblings. No one messes with a Weasley."

Fred and George grinned widely. "Here, here!"

Ron smiled and nodded. "When you mess with one, you mess with us all."

Percy elbowed Ron lightly. "That's right."

Bill smiled at them. "Ginny's growing up; faster than we all would have liked considering what happened to her, but she is growing up and she needs us now more than ever. She may not think so and knowing her she'll probably tell us to butt out, but just be there for her; don't let her ever think for one second that she's alone or unloved. That's what Riddle did, that's what he told her. He convinced her that Charlie and I moved away to get away from her; that Percy was dating Penelope to get away from her; that Fred and George wanted nothing to do with her and that Ron didn't need her anymore because he had Harry and Hermione. He picked at her doubts and her fears and he made her believe that they were real. She is still recovering from that."

"She knows that we love her and we can all attest to the fact that she's caught on to the fact that one of us has been there every night when she wakes up," Charlie said with a smile. "Taking it in shifts to be there in case she has a bad dream and she appreciates it. Maybe that's something that you boys can continue at in school. If she needs you, let her come; be there for her to comfort her or to let her talk. The more she talks and accepts what happened to her the more that she will come to terms with it and the more she will heal."

"Don't worry, Charlie, Bill, we'll be the brothers that she deserves," Ron said with a smile.

Fred nodded. "We promise."

George and Percy nodded adamantly next to them. "We promise."

Bill smiled at them. "Weasleys take care of each other. Don't ever forget that."

Charlie smirked. "And don't think Bill and I won't come down to Hogwarts and whoop your arses if we find out you aren't taking care of our girl! We're only a portkey away."

Percy grinned. "That won't be necessary."

Bill nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Good because we all know Charlie and I would win."

This led to an uproar of protest and Bill just grinned when Fred tackled him to the ground to wrestle for his honour. Yeah, the Weasleys took care of each other and Bill couldn't be prouder of his brothers for watching them step up this summer. He knew that the talk hadn't been necessary, but he felt better knowing that he had spoken to them. His brothers would watch out for her this year and they would make sure that she was kept safe; that they were there if she needed them.

And he couldn't have been more proud.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry and Sirius headed towards Ireland the next morning, Sirius let Harry drive again and he gleefully took control of the bike.** It took them eight hours to drive to Ireland and Harry drove half of it, pleased with himself. They set up camp for the night and then spent the next three days seeing the Ring of Kerry, visiting Killarney National Park, Macgillicuddy's Reeks mountain, Skellig island, and the ring forts. It was all so amazing.

From Ireland they headed to the Isle of Wright driving down the Military Road and seeing St. Catherine's Oratory and Tennyson Down. They spent an entire day in the village of Chale before finally planning to head back home to Devon the next day.

Harry drove the three hours home from the Isle of Wright on the sixteenth of August and he couldn't believe that he and Sirius had been gone for fifty days. He drove the Ducati up the drive, parking it in front of the work shed that Sirius kept his bikes in and looked up at Black Cottage happily.

He had missed his home.

He and Sirius went inside, tossing their bags on the chesterfield and plopping down to rest, both exhausted. Harry was surprised to wake up almost four hours later with his head resting on his godfather's shoulder and Sirius snoring next to him. Someone had wrapped them up in a blanket, he noticed.

He stretched and carefully moved off of the couch so as not to wake Sirius. He made his way into the kitchen wondering if they had any food at all and his eyes widened at the two plates of food under a warming charm on the kitchen table. He saw the note next to the plates along with a large stack of mail and picked it up.

 _Sirius and Harry,_

 _I saw the bike in the driveway so I stopped by to see how your trip was. You two were out cold! Here's some dinner for tonight, don't want my boys to starve. See you tomorrow._

 _Love,_

 _Zee_

Harry smiled at the note. He hadn't even heard her come into the house, they must have both been more tired than he thought and he wondered if it had been her who had wrapped them up. It seemed likely. My boys, he thought, frowning slightly at that and then smiling. He did kind of like that she wanted to take care of them, it was nice. He lifted the lid on the first plate, the smell of roasted chicken making his stomach grumble and he took a seat at the table.

Zee had made roast chicken, a baked potato with bacon and chives, and roasted green beans. It was amazing, he thought as he ate happily.

While he ate, he went through the mail, sorting it between his and Sirius' and he smiled as he recognized the letters from his friends. He opened the one from Ron first, grinning widely at his friend's untidy scrawl.

 _Harry,_

 _Dad won a thousand Galleons from this draw at work! Can you believe it? Mum and Dad decided to use the winnings to take us to Egypt to visit Bill!_

 _It's amazing here! The pyramids and the curses and some of the stories are just grisly, but pretty wicked. Bill's job is brilliant and he does all sorts of badass things. Mum wouldn't let Ginny go into some of the pyramids, claiming that she was too young which I guess is fair because the last one had people mummified in positions of half-transformations into animals or objects; some of them were tortured and it was horrific, but kind of awesome at the same time because it's all still preserved._

 _Everyone here is having a great time, even Ginny, who has been spending a lot of time with Bill. Charlie even came to stay for a bit. He took Ginny out for an entire day which I found annoying because I wanted to see him, but I know that he's worried about her after what happened in May. She's doing all right, by the way. She's been having some nightmares and she doesn't like to be alone at night. Fred, George, Percy, Bill, Charlie, and I have been taking it in turns to 'visit for a chat' in the middle of the night. I don't think Gin buys our flimsy excuses, but she seems to appreciate it nevertheless._

 _Charlie told me that she spent days agonizing over how to write an apology letter to every person who was petrified. He tried to tell her that it wasn't necessary, but she insisted. Especially because Ginny told us that Penelope Clearwater, that Ravenclaw prefect who was with Hermione when she was, you know… anyway, Ginny caught her snogging Percy! Percy! Can you believe it? Who would even want to snog him?_

 _Anyway, she's been seeing a Mind Healer three times a week as well and I think it's helping her. She's slowly coming back to her old self. She even locked the twins in the bathroom and put green food colouring in the shower — they looked like lime green popsicles and she laughed herself silly. It was nice to see the old her coming back. She really loves the postcards you've sent too. They make her smile, I thought that you'd like to know that. She's doing well. She's going to spend the rest of the summer in Egypt with Bill. He's going to bring her home before school starts and Charlie is staying a little longer in Egypt as well. The rest of us came home after her birthday._

 _Hermione says that she's having an amazing time in France by the way. She should be home by your birthday, even though I know you won't be back yet from wherever it is that you are at this point._

 _By the way, the gift is that I bought you a Sneakoscope for your birthday, it's supposed to tell you if anything suspicious is going on. Bill says that its a cheap knockoff that wizards sell to tourists and that they almost never work because it kept going off during dinner the other night, but he didn't know that Fred and George had put beetles in his soup._

 _Write me when you get home and maybe we can meet up in Diagon Alley again._

 _Ron_

He chuckled as he refolded the letter. He was glad that the Weasley brothers were rallying around their little sister. She needed them and they knew that. He smiled at Hermione's neat writing next and opened the letter.

 _Harry,_

 _France was everything I wanted and more! I've been learning all sorts of things about the history and the culture; not to mention doing some shopping. I also finished writing my history paper on the witch burnings, I wrote an extra ten inches, I hope that's alright._

 _How has your summer been? The postcards you've sent have been incredible! Did you and Sirius really take the motorbike all over Europe? I'm incredibly jealous! Not for the motorbike of course, I would never! But for the trip itself! I can't wait to see some of your photos!_

 _Have you spoken to Ron at all? Apparently the whole family went to Egypt to visit his brother Bill. I've never met him, is he nice? A curse breaker must be a really thrilling career not to mention needing top grades to achieve. He must be very intelligent. And to be in Egypt — the history and the art alone, it must be amazing! Ron mentioned that Ginny is doing alright too. She wrote to me, an apology letter, can you imagine? Why on earth would I ever blame her for such a thing? Obviously I know that she was not at fault. You Know Who… I still can't wrap my mind around it. The more that I hear about him and what he was capable of and what he did in the war, the more terrifying he sounds. He was controlling her and I know that it wasn't her. I told her as much and that I hope we can be friends._

 _Ron and I agreed to meet in Diagon Alley on the twenty-second. I hope you will be back by then so that you can join us. Neville says he'll see us on the train as he already went for his school things._

 _Hope to see you soon._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

Harry grinned as he read it. Of course Hermione would have written ten inches more than Professor Binns had asked for. He still had to finish his up. He had gotten a good portion of it written during their trip, but he still needed to add a conclusion; not to mention the Potions paper he had yet to start. Thank Merlin he had finished his other summer homework before they had left for their road trip.

He recognized Neville's writing next and tugged it open.

 _Harry,_

 _Brazil was brilliant! The rainforest is just absolutely incredible! They obviously named it the Amazon because it's amazing! Alright, that's not true, but it sure feels like it is! Did you know that they have over 40,000 different plant species? 40,000! I couldn't even begin to explore them all!_

 _There was this one that looked just wicked! They call it the Lobster-Claw, but it's real name is the Heliconia Flower. It's just beautiful and Hummingbirds use it. There's a Cacao plant which not only provides chocolate, but helps with natural energy, mental alertness, and focusing. It even has calcium, iron, and magnesium in it._

 _We had this Muggle tour guide who took us to some of the strange plants as well. There's this flower called rafflesia which smells like corpses and looks like a creepy red eyeball. Uncle Algie said that it's the kind of flower you don't give to a girl. I told him I wasn't a complete idiot. Plus they have the Brazil Nut tree which can reach up to almost fifty metres!_

 _You know that I could go on about plants for pages so I'll stop so that you don't fall asleep while reading this letter. But I got some new books on plants and their medicinal qualities in the Muggle world and then we went on a tour with the famous Herbologist Ali Mustafa and he showed us some of the impressive plants with magical qualities. The rainforest even has an area where Thaumatagoria grows which is such a rare magical plant that most people don't even believe it exists! I actually touched one! I even snuck one into my suitcase. I'm hoping that I can grow it myself in one of the greenhouses. Professor Sprout is going to be so excited when she sees what I have!_

 _We even stumbled upon Venomous Tentacula and Uncle Algie was almost bitten! Mr Mustafa stunned the plant just in time, but it was scary! Uncle Algie told me that was how Elphinstone Urquart died was from a fatal bite from that plant. It can be treated if caught in time, but once the venom reaches the veins that pump blood to your heart, it's too late. I don't know if you are aware of this, but that was Professor McGonagall's husband. He died in 1985. Uncle Algie said that he used to work at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement._

 _Anyway, I hope your summer was as great as mine! Can't wait to hear all about your trip. See you on the Express._

 _Cheers,_

 _Neville_

Harry chuckled to himself. Neville's love for Herbology never failed to entertain him. He was glad his friend had found something he loved so much, especially considering how terrible he was at Potions because of his fear of Snape. He had no idea that McGonagall had once been married though. He would have to ask Uncle Sirius about that.

He had written to Ginny at the beginning of the summer as well to see how she was doing not to mention the frequent postcards that he had sent her, but it looked like she hadn't written him back. He was a bit worried about her if he was honest with himself, but he also knew her well enough to know that she might not want him to worry. Then he recognized her neat writing at the bottom of the pile and quickly opened it, surprised to find such a short response.

 _Harry,_

 _Thank you for writing. Egypt has been great. The postcards were lovely. It sounds like you and Sirius are having an amazing trip. We'll talk when school starts up again._

 _Love,_

 _Ginny_

He frowned at the short note. Ron did say that she was seeing a mind healer and he hoped that it was helping her. He would be patient and wait for her to talk to him. He could do that, he surmised, even though he wished that she would talk to him now.

He recognized the Hogwarts seal and dug out the last letter in the pile addressed to him. The usual letter from McGonagall informing him to be at the train station on the first of September and that the train would be leaving at eleven on the dot. The book list was also there and he browsed it in interest.

 _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 by Miranda Goshawk_

 _Intermediate Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

 _The Monster Book of Monsters_

 _Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy_

 _A History of the World by Diana Jackman_

 _Spellman's Syllabary_

 _Rune Dictionary_

 _The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger_

He wondered about his choice in taking Ancient Runes, but it had sounded rather fascinating to him. He was definitely interested in Care of Magical Creatures only because Zee made her job seem kind of cool and Harry knew that it had been Charlie's favourite subject. Plus the new course on Muggle Studies was going to be mandatory this year which was obviously what the Wigworthy and Jackman books were about.

The third sheet was a permission form and Harry grinned widely. He had forgotten that as a third year he could visit the village of Hogsmeade. He placed the sheet on the pile of Sirius' mail so that he would sign it.

Third year was going to be great.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry had just finished eating and reading his mail when Sirius stepped into the kitchen wiping sleep from his eyes.**

"Time is it?" he murmured, stifling a yawn.

Harry glanced up at the clock behind him. "Almost seven. Zee came by and brought us food."

Sirius smiled widely, sitting down next to his son and bringing the covered plate over. "Excellent, I'm starving."

Harry passed him the note and Sirius read it as he dug into his food. "She said that she didn't want us to starve."

Sirius grinned as he put the note down. "She's pretty incredible and Merlin, I know I'm hungry, but this is fucking delicious."

Harry laughed. "She really is a brilliant cook."

Sirius moaned appreciatively as he ate.

He watched his father in amusement for a moment before he picked up Neville's letter again. "Uncle Sirius?"

"Hmm?" Sirius asked, swallowing his food.

"How come Auntie Minnie never talks about her husband?"

Sirius looked at Harry in surprise. "She's not married, Prongslet."

"But she was, before. She never mentions him."

Sirius stared at his son for a moment with his brow furrowed. "Minnie was never married. She was engaged when she was young to a Muggle whom she loved very much, but she never married him."

Harry frowned and passed Sirius the letter from Neville. "Neville says that she was and that he died eight years ago."

Sirius took the letter, reading it over, his brow furrowed. "I… well, if this was true it was when I was in prison, I guess… I don't know, Harry."

Harry could see the conflict on his father's face. "Are you going to ask her about it?"

Sirius smiled at him. "Maybe. Maybe she still finds it too painful to talk about." He stabbed at the chicken on his plate and smiled. "It sounds like Neville had an amazing time exploring the rainforest though. Any other news from your friends?"

Harry nodded and filled him in on Ron and Hermione's summers and the quick response from Ginny then he left him to his food and made his way upstairs with his bag. He opened it up and carefully dumped out everything onto his bed which took longer than he had expected considering the undetectable extension charm used on the bag. He put his dirty laundry in the hamper and organized his souvenirs for himself. He had sent Ron, Hermione, and Ginny theirs already, but he needed to pack up Neville's properly, and then he filled up the box with his many, many rolls of film.

He made his way back downstairs as Sirius finished cleaning up the dishes.

"I'm going to Floo Uncle Moony and tell him that we're home so that he can send us Marauder."

"Sure, Harry."

"Also, I left my form to go to Hogsmeade with your mail. Can you sign it?"

Sirius smiled. "Of course."

Harry knelt down in front of the fire and threw the powder into the fireplace, calling his father's name. A few seconds later, Remus' living room opened up to him and he grinned at the sight of Remus sitting on the couch doing a crossword puzzle as Tonks was stretched out with her head on his lap, a folder open in her hands.

"Uncle Moony!"

Remus jolted and his face split open into a grin. "Harry! How was the rest of the trip?"

"Amazing," Harry told him as Tonks sat up, grinning widely at the sight of him.

Marauder, who had been sleeping under Remus' feet, bounced up and barked happily, trying to reach Harry's floating head and crying out when he realized he couldn't get to him.

"I think that Marauder misses you," Tonks said with a smile. "Remus and I will bring him straight home."

Harry beamed at her and disappeared from the fire.

Two minutes later, Tonks, Remus, and Marauder all appeared in the living room and Harry immediately fell to his knees to hug his dog. Marauder barked in glee, jumping at his boy, tackling him to the ground and licking his face as Harry laughed.

Then when Marauder saw Sirius he made a beeline for him as well.

Harry and Sirius spent the rest of the evening telling Remus and Tonks all about their trip. The next morning, Harry told Sirius about the plan to meet his friends in Diagon Alley in six days. Sirius agreed that it was a good plan and then he helped Harry brew the potion to develop his photos so that they were moving. They hung them to dry in the sunroom, blocking all of the windows and making it a dark room for the photos to come to light. Sirius wanted to organize the ones for McGonagall as well when they had a chance. It took them almost the entire morning to finish up.

They had just finished when an owl arrived from the Hogwarts Board of Governors and Sirius told Harry that he had to head out to work on some last minute changes for the Muggle Studies and Life in the Magical World courses and did he want Remus to come stay with him while he was gone? Harry insisted that he was fine and that he was thirteen and perfectly capable of spending a few hours alone in his locked home and Sirius promised to only be gone a few hours.

Harry played with Marauder in the yard for almost an hour before he decided to head next door and see if Zee was home. He had wanted to talk to her about maybe teaching him how to cook and if he was honest with himself, he wanted to try to get to know her a little bit better. He liked her. He liked that she had come to his Quidditch match, even though it had been cancelled, and that she had been there for him and Sirius at the trial. He liked that she'd written to him about his courses and that she had hugged and kissed him goodbye and he knew exactly how good she was for Sirius. Now it was his turn to make the effort.

He found her working outside in her garden, Lady Godiva stretched lazily in the sun. Zee was wearing her large gardening hat, her curly hair all tucked away under it. Marauder yipped and made a beeline for her making her laugh as he tackled her to the ground.

"Marauder!" Harry called out, but the dog was too excited.

Zee rubbed his belly and Marauder stared up at her in absolute love. "He's okay, Harry. How was your trip? You boys looked absolutely exhausted yesterday when I popped in."

"It was brilliant! Uncle Siri taught me how to drive the Ducati!"

Zee laughed. "Of course he did."

Marauder had calmed down a bit by now and ran off to chase a butterfly.

Zee stood up, wiping her hands on the little gardening apron that she was wearing. "Come on inside for a drink, I made some fresh lemonade this morning."

Harry eagerly followed her inside, leaving Marauder outside to chase his butterfly dreams. He had never been inside of her house before he realized. It was similar to his own, but had a large entrance way and an arched doorway leading to the living room or down the hall to the kitchen. The stairs zigzagged along the opposite wall too. He liked it. It was full of colour and interesting paintings and art that he imagined she'd picked up on her travels.

Zee gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen and he took a seat at the round table, smiling when she poured him a glass of lemonade and proceeded to make him a thick sandwich with genoa salami, pepperoni, and provolone cheese with tomato and lettuce. She sliced it in half and smiled as she placed it in front of him with a large pickle slice.

"I figured that you might be hungry, it is just about lunch time."

He beamed at her. "Thanks!"

Zee smiled kindly and made a second sandwich for herself before she sat down with him.

"I've never been inside your house before," Harry told her. "It's nice. I like all of the art."

"Thank you. I collect things as I travel and my cousin is an artist so some of the sculptures out there are his. He sculpts magical creatures for me in bronze and clay and I love them."

Harry nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich. "You're a really good cook."

"I love to cook," she told him honestly. "I have three amazing grandmothers who all cook completely different styles of food and I think that having them around and teaching me all sorts of different things really benefited me."

"I agree," Harry told her. "Uncle Sirius says that I'm a pretty good cook so now when I'm home I'm going to be in charge of cooking three nights a week."

"That sounds sensible," Zee told him. "It is the best way to learn."

"Can you teach me some stuff?"

Zee looked at him in surprise and she nodded. Harry was a little horrified to see that she was blinking back tears. "I would love that, Harry! What would you like to learn?"

He shrugged. "Anything really. I just thought that you're good at it so you'd be a good person to ask."

Zee put her sandwich down and hopped to her feet. She grabbed one of the binders by the cupboard and tugged it over to the table, flipping through the pages there. "These are some of my favourite recipes that I've learned over the years from my grandmothers. When would you like to start?"

Harry grinned widely at her. "How about now?"


	110. Chapter 110

_Author's Note:_

 _A few little changes… hope you like it._

 _Also — I'm going to see Fantastic Beasts for the third time tonight! I can't wait — it was amazing!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TEN:**

 **It was almost five o'clock that evening by the time that Sirius managed to get away from the Board of Governors and the meeting had started at eleven.** It had been a lot of tedious organizing, but they finally had finished up the end of the course workload. Today's plan had been going over every single item in the curriculum and meeting with the new hires to discuss it.

Charity Burbage would continue to teach Muggle Studies to the students who wished to continue it in sixth and seventh year, but they had hired a new professor to teach all of the students from years one to five in the new mandatory Muggle Studies class. The new professor was a Muggleborn named Gideon Birmingham. He was in his early forties and had previously taught at Beauxbatons Académie.

The plan was to have each year talk about different highlights of the Muggle world: History, culture, technology, religion, and mythology. First years would cover the idea of evolution through to Ancient Rome. Second years would cover the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance period. Third years, the Enlightenment to the Revolutions of the world. Fourth years, the Industrial age, and fifth years, the twentieth century. Sixth and seventh years who were interested in continuing their education would continue the course as outlined before with looking at Muggle artefacts and differences between the two worlds, but it would only be offered for the next three years, until the students who were already enrolled in the previous Muggle Studies course had graduated.

Birmingham thought that it was a brilliant idea and was excited to be given the opportunity to teach the new curriculum. Burbage agreed with the change and signed her contract for two more years before she agreed to leave Hogwarts in the capable hands of Birmingham. It was a curriculum unlike anything anyone had seen before and the novelty of it was very exciting.

The Life in the Magical World course was going to be taught generally by a new hire as well, a woman named Delta Carthaginian. She had been a journalist for the Italian magazine Bella Strega (Beautiful Witch) and grew up in the aristocratic pureblood world of the Italian magical society. She taught etiquette classes twice a week in Rome. She was intrigued by the course and eager to teach students all about the magical world. The plan was for the course to be mandatory through to fifth year, same as Muggle Studies, and like the Muggle Studies course would focus on distinct periods of the magical world.

First years would cover the history of the aristocracy and study the idea of blood purity, where Muggleborns fit in, and why they were so vital to magical society. Second years would cover careers in the magical world and learn about the government, magical laws, and essentially how the magical world was run. Third years would cover the social aspect of the magical world including learning important manners, dances, and how to speak publicly in a way befitting the magical world. They would also cover the topic of fashion: How to dress fashionably, how fashion worked, how fashion was decided, and how witches and wizards blended into the Muggle world. Fourth years would cover the historical part of how and when the magical and Muggle worlds collided and why and how it was still kept a secret. They would compare the Ministry of Magic with other countries governments around the world discuss their laws in terms of dealing with the Muggle world. Fifth years would cover life studies: How to make a living in the magical world, how the banking system worked, how the law worked, and how to do basic household things like clean, fix problems, and cook all with magic — including what to do and what not to do. Guest speakers would come in on a regular basis to talk about certain topics or discussions. Sirius had already helped line up an Auror as well as two Ministry of Magic speakers from different departments.

For the students just starting off like Harry, who would be in his third year, the professors would be taking the first week to give a general overview to help students have an understanding of what the years below them would be learning. Sirius just hoped that it worked out, as he was incredibly proud of the work that he had put into writing the course and trying to implement it into the educational system. Nothing like this had ever been done before and he and the governors had been working staunchly hard to create the programs and to put them into place.

The last thing that he had expected was to come home after his long day and to find the house empty. He searched the house and then the treehouse, but Harry and Marauder were no where to be found. He pulled out his mirror and raised it to his mouth to call Harry.

He started to worry when there was no answer.

The barking outside made him head out the front door and he bent down to greet Marauder.

"Hi boy, where's Harry? Where's Prongslet, Marauder?"

Marauder barked again and took off towards Zee's house so Sirius locked the front door behind him and followed the dog. He found Harry and Zee in the kitchen of Zee's cottage, their hands messy and the kitchen full of half made food and dishes. Flour was everywhere and Harry was laughing as she showed him how to knead the dough with his knuckles and tips of his fingers.

Sirius leaned against the doorjamb of the kitchen love swamping him so hard that his heart hurt. He knew that Harry had come to accept that Zahira was part of his life, but he also knew that his son wasn't as all right with it as he had led him to believe. The fact that Harry was here, at Zee's house and willingly spending time with her and obviously having the time of his life doing so was the best feeling. The woman he loved was making his son laugh; making his eyes alight with joy. The boy he loved, the boy who held a part of him was looking at the woman he loved with happiness. It was more than he ever could have asked for.

Family.

The word scared him and he pushed it back down. He wasn't ready to take that step and he damn well knew Zee wasn't either. He and Harry were a team and he knew that if he ever seriously decided to consider that option that he wouldn't do so without first sitting Harry down and discussing it thoroughly with him.

And he damn well wasn't ready for that. At least not yet and that scared him too, the possibility that one day he might be. He had never imagined a life like that for himself.

He snuck into the kitchen, tiptoed up behind them and grabbed them both from behind. Zee shrieked, but Harry just bubbled up in laughter.

"What are you two troublemakers getting up to in here?" Sirius asked as Zee smacked him in the shoulder for scaring her. He bent his head, kissing Harry's temple and then turned and kissed Zee deeply, lingering long enough to hear Harry making gagging sounds next to him. Sirius lightly smacked Harry across the head and continued to kiss her; the taste of her, the feel of her, reminding him of how much he had missed her the entire summer before he pulled away and grinned at her. "Hi, gorgeous."

"Hi, sexy," she said with a smile. "Harry and I are doing some cooking, a lot of cooking actually. I hope you're hungry."

"Starved. I missed lunch."

Harry grinned. "Zee is teaching me how to cook like her, Uncle Sirius."

When Sirius smiled at her, she shrugged. "He asked and I was so honoured! Anyway, we couldn't decide so I figured that we'd make a ton of stuff and we can freeze it for easy dinners later on."

"It smells amazing in here, that's for sure. What are you making?"

Harry grinned. "Well, I just finished making a seven layer lasagna with ground beef and ground pork, Italian sausage and tomato slices with spinach and zucchini and seven different kinds of cheese! It was fun and hard to keep it all straight." He said making Sirius laugh. "It looks rather crooked actually, but I think that it will taste good. And then we made a thick stew with ground beef and potatoes and carrots and all sorts of other veggies; and we roasted salmon with lemon and pepper; and made chicken cordon bleu."

"That is definitely a lot of food," Sirius said, whistling as his mouth watered.

Zee smiled, her wand peeling apple slices quickly in the air. "We can freeze the lasagna and the stew. The salmon I'm going to slice up and we can use it for sandwiches tomorrow for lunch. We'll eat the chicken tonight. Harry and I are just finishing up an apple pie. Sirius, why don't you throw a salad together and I'll show Harry how to make my famous butternut squash over white rice to go with our chicken cordon bleu."

Harry simply licked his lips in response.

~ ASC ~

 **Dinner was fabulous and over the next week, Zee worked with Harry in the kitchen almost every night, writing down recipes and showing him how to experiment.** He had a knack for it and she thought that he was a natural born chef which made him smile. He was impressed with himself as well because all of the food turned out delicious.

He enjoyed spending time with Zee. She was funny and she was smart and he liked the way that she teased Sirius. He could see why Sirius was in love with her and watching the way his godfather's face lit up when he saw her made him smile. Spending time with Zee was different than spending time with Sirius or Remus as well. She smelt nice; feminine, and she was always touching his shoulder or his arm and smiling kindly at him. He learned that she had a Muggleborn father so she had grown up in an interesting mix of both worlds due to the influence of her Muggle grandparents and it was because of her three distinct grandmothers that she had learned how to cook. She could speak fluent French, Russian, and Gaelic which he thought was fun and he practiced his French with her, making her laugh as they spoke back and forth about his friends and about Quidditch.

Zee was a Quidditch fan, but she followed the Appleby Arrows which had made Harry groan as they debated the chasing skills of Benjamin London, Appleby's newest recruit. Harry insisted that Lexie Longhorn, the newest Chaser for Portree was gifted enough to win a match herself against all three of Appleby's Chasers - which had resulted in a much heated debate on the skills of a Chaser. Sirius had jumped in at this point to mention that Longhorn's chasing skills were no match for her sex appeal and Harry had blushed furiously, glaring at his father. But Sirius did have a point, Longhorn was gorgeous and had recently been voted Wizard Weekly's Sexiest Woman Alive. But she was an amazing Chaser.

In between the Quidditch talk, Harry learned how to cook a few different pasta dishes and different kinds of chicken dishes by mixing up spices and herbs. Zee's recipe for ribs was to die for, and when they grilled steaks with grilled potatoes and pineapple with chilli flakes, Harry's mouth watered. He told her all about his friends: About Ron's steadfast devotion to the Chudley Canons, his love of chess and about how much he had helped him in the Forbidden Forest when they met the army of Acromantulas, despite his fear of spiders. Zee was fascinated and asked him to tell her all about them, having heard that there was a massive family of them living in Scotland. She was intrigued to learn that Hagrid had kept one of them as a pet and had raised him, found him a mate and helped him build his family.

He told her all about Neville: His love of Herbology, his hatred and fear of Professor Snape, and how he lived with his grandmother because his parents had been tortured into insanity by Death Eaters. He told her about Hermione: How she was a Muggleborn and the smartest witch in their year — if not the whole school — and how they had only become friends after he and Ron had accidentally locked her in the girl's bathroom with a mountain troll. He told her all about Ginny: His first real friend and his worry about how Ginny was coping since she wasn't really talking to him much. Zee explained how Ginny would come around, but that she needed time to cope with what had happened to her and that being rescued by the boy she had sent a Valentine too was going to be a bit embarrassing as well. He asked her why Ginny would send him a singing Valentine in the first place when they were friends and Zee had chuckled.

"You are growing up into a handsome young man, Harry. She has eyes. I doubt that she's the only girl at school who has developed a little crush on you."

Harry had blushed at this. "But… she's my friend."

"Doesn't mean that she can't find you attractive," Zee said with a smile.

"Are we talking about Harry's sex appeal?" Sirius asked as he came into the kitchen with Remus and Tonks. " _His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad and his hair as dark as a blackboard!"_

Harry groaned. "I hate you."

Sirius laughed and wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders. "You and your beautiful freshly pickled toad eyes love me." He kissed Harry's cheek noisily and grinned widely. "Those steaks look amazing. Prongslet, you're turning into quite the little chef. You should give Tonks lessons."

Remus snorted and grinned at his mate. "She'd still manage to set the house on fire somehow."

Tonks elbowed him lightly. "Shut it. At least I can make brownies."

Remus licked his lips. "You make amazing chocolate brownies and I will gladly do all of the cooking if you continue to make those brownies."

Tonks grinned and kissed him before she stood up to peek around Harry, who now stood almost a head taller than her than her five foot five inches. "Seriously, Harry, it smells amazing in here. Is dinner almost ready?"

"Ten more minutes," he said, grinning at them.

~ ASC ~

 **When he met his friends in Diagon Alley the next week, he was eager to tell them all about his trip and to hear about their summers.** They shopped for supplies, chatting amicably among themselves before they stopped in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies where the rest of the crowd was gathered.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

Ron, the tallest of the three, stood on his toes and his grin widened. "They released the newest broom model!"

They only had to wait a few moments before the crowd dispersed and they could peer through the display window. It was the most beautiful broom that Harry had ever seen as he looked at the sleek dark wooden handle bearing the word: Firebolt. The sign underneath claimed that it was the fastest broom ever made.

"It's beautiful," Harry groaned, pressing his fingers to the glass.

"I heard the British National Team will be riding them this season," Ron said. "Fastest brooms in the world!"

"Look at the handle," Harry said, pointing to the end. "See how it's curved just so? That would give it great aerodynamics. I bet it flies like a dream; probably like gliding."

Ron nodded. "Gliding and swerving without even realizing it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's just a broomstick! Come on; let's go to the pet shop. Mum and Dad gave me money for my birthday to buy an owl."

"Hermione," Ron groaned. "This isn't just a broomstick! It's the mother of all broomsticks!"

Harry nodded, turning to his friend. "It's like the two most perfect broomsticks in the world got together and had a baby who grew up to be the most incredibly perfect broomstick to ever have lived!"

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "When you boys are done drooling, I'll be in the pet shop." And she stomped off in annoyance leaving Harry and Ron to turn back to ogling the broom in the display window.

They met her in the pet shop nearly twenty minutes later and found her arms full of an ugly squished-faced ginger cat.

"I thought that you were getting an owl?" Harry asked her, eyeing her new pet apprehensively.

"I was, but the owner says that no one wants to adopt poor Crookshanks here."

Ron made to reach for some owl treats over Hermione's head and Crookshanks hissed at him and he raised an eyebrow. "Can't imagine why."

Harry smirked at him, but neither of them said anything to her as Hermione cradled her new cat in her arms and purchased the supplies that she would need to take care of him. Apparently he was part Kneazle and extremely intelligent. Harry still thought he was ugly with his squashed face, but he supposed that he was all right otherwise.

They headed to Flourish and Blotts to get their new books and supplies and then went to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for cones to chat. Ron and Hermione filled him in on their summers and Harry asked Ron about Ginny.

"She's doing great, honestly. She's still in Egypt at the moment. Bill said that he's going to bring her home before we head to King's Cross. But she's doing great. I know that she's anxious about going back to Hogwarts, worried that everyone will act strange towards her. I told her that she'll be fine," Ron said with a smile.

"I'm glad," Harry told them.

Ron scratched his nose. "Plus, Bill and Charlie sat us all down and basically reamed us out for not keeping a better eye on her last year."

Harry's eyebrow rose at that. "It's not your fault!"

"I know and Bill and Charlie know that too. It's just… it's the job of a big brother to take care of our younger siblings and we do feel like we failed her," Ron admitted. "All of us do."

Hermione smiled sympathetically at Ron. "I doubt that Ginny feels that way. She wrote to me to apologize and she obviously blames herself a great deal."

Ron smiled. "She's going to be all right, Hermione. Ginny's strong and trust me, she's going to bounce back. Percy, Fred, George, and I are not going to let her down this year when she needs us."

Harry grinned at him. "Weasleys stick together."

"Damn straight," Ron said with a smirk.

Hermione had opened her shopping bag and pulled out the books that she was going to need for her Life in the Magical World course. The new professor had assigned an assortment of books including: _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy, Enchantments in Baking, Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes, Hogwarts: A History,_ and _An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe_.

"These all seem like a pretty random assortment of books, Harry," Hermione said, shifting through them. "Of course, I've already read though _Hogwarts, A History_ multiple times."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Give it a break, Hermione. You'll see the class when you see the class."

Harry grinned as Sirius signalled him that it was time to go. Sirius had been having a drink at The Leaky Cauldron with Mr and Mrs Granger. Mrs Weasley had let Ron come with Harry and Sirius. "I think that it's time to leave. I'll see you guys on the first, yeah?"

Ron nodded and gave Harry a one-armed hug goodbye. Hermione hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek. "Enjoy your last week of summer, Harry!"

He said goodbye to his friends, his hands full of his bags of new school supplies and new uniforms since he had outgrown last year's again. This year was going to be great he thought; new classes, Uncle Remus was still teaching, and there was nothing going on with Voldemort.

It was pretty much all he could ask for.

A normal school year and it sounded great.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny sat in the same comfortable chair holding the pillow on her lap in Na'eemah's office that afternoon.** She had been coming to see her three times a week now for almost two months and she had to admit — she felt better. Coming here to talk to Na'eemah made her more comfortable with herself, with what had happened and was helping with the dreams. She was coming to terms with what had happened to her.

But there was one question that Na'eemah kept asking her and Ginny still didn't have the answer. She stared at the mind healer now, her stomach churning as she once more tried to figure out how to put what she felt into words. She had told Na'eemah everything by this point. They had gone over all of her conversations with Tom: How he had chipped away at her self-confidence, how he had made her think those she loved didn't care about her, how he tried to isolate her and make her feel as if she was alone, how he made her doubt herself and her own self worth, how he made her feel stupid and inadequate, and most of all, how he had possessed her - both in body and in soul.

Ginny had allowed Na'eemah to study her memories; to help heal the holes that still gaped there in patches. Together they viewed the memories of Ginny's time in the Chamber of Secrets — the first time that she had entered during the first week of school, speaking in Parseltongue to open the door, awakening the Basilisk and demanding it to do her bidding - and she had been alarmed to see that even though she could see herself doing these things, she didn't necessarily remember them all. Not to mention that there was a light that seemed to illuminate from the diary in her hands which Na'eemah told her was Tom's power reaching out to grab hold of her.

She watched the memory of her slitting the throats of the roosters, using a slicing spell that she had never even heard of before. She called forth the Basilisk, told him to find it's prey and she was shocked to discover that she hadn't subconsciously been attacking Muggleborns, but that the Basilisk had in fact been hunting Harry.

Tom had been fascinated by Harry Potter. Ginny had mentioned her friend to Tom in passing as she told him about her life: About how she was the youngest of seven — the first born daughter in seven generations — and Tom had told her that it made her special and powerful. He asked about her brothers and her friends and she told him everything: About how Harry Potter was good friends with Ron and how she felt like they had drifted apart a bit when he went to Hogwarts and she stayed home, about how Harry was famous in the magical world for defeating You Know Who, and Tom had been riveted. He had wanted to know everything that she had known and Na'eemah showed her how that first moment, the moment that Tom had realized that she had two things to intrigue him: First that she was the seventh child, the first daughter in seven generations, which was power that he could draw from, and secondly, that she could help him overcome Harry Potter.

Na'eemah helped her dissect each memory. They took their time, going through them step by step and seeing how Tom used his words and his charisma to build her up and then tear her down so seamlessly that she didn't even realize he was doing it; how he pretended to be her friend, but in reality was using her and was feeding off of her. The scariest memory was watching as the diary lay next to her as she slept and an eerie magic seemed to tingle from her as the diary brightened, seemingly absorbing her magic or as Ginny realized now, feeding on her very soul.

As they broke down and dissected each memory, Ginny realized how truly close Harry had been to being killed. The problem was that with each strike, the Basilisk had trouble finding a place to come out from. The monster was searching for Harry, sniffing him out in the walls of Lockhart's office, but not finding a way in from the pipes, and then when the monster came up from the Chamber with the intent of feeding on Harry in the corridor, found Mrs Norris in its path instead. Its gaze petrified the cat and Tom panicked, calling the monster back. When Harry was in the hospital wing, the Basilisk had been almost outside the door before Colin had discovered it and Tom had once again called the monster back before Dumbledore approached. It was on it's way to Harry in the Transfiguration corridor, but was stopped by Nearly Headless Nick and ultimately Justin. The monster wanted to go further, but Tom once again reeled it back. Finally, when it came out the last time; its objective had been to find Harry before he reached the Quidditch pitch, but the Basilisk had found Hermione and Penelope instead.

Na'eemah had called Bill and Charlie inside as they viewed the final dissected memory of the attacks and Ginny had hyperventilated, tears pouring down her cheeks as her brothers held her, kissing her temple, and rubbing her back. She asked them to view the memories and Charlie had spoken first.

"Why did Tom call the monster back each time? It was a huge Basilisk, why not just let it have free rein on the school? It never got to eat its victims."

Ginny had paled at this and Bill had only just conjured a bowl in time for her to vomit into.

Bill gently brushed her hair back, pinning it up above her head, rubbing her back gently. "It's okay, Firecracker, it's all right. You're being very brave."

Na'eemah smiled at the two young men. "From what I've seen, I believe that Tom considered letting the snake have free rein, as you say, but was worried about Dumbledore discovering it. He wanted the snake to kill Harry Potter, but he also didn't want to lose the power that he possessed by controlling the monster. And he wasn't in complete control, not entirely."

Bill's eyebrow rose in question as Ginny leaned back against him, her eyes closed. "What do you mean by 'he wasn't in complete control'?"

"Ginny," Charlie said grinning. "She fought him."

Na'eemah smiled and nodded. "Every step of the way. Ginny, I said it the first day we met. You are a powerful young girl. That diary possessed you, fed off your soul, and yet you still had the power to say no! You did not let him take total control of you. You managed to break free — to be yourself. I know that it doesn't feel like it, but you did have some control."

Bill stared at Na'eemah for a moment. "I've been studying possession for the last month, specifically in terms of cursed objects. This was no ordinary possession."

"No, it wasn't." She reached into the folder on the table and removed a letter there. "I received this last month from a man named Lord Sirius Black, I believe that he is a friend of the family?" At Bill's nod, she smiled. "He told me that he believes the diary was a Horcrux."

Bill paled. "It was a piece of You Know Who's soul?"

Charlie stared at his older brother, his eyes wide. "What the fuck does that even mean?"

Ginny was staring between her two brothers, eyes wide. "I don't understand."

Na'eemah smiled at Ginny. "I asked my husband about the term as it was new to me. Daniel informed me that that a Horcrux is one of the darkest forms of magic. It is a piece of one's soul that is placed inside of an object to prevent them from dying. To create one it entails the murder of another human being. Lord Black has written that he believes the diary was an early form of a Horcrux that was created by You Know Who, which is what ultimately made it so powerful."

"You mean it wasn't just feeding on my soul but… I had the soul of Tom inside of me?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide with horror.

Na'eemah let out a slow breath. "My understanding of this form of dark magic is not by any means top notch, but yes that's exactly what happened. Ginny, you were possessed by this diary, but you did not _let it_ control you. In other words, imagine someone placed you under the Imperius Curse — a dark curse that allows another witch or wizard to control you — and they told you to jump out this window. You move to the window and you realize that's dumb, if you jump you'll die, so you refuse. So someone comes along on the other side of you and places the Imperius Curse on you again and once more instructs you to jump out the window. You move a little closer, but again you think, no, I don't want to do this. So once again, someone comes over and places the Imperius Curse on you and this time, you are bound and you do jump, but you catch yourself on the ledge and you hang there, questioning how to save yourself. Your will to live is stronger than your will to obey so you climb back inside. That is what you did on a daily basis, Ginny. You fought with every moment of every day to live as you and those moments, those black spots on your memory where you couldn't remember what you had done, those were the moments when you had been Imperiused more than three times. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Ginny nodded slowly. "My soul was stronger than his."

Charlie grinned and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "You are a warrior princess goddess."

Ginny smiled at her brothers. "So now that we know what it was and what was happening to me… now what?"

Na'eemah smiled kindly at her. "Now we go back and try to find the answers to those first few questions, Ginny."

That had been two weeks ago.

Now, Ginny sat in Na'eemah's office and she still didn't have the answers. Her family had returned to the Burrow last week and Charlie had returned to Romania the day before. Bill and Charlie had promised to keep her memories mostly a secret from her parents until she was ready to share it and she was grateful to them for that, grateful that she had trusted them to see the memories with her. She stared at the mind healer, her own mind racing.

"I don't know," she said softly. "When I looked at him and he was solid… he was corporeal I… I didn't see my friend, I was scared."

"Why were you scared? What had changed from the Tom you knew?"

Ginny swallowed slowly. "Everything… I was in the Chamber of Secrets and he… he came out of the diary. It was at that moment that I knew that I had been wrong; I knew that Tom had never been my friend, and I knew without a doubt that it was dark magic… and that it was all my fault."

"He struck you," Na'eemah said, urging her to continue.

"Slapped me so hard that I almost fell over. Sometimes I think that I can still feel the sting of it on my cheek," she said softly.

"He ripped your robes."

Ginny nodded. "He ripped them open and… my blouse and he shoved his hand up my skirt."

"How did that make you feel, Ginny? This man was your friend. You had trusted him and now he was hurting you."

"I was just… surprised. I didn't know how to react. He touched me and… I knew that it was wrong and I wanted to ask him why; I wanted to know why he would want to make me feel like that."

"How did you feel?"

"Dirty," she said quietly. "Ashamed."

Na'eemah nodded. "But you didn't do anything wrong, so why should you feel ashamed and dirty, when he was the one who should?"

"Because I didn't stop him," she whispered. "When he picked up that bone and he… the pain was immense, but it wasn't the pain that made me cry and scream, not really… it was him."

"Tom?"

"I had trusted him," she whispered. "And he had promised to be my friend."

"And that's what hurt you? His betrayal?"

Ginny stared at her for a long moment. Was it the fact that he had betrayed her? It did bother her, as she had trusted him, but she didn't think that was it entirely. She simply stared at her hands for almost two full minutes and then her eyes locked on the healer's.

"He betrayed me and that hurt, yes, but it wasn't quite that. It was that… _I let him_."

"Ginny," Na'eemah said softly. "He overpowered you. He had your wand. How did you let it happen?"

"He… the more I screamed and the more I struggled, he seemed to like it so I stopped and it made him more angry but… I just let him."

"No — _you fought him_."

Tears poured down her cheeks and she closed her eyes. "It doesn't feel like I fought him. It feels like I just gave up."

"Tom was enjoying inflicting pain upon you. He had revelled in your emotional pain for months and now having gained corporeal form, he was able to cause physical pain. The more you struggled and screamed, the more excited he became. The more he relished in what he could do to you. The moment that you stopped giving him what he wanted, that's when you fought back. You couldn't physically overcome him, Ginny. You didn't have that power, but you could make him angry by not giving him what he wanted and you did. _You_ had the power there."

"When he… finished on me… I wanted to die. I remember thinking that if I just… end it, everything would be okay. That no one would ever know what I had done and that it would all be over."

Na'eemah nodded. "When you came to and found Harry hovering after saving your life, did you contemplate taking your own life again?"

Ginny shook her head. "Never. After everything that Harry did for me, what Ron did for me… I would never throw my life away like that."

"But that moment, after Tom had raped you, you wanted to die?"

"I just wanted it to be over. I had trusted him and he failed me and… I felt like I had failed him."

Na'eemah smiled kindly. "And that is what we need to talk about. You did not fail him. He used you. He abused you. He hurt you. You fought him and you survived."

Ginny smiled back at her. "I survived."

"And how does that make you feel knowing that you survived?"

"Strong," Ginny said softly. "I feel strong and I want to be me again, whoever that may be. I want to find out."

Na'eemah grinned. "And you will."


	111. Chapter 111

_Author's Note:_

 _I know that you all have been wondering — what is going to happen in Harry's third year since Sirius is not in prison, Peter has been imprisoned, and well generally all of the loose ends have been wrapped up. Well, I have a few ideas that I've been tossing around in my mind, one part of another that I've been trying to work out the kinks to, but I hope this explains a bit of it. And I will say — it is different than you think._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN:**

 **Molly looked at her eldest son when his head appeared in the fire that evening,** **"Bill!"**

Bill smiled warmly at her. "Hi, Mum, where's Dad?"

"Here!" Arthur exclaimed, hurrying out of the kitchen to sit next to his wife in front of the fire. "How's Ginny?"

"She's doing really well. I think letting her stay and spend more time with Na'eemah was a great idea."

Molly pursed her lips.

"Mum, I know that you're angry that she wouldn't talk to you and that I made you leave her with me, but you have to give her time."

"I don't understand why she spoke to you about everything, but she won't tell me, _her own mother_!"

Arthur took his wife's hand in his. "Molly, we've talked about this a hundred times. We have to trust our daughter to do what is best for her."

"We're her parents! We know what's best for her!"

Bill smiled at her. "Charlie and I viewed some of her memories the other day. It was… rough, but she asked us to be there. The way that he manipulated her, Mum… one second he was complimenting her and then he was telling her how stupid and unloved she was… he was very clever at backhanded compliments and he did it so seamlessly that she wasn't even aware that it was happening."

Tears poured down Molly's cheeks. "My poor baby!"

Arthur pulled his wife into his arms. "You said that you'd bring her home before King's Cross?"

Bill nodded. "Yes. The night before."

Arthur raised his eyebrow when he recognized the hesitation on his son's face. "What is it, Bill?"

Bill shook his head. "Nothing, Dad. Just some research I'm working on is giving me grief. Ginny will be home in a few days. Goodnight."

They said goodbye to their son and then Molly kissed her husband's cheek. "He takes such good care of her, Arthur, and I know that, but… she's our daughter, our baby girl, and we should be the ones there with her, the ones taking her to see the Mind Healer — not Bill. I'm worried about her, Arthur. She depends too much on Bill and Charlie."

"How can she depend too much on them, Molly?"

She shook her head. "She does. She should depend on us like that."

Arthur held her close, kissing her forehead. "Molly, Ginny knows how much we love her and she knows that we are here for her. But Na'eemah told us, the best thing that we can do is to wait for Ginny to come to us. We don't want to push her away. She said that it's just as hard on the family as much as the… victim."

"But what if after all of this she still won't tell us?"

"Molly, to be honest, we know that she was raped. We know that she was emotionally abused and physically injured. As long as she is getting the help that she needs to cope with that, to grow from it, and to be the Ginny that she wants and needs to be — I don't need to know the details. I don't _want_ to know the details, if I'm honest," he admitted, biting his bottom lip. "But if she comes to me and she needs to tell me what happened to her, I will hold her in my arms, and listen to every word that she says. If she needs her brothers to be there for her because she doesn't want to tell her parents about such a traumatizing, and frankly embarrassing thing, to talk about with them — that's okay, too. We've raised great kids, Molly, and our boys have stepped up. I couldn't be prouder."

Molly sighed into her husband's arms. "You're right, Arthur, I know that you're right. But she's our daughter and I feel like we should be doing more."

He kissed her forehead. "We are doing what she needs us to do."

Molly nodded as the sound of a small explosion echoed throughout the house. Her lips pursed tightly before she took a deep breath and moved out of her husband's arms. "FRED! GEORGE!"

Arthur chuckled as he watched his wife head up the stairs. At least some things around the house hadn't changed.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius accepted the letter from the unknown owl in the kitchen the next morning, unraveling it as he sipped his tea.** He saw that it was from Bill Weasley and his eyebrow lifted in wonder.

 _Sirius,_

 _I meant to write sooner, but I wanted to do more research on the subject first. Na'eemah Hickey, the Mind Healer that Ginny has been seeing, said that you wrote to her about the diary. We need to talk. I've set up an international Floo for eight pm tonight for you to call upon me in my flat in Cairo. I hope you'll accept._

 _Bill Weasley_

Sirius glanced at the address listed at the bottom of the letter in surprise and let out a slow sigh. He looked up at Harry as he came into the kitchen with his broomstick across his shoulders, smiling at him. Sirius still hadn't decided how to broach the subject of what the diary truly was. He knew that he would have to tell Harry eventually and the thought worried him and once again made him think of the prophecy. He wasn't ready for that either, he thought.

He sent a quick Patronus to Remus asking him to stop by. Remus came over a little while later, smiling when he saw Harry outside on his broomstick.

"Getting ready for the season, is he?"

Sirius smirked as they both watched Harry practice diving from the kitchen window. "And then some. He's anxious to go back to school. Listen, I wanted to run something past you real quick. When we were in France, I heard back from Arthur Weasley about how Ginny was doing. He had told me that Bill had found her a Mind Healer, a woman named Na'eemah Hickey. I wrote to her and told her that I believed the diary was a Horcrux."

Remus' eyebrow rose in surprise. "Really? What possessed you to do so?"

"Ginny's a spitfire and I want to make sure that she heals fully from this experience. We know that Harry has been through a hell of a lot, but what she suffered… Voldemort was basically living in her head, Rem, that's something else entirely."

"I have to agree with you there, but… I thought that we were keeping the Horcrux thing between us for now."

"I think that we still should to some extent. I want to bring Minnie in on it, but Bill Weasley wants to Floo call me tonight."

Remus nodded. "You're thinking of bringing Bill in."

Sirius hesitated. "Not in exactly, well… maybe - but I am curious to see what he found out first. He is a curse breaker for Gringott's after all and he said that he's been doing research on Horcruxes. I think that he's going to have some insight for us. If he's interested, we should bring him in."

"You going to take the call here?"

"He wants me to call his flat. I was thinking of doing it from Grimmauld Place."

Remus looked at his friend in surprise. "Why?"

"You told me to keep it. You told me to use it as a safe house and that maybe one day having it would be beneficial, and I'm starting to suspect that you were right," he said honestly. "Dumbledore's had the entire summer to start his research on Voldemort's past. Once Harry goes back to Hogwarts, I want to sit down and talk this out. Horcruxes, Voldemort, everything. It's time that we make a game plan here and figure out what the hell we're going to do."

"And Harry?" Remus asked quietly. "I've been thinking about it all summer, Padfoot and we can't keep this from him. He's young, yes and it would be a weight on his shoulders, but he deserves to know the truth."

Sirius ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes finding Harry through the window, who was still flying outside. "I know. I've been thinking the same thing. But not yet. I want to line our ducks in a row first. I want to have a game plan. I want to show him that we're not going to let some stupid prophecy dictate his life. I want to have… _something_ to show him."

Remus nodded, smiling at his friend. "Agreed. And I like the idea of making Grimmauld Place a home base. We can start organizing the op from there."

"Op?"

Remus grinned. "Yeah, I was thinking back to our Marauder days, something along the lines of Operation Take Voldemort Down or Operation Soul Destroyer."

Sirius smirked. "Operation FUVP." Remus raised an eyebrow and Sirius grinned, "Fuck Up Voldemort's Plans."

Remus laughed. "Operation FUVP it is. Do you want me to come with you tonight for the call?"

He nodded. "Yes. I think that we need to start putting this into motion. I'll ask Zee to stay with Harry."

"Harry seems to be getting along quite well with her," Remus said.

Sirius nodded, smiling as he glanced out the window again to watch Harry fly. "Yeah, they've become really friendly. Sometimes I think he likes her more than me actually. It's nice to know that he likes her and wants to spend time with her. Especially since I fucked it up so badly when I didn't tell him about her."

Remus smiled at his friend. "One step at a time, Padfoot."

Zee came by soon after, smiling when she saw Harry flying on his broom outside. "I see someone is happy out there." She leaned down to kiss Sirius softly. "Everything okay?"

He nodded. That first night after she had taught Harry how to cook, she and Sirius had stayed up late into the night as Sirius had filled her in on the Chamber of Secrets, on what Harry had experienced, and on the Horcruxes. "It's fine. Rem and I need to talk to Bill Weasley about the Hocruxes." At her look, he sighed. "We've been thinking that we need a few things for this to work out. I have the financial backing to support any endeavour needed. You have sway in the DRCMC so you would be an asset as would Tonks, being an Auror. Moony is brilliant and I know that he will be very helpful in keeping us organized and on track. Dumbledore knew Riddle back in the day and I think having that connection will help him build a more thorough timeline of his life -which will only help us figure out where he's been, and maybe where he could have hidden said objects, and what those objects may be. Not to mention that he's one of the most powerful wizards in the world."

"Getting a curse breaker on board may not be a bad idea either?"

Sirius nodded. "I was thinking that myself which is one of the other reasons why we'll be speaking to Bill, but I've also been thinking about what Remus said about… we have to go down into the Chamber of Secrets and I think that he's right about Harry coming with us. Not only do we need him to open the doors but… to return and to see it, I think that it will be beneficial to him as well, in helping him overcome it. He said that he wants to go and I think that once school starts up we can talk about it again. I've been trying not to think about it, to be honest, as I don't want him to have to go back there."

Zee smiled. "If you need me there, just say the word."

He smiled at her gratefully, reaching to take her hand and kiss her fingers. "You're amazing. I want you there, and I know Harry will too."

"So I will be," she said with a smile, kissing the fingers that held hers. "A curse breaker would be beneficial, maybe even two, and I would also recommend a historian. If the locket did indeed belong to Slytherin himself, it might be a good idea to see what other artefacts are known to exist from Slytherin or even from the other three founders of the school. You mentioned that Dumbledore did say that Riddle found a home at Hogwarts so he might have had an interest in more than just Slytherin."

"True," Sirius said, the wheels in his head turning. "That's entirely possible as well. Plus Minnie's skills in Transfiguration are beyond compare, which is one of the many reasons why I brought her on board, I think that she even rivals Dumbledore in that regard. As to the Dark Magic aspect… that would once again be my expertise, but maybe a little help from someone else would be worth it. The Auror who captured me and put me in prison is a great example. He knows more about Dark Magic and about catching Dark Wizards than anyone that I know. He's retired now, but I'm sure that I could coerce him into helping."

"See? The beginnings of a plan."

He smiled at her. "I have to decide what I want to share with Harry. I don't want him to be kept in the dark, not about everything but… he's only thirteen and I don't exactly want to fill him in on the entire plan either."

Zee smiled, her eyes on Remus. "You two will talk and you'll decide what's best for your son."

Remus smiled at her. "Yeah, we're working on that still. Would you mind staying with Harry while we run off to talk to Bill later?"

"I'd love too. I did promise him that we would make my famous cheesy hash brown casserole."

Sirius licked his lips. "Save me some?"

"Of course," she said before she kissed him.

~ ASC ~

 **At seven thirty, Sirius and Remus stepped through the front door of Grimmauld Place.** The house looked completely different than Sirius remembered it and despite his monthly visits, it still surprised him. The soft yellow in the halls brightened it up as he made his way down into the kitchen, where Kreacher immediately brightened.

"Master Sirius!"

"Good evening, Kreacher. Remus and I will be taking an important international Floo call in a few minutes. I wish for us not to be disturbed."

Kreacher nodded solemnly. "Of course, Master Sirius!"

At seven fifty-nine, Sirius bent down into the fire and sent the flames to the address that Bill Weasley had provided. A few moments later his head appeared in a small living room and he recognized the tall redhead who was sitting in front of the fire.

"Sirius!" he said, smiling brightly. "Thank you for answering my call."

"Of course. Remus and I would both like to speak to you," his hand reached out from the flames and passed Bill a slip of paper. "We'll be waiting. Burn that after you read it."

Then he disappeared and stood up back in the kitchen. "Now, we wait."

It was almost thirty minutes later before there was a knock on the front door. Sirius made his way down the hall and he opened the front door, nodding at Bill. "Thank you for coming."

"Finding a portkey to London on such short notice was impossible so I had to Apparate," he said, yawning.

"How many stops did you have to make?"

"A lot," Bill told him honestly. "I need to sit down."

Sirius nodded. Apparating from Egypt to London would take a lot out of anyone and the amount of stops that he would have had to make along the way… Sirius was impressed that he had made it in only thirty minutes. He led him down the hall into the kitchen and pushed him into a chair. "Want a beer?"

"Wouldn't turn one down," Bill told him honestly with a smile. "Hi, Remus."

"Bill," he said, tapping his fingers on the table.

Bill took a long drink of his beer as Sirius settled himself on the bench of the kitchen table next to Remus. "So, you said that you had something to discuss with me?"

"You first," Sirius told him. "You were interested in what I wrote to Ginny's healer."

Bill nodded, taking another sip of his beer. "I was interested in the fact that you wrote to her and not to my father. Let's start there."

"After speaking with our son and hearing about what happened in the Chamber of Secrets, I realized that the diary was more than just a cursed object. I've never heard of any cursed object that could control another human being to that extent, and it clearly was a hell of a lot more than simply ghost possession. That would leave some kind of sign behind, and there was nothing. When Harry told me that the diary was taking her soul, I remembered an old story that my grandfather had told me about using dark magic to gain immortality, so I went to speak to Dumbledore about it. We came to the same conclusion — that the diary was a part of Voldemort's soul."

Bill paled, nodding as he contemplated what Sirius had just said. "I came to a similar conclusion myself. I've been spending the summer doing research on cursed objects in my spare time, trying to figure out how this diary had so much control over my sister. I found a few things in some of the tombs that were similar. Pharaohs that tried to live forever by building a Horcrux. To create one takes a great of power. Not only must you murder someone, but there's an entire ritual behind it that extracts part of your soul and locks it within the chosen object. To have put it in a diary and then to make the diary also possess a memory the way he did… that was seriously advanced powerful magic."

"We're aware," Remus said carefully. "The Basilisk venom destroyed the diary and decimated the soul and memory that lived within the diary. It is completely destroyed."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"After speaking with Dumbledore about the Horcrux and then speaking with your father about you taking Ginny to a mind healer, I thought that it was important for the healer to know exactly what kind of cursed object that she was dealing with. I didn't want anything to hinder the healing that Ginny needs to move on with her life," Sirius explained.

Bill nodded, his fingers tapping the neck of the bottle. "I appreciate that. Ginny's not ready for our parents to know all of the details of what happened to her, and frankly, I don't know if she ever will tell them everything. She asked Charlie and I to sit in on a session with Na'eemah the day after our family came back home. The healer had been healing her memories and her blank spots and she wanted us to be there to view some of them. We obviously stepped up."

"And?"

"And, a great portion of what she had blocked was that You Know Who attacked those students by accident. He never intentionally set out to harm them. In fact, he had his monster hunting Harry the entire time."

Sirius' eyes widened and he and Remus exchanged looks. " _What?"_

Bill quickly filled them in on the memory. "Na'eemah believes, and Charlie and I both agree with her, that Tom was holding the monster back to try to keep control of it because Ginny was fighting him every step of the way. He couldn't just set the Basilisk loose on the school because if he lost control over Ginny, he lost control over the Basilisk - which meant that he wouldn't have the power to make the monster go after Harry, so with every attack — he retreated."

"Because Ginny was fighting him off," Remus said in understanding. "That's incredibly remarkable that she has the power of mind to do that at her age."

"Agreed, but I also think that it comes down to her heart," Bill said with a smile. "She's always had the biggest heart, and she loves so fiercely. She would do everything in her power to protect someone that she cares about and I think subconsciously, that she was trying to protect Harry, but she didn't realize it."

Remus nodded, tapping his fingers on the table. "Does Ginny know that it was a Horcrux?"

"Yes," Bill said simply. "Na'eemah told Charlie and I about your letter with her there. She was a little freaked out to learn that part of Tom had been inside of her — his magic and his soul — but I think it's helped her come to terms with it, as well. Charlie and I have worked something out with Na'eemah to keep seeing Gin once a week for the foreseeable future. She'll be coming to Hogwarts to talk to her."

"Good," Sirius told him with a smile. "I'm glad that it's been helping her."

"How's Harry doing? Have you guys brought him to a mind healer?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. He's doing good. He's been talking to Remus and I and opening up about everything. He journals and I think that it's helping him a lot. We did discuss that when school starts up again, going down into the Chamber of Secrets and just putting it to rest. Dumbledore wants to retrieve the body of the snake and make sure that all of the wards are safe down there, but when we do go, Ginny should come too. I think that it would be good for both of them to face their demons."

Bill nodded. "I agree. If she wants to go, otherwise I won't force her."

"Nor I with Harry," Sirius said firmly. "I told Dumbledore as much."

"Alright, I've explained my reasoning for wanting to talk. Now it's your turn, why did you call me here? And what is this place?"

"It was my parents' house, but I gutted it and made it somewhat habitable for human beings," Sirius said crossly as he looked around the kitchen. "As for why Remus and I called you here. We wanted to talk about the Horcrux."

"It was destroyed."

"It was," Sirius said carefully. "Bill, how much do you remember about the night Voldemort disappeared?"

Bill shrugged, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "A little. I was still a kid. I remember Dad coming home and telling us that You Know Who had disappeared, that the war was over. He said that the Potters had been killed, but their baby had survived, and that no one knew how. I remember Uncle Gid and Uncle Fab coming by and we celebrated the end of the war with fireworks. And then a few weeks before Christmas, I remember Mum crying in the kitchen. Dad sitting Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and I down and explaining that Uncle Gideon and Uncle Fabian had been killed in the war. Ron and Ginny were too young to understand. Mum was beside herself. I don't remember much else."

Remus nodded, smiling kindly. "I'm sorry about your uncles, Bill, we knew them both. They were amazing men and very powerful wizards." Bill nodded in acknowledgment and Remus continued. "Voldemort did disappear that night and Harry did beat him in some way, but he didn't die."

Bill paled a little, but he nodded. "I was kind of afraid of that when I came to the conclusion about the diary. Is he dead now that Harry destroyed the diary?"

Sirius shook his head.

Bill stared at him for a moment and snorted. "Fuck, how many did he make?"

Sirius shrugged. "We don't know. We know of at least two, but we're still working out the details."

"You are one of the few people we are cluing into this, Bill, and we'd like to keep it that way. It's important that Ginny doesn't talk about it either, but I can't imagine she would considering the circumstances surrounding it," Remus said carefully.

"She won't," Bill told them. "But I'll talk to her regardless. Does Harry know?"

Sirius shook his head. "Not yet, but we are planning on telling him. We just want to get a game plan together."

"I want in," Bill said vehemently. "After what that bastard did to my sister, I want in."

"Having a curse breaker on our side would definitely not hurt," Remus said to him. "And it's one of the reasons why we approached you over your parents."

"I've already arranged a meeting for Dumbledore, McGonagall, Remus, myself, Zee, and Tonks for the first Sunday after term starts up. The kids will all be in school and we want to sit down and try to put a game plan together. We want to understand Voldemort's past first as Dumbledore thinks that it will help us narrow down what other objects he might have chosen to hold his soul pieces," Sirius told him.

"I've taken a lot of time off work lately and I'm not sure if I can make that meeting," he told them honestly. "But I would like to be kept informed and to help in any way that I can."

Sirius nodded. "I'd like you to keep researching Horcruxes if you could. The more we know about them and how they are made, the more it can help us find them. Like I said, we want to visit the Chamber of Secrets, and we want to look into Voldemort's past. We're taking this one step at a time. But Operation FUVP is officially up and running."

Remus smirked at Bill's raised eyebrow. "Fuck Up Voldemort's Plans."

Bill laughed. "I love it — and I'm in. I will send you everything that I can find."

"Kreacher," Sirius said and the elf appeared in the kitchen. "This is Bill Weasley." Kreacher bowed to the wizard, his eyes on Sirius. "Bill, anything you find or think we need to see, send word, and I'll send Kreacher to you to deliver it. This isn't anything that we want to fall into the wrong hands."

"Of course," Bill said nodding at the elf. "I have a few lines on Horcruxes from an old curse breaker living in Shanghai. He worked on one of the Chinese tombs that apparently was known for housing the potential objects to hold the emperor's souls in before he was put to rest. I'll pick his brain and see if we can learn anything new."

"Excellent," Sirius said, extending his hand. "Welcome to the Op, Bill."

~ ASC ~

 **Two days later, Harry was folding his laundry in the living room while Sirius made dinner when the Evening Prophet arrived at Black Cottage.** Sirius let out a stream of curse words so intense that Harry's mouth literally dropped open and he hurried into the kitchen to see what had happened.

"Uncle Sirius, what's going on?"

Sirius simply stared at the paper, his mouth gaping open.

Harry grabbed the paper from him, proving his father was in shock when he made no move to stop him, and he began to read the article aloud:

 _ESCAPE FROM AZKABAN!_

 _No one can figure out how the Dementors of Azkaban randomly disappeared for two days, leaving the prison completely unguarded. Nor can the Ministry of Magic explain why they all returned so suddenly, as if they had never left at all. The Ministry claimed that it was a fluke and that there was no need for concern._

 _But as of today, that concern needs to be addressed, as not only has a prisoner escaped the inescapable prison — but more than one._

 _Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew have both disappeared from Azkaban Prison mysteriously within the last week. Lestrange, a convicted Death Eater for multiple counts of murder and for the torture of the Auror Frank Longbottom and his wife, Alice; and Pettigrew, a recently convicted Death Eater for multiple counts of murder and torture including the reason why James and Lily Potter were killed on that fateful night on Halloween of 1981._

 _Both of their cells were empty Tuesday morning when the prison guards moved in to check on the prisoners. The locks seem to have been tampered with and Pettigrew, a known Animagus in the form of a rat, had wards upon his cell to prevent him from both transforming and from escaping. Yet the shackles are opened and they have both gone missing._

 _Who is responsible? How did this happen? Does the Ministry really have the Dementors under control? Where did the Dementors go? Who was the outside party to assist in the escape? These are questions we are asking._

 _How do two high profile prisoners escape?_

 _Be on your guard for any sign of the mass murdering prisoners and any believed sightings should be reported to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement immediately._

Harry put the paper on the table and moved his hand cautiously in front of his father's face. "Uncle Sirius? Uncle Siri, are you okay?"

Sirius' fists clenched at his sides. "I'm all right, Harry."

Harry frowned at him. "They'll catch them. I know they will."

The ringing sound of an alarm, signalling someone had come through the wards, had Sirius jumping to his feet just as a knock sounded at the front door. Sirius pulled his wand out, frowning. "Stay here."

Harry only nodded, peeking around the doorway to the kitchen to watch his father open the front door. He knew the wards around Black Cottage were thick and unpenetrable. Sirius had explained it to him once when he had asked him about how the blood wards worked: A mix of both Harry and Sirius' blood, shielded the house from view and how people could see the cottage and the property, but not really see it — it was a glamour of some sort that kept it hidden. When people walked towards the house, the property wards let them in as long as they had no desire to harm or let others harm those inside and the entrance into the house was only given by Harry and Sirius personally the first time. But if alarms had gone off, that meant that someone had triggered the blood wards.

Marauder barked and barked as Harry tried to hold he dog back, shushing him. His mouth opened in shock when he realized that it was Draco Malfoy standing there.

"Draco," Sirius said in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He ushered the boy inside and Draco winced as he came through the final blood warding, which felt slightly akin to being pulled in three different directions at once, spotting Harry by the door to the kitchen. "Where are your parents?"

"Mother sent me. She said that you would welcome me if I came asking for help."

Sirius frowned, glancing down the drive, but no one else had come through the wards. "It's true. Blood magic is tied into all of the properties and you have Black blood, which means you have access to Black properties to some extent. Why are you looking for my help, Draco?"

Draco swallowed slowly. "Not your help exactly, but did you see tonight's paper?"

Sirius pursed his lips. "You mean the monumental fuck-up by the Ministry of Magic? Yeah, I noticed it."

"Aunt Bella showed up at Malfoy Manor tonight and she was holding the rat in her hands. Mother screamed and as soon as he could get away… she sent me here."

"Bella's at Malfoy Manor with Pettigrew? Both of them?"

Draco nodded.

Sirius immediately went to the fireplace and Floo called Tonks.

Harry looked at Draco as Sirius' head disappeared into the fire. "Why would they go to your house? Does she think that your mum will protect her?"

He shook his head. "Not my mother, no, but my grandfather, definitely."

Harry's eyes widened. "Your grandfather would protect two convicted murderers?"

Draco looked down at his feet and shrugged.

Sirius had finished his call and hurried back over to Harry and Draco, who were still standing by the front door. "Tonks is alerting King and the Aurors are moving to the Manor. Draco, talk to me, why are they there? Cissa wouldn't have just sent you here to tell me that."

"Grandfather is protecting them, I think."

Sirius swore under his breath. "Fucking Abraxas. Did he bloody-well break them out, too?"

Draco looked up at Sirius, his eyes guarded. "I don't know. He knows how to take control of the Dementors and they listen to him. I just know that he showed up with Aunt Bella and Pettigrew and told Father to hide them and then Mother sent me to you when he left the room."

Sirius put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Aurors are checking the Manor now, Draco. You are safe here, I can promise you that." He looked at Harry for a moment and then he sent a quick Patronus over to Zee.

It was only five minutes later when Zee came through the front door. "Sirius? Harry? What's going on?"

Sirius pulled her close, cradling her head against his heart. "Pettigrew fucking escaped!"

Zee's eyes widened. "What do you mean, 'he escaped'? No one can escape Azkaban!" She kissed him softly and led him over to the chesterfield to sit down, her eyes on Harry and Draco. "What happened?"

"We believe that Abraxas Malfoy helped them escape," Sirius told her, nodding at Draco. "His grandson came over to tell me. I informed Tonks and the Aurors are heading over there to investigate and search the property but… I don't like it. It doesn't feel right to me. Something about this is… off."

Zee nodded, holding his hand in hers. She reached her other hand out to Harry who took it, squeezing hers lightly in reassurance. The fact that she had rushed over and was offering comfort to the both of them, understanding their anger and fear, was something that Harry appreciated. They both needed her, he realized. He let her tug him close and wrap an arm around him for a moment. "We'll figure this out, don't you two worry." She kissed his cheek and then looked up when Remus came out of the fire, shaking his head.

"Tonks is gone with a team, but no, I don't know anything else. Why would Malfoy break them out of prison? It doesn't make any sense," Remus said, moving to take a seat in the armchair. He smiled at Draco, who hesitantly sat on the arm of the sofa. "Draco, did your mother say anything else to you?"

Draco shook his head, his face paler than usual. He looked uncomfortable and even a bit unsure of himself, which surprised Harry. "Only that she wasn't going to let my father play this game again, but I didn't know what she meant by that."

Sirius closed his eyes, sighing when Zee only squeezed his hand again. He moved to the sofa and sat down, tugging Zee down next to him as Harry went to sit on the arm of Remus' chair. "Something is going on here and it's not just about helping prisoners escape. Malfoy has a reason for this. He has some sort of plan going on and I don't like it."

"Now we can only wait," Remus told him.

Zee stood up, smiling at Harry. "Harry? Draco, is it?" At Draco's nod, she smiled brightly. "Why don't you two come and help me in the kitchen? We'll make some tea and Harry, you can put out the last of the treacle tart that Mrs Weasley sent you last week."

Harry nodded and followed her, not bothering to see if Draco was behind him.

~ ASC ~

 **Two hours later, the five of them were still sitting in the kitchen, only now they had been joined by Andy and Ted.** Andy had rushed to Draco, hugging him close and kissing his cheek, which only made his face flush in embarrassment. When she did the same to Harry, he only smirked at Draco.

But there was still no news.

It was almost another hour later before Tonks arrived. She shook her head at them when they all looked up at her hopefully.

"There's no sign of them anywhere in the Manor. We could only do a perimeter check and basic search as we only had word that they were hidden there and no evidence to substantiate a warrant, but we checked as thoroughly as we could. They aren't there."

Sirius swore, standing up and punching the wall. "He probably has them stashed in some secret room! This is fucking bullshit!"

The alert in the wards had Sirius running to the front door as Narcissa Malfoy marched up the drive. He pulled her into the house roughly, grabbing her arms tightly in his hands. "Where the hell is he hiding them, Cissa?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, Sirius!" Her eyes moved behind him, searching. "Where's Draco?"

"He's fine, he's in the kitchen. Tell me what happened!"

Narcissa sighed and tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, her perfectly coifed hair almost mussed. "I just know that Brax showed up with Bella and Pettigrew tonight. He was yelling at Lucius, telling him that he had always been a disappointment to him. That he had married the wrong Black sister, that he could never do anything right, and that now the time was right for him to prove himself, to live up to the proud Malfoy name once and for all."

Sirius nodded and led her into the kitchen, pushing her into a chair. Zee stood up to pour her a cup of tea and Narcissa smiled gratefully, her hands shaking as she accepted the cup. Andromeda reached out to squeeze her sister's hand and tears welled up in Narcissa's eyes.

"I won't stand by this time and do nothing," she vowed.

"Cissa, tell me what happened," Sirius said, kneeling in front of her.

Narcissa closed her eyes for a moment, smiling gratefully when Draco stood up and placed a hand on his mother's shoulder. "Why don't you boys go on outside or in the other room? It's time for the adults to talk, I think."

Harry frowned. "No way! I want to know what's going on."

Sirius stared at his cousin for a moment before he spoke. "Prongslet, Draco, treehouse now."

"But Uncle Sirius —"

"No, now," Sirius said, his voice firm.

Harry stormed out of the kitchen, stomping his feet angrily and slamming the back door behind him. Narcissa nodded at Draco and he quietly followed Harry out into the yard.

Harry was in the middle of climbing the wall when he heard Draco whistle.

"This is your treehouse?"

Harry turned around to smirk at him. "It's brilliant, I know."

Draco moved to climb up behind him and they moved into the cabin of the house, the fairy lights providing light into the evening as the summer horizon fell behind the clouds.

"Mother's scared."

Harry nodded. "Maybe so, but I think that we deserve to know what's going on just as much as they do."

Draco only nodded. "You freed my house elf."

Harry snorted. "You mean that punching bag your father kept? Yeah, I did. Dobby didn't deserve to be treated like that."

"I know," Draco said quietly. "I'm glad he's free."

Harry stared at Draco for a long moment. "Draco, why would your grandfather want to free two former Death Eaters? What is he hoping to accomplish by doing that? The whole country is going to be on the lookout for them!"

Draco shrugged. "He was a Death Eater too, but he was never caught, nor accused of any crimes. In the eyes of the law, he's innocent."

"Your mother doesn't approve?"

Draco shook his head and sighed as he looked towards the house. "Like I said, something scared her, and it wasn't just the sight of her sister walking through the front door, I can tell you that much. I just don't know what it was, and that worries me. I've never seen my mother look scared before."

Harry stared at Draco, his eyes wide. He had no idea what it meant either, but he knew that it was the beginning of something, and the fact that Draco looked just as worried as he felt, did nothing to reassure him.


	112. Chapter 112

_Author's Note:_

 _I would like to say, Draco Malfoy is not necessarily good, but I don't think he's evil either. And at the moment he is still only thirteen, like Harry, and being that Sirius and Narcissa are cousins, they really have no choice in the being thrown together scheme of things, but for the moment they still aren't exactly friends._

 _Sorry for the long delay — I meant to post this on Wednesday, but it has been a busy week._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE:**

 **Sirius continued to stare at Narcissa once Draco had walked out of the kitchen.** He took a seat in the chair across from her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, the boys are gone — start talking, Cissa."

Andromeda reached out and squeezed her sister's hand lightly. "Cissa, tell us what has you so spooked. What happened?"

Narcissa let out a slow breath, eyes on Andromeda in surprise as if she had just realized that the sister she hadn't spoken to in years was sitting in the room. "If Brax finds out that I came here and told you any of this, he'll kill me." She looked out of the kitchen window. "But I won't let him use Draco like he does Lucius — I won't."

Remus cleared his throat, his eyes on Sirius as he spoke. "Narcissa, you are safe with us here. I can promise you that. You know that as Lord Black, Sirius will protect you if you ask him too."

She only nodded at him. "Oh, I know that; why else do you think I came here? But it doesn't stop the fear." She took a deep breath and looked around the kitchen before she spoke. "I know, Lupin, of course, but who are these two women?"

Tonks smiled crookedly at her. "I'm your niece, Nymphadora, but call me Tonks, Auntie Cissa. And this is Zahira Zacarias, Sirius' girlfriend."

Narcissa looked taken aback as she stared at the woman who had just called her auntie. She smiled kindly. "Oh, well, erm, nice to meet you both."

"Yes, yes, formalities aside, what did Malfoy do, Cissa?" Sirius demanded. His eyes were flashing in anger at the prospect that his cousin's father-in-law not only knew where Pettigrew was, but that he had helped him escape and there was not a damn thing that he could do about it. He wanted to punch the wall again. Zee must have sensed his rage because her hand slipped into his, her fingers lacing between his

"Brax broke them out," Narcissa said simply, letting out a breath like she had been dying to say so. "From what he told Lucius and I, he went for Bella, and for Bella only. But once the Dementors were absent from the prison, he moved in, and having helped ward the prison over forty years ago, he knew how to take the wards down, and in doing so, removed the wards from Pettigrew's prison that kept him from transforming. Pettigrew changed into a rat and snuck into Bella's cell when the wards went down. I don't think Pettigrew was necessarily going to see Bella; my guess is that he was trying to find a way out and he felt the wards were weakest there as Brax removed the wards only from the one section of the prison. Bella, however, recognized him, grabbed him, and took him out with them, claiming that he was going to be the key to everything. Brax only wanted Bella out, he didn't care about Pettigrew."

"Why, though?" Zee asked, tucking a curl behind her ear, her other hand resting on Sirius' hip as she sat next to him. "Why would he want to break out one woman and why now?"

"It was Abraxas who had the diary that gave the Weasley girl the ability to open the Chamber of Secrets. He had it locked in a vault in his house in France, keeping it safe for the Dark Lord for when he returned. He asked Lucius to get something from the vault last summer and he found the diary. Lucius took it, thinking that it would annoy his father to have lost something so precious to his idol. He snuck it into the Weasley girl's textbooks and had her sneak it into the school. I swear on my son's life that he had no idea what would happen. He only knew that it was something the Dark Lord valued. Lucius never imagined that it would cause all of this… and when it did… well, Brax was so pleased. He said that Lucius was finally living up to his potential."

"'His potential'?" Andromeda repeated, her face pale.

Narcissa nodded. "When Lucius came back from Hogwarts, he informed his father that the diary had been destroyed. That Slytherin's monster had been killed by Harry Potter and that the Weasley girl had been saved, but that Dumbledore knew the diary had belonged to the Dark Lord, and he wanted to know how he had managed to enchant the object when he was hiding in Albania."

Remus swallowed slowly. "Bet he jumped on that."

"He did," Narcissa said. "He took off that night, leaving Isla with us. He came back a week later and he took Isla and he went home, back to France, without speaking of where he had gone or what he had been up to. We didn't hear from him all summer until he showed up with Bella and Pettigrew. And Bella was the one who told me that Brax knew that the Dark Lord was alive somewhere in Albania and that he knew how to find him. He was alone, weak and stranded, and he would need his followers — his most loyal followers — to help bring him back to power."

Sirius paled now. "Bring him back? He's a fucking parasite! He was living in another man's body for almost a year and it almost destroyed him; weakened Voldemort even more. There's no coming back from that nothingness!"

Narcissa only stared at him and she swallowed slowly. "He wants to bring him back. I don't know when. I don't know how. And I don't know how long it will take, but that's what he wants to do and he plans to use Bella and Pettigrew to help him do it."

"Pete wouldn't," Remus said quietly. "He knows what he did was wrong."

Sirius shook his head. "He's too fucking scared to do anything else. He knows his options here. Help Malfoy and Bella or go back to bloody Azkaban for the rest of his life. Of course he's going to bloody-well help them." He dragged his fingers through his hair. "How does he plan to do it?"

"I don't know," Narcissa told him. "I don't even think Brax knows. And he's moved Bella and Pettigrew out of the Manor. I assume that they're in France at his mansion while he figures out what to do. Sirius… he has Lucius under his control to a great extent, but I won't let him have Draco. I won't let him turn my little dragon into a man like him. I won't."

Sirius nodded. "He's welcome here whenever, Cissa, as are you. With Black blood you can always get in and I will always offer you protection under the Black Family name."

"What about Bellatrix?"

Sirius shook his head and smiled reassuringly at Remus. "No. The way the Black bloodline wards work are that access to Black Family properties is granted only to those who come in distress, looking for safety from those inside and with no intent to harm or intent to let others harm. Bella would never come to me for that. Not in a million years. And if she tried to move on the property, the blood wards would tear her apart if they suspected any hint of harm towards the occupants."

Remus nodded, looking reassured by this. "But Narcissa and Draco?"

"Will always be granted protection here if they come looking for it and they know it," Sirius said kindly, looking at his cousin. "What are you going to do?"

Narcissa sighed. "Draco and I will go back home. Lucius is probably pacing frantically as he knew I sent Draco to you, but he doesn't know where you are. He knows that I disagree with everything his father is doing — and he's not exactly on board either, but like I said, Abraxas is… he's a powerful man."

"Can't the Aurors do something?" Zee asked, her eyes on Tonks.

Tonks shook her head. "We did all that we could. We searched the perimeter and the property of Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire with our anonymous tip, but we can't invade the house without the express permission of Lucius Malfoy, which we were obviously denied, or without a warrant which we would need more evidence in order to obtain. Not to mention if Narcissa is right and Abraxas Malfoy took them to his home in France, they are no longer under our jurisdiction."

Sirius swore. "So he can keep them there indefinitely and he can plan his plot to bring Voldemort back and there's not a damn thing that we can do about it!"

"I'll speak to King about alerting the Ministére des Affaires Magiques to be on the lookout for Lestrange and Pettigrew, but no, there's nothing that we can legally do," Tonks said bitterly. "And right now, no offence towards Auntie Cissa, but, what she says is just heresy until evidence is provided, and right now, we don't have a lick of it."

Andromeda snorted and leaned into her husband when Ted put his arm around her. "But he doesn't actually know how to bring You Know Who back. He just thinks that he knows where he is and he wants to find him."

"True," Narcissa said carefully. "But it's the implications of what he _may_ do once he finds him that's the problem. The Dark Lord knows magic unlike anyone that I've ever met. He will know a way to help him return to power and with supporters to help him, there will be no stopping him. He'll come back stronger and more powerful than ever!"

"Why is Malfoy so loyal to that fucker?" Sirius said angrily. "We found out at Pete's trial about the Dark Mark tattoo, does Malfoy have one?"

Narcissa nodded. "Lucius does. Brax held him down while the Dark Lord burned it into his arm years ago - before the war really began. His early followers, the ones who knew him for years, don't have the mark. They don't need it. There's only a few of them left."

"The ones who went to Hogwarts with him," Sirius said as his cousin nodded.

"I just want to take Draco home and talk to Lucius. Once Draco is safe at Hogwarts again then I'll worry about my father-in-law and my sister," Narcissa said calmly, standing up.

Sirius nodded. "All right, but if there's anything else, I want to know."

"I just want Draco to be safe," she said.

"I want the same for Harry," Sirius told her. "We'll keep them safe and you'll keep me informed."

Narcissa only nodded.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was annoyed that Sirius wouldn't tell him what was going on.** Sirius insisted that it wasn't anything that he needed to know and that if he did need to know, he would know it. This had infuriated Harry, who brought up the rule chart about not lying to each other.

Sirius had only stared at him. "I'm not lying to you, Harry, but I am choosing not to tell you what we discussed at this particular moment. You are only thirteen and you don't need to know everything."

This only made Harry angrier. "That's not fair! I was at Pettigrew's trial! I know all of the bad things that he did and… Bellatrix hurt Neville's parents! I should know why they escaped!"

Sirius sighed and closed his eyes. "Harry, I don't know _why_ they escaped. All I know is that they had help. Narcissa is scared for Draco. That's why she sent him here. His grandfather isn't a very nice man and he was a very adamant follower of Voldemort during the war. That's all. You have nothing to worry about. We will figure all of this out. It is not your concern."

He'd sent Harry to bed, telling him that he wasn't getting any more information.

Sirius winced at the sound of Harry's bedroom slamming and Zee touched his arm sympathetically. "You're doing the right thing, Sirius."

Sirius sighed as he looked at her. "I don't know if that's true. Maybe he does deserve to know but… he's only thirteen, and what am I going to tell him? Theories? The last thing that I want him worried about right now is the possibility of Voldemort coming back. I won't put those fears into his head — especially when I don't have any proof that it's true. Remus and I discussed telling him about the Horcuxes, and we want too… we don't want to keep him in the dark but… we want to have something concrete, we don't want to scare him. And when we talk to him about it… I don't want him to have pieces, I want him to know everything."

Zee wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his heart. "You're an amazing father, Sirius. He knows how much you love him. But like you said, he is only thirteen and being thirteen, he's going to start fighting you on a few things. You tell him when you think it's time, but I agree with you, having something concrete to tell him is a good start."

He smirked and kissed the top of her head as he held her. "I love that he's been spending time with you."

She smiled up at him. "I was surprised myself. He does have a knack for cooking though. I've enjoyed teaching him. He's funny and talkative and he loves you so much. I want him to like me."

"He does," he insisted, leaning down to kiss the tip of her nose. "He does like you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bracelet that he had made for her, dangling it between his fingers. "I forgot I had this for you," he said.

Zee stared at the simple silver braided chain full of silver and gold charms. "It's beautiful."

"Harry helped me put it together when we got home," he said simply. "He said that it was perfect for you. He knows that your love of animals is an important part of who you are. He even helped me pick out a few of the charms."

Zee held her left wrist out so that Sirius would snap the bracelet into place.

"We bought a charm in every country we visited," he continued. "A different animal to symbolize every place we went."

Zee stared at it, touching the last charm near the clasp. "This one isn't an animal."

Sirius smiled as she held the little claddagh symbol of a crowned heart held by two hands. "No, I bought that one in Ireland. It represents love."

Zee grinned widely, standing on her toes to kiss him softly. "Thank you. I love it and I love you."

Sirius kissed her again, tilting his head to her forehead. "I'm more worried about Pettigrew and Bella escaping than I've admitted too. On top of everything that happened with the Chamber in May and my discussion with Dumbledore about Horcruxes… and then with Bill about setting this Horcrux mission up… this isn't exactly a good omen."

She framed his face in her hands. "Like you told Harry, you don't know what is going to happen. You don't know what is true. You don't have the facts. Don't let your fear blind you, Sirius. We'll figure this out. Together."

He held her close, sighing as she held him. "I love you."

Zee smiled when he pulled away. "I love you." She kissed him softly, deeply and he groaned against her neck.

"Merlin, I miss making love with you."

She smiled. "Me too. Soon," she kissed him again. "I'm going to head home. I have to be at work early tomorrow. You stay close to Harry. You need each other." She kissed him goodbye and he sighed, leaning against the front door after she left.

The last thing that he wanted was to be alone tonight, but Zee never stayed over when Harry was here. It was his own rule and he regretted it tonight. He looked up at the ceiling, closing his eyes.

He knew what he needed to do.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry had stormed up to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him and writing furiously in his journal, claiming how unfair Sirius was being.** When he finally went to bed almost an hour later, he slept restlessly.

He woke in the morning to find Padfoot sleeping on the end of his bed with Marauder snuggled next to him and his eyes widened in surprise. Sirius hadn't slept in his dog form in years. He suddenly felt very guilty about the way that he had yelled at his father the night before. He reached forward to rub his head and Padfoot made a soft yawn and licked his face making him laugh before he padded out of the room.

Knowing his father had slept on the end of his bed the entire night suddenly made him feel safer and he knew that Sirius was struggling with the idea of Peter having escaped a lot more than he had let on. Harry wanted to ask Sirius again about what Narcissa Malfoy had told him, but the sight of his father as Padfoot had worried him. If he had felt the need to sleep as Padfoot, Harry knew that he had been too afraid to sleep alone, and that worried Harry more than anything.

He made his way downstairs for breakfast just as an owl came flying through the window. He took the letter, seeing Sirius' name on the outside and handed it to his father when he walked into the kitchen.

Sirius unraveled it quickly and read the words, his lips pursed.

"What?"

"The Minister of Magic has decided that the Dementors should guard Hogwarts considering the fact that you and Remus were at the trial for Wormtail and that Neville attends the school as well. He's concerned that they might try to head to the school, considering their past crimes against your two families."

Harry looked flummoxed by this. "Why would they come to the school? That makes zero sense."

"I don't know," Sirius said, dropping the letter and dragging his fingers through his hair. "The last thing we need is bloody Dementors hanging around the school. Floo Uncle Rem and ask him to come over here. I need to talk to him."

Dementors at Hogwarts? He knew how often his father had nightmares about the Dementors and he wondered how bad it was going to be to have them at the school.

He for one didn't like the sound of it at all.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny carted her trunk behind her as she headed towards the Burrow, the familiar sight of the ramshackle home bringing tears to her eyes and she found herself running.** She had just made it to the gate when the front door burst open and Molly and Arthur both came running towards her. She let her parents swoop her up into their arms and she hugged them tightly, smiling as her mum covered her face in kisses.

"Oh, darling we've missed you!" Molly exclaimed, kissing her some more.

Ginny smiled, laughing when her father tugged her away from her mother to hug her tightly. "I've missed you both, too." Arthur took her trunk and she followed them into the house, surprised to find it rather quiet. "Where is everyone?"

"Percy is packing his trunk upstairs and the rest of the boys are out in the orchard playing Quidditch," Molly said, hurrying over to the counter. "Are you hungry, Ginny?"

Ginny nodded absently, watching her mother putter around the kitchen for a moment before she got up to help her. They worked in companionable silence for a moment before Ginny spoke. "Mum?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I'm sorry."

Molly turned to look at her. "For what, dear?

Ginny sighed and put down the yellow pepper she was slicing wiping her hands on the apron that she had donned. "I'm sorry that I shut you and Dad out. I didn't… I didn't mean to, it's just… once I said it all out loud to Bill, I didn't want to say it again; I didn't want to go over it, and the thought of telling you and Dad… seeing the disappointment in your eyes… I'm sorry."

Molly wiped her own hands before pulling her daughter into her arms. "I am not disappointed in you, nor is your father. We love you so much and the fact that this happened to you… we've been so worried, Ginny."

Ginny nodded, hugging her mum tighter. "Has Bill been telling you everything?"

Molly shook her head. "No, though I have been giving him a piece of my mind about that. He gives us snippets, but he won't tell us everything! He said it's not his place."

She smiled against her mother's shoulder. "It wasn't."

Molly smiled at her husband when he came back into the kitchen. "Your father and I love you so much, Ginny; more than you can possibly imagine. We only want the world for you and we want to keep you safe and keep you happy and…"

"We weren't there to protect you," Arthur said softly.

Ginny turned from her mother and ran into her father's arms. "Dad!"

Her father kissed her cheek. "We feel like we should have protected you, even though we know that's stupid and that we weren't even there, it's a parent thing." He kissed her again. "I love you, baby girl."

Ginny smiled at them. "I… I want to tell you everything. I do… I just…"

Arthur gestured to the kitchen table. "We always have time to listen whenever you feel you are ready."

Ginny smiled and took a seat at the table. "I think I'm ready to talk about… some of it now."

Molly took her husband's hand and squeezed it tightly as she took a seat across from her daughter, smiling brightly, tears in her eyes. "Okay."

Ginny let out a slow breath and closed her eyes. She wasn't ready to tell them everything and she knew that she might never be ready to tell them everything, but she did want them to understand. She needed them to and she knew that they needed to hear it from her almost as bad as she needed to tell them. "I found the diary that first night when we got home from Diagon Alley…"

~ ASC ~

 **On the first of September, as Harry dragged his trunk downstairs to return to Hogwarts, he could see the tense stance of his father's jaw.** Sirius and Remus had argued for almost two hours the night before until Tonks had come over, Wolfsbane Potion in her hand, and demanded that they head to the Lupin cottage before the moon came up. She stayed with Harry, telling him not to worry and that Fudge was just panicking because prisoners had never escaped Azkaban before and he was trying to do everything that he could to catch them. Sirius had even sent an owl to Dumbledore before he left, who informed him the next morning that the Minister of Magic had overruled him.

There was nothing that they could do.

Dementors were going to be guarding the school until the two prisoners were apprehended and the Minister of Magic was refusing to budge on his decision.

"Do you remember everything that I told you last night, Prongslet?" Sirius asked, his grey eyes a bit bloodshot. He hadn't slept a wink the night before and had drank more Firewhiskey than he wanted to admit before he had transformed into Padfoot to sit with Remus.

Harry nodded. "Dementors aren't fooled by invisibility cloaks and they don't distinguish between good and bad people."

Sirius nodded stiffly. "Always carry chocolate with you. The sweetness will counteract the feelings they will leave in you. Being around them… it's like the world will never be good, nothing will ever be good, you'll never experience happiness or love or laughter ever again - just the cold, gloomy darkness. They make you remember the worst things you've ever experienced, and they feed on that pain, Harry."

Harry only nodded again. "I won't sneak out, Uncle Padfoot. I promise."

Sirius pulled him close, kissing the top of his head. "I don't like this at all. I don't even care that they are doing it for your protection. Having Dementors at Hogwarts is a stupid fucking idea and Fudge needs to pull his bloody head out of his arse. Wormtail and Bella… someone on the outside helped them escape I know that much and my bet is that they also have an in with the Dementors."

"Do you think that they'd really go to Hogwarts?"

"No, I don't. Whoever helped them, whoever is helping them, if it was actually Abraxas Malfoy; they're the ones pulling the strings. Peter doesn't have the brains for it, he was too out of it and has way too much self-pity to plan his own escape. Bella… she's bat shit crazy and always has been and I imagine spending over a decade in prison hardly made her any saner. I just don't know why… why those two… I don't like it, Prongslet, I don't like it at all." Sirius told him honestly, dragging his fingers through his hair.

Harry watched his father for a moment. "I'll be fine, honest."

Sirius smiled and nodded, framing Harry's face with his hands. "I wish you were staying home with me."

"I want to go back to school, Uncle Siri."

Sirius nodded. "I know and I know that I can't keep you in a giant bubble as much as I want to."

Harry smirked at him. "I'll be fine and I refuse to let you put me in a giant bubble."

Sirius smiled at him. "Okay. Uncle Moony will be there if you need anything, and I mean _anything_ , Harry. No more of this late night exploring into near-death situations. You go to Uncle Remus if you see or hear anything suspicious, promise me?"

"I promise."

Sirius nodded, kissing his forehead. "All right. I love you," he said fiercely, hugging him close. "We'll talk about going down into the Chamber of Secrets and a few other things once school starts up. Come on; let's get to King's Cross."

~ ASC ~

 **Thirty minutes later, Harry was moving through the train trying to find a compartment.** The last thing that he expected was to open the door and find his father asleep against the window seat. Remus had his coat pulled up like a blanket and he had dark circles under his eyes. The night before had been the first night of the moon and Harry knew that he was probably beyond exhausted.

Ron and Hermione moved into the compartment behind him.

"Why is Professor Lupin taking the train?" Hermione asked, moving to take a seat on the bench.

Harry sighed and sat next to Remus. "Uncle Sirius probably insisted that he should travel with me."

"He looks exhausted," Hermione said as she watched him sleep. "Should we be whispering?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah, he sleeps like the dead and he was up all night with Uncle Sirius. They're angry about the Dementors coming."

"Mum and Dad are too," Ron admitted. "Mum contemplated not even sending us back to school, but we protested, even Percy. He said that he had been promoted to Head Boy and that he wasn't going to let Dumbledore down by hiding in his house like a petulant child. Dad snickered at that one, but they agreed with him."

The compartment door slid open and Neville, his face pale slipped inside. "Hi, Harry, Ron, Hermione."

"Hey, Nev," Harry said lightly. "You okay?"

Neville took a seat next to Hermione and shook his head. "I never… Gran says that she should have died in Azkaban."

"Lestrange should have been Kissed," Ron said bitterly.

Neville only nodded.

Hermione looked between the three boys, a look of confusion on her face. "I don't understand, I thought that we were more concerned about Petiigrew escaping? What did this Lestrange woman do that was so much worse?"

Harry shook his head. He forgot that Hermione didn't get the wizarding newspaper at her house. "Uncle Sirius says that Peter escaping is not something to worry about. He says that the person who helped the two of them, whoever orchestrated this entire escape plan, is to blame. Lestrange though, she was crazy. She…" he paused, trailing off as he looked at Neville.

Neville swallowed slowly. "Twelve years ago… she tortured my parents into insanity."

Hermione gasped. Her hands covered her mouth in shock and tears welled up in her eyes. "Neville, I am so sorry! I had no idea."

He shrugged. "I don't really talk about it."

"Obviously not," Hermione said, jumping up to hug him. "But I am sorry nevertheless."

Ron crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Two escaped prisoners is a big deal though no matter who they are. No one has ever escaped before. Not in the history of Azkaban Prison. I think Sirius is probably right about someone on the outside orchestrating the escape."

Harry snuck a look at Remus who was snoring quietly. "That's not the only reason why Uncle Sirius is so mad. Malfoy showed up at my house two days ago." He quickly explained to his friends what had happened.

"You think that it was his grandfather?" Hermione asked in surprise.

Harry shrugged. "Draco seems to think so and I got that impression from Lady Wiltshire, too, but Uncle Sirius wouldn't let me stay in the room to hear anything. But Ron, remember last year how Draco came to us about the Basilisk? I think that he knew about it from his grandfather, but how he came across that information is anyone's guess."

"I can never figure him out," Neville said bitterly. "One minute he's a snarky prick and a bully and the next minute he's helping us, something's got to give."

Hermione nodded. "Malfoy is a prat and a mystery best not thinking about, I think. In all seriousness though, how bad are these Dementors?"

"Bad," Ron said, paling at the thought of them. "Sirius must be extra pissed."

"He's so mad about the Dementors," Harry told them. "He still has nightmares about them and the thought of them being here at the school terrifies him. To see him so scared… it scares me a bit," he admitted when the lights suddenly went out. "What happened?"

The compartment door slid open and Neville flinched. "Ouch, my foot!"

"Sorry," Ginny's voice said quietly before she sat down on Harry's lap. "Oof, sorry."

Harry snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her onto the bench next to him. "It's all right. Why is it dark?"

Ron looked out the window. "The storm is getting worse out there. You can barely see anything at all."

Lightning lit up the compartment and Harry could see that his friends all looked worried. He shoved Remus lightly. "Uncle Rem! Uncle Rem!" he said, shoving him more forcefully.

Remus jolted awake. "Harry, what — why is it so dark in here?"

"We don't know. All of a sudden all of the lights went out and the train seems to have stopped," Hermione said, standing up.

Remus gestured for her to sit back down and he pulled out his wand as his breath left an impression on the air. "Stay here. I'm going to go talk to the conductor and find out what's going on."

He opened the compartment door and stumbled backward as a dark hooded figure blocked the path. It stood wraith-like and cold and when its hooded head turned to look inside the compartment, Harry felt like his world was torn apart.

He was so cold and the sounds of a woman screaming echoed in his head so sharply that he gasped and then the world went black around him.

He woke up to the feel of someone gently slapping his cheeks and he blinked owlishly at Remus.

"Who screamed?"

"No one screamed, Harry," Ron said from behind him. "You just had a fit or something and collapsed."

Harry flushed in embarrassment. "I had a fit?"

Ginny had her arms wrapped around herself. She was deathly white and looked like she wanted to throw up. Neville looked just as bad and slightly green. Ron and Hermione were both clammy and visibly shaken.

"What happened?"

Remus was opening up a large Honeydukes chocolate bar and handing them all pieces. "That was a Dementor. It's gone now. Apparently they were checking the train for signs of the prisoners on Ministry orders. Eat this, I'm going to go speak to the conductor and see if we can't get moving again. I need to check on the rest of the students."

Harry nodded glumly, but the first bite of chocolate brought instant warmth to his system. He handed his second piece to Ginny who took a tentative bite and he watched her shiver in warmth and let out a sigh of relief.

His friends were all staring at him so he simply helped himself to more chocolate rather than speak.

"Professor Lupin made a shiny silver animal thing with his wand and the Dementors left. He said that there were no prisoners here, only students, and that they had no business coming onto the train," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Ron nodded. "I felt like I'd never be happy again. Can you imagine feeling like that all of the time?"

Harry stared out the window of the train, the sound of the woman's screams echoing in his ears. Sirius had been right, having the Dementors around was the worst feeling in the world and Harry was pretty sure it was only going to get worse before it got better.

Third year wasn't looking as great as he had originally thought.


	113. Chapter 113

_Author's Note:_

 _This has been something I've been wanting to add for a while now. I'm sad that it never "officially" went into canon, so I am going to place it in here, a little bit… slowly, over time. I have my own headcanon of how I think they ended up so let me work on it. Also, I think it's time for Harry to meet that first crush, don't you? And no, it's not Ginny, not yet._

 _Also, for those of you who have read my work before — I enjoy alternating POVs and telling multiple stories within a story to tell a story. I have a lot of elaborate plans (many of them finished and written out, but I need to write up to the appropriate scenes to finish said story). When your brain writes and writes, but doesn't seem to fill in the blanks in between, it gets complicated. Anyway, hope you enjoy._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN:**

 **By the time that they arrived at Hogwarts, everyone seemed to know that Harry had collapsed on the train.** He glared at Draco, who was making fainting motions near the carriages, and he walked purposely forward. He didn't understand how one minute Malfoy could be in his treehouse chatting to him about his potentially evil grandfather and the next moment he was the pompous git that he had always been two seconds later. He found it rather annoyed him as he honestly had no idea where Draco stood on the scheme of things.

The only thing he did know was that Draco Malfoy was a git.

Dumbledore's announcement about the Dementors staying at Hogwarts until the prisoners were caught only made him feel more uncomfortable. But Dumbledore insisted that they would only be surrounding the castle and would not be directly on school grounds, but all students were still warned to be cautious.

The feast ended and everyone left the Great Hall, chatting and talking amongst themselves about their summers. Ginny made her way up the stairs to the girls dormitories slowly, stopping in front of the door marked 'second years' and took a deep breath. She was surprised to find herself almost scared to go inside. After everything that had happened last year, she had spent almost two weeks in the hospital wing and every time that she had been in her dorm, her roommates had always hurried off as if she had a contagious disease of some kind. She didn't really want to go inside, she realized.

She jolted when a finger tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, surprised to see her brother's friend Hermione there with a kind smile.

"Want to come up to my dorm for a bit? I'd like to show you something," Hermione said kindly.

Ginny's chocolate brown eyes widened in surprise and she nodded. "Okay."

She followed the older girl up another flight of stairs to the door marked 'third years' and she stepped inside. A pretty blonde girl with long curly blonde hair was laughing with pretty girl with mocha skin and dark hair. A tall girl with light brown hair was sitting on the edge of another blonde girl's bed, talking animately with her hands as she spoke. Hermione led her over to the far side of the room to the bed near the window.

"This is me," she said with a smile. "I was originally in the middle, but Lavender and I traded in first year. She wanted to be closer to Parvati."

Ginny only nodded and sat on the bed when Hermione gestured her too.

Hermione smiled warmly at her. "I just wanted to talk to you for a moment. I really appreciated the letter you sent me this summer, but it wasn't necessary. I don't blame you at all, Ginny, and frankly I hope that we can be friends. Harry always has good things to say about you and you are Ron's sister, I'd like to get to know you, if you'll let me?"

Ginny smiled at her. "I'd like that."

Hermione grinned and snapped her fingers and a bushy-tailed squash-faced ginger cat hopped up onto the bed. "This is Crookshanks," she said as she rubbed him behind his ears. "He's new to me, but a real sweetie, and Ron told me that you like animals."

"I do," she said with a smile. "We have a black cat at home. His name is Raphael. He's kind of a prat though and hides from everyone. When I was little, I used to put jumpers on him and he wasn't impressed. Percy told me that I insulted his cat dignity."

Hermione chuckled. "Crooks is much more social, but I imagine that he wouldn't be impressed if I tried to put a jumper on him either."

Ginny reached a hand out to stroke the cat and Crookshanks immediately walked into her lap, eager for attention. She smiled and stroked him. "He's sweet, Hermione."

She smiled at her. "Anytime that you want to come see him or me, you're welcome to, and if you ever need to talk about anything, even if it's about Harry or Ron, I'm your girl. Honestly, sometimes they drive me bonkers and it would be nice to have someone to complain to who understands how frustrating boys are."

Ginny chuckled.

"I know that Harry misses you, and he mentioned that he hopes you two can be good friends again this year."

She nodded, blushing. "I…"

Hermione smiled kindly at her. "Go on."

Ginny sighed, taking a deep breath before she spoke. "It's just… I sent him a singing Valentine last year and then he saved me from a giant snake and from… V-Voldemort. It's hard to just say hello after that."

"I know," Hermione told her. "Did Ron ever tell you how we became friends?" When the younger girl shook her head, she smiled. "He said some hurtful things to me about not having any friends and he made me cry. Then Professor Quirrell, our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at the time, let in a troll. It somehow found me in the girl's bathroom and Ron and Harry came to find me and… well, Harry jumped onto its back and shoved his wand up its nose and Ron levitated its club over his head and knocked him out. Then I told Professor McGonagall that they had saved my life and… at first it was awkward to say thanks, but then we became friends: Best friends."

She nodded. "I did say thanks and he sent me postcards all summer telling me about his trip with Sirius, which sounded amazing. Other than our brief interlude on the train when the Dementors came in… I haven't reached out to him and then the Dementors… Merlin, Hermione, how are we supposed to go to school with those things here? It was like I was back in the Chamber of Secrets all over again and all of my progress over the summer… it was like it was for naught."

Hermione smiled sympathetically. "To me it seems like that would be something you and Harry could talk about. He didn't exactly find the Dementors comforting himself."

Ginny swallowed slowly. "But last year… I looked at him and all I could think about was his beautiful green eyes and his smile and I realized that I liked him a bit more than a friend and I sent him that stupid singing Valentine and embarrassed him in front of everyone… and then he saved my life by slaying a Basilisk for me and…"

"And it kind of made you remember those stories about the prince rescuing the princess and they fall in love?" Hermione supplied.

Ginny blushed and nodded. "He doesn't like me like that, Hermione, and I know it and I'm afraid that my stupid crush is going to ruin our friendship and that's the last thing that I want. I don't know what to say to him and I don't know how to… I need to think on it some more."

Hermione nodded. "Just tell him that then, he'll understand. And Ginny?"

"Yeah?"

"It's okay to have a little crush, but it's up to you if you're going to let it define you."

Ginny only nodded, smiling fiercely. She would talk to Harry, she just need a bit more time to work out her thoughts. And the fact that Hermione Granger seemed to be on her side made her feel a bit braver. She wasn't alone. She had friends, and a potential new friend. She just had to find her footing again.

And she was going to do everything in her power to make sure that happened.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry got to his dorm after the welcome feast, Ron told Seamus and Dean about the Dementor on the train.** Harry shivered at the memory. He closed himself off in his four poster, shutting the curtains tightly around him and he used the mirror to call Sirius. Sirius was not pleased when he heard that the Dementors had stopped the train, but he was relieved to learn that Harry was all right.

He wrote in his journal before he went to bed. It was almost eleven by the time he shut his eyes, but his dreams were full of Dementors surrounding Black Cottage, Dementors trying to take Sirius away, back to Azkaban, and Dementors leaning in to kiss him as a woman screamed his name.

Harry woke up, his head pounding. He wasn't sure what it was about the Dementors that terrified him so much, but after seeing that one today he knew that he could happily go his entire life without encountering another one of those creatures. He wiped sweat from his brow and sat up.

It was quiet in his dormitory and he knew that everyone was probably sleeping. The thought of taking a hot shower sounded wonderful right about now. It might even help him clear his head, he thought.

He grabbed his toiletries from his trunk and a new pair of pyjamas before he made his way to the bath The light was on already and he realized that one of his dorm mates was awake as well.

He slipped inside, closing the door behind him and placed his bag on the sink. He was about to say hello to let whoever was in there know that he was there, too, when he heard a low moan. His ears perked up in curiosity at the same time that his neck flushed in embarrassment. He grabbed his bag, thinking that it was probably best to sneak back to his bed quietly, but the curtain by one of the showers opened a crack, surprising him since the shower wasn't running, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Seamus was kneeling in front of Dean. His hand was wrapped around Dean's erection and he was pumping it back and forth and Dean was moaning in pleasure, his eyes closed.

Harry's mouth dropped open.

He couldn't tear his eyes away. He watched as Dean's hands moved from the wall into Seamus' hair, holding him in place as he pumped him. Seamus' hand was moving faster and he used his other hand to cup Dean's balls, tugging on them and Dean's head fell back as he groaned.

"Seam," he gasped, "I'm gonna come!"

Harry grabbed his bag and booked it out of the bathroom just as Dean came, his ears burning red as he heard him groan. He closed the bathroom door behind him, hurrying into his own bed and shutting the curtains.

What had they been doing in there?

He shifted and realized that he was hard and he blushed further. He had no idea that Seamus and Dean did stuff like that… how long had that been going on, he wondered. And he had watched them like a pervert! He looked down at his erection, afraid to touch it. If he was hard now, did that mean that he liked blokes, too? He didn't think that he liked blokes, but Seamus and Dean obviously did, and now he had a painful erection to deal with after seeing them together.

He double checked that his bed curtains were closed before he leaned back and carefully slipped his hand underneath his pyjama pants. He touched himself carefully, not entirely sure what he wanted to do. He had only fondled himself a few times in the past and this was the hardest that he had ever been. He thought of what Seamus' hand had been doing and he blushed, wrapping his hand around himself in a similar fashion and began to pump himself. The sensation felt incredible and he wondered what it would be like to have someone else's hand on him.

The thought made him moan and he bit his lip. He didn't want any of his dorm mates to hear him as he pumped himself faster. He imagined a hand touching him and he used his other hand to fondle his balls and when they tightened in his hand, he hissed through his teeth. He kept pumping himself, faster and faster, and his mind went to the posters in Sirius shed, the blonde straddling the bike with the huge breasts. Harry wondered what it would be like if those breasts wrapped around his cock and he came, spurting all over his hands in relief.

He flushed, quickly cleaning himself on his pyjama bottoms. He heard movement now in the dorm and realized that Seamus and Dean had left the bathroom. Harry grabbed his toiletry bag, sneaking past them and closing the bathroom door behind him.

Now he really needed a shower.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius nodded a greeting at Dumbledore as he let him and McGonagall through the front door of Grimmauld Place the first Sunday of the school year.** After what had happened the other night with Narcissa, Sirius was more determined to figure out what was going on. He had spent most of the night talking to Zee about it after Harry had gotten on the Hogwarts Express and then they'd spent the following day talking about it again with Remus and Tonks.

Once they were all seated, Sirius cleared his throat. "After much thought about it, I think I agree that we do need to start off by entering the Chamber of Secrets. However, if Harry changes his mind and decides that he doesn't want to go down there, thats it — we don't go down there. I won't force it upon him and the same goes with Ginny."

McGonagall nodded. "I agree with that assessment."

Dumbledore sighed. "As do I, but do I think that you should try to make sure he knows how important this is."

"Albus, I don't care how fucking important it is! He is a thirteen-year-old-boy who has spent the summer having nightmares about what he saw down there and I am not going to force him to relive that experience if he isn't ready to."

Dumbledore nodded. "You're right, Sirius, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Sirius glared at him. "Minnie, you are the only one in this room who isn't completely up to date here. After term ended, I spoke to Albus about the diary and also about a few other items that I believe are something far more dangerous than we could ever imagine. Something called Horcruxes."

He spent the next forty-five minutes outlining finding the locket at Grimmauld Place all the way to the discussion of what the diary truly embodied.

McGonagall was pale by the time he was done. "And you both believe that he made seven of these?"

"It's a thought," Sirius told her. "We all know how important the number seven is and what it entails as well as the power that it holds. I also don't think that it was a coincidence that he used Ginny Weasley the way that he did — she is the seventh child of Arthur Weasley and the first daughter born to a Weasley in seven generations — thats a lot of power potential right there… and to feed on a soul with power like that would definitely only make him stronger."

Remus nodded, his fingers tapping on the kitchen table. "We know that Lucius Malfoy gave her the diary and his wife confirmed that he did it out of malice towards his father who had kept the item belonging to Voldemort in his personal vault. However, she claims that Lucius had no idea what it was."

"I didn't believe that either," Tonks told them. "He's slimy that one and always looking out for number one."

McGonagall nodded. "But we don't have any proof saying otherwise. Not to mention that it sounds like Narcissa Malfoy wants to help out and I can't imagine she would be so keen on that if her husband was behind all of this."

Sirius hesitated. "She knows that I have the power here. I am head of House Black, and am de facto Lord Falmouth until Draco takes over the mantle when he turns seventeen. I'm in control over a good part of her son's future. Also Cissa is a lot of things, but she loves her son above all else. She will do almost anything to protect him, and right now, she doesn't trust her father-in-law, and frankly, she never has. Abraxas Malfoy wanted his son to marry Bellatrix and was beyond furious when he married Cissa instead, especially since they did it behind his back."

Remus nodded. "Abraxas went to school with Voldemort and we believe that he was friends with him back then when they were students together."

Dumbledore nodded. "He was in the same house and year, but Slughorn was Head of Slytherin back then. He would know better than I. We should look up who the three other boys who were in that dorm that year. It might give us a better clue as to who was in his main group and how many of them are still alive and could be still supporting him."

Remus nodded. "I remember from Peter's trial that those select few he trusts most, the first followers, not all of them were branded with his mark. The mark was for his new followers, which means that finding them will be even more difficult to prove. It sounds like the younger followers, at least in terms of Lucius Malfoy, were offered to Voldemort almost sacrificial like, as Narcissa did say that Abraxas held Lucius down while Voldemort marked him."

"So we should start looking into the fathers of the Death Eaters we do know?" Zee asked. "That could be difficult not to mention hard to prove."

"And convincing the Ministry that they are bad news might take some work," Tonks added. "As far as the world is concerned, You Know Who is dead, so, somehow going to the Ministry of Magic is going to become a question in itself. Prof-Albus, are your sources still telling you that he's in Albania?"

Dumbledore nodded, tapping his longer fingers on the kitchen table. "Yes. And I am just assuming that it is Lord Voldemort as it sounds like it could be him, but no one has any proof that it is. There have been reports of something dark living in the woods: Bodies of reptiles have been found, particularly that of large snakes that seemed to have burned up from the inside out. The only thing that would do that would be a form of possession. And there were many reported sightings of dead unicorns, exsanguination of those unicorns in the forest that can't be explained."

"If these are documented problems why hasn't the Balkan Ministry come forward?" Remus asked.

Dumbledore sighed. "I have spoken to my friend Dmitri Horvat about the incidents; I've mentioned to him that it sounds like dark magic. He agreed with me and he and his Aurors have been searching the forest for signs. The signs are there, of course, but nothing definitive has been found. He has hidden his tracks well, and without a form, finding the dark wizard in question becomes more probable."

"But he does have a form? At least a wispy ghost-like form of some kind because Harry saw him in Quirrell during the possession almost two years ago, there was something there," Sirius insisted.

"Yes, but again that's proving it and finding it — and if he is the one possessing the reptiles, it hides him once again from anyone looking, until he leaves the body behind. This is not going to be an easy task," Dumbledore said carefully. "A lot of this is going on heresy. I will use as many sources as I have available to me to try to keep track of him, but in the meantime, I think building a timeline of where he's been is an excellent start."

Remus nodded. "If we can find these Horcruxes and eliminate them, it will be beneficial in ultimately destroying him."

"But if he is this wispy form, how will we destroy that? Won't a part of him always exist in the world?" Tonks asked.

Zee shook her head. "No. No I don't believe so. As long as he continues to not retain a body, if all of the Horcruxes were found and destroyed, in theory - he would disintegrate and be gone forever."

Sirius nodded. "I agree with that theory because it is these objects he's created that are tying his soul to the earth, without them, he would have nothing left, and his soul would be drawn to the afterlife. I brought Bill Weasley in on this. He's a curse breaker and he's been doing a lot of research this summer on Horcruxes: How to make them, how they work, and what are some examples of them. He's well aware that it was a Horcrux that possessed his sister with the Chamber of Secrets fiasco. He's more than willing to help and wants to be involved in this op."

McGonagall nodded. "A curse breaker would be quite beneficial, but we do need to first find out what other objects Voldemort used."

"Which is where we're hoping Albus comes in," Remus said with a smile. "This is going to be our formal base of operations." He pointed his wand at the chalkboard that he and Sirius had brought into the kitchen. Across the top in Remus' neat writing it said:

Operation FUVP (Operation Fuck Up Voldemort's Plans)

➾ Horcruxes (7?) — locket, diary, potential signet ring?)

➾ Voldemort's past

➾ Albania

➾ Abraxas Malfoy

➾ Peter Pettigrew

➾ Bellatrix Lestrange

➾ Potential DE's?

Sirius gestured to the chalkboard next to it. "We're going to build a timeline of Voldemort's life step by step and start organizing everything here until we figure out what these Horcruxes could be, how to find them, and how to destroy them."

Dumbledore smiled. "It seems like a worthy plan to me. I am still looking back into Tom's life, but I do have quite a bit so far. Once we get the term up and running, I will be able to focus more on my research and we can put it up there."

Sirius nodded. "Other than Bill Weasley, this is our current need-to-know group." At everyone's nod, he turned to Zee, who smiled and cleared her throat.

"So as listed we know about the locket and Harry destroyed the diary. We've discussed how to destroy them and there are two known ways to us: Fiendfyre and Basilisk venom. The fangs are one of the reasons why we want to go back into the Chamber of Secrets," Zee said, checking off the points on her fingers as the two known ways to destroy a Horcrux appeared on the chalkboard.

Remus smiled, "A valid reason for sure as having the fangs on hand would be very beneficial when we do have a Horcrux to destroy, but we do also have the Sword of Gryffindor in our hands, as I understand it is now residing in the Headmaster's office?"

McGonagall looked bewildered. "Goblin made objects are immensely powerful, Remus, but I don't think that it would be powerful enough to destroy a monstrosity such as this."

"Yes, it would be, Minerva. If you remember from legend, the sword absorbs anything that it comes into contact with as part of the enchantment. So when Harry stabbed the Basilisk with the sword, the venom would have become part of the sword's enchantment."

Dumbledore smiled. "You are correct. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't think of that immediately. As long as we have the sword at our disposal, that should also help us destroy the Horcruxes. Of course, we still need to find them first."

"And we will," Sirius said simply.

If the prophecy was indeed true, he'd be damned if he wouldn't do everything in his power to weaken Voldemort before Harry was forced to face him. And if he was lucky, he wouldn't have to face him at all.

~ ASC ~

 **Peter still wasn't entirely sure how he had found himself in this situation.** Azkaban had been worse than he could possibly have imagined. It was damp and cold, despite the summer months, and the feel of the Dementors hovering did more than bring about unhappiness. He was finding himself reliving the worst moments of his life. Not only the torture and the rape, but of being forced to relive the worst mistakes that he had ever made - like betraying his best friends and ultimately getting them killed.

He leaned back against the wall of the cell that he was currently residing in and let out a long sigh. Once again, he had made the wrong choice, and he had found himself in a situation that he didn't know how to get out of. The prison had been full of movement and flurry when the presence of the Dementors had seemed to vanish at once, but the second that he had felt the wards disappear around his cell; he had transformed. He hadn't even thought about it. The comfort of being an animal, something that he had clung to desperately for so long, was suddenly available to him again and he had slipped swiftly through the iron bars and towards freedom, towards the area of the warding that had seemingly collapsed.

Then her hands had grabbed him.

The long, sharp, dirty fingernails digging into his fur as he struggled in her grasp, eyes wide as he looked into the dark, haunted, and manic eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange. Those memories that he had been reliving had seemed to pale in comparison, sending a sharp dagger of terror straight through his heart.

"Put the rat down, Bella," the voice had said in amusement.

But Bellatrix had shaken her head, claimed that he would be useful, and had ordered the voice to cage him. Peter had been carried out in a wooden box inside of Bella's pockets and the cage was warded to prevent him from transforming and escaping.

He had come around long enough to realize that the voice who had captured them while simultaneously freeing them from prison was Abraxas Malfoy and that he was in Malfoy Manor somewhere in Wiltshire. He had caught a glimpse of a pale-haired young teen standing alongside Lucius before he had been ushered into the dungeon and then immediately portkeyed somewhere else.

They had stayed in France for a while. A house elf had forced potions on him and fed him, helping him get his strength back, but he had yet to obtain a wand. He knew that Malfoy didn't trust him, which was why he had been contained in the cell in the dungeons. But he could hear them talking and he heard the names: Malfoy, Lestrange, Selwyn, and Avery. He heard other things that chilled him to the bone: The Dark Lord was still alive… Albania… a blood ritual to reunite him with his body… the death of Harry Potter…

Each one made him shiver.

He closed his eyes against the cold stone. He had spent over a decade as a rat, hiding from the very people who now were holding him hostage; from the very people who had brought him over to their side in the first place, who had forced his hand, and most of all, he had been hiding from himself. He had betrayed the people that he had loved most in the world: His family.

After learning about Harry Potter's triumph against the Dark Lord in his attempts to get the Philosopher's Stone, his curiosity about his nephew had drawn him closer. Stumbling across Sirius in Diagon Alley that day had been a stroke of luck and he hadn't let his old friend out of his sight. He had talked himself out of approaching him a hundred times, but he couldn't stop following him; couldn't stop watching him.

The moment that Sirius had captured him, Peter had felt his first real emotion in years and his desire to run for his life had taken over. But then he had stopped. Sirius had always had a temper. Sirius would do what he didn't have the guts to do and kill him. But Sirius had taken him to the Aurors instead and despite how much he had baited his old friend, Sirius had left him alive and the Aurors had brought him to the Dementors. And here, Peter had thought, here he was finally able to find peace.

But then they had denied him the Kiss.

Forced him to relive his worst memories at even more stressful heights, he had run towards the opportunity for escape. But now, he wished that he had stayed locked in his damp cell.

They wanted to bring the Dark Lord back.

The thrilling mix of awe and horror that filled him, both revolted and excited him. How was it possible for a wizard to have been defeated by a child, yet to have not died? To have the ability to return to his body? He heard the rumours about the presence of such darkness living in reptiles; hiding away, possessing innocent souls, and feeding on them. Was it true? Was the Dark Lord still out there? Did this mean that he truly still could be victorious in another war?

Sirius would move land, sea, and sky to keep Harry safe and he knew with absolute certainty that Remus would do the same. Was it possible for Harry to defeat the Dark Lord again? Peter didn't know, and he didn't know which side he wanted to be on. He knew that neither side truly trusted him and in all likelihood both sides wanted him dead, which didn't give adequate cause to choose either side.

But for the moment, he was trapped here, in this unknown dungeon, without a wand and only hearing tidbits of plans and ideas on how to return the Dark Lord to power. Selwyn seemed the most ambitious, he thought, straining his ear against the stone to listen through the cracks. He wanted pureblood authority, wanted all Muggleborns removed from the government, from the hospitals and from the schools, wanted anyone with magical creature blood registered and wands removed, and most of all, he wanted to round them up and hunt them down like the dirt that he believed they were. Avery merely wanted more power. When the Dark Lord had been in control, Avery had gained a great deal of political power both within the government and among the pureblood elite, most of which he had lost once the Dark Lord had fallen. Lestrange wanted justice for his sons and seemed hellbent on revenge for anyone who had harmed his family. Malfoy wanted the glory, the praise for having brought the Dark Lord back, to have helped his return.

But none of them seemed ready to actually go out and find him, and to bring him back. and Peter knew why. As much as they were in awe of him, as much as they respected him and the great power he had wielded — they also feared him. The Dark Lord led his army through fear, through the power of control, and he knew how to feed on the dark thoughts of every man and woman who followed him, to feed those thoughts and to help them grow.

Peter shuddered as he remembered the first time that he had tortured a Muggle in the Dark Lord's presence; how he had encouraged him like a father at his son's first Quidditch match, how he had praised him, and how despite the horror that he felt at what he was doing, felt glee and respect and ultimately pride for what he had done, under the praise of his master. It sickened him to look back upon it.

He jolted when the iron doors to the cell opened tearing him from his thoughts and his bottom lip quivered when he recognized Bellatrix standing there. The house elves had obviously been taking good care of her as well. She was in black leather pants, tall black boots, a black leather corset top over a white blouse with a black cape over her shoulders. Her long black curly hair had streaks of grey in it, but she wore it loose around her shoulders. She looked healthy. She looked good, but she still had that gleaming, manic look in her eye.

"Wormtail," she said delightedly, leaning against the door. "I see that you've been treated well."

"Well, enough," he said carefully.

She twirled her wand through her fingers with a smirk. "We could use someone of your talents, Wormtail. Someone with the ambition to help, someone eager to please and someone willing to do the grunt work."

"And you think I'm that someone?"

Bellatrix sneered at him. "Would you have rather I had left you in Azkaban to be fed on by Dementors? Brax has a plan, Wormtail. A plan to return the Dark Lord to his former glory, to bring our master back to us."

Peter swallowed slowly. "He was defeated by Harry Potter."

"Cut down, but not defeated; wounded, but not ended. He survived death! He who has gone further than anyone in obtaining immortality!" Bellatrix exclaimed in reverent awe. "We owe it to him to find him; to bring him back to us." She tapped her wand against her leg as she spoke. "You betrayed your friends for us; sent the Dark Lord to his downfall and lost both friends and enemies. I think that it's high time for you to choose a side, Wormtail. Are you going to be loyal to the man who you swore to swerve, to the wizard who gave you everything that you could ever want, who promised you the world? Or are you going to choose to be loyal to the former friends who sent you to Azkaban, who gave you to the Dementors, and who wish you dead?"

He trembled for a moment. He didn't want to choose a side, but he did know with absolute certainty that he didn't want to die.

"I have always been loyal to the Dark Lord."

Bellatrix snorted. "Lies, but you will prove useful either way. And if you fail to be of use to the Dark Lord once he returns, I will ask him to let me keep you as a pet." She stepped into the dungeon to run her wand along the side of his cheek, a slicing charm cutting into his face. "I do miss my pets, but Brax says that I must wait until the Dark Lord gives me permission to obtain new ones."

Peter swallowed slowly. "I am loyal to the Dark Lord," he said more sternly.

Bellatrix only nodded. "Well, we'll see, won't we? Selwyn is bringing us to his estate in Croatia soon. From there we will travel to Albania. Dumbledore let it slip to dear Lucius that he believes the Dark Lord resides there in some form. Fenrir shall meet us there. The whole band is getting back together; it's quite exciting, don't you agree?"

Peter managed a small smile, trying not to wince as she sliced his other cheek. "Fascinating. How will we find the Dark Lord in Albania?"

"He will make himself known to us once he hears we are there," she said calmly. "In the meantime, Wormtail, make yourself comfortable in here and try to think up ways that you could be useful to us."

When the door locked behind her and he was once again left in darkness, he turned and vomited on the stone floor.

Once again, he found himself in the wrong spot, and once again he had no idea how to make it out alive.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry tried to avoid his roommates for the next few days as he got into the rhythm of school again.** Snape was his usual surely self, but having Remus around as a professor again made him feel lighter. His mood improved a bit as well when he almost walked into a short, black-haired girl with dark eyes.

Her hair was shiny and hung just past her shoulders. She smiled warmly at him and he got a little tingle in his stomach that surprised him.

"Er, sorry," he said quietly, smiling kindly at her.

The girl smiled back and the butterflies in his stomach intensified. She was so pretty. "It's all right. We'll meet again soon anyway when Gryffindor plays Ravenclaw."

"Oh yeah?" Harry said, swallowing slowly. His mouth suddenly felt very dry.

"Yeah, and as one Seeker to another, watch out. We're going to win."

Harry only smiled widely at her. "Well, I don't know about that."

The dark haired girl smiled wider. "I'm Cho."

"Harry," he said offering his hand.

She shook it, her smile making her prettier. "I know who you are. See you on the pitch, Harry."

Harry watched her walk away, the sway of her hips making more than just his stomach flop to attention. He desperately tried to think of something else and the sound of Snape's voice coming from the corridor quickly quashed that thought. But he kept thinking about Cho for the next few days, the mysterious Ravenclaw Seeker with the shiny black hair.

The next morning, after spending the last two weeks mostly avoiding Seamus and Dean altogether, Dean asked him if he had seen his other sock and Harry blushed in embarrassment, making Dean raise an eyebrow at him in question.

"You okay, Harry? You've been acting funny lately."

Harry squirmed uncomfortably, glancing around the room. Ron and Neville had already gone down to breakfast, but Harry had wanted a shower and told them that he would meet them down there. "Er… I saw you and Seamus the other… the first night back."

Dean blanched. "Saw us?"

"In the shower. Seamus was… he had his hand wrapped around your…" he blushed and pointedly looked away.

Dean swallowed slowly and then he let out a short laugh. "Ha, yeah we were just, you know, fooling around. He was helping me out."

Seamus stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair with the towel and looked between Harry and Dean's horrified faces. "What's going on? You both look guilty of something."

"Um, Harry saw you giving me a knob job in the shower," Dean said quickly.

Seamus shrugged. "I was just being a good friend. It didn't mean anything."

"You two aren't together?" Harry asked, his brow crinkling in confusion.

"No!" Seamus said, eyes wide. "What do you think we're gay or something? 'Cause we're definitely not!"

"Absolutely not," Dean insisted.

"I got up to pee," Seamus said simply. "I found Dean wanking and I told him that it was interesting how different our pricks are, you know? Not just because his is black —"

" — Chocolate," Dean interjected.

"Right, his prick is chocolate and mine is vanilla, but that they look different. His is larger and I was a little curious, nothing wrong with that is there?" he demanded.

"No," Harry answered quickly as Seamus was staring at him, almost daring him to say otherwise.

"Right, so, I asked him if he wanted me to use my hand and he said yes, so I did. I was just helping out a friend to see if it felt different than wanking on my own. But we are not gay, Harry!" Seamus insisted.

Harry shrugged. "It doesn't matter if you are. I just… I saw you and I was embarrassed that I'd seen you, that's all. I felt guilty keeping it a secret."

Dean nodded, his hand going to the back of his neck. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, Harry. But let's keep it between us, yeah? Last thing we need is for the whole school to start thinking we're poofters!"

Seamus nodded. "Exactly and besides, I'm kind of dating Lavender."

Harry only nodded, blushing again. "Right. Well, I'm going to head down to breakfast now."

"Good, see you there soon," Seamus said.

"We're minutes behind you," Dean added.

Harry only nodded as he hurried out of his dormitory. He was glad that he had told them, but now he felt even more awkward then before. They had just been friendly. Friends helping friends. He supposed it made sense that Seamus was curious about other pricks. Harry had noticed the subtle differences between his and his roommates. Not that he had been looking, mind you, but he had noticed it.

His own was the biggest and had gotten fairly thick, but Dean was a close second and he noticed that Neville had the largest balls and the thickest prick of the five of them; Seamus' was stocky, but on the thicker side and Ron's was long and freckled like the rest of him with thick ginger hair under his navel. Harry had dark hair above his own now . It had come in over the last year almost out of nowhere, surprising him when he had touched the coarse dark hair there in amazement, looking at the happy trail that started at his belly button. But he couldn't imagine any of his roommates touching him there.

He shook the thoughts from his head, smiling when he recognized the long black shiny hair in the crowd. But he could imagine Cho touching him there and he blanched when he felt himself grow hard under his robes at the image.

Yeah, he was pretty sure that he didn't like blokes.


	114. Chapter 114

_Author's Note:_

 _Saw this on my tumblr feed eons ago and have been determined to try to add it in here — believe it was from queermarauders so props to them or whoever's idea it was, hope you don't mind me using it here._

 _As for Ginny and Harry, Ginny is adjusting slowly and she will go to Harry and they will rekindle their friendship, but Harry is being mature here and letting her make the first move, as he is also a bit nervous to keep approaching her. He doesn't want to push her until she's ready to talk to him. He understands what she is feeling as he went through something similar and he wanted to tell Sirius and Remus at his own pace and believes that Ginny should be given the same opportunity with him. They will be friends again as I love their friendship, but it is too soon for them to be romantically involved in my opinion. But we'll get there; eventually. Also, I know that Romilda Vane is supposed to be in first year at this moment, but I decided to bump her up to be in Ginny's year._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN:**

 **Ginny was sitting in the library, her face resting on her hands as she read her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook and made notes on the chapter.** She had been trying to study in her dorm, but her roommates had made her feel unwanted so she had left. She knew that she was just as much to blame for it as last year hadn't exactly given her the opportunity to make friends with them.

Maisie Wendall, dark hair and green eyes, a pureblood who was so shy and stuttered a bit when she spoke. She had tried to befriend her, but the girl kept hiding behind her books. Imogen Landers, a blonde and preppy Muggleborn, who had big blue eyes and covered her dormitory space in posters of David Bowie, Johnny Depp, John Stamos, and Patrick Swayze. Katherine Joy Alcott better known as KJ, also a pureblood, was a bit of a tomboy and Ginny had immediately liked her at first. She loved Quidditch and duelling and wanted to be a famous duellist. However, her disdain for Ginny's hand-me-down-clothing had been clearly evident in the way that she looked and had spoken to her. Romilda Vane, the dark-haired girl with bright blue eyes who was gorgeous enough to be a model. She was very interested in Potions and Charms and was a little Harry Potter obsessed. She tended to stick with the Ravenclaws most of the time, two girls specifically named Dinah Fox and Bettina Addersworth. Then there was Freya Sloan, half-blood, brown hair, brown eyes, and obsessed with fashion. She had peppered her side of the dorm in magazine fashion articles and scraps of fabric. She wanted to be a fashion designer and made and designed all of her own clothes.

Imogen and KJ had bonded fairly quickly and now that second year had started, they were essentially attached at the hip. They were always gushing on about the latest gossip and which boys were the cutest this year. Freya occasionally tagged along with them, but usually hung out with two of the Hufflepuff second years: Edith Carlyle and Francesca Wood (cousin to Oliver Wood). Maisie was still really shy, but had taken a liking to a girl in Ravenclaw named Chloe Cunningham.

Ginny didn't really fit in with any of them.

She had Luna, of course, and she knew that her friend felt equally as isolated in her own Ravenclaw dorm, but it wasn't quite the same. Luna wasn't in the same room, in the same house and she felt like she had drifted from her friend. After Pandora Lovegood had died, Luna had left for over a year and Ginny had only seen her a handful of times before they had gone off to Hogwarts and then… there was Tom and he had done the rest. She had barely spoken to her last year, outside of the solid few weeks when she had stopped using the diary, before Harry had found it and she had panicked and… before she had found herself falling down the rabbit hole again. Now, after everything that had happened, Ginny wasn't sure how to approach her old friend.

The only person that she had really grown close to the year before was Colin Creevey. He was a Muggleborn and he had been in complete awe of everything around him. Ginny had been fascinated by his reactions to things. He was so funny and so happy and she had genuinely really liked him. She had thought that they were becoming friends before everything had gone to shit. She closed her eyes as she thought back to how she had first met Colin.

 _She was standing in the middle of the Gryffindor common room, smiling as Fred, George, and Percy each hugged her goodnight. She hadn't been able to sleep, too excited to start school the next day so she had snuck back down into the common room to explore and to write to Tom, but she had found the small blond boy curled up in the chair by the fire crying._

 _Ginny had immediately hurried over to him and sat in the large chair next to him. "Hey, it's okay," she said quietly, putting her arm around him to hug him. "It's okay."_

 _The boy had stared at her in surprise, but he hugged her back before he used the back of his hand to wipe his tears. "I'm sorry… I… I've never been away from home before."_

 _Ginny smiled sympathetically at him. "I get it. I'm a bit homesick, too. I miss my room and my bed and my mum and my dad. It was kind of strange not to have them tuck me in."_

 _He smiled at her. "I saw that you have big brothers. That has to make it feel like home."_

 _"It does," she told him. "Do you have a big brother?"_

 _He shook his head. "No. I have a little brother though. He's eight and… I think he might have magic, like me. My parents were so surprised when I got the letter. My dad's a postman."_

 _Ginny grinned. "My dad would be fascinated. He loves Muggles. How does your dad deliver the post without owls?"_

 _The boy grinned. "He drives the mail truck and walks."_

 _"Weird," she said making him laugh. "I'm Ginny."_

 _"Colin," he said smiling widely._

 _"Well, Colin, I think that we should eat breakfast together in the morning."_

 _Colin grinned at her. "I'd like that. And, Ginny?" When her eyes met him, he smiled kindly. "Thanks."_

They had eaten breakfast together and studied together and spent time getting to know each other. Colin had been completely fascinated by Harry Potter and had told her as much after learning that they would be going to school with a celebrity. Ginny had tried to explain how Harry was a celebrity by default; didn't even really understand his fame and how his parents had died. But Colin was still morbidly fascinated.

He listened to her talk about her big brothers and her friend Harry and he told her all about his life in the Muggle World and about his brother Dennis. They did homework together and they soon became friends. But then Colin had gotten a bit of a cold. He had missed two days of classes as Madam Pomfrey had given him Pepper-Up Potions and tried to get his fever down and Ginny had fallen to using the diary even more with her only new friend not being around and it had been the beginning of the end.

She had written to Colin to apologize and he had sent a letter back claiming that he had forgiven her, but she had still been keeping her distance. Hermione had been so nice to her as well, but Ginny still was cautiously hanging back, afraid to get too close to anyone. She didn't know what to do. How was anyone supposed to react around her? What was she supposed to say: 'Hey, remember me, I'm that crazy girl that tried to kill off Muggleborns last year, but it wasn't really me, and I'm not possessed anymore, so… hi.'

She jumped when books slammed down on the table in front of her and a skinny blond boy with a curly afro slid across from her into the chair.

"You've been avoiding me," he accused, crossing his arms across his chest. "I won't allow it a second longer."

She gave him a small smile. "I haven't been avoiding you, Colin."

Colin Creevey merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Then how come you've barely said three words to me since we spoke on the train? I told you, Ginny, I don't hold any of it against you."

Ginny smiled at him. "I just… its weird being back here, Colin. I feel like last year was some horrible dream and I never actually had my first year. And what do I say to people? 'Hi, sorry I was possessed last year and didn't make an effort?' I can't do that."

"At least you're working to try to remember everything, I spent most of my first year in the hospital wing as basically a human icicle." When she blanched, he reached for her hand. "It's not like I remember anything, and I wasn't really frozen, it's just the best way that I can think to describe it."

"Colin, I'm so sorry! I —"

"— You can make it up to me by being my study partner," he said as he smiled at her and opened his Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook. He moved his chair closer to her and grinned. "I am an excellent study partner to have, you'll see!"

Ginny smiled at him. He was so friendly and so happy. It was one of the first things that had endeared her to him last year before she had… she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Na'eemah had warned her that it was going to be hard and she just had to take everything one step at a time. The first step was making amends and the fact that everyone had been fairly nice and had forgiven her, did make it easier.

"I would love to have you as my study partner, Colin."

He beamed at her. "I might even be able to help you since Professor McGonagall helped me with all of my schoolwork this year. I am ready to learn!"

She chuckled. "It's just… are you sure that you want to be seen with me? I mean, I'm not exactly very popular and everyone knows that I'm responsible for the attacks last year and —"

" — Do I want to be friends with the redhead who was rescued by Harry Potter? Um, yes!" he said, grinning at her. "You were so nice to me last year, Ginny. You told me that I was too Harry Potter crazy and that he was so much more than the infamous Boy Who Lived. You made me laugh and you told me about your crazy brothers and… I had it easy last year. Yes, I was scared stiff by a giant snake, but that was it. I was frozen in my body, in my mind for six months. I wasn't aware of my surroundings — it was like it was only a moment, but I woke up six months later. I lost all of that time without being aware of it. You were aware of it, and you went through an emotional rollercoaster and I wasn't there to help you through it. Let me help you now. Let's help each other start all over again."

She smiled at him. "You are much too nice."

He grinned at her, cocking his head to the left. "Nah, I just know a good friend when I find one." He blew his curly hair out of his eyes. "I didn't seen anyone else coming to comfort a crying boy that they didn't know in the middle of the night," he said sweetly as she smiled at him. "First things first, I have to know, is it really true that Harry Potter killed a giant snake for you?"

Ginny blushed. "It wasn't _for_ me."

Colin grinned. "But he did kill a giant snake to rescue you, did he not?"

"He did, but as I said in my letter, it was all my fault."

He shrugged. "Doesn't mean that you can't appreciate being rescued by Harry Potter, Ginny."

She laughed. "You're ridiculous."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Have to make fun where you can. Now, tell me every detail about your summer!"

Ginny smiled at him and then she hugged him close. "Thanks, Colin!"

"For what?"

She only shook her head, smiling when he hugged her back, her heart feeling lighter. "Just… thanks."

Colin only smiled. "Anytime."

~ ASC ~

 **By the end of the third week of September, Harry was well into the swing of third year.** Professor Birmingham was making the Muggle Studies class throughly interesting and as Harry had grown up with Sirius, who had a strong love of Muggle music and Muggle mechanics, especially in terms of the motorbike, he knew quite a lot already. Not to mention the history that Remus had taught him over the years. But he still found the class to be very interesting, especially when some of the students were so flummoxed over simple things like the idea of a movie.

Hermione was also thoroughly enjoying her Life in the Magical World course. She was always going on about something Professor Carthaginian had said and how great it was to learn about things that Harry, Ron, and Neville often took for granted. Harry told Sirius as much in the letters he wrote home and Sirius was thrilled with the news that his classes were having such a good start.

Hermione was acting strangely though.

Her timetable had gotten messed up and it had claimed that she was taking way too many classes, but she had insisted to Harry and Ron that it was just a mix-up as she had asked if it was possible to take everything initially. But Harry wasn't so sure as she was in Care of Magical Creatures with them, but she was also in Ancient Runes with Harry, and apparently in Arithmency with Malfoy and Theo, and in Divination with Ron and Neville — and some of them were all at the same time. It didn't make any sense, but Hermione wouldn't speak about it.

They had also been given quite the surprise when they found out that Professor Kettleburn's retirement resulted in Hagrid getting promoted to be the new professor of Care of Magical Creatures. His name had formally been cleared with the help of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Dumbledore last year and he was so proud to be offered to teach his favourite class. Though the textbook he had chosen left a lot to be desired since no one could figure out how to open it safely.

Leave it to Hagrid to find a book that's spine needed to be stroked into complacency before they could read it.

Ever since Harry had filled his friends in on what had happened with Draco Malfoy and his mother at the end of the summer, Hermione had taken to watching Draco when she could. He had continued to act like a bit of a pompous git, though he had stopped using the word Mudblood. But Harry could see that he did look a bit worried about whatever it was his parents were keeping a secret from him, as was Harry.

He didn't understand why Sirius wouldn't tell him what was going on. He and Draco already suspected that Draco's grandfather had been behind the breakout and therefore probably knew exactly where Pettigrew and Lestrange were hiding so why couldn't they know the other stuff? He had questioned Remus about it discreetly during the first week of school, but his father had promptly shut him down.

Harry hated being kept in the dark.

Not to mention that Malfoy, who also claimed to know nothing else on the events, had looked appalled that Harry had even attempted to speak with him before he had then caused trouble in Hagrid's first class.

Hagrid had decided to start with Hippogriffs and the class had actually been quite enjoyable despite Draco, Blaise, and Theo mocking Hagrid in the background and not listening to anything that he had told them. This resulted in Draco indirectly insulting the Hippogriff he was petting, which Hagrid had told them never to do. The Hippogriff attacked, slashing Draco in the arm, and he threw himself on the ground moaning in pain. It was hardly anything, but the way Draco was going on about it, you'd think he had severed his arm.

Hagrid was horrified and had ended class early, but Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville worked to reassure him that it was going to be fine and that Madam Pomfrey would fix Malfoy up right away. Hagrid was still worried.

Hermione's new cat seemed to have taken a liking to him and to Ron as well. He found the cat in their dormitory on a regular basis, but Crookshanks simply made himself comfortable wherever he wanted and purred in contentment. Harry and Ron both agreed that he was the ugliest cat that they had ever seen, but they kept their mouths shut around Hermione to avoid an argument as she seemed to rather adore him. Crookshanks had also taken to sitting with Ginny in the common room and it made Harry smile. Hermione had mentioned that the two of them were becoming friends and he was glad.

Ginny had spoken to him in passing, but he could see that she was still struggling with whatever it was that she needed to work through. But he missed her and he said as much to Ron who only smiled at him and told him not to worry and that she would come around.

Remus started his third year class off with a bang, deciding to start with Boggarts. Harry had been intrigued by the idea, but angry when Remus had stopped him from getting to deal with the Boggart. Remus pulled him aside after class and told him that his fear was of it turning into Lord Voldemort and causing a panic among the class and Harry admitted that he was more afraid of the Dementors.

Remus had pulled him close and smiled and said that Sirius was wiser than he gave him credit for. When Harry had asked what his father meant, Remus just shook his head and told him to get to his next class.

The real talk of the school year was that Neville's Boggart had been Professor Snape and that in his attempt to conquer his fear, Snape had come out of the wardrobe attired in a green dress, fancy feathered Vulture hat, and carrying a red handbag. Snape was less than pleased with this and took to bullying Neville worse than ever. He would stand over Neville, while his fingers trembled as he attempted to cut ingredients, and hiss out how everything that Neville was doing was wrong. Harry kept whispering to his friend to calm down, that they were going to do fine, but Neville just kept shaking his head, his eyes full of fear.

Harry had never hated Snape so much.

Wood started Quidditch practices up again, four nights a week plus Saturday during the day. He was determined to win the Cup this year, giving a long winded speech about how it was his last year and how he had to win it this year as they had an amazing team. Fred and George cheered and they all promised that this year would be the year they won. It also reminded Harry of the Ravenclaw Seeker Cho, and it made him smile. He wanted to find out her last name and maybe a little bit more about her.

Harry soon found himself spending a great deal of his time looking for Cho in the halls, at meal times, on the school grounds, and had learned that she was a fourth year. Whenever he saw her, his stomach would quiver like butterflies were moving around in there and he couldn't help but smile. But he didn't know how to talk to her and didn't think that he was quite ready for that himself yet. She had a nice smile was the only thing he really knew about her. But he found himself spending an extraordinary amount of his time in the shower as of late and he was extra grateful for his robes, which hid the fact that he was sporting an erection most of his days.

Harry had also written to Sirius about walking in on Seamus and Dean in the bathroom. He explained how they had said they were just helping each other out and how it didn't mean that they were together. He wanted to know what Sirius thought of that and if it was indeed normal for friends to do that sort of stuff together without being together, especially when one of them had a girlfriend?

Sirius had responded that it seemed like they a trusting and loyal friendship, but that it wasn't something that most friends did. He was most intrigued to learn that the two of them had so vehemently denied being interested sexually in each other, and he agreed with Harry that it was unusual. All love was beautiful, Sirius insisted, in every form, but they were probably just experimenting and that was all right too.

While Harry was struggling with understanding what his friends were doing;,having continuous nightmares about Dementors and a screaming woman, while also thinking about his first crush — Remus was finding Hogwarts a difficult place to be.

Having the Dementors nearby was very detrimental to his health. He found any time he stepped outside for some fresh air he was assaulted with memories of being attacked by Greyback as a child, of hearing the news that his best friends were killed, of the pain of transforming — and it was hard for him to fight it back, and to feel happy again. He was having nightmares more frequently and he'd wake up, his face pressed against Tonks' breasts, her hands in his hair as she soothed him and urged him to talk to her.

One of the ways that he decided to try to keep himself happy and upbeat was to play little pranks on McGonagall.

At first he had done it as a joke at the end of the last school year, he had subtly switched her ginger biscuits with chocolate ones, swapped her Earl Grey with English Breakfast, shuffled some papers around her desk. This year, he upped the ante by moving her entire office around so that her back was to the door. She kept smiling at him as the first month of school ended and October breezed in, Remus had filled her top desk drawer (which she normally kept an assortment of candied nuts in) with catnip, did she finally claim that he was being childish.

"Honestly, Remus, I'd expect these kinds of shenanigans from Sirius, but not from you! You're a grown man and a professor at that!"

He had only laughed and told her that he had no idea what she was talking about, but of course he wasn't the one playing these little pranks on her; that it must be one of her students, and that he would investigate it further on her behalf.

McGonagall had only smirked in response.

Remus thought that she was over it so the next day he casually asked her if she could pass the milk. McGonagall, distracted talking to Dumbledore only nodded at him politely and went to pick up the milk pitcher which Remus had discreetly transfigured into a saucer. Dumbledore laughed when he saw the little saucer full of milk and McGonagall turned to glare at Remus.

"These childish pranks, Remus, are completely beneath you! You are a professor," she hissed angrily, transfiguring her saucer back into a milk pitcher.

Remus only chuckled to himself and told her that it wasn't him, but that he promised to be on the look out for the prankster and headed off to his first class. But when he returned to his office after dinner that night there was a note on his office door that simply said: _Stop These Pranks!_ all in capital letters and he sighed.

Maybe it was time to stop picking on McGonagall. She was too experienced from their Marauder days, and while she had no direct proof that it was him, she obviously suspected him of them.

But then he pushed open his office door and his mouth dropped open.

Every single piece of his office was now hanging upside down from the ceiling.

He had to give her credit, McGonagall really wasn't one to be trifled with.

Checkmate Minerva, he thought with a grin.


	115. Chapter 115

_Author's Note:_

 _I have really been wanting to add this in. I've had it planned for a while, but could never quite figure out how to add it into the story, and then when I was writing Neville's letter and I mentioned the Venomous Tentacula, I thought ah, here it is! So I hope you like it, as I really love writing these Sirius/Minerva moments._

 _I also have this headcanon that the old pureblood families have this rite of passage for their sons — that in order to become a man they must lose their virginity and in keeping with centuries of old traditions, hitting puberty equals that opportune moment._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN:**

 **Sirius couldn't stop laughing when he got Remus' letter about what McGonagall had done to his office.** He said as much to her when she stepped into his living room the next Sunday afternoon in October for their weekly tea and she simply shrugged.

"Two can play his game," she said smartly.

Sirius beamed at her and hugged her tightly. "You know Rem is just doing this to keep his mind off of the Dementors, Minnie?"

McGonagall nodded, her lips pursed tightly. "Having those abominations at the school is completely uncalled for! We have at least one student a day having to go to the hospital wing because of the depressing effects. It's inexcusable. It's like a permanent fog that surrounds the castle and no one can get away from it. Going outside is not a breath of fresh air anymore. It's awful!"

"I know," he said and McGonagall looked at him sadly.

"Sirius, I'm sorry, of course you do. I can't imagine what it was like to have them around you twenty-four/seven. From within the castle, the magical wards keep them pretty much out, and the effects of them are only felt once we step outside onto the school grounds. Being surrounded by them and having them hover near your prison cell, would be something else entirely. It's not like that there, don't worry."

He nodded and offered her a small smile. "I know that, but I also know that it still blows having them nearby. Harry mentioned the new classes seem to going well?"

"Wonderfully actually," McGonagall claimed. "Birmingham says that his classes are mostly fairly engaging though there is always one student who likes to make a fuss and claim some smart arse comment about pureblood superiority. The Life in the Magical World course seems to be going very well. I've heard a few students discussing it and from what I've seen of Delta Carthaginian, she seems like a very adept teacher. Albus and I have been discreetly using the ghosts to spy on professors who give detentions now. The entire Lockhart situation has thrown us for a loop and well, obviously we trust all of the staff at the school, we still need to make sure."

"I agree with your assessment there," Sirius told her honestly. "Is Remus still doing all right? He really loves teaching."

"He's a wonderful teacher," McGonagall told him. "I changed into my cat form and spied on a few of his first lessons when I had time. He's patient and kind, and very attentive to his students. Knowing how much he has come to love Miss Tonks too, he's a changed man. The two of them are very much in love. But I must say, they must try to be a bit more discreet."

Sirius snorted. "Remus is always discreet, Minnie. The man is more private then you can imagine."

McGonagall only stared at Sirius. "She spends most nights at the castle with him, which is fine as long as she stays to his rooms, but as they are not married, it isn't very professional for her to be seen at Hogwarts otherwise."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Not married? My, my, Minnie when did you become so old-fashioned?"

"It's not being old-fashioned! It's just that there are students at the school and he should be more cautious, set an example. That's all."

Sirius nodded and cleared his throat. He had an opening here to bring it up and he found himself a little nervous to. "Speaking of the topic of marriage, Minnie, you… I heard that you were married when I was in prison?"

McGonagall's mouth opened in surprise before she caught herself and quickly brought her tea to her lips. "Yes."

"Is that why you always turned me down when I proposed?"

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "Sirius, you proposed to me as a means to get out of the frequent detentions that I awarded you with. Were any of them serious — hardly."

Sirius smirked at her. "You should have said yes than maybe you would have found out." At the look she gave him, he smiled. "Neville mentioned it in passing in a letter to Harry this summer, something that his Uncle Algie had told him about Venomous Tentacula? Harry asked me about it and I was beyond surprised to realize that the woman that I love more than anything never even told me that she had been married."

McGonagall sighed and placed her teacup on the table. "It was brief and… I lost him."

Sirius moved to sit next to her, taking her hand in his. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But I'm always here if you need to talk." He kissed her cheek gently.

Tears welled up in McGonagall's eyes and she furiously blinked them back. "No, I think I would very much like to tell you about him."

"Did you love him more than Dougal?"

McGonagall smiled softly, her features softening with a look of young love on her face that made Sirius grin at her. "No, not more than. I loved Dougal in a different way. He was my first love and a Muggle. He never found out that I was a witch and that's why I had to break off our engagement. I wanted to work at the Ministry of Magic and I thought that… he needed and wanted me to be a farmer's wife and I couldn't be what he needed no matter how much I loved him."

Sirius nodded, remembering the first time that he had found out about Dougal MacGregor.

 _He had been in his fifth year at Hogwarts, just after his sixteenth birthday and had just let himself into McGonagall's classroom to serve detention for swearing in class when in reality it had been Remus who had sworn aloud and then promptly blamed it on him, and McGonagall, assuming that it was actually Sirius, gave him the detention._

 _But Sirius didn't mind, he enjoyed detention with McGonagall._

 _He made himself comfortable at his usual desk and stretched his long legs out, his hands behind his head, tipping the chair back to balance on the two back legs to wait for her when he heard a muffled sob. He frowned and stood up when he heard it again. He looked around the classroom, trying to determine where it was coming from and realized with horror that it was coming from McGonagall's office. Sirius moved to the partly open door, not even waiting for her to respond and pushed it open._

 _His eyes widened in shock when he saw her sitting in her desk chair, a crumbled handkerchief in her hand, her other hand on her forehead as she sobbed over a photo of her young self next to a tall dark-haired handsome man with a big grin. Tears rolled down her cheeks like rain on a windowpane and Sirius simply moved around the desk, knelt down in front of her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly into his embrace._

 _This woman, this strong amazing woman, who he admired more than anyone else in the world, was crying - and it terrified him. McGonagall didn't cry. McGonagall was strong and stern and warrior-like. But he wrapped his arms tightly around the vibrant forty-year-old-woman and urged her to bury her face in his shoulder and let it out._

 _He rubbed a hand up and down her back, mumbling nonsense reassurances in her ear. She didn't even protest, but merely clung to him, her fingers fisting in the back of his jumper as her body quaked in sobs._

 _"Shh, don't cry, Minnie, don't cry," he said softly, kissing her cheek. "It's all right. Everything will be al; right, I promise," he soothed._

 _McGonagall clung to him for almost fifteen minutes, the sobs wracking her body as she trembled and cried. When she grasped that she had nothing left, she let out a small sigh and then jolted when she realized that it was Sirius Black who was comforting her. She extricated herself carefully from his arms and stood up, moving to look out her office window as she mopped at her eyes with her handkerchief._

 _Sirius only sat on the edge of her desk. He didn't speak._

 _"I'm terribly sorry, Sirius. That's not what I had in mind for your detention. You shouldn't have seen that," she said, her face looking more like the McGonagall that he admired._

 _He shrugged and smiled kindly at her. "I've got strong shoulders." He stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You've said it to me enough times: Do you need to talk?"_

 _McGonagall's eyes softened and a stray tear slipped out. "It's nothing to concern yourself with, Black. I'll be fine. Why don't you start washing the board in my classroom? Without magic, of course. I'll only be a moment."_

 _Sirius only nodded, but he didn't move. "I don't like to see you sad."_

 _She smiled kindly at him. "And I appreciate that kind sentiment, but please, the blackboards, go on… I'll be out in a minute."_

 _Sirius only continued to stare at her. He didn't say anything nor did he look away. After almost a minute, McGonagall sighed._

 _"A man I loved very much once was killed along with his wife and children," she said softly, tears welling up in her eyes once more. "He was a Muggle as was his family and… it was a random attack by Death Eaters and they couldn't have known that I had…"_

 _Sirius moved to hug her again and gently pat her back. "I'm so sorry, Professor."_

 _"We were engaged, you know?" McGonagall said now, the tears still streaming down her cheeks. "But I couldn't marry Dougal. He didn't even know that I was a witch and… I didn't want to turn his life upside down. I wanted to work at the Ministry of Magic. I wanted to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and do some good in the world. So I broke it off and he tried to win me back, not understanding why, as I never could bring myself to tell him the truth… and he fell in love with another woman years later and had a family and now…" she blinked back her tears, her hands on Sirius' back as he hugged her. "If I had married him, I could have protected him and he might still be alive."_

 _"No," Sirius said sternly, his eyes on hers. "No, you can't think about the what ifs. This isn't your fault. It's this sodding war and the Death Eaters and Voldemort and you can't let this get to you. You're the strongest and the most amazing woman that I know. Minerva McGonagall is a badass," — she snorted — "And everyone knows it. Don't let them put you down. Don't let them win."_

 _McGonagall smiled sweetly at him and then she kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Sirius." She patted his cheek gently. "Go on then. No detention this time, but you will learn to watch your mouth in my class."_

 _Sirius smirked at her. "I will, I promise."_

 _He turned to go, but she called his name and he turned to smile at her._

 _"Thank you."_

 _He only smiled and nodded at her before he turned and headed back to his dorm._

He had never told anyone about it. He had known McGonagall well enough even then to know that she didn't want everyone to know so he had kept it to himself. One of the few things in his life that he hadn't shared with James. She still loved that man that she had loved at seventeen and Sirius knew that she always would.

"When I joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after I graduated, my boss was a man named Elphinstone Urquart. He was in his mid thirties then and we became good friends. I spent two years working for him and I was offered a promotion, a really generous promotion, that would have put me on the fast-track towards becoming a top Ministry employee — and I turned him down."

Sirius smiled at her. "You wanted to teach?"

She shook her head. "I just missed home. I missed Scotland and I missed Dougal and I knew that I still couldn't marry him, but I was heartbroken and confused and I thought that maybe a change of pace would be good for me. Stone had told me that I was a great teacher so I wrote to Hogwarts and I asked if they would consider me for a teaching position. I quit my job and I moved back to Scotland, started teaching Transfiguration, and I enjoyed it more than I anticipated. A year later, my mother wrote to me that Dougal MacGregor was going to marry someone else, and it was like I was heartbroken all over again. I had no excuse to be. I had turned him down almost four years before, but I was irrationally upset. Albus found me crying in my office, much in the same way that you did in your fifth year and we became very good friends from that moment on."

She took a sip of her tea, fiddling with the handle before she continued.

"Stone and I exchanged letters on a regular basis. He was a brilliant man, witty and intelligent and handsome, and we became great friends. One day about five years after I started teaching at Hogwarts, he surprised me in Madam Puddifoot's and asked me to marry him. I was completely shocked. I loved him, of course I did, but in my heart, it was still Dougal, and I told him as much, telling him how much I valued his friendship. He kept proposing periodically over the years and I kept turning him down, it was almost like a little joke by that point, I didn't think that he was serious. But when the war ended and you went to prison… he proposed again. He told me that he had loved me for decades and that he was tired of watching me grieve for a man that I had never truly had and to please make him the happiest man in the world and to marry him. I realized at that moment that Stone had truly loved me and that I had been too blind to see it; too self-absorbed and I was ashamed. I was in my mid forties, much too old to be a blushing bride, but I married him anyway in August of 1982, and it was one of the happiest moments of my life."

Sirius smiled warmly at her. "He sounds like an incredible man. He knew just how amazing you were or he would have given up after the first two or three refusals."

She chuckled. "He really was an incredible man. I loved him very much. Stone had retired from the Ministry and we purchased a small cottage in Hogsmeade so that I could keep travelling to Hogwarts every day easily. I didn't take his name. I had been McGonagall over forty years and I staunchly believed that my name was important to who I was as a woman and as a professor. He told me that he loved that about me," she said, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "He loved how much time I spent trying to get your case to come to trial. He helped me. We used every connection he had in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but I still wasn't able to get you out quickly enough; to get you a trial as quickly as you should have had one. There was too much chaos in the Ministry from the backlash of the war."

Sirius smiled. "You tried and you succeeded and I thank you for it every day." He kissed her cheek and she smiled at him.

"Stone and I only had three years together," she told him, her voice sad. "The summer of 1985, about a month before our third wedding anniversary, Stone was bitten by a Venomous Tentacula… and he died. It was an accident. A neighbour had mis-planted it thinking that it was something else, it killed their dog as well and… he was gone. Albus helped me pack up the little cottage, urged me to move back into the castle and… well, that was it. I threw myself into my work, into hounding the Ministry over giving you a trial, and I vowed that I would never marry again."

Sirius put his arm around her. "You're still the most amazing woman that I have ever known and a badass. Sounds like this Elphinstone bloke knew exactly how amazing you were and that he wasn't stupid enough to let you go. He knew how incredible you were and he was willing to take anything that you were willing to give him. He knew that you were worth waiting for. I wish that I would have met him."

McGonagall smiled and blinked back tears. "You would have liked him. He was always laughing at my stories about you and your Marauders. He said that you were right and that I did love you like a son and that infuriated me even more. I told him that he was supposed to be on my side."

Sirius chuckled. "It's al; right, I love you too, Mum."

Her eyes softened and she smacked him lightly. "I'm not your mum."

Sirius kissed her cheek gently. "No, you're right. You're someone much more important to me, Minnie. I love you." He kissed her cheek again. "Now, why don't you come out for a ride with me? The Ducati is in great shape since Harry and I drove it all across Europe."

McGonagall smiled affectionately at him. "Not in a million years. And Sirius?"

He turned to grin at her as he reached for a biscuit.

She only smiled. "I love you, too."

~ ASC ~

 **Remus knocked on McGonagall's office door the next afternoon, a warm smile on his face.** "Hi, Minerva, got a minute?"

McGonagall looked up from the papers on her desk with a bright smile. "Of course, Remus, come on inside."

Remus closed her office door behind him and strolled over to the window to look out at the castle grounds. The dense fog of the Dementors seemed to swallow the castle whole, making him feel rather closed in and confined. He shook the dark thoughts from his mind and turned to smile at her. "I wanted to talk to you about a rather sensitive subject."

McGonagall's eyebrow rose in question. "Noted. What's on your mind, Mr Lupin?"

"That brings back memories," he said with a smile. "Though the question back then was usually, 'what trouble did Potter and Black get themselves into now, Mr Lupin?'" When McGonagall chuckled, he grinned. "I started off my third years with Boggarts."

"I heard. There's a rather amusing rumour going around that Severus likes to wear dresses and carry a red hand bag in his spare time."

Remus grinned. "It was quite amusing, I will say." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "But it was precisely that which I feel we must discuss. I've been aware of Snape's abusive tactics towards Harry since his first year. He mocks and takes away points, but for the most part, Harry insists that he's fine. I'm starting to suspect that it's much more serious than that."

"Oh?"

"Minerva, Boggarts show a person's greatest fear. Can you honestly tell me that you're not concerned with the fact that Neville Longbottom's greatest fear is his teacher? That's bullying to an entirely different level."

McGonagall nodded, pursing her lips. "I'm aware. I've spoken to Severus on many occasions about the way that he speaks to his students, but Dumbledore turns a blind eye to him."

Remus frowned. "Well, something needs to be done about it. Neville is a very intelligent young man and I think that he could excel at Potions if he were given the opportunity to study under a less, shall we say, 'bullying influence'. Once you pay attention to him, he's quite bright and I know that he excels at Herbology. Snape treats Harry badly because he hated his father and really, how is that Harry's fault. He is not James."

"I agree. It's not going to happen overnight and frankly part of the problem with Severus is that it happens in his classroom when none of the other teachers are around to hear him. But he does need to be taken down a peg or two."

Remus nodded. "He's very intelligent and an exceptional Potioneer and I would hate to see him lose his job, namely as I would no longer have a Potion each month, but also because he is very gifted and I've watched students thrive under his teachings, but it's those he deems unworthy to educate that is the problem. Namely those who are not in Slytherin House."

"How does Sirius feel about this? To be honest, I've been shocked that he hasn't barged through the castle demanding justice on more than one occasion," McGonagall said with a snort. "He's always had a very short temper when it came to Snape."

"I haven't told him and I get the feeling that Harry has been downplaying his Snape interactions as well. Sirius will fly off the handle if he knows how Snape is treating Harry and Neville. I think this is best kept between us for now."

McGonagall smiled, tapping her fingers on her desk. "I couldn't agree more. Let me talk to some of the professors discreetly and I'm going to get a glimpse to see if any of the other professors have noticed a bullying problem outside of Severus. Students bullying other students also needs to be addressed and we need to crack down on this."

Remus nodded, smiling warmly at her. "Agreed."

~ ASC ~

 **Ron stared at the ceiling of his four poster bed listening to Harry mumble in his sleep.** He knew that his friend was having bad dreams again. It was already the end of October and he knew that his best mate, as well as his sister, were still dealing with the horrors that they saw in the Chamber of Secrets. He sometimes wished that he hadn't gotten trapped behind the stones; maybe he could have helped them more — and then sometimes he was thankful that he had gotten trapped and hadn't seen the horrors that they had. Not to mention how thankful he was not to have come up against a Basilisk. He saw Neville peek out of his bed curtains and Ron shook his head. He was awake already anyway.

He hopped out of bed and moved over to Harry's, tugging the curtains aside and sitting on the side of the bed, shaking Harry gently. Harry's eyes flew open and Ron could see the turmoil in them before he masked it.

"Er, sorry," he murmured.

Ron smiled at him. "Don't be daft. You okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just… the Dementors, you know?"

Ron nodded. "I know. Want to talk about it?"

Harry shook his head and pulled his blankets back up. "No. I'm fine. Go back to bed, Ron."

Ron touched his friend's shoulder gently before he stood up. "Alright, if you change your mind?"

"Thanks," Harry said quietly and Ron simply smiled at him.

He made his way back to his own bed, debating about whether or not to try to go back to sleep or just go downstairs. After almost twenty minutes, he was pretty sure sleep was eluding him. He wasn't sure what it was that was keeping him awake, but sleep seemed really far away at the moment. He looked up in surprise when the dormitory door opened slowly and the tiny figure standing there peeked her head inside.

"Gin?" he whispered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Ginny saw him and brightened, running at him and almost knocking him over as she clung to him. He could feel her heart beating wildly so he wrapped his arms around her, his chin resting on the top of her head as he hugged her back. She didn't speak, she simply hugged him tight until her heartbeat evened out. When she calmed down, she continued to hug him so Ron led her out of the dormitory and down into the common room.

"You alright, Dinny?"

She smiled at the nickname and nodded. "I am now. Thanks."

Ron smiled at her, ruffling her hair which she had in two long braids on either side of her shoulders. "Nightmare?" When she nodded, he sighed. "Harry was having one, too."

Ginny nodded and let out a slow sigh. "I was on my way to see Percy and I just… I changed my mind. I wanted you instead."

Ron smirked and tugged her close again. "You should really talk to Harry, Dinny. He misses you and I know that you miss him."

She blushed and nodded. "I know. I want to talk to him, but… I feel like after he saved me… I know that he doesn't blame me…"

"No, he doesn't and you have to stop blaming yourself. You have to talk to him. Explain what you've been going through because I can tell you that he dreams about the Chamber too and has his own memories from that experience. I know that he wants to talk to you," he told her, smiling when she took a seat in the armchair.

"I will soon, I promise. I miss talking to him, too." She was quiet for a moment as she fiddled with the ends of one of her braids. "Was it Harry that woke you up?"

Ron shook his head and moved to sit in the chair across from his sister. "No. I just couldn't sleep. Do you want to talk about your dream?"

Ginny shook her head, tucking her legs up under her. "No. There were lots of snakes," she said, shuddering. "I just missed having a big brother be there when I woke up. I needed a hug."

Ron smiled at her. "I'm glad that you came to me and not Percy then. He'd lecture you if you woke him up for a hug."

She laughed. "So would you have if you hadn't already been awake."

"Probably," he said, scratching his head as he chuckled. "Since we're both up, fancy a game of a chess?"

Ginny grinned at him. "That sounds perfect. Thanks."

Ron smiled at her, feeling a bit better himself. "You're welcome."

~ ASC ~

 **Draco crumpled up the latest letter from his mother and tossed it into the fireplace in the Slytherin common room.** She wasn't telling him anything that he didn't already know and he was infuriated by her. Her letters were all the same: 'Study hard, be a good boy and stay out of trouble.' It was complete bollocks. His grandfather was up to something and she knew that he knew it, so why did she insist on denying it.

He wondered if Black had told Potter anything after they had both been tossed outside so that the adults could speak privately. He was tempted to ask him, but then he would have to talk to Potter and he immensely did not want to do that. Potter had tried to speak to him though so maybe he did know more than he had let on.

He had even whined to his mother about Hagrid and his stupid Hippogriff. Madam Pomfrey had healed his arm in half a second, but he had been milking the pain as it made Pansy and some of the other girls fawn over him. He had enjoyed that for a bit. However, having Pansy fawn over him was probably the most annoying thing in the world. And his mother hadn't even cared.

The end of her letter had read: _Theo wrote to me about the Hippogriff situation. I'm sorry that you were injured, but if you would have just listened in class, Draco, you wouldn't have been hurt. I am not telling your father about your idiotic move so stop whining about it and concentrate on your school work._

Stupid, Theo, he thought.

He kicked the end of the chair as Blaise turned to give him a sour look.

"What's your problem, mate?"

Draco ignored him and kicked the chair again.

Blaise merely glowered at him. "Mate, seriously, what is up?"

"Mother is treating me like a petulant child!"

Blaise snorted. "Well, you sure are acting like one at the moment."

Draco only glared at him. "I don't need your attitude, Zabini." He let out a frustrated sigh and took a seat next to his friend. "Something big is going on and it infuriates me that Mother won't tell me what's happening. All of her letters say the same thing just keep my head down and focus on my studies. I should just write to my grandfather."

"You hate your grandfather," Blaise said quietly.

"Yeah, well, maybe he would actually tell me what the hell is going on — like why he decided to help Lestrange and Pettigrew break out of prison in the first place."

"Mate," Blaise said cautiously. "Don't let the dungbombs off before you know how to control the stench."

"What does that even mean?"

"My mother says it all of the time, just don't do something stupid and not be able to take it back," Blaise warned him, his eyes on his friend. "You know how dangerous your grandfather can be and you know that he broke out the prisoners, but maybe it's actually best that you don't know anything else about it."

Draco only nodded, his eyes on the sixth year Slytherin girl who was currently snogging her boyfriend rather passionately in the common room. Just because he thought his friend was right didn't mean that he needed to inform him of it. "I need a distraction."

"Pansy will let you snog her," Blaise said with a smirk.

Draco only glared at him. "Not. I wouldn't mind snogging Rowle though."

Blaise chuckled, looking over at the curly brunette who was studying by the fire. "She's still dating Vaisey."

Draco shrugged. "So?"

Blaise grinned and nodded to where Theo was huddled in the corner working on his homework. "Have you noticed Theo's been acting weird this year?"

"Big time. Has he said anything to you?"

"No, he just keeps insisting that he's fine. But something is up with him."

"His father did take him home last weekend for his fourteenth birthday, do you think that something happened?"

Blaise shrugged. "I honestly don't know. And it's Thaddeus Nott, we both know where he took Theo for the weekend."

Draco blushed, his eyes on Theo as he spoke. "I found it awkward and… I mean, I guess I learned stuff but… it seemed wrong," Draco said, turning back to Blaise. "When Grandfather dropped me off for the weekend and told me that it was time for me to become a man, it just felt… wrong."

Blaise nodded, scratching his forehead. "I felt the same. Pureblood male tradition or not, it's not what I wanted. I wish I could have… chosen who and when myself."

"Me too," Draco admitted. "But Grandfather insisted that it was mandatory for a thirteen-year-old-wizard to do and that for my fourteenth birthday he would take me back to see how I've improved," he said, blushing a deep red. "I don't know if I want to go back… it was… Theo's dad must have taken him back for his fourteenth."

Blaise stood up and gestured for Draco to follow him as they urged Theo to meet them in their dormitory. A few minutes later, Blaise closed the door to their room and raised an eyebrow at Theo. "We're worried about you."

Theo sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his robes. "I know. You know how much I hate spending time with my father, and I know you know that he took me back to Madam Sweetling's. Dropped me off Friday night and picked me up Sunday morning for my 'birthday gift.' I just need time to process."

"We figured as much," Blaise admitted. "Draco and I have both been there too, you know. We didn't want to, but… I mean, once they touch you it's… your body _definitely wants to_."

Theo shook his head. "No, you… you're not going to understand."

Draco merely raised an eyebrow. "Understand what? How many girls did your father buy you? Grandfather bought me three for my birthday and it was… awkward, but sort of nice and I definitely got some experience. Father was furious when he found out, said something about not all traditions needed to be continued and then he made me promise not to tell my mother, but like I ever would."

Blaise nodded. "Grandfather bought me three girls as well and the first time the one girl touched my prick I thought that I was going to go off like a volcano."

Theo smirked at them. "It's tradition to start off with three according to my Father, but once you turn fourteen, you get three again."

"So, did you shag them all then?"

Theo blushed and sat down on his bed. "I wanted to but… I couldn't really… get…hard."

Draco's mouth opened in surprise. "What do you mean? Mate, I get hard walking down to breakfast!"

Blaise nodded. "This morning Tracy asked me to pass the salt and I had wood."

Theo blushed even more. "I said that you wouldn't get it!"

Draco and Blaise exchanged looks before urging him to sit down.

Blaise spoke up first. "So, what happened, Theo? We're your friends, you can tell us."

Theo was quiet for a long moment and then he nodded as if resigning himself. "The blonde girl, she was sixteen… well, you know, the girls they put with us are always fifteen or sixteen and really giggly. Her name was Anne. She told me that it was all right and that she had an idea. So she left the room and the other two girls were you know licking and kissing my prick and it was working, kind of, I was getting hard, but I wasn't really into it and I wanted to tell them to stop, but I was afraid that my father…" he paused for a moment as his friends only stared at him. "Anne came in with this bloke."

Blaise's eyebrows rose up. "A bloke?"

Theo nodded. "He was also sixteen. His name was Antonio and he had dark hair and he ordered the girls to leave, said that he had to talk to me." He fiddled with his robes as he spoke. "He came onto the bed and he told me that what I was feeling was perfectly acceptable and that… that not every bloke was the same. Then he slid his hand over my chest and slowly moved it down over my stomach and… he had barely touched me and I've never been that hard in my life."

Draco's eyes widened. "You shagged a bloke?"

"The whole weekend… well, he shagged me," Theo said, grinning widely. "It was amazing and… afterwards, I realized that it wasn't just the idea of going to Madam Sweetling's that made me nervous it's because I… don't like girls. The first time I put my mouth on Antonio's prick, I just knew that it was what I wanted. I'm gay."

Draco nodded, swallowing slowly. "Er, well, that's good for you, mate. I mean, if you're happy."

"You… you blokes don't care?" Theo asked, his eyes scared as he looked between his two friends.

Blaise grinned at him. "Do you want us to care? I mean, who you want to shag is up to you, mate — why should it bother us?"

Theo grinned widely. "I didn't want you to… be uncomfortable around me or something stupid like that because I'm still me."

Blaise smirked at him. "We know that."

Draco nodded, smiling at his friend. "Just because we don't want to shag you doesn't mean that we don't want to be your friend."

Theo snorted. "Like I'd want your pale arse."

"Hey," Draco said indignantly. "I have a great arse and you would be thanking your lucky stars to blow my huge cock."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Right."

Theo smiled at them. "Thanks… I… I guess it was stupid to worry."

Draco elbowed his friend lightly. "With us, yeah. But I imagine telling your father is another story altogether."

"Shit, Theo, what did you dad say when he found out that you didn't spend the weekend with the three whores he bought you?" Blaise asked.

Theo rubbed the back of his neck. "He doesn't know. The brothel is very discreet and they didn't tell him and I just made up some lies about how much sex I had with the girls. He seemed pleased. He said something about me finally becoming a pureblood man."

" _Every good man knows how to please as many women as possible and knows how to control a woman, both in and out of the bedroom_ ," Draco recited dutifully. "I swear if Grandfather tells me that one more time, I'm going to throw something at him. He usually then goes on to tell me how much of a disappointment my father is."

Blaise snorted. "That's because anyone can see that your parents are actually deeply in love, Draco. Pretty sure that your father has never even thought about cheating on your mother. And my mother, Merlin, she's looking at husband number five."

"Everyone knows your mother is a gold-digging prostitute, Blaise, and I mean that in the best way possible," Draco said with a smirk.

Blaise shoved him and he laughed. "I'd punch you for insulting her if it wasn't completely accurate."

Theo smirked. "My father tells me the same thing and he has two mistresses himself." He rubbed the back of his neck again. "If he ever finds out that I like cock he'd disown me."

Draco nodded. "We got your back, Theo, and you know my mother adores you."

"I know, thanks," he said, smiling.

Blaise smiled back at him. "Also, don't know if you're interested, but I heard Stephen Greenaway is gay."

"The fourth year Hufflepuff?"

Blaise nodded. "Davis told me that she heard he was caught by a Slytherin prefect getting a blow job from some Hufflepuff bloke. Just, you know, you're not alone in the whole school or anything."

Theo smiled. "Thanks, Blaise but you do know that not all gay blokes are attracted to each other, right?"

Blaise shrugged. "I know that, just passing on some helpful information in case you were looking for a snog or a shag."

Theo simply grinned at him. "All right, now that you blokes know my big secret, anyone else as thirsty as I am?"

Draco blanched. "Theo!"

Theo busted into laughter as he stood up. "I meant like Butterbeer, you prat!"

Blaise grinned. "And here I was thinking I was going to get a blow job!" He stood up and stretched. "So, you really got a prick up the bum, eh? How did it feel?"

Theo bit his bottom lip. "Weird… and it hurt a little at first, but then it… it felt _really, really_ good."

Blaise nodded. "Huh, who would have thought. So, kitchen run?"

Draco smirked at his friends and nodded. "Kitchen run."

~ ASC ~

 **The end of October brought a surprise that Harry didn't like.** Remus was feeling too poorly after a particularly rough full moon (being around the Dementors in his werewolf form was even worse for some reason and the potion didn't seem to have the same calming effect on him as usual) so Snape substituted his class. The entire class groaned when he walked into the room, shutting them in darkness and demanded that they turn to page three hundred and ninety-four. Harry took one look at the title of the chapter and glared menacingly at Snape.

He was intentionally making them read about werewolves, the slimy git.

Harry knew that Snape had been angry that Remus had gotten the job in the middle of last year. He had heard Remus say as much to Sirius who asked him what teaching with Severus was like. And Harry could see the angry looks Snape had given him when he had returned this year, ready to continue to teach, but this was a low move even for him.

Snape was trying to make the students realize that their professor was a werewolf.

He glanced at Hermione as she immediately began to read the chapter. If anyone was going to figure it out, she would, and that worried him. Would her opinion of Remus change when she found out? Harry wasn't going to let Snape take away Remus' job. He said as much to McGonagall when he knocked on her office door that evening and told her what Snape had done. McGonagall had only sighed and told Harry that technically Snape hadn't done anything wrong as werewolves were part of the curriculum and something that the students were supposed to be learning about in their third year. She told him not to worry about Remus and that he was a good professor and that Dumbledore knew that.

Harry was still angry about it and he said as much to Sirius when he wrote home. Remus reassured him the next day as well and told him not worry, that everything was going to be fine, and then reassured his class that of course they didn't have to do the homework assigned by Snape, which made everyone immensely pleased.

The end of October also brought the gossip flying about Hogwarts. Lockhart had officially been sent to Azkaban. He had been tried and sentenced for statutory rape and child molestation. They had also accused him of assault and mind rape on his victims in terms of the use of the memory charm. Lockhart was going to die in prison and the charges were still piling up against him.

Malfoy had taken his being a git status to a whole new level and apparently had convinced his father that Hagrid's hippogriff was a dangerous beast that needed to be put down. He seemed to relish in making Hagrid uncomfortable in class and kept making comments about how good the hippogriff's head would look mounted on the wall. Harry wanted to hit him.

As November breezed in and the first Quidditch match of the season finally took place. Wood was beside himself with excitement. They were supposed to be playing against Slytherin, but Malfoy, milking the pain in his arm for all it was worth, claimed that he was too injured to play, so they were playing Hufflepuff instead. Harry wasn't worried. Hufflepuff had a strong team, but he knew that they were better.

He smiled when he saw Sirius and Zee sitting in the stands to watch him play. He waved at them and they waved back. He was glad that Zee was here since last year's game had been cancelled before she could see him play. The game started off good and Gryffindor was indeed doing very well, the Chasers scoring fairly regularly as Harry did his best to look for the Golden Snitch. He could see the Hufflepuff Seeker, a fifth year named Diggory, looking around at the other end of the pitch.

He saw a flash of gold and he moved his broom to go after it, but then an overwhelming sense of sadness covered him. He could hear Uncle Vernon yelling at him… Ginny screaming… and suddenly that woman, screaming his name.

 _"Not Harry! Please, not Harry! No!"_

And then everything went black.

Zee was cradling him in her lap when he came to as Sirius shoved a piece of chocolate in his mouth. He blinked owlishly as he chewed.

"What happened?"

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was all standing around him, looking worried.

"You passed out, mate," Fred supplied. "And fell off your broom over a hundred feet."

Harry flushed red. "I-I fell off my broom? Who was screaming?"

Zee reached forward and placed a cool hand on his forehead. "A few people screamed when you fell, Harry, but the headmaster froze you in mid air and guided you safely to the ground."

"What happened? I don't — Dementors!" he exclaimed, trying to jump to his feet.

Sirius nodded, pushing him back down, his hands resting on his son's shoulders. "They couldn't resist so many people crowded in one place and they came in. I knew that having them here was a bad idea."

Harry could feel his father trembling's hands and he watched as Zee took Sirius' hand in hers, holding it tightly and Sirius gave her a small smile. Harry hadn't considered how hard it was going to be for Sirius to show up at his Quidditch game with all of the Dementors nearby. He should have, he realized. It was stupid to have asked him to come.

"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have come today," Harry said, sitting up.

Sirius shook his head. "I'm not letting any sodding Dementors keep me away from watching my son's first match of the season. Are you all right?"

Harry nodded. The chocolate had done its work. He already felt warmer. The crowd had dispersed by now, but Harry looked over at Alicia, surprised to see that Oliver was no where to be seen. "Where's Wood?"

"He's trying to drown himself in the shower," Angelina said with a small smile.

"Why — did we — _we lost_?"

Fred nodded. "Harry, we don't blame you. You fell and Diggory is a stand up bloke and had just grabbed the Snitch when he saw you fall. He tried to call off the game, demand a rematch, but Wood admitted that he had won fair and square."

Everyone nodded sadly and Dumbledore instructed the students to return to their dormitories and Sirius insisted that Harry see Madam Pomfrey.

"I'm fine, the chocolate helped."

Zee nodded smiling at him, her hand on his forehead. "You're not clammy anymore. He'll be all right, Sirius, but I do think that he should still go to the hospital wing."

"No, really I'm fine," Harry insisted.

Sirius nodded, eyeing Harry carefully. "You sure?"

"I'm sure. But… why do the Dementors affect me like that? How come no one else fell of their broom?" he asked as everyone began to wander back up to the castle leaving Harry alone with Sirius, Remus, Zee, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny.

Sirius sighed and draped an arm around his son's shoulders. "They affect you differently because you've seen more than most people in your short life and the Dementors bring forth your worst thoughts, your worst fears, and your worst memories."

Ginny looked pale as Ron put an arm around her shoulders and urged her to go off with Fred and George, who were calling them over. Ginny nodded at him and the three of them waved goodbye to Harry and headed off. Harry waved, turning back to his father with questioning eyes.

"I keep hearing a woman screaming. She says 'no, not Harry, please'. I don't know what it is, but it's so… familiar."

Sirius stared at him in horror for a moment before he caught himself. "I think I do."

Remus nodded, stopping them before they approached the door to the castle. "Sirius, do you think…"

Sirius shook his head, taking Harry's shoulders in his hands and squeezing lightly. "You know what it is, Prongslet. You used to tell me about it in your nightmares when you were little. How there was green light and a woman screaming. But then you stopped dreaming about it. Those thoughts and those memories disappeared, and I was thankful for that, thankful that I didn't have to explain to you what that horror was that you were remembering."

Harry stared at him for a moment, his gaze turning to Remus, who looked sad. His emerald orbs met Sirius' grey ones and he nodded, everything suddenly clicking into place. "It's my mum, isn't it?"

Remus sighed. "The memories are there in the back of your mind and… you were so young, but it was a traumatizing moment for you."

"It's her. She's begging with Voldemort to save me," he realized and as he spoke the words he knew that they were true.

Sirius nodded and hugged Harry close. "She loved you so much. She did everything in her power to protect you, Harry. I'm sorry that the Dementors bring that memory back to you."

Harry didn't speak. He let his fathers bring him to the hospital wing and let Madam Pomfrey fuss over him without a word. He didn't say anything until Ron, Hermione, and Neville came in carrying something wrapped up in a blanket.

"Harry," Ron said, his voice sad. "I'm so sorry."

"What?" he asked, looking between his three friends who all had identical looks of horror on their faces. "What is it?"

Neville carefully opened the blanket and pulled out one of the shards of wood. "When you fell it…"

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said sadly. "It hit the Whomping Willow!"

Ron flipped the blanket, dumping the wooden shards and fragments onto the hospital bed as Harry looked at the corpse of his _Nimbus 2000_. "We tried to save it, mate, but… we were too late."

Harry stared at the pieces of the broomstick that he had loved so much. He simply nodded mutely, his eyes moving to the window, where he could see the Whomping Willow's branches aimlessly swatting at birds.

Sirius put his arm over his shoulders. "Harry, don't worry, we'll get you another broomstick."

Remus smiled sympathetically at him and Zee leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Harry just closed his eyes, rolling over in the hospital bed and tried to go to sleep. He already just wanted the term to be over.


	116. Chapter 116

_Author's Note:_

 _As the last chapter shows, I have always had this headcanon that Theodore Nott is gay. I like to think that despite the fact that Malfoy is a douche, he is loyal to his friends, and I think that he would have been very supportive of his friends when they needed him. He wants to know what is going on just as much as Harry does, but Malfoy is using his frustrations at not being told anything and taking them out on the people around him, namely which is why he's decided to try to take the Hippogriff away from Hagrid._

 _Again, I haven't said that the Malfoys are good, but I always did get the impression that despite the terrible things that Lucius and Narcissa did during the war, they love their son above all else and I think that says something about them._

 _I like the idea that Ginny still goes to find her brothers when she needs them, even if it's the middle of the night, and that Ron is more than happy to sit with her and comfort her if she needs it, while also giving her the talk that she needs to speak to Harry. It is coming, I promise, but Ginny is scared. She is still readjusting to being at school and the schedule and having Colin back in her life while still meeting with Na'eemah and processing what happened the year before. Harry understands that too and is giving her the space she needs._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN:**

 **Sirius followed Zee into her cottage after Harry had left the hospital wing.** He dragged a hand through his hair before shoving both of his hands into the back pocket of his jeans. Zee simply wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled herself against him. She didn't say a word, her cheek resting over his heart. His arms came around her a second later and they held each other, hugging in the entranceway of her cottage.

"I know that he's all right," Sirius said softly.

Zee only smiled against his chest. "Harry will be fine. It's you, I'm worried about."

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. " _What? Me? Why?_ I'm fine."

Zee pulled away a little, taking his hand and leading him into the living room to sit down. She snuggled herself next to him, her arms around his waist again and her cheek against his heart, engulfing him in a warm hug. "Talk to me."

He wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "About what?"

She didn't say anything. She turned her face and pressed a kiss over his heart, her fingers reaching up to play with the dog tags that he wore around his neck. She flipped the one pendant between her thumb and forefinger, still not speaking. After almost five minutes, Sirius finally spoke.

"I was back in my cell."

Zee's fingers faltered on the necklace for only a moment before she continued her ministrations. There was a chill on his skin now and she burrowed herself closer, wanting to share her warmth with him.

"Zee… you don't want to hear this."

She turned her face and kissed over his heart again, but said nothing.

Sirius sighed. "I was… I was back in my cell. It was cold and dark and damp… always damp, never quite enough warmth. Sometimes it felt like the cold would eat through to my soul, burrowing deeper and deeper into me until my blood froze. My nails were broken and bleeding, my fingers cracked and damaged from… I felt like I was at Grimmauld Place again — the shackles holding me in place, and I could remember what it felt like when my mother punished me for disobedience. I could hear her shrill voice in my head and suddenly I was nine years old again, promising to be who she needed me to be, the Black Heir… James dead on the floor, his glasses lying crooked on his face and those hazel eyes just staring ahead blankly… Lily's crumpled form in front of the crib and Harry… his head bleeding as he cried and cried for his mother… the cold, always so cold and so damp." He shook his head as if to try to clear it and he pushed her away, standing up. He awkwardly brought his hand to his hair to brush it away from his face and cleared his throat nervously. "I'm hungry, let's find something to eat."

Zee followed him into her kitchen and watched him open the ice box, tugging out some of the leftover stew from the night before. He filled a bowl for each of them and used his wand to heat it up, the steam bringing the warm smell of beef.

"Sirius?"

He turned, his eyes still looking slightly haunted, but not as much as they had.

She stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "I'm always here when you need to talk."

He pulled her close, bending to bury his face in her shoulder. "My life has been dark, Zahira, so dark and… you are this amazing light and so breathtaking that I… I don't want that darkness to touch you."

Zee smiled. "That's sweet of you, but part of me loving you is accepting all sides of you, Sirius. I know that you come from darkness, I know that you had a fucked up a childhood that I can't even begin to comprehend because mine was so grand. But you don't talk about it — and I know that Remus knows, which is good, I'm glad someone knows. I don't need to know all of the details, but what I don't want to see, is you holding everything inside anymore. The Dementors have power over you because you're letting them," she said softly, reaching up to brush his hair out of his eyes. "So tell me about the bad moments as well as the good, I don't need you to shield me."

Sirius' mouth opened before he closed it again and nodded. "I want to shield you."

Zee kissed him again, deeply. "Maybe I want to shield you."

He smirked at her. "Point taken. On a less depressing note, I need to do some broom shopping. He needs to be ready for his next Quidditch match."

"Another Nimbus 2000?"

"Haven't decided yet," he told her with a smirk. "So, want to go play with some brooms with me? I'll let you drive my bike?"

Zee grinned at him, standing on her toes to kiss him softly. "Eat your stew. We'll go look at broomsticks tomorrow."

Sirius smiled and passed her a bowl of stew. "Deal."

~ ASC ~

 **Harry spent his next few days moping around the castle.** He ignored his friends who kept trying to cheer him up, but his thoughts kept coming back around to the sound of his mother sacrificing herself for him. He knew that that's what she had done. Dumbledore had told him as much and Sirius had hinted at it, but to actually hear the memory… it was more than he wanted to remember.

It wasn't fair that the Dementors seemed to affect him so much worse than anyone else. No one else on the pitch had fallen from their brooms just from the mere presence of them on the field. He had seen Ginny sitting between Fred and George, letting them comfort her, and he knew that she had been affected almost as strongly - but it wasn't the same. She had barely spoken to him this year and he missed her. He knew that she was still feeling a bit ashamed over what had happened, but he had hoped that she would have come to talk to him by now.

He kicked the stone wall in the hall and grimaced at the pain in his foot, turning and almost walking headlong into Draco Malfoy.

"Beating up the walls now, Potter?" Draco drawled.

Harry rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

Draco shrugged, his hands moving to his pockets. "I was walking until I was interrupted by your brood."

"How can you be interrupted by my brood?"

"You were in my space."

Harry glared at him. "You're a prat, you know that!"

"What? You think that because my mother makes me go to your godfather for some bullshit protection that we're supposed to be friends?"

"You could at least be civil to me and leave Hagrid's alone. You damn well know that hippogriff only attacked you because you insulted it."

Draco's cheeks flushed. "Well, maybe if he offered better instruction, I would have heard him say that."

"Maybe you should have paid attention in class so as to avoid making stupid mistakes."

"Hagrid doesn't deserve to be a teacher here!"

"Bigots like you don't deserve to be a student here! We all have our crosses to bear."

Draco fumed at that. "Oh, really? You're telling me that? The Boy Who Can't Even Stay On His Broom?"

Harry flushed red as Draco did an over exaggerated impersonation of Harry falling from his broomstick at the sight of the Dementors. "Sod off, Malfoy."

The sound of Draco's laughter echoed after him as he stormed down the hall. The last thing he needed was for Malfoy to start mocking him about the Dementors now. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he only sighed when he recognized Snape coming towards him.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Potter?" Snape said greasily.

Harry glared at him. "Is walking a crime?"

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Another five points for that disrespect," he said, his voice dripping with snark. "And don't think that I don't know you went to McGonagall claiming that I was abusing my position as a substitute teacher. You are blind if you think that the world doesn't deserve to know that there's a monster in this school. After last year's fiasco with Lockhart, Lupin is hardly the best choice to precede him."

"He's the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher that we've ever had, if not one of the best professors here and everyone knows it. Just because you don't like him, doesn't give you the right to speak for the school as a whole."

Snape sneered at him. "It's more the company that he keeps and the fact that a creature like him thinks that Auror is even remotely worthy of his time."

Harry stared at him. "He's ten times the man you'll ever be."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape said again, his eyes flashing dangerously now. "And if you don't watch yourself, Potter, you just might find yourself alone in a room with a Dementor, and we all know how helpful you'll be in that situation — but don't worry — this time you _won't_ have a broom to fall off of when you hit the ground."

Snape stormed off, his black robes billowing out behind him and Harry clenched his fists at his sides angrily. He was so tired of that slimy git nitpicking him. He knew that he only had to tell Sirius and that his father would come down here and deal with that prick, but wasn't that part of the reason why he hadn't? He wanted to prove to Sirius that he could handle Snape on his own, but this year it was proving harder than ever especially with Neville and the fiasco with the Boggart and it certainly didn't help that the Dementors made him feel so crappy all of the damn time.

He headed in the opposite direction that Snape had gone, soon finding himself making his way to the Owlery. He took a seat on the bench as Hedwig flew over to sit with him and he stroked her wing in contentment as he looked out the window. He didn't even hear anyone come inside until he felt a hand on his arm.

He turned, surprised to see Ginny standing there.

"Gin, hi," he said, smiling when Hedwig landed on Ginny's arm.

"Hi, are you all right?"

He nodded. "Fine. You?"

She shrugged. "I will be. The Dementors affect me pretty badly, too."

Harry offered her a small smile. "At least you didn't fall off your broom in the process."

Ginny chuckled. "No, I didn't, but in my defence, I wasn't riding a broom at the time."

"Point taken."

She smiled and moved to sit next to him. "I was actually looking for you." His eyebrow rose in question and she blushed. "We haven't really talked much since… everything happened and I know that's entirely my fault… I've been… avoiding you."

"I noticed," he said quietly.

"Harry, I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am —"

" — Ginny, I don't blame you for —"

" — No," she interrupted him. "Please let me speak." When he nodded, she took a deep breath. "I should have known better. It's true that Tom manipulated me, and that he used me, but I also let him. I came to Hogwarts so excited to be here and I was a little heartbroken that my big brothers and my best friend already had their own friends. I was lonely and I let myself feel that way and because of it, I depended more on Tom than I would have. Then I met Colin and he was so funny and so energetic and so fun to be around and I thought, this is a friend, this is who I'm supposed to like and then… he was… I attacked him."

"Ginny," Harry said soothingly. "You didn't attack him."

"No, not personally, I know that, Na'eemah helped me understand that this summer. She's this amazing mind healer that I've been speaking with regularly. Tom used me to set the Basilisk on Colin. I know that I am still responsible for it because I trusted Tom. And after Colin, I just… I shut down again and I tried to resist Tom, I tried to stop writing in the diary so much, but it was like there was this voice in my head telling me that I needed it. I craved it. I needed to see his words, to feel him near me and to… I needed him. Na'eemah said that he drew me in like an addict needing a fix and that describes it perfectly," she said simply, her brown eyes dark with horror. "And that scared me — and I didn't know how to tell anyone — and then I convinced myself that no one would understand… that they would try to take Tom away from me… that he would tell them all of my secrets and … it's stupid — I was stupid."

"No, it's not," Harry told her. "I wrote in it, too, I saw how easy it was to trust him. Even Dumbledore said that grown witches and wizards have been coerced by him in the past."

She shrugged. "He… I did't really remember everything about him taking me into the Chamber, flashes here and there, I just remember suddenly coming back to myself as he stepped out of the diary." She swallowed and smiled gratefully when Harry took her hand in his. "He came out and he… he slapped me so hard that my head was literally knocked backwards. He… he did things to me and Mum told me that it wasn't my fault; that I'm not to blame for what he did. But… I still feel dirty like maybe I… encouraged it in some way."

Harry's eyes were wide now. It sounded like his suspicions had been correct. "Ginny, what kind of… what did he do to you?"

She shrugged it off. "He hurt me and I know that part of that pain was him taking over my soul. You saved me from a fate worse than death, Harry. I owe you a life debt."

Harry put his arm around her and hugged her close. "No, you don't." When she made to protest, he put his hand over her mouth to silence her. "That first day when we met in the park, you gave me something more precious than I could ever have imagined."

"What?" she asked him, bewildered.

"Friendship. You were my first friend, Ginny, and through you I met your amazing family and I became best mates with Ron, who I can't imagine my life without. You helped me realize that I was just Harry, not the mythical Boy Who Lived, and that I mattered and that… I deserved to have friends too. So really, I owed you a life debt, which I think I paid back in full."

She laughed and hugged him tightly. "I will always be your friend, Harry, as long as you want me to be." She kissed his cheek and blushed. "And I… that singing Valentine…"

He reached back to rub the back of his neck which was flushing red and hot to the touch. "Er, yeah, why did you send me that?"

Ginny blushed. "I had — _have_ a little crush on you, and it's embarrassing! I'm sorry — I know that you just want to be friends and I accept that."

"Is that why when I asked you to pass me the pumpkin juice you jumped and put your elbow in the butter dish the other day?"

She blushed deeper. "A gentleman would pretend that he hadn't seen anything."

Harry chuckled. "Ginny, I'm… flattered but I… you're my friend, I'm sorry, I don't…"

She shook her head and smiled warmly, "No, don't be! We are friends and its just... I don't know, Harry, I like you and I know that you're my friend and have no desire to be anything other than my friend, but I just had to tell you. Now you know and I can stop feeling awkward around you and move on and be the friend that you deserve me to be."

Harry smiled at her. "Gin... I — I mean I'm flattered, I just… I don't really…" he let out a big breath. "There's a girl I like… kind of and... you're great and —"

She chuckled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I get it, Harry. Can we just please be friends again? I miss you."

"I'd love that," he told her honestly. "I've really missed you, too."

She grinned widely and hugged him again. "I also wanted to thank you for just giving me space. I'm sorry that it took me so long to come and talk to you, but I just… I needed time to process everything."

"I know. Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus helped me do the same this summer. Ron said that he and your brothers have been helping?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Almost too much. I love them all so much, but I swear if any of them hover any more I'm going to burst."

He grinned. "They're just trying to take care of you. They feel guilty for not being there last year when you needed them most."

"And I appreciate it, but they need to let me live my own life as well."

"I guess that's fair," he said with a smile. "Well, if you need anything from me you only have to ask."

"I do actually want to ask a huge favour of you and I totally get it if you say no."

Harry's eyebrow rose in question. "Uh-oh?"

Ginny laughed. "Colin is honestly the best person I met last year and he's super in awe of you and the whole famous Harry Potter thing, which I told him isn't you at all, but he's completely enamoured."

"Yeah, I know Colin, he kept asking me to sign a photo for him last year." He saw Ginny's look and he groaned, "Gin!"

She smirked. "I told him that I would ask you, and if you said yes or no, he has promised to stop following you around like some sort of celebrity stalker. In all honesty, I think if you just talked to him it would make his whole year, forget the autograph."

"I guess I could talk to him. He's rather annoying from what I gathered."

"No, he's an absolute sweetie!" Ginny insisted, smiling at Harry. "He's Muggleborn and wants to be a photographer, which to me is perfect for him as he's really good! His photographs always turn out to be quite amazing. He has an eye for it. And he's full of energy, yes, but he's so fun and we rekindled our friendship this year after he told me that I was being stupid for thinking that he wouldn't want to be my friend anymore. I'd really like for you to talk to him."

Harry nodded. When she spoke about Colin her eyes lit up and it made him smile. "Anyone who can bring that smile back to your face is good in my book."

She hugged him again and hopped to her feet, holding out her hand to help him stand. "Is now a bad time?"

"No. Now is as good a time as any," Harry told her with a smile.

They chatted about the next Quidditch match, which was to be Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff, and Harry told her how crumby the school brooms were. He said that he had yet to speak to Sirius about getting a new broom for himself, but he knew the school brooms were not good enough. Ginny told him that he would probably get a Firebolt and he grinned when she told him that she'd seen someone fly on one in Egypt.

"It was amazing! He was like a blur in the air!"

Harry nodded, his eyes lighting up. "That would be brilliant! But Firebolts are a lot of money and I don't know if Uncle Sirius would justify my broom breaking as a good enough reason for a Firebolt. I mean the Nimbus 2001 is a great broom but... I don't want to fly on the same broom as Malfoy, however petty that is."

Ginny nodded in understanding. "The new Cleansweeps are nice, and they're not as expensive."

"Yeah, maybe," he said as they stepped through the portrait hole leading to Gryffindor Tower.

Colin Creevey, his bright blond curly hair shining in the firelight, was working at a table in the corner. Harry followed Ginny across the common room and sat down across from Colin. It was almost comical the reaction he had. His eyes widened to saucers and his mouth physically dropped open.

"Hiya, Harry!"

Ginny put her face on her chin and grinned at her friend. "No autographs and no more photos without permission. But, Harry is here to say hi."

Colin beamed at him. "Harry! I'm so honoured that you would come by to say hi to me because you're just amazing and after you saved us all last year and you saved Ginny and she told me about the Basilisk and the Sword of Gryffindor and how you stabbed the snake and saved the day and rescued her and discovered the secret all on your own!" he said all in one breath.

"Colin!" Ginny exclaimed, a bubble of laughter in her throat. "Breathe!"

He grinned widely. "Right — sorry."

Harry smiled at him. "It's okay. Look, I'm just me, just the same as you, and we're in the same house together — so we can be friends. Okay?"

Colin nodded eagerly. "Okay!"

Ginny smiled. "Colin, why don't we get started on that Charms homework and let Harry get back to Ron and Hermione?"

"Of course! It was nice talking to you, Harry!"

"You too, Colin."

He gave Ginny a smirk before he made his way to the other end of the room where Ron and Hermione were working on their History of Magic homework.

"Hey."

Hermione looked up, her eyes slightly glazed in that deep concentration look she often got. "Harry! Ron and I were getting worried! Where were you?"

"Walking," he said. "I'll go get my books."

They nodded and watched him head up the stairs. Harry pushed open the door to his dormitory as he heard a giggle. He glanced over and only nodded at Seamus who was lying in his bed with Lavender spread on top of him while they snogged. He grabbed his book bag and closed the door behind him, leaving his friend to it.

He had just sat down with his friends again, when Dean came over. "Hey, have you guys seen Seamus? He was supposed to meet me in the library half an hour ago to work on our Divination project?"

"He's upstairs snogging Lavender."

Dean rolled his eyes. "His lips are going to fall off with all of the snogging he does!" He plopped himself down at the table with them. "He invited her to Hogsmeade next weekend though so that's good. Maybe they will unglue their lips long enough to see the village."

Hermione smiled. "Lavender said that she was going to insist on it if he wanted to snog her, but he hasn't asked her to be his girlfriend officially yet."

Dean chuckled. "Seam does what he wants."

Harry blushed at that statement and bent down to get a book from his bag as an image of Seamus knelt in front of Dean came across his mind.

When he came back up, he noticed that Ron was looking thoughtful for a moment.

"No one else is dating in our year," he pointed out.

Dean shook his head. "Not true. Su Li and Michael Corner are seeing each other and I heard Blaise Zabini is dating Tracy Davis in Slytherin."

Hermione nodded. "I heard as much myself plus I saw Zabini snogging Tracy the other day in one of the alcoves."

Dean smirked. "Not surprised there. Anyway, mind if I do my homework with you three? I definitely do not want to go up to the dorm if Seamus and Lavender are sucking face."

Harry laughed. "Fair point mate, please suffer through homework with us."

Dean simply grinned and pulled out his books.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius watched his cousin and her husband step into the Muggle bar that he had suggested that they meet up in.** It was called The Last Pint and he thought that the pub was warm and cozy as he sat in the large booth at the back of the bar drinking his pint. Remus sat next to him with his own pint and he smiled pleasantly as Narcissa and Lucius carefully slid into the booth across from them.

"This is hardly a place that I'd deem acceptable to meet, Black," Lucius said as he looked around the pub in disgust.

Remus discreetly placed a privacy bubble around them and gestured to the two glasses of red wine that they had ordered for them. "We all agreed that meeting on neutral ground and outside of the wizarding world was the best choice."

Narcissa took a sip of the wine and nodded, linking her fingers with her husband's. "This place is fine."

Lucius tapped his fingers on his own wine glass, his other hand softly rubbing his wife's hand. "Look, I am not my father."

"We're aware of that fact, Lucy," Sirius said smartly.

Narcissa glared at him. "If you can't be respectful, we're leaving."

Lucius squeezed his wife's hand. "Cissa, it's fine. Black, neither one of us particularly like the other, and that's fine, but if you think that I want that psycho bitch cousin of yours anywhere near my family, you'd be wrong."

"You were the one who was supposed to marry her," Remus pointed out.

Lucius's ice blue eyes only glared at him. "I never had any plans of marrying her. That was my father's marriage contract, not mine."

"Your father was set on you marrying Bellatrix."

"She was the eldest Black daughter and therefore had the biggest dowry to offer. Not to mention that we were closer in age," Lucius said simply. "But no, I wasn't interested. When she married Lestrange, my father was even more furious. He claimed that the Malfoy Family had lost out on a great asset. But then she miscarried child after child and he stopped complaining."

Narcissa's eyes fell on Sirius. "Brax thinks Lucius let something slip about his involvement, especially after the Aurors checked the Manor. I guess the French Aurors have been paying extra attention to him and he's been finding it hard to leave the property without being harassed."

"What about Bella and Pete?"

Lucius shook his head. "Mother insists that they are no longer at the Estate, but she would say anything that Father told her too, so we can't know that for sure — and to be perfectly honest, my father could have them hidden somewhere without my mother's knowledge."

"Why don't you go to the Estate and find out?"

"I did," Lucius said bitterly. "I've just spent two weeks there. I saw no sign of either of them. Father was ranting about the Aurors watching his every move. But he did have some company while I was there, his monthly Poker tournament."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Your father plays Poker?"

"More like meets with old friends and uses Poker as the distraction," Lucius admitted. "Titus Avery, Wendell Selwyn, and Linus Lestrange; his old dorm mates from when they were at Hogwarts together. He let me sit in on his game the one night and they were playing Poker but… let's just say that they don't exactly play for money."

Narcissa's other hand gripped her husband's wrist. "Tell them what you heard."

Lucius sighed. "Selwyn's son-in-law, Yaxley, has been sent to the Balkans to assist on something or other with the Ministry and he brought some young buck from the DRCMC with him. They were rounding up snakes in bulk and Yaxley claims that he found the King of the snakes. Selwyn said that he had Yaxley deliver the king to their Estate mansion in Croatia. The rest of the snakes were returned to the forest except for one that the King of the snakes claimed must be kept with him at all times. The young officer from the DRCMC was obliviated."

"And this King of the snakes?"

"Seems to be able to communicate with Yaxley and Selwyn; has immense power, but the body of it is… rapidly deteriorating. However, he seems to be feeding off the other one, this massive snake that he insisted must stay with him, and goes by the name of Nagini. She seems to be helping him survive in the body that he's possessing. It's rather unnerving from the way that Selwyn spoke of it," Lucius admitted.

"Does Selwyn speak Parseltongue? How does he understand the snakes?" Remus asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Images are projected into his brain and the snake seems to communicate with him that way," Lucius said.

Sirius frowned. "And we're all in agreement that this king of the snakes sounds a hell of a lot like Voldemort."

Lucius nodded. "They never directly said it, but they implied it by the mention of power. Selwyn also said that that he's been struggling to keep it fed — apparently he rather likes small children, but the Muggles are starting to notice the influx in their missing kids."

"And Bella and Pete?"

"I honestly don't know, Sirius," Lucius told him. "I think Selwyn might be keeping them in his estate in Croatia. I feel like they are being put in charge of the snake until the Dark Lord can find a suitable host to possess or in all reality, they are letting him possess one of them."

"What about Lestrange?" Remus asked. "Did he have anything to say on the subject of his daughter-in-law's escape? Or the fact that his two sons are still in prison?"

Lucius shook his head. "He didn't say much. He only stated that my father better figure out what he wants the Dementors to do."

Remus nodded, his eyes on Sirius. "We conveniently overlooked that fact, Padfoot. Abraxas Malfoy has sway over the Dementors. It was likely him that brought them over to Voldemort's side years ago."

"He did," Lucius supplied. "He speaks to them… I don't really know how, but he has some connection there, and they listen to him."

"Which is another reason why we have to get those fucking Dementors away from the school," Sirius insisted, his eyes on Lucius. "Would your father order them to attack someone? Someone specific?"

Lucius hesitated. "I want to say no. He could and has every ability to do so, but he won't. Right now it's too important that the Dementors be under the control of the Ministry of Magic or at least _look_ like they are. He mentioned something about ordering one of them to just Kiss Harry Potter and be done with it and Selwyn told him no. He insisted that the Dark Lord must be the one to kill Potter and if anyone harmed him they would be killed immediately for their stupidity."

Narcissa closed her eyes. "Not to mention that we heard about a dark potion recipe."

Remus' eyebrow rose. "What kind of dark potion?"

"I think it's a ritual to bring him back to his body," Lucius said.

"His body is decayed and rotted," Sirius insisted.

Lucius merely rolled his eyes. "And you think magic won't fix that? He has every intention of returning to his body, but doing so will take a lot of magical power, and a lot of tweaks on his part. The potion sounds immensely complex and not exactly something that they can brew overnight. It's going to take months of planning before anything can even be put into action."

Sirius nodded, his eyes on Lucius. "And when that plan is finally put into action, where are you going to stand, Lucius?"

His ice blue eyes met Sirius' and he swallowed slowly. "As long as I have the mark, I must return to the Dark Lord's side; to not do so will put a target on my back. But I will do everything in my power to try to help you once I'm there, if you promise to do everything in your power to help my son stay on the winning side. I won't sacrifice Draco the way that my father sacrificed me."

Sirius watched him for a moment and then nodded. "I can do that, but I can also promise you, if you do anything to sell out myself or Harry or anyone else that I care about, I'll kill your son myself," he said darkly and watched as Lucius' eyes widened in surprise before he masked it and nodded. Sirius turned to his cousin. "Cissa, I want you to get us that recipe. We need to know what exactly he is planning and how he is attempting to come back. I want as much information as possible. When war inevitably breaks out again — we're going to be ready."

He glanced over at Remus and sighed. The first step to being ready was re-entering the Chamber of Secrets with Harry. He would prepare him in every way possible for the coming war and that would start with healing his emotional well being.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry came downstairs late that night.** He had woken up with his heart pounding and the sound of his mother's screams in his ears. He took his journal with him as he curled ip in front of the fire and wrote out the details of his dream. He felt slightly calmer when he was done and he jolted when the cushion of the sofa moved. He smiled at Ginny.

"Hi."

She held out her own journal. "Bill insisted as did the Mind Healer."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "You mentioned that you saw a Mind Healer."

She nodded. "In Egypt, a friend of a friend of Bill's. At first I didn't want to, but I'm glad that they made me. She helped me understand what happened, and even filled in some of those black spots in my memory."

"Wow, Ginny, I'm sorry. I'm glad this woman helped you. I guess I didn't really realize how much of it you didn't remember."

Ginny shook her head. "No, of course you didn't. I don't want you to feel sorry for me, Harry, I just wanted to explain that the idea of journaling is supposed to be very therapeutic, especially when one records the bad dreams. Bill helped me overcome my fear of journaling as well, considering what my last diary was. I'm glad that you write down your own dreams — that's all."

He nodded. "Uncle Remus gave it to me last year. After Wormtail's trial I started having some really intense nightmares and some memories that came back made the nightmares more intense and… brought back some old nightmares and… well, it was hard for me to sleep."

She smiled reassuringly at him. "If you ever need to talk — I'm a great listener."

Harry grinned at her. "Thanks." He stared into the fire for a moment before he snuck a look over at her. "Hey, do you want to sneak into the kitchens with me and get some hot chocolate?"

Ginny beamed at him. "A Weasley turn down food? You must be joking, right?"

He laughed and jumped to his feet. "Let me just grab my map and my cloak."


	117. Chapter 117

_Author's Note:_

 _I wanted to have kind of a pow-wow here where they discuss what a Horcrux is and what they have figured out in their respective fields. Sirius and Remus are organizing the operation for now, but they are trying to line all of their ducks in a row before they make any real decisions on how and what to do about things. Also, I wrote this chapter before Halloween and had yet to see The Crimes of Grindelwald so my phoenix information may be a little off now, as in 1927 Dumbledore does not yet possess Fawkes, but who knows? We shall have to wait until the third instalment to find out. But this was something that I wanted to add in — not to mention, Sirius and Remus are trying to come to terms with shielding their child, while also not lying to him. They have a few decisions to make themselves._

 _As for how to make a Horcrux, JKR has revealed that it is rather horrible so she hasn't shared the exact details anywhere. But from what we understand, the sum of it is as follows: The wizard prepares the Horcrux using some sort of ritual. This ritual probably doesn't involve a murder, but does involve something truly disgusting and horrible. (I've seen speculation that included cannibalism, necrophilia, or some sort of gross blood ritual.) The wizard then murders a victim. As far as we can tell, there are no specific requirements for the murder, other than that the wizard be the ultimate cause and perhaps that the murder be unnecessary. This murder, as all murders do, splits the wizard's soul in two. Finally, the wizard casts a charm to move the soul fragment into the Horcrux. The Horcrux is now complete, and the wizard cannot be truly killed without destroying it._

 _I have my own theories there and tweaked it a bit, so, here we go!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN:**

 **Sirius greeted Bill when he came into the kitchen in Grimmauld Place that evening.** He had called forth a meeting to discuss the plans for Operation FUVP and he had been pleased to find everyone available. Bill was the last one to arrive and he took his seat at the long table in the kitchen next to McGonagall, grinning at the chalkboard.

"Did you have a chance to go over the notes that Kreacher brought you?" Bill asked, nodding at McGonagall in greeting.

Sirius nodded and stood up, moving to the large chalkboard. He and Remus had turned the entire kitchen into a writeable chalkboard for them to use. "I have." He turned to the group and pointed his wand to the board. "As I told you before, Bill has been researching Horcruxes and has come across some very interesting facts and theories about them."

Bill smiled when Sirius gestured to him and cleared his throat. "I found out that the term Horcrux was coined by the man who invented it, Herpo the Foul. He is credited with discovering the use of it over two thousand years ago in his attempts at immortality. He was a known dark wizard with a love of torture and bloodshed and after murdering his wife, he removed part of his soul and placed it into the locket that his wife had often wore around her neck. The key to creating a Horcrux is that the spell-caster must split their soul into fragments, but one of those fragment must always remain in the spell-caster's own body. When one commits murder, the act of it is so foul in itself that it is a mark against the soul, which is the first step in fragmenting it. The purpose of a Horcrux is to protect the given bit of soul from anything that might happen to the body of the person whom the soul belongs too. As long as the Horcrux is kept safe, the person will continue to exist even if their body is damaged or even destroyed."

"Which explains how Voldemort survived the night that he went after Harry," Sirius said carefully. "He had already created at least two Horcruxes that we are aware of so he was able to keep on living."

Bill nodded, tapping his fingers on the table. "Precisely. As for creating the Horcruxes themselves, Herpo the Foul was able to pinpoint the exact spell to create one. The ritual to prepare the device itself is pretty straight forward, but actually putting the Horcrux inside of it, is the real danger. It is extremely difficult magic to procure and can be explosive if done incorrectly. Once the piece of soul is removed from the body, its like a ticking time bomb, it needs to be placed inside of the Horcrux device quickly and efficiently. If it's done incorrectly, the person could die or even maim themselves. The soul is a very powerful piece of magic on its own and to sever it and then remove it along any lines is dangerous, but to remove it in pieces, its explosive. There have been documented attempts at creating Horcruxes for centuries and very few wizards have ever succeeded in even creating one."

"Once the soul fragment is removed from the body, how exactly does one place it into the Horcrux?" Remus asked, leaning back in his seat.

Bill let out a slow breath. "It's incredibly disturbing on many levels. At this point, the wizard has already killed someone; their death is on his hands. He turns his wand upon himself, slicing across his heart and draws the energy of the soul from the heart itself. A curse breaker that I spoke to from Shanghai, found notes in the tomb of a Chinese Emperor who explained the process. He claims that a white light flows through the veins of the body and that light seeps out into the blood and into the wand, hovering on the tip like a ball of light. As the soul is fragmented, that white light turns darker, and with every life someone takes - the darker the soul itself becomes. That light is contained on the tip of the wand as long as the wizard focuses on it, if he loses that focus, for even a second, the soul will break away from the wand and attach itself to the closest living organism in the room — like a parasite."

"So a Horcrux can be inside of a living thing?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes blank. "It is possible to reside there?"

Bill nodded. "Possible, but not ideal. The soul piece would attach itself to the host's body, but it was never _officially_ turned into a Horcrux as the task of doing so was interrupted which means that _that particular piece_ of the soul has no power over the host. It can give the host a connection to the witch or wizard who's soul jumped ship, but it doesn't possess the darkness and the power to harm that the soul can accomplish inside of the Horcrux."

"The dark memories it brings up when you are close to it and the way the diary interacted with Ginny, chipping at her fears and doubts, it wouldn't have that power," Tonks said carefully as she nodded in understanding.

"Exactly. So as I was saying, the wizard moves the soul carefully into the object it has chosen to hold the Horcrux. As for the object itself, it is washed in the blood of a dead virgin and must rest in…" he swallowed slowly. "It is very dark magic as I said, and it must rest in the intestines of a child. It specifies that the child must be alive as the Horcrux is tied around the child's intestines and it burns them from the inside, taking the child's life and sealing the Horcrux closed and protecting the soul fragment."

"So to create one Horcrux is essentially taking at least three lives: One to fragment the soul, one for the blood of a dead virgin, and one for the death of a child," Zee explained, adding the points to the board as Bill nodded.

"The ritual is very detailed in that sense and like I said it is extremely volatile and hard to perform. There have been countless witches and wizards who had died, blown themselves to pieces in attempting to create just one Horcrux. Once it is inside of the object and wrapped in the living intestines, it still amplifies magic and heat and the wizard must urge the fragment to bond with the object, to create the safety for it and it is only when that child dies that the Horcrux is complete. Until that final death, which can be minutes to hours depending on the strength of the child, it can explode at any given moment - one false move, and it's all over."

Remus sighed and closed his eyes. "And we know for a fact that Voldemort succeeded in creating at least two."

"He was one of the brightest students that Hogwarts has ever seen and one of the most powerful wizards that I have ever taught," Dumbledore said quietly. "There isn't a question that he created more than two."

Bill swallowed slowly. "Each Horcrux must be destroyed before you can go after the original soul piece, otherwise he will just keep returning to life. You really think he made seven of them?"

Dumbledore sighed. "It's a theory that he planned on making seven whether he actually got around to creating seven is something else entirely, but the number seven is a powerful magical numeral. The intent would have been there."

Sirius rubbed a hand over the rough stubble on his face. "Herpo the Foul?"

Bill nodded. "Ironically, he is also the dark wizard credited with creating the Basilisk so it only makes sense that he would have figured out the Horcrux."

Sirius nodded and added the information to their board. There was an entire section labelled: Horcrux with bullet points detailing how it was made and what it was. He wanted all of the details there to fully process them. He finished adding the points before he turned his attention to his former Headmaster.

"What have you found out, Albus? Have you narrowed down a timeline on his life? Any other ideas of what objects he could have chosen?"

Dumbledore tapped his fingers on the table before he spoke. "I have and the more I have discovered about his life, the more I think that there is more to look into. As Sirius is aware, Tom Riddle is the last known heir to the Slytherin bloodline. His mother was Merope Gaunt, the only daughter of Marvolo Gaunt. From the information that I have gathered, it seems that Merope was besotted with a rich Muggle who lived nearby named Tom Riddle. He was engaged to be married to another woman when apparently there was quite a scandal and he ran off with the poor daughter of the Gaunts who lived nearby. There is a marriage license for them from March of 1926 and within six months, Riddle has returned home to his family and abandoned Merope. To me, this sounds like she was giving him a love potion."

McGonagall nodded, her lips pursed. "Foolish girl probably thought once she was with child he would have no choice but to stay with her."

"It's what I gathered," Dumbledore told her. "She's nineteen years old and pregnant and alone now. Her father died and her brother is in Azkaban for crimes against Muggles, so, she has no where to go. She arrives at a Muggle orphanage and gives birth on New Year's Eve, only to die an hour later, after naming her son — Tom Marvolo Riddle. When Morfin returns home after his three-year-sentence in Azkaban, his father and sister are both dead and he has no idea that his sister has given birth to a half-blood child, so Riddle is raised in the orphanage where his mother died. Mrs Cole, the woman who I spoke to at the orphanage, was intimidated by Riddle, even a bit fearful of him. She told me about a pet rabbit that had been strangled that she was convinced he was responsible for and that the children were quite afraid of him."

Tonks nodded. "Harming animals is one of the signs that Muggles use in their own Mind Healing. They claims it's a sign that could determine them to become a violent individual as a teenager or an adult."

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe that idea has merit, Miss Tonks, especially in the case of Riddle. There was an incident at a seaside cave about a year before I had approached Tom about coming to Hogwarts. He coerced two children into going into the cave exploring with him, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop. Mrs Cole claimed that the children were never the same when they came out of the cave."

"What happened in the cave?" Zee asked, her eyes wide.

"I wondered that myself and I looked into the minds of the two children in an attempt to discover just that," he said carefully. "It seems that he coerced them into the cave with the idea of exploring. Benson remembers him pushing her down into an alcove, shoving her inside and locking her in there so that she couldn't get out. He shoved Bishop in the water, attempted to drown him, laughing it off as just playing a game. There were bats in the cave and he managed to catch one, bit the head off and chased them with the body. When they screamed and begged him to stop, he told them that they were cowards. Benson said that he made her rub the bloody bat all over her body and then made Bishop lick the blood off. They were extremely traumatized. Benson took her own life five years later and Bishop died in France during the big Muggle war in the 1940s."

Zee shivered and Sirius took her hand in his. "How old were they?"

"Eight or nine years old at the time of the incident," Dumbledore supplied. "I urged Mrs Cole to have them speak with a counsellor, but they wouldn't talk to anyone. They were too terrified of Tom."

"When did you delve into their memories, Albus?" McGonagall asked, her eyes on her friend. "The same day you spoke to Tom about Hogwarts?"

"No, it was after Tom had been at Hogwarts almost a year," he told her. "He was a bright student and all of the teachers adored him. He was very different from the scared, manipulative child that I had first met in the orphanage, I was trying to figure out if I had seen the real him or if his Hogwarts persona was more accurate. When I met him in August of 1938, he was bossy and hostile, calculating and strongly independent. He was known for terrorizing the other orphans and when I spoke to him he was convinced that Mrs Cole had called me in to come and take him away; to lock him away in a psychiatric institution of some kind. He was completely delighted when he found out that he was a wizard as if he had always known on some level that he had powers. I told him that Hogwarts didn't stand for bullying and that authority and discipline were to be taken very seriously. He demanded that I show him some proof of magic, so I set his wardrobe on fire with a simple revealing charm that shook all of the objects to whom did not belong to him. He kept trophies, even then. He assured me that he would return the stolen items, and I explained about how to get his school supplies. He was very independent, determined to go about it alone and insisted that he did not need my help when I offered to take him. He then told me that he could speak to snakes."

"A gift from his Slytherin bloodline," Remus added, smiling at Kreacher as he set them up with a fresh pot of tea and served potato bacon cheddar soup and fresh bread.

Dumbledore put his spoon into the soup, inhaling the smell with a smile. "This smells, heavenly, thank you." Kreacher beamed at him as he served everyone else before taking his leave. "Yes, though I did not know that he was part of the Slytherin bloodline then. He got his wand from Ollivander's and the Garrick wrote to me to let me know the contents of his wand."

"Why?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrow as he broke off a piece of the fresh bread that Kreacher had provided. "Why would he tell you about his wand?"

"When Fawkes first came to me, Garrick approached me about using some of his feathers for making wands. I resisted at first, but then I asked Fawkes and the phoenix gave me two feathers to give to the wand maker. I asked him to tell me who the students were to obtain a feather from my phoenix merely out of curiosity. Tom was the first student, almost a year after I had given him the feather, to take the wand. I was intrigued by that. Phoenix cores are very powerful. They have the greatest range of magic and they show the most initiative, sometimes even acting of their own accord at the mental behest of the witch or wizard when the wand is out of reach. They are very picky about their owners and the wand is very hard to tame and to personalize like the phoenix itself and it takes a lot of effort to win the allegiance of the wand. Even after disarming someone, the wand will not work until it deems the person holding it worthy," Dumbledore explained, digging into the soup with enthusiasm. "Imagine my surprise, when over fifty years later, Garrick wrote to tell me that the second wand had finally chosen its wizard."

Sirius swallowed slowly, his eyes on Remus. "Harry."

Dumbledore nodded. "Garrick was most interested in that fact; that the wand had chosen the same wizard who had killed the boy's parents and yet then gave its brother's allegiance to the boy. I admit, it intrigued me as well and it's one of the reasons why I was so interested to see what Harry would be capable of when he came to school."

"He's very intelligent and he picks up on things quickly," McGonagall said with a smile. "I credit that to Remus, he was a wonderful teacher to him in his youth."

Remus smiled at her. "I did my best, but Harry did the work. What does that mean that they share a core from the same phoenix?"

Zee spoke now, putting her spoon down. "Their wands won't work against the other."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "He can't hurt Harry?"

Zee shook her head. "No, he's more than capable of that. But if they were to duel, the wands would protest because they are brothers."

Bill leaned back in his chair, his eyes wide. "Fascinating."

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "It is indeed. As I was saying, I kept my eye on Tom, suspicious of the change in his behaviour. I believe that Riddle was in his second year when he discovered the Chamber of Secrets. I used to constantly find him out of bed and near the girl's bathroom that year and now knowing that it is the entrance, it makes sense that it was the year that he discovered it and probably spent a great deal of his personal time down there. It was the summer before his fifth year that the Riddle family was murdered in Little Hangleton. It is here I believe that he used magic to steal Slytherin's signet ring from Morfin Gaunt and framed him for the murders of the Riddle family and wiped his memory. I explained to Sirius that I did what I could to look into Morfin's memory, but the man confessed to the murders and ultimately died in Azkaban."

"You had no proof of it," McGonagall said quietly. "But it all makes sense. He would have been what fifteen or sixteen when he killed his father and grandparents?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, fifteen, and Sirius and I believe that he might have used the signet ring to create another Horcrux. But at school, he charmed his professors and was a very excellent student. Headmaster Dippet made him a Prefect that year. I spoke to Horace Slughorn about Tom's time at Hogwarts and he gave me a distorted memory of his Slug Club meeting that year. Riddle was sitting with Titus Avery and Linus Lestrange, Abraxas Malfoy, and Wendall Selwyn, who were all Slytherin fifth years with Riddle. In the memory that Horace gave me, Riddle asks him about Horcruxes, asking if theoretically one could make more than one, maybe even seven. Horace's memory edges here and I suspect that he's attempted to hide the fact that he might have helped Riddle on this quest unknowingly. In at least May of Riddle's fifth year, he opened the Chamber of Secrets and I'm assuming that by this time he had learned how to control and release the Basilisk because there was an attack and Myrtle Warren was killed. As we know, he went to Headmaster Dippet and accused Hagrid, who was later expelled in June of 1943, and Dippet presented him with an Award for Special Services to the School. Thanks to the events from last term, I was able to reverse that expulsion and finally expunge Hagrid's name from the record. It is somewhere here that I believe he turned the diary into a Horcrux and quite possibly the ring as when he came back for sixth year, he no longer wore it and Miss Weasley and Mr Potter claimed that the diary was a preservation of his sixteen-year-old self."

McGonagall let out a slow breath. "A fifth year student… it… he would have already committed multiple murders by this point, at least three if Bill's information is right, he would need three per Horcrux… Merlin, Albus, he fooled so many people!"

"I know, Minerva," Dumbledore said carefully. "He knew that I suspected him of foul play with Hagrid, and he was very cautious around me. He was a natural Legilimens and I never could get a clear read on him. I said as much to Armando, tried to prevent him from expelling Hagrid as we both knew that the Acromantula wasn't the monster that killed Warren, but the creature was still very dangerous and Hagrid had committed a crime by possessing it illegally. I was suspicious of Tom happening upon Hagrid's pet, but he was a student, a prefect at that, and until I had proof, he had technically done nothing wrong. It was only my thoughts that made him guilty at the time. He spent his last two years of school fully engrossed in the school's history, asking questions to Bathilda about the Hogwarts founders and I assumed, trying to gather more information on the Slytherin bloodline. Dippet made him Head Boy in seventh year and some of the Slytherins by then were already referring to him as Lord Voldemort. I remember thinking it was interesting that he wanted to be known as a lord. He was a model student and everyone was speculating about what kind of amazing Ministry job he would find when he graduated."

Remus nodded as he finished his soup, reaching the for red wine that Kreacher had provided them. "Did he ever work at the Ministry of Magic?"

"No, and I think that we can all agree that is a good thing," McGonagall said, her eyes on Dumbledore.

"He wanted to stay at Hogwarts actually."

Sirius' mouth open in surprise. "Why?"

"He wanted to teach. Dippet told him that he was too young and that he couldn't hire a teacher at only eighteen years old and that there were no teaching jobs available at the time anyway. He surprised everyone by taking a job at Borgin and Burke's."

"That antiquities store in Knockturn Alley?" Zee asked in surprise.

"More like dark antiquities," Sirius supplied, his eyes narrowed. "Nothing they sell there is exactly safe to purchase."

"Agreed," Dumbledore said, sipping his own wine.

"So he worked as a store clerk? Why?" Tonks asked, eating her own soup. "If he was so bright, then why take a job that didn't utilize his talents?"

"That is something we will have to look more into; why he chose that job in particular. Remember, I said that he had taken an interest in the Hogwarts founders? Eight years after he graduated, one of the last remaining members of the Hufflepuff bloodline was murdered by her house elf, but — she had been visited quite a lot by a handsome store clerk from Borgin and Burke's. Smith was known to be an avid collector of magical objects including the locket of Salazar Slytherin. It was astonishing that a house elf had killed her owner as it's almost unheard of for house elves to act out in such a way, and the elf was beside herself with grief. Soon after news spread of er death — Riddle disappeared. For ten years, no one knew where he went or what he was doing. I took over as Headmaster and Riddle showed up in 1967 asking to apply for the open position of the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. He insisted that I call him Lord Voldemort and it made him uncomfortable when I called him Tom. He told me that he had spent the last ten years travelling, teaching himself all he could about the subject of the dark arts so that he could teach. I told him that I had heard rumours that he was involved in more than just research with the dark arts. He evaded my questions. I refused him the job and he left my office. Since that day, I have not been able to retain a professor for that post for longer than one year."

"He cursed it," Sirius said under his breath.

Zee smiled. "Maybe not intentionally, but that is very interesting."

"Within three years, the name Lord Voldemort was making itself known. He was rising to power and his reign of terror had begun. People began disappearing and his followers, calling themselves Death Eaters, struck just as much fear in witches and wizards everywhere. The violence escalated; riots broke out, and Jenkins stepped down as Minister in '75. I was asked to be the Minister that year, but I declined. I have no interest in politics, not then and not now. I enjoy being Headmaster. We know from Kreacher that it was in 1979 that Voldemort hid the locket in the very same seaside cave he had once tortured his peers in and soon after, Regulus Black stole it and died trying to destroy what was inside of it."

"You started the Order of the Phoenix in '77," McGonagall stated. "I remember lecturing you on recruiting students."

"We were your best damn soldiers, Minnie and you know it. If Peter hadn't turned hat we might have even…" Sirius trailed off and nodded at Dumbledore. "Halloween '81, Harry defeated him, and he vanished for another ten years."

"What made him come out of hiding in the first place?" Zee asked. "I know that Sirius told me about him possessing the professor in '92."

"My friend Nicholas Flamel informed me that someone had attempted to steal the Philosopher's Stone. No one had attempted to take it from him in decades. He and his wife have lived happily with the Elixir of Life in France and he was worried that they might return to try to take it from him again," Dumbledore explained. "He's obviously a very old man and hasn't been involved in any action in decades. He asked me to hide it in Hogwarts. I had some reservations about it and asked him to store it in Gringotts instead. He agreed, but soon became nervous about it being there, insisting that he trusted me more than the goblins, so I had Hagrid remove it, and bring it to the school. I only told Minerva of what I was undertaking, and while she agreed that it was foolish to hide it in the school, we had heard that someone had broken into Gringott's — and had taken nothing. We both agreed that it was the best idea to hide it in the school after all, as someone was clearly after it, and Hogwarts was most likely the safest location for it at the time."

"We wanted it to be protected," McGonagall continued. "We knew that if anyone was going to attempt to come after it, that we would need to have obstacles so that we could stop them before they got to the stone. It was my idea to have the different professors build obstacles. When Quirrell came back to Hogwarts that year to teach his new position as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, I immediately told Albus that something was wrong when he came to the staff meeting in July. He was different, terrified of his own shadow, and we both agreed that _something_ had changed about him. But we tested him for Polyjuice and checked his blood and he was the same professor who had taught Muggle Studies a few years before. Albus and I both agreed that we had to keep our eye on him."

"Severus approached me first of his suspicious behaviour, especially after a mountain troll somehow managed to find it's way into the castle," Dumbledore said, breaking off a piece of bread. "We questioned him about the troll and he claimed that they must have wandered in looking for their brothers as he had requisitioned two mountain trolls as an obstacle for McGonagall. Snape immediately demanded of him how he had brought two mountain trolls in as an obstacle, but had fainted at the sight of one. Quirrell claimed that he had been in shock, not expecting to find himself face-to-face with a troll."

"I had approached each professor with an idea for an obstacle, claiming that it was going to be a test for the seventh year students at the end of the year. Everyone was thrilled with the idea and had immediately began to brainstorm a test for their seventh years to pass," McGonagall explained. "As you know, Pomona provided a massive Devil's Snare, Filius enchanted a thousand keys with only one to unlock the door, Quirrell provided two mountain trolls to get past, Severus, a test of the mind, potions and a riddle, and I created a chessboard. Albus decided to use the Mirror of Erised and before we had even finished creating our obstacles, Albus had Hagrid put a giant three-headed dog upstairs to block the door."

"And Harry, Ron, and Hermione passed your seventh years' test with flying colours," Remus said with a smile. "And Harry stopped Quirrell from getting the stone. Why would Voldemort want the Philosopher's Stone if he had indeed already made Horcruxes?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I believe that he was looking for a way to get himself stronger, to find a body to reside in. He cannot die, but what he is now is hardly living and while the Horcruxes provide him with a tie to the world, they are not sustaining him."

"That's why he was drinking the blood of unicorns," Bill said slowly. "He's trying to make himself strong so he possessed Quirrell and had him feed on the blood in an attempt to make him stronger."

"Exactly."

Sirius let out a slow breath as he used his wand to build the timeline on the board. "So, at this point we know that he made a Horcrux from the locket and from the diary. We believe that he made one out of the ring, and possibly found something belonging to the Hufflepuff family, am I right?" At everyone's nod, he continued. "We know that Basilisk venom and Fiendfyre can destroy a Horcrux. As to the locket, Albus, did you use the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy it?"

"No."

"Why not?" Sirius demanded.

"That is a question," Tonks said her brow furrowed. "Why haven't you destroyed it yet? You've had it for months, knowing what it is?"

"I want us to study it," Dumbledore said carefully. "I want to see if it is possible to remove the Horcrux from the object without destroying the holder itself. The diary was decimated by the Basilisk venom once the Horcrux inside of it was destroyed."

"Why does it matter about the objects? I mean it sucks to destroy them as they are of great historical value, but we're talking about lives at stake here, Albus," Sirius insisted, crossing his arms in front of him.

Dumbledore hesitated, putting his tea cup down as he spoke. "What if I told you that I believe that Lord Voldemort put a piece of his soul inside of another human being?"

Sirius snorted. "I'd say that would be ridiculous. If anyone in the world was to trust someone else enough to hold a piece of their soul inside of them, it would not be that crazy asshat!"

Remus nodded. "I have to agree, Albus. He would never willingly do that."

"What if it wasn't willing?"

Bill froze, his eyes widening. "You think that he lost control and that the soul fragment latched onto someone."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "I'm not sure of it. I can't be positive but… I've suspected for a few months now."

Sirius was staring at Dumbledore, his heart beating quickly in his chest. He was wrong, he thought, Dumbledore wasn't saying what he thought he was. "No."

Dumbledore sighed, his blue eyes turning on Sirius. "He can speak Parseltongue, Sirius. A gift like that… it passes down through the bloodline and _only_ through the bloodline. The only reason that he can speak it, is because Voldemort can speak it. I told him after the incident in the Chamber of Secrets, that I believed the night Voldemort attempted to kill him, the rebound latched onto him and gave him a part of Voldemort. He put a part of himself inside of Harry. That's why the scar won't heal or disappear. It would also make sense as to why his wand chose him, not only is he immensely powerful on his own, but to have that connection with the brother wand… I don't think that it's merely a coincidence."

McGonagall stared in horror. "And the pain he feels… when he first touched the diary, when he touched the locket…"

"I think that's Harry's soul telling him that something dark is nearby — something terrible — and it is his soul that feels the energy more keenly because part of that darkness has tried to attach itself to Harry and the two souls are… reacting."

"It's not a real Horcrux, Sirius," Bill said carefully. "It's like… a parasite that lives in his scar; that infects him, but doesn't possess him. It's not like the diary with Ginny."

Remus was staring at the board straight ahead reading Basilisk venom and Fiendfyre and swallowed. "'Neither can live while the other survives'… ultimately, Harry will have to sacrifice himself to destroy the last remaining piece of Voldemort or he'll live forever… is that what we're saying that means?"

Sirius threw his wineglass across the kitchen as it smashed against the wall. "No! No! I will not let this fucking bastard win like this! I don't care if it was fucking intentional to put the fragment there or not! Harry will not be sent after him like some goddamn bloody sacrificial lamb! There has to be a way to remove the sodding fragment from him without it killing him! There has to be!"

Zee jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around Sirius, ignoring him when he tried to break free. "Sirius! We will figure this out! Do you think that we're all just sitting here waiting to give up? We don't want Harry to die! We're _not_ going to let him die!"

"I'll keep researching, looking into the Horcruxes that latched onto the nearest living thing. In most of the cases that I've come across, the only wizards who have done it, killed themselves in the process - but there has to be a way to find out why it latched onto Harry, and how," Bill said firmly, his face pale. "There has to be a way to remove it. Even a mind healer, or someone who specializes with the brain might be able to take a look at it and remove it safely. We are _not_ giving up, Sirius. This isn't just Operation Fuck Up Voldemort's Plans, this is Operation Kill the Sodding Bastard — and none of us are going to back down from this mission."

Sirius clenched his hands into fists as McGonagall reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly. Zee's arms were still wrapped around him, her head resting over his heart, trying to calm him. Remus and Tonks were holding each other's hands at the table and Dumbledore was staring at Sirius.

"I was going to mention it when we first talked, Sirius, but I didn't want to believe such a thing was truly possible until Bill mentioned it today and confirmed my suspicions. It was… it was too horrifying of a thought — and I had desperately hoped that I was wrong," Dumbledore told him.

Sirius wrapped his arms around Zee, resting his chin on the top of her head. "And the pain that he feels… it's not… Voldemort can't possess him the way that he did Ginny, the way that he came from the diary?"

"No," Bill said clearly, standing up. "He put a memory of his sixteen-year-old-self into that diary and that was the ability to rise up and possess her. The thing that has latched onto Harry is only a soul fragment on its own — not one that is _encased_ in a Horcrux. It can't hurt him like the diary hurt Ginny, not really, but it does connect him to You Know Who, on a level that we don't understand."

Sirius nodded, his eyes closed as he took a deep calming breath. "Remus and I met with the Malfoys the other day," he said quietly, quickly reiterating the conversation. "Cissa believes that this potion is how Voldemort will be coming back, but we don't yet know the details nor how long it will take — if it will even work — and what will happen with the attempt."

"As far as I'm aware, there is no set potion able to do so," Tonks said, her brow furrowing. "We studied regenerating and life-giving potions pretty thoroughly in A1 training."

Sirius nodded. "I didn't think so either, but we have already said it more than once, he is an intelligent man and a powerful wizard - and who knows what kinds of things he's concocted in his quest on gaining immortality."

"If Narcissa is correct in that her father-in-law is looking to bring Voldemort back, through this mysterious potion or through any other means… then once he comes back, he might be able to take control of Harry. If he was made aware of the connection, but I don't think that he knows that part of his soul has latched onto Harry," Dumbledore said calmly. "I think only once he has regained his strength and power would he able to make a connection with the fragments of his soul. I wonder if he even knows that any of them have been destroyed."

"Would he not feel it?" Zee asked, her eyes on Dumbledore. "Would you not feel a piece of your soul being destroyed?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know for sure, but I imagine after cutting his soul up so consistently, he might not feel anything at all, for it was already grievously damaged."

The room was silent for a few moments before McGonagall cleared her throat.

"Remus, what did you mean earlier when you said, 'neither can live while the other survives?'" she asked, her own fingers tightening around the stem of her wineglass.

Dumbledore leaned back in his seat. "Sybil made a prophecy, Minerva."

McGonagall snorted. "That doesn't sound right."

"It's one of the reasons why I hired her," he continued. "Not only because of what she said, but to keep her safe from Voldemort, for if he ever found out about her making the prophecy — he would hunt her down. The night I interviewed her in December of 1979, she went into a trance and told me a prophecy about a child that would have the power to defeat the dark lord."

"And you believe it to be Harry?" McGonagall asked, her voice almost a whisper. "He's a child, that's preposterous!"

Remus swallowed slowly. "Voldemort _chose_ Harry, Minerva." McGonagall's eyes whipped to his, demanding that he deny it. "The prophecy stated that the Dark Lord would choose his equal and by going after Harry in October of 1981 — he chose him. He _marked_ him with a lightning bolt scar."

Zee tightened her grip on Sirius. "Merlin… how long have you two known?"

"I told Sirius about it in June after the incident with the Chamber of Secrets," Dumbledore said carefully. "Before that, only I was aware of it."

Sirius let out a slow breath before reciting the words that had been haunting him since June. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches .. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."

The room was silent as everyone simply stared at him, their eyes wide and mouths slightly open. It was almost two full minutes before Bill spoke up.

"So, You Know Who, in trying to stop the prophecy from happening, ultimately set it in motion by going after the Potters that night?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said carefully. "A Death Eater was eavesdropping on me that night in the Hog's Head and heard the beginning of the prophecy, but he was removed from the premisses before he could hear the rest and only gave part of the information to Voldemort. If he had known the entire prophecy, he might not have chosen to go after Harry, to kill James and Lily and ultimately, he may have won the war."

McGonagall pounded her hand on the table. "I won't look back and think that if James and Lily had survived the war would have gotten worse. If Harry is truly destined to kill him in the end, to best him… that means that he _must_ come back. He must find a way to… return?"

"We're not going to let that happen," Sirius said angrily. "We're going to deal with this son of a bitch one sodding Horcrux at a time, and when that moment comes that Harry is forced to… he'll _be_ ready. I will prepare him to the best of my ability, teach him every goddamn fucking curse that I can imagine, and show him how to put Voldemort in the bloody ground for good!"

Remus nodded as Tonks linked her fingers with his. "And we'll find a way so that he won't… he's not going to sacrifice himself, Padfoot. We're going to help him. Operation FUVP, remember?"

"And then Operation KSB will move into effect," Zee added.

Sirius still had his arms wrapped around Zee, the warmth of her helping to keep him calm. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, they were clear and blank. "I can't keep all of this from him any longer. I promised him that we would never lie to each other and… I need to tell him everything."

Remus nodded, his eyes meeting Sirius'. "I agree. But before we do that, Padfoot, I think that we need to go down to the Chamber of Secrets. We need to find out if Voldemort left anything down there or if he left any clues as to what he may have made Horcruxes into. If he found it in second year, that's a long time to make it his own place."

Tonks nodded. "I think that you're right. We need to go down there and check it out."

Sirius sighed as Zee stood on her toes and kissed his chin. "Friday night after dinner, we'll go down there. And then Rem — we need to talk to our boy."

Remus nodded, his eyes sad. "No more secrets, Padfoot."

Sirius nodded. "No more secrets."


	118. Chapter 118

_Author's Note:_

 _I think that the Chamber of Secrets has a lot of potential. An entire hidden cavern under the castle that Voldemort was completely aware of — for sure he explored it and tried to learn its secrets. And I think that it is so important for both Harry and Ginny to return there: To help them deal with what happened AND that they would both naturally want and deserve a full support system in doing so._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN:**

 **Harry smiled at Hedwig when she brought him the letter the next morning on that cold November day.** He recognized his father's neat writing and furrowed his brow when he read the letter.

 _Harry,_

 _Uncle Sirius and I have decided that it's time to go back down into the Chamber of Secrets. Will you and Ginny meet us in my office after dinner tonight? Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall will both be joining us as well, along with Tonks and Zee. Even if you both decide that you are not ready to go back, please come and see me anyway. We need to talk to you, Harry._

 _Love,_

 _Uncle Remus_

Harry let out a slow breath as he folded the letter back up. In all honesty, he had pushed the thought of returning to the Chamber of Secrets out of his mind. Sirius hadn't mentioned it again since before he had left for school, but he knew that his godfather was still reeling from the idea of the Dementors being in the school and from the escape of Pettigrew and Lestrange, of which there had been no news.

"Who's the letter from?" Ron asked as he helped himself to two more strips of crispy bacon.

Harry smiled at his friend. "Uncle Rem."

He quickly explained to Ron, Hermione, and Neville about returning to the Chamber of Secrets that night.

Hermione's eyes were wide with fear. "Are you sure that that's something that you want to do, Harry?"

He shrugged. When Sirius had originally brought the idea up, he had been very sure that it was most definitely something that he didn't want to do, but now he wasn't so sure. "I want to say no, but I think that Uncle Rem's right, I think it will be good for me to go back down there and to just… put it all to rest, you know?"

Neville nodded. "Maybe stop some of the dreams?"

"Exactly," Harry said. He knew how often he still had bad dreams and he knew that he often woke his roommates up from them. He was grateful that his friends were so understanding. "I haven't mentioned it to Ginny yet."

Ron looked down the table where Ginny was laughing with Colin. "She's going to want to go." He turned back to his friend. "Do you want us to come with you tonight?"

Harry gave Ron a grateful look and he nodded. "Yeah, yeah I do. That would be great, actually. Thanks." He stared down at his plate, his appetite pretty much gone. "I'm going to go talk to Ginny. Meet you guys in Charms."

He hurried down to where Ginny was with Colin and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, you have a minute?"

Ginny smiled at him and nodded, finishing her orange juice. She grabbed her book bag and followed him out of the Great Hall. Harry pulled her into an empty classroom, closing the door behind them. "What's up, Harry?"

Harry gave her a small smile and shoved his hands into his pockets. "After dinner tonight, I'm going to Uncle Rem's office to meet with Uncle Sirius, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall. We're going back down into the Chamber of Secrets."

Ginny's chocolate brown eyes widened and her hands clutched the desk behind her so tightly that her knuckles whitened. "W-w-what?"

He moved over to her and took her hands in his. "They think that it will be good for me to go back there and to see that everything is truly over and done with. You should come too, Ginny. We're going to go down there and get rid of the body of the Basilisk and Professor Dumbledore wants to make sure that the wards are safe and to see about making the Chamber accessible to the rest of the school so that no one can ever use it for nefarious purposes again. Will you come with me, Ginny? We can put it both behind us. Together."

Her brown eyes were full of horror, but she bit her bottom lip and nodded.

Harry smiled at her. "I'll be with you the whole time. Ron, Hermione, and Neville are going to come, and anyone else you want. I'm sure that Dumbledore can get Bill here if you need him or Charlie, or your parents. Do you want me to see?"

Ginny let out a slow breath. "Yes, please… and I want… Na'eemah too."

"Your Mind Healer?"

She nodded. "Professor Dumbledore has been allowing her to come to Hogwarts once a week so I can speak with her. I think… I want her there too, Harry. I'm scared to go back."

"Me too," he admitted honestly. "But I think that if I don't go back, I'll regret it — and I think that you will too."

Ginny nodded and she squeezed his hand in reassurance. "Just Bill and Charlie… Mum would… she'd freak out down there, Harry. I told her and Dad some of it before I came back and… I know her — it would be too much for her to see it all, too much for her to handle."

Harry smiled and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "Are you sure? She'd want to be there for you."

Ginny nodded. "I'm sure. Just Bill, Charlie, and Na'eemah. Thanks, Harry." She grabbed her book bag and hurried off and he watched her go, nerves in his stomach. He was more nervous than he wanted to let on.

He checked his watch, surprised to see that breakfast was still happening and made his way back into the Great Hall and over to the Head Table. There were two seventh year students talking to McGonagall and a few fifth year students talking to Vector. He made his way over to Dumbledore.

"Er, morning Professor," he said quietly.

Dumbledore smiled at him, his tea cup in his hand. "Good morning, Harry."

Harry smiled. "I need to make a request for tonight."

Dumbledore nodded and leaned forward a bit. "And what would that be?"

"Ginny needs Bill, Charlie, and Na'eemah Hickey there. She won't go back without them — and I agree with her."

He nodded. "Then she will have them."

"Thank you, Sir." He nodded at Dumbledore before he made his way over to where Remus was. "Hi, Professor."

Remus smiled and tapped his fingers on the table. "Did you talk to Ginny?"

"I did and I think we're both ready. Well, as ready as we can be."

Remus smiled warmly at him. "Remember, you can change your mind at any time, little Prongs. I'll see you in class this afternoon."

"Uncle Moo-Professor Lupin?" he asked, quickly correcting his slip up. "Can we talk about the Dementors again, and why they affect me like that?"

"Yes, we will, I promise. We have a few things to talk about."

Harry nodded, wondering what else his fathers could want to discuss with him and he hurried back to his friends as the first bell went off.

~ ASC ~

 **By the time dinner finished that night, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny were all feeling rather anxious as they made their way to Lupin's office.** Ron had his arm around Ginny and she was staring in determination as they walked.

Harry was relieved to see not only Remus and Sirius waiting for them, but Dumbledore, McGonagall, Tonks, and Zee. He smiled when Sirius tugged him to his side for a quick hug.

The office door opened and Bill and Charlie stepped through it with a pretty woman who Harry assumed must be the Mind Healer.

"Bill! Charlie!" Ginny exclaimed, rushing towards them and grinning when they both hugged her tight.

"Hey, Jitterbug, Bill told me that you needed us," he kissed the top of her head with a smile. "Sorry that we're a bit late, the international portkey was a bit behind."

"Not late at all," Sirius said with a smile.

"Thank you for coming, Na'eemah."

Na'eemah smiled warmly. "Of course. I think this is a great idea to help you heal. I wouldn't miss it."

"Well, this gathering is much larger than I anticipated," Dumbledore said with a smile. "But, I believe everyone we need is here, correct?" At everyone's nod, he gestured forward. "Harry, why don't you lead the way."

Harry swallowed slowly, smiling at Sirius when he squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. He headed out of the office and slowly made his way down the hall to the corridor with the infamous girl's bathroom. Everyone followed close behind him as they all crowded into the large bathroom, Remus closing the bathroom door behind them and putting up an out of order sign and a protection ward to stop anyone from interrupting them.

Harry made his way over to the sink, pointing to the little symbol of the carved snake. "See, Slytherin marked it here," he said.

McGonagall looked at it, nodding. "Very well done. It blends in with the architecture of the room."

Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulder. "We're right here, Prongslet. Whenever you're ready."

Harry looked back at Ginny. Both of her arms were hooked between Bill and Charlie and she nodded at him as if telling him that she was ready. He turned back to the sink and stared at the snake, letting out a slow breath before he concentrated, willing the snake to move and when he asked the door to open, a snake-like hiss came out of his mouth. He stepped back as the sink began to dip into the floor, the other sinks moving to accommodate for the large tunnel.

Sirius whistled as he looked down. "No bottom in sight." He glanced at Harry. "You and Ron just jumped down here?"

Neville nodded. "They threw a pipe down there first, but yeah — they just jumped."

Sirius held his hand on his son's shoulder. "Slytherin can't have decided that jumping down here was the way to get inside? Not everyone is as stupid brave as you and Ron."

McGonagall nodded, smiling as she inspected the one sink at the back that hadn't gone below the ground. "I agree," she pulled the plug that dangled beneath the sink and there was a loud lurching sound as stone steps appeared spirally around the tunnel leading downwards. "Shall we?"

Dumbledore lit his wand and urged everyone else to do the same before he led the way down the spiral stairs and into the dark tunnel. It took much longer to take the stairs and with every step Harry felt more trepidation about what was below. At least when he and Ron had taken the leap — it had been quick, leaving them with no chance to consider changing their minds. He was almost out of breath when they reached the bottom.

Dumbledore was inspecting the bones down there. "Fascinating."

Zee bent down to inspect the bones herself. "It must have fed on whatever it could scrounge up. Basilisks can live almost a thousand years."

Harry turned back to look at Ginny. She was pale and Charlie was rubbing a hand on her back and whispering something to her. Harry took a step forward then.

"Ron and I went this way," Harry told them, pointing to the tunnel on the right.

"Why?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. It seemed like the right direction at the time."

Tonks was standing in the direction to the left tunnel. "There are three different entrances, so they all need to be examined thoroughly. Remus, you come with me this way. Bill, why don't you and Zee take the centre one. Everyone else can follow Harry through the right. We need to make sure that all of the dangers here have been removed."

Bill nodded and bent to kiss his sister's cheek. "Be brave, Firecracker. I'll see you on the other side."

Ron immediately moved away from Harry and took Bill's spot next to his sister. "Need an arm, Din?"

Ginny smiled at him gratefully and accepted his arm as they followed Harry through the tunnel. It was another fifteen minutes of walking before they reached the cave in.

"I made a small hole up here," Ron said, moving away from his sister to show them. "The rocks collapsed when the door opened."

McGonagall pushed up her sleeves and flourished her wand and the rocks immediately began to build an archway, leaving a clear path through to the next doorway. "This will do better I think, Mr Weasley."

Ron smiled at her and moved back to Ginny who was staring at the door in horror.

"I remember this," Ginny said softly.

Harry turned to look at her. "This door in particular?"

She nodded. "I first came here in October of last year and… when I opened the door, something chimed inside of me and… I remember standing there not knowing how I had gotten down here nor how to get back out."

Na'eemah smiled warmly at her. "Coming here today was a very brave decision, Ginny. For you and for Harry both."

Ginny moved away from Ron and Charlie and stepped up next to Harry, her eyes on the large circular door carved with serpents. "Open it, Harry."

Harry nodded and turned to once again speak in Parseltongue. Ginny's small hands clutched his wrist as the door began to open, the serpents slithering across the stone and the large door swinging open. Dumbledore tapped the door, muttering something and a soft yellow light rose from the door.

"I'm removing the Parselmouth Charm," he explained. "I don't want any of this be sealed by Parseltongue any longer."

Harry nodded at Dumbledore, waiting until he was finished with the wards before he led the way through the door, stopping when he got to the landing. "This is… I heard Ginny scream through the door and by the time I got here… they were just…echoes."

Charlie moved over to them and bent down to put his arm around his sister's shoulders as Sirius did the same with Harry. "You two are doing great. Show us where you went next, Harry."

Harry nodded, relieved to have Sirius' arm around him as he walked. The eerie glow of the chamber, the damp walls and the smell of the swamp that seemed to fill his nostrils, reminded him more and more of what he had encountered here - of _who_ he had encountered. They walked along the path, statues of serpents all around them and different tunnels in their path, until they arrived in what Harry had deemed to be Slytherin's throne room.

And there ahead, lying beneath the massive statue of Salazar Slytherin himself was the giant rotting corpse of the Basilisk.

Harry took one look at it and vomited.

~ ASC ~

 **"This place gives me the creeps," Tonks admitted, her hand tightly clasped in Remus', wands out and lit ahead of them, as they moved through the circular and damp tunnel.**

"What do you mean?" Remus asked her, smiling. "You don't like the smell of swamp and fecal sewage with the knowledge that a giant snake once resided here? What's not to love?"

Tonks snorted. "We _hope_ it's the only thing that resided here."

He smiled at her, tugging her over to the wall to inspect it. "There are markings here, symbols."

"Runes," Tonks told him, holding her wand closer to illuminate the script. "I think it's telling a story of some kind."

Remus traced the runes with his fingertips. "I agree… Merlin, it's been a while since I've looked at runes, I think this one says, ' _monster_ ' and this word here is definitely ' _blood'_ … wait… wait, it's coming back to me now… ' _the monster feeds on the… blood of the impure'…_ no, _'the unworthy_.'"

"This says, ' _Slytherin_ ' and this… ' _one monster will suffice, but I have made preparations in case of failure_.'" Tonks turned to look at Remus in horror. "Preparations? What kind of preparations?"

Remus linked his fingers with hers. "Be on your guard, Dora."

He waved his wand over the runes to capture the message, slipping the spell into the phial he brought to be viewed again later before they moved on. The tunnel twisted and the curved floor was uneven, as they stepped over rocks and broken bones. Tonks' breath hitched when they found a human skull cracked in the centre, a rat's tail dangling from the eye.

Remus only pulled her closer to him and they kept walking. The sound of running water could be heard up ahead as they followed the tunnel forward and Tonks put her arm out to stop Remus before he stepped forward.

Nestled in the rock was a giant toad that seemed to be under an enchanted sleep. Three large chicken eggs were lying next to it. Tonks froze them with her wand, her eyes on Remus.

"He was breeding more of them."

Remus nodded, his eyes on the eggs. "Enchanted sleep. I bet that he had the Basilisk under the same enchantment. It was asleep all these years and that's why there were no attacks, no signs of it anywhere in the castle before Ginny."

"It makes sense," she agreed. "Ginny must have woken it when she came down under Riddle's thrall and brought it out of its enchanted sleep and set it loose. Do you think she knew that this toad was here as well?"

"I don't know," Remus admitted. He carefully picked up the nest, putting a protective bubble charm around it and floated it before them. "We need to take this with us."

Tonks nodded and stepped out into the opening where they could hear the running water. There was a waterfall ahead, clear water pouring from a large stone pipe high in the stone. They followed the rocky path downwards and stepped into a huge room where a massive statue stood of Salazar Slytherin and Tonks gasped.

"Merlin's beard!"

Remus, his wand still trained on the nest, grabbed her hand. "It's at least sixty fucking feet long!"

"How did he do it?" she breathed, turning to look at him. "How did he kill that thing?"

Remus simply stared at the corpse of the giant snake, his face pale. The image of his son, almost thirteen, sword in hand, stabbing the Basilisk through the head flashed through his mind and he swallowed painfully. "I have no bloody idea."

~ ASC ~

 **Zee led the way through the centre tunnel.** Her wand lit ahead of her as Bill moved behind her. It was cold and damp and the sound of running water and scurrying creatures made her shiver. She loved all creatures, but she preferred to see them, rather than simply hear them. She turned to smile at Bill, attempting to make the situation a little less dire.

"So you're a curse breaker?"

Bill nodded, his own wand out as he followed her through the tunnel. "I am. I work for Gringott's in Egypt."

"That sounds exciting. Is it everything that you hoped it would be?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Bill said with a smile. "Adventure and puzzles, riddles and curses, jinxes and history and runes… yeah, I'd say it is pretty great."

Zee smiled at him. "That's how I feel about working with magical creatures. There's just something majestic about these animals and people need to realize that even the ones that are deemed dangerous do need to be protected."

"Even giant Basilisks?"

She turned and grinned at him. "Well, maybe they are the exception. Besides, I don't count a magical hybrid as a majestic creature, but I do understand their value."

"Is that why you came down here today? For the value of the Basilisk?"

Zee smiled at him. "No. I'm here for Sirius and Harry first and foremost. But as a Magizoologist, my expertise is also warranted. And I admit, I was insanely curious."

"It's nice that you're here for Harry as much as Sirius."

Zee smiled. "He's a remarkable boy. I have this urge to keep him safe and protected that I can't quite fathom. It's nice that you came here today for your sister."

Bill shrugged, his eyes travelling the ground and the ceiling cautiously as they moved forward. "She means the world to me. She's the baby of the family, the only girl, and the one person that I trust most in the world. She's fiercely loyal and once she loves you, you are more important to her than anyone in the world. She's strong, which is why she's down here today. Charlie and I are here as much for ourselves as for her. We're here to support her, to be here if she needs us and she wants us here, but we both know that if we weren't here for her today, she would still be just fine. She's a fighter."

"She sounds like it," she said warmly. "I can't imagine what she went through last year. Just knowing what happened with Harry was shocking enough, but to know that she suffered through this mostly on her own, basically living with that thing feeding on her soul for months and months and to still be as strong and resilient as she is, she's a hero."

Bill smiled at her. "Don't I know it." He stopped, turning to look at the wall. "There's something ahead here."

Zee turned, her wand lighting up the stone where Bill was investigating. "It looks like something is hidden in the wall."

Bill nodded, using his hand to carefully tug the stone away and pulling out the long thin wooden case. "What do you think it is?"

She shook her head, her wand moving to the hole where Bill had pulled the box. "I'm not sure. But I don't think that we should open it here."

Bill snorted. "Zacarias, I've spent the last four and a half years working as a curse breaker in Egypt, trust me, I know better than to open mysterious boxes without probable cause."

She chuckled. "Then I'll trust you to keep it safe." She led the way back through the tunnel towards the sound of rushing water. Her wand light seemed to illuminate a force field at the entrance. "There's a warding up ahead."

Bill nodded, his wand moving over the warding carefully. "Interesting. I've seen this kind of thing before, it keeps out reptiles. I guess whatever is hidden in this box is something that Slytherin didn't want his pet monster having access to." He looked closer at the warding. "I think this is the main room through here, I can see Dumbledore down below."

"Can you get through the wards?"

Bill handed her the box. "I can." He waved his wand a few times and the shimmer of the ward disappeared.

Zee handed Bill back the box before she followed him out of the tunnel and they carefully climbed the rocks below. Bill reached up to lift Zee down from the tunnel and let out a slow breath as they came face to face with the large rotting corpse of the Basilisk that lay at the base of a massive statue of Salazar Slytherin himself.

"Godric's arse," he said, eyes wide. "Harry killed that thing? By _himself?"_

Zee placed a hand on his arm. "And he saved your sister while doing it." She looked up as Remus and Tonks came up next to them, her eyes widening when she saw what Remus was floating before him. "More Basilisk eggs?"

"Definitely a nest," Remus said his eyes on the rotting corpse.

Zee took control of the eggs, removing the bubble charm and placing a privacy protective charm on it before putting them inside of a mystical cage that prevented anything from getting in or out. "I'll take this back to the DRCMC with me."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Tonks asked.

"Right now, they should just be chicken eggs, but we need to make sure. Either way, they need to be properly destroyed," Zee told them as they made their way around the rotting corpse of the Basilisk and came out to meet everyone else. "The best place to do that is in the safety of the DRCMC."

Sirius had his arms wrapped around Harry's shoulders, his chin resting on the top of the boy's head. Harry was holding his godfather's arms as they stared at the giant snake. Dumbledore had moved closer to the corpse to investigate.

Bill moved around Zee and back towards his sister, his eyes on the dried blood on the stone floor. Ginny's eyes were on the large blood covered bone next to the bloody Basilisk fang.

Harry pointed to the blood covered ground. "The fang I used is there… next to where… Ginny… she was lying… just there."

Ginny was breathing heavily, her eyes fixed on the bone.

Ron put an arm over her shoulders. "You're doing great, Din, just great. It's okay, breathe."

Ginny turned into him, letting Ron put his arms around her, but her eyes stayed on the blood covered bone.

Na'eemah placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder in reassurance. "You survived this, Ginny. It's over. Don't forget that."

Ginny nodded, her eyes moving away from the stained stones. "I know."

Charlie's eyes were on the bloodied bone now and they were flashing dangerously. His eyes met Bill's and Bill only nodded as he and Charlie simultaneously pointed their wands at the bone and blew it to smithereens making everyone jump.

Ginny moved towards her two eldest brothers, letting them hug her close, tugging their faces down and kissing both of their cheeks. "I'm okay, I'm okay," she soothed.

Charlie sighed into her hair. "You're braver than me, Jitterburg. A real warrior princess."

She smiled at that and kissed his cheek. "I'm okay."

Harry had only blinked when Bill had destroyed the bone. He watched as Zee put dragonhide gloves on to pick up the bloody fang, sealing it in a protective bag. Dumbledore was still investigating the snake, nodding as he did so. Remus and Tonks were holding a wooden box and a nest of eggs that were in a protective cage. McGonagall had moved over to the statue of Slytherin to investigate.

Hermione turned to look at Harry, her eyes worried. "I _can't_ believe that you killed that thing, Harry."

He smiled sheepishly at her. "In my defence, it was trying to kill me first."

Neville snorted, turning to look at his friend in awe. "Yeah, but… you put a sword through its skull and not just any sword, the Sword of Godric Gryffindor himself!"

Ron moved over to them, his hands in his pockets. "If I had moved faster at sorting those damn rocks I would have been here with you."

Sirius reached out to squeeze Ron's shoulder. "You were safer back there, Ron. It's bad enough that Harry and Ginny had to face that thing." He kissed the top of Harry's head. "You okay, Prongslet?"

Harry nodded. Seeing the snake had given him a turn at first, but now as he stared at it, the reassuring feeling that it was indeed dead made him feel much better.

McGonagall had moved up the statue now and Harry had an image of the snake trying to strike him there and he shuddered as Sirius gripped him tighter.

"Sirius? Can you come over here for a moment?" McGonagall called out. She was peering into the nostrils of the statue carefully.

Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head again. "I'll be right back, Harry."

Harry nodded, smiling when Hermione moved forward to grip his arm and his friends encircled him. "I'm really all right," he told them with a smile, feeling oddly touched in the way they moved around him, as if protecting him. "It's over now."

Neville put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Maybe _we_ need reassurance after seeing that thing."

Ron grinned and nodded. "True." He looked over to where Ginny was still standing between Bill and Charlie talking to Na'eemah. "I'm glad Ginny asked Na'eemah to come. I think talking to her has been really good for her."

"She said as much," Harry told him. "She said that she's been coming to Hogwarts once a week to continue their sessions."

Ron nodded. "Bill and Charlie have both been paying for her sessions. Mum and Dad couldn't afford for her — I mean, they wanted to make sure Ginny had her as long as she needed her."

Neville smiled at Ron. "It's nice how good you all are with your sister. I always wanted a brother or sister."

"Me too," Harry admitted. "Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus are great, but it would have been nice to have a brother or sister around."

"I agree," Hermione said with a smile. "Being an only child can get kind of lonely sometimes."

Ron only stared at them. "And the fact that you three are only children explains itself in your statements." At Neville's grin, Ron shrugged. "Most of the time having siblings is just a big pain in the arse," he admitted, his eyes on his siblings. "But yeah, over all, I wouldn't change it for the world."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius watched Harry with his friends from where he stood next to McGonagall.** "I hate to admit it, but this was a good idea for Harry to come down here."

McGonagall touched Sirius' arm with a smile. "Yes, it was. He's going to cope much better with all of this and I think that you will too." At his nod, she smiled. "Now look closely in here, Sirius, what do you see?"

Sirius looked into the giant nostril. "A warding of some kind, do you think there's something in here?"

"Harry did say that the Basilisk came from the mouth of the statue, I think that its nest must be inside."

Sirius nodded, jumping down and reaching up to lift McGonagall off the statue. "Shall we?"

Dumbledore came up behind them. "Miss Zacarias is removing the fangs for our use. As for the corpse of the Basilisk, we are freezing and shrinking it down to size, to be removed from the chamber. What did you two find?"

"A warding of some kind," Sirius told him. "Minnie and I believe the nest is inside. Care to join us?"

"Of course," Dumbledore said, his wand out. "Who wants to go first?"

Sirius grimaced, but he led the way inside, putting his hand out to stop his former professors when he heard the sound. "I think that we might need Harry in here after all."

He backed out slowly and called Harry forward. Harry left his friends and moved through the water to the mouth of the statue. "What is it?"

"Snakes," Sirius said with a grimace. " _A lot_ of snakes. Can you, I don't know, tell them not to move or to hurt us? I don't know if any of them or all of them are venomous, but better to be safe so we can remove them safely."

Harry nodded and moved into the mouth of the cave, his wand lit. His eyes widened when he saw what was before him. Hundreds of snakes filled the cavern. Big ones, little ones, long ones, short ones, different colours and breeds and all of them interwoven around each other on the floor, on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. He swallowed slowly before he spoke in Parseltongue.

"I, the speaker of your tongue, demand that you not move, nor attack anyone who comes into this room. You will do as a I say and allow my friends to remove you from this room." The snakes hissed their acceptance and Harry nodded at Dumbledore. "They are complacent."

Sirius urged Harry out and called for Zee. The three of them caged all of the snakes carefully for removal, storing them outside of the statue head. It took almost an hour and Ginny's eyes were wide with horror at the massive amount of snakes that were now sitting in glass cages on the stone.

Hermione put her arm around the girl. "This makes me like snakes even less than I already did."

Ginny nodded, smiling gratefully at her. "You can say that again."

Once the room was clear, they realized that it was a common room. There were two large armchairs, well worn in front of a fireplace and sitting in front of the fireplace in the centre of the room, Sirius found the large trunk. Bill did a quick check to make sure that it was clear before they opened it. The jaws of the large python that dove toward Sirius's face had him throwing himself onto Zee. Dumbledore froze the snake in the air as McGonagall quickly subdued it into a cage.

Zee swore as she pushed Sirius off of her. "Damn it! Could he have any more fucking snakes hidden in here?"

"He loved serpents," Dumbledore said simply. "There was a reason why he was known for it."

Sirius moved back to the chest. It was full of gold and some rolls of parchment. He recognized the family tree on one of the rolls and smiled at Dumbledore. "I think Slytherin kept diaries."

McGonagall bent down to unroll one of the papers, her eyes wide. "Merlin's beard, these will be incredibly valuable to the historical community."

Sirius nodded as he examined another roll. "And some of them might be best hidden from that community entirely," he eyed Dumbledore. "This is some serious dark magic recorded here. This looks like a manifesto of some kind; it describes his views on magical society."

Dumbledore examined the manifesto curiously. "Riddle's?"

"No, Slytherin."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said, slightly awed at the find. "We will bring all of this up to my office to examine in more detail."

"As for the gold, Albus?"

"Normally, I would insist it go to the family, but there is no one of Slytherin's line left outside of the obvious."

McGonagall nodded. "Maybe to Miss Weasley and Mr Potter then?"

Sirius looked at her in surprise. "You think we should give it to Ginny and Harry?"

"I think it should be divided between Ginny and Harry for what happened down here. Maybe given to the victims of those who were petrified."

"I couldn't agree more," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Minerva, you and I can work out the details of it once we see exactly how much is in this chest."

Sirius nodded as Dumbledore put the parchment back inside and they closed and locked the chest. Dumbledore put a featherlight charm on it, followed by a shrinking charm to make it easier to carry and Sirius lifted it up into his arms.

Dumbledore had moved towards the fireplace, his blue eyes twinkling. "He had a little office down here, do you really think he only had access from the girl's bathroom?"

Sirius shrugged, but he watched in fascination as Dumbledore moved along the fireplace and the wall, tapping his wand. A minute later, the wall opened, revealing a spiral staircase. "Where do you think that leads?"

Dumbledore looked at him, excitement in his eyes. "Well, this has turned out to be rather thrilling has it not? Shall we?"

Sirius chuckled. "Let's get everyone else out of here first, Albus."

They came out of the throne room to inform the others, Harry and Ginny were watching in fascination as Zee finished shrinking the corpse down to a manageable size and then they began to make their way back out of the Chamber, the corpse floating in front of them.

McGonagall agreed to lead everyone back through the tunnels and to meet in the girl's bathroom while Harry, Ginny, Sirius, and Dumbledore took the spiral staircase. Once they were all on the stairs, it began to move, twirling in a slow circle like a music box and rising above the ground.

"It's a lift," Sirius asked in surprise, grinning at Harry. "Slytherin was known to be quite resourceful."

Ginny grabbed Harry's wrist and he smiled at her.

It took only five minutes before the lift stopped and they stepped across onto the platform where a large oval door with similar stone snakes surrounding it stood. Harry immediately stepped forward, speaking in Parseltongue for the door to open as Ginny still held his wrist and Sirius a hand on his shoulder. The door opened slowly, making a loud creaking noise and dust filled the air as it clicked against the wall.

Dumbledore led the way through and he smiled, stopping suddenly and surprising his party behind him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself. But look, we've arrived."

Harry peered around Dumbledore's tall form and was surprised to see the dungeons where he had Potions. The door closed behind them, a stone wall looking completely like a normal wall and giving nothing away to the secret behind it.

"How do you get inside it through the wall?" Ginny asked, placing her hands on the cool stone.

Sirius grinned and tugged on the candle holder next to the wall, causing the door to slide open immediately and without hesitation. "Sometimes Ginny, things are classics for a reason."

Harry laughed and Dumbledore eagerly led them back up the stairs to the girl's bathroom.

Dumbledore sealed the entrance with a spell as the others came out of the tunnel. "Thank you all for your efforts today. Harry, thank you especially for leading the charge below."

Zee, Tonks, Bill, and Charlie took off with the corpse, the snakes and the nest of eggs to transport them to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic. Sirius agreed with Dumbledore, that they would sell the corpse of the Basilisk to the apothecaries (minus the few fangs they'd kept for themselves) and put the money into Hogwarts. Remus, McGonagall, and Dumbledore took the chest and the wooden box up to Dumbledore's office to be examined more closely. Na'eemah said goodbye, promising to talk to Ginny the following week and Ron, Hermione, and Neville left with Ginny to head back to Gryffindor Tower.

Harry turned to Sirius as they stepped out of the girl's bathroom. "I'm glad that I went back."

Sirius pulled him close and kissed his forehead. "Seeing the size of that thing… Merlin, Harry, I don't know how you managed to slay that beast, but you truly were a hero and I could not possibly be more proud of you."

Harry blushed and hugged Sirius tight. "Thanks for coming with me today."

"Always," Sirius told him. "I wouldn't have been anywhere else."

"Well, well, isn't this touching?" A familiar oily voice sneered.

Sirius kept his arm around Harry as he turned to glare at Snape. "What do you want, Snivellus?"

"Potter's out of bed after hours," he said.

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "Is he? But he's with me, his parent, so he's allowed to be. But thank you for worrying about his well being."

"You have no right to be on school property in the middle of the night."

"It's barely eleven and I have permission from the Headmaster to be here," Sirius told him, his eyes flashing. "So run along and do something useful for once."

Harry grinned at that as Snape glared at him before turning away, shooting an angry look at Sirius before he left.

"Git," Sirius muttered, turning back to Harry. "At least he's not giving you grief in class anymore." The look on Harry's face must have given something away because Sirius' eyes narrowed. "Harry, tell me that he's not still being a git in class?"

"I can't tell you that."

Sirius swore. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew that you'd get mad," Harry said quickly. "And it's _just Snap_ e, it's how he is! I ignore him mostly and he knows better than to let it affect my marks and that's all that really matters."

Sirius let out a frustrated breath. "Is he still picking on Neville too?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but I'm doing my best to help Neville through it. You know when we did Bogarts in class, Nev's fear was actually Snape, but then Uncle Moony had Snape wearing Mrs Longbottom's clothes — and that was hilarious!"

Sirius' lips twitched at that. "That is amusing, but the fact that a thirteen-year-old-boy's biggest fear is a professor is a serious problem. I'm going to deal with this once and for all, Prongslet."

"Uncle Sirius, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what a git Snape has been, but please, don't make it any worse. He's my teacher and I have to see him all the time! Don't make him hate me any more than he already does, please?"

Sirius sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. "I'll let it slide — for now. I don't want him picking on you and treating you or Neville like you are inferior in some way. You are both bright students who deserve the opportunity to learn. I don't care if the next thing he does is so minuscule that you feel it's nonexistent, I want to know about it anyway. I want to know every time he takes away points and what they were for. I want to know what he says or what he implies and I want to know how he is treating the work you turn in. You're quite talented at Potions, Harry, and I think that you should be getting better grades so either you're not applying yourself the way that you should be or that slimy greasy-haired git is denying you the marks that you deserve because of an old school boy grudge. I want you to tell me every single thing he says to you and to Neville from now on so that I know what's going on here, Harry. Promise me?"

Harry nodded. "I promise."

Sirius hugged him again, kissing his forehead. "All right, you better head on up to bed. You were very brave today."

"You said that you and Uncle Rem needed to talk to me about something important?"

Sirius nodded. "We do. But you're exhausted. Get some sleep and tomorrow when you wake up, go down to Uncle Moony's rooms. We'll talk then, all right?"

Harry nodded and hugged Sirius. "Okay. Goodnight, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius watched him head down the hall to the staircase and he sighed. After the day he had just had, Snape had better watch it - because he was not going to let that snivelling dickwad treat Harry and Neville badly.

No, he wasn't going to stand for it at all.


	119. Chapter 119

_Author's Note:_

 _Well, the chapter we've been all waiting for. It's time for Harry to find out the truth; most of the truth; some of the truth LOL._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN:**

 **Ginny hurried down the hall to the dormitory of the Head Boy and Girl after saying goodnight to her brothers.** She smiled at the portrait of the wise wizard with his tall hat and low sitting frames perched on the end of his nose.

"It is very late, young lady!" he scolded, his eyes on her as if displeased she would approach him at this time.

Ginny nodded. "I know what time it is. I need to see the Head Boy."

The wizard sighed and disappeared from the portrait. She was well aware that it was late. It was after midnight and she knew that she should have returned to her room after going back down into the Chamber of Secrets, but she immensely didn't want too. Her memories were close to the surface and even though going back had helped her truly come to grips with everything that had happened last year, she wasn't ready to go to bed after such an endeavour. She knew what she needed and she hadn't even hesitated before she had run off to the Head dormitory.

It was only a moment later when the portrait wall was pushed open and Penelope Clearwater stood there, her dark curls hanging down her back.

"Ginny, right?"

She nodded. "Hi, I know it's late, but is Percy still up?"

Penelope invited her inside the small common room. It was cozy decorated in deep reds and golds with bright blues thrown in to showcase their two houses. One side was covered in bookshelves. There was a grand fireplace in the middle of the room with a large sofa and an armchair, a coffee table and a generous throw rug. A small breakfast nook was on the left side just up a few steps with two stools to sit. The door to the bathroom was open on the left and the two bedrooms were on the opposite ends of the common room.

Penelope smiled warmly at her. "I was just heading to bed. That's the door to his room there. I think he's asleep as he went to bed over an hour ago."

Ginny thanked her and moved over to Percy's bedroom door, knocking on it as Penelope closed her own bedroom door behind her at the opposite end of the little suite. When she heard no movement, she knocked a little louder.

It was only a moment later when the door was thrown open and Percy stood there shirtless in his pyjama bottoms and curly hair a tousled mess on the top of his head, squinting without his glasses.

"Ginevra?" he asked, bewildered to see her. "Everything all right?"

Ginny smiled at him. "Come on out and have some hot chocolate with me."

Percy stared at her for a moment and then he yawned and simply went back into his room for a jumper, tugging a chocolate brown sweater over his head with a big gold P on the front as he followed her into the little breakfast nook, shoving his glasses on his face. He watched her make two mugs of hot chocolate as he took a seat on one of the stools at the counter. She easily found her way around the small kitchen and he yawned again, watching her warily as she presented the cup to him.

"Everything all right?"

She nodded and took a drink, smiling when the chocolate hit her system. "I just came back from the Chamber of Secrets."

Percy's eyes widened. " _What?_ Why did you — _what?"_

Ginny smirked at him. She knew that he was half asleep, but _that_ had definitely caught his attention. "Harry and I both went. It was a chance to put it behind us, Perce, you know? Bill and Charlie came all the way to Hogwarts just to come down with me. Ron, Hermione, and Neville all went down for Harry. Then Na'eemah came too, and Sirius and Tonks and Zee and Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Lupin… it was quite the little party."

Percy nodded, his blue eyes on hers. "I'm glad that Bill and Charlie were there for you, Ginevra. You could have asked me, you know?"

Ginny moved to sit on the sofa and Percy followed her. She waited until he sat next to her before she spoke. "I know that I could have asked you."

"But you wanted Bill and Charlie, I get it," he said.

"I wanted Bill and Charlie because they've been helping me with Na'eemah not because I chose them over you."

He smiled sheepishly at her. "Are you all right, Ginny? Going back there… it couldn't have been easy?"

"It was surreal, Percy, to go back."

His eyes were wide as he listened to her tell him about how they found all of the snakes and more Basilisk eggs; how Harry had seen the rotting corpse of the snake and had thrown up. He listened with rapt attention, smiling at her as she told him how much better she felt after going back.

"You think it helped?"

She nodded. "More than I ever thought would be possible. I was so scared to go back, but I'm so glad that I did! I think I finally can… I can put it all behind me once and for all. It's just another part of the castle, Perce. It's not… the evil that was there; that was… it was the diary, and Harry destroyed it."

He smiled at her, reaching over to touch her arm. "You just wanted to come all the way over here to tell me all of this at midnight?"

Ginny grinned sheepishly. "Yes. I thought that you'd like to know." She moved closer to him on the couch, taking his arms and wrapping them around her, her face pressed against his heart and he chuckled.

"Oh, you just wanted my body heat," he said with a laugh. Her arms were chilled and he summoned a blanket over to wrap her up as she cuddled into him. He kissed the top of her head. "I wish that you would have come to me last year, Ginny. I'm sorry that I wasn't around for you like I should have been. I would have come with you today, too, if you needed me."

Ginny shook her head, hugging him close and tugging the blanket up to her chin. "You were. I just didn't reach out and I'm sorry. Na'eemah has helped me understand that I was addicted; that the problem came from the power that Tom held over me — that I let him hold over me. And I know that you're always here when I need you, Sir Percival. That's why I'm here now because I needed you."

He smirked at her. "I never should have read you the story of the Knights of the Round Table."

Ginny grinned up at him. "You should tell it to me again."

"What? Now?" Percy asked, completely bewildered.

Ginny smiled against his shoulder. "Yes, please. I don't want to go back to my dorm, not yet. I'm not ready to try to sleep after tonight — not yet. Please, Percy, will you tell me a story?"

Percy sighed in annoyance, but Ginny could feel his heartbeat and she knew that he wasn't really mad. Percy was really good at putting on a show of annoyance, but in reality, he liked to be asked. He shifted a bit, stretching his long legs out to sit on the coffee table and tilted his head back to rest on the couch.

"You'd rather listen to me tell you a story than go get Fred or George to entertain you? Or even Ron?" he asked, looking at her in disbelief.

Ginny only smiled at him. "No, I want you. I wanted you to hold me and to make me feel better. You were always the best at stories, Percy. Please tell me a story."

He sighed and he smiled at her, a pleased smirk on his face that she had chosen him to keep her company tonight over their brothers. "You are annoying little brat. I was sleeping, you know?"

She smirked at him. "Uh-huh, but you wouldn't want to deprive your favourite sister of hearing you tell a story now, would you?"

Percy grinned at her. "You're my only sister."

She grinned widely. "Want me to go?"

Percy's arms held her tighter and he kissed the top of her head again. "Absolutely not. You came to me for comfort and a story and that's exactly what you're going to get. Now, let's see, once upon a time, there was a famous kingdom known as Camelot…"

Ginny smiled against him, listening to her big brother's soft voice. Coming to Percy was exactly what she needed, she thought. The last thing that she remembered was hearing Percy talk about the Lady of the Lake before she had drifted off into dreams.

When she woke the next morning, there was a pillow under her head and she was wrapped up tight in the blanket that Percy had summoned for her the night before. She stretched and smiled at Penelope, who was throwing books into her book bag.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Penelope said with a smile. "I'm off to the library. Determined to get an early start on my studying this morning. Percy said you fell asleep here. Everything's all right, I hope?"

Ginny nodded, smiling warmly at her. "Oh, yes. I just needed some quality big brother time."

Penelope smiled brightly. "That's very sweet."

"Where is Percy?"

"He's in the shower, but if you don't feel like breakfast in the Great Hall, there's some oatmeal in the breakfast nook that you can have."

"Thanks," Ginny said, standing up and stretching some more. "I'll go down and eat though." She scribbled a quick note for her big brother thanking him for the story before stealing his brown jumper with the gold P on it and throwing it over her head before she hurried back to the Gryffindor common room.

She almost ran into Harry as she went through the portrait hole. "Harry!"

He grinned at her. "Hi Gin," he took in Percy's oversized brown jumper and her black velvet tights and frowned. "Where are you coming from?"

"I fell asleep on Percy's couch," she said with a grin. "I told him where we went last night and… I wasn't really in the mood to go on up to bed, you know? I had… too many thoughts."

Harry nodded. "I hear you, but I slept great. I think going back was a really good idea."

"Me too," she admitted with a smile. "Where are you off to so early on a Saturday morning?"

"Breakfast," he said with a grin. "Uncle Siri and Uncle Rem want to talk to me about something. Want to come down with me?"

She nodded as her stomach rumbled at the mentioning of food and he smirked at her. "Yes, please. Let me just run upstairs and freshen up."

"Gin?"

She turned on the bottom step to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Does Percy that know you stole his jumper?"

She grinned widely. "Nope. Be right back!"

Harry smirked at her and leaned back against the wall to wait for her as she rushed up the stairs. He scratched his chin as he wondered what it was that his fathers wanted to talk to him about. Having gone back last night and taking everything in, accepting what had happened, knowing and understanding that he had faced Voldemort down there and come out still standing, made him feel good and it made him feel powerful. Having his friends and family there, standing beside him, had been everything that he had needed, and hadn't known he needed, at the same time.

Maybe they were finally going to tell him what Narcissa Malfoy had spoken to them about? He sighed and scratched his neck a bit. He was starting get a few hairs there and they made him itchy, but there clearly wasn't enough hair for him to shave it off and it was rather annoying. He sighed as Ginny came bouncing down the stairs in dark blue tights, black combat boots, and a long purple jumper with her hair in a long braid down her back.

"I'm ready!" she said and he grinned at her. "I'm starving! I hope they have some strawberries."

"If not, we can probably get some in the kitchens," Harry said making her grin.

Ginny smirked at him. "Don't tempt me, Harry!"

He grinned as he they made their way down the stairs. "You okay after last night? I mean… seeing the Basilisk definitely took me for a turn."

She nodded, smiling up at him. "I am. It was all of the other snakes that…" she shuddered. "I don't think I will ever be a fan of snakes again."

"They don't really bother me considering," he said thoughtfully. "Though, you think they would after that Basilisk attacked me."

Ginny chuckled. "But you can understand them, so I imagine that would make them much less scary."

"Yeah, maybe," he said with a thought as they jumped across to avoid the staircase that was beginning to move. "I feel like it's really over now."

"Me too," she said, letting out a long sigh. "I feel like now I can really begin to put it all behind me. I talked to Percy about that last night. He's a good listener."

"Never really would have guessed Percy on that front."

Ginny smiled up at him. "He is. Percy is just really ambitious and he knows exactly what he wants, which is great for him, but he's so scared that because our family isn't wealthy, he won't be able to accomplish his dreams — and I know that he pushes away a bit because of it."

Harry frowned. "Well, that's stupid of him."

"I agree," she said. "Which is why I do my best to tell him so on a regular basis."

Harry laughed. "Of course you do."

Having Ginny as a friend again made him feel lighter in ways that he couldn't quite explain. When she started to talk animately about how she had convinced Sir Percival to tell her the story of King Arthur, he listened with a smile.

He was really glad to have her as a friend again.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius ran his hands through his hair and put a quick cleansing charm on himself as he stepped out of the Floo into Remus' suite of rooms at Hogwarts with Marauder at his side.** He had barely slept all night and he wasn't sure how he was going to approach this situation. Being down there yesterday and actually seeing it… actually looking at the giant corpse of the Basilisk that his twelve-year-old son had fought and killed with a sword, was more than enough for him to spend the rest of his life worrying about what kind of trouble his son could get into in the future. The thought of telling Harry about the prophecy and the Horcruxes… it all just seemed like too much.

Remus stepped out of the bedroom, tugging a jumper down over his tee shirt. Tonks stepped out behind him in nothing but one of Remus' dress shirts which almost reached her knees and Sirius smirked.

"Better put some clothes on there, Tonks, our boy should be coming soon."

Tonks simply shot up two fingers and headed into the breakfast nook to make herself some coffee, Marauder bounding after her as if hoping for a snack.

Remus nodded at his friend. "Did you sleep as shitty as I did?"

"How the hell are we going to tell him this, Rem? We can't…"

Remus nodded, moving to embrace his friend. "We have to. We can't keep this huge secret from him anymore. He's going to find out eventually."

"Eventually sounds great, like years down the road — perfect!"

Remus chuckled. "I'd like to say that I agree with you. But we decided on telling him."

Sirius nodded, moving to sit on the chesterfield. "I know that we did and there's a part of me that knows that we have to tell him and I want to tell him. I know that he wants to be involved, that he wants to help, and he has asked enough about what Narcissa had to say."

"But we don't have to tell him everything," Remus said quietly.

Tonks sat on the edge of the chesterfield next to Remus, blowing on her steaming mug of coffee, smiling when Remus put his hand on her knee. "Rem and I were talking about it last night and maybe you shouldn't tell him about the Horcrux being a part of him."

Sirius nodded. "That's the part that I'm most afraid to tell him, if I'm being honest. How are we supposed to explain to him that Voldemort put a piece of himself inside of him that way? That's not exactly news that he wants to hear and God knows it's only going to make him crazy to know it… he's only thirteen and… with the prophecy… I want him to live his life not be… it's too much!"

"We tell him about the prophecy; keeping that a secret is… he needs to know why Voldemort wanted to kill him when he was a baby. He needs to understand why." Remus insisted. "I think that's the _one_ thing that we can't hide from him."

"And the Horcruxes themselves?" Sirius asked, his eyes on his friend. "Can we really tell him everything?"

Remus let out a slow breath. "I think that we should tell him everything about the Horcruxes, except that one thing… knowing is only going to destroy him, Padfoot."

"So a lie of omission then? We know it's not technically a Horcrux since it wasn't officially created as such by Voldemort, but it is a piece of his soul and therefore still has to be destroyed," Sirius said carefully. "I fucking hate lying to him, Moony."

"I do, too," Remus said quietly. "But Padfoot, how can we tell him that one day he might have to sacrifice his own life to save the world? I won't tell him that and Merlin knows I won't stand back and watch him do it either."

"Well, that's one thing that we're in perfect agreement on. We will find a way to get that fucking thing out of him, Moony, I swear it. I will find a way."

Tonks kissed Remus' cheek and stood up. "You blokes are going to have a long morning ahead of you. I'm going to hop in the shower and get ready for work. And for the record, if I was Harry, I wouldn't want to know that last part. Not until it was absolutely necessary."

Remus watched her walk back into the bedroom before he turned to Sirius. "So we're in agreement then?"

Sirius nodded, breathing slowly. "In agreement. Is it too early to start drinking Firewhiskey, Moony?"

Remus chuckled and stood up. "I'll add some to our tea. I think we're both going to need it."

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry let himself into Remus' suite of rooms an hour later, he found himself a bit curious as to what his fathers wanted to speak to him about.** He had thought that the venture down into the Chamber of Secrets had gone pretty well himself, better than he had anticipated, and after talking to Ginny that morning, he knew that she felt the same. He had slept dreamlessly for the first time in months and felt well rested and alert.

He smiled when he saw Sirius sprawled out across the chesterfield with Marauder lying on top of him, happily getting his belly scratched.

"Marauder!" Harry exclaimed in surprise, grinning when the dog barked and ran to him, jumping up to lick his face in greeting. Harry hugged him tight, laughing as the dog tried to lick him everywhere, so happy to see his boy.

Sirius smiled from his spot on the couch as Remus came out of the breakfast nook with two steaming cups of tea. "I thought that you might like to see him today."

Harry hugged his dog happily, grinning at his godfather. "Thanks."

Remus placed the two cups of tea on the table and smiled. "Want a cup of tea, little Prongs?"

Harry nodded and moved to lift Sirius' legs up so that he could sit down, smirking when Sirius simply stretched his legs out across Harry's lap and then winced when Marauder merely jumped up on top of both of them and made himself comfortable.

"How did you sleep last night?" Sirius asked, adjusting himself into a sitting position to avoid being squashed by the over excited golden retriever.

"Good," Harry said honestly as he scratched Marauder. "No dreams. I felt really good when I woke up. I'm glad that we went back."

Sirius smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his forehead. "You were so brave going back there; you and Ginny both."

"Did you go through the chest yet? What else was inside?"

"No, not yet. I'm going to help Dumbledore with that later on this week, as is Auntie Minnie. We have some important stuff to talk about first."

"What kind of important stuff?" Harry asked, his eyes moving to Remus as he passed him a cup of tea.

"Did you eat breakfast yet, little Prongs?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, I had kippers and eggs," Harry told him as Remus budged him over so that he was sitting between the two men. Harry looked between his parents. "What's going on?"

"There's something very important that Uncle Remus and I have been wanting to speak to you about," Sirius said carefully. "Something that we've been beating back and forth between us, should we or should we not tell you, and we've decided that we can't keep it from you anymore. I don't like keeping secrets from you, Prongslet."

"What secrets?" Harry asked, looking between his two fathers in concern.

Remus let out a slow breath. "We're both not sure that you are ready to hear this, Harry. But like Sirius said, we don't like to keep secrets and we agreed long ago that the three of us don't lie to each other."

Harry stared at them. "Are you finally going to tell me what Mrs Malfoy came to say?"

Sirius opened his mouth as if to respond and then sighed. "Harry, the reason that I said that I wasn't going to tell you about Mrs Malfoy was because I didn't want to put these thoughts into your head until I myself had made sense of them; until we had a better understanding… a plan of some kind."

"What kind of plan?"

"About what to do when Voldemort comes back."

Harry stared at them, his eyes wide. "Has he come back?"

Sirius shook his head, hooking his arm around Harry's forearm. "No, he has not. Mrs Malfoy believes that her father-in-law is working to try to restore him to his body with the help of Pettigrew and Lestrange. As you know, he is out there in a spiritual form; not able to really live in his form, but forced to possess others. If they were to restore him, he would have a body again; he would have strength and substance to once again rise to power."

"Restore him how?"

Remus sighed and gently touched Harry's other arm. "That's one of the things that we don't know."

Sirius draped his arm across Harry's shoulders. "Back in June, after you told me about what happened down in the Chamber of Secrets, and after you went up to bed that night, I went to Hogwarts to give Dumbledore a piece of my mind. I was so furious that you had almost died and that he hadn't even told me what had happened; that he just insisted that you were fine and cheerfully sent me on my way — you were not fine."

"Uncle Siri, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you right away."

Sirius shook his head. "No, I was mad at him, not you. He should have told me. He should have told me what you and he spoke about afterwards; about the diary and about the likenesses between you and Riddle."

"Professor Dumbledore said that Voldemort put a part of his magic inside of me by accident and that's why I can speak to snakes."

Remus nodded, his eyes meeting Sirius' for a moment. A part of his magic was definitely the right turn of phrase, he thought. "And that's one of the big things that we want to talk to you about."

Harry looked between them in confusion.

Remus still holding Harry's arm, reached forward to gently brush the hair our of his eyes. "Do you remember how Uncle Siri and I said that the diary seemed to possess Ginny strangely, that it sounded like something more serious than a regular possession?" When Harry nodded, he continued, "Uncle Sirius picked up on that right away as it reminded him of something his grandfather had once shared with him; an old tale about dark magic and an attempt at immortality."

"I went to Dumbledore to speak about the Chamber of Secrets, but also to tell him of my suspicions about the diary and how I thought that it was the same type of dark magic as the locket that we found in Grimmauld Place many years ago."

"You told me during the summer that there was a connection between the two of them. That you had thought Voldemort probably made both of them."

"We now know that he did, Prongslet. He made both the diary and the locket in his attempt at gaining immortality."

"He used very old and ancient magic, dark magic, and very dangerous magic. Something called a Horcrux." Remus said quietly.

"What is it?"

"It is an object that holds a piece of someone's soul."

Harry stared at them for a moment, his face a mix of bewilderment and interest. "How do you take a piece of your soul away and put it into an object?"

"By committing murder — a crime so violent and so terrible that it tears the soul into pieces," Sirius said quietly, closing his eyes and leaning his chin down on Harry's head.

Harry's eyes widened and he shifted away from Sirius to look between the two men in horror. "You think that the diary and the locket were these Hor-thingies? So when it was taking Ginny's soul from her it was… does she know?"

Sirius hesitated. "Yes."

Harry stared at him for a moment. "You told Ginny before you told me?"

"Prongslet —"

"No!" Harry exclaimed, interrupting his godfather. "I'm the one that bloody well saved her! I'm the one that destroyed that diary! If anyone should have known what it was, it should have been me!"

"Prongslet —"

"Harry!" he exclaimed, glaring at his godfather. "My name is Harry! How could you tell her and keep it from me? What is wrong with you? I should have known what it was that I destroyed!"

"I didn't tell her!" Sirius yelled back, softening his voice when Harry finally looked at him. "I told Na'eemah."

Sirius outlined every detail of his discussion with Dumbledore about the Horcruxes, about his writing to Na'eemah and telling her that he thought the diary was one, about Bill's research on them and about Dumbledore's research into the past of Voldemort to try to figure out how and when he made them and from what objects. When he was finished, Harry just stared at him.

"Seven of them?"

"It's what we believe that he was aiming for, but whether or not he made seven is another story all together, but we think that it was his ultimate goal so it's what we're going with."

"So as long as he has these Hor-thingies he can never die? Like ever?"

"Like ever," Sirius said solemnly, draping his arm around Harry again and tugging him up against him hoping that he wasn't going to pull away again. "Uncle Moony and I didn't tell you right away because we wanted to be sure. We wanted to have a game plan in mind before we told you. We're going to hunt down these objects, Harry. We're going to work on destroying them one by one."

Harry nodded, his eyes on Sirius. "I want to help."

Sirius sighed and let out a slow breath. "I know you do and the best way that you can help us is by letting us do this."

"Uncle Siri —"

"— No," Remus interrupted. "You have to trust us to try to find them and destroy them, Harry. You already got rid of the diary and that was brilliant, but we think that we should work on these ones. There's something else, little Pr-Harry."

Harry looked at him. "Something worse than Horcruxes?"

Remus sighed, "Do you remember asking us and asking Dumbledore about why Voldemort wanted to kill you, an innocent baby, in the first place?"

Harry stared at them, his hands shook a little and Sirius took them in his, squeezing tightly. "You know why?"

Sirius leaned in and kissed his son's temple. "Dumbledore told me when I spoke to him in June. He said that he had kept it a secret from Remus and I because he thought that it would hurt us to know the truth, and he was right. I don't want to tell you this, Prongslet, in fact, I would very much like to lock you away and throw away the key."

Harry snorted at him. "I can handle it, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius sighed and kissed his son's temple again. "Damn right you can and that, Prongslet, scares me even more. You're thirteen years old and you have already made it through a difficult obstacle course protecting the Philosopher's Stone and came face to face with Voldemort, escaped an army of Acromantulas, saved your friend from a possessed diary, and killed a Basilisk. No one is saying that you can't handle it, Harry."

"Just tell me."

Remus moved to wrap his arm around Harry too. "There was a prophecy that was made before you were born…"

Harry stared at them as Remus finished explaining about how Trelawney had made this prophecy the year before he was born, his eyes wide and he swallowed slowly. "So I… in the end, I have to… I have to be the one to kill him? I have to become a murderer or he'll murder me?"

Remus and Sirius each held him tight, cradling him like a child between them and it was Remus who whispered, "Yes."

Harry pushed away from them and stood up, making Marauder bark. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes flashing and to his horror swimming in tears. "I don't want to kill anybody!"

"Prongslet," Sirius began, holding out his arms. "Come here."

"My name is Harry! I'm not a sodding child, Uncle Sirius!"

Sirius nodded and stood up. "Harry, we are well aware that you're not a child or we would not be telling you this. You know how much we love you and we are not going to let you fight this upcoming war alone. Right now, Voldemort is not a threat. He is nothing and we are ahead of the game. We know that he made Horcruxes - we've already destroyed one of them, and we have a second one in our possession. And we ultimately know that he marked you as his equal — he transferred some of his powers to you."

"Dark powers!" Harry exclaimed, tears in his eyes. "I don't want to be a dark wizard!"

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, grabbing Harry and tugging him into his arms despite his protests. Harry's face pressed against Sirius' heart and he dropped a kiss to the top of head. "You will never be a dark wizard! There is no dark and light power, Harry. Power is power and it is how you choose to use it that makes you the wizard you are. You're a powerful young man, who has already bested Voldemort in getting the Philosopher's Stone, you fought and slayed a Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor, and you destroyed a Horcrux… you are so fucking brave and so strong and I love you so much."

Harry clung to him, his hands fisting in the back of his jumper. His words were muffled and came out in a whisper, but both of his fathers heard them. "I don't want to die."

Remus jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around his son so that the three of them were huddled in a big hug in the middle of his living room, kissing the top of his head. "You're not going to die, Harry."

Harry wiped furiously at his tears and he pulled away from Sirius, sighing as he leaned back against Remus' chest. "I can't fight him! I'm only thirteen!"

Sirius leaned in and kissed Harry's forehead. "We're going to train you to be the best that you can be. And this isn't going to happen tomorrow, Harry. Voldemort is nothing right now, remember that. He is nothing! And if we destroy all of the Horcruxes before he even obtains a body, we are golden… he will fade away as if he had never been."

Harry nodded. "Neither can live while the other survives."

Remus kissed his cheek, his hands resting on Harry's shoulders. "After Christmas, we're going to start giving you extra lessons."

"What kind of extra lessons?"

"All sorts of charms and spells and jinxes, things that you wouldn't learn until later years. Anything that we can to help prepare you."

"I can't even stay upright when I see a Dementor!" he protested, his eyes wide. "How can you prepare me to fight Voldemort?"

Sirius kissed the top of his head again. "Uncle Moony is going to teach you the Patronus Charm for that. You know that we use the Patronus Charm to communicate sometimes? Well, the ultimate use of a Patronus Charm is to fight the Dementors. Usually one doesn't learn it until sixth or seventh year, but, we're going to teach it to you now."

Harry swallowed slowly and nodded. "Who else knows about this? Just you two and Professor Dumbledore?"

Sirius shook his head. "We have a few more people on the team." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Read that and memorize it."

Harry glanced at the paper and saw the words: _Number Twelve Grimmauld Place._

"Use the Floo to go home, Uncle Moony, and I will meet you there and finish explaining everything."

Harry nodded and grabbed a handful of Floo powder from the fireplace and stepped into the flames. He spun out and landed in the living room of Black Cottage. He looked up when Sirius and Remus came out behind him with Marauder.

"We have to Apparate to this location I'm afraid. Floo travel is not authorized," Sirius told him as they headed outside of the cottage just past the wards.

Remus tugged Harry close to side Apparate him and they arrived in Claremont Square, a Muggle neighbourhood in London. Sirius appeared next to them a few seconds later and the three of them carefully crossed the street.

"Remember what that paper said, Harry?"

Harry nodded his eyes moving from Number Thirteen to Number Eleven and he frowned. The moment that he thought about where Number Twelve was, the house seemed to appear out of nowhere, squeezing itself in between it's two neighbours completely unbeknownst to the Muggles nearby. Sirius ushered him inside with Remus closely following and led him down the hall, down the stairs and into the brightly lit kitchen to be greeted by an ugly house elf.

"Master Harry! Master Sirius! Master Remus!"

Harry nodded at the elf.

"Harry, do you remember Kreacher? You first met him when you were six, but he's been around from time to time."

"Hi. Kreacher," Harry said carefully as the elf bowed to him.

Sirius took out his wand and pointed it at the wall.

Harry's eyes widened as he took in the timeline written around the kitchen walls: From the birth of Voldemort up until the escape of Pettigrew and Lestrange. Then his eyes fell on the operation name and he smirked. "Operation Fuck Up Voldemort's Plans?"

Sirius grinned and tugged Harry close to him. "It's our team name. The team so far consists of me, Uncle Remus, Dumbledore, Auntie Minnie, Bill, Zee, and Tonks. We're going to maybe talk to Alastor Moody, as he used to be a great Auror before he retired, and maybe a historian - especially considering what we found down in the Chamber of Secrets, but we haven't approached them yet. And the historian will only be on a need to know basis, not part of the operation itself. We're going to find out everything that we possibly can about who Voldemort is, what he did in his past, what he could be doing in his present, and how to stop him in the future. I can't promise you that this will work, but I can promise you that we will do everything in our power to defeat him. Just because the prophecy states that it has to be you, Prong-Harry, that doesn't mean that it has to be _only_ you. We're a team."

Harry smiled at him and rested his head against Sirius' shoulder, his eyes on the blackboard. "How did you find out all of this stuff?"

"Dumbledore spent the summer doing research on his past and some of the stuff he already knew and some of it is just a guess," Remus explained moving to the board. "Like this here? We don't know for sure if Merope Gaunt gave the Muggle Tom Riddle a love potion, but it makes the most sense considering that he left her high and dry seemingly as out of the blue as them getting married had been."

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "All right, Moony, start from the beginning, Harry and I are listening."

"Prongslet," Harry said quietly.

Sirius smiled widely at him and kissed his forehead, tugging him over to the bench to sit down, his arm still draped around his shoulders. "My Prongslet," he said with a smile. "Now, let's listen to Uncle Moony tell us about Operation FUVP. If you have any questions, ask them."

Harry nodded as Remus began to go through the timeline they had orchestrated about Voldemort's life.

By the time that Remus was finished, Harry didn't know what to say. He felt like all of his unanswered questions about why Voldemort had ever wanted to kill him as a baby had finally been answered and at the same time, he felt like he was left with a million more questions that he couldn't quite put into words. Learning about Voldemort's life and the things that he had done, the people that he had killed. He had only been two years older than Harry was the first time that he had killed someone — at least the first time that Dumbledore was aware of. It was a terrifying thought.

Not to mention the idea of him creating these Horcruxes. Those scared him more than he wanted to admit. He remembered the moment that Sirius had touched that locket; the pain in his scar, the horror that he remembered. It was definitely something that he didn't want to experience again.

"Any questions, Prongslet?" Sirius asked, his grey eyes intently on his.

Harry shook his head and then he nodded. "Yeah, why does my scar hurt? When I… when I sometimes get close to a Horcrux, why does my scar hurt?"

Sirius let out a slow breath. "We don't know why exactly, but we think it's because it's a cursed scar and the Horcruxes are a piece of the wizard who gave you that scar. That's Dumbledore's theory on your scar and I have to agree with him as it makes the most sense. No one else in the world has ever survived the killing curse, Prongslet, so we can only guess."

Harry nodded, his hands fiddling in his lap. "Oh."

Sirius kissed his temple, his arm coming around him again. "We love you and I know that this is a lot to take in. Remus and I have been struggling with it for a few months now and we're still not okay with it, which is why we didn't tell you right away. We didn't want to keep this from you. We just wanted to make sure that you had dealt with everything that happened in the Chamber of Secrets and were ready to hear something like this… and Merlin knows that I'm not ready for you to hear about this, but Uncle Remus and I both agreed that keeping it from you was wrong. We will keep you updated as much as we can and if you have any questions, you can ask us at any time."

Harry simply nodded, smiling as Remus took a seat across from them. "I don't really know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," he said softly, kissing him again.

Remus smiled at him. "We're keeping this as need to know only. We're using Grimmauld Place as our HQ because it is very well guarded and we don't want all of this at Black Cottage. It's slow going, but we are working on something and every little bit helps."

"If I have to fight him, I want to help."

Sirius sighed. "I know you want to help, Harry, but you have to leave this part to us. The best way that you can help is by letting us train you to be the strongest wizard that you can be. By going to class and doing the work to learn everything that you possibly can in school. If — if one day it does come to pass that you and Voldemort have to… you'll be ready. We'll make sure that you're ready."

Harry wanted to protest. He should be more involved with the Horcrux hunt and be helpful there, but the thought of learning more in order to help defeat Voldemort one day had it's appeal too. "So only a few people know, right? So I shouldn't tell anyone or talk about it outside of with you two?"

Sirius sighed. "If you want to tell your friends; if you need them to know, we trust you. This is a lot to take in and your friends have always been there for you. That is your decision. And Ginny knows a little bit because of the Horcrux in the diary, but that is all she knows, Harry. She doesn't know anything else or the fact that there's more of them out there."

"What about Neville?"

Remus half-smiled. "I don't think telling him at this point is going to do anything, little Prongs. It could have been Neville, but ultimately Voldemort chose you."

"Why? What made me different from Neville?"

"Dumbledore thinks that he chose you because you were more like him, a half-blood and he understood what that was like. It was nothing you did. You are not to blame. You are not at fault."

"I just won the worst lottery ever," Harry muttered under his breath.

Sirius smirked and kissed him again. "I love you."

Harry sighed and let Sirius snuggle him close, knowing that his godfather needed to hold him and he very much needed the contact himself. "I love you both too, but… you should have told me the moment that you found out."

Sirius nodded. "I wanted to protect you just a little bit longer, Harry. I'm sorry."

Harry stared at the wall for a long moment and then his gaze moved to Remus who was smiling fondly at he and Sirius. "Uncle Moony, can I start learning the Patronus now? Why do I have to wait until after Christmas?"

"Well, the holidays are only a few weeks away," Remus said with a smile, tugging Harry to his feet to hug him close. "And I am going to be busy helping Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Sirius go through the stuff that we found in the Chamber of Secrets. Why don't I lend you a book on them and you can start reading up on the Patronus? Then when you come home for Christmas, we'll talk about it?" he suggested, kissing the top of his son's head.

Harry nodded, wrapping his arms tighter around his father. That seemed like a good plan to him. Not to mention the fact that he had a lot to think about.

~ ASC ~

 **After Harry left that afternoon, Sirius filled Remus in on what had happened the night before with Snape, and they had both discussed it in passing.** Sirius knew that Harry didn't want him to do anything about it. He knew that his son was determined to handle Snape on his own, but that didn't mean that he couldn't butt his head in just a little — subtly of course.

He went home that afternoon lost in thought about what Harry had told him the night before, about how Snape had treated Harry upon catching him with Sirius out in the middle of the night, and he stretched out on the sofa and closed his eyes.

He had always done his best thinking while alluding to napping.

Twenty minutes later, he had a perfect plan in mind.

And Snape wasn't going to know what hit him.


	120. Chapter 120

_Author's Note:_

 _I spend more time converting pounds to Galleons than I should LOL. But so you are aware: 165, 922, 920, 892 Galleons 8 Sickles 12 Knuts = £5 billion — again using the Wizarding Bank Converter._

 _Also, I said that I would post this chapter today — probably won't get another one until next Wednesday. I hope it is what you were hoping for._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY:**

 **It took almost an entire week for Dumbledore, McGonagall, Remus, and Sirius to go through the contents of the chest.** The diaries of Slytherin were immensely valuable and would be donated to the Ministry of Magic's Department of History along with Slytherin's manifesto. The parchments pertaining to dark magic were studied carefully by Sirius. Most of it he recognized as stuff his own family had in their houses and vaults: Spells to turn a person inside out, spells to torture from within, vicious spells to bleed slowly and exsanguinate a victim, curses on bloodlines and curses to carry on a family tree, and some of them so terrible that even Sirius hadn't heard of them before.

The four of them agreed that the dark magic scrolls were better off being destroyed and they burned the parchments in the flames, watching them burn. The family tree detailed the beginning of the Slytherin line and would also be donated to the Ministry of Magic's Department of History. As for the gold, the chest was full of ancient coins, Roman and Greek, which were worth ten times as much as the gold itself, and they valued the gold at five billion pounds; a Gringott's agent calculating the monetary value to be one hundred and sixty five billion, nine hundred and twenty-two million, nine hundred and twenty thousand eight hundred and ninety two Galleons, eight Sickles and twelve Knuts. It was a treasure unlike anything that had been discovered in the magical world in centuries.

After much discussion on what to do with the money and speaking with the Head of the History Department at the Ministry of Magic, all agreed that since the money was found in Hogwarts, the school held the claim to it. Sirius agreed with Dumbledore about splitting the funds and giving it to the victims and their families: Argus Filch (a smaller portion as it was his cat), Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hermione Granger, Penelope Clearwater, and Myrtle Warren. Sirius had his estate lawyer set up trusts for each student to cover all of their Hogwarts expenses (robes, supplies, and books) for the rest of their years of schooling and the remaining funds to be received upon their seventeenth birthday. In the case of Warren, the money was donated to her family and for Filch, just signed over to him.

Harry, Ginny, and Ron were each to get a portion of this reward as well for their bravery, ten percent each to be put into accounts for them at Gringott's. The remaining funds, still a few million Galleons, were to be donated to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for school upkeep and put into the fund for students without families who needed help with textbooks, uniforms, and supplies.

Ginny protested her share of the money, insisting that she didn't deserve compensation for what she had done, but Harry convinced her take it. He insisted that she deserved it for what she had suffered and for what had happened to her. Ginny finally agreed to use the money to cover the rest of her schooling including a portion for Na'eemah's mind healing services, but she insisted that the remainder of the funds be split between three major charities: St. Mungo's Charity for Children, Save the Dragons, and Wounded Wizard Warriors. All of whom needed the money much more than she did.

Mr and Mrs Weasley had kissed her cheeks when she made the announcement, telling her how proud they were of her decision.

Harry protested his own money as well, asking Sirius if he could use his to buy himself a new broomstick before donating the rest to charity as Ginny had done. He suggested getting a Nimbus 2000 again as it had been such a good broom to him over the last two years. Sirius told him that they would discuss the broomstick at a later date, but that he supported the donating of the funds. Sirius wanted to speak to Dumbledore about the money Harry had received first as he had something else in mind for the money than strictly charity. He had been curious as to what, but Sirius had only smiled at him and told him that he would most definitely approve. And he had; not being able to stop himself from smiling at his godfather's rather brilliant idea.

The only thing left to examine from the Chamber of Secrets was the mysterious thin wooden case that Bill and Zee had discovered. Bill had stayed on to help examine the case and after determining that there were no wards placed upon it, he had carefully lifted the lid. He had been alarmed to find it empty.

"Why would Slytherin hide an empty case?" Bill asked.

Dumbledore moved forward to examine the indents in the case. "It appears it once held a necklace, see the indentations?"

Bill nodded. "Yes, but it's not there now."

McGonagall was staring at the indents in wonder. She held her wand over the box, using the spell to make an image of the necklace rise up from the box. Bill quickly sketched it onto the paper before the image vanished. "Obviously something of great value to him. Do you think that You Know Who removed it when he was down there?"

"I couldn't say, Minerva," Dumbledore admitted. "Voldemort could have taken it, yes, but then again, it may have also been Slytherin. In the meantime, we can see about getting someone from the Department of History on it. Maybe they know of a special necklace that Slytherin had kept as it is nothing that I recognize."

McGonagall nodded. "An excellent idea, but I think that you should write to Bathilda first."

"Agreed, she would be the most knowledgable about the four founders," Dumbledore said, thinking of his old friend as well as the woman who had written the history of magic textbook.

Bill took his leave of them, asking to be kept in the loop pertaining to the contents of the case, but he had work waiting for him back in Egypt. Sirius made himself comfortable in one of the chairs of Dumbledore's office, his eyes on McGonagall and Dumbledore, who were still hovered around the chest.

"What's your plan with the Chamber now?"

Dumbledore looked up at Sirius, his blue eyes twinkling. "I haven't the foggiest," he said with a smile. "The wards have been opened and all signs of dark magic and of Parseltongue have been removed. I do know that we can't have it hidden under the girl's bathroom for another few centuries."

"The space down there is enormous and even quite grand," McGonagall said, taking a seat next to Sirius. "If we clean it up some, it might be an ideal place to have some additional training."

"What kind of training?" Sirius asked her.

"Duelling mainly."

"We already have a very well set-up duelling training area in the dungeons, Minerva."

"Yes, we do, but this could be more, Albus. I think that it's high time we bring duelling back to the curriculum. Students need to learn how to be prepared to fight." McGonagall insisted, her eyes on Sirius. "Sirius was just telling me the other day that he wants Remus to teach Harry how to perform a Patronus Charm."

Dumbledore nodded. "That is very advanced magic, Sirius. It's not even taught until NEWT year and even then it is a very difficult charm to master for many students let alone a third year."

Sirius crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Harry is not most students. He will learn it. He wants to know why the Dementors seem to affect him so strongly and he wants to fight back. This will help him. He hears James and Lily, Albus. No one should have to hear the sounds of their parents' deaths."

"I couldn't agree more, if you think that he is ready to learn it, than by all means have Remus teach it to him. As for bringing back duelling, I do agree with you, Minerva, however we do need someone willing to teach it. Filius is too busy these days with Frog Choir and Orchestra."

"Let me work on it, Albus," McGonagall said with a smile. "I think that I have a few ideas on the subject."

Dumbledore nodded, smiling at her. "Alright." He turned his attention back to Sirius with a smile. "Sirius, you said that you wanted to ask me something about brooms?"

Sirius nodded, tapping his fingers on the arms of the cushy armchair. "Yes, last year, Lucius Malfoy purchased seven new Nimbus 2001's for the Slytherin Quidditch Team, correct?"

"He did," Dumbledore said carefully. "I told him that the extravagance wasn't needed, but he insisted that they were to be for the Slytherin Quidditch team and not something each student was able to take home with them, but belonged to the school itself, therefore I saw no harm in it."

"Harry needs a new broom," Sirius told him. "His was destroyed after the Dementor attack and he says that the school brooms are in awful shape."

"Alas, that is true," he said sadly. "But our brooms are donated to us, often used and left over from Quidditch teams or students."

"I want to purchase new ones for the school as well as for my son."

Dumbledore's eyebrow rose. "Refit the entire school with all new brooms? Sirius, that is a very generous offer, but I don't quite think you realize the cost of what you are undertaking."

"I do," Sirius said with a smile. "The money that Harry was given from the Chamber of Secrets, he doesn't need it, nor does he want it. As a Potter and my heir he is already insanely wealthy. After hearing how Ginny donated her findings, he came to me with a similar idea asking only to be able to purchase a broom with his money, specifically a Nimbus 2000."

McGonagall snorted. "Of course he wants the same kind of broom he had before, but really he should have an even better broom _._ "

Dumbledore smiled at them. "I never turn down anything new that is offered to the students of this school."

Sirius simply grinned. "Good."

Sirius made good on his word. He spoke to Harry about his decision to use the money to get Hogwarts new broomsticks and Harry was thrilled with the idea. After speaking with Madam Hooch, Sirius agreed that different varieties of brooms were needed. He purchased fifty Cleansweep 7 brooms to be used strictly for flying classes. They were excellent brooms for turning corners quickly and efficiently and Sirius agreed that they were an excellent choice to learn to fly on. As for the Quidditch teams, The Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor Quidditch teams were all given seven brand new Nimbus 2001's from an anonymous donor. Each Quidditch player was now given the opportunity to be on a broomstick of equal value to that of the Slytherin House Quidditch team. However, if a student preferred to use their own broomstick, this was still very much allowed as the new broomsticks were the property of the House Quidditch teams and not of the individual Quidditch players themselves.

The announcement detailing the generous donation of broomsticks to the school and to the Quidditch teams (from an anonymous donor) was met with an uproar of excitement from the students. Oliver Wood especially was beside himself with excitement and couldn't wait for Quidditch practice in the new year on their new broomsticks as they were all supposed to be arriving sometime in mid January due to the volume of the shipment and because of the upcoming holidays. Since the next Quidditch match wasn't scheduled until February first (Hufflepuff verses Slytherin), everyone was excited about this.

Quidditch practice that Saturday afternoon started off a bit late due to trying to find a school broom that worked well enough for Harry to practice on. He held the old Cleansweep 3 across his shoulders as he began his run up the Quidditch stands, his breath coming out in little huffs in the cold air and he hoped that the new brooms would be here in time for his next Quidditch game as the thought of riding the broom he had spent practicing on was just depressing. It flew decent enough, but the ends were quite frayed and he could feel the way it seemed to glide a little to the left.

He showered in the locker room, changed into blue jeans and a black jumper before putting the broom over his shoulder and making his way back up to his dorm. He was keeping a hold of this broom until the Nimbus 2001s arrived. It may not be the best broom, but it was one of the better ones that Hogwarts had available and he wasn't taking any chances until he had a new broom in his own hand. He rolled his eyes when he recognized Snape standing in the entranceway.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little pampered Potter?"

Harry ignored him and kept walking. He had spent the last week pouring over every moment of his conversation with Sirius and Remus. The prophecy kept echoing in his head and the last thing that he felt like doing was talking to Snape.

"A professor is speaking to you, Potter. You should show some respect."

Harry simply turned to stare at him. "Belittling me? Who is the one showing respect, _Professor?_ "

Snape's eyes narrowed. "You're turning more and more into a spoiled, arrogant, and superior prat just like your father was. Detention, next weekend, my office."

Harry opened his mouth to protest and Snape sneered.

"And ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek."

Harry glared at his back and stormed off towards Gryffindor Tower. He hesitated as he pulled out the mirror when he got to his dormitory. He had promised Sirius, he thought, and he physically grimaced as he thought about how his father was going to react. Harry shoved the mirror back in his pocket. He would tell him, but after his detention.

It was probably safer that way.

~ ASC ~

 **Zee smiled warmly at the pretty woman behind the desk in the Department of History.** She had soft blonde hair with large doe-like eyes in bright blue and she wore bright red rimmed glasses perched on the edge of her nose. She very much looked the part and Zee wondered if she was Mary Raffigan, the woman that she was looking for.

"Good morning," Zee said cheerfully, letting the door behind her close. "How are you this morning?"

The woman looked rather startled, as if she had been deeply engrossed in whatever she had been reading. "Er, fine, thank you. Did we have an appointment?"

Zee shook her head and moved to sit in the chair across from her. "No, I'm afraid we didn't. I'm Agent Zacarias of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, I was hoping to take up a bit of your time."

The blonde woman looked bewildered. "What would an agent of the DRCMC want with me?"

"I work in the Beast Division and I've been doing some personal research and thought a historian would greatly benefit me."

The woman only nodded. "Professor Bagshot still takes some letters in her retirement, but she's not interested in assisting in projects anymore. She insists that she's too old and that she retired for a reason."

Zee shook her head, crossing her legs in front of her. "I'm not here about Professor Bagshot. How many historians do you have working in this department?"

"Ten."

"How many of them have a background in magical objects?"

The woman hesitated. "Just me. What did you say your name was again?"

"Zee," she said with a smile. "And that would make you Mary Raffigan?" At the woman's nod, Zee grinned. "Are you interested in working in a private research assignment? I'm doing some research on the four founders of Hogwarts and about some of the magical objects that they may have owned, as I believe I've come across one."

The woman stared at her for a moment. "About magical objects from the four founders of Hogwarts?"

"Historical magical objects, yes," Zee said carefully. She handed her a card with a smile. "This is my card, think about it and get back to me. I would really appreciate your help."

The woman only nodded, staring at the card on her desk. "I will do that, but I'm afraid I am rather busy and it might not be until after the holidays."

"After the holidays would be fine, just think about it and get back to me. Thank you."

Then she turned and headed back to her office with a grin. If Raffigan could tell them what the necklace was it would be very helpful in finding out why it was kept in the Chamber of Secrets in the first place and if it was important in any way or just simply a necklace. She was also hoping that Raffigan's founder knowledge could help them in discovering what other magical objects the founders were known to have had and therefore determining if a few of them had interested Voldemort in any way.

When she arrived back at her office, she winced when she recognized her partner Tripp Forester staring intently at the cage of snakes that they were still keeping there.

"Forester!" He jolted and turned to look at her. "Why are the snakes still here? I thought that you agreed to turn them over to the Muggle Animal Control Office yesterday?"

He nodded and licked his lips. "They unnerve me. I … I didn't want to be alone with them."

She merely raised an eyebrow. "You've been acting quite strangely," she said as she watched him. "Are you feeling all right?"

Forester nodded, pushing his sandy blond hair out his face. "Fine, I'm fine. Did you finish that report on the dragon breeding in Bristol?"

"Yes," she said, nodding at her desk. "I just need your notes before I can send it off."

Forester nodded, his eyes moving back to the snakes. "I'll take care of these now."

Zee watched him go and shook her head. Ever since he had gone on assignment with Agent Yaxley he seemed to be off in some way. She wondered not for the first time what exactly had happened on the assignment, but Yaxley had deemed it a need to know and she wasn't privy to that information.

She took a seat at her desk and opened her notes on today's assignment. She wanted to work on helping the Irish put a plan into place for the fairies and the pixies who apparently were causing mayhem in the Irish countryside. They needed to come to terms with them and once and for all decide how to work with them instead of shunning them into a beast division that hardly applied to them. The Court of Tara was willing to cooperate, she just needed to find a way to bring it all together in a way that the Ministry would approve of. The fae were perfectly capable of handling their own affairs, but she knew the pixies often didn't listen to the king nor to anyone else, which was part of the problem — their mischievousness.

She frowned when she noticed the new folder on the top with the name Dolores Umbridge stamped across it. She flipped it open to read the document and her eyes hardened as she read the legislation that had been passed through last week on dealing with 'undesirables'.

She was still glaring at it when Yaxley walked in.

"Zacarias!"

She jolted and stood up. "Sir."

"Where's Forester?"

"He just left to take the last of the snakes to the Muggle Animal Control Office. Sir, this undesirable legislation, it's abhorrent!"

Yaxley merely shrugged. "I don't agree with it either, but Grimmson approved it and Umbridge managed to get the amount of signatures required to get it passed."

"She claims they are, I quote: 'H _alf-breeds who are trying to pass themselves off as human and should not be allowed employment in the Ministry of Magic nor in any government-sanctioned agencies including hospitals, clinics, schools, and offices_.' That is preposterous!"

Yaxley sighed and scratched his chin. "Feel free to start a counter legislation, Zacarias, I will gladly back it and I'm sure that if you received enough signatures you can even approach Scamander. He still has a lot of pull in the Ministry in terms of magical creatures and I know that he never really considered werewolves to be a magical creature, let alone an 'undesirable.'"

"Umbridge has gone mad and how the hell was this bloody legislation passed in the first place?"

"Start up the counter legislation and we'll go over it together. You can coordinate with Agent Minnow in the Being Division, I know he is equally as angry about the legislation. It came into affect last week by the way," he said in defeat. "Umbridge has already ordered the Werewolf Capture Unit to arrest two wizards who work as janitors in St Mungo's and has had them stripped of their employment and charged with 'endangerment to the public'. The Werewolf Registry Department is fighting the charges as Umbridge is demanding six months imprisonment. The receptionist from the hospital was also arrested because her grandmother was a Veela and it makes her 'dangerous' as well. Minnow is doing what he can with Werewolf Support Services to help these two individuals find new employment and as to the Veela, well, a few of the agents from the DRCMC are trying to assist where possible."

Zee stared at him in horror. "She can't have them imprisoned when the law was just passed!"

"I doubt that they will be imprisoned, considering, but it's enough to shake employers who are now firing employees who are known to have lycanthropy. The legislation states that the employer can be fined up to five thousand Galleons if found to be harbouring a werewolf," Yaxley told her, looking at the mounds of paperwork on her desk. "You're on desk duty for another two weeks, Zacarias. That paperwork has gotten wildly out of control, but get that counter legislation started as well."

She opened her mouth to argue and then promptly shut it. The paperwork _was_ out of control and she did have to get a handle on it if she was going to get anything accomplished. "Yes, Sir."

He merely glanced at Lady Godiva who was lounging in her usual position in front of her desk. "Report to me on the status of your paperwork at the end of each day and then we'll revisit field work and coordinate with Minnow on your counter."

"Yes, Sir."

He stormed out of the office and she sat back down in her chair, tilting her neck to and fro in an attempt to stretch the muscles there. Just the thought of spending days at her desk had her wincing and the last week had already felt like the longest week of her life. She sighed and buried her face in her hands just as a knock sounded on the door jamb. She looked up, eyes alight in surprise to see Sirius there.

"Sirius!"

"Bad time?" he asked, nodding at the paperwork.

Zee shook her head, smiling at him. "The best actually. What are you doing here?"

He smiled and walked around her desk, bending to kiss her softly. "Just met my friend Apollo for lunch. He's in town for his brother's promotional thing for work. Figured I was nearby."

She smiled at him, tugging him down for another kiss. "Good plan."

Lady Godiva used her head to hit Sirius in the leg and he let go of Zee's lips long enough to scratch the large cat behind the ears.

"Sorry, Lady G, I should have greeted you as well."

Lady Godiva's yellow eyes only stared at him as if she was saying, 'duh'.

Sirius scratched her absentmindedly before he rested a hip on her desk, shifting paperwork over. "Still stuck in the office, babe?"

She pouted and he leaned down to capture that bottom lip, sucking on it gently for a moment.

Zee sighed when he pulled away. "I hate office work. I feel like I'm confined and I'm being punished."

"You are," he said easily with a smile. "My woman likes to be out in the thick of it."

She grinned at him. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

He shrugged, running his fingers through his hair as the locks fell just so around his face so effortlessly. "Not too much. Might work on the Adler for a bit and I have few plans to tweak for Monday morning. You going to be late tonight?"

"Probably," she said, pouting again. "What are you tweaking?"

Sirius chuckled and bent down to kiss her softly instead of answering. He knew how much she hated being stuck in the office. She was made for field work, for working directly with magical creatures, and to be confined for long periods of time was the worst sort of punishment for her. When she deepened the kiss, he grinned against her mouth, his tongue meeting hers languidly. He cupped her breast through her blouse and his other hand slid down to cup between her legs, rubbing gently and making her whimper.

Lady Godiva let out a huff and went and stretched out in front of the closed office door.

Sirius smirked. "We have a guard cat." He trailed his tongue down the side of her neck, using his teeth and she gasped. "Ever done it in your office?"

Zee shook her head, her arms wrapped around his neck. "We can't!"

Sirius merely grinned at her and unbuttoned her blouse. "Is that a dare?"

Zee's eyes met his, full of desire, and he kissed her deeply. Her hands moved to undo his belt and she smirked at him. "Make it fast, Black, Forester could be back any minute."

He vanished her clothes, two fingers slipping into the wet heat as her head fell back in surrender. "Better come quick then." He said simply, sliding to the floor and using his mouth on her.

She had never wished for Forester to be slower in her entire life.

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning when Harry hurried into the Great Hall for breakfast a bit later than usual, the sound of bubbling laughter echoing from the Great Hall caught his attention.** Harry glanced around absently, wondering why everyone was so amused this morning — and then he saw it.

Snape was sitting up at the head table, a look of pure loathing on his face. His fingers were clamped around the spoon of his porridge so tightly that his knuckles were white and his lips had pursed into a thin almost non-existent line. The look of rage coming from his eyes was enough to give anyone a heart attack. His greasy black hair had been turned into a hot neon pink and spiralled down his black robes in large curls. By the look on his face, he hadn't figured out how to change it back.

Harry slid into the seat next to Ron and grinned. "Snape trying out a new look?"

Ron smirked at him. "He walked in about five minutes ago with his hair like that and mate — if looks could kill. Who do you think did it?"

"The twins?"

Ron shook his head. "They swear it wasn't them and you know Gred and Forge, they would gladly take credit for any and all pranks they've cast."

"True," Harry said, his eyes moving to Snape. Snape's black eyes were on Harry now, pure loathing in them so strong it made Harry shiver. "He thinks that it was me."

Ron snorted. "No way you pulled that off without telling me first!"

Harry grinned at him. "Definitely didn't, but I wish I did."

Ron chuckled into his apple juice. "Wonder how long it's going to stay like that."

Harry smirked. "Hope it takes a him at least a day to figure it out."

He and Ron looked at each other and grinned.

As dinner was finishing up on Tuesday night there was a strange flash up at the Head Table and when Harry looked over at the professors, he snorted in laughter. Snape's black robes had turned Gryffindor red and gold which had only made the pink hair seem that much brighter.

It took him three days to brew a potion to counteract the pink curly hair charm. When he arrived at the Great Hall for dinner on Wednesday, his greasy oily black locks were back to normal and the students all pouted. Fred was even bold enough to tell him that he missed the pink as Snape had looked rather smashing.

He'd gotten detention, but Fred claimed it had been worth it.

The next morning at breakfast, Snape was back to his usual surely self, but when the Gryffindor third years made their way to the Potions lab, they were surprised to find an attractive blonde woman at the front of the classroom. She wore a bright red short leather skirt, black high heels, and a white blouse with a red blazer.

"Do you reckon something happened to Snape?" Ron whispered as they took their seats.

Harry shrugged. "Dunno."

Neville shuddered in relief as he sat down. "A new teacher wouldn't be so bad," he whispered.

The blonde woman waited until the last student had sat down before she spoke. "If I find the culprit of these pranks you can rest assured that I will do everything in my power to have them expelled from this school."

Harry's mouth dropped open. The distinct sound of Snape's oily voice coming out of the woman was enough to give him nightmares and then he concealed a grin. Someone had turned him into a bloody woman! He snickered as he opened his textbook to the Girding Potion. Whoever had achieved this deserved a medal, he thought.

"Potter, what may I ask is so amusing about this potion?"

"Nothing, Sir," Harry said quickly, trying to mask his grin.

The blonde woman, who was actually Snape, sneered at him, but as the big breasted blonde was extremely attractive, the sneer didn't quite have the same effect. "Thirty points from Gryffindor."

Harry groaned as he turned to his textbook. Snape obviously wasn't finding the humour in his predicament. Blaise moved over to him to borrow some of his doxy eggs and whispered to him on his way back.

"Is it weird that I'm totally hard looking at Snape and repulsed at the same time?"

Harry, who himself was feeling a little hard when his eyes found 'Snape's' breasts shook his head. "I hope not, mate, because I'm feeling it too."

He kept his eyes on his potion, trying not to watch the lovely sway of Snape's hips while adjusting himself beneath his robes. This was a predicament that he hadn't expected, but he was relieved to learn that he wasn't alone.

By lunch that day, the attractive blonde woman had bottomed back out into Snape's hooked-nosed face, but whoever was pulling these pranks on their professor had yet to stop. Snape was grinning happily when he came in for lunch and the sight was almost terrifying. Harry watched him closely to try to figure out why he was so happy and he smirked when he realized that his face had been charmed with some kind of cheering charm and Snape _couldn't stop_ himself from smiling.

"Severus, it's lovely to see you in such good spirits!" Dumbledore exclaimed as Harry moved closer to the Head Table in an attempt to talk to Remus.

Snape's eyes held his glare, but the huge smile on his face contradicted it. "I can assure you that it is not by choice!"

Harry nudged Remus as he came around the table. "Is this you?"

Remus shook his head. "I wish that I could take all the credit, but it's not. The big breasted blonde though, that's familiar to me… something I swear I —" His eyes widened in disbelief. "Little Prongs, have you spoken to Padfoot recently?"

Harry's grin widened and he hurried out of the Great Hall, tugging his mirror out of his pocket. A few seconds later, Sirius' face appeared. "Uncle Padfoot, what have you done?"

Sirius smirked at him. "Accusing me of things? Not very Marauder-ish, Prongslet."

Harry grinned. "How are you doing it?"

Sirius only wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm quite sure that I have no idea what you're implying, but if I did have an inkling, I might possibly reveal that something fun could happen during dinner tonight."

Harry's grin widened as Sirius bid him farewell and disappeared from the mirror. Sure enough at dinner that night, Snape's cheering charm had worn off. Every time he made an effort to speak at the Head table, he would suddenly start burping multi-coloured bubbles. Each bubble was filled with conversation as if he had spoken it and as the bubble floated away, a sing-song voice would reveal it's contents to the Great Hall, but they were very un-Snape-like things to say such as:

➾ Fifty points to Gryffindor!

➾ Hufflepuffs are the best, take fifty points too!

➾ Anyone else find Portree's Keeper David Little incredibly sexy?

➾ Who wants to play Charades?

➾ I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me, he's just a poor boy from a poor family, spare him his life from this monstrosity!

➾ Riddle me this, does Ravenclaw get fifty points too, of course they do!

➾ I wear lacy knickers under my robes

➾ Fifty points to Slytherin just to be fair!

➾ Oh dear, look at me, and my sad greasy hair!

As each one was said loudly in the happy sing-song voice, Snape became angrier and angrier, his eyes shooting daggers before he finally just stormed out of the Great Hall amidst a great deal of laughter.

Dumbledore stood up at his exit. "Now, now, settle down. If anyone knows who is behind these amusing yet uncalled for pranks against Professor Snape, I urge you to come forward."

Harry turned to grin at his friends. Fred and George were sitting nearby and they both looked like they could cry in happiness. The students around him were all speaking in undertones, trying to figure out who could be behind the pranks.

"Whoever is behind these pranks is ingenious! How are they getting Snape to do all of this?"

"They must be charming something he touches!"

"Must be charming him directly!"

"But he wouldn't allow it? He would curse them!"

"It's Snape, he would kill them!"

"How are they getting away with it?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Do you think he really wears lacy knickers because I definitely don't want that image in my head?"

"Do the house points really count?"

"Little is so sexy! Have you seen how good his bum looks in that Quidditch uniform? I could eat him up!"

"What was that thing about him being a poor boy? Do you think that means something?"

"Don't you know any Muggle music? Bloody hell, do you live under a rock?"

Harry snorted and turned to Neville and Ginny. "Snape is getting really pissed off. Should we be concerned that he's going to take it out on us?"

Neville shuddered at that realization. "Probably!"

Ginny grinned. "I wouldn't worry. I think it looks good on him. The git."

Harry smirked at her, elbowing her lightly. "I don't think that its over just yet, either."

"Me neither," Ginny said with a smile. "And I can't wait to see the big finish."

When they got to Potions class the next morning **,** it took everything in Harry's power not to spend the entire class glowering at Snape. He was dreading his detention that night even more since Snape seemed to be taking points off of Gryffindor for stupid things. Obviously the never-ending pranks against him hadn't exactly endeared him to be any nicer to his students.

Harry had already lost thirty points and class was only half finished. He had lost points for talking while Snape was giving out instructions, for helping Neville cut his ingredients, and for dropping his Potions textbook on the floor. Neville had lost ten points for trembling and Seamus had lost five points for looking at Lavender too long.

They were learning how to brew a Shrinking Solution and he declared that Neville's potion would be fed to Neville's toad, Trevor, at the end of class to see if Neville had learned how to follow instructions properly. If it was brewed correctly, Trevor would turn into a tadpole, but if not, the implications were that Neville's potion could kill Trevor.

Harry was whispering to Neville under his breath, guiding him through the potion and he jolted when Snape slammed his hand down on the table.

"Stop helping Longbottom, Potter or he'll never learn!"

"He's never going to learn if you keep threatening him!"

Snape sneered. "Threaten him? Have I threatened Longbottom? I don't believe I have. I'm teaching him how to follow instructions properly. If he fails, well, he'll be the one poisoning his pet. Not me. Five points from Gryffindor!"

"You're a bully!"

It took the room as a whole almost thirty seconds to realize that the outburst had come from Neville. Harry's mouth opened in shock as he watched Neville climb to his feet, his hands fisted tightly at his sides.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Longbottom."

Neville glared at him. "I won't sit here and listen to you belittle me or anyone else! Not again! It's not my fault someone has been pranking you all week so don't take it out on me! If you want me to learn than give me a chance to try without telling me that I'm a failure for not knowing how to do something on my first bloody attempt at it or bloody well sod off!"

Snape stared at Neville, his black eyes narrowed and Harry could see that Neville was trembling from head to foot. Snape nodded at him. "All of you, get back to work."

Everyone as a whole turned to stare at Neville. Neville was breathing heavy and fast and Harry grabbed his arm, worried that his friend was going to pass out. They handed in their potion, which Snape did not feed to Trevor, and hurried out of the dungeons. The third year Gryffindors all huddled around Neville and Harry.

"Mate, that was bloody brilliant!" Seamus exclaimed, his eyes wide. "You actually told Snape off!"

Dean nodded, his grin catching. "You actually told him to bloody well sod off! Good on you!"

"And he didn't take away any points for it," Sophie added, tucking her brown hair behind her ear.

Neville looked rather nauseous as he grinned at his fellow Gryffindors around him. "I did, didn't I?"

Harry slapped him on the back. "Mate, that was fantastic! How do you feel? You look like you might be sick."

Neville only nodded. "He's going to kill me, isn't he?"

Ron snorted. "To be honest, Nev, I think that he was rather impressed."

Blaise, Theo, and Draco pushed their way through the Gryffindors. Blaise smirked at them. "That's the first time I've ever heard anyone tell off Snape. Have to say, didn't expect it to be you, Longbottom. Good on you."

Theo grinned widely. "I don't think I've ever seen Snape so shocked. Pat yourself on the back."

"And Longbottom? I'd watch what you ate and drank over the next few days. He is the Potions Master after all," Draco added.

Neville paled and Harry squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. "Ignore them. It was bloody brilliant and they know it."

Lavender slid her arm around Seamus' waist, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Let's leave Neville to catch his breath and see what kind of trouble we can get up to over here."

Seamus wiggled his eyebrows at his friends. "The school is going to be talking about this for years!" he declared before he let his girlfriend pull him into the empty classroom on the left for a snog.

Harry grinned at his friend. "Nev, breathe. Now slap yourself on the back because that was bloody brilliant."

Neville simply grinned at Harry in response.

By lunch that afternoon, the entire school had heard what had happened in third year Potions that day. People Harry had never even noticed before were finding their way to the Gryffindor table and congratulating Neville. Neville was beaming, his face flushing red, but Harry could see the confidence pouring off of him in waves and it made him smile. His friend was starting to finally really find his footing.

He was still grinning when he made his way to the dungeons that evening for his detention. He took a seat at his desk and waited patiently for Snape who stalked in moments later, his robes billowing out behind him.

"You can scrub out the cauldrons used today, Potter," Snape said gesturing to the towering mass of cauldrons in the corner. "No magic of course."

Harry only nodded, choosing not to say a word and got to work. He was on the second cauldron when Snape spoke.

"I suppose that you all think Longbottom was brave today."

Harry shrugged. "I think it's about time he stands up for himself, yeah."

Snape sneered. "I know you are behind these pranks, Potter, and do be aware that I will catch you and you will be expelled from this school."

Harry only smirked at him. "Pretty hard to expel me when I haven't done anything. But whoever is behind them — they've been hilarious!"

Snape's sneer sharpened and Harry gulped. If looks could kill he would dead. "You have one hour to get those finished or you will be in detention with me again. Twenty points from Gryffindor!"

The door to the dungeons slammed behind him, his robes billowing out bat-like and Harry simply grinned. He felt like they had achieved one small victory against Snape today. He pulled out his mirror to call Sirius, grinning widely.

His father was going to love this.

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning, Harry grinned when he saw Persephone fly over the Gryffindor table.** Then he frowned when he saw that she was carrying a red envelope. "A Howler?"

Ron looked up in surprise, grimacing. "What did you do, Harry? Did Sirius find out that you had detention?"

"No, I just spoke to him last night, and I purposely didn't tell him that I was in detention, because it was with Snape!" he insisted and then his eyes widened in surprise as he watched Persephone drop the Howler down in front of Neville.

Neville's eyes widened in fear as the envelope began to steam. "Why is Sirius sending me a Howler, Harry?"

But the Howler, anxious to be opened, was steaming like crazy and Neville gulped as he opened the flap and Sirius' voice filled the Great Hall.

NEVILLE FRANKLIN LONGBOTTOM! YOU STOOD UP TO THE ARSE OF A BULLYING GIT THAT IS SNAPE AND I SEND YOU MY APPLAUSE! REMEMBER, NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL INFERIOR WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT! I KNOW FRANK AND ALICE ARE INCREDIBLY PROUD OF YOU! YOU ARE AN AMAZING YOUNG MAN AND I AM HONOURED TO KNOW YOU! I COULDN'T BE PROUDER OF YOU!

The Howler hopped up, flew across the Great Hall and hovered in front of Snape before blowing a big raspberry in his face and spewing him in red sparkles before shredding itself to pieces.

Neville's face was flushed bright red and Harry slapped him on the back. "I may have told Uncle Siri about what you said in Potions class yesterday."

Neville beamed at him. "Thanks, Harry."

~ ASC ~

 **Meanwhile at the Head Table, Snape was fuming and he glared at Dumbledore.** "Did you see that, Albus?"

"Oh? You mean when Sirius Black congratulated that wonderful young man on standing up to the teacher who bullies him?" McGonagall asked brightly interrupting. "I did and I commend him for it."

Snape glared at her. "I just want him to learn that he has potential. If a little criticism hurts the boy, he's not going to make it far in life, and I'm certainly not going to coddle him!"

Dumbledore merely raised his teacup. "I'm not asking you to coddle him, Severus. I'm asking you to teach him and to show him the respect that a teacher should give their students. Admit it, you were impressed with Mr Longbottom yesterday."

Snape sighed. "I don't want to be what he fears most, but I will not coddle him."

McGonagall smiled at this. "I think that is a promising start."

Remus smiled back at her and nodded. He definitely had to agree and he had to admit, that the message for Neville was a wonderful touch and he knew that Sirius understood how important that was going to be to him. Sirius knew that sometimes Neville needed that father figure in his life and Remus was proud of his friend for supplying it when he could.

But he also couldn't stop the smirk on his face as he thought about the finale that he had helped Sirius organize for dinner that night. He hoped the students weren't too disappointed with the latest attack on their Potions Professor.

They weren't disappointed.

That evening at dinner, Snape's plate of food dissolved into fireworks. Bright neon colours as dragons and zouwus and nifflers and occamys and griffins took to the ceiling, flashing and celebrating in delight and then a loud voice seemed to echo across the hall.

"Mr Moony would like to remind Mr Snape that being a git is not a requirement of his job as a professor and in fact, it is frowned upon by the faculty, and if he continues to act like a righteous git to his students — the pranks shall continue."

A big red dragon exploded in light over their heads.

"Mr Padfoot would like to tell Mr Snape, that if he continues to take points away from undeserving students for things like breathing, and not for things worth being punished for, he will gladly come down there and knock in his teeth."

A big gold zouwu firework dove at Snape's head and he ducked.

"Mr Moony would like to add, that hatred of a person should not extend to their children, who by default did nothing to warrant such a hatred and if it continues, will be forced to get Mr Prongs to haunt you for the rest of your days."

Snape was pale now as another firework, this one in the shape of a large occamy dove at his face.

"Mr Padfoot would like to tell Mr Snape that he is an immature git who needs to grow up and treat his students with the respect that they deserve."

Two more large fireworks exploded into the ceiling before the voice echoed one more time.

"Messrs Moony and Padfoot thank Mr Snape for listening and would like to remind him to keep his abnormally large nose out of people's business and to inform him that he is being watched."

The fireworks exploded into dust and Snape was pale as he stared at the magical flashes of light that fell slowly around him. His dark eyes were glinting in rage, but he seemed to be listening to what had been said and he looked even less happy than normal.

Lee Jordan began to clap loudly soon followed by George, then Fred, and soon the entire Great Hall was clapping and cheering. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling in mischief as he called the hall to attention informing them again that playing pranks on professors was frowned upon and if anyone knew who was behind this to please come forward.

Harry only grinned as he stabbed into roasted potato happily. He was pretty sure tonight had been one of the best nights of his entire life.


	121. Chapter 121

_Author's Note:_

 _I would like to thank my new Beta for her hard work in editing this chapter and hopefully all chapters from now on — SilverStarwolfe — thank you very much! I have a few interesting things happening now so I hope you enjoy my little hints here and there._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE:**

 **As November breezed into December, the snow started to coat the castle and everyone began to anticipate going home for the holidays.** Harry was looking forward to it more than usual. He was tired of the fog and of the constant depressive state that the Dementors left him feeling. He had started having nightmares again about Voldemort, about the Horcruxes, and about Voldemort killing him or killing Sirius and Remus and he'd wake up, tears streaming down his face and his heart pounding in his chest.

He just wanted his own room.

He wanted Marauder.

And he wanted Sirius.

He just wanted to go home.

He hadn't told any of his friends about his talk with his fathers, about the prophecy, about the Horcruxes, or about Voldemort. He didn't know what to say to them or how to say it. He filled pages upon pages of his journal and felt better for it, but it didn't help him sleep. He stared at his mirror, clutching it tightly in his hands, but he wouldn't use it. He didn't want Sirius to know how much this was keeping him up. He didn't want to worry him. And part of him was still slightly angry at his fathers for having known the entire summer and hadn't said anything to him about it. He ignored the nagging voice in the back of his head that told him that he was better off not knowing at all.

He could see that his friends were starting to worry about him as well, but he pushed them away; insisting that he was just ready to go home for the holidays and that it was the Dementors, but he wasn't sure if they believed him.

He'd been reading up on the Patronus Charm in his spare time as well. It sounded interesting to him the way that every person had their own unique shape for the Patronus to take form in. The hard part about casting the charm was the ability to hold onto a truly happy memory while doing it as the memory had to be powerful enough to overcome the sadness and the depression that the Dementors pushed forward. He was very interested in attempting it and he wondered what form his charm would take.

He fell asleep in the common room, his face buried in his History of Magic notes that night and woke up with parchment stuck to the side of his face and ink on his chin, the embers of the fire dying out. The clock told him that it was just a little after one and he yawned, rubbing his face. The last thing he remembered was telling Ron that he was just going to finish up his last paragraph. He yawned again and grimaced, which he still hadn't done.

He packed up his books and notes, stuffing them into his book bag and telling himself that he would finish the paragraph in the morning as he made his way upstairs. He stopped by his bed, listening for a moment as he had thought he heard voices, but when he was assured that it was only one of his roommates talking in their sleep, he changed into his pyjamas and fell face first into his four poster, putting his glasses on his nightstand, asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

Dean let out a slow breath as he turned to look at Seamus who was lying next to him in his own four poster. "I told you that we're going to get caught!"

Seamus grinned and continued his ministrations, making Dean's breath hitch as Seamus' hand gripped him tighter. "No one is going to catch us, Dean, relax — enjoy."

Dean stuttered as Seamus pumped him faster, pulling his pyjama pants down to give his friend better access. "We have to-to-to stop this, you-you have a girl-girlfriend."

Seamus used his other hand to fondle Dean's balls, rubbing and rolling them between his fingers, stroking the underside of his thick length and squeezing lightly as his other hand pumped him. Dean shoved his fist into his mouth as he came, spurting all over Seamus' hands and onto his belly.

Seamus sighed, cleaning them both up before he leaned back against the pillows. "Lavender let me kiss her breasts today."

Dean grinned at him, his breath heavy. "Yeah? Are they as brilliant as I imagined?"

"Rosy pink peaks and they tasted like strawberries. She even touched me through my pants."

Dean smirked. "Did you come?"

"Almost. I think after the holidays, I'll see if she'll touch my cock."

Dean stretched a bit, pulling his own pants back up. "If she ever finds out how much time you spend playing with my cock, she definitely won't touch yours."

He chuckled and licked his lips. "I'm just helping out my single friend. Once you work up the courage to ask out Parvati you won't need me and my hands anymore. I'm preparing you for when a girl touches you, so you won't embarrass yourself and come too early, you know?"

"Right," he said, smirking slightly.

Seamus turned into him, his hard length pressing against Dean's thigh. "I'll be quick. I just need…"

He only nodded as his friend began to grind against him. The feel of his friend's hard length, still in his pyjama bottoms grinding against his thigh made him shiver and he found himself staring at Seamus' slightly parted lips as he panted. Minutes later he felt the warmness against his leg as Seamus finished, sighing in relief. "Better?"

Seamus grinned. "Much. You still coming to stay with me over Christmas break?"

Dean nodded, watching as Seamus used his wand to clean both of them up. "Of course. Mum is going to stay with my aunt in Berlin anyway."

He tied his pyjama bottoms back up and carefully slipped out of Dean's bed. "Good. And Dean?"

"Yeah, Seam?"

"Nothing. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Seamus," he said as Seamus hurried back off into his own bed.

Dean rolled over, exhaustion taking over him and he drifted off to sleep.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus bolted upright, his heart beating wildly, sweat on his brow.** He felt Tonks shift next to him as he ran his hands over his face and climbed out of bed. The nightmares were getting more intense the longer the Dementors were near the castle. He was remembering the moment of Greyback attacking him and the pain of his early transformations; those moments of horror as his bones split and cracked and shifted, and he could feel the pain in his body as if he had truly just transformed.

He hurried into the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face; more relieved than he wanted to admit to see his face and not the face of the wolf in the mirror. He took a few deep calming breaths, trying to settle his racing heart and to convince his body that it had been psychological; that he didn't actually have physical pain. He splashed his face again, closing his eyes.

Tonks arms slipped around his waist from behind and her lips pressed against the centre of his back. "Breathe, baby," she whispered, kissing his spine. "Just breathe."

He knew that she could feel how erratic his heartbeat was between her breasts so he took slow deep breaths. Her hands slid over his abs, gently rubbing in a calming fashion, her cheek pressed against his back. Remus closed his eyes, breathing slowly and he felt himself calm down, inch by inch.

He turned around, his arms wrapped around her and he kissed her forehead. "I don't know what I would do without you."

Tonks smiled, sliding her hand down his bum to squeeze his naked cheeks. "Be miserable."

He smirked, eyebrow rising when her fingertip slid into him. "Naughty," he hissed, kissing her nose.

Tonks kissed his neck, his collarbone, his chest, her lips tracing every one of his scars tenderly. "It's been ages since we've been together. The Dementors don't exactly make us interested in that."

Remus smiled, sighing as her hand moved between his legs to fondle him. "It's been a week, Dora, does that qualify as ages?"

She smirked at him and squeezed lightly. "Ages," she said, rolling him in her hand.

Remus picked her up and carried her back into the bedroom, dropping her down onto the bed as she laughed, bending to take her nipple into his mouth, sucking through the cotton of the tee shirt she wore. "You've missed me," he said, tugging her knickers down with his hands and finding her ready for him. She whimpered when his finger found her and he smiled, bent his head and pleased her.

Tonks gripped his hair tightly, pushing his head closer as she cried out his name. Remus just held her thighs, his tongue lapping at her as he hummed happily and when she came, he kissed her thoroughly, lifting his head long enough to roll her over and then he slipped into her. She cried out, holding his hips as he rode her, sobbing in pleasure when she came again and he came with her, kissing the back of her neck as he did.

She moved to snuggle with him, both of them sweaty and happy. "I love you, Remus," she whispered, kissing him softly.

Remus smiled and kissed her back. "I love you too."

When he woke up in the morning, the bed next to him was cold and he stretched lazily, glancing at the clock. It was Sunday and he had nowhere pressing to be. He stood up, stretched again and took a quick shower before putting on sweatpants and a warm jumper. His little suite was empty and he frowned, wondering where Tonks had disappeared too.

He made himself a cup of tea and a bowl of oatmeal, which he ate standing up at the breakfast nook and then he took a seat on the sofa and pulled out the crossword. He had only written four words down when Tonks stepped out of the fire, dusting herself off.

She used a quick cleansing charm on herself and then curled up on the sofa next to him. "Hi, Professor."

Remus kissed her softly. "Where did you disappear to this morning?"

"I didn't have any clean clothes."

He smirked and kissed her again. "I like you naked."

She chuckled. "It's December, I need clothes."

Remus only shrugged. "Then I'm doing something wrong."

She grinned and crawled into his lap to straddle him, rocking against him. "Nothing wrong that I can see."

He grinned and held her hips in place. "I wanted to talk to you about this place anyway."

"Oh?"

He kneaded her hips gently as he spoke. "As a professor, this little suite is mine so that I can stay at Hogwarts to be closer to my students." When she nodded, he smiled. "But… I mean, with the Dementors here… it's been harder to stay here."

"I know, baby," she said, running her fingers through the soft golden brown hair at his temples. "The dreams have been bad and I'm sorry."

Remus shook his head, burying his face in her neck for a moment, inhaling her scent and taking comfort in the smell of her skin; the smell of his mate. "Commuting every day is not exactly a struggle. I would just have to Apparate into Hogsmeade every morning, a few stops in between sure, but it's completely doable or I'm sure Minerva might even let me connect my Floo here and… I miss my cottage, Dora."

"What are you saying, Rem?"

"I want to move back into my place in Wales. I don't want to stay here all year long."

She smiled and kissed him softly. "I like your place in Wales. We still have a few surfaces left to christen there."

He blushed as he remembered how he'd taken her against almost every wall in his house that summer, embarrassing Marauder, who had run off to hide. "Move in with me."

Tonks stared at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "What?"

He slipped his fingers into her short hair, smiling. "I love you and I want you to move in with me. You hardly ever stay at your flat anyway, paying rent on it is a waste. I'll let you have full control over everything, you can redecorate to your heart's content, just… be with me. Please."

Tonks smiled and kissed him deeply. "I like my little flat."

He frowned. "Well, you should keep it then for yourself. I mean, maybe you could stay there during the full moon but… at least move some of your stuff over. I have the room. The cottage is quaint, but decent sized, and it has a big yard. I want you to move in with me, Nymphadora."

She lifted the enchanted heartbeat from between her breasts and held it in her hand. "One condition, Remus."

He kissed her nose. "Anything."

She kissed him softly. "If I move in with you, I'm with you for all of it." His brow furrowed and she shook her head. "No more making me leave during the full moon. I will be there for you the entire time, in every way possible."

Remus shook his head. "Not when I've changed. I've told you, I don't want you seeing me like that. I could hurt you."

Tonks framed his face in her hands. "You would never hurt me." She kissed him deeply. "The next moon is just after Christmas, I'm going to be there," she held a finger to his lips when he made to protest. "I will be there and then afterwards, you can ask me again."

Remus wrapped his arms tightly around her and hugged her close. "I don't like this, Nymphadora."

She smiled and licked his ear. "I'm yours, Remus and you are mine. It's time you realize that means that all of you is mine." Her fingers danced along the nape of his neck, down his chest as she spoke. "Every," she said softly, fingers slipping beneath the waistband of his sweats "last", her hand slid inside, wrapping around him, "inch of you."

Remus hissed slightly as she tugged on him. "I'll think about it."

Tonks kissed his lips and smiled. "That's all that I ask."

And then she tugged his lips back to hers.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry came home for Christmas, he was so relieved to walk into his own home that he could literally feel his body sighing in relief.** He hugged Marauder tightly, feeling lighter already as he left the presence of the Dementors. Sirius had pulled out all of the Christmas decorations and was waiting rather impatiently to decorate, which made him laugh, but also pleased him. He loved that his father waited for him each year before decorating for Christmas.

They spent almost three hours decorating the house as Sirius blared The Beatles, ACDC, Queen, and surprisingly Abba through the record player and it felt like old times. He looked up when Zee stepped into the house, her arms full of baking tins.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt your decorating, but I wanted to drop these off before I left."

"You're not interrupting, Zee," Harry told her with a smile, hurrying over to accept the tins. "What did you bake?"

She shrugged. "A bit of this and a bit of that. They are full of cookies and danishes and tarts and fudge."

"Thanks," Harry said, taking the tins to carry into the kitchen.

Sirius pulled Zee into his arms and kissed her softly. "You're going away for two whole weeks?"

She smiled against his chest. "Yes. You and Harry are both welcome to come, you know."

"To St Petersburg with your family?"

Zee smiled and kissed him softly. "My parents want to see more of you and I know that they'd love to meet Harry."

Harry came out of the kitchen then and smiled at her. "Your parents want to meet me?"

"They do and I think my father wants to interrogate Sirius some more."

Sirius grimaced at that. "Hard pass."

Harry chuckled and slipped his hands into his jeans. "You could always invite them over to Andy's house. She loves people coming over for Christmas."

Zee smiled. "A little far to travel I'm afraid. This year we're spending Christmas in Russia."

Harry nodded. He had just assumed that Zee would be spending Christmas with them and he was surprised to feel disappointed that she wouldn't be. "Oh."

She glanced at the clock and smiled. "I have to go catch my portkey. But you boys have an amazing Christmas." She jolted in surprise when Harry hugged her and she reached up to kiss his cheek. "You take care of your father for me."

Harry grinned. "I will."

He watched as Sirius tugged her up against him and kissed her deeply, lingering on her lips. "You'll be back for New Years?"

She nodded. "A few days before, I promise." He kissed her again and she sighed into him, licking her lips when she pulled away. "Happy Christmas, my loves."

Sirius closed the front door behind her and sighed, slapping his hands together. "Alright, let's go find a tree."

Harry only stared at his godfather. "I thought that she was going to spend Christmas with us."

He smiled. "She has her own family and they live all the way in Russia. We'll see her on New Year's, probably a few days before."

Harry put his coat on, grabbed a toque and carefully adjusted his Gryffindor scarf around his neck against the bite of the cold. "I think I'd like to see her dad interrogate you."

Sirius draped an arm over Harry's shoulders. "Her parents loved me."

"Will I get to meet them one day?"

He looked down and smiled at Harry. "Definitely."

They went out to search for a Christmas tree, working in companionable silence and it was only as Harry used the saw to cut the tree down, it falling to the ground with an echoing bang that Sirius spoke.

"You've been kind of quiet since you came home."

Harry shrugged as he watched Sirius use his wand to tie and secure the tree before floating it ahead of them. "I'm just glad to be home."

"You haven't called me when you've had a bad dream."

Harry sighed and shrugged again as they approached the house. "I've been using the journal."

Sirius nodded, floating the tree into the house and quickly putting it into place by the front window in the living room. Harry took over the task of cleaning the tree and the surrounding floor before they started decorating in silence. Almost ten minutes had passed before Sirius spoke up again.

"Ginny really likes Na'eemah, eh?"

"Yeah, she does," Harry said. "She says talking to her has really helped her."

"Is that something that you'd want to do, Harry?"

Harry turned, his wand in his hand to stare at his father in surprise. "What?"

Sirius swallowed carefully, putting his wand in the holster of his pants and sighing as he stared at his son. "Thea told me that I should take you to see a Mind Healer years ago when I first brought you home from the arseholes who had you and I refused; I insisted that I was enough for you but… with everything that Uncle Remus and I have told you this past year, with the Chamber of Secrets and with Ginny and with Voldemort and with Pete's trial and now the Horcruxes and the prophecy and… would you… would you maybe want to speak to a Mind Healer? I can find you one that you would be comfortable with? Maybe they can help you with your nightmares. If I'm not enough anymore I can —"

Harry flung himself around Sirius, surprising him and cutting him off. "I have you. I don't need anyone else."

Sirius smiled, kissing the top of his head. "You do have me and I'm always here to listen but… is it enough, Prongslet?"

Harry nodded, hugging him tightly. "You're more than enough, Uncle Siri. I know you're always here to listen, but sometimes I just need to deal with my dreams on my own. I don't want you to worry."

"Worrying is my job," Sirius insisted, smiling now. "And I know that you're growing up and I know that you don't want me to sing you goodnight and check for monsters under the bed and tell me about every single thing you dream about and that's okay," he said, gently brushing his son's cheek with his thumb. "But I want you to know that if you do want that or even just need to talk for a second, it's what I'm here for."

Harry grinned up at him. "I know."

Sirius smiled, his eyes sad for a moment. "Sometimes, I look at you, and I wonder if I did enough. If I gave you the home that you deserved."

"Sometimes, even when I'm mad at you, I still know that you are the best dad in the world."

Sirius grinned and kissed his forehead. "You and I, we're a team, Prongslet. Always."

Harry hugged him tight, the happiness of being home; of being away from the Dementors and of being with his father taking away his worries and his fears - even if only for a moment.

He wouldn't change it for the world.

~ ASC ~

 **Draco was watching his parents closely when he returned home to Malfoy Manor for the holidays.** His mother seemed to be making an effort to pretend like everything was perfectly fine, but he could see that it wasn't. His father looked tense and would only relax when Narcissa touched him or wrapped an arm around him and then he would simply look at her, love in his gaze. He said as much to Theo who had come home with him for Christmas in his attempt to avoid his father.

"They're trying to pretend like everything is okay and I know perfectly well it isn't."

Theo sighed and smiled at his friend from where he was stretched out on Draco's bed. "You acting like a prat isn't going to make them tell you any time sooner. I told you, you should make nice with Potter. He probably knows more about the situation."

"What makes you think he knows?"

Theo rolled his eyes. "He's been way too calm. Plus, the whole thing with his biggest fear being Dementors? Blaise and I both agree that's like beyond anything. He's the bloody Boy Who Lived, how is he not more afraid of You Know Who? That tells me that he's more than aware of something that is going on and that they are watching out for it. After all, you said your mum went to Lord Black as soon as she realized that your grandfather was behind the break-out."

Draco nodded, moving to sit at the end of his bed. "That's probably true." He made a disgusted face. "I don't want to befriend Potter. He's such a… _Gryffindor._ "

"Ooh, the horror," Theo teased with a smirk. "And like you're such a saint yourself. Besides, you have said more than once that Monroe is totally lush and _she's_ a Gryffindor."

Draco smirked and shrugged. "Well, she is lush, but she's not Potter."

Theo smirked at him. "You know, if I didn't know you were straight, I might start to question if you fancied him for as much as you rant about him."

Draco glared at him. "I don't fucking fancy Potter, you prat!"

Theo grinned. "Aw, come on, Draco, you have to admit he's grown into quite the bloke this year. He shot up a few inches, has to be close to five eight, five nine. That black messy hair, those killer green eyes, and as someone who most definitely has been looking, he has a smashing bum that I'd love to just bite, I mean, have you seen him in his Quidditch uniform?"

Draco looked green. "I might vomit on you."

He laughed. "Well, it's pretty obvious the bloke has the hots for Chang anyway. The back of his neck turns a lovely shade of pink whenever she's nearby."

He glowered at his friend. "Can we stop talking about Potter and how not attractive he is? Or I'll make you go home for Christmas!"

Theo smirked. "No, you won't. You love having me around too much," he said cheekily, stretching his arms out behind his head. "Besides, having me here with you means you won't have to brood alone as you try to figure out what your grandfather is planning."

"What are you thinking, Theo?"

He simply grinned. "Do you remember that secret room of your grandfather's we found when we were ten? The one hidden past the dungeons?"

Draco's slow grin slid across his face. "Theo, I could kiss you!"

"Mate, I already told you, I'm not interested in your pale Adonis arse, but I know I'm pretty brilliant, so after your parents turn in tonight, let's go down there and see what we can find."

"Even if it turns up nothing, I'd feel better if we just looked. I bet Grandfather left something down there that we're not supposed to know about," Draco said with a wide grin.

Theo grinned. "The dark, dirty secrets of Abraxas Malfoy — can't wait."

~ ASC ~

 **Draco and Theo snuck downstairs into the hidden room behind the dungeons that night after Lucius and Narcissa had gone to bed.** Draco crept past the warding, easily slipping through by murmuring his grandfather's name and the portrait slid open to reveal the dusty room.

Theo whistled when he stepped in behind him. "It looks exactly the same. Are you sure that your grandfather has even been in here since we last snuck in?"

Draco glared at him. "Trust me, Theo, he was down here this summer. He had the rat locked in a cage on the desk."

Theo nodded and moved to the filing cabinet. "What are we looking for?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. Anything that can tell us where he is hiding the prisoners, what he's up to, and maybe why my mother is so scared of him?"

Theo nodded and turned back to the cabinet as he searched through the papers. Neither of them spoke as they searched and almost fifteen minutes had passed before Draco swore, making Theo turn to look at him.

"What?"

He shook his head as he held up the journal. "Listen to this: ' _The Dark Lord has claimed that his trophies must be safeguarded against all. Only a few of us have been rewarded with knowing of the trophies and no one knows the location of them except those the Dark Lord trusted with them. But I would bet my fortune that Bella hid hers in her Gringott's vault. She doesn't have any other safe place to hide it. And as for Selwyn, he went on a secret mission with the Dark Lord to hide one of them after the loss of Regulus Black. The foolish boy disappeared somewhere. The Dark Lord claims he's dead, and he would know, since he can trace all of us. The Dark Lord mentioned that the best place to hide anything is inside of Hogwarts, whatever that means. He went on to tell me that I need to bring my son to heel, that Lucius is too busy shagging his young wife to focus on what's important, to follow the mission_.'"

"What mission?" Theo asked.

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. The rest of the pages have been torn out."

"Maybe they were torn out so that two teenage boys snooping around didn't find something that they weren't supposed to see."

Both boys whirled around, eyes wide to see Lucius Malfoy standing there, arms crossed in front of him.

"Father! We were just —"

"What, Draco? I am dying to hear what excuse you have for being in your grandfather's office in the middle of the night without permission?"

"What was your mission, Father?"

Lucius let out a huff of annoyance. "What I do with my time is not your business. Theo, what do you think Thaddeus will say when I tell him you were snooping?"

"Please, Uncle Lucius, don't tell him. I'm sorry for snooping."

Draco only stared his father down. "Father, is it true? Are you in service to You Know Who? Is that what your tattoo means? Uncle Thad has the same one and I saw the same tattoo on Aunt Bella's arm."

Lucius sighed, letting out a slow breath. "Times were very different a decade ago, Draco and the choices I made... you don't need to know about them. You should not be trying to figure out what your grandfather is up to."

"He broke two prisoners out of Azkaban! He's a criminal. I deserve to know what that means!"

"Draco, it's not that simple."

Draco only crossed his arms in front of his chest. "It is that simple. Mother is scared and I want to know why! Is You Know Who back?"

"Draco, some things were set into motion many years ago and we always knew that one day the Dark Lord would return. But what you need to know about it is nothing until I deem it time to inform you."

"I'm not a child! What is going on?"

"A child you may not be, but a man wouldn't snoop around in another's man's things without permission," Lucius said sternly, making Draco flush under his disappointment. "You will not come snooping around again, am I understood?"

"But Father —"

" — Am I understood?" Lucius repeated, his voice cold and stern.

Draco nodded, swallowing slowly. "Yes, Sir."

"Good. Both of you, back to your rooms. I don't want to hear anything else on the subject."

Draco and Theo both nodded before they hurried back up the stairs to the main floor then up the grand staircase and back to Draco's room. When they closed the bedroom door behind them, Theo turned to look at his friend. "I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to suggest we go down there."

Draco shook his head, moving to sit on his large bed. "No, you were right to want to go down there. Father didn't deny it. He was a Death Eater."

Theo shrugged. "My father doesn't hide it. He still makes a point to explain his pride in it. Always pointed to his tattoo and told me about how much better the world would be if the Dark Lord had won the war."

"My father doesn't talk about it. He just says that sometimes our ideals lead us down the wrong path," he said softly, sighing. "Do you think the Dark Lord was really that great? I mean… the rest of the world seems to think that he was pretty bad and they celebrate his downfall? But our fathers… my grandfather… sometimes I don't know what to think."

"I don't know," Theo said honestly, moving to lie on the bed next to his friend. "He killed a lot of people, Draco. Father always says that only the purebloods are worthy to rule, to practice magic, and to make the laws to govern those who are lesser. What is it that Potter said to you last year, about the blood?"

"We all bleed red," Draco said softly. "Do you think that's true, honestly? Would a Muggleborn's blood truly be red and not mud coloured like Grandfather says?"

Theo was quiet for a long moment and when he spoke, it was almost a whisper. "I think bad things are coming, Draco, and I think your father is trying his best to protect you from them. Maybe it's better if we really don't know what is going on."

He just nodded. He had a terrible feeling that his friend was right and he wasn't sure he liked the thought of it.


	122. Chapter 122

_Author's Note:_

 _Note to reviewers who mentioned the Dementors — no they don't affect the castle itself, but they affect the grounds and anytime someone goes outside of the castle, they can feel that melancholy and darkness pushing at the boundaries; not enough to have a reaction from the Dementors, but enough to stir up memories and enough to have dreams when one closes their eyes at night._

 _I used the Fantastic Beasts book and liked the description of the zouwu when I wrote this; after I saw the film, I decided it's the cutest fucking thing in the world and was so happy that by coincidence I had chosen the same animal._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _Oh, and Happy Christmas! The fact that it's Christmas is a complete coincidence (just not that I waited to post until today — LOL)!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO:**

 **Harry was making a pot roast for the first time when Tonks stepped into the kitchen, breathing in the scent.**

She sniffed the air appreciatively. "It smells heavenly in here, Harry."

He grinned at her as he mashed the potatoes. "Thanks. I think I like cooking."

She took a seat at the table with a grin. "I think I like your cooking too."

He laughed as Sirius and Remus came into the kitchen. "Dinner's just about ready."

"Excellent!" Sirius exclaimed, clapping his hands together. He moved to set the table and helped Harry serve up the food. Once they were seated at the table, he smiled at his godson. "Prongslet, I've been meaning to ask… how's Snivellus been since we gave him our message?"

Harry smirked at them. "Seething."

Remus chuckled. "Padfoot, if you had seen his face that day. I don't think I've seen him that angry since Jamie hired a hairdresser before the Yule Ball in fifth year and had him show up at the school and request Snape for his appointment."

Sirius grinned. "Ah, memories."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, he was really mad, Uncle Padfoot. But the pranks were brilliant! Everyone loved them, and on top of it, your howler for Neville was so great."

"I am so proud of that kid, standing up to old Snivellus like that."

"Snape's been good though, honestly. I mean, he's been stewing, that's for sure, and we can see that he's mad - but he hasn't taken away house points for anything that was undeserving - and he's stopped picking on both me and Neville. Luna said he's stopped picking on the students in her class as well. He's just been teaching and it's been great."

Sirius looked pleased with this. "Excellent."

"Plus Ginny says Snape teaching Luna is actually the best thing ever to begin with because Luna is so insanely nice he doesn't know what to do with her. Apparently last week she decided to add butterfly wings to a potion instead of lacefly wings because the butterfly wings had a better energy and made the potion a more likeable colour. Ginny said she thought that Snape was going to have kittens," Harry told them with a grin. "He insisted she make the potion correctly for her own safety and not worry about the bad energy and she responded with something along the lines of Snape radiating a bad aura and that he should reduce the stress in his life and maybe take up yoga."

Sirius busted into laughter. "That is priceless! I love that girl."

Remus grinned. "Luna Lovegood is a delight to teach. She's very intelligent, but so carefree and everything is so matter of fact with her, I can never quite tell when she's joking."

"Luna's never joking which makes it so good," Harry told him. "She also told Snape not to worry about the mysterious pranksters and that she thought the pink curls did wonders for his complexion. He gave her detention and she thanked him for the opportunity to spend more time in his potions lab."

Sirius smirked. "Merlin, I love it! So he listened to us though? He's being well behaved."

"Yes, Uncle Sirius, he's been good. Just his usual miserable self which is fine, if he started giving out candy I would be worried."

Sirius nodded. "Good."

"Does he know it was you two? I mean, does he know that you guys are Padfoot and Moony?"

"Yes," Sirius said. "We used the names all the time when we were in school. Plus he found our map once when James dropped it when he was under the invisibility cloak. He managed to take it back, but Snape had already been insulted."

"Insulted?" Harry asked, looking at them bewilderment.

"Oh, yeah," Sirius said with a grin. "Didn't we ever tell you that it insults you when you don't know how to open it?"

"No," Harry said with a grin.

"Do you have it?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it was in my pocket when I came home."

"Go up and get it and Tonks can try it out."

Harry grinned and ran up to his room to find the jumper he had been wearing the day before. He pulled the map out of the pocket and hurried back downstairs and passed the piece of parchment to Tonks.

"Now what is this map you guys have been speaking of?" Tonks asked, accepting the blank parchment from Harry.

"I'll explain after, Tonks, try to get it to reveal itself first," Sirius said with a grin.

Tonks rolled her eyes and tugged her wand out, tapping the parchment. "Revelio!"

Cursive writing began to fill the parchment.

"Read it aloud," Remus instructed.

"Mr Moony congratulates you on your attempt, but thinks someone as sexy as you could do better." She turned to grin at Remus who blushed.

"Guess it's still connected to our magic."

"Keep reading," Sirius instructed.

"Mr Wormtail wonders why you bother even trying if you're going to use 'revelio' to find your answer. Mr Padfoot thanks you for your attempt but insists a smart-arse like you should prank better. Mr Prongs offers you his smile and says: Neener neener neener." Tonks smirked at them. "What is this?"

Remus tapped his wand on the parchment. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The maroon coloured lines flowed across the parchment and Tonks' eyes widened.

"This is Hogwarts!"

Harry grinned at her. "It's a map of the entire school and it's completely brilliant! They created it when they were at school."

"See, it says so right here, Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Remus said with a smile. "Filch confiscated it in our last month of seventh year and Fred and George Weasley stumbled across it."

Tonks grinned widely at Remus. "I wish I would have had this at school. Do you know how much fun I could have had?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "You had enough fun impersonating Snape and other professors!"

She grinned. "Did I ever tell you about the time I morphed into Snape and made out with a statue on a dare?"

Sirius busted into laughter. "No, did anyone see you?"

"Oh, yes, I made sure it was quite public. There were some interesting rumours after that."

Harry smirked at her. "That's brilliant!"

Remus handed the map back to Harry after closing it again. "Anyway, Snape does know it was us and he's well aware that he's being watched. Dumbledore and McGonagall have both spoken to him about his behaviour to the students. I'm glad to see that he's following through."

"If he doesn't, Prongslet, you tell me. I want to know and I will have words with him."

Harry nodded at his godfather. "Okay." He smiled at Tonks as he helped himself to some more of the pot roast. "Did you ever morph into Dumbledore?"

Tonks grinned at him. "Once. Dumbledore told me I did a good job, but next time he was going to put me to work. He was chill about it."

"Who else?"

Tonks laughed. "Professor Sprout once and I gave Hufflepuff permission to throw a massive party."

"Did it work?"

"For a while, until Sprout showed up and shut it down and found out 'she' had given permission. I spent a full month in detention, but it was worth it."

Remus smirked and squeezed her hand. "Troublemaker."

Tonks merely looked at him. "Me? Mr I Made My Own Map of Hogwarts to Prank and Cause Mischief?"

He blushed and kissed her cheek. "I have no idea what you're implying. So, Harry, what are having for dessert?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Tonks only smirked at him.

~ ASC ~

 **By the time Christmas Eve came, Harry was anxious to get started on their little family traditions.** They built a Quidditch pitch out of the gingerbread this year and Sirius enchanted the little pieces of cookie to fly around the pitch. When they were done, Sirius put on _Queen's A Night at The Opera_ as they cleaned up and made lunch.

Remus and Tonks showed up after lunch to join in on the snowball fight, Harry and Tonks against Remus and Sirius. They voted it to be a tie when the four of them were left lying in the snow, laughing and breathing heavy. They ate dinner and then the four of them curled up in the living room as Remus started to read _A Christmas Story._

Harry woke up early on Christmas morning, eagerly running down the stairs and turning on the wireless to listen to the Christmas music special and cranking up the sound. He put the kettle on for tea, grinning at Sirius who came into the kitchen.

"Happy Christmas!"

Sirius smirked and pushed his hand over Harry's face. "I remember when you slept late on Christmas."

Harry grinned at him, shoving his father's hand away. "Presents!"

Sirius laughed and nodded at the tree. "Go check out your stocking, Prongslet. I'll go wake Remus and tell him to get his arse down here."

Harry hurried into the living room and grabbed his stocking from the fireplace to explore the insides. Remus yawned as he stepped down the stairs ten minutes later, grinning at Harry who was munching on chocolate. "Happy Christmas."

"Where's Tonks?"

"She's spending Christmas morning with her parents," Remus told them with a smile. "We'll see her this afternoon for dinner."

The three of them exchanged gifts and Harry grinned as he opened up new clothes, a new bottle of cologne, new toiletries, chocolates and candies, and to his surprise some new posters for his treehouse. Sirius got him the newest team posters for Pride of Portree, the team that Harry supported in the Quidditch League.

He opened the next box and grinned when he recognized the blonde busty model for the Nimbus Broom Company riding the Nimbus 2001 in open Quidditch robes with a matching bikini underneath.

Sirius shrugged when Remus hit him. "I thought he could use some of his own posters."

Remus snorted. "That woman's boobs are practically hanging out of her top, Sirius! Like anyone would ride a broomstick dressed like that."

Harry only looked closer at the poster, blushing, and then he saw the muggle one beneath it of a woman wearing overalls and nothing else as she held a large drill in her hand, breasts spilling out the sides of her overalls provocatively. "Uncle Sirius, where did you even get these?" he asked, his ears red in embarrassment.

"I shop around." He winked at his son. "They're fun posters. I figured you could pin them up in the treehouse or in your room. Nothing wrong with pretty women hanging on your walls. Could maybe even bring a few to your dorm."

Remus only rolled his eyes. "Supplying masturbatory material is another thing altogether, Padfoot."

Sirius elbowed him. "I wasn't thinking of that, you prat! I just thought that he likes my posters, so I'd give him some of his own!"

Harry just grinned at the posters. "I like them and the Quidditch ones especially." He opened the new Quidditch Monthly magazine that Sirius had bought him a subscription to and saw the poster of Lexie Longhorn, Portree's newest Chaser. She was wearing her Quidditch robe, but it was open across a tight black dress showcasing her very attractive figure. Across the top it declared her the league's newest secret weapon. She had long dark brown hair and big brown eyes. Harry thought she was gorgeous and said as much to his fathers.

He opened some more Gryffindor decor for the treehouse, a few new novels to read, a wand holster from Tonks, as well as some new refills for his journal, and then Sirius smacked his hands together and grinned at him.

"We have one more gift for you, Prongslet."

Harry grinned at them. He had already gotten quite a lot for Christmas and he couldn't imagine what else they had gotten him. Sirius moved into the sunroom and came out carrying a long rectangular wooden case with a big red bow on it.

"This is from me, Uncle Rem, Tonks, and Zee. Happy Christmas, Harry," Sirius said as he placed the box down on the coffee table.

Harry grinned and carefully opened the lid and then his mouth dropped open. Nestled in the box on green velvet was a Firebolt. The sleek dark handle made of ash, treated with a diamond hard polish.

"YOU GUYS GOT ME A FIREBOLT?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Sirius shrugged, grinning widely. "Our star Seeker deserves the best broom in the world."

Harry was grinning so wide he thought his face would crack as he turned and threw himself into the arms of Sirius and Remus simultaneously knocking them backwards onto the sofa. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

Sirius laughed and hugged him tight, kissing his cheek. "You never asked for it, but I've watched you read every damn article you could find on it. I told myself I shouldn't spoil you, that a Nimbus 2001 is more than an acceptable broom, but you really do deserve it. You're an incredible flier, Harry, even better than Jamie was, and after all you've been through the last two years, if anyone deserves a Firebolt — its you. And I'll be damned if my son doesn't have his own broomstick!"

Harry carefully lifted the broomstick from the case and hugged it close to him. "I have to try it out!" He grabbed his coat and boots and was out the back door in less than a minute.

Sirius and Remus stepped outside just in time to watch him soar off into the air, howling in joy.

Harry couldn't believe the speed of it, the feel of it under his hands. It moved at the slightest touch as if it sensed what he wanted it to do. He did a few loops, a sloth-grip roll and practiced some dives. It was almost thirty minutes later before he finally landed when Sirius called out his name.

"This is the best broom ever!" Harry declared, grinning widely.

Sirius held his hand out with a smirk. "You going to let me try it out or what?"

Harry grinned and passed him the broom and watched the blur that was his father up in the sky above him before he landed a moment later. "Isn't it brilliant?"

Sirius grinned. "It's pretty great, but I prefer my motorbike."

Remus shook his head at both of them. "Speed demons, the both of you."

Harry hugged them both again. "Thank you! I can't believe I own a Firebolt!"

Sirius grinned and kissed the top of Harry's head and Remus kissed his temple. "Make us proud on that broom, Prongslet, and let's win that Quidditch Cup for Auntie Minnie this year."

"Definitely!" he declared.

Remus smiled as he watched his son carefully put his new broomstick back into the case as if it was made of precious glass. "All right, who wants breakfast?"

~ ASC ~

 **When McGonagall stepped into Black Cottage that afternoon for Christmas tea, Harry presented the box to her with the biggest grin on his face.**

"Auntie Minnie, look what I got for Christmas!"

McGonagall merely peered into the box and then her eyes widened. "Is that… a Firebolt?"

Harry nodded, grinning widely. "That Cup is ours this year!"

McGonagall stared at the broom, reaching down to touch it. "It's beautiful!"

Sirius grinned as he leaned against the doorjamb to the kitchen watching her. "My boy deserves the best."

They spent the next twenty minutes discussing the new broom and its many features including how the professional Quidditch teams were all going to be flying on them this season. Harry asked if maybe they could look into tickets for the World Cup this year since it was going to be in Britain, and Sirius only grinned at him and said they would see. Harry then hurried into the sunroom to get McGonagall's gift, which he and Sirius had put in there that morning to hide until she arrived.

"Minnie, Harry and I decided to get you a little something special this year."

"Sirius, I've told you a hundred times, gifts are not necessary."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh shush and accept it. It was my idea but Harry picked… well, you'll see."

Harry carefully carried the large box out and placed it on the coffee table in the living room. McGonagall stared at it in wonder for a moment before she untied the bow and lifted the sheet. Beneath the sheet was a large cage with a dark orange kitten with black stripes and a long red, feathered tail.

"You got me a cat?" she asked in surprise.

Sirius grinned at her. "You need a pet, Minnie, and a cat seemed appropriate considering the circumstances, but this isn't just any cat."

Harry beamed at her. "She's a special breed that comes from Asia. They're very intelligent and protective. She's part Kneazle, part tiger, and part Zouwu."

"Part… how big is she going to get?"

Harry chuckled. "About the size of a full grown tiger, maybe a bit smaller."

McGonagall's eyes widened. "Wow."

Sirius smiled. "She will guard you and love you and protect you."

"Sirius, Harry… I hardly need protection."

Sirius wrapped an arm across her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "Indulge me."

McGonagall smiled as she opened the cage and carefully lifted the tiny kitten into her arms. The kitten, no bigger than her hands at the moment, purred happily as she carefully placed her over her heart. "She's beautiful; other than the zouwu tail she looks just like a tiger. I've always wanted a kitten, but I always talked myself out of it… I mean, I can turn into a cat, what do I need a cat for?"

"To play with and to love," Harry said simply.

McGonagall chuckled, gently rubbing the top of the kitten's head. "She's beautiful, thank you both. Whatever am I going to name her?"

"Whatever you want," Sirius said. "Harry thinks that you should call her Mini McG, but I said you wouldn't go for it."

She laughed. "No." She stroked the kitten gently as she stared into her gold eyes. "Maybe… Nyx."

Sirius grinned. "Perfect."

McGonagall smiled at them as she stroked her new kitten. "Well, she's going to have quite the fun running around Hogwarts now isn't she?" She hugged both Harry and Sirius, grinning widely. "Foolish boys," she muttered, but she couldn't quite stop the smile from staying on her face.

~ ASC ~

 **Three days after Christmas, Harry was arguing with his father.** It was the first night of the full moon and Harry had already packed his bags to head to Remus' cottage and sleep in his room and he was surprised when Sirius said no.

"What do you mean, no? I always stay at Uncle Rem's during the full moon when I'm home from school! You two go down into the cellar and I stay upstairs. That's the way it's always been!"

Sirius sighed. "I know, Prongslet, but Tonks wants to be there for him tonight."

"So? She can be there too."

Sirius shook his head. "Uncle Remus asked Tonks to move in with him and she says that she won't do it until he lets her see him as the wolf. You know what Uncle Moony is like, Prongslet. He's stubborn and he's scared that he's going to hurt her. She is determined that he won't hurt her and is insisting on staying in the cellar all night."

"He won't hurt her! When he takes the potion, he's not dangerous."

"Well, that's not exactly true, Harry," Sirius said carefully. "Werewolves are very dangerous creatures, even Uncle Remus, and the potion dilutes that danger because he keeps his mind, he's aware of his surroundings in a way that he's not as the wolf. But, he _is_ the wolf and if something goes wrong or if something alerts the wolf to a danger of any kind, he's going to strike out. When he strikes out, that's the dangerous part."

Harry pouted, not even caring that he was too old for it. "He's never hurt me! He said I'm his pup."

"He feels protective over you and yes, you are his pup, but he is still very dangerous, Harry. That's why we make you stay upstairs. In my dog form, I can be around him safely. Even when he is tamed by the potion, if he were to scratch you or to bite you, it would be very bad. Uncle Moony is very scared for Tonks to be there tonight and to see what he looks like when he becomes the wolf," Sirius explained. "He would feel better if he didn't have to worry about you too."

Harry sighed. "But maybe I could help Tonks! Tell her that he's all right!"

"Harry, I'm sorry, but Uncle Rem wants you to stay away tonight. It's a lot of stress for him to handle as it is. Just stay home," he insisted. "Auntie Minnie says that she'll come by and stay with you."

Harry glowered at that. "I don't need a bloody babysitter!"

"She wouldn't be a babysitter, Harry. It's just that you'd be alone in the house."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm thirteen! I can stay home alone for one night!"

Sirius stared at him. "Harry, it's overnight, not a few hours, so no, you cannot."

"I have Marauder. The house is under every protection imaginable! I'd be fine."

Sirius sighed. "I know this house is safe, but the fact remains that you are not old enough to stay home alone all night."

"I won't be alone, Marauder will be here."

Sirius let out a slow breath. "Harry, Marauder is a wonderful dog, but he is a dog. Now either Auntie Minnie comes over tonight or you go to The Burrow or to Andy and Ted's. You're not staying here alone."

Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest. "If you send Auntie Minnie here, I'll just Floo to Uncle Rem's after the moon rises."

"Uncle Moony doesn't want you there tonight!"

He shrugged. "And I don't want a bloody babysitter!"

Sirius glared at him. "We will talk about this again before I leave tonight."

"I'll be fine alone!"

"Do not argue with me on this," Sirius insisted, his eyes flashing in anger. "I am not fucking leaving you alone in this house and that's final."

Harry simply glared at him and stormed upstairs.

Sirius ran his hands through his hair and let out a long sigh. Teenagers, he thought; his boy was going to give him grey hair.


	123. Chapter 123

_Author's Note:_

 _I really wanted to give them some bonding time and I thought what if she was there for him when Sirius couldn't be? Let me know what you think. I've also really been wanting to add this in since Tonks told Remus that she wanted to be there for all of him._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE:**

 **"Harry, I have to get going," Sirius called up the stairs three hours later.** Harry had stubbornly stayed upstairs in his room that afternoon after their argument.

Harry sighed as he came to stand at the top of the stairs, crossing his arms in front of his chest defiantly. "Tonks gets to be there this time, why can't I?"

"We've already talked about this, Prongslet. Uncle Remus is nervous enough for that fact, so you will stay here and stay out of trouble. Kreacher will pop in around ten to check up on you."

"You're sending a bloody house elf to check up on me?"

"Hey, I've ceded having an actual babysitter here with you, so yes, I am sending a bloody house elf to check up on you."

Harry rolled his eyes. "But the potion makes —"

" — Prongslet, we already talked about this. You are to stay here with Kreacher. Understood?"

Harry sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest again. "I don't need a house elf to babysit me!"

Sirius only stared at him. "Tough. Kreacher will just be around to keep the house safe. And I already told him that if you go to Uncle Remus' he will bring you right back here." Harry's eyes flashed in annoyance at that. "Harry, there's still leftover soup in the fridge from last night if you get hungry. Finish up your homework. I'll be back just after dawn. This conversation is over."

Harry watched Sirius step into the fireplace to head to Remus' cottage and he huffed in annoyance. It wasn't fair that he was sending Kreacher to check up on him. He always went to Remus' and stayed the nights on the full moon; he liked to be there, knowing that Sirius was helping Remus stay calm and deal with the horror that he was undergoing. He knew that staying in his bedroom or the living room didn't help much, but he felt like he was doing something; he felt like he was helping Remus by being there in the house. He was there in the morning and he helped make breakfast and he'd help Remus bandage up any cuts he had received during the night.

It was stupid to be upset, but he _wanted_ to be there. He knew that the first time Tonks experienced Remus' transformation was going to be hard on her. He could help her deal with that.

He kicked the wall stubbornly, but that did nothing but make his foot hurt so he headed downstairs into the kitchen to heat up the potato soup from the night before. He was eating in the kitchen by himself when the front door opened.

"Hello? Sirius? Harry?"

Harry jumped to his feet and hurried out of the kitchen. "Hi Zee!"

Zee smiled brightly at him. "Hi! How was your Christmas?"

"Good," he said with a grin. "Did you just get back?"

"Literally," she said with a laugh. "I put my luggage in my cottage and came over." She took off her boots and followed him into the kitchen where he was eating his soup. "Dinner?"

He nodded. "Leftovers. Uncle Siri's not here."

"Oh," she said in surprise as he finished his soup and put the dishes in the sink.

She stood up as he started to wash the dishes. "Here, let me help you with those."

Harry shrugged. "It's okay. The rule is whoever cooks doesn't have to clean, but I just heated up the one bowl."

"Sounds like a pretty great rule."

He smirked as he filled the sink up with soapy water. "Uncle Siri says that he regrets letting you teach me how to cook because I've somehow mastered the art of using every dish and pan we have in one sitting. He really hates doing dishes."

Zee chuckled and grabbed the dish towel to dry. "I know, he's rather adorable when he complains about it, but he always does them anyway. How was your Christmas?"

"Brilliant," he said with a smile, turning to hug her. "Thanks for my new broom! It's incredible!"

She smiled and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're welcome. Sirius picked it out, obviously, but I wanted to chip in. You are an incredible flier and you deserve something amazing to work with. I can't wait to see you at your next match."

He beamed at her. They worked in companionable silence for a bit and Zee carefully put the rest of the soup in the ice box for leftovers. She dried her hands and smiled. "Well, I guess I should get back home then. I came straight over here, didn't even unpack."

Harry shrugged, his hands going into his pockets in a very Sirius gesture that made her smile. "You don't have to go, I mean, if you don't want to. You could stay for a bit."

"I'd like that," she told him honestly. "I'm still a little wired from the portkey actually."

"We redecorated my treehouse yesterday, want to see?"

"I'd love too," she said as they both dressed warmly and she followed Harry out to the back and up to the treehouse.

She had only been inside the treehouse once when Sirius had shown it to her. They'd shared a passionate snog by the pirate's wheel, she remembered. Now the fairy lights inside lit up almost a brand new room. The hammock had been replaced with a red and gold one, red and gold pillows inside of it. A large Gryffindor banner covered one wall followed by posters of the players from Pride of Portree. There were now quite a few posters of broomsticks as well and Zee noticed a few posters of females modelling the new brooms as well as some pin-up girls including the muggle classics like Betty Gable and Marilyn Monroe as well as another Muggle one of a woman holding a drill in overalls and nothing else and the recent Miss PlayWizard in a red bikini lying on a magic carpet. Quidditch statistics hung next to the poster of the Muggle woman in overalls and the male players from the Pride of Portree poster kept making kissing faces at the poster of Lexie Longhorn, Pride of Portree's newest Chaser and voted Wizard Weekly's Sexiest Woman Alive.

"I see your taste is turning into your father's a bit."

Harry blushed. "Uncle Sirius gave them to me for Christmas. Except the one of… Lexie Longhorn, I er, I found that one on my own."

Zee smirked at him. "I used to have a huge poster of John Lennon in my room. I had the biggest crush on him. My cousin, the one who is the sculptor, used to tease me for making kissing faces at him and don't even get me started on my love of David Bowie and Stubby Boardman."

Harry grinned at her. "We also did this." He said, showing her the chalkboard wall. "Uncle Sirius says that I can use it to record my thoughts or something, but I think it's fun." He pointed to the wall on the cork-board in the corner. "And here we hung up our pictures from our road trip."

Zee laughed as she looked at the thirty odd pictures hanging haphazardly across the board of Sirius and Harry making stupid faces in front of national landmarks. They looked like they were having an amazing time. "Sirius told me how great that trip was. You both look like you're having a good time in the photos."

"It was the best," he told her with a smile. "You should have seen Auntie Minnie's face when Uncle Sirius gave her the picture board and she saw us making all of these faces at her. She said that she put it up in her kitchen."

She grinned. "It looks great in here. Much more like a man's cave instead of the playhouse of a boy." She smiled at the photos of Harry and Remus, and Harry and his friends, and of Marauder scattered around the walls as well.

Harry shrugged. "I like it."

He led her back out of the treehouse and back into the house, plopping down onto the couch, petting Marauder who rested his head into Harry's lap looking for attention. Zee smiled and took a seat in the armchair.

"So where is Sirius tonight?"

Harry shrugged. "He had to go to Uncle Rem's for the night."

Zee's eyebrow rose. "And he left you alone?"

Harry glowered at her. "I'm thirteen. I don't need a babysitter! Besides, Uncle Padfoot has every ward imaginable on this place and it's only for a few hours! Plus, he said he's sending Kreacher over to check up on me at some point. I don't know what he's so worried about."

She nodded. "I didn't mean that you aren't old enough to be on your own only that Sirius is a tad overprotective and I'm surprised that he left you alone, but if he has Kreacher checking up on you, that makes more sense."

He shrugged, his fingers running through Marauder's fur in contentment. "I told him that I would be fine, but he wouldn't listen to me. He said that I'm not old enough even though I am." He rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance. "So, what did you do in Russia?"

Zee smiled at his annoyance and she sympathized with him. She knew that Sirius often was a bit overprotective over his son, but she also agreed with her boyfriend, thirteen was much too young to be left home alone all night. Telling Harry that however was bound to only make him angrier so she voted on keeping that quiet. Having Kreacher pop by later on was probably a wise choice. The elf would make himself scarce while still keeping a close eye on Harry.

"Well, I celebrated Christmas with my family; technically they don't celebrate until the first week of January where we celebrate something called 'Little Christmas', but this was when my vacation time was so that's when I home to celebrate with them. My father's family lives in St Petersburg and we always have a big Christmas dinner with lots of food and drink and we talk late into the night and sometimes we play Poker. Baba always wins. She's sneaky."

He smiled. "I've never had grandparents before."

"My mum died when I was young and when my dad remarried, I was lucky enough to gain another set of grandparents. I have more grandparents than I know what to do with. I love them to pieces though and I know they love me too. Though my one grandfather thinks that my job is too dangerous for a woman."

"Why?"

She smiled. "He's old fashioned. He thinks women should be at home, married, barefoot and pregnant. But then when I do something admirable he always smiles and says, I'm his adventure girl."

"Uncle Sirius says that one day I'll get to meet your family. Will I?"

Zee smiled at that. "Well, my parents live in Russia most of the year as my father works out there, but they usually come and stay in Scotland for a month or two in April and May. If you want, you can meet them then."

"I'd like that," Harry told her. "You make Uncle Sirius really happy."

"He makes me really happy too and I'm really happy that you don't seem to mind me hanging around so much."

Harry shrugged. "You're nice and you cook really good food."

Zee laughed. "Through the stomach my grandma always said."

Harry wasn't sure what she meant by that so he only shrugged. "I think I'm going to finish up my homework now. I still have two essays to finish before I go back to school and Uncle Sirius told me that I had to do my homework while he was gone."

Zee nodded, standing up. "Of course." She grabbed her coat and slipped it on, hesitating on her way to the door before she shook her head as if deciding something and she turned to smile at him as she put on her boots. "Harry, why don't I head home and unpack and you can work on your homework, but then I'll come back in about two hours and we can watch some movies together? I've been craving a good _Back to the Future_ marathon and I'd love to have someone to watch it with?"

Harry beamed at her. "All right, that sounds brilliant!"

"Good. I'll be back around eight. Good luck on those essays in the meantime."

He grinned as she took off. The movie marathon sounded way better than his homework he thought as he bitterly opened his History of Magic textbook in the meantime.

~ ASC ~

 **Tonks was staring at Remus while he drank the potion, her eyes on Sirius who was drumming his fingers on his friend's kitchen table that evening.**

"I don't want you here, Dora," Remus said for the umpteenth time that day.

Tonks rolled her eyes. "I don't care. We've talked about this until you've been blue in the face. You asked me to move in with you, Remus, and this is a part of you. I want to be here. I _need_ to be here."

Remus shook his head as he unbuttoned his shirt and draped it over the back of the kitchen chair. "Sirius, make her leave. Now." He turned and headed down the stairs into the cellar.

Sirius gave her an apologetic look. "He's stubborn, you already know this."

"I want to be here with him when he transforms, I want to help him."

"You can't really do much, Tonks. I'm here and as a dog, in my animal form, I can comfort him. The potion helps a lot, it keeps him calm, it keeps him as himself to a great extent as he is more aware of everything, but he's still the wolf and he's still very dangerous."

"Harry has been here," she insisted bitterly.

"And Moony reamed me out for that, don't you worry. But he protected Harry, like his pup and he… the potion keeps him safe, but he is still the wolf; still has his claws and his teeth and if anyone angers him he will strike out," Sirius told her. "He is still a werewolf, Tonks. He lets Harry stay now, but never in the cellar. The rule is that Harry sleeps in the guest room while he and I are locked in the cellar. I already had it out with Harry tonight over not coming, please don't start with me too."

Tonks sighed. "I want him to know that I love all of him, Sirius, even the part of him that he still considers a monster. I'm not staying in our bedroom and hiding from him."

Sirius sighed. "A stunning spell will slow him down, but not much. Stay by the door; get your look and then get the hell out and lock the cellar door behind you."

Tonks only nodded and followed Sirius down the stairs into the cellar. She watched as Sirius transformed into a dog and Remus sat completely naked on the floor, his long legs stretched out in front of him as he leaned his back against the wall, his eyes closed. The walls around him were stone and she winced at the scratch marks that aligned the walls; chunks of wood were missing from the chair and the small cot in the corner was torn apart. It broke her heart to see him in such a terrible place. The moment she stepped into the room, she had felt his heartbeat speed up. He knew she was there, but he refused to open his eyes and look at her.

She sat down on the bottom step, folding her hands in her lap and fighting the urge to go lay with her mate, to hold him in her arms. He sat naked on the stone floor, eyes stubbornly closed, arms crossed in front of his chest. The change seemed to come swiftly and the whimper Remus made shot a dagger straight through her heart. He sounded like a wounded animal and the increase in his heartbeat against her breast hurt her now that she could physically see why his heartbeat had increased — he was in pain. She watched as Sirius trudged over and Remus' arm went out, hugging the dog to his side.

His body seemed to split; hair sprung up on his legs and arms, across his chest and back in a dark gold, glinting silver in parts. She could hear the sounds of his bones breaking and she bit her tongue to stop herself from calling out to him as his body shifted, it changed into that of the wolf. His face elongated, those sharp teeth slid from his mouth and his long tongue slipped outside of his snout. He fell to his knees, his hands and feet changing into massive paws and his body shifting to the large canine form. She watched as he sniffed the air and then those golden eyes, the ones that she loved to lose herself in, turned on her and they glinted.

Tonks swallowed slowly. He was dangerous in this form, she knew that, but she was too scared to move as he prowled towards her. Every move he made was predatory, determined and she could feel the steady heartbeat between her breasts beating slowly and rapidly at the same time — and she suddenly knew without a doubt that he wouldn't hurt her. She held her hand out cautiously as Sirius growled at her, warning her to step back.

"It's me, Remus, it's me, baby. It's your mate," she whispered softly. At the word mate, his eyes darkened and he moved closer to her.

His snout pressed against her hand and she held her breath as his hot breath moved over her skin, sniffing her. He pushed forward, the wolf pushing at her chest, whimpering as he kneaded at her breasts as if desperate for something. Tonks carefully slid her hands down and unbuttoned her shirt, spreading it open over her heart. She didn't care that Sirius was in the room; she didn't care that she wore nothing under the blouse. Her gaze was locked on the golden eyes of her mate who's eyes left hers to find the scar over her breast from where he had marked her. The wolf stared at the mark and his tongue licked it and then he howled, loud and long; then he placed his head in her lap and closed his eyes.

Tonks' heart was beating quickly in her chest as she carefully placed a hand on the head of the wolf, her fingers in the soft fur, the mark on her breast tingling from his touch. She pet him softly and he seemed to sigh in contentment. She kept her hand on his head, petting the wolf until the dawn.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry had finished one essay and most of the second by the time Zee came back with the three _Back to the Future_ movies. ** She let Harry set them up in the living room, laughing as he told her about how Sirius had set up this new surround sound system the day after Christmas and had been using it to blast vinyl throughout the whole house. It had taken him almost four hours to connect it, putting speakers in every corner of the living room and then blaring the music as soon as Remus had fallen asleep on the couch. He told her how Remus had jolted awake so quickly that he had fallen off the sofa and Sirius had laughed himself silly.

She made them popcorn and poured them each a large fizzy drink before they sat on the sofa, Marauder lying both between them and half on them, and they watched the movies. Zee commented on how nice the surround sound was and that Sirius had done a good job, even if it had taken him a ridiculously long time to set it all up. Harry laughed at Doc and they spoke about the wicked car. By the time the third movie ended, Harry had fallen asleep on the couch.

Zee smiled at him and reached over to gently tug his glasses off, putting them on the table. She wrapped him up in the thick blanket and gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. He looked so sweet and young when he was sleeping and not the gangly teenager that he was.

She put the movies away and headed into the kitchen, glancing up at the clock. It was already after one in the morning. She knew that Harry was all right to be alone, but she felt strange leaving him with only an elf. She nodded at Kreacher who had appeared a few hours earlier and was cleaning up the kitchen. She smiled at the house elf.

"I know Sirius asked you to come, Kreacher, but you can go now. I've got it from here."

"Master Sirius says Kreacher must stay with the young Master until he returns."

"I will stay with Harry, Kreacher."

Kreacher stared at her for a long moment. "You are Master Sirius' lady. Kreacher will do as you say."

And he snapped his fingers and vanished into the air.

She headed outside and whistled loudly for Lady Godiva and within a few moments, her panther pranced across the lawn and into the house.

She pet her gently, rubbing her between her ears and smiled. "We're going to stay here tonight, Lady G," she whispered. "We don't want to leave our boy alone, do we?"

Lady Godiva glanced at Marauder who was snuggled up to Harry and she merely looked back at Zee and then carefully lay herself next to the sofa in front of Harry as if she was guarding him. Zee smiled and made her way upstairs. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, slipping into one of Sirius' jumpers and a pair of his sweats, rolling them up at the ankles. She grabbed the duvet from his bed, then the duvet from Harry's and made her way back down the stairs. She wrapped Harry up in the duvet from his bed, putting the other blanket back across the back of the sofa.

She turned out all of the lights, made sure the doors were locked and then she curled up in the big armchair, the duvet from Sirius' bed wrapped around her and she ducked down for the night.

The distress sounds that woke her less than an hour later had her heart jumping into her throat. She turned automatically, reaching for Sirius in an attempt to comfort him before she realized where she was and that it wasn't Sirius making the sounds. She jumped from the chair to where Marauder was head-butting Harry in an attempt to wake him and Lady Godiva had placed her paws on the couch to check on him as well as he groaned in his sleep.

"No, no, please, not Ginny… no!"

"Shh," Zee said, moving to sit on the couch next to him and pushing Marauder out of the way. "Shh, Ginny's safe, darling, she's safe. You saved her. It's all over. You are both safe now." She pulled him into her arms, burying his face in her shoulder, crooning words of comfort to him.

Harry's breath hitched and the tears came and he clung to Zee tightly as he sobbed. She continued to murmur words of comfort to him, her fingers running through his hair as she held him. When he finally managed to compose himself, he pulled away from her.

"I'm-I'm sorry."

Zee smiled and gently ran a finger down the side of his cheek. "Never be sorry, darling, nightmares happen to the very best of us."

He glanced around, realizing that he was still in the living room. "Did you… did you stay?"

She smiled, still running her fingers through his hair. "You fell asleep about halfway through the third movie. I know you don't need a babysitter, Harry, but I didn't want you to be here all alone anyway."

Harry nodded and wiped furiously at his eyes, grabbing his glasses from the table and standing up. "Sometimes… sometimes the nightmares are more real than… I'm sorry to have woken you. You can head home now. I don't need you to stay with me."

"You're just like him." At Harry's raised brow, she smiled. "You're just like your father. He does the same thing, tries to push me off when he has a nightmare. There's nothing to be ashamed about. I'm only here to comfort you if you wish it. Nothing more."

Harry stared at her for a moment and then nodded. "I don't like to make people worry. I'm not ashamed of my nightmare."

She nodded as Lady Godiva settled herself back on the ground and Marauder lay next to her, both of them with their eyes on Harry. "I know that I'm a poor replacement for Sirius and Remus, but if you need to talk, I was in that Chamber last month, I have some idea of what happened down there."

Harry sat on the coffee table, holding his head in his hands. "Sometimes… sometimes I just dream about… when I find Ginny, she's already dead and I'm too late… and Voldemort comes back and… the prophecy and… I'm always too late and everyone is… dead… and it's my fault."

Zee reached a hand out to him and he let her pull him forward into her arms again, cradling him against her like a child. She ran her fingers through his hair and pressed a kiss to his temple. "You saved her. You are a bonafide hero, Harry Potter."

Harry's hands fisted in the back of the large jumper she wore that smelt like Sirius but still smelt like Zee too, and the combination made him feel oddly safe and loved and he smiled.

Zee kissed his cheek and smiled at him. "Well, I don't know about you, but I think I'd like to watch the end of that movie. What do you say?"

He grinned cheekily at her. "Is there anymore popcorn?"

Zee ruffled his hair, kissing his cheek before she jumped to her feet. "I'm sure we can scrounge some up!"

She was halfway to the kitchen when he called her name and she turned to smile at him.

"Thanks for staying with me tonight."

Zee smiled brightly at him, her heart bubbling with happiness. "It was my pleasure, Harry."

~ ASC ~

 **As the sun came up the next morning, the wolf's body began to change back.** Tonks could hear the snapping of the bones again and she winced, her hand still on his head, cupping the chin of the wolf as it changed into her mate kneeling before her. She ran her thumb over the rough stubble on his chin and bent her head to kiss him softly.

Remus opened his eyes when her lips touched his and he sighed into her. "Nymphadora," he whispered.

Sirius smiled when he changed back into himself. "Well, I'll leave you two to talk then." He trudged up the stairs, closing the door to the cellar behind him.

Remus seemed to come back to himself and he jolted, wincing at the pain that shot up the back of his legs as he moved to stand. "You shouldn't have stayed."

Tonks stood up, her own muscles stiff from sitting on the stairs and holding the wolf all night as she followed him across the cellar and pulled his pants from his hands. "You knew me. I comforted you."

Remus' golden eyes stared at her, his eyes moving down to where her blouse was open. "What else did I do?"

She smiled and traced the mark on her breast with her finger. "You wanted to see the mark. I showed it to you and the wolf… touched it and you calmed right down. You slept in my arms, Remus."

At the words 'see the mark,' Remus felt himself growing hard. His eyes on the bite mark on her breast and he found the urge to mate with her was stronger than ever.

Tonks simply smirked at him. "I think the wolf wants me now, doesn't he, Rem?" She asked seductively, pushing him back against the wall and fondling him. "You want to claim me; you want me to make you mine?" She bit down on his neck slightly and he groaned. She smiled at him, licking her lips and stepped out of her jeans and knickers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "Lift me."

He did and she took him inside of her, both of them groaning as he entered her. She held onto his shoulders, one hand holding the wall, and she rode him slow and steady, her eyes never leaving his as they both went over the edge, sighing in pleasure.

Remus tugged her down to the ground with him, covering her face in kisses. "I love you."

Tonks kissed him deeply and grinned mischievously as she reached up to touch the shackles on the wall. "Maybe next time we can use these."

Remus blushed deeply and she laughed, oddly touched by his utter embarrassment.

"Remus?"

"Hmm," he asked, nuzzling her neck in contentment as he burrowed closer, burying himself deeper inside of her as she sighed in pleasure.

"If that offer is still open, I'd love to move in with you."

Remus smiled down at her, his golden eyes staring at her with such intensity as his heartbeat pulsed between her breasts. He bent his head and his tongue trailed along the underside of her breast, along the mark and he kissed it gently. "I love you, Nymphadora."

"I love you more," she whispered as he brought her over the edge once more and she held on, desperate to touch him and to keep him close, where he always belonged.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius rubbed his tired eyes as he unlocked the front door to Black Cottage and let himself inside.** He stifled a yawn, smiling when Marauder came over to greet him, rubbing the dog behind the ears. "Good boy," he whispered, "Did you keep Prongslet company all night, good boy."

Marauder burrowed closer to him, eager for affection and Sirius pat him gingerly on the head, kicking off his shoes as he called Kreacher to him.

"How was he?"

"Kreacher did not stay. Master Sirius' lady said she would stay."

"What?" Sirius asked in surprise as his gaze zeroed in on Zee, stretched out across the armchair, his duvet burrowed around her, her mess of caramel curls hanging over the back of the chair. "Go back to Grimmauld Place, Kreacher, thank you."

The elf vanished and he smiled at the image of 'his lady' curled up and walked over to her, bending his head to kiss her forehead and then he realized that Harry was stretched out across the sofa, glasses on the table next to an empty bowl of popcorn kernels with Lady Godiva sleeping in front of the couch as if keeping watch.

Sirius stared at the two of them, his heart quite literally swamped with love. He tenderly brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes and kissed his forehead. He stood up, pulled his jumper over his head and tugged his tee shirt down in its attempts to ride up and then he lifted his son's legs to plop himself onto the couch, putting Harry's legs on his lap. He pulled the duvet close to him and punched one of the throw pillows into position next to his head and was asleep in minutes.

Harry shifted uncomfortably when he felt Marauder jump back up onto him, "Off Marauder," he said sleepily, pushing the dog, he rolled over a bit, shifting and found his face buried in the sofa cushions. He let out a grunt and sat up, blinking owlishly. He recognized the blurry image of Sirius on the other end of the couch, felt comforted by it and he tugged the duvet to his chin, shifting slightly before he went back to sleep, dog curled at his back.

Sirius woke up less than three hours later to the smell of bacon. He rubbed a hand over his face, grinning at the sight of boy and dog snuggled on the sofa. He carefully extricated himself from the couch, wrapped Harry up a bit tighter and bent to kiss him. He was so innocent and young looking when he was asleep and his heart ached for the little boy that used to want to sit on his lap and ask for slooches. He kissed him again because Harry was asleep and he could and then he snapped his fingers at Marauder who jumped down, shaking his fur and followed Sirius into the kitchen. Lady Godiva was still stretched out next to the couch as if keeping watch. He let Marauder outside and then grinned at the image of Zee at the counter frying up bacon and sausage and scrambling eggs, in sweatpants rolled at the ankles and his favourite worn jumper.

He slipped his arms around her waist, kissing her ear and her neck. "How do you look so fucking incredible all of the time?"

She laughed and tilted her head to the side so that he could kiss her neck some more. "With flattery like that, I'll give you all the extra bacon you want."

He smirked and blew a raspberry on her neck and she laughed. "When did you get back?"

"Last night. I came straight over."

"You stayed the whole night with him?"

Zee shrugged, smiling as he held her in his arms, swaying gently too and fro while she continued to fry the meat and scramble the eggs. "Harry and I had a movie marathon and he did some of his homework. I didn't really feel like being alone and since you had run off all mysterious like, I thought we could keep each other company."

"Sometimes my wife needs attention, Zee and my kids… I mean, I'm a wanted man."

She snorted and elbowed him. "I already know Remus is your wife, you prat."

Sirius grinned and kissed her ear. "Thank you. You didn't have to stay with him last night, but… thank you. I didn't really want to leave him alone, but I'm trying this whole 'he's not a little boy anymore so I should trust him just a bit' parenting attitude."

"And how's that working out for you?"

Sirius blew his hair out of his eyes and grinned, his arms still wrapped tightly around her waist. "Well, I don't have him wrapped in a bubble yet so bully for me. I mean, this school year has been pretty easy going for him, outside of the Dementors, but with these Horcruxes and trying to figure out what the next step is, I just… sometimes I want to just hold him in my arms and never let go."

Zee carefully put the scrambled eggs onto three plates along with the bacon and sausage before she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes and kissed him deeply. "You are a wonderful father, Sirius Black and Harry is very lucky to have someone as amazing as you loving him. But you do have to let him grow up. Even when it's scary and terrifying and the thought makes you want to throw up at not being able to protect him all of the time, you still have to do it. But, he's thirteen, not quite a boy, but not quite a man, and right now, you can still hold him close, but you have to learn to let go as well."

Sirius kissed her, his hands sliding up her back to play with her messy curls, his lips on hers, his tongue meeting hers. He pushed her back up against the counter, lifting her hips to hold her up as he kissed her, hard and soft, long and deep as she sighed against him happily.

"Can you two at least snog in a room where the bacon isn't?" Harry said, snatching the plate from behind the snogging couple with a grin. "I'd like to keep my appetite, thanks."

Sirius smirked and cuffed Harry lightly across the head making his son grin. "Brat."

Harry munched on the bacon and grinned at Zee. "Thanks for breakfast." He moved to the table to sit down and eat and Sirius and Zee followed him to do the same, plates in hand. Once they were both seated, Harry looked at Sirius. "How's Uncle Rem?"

Sirius shrugged. "He's good. He had an interesting night to say the least." At Harry's raised brow, he sighed. "He slept in Tonks' arms."

"Wow, really?"

Sirius nodded. "I can't imagine he's going to take it well this morning, but we'll see."

Zee only watched the two of them. "Does Remus not normally sleep in Tonks' arms? I'm very confused here."

Sirius sighed. "It's not my secret to share, Zahira."

She nodded and stabbed her eggs. "If you mean the fact that he's a werewolf, I've known that for ages."

Harry grinned. "She's smarter than she lets on."

"I am a Magizoologist," she said with a smile. "And while werewolves are not magical creatures per se, I did notice the signs, not to mention the fact that my very attractive boyfriend tends to take three nights a month around the full moon to hang out with Remus. Once I found out about the Animagus thing, it all clicked into place."

"Yes, well, he takes the Wolfsbane Potion, the Potions Professor at Hogwarts brews it for him, and it keeps him calm, tame almost as if he can be himself mostly, but still he's the wolf. Tonks insisted on staying with him. She wanted to see him as the wolf because she says that as much as he denies it, he is the wolf too, and he was furious at the idea, but he has a hard time saying no to her," Sirius explained as he ate. "So she stayed. I warned her to stay back but he went to her and he just put his head in her lap and he slept all night. I've spent almost every full moon with Rem since he was fourteen and I have never seen him sleep through a full moon until last night."

"He was comfortable with her, she's his safe zone and he knows that," Zee said simply.

Sirius shrugged. "I guess. I hope he knows how amazing that is. She's his mate and I guess he realized that or the potion did, I'm not sure." He finished his breakfast and drank back his glass of orange juice with a smile. "Well, that was great, but I need a shower and possibly another little nap. Prongslet, did you finish all of your homework yet?"

"Almost. I just have this thing for Runes to finish up."

Sirius smiled and ruffled Harry's hair. "You finish up your homework. I'm going to have a quick nap and a shower. When I wake up, we'll do something fun, I promise."

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Hmm?"

Harry grinned at him. "When I become an Animagus can I stay with you and Uncle Rem in the cellar?"

Sirius smiled, standing up to kiss the top of his godson's head. "Of course you can. Do you want to become an Animagus?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yes."

"It's a lot of work."

"I don't care."

Sirius smiled at him, pride beaming from him. "All right. When I wake up, I'll give you the book to study from and then we'll talk about it again. Okay?"

Harry grinned at him as he headed up the stairs for his shower and nap. Zee finished her own breakfast and moved to put her dishes in the sink.

"Well, I should head home and shower myself. Not to mention that Lady G needs her breakfast. I have about a million things to do today before I go back to work tomorrow."

Harry nodded and watched her start to clean up. "You can leave it, I'll clean it up since you cooked, remember the rules?"

She smiled. "I do. Thank you for a lovely evening, Harry."

"Maybe you can come by later and do something fun with Uncle Siri and I?"

Zee smiled brightly at him. "Maybe I will." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for hanging out with me last night. I had fun. Come see me later and let me know your plans." She whistled and Lady Godiva stretched as Zee put on her boots and coat and headed outside.

Harry watched her go with a small smile. Having Zee around the house was kind of nice, different, but nice. And he was fairly surprised to realize that he couldn't wait for her to come back.


	124. Chapter 124

_Author's Note:_

 _HAPPY NEW YEAR!_

 _As noted before, I have my own ideas of how I believe Deamus came to be so give me my time to work it out. Thanks._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR:**

 **Harry grinned at Hermione when she ran into his arms on the train at the end of the Christmas holidays, hugging him tightly.** "Hi Hermione, how was your holiday?"

She kissed his cheek and sat next to him on the bench, a big smile on her face. "Wonderful! It was rather nice to be home and to catch up. How was your holiday?"

"Good."

Hermione merely raised an eyebrow. "Good?"

Harry shrugged at her. "I spent some more time with just Zee."

Hermione beamed at him. "And? Is she still amazingly nice?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "She's good for him, like really good for him. The way he smiles when she walks into a room… he just lights up when she's around and I love that she does that for him. And well…" he blushed a bit as he spoke. "I had a bad dream and she was there when I woke up and she just held me and it was like I had a… never mind, it's stupid."

Hermione stared at him, a small smile on her face. "Like you had a mum."

He nodded, the back of his neck flushing. "Stupid right? I'm thirteen years old and I've never had… but… she was there when I had a bad dream, and we all ate breakfast together, and it felt like we were a family in a different way that Uncle Siri and I are and… I don't know."

"Do you think that he's going to marry her?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. He hasn't said anything about it not since the summer before last and he was very much on the no train back then, but things have changed between them. He… he leans on her and with Pettigrew escaping and still no word on it, she comforts him."

Hermione smiled. "Dad leans on Mum too and it's the nicest thing. I mean, Dad is the strongest man that I know, he was always there to scare away the monsters under my bed or to hold me close when I did some terrible accidental magic that caused something to happen that he couldn't quite explain and he was always my hero. But after first year, when they heard about what we did to try to save the Philosopher's Stone, I remember waking up one year after having a dream about the chessboard and Ron lying there and… I went downstairs for a drink of water and Dad was sitting at the kitchen table, Mum in his lap and he was crying in her arms. I remember just standing there in the doorway dumbstruck. I had never seen my father cry before. And then I heard him tell my mum that he had thought Hogwarts was going to be good for me, but after what had happened it didn't seem safe and he was so scared for me and Mum was just holding him, running her fingers through his hair and telling him that it was all going to be alright. It was the first time I realized how much they lean on each other."

"I think Sirius needs Zee and… I think I do too," he told her honestly. "She's great."

Hermione beamed at him. "That's wonderful!"

"Uncle Siri, Uncle Rem, Tonks, and Zee also gave me a Firebolt for Christmas! It's amazing and I can't wait to see Oliver's face when I show it to him."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That broomstick that you and Ron spent hours staring at in Diagon Alley?"

"It's so much more than just a broomstick, Hermione, it's… a way of life."

She smirked at him. "Right. I'm sure."

He grinned. "I also decided that I'm going to become an Animagus."

Her eyes widened in surprise at his revelation. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I've been thinking about it for a while now and by my age my dad had already taken the potion and already learned how to become a stag so… I want to do it. I spent a good portion of my holiday reading up on it."

"Wow, good for you, Harry! Professor McGonagall said that it's very difficult."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe, but it's something that I want to do. Anyway, what did you get for Christmas?"

Hermione blushed a bit and then she grinned, biting her bottom lip. "I… I got a piano for Christmas."

Harry's eyes widened. "I didn't know you played!"

"I don't," she said with a grin. "But I've always wanted too. I thought it would be nice to learn and Mum and Dad bought me a piano. It's so beautiful! I had two lessons over Christmas and it's killing me not to keep learning right away!"

"Uncle Rem plays," he told her. "And there's a piano in the orchestra room. I'm sure that if you asked him, he'd help you."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Harry shrugged. "He doesn't really play that much anymore, but he did when I was little and when he was at school here. I'm sure that he wouldn't mind teaching you."

"Harry, there's something about Professor Lupin that I've been meaning to ask you," she began slowly as Ron and Ginny stepped into the train compartment.

"Harry, did you really get a Firebolt for Christmas?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes gleaming in excitement.

Harry nodded, grinning back. "I really did and it flies like a dream! The balance is amazing and it can go up to a hundred and fifty miles per hour in ten seconds."

"Wow!" Ron said, his eyes widening. "Can I give it a go?"

"Yeah!" Harry said with a grin. "I swear, Ron, it obeys my every thought and every move! It makes so smooth of a transition that you don't even feel it; it's honed and incredibly precise and it's bloody brilliant!"

Ginny was grinning. "I knew that you would you get a Firebolt!"

He shrugged, his eyes twinkling in delight. "When each team got the Nimbus 2001s for us to fly, I figured that was more than good enough, but this… Uncle Siri said that I deserve it. He said that I'm a great Quidditch player and that I should have a broom that utilizes my talents to the best of my abilities. Mostly, I think it's fucking brilliant!"

"Harry!" Hermione said, staring at him in surprise.

He shrugged. "Sorry, Hermione."

Ron smirked at her. "She gets so bent out of shape over a simple word."

"Well, I don't think it's appropriate language, Ronald!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Harry can swear if he wants to, Hermione, it's not going to end the world."

"That's hardly the point, Ronald!"

Ginny smirked at Harry and they both chuckled. "A _Firebolt is pr_ etty amazing, Harry. Wood is going to lose his mind when he finds out."

Harry grinned. "I'm surprised that he hasn't come to find me yet. I wrote him a letter to tell him. How was your Christmas?"

"Great," Ron said, glaring at Hermione. "Bill and Charlie both came home so Mum was ecstatic."

Ginny smiled and curled her legs up under her. "It was so nice to have both of them home for Christmas. And Charlie had tons of photos of some of the new dragons they got on the reserve including Hagrid's old Ridgeback."

"Yeah, turns out it was a girl the whole time so Charlie changed her name to Norberta. He said that he writes to Hagrid every few months with an update on her and he sends some photos," Ron told them.

Harry smiled as he listened to his friends talk about their holiday. As happy as he was to be returning to school, he found himself a little sad too. He had really loved being home for the holidays. Spending time with Sirius was always enjoyable and this year with Zee too, it had felt like the three of them were a family. He had never really thought about what would happen if Sirius ever decided to seriously bring a woman into their home as it had never happened before. He remembered how childish that he had acted after first year when he had first learned about Zee and how the two of them had been horrified at the thought of marriage and children, but he was starting to wonder if they still felt that way. Would they get married? Would they have a baby?

Not to mention that Remus and Tonks were moving in together in his house in Wales. He was moving out of Hogwarts, but would still be around Monday to Friday if Harry needed him and Harry felt a bit childish to think that his first thought was how depressing the school was going to be without knowing his father was close by. But he knew how much the Dementors affected him. It would be good for him to move back into his own cottage and he really loved the idea of Tonks moving in there with him. They took care of each other.

Plus he would be starting his Patronus lessons with Remus this week. He had read all of the texts and theories that his uncle had provided over Christmas, but he was anxious to learn the charm itself, which meant extra lessons with his uncle. He was still going to see him on a regular basis. It just felt different already.

Any little thing he could do to help get through the anxiety he felt; to help him feel stronger. _Neither can live while the other survives_ , he thought and shuddered before he caught himself. He had been trying not to think about it, but it was always there in the back of his mind, the prophecy. His destiny.

Ginny was staring at him when he caught himself daydreaming and she offered him a small smile as Ron and Hermione were arguing about something. "You okay, Harry?"

He smiled back at her. "Yeah, I'm fine; just thinking about things is all."

Ginny watched him for a moment as if she didn't quite believe it, but then the door to the compartment opened and Oliver stood there, his eyes wide.

"Harry, are you serious? Did you actually get… a real Firebolt?" The last word came out in a strangled whisper.

Harry grinned and put his arms behind his head as he leaned back in his seat, smirking at his captain. "A real Firebolt. There's no way that we're losing that Cup this year, Oliver."

Oliver jumped in excitement. "Brilliant! I can't wait to tell the rest of the team!"

He ran off and Ginny giggled. "He's going to be talking of nothing else for weeks. What did McGonagall say when she found out?"

Harry grinned. "Pretty much the same as Oliver."

Ginny laughed. "Do you think maybe that I could go for a ride on it?"

"Definitely."

~ ASC ~

 **"How was everyone's Christmas?"** Seamus asked that night after dinner, settling himself against the post of his bed.

Neville shrugged as he stretched his legs out next to Seamus. "Mine was pretty good. I didn't get a Firebolt kind of Christmas, but I have no complaints."

Ron smirked from where he sat on the end of Seamus' bed. "Nev, you wouldn't know what to do if you got a Firebolt."

"True," Neville said with a laugh. "Dean, how was your Christmas?"

Dean grinned widely as he took a seat in the middle of the bed when Harry sat next to Ron. "It was pretty great."

"Sounded better than great to me," Seamus said with a smirk.

Harry glanced between the two of them curiously. Dean was glaring at Seamus who was merely smirking. "What happened?"

Seamus licked his lips and wiggled his eyebrows at his friend. "Dean got his first blow job for Christmas."

Ron's eyes widened. "Actually? From who?"

"This girl in my neighbourhood who I kind of fooled around with this summer," he said quickly with a grin.

"How was it?" Seamus asked.

"Fantastic," Dean said, his eyes on Ron's. "Like way better than you can possibly imagine."

"Wow," Ron breathed.

"What did it feel like?" Harry asked honestly. The thought of a girl on her knees, her mouth wrapped around him had him hardening.

"I can't even describe it," Dean told them. "It was just… hot and amazing and when… he-she swallowed, I… it was just wow."

Seamus leaned back a bit and grinned widely. "I'm going to see if I can get Lavender to give me one. She let me touch her breasts, you know."

Neville flushed bright red. "That's great for you, mate, honestly, but like, what are you going to do, just ask her?"

Seamus shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah."

Ron snorted. "I'm pretty sure that's not going to go over well."

"Never know until you ask, Ron. Besides, the worst case is she says no and then I'm no different than I am now, am I?"

Ron nodded, contemplating Seamus' words. "Fair point."

They talked a bit more about their vacations before each boy headed back to their own beds to turn in for the night. Dean waited until he heard the familiar snores of his roommates before he moved into Seamus' bed, kneeling next to his friend and tugging the curtains closed and poking his friend hard in the shoulder.

"Ouch!" Seamus exclaimed.

Dean glared at him and muttered a silencing charm around the bed. "You actually just blurted out to our dorm mates that I got a blow job for Christmas!"

Seamus grinned. "Well, you did."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but it wasn't…"

Seamus smiled and sat up, leaning in a bit as he licked his lips. "You loved it."

"Of course, I loved it! It was incredible! I just think that —" he hissed slightly when his friend's cold hand slipped under his pyjama bottoms and rubbed him. "I think you should stop sharing _my_ sexual history with others and worry about _your_ girlfriend."

"I will worry about my girlfriend when we talk tomorrow, but tonight, I'd rather talk about you." He was massaging harder now and Dean's head fell back slightly. "Like you should tell me more about this present that you received from this made up mystery girl; what part did you like the best?"

Dean moaned softly when Seamus tugged his pants right down and used his other hand to rub the underside of his shaft. "Of course I made up a girl! What did you want me to say, Seam? That I woke up Christmas morning with your mouth wrapped around my cock?"

Seamus licked his lips and leaned forward, kissing the dark tip, his tongue pushing under his foreskin and sliding along the slit. "Mmm," he said, his breath hot against his tip. "What part did you like the best, Dean?"

"All of it," he breathed as Seamus' mouth got busy.

"Good," he said, his tongue pushing. "Because you tasted amazing." Then he wrapped his mouth around his tip and Dean's fingers fisted in his hair.

"Seam… I didn't come here for… oh my Godric," he murmured as Seamus' mouth got busy. "Oh… Godric."

Seamus held his hip with one hand as his other hand worked at gently tugging on him, a finger slipping in and out in a teasing fashion while his tongue stroked him.

Dean only held on, looking down in amazement as he watched Seamus' soft lips slide back and forth over him; side to side and gliding across his long shaft. He gagged a bit, shifted and took him deeper and Dean lost it, his fingers tightening in Seamus' hair as he came, pumping his hips furiously into his friend's mouth.

Seamus smiled, licking his lips when he pulled away. He wiped his chin and grinned at him. "I think I'm getting good at that."

Dean only snorted and pulled up his pants. "Don't get cocky." He sat down next to his friend and sighed. "Why?"

"Why what?"

Dean only turned to look at him. "Seam… you can tell me anything, you know."

Seamus simply smiled at him. "I know that you have no interest in going down on me and I'm okay with that. I just want to help you out."

"Why?"

"Because I'm horny and my girlfriend hasn't given me the chance yet."

Dean only nodded, his eyes on his friend. "I'm going to ask out Parvati tomorrow."

"She'll say yes, she likes you," Seamus assured him with a smile.

"I hope so because you know how long it's taken me to work up the courage to do it," Dean smiled back. "But Seam?"

"Hmm?"

"This can't happen anymore. This… whatever this is that we're doing, it can't happen any more."

Seamus only stared at him. "You don't want me to use my mouth on you again? You said that it was the best Christmas present you ever received."

Dean felt himself hardening again as he remembered waking up on Christmas morning to Seamus' mouth wrapped around him. "Use your mouth on Lavender. You have a talented one."

Seamus smirked as his friend opened his bed curtains to leave. "By the sounds you make, I thought I might."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Goodnight, Seam."

"Night."

Seamus closed his curtains around him, his hand sliding down to grip himself firmly. He did want to use his mouth on Lavender and he wanted her to touch him too, but when he started to pump himself, it wasn't his girlfriend that he was thinking of and he couldn't quite decide what he thought about that.

~ ASC ~

 **Ron watched Harry stare listlessly out the bedroom window in their dormitory for at least the tenth time that week and he sighed.** He thought that going home for Christmas would have helped his friend with whatever this was, but he seemed to be withdrawing back into himself all over again and Ron didn't think the thoughts that the Dementors stirred up were strictly to blame. He had mentioned it to Bill briefly over Christmas and Bill had smiled at him.

"Harry has a lot going on, Ron; give him some time."

"How much time?"

Bill had only smiled. "You're his friend, Ron; when you think that he's had enough time to brood about it, you push."

Ron watched him for a moment. He was pretty sure that Harry had had more than enough time. He moved over to sit on the window ledge next to his friend. "You ever going to share it, mate?"

"Huh?" Harry asked, turning to Ron in surprise.

"Are you ever going to tell me about it?"

"Tell you what?" Harry asked, moving off the ledge and heading over to his four poster to grab the jumper that he had thrown there. He tugged it over his head, adjusting his tie.

Ron sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Whatever it is that you've been holding in for weeks. I thought maybe it was an aftermath thing from the Chamber of Secrets at first, but Ginny's been doing great and you… you seem to have taken two huge steps back. I thought maybe when you went home and saw Sirius it would help but…"

Harry shrugged and pulled his robes on as he watched Seamus and Dean hurry out of the dormitory for breakfast. Neville was still putting on his socks. "I don't know what you're on about, mate, I'm perfectly fine."

Ron snorted. "If you're perfectly fine, I'll eat a Hippogriff."

"Hope you're hungry then."

"Harry!"

Harry spun around to glare at his friend. "I'm fine, Ron!"

Neville moved to block Harry's path when he attempted to storm out of the dormitory. "The fact that you just blew up on Ron like an absolute git only further proves his point. You are not bloody fine. What's going on, Harry?" When Harry didn't answer, Neville scowled. "We're your friends, you can tell us anything."

"We're going to miss breakfast," Harry said stubbornly, attempting to move past Neville.

Ron merely raised an eyebrow. "What's going on, Harry? We're not leaving until you talk to us."

Harry sighed. "Look, I just have a lot on my mind. I'm fine. Now will you two move and let me out?"

"And as your friends we want to help you, so stop lying to us and telling us that you're fine when we can see that you're bloody well not," Ron insisted stubbornly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not moving until you tell us how we can help."

"Well, you can't!" he exploded. It had been bubbling under the surface for weeks and now confronted by his friends, he couldn't keep it in any more. "No one can! It's me! It's my destiny! I'm the one that has to stop him!"

"What the bleeding hell are you talking about?" Ron demanded, grabbing his friend's arm. "What is your destiny?"

Harry stared into his friend's blue eyes for a long moment and when he finally spoke, it came out in a whisper. "I have to kill him."

Neville nodded at Ron and hurried out of the dorm as Ron led Harry over to his bed and sat down. Harry dragged his hands over his face, tugging his glasses off and throwing them on the bed next to him before sliding down to sit on the floor. Ron didn't say anything; he just sat next to him on the floor quietly, his hand on his shoulder.

A few minutes later, Neville returned with Hermione and she closed the dormitory door behind her, sitting on the other side of Harry and linking her arm through is. "Talk to us, Harry. Please."

Neville sat across from him, reaching out to touch his friend's ankle as if just wanting to provide contact as well as comfort.

Harry let out a slow breath and put his glasses back on. "We have to go to Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"We'll skive," Ron said stubbornly. "Fucking talk to us, Harry."

"Ronald!" Hermione lectured, smacking his arm.

Harry smirked at her reaction and then sobered, sighing. "I don't want to worry you."

Neville snorted. "That's complete bull; we're your friends."

"And we're already worried, Harry!" Hermione added, her eyes on his. "Please talk to us; let us help."

Harry smiled gratefully at them.

Ron squeezed his shoulder lightly. "You said that you have to kill somebody, Harry. What did you mean?"

Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "After… after we went back to the Chamber of Secrets, Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus asked to talk to me."

Hermione rubbed his arm gently. "They wanted to make sure that you were alright after going back there?"

"Partly," he said quietly. "They wanted to talk to me in more detail about the diary." He let out a slow breath. "I… I didn't always live with Uncle Sirius. When my parents were killed, Uncle Sirius went after Peter to kill him for betraying my parents, but well, he escaped and Uncle Sirius got blamed for his death and went to prison. Dumbledore left me with my mum's sister and her husband. They're Muggles. I… I never really talk about it, but my life with them was… Uncle Siri rescued me when he got out and it was great. When I was six he decided to go back to his family home and he didn't want to go; he said that it was full of bad memories, but he was the only real Black left and he had to organize his estate. He took me with him. I don't remember much about that day except that the house was dark and scary and I remember sitting on his shoulders and he was holding me tightly as we walked through the house. We found this locket and… the moment Uncle Siri touched it, I was terrified."

"From a locket?" Hermione interrupted, her eyes on his.

Harry nodded, swallowing slowly. "You could feel this darkness coming from it. I know now that it was full of dark magic, but when I was six, all I felt was scared, and it brought back all of these bad memories and... memories of my parents dying… it was like when the Dementors are near me, but it hurt my scar... and I kind of thought that it was a dream, you know? But then... one day last year when I was talking to Ginny, I touched the diary, and my scar hurt again."

"What does that mean, Harry?" Neville asked quietly.

He shook his head. "I don't really know. Not for sure. I'm the only person to have a cursed scar like this. But... the darkness, they're Horcruxes. Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus told me that they're working with Dumbledore and others to try to find them and destroy them to prevent Voldemort from coming back."

"Coming back?" Neville whispered.

Harry shrugged. "I destroyed one Horcrux, the diary, but Dumbledore thinks that he might have made seven and as long as there's a Horcrux out there, Voldemort can never truly die. And... there was a prophecy that was made before I was born... about a child born at the end of July who would have the power to defeat Voldemort because neither can live while the other survives."

His friends were quiet. He pulled his glasses off to rub his face again.

"The prophecy might not have been about me, but it stated that Voldemort would mark his enemy and when he came after me and he killed my parents and gave me this scar... it became about me and him. So I have to murder him in the end or he's going to murder me," he finished, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

Hermione hugged him close, her head resting on his shoulder. "Harry, this doesn't… I mean…"

"I know," he said quietly, putting his arm around her as well. "I feel like I've always known on some level that it would come down to me and him. I've faced him three times and I'm still standing... but I don't know how. I'm not strong enough to defeat him! He's the darkest and most powerful wizard to ever have lived! He's killed hundreds of people! I'm just... I'm just me!"

Ron rubbed his shoulder as he nodded solemnly. "It's not just you."

Harry's eyes flew to his friend's face. "Don't be daft!"

"Do you really think any of us are going to stand around and do nothing if he comes after you, Harry? Like Sirius told you, he doesn't have a body. He's nowhere close to coming back. It's not going to be today or tomorrow or even next month. You have time to prepare. When he comes back, it's not going to be some big instant battle to the death between the two of you — it will be a war."

"Ron, that's not..."

Neville rolled his eyes. "It could have been me, Harry! I won't stand around either. And Sirius has a team working on the Horcrux part of it. You are not alone."

"And you'll never be alone," Hermione said with a soft smile. "I followed you into a trap door guarded by a three-headed-dog without hesitation when I was twelve. Ron was willing to sacrifice himself so that you could try to stop Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's Stone. Neville willingly let you and Ron jump down a huge underground tunnel to find Ginny with every intention of going after you if the teachers hadn't come. If you think that any of us are going to stand idly by when you need us, you better think again. We're here for you — always."

Harry stared at them, his eyes wide. "But it has to be me."

"That doesn't mean that you have to be alone, mate," Ron insisted. "You keeping all of this locked up inside is stupid. It's what friends are for, Harry, to lean on. So you know, lean."

Harry smiled gratefully at them. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you right away. I should have. It was just... it was a lot to take in. And… I didn't want you to worry. I didn't want you to feel bad or to pity me in some way either. I don't know what I thought really."

Neville smiled at him, his hand still on his ankle. "You forgot that we make our own choices, mate. And you're our friend."

Harry let out a slow breath. "Uncle Sirius says that their team is going to deal with the Horcruxes and that my job is to stay out of it. Uncle Remus is going to teach me how to defeat the Dementors. He said that's a start and to leave Operation FUVP to them."

"What's Operation FUVP?" Hermione asked

Harry grinned widely. "Operation Fuck Up Voldemort's Plans."

"Brilliant," Ron said with a grin as Hermione pursed her lips at the name. "Now, I think it's time you backtrack a bit here, mate. What's a Horcrux?"

Harry sighed and started from the beginning and as he spoke, he felt lighter.

~ ASC ~

 **"Minerva, what's the password for the Gryffindor common room?"** Remus asked as he rushed into her classroom after his first class that morning.

McGonagall looked up in surprise. "Why?"

"Harry didn't come to class and neither did Ron, Hermione, or Neville. I need to... I need to see if they're there."

McGonagall nodded, her eyes alight with concern. "It's hocus-pocus."

Remus thanked her and hurried towards the stairs. As far as he knew, Harry had never skipped class before and the thought of his son hurt or sick made him run faster. He yelled out the password and hurried through the empty common room and up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. When he got to the door that said third years he took a turn. Harry was in the same dorm that he shared for seven years with James and Sirius. He hadn't expected that. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door and froze.

Harry was sitting on the floor of his dorm with Hermione's arms wrapped around him; Ron had a hand on his other shoulder, and Neville was holding his leg. The image brought about a sudden flash of deja vu: His friends holding him in a similar fashion while he spoke to them about being a werewolf, supporting him. His heartbeat slowed and he let out a slow breath of relief.

"Harry, even if this prophecy is true and you do have to kill him, we're going to be there, right next to you, every step of the way." Ron insisted.

Remus smiled, a sense of intrusion washing over him and he carefully closed the dormitory door so as not to disturb them. Harry had finally caved and told his friends. He was relieved and happy that he had friends strong enough to stand with him. Thirteen was indeed young, but had his friends not also been thirteen years old when they had stood by him; willing to undergo the dangerous and difficult task of becoming an Animagus just to help him during the nights of the full moon?

He made his way down the stairs with a smile. Harry did have good friends and he couldn't be prouder to watch him lean on them. To be the friend that they leaned on and know they had each other's backs. He smiled and headed back to his office.

It was a really good thing.

~ ASC ~

 **After speaking to his friends, Harry felt better.** He felt less stressed out and a little more sure of himself even though he still felt like the prophecy was hanging over him. When the owl arrived at dinner for him that night, he smiled as he read his father's writing asking him to come to his office after dinner. He told his friends that he would meet them in the common room and made his way down to the Defence Against the Dark Arts office.

Remus smiled at him when he stepped into the room. "Why hello my missing student?"

Harry flushed. "Er, yeah sorry I missed class today. Was it something important?"

"Everything I teach is important, Harry," Remus told him with a smile.

Harry grinned. "Right, sorry. It won't happen again."

Remus nodded, his eyes on his son. "Have a seat, little Prongs." Once he was seated, he took a seat behind his own desk and crossed his arms in front of him. "You all right? It's not like you to skip class?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Remember what I said about tattooing that on your forehead?"

He smirked and leaned forward a bit. "I really am fine, Uncle Moony. I wasn't, I mean... I didn't mean to skive, but… Ron cornered me and demanded that I talk and well... I told him. I told my friends about the prophecy and the Horcruxes."

Remus smiled. "Good. We told you to share it with them if you felt the need too."

"I didn't want to burden them with it."

"Harry, being able to lean on your friends is one of the best parts about having friends. How do you think I survived seven years of school as a werewolf? The weight is not only yours to bear."

He smiled. "They want to help."

He nodded. "I get that. Right now, there's nothing for any of you to do, but when there is, I promise that Sirius and I will let you know."

Harry nodded. "Okay. Are you giving me detention for skipping class?"

Remus smiled. "Considering the circumstances, no, but I expect you to still hand in today's homework to me by next class and the same goes for your friends."

He grinned. "We can do that. Thanks, Uncle Moony."

"You're welcome. Now go on; if you're late for Quidditch practice, Wood will have an aneurysm."

Harry smirked and jumped to his feet. "You're not wrong."

~ ASC ~

 **Colin elbowed Ginny lightly and she jolted turning to glare at him.** "I'm sorry! I am listening I swear!"

Colin smirked. He had been watching his friend for the last five minutes while she stared off in the direction of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, who were running around the pitch on the orders of their captain. "Were you? Because it sure looked like you were watching Harry."

Ginny flushed. "I wasn't."

"You said that you didn't like him that way anymore."

"I don't," she said, determined to not look over and stare at where Harry was running past them on the stands of the Quidditch pitch.

"Uh-huh. Well, wipe that drool off the side of your chin then."

She flushed, touching her chin. "I am not drooling!"

Colin smirked at her. "It's okay to like him, you know."

She shook her head, resting her chin on her hand. "No, it's not. He's one of my best friends and I love him so much and the last thing I want to do is to scare him off because I think that he has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. He's my friend and I never want to lose that friendship because I have a stupid little crush that doesn't even mean anything."

"Well, 'his eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad.'"

Ginny shoved him playfully. "And I also really can't write poetry."

Colin chuckled. "He's a good looking bloke, Ginny, you can admire that and still be his friend. He's getting tall too, but he still looks short next to your brother."

"Ron is going to be a giant like Bill. But Harry is getting tall and the way he lets his hair fall so it sticks up everywhere, even when he tries to brush it - it's just adorable."

"You're drooling again."

Ginny sighed. "Please stop me before I embarrass myself! And I am not drooling, you prat!" She tucked her long hair behind her ear. "And besides, I am not even remotely his type. He fancies Cho Chang."

"Who?"

"The Ravenclaw Seeker? She's all willowy and tall and so pretty with her dark hair. I'm basically the complete opposite, pale and freckly with my stupid orange hair."

Colin elbowed her lightly. "You're pretty, too, with hair like fire, not stupid and orange — and you're short, and definitely not willowy."

She screwed her face up in annoyance. "He's my friend and nothing more. Now, let's stop watching them practice and get back to work."

He grinned at her. "I will admit, it's definitely not a hardship to watch the Gryffindor Quidditch team run."

Ginny flushed red. "We're not here to watch the Quidditch team! We are here to talk about our Defence Against the Dark Arts essay."

Colin rolled his eyes. "And why are we doing that outside in January in the Quidditch stands again? I am freezing my buns off!"

Ginny laughed and quickly performed a warming charm on him. "You said that the library was stuffy and wanted to work outside!"

"Oh, right, I did say that," he said, sighing in relief as the warming charm went through him.

"And then you said that the courtyard had too many people and you were too distracted so you said let's go sit in the Quidditch stands."

"Okay, okay, I did this to myself, I got it, no need to rub it in as I freeze my buns off."

Ginny grinned at him. "Flitwick did teach us the warming charm last year and…" she trailed off, flushing. "I mean..."

Colin scooted closer and wrapped an arm across her shoulders. "You have to stop feeling guilty, Ginny. I never blamed you for a second. And as you know, McGonagall was great. She came by the house and organized a special tutoring session with me twice a week all summer to catch up with all of the work that I missed. I did learn the warming spell, I just, er, forgot to use it. Magic is still new to me, you know? Us Muggleborns just freeze our buns off until someone reminds us that we know how to do magic."

She grinned and kissed his cheek, hugging him tightly. "Colin, you're my very best friend, do you know that?"

He smiled and kissed her cheek in turn. "Well, I certainly hope so because I consider you mine."

They both looked up as Harry stopped in front of them, panting from his run up, down and across the Quidditch stands, his brand new Firebolt slung across his shoulders. He waved a little as he caught his breath and then headed off again as Wood yelled something out about slackers.

Ginny shook her head and laughed. "To be honest, I just want to see that new broom in action. It's gorgeous! And it's supposed to be the best broom in the world!"

"I'll take your word for it, my knowledge of brooms involves sweeping."

"Colin, you need to learn more about Quidditch," she said with a laugh, turning to watch her brothers who were glaring menacingly at Wood as they ran around the pitch. "Sometimes I like to just watch my brothers plot Oliver's demise when he makes them run like this too."

Colin grinned. "Those two are rather devious, aren't they?"

Ginny stood up and smirked at him. "Sometimes they get their ideas from me."

"No wonder they're so scary!"

She smirked. "Come on; let's go finish up in the study hall where it's warm."

"Gin, I'd love too, but don't you have to go meet Na'eemah at seven?"

"Oh no! I'm going to be late!"

And she ran down the stands leaving Colin laughing as he hurried after her.


	125. Chapter 125

_Author's Note:_

 _I wanted to change this a little bit to reflect his upbringing and yet still give him that important piece of his father(s) as well as reflect on his growing power. I hope you like it._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE:**

 **When Ginny left the hospital wing after her meeting with Na'eemah that night, she was surprised to see Harry waiting out in the hall for her.**

"Harry?"

He smiled at her. "Hi, Gin."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, adjusting the strap of her book bag on her shoulder.

Harry shoved his hands into his pockets. "Can we talk for a bit?"

"Of course," she said, looking at him in concern. "Is everything all right?"

He shrugged. "I think right is relative to be honest."

Ginny only looked at him in confusion and followed him to where he led her to a secret passage behind one of the statues. Her eyes widened as she looked around the large stone cavern, a long tunnel leading out to the left. "Where does that lead?"

"Hogsmeade," he told her. "It's caved in at the other end now though. This was one of my dad's places to have secret meetings."

She smiled at that and took a seat on the ground. "A secret meeting, eh? Spill."

Harry grinned and sat down across from her. "How was your session with Na'eemah?"

"Good. Really good. Talking to her is nice. We spoke about how I was feeling and how I was coping and she thinks that since I'm doing so much better, especially since we went down to the Chamber again. She thinks that I won't have to meet with her anymore."

"Really?"

Ginny nodded. "I agree with her. It's nice talking to her, don't get me wrong, but I feel like me again and she helped me learn how to be me again. I don't really need her anymore and if I ever decide I do, I know how to contact her."

Harry smiled at that. "True. Good for you."

"Thanks. Your turn."

Harry sighed, but smiled at her. "After we… went back to the Chamber, Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus told me about the Horcrux."

Ginny nodded, absentmindedly twirling the bottom tresses of her long red hair. "Na'eemah told me the diary was one. It… a part of Tom's soul. It was a little scary to think that I had a piece of him inside of me like that. But you destroyed it."

"I did," he told her and then he took a deep breath. "There's more of them."

Ginny's eyes widened as he told her all about the Horcruxes and what Sirius and Remus believed. "Why? Why would he make so many?" she asked in horror after Harry had finished telling her everything.

"He's afraid of death," Harry said simply. "He wants to live forever and I guess probably create chaos in its wake. Ron and Neville cornered me the other day and made me talk to them. Apparently I've been a bit of a git and was obviously hiding something from my friends. I wanted you to know that the Horcruxes are being worked on and not to worry and because… you already knew some of it. In fact, Uncle Sirius made sure you knew before me."

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't be angry at Sirius."

Harry let out a slow breath. "I'm not… not really, I mean, I get why he didn't tell me at first, but I should have known before you."

"Harry, I knew nothing! What you just told me is more than I ever would have known. I didn't even understand what a Horcrux really was until you explained it today. I thought it was just a more elaborate form of possession from the diary due to the nature of it holding a part of Tom's soul," she explained, her dark brown eyes on his. "Sirius and Remus trusted you with a huge secret. My parents never would share something like this with me."

He nodded. "I know and I've realized that these past few weeks, how lucky I am that they are trusting me with this. They are going to be giving me some extra lessons too so that I can… beat him one day."

Ginny nodded, her brown eyes on his. "You will. You just have to have faith in yourself and to trust the people around you."

"I'm trusting you with this secret. I heard a rumour somewhere that you're the best at those."

Ginny smiled warmly at him. "I am," she said with a smile and moved to hug him. "Are you going to be all right?"

He nodded, holding her close. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Ginny kissed his cheek and settled herself back on the floor. "So tell me all about these extra lessons of yours?"

He shrugged. "I don't know much yet. My first lesson is to learn the Patronus Charm with Uncle Remus tomorrow night to help me fight off the Dementors."

"Good," she said with a smile.

"Did you tell your parents that you might stop seeing Na'eemah?"

Ginny made a face and Harry laughed.

"Your mum still giving you grief then?"

"I know she means well," Ginny said slowly. "It's just that she's driving me bonkers! Mum gave me the space I needed in Egypt, though I'm pretty sure Bill and Dad kind of held her back. I told her what happened, mostly, and she still writes to me three times a week, asking me how I am, how I'm sleeping, if I'm eating, what I eat, how's Na'eemah, what did we talk about, how I'm feeling… it's rather frustrating and annoying."

"How are you responding?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Let's just say that I spent the first ten minutes of Christmas vacation crushed into Mum's arms as she cooed over me. Ron just laughed and didn't even try to help me escape — the git."

Harry chuckled. "Uncle Sirius is just as bad."

"As annoying as it is, it's kind of nice to know they'll always be there, though, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Ginny smiled warmly at him. "We should head back. I still have some homework to finish up."

Harry climbed to his feet, holding his hand out to Ginny to help her up. "Yeah, thanks for listening, Gin."

She smiled at him, her brown eyes twinkling. "It's what friends do, Harry."

He just grinned at her. He was starting to realize that and he was incredibly thankful that he had such amazing friends in his life.

~ ASC ~

 **Potions class was still an incredibly intense lesson despite Snape's less menacing appeal since the pranking.** He was still rather surly and miserable, but like Harry had told Sirius, he wasn't as much of a bully. Neville had even relaxed a margin around him and Snape had been rather less intimidating to Neville since he had called him a bully in the middle of class and told him to sod off. They were working on an antidote to common poisons today and Snape decided that they were going to invent their own concoction. He moved around the room, separating people into partners and Harry grimaced when he heard Snape pair him with Malfoy.

He gave Neville a sympathetic look (as he had been paired with Parkinson) and moved over to the table that Malfoy was sitting at. He unpacked his bag and supplies and turned to look at him.

"Look, neither one of us want to be partners here, but we have to get this done."

Draco nodded curtly. "Agreed."

Harry was surprised by the sudden agreement so he turned to his potions textbook and flipped it open to the chapter on antidotes.

"Potter, I've been meaning to talk to you anyway," Draco said quietly.

Harry looked at him in surprise. "You have?"

He nodded. "Father blew up at me over the holidays when I tried to figure out what's been going on with my grandfather. He says that I'm too young and that it's none of my business."

"Well, he's your father so that's his choice, isn't it?"

Draco snorted. "Black told you."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe he did, maybe he didn't."

"You would really keep me in the dark on this? After I'm the one who told you what my grandfather did! After I'm the one who told you it was a bloody Basilisk last year! You fucking owe me, Potter!" he hissed quietly, his eyes narrowing.

Harry glared at him, lowering his own voice to match Draco's. "Don't beg, it's beneath you."

Draco glowered in response. "Theo insisted that I talk to you. Said that you were a decent bloke and that you knew what was going on. Obviously, he was wrong."

Harry snorted. "First of all, me telling you anything is not entirely my decision and second of all — I don't owe you anything. We already decided that last year when you willingly gave me the information about the Basilisk, so don't try to turn that around on me."

Draco started cutting up his potion ingredients at random, the back of his neck was red in anger. "Fine, if you don't want to hear what I've learned, then be that way!"

He only stared at him. "Like you even know anything, you're just fishing for information."

Draco glared at him. "Now you'll never know, will you?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're such a git, Malfoy. Meet me in the courtyard by the greenhouses before dinner and I'll tell you what I can."

Draco smirked in response and Harry wasn't sure whether or not it was actually a good idea to tell him anything.

After his last class that day, he made his way to the courtyard, leaning against the wall to wait for Draco. His smile widened when he saw Cho and he watched in fascination as her shiny black hair danced in the cool wind. She saw him looking and gave him a friendly smile and wave which made him feel slightly less embarrassed to have been caught staring at her.

"Why don't you just ask her out instead of staring at her all the time like some creepy stalker?" Draco demanded, sitting down on the bench nearby.

Theo rolled his eyes as he plopped down next to his friend. "Do you always have to be such a wanker, Draco?"

"I think it's too ingrained in his personality to be otherwise," Harry said with a grin.

Theo chuckled. "Fair point."

"I'm just saying that if Potter likes the bird he should just ask her out. It's not like it's hard."

"Having Pansy throw herself at you doesn't exactly count as asking a girl out now though, does it?" Theo asked, his eyebrow rising in amusement.

Draco shot him the finger and turned to Harry. "Ignore him, he's an imbecile. Seriously though, stop staring at Chang and just ask her out. Snog her, shag her — whatever — just get it over with already."

Harry only glared at him. "I can make my own decisions, thanks, and I hardly need your advice on my love life."

Draco shrugged. "What love life, Potter?" Harry glared at him and he smirked. "No skin off my bones."

Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes on Draco. "What did you find out over Christmas, while you were being told off for sneaking around?"

"Oh, no," Draco said, a sneer on his face. "I tell you nothing until you give me something in return."

Harry sighed. He already knew what he was going to tell him and he definitely knew what he wasn't going to tell him. It wasn't his fault that Lucius Malfoy didn't want him to know anything and it wasn't like they were friends to begin with, but he was also thinking that giving Malfoy a little information couldn't hurt; he might actually know something that could help them.

"Your mum told Uncle Sirius that your grandfather wants to try to find a way to help Voldemort come back. That's why he broke out Pettigrew and Lestrange."

Theo frowned at that. "But you're The Boy Who Lived? I thought that you killed him?"

Harry shook his head. "I was a baby, how could I have killed him? My mother protected me, she died, and he was greatly weakened, and ran off to lick his wounds. He's weak and out there somewhere needing help; even weaker now since he possessed Quirrell in first year — and apparently Malfoy's grandfather has decided to be the one to help him this time around. If he succeeds, he's going to be stronger than ever and another war is going to break out."

Draco's eyes widened at that. "Missions." His eyes met Theo's and his friend nodded. "My father was a Death Eater."

"Yeah, and?"

Draco stared at him. "You knew?"

"Yeah, it was mentioned that he had some connection so I assumed that's what Uncle Sirius meant. But Uncle Sirius also gave me the impression that your dad isn't looking to help your grandfather and your mum isn't either so I guess that makes them okay," Harry said simply.

Theo smirked. "Handsome and bright, great combination."

Harry blushed at that. "Er, all right."

"Ignore Theo, I usually do," Draco said in annoyance. "That's all you know though, Potter, that he's trying to bring the Dark Lord back?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, and that they're trying to figure out a way to stop it from happening obviously, but that they don't know how or when he's going to come back or even if they will succeed, but we're pretty sure that Voldemort is going to come back."

Draco nodded, his grey-blue eyes serious. "I don't know anything about that. What I do know is that my father was furious when he found me trying to get information — basically told me I was a child and that it wasn't my business, and to stay out of it."

"Well, that's his choice. Look, Draco, that's all I know and I hope that it doesn't happen, but your grandfather is a powerful man. If Voldemort has the backing of a powerful wizard, who knows what could happen."

Draco simply stared at him and then he nodded. "Thanks, Potter."

"Wow, an actual thank you from Draco Malfoy, the world must be ending," Harry said dryly.

Draco made a rude hand gesture and grabbed his book bag. "Don't push it or if I find out anything interesting, I won't share."

Harry simply grinned at him, grabbing his own bag from the ground. "I'll keep that in mind."

Theo smiled at him. "Hey, Potter, before you run off, what do you know about Cornfoot?"

"Who?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Theo, Potter doesn't even talk to him! Come on!"

Theo smiled at Harry. "Stephen Cornfoot? He's in Ravenclaw? In our year?"

"Er, I think he's friends with Goldstein, that's about it, why?"

Draco rolled his eyes again. "Theo!"

Harry only gave him a puzzled look as Draco tugged his friend away. He had no idea why Theo would ask him about a Ravenclaw bloke he was pretty sure he had never even spoken too. He shrugged and shook his head. Sometimes talking to the Slytherins made his head spin. He would have to let Sirius know about Draco's interest and in the fact that his parents were shutting him out. He found that rather interesting himself.

He glanced at his watch and saw that he still had time to run back to Gryffindor Tower to put his books away before dinner so he hurried off, his thoughts drifting back to Cho and whether or not he could drum up the courage to ask her out.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was on his way back from Quidditch practice that evening feeling a bit anxious and excited about his Dementor fighting lessons with Remus.** Quidditch practice had gone over a bit and he realized that he was going to be late for his lesson. He started to jog through the castle and he jolted in surprise when he almost ran into the dark-haired girl in the hallway outside of his father's classroom.

"Er, Cho, hi," he said, almost stumbling in his attempt not to fall over.

Cho smiled brightly at him, flipping her black silky hair over her shoulder. "Practice?"

He nodded, smiling back. "Wood is determined to get the Cup this year."

"At this point anyone winning over Slytherin would be preferable," she said brightly.

Harry grinned. "Agreed."

"I heard you got a Firebolt; it's really nice."

"Thanks," he said, lowering it from his shoulder to show it to her. "It flies like a dream."

She grinned widely. "I can only imagine." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled coyly at him. "Are you going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?"

Harry nodded, swallowing slowly. "Yeah. You?"

Cho smiled. "Of course. Maybe I'll see you there?"

"Definitely."

She smiled at him. "Bye, Harry."

He watched her walk away, his stomach flip-flopping. The sound of someone clearing their throat rather loudly had him turning to see his father leaning casually against the door to his classroom and grinning.

"Someone keeping you?"

Harry felt the back of his neck flush. "No. Practice ran over."

Remus smiled. "And you weren't just distracted by the lovely Miss Chang?"

"Er, no."

Remus grinned at him. "Why didn't you ask her to join you at Hogsmeade on Saturday?"

"I can't just — she's a fourth year!"

"And?"

Harry stared at his uncle. "I… I wouldn't know what to say."

Remus only smiled. "Just be yourself, little Prongs.

Harry only blushed in response to that.

Remus grinned wider. "I'll still be here when you get back."

Harry made to turn into the classroom and then changed his mind and hurried off down the hall after Cho. She had reached the stairs by this point and he made a mad dash to catch her before she headed down them.

"Cho!"

She turned, surprise in her eyes when she saw him hurrying towards her. "Hi, Harry, where's the fire?"

He grinned widely and shrugged. "I wanted to catch you before you went to wherever it is you're going."

"The library," she said with a smile. "I have a paper to write for Professor Snape. What can I do for you, Harry?"

His stomach clenched nervously and he bit his bottom lip. He wasn't really going to do this, he thought, was he? She gave him a bewildered smile and his stomach flopped again. He swallowed slowly. "WouldyouwannagotoHogsmeadewithme?"

"I'm sorry," she said with a small smile. "I didn't quite catch that."

Harry took a slow breath. "Would you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Cho's eyes widened in surprise and then she smiled. "Yes."

Harry's grin flashed quickly. "Really?"

Cho chuckled, tucking her dark hair behind her ear. "Yes."

"Brilliant!"

She smiled, holding her books closer against her chest. "I'll meet you by the front doors at ten?"

Harry only nodded, grinning like a fool as he waved goodbye and watched her hurry down the stairs. He walked back to Remus' office as if in a daze. He knew that he had a huge goofy grin on his face and Remus chuckled when he saw him.

"She said yes?"

Harry nodded and then smirked. "I have a date!"

Remus grinned and gestured for his son to come inside. "You do. Wait until Sirius finds out."

Harry blanched. "No!"

He laughed. "You don't want him to know?"

Harry dragged his fingers through his hair, putting his broomstick down on his father's desk. "I'll tell him on Saturday after the date."

"Probably wise; knowing Padfoot he'd decide it was a good day for a jaunt in Hogsmeade."

Harry laughed. "She said yes, Uncle Moony! I can't believe that she said yes. Now what?"

Remus grinned and squeezed Harry's shoulder lightly. "Now you go to Hogsmeade with her and you have a good time. And do you remember everything we told you about kissing?"

He blushed and then grinned. "I do."

Remus clapped his hands together, smiling widely. "I think you have the perfect mindset to learn the Patronus right now." He gestured to the chest in the middle of his office floor. "Obviously ideally you should learn on a real Dementor, but I thought that was too dangerous to practice on so I decided that we can practice on a Boggart. Do you think your greatest fear is still a Dementor?"

Harry thought about it for a moment and then nodded. He knew that the idea of Voldemort returning scared him and the idea that one day he would have to kill the dark wizard, but it still didn't really seem real to him. Not like the Dementors who were hovering nearby and draining the emotions from him. "Yes."

He nodded. "What did you learn about a Patronus?"

"That it's like a shield that pushes away the Dementor; protecting you from the negativity and the darkness they force you to mentally conjure."

"Exactly," Remus said with a smile. "Boggarts are defeated by laughter and Dementors are similar in the way that they are defeated by happiness. The trick is to think of the happiest feeling that you can imagine while conjuring the Patronus; if the memory is happy enough, your Patronus will take the form of something that defines you and the happy memory will help you keep the Patronus up and strong."

"Sirius' Patronus is Padfoot and yours is the wolf."

"That's right," Remus said with a smile. "Are you ready?" He nodded. "Excellent. Now repeat after me: Expecto patronum."

"Expecto patronum," Harry said carefully.

"Good," Remus said. "Now think of a happy memory."

Harry beamed at him. "Cho saying yes to a date makes me pretty happy."

Remus chuckled. "It's a good place to start. Hold onto that happy feeling, little Prongs. Ready?"

At Harry's nod, he stood behind the chest and he opened it.

Harry gulped as the dark hooded figure of a Dementor stepped out; long, creepy fingers, wispy robes. He raised his wand, thinking about Cho saying yes when he suddenly heard his mother's cry and then he heard a man's voice.

 _"Take Harry and run, go! I'll hold him off!"_

 _"Jamie, no!"_

 _"Go, Lily!"_

And then he was on the ground, Remus gently slapping his cheeks.

"Dad."

Remus cupped his chin in his hand and carefully slipped a piece of chocolate between his lips. "You all right?"

Harry nodded as he chewed the chocolate, the warmth slipping into his system. "I heard my dad this time."

"You — James?"

"He told Mum to take me and run. He… he said that he would hold Voldemort off, but my mum didn't want to leave him."

Remus ran his fingers through Harry's hair, his face pale. "Harry…"

Harry shook his head and climbed to his feet. "I'm okay."

"He would have done everything he could to protect you, Harry. There was no one in the world more important to him than you and Lily."

Harry nodded, his eyes on Remus as he held his wand tightly. "Let's do it again."

Remus made to protest, but then shook his head as he looked at the determined expression in Harry's eyes. He went to stand behind the chest again. "Try a different memory, Harry; something a bit stronger. As happy as you feel about going on a date with Cho — it's not strong enough for this."

He closed his eyes, trying to think of a different happy memory and he smiled brightly. "I've got one." At Harry's nod, Remus opened the chest and the Dementor rose up once more.

Harry concentrated as hard as he could on the moment that Sirius had given him Marauder; the moment that he truly knew that he had a home and how much he loved the man before him. He could dimly here James and Lily's voices in his head, but he stayed on his feet and yelled out: "Expecto patronum!"

A silvery blue smoke seemed to emanate from his wand, pulsing towards the Dementor. It pushed at him, but the Dementor broke through and Harry felt himself growing faint again, the voices getting louder. Remus stepped in front of him and the Boggart turned into Tonks, claw marks across her chest before he said, "Riddikulus!"

He stuffed the Boggart back into the chest and gripped Harry's shoulders, beaming at him. "Harry, that was incredible!"

Harry accepted the chocolate, chewing thoughtfully for a moment. "I thought it was supposed to take a form not just be, you know, smoke."

Remus smiled and kissed Harry's forehead. "It will. The fact that you conjured anything at all is amazing! Most adults have trouble with that spell."

Harry nodded and stared at his uncle for a moment. "When did your Boggart change from the moon?"

Remus hesitated a moment before he spoke. "I don't know exactly, but I think when Tonks agreed to live with me."

Harry nodded and smiled at his uncle. "You won't hurt her, Uncle Moony. I know you won't. You love her too much."

Remus only smiled at him. "Maybe, but our fears often contain more fact in them than we would like to admit. All right, let's try that again, shall we? That was excellent. Keep that memory firmly in your mind, Harry. It was obviously a good one."

Harry nodded and watched Remus open the chest again as he concentrated on his happy memory and the Dementor crawled out. "Expecto patronum!" he exclaimed as the smoke came from his wand again, this time thicker and darker, but still smoke.

He could dimly hear his parents voices, but he concentrated harder on Sirius; memories flooding his mind of Sirius tucking him in at night, singing to him, keeping him safe, promising never to hurt him, that he never had to return to the Dursleys', and the moments when he was with Remus and Sirius: Both of them hugging him between them and loving him, him sleeping between his two fathers when he was young — family.

"Expecto patronum!" he said again and this time, a huge white stag erupted from the tip of his wand. It pranced around him, emanating a soft glow and then a second form emerged from his wand, a huge white dog that turned to look at him before a large white wolf came out behind him, and then all three of them surrounded and charged at the Dementor, knocking it back and into the wall where the Boggart tripped and fell and Remus shoved it back into the chest.

Remus was simply staring at him.

Harry was panting from the effort, his wand still out. He accepted the chocolate Remus gave him with a smile. "It was a stag and a dog and… a wolf… how?"

"Bloody hell, Harry! I can't believe you… on your third try! That is amazing. Truly."

Harry beamed at him. "It was hard to keep it strong but… I barely even heard my parents at all, it was like a buzzing in my ears that last time."

Remus nodded, taking a seat on the chest that held the Boggart. "That is a really powerful spell. You did brilliant. I have never heard of a Patronus taking on multiple forms like that. The way each animal moved on, caged the Dementor and… it was brilliant."

"So that's it then?"

He shook his head. "Pretty much, yeah. The more practice you get with it, the stronger your Patronus will be. It was still smoky, but you want it to be corporeal so that it can charge at the Dementor more."

"Let's do it again."

Remus shook his head. "That's enough for tonight, little Prongs. It takes a lot out of you."

He accepted the chocolate again, chewing it. "Can I try it on a real Dementor next time?"

Remus frowned. "We'll keep the Boggart for now, Harry. But if you do just as well next time, we'll talk about it again. You have a lot of James and Lily in you. Prongs would be honoured that your Patronus is a representation of him and the… you do realize what your Patronus was, don't you?"

Harry smiled at him. "The Marauders."

Remus smiled and tugged him close for a hug. "A stag, a dog and a wolf… it was the most incredible thing that I've ever seen. What was your memory?"

"Getting Marauder and realizing that Uncle Sirius had given me a home," he said quietly. "The moment I realized I was safe and I was loved and that I had you and Uncle Sirius in my life."

Remus smiled happily, resting his chin on the top of Harry's head. "Absolutely." He pulled back to smile into Harry's eyes. "I love you too, little Prongs." He kissed his forehead and Harry smiled at him. "Now, you did extraordinarily well tonight. Hurry off back to your dorm. Next Friday same time?"

"I have Quidditch practice again."

"After practice is fine," Remus said with a smile. "Excellent job, Harry."

Remus watched him leave and he grinned to himself. He couldn't be more proud, he thought. The thought of Harry's Patronus taking on three of the four Marauders, the way that they had caged the Dementor and protected him… if Prongs had lived, Remus knew without a doubt the three of them would be protecting Harry together just like that. His Patronus was the protection of the three men he loved most and Remus couldn't believe how incredible that made him feel to be a part of that.

He tidied up his office and then used the Floo that McGonagall had let him connect to his cottage in Wales from his Hogwarts suite. He stepped out into his living room, smiling when he saw Tonks stretched out on the sofa, napping.

He loved to watch her sleep. When she was sleeping, sometimes her Metamorphing faded away. Her bubblegum pink hair shimmered to it's natural dark brown and some of the blemishes that she tried to hide like the circle of freckles on her nose, would appear, or the birthmark in the shape of a cube on the back of her neck. He knew the moment she woke up, she would glamour those away again. She was the most beautiful woman in his eyes.

He cleaned himself off, bent down, and kissed her cheek. She let out a soft sigh and he kissed her again, this time on the end of her pert little nose, kissing each freckle. Her arms came up around his neck and he laughed when she tugged him down making him lose his balance as he stumbled, falling onto the sofa and onto her. She deepened the kiss, her tongue meeting his, and he smiled against her mouth.

"Miss me?" he asked, moving into a kneeling position on the sofa.

"Desperately," she said, her voice teasing and her hair turning bright pink. She slipped his jacket off of his shoulders and tugged on his tie, pulling him back down towards her. "How was class, Professor Lupin?"

Remus smiled. "Class was great, Nymphadora. How was work, Auror Tonks?"

"Work was good, Remus," she said with a grin, kissing him quickly. "Did you eat?"

He nodded. "Yes. I ate at Hogwarts since I had to wait for Harry. Did you?"

She shook her head. "Meant too, but a nap sounded better."

Remus kissed her nose. "I'll make you something."

Tonks beamed at him and she followed him into the kitchen. She hopped up onto the kitchen counter and watched him as he pulled out the leftovers from the night before. "I can heat up leftovers, you know. I'm not completely incompetent."

He grinned. "I'm aware." He bent down to look on the bottom shelf of the ice box and Tonks not so discreetly stared at his bum.

"How did Harry do on his Patronus?"

"It had form on his third try."

Tonks simply gaped at him. "You're kidding?"

"No," Remus said, grinning widely and standing up and moving to the counter to add the green beans to her plate with the leftover meatloaf. "It had form, smoky but form. It was the most incredible Patronus I've ever seen. It was a stag and a wolf and a dog and …"

"His protection, of course," she said smiling at him. "He loves you."

"I know," Remus said, smiling at her as he headed up the plate of food. "I love him too. What did you do today?"

Tonks' eyes had fallen to his bum again when he turned around and she smirked. She unbuttoned her blouse, unhooking her bra, and slipping them both off as they fell to the kitchen floor. She undid her pants next, lifting herself just enough to slip out of them, followed by her cotton panties. Remus turned, plate in his hand just as she kicked her panties off and his eyes gleamed as they raked over her.

"I thought you were hungry," he said, putting the plate down on the kitchen table.

Tonks simply spread her legs, reaching down to cup one of her small breasts. Her fingertips gently brushing across the scar Remus had left there. Each touch of the scar sent shivers down her body and she smiled as she watched her mate lick his lips with every touch. She could feel his heartbeat speed up and she smiled at him.

"Are you hungry, love?"

He made a growling sound and in two quick strides stood in front of her. He spanned his hands around her waist, thumbs rubbing the skin there gently as his mouth took her breast. She let her head fall back, hitting the cupboard behind her as he suckled her. She gripped his tie, tugging him closer, and moaning softly as his tongue twirled and twisted deliciously. She wrapped his tie around her hand, holding him close while his mouth worked over her. His lips trailed the underside of her breasts, licking the scar, kissing her stomach, her ribs, her bellybutton; licking and suckling the skin as he moved lower.

"No," Tonks whispered, tugging him by his tie up to her mouth. "No."

Remus licked his lips and kissed her deeply, wrapping her legs around his waist and lifting her off the counter. He started to carry her to the bedroom, but Tonks simply stopped him in the doorway, sliding down his body and leaning back against the doorjamb. She grinned cheekily at him, unzipping his jeans and tugging his erection free and then she turned around, gripping the doorjamb tightly, her head turning to give him a sexy smile.

His hands moved around her, one to cup her waist, the other to slip between her legs. He could smell her arousal and he hardened even more, as she pushed back against him. He moaned, lifting her, and rubbing himself against her bum.

Tonks bit her bottom lip, turning to wink at him. "Don't tease me, Remus."

Remus only groaned and slid into her, sighing in happiness and groaning as she began to push back on him.

"Harder," she murmured.

He groaned and did as she asked. Grabbing the doorframe for support as he held her up with his other hand, his hips pistoling into her as she moaned. He used his hand on her, his fingers pumping her tirelessly as she cried out. When he emptied himself into her, he breathed heavily against the back of her neck, sliding her down his body. His limp cock pressed against her spine and he kissed her ear, her neck, her collarbone.

"I don't think we've used this doorjamb before."

Tonks smirked at him, turning around to wrap her arms around his neck, tugging his face down to kiss him deeply. "I know," she said smartly, kissing the pulse in his throat. "You know what else we haven't used?"

"What's that?" he asked, sighing as her lips trailed down his neck and her fingers moved to unbutton his shirt. He reached up to loosen his tie and her hands stopped him.

"No, leave the tie on, Professor."

Remus grinned at her, but he didn't say anything as she finished unbuttoning his shirt and slid it off his shoulders. She pushed his pants and boxers down all of the way and he stepped out of them. "Should I take my socks off?"

Tonks shook her head, grinning widely at him. "Nope."

"So where's this other mysterious place that we haven't fucked on?" Remus asked her, his voice husky as her fingers slid along his shaft.

Tonks smirked at him. "I'm going to start putting x's on the walls we've used just so we're thorough."

He grinned against her throat, moving down to kneel before her, kissing her stomach, her bellybutton, her thighs. "Mmhm," he said, lifting her leg and placing it on his shoulder.

Tonks moaned. "Rem… if you start that I'll never get to my dinner."

He kissed her there, softly. "It's your fault for distracting me, you should have eaten when I first made you food."

Her fingers fisted in his hair as he kissed her there again, featherlight and soft, teasing. "Remus," she breathed.

He slid his hands up the back of her legs, cupping her cheeks in his hands, squeezing lightly as he continued to just plant soft kisses against the purple hair, along her thighs, his tongue sliding along the edge of her thigh.

"I love how you smell, Dora; I love how you feel," he murmured, and he felt her legs tremble. He kissed her inner thigh, his tongue trailing along the soft skin, soft kisses, lick, nip. "And how you taste," he said as his tongue slid into her.

Tonks groaned as he licked her. "Remus…"

His tongue teased her. "And how you taste after I've had you…"

His tongue became more insistent now and she cried out.

He smiled against her, kissing her softly before standing up, his hands sliding up her ribs and cupping her breasts. "You should go eat your dinner."

Tonks only stared at him, her eyes bright. She was vibrating, trembling with need, and he expected her to just go eat her dinner. "You expect me to just eat my dinner now?"

He only smirked at her. "Better eat if you're hungry, Dora," he said with a grin. "Because once I start that, I'm not stopping again." He picked up his clothes from the floor. "I'm going to go take a shower. Eat your dinner."

Tonks watched him saunter off to the bathroom and she took a deep breath. She was throbbing with need, she realized, and the bastard bloody well knew it too. She put the plate back into the ice box and followed him into the bathroom. She slid into the shower with him, kissing his back, and he turned to grin at her.

"Dora, I told you to eat."

Tonks kissed his cheek and smirked at him. "On your knees, Professor Lupin."

Remus only licked his lips and knelt before her, the hot water splashing his back. She gasped when he tugged her hips towards him as he knelt in the tub and her back slammed against the cold tile wall. But then his mouth was on her and all she could do was hold on tight, grabbing the bar of the shower curtain overhead, and riding his mouth.

This was way better than food, she thought.


	126. Chapter 126

_Author's Note:_

 _This was something that I have been planning since I first introduced this character back in chapter fifty-one. I'm still working it out, but here is the beginning and I hope you like it._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX:**

 **By the time Saturday morning came around, Harry was a nervous wreck.** He changed his shirt five times, finally deciding on the light blue jumper with dark blue vertical stripes over blue jeans. He had written to Zee two days before, asking her not to inform his father about his date before asking her where she thought he should take Cho in Hogsmeade for their first date and what he should wear. Zee had written back that night, telling him to take it slow; to walk around the village and to see what she was interested in, and if she gave no suggestions, to choose a pub or restaurant and treat her to a meal so that they could talk. She told him to wear something he was comfortable in, nothing fancy. The advice had made him feel better until he had awoken this morning with the realization that he was going on his first date in only a few hours.

Then the panic had set in.

He tucked his wand in the holster that Tonks had bought him for Christmas and hastily tried to fix his hair to no avail. It was still a little damp from his shower as he carefully sprayed on a bit of cologne, which he had started using daily in October.

"As good as it's going to get, Potter," he mumbled to himself before he headed downstairs to meet Cho.

He was ten minutes early and he leaned against the wall of the entrance hall, one leg on the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest in his attempt to look casual. It was a typical Sirius pose and he desperately hoped he had managed to look as suave as his father usually did.

He figured it was a good sign when two Hufflepuff second years giggled and smiled brightly at him as they walked by. He smiled back before looking out for Cho. She was five minutes late, but she smiled brightly when she saw him.

"Hi, Harry, sorry I'm late."

"It's no bother," he said, smiling at her. She was wearing blue jeans and a red jumper. Her silky black hair was up in a bun and he thought she looked incredible. "You, um, you look pretty."

"Thank you," she said brightly. "You look nice too."

He smiled as she buttoned up her coat and they headed out of the castle as Filch angrily checked their names off the list. Neither of them said anything as they walked across the bridge out of the castle, but when they stepped into Hogsmeade, he smiled at her.

"So, where do you want to go?"

"I don't know," she said with a smile. "Maybe we can just walk through a few shops along the way."

He nodded and let her take the lead as they wandered through Gladrag's Wizardwear and Cho browsed some of the dresses and robes there before they headed into Dervish and Banges to look at some of the magical equipment and the dark arts detectors they carried. Cho needed to send a package home so they stopped at the post office and then Cho smiled and pointed ahead to the tea shop.

"Have you ever been in there?"

"Madam Puddifoot's?" Harry asked, glancing through the windows at the tiny tea shop. "No."

"Oh, it's wonderful," Cho insisted, taking his hand in hers and tugging him through the doors.

They stepped into a quaint little teashop with doilies on all of the tables and little mini chandeliers over each table. The chairs had red bows on the back of them and soft jazz music played over the speakers.

"They make the best lattes here," Cho said with a bright smile.

Harry only nodded as they went to the counter to place their order. Cho ordered a non-fat latte with soy milk, extra whipped cream, and extra chocolate sauce on top as well as a chocolate biscotti on the side. Harry raised an eyebrow and ordered an earl grey tea with milk and a strawberry tart.

They took their orders to a small corner table and Cho smiled at him. "You should have gotten a latte, earl grey is so boring."

Harry shrugged. "I like it."

Cho smiled and took a sip of her latte, wincing. "They did _not_ use soy milk in this. I'll be right back."

He nodded and watched her go back up to the counter to get her drink fixed. He sipped his tea, pleased with it and looked around the tea shop. He recognized Seamus and Lavender over on the other side and they were sitting with Dean and Parvati. He gave a little wave and Seamus gave him a thumbs up sign, making him laugh. He bit into his strawberry tart as Cho came back to sit down.

"Much better; sorry about that."

"It's alright," he said. "Is your latte all good?"

She took a sip and nodded, licking chocolate off of her lips. "Mmm, yes." She took another sip and smiled at him. "I was glad that you asked me to come with you today, Harry."

The back of his neck flushed a bit at that. "Oh, yeah? I'm glad, too. I was a little nervous to ask you, especially because you know, you're a fourth year."

Cho smiled and shrugged. "It's barely a year between us."

He nodded and grinned back at her. "So, you like the Tutshell Tornadoes, eh? Why?"

"I've supported them since I was a kid. My dad is a big fan and it was something we shared between us."

"Not your mum?"

Cho shook her head. "Nah, Mum isn't a huge fan of Quidditch and she's not too pleased that I play on my house team. I've been injured a few times too many for her."

"Injured like getting all of the bones removed from your arm?"

She laughed as she sipped her latte. "No, thankfully not that severe, but I did break my arm and my collarbone last year in a game against Slytherin. I was hit by a Bludger. The year before, my first ever Quidditch game, I caught a Quaffle to the face and broke my nose. I just got in the way instead of seeking like I was supposed to be."

"Ouch," he said, wincing sympathetically. "Well, you can't tell."

She smiled, tapping her fingers on the cup. "What about you? Are you a Tornadoes fan?"

"Definitely not," he said with a grin. "I love Pride of Portree."

"Is that before or after Lexie Longhorn joined the team?"

"Before," he said with a chuckle. "My favourite player growing up was always Benny Goodwin. He's the best Chaser I've ever seen."

"He does have some skill, I'll give you that, but Portree is not my team."

Harry smiled and drank his tea. "I like them. They were my dad's team too. So, is it just you and your parents?"

She nodded. "Yes. Mum wanted more kids, but it never seemed to happen. I have an aunt I'm close too. She lives in Tokyo. I always go stay with her for a few weeks every summer."

"That's fun," Harry said. "Uncle Sirius and I travelled this summer. We did eleven countries in fifty days on his motorbike. He even let me drive it."

"You drove a motorbike?" Cho asked indignantly.

Harry grinned widely. "Sure did. It was great! Uncle Sirius says that I can't take it out myself until I'm at least fifteen, but he did teach me how to drive, and let me drive part of the way since he was with me. It was completely brilliant! One of the best summers I've ever had by far."

"Is that who you live with, is your godfather?"

He nodded. "Yeah, its just me and him mostly, but Uncle Remus too is around ninety-five percent of the time. They are basically both my dads in my eyes. That's Professor Lupin."

"Oh, yes, I heard he was your uncle. He's a really good teacher. Much better than Lockhart that's for sure."

"You can say that again," Harry said with a grimace. "I still can't believe that he turned out to be such a fraud and to have been with students like that?"

Cho nodded. "I know, it's crazy! My best friend Marietta told me that he tried to hit on her last year, too. She said nothing happened, but that he had made some rather uncomfortable comments to her. We told Professor Flitwick and then all of this came out a few days later. I'm so glad that he's in Azkaban."

"Me too," Harry said. He sipped his tea again and swallowed slowly, his eyes on her lips. She had soft shiny red lips and he couldn't help but wonder what they tasted like; what it would feel like if he kissed her. He hoped that he didn't mess it up somehow.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?" he asked, his eyes meeting hers.

She smiled coyly at him. "You were staring at my mouth, but I don't think that you were quite hearing what I was saying."

"You have a really pretty mouth," he said, dropping his gaze back to her lips.

"Thank you," she said with a smile as she finished up her latte. "Do you want to go walk again?"

He nodded and grinned widely at her when she placed her hand in his. His hand was a little sweaty and he hoped that she didn't notice as he laced his fingers with hers before they headed back out into the street. They walked in silence for a few moments before Harry stopped her near The Hog's Head. She turned to smile at him when he tugged her into the little alley next to the pub.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, chuckling. "It's cold!"

He smiled at her, reaching up to play with the wispy flyaway strands of hair that had escaped from her bun. "I know, but I didn't want to do this in the middle of the street."

Cho only tilted her head back to smile up at him. "Do what?"

Harry smiled nervously. "Kiss you."

A slow smile slid across her face. "Oh."

Harry's gaze moved back down to her lips and his heartbeat sped up. His palms were definitely sweating, he thought, as his brain literally yelled at him to just lean down and kiss her. Cho seemed to sense his hesitation because she leaned forward, her hands sliding up his shoulders and her lips softly touched his.

Harry's eyes flew open in surprise and then he let them close as he focused on her lips. They tasted like cherries, he realized, and he let his own lips meet hers hesitantly. He tried to remember what his fathers had told him about kissing, but all he could think about was how soft her lips were. He kissed her softly and gently and when she pulled away, she was smiling at him.

"That was nice," she said.

Harry nodded. It had been nice. He wanted to do it again. He put his hands on her waist and gently pushed her back against the brick wall of the alley, leaning in to kiss her again. This time he let his lips be a bit more aggressive, but he kept it gentle, soft kisses, firm and lingering. She made a small moaning sound and he leaned in closer to her, his body touching hers. Her hands slid over his shoulders, linking at the back of his neck as they kissed, lingering and soft and then her tongue gently stroked his bottom lip as she pulled away. Her cheeks were flushed and Harry wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the warmth of the kiss, but he hoped the latter.

Cho's eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him. "Wow."

He grinned, his confidence soaring. "I like kissing you."

Cho nodded, her brown eyes wide. "I like kissing you too." She reached up and kissed him softly again. "We should head back to the castle though."

He smiled, taking her hand in his as he led her out of the alley and they began their trek back up to Hogwarts. Both of them couldn't stop grinning at the other.

Harry was practically skipping as he made his way back up to Gryffindor Tower that afternoon. He had walked Cho back to Ravenclaw Tower, kissing her again. He had asked to see her tomorrow and she had happily agreed to meet him in the library after lunch. He plopped down on the sofa next to Hermione in the Gryffindor common room afterwards, grinning widely.

Hermione, who was curled under a blanket and reading her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook, only smirked at him. "Good day?"

He nodded, smiling at her. "It was great! She's so nice, Hermione. I was nervous, but, she was nice and we talked about Quidditch and it was great. I kissed her."

Hermione smiled at him. "Good for you. I'm glad that you had a nice time."

"I'm going to meet her in the library tomorrow after lunch to study."

"That's great, Harry, I'm happy for you," Hermione told him. "You've fancied her for a while now."

Harry blushed at that. "Not that long."

She only grinned at him. "A few months at least," she said, teasingly.

"Did you, Ron, and Neville go to Hogsmeade?"

"We did. We spent some time in the shops and whatnot, but I left after we had Butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks as they met up with Seamus and Dean who also had finished their dates. Seamus was complaining about how they had gone on a double date, but that Dean had spent most of it snogging Parvati. I decided that it was time to head back."

"Why was Seamus mad that Dean was snogging Parvati?" Harry asked, his eyebrow rising in confusion.

"Well, I would be, too, if I was out with you and Cho and the two of you spent the whole time snogging in front of me," Hermione said sympathetically. "I totally get it."

Harry nodded. She did have a point, but he couldn't help but find it interesting that Seamus would be annoyed that Dean was snogging someone, especially when he had probably been snogging Lavender during the same date. Maybe Hermione was right though, maybe it was just because he had been doing it in front of them.

"What else did I miss?"

"Not much," she told him honestly. "We spent some time in Zonko's and then we headed to the Shrieking Shack. It really is a creepy looking building. Do you actually think it's haunted? I mean, ghosts run rampant in Hogwarts and other than the Bloody Baron, I wouldn't say any of them are haunting the school."

Harry shrugged and tried not to grin. He had always loved the stories of the Shrieking Shack being haunted; the idea of the loud bangs and screeches and eerie sounds all coming from Remus, had made him smile. Sirius had even told him that some villagers claimed that they could hear a mournful woman's love song on the piano through the night which told of her woes, when in reality it had been Remus trying to calm himself before the moon forced his change upon him.

"I don't know. Could be."

"Also, don't you think it's strange how… well, I suppose nice isn't exactly the word I'm going for, but how _nice_ Snape has been lately? Do yo really think those pranks were enough to change him?"

Harry grinned. "Not change him, no, but I think he knows that he's being watched and you have to admit, his classes still aren't exactly a ray of sunshine, but he's less patronizing, especially to me and Neville."

"I still can't believe that Sirius sent that Howler to Neville. It was so sweet and when it blew a raspberry in Snape's face and covered him in sparkles!" she said, laughing at the memory of it. "But actually, I've found Potions to be quite enjoyable this year without his constant nitpicking. He still snarls, and well, is Snape, but I've always admired him to be an amazing Potions Master despite his rather negative disposition towards the students."

Harry smiled at her. "I think Snape knows to watch his step at least for now. I know he and Uncle Sirius hated each other when they went to school here and Uncle Siri is just looking for a reason to get into a fighting match with him. But so far, the pranking seems to have changed his tune, so let's just hope it stays that way." He glanced at his watch and grinned. "Should we head down to dinner? I'm starved."

And Hermione was forced to hurry after him in his haste.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry got back to his dorm that night, he couldn't stop reliving that kiss.** It had been nice. It had been more than nice, he thought, especially the feeling of how she had pressed her body up against his. Just the memory of it made him hard and he shifted his legs slightly as he sat down on the edge of his bed to take off his shoes.

Cho had been so nice and so sweet and he wanted to spend more time on her lips. He wondered if he were to kiss her neck what her skin would taste like. The thought sent shivers down his spine and he grinned foolishly. He had unconsciously reached into his pants and had gripped himself firmly and it was the low moan that escaped his lips that made him realize what he was doing. He pulled his hand out of his pants and grabbed his pjs and toiletries. He would at least shower while he did _that_ , he thought and he whistled on his way over.

When he finally emerged almost thirty minutes later, he was clean and refreshed and he felt good. He climbed up into his bed after putting his stuff away and his clothes in the laundry, before he tugged out his mirror.

He let out a slow sigh before bringing it up to his lips and saying, "Sirius." A few seconds later, Sirius' stubbled face appeared in the mirror.

"Hello, my Prongslet!"

Harry grinned at him. "Hi, Uncle Padfoot."

"I heard about your Dementor lesson with Uncle Moony. He was really impressed with you."

"I was impressed with myself. I think with a few more practice sessions and I might have it."

"I'm proud of you."

Harry beamed at him. "Did Uncle Moony tell you what my Patronus was?"

"Yes, he did. That's incredible and I am honoured that its me, Moony, and your dad. It seems right somehow that the three of us stand around you in protection."

Harry's grin widened. "I want to try it on a real Dementor, but Uncle Moony says not yet."

"And I agree with him, Harry. Dementors are very dangerous creatures and I love that you want to protect yourself against them, I agree with that, but I don't want you facing them either."

Harry nodded. He knew his father's concern about them was genuine and only partly because of his own fear of them and his memories of being imprisoned. "Did Uncle Moony tell you that I was late for our first lesson?"

Sirius frowned at that. "No, no he didn't tell me that. Why were you late, Harry?"

"Originally because of Wood. He made me stay longer to practice drills on the Firebolt," he said with a grin. "It's seriously the best broom in the world!"

"I know. It's why my star Seeker deserves to ride it."

Harry grinned. "Thanks. Um, anyway, so I ran up to meet Uncle Moony right after, but I almost ran into Cho."

"Cho?" Sirius asked, his eyes lighting up mischievously.

"Yeah. I er... asked her to go to Hogsmeade with me, and she said yes."

"Prongslet! That is great news! When is your first date?"

"It was today actually."

Sirius frowned. "You went on your first date and didn't tell me about it until after it was over?" He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "I'm so proud."

Harry laughed. "I was going to tell you, but then I thought you might show up at Hogsmeade!"

Sirius chuckled. "I would have been discreet!" At Harry's look of horror, he grinned. "All right, all right, I see your point — but a lovable dog following you around would only have made your date better!" When Harry only glared at him in response, he smirked. "So, how did the date go? Were you nervous?"

Harry nodded. "Really nervous! But once we started talking about Quidditch, it was okay. She's the Seeker for the Ravenclaw team."

Sirius smiled at him. "Did you kiss her?"

Harry blushed but nodded, biting his bottom lip. "It was, you know, nice."

"Nice is good," he said with a grin. "Tongue?"

"Uncle Padfoot!"

Sirius chuckled. "I'm just looking out for my boy, have to make sure you do it right and don't drool all over her or something."

"I didn't drool," Harry said stubbornly. "Her lips tasted like cherries."

"Cherries are nice," he said with a smile. "So when are you going to take her out again?"

"Well, we're meeting in the library tomorrow afternoon to work on some school work and hang out."

"That's a good start. And then?"

Harry frowned. "Well, the next Hogsmeade trip isn't until March."

Sirius grinned widely. "Prongslet, you can't wait all the way for Hogsmeade! You have to plan a nice date somewhere in the castle!"

"But... where?"

"There are lots of options! You both like Quidditch so maybe a friendly flying competition, pass the Quaffle that sort of thing, walk by the lake, ice skating on the lake, a picnic, eat lunch or dinner together… there are tons of options. Jamie used to take your mum to the kitchens for snacks. Think of something. Plus, women really like it when you show them you appreciate them, show them some token of affection."

"Like what?" Harry asked.

Sirius smiled at him. "You can send her a note saying that you're thinking about her, send her a flower, or a box of her favourite sweets. Nothing too fancy, but something for her. "

Harry frowned. "Should I do that already?"

"No, save that stuff for later on, but for now, I bet she'd appreciate it if you sent her a flower with something along the lines of, ' _Had a great date, can't wait to do it again_.' Bet she'd love that."

Harry nodded, thoughts flying through his brain. He hadn't realized that dating was so complicated. "Uncle Sirius, does this mean that Cho is my girlfriend now?"

Sirius chuckled. "Not quite yet, I'm afraid. Go on a few more dates and if things are still good, ask her to be your girlfriend."

"Oh," he said quietly as if this thought hadn't occurred to him.

When he said goodnight and closed the mirror, he jumped from his bed. There was only one person he knew who could help him find a flower this late at night.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius was pacing in front of the fireplace in the living room waiting rather impatiently for the Floo to light up.** He had been more than happy to hear from Thea and Xander about agreeing to come to London and meet him. They had already had plans of coming to the UK to see Thea's parents so they had assured him over and over that making a stop was nothing. But nevertheless he was a bit nervous. He hadn't even brought his idea up to anyone, determined to speak to Xander first about his thoughts.

He had to know if it was even possible.

He and Dumbledore had spent the better part of the last month trying to figure out how to destroy the Horcrux inside of the locket without destroying the entire locket, but so far, all of their attempts decimated the casing that the Horcrux was trapped in. They decided that destroying the Horcrux itself was more important than trying to keep the locket restored and had planned on taking it out within the next week or two. His eyes lit up when the fire turned green and he smiled broadly at the face of Xander Papakonstantinou floating there.

"Xander! Wonderful to see you, mate!"

Xander smiled warmly at him. He looked much the same as the last time Sirius had saw him, but even happier. "You too, Sirius. Your last letter to Thea left a few questions. You asked her about removing magic from the brain?"

Sirius nodded, sitting Indian style in front of the fire. "Yes. Have you ever done anything like that before?"

Xander shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, no. As a brain healer, my job entails helping to heal the brain of injuries including memory loss, magical damage, and sometimes brain damage from the torture curse when permissible, but we all know how damaging that curse can be. I'm not quite sure what you're exactly asking me to do here."

"The thing is, what if there was a piece of dark magic that had attached itself to the brain, but wasn't actually _inside_ of the brain nor affecting the brain itself. Could you safely remove it?"

"Well, I don't know. It's not actually inside of the brain?"

"No, it's more or less latched onto the general vicinity of the brain in a way that can cause pain to the brain."

"Hmm," Xander said thoughtfully. "That is an interesting dilemma. And it is a form of dark magic?"

"The darkest," Sirius said carefully.

"And you can't tell me what it is?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, not at this time. I am first interested to hear your theories on if it would even be possible to do such a thing safely."

Xander nodded. "Let me check with Thea and the boys, see if I can sneak off for an hour or two and I can stop by to speak to you about this in more detail."

"That would be great. Thanks, Xander."

He nodded and disappeared from the fire. Sirius ran his fingers through his hair and let out a slow breath. He didn't want to get his hopes up. But the fact that Xander wanted to discuss it instead of just claiming it was impossible was a great sign in his opinion. If they could somehow remove the piece of soul that had latched itself onto Harry's brain... in a way that would not leave Harry damaged… it terrified him. There were too many what ifs and it worried him.

He headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on and less than ten minutes later, he heard the knock on the front door. He made himself and Xander each a cup of tea as they sat down in the living room.

Xander sipped the tea for a moment before he leaned forward in the armchair as he spoke. "All right, so as you know the brain is an incredibly powerful organ. It runs our entire body. Allows us to function, to move, to think, to process, and to perform the magic that hums in our souls and in our blood. Fiddling with it is very dangerous and very difficult. It is not recommended unless absolutely necessary to preserve life."

"I'm aware," Sirius told him.

"Well, keeping that in mind, if this form of dark magic is pressing on the brain, suppressing the brain's ability to perform to the best of its capabilities, this is a problem. Is it suppressing the brain?"

"I don't think so. It just causes pain to the brain."

"Constantly?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, not constantly. Occasionally. Few and far between actually, but it is imperative that it be removed for safety reasons."

"Hmm," he said, drinking his tea again. "Can you explain anything else?"

"It is located all in one place?"

Xander nodded. "With the information that you have given me, I do believe that the dark magic could _potentially_ be eradicated, but in doing so it could damage the brain stems that it has attached itself too, and that injury could possibly be impossible to heal. The dangers of removing it safely could affect the magical core of the person; affect their magic altogether or even affect how they walk, talk, or think, depending on how close it is and to what area of the brain it is near. Doing anything with the brain is extremely dangerous. I would need to do more research on it and if possible see the figment or the magical mark to make a thorough conclusion."

Sirius nodded, letting out a slow breath. "That would be fantastic. Can you start with the research and get back to me?"

"I can. It may take a few months if not longer. This isn't a task to be taken lightly."

"That's all right. I'd rather it be done correctly than injure the party."

Xander nodded and smiled at him. "Can I ask who?"

Sirius smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, not yet."

He nodded. "All right. I promise to work on this and in the meantime and if you could get me an imprint of the brain in question, it would help a lot." He finished his tea and grinned at Sirius. "So, did Thea tell you our happy news?"

"That she's expecting again?" Sirius asked with a grin. "She did, it was in her last letter. You're both hoping for a girl this time?"

"Yes. Niko, Nilo, and Phoenix are getting so big now and I know that Thea is starting to feel outnumbered. She says that she needs another girl around. This is it though. We've decided four is a nice number so boy or girl, we're done."

"That's great, mate. I'm really happy for you guys. You make her really happy."

Xander smiled at him. "Thanks. What about you? Any ideas of making little spawns of Black running around?"

"Oh my kids would be spawns, would they?" he said on a laugh. "But no. I have Harry and he is my world, although Zee has become a huge part of that world. But neither one of us are quite on the kids bandwagon, at least not right now."

Xander nodded, smiling at him. "Well, I was forty-three when Niko and Nilo we're born so there's no rush, Sirius. And like you said, you have a son."

Sirius smiled at him. "I do. He's dating now."

"Actually?" Xander asked with a grin.

Sirius grinned back at him and began to fill Xander in on Harry's new girlfriend.

~ ASC ~

 **After getting Neville's help, Harry had sent Cho a yellow tulip with a simple note that said, 'had a great time, can't wait to do it again, Harry.'** He thought Sirius had a point and it obviously worked because she'd squealed in delight when it arrived at the Ravenclaw table the next day for breakfast. She had come over to speak with him almost immediately, smiling brightly and had thanked him with a soft kiss on the cheek before reminding him that she would see him in the library that afternoon.

He had written to Zee to thank her for her advice and to tell her how great his first date was and to let her know that he had told Sirius. He wrote about how he had sent her the flower on Sirius' suggestion and now how he needed to come up with a second date plan, as today they had a study date in the library. He sent it off with Hedwig, smiling as he did so.

It was nice being able to write to her for advice.

By the time he got to the library that afternoon, they spent almost twenty minutes studying and each working on their respective homework, but then Cho's hand brushed his arm and they somehow moved closer together, and then his lips were on hers, his fingers in her hair as they snogged. This time when Cho's tongue gently brushed his bottom lip, he touched it with his own; the sensation surprising him. He slid his tongue between her lips just a little, and her tongue met his, dancing along with it.

He moved closer to her at the table, kissing her gently and deeply. He had to admit, he rather liked snogging, he thought. They broke apart when they heard voices from nearby, both of them grinning at each other and Harry's body reacted rather suddenly when she licked her bottom lip.

"We should be studying," Cho said sternly, turning her attention back to the Potions homework that she had been working on.

Harry smiled at that and leaned forward to rest his chin on her shoulder. "I was studying. I'd rather kiss you."

Cho smiled at him, kissing him softly. "Study now, kiss later."

Harry only sighed, but turned his attention back to his Herbology homework. He was hard and he wasn't sure what to do about that fact. He shifted slightly, carefully adjusting himself under his robes as he tried to focus in on what they had learned in class the other day instead of what her lips had tasted like. But he could smell her musky perfume and it fogged up his senses a bit.

They studied in silence again for a while before Cho asked him if he wanted to go for a walk. He took her hand in his and they walked outside in the courtyard, taking a seat on a bench outside despite the chill. They talked a bit more about their holidays and then Cho simply leaned in and kissed him again.

It didn't take long for Harry to forget about the cold.

The next few weeks were kind of wonderful for Harry. For once, he had actually managed to forget about the Dementors. He spent most of his spare time snogging Cho; in broom closets, in empty classrooms, in the library and in alcoves around the school. He had snuck her into the kitchens for lunch one day and she had smiled at him and said that he was the best boyfriend ever. Harry had flushed at that. He hadn't even asked her to be his girlfriend, so he felt like that hurdle was over for him.

His lessons with Remus were going extremely well. Remus would give him two or three new spells to learn and Sirius would send him some spell suggestions once a week as well and he practiced constantly. Not to mention that he was now able to make a fully corporeal Patronus, but he was anxious to try it on a real Dementor and Remus was still hesitant about it. When he brought it up with his friends, Hermione had only pursed her lips.

"Harry, I'm sure that Professor Lupin is just concerned about the danger of it. He doesn't have the authority to stop the Dementor from actually hurting you."

Harry frowned at that. "I need to know that I can defend myself, Hermione. You don't get it, they don't affect you like they do me!"

"Harry, Hermione isn't saying otherwise," Ginny butt in, her eyes blazing. "She's just saying that Professor Lupin probably is worried you'll get hurt. Don't be a prat!"

He sighed. "Sorry, Hermione."

Hermione grinned at Ginny, linking her arm through the younger girl's. "At least _someone_ is finally on my side."

Harry made to roll his eyes and Ron simply grinned at him as the girls wandered off. He heard someone call his name and he turned to grin at Cho who was making her way towards him in the Charms corridor. He said goodbye to a bemused Ron and took her hand in his.

Five minutes later they were in an empty classroom, her arms around his neck as she straddled him on one of the desks, and they snogged.

He was more than all right with the distraction.


	127. Chapter 127

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends. You were supposed to get this update yesterday, but I was delayed, so I apologize._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN:**

 **Remus smiled at McGonagall when she knocked on his open office door one evening in the middle of February.** "Minerva, hello," he said, gesturing for her to come inside. "This is a pleasant surprise."

McGonagall smiled back at him as she took a seat across from his desk. "I've been mulling over some ideas for that duelling class."

"Oh?" Remus asked, his eyebrow rising. "It's been a while now and to be honest, I wasn't sure you were serious about it?"

"I am completely serious," McGonagall told him. "Especially with what we're all working on in terms of the Op, I think making sure that the students are able to defend themselves if necessary is a great idea. The problem that Albus had mentioned about doing so is finding a competent teacher to fulfill that role. Now, obviously Filius is the ideal choice. He was a champion duellist in his time, but he has become quite busy teaching extra curricular activities, which is good, but we need someone excellent. I was thinking of getting some guests to come in and teach."

Remus' eyebrow rose. "Some guests?"

She nodded. "I thought that you and I could run the main sessions, Remus, especially since as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, you have the experience. Then I was hoping that we could get someone new in to teach the students every week so that all of the responsibility does not fall upon yourself. Sirius for example or even Tonks and some other Aurors maybe who might be interested, not to mention us professors. But we have to organize how we'd teach the students. By year? By skill level? I'm not sure yet."

"And you're thinking, just duelling?"

She shook her head, crossing her legs in front of her. "Actually, I was thinking about an obstacle course. I really loved setting up that course for hiding the stone two years ago. It was fun and creative and I think that it would be marvellous to do a similar thing down in the Chamber of Secrets especially since the space is there to be utilized, and if we could use it, reform it to represent something good rather than something tragic and terrifying. It would be good for the school. Not to mention that I think it would be a wonderful challenge for the students to run through an obstacle course at the end of the year. And the obstacle course midterms you provided for your classes were wonderful; all of the students were talking about how it was their favourite practical."

"You definitely have the space for it," Remus mused, liking the idea immensely. "I do think students learn the best that way, as they have to think about how to best get out of the situation they find themselves in, using the knowledge they've learned, instead of just regurgitating knowledge back at the professor. I'm going to do the final exam the same way. Would you divvy it up per year?"

McGonagall nodded. "Yes. I was thinking third years and above. If a third year masters their course, they could move onto the fourth year level and so on. Like the stone, I will use the help and expertise of a few different professors to build the obstacle courses. In the meantime, we can teach charms and defensive spells in the duelling room. Once they have mastered their respective teachings, they can try the obstacle course set up for them in the Chamber, which should be ready by the end of the school year — if I can organize everything."

"That sounds rather brilliant, actually," Remus told her with a grin. "I bet we can definitely get some guests in here to teach some new spells to whomever is interested. Even if we don't manage the constant guests, I'm in. But instead of strictly by year, may I suggest divisions by skill level? Depending on how many students sign up for the club, we could divide then by beginner, intermediate, and advanced?"

McGonagall beamed at him. "That sounds much smarter and depending on how many students, two of each group or maybe third and fourth years can be lumped together and then fifth through seventh?"

"That sounds like a smart game plan."

She smiled. "You can help me brainstorm the first few lessons. In the meantime, I will post a sign up sheet in each common room in the next week or so."

Remus smiled back at her. "Sounds great. I'd be pleased to help with this. What did you have in mind, Minerva?"

McGonagall smiled brightly and opened the folder she had brought with her. "Quite a lot actually — so listen up."

He only grinned and made himself comfortable. It sounded like a grand idea to him and he couldn't wait to hear all about her plans.

~ ASC ~

 **Neville grinned at Harry when he slid into the chair next to him in the library.** With as much time as his friend had been spending snogging his new girlfriend, Neville felt like he had barely seen him.

"Hi, Harry."

Harry grinned at him, piling his books up on the table. "Hey, Nev, how's it going?"

Neville shrugged, dropping his quill. "Homework."

Harry nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"How's Cho?"

He grinned. "Okay."

"Only okay?"

He shrugged. "We mostly just snog."

"I noticed," he said, making his friend grin sheepishly.

Harry smiled. "I like her. It's fun to kiss her and to touch her, but she doesn't seem to want to spend any time with any of my friends, which is kind of annoying."

"Well, it makes sense that she wants to spend time with you, doesn't it?"

"I guess," he said, looking thoughtful. "Anyway, I was hoping to find you anyway. I decided over Christmas break that I really want to become an Animagus like Uncle Sirius and like my dad."

"Wow, really? That's brilliant, Harry!"

He grinned. "I think it will be and I've been reading all about it for the last few weeks now, but before I can actually do it, I have to chew a Mandrake leaf. I was hoping that you could charm Professor Sprout into giving you one for me?"

Neville smirked, scratching his forehead. " _Charm_ Professor Sprout?"

"What? She loves you," Harry said with a grin. "I just need one and I have to keep it in my mouth for an entire month, which I think is going to be interesting."

"What about when you have to eat and stuff?"

"Still have to keep it there," Harry told him. "Uncle Siri says that it tastes disgusting and it's the hardest part of learning how."

Neville smiled. "I can get a Mandrake leaf for you. It's wicked that you're going to learn. It would be kind of awesome to be able to turn into an animal whenever you wanted. Do you think you'll be a stag like your dad?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. It would be really amazing to be able to fly, but I don't know if I'd want to be a bird or anything either. I'll have to see. As soon as I get the Mandrake leaf I can start."

"How are you going to snog Cho with a Mandrake leaf in your mouth?"

Harry frowned at his friend. "Er… I didn't think about that actually. I'm sure that I can figure it out."

Neville chuckled. "Well, you have some time to figure it out. Sprout has Mandrakes in greenhouse five, but they won't be matured enough until at least the beginning of March, which means that the leaves aren't viable until then. The moment they are, I will let you know."

"Great, thanks, Nev."

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think maybe I could learn how to become an Animagus, too? It's supposed to be something only really powerful witches and wizards can learn?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah, anyone can learn it, Nev. It sounds to me like it's about patience and determination just as much as power. It would be brilliant if you learned with me! I'll lend you the book Uncle Siri gave me and when the leaves are ready we can talk about it."

Neville beamed at him. "Brilliant!"

~ ASC ~

 **The next afternoon, Sirius and Remus stared at the locket that Dumbledore had brought to Grimmauld Place, their eyes locked on the ornate S.** Sirius could feel the darkness creeping out of it, feel it in his own soul and he did his best to shut the memories away before his eyes met Dumbledore's.

"I do think it's high past time, Albus. I think at this point, we've done everything that we can."

Dumbledore nodded, handing Sirius the Sword of Gryffindor that he had brought with him from his office where it still resided since Harry had pulled it from the Sorting Hat last year. "I do as well. We have studied it as best as we can and I know that we would all feel safer knowing that another one has been destroyed. It is unfortunate that such a prized historical artefact will be wrecked, and I know that we were both hoping we could do something along those lines, for Harry's sake as well."

Sirius nodded. "I may have something in the works for Harry. I'm still working on it, but in the meantime, yes, I think it is time to get rid of this." He accepted the sword and nodded at Remus, who picked up the locket, putting it on the floor of the kitchen. "Kreacher!"

The elf appeared with a loud cracking sound, his large eyes on Sirius. Sirius still didn't particularly like the elf, but he respected the love that the house elf had for his little brother. It was part of the reason why he wanted Kreacher to know that he had kept his word; that he would destroy the locket where Kreacher couldn't.

Sirius nodded at the locket. "This is for Regulus."

Kreacher's eyes widened as Sirius put the tip of the sword in the centre of the locket and pushed. The locket seemed to pulse, but instead of shattering, blowing apart and or being destroyed in any way, it only shrieked a loud howl and the four of them were thrown back against the walls with such force that the house rattled.

Remus had flown through the open kitchen door and landed on the stairs and he placed a hand over the small of his back, dreading the bruising that would surely be across his tailbone in a few hours, as he stepped back into the kitchen. "Why didn't that work?"

Sirius pulled his hand away from the back of his head and saw blood, wincing slightly. "You said that the Basilisk venom would still be in the sword and would therefore work against the Horcrux?"

Dumbledore accepted Remus' hand as he helped him to his feet. He had a cut over his eyebrow which was bleeding quite profusely from where he had gone face first into the mantle of the fireplace. "Remus was correct. That is strong enough to destroy it."

"It hisses at us!" Kreacher cried out, his hands over his bat-like ears. "It hisses it's displeasure, Sir!"

Sirius stared at his house elf for a moment before he turned to look at Dumbledore and Remus. "Well, fuck."

Remus picked up the locket, slamming it on the table. "After everything we saw down in the Chamber of Secrets, we should have known that he would have added that as a safeguard!"

Dumbledore was a bit shaky on his feet as he moved to sit in the chair. "The Parseltongue Charm, of course. One needs to open it before the Horcrux can be destroyed and one can only do that by speaking to it in Parseltongue."

Remus moved in front of Dumbledore, moving to look at the cut on the older man's head and summoning a towel over to stop the bleeding. "Stay with us there, Albus, head wounds bleed quite profusely as I'm sure Sirius can remember from when Harry fell out of the treehouse and he had a minor panic attack."

Sirius flipped him off in response, making him chuckle.

Dumbledore nodded, grateful to Remus who carefully controlled the bleeding before he healed the tiny cut above his eyebrow. "Thank you, Remus."

Remus moved to Sirius now. "Turn around and let me see that head."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's superficial." At Remus' look, he sighed, and plopped himself down onto the bench at the table. He felt Remus' fingers in his hair, looking for the source of the bleeding and winced as the healing charm sealed it over. "You bleeding?"

Remus shook his head. "No, just bruised."

Kreacher seemed all right as well so they turned their attention back to the locket on the table.

"So, all that worrying about how we were going to handle things and not let Harry do this, was all for naught," Sirius said stubbornly as he stared at the Horcrux. "And in the end, we still need him to fucking open it for us."

"There is a charm we can try," Dumbledore said carefully. "If we were to conjure a snake, maybe the snake could unknowingly open the locket for us?"

Remus contemplated that for a moment and tugged out his wand. "Wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Serpentsortia!"

A long, thin black snake erupted from his wand in front of the locket. The snake hissed angrily and the locket pulsed. The snake's head turned to look at it as if the locket had spoken and moved closer. The locket pulsed again and a green smoke echo struck from the locket hitting the snake directly. The reptile's black scales erupted in green flames and the snake hissed violently as it was burnt alive in seconds, leaving nothing but a pile of steaming ash on the kitchen table.

Sirius swore. "Well then, that worked like shit."

Remus dragged his fingers through his hair and bit his bottom lip. "Unless either of you have any other bright ideas, I think that we need to get Harry to open it for us before we can use the sword to actually destroy it."

Sirius only nodded. "Unfortunately, I think you're right."

Dumbledore sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I can arrange for him to come home for one weekend to do this. But let's hope we're not going to need his assistance in destroying all of them."

"I think we might be safe, Albus, depending on what he has chosen for his safe box," Remus said slowly. "This is a locket which needs to be opened, hence the Parseltongue Charm, but the diary for instance, any one of us could have stabbed it through with a Basilisk fang. That did not require any knowledge of Parseltongue to do so."

Sirius nodded. "Well, except getting through the Chamber of Secrets, that required some Parseltongue, but I agree with that. All right, we'll arrange to get Harry here. In the meantime, I think it's high time that I go recruit Mad-Eye."

Dumbledore chuckled. "He's still a bit of his old paranoid self, Sirius, so do watch out when you approach him."

"He still living in that house in Portnahaven?"

"Yes, close to the Scottish coast and I think retirement might have made him even more crotchety than he was before," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I'd be happy to write to him myself first."

Sirius shook his head as he thought about the old Auror. Mad-Eye Moody had trained he and James almost religiously while they worked in the Order of the Phoenix during the first war. He had wanted them both to join the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, specifically thought that they would excel at being Hit Wizards, claiming that they were intelligent, sneaky, and mischievous while at the same time clever and fast with a wand, but both of them had been too eager to help in the fight against Voldemort; putting it off as a future endeavour and concentrating on their work in the Order. But they had listened to him, and they had learned so much from the old Auror.

He had never blamed Moody for his stint in Azkaban either. Moody's reputation was well-known for his ability to catch dark witches and wizards, but once he arrested them, he didn't bother with them from there on out. His fate had been in the hands of the DMLE and Crouch while Moody had been back out in the field.

"No, Albus, I got this. I'll go interrupt his retirement one day this week."

Remus chuckled as he glanced up at the clock in the kitchen. "Should be interesting to say the least. Albus, have Poppy check you over when you return to Hogwarts just to be safe. You took a hard hit to the head."

Dumbledore nodded, smiling at him. "I'm fine, but I promise to do so. I shall see you tomorrow, Remus."

He said goodbye and hurried out the front door of Grimmauld Place.

Sirius only stared at his friend, grabbing the locket and leading Remus out of the kitchen and into his grandfather's old study, locking the locket in the vault there. "I'll mirror-call Harry tonight and tell him about the locket."

Remus nodded. "I'd wait until after curfew so that he's up in bed."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Oh? Why is that?"

"You know why," Remus said with a grin. "Our boy has been spending a lot of time with his lips glued to a certain Asian beauty as of late."

Sirius chuckled. "I think I should meet her, officially."

Remus rolled his eyes. "I think not. Besides, she's not going to last much longer."

"Why? Did something happen between them? What do you know?"

Remus shook his head, smirking at the firing of questions his friend was shooting at him. "I don't know anything, Siri, just a feeling I have. Miss Chang is a lovely girl. She's bright and intelligent, but there's no real spark between them. I'd say outside of initial attraction, I think our boy is merely enjoying the experience more than Miss Chang herself and I definitely got the impression that Cho rather likes the fact that she's dating Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, more than Harry himself."

Sirius frowned. "If she hurts him —"

"Sirius, let him experience his first heartbreak. We've all been there. And I think he'll figure it out on his own. He's a smart young man. We have to let him make his own choices," Remus said. "He's only been dating her for a little over a month as it is."

He nodded. "I know. And Harry has been rather close-mouthed on the two of them. I know he told me that they snogged, but he won't tell me any other details."

"Can you blame him?"

He grinned. "No, but I can still be as nosy as possible."

Remus grinned at his friend. "Oh, that I'm well aware of. So, let's make the next meeting for Saturday night again, the nineteenth? That gives you plenty of time to go talk to Moody and invite him to come along and maybe that Saturday we can make it more than just a meeting."

"As in?"

"As in, let's have Harry attend."

Sirius made to protest, but then he nodded. "No, you're right. Me not wanting him there is purely an overprotective father move. We can have him open the locket and we can destroy it there, before we even really get started on everything. That way he can also see that we mean business. I'll send a message out to Bill as well, you'll tell Minnie?" At Remus' nod, he sighed. "I just wish that we had more information on where Wormtail and Bella are or what the fuck Malfoy is up to."

"You still think Malfoy's information about Croatia was bullshit?"

Sirius hesitated. "It's not that I think it was bullshit, it's that I don't a hundred percent trust Lucius Malfoy. He's not innately evil like Abraxas is, and I know that. He's still madly in love with his wife and he clearly cares a great deal for his son. His family means the world to him, but _he did_ take the Dark Mark once upon a time and become one of Voldemort's lackeys."

"Narcissa claims that it was forced upon him."

"And again, it very well could have been, I'm not saying otherwise, but Lucius Malfoy always was a pureblood idealist prick, and I very much doubt that there wasn't some part of Voldemort that he idolized; that he respected. I don't for one second believe he was a completely an innocent bystander in the war."

"He hasn't claimed otherwise," Remus said quietly. "But he was younger then, had a lot less to lose than he does now."

Sirius nodded, his eyes on his friend. "True. I don't know, I think Cissa is a bit blind in her love for him. And I don't know what to make of Draco. Harry says that he's a huge prat at school which to me screams Lucius, but Draco also apparently snooped around his grandfather's study over the Christmas holidays, and Lucius lost his shit. He's not telling Draco anything about what his father might be up too, and I find that just as interesting."

"I still can't believe that you threatened to kill Draco."

Sirius merely shrugged. "If he hurts Harry, Moony, I won't even fucking hesitate."

Remus stared into his friends intense grey eyes. He knew without a doubt how serious his friend was and he knew in his heart that he wouldn't even try to stop him and he didn't know how that made him feel. "I know it, Padfoot, and you know that I'll be right there with you."

Sirius nodded. "I'd expect nothing else from you, Moony." He draped an arm over his friend's shoulder. "Now, why don't you tell me why Tonks was going on about the difference between Pacific Blue and Cerulean Blue to Zee when I left?"

Remus snorted. "We're repainting the cottage before we officially move in. It desperately needs it, and we agreed that blue is a nice colour for our bedroom. But Dora is unsure on the shade. She wants something bright and cheerful, but deep and meaningful. I told her that I would be happy with whatever she chose and she only gave me this look, as if that wasn't the right answer."

He laughed. "She still won't officially move in, eh?"

"She basically lives at Hogwarts with me already," he said stubbornly. "But no, not officially until we have everything repainted and made to be ours." He blushed at the last word. "I want her to be happy living there. I know it's not a grand house or anything and I told her that we could find someplace else if she wanted, but she insisted my cottage was where we both needed to be. I just want her with me. I need her with me."

Sirius nodded, his eyes on his friend. "I've been meaning to ask, that night of the full moon, when you approached her the way you did, and the way your eyes locked on her breast… you marked her there?"

Remus nodded. "I did. On the underside where only I can see it, but over her heart."

"The wolf needed to see the mark that night and she knew that."

He shrugged. "The wolf wants and needs her much the same way I do and that scares me."

"Maybe it does, but you slept in her arms. In twenty years, Rem, I've never seen you sleep so peacefully during the moon; hell, I've never seen you sleep during the full moon. Not once."

Remus nodded, his eyes on his friend. "If I even scratch her as the wolf, she could be marked for life. She promised to let me go down there alone from now on. The thought of hurting her, it destroys me, Padfoot."

"I don't honestly know if you could, Moony. I mean she is your mate and like you said the wolf wants and needs her the same way that you do and I think that the wolf knows who she is and of her importance and I think in all honesty, even if you didn't take the potion, I think she would be able to calm you. I'm not saying test it out because we both know how stupid that would be, but I think that you would keep her safe above all else." Sirius told him.

Remus dragged his fingers through his hair and then gently pat it down again. "Maybe, I don't know. She's my world, Siri, and right now I will gladly give her everything she wants, even redecorating to her heart's content."

He chuckled. "Is she making you re-do the entire place?"

Remus shook his head. "No, not at all. We're just re-painting and making it ours; maybe some new furniture. My one chair is falling apart and has been magically fixed too many times. The sofa is still great and she has some nice chairs at her flat she's going to bring over; stuff like that. We were talking about updating the bathroom and you know I've been wanting to redo my kitchen for ages, but we're still discussing all of that. We are going shopping for a new bed tomorrow which should be fun. The bed I have is the same one that I've had since I was Harry's age, it's time for a new one."

"I'll say," Sirius said on a laugh. "As for Harry's room?"

"It's Harry's room," Remus said simply. "That's not going to change."

Sirius smiled. "Not even when Baby Lupin makes an appearance?"

Remus paled. "Don't even joke about that, Siri!"

Sirius grinned. "Just saying, she's moving in, and things are getting heated… marriage would be next, no?"

"If anyone should be thinking about marriage it's you, Padfoot, and are you there yet?" At Sirius' pale face, he smirked. "Exactly, now sod off."

Sirius only smirked at his friend. "Tell Tonks I like cerulean!"

Remus only gave him a rude hand gesture as he made his way out of the kitchen and Sirius laughed as his friend left him alone in Grimmauld Place. He had to admit, seeing his best friend so enthralled and happy made him incredibly happy. He was glad that the two of them were moving in with each other.

He was just glad to see Remus so happy. He wished James and Lily were around to see it too.

~ ASC ~

 **Hermione rolled her eyes when she saw Cho grab Harry's hand and tug him off to presumably snog somewhere.** She was trying to be a good friend in the sense that Harry had a girlfriend now and things had changed so she should adjust to them, but at the same time, Cho was driving her mad. According to Ron, Harry said that all they did was snog and Cho certainly wasn't making any effort to get to know any of Harry's friends, though Hermione did see Marietta Edgecombe, Cho's best friend, sitting with them in the library, which had made her frown.

It had been over five weeks and she still had barely spoken to Harry's new girlfriend. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

She looked up when someone plopped down next to her at the table in the library and she managed a small smile for Ginny. "Hi, Gin."

Ginny smiled brightly at her. "Hi, Hermione. You all right?"

Hermione merely shrugged, gesturing over to where Cho and Harry were disappearing through the library doors. "Been better."

Ginny watched them for a moment before she turned to look at Hermione. "She's definitely not the girl I imagined him liking. But she seems to make him happy and… we can't begrudge him that, can we?"

"You're an amazing friend, Ginny. I know that you still fancy him a bit, so for you to be so calm on the fact that he's snogging someone else, bully for you."

Ginny smiled at her. "When you know someone doesn't have any interest in snogging you back, it does help the interest fade a little. He's my friend, one of my best friends, and I just want him to be happy."

Hermione smiled back. "Yeah, I do too. Especially with everything that's… I know he told you."

"He did. And yes, I am absolutely terrified for him," she said, her eyes wide. "Which is why if he wants to go snog Cho Chang, let him."

She chuckled and attempted to push back her bushy brown curls. "I suppose you're right. So what brings you to my corner of the library?"

Ginny leaned in closer to Hermione, blushing a bit. "I actually need a bit of help." At Hermione's bewildered look, she blushed darker. "I'm having trouble making this charm work properly and I need it to work like yesterday which is why I think I'm struggling with it. My frustration is getting in the way."

"What charm?"

Ginny's face was still red as her voice dropped down to a whisper. "Enlarging Charm. My boobs are now too big for my bras and I can't… I mean, I don't have the money to buy new ones right now."

Hermione chuckled and let her gaze drop down to her friend's chest. "Wish I had that problem."

Ginny smirked at her. "Will you help me?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. Let's go up to your dorm and we'll see if we can make them fit you properly."

Ginny nodded, her face still flushing. "Thanks Hermione, you're a lifesaver! I didn't want to go to Madam Pomfrey or Professor McGonagall."

Hermione only smiled at her friend. She definitely agreed with her friend on that and besides, it was what girlfriends were for.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry had barely made curfew as he hurried up the stairs to his dorm.** He had spent the last two hours snogging Cho quite intensely in one of the alcoves in the Astronomy Tower. He had slid his hands under her shirt too, finding her small round breasts in her bra and the feel of them in his hands had only made him harder. He had unintentionally ground against her and she had gasped in surprise.

"Sorry," he muttered, grinning when her hands slid under his jumper and moved over his back and chest in response.

Cho only kissed him deeper, rubbing up against him, and leaving him panting. He was so hard he thought he was going to self combust if she kept it up. She obviously realized what she was doing because she had smirked at him.

"Someone's getting too excited."

He flushed at that and she grinned and kissed him softly. "Goodnight, Harry."

She'd left him alone in the alcove and he had stood there panting, wondering if he dared and had voted against it, moving one floor down before locking himself in a broom cupboard and shoving his hand down the front of his robes to grip himself firmly. The feel of his release had him banging his head against the wall.

Kissing her was both bliss and torture, he thought. He enjoyed snogging her. He liked touching her under her shirt, loved her hands on his skin, but if he was honest with himself, the fact that it was Cho that he was snogging really didn't matter to him. In fact, it could be anybody, and he didn't think he'd care. That made him feel kind of bad and he wondered why he felt that way.

He cleaned himself up and checked his watch. He only had five minutes to make it back to Gryffindor Tower so he booked it. Seamus was grinning at him when he came inside the dorm.

"Cutting it close, Potter. Was someone doing something naughty?"

Harry merely made a rude hand gesture.

Seamus grinned and moved to sit on Harry's bed. The showers were going in the bathroom, which was nothing new, Harry had definitely noticed that he wasn't the only one of his dorm mates to be spending an inordinate amount of time in the shower lately.

"So, since I have you alone, tell me — how far you've gotten with Chang?"

Harry blushed and tugged his shirt off as he pulled his pyjamas from his trunk. "I… that seems wrong."

Seamus snorted at him. "Please, you literally saw me giving Dean a knob job in September. Have you seen her breasts yet?"

Harry blushed and shook his head. "No, but she let me touch them, under her shirt that is."

Seamus grinned. "Nice!"

Harry grabbed his bag of toiletries thinking a shower sounded pretty good himself. "She is nice, but I don't know… I don't know if I really like her that much. We don't really talk or do anything other than snog."

"And that's bad because…?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, shouldn't I want to do things other than snog her, like take her out on dates and stuff?"

Seamus contemplated this for a moment. "Maybe. Lavender and I did break up because all we did was snog." He grinned cheekily. "But she let me see her breasts without her shirt and she used her hands… she was good with her hands."

Harry flushed again. "I didn't really need to know that, Seam," he said as Seamus grinned at him. "I'm sorry you guys broke up though."

He shrugged. "No big deal. We just didn't work out, but I think we're still friends, at least I hope we are. She broke up with me… two hours ago actually."

Harry put his hand on Seamus' shoulder. "Sorry, mate."

He smiled and jumped up to his feet. "It's fine. I'm good. You should take some time to think about the Cho thing, maybe you do have a point."

Harry only nodded, and headed to the bathroom. "Yeah, maybe."

Dean came out of the bathroom just as Harry stepped towards it, with a towel wrapped around his waist, his dark skin glistening from the moisture and Seamus jumped to his feet at the sight of him. "Dean! How's Parvati?"

Dean merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine. Why?"

"Lavender broke up with him," Harry supplied, moving away from the bathroom door so that Dean could step into the dormitory.

Dean glanced sympathetically back at his friend. "Aw shit, Seam, I'm sorry," he said as Harry closed the bathroom door behind him.

Seamus shrugged and sat on Dean's bed. "Guess it wasn't meant to be."

Dean sat next to him. "I know you liked her, Seam. So if you're sad, that's okay."

He nodded. "I'm not as sad as I should be and that makes me more sad." He shifted a bit, slipping his hand across Dean's towel, rubbing gently. "You could help cheer me up." His hand slid underneath and gripped the growing erection there and Dean's head fell back.

"Seam, Ron or Neville could come in at any moment!" he hissed, pushing his friend's hand away. "And I'm with Parvati now! I know you're sad about Lavender and I'm sorry about that, but that was… we were… getting experience for girls and now I have a girl and…"

Seamus nodded, smiling at his friend. "Nah, I get it. You don't need me to get you off anymore."

"Seamus, that's not fair," Dean whispered.

Seamus only smiled at him and stood up. "But it's true. I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Dean."

Dean simply watched his friend climb into his four poster and close the curtains around him and he sighed. He knew his friend was more sad about Lavender than he wanted to admit, he just needed to find a way to help him deal with it.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry had just finished his own shower and made his way into his dorm, a towel wrapped around his waist.** He yawned as he reached for his pyjamas, tugging on the pjs beneath the towel and then pulling his shirt on, just as the mirror on his bedside table vibrated.

He pulled a comb quickly through his hair and put his glasses back on before he sat down on his bed, mirror in hand. He put a finger to his lips at the sight of Sirius and quickly placed a silencing charm around his bed.

"Sorry, hi, my roommates are asleep."

"You just get out of the shower?" Sirius asked, noting the wet hair.

"Yeah, got in a bit late."

Sirius only smirked at him. "Bit late, eh? Someone's lips keeping you busy?"

Harry flushed. "Er —"

Sirius chuckled. "I'm just teasing you, Prongslet. How is the lovely Miss Chang? Will I get to meet her soon?"

Harry shrugged and adjusted his pillows so that he could sit up and chat. "No. You'll scare her away."

"I most certainly would not!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes full of dramatic shock. At his son's look, he smirked. "Well, possibly, but I'll have you know, if she was the girl you were meant to end up with, there's nothing that could scare her off."

He smiled at that. "I suppose that's true. Uncle Siri?" When Sirius merely raised an eyebrow in response, he sighed. "I mean we've been snogging a lot, like a lot a lot, but I don't know if…"

"What, Harry? You can tell me anything."

He sighed and dragged his fingers through his wet hair in such a similar way to James that Sirius had to blink. "I like snogging her. It's nice and she obviously likes snogging me but… we don't really talk much or do much of anything really and… I don't know if I really like her all that much. That sounds terrible when I say it aloud."

Sirius grinned at him. "It does, but if it's true, than it's true, Prongslet. You can't change the way you feel. Do you remember how I told you that there's really been no one in my life before Zee? Almost all of the girls I was with I enjoyed snogging and doing other stuff with, but I didn't really like them all that much either and I wasn't looking for anything from them outside of that. You're young and you're experiencing things for the first time and if it doesn't feel right, Harry, than maybe you should think about what you'd like to do about that."

Harry's face flushed under his father's stare. "I think I want to break it off with her."

He smiled. "Damn, Moony always knows."

"What?"

"Moony just said to me the other day that he didn't think that you and Cho were going anywhere and probably weren't going to last much longer and here you are telling me just that. He always knew when Jamie or Peter or even me or your Mum were ready to ditch our prospective snogging partners, too."

He grinned. "Really? How does he know?"

Sirius shrugged. "No idea. I blame the wolf. He must just inherently know. Pheromones or something."

"Maybe… Uncle Siri, what do you think I should do though, about — about Cho?"

"If you think you want to break it off then it's what you should do. You have to be happy, Harry."

Harry let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "Okay. Er… how exactly do you tell a girl that?"

Sirius chuckled and scratched his stubbled chin. "It's not easy, mate, that's for sure. But you have to make sure you do it right. Not doing what I did with Zee is a good start, as it was stupid and the worst possible way to break up with someone. You just have to sit her down and tell her that you like her, but that you don't really like her that way anymore, and you think that you should break up. She might cry; she might yell at you, but you have to be strong, Prongslet. You can still try to be friends, but she might not want that. But above all, be nice. No matter what, her feelings are going to be hurt, so be as gentle as you can."

He nodded solemnly, taking in every word his father was saying. "All right."

Sirius smiled. "You'll be fine, Harry. Let me know how it goes, okay?"

"I will," he said, letting out a nervous laugh. "Hey, what did you call me for anyway?"

Sirius sighed, letting out a long slow breath before he spoke. "We um… we need your help with something. Remus and I agreed that since we're asking you to come help us that maybe you should attend our meeting tomorrow night."

Harry's eyes widened. "For FUVP?"

"Yes."

"Really?" he asked, sitting up, his eyes still wide in shock and then he frowned. "You need me to speak Parseltongue. That's the only reason you're asking me!"

Sirius frowned. "In all honesty, yes. Harry, it's not that we don't want you to know, because I promised to keep you informed, it's just that we would like to take care of this and not have you be worried about it."

When Harry didn't respond, Sirius sighed.

"Prongslet, we threw a lot of stuff at you a while back and you know what's coming now; what could come to pass. Right now, knowing that there's something that I can do to help make that easier on you, or to even make it so that you don't have to do that… do you really expect me to just sit on my hands?"

"No," Harry muttered, his eyes meeting Sirius' in the mirror. "No, I get it. I just… you said that I would be learning stuff and so far I've only learned the Patronus and the few spells that you and Uncle Remus have given me to learn which is really brilliant, but I thought I was going to learn other spells and well… more stuff."

"You are, Prongslet. I promise. Sometimes you have to learn the basic spells before you can master the bigger ones. These things take time. Some of that we're going to talk about at the meeting tomorrow. Auntie Minnie has a new proposal to introduce. So listen, Zee and I are heading to Scotland tomorrow to see about recruiting an old Auror to help us out in FUVP. You can use Auntie Minnie's Floo to get to Uncle Moony's cottage tomorrow just after tea time. We'll meet you at headquarters, all right?"

He nodded. "You just need me to speak?"

Sirius grinned. "To start, and then Prongslet — we're going to destroy that locket."

Harry couldn't help but grin back.


	128. Chapter 128

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT:**

 **Peter stared at the large snake, watching as it uncoiled itself slowly, moving around the other snake.** The other snake, smaller and looking more than worse for wear, made him wince at the sight of it. Its skin was flaking, peeling and shedding at a rapid rate. It was almost translucent. The eyes were a dark red and he watched as the large snake seemed to talk to it, hissing vehemently — and the smaller snake hissed back.

He _knew_ that the Dark Lord resided in that smaller snake and as he watched the decaying flesh he couldn't help but hope that he would just fall apart completely; crumble before his very eyes and disintegrate into nothing.

He jolted when he heard Bella's laugh and he looked between the bars of the cage he was being held in to watch her step into the room.

"My Lord," she said reverently, bowing to the snake. She moved towards his cage, smirking at him. "Has Peter been keeping you company, my Lord?"

Peter recoiled back from her when she attempted to stroke the slice that she had left across his cheek and she grinned maliciously.

"Someone's afraid. Probably wise, Pettigrew." She dropped her hands and turned back to the snakes. "Abraxas is coming by today with fresh potions, my Lord, to help you recover your strength."

The small snake hissed at her and Peter knew that he was planting an image of some kind in Bellatrix's mind as a way of communicating with her, and it made him shiver.

"Don't worry, I have the perfect woman in mind for you." Bellatrix turned her gaze on Peter and smirked. "And Wormtail here is going to help me out in getting her here for you."

He was afraid to ask why they needed a woman here, but he was more afraid to ask what she needed of him in terms of getting the woman to the Dark Lord. He swallowed when she unlocked the cage and handed him the glass in her hand containing the disgusting mixture that he recognized by its smell as Polyjuice Potion.

"Drink up, Pettigrew. We are going on a reconnaissance date."

Peter knocked back the potion, grimacing at the taste as he felt his skin begin to bubble around him. A few minutes later he glanced in the mirror and saw that he had turned into a tall well muscled blond man that he didn't recognize.

Bellatrix was grinning at him. She tossed new clothes at him with a smirk. "Get dressed and meet me out front. We have a woman to spy on."

Peter pulled the shirt that she had given him over his head and sighed, his eyes on the two snakes. But he didn't speak. He just followed Bellatrix out in his new disguise, accepting his wand back, still completely unsure of what he was doing. But his biggest problem was that, he still didn't know how to make it out of this place alive.

And nothing had ever scared him more.

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning when Harry woke, he felt a bit anxious for the afternoon.** The thought of actually destroying another Horcrux was exhilarating and terrifying. When he had destroyed the diary, he hadn't actually known what it was, but this time, he not only knew — but they were intentionally going to destroy it.

One more down, he thought.

He grabbed his Quidditch gear and hurried down to the Gryffindor locker rooms for practice. Wood was in full practice mode and Harry changed into his warm clothing before he started his run around the pitch. He did his usual five laps before starting up the stands, his broomstick across the top of his shoulders. The burn in his calf muscles hurt in a good way as he panted up and down the stairs. After he made it up and down all of the stands, he did one more slow jog around the pitch before he joined Fred and George in a slow stretch beneath the goal posts.

Fred grunted as he stretched. "I swear Wood makes us run like this because he can, the sick bastard."

Harry smirked at him. "I kind of look forward to it now. I always feel better after the workout."

"George! Harry's starting to channel Oliver, come quick!"

Harry snorted. "Admit it, you feel better too."

"Maybe a little," Fred said quietly. "But let's keep that between us. Besides, maybe you just like it because your new girlfriend likes your body." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at him as Harry blushed.

"No."

George smirked. "I think it's a definite yes. Is that not Chang sitting in the stands watching you over there?"

Harry squinted at the morning sun as he looked over to where George was pointing. Sure enough, Cho was sitting there with her friend Marietta. He waved at her and she waved back, grinning. "Shut it."

Fred and George teased him a bit more about his new girlfriend before Wood called them to attention and started to practice with the Quaffle. Each player looked great on their new Nimbus 2001's and they flew around easily and gracefully as if the brooms had been personally made for each of them. When Wood released the Bludgers, Fred and George hurried forward to practice beating and Harry stuck with the Quaffle until Wood eventually released the Golden Snitch.

By noon, Wood finally called it quits and Harry marched over to where Cho was still sitting with Marietta. "Hi," he said, grinning at her.

Cho wrinkled her nose as he leaned in for a kiss. "Shower first, Harry!"

He only nodded as Cho and Marietta giggled. "I guess that's fair. Wait for me?"

She smiled at him and nodded so he made his way to the Gryffindor locker rooms to shower and changed into comfortable blue jeans and a black jumper. Cho was waiting for him by herself in the stands when he came out twenty minutes later. She put his arm around her and snuggled into him before leaning in to kiss him softly.

"You smell nice," she said, nuzzling into his neck.

He smirked. "I didn't before?"

Cho only laughed and took his hand in hers as they walked back up to the castle. "Hardly. You were all sweaty. So, do you want to hang out after lunch?"

He kissed her quickly and grinned. "I can't today. I'm actually going home for the night."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Uncle Sirius needs me home for some big family meeting. I'll either be back late tonight or first thing tomorrow morning."

"Oh," she said looking rather disappointed. "I could go with you?"

Harry glanced at her in surprise. "What?"

"I could go home with you. Meet your father, and you know, we could spend some time together."

"Except that I have a big family meeting that I'm needed at home for."

She pouted. "Well, if you don't want to spend time with me then."

"Cho —"

But she had stormed off to the castle, ignoring his call and he shoved his hands into his pockets as he marched on. He really needed to figure out what he wanted from her. He made his way back up to Gryffindor Tower to put away his Quidditch gear.

Girls were hard to figure out, he thought, and sometimes he wasn't even sure if he completely wanted to understand them. He rolled his shoulders and continued his trek to Gryffindor Tower trying to figure out what he might have said wrong to make Cho storm off, but by the time he reached his room, he still had no idea.

Yeah, girls were hard to figure out, he thought.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius's motorbike came to a stop at the quaint little house in Portnahaven and let out a slow breath.** He probably should have written first, given the fact that Dumbledore had warned him about how paranoid and crotchety the old coot still was, but he had been itching for a ride. He turned to smile at Zee, her arms wrapped tightly around him from her spot on the BSA M20 that she had graciously let him drive despite the winter temperatures; but the light snow had melted and it was surprisingly a little warm out, and he had been itching to take the bike out.

"Are you sure that you want to be here?"

"Kind of late to be asking, isn't it?" she said, her voice teasing.

Sirius simply grinned and kissed her lips. "Stay here for a minute."

He hopped off of the bike, wand out, and knocked on the mailbox at the road. Sure enough, a loud booming voice announcing intruders and demanding that they leave at once echoed around him. He muffled it and carefully sent his Patronus up to the house.

Not two minutes later, the front door banged open and the man he was looking for stood there. He was leaning on his cane, his wooden leg wearing a fuzzy slipper like his other foot. His magical eye moving suspiciously in his weathered face. It fell on Sirius for a long moment and then he grunted, gesturing for him to come inside.

Sirius took Zee's hand in his and they stepped into the house, closing the door behind him. "Moody, long time no see."

Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody only grunted before he poured himself a glass of Glenfiddich. "Your trial, I believe. I am sorry it took so long — I was just doing my job."

Sirius nodded. "I know and I know it wasn't your job to make sure that I had a trial, Moody, so all is forgiven."

Moody only nodded and took a long drink of his Scotch. "Who's the bird?"

"Zahira Zacarias," Zee said pleasantly, extending her hand. "I'm a Magizoologist and an Agent of the DRCMC, and most certainly, _not_ a bird."

Moody only grunted in response.

"How's retirement been treating you?" Sirius asked, taking Zee's hand in his own and tucking in under his arm.

"Bored to tears, Black. Do you have any idea how fucking boring it is to sit at home with nothing but your balls in your hand?"

Sirius grinned at him. "Well now, I was hoping you might be feeling that way." At Moody's look, he grinned. "Interested in getting back in on some action?"

Moody took another drink of his Scotch. "I've been retired for six years, Black; I don't think action is quite my cup of tea anymore."

Sirius only smirked at him. "Not your cup of tea no, but surely it's your glass of Scotch."

Moody smirked at that. "What do you want, Black?"

"You know Pettigrew was finally caught last year and sentenced to Azkaban and then he and Lestrange both escaped prison this past summer?"

Moody nodded. "Been saying for years that having Dementors as guards was bullshit. Never could trust those soul suckers."

"We think that we know who was behind the breakout."

"I didn't realize that you'd joined the Auror Department, Black."

"I haven't."

Moody only raised an eyebrow, sipping his Scotch. "I still think that I could have made you and Potter into fantastic Hit Wizards if you hadn't been so hell-bent on joining the Order."

Sirius smiled at him. "But you still trained us like Aurors, didn't you? What was it you always yelled at us? CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" At Moody's shrug and smirk, he continued. "As I was saying, we think that we know who helped orchestrate the escape and we have evidence that this person is using the escaped prisoners to help in a quest to find Voldemort and to bring him back to power."

Moody snorted. "Well, now, it's not like he actually died, did he? Always said that bastard would find a way back into the world."

Sirius nodded. "It's just hearsay, Moody. We know the Ministry of Magic isn't going to be assisting us on this, Fudge is too much of a damn coward and frankly there are some parts of this that I don't want the world knowing. It's too dangerous if it was leaked to the general public."

Both of Moody's eyes stayed on Sirius for a long moment. "You coming to me for help, boy?"

"Best damn Auror there ever was," Sirius said, grinning from ear to ear. "Wouldn't mind a helping a hand from a professional?"

Moody knocked back the Scotch in his hand. "What do you know, Black?"

Sirius' eyes sobered. "Ever heard of a Horcrux, Moody?"

Moody's eye widened almost as large as his magical one. "Well, fuck buggering shit arse head and hole! Are you saying what I think you're saying, Black?"

Sirius only shrugged. "Unless you're in, Mad-Eye, I can't tell you anything else."

Moody slammed his empty glass down on the table. "Fuck me! Yes, I'm goddamn in. A bloke can't even retire in peace!"

Sirius snorted. "Admit it, I just made your whole fucking day."

"Piss off, Black," Moody said angrily as he grabbed his cloak off the coat rack. "Show me what you've got so far."

Sirius only grinned and passed him a piece of parchment with the address of Grimmauld Place on it. "Meeting's at seven."

"Did Albus reform the Order?" Moody asked, memorizing the address before he burned the paper in his hand.

"No. Lupin and I started this op. It's called Operation FUVP."

At Moody's look of confusion, Zee smiled at him. "Operation Fuck Up Voldemort's Plans."

Moody snorted and offered a small smile for Zee, which only made his scarred mouth look all the more terrifying. "Always were a smart-arsed little prick," he muttered, smirking slightly. "I'll be there for seven. And Black?" When Sirius turned to look at him from his spot near the front door, he smirked. "Better be some damn good Scotch waiting for me when I arrive."

Sirius only smirked at him. "I know my audience, Alastor. See you tonight."

When they climbed back on the bike, Zee rested her chin on his shoulder. "Well, he's an interesting character."

Sirius chuckled. "Best damn Auror there ever was, seriously. Having him on our side can only help things. He put more dark witches and wizards behind bars than anyone. He knows what to look for; what to look behind and beyond. He knows how they think. If anyone can help us dig up these trophies, he can."

Zee kissed the side of his neck. "Well, drive on you smart-arsed little prick… we need to buy some Scotch for tonight."

"We both know my prick _isn't little,_ darling," he said cheekily.

Zee pinched him in the side and he yelped. "Prat. Shut up and drive."

He grinned at her and started the engine. Having Moody on their side made him feel a bit better. But he still wasn't keen on the idea that they were going to need Harry to open the locket. It was bad enough that this prophecy claimed that Harry would have to destroy Voldemort in the end. He wanted to handle the rest; do what he could to prevent Harry from facing the bastard alone.

The bike zoomed along the winding road of the Scottish cliffs and he sighed. One step at a time, Sirius, he told himself, one step at a time.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry took a seat at the Gryffindor table next to Ginny after putting his Quidditch things away and she turned to grin widely at him.**

"Hi Harry! How was practice?"

"Good," he said reaching for a chicken leg as Ron passed him the buttery rolls. "Thanks," he told him, filling his plate. Practice had made him incredibly hungry. "Where's Hermione?"

Ron shrugged. "Not sure. She said that she was going to the library to study, but I couldn't find her in there. She's always disappearing."

Harry frowned, leaning in to tell Ron, Ginny, and Neville about him going home for the night.

Neville's eyes widened. "You're going to help destroy one? Really destroy one?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"Wicked," Ron said, his eyes gleaming. "Wish we were going with you! You'll have to let us know how it goes."

Harry only grinned back and finished his lunch. He hurried up to Gryffindor Tower to grab a jacket before he grabbed the map from his trunk and quickly murmured, 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' and searched for Hermione's name. He was surprised to see that she was in the orchestra room on the main floor. He closed the map and put it in his pocket before making his way down to see her.

When he opened the door he could hear the tentative notes of the piano. Her eyes were on the music in front of her and he could see the frustration there. Nothing annoyed Hermione more than when she wasn't able to successfully learn something. She was determined to be the best at everything she attempted. He closed the door behind him and sat next to her on the bench.

"Having trouble?"

"Harry!" she said in surprise, "I didn't hear you come in. How did you find me?"

"The map," he said with a grin. "It sounds like you're progressing a bit."

She shrugged. "I guess. It's hard to teach yourself."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Did you ask Uncle-Professor Lupin yet? I told you that he plays, and you already know that he's a great teacher!"

Hermione shook her head, her bushy curls hiding her face as she looked down at her hands. "No. I think that I can teach myself anyway, it's not like I need someone."

"Hermione… why won't you ask Uncle Rem?"

She sighed and her dark eyes met his. "Harry, there's something… there's something about Professor Lupin that I think you should know."

Harry gulped. The seriousness in her face had him worried. Ever since Snape had assigned the chapter on werewolves he had wondered how long it was going to take his brilliant friend to figure it out. He had hoped that Hermione wasn't caught up in the prejudice of it, either. He had thought better of her.

"What's that?"

She let out a slow breath. "When Professor Snape taught us, I… I suspected then and…I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how you'd react. I know how important he is to you."

"Just say it, Hermione."

Her eyes met his and she gasped. "You already know!"

"Of course I already bloody-well know!" he insisted, glaring at her. "They told me when I was a child! Uncle Sirius wanted me to understand and Uncle Rem was too scared for me to know, but he told me."

She was pale now. "Harry! That's so dangerous! I know that he's a great teacher and a nice man, but he turns into a monster!"

Harry jumped up off the piano bench and glared at his friend. "The only monster I know is the girl standing in this room."

"Harry!" she exclaimed, grabbing his arm when he tried to turn away. "That's not fair!"

Harry whirled on her, his eyes flashing in anger. "No, what's not fair is that you read the word werewolf and automatically assumed monster! You don't understand anything, Hermione! He's not a monster! He's one of the most amazing men I know! He's been the best dad to me and the best uncle and he cares more deeply about anyone than you can possibly understand! Do you think that he doesn't hate himself for what happened to him? He didn't choose this life! He was bitten when he was four years old! Four years old, Hermione! He was a kid and he didn't deserve that! His whole life everyone has turned him away; stopped him from finding work just because of it! Tonks is the best thing to ever happen to him and sometimes he still looks at her like he doesn't understand why she loves him and that's just horrible! He deserves to be loved more than anyone else I know!"

"Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't…I _like_ Professor Lupin."

Harry only glared at her. "But he's a werewolf and you're too afraid to have piano lessons with him."

Harry slammed the door behind him as he stormed his way up to McGonagall's office, knocking on the door a little louder than he had planned on.

McGonagall only raised an eyebrow at him when he came inside. "Potter?"

Harry's fists clenched at his sides. "I'm ready to use the Floo now, Auntie Minnie."

McGonagall watched him for a moment. "Sit down, Harry."

He sighed but took a seat in the chair, his eyes widening in surprise when she pulled out a tin of biscuits and passed one to him. "Have a biscuit."

He smirked at her and accepted one. "Thanks."

"What has you in such a tizzy?"

"I hate it when people are bigots! They just… they don't understand things and I don't get why it's so hard to look past things and see people for who they are." At McGonagall's blank look, he sighed. "Hermione knows that Uncle Moony is a werewolf."

"Ah," McGonagall said, nodding. Nyx moved from her spot by the fire and rested her head on Harry's knee. McGonagall passed him a second biscuit which he accepted as he reached down to stroke the cat behind her ears. "Did she say that she was going to tell everyone?"

"No, but —"

"— Did she say that she doesn't want him to teach here anymore?"

"No, but —"

"— Harry, you might have jumped to conclusions then."

He sighed. "I didn't! She got a piano for Christmas and she wants to learn how to play and I told her that Uncle Moony can teach her, she just has to ask him — and she got all weird about it. And now she says that she can't ask him — and I know it's because of the werewolf thing. She said that he turns into a monster!"

McGonagall nodded. "Well, I'm sure that she has a lot to think about then. Miss Granger is an extremely bright young witch and I have every belief that she will make the right decision for herself. Do you trust her, Harry?"

"Of course I do! She's one of my best friends!"

McGonagall smiled. "So trust her now."

Harry nodded, accepting a third biscuit. "You're pretty wise, Auntie Minnie."

She smirked at him. "It's from putting up with Sirius all these years."

Harry grinned, stroking Nyx as he spoke. "Can I use the Floo now?"

"Absolutely. I'll see you later tonight."

He nodded, patting the growing tiger on the head and smiling when she moved to nuzzle McGonagall's hand. He loved how affectionate and protective Nyx was. He did notice though that outside of himself, McGonagall, and Sirius, the only other person Nyx was affectionate towards was Dumbledore. She was going to make a great guard tiger, he thought. Not to mention that he found it amusing the way the students would watch her warily when she prowled around the classroom. She followed McGonagall almost everywhere and Harry knew that McGonagall loved it. Give her a few more months and she would be a real force to be reckoned with.

Just like her owner, he thought with a grin.

He grabbed a handful of Floo powder before calling out 'Lupin Cottage' and disappearing into the green flames. He stumbled out of the fireplace, smiling when he saw paint cans all over the place and drop cloths over all the furniture.

Remus stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "Harry, come in, come in. Ignore the mess, Dora and I are doing some painting."

"Are you painting everything?"

"Pretty much," Remus said with a smile. "This place needs a good freshening up and re-painting everything makes it ours I think. But don't worry, your room will stay the same."

Harry nodded at him and moved to sit at the kitchen table.

Remus squeezed his shoulder lightly. "You okay, little Prongs?"

Harry shrugged. "Girls are confusing."

Remus chuckled and took a seat across from him. "You can say that again. And you know, the older you get, I think the harder they are is to figure them out."

He smirked. "That's not very reassuring, Uncle Moony."

"It's a fact of life, my son. Cho giving you a hard time?"

"Cho, Hermione… it's like girls just decided to be weird one day."

Remus chuckled. "Let's start with Hermione. What's up with her?"

Harry shrugged and sighed simultaneously making his uncle laugh. "She knows that you're a werewolf."

Remus' eyes widened in surprise. "Well, she's very intelligent. How long has she known?"

"Since Snape assigned us the chapter."

"She's upset that you didn't tell her, I presume?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. She got a piano for Christmas from her parents and she was telling me how happy she was and how excited she is to learn how to play and I suggested that she ask you to maybe help her since you play. She didn't ask you and now I know that she didn't because she knows that you're a werewolf and… it's so dumb, Uncle Moony! You're the best teacher there is!"

Remus smiled sympathetically. "And I thank you for that gross overstatement, but that's a pretty normal reaction, little Prongs." At Harry's glare, he only shrugged. "People hear the word werewolf and they automatically think monster. It's a fact and it is true whether you and Sirius want to accept it or not. I do become a monster three nights a month, Harry and… that scares me, too, but it's part of who I am, not what I am, and it's taken me a really long time to accept that about myself."

"I don't care what you say, Uncle Moony, you'll never be a monster in my eyes."

Remus smiled at him. "I love you very much, Harry. I love that you want to stick up for me and my reputation, but it all comes down to the fact that if my students are frightened of me, I won't be able to stay at Hogwarts and teach."

Harry looked horrified by his. "No! I'll talk to her! She won't tell anybody, I know her! It took her awhile to even come to me!"

He nodded. "I know you will and if you can bring her around, tell her that I would be honoured to help her learn the piano if she would like to learn. I haven't played in a very long time."

Harry grinned at him. "I will."

"Now, best friend out of the way; what's going on with Cho?"

Harry sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair making it stick up everywhere even worse than usual and Remus snorted. "What?"

"For someone who hasn't had James in his life, you have so many of his little habits."

Harry grinned. "What?"

"The hair… making it stick up everywhere. James used to do it when he was trying to impress a girl or when girls, namely your mother, were stressing him out."

Harry flushed and pat his hair back down. "You already know about Cho, Uncle Padfoot told me last night on our mirror-call."

Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "What do I already know?"

"That I'm thinking about breaking up with her."

"Ah," Remus said, tapping his fingers on the table.

Harry explained how she had acted and how he didn't understand how she wanted to meet Sirius or to come home with him when they never talked or did anything really other than snog, how she never wanted to sit with his friends or do anything with any of his friends, and how as much as he liked to snog her — he wasn't really sure he liked her that much anymore.

"I'm a terrible person, aren't I?"

"No," he said with a smile. "You're not a terrible person. Attraction comes and goes and sometimes it is only physical and when it disappears you aren't always attracted to the rest of the person. Personality and attitude define a person in ways that physical looks don't. Look at Tonks, she's beautiful, but it's not because she's beautiful that I love her. She's funny and she's klutzy and she's smart and brave and she makes me laugh and she makes me happy. If she was only beautiful, do you think that I would still be with her if we didn't have all of those other things in common too?"

Harry nodded in understanding. "No, I get it."

Remus smiled and squeezed Harry's arm in reassurance. "You think about that and then you talk to Cho and you decide what you want to do."

"Thanks, Uncle Moony."

"Anytime, Harry. Now, come on; we should get going to Headquarters. Sirius and Zee should be on their way back from seeing Moody by now."

"Moody? Wasn't that the name of the Auror who put Sirius in Azkaban?"

"One of them, yes. He's a good man, Harry. It wasn't his fault that Sirius ended up there without a trial. He was just part of the group of Aurors and Hit Wizards who arrested him. Hopefully you'll meet him tonight if Sirius and Zee were successful. Grab onto my arm tightly now, we're going to Apparate."

Harry grumbled at that. He hated side Apparation as it always felt like he was being pulled in too many directions. He couldn't wait until he could Apparate by himself. But he took his uncle's arm once they were outside and past the wards of the cottage and then they disappeared, arriving a few seconds later in the quiet street of Claremont Square. He rushed Harry up the steps as Number Twelve appeared and they stepped in through the front door.

Kreacher appeared in the hall upon seeing them and informed them there would be tea set up soon in the kitchen. Harry followed his father down the hall and into the kitchen, his eyes on the chalkboard, re-reading the timeline and the stuff about Horcruxes.

"You've added nothing new?"

Remus shook his head. "No, nothing yet. We've just been spending time on the locket. Sirius and Dumbledore have been working to see if its possible to destroy the Horcrux without destroying the object it has been cased in."

"Why?"

"Well, the locket is quite a historical object for starters; one of the last known artefacts of the Slytherin family. It would be a shame for it to be destroyed. But we haven't been lucky and Sirius decided that he would rather see the Horcrux be destroyed than keep it around too much longer. We all agreed with this sentiment. We still have to find the others as it is."

Harry nodded, sitting on the kitchen table, his feet on the bench as he continued to read over the words. "I bet he found something belonging to Hufflepuff when he worked at Borgin and Burkes."

"We think so, too, but we don't know what it could have been. There is no record of it."

Harry frowned at that. "There has to be somewhere. What about the house elf?"

Remus looked startled by this. "The house elf?"

"Yeah, the one who supposedly killed her mistress, the heir to Hufflepuff. Did anyone ever bother talking to her?"

"I don't know, Harry. You can ask Professor Dumbledore tonight as he is the one who told us of the memory."

Harry nodded, feeling like he had come up with something to help even if it wasn't much in the overall scheme of things.

Remus took the time to have Harry work on his Patronus which was now taking on less of a smoky shape and becoming more defined. Without a Boggart or an actual Dementor to work on, Harry was making his Patronus even stronger, but the sight of it was still quite majestic. He watched his nephew in awe as the stag, dog, and wolf surrounded him in a protective circle of three. It still amazed him that his Patronus was essentially the Marauders, the three men who loved him most in the world. He had never heard of a Patronus taking on a level such as this and he wondered what it meant; what it could mean in terms of how powerful Harry was.

The Marauders Patronus was still circling Harry when Sirius and Zee stepped into the kitchen, closely followed by McGonagall.

"Merlin!" McGonagall exclaimed, her eyes wide as she watched the animals protect Harry. "What on earth… is that… are they… a Patronus?"

Remus grinned widely and took a seat on the bench next to Harry's feet, who was still sitting on the top of the kitchen table. "It is Harry's Patronus, yes. A stag, a dog, and a wolf that circle and protect him. It's quite extraordinary."

McGonagall was beaming at him. "That is absolutely amazing, Harry!"

He grinned as Sirius beamed at him as well. "They're becoming more solid now too."

"As amazing and wonderful as your charm work is, Harry, I think it would be better served if you weren't sitting on the dinner table," Zee said with a smirk, her eyebrow rising as she moved her eyes from the table to the bench at his feet.

Sirius smirked and sat next to his godson on the table. "Table's quite comfy, Zee," he said as he put his arm around Harry. "I am so proud of you. Look at that charm — it's incredible."

Zee merely sighed. "Off the table, boys, I don't want to say it again."

Harry grinned as Sirius immediately slid down onto the bench, tugging Harry down with him.

"Thank you," Zee said with a smile, leaning in to kiss both of them on the cheek as McGonagall simply grinned at her.

"About time someone puts those boys to rights," she muttered making Zee laugh.

"Did you guys talk to Moody?" Harry asked.

"We did," Sirius told him as Harry swept his Patronus away. "He should be here at seven."

Tonks came in next, moving to kiss Remus before ruffling Harry's hair and sitting next to him. "I heard you have a girlfriend named Cho Chang and have been snogging her all over the castle. Spill."

Harry blushed and smirked at her. "I am allowed to have _some_ secrets you know."

Tonks merely scoffed at this and poked him in the ribs. "Not from me! Start talking, mister."

Harry grinned at her and told her of how he had asked her out as Sirius turned to talk to McGonagall. A few minutes later, Bill came in with an older man with a wooden leg, weathered scarred face, and a creepy large blue magical eye that seemed to follow everyone around the room and Dumbledore followed behind a few moments later.

Sirius stood up to get everyone's attention and smiled. "Hello everyone! As you can see, tonight is a little bit different from our previous meetings as my son has been invited to attend. I know that he's only thirteen and that most of you are probably wondering why he was even asked to come tonight, but Prongslet and I have one important rule in our house — we don't lie to each other."

Bill nodded at that. "It's nice to see you, Harry."

Sirius placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "Harry, this is Alastor Moody. He's a retired Auror from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but he trained your Dad and I during the first war. Alastor, my godson, Harry Potter."

"Nice to meet you, Sir," Harry said politely as the man's blue magical eye spun around in his head.

"Potter," he said in greeting before turning his scarred face on Sirius. "Where's my Scotch, Black?"

Sirius smirked and summoned a bottle of Glenfiddich over to him and poured Moody a glass along with everyone else at the table. Harry was pleased to get a glass himself, beaming at Sirius who only smirked at him when he took a drink of it, proceeded to choke and gag and simply pushed the glass away in disgust. Sirius gave him a cup of tea and Harry only stared at him. He had done that on purpose, he thought, and he had to give him credit; that was one way to make sure Harry didn't drink.

"Now as all of you are aware, this is our small group who are hunting down the Horcruxes that Voldemort has created. Moony, you want to give a quick summary to Alastor since he's new to join us?"

Remus nodded, smiling at Sirius before he quickly explained about the Horcruxes, starting with the discovery of the diary which had opened the Chamber of Secrets; to Regulus Black and the locket.

Moody's magical eye was reading the chalkboard wall as he seemed to be processing all of this critically. Harry moved over to sit next to Dumbledore while Remus explained everything to Moody.

"Sir, can I ask you a question?"

"You have just done so, but I can allow a second one."

Harry flushed at that. "Sir, I wondered, that house elf, the one who poisoned her mistress; did anyone ever find her or talk to her about what happened? Uncle Moony said that it was deemed an accident based on her being older, but they thought it was strange otherwise."

"Very perceptive of you, Harry," Dumbledore said kindly, taking a sip of his Scotch. "She was accused of murder despite her innocence and they did claim that it was accidental, but she had still killed a witch, a great crime for a house elf. She was sentenced and executed many years later."

Harry's face fell. "I thought maybe if someone had spoken to her, they might have known what it was that Riddle was so interested in."

Dumbledore smiled at him, his blue eyes twinkling. "Ah, but I believe I do know."

"What?"

Dumbledore nodded, tapping his fingers against his glass of Scotch. "I went to her execution myself just last week."

"Last — she was only _just_ executed now?"

"Oh, yes. She was imprisoned for many years by her own kind; not allowed to work, which for a house elf is a punishment worse than death. She was sentenced to fifty years, but was finally allowed execution due to her failing health. I attended her execution myself and was given the opportunity to speak with her and I examined her memories from that day."

Harry grinned at him. "And what did she know, Sir?"

"Miss Smith had two items of important historical significance; a locket, originally belonging to Salazar Slytherin and a cup. A small golden cup with two finely wrought handles that was said to have belonged to Helga Hufflepuff herself," Dumbledore said with a smile. "And when Smith was killed, the cup and the locket had both mysteriously disappeared."

"Riddle took them. He poisoned Smith and stole them."

"Not quite," Dumbledore said. "It was the elf, Hokey, who poisoned her mistress, but she was forced into it by ways of the Imperius Curse and she didn't know what she was doing. But yes, I do believe that it was Riddle who stole the cup and the locket. It does seem to fit his love of trophies rather well, doesn't it?"

"What about a cup?" Bill asked, leaning in to Dumbledore and Harry.

"The cup of Helga Hufflepuff," Harry supplied. "We think it may also be a Horcrux."

Bill used his wand to add it to the list. "Finding these pieces isn't going to be easy that's for sure."

Sirius slipped out of the room for a moment as Remus continued to fill Moody in on the timeline on the wall. Zee slid a plate of fruit in front of Harry, smiling kindly at him.

"Eat some of that; it will tie you over until dinner."

Harry smiled gratefully at her and helped himself to a piece of pineapple. It was rather nice having her take care of him, he thought.

Sirius came back inside with a black box in his hands and placed it on the table. "You understanding everything, Mad-Eye?"

Moody snorted. "I lost my eye, not my brain."

Harry snorted and quickly sobered when Zee elbowed him lightly.

Sirius opened the box and carefully pulled out the ornate locket. "My brother found this in a seaside cave where Voldemort had once spent time as a child; torturing and bullying young orphans around his own age. It was protected by Inferi, by a blood spell, and by a potion that forced you to relive your worst memories and greatly weakened one's physical and magical strength. Our family house elf, Kreacher, took Regulus to this cave and retrieved the locket that Voldemort had used Kreacher to put there. As you can see, it once belonged to the Slytherin family. The jewels, the fancy S on the front; it is a historical item."

"We had hoped to be able to preserve the locket, but the darkness of the Horcrux inside of it has made it impossible to do so," Zee said carefully, urging Harry to eat more fruit by nudging at the plate.

Harry did so as he stared at the locket, still a bit shocked that his godfather was letting him stay here; letting him help in this momentous task.

Sirius smiled at him. "We have discovered that there are two known ways to destroy a Horcrux through Basilisk venom as my son discovered in the Chamber of Secrets and through Fiendfyre. This also extends to the Sword of Godric Gryffindor because Harry killed the Basilisk with it therefore adding Basilisk venom to the sword's enchantments. Albus and I attempted to destroy the locket last week, but we were not successful because we need to open the locket to destroy it, and that can only be done by a Parselmouth."

Harry pushed the fruit tray aside and stood up. "What's going to happen when I open it, Uncle Padfoot? Will another memory come out?"

"Of a young Tom Riddle? No, I don't believe so. The diary was unique to that. But, I imagine what's inside isn't going to be much better," Sirius said honestly.

Moody stood up, moving towards the locket. "You've theorized that he's built seven, but have you checked the Horcrux inside?"

Sirius stared at Moody in confusion. "Checked it how?"

Moody rolled his eyes and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the locket. The locket pulsed and shook for a moment before a soft gold rose up from it. The gold smoke moved to form a silhouette of what looked like a puzzle piece.

Remus quickly sketched it down. "What does that mean, Mad-Eye?"

Moody stared at them. "It means that that locket holds about sixteen percent of a human soul which means when he made it, he had five soul pieces already. Also, see how the puzzle piece glides around and glimmers in the shape of something?" At everyone's nod, he continued, "Each Horcrux holds a percentage of his soul and the final one will reside in his body, a tiny spark of life that has been flayed alive too many times to even really be there."

"What does that mean, Sir?" Harry asked, trying not to flinch when Moody's creepy magical eye landed on him.

"It means that if we can form this spell before we destroy each Horcrux, we can zero in on making sure that we've found every last one. If you kill that bastard before we've found them all, he'll only come back and we definitely don't want that."

Dumbledore nodded, smiling at Moody. "An excellent spell, Alastor, thank you."

"Also, your logic is a little flawed, Albus. If he wanted to use the importance of the number seven than he made six Horcruxes; seven pieces of his soul, but one piece has to stay inside of him."

"Yes, you are correct, Alastor. I thank you for clarifying that," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Remus handed Sirius the sword of Gryffindor and everyone slowly backed away from the kitchen table to stand against the walls. Kreacher came into the kitchen again, pulling on his ears nervously as Sirius and Harry approached the locket. Sirius nodded at his son and Harry swallowed slowly, trying to think like a snake and when he asked the locket to open, a low hissing erupted from his mouth.

The locket sprung open with a roar of sound and Harry jumped back. The woman who's shadowed silhouette had dark hair, sallow skin, and dark eyes. It was evident that she had once been very beautiful, but now looked washed out and rather scary looking. Her hands were on her hips as she stared menacingly down at Sirius.

"I raised you better, boy! You are a disgrace to this family! A disgrace to the name of Black!" The image shifted to a young boy, shackled to the wall as the Cruciatus Curse was placed on him and a sharp whip hit his back over and over again, blood flying.

Sirius faltered only for a moment as the voice grew louder, surrounding him, bringing him back to his childhood.

"You are a traitor! You are no son of mine! Crucio!"

"Uncle Padfoot!" Harry exclaimed, grabbing his father's arm.

Sirius looked at him, his eyes haunted before they cleared, looking at Harry with love and he swung the sword up into his hand and stabbed the image of his mother; swinging the sword back around and pushing the tip directly into the locket. An ethereal scream echoed through the room sending shivers down everyone's spine before the locket erupted in green smoke and exploded in a shower of sparks. The locket fell back upon the table, open and burnt black.

Sirius was breathing heavily and Harry was still holding his arm. He turned and tugged Harry into his arms, resting his chin on the top of his boy's head. "Another one bites the dust."

Harry smirked into his godfather's shoulder. " _And another one gone, another one bites the dust._ "

Sirius grinned and turned to face everyone else in the room, his arm still around his son. "Well, see now, that was a piece of cake."

Remus snorted. "Oh yeah, real simple, Padfoot. You all right?"

Sirius nodded, shrugging. "Never better."

Zee moved around Remus to kiss Sirius softly, wrapping her arms around him from the opposite side of where Harry was. "That was a bit more than a piece of cake."

Sirius shrugged it off, but let her hold him. "Well, now that you've all met my dear mum; let's move onto how to find the next one, shall we?"

Remus nodded, clearing his throat as everyone moved to sit back at the table. He knew the last thing that Sirius would want to discuss at the moment was what had just been witnessed with his mother. Dumbledore reached for the locket as he and Moody began to examine the burnt edges, speaking quietly about the intensity of the soul piece that had resided there.

"Professor Dumbledore says that the cup of Helga Hufflepuff is definitely one, but we have no idea where it is," Harry said to his father, reaching for some more fruit.

He looked up in surprise when Kreacher popped his ugly head between him and Sirius and hugged Sirius fiercely.

"Master Sirius has fulfilled his promise to Kreacher. Kreacher did not fail Master Regulus. Kreacher is sorry his mistress made him chain up the young master. Kreacher had to do what his mistress said. Kreacher is yours to do with as you wish, Sir. Kreacher will not disobey. Kreacher is honoured to serve Master Sirius and young Master Harry in any capacity for the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black."

Sirius glanced at Kreacher in surprise before he cleared his throat. "Er, you're welcome, Kreacher. Perhaps we could have some dinner?"

Kreacher nodded eagerly and hurried over to finish preparing the meal he had started before the Horcrux destroying brigade had taken over.

Zee smiled at Sirius, gently brushing a piece of his hair behind his ear before turning her attention to the room. "We also strongly suspect the signet ring of Salazar Slytherin."

Sirius nodded. "Again though, discovering where he could have hidden them is the problem."

Moody took a long drink of Scotch, leaning back in his seat. His scarred mouth savouring the liquid before he swallowed. "Have you checked the shack?"

Dumbledore looked at Moody in surprise. "The Gaunt house?"

Moody nodded. "I remember that murder in Little Hangleton, Albus. Aurors were all over the damn place trying to figure out what drove Morfin Gaunt to do it. The Muggles believed it was this caretaker, a Veteran from the big Muggle War of the 1940s, but we all knew that the man was innocent. It was the Avada Kedavra that had killed them; that much was obvious, but it was a big mystery to the Muggles. But I remember that shack, sitting nearby. The Gaunts had dead snakes nailed to the fence, to the door. It was quite disgusting. My father used to talk about it being one of those unsolved cases that ate at him. He used to bring the file home and talk the case over aloud, trying to make sense of it. The Gaunt place has never been torn down."

Remus looked at Moody in interest. "No one's ever tried to take over the land after all these years?"

Moody shook his head. "Not a soul. Now, knowing what we do about the Dark Lord and his desire to keep these trophies of his hidden and there's this whole property that belonged to his mother's family just sitting there… I'd say it's a pretty damn good place to start."

Tonks grinned at him. "You're quite brilliant, Moody, do you know that? I wish you had been my instructor instead of Dawlish."

Moody snorted. "That dunderhead is teaching at the Academy?"

Tonks shrugged. "Yes, he was running the original training sessions before we took our tests to become an A1."

"Is that what you are, girl?"

She smiled at him. "I'm an A2. But I hope to have logged in enough cases and hours by August to apply for an A3 position. Maybe you could give me some pointers?"

Moody snorted. "Keep your wand out of your back pocket and always remember constant vigilance!" He turned back to his Scotch. "Now, when would you like to make a trip to Little Hangleton to see if I'm right?"


	129. Chapter 129

_Author's Note:_

 _I dedicate this chapter to Saz: 1) because you finally caught up, 2) always around to lend an ear; and 3) been reading my stuff since the very beginning — thank you for always being a dedicated reader and reviewer as well as an awesome friend :) see, I promised it would be uploaded in time for your lunch break!_

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE:**

 **They stayed to eat dinner; chatting about the possibility of a Horcrux being hidden on the old Gaunt lands.** The group decided as a whole to check it out two Saturdays from now as Bill had to work this upcoming weekend. Bill, Tonks, Sirius, and Moody would go to investigate and to test out the wards; to see what was lying in wait for them if anything, but they all agreed that Moody was probably right and it sounded like a potential Horcrux was already there.

Sirius added it to the list on the board which was titled:

FUVP Hit List:

1\. DIARY (found in Chamber of Secrets through vault of Abraxas Malfoy) ✓

2\. LOCKET OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found in seaside cave) ✓

3\. SIGNET RING OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN

4\. CUP OF HELGA HUFFLEPUFF

5\. UNKNOWN

6\. UNKNOWN

7\. VOLDEMORT HIMSELF

Harry's constant attempts to his father to go with them to Little Hangleton in two weeks time were met upon on deaf ears.

They were handling it and Sirius promised to keep him updated on what happened. McGonagall explained to him about the new duelling and defence club that she was implementing within the next week or so and how a notice would be up in the Gryffindor common room soon. Sirius went on to tell Harry how important it was for him to concentrate on his studies and to learn everything that he could, especially in the new duelling club.

By the time that everyone left, Harry was eager about the new club and still slightly bitter about being left out of the trip for the next Horcrux.

Sirius put his arm around his son. "I promise to tell you everything that happens."

"I just want to help! What if you need me to speak Parseltongue again?"

He sighed, tilting his head down to touch his forehead with Harry's. "Tonks is an Auror; Bill is a curse breaker; Moody is a retired Auror and I think I'm pretty badass myself, don't you think that we can handle this without your help?"

Harry sighed, rolling his eyes as he reluctantly muttered, "Yes."

Sirius grinned at him. "Two down, Harry. That's a great start and maybe this will lead us on the path to finding another one. You have to trust us."

"I do," he insisted. "I just… being here tonight and hearing how you guys are talking it all through. I want to do more to help!"

"And you will," Sirius told him. "You are helping us so much. Look at what you have already accomplished with your Patronus and now this new club that Minnie is organizing, you're going to learn so much more. The more powerful you get, Harry, the more you're helping us. This is Operation FUVP not Team Harry."

Harry flushed at that, but he nodded. "I know. And you'll still tell me everything that happens?"

"Everything."

"Promise?"

Sirius smiled and kissed his forehead. "I promise. Now come on; let's get out of here and get you back to school."

He nodded and hugged Zee, Tonks, and Remus goodbye before he followed Sirius out onto the front porch and Sirius side Apparated him to Hogsmeade. They walked companionably from the edge of the village to the bridge leading to Hogwarts and Harry looked up at his father.

"Uncle Sirius?"

Sirius smiled at him. "Yes, Harry?"

"I was wondering… can you show me how to add stuff to the Marauders Map? It would be really neat if we could add the Chamber of Secrets on there. In case, you know, someone decides to use it again."

Sirius grinned at him. "That sounds brilliant. It's a pretty straightforward charm, but I would be glad to show it to you. First things first, you need to draw an outline on a blank piece of parchment of how the Chamber works, how it curves, where it's located and where the tunnels go. If you want to be thorough, which I insist that you do."

Harry smirked at him. "Are you giving me permission to snoop around?"

His father swatted him lightly across the head. "Just this once and only because we went back and I know it's perfectly safe down there now."

Harry rolled his eyes at that making Sirius laugh. "What happens after I draw everything out?"

"Details are important, including measuring how long the tunnels go, which you can do with a quick measuring charm. The charm for that is 'extollendam' which measures an amplified space or room from all sides and dimensions. I suggest that you use that instead of 'metimur' and see how far it is, that way you are getting an exact replica of the Chamber and therefore will know exactly where people may be when looking at them on the map. If you start there and get that all finished, I'll show you how to add it all in. Once the Chamber is added we'll simply have to adjust the Homonculus Charm to include the new adjustments to the map."

Harry beamed at him as they walked through the gates of Hogwarts and over the bridge.

"How's the Animagus stuff going? Have you started it yet?"

Harry shook his head. "The Mandrakes aren't going to be ready for another few weeks. I think Neville might try with me."

Sirius smiled. "Sounds fun. What about Ron and Hermione or even Ginny?"

"I haven't asked them," Harry said with a smile. "I did tell Hermione that I was interested in learning though."

"You should. It's a lot more fun when you can learn with friends. Trust me. I bet they'd be interested in learning too."

Harry grinned at him. "Okay, I will."

Sirius was still smiling when Filch let them in through the gate a minute later.

"You were amazing tonight, Harry. Thank you for your help."

Harry hugged his father goodbye and headed inside of the school, ignoring Filch's scowl at being awoken so late to let him in. It was well past midnight, but he made his way upstairs to Gryffindor Tower, hands in his pockets. He stepped through the portrait hole, stifling a yawn and was surprised to see Hermione sitting by the fire.

She saw him and jumped to her feet. "Harry! Can we talk? Please?"

Harry sighed and moved to sit with her. "I'm sorry that I overreacted, Hermione, I just… I expected better of you."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she grabbed his arm. "Harry, I never meant to hurt you! I don't think he's a monster. I _like_ Professor Lupin. He's one of the best teachers we've ever had it's just… the things I've read… it scared me."

"I know and there are a lot of werewolves who are that terrible, I'm sure, but Uncle Moony takes the Wolfsbane Potion. Snape brews it for him once a month and it helps calm him and keep him controlled. He knows that he can be dangerous and he tried to argue with Dumbledore against giving him the job in the first place, but I told him it was stupid. If… if people find out, Hermione, he could get fired! The Ministry has laws restricting where a werewolf can even find work and if the Ministry find out that he's a werewolf… he's never registered himself."

"Harry, I would _never_ tell anyone!"

He smiled at her. "I know that too. I'm sorry, I was prat."

Hermione smiled at him. "I was a prat, too, and I'll accept yours if you accept mine."

He grinned at her. "Friends?"

"Always," she said, beaming at him. "Harry, I spent most of the evening in the library researching the werewolf laws after we spoke. They're completely outrageous! Witches and wizards are forced to register in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures through the Werewolf Registry claiming how they were turned into the creatures and if they knew who was responsible then they have to reveal the name. And just before the year's end someone named Umbridge drafted this new legislation that makes it almost impossible for someone with lycanthropy to even find employment! She claimed that they are half-breeds and unworthy of holding a job in the magical community and she wanted to ban them from even having wands because in her opinion they fall under the category of magical beast and not human! The legislation quotes them as being part of a group known as 'Undesirables.'"

Harry nodded. "I know, Uncle Sirius mentioned it over Christmas. Zee is apparently working with her department and with the DMLE to try to write up a counter legislation against Umbridge's bill and get it passed for immorality, but she said that it's tough. If Dumbledore hadn't allowed him to come back, I don't know where he would be working as technically under the law right now, Dumbledore has every authority to fire him and should."

"It's uncalled for," Hermione insisted angrily. "And I'm ashamed of myself for being frightened for even a moment. I thought about what you said and he has never once given me the impression that I should be scared of him. He's a wonderful teacher; patient, kind, and intelligent and I am incredibly sorry for everything that I thought or said."

Harry smiled at her. "I'm sorry, too. I overreacted."

"You didn't, I did," she told him with a smile. "Do you really think that he would really teach me how to play the piano if I asked him?"

"He said that he would be honoured to if you'd let him."

Hermione beamed at him and hugged him tight. "Thank you, Harry! I'll ask him on Monday."

He nodded at her. "All right. He'd like that."

"How did tonight go?" she asked, her eyes on him as he stood up.

"Good. We destroyed the locket. I'll fill you guys in tomorrow, I'm beat."

She nodded, standing up as well and stifling a yawn. "Sounds like a plan. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight," he said in turn before making his way up the stairs to the boys' dormitory feeling a bit lighter.

Hermione was a good person and he had overreacted. It was natural for her to be a little scared when she didn't understand. He could always count on her, he thought and he felt better for reminding himself of that.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry woke up the next morning and made his way downstairs, most of the students in Gryffindor Tower were already awake.** He caught sight of Cho when he made his way into the Great Hall, but she scowled at him so he ducked his head, took the coward's way out, and sat at his own table to eat. He had just finished his breakfast and was making his way back up to Gryffindor Tower when he ran into Ginny and Luna. They were sitting on one of the landings of the staircase chatting.

He smiled and sat down between them. "Hello, ladies."

Luna smiled at him, moving to tuck her wand behind her ear. "You smell really good, Harry. It must be why Cho likes you."

Harry blushed.

Ginny snorted. "Luna, I would hope that Cho likes him more than just for his smell. But you do smell rather nice, Harry."

Harry smiled, rather pleased that they liked his oak and spice cologne enough to comment on it. "Thanks, I think. What are you two up too?"

Luna sighed. "Ginny was just catching me up. And you?"

He grinned. "I was actually thinking of doing some exploring."

"What kind of exploring?" Luna asked.

Harry pulled the Marauders Map out of his pocket. "My dads and their friends invented this brilliant map when they were at school here. I want to add to it and Uncle Sirius told me that the first thing I have to do is to draw an accurate outline of what I want to add."

"The Chamber of Secrets," Ginny said quietly.

Harry nodded. "Exactly! And I thought that a lazy Sunday morning was the best time to start."

"Ooh, I'd like to see that," Luna said with a smile. "I was hoping to find a Jarvey down there. They are quite intelligent you know and I heard that Slytherin once kept them as pets."

Ginny smiled at her friend. "That's news to me. Luna, no one has even seen a Jarvey in centuries."

"Well, no one had seen a Basilisk in centuries either," Harry added with a mischievous grin.

"Good point," Ginny added, her eyes wide at the thought.

Harry smiled at them. "Would you two like to come with me then?"

Ginny hesitated and then grinned. "Shouldn't you be spending time with your girlfriend today, Harry?"

Harry shrugged her off. "Nah, she's ticked off at me anyway. I want to explore!"

Luna smiled brightly and clasped her hands together. "Let's go!"

Harry led the way down to the dungeons, the Marauder's Map open in his hands. "So if I remember correctly, this is where the secret passageway was, right through this wall," he held the map open on the wall and Ginny traced the spot over it on the extra blank sheet, outlining where it would fit in on the map before adding in the secret door. She wrote a quick note next to the drawing of the door that read 'pull on the candle holder,' which she did and the wall slid open revealing the spiral staircase lift.

Harry urged the girls to get on first and he pulled out his wand, using the measuring spell that Sirius had taught him to get the width and height of the area and Ginny wrote the numbers down for him.

"This is rather exciting!" Luna exclaimed when the lift stopped and they were in front of the door leading to Slytherin's room.

Ginny smiled at her friend. "I'm glad that we're doing this. It makes the Chamber not seem as scary."

Harry nodded in agreement. Luna took a second piece of paper and began to measure and make notes in the room. Harry and Ginny moved outside of Slytherin's room and into the throne room to start measuring out there. It seemed oddly quiet and calming to be down there. There was just the sound of water nearby. He liked that he didn't feel obligated to keep up a conversation with either Ginny or Luna, they just were perfectly content with silence.

It took them almost an hour to get the map drawn just right before Ginny moved towards the tunnel that Bill and Zee had originally explored. Harry followed her, smirking when a rat splashed by them and Ginny grabbed his hand.

"Just a rat, Gin."

"Well, forgive me for not being overly fond of snakes and therefore terrified that there might be more of them down here."

He grinned at her. He couldn't say that he blamed her for that reasoning. They measured the tunnel, noting the connection of the grate that was on the side of the castle, looking out into the Black Lake. They found Luna in the next tunnel. She was feeding a tiny mouse some bread crumbs from her pocket. Leave it to Luna Lovegood to make a friend with a mouse, Harry thought with a smile.

The tunnel they were in had no other potential exits until they arrived in the pit where the slide from the girl's bathroom was. Ginny led the way down the last tunnel. They measured and carefully drew the large room, adding in McGonagall's majestic archway and the circular Slytherin door leading officially into the Chamber. Harry led them back to the pit, exploring the wall until he found the right spot, a tiny lever that he tugged on which made the staircase appear. The three of them headed up the stairs, Luna in charge of counting each step, all three hundred and seventy-six of them.

When they got to the top, Harry used a simple 'alohomora' spell to help them get into the girl's bathroom since Dumbledore had dismantled all of the Parseltongue charms. Moaning Myrtle was in the bathroom and she giggled when the three of them emerged from the secret doorway.

"Why, Harry, you came back!"

Harry tried not to grimace. "Er, yes, hi, Myrtle."

The ghost beamed at him and Ginny laughed. They snuck back out of the bathroom, pleased with their work and surprised to see that lunch was about to start.

"I think Myrtle has a little crush, Harry."

"Er…"

Luna smiled at him, her eyes thoughtful. "Harry, I don't think starting a relationship with a ghost is very wise. It would be difficult to have any physical contact and emotionally, I don't think it would be very beneficial to you. Cho is a better choice."

Harry snorted. "Thanks, Luna. That's sound advice, that is."

Ginny cackled harder and he tugged lightly on her long ponytail, making her elbow him.

"Shush, you!"

She simply grinned at him.

"Thanks for your help with that, both of you. I don't think I could have done it all myself, at least definitely not in one morning. Those tunnels seem to go even further under the school, but the chamber itself has been mapped out and that's the most important part."

Ginny smiled at him. "It was our pleasure, Harry. It was kind of fun to draw it all out. Will you tell us how you add it to the map?"

"Yeah, of course! I'll show you the finished product, too."

Luna hugged Harry tightly before skipping off down the hall to head back to Ravenclaw Tower to change clothes before lunch. Ginny and Harry headed up to Gryffindor Tower to do the same; their clothes were rather damp from the water and smelled a bit like sewer.

"You and Luna are friendly again?" Harry asked her as they walked down the corridor.

Ginny shrugged. "We never stopped being friendly it's just… you know how it was, after her mum died, her dad took her away for a whole year and I only saw her a handful of times when she came back. Mr X had her helping him a lot with his excursions and his writing and then when I got to school, we were in separate houses and well, we all know how my first year went after that."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that's true. But I'm glad that you have her back. I always liked Luna."

She smiled at him. "You know, Luna mentioned that almost everyone in Ravenclaw is very nice to her this year. She heard one of the prefects mention something about a crazy second year Gryffindor who threatened them last year if Luna was bullied in any way."

Harry smirked. "That's strange."

"Isn't it?" Ginny asked him, a big smile on her face. They stopped in front of the portrait hole and Ginny stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're a sweetheart and you have no idea how much that meant to Luna. No one has stolen her things once this year."

Harry smiled at her. "I'm glad to hear it, but I never said that it was me."

Ginny's smile only widened. "You didn't have to, but I'll keep your secret." When he smiled in response, she grinned back. "I'm going to head up and change out of these damp clothes and take a quick shower."

"Me too. I'll meet you back here and we can head to lunch together?"

Ginny smiled at him and nodded. "That sounds like a good plan."

Thirty minutes later, they both walked into the Great Hall for lunch, both freshly showered and changed and Ron waved them over to the Gryffindor table.

"Mate, where have you been?"

"Sorry," Harry said with a grin as he sat down next to his friend. Ginny took a seat next to Colin, laughing at something that he said. "You were still sleeping so I was with Ginny and Luna." He quickly filled Ron and Neville in on their exploration through the Chamber of Secrets in hopes of adding it to the Marauders Map.

"That's brilliant! When are you going to add it in?"

Harry shrugged. "Whenever Uncle Sirius or Uncle Remus help me with the next part. I think it's doubly important to be keeping an eye on all areas of the school especially with Him, you know, out there."

Ron nodded solemnly. "Speaking of, how did it last night go?"

"Brilliant!" Harry said brightly. "I'll fill you guys in after lunch."

~ ASC ~

 **When lunch finished, Cho was waiting for Harry in the entrance hall.** He sighed when he saw her. They definitely needed to talk.

He turned to Ron with a smile. "Look, I'll come find you guys later and let you know what happened. I need to talk to Cho first."

Ron sniggered. "Snog her first you mean."

Harry smirked at him. "Git. I'll find you lot after."

He nodded and hurried off as Harry shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and headed in her direction.

Cho had her arms crossed in front of her when he approached. "I have been looking for you all morning!"

"Sorry, I guessed that you were still a bit annoyed with me."

She merely raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry gestured for her to follow him and they moved into an empty classroom nearby, closing the door behind them. "I know that you were annoyed with me yesterday, but I had to go home for some family stuff."

"What kind of family stuff?"

"Sorry, but that's personal to me and my dads and they needed me home last night so I don't know why you were all bent out of shape about it."

Cho only stared at him. "You could have at least apologized this morning instead of ignoring me. Where were you?"

"Well, I didn't know what to say to you this morning so I was hanging out with Ginny and Luna."

Cho's mouth twitched. "So you spent time with _other girls_ instead of apologizing to me?"

"I spent time with my friends this morning, yes."

Cho glared at him.

Harry sighed. "Look, Cho, I've been thinking a lot lately about this and about us and obviously you're not happy here with me and I'm not really happy either…"

Cho moved closer to him, sliding her hands up his chest and over his shoulders. "No, I'm sorry! I overreacted yesterday. You needed to go home for something important and I knew that it wasn't the right moment for you to introduce me to your father. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."

"No, it wasn't the right time and —"

She put a finger over his lips and smiled and then she leaned in and kissed him. The kiss deepened and she pulled him closer, her lips meeting his fervently for long, languid strokes of the tongue that left him breathless.

"Cho," he murmured. "This isn't…" but then her mouth was on his again and he slid his hands up her back, eager to touch her as she pressed herself against him. Both of them ignored the portrait behind them that was claiming the classroom was not a suitable place for that sort of behaviour.

Fifteen minutes later, she was pressed back against the wall of the classroom, her arms around his waist, her lips enthusiastically sucking on his neck hard enough to leave a mark. His own lips were trailing down the column of her throat and he boldly popped open two buttons at the top of her blouse revealing her pretty black bra.

She pulled back to smirk at him and his lips moved to the lovely space between her breasts, nibbling on the skin there. When she didn't protest that, he slid a hand up to cup one breast in his hand, kneading softly, and she moaned.

He was pretty sure that they had been arguing. Hadn't he decided that it was probably best to break up with her? He had definitely decided that he thought, but now... he was touching her small breasts and they fit in his hand and... what did it matter that they had nothing in common? What did it matter that he wasn't sure if he even liked her? His body sure liked her, he thought as she rubbed up against him eliciting a groan.

"Mmm," Cho murmured into his neck. "Isn't this better than hanging out with your friends?"

"What?" Harry exclaimed, his focus coming back.

She rubbed her chest against him again smiling. "Kiss me, Harry."

He obliged her, but his mind was actually doing the thinking now instead of his cock and he tugged away. "Are you still on about me spending time with Ginny and Luna this morning?"

Cho rolled her eyes, annoyed that he had pulled away from her and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I just don't understand why you'd rather spend time with Loony & the ginger brat who attacked Muggleborns last year, when you could have been spending time with me."

Harry's arousal was quickly evaporating now as he glared at her and a sense of annoyance took over. "First of all, Luna is not Loony, she's my friend, as is Ginny, who in fact was possessed by Lord Fucking Voldemort and isn't responsible for anything that happened last year! That psychopath is!"

"So _she says_ ," Cho muttered. "I heard the whole thing was hoax because she fancied you and tried to slip you a love potion."

 _"What?"_ he exclaimed, completely bewildered. "That makes zero sense!"

Cho smirked at him. "That's why she attacked Granger too, out of jealousy."

Harry glared at her. "If anyone around here is jealous, it's you!"

She scoffed. "Please! What do I have to be jealous about? You are dating a fourth year! You should be thanking me! I just increased your popularity level."

Harry snorted, the back of his neck flushing. "Well, you're dating the bloody Boy Who Lived, who should be more thankful here!"

Cho shoved him and his eyes flashed. "Prat!"

Harry glared at her, anger surging through him. "I'm done with this, Cho."

Her eyes widened. "What? I'm just teasing, Harry, come on, baby..." She moved closer to him, putting her arms around his waist. "You don't mean that. We're good together."

"Yes, I do! Obviously you're not happy with me — and you know what, I'm not happy when I'm with you either. I don't think we're good together."

"Are you breaking up with me?" she shrieked, her eyes wide in disbelief.

He winced, but nodded. "I think it would be for the best, don't you?"

The slap surprised him and had his head reeling back in shock.

"Wanker!"

She stormed out of the classroom, the door slamming behind her so loudly that the portrait on the wall shook. The wizard in the portrait merely raised his eyebrows.

"Well, I say! I'll wager that didn't go quite as you planned."

Harry only glared at the portrait and hurried off to find his friends, a little relieved that the thing with him and Cho was over and done with. It hadn't exactly gone to plan, but in the end, he had broken up with her and he felt better for it. Girlfriends were a lot of work, he thought and he wasn't sure if he was ready to put in that kind of commitment when girls were so crazy. He jogged up the many stairs to Gryffindor Tower and found his friends in the common room.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Finished snogging so soon?"

"Ha, ha," he said sarcastically and then he sighed. "Actually, we just broke up."

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry!" Hermione exclaimed, eyes full of sympathy. "I know how much you liked her."

He shook his head, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "We didn't have that much in common outside of us both being Seekers actually." He cleared his throat. "It's for the best. Anyway, I wanted to tell you what happened last night and… where's Ginny? She should hear this too!" He spotted her with Colin in the corner and he hurried over to her. "Hi, Gin, hi, Colin."

Colin's eyes widened and a bright smile appeared on his face. "Hiya, Harry!"

"Can I steal her for a bit?" Harry asked him. "I need to talk to her."

Colin nodded happily. "Of course!"

Harry gestured for Ginny to come with him, his arm snaking around her waist to tug her along. She left her books with Colin as she let Harry lead her, Ron, Neville, and Hermione down the stairs into an empty classroom to talk. Once the five of them were comfortably sprawled out, sitting atop desks and feet up on chairs and tables, Harry told them what had happened the night before.

Hermione was fascinated with the idea that the Horcrux had zeroed in on Sirius. The way it had shown him something that he was personally afraid of; a memory that seemingly fed on his worst thoughts.

"It was weird, it was like he was in a trance of some kind; I couldn't pull him back. It was only when I touched him and called out his name that he returned to himself and was able to destroy it; first the projected image, then the locket itself."

"And it was all burnt inside?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide as she glanced at Harry who was sprawled across the desk next to her.

"Yeah; it blackened the locket like ash from a fire."

Ron was staring at Harry in awe. "Mate, you actually destroyed one of them! That's completely wicked!"

"I know and Moody thinks that there's one in the Gaunt Shack somewhere. It was the childhood home of Voldemort's mother and he's pretty convinced that there's something there."

Neville smiled at him. "And you're bitter that Sirius won't let you go along to help."

Harry grinned at his friend. He was a little relieved to know that his friends were able to see through him sometimes as it made explaining things so much easier. "Pretty much, yeah, but I get it and that annoys me more that I understand his reasoning behind it. I spoke to Uncle Sirius afterwards — Hermione and Neville already know — but well, I've decided to become an Animagus."

Ron's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow! Really? That's brilliant, mate!"

Harry smiled. "I think it is. Neville is going to become one, too, as soon as the Mandrakes are ready in a few weeks. It's a lot of work and the first task is keeping a Mandrake leaf in your mouth for an entire month from one full moon to the next, even when eating and sleeping, so it's going to be difficult to accomplish. But we're going to do it and I'd really love it if you wanted to learn how to become animals too. It would be wicked if we could all run around together."

Ron grinned. "I'm definitely in. It would be aces to just turn into an animal whenever you felt like it. Plus, Padfoot always did make a really cool dog."

"Me too, Harry?" Ginny asked.

Harry grinned at her. "Definitely and maybe Luna as well? It would be pretty brilliant if all six of us could turn into animals."

Hermione smiled at him. "You just want an excuse to run wild outside."

Harry laughed. "Are you saying that you're not interested in learning this cool and brilliant area of magic, Hermione?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "This would be an amazing thing to learn, of course I'm in!"

"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed, grinning widely. "You don't think that Luna and I are too young to learn, do you?"

"No way!" Harry said with conviction. "My Dad and Uncle Sirius were both in second year when they first started the process!"

"Do you get to choose your animal?" Hermione asked, looking thoughtful. "I think I'd like to be something calm and cool, like maybe a cat like McGonagall?"

"You don't get to choose, Hermione," Harry told her. "The animal chooses you based on your personality and your traits. Uncle Sirius got a dog and he's a German Shepherd when he changes, but it fits him. He's loyal, playful, fierce, and protective, but he's large too and all black, so sometimes people mistake his form for the Grim. My dad got a stag which is known for being powerful, but gentle, and to be a bit of a leader. Whatever animal you get, Hermione, is going to reflect who you are."

Ron grinned. "I definitely want to be something brilliant. This sounds great! Thanks for thinking of us, Harry!"

Harry beamed at his friends. He was glad that Sirius had mentioned it to him, the thought of his friends all learning how to become an Animagus along with him only made him more excited at the prospect of learning. He was happy that Ginny and Luna would most likely be joining them as well. "You'll ask Luna, Gin?"

She smiled at him, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Yes, I'll talk to her after dinner tonight."

"Great! Also, I wanted to tell you that there's a real duelling club starting up soon!"

"Anything that's not taught by Lockhart is basically a real club, Harry," Ron said in disdain.

Harry smirked at his friends. "True."

"Who's running it?" Ginny asked, tugging her scrunchie out and letting her long red hair tumble across her shoulders. The light caught it and Harry caught himself staring at the red gold flames before he caught himself.

"Um, Lupin and McGonagall, but McGonagall said that there might be special guests to teach sometimes too. But it's only going to be for third years and above."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "That's not fair! I want to learn some new spells!"

Harry grinned at her. "I'll teach them to you."

Ginny simply beamed at him.

~ ASC ~

 **Peter watched the woman carefully.** She was rather beautiful he noticed, white-blonde hair, dark eyes, and skin as white as snow. Her husband was her polar opposite. Dark brown hair with a thick brown beard and moustache, blue eyes framed by thick shaggy brows. He was built like a fighter, tall, muscled, and frankly Peter thought he looked like he wouldn't even need magic to break someone in half. But when he looked at his wife, his eyes were as gentle as if she was made of precious glass.

Bellatrix sneered at them. "Aren't they pathetic? Just because she's carrying a child; as if that's hard."

Peter's eyes flashed in annoyance. "Must be, you haven't succeeded yet."

Her wand was pointed in his face in a heartbeat. "How dare you!"

"Shut up, Bella; they'll hear us," he said in annoyance, not even flinching.

He was tired of her mind games. He knew that she wasn't going to kill him. At this point in the game, they needed him. How long they would keep him around for afterwards was anybody's guess, but he knew that he was safe for now.

The woman was rubbing her hand over the small of her back now and the man reached around, rubbing gently as he kissed her neck. The woman smiled back at him, patting his cheek in thanks.

"Why them?" Peter demanded, turning to look at her. "I thought the point was to save the purebloods, keep them from dying out — why are we going to murder a pureblooded child?"

Bellatrix scoffed at him, her eyes still glinting in angry mania that Peter knew was just as much a part of her expression as it was her emotions at the moment. "The blood would be pure that's why! Honestly, Wormtail, no wonder you were in Gryffindor, you're not exactly bright, are you?"

Peter ignored her and turned back to the house they were watching. "What about the husband?"

"He should be leaving her any minute to head to work."

He nodded, his eyes on the woman again and a sense of unease moved in his stomach. She didn't deserve this, but he didn't know a way to stop it. They had been watching her and her husband on and off for over a week now and he knew today was the day of the grab and he didn't know how to stop it. If he tried, they would kill him and the woman might even come to worse harm. He closed his eyes and swallowed slowly. He made his bed and now he had to lie in it.

They watched the husband kiss her rather passionately and she laughed, pushing him off. He kissed her once more and then grabbed his cloak and hurried out of the house, moving to the Apparation point and was gone. They waited a beat before they approached the house and knocked on the door.

It was only a minute before she opened it. She was even more beautiful close up.

"Good morning, can I help you?"

Bellatrix smiled at her. "Yes, please; my husband and I are quite lost. We're looking for the Balkan Ministry, but I think we took a wrong turn somehow? I heard the visitor's entrance was in a square near Zaton?"

"Oh, I am verribly sorry, but it is in Zadar, not Zaton. You are in va vrong city," she said, her English a bit broken and her accent thick.

Bellatrix's face fell. "Oh, darn. You don't happen to have a map, do you? Only, I've never been very good with the direction spell and my husband is a Muggle."

The woman nodded, smiling kindly. "Yes, I… somevhere… one minute."

She made to turn and Peter petrified her.

Her eyes were wide in surprise as she fell backwards, frozen stiff as she landed on the ground.

Bellatrix smiled coldly and kicked her ankle, taking the wand from the woman's hand. "Oops. Grab her, Wormtail. Let's get her to the manor."

Peter nodded and bent to pick her up. She was awkward to hold being frozen stiff and her massive eight-month-pregnant belly didn't exactly make it any easier, but he awkwardly moved her out to the Apparation zone and the three of them Apparated back to the Selwyn manor in Split. When they arrived on the grounds, Bellatrix muttered, 'finite incantatem' and the woman fell forwards. Bellatrix bound her hands behind her back and gagged her.

"Bring her along, Peter."

Peter took her arm and shoved her forward, whispering that he was sorry in her ear, but the woman only glared at him. They moved through the front door and she fell to her knees when he pushed her, her white-blonde hair falling in her face.

Selwyn smirked at the sight of her. "Exactly how I like my women," he said, staring down at her. "She's a beauty. Luka Novak's wife?"

Bellatrix nodded. "Yes. Kata, isn't it?"

Kata Novak stared up at Bellatrix with hatred and Peter removed the gag. "Let me go! You have no right to keep me vere!"

Selwyn smiled at her. "But we do; we have a great need of you, Kata. You are going to help make the world a better place."

"Luka vill kill you!" she screamed, struggling to her get to her feet.

Bellatrix snorted. "He'd have to find us first."

Selwyn grinned. "Pettigrew, why don't you show Mrs Novak to her room? Make sure she's comfortable. Bring her some food."

Peter tugged her to her feet and dragged her down the hall and up the stairs to the guest suite that had been made up for her. There was a large four poster bed with an adjoining bathroom. It looked every much the guest suite, if one didn't notice the wards on the windows to prevent anything from coming in or out, and despite the locked door.

"Try to rest now, okay, Kata?"

She glared at him as she looked around the room. "Why am I here? Please, let me go!" She placed her hands over her stomach. "I am due in four veeks! I vant to have moja beba and go home with my husband! Please!"

Peter swallowed slowly. "I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. The Dark Lord needs you."

"Va Dark Lord? Please, let me go home!" Tears were in her eyes now as she held her large stomach. "Molim! Molim!"

Peter only shook his head and closed the door, locking it behind him as she screamed at him. She wasn't going home until after they had their hands on her baby and even then… he couldn't guarantee that she would get out of here alive.

He made his way back downstairs as he felt the Polyjuice Potion wear off and he had never hated himself more.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Google translate helped here._

 _(Croation) molim = please._

 _Also, I kind of made up my own spells here:_

 _extollendam = magnify_

 _metimur = measure_


	130. Chapter 130

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY:**

 **Remus looked up from his marking at the knock on his office door the next evening and smiled warmly at Hermione.**

"Hello, Hermione, please come in," he said kindly and gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "I've just finished marking your essay and you have nothing to worry about, you received perfect marks."

She blushed as she sat down. "Er, thank you, but that's not why I'm here actually."

"Oh?" Remus asked, dropping his quill and leaning back in his seat. "Then what can I do for you?"

She took a deep breath and then got up to close his office door before sitting back down. "Professor, I wanted to formally apologize for any unintentional prejudice that I had towards you after doing the homework assigned to us by Professor Snape. I think that you're an amazing teacher and I have learned so much from you and I know how much Harry loves and admires you. I am so sorry."

Remus smiled kindly at her. "Hermione, that's very kind of you, but I do understand your sentiments on the subject. There's nothing to apologize for."

"Thank you, but you shouldn't have to understand. It was wrong of me."

Remus smiled. "You're a very intelligent young woman and I know that you're smart enough to know that I will not hurt you, but I can be dangerous on the full moon and it's not wise to pretend otherwise. I do understand. Now, you are very much forgiven, my dear."

"Thank you," she said, smiling warmly at him.

Remus only raised an eyebrow when she continued to stare at him. "Is there something else you need, Miss Granger?"

She fidgeted for a moment and then her chin rose and she stared directly at him. "Um... I was wondering, I know after I acted that I don't have any right to ask this of you but… Harry mentioned that you play the piano?"

He nodded, smiling at her. "I do. Not as much as I used to I'm afraid, but my mother taught me when I was a boy. It used to calm me and help with the anxiety that I felt before transforming. Harry mentioned that your parents bought you a piano for Christmas?"

She smiled brightly. "They did! Dad found it at some old antique store. It's really old, but it's in great shape and... if it isn't too much to ask, would you be willing to give me lessons?"

Remus smiled at her. "I would enjoy that very much. Like I said, I don't get to play as much as I used to. I'm afraid that I have quite a lot going on what with the new duelling club that I am helping Professor McGonagall with, my OWLs and NEWTs exam preparation classes, and not to mention my personal lessons with Harry. But if you were all right with it, maybe we would try to squeeze in one hour after dinner on Monday nights when possible?"

Hermione beamed at him. "Thank you! That would be wonderful!"

He nodded. "All right. Next Monday at six then. I'll meet you in the orchestra room."

"Thank you, Professor!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"Oh, and Hermione?"

She turned to look at him.

"Thank you for keeping my secret."

She smiled at him. "I am happy to do so, Professor. You really are a wonderful teacher and I would hate to lose you. I know almost the entire school feels the same way."

Remus smiled at her, incredibly touched by her words. "Thank you just the same. See you in class tomorrow."

When she left, leaving his office door open he couldn't help but smile. Sometimes people still managed to surprise him and he was glad that Harry had found such great friends in his life.

~ ASC ~

 **The notice for the new duelling club was hanging on the bulletin board in the Gryffindor common room when they woke up on Tuesday morning.** McGonagall was looking for interested students, third years and above, to meet in the duelling room down in the dungeons for six o'clock on the second of March. Harry sighed when he realized that he had Quidditch at the same time.

"Of course, it's at the same time, do you think Oliver would consider rescheduling?"

George snorted as he read the poster over Harry's shoulder. "Nice try, Harry. Wood is hardly going to reschedule."

He sighed. He knew that George was right. After Transfiguration that morning, he stayed behind to speak to McGonagall.

"Harry, what can I do for you?" she asked, moving her notes into a folder and pulling out a large binder for her next class.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked towards her desk, reaching down to scratch Nyx behind the ears when she stood up to greet him. "The duelling club, I really want to join up, but I have Quidditch practice next week at the same time. Is missing the first lesson going to be a big problem?"

McGonagall smiled warmly at him. "No, not at all. We will just be explaining what it will be and Professor Lupin will teach the disarming spell, which you have already mastered."

He grinned at that. "Oh, good. Can I ask why you deemed it third years and above? Last year the duelling club was for second years too."

"It was," McGonagall said carefully. "But I think that the third years are better designed to learn some of the more difficult spells. In third year, you've chosen your new class electives as well and are growing more into becoming the great witches and wizards that I know you all will become. So no, second years will not be allowed to attend — no exceptions."

He nodded. He knew better than to argue with McGonagall.

She smiled kindly at him. "And of course I wouldn't want you to miss any Quidditch practices. Saturday's game against Ravenclaw, I'd love to see us win."

He grinned at her. "Don't worry, Professor, we won't let you down. This is our year!"

McGonagall simply beamed at him.

~ ASC ~

 **That night when Harry made it up to his dorm, he pulled out his mirror to call Sirius.** He smiled when he saw his father's face appear.

"Hello, my Prongslet!"

He grinned. He always felt ridiculously delighted when Sirius greeted him that way even as the voice inside his head told him that he was getting to old to let his father call him by childish names. "Hi, Uncle Padfoot, my Quidditch match is on Saturday."

Sirius nodded. "I'm aware. It's on the calendar on the fridge."

Harry grinned at that. "No, I know, but you were going to check out the shack on Saturday and well, I know that's more important so if you can't make it that's okay and —"

"— I'm not missing your game, Harry," Sirius interrupted with a smile. "I will be there in the stands to cheer you on and when you win the game and are celebrating, we will be checking out the shack."

Harry beamed at him. "All right, good."

Sirius grinned. "Harry, first and foremost is always you, remember that. Nothing is more important to me and with that comes cheering you on at every game no matter what; especially your first game on that new Firebolt."

"Thanks," he said, grinning back.

"It's kind of early for you to be calling me tonight," Sirius noted, his eyebrows rising. "Where's Cho?"

"We broke up the other day," he said and quickly told Sirius what had happened.

Sirius nodded in understanding. "It does sound like it was for the best. Your friends are important, and your girlfriend should always understand that. You doing okay though? Breakups are tough."

"I think so," he said honestly. "She was fun to snog but… that was it."

Sirius smirked at him. "I'm sure you'll find another girl to snog soon, Harry." He blushed and Sirius grinned. "But you have the outline all done for the Chamber?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think it's finished. I was going to show it to Uncle Moony tomorrow."

"Good plan. Have him go over it and make sure that the measurements are correct. Jamie was the brains behind the measurements, but Moony was a pretty close second."

"Brilliant, thanks Uncle Siri."

He smiled at him. "Anytime. I'll see you on Saturday. Goodnight, Prongslet."

"Goodnight," Harry said, tucking the mirror back into his pocket.

He pulled the Marauder's Map from his pocket and used his wand to open and illuminate it, smiling as he watched the little dots move around the castle. He frowned when he noticed that Seamus wasn't in his bed and he quickly scanned the map looking for his name. He was curious as to why his friend was up in the Astronomy Tower with a name that he didn't recognize, William Matthews. He shrugged it off and closed the map as he stifled a yawn and made himself comfortable.

He was asleep in minutes.

~ ASC ~

 **Seamus was more than okay with being out past curfew.** The thrill of potentially getting caught was nothing to the thrill that he was currently feeling with his back against the wall of the Astronomy Tower and the hot lips sucking on his neck hard enough to leave marks. He moaned when a hand snuck under his jumper, sliding over his stomach and up to stroke his nipple and he tugged on the soft brown curls to bring his lips back to his.

He wasn't sure entirely how it had happened if he was honest with himself.

He had been studying in the library after dinner, but he had felt someone watching him. When he had turned to look, he had seen the curly brown haired boy with green eyes staring at him from across the room. The same fourth year who had been watching him quite a bit lately it seemed. He had smiled and nodded at him before turning back to his homework. A few minutes later, the chair across from him had been filled by the boy.

"Er, hi," Seamus said, staring at him in confusion.

"Will Matthews," he said with a catching grin, extending his hand.

"Seamus Finnigan," he replied, accepting the hand.

Will smiled at him. "Sorry to be staring, but you looked rather adorably flummoxed and I figured you must be working on Potions because it's the same look I get."

Seamus chuckled. "Good guess and yeah, writing an essay for Snape always seems to be like asking for a death sentence if it's done incorrectly."

Will laughed. "Fair point, mate." He moved his chair closer to Seamus to look at his textbook. "Ah, the Confusing Concoction, that's a good one; how did your brewing of it go?"

He shrugged. "So-so."

Will smiled and Seamus couldn't help but notice that he had really soft lips and dimples. "I'm a fourth year so I remember brewing that last year and one of the blokes messed it up and ended up with singed eyebrows for a week."

Seamus smiled at him. "Sounds like me."

He laughed and his hand brushed his when he tapped the textbook. "I'd be happy to help you out if you wanted. Potions is one of my best subjects."

"Oh?" Seamus said casually, his heart beating quickly in his chest. Will's hand brushed his again and his breath hitched slightly.

Will nodded, his eyes twinkling at him. "Yeah. That is, if you wanted any help."

Seamus swallowed slowly. "No, yeah, help would be great, thanks."

Will smiled at him. "Sure."

They worked well together for almost thirty minutes and Seamus finished his essay, feeling pretty good about it. He closed his textbook and turned to thank Will for his help and soft lips pressed against his.

He pulled back in shock. "What the hell are you doing?" he hissed, looking around the library frantically to see if anyone had seen, but the area was completely deserted.

Will only licked his lips, a brown curl hanging over one eye. "I thought I was kissing you, but I guess I read the signs wrong."

"Read the — _what?"_

Will smiled at him and boldly reached up to run his fingers through Seamus' soft sandy brown hair. "I thought I felt something between us, but I guess it was just on my end."

Seamus simply stared at him, his eyes wide in surprise but he made no move to push his hand away. "I just broke up with my girlfriend."

"Perfect timing for me then," he said with a smirk. "Ever snogged a bloke up in the Astronomy Tower?" At Seamus' look of astonishment he simply grinned. "I'll be up there at eight if you change your mind."

Seamus had watched him walk away, completely bewildered. But at eight o'clock he had found himself standing in the Astronomy Tower and Will had walked towards him, a big smile on his face.

"I'm so glad that you came, Seamus," he said, taking his hand and tugging him into the open room of the tower. "I think that you're so fit and I've been thinking about kissing you for days."

"Days?" Seamus asked, letting him lead him further into the tower.

Will nodded, tugging him into a dark alcove. "Days."

Then he leaned forward and captured his lips and Seamus had leaned into him, kissing him back. His soft lips yielding under the firm mouth, his strong tongue swiping the boy's lips and meeting his own, the tongue hard enough to elicit a moan from him that had him grinning against their mouths. Seamus wrapped his arms around his neck, tugging him closer; wanting to kiss him harder and sighing when his lips did just that.

Will's hands were on his waist, gently slipping under his jumper to rub the skin of his hip and Seamus had boldly slid his own hands up the back of Will's jumper and over the smooth contours of the boy's back as they kissed. Will's mouth moved to his neck, sucking the skin there and Seamus tilted his head back in pleasure. Snogging Lavender had never been this intense; had never felt this real, he thought, gasping for breath as he hardened.

Soon both of their jumpers were off and their shirts unbuttoned and they were kissing more passionately, hands running along their bare chests, mouths to nipples and they were both groaning, rubbing against each other as they kissed. Will kissed Seamus' belly button, his tongue playing with it, in and around it, teasing him and he arched his hips desperately.

Will smiled and slid a hand down to cup him through his pants. "Getting a bit excited, love."

Seamus smirked at him and tugged his mouth back up to his. Will moved his body closer, the feel of his hard cock pressing against Seamus' through their jeans was enough for both of them to groan aloud. He rocked his hips forward and Seamus groaned. "Yes!"

Soon they were panting, hips rocking into each other and their mouths met desperately as they moaned and came.

Seamus stared at him, his eyes sleepy and satisfied. "That was…"

"Incredible," Will said with a smile, moving to suck on Seamus' ear. "I'm so glad you decided to come up here."

Seamus kissed his chin and his neck. "Me too."

Will performed a cleaning charm on both of them and kissed his lips once more. "We should probably head back. It's late."

He nodded, closing his shirt and putting his jumper back on.

"Seamus?"

"Yeah?"

Will leaned in and kissed him softly, biting on his bottom lip just a little. "I'd really like to do this again."

"So would I," he said honestly.

Will smiled brightly. "Maybe we can go Hogsmeade together in a few weeks?"

Seamus blanched and shook his head. "No! People can't — I mean — people would…"

Will nodded, his green eyes staring at him for a moment. "You don't want people to know your gay."

"I'm not gay!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So this was… a straight bloke and a gay bloke just fooling around then?"

Seamus flushed. "No, I… I had a girlfriend. I'm not gay."

Will leaned in and kissed him softly. "Well, _Not Gay Seamus_ , I want to snog you senseless again as soon as possible and I want to get on my knees and suck you off until you're begging my name and then I want you on your knees and I want you to suck me off. How does that make you feel?"

Seamus swallowed slowly. He was hard again and the image of Will on his knees in front of him was enough to almost make him come on the spot. "I'm not gay, Will. This is just… we're just fooling around, that's all."

He nodded and cupped Seamus' growing erection through his pants. "All right, I'll play it your way," he said, rubbing his hand against him. "For now." He dropped his hand and kissed his lips. "Tomorrow night, same time and place?"

Seamus nodded. "Okay."

He watched Will walk away and he sighed. That had been the most intense thing he had ever done, but it didn't make him gay. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he made his way back to Gryffindor Tower lost in thought. So he had blown Dean a few times and had willingly wanked him, but that was different, they were best friends and had been experimenting. It didn't make him attracted to blokes. He had been helping a friend, he told himself and besides, it wasn't like he had ever kissed Dean. And Dean had never helped him the same way, he thought, but then again, Seamus had never asked him too.

He snuck into his dorm; changing into his pyjamas and slipping into bed. He touched his swollen lips. He could still taste Will's lips on his. He had liked snogging Lavender. He had liked it a lot and the feel of her pretty breasts pushed against him had been really sexy. When she had let him kiss them he had thought that was nice too, but nothing with Lavender had ever felt as good as it had tonight. The feel of Will's body with his; touching him, kissing him, grinding against him… and they had both still been fully clothed below the waist and yet they had both climaxed. He groaned at the image and his hand slid down his pants to grip himself tightly.

He imagined Will on his knees in front of him and the thought of him taking him in his mouth was enough to push him over the edge as he pumped himself furiously. When he finished, he cleaned himself off and rolled over, punching the pillow into a better position refusing to think about what had just happened. He wasn't gay, he thought stubbornly and he soon drifted off to sleep, a smile forming on his face as he thought about Will.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius stepped into Zee's kitchen the next morning stifling a yawn.** The phone on the wall started to ring and he stared at it. Telephones really were the weirdest thing he thought.

"Sirius, can you answer that?" Zee called out from the bathroom as he heard the shower shut off.

He grabbed the phone and put it to his ear. He could count on one hand how many times he had actually used one of these things. "Hello?"

"Who the hell is this?" A man exclaimed loudly on the other end.

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell is this?"

"Where's my Zahira?"

Sirius smirked and grinned at Zee when she stepped into the kitchen with her hair wrapped up in a towel and another towel snug around her breasts, water droplets still on her skin. He ignored the man on the phone, merely passed her the receiver.

She took it with a puzzled smile and then her smile widened. "Grandpa!"

Sirius moved to make himself some tea as she chatted, ignoring the conversation she was having. He sipped his tea and instead and watched in interest the way she had tucked the towel closed at her breasts. When she moved, it inched, revealing the swell of her bottom and he grew hard watching her. He put his tea on the counter, moving behind her and slipping his hand under the towel to cup a full cheek and she squealed, glaring at him.

"Nothing Grandpa, I thought I saw a spider. Uh-huh, you know how much I hate them."

Sirius merely smirked and dropped a kiss to her shoulder, over her arms and back, licking the water droplets, his fingers hooking in the towel now. Zee made an attempt to hold it in place, her head holding the phone to her ear as she mouthed 'stop it' and he simply grinned wider and sucked on her exposed neck and ear. He heard her say something about goodbye and hung up the phone so he spun her around and kissed her deeply and she moaned into his mouth.

She pushed him away. "I was trying to talk to my grandfather!"

"And?" he asked, finally succeeding in tugging the towel loose. His hands cupped her breasts, stroking the nipples and her head fell back.

"I have to go to work, Sirius."

"Uh-huh," he said, bending his mouth to a breast and slipping his hand between her legs. "Want me to stop?"

"Don't you dare!" she breathed and he grinned and tugged her down to the floor.

A little while later, once Zee had hurried upstairs to get dressed for work, Sirius watched her from her bed.

"Play hooky."

She smirked at him. "I can't. I have a meeting this afternoon about my counter proposal about the Undesirables legislation."

Sirius sobered at that. "Do you think it's going to pass?"

"Not yet, no, but I'm hoping to get more people on my side. I think it's going to depend on what happens in the Wizengamot session on the eleventh."

"Who the hell does this Umbitch woman think she is?"

Zee smirked. "It's Umbridge, actually."

"Mine's better."

Zee chuckled as she used a quick charm on her hair to help keep the curls in place since Sirius had distracted her before she could dry it properly and it was now a curly mess around her face, and she quickly pinned it up off of her neck. "I have to go." She leaned down to kiss him. "Remind me to call my grandparents back later."

"What did they want?"

"Just checking in. I haven't spoken to them in a while and I think they might be planning a trip out here for my birthday."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "The American ones?"

"Yes. They want to meet you and Harry," she said, adding mascara to her eyes.

Sirius' eyes widened. "Er, I think we'll be busy."

"Coward," she said, making him laugh as he pulled her down on top of him. "Sirius!"

He grinned at her and kissed her softly. "Go. Good luck on that proposal."

She smiled, grabbed her purse and her wand and hurried out of the bedroom, whistling for Lady Godiva.

Sirius stretched across the bed before he made his way downstairs to clean up their breakfast and then headed on home. He was glad that Zee's department was working on a counter legislation against the new bill because it was one of the most deplorable things that he had ever seen passed by the Ministry of Magic.

He greeted an excited Marauder when he stepped into the house, giving the dog breakfast before he moved to check the mail. Nothing of interest really caught his eye until he saw the article on the third page.

 _NEW BILL PASSED BY MINISTRY OF MAGIC MAKES REGISTRATION MANDATORY FOR ALL UNDESIRABLES!_

 _New bill claims that every witch or wizard must be registered within the Ministry of Magic as a British Magical Citizen of the United Kingdom. This registration will look at birth records and magical history, including any blood curses or contracted diseases that need to be made known to the Ministry of Magic for the safety of our communities._

 _"Too many old families are hiding ancient traits like blood curses, dormant Veela genes, lycanthropy, vampirism, or giant relatives — and these are things that need to be addressed for the public's well-being," a Ministry official was quoted as saying. "Most are completely harmless like Metamorphing, but the more dangerous ones such as lycanthropy or vampirism are a vile contagion that can easily spread if not kept contained. Those who are infected with this contagion need to be kept away from the general public, which is why this new bill promises safety to our community by limiting where they are able to work and to live."_

 _Does this mean that werewolves and vampires and other quoted 'Undesirables' are being driven out of the United Kingdom?_

 _The Ministry of Magic says no. The new legislation instead demands answers from those living in the shadows and is working to ensure that these contagions are not being passed on to others._

 _"We ask that you register with the Ministry of Magic as soon as possible so that the Ministry can work with you to help solve these problems. It is not strictly against werewolves or vampires, it is for every British Magical Citizen."_

 _How the Ministry plans to solve a problem like lycanthropy and vampirism is another question. Werewolves are asked to register their name and birth, the date of infection, the name of the one who infected them, and if they belong to a pack, the pack leader's name, all in the Werewolf Registry; where vampires have often been given a pass on the same. This is nothing new. Werewolves have always been more greatly feared than vampires. The new legislation however, has made it illegal for anyone with lycanthropy or any of the cited 'Undesirable qualities' to marry or to have children._

 _The new legislation explicitly states that marriage or extramarital relations with someone suffering from an 'undesirable quality' is forbidden and those who don't comply can be sent to Azkaban for their crimes._

 _The questions remains: Is this new legislation for the safety of our community or is it strictly anti-werewolf?_

 _"It's completely anti-werewolf," a representative from the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures stated. "It is one person inside of the Ministry pushing forward their prejudices and somehow succeeding. The Wizengamot needs to wizen up and get this new bill removed from the government. There's already a petition started to assist in this. We're not saying that werewolves and vampires and even people with blood curses and with Veela genes can't be dangerous because they can be — but if you isolate them and make it so that they can't work, that they can't live like the human beings that they are, how are you going to expect them to act like anything else other than an animal?"_

 _Dolores J Umbridge, recently promoted from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to be the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, claims that her bill is none of the above. "It is looking out for the people of our community; helping us trust our neighbours. I don't see what all of the fuss is about it. It is full of good values and old-fashioned rules. Those who follow it will help us to live in harmony together in a safer society."_

 _Anyone interested in hearing the motions of the bill is welcome to attend the open Wizengamot Assembly on Friday the twenty-fifth of March at one pm. The petition will also be available to sign before the Wizengamot once more seals the doors to make any decisions regarding the new legislation. Other topics of discussion will include: Wand rules and regulations, underage magic, educational programs, the new bill on retirement and pensions, and other political discussions._

Sirius swore as he threw down the paper.

It was bullshit in his opinion. This new legislation actually gave vampires more political rights than werewolves. When Remus saw this he was going to beat himself up and it was the last thing that he wanted to happen; especially tonight, the first night of the full moon.

Two Fridays from now, he thought, looking at the calendar, his thoughts moving quickly enough to make his head pound, but he knew that he had already made a decision. He had made it months ago if he was honest with himself and had been procrastinating about accepting it. He quickly went into the living room and bent his head into the fire, smiling when his head appeared in the fire of the Headmaster's office.

"Albus?"

"Sirius?" Dumbledore asked quietly, coming around the desk and spotting his head. "Sirius, good morning!"

"I have a question for you — do you have a few moments?"

Dumbledore nodded and moved to sit on the floor in front of the fire. "I do. What can I help you with?"

"No one has sat in the Black Family seat in the Wizengamot since my grandfather died and frankly, no one has sat in it for almost a decade before that due to my uncle's illness."

"I'm aware. We were discussing whether to put it up for auction if you still remained uninterested in claiming it."

Sirius nodded. He knew the Wizengamot often did that when family members denied their family seats. "Hypothetically if I were to claim my seat as Lord Black, would I have to attend every session and spend all of my time in the Ministry?"

"Not at all," Dumbledore said with a smile. "The Wizengamot only meets twice a month, Sirius and it's only to discuss any problems within the Ministry or to discuss new bills and legislation that departments have passed. Right now, the big one is Bill 426-A17, which I believe is why you've suddenly grown an interest in politics?"

"That bill is bullshit and you know it, Albus. If there is anything that the Black name can do to help get it pushed off of a cliff, I want to do it. How the hell did it even get passed to begin with?"

"Umbridge went directly to Cornelius, claimed that she had a tiny bill that kept getting stopped by the department head in the DMLE before she could present it to the Wizengamot, and how she felt that it was best for the Ministry and for the magical community if it was passed. Knowing Fudge, he probably just skimmed it, signed it and passed it on. All of the departments became aware of it being passed at the beginning of December and well, as you know, there's been an uproar about it ever since."

"People have been fired from their jobs, Albus! Someone was a janitor in the hospital! How is that a threat to national security?"

"I know," Dumbledore said sadly. "I spoke to Remus about it the other day. He was worried for me and about the fines that I'm risking for him, but I refused to accept his resignation. He is not registered as a werewolf within the Ministry of Magic and I hope to keep him from being so. I don't mind him dodging the law on that when I know what kind of man he is and I know how important it is to him that he not be defined as the wolf before the man."

Sirius nodded. "Thank you, Albus. That means more to him than you can possibly know and it means a lot to me as well. Listen, since your Chief Warlock, tell me, Albus, how do I go about reclaiming my seat?"

Dumbledore simply smiled at him. "I think the next session of the Wizengamot is going to be quite interesting with you there, Sirius."

Sirius grinned. "You can bloody well bet it will be. So what do I have to do?"

~ ASC ~

 **Snape placed the steaming goblet on Remus' desk that evening, sneering as usual.** "Your potion, Lupin."

Remus gave him a bright smile. "Thank you, Severus. It means so much that you continue to brew this for me."

"Good thing I do," Snape said hastily. "Wouldn't want you to be caught by the Ministry right now."

Remus frowned. "Dumbledore has assured me that despite the new Ministry regulations, I have employment here for as long as I wish it."

"Oh, I'm sure that he has. Have you been keeping up on the backlash and comments, Lupin?" At Remus' look, his sneer widened into a grin. "Better rethink that moving out of Hogwarts thing. Your Auror could be arrested soon."

"What?"

"Oh, you didn't read today's _Daily Prophet_?" Snape asked rather innocently as he pulled the paper from his pocket. "Oh, yes, they finally released part of the new bill to the public, here it is… ' _extramarital relations between an Undesirable and a British Magical Citizen is forbidden. Marriages between an Undesirable and a British Magical Citizen are forbidden and any marriages that have been concluded are invalid and void, even if concluded abroad to circumvent this law_.' Oh and my favourite one..." he looked up at Remus' pale face with nasty grin before he continued. "' _Any Undesirable found to be breaking this law will be fined up to five thousand Galleons and could be sentenced up to ten years in Azkaban Prison. If the fine is not paid, the prison sentence will be extended_.' My, my Lupin, you really are a threat to society these days."

Remus tore the paper from Snape's grasp, his eyes raking over the article. "Thank you, Severus for informing me of this. We both know that this legislation is ridiculous."

Snape's eyebrow rose in disdain. "Do we? You know that Dumbledore can be removed as Headmaster if anyone discovers that he's harbouring a werewolf here? Finish out the school year, Lupin, but then resign. Go crawl into a hole somewhere and ride this thing out and for Merlin's sake, stop dragging that Auror down with you. She deserves better than anything _something_ like you can ever give her."

The door to his office closed behind him and Remus took a few deep calming breaths, but they didn't help. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he wanted the wolf. He wanted to tear his way through everyone who had approved this bill and he wanted to kill them. He downed the potion and headed to the Floo.

His cottage was almost done. He and Tonks had been taking their time painting it; they had bought a new king-sized four poster for the bedroom, but it wouldn't be set up until the room was done. He was even in the process of re-doing the bathroom; all things that he would never have been able to do without the financial support of Sirius and his investments. Sirius had made him more money in the last few months and Remus was keeping more of it in muggle banks as of late rather than in the magical world, in fear of it being taken away due to the new constricting laws. Thankfully those laws hadn't mentioned any financial aspects, but he couldn't be too careful because if anyone found out that he was a werewolf and had been hiding it from the Werewolf Registry, he could only imagine the consequences would be on more than just his financials.

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he started to undress and made his way into the cellar, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Prison… being with the woman he loved could not only hurt her, but it could mean he could go to prison... he rubbed his hands over his face and screamed in frustration just as Sirius came down the stairs.

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "You okay, Moony?"

Remus' gaze met his and the emotion there made Sirius swear. He moved to tug his friend into his arms.

"She doesn't care, Moony."

"Why doesn't she care?" he asked desperately.

"She loves you," Sirius said simply. "Its as simple as that."

He felt his friend sigh in defeat before he pulled away. He turned towards the wall to undo his pants and slip them over his slim hips. Sirius transformed into his dog and waited for his friend to deal with the moon.

He watched Remus pace back and forth all night; growling at Sirius, at the room, at the walls. He was restless and Sirius knew that as he watched his friend that this wasn't something that Remus was going to sweep under the rug. He wrestled with the wolf, snarling and growling as Remus attacked him, scratched him and did everything in his power to push the dog away from him, but Sirius wouldn't budge.

When the dawn came up, Remus tugged his jeans on, not bothering to fasten them before walking up the stairs barefoot and not saying a word to his friend.

The door to the cellar opened before he got to the top and Tonks stood there. She grabbed his arm and tugged him towards her, leaning down and kissing him deeply, her fingers in his hair. She leaned her head against his forehead and looked into his eyes.

"Don't even say it." He made to speak and she placed her finger over his lips. "Don't say it. Do you think I care? Do you honestly think that I could walk away from you now? After you've marked me? I am not letting you walk away from me, Remus Lupin. This law won't last. It's barbaric and it's immoral and it's unconstitutional."

Remus buried his face into her shoulder. "You deserve someone better, Nymphadora. You deserve someone who isn't... a disease. Someone who isn't an… _Undesirable_."

Tonks framed his face in her hands. "There is no one in this world who is a better man than you, Remus Lupin. No one." She placed a hand over his chest, her fingers sliding through the soft hair there, covering his heart. "I love you and you are so fucking desirable."

He smirked a little at that. "But the article… you could… it's against the law, Dora."

Tonks simply kissed him again, kissing his cheeks, his nose, his chin, his neck. She sucked on his Adam's apple and he groaned. "In case you didn't notice, I'm an Undesirable as well, and there is no law saying that two Undesirables can't desire each other. You are mine, Remus Lupin."

He stepped up the two steps to scoop her up into his arms and carried her into the kitchen. He sat her on the table, his hands resting on either side of her. "This is serious, Nymphadora."

Sirius snorted from behind them. "No, that would be me. I spoke to Albus this afternoon. I'm claiming my family seat in the Wizengamot in the next Assembly. This legislation is going down if I have to bribe the entire Ministry of Magic to do it. Zee is working with the DRCMC and the DMLE to get it revoked and for those who have already been fired due to the law to get their jobs back and to be properly compensated for their loss, all of which should happen when the bill is thrown out of the Wizengamot."

Remus stared at him. Tonks still had her arms wrapped around his neck, refusing to let him go. He looked at the long scratches on Sirius' chest. "I'm sorry, Padfoot."

Sirius waved him off. "They'll heal. I wasn't letting you push me away last night either. We will get through this. Listen to your mate, Rem."

"But what if someone finds out and she loses her job? You love being an Auror!"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "King won't let me lose my job over something so stupid, Remus. He knows you and he likes me. The only way I would get fired is if I royally screwed up my job, and I would deserve to be fired then. Everyone in the department knows that I'm a Metamorphmagus and a few people have told me that they don't consider me dangerous and that my job is safe. Don't worry about me."

He sighed as Sirius squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let him goad me, I knew it but…" he shook his head, pulling Tonks closer to him and closing his eyes. "It was stupid."

"Let who goad you?" Sirius asked, his eyes narrowing. "You didn't see the article yourself?"

Remus shook his head, turning to look at his friend. "No, I try not to read the paper, you know there's never anything good in there — and Severus brought it to me when he brought the potion for me last night. Told me to work out the school year and to resign for the safety of all. He's right, Sirius. Dumbledore wouldn't accept it earlier, but he will at the end of the school year. I can't stay at Hogwarts and teach, not with the new laws and not with… I can't."

Sirius glared at him. "I'm going to bloody kill him."

"Padfoot —"

"— No! Do you not see what he's doing, Remus? We took away his opportunity to pick on Harry, so now he's moving onto you! That fucking slime ball! That self-serving blighter of a gormless tit!"

"Sirius!" Tonks said, laughing now. "Calling him names isn't going to rectify anything!"

Sirius glared at her. "Oh, I know it. Snape and I are going to have words on Saturday after the match, I can tell you that much."

"Sirius, watch yourself," Remus warned him.

Sirius only grinned at his friends. "Won't have to. Tonks is going to have my back, right darling?"

Tonks' grin widened, her cheek still pressed against Remus'. "Abso-fucking-lutely."


	131. Chapter 131

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to my Beta for not only editing, but for helping me brainstorm — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _Thank you to Steelcode for assisting me in trying to make this idea work coherently. Much appreciated for letting me pick your brain :D_

 _I was on the fence about how to approach this Snape scene because it is something I really wanted to do and something I also thought was too much both morally and ethically if I'm honest, but I think I managed to get it right here with a lot of assistance from Bex and Steel and I think it turned out to just be what Snape needed. So thank you again for your help — it was really appreciated!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends!_

 _Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support! Thank you!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE:**

 **Draco, Blaise, and Theo made their way down to the Quidditch pitch on Saturday afternoon, the cold wind biting into them.** Draco grinned when Theo wrapped his arms around both of them as they huddled for warmth.

"Are we making a wager?" Blaise asked, his eyes twinkling. "Potter loses because he's heartbroken?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Please. I heard he dumped Chang — and Potter never loses at Quidditch. Don't even say it, the Dementors didn't count and you know it," he said, making Blaise shut his mouth.

Theo grinned. "I bet Chang follows him around like a lost little puppy the whole match."

Blaise's eyebrow rose in amusement. "You think? In an effort to distract him or just to make finding the Snitch easier?"

"Either or," he said with a smirk. "I heard that she's rather put out that he dumped her. Ten Galleons?"

"Make it twenty, Nott — and let's add that Gryffindor will be up by at least sixty points before Potter takes the Snitch."

"Deal," Theo said.

Draco smirked at them. "That's a Sucker's Bet if I've ever heard one."

Blaise shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Want to get in on the gold, Draco?" he asked, rubbing his two fingers together.

"No, but you should get that lipstick off your collar before Davis sees it."

Blaise looked down at his shirt and sighed. "What can I say? The ladies love me."

Theo snorted. "Ladies, plural, being the right term. What do you think Davis is going to do when she finds out that you started snogging Turpin on the side?"

Blaise elbowed his friend, a grin on his face. "A gentleman never tells."

"Good thing you're not a gentleman then," Draco replied.

"Oi!"

Draco grinned. "Seriously, how are you juggling two women? One is enough trouble if you ask me."

"I couldn't agree more, which is exactly why I'm sticking strictly to Stephen."

"Does he know this yet?" Draco asked, grinning at his friend. "Last I heard you still weren't entirely sure of his sexuality."

Theo smirked. "Well, I changed my tune after I sucked him off last night."

"Theo!" Blaise said with a grin. "You naughty bastard! Are you two dating then? Or just fooling around?"

"Fooling around mostly, like you're doing with Turpin."

Blaise shrugged. "You know I like Tracy, she's a lovely girl and smart and fun, but Lisa… I don't even have to ask and she's on her knees and it's… Davis sure as hell doesn't do that."

"Pureblood girls aren't taught to do that," Draco said with snort. "That's something they learn after marriage from their husbands and not before. It's unseemly and can ruin them for marriage later on - or so my grandfather tells me."

Theo rolled his eyes. "I've never understood that double standard. Why are girls expected to remain virgins yet we're brought to brothels when we reach puberty and told to shag incessantly? It's a complete double standard! Much better to stick to men altogether."

"Like Cornfoot?"

Theo grinned at Draco. "I've confused him I think. He's very into girls he tells me, but he was more than pleased with the events of last night, and then proceeded to snog my brains out afterwards."

"How is it that we always end up talking about sex?" Draco asked in annoyance as they took their seats in the Slytherin area of the stands. "There has to be something else we can talk about?"

Blaise snorted. "Draco only asks because he's the only one of us not getting any."

His silver-blue eyes glared menacingly at his friend. "I just think that with what's going on we should be more concerned with other things. Didn't you see the paper this morning? Someone claims that they saw my aunt in Croatia!"

Blaise sobered and put his hand on his friend's arm. "Are you worried that she's going to come back here? I mean, she has to know that returning to England is basically suicide."

"She knows that, but trust me, from what I know about her, that won't stop her if she decides to return."

Theo stared at his friend for a moment. "Any news on why your grandfather is in Croatia yet?"

Draco shook his head. "Nothing that I can make sense of. Neither Mother or Father will answer my questions about it and I only seem to get snippets of information. Grandfather claims that my grandmother is helping a dear friend with her pregnancy, which seems like a lie. If there's a pregnant witch nearby — why would she want Isla Malfoy to help her in lieu of an actual mid-witch or healer? Father says that I shouldn't concern myself with it."

Theo pulled a letter from his coat and carefully unfolded it. "My father sent me this today. I didn't think anything of it as I don't exactly get on with my father, as you know, but now I'm starting to wonder about what exactly is in Croatia."

Draco took the letter from his friend, looking down at his Uncle Thaddeus' neat writing.

 _Theo,_

 _Things are happening now and you must understand that what will happen is for you and for your future. I will be in Croatia for the next few weeks to help Lord Malfoy deal with a friend of his, Luka Novak. The house elves knows how to contact me._

 _Thaddeus Nott_

Draco looked at his friend. "Novak? Isn't that the name of the Auror from the Balkan Ministry who claims that his wife is missing?"

"Kidnapped actually," Blaise added, his brow furrowing. "He believes that she was kidnapped and if memory serves, I think she's pregnant."

Draco handed the letter back to Theo, his fists clenching at his sides. "Grandfather has her."

"You don't know that, Draco," Theo said carefully, but when his friend's eyes flashed he swallowed. "But I admit, it certainly sounds like he does."

Blaise let out a slow sigh. "Are you going to talk to Potter?"

He only glared at him. Talking to Potter was the logical choice, but ideally what could Potter even do? He didn't know for a fact that his grandparents had kidnapped a pregnant woman, but he had a feeling in his gut that they definitely had something to do with the disappearance of Kata Novak, but he couldn't figure out why. Nor did he have any idea why they would want her in the first place.

"Maybe," he said quietly, his eyes moving to the Quidditch pitch which was now filling up with the players. "But I have to know more first."

Blaise pat his friend's arm gently. "Do you think Lestrange is involved too?"

Draco sighed. "If my grandfather is there then most definitely."

The more he thought about it, the more that he was convinced that nothing good was going to come out of it. He just wished that his parents would stop treating him like a child and then maybe he could actually make sense of everything.

And that thought terrified him as he knew that his parents were trying to protect him and if he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what they were trying to protect him from.

~ ASC ~

 **It was the first Quidditch match for Gryffindor since the holidays and Harry was surprised to wake up feeling a bit nervous.** It was also his first Quidditch game on his brand new Firebolt which was going to be amazing, but it was also a match against Cho as Seeker for Ravenclaw. She had been avoiding him for the most part since the breakup and he was more than all right with that. In fact, he was rather glad if he was honest with himself that they weren't together any more, but the thought of playing against her made him feel slightly nervous.

She was still obviously quite mad at him even though it had been just under two weeks. He just wanted to play the game and if he was a little honest with himself; he wanted to show off on his new Firebolt.

He smiled at his friends when they wished him luck and he headed down to the locker rooms with his broomstick over his shoulder. Wood was already giving a pep talk about the game, about the new brooms, and about how this was their year and all that jazz. He only listened with half an ear, his mind on the game.

He made his way out into the field, listening to the cheers around him. His eyes found Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Zee in the stands and he grinned widely, pleased to see the four of them there to watch his game and waving at them before he mounted his broom. On the blow of the whistle, he took off.

The freedom of being atop his broom again was marvellous and it immediately made him forget about his nerves. He followed the Golden Snitch as it took off, losing sight of it quickly and he focused on the game. He could feel Cho's gaze on him and he realized that her mindset for the game was going to be to follow him around. If that's the way she wanted to play it, he thought.

He swerved around some Bludgers, looping and swooping down into the game, having fun as he listened with half an ear to Lee Jordan's commentary. Gryffindor was in the lead, sixty to ten. He turned to fly near the Ravenclaw posts when his path was suddenly blocked by Cho. She simply smirked at him. He dived suddenly, could feel her behind him so he pulled up quickly and did a fast loop, losing her. It was only a few minutes later before she was on his trail again reminding him that she was a fairly decent flyer.

Harry flew around her, flying around aimlessly, eyes searching for the Snitch as Gryffindor scored twice more and then Cho was blocking his path again.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, his eyebrow rising in annoyance.

Cho smiled. "Distracting you."

Harry snorted. "It's not working very well."

She blocked him again when he made to go around her, but then he spotted the Snitch over by Angelina just as he heard Wood bellow out from below him.

"Stop being a gentleman, Potter, and knock her off her broom!"

Harry ignored Wood and instead dove below her, picking up speed and flying towards Angelina with Cho hot on his heels. The Snitch flew over Angelina's head and backtracked towards Cho. She gave him a gleaming smirk of satisfaction as she reached down for it and then she shrieked when he simply barrel rolled beneath her and snatched the Snitch out of the air, almost brushing her fingertips as he grabbed it before she did. She swore at him and he gave her a smug look, Snitch proudly in his hand.

"POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WIN!"

He flew down to the ground as his team surrounded him in cheers. Wood was grinning like a fool and screaming that the Firebolt was the best broom in the universe and how lucky they all were to be flying on the brand new Nimbus 2001s.

Harry managed to get away from his team and over to the stands to grin at his father. "We won!"

Sirius smirked. "Saw that. Great flying out there; even if you were too much of a gentleman."

Tonks grinned. "Well, she is your girlfriend after all."

"Not anymore," Harry told her with a smile. "We broke up almost two weeks ago. It was for the best."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry anyway," Tonks said, putting an arm over his shoulders. "That was some wicked flying though!"

"I have to agree with Tonks," Zee said with a smile. "You're an incredible flyer and very gifted on a broomstick. You look so happy up there, completely in your element."

He grinned. "Thanks. There's nothing better than the feeling of being on a broomstick."

"Sex," Sirius supplied, making Zee elbow him. "Oh, right, er… nothing better, yeah."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Great job at getting around Cho. She was clearly trying to distract you and you did great."

"Of course he did, he's a Potter!" Sirius declared.

Harry rolled his eyes and Zee chuckled. "I'm sorry that it didn't work out with Cho. Sometimes no matter how much two people may like each other, they just aren't compatible. I know that you have Sirius and Remus to go to for advice, but if you ever need to know the girl answer, I'd be glad to help."

He grinned at her. "I'd like that," he told her honestly. "Thanks, Zee."

Zee leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Now, don't you have a big win to celebrate with your team?"

Sirius nodded. "That he does! We have things to do ourselves."

Harry nodded, his expression sobering. "Are you guys heading off then?"

Sirius nodded as Tonks kissed Harry's cheek. "In a bit. We need to have a little chat with someone first and I need to borrow your dad's old cloak."

"Who? Why?"

Sirius grinned and swatted his shoulder. "Never mind you, bring me the cloak and then go and celebrate! I'll mirror-call you later and fill you in."

Harry looked at his father suspiciously, but only shrugged. He grinned at Zee when she kissed his cheeks and hugged him tightly before he hurried off to his team and friends to celebrate.

Tonks rubbed her hands together gleefully. "So, tell me oh Master of Mischief, how exactly are we going to pull this off?"

Sirius grinned, a slight evil glint in his eye. "I want to tear him apart, Tonks. I want him to cry like a little bitch."

"Can't say I blame you, and I think this is definitely going to do it."

"Sirius, whatever you're planning, it's not worth it. Just let it go," Remus said in exasperation.

Tonks merely stood on her toes and kissed him. "You just never mind. Go on back to your office and you can honestly say that you know nothing about what we're planning."

Remus frowned. "He's a git. We know this. Babe, don't let him maim him."

Tonks grinned cheekily up at him. "Maybe he'll have to restrain me!"

Remus rolled his eyes and kissed her softly. "Don't stoop to his level, for me?"

"I love you. Now go away."

Remus snorted at her, but he did what she asked. "Good luck later. If you guys need anything…"

"We'll be fine, Rem. We're meeting Bill and Moody for five," Sirius told him.

Zee only raised her eyebrow. "Remus, I'll walk back up to the castle with you. He won't tell me what they're planning either." Remus sighed and nodded as Zee kissed Sirius softly. "Be careful. I want you back in one piece."

He smirked at her. "I will be."

Zee and Remus made their way back up to the castle as Tonks turned to Sirius. "You're sure that this is the way that you want to play this? It's truly… cruel."

"I know it is, but I am tired of his petty shit."

"And we don't think that this is stooping to his level?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't even care. It's about time that he was knocked down a peg or two and if this does it, I'll do it. Now, do we need to go over the plan?"

Tonks shook her head, smiling at him. "No, we don't. I know what I'm doing. You've spent the last few days quizzing me and I have the speech memorized."

Sirius grinned at her. "Good."

~ ASC ~

 **Harry returned to Gryffindor tower eager to help his team celebrate their win.** He laughed when Fred and George hoisted him up onto their shoulders to carry him around in victory. Ron was grinning at him as they dropped him on the sofa in the common room.

"Good game, mate!"

"Thanks. Cho decided her strategy was to follow and distract me."

Ron chuckled. "Wood was right you know, you should have just knocked her off of her broom!"

"Maybe, but I got the Snitch either way!"

Ron plopped down next to him and nodded to where Dean and Parvati were snogging intensely in the corner. "They barely watched the game. Neville kept moving closer to me as they were practically groping him in their attempts to get closer to each other. It was almost sickening."

"I wasn't _that bad_ with Cho, was I?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah. At least you went somewhere private to suck her face off."

Harry nodded. "Tried too. Snogging was nice though."

"Yeah?" Ron asked, his eyes full of interest. "Is it hard?"

"No," Harry told him with a grin. "You just have to get the right angle so that you don't bang noses."

Ron nodded. "Seems like good advice."

Harry smirked at him. "It was fun while it lasted anyway, but I'm glad we're done."

Ron smiled at him. "It will be nice to have you back, mate." He frowned as he glanced around the common room. "Have you seen Hermione?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Wasn't she with you at the match?"

"No, I mean, she was, but then she just disappeared. Have you noticed how often she does that?"

"Disappears?"

Ron nodded. "I don't know. I didn't really notice until you started spending so much time with Cho. It doesn't make any sense and I saw her timetable the other day and she's still taking way too many classes. I mean, you said that she's never missed a Runes class. She's in every single Care of Magical Creatures class with us. I've never not seen her show up to Divination and I heard her speaking with Nott the other day about some Arithmancy project that the two of them are working on together. How is she doing it?"

Harry frowned at that. "I don't know. I mean, she can't be actually attending Arithmancy class because it is at the same time as Divination as that's when I have my spare."

"Well, she never misses Divination either and I sometimes see her studying when you have Runes, but she has that class with you too!"

"That's impossible, Ron."

"I know it! I can't wrap my mind around it, but sometimes I swear that she's in two places at once."

"I think we're cracking," Harry said with a grin. "Plus she's been taking piano lessons with Uncle Remus too. We must be missing something. You know how much Hermione loves to learn; maybe she's just attempting too much, but there's no way that she's in all of those classes at the same time. It's impossible."

Ron nodded. "I agree. I just thought that it was strange. I mean, where does she keep going then?"

"Harry! We have Butterbeer!" George shouted as he and Fred pulled out the stash they had gotten from Hogsmeade.

Harry grinned. "Be right there!" He smirked at Ron. "Should we try to find out the mystery that is Hermione Granger later?"

Ron grinned back. "Definitely."

~ ASC ~

 **Zee accepted the cup of tea that Remus made for her as she took a seat on the sofa in his suite.** "This is a very nice place, Remus. Are you going to be sad to leave it?"

He shrugged, sitting across from her in the armchair. "Yes, and no. It will still be mine, but I am anxious to move back into my own place and for Dora to be there."

Zee smiled at him, sipping her tea. "I think the two of you are perfect together. You compliment each other so well and you're both so clearly in love."

Remus smiled. "She's more than I deserve. I know how lucky I am."

She crossed her legs, resting her teacup on her knee. "Tonks is lucky, too."

He blushed a bit and sipped his tea. "What about you?" At her raised brow, he smiled. "Have you and Sirius discussed moving in together yet?"

Zee grinned. "No, we haven't."

"But you've thought about it?"

She shrugged, a small smile on her face. "I'm in love with him. Completely and irrevocably and I can't imagine him not being in my life. But having him in my life also comes with Harry."

"It does. Harry likes you too."

She smiled. "I know. We've been growing closer the last few months and the two of us some spent more time over the holidays and we've been writing letters. I'm… in love with him too, Remus. He's witty and sarcastic and I love cooking with him and hearing him laugh or teasing Sirius and hearing about his friends. He let me comfort him when he had a bad dream and he's just like Sirius, not wanting to burden me with his dreams - like he ever could. He talks to me about girls and he even asked me for advice about his first date which made me feel so honoured as he told me that he hadn't even told Sirius yet. I look into his eyes and I feel like he needs me, but I'm afraid to push too hard."

"Push?"

She shrugged and tucked a curl behind her ear. "He's thirteen, Remus. He just broke up with his first girlfriend. He's a not exactly a little boy who needs a mum and I don't know if I'm ready to be a mum. But I really want the chance to try and that terrifies me."

Remus smiled at her. "Be his friend, Zahira. Be his confidant. Be whatever he needs you to be. No one is really too old for a mum, Sirius can attest to that. Jamie's parents took him in when he was sixteen and Euphemia Potter mothered him and hugged him and kissed him and he was embarrassed, but he absolutely loved it. His own mother never gave him that kind of affection. Harry has never had a female in his life outside of Minerva and she adores him. She spoils him with gifts and he loves her as an auntie, but she always knew that she was going to become his professor and that relationship would be different because of it. Dora has been the big sister in his life and her mum was always around, but he's never really had his own mother figure. Sirius and I have tried our best there."

"You've both done an amazing job with him. He's an incredible boy, young man really, and knowing everything that… he has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders and no matter how much the two of you are stressing that it won't be up to him in the end, it will be, Remus. The thought of that… I just want to hold him against my heart and never let go."

Remus nodded at her. "So do I."

Zee smiled. "We spoke about my grandparents and he wants to meet my family and I really want him too. My parents would love him and Merlin knows Mama would love the opportunity to spoil him rotten."

Remus chuckled. "So what are you waiting for?"

She smirked at him. "I guess I'm worried that it will scare Sirius off a bit. He liked my parents, but I mentioned that my grandparents might be dropping by for a visit in a few weeks and he looked positively panicked and claimed that he was going to be busy."

Remus grinned. "Let Sirius panic and don't worry about it. Harry would be delighted to meet your family. He was disappointed when you weren't there for Christmas this year."

Zee smiled at that. "I was too." She finished her tea as she spoke. "My grandparents from America are coming to stay with me for a week just before my birthday. The portkey arrives on the Sunday before and my parents and other grandparents and cousins will be coming in for the weekend to celebrate me turning the dreaded three oh… I want Harry to meet them. Maybe even before Sirius does, if he's going to continue to be all panicked at the thought."

Remus chuckled. "That sounds like a wonderful plan."

"Do you think he'd want to?"

Remus smiled at her. "Zee, write to him. See what he thinks. But I think he'd be delighted. He missed out on having grandparents in his life and I bet he'd love that opportunity now. And maybe you should tell Sirius to man up too; he's in a committed relationship with you, he needs to stop panicking over meeting your family."

Zee chuckled. "We'll talk about it. But I think I will write to Harry; get a feel as to what he's feeling. I want him to know that he has me in his life too and that I'm always here for him if he needs me."

"I think he's starting to realize that himself," he said with a smile. "He looked pretty damn happy to see you at his match today. But you should definitely write to him. Maybe even tell him about Sirius being a coward. He might help you smarten him up."

She grinned. "Maybe I will."

She hugged him goodbye and hurried out of the castle and into Hogsmeade to Apparate home; thoughts of what to write in her letter already on her mind.

~ ASC ~

 **By the time that Sirius walked into the dungeons with Tonks by his side under Harry's invisibility cloak, he figured the celebrations in Gryffindor Tower were well under way.** It made him feel eerie when he looked over at her so he knew that it was going to throw Snape for a loop.

But first, he needed to have his words with the self-serving git.

He left Tonks in the hall under Harry's invisibility cloak and walked into Snape's office, letting the door fly back and slam against the wall.

Snape merely looked up from his desk as if he was bored. "What do you want, Black?"

Sirius growled at him. "I want you to learn how to be a fucking decent human being! Do you even know what that is?"

Snape merely raised an eyebrow. "I stopped belittling your precious Potter and Longbottom. Now what are you accusing me of?"

"What you said to Remus was uncalled for! It was nothing but belittlement and jealousy. He's a better teacher than you and it goads you that he has the Defence Against the Dark Arts position and that Dumbledore won't give it to you because of your past."

Snape glared at him. "Lupin is a danger to this school."

"No, he's not," Sirius insisted. "You brew him that potion every month so that he will be safe! If I ever hear you've made any snide remarks about him to anyone, student or professor, I will make sure you suffer in ways that you can't even imagine! Lily was once your friend, Snape; you think you'd treat her son and her friend with a little decorum! You gave her up for the bloody dark arts and she knew it! You sold her off as if your friendship never even mattered. You were loyal to the maniac who is responsible for her death. And now you bully her son and his friends!"

"You think I don't suffer for what I've done?" Snape demanded, his eyes storm-filled with emotion. "I loved her! Make no mistake about that! I tried to save her! I asked him to spare her!"

Sirius scoffed at him. "Her, her, her! It wasn't about Lily, Snape! It was never about Lily! Do you really think that she would have understood if she had been spared, but James and Harry killed? Do you think that she would have come to you, a Death Eater, for comfort? You're pathetic!"

The emotion in Snape's eyes vanished as his gaze went perfectly blank. "She would have understood."

"You believe whatever the fuck you want, you gormless tit, but I can promise you, I will not stand for you treating anyone without the respect they deserve."

"You better start showing me some fucking respect, Black!" Snape exclaimed, his eyes furious before he masked it. "One wrong ingredient and your tame little wolf won't be so safe anymore, now will he? I can ruin him in a heartbeat!"

Sirius' hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I can do the same to you, _Snivellus_."

Snape only nodded, his breathing heavy. "Then we understand each other. Don't come down here again, Black."

Sirius glared at him and stormed out of his office, taking the cloak from Tonks and wrapping it around himself to hide. The sight of Tonks before him calmed him a little. This needed to be done and he hoped that it helped bring Snape down a peg or two or he was going to end up punching the prat.

He whispered the last few charms over her and nodded.

The long auburn red hair hung halfway down her back, front fringe parted to the side. Sirius had transfigured her clothes into flair denim jeans with pink flowers up the leg and a tee shirt with Princess Leia on the front. Sirius had then used a charm to make her translucent and ghost-like in appearance. A cooling charm made the temperature around her cold and helped magnify her ghost-like appearance. It was only supposed to last an hour and he was glad of it as the look of her on top of the ghostly glow gave him the willies.

She was the spitting image.

Tonks took a deep breath before she floated into Snape's office with the help of a hover charm. Snape was standing in front of his desk over a cauldron, his wand out. She used her own wand to slam his door shut, she knew Sirius was standing next to her under the cloak and he took her wand from her to hide it.

Snape looked up at the door slamming and went deathly white.

"L-L-Lily?" Snape gasped, grabbing the desk for support. "How… why... who... when?"

"You!" Tonks exclaimed, her voice coming out in the same sweet voice of Lily Evans Potter due to the voice modifying charm that her and Sirius had used. "How dare you treat Remus like that, Severus? He has never once done anything bad to you! In fact, I was meaner to you than Remus ever was to anyone!"

"L-L-Lily… how?" Snape asked, his knuckles white on the desk and his legs wobbling under his weight.

"Shut up and listen to me, Sev!" Tonks demanded. "I lost everything on Halloween all those years ago and my beautiful son came to this school so full of life and so full of energy and you never even gave him a chance! You saw his physical similarities to James and you scoffed at him! And Remus, he is an amazing professor. He's brilliant at what he does and he doesn't deserve to be mistreated by anyone, let alone you; to goad him into resigning from something that he loves; from where he belongs!"

"Lily — I'm sorry! I… I never meant to tell the Dark Lord, I didn't know it was… I tried to get him to spare you, I swear it!"

"What did you tell your precious Dark Lord, Sev? What are you apologizing for now?" Tonks demanded, her hands on her hips and the furious stance very similar to Lily Evans Potter giving Sirius a turn as he watched from under the cloak.

Snape paled even more, his hands trembling as he came around the desk, reaching for her. The cooling charm that Sirius had used made the air around Tonks chilled as if she truly was a ghost and he shivered, putting his hands in his pockets. "Lily, I'm sorry… when I told him about… I didn't know that it was about your son. I didn't know that the Dark Lord would believe the prophecy and when I did… I went straight to Dumbledore! I tried to make amends! I became a spy to try to save you!"

Tonks glared at him. Her own anger was bubbling up inside of her now. Had Snape just confessed to being the Death Eater who had overheard the prophecy? "You sold out Harry!"

"No! I… I turned spy for YOU, Lily! I tried to make amends for YOU! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Tonks exclaimed angrily, trying to remember her speech as her anger took over at the thought that the man in front of her was the reason why Harry didn't have any parents. "I have watched you belittle and abuse my son! My son, Severus! The most beautiful and charming and sweetest boy! A boy who came to this school looking to learn, to make friends, and you took one look at him and hated him on sight because he looks like James. He is not James Potter!"

"He's Potter's son!"

"And he's mine!" she yelled back. "He has my eyes, Severus, have you not noticed? Did you really hate me so much?"

Snape swallowed slowly, closing his own eyes for a moment. "I've noticed. I never hated you, Lily; not for a second."

"You were my first magical friend," she said sadly. "You were the one who told me that my blood didn't matter and then you were the one to turn on me for that very same blood. My son has done nothing to warrant your hatred. He is part of me; the best parts of me in fact, and Sirius and Remus have done a marvellous job raising him. Whether you like them or not, they are the only parents that Harry has ever known because of you and you will treat them with the respect that you once treated me with."

"Lily…" he whispered. "I never… I didn't want to stop being your friend. I wanted… more… I wanted you and… you never gave me a chance."

Tonks stared at him, her eyes sad. "No, you never gave me the chance because you chose bigotry and the dark arts over your friendship with me. You called me a Mudblood. You pushed me away. My falling in love with James Potter had _nothing_ to do with you, Sev, and _everything_ to do with James being everything that I needed; everything that I wanted. And my son… I _died_ for him and if you truly cared for me, Sev, if you truly want to make amends for what you did — you would treat him right. You would respect him and help him. He's very good at Potions and you refusing to give him his due diligence because of a childhood grievance is pathetic! If you ever loved me, you'll change."

Snape stared at her, his face deathly white and tears in his eyes. "Of course I loved you! You were my best friend and I know I screwed up and I… I wish every day that I could beg for your forgiveness." He fell to his knees before her, tears falling down his cheeks. "You never should have died! The Dark Lord only wanted your son!"

"Do you really think that I would have let Voldemort take my son away from me? That I would have just stood there and allowed him to kill him? To kill _my son_?"

"No, I — I didn't mean…"

Tonks glared at him. "Beg for my forgiveness, Severus, go on… tell me how sorry you are that I died; that my son survived because of me! Go on! Beg!" she demanded.

Snape was crying now, tears pouring down his cheeks and his lips were trembling. "Lily, Lily, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! For everything! For letting Slytherin define me… for pushing you away for having Muggle parents… for lying to you… for everything!"

Tonks stared at him, her green eyes boring into Snape's. "If you truly are sorry, Severus, if you truly loved me, you will stop treating my son like rubbish. You will help him become a better student and you will treat him with the respect that he deserves."

"I will, I swear it!" he exclaimed, wiping the tears from his eyes. "But it… what do I say to him?"

Tonks glared at him. "You tell him that you were once my friend and that you apologize for treating him the way that you have. You tell him that your childhood feud with Jamie had nothing to do with him and that he hasn't deserved your mistreatment of him. You tell him that he has more than just my eyes and most of all, Sev, most of all, you tell him that I love him and that I am watching over him and how very proud his father and I are of him."

Snape swallowed slowly, nodding. "Lily… you and me…"

"No," she said softly, feeling Sirius' disillusion charm taking effect. "It was always Jamie, Sev, but you were my best friend and I loved you once. Show me that you can earn that forgiveness you crave."

"Lily! Don't go!" he begged, tears streaming down his face.

But the disillusionment charm had taken effect and she was gone. Sirius tugged her under the invisibility cloak with him, his hand shaking as they watched as Snape rocked back and forth on his knees, mopping his tears with the back of his hand. He sniffled, his breath coming out in ragged gasps before he finally stood up. He rubbed the palms of his hands over his face and turned to the door behind his desk that led to his suite, closing the door behind him.

The two of them snuck out of his office and into Hogsmeade before Sirius Apparated both of them to Claremont Square and they moved into Number Twelve. He removed the charms from Tonks, watching as she changed her hair, her eyes, and her body back into her own and removed the charm on her voice. When she was done, she looked at Sirius sadly.

"I've never felt so terrible in my entire life."

Sirius nodded, tears in his own eyes. "It was cruel. I knew it, but once it started… do you think he believed it?"

"Oh, he believed it," Tonks said sadly. "I think you definitely broke him."

"He doesn't even deserve to lay eyes on her again. Him telling Remus that he's not worthy of you or of his job or of his life was irrationally cruel," Sirius said angrily. "And what he was saying to you, about asking him to spare her… do you think he actually asked Voldemort that?"

"Possibly. Did he ever… was he a Death Eater?"

Sirius snorted. "All of his friends turned out to be and I know Lily said he was very interested in the dark arts but… I never thought that he had actually gone over, not really, but yeah he was. Dumbledore told me that years ago when I first found the locket here. He asked Snape to take a look at it, questioned him about it, and about Voldemort."

"He's a Death Eater and Dumbledore lets him teach at the school? How? There's no way!"

Sirius nodded. "I know, but Dumbledore told me that he turned spy for him before Voldemort fell so… and after seeing that, watching him fall apart that way… I can see that if he learned that Voldemort wanted to hurt Lily, he would have tried to do something to prevent it." He slammed his fist on the table. "But to have been the one to have overheard the prophecy… he's the one who fucking told Voldemort!"

Tonks nodded. "And I could see how much that eats at him, Sirius. He didn't know who the prophecy was about when he heard it. If he had, he would not have told Voldemort about it." She sighed. "Maybe it was cruel to pretend to be Lily Potter, but how he treats Harry and what he said to Remus was not okay. Remus is the best man that I know; he's my friend, he's the love of my life, and my mate. If he hurts him — I will make him wish that he had never been born."

Sirius grinned at her. "I'll hold your coat."

She laughed and hugged him. "I hope that he does apologize to both Harry and Remus. I think in the end, he needed to see her and to hear her words even if it wasn't real, he _needed_ it."

"Me too," Sirius said, hugging her back. "You were absolutely brilliant! I had chills watching you… I actually thought for a minute that Lily was standing there myself. All that stuff you added about her wanting and needing Jamie, how do you know all that?"

She smiled. "Remus. He told me all about them. He told me how they fell in love and based on his stories and based on what I know of James from you, I don't think I told Snape anything that wasn't true."

"I agree," Sirius told her. "It was eerie to watch that. For a minute I thought you were Lily. You were incredible and I think we got through to him."

Tonks grinned. "I think we did too."

"Come on — we have to meet Moody and Bill," Sirius said.

Tonks nodded, folding the invisibility cloak and placing it on the table. "We forgot to give Harry back his cloak."

"Kreacher!" The house elf appeared quickly next to him with a loud cracking sound. "Can you return this to Harry at Hogwarts please?"

The elf nodded, accepting the cloak and disappearing again with a loud crack.

"There, done."

Tonks smiled. "Good. Now let's go Horcrux hunting."


	132. Chapter 132

_Author's Note:_

 _I have a love of history as I've mentioned before and I wanted to use this idea in my story. It is a well known method of torture believed to be used by the Nordic people back in the ninth through twelfth centuries. However many historians often debate how real it is and there is a continuing debate about whether the ritual was a literary invention, a mistranslation of the original texts of the sagas, or an actual authentic historical practice. Knowing what we know of how inventive people are when it comes to hurting other people, I believe that it was a real execution method — I hope you enjoy how I incorporated it in here._

 _The Horcrux Hunt has begun!_

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO:**

 **Sirius and Tonks stepped through the doors of the pub called The Thirsty Pint in the village of Little Hangleton and immediately spotted Moody and Bill in a booth at the back of the pub.** Tonks slid in next to Bill so Sirius sat across from her next to Moody.

"How'd the match go?" Bill asked, sipping on the pint in front of him.

"Brilliant!" Sirius said with a smile. "Harry caught the Snitch and Gryffindor won!"

"Then why do you look like someone flattened you?" Moody growled, drinking from his own flask.

"Snape," Sirius growled. "He's the reason that Voldemort knew about the prophecy. He's the one who overheard it and told Voldemort."

Moody snorted. "Knew Dumbledore had some secret there. Always thought that it was rather suspicious the way that Snape started spying for the Order. I was one of the few people who knew that he was a spy and I always thought that he was a Death Eater before that, never could find any evidence, and when he first turned up, I told Dumbledore to watch his back around him. I thought for sure that Dumbledore was being played."

Tonks sighed. "I know that it's a terrible thing to learn about him, but there's literally nothing that we can do about it now. We can't change the past."

"Doesn't make me any less pissed off about it!"

Bill nodded, holding up two fingers to the bartender who nodded and started to pour two more pints. "The fact of the matter, is that Tonks is right, Sirius: it's in the past. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be angry about it because you should be; knowing that he's the reason all of this happened to your friends and to Harry losing his parents, but it is over and done with. Now we have more pressing matters to attend to and unfortunately how Voldemort found out about the prophecy over a decade ago isn't one of them."

Sirius nodded, his eyes on Bill. The young man was more astute than he had given him credit for. "I'm aware. How far is the property from here?"

"'Bout a ten minute hike that way," Moody said gesturing to the left side of the pub. "It's just past the graveyard. Weasley and I scanned it briefly on the way over, there are definite signs of magical warding."

"More than the regular abandoned property kind of warding?" At Moody's annoyed look, Tonks shrugged. "Just checking. Keep your knickers on."

Moody glared at her as Sirius nodded a thanks to the bartender when he brought over the pints. "So what does this warding look like?"

Bill scratched the stubble on his chin. "We didn't venture over close enough to take a good look, but we could feel the power emanating from it."

"Cursed?"

"Definitely. But with how many different forms, I couldn't begin to tell you," Bill said honestly.

"Definitely some dark magic, Sirius. I'd say similar to the Death Eater safe houses we examined during the war," Moody told him.

Sirius took a long drink of his pint. "All right, let's discuss a game plan of sorts then."

~ ASC ~

 **Thirty minutes later, the four of them had approached the property line.** Moody's magical eye roamed suspiciously around the property as if looking for any sign of intruders or anyone spying on them. He muttered an incognito charm over the four of them as they approached to help keep their presence undetected.

Bill put his arms out to stop them as they reached the warding. "Here, you can feel the power pulsing from the property."

Moody growled. "Some of the old Death Eater haunts we ripped apart back in the day had more than just a powerful warding. You may be a curse breaker, boy, but watch your back. They were good at interweaving dark curses into the wards and if you take one step the wrong way…"

He made a slicing motion across his throat before he brandished his wand and began to mutter revealing charms. They watched in fascination as clouds of gold puffed around them revealing different wards and Moody swore.

"Clever little bastard."

Sirius nodded, his own wand out. "Blood of a pureblood; ironic as well. He really did consider everyone beneath him when his own so-called 'pure blood' is tainted by a Muggle father. Bigot."

Tonks nodded, her brow furrowing as she raised her wand. "It feels too dark to just be asking for blood."

She shifted slightly and the ground vibrated beneath their feet, thick roots suddenly shooting up from the earth, breaking through the soil and swinging upward rather violently. One of them sliced through Sirius' calf and he swore, falling to his knees. A second one knocked Bill to the ground as another one sliced his cheek as a fourth one root wrapped itself around Tonks' left foot, lurching her forward and into the warding.

The scream caught in her throat as she fell and her abdomen was brutally sliced open before Sirius was able to pull her back. He cradled her head in his lap as Bill ripped the bottom of her shirt open. Tonks gasped in pain as Bill prodded her abdomen, the warmth of her blood oozing down her side and onto the grass.

Bill worked quickly as Sirius held her, tightly bandaging her across the ribs hard enough that she winced from his attempt to stop the bleeding. "She's bleeding too damn much."

Sirius shook his head. "I've never been very good with healing cuts like this; not when I can see her… intestines."

Moody fell to his knees next to them and his wand hovered over her stomach. "It looks like teeth marks as if the ward was _feeding_ on her."

Tonks moaned and Sirius paled as her guts seemed to glimmer before him.

"She needs a healer. _Now._ "

"No!" Tonks hissed through the pain. "I will see this through! Patch me up, Sirius, and let's keep going."

"Nymphadora, if something happens to you, Remus will kill me," Sirius told her sternly. "And don't even get me started on what your mother will do to me."

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" she hissed, her hair flashing to a deep blood red. "Patch me up and let's go! I'll be fine!"

Moody stared at her for a moment before he nodded and carefully sealed the wound as Bill re-bandaged her tightly. "It's only temporary," he instructed. "But it should hold for a bit."

Bill moved to check out Sirius' leg. "The root tore right through the muscle," he said, looking at the tiny hole as it gushed blood. He patched it up on both sides to the best of his ability and bandaged his leg. "That will have to do."

Sirius helped her to her feet and she gasped for breath, one hand on her stomach. "It's fine. I'll be fine."

"Tonks… let me take you home," Sirius repeated, his eyes on hers. His own calf hurt like a bitch when he put pressure on it so he couldn't imagine what Tonks was feeling.

Tonks glared at him, one eyebrow lifted as if she dared him to question her. "No. You need me here and _I am not leaving_ until we're done."

Sirius stared at her for a moment, her grey eyes so like his own, stared at him stubbornly and he sighed before turning back to the warding. Moody used a freezing charm to stop the roots from attacking them long enough for the four of them to get through the blood warding. His magical eye kept twirling in his head and looking in all directions as he and Bill held their wands out over the roots in case they decided to attack again. Sirius used a slicing charm to pierce through his palm and moved towards the warding, holding up his palm to the barrier that was demanding 'pure blood.' It glowed red and flashed before fizzing out, accepting the blood from a pureblood wizard as a tolerable sacrifice and they stepped through.

Bill healed Sirius' palm for him and they moved closer as Tonks spoke up. "The blood of a pureblood to take down the warding is very precise, is it not? What if the blood wasn't pure?"

Moody turned to look over at her, his magical eye staring at her abdomen. "Ever seen a pack of hyenas feed in the wild?"

"N-n-no," she stuttered, her eyes on Sirius.

Moody's eye sobered, his magical one locking onto her as well. "When they attack, they go for the abdomen, ripping out the guts and intestines and feeding immediately while their prey is still alive." Tonks swallowed carefully at the image. "If you would have attempted to walk through that warding, Tonks, I imagine it would have felt akin to being eaten alive by a pack of hyenas: Bloody, painful, and deadly." His eyes moved to her abdomen where a bit of blood was already seeping out of the bandage. "And you only brushed against it — imagine if you had actually attempted to walk through it."

"You paint a very vivid picture, Mad-Eye," Sirius said as they moved forward.

He turned back to look at Tonks. She had a hand on her stomach, her wand out and her hair had dimmed back to its normal bubblegum pink, relieving him slightly. If she was still able to change her appearance, she was doing all right, he thought.

Moody simply looked at Sirius. "DE's do not fool around, Black. The Dark Lord made this warding specifically for a pureblood to come through and for a pureblood only. He would have trusted no one else with its location nor with obtaining his treasure and I think we all know that this isn't the kind of thing that he would be bothered to come fetch himself. Only one of his pureblood loyal dogs would have been worthy in his eyes and even then, the Dark Lord doesn't really care if they live or die as long as he gets what he wants in the end."

Sirius held his wand up and nodded. Moody waved his wand again and the same gold puffs illuminated where the next warding was as they moved through the tiny wooden gate covered in overgrown branches and trees. "I recognize that one."

"Thought you might," Moody said, his voice sobering. "It's the same curse that you and Potter almost got yourselves killed over during that mission when you were investigating that abandoned manor in Sussex with Anderson."

Sirius nodded, the memory of that night gripping him. It wasn't something that he would ever forget. "I remember. James, Benedict, and I were checking out the abandoned manor. We had intel that DE's had been using it as a safe house, but had abandoned it. We had checked the perimeter, found that it was safe so we went inside to investigate and found this exact warding in place."

"What is it?" Bill asked, leaning closer cautiously to look at the golden sparks to try to understand what he was seeing.

"It's an ancient spell, absolutely brutal in nature. It's physical torture at it's finest," Sirius said, paling a bit. "Benny he… he went first, moved into the house too quickly, lulled into false complacency because of the safe perimeter and suddenly there was this blue smoke that covered him, hiding him from our view and then we heard the words ' _sanguinem aquilae'_ echo behind the smoke. When the smoke finally lifted… Merlin, sometimes I can still hear his screams."

"Sanguinem aquilae… the blood of an eagle? What does that even mean?" Tonks asked, her eyes moving between Sirius and Moody.

Bill paled and gripped Tonks' arm. "It's called the Blood Eagle Curse. I studied it when we took a trip to Denmark for a seminar on Nordic curses. It's a ritualistic killing often used by Viking wizards hundreds of years ago where the victim was forced to lie on their stomach. The spell creates a sort of sharp knife that severs the ribs from the spine with such precision that a person's lungs can actually be pulled through the opening and spread out across their back. When done correctly, the lungs look like the wings of an eagle."

Tonks stared at Sirius in horror. "You _saw this_? You actually _witnessed it happening_?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes full of emotion. "Anderson fell into some kind of privacy warding and Jamie and I couldn't get through it and… he was alive… we watched his lungs rise and fall as they were spread across his back for almost two full minutes before he died."

Moody raised his wand. "Did you figure out how to break through the curse?"

"Yes," Sirius said, shaking the memories from his mind. "It wasn't easy."

Bill gestured for Sirius to take the lead and he swallowed slowly as he stepped towards the ward. The image of Benedict Anderson, bleeding and gasping for breath, his lungs spread across his back like wings and his screams still echoing in his ears was still rather fresh in his mind as he slowly worked to take down the wards. The last thing that he wanted was to ever watch anyone suffer through that again. He took a deep breath before he concentrated on breaking down the curse. First he removed the blue smoke before he blasted through the sharp knives and finally after almost thirty minutes of concentrating on every particle of magic, on every piece of the puzzle, he was able to break through the last ward and he watched as purple and gold sparks seemed to explode overhead and Sirius let out a breath of relief.

"That was it. We're through."

"You're sure?" Tonks asked hesitantly.

He nodded, using the revealing charm for any signs of magical residue. "I am. See here, the warding is clear now."

Bill led the way through the overgrown path towards the shack. The stones were crumbling around it and parts of the roof had caved in. Nature had taken over, interlocking its heather and trees through the cottage and Bill carefully hovered near the broken door to check the warding.

When he stepped to the left to check the windows, the ground beneath his feet crumbled. Sirius grabbed his hand as he fell, the earth seeming to open up beneath him. Sirius fell to his knees, making his calf scream as he started bleeding again, but he gripped Bill tightly and pulled with all of his might until the man was free, dragging him over the soil and dirt and out from where the earth was trying to swallow him. They both fell on the grass, gasping for breath.

But the ground kept cracking.

It crumbled around them, surrounding them and the shack. The ground shook and vibrated and pieces of the land shuddered. The grass burned, the soil bubbled, and the rocks shook. Part of the rock beneath Moody's wooden leg gave way and Tonks grabbed him, tugging him forward and they fell, Moody falling on top of her. Tonks bounced off of the ground and she began to bleed again.

Moody caught his breath and re-sealed her bandage, his hand on her arm in an attempt to steady her as her eyes went blind with pain. "Everyone okay?"

Bill nodded as he and Sirius climbed to their feet. "I'm not sure what I hit there."

"Earthquake charm," Moody said gruffly. "Must have been set into the ground and we missed it."

Bill wiped blood off his forehead from where the rocks had cut him on his fall. "The door is literally just there."

"We can get over easily enough," Sirius said, his eyes on Tonks. She had paled considerably by now and he knew that she had lost more blood than she was letting on. "The charm is dangerous initially, but if you can avoid falling into the earth, the worst has passed." He made a bridge over the cracked earth and wrapped his arm tightly around his cousin as they went over first, soon followed by Bill and Moody.

Bill turned to the shack, wiping blood from his eye. "He's locked the door with poison. It's rather a simple curse actually. I suppose Voldemort thought that no one would make it past the blood eagle curse on top of the whole being swallowed into the earth thing to get this far. I've seen this kind of thing quite often in both Egypt and in Central America."

Tonks stood on her toes, wincing at the stretch, and slowly lowering herself back down as she attempted to look around at Bill. "What is it?"

"Dark magic that interlocks together to create a magical door. If one tries to walk through it, the magic slices them and then flows into their bloodstream like a poison. It burns like acid and essentially you burn alive from the inside."

Tonks shuddered at the image. "How do you get rid of it?"

Bill grinned at her. "It's quite simple actually." He turned his wand into a hose and cool water shot out, hitting the doorframe. The door sizzled and shook and with a small explosion of dark smoke, evaporated into the air. "Water beats back any potential flames and washes away the acid, but if you step through it before getting rid of the poison and it enters your bloodstream it's almost impossible to stop. One of the blokes in my unit walked through one… the healers froze his blood in an attempt to remove the curse, but in the end it was too potent and the only way that he could survive it was to have his arm cut off before it could spread."

Bill kicked the flimsy door in and it collapsed to the ground with a loud bang and he froze at the nest of snakes that lay there. There were at least twenty adders tangled together, slithering in a circle as if stuck on an endless loop. "Fuck, what is it with this dickwad and fucking snakes?"

Sirius moved forward, his eyes on the adders. "The way they move in that circle is eerie. It's here all right, and I'd bet my fortune it's in the middle of that circle."

Tonks lifted the sleeves of her shirt back and stepped forward. "I got this one."

"Tonks… be careful," Sirius said sternly, his eyes on her stomach which was still steadily seeping more than a trickle of blood through the bandage.

She smiled at him and began to twirl her wand in a circle creating a beautiful blue and white light show that orbited around them. It moved forwards and hovered over the snakes. One of them hissed and its jaws launched at it, coming at nothing and it hissed again. The light taunted them and surrounded them and to Sirius' surprise, picked them up as a whole and removed them from the shack. The blue and white lights held the snakes in a bubble of a sorts and shoved the entire nest of them into a ditch just past the house.

Tonks dropped her wand, gasping for breath as she placed a hand over her stomach and grinned. "I've never moved so many of them before, but I thought killing them… seemed heartless. It was more… magic… power than I expected to have to… use…"

"Where did you learn to do that?" Sirius asked her in amazement. "How did you contain them like that?"

"Dad taught me. We used to have a nest of them that kept… coming back every summer in the yard. Dad said that… all creatures no matter how big or small deserved to have a… chance. It's a mix between a… containment charm and a featherlight charm with a little bit of a zap to keep them… controlled," she explained, touching the wall for support as she held her stomach. Her hair flashed from the vivid bubblegum pink to the soft brown of her natural colour. "We should have at least… a few hours before they are coherent enough to… attempt to come… back."

Moody snorted. "Hopefully that's enough time."

Sirius moved towards the circle, his eyes moving back to his cousin. He didn't like that her hair had changed nor how breathless she seemed to be, but they were so close now. He turned towards the circle, his wand hovering over the loose floorboard. He used his wand to pry it open and when he was sure that it was safe, reached down and pulled the brown velvet bag from the dirt. He opened it and tipped the contents into his hand, grinning when a gold signet ring fell out containing a black stone. He picked it up and carefully inspected it.

"It's a signet ring. We'll have to confer with Albus if it's the same one from the memory," Bill said carefully.

Sirius wrapped his fist around it. "It's the same. I can feel it."

Bill's eyebrow rose. "Feel what exactly?"

"The dark magic… the… memories moving in."

Tonks reached over to link her arm with his. "Give me the ring, Sirius." She rubbed his arm gently and he slowly opened his palm. She plucked the ring out, slipping it back into the velvet pouch before she kissed his cheek. "I wish… your mother was still… alive so that I could punch her… right in the nose and tell her… how amazing you are and… how much she absolutely did not deserve… you."

He smirked at her and tugged her close, resting his chin on the top of her brown hair. She was trembling from the pain now. "Love you, too."

Moody snorted, his eyes moving around the shack. "Tonks, pass me that ring, I want to make sure that we've got the right item."

Tonks tipped the velvet pouch and the ring fell into her hand, holding her palm out for Moody to examine it. He used the same spell on it that he had used at Number Twelve on the locket and she watched in fascination as it glowed green and then she dropped it, hissing in pain.

Moody frowned. "It burned you? The locket never reacted that way when we used that spell."

Tonks only glared at him, wincing at the sting in her hand. "Yeah, that's definitely the damn Horcrux!"

Bill grabbed her hand, quickly putting a small icy-freezing charm over the circular burn. "That's the best that I can do for now. Burns are tricky especially ones from dark magic."

"Thanks," she whispered, wincing at the pain. The ring had burned a perfect circle into her palm and she stared down at it as if mesmerized for a moment.

Moody levitated the ring with his wand and nodded. "That's definitely what we're looking for — that's a lot of dark magic protecting such a tiny ring."

"That ring has a piece of a fucking soul in it," Sirius said darkly, taking the ring from Moody. He looked at the diamond shaped stone again, his eyes on the gold triangular symbol etched on the side. "This… I've seen this symbol before. Do you recognize it?" The others shook their head and Sirius stared harder at it. "Doesn't Xenophilius Lovegood wear a necklace with this exact symbol dangling on the end?"

Bill's eyes widened. "You know what, I think you're right! Half the stuff he believes in though is not exactly believable if you know what I mean, but if Voldemort put it on the ring…"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't think that he put it there. Look, it's etched into the ebony of the stone. It was here long before this was ever turned into a ring let alone a Horcrux."

"What do you think it means?" Tonks asked him.

Sirius shrugged, slipping the ring back into the pouch and tucking it away in his back pocket. "I'm not sure. But I'll find out." He gripped Tonks' hand in his own. "But first we're going to Poppy now. You need medical attention. I'll side Apparate you to Hogsmeade."

"I can Apparate… myself… Sirius!" Tonks insisted stubbornly. "I'm… fine."

Moody nodded, checking the area. "We have to get back off the property first, Black. I doubt Apparating from here is safe."

Sirius only smirked at him. "That won't be a problem."

He transformed into Padfoot, ignoring the pain that it caused in his back leg and gestured for Tonks to climb onto his back. She looked at him rather apprehensibly, but did as he asked when he growled at her in response. She gripped his fur tightly as he ran, the pain in his back leg excruciating, but he knew that he had to get her to the hospital wing at Hogwarts as quickly as possible as her injuries were much more severe than his own. He leapt over the crumbled earth and the gate and carried her safely past the property line. He carefully lay on his stomach so that she could slide down easily, not wanting her to hurt her any further. As a dog, the smell of her blood seemed more potent. He looked up in time to see Bill and Moody coming towards them. He transformed back into himself and scooped Tonks into his arms as he felt the blood dripping down his own leg.

"I… can… walk… Sirius," she protested weakly.

She was ghostly white by now and the handful of brown freckles on her nose, the ones that she usually hid with her powers, seemed to pop up from her white face.

"Shh, let's get you to Poppy." He Disapparated with her in his arms and when they arrived in Hogsmeade, she passed out from the pressure of the Apparation and he practically ran towards the school.

He laid her on the bed in the hospital wing as Bill hurried off to find Madam Pomfrey. They had agreed beforehand that coming to Hogwarts as opposed to St Mungo's was the best plan in terms of keeping their activities quiet.

The door to the hospital wing flew open and Sirius looked up in surprise to see Remus standing there, his eyes terrified as he half-ran, half fell to his knees as he slid across the floor to her.

"What happened? Why is she hurt? Why didn't you protect her?" he demanded, his eyes flashing as he shouted out angry accusations.

Sirius knelt next to his friend, gripping his arm. "She's going to be all right, Moony. I swear it."

Remus took her hand in his, kissing her fingers, his other hand brushing back her soft short brown curls. "Nymphadora, I'm here, I'm right here."

Madam Pomfrey came in a moment later, ushering them away so that she could examine her patient. When Remus only growled at her in response, she let him keep holding her hand as she unraveled the bandages.

"Merlin! It looks like she was eaten by wild animals! What the hell happened to this woman?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed in horror as Remus paled and squeezed her hand.

"I temporarily sealed the cuts, Poppy," Moody told her gruffly. "But I didn't want to heal them without your expertise."

"Alastor, she should have been brought to me immediately!"

"It was dark magic, Poppy," Sirius explained, his hand on his friend's shoulder. "It barely touched her and this was the result. We got her here as fast as she allowed us."

Madam Pomfrey continued to mumble under her breath about incompetence as she worked.

Remus kept his eyes on Tonks' stomach. His own stomach recoiled as he watched the matron carefully push her insides back in and slowly healed her skin closed. She poured some mysterious healing potion over the partially sealed wound and re-bandaged her. She did a diagnostic over her, muttering under her breath some more.

"Her hand," Sirius added. "She burned her hand too."

Madam Pomfrey nodded and moved to the hand that Remus wasn't holding, eyeing the circular burn. "This reeks of dark magic."

Sirius nodded. "It burned right through her skin."

"It will scar," Madam Pomfrey said sadly. "I can't do anything about that. It will be small, but it will scar." She rubbed burn ointment on it and poured blood replenishing potions down her throat. "She needs rest. She's lost a lot of blood and her body needs time to heal."

"Sirius is injured too," Bill added.

Madam Pomfrey looked sternly at Sirius as if he had deliberately been hiding his injuries from her sight and he sighed, moving over to another bed to show her his leg. She cleaned the hole with something that stung like he was being stabbed and he yelped, earning himself a look that could kill and he promptly shut his mouth. The matron filled the hole with a healing solution and bandaged his leg.

"Clean this tomorrow and re-dress it and you should be all right. Mr Weasley, let me take a look at that head."

Remus kissed Tonks' fingers as Madam Pomfrey worked on Bill. "Must she stay here, Poppy?"

"Remus Lupin, you know how important it is for her to heal and stay rested!"

"I do," he interrupted her, "But must she stay here in the hospital wing? May I take her home? Let her rest in her own bed?"

Madam Pomfrey hesitated. "She needs a potion every three hours. Her bandages will have to be reapplied in the morning and her wounds re-sealed."

"She can stay with me, in my suite. You'll come to her in the morning?" he begged.

"Come on, Poppy, let him take her. She'll still be in the castle," Sirius urged.

"Fine," Madam Pomfrey said in defeat. "I'll be there at eight to check on her. Use a stretcher. I don't want her stomach to re-open in transport. Give her this potion every three hours!"

Remus nodded gratefully and Sirius helped him levitate Tonks onto the stretcher and through the school, leaving Moody and Bill to fill Dumbledore in on what had happened. Thankfully it was past curfew and all of the students were in bed so they met no one along the way. Remus carefully levitated her unconscious body into his bed, gently brushing her hair out of her eyes and kissing her forehead tenderly before he wrapped her in blankets and turned to Sirius.

"You said that she would be fine!" he demanded, turning in anger to his friend. "This is not what I deem fine! What the fuck happened out there? If I didn't know better I would think that that she was maimed by a bloody werewolf! I can small the dark magic residue from her skin… she's going to scar!"

Sirius put his hands up in surrender, muttering a silencing charm around the bed so as not to disturb Tonks, and tugged his friend into the living room. "She is going to be fine, Remus. We ran into some trouble and Tonks fell into one of wards. She was knocked into it by the roots from the earth. I tried to bring her back immediately, but she refused to go! She said that she was seeing it through."

Remus' fists clenched at his sides. "You should have made her leave!"

Sirius smirked now. "Rem, you should know better than anyone that no one makes Nymphadora Tonks do anything that she doesn't want to do. We found another one. A ring, and Tonks was amazing. She saved Moody's life and helped us rid the shack of a nest of adders. This was all after she had been injured, mind you. She's truly incredible. I can see why she makes such a great Auror."

Remus' eyes moved back to the bedroom. "You got it?"

Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet pouch, slipping the ring into his hand. The thick gold band and the large diamond shaped ebony stone in the centre stared up at them. "Here, it's a signet ring. We examined it with no problems, but when Moody attempted to use that spell to check it for a Horcrux, it burned green smoke and that's how she burnt her hand."

"What's this symbol on it?" Remus asked, examining the ring carefully.

"We're not sure, but Bill and I both thought that it looked like the necklace that Lovegood always wears. Don't know if that means if it's important or not."

"Are you bringing it to Dumbledore?"

Sirius shook his head. "I'm putting it in the vault in the study at headquarters. We'll call a meeting and destroy it. Dumbledore can examine it then. I'd like to examine the symbol more myself and try to find out what it means before we destroy it."

Remus nodded, looking back towards the bedroom.

"Rem?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you know that we were in the hospital wing?"

Remus was quiet for a moment before his eyes met his friend's. "When I marked her, when we… I just knew, Sirius, I just knew that something was wrong and my heart…stopped. I thought she was… I thought she was dead and my world stopped."

Sirius pulled his friend into his arms and the moment Remus' face touched his shoulder, the sob snuck out. Sirius held him tighter, running his hands along his friend's back as Remus cried. His fingers clutched Sirius' shirt desperately and he wiped furiously at his tears.

"I can't lose her, Siri, I can't!"

"Moony," Sirius said, framing his friend's face in his hands. "You aren't going to lose her. Now go in there and be with your mate. Take comfort in being there and let her take comfort in you." He kissed his forehead and smiled at him. "I'll be right out here the whole time."

Remus hesitated, but then he nodded. He wiped the tears from his eyes and moved into the bedroom. Tonks was still asleep on her back, her breathing soft and quiet. He crawled into the bed carefully, his eyes on her bandaged stomach. He gently laid his head on her breasts, the comfort of it, the smell of her calming him as he pulled the blankets close and closed his eyes. The rise and fall of her chest and the steady drum of her heartbeat lulling him off to sleep.

~ ASC ~

 **When Remus disappeared into the bedroom, Sirius summoned Kreacher to him.** He handed him the velvet pouch with the ring in it and demanded of the elf to seal it in the vault in the study at Number Twelve. He then sent a quick Patronus to Zee asking her to come to Remus' suite at Hogwarts. It was ten minutes before she arrived and he hugged her close when she came in through the portrait door.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded, kissing her neck, her ear, her cheek before finally kissing her softly on the lips. "I'm fine." He tugged her over to the sofa, snuggling her into his arms. "Tonks was hurt pretty bad."

Zee's eyes widened in alarm. "Is she okay?"

"She will be," Sirius said as he explained about what they had stumbled onto on the Gaunt property and how Tonks had been injured.

"But you found one?"

Sirius nodded. "We did."

Zee examined the symbol that Sirius had drawn. "The symbol is interesting you're right. It looks familiar to me. It was on the ring?" When Sirius nodded, she sighed. "I can ask Raffigan about it?"

"The historian?"

She nodded. "I know that she hasn't really given us much on the potential necklace we found in Slytherin's chest, but maybe she'd recognize this symbol? After all, it is imprinted onto Slytherin's ring."

"Hmm, maybe. I think I know someone who might have an idea. Has Raffigan said anything else to you about the necklace?"

Zee shook her head. "No, nothing definite. She believes that it was the necklace that Slytherin had made for his daughter-in-law as a wedding gift. It was supposed to be quite elaborate and befit with the finest jewels of its time including emeralds and diamonds. Today it would be worth millions of Galleons if it was recovered."

"So just an ordinary necklace then," he said, stifling a yawn. "Nothing Horcrux worthy, I mean."

Zee tugged the blanket down from the back of the sofa. "Just an ordinary necklace. I paid her for her research, but I don't think there's anything else that she can help us with unless we find the necklace, then I assume that she would want to examine it properly. Let's hope that Voldemort didn't destroy it by putting a Horcrux inside of it. It sounds likes it was truly a beautiful necklace, both full of historical beauty and value as well as monetary." She wrapped the blanket around both of them, her eyes on his leg. "Sirius, you said that you weren't hurt?"

He yawned. "Just a scratch. Pomfrey fixed me up."

She nodded and urged Sirius to stretch out on the sofa as she snuggled into his side. "As long as you're all right," when he nodded, she smiled. "We can talk about the ring some more in the morning."

He smiled at her. "I can't go home. Rem might need me."

She kissed him softly. "Which is why we're going to sleep right here, silly."

Sirius held her close as she rested her head over his heart. "I love you."

Zee smiled against his chest. "I love you, too."

And then he drifted off to sleep.

Zee woke up less than thirty minutes later to the distress sounds rumbling beneath her head. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, taking his hand in hers. "Sirius. Sirius, it's okay, baby, I'm here. I'm here, wake up."

His eyes flew open, stormy and dark. He shivered and closed his eyes again. "Just a dream, I'm fine. It was nothing."

Zee shifted and cradled his head against her breasts. "You're not fine. I'm sure touching that ring today brought up all sorts of bad memories."

He sighed as her fingers drifted contently through his hair. "I don't like to talk about it."

"All the more reason why you should," she said softly. Her fingers continued to play with his hair as her heart beat steadily under his ear.

"It wasn't just the ring. One of the wards… I saw what happens when you go through it once and seeing it again made me remember how horrible it was. I was on a mission for the Order, nineteen years old, still fresh-faced and I watched this curse rip through this Hit Wizard and he died slowly and painfully and there was nothing that I could do to help him. I wasn't going to let that happen again today."

Zee didn't speak. She simply continued to stroke his hair.

"Then with Tonks getting hurt… and then touching the ring brought back memories of being under the Cruciatus and… I don't want to talk about it."

Zee kissed his cheek. "Before the holidays, you spent over an hour telling me why you were worried that you weren't enough for Harry. That maybe he needed to see a Mind Healer to help him cope with what he's seen and what he's experienced. But you won't consider the same thing for yourself."

"I don't need a Mind Healer," he insisted.

Zee kissed his cheek again. "You need to talk to someone, Sirius. These memories, they're eating you alive."

"I don't need a Mind Healer," he repeated stubbornly. "I'm fine. It's just a few bad dreams."

Zee only nodded, continuing to trail her fingers through his hair. "Will you think about it? Honestly, will you take the time to think about it or consider talking to someone? Remus maybe or even me? You know I'm here whenever you need me."

Sirius turned to look up at her, the concern in her eyes making him feel ashamed for trying to push it all away from her. "I don't want to burden you."

She smiled and bent her head to kiss him softly. "You could never burden me. I love all of you — even the broken parts."

He smiled at that and turned slightly, snuggling back against her breasts. "You're much too good for me."

She kissed the top of his head, her arms draped around his neck, hands resting on his chest. "I think I'm rather good for you, actually."

He grinned and closed his eyes. "I love you, Zahira."

Zee smiled against his hair as she held him close and watched as he drifted back to sleep. She gently traced his face with her finger, over the rough stubble that needed to be trimmed down, smiling as his breathing evened out into a deep sleep. She closed her own eyes, her arms still wrapped around him in both comfort and protection.

It was only a few moments later before she too was fast asleep, her man in her arms.

~ ASC ~

 **Narcissa rolled over to snuggle into her husband's warmth and frowned when she felt that the silk sheets had gone cold.** She sat up, eyes moving around the room, but she saw no sign of Lucius.

She moved out of bed, tugging her silk robe over her lace and silk nightgown and letting her bright blonde hair tumble over her shoulders as she slipped on the satin flats that matched her robe before she went off in search of her missing husband. It was barely eight on a Sunday morning so he couldn't have gone too far.

She found him sitting at the dining room table. A cup of coffee at his elbow and papers spread around him.

"Darling?"

He looked up startled and then smiled. "I apologize. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. The bed was cold."

He smiled at that and opened his arms when she walked over to him, letting her sit on his lap. He nuzzled her neck for a moment. "We can go back up to bed."

Narcissa smiled at him and kissed him softly. "We will. After you tell me what has you up so early on a Sunday morning?"

He shook his head. "Its nothing."

"Lu, don't lie to me."

Lucius sighed and gently walked his fingers up her arm. "It's happening, Cissa. Father has… the Dark Lord is going to return sooner than we ever thought possible."

"What do you know?"

"Not enough to stop it." He rolled up his sleeve to show his wife the tattoo of the mark. The deep black lines of the skull which had faded over the years seemed to have brightened just slightly. "It's getting stronger. Father said that they have a new body for the Dark Lord to reside in while they brew a potion to help him rise up like a phoenix, to be reborn in the flames... he's getting nourishment of some kind. He's still weak, but I can feel him getting stronger, getting the nourishment. My mark it… burns ever so slightly."

Narcissa framed his face in her hands, her fingertips dancing along the rough white blond morning stubble. "You have to make a choice, Lucius. We can't let Draco get caught up in this. I won't watch him get branded like cattle the way that you were. I want better for him."

"I do too," he admitted, turning his face to kiss her hands. "But I don't know how to pull myself back from this, darling. Cissa, when he is reborn he will call me to him. You know what will happen if I don't go."

"My cousin says that he has a plan."

"He might very well have one, but in the meantime, what am I to do? If I refuse him, he'll kill me and then you and Draco will have no protection. If I go... I don't know if I can do what he wants me to do. Not this time."

Narcissa kissed him softly. "We'll figure it out, Lu. Together, just like we do everything."

He kissed her hands and buried his face in her neck. "We have another problem."

"What's that?"

"Bellatrix wants to come and stay at the Manor. She says that it will be a family occasion and that she wants to get to know her dear nephew."

"Absolutely not. I forbid it!"

"I said as much to my father when he mentioned it."

"We both know that the disappearance of Novak's wife has my mad sister written all over it! She always loved to torture pregnant woman for sport. It was a sickness inside of her. When I was pregnant with Draco she —"

"I know," Lucius interrupted softly. "I remember. Rabastan stopped me from killing her at the last second. I wish I would have."

Narcissa closed her eyes. The two miscarriages that she had had before Draco had been Bella's fault, she remembered. It was also because of her sister that she had barely managed to carry Draco to term and the reason why she could never have any more children.

"Draco can't come home if she's here. I don't even want them in the same country let alone in the same room as him and maybe we can tip off the Aurors about her coming back to England —"

"— No, Cissa. We mustn't. Remember, any wrong move and we're dead. Not to mention that we have to stop Draco from asking so many questions. I swear to Merlin if he writes home once more complaining about that bloody oaf Hagrid and his goddamn bloody Hippogriff, I am going to strangle him! I already told him that there's nothing we can do about the Hippogriff as Black put his foot down at the last Board of Governors meeting and claimed that he has nineteen witnesses who claim that our son insulted the animal specifically after Hagrid told him not to."

Narcissa chuckled, "He gets that from you."

Lucius glared at her. "I don't whine."

She merely grinned. "Yes, you do. When you don't get your way, you can throw quite the tantrum, love."

He shrugged, pointedly ignoring his wife's insult. "He needs to grow up and he needs to realize that he doesn't need to know everything that we're doing here or what I know that my father is doing. Who knows what else he found in my father's study before I caught him and Theo down there. The less he knows about what his grandfather is involved in, the better."

"His Occlumency skills are quite strong, Lucius. You know I taught him myself. We can trust him."

Lucius kissed her fingers. "It's not about trusting him. I won't risk him, Cissa. I won't risk either of you."

She nodded. "You talk to your father and tell him that my sister is not welcome here."

Lucius nodded, closing his eyes. "I'll write to him now and inform him."

Narcissa stood up, her eyes on her husband. "Then come back to bed."

He smiled at her as he watched her leave the room and he closed his eyes. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he was afraid.

And the worst part was that he wasn't sure if he was lying to his wife or to himself.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus woke slowly to the feel of his hair gently being stroked and he turned to look up into the grey eyes of his mate.**

She smiled at him. "Good morning, lover."

He kissed her softly, his hand on her chin. "How do you feel?"

"Sore," she admitted. She made to shift and winced. "Ow." Her eyes fell on her bandaged stomach and widened. "Oh, right."

Remus glanced at the clock, "Poppy should be here soon to check you out and re-bandage that."

Tonks nodded. "Come here. Come hold me."

His brow furrowed. "You're injured. I'm not moving you."

She smiled and attempted to sit up on her own, tears stinging her eyes at the pain of it. Remus grabbed her shoulders, his eyes flashing.

"Nymphadora!"

She smirked at him. "Please? We'll both feel better."

Remus sighed and he carefully moved behind her to where she was gesturing. He propped himself back against the pillows and then carefully lay her back against his chest, nestled between his thighs and her hands holding his over her heart.

"See? I feel better already."

"Stubborn minx," he muttered, but he smiled when she turned her head and he bent his own to kiss her softly. "You scared me, Dora," he whispered, kissing her again.

"I'm sorry. I should have sent word that I was fine before you saw me like this."

He shook his head, breathing in her hair. The sight of it in her natural soft short brown curls only reminding him of how weak she was. He kissed the freckles on her nose. "I didn't... I felt you."

She smiled at him as he nuzzled her neck. "You felt me?" Her hands curled around his, still resting over her heart.

"I… not all the time, but since I... I just knew that you were hurt and Merlin, please don't scare me like that again, Nymphadora. I thought I lost you."

Tonks turned her face to his and kissed him again, long and soft. "You, Remus Lupin, are quite stuck with me. I have no plans of going anywhere without you."

The bedroom door opened and they both looked up at the matron who pursed her lips.

"Have you been resting?" she demanded suspiciously.

"She slept all night, Poppy, and I administered the potion every three hours as instructed. She barely woke up to take them," Remus supplied, making to move out from under her, but Tonks held him in place.

"No, stay," she insisted.

He only nodded and kissed her temple.

Madam Pomfrey unwrapped her bandage and Remus let out a slow breath as he looked at the jagged cuts. They looked remarkably better, but still quite brutal. He closed his eyes as he remembered how last night the matron had forced her insides back in. She carefully applied a salve to the wounds and sealed them again before bandaging her once more with fresh dressings.

"I'll be back to re-dress this tonight around eight. You are not to leave this bed outside of having to use the bathroom and then you must have assistance or I will make you stay in the hospital wing. Do you understand?"

Tonks nodded. "Yes. Thank you. Is it possible for me to shower?"

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "I'd prefer that you don't get the bandages wet and that's a lot of time on your feet. If someone helps you, you may have a sponge bath. Tomorrow a shower should be fine, but not before. I will tell you after I change your dressing in the morning."

"Thank you."

The matron nodded, touching Tonks' hand where the small burn was. "I'm afraid this will scar as well. I did what I could to reduce it. It's hardly very visible, but a burn like this from dark magic, you're lucky that it didn't do a lot worse."

Harry stuck his head in the bedroom doorway then with Sirius and Zee behind him. "Tonks? Are you okay?"

She smiled at him as Madam Pomfrey finished applying salve to her burn. "I'm going to be fine Harry, don't you worry!"

He nodded and Zee placed a hand on his arm. "Why don't you come help me make some tea while Madam Pomfrey finishes up her examination of Tonks?"

Harry nodded and followed her out into Remus' tiny kitchen nook, sneaking a look back into the bedroom. "Her stomach looks bad. I mean, it's a really big bandage."

Zee smiled at him, slipping her arm through his and leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't know everything that happened yet, but Sirius said that she's going to be okay."

"I know," he muttered.

He'd been woken from a dead sleep to his mirror vibrating incessantly on his nightstand twenty minutes before. Sirius had simply said that they had found another Horcrux last night, but that Tonks had been injured and was all right. He had then instructed Harry to come to Remus' suite. It hadn't reassured Harry in any way.

But they had found another one.

The thought made him giddy and slightly terrified at the same time. He couldn't help but wonder, did he know? Could he feel it?

He turned towards the woman resting her head on in his shoulder and found himself in Zee's arms and he wrapped his arms around her. He was taller than her as she was barely five three without heels. She barely reached his shoulder now despite her heels, but he clung to her, feeling reassured as she rubbed his back.

"It's okay, Harry. She's going to be fine."

He nodded, closing his eyes as he was engulfed in the warmth of her hug making him feel remarkably calmer.

"Prongslet?" Sirius asked from behind him.

Harry turned his head slightly to look at his father as Zee kept her arm linked through his. "What happened? How did you find it?"

Sirius smiled at him. "Come on; let's go sit in Uncle Moony's room. Tonks and I will tell you everything."


	133. Chapter 133

_Author's Note:_

 _Just wanted to sport a little WARNING here - this is a dark chapter! I was told I should make the warning bigger so WARNING!_

 _******* A VERY DARK CHAPTER FOR VIOLENCE AND MATURE AUDIENCES! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! *******_

 _Reminder, I used the class roster of Hogwarts students known and I made up my own names to fill in the blanks of the other students in Harry's year._

 _Been working with my Beta — SilverStarwolfe to get my earlier chapters edited and have so far updated up to chapter 20; it's coming along slowly but surely!_

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE:**

 **Harry and Zee followed Sirius into Remus' bedroom.** Sirius conjured a small sofa for the three of them and Harry sat between them while Remus lay on the bed behind Tonks, his arms still wrapped around her.

Tonks was smiling at them as they settled themselves. "I hear that it's story time?"

Harry grinned at her. "Are you sure that you're feeling okay, Tonks?"

She grinned widely. "I'm fine, Harry. Remember, I'm a badass Auror. I can handle anything."

That earned a smirk from Harry and Sirius elbowed him lightly. "I already gave the ring to Kreacher to lock up at headquarters in the vault. We want to examine it a bit more closely before we actually destroy it. There's a strange symbol on the ring that we're not quite sure about yet, but Tonks and I think that we might know someone who can help us decipher it. It might mean absolutely nothing, but we want to be sure that we understand what it means and why it may be on the ring before we destroy the Horcrux inside of it. It most likely was on the ring before Voldemort turned it into a Horcrux, but we would still like to make sure."

Harry nodded, his eyes on Sirius. "So what happened?"

"We arrived at the Gaunt property line and I was clumsy and fell into the warding."

"Not entirely true," Sirius told her. "We set off a detection spell that shook the ground and the roots seemed to rise up from the ground, catching us off guard and some roots wrapped around her ankles, more or less tossing her into the warding. I managed to pull her back quick enough, but as you can see, she was still badly hurt. We wanted to leave immediately after that, but Tonks wouldn't hear of it. She was determined to finish what we started."

Remus' lips pressed against her temple as his eyes closed. "Stubborn minx."

She smirked at him. "Badass Auror, remember?"

He only smiled against her cheek. "So, how did you break through the wards, Sirius?"

Sirius went on to explain about the different curses and wards that they had to break through and how each one allowed them greater access to the property until they finally made it inside and took the ring. Harry listened closely, his eyes widening slightly at the level of darkness that the warding entailed and how closely linked they were to dark curses. The hunt for the Horcrux had been much more dangerous than he had thought it was going to be.

"So, I'm going to be calling a meeting of FUVP within the next few weeks and we'll examine the ring more closely and see about destroying it," Sirius finished. "It does depend on what kind of information I get concerning the symbol."

Tonks smiled, her eyes drooping slightly. "Let me know when it's time," she said, yawning.

Remus smiled at them. "I think that Dora needs to rest now."

Sirius nodded and stood up, gesturing for Harry and Zee to do the same. "Of course. If you need anything, Moony, let me know."

Remus only nodded and pulled the blankets up around his mate as she snuggled comfortably back in his arms, her eyes drifting closed. "I will."

Harry followed Sirius out into the little common room and looked up at his father. "Are you going to examine the symbol now?"

"Yes," Sirius told him, draping an arm over his shoulders. "After I go home and shower and rest a bit. I'll keep you updated on what I find out, I promise."

Harry nodded, biting his bottom lip. "Okay."

Sirius smiled at him. "Don't worry, Prongslet. One step at a time, all right?"

"I just wish that I could have gone with you. Maybe I could have helped more."'

"You can help me by concentrating on your studies. The more you learn, the stronger you will be."

"I know," he muttered in exasperation. "Defence Club is still only getting organized and I had to miss the first one because of Quidditch practice."

"Well, you have it this week and I know for a fact that Uncle Moony is looking to organize it a bit better. It's going to be set up so that you are in individual groups and can focus more directly on learning spells. I want you to do the best you can, Harry. How are you doing with that last batch of spells that I sent you?"

Harry shrugged. "I think that I have most of them down."

"And your Patronus?"

"It's mostly corporeal — sometimes — but I still haven't tried it on a real Dementor."

"Harry, as long as you can keep that happy memory in place, you can perform it. That I can promise you."

Harry nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But what if I let them in and my fear stops me from performing it?"

Sirius smiled at him. "It very well might happen, but you have to remember to keep a happy thought and try not to let the bad memories in."

Harry nodded. In theory it sounded simple, but he was still rather nervous to attempt it in front of an actual Dementor.

Zee smiled at him. "If you need help with anything or just need to talk, you know where to find us."

He smiled at her. "I know."

Harry hugged them both goodbye and headed back to Gryffindor Tower, his mind on the adventure that Sirius had gone on and he couldn't help but grin to himself as he thought: _Another one bites the dust_.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville arrived at the duelling class later on that week, Remus was up at the front of the dungeon room with McGonagall.** Harry was pleased to see that it was so full. His friends had told him how successful the first lesson had been, but he was still surprised to see so many people there. It looked like over half the school had shown up.

Remus clapped his hands and everyone turned their attention to the front of the room.

"Now for those of you just joining us, I welcome you. This is Duelling Club, otherwise known as Defence Club. Here we will work to expand your fighting knowledge and your ability to survive in difficult situations. Professor McGonagall and I will be running the show and hopefully we will have the occasional guest speakers to work with us as well. Now the first week, we covered the basic disarming charm with much success. This week, Professor McGonagall and myself have decided to split you up by year as well as by skill level simply due to the sheer volume of students who have turned out for the club. If I could have all of the third and fourth years over here with me please."

There was a rush of movement as students from all houses moved to stand up at the front with Remus, whispering to each other with interest.

He smiled. "Excellent. Now if the fifth through seventh years could just wait at the back, Professor McGonagall will be with you momentarily."

Harry grinned at Blaise when he came to stand next to him. "Sounds like the teachers are switching things up."

"Looks like. Can't say I blame them. This is a large mass of students to try to teach spells to, and we can't all be on the same learning curve," Harry agreed.

Blaise shrugged. "Guess that's logical."

Harry turned his attention back to Remus, grinning when he saw Tonks sitting next to him. It had only been a few days since she had been injured and he knew that she'd been resting and taking the time she needed off of work.

"Class, this is Auror Tonks, she's going to be helping me divide you all by skill level today. If you could form four lines in front of each dummy, I will instruct you from there." He explained, squeezing her shoulder gently as the students moved to form the lines he had requested.

Tonks smiled and stood up. Her stomach was still a little tender, but she was mostly healed. She was going to have long ugly jagged scars across her stomach, but that didn't concern her. She was alive and nothing else mattered. Pomfrey declared that she was fit to return to work by next week which relieved her as being at home with nothing to do but rest (and it was _only_ rest with Drill Sergeant Lupin around) was driving her crazy. Since she hadn't been injured on any official duty she was being forced to use her sick days, but she had promised Remus to be careful when she returned to work the following week.

"As Professor Lupin said, my name is Auror Tonks and you can please call me as such. What Professor Lupin wants to do today is organize your individual skill levels. He knows most of your levels already, but this is to see how to organize you strictly for this club. The skill levels are being divided in the following: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Do not be discouraged if you fall into the Beginner level as it does not mean it is where you will stay. Hard work will help you move up," she said sternly, her eyes on the students. "Now when I call your name, you will move up to the dummy and perform the spell that I ask you to. Professor Lupin and myself will be evaluating you. Harry, let's start with you."

Harry grinned and nodded, moving into position. Tonks knew what spells he was capable of already and he wondered if he would be in the Intermediate level.

"Disarm!"

He nodded and called out, "Expelliarmus!"

"Stun."

"Stupefy!"

Her instructions continued on and on and Harry continued to perform the different spells, charms, and curses that he had learnt in school, taught himself, or from Remus and Sirius over the last few months, performing them to the best of his abilities on the dummy before him. When he finished, he was quite pleased with himself, especially when he cast his Patronus, which was actually almost entirely corporeal and he couldn't help but grin as everyone oohed and awed at the impressive display of magic as the Marauders danced around the room.

Then he moved back to watch the next few students take his place, one at the beginning of each row to stand in front of their respective dummies and following instructions from both Remus and Tonks.

It was almost an hour later when Remus had them divided into the three levels.

The Beginner Class consisted of: Neville, Seamus, Crabbe, Goyle, Wayne Hopkins, Megan Jones, Sally-Anne Perks, Susan Bones, Pansy Parkinson, Ophelia Rowle, and three fourth year students.

The Intermediate Class consisted of: Ron, Dean, Daphne Greengrass, Tracy Davis, Natalie Monroe, Parvati Patil, Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Sophie Roper, Lavender Brown, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Terry Boot, Stephen Cornfoot, Lily Moon, Su Li, Morag MacDougal, Lisa Turpin, and most of the fourth years including Cho and her friend Marietta.

The Advanced Class consisted of: Harry, Hermione, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, and four fourth year Ravenclaws that Harry didn't know.

Only about half of the fourth years had shown up, but three quarters of the third years were present. Harry could see that McGonagall was doing a similar task with the older students and dividing them accordingly.

Tonks smiled reassuringly at them once she had divided them into their three groups. McGonagall made her way over to them as the older students all left the duelling classroom.

She accepted the lists from Tonks and smiled. "Looks like we have a pretty decent size for each group. I will leave you in the capable hands of Professor Lupin."

McGonagall headed out and Remus smiled at them. "So, based on what class you fell into, you will meet me in the training room at different scheduled times. I'm going to start tonight with my Advanced Class. Beginners and Intermediates, I'll have a schedule posted for you by lunch tomorrow."

Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus waved goodbye to Harry and Hermione as they left and Remus turned to smile at the eleven students left from his Advanced Class.

"I see that we're a bit outnumbered here, but that's all right, one of you can work with a group of three." He tapped his wand against his palm for a moment. "This class is going to be more than just mastering spells. I want you to be able to handle yourself in any and all situations, both magically and physically."

"What do you mean by physically, Professor Lupin?" Hermione asked.

"That's a good question, Hermione. What I mean by physically is that duelling does not always mean strictly by magic. Sometimes the attacks may come too fast for us to counter them and you might have to run or dodge or duck and I want to make sure that each and every one of you is capable of defending yourself, even if it's just to simply run away."

Harry nodded, his interest peaked. "What are you going to be teaching us tonight, Professor?"

Remus smiled warmly at him. "Auror Tonks has already checked your magical skill level for me today so now I want to check your reflexes. I'm going to divide you up into partners. One of you will be firing spells as quickly as you can — any spell that you have gone over tonight would be a great place to start. Your partner will be dodging. No shield charms, no firing back — just dodging the spells. Listen for the name of your partner. Hermione and Theo, Harry and Draco, Blaise and Anthony, Padma and Nathan, and lastly, Philip, Nora, and John will be the group of three. If I called your name first, you are dodging. Spread out and let's see what you can do. Auror Tonks and I will be watching."

Harry moved over onto the far side of the room as Draco followed him. "I don't know how I feel about giving you unlimited hex capacity here."

Draco smirked at him. "Guess you're just lucky. Ready, Potter?"

Harry tucked his wand into his holster and nodded. "As ready as I can be."

Draco nodded and shot a tickling charm his way. Harry dodged to the left and the spell sailed past him. Next came the petrifying charm and he ducked; a stunner, he rolled and with every spell, Draco became more confident, shooting them faster and more frequently as Harry rolled and ducked and dived and hid from the magical sparks flying in his direction. He was nicked by a jelly-fingers curse and his one hand was rather swollen and wobbly at the moment when Remus finally blew the whistle. Harry caught his breath, wincing at the pain in his knee from rolling across the stone.

"Well, done, all of you. Now, raise your hand if a spell made contact with you."

Every group raised their hand.

Remus smiled. "It's not easy to dodge spells and sometimes we need to think about how to do so without using magic. Let's try it again, partners switch it up."

Harry nicked Draco with a tickling charm and knock-back jinx before Remus blew his whistle and said that this time they were supposed to duel each other.

"Keep it up. In a real fight, you aren't going to be taking turns to attack the other person. It's going to be a constant stream of hexes and curses and jinxes and you need to be prepared. Get that shield up — fight back and dodge."

By the time they were dismissed it was after nine and Harry's knees were sore from rolling around on the stone floor in an attempt to doge Draco's hexes and jinxes, but he had to admit, he felt a little better having done so. Remus made the next lesson for the following Wednesday and in the meantime asked them to keep practicing their dodging skills.

Hermione was rolling her shoulders as she approached Harry. "That wasn't what I expected."

"Me neither, but he made a good point. Sometimes we do have to dodge."

Draco snorted. "I'd hope that I would manage to keep a hold of my wand in that situation."

"Obviously, Draco, but this is the 'in case of emergency' scenario," Theo said, rolling his eyes.

Blaise smirked. "Now, now children, let's not fight." He grinned at Harry. "Potter, been meaning to thank you. I won twenty Galleons off of Theo for that match on Saturday."

Theo rolled his eyes. "He figured Chang would trail after you the whole match and she did."

"She said that she was trying to distract me."

"Which didn't work as you are annoyingly good at Quidditch," Blaise told him.

Harry smirked at him. "I _was_ the youngest seeker in a century, you know."

"You know, I did hear that somewhere," Theo said with a grin. "Draco's conceited enough, Potter, we don't need another one."

Hermione chuckled at that and Theo grinned at her. "The Muggleborn thinks I'm funny. It's nice to see someone does. My friends really don't appreciate my jokes, darling."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're the one who hangs out with them."

"Only when he's not snogging," Blaise said with a grin. "Speaking of snogging, I really must go see what Tracey got herself up too in my absence. Bye."

Draco shoved his hands into his pockets as he watched Blaise hurry off. "Wanker."

Theo smirked. "That he is. Potter, since we have you alone, Draco and I have been curious as to what you know about the Croatian woman who was kidnapped, Kata Novak?"

Harry raised his eyebrow. "Why would I know anything about a woman from Croatia?"

Draco shrugged and bent down to tie his shoe. "It has been in the paper. Maybe you should look into it. You might find something."

"What does that mean?"

Draco merely shrugged again and stood up. "Just that. Kata Novak. Look into it."

Then he turned and headed down the hallway, leaving Harry alone with Hermione.

"What do you think he was talking about?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "I don't know, but maybe you should try to find out who she is."

Harry nodded, scratching his chin. "Yeah, maybe I should."

~ ASC ~

 **Peter stared at Abraxas Malfoy as he sat at the head of the table in the grand dining room.** The two snakes were still slithering around them and he tried not to watch them. But he knew that they weren't safe; especially the large one, the one that they called Nagini.

The other day, a Muggle had moved onto the property, accidentally. They had stumbled through an area that wasn't properly warded. Instead of obliviating them, Abraxas had voted that Nagini instead was given the Muggle as her dinner. The sight of the snake, its jaws wrapped around the man's neck as he screamed, slowly swallowing the man whole had been enough to scare him if he hadn't been otherwise. He had watched in horrid fascination as the man's body could be seen in the snake's form, even partly moving. He had swallowed back his vile and tried to be interested in what was happening instead of disgusted and horrified like he felt.

Now that Kata Novak was trapped in the house, he was beginning to think that she would also be given to Nagini. She had already been with them for weeks and was due any day now and he heard Bellatrix mention that they weren't planning on waiting for her to give a natural birth. They needed the entire amniotic sac intact for the transformation to work.

Peter really didn't want to know what that meant.

Abraxas had Imperiused his wife into helping. They were going to deliver the baby after dinner as if it was such a simple task; a chore that needed to be taken care of.

Luka Novak on the other hand, was still desperately trying to find his wife.

There had been articles in the papers for the last few weeks, since the day that she had gone missing. He felt awful for the man. He felt worse knowing that the man was going to lose his wife and child completely. It might be better if he assumed that she had taken off with the child. Knowing what was going to happen to her… her husband didn't need to know how much she had suffered.

Dinner finished up quickly and he only nodded at Bellatrix when she ordered him to follow her up the stairs. They went into the guest room where Kata Novak was being kept as a prisoner. She was lying on the bed and her eyes widened in alarm when she saw them.

"Let me go!" she pleaded again. "Molim!"

Bellatrix simply grinned manically. "Incarcerous!"

Thick ropes sprang out from her wand, tying the woman to the bed, her hands and her feet, and Kata's eyes widened in fear.

Isla Malfoy came in, followed by Abraxas, Selwyn, Nott, and the two snakes. Peter stayed off to the side, waiting to hear what they needed him to do, knowing that he wouldn't be allowed to leave whether they needed him there or not. Isla moved over to the bed, undressing the woman as she shrieked and begged them to let her go. Once she was naked, Selwyn smirked at her.

"Look at those beautiful plump breasts. I'd love to spill my seed all over them," he said as Abraxas glared at him.

"You can do what you want with her, Selwyn, after we have the baby."

"Molim!" Kata screamed. "Molim! Nemoj me povrijediti!"

Selwyn sneered at her. "Oh, sweetheart, hurting you is the least of your worries."

Bellatrix climbed up onto the end of the bed, her hand sliding up between the woman's legs. "We might be able to have her push the child out."

"No, we need the entire sac," Abraxas insisted. "Isla?"

His wife nodded, trance-like. He had been forced to re-Imperius her after dinner as she had started to resist. Isla Malfoy had never been against following her husband's wishes, but there were some situations that he needed to have complete control over her for and having her help with this was definitely one of them. She moved as if in a trance, accepting the cursed knife from her husband and pushing the tip into the top of the woman's pregnant belly. She screamed as the blade sliced through her flesh. Bellatrix laughed, dancing her finger along the blood and tasting it.

"My Lord, this child will be worthy of your greatness."

The smaller snake hissed in response and she giggled.

She took the knife from Isla, slicing more deeply through the tissue and using her hands to pull the child, still cocooned in the amniotic sac, trapped as if in water, out of the woman's womb.

Kata screamed. "Moja beba!"

They ignored her and carefully levitated the sac to the floor in the middle of the room. Nagini slithered over, her tongue forking out to touch it before she moved to allow the smaller snake forward.

The small snake, desecrated and its skin falling off, slid over and wrapped itself slowly around the sac. Its red eyes gleamed in delight and then its teeth pierced the sac and the snake slipped inside. There was a glow of red and the baby seemed to shimmer with reptilian scales before looking like a small newborn child.

Bellatrix picked up the child and carefully stuffed the baby back into the open bleeding stomach of Kata Novak. She was screaming and sobbing in horror and in pain, begging for her baby, but she was ignored. She struggled against the ropes that bound her, screaming as the child was pushed back into her stomach and covered in her blood once more. Bellatrix removed the child again, wrapped the boy in a fresh blanket and his eyes opened, gleaming red.

"I need milk, Bella," the baby spoke in the cold dark voice of Lord Voldemort, sending chills down Peter's spine.

Bellatrix's eyes widened in amazement as she looked down at the child. "My Lord!"

Abraxas smiled. "Bella, clean up our Lord and get down to the kitchens. The house elves will provide you with what he needs to be fed. Isla, close up her stomach and clean her up so that Selwyn and whoever else wants her, can play."

Nagini followed Bellatrix and the baby Voldemort out of the room, Abraxas behind them. Peter nodded to Selwyn before he too tried to leave, but Selwyn grinned at him as Nott stood by the bed.

"Stay Pettigrew. I always enjoy an audience."

Peter swallowed slowly as Isla finished cleaning up the woman, sealing her stomach closed and cleaning the blood from her body before she left the room. He watched in horror as Selwyn undid his trousers, stroking his rather thick cock as he stared at Kata Novak. She was crying now, still struggling against her ropes which were cutting into her wrists, and the blood stained sheets wet beneath her.

Selwyn grinned down at her. "Now, now, settle yourself sweetheart, I'm going to make you feel real good."

When he climbed on top of her, she screamed louder and Peter looked away, his hands clenching at his sides. Eventually the screams stopped as Selwyn grunted his pleasure. He moved off of her, tugging up his pants.

"She's a tight ride for a pregnant bitch," he said with a grin. "Oh, sorry, for a _previously_ pregnant bitch. Let's go get some dessert and see how the Dark Lord is faring and then I'm going to come up here and ride her face. I might even let you have a go at her if you want." He grinned at Nott, who had flipped her over and was raping her from behind while she cried. "What do you say, Pettigrew? Do you want to rape the bitch when Thad's finished?"

Peter shook his head. "No. Not right now."

Selwyn grinned. "You might change your mind when you watch me later."

Peter simply closed his eyes as he followed Selwyn from the room as Nott cried out his pleasure from behind him.

They had actually done it. The Dark Lord now resided in a newborn babe, weaker than he could ever be and completely dependent on his followers.

He thought about what the cost had been; about the beautiful woman in the bed behind him sobbing, and what she had lost, and he knew without a doubt that it was only the beginning.

The world might not know it yet, but a new war had just begun.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry grinned when he recognized Persephone as she landed in front of him at breakfast the next morning.** Then his smile widened when he saw the feminine writing there. Zee had been writing to him on a fairly regular basis since the Christmas holidays and he found himself really enjoying the letters from her. Her responses always made him smile and it was... nice writing to her.

He opened the letter, thanking Persephone, as Zee didn't have her own owl, and began to read:

 _Harry,_

 _It sounds like the new Duelling Club is going very well! Remus has it all figured out and I think it's wise to have you in the Advanced Class, especially after seeing your Patronus a few weeks ago. You are a very powerful wizard and you're still learning. Pay attention and learn as much as you can. You can never not benefit from an endless supply of knowledge, especially when it comes to defending yourself!_

 _As to your concern about your Care of Magical Creatures class, if it's something that you aren't loving then I suggest that you ask your Head of House about transferring into a class that you might enjoy more or could challenge you more such as Arithmancy. Sirius told me that your father really liked that class, felt it challenged him well and that you also have a fairly good head for numbers. It could be the class for you. But talk to Professor McGonagall and see what she says. I know that you only took Care of Magical Creatures so that you and Ron would have an elective class together and that's wonderful, but that's not a good reason to take a class. Hagrid being your teacher is a great thing as well, but it's for the same reason — yes, he will be sad to see you go, but he'll understand that it's better to further your education with something that interests you._

 _And I can teach you anything that you might like to know when it comes to magical creatures anyway._

 _What you wrote about Kata Novak is very interesting. Sirius and I both looked into it and Sirius told me to tell you to watch out for Draco as he thinks he might know more than he is letting on. Kata Novak is the wife of a well established Auror in Croatia. She's nine months pregnant with their first child and has been missing for almost three weeks. No one can find her and unfortunately the Croatian Ministry is assuming that she ran off on her own or is dead. The last known place that HE was thought to be was in Croatia with his two followers. We don't know what it means or why HE would want a pregnant pureblood woman, but if we hear or learn anything else on the subject, we will let you know._

 _I've been keeping quite busy at work myself, trying to do what I can for this new legislation that was passed. There's an official Assembly of the Wizengamot today and the bill is finally going to be addressed and discussed and hopefully crushed. No one from my department supports it and we're doing what we can to make sure that it is removed from the system and a formal apology is given out to anyone who was directly offended by this prejudiced and immoral bill._

 _I haven't heard anything from you or Sirius on the Animagus idea — are you still interested in learning it?_

 _Love,_

 _Zee_

He smiled as he closed the letter, planning to write her back later. He was glad that the Ministry was finally going to do something concerning the new legislation. He knew that it wasn't geared strictly towards werewolves, but it was very prejudiced against them and against others. He agreed with Zee — it needed to be shut down.

He remembered from his studies with Remus that the Wizengamot had fifty official members: Twenty-three elected members of the House of Commons, twenty-three Lords or Ladies of the House of Lords, the Chief Warlock, the Court Scribe, the Minister of Magic, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Not to mention that two youth representatives from Hogwarts were always urged to be present, usually the Head Boy and Girl. When they met for their assembly twice a month, they would debate any new bills that had come to the front which needed to be passed and amended or anything within the government that needed to be addressed.

A legislation that had this much prejudice in it definitely needed to be addressed. Harry knew that Professor Dumbledore held the spot as Chief Warlock and he hoped that he was able to convince the Wizengamot to repeal the bill and to draft something that better fit the situation at hand.

It sounded like Zee had her work cut out for her on the subject.

He looked up at Neville when he slid into the seat next to him and helped himself to some breakfast. "Morning, Harry!"

"Hi, Nev, what has you so chipper this morning?"

Neville grinned at him. "The unusually warm weather we've had the last week has really put a spring in the step of the Mandrakes. They're ready."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really?"

Neville nodded. "Really. I'll be working in the greenhouse after class today and I'll see what I can do. Can we all meet up and talk about the process for this? Now that I find it upon us, it seems quite daunting."

Harry smiled at him. "Definitely."

"Hi, Harry," Ginny said, sitting on the other side of him. "I mastered the front shield charm."

He beamed at her. "Actually?"

She nodded. "I had Colin send a stinging hex my way and it didn't even penetrate the barrier."

"That's great, Gin!" Harry told her. He had spent the better part of the evening before making a list with her of all of the charms, curses, and hexes that Tonks had tested him on in Duelling Club before he attempted to teach them to her. Ginny was a natural and usually by the third try she had succeeded, but she had been struggling with getting a full frontal shield into place.

"Do you think that you could practice with me again later?"

"I have Quidditch," he said, popping a red grape in his mouth. "But after that, sure. I want to practice mine some more too, Uncle Remus says that once you have mastered the shield, you can project it around yourself so that you are encased inside of the shield, like a big ball of protection. But so far, I can only get it in front of me and I haven't been able to hold the shield and cast other spells at the same time without dropping my shield."

Ginny nodded, sipping on her orange juice. "I saw Dad use it once. It kind of looks like a big hamster ball, but things just bounce right off of it."

He grinned. "Mine definitely doesn't look like that yet."

She smiled. "It will. Mine doesn't either. We just have to give it time."

The first charm rang, signalling that they had ten minutes to get to their first class and Harry quickly finished up his breakfast before grabbing his book bag and grinning at Ron as they headed down to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures.

He had written to Zee about this class because he knew how much she loved working with magical creatures, but he just wasn't as enthralled with it as Hagrid was. After introducing Hippogriffs in the first class, he lost his nerve a bit after the attack on Malfoy; not that anything had come out of it. Draco was all hot air on getting the Hippogriff executed, at least he had been. Sirius had put his foot down in the Hogwarts Board of Governors meeting and proved that Draco had been in the wrong, not the animal, and Draco had pretty much given up on it since. Hagrid was still excited and grateful that nothing was going to be happening to Buckbeak, but his other magical creatures weren't anything to boast about.

They had looked at Flobberworms after Hippogriffs which had to be the most boring creatures on the face of the planet, but then Hagrid had let them see Bowtruckles and that had been kind of fun. They were strangely cute. The baby unicorns had gotten some love from the girls in the class, but Harry did have to admit that he didn't feel challenged enough and he was surprised to see that he wanted to be.

The problem was that he didn't know how to break the news to Hagrid. He didn't want to hurt the big man's feelings.

He watched from the corner of his eye as Draco pet the baby unicorn with Natalie and Sophie, feeding it leaves and heather with a smile on his face and the girls giggled, fawning over him a bit and making Harry roll his eyes. Hagrid was filling the troughs full of water so Harry moved over to him.

"Hi, Hagrid."

"Hi, Harry," he said with a smile. "Enjoying the baby unicorns?"

Harry nodded, smiling up at him. "Oh yeah, they're great."

"Babies let me near 'em, but the big 'uns they tend to steer clear of us men."

Harry nodded, glancing back to where Ron was petting the baby now. "That's interesting, Hagrid. I wanted to talk to you about something if you had a minute?"

Hagrid smiled at him, moving to plop himself down on a large tree stump. "O'course, o'course, talk away."

Harry smiled at him, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his robes. "I like your class, Hagrid. It's fun and you love teaching it and I think that's great and the animals are great too, well except maybe the Flobberworms."

Hagrid chuckled, his eyes on him. "But yeh want mor' of a challenge."

He looked up at him in surprise and the gentle giant smiled.

"I watched yeh grow up, Harry. Yeh was always spouting at the mouth 'bout somethin' Remus taught yeh 'bout this an' that an' I see how smart yeh are. Yeh're goin' to do great things when yeh grow up, Harry, I know it. I always knew this wasn' the class for yeh."

Harry smiled at him. "Thanks, Hagrid. I was, er… well I was thinking about maybe taking Arithmancy, that is if Professor McGonagall will let me."

Hagrid grinned at him. "Numbers? I get a headache jus' thinkin' 'bout that."

Harry chuckled. "I think it would go hand in hand with Ancient Runes and well, I think I'd like to give it a go. I'm good with numbers and I know I definitely don't want to take Divination so, Arithmancy it is."

Hagrid nodded and pat him on the back hard enough that he sunk a little into the wet grass. "Well, if yeh ever decide to come back, my class is always open to yeh."

He smiled up at him; feeling much better and deciding to talk to McGonagall after Transfiguration on Monday. It seemed like a good idea to him.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Students in Harry's year. The bolded ones are the characters I invented:_

 _Gryffindor Girls:_

 _Hermione Granger_

 _Lavender Brown_

 _Parvati Patil_

 _Sophie Roper_

 ** _Natalie Monroe_**

 _Gryffindor Boys:_

 _Harry Potter_

 _Dean Thomas_

 _Seamus Finnigan_

 _Neville Longbottom_

 _Ron Weasley_

 _Hufflepuff Girls:_

 _Hannah Abbott_

 _Susan Bones_

 _Megan Jones_

 _Sally-Anne Perks_

 _Sally Smith_

 _Hufflepuff Boys:_

 _Ernie Macmillan_

 _Kevin Entwhistle_

 _Justin Finch Fletchley_

 _Wayne Hopkins_

 _Roger Malone_

 ** _David_** _Runcorn_

 _Ravenclaw Girls:_

 _Mandy Brocklehurst_

 _Su Li_

 _Morag MacDougal_

 _Lily Moon_

 _Lisa Turpin_

 _Padma Patil_

 _Ravenclaw Boys:_

 _Stephen Cornfoot_

 _Michael Corner_

 _Anthony Goldstein_

 _Gary Rivers_

 _Terry Boot_

 _Slytherin Girls:_

 _Millicient Bulstrode_

 _Tracey Davis_

 _Daphne Greengrass_

 _Pansy Parkinson_

 ** _Ophelia Rowle_**

 _Slytherin Boys:_

 _Vincent Crabbe_

 _Gregory Goyle_

 _Draco Malfoy_

 _Blaize Zabini_

 _Theodore Nott_

 _Just wanted to thank those of you that take the time at the end of every chapter to drop me a review. I truly appreciate it and look forward to them after every post. Thank you very much. You know who you are and you guys are the best! This story is for you!_


	134. Chapter 134

_Author's Note:_

 _I know it's not Tuesday — but I was excited to post this one. I hope you all like it._

 _I think I mentioned it before, I have a passion for history, a Bachelor's degree in it actually, and I wanted to use part of the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 to make the text of the bill that Umbridge passed, as I feel like it outlines exactly what I was trying to convey and could still come across as 'unprejudiced' to those bigots who don't read it properly. For those of you that don't know, the Nuremberg Laws were drafted by the Third Reich of the German Government in order to take away some of the rights and freedoms of the Jewish people before the outbreak of the Second World War. I used almost verbatim the laws here (replacing the word Jew with Undesirable and a few other small changes) but I felt like it was the right avenue to take for what I was trying to say._

 _Hope you like it. I'm immensely proud of this chapter._

 _I also organized the Wizengamot on the British Parliament System, a House of Commons being the Common Wizengamot Members (CWM) and the House of Lords being the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot (LW). My breakdown of the Wizengamot system from the last chapter is a mix of knowledge of Pottermore and the Harry Potter Lexicon._

 _Thank you to Bex and to Steel for their kind assistance in helping me put my thoughts into words._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR:**

 **Sirius stepped into the Ministry of Magic Friday afternoon and found himself self-consciously smoothing down the front of his plum coloured robes.** He had never once actually imagined himself coming here in this capacity as Lord Black. He had dressed carefully that morning, determined to make an entrance and to prove that he was more than capable of serving not only his house and family, but of being deserving of holding his seat in the Wizengamot itself. He wore black leather pants with black combat boots. His black silk dress shirt was tucked into the trousers with a white vest underneath that could be seen at his chest, and the dark grey leather jacket over top. His official Wizengamot plum robes were open in the front, the engraved letter W over the breast pocket and his wand holstered at his waist. He had even tied his hair back into a stubby tail with a black leather band, the front short pieces tucked behind his ears.

He went through security, his fingers playing with the silver hoops in his ear absently and his eyes moving around the Ministry in interest before he headed up to Zee's department and to her office. She was sitting behind her desk, flipping through files.

"Bad time?"

She grinned at him. "Not at all! You look great — very professional."

He smirked and leaned down to kiss her. "Petition?"

"Over half the Ministry employees have signed it and that's not including their spouses and their neighbours."

"Good," he said with a grimace as he accepted the petition from her. "This bill is barbaric and I want them to look like fools when they realize it."

Zee smiled at him. "You can do this. Having a seat in the Wizengamot is something to be proud of, Sirius."

He shrugged. "I've been fighting against doing this my entire life, Zee. To be Lord Black, to be the heir that my parents and grandfather wanted. This is what I've spent my life trying to avoid. Now I'm a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors and I've accepted my seat on the council, it's more than I imagined."

She stood up, moving around the desk to put her arms around him. "Look at me," she demanded, grinning when his grey eyes met hers. "Would your grandfather or your parents ever approve of you taking your seat in the Wizengamot in an effort _to help_ werewolves?"

"Fuck, no! My grandfather is probably rolling over in his grave right now!"

Zee smirked. "Then you're not running into their agenda, are you? You are embracing the role as yourself, as the Black that you want to be and not the family that you are so scared to associate yourself with. Sirius, you are the Head of the Black family and as Head of that family, you can do anything that you so choose, make any decisions that you deem fit. You have no one to impress here except for yourself."

He leaned in and kissed her softly, his hands sitting on her hips. "You are a wise woman, Zacarias."

"I've been telling you that for ages," she said with a smirk. "Sirius, you running away from that life as you call it, is you still rebelling against the family that disowned you. You are raising Harry. You gave him your full attention and he deserved every second of it. But he's not a little boy anymore. He doesn't need you the same way that he did five years ago. Now it's your turn to figure out what you want to do and today, stepping up and claiming your seat in the Wizengamot to do something right, he's going to be incredibly proud of you when he finds out."

He beamed at her, "You think? I mean… me in politics… definitely not something that I ever saw happening."

Zee kissed him. "For Remus. For yourself. And honestly for the betterment of our community. Go make your stand."

He kissed her again. "See you in the madhouse."

She grinned and slapped his arm lightly as she watched him head out. As much as he wanted to deny his heritage; as much as he wanted to admit that he was just a man who tinkered with Muggle engines — he was born to do this. The way he lit up when he spoke about working on the Hogwarts Board of Governors, he enjoyed every second of it, and she couldn't wait to be there when he realized that he enjoyed his seat in the Wizengamot as well.

Sirius headed straight for the Chambers of the Wizengamot. The press was already outside, eager to be present for the big discussion on Bill 426-A17 as he made his way into the Grand Domed Chamber that held the governmental assembly. Dumbledore was already seated at the top in his position as Chief Warlock. He recognized most of the others, including everyone on the Hogwarts Board of Governors with him and most of the Lords and Ladies from his youth.

The Black Family Seat sat six seats away from Dumbledore on the right side of the room in the House of Lords and Ladies section. His family crest carved into the back of the regal wooden chair and he moved towards it with determination and sat down. The moment that he sat in the chair, he found the magic whirl around him and cling to him. Old magic, old ties that tested him; made sure that he was deserving of the seat, a true Black. His own magic tingled with the contact and for the first time in years, he was reminded of why the Black family name was so prominent.

It was only a few moments before Dumbledore called the room to attention and everyone settled themselves into their seats.

"As you know, we have many things to discuss today on our agenda and many things that need to be debated on not only their legality, but also on their morality. First, I would like to formally welcome Lord Sirius Black, the Viscount of Falmouth, on accepting his family seat in the Wizengamot and take a moment to officially swear him in to the House of Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot and to the Wizengamot Assembly. Sirius, if you would please stand."

Sirius stood up. He could feel all eyes on him, but it didn't bother him. For the first time since he had held Harry in his arms after taking him from the Dursleys, he knew that this was where he belonged. It was a feeling that he hadn't expected to come over him, but he knew it to be true.

He raised his wand and cleared his throat. "I, Lord Sirius Orion Black, Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Wizengamot Assembly, to the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, to the Ministry of Magic and to my Magical Heritage both as a Black and as a Wizard and with this oath, I shall strive to do right by all manner of people after the laws and usages of this realm, without fear or favour, affection or ill will. I do swear on my life and on my magic, so mote it be."

Dumbledore pointed to the golden goblet in the middle of the room. "Please join us."

Sirius moved down to the middle of the room, he used the ceremonial knife to slice his palm and carefully squeezed a drop of blood into the goblet. It sizzled for a moment before turning a blinding white. His family chair glowed with the acceptance of his blood magic and settled back to normal as Dumbledore smiled at him.

"Welcome, Lord Falmouth, you are now an official member of the Wizengamot."

Everyone applauded and he nodded, moving to claim his seat once more.

Dumbledore cleared his throat before speaking. "As you are aware, the big question for today's Assembly is Bill 426-A17. It was passed through unofficial channels at the end of November and has caused an uproar here in the Ministry of Magic and in our community, which is why this bill will be debated openly and publicly today with the press present as well as any other British Magical Citizen who wishes to be present today to hear the proceedings. I would like to ask Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge to read it aloud for us to hear it in its entirety."

The small toad like woman, dressed in a bright pink suede dress beneath her plum Wizengamot robes, moved to the podium at the front. She cleared her throat with a little, 'hem, hem' before she spoke in a rather girlish voice that didn't quite suit her.

"As Chief Warlock Dumbledore stated, Bill 426-A17 was something drafted by myself and a few key members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement over the last year. It was signed by myself, by the Undersecretary to the Department Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Pius Thicknesse, approved by a few key members of the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures, and then put into immediate effect by Minister Fudge on the thirtieth of November 1993 - which is not against the rules of passing a bill into law."

"It is when the Wizengamot never sees it before it is passed," Augusta Longbottom declared, much to the agreement of her colleagues.

Umbridge merely pursed her lips. "As I was saying, Bill 426-A17 is a _vital_ piece of legislation that was put into place to try to protect our citizens and our community. I will read the bill aloud for you now:

 _British Magical Citizenship Laws:_

 _The Ministry of Magic has unanimously enacted the following law which is promulgated herewith:_

 _Article 1:_

 _1\. A subject of the realm is a person who enjoys the protection of the Ministry of Magic and who in consequence has specific obligations toward it._

 _2\. The status of the subject of the realm is acquired in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Magic and with the British Magical Citizenship Laws._

 _Article 2:_

 _1\. A British Magical Citizen is a subject of the realm who is of Magical Blood, and proves by his or her conduct that he or she is willing and fit to faithfully serve the Magical people as well as the Ministry of Magic._

 _2\. British Magical Citizenship is acquired through the granting of a Ministry of Magic Citizenship certificate._

 _3\. The British Magical Citizen is the sole bearer of full political rights and freedoms in accordance with the law._

 _Article 3:_

 _1\. The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and the Administration Registration Department, in coordination with the Minister of Magic, will issue the legal and administrative orders required to implement and complete this law._

 _Moved by the understanding that safety and the protection of our British Magical Citizens and our magical community is the essential condition for the continued existence of the safety and protection of the Magical World, and inspired by the inflexible determination to ensure that the existence of the British Wizarding World for all time, the Ministry of Magic has unanimously adopted the following law, which is promulgated herewith:_

 _Article 1_

 _1\. Marriages between British Magical Citizens must be following the correct protocol. Each party must be a registered British Magical Citizen and not of an inbred creature or diseased individual or other Undesirables of the population, including and not limited to the following: Werewolves, Veela, Vampires, Giants, Trolls, those possessing of Blood Curses and/or Blood Diseases, Metamorphmagus, Seers, and any other relation that is deemed unworthy and undesirable by the Administration Registration Department._

 _2\. Marriages between an Undesirable and a British Magical Citizen are strictly forbidden and any marriages that have been concluded are invalid and void, even if concluded abroad to circumvent this law._

 _3\. Annulment proceedings can be initiated only by the Wizengamot Administration Services._

 _Article 2:_

 _1\. Extramarital relations between an Undesirable and a British Magical Citizen are strictly forbidden._

 _2\. Any Undesirable found to be breaking this law will be fined up to five thousand Galleons and could be sentenced up to ten years in Azkaban Prison. If the fine is not paid, the prison sentence will be extended accordingly._

 _Article 3:_

 _1\. Undesirables may not employ in their households any British Magical Citizens of any age._

 _2\. Undesirables may not employ in their households any House elves as a House Elf is only to serve a British Magical Citizen._

 _Article 4:_

 _1\. Undesirables are forbidden to work in the Ministry of Magic or in any government-sanctioned agencies including hospitals, clinics, schools, and offices._

 _2\. Undesirables are encouraged to register themselves as an Undesirable with the Administration Registration Department and will be given proper Undesirable Status so as not able to pass themselves off as a British Magical Citizen, but as nothing but the half-breed Undesirable that they are classified as._

 _Article 5:_

 _1\. Any person or Undesirable who violates the prohibition under Article 1 will be punished with up to ten years in Azkaban Prison._

 _2\. Any person or Undesirable who violates the prohibition under Article 2 will be punished with up to twenty years in Azkaban Prison._

 _3\. Any person or Undesirable violating the provisions under Articles 3 or 4 will be punished with a fine and depending on the severity of one's crime, time spent in Azkaban Prison including anyone caught harbouring or illegally employing an Undesirable in a forbidden government-agency including and not limited to: Hospitals, clinics, schools, and offices._

 _Article 6:_

 _1\. The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, in coordination with the Minister of Magic, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Administration Registration Department, will issue all legal and administrative regulations required to implement and complete this law._

 _Article 7:_

 _1\. The law takes effect starting the first of January, 1994 and anyone seen to be harbouring an Undesirable will be subject to the letter of the law._

Umbridge smiled sweetly when she finished reading and moved to take her seat next to Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.

"Is everyone clear on what Bill 426-A17 contains?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes moving around the room.

There was a general consensus around the room.

Sirius raised his wand. "Permission to speak, Chief Warlock?"

Dumbledore nodded towards him, his eyes twinkling. "Permission granted, Lord Falmouth. The floor is yours."

Sirius stood up and all attention moved to him. The room was full with people there to sit in on the Wizengamot session, the political members and house representatives as well as the press and other members of both the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures. He saw Zee sitting with her own department head and he nodded in her direction before letting his eyes move to Umbridge. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

"Thank you, Chief Warlock. First of all, I go by Lord Black over Lord Falmouth, if you please."

"Of course, Lord Black," Dumbledore said politely. "Please go on."

"I would like to start off by saying that Bill 426-A17 is an incredible injustice to not only the people that this legislation demeans, but to the entire magical community as a whole. I am head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and I am far from perfect. Pureblood I may be, but I at least have the moral compass to realize that by allowing this bill to stand it will be destroying our community."

"Preposterous!" Umbridge exclaimed, her eyes narrowed at him. "This will make our community safer! For all of us! It is about the protection, the well-being, and the safety of every single British Magical Citizen!"

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "You're looking to make our community safer? How silly of me, Madam Umbridge. It sounds to me like nothing more than bigotry and prejudice."

"Uncalled for, Lord Black!" Fudge declared, his eyes on Sirius.

"Is it, Minister?" Sirius said carefully. "Bill 426-A17 is very much looking at the best interest of the BMC, I can see that. The problem is with the wording. The British Magical Citizen is only whatever the government _allows_ them to be."

"It is about protecting our community from Undesirables!" Umbridge exclaimed. "I had a neighbour who married a wizard with a blood curse and he went mad with it and murdered his wife and children. We need to be aware of who these people are so that we can _help them_ and keep _us_ safe from the dangers of their inflictions at the same time!"

Sirius snorted. "Oh, so you want to _help them_? To me it sounds an awful lot like you want them to stay away from _you_ and if they come near _you_ or _your_ precious government, you will have them tossed into Azkaban before you throw away the key."

"Order!" Dumbledore exclaimed, his wand sending up red sparks. "Lord Black, your opinion has been heard. Do you have a motion to pass?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes moving around the room. "I do. Agents Zacarias and Minnow of the DRCMC have organized a petition, the first signature of which belongs to Newt Scamander himself, might I add, and over a thousand signatures that follow belonging to Ministry employees alone that declare Bill 426-A17 to be removed from the Ministry of Magic and a formal apology given to any and all parties who were wronged by it's unlawful passing. I motion that this petition be accepted by the Assembly and put into evidence to have Bill 426-A17 thrown out."

The Court Scribe took the petition from Sirius and handed it to Dumbledore.

"As Chief Warlock, I take this petition into evidence."

"Thank you," Sirius said with a smile. "Now that it is formal evidence against Bill 426-A17, I again motion that this bill be thrown out immediately."

"Lord Black, are you saying that you don't care about the wellbeing of our community? That you are all right with your adopted son living in a world where the people around him could hurt him due to a blood disease or a curse or by a sudden werewolf or vampire attack?" Lord Marcus Bulstrode asked, his dark eyes on Sirius.

Sirius stared at the man. "If I remember correctly, Lord Bulstrode, your brother Philip was five or six years ahead of me at Hogwarts, and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he marry a half-Veela? Aren't your nieces then subject under this law? I believe the eldest one, Claudette, is a well established healer at St Mungo's. According to this new law, she is a danger to society and all of her good work over the last four years was for naught. She should be immediately fired."

"Well, that's... her grandmother was a half-Veela so she is barely anything at all," Lord Bulstrode protested. "She was born here, a British Magical Citizen in her own right and she's a rather brilliant healer!"

Sirius shrugged, trying not to smirk at the man's flusters. " _But_ according to Bill 426-A17, she has Veela blood, no matter how small and is therefore an Undesirable under the law. Is she not, Madam Umbridge?"

Umbridge shifted in her seat, her eyes flashing with a manic gleam. "She would be considered to be, yes, but only after she was evaluated to not be a threat."

"Ah," Sirius said with a smirk. "That's the catch, is it not? By whose evaluation is she not a threat? Yours, Madam Umbridge? What about you, Lady Dettweiler? Your sister married Lord William Clovenfield? I'm sure that you all recognize that name. He has been a vampire for centuries; runs a winery in France, but he married a BMC and I think I heard you say that they had two twin boys together?" When she nodded, he continued "As we know, male vampires are capable of having children with witches who grow up to be normal witches and wizards with a little taste for blood, of course, but animal blood, not human. Those twin boys are eleven and learning magic by now, why they must be Undesirables as they are clearly ' _half-breeds under the law_ ' and a right danger to the world. They should be thrown into Azkaban in accordance to the new law."

"Why I — no," Lady Lucretia Dettweiler exclaimed. "They are innocents! Children! Their mother merely mixes a bit of animal blood in with their food to keep them nourished. Clovenfield is a well respected member of society who only feeds on animals and not one of those crazed vampires off the streets!"

"Hmm," Sirius said with a smug smile. "He might be, but he's also an Undesirable and despite once being a BMC before he became a vampire, he is no longer qualified under the new law and therefore his children would also be subject to the same because of their blood status."

"Lord Black, you are taking this completely out of context!" Fudge exclaimed, his eyes flashing nervously. "Of course Senior Undersecretary Umbridge would never mean to harm children or those who are innocent of any crimes, but only those who are a danger to our community! Werewolves who have attacked or vampires of the same accord, full-blooded Veela who have fed on a witch or wizard, a blood curse or blood disease that might affect someone's life!"

Sirius nodded. "That may be, Minister, but that is _not_ how this bill is read. If we are to follow Bill 426-A17 to the letter of the law, than I suggest that we all get in line to have ourselves tested for these so-called 'undesirable abnormalities' and make sure that no one in this room has been exposed to any form of Undesirable. I have a cousin who is a Metamorphmagus and well, I've never shown any ability for it myself, but maybe I do have it in me to one day do something truly atrocious like change my hair colour at will… to pink."

A few people around him chuckled.

Griselda Marchbanks stood up. "I agree with Lord Black. Bill 426-A17 is positively abhorrent. It subjects us all to scrutiny under the law of things that we have no control over or the right to control. We have a Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures for a reason along with a Werewolf Registry and a Vampire Registry. Not to mention that blood curses and blood diseases are already traced through family members by their healers to help contain them. Something of which would not be so rampant if certain elite Houses would stop intermarrying."

Lord Tiberius Ogden snorted. "I agree with CWM Marchbanks. I married a Muggleborn witch and it was the best decision of my life. This need to be pureblood nonsense is just that, nonsense. My son is even more magically inclined than I am. In fact, I would say that trying to control the magical blood makes us weaker as wizards."

"We might as well have let Lord Voldemort win the war if this bill is approved as it sounds like something he was crazy enough to orchestrate," Sirius added, ignoring the gasps from the Assembly at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "After all, doesn't it always come down to what the magic in our blood is defined as?"

"When did this become a debate about blood purity?" Lady Amelia Bones declared, her eyes on the room.

"It always comes down to the purity of the blood, Lady Bones," Lucius Malfoy drawled from his seat.

Sirius merely shrugged. "I say potato you say poe-tat-o. This legislation is basically stating that blood purity is what's important. Senior Undersecretary Umbridge is using it to push through her own prejudices and fears and it's appalling that _our_ Ministry, that _our_ government has allowed for it happen; that it passed through the hands of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures as well as the office of the Minister of Magic himself — and yet was still approved. The article on declaring marriages invalid alone would be immediately overturned by the International Confederation of Wizards as our Ministry has no legal standing to declare international law as null and void, which is another point against the legality and morality of this law. I again motion for the entire bill to be thrown out and a formal apology issued to any and all citizens who lost their jobs or have suffered in any way because of it."

"As Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I second Lord Black's motion. My Undersecretary may have approved this bill, but I did not sign it and nor do I approve of it now," Lady Amelia Bones declared, her wand raised in agreement.

"Miss Skeeter?" Dumbledore asked, seeing the platinum blonde reporter with her quill in the air. "The press would like to address the Wizengamot on this issue?"

Rita Skeeter, well known for her less than kind articles on almost everyone, issued a fake sweet smile to the Chief Warlock. "Thank you, Dumbledore. I would like to ask Lord Black if the reason he is so incessant on this bill being thrown out is because he truly believes it to be immoral or is he only trying to hide something _hidden and undesirable_ about his own adopted son? After all, Lord Black, you have kept young Mr Potter out of the limelight for over a decade now. He must have something _undesirable_ inside of him to have made him defeat He Who Must Not Be Named as a child?"

Sirius glared at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I have kept my son out of the limelight so that vultures like you can't sink your claws into him! Harry is a thirteen-year-old-boy who lost his parents to a murderer before he could even remember them. The last thing that he needs is people like you reminding him of that fact. But if it gets this immoral piece of legislation thrown out of the court, we can test his blood too. I have a few medi-witches on standby waiting to be invited inside the Assembly today. Who would like to volunteer to go first and find out how many of us are harbouring Undesirable _defects_ in our magical bloodlines?"

"Order!" Dumbledore exclaimed as the court erupted into bumbling protests. "Lord Black, you have made your statement clear. Does anyone have anything else to add or counter before we put this to a vote?"

Augusta Longbottom stood up with a stern smile, her wand raised. "I think Lord Black is trying to intentionally ruffle feathers so to speak, and might I add, he's quite successful at it. I haven't seen anyone with such a presence in this Assembly since Arcturus Black sat where you are sitting, Lord Black. I happen to agree with Lord Black's words, this legislation is full of prejudice and demeaning to anyone who is a not a so-called pureblood citizen of magic, no matter how much it is looking to pass itself off as a simple case of ensuring British Magical Citizenship under the laws of the Ministry of Magic. The fact of the matter is, no matter what this bill contains, Bill 426-A17 was illegally passed without the approval of the Wizengamot. That is in direct violation to the Wizengamot Charter of Rights. Article 17-E, Section 12 specifically states: 'If the time should come when our Government deliberately passes an Act without the express agreement of the Wizengamot, any Legislation, Act, or Bill is immediately expressed as void and null.'"

Dumbledore sent sparks up once more as the court began to chatter amongst themselves. Mrs Longbottom took her seat, giving Sirius a small smirk as Dumbledore called everyone to order.

"As Lady Cumbria has stated, the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, Article 17-E, Section 12 does indeed declare Bill 426-A17 as null and void at this time. Senior Undersecretary Umbridge is however in her rights to present this legislation at the next Assembly or any thereafter for debate to be voted upon. In the meantime, Bill 426-A17 is no longer permissible or valid under the Ministry of Magic's laws and the Wizengamot Charter of Rights."

Umbridge looked livid as she leaned over to whisper something to the Minister of Magic. Sirius couldn't help but smirk in her direction as Dumbledore issued the press out and any viewing parties who had been present for the debate on Bill 426-A17 including the interested members of the other departments. Once the room had emptied outside of the fifty-two people present in the Wizengamot, minus the empty seats of those unable to attend or like Sirius, had been ignoring their seats or had heirs not yet of age to sit on them, Dumbledore called them to order.

"As stated for the press, Bill 426-A17 can be revisited at one of our next Assembly sessions to be officially voted upon, but for now we must move on to our next topic of discussion — wand regulations. Lord Mackelbee, I believe that you wanted to talk about the existing law of only carrying one wand?"

Lord Mackelbee nodded and stood up, clearing his throat. "The Aurors are known to always have an extra wand on their person for official use as are the Hit Wizards, but the law pertaining to regular citizens from carrying an extra wand should be addressed for our own safety."

"CWM Shacklebolt, as Head Auror, what are your thoughts on citizens carrying more than one wand?" Dumbledore asked.

Kingsley stood up, straightening his robes as he did so. "As Head Auror of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I agree with Lord Mackelbee that the law does seem designed to favour those in power, but if all citizens carried multiple wands, it would be even more dangerous for the Aurors to protect them."

Sirius listened with half an ear, making a few notes on the parchment pad in front of him before he raised his wand to speak. "If I may?"

Kingsley ceded the floor to him and he smiled.

"One wand per witch and wizard is the norm as most witches and wizards only can really find one wand that fits them well enough to use. As Mr Ollivander is so fond of saying, the wand chooses the wizard. If a citizen wants to obtain a second wand for their personal protection, they should have to register it, that way if the wand goes missing, it can be reported accordingly and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will have access to the registry if they are concerned about someone harbouring a second wand. Anyone found to be harbouring an unregistered wand can be fined and punished accordingly by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"I agree with Lord Black's motion. If the wand is registered, I see no cause for it not to be allowed," Kingsley stated.

"I second that motion," Lady Amelia Bones declared. "It is only in the last century that the laws have changed pertaining to wand ownership after all."

A general motion was passed and Dumbledore moved on to the subject of underage magic and what the limits were. Students were discouraged from using magic outside of school, but often needed to resort to it for homework purposes. The question was, what kind of rights and responsibilities did a parent have in terms of how much magic their children could and could not perform underage in the presence of their parents or guardians. They moved onto the Hogwarts Board of Governors and the new educational programs that had been implemented.

Dumbledore presented a letter from both Professors Carthaginian and Birmingham talking about the successes and failures of their courses and what could potentially be improved upon or changed for the following school year. A bit of debate on the new courses took place, but most of the Wizengamot agreed that the two new courses: Life in the Magical World and the new and improved Muggle Studies course were great amendments to the school curriculum. The Common Wizengamot Members were even more supportive of the new curriculum courses than the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot.

Then Fudge stood up to address the issue of the TriWizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts the following school year and Sirius' head popped up in surprise at his announcement. The trouble, Fudge explained, was organizing the tasks to ensure maximum safety and security as well as proper accommodations for Beauxbatons Academy and the Durmstrang Institute, who would both be participating in the tournament. Fudge had reports from the many different department heads who were all working together to try to make the TriWizard Tournament possible as it would be the first time the tournament was being held since the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century.

Fudge spoke about the delegations from each school and about Hogwarts hosting the tournament, the importance of the Weighing of the Wands Ceremony and of re-instating the Yule Ball specifically for the Tournament (the annual Yule Ball at Hogwarts had stopped in 1979 due to the escalating war and had never been reinstated), as well as the opportunity to have all three educational institutions come together in friendship to promote unity and international cooperation with other European Ministries of Magic.

Re-instating the TriWizard Tournament for the first time in over two hundred years meant that new rules needed to be put into place. First, the age was being changed to include witches and wizards of legal age only. The details of which were still being worked out. Second, the tournament would consist of three tasks designed to test the champions in many different ways: Their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction, and their ability to cope with danger. And third, that each chosen champion from the Goblet of Fire would be forced into a legal and magical binding contract stating that they must participate in all tasks or risk being stripped of their magic and/or life upon refusing the Goblet. To ensure that this would not be an issue, names would be submitted only by the volunteers themselves, but the details concerning this were still underway.

They lastly moved on to discuss the new bill on retirement and pension plans for Ministry and non-Ministry employees and finally by half past four that afternoon, the Assembly was called to a close with plans to meet next on the eighth of April .

Sirius unbuttoned his robe as he stood up and stretched, smiling when Augusta Longbottom caught his eye. He moved down a row to speak with her, shaking her hand. "Thank you for your support today, Lady Cumbria."

Mrs Longbottom smiled warmly at him. "You impressed me today, I'll admit it. Never thought I'd see the day that Arcturus' rebellious grandchild sat in the Wizengamot like a true Black and argued his way through changing legislation and making laws. I should have known you would be good at it, as your work on the Hogwarts Board of Governors has been nothing but exemplary."

He smiled at her. "Thank you." He looked around the emptying room fondly. "To be honest, I didn't expect to enjoy myself so much."

She chuckled. "When tensions are high and the words start spewing it is quite the sight to behold. The debates are quite stimulating and exciting and it's nice to be part of it. I admit, at my age I thought that I would have given my seat over to my son by now, but a few more years and I will pass it onto my grandson instead. Griselda loves it, says it keeps her young and that I do have to agree with."

"Does she still do the testing for OWLs?"

"Oh, yes," Mrs Longbottom said with a smile. "She has no plans of retiring any time soon and when her wits are still so sharp she has no reason too. It's been lovely speaking to you, Sirius, and I hope to see you here from now on."

Sirius smiled at her. "You will. I look forward to the next one, especially if Umbridge decides to bring that bill up again. I quite enjoyed knocking her down a peg or two, the prejudiced old bat."

Mrs Longbottom smirked at him. "There's the troublemaking rebellious sot I remember." She pat him gently on the cheek. "You did very well today. Euphemia and Monty would have been so proud of you."

He flushed at her words, smiling. "That means a lot, Lady Cumbria."

"Mrs Longbottom works just fine, Sirius," she said before she smiled and made her way out of the government chamber.

Sirius made small talk with a few of the lords and ladies before he excused himself and headed out. He met Zee in the atrium of the Ministry where she was chatting with a blond man. Lady Godiva saw him and immediately moved towards him, rubbing her head against his palm in greeting.

The man turned in interest. "Lord Black, the halls have been buzzing with talk of you today."

Sirius nodded as he pat the panther gently on the bed. "Good, at least I know I made an impression." He leaned over and kissed Zee softly. "You done for the day?"

"I am. I was just waiting for you. Sirius, this is my partner, Tripp Forester, Tripp, Sirius Black."

Forester extended his hand with a grin. "Nice to meet you."

He nodded, accepting the hand. "You work with Zee and Lady G."

"I do, she's pretty fantastic. One of the best agents in the department."

"That she is." Sirius said with a smile. "We have to be going though."

"See you on Monday, Forester," Zee said as she laughed when Sirius put his arm around her shoulders to hold her close as they headed out into downtown London.

"I hate that guy."

She snorted and hit his abs. "You do not! You literally just met him."

"He's a prat."

She stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "Okay, Mr Jealous Much." At his annoyed look, she smiled. "You were amazing in there today. You tore apart her entire bill with just a few statements and then made a mockery of anyone who thought it was for the protection of the British Magical Citizen. It was absolutely incredible."

They ducked out into an alley and Disapparated to Sidmouth as Sirius kissed her deeply. She caught her breath and grinned as they headed up the drive to Black Cottage, her hands slipping between the buttons of his silk shirt.

"Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you were standing up there telling those bigots off?" she murmured, standing on her toes to kiss his neck.

He grinned. "Sexy, was I?" he asked as his shirt became untied and untucked as he half lifted her into his arms and her hands slid over his abdomen as he tried to unlock the front door.

Lady Godiva made a huffing sound and prowled past them into the house and into the kitchen as Marauder barked in excitement at the sight of them. Sirius laughed when Zee closed the front door behind them and shoved him up against said door and pushed his robes off. She sucked on the side of his neck, her hands tugging off his jacket and then his shirt as her hands slid over his abs, up to brush his nipples and over his shoulders.

Marauder made a whining sound and wandered off, realizing that they had no intention of paying any attention to him.

"I had no idea that watching you up there was going to be such a turn on. But the power you exuded, the authority that you held as you put them all in their place, as you tore that bill apart was just — breathtaking," she told him, as her lips trailed down his chest. "You were so fucking sexy!"

He slid his fingers into her hair and attempted to tug her up to his lips, but she ignored him, her tongue sliding across his belly button, along the subtle v lines of his hips and she unbuttoned his leather trousers.

"Zee," he groaned as she untied his combat boots and ordered him to step out of them before she stood up and kissed him roughly, pinning him back against the front door again and pushing his bottoms down his hips. Her tongue met his deeply, roughly, and he groaned against her mouth just as she pulled away and knelt in front of him.

"Zahira," he moaned, but she only smiled at him and took him in her mouth.

He groaned her name as her tongue worked him over, stroking and nipping, squeezing and sucking until he was almost on edge and then she kissed her way up his chest, kissing his neck, his ear, his chin, and then his mouth.

Sirius lifted her legs up around him, one hand sliding between their bodies to undo her belt and he opened her slacks, pushing them down as she kissed him. He tugged her knickers aside and she simply took him inside of her in one quick motion and he groaned.

Zee put her hands on the front door on either side of his head as she rode him hard against the door, his head slammed back against it and she bit his naked earlobe and rode him faster. Sirius' hands were on her hips and he made to move one between her legs, but she grabbed it.

"No, just you," she hissed, and his head hit the door again as she bounced harder, taking him deeper inside of her until he came, gasping her name desperately. She came soon after, crying out his name as she rode out her climax.

Sirius kissed her passionately, attempting to stumble onto the couch. Her robes were spread open, her bright blue blouse untucked, partly unbuttoned, and her dark slacks hanging off of one leg with her red knickers. She still had her heeled cowboy boots on. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she nuzzled his throat.

"Did I mention how sexy and amazing you were today?"

He chuckled and finished unbuttoning her blouse. "It came up, yeah."

She smiled as he unhooked her bra and bent his head to lick one of her dark brown nipples. "Mmm," she murmured. "I think I could sleep for a week now."

He nuzzled her breasts before he kissed her mouth, his tongue dancing along with hers. "You and me both."

Zee grinned and reached down to tug her boots and bottoms off. Sirius flung her knickers behind the couch and she laughed. "Your dog better not chew those."

He smirked and tugged off the rest of her clothes, sighing when she ground herself against him. "What happened to sleeping for a week?"

Zee merely smirked. "We will, after you fuck me again." She reached between them and stroked him, but he was already rising to the occasion which made her smile. "See, someone wants to participate in round two."

Sirius smirked at her and slid them down to the floor, rolled her on her side, lifted her leg and plunged into her. Her eyes rolled back at the impact and she cried out his name. He rolled his hips deliciously and her entire body seemed to respond immediately as his fingers stroked her. He hugged her leg to his body as he pounded every inch of himself into her and the orgasm shocked her. She screamed his name as she came and he groaned, his breath catching in his throat as he followed her over the edge. He kissed her ankle and her knee as he slid out of her and rolled over, breathing heavy.

Zee sighed in satisfaction and snuggled up against him. Her finger trailed a circle over his heart. "Now we can sleep for a week, Lord Black."

He snorted and closed his eyes. "Glad I could help."

She kissed his chest, her leg sliding across his hips. She licked the salt off his skin, and kissed his neck. "Sirius, I was honestly so impressed with you today. I knew that you had it in you, but to see you up there, you were so bloody magnificent."

Sirius smiled, his eyes still closed as his heart finally went back to a normal rhythm. "I liked it. I… I never thought I would. Taking my seat in the Wizengamot Assembly, being part of the government like that, it was what I tried to avoid my entire life. Now, here I am, thirty-four-years-old and doing it willingly, and agreeing to be part of the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot and… I find myself enjoying every second of it. The debate, the arguments, the… laws — everything. I liked it and I'm good at it. I never imagined that I would be. I guess I just wanted to pretend that I wasn't so that my family wouldn't make me and when they disowned me I just… I never put any thought into it again. I never wanted to be the Viscount of Falmouth and I guess I never realized that I could just be Lord Black and still be me — and that's kind of a nice thing to learn."

Zee's fingertips continued to dance along his chest, across his abdomen, over his ribs, outlining his muscles and he shivered when her finger slid into his belly button and then over to his ribs, running along the lines of his motorcycle tattoo, tracing the letters of Harry's name.

"Seeing you like that today, I think I fell in love with you all over again."

His eyes opened and he grinned at her. "Oh, yeah?"

She nodded. "All of a sudden… I just wanted you. I wanted you so desperately that I soaked right through my knickers."

His eyebrow rose in amusement. "Wet for me, were you?"

"Desperately," she murmured, her lips trailing along his chest. "I watched my man up there arguing his way to the top to make life better for his best friend and all I could think about was how much I wanted to touch you; how much I wanted you to touch me. I imagined walking through the middle of that assembly, getting on my knees in front of you, and just sucking you off right there."

"Merlin," he murmured, his cock twitching again at her words. "You'll be the death of me, woman."

She smiled and slid her hand between his legs to stroke him. "I watched you. I watched your eyes, the way they glinted in amusement, to heated emotion, to satisfaction… and I thought about how many of those emotions I could make come to your eyes with my mouth wrapped around your cock."

Sirius panted now as he began to harden again under her ministrations. The power she had over his body sometimes alarmed him. "Zahira…"

She deliberately licked her lips and the glint of amusement that crossed his eyes made her grin. "I was so proud of you. I was so enthralled by you and moved by what you were doing; what you were accomplishing. I thought about how I wanted to show you how much I was impressed by you. How amazing and sexy and wonderful you are," she said, her thumb wiping his tip before she licked her thumb. "And then I thought, that sexy, magnificent man up there, he's all yours, Zahira. He's yours, and when you get him home, you're going to show him just how much you appreciate him."

And then she slid down his body and took him in her mouth again.

Sirius' fingers clutched her caramel and dark curls desperately and he gasped, grunting in pleasure as her mouth worked him over and he emptied himself, watching her swallow in satisfaction, licking every last drop from his member, before she lay her head on his stomach.

His fingers stroked her hair contently for a few moments and he smiled down at her, incredibly satisfied and happier than he had ever imagined he could be. "You're mine too, baby, and I'm crazy in love with you."

She smiled up at him in sleepy satisfaction as he continued to stroke her hair and soon they both drifted off to sleep.


	135. Chapter 135

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE:**

 **Harry was grinning widely as he finished up Quidditch practice that night and saw Neville sitting in the stands waving him over.** He put his broomstick over his shoulder and made his way over to his friend as the rest of his team headed over to the locker rooms.

"Hey, Nev!" Neville beamed at him, holding out a towel wrapped around thick green leaves. "You got them?"

Neville nodded, grinning back and opening the towel to show Harry the thick skins of the Mandrake leaves. "I did. I took one leaf from six different plants so that Sprout won't get suspicious. But, I'd say that they are definitely ready for us to start chewing."

"Excellent!" Harry said with a smile. "I can't wait to find out what kind of animal I am!"

Neville nodded eagerly. "Me neither. I hope I'm not a sloth or something."

"Sloths are pretty cute, mate."

Neville grinned. "And sloth-like."

Harry laughed. "Point taken."

Harry couldn't believe that Neville had finally procured the six of them Mandrake leaves. He was starting to get excited at the prospect of being able to turn into an animal and he wondered yet again what his animal would be.

"This is great, mate! Look, I'm going to go take a quick shower. Why don't you get the others and we'll meet up in the same empty classroom as last time in say thirty minutes?"

Neville nodded, grinning widely. "Sounds great!"

Harry hurried off to the locker rooms to shower, a spring in his step. The idea of starting the Animagus transformation was something that he had been desperately looking forward to. He took a quick shower, smirking slightly at the sight of Oliver and Alicia snogging against a locker as he grabbed his things and made his way out onto the pitch towards the exit.

He spotted Ginny in the stands and flagged her down.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?"

She shoved her gloved hands into the pockets of her coat and blew her hair out of her eyes from under her dark brown knit cap. "I was studying for my History of Magic test and thought that if I looked at one more date my head would explode. Then I remembered how you said that we could practice my shield charm and I figured you were just about finished with Quidditch anyway so I came to find you. Fred and George said that you were on your way out."

He grinned at her, laughing when she shivered under a big gust of wind and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her closer to him as they headed towards the castle together. "Change of plans on the shield charm practice. Neville got the Mandrake leaves."

Ginny's eyes widened in delight as they walked towards the castle. "I thought that he said that they wouldn't be ready for another week?"

"He didn't want to get our hopes up in case they weren't ready for this month. He said something about that week of warm weather back in February having nudged things along."

"Brilliant! Wish that warm weather would come back. It is spring now after all."

"Yeah, me too," he said with a grin. "I told him to find everyone and have them meet in the same place as last time."

Ginny grinned widely. "I can't wait to get started on this. Do you think the leaves taste disgusting?"

Harry grimaced. "I'm pretty much assuming yes."

She made a face and he laughed as they stepped through the front doors. She tugged her hat off once they reached the warmth of the castle, shaking her long hair out and making him laugh. He followed her up the stairs and around to the abandoned classroom where his friends were already waiting for them.

Harry and Ginny tugged off their winter coats and gloves before Harry hopped up onto the desk next to Ron. "Did Neville fill everyone in?"

Ron grinned widely. "Yeah, he did. I'm kind of nervous, is that weird?"

Luna shook her head. "You have a strategic mind, nervous is irrelevant."

"Er, thanks Luna," he said, smirking at Harry.

Harry grinned at his friends. "So as you know, this is a slow process. Uncle Siri told me that it took them months to make any progress at all. The most important thing is actually the potion. It takes a month to brew and it must coincide with our chewing of the Mandrake leaves which we chew until the next full moon and then add them to our potions. Then our potions must be left completely undisturbed in a dark place until the next lightning storm."

Hermione nodded, her fingers tapping on the desk next to her. "The batch also only makes enough for approximately one mouthful which means that we will need to make six separate batches which also means that getting ingredients may be tricky."

Harry shook his head. "No, it won't be. I've been getting them ready for us. Hagrid helped me procure the Death's-Head Hawk Moth chrysalis which is the hardest to find, but I got six of them with his help. He pretty much can find anything. The tricky part is getting the dew."

"It has to be fresh and it cannot have been exposed to either human feet or sunlight for at least an entire week," Hermione recited, her brow furrowing.

"Hagrid can help us there again. Uncle Siri said that he's the one who told my Dad of a spot in the Forbidden Forest where one can find it. Spring is officially here even though it certainly doesn't feel like it, but it should be all over the place within a week or so and we don't need it until the last week before we add the leaves anyway, which shouldn't be until the twenty-fifth of April," Harry told them.

Luna looked thoughtful for a moment. "Where are we going to hide six separate potions?"

Ginny smiled at her friend. "I know the perfect place," she grinned at Harry from across the room. "Where we spoke after the holidays."

He grinned widely. "That would be perfect." He looked at his friends. "It's a dark alcove hidden behind a statue. It leads to Hogsmeade actually, but Fred and George told me that its caved in at the end so no one ever goes in there. We can put up a privacy bubble and hide them there."

Hermione beamed at him. "That sounds perfect!"

"In the meantime, we have to chew these," he said gesturing to the large Mandrake leaves. Each leaf was about the size of a slice of a bread. "We need to chew the entire leaf for one moon cycle. It has to stay in our mouths at all times including when we are sleeping or eating. We cannot remove it for any reason before the designated time or we'll be forced to start all over again. We can use a sticking charm for when we're eating and sleeping, but we will need to keep chewing it otherwise."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement.

Neville moved to unwrap the towel full of the Mandrake leaves. "I have six leaves here. If everyone is ready, we can put them in our mouths now."

Harry reached forward first, grinning at his friends and picked up the leaf. He put the end in his mouth, scrunched it into a ball and wrapped his lips around it. It was more chewy than he had expected and to his surprise tasted weirdly like salted seaweed while at the same time remaining very bland. He sucked on it and shrugged his indifference as Ginny reached for hers next. Soon all six of them had their mouths full of Mandrake leaves.

Ron made a face of disgust. "It makes me want to vomit."

Hermione nodded, shuddering. "The way it slides across your tongue; it has such a rough texture."

Neville shrugged. "It tastes funny, but not as bad as I expected."

Luna simply chewed hers thoughtfully. "It has a sticky texture once you put it in your mouth. I bet it will stick to the roof of our mouths on its own when we eat and sleep."

Harry nodded. "Possibly. But I think that I might use a sticking charm when I'm eating and sleeping just to be safe. I wouldn't want to accidentally swallow it or choke on it."

Ginny simply smiled at them. "Are we all going to brew the potion together?"

Neville looked panicked. "I'm not the best at potions."

Harry grinned at him. "Hermione and I will brew them. We can start tomorrow?" At her nod, he grinned. "Tomorrow then, after lunch."

Ginny sucked on hers for a moment before turning to Harry. "Are you still up for practicing that shield charm with me?"

Ron nodded. "I think I'd like to practice too. It will take my mind off of keeping this gross thing in my mouth."

They all agreed to work on their spells from Defence Club and Harry grinned as he watched his friends practice. He worked on his own shield, annoyed when it only extended over his head and not around his entire body. Not to mention that he still had to figure out how to keep his shield in place and perform other spells at the same time; that was trickier than one would think. He would get there, he told himself, he just needed some more time and some more practice.

~ ASC ~

 **In Transfiguration on Monday, Harry debated about whether or not to tell Professor McGonagall about the Animagus potion.** He wanted to be successful at it and most importantly, he wanted her to know that he could do it as there was no one as talented at the subject as her in his opinion, but he wasn't sure how to tell her that they had started it without her permission and not get into trouble.

He sucked on his leaf enthusiastically. After almost three days it still tasted the same, which surprised him, but he felt like the texture wasn't as rough in his mouth. He needed to ask McGonagall about dropping his Care of Magical Creatures class as well and possibly switching over to Arithmancy, which he had been procrastinating about doing. He had spent part of the weekend going over the textbook and he had to admit, it rather fascinated him. The patterns in the numbers and the way that magic could use numerology was intriguing. He wanted to learn more about it.

He finished turning his kettle into a turtle as the charm went off signalling the end of class and McGonagall asked him to stay behind.

He waved goodbye to Ron and Neville who were heading to Muggle Studies and he made his way up to McGonagall's desk. Nyx was lying under her desk, her red feathered tail wrapped around her body. She had already grown quite a lot and within another month or two would probably be fully grown. Her soft fur the colour of sunlight striped with dark black made her look every inch the dangerous tiger. He bent down to scratch her behind the ears.

She growled and then recognized him and leaned into his hand happily purring.

"You wanted to see me, Auntie Minnie?"

She hid her smile as her eyes met his. "It's Professor, not auntie, Harry, we're at school."

He grinned at her, keeping his mouth closed as he did so. "Sorry, Auntie Minnie."

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "Sometimes you are so much like Sirius that I don't know whether to give you detention or a hug."

He smirked. "I'd prefer the hug if I get a choice. Detention is a lot more time consuming."

She chuckled and rested her bum back against her desk. "You are definitely the son of a Marauder. How does the Mandrake taste?"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-what?"

She smiled at him. " _I am_ the Transfiguration teacher, Harry. When Pomona mentioned that she thought some of her Mandrakes had less leaves I wondered on it, but as I watched you today in class, I knew it. Like father like son, I suppose. I knew those boys were doing the same thing, doing it for Remus, and I had never been so touched by anything in my life. I _helped_ Hagrid find some ingredients for them, not that they ever knew, and when Hagrid mentioned in passing that he was procuring some Death's-Hawk Moth chrysalis well, my mind began to wonder once more."

Harry grinned at her. "No, they never knew that you knew. You've known since the beginning."

She nodded. "Yes. Remus doesn't know this. Actually, I don't believe anyone does, but I used to sit in the shack in my cat form and watch over him when he changed. There was nothing that I could do for him and I knew it, but I always felt like my presence helped him in some way. Then one full moon, I saw a big black dog, a little rat, and a white stag and I knew that those boys had succeeded; that they had done that for him. I knew that he would be in safe hands from then on."

Harry smiled at her as he chewed thoughtfully on his leaf. "I want to help Uncle Rem. I want to be able to stay with him if he needs me to, but I also want to be able to turn into an animal. You make a great cat, Auntie Minnie, and I can't wait to find out what animal I will be."

McGonagall smiled at him. "Thank you. Now, am I right in assuming that you are not doing this alone? I imagine Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, and Mr Longbottom are all part of this as well?"

Harry nodded. "And Ginny and Luna."

She smiled at him. "You have very good friends, Harry."

"I know. Hermione and I started the potion on Saturday. We have it hidden in a dark enclosed space. With it being spring, I figured Hagrid could help me find some fresh dew."

McGonagall smiled. "I'm sure that he can. It sounds like you have everything under control."

He beamed at her. "I feel like I do. We only just started with the Mandrake leaves on Friday night."

McGonagall nodded. "As I'm sure you've noticed, it takes a lot of time and effort, but if you are determined to do it, you will succeed. You are growing into your power quite well, Harry, and I would be honoured to help you with your Animagus transformation or with anything else that you would like my help with."

"Thanks, Auntie Minnie and don't worry, we want to do it right and register our forms with the Ministry."

She smiled at him. "Good. I would hope that you had learned from your godfather's mistake in that regard. I will gladly sign for the six of you as your teacher on the registration forms. Speaking of, did Sirius tell you what he accomplished in the Wizengamot on Friday afternoon?"

Harry nodded, beaming at her. After talking to his godfather on the weekend, he still couldn't believe it. Sirius had decimated the bill and was now holding his position in the Wizengamot as Lord Black. He had been incredibly impressed and bursting with pride at the thought that his godfather had helped succeed in smashing such a terrible piece of legislation to pieces.

"He did. It sounds like he was amazing. I wish I would have seen it. Zee told me that he was incredible."

"He should be very proud of himself. It's taken a while, but he's finally growing into the man that I always knew he would be one day."

Harry smiled at her. "I'm just glad that the bill was thrown out, though Uncle Siri said that it will probably come back around to be voted on as it was never officially passed by the Wizengamot and therefore can still be in circulation in the Assembly until it is officially voted in or not. But he seems pretty optimistic that no one is going to approve it when it does."

McGonagall nodded. "I agree."

"There is something else that I wanted to ask you, Auntie Minnie," he said, shifting on his feet. "I don't know if Hagrid mentioned it at all, but I think that I want to drop Care of Magical Creatures class."

"Oh?" McGonagall said in surprise, crossing her arms in front of her. "Are you not enjoying the class?"

Harry shook his head. "The class is great. I mean, the animals are fun and Hagrid is so enthusiastic that it's hard not to smile, but I don't really feel like it's a class for me. I'm not… challenged and Uncle Rem is always telling me how important it is to strive to be the best that I can be and to work hard and to challenge myself. I don't think that Hagrid's class gives me that opportunity, and I know that the school year is almost over, but would it be possible? Or at least for the new year, if not for the rest of the term?"

She smiled warmly at him. "You remind me of your mother so much sometimes."

Harry looked at her in surprise. "I do?"

She nodded. "Lily said almost the same speech to me when she signed up for Care of Magical Creatures. It wasn't enough of a challenge for her. She was already in Ancient Runes so I suggested Arithmancy. She was less than thrilled when I had your father tutor her."

Harry grinned. "My Dad tutored her?"

"Just for a few weeks to help her catch up. Your mother was very intelligent, one of the brightest witches that I ever taught," McGonagall told him honestly. "She made it seem effortless, but she was always very diligent in her studies."

He grinned at her. "I was actually thinking of switching to Arithmancy as well. I've always been fairly good with numbers and looking at the textbook, I think it looks quite interesting and I really love Ancient Runes already. I have no interest in Divination and Uncle Sirius says that he would ground me if I subjected myself to it."

McGonagall snorted. "What a preposterous thing to say!"

"Do you think that I should take Divination, Auntie Minnie?"

"Absolutely not! It's complete rubbish, but that's beside the point!"

Harry smirked at that. "It doesn't interest me anyway, Auntie Minnie. But Arithmancy sounds like it could be something challenging."

McGonagall smiled at him. "Let me talk to Professor Vector and see what she thinks about taking on another student. In the meantime, I would like you to take an exam for Care of Magical Creatures just for credit. You've done three quarters of the year and deserve to be acknowledged for that work. I will speak to Professor Hagrid about getting one ready for you."

"So, I can actually transfer before next year?"

She grinned at him. "Of course you can, as long as you're willing to put in the work." She turned to her desk to scribble a note. "Now here, you can give this note to Professor Birmingham to explain your tardiness. I will let you know what the plan is."

"Thanks, Auntie Minnie," he nodded at the tin on the corner of her desk. "May I have a biscuit?"

McGonagall chuckled and slid the bin over to him. "Oh, go ahead."

He helped himself to a ginger biscuit, grinning widely.

He filled Ron, Hermione, and Neville in on his talk with McGonagall at lunch and Ron frowned at him. "So you're really dropping Care of Magical Creatures then?"

Harry nodded, helping himself to some mashed potatoes and using his tongue to stick the Mandrake leaf up to the roof of his mouth before adding a sticking charm. It sometimes slipped out and he hated how it affected the taste of his food as he attempted to stick it back in place and not swallow it.

"I am. Auntie Minnie says that I don't have to attend class anymore either. She is going to ask Professor Vector to give me an overview of the material, but I told her that I was sure that Hermione would share her notes with me."

Hermione beamed at him. "Of course I will! Oh, Harry, you're going to love it! It's rather wonderful and Professor Vector makes it such fun!"

Harry grinned at her. "I'm sure I will. We can talk about it later, Hermione, for now, can you pass me the ham?"

~ ASC ~

 **Harry grinned when Persephone landed in front of him during breakfast the next morning.** He stroked her wing affectionately, offering her some of his bacon as he unhooked the letter and quickly used his breakfast knife to slit it open. He grinned when he recognized Zee's writing instead of his father's loopy cursive.

 _Harry,_

 _I am turning thirty next week. Scary, I know, the big three-oh, but I am — and my family is coming to celebrate with me. Sirius gets rather skittish whenever I mention meeting my family so I thought that I would address it to you before I even tell him. My grandparents are coming in on Sunday from the American state of Georgia and I would love it if you would come over for dinner on the Monday and meet them, just you actually. I feel like I'd rather enjoy springing my entire family on Sirius at once on my actual birthday. They're very excited to meet you as I've told them all about you and Sirius._

 _On the following Saturday, we're having a little party at my Scottish grandparents house in Edinburgh and I hope that you will attend. All of my family will be there and it won't feel right if that family doesn't include you and Sirius. I can even bribe you with the promise of fantastic food, fantastic company, and with the fact that my Papa might have some spells to teach you. He's a powerful Auror in the Russian Ministry._

 _I hope to see you soon and to hear back from you._

 _Love,_

 _Zee_

 _xoxo_

Harry grinned down at the letter, the warm feeling inside of him keeping the smile firmly on his face. Zee wanted him to meet her family and she had told them all about him. He read the letter a second time, chuckling at the idea of Sirius being skittish and knew that was a fact. He was honoured that she wanted him to meet her grandparents before Sirius did. He chuckled at the idea of Sirius getting her entire family sprung on him at once. When he read it a third time, Hermione leaned her head over.

"What has you grinning so big, Harry?"

He passed her the letter, the back of his neck flushing.

Hermione read it quickly and then grinned widely. "Harry, this is wonderful! Of course, you should go!" Her voice came out a little slurred and he grinned, even after almost a week, Hermione still hadn't mastered talking with the Mandrake leaf in her mouth.

He nodded, his eyes on the letter in her hand. "I didn't even know her birthday was coming up."

Hermione smiled at him, her tongue moving the leaf into her cheek. "If it's next Saturday, that would make her birthday the ninth of April. You'll have to get her something special then; something from the heart."

Harry's brow furrowed. "What does that even mean, Hermione?"

She grinned at him. "Ginny and I will help you. There's a Hogsmeade trip on that Saturday, we can find something before her party."

He simply nodded, grinning at her in thanks.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was nervous when he made his way down to McGonagall's office the next Monday after class.** His stomach churned nervously at the idea of meeting these people whom Zee had been telling all about him.

McGonagall side Apparated him to Zee's cottage, telling him that Zee would bring him back later that night and he hurried up the drive to knock on her front door. She pulled it open with a big smile.

"Harry! Thanks so much for coming!"

He only nodded, the butterflies in his stomach intensifying as she ushered him inside. "Yeah, sure, um, thanks for having me. Did you invite Uncle Sirius?"

She beamed at him and kissed his cheek. "No, I didn't. I decided that if he's going to panic every time I mention my family then I'm going to make him meet all of them at once at my birthday on Saturday."

Harry laughed. "I didn't think that you were serious about that. That's going to be great! Please let me be there when he arrives!"

She grinned at him. "I will. But until then, my American grandparents have come to stay with me for the week and I really wanted you to meet them and I know Mondays are one of the only days of the week that you don't have Quidditch practice or Defence Club. They're in the kitchen."

She held her hand out to him and when he accepted it she beamed.

Zee led him into the kitchen, tucking her arm into his. The couple sitting there were both smiling widely. The man had tanned weathered skin, snow-white hair and a big moustache and full beard. His eyes were a bright crystal blue and he wore faded denim jeans and a flannel shirt rolled up at the elbows. The woman next to him was stunning. Her hair was salt and pepper, cut short, and waved around her face. Her dark eyes were smiling at him.

"Grandma, Grandpa, this is Harry. Harry, these are my grandparents Colten and Florence Jackson. They came to visit me from Georgia and prefer to be called Colt and Flo."

Colten stood up, his hand outstretched to grip Harry's tightly. "It's nice to meet you, young man! Zahira has told us all about you and your talent on the Quidditch pitch! I hear that you're one hell of a Seeker!"

Harry grinned, shaking the man's hand. "Thank you, Sir. Zee talks about you two all of the time as well."

Florence moved over to him, her dark hands framing his face and to Harry's surprise she kissed both of his cheeks. She was tall, close to five ten. "It's lovely to meet you at last, Harry!" She hugged him tight and he found himself smushed against her ample bosom. She smelt like biscuits and vanilla, he thought.

"Thank you, Mrs Jackson."

Florence scoffed at him. "Grandma and Grandpa, dear, we'll answer to absolutely nothing else."

He blushed when she kissed his cheeks noisily again and urged him to sit down at the table.

"I took over Zahira's kitchen and have fresh cookies with more to come. Sit down and have one, dinner's almost ready."

Colt nodded at him, smiling widely.

Harry, completely bewildered by them, did as they instructed and the moment the warm cinnamon biscuit touched his lips, his mouth watered. They were incredible.

"He's skinny, Zahira!" Florence exclaimed, moving to the counter to finish rolling the dough. "Are you not feeding him enough?"

Harry smirked and took a second biscuit. "I eat lots, Mrs Jackson. Hogwarts provides lots of good food as well."

"Grandma," she corrected, smiling at him. "I remember that age. Boys eat you out of house and home and barely gain an ounce! It's sickening."

Colt grinned and pat his flat stomach. "I still eat like that. Flo hates it."

Harry grinned and watched in fascination as Florence Jackson used her wand to make delicious cornbread and the smell wafted through the kitchen, making his stomach grumble. Fifteen minutes later, she had four plates of steaming food spread out on the dinner table and his mouth watered. He eagerly took a bite of the cornbread, sighing in satisfaction at the taste of it.

"This is delicious," he told her.

Florence smiled. "Thank you. I'm known for my cornbread."

"She really is," Zee said with a smile as she helped her grandmother spread the thick homemade barbecue sauce on the ribs before she added them to everyone's plate. "It's never as good when I make it. Grandma has the magic touch."

"That she does," Colt said with a smile. "My Flo is a wonder." He grinned at Harry as his wife and granddaughter sat down at the table. "So, Harry, Zee tells us that you're a pretty great chef yourself."

He shrugged, digging into his plate of barbecue sauced ribs, fresh cornbread, and steamed vegetables covered in garlic butter and herbs. "I like to cook and everything always turns out pretty well I guess. Zee's been teaching me."

"She's a great teacher," Flo said with a smile. "I taught her myself."

Harry grinned as he ate. It all tasted incredible and he wished that he could spit out the Mandrake leaf so that he could enjoy his meal to its fullest, but he carefully stuck the leaf to the roof of his mouth as he ate.

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Harry?" Flo asked.

He shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe a professional Quidditch player or an Auror maybe. I haven't really thought about it. Uncle Sirius says that I can do anything I want and I know that when I turn twenty-one I can claim the Potter seat in the Wizengamot, but I don't know if I want to do that either. Or I can do that and still work of course, so I don't really know."

Colt smiled warmly. "An Auror, eh? Isn't that like a policeman? That's what Misha does?" At his wife's nod, he grinned. "Excellent choice, then. I'm a chief myself."

Harry's eyes widened. "You are?"

Colt grinned. "I am. Been the Police Chief of the Toccoa Police Department in Georgia for going on ten years now. I love every damn minute of it."

"But he's thinking about retiring soon," Florence added making her husband roll his eyes.

"Flo, I'm only seventy-three."

"And should be thinking about retirement," she said sternly.

Colt grinned and smiled when Zee kissed his cheek. "What should I retire for? My only granddaughter lives all the way across the damn ocean!"

Zee smirked at him. "Nice try, Grandpa. Besides, if you retire, you can come and see me more often."

Colt rolled his eyes and Harry chuckled.

Florence served them more cornbread. She beamed at Harry when he asked for seconds and stacked his plate with more ribs and vegetables as Colt told him all about their life in America. Harry learned that Colt and Flo had been married for forty-three years. Flo had come from a pureblood line of witches and wizards, whose grandparents had come from France to settle in Georgia in the late 1800s. She had met Colten Jackson at a dance and had fallen in love with his charm. Her parents had warned her against it. He was a Muggle and a white man at that, in a time and place where them even being seen together was frowned upon, and it was illegal for a witch to marry a No-Maj on top of it.

But they fell in love despite it all.

She was seventeen, he was twenty, and they married in secret and moved into a tiny farmhouse in Toccoa. He became a police officer, she opened a little restaurant. He discovered that she was a witch and thought she was crazy until their newborn daughter started making strange things happen around the house.

When their daughter turned twenty-one, she went on a trip to Paris to visit some relatives there with her best friend Violet. She met Misha Zacarias, who was also twenty-one and working undercover on an assignment for the Russian Ministry following a Russian criminal who was working with the Paris mafia. Within six months, they were married and living in Russia. Two years later, Zahira was born and six years after that, Magnolia Jackson Zacarias was killed by an assassin. Zahira was sent to live with Colt and Flo for protection for almost a year and when Misha finally came for his daughter, he knelt before her, wrapped her tight in his arms and sobbed like a child as Zee kissed his cheek and told him that it would all be okay. A year after that, Misha married Sorcha Brown and Zee was lucky enough to have a mother again as well as a new set of amazing grandparents in Callum and Fiona Brown, aunts, uncles and new cousins to play with.

Colt sat on the sofa with Harry telling him all about his life as a police officer in Georgia: What his job entailed and what kind of stories he had (including helping drunks get home, bar fights, robberies, and sometimes just being there to listen to someone who needed an ear). Flo told him about her restaurant: how she served from seven to seven, six days a week and how tourists came from all over the world, both Muggle and Magical to eat at Flo's. She promised to show him how to bake her famous cornbread along with her Mud Pie, which she had made for dessert and Harry had gladly eaten two pieces of the incredible chocolate pie with glee.

He grinned at Zee as she told her grandparents about Harry's Quidditch game and about his new Firebolt, explaining how he had ducked under the other team's Seeker and literally stole the Snitch from right under her nose. Harry found himself telling them all about his friends: About Neville and his love of plants, Hermione, how she was the brightest witch of her age and her mysterious disappearing act lately, Ron and his Quidditch obsession and his skill at chess, Luna and her rather odd thoughts and beliefs, and Ginny and how she always made him smile and how he was teaching her the spells they learned in Defence Club. He told them that he was learning how to become an Animagus and that Sirius had taught him how to ride a motorcycle. He told them about Marauder and Hedwig and Colt said that they had three big dogs at their farmhouse: a Saint Bernard named Bruno, a Beagle named Lucy, and a Newfoundland named Chief. They also had one cat that was black and white and part Kneazle named Checkers and a black owl named Smokey.

Colt taught him how to play gin rummy and Zee showed Harry how to incorporate the Exploding Snap cards into the deck, making her grandfather laugh when his cards blew up. Flo learned he loved red and promised to knit him a sweater.

By the first hour, Harry was in love with them.

By the end of the night, he didn't want them to leave.

He had never met such amazing people and they genuinely seemed to like him. Flo kissed his cheeks, hugged him tight, and Colt pat him on the back, squeezing his shoulder tightly and urged him to write; telling him they looked forward to seeing him again on Saturday.

Zee side Apparated with Harry back into Hogsmeade and smiled at him. "Well, I'm biased — I know, but aren't they great?"

Harry beamed at her, surprised to find moisture in his eyes. "They're amazing! They really want me to call them Grandma and Grandpa?"

Zee smiled at him, slipping an arm around his waist as they walked. "They really do, sweetie. Grandpa says that I talk about you so much that he feels like he already knows you and he's always wanted a boy around and a great-grandson is exactly what he needs. Grandma is just excited to share her knowledge with someone. This summer, maybe we can take a trip to Georgia to see them and you can see Grandma's restaurant and see where my mother grew up. It's really quite wonderful there. I'd love the opportunity to show it to you and to Sirius."

They reached the bridge to Hogwarts by this time and Harry smiled at her. "I'd really like that. Can I really write to them?"

Zee grinned. "Harry, I can promise you, if you don't write to them by the end of the month, Grandma will probably send you a Howler."

He laughed. "I promise to write them soon."

Zee tugged his face down to her level and kissed his forehead, gently brushing her fingers through his messy hair. "Good. Ask Auntie Minnie if you can come home this weekend. We can spend Saturday with them before they head home."

"Uncle Siri, too?"

Zee grinned. "Most definitely. You can help me get him there. He hasn't met them yet and gets strangely skittish over the concept of meeting anyone from my family which is why I thought that you should meet them first, so you can tell him how nice they are. I'm turning thirty and it's rather a daunting concept for me already without having to worry about my cowardly boyfriend."

Harry smiled at her. "Your parents will be there?"

"Yes, and my Mama's parents and her brother and his family and Papa says that he's going to try to convince Baba and Deda to come as well, but they very rarely leave Russia. Baba and Deda are both Muggles too, like Grandpa. But my dad's siblings and their spouses and kids are all magical. It should be a full house."

Harry simply grinned at her. "You're lucky to have such a big family."

Zee pulled him close for a hug. "I know, which is why I want you to love them as much as I do and for them to love you as much, too. I want them to be your family as well."

Harry hugged her back, smiling when she brushed his messy hair out of his eyes. "I can't wait to meet them."

She kissed his forehead again. "Good. Talk to Minerva, but I hope to see you at twelve on Saturday. Owl me when you talk to her. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Zee." He turned to go and then stopped, emerald green eyes on hers for a moment. "Zee, you shouldn't tell Uncle Sirius at all. Just have him show up and be surprised. It might be the only way you can actually get him there."

Zee chuckled. "You might be right."

Harry grinned. "See you on Saturday."

As he made his way back to the castle, he realized that meeting Zee's grandparents had been more than just wonderful. He felt like they were part of his family and he couldn't wait to meet the rest of her family. Instead of going back to his dorm, he hurried to Remus' suite and let himself inside.

Remus looked up in surprise from where he was sitting on the sofa with a book. Tonks was spread out next to him, her head in his lap and her arms wrapped around his waist as she slept deeply. "Harry! It's late. Is everything okay, Little Prongs?"

Harry nodded and sat next to his uncle on the arm of the sofa. "Everything is brilliant, Uncle Moony. I don't want to wake Tonks."

He smiled and shifted, lifting his mate up into his arms and carrying her into the bedroom. He returned a few minutes later, closing the bedroom door behind him and sitting on the sofa. "She's out cold. What's going on? It's after midnight."

Harry simply grinned, moving to sit next to his father as he told Remus all about Colt and Flo, beaming the whole time. "They want me to call them Grandma and Grandpa!"

Remus draped and an arm around Harry's shoulders with a smirk. "Of course they do! They know how much Zee loves you and Sirius, Harry. They want the opportunity to love you as well."

"Zee loves me?" Harry asked in surprise.

Remus smiled at him. "And you love her, too. I can see that. I think you started falling for her a long time ago. Maybe even as far back as Peter's trial; she was very supportive of both you and Uncle Sirius. She's pretty great, isn't she?"

He nodded, thinking about what his uncle was saying. He did love Zee, he thought. The thought of her not being around hurt him and he knew that he loved having her around for not only his father, but for himself as well. She was a wonder and he wanted her to stick around.

"Is she going to move in with us?"

Remus grinned. "That depends on you and Sirius, doesn't it? Do you want her to move in with you two?"

"I don't know, maybe. I like having her around."

Remus smiled. "Padfoot and the word commitment is something else entirely so we'll have to see about that, but you liking her is a good thing, Harry."

He shrugged and fidgeted nervously for a moment. "It's kind of like she's… I mean, I know I don't need…"

"Like a mum?" Remus said with a smile, kissing Harry's cheek. "No matter how big you get, Harry James, everyone wants a mum. I miss mine every day and I miss your grandmother something fierce too. She was my second mum; adopted Sirius, Peter, Lily, and I whether we wanted it or not — and when my mother died, Euphemia Potter cradled me like a child and comforted me like a mum. I was nineteen years old. You are never too old to want a mum."

Harry smiled at that. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he said with a grin. "It's late. Come on; I'll walk you back to Gryffindor Tower so that you don't get detention."

He smirked. "It's okay. I have my cloak."

"Of course you do," Remus said on a laugh. "Straight to Gryffindor Tower, Little Prongs."

Harry just grinned as he covered himself with his invisibility cloak. "Yes, Uncle Moony."


	136. Chapter 136

_Author's Note:_

 _I had fun writing this chapter — I hope you like it._

 _Thank you to Steel for giving me this lovely gift idea._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIX:**

 **On the ninth of April, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny had been shopping in Hogsmeade for almost an hour and Harry was starting to get worried.** He had to be at Zee's birthday party in Edinburgh in one hour. Flo was coming to pick him up at The Three Broomsticks at 11:55.

He had snuck Ginny into Hogsmeade under his Invisibility Cloak since she wasn't technically allowed into the village as a second year. But he refused to go without her. He needed her help and guidance on this birthday gift thing and surprisingly Hermione had agreed with him, despite the sneaking Ginny out of Hogwarts idea which had made her purse her lips when he had first suggested it.

He looked at the item that Ginny that held up to him with no interest. "This is no use! I'm never going to find something for her in time!"

Hermione smiled sympathetically at him as they left the clothing store and then her eyes fell on the store at the end of the lane. "Harry! I think that I have the perfect gift idea!"

Harry's ears perked up at that as he followed her and Ginny into another store and saw that it contained jewellery.

"Isn't jewellery more of a boyfriend gift?" he asked skeptically.

He was tired of shopping and starting to get a little desperate. He just wanted to find the perfect gift for her; something that would make her know that he cared about her and liked having her around in his life.

Ginny smiled brightly at him. "No, it isn't just a boyfriend gift, Harry. And I know the perfect piece of jewellery!" She moved over to the display counter, her eyes moving along the different necklaces until she found one that she liked and tapped on the glass. "Ah-ha!"

Hermione smiled brightly. "Oh, Ginny, it's perfect! Harry, come see!"

Harry grinned at them in amusement as he moved over to look through the glass at where Ginny and Hermione were pointing. It was a white gold circular locket on a white gold chain. The oval was framed in diamonds with an engraved tree of life in the centre overtop of a black diamond.

"A locket?" he asked skeptically, his eyes on the necklace in interest. "What would I put inside of it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "A picture of you and Sirius, one on each side. It has so much meaning! It tells her that you care about her and by her wearing it, she's showing how much she cares about you and Sirius! You want to be a family, right?"

At Harry's slight embarrassed nod, she smiled.

"This is it, Harry. Trust us."

The man behind the counter smiled at them. "That locket is an excellent choice. The tree of life symbolizes a beginning, a middle, and an end, and represents life and family. That locket is outlined in diamonds from Africa, including the black diamond beneath the tree, and it is made from white gold mined in Bulgaria. It's 55 Galleons. If you have the photos, I can charm them inside for you at no extra charge."

He looked at his friends. "I have that picture of Sirius and I from the summer on my nightstand in my dorm, I suppose I could use that, but I've grown a lot since then. And I really don't have time to run all the way back to Hogwarts to get it!"

Ginny grinned at him. "Have Kreacher bring you the photo."

Harry frowned. "Sirius' house elf? He's not going to listen to me."

"Just try it. He's your house elf too, Harry. You told us how he said as much after the last meeting. Trust me."

"Kreacher," he said as he rolled his eyes. "See, I told you it wasn't — ah!" he exclaimed as the elf suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Master Harry has called for Kreacher."

Harry stared at him in surprise. "Er, yes. Hi, Kreacher. Um, there's a picture on my nightstand, in my dorm at Hogwarts, of Sirius and I. I was wondering if you can, er, please get it and bring it to me?"

"Of course, Master Harry."

The elf disappeared with a resounding crack and disappeared as Ginny smirked knowingly at him. "Told you."

Kreacher appeared a moment later with the picture in his hands. "Here is the framed photo of you and Master Sirius."

"Thank you, Kreacher. You may return to whatever it was you were doing."

Kreacher nodded and disappeared again.

Harry brought the picture up to the store owner. "This picture I guess."

"Wait!" Hermione exclaimed. "Do you have a camera that we can use to take a picture of our friend for the locket?"

The man nodded, smiling and disappeared into the back room.

"What's wrong with that picture, Hermione?"

"Nothing's wrong with it, but you said it yourself, you've changed a lot since last summer. So, we'll use this picture of Sirius and take a new one of you." She beamed at the store owner when he handed her the camera. "Now smile!"

Twenty minutes later, Harry had the locket gift wrapped in a blue box and tied with a gold ribbon in his hands as they headed towards The Three Broomsticks.

"Thanks for your help. I think this is great."

"She's going to love it, Harry!" Ginny said with a smile.

Hermione nodded. They stepped into The Three Broomsticks and Harry grinned when he spotted Flo Jackson over by the bar chatting to Rosmerta. He made his way over to her a little nervously.

"Hi, Mrs-Grandma."

She smiled at him, a big wide grin that made him grin back. "Don't you look smart." She tugged him towards her, kissing his cheeks noisily in a way that embarrassed him, but pleased him at the same time. "And who are these beautiful young women?"

Harry smiled at her. "These are my friends, Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger, meet Flo Jackson."

"His grandmother," she said with a bright smile. "It's lovely to meet you both. Harry told me a bit about you the other day. Ginny, the one who always has a smile and smart-mouth and Hermione, the brightest witch of her age."

Ginny blushed and Hermione beamed at her.

"Harry, did you really say that I was the brightest witch?"

Harry shrugged, laughing when Hermione kissed his cheek.

Ginny took his hand. "A smart-mouth? We're going to talk about that later."

He shrugged again and Ginny laughed, kissing his cheek as well.

"Well, it's lovely to meet you, dears, but Harry and I must be off."

Harry nodded and hugged his friends goodbye, whispering to Ginny to give the cloak to Ron when they got back to the castle. They headed out into the street and Flo Apparated the two of them outside of a large three story Victorian in a nice neighbourhood in Edinburgh. They made their way up the steps and the door was pulled open by a tall woman with bright red hair streaked with white.

"Harry, love! Zee was just saying that you would be arriving soon!" She tugged him into the house, hugging and kissing him in greeting. "My name is Fiona and I'd be Zee's Gran and yours as well, I reckon. Come in, come in! Flo, nice to see you!" She hugged Flo and then led Harry down the hall into the living room to a room full of people.

Harry recognized Colt immediately and grinned at him. "Hi, Grandpa."

Colt beamed at him, nodding his head in his direction. "Harry! Welcome to the party! Have some of that punch over there, it's quite good."

"No, Grandpa," Zee said sternly from behind him. "There's rum in it!"

Colt shrugged and winked at Harry who found himself grinning back. "We'll get you a cup of it later," he whispered, making Harry laugh.

"Happy Birthday, Zee!" Harry told her, passing her his gift.

She looked down at in surprise. "Oh, Harry! That's so thoughtful, you didn't have to get me anything!"

Flo put a hand on her arm. "Why don't you take Harry out into the yard and let him give you your gift? I'll make him a nice mug of hot chocolate before Colt gets the boy drunk on Fiona's rum punch."

"Thanks," Harry told her with a warm smile.

Zee led him outside into the yard and smiled at him. "They are all rather loud and crazy, but I love them. When we go back in, I'll introduce you to everyone properly."

He nodded and watched her fiddle with the ribbon. "I didn't know what to get you. Ginny and Hermione helped me find something, but I hope you like it."

She smiled at him, untying the ribbon and opening the box. Her eyes fell on the locket and she gasped. "Harry, this is beautiful! You didn't have to do this!"

He shrugged and grinned. "Like you said, the big three-oh, I had to get you something. Open it."

Zee carefully opened the locket and her eyes filled up with tears. On the left was Sirius grinning smartly up at her, running a hand through his hair and smirking. On the right was Harry, smiling brightly, adjusting his glasses and grinning.

"Harry," she breathed. "I love it!" She unclasped the locket and put it around her neck, fingering it gently as it nestled just above her breasts. She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. "I love it and I love you!"

He smiled at her words. "I kinda love you too, Zee."

Zee made a choking sound and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Merlin, look at me, I'm a mess!" She kissed his cheek. "Thank you! This means so much to me! It's the best birthday gift I ever could have received — and not just the locket," she said, her hand on the necklace as she hugged him tightly again.

He smiled back at her as she let him go, beaming at him and he moved his hands into the back pockets of his blue jeans. "You're welcome."

They headed back into the house and Zee showed Flo the locket happily. Harry took the big mug of hot chocolate and eagerly took a sip before heading back into the living room and sitting on the floor next to Colt. Lady Godiva stretched out, resting her head on Harry's knee and he stroked her behind the ears absently. Ever since he had started spending time at Zee's house, the panther seemed to have taken a liking to him.

Zee came back into the room, beaming and began to introduce everyone. Fiona's husband Callum was Granddad, Sorcha's brother Uncle Brian and his wife Auntie Jocasta and their son Dougal (his wife Ellen, and their kids Jenny, twenty-one, and Ian, nineteen), Zee's parents, Misha and Sorcha were Grandmama and Papa, and Misha's parents, Ivan and Anya were Baba and Deda. Then there was Tetya Olga and Dyadya Dimtri and their kids Mikhail (his wife Ana and their son Yuri, eight) and Mila (her husband Nicholas and their two daughters, Nastasia, six, and Dinara, four). Then there was Tetya Sasha and Dyadya Yerik and their twins Tanya (her husband Alek) and Tatiana. They all hugged and kissed him and pushed food at him. He was grinning like a fool as his plate was filled up for the third time with an assortment of random things and he ate happily.

Grandpa and Papa were both talking about their jobs in law enforcement and Harry eagerly listened to them discuss the differences between being an Auror in the Russian Ministry in comparison to a Muggle Police Chief in America. Grandma and Gran were talking about cooking, arguing about which herbs and spices were the best to use on chicken as opposed to beef. Baba and Deda told him stories about growing up in Russia during the Revolution. Deda told him all about how he served in the Second World War, a great war in the Muggle world, as his youngest granddaughter, Dinara, sat on his knee. Yuri and Nastasia kept running around the living room giggling as grandparents and parents ordered them to behave. As for Grandmama, she kept adding more food to his plate and eagerly asked him to tell her all about his classes, his friends and Quidditch.

He was explaining about how difficult it was to talk and eat with the Mandrake leaf in his mouth and that led to an interesting discussion on becoming an Animagus. And Grandpa told him that when he came to Georgia in the summer, he would show him his dogs and his horses, promising to teach him how to ride a horse.

Grandmama and Papa told him about their house in Moscow and how much they would love it if he would come and visit them there. Papa told him that he had some interesting spells he wanted to teach him that he used often as an Auror. Harry nodded eagerly, telling him about what he was currently working on in Defence Club when the doorbell chimed and Zee jumped to her feet.

"That should be Sirius."

Harry glanced up at the clock and grinned. It was just after two in the afternoon, she had intentionally given Harry time to meet her family and spend time with them before Sirius had even arrived. The thought made him smirk. He chewed his Mandrake leaf thoughtfully, grinning at Grandpa when he started to tell him a story about something that his Saint Bernard Bruno had done as he dealt the two of them a hand of gin rummy mixed in with some Exploding Snap cards.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius stood on the front porch of the three story Victorian and scratched his chin.** He had dressed up slightly in his black jeans and red suede dress shirt. He wore a white vest underneath and left the shirt partly open and he wore his charcoal leather jacket and black combat boots.

He had just spent the last hour making copies of Harry's medical file from both Madam Pomfrey and from St Mungo's. He had two different diagnostic scans, one from Harry's first check-up by Althea and the most recent one from Harry's stay in the hospital wing after falling off of his broom due to the Dementors. Sirius had been putting off collecting them, but now that the copies had been mailed away to Xander, he was afraid to find out the answer; especially since Xander had warned him that it could take months for him to even form an opinion.

He rang the doorbell to the Victorian home and sighed. At the moment, he had other things to worry about. It was Zee's birthday and he had been invited to spend the afternoon with her parents and grandparents. The butterflies in his stomach made him close his eyes. He had already met Misha and Sorcha, he thought, there was no reason to be nervous. But the thought of meeting Sorcha's parents on top of it did make him nervous. He had never known anyone outside of the Weasleys to have such a large family.

Harry would probably like the idea of a big family, he thought. He wished that Fleamont and Euphemia had been around for Harry. Maybe if today went all right, maybe he could convince Zee to introduce Harry to her family. He'd like that, he said to himself.

The door opened, distracting him from his thoughts and he smiled brightly at Zee. She looked stunning in a sapphire blue sundress; her feet naked and her toes painted a deep plum. She wore a circular locket at her neck, outlined in diamonds that seemed to glimmer at him and she wore large white gold hoops in her ears. Her dark brown and gold curls fell over her caramel shoulders and down her back making her look like some sort of bohemian gypsy. She was wearing the charm bracelet that he had made for her that summer. He tugged her out onto the front stoop and kissed her deeply.

"Happy Birthday."

She smiled against his mouth. "Thanks."

Sirius kissed her again. "You look gorgeous. I like the necklace. Is it new?"

She smiled again and kissed him a third time. "It is. It's one of my favourite birthday presents. Come on inside, Mama and Papa are anxious to see you again, plus I want you to meet everyone else."

"When you say everyone else, you mean just your grandparents, right?"

Zee grinned mischievously at him. "Oh, did I forget to mention that my entire family was going to be here today?" At his wide-eyed look of panic, she smirked and kissed him again. "Come inside, you big coward."

He grimaced, but let her tug him inside and the nerves erupted in his stomach again. He didn't know why the thought of meeting her family scared him so much, but it did. He left his boots at the door, his eyes widening again at the multitudes of shoes there, and his hand squeezed hers lightly as she led him into the living room.

Sorcha immediately hurried towards him, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Sirius! How lovely to see you again!"

He nodded, kissing her cheek in turn. "You, too. You look even more beautiful than the last time that we met."

She smirked at him. "Flatterer!"

Colt stood up, blocking Harry from Sirius' view and extending his hand. "So you're the man who answers my granddaughter's telephone?"

"Guilty," Sirius said with a mischievous smirk as he accepted the hand. "Sirius Black."

"Colt Jackson. This here is my wife, Flo," he said gesturing for Flo to come over to him.

Flo greeted Sirius with a kiss and a bright smile. "It's lovely to finally meet you!"

Sirius smiled back as Zee took his hand in hers. "Everyone, this is Sirius. Sirius, these are my Mama's parents, Callum and Fiona, Mama's brother, my Uncle Brian and his wife, my Auntie Jocasta and their son Dougal, his wife Ellen, and their kids: Jenny and Ian. My Papa's parents, Ivan and Anya, my Papa's big sister my Tetya Olga and her husband, my Dyadya Dimtri. This is my cousin Mikhail and his wife Ana and that little devil running around is their son Yuri. My cousin Mila, her husband Nicholas and their daughters Nastasia and that's Dinara sitting on Deda. My Papa's little sister my Tetya Sasha and her husband, my Dyadya Yerik. My cousin Tanya and her husband Alek and my cousin Tanya's twin sister, Tatiana. These are my mother's parents Colt and Flo and of course you already know Harry and Lady G," she added with a smirk.

Sirius nodded at everyone as he met them, his gaze doing a double take as he looked at the living room floor to see his son eating a plate of food amidst the large influx of Zee's family with Lady Godiva's head resting on his lap and playing a mix between gin rummy and exploding snap with a tall white-haired man in a flannel shirt.

"Hi, Uncle Siri," Harry said with a big grin. "Grandpa says that when we go to Georgia this summer he's going to show me how to ride a horse! And Grandma says that she's going to show me how to make her infamous Mud Pie and cornbread!"

Sirius' mouth simply dropped open and then he closed again.

Sorcha chuckled at him. "Zahira, did you not tell Sirius we would all be coming for your birthday?"

Zee smiled at her stepmother. "It must have slipped my mind, Mama."

Sorcha chuckled and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Evil girl. Sirius, get some food and sit down! Tell us all about this big bill I heard you helped get thrown out a few weeks ago."

Sirius did as he was told and was soon sitting on the ground next to his son, a plate full of good food, four-year-old-Dinara in his lap playing with his earrings and chatting to him in a mixture of Russian and English, and listening to the large family talk around him, to him, and to Harry.

And he found that they weren't scary at all, but actually kind of wonderful.

It was almost seven thirty by the time that Misha and Sorcha were heading back to Moscow. Their portkey was set for seven thirty to take them home as well as Ivan and Anya and all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins. Zee headed out herself with Flo and Colt who were heading back to Georgia the next morning by portkey. They said goodbye to Callum and Fiona and headed out.

Sirius tugged Zee over to him, kissing her softly. "I have a present for you, but I wanted it to just be us when I give it to you. Can you come over for a bit tonight?"

She smiled at him. "When my grandparents go to bed, I will."

He nodded and she turned to hug and kiss Harry. "Thank you so much for coming, Harry! And I love my gift! It's perfect!"

Flo hugged Harry tightly against her, kissing both of his cheeks as Colt pat him on the back. "Can't wait to see you this summer, Harry! You write to us and let me know how your school year is going!"

"Yes, Grandma," he said with a grin.

"And don't forget to tell me about those girls you're flirting with," Colt added with a wink.

Harry blushed and Flo kissed him again before they headed out and left Sirius and Harry alone in the street.

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets and gestured for Harry to walk with him. "Guess you know them pretty well, eh?"

Harry grinned up at him. "Zee invited me to dinner on Monday and I met them. They insisted that I call them Grandma and Grandpa straight off, and they're wonderful, Uncle Siri! Can we please go to Georgia this summer and stay with them?"

"Well, I mean, if they invited us — I can't see why not."

"Grandpa says that he'll teach me how to ride a horse and show me the police station where he's the chief! And Grandma owns a little restaurant and she wants to show me how to cook and take me on a sailboat ride! Grandmama and Papa are going to come too, and Papa says that he can teach me some good Russian spells that he uses as an Auror!" Harry told him, his eyes lighting up in excitement.

Sirius stared at him in awe for a moment and then he wrapped an arm around his shoulders as they walked. "You know, I always worked so hard to keep whoever I was shagging out of your life. I didn't want you to get attached to anyone that I wasn't looking to have a relationship with. Now, here you are being adopted into Zee's family without my knowledge."

"Are you mad?" Harry asked, looking at him in confusion

Sirius shook his head. "No, no, I'm not mad."

Harry stared at him for a moment. "You've been running away from the idea of meeting her family. Uncle Remus says so and so did Zee, but I wanted to meet them and they're kind of amazing. It was my idea to not tell you that they were all going to be there today."

"Oh, it was, was it?" he asked with a grin. "Well, that was a surprise. And no, I'm not running away," Sirius said carefully. "I just... I'm not used to such a family nor all of them wanting to know me, and you know what, it is kind of wonderful, isn't it?"

Harry nodded, grinning widely. "They all like me and they want to get to know me, no one even mentioned once that I was the Boy Who Lived, I'm just Harry to them. I like them, Uncle Siri, and I want to get to know them better. Can we please, please go to Georgia this summer?"

Sirius grinned at him. "Yes, we absolutely can. The Cup is coming to Britain this year as well."

Harry's eyes lit up at the word 'Cup'. He had mentioned it in passing over Christmas but his father hadn't given him a definite answer. "Can we go?"

Sirius shrugged. "Possibly. I'm going to look into tickets and we'll see. It's not until August so maybe that's something we can do after we go to Georgia," he said as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm glad that you like Zee's family and that you like Zee so much."

"I kinda love her," Harry said, blushing a bit. "She writes to me all the time and I just... I gave her a locket for her birthday and she cried when she saw that I put a picture of me and you on either side."

He looked over at his son in surprise. "You bought her that?" When Harry nodded, he grinned. "Well, aren't you a surprise. I love her, too, Harry. More than I ever thought I would ever love anyone. I thought that you were it for me, kid. She kind of hit me like a Bludger and after the shock of it wore off, I realized how important that hit was."

"Is she going to move in with us?" Harry asked, sucking on the Mandrake leaf as he spoke.

Sirius rolled his shoulders. "We haven't talked about it."

"I know that she never sleeps over when I'm home and it's okay if she does. Its… nice when she's there."

He grinned at him. "Oh, now you want me and Zee to have sleepovers, do you?"

Harry grinned up at him. "It's not like I don't know that you have sex and it's not like I'm a little kid anymore who's going to burst into your room whenever I feel like it. If she was there, I know it would be different."

Sirius nodded at him. "That's true. I just... I never wanted to push someone into our lives without your full approval, Harry. Black Cottage is _our home_ so my rule was that when you were home, she never stayed the night."

"But you wanted her to?"

Sirius grinned. "More than you know."

"Well, I'll just pretend that you're not shagging her and you can put a silencing charm on your bedroom and it will be good and then when I have girls in _my_ bedroom, you won't bother me either. Seems like a fair deal."

"Oh, you cheeky bastard!" he said with a grin. "You think I'm just gonna let you bring your next girlfriend home and have sex in your bedroom?"

Harry shrugged. "A bloke can dream."

Sirius smacked him lightly across the head. "When you lose your virginity, you tell me, and we'll talk about it."

"So I _can_ have girls in my room when I'm ready to. Brilliant!"

Sirius smirked at him. "I don't believe I agreed to that. You're growing up on me, Harry, and when I was your age, I was fooling around with girls and I know that you've only been with Cho so far so let's not give me a heart attack or any grey hairs just yet okay?"

Harry grinned at him and leaned into his father. "Do you think that she'd want to live with us?"

Sirius kissed the top of his son's head. "I don't know. I like to think that maybe she would. Both of us have been on the same page in the slow moving of this relationship and it is part of the reason why I respect her so much, but I imagine the thought of moving in with two men might be a bit daunting as well."

He chewed thoughtfully on his Mandrake leaf, wrapping it around his tongue as he nodded. "Let her sleep over more first."

Sirius grinned and squeezed his son to his side. "Prongslet, you are a wise man. Now tell me, any prospective girls on the horizon since you broke up with Cho? I thought you must have someone in mind if you're already contemplating taking girls up to your bedroom at home?"

He blushed and shrugged. "Not really, no. There are a few girls I think are pretty, but no one I really like enough to ask out."

"No one, eh?" At Harry's shrug, Sirius smiled. "All right. And hey, when it comes to that virginity thing, I'm including oral in that. You tell me and we'll talk all right?"

Harry flushed red. "No way am I telling you that!"

Sirius smirked and elbowed him lightly. "I'll tell you about all of the sex I'm having in return, what do you say?"

Harry made a disgusted face and he laughed.

"Don't worry, I won't traumatize you — much." At his son's look of horror, he laughed. "Come on; I'll side Apparate you to Hogsmeade and you can tell me how the Mandrake leaves are coming along. Only two weeks left with them. Are you guys ready with the potion?"

Harry held tightly to his father's arm as they Apparated into the village of Hogsmeade and nodded. "I think so. Hagrid told me where to collect the dew and Hermione and I plan to finish up the potion this week. A little less than two weeks until the moon cycle is over, so we have to spit it out under the moonlight and put it into our potion."

"That's right and then wait for a lightning storm and keep the potion in a dark place where it can't be disturbed. How's Defence Club? Are you learning lots?"

Harry nodded. "I think so. I've mastered all of the spells that Uncle Remus has taught us so far, plus like I told you, he has us dodging spells and working on our stamina while duelling. That's always fun."

"Good. And how's Arithmancy?"

"It's great! Professor Vector is brilliant! Sometimes she gets really excited when she talks about the ancient Greeks and the Chaldean Method and she bounces on her feet. It's rather amusing."

"And you're being challenged enough?"

Harry shrugged. "I think so, why?"

"Well, I was thinking," Sirius said with a grin. "We could make a little wager here."

Harry looked at his father in interest. "A wager? What kind of wager?"

"More like bribery, if I'm honest," he said with a grin. "But I was thinking for every O you pull of this year, I'll pay you five Galleons."

"Wow! You're going to pay me to get good grades? That's fantastic!"

Sirius smirked at him. "It is yes, but for every A or lower, you will owe _me_ five Galleons."

Harry frowned at that. "But listening to Binns is like watching paint dry! Boring and pointless!"

"You always liked history."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I did before it was taught by a ghost! Uncle Moony always made it interesting!"

They stopped in front of the gate to the school and Sirius smiled at him. "It's the only class that you're really struggling in and I want to see you do better at it. Do whatever you have to do, suck on sugar quills or snack, but get your notes in order and study and learn the material. That last test wasn't something you should brag about."

He grimaced but nodded. "I promise to try harder to pay attention."

"And that's what the textbook is for, background reading, and to help you better grasp everything more clearly. You can even ask Uncle Remus for some help or form a study group or make your own notes from the textbook; whatever you need to do to learn the material."

Harry nodded. "All right. I promise, I won't get an A this year, it will at least be an E."

Sirius grinned at him. "Good man. I'd also like to see your Potions mark rise a bit as we both know that you are very talented in that class."

Harry nodded. "I'll try, it's just that Snape hates me."

"Snape is only partially to blame, Harry," Sirius said sternly. "You can do better and you know it."

He sighed. "I'll try harder, I promise."

"That's all that I ask is for you to do you best," he said with a smile. "Now beat it."

Harry grinned back at him. "Goodnight, Uncle Sirius."

"Goodnight, Harry."

Sirius watched him walk across the bridge and head into Hogwarts and he shoved his hands into his pockets and let out a long sigh.

Life sometimes had a way of surprising him.

~ ASC ~

 **It was after eleven that night before Zee made her way into Black Cottage.** She left Lady Godiva at home with her grandparents who had turned in for the night and she greeted Marauder who nudged her enthusiastically when she came in through the front door.

"Hi, boy," she said, scratching him behind the ears and rubbing his chin and neck.

Sirius was sitting on the sofa and he tilted his head back to smile at her, grinning when she bent and kissed him. She came around to sit on his lap and kissed him again. "I turned thirty today."

He smiled and kissed her again. "Welcome to the club. Right depressing, isn't it?"

She smiled against his mouth and snuggled herself into his arms. "A little, yeah."

Sirius kissed the top of her head. "Want your present?"

"Yes," she said with a grin.

He touched the locket around her neck, flicking it open with his thumb and smiling. "My boy did good."

"He made me cry," she admitted.

"Then he did extra good," he said with a smile, kissing the corners of her mouth.

He shifted her onto the sofa and stood up. He came back a moment later with a large square box tied with a big gold ribbon and placed it in her lap before sitting next to her.

Zee grinned at him like a child at Christmas and untied the ribbon. Inside was a beautiful sapphire blue and black silk shawl that was wrapped around another box. She wrapped the shawl around herself, grinning at the softness of it before she opened the second box and gasped. Nestled on black velvet was a diamond tear drop nestling a square-cut black diamond necklace.

"Sirius…" she breathed, her eyes wide.

He moved to take it from the box and carefully clasped it into place. It nestled around her neck and the locket hung a bit lower, both looking gorgeous together. He adjusted the shawl and took her chin his hand.

"I knew that would be perfect on you. Ironic that Harry and I both chose to dress you in a mix of white and black diamonds but, it suits you."

"It's too much," she protested.

He smirked and kissed her softly. "No, it's not. It suits you." He trailed his fingertips down the length of her neck. "This gorgeous skin was made to wear diamonds."

Her breath hitched as his fingertips moved down her chest, over her hip, across her thigh and beneath her dress. He slid to the floor in front of her, a soft smile on his face as he lifted her dress and his head disappeared beneath it. She gasped when her knickers were tugged away and his tongue slid over her, into her, and she arched her hips towards him.

"Sirius," she breathed, gasping as he worked her over and when he drove her over the edge again and again and she was panting his name as he kissed her thighs and settled her dress back over her legs.

He licked his lips, his grey eyes dark as he looked at her. "You're the most beautiful and incredible woman," he told her, kissing her neck. "And today, seeing you with Harry and with your family, being there with you, I realized that I am the luckiest man alive to have you in my life. I adore you. I worship you. I love you."

His lips met hers and she could taste herself on them. He kissed her deeply, his hands moving into her hair, his lips on hers. He sucked her bottom lip, slowly sliding it from his mouth as he pulled away. Her eyes were partly closed, her lips swollen from his mouth and her face heated from the glow of her orgasm.

She looked breathtaking.

"Happy Birthday, Zahira."

Zee's eyes opened slowly and she smiled at him. "I can't stay," she whispered. "My grandparents are there and I —"

He placed a finger over her lips to silence her and those same fingers slid beneath her dress and between her legs. Her breath hitched when they slid into her, stroking and pumping into her as she panted his name. She came a third time, eyes wide.

He kissed her again and tugged her to her feet, tucking her knickers into his back pocket.

Zee swayed slightly on her feet. "Sirius."

He kissed her again, slowly. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

When he kissed her goodnight at her front door and watched her turn around and disappear into her house, he shoved his hands into his pockets with a smile. He really was the luckiest man in the world, he thought.

~ ASC ~

 **On the night of the twenty-fifth of April, the six of them snuck out of their respective dormitories and made their way up to the Astronomy Tower.** Harry kept the map with him as they did, six was too many people to attempt to sneak under an Invisibility cloak, so they had to move quietly. The stood out under the moonlight, spit their chewed Mandrake leaves into their individual clear phials and then snuck down into their hidden room to add their phials to their potions. Hermione had marked each individual potion with their initials so that they wouldn't mix them up.

Harry watched in fascination as the potion bubbled as he stirred in his chewed up Mandrake leaf and he grinned at them. "Now we just have to wait for a lightning storm."

"Wicked," Ron said.

"If we did everything right, when lightning strikes, our potions should turn blood-red. Then we can drink them. In the meantime, we have to start the incantation for our Animagus transformation every sunrise and sunset," Harry told them.

Luna smiled dreamily, "How exciting. What's the incantation again?"

"Amato Animo Animato Animagus," Hermione supplied.

They all repeated it to themselves grinning widely.

They snuck out in twos to make it back to their dormitories safely and without being caught. Harry and Ron were the last two and it was just their luck that as they were rounding the corner to head up the stairs that they were stopped by Snape.

He sneered victoriously at them. "Potter and Weasley, the dynamic duo, out of bed after curfew," he said, his words dripping with disdain.

When they didn't answer him, he sneered.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, each, and detention tomorrow afternoon, my office. I'll see you at one. Back to your beds, both of you!"

Harry nodded and he and Ron hurried back to Gryffindor Tower and into their dormitory.

"What took you so long?" Neville asked, peeking his head around his bed curtains.

"Snape," Ron said in annoyance, "Harry and I got detention. You and Hermione get back all right?"

Neville nodded. "Yes, and Ginny returned a little after us, said Luna was back in Ravenclaw Tower as well."

Ron snorted. "Of course we're the ones to get caught by Snape!"

Harry shrugged. "I'm too happy to no longer have a Mandrake leaf in my mouth to even care. Hey, do we still have that candy stash under the window?"

Ron grinned and jumped to his feet to rifle through the stash and tossed Harry some liquorice wands before he tossed Neville a chocolate frog and helped himself to some toffee. "Mmm, I forgot how good food tastes."

Harry nodded appreciatively as he ate the candy. "Me too."

The three of them look at each other and grinned. They were going to become an Animagi and they couldn't wait.

~ ASC ~

 **Detention the next afternoon was extremely boring.** Snape had decided to separate them which annoyed Harry, as Ron had gotten lucky in his opinion, and was ordered by Filch to clean the trophy room. Harry was stuck alone with Snape in his office where he was being forced to organize detention slips.

The only bright side to the situation was that Snape had chosen the decade of the 1970s and he smirked when he recognized the names of the Marauders and the large amount of mischief that they had caused. He smiled to himself as he read the slips, organizing them by year and month and trying to remember the interesting ones to ask Sirius and Remus about their adventures:

 _October 12th, 1974_

 _Black, Sirius and Potter, James_

 _Detention Assigned By: Slughorn, Horace_

 _Indiscretion: Convincing first year students that potion ingredients could be eaten as candy._

 _Punishment: Cleaning all potion cabinets without magic and re-organizing ingredients into fresh jars._

 _May 4th, 1972_

 _Pettigrew, Peter and Potter, James_

 _Detention Assigned By: McGonagall, Minerva_

 _Indiscretion: Transfiguring Severus Snape's homework into a dung beetle._

 _Punishment: Extra homework assigned and writing lines 100 times — 'I will not use what I learn in Transfiguration to make Snape's homework disappear.'_

 _November 18th, 1977_

 _Black, Sirius and McKinnon, Marlene_

 _Detention Assigned By: Sprout, Pomona_

 _Indiscretion: Snogging and public displays of affection in Herbology class._

 _Punishment: Spreading fresh dragon dung all over the Hogwarts gardens._

 _September 18th, 1975_

 _Black, Sirius and Potter, James_

 _Detention Assigned By: Flitwick, Filius_

 _Indiscretion: Claiming the 'swish and flick' method was for sex ed and not charms class._

 _Punishment: One month of tutoring first years, five nights a week in Charms._

 _January 22nd, 1976_

 _Evans, Lily and Potter, James_

 _Detention Assigned By: McGonagall, Minerva_

 _Indiscretion: Inappropriate language and screaming in the halls while out of bed after curfew._

 _Punishment: Helping Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest._

 _May 18th, 1978_

 _Black, Sirius and Potter, James_

 _Detention Assigned By: Radigan, Tiberius_

 _Indiscretion: Starting a Karaoke Dance Party in the Staff Room at Midnight, 5 Galleon cover charge for all sixth and seventh year students only, girls allowed free entry if they snogged Black at the door._

 _Punishment: Scrubbing all toilets without magic._

The list went on and Harry found himself rather entertained by some of the things his parents and others had done over the years. Sirius had proposed to McGonagall at a Halloween ball; James had flown on his broomstick down to breakfast; Peter and Sirius had charmed Snape's socks to sing 'Hound Dog' whenever someone named Professor Davis said 'one time, when I was a student'; Peter had peed off of the Astronomy Tower during class (apparently it had been a bet from James and Sirius); Remus was caught out after curfew with a stag, a dog, and a rat and reprimanded for having more than one pet; James and Lily had gotten detention for PDA in the halls; and the lists went on.

He was working on his assigned task for over an hour when Snape spoke to him.

"Potter, you may take a ten minute break," Snape said, nodding in his direction.

Harry, surprised by this, nodded and ran off to use the bathroom before returning. He had just sat back down again and started to re-organize his pile when Snape spoke, surprising him.

"You have your mother's eyes."

Harry looked up in surprise, his mouth open. "Er, yes, I've heard that before."

Snape continued to stare at him and when he spoke again he seemed to be looking through him. "She was my friend once, you know, when we were children. I made mistakes with her and she fell in love with your father, the arrogant arsehole that he was, but he was good to her, I'll admit that. He loved her, even I could see that. But he and I never saw eye to eye, and even if he were still alive, I doubt that would have changed. But my feud is with James Potter, not with you. He and Lily were both extraordinarily gifted at Potions and I can see that you have their talents, which is maybe part of the reason why I'm so hard on you — I know that you could do better if you focused more. I give you E's because I know that you can perform O's. They would be proud of you, you know." He seemed to catch himself and he shook his head. "Finish that pile and then go."

"Sir?"

Snape shook his head. "We won't speak of it again, Potter."

Harry watched him stand up and move to continue working on the potion near his desk and he nodded. "Yes, Sir."

He tried to concentrate on what he was doing, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about how strange that conversation had just been. Why would Snape suddenly say such things to him about his mother? Then again, Snape had been acting quite decent since the pranks before Christmas. He had barely insulted anyone; only took points off for deserved reasons and even complimented Harry twice and Hermione once on how their potions had turned out. Harry wasn't sure what Sirius and Remus had said to him, but whatever it was, it had made him an almost decent teacher, despite his constantly surly attitude, and he certainly wasn't going to complain about it.

He finished organizing the detention slips and then brought them over to Snape an hour later. "I'm finished, Professor."

"Good. Potter, you may go."

Harry bit his cheek before he spoke. "Professor, I promise to work harder at earning that Outstanding on my Potions exam. Uncle Siri told me that I have to focus more on my grades and I want to learn all that I can. I want my parents to be proud of me. All of them."

Snape's gaze met his for a moment before he nodded. "Very well and Potter?" When Harry's green eyes met his, Snape closed his own for a moment before speaking. "We're going to be working on the Babbling Beverage next class. Why don't you read the chapter before hand?"

Harry grinned at him. "Yes, Sir."

He turned to look back at Snape before he left, a small grin on his face. Sometimes people really surprised him and he wondered what it was that made Snape decide to play nice. He concluded that it was probably for the best that he never found out and he whistled as he headed back to Gryffindor Tower to read about the Babbling Beverage.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _Just wanted to help break down the family in case it got a bit confusing._

 _Zee's parents: Magnolia Jackson Zacarias (deceased) and Misha Zacarias and Sorcha Brown Zacarias (stepmother)_

 _The Jacksons:_

 _Colten (Muggle) and Florence Jackson (pureblood witch)_

 _Daughter Magnolia Jackson Zacarias (deceased) married to Michael (Misha) Zacarias with one daughter Zahira Zelena Zacarias_

 _The Zacarias':_

 _Ivan and Anya Zacarias (Muggles — Ivan was the soldier in WWII with the motorbike) - all three of their children are magical._

 _1\. Michael (Misha) m. Magnolia Jackson Zacarias (d) m. Sorcha Brown Zacarias_

 _(a) Zahira Zelena Zacarias_

 _2\. Olga Zacarias Petrov m. Dimtri Petrov_

 _(a) Mikhail Petrov m. Ana Ivanov_

 _(i) Yuri Petrov_

 _(b) Mila Petrov Sokolov m. Nicholas Sokolov_

 _(i) Nastasia Sokolov_

 _(ii) Dinara Sokolov_

 _3\. Sasha Zacarias Blok m. Yerik Blok_

 _(a) Tanya Blok Fedorov m. Alek Fedorov_

 _(b) Tatiana Blok_

 _The Browns:_

 _Callum and Fiona Brown_

 _Brian Brown m. Jocasta Fitzgibbons_

 _(a) Dougal Brown m. Ellen Smith_

 _(i) Jenny Brown_

 _(ii) Ian Brown_

 _Sorcha Brown m. Misha Zacarias_

 _(a) Zahira Zelena Zacarias_

 _Also:_

 _Ivan & Anya = Baba and Deda _

_Tetya = auntie_

 _Dyadya = uncle_

 _Misha & Sorcha = Papa and Grandmama_

 _Colt & Flo = Grandpa and Grandma_

 _Callum & Fiona = Gran and Grandda _

_Hope this helps!_


	137. Chapter 137

_Author's Note:_

 _Growing up with Sirius, Harry is not the same clueless boy when it comes to girls. Is he going to be with a million girls before Ginny, absolutely not, but he will get some experience, build up his confidence a bit, and I think growing up with Sirius, he is a lot more confident in himself and in his choices — and that includes girls._

 _Also some people have mentioned that they pictured Colt and Flo as a few different people. You can obviously picture them any way you want, but in my head Colt looks and sounds like Jeff Bridges and Flo is an older Regina King, but the easiest way for me to describe them. If it helps I also see Misha as an older Daniel Craig and Sorcha I see as Mary Steenburgen, but with a thick Scottish accent no idea why. I see Fiona as Susan Sarandon and yes, I know, I love Outlander, but I picture Callum as Graham McTavish. Anyway, for those of you who were wondering._

 _And to the two reviewers who have asked — yes, I did read the Percy Jackson books about four, maybe five years ago? They were quite good. And I've said it before — I love Outlander. Been an avid fan of the series for twelve years now and am in love with the show so sometimes when I think Scottish, my mind goes there LOL. Other than Harry Potter, Outlander is my favourite book series ever, and one of the few series I go out of my way to attempt to re-read every year. Anyone who hasn't read Outlander — should — or at least give the tv show a chance._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe! She has been amazing and I know I am probably driving her insane with my incessant e-mails asking her advice. You will be proud to know that I am exactly twenty chapters ahead of what I am posting (still to be Beta approved obviously) but go me! But THANK YOU Bex for being so patient and understanding and for doing a fantastic job — I'll try not to bug you so much :D_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN:**

 **Tonks was staring at the paperwork on her desk as if in a daze.** It had been the longest day of her life as most tended to be when she found herself stuck in the Ministry. This also meant that she found herself daydreaming, wondering what Remus was doing, what he was teaching and how his day was generally going. But then her mind had a tendency to wander further and she would start wondering about what they could both be doing if they were home and then she was forced to clamp her thighs together in an attempt to get rid of her arousal.

She wasn't sure what it was about Remus, but he made her want him all of the time. Maybe it was the mate thing too, she wasn't sure, but she knew that it wasn't usually like this between two people, at least she was pretty sure it wasn't. She reached for the heartbeat between her breasts, holding the stone and the feel of his steady beat bringing a smile to her face as she imagined him sitting on his desk in the snug black jeans that he had worn that morning and the light blue dress shirt with his adorable navy tweed jacket overtop and his hair probably all tousled from his hands and — stop it, Tonks! She insisted, focusing on the work in front of her.

Case work. Paperwork. Her job.

"Well, if it isn't the badass Auror, Nymphadora!"

She snarled automatically at the use of her first name, but then her eyes softened when she recognized the flash red hair and she jumped to her feet. "Charlie!"

He grinned and engulfed her in a huge hug. "Damn it, Tonks. I didn't realize how much I missed seeing you until I saw you sitting there."

She smiled. "I'm pretty fantastic so I can't see why you haven't been missing me every single day!"

Charlie smirked at her. "Always were full of yourself."

She morphed her face into his, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Not to mention annoying."

She laughed as she changed back to herself. "What are you doing here?"

"Have some business in London for the reserve; top secret I'm afraid."

Tonks smiled at him. "Are you sure that you weren't just flirting with some bird?"

"Only bird I see around here is you, Nymphadora."

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Charles!" she insisted, her hair changing from bubblegum pink to a dark purple as she scowled.

He winced. "Right, Tonks, sorry."

"Seriously, how have you been? You are the absolute worst for keeping in touch! Birthday and Christmas cards do not count!" she exclaimed, her hair changing back to normal and poking him roughly in the ribs.

Charlie grinned, laughing as he scrambled away from her incessant poking. "I know, I know, I suck. I've been around off and on; helping my sister. You heard what happened there? Of course you did, you went back down into the Chamber with us."

She nodded, her eyes sobering from their teasing persona. "I did. Harry's been having a tough time dealing with it as well. She's doing better though? Harry says she's not even seeing the Mind Healer anymore. It meant a lot to her that you came to the school in November like that."

"I couldn't very well say no even if I wanted too. Dumbledore sent a personal request to my boss asking me for the night off and securing me a portkey to and from the school. She's strong and she's resilient and I was glad to be there for her. She's honestly doing really well if her letters are any indication," he said with a smile. "And what about you? How's life as an A2? Are you ready to move up to the coveted A3 spot yet?"

"Not yet; still need quite a few more cases under my belt before I can even write the test and go from there. I was hoping by maybe August, but realistically probably not until next year."

"That's great! I know it's been your dream for as long as I've known you."

She smiled at him and hugged him tight. "How long are you here for? You're not returning to Romania right now, are you?"

Charlie shook his head. "Nah, not yet. I'm leaving tomorrow night. Figured tomorrow I better show up at the Burrow and let my mum fuss a bit. You know, how come I don't have a nice girlfriend yet or move closer to home and why aren't I re-populating the earth, the usual lecture."

Tonks laughed. "Sounds like your mum."

He grinned. "And you? What have you been up too? Anyone special in your life?"

She blushed and it surprised him. The one thing that he had always admired about Tonks was that she was good at keeping her blushing a secret due to her metamorphing ability. "Yes."

He leaned on the edge of her desk and smirked. "Do tell."

"I'm surprised that you don't know actually as it's been well over a year. Bill knows as does everyone else in your family. You didn't notice anything in November when you saw me?"

He frowned now. "Why do they all know and I don't?"

She smirked at him. "Probably because you completely suck at keeping in touch," she added making him laugh. She grinned widely. "Remus Lupin."

Charlie's eyes widened in surprise. "The Remus Lupin who's name you used to write all over your notebooks?"

She grinned widely, biting her bottom and nodding. "He finally realized that I'm irresistible!"

Charlie smirked at that. "Wait — isn't he _a lot_ older than you?"

"Yes."

Charlie let out a slow breath. "And that doesn't bother you?"

Her eyes hardened. "No. It doesn't bother me! He's the most amazing man that I have ever known, Charlie. He makes me so happy and he tried to insist that he wasn't good enough for me; that I deserved someone better and I fought for him and I think that I've finally won. We're moving in together."

Charlie smiled at her. "You've been in love with him a long time. I just want you to be happy, Tonks."

"I am. Deliriously happy. Come over tonight for drinks. We're still re-doing Remus' cottage before I move in officially with him. We decided at this point we're just going to wait until the end of the school year since now we're fixing up the kitchen, so come to my flat."

He grinned at her. "That sounds great as long as you promise not to try to set me up with anyone."

Tonks laughed. "Well, I was just planning on it being the three of us, but I can invite a friend if you want."

"No," he said grinning. "I'm only in Britain for two more days and I definitely don't have time to find a woman unless she's interested in a quick shag, then I might not protest." He laughed when Tonks elbowed him in the ribs. "Kidding! No, drinks sounds great."

"Perfect! Be there at eight?"

"I'll be there," he said grinning widely at her.

~ ASC ~

 **Later on that evening, Remus grinned at Tonks when she tripped over her slippers next to the sofa.** "I told you."

She turned to glare at him. "Okay, okay, when I took my slippers off and put them there you told me that I would trip over them and I did, happy now?"

He grinned and tugged her back down into his lap. "With you here, how could I not be?" He kissed her softly and she smiled against his mouth.

"Do you think that we have enough snacks?"

"It's only Charlie, Dora. We already have crisps and a cheese and meat tray. Do you want me to find something else?"

She shook her head, nuzzling his neck. "No. It's just... he was my best friend and I think he still is most of the time, but he's the worst at keeping in touch. I feel like I don't even know him anymore. He didn't even know that I was dating you, let alone about to move in with you."

Remus smiled and kissed her softly. "You two will be fine."

There was a knock on the door and she squealed, jumping off of his lap and hurrying to the front door to pull it open. "Charlie!"

"Hey, Beautiful," he said with a smile. "I come bringing wine."

"Ooh, fancy," she said accepting the bottle from him. "Rem, would you mind opening it?"

"Of course not," Remus said with a grin. "Hi. Charlie."

"Hi, Remus," he said with a nod. "It's red."

Remus nodded. "Red is fine." He moved into the kitchen to pour the three of them each a glass before he moved back out into the living room.

Tonks was sitting on the sofa, her legs curled under her as Charlie sat across from her in the chair. Remus handed them each a glass of wine before he sat next to Tonks. Her hand immediately rested on his knee and he smiled at her.

"So, are the dragons everything you wanted and more?"

Charlie nodded, smiling widely. "Oh, definitely. Plus, I got this," he said, standing up and tugging off his shirt. On the left side of his ribs, up his side and over his shoulder and back was a gorgeous tattoo of a Chinese Fireball. It seemed to breathe and smoke and little sparks of flames seemed to lick out across his chest.

"It looks alive," Tonks said in awe, her eyes on the tattoo. She reached out to touch it and jolted in surprise when it felt hot.

Charlie grinned. "It kind of is. It's like a tattoo familiar almost. She was the first dragon that I ever took care of. Her name was Chi and she was killed by another dragon a year ago. There's this bloke in Romania who can mix part of a dragon's ashes into the paint and voila! It's like part of her spirit is still with me. She can move all around my body, too. She mostly stays here on my shoulder, but sometimes she shifts down and I can feel her when she moves."

"That's amazing," Remus said as Charlie softly touched the dragon and it seemed to glimmer on his skin as if it felt his touch. "Absolutely stunning work!"

He nodded. "I just got it finished last month so it's still new. No one else knows about it yet. Ginny is going to go crazy over it when she sees it. I'm going to hide it from my mum as long as possible."

Remus chuckled. "Seems like a smart decision."

"You got any tattoos yet, Tonks? You used to always say you wanted some?"

She shrugged. "I changed my mind at least for now. There nothing that I deem worthy enough to tattoo on myself at this moment in my life."

"That's alright, too," he said putting his shirt back on and sitting down.

He told them about the different dragons that he got to work with, what life was like on the reserve, and what some of the dangers and limitations were. Tonks was fascinated and listened attentively. She filled Charlie in on her life as an A2 and what she got to do as an Auror and what her job entailed.

"It can be quite dangerous too," she said standing up and lifting her shirt up to show Charlie the jagged scars across her abdomen.

"Damn! That looks beyond painful! What the hell happened?"

"Dark curse warding," Tonks told him. "I was lucky."

They finished the bottle of red wine and Tonks decided that she absolutely needed Chinese food right this very minute and she left the two of then alone to go make an order at the restaurant across the street.

Charlie smirked at her when she hurried out if the flat. "She hasn't changed a bit. She's still a bubbling ball of bouncing energy that always brings a smile to your face."

Remus smiled at him. "She's incredible." He stood up and headed into the kitchen. "Beer?"

"Beer would be great, thanks."

Remus nodded and grabbed two beers, passing one to Charlie.

"You know, she had the biggest crush on you when we were kids. Used to always tell me that one day she'd make you fall in love with her."

"She did make me fall in love with her. I pushed her away for a long time. I'm thirty-four-years-old and she deserves someone better than me, but now... the thought of losing her... she's everything to me and I'd fight for her."

Charlie grinned at him. "I miss her. She's been my best friend since first year and when I moved to Romania I just kind of let myself drop off of the face of earth."

"She misses you, too. You should try to write to her more. More than just once every few months."

Charlie smirked. "I will." He took a drink of his beer, his eyes on Remus. "And just so you know, if you hurt her, I'll be forced to kill you — and I have dragons."

Remus laughed. "I guess that's fair."

Charlie grinned. "I like you. I always did. I'm glad that you finally gave into her or you know she would still be chasing you around thirty years from now. You were always it for her."

Remus smiled at him. "She's it for me, too. I know exactly how lucky I am, Charlie."

"Good," Charlie said with a smile as he drank his beer. "As long as you know."

They both turned to grin at Tonks when she came in carrying bags upon bags of food.

"Hope you're both hungry!"

Remus jumped up to help her laughing. "There's only three of us, Nymphadora!"

She kissed him softly. "What's your point?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Charlie said holding up his hands and standing up. "Why does Lupin get to call you Nymphadora?"

Tonks smirked at him. "Because I said so and no you cannot call me by my first name. Spring roll?"

"I want to talk about calling you Nymphadora," Charlie said, accepting the spring roll and yelping when a second spring roll went flying and hit him in the head.

"Charles!"

He winced and smirked at her. "Nymphadora Andromeda Mary-Ellen Tonks, you really do have such a lovely name."

Remus busted into laughter when Tonks started throwing pillows at Charlie, followed by her slippers, Remus' shoe, and anything else nearby that she could find. "Dora!"

Charlie was laughing. "All right, all right, you crazy mad woman! Tonks it is!"

Tonks smiled happily at him. "Thank you. Now, let's talk about your top secret project!"

"It's top secret," Charlie said with a smirk.

"A top secret project about dragons, what do you think, Remus?"

Remus only smiled at her and scooped up some his beef chow mein. "I think I'd like to know more about Romania."

Charlie grinned at him. "Sure, Remus; what would you like to know?"

~ ASC ~

 **As May came to a close, the teachers started working on exam reviews and Harry found himself in the final lesson of Defence Club for the year.** Remus beamed at his Advanced Class as they settled in the duelling room.

"Welcome to the last night of Defence Club! Tonight, we're going to be doing something a little different," he said with a smile.

McGonagall nodded from next to him. "As you know, there is a hidden place in the school called the Chamber of Secrets that was built and created by Salazar Slytherin himself. Professor Dumbledore and I have been working tirelessly these last few months to turn the Chamber into something that we could use for educational purposes. Professor Lupin and I would like to share that with you tonight."

Harry looked at Hermione with a grin and she linked her arm with his as they followed Lupin and McGonagall down to the girl's bathroom. But to Harry's surprise, they didn't go inside, but to the door next to it. This new door led to a staircase which led to another staircase, this one Harry recognized as the stairs that McGonagall had made appear in the tunnel that he and Ron had originally slid down.

"I'll have to add the new door and staircase to the map," he whispered to Hermione as they travelled down the many stairs and through the now sparkling clean tunnels, through the stone archway and into the Chamber of Secrets.

The Chamber looked much the same as it had since the last time Harry had been down there with Ginny and Luna, but now it was transformed into what looked like the ultimate obstacle course. Training dummies were stationed around the room along with a maze full of different stations to pass.

McGonagall smiled brightly. "The other professors and I have been working on this obstacle course for the last few months. For tonight's last meeting, I would like each of you to go through the obstacle course. It will test how much you've learned over the semester and most of all, it should be fun."

Harry had to agree.

The dummies were enchanted to duel with him and he dodged and stunned one; climbed over the wall and disarmed another dummy; erected his shield as flying debris rained down on him and fought his way to the end where he duelled Blaise, the next opponent to make it safely to the end of the maze. He disarmed him successfully and Remus beamed at him.

It had been one of the best Defence Club classes that they had ever had.

When they returned to Gryffindor Tower afterwards, Harry and Hermione filled Ron, Neville and Ginny in on the course and Harry carefully added the sketch of the new entranceway to the Chamber onto the map. He carefully coloured in the lines and performed the Homunculus Charm and watched the map glimmer. He was pretty sure that it was done. He just needed Remus to check everything over to make sure that he had done it all correctly. He let his eyes wander along the map, spotting Seamus in an empty classroom on the fourth floor with someone named William Matthews again.

He closed the map down, folding it up as everyone decided to head up to bed. Tomorrow was the final Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and Harry was looking forward to it. He was confident that they would crush Slytherin and finally win that coveted Quidditch Cup.

He stretched and turned, recognizing the flaming red hair in the armchair by the fire. He moved to sit on the arm. "Not tired?"

"Hmm?" she asked, her eyes out of focus.

Harry grinned at her. "It's late, Ginny."

She smiled up at him. "I know. I was just thinking about how the Chamber of Secrets is going to be used for Defence Club now."

"Yeah, it looks really good down there. It's all set up nice and it doesn't feel like a bad place. I think using it for something good is a way to help drive out the bad."

Ginny nodded, a small smile on her face. "I know and when we went down there to help you with the map, it felt right. I'm not scared of it anymore."

Harry nodded, his green eyes on hers. "Uh-huh, so what's wrong then?"

She sighed, her chocolate brown eyes turning to look at him. "Sometimes I wonder if anyone notices that my blood is on the stones."

Harry moved into the chair with her, his arm slipping over her shoulders. "It's not, Ginny. It was cleaned up."

"I didn't mean literally, Harry."

"I know," he said softly, wrapping his other arm around her to engulf her in a warm hug. "I think it's great that the school is making a use out of the space. It won't be that mysterious Chamber of Secrets, where bad things happened and people will forget all about it. That's a good thing, Ginny. Next year, you'll be in the club, too, and you can see what I mean. It's a different space now, with a different energy."

She nodded, her eyes on the fire. "Good." She hugged him tight and then lifted herself from the chair. "Thanks for understanding, Harry."

He smiled at her. "Of course. You know, if you didn't want them to use it, I'm sure that McGonagall would understand."

Ginny shook her head. "No, I want it to be used for something good. Like you said, different energy, and maybe it will help wash away all of the bad."

He stared at her for a moment as he stood up. "Do you want me to ask Dumbledore if we can get Na'eemah here for a bit?"

Ginny smiled at him, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're a great friend, Harry, but no. I'm fine, honest. I'm glad it's being used for something good; something educational even. Good luck in the match tomorrow, Harry. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he said, smiling at her as she made her way over to the staircase that led to the girls dormitories'.

She was brave, he thought, and the one thing that he admired most about Ginny Weasley was that she was strong and she could overcome anything. He scooped the map up off the table, reminding himself to give it to Remus on Monday to look over and he turned to head up the stairs when he heard the portrait hole open behind him.

His eyebrow rose in amusement as he watched Seamus stumble inside, his shirt buttoned wrong and his hair all tousled. "Someone looks like they were having a good night?"

Seamus grinned widely, his face flushing. "The best," he said with a smirk.

Harry grinned at him. "I figured." He hesitated on the step, glancing up the stairs to make sure that they were alone. "Can I ask who Will Matthews is?"

Seamus paled. "What?"

Harry held up the map in his hands. "I have this map that my dads invented, remember? I saw your name next to a William Matthews, and it wasn't exactly the first time."

"Er, he's just a friend."

Harry nodded, his eyes on his friend's dishevelled appearance. "Seam, there's no reason to be embarrassed."

"I'm not," he said defensively. "He's just a friend that I snog sometimes. That's all. I told you before, Harry — I'm not gay."

Harry smiled at his friend. "There's nothing wrong with being gay, Seamus. It only matters that you're happy."

Seamus stared at him for a long moment. "Please don't tell anyone that you saw me with him, Harry."

"I won't, I promise."

He nodded and headed up the stairs with Harry following behind him. He stopped when they reached the door to their dormitory, turning to look at Harry. "Snogging him is way better than snogging Lavender ever was. Will is… kind and he makes me smile."

Harry smiled at his friend. "He sounds great, Seamus."

Seamus smiled at him. "If my dad finds out that I snogged a bloke, he'll kick me out of the house. He's a Muggle and they… Muggles have very different views on who should and shouldn't be together."

Harry nodded. "Seamus, don't you think that being yourself is more important than making your father happy."

Seamus stared at him for a moment. "I am happy, Harry, and I'm not gay," he insisted before he opened the door to the dorm, making his way over to his own bed without a word.

Harry watched him go into the bathroom and close the door and he sighed. He hoped his friend figured things out. He didn't like seeing him so unhappy. And he hoped he realized that the entire time he had spoken about this Will Matthews, he had been grinning from ear to ear.

He changed into his own pyjamas and crawled into bed yawning, thoughts drifting to the game against Slytherin tomorrow and he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny woke up, her heart pounding in her chest.** She reached up to place a hand on her sweaty face and she caught her breath. It had been almost two months since a nightmare had gripped her like that, but Merlin it had felt so real! She had been lying on the floor of the Chamber and Tom had been violating her with that bone and the pain... tears welled up in her eyes and she determinedly pushed them back.

No, she told herself, it's over with, and tears are not going to help!

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly three which seemed typical. Her roommates were all still sleeping, but she rose and showered, braided her hair into one long thick braid down her back before changing into jeans and one of her brother's old Gryffindor tee shirts and made her way down into the common room.

She was restless, she thought, and she knew that listening to Harry talk about the obstacle course down in the Chamber must have triggered something. She contemplated pulling out her notes and studying for her end of year exams, but they were still two weeks away and she wasn't in the right mindset for it.

Hot chocolate was what she needed, she thought. She snuck a glance at the portrait hole before she decided sneaking out would be worth it and she started to meander her way down to the kitchens.

The school year was basically over anyway, she thought in terms of if she would get caught or not. She really wanted some hot chocolate and at this point as long as she got some, the detention would be worth it. But she made it to the kitchens unseen and tickled the pear to gain entry.

She snuck through the kitchen doors and the house elves all turned to her, eyes wide.

"Er, good morning. I was wondering if I could trouble you for some hot chocolate."

"Of course, Miss! Sit! Sit!"

Ginny sat at the small table in the kitchen and was surprised to see someone else there. He was tall with dark wavy hair and brown eyes. He smiled at her.

"Weasley."

"Hello. I'm afraid that I don't know you."

"Theo," he said with a smile, extending his hand. "Theodore Nott."

"Oh, yes, Slytherin," she said accepting the hand.

He shrugged good naturally. "Jenny, right?"

"Ginny," she corrected.

He nodded. "Right, you're Potter's friend. What are you doing up so late?"

She thanked the elf when a steaming mug of hot chocolate was placed in front of her. "I could ask you the same."

"Maybe I'm contemplating life."

She snorted and blew on her hot chocolate before taking her first sip. "Sure you are."

He grinned at her. "I'm trying to plan out my summer between my friends houses actually."

"You don't want to go home?" Ginny asked in surprise.

Theo shrugged. "Not if I don't have to, no. My father and I don't exactly get along."

Ginny nodded. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged again and dug into the chocolate pudding he was eating. "No big."

Ginny smiled kindly at him and rolled her shoulders. "Well, I had a nightmare and it was rather horrible and left me feeling unbalanced and... let's just say the thought of going back to sleep after a dream like that isn't going to happen. I thought some hot chocolate sounded like the perfect solution."

He nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry. Um..." he blushed as he spoke. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Ginny smiled at him. "That's kind of you, but no, thank you. I've done the talking thing and it does help, but I'm all right. Thanks."

He nodded and stood up to get a spoon from the cutlery drawer and passed it over to her before passing over the pudding that he was eating and moving to sit next to her. She smiled and dug into the rich dessert.

They both ate in silence for a moment before Ginny spoke up. "So, if you know Harry, are you a third year?"

Theo nodded. "Guilty. And you? You're a second year, right? I mean I had heard you were a first year last year when you..." he trailed off, his eyes wide. "Shit, I'm sorry."

She nodded. "It's okay. When I attacked all those students last year, you can say it. Not that anyone believes me, but I was being controlled by Lord Voldemort, and I understand that now and that none of it was my fault, no matter how guilty I may feel."

"I believe you. Dumbledore would have expelled you if it was truly you."

She smiled and licked the end of her spoon. "Thank you. That means more than you know."

"So, Ginny, aren't you also the girl who sent that singing Valentine to Potter last year? I seem to remember a dwarf dressed as cupid tackling him to the ground in the dungeons. It was bloody hilarious!"

She half-smiled as her face heated in embarrassment. "It was stupid and I know he doesn't like me that way. We're really good friends and I don't want to lose that. I don't even like him that way anymore."

Theo smirked at her. "Hey, none of my business, but personally I thought Potter and Chang were a train wreck. She was only really interested because he's Harry Bloody Potter. I mean she liked him, you could see that, but not as much as she liked the _idea_ of dating Harry Potter. Apparently she bragged about it quite a lot which is why I enjoyed the gossip so much when I heard he dumped her."

Ginny scowled at that. "I don't like the way she treated him. He deserves someone better than that; someone who is going to take the time to appreciate getting to know him for himself, and not for some bogus celebrity status. I mean, how would _you_ feel if you were famous because your parents were murdered?"

"Wow, wow, Red, calm yourself. I happen to like Potter. He's snarky and sassy plus he has a great arse."

Ginny gawked at him and he chuckled.

"Are you telling me that he doesn't?"

Ginny blushed and pointedly decided not to respond. "So whose friend's house are you staying at this summer?"

"I'm hoping for a combination thing between Blaise and Draco. Draco's house would be ideal as his mum is the best while Blaise's mum is a little crazy. But I'll take either one. It's just a matter of going home first and not knowing how long I might have to stay there."

She nodded. "Well, if you're stuck, you're more than welcome to come to the Burrow. Mum loves company — that is if a Slytherin can stomach a house full of Gryffindors."

His eyes widened at her offer. "You don't even know me, chick."

Ginny smiled brightly at him. "You offered me an ear, shared your pudding with me and told me that you believe me about last year. It sounds like you're a nice guy to me, Theodore Nott, and also a bit like you could use a friend."

Theo licked the pudding off the back of his spoon, his face carefully blank. "You are a remarkable person, Ginny Weasley, for a known blood traitor that is."

She laughed. "Thank you. So tell me, Theo, how does one exactly become friends with someone like Draco Malfoy? I've always gotten the impression that he's nothing more than a spoiled, selfish, prick?"

Theo laughed. "He completely is! And he knows it, too, which is funny. But he's the kind of spoiled, selfish prick who would give you the shirt off his back, but then demand you never tell anyone that he was kind to you and ruin his reputation — or he'll kill you."

Ginny laughed. "That seems extreme."

"It's who he is. He's one of my best friends and has been since we were about seven or eight, but he's a git. Blaise I never really met until Hogwarts. His mother prefers to live in Italy most of the year."

Ginny nodded. "Harry and Luna are my two oldest friends and then Neville too because he used to always be at Harry's. But I made a friend in Colin this year. He's a Muggleborn and so talented with photography! He's funny and cheerful and he always makes me smile. He's honestly my best friend."

"Muggleborn, eh?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me that you're going to be all Slytherin and pureblood elitist?"

Theo grinned. "Well, I am a Nott and was therefore raised to be so, but no, I'm really trying not to be."

"Uh-huh," she said carefully.

Theo shrugged. "I am trying."

"You're a funny guy, Theo."

He smiled at her. "I'm also hoping to spend some time at Draco's because that would guarantee me tickets to the World Cup."

"Oh! I want to go so bad! Do you think tickets are going to be really expensive?"

"Probably."

She sighed, blowing some loose hair from her eyes. "I really want to go, but there's no way that Mum and Dad will be able to afford it for all of us! Ireland is a phenomenal team this year."

"You're not jumping on the Krum bandwagon like everyone else?"

She rolled her eyes. "He's an incredible Seeker obviously, especially for his age, but he's only one player. Ireland has seven amazing players! But you have to admit if Krum and Lynch traded teams, Ireland would be absolutely unstoppable!"

Theo grinned. "Definitely."

She smiled and sipped on her hot chocolate. "Breakfast should be ready in the Great Hall. Would you like to walk down with me?"

"Yeah, yeah I would," Theo said, standing up. "Speaking of Quidditch, Slytherin is going to kick your arse today. That Cup looks too damn good in the Slytherin Common Room to get moved."

Ginny smirked at him. "Please, Gryffindor has its own amazing Seeker."

Theo grinned at that. "Potter is pretty talented, I'll admit to that, but Malfoy's good too."

"He is, Harry's just better," Ginny told him smartly.

Theo chuckled. "Well, at our next meeting of the Insomniacs Club we can discuss it in more detail."

"Insomniacs Club?"

He shrugged. "You can find me in the kitchens most nights. I don't usually sleep well."

She smiled brightly at him. "I'll make sure that I get a hot chocolate fix the next time I can't sleep then."

He smiled. "I'd like that."

"Good," she said. She turned to look up at him, a small smile on her lips. "So Theo, can I be Prime Minister of this Club?"

"Ooh, sorry, that position has been filled, but there's still my personal secretary as well as the caretaker position left, if you're interested?"

She chuckled and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "Prat."

Theo smirked. "Absolutely."

They continued their banter all the way to the Great Hall and Theo was surprised when Ginny urged him to join her at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. It was a little after five in the morning and there were barely any students in the hall nor teachers outside of Professor Vector and Professor Snape who had scored the morning shift, so he moved to sit on the bench next to her.

By the time breakfast was over, Ginny knew that she had made a new friend and she couldn't stop smiling.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry couldn't believe that they had actually won the Quidditch Cup that afternoon.** It was better than anything that he had ever imagined feeling, especially when Sirius asked the house elves to send up an endless supply of butterbeer and snacks to Gryffindor Tower to help them celebrate.

Wood had actually cried.

Tears rolling down his cheeks as he hugged the cup to his chest and his team beaming at him in happiness.

The final score had been 230 to 20. Gryffindor had destroyed Slytherin in the match.

When Madam Hooch handed the Quidditch Cup to McGonagall to present to her team, there had been tears in her eyes and pride beaming from her. It was the best feeling in the world to have won more than just a match.

Dean helped Harry set up the record player in the corner and asked Kreacher to bring him Sirius' Queen album News of the World and he played 'We Are the Champions' on repeat. Fred and George seemed to like the song the most and soon most of the common room had their arms around each other singing loudly.

" _No time for losers, 'cause we are the champions, of the world!"_

Hermione merely rolled her eyes and claimed that they were childish and became even more put out when Fred and George snuck in some Firewhiskey. She huffed in annoyance, claiming that she had to study and moved to the corner of the common room and buried herself in her textbooks.

"Hermione, why are you reading _Unfogging the Future_?" Harry asked. "If you need to study, then study a class you actually have an exam for."

"Harry, I'm glad that we won, honest, but I have a lot of work to do so please, leave me alone."

Harry frowned at that and exchanged looks with Ron. They still hadn't figured out why Hermione seemed to have an endless supply of homework or why she seemed to be taking on so much. It just didn't make sense, but he left her alone to study and moved further into the common room to join in the festivities of Gryffindor's win.

Harry drank a little bit of the Firewhiskey to celebrate, but wrinkled his nose at the taste of it. It reminded him of the Scotch that Sirius had given him during the FUVP meeting but worse somehow. However, he did blame the Firewhiskey, mostly, for where he was after.

He wasn't really sure how it had gotten started. But now he was sitting in an armchair in an alcove of the Gryffindor common room with Sophie Roper straddling him. His hands were in her shoulder-length brown hair and his lips were glued to hers as they snogged quite passionately. Sophie's hands kneaded through his hair, making it stick up even more and her tongue met his over and over again. He gasped for breath, kissing her neck and sucking on the skin there and she sighed in pleasure.

"Harry, you'll leave marks!"

He grinned at her. "Want me to stop?"

"No," she said, laughing and kissing his lips.

Her mouth moved to his neck, sucking the skin gently at first and then harder, and he boldly slid his hands under her shirt, up her naked back, brushing against the bra straps on her shoulders.

Sophie moved to suck on his ear, panting slightly, her own hands sliding under his Quidditch jersey. "You were a champion tonight."

He smirked against her cheek. "We won and it was amazing. Go Gryffindor!"

"Go Potter," she said with a cheeky grin. She pulled away, biting her bottom lip and he realized that he was quite hard. She noticed too because she let her hands trail down his jersey to his lap and she stroked him through his pants.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Sophie," he whispered. "Anyone can see!"

She smiled and kissed him deeply. "Let's go find somewhere more private."

Harry wasn't sure what came over him, but he took her hand in his and he led her down the stairs into one of the empty study rooms of Gryffindor Tower. He kicked the door closed and laughed when her lips found his. They stood in the middle of the room, kissing passionately for the longest time and he tried not to let her see how hard he was.

Sophie had other ideas. She was sucking on his bottom lip when a hand slid down the front of his pants and she touched him. The feeling shocked him and he swore.

She giggled. "You feel nice, Harry," she whispered.

He deepened the kiss, her hand stroking him lightly inside his Quidditch pants. "Bloody hell, Soph."

She smirked against his mouth and continued her ministrations. He wanted it to go on forever, but he was almost on edge already and he kissed her neck.

"I'm going to —"

Sophie simply smiled and stroked him faster and it was only seconds before he came all over her hand. She wiped her hand on his Quidditch jersey and smiled at him and then she locked her lips on his again.

By the time that he made it back up to his bed that night, he still couldn't quite believe what had happened. He had gotten a hand-job, a knob job, whatever one wanted to call it, and it had been fantastic. He made himself comfortable on his bed as he thought about how nice Sophie's hand had felt stroking his cock; the way her lips had felt on his. They had snogged for a solid hour after she had gotten him off. He had taken her shirt off at some point and kissed her through her bra, leaving hickeys on her skin and she had giggled.

They would have snogged longer if Fred hadn't burst in on them with his arms full of a giggling brunette that Harry didn't recognize. Harry and Sophie had left to give Fred and the brunette the room. He had kissed her on the stairs and again in the hall, kissing her sweetly.

She had pressed herself up against him with a smile. "You were amazing out there today, Harry."

He had grinned at her and kissed her goodnight before finding the party mostly over and had gone up to bed, a smile on his face.

Yeah, he was pretty sure winning the Quidditch Cup had turned into one of the best nights of his life.


	138. Chapter 138

_Author's Note:_

 _Well, this is The Chapter. I cried while I wrote it. I'm sorry/not sorry._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT:**

 **Harry stretched his legs out in front of him as he lay back on his elbows looking out at the lake.** Exams were finally over and he was feeling pretty good about his marks, including Arithmancy. He looked over at Ron who was skipping stones on the Black Lake and was rolling his eyes at Hermione as she asked him question after question about their History of Magic exam and trying to see if Ron had put down the same answers as her.

"For Merlin's sake, 'Mione, we already know you got perfect — so stop with the review!"

Harry snorted as Hermione looked rather put out. "Hermione we've told you before, no one wants to rewrite the exam after it's done. I'm sure you did great. You've been studying non-stop twenty-four/seven for weeks now. Sit down, breathe, take a break. They're finally over."

Neville smirked from where he sat cross-legged next to Harry. "I even think I did okay. That obstacle course that Professor Lupin had us go through was amazing."

Hermione blanched and her cheeks heated with embarrassment. She hadn't been able to defeat the Boggart on her exam after it had turned into Professor McGonagall claiming that she had failed everything and couldn't return to Hogwarts next year. Harry had tried to reassure her that it wasn't true, but she hadn't truly believed it, and he knew that she was terrified to see her exam marks now.

"I had no trouble with the obstacle course in Defence Club!"

Harry smiled sympathetically at her. "No, you did great on that, but it was only a Boggart, Hermione. It wasn't real. There wasn't a Boggart in the course from Defence Club."

She frowned, pouting at his words.

Neville stretched his arms up over his head. "I wish it would storm already. I'm dying to know what animal I can be."

"I know, me too," Harry said with a grin. "We have to figure out how to get the six of us together in case it storms this summer. The potion is ready. If it doesn't storm by the time we go home, I'm going to lock them in a case to put in my trunk."

Neville nodded. "Yeah, I'd say maybe we could all spend the summer together, but you're going to be in America."

"Only for a month," he said with a grin. He was looking forward to it if he was honest. "I really like Zee's grandparents and they want me to call them Grandma and Grandpa, which is nice. Plus going to Georgia is going to be brilliant. I heard it's quite hot there in the summer."

"Probably, I don't know, I've never been to America. But it was pretty hot in Brazil."

"Brazil's definitely hotter," Harry said with a grin.

"What about Sophie?" Ron asked, grinning at his friend as he continued to skip rocks in the lake. "She's going to miss you."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sophie and I are not together, Ron. We just snogged that one night. We were… celebrating Gryffindor's win together."

Hermione sighed. "Sophie snogs everyone, Harry. You're better off, trust me."

He smirked at her. "You're just saying that because you didn't like Cho."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not that I disliked her," she said dismissively. "I just didn't get the chance to find out as she went out of her way to ignore your friends."

He shrugged and dragged his fingers through his hair. "Girls are complicated anyway. Snogging Sophie was great and honestly, just what I needed after that spectacular Gryffindor win, but I'm not looking to date anyone right now. Besides, Sophie and I both had a bit too much Firewhiskey - which might have attributed to our snogging."

Hermione grinned. "No, Sophie just really likes to snog everyone."

Harry chuckled. "I just want to go home and spend my summer with Uncle Sirius and Zee in Georgia and find out what my Animagus form will be."

He reached over to pet Crookshanks when he wandered over to him, nuzzling into his side. The ugly cat had grown on him a bit. He scratched him behind the ears and Crookshanks closed his eyes in contentment and then he tensed. Harry looked down at the cat in concern when he suddenly made a hissing noise and turned to run towards the lake.

"Crooks!" Harry called out. "Where are you going?"

"He's always running off around the grounds," Hermione told him as she jumped to her feet to try to see where Crookshanks was running off too. "I didn't expect him to be such an outdoor cat."

Harry stood up as well, dusting off his jeans. "He must have saw something to chase. Don't worry, he'll be back."

Hermione frowned at that. "I hate when he disappears like that, but he always wants to be outside."

Harry shrugged and put his arm around her shoulders. "He likes it outside. Let him run loose and enjoy himself. We should head back to the castle and see if we can sneak down to the kitchens for a snack.

Ron nodded, tossing his last few stones into the lake. "Now that I agree with!"

"We just ate an hour ago!" Hermione protested.

Neville grinned, standing up with his friends. "I could go for a snack as well."

"Boys," Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes. "Let me just get Crookshanks. I don't want him wandering around the forest in the dark. I'll meet you inside. I'm assuming that you're heading down to the kitchens?"

Harry nodded. "Absolutely. Do you think the house elves have any of that pudding left?"

Ron moaned. "Ah, I hope so! It was fantastic! Or one of those white chocolate cranberry scones?"

Neville nodded. "Before we head down there, it's just about sunset, should we do the incantation?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah, good call Nev."

The four of them took out their wands and muttered the proper incantation over themselves to help prepare for the Animagus transformation.

"Amato Animo Animato Animagus," Harry said clearly as he heard his friends say the same. He grinned at them when they finished. "Now if it would just storm already!"

Ron nodded eagerly. "Tell me about it. So white chocolate cranberry scone?"

Harry grinned at his friend as the three of them headed towards the castle discussing what kind of snacks they could find and Hermione moved towards the greenhouses in an attempt to find her cat.

Less than a minute later, they heard a shriek and Ron grabbed Harry's arm. "Hermione!"

The three of them turned and ran towards the greenhouses, eyes searching for their friend or for the source of the scream. They ran around greenhouse five and Harry's blood ran cold. His eyes widened when he recognized the short, balding man with his arms wrapped around Hermione's waist, his wand pointed at her neck. Hermione's wand was still holstered at her hip.

"YOU!" he bellowed, his eyes flashing in anger. "Let her go!"

Pettigrew only smiled. "Eventually."

He stunned her and she collapsed against him and then he cried, "Immobulus", and the branches of the Whomping Willow froze as he dove to the ground and pulled Hermione with him and they slid into the underground tunnel disappearing from their view.

"He took Hermione!" Ron exclaimed in horror and before either Harry or Neville could stop him, Ron ran under the tree and slid into the tunnel.

"Harry," Neville said. "That was Pettigrew!"

Harry nodded as the tree branches began to move again. "I know."

"How did he get onto the school grounds?" Neville asked, his voice terrified.

"He came in through the Shrieking Shack."

"He came from the Shrieking Shack?" Neville asked in horror.

Harry nodded, feeling unnaturally calm as the anger surged through him. "It's where this tunnel leads." He made to point his wand at the tree when he noticed Crookshanks belly-crawling under the moving branches and touched the small knot on the base. He grinned widely. "Good job, Crooks, good job!"

Neville grabbed his arm as he made to go below the tree. "You're not going after him, Harry! This has big fucking trap written all over it!"

Harry stared at the tree for a minute and then he wrenched himself away from his friend and dove towards the tunnel, slipping under the tree. He heard his friend yell out after him, but he didn't care.

Neville was probably right, but this man had betrayed his parents; this man had been sentenced to die in Azkaban only to escape; he had stalked his godfather and tried to get him to kill him; and now he was here and he had taken Hermione. He wasn't going to let her or Ron get hurt because of him.

He turned to Neville when he felt the hand on his shoulder. "Go, get help. Let someone know that Pettigrew's been spotted."

Neville ignored him. "And let you get yourself killed? No way. I'm coming with you!"

Harry nodded, surprisingly grateful at the thought. "All right; let's find Ron and Hermione."

The two of them carefully moved towards the broken staircase, climbing up the creaking steps. Seeing the damage to the house: The broken steps, the walls full of scratches and blood, torn furniture and shredded fabric… it was worse than he had imagined. His father had done all of this he thought.

He stepped into the bedroom on the left where the door was slightly ajar, Neville behind him and both of their wands drawn.

Ron was on the ground, his leg bent at a strange angle and Hermione was still stunned next to him. Pettigrew stood in the corner, both of their wands in his hands.

"I had hoped that you would come after your friend," he said softly. "Prongs would have."

Harry's hand tightened on his wand. "Expell—"

"— Protego!" Pettigrew shouted, erecting himself in a strong shield. "Drop your wands and I won't hurt you."

Harry glared at him. "You won't hurt me? You kidnapped my friend! Ron's leg is broken!"

Peter looked strained. "That was an accident."

"What do you want, Wormtail?" Harry demanded through clenched teeth. The sight of the man hiding behind the shield was enough to make him see red.

Peter half-smiled. "In another life you would have called me Uncle Pete. I think about that sometimes, about what I lost."

"About what _you_ threw away!" Harry exclaimed. "You betrayed my parents! You're the reason that they're dead! Uncle Sirius had to go to prison because you framed him! You hurt everyone around you!"

He nodded. "You were at my trial, you know that my betrayal wasn't that cut and dried."

"I don't care! They should be alive and you should be dead!"

"Maybe that's true, but I'm not dead," he said slowly, his eyes full of sadness. "I wanted to die. Merlin, I dreamed about it for the longest time and I knew that if anyone would help me with my wish it would be Padfoot. He was always a loose cannon; prone to anger and tantrums. The 'Black Madness', we used to tease him, his dear cousin Bella sure had it in spades as did his crazy mother. He should have killed me."

Harry glared at him. "He wouldn't risk leaving me!"

Peter nodded, licking his lips. "I see that now and seeing you… you look just like Prongs. He wouldn't have let anyone kidnap one of his friends either."

"What do you want, Wormtail?" Harry demanded a second time as Neville made a move towards Ron and Hermione.

"Take another step, boy and you'll be on the ground with them," Peter warned.

Neville swallowed, but stayed where he was.

Peter stared at him for a moment before he turned his attention back to Harry. "I made a lot of wrong choices that I have to live with now. I'm not proud of the things I've done and being stuck with Bella all these months hasn't exactly been the pleasant picnic that escaping from prison should have been. I've done more things that I'm not proud of; things that I'll regret for the rest of my life — and I know that I'll only survive as long as I'm useful. I know that. And I do _want to be_ useful."

Harry's eyes flashed in anger. "So, you're going to kill me then? Present me to your precious Dark Lord and stomp out the last bit of humanity that you still have left? My parents loved you! Uncle Siri and Uncle Rem loved you, and you threw it all away!"

"I'm not going to kill you, Harry. I told you, I'm not here to hurt you. I want you to pass on a message for me."

"I'm not going to pass on any damn message for you! Let me and my friends go and you can have a head start on escaping the Dementors!"

Peter paled slightly at his words, but he held his wand out. "Listen to me, Prongs II —"

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL ME THAT!" Harry shouted. "YOU LOST THAT RIGHT THE MOMENT THAT YOU BETRAYED MY PARENTS!"

Neville made to grab his arm, but Harry was faster.

He didn't know what he was thinking. He didn't even know what he was planning, but he dove at Pettigrew, shield be damned, and to his surprise, Pettigrew dropped his guard and the shield went down as Harry landed on top of him. He punched him in the face, hitting him everywhere he could. Tears were in his eyes, but he kept hitting him until he was suddenly blasted backwards into his friends and Ron moaned as he landed on his leg.

Pettigrew disarmed both Harry and Neville, his breathing heavy and his nose bleeding as he stood up and straightened his robes. "That was stupid of you, Harry." He wiped the blood from his lip, wand pointed at the four of them. "You can hate me as much as you want, I don't care. I deserve it and much worse. But you will listen to this message. There's a cup, a golden cup, that the Dark Lord gave to Bella as a gift years ago."

Harry's eyes widened at his words. _"What?"_

Peter wiped at the blood on his lip again as he spoke. "She's been bragging that the Dark Lord presented her with a gift and that she keeps it hidden in her bank vault."

"Why should I care about a cup?" Harry asked carefully, determined not to give anything away.

Peter snorted. "I may be a rat, but I've heard things. The way she talks about this gift you'd think it was the _Second Coming_. I want you to tell Sirius for me. Padfoot would never listen to me himself. Tell him."

Harry swallowed slowly, what exactly did Wormtail know? But he only nodded just as they heard footsteps on the stairs. "Who else is here?"

Peter looked fearful as he shook his head. "No one else should be."

The door flung open and Peter paled when her dark eyes landed on him before raking across the four teens on the floor.

"My, my, Wormtail, I let you out of my sight for a few hours and you get up to all sorts of trouble."

"Bella, how did you find me?"

She smirked at him. "Did you really think that we would have let you have free rein without installing a tracking charm on you? Silly, Wormtail."

Neville was moving to his feet, his face pale. "Lestrange," he whispered almost reverently.

Bellatrix turned to look over at him. "Oh, you've heard of me, boy? I see my reputation gives me away. And what's your name?"

"Neville Longbottom," he said defiantly.

Bellatrix smiled now. "Ooh, the little darling babe your mum tried so hard to protect from me! If the Aurors hadn't shown up when they had, we would have kept you alive for days. Tell me, Longbottom: How are mum and dad doing these days?"

Neville growled and Harry grabbed the back of his robes.

"Neville, no!"

She smirked and turned her attention back to Peter. "Now tell me, Wormtail, what are you doing in this ramshackle house with four children?"

Neville was still fighting against Harry's grip and Harry shoved him roughly to his side and put a finger to his lips. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the wands held loosely in Pettigrew's hands. He had only been successful once and quite by accident when he had dropped his wand in the dark of the obstacle course during his Defence Against the Dark Arts exam and muttered 'lumos' and had watched in amazement as his wand had lit up six feet away. But he concentrated hard and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

Bellatrix jolted in surprise as Peter fell to the ground and all five wands came soaring out at Harry. Bellatrix gripping her own wand tightly and preventing it from joining the others. Harry tucked Hermione's into his holster, but gave Ron and Neville back theirs; he held Pettigrew's in his other hand as he carefully slipped the mirror into Ron's hand.

"This one is powerful," Bellatrix said with a sneer. Her eyes raked over him and then they widened when they saw the lightning bolt scar. "Potter!"

"That's right," he said defiantly. "Unless you want to see how I defeated your precious Dark Lord as a baby, I suggest that you take Wormtail with you and get the fuck out of here while you still can."

"Ooh, little baby has a dirty mouth on him," she taunted. "I bet I could keep you alive for weeks after I washed that dirty mouth out with soap."

"Bella," Peter hissed, grabbing her arm. "He belongs to the Dark Lord. It's not time."

She glared at him, but nodded. "We'll leave the children alive I suppose," her eyes moving over to Neville with a cruel smile. "For now. Though I'd really like to know how baby Longbottom's mum and dad are doing. Do they remember me, do you think?"

Neville let out a war cry and dove at her just as Peter grabbed his wand from a surprised Harry's grasp and grabbed Bella to Apparate away at the same time. Harry made to stop Neville and then let out a strangled gasp as the three of them disappeared with a resounding crack.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus sat his desk, his eyes on the Marauder's Map.** Harry had done a splendid job adding to it. He had given it to him last week, but with the exams and the marking, he hadn't found the time to look it over. He traced the lines of the Chamber of the Secrets, the secret passageway in from the dungeons, the way through the girl's bathroom, the new doorway that McGonagall and Dumbledore had created in the hall next to the girl's bathroom, and the anti-chambers all throughout. It looked wonderful and he couldn't see any flaws in his boy's work. It made him proud especially since he was a full year younger than he and his fellow Marauders had been when they decided to make the map in the first place.

He looked up when Snape came into the room carrying the steaming goblet and smiled. "Thank you, Severus."

He nodded. "I see that you didn't resign."

"No, I did not," Remus said calmly. "I love teaching and as long as Dumbledore will keep me here, I plan to stay."

Snape looked like he wanted to say something but only nodded at him. "Drink that. The moon should be rising in the next half hour."

Remus nodded as Snape closed the office door behind him. He wasn't sure what it was that Sirius and Tonks had said to Snape all those months ago, but he had definitely been a lot nicer. Not quite friendly, but in the zone of it which in itself was a huge improvement. He looked back down at the map to see where Harry was. He wanted to give him back the map before he headed home to his cellar, but then his blood ran cold as he watched in horror as the name Peter Pettigrew disappeared under the Whomping Willow with Hermione Granger and seconds later, a Ron Weasley hurried in after them. He watched the names Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom hover near the base of the tree before they too disappeared below.

And then his wand was in his hand and he was running.

If Peter harmed Harry in any way he was going to kill him. He would kill him with his bare hands if he had too.

But he would kill him.

~ ASC ~

 **Zee was curled up on the sofa in Sirius' living room, Marauder's head resting on her lap and Sirius' arm around her shoulders.** Lady Godiva was sleeping beneath them peacefully. She smiled as she held her tea in her hands.

"How do you think Harry's exams went?"

"Good, I hope," he said honestly. "He's a really smart kid when he puts his mind to it. Plus, I told him that I'd pay him five Galleons for every O he brought home."

"Blackmail," she said with a smirk. "Aren't you sneaky?"

He grinned and gently toyed with her curls. "I can be. I have to get going, Remus needs me."

His mirror vibrated in his pocket. "Speaking of Harry," he said with a grin, tugging it out and holding it up so that they could both see him. "Hi, Harry."

"Sirius," Ron whispered. "Shrieking Shack, Pettigrew and Lestrange, you have to come."

Sirius paled as he and Zee both jumped to their feet as Ron's head turned away from the mirror. They could only see his ear now, but they both heard Harry's voice quite clearly.

"Unless you want to see how I defeated your precious Dark Lord as a baby, I suggest that you take Wormtail with you and get the fuck out of here while you still can."

Then the mirror went blank and Zee paled. She snapped her fingers at Lady Godiva and the panther jumped to her feet. The three of them ran out of the house to the Apparation point and in seconds had Disapparated to Hogsmeade, arriving just outside of the Shrieking Shack.

Zee sent a Patronus out to Tonks and to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement warning them that Pettigrew and Lestrange had been seen in Hogsmeade. Lady Godiva growled as they approached the Shack and Sirius found the front door open. He swore and hurried inside just as he heard the sound of someone Disapparating from upstairs.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was staring blankly at the spot where Pettigrew and Lestrange had just been standing.**

Neville was gone.

His eyes were wide as he looked at Ron. "They took him!"

Ron winced as he attempted to stand and Harry put his arm around his friend. "We'll get him back. Sirius is on his way by now."

Hermione stirred and Harry propped Ron up against the bedpost to check on her. "'Mione, hey, you all right?"

She put a hand to her head, but nodded and her eyes widened as she looked around the desecrated bedroom they were in. "Where are we?"

"The Shrieking Shack. Pettigrew and Lestrange took Neville."

"WHAT?" she exclaimed as the door burst open and Lady Godiva prowled into the room. Her yellow eyes moved across the room quickly before she made straight for Harry and rubbed her head against his thigh.

"Hi, Lady G," he said with a smile. "I'm okay."

The panther seemed to accept this, but stood in front of him as Sirius and Zee came up the stairs.

"Harry!" Zee exclaimed, her eyes in terror. "Are you all right?"

Sirius was checking the room, his eyes stormy. "Where are they?"

"Uncle Siri, they Disapparated and they took Neville!"

"WHAT?" Sirius exclaimed, moving to grab his son's shoulder. "They took Neville?"

He nodded. "I don't think they meant to, but Bellatrix was taunting him and I tried to hold him back, but he jumped at her and Wormtail grabbed at her to Disapparate at the same time and… they all disappeared."

Sirius hugged him tightly before he let go. "What the hell were the four of you doing in here with them?" He noticed Ron then and he immediately moved to put his arm around the boy's waist. "Lean on me, Ron."

Ron thanked him as Harry moved to his other side. "He took Hermione."

Zee was checking Hermione over. She had a few small scrapes, but seemed otherwise alright. "You were stunned?"

She nodded. "I feel a bit woozy, but otherwise all right."

Zee smiled at her. "You'll be fine. Now what happened?"

"It was my fault," Hermione said sadly. "I let my guard down."

"Hermione, it's not your fault! How were you supposed to know that Wormtail was waiting for you?" Harry exclaimed. He was trembling in anger that this had happened. And Neville! Of all the people for Neville to have disappeared with, Bellatrix Lestrange was the worst possible choice. "We have to get Neville back!"

"We will. Wormtail has no reason to kidnap Neville; we'll get him back," Sirius said almost as if to reassure himself. They both knew it wasn't Pettigrew that they were worried about. He turned to look back at Hermione. "What did Harry mean when he said that he was waiting for you?" he asked, his eyes flashing in anger as they slowly attempted to help Ron down the stairs.

Lady Godiva trailed after them, occasionally rubbing against Harry and Sirius as if to reassure them of her protecting presence.

Hermione nodded. "We were down by the lake just relaxing after our last exam and Harry said that he was hungry. We decided to go back to the castle to see if the house elves had any snacks in the kitchen, but Crookshanks had wandered off and I wanted to find him first. I headed towards the greenhouses after my cat and Ron, Neville, and Harry headed back to the castle. I was calling for Crooks and I bent to whistle for him and someone grabbed me from behind."

"We heard her scream," Ron said, wincing as slowly made it down the last step. "We ran after her and Pettigrew was standing there, holding her in his arms at wand-point. Then he stunned her and ran towards the Whomping Willow."

"Ron ran after them immediately and Neville and I followed a few minutes later after Crookshanks pressed the knot under the tree to stop the branches from attacking us."

"I ran under the tree after them and Pettigrew sent a jelly-legs jinx at me when I was halfway up the stairs, I got hit and crashed through the railing of the stairs. My legs wouldn't stop moving so I fell weird, hence my broken leg," Ron explained. "I could hear him moving around upstairs, but then he came down and levitated me up into the room and on the ground next to Hermione. He took both of our wands and he said that we were waiting for Harry. That Harry was James' son so that he would come for his friends. Then Bellatrix showed up, said something about tracking Pettigrew."

Harry swallowed slowly. "It all happened so fast, Uncle Siri!"

Sirius nodded as they moved towards the tunnel just as Remus came running in. "Pettigrew! I saw him on the map!"

"He was here, but he's gone," Harry said.

Remus was pale as he reached up to hold both of his hands in his hair, his eyes wide. "Did he hurt you? Ron, what happened to your leg?"

"We're getting the story, Moony," Sirius said, urging his friend to keep walking. "Let's get Ron up to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey is much better at setting bones than I am."

"Uncle Moony, they took Neville!"

Remus' eyes widened. "They took Neville? Peter did?"

"And Bellatrix," Sirius spat. "If that bitch lays a single hand on him, I will kill her myself."

They ducked under the frozen branches of the Willow and slowly moved onto the Hogwarts grounds.

"Ron, you still doing okay?"

He nodded, wincing slightly, his arms draped around both Harry and Sirius' shoulders. "I'll be fine."

Zee had her arm wrapped around Hermione as they walked in front and Hermione squealed. "Crooks!"

The cat came around to her and Hermione picked up her cat, holding him close.

"We've already alerted the Aurors about Pettigrew and Lestrange, but we will let them know that they have Neville as well," Zee said, scratching Crookshanks behind the ears. "We'll get him back. You two get Ron up to the castle, Hermione and I will hurry to try to catch the Aurors and let them know that they've taken Neville.

Harry nodded at her as she and Hermione ran off towards the castle. They moved slowly with Ron between them and Remus leading the way with the panther trailing behind them as they saw Tonks running out from the other side of the castle towards them.

"Are you okay?" she asked, kissing Harry's cheek. "I arrived in Remus' office and saw all of you by the Whomping Willow tree on the Map just as I got the Patronus. Kingsley is on his way over and the Minister of Magic is coming too. He's ordered the Dementors to kiss Pettigrew and Lestrange on sight."

"They deserve it," Sirius spat bitterly.

Tonks moved to Remus, grabbing his arm, her eyes on the sky. "Rem, you need to get home. The moon is going to rise any moment."

Remus' eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "I saw Pettigrew with Harry on the map and I just… Dora, I didn't drink it."

Tonks nodded, wrapping her arms around his waist. "It's okay, come on. We can still make it."

Sirius' eyes moved up to the sky; the sun had almost completely set by now and he shook his head. "I don't think so, Tonks."

Remus pushed her away as the moon rose and the pain ripped through him. His clothing shredded and the snapping of his bones seemed to echo around them. Sirius stunned him, but that only made him snarl as he rolled and his body shifted. His face elongated, his snout sniffing the air and then the golden brown wolf turned its large head, its long teeth glinting in the moonlight, and he howled.

Lady Godiva moved in front of them all, growling back at the wolf. Sirius reached out to touch Lady Godiva's head. "Easy, we don't want to hurt the wolf, Lady G. The wolf is our friend."

Remus howled again, his teeth glinting as his large paws pat the ground impatiently, eyeing the people behind the panther apprehensively before he turned and ran towards the forest.

"Remus!" Tonks called out making to go after him.

"Tonks, no! Let him go!" Harry shouted.

"What if he hurts someone?" Tonks declared passionately, her eyes full of tears. "We can't let him run off by himself!"

"Tonks, come take Ron here, I'll find him," Sirius told her.

Tonks moved to stand under Ron's shoulders, her arms around his waist. "Don't let him get hurt, Sirius."

Sirius nodded, transforming into Padfoot just as Pettigrew stumbled out of the Whomping Willow with Neville bleeding in his arms.

Padfoot stared for a moment, his eyes glinting.

Pettigrew stared back. He let an unconscious Neville drop to the ground. He was bleeding and looked like he had a few broken bones. Lady Godiva growled and pounced over Neville. Pettigrew shrieked, diving out of the way just in time. He made to run back into the tunnel, but saw that it was blocked by the panther and his eyes widened in fear.

"Please! I didn't mean for Longbottom to get hurt! I brought him back as soon as I could. Please!" he begged.

Padfoot growled at him in response and Peter turned to run. Lady Godiva pounced, her claws digging into his shoulders and Peter went down, screaming. Panther and man rolled down the hill and Padfoot immediately ran after them.

"No!" Harry shouted, the sight of his father racing down the hill and into the forest after them sending fear through him. "Uncle Siri!"

"Harry!" Tonks exclaimed, her eyes still shimmering in tears. "Help me get Ron to the hospital wing!"

He nodded, but his hands shook as he looked back at the forest and then when he heard Sirius shout he let go of his friend and ran into the trees as Tonks shouted after him. His wand was in his hand as he ran through the thicket. The thick greenery illuminated by the full moon trickling through the trees. He could hear growling sounds and a shout of distress and he ran faster. He found Sirius a few moments later back in his own form.

Sirius stood in front of a tree watching the panther. Lady Godiva was up against a large tree, swatting at the branches and Harry knew that Pettigrew must have transformed again. He slid down the hill and Sirius turned at the sound, his eyes widening.

"Harry, what the fuck are you doing here?" he demanded, grabbing Harry's shoulder. "I told you to get Ron to the hospital wing!"

"I heard you cry out and I…"

Sirius hugged him close, kissing the top of his head. "Foolish, brave knot-head."

Harry smirked at him and hugged him. "Did he transform?"

Sirius nodded. "He escaped up in the tree. I tried to summon him towards me, but no luck. He's gone."

Lady Godiva had obviously realized the same thing because she moved towards the two of them, her eyes angry.

"You did great, Lady G," Sirius reassured her, stroking her chin. "We'll get him next time."

The panther seemed to nod before she tilted her head, eyes alert.

Harry swallowed slowly as he felt the darkness moving in around him. "Uncle Siri… the Dementors."

"Happy memories, Harry," Sirius urged him as they both began to cast their Patronus. Sirius' dog moved to dance with the white mist that trickled from Harry's wand as it circled them, but the darkness pressed inward. "Happy memories, Harry," he repeated.

Harry tried to listen, but his eyes had widened in horror as he watched Dementor after Dementor surround them. Sirius' dog chased two more away and three more arrived in its place and Harry's Patronus stayed a white mist with no real form, no real power. Sirius' dog was losing momentum as well. Lady Godiva was trying to bite them, but her efforts were fruitless as she lay down, whining in pain. The sight of her falling before them was enough for Harry to let his guard down a bit and the darkness swept in.

The sound of his father's voice echoed in his ears, begging his mother to take him and go and then he saw Ginny lying in a pool of blood and watched Riddle rise up from the diary and then his world went black around him.

~ ASC ~

 **He woke in the hospital wing, blinking owlishly and immediately moving to find his glasses.** Ron was asleep in the bed next to him, his leg propped up. Neville in the bed on the other side, also asleep. Hermione sat on the edge of his bed next to Lady Godiva who was sprawled across Harry's legs as if she was protecting him.

Hermione reached forward and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly. "Harry, I'm so sorry."

"He got away, didn't he?" Harry asked hoarsely, his eyes flashing in anger. "What did he mean by coming here like that? And that message about — the message! Hermione, I think the cup is another Horcrux! Where's Sirius? I have to tell him!"

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes and she bit her lip. "Harry…"

"What? What happened?"

The hospital door slammed nearby and the sounds of shouting interrupted them.

"YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE ALLOWED THEM TO BE NEAR THE SCHOOL IN THE FIRST PLACE!" McGonagall shouted loudly.

"WELL, TWO DEATH EATERS ESCAPE AZKABAN AND THEY DO SHOW UP AT THE SCHOOL? I THINK THAT I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING AFTER ALL, DIDN'T I?" A man shouted back.

"YOU BASTARD!" Zee shouted.

"ZEE!" McGonagall said loudly. "Hitting him isn't the answer!"

"Cornelius!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "The Dementors are not welcome here! I've said it countless times now and you've chosen to ignore me. Now they've attacked a student and they've kissed an innocent man! They are to be removed immediately from the premises!"

"Yes, well, that was rather unfortunate," Cornelius responded. "Lord Black was a good man and to see him… well, I've already ordered their immediate removal from the school. Shacklebolt has gone to take care of it. They're gone."

"After inflicting untold damage!" McGonagall exclaimed.

"Yes, well, I apologize for that. They will be dealt with. As for Black… I'm sorry."

Hermione squeezed Harry's hand tighter as his green eyes met hers. "Harry…"

"No!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide. "There's been a mistake… I… we… no!"

"I heard Professor McGonagall say that there were over thirty Dementors that surrounded the two of you! Harry, it's a miracle that you survived! Zee's panther threw herself on top of you when you collapsed and… Sirius tried to fight them off… but there were too many of them… and he couldn't make a Patronus…"

"No!" he said, his eyes brimming in hot tears. "He's not… I don't believe you!"

Tears rolled down Hermione's cheeks and she bit her bottom lip as it trembled before she stood up and moved to the bed across from Harry's. She slowly pulled the curtains back to show the man who lay there.

His dark hair was windswept around his pale face and his head was stuck at an odd angle, his skin already looking wax-like and withdrawn; his grey eyes staring up at the ceiling, blank and lifeless. His soul had been sucked from his body and the Dementors had broken his neck when they finished feeding on it.

But there was no denying it.

Sirius Black was dead.


	139. Chapter 139

_Author's Note:_

 _First of all WOW — thank you! That chapter hit an overall high on number of reviews for me; most reviews of any chapter so far — even if most of them say the same thing lol._

 _Secondly, I know, I know! I am a terrible person and I've been crying while writing…_

 _And third, this chapter is going to back track a little, but bear with me as you all know by now that I have a plan and like I said last chapter, I am 21 chapters ahead of what I am currently posting._

 _Thank you to Steel for helping me formulate some of my ideas into words._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

 _I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I feel bad so here it is!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINE:**

 **Neville ripped himself away from Harry, the rage he felt unlike anything he had ever experienced.** _This woman_ had tortured his parents. She had tortured them for hours and now they didn't even know who he was; who they themselves were.

He wanted her to die.

No, he wanted her to suffer the way that she had made them suffer. His hands wrapped around her neck at the exact moment that he felt a pull in his navel and then he was flying and landing on top of her as they crashed to the ground.

Pettigrew was staring at him in horror. "What are you doing, you idiot?" he hissed.

The shock of having left the shack was enough to make Neville snap out of his rage, but unfortunately it was also enough to no longer claim the element of surprise on Bellatrix.

The slap sent him falling to the ground as she grabbed a fistful of his hair and dragged him to his feet.

"Ooh, the little baby wants to play rough now, does he?" She trailed her long, sharp fingernails down his cheek, slicing into his skin so that he bled and he winced.

She smiled and then she leaned in and licked the blood from his cheek and then her wand flicked forward and red sparks hit him square in the jaw. He felt his face explode with pain as he fell back, landing on his bum as she cackled in laughter.

"Crucio," she said with glee.

Neville screamed as his whole body seemed to be stabbed from the inside out. His arms and legs bent the wrong way and then suddenly the pain was gone and he was on his knees on the stone floor, panting.

"Bitch," he muttered, spitting blood onto the floor.

"Bella, stop!" Peter shouted, attempting to get between them.

Bellatrix shoved Peter away from her and gripped Neville's chin in her hands, her eyes meeting his. "I'm going to torture you for hours, days even. And you, little baby, you're going to beg me to kill you because it's going to make what I did to your parents look like child's play."

Neville paled and then he spit in her face.

She backhanded him and then he was being put under the Cruciatus Curse a second time.

"Bella! Stop!" Peter shouted as she lowered her wand. "You can play with him later! The Dark Lord needs to be fed!"

Bellatrix stared at Peter for a moment, her eyes full of hate and then she sent a knockback jinx at Neville. It threw him back into the stone wall and he felt the pain screaming in his head before his world went black around him.

~ ASC ~

 **"HARRY JAMES POTTER!"** Tonks screamed as Harry tore off after Sirius towards the Forbidden Forest.

She stomped her foot in frustration and looked up at Ron who was still breathing heavily and down at the unconscious and battered Neville that Pettigrew had brought back to them only moments before. She took a long slow breath before conjuring two stretchers and levitating each teen onto one.

"Come on. We need to get you both up to the castle to see Madam Pomfrey."

"What about Harry? There are Dementors out there and... Lupin turned into a werewolf!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide. "He's a bloody werewolf!"

Tonks nodded. "I'm aware of that, Ron. Sirius is out there with him and Zee's panther. They'll keep him safe and safe from others."

They were just arriving at the castle doors when Snape came barrelling outside.

"Miss Tonks! What happened to these boys?"

"Snape, take them to the infirmary! I have to go!"

Snape made to grab her arm, his eyes narrowing. "There is a werewolf on the loose, you stupid woman! Letting you run off would be suicide!"

Tonks yanked herself away from his grip. "I know what I'm doing. I'm an Auror and more qualified than you! Get these boys to the infirmary, Snape."

Then she was running back towards the forest, ignoring Snape's calls. She made it into the entrance of the forest before she stopped, her heart pounding in her chest. She had to find him. She'd stun him; petrify him and drag him home if she had too, but she had to find him. If he hurt anyone he would never forgive himself and she knew that.

She moved deeper into the forest, listening for sounds, for any sign of movement. She wrapped her hand around the ruby between her breasts, the feel of Remus' erratic heartbeat against her skin. He was moving, she thought.

She ran further, tripping on the uneven ground and falling to her knees. She winced when she noticed that her knee and her hand were both scratched and bleeding, but she got back up. She wiped her bloody hand on her jeans and then smiled to herself.

The blood!

Tonks moved around the area, rubbing her blood on the trees nearby. It took only moments for the wolf to come.

He looked massive as he stood up on the hill, looking down into the meadow that she was in. His large paws left imprints in the ground almost as big as her head and he moved in her direction in a slow but steady prowl, his eyes never leaving hers.

Tonks held her wand up, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. "Remus," she said softly, her eyes meeting the amber eyes of the wolf. "Remus, it's me, Nymphadora."

The wolf's head titled slightly at the name, but he continued to prowl towards her, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Remus," she said again slowly. "You don't _want_ to hurt me. I'm safe. I'll keep you safe. I'm _your mate._ "

The wolf kept moving towards her, his eyes seeming to stare into her soul. The amber gaze moving over her body and he licked his lips.

Tonks slowly sat down on the ground, not taking her eyes from the wolf. He wouldn't hurt her, she thought. He knew her, but she gripped her wand tightly in her hand anyway.

"It's me, Remus, it's me, baby. Come to me."

He stared at her, stopping to sniff the blood on the ground, his tongue lapping it before he licked his lips again and moved towards her. Her skin pimpled in gooseflesh and she swallowed nervously.

"Remus," she said again almost reverently.

She lifted her wand, her hand shaking. This was it, she thought, she was going to have to stun him and hope it at least slowed him down. Werewolves were really powerful creatures and Sirius had warned her that one stun would slow him down, but that it wouldn't hold him off for more than a few seconds.

She had to do it now, she thought.

But then the wolf lay down in front of her, his tongue licking the blood from her knee and she froze, letting out a sigh of relief. She reached out to rub her hands over the wolf's fur and he curled into her, his head in her lap.

"Shh," she said softly, breathing slowly. "That's right, Rem, I'm here. You keep me safe."

He licked the blood from her hand before he shoved his face back into her lap, his front paws lying on either side of her waist on the grass around her.

Tonks gently traced her fingers through this thick fur. "I'm here, Remus. I'm here."

Her arms tightened around the wolf when she saw the Dementors fly overhead. She shivered at the feel of them nearby and the wolf pressed his body heat closer to her. She heard a distant yell as Harry came running out of the trees, his head bleeding.

"Tonks! Quick, cast your Patronus!"

Remus, whose head had risen at Harry's voice, growled.

Tonks gently stroked him. "Shhh, it's just Harry, darling."

She raised her wand, thinking of the man, of the wolf in her arms — and sent a beautiful large silver wolf billowing out into the woods as Harry ran after the Patronus.

She continued to stroke the wolf, her ears listening to the eerie silence around her. "Shh," she cooed softly. "It's going to be all right, Remus. It's going to be all right."

~ ASC ~

 **Zee sat in the hospital wing with Hermione as Snape came inside with the two stretchers, one boy on either one.**

"Neville!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "They found him?"

Snape shrugged. "I have no idea. I met Miss Tonks at the castle doors and she pushed them at me and took off again. I tried to stop her."

Zee nodded, her eyes moving between Ron and Neville. "Ron, how's the leg?"

"It's not too bad," he told her, his eyes on Hermione who was being closely examined by Madam Pomfrey. "Is she okay?"

"She's going to be fine. Just a little off from the stunner. Where's Harry?"

"He ran off after Sirius."

Zee closed her eyes, her hands twisting nervously in front of her. "And Lady G?"

"The panther ran off after Pettigrew when he brought Neville back and then Sirius went after them both."

McGonagall came rushing into the hospital wing, her eyes moving over the students. "What on Merlin's name is going on? The Aurors have arrived and there are over thirty Dementors sweeping the grounds looking for two escaped Death Eaters? Thirty of them? Why so many? That's enough to take out half the school!"

Snape snorted. "Black's still loose on the grounds with Potter. Lupin forgot to take his potion and is running wild and rampant somewhere as is Auror Tonks. I didn't see Pettigrew or Lestrange, but I imagine that's who Black is chasing after — and as for the Dementors — Fudge brought more of them when he showed up with the Aurors ten minutes ago."

McGonagall paled and placed a hand over her heart. "Merlin's beard!"

Dumbledore appeared behind her, his eyes serious. "The Aurors are heading out into the forest after the Dementors."

"I warned them that there was a werewolf on the loose," Snape said simply. At McGonagall's scowl, he shrugged. "They need to be aware of what's out there, Minerva. Protecting Lupin's secret isn't possible anymore and you know it! They have to know what the dangers are of running out there!"

McGonagall bit her lip and nodded. "No, I'm sorry, Severus. You're right. They do need to know if they're going into the forest."

Snape nodded. "Longbottom was returned, however."

"Returned?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes wide.

Ron spoke from the bed where he was waiting to be checked over by Madam Pomfrey. "Pettigrew, he came back and he brought Neville. He was unconscious and he left him at the base of the Willow. He tried to escape then, but the panther attacked him and then Sirius was in his Animagus form and he chased him down when he ran. Then Harry went after them too."

"Foolish boy," Snape sneered.

Madam Pomfrey was checking out Neville as she went along. She healed his broken nose, doing a diagnostic over him as she set his broken arm and she pursed her lips. "This boy was put under the Cruciatus."

McGonagall gasped. "Will he be all right?"

"Yes, but he needs to rest."

She forced a healing potion down his throat as well as a sleeping draught before she worked on the cut on his cheek. He didn't wake, despite her ministrations.

She was setting Ron's leg when the Minister of Magic stormed into the hospital wing.

"What is the meaning of this, Dumbledore? Two! Two escaped Death Eaters on Hogwarts grounds! And you thought that I was crazy when I insisted on the Dementors coming here and protecting the school!"

Dumbledore held up his hands to Fudge. "Cornelius, we don't yet know how the prisoners managed to get onto the school grounds at all, but you must call off the Dementors at once! There is still a student loose on the grounds as well as Lord Black. The Aurors will find Pettigrew and Lestrange."

"I'm not calling them off! Oh, no! We've been searching for those damn prisoners for months! If the Dementors find them, they will be Kissed and justice finally served!"

"Cornelius! There are innocent people wandering the school grounds! You must order them off. You know what a Dementor is like. They do not take orders well and to have so many offerings before them, it's foolish to allow them the opportunity to feed."

Fudge crossed his arms in front of him. "I am the Minister, not you Dumbledore! I know what I'm about! The Aurors know what they are doing as well and I can promise you, those responsible tonight will be brought to justice!"

Ron winced as Madam Pomfrey elevated his leg and passed him a pain potion. "It will heal, Mr Weasley, but it will be painful. Drink that up and I'll give you a sleeping draught."

Ron only nodded, his eyes on Hermione. "'Mione, you okay?"

Hermione moved from her hospital bed to sit on Ron's and nodded. "I'm fine. Do what Madam Pomfrey says, Ron."

He smiled at her sheepishly and drank his potions, his eyes on Zee.

Zee was pacing back and forth in the hospital wing, itching to go out and to find her boys. The thought of both of them out there with a werewolf on the loose as well as the Dementors sent fear straight to her heart. Remus wouldn't be a problem as long as Tonks found him in time. She knew that the bond between them would be enough to hold Remus in place, that had been proven over Christmas, but the Dementors…

Sirius' mind was still not the strongest. He pushed everything down deep inside of him and he refused to talk about it. Nightmares still plagued him on a regular basis and she knew that those bad memories that the Dementors would pull from his mind had the ability to paralyze him with fear. She wasn't sure if he would be strong enough to fight them off.

But Harry _could be_.

She had never before seen such an amazing Patronus as the one that Harry could produce. The way those three animals, each one a representation of one of his fathers; the way they surrounded him and protected him. It was extraordinary. She'd wondered if the ability to produce three animals meant that he could also send three separate messages to different people at the same time. It would be an unprecedented skill.

But if he let his fear overcome him… she didn't know how well his Patronus would work under those circumstances and as powerful as he was becoming, he was still only a thirteen-year-old-boy, and a student at that. And he had never tried his Patronus on a real Dementor before.

She twisted her hands nervously at the thought and glanced up at the clock. It had already been over forty minutes since she had left them at the base of the Whomping Willow.

"Professor," Ron said from the bed, his eyes drooping from the effects of the sleeping potion.

"Yes, Mr Weasley?" McGonagall asked as she approached the bed.

"Pettigrew… he said that he came with a message for Sirius. He knows where the… next one is."

McGonagall's eyes widened slightly and she reached down to brush his hair away from his forehead. "Thank you. You can tell me the rest in the morning. Rest now."

Ron's eyes had already closed and Hermione clutched his hand as he fell asleep, her eyes worried. "Shouldn't they be back by now?"

Zee nodded, her eyes moving to McGonagall. "How many Aurors were sent out after them?"

"Two," Fudge said from the doorway, his lips pursed. "Arnett and Shacklebolt and I gather that Auror Tonks is also somewhere on the grounds?"

Zee nodded. "Minister, we need to get outside and find them. The more of us out there, the better chance of succeeding."

"Absolutely not," Fudge said, his eyes annoyed. "I have an entire army of Dementors on the grounds and I can assure you that they will find them and the Aurors will handle the rest. Are you an Auror, Miss —?"

"Zacarias," she said quickly. "No. I'm an Agent of the DRCMC. I just think that if we were out there, we could help find them and we could —" she trailed off as they heard movement in the hall and she rushed past Fudge.

Shacklebolt saw her and immediately moved forward to grab her arms. "Zee, it's best if you let us bring them in."

"Bring them in — Harry and Sirius? Did you find them?" She attempted to look around Kingsley, but he pinned her back against the wall, his arms holding her in place and blocking her view.

"We found them, yes."

Zee pushed at him. "Let me see them!"

Kingsley waited until Arnett had the stretchers floated into the hospital wing before he let go of her arms and she rushed inside.

Lady Godiva was stretched out across one stretcher, her paws on Harry's shoulders. His face was scratched and smeared with dried blood and she rushed over to him, gently brushing her fingers through his hair. Lady Godiva nodded at her, settling herself on the end of the hospital bed as Harry was moved from the stretcher. Madam Pomfrey moved to check him over and Zee turned to the second stretcher.

Her eyes widened in horror as she realized that the broken man lying there was Sirius.

"Zee, I'm sorry," Kingsley said quietly from next to her. "The Dementors moved in and we weren't… we weren't fast enough to stop them. I ordered them back and that panther threw herself on top of Potter. She hid him from the Dementors, but Sirius… he was too exposed and when we got there… they were already feeding on him. My lynx ripped the one away and… I'm so sorry for your loss."

She let out a gasping sob, gripping his hand and touching his sunken face. Tears poured down her cheeks as her fingertips moved across his face, over his neck and chest and she touched the dog tags that he wore around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. She stood up, her face tear-stained and she turned on Fudge just as McGonagall shoved the portly man through the door of the hospital wing and into the hallway as he blustered apologies.

"There is no excuse for this!" McGonagall exclaimed. "It is unacceptable that this should have happened! Sirius Black was an innocent man!"

Fudge looked pained. "Yes, well, the Dementors were just doing their job, guarding the school as they were instructed too. Perhaps they recognized Black from his time in Azkaban and they… they were just guarding the school!"

"YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE ALLOWED THEM TO BE NEAR THE SCHOOL IN THE FIRST PLACE!" McGonagall shouted loudly.

"WELL, TWO DEATH EATERS ESCAPE AZKABAN AND THEY DO SHOW UP AT THE SCHOOL! I THINK THAT I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING AFTER ALL, DIDN'T I?" Fudge demanded, his lime green bowler hat was crooked on his head and he looked flustered at having been shoved out of the hospital wing by the deputy headmistress.

"YOU BASTARD!" Zee shouted, stomping towards him. She punched him in the arm, attempted to punch him a second time, but arms grabbed her from behind and held her back.

"ZEE!" McGonagall said loudly. "Hitting him isn't the answer!" she said, holding the small woman back against her.

Zee struggled for a moment in her arms before she turned into them, sobbing.

McGonagall wrapped her arms around the small woman, tasting her own tears.

"Cornelius!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "The Dementors are not welcome here! I've said it countless times now and you've chosen to ignore me. Now they've attacked a student and they've Kissed an innocent man! They're to be removed immediately from the premises!"

"Yes, well, that was rather unfortunate," Cornelius responded. "Lord Black was a good man and to see him… well, I've already ordered their immediate removal from the school. Shacklebolt has gone to take care of it. They're gone."

"After inflicting untold damage!" McGonagall exclaimed.

"Yes, well, I apologize for that. They will be dealt with. As for Black… I'm sorry."

A guttural cry erupted from the hospital wing and Zee turned, running back through the doors as she watched Hermione wrap her arms around Harry tightly from behind in an attempt to comfort him.

Harry struggled in her arms as Zee came running into the hospital wing followed by Dumbledore and McGonagall.

Zee rushed straight to Harry and Hermione moved out of the way as she tugged him into her arms, tears rolling down her cheeks. She cradled his head down against her breasts as Lady Godiva nuzzled his hip and Zee kissed the top of his head.

"I know, Harry, I know."

"It's my fault! I should have stopped them!"

"No!" Zee said, kissing his tears. "This is the fault of the Dementors! They didn't care that he wasn't who they were looking for and there were too many of them. "

McGonagall looked over at Sirius' body and tears rolled down her cheeks before she moved to Harry's hospital bed and gripped his hands. "Harry, sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

He turned from Zee to McGonagall and sobbed on her shoulder, deep jarring cries that surprised him as Hermione looked on helplessly. Dumbledore closed the door to the hospital wing, his eyes on Sirius before he closed them and moved to stand on the edge of Harry's bed.

"Poppy, I need a moment alone here."

"Albus, these students need rest and treatment!"

Dumbledore held up his hand. "They do and they will get it, I promise. Please, a moment?"

Madam Pomfrey glared at him before she turned and went into her office, closing the door behind her.

"Minerva, Miss Zacarias, I would like a moment alone with Harry and Hermione."

Harry gripped Zee's hand, clinging to her for a second before he nodded and she stood up.

"A moment only, Albus," she insisted. She brushed Harry's hair away from his face. "I'll be right back. I'll stay as long as you want me, darling."

He stared at her gratefully. "Lady G can go with you so that you won't be alone."

Zee nodded and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "I love you, Harry." She wiped his tears away with her thumb before she whistled and Lady Godiva followed her out of the room, she turned at the door to look at Dumbledore as McGonagall stepped into the hall with her. "Five minutes only, Albus; and then I'm coming back in to be with Harry. Minerva, can you show me where the kitchens are? I want to make sure they eat something other than chocolate tonight."

"Of course," McGonagall said. "We'll go together."

The door closed behind her and Dumbledore smiled. "I like her."

Harry wiped at his tears, his eyes glued to the bed that contained Sirius' body.

"Harry, I'm very sorry about Sirius. He was a good man, a good father and he didn't deserve to go out like that. No one does in my opinion," he said sadly.

Harry stared at him, his eyes full of anger. "The Dementors killed him and he didn't even do anything! And now he's… he's dead!"

"I know," Dumbledore said sadly. "But maybe he doesn't have to be."

Hermione stared at him in confusion. "Professor, there's no spell that can bring back the dead!" At his piercing look, she gasped. "You don't mean… it would be breaking every law, Professor!"

Dumbledore's eyes looked at Harry in sadness. "Yes. It would be doing everything we made you promise not to do. Are you up to the task, Miss Granger?"

Hermione stared at him for a moment. "Stop it… but the Dementors, they came and… everyone has seen his…" her eyes fell on Harry who's emerald orbs were staring at her like she was the saviour of the whole world. "Yes."

Dumbledore smiled. "I suggest going back to the beginning and maybe you can do more than just stop this tragedy from occurring. You know the laws, Miss Granger. I am going to lock you in. It is five minutes to midnight. Three turns should do it. Good luck."

He nodded at them as they heard the door to the hospital wing click closed and lock behind him.

Hermione tugged Harry to his feet. "Where's your wand, Harry?"

"Here," he said, grabbing it from the nightstand. "What are we doing? What's going on?"

Hermione ignored him and reached down the front of her shirt to pull out a long bronze chain with an hourglass dangling on the end, encased in a ring. She tugged him over to her, making sure that her own wand was in her holster before she put the chain around his neck too and picked up the hourglass.

Hermione turned the hourglass over inside of the ring three times.

The dark ward dissolved.

Harry had the sensation that he was flying very fast, backward. A blur of colours and shapes rushed past him, his ears were pounding, he tried to yell, but couldn't hear his own voice.

And then he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and everything came into focus again.

He was standing next to Hermione in the deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors.

He looked wildly around at Hermione, the chain of the hourglass cutting into his neck. "Hermione, what —?"

"— In here!" Hermione seized Harry's arm and dragged him across the hall to the door of a broom closet. She opened it, pushed him inside among the buckets and the mops, then slammed the door behind them.

"What — how — Hermione, what happened?"

"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispered, lifting the chain off of Harry's neck in the darkness. "Three hours back actually."

Harry found his own leg and gave it a very hard pinch. It hurt a lot, which seemed to rule out the possibility that he was having a very bizarre dream.

"But —"

"— Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think — I think it might be us!" Hermione had her ear pressed against the cupboard door. "Footsteps across the hall… yes, I think it's us going down to the Black Lake!"

"Are you telling me," Harry whispered, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"

"Yes," said Hermione, her ear still glued to the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like more than four people… and yup, that's Neville telling me about how he was stumped on the Goblin Rebellion question on page six of the exam."

She broke off, still listening intently.

"We've gone down the front steps…"

Hermione sat down on an upturned bucket, looking desperately anxious, but Harry wanted a few questions answered.

"Where did you get that hourglass thing?"

"It's called a Time-Turner, Harry," Hermione whispered. "And I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so that I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies which was true until right now… I've been turning it back so that I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But… Harry, I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

Harry stared at her shadowy face. "There must be something that happened around now that he wants us to change," he said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to the Black Lake three hours ago… unless," his eyes lit up. "He wants us to capture Pettigrew before everything happens! If we capture him, Neville won't be hurt! You won't get taken and Sirius… he never even will come here!"

"Harry," Hermione said in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen —"

"— We'd only be seen by ourselves and Pettigrew!"

"Harry, what do you think you'd do if you saw yourself bursting out in front of yourself?" Hermione demanded.

"I'd — I'd think I'd gone mad," Harry admitted carefully. "Or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on."

"Exactly! You wouldn't understand; you might even attack yourself! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time… Loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake!"

"Okay!" Harry said in frustration. "It was just an idea, I just thought —" he trailed off, his eyes wide. "Kreacher!"

A loud crack startled them and Kreacher looked around in confusion. "Master Harry, why is you hiding in a broom closet?"

Harry grinned widely at the house elf. "Kreacher, don't worry about that right now. I need you to run up to my dorm and grab my Invisibility Cloak. It's urgent, please!"

Kreacher nodded and Disapparated with a loud crack. A moment later he returned, the cloak in his arms. "Here is your cloak, Master Harry."

"Thank you, Kreacher! You've been a big help."

The elf beamed at him and disappeared.

Harry held up his cloak with a grin. "I have an idea," he said pulling Hermione close to him and covering them both with the cloak. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Hermione said as he tugged open the door to the broom closet and the two of them began to run towards the greenhouses. "Harry, remember, if we're seen…"

"Invisible, remember?" he said from her left.

They ran towards the greenhouses and waited. Hermione gripped his arm tightly in hers as they stood nearby and watched for Pettigrew.

They watched as Pettigrew seemingly appeared out of nowhere, transforming from rat to man, and grabbed her, his wand at her throat. Harry made to move, but Hermione squeezed his arm.

"Not yet."

"If we don't get him now, he's going to take you into the Shrieking Shack!"

Hermione nodded, biting her bottom lip. "I know. But we can't change everything, Harry. We have to be careful; see, there you are!" she said, pointing to where Harry, Ron, and Neville appeared in front of Pettigrew and Hermione.

He nodded. They watched as Pettigrew stunned her and she collapsed against him before he turned and ran towards the Whomping Willow and disappeared into the tunnel. Ron charged after her, sliding down just before the tree began to move again.

"Why did Ron go after him like that? He didn't even wait for you and Neville!"

Harry smiled. "He was worried Pettigrew would hurt you. We all were."

Hermione blushed at that statement, but didn't say anything else on the subject.

A few moments more and Harry and Neville disappeared beneath the tree as well.

"This is the strangest thing that we've ever done," he said moving towards the Willow. He took a deep breath and nodded at her. "When Pettigrew returns with Neville, I'm going to grab him."

Hermione nodded, her eyes fearful. "Harry… this is so dangerous, if you see yourself or if the cloak slips… for even a moment… use your mirror! I didn't even think… you can call Sirius and warn him!"

Harry shook his head. "I can't. Ron had it, which means that I don't have it right now, but the Harry inside of the Shrieking Shack does."

Hermione frowned and nodded. "Okay… I guess this is the best plan we've got; we'll grab Pettigrew when he comes out."

They waited for what seemed like ever, both sitting in silence as they watched the tree for signs of movement.

Hermione moved closer to Harry, her hand still on his arm. "I was watching you in the hospital wing and… Zee really cares about you; and her panther… I've never seen an animal so attuned to anyone, but she does whatever Zee needs. She protected you in the forest, Harry. If she wouldn't have covered you, you would have been Kissed too."

"I love her, Hermione. She's… I want her to be my mum. I want her and Sirius to be together and I want her to be… if he's gone, I'm going to lose her too."

Hermione leaned in and kissed his cheek. "No, you won't. That woman cares about you way too much. Even if… you won't lose either of them, Harry."

He nodded, biting his bottom lip as Hermione held him. They sat there, arms around each other under the cloak until finally, after almost an hour, they saw Remus hurrying towards the Willow.

"He didn't take his potion," Harry said in alarm. "He's going to be free somewhere on the grounds and he's going to be dangerous."

Hermione nodded, standing up with him as they carefully adjusted the cloak over themselves. "We can't change everything, Harry," she repeated.

Harry only moved closer to the Willow as he watched Remus come out with Zee and Hermione while he and Sirius held Ron between them and Lady Godiva walking behind them. Tonks came rushing from the castle, running first to Harry and then to Remus. The sun was already mostly set by now and the darkness was starting to rise into the sky. Harry winced as he watched Remus push Tonks away as the painful transformation began to take over his body.

The panther moved to block them and growled and Remus let out a howl that sent shivers down Harry's spine as a dawning realization struck him.

"Hermione!" Harry said suddenly. "We've got to move!"

"We mustn't, I keep telling you! Pettigrew's not here yet and we can't —"

" — We can't interfere, I know, but Uncle Moony is going to run into the forest; right at us!"

Hermione gasped. "Quick! Where are we going to go? Where are we going to hide? Pettigrew's going to arrive any moment and —"

Harry grabbed her and tugged her deep into the forest, the sounds of Remus' howls chasing them. They ran faster, tripping over the edge of the cloak until Harry ripped it off of them, tucking it under his arm and grabbing Hermione's hand in his. She tripped over a root and he grabbed her and kept running. They fell, crashing and rolling down the small hill and Harry wiped blood from his face at the scratches as they tore through low-hanging branches in their attempts to escape.

He could hear the wolf's big paws as it pounded after them in the moonlit forest. They seemed to be running forever and Harry's heart was pounding in fear… if they couldn't get away from the werewolf, they would never get back to Sirius in time. Hermione gasped when Harry pinned her back against a dark tree, covering her body with his as the wolf seemed to sniff him.

"It's me, Uncle Moony," he whispered to the wolf, trying to keep his voice calm and steady despite his pounding heart. "It's Harry, your pup."

The wolf stared at him, sniffing his back before he nuzzled into Harry. Harry let out a sigh of relief and gently pat the wolf's head. The wolf turned to growl at Hermione, but Harry pressed his body against hers, pushing her closer to the tree.

"No, Uncle Moony, she's a friend. She won't hurt me."

The wolf seemed to accept this, his ears perked for sounds in the forest and then he sniffed the air, his eyes glinting and he tore off in the opposite direction.

"Did he… know you?" Hermione asked, her face buried against his chest and her entire body trembling in fear.

Harry nodded, holding her for a moment. "Yeah, I think he did, but lucky for us, something else caught his attention. Come on!"

He grabbed her hand again and they ran back towards the direction of the lake, stumbling over the uneven ground and large tree roots and Harry grabbed her before she rolled down the hill into the little meadow where Tonks sat on the ground, her wand raised and her hand out to the wolf.

Harry watched in fascination as Tonks spoke to the wolf and he moved towards her if as if he knew who she was.

"He's going to hurt her, Harry!" Hermione whispered next to him.

Harry shook his head. "No, he won't. She's his mate and… last time she calmed him. Wait and see. She has this under control. He knows her, like he knew me."

Hermione gasped as Remus moved closer to her.

"It's me, Remus, it's me, baby. Come to me."

They watched in fascination as the wolf lay down in front of her, his tongue licking the blood from her knee. She reached out to rub her hands over the wolf's fur and he curled into her, his head in her lap.

"Shh," she said softly. "That's right, Rem, I'm here. You keep me safe."

He licked the blood from her hand before he shoved his face back into her lap, his front paws lying on either side of her.

Tonks gently traced her fingers through this thick fur. "I'm here, Remus. I'm here."

"See? He's protecting her," Harry said, more relieved than he wanted to admit.

"That's amazing," Hermione whispered, staring at the Auror and the wolf below them. "I had no idea that werewolves were so protective of those they loved. The books always claim them to be wild and untamed beasts. But look how he protects those he loves, his family."

"His pack," Harry told her with a smile.

Hermione smiled back at him before she shivered.

Harry felt the familiar darkness and fear gripping him and he started to panic. "Uncle Sirius! Hermione, we need to cast a strong Patronus and we need to do it now!"

He tore away from Hermione and ran out from their cover in the trees. "Tonks! Quick, cast your Patronus!"

Remus, whose head had risen at Harry's voice, growled.

Tonks gently stroked him. "Shhh, it's just Harry, darling."

She raised her wand and a beautiful large silver wolf came billowing out into the woods as Harry ran after the Patronus.

Hermione looked up as Harry raced towards her. He grabbed her hand in his and they ran after the large silver wolf Patronus as it bolted through the forest towards the Dementors.

"Harry! What are you doing? We can't be seen!"

"Trust me, Hermione!" he shouted as he ran.

They followed Tonks' Patronus through the forest to the swarm of Dementors that were surrounding Harry, Sirius, and Lady Godiva. Harry watched as Sirius' dog Patronus tore through the Dementors and his own misty failures attempted to do the same, but then more Dementors came and Sirius' Patronus weakened. The Dementors moved forward even more and Harry watched as a rat crashed out of the trees to the ground as a man, whimpering in fear, his back clawed open. He seemed to stumble as he attempted to crawl away and then screamed in pain as he changed into the form of a rat once more.

"Hermione, get that rat! I've got my dad!"

"Harry!"

But he was already running.

He ran down into the forest as Lady Godiva lay down in front of them, whimpering in fear and he thought about the man who had raised him; the man who had given him a life, a family and a home; the man who loved him more than his own life; about the woman in the hospital wing who loved him and who loved the man he considered his father and without thinking, without questioning how he was going to explain himself if anyone saw him: He moved forward to cast his Patronus.

And as he yelled the words: Expecto Patronum, the spell wasn't a feeble attempt at all — it was magnificent. Out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but the blinding, dazzling silver-white animals that were _his_ Patronus.

They circled him for a moment and he waved his wand and they went running and galloping silently and swiftly away from him, across the black surface of the lake and around the meadow, coming in from all sides. He watched as Tonks' Patronus took up the fourth side and the two wolves, the dog, and the stag charged at the black shapes on the ground, and the Dementors were falling back, scattering, exploding into the bright light and illuminating the entire forest and grounds around them.

Thirty Dementors collapsed and disappeared into the night as if they had never been at all.

They were gone.

The Patronus turned. It was cantering back toward Harry across the still surface of the water. The three animals, surrounded him and he felt safe and as he watched as Lady Godiva nudged his body onto her back as Sirius held him in place, pale and gaunt-looking, rubbing the panther's head.

"Good girl, Lady G, good girl. You got our boy," he said and then he collapsed to the ground next to them.

Hermione came rushing over to him. She was holding a cage in her arms with a squealing rat trapped inside and she was glaring at him. "What did _you_ do?" she demanded fiercely. "Did anyone see you?"

"I just saved all our lives..." Harry said with a smirk. "You got him?"

Hermione nodded and let Harry take the cage from her. "I put an unbreakable charm on the cage so that he can't transform. Harry… how did you… what happened?"

"I knew I could do it, Hermione! My Patronus failed down there because I let them get to me! I was scared and I let that affect me. I've never made a corporeal Patronus in front of a real Dementor before and I think on some level I was scared that it wouldn't work. There were too many of them, but this time, I knew I could do it because I _had to do it_ and… it charged all of them away and they… vanished, exploded almost."

"That's really advanced magic, Harry. Whenever you made a Patronus before it was always white but that was… a blinding silver and powerful. You really did it. They exploded and lit up the forest, it was incredible! You truly drove them away."

He grinned at her. "And you really caught Wormtail. Now come on," he said, covering them with the cloak just as Shacklebolt and Arnett ran towards Harry and Sirius and conjured stretchers for them both.

Hermione was tugging on his sleeve now. "We have ten minutes to get back to the infirmary before Dumbledore locks us in."

They ran towards the castle, trying to stay hidden under the cloak and keep the squealing rat quiet.

"Shut up in there, Wormtail," Harry hissed before he finally thought to put a silencing charm on the cage.

"Three minutes, Harry!"

"Hermione — what'll happen — if we don't get back inside before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry panted.

"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!"

They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "Okay — I can hear Dumbledore," Hermione said tensely. "Come on, Harry!"

They crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared.

"I am going to lock you in," they heard him saying. "It is five minutes to midnight. Three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and took out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, Harry and Hermione ran forward, throwing the cloak off. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver moustache. "Well?" he said quietly.

"We did it!" Harry said breathlessly, thrusting the cage into Dumbledore's arms. "Here's Pettigrew! And we stopped the Dementors!"

Dumbledore beamed at them. "Well done! I think —" He listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone too — get inside - I'll lock you in."

"Uncle Sirius?" Harry asked eagerly, his eyes searching Dumbledore's blue ones desperately.

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes questioning, but he nodded. "Unconscious; quick, I hear Professor McGonagall and Miss Zacarias returning from the kitchens."

Harry and Hermione slipped back inside the infirmary. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed; Neville, asleep in the bed next to Ron, and Sirius, unconscious on the bed where before he had…

Harry hurried over to him, the sight of his handsome face pale, but very much alive. He put a hand on Sirius' shoulder and gripped his hand. The warmth under his fingers made him smile and he leaned back against Hermione when she hugged him tightly from behind.

"He's alive!" he exclaimed in joy, tears in his eyes.

"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?" Madam Pomfrey demanded as she came out from the office.

She was in a very bad mood. Harry and Hermione thought it best to accept their chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure that they ate it.

The door to the hospital wing opened and Zee and McGonagall came inside. Lady Godiva hopped up onto Sirius' bed, stretching out on the end, her yellow eyes on the matron as if daring her to tell her to move.

Harry, who was sitting on the side of Sirius' hospital bed, turned slightly when Zee's arms came around him. He rested his head against her breasts, her heartbeat near his ear and he ate his chocolate.

It was only five more minutes before Sirius stirred.

Zee, one arm still wrapped around Harry, reached over to stroke his cheek and he opened his eyes,

"Hi," he said softly, a small smile on his face.

Zee kissed Harry's temple and then leaned down to kiss Sirius' cheek. "Everyone is fine."

Madam Pomfrey came over to the side of his bed and handed him a large piece of chocolate. "Eat."

Sirius grinned at her, sitting up and doing as she asked. He'd just taken his first bite of the chocolate when Harry launched himself into his arms so hard that he knocked the breath out of him.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around his son. "Hey, I'm fine," he said, kissing the top of his son's head.

Harry only nodded, his face buried against his father's chest. "I know."

His eyes met Hermione's from across the room and she smiled at him and nodded.

And he knew, no one else would remember the truth as they had changed it.

And it was the best thing he ever could have changed.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the little of Time-Turner stuff from the last chapter, that belongs to lovely JKR from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban._

 _When it comes to time travel the concept is always convoluted and crazy. I looked at it like this: If they go back in time and stop something from happening, no one else would remember it happening any other way because they changed it. Therefore even though everyone physically saw the dead body of Sirius Black, by going back in time and preventing it from happening, no one else remembers him being dead except for Harry and Hermione, which means that Dumbledore knows he sent them back in time to try to capture Pettigrew, but doesn't know about Sirius' death. Yes, it will be addressed. No, Harry is not going to deal with it well. And yes, all will be explained. Be patient._

 _I know that this is what most of you were hoping would happen and lucky for you it is the route I chose, but I CAN promise you that not everyone is going to be safe in this story. I can't say who and I can't say when and I can't say how, maybe not immediately, but bad things will be happening. Buckle your seat belts folks — I have a few twists and turns coming your way! The next 2-4 chapters literally cover less than 48 hours so be prepared!_

 _Thank you and please review :)_


	140. Chapter 140

_Author's Note:_

 _Yes, I am a horrible, horrible person, but sometimes my mind writes before my brain catches up and after it was written, it could not be unwritten. Not to mention that I have been planning these two little surprises for months — surprise number two is in the next two chapters, though I think most of you might have seen this coming as it's been building up for most of Harry's third year. Hope you enjoyed my little twist because I can promise you — more is coming!_

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

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 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY:**

 **Madam Pomfrey continued to fuss over Harry and Sirius, making sure that they were eating the chocolate that she had supplied.** Harry had made himself comfortable on the bed with his father, refusing to leave his side. Zee had asked the house elves to prepare some sandwiches and bring them up from the kitchens and Harry helped himself to one as Madam Pomfrey checked Sirius over once more to make sure that he was all right.

It was only after the matron had ordered Harry to get some sleep that Harry grabbed Sirius' arm. "You're not going home, are you?"

Sirius pressed a kiss to his son's forehead, his arm wrapped around him. "Of course not."

Harry seemed pleased with this and his eyes moved to Zee. "You'll stay, too?"

She smiled. She was sitting in a chair next to the bed, but she reached over to clasp his hand. "As long as you want."

He nodded and settled himself back against Sirius' shoulder. His long legs were stretched out across the bed, his toes almost reaching the end.

Sirius kissed his temple again. "All right, Madam Pomfrey's gone. Spill it, Prongslet."

Harry smiled. "I'm just glad that you're okay."

Sirius stared at him for a moment, his eyes searching Harry's green ones. "That's part of it, sure."

Harry looked over at Hermione. She was sitting on the side of Ron's bed still, Crookshanks in her arms and she simply shook her head at him.

"No," Sirius said. "Don't look at Hermione, look at me. Tell me what's going on?"

"Hermione and I captured Peter," he blurted out.

"What?" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes wide. "When?"

"When you passed out," he lied quickly. "Hermione put him in an unbreakable cage and we gave him to Dumbledore."

Zee put her hand on Sirius' shoulder, pushing him back onto the bed. "Where he is a sitting duck, Sirius; now lie back down."

He grumbled at her, but he didn't try to get up again. His eyes moved over to where Neville was sleeping. "How's Neville doing?"

Harry shrugged. "Madam Pomfrey says that he's going to be all right. His arm was broken and his nose and she said that he'd been under the Cruciatus Curse."

Sirius nodded, his eyes solemn. "Brave little man," he whispered, his eyes on Neville's sleeping form. "What did Wormtail want, Harry?"

"He wanted me to pass on a message to you." At his father's look, he sighed. "He said that Bellatrix Lestrange has the cup in her vault. He said that it was important for you to get that message."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "Why would he think that we were looking for the cup?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "But he wanted you to know that and he said that Bellatrix spoke about the cup being a gift from Voldemort and how she had made it seem like 'the second coming.' He was very specific on that term."

He nodded, squeezing Harry a little tighter to his side. "Noted and first thing tomorrow he and I will be having a little talk."

"Wouldn't Dumbledore have given him over to the Aurors by then?" Zee asked.

Sirius shook his head. "He better not have. I want to talk to him first and I'd imagine that knowing Dumbledore, he'll want to as well. Fudge wants him to be Kissed and I agree with his sentiment, but at the same time, he could know things."

Harry smiled at him, listening to his father and Zee contemplate why Peter would come to them. His eyes were drooping from the potions that Madam Pomfrey had given him so he said goodnight and crawled over to his own bed and climbed under the covers. Hermione had moved to her own bed as well by now and was sleeping in the bed on the other side of him, Crookshanks curled on her pillow. He smiled to himself as he watched Zee crawl into the spot that he had just vacated next to Sirius and he could hear her whispering to him.

He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

Sirius snuggled Zee against him, kissing the top of her head. "What happened after Harry and I were brought here?"

Zee didn't respond and he turned to look down at her, surprised to see tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, what's with the tears?" he asked, his voice panicked. "No crying!"

She turned her face into his chest. "I thought that you were dead and my world just... "

"I'm fine, baby. I'm fine," he assured her, kissing her hair.

"I know, but I thought that you were dead and Kingsley made me wait in the hall while you and Harry were brought in on stretchers and he looked so pale and…"

"Wait? Harry was brought in on a stretcher too?"

She nodded, wiping at her tears.

"Then how did he and Hermione capture Pettigrew after I passed out?"

Zee looked up at him, her bottom lip quivering. "I — I don't know. You lost Pettigrew in the forest?"

He nodded, his mind trying to catch up with all that had happened. "I was running after him and he transformed to get away from Lady G, who tore a good slice down his back, mind you — I bet that hurt like a bitch — but he transformed regardless and disappeared. I tried to summon him, but the prat always was clever with putting an anti-summoning charm on himself when he changed. Prongs and I used to summon him to us all the time just because we could and he'd get so mad… guess I can't blame him for learning from that. But I lost him and then Harry showed up... then the Dementors... and I could feel my Patronus failing and there were just too many of them and I could feel my memories taking over and just... if Harry hadn't been there, I don't know if I could have held them off of me. But his Patronus was failing too, I watched it turn from thick smoke to light mist and then suddenly it was... there was this blinding silver and his Patronus just seemed to come out of nowhere and it surrounded us and then the Dementors were gone and then... he just collapsed and his Patronus was still circling and then I remember feeling weak and I went down .. but Harry was already down … I was sure of it …"

"Did Peter show up after?"

"If we were brought in on stretchers… how?" He looked over at the sleeping form of his son and his friends. "He's hiding something."

Zee nodded, kissing Sirius softly. "He'll tell you. He's exhausted."

Sirius let her fuss over him for a minute before he climbed out of bed.

"Sirius!"

He shook his head, leaning down to kiss her softly. "I need to see him. Harry will be out for a bit anyway."

Zee nodded and stood up as well. She ordered Lady Godiva to stay with Harry and the panther simply moved from Sirius' bed to Harry's and made herself comfortable as Sirius and Zee headed out of the hospital wing. Sirius led the way up the stairs to the Headmaster's office, his hand tightly holding Zee's. When he realized that he didn't know the password, he started spewing out every possible candy and sweet he could think of until 'Nougat Chunks' let him in.

The griffin statue sprang apart moments later and he led Zee up the winding staircase and into Dumbledore's office. His eyes immediately sought the rat trapped in the cage on the desk and his eyes hardened.

"You haven't spoken to him yet?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I have not. I only just returned to my office myself after speaking with Cornelius and the Aurors on what transpired tonight. The Dementors have finally all left the school and as for Mr Pettigrew, he looks like he might be injured."

"Don't care," Sirius said hotly, his eyes on the cage. "Open it."

Dumbledore stared at Sirius for a moment before he nodded and opened the cage. The rat didn't even try to escape, but merely whimpered as he was forced to transform back into the man and he screamed in pain from the transformation.

Sirius could see why immediately. His back had long deep claw marks grooved into his flesh, still bleeding, and his legs were scratched up as well. He imagined that he was in a lot of pain. He felt a stab of sympathy for his former friend, but then he squashed it. He needed information; he could feel sympathy later.

"We'll get Madam Pomfrey to check you over in a minute, Peter, but first, I need you to talk," Dumbledore said calmly.

Peter gasped for breath when Sirius forced him to his feet, blood dripping down his back and down the back of his legs. "Just let me die."

Sirius snorted. "Oh, trust me, I want to." He held his friend up against the wall to stop him from collapsing. "Let's start with the message for me, Wormtail."

"I — I told Harry."

"Oh, I'm well aware of what you told Harry. Not to mention that your message to him came after you had kidnapped two of his friends, broke one of their legs and lured him into our old haunt to be attacked by my insane cousin Bella!"

Peter swallowed slowly. "I knew that he would come for them. Jamie would have."

Sirius' eyes flashed dangerously. "If you _ever_ go through my son in an attempt to get to me again, I will kill you."

"Just fucking do it already!" Peter exploded, his eyes flashing in pain. "I deserve it! Just let me fucking die!"

Sirius shoved him against the wall, making him wince. "Maybe letting you live is actually the punishment that you deserve," he muttered. "What do you know about this cup in Bella's vault?"

Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't interrupt.

"I don't know anything! All I know is that Bella talks about it being a personal gift from the Dark Lord and how important it is for her to keep it safe; that it's an heirloom or something! I just thought that it was strange! The Dark Lord doesn't give out gifts like that and… for her to keep it safe as if he was worried someone would take it. I thought that it was strange."

"Why tell me?" Sirius demanded, his eyes on Peter's pale blue ones.

Peter's eyes were full of tears and his bottom lip was trembling from the pain in his back and from the force of being held to his feet by his former friend. "Because you're a Black and you can legally gain access to her vault and take it from her!"

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "Why did you bring Neville back to us?"

Peter groaned in pain, wincing when Sirius grabbed his chin and forced him to look into his face. "I've done a lot of things I regret, Siri, but give me some bloody credit. I didn't know Bella was following me and the last thing I meant to do was to take him with us in the first place, but he jumped at us as I Apparated and… you know what Bella's like…"

Sirius nodded. "Show me the memory of Neville. I want to see what was done to him."

Peter swallowed slowly before nodding weakly. Sirius put his wand to Peter's head and slowly extracted the silver memory, moving to place it into Dumbledore's Pensieve. Dumbledore sent a house elf to bring Madam Pomfrey up to look after Peter as Sirius turned to the Pensieve and twirled it with his wand.

He watched as Harry stood in front of his friends like a guard. Ron was lying on the ground of the bedroom in the shack, his leg broken at a strange angle. He was holding Hermione, who was still stunned, and Harry was doing his best to hold Neville back as Bellatrix taunted him. Neville broke free from Harry and ran at Bellatrix, his hands grabbing her throat just as Peter Disapparated.

The three of them crashed to the floor of an abandoned room, falling on top of each other.

Pettigrew was staring at Neville in horror. "What are you doing, you idiot?" he hissed.

The shock of having left the shack was enough to make Neville snap out of his rage, but unfortunately it was also enough to no longer claim the element of surprise on Bellatrix.

The slap sent him falling to the ground as she grabbed a fistful of his hair and dragged him to his feet.

"Ooh, the little baby wants to play rough now, does he?" She trailed her long, sharp fingernails down his cheek, slicing into his skin so that he bled.

She smiled and then she leaned in and licked the blood from his cheek and then her wand flicked and red sparks hit him square in the jaw as his nose was broken from the force of the spell as he fell to the ground as she cackled in laughter.

"Crucio," she said with glee.

Neville screamed as his whole body seemed to be stabbed from the inside out. His arms and legs bent the wrong way and then suddenly the pain was gone and he was on his knees on the stone floor, panting.

"Bitch," he muttered, spitting blood onto the floor.

"Bella, stop!" Peter shouted, attempting to get between them.

Bellatrix shoved Peter away from her and gripped Neville's chin in her hands, her eyes meeting his. "I'm going to torture you for hours, days even. And you, little baby, you're going to beg me to kill you because it's going to make what I did to your parents look like child's play."

Neville paled and then he spit in her face.

She backhanded him and then he was being put under the Cruciatus Curse a second time.

"Bella! Stop!" Peter shouted as she lowered her wand. "You can play with him later! The Dark Lord needs to be fed!"

Bellatrix stared at Peter for a moment, her eyes full of hate and then she sent a knockback jinx at Neville. It threw him back into the stone wall and he passed out.

"Bring him to my room, Peter," Bellatrix said with a smirk. "I can't wait to play with him some more."

"Of course," he told her.

Bellatrix left the room and Peter's hands went to his head, his eyes wide.

"No, no, no," he muttered, moving to check on Neville. He found a pulse in the boy's throat and let out a sigh of relief. "Stupid boy," he murmured. "What were you thinking trying to take her on?"

He glanced back at the open doorway and then carefully lifted Neville into his arms and Disapparated back to the Shrieking Shack. He stumbled down the broken staircase, attempting to carry the young man, his breathing heavy as they made it through the tunnel. He stepped out from under the Whomping Willow and his eyes widened in alarm when he recognized the large dog. He carefully lowered Neville to the ground, but when he turned around he saw the large panther blocking his path and his eyes widened in fear and he ran. The panther's claws sliced through his back and he stumbled, tripping over his feet as he fell to the ground.

Sirius pulled himself from the memory, his eyes on Peter, questioning.

Madam Pomfrey had arrived by now and her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Pettigrew and she moved to treat him. He had passed out again.

"Poppy, you can treat him right here. I'm going to move him down to one of the guest suites rather than the hospital wing."

"Albus, he needs real treatment!"

"He does and you will provide it. No one must know that he is here, Poppy. This is vital. He may have important information that we need to access."

She stared at him for a long moment before she nodded and conjured a stretcher to move him. It was only once she had left the headmaster's office did Sirius turn to look at Dumbledore.

"What do you think, Albus?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Fudge is going to want to question him immediately, but if we send him to Fudge he's going to be Kissed and he might know a lot more about what's happening; about what the plan is with Voldemort. What did he mean when he told Bellatrix that the Dark Lord needed to be fed? That's an interesting choice of words."

Sirius nodded. "I agree. You're going to keep him here?"

"There are many guest suites here in the castle, hidden and under protection and I think that we can keep him there safely until he heals and then we can speak with him again, but ultimately, he will have to be placed somewhere else for safety. The school is not the place for that."

"Ron said something about Bellatrix originally showing up in the shack because they had placed a tracking spell on Peter," Zee said quietly. It was the first time that she had spoken since they had arrived in the Headmaster's office.

Dumbledore nodded. "I suspected as much and removed it when I brought him up to my office. He's clean." He smiled at Sirius. "Sirius, you went through a terrible ordeal tonight. Go back down to the infirmary and stay with Harry. You'll both feel better for it. We can talk more about the cup and the ring that you have locked away later on. I still want to see it."

"I know. I'm just waiting on someone to return to the country before we look into destroying the ring. I have some questions and I think that he can answer them."

Dumbledore only nodded. "All right; you'll let me know then so we can set up a new meeting when the time is right. Go on now, get some sleep."

"Yeah, yeah, I think I will," he said, yawning. "You'll let me know if he says anything else tonight?"

"Yes. But tonight I imagine he is going to be healing as well. Once he's healed up, we'll find somewhere else for him to stay while we question him."

Sirius nodded and stood up. "Albus, Harry said that he and Hermione captured Peter and gave him to you?"

"They did," Dumbledore told him with a smile. "Miss Granger is quite intelligent and her quick thinking with the unbreakable cage was wise."

Sirius stared at him for a moment.

Zee wrapped her arm around Sirius' waist. "Stop overthinking things and let's go back down to the infirmary. Harry and his friends were incredibly brave tonight, Neville especially. But you need rest too."

He nodded and let her lead him off. They were approaching the door to the hospital wing when he realized what was missing.

"MOONY!"

Zee jumped at his sudden declaration and she shook her head. "Tonks went after him. I sent her a quick Patronus to tell her that everyone was safe and accounted for so that she wouldn't worry. I haven't heard anything and obviously the Aurors never came across him in the forest, but there's still three hours until sunrise."

Sirius nodded. "If he hurt anyone and… Merlin, Tonks is with him!"

"I think she's fine," Zee told him honestly. "His connection with her is amazing and I believe that he would protect her from anything."

"His mate and his pack," Sirius whispered. "I always told him that he wouldn't hurt his pack."

Zee smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "He's safe, Sirius. Come on."

He let Zee lead him back into the hospital bed, his eyes on Harry and his sleeping friends, feeling a bit better. He let Zee fuss over him and tuck him in, only agreeing to sleep once she had crawled into the small bed with him. He turned on his side, spooning her close against him and pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. He buried his face in her thick curls, smelling her sweet shampoo and he drifted off to sleep with her in his arms.

~ ASC ~

 **The pain ripped through his body as he stretched and bent, bones cracked and ripped apart, his muscles screaming as he changed back from wolf to man.** His breathing was ragged and the feel of her hands on his back made his eyes widen in alarm. He turned quickly, surprised to see Tonks sitting there in the meadow. Her knees were scraped and her hand was scratched, but she looked uninjured.

"Dora?"

She smiled and winced when she climbed up to her knees before she tugged his face toward her and kissed him deeply.

Remus moaned into her mouth as her hands slid over his chest and back and her tongue did the most delicious things to his. He tried to concentrate; tried to remember why they were in the meadow and why she was there with him, but her fingers were gripping him firmly, squeezing and stroking, and all he could do was let her take control. He was always so vulnerable after he changed back into the man. He would be hard and uncomfortably so; shaken and nervous — and he always felt like he was dirty, like something dark had made him so, and he didn't deserve anything good.

She was good. She was pure and everything he couldn't be and when she touched him when he felt like this, he felt new, he felt good and most of all, he felt deserving.

And she knew it.

She pushed him to the ground, falling on top of him as she fought desperately to tug her jeans and knickers down and then she was riding him, her head thrown back in pleasure, the sun rising behind her and Remus was positive that he had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.

He ripped her shirt off, his mouth moving to her breasts and she rode him harder and faster. He slid his fingers between them and into her and she cried out his name when he began to stroke her. She came quickly, screaming his name as she did and he followed her moments later, grinning against her breasts.

"I love you," she whispered against his ear.

Remus kissed her softly. "I love you too," he murmured, his breathing heavy. "What was that about? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

Tonks kissed his chin, his throat, his collarbone. "You forgot to take your potion last night."

Remus' eyes flew open and he sat up so quickly that if Tonks hadn't had her arms around his neck, she would have fallen. "What? Are you… what happened?"

She kissed him softly. "You didn't hurt anyone. You recognized me and you recognized Harry and you came to me and you stayed with me all night. You protected me."

"I…"

Tonks moved her hips in a circle, making him groan, his semi-hard cock lifting to meet her. "I am yours."

"Yes," he moaned, her hips still moving in a slow steady circle that made his blood pulse.

Her fingers moved into his hair and she took him inside of her. She began to ride him slowly; achingly slow and the pressure built up inside of him. He lifted her off of him and he pushed her onto her hands and knees and shoved three fingers deep into her at the same time that he took her. She screamed his name, her hands fisting in the dirt as he rode her. The orgasm tore through her and she reached back, her hand on his neck as he continued to brutally use her. She felt the pressure building once more and it was only when she came again that he finally let himself go and she groaned his name.

She collapsed onto her stomach, her breathing heavy as Remus rained kisses down her neck and her back, over her shoulders, over her tailbone, over her bum, kissing the dimple at the top and making her shiver.

Tonks smiled at him. "We should get back to the castle."

Remus blinked, his eyes coming into focus. He had forgotten that they were outside. She had said that he hadn't taken his potion. Hogwarts, he thought, panicking.

"What happened last night?"

Tonks put her clothes on, transfiguring her jacket into trousers for him which he pulled on. "What do you remember?"

"I…" his brain was still rather muddled from the rather incredible morning sex she had greeted him with as he tried to look through the cobwebs. "Snape brought me the potion and I was looking for Harry on the map to return it before I went home and… Peter! Wormtail was on the grounds! Harry! Is he all right?"

Tonks nodded, standing on her toes to kiss him softly. "He's fine. Zee sent me a Patronus that all is well."

Remus still seemed to be trying to comprehend everything.

Tonks smiled and kissed him again. "I hope you know how to find your way out of the forest because I have no idea."

He half-smiled at that. "Use the point me spell."

"See, you are a wise man, Professor Lupin."

Remus kissed her and watched her perform the spell. "My wand?"

Tonks tugged it out of her back pocket and passed it to him. "I grabbed it when you changed."

He nodded and they slowly made their way up to the castle, hand in hand.

Dumbledore met them in the hall of the hospital wing and nodded. "Remus, I trust you are well?"

Remus' brow furrowed and the back of his neck flushed in shame. "Albus, I am so sorry! I will of course resign immediately!"

Dumbledore merely raised an eyebrow. "Resign?"

"I was loose on the grounds last night. I could have hurt someone. It's too big of a risk and I won't take it. I'm sorry, but I must resign immediately. I'll finish marking the exams from home and be out of the castle within the hour."

"Remus, Auror Tonks made sure that you were incapable of hurting anyone last night. You have no need to resign."

Remus only glared at him. "It was irresponsible of me and extremely dangerous no matter what the circumstances may be! The students are going to know by now that I am a werewolf; nothing like that stays a secret for long and the letters will start coming in. It's better this way. For everyone."

"I can't change your mind?"

"No," he said firmly, his eyes hard.

Tonks looked at him sadly. "We wanted to check on Harry. Is he all right?"

"He should be in the Great Hall eating breakfast by now and yes, he was fine."

Remus nodded. "I'll go pack my things and be gone within the hour. I'm so sorry. For everything." He turned to Tonks, his expression grim. "Nymphadora, go to work and do whatever damage control needs to be done. I'll see you later."

She made to protest, but his shoulders were already slumped in defeat as he walked down the hall to the Defence Against the Dark Arts office, shirtless and barefoot, his head down and his scars bared for all to see his shame.

Tonks looked up at Dumbledore. "We can't just let him resign, can we?"

Dumbledore hesitated. "I don't want to see him go, Miss Tonks, as he is a wonderfully gifted teacher, but he is right. Word will be out by now and the Ministry is going to demand that he register himself in the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures through the Werewolf Registry. His life is going to get much harder and more complicated and as much as I would love for him to stay, he's absolutely right. People will complain once they discover it as the truth about him and unfortunately it will make them fear him. People often forget that the beast is not the man."

Tears were in her eyes, but she nodded. "I have to go into work. I'll talk to him tonight. I don't want him to give this up."

Dumbledore watched her walk away and he sighed. It was going to be difficult on both of them he thought. Not to mention, he _really_ didn't want to find a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry woke up the next morning, he recognized the hospital wing immediately and sat up quickly, looking for his glasses.** The sight of Sirius and Zee sleeping in the bed across from him made him let out a sigh of relief.

They were safe.

Ron was awake next to him so he moved over to sit on the side of his friend's bed. "Hey, how's the leg?"

"Good," Ron said with a smile. "The bones are still fusing together and that hurts, but it feels better. You okay?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't really injured just the Dementors, you know? But Pomfrey made me taking a sleeping draught anyway."

"Yeah, I get it. Where's Hermione?"

Harry glanced to the bed that she had been sleeping in the night before and saw it was empty. "She must have gone back to her dorm. She just stayed because it was so late."

"And Neville?" Ron asked, looking over at the sleeping form of their friend.

"He hasn't woken up yet," Harry admitted, his eyes on Neville. "But Madam Pomfrey said that he had been tortured."

Ron paled and snuck a look over at Neville again. "But he's okay?"

Harry nodded. "I think so, yeah."

Ron nodded, a relieved expression on his face as he looked over at Neville. His blue eyes turned back on Harry as he spoke. "So what happened after you went after Sirius last night?"

Harry just shook his head. "I'll explain later. It's a long story."

Madam Pomfrey came into the hospital wing at that moment to examine her patients. She told Ron that he would have to stay until tomorrow morning, but ordered Harry back to his dorm to shower and change for breakfast. He snuck a quick look at the sleeping forms of Sirius and Zee before he did as he was told.

When he got up to his dorm, he immediately took a long hot shower, letting the water beat down on him before he dressed for the day. He stepped into the Gryffindor common room and his arms were suddenly full of a tiny redhead and he chuckled as he hugged her.

"I'm okay, Ginny."

She looked up at him, her brown eyes full of worry. "Hermione told me what happened and what… you saved his life! You brought him back to you!"

He nodded, hugging her tight. "I was lucky."

Ginny held him for a few moments before she pulled away. "If you need to talk about any of it, you know where to find me."

He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Ginny. Where's Hermione?"

"She was heading down to breakfast the last time that I saw her."

Harry nodded and made to do the same, pleased when Ginny walked down with him.

He filled his plate with food after he sat down next to Hermione and smiled gratefully at her. Dumbledore had just sat down at the Head Table and filled his own plate, reassuring Harry that everything really was going to be okay.

They had only been eating for a few minutes when two WCU officers came into the Great Hall, their wands drawn.

"Albus Dumbledore, we are here to arrest Remus Lupin for failing to register his condition as a Werewolf in the Werewolf Registry and for failing to inform the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures of his werewolf status before agreeing to take on a job here as a professor. Show him to us."

Chatter erupted around the Great Hall almost immediately, but all eyes were on Dumbledore. Harry noticed that Snape seemed to have a sneer of satisfaction on his face and Harry clenched his fists angrily at the thought.

Dumbledore stood up, his eyes hard and his expression grim. "Unfortunately, Professor Lupin has already resigned his post and has left the school."

Ginny gripped Harry's hand tightly and Hermione placed a hand on his arm when they felt him tense. "Harry, there's nothing that you can do."

"Sit down and be quiet," Hermione hissed from the other side of him.

Harry made to protest, but at Hermione's glare, he sighed and did as she told him. They watched as Dumbledore led the Aurors from the Great Hall and the chatter immediately rose up within the hall.

"Lupin's a werewolf? Did you know?"

"How did the WCU find out?

"Do you think he attacked somebody?"

"Do you think he killed somebody?"

"Lupin is the best teacher we've ever had! It's not fair that he had to resign!"

"Look at Snape, he's so happy with the news. I heard that he's never liked Lupin."

"Snape doesn't like anyone."

"Snape's always wanted that job; bet he's the one who ratted Lupin out."

"Can you believe that he's an actual werewolf? He always seemed so nice?"

"Is it true that werewolves eat human hearts?"

"If he didn't hurt anyone he shouldn't get arrested! The WCU is only sent in extreme cases!"

"He wouldn't even be the wolf now, it's daylight! Why is the WCU here with the Hit Wizards?"

"I wonder what Lupin did to have the WCU come after him?"

"I heard the Ministry is cracking down on Undesirables."

"Oh piss off with the Undesirables; that's bigotry if I ever heard it! Lupin's the best!"

"What's he going to do now? Do you think he'll end up in prison?"

"I heard the Ministry is killing off Undesirables who don't follow the law."

"That's preposterous! Unless he killed somebody of course, then I say, kill the wolf!"

Harry tried to tune out the chatter around him, concentrating instead on the feeling of Ginny and Hermione's hands on both of his arms, holding him steady and calm. Once he pushed his anger down far enough to realize that he wasn't going to be storming off half-cocked, he nodded at his friends and made his way down to the hospital wing to see if Sirius was still there.

There was no way that Remus could be arrested, he thought.

Sirius would fix it.

He had to.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus finished packing his stuff, shoving everything into his trunk and shrinking it down to fit in his pocket with a featherlight charm.** He walked through the castle quickly, determined not to meet anyone on the way out and when he stepped into the village of Hogsmeade, he let out a sigh of relief.

The tension building inside of him made his heartbeat erratic and he closed his eyes, stopping to catch his breath by The Hog's Head. He had been _so stupid_. How could he have let himself be so stupid? Not only hadn't he taken the potion, the first time since the potion had been offered to him seven years ago, but he had let himself transform and run off into the Forbidden Forest. Harry, Ron, and Neville were all outside. Any one of them could have been hurt. Any one of them could have been killed by him or worse _infected._

He winced at the term. God, he was a monster and he could have hurt them! He would never wish this disease upon anyone.

Tonks' words echoed in his head: _You recognized me and Harry, and you came to me and you stayed with me all night. You protected me._

What did that mean? Did he truly have some form of control over the wolf? Or was that control only in terms of his mate? But he had recognized Harry too? He couldn't comprehend why she wasn't disgusted with him, but he knew better than to argue with her at this point.

But the thought that he could have hurt someone… unless Tonks was right, was he truly more focused on protecting her and keeping her safe? He wasn't so sure anymore.

He jumped at the sound of someone Apparating nearby and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the Ministry employees marching towards him. He recognized the uniforms of the Hit Wizards and the Werewolf Capture Unit and he sighed in defeat. Of course someone had reported him already. He had always known that it would happen this way.

"Remus Lupin, we're here to arrest you for the failure to register yourself as a known and dangerous werewolf in the Werewolf Registry and for failure to inform the Ministry of Magic that you were taking on a teaching position at a school with students who were unaware of your dangerous and deadly condition. This is a direct violation of the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures. Drop your wand, half-breed! You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court."

Remus let his wand fall to the ground and one of the Hit Wizards summoned it towards him as Remus put his hands up in surrender. He winced slightly when the WCU officer on his left cuffed him with silver handcuffs and it cut into his wrists, burning him.

The wizard smirked. "I see that we caught the right monster."

Remus didn't say anything, he merely held on as the WCU officer used his portkey to deposit them in the Ministry of Magic. He kept his head held high as he was pushed through the atrium, ignoring the stares and whispers as he was ushered into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and pushed into a cell. The cuffs were left on as the iron bars closed behind him. He simply sat on the bench provided and lowered his head in defeat as shame washed over him.

He only waited a few moments before Kingsley Shacklebolt stood before him.

"Remus?"

He raised his head, his eyes full of unshed tears as he looked up at his former dorm mate. "Kingsley."

Kingsley looked sad for a moment before he masked it. "I'm sorry about this, Remus."

Remus shrugged. "Secrets aren't meant to be kept forever."

Kingsley opened his cell, taking the cuffs off and swearing when he saw how the silver had burned into his wrists. "Silver cuffs? This was uncalled for!"

Remus merely shrugged again. "They have to protect themselves against the monster."

Kingsley gave him a sharp look before he simply took his arm and led him down the hall and into an interrogation room. "Sit. I'll bring you some tea in a moment."

"Thank you," Remus said softly.

Kingsley locked the door behind him and Remus simply buried his face in his hands and dragged his fingers through his hair nervously, his fingers fiddling with the buttons on his cardigan.

"King, you let me in!" Tonks said from behind the door and Remus' head popped up. His hearing had always been good, but it was very attuned to the sound of his mate's panicked voice and he stood up, wanting to comfort her.

"Auror Tonks, stand down, this is an official Ministry proceeding and you cannot go in there!"

"Let me see him, King, please!"

"Stand down," Kingsley ordered. "You can't help him."

"Kingsley… he's not dangerous. He's not a criminal!"

"Tonks, go home. You are suspended for two weeks without pay."

"Kingsley!"

"Go home, Auror Tonks. That's an order!"

Remus heard her march away in anger and he buried his face in his hands again, forcing himself to sit back down. He waited close to ten minutes before Kingsley came back into the room with a cup of tea.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Kingsley nodded and took a seat across from him. "As Head Auror I pulled rank on having you brought here, Remus. The Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures is trying to pull your case file in. I don't know how long I'll be able to keep you here."

Remus nodded, his throat was dry despite the tea. "Thank you."

"Remus, you understand how serious this is?" At Remus' nod, he continued. "Failure to comply with the reporting of a werewolf attack is up to three months in Azkaban; taking a job as a professor without reporting your lycanthropy is up to six years in Azkaban and with the big debacle of Bill 426-A17, this is the kind of thing that's going to give Umbridge fuel to bring her bill back in full force."

"I'm an Undesirable," Remus said blankly. "I know it and I knew what I was risking."

"I know Auror Tonks is moving in with you and it is because of your personal relationship that I was forced to suspend her. She's too emotional over this right now and I can't have her flying off the handle or jeopardizing your case in any way."

"I understand. When do I go to Azkaban, King?"

Kingsley stared at him for a moment. "I'm going to do my best to help you, Remus. We both know that you don't deserve to go to Azkaban Prison." He looked up at the knock on the door. "That would be the Head of the Beast Division, Agent Barrow. Barrow's a good bloke, he'll work to make sure that you are treated fairly. Just… tell the truth."

Remus nodded, his eyes defeated. "I will."

Kingsley stared at him for a long moment before he stood up and opened the door. A short stocky man with a flash of silver hair stepped inside with three tall guards all in the uniforms of the Werewolf Capture Unit. A small woman came in behind them with a clipboard and two more men came in behind her.

Kingsley nodded politely at them. "I removed his cuffs. He doesn't need to be restrained. I can promise you that he is not dangerous. I can vouch for this man." He turned back to give Remus a reassuring look before leaving, closing the door behind him.

The woman spoke first, her eyes on Remus. "Remus Lupin, my name is Elizabeth Walters and I'm the Head of Werewolf Support Services. I am here strictly in an advisory capacity today to help you. Do you understand why you were arrested this morning?"

"Yes."

Walters nodded and moved to take a seat next to him at the table. "Auror Shacklebolt insists that Mr Lupin does not need to be restrained during this interview, do you agree Agent Barrow?"

The silver haired man nodded. "I do. Mr Lupin, my name is Agent Barrow and I'm the Head of the Beast Division in the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures. This is WCU officers Randall, Davis, and Roberts. Behind me is Agents Madison and Roper from the Werewolf Registry. You were arrested today for transforming into that of a werewolf on school grounds where you could have attacked any student in the vicinity. Do you understand why that is a danger that we are concerned about?"

"Yes."

Walters smiled at Barrow. "Agent Barrow, Mr Lupin is clearly distraught. Surely you can let me speak with my client before we continue this interview."

"No, Miss Walters, we cannot," Agent Barrow said, moving to sit across from Remus. "Mr Lupin, how long have you known that you were a werewolf?"

Remus' eyes met his and he closed them for a moment, taking a long slow breath before answering. "Thirty years."

Madison and Roper's eyes widened in shock.

"You've kept this a secret for thirty years!" Roper exclaimed, his eyes wide. "That's a direct violation of the Werewolf Protection Act, section 2-B! That alone can earn you up to ten years in prison!"

Remus' lip trembled, but he nodded.

"Why have you kept this a secret, Mr Lupin?"

Remus' eyes met Agent Barrow's calmly. "I promised my father that I would after the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures let him down."

Walters was flipping through her file, her quill in her hand. "Your father was Lyall Lupin, the expert on Non-Human Spirituous Apparitions?"

Remus nodded. "He was."

"He is listed as deceased now."

"Yes."

"Mr Lupin, we need more direct responses from you if we are going to give your case a fair trial!"

Remus snorted. "A fair trial? I'm a werewolf who has evaded registering myself for thirty years and was loose on school grounds near students when I was transformed. What chance do I have of not spending the rest of my life in Azkaban?"

Roper sighed and moved to sit in a chair across from him. "Albus Dumbledore swears on your character as both a professor and a former student. He claims that you have never once injured or hurt another human being as a werewolf. Is this accurate?"

Remus nodded. "That's true. I've never wanted to hurt anyone and I lock myself up every full moon. Severus Snape has been brewing the Wolfsbane Potion for me and I take it faithfully."

"But you did not take it last night?"

Remus buried his face in his hands. "The boy I consider my son was with two escaped Death Eaters on the school grounds and when I found out, my first instinct was to go to him and to protect him and in my haste, I forgot that it was the full moon. I admit, it was foolish and stupid to do so but… nothing in this world is more important to me than Harry's safety."

"Harry Potter? His legal guardian is listed as Lord Sirius Black?" Walters asked, her eyes on the paperwork before her.

Remus nodded. "Yes. But I've helped raise him. I consider him my son, my nephew even."

Walters scribbled something in the file just as the door to the interrogation room opened and a low 'hem, hem' was heard.

"Agent Barrow, I appreciate you doing your due diligence to interview Mr Lupin on his life as a werewolf, but I think it best if Mr Lupin is immediately taken into custody and brought directly to Azkaban," a girlishly sweet voice said from the doorway. "There will be no need for a trial. The Dementors have been ordered to Kiss him upon his arrival for his crimes."

Remus' eyes widened in fear. "What? Why? I've never hurt anyone!"

Umbridge smiled, her eyes gleaming in manic joy. "Maybe that's true, but you are the perfect example of why an Undesirable half-breed shouldn't be allowed to exist in our society. Lies do not become you, and werewolves do not make good pets."

"Senior Undersecretary Umbridge, you have no authority to make this call!" Agent Barrow demanded angrily. "Lupin has every right to exist in our society!"

Umbridge merely smiled. "But I do, Agent Barrow, for I have proof that Mr Lupin is the one who allowed the Death Eaters access to Hogwarts and helped orchestrate their entire escape from Azkaban in August of last year."

"That's impossible!" Remus exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I have done no such thing!"

Umbridge only smiled. "Maybe, maybe not, but as a dangerous Undesirable in our community, your words are just that, _words_. Take him to Azkaban."

Two guards came out from behind Umbridge and gripped Remus tightly on either side, slapping his wrists and his ankles in silver shackles that burned into his skin and he looked back at Walters desperately.

She was staring at him, her mouth open in shock before turning on Umbridge. "This is uncalled for! You can't just execute him without just cause!"

Umbridge simply smiled. "Being a werewolf is _just cause_. He will be executed in two hours if you'd like to attend."

Then she turned and walked out of the interrogation room, the sound of her lightly singing, "all around the Ministry halls, the secretary chased the monster, the monster thought that he had won 'til pop, she _killed_ the monster," echoing throughout the corridor.

And the words sent chills down Remus's spine.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to Bex for the idea of using the tune of Pop! Goes the Weasel — very creepy, I hope._

 _Please review :D_


	141. Chapter 141

_Author's Note:_

 _I know, I'm a horrible person, we established this in 138, but things have to happen this way, don't they?_

 _I was going to post this yesterday but it was my birthday so I voted on going to bed early because dude, 32 is just depressing LOL._

 _Thank you to Bex for the idea of using the tune of Pop! Goes the Weasel — very creepy, I hope._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE:**

 **Remus was in complete shock.**

Of all of the ways that he had imagined the Ministry of Magic discovering that he was a werewolf; forcing him to register and forcing him to be tracked and monitored for his behaviour, he had never imagined that he would be executed for it, nor would it happen so quickly.

The sound of Umbridge whistling the familiar children's nursery rhyme with her own disturbing wording about his fate made him shiver slightly as he was pulled away by the guards in such a way that it was enough to make his stomach plummet in fear. She couldn't really order him to be executed without proof, could she? He had never once hurt anyone in his werewolf form.

But he had come close.

He remembered waking up the morning after he had ripped open James' abdomen as a stag when he had tried to stop him from attacking someone on the grounds; he remembered seeing the scars on Sirius from when he had torn into him, desperate to be free and he had fought against his friend's defences; and he remembered how he had almost attacked Snape once before James had pulled him back. He _could_ hurt them. He knew how dangerous he was.

And maybe, just maybe, this really was for the best.

Kill the monster, he thought.

 _T_ he words echoed in his head, her whistling hum still heard in the halls.

 _All around the Ministry halls, the secretary chased the monster, the monster thought that he had won 'til pop, she killed the monster!_

The silver shackles burned his skin and he winced at the pain of it. He had always wondered if silver truly could hurt him as outlined in the myths and as it burned into his skin and he could almost feel his skin melting away where the shackles stood, he knew now that it had more than just a basis in fact.

He was led to a portkey station that took him to the rocky cliffs of the island in the North Sea and it was only upon landing there, the cold wind and rain hitting his face that he started to realize that this was it.

This was how his life was going to end.

He was shoved into a small rowboat, the rain beating down on them and one of the guards sneezed his distaste before climbing in with him. They rowed slowly, wands propelling the boat forward towards the dark fortress that seemed to rise out of the rocks. Mist and fog surrounded the fortress and the feel of melancholy and despair that washed over them as they approached was enough to make Remus shiver.

The boat crashed into the rocky shores and the guards dragged him to his feet. They levitated him face down, arms and legs hanging over his body like a spider, the silver shackles clinking as he floated between the guards up the narrow path and through the thick iron doors of the fortress.

The doors closed behind them with an echoing bang and the sounds of screams and moans echoed throughout the fortress. Stairs went straight up the middle, zig-zagging across and back and forth, each cell covered in iron bars, floor and walls and ceiling all made of solid rock and stone.

The guards shoved him into the first door on the left, which looked like an office and the guard there lifted his head once the door was closed. He had a Patronus of a rabbit running around his office, making the room feel visibly happier and warmer. He put his paper down and nodded at the guards.

"This the werewolf?"

"Yes, Sir, Remus John Lupin. Senior Undersecretary Umbridge demands that he is to be Kissed immediately upon his arrival."

"She does, does she?"

He moved around the desk to grip Remus' chin in his hands. "He hardly looks like a dangerous criminal."

"Umbridge's orders, Sir."

"Yes, yes," he said waving the man off. "The Dementors are doing their rounds, but once they've finished, I will call one of them into the execution room to take care of it. In the meantime, you may bring the prisoner into the execution room and provide him with a last meal."

He turned Remus' face in his hands and sighed.

"I hate execution days," he muttered and turned back to his paperwork as the guards removed Remus from the room.

~ ASC ~

 **By the time that Harry left the Great Hall, he was running at full speed to the hospital wing.** He almost crashed right into Sirius as he rushed inside.

"Hey, Harry, where's the fire? You feeling okay this morning?"

"Uncle Sirius! They're going to arrest Uncle Moony! You have to stop it!"

"What?" Sirius asked, his eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"They were just here in the Great Hall, looking for him! Dumbledore said that he had already resigned and left the school!"

A wolf Patronus burst through the wall of the castle and Sirius' eyes widened when it spoke in Tonks' panicked voice. "Remus was arrested and brought in to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I've been suspended and ordered to stay away. Kingsley just sent word to me that Umbridge had him removed from the premises and had guards immediately escort him to Azkaban."

Sirius paled as the Patronus disappeared.

Harry grabbed his arm. "Uncle Siri, why is he going to Azkaban?"

"He never registered himself as a werewolf and it's against the law. I need to get to the Ministry."

Harry only nodded and watched as Sirius took off running to McGonagall's office to use her Floo. He looked over at Zee, eyes wide. "Is Uncle Moony going to prison?"

Zee shook her head. "Something about this isn't right, Harry. I'm sorry, I have to go!"

He nodded and when she hurried off after Sirius with Lady Godiva on her heels, his hands shook at his sides. There had to be something that they could do. He couldn't have saved Sirius only to lose Remus…

He couldn't have.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny watched Hermione get up to go after Harry and she swallowed slowly, stopping herself from doing the same.** There was something that she could do to help, she thought, before she moved down the table to where Percy was sitting. She slid onto the bench next to him.

"Professor Lupin is the best teacher that we've ever had."

Percy looked down at her. "I agree, but being an unregistered werewolf is a crime, Ginny."

Ginny only gave him a piercing stare. "Can you blame him for keeping it a secret when you look at how he was just treated?"

Percy sighed. "I didn't say that it was right or that I agree with it, but that's the law. When people don't follow the law, chaos ensues. No one is above the law, Ginevra."

Ginny glared at him. "I refuse to let him resign for something so incredibly stupid! We need him here! No one cares that he turns into a werewolf!"

Percy smiled at her. "I admire your gumption, Ginevra, but what do you suppose we do, start a petition to keep him here? We don't have any power."

Her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. "Exactly that! And not just a petition, Perce, but words of praise and encouragement! You can start! As Head Boy, what you have to say on the subject of his teaching here would hold considerable weight." She grabbed his hand and tugged him to his feet. "Come on!"

Percy smiled at her, the determination in her blazing eyes made him proud. "We have to do it right, Ginny; nothing can be amiss."

She only smirked at him as he led her to the Head Dormitory. "Why else do you think I came to you in the first place?"

Percy grinned, his eyes twinkling in excitement. "I know exactly how to start."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius arrived at the Ministry of Magic only minutes after speaking to Harry and was surprised to find Kingsley in the atrium.**

"King! Where's Remus?"

Kingsley shook his head. "Umbridge ordered him to be taken to Azkaban and Kissed upon his arrival."

"WHAT?" Sirius exploded, his eyes wide in horror.

Kingsley nodded. "The Minister of Magic agreed with her sentiments given the circumstances and they took him away or at least she's claiming he has. There was nothing I could do to stop him being taken, Sirius. But maybe we can stop the execution."

Sirius glared at him. "Get me a portkey to the North Sea, now."

"Sirius, there's —"

"NOW!"

Kingsley nodded and led him to the Department of Magical Transportation. Walters and Agent Barrow were already there arguing with the transportation officer.

"We need to get to Azkaban immediately," Agent Barrow was demanding. "There has been an uncalled for execution and we need to stop it!"

Sirius nodded at them. "I'm coming with you."

"As am I," Kingsley said from behind Sirius, making him turn and smile. "I should have done more to stop Umbridge from allowing him to be taken. Remus is a good man and I'm not giving up on him."

Agent Barrow nodded and within minutes, the four of the them were flying through space and time and landing haphazardly on the rocky shores of the North Sea, the looming dark fortress of Azkaban Prison rising up from the sea in front of them.

They climbed into the row boat and Sirius shivered. "I never thought that I'd be back here."

Kingsley put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"What time is it?" Sirius asked, turning to Agent Barrow.

Agent Barrow looked at the pocket watch hanging from his robes. "Half past nine."

Sirius nodded. "We have time. The Dementors don't finish their rounds before eleven."

Walters shivered under the spray of the water as the boat moved them towards the fortress. "That's almost reassuring."

"It is," Sirius told her, his eyes on the fortress ahead. "Executions won't happen until rounds are complete."

Kingsley swallowed slowly, nodding as the boat lurched forward.

It took them ten minutes to arrive on the shore and another five to get up to the front doors. Kingsley immediately pushed forward into the main office and demanded that they be taken to the execution room.

Sirius' heart was pounding in fear, but he let out a breath of relief when he saw Remus shackled to the chair in the middle of the room, alive.

"He's been ordered to be Kissed, Shacklebolt, I can't disregard a direct order!" The man behind him was complaining.

"You can and you will!" Kingsley ordered coldly. "I am Head Auror and no one will be executed without first earning a fair trial and this man was not even properly interviewed before being taken from my interrogation room and brought here!"

The guard seemed to cower under Kingsley's stare and he nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Kingsley noticed the shackles and swore. "Remove those at once!"

"Sir, he is still a prisoner!"

"Yes, he is. Now remove those at once!"

The guard snapped his fingers and two prison guards moved away from the walls to unshackle his silver chains.

Sirius moved to kneel in front of his friend, gripping his chin in his hands. "Rem? Moony, you okay?"

Remus nodded weakly, the silver at his wrists and ankles had cut him to the bone. "I'm to die today."

"No," Sirius told him sternly, holding his face in his hands. "You are not. You did nothing to warrant an execution. _Nothing."_

Remus' eyes were blank when they stared at him. "You've been a good friend, Padfoot. But I've told you for years, I'm a monster and now the world finally knows it." His head drooped down and he slid into unconsciousness from the pain. The silver had clearly gotten into his bloodstream as his gaze had been very disoriented before he'd passed out.

Sirius stood up, his hand on Remus' shoulder. "This is unacceptable."

Kingsley nodded, his eyes on Remus who had passed out in the chair. "I agree." He turned to look at Agent Barrow. "I want him locked in a holding cell on the main floor. His execution has been put on hold for the time being. No more silver shackles. Winters, if one hair is hurt on Lupin's head, I will give you to the Dementors myself, am I clear?"

The main guard Winters paled considerably. "Yes, Sir."

"Take him away."

Sirius gripped Remus' arm when they levitated him, his eyes wide and Kingsley called his name.

"Leave him, Sirius. The holding cell on the main floor is the best place for him now. I'm going to order two of my best Aurors to come guard him. You need to call an emergency assembly of the Wizengamot. Walters, stay with Lupin and get him to talk to you. The more information we have the better."

"I can tell you anything that you need to know," Sirius told her. "I've known him since we were eleven and he's the most gentle soul that I've ever met. He would never hurt anyone willingly."

"How long have you known he was a werewolf?"

"Since I was twelve," he said simply. "He's my best friend. I'll take whatever punishment you deem fit, just… he doesn't deserve to die."

Walters nodded, her eyes sad. "We'll work it out, Lord Black. Call an emergency meeting."

Sirius hated leaving Remus in that cold, damp cell, but he knew that Kingsley was right. They couldn't just break him out of prison, they had to go through the proper channels; they had to do this right. The important thing was that Remus' execution was delayed.

Now he just had to get him the hell out of there.

~ ASC ~

 **When The Evening Prophet arrived that night at dinner, Harry's stomach plummeted when he read the article on the front page.**

 _WEREWOLF ARRESTED AT HOGWARTS? WHAT KIND OF FREAKSHOW WILL HOGWARTS HIRE NEXT?_

He grabbed the paper from Wood's mail without asking and unrolled it to read, his eyes wide in horror.

 _Remus Lupin, 34, a dangerous werewolf was arrested earlier today for crimes of hiding his lycanthropy from the Ministry of Magic and taking on a teaching post at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry without informing staff or students. After the fiasco last year with Gilderoy Lockhart, accused of countless cases of fraud, the rape of minors, and the obliviating of innocent people, a werewolf seems to be the next logical step for Albus Dumbledore._

 _The dangers of having a werewolf as a teacher are countless and Ministry officials work to reassure parents that students will be checked carefully to make sure that Lupin hasn't infected anyone with his disease._

 _"Lycanthropy is a dangerous and a sickening disease," Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge told the Prophet this afternoon. "This is part of the reason why I wanted to implement Bill 426-A17 so that individuals like Lupin can be monitored, watched and ultimately contained. Werewolves are extremely untrustworthy and the fact that two escaped Death Eaters from Azkaban happened to arrive at Hogwarts on the same full moon where Lupin was loose on the grounds? That's not a coincidence. Werewolves were always well known supporters of You Know Who which means that Lupin was obviously behind the breakout last August and has been harbouring known criminals. He was tried and his execution was ordered."_

 _Ordered, but not carried out._

 _Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt has apparently stopped the execution order for Lupin, demanding that a trial be given and claiming that Senior Undersecretary Umbridge denied Lupin a fair trial before assigning execution orders. Lord Sirius Black followed Shacklebolt's orders and called an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot Assembly for nine o'clock tonight, something that hasn't happened in over twenty years. We will have to wait and see what the outcome of the Assembly is to determine Lupin's fate._

He threw the paper down on the table angrily and Wood looked at him surprise.

"You okay, Harry?"

"No!" he said angrily. "This is bullshit! Professor Lupin is not some criminal that needs to be carted off to Azkaban and executed! He's the best defence teacher that we've ever had!"

Wood nodded solemnly. "I can attest to that. He's the best defence teacher I've had in my seven years here. They won't execute him, there's no way that that's legal without actual evidence that he murdered someone."

Wood's words did nothing to reassure him.

Hermione tried to calm him down and offer him support, but nothing she had to say on the known werewolf laws, execution charges, and the Ministry of Magic made him feel any better. Even the news that Neville had finally woken up, didn't cheer him up as much as it should have.

But he smiled at his friend as he sat on the edge of his hospital bed.

"You all right?"

Neville nodded. "I feel like I've been trampled on by an army of Hippogriffs, but I think I'm all right. I heard Ron saying something about Professor Lupin being arrested? What the hell happened?"

Harry nodded, anger rising again. "He was! It's completely ridiculous and no one will tell me what's happening!"

"I'm sure that as soon as someone knows something, you'll know," Neville told him, trying to reassure his friend.

Harry nodded, dragging his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, Nev. I'm so worried about Uncle Remus and I should be focused on you, I mean… you were kidnapped by Bellatrix Lestrange and _tortured_!"

Neville shrugged, his face flushing. "It's not something to brag about, I was stupid. I don't know what I was thinking jumping at her like that. I know how lucky I am to be alive."

"What happened after you, you know, Disapparated?" Ron asked from the bed beside him.

Neville stared at Ron's leg. "Your leg going to be all right?"

"Yeah, should be healed by tomorrow. Your arm?"

"Madam Pomfrey said that it should be good by tomorrow as well," he said with a smile. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a slow breath. "She hit me."

Harry's eyes widened. "She hit you?"

"Slapped me really and she cut my cheek with her nails and then she licked the blood… and she was loving it, I could see that. She laughed."

Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and her voice was quiet as she spoke. "Madam Pomfrey said that you had been tortured."

Neville nodded, his face pale. "She used it on me twice, the torture curse. It's the worst thing that I ever could have imagined. It was like I was inside out and my body was being stabbed everywhere and being burnt alive at the same time. I… to think my mum and dad were under that for hours… it's a miracle that they even survived at all."

Harry put his hand on Neville's knee. "You were so brave, Nev."

He shook his head. "I spit at her and I called her a bitch. The last thing I remember is hitting my head against the wall and blacking out. How did I even get here?"

"Pettigrew brought you back," Ron said as Harry nodded next to him.

"Why?"

Harry shrugged. "We don't know, but he brought you back. Do you know where he took you?"

Neville shook his head. "No. It was a house. It looked like it was abandoned, but I wasn't paying attention to much else."

Harry nodded. "Well, you're back now and you're safe. That's what's important."

Neville smiled at him. "Thanks, Harry. I think that I just want to try to sleep some more. I'm really tired."

Hermione stood up and leaned down to kiss his cheek. "If you need to talk, Neville, about anything…"

He smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you. I think I'll be okay. Is my gran still talking to Dumbledore?"

Harry nodded. "I think so because she didn't come back yet. Do you want us to stay with you until she does?"

"I'm here," Ron said with a smile. "Nev and I will be fine. You and Hermione try to mirror-call Sirius and find out what's happening." He passed the mirror back to Harry. "I forgot to return that."

"Thanks."

They said goodbye and headed out into the hall just as Mrs Longbottom approached the hospital door.

"How is he?" she asked eagerly.

"Tired, but okay," Harry told her. "He's incredibly brave, Mrs Longbottom."

Mrs Longbottom nodded, her eyes sad. "So were his parents." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Sirius has ordered an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot Assembly for tonight to deal with the Lupin arrest. Don't worry about what the papers are saying, Harry, this will all be taken care of in some way or another."

She squeezed his shoulder in reassurance before hurrying into the infirmary to be with her grandson.

Harry and Hermione slowly made their way up to Gryffindor Tower. They had just taken a seat in the common room when Harry recognized Persephone outside of the tower window and he jumped to his feet to let her inside. He recognized Zee's writing and he eagerly opened the letter, desperate for any news and his eyes widened as he read her words aloud to Hermione:

 _Harry,_

 _Remus was arrested in Hogsmeade this morning and brought to the Ministry of Magic. The woman who is behind the push of Bill 426-A17 is trying to use his case to make an example of why her bill should be pushed forward through the Ministry. She tapped into some unknown political power through the Minister and had Remus removed from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and delivered to Azkaban and ordered to be Kissed upon arrival._

 _Sirius and Auror Shacklebolt stopped this from happening!_

 _Remus is currently being held in a holding cell under Auror guard within Azkaban Prison. Sirius has used his rights as a Lord of the Wizengamot to call forth an emergency assembly meeting for nine o'clock tonight strictly to deal with Remus' case. Werewolf Support Services is speaking to Remus in Azkaban to try to get his full story. I am working with Agent Barrow of the Beast Division to give him an example of Remus' character. The Werewolf Registry is also taking notes._

 _Think positive thoughts. We have to trust Sirius on this matter and please know that we are doing everything in our power to keep him safe._

 _Love,_

 _Zee_

 _xoxox_

Harry read and re-read the letter over and over, his eyes flashing in anger. They had tried to have him executed? The paper hadn't been lying!

Hermione carefully extricated the letter from his hands, her eyes pouring over it. "Oh, Harry!"

"Bollocks!" he exclaimed, glaring at her. "How can they even allow this happen? He's not a bloody monster and they are treating him like he's a criminal!"

"It sounds like Sirius is going to try to put a stop to it," Hermione said, her eyes terrified. "He has that kind of power, doesn't he?"

"In theory, but he has to get the majority of the Wizengamot to agree with him," Harry told her, his hands in his hair. "He's only one person!"

"Harry!"

He looked up as Ginny came through the portrait hole with Percy behind her. "Harry! I have something to show you!"

"Not now, Ginny," he said angrily, his eyes moving back to the letter in Hermione's hands.

"Harry," Percy said crisply. "We wanted to show you first before we present it to Professor Dumbledore."

Harry looked down at the parchment that Percy presented to him and he sighed, accepting it. But then his eyes widened as he read the content.

PETITION TO BRING PROFESSOR REMUS LUPIN BACK

 _As Head Boy, I have had seven years of great experiences here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and with those seven years of experiences, I've also had the pleasure of working with many different professors. No professor quite deserves my praise like that of Professor Remus John Lupin. He is intelligent, patient, and kind. He is extremely helpful, always there to listen and to assist. His office door is always open to those looking for help. He offers extra assistance, tutoring, and personal training sessions with his students to make sure that they are learning the material to the best of their abilities. He is an amazing and inspiring wizard who I only wish I could be as great as in my chosen field._

 _The fact that he is a werewolf is completely irrelevant to his skill and prowess as an incredible Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Hogwarts will be truly remiss without him._

 _Percy Weasley, Head Boy_

Below this was a list of student signatures with other thoughts and quips about how great Lupin was and how much the school benefited from having him around and how much Hogwarts was going to miss him. Of the two hundred eighty students in the school, two hundred and sixty-eight had signed.

"If you and Hermione sign it that's two hundred and seventy signatures," Ginny told him with a smile. "We're going to get the professors to sign too before we present it to Professor Dumbledore."

Harry looked up at her and Percy in surprise. "This is… this is amazing, thank you! This must have taken you…"

"All damn day?" Percy said with a laugh. "Yeah, it has. But it was Ginny's idea and we've spoken to everyone in the school. Only ten people refused to sign it which I think is a pretty low number over all."

Harry's eyes met Ginny's chocolate ones. "You did this?"

She smiled at him. "We want him back, Harry."

"Ginny, Percy, you definitely need to get that to Dumbledore. The Ministry is trying to get Remus executed and maybe this petition can be used as evidential testimony of his character," Hermione said quickly.

"Executed?" Percy asked in alarm. "That's preposterous! They don't have the right to execute a man simply because he turns into a werewolf!"

Harry snorted. "Doesn't seem to matter much to them actually."

Percy listened as Hermione explained the article in the paper and what Zee claimed Sirius was trying to do and he nodded in understanding. "She's trying to use him as a scapegoat to get her bill across. If she has enough backing, it is possible. If there's a Wizengamot meeting tonight, Penny and I will both attend as Youth Representatives to the court and we can present the petition. Come on, Ginny, we need to get this to Dumbledore."

Ginny hopped up from her seat and smiled at her brother. "Agreed. Let's go."

~ ASC ~

 **Tonks was pacing the living room of her parents' home in Shoreditch, her hands in her short bubblegum pink curls so often that they were standing on end.**

"Dora, you're going to leave a path in the carpet," Ted joked lightly.

Tonks ignored him, her hands still in her hair.

Ted stood up, putting his hands on his daughter's arms and tugging her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, cradling her head to his heart. "It's okay, darling. It's okay, just let it out."

Tonks wasn't sure if she had been waiting on the words or for her father's embrace, but the moment that he spoke, the tears fell and she expelled great heaving sobs. Ted rubbed her back soothingly, kissing her hair. It was almost five minutes before she caught her breath, her fingers fisting in her father's shirt.

"Daddy," she whispered.

"Shh, my lovely Auror Dora, it's okay. Sirius won't let this happen."

Tonks' eyes met his, a small smile on her lips for his stupid rhyme, and he kissed her forehead.

"Remus is a good man. They aren't going to execute a good man on bogus charges or the entire Ministry of Magic is going to go up in flames. There's too much at stake with this."

Ted held her close as the front door opened and Andromeda came inside.

"I spoke to Sirius. Umbridge is trying to claim that Remus helped orchestrate the Death Eater escape back in August and snuck them onto the Hogwarts grounds in some feeble attempt to cause harm to the students of Hogwarts. Him being loose on the grounds is merely an extra crime to his name," she explained, putting her purse on the chair and moving to embrace her daughter.

"Did you see King?"

"Yes, Pixie," Andromeda said affectionately, gently brushing her daughter's hair back. "He told me that he might need you as a witness and that Sirius has some insane idea to prove Remus' innocence."

She nodded, her eyes still brimming in tears. "Whatever he needs. I can't… I can't lose him; not like this!"

Andromeda kissed her forehead and her cheeks, her eyes on her husband. "The Wizengamot is meeting in an hour. You need to freshen yourself up. If you are called in as a witness, I'll have you looking nothing less than your best. Your father and I will be with you the whole time."

Tonks nodded and did as her mother instructed. She would be ready and she was going to fight tooth and tail at the assembly tonight.

Remus was not going to be executed.

She wouldn't let it happen.

~ ASC ~

 **McGonagall stepped into the Gryffindor common room that night and the chatter stopped almost immediately.** Her eyes moved around the common room before landing on Harry.

"Mr Potter?"

Harry jumped to his feet, his eyes wide. "Professor?"

"Come with me."

Harry nodded, glancing back at Hermione who only smiled at him reassuringly. He followed McGonagall to her office where she handed him the tin of Floo powder.

"Sirius is waiting for you at the Ministry of Magic. I don't know what he has planned, but he swears that you are to be a vital witness to Remus' defence."

Harry nodded and grabbed a handful of Floo powder in his hand. "Okay."

McGonagall squeezed his shoulder. "Good luck, Harry."

Harry stepped into the fireplace and dropped the powder before calling out 'Ministry of Magic' and disappearing into the green flames. He shot out of a black stone fireplace and landed in the main atrium. His eyes searched the room for his father, but he found Zee hurrying towards him instead.

"Where's Uncle Siri?" he demanded.

Zee took his arm. "He's down in the Wizengamot Chamber. Come on."

Harry followed her down the hall and to the lift where he was brought to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and then led to the Wizengamot Chamber. The room was full already and when he entered he saw Tonks sitting with Ted and Andromeda in the visitor area. Zee urged him to sit next to Tonks and Harry immediately put his arm around her. Tonks rested her head on his shoulder, squeezing his arm in thanks.

Most of the Wizengamot was present by now and a few minutes later when the clock struck nine, Dumbledore rose up from the front.

"My lords, my ladies, members of the House, I welcome you to this emergency Assembly of the Wizengamot."

Lord Mackelbee raised his wand. "Were we really dragged here tonight over the ordered execution of a werewolf?"

Some protests erupted around the court and Dumbledore sent up red sparks to stop the chatter.

"Quiet down! This is more than the execution of a werewolf. CWM Shacklebolt, would you like to start?"

Kingsley stood up, his plum Wizengamot robes open to reveal his Auror uniform. "Thank you, Chief Warlock. As you know, I am Head Auror and as the head of my division, I take my job very seriously. I work for justice, I work for the law, and most importantly, I work for our community. I refuse to allow a man to be executed simply because he has claimed to be a werewolf. There is no proof that this man has ever harmed a single soul. There is no proof that this man helped Death Eaters escape — and there is no just cause for Senior Undersecretary Umbridge to use him as a scapegoat in a last ditch effort to force Bill 426-A17 to the forefront. I believe that's unacceptable."

A small witch raised her wand and Dumbledore nodded her forward. "Chief Warlock, my name is Elizabeth Walters and I work for Werewolf Support Services. Mr Lupin has been unjustly treated here and I would like to plead his case with the help of Agent Barrow from the Beast Division of the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures."

"Of course, Miss Walters. Agent Barrow, if you may?"

Agent Barrow stood up, his eyes on Dumbledore before moving to address the court. "The topic of werewolves has been a big discussion in the last year or so and I know many of you are tired of hearing about the rights of these creatures especially in light of the influx of werewolf attacks over the last four years. Werewolves are beasts in every sense of the word, but they are also men and they are also women and it is the witches and wizards that they are that is on trial here, not the beasts that they become."

"But are they truly considered a witch or wizard when they turn into a beast?"

Dumbledore stared down the woman who spoke. "CWM Norton, a werewolf is most certainly a human being in _every_ sense of the word."

The courtroom was oddly quiet after Dumbledore's words and Agent Barrow cleared his throat. "I'd like to ask the Azkaban Guard Winters to bring Mr Lupin into the courtroom now."

The backdoor to the chamber opened and a large iron cage, cross-checked in iron square bars was dragged into the chamber. Remus was sitting inside, his back to the square bars and he was staring at his hands.

"Mr Lupin is a wizard," Agent Barrow continued as the cage was locked into place in the centre of the chamber. "And as a wizard, he is hailed with certain rights and freedoms that this assembly must grant him."

Sirius raised his wand and rose to his feet. "I'm the one who asked for this meeting to be held tonight. Remus Lupin has been my best friend for over twenty years. He's a brother to me. I have never known anyone with a kinder disposition than the man you see sitting in that cage before you. He is a wizard and he is a werewolf, but to me he has always just been Remus. He has never hurt anyone in his life and he lives in constant fear that one day he will because of something that happens to him, not something that he willingly chooses. I have told him time and time again that he is incapable of hurting anyone just for the sport of it and that just because he is a werewolf doesn't make him a monster. He doesn't have it in him to hurt anyone." He glanced up at the clock as he spoke to the room at large. "The moon rise is set to occur in twenty-two minutes, I am going to prove to all of you why this man, this _werewolf,_ is innocent. Auror Shacklebolt, if you could please open the cage."

Kingsley nodded and unlocked the cage. Remus simply stared at him, his eyes full of emotion, unsure of what was happening. His wrists and ankles were burned raw from the silver earlier that day and his clothes wrinkled and dirty from the prison cell.

Sirius moved down to the centre of the room. "I'd like to present to the court my two witnesses, Auror Nymphadora Tonks and my son, Harry James Potter."

Chatter erupted amongst the Wizengamot at the names and Harry and Tonks moved towards Sirius. He put his arms around both of them as he continued to speak.

"Many people don't know this, but werewolves are very much like real wolves and they have packs. They travel in packs where they hunt together, eat together, sleep together and live together in harmony. Werewolves often have the same thing, often living together in safety from those that wish them harm. It's only part of the reason why the wolf packs don't associate with our community. But a wolf pack does not necessarily mean other wolves. It means family." He leaned in to kiss Harry's temple and whispered, "Get in the cage with Uncle Moony."

Harry nodded and moved to his uncle, running into his arms to hug him tightly.

"Harry, get out of here," Remus instructed, his voice angry.

Harry simply hugged him tighter, only making way for Tonks when she hugged Remus tightly as well. They both sat on either side of Remus in the cage as Sirius continued his spiel.

"Albus Dumbledore is a great wizard. He knew that Remus Lupin could have the opportunity to be a great wizard one day, but at four years old, _four years old_ , he was bitten by a murderous werewolf named Fenrir Greyback." There were gasps at this. "Now that's a dangerous bastard and most of you recognize that name. Greyback attacked him, bit him, and abandoned him to his new fate as punishment to his father, Lyall Lupin, who tried to have Greyback arrested for his crimes, but the DRCMC believed Greyback to be innocent at the time, and ignored Lupin's advice. Greyback took revenge out on Lupin by attacking his four-year-old-son and cursing him with the same fate. Remus was a child, forced to undergo a terrible transformation. Dumbledore, knowing full well that he was breaking the law himself, gave Remus the opportunity to go to school and to make friends; to have the life that he deserved, an innocent in this, and every month during the full moon, he would ensure that Remus was brought somewhere safe to transform so that he couldn't harm others. But for those of you that don't know, being locked alone meant that he often harmed himself."

Sirius' eyes were on his friend now, his grey eyes staring into the whiskey coloured eyes of his friend.

"When I was twelve years old, me and two of my friends discovered that our friend Remus was a werewolf. We couldn't help but notice that he disappeared a few nights every month and his excuses were always that, excuses. We confronted him about it; about lying to us with this big secret and he told us that he understood if we never wanted to talk to him again. He told us that he understood that he was a monster and that he would ask Dumbledore to be given a different room. We were shocked. He was the kindest boy that we had ever met. He was smart and sarcastic and he always made us smile. We didn't think that he was a monster. In fact, we wanted to find a way to help him. And we did. The three of us learned how to become Animagus so that our friend wouldn't have to be alone during the full moon. In our animal forms, he couldn't hurt us; couldn't infect us, and we could offer him the comfort and support that he needed and stop him from hurting himself. He never asked us to do this. We offered. We were reckless with it, but we were kids and we protected him and each other above all else. He trusted us and he never once tried to hurt us. We trusted him and to this day I would trust him with my life and the lives of those that I loved in a heartbeat."

Sirius turned away from Remus' tortured gaze to the chamber at large. "Even at his worst, he knows his family and this is why I will prove to you, his innocence." He looked at the clock and smiled. "Two minutes to moon rise."

He transformed into his giant dog form and padded into the large cage with Remus, Harry, and Tonks — and Kingsley closed the door behind him; locking them in.


	142. Chapter 142

_Author's Note:_

 _I am posting a new chapter today because I surpassed 2000 reviews today — so thank you so much! However, because this chapter is a fun early surprise and because I have family coming in from out of town this weekend — there will be no new chapter until next week. But I promise, this one doesn't end on a cliffhanger. Enjoy!_

 _Thank you to Steel for mentioning this idea — even though we were on the same wavelength here, still appreciate the advice._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO:**

 **Remus stood up, eyes wide.** "This is a mistake! Please, let them out, I don't want to hurt anyone!"

Tonks stood up, grabbing his hands in her own. "You will not hurt anyone, Remus. It's us."

Kingsley smiled at him and turned to the court. "Lord Black wishes the Assembly to watch what happens to Mr Lupin over the next ten minutes and then the Wizengamot will continue with the proceedings."

Lord Mackelbee stood up, his eyes flashing. "This is ludicrous! Get that woman and young man out of there immediately before they are killed, or worse, _infected_!"

Remus flinched at his words and Tonks carefully unbuttoned his shirt, slipping it off his shoulders. She could feel him trembling and she brushed her fingers against his skin, smiling at him. "You won't hurt any of us, Remus. You won't, darling, I promise. I trust you. Now you have to trust me."

Remus only nodded. He took her hands in his and stared at her for a moment before he undressed. The back of his neck flushing in embarrassment at the thought of standing naked in this cage before everyone. Tonks sensed his discomfort and she stood close to him, her stomach pressed against his groin and keeping him decent.

Padfoot nudged his friend's hip and Tonks helped him to the ground as he jolted in pain and she stepped back as the transformation began. Harry pulled her into his arms, eyes wide as he watched as his uncle's bones seemed to break and rip apart, the pain on his face etched into every line and he squeezed her tightly when she gasped.

Moments later, Remus was gone and in his place was a hundred and twenty pound wolf, dark golden blond fur with hints of silver; shiny white teeth glistening and whiskey amber eyes glowing.

Remus growled as Padfoot nudged him back against the wall of the cage.

Harry moved forward. His heart was beating a quick rhumba in his chest, but he knew that Sirius was right. Remus had recognized him last night in the forest. He had known exactly who he was and he had known that he wasn't going to hurt him.

"It's Harry, Uncle Rem, your pup," he said softly.

Remus' large head nuzzled his arm, his shoulder and then he licked Harry's face making him laugh in surprise.

Tonks moved over to him, her hands out. "Remus, it's me, it's your Dora."

Remus moved around Harry and Padfoot, sniffing, and he moved to lick her hand. He knelt down before her and he nuzzled against her in contentment as Harry moved closer again.

"Hi, Uncle Rem," he said softly, his hand out before him. "Your family is here. Your pack is here."

Padfoot was lying next to Tonks and Harry gently placed his hand on the top of Remus' head. Remus simply stared at him, yawned loudly and snuggled himself into his mate's arms, allowing Harry to pet him calmly.

Padfoot ushered for Harry to stand, making Remus raise his large head, but Tonks gently held him back against her and he stayed there.

"You can unlock the cage," Tonks called out.

Without hesitation, Kingsley did as instructed. Harry and Padfoot both stepped out of the cage before Kingsley locked the door once more, leaving Remus with Tonks.

Padfoot transformed back into Sirius and nudged Harry to go back to sit with Ted and Andromeda. He pointed at the cage. "Does that look like a crazed murderer?"

"That's impossible!" someone shouted from the front. "Werewolves cannot be tamed. They are not wolves who have gone through obedience school!"

"I'm not saying that a werewolf can be tamed, CWM Anderson, Remus Lupin is not _tamed._ But he is in control. He does not wish to hurt anyone and as you can see, he _knows his family_."

Griselda Marchbanks held her wand up before she stood to address the Assembly. "That is truly remarkable, Lord Black, and I can see how you think that proves him innocent but, if he is provoked, will he not lash out?"

"CWM Marchbanks, if I provoked you, would you not lash out?"

She snorted at that. "Point made."

Walters cleared her throat. "We understand that Remus Lupin has committed a crime here. But his crime is not that he is a werewolf. His crime is that he failed to register his status as a werewolf with the Werewolf Registry and he can be sentenced for up to three years in Azkaban for this crime. Lyall Lupin, the father of Remus Lupin made his son promise not to register himself because the Ministry of Magic's Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures failed him by allowing the werewolf Greyback freedom and accusing Lyall Lupin of declaring Greyback of being a werewolf under false pretences; only to have Greyback attack his son in retaliation for his rightful claims. Remus was four-years-old, the registration shouldn't have been his responsibility until he reached of age. The issue here is whether he should be charged for falsifying his identity considering the circumstances."

Dumbledore nodded at Walters. "I took Mr Lupin under my care at Hogwarts and made sure that he was given the opportunity to have the education that he deserved as a young wizard. I hired him as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor because I knew that he was more than capable of the job and I would hire him again in a heartbeat. I have already accepted the fine on the matter of harbouring a werewolf and have every intention of paying it."

"Professor?" Percy Weasley asked from his spot next to Penelope Clearwater in the Youth Representative section.

"Mr Weasley?"

"Miss Clearwater and I would like to present something to the Assembly on Professor Lupin's behalf?"

Dumbledore nodded and Percy hurried up to him with the petition in his hands. "Mr Weasley and Miss Clearwater are the Head Boy and Head Girl at Hogwarts this year and as you know, they have attended all of the Wizengamot sessions this year as part of the Youth Representation Program," he said to the Assembly. "Mr Weasley, what is this?"

Percy smiled smugly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "That is the signatures and comments of two hundred and seventy students from Hogwarts, as well as the signatures of the entire Hogwarts staff, who all claim that Professor Lupin is the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher that we've ever had."

Penelope smiled from next to him. "The students have not only signed their name to the document, but have all provided personal anecdotes and comments about why Professor Lupin should be immediately rehired by the school board. The professors have also made similar comments and declared that he is one of the best to be on their faculty."

Umbridge stood up now, her little 'hem, hem' sound making Sirius want to hex her. "This is all well and good, Miss Clearwater, but in light of recent events, Mr Lupin will _hardly_ be asked to return to the school in a teaching capacity. He has been accused of helping the Death Eaters escape from Azkaban Prison."

"He is innocent of those charges," Sirius told her hotly.

"Lord Black, your admiration for your best friend is honourable, but you cannot protect him of crimes that he is guilty of nor are you an acceptable witness due to your relationship with the accused," Umbridge said sweetly.

Lady Bones raised her wand before she climbed to her feet. "There is zero evidence against Mr Lupin that he assisted the escaped prisoners in any way. In fact, given that one of the escaped prisoners was in fact Peter Pettigrew, the very man accused of betraying the Potters, who were close personal friends of the accused, it is highly unlikely that Lupin would assist him in any way. Miss Walters and Agent Barrow reviewed Lupin's memories as well as memories provided by Lord Black, Chief Warlock Dumbledore, and Auror Tonks proving that he has no ties to the two escaped prisoners. In fact, the memories show that he attempted to go after Pettigrew that night and capture him or even harm him to save his nephew, which he would not bother with if he had in fact helped Pettigrew escape prison to begin with. Do you, Madam Umbridge, have some _other_ form of proof of Mr Lupin's treason that we are unaware of?"

Umbridge looked flustered by this. "There is no definitive proof that he orchestrated such an escape, but the coincidence alone implies that —"

"— Coincidence is not evidence, Dolores," Lady Bones interrupted sharply. "As Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I declare all charges dropped immediately due to false evidence on the matter and a false claim."

Umbridge was seething in her seat.

Fudge stood up, looking a bit flustered himself as he looked around the room. "I agree with Lady Bones, Lupin was breaking the law by keeping his identity of a werewolf a secret, however ordering his execution was uncalled for as well as unjust. Madam Umbridge did not have the right to do so and an inquiry will be made into why she did so."

Umbridge flushed in embarrassment, her eyes flashing in anger. "Minister, I was looking out for the —"

"— Dolores, it's over. We will talk about your position and the power you wield, you can be sure of that," Fudge said sternly, his eyes on his Senior Undersecretary. "I declare all charges dropped immediately due to false evidence on the matter and a false claim."

Dumbledore smiled at him. "I also stand behind that, Lady Bones, Minister. The motion is passed."

Agent Barrow raised his wand tentatively. "The only charge that we must insist on is for Mr Lupin's failure to register himself as a werewolf and to report the werewolf who bit him to the Werewolf Registry. We understand his reasoning behind it; the fear behind Agent Lyall Lupin's promise from his son, but now that it is out in the open, Remus Lupin must be formally added to the Werewolf Registry for his own safety as well as for the safety of our community."

Walters nodded. "As a member of Werewolf Support Services, I will be here to assist him in his care and make sure that he is being treated fairly and justly by the Ministry of Magic."

"Agreed," Agent Barrow declared. "And with that registration comes the charge of not registering - which means that Mr Lupin will be fined three hundred Galleons and sentenced to time in Azkaban Prison."

"No!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Lord Black," Dumbledore said sternly.

Agent Barrow held up his wand. "But given the circumstances of why Mr Lupin did not register, the false claims made against him and an attempt at executing an innocent man on false charges; the Department of Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures has decided to greatly reduce his prison time to one day for every year that he has spent as an unregistered werewolf. We therefore sentence Mr Lupin to thirty days in Azkaban Prison."

Kingsley nodded at Dumbledore. "I second Agent Barrow's request with the note that all other charges against Remus Lupin be dropped and voided from his file as a misconduct of the Ministry."

"Agreed," Lady Bones declared, nodding at Kingsley. "Mr Lupin will be returned to Azkaban and will be sentenced to thirty days, one day for every year that he failed to register himself. He will be sent to Azkaban first thing in the morning after the moon sets and his release date with be the twenty-fourth of June, 1994. As for the petition brought forth by Mr Weasley and Miss Clearwater — if Mr Lupin wants to teach at Hogwarts, as far as I'm concerned the job is his. Two hundred and seventy students have signed in his favour on top of the entire staff and if we learned anything from the Lockhart fiasco last year, good teachers are hard to come by. Dumbledore, you yourself have already been fined two thousand Galleons for harbouring Lupin as a known werewolf both as a child and as a professor. Lord Black and Auror Tonks, you have also both been fined two thousand Galleons for not reporting Lupin's werewolf status. You have one month to pay off the fine or you can be sentenced to prison as well. For those of you questioning the authority of the Chief Warlock to run this meeting, he has already paid his fine and is here only in an advisory capacity today."

Dumbledore smiled and waved his wand. "Lady Bones, if you would formally close the Assembly for me tonight?"

Lady Bones nodded curtly at him. "Lady Bones closing for Chief Warlock Dumbledore, proclaiming that the Wizengamot sentences Remus Lupin to thirty days in Azkaban and fined him three hundred Galleons which will come from his Hogwarts salary in return for him coming back to teach in September. Assembly dismissed."

Sirius turned to the cage, his eyes on Tonks. "Thirty days is the best that we could do."

She nodded, her hands lovingly stroking the wolf's neck. "I know."

"Miss Tonks?" The guard spoke from next to the cage. "I need for you to step away from the wolf and come slowly to the door. You cannot stay in there with him any longer."

Tonks continued to stroke her hands over his neck and jaw. "No."

"Tonks, I know that you don't want to leave him, but you have to now."

She only turned to glare at Sirius. "I won't. Not until the morning; not until he knows what has happened here."

The guard swallowed slowly, unlocking the cage door. "Miss Tonks, please," he held his hand out to her cautiously. "Take my hand, come with me."

The wolf lifted his head and growled at the guard. Tonks simply pressed a kiss to the top of the wolf's head as if he was a loving dog and he calmed down, his eyes still on the guard.

Sirius pulled the guard from the cage and closed the door, locking it again. "If you try to remove her from that cage, he will attack you. Let her stay with him until the sun rises."

The guard was pale and he nodded. "Yes, Lord Black."

"Stay here and guard the cage with Davidson," Kingsley instructed before turning to Sirius. "She can stay until the morning, but only until the sun comes up," he said, staring at his Auror.

Tonks nodded, her eyes not leaving Remus. "Okay."

Sirius' fingers curled around the iron bars of the cage. "It's only thirty days, Tonks, and he'll be all right. I can promise you that."

Kingsley came to stand next to Sirius. "I will have Aurors guarding him the entire time. He won't be left alone."

"I want to be on guard duty at the prison," Tonks said quietly.

Kingsley stared at her. "You know why I can't allow that, Tonks."

Her eyes met Kingsley's sadly. "Please."

"Tonks, I would love to allow that for you, but I can't. You can pick the Aurors you want to guard him, I'll allow you some say on that matter, but I cannot allow you to go. It's a conflict of interest and you know it — and you are still suspended, two weeks, remember?"

Tonks nodded, her hands stroking the calm wolf in her lap.

Sirius moved away from the cage, his eyes on Harry who was sitting in between Ted and Andromeda. Andromeda had her arms wrapped around Harry, her eyes wide as she looked at her daughter who was still locked in the cage with the werewolf, holding him as if he was a large, harmless dog.

Harry stood up and moved to Sirius, who put his arm over his son's shoulders. "He still has to go to prison?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes sad. "He does. But only for thirty days and given what we fought for tonight, that's a blessing. Prison is the mandatory sentence for anyone who hasn't registered themselves as a werewolf and it usually is a minimum of six months. Remus has kept it a secret for thirty years, but given that he was almost executed, this is the lightest sentence that he could be given. We have to be grateful for that; grateful that Walters and Barrow listened to us and took his past as well as his character into consideration. The fact that he has never harmed anyone also helped his cause." He turned back to look at Tonks. "I'll take care of the fines, Tonks; don't even worry about it." She only nodded at him and his gaze moved to his cousin and her husband. "Andy, you all right?"

Ted wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders and kissed her temple. "She's fine. Today was a lot for her to take in and she's been handling it very well."

Andromeda's eyes flashed in anger. "Don't think that I'm not still mad at you, Edward Tonks!"

He winced at her gaze. "Finding out that Remus is a werewolf on top of everything else happening today was a big deal and not exactly the secret that she thought we were keeping."

"You and Dora both kept this from me! And you too, Sirius, how could you not have told me that he was a werewolf? To have read it in the paper and…"

"Would it have affected how you thought about him?"

"No! He's the sweetest and the kindest man and he clearly loves our Dora more than life!"

Sirius smiled. "So why does it matter?"

Ted pulled his wife closer into his arms. "Don't get her started, Sirius," he said as he kissed her cheek and they stood up. "We're going to head home. We'll be back in the morning to collect Dora. I don't want her going off by herself once they take him to Azkaban."

Sirius nodded. "I'll meet you here at six."

Harry watched Ted and Andromeda leave and smiled when Zee hurried towards them.

"I've spoken to Agent Barrow, he's going to work with Kingsley to make sure that Remus understands what happened today in the morning and that he will be sentenced to thirty days in prison. They are also going to organize a constant stream of Auror guards to stay at Azkaban and to make sure that he is protected from the Dementors."

"What about Umbridge?" Harry demanded. "Isn't she going to be punished for trying to have him executed?"

Sirius squeezed Harry a bit tighter to his side. "It's not that simple, Harry."

"How is it not that simple? She was in the wrong! She tried to have an innocent man killed! She should be the one sent to Azkaban!"

Sirius gripped Harry's arms tightly, his voice low. "Harry, Dolores Umbridge is the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. She has a lot of power and she knows that she was in the wrong, but the scare of still having two escaped prisoners on the loose is the bigger problem right now and the Ministry knows that. You heard Fudge, what she did today will be addressed, but there's nothing else that _we_ can do about it. We were incredibly lucky today. We almost lost him due to the fear and misunderstanding of others. It would have been easy to let him take the fall and the blame, to be the scapegoat for everything and no one would have blinked an eye. Remus broke the law by not registering. He always knew that if he was ever caught he would have to spend time in Azkaban and we've talked about this. Thirty days is an extremely lenient punishment and we're very lucky. Remus is very lucky."

Harry nodded, his eyes flashing angrily. "That's not fair."

"Sometimes life isn't fair, Harry," he said simply. "Come on; let's get you back to the school."

Harry tried not to grumble as Sirius and Zee both led him from the Ministry. Zee hugged him goodbye, kissing his cheek and promised to see him when he came home for the summer and that they would talk about spending some time in Georgia.

He hugged her back in turn and then let Sirius Apparate with him to Hogsmeade.

Sirius kept his arm draped across Harry's shoulders as they walked. "You know, this is not exactly how I pictured ending my day either, Prongslet."

"Harry," he said stubbornly, kicking at the pebbles on the road.

Sirius blew his hair out of his eyes. "All right, Harry. Look, I know that you're mad and I'm angry too, but this is the best that we could do with the cards that we were dealt. Moony was breaking the law by not registering himself as a werewolf and he almost died today because of it and this is a blessing that we were even able to stop it from happening."

"But it's not fair that Umbridge isn't going to be punished! She's evil! She's a foul, ugly old toad!"

"That I agree with," Sirius said, kicking the pebbles on the road as well and smirking at his son's rather adept description of the Senior Undersecretary. "At the next meeting of the Wizengamot, it will be discussed; what she tried to do. Hopefully it will be enough to put her bill into the ground for good. But right now we have to contend with the fact that the Minister of Magic is taking an inquiry into her work."

"Why does she get away with so much?"

Sirius sighed. He wasn't sure how exactly to explain the political ramifications of the magical world. "Politics are a dangerous business, Harry. It's all about wit and how you manoeuvre and manipulate people and things to be where you need and want them to be at the right time. My grandfather was a master manipulator and despite his many, many flaws, Arcturus Black was _very good_ at politics. I'm still new to it and I know what I can and cannot push for. Right now, Umbridge is the right hand of the Minister of Magic, which means that she has a lot of power at her disposal and she's been using it very well to get what she wants. That power isn't going to be around forever and after this, she is well aware of that and is willing to bide her time. She wants this bill passed because she is scared of anyone or anything that she doesn't understand."

"She's just as dangerous as Voldemort!"

Sirius stopped Harry on the bridge moving to the school. "Yes, I suppose she is to some extent."

"She might as well be a Death Eater!"

Sirius nodded, his expression grim. "As easy as it would be to do so, Harry, the world is not divided between good people and Death Eaters. There's a lot of grey in the world sometimes and sometimes it is that grey that needs to be sculpted and utilized. Politics are generally a grey area. We will have to tread very carefully around Umbridge from here on out and I will do my best to keep fighting her bill from my position as a lord within the Wizengamot. Do you understand what I'm telling you, Harry?"

"That she's not going to be punished for trying to have Uncle Rem executed."

Sirius sighed. "I'm not saying that she will never be punished, Harry, but right now, no, she will not be punished as despite how she went about it and the illogical conclusions she jumped to, she was in fact doing her job, albeit not well, but she was."

Harry stared at Sirius for a moment. "I thought… I thought that I had saved you only to lose Uncle Moony and…" tears welled up in his eyes and he stubbornly bit his lip to send them back.

Sirius moved to wrap his arms around his son, his chin resting on the top of his head. The way he was growing he figured another year and he'd be as tall as him already. He really wasn't a kid anymore and his heart ached a little at the realization. He kissed the top of his head. "You're not going to lose me or Uncle Moony."

Harry clung to him a moment, nodding against his chest. "Can we really just let Uncle Moony go to prison?"

"We don't have a choice, Prongs-Harry. And I can promise you that it will be terrible for him no doubt, but he will be fine and then he will be home and safe with us soon enough. And a lot of that has to do with that amazing petition for him to return back to Hogwarts. I read a few of those comments. The students really love and respect him and I can't wait for him to read those comments himself and see how well liked he is. Percy Weasley really did that with the Head Girl?"

"Ginny," he said, pulling back to look up at his father. "Percy said that it was all Ginny."

"That little spitfire is truly amazing," Sirius murmured, his arm around Harry again. "Come on; let's get you back up to your dorm. How are Ron and Neville doing?"

"Ron was okay. Madam Pomfrey said that he could leave the hospital wing in the morning as his leg should be fully healed by then. Neville was awake, but still sore. He said that Bellatrix Lestrange used the torture curse on him and that it felt like his body was inside out and that he was being stabbed and burned alive at the same time."

Sirius shuddered. "That's an apt description."

"Uncle Siri?"

"Yes, Harry?"

He shifted on his feet before he touched his father's arm and turned him to look at him. "Did your Mum really use the Cruciatus Curse on you like it showed us when we destroyed the locket?"

Sirius let out a long slow breath. "Harry, that was a long time ago."

"She really did? _How?_ How could she do that to her own son?"

"I wasn't the son that she wanted me to be," he said simply. "I had a terrible childhood and it was Jamie and Rem and Pete and Lily that made me realize that I had them; that they were my family. Fee and Monty were my real parents in every sense of the word. They were all I needed and now I have you."

"And Zee."

"And Zee," he said with a smile. "I have my family and what happened in the past was the past and talking about it isn't going to change anything."

"But talking would help," Harry told him, his green eyes on his. "You always tell me that and you're always right about it. I do feel better after I talk about it. Your memories were hurting you when the Dementors were there and… you lost your Patronus because of your memories."

"Harry," Sirius began.

Harry shook his head. "Uncle Moony told me that the most important part of keeping your Patronus strong was keeping a happy memory in your head and that the more unhappy or terrible memories someone has, the harder that it is for them to keep that happy memory and that sometimes if they suppress the bad memories, the happy ones aren't as strong as they could be. You suppress everything, Uncle Sirius!"

Sirius stared at him. "I do not suppress everything, Harry. I was beaten and abused by my parents and I took it. It was what I was used too and I did it to protect my little brother, who I loved more than anything in the world. But he turned away from me when my parents disowned me and I should have fought harder for him; maybe if I had, maybe he would have come to me with that locket years ago and maybe he would still be alive. I lost my brother and then I lost two of my best friends and was sentenced to prison for a crime that I never even committed. Finding you and keeping you is my happy memory. I don't need you to tell me about my life when you don't understand it!"

"I understand just fine! You're doing it again, pushing it all down, and letting it boil under the surface! You need to start talking about it! I want to know and understand what you went through, maybe I can help!"

Sirius' eyes flashed angrily. "We are not talking about this, Harry. I am your parent, not the other way around. You don't tell me what to do, Prongslet!"

"It's Harry, not Prongslet! I'm not a sodding child!" Harry shot back. "Hermione and I captured Peter last night, _not you_ , and we saved _you_ from the Dementor's Kiss! Could a child do all of that?"

Sirius took a calming breath. "Okay, you are not a child, but you're not a man yet either."

Harry glared at him and made to storm off, but Sirius grabbed his arm.

"Don't walk away from me, Harry. I didn't say that this conversation was over."

"What conversation? You _don't talk_ about anything!"

"Harry James Potter, you watch how you speak to me! You show me the same respect that I show you!"

Harry's face flushed in anger and shame. "I'm sorry."

Sirius let out a slow breath, his own face flushed in anger. "What did you mean when you said that you saved me from the Dementor's Kiss and captured Peter?"

"Never mind," Harry said stubbornly, tugging his arm free.

"No," Sirius replied. "How did you and Hermione capture Peter? Zee told me that you were brought into the infirmary passed out on a stretcher next to me and I know that you passed out before I did. There's no logical explanation of how you could have captured Peter in that time frame. Your Patronus _did save me_ from the Dementor's Kiss, but then you fainted from the power of it."

Harry stared at him. "I did what you _couldn't_ do. If you're the parent, why did I have to save you?"

Sirius scoffed at him. "Prongslet, I —"

Harry glared at him. "It's Harry! I won't say it again! I'm tired of you coddling me and treating me like I'm still the little boy that you took from the Dursleys! I'm not! I bloody saved you from the Dementors! If it hadn't been for _my Patronus_ , you would have fucking died! You would have died and then without you, Zee would leave too and then where would Uncle Remus be? It would be your fault that he had died! Your fault that he was arrested in the first place!"

Sirius grabbed him. "You are acting like a bloody child, Harry James Potter! Yes, you saved my life and I will forever be grateful to you for that, but don't you dare try to pin Remus' arrest on me! Fucking Snape is the one who told the Aurors about him being a werewolf, not me!"

Harry struggled in his father's arms, catching Sirius off guard when his hand moved into a fist and he grabbed it in his hand. "Let me go!"

Sirius pulled him tighter against him. The top of Harry's head brushed just under his chin making him very much aware of how much he was no longer a child if his current actions hadn't done so. "Were you just going to punch me? Is that how we're going to solve this now? Physical violence is never the answer, I thought that I taught you better than that."

"Let me go! I don't want you here!" Harry insisted, struggling against his father's embrace as they fell to their knees on the ground of the bridge outside of the castle, the moonlight raining down on them.

Sirius tugged Harry closer in his arms and kissed the top of his head. "Never! I will _never_ let you go. I will _never_ leave you alone. I love you, Harry. I love you so much and I know that you're not a child. I know that you're growing up, but you have to give me some time to get used to it, all right?"

Harry stopped struggling, his face squished into Sirius' chest, and then he began to cry.

Sirius ran his hands up and down his son's back, gently reassuring him. "Shh, Harry, shh, it's all right," he whispered. "It's all right. _I love you forever and forever, love you with all my heart, love you whenever we're together and I love you when we're apart,_ " he sang quietly in his son's ear in an attempt to soothe the tears.

Harry used the back of his hand to wipe away his tears as he sniffed. "You died."

"What?" Sirius asked, his thumb wiping away a stray tear from his son's face. "I didn't die, Harry."

"You did," Harry insisted. "The Dementors Kissed you and you died and… Zee was crying over your body and… you were dead!"

Sirius let Harry pull himself away and watched his son storm over to look out across the Black Lake. He took a deep calming breath before he spoke. "Harry, I didn't die. I'm right here."

Harry spun around, his green eyes flashing. "You did! The Dementors fed on you and snapped your neck!"

Sirius stared at him, shaking his head. "Harry…" he stood up and reached out to put a hand on his son's shoulder and Harry brushed it off. "Harry, talk to me. We don't lie to each other, remember?"

Harry snorted. "That's not true. You never told me about your childhood and how bad it was."

He let out a slow breath. "It's not something that I can easily bring up in conversation. Harry, look at me. I did not die. I'm alive. I'm here, right here in front of you."

Harry slammed his fist on the stone, the pain of it making his entire arm rattle, but he didn't make a sound. "But you were!" He spun around, his eyes wide as he blurted out the next words in one breath. "Dumbledore locked us in the infirmary and said that three turns should do it and Hermione and I used a Time-Turner and we went back in time to save you and to capture Pettigrew!"

Sirius stared at him for a full minute, his eyes wide. "You used a… Time-Turners are illegal and highly volatile to failure and to the danger of the user. Why did Dumbledore give two thirteen-year-olds one to play with?"

"Hermione's fourteen," he said bitterly.

Sirius snorted. "Not the issue here, Harry."

"Hermione's been using it all year for her classes. It was a special request from the Department of Mysteries. She's been taking every class offered and using the Time-Turner to do it."

"She's been — and you — and her — went back — in time?" Sirius spluttered as he stared at him in alarm.

"Yes. Hermione grabbed Peter when he transformed and I sent my Patronus to protect us from the Dementors."

Sirius only nodded meekly, his breathing heavy as he tried to wrap his mind around what his son was telling him. "Which is why it kept circling us after you had collapsed because you were still standing nearby, the true caster."

"Er, right," Harry said, staring at him in confusion.

"Harry, I'm sorry. I should have saved you, you're right. I'm the parent and therefore I am the one who should be protecting you, not the other way around. And I'm sorry that I left that responsibility up to you. I've forced you to grow up a lot in the last year and maybe that was wrong of me. Maybe I should have kept you more in the dark about everything."

"No," Harry said stubbornly. "I want to know because we're a team!"

Sirius smiled at him. "Yeah, we are a team." He put his hand on his son's shoulder again, squeezing. "I knew that you were keeping something from me, but I didn't think my death was the big secret."

Harry shifted on his feet. "I'm sorry."

Sirius bent his head to kiss his son's hair. "I'm sorry, too. I don't want to fight with you. I love you more than anyone or anything in this world."

"I don't want to fight with you either," Harry admitted.

Sirius smiled at him. "When you come home, we'll talk. I'll tell you everything about my childhood; everything and anything that you want to know. I should talk about it, you're right. We'll talk about everything. Okay? Just me and you. I promise."

Harry nodded, his eyes on his father. "Okay."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius was tired.**

He was beyond tired if he was completely honest with himself. His whole body hurt and his mind hurt and his heart hurt. His talk with Harry had been illuminating and terrifying at the same time. He knew that his son was right on many levels; he should have been the one to save his son. It shouldn't have been left up to Harry to save the day.

But it had been and Dumbledore had orchestrated it.

What was the man thinking giving a fourteen-year-old-girl access to a Time-Turner just for her education? Hermione was a bright witch, he'd give the old man that, but that seemed needlessly dangerous for her to have access too.

 _And if she didn't have access to it you'd be dead_ , the other voice in his head told him.

He let himself into the cottage, dragging his hands over his face and Marauder barked enthusiastically at him.

"Hey Marauder, hi, boy, I'm sorry that I haven't been here all day. You must be starving. That was inexcusable!" He hurried into the kitchen and poured a huge bowl of food for the dog, and feeling guilty, opened the ice box and added some strips of sirloin steak.

He refilled his water dish and then he opened the fridge himself, making himself a ham sandwich and eating it standing up. He grabbed the stack of mail that had been delivered that morning and tucked it under his arm.

Marauder ate happily and then followed him upstairs.

Sirius left a trail of clothing to the shower, standing under the hot spray as the water beat down on him, his mind still on his conversation with Harry. He had died. Harry had saved him or stopped his death, he wasn't sure. The essence of time travel was the most fundamentally difficult subject to assess. Had he in fact died and Harry brought him back to life or had Harry simply prevented his death by going back in time to change it?

The thought made his head hurt more.

He washed his hair, sighing as his hands massaged his scalp. Harry wasn't a child anymore either and he did have to reckon that with himself. He had to call him Harry now and not Prongslet anymore, which tugged at his heart strings a little. Harry was dating now; snogging girls and getting more powerful every day. He was growing up and not just his height. He was a young man now; almost fourteen. The thought made him wince as he realized that by the time he had been fourteen, he had already lost his virginity.

Different times, Black, he thought.

Then there was Peter.

Why had he risked his life to find Harry to pass on that message to him? The cup was in Bella's vault. That was very important information; more important than Peter could possibly even know. As a Black, he did have access to her vault, especially since she was an escaped prisoner. He would make an appointment at _Gringotts_ in the morning to go over the Black holdings and see about gaining access to her things. As for Peter, Dumbledore thought that he could be useful and Sirius had to agree. The idea that Bella needed to stop torturing Neville to make sure that the Dark Lord was fed was a disturbing image to him. What had that meant? Did it mean that they had already found him a body?

There was no way that Peter could stay at Hogwarts. The last place that he wanted him was anywhere near Harry and not to mention the idea of him being in the school made him nervous. He knew that he would be locked away somewhere in the school, but he still didn't like it. He was still dangerous and a wanted criminal at that. But finding a place to hide him was something else entirely. Number Twelve was a viable option. Kreacher would gladly help keep him under house arrest and they could essentially keep him a prisoner there.

But that would also mean that he was close to all of their discussions and their meetings and Sirius wasn't sure if he liked that idea either.

The water turned cold on him so he shut it off, too lazy to get his wand. He used a towel to dry off and combed his hair back before padding into his bedroom naked. The mail on his bed made him sigh and he quickly leafed through the envelopes, stopping when he recognized Althea's scrawl and ripped open the envelope.

 _Sirius,_

 _Xander and I are finally ready to share our exciting news — we're having twins — again! Can you believe it? It's going to be a lot of work with our three boys already and thankfully, this time, we're getting one of each. But Niko, Nilo, and Phoenix are all doing so well, the terrors. Can you believe the twins are already three? Phoenix has officially entered his terrible twos as well, which has made my life VERY interesting. We're still discussing names for the new twins, but the idea of having a boy and a girl makes me more happy than I can explain. I need a girl to help me get away from all of these boys!_

 _How is everything going with you there? How's Harry? I laughed myself silly when I read how Zee had surprised you with her whole family for her birthday and Harry had met them all first already. It's very sneaky and I love it. You love her. I can see that and so can Harry. It sounds like he loves her too. I know that he's not a child anymore, growing up to be a young man, but he does still crave a woman in his life, a maternal figure, and I think that he is gravitating toward Zahira to be in that role. So my question for you is: How do you feel about that and what are you going to do about it?_

 _It sounds like you really killed it in the Wizengamot, trashing that horrid bill to the ground. It really was full of prejudice and it was sickening to me that anyone could draft something up like that and actually expect the community to be on board. Please keep me posted on what will be happening there. I'm proud of you for stepping up and taking your family seat in the government. I think that you can do some real good if you put your mind to it._

 _Xander asked me to thank you for the copies of the diagnostic scans that you sent. He noted that they are almost eight years apart and thought that you would be pleased to know that in that time frame, the dark magic did not change or alter in any way, but stayed constant. I'm not sure what that means, but he said that you would understand. He spends a lot of his time locked up in his study looking at the scans and making notes. He says that he is optimistic._

 _I'm as a big as a hippogriff by now and can barely move around, but a few more months and then these babies will be free and these are the last two! We only planned on four in the first place as it was and we have been blessed with a little extra surprise._

 _Hope you are well._

 _Thea_

He smiled as he read the letter, tucking it back into its envelope and putting it on his nightstand. He sorted a few bills into place to be taken care of and then his eyes fell on the letter addressed from _The Quibbler._ He tore it open quickly, his eyes pouring over it for any sort of news.

 _Sirius,_

 _I was surprised to hear from you and on such an interesting subject of discussion! I do in fact wear that symbol around my neck. I have for many years. It was something that my Pandora and I loved to discuss and debate together. The mythology behind it, the truth behind it ,and most of all, the many, many questions._

 _My Luna tells me that she is going to become an Animagus with your boy. I am thrilled to hear so. She would make a marvellous animal and I look forward to hearing all about her stories. Stories are what make the world go round, are they not? You must think I am getting whimsical, but stories are what's important here, after all it is but a simple children's story where the symbol is originally derived. I'm sure that you've heard of it,_ The Tale of the Three Brothers _? My Luna does love that story herself, the mystery behind it, and the sadness._

 _It is called the Deathly Hallows and it is said to represent the Master of Death. Each brother in the story was given a gift: An Unbeatable Wand_ ( I ), _a Resurrection Stone_ ( O ), _and a Cloak of Invisibility_ (△). _When they are put together, they make the symbol of the Deathly Hallows._

 _It is believed that this story is more than just fiction, but in fact that the gifts belonged to the three Peverell Brothers: Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus. Antioch Peverell is the easiest brother to trace throughout history due to the rumour of his having the Elder Wand, otherwise known as the "Deathstick" or the "Wand of Destiny." Many believe that Gellert Grindelwald claimed the infamous wand for himself as he was known to wear the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, but after his defeat in 1945, no sign of it has ever been seen. Cadmus Peverell had the Resurrection Stone and through his story, he used it to see the woman that he had loved and lost. They say that it was passed down through generations of Peverells before it was eventually lost to time. There are a few who believe that the stone was cast into a ring, but no one has ever seen it. As for Ignotus Peverell, the cloak is blessed with both everlasting invisibility and a unique protection for its owner. Ignotus passed it down to his son, who passed it down over the generations and it is believed that it still resides in that family bloodline today, though the last name is unknown._

 _It is said that the witch or wizard who holds all three in their possession is said to become the Master of Death. It is a fascinating story and a subject that I love to read about; to discover new things and to maybe discover where the objects are one day. I wouldn't want to be the Master of Death myself, but the idea and the objects intrigue me._

 _Where did you see the symbol of the Hallows? It was on a ring? Please let me know if I can be of anymore assistance on the subject._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Xenophilius Lovegood_

Sirius stared at the letter in surprise. It was a story — a children's story with a basis in fact. A cloak that had been passed down through generations… he jumped up off the bed, running downstairs to the sunroom and digging through the books on the shelves until he came across a copy of _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy._ He took a seat on the desk and flipped through it to the Peverell section, reading down the list and his eyes widened slightly.

The eldest granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell, Iolanthe Peverell married Hardwin, son of Linfred of Stinchcombe, known to be 'The Potterer.' His eyes travelled down the page, smiling as he went. Jamie's cloak _was_ the mythical one of the Hallows. The cloak that Harry now possessed. And the Gaunt ring… he quickly flipped to the Gaunt section of the genealogy, who indeed had married into the Peverell line, which would make the stone in the ring…

Sirius' eyes widened. The idea of it being a Resurrection Stone was completely ridiculous. He was letting his brain get away from him with the idea of fairy tales and children's stories and he didn't have time for it. He was too tired to think straight.

He closed the book and ran his hands over his tired face. He was too tired to be thinking about this and his brain was overthinking it. He needed to get some sleep.

He had to be back at the Ministry in three hours to talk to Remus, to let him know that he would be spending time in Azkaban and then he wanted to talk to Peter to find what he could find out from him, but that would be later on. He first needed to call another meeting of FUVP to discuss what he had learned about the symbol of the Deathly Hallows and he had to get to Gringotts and see about obtaining that cup.

Sirius contemplated going back upstairs, voted the sofa was closer and tugged the blanket down over his naked body. He set a quick alarm on the clock on the wall, wondered why Zee hadn't come over and what it meant in terms of how much he missed her when she wasn't around. He fell asleep in moments, snoring lightly with Marauder at his feet.


	143. Chapter 143

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you for the kind birthday wishes — I saw Captain Marvel and visited with some family — CM was amazing if anyone is interested._

 _I wanted to talk about time travel real quick here as I know a few of you have commented on the fact that time travel doesn't work the way that I wrote it._

 _As I posted in the end note of chapter 139: When it comes to time travel the concept is always convoluted and crazy. I looked at it like this: If they go back in time and stop something from happening, no one else would remember it happening any other way because they changed it. Therefore even though everyone physically saw the dead body of Sirius Black, by going back in time and preventing it from happening, no one else remembers him being dead except for Harry and Hermione, which means that Dumbledore knows he sent them back in time to try to capture Pettigrew, but doesn't know about Sirius' death. Yes, it will be addressed. No, Harry is not going to deal with it well. And yes, all will be explained. As a writer, I think I can get a little creative license in how exactly I want time travel to work and since time travel in itself is fiction, at least for now, I can do what I want with it and I wanted to save Sirius._

 _Also, been really wanting to add in this little "Black Widow" rumour because it's fun and yes, I do know it is six in total, but remember this is only the end of third year. I made up my own names as well since none have been provided yet to my knowledge._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-THREE:**

 **Harry couldn't sleep that night.**

He just kept replaying his conversation with Sirius over and over in his head and he felt incredibly guilty. He knew that his father loved and respected him. He knew that Sirius would do everything in his power to keep him safe. But he couldn't help but feel a little resentment to the fact that _he_ had been forced to keep Sirius safe. His thinking was irrational and he knew that, but he also couldn't stop the thoughts either; nor turn them off in his brain long enough to sleep.

He eventually made his way down into the common room and noted that it was after three in the morning. Ron and Neville were both still in the hospital wing and he didn't have access to the girl's dormitories to find Hermione or Ginny so he decided to try to find solstice in a snack from the kitchens.

He really didn't feel like being alone.

He tugged his invisibility cloak on and made his way down to the kitchens, tickling the pear in the portrait and slipping inside. The last thing that he had expected to encounter was Ginny sitting with Theodore Nott, eating breakfast, drinking hot chocolate, and laughing.

"Ginny?" he spluttered in surprise, tugging the cloak off.

"Harry! Come join us."

He could only nod as he made to sit with them at the table.

"Scrambled eggs and toast?" Ginny asked him.

He nodded and the house elves quickly hurried to prepare him the same breakfast that Ginny and Theo were eating. "Er, what are you two doing down here?"

"We're having an important club meeting," Theo said with a smirk. "Ginny and I have formed an Insomniacs Club. Would you care to join?"

Harry snorted at that. "Sure, why not."

A house elf put a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him and he eagerly dug in. "So, you two do this often?"

Ginny smirked at him. "Only for a few weeks." She reached across the table to touch his arm. "I'm so sorry about Remus."

He nodded.

Theo stared at him for a moment. "Ginny told me that he's your uncle. He's a great professor; everyone likes him. I helped Ginny with the petition thing and almost everyone from Slytherin House signed it."

"Thanks for that; it meant a lot. It really helped in the Wizengamot too. He will be our teacher again in September as long as he agrees to take the job back, which I can't imagine that he won't after he sees the petition."

Ginny squeezed his arm gently. "What happened in the Wizengamot?"

Harry sighed and blew his hair out of his eyes. "Not enough, but everything. Uncle Siri stopped the execution order, which was complete bollocks to begin with, but because he never registered himself as a werewolf, he still has to pay a fine and spend thirty days in Azkaban starting tomorrow morning, well today actually," he said, glancing up at the clock above the door.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry."

He shrugged. "Uncle Sirius says that he'll pay the fine and that thirty days will be terrible, but that it could have been worse. They're going to make sure that he is well guarded by Aurors just in case anyone tries to make a pass at the execution idea." Ginny continued to rub his arm and he covered her hand with his own. "Thank you, Ginny. The petition that you guys pulled together was incredible and it will mean so much to Uncle Rem, too, when he sees it."

Theo smiled at him. "The bloke deserves it. After the Lockhart thing, we need some good professors around here and we all know that Quirrell was a joke. Not to mention that Defence Club is just about the best thing that we have going in this school. And without Lupin, who even knows if it would continue."

"Yeah, that is true." He let go of Ginny's hand to eat his eggs.

Ginny smiled at him. "Theo and I were just discussing our summer plans. He's going to spend some time in Italy and I'm incredibly jealous. I'd love to go to Italy one day!"

Theo shrugged, a soft smile on his face. "Only for a week. Mrs Zabini wants to host some grand engagement party for her new fiancé."

 _"New fiancé?"_ Harry asked, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. "Does she go through very many?"

Theo chuckled. "You don't know the tales of the lovely Bellarosa Zabini?" When Harry shook his head, he rubbed his hands together and grinned widely. "Ooh, they are incredibly fascinating! She's been nicknamed the Black Widow in certain circles."

Ginny's eyebrow rose. "Why?"

"Well, it all started when she was sixteen," Theo began, stretching his arms back as he spoke. "She had an arranged marriage with Lord Antonio Zabini, the Baron of Sardinia; married him the day of her seventeenth birthday. They married, had Blaise a year later and two years after that, Antonio died in a suspicious accident, leaving Mrs Zabini a widow and heiress to the entire Zabini fortune."

Harry's eyebrow rose slightly. "Okay, that's interesting I suppose, but how is that a fascinating tale? How did he die?"

Theo smiled. "That's why it's fascinating. Nobody knows how he died. They claimed that it was a spell gone wrong as he was known to dabble in curse breaking. Nothing more was found out about it. But, when Blaise was six, the lovely Bellarosa Zabini married again, this time to Lord Tristian Beauchamp, a very wealthy nobleman from Paris. Two years later, he died of poison and the rumours escalated that he had been cheating on Bellarosa with a man and that she had found out about his many indiscretions. Nothing was proven and all of Beauchamp's worthy goods were passed on to his widow after his death. She married again when Blaise was ten. Another rich nobleman, this one old enough to be her father, a Lord Stephen Barkley. He dressed her in jewels, adopted Blaise as his own son and made him his one true heir. Three months later, it was said that he had a heart attack while bedding his beautiful wife. And the lovely Bellarosa found herself widowed again and once more left with an astronomical amount of riches and jewels."

"This is a lie," Harry said on a laugh. "There's no way that she's been widowed three times!"

Theo chuckled. "Four actually. Six months after Barkley's death, she married again, this time to a young heir of the Sanders family. They were barely married a year when he fell from his broomstick, breaking his neck and all of his gold and properties once more fell to his widow and her son."

"And she's engaged again?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide. "I think I'd give up."

Theo nodded. "Husband number five, the elderly Lord Jason Standford, half-blood, disgustingly rich and completely enchanted by her beauty. And when I say elderly, Mrs Zabini is thirty-two and Stanford is seventy-five. The wedding is set for the beginning of August. Blaise tells me that it won't last."

Harry stared at him. "Come on, you're having us on!"

"I wish I was. Mrs Zabini is nicknamed the Black Widow in certain pureblood circles. She is insanely wealthy. She has the power to buy entire countries if she wants to."

"And Blaise?"

Theo shrugged. "It's his mother. He only has her and his mother's parents. His father was the only one left in his family and when he died, Blaise was made the Zabini heir."

"And she still goes by Zabini?"

"It's a sign of respect. When she's married she goes by her new name, but when she is widowed, she resorts to the surname that she shares with her son. The engagement party should be fun. Draco and I are making bets on how this husband is going to kick it."

"Theo!" Ginny exclaimed, her eyes wide. "What a horrible thing to do!"

He grinned. "I don't want the bloke to die, Ginny, but, I'm just saying that it seems kind of inevitable that it's going to happen and when you put his age on top of the odds, it doesn't look good."

"Do you think that she's killing them all?"

Theo gave a noncommittal kind of shoulder shrug. "Unless Blaise is doing it and I doubt he murdered his first step-father as a kid, you have to admit, it does look rather suspicious. But there's no evidence to say that she is. It could just be one weird coincidence after another that they all keep dying on her."

Ginny's mouth opened in horror. "That's just horrible!"

Harry was staring at Theo now, his eyebrow raised in question. "And your parents have no problem with you spending so much time at the house of a potentially known murderess?"

Theo smiled. "Well, it only means that I'm out of my father's way, so he's all right with it. Besides, I'm only going for a few days to attend the party and then I'll be going to stay with Aunt Cissa and Uncle Lucius."

"You call Draco's parents aunt and uncle?"

"Yeah, I do. Auntie Cissa is the most amazing woman in the world and they treat me like family over there. They told me to start calling them aunt and uncle when I was a kid."

Harry nodded. "No offence meant, Theo. What about your mother?"

"She's dead. You know how that feels, Potter."

Harry glared at him. "No reason to make it personal, I didn't know. I'm sorry."

Theo shrugged. "It's all right. I didn't know her anyway, but she was said to be quite beautiful. I was three when she died."

"I'm sorry, Theo," Ginny said, putting her hand on his arm.

He smiled at her. "So, before we went majorly off topic here, Potter, let's hear about your summer plans?"

Harry smiled. "I don't have any definite plans. I'm hoping to go to the World Cup. Uncle Sirius told me that it was a possibility, but I don't know for sure and I think that I'm going to be spending some time in America."

"America? That could be fun."

"Yeah, I think so."

Ginny smiled at both of them. "I should head back up to Gryffindor Tower. I want to shower and start packing my things. I also promised Colin that I'd help him with his photos after breakfast today. Harry, can I sneak under that cloak with you?"

"Yeah, of course," he said, standing up. "Theo, it was, er… nice talking to you."

Theo smiled. "You too, Potter." He turned to Ginny, "And don't worry, chick, I promise to write this summer."

She beamed at him. "Good."

Harry wrapped the cloak around both of them and they walked quietly back to Gryffindor Tower. They were almost at the portrait of the Fat Lady when Ginny tugged him into the empty room on the right and pulled the cloak off, closing the door behind them. She moved to sit on the sofa in the corner.

"What?" he asked her. "I thought that you wanted to meet Colin."

"I will. Come sit with me."

Harry sighed and moved to sit next to her on the chesterfield.

"You aren't going to lose them. Either of them."

He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it again, nodding.

Ginny took his hand in hers. "Hey, look at me," when his green eyes met her brown ones, she smiled kindly at him. "Did you sleep at all before you came down?"

Harry shook his head. "Uncle Siri and I had an argument and I said some things."

She nodded. "You'll talk some more when you go home and you'll work it out. You're both too stubborn. That's the problem."

He grinned a little at that. "I guess we are, yeah."

Ginny smiled and hugged him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I… I need to think about some things."

"Okay. But if you need to talk, you know where to find me." At his nod, she smiled and offered him her hand. "I'd love an invisible escort back to the tower?"

Harry couldn't help but smile at her as he nodded. He covered them both in the cloak before they left the study room and made their way down the hall. Once they were inside the common room, Ginny headed towards the girls' dormitories, stopping when he called her name.

"Thanks," he said simply. "For everything."

Her smile lit up her face. "Anytime."

He watched her hurry up the stairs, feeling a little lighter. Ginny always knew what he needed, he thought. He couldn't imagine a better friend. He made his way back up to his dorm to shower, a smile on his face.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius arrived back at the Ministry of Magic just before six, meeting Ted and Andromeda in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.** Kingsley was waiting for them outside of the holding cells and nodded in greeting before opening the one on the far left and letting them inside.

Remus had obviously just transformed back into himself because he was staring at Tonks, wide-eyed as tears rolled down her face.

Kingsley unlocked the cage and handed Remus a set of grey prison robes. "Remus, I'm going to need you to put these on."

Remus only nodded, tugging the pants on, his face pale. Tonks threw her arms around him before he got to the shirt and he kissed her forehead tenderly.

"I won't let you go," she whispered.

Remus kissed her again and pushed her away from him. "You have to." He tugged the shirt over his head and turned to look at Sirius, his eyes widening at the sight of Ted and Andy. "Ted, Andromeda," he said quietly, looking shame-faced as he stared at the ground.

Andromeda hurried into the prison cell, kissed Remus on both cheeks and then tugged her daughter into her arms. "My daughter will be waiting for you when you get out."

Tonks broke away from her mother to kiss Remus deeply. "I love you."

He held her tight for a moment before he pushed her back towards Andromeda and watched her parents hurry her off.

Sirius gave him a small smile. "You were amazing last night. I know that you don't want to believe it, but you didn't hurt me, you didn't hurt Harry, and you didn't hurt Tonks. You knew that we were your family and that showed them exactly who you are."

Remus nodded, his face pale. "I know how lucky I am to have only gotten thirty days, don't think I don't know that."

Kingsley stared at him. "I'm sorry about his, Remus. But prison time is the punishment for not registering and the fact that Agent Barrow offered you thirty days for thirty years of not registering is a sign of just _how little_ you did wrong. You have never hurt anyone while being a werewolf and that is a point in your favour. As to the fine of three hundred Galleons, Dumbledore has already taken care of it."

" _What?_ Why?"

Sirius grinned. "You made quite the impact on your students, Professor Lupin, that's why!"

Remus merely raised an eyebrow in question. "I — I don't understand."

Sirius pulled the petition from his jacket. "Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater presented this to the Wizengamot last night. This is a copy that I made for you."

Remus accepted the petition, his eyes widening as he skimmed the first page. "What?"

Sirius grinned widely. "You are an incredible professor and no one cares that you're a werewolf. Dumbledore expects you back on the first of September and so do they. You think about that while you're in there, Rem. I want you to read that and remember how many lives you've touched; remember how many people love you and remember that you have a gorgeous woman who will be waiting for you when you get out. Don't disappoint her and don't disappoint your students."

Remus nodded, tears in his eyes. Sirius hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead before hugging him again. "Thank you. How's Harry dealing with it?"

Sirius shook his head. "Not well. We had a big row about it last night. I know that we were planning on waiting until his birthday, but would you mind if I give it to him early? I promised to tell him everything when he comes home at the end of the week about my past and my childhood and… I think it's time."

"Yes, I think that's a good idea, Sirius. Go ahead and give it to him. You two need to work everything out. Will you tell him that I love him?"

"Of course." He hugged him again and Kingsley nodded at him as two Azkaban guards came to escort him out.

"I'll write to you," Sirius told him.

Remus just nodded and disappeared with the two guards.

Kingsley put a reassuring hand on Sirius' shoulder. "He's going to be fine. He's in a low-Dementor area of the prison. He will have access to owl post on a weekly basis that will be thoroughly inspected before given over to him. He will have no visitor access and we will be making sure that he is given the Wolfsbane Potion for his last few days before he is released. I will be personally checking in on his welfare."

"Thanks, King. It means so much that you've put yourself on this task. I know how much Remus appreciates you doing this."

Kingsley nodded. "I've always liked Remus and when I learned his secret back when we were in school, I knew what kind of man he was then. I understand the reasoning behind this punishment as does he, he broke the law and he knows that. Thirty days and he'll be out."

"What does a low-Dementor area of Azkaban look like?"

"Nothing like yours did, Sirius, so stop worrying. He might have a Dementor walk by his cell once a day. They won't be haunting the walls and pressing in on him like they were for you. You were in a high security area made for murderers and Death Eaters. He's going to feel them of course, there's no where in that fortress you can't, but he's going to be just fine, I can assure you. I'll see you on the twenty-fourth and you can take him home."

Sirius nodded. "Good."

"Hey, Sirius, before you go, what happened out there in the forest the other night?"

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, his eyes on Kingsley.

"I mean," Kingsley said slowly. "Fudge ordered thirty Dementors out after Pettigrew and Lestrange and only eighteen came back."

Sirius frowned. "So there's twelve Dementors still loose somewhere?"

"No," he said carefully. "I mean, there were thirty out there, but your Patronus… the power of it… seemed… it liquified twelve Dementors; turned them to dust to ash to whatever you want to call it, but they're gone."

Sirius' eyes widened. "I didn't realize that a Patronus could kill a Dementor?"

Kingsley stared at him for a long moment. "I've never seen one powerful enough to do it, but I've heard rumours that it was possible. To take out twelve? What the hell kind of happy thoughts were you thinking?"

Sirius grinned at him. "Good ones. See you around, King."

He thanked him again; collected Remus' wand, filled out the proper paperwork to justify taking Remus' belongings and then headed home. He had just stepped into the living room when he smelt the cooking and he smiled, making his way into the kitchen.

Zee was at the counter scrambling eggs and sizzling bacon and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the side of her neck. "Hi," she said, turning to kiss his lips. "I figured that you didn't eat before you went to see Remus this morning."

"I missed you last night."

She smiled. "You had a lot on your plate, so I went to my own place."

Sirius nodded and held her closer. She put a plate together and passed it to him.

"Sit and eat."

He did as she told him; sneaking a piece of bacon to Marauder and eating quietly.

Zee ate her own eggs, her eyes on him as she watched him eat. "Did you sleep at all?"

"About two hours maybe," he told her honestly. "Harry and I had a fight."

She raised her eyebrow. "About Remus?"

"About a lot of things," he murmured.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He snorted. "Apparently that's my problem, that I _don't_ talk about it."

Zee didn't answer.

Sirius stared at her for a moment and then he let out a long sigh, pushing his empty plate away. "He's mad at me for not telling him about how my parents treated me; for not saving him from the Dementors; for letting Remus go to Azkaban. He's mad at me for just about bloody everything."

"Sirius…"

He accepted the hand that she slid across the table and squeezed it tightly. "I don't know if what I said to him was right and hell, I don't even know if I'm doing it right half the time. He's growing up on me, but he's still a kid, too, and… by the time I was his age, the things I'd seen and done… and that scares me too."

Zee stood up, moving around the table and making herself comfortable in his lap. Sirius wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck.

"He blames me. He blames me for Remus going to prison and for… hell he blames me for everything. He said some stuff about losing me which would lead to losing you and he doesn't want to lose you either."

Zee smiled, her fingers gently running through his hair. "Where does he think I'm going? I love both of you way too much to go anywhere without a fight."

Sirius smiled against her neck, kissing the skin there. "I died."

"Hmm?"

"I… I died or I was supposed to die, I'm not sure how it works exactly but… Harry and Hermione used a Time-Turner to capture Peter and Harry sent his Patronus in to save me and him from the Dementors."

 _"What?"_

Sirius outlined what had happened; explaining how Dumbledore had reminded Hermione that she possessed a Time-Turner and what had transpired before and after and about his fight with Harry. When he was finished, Zee just framed his face with her hands and kissed him deeply.

"What was that for?"

"For being you, the incredibly brave and stupid man that I love."

"Hey!" hHe said, pinching her hip as she laughed.

"I love you. I don't know how the Time-Turner works and how it changed anything or what it changed, but I do know that Harry loves you very much. That was a very traumatic thing for him to have to undergo no matter what the circumstances were. As for your fight, baby, he doesn't blame you! He knows that you would move the world for him in a heartbeat and the fact that he thought that he lost you and that he changed time to get you back is enough to make anyone freak out a bit. He would do the same for you and that's what I love about you two so much. You're a team and I would never want to get in between the two of you."

"You agree with him, though."

"You need to say it all aloud, Sirius. You just need to talk about it. I've said it before and I know you don't want to, but you _need_ to. Harry feels that he can tell you anything and that's wonderful; that is truly a relationship to be proud of, but maybe he feels that you don't trust him as much as he trusts you." She put a finger over his lips when he made to protest. "I know that's not true, but it could be how he feels. You once told me that the Muggles who took care of Harry when you were in prison, abused him. He would understand what you went through, Sirius."

"I don't want to dredge up old memories for him," he said.

Zee merely raised an eyebrow. "For him or for yourself?"

When he didn't answer, she kissed his cheek.

"Maybe both," he admitted quietly. "I put that life behind me, Zahira."

She shook her head. "No, you haven't, not really, and that's part of the problem, Sirius. Talk to him about it. I think it would be good for the both of you. You're a team as you're always telling me and teams trust each other. Trust him like he trusts you. I know that you already do, but please, do this for the both of you."

He sighed and wrapped her tighter in his arms. "I will. I told him that when he comes home we're going to talk. I didn't… I didn't do enough for him last night and I know that but… Merlin, the shock of everything on top of Remus… I should have done more for him; he needed me to do more and I just… I let him down, Zee."

"No, you didn't," she said, kissing his cheek. "You'll talk and you'll work it out."

"The two of us definitely need to talk," he agreed. "He only has a week left of school anyway and I have a few things to take care of in the meantime."

Zee kissed his cheek. "What do you need me to do?"

"You're amazing, do you know that?" He kissed the tip of her nose. "I just need you here with me."

She nuzzled his neck, kissing his throat. "I'm right here."

Sirius smiled at her words, feeling his heart soar. "I have some errands to run; things I need to get done."

Zee nodded. "I'll get the word out about the next FUVP meeting, I assume you want to have it this weekend?" At his nod, she smiled. "I'll take care of it. I've also spoken to my grandparents. We're going to leave on the eighteenth of July and we'll come back on the eighth of August. I'll set up the portkeys. Don't give me that look, I know you want to go just as much as Harry does."

"No," he said with a pout. "I'd much rather spend all that time with just you and Harry."

Zee kissed him softly. "We're going. You and Harry need a vacation as well and this will be good for the both of you. I'll reach out to everyone about the meeting and then I have to go to work. I might have to go to Paris for a few days, but I'll be back before you pick up Harry on Saturday." At his nod, she smiled. "Now go on, get your errands done."

She stood up and made to clean up the breakfast dishes and Sirius patted her bum gently. "I love you."

Zee smiled at him, her eyes twinkling. "I know it. Go on. You'll feel better once you get organized and ready for Harry to return home."

Sirius nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets before leaving her in the kitchen. He felt better already and he was ready to get a few things out of the way.

The first being a Gringotts appointment and then he had a few choice words that he had to say to Dumbledore.

And not all of them were going to be pretty.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius stepped out of the Floo into McGonagall's office later on that afternoon, nodding at her when she looked startled.** He could see that she was busy marking exam papers so he reached down to scratch Nyx behind the ears.

"Even teachers have homework, doesn't seem fair."

She smiled at him. "Doesn't it?"

"Can you take a break? I need to have a word with you and Albus."

McGonagall stared at him a moment and nodded. "Of course. Nyx, stay here."

The large hybrid cat of tiger-Kneazle-zouwu merely purred and laid her head back down.

"How's Nyx adjusting to life at Hogwarts?"

"Very well actually. Though she doesn't seem to like Mrs Norris and takes to terrorizing the poor cat. Mr Filch is not very pleased."

Sirius chuckled. "I think that's hilarious."

"As you would," McGonagall told him with a smirk and he knew that she found it more amusing than she was willing to admit herself. They walked companionably to Dumbledore's office and Dumbledore nodded at them from behind his desk.

"Sirius, Minerva, what can I do for you?"

Sirius let out a slow breath. He stood in front of the headmaster's desk with his arms folded across his chest. "Albus, you know that I respect you more than anyone. You are a wise wizard and you've done a lot of good in your life; made a lot of great choices and saved a lot of people over the course of your life."

"But?" Dumbledore asked, his long fingers tapping together.

"But what the hell possessed you to give a Time-Turner to a fourteen-year-old-girl and then convince her to use it with my son to go back in time and change the events of the other night?"

Dumbledore's mouth opened in surprise before he promptly closed it again.

McGonagall's eyebrow rose. "Miss Granger promised me that she would only use it for her academics!"

"Which she did," Dumbledore said slowly. "Until the other night when I asked her to use it for something much more important."

Sirius merely stared him down. "Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to be arguing with my son over something that I didn't even understand? He told me that _I died_ and that _you_ had him and Hermione _go back in time_ to stop that from happening!"

McGonagall paled now. "What? You — _what?"_

Sirius placed his hands down on the headmaster's desk, his eyes flashing in anger. "I know that you have your own reasons for doing things and sometimes I even understand why you choose to do it that particular way, but putting that responsibility on MY son! Putting the thought into his head that only HE could save me! That was unacceptable!"

"You're alive, aren't you?"

"Not — the — point," he said through clenched teeth. "Yes, I am bloody well alive and yes I am grateful to be alive and grateful to my son for saving my life, but the point that I am trying to make, Albus, is that _he_ shouldn't have had to do it! If you were going to meddle in something as dangerous as time travel than it should have been you, old man!"

Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes twinkling in mischief. "Hard for me to do however when I was occupied with the Ministry proceedings while all of this was happening and when Fudge was waiting for me to discuss the escaped prisoners on Hogwarts grounds."

"That's a bloody excuse and you know it!"

"Harry and Hermione knew what the events were that transpired. They knew how to find Pettigrew and how to capture him; they knew when Remus would transform and where he would go; and most importantly, Harry knew how to cast a Patronus, _his Patronus_ might I add, to save you and to stop you from questioning what you saw."

Sirius stared him down. "That's not what I'm questioning, Albus. I'm questioning the fact that you put that responsibility on two young teens and they could have gotten themselves killed! Time travel is one of the most dangerous bits of magic to be playing around with and you let kids do it!"

Dumbledore stared at Sirius for a moment. "I won't apologize for it. Harry and Hermione are two very bright students. They are strong and independent and quick thinkers in times of distress. I had every faith in them being able to pull this off and frankly, giving Harry the chance to save you was exactly what he needed. I think it helped him deal with the closure of losing you, even if he only lost you for a moment."

Sirius scoffed in response. "You and your goddamn greater good! Sometimes, it's not for the greater good, sometimes it's because you are an old man who thinks your age gives you the right to decide how everyone else should think and act!"

"Sirius!" McGonagall scolded, reaching out to grab his arm.

"No, Minnie! You know the damn prophecy and _you know_ that Dumbledore believes Harry has to fight Voldemort in the end and I know what he's doing; he's tossing my boy into situations to see how well he handles himself, testing him for the upcoming final battle! He did it his first year by putting the Mirror of Erised somewhere for Harry to stumble upon; by letting him learn just enough clues to go down after the stone and come face to face with Voldemort. I'm tired of it! My son is not an experiment that you can test your theories on!"

"Sirius!" McGonagall said sternly, holding his arm tighter. "Albus doesn't think that."

Dumbledore let out a slow breath. "Maybe you're right, Sirius; maybe I am unconsciously trying to test him, but I can assure you that it is not my intention to do so. In the moment, I watched Harry grieve for you. I watched him cling to Miss Zacarias like a lifeline and I knew that losing you wasn't an option. Not only for Harry, but for the Wizengamot as well as for the Horcrux hunt. I knew that Miss Granger had the Time-Turner in her possession and in my haste, I thought that it had to be done now and it had to be done quickly and efficiently in a way that no one would notice and no one would attempt to stop. I asked Miss Zacarias and Minerva to leave the room. I spoke to Miss Granger and I let her and Harry decide what to do. I wanted them to go back and save you. They chose to also capture Peter on their own. They were brave and determined and I was incredibly proud of what they accomplished."

"I'm bloody proud of him for doing it, Albus, don't think I'm not! He saved my life! He gave us Peter — though how useful he will prove to be is another story, but he did it!" Sirius explained, his voice raising again. "But my point is that he shouldn't have been put on the spot to have to do it! I won't have him forced to do your dirty work, Albus! I will not allow it!"

"Sirius," McGonagall began slowly. "Albus understands as do I. Harry is a remarkable young man. He's brave and strong and loving and you know just as well as I do that he's your son just as much as James'."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She smiled at him. "Stubborn as a mule and immovable as a mountain when it comes to doing what he can to protect those he loves! It's the reason that he went after Miss Weasley in the Chamber, the reason he went back in time after you, and ultimately the reason why Albus gave him the chance to do so. If he had found out that there was a chance for him to save you, even the slimmest non-existent chance, and he wasn't given that opportunity to try — what do you think he would have done?"

Sirius sighed, his hands fisting at his sides. "I get it. I do. But do you understand where I am coming from? You gave a bloody Time-Turner to a fourteen-year-old-girl to use for school! What kind of authority approves that? How is that safe? How is that even allowed?"

"I wrote to the Department of Mysteries about it myself," McGonagall said slowly. "She was so determined; almost in tears when she begged me to be able to sign up for all of these classes and she is the brightest witch that I have seen grace these halls in decades. I wanted to give her the opportunity to succeed and this opportunity came up. She promised to only use it for her academics; to tell no one that she possessed it, and she kept her word."

"She did. It was me that interfered," Dumbledore said quietly. "And I do agree that I could have maybe made a different choice in the matter, but this was the outcome and I think it worked out quite well no matter what the circumstances were behind it."

Sirius nodded. "I'm alive so I can't exactly argue that. Harry and I have a lot to discuss when he comes home and I plan on viewing his memories of the night of, if he'll allow it. I still don't like it."

"I'm sorry, Sirius," McGonagall said, her eyes on him.

"In the meantime, this Saturday after I pick up Harry, I want to have another meeting of FUVP to discuss the ring we collected months ago and to discuss the cup."

"You know where the cup is?"

"Possibly, Minnie," Sirius told her. "Peter told me that Bellatrix has it in her vault. I went to Gringotts before I came here and made an appointment for a full examination of the Black vaults for next week. I'm going to take Harry with me."

"You would have access to her vault?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"I should be able to, yes," Sirius told him. "As Lord Black, I can technically access any member of my family's vaults, but considering Bellatrix was a Black before her marriage and is now on the run from the Ministry of Magic, I can officially put a hold on her even gaining access to her vaults."

"Interesting," McGonagall said with a nod.

He nodded. "Harry and I will do that next week and see if the cup is indeed inside. I have a bit more to do concerning the ring. There's an interesting symbol on the stone within the signet ring and I wanted to learn what it was before we destroy it. I didn't know if was important at all or if it will affect how we destroy the ring. I don't believe it will, but I wanted to investigate it nevertheless."

"What is the symbol?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets. "It's a triangle with a line and circle through the middle. I've seen Xenophilius Lovegood wear the symbol around his neck on a chain. I finally heard back from him last night as he's been travelling abroad and he told me that it's something called the Deathly Hallows."

Dumbledore paled and gripped the edge of the desk. "What did you just say?"

"The Deathly Hallows," he repeated, looking at Dumbledore in bewilderment. "Does that mean something to you?"

His hand shook as he held onto the desk. "It's on the ring?"

"Engraved on the stone, yes."

"I need to see that ring, Sirius."

Sirius stared at him for a long moment. "You will. On Saturday."

"Sirius, you don't know what the ring means, you don't know what it represents —"

" — Actually I think I do," he interrupted, his eyes on the Headmaster. "And judging by your reaction, I think that you know a bit more about becoming the Master of Death than you've let on. The ring is completely safe, I can assure you. You may examine it on Saturday and not before."

Dumbledore made to protest, but then nodded, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "I — I think that's probably for the best."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "You'll explain everything about it before we destroy the Horcrux."

Dumbledore nodded. They both understood that it hadn't been a question.

McGonagall was staring between the both of them, eyes wide. "What on earth is the Deathly Hallows and how exactly does one become the Master of Death?"

Sirius smiled at her. "I've done a bit of research on the subject, but I think Albus has a story that will explain even more of it."

"Saturday," Dumbledore said quietly.

Sirius nodded in turn and left the office lost in thought. Dumbledore's reaction to the symbol was interesting and he wondered what exactly it was that his old headmaster knew about the myth and what exactly it had to do with Voldemort and his Horcrux.


	144. Chapter 144

_Author's Note:_

 _Just a helpful reminder and no, I am still not officially splitting up this story. This chapter officially starts part vi._

 _Part I — Chapters 1-49: Harry's first year with his dads._

 _Part II — Chapters 50-61: Harry growing up with a family, ages 7-11_

 _Part III — Chapters 62-73: First year_

 _Part IV — Chapters 74-105: Second year_

 _Part V — Chapter 106-143: Third year_

 _Thank you and please review!_

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR:**

 **Tonks sat on the chesterfield in her flat, her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees.** Her eyes hurt from crying, but she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.

It had all just happened so fast.

One minute she was going after Remus and then there were Death Eaters on the grounds and then Sirius and Harry had run off. She had thought that once she had found Remus in the Forbidden Forest that everything would be all right, but Snape had told the Aurors his secret. He had never registered himself and now he was sitting alone in a cell in Azkaban.

The thought of him alone there with the Dementors nearby was enough to send shivers down her spine. He was going to be alone with his nightmares and she wouldn't be there to comfort him and that thought hurt her even more. An entire month in a cell… she couldn't fathom how he was going to stand it.

The sob tore through her and she buried her face in her knees just as someone banged loudly on her flat door. She ignored it. It had already taken her two days to get rid of her parents and she wasn't going to sit here and wallow forever, but she needed this time to herself to come to terms with it. She had been suspended for two weeks from her job after all and now she was alone and without her mate and she felt like something was missing from her life. She gripped the ruby between her breasts, the feel of her mate's heartbeat in the palm of her hand calming her slightly as someone banged on the door again.

Tonks ignored the incessant knocking, instead grabbing the jumper that Remus had left there and covering herself in it like a blanket.

"NYMPHADORA, OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR NOW BEFORE I BREAK IT DOWN!"

She jumped to her feet in surprise and hurried to open the front door. The sight of the tousled red hair and the strong freckled arms was all she saw before she was engulfed in his warm embrace. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, the familiar scent of smoke and wood calming her before she elbowed him in the gut.

"Don't call me, Nymphadora!"

He chuckled and tugged her back into his arms, moving her to the couch and sitting down. "Knew that would get your attention."

"What are you doing here, Charlie?"

He used his calloused thumb to wipe her tears away. "Your dad showed up at the reserve."

Tonks' eyes filled up with tears again and she snuggled into his embrace. "They put him in prison, Charlie! In Azkaban! Like a criminal!"

He kissed the top of her head, his warm arms wrapped around her. "He broke the law, Tonks. Don't look at me like that, you know he did! Not registering is an offence and he was lucky to only get thirty days in the first place."

She nodded. "I know."

Charlie ran his hand up and down her back. "Your dad that said you got suspended?"

"King said that I was too emotional and that I couldn't be on guard duty for Remus; that I needed to take a step back."

"Are you going to tell me that he was wrong to do it?"

She shook her head. "No, I _am_ too emotional. It's just the thought of him being in that cell, in that prison all alone and close to the Dementors and his nightmares are going to bother him and I won't be there to comfort him."

Charlie smiled kindly. "He knows how much you love him."

"I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry that I never told you that he was a werewolf. He's my mate, Charlie. He's… my life. I know that sounds dramatic, but he is. He gave me his heartbeat."

Charlie reached down to touch the ruby and smiled when he felt the pulse there. "He's hopelessly in love with you, I could see that. And I get why you didn't tell me; it wasn't your secret. But… his mate, doesn't that mean that he marked you?"

She nodded and placed a hand just under her left breast. "Here, on the underside of my breast. Sometimes, when he's near me, it tingles… almost as if it's for him, you know?"

He smiled at her. "He's a lucky man, Tonks, and he knows it." He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Now, have you actually just been sitting here and crying?"

"No," she insisted stubbornly.

He smirked. "Liar."

"I don't know what to do, Charlie! I'm all alone here, but I couldn't stay with Mum and Dad anymore. Mum was smothering me, and I can't go to work because I'm suspended. I'm just so worried about him!"

Charlie nodded. "I get that and worrying is more than acceptable, but do you really think that Remus wants you to put yourself in some form of prison while he's not around? Hmm?"

"No," she mumbled.

"Good."

"Did Dad really show up in Romania?"

Charlie grinned. "Sure did. I found him sitting by my tent, tapping his fingers on his legs. He looked me up and down and said my clothes were dirty and to change as I had five minutes before a portkey took me back to London."

She goggled at him. "He didn't even… Charlie, is your job all right with you just leaving?"

"It's fine, Tonks. I took some time off. I was due for a vacation anyway. I split it between now and two weeks in August so I can go to the World Cup. I spoke to Dad and we're looking at getting tickets."

Tonks smiled gratefully at him. "You came here just for me, really?"

Charlie hugged her close to him. "You've been my best friend since we were eleven. While I may be pretty shitty at keeping in touch with you and I did move to the other side of Europe, when my best friend's dad shows up in Romania and says: 'Dora needs a friend right now,' where else do you think I'm going to be? Wild Erumpents couldn't keep me away."

Tonks kissed his cheek and hugged him tight. "I'm so glad that you're here."

He rubbed her back again, smiling as he spoke against her hair. "Me too. Now, first things first — you go take a shower and change out of these 'pity me' pyjamas. I'm going to head to that Thai place that you love and stock us up on food. We're going to eat and then we're going to start packing up your flat. I believe that you told me you had a nice little cottage that you were moving into with that mate of yours."

Tonks wiped at her wet eyes. "It's not ready yet. We've been busy and we didn't finish painting it and the bathroom is only half done and we didn't decide how to fix it yet."

Charlie leaned in and kissed her cheek. "So I'm here all week. Let's make it ready."

Tonks simply beamed at him.

~ ASC ~

 **By the time that Saturday came around, Sirius wanted to destroy the ring just so that he could destroy something.** Harry was basically ignoring him; responding only with short responses when he mirror-called him. Zee was working in Paris. He hadn't spoken to Dumbledore or McGonagall since he had called Dumbledore an irresponsible old man. With Remus in prison, he was really starting to feel rather alone.

His nightmares had come back in full force and he spent most nights sitting in the gazebo outside with a glass of Firewhiskey in his hand, waiting for the morning to come. He spent his time researching the Potter family tree more thoroughly. He let himself into the Potter vault at Gringotts and pulled out the Potter family tapestry that had once hung on the wall in the entranceway of Potter House to trace the family's origins and he smiled as he read the names there.

His eyes once more focusing on the name of Hardwin's wife, Iolanthe Peverell, the woman who brought the Invisibility Cloak into the Potter family, if the stories were to be trusted. Not to mention that through the Peverell family, the Potters were also brought into contact with the Gaunt family, who were distantly related to Salazar Slytherin himself. It was Fleamont's nephew Charlus Potter who had married into the Black family by marrying Sirius' great-aunt Dorea Black. Charlus and Dorea had both died during the war along with their son when they had opposed Voldemort.

Harry was the only Potter left which made him the rightful heir to the Invisibility Cloak, but also led Sirius to question once more the story of the Deathly Hallows and the idea of being able to become the so called Master of Death. What did that even mean?

He ran his hands over his tired face, smiling gratefully at Kreacher when the elf brought him a cup of strong tea. The elf had been popping in to Black Cottage pretty regularly lately to check up on him and every time he appeared in Number Twelve, Kreacher would merely look at him in concern like he was currently doing now.

"Master Sirius has had enough whiskey. Kreacher brings Master Sirius tea instead."

Sirius smiled at the elf. "You're right, Kreacher. Thank you."

He had only taken one sip of his tea when Zee came into the kitchen. She took one look at him and shook her head.

"No. Upstairs, right now!"

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "Problem, my dear?"

"You look and smell like a drunken homeless man. Upstairs now, get in the shower and get the stench of whiskey off yourself. I'll get you a sobering potion. Harry doesn't need to see you like this."

"Zee, I'm not drunk."

Zee stared at him. "I didn't say that you were. I said that you smell like a drunken homeless man. Go!"

Sirius nodded, knowing better than to argue with her, especially when she was right, and went upstairs to use the shower. The bloodshot eyes that looked back at him in the mirror told him of how little he had been sleeping this week and he knew how tired he was. But he was mostly worried about what the Deathly Hallows meant in terms of the context of the Horcrux and about talking to Harry. Having his son ultimately ignore him for the last six days was more hurtful than he had thought it would be.

He stood under the hot spray, letting the water beat down on his face before he washed up and used a cleansing charm on his clothes. He fixed his hair, but didn't bother shaving down the stubble, giving him a four day rough looking beard. He made his way back downstairs and into the kitchen of Number Twelve. Zee was staring at the chalkboard as if lost in thought. He cleared his throat from the doorway and she smiled at him.

"Drink this."

"I don't need a sobering potion, I swear."

"It's a Pepper-Up Potion and you will drink every last drop or I will pour it down your throat myself."

"When did you get so bossy, woman?"

Zee gestured for him to sit down and then she sat on his lap and passed him the potion. "Drink."

Sirius rolled his eyes but did as she asked. "There! Happy now?"

Zee kissed him softly. "No, but it's a start." She gently tucked his wet hair behind his ears. "You are going to start taking better care of yourself. I know this tension between you and Harry must be tough, but do you think that he wants to come home and see you looking like death after everything that he's been through in the last week? I go away for a few days and you just let yourself go."

"I haven't been sleeping much."

Zee slipped her arms around his neck. "I can see that. Are you overthinking too much or has it been nightmares?" At his shrug, she kissed his cheek. "Emotional and physical well-being, Sirius. Promise me that you'll take better care of yourself, please?"

He kissed her lips softly. "Maybe I'd rather have you take care of me."

She smiled. "Aren't you sweet, but you are a grown-arse man who can take care of himself when he's not being a bloody stubborn arsehole!"

Sirius chuckled. "I missed you. You were gone too long."

Zee smiled kindly at him. "I know it wasn't a great time for me to leave, but Yaxley needed me to work in Paris for a few days to help deal with the escaped Erumpent from the reserve. And you insisted that you would be fine."

"I lied," he murmured, nibbling on her neck. "Harry is barely talking to me and with Remus in prison and you gone I just… the nightmares don't come as often when you're beside me."

Zee sighed. "I'm sorry that I left you."

"No," he murmured, kissing her throat. "You have to work, I'm being stupid. I just need to talk to Harry and I think… everything will balance out. It's just that with Moony in Azkaban and you gone and Harry mad at me and… everything was just culminating at once. I'm fine, really."

She merely raised an eyebrow at him. "No, you're not and talking to Harry will solve some of it, I suppose."

"What does that mean?"

She sighed. "I sometimes think that you forget that Harry is almost fourteen."

"No, I don't. I'm well aware of how old he is, Zahira."

"Not the age, no, but based on how you treat him. You letting him into all of this FUVP stuff, keeping him informed, letting him help… this is a lot for anyone to handle, Sirius, let alone an almost fourteen-year-old-boy. This is overwhelming for me and for you so how do you think he's feeling? He has every right to be mad at you."

"Well —"

" — No," she interrupted, placing a finger over his lips. "Let me finish. Harry experienced something incredibly traumatic and after everything that he has been through, losing you and then saving you, only to then watch the Ministry cart Remus off to prison is more than anyone should bear, let alone someone his age. When he does act his age and tries to express how he's feeling, you seem surprised by it. He's not an adult, Sirius. You are. I think that it's about damn time you stop and remember that; take accountability for your own actions."

" _My_ actions?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, your actions!" Zee exclaimed. "He's mad at you and he's allowed to be. He expects _you_ to be the parent."

Sirius stared at her for long moment before he spoke. "And I'm failing him."

"That's not what I'm saying," she said softly. "You are an incredible father! You're always there for him whenever he needs you. You're always honest with him. You're a team and I love that about the two of you, but _you_ are the adult and sometimes I think you forget that he's not quite grown up yet."

Sirius let out a slow breath. "You're right." He rubbed a hand over his face. "We have a lot to discuss after the meeting this afternoon."

Zee turned her head to kiss his lips, her fingers running through his unruly beard. "Yes, you do. He needs to know; to be reassured and you need the comfort of sharing it with someone just as much as he needs to near it. You need to talk about it. It will be good for both of you."

"Do you — I mean, do you want to be there?"

Zee smiled at him and kissed him chastely on the lips. "This is for you and for Harry. I need my boys communicating and on the same page again. You know where to find me when you need me."

He grinned at her. "That I do." He rubbed his chin over her cheek making her laugh. "And the beard?"

"Is that what this monstrosity is?" she asked, her eyes twinkling at him in amusement.

He grinned sheepishly. "I thought I'd try something new. You don't like it?"

Zee bit her bottom lip. "Let me decide later."

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Why later?"

Zee nipped at his ear and whispered something rather suggestive that made his eyes widen. She winked and crawled off of his lap at the sound of the kitchen door opening, smiling kindly at Bill.

The smile she had brought to his face was worth it, she thought. She leaned down and kissed him softly. "The train should be arriving in fifteen minutes. Go get your son."

Sirius nodded and stood up. "Harry and I will be back in a bit."

Zee smiled. "I'll be here," she said, turning to thank Kreacher as he brought out a vegetable and fruit tray along with some cheese and meat and crackers to snack on.

Sirius said goodbye and left Number Twelve, Apparating once he got outside, and arriving on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He shoved his hands into his pockets and waited rather impatiently for the Hogwarts Express to pull up. He waited less than ten minutes and he kept his eyes peeled for the messy black hair, smiling when he saw his son get off the train.

He waved at him and Harry nodded in his direction. He was talking to a tall dark haired boy that he didn't recognize. He said something that made the boy smile before Harry waved at him, said goodbye to Ron, Hermione, and Neville, and then turned to head over to him, pulling his trunk behind him.

"I'm ready," he said quietly.

Sirius nodded. "Good. I missed you."

Harry only stared at him. "Let's just go."

Sirius put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I know that you're still mad at me and we're going to talk, I promise. But first things first, we're going to deal with the ring."

Harry's head snapped up, his eyes on his father. "Actually?"

"Actually. I told you, Prong-Harry, you and me, we're a team. Come on; we'll take the tube there."

Harry's mind began to wander as they headed to the London Underground. Sirius was going to let him see how they destroyed the ring. He was taking him seriously and he knew that his father felt just as guilty about their argument as Harry did. After talking to Ginny the other day he knew that she was right and that once they spoke, they would both feel better, but he couldn't stop himself from feeling angry at his father. He felt like he was being kept in the dark about so many important parts of his father's life and he didn't know how to respond to it. He wanted Sirius to trust him.

If he was bringing Harry to Number Twelve though to show him how they destroyed the ring as they had the locket, that was trust. He sighed and let out a slow breath as they climbed onto the train.

"Uncle Siri?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"I'm sorry that I've been a prat."

Sirius smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "So have I, so I guess we're even."

Harry grinned. "You're really going to let me sit in?"

"There's a lot of things that we need to talk about, Prongslet, I mean, Harry, and we will talk. I promise, but first I want to get this taken care of and I think some of what we're going to discuss tonight is going to tie into what we need to talk about as well. I want you there. You're just as much a part of Operation FUVP as the rest of us."

Harry beamed at him. "Thanks."

Sirius put an arm around him and hugged him to his side for a moment. "We'll talk though, I promise. When we get home tonight." He kissed the top of his son's head and squeezed him close for a moment.

Harry nodded, smiling at his father. They hopped off of the underground and made their way to Claremont Square and onto the hidden porch of Number Twelve. Sirius put Harry's trunk in his grandfather's study before nodding towards the kitchen. Harry stepped inside and everyone greeted him.

Zee jumped up to hug him and kissed his cheek, making him smile at her. He hugged her a little longer than necessary and she kissed his forehead, making him smile in appreciation before he took a seat at the table and immediately began to help himself to the snacks that Kreacher had provided.

"How was the end of school?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Okay. Got my exam marks and some projects for the summer to work on. Percy finished school, too, so a few of us attended his little ceremony."

"That's nice," Zee said with a smile. "How did you do on your exams?"

"Pretty well," he said sheepishly. "Uncle Siri owes me some Galleons."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll get to that," Sirius said.

Bill raised an eyebrow. "You're going to pay him for his grades?"

"We had a deal," Sirius told him. "I wanted him to apply himself a little better so I told him that for every Outstanding he achieved I would pay him five Galleons and for any Acceptable or lower he achieved, he would owe me five Galleons."

Bill chuckled. "Sounds like a fair deal to me. So what's the verdict, Harry?"

Harry reached into his pocket to pull out his annual report card and grinned widely. "Uncle Siri owes me forty five Galleons."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "You got an O on everything?"

Harry shrugged. "Not everything, History of Magic was only an E and so was Astronomy."

"So I owe you thirty five Galleons and really, not an O in Astronomy, I am literally a star, have I taught you nothing?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "But every answer isn't Sirius or Orion."

"It should be," Sirius said, making Harry snort in laughter.

Sirius turned to talk to Kreacher as Zee smiled at him. "Still, those are wonderful grades. Good job, Harry. You should be very proud of yourself."

"Thanks," he said, feeling extra proud of himself to know that Zee was also proud of him.

Zee leaned in and kissed his cheek, murmuring softly in his ear. "Harry, Sirius told me about what happened that night. I am not going anywhere, no matter what happens, I will always be here for you. I promise."

He glanced at her from underneath his lashes, the back of his neck heating a bit. "But what if —"

She kissed his forehead and placed a finger over his lips to silence him. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere and neither is my family. You are my family too and no matter what happens, even if… even if Sirius had… I will _never_ not be here for you. I will always love you and be here whenever you need me and I'll be here even when you think that you don't need me. I promise."

Harry nodded, tears in his eyes and he hugged her tightly. "I love you, too, Zee."

Zee kissed the top of his head, holding him close. "You'll be okay, darling," she kissed his cheeks. "And you make him talk to you tonight. He needs to talk to someone."

"He should talk to you," he told her.

Zee smiled. "Maybe after he tells you, he'll share it with me. You are his heart, Harry."

Harry kissed her cheek before he moved back to sit straight in his seat. "So are you."

Zee beamed at him as she watched Harry help himself to the fruit and vegetables on the table. "Ditto."

Sirius moved to sit down next to her and smiled. "Kreacher says that he's going to throw some sandwiches together for us," he told them as he reached for a carrot stick. "Zee, are you asking Harry why he doesn't know more about stars when he has me in his life?"

Zee rolled her eyes at Harry and they both grinned.

Harry looked up as Dumbledore and McGonagall made their way into the kitchen followed by Moody and Tonks.

Tonks sat next to Harry and he elbowed her lightly. "You okay?"

She gave him a small forced smile. "I will be. Charlie's staying with me for a bit."

"My brother's in town?" Bill asked in surprise.

Tonks nodded. "Until next Friday. He hasn't told his family yet because he's been spending all of his time with me, but I'm still suspended for another week and I think he was heading to the Burrow to surprise your parents before he goes back to Romania."

Bill grinned. "Good. I'm going to pop in for dinner tonight, too, before I head back to Egypt."

Harry smiled at her. "Are you moved into the cottage yet?"

"Almost," she told him. "Charlie is helping me and trying to take my mind off of Remus. We're finishing up the renovations." Harry nodded and squeezed her arm gently and she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thanks, little brother."

He grinned at her as Sirius stretched in his seat and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"I think everyone knows why Remus isn't in attendance tonight, but I would like to say that he is doing all right in Azkaban and will be out in twenty-three more days so please just keep him in your thoughts."

Bill nodded. "I was surprised to learn that he was a werewolf myself. Ginny wrote to me about the petition that she and Percy put together for him. He's a decent bloke and from what I hear, an amazing professor."

"He's a wonderful professor indeed," McGonagall said with a smile. "We look forward to having him back with us in September."

Dumbledore nodded. "Agreed."

Sirius smiled at the room. "Thank you. Being a werewolf is something that Remus has struggled with for as long as I've known him and knowing that all of you can look beyond that to the man that he is, means a lot to me and more to him than you can possibly know. I know that I've been preoccupied with trying to help my friend and haven't done much in terms of the Horcrux hunt these last few months due to my involvement in the Wizengamot with trying to blacklist Bill 426-A17 and I apologize for that."

"Don't apologize," Moody said gruffly. "Umbridge's prejudices are over the line and it's nice to see you stand up to her, Black; put her in her place. I don't consider that doing nothing as allowing her to get away with what she's been doing is basically the same to me as supporting the same ideas that the Dark Lord used to go on about. Bully for you. Now let's move onto this damn ring."

Sirius grinned. "Thanks Alastor. As to the ring, Bill, Moody, Tonks, and I did discover it on the Gaunt property as Moody suggested."

Bill nodded. "It was warded carefully and it wasn't without injury that we obtained it. Tonks was severely injured and Sirius and I obtained minor injuries in the process. The wards were very dangerous, but we got through them and we obtained the ring successfully."

Tonks outlined the varying wards that they had to get through to access it and McGonagall's eyes widened as she listened attentively. Sirius left the room to get the ring while Tonks explained how they had obtained it. He carefully dropped the ring into his hand and placed it in the middle of the kitchen table.

"It's the signet ring of the Gaunt family, believed to be Salazar Slytherin's original ring, but I think that I've proved that claim to be false."

Bill lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Can you all see this symbol engraved on the stone?" At everyone's nod, he stood up and drew the three symbols onto the blank chalkboard wall near the door.

△ = Cloak of Invisibility

I = Elder Wand

O = Resurrection Stone

"These three symbols together represent something called the Deathly Hallows," Sirius said, drawing the triangle with the circle and line through the middle. "I recognized the symbol as something that Xenophilius Lovegood wears on a chain around his neck so I wrote to him to ask what it meant. He explained to me that it actually is part of the Beedle stories, specifically that of _The Three Brothers._ "

Tonks frowned at that. "The brothers who cheated Death?"

Sirius nodded. "I've been researching it all week to try to make sense of what Lovegood told me. It seems that there are some people who believe that the story is actually fact. In the thirteenth century, there were three brothers who obtained these magical objects and these three brothers are actually buried in the graveyard of Godric's Hollow: Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverell. As you know from the children's story, Death stopped them when they attempted to cross a dangerous river and used magic to conjure a bridge. This prevented them from drowning which is how they caught Death's attention. He offered them a reward which was secretly a way to claim their deaths in another way, but he was outsmarted. Antioch wanted the most powerful wand and Death made him one from the wood of an elder tree with a Thestral hair core and Antioch bragged that he had the greatest wand that the world had ever seen. He found himself constantly in duels to prove the wand's worth and eventually he was slain and the wand was stolen. The wand can actually be traced thought history from Antioch Peverell. I spoke to Garrick Ollivander yesterday, since he is so well versed in wand lore, and he told me that after Peverell had the wand it was possessed by Emeric the Evil before he lost it in a duel to Egbert the Egregious. It disappears for a time here, but a century later, Godelot had it in his possession."

"Godelot, the bloke who wrote _Magick Moste Evile,_ which specifically discusses Horcruxes?" Bill asked, his eyes widening.

"That's the one," Sirius said. "Oddly coincidental, isn't it? It is said that Godelot was locked in his cellar by his own son where he eventually died there and his son Hereward became master of the Elder Wand. Again, the wand seems to have disappeared from history at this point, but in the eighteenth century, Barnabas Devrill claimed to possess it before he was murdered by Loxias. Loxias was a right bastard in his own right and Lovegood claims that he renamed the Elder Wand 'the Deathstick' and when he was eventually murdered, everyone, even his own mother, claimed that they had been behind it, but the wand is actually believed to have passed on from Loxias to someone named either Arcus or Livius before again it disappears into history for over a century. A Russian wandmaker came across it in the nineteenth century, Mykew Gregorovitch. He tried to duplicate the wand's powers and even let it slip that he possessed the fabled wand, but sometime around the turn of the century, the wand was stolen from him. It is rumoured that the Dark Wizard Grindelwald possessed it before he was imprisoned in Nurmengard."

"So the wand is real?" Harry asked, his eyes wide. "The most powerful wand in all of history?"

"It seems so, if you believe the fabled wand from the story is the same wand that is passed through history," Sirius explained. "And I don't know if it is truly the most powerful wand in history as the witch or wizard who holds the wand has more to do with it if you ask me, but I'm not an expert in wand-making."

Tonks scratched her forehead, her eyes on the board where her cousin had drawn the three symbols. "And the Resurrection Stone?"

Sirius pointed to the ring on the table. "I think the stone in the signet ring is the Resurrection Stone. It has the symbol carved into the stone, not into the ring and Cadmus Peverell is the brother believed to have asked for the stone as he wanted to be able to see the woman he loved again. It is through Cadmus' line that the Gaunts came to be in possession of the stone which at some point was made into a signet ring. My guess is Cadmus had it made so that he would always have the stone on him. This also proves that it did not belong to Slytherin, who would have died a few hundred years before the Peverell brothers even encountered Death."

"And the cloak?" Zee asked.

"It belongs to Harry," he said simply.

Harry's eyes widened. "My invisibility cloak is _the_ Invisibility Cloak?"

Sirius nodded. "Logically it fits into the timeline. Monty gave that cloak to Jamie before he started at Hogwarts; told him that it had been in the Potter family for generations. Invisibility Cloaks don't last for generations and that cloak is still in immaculate condition. According to the Potter family tree, Hardwin Potter married Iolanthe Peverell, the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell, who in turn is the one who asked for the cloak in order to hide from Death until he was ready to greet him like an old friend," Sirius explained.

Moody nodded. "And you're saying that Potter has this cloak?"

"He does. It was passed down to him his first Christmas at Hogwarts."

"What does that mean to possess these three magical items?" Bill asked. "Is it significant in some way?"

"It makes you the Master of Death," Dumbledore said quietly from the back of the room. His eyes were on the ring in the middle of the table. "I used to believe at one time that possessing all three Hallows could help make the world a better place; that one could be a master over life as well as death and because of my foolishness, many were killed."

"Albus," McGonagall said gently, taking his hand in hers. "We all make wrong choices in our youth. You are not to blame for it. _He is_."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Who is?"

"Gellert Grindelwald," McGonagall said softly.

Dumbledore's eyes carefully went blank at the name. "As most of you are aware, I am the one who defeated Grindelwald in a duel in 1945 and subsequently put him in the prison that he himself had created. He's still imprisoned there. But what you might not know was that in my youth, Gellert and I were once friends."

Tonks' eyes widened in surprise. "You were friends with a dark wizard?"

Dumbledore smiled at her. "I was young and I was blinded by him. I was seventeen, he was nineteen and he completely fascinated me. My mother had passed away and I was staying home to take care of my brother and sister so that my brother could finish school and I was bored. Gellert arriving in Godric's Hollow to stay with his great-aunt, Bathilda Bagshot, seemed to be to be exactly what I needed. We were both intellects seeking topics to discuss and debate and we were both idealistic and ambitious. He told me that he had dropped out of school from Durmstrang Institute to go on an adventure for the mythical Deathly Hallows which led him to Godric's Hollow and to the graveyard with the Peverells, who he believed were the original holders of the Hallows. I later learned that he was expelled from school for performing twisted experiments on other students."

"That says a lot coming from Durmstrang, they basically bloody teach the Dark Arts there," Moody interjected.

Dumbledore nodded. "He had a way about him. He was charismatic and charming and he convinced me to join him on his quest for the Deathly Hallows and I was desperate for something outside of my house and my family and I let myself get drawn in. Together we had this wild idealistic dream of acquiring the Hallows and becoming the Masters of Death which would make us both immortal and invincible. We dreamed of overturning the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and creating a new world order in which witches and wizards became the benevolent overlords of the world, over the Muggles. We always said that it was 'for the Greater Good' of the world. Muggles forced into subservience. We wizards triumphant. Grindelwald and I, the glorious young leaders of the revolution. Oh, I had a few scruples. I assuaged my conscience with empty words. It would all be for the greater good, and any harm done would be repaid a hundredfold in benefits for wizards. Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes to it which makes me just as much as to blame."

He let out a slow breath. "My brother recognized what I was letting myself fall into and he tried to stop me and Gellert became enraged at this and performed the Cruciatus Curse on him. I defended my brother and well… let's just say that we parted ways. He went on to build Nurmengard Castle in the Austrian Alps where he would hold his opponents or enemies or anyone he deemed unworthy to be kept there as a prisoner and above the entrance he inscribed my words: _For the Greater Good_."

"Albus, it was a long time ago," McGonagall said kindly.

Dumbledore gave her a small smile. "It was and eventually he was taken down, but there was a lot of death and a lot of terror in between under the banner for the greater good and sometimes I wonder if I could have stopped him sooner. I have tried for decades to re-coin that phrase as being something to help others: To inspire hope. Sitting here today and listening to Sirius talk about the Hallows, my first thought was to grab that ring and run."

"It's cursed, Albus," Moody said quietly. "If you were to put that ring on your finger, you would die."

Dumbledore nodded. "Which is why we need to destroy it immediately."

Sirius nodded his agreement, lifting the Sword of Gryffindor in his hands. "Even if it destroys the stone?"

"Especially if it destroys the stone," Dumbledore said quietly. "A stone to talk to the dead does nothing but bring pain to any who use it."

Sirius nodded and moved over towards the ring on the table as everyone backed away. He held the sword over the ring, before pushing the tip down into the centre. It cracked slightly and the sight of his mother rising from the stone, her snarl already in place was enough. He closed his eyes, ignoring the image, and pushed and the cracking sound shattered just as a deafening cry echoed throughout the room, followed by green smoke. A flash of green snapped through the air and then it was gone.

Moody immediately rushed over and performed his spell, nodding. "It's gone."

Sirius reached down to pick up the broken and cracked ring, his eyes on the stone. "And the stone is cracked, but still very much intact."

Zee's eyes widened. "It's intact, actually?"

He nodded and held it up to show it to her. The moment he did, he felt rather queer and jolted at the sight of James Potter standing on his left and he quickly dropped the stone back down to the table.

"Sirius, what is it?"

He swallowed slowly. "I — I think it still works."

Dumbledore nodded. "Remember, it does not truly bring back the dead, but only their shade. They cannot pass over and do not belong in this world. It drove Cadmus mad with grief and he killed himself over it."

"What are we going to do with the stone?" Zee asked carefully. "This isn't exactly something that we can keep lying around?"

Sirius grabbed a towel from the counter and carefully wrapped the stone in it. He didn't want to touch it with his bare hands again. "I'm going to lock it away for now. I think that's probably for the best."

"And the cracked and broken ring?" Tonks asked.

Sirius smiled. "It's going in the box with the locket and the diary." He left the room to seal away the treasures in the warded vault in his grandfather's old study before returning to the kitchen and the list on the chalkboard.

FUVP Hit List:

1\. DIARY (found in Chamber of Secrets through vault of Abraxas Malfoy) ✓

2\. LOCKET OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found in seaside cave) ✓

3\. SIGNET RING OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found on Gaunt abandoned property) ✓

4\. CUP OF HELGA HUFFLEPUFF (rumoured to be in vault of Bellatrix Lestrange)

5\. UNKNOWN

6\. UNKNOWN

7\. VOLDEMORT HIMSELF

Sirius pointed to number four on the list. "This is one of the other topics of discussion for tonight. I have been given information concerning the cup of Helga Hufflepuff potentially residing in the vault of my crazy cousin."

"What does that mean for us?" Bill asked. "It's not like we can break into Gringotts and obtain it."

"True," Sirius said with a grin. "Breaking into Gringotts would be insane. However, Bellatrix was a Black and was imprisoned meaning that her possessions technically come back to her family since her husband was also imprisoned. Her being on the run doesn't help matters. I have set up an appointment for Wednesday afternoon. Harry and I are going to go through the entirety of the Black vaults and see if there is any truth behind this rumour and if she has it, well, it will soon be in our possession."

"Of course that means that we still have one unknown Horcrux to try to discover," Moody said, his eyes on the board.

"Don't you mean two?" Harry asked, looking up at the board and then at Moody.

Sirius nodded, his eyes on his son. "Yes, he does. We have been contemplating that it could be something belonging to another founder and Moody means that other one is completely unknown."

Moody nodded. "Right, that's what I meant."

Harry ate a piece of cheese, eyeing his father for a moment before he nodded. "So Wednesday we're going to check out her vault?"

"We are," Sirius told him with a smile.

Dumbledore stood up, he looked kind of pale and McGonagall took his arm. "Another one destroyed for now, excellent job, Sirius."

"Albus, thank you for your help as well and the information on the Hallows."

Dumbledore nodded and moved to the door.

"Wait!" Harry exclaimed. "I have a question, Sir?"

Dumbledore turned to smile at Harry, his eyes twinkling. "What would that be, Harry?"

"If it was rumoured that Grindelwald had the Elder Wand and you defeated him and he went to prison, what happened to the wand?"

"Harry, Professor Dumbledore doesn't know anything about the Elder Wand," McGonagall said.

Dumbledore hesitated and then he reached into his robes. "No, I don't know much about it to be honest, but I do know that it's been very loyal to me for the last forty-nine years."

Sirius' jaw dropped open. " _You have it?"_

Dumbledore held the wand up. "I won it, didn't I? I stopped chasing the Hallows years ago, but the wand…"

Harry grinned at him. "That's brilliant, Sir."

"Thank you, Harry."

"Is it really the most powerful wand in the world?" he asked, eyes wide.

Dumbledore shrugged. "I can feel its power, but I cannot honestly say that any of the magic I have performed with this wand is any more extraordinary than the magic I performed with my old wand. The wand may choose the wizard, but it's the wizard who has the magic to work the wand. Remember that."

As Dumbledore left the kitchen with a surprised McGonagall, Bill chuckled.

"Well, I'll be damned, that old coot has had it the whole time."

Tonks smiled. "He defeated a dark wizard, I think he deserves it."

Sirius shook his head and let out a slow sigh. "Anyone else ever think talking to him leaves you with more questions than answers?"

"All the bloody time," Bill said with a grin.

Sirius nodded at Harry. "Grab your stuff, Harry. It's time to head home. We have some things to discuss."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the bit from_ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows _and nor do I own the research on the history of the Elder Wand._


	145. Chapter 145

_Author's Note:_

 _I think it's time for Harry and Sirius to have that much needed chat!_

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE:**

 **Harry let Sirius side Apparate him back to Devon.** He winced at the feeling of being pressed through a tube as they landed just outside of the property wards and made their way up the drive to Black Cottage, Harry pulling his trunk behind him. They entered the house and Marauder went mad with excitement.

Harry fell to his knees in the entranceway to greet his dog, scratching his ears and his belly as Marauder yipped happily to see his boy. Once Marauder had kind of calmed down, Harry brought his things upstairs before making his way back down to sit on the sofa in the living room and Marauder jumped up onto sofa next to him, his head in his lap.

Sirius came out of the kitchen with a big plate of bacon sandwiches. "I figured we can eat these first."

Harry nodded and helped himself to a sandwich. They ate quietly for a bit, Harry occasionally giving Marauder some of his bacon pieces. Once they were done, Sirius let out a slow sigh.

"I know that we have a lot to talk about. I promised to share everything with you and I will, but first, I would like to ask something of you." At Harry's look, his grey eyes met Harry's green ones. "Will you allow me to view the memories of your night both before and after using the Time-Turner? I think that it will help me better understand everything that you went through that night… and I think that it's a good starting point to our conversation."

"I don't know how to do that," Harry told him honestly.

Sirius smiled. "That's all right, I do."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

"I'll be right back."

Harry only nodded and Sirius hurried up the stairs. He came back down a few minutes later carrying a basin. "What's that?"

"It's a Pensieve. It is what allows one to revisit a memory. They used it at Peter's trial, if you remember?"

"I didn't know that you had one," Harry told him.

"I borrowed it for tonight," Sirius fibbed, smiling at his son. "Okay, I need you to hold that memory in your head and I'm going to pull a copy of it from your mind."

Harry nodded, letting Sirius know when the memory was there and a minute later, Sirius had pulled a long thin silvery substance from his head and dropped it into the basin.

"We can view it together, okay?"

Harry nodded and together they pushed their faces into the silvery-blue substance in the basin. Harry felt his world shift and suddenly he was standing by the Black Lake looking at himself, Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

 _Neville stretched his arms up over his head as he spoke. "I wish that it would storm already. I'm dying to know what animal I can be."_

 _"I know, me too," Harry said with a grin. "We have to figure out how to get the six of us together in case it storms this summer. The potion is ready. If it doesn't storm by the time we go home, I'm going to lock them in a case to put in my trunk."_

 _Neville nodded. "Yeah, I'd say maybe we could all spend the summer together, but you're going to be in America."_

 _"Only for a month," he said with a grin. "I really like Zee's grandparents and they want me to call them Grandma and Grandpa, which is nice. Plus going to Georgia is going to be brilliant. I heard it's quite hot there in the summer."_

 _"Probably, I don't know, I've never been to America. But it was pretty hot in Brazil."_

 _"Brazil's definitely hotter," Harry said with a grin._

 _"What about Sophie?" Ron asked, grinning at his friend as he continued to skip rocks in the lake. "She's going to miss you."_

 _Harry rolled his eyes. "Sophie and I are not together, Ron. We just snogged that one night. We were… celebrating Gryffindor's win."_

 _Hermione sighed. "Sophie snogs everyone, Harry. You're better off, trust me."_

 _He smirked at her. "You're just saying that because you didn't like Cho."_

 _Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not that I disliked her," she said dismissively. "I just didn't get the chance to find out as she went out of her way to ignore your friends."_

 _He shrugged and dragged his fingers through his hair. "Girls are complicated anyway. Snogging Sophie was great and honestly, just what I needed after that spectacular Gryffindor win, but I'm not looking to date anyone right now. Besides, Sophie and I both had a bit too much Firewhiskey, which might have attributed to our snogging."_

 _Hermione grinned. "No, Sophie just really likes to snog everyone."_

Sirius elbowed Harry lightly. "Who's Sophie and why were you drinking Firewhiskey?"

Harry blushed. "I didn't have that much Firewhiskey and we were celebrating winning the Quidditch Cup!"

"Uh-huh," Sirius said with a smirk. "You know, drinking before you turn seventeen is frowned upon."

"I didn't like the taste of it anyway."

"So, if this Sophie snogs everyone, was she a good snog?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Will you just shut it and watch the memory?"

Sirius put his hands up in surrender, smirking at his son as they watched Hermione hurry off after Crookshanks and Harry, Ron, and Neville began to make their way back up to the castle. Sirius didn't speak again as he watched the memory unfold. His eyes were narrowed as he watched Pettigrew grab Hermione; stun her and drag her off into the Shrieking Shack. By the time that Bellatrix had shown up, Sirius was furious. He watched her disappear with Neville; watched himself and Zee show up in the shack and head out only to meet a concerned and terrified Remus, followed by Tonks, and then to have Remus transform and take off into the woods before Pettigrew showed up with Neville. Watching Harry and Zee grieve over his dead body was harder to watch than he had anticipated. When Dumbledore turned to Harry and Hermione, his eyes were on the headmaster, still wondering what had possessed the man to leave this up to the two teens.

He watched Harry stare down the headmaster, anger in his eyes.

 _"The Dementors killed him and he didn't even do anything! And now he's… he's dead!"_

 _"I know," Dumbledore said sadly. "But maybe he doesn't have to be."_

 _Hermione stared at him in confusion. "Professor, there's no spell that can bring back the dead!" At his piercing look, she gasped. "You don't mean... it would be breaking every law, Professor!"_

 _Dumbledore's eyes looked at Harry in sadness. "Yes. It would be doing everything we made you promise not to do. Are you up to the task, Miss Granger?"_

 _Hermione stared at him for a moment. "Stop it… but the Dementors, they came and…" her eyes fell on Harry who's emerald orbs were staring at her like she was the saviour of the world. "Yes."_

 _Dumbledore smiled. "I suggest going back to the beginning and maybe you can do more than just stop this tragedy from occurring. You know the laws, Miss Granger. I am going to lock you in. It is five minutes to midnight. Three turns should do it. Good luck."_

Sirius watched as Hermione put the necklace around Harry, turned the hourglass and they disappeared, arriving in the entrance hall. He followed their movements, watched them debate how to stop it from happening and when they started running from Remus in the woods, his heart stopped, despite knowing that his friend would never hurt them. And then he watched in amazement as his son produced the most powerful Patronus and watched as it decimated twelve Dementors; watched them explode into nothing. Kingsley had been right — it had been one hell of a powerful Patronus.

By the time the memory was over, he was shaking a bit.

He took Harry by the elbow and nudged him and together they left the memory. Sirius carefully obtained it from the Pensieve and returned it to his son's head before he disappeared upstairs. He came back a minute later with a large mahogany medicine chest and put it on the coffee table next to the Pensieve basin in front of them.

"Thank you for letting me see that, Harry."

"You're welcome. Did it help?"

Sirius shrugged. "I understand a bit better now, but I don't necessarily know if it helped or not, no." He let out a slow breath. "After Remus' trial last week, we had quite the argument. I think that we both said some things and I want to apologize for making you think that you can't trust me."

"I don't think that," he said quickly. "I just… I feel like you don't trust me."

"And I'm sorry that you feel that way, Harry. You were right. I do suppress my emotions sometimes. It's not intentional. It's just that it's what I'm used to doing. I'm not trying to make excuses here, but that's just a fact. I grew up in a house very different from what we have here. The Blacks were an old pureblood family, wealthy and strict and well, frankly, a supporter of the dark arts. Bellatrix Lestrange is my cousin, Andy's older sister, and she is not the only member of the Black family to support Voldemort. My parents supported him, too. They weren't Death Eaters themselves, they didn't go that far, but they certainly agreed with what he had to say. They encouraged my little brother Regulus to join up, and he did. He was killed for it."

Harry stared at him. "But you knew that they were wrong?"

Sirius hesitated. "Yes, and no. It was the way that I was raised, Harry. I believed that purebloods were better than everyone else because my parents told me that it was true. I tried to play with our Muggle neighbours and I my father lectured me on why they were beneath me; on how I was lowering myself by even acknowledging them, and then he beat me for it. When I disobeyed them, my parents hit me and when I continued to disobey, my mother used the Imperius Curse on me to force me to do her bidding. When I outgrew that and started to fight the curse, she used the torture curse to make me see reason. It's just what I was used to, I didn't know that it wasn't normal."

He let out a slow sigh as his son only stared at him.

"When I was ten, Andy finished her schooling at Hogwarts and proclaimed her love for Ted with plans to marry him. My family was so disgusted with the idea that she would lower herself to marry a Muggleborn that they disowned her and blasted her name right off the family tree. That's the kind of people that I come from. They never spoke to Andy again and in fact, my Aunt Druella, has never even laid eyes on Tonks, her own granddaughter. She has no desire to even get to know her because her father was a Muggleborn wizard. We both know that that's my aunt's loss as Tonks is an amazing woman. If Aunt Druella knew that her half-breed granddaughter had shacked up with a werewolf, she would probably kill herself because _the horror_ ," he said with a smirk. He ran his fingers through his hair as he half-smiled at his son. "They were abusive towards me, Harry, but I didn't know that they were. It was my life and I didn't realize that it was different from anyone else's."

"How did you not know?" Harry asked him, tugging Marauder more into his lap to cuddle the dog.

Sirius sighed. "Harry, how much do you remember of your life before I brought you home?"

Harry shrugged, his fingers scratching Marauder behind the ears, rubbing the dog's neck when he titled his head back to look at him as he spoke. "I remember being scared a lot and being in the dark. Sometimes I still have dreams about someone holding my head under the water and… sometimes I remember the feel of a belt cutting into my back."

Sirius nodded, his eyes sad. "It kills me that you have those memories. When I brought you home with me, it took everything in me to not rush off and to kill those bloody Muggles for how they treated you. You didn't understand. You thought that you deserved it. You thought that it was normal for them to treat you that way because you were the freak and Dudley was their good and precious son. You didn't understand affection and when I kissed and hugged you, you just stared at me with these big green doe eyes in complete bewilderment as if you didn't understand why someone was being nice to you. You were told it was shameful to cry and I did everything that I could to make you understand that it wasn't so; that you were not a freak, but special, and to show you how incredibly loved you are."

"You did," Harry told him sincerely. "I barely remember them."

"Good," Sirius said slowly. "Good. I don't want you to remember that awful time. But for me… I didn't have a good-looking and suave godfather to come and take me away from it all," Harry snorted at Sirius' description of himself, making him grin, "— and my parents, they did more than just beat me. My mother was a fan of the Cruciatus Curse. She told me that it was a mark of a true Black if I didn't scream while she tortured me. If I cried, I was weak. She never kept it on me for more than a minute, but Merlin, it hurt. Neville explained it well: The feeling of being inside out and stabbed all over while being burned alive … it is a pain like you cannot even imagine and I hope to Merlin that you never do. The thing with the torture curse, Harry, is that it won't even work unless the caster wishes pain on the person that they are trying to inflict it upon. You have to really mean it."

He looked down at his hands for a moment. "You have to want to hurt someone to make that curse work. My mother used it on me quite often. She enjoyed inflicting pain on me, you could see it in her eyes. I was a disappointment to her almost from the beginning, and she relished in being able to tell me how much of a disappointment I was so that she could torture me. I once spent almost an entire summer chained to the wall in the boiler room for disrespecting her wishes, for choosing to be a Gryffindor and sullying the Black Family name by associating myself with a blood traitor like James Potter and for befriending a Muggleborn like your mother. I went back to school with my wrists cut and bruised raw from the shackles that held me in place… and I didn't tell anybody about it; I didn't go see the school nurse for aid because I thought that it was normal. It wasn't until I spoke to your mum and she told me that it wasn't normal for parents to treat their children like that. Then she forced me to talk to James and I realized how bad it really was. Even then, I didn't quite get it until I was much older. I still didn't tell anyone when something bad happened at home, it just didn't occur to me. Not until I was about fourteen, fifteen years old, did it really sink in as to what was right and what was wrong."

Harry scratched Marauder absently as he stared at his godfather. "Is that why you don't talk about it because you didn't know?"

"Maybe," he admitted. "I had nightmares; a lot of nightmares. I used to wake up my dorm mates crying or screaming in my sleep. Jamie used to hop into bed with me, ramble on until I fell asleep. He never asked me for details and I never told him everything, but I always knew that I could and that meant the world to me. Harry, other than my little brother, no one had ever really hugged me before or kissed me. Not really. When my mother hugged me, it was to whisper something to me about how much of a disappointment I was or to threaten me. When she held me close, I knew that I was in shit, and I knew that when I got home, she was going to hurt me. Reg would hug me, cry over a nightmare, and I always comforted him. I was always there for him, but other than my little brother, I had never really been affectionate with anyone before. Your mum got me out of that and so did your dad."

He smiled softly as if remembering something funny. "Jamie was like a mother hen sometimes, comforting me after a bad dream, hugging me whenever he saw me and when I met the Potters… the love that Fee and Monty showed me… it blew my mind. They just accepted me into their lives like nothing. I was hugged and kissed and worried over and even though I was a teenager, I loved it. It was… amazing to me that these incredible people could love me when no one else ever had. It's why I think I liked girls so much; touching them, shagging them… it was affection, even when it was a one night stand, it was… it was what I needed. I needed someone to touch me and they were there and I didn't have an emotional connection with them — I didn't need it. It was the contact I wanted — the physical aspect. The ones I did connect with became my friends like Thea. But Zee… she's different. She makes me feel things that I just can't put into words. Knowing that she loves me, that she loves you… Harry, it makes me feel alive in ways that I don't think I've ever been before and that terrifies me. Maybe that's another reason why I've kept it all in, why I don't talk about it. I don't know," he said honestly.

He scratched his chin, staring past Harry to the photo of James, Lily, and Sirius hanging on the wall from the wedding, all three of them smiling widely, Sirius with his arms around both of them. He smiled and his grey eyes met Harry's. "They were the best people I ever knew. It was your parents and your grandparents who first showed me true affection, true love, true friendship, and true family. They were everything that I had never knew I needed, that I never knew I wanted and then I had them and it was absolutely incredible. I had never felt so blessed and so undeserving in my entire life. By the time you came around, Harry, Merlin, I took one look at you and I was so completely in love, head over heels," he said with a grin.

"I never wanted to stop holding you; touching you. I just couldn't believe that this tiny little human came from Lily and James and that someone I didn't even know, someone who was barely even a person and yet somehow… I loved you so much that I felt like my heart would burst. When you looked up at me with those green eyes, so full of trust and wonder, I promised you that you would always be loved, always be cherished and… I failed you. I let my anger, I let the Black madness get the best of me, and I chose revenge over keeping my promise to you and I will never forgive myself for that, Prongslet, sorry — Harry. It's because of me that you were forced to live with those tossers who hurt you."

"Uncle Siri, I don't… you and Uncle Rem gave me a happy home and I barely remember them, honest."

Sirius smiled at him and put his arm around his son's shoulders, turning his head to plant a long kiss on his forehead. "I love you so much. I thought that being your godfather was an honour, but being your father, your uncle all of these years… you gave me the home that I never had and I look at you and I love you even more than I did yesterday. You're growing up into an amazing young man and I am so proud of you."

Harry blushed and hugged his father tightly as Sirius kissed his forehead again. "I love you, too." He let Sirius hold him for a moment before he pulled away. "When did you… you said that my grandparents kind of adopted you, how old were you?"

"Fourteen," he told him. "By the end of third year, I had pretty much stopped going home. I spent most summers with the Potters and they loved me. The summer before sixth year, my mother kicked me out and disowned me from the Black family. I went to James and his parents welcomed me with open arms. The hardest part was leaving my little brother behind. I worked so hard to protect him from my parents wrath; from my father's belt — and they never hurt him. But when I left… suddenly he was the Black heir, he was one to follow in the noble name of Black, and a lot of responsibility was dumped on him; a lot of the same rules and guidelines that they had tried to enforce upon me. I tried to tell him that I was there for him, but he didn't believe me. He blamed me and rightly so. I shouldn't have let my mother goad me. I should have stayed in that house for Reg; maybe he would still be alive if I had."

Harry only stared at him. He hadn't expected his father to blame himself so much. It wasn't his fault for what kind of choices his brother made, but he knew that nothing he could say would change his mind. Sirius had been living with these kinds of thoughts for years.

Sirius let out a slow breath as Harry just watched him. "Auntie Minnie knew some of the hardships that I faced, but I mostly denied them. I told her that I was fine and that my home life was fine and without evidence and without me directly telling her otherwise, there was nothing that she could really do about it and I had my friends, I had her, and I had the Potters. They were my real family."

Harry only stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"My little brother became a Death Eater when I was in seventh year. I was furious. I tried to talk him out of it, but it was far too late. That was the moment that I knew — I had truly lost him. Finding that locket in Number Twelve and talking to Kreacher and learning that my brother had realized his mistake; had tried to atone for it, and had tried to destroy the Horcrux that his Dark Lord had made, was more than I ever could have hoped for. He helped lead us on this path to finally putting an end to Voldemort and I will forever be grateful to him. He's a hero in my eyes and he was killed by Inferi after getting the Horcrux just before you were born."

Sirius look in a deep breath and continued. "We lost a lot of people in the war and then James and Lily learned about the prophecy. Jamie never told us about it. The only thing that he ever told us was that Voldemort was looking for them. We knew that already. James and Lily had been very lucky in terms of escaping from him. They were powerful and James was the last of the Potter line, a wealthy pureblood family that Voldemort wanted to get his hands on, so hearing that he was looking for them wasn't that hard to believe nor that he would target you for the same reasons. Jamie told me that they were going to go into hiding and that they needed to use a Secret Keeper with the Fidelius Charm and that they wanted me to be that Secret Keeper. I was beyond honoured and I agreed wholeheartedly, but then I changed my mind. I thought, Voldemort isn't stupid, and he's going to know that I'm the one with the secret. That wasn't a problem for me. I was willing to die if it would protect you and your family. But I thought that maybe we could throw him off his quest so I suggested that we use Peter instead. I thought that no one would ever suspect Peter to be the Secret Keeper. I would protect him. I would keep him safe and he in turn would keep the secret. Finding out how wrong I was haunts me to this very day."

"Uncle Siri, you didn't know that he was a Death Eater," Harry said quietly. "I don't blame you. I know my parents wouldn't blame you either."

"I know you don't and I know that Remus doesn't either, but… I still blame myself. It was _my idea_ to change Secret Keepers. It was _my idea_ to trust that rat and my whole life changed because of it. I let Hagrid take you that night because I wanted revenge and I ended up in prison for a crime that I never even got the opportunity to commit and sometimes I still dream about killing Peter and I think of how satisfying that would be. That scares me sometimes too; that I can have those dark thoughts and that's inside of me, the capability of killing him along with the desire to. It makes me think that maybe I'm not that different from my family and that scares me. When Minnie came to visit me in Azkaban, when she promised me a trial — I felt like the world was giving me a second chance. When I brought you home, you brought a light into my life that I didn't think I deserved. Hell, I still don't half the time," he admitted. "But I knew that this time I would do everything in my power to protect you, even if it meant my death, I would do it. I understand why you're angry with me over the Dementors, but Harry, if I do anything to ensure your safety; to save your life — I made the right choice."

"I don't want you to die for me!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Mum and Dad died for me and… why am I worth it?"

Sirius moved over to his son, gripping his face with his hands. "You are the most important person in my life. You have been since the moment that you were born; before that even, since the moment I learned that I was to be your godfather. I love you more than life itself. I do not want to die, Harry. I want to live a long life. I want to see you grow up. I want to watch you fall in love. I want to stand at your wedding; hold your first child in my arms and watch you have the life that you deserve. But if at any point I do die and my death is a direct result of you being allowed to have that life, I will not hesitate to die for you. You are _too important_. Not because of the prophecy; not because a Seer proclaimed you're the one destined to kill Voldemort because that's bollocks. We're taking out his Horcruxes one by one and when it comes down to it — _he will die_. I believe that. But you have to live because you deserve it. You deserve a full and happy life."

"If you die for me, how am I supposed to have a happy life knowing what you gave up for me?"

Sirius gently brushed Harry's fringe away from his face. "Because I love you and I wish you to have nothing but a happy life. I would hope you wouldn't spend your whole life grieving for me."

Harry stared at him for a moment. "Don't die, okay?"

Sirius smiled. "I'll try not to. Same for you, okay?"

Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "I'll try not to, too."

Sirius smiled and leaned in to kiss his son's forehead. "I love you, Pr-Harry." He let out slow breath. "There's something else that I have to tell you and it's going to be very hard for you to hear."

Harry only stared at him.

"I wasn't going to tell you at all, if I'm being honest. In fact, I think telling you will only hurt you, but we agreed to be honest with each other, right?"

"Yes, we did," Harry said slowly. He didn't like the fact that Sirius had almost decided against telling him. He knew that it couldn't be a good thing. "What is it?"

Sirius sighed. "After your Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, I had a few words with Snape. Let's just say that it didn't go too well, but I realized something. First of all, I never told you this before, but Snape was a Death Eater during the war."

"WHAT?" Harry exploded. "He was a bloody Death Eater! Does Dumbledore know? Why is he letting him teach at the school?"

Sirius held up his hand to stop him from rambling. "Yes, Dumbledore knows. During the war, before things got really bad, before your parents went into hiding — Snape became a spy for Dumbledore. He worked _against_ Voldemort while pretending to still be a loyal follower at great personal risk to himself."

"Why?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"I told you that Uncle Rem and I went to school with him?" At Harry's nod, he continued. "His best friend in school for many years was your mother."

Harry nodded. "I know, he told me."

"He did?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"Yeah, er, it was really strange actually," Harry said honestly, scratching his head. "I had detention with him for being out after curfew — we had all snuck up to the Astronomy Tower to spit out our Mandrake leaves, but Ron and I got caught sneaking back up to Gryffindor Tower. He had me copying out detention forms from stuff you and Uncle Remus and Dad did in school — it was kind of entertaining actually — did you really start a Karaoke Dance Party in the staff room once?"

"We did. I think Jamie and I made close to a hundred Galleons on it, too," he said, chuckling at the memory.

"And you only allowed girls in for free if they snogged you?"

Sirius grinned widely. "I snogged twenty-six girls that night. It was great."

Harry grinned. "Did you also really propose to McGonagall?"

"Yup," he said on a laugh. "But we can talk about my many adventures another time, Harry. What did Snape say to you?"

Harry blew his hair out of his eyes. "It was really strange because it was just out of nowhere when he suddenly told me that I had my mother's eyes and then he went on to say that they used to be friends. He said that she fell in love with my dad and that he and Dad never saw eye to eye, but he knew that he was good for my mum. He said that both Mum and Dad were really good at Potions and that I was too, and that he only gave me E's because he knew that I could do better… then he said that my parents would be proud of me and that we weren't to speak of it again."

Sirius nodded, his eyes on his son. "Well, that's interesting to say the least. What did you say to him?"

"I told him that I would try to do better at Potions and he told me to read ahead and that was it."

"Hmm," Sirius said carefully. He scratched his itchy bearded chin, remembering why he normally shaved down to the stubble and sighed. "Well, as I was saying, Snape and Lily were friends. But in fifth year, they got into a huge fight and he called her a Mudblood. Jamie and I are partly to blame for their fall out. It had been building most of the year as Snape was hanging around with people who had all become Death Eaters and your mother didn't like them nor the influence they had on Snape. Anyway, we were bullying Snape, which I'm not proud of looking back on it, but we were and we bullied him quite often actually. This particular time we were embarrassing him by the Black Lake and your Mum tried to get us to stop and he called her a Mudblood. They got into a big fight afterwards and she stopped talking to him. He became a Death Eater sometime after that, I don't know when exactly but…" he let out a slow breath. "Harry, Snape was the Death Eater that overheard the prophecy."

Harry stared at him. "What do you mean? Wait — _he's the one_ who told Voldemort about… me?"

"He didn't know that the prophecy was about you when he heard it," Sirius said carefully. "Voldemort is the one who put that together and Snape didn't hear the entire prophecy, which is also why Voldemort came after you in the first place."

"He's the… he killed my parents!" Harry exploded.

Sirius grabbed his arm as Marauder glared up at Harry for disturbing his slumber. "Harry, do you remember when I said that Snape turned spy?" At his son's nod, he sighed. "When he found out that Voldemort was planning on going after the Potters, Snape went to Voldemort and tried to stop him on behalf of his former friendship with Lily. Voldemort refused him, so Snape did the next best thing — he went to Dumbledore. Dumbledore convinced him to turn spy, which he did, and Dumbledore tried to stop the prophecy from coming true by having James and Lily go into hiding with you. Snape regrets his choice every day. I know that, and it doesn't make what he did right, but well, he's still trying to make amends for it. When he sees you, I imagine it is a constant reminder to him of what he lost and of what he did."

Harry crossed his arms stubbornly in front of him. "How am I supposed to have him as my teacher knowing what he did?"

"Harry, he saved your life in your first year despite his hatred for your father. Don't get me wrong, I hate that son of a bitch, and I highly doubt my opinion of him is ever going to change, but he has been trying to make amends and… he deserves credit for that. Dumbledore trusts him and as much as I dislike him, I… I trust him, too," Sirius said slowly, looking as if admitting to that fact made him want to throw up his dinner.

Harry stared at him for a long moment. "Is that really everything?"

"Yes," Sirius told him. "Unless you want me to try to give you a detailed daily calendar of my life for the last thirty-four years?"

Harry smirked. "No."

Sirius sobered, letting out a slow breath. "There is one other thing that I'm keeping from you. It's not that I don't trust you with it or that I don't want you to know, but it's like the Horcruxes and the prophecy: It's something that I need to work out for myself before I can share it with you."

Harry stared at him. "But you'll tell me the moment that you do?"

"I promise," he said sincerely.

Harry smiled at that. "Okay, I can live with that."

Sirius nodded, thinking about the implications of his son's words. That was just it, he thought, Harry was living with it, and he wasn't ready to tell him that. "Good. Harry, I'm sorry about everything. You needed me to be the adult, to be the parent and I wasn't there for you. Zee told me that I sometimes forget that you're not grown up yet — and she's right. I've trusted you with a lot in the last year and you've proven to be even more amazing than I could ever have hoped for. I know you're growing up and I know you're not my little boy anymore, but you're still my teenage son and I need you just as much as you need me. I might need you a little bit more than you need me, if I'm honest."

Harry smiled at him and hugged him tightly. "You've always been there for me, Uncle Siri. You've never let me down and I'm sorry that I made you think you did. It was just… you died and then you didn't die and it was… a lot to take in."

Sirius kissed his cheek, hugging him tightly. "How do you think I felt? I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fall out of Remus being arrested when you started yelling at me and telling me that I had died and… I didn't handle it well. You needed me and I wasn't there for you." He kissed his cheek again. "I love you, but I'm not perfect. Sometimes I make mistakes and I have to learn from them, too."

Harry nodded against Sirius' shoulder. "I'm sorry that I blamed you. I didn't, I mean, I don't blame you. I knew it wasn't your fault. It's just… I was scared."

"Harry, there is nothing to be ashamed about in being scared. I was scared, too, and watching that memory, knowing that because I let my dark thoughts overpower my happy ones, I could have lost you — that scares me. You were right. I needed to tell you about this, I needed to talk about it. I need to heal my mind just as much as you need to heal yours. I'm always telling you how important it is to get things off your chest, to talk about it, and I need to start following my own advice and stop acting like a child. Sometimes, it's hard being the adult."

Harry smiled and hugged him tight before he pulled away. "You should tell Zee, too."

Sirius smiled and gently brushed Harry's fringe back away from his face. "Maybe, I will." He framed his son's face in his hands again and kissed his forehead. "Now, I think that we've covered what I needed to tell you and now I think that we should get back to this night of the Quidditch Cup win and this intense snog session with someone named Sophie that involved drinking copious amounts of Firewhiskey."

Harry blushed, tugging his face away from his father's hands. "Er, no, I don't think we should."

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "You do know that at thirteen you should not be drinking Firewhiskey?"

He nodded. "It was terrible. I don't plan on doing it again."

"Hmm," he said, staring at his son. "If I find out that you've been drinking again, we're going to be having words on the subject and you will be grounded. Are we clear?"

Harry nodded, looking down at Marauder who was still mostly sprawled across his lap. "Yes, Uncle Siri."

"Good," Sirius told him sternly. "Now Sophie, just how intense of a snog was this?"

Harry blushed. "We kissed, okay — what's the big deal?"

"On the lips only?"

The back of Harry's neck flushed darker as he thought about how her hands had slipped into his jeans. "We snogged. She's not my girlfriend and I don't plan on snogging her again."

"Why? Was she not very good?"

"No, she was great, I mean… it was just a one time thing that's all."

"You know just because I made my way through a few birds doesn't mean that you need to do the same, Harry?"

"Uncle Siri, please stop!" he begged, his face heating in embarrassment. This was the last thing he wanted to be talking about.

Sirius chuckled. "All right, all right, but only because you asked so nicely."

Harry rolled his eyes and Sirius stretched his legs out, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "So, what's in the medicine chest?"

Sirius smiled as his eyes moved over the box. "We'll get to that after. I want to address the Time-Turner again."

"Why? You saw my memory, you know what happened."

"Aye, I do," he said carefully. "And I know that it wasn't your decision to use it, but it's the fact that you used such a dangerous item that concerns me. Harry, how much does Hermione's parents know about what she gets up to at school?"

Harry shrugged, looking bewildered at the sudden turn in the conversation. "I don't know. She doesn't talk about her parents much. I know that they were mad when they found out that she had been petrified last year."

Sirius nodded. "I know that they're Muggles and that they're not very well informed on the ways of the magical world so, I imagine that Hermione keeps them a bit in the dark."

"I don't know," Harry said honestly.

"Using a Time-Turner was a very dangerous thing for Hermione to be risking, not just that one night, but the fact that she was using it every single day for an entire school year. Meddling with time is _extremely_ dangerous. You are going back in time and even if it is only for a few hours at a time, when you return to the normal time zone, you have become that much older. Hermione essentially lost at least half a year of her life just in time travel."

"She… really?"

"Yes, Harry." Sirius said seriously. "You don't just get back what you lost, that's not the way that time travel works. She was making each day last longer than twenty-four hours which means that she was living in that borrowed time. Time travelling can be extremely dangerous; that's why it's a subject that is so greatly studied by the Department of Mysteries. It's something that no one truly understands. One wrong step and you can change the entire course of history; wiping out not only yourself, but potentially all of humanity. You could tear a hole in the fabric of time and space and destroy the entire world! Hermione is incredibly lucky that she was so successful using it."

"But it worked great, we went back three hours, we captured Peter, and we saved you!" Harry protested.

Sirius stared at him. "I'm not discounting that, Harry. But the Department of Mysteries is still studying how time travel works. As of right now, they think that travelling more than five hours into the past can cause real potential harm to not only the traveller, but to time itself! There was a case at the turn of the century, a witch named Mintumble travelled back to the year 1402 for five days, but when she returned to her own time, she had aged the five centuries in between and died in the hospital, her body irreparably damaged. Not to mention that her stay in the past altered the course of history to such an extent that some of her descendants actually vanished from her present time because they had been 'un-born' due to her disturbance."

"I get it, Uncle Siri, it was dangerous."

"Dangerous. Reckless. Stupid. Irresponsible. Potentially deadly."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want you to apologize, Harry. I know why you did it, and as I am thankful to be here and to be alive, I can't be too mad that you used it, but I want you to understand why I'm concerned with the fact that Hermione was using it for her studies."

"I do."

Sirius nodded. "And I think that Hermione's parents need to be made aware of what their daughter was up to; they deserve to know, don't you think?"

"Uncle Siri!"

"No," Sirius said sternly. "I don't like to play the parental card like that, but this is serious! She could have harmed herself and her parents need to understand, even if they are Muggles and might not completely follow what she was doing."

"But… you'll get her in trouble!"

Sirius stared at his son. "Harry, if you had been the one using the Time-Turner and you didn't tell me about it, but I found out that your friend's parents knew, how do you think I'd react to that?"

Harry swallowed slowly. "You'd be mad."

"And?"

"Maybe feel a bit betrayed?"

"Exactly," Sirius told him. "Hermione's parents deserve to know that she was delving into dangerous territory and I don't want to get her into any trouble, but I won't keep this a secret from them. From one parent to another, I won't keep that kind of secret. Do you understand?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Good. We're going to stop by tomorrow morning and speak with them. You can send Hedwig over to let her know we're coming by."

"Okay," Harry said grudgingly. He knew better than to argue. "I'll send her a letter and let her know we're coming."

Sirius nodded. "Good."

"So… what's in the box?" Harry asked again, hoping to change the subject just as much as he was curious.

Sirius smiled and tapped the top of the box. "Uncle Rem and I were saving this for your birthday this year, but after speaking with him about us needing to have this talk, we decided that now was the right time to give it to you."

Harry glanced at the box curiously. "It's from Uncle Rem too?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, it is. We've been working on it for years. We started it back when you were six years old and I debated about waiting to give it to you until your sixteenth or seventeenth birthday, but Uncle Remus and I decided that now is the right time for you to have it. You've really grown up in the last year, Harry, and I think that you're more than ready to handle this gift. Uncle Rem and I wanted to give it to you together, but… he agreed with me that now was the right moment even though he couldn't be here."

Harry stared at the box in wonder. "What is it?"

Sirius smiled at him. "Open it up."

Harry tapped Marauder so that the dog would move and he shifted to the end of the couch, reaching for the box. He carefully opened the latch and lifted the lid. Inside each compartment where medicinal potions would normally have been laid out, sat a glass phial full of silvery-blue liquid. "Are these…?"

"Dumbledore had the Pensieve basin made for you on my behest. It's yours now, which is who I 'borrowed' it from, and yes, each one of those bottles holds a different memory."

"Memories of what?" he asked, his eyes wide and tears in his throat. He thought he knew, but he was scared to hope for it.

Sirius smiled. "Your parents."

Harry could feel the tears in his throat and he pushed them down, his fingers moving over the bottles. There had to be close to a hundred different phials in there, if not more.

"There's almost a hundred," Sirius said, knowing what was running through Harry's mind. "Most of them belong to Remus and I, but some are from McGonagall, a few from Hagrid, even a few from Snape, though he'll deny it if you ask him about it."

"All of these… what are they about?"

Sirius smiled. "A mix of things. How I first met your parents, how Jamie and I became friends, how Lily and I became friends, some of our great pranks, some of Jamie and Lily's love story, their wedding, the day you were born, memories of us in school, learning how to become an Animagus, telling Uncle Remus that we didn't care that he was a werewolf, some of my past too, and some of the memories of you and me and Uncle Remus over the years. Not all of them are happy, but most of them are."

Harry picked up the phial marked number one. "Do I have to view them in order?"

Sirius shook his head, tugging out the parchment attached to the lid. "Not at all. They are numbered backwards chronologically by memory, so number one is the newest memory and the last one is the earliest memory, and I wrote a little description here of what each memory is. You can watch some of them now; you can watch all of them now or you can wait and watch them when you're ready to, but they are for you to view, Prongslet-Harry. Sorry, I'll get there with the Prongslet name calling."

Harry dropped the parchment on the chest and turned to throw his arms into Sirius'. "This is the greatest gift that you ever could have given me! I don't even… thank you!"

Sirius kissed the top of his son's head. "I love you, Harry. I love you so much and this is a chance for you to see how much your parents truly loved you. I want you to get a chance to get to know them and I know that I've told you a hundred and one stories, but this is different. You can feel the moments with them the way that I did. I want that for you." He kissed him again. "I love you and Uncle Remus loves you more than life and this is how we want to share with you the love that your parents had for each other and for you."

Harry hugged him tighter. "It's perfect, thank you!"

Sirius smiled as Harry pulled away. "I'll leave you to watch some of these then." He stood up, his hand squeezing Harry's shoulder lightly.

Harry grabbed his hand. "No, will you… will you watch them with me?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes wide in surprise. "Yes, I'd like that." He sat back down and gestured to the box of memories. "Where do you want to start?"

Harry stared at the box for a moment and then he picked up a random phial from the box. "I think with this one. I don't know what it is, but it feels like a good one."

"Sure," Sirius told him with a smile. "Do you want to read what the memory is first?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I want to be surprised."

Sirius smiled warmly. "That sounds like a great plan."

He watched his son pop open the phial and carefully pour the memory into the Pensieve. Harry nodded at his father and together they lowered their face towards the basin and fell into the memory.


	146. Chapter 146

_Author's Note:_

 _Just wanted to say thank you to all of you who are following this story every week. I am really enjoying writing it and it's nice to know that people care enough to continuously come back and read what I've written. I've spent the last three weeks trying to re-read this story myself; help organize what I've written and keep myself on track with my plans and plots. While doing this, I also took the time to organize the story a bit by chapters as a few reviewers have mentioned breaking it up — which I don't want to do unless necessary (i.e. can't post anymore chapters which I don't actually know if there is a chapter limit on this site) but for those of you that are interested in going back and re-reading certain areas of the story, or just to help you keep track of the story, this is the breakdown once again._

 _Part I — Chapters 1-49: Harry's first year with his dads._

 _Part II — Chapters 50-61: Harry growing up with a family, ages 7-11._

 _Part III — Chapters 62-73: First year_

 _Part IV — Chapters 74-105: Second year_

 _Part V — Chapter 106-143: Third year_

 _Part VI — Chapter 144: Beginning of fourth year._

 _The start of Harry's summer vacation to me deems a new year in his life as that is usually how the books began so I figured I'd go the same angle. Yes, I realize each school year seems to jump up proportionally longer than the last. No, I don't know how long year four will be, but I do have up to chapter 162 written and it's only half over. I'm really good with outlining ideas and plot points, but I'm really bad with judging length once I actually get writing. In my defence, I have a BA in history and was used to writing fifty plus page papers every few weeks for multiple classes._

 _Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there for anyone who is interested. Don't even know if anyone reads these notes, but here we go! Here's 146, I hope you enjoy it._

 _Thank you to Bex for giving me the idea of using the mirror._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SIX:**

 **Harry looked up at his father in surprise when he saw the younger version of himself, skinny and terrified emerging from his cupboard under the stairs at Uncle Vernon's behest.** He was wearing clothing that were hanging off of his skinny frame. The cut on his cheek hadn't been tended to. Sirius stood there, looking almost the same as he did now, leather jacket, black jeans, and smiling up at him.

 _"Yes, Uncle Vernon?" The younger version of Harry asked timidly, closing the cupboard door._

 _"You have a visitor," Vernon said, his teeth clenched as if it caused him great pain to admit to such._

 _Harry looked up, his head tilting slightly to the side as his gaze landed on Sirius. Sirius knelt down from his spot by the front door and smiled at Harry._

 _"Hi, Harry," he said softly, watching the boy closely._

 _"Hullo, Sir," Harry said carefully, staying in front of his cupboard._

 _"My name is Sirius Black," Sirius told him, smiling kindly. "I don't know if you remember me, but I used to babysit you when you were a baby. You used to call me Uncle Sirius," he said with a grin. "I thought maybe, since it is a Saturday, your aunt and uncle might let us hang out today. Would you like that?"_

 _Harry's eyes darted towards Uncle Vernon whose face was flushed with rage._

 _"No! I forbid it! You've seen the boy, now get out of my house!"_

 _Sirius simply stood up. "I didn't come here just to see him, I came here to get to know him; to be a part of his life. And I am taking him with me today. I'll have him back in time for bed."_

 _Petunia made to protest, but Sirius reached for Harry suddenly and Harry moved away, plastering himself against the door of his cupboard, eyes wide and full of terror._

 _"Ha! He doesn't want to go with you!" Vernon exclaimed, looking incredibly pleased with himself. "He knows that you're a hoodlum! Torn jeans and long hair and earrings! You are a disgrace!"_

 _Sirius ignored them and knelt down in front of Harry. "I'm your Uncle Sirius, Harry. You don't have to be scared. Would you like to come to the park with me? We'll have fun, Prongslet." He extended his hand and Harry's eyes watched him for a moment, his eyes lighting up at the nickname as if he recognized it, but then he stepped away from him._

 _"He doesn't want to go with you, now get out!" Vernon demanded, holding the banister so tightly that his knuckles had turned white._

 _Sirius turned to glare at him. "Why does he look so terrified, Dursley?"_

 _"Look at yourself!" Vernon exclaimed, his face flushing purple. "You look like a hoodlum, why would anyone trust you?"_

 _"You can trust me, Harry," he said as he stepped back from Harry and he transformed into the big black dog and watched in delight as Harry's eyes lit up. Harry's arms went around him immediately and he nuzzled his neck, licking his face, and then he stepped back and transformed into himself. "I'm your Uncle Siri, Harry, or Uncle Padfoot. You called me both when you were little."_

 _Harry stared at him in awe and amazement. His eyes were wide as if he couldn't comprehend what had happened, but believed it wholeheartedly._

 _Vernon's face on the other hand had turned an even darker shade of purple. "How dare you use that — that freakish stuff in my house!"_

 _"Shut up, Dursley. Your nephew is a wizard and he deserves to know," he held his hand out again to Harry. "Do you want to come to the park with me, Harry?" Harry nodded before he gently placed his hand in Sirius', who beamed at him. "Seems like he wants to go. We'll be back later tonight."_

 _He led Harry out of the house by his hand, ignoring Vernon and Petunia who were still protesting, and gently helped him into the child seat that he had installed that morning on the back of his motorbike, strapping him in and placing the helmet onto his head._

 _"Are you ready, Harry?"_

 _Harry nodded as Sirius kicked the bike into gear and with a loud roar they zoomed out of the drive, Harry laughing at the speed as they headed out. Sirius took him to one of the larger playgrounds nearby and they climbed out and headed towards the jungle gym._

 _Harry watched as his younger self played on the jungle gym with Sirius; the way he kept looking back at his godfather as if he didn't truly believe anyone would want to spend time with him._

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Hmm?" Sirius asked, his eyes sad as he looked at the younger version of Harry.

"Thank you for giving me a home. I don't always remember everything that happened there, but… thanks for not making me stay with them."

Sirius reached over and tugged Harry close to him, kissing the top of his head. "Bringing you home with me that day was the best decision that I have ever made in my entire life. I love you."

"I love you, too," he said sincerely, letting Sirius keep his arm around him as he watched the younger Sirius open up a bag and serve lunch.

 _The younger version of himself was looking at the food in amazement. He knew that it had been the first time that he had ever had a bacon sandwich, let alone been given such good food. He watched as Sirius pat him gently on the back and his younger self practically jumped away in fear and from pain. Harry remembered exactly how those welts on his back had felt._

 _"Hey, hey, Prongslet, it's okay. Slow down. You don't have to eat so quickly. The food's not going anywhere."_

 _Harry slowed down a little, but he kept staring at the food in wonder as if surprised to see it still before him._

 _"So, school? Do you like it?" Sirius prompted._

 _"It's okay," Harry said, swallowing his sandwich._

 _"Do you have lots of friends?"_

 _Harry shook his head and drank the pumpkin juice. "No."_

 _"No? How come? Don't you want to make friends?"_

 _Harry shrugged. "No one wants to be my friend."_

 _"How come no one wants to be your friend, Harry?" he asked him, eating his own bacon sandwich and watching his godson carefully._

 _Harry used his hand to wipe the back of his mouth and Sirius handed him a napkin._

 _"Use this, Harry."_

 _Harry did as Sirius showed him and used the napkin to wipe his face. "Dudley doesn't let them."_

 _"Dudley's your cousin?"_

 _Harry nodded. "Evan was nice to me. He let me play with his fire truck, but then Dudley took it and broke it and now Evan doesn't like me anymore."_

Harry let out a slow sigh. "Ginny was the first friend that I ever had. I think about that sometimes, how nice she was and… the Dursleys barely even let me talk to anybody."

Sirius kissed his temple, his arm still around his son as they watched the memory unfold.

 _"You're a dog," young Harry said quietly._

 _"Sometimes. I thought maybe I'd meet you as a dog first, to see if you remembered me. I think you did. You knew that my name was Padfoot."_

 _"But you're not a real dog," Harry said carefully. "You said your name is Sirius."_

 _Sirius grinned, leaning back on his hands. "Your dad used to tell me that I made a better dog than a man sometimes, but I'm not a real dog, no. I'm an Animagus." At Harry's blank look, he smiled. "It's a skill a witch or wizard can learn where they can turn into an animal at will. I can turn into a dog and my nickname was always Padfoot, but my real name is Sirius. You can call me either one."_

 _"You said wizard."_

 _"There's magic in the world, Harry. I'm a wizard and so are you."_

 _Harry only stared at him._

 _"Come on, Prongslet, we're going to go on an adventure."_

 _"An adventure?" Harry asked, looking at Sirius in wonder._

 _Sirius smiled, reaching down to swing him up into his arms and stopping when he saw Harry flinch and scramble away from him before he could pick him up. "Yeah, an adventure, come on, little man."_

"It killed me the way you scrambled away in fear like that," Sirius told him as they watched Sirius strap a young Harry onto his motorbike. "I wanted to just snuggle you close and never let you go and I was so fucking afraid to touch you; terrified that you wouldn't trust me."

Harry smiled at him. "You and Uncle Remus showed me what a real home was like, Uncle Sirius. I'll never forget that."

Sirius let out a slow breath. "This next part… when I tried to give you a bath, Merlin, I sometimes have nightmares about it, about your poor back, and how I hadn't been able to save you."

Harry rested his head on his father's shoulder. After hearing about Sirius' childhood, he understood why Sirius would feel so guilty about how the Dursleys had treated him. "You did."

He watched as Sirius carried his younger self up the stairs of Black Cottage and into the bathroom.

 _"All right, Harry, Uncle Padfoot is going to help you clean up and we'll put on some new pyjamas, and then I'll teach you a fun game before I take you home, okay?"_

 _Harry wrapped his arms around himself as Sirius filled the tub with warm water, his eyes wide and fearful as he looked towards the tub. "I don't want to have a bath."_

 _Sirius smiled at him. "We got pretty dirty at the park, Prongslet. We have to clean up or your Aunt Petunia will think we rolled around in the mud."_

 _Harry shook his head, biting his bottom lip. "No, please," he said, his voice whimpering now._

 _Sirius looked at him then and the fear in the child's eyes had him stopping. "Harry, look at me." When Harry's green eyes met his, he reached out and carefully took both of Harry's hands in his own. "I am your godfather. I will always protect you. I will keep you safe and I will never hurt you. Do you believe your Uncle Sirius?"_

 _Harry's green eyes stared at him for a moment and then he nodded. "Yes. But I don't like baths."_

 _Sirius reached a hand into the warm water. "It's warm, see?" he reached for the children's bubble bath that he had purchased. "And we can fill the water with fun bubbles, watch this." He poured some of the rainbow liquid into the tub and smiled when Harry's face lit up at the blue, green, purple, and pink bubbles that floated in the water. "And," Sirius said, reaching under the cupboard and pulling out the two ships he had bought. "We have toys."_

 _Harry stared in wonder and then he nodded and moved to get into the tub making Sirius laugh._

 _"Harry, wait we have to take your clothes off first, silly." He reached forward to help him, but Harry took another step away again, looking scared._

 _"No!"_

 _"Harry," Sirius said carefully. "You can't take a bath in your clothes."_

 _Harry hugged himself tightly and shook his head, backing away from Sirius. "You can't see! Uncle Vernon said no one can see!"_

 _Sirius' eyes narrowed at the sheer panic that was radiating from the small frame of the child in front of him, dread filling his chest. "What can't I see, Harry?"_

 _Harry turned and booked it out of the bathroom before Sirius could stop him. Sirius climbed to his feet as he chased him, catching him just at the top of the stairs and when his hands gripped the child's shoulder, Harry flinched so hard that he carefully loosened his grip in fear that he had hurt him._

 _"Harry," Sirius said carefully. "Does Uncle Vernon hurt you?"_

 _Harry was trembling under his hands. "I'm not supposed to tell! He'll get mad!"_

 _Sirius gently rubbed his hands along Harry's arms. "It's okay, Harry. I won't tell, I promise."_

 _"Really?" Harry asked, his green eyes wide._

 _Sirius nodded and held his hand out to Harry. "But you have to come with me and have a bath, that's the deal, okay?"_

Harry watched as Sirius slowly helped his child-self undress and his breath hitched when he saw his tiny back. It was covered in fifteen welts. Some were fading, some old and scarred, but some were blistered, red, and ugly looking. He remembered how he had gotten them — Aunt Marge and Uncle Vernon — and looking at them now made him remember the pain of it.

 _"Okay, time to wash up now. You can keep playing while your Uncle Sirius washes your hair, okay?"_

 _Harry nodded as Sirius tugged his glasses off and placed them on the floor, using a small cup to wet Harry's hair, but Harry jumped to his feet and plastered himself against the wall of the bathtub as the water rose up from the tub; twisting like a water tornado and shooting Sirius straight in the face as Harry's eyes widened in fear. "No!"_

 _"Harry," Sirius said calmly, holding the cup of warm water in his hands, spitting out the soapy water. He waved his wand, trying to control the water twister while keeping his focus on his godson's face. "I'm only going to wash your hair, little man. There's nothing to be scared of."_

 _"Please don't hold my head under, I'll be a good boy, I promise!" he exclaimed, the twister rose higher, brushing the ceiling as the coloured soapy water splashed the walls, splashed Sirius, and poured over the edge of the tub onto the floor, hitting everything but the small boy plastered against the side of the tub, eyes wide in fear._

 _"Harry, I would never do that to you. Never. Sit down, and I'll wash your hair while you sit here. Okay? Let's put the water back in the tub. The water is safe. You're safe. I promise."_

 _Harry stared at him a long moment, his eyes wide as saucers. Sirius only continued to stare back, wondering if the child was going to move and then he let out a slow breath of relief when the twister crashed down into the tub, overflowing down the sides, sending soapy bubbles across the bathroom floor. His eyes were on his godson, who had slowly sat back down in the tub. Sirius gently held a hand over his forehead to block the water and he gently poured water over his hair._

 _"See, just like this," he told him reassuringly as he lathered shampoo into his scalp, rubbing and massaging softly but vigorously._

 _Harry watched as the younger Sirius finished Harry's bath and wrapped him up in a big fluffy towel, reassuring him that he wasn't mad about the mess and covering him in baby powder that made him giggle before he gave him some new clothes before they went downstairs for food. His younger self tried to make his own sandwich, assuming that it was his job as he had been taught and Sirius gently urged him to sit down and let him handle it. After they ate, Sirius took a seat on the couch and gently pat the seat next to him for Harry to join him. Harry sat down and looked at Sirius as if waiting for what to do next. Sirius moved closer, draping his arm over the back of the couch so that Harry fell towards him a bit and he watched as Harry seemed startled by the close contact, but then he gently let his head rest against Sirius' chest and Sirius smiled._

 _"How about a story, Harry?"_

 _Harry nodded and Sirius summoned the stuffed stag down from Harry's bedroom as well as_ The Tales of Beedle the Bard _. He handed the stag to Harry who looked at it in awe and then snuggled it close to him. As Sirius began to read, Harry's eyes drooped and before he had even finished the first story, Harry was sleeping soundly, the stuffed stag cuddled in his arms._

The memory faded away and Sirius nudged him, urging him to leave the Pensieve and Harry was surprised to find tears rolling down his cheeks.

Sirius smiled at him. "Hey, no tears. We grew used to each other, didn't we?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Sirius reached into the box and picked up a phial from two rows lower than the one they had just watched. "How about this one next?"

Harry nodded. "What is it?"

Sirius smiled. "I don't know. We agreed to be surprised, didn't we?"

Harry grinned at him and together they moved into another memory.

Harry immediately knew that it was an older memory. Sirius looked younger, more carefree and he had a big smile on his face as he rang the bell of the door to the nice looking cottage. It was his mother who answered the door, Harry realized with a jolt of surprise, smiling at Sirius and giving him a hug as he came inside. Her red hair was in a messy braid down her back and she was wearing a Gryffindor Quidditch tee shirt and jean shorts.

 _"Sirius! Lovely to see you!"_

 _"Hi, Lily, you're looking lovely," he told her, handing her the gift of two large Honeyduke Chocolate Bars, he had brought with him._

 _"Liar. I'm a mess right now," she told him as she put a hand to the messy braid her hair was in. "Chocolate, how sweet of you!"_

 _He shrugged. "It was Remus' idea so you can thank him. He said that babies always get all of the attention and sometimes the mum needs a little treat for herself."_

 _Lily's eyes welled up and she hugged him tightly. "That's the sweetest! Sorry, my hormones are still a little out of whack and sometime I can't stop the waterworks." She told him on a laugh. "Jamie is upstairs in the nursery with Harry. I'm going to take a shower, much needed."_

 _Sirius smiled and watched her head off to the bath so he made his way upstairs to the nursery, smiling when he heard his friend singing. He stood outside of the door, out of view from James who was sitting in the rocking chair, holding his two week old son in his arms. His finger was clapped tightly in Harry's little hand and he was smiling at his son as he sang and Harry was staring up at him wonder._

"There's nothing you can know that isn't known. Nothing you can see that isn't shown. There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be, it's easy. All you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love; love is all you need."

 _He turned his head to kiss Harry's small head and Sirius stepped into the nursery as James looked up at him._

 _"Starting him off with the Beatles early on, eh Prongs?"_

 _James smiled, standing up with the sleeping child, kissing his cheek tenderly, before gently laying him down in the bassinet. "Can never be too early. He likes it when I sing to him. So far I've been alternating between 'All You Need is Love', 'I Will' and 'Blackbird.' He likes to hear me sing."_

 _He carefully crept away from the sleeping baby and gestured for Sirius to follow him down into the living room. He flicked his wand and the room suddenly filled with the soft sounds of Harry breathing._

 _"What the —?"_

 _"Baby monitoring charm," James explained, grinning at his friend. "So, what have you been up to, Padfoot? It's been almost a week since I've seen you!"_

 _Sirius shrugged, stretching out on the chesterfield and dragging his hand through his locks as they fell around his face. "Not much. Figured I'd give you and Lily some time with the new baby, get a routine down, like singing to him."_

 _"You're just jealous because I can sing better than you."_

 _Sirius grinned at him. "You can sing well, that's true. Probably could have been famous if you made an effort at it. Lily still love it when you play the guitar for her?"_

 _James smiled. "Of course. I've played for Harry once, too. He becomes very calm when I sing to him."_

 _"The Beatles, every time?"_

 _"Mostly," James said with a grin. "What did you think I was going to go all conventional and sing 'Lavender's Blue Dilly Dilly' or 'Hush Little Baby' when there are so many amazing songs by The Beatles to sing?"_

 _Sirius laughed. "Never. You rock out to the Prongslet, Prongs."_

 _"I will." James had said simply._

The memory dissolved and Harry grinned at Sirius. "Dad really did sing to me."

"I told you he did," Sirius said with a smile. "You used to love it too, absolutely mesmerized by his voice. It could always calm you down and make you feel better. He loved you so much."

Harry nodded, staring at the box of memories. "One more?"

Sirius smiled at him, leaning in to kiss his son's cheek. "As many as you want."

Harry added the memory back to the box and shifted around, pulling out another phial from the case and pouring it into the basin. Sirius smiled at him and they both lowered their face down and lost themselves in the memory.

Sirius grinned when he recognized the Gryffindor common room. His younger self was lounging on the floor in front of the fire next to James who was busy writing his essay for History of Magic, his books strewn out in front of him. Remus was on the sofa next to a pretty brunette.

"That's Mary MacDonald," Sirius told Harry, smiling. "Uncle Remus dated her when we were in seventh year. She was a friend of your mum's."

"What is this memory?" Harry asked, watching as his dad studied on the floor.

Sirius grinned. "If I remember correctly, one of the many embarrassing attempts your dad made to ask your Mum out. I think this is in fourth year and she still wanted nothing to do with him."

Harry watched as Lily came down the stairs, her arms full of books and James immediately spotted her, jumping to his feet.

 _"Evans!" he said brightly, moving towards her. "Here let me get those for you!"_

 _He immediately shuffled her books into his arms. "Someone as beautiful as you should have servants to carry books for you."_

 _Lily rolled her eyes, tugging the books out of his arms. "No thanks. Go away, Potter."_

 _James' hand immediately went to his hair, making it stick up even more. "It's Hogsmeade on Saturday."_

 _"I'm aware."_

 _"So, you, me, a tall glass of butterbeer, two straws — what do you say?"_

 _"No."_

 _James pouted. "If I buy the butterbeer?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Evans, why won't you go out with me? I'm a nice bloke and I'm the best snog you'll ever have!"_

 _Lily rolled her eyes. "When you learn to ask a girl out with some finesse, Potter, maybe I'll take you seriously! Go sit with your delinquent friends and leave me alone!"_

 _Sirius frowned. "Uncalled for, Evans! I am an innocent bystander in Jamie's failed attempts. He wanted to use the poem he wrote, but Rem and I talked him out of it."_

 _Lily blushed. "Please tell me that's a lie."_

 _James grinned broadly. "Lily, my flower, the bloom in my heart; please go on a date with me, I'll even bring treacle tart!"_

 _Lily rolled her eyes. "I am not going out with you, Potter! Merlin, you might be worse at poetry than you are at romance. Mary, I'm heading to the library to get some work done, want to come?"_

 _"I can also bring lilies!" James shouted as the girls moved towards the portrait hole._

 _Lily turned to stare at James. "Contrary to my name, I don't like lilies, Potter."_

 _The portrait hole closed behind her and James sighed, grinning at Sirius. "I'm growing on her."_

 _"Like a fungus," Peter said from the floor._

 _Sirius laughed. "I mean, shouting at her all the time might not be the best way to get her attention."_

 _Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "You mean when he asked her out for the eighth time last week and shouted across Charms class that he had more than enough charm to charm his way into her heart?"_

 _"What about when he asked her if she was magical because he had fallen under her spell?" Peter added, making Remus groan._

 _"I forgot about that one! What about when he sent her that singing note in Potions class that called out: Are you a Snitch? Because you're the finest catch here!"_

 _James shrugged. "So what are you trying to say? Do you think that I'm going about it wrong?"_

 _"YES!" The three of them exclaimed together._

 _James pouted and let out a long sigh. "Okay, okay, I'll find another way to ask her out. Do you know what kind of flowers she likes?"_

 _"Not lilies," Peter supplied._

 _James glared at his friend. "Noted, Pete." He tapped his chin as if lost in thought. "What if I send her a different flower every day until I find out?"_

 _Remus sighed. "Jamie, we love you, but no. Lily is not interested. It's time for you to move on. You know Madison from Hufflepuff has had her eye on you all year. She'd let you snog her in Hogsmeade."_

 _James simply grinned, ignoring his friends completely. "I'm going to send her flowers."_

The memory dissolved and Harry grinned at his godfather. "Didn't Dad ever get embarrassed? Merlin, I was embarrassed for him!"

Sirius chuckled. "Hardly ever. He loved being the centre of attention and he loved doing everything he possibly could to get your mother's attention."

"Did he actually send her flowers?"

Sirius nodded. "Every single day for almost three weeks. Finally, Lily just stormed over to him and said: 'Fine, my favourite flowers are apple blossoms and yellow tulips, please stop!'"

"Did he?"

Sirius grinned. "He did. But every year on her birthday he sent her a dozen apple blossoms and a dozen yellow tulips and she mooned over them when she thought no one was looking."

Harry grinned. "She didn't really hate him, did she?"

"Nah, she didn't. She thought he was an immature bullying prat, which, granted he was, but he was also kind, intelligent, and funny and when he matured, he realized what a bullying prat that he had been and he stopped. He started telling others to stop, started defending those that he had bullied and apologized to them, she took that second and third look and they became friends. Then they fell in love," Sirius told him with a smile.

Harry smiled at the memory. "Good."

Sirius glanced up at the clock. "It's after midnight, Harry. Why don't we save some of these memories for another day, eh? I want to go to the Grangers tomorrow morning and talk to them. Then I want to talk to Dumbledore about what we're going to do with Peter."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Is he still at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Sirius told him. "And it's not the place that I want him to be. I was thinking of maybe moving him to Number Twelve. Kreacher can keep an eye on him and we can ward off one of the rooms to keep him up there until we know what he knows. I don't know yet. I need to talk to him first."

"Can I be there?"

Sirius hesitated. "Harry… let me talk to him alone first and then we'll see, all right?"

Harry looked like he was going to protest, but he nodded. "Okay."

Sirius smiled at him. "Come on; up to bed, it's late. We'll talk to the Grangers tomorrow and go on from there."

Harry nodded and put the memory back into the box before he closed the lid and made his way upstairs to get ready for bed. He sent a quick owl to Hermione informing her of their visit around ten the next morning and warning her that Sirius wanted to talk to her parents about the Time-Turner. He cleaned his teeth and his face, changing into his pyjamas and crawling into his bed, smiling when Marauder jumped up to stretch across the end.

He couldn't believe how amazing the gift of the Pensieve and the memories were. Seeing his parents, seeing Sirius and Remus, so young and carefree at Hogwarts was incredible. Seeing how his father had held him so tenderly, singing to him and showing him how much love was there. He wished that he had gotten the opportunity to know them; to know his parents.

Viewing the memories made him incredibly sad for what he had lost and therefore never had, but he was so grateful to view the memories despite the pain that it brought him.

Harry loved how kind and how loving his father was towards him and how funny and conceited he was in trying to get his mum to go on a date with him. He loved how pretty his mum was, even as a young girl, and he liked her sass. Uncle Remus looked so young and to see him even then with those two scars on his face made him sad. He couldn't imagine the little boy undertaking such a terrible ordeal all alone. Marauder was asleep at the end of his bed and the comfort of the dog reminded him that he was home and he let the tears fall.

They poured down his cheeks and he turned into his pillow. With everything that had happened in the last few weeks, seeing memories of his parents young and carefree, their childhoods full of love and wonder, not living with the knowledge that the darkest wizard to ever have lived wanted to kill them, was a gift.

It was because of Voldemort and his Death Eaters that the Dementors had been at Hogwarts. Because of Voldemort and his Death Eaters that the Dementors had Kissed Sirius and he had died! Re-living the memory had been harder than he had anticipated and the happy memories that had followed, even the one of him coming from the Dursleys, had only reminded him of what he had almost lost. He wished Remus was here and that hurt him as well knowing where his father was, alone.

He punched his pillow, turning it over onto the cold side and snuggled in. He didn't know how he felt about it and that was the last thought to consciously drift through his mind before he fell asleep.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus sat in his cell, the sliver of the moon barely visible through the thick fog that the Dementors trailed around Azkaban.** The stone bench beneath him was cold and the thin sheet that he had been provided with did nothing to keep him warm. He was thankful for the fact that he had always been hot-blooded. He scratched his chin, looking up at the parchment that he had stuck to the wall, counting down the days until he was released.

Seven down, he thought, twenty-three to go.

He wanted to sleep, but the feel of the Dementors outside made him afraid to close his eyes. He spent every sleeping moment awash in nightmares that he had no desire to revisit. He pulled the petition out from under his thin pillow and smiled down at it. The sight of it bringing him more joy than he could even begin to explain.

In all of his years, he had never imagined that people would write so many wonderful things about him. It wasn't just students either. McGonagall had sent him a letter along with a package of ten letters from parents who had gone to Hogwarts with him; informing him of how much he had helped their children and how much they remembered his kind disposition from when they themselves had attended Hogwarts with him. No one seemed to really care that he was a werewolf.

The thought alone brought a warm feeling to his heart and he brought his legs up to hug them close to his chest. He took the other letter out from under the parchment to see Tonks' pretty block letters.

 _Remus,_

 _I'm working on the cottage, making it a home for us. I want everything to be perfect for when you return. Charlie is helping me. The bed is lonely without you. I miss you and I can't wait to see you again; to hold you again._

 _Be strong for me; for Harry; and for yourself._

 _I love you._

 _Love,_

 _Your Nymphadora_

He clutched the letter to his chest, smiling at her words. The parchment smelt like her and he kept it under his pillow when he slept because it made her feel near. When he inevitably was awoken to a nightmare, her scent helped calm him while at the same time made him miss her terribly.

Kingsley had been true to his word. On his seventh day of imprisonment, a large stack of letters had come for him. One from Sirius (detailing his big fight with Harry and how he planned to speak with him when he returned from school); the one from McGonagall containing the letters from others (and a note from her telling him what she planned for the second year of Defence Club); the one from Tonks; and one from Harry (telling him about his final grades and how much everyone at school missed him) — each letter urging him to be strong, telling him how much he was missed, but each one only made him ache for home; for his family.

His head rested against the stone wall as he glanced out the tiny circular window at the night sky.

Twenty three more days…

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius looked up at the large red brick house the next morning with a grimace.** This was actually the last place that he wanted to be today, but after what had happened this year, he was forcibly reminded of how shocked and surprised Lily's parents had always been when they found out something that their daughter had done in the magical world.

And this... Lily had never done anything like this. He smiled behind Harry as his son parked the motorbike that he had let him drive. Harry pulled the helmet off, hanging it on the bike and smiled at his godfather.

"Forgot how brilliant that feels, almost as good as flying."

Sirius smirked at him. "Potter to the core. This bike is clearly a superior machine."

Harry grinned widely. "Sure, but it's not better than my Firebolt."

They could hear the piano playing as they walked up onto the wrap around front porch and he glanced over at Harry. He had his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans; his black combat boots trudged up the porch rather grudgingly and he wore one of his Gryffindor Quidditch tee shirts that Sirius had bought him for Christmas.

"Do we have to do this, Uncle Sirius?" he asked for the fifth time that morning

"Yes, Harry, we do."

He knocked on the front door and smiled brightly at the pretty woman who opened it. "Hullo, Mrs Granger." He held his hand out to her with a smile. "Sirius Black, its lovely to see you again."

She smiled kindly at him. "Yes, you as well. Hermione told us that you were planning to drop in this morning. Please, come in."

Sirius and Harry followed her inside to a warm living room decorated in rich colours. He and Harry both took a seat on the sofa just as Hermione came hurrying into the room.

"Harry! Sirius!" She hurried over to hug Harry, sitting next to him. "Hi! I was surprised to get your letter. What's going on?"

"Piano sounds great, 'Mione."

"Thanks!" she exclaimed, beaming. She turned to look at Sirius, biting her bottom lip nervously. "Are you really here to tell my parents about the Time-Turner?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"But Sirius, they —"

Mr Granger came into the living room and stopping Hermione's plea. "Jean is making us some tea."

"That sounds great, thank you," Sirius said with a smile. "Sorry to drop by so unexpectedly like this, but I felt like it was important that we talk."

"Talk? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, and no," Sirius said, looking over at Harry and Hermione. "I wanted to make sure that Hermione has been keeping you up to date on her school year activities."

Hermione blushed, looking down at her feet. "I — er, no."

Sirius nodded. "That's what I thought. First of all, I want to thank you, Hermione. Harry told me what you did in capturing Peter and I am incredibly thankful and grateful to you for that."

"Capturing Peter?" Mrs Granger asked as she came in with a tray of tea and scones. "What am I missing in here? Who on earth is Peter?"

"That's what I would like to know," Mr Granger replied.

Hermione blushed and Harry nudged her shoulder gently, mouthing that he was sorry as they settled themselves in the living room. He knew that if her parents reacted like Sirius did, she was going to be in big trouble.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Your daughter is an exceptionally bright witch, which I believe that you already know. In fact, Professor McGonagall has called her the brightest witch of her age on more than one occasion. She has a love of knowledge and that is wonderful. But with her love of knowledge also comes a desire to take on too much. Hermione decided that this year, instead of picking course electives, she would take every single class that Hogwarts has to offer."

Mr Granger smiled at his daughter. "Sounds like my jellybean."

"Daaad!" Hermione moaned at the nickname, burying her face in her hands.

Mr Granger smiled at her. "It does! You, my darling, are always trying to learn how and why the world spins the way it does."

Hermione blushed again. "Dad, I only want to learn about everything that I can. Knowledge is a gift, you always said so."

"And there's nothing wrong with that, jellybean. Knowledge is a gift, but sometimes you take on too much. You don't want to overload that big beautiful brain of yours. We want to nurture it."

Sirius smiled at him. "I agree with your father, Hermione. Nurture it; don't overload it. Which brings me back to what I was saying, because Hermione is so smart and so bright, the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress decided to bestow upon her the honour of using a Time-Turner."

Mr Granger frowned. "A Time-Turner? What is that? Is that more comparable to the Eye of Agamotto or a TARDIS?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Dad!"

"What? Am I not close?"

Hermione let out a slow breath. "It was a necklace with an hourglass and when I rotated it, I could go back in time a few hours and that way I could go to two classes at once. I used it all year. I wrote all of my exams; did all of my homework with it and I realized that it wasn't worth it. I was exhausted and my classes were too much to handle and it made me not enjoy doing my school work."

Mr Granger nodded. "So it taught you a valuable lesson then. Sounds more like the TARDIS."

"What is a TARDIS?" Sirius asked, his eyes moving between father and daughter.

"A time-travelling machine from a television show," Hermione explained. "And the Eye of Agamotto is from a comic book. My dad is a big geek."

"Um, the correct terms are that your dad is brilliant and awesome."

Hermione gave her father an amused look. "Right, sorry."

"And using a Time-Turner for educational purposes is fascinating, darling, but, who is Peter and why and or how did you capture him?" Mrs Granger interrupted, her eyebrow raised in amusement as she looked between her husband and daughter.

Hermione let out a deep breath and she began to explain; Harry occasionally jumping in to fill in the blanks. By the time that they were finished, Mr and Mrs Granger were both staring at Hermione as if she had two heads.

"Hermione Jean Granger! You could have… DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT WAS?" Mrs Granger exploded.

Mr Granger grabbed his wife's hand, squeezing tightly. "Honey, yelling is not going to make this any easier." He turned to look at Harry. "And you got her into this?"

"No," Hermione insisted. "I got myself into this, Dad. Peter kidnapped me. Harry, Ron, and Neville came after me. They saved my life!"

"And this… Peter, he can turn into a rat? Like an actual rat?" Mrs Granger asked, her voice a little higher than normal.

"Yes, Mum. He's an Animagus and he can turn into a rat and when he changed, I put him in a cage and I gave him to Professor Dumbledore."

"And he's an escaped Death Antler?"

"Eater, Death Eater, and yes."

"And what are they again?"

"Kind of like Extremists, I suppose."

Mrs Granger's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Hermione Jean, you are only fourteen years old! You can't be running off after criminals and Extremists! What were you thinking?"

Sirius held his hands out. "I'm not here to get Hermione into any kind of trouble. After talking to my son, I realized that there is a lot going on and Hermione is one of my son's best friends which means that he trusts her and that he tells her everything. I wanted to make sure that as Muggles, you were not being kept in the dark just because you don't have the knowledge of the magical world."

"Well, we obviously were! Hermione, how could you not tell us this?" Mrs Granger demanded.

Hermione looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, Mum, I didn't think that you and Dad would understand."

Mrs Granger snorted. "Understand or approve? You are not an adult yet, Hermione Jean, and we are still your parents! You can't keep us in the dark on stuff like this! If your life is in danger, we want to know. We _need_ to know!"

"And if this school is becoming a danger for you," Mr Granger began.

"No!" Hermione exclaimed, interrupting her father. "Dad, it's not! I'm sorry. Please don't make me leave Hogwarts! Please!"

Mrs Granger took her daughter's hand in hers, squeezing tightly. "Honey, we don't want to make you leave a place you love. We're just worried about you. Hermione, you can't keep secrets like this from us. You can help us to understand better if that's your concern. Now, tell us more about this Time-Turner, was it dangerous?"

Hermione hesitated.

Sirius nodded, clearing his throat. "Hermione, do you realize how dangerous using that Time-Turner really was? By your hesitation to answer your parents, I'm thinking that you were more than aware of the dangers. You are one of the brightest witches in the school according to McGonagall which is why you were given it in the first place. I explained the dangers of using it to Harry last night; told him that you essentially aged at least half a year, because by going back in time over and over you were just adding those hours to your life. Do you know that?"

Hermione's eyes widened and she nodded. "I know. Professor McGonagall and I had a very serious talk about it before she gave it to me. We went over the history, the dangers of using it, and some of the problems that people had with it in the past. I knew what I was getting myself into."

"And you still decided that it was worth the risk for your academics?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I know that it wasn't the best decision to make, Sirius. I returned it to McGonagall after everything… I learned my lesson."

Sirius nodded. "Good." He turned to the Grangers. "I understand that allowing your daughter to attend Hogwarts is more than you can fully understand as she is immersed in a world that you are unfamiliar with. I can't honestly say that is something that I understand, but I want to extend myself to be able to stand for her if she needs anything in the magical world that you might not be able to give her as Muggles. In the meantime, have you considered getting an owl for your household? It would allow you to communicate more frequently with your daughter."

Mr Granger frowned. "I don't understand why we can't just use a telephone! Surely installing one in the school wouldn't be that difficult!"

Harry turned to his godfather. "What about our mirrors?"

Sirius looked at Harry in surprise and he smiled. "Yes, I don't know why I didn't think of that before." He turned to Mrs Granger with a smile. "Do you carry a compact mirror with you?"

Mrs Granger looked bewildered by this, but she nodded. "Yes."

"Could I maybe see it?"

Mrs Granger nodded and left the room, coming back a moment later with her purse where she tugged out a small bronze compact mirror with her initials on the back. "It was a gift from my grandmother when I turned sixteen."

Sirius accepted the mirror, pulled out his wand and duplicated the mirror. On the duplication mirror, he changed the name Jean Marie to Hermione Jean and muttered a few different charms over it before he handed each mirror to the women. "This is now a communication mirror, similar to the one that Harry and I have. They are connected to each other and I connected it to my mirror as well incase your parents ever need to get a hold of me for anything or the same for you, Hermione."

Mrs Granger stared at the mirror in confusion. "What does that mean, a communication mirror?"

Harry grinned at her. "Say Hermione's name into the mirror."

Mrs Granger stared at the mirror skeptically, but did as Harry instructed and Hermione's compact mirror vibrated in her hands. She flipped it open and saw her mother's face. Mrs Granger smiled brightly. "Oh!"

Sirius smiled at them. "Now you can communicate with your daughter no matter where she is and vice versa."

"Thank you," Mr Granger said, his eyes on the mirror. "This is an extraordinary gift."

Sirius nodded. "I know how much I worry about my son and I couldn't imagine worrying about him and also not fully understanding everything that is going on with him and his life. Hermione, I would hope you will use that to keep in better touch with your parents."

"Thank you, Sirius," Hermione told him, moving to sit between her parents, who cuddled her close, kissing her cheeks.

Sirius smiled. "Of course."

Mr Granger turned to smile kindly at them. "Well, if you two aren't in too much of a hurry, would you like to stay for lunch? Maybe you can fill us in on some of the other things Hermione has yet to tell us?"

Hermione blushed, biting her bottom lip.

Sirius smiled sympathetically at her. "That sounds nice, thanks."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _First, no, that's not the end of the Grangers. Once Harry and Sirius leave, they have more to say to their daughter._

 _Second, the first two memories are snippets from moments already included in this story. My Beta is currently helping me edit as I mentioned before, my current and old chapters — the first 28 chapters are Beta-complete and that includes adding a little tweak here or there as some of you might have noticed above in the first memory._

 _And third, thank you again for reading and please review. You're reviews are what give me life and to those that take the time to leave me a review after every chapter, you are GREATLY appreciated. Thank YOU!_


	147. Chapter 147

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer a few questions from reviews: My love of history is really everything, but not at the same time. I love the Era of Revolutions — the Jacobites, first and second; the French Revolution and then later the Russian Revolution (don't care much about the American Revolution if I'm honest) and then I specifically love the era of Imperial Russia onto the Russian Revolution and into the Cold War between the US and Russia. I also have a soft spot for Canadian history — specifically Confederation,1867 until about 1945 — I love that whole era. World War One is my absolute favourite — for Canada and for what is happening in Russia and all over the world. It completely fascinates me, the whole idea of how the Great War came to be and the revolutions and decolonizations that followed. I also have a minor in classical civilizations which would be ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, and Celtic — specifically I love the Celtic mythology stuff, playing on my background (French, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Scandinavian — basically I'm the whitest blue-eyed red-head ever LOL)._

 _Also — I was a bit of Marvel comic book geek until I was about 12, read everything I could from the library — haven't read any Marvel comics since and I'm now 32 so now I'm pretty much just MCU based. I used to love Captain Marvel, Captain America, and my brother used to read DC, mostly Batman, when we were kids. I only ever read one Dr Strange comic — so it hardly counts lol. Had to add a bit of my own geekdom there and I thought Mr Granger was a good excuse to toss it in. Never got into Doctor Who myself, but I've seen a few clips and have a few friends who are obsessed. If that helps?_

 _As for my story, 2 things:_

 _******* WARNING DARK SCENES AHEAD (MENTIONING OF NOVAK AND VOLDEMORT SCENE) *******_

 _Also, in my mind, Harry would definitely be growing taller because being with Sirius means that he had a healthy childhood and wasn't malnourished and ill-treated. I'm basing his growth spurt on my little brother who by the time he was twelve dwarfed me in my five feet six inches of height and now at age twenty-four, he is six feet four inches (which to me is Ron Weasley/Remus Lupin height) lol. Just in case you were wondering._

 _Thanks to Steel for helping me with this little scene — every boy has to learn somehow!_

 _Also, this chapter is a A LITTLE LONG so I apologize for that, but it just kept going LOL_

 _And for anyone interested in a good story. I just finished reading an amazing story by the lovely liliansilver called_ _Sour Grapes;_ _It is a Dramione fic, with Hinny (and what I enjoy most about it is that it's not a Ron-bashing fic) and honestly the bromance that she has written between Harry and Draco is my favourite thing. I LOVE me a good bromance! It is wonderful and I urge you to please check it out._

 _Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN:**

 **Greg closed the door behind Harry and Sirius that afternoon and let out a slow breath before he moved into the living room.** His daughter was still sitting on the couch next to his wife and he nodded.

"Well, that was rather enlightening."

Hermione bit her bottom lip. "Dad —"

Greg held up his hand to silence her. "No, I think that it's time for your mother and I to talk now, Hermione."

Hermione lowered her head. The disappointment in her father's voice cutting right through her.

"Mr Black was kind enough to give us a means of communicating with you while you're at school without having to wait for you to send us a letter and I hope that means that at least once a week, you will call us and tell us what's going on with you. Finding out that you did something like travelling through time for your academics is not…"

Jean squeezed her husband's hand in her own as he trailed off before she turned to look at their daughter. "He said that you lost six months of your life, Hermione. _Six months!_ What does that mean? You're six months older than you actually are?"

She nodded, her eyes still downcast. "Essentially, yes."

"That is very serious! You can't just make yourself older! You are fourteen years old, almost fifteen, and I know how much you want to grow up quickly and be the adult, but you need to stop and enjoy being young while you can and… I know that there a lot of things that you haven't told us, Hermione. Your father and I are well aware that you are off at magic school for most of the year and are off doing your own thing and we understand that. By sending you to a boarding school it allows you to be more independent from us and we love that about you, but it's the secrets that have become a problem, Hermione. And that's going to stop right now."

Hermione's head popped up. "But Mum, some of it I — you're Muggles!"

"Yes, we are," Greg said sternly. "But we are first and foremost your parents and we love you very, very much. I may not understand it when you tell me that you learned how to transfigure something, but I still want to know about it. Do you think that we don't relish in your academic success? We don't care if it's Potion Making instead of Chemistry or History of Magic instead of Tudor History — we're proud of you! Do you think that we don't want to learn about your friends just because they're magical and we're not?"

"No," she said quietly.

"Good," Jean replied. "I think that it's time for you to start talking, young lady. You told us about your first year; the Philosopher's Stone and the mountain troll which nearly gave your father and I each a stroke, but you told us. Your second year however, we wouldn't have even known that you had been petrified if Mr Black hadn't let it slip at the train station!"

"And you never quite explained to us how you turned yourself into a human-cat hybrid before Christmas either," Greg added. "You left more than few things out."

Hermione let out a slow breath. "You really want to know everything even if some of it is a little… out there?"

"Everything," Greg repeated.

Hermione sighed and pulled her bushy curls back into a high ponytail. "All right. I guess it really starts with Harry and him being known in the magical world as The Boy Who Lived."

Jean merely lifted an eyebrow. "Go on."

And she did.

She spent over an hour telling her parents everything from the war with Voldemort to his downfall, how Harry had lost his parents to meeting Harry and Ron on the train, to Professor Quirrell having Voldemort living inside of him to the Chamber of Secrets, to the Polyjuice Potion and how they thought that it was Malfoy, how she had accidentally added cat-hair to her potion, to the Basilisk being free in the school which had resulted in her being Petrified and to Harry having saved Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets. She told them about the escaped Death Eaters from Azkaban that summer and who Pettigrew and Lestrange were in association with Harry and Neville, to how Sirius was connected to Pettigrew and how he was the reason why Harry's parents had been murdered, to deciding to become an Animagus and what would entail, to Professor Lupin being a werewolf and to his arrest and imprisonment, and to the very real possibility that the darkest wizard to ever have lived was trying to make a comeback. She made no mention of the Horcruxes as she felt that it was something that she didn't have the right to share and if she was honest, she didn't want to see her parents look any more horrified than they already did.

Her parents were staring at her like she had two heads. Neither of them spoke for a long moment before Greg finally spoke up.

"I understand that attending a school of magic means a different set of rules and a different set of expectations to come up against but… are you really safe there, Hermione? Truly?"

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed. "Mum, Dad, Professor Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards in the world! I am safe there, I promise! I can protect myself and the teachers there are… this year there was a Defence Club, and it's been brilliant!"

Jean nodded. "You won't lie to us anymore. We want you to know that you can talk to us, Hermione."

"I know that already, Mum. I'm sorry for not telling you."

"And you're grounded," Greg added.

Hermione's face fell. "I guess I deserve that."

"Two weeks at least," Greg said sternly. "Nothing other than academics and chores, jellybean. We love you, Hermione, and we want you to trust us with what is going on in your life."

Hermione nodded, biting her bottom lip. "I love you, too. I'm sorry for keeping this from you."

Greg pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head before Jean did the same.

Jean tucked a curl behind her daughter's ear. "And since Mr Black was kind enough to give us these mirrors, I want to talk to my beautiful daughter at least once a week. Let's say, every Monday at eight."

"But Professor Lupin is teaching me to play the piano on Mondays, or well, he was last year, but I'm hoping that he will again," she added.

Greg merely tugged her back under his arm. "Okay, nine pm then, got it, jellybean? We'll be waiting for you to call us."

She nodded, smiling at her parents. "Got it."

Greg kissed her forehead. "Good. Now, for your first punishment, you can join me in re-organizing my comic book collection in my study. Your mother is trying to say that I have too many of them."

"You do, Greg," Jean said sternly. "I think it's time that you get rid of some of them."

Greg kissed his daughter's cheek and whispered in her ear. "Maybe a bit of magic can help me hide them."

Hermione grinned at her father and kissed him in turn, hugging him close. "I can't do magic outside of school, Dad, but we'll think of something."

He winked at her and hugged her tighter and she knew that everything was going to be okay.

~ ASC ~

 **When Harry and Sirius returned to Black Cottage, Sirius nodded at the Pensieve that was still sitting on the coffee table from last night.**

"Up to viewing a few more of those?"

Harry stared at the medicine chest and shook his head. "No."

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "No?"

Harry shoved his hands into his pockets. "The memories are perfect, Uncle Siri but… it feels wrong to watch them without both of my dads here."

Sirius sighed, moving to put an arm around his son, dropping a kiss to the top of Harry's head. "I agree. I miss him too, Prongslet-Harry," he corrected.

Harry moved to hug Sirius. "Do you really think that he's okay?"

"Yes. I'm sure that he's lonely and depressed and maybe a bit scared, but he's okay, I can promise you that. He'll be back home with us soon enough and I'm sure that he would love to watch some of those memories with you. I think that you should also share with him the memory of the Time-Turner. He would want to see that."

Harry nodded, staring at the box of memories. "Can we add it?"

Sirius smiled and pulled his wand out. "You bet we can. You remember how?"

Harry nodded and concentrated on the memory, nodding to his godfather who pulled a copy of it from his brain and put it into a glass phial. He labelled it TT for Time-Turner.

"I think he'd also like to see our talk from last night as well."

Harry agreed and they added that memory as well. He smiled down at the box. "And the night after his trial," Harry added, smiling at his godfather when he extracted third memory. "That's perfect. Thanks Uncle Sirius."

"You're welcome. Now come stand over here so that I can measure you."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Seriously?"

"Yes, I am seriously Sirius Black, now get your butt over here — seriously!"

Harry dragged his feet over to the doorway in the kitchen and dutifully stood in the doorframe giving his father the stink eye as Sirius stood in front of him, his wand sitting on top of his head. "How much longer are you going to make me do this?"

Sirius grinned at him. "Until you're all grown up," he said, cupping Harry's cheeks and kissing his forehead noisily. "Five feet ten inches, you jumped four inches since Christmas — four! What the hell are you eating at Hogwarts? Bamboo? You're not using an engorgement charm, are you?"

"No," Harry said with a smirk. "How tall was my dad?"

"6'2. Always made me mad that both he and Moony were taller than me. I used to be the tallest at one time."

"Think I'll be taller than you?" Harry asked him, grinning widely.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Two more inches? Rate you're going, you'll be taller than me by September."

"Think I'll be taller than Uncle Moony?"

"No," Sirius said with a chuckle. Remus had always been the tallest, towering over all of them at six feet five inches. "Moony's a Celtic giant. My guess is that you'll be close to your dad's height." He marked Harry's height on the doorframe before he let Harry move.

Sirius actually just skimmed under six feet if he was honest with himself, but he liked to tell people that he was six feet tall. He scratched his chin.

"Merlin, this beard has got to go!"

Harry smirked at him. "Why did you keep it?"

"Mostly because I was too lazy to shave it," he admitted. "I like having stubble but the beard I find is too much for me."

Harry scratched his own chin and Sirius smirked at him. "What?"

"You're starting to get a little hair yourself on your neck and above your lip there."

Harry blushed. "Not really."

Sirius smiled at him and gestured for Harry to follow him. They went into the master bathroom and Sirius urged Harry to stand next to him at the sink. "You used to sit up on the counter here when you were little and watch me get ready in the morning; used to fascinate you."

Harry shrugged as he put his hands on the counter, his eyes meeting his father's in the mirror. "Probably because you spent so much time on your hair."

Sirius stuck his tongue out, making Harry laugh. "You're just jealous of this perfect masterpiece."

"Right," Harry smirked. "Why do you want me here?"

Sirius grabbed his can of shaving cream and held it up. "I think it's time that we get rid of your stubble as well as my beard."

Harry blushed. "You're going to teach me how to shave?"

Sirius grinned at him and turned on the water to wet his face. "Yes, I am. I think it's time."

"I barely have any hair on my face," Harry protested.

Sirius tilted Harry's chin back and pointed to the little patches of black fuzz that were on his neck. "Barely there is still there, Harry. You're growing up and shaving is a part of life. You don't want to be patchy, trust me. No facial hair until it grows all over, that's the rule. No one likes patches."

Harry grinned and wet his own face and neck as Sirius did.

"Now, a warm towel helps with opening up the pores," he told him as he used his wand to heat up a warm towel and handed it to Harry who dabbed his face with it as Sirius instructed before applying a generous dollop of shaving cream to his face and neck as Sirius did the same. Sirius pulled a razor out from the drawer. "There's a charm, simple and easy to use. The incantation is 'tonsorem,' which essentially means to barber. However, I myself have grown fond of the Muggle razor as if you are not incredibly precise with your charm, you can remove the hair on your head by mistake."

Harry blanched at that. "Yeah, the razor seems better."

Sirius chuckled. "The razor is better for you as well since you can't technically use the charm when not at school nor seventeen." He pulled out a second razor from the drawer and passed it over. "See how it stands, this is the way the blade cuts so you always want to brush it in this direction over your skin. The trick with shaving your face is to shave in the direction the hair grows." He held the razor near the bottom of his neck and slowly brought it upwards. "Like this."

Harry nodded and did the same, stopping at his chin the way Sirius was.

"When you get to your face, you want to shave in a downward motion as it prevents cuts." Sirius gestured again, rinsing off this razor and sliding the blade across his skin.

Harry followed suit, wincing slightly when he cut the tip of his chin.

Sirius grinned and healed the cut with his wand. "Happens all the time. Just keep going, nice and easy. Good. Now the lip, you want to shave downward from your nose, like this."

Harry watched him carefully and then followed suit until his face was baby smooth.

Sirius, who also now had a baby smooth face grinned at him. "Perfect. For a good close shave, you want to use long strokes rather than short ones to keep your face smooth. Unless you want to keep the sexy stubble look like me," he said winking as Harry rolled his eyes. "Wash your face now."

Harry did as he was told and grinned when Sirius slapped some aftershave on his cheeks before adding his own just as a shadow entered the doorway.

"Well, boys, what kind of trouble are we getting up to in here?"

Sirius grinned at Zee in the mirror, turning and tugging her into his arms to kiss her deeply. "Man stuff."

Zee grinned against his lips and turned to smile at Harry. "Sorry to interrupt the highly secretive man stuff, but I was listening to the wireless and there's a ninety percent chance of thunderstorms this evening."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really?"

Zee nodded, grinning widely. "I thought maybe you should invite your friends over in case it storms."

Harry grinned at her before he turned and ran out of the bathroom.

Sirius chuckled, grabbing Zee's waist and tugging her back against him to nuzzle her neck. "You just made his day."

"Were you teaching him how to shave?"

"What? A man's gotta learn somehow?"

Zee smiled and ran her hands over his smooth face. "I don't think that I've ever seen you without stubble."

Sirius grinned as she stroked his smooth cheeks and his neck with her hands. "Don't worry, baby, it will be back by the morning."

She laughed and kissed him again. "You boys eat yet?"

"We had lunch at the Grangers. I want to head to Hogwarts and see Peter."

Zee nodded. "I'll stick around here with Harry and his friends, let them wait out the coming storm. I know how excited he is to learn how to become an Animagus."

Sirius kissed her again. "You'll stay the night with me?"

Zee's eyebrow rose. "Your son and his friends will be here."

Sirius kissed her just below her ear. "Harry and I had the talk. He says that you can sleep over if you want too."

"Oh really?" Zee said, chuckling. "He gave us permission, did he?"

"Even permission to have sex provided that we use silencing charms on our bedroom first. He was pretty clear on that."

Zee laughed and kissed him again. "Oh, well if Harry says that it's okay." He grinned at her and she laughed. "I'll consider it. Go see Pettigrew and figure out what you want to do. We'll talk when you get back."

Sirius nodded, putting his shaving stuff away. "All right, that sounds like a plan."

While Sirius and Zee were discussing Peter, Harry Floo-called Ron and Ginny. Mrs Weasley answered the call and Harry waited impatiently for his friends to come into the living room.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, rushing to the fire. "What's going on?"

"Can you and Ron sleep over tonight? Zee says that there's a ninety percent chance that it's going to thunderstorm in Sidmouth tonight."

Ron's eyes widened. "Animagus!"

Harry grinned broadly. "My thoughts exactly! Can you come?"

Ron nodded and turned his head and yelled. "MUM! GINNY AND I ARE GOING TO HARRY'S FOR THE NIGHT, IS THAT OKAY?"

Mrs Weasley came back into the living room doorway. "Ronald, you two just came home yesterday!"

"Please, Mrs Weasley," Harry begged from the fire. "Just for the night! Please!"

"Please, Mum!" Ron pleaded as Ginny nodded next to him.

Mrs Weasley sighed. "Oh, all right. But be back tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

Harry grinned. "Excellent! Come in say an hour?"

Ginny smiled at him. "We'll be there."

Harry Floo-called Neville next who eagerly promised to be there soon. Mr Lovegood told him that Luna had gone for a walk, but he was sure that she would be thrilled and that he would send her over as soon as she got home. He used Sirius' mirror to contact Hermione. She answered right away.

"Harry!"

"Hey, Hermione! This is pretty great, right?"

She smiled into his mirror. "Yeah, it is. What's up?"

"It's supposed to storm tonight and everyone's coming to stay over. You in?"

Hermione turned to look at her father who was lovingly organizing his Spiderman comic book collection. "I'm grounded because of the whole Time-Turner thing."

"No!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes downcast. "You have to be here! It's going to thunderstorm and the potion is ready!"

Hermione turned to her father, biting her bottom lip. "Dad, remember how I told you that I'm trying to learn how to perform this really difficult piece of magic called becoming an Animagus?"

Mr Granger looked up from his desk. "You're grounded, jellybean. You can learn it after your two weeks are up."

Hermione pouted. "But Dad!"

"But Hermione!"

"Tonight it's going to storm and that's really vital towards learning how and it could be ages before I get another chance if I'm waiting on the lightning!" she said quickly, her eyes pleading at her father.

"Please, Mr Granger," Harry begged from the compact mirror in her hand. "I promise that she'll be home tomorrow and I won't bother her again the entire time that she's grounded, but we really need her here! It's important! We have to do it all together!"

Mr Granger sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, biting his bottom lip with a contemplative look on his face. "Well, I suppose maybe just a few hours wouldn't hurt since it is something academic related, but you can't stay the whole night; only until the storm ends."

"Yes! Thank you, Daddy, thank you!" Hermione squealed, jumping to her feet to hug her father tightly.

Harry grinned. "I'll ask Uncle Sirius or Zee to pick you up. See you soon!"

He closed the mirror, grinning widely just as Sirius and Zee both came downstairs.

"Hey, can one of you go pick up Hermione? Her dad says that she can come for a few hours, but can't stay the whole night because she's grounded. He's only letting her come over because it's for an educational reason."

Zee smiled. "I'll go do it. Sirius is going to head out to talk to Peter so I'm going to stick around while you wait for the storm."

"Brilliant," Harry said.

Sirius reached over to slap Harry's smooth cheeks lightly. "Look at that handsome face, smooth as a baby's bottom!"

"Uncle Siri!" Harry exclaimed in exasperation, trying to pull his face out from his father's hands as Sirius chuckled.

"You know what to do tonight?"

Harry nodded. "If Hermione and I brewed the potion correctly, when lightning strikes it will turn blood red and then we can drink it."

"And?" Sirius prompted.

"And once we drink it, an image of the animal we will become should appear in our minds. The moment we see the animal, we have to say the incantation."

"Which is?"

"Amato Animo Animato Animagus," Harry told him.

Sirius smiled. "Right, which of course you've all been doing every sunset and sunrise since you added the Mandrake leaf to the potion?"

"Yes, haven't missed once," he told him. He had done it last night when he brought his stuff up to his room and before he and Sirius had gotten into their discussion.

"And after you drink it, you should begin to feel the effects of the potion."

Harry nodded. "A fiery pain and an intense double heartbeat."

"Exactly," Sirius told him, draping an arm over his shoulder. "That means that you did it right. Then it's a matter of envisioning the animal that you are to become and making the transformation."

"Will it happen right away?"

Sirius shook his head. "Highly unlikely. It took Jamie and I about two weeks to transform. You have to really concentrate on the animal you are to become. It takes patience, concentration and practice not to mention a bit of meditation on the subject. But you'll get there, I promise." He kissed the top of his head. "All right, I'm off. I might be back by the time it storms, but if I'm not, good luck. I know that you can do this."

Harry beamed at him as Sirius kissed Zee and headed out.

"So, is everyone on their way over now?" Zee asked him, her hands on her hips.

Harry nodded. "Pretty much within the hour, yeah. You'll pick up Hermione for me?"

"Absolutely. Do you know her address?" Harry rattled off Hermione's address and Zee smiled. "I'll be back in five. Why don't you see what we have in terms of food in the fridge?"

Harry grinned at her as she hurried outside to Apparate just as Neville came through the Floo, grinning widely.

"Harry! I can't believe that it's finally going to storm!"

"I know, I'm so pumped!" Harry told him. "Mr Lovegood said that Luna was out walking, but he would send her along when she came home. Zee just went to pick up Hermione."

Neville grinned. "So what's the plan?"

Harry gestured for Neville to follow him and they headed upstairs to his bedroom. "I have the potions in that airtight, no light container that Hermione made. I'm thinking we can bring it up to the treehouse and we'll wait out there for the storm."

"Excellent," Neville said, tossing his bag on Harry's bed. "Are we all going to stay out there tonight?"

Harry nodded. "Definitely. Want to help me bring the blankets and stuff out?"

Neville grinned. "Let's do it."

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius made his way through the gates of Hogwarts feeling a bit anxious.** It had been over a week since he had seen Peter or since he had angrily held him against the wall of Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore had told him that he was healing up nicely, but he had still avoided coming here. He had wanted to talk to Harry first; to understand what had happened and to make peace with his son about his own past and his own mistakes, before he dealt with Peter's mistake. The thought that Peter had shown up, had gotten that close to Harry in the first place, was enough to make him furious all over again.

He made his way through the castle and to McGonagall's office. She was waiting for him and only nodded when she saw him, moving to hug him tightly and kiss his smooth cheek.

"Hey, no stubble?"

He grinned. "I was teaching Harry to shave. Don't worry, I'm still sexy."

McGonagall rolled her eyes and linked her arm with his. "Moron," she murmured, making him grin. "How's Harry?"

"He's doing all right. Everyone is coming over tonight to wait out the storm."

"Ooh, a lightning storm, he must be so excited."

"He is. I just hope that the storm actually has lightning. When I did it, it took months for lightning to actually appear."

McGonagall smiled. "I can't wait to see what his animal is. Come with me."

He only nodded and let her lead him through the castle, down to the dungeons to one of the deserted wings and through the portrait hole. The password was 'secret' and the portrait swung open. Sirius was relieved to see that behind the portrait was a barred wall. McGonagall unlocked it with her wand and they slipped inside. Pettigrew was lying on the bed. The claw marks from Lady Godiva had mostly healed but had still left ugly red marks across his back and front. Dumbledore was looking out the window that looked into the Black Lake and he turned when he saw them.

"Poppy's been keeping him subdued with a sleeping draught to heal, but he should be waking up soon," he informed them, moving to sit in one of the chairs that he had conjured.

Sirius nodded, taking a seat next to Dumbledore. "Has he said anything?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, as I said, Poppy's been keeping him in a sleep-induced coma to heal. We spoke about it and it seemed like the best idea while we decided when we were going to talk to him."

"Can he transform?"

Dumbledore shook his head again. "No. I placed an Anti-Animagus Charm on him in order to prevent him doing just that."

Sirius nodded and stared at the bed. "I'm almost scared to find out what he knows. If he'll even tell us anything at all."

"He has no reason not to," McGonagall told him, squeezing Sirius' hand in hers. "He knows that if he doesn't talk, you'll simply turn him over to the Dementors. Pettigrew is a lot of things, Sirius, but he values his own survival."

He had to agree with that statement, he thought as he stared down at the man that he had once considered a brother.

They didn't have long to wait. Within five minutes, his eyes fluttered open and he blinked around the room in confusion.

"Pete, nice of you to finally open your eyes," Sirius said watching as Peter's eyes widened in surprise and fear.

"S-S-Sirius!"

"In the flesh," he said, leaning forward in his chair. "We have some questions for you."

"Where am I?" he asked, looking around the room fearfully.

"You're at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said quietly. "I removed the trace from you. The Death Eaters won't know that you're here."

Peter closed his eyes. "Doesn't matter. I brought the Longbottom boy back and Bella knows it. I'm a dead man."

Sirius snorted. "So start talking to us."

Peter stared at him, his eyes narrowing. "What do you want me to say, Sirius?"

Sirius stared at him. "You came here with a message for Harry. Why?"

"I already told you. She was bragging about this gift and the Dark Lord doesn't give gifts. There's something strange about that Cup, I just know it."

"Why tell me?"

"I told you because you have access to her vault!"

"No," Sirius said carefully. "Why tell _me_ , Peter? Why risk coming here to tell me about this cup? What do you really know about it?"

Peter swallowed slowly, his eyes darting between Dumbledore and McGonagall. "I-I-I I don't know."

"Mr Pettigrew, Peter," McGonagall said softly. "You do know something about it or you would not have risked your life to come out and warn Harry about it in an attempt to get the message to Sirius."

Peter swallowed again. "Can I have some water?"

Sirius grabbed the cup from the nightstand and murmured 'agamenti' filling the cup before passing it to the man in the bed. He watched Peter drain the glass before he spoke again. "What do you know about the Cup, Peter?"

Peter stared at him for a moment. "The Dark Lord said that it was vital to his resurrection."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "His resurrection?"

Peter nodded, holding the glass out to Sirius who quietly refilled it and watched as Peter drank more. "He said that it had to be kept safe as it was vital for him to be reborn; that it was part of his second coming. I didn't know what he meant but… it sounded dangerous."

"You're not wrong," Sirius muttered.

Peter drank more water, swallowing slowly. "But if you get the Cup first than he won't have access to it."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment. "Peter, that memory you showed us of Neville Apparating with you and Bellatrix, you said something to her about 'needing to feed the Dark Lord,' do you remember?"

Peter paled and gulped the water so fast that he choked. "N-no."

Sirius pulled the glass from his grasp. "Yes, you do. Why did she need to feed him, Peter? Has he already been reborn?"

Peter's bottom lip trembled and his hands fisted nervously in the covers of the bed. "There was a ritual… I… I didn't want to participate, but they made me watch… it was… awful."

McGonagall's eyebrow rose. "Tell us."

He swallowed slowly. "It started a few months ago. Bella and I were spying on this couple in Croatia — the Novaks."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "The Auror whose wife went missing?"

Peter nodded. "You heard?"

"It's been in the papers. Novak has been adamant that she is missing and that she would never leave him of her own accord. She was pregnant."

"Yes," Peter said slowly. "Almost nine months when Bella and I took her."

"Took her where, Peter?"

"I can't tell you," he said, his eyes wide.

"You can and you will," Sirius demanded.

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, he cannot, Sirius." He moved his wand in a circular motion around Peter and a black smokey figure of a knotted tongue rose over him. "As I suspected, he was tongue-tied to secrecy."

Sirius snorted. "Smart move not to trust the rat, wish I'd thought the same."

McGonagall linked her fingers with Sirius' as she spoke. "You kidnapped the woman, Peter, why?"

"Bella said that we needed her. She was a pureblood and she was important. We kept her in a guest suite; kept her well-fed and taken care of until it was time."

"Time for what?"

Peter gulped as he looked into Sirius' eyes. "They tied her arms and legs and they cut into her belly and pulled the child from her still in the sac. I thought that I was going to be sick, but Selwyn wouldn't let me leave the room."

"Selwyn?" Dumbledore asked.

Peter nodded. "Woodrow Selwyn. He had shown up around the time we kidnapped Novak. His father Wendall had been there beforehand."

"So Woodrow Selwyn wouldn't let you leave. What happened next?" Sirius demanded.

Peter's hands shook as he spoke. "They… they pulled the sac with the child from her body. She was screaming and… Bella put the sac with the child on the floor and the snake… absorbed it."

"What snake?"

"The snake that the Dark Lord was possessing."

Sirius looked into Dumbledore's eyes and he was relieved to see his old Headmaster looking just as an uneasy at those words. "He was possessing a snake?"

Peter nodded. "For months now. He made friends with another snake, a larger one and she seemed to be… taking care of him in some way. She's rather terrifying. He calls her Nagini. The Dark Lord had destroyed the body of the snake, it looked half-dead and was wilting away, but he held on, and then he absorbed the sac and… disappeared into the child."

McGonagall looked ill as she squeezed Sirius' hand. "And the child?"

"Bella stuffed the child back into its mother's womb. Novak was screaming and… Bella bathed the child in her blood and then… she pulled him back out. The baby's skin looked reptilian and red and then it seemed to shimmer and… vanish, but when the child opened its eyes… they were red," Peter said carefully. "And then the child spoke and it was the… the Dark Lord's voice."

Dumbledore stood up, moving to look out into the Black Lake again, his arms crossed behind his back. "He possessed the child?"

"He _became_ the child," Peter said quietly. "He _is_ the child. He's a baby and helpless in his physical form. He must be fed and cared for like a child, but he's gaining strength quickly. He can hold a wand now."

Sirius paled slightly. "What does this mean, Albus?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I've never heard of such a dark ritual succeeding before. Something of this magnitude… he can't stay in the child indefinitely, like the snake, it is a vessel for him and it will fall apart and disintegrate much the same… though I imagine that absorbing the amniotic sac will make him stronger still."

"He says that he has a little over a year," Peter told them. "There's another ritual that he must perform within that time frame."

"What kind of ritual?" Sirius demanded. "What else is this monster going to do?"

Peter shook his head. "I don't know! I just know that he needs the flesh of a willing servant." He swallowed carefully. "Bellatrix said that it would be mine; that I would be the one to sacrifice a part of me for his return… that I would be his right hand…"

Sirius stood up so quickly that the chair he had been sitting in was overturned. "You would sacrifice yourself to bring that fucking murderer back to power, but you wouldn't risk your own life to save the people who fucking loved you? To protect the little boy who loved you? You make me SICK!" He shoved Peter roughly, making him hit his head on the headboard as McGonagall grabbed his arm.

"Sirius! Your anger is justified, but it doesn't help anything right now!" McGonagall exclaimed. She squeezed his arm gently and tugged him back, putting herself between Sirius and Peter. She turned to look down at the man in the bed. "What about Novak?"

Peter swallowed. "She was alive the last time that I saw her."

"For how long?" Sirius asked.

Peter shrugged. "Until Wood and Thad get tired of her."

McGonagall closed her eyes, her hand going to her heart. "Oh Merlin, that poor woman."

"They healed her first," Peter said. "Cleaned her up, but they left her tied to the bed. Bella force feeds her food, promising her that she can see her baby soon and then Wood and Thad go in and… she's been well broken in… in every orifice."

McGonagall stared at the man in disgust. "How dare you just sit back and let them treat that poor woman… you disgust me!"

Peter snorted. "You never liked me, McGonagall, don't pretend otherwise. Everyone knew that you were too busy screwing Sirius to care about anything else."

Sirius turned and slammed his fist into Peter's face so fast that McGonagall gasped and blood spurted from Peter's nose. Dumbledore turned from the window and erected a magical barrier between Peter's bed and Sirius.

"Enough!"

Sirius glared angrily at his former friend. "How dare you, Pete! You know how important Minnie is to me! Don't you dare sit there and tell some bullshit lies about her! She's a fucking goddess who deserves nothing but your utmost respect!"

McGonagall took his arm again and tugged him towards her. "Sirius, it's fine."

"No, it's not fine!" Sirius exclaimed, whirling on her. "He knows, Minnie! He knows what I went through! He fucking knows that I always thought of you as…" he glared at Peter. "You can't even keep the good memories good, can you, Pete?"

Peter looked a bit ashamed. "I'm sorry, Professor. That was uncalled for. You _were_ like a mother to him. The only time I ever remember him being ashamed of anything was when he disappointed you."

McGonagall nodded, holding Sirius' arm and keeping him close to her. "He never disappointed me, but you, Mr Pettigrew, I can't see how you could hurt your friends the way that you did. And now to hurt this woman and to help Voldemort return… I can't see it."

Peter stared at the three of them for a long moment. "People change."

"Yeah, I guess they do," Sirius said quietly. "When is he doing this ritual, Pete?"

Peter shrugged. "Not sure."

Dumbledore turned to look at him sternly. "Do not lie to us."

"I'm not lying," Peter told him. "I don't know. I know that the Dark Lord isn't strong enough yet. He still needs certain ingredients. The blood of the pureblood child that he is residing in needs time to meld with his own. I know that it won't be for months yet, if not longer. It's why he needed a strong and healthy pureblood child to hold him; to hold his magic as he grows."

Dumbledore nodded. "We still have time to prepare then."

Sirius looked back at Peter. "And him?"

"Are you still willing to move him to the safe house?"

Sirius looked at him in disgust. "Do you really think that he has anything else to tell us?"

McGonagall touched his arm softly. "Better to be safe."

He nodded. "Give me ten minutes to get it ready and then bring him there."

He didn't speak as he stormed out of the castle to Apparate to Number Twelve. He called for Kreacher the moment he came inside, still vibrating in anger.

"Kreacher. I am bringing a wizard into this house to be held as a prisoner, do you understand?"

Kreacher nodded, his eyes wide. "Yes, Master Sirius."

"He is a bad man, Kreacher. He has been helping the Dark Lord, but we think that maybe he might know more than he's been telling us; that he can help us take down the Dark Lord once and for all, do you understand?"

Kreacher nodded. "Yes, Master Sirius. He's a very bad man."

"I need a room prepared for him; a room where he will be entirely confined and will not have access to the rest of the house."

Kreacher stared at him. "There's a room by the study; the one that Master Arcturus stored his valuables in. You cannot hear anything once inside of it nor can you get out without it being opened from the outside. It's like a vault, sir."

Sirius nodded. "Can you show it to me?"

Kreacher led him to the room kitty-corner to the study. At first glance, it looked like a tiny hallway but once inside, it stretched out into a small room with a cot, a chair and a dresser.

Sirius pulled his wand out and muttered an Anti-Animagus spell, locking the room down and preventing anyone from transforming or Apparating while in the room before he turned back to his house elf. "Kreacher, it will be your responsibility to make sure that this prisoner has food and drink. If this is too much for you, you do not have to do it. I will find someplace else for this bad man to go."

Kreacher tugged on his ears for a moment. "Does this man want to hurt Master Sirius and Master Harry?"

"Not directly, no, but he knows who does and has worked with them. He was once my friend. He's the reason that I went to prison."

"I is glad to help you keep him prisoner, Master Sirius. I is feeding him gruel."

Sirius chuckled. "You can feed him whatever you want, but he must stay in this room. I forbid you to talk to him. I don't want him using you."

Kreacher nodded, an ugly toothless smile up at his master. "I accept this, sir."

Sirius smiled at him. He never thought that he would admit it, but within the last few years he had become rather fond of the old elf. "Thank you, Kreacher. And you'll let me know what he says or does?"

"Every word, sir!"

Sirius slapped his hands together as he heard McGonagall and Dumbledore come in through the front door. "Excellent. He's here. Let's lock him in."

Kreacher simply beamed at him.

~ ASC ~

 **While Sirius was trying to figure out how to hide Pettigrew, Harry and Neville had five sleep areas set up in the treehouse and the potions ready on the chess table inside of the sealed box.** Hermione had joined them as they were bringing the last of the blankets out. Zee asked Harry if they wanted anything particular for dinner and he told her anything worked so she got busy preparing cheesy bacon potato skins and a Mexican dip with ground beef. Harry, Hermione, and Neville were snacking on the veggies, cheese, crackers, and deli meats that Zee had laid out on the table when Luna came through the Floo, smiling dreamily.

"Hello, Harry, hello, Neville. Daddy asked me to let you know that we must watch for any lightning to hit the sand down by the beach."

"Why?" Harry asked, munching on a carrot stick.

Luna simply smiled. "Why, for a fulgurite of course."

Neville raised his eyebrow. "Er, right, of course."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the clueless looks on the boys' faces. "When lightning strikes sand or sandy soil, it fuses together the grains to create a small glass-like tube known as a fulgurite. They are quite valuable to determining new facts about the natural phenomenon."

Harry simply nodded. "Right."

The Floo lit up again as Ginny and Ron came out, grinning widely. Ginny rushed forward, a big smile on her face. "I am so excited to find out my animal!"

Ron nodded from behind her. "I really hope that I'm something brilliant like a dragon or lion."

Hermione smiled at him. "A lion would suit you, Ron."

He grinned, the tops of his fears flushing. "So what's the plan?"

Harry offered the vegetables to Ron, who stole a cucumber slice and a chunk of cheese from the other plate. "Wait for the storm."

Zee smiled at them. "In the meantime, I'm making a Mexican dip for dinner. Harry, you can take those outside with you. I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

He beamed at her. "Thanks Zee." He kissed her cheek, making her smile fondly at him as he grabbed the vegetable tray and urged Ron to grab the one with cheese, meat, and crackers on it as the six of them headed outside.

Harry led the way up into his treehouse, putting the food tray on the floor and shoving Marauder off to prevent him from diving into the food. "No, Marauder, stay there."

Marauder whined until Ginny scratched his ears and then he rolled over onto his belly and stared at her adoringly as she and Luna began to rub his belly.

Ron smirked at the dog. "He's pathetic."

"Isn't he though?" Harry said with a laugh. "Complete attention whore."

"Where's Sirius at?" Ginny asked as she continued to rub Marauder's belly.

"He went to Hogwarts to talk to Pettigrew. I wanted to go, but he that said he had to do it alone," he told them, frowning.

Ron stared at him for a moment. "Did you talk to Sirius?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, we kind of had it out. There's no more secrets between us which I think is good."

Hermione nodded. "I figured that you must have when you showed up at my house this morning."

Ron's eyebrow rose. "You went to Hermione's house?"

Harry sighed. "Uncle Siri and I talked last night about everything; about his past and about what happened with the Time-Turner. Then he lectured me on how dangerous it was and how important it was for Hermione's parents to know the trouble that she was getting into. Then he pulled the parental card and we went over there and he told them all about it."

Hermione nodded. "They were really mad. I filled them in on everything after you left, Harry. I told them about the escaped Death Eaters, about Professor Lupin being a werewolf, the Chamber of Secrets, the Animagus Potion — everything. I'm grounded for two weeks or until my parents deem it acceptable. Dad only let me come today because it's for an academic reason, but as soon as the storm ends, I have to go home."

"That blows," Ron told her.

She shrugged. "I kind of deserve it. I haven't been honest with them and they don't deserve that. Speaking of parents, Zee is being very mother-ish, isn't she?"

Harry grinned. "I love her. She's… great and I like having her around. She's easy to talk to and she's…"

"Like a mum?" Hermione asked, smiling kindly at him.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, like a mum. I'm excited to stay with her grandparents this summer. I think that Uncle Sirius is a bit nervous about it, but after our talk, I think that he needs the little break as much as I do."

"What else did you and Sirius talk about?" Neville asked, stretching out on the bottom bunk bed and reaching for a chunk of cheese and yellow pepper.

Harry hopped up into the hammock, putting his arms behind his head rather casual like. "Honestly, everything. Before we talked though, Uncle Sirius took me to HQ for another FUVP meeting and we destroyed the ring."

"Ring?" Luna asked. "Is that the ring with the Deathly Hallows symbol on it? Daddy was telling me that Sirius had found something about the Hallows."

Harry nodded. "Er, kind of. I forgot that I haven't told you, Luna."

"That's okay, I'm easy to forget."

Ginny frowned. "Not true, Luna!"

Harry nodded. "Ginny's right. It's just that we often have these talks late at night in the Gryffindor common room and being that you're not a Gryffindor, you're not there."

He spent the next thirty minutes telling Luna all about the Horcruxes. She stared at him intently as Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny all chimed in to help him explain about them.

Luna nodded in understanding when he finished. "And the ring was one?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "But like your dad told you, there was this symbol on it, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows."

The sound of Zee knocking on the closed door of the treehouse startled them as she poked her head inside. "Sorry to interrupt, but the food's ready if you lot are hungry."

"Thanks, Zee." When she closed the door behind her, he turned to Luna. "I'll finish it later on, okay?"

Luna smiled at him. "Whenever you want to, Harry, that's fine."

They all headed back into the house to eat as Zee turned the Wireless on in the kitchen to listen to the weather. They were calling for an intense thunderstorm full of lightning to start in the next hour and the six of them grinned widely at each other.

Zee asked them to explain the Animagus process to her while they ate as she found it fascinating. Hermione took the lead, explaining how they had to brew the potion and how Neville had procured them the Mandrake leaves. She listened intently as they dipped the beefy, cheesy taco dip with nacho chips and added salsa and freshly diced tomatoes with sour cream.

The sky was starting to get dark as they finished dinner and Harry hurried to the window to peek out, his eyes wide.

"I think the storm is starting."

Zee smiled at them. "Go on then. If you guys need anything, I'll be in here."

Harry beamed at her and the six of them hurried back out into the treehouse. Harry stared at the box containing their potions. "The moment the storm ends, we can check it."

"The moment the first strike of lightning hits technically," Hermione corrected him.

Ron slapped his hands together. "Excellent."

Thunder quaked and Ginny jumped making Harry laugh so she threw a pillow at him before moving into the hammock to make herself comfortable.

Harry frowned from where he stood near the window. "Um, my spot?"

Ginny simply raised her eyebrow. "My spot now. You snooze, you lose!"

Ron grinned. "You did get up, mate."

Harry sighed and sat on the floor next to the hammock, rubbing his hands together. "Uncle Sirius said that we'll be able to see our animals, but we most likely won't be able to transform right away."

Ron frowned at that. "How long did it take them?"

"About two weeks. He said that we have to really concentrate on our animals."

"When we see the animal in our mind, should we share it?" Hermione asked, her eyes on her friends.

Neville bit his lip nervously. "I don't think that we should."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I agree with Neville," Luna said. She was stretched out on her stomach on the blanket. "I think that if only we know our animal, we can focus on it more, meditate on who we are meant to become without any outside sources influencing us."

Ron looked like he wanted to protest and then he shrugged. "You know what, that kind of makes sense."

Harry nodded. "It does. I don't know if Uncle Siri or my dad told each other about their animals before they changed."

Ginny shrugged. "I'm all right with keeping it a secret. I can't wait until I can become an animal! The first thing that I'm going to do is scare the crap out of Fred and George."

Ron laughed. "You would! Do you actually think that you'll become a ferocious animal? You're so tiny!"

Ginny glared at him. "Oh, tiny, am I, Ron? Do you want to see what I can do with my wand?"

Ron grimaced. "Er, I just meant if you're not a scary animal, they won't be afraid of you."

Ginny smirked at him. "Most people wouldn't consider me scary now, but you boys certainly ran when I Bat Bogeyed Fred over Christmas."

Ron paled. "Bill never should have taught you that spell."

Harry chuckled as the rain poured outside of the treehouse. "All right, so we're all in agreement then? Animals are a secret until we can fully change into them?"

Everyone nodded their acceptance as the strike of lightning lit up the yard.

Hermione took a slow breath and headed to the box, carefully lifting the lid as lightning struck a second time. Her smile widened as she looked inside. "All six of them are blood red in colour."

Harry grinned. "Excellent. That means that we did everything right!"

Hermione reached inside to hand each of them their respective potions, all initialed so that they knew which Mandrake soaked leaf sat in each potion. They grinned at each other and on the count of three, the six of them gulped back their mouthful of potion.

The description of a fiery pain was pretty accurate, Harry thought. It slid down his throat like a hot flaming torch, settling in his gut and bubbling like he had drank hot sauce straight from the bottle. He swallowed slowly, trying to fight the urge not to vomit as the potion seemed to boil in his gut and then suddenly there was a whooshing sound like a high wind rustling past his ear and then he heard it. The faint thump-thump, thump- thump, that was the double heartbeat.

He watched as the image passed through his mind, his animal running and leaping, its dark black and silver-white fur only highlighting the bright green eyes that he recognized as his own.

His eyes popped open and he grinned, focusing on the animal that he had just witnessed and he spoke quietly. "Amato Animo Animato Animagus," he repeated, focusing on the animal as he did so and listening to his friends recite the same incantation.

Once he repeated it, he focused again on the animal that he had seen and he tried to imagine what it would feel like to become that animal. But as Sirius had warned him, absolutely nothing happened.

He sighed and grinned at his friends who all looked as disappointed as he felt.

"Did you all see something?"

Hermione nodded, biting her bottom lip. "I did."

Ron grinned widely. "It's going to be fucking brilliant, mate!"

Hermione glanced outside. "The moment one of us shows any signs, we have to write!"

Harry nodded. "Agreed."

Ginny squealed and hugged Hermione. "I'm sad that you have to leave!"

"Me too," she admitted, hugging each of her friends in turn. "But the storm is ending and my parents will be furious if I'm late. Harry, will Zee Apparate me home again?"

Harry nodded as he hugged her goodbye. "Yeah, just tell her that it's time to go. As soon as I become my animal, I'll let you know."

She kissed his cheek and hurried outside.

Harry grinned at his friends. They were off to a great start and he couldn't wait to change into his animal.

He just hoped that it didn't take him too long to figure it out.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Yes, I'm making you wait to find out because I'm mean like that. And I thought it would be more fun if they all surprise each other with their animals. Don't you think?_

 _Thank you again for reading and please review. You're reviews are what give me life and to those that take the time to leave me a review after every chapter, you are GREATLY appreciated. Thank YOU!_


	148. Chapter 148

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer some reviews: I love facial hair on a guy, I think it is so sexy personally, but if you can't fully grow it yet and it's only patches on your neck - you gotta shave it off until it grows in properly lol. Animagus forms, well you do have to wait and maybe we guessed right, maybe we didn't._

 _Thank you to Wolf's scream for this little golden nugget - loved the phrase from the review eons ago back in chapter 134 so much that I had to find a way to add it in :)_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT:**

 **After Hermione left,** the five of them settled comfortably around the treehouse. Harry pulled out pop and fruit punch and Ron grabbed a bag of crisps from the shelf as they stretched out.

"So, now that we've drank the potion and have an idea of what our animals are, even though none of us have figured out how to change yet, what's next?"

Harry grinned. "We practice, Ron. Uncle Sirius says that we have to meditate and try to become one with our animals."

Ron looked skeptical at this. "Meditation? Really?"

Harry shrugged. "If we want to transform than yes. It's all about concentration and focus."

Ron sighed as he grabbed a handful of crisps. "Guess that makes sense. While we try to figure that out, want to finish telling us about the Deathly Hallows?"

Harry nodded, looking thoughtfully at his friends. "Mostly it's just a really cool story. At first when I heard it, I was worried that Voldemort would try to collect the Hallows which would make him the Master of Death, which sounds really ominous, but that's not the case at all. In fact, Dumbledore doesn't even think that he knows of their existence which is definitely good news. Also, I know where all of the Hallows are."

"So what are they?" Ginny asked, tugging one of the pillows out from behind her and cuddling it with her on her lap.

Luna moved to hop into the hammock next to Ginny and Harry stretched out on the air mattress on the floor, reaching for a handful of crisps from one of the bags that Ron had opened.

"You remember that Beedle story about the three brothers?"

Neville scratched his chin and nodded. "Yeah, that's a great one about how Death gives each brother a gift. I remember that Sirius even read it to us once right after my grandad died."

Harry nodded. "Well, I guess it's real."

Ron's eyes widened. "Death gave three brothers real gifts?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, I don't know if _Death_ actually provided them, but the magical items themselves are definitely real."

He filled them in on the story of the Peverell brothers and how each one carried a Hallow down the family lines. When he got to the part about the cloak, Ron's eyes widened.

"You _possess_ a Hallow?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I do. It makes the most sense that it's the original cloak as an invisibility cloak rarely lasts more than a decade or two and Uncle Siri says that he knows this cloak at least belonged to my grandfather and he was totally old already when he gave it my dad."

"Wicked," Neville said with a grin.

Ginny tilted her head, her brow furrowing. "And the Resurrection Stone in the ring was a Horcrux?"

"Yeah," Harry told her, going on to explain how Sirius had destroyed it with the Sword of Gryffindor.

"And Dumbledore really has the Elder Wand?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, he won it off of Grindelwald in 1945."

"Wow," Ron said.

"Anyway, long story short, three Horcruxes down and Uncle Sirius and I are doing a full examination of the Black vaults on Wednesday afternoon so, if the cup is one, we'll find it. Then it's just about discovering the last two. Moody thinks that it has to be something that belongs to either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw or both to keep to the theme. The problem with that is that the only two items that Gryffindor was known to have left behind were the sword and the Sorting Hat and neither one of those are available to be Horcruxes obviously. And no one really knows of anything that could have belonged to Ravenclaw."

"Well, there's the diadem," Luna said.

Ginny turned to look at her friend in surprise. "The lost diadem? Luna, no one has seen that in years, centuries even!"

Luna shrugged. "But you've stated that He Who Must Not Be Named found these objects of the founders that no one really knew existed. It makes sense that if he had heard about her diadem, he would try to find it."

Harry, who was lying on his back, head propped up on a pillow as he ate crisps, sat up. "How long has it been missing exactly?"

"Centuries," Ginny said. "That's why it's known as _the lost_ diadem."

Luna nodded. "True. It was said that whoever wore the diadem would be enhanced with wisdom."

"And what is a diadem exactly?" Ron asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"A tiara," Ginny supplied, looking at her brother. "Rowena Ravenclaw's statue wears it. It has a blue oval sapphire in the centre where it would rest just above one's forehead. Luna, I thought that you said that it was one of the mysteries of Ravenclaw House, that it went missing sometime before Ravenclaw died and that it hasn't been seen since?"

Luna nodded. "Well, yes, it has been missing since the time of the founders, but it could be a possibility!"

Harry frowned. "I appreciate the sentiment, Luna, but as it is quite lost, maybe it's not exactly what we're looking for."

"I'll ask Helena when we go back to school. She's quite nice and she might know of something else that belonged to Ravenclaw."

"Who's Helena?" Ron asked, looking bewildered.

"Lady Ravenclaw's daughter, of course."

Neville stared at Luna in confusion. "Isn't she, you know, dead?"

Luna only smiled kindly at him. "Of course, but should that deter one from speaking with her?"

Ginny shrugged and they all laughed.

Luna smiled. "She's the Grey Lady, Neville, you know, the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower. She's quite nice if you take the time to get to know her."

Harry lay back down and reached for some more crisps. "You do that, Luna, and let me know if you find anything else out. Uncle Siri and I will concentrate on Hufflepuff's Cup since we know that one is most definitely a Horcrux. And Luna, I don't think that I have to say it, but this is a secret, okay? You can't tell anyone outside of this room other than Hermione anything that I told you today."

"Your secrets are safe with me, Harry. Thank you for including me. If I do talk to Helena I will let you know."

"Thanks, Luna," Harry said with a smile. "For now, I think that we should just focus on becoming our Animagus forms."

Neville reached for another can of pop and yawned. "I can't wait until we figure out our animals. Now that I know that I'm not going to be a sloth, I can't wait to transform!"

Ron grinned. "You thought that you were going to be a sloth?"

Neville shrugged. "Nah, I just hoped I wasn't."

Harry laughed. "I like the idea of keeping it a secret. I hope I've figured mine out by the time that Uncle Rem gets released from Azkaban. I want to be able to show him and maybe even spend the full moon with him in my animal form."

"That will still take a while, Harry," Ginny told him. "Remember you told us that it still took over a year for your dad and Sirius to be fully transformed enough to hang out with him. It's a slow process."

Harry nodded. "I know. I just want the basics for when he gets out and to surprise him. He doesn't even know that I'm learning." He took a drink of his own pop before turning to look at Neville. "How's your Gran been, Nev? I mean, is she mad about what happened?"

Neville shrugged. "A bit, yeah. She said that I was foolish, but incredibly brave and that she's proud of me. But she also made me promise not to scare her like that again. She was really proud of Sirius too. She said that he's quite the sight to behold in the Wizengamot and that he has a presence that reminds her of his grandfather. She was telling me that Arcturus Black had the same charisma and political savvy that Sirius holds in the assembly, but she claims that Sirius is more of a 'disruptive influence'. She says having him there is pure gold."

"He seems to like it," Harry admitted. "And I know that I was mad at him originally for getting Uncle Remus to go to Azkaban, but I know now that if he hadn't done anything, he could be spending years in there; if they had even managed to stop his execution at all. He likes it and he's good at it. He put a hold on Umbridge's bill anyway, but he says that she still hasn't brought it up again either."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Ginny asked.

Harry shook his head. "Yes, and no. She still needs it to be officially voted on before it can be passed or tossed, but if she hasn't presented it forward, it's kind of just floating out there in the atmosphere. Plus, the Minister of Magic said that she was going to be investigated due to what happened with Uncle Remus, but I don't know … it sounds like she's going to get away with it because she was doing her job just, you know, wrong."

Ginny helped herself to some of the crisps and passed the bag over to Luna. "Maybe she's waiting for when you guys are in Georgia. I mean, maybe she'll try to present it when Sirius isn't there to fight it?"

Harry frowned at that. "It would be smart of her, but Uncle Siri doesn't plan on missing the session. He said that he's going to set up an international portkey to come back for it. I don't think that he wants to risk the chance of that happening either."

"Smart man," Ron said. "You're going to Georgia for sure then?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I am. Zee told me that we're leaving on the eighteenth of July. We'll be gone for three weeks."

"Will you be back in time for the World Cup?"

"Yeah, we'll be back a few days before Ginny's birthday. Are you going?"

"I wish," Ron said under his breath. "You?"

"I'm hoping," Harry told him. "Uncle Siri hasn't said anything about it since his initial thought on trying to get tickets."

They spoke some more about their summer plans. Luna turned on the record player at some point and sometime after midnight, the five of them had moved into their respective beds and gone to sleep.

 **It was after midnight when Sirius returned and he smiled when he found Zee curled up in the armchair in the living room,** Lady Godiva stretched out beneath her feet. She was sleeping, a book open in her lap and he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

She made a soft mewling sound and opened her eyes. "Sirius?"

Sirius moved into the chair, shifting her so that she was half on his lap, half in the chair and he wrapped his arms around her. "Hey," he said, kissing her softly.

Zee snuggled into his arms. "How'd it go?"

"I don't know, as well as can be expected I guess. He's locked down at headquarters for now."

"Do you think that he knows more?"

"I honestly have no idea," he admitted. "What he told us … he might just know who more of the Death Eaters are. He might not know anything else. But what he did tell us was extremely disturbing."

Zee nodded, turning her head to nuzzle his neck. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

He shook his head and kissed her lips. "Not even a little bit," he admitted. "How were the kids?"

"Fine. They drank their potion and they all saw an animal which is very good news. I took Hermione home after that. Her mother wasn't too pleased that her father let her come over; apparently she's grounded and Mrs Granger did not agree with her husband that this was academic enough for her to get out of being grounded. I hope that she's not in too much trouble. Anyway, they've all decided not to share their forms with anyone and surprise each other. I left them to their own devices outside."

Sirius nodded, glancing out the window at the darkened treehouse. "They had enough beds and everything?"

"Yes. Ginny and Luna were sleeping on the air mattress, Ron and Neville in the bunk beds and Harry in the hammock. I said goodnight to them around ten and they were all talking and listening to records."

Sirius nodded. "Good, good."

Zee was quiet for a moment. "How bad was it?"

He let out a slow breath. "Bad. Let's just say that we know what happened to Novak's wife and it's not pleasant."

"She's dead then? The Auror's pregnant wife?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, she's not, but trust me, she wishes she was."

Zee paled a little at that. "You're right, I don't want to know."

He kissed her forehead. "What we do know is that Voldemort is now in the body of a child and that he needs constant care until he gets a ritual together to give him back his body. Pettigrew said that it won't be for months yet, if not close to a year, as there are a lot of important key ingredients needed and that Voldemort has to do things in preparation for it as well. He claims that the only thing he does know is that one of the ingredients was supposed to be flesh of the servant and that he was to willingly sacrifice part of himself to help give Voldemort back a body. I almost lost it when he said that," he admitted.

"I think that he does know more than he's saying. It's a good choice to keep him imprisoned at least for now. You can always give him over to the Aurors when you feel the time is right."

"True. Kreacher has agreed to keep an eye on him, which is good. Once we settled him in, we tried to talk to him again, made him go over everything that's happened since he escaped Azkaban. Most we knew and it sounds like they didn't really trust him that much either and they kept him imprisoned until they needed him." He kissed her again. "Come up to bed with me."

"Sirius," she said with a smile. "You have five teenagers outside in the treehouse."

"Uh-huh."

"My own bed is probably the better choice."

Sirius' grip tightened on her and she laughed. "Stay with me."

She smiled against his chest. "Me sleeping in your bed is not going to happen tonight."

Sirius summoned the blanket over from the sofa and wrapped it around both of them. "Stay here."

Zee kissed him softly, a soft smile on her face. "Alright, we'll stay right here."

He smiled as she snuggled into him and he closed his eyes. This was exactly what he needed.

 **Harry woke up suddenly a few hours later,** unsure as to what had woken him and he blinked around the room. Ron and Neville each were in a bunk, snoring loudly. Ginny and Luna were on the air mattress under the big pile of blankets on the other side of the room. He reached for his glasses from the floor, trying not to fall out of the hammock as he stood up and stretched. He snuck outside quietly, moving up to where the deck of the ship was and sat next to the pirate's wheel, his legs dangling over the side as Marauder moved to lie next to him, his head resting on Harry's knee.

It had cooled down a bit after the storm and he shivered in the night, looking up at the stars as he scratched Marauder behind the ears. He wondered what Remus was thinking about and if he could see the stars from his cell, but the thought made him sad. It was only a few minutes later when he heard movement and he turned to see Ginny coming over. She was wrapped in a big blanket as she sat next to him.

Harry opened her blanket and shifted under it as they both leaned back on their elbows to look up at the stars, feet dangling over the edge of the treehouse and Marauder sprawled out next to them. The feel of her lying next to him was comforting and it made him feel safe.

They lay there quietly for the longest time in comfortable silence until Harry finally spoke.

"Uncle Siri told me everything yesterday. About his childhood and how his parents treated him. It was just … awful."

"He trusts you," Ginny said quietly.

Harry smiled at her. "He gave me a Pensieve for my birthday. It was an early gift. And a chest full of memories, almost a hundred of them."

"Memories?"

"Of my parents mostly. We watched a few. My dad was singing to me in one and another one he was embarrassing himself trying to ask out my mum. He wrote really terrible poetry and everything. And I mean bad poetry, Gin; not something sweet like that my mum's eyes were as green as a fresh pickled toad."

Ginny elbowed him. "Prat."

He smirked at her, turning on his side to look at her. "No really, seeing them so young and carefree like that; knowing how much it took to get them together and then for them to just be killed … watching the memories just made my heart burst, but also made me really sad."

Ginny tucked her hair behind her ear, turning to look at him, pulling the blanket with her around her shoulder. "You're allowed to feel both, Harry. They're your parents and you never were given the chance to know them. It makes sense that watching memories of them would be painful for you."

"I don't want it to be."

She smiled at him. "You can't help how you feel."

He only nodded, her brown eyes twinkling at him. "What are you going to do this summer?

"I don't know yet," she said. "Do some night flying when Mum is asleep as she still thinks that flying is not suitable for a young lady."

Harry rolled his eyes. "How do you think she's going to react when she finds out what a good flyer her daughter is?"

Ginny shrugged. "Hopefully that won't be for a while as I enjoy my night flying. Um … I usually help Mum do some cooking and canning at the beginning of the summer. Charlie will be coming to stay for a bit, he wrote to me and said that he's in England now, but that he's spending time with Tonks. It sounds like she's a little lost at the moment."

"She is," Harry told her. "She was completely devastated by Remus being imprisoned and she was suspended from work for two weeks so she's been a little aimless on top of it. I'm going to make sure that I spend some time with her soon. I think that she could use the distraction."

Ginny nodded. "I'm glad Charlie came to stay with her then, it sounds like she needs a friend. I think I convinced Theo to come stay at The Burrow for a bit, or at least to stop by before he goes to Malfoy's. He told me that he would take lots of pictures of Italy to share with me."

Harry frowned. "Ginny, Theo's a nice enough bloke, but I don't think that you should be spending so much time with him."

"Why?"

"Well … he's a Slytherin for one."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "That doesn't automatically make him bad."

"No, but he … you just shouldn't hang out with him is all. You should spend more time with Luna."

"I plan too," Ginny told him. "And Colin. But I also want to see Theo. I like him. He's fun and he makes me laugh. Plus we're in the Insomniacs Club together."

Harry grinned at the mentioning of their little club. "But he's not good for you. He's friends with Malfoy and I know that he seems nice, but … I don't know if we can really trust him and I don't think that it's a good idea for you to be alone with him. If you keep spending time with him in the middle of the night people are going to talk."

"Because he's a boy?"

"Exactly!"

"I'm alone with you right now in the middle of the night," she pointed out.

"That's different," Harry protested.

"How?"

"It just is!" He said, his voice rising a little before he lowered it again. "I think he likes you as more than a friend."

Ginny laughed, it bubbling up inside of her so quickly that it surprised him. "No, he doesn't."

Harry frowned. "What? You think I'm wrong? He's a bloke, Gin, and you … I mean, you're, you know … and if you spend time with him late at night like that he's going to … expect things."

Ginny giggled and rolled onto her back. "Harry, trust me, Theo's not like that."

"I think I know what I'm talking about, Gin."

Ginny shook her head, her eyes twinkling in delight. "No, you really don't. And I appreciate the sentiment, Harry, but I already have six older brothers and I don't need another one. If I want to snog a bloke, I will."

"I just don't want him to take advantage of you is all."

"And that's really sweet of you, Harry," she told him with a smile. "But if Theo was going to take advantage of anyone it would be you, not me."

Harry frowned. "What?"

"He thinks that you have a great butt."

Harry blushed, looking more confused than ever. "What?"

"Theo's gay, Harry. I thought you knew."

Harry stared at her for a minute. "No, I - that's why he was asking me about Cornfoot!"

Ginny giggled. "He snogged him ages ago! He said that he was decent snog, but he couldn't make up his mind if he wanted to be with boys or girls so Theo dumped him. He was hoping to meet someone at Mrs Zabini's party."

Harry stared at her. "Theo likes blokes?"

"Yes. He's hardly going to take advantage of me."

"Well, I …" Harry trailed off, at a loss for words and Ginny smiled at him.

"I think it's sweet that you were worried though," she said kindly before she elbowed him in the gut. "But I can snog whoever I want, so butt out!"

Harry frowned at that. "I didn't mean - well - _wait, snog who_?"

Ginny simply smirked at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She sat up, stretching her arms up over her head, her long red hair tumbling over her shoulders and down her back. "I'm going back to bed, you okay out here?"

Harry nodded, looking out at the trees. "Yeah, I'm fine. Ginny?" She turned to look at him and he sighed. "Thanks."

She smiled at him. "Anytime."

When her red hair disappeared below into the treehouse, he frowned again. Theo was gay? Ginny was snogging blokes? He wasn't sure when his world had suddenly flipped topsy turvy, but apparently everything was changing and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about this new development.

He put his arms behind his head, staring up at the stars and instead thought about his animal, the dark black and silver-white fur, the hints of chestnut scattered throughout the body. He tried to imagine what it would feel like, to be the animal, to feel himself changing into that form and when he felt a tingling sensation on his forearm, he bolted upright. His left arm had sprouted dark fur, soft to the touch.

He concentrated harder, trying to make the fur spread and felt it on his neck. He grinned widely, excitement radiating through him, but no matter how hard he focused, nothing else happened. After almost forty minutes, he was starting to get incredibly frustrated. He hadn't managed to do anything else nor could he get rid of the fur that he had managed. He checked his watch and saw that it was almost four in the morning, but he made his way down from the treehouse and into the house.

He stopped when he entered the living room and saw his godfather asleep in the big armchair with Zee cuddled in his lap, both of them buried under a large blanket. He was glad that she had stayed with him, he thought. He tiptoed over, nodding at Lady Godiva who looked up at the sight of him.

"Uncle Siri," he whispered, not wanting to wake up Zee.

Sirius' head nuzzled further into Zee's hair.

"Uncle Siri!" He said a bit louder.

Sirius jolted and opened his eyes, looking around. He caught sight of Harry and nodded sleepily. "Prongslet?"

"I need you. Come upstairs."

Sirius nodded, shifting a sleeping Zee into the chair and covering her in the blanket. She let out a soft sigh and snuggled into the warmth of the cushions, but didn't wake up as Sirius followed Harry upstairs.

Harry closed his bedroom door behind Sirius and turned on the light, holding out his left arm. "I'm stuck."

Sirius rubbed his tired eyes and yawned. "You're what now?"

Harry shook his arm in front of his godfather and Sirius' eyes widened.

"You have fur! You did it!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't! I can't get past this and I can't get rid of the fur!"

Sirius chuckled at the frustration in Harry's voice and took his son's arm, leading him over to his bed to sit down. He took a seat next to him, holding Harry's wrists in his hands. "This is unbelievable progress, Harry! It took me a week to even get fur and you just drank the potion last night!" He touched the soft fur with a smile. "Will you tell me what your animal is?"

Harry shook his head. "I want it to be a surprise."

Sirius smiled. "Alright, I suppose that's fair." He looked into his eyes as he spoke. "You have to get rid of it yourself. The fur is part of you, part of the animal that you are. It's not about turning into an animal, it's about changing into the animal that is part of you. You are both man and animal. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded. "I've been trying for almost an hour, Uncle Siri, and I can't get the fur to spread any further or to disappear."

Sirius touched Harry's chin, tilting it up to look at the line of fur around his godson's neck. "You did well though for a bit of fur on your first try. When I sprouted fur the first time, it took me four hours to change back. I know that it's frustrating, but you can do this. Focus on what you want your arms to look like. Think of your own skin; the soft dark hairs that are there, the scars, the cuts, the freckles, think of your own arms. I want you to focus on them. I know you've already done that, but I want you to do it again. Don't think about the fur, don't think about changing into an animal, I want you to think of your skin. Picture it in your mind."

Harry let out a slow breath, closing his eyes. He did as Sirius asked, thinking of his skin. "It's not working!"

"Harry, just listen to me and try it. Be calm and focus."

He sighed and closed his eyes again, trying to focus on his godfather's words as he let out a long slow breath. He pictured his arm, the small scar near his elbow from the Bludger almost two years ago; the two freckles near the scar; the soft arm hair that lightly adorned his skin and finally he felt the familiar tingling sensation and the fur disappeared from his arm and his neck simultaneously causing him to let out a sigh of relief.

Sirius was grinning at him when he opened his eyes. "Told you."

"I made fur!" He exclaimed, grinning widely.

"I saw that. I'm incredibly impressed, Harry. With that progress you might change into your animal a lot sooner than expected. And you are definitely too hairy to have been a stag."

Harry grinned. "I'm not telling."

Sirius draped an arm over his shoulders. "Alright, alright, I'll be surprised. Good job, Harry, I'm so proud of you! Everyone saw their animal?"

He nodded. "Yeah. We all decided not to share until we can see it for ourselves."

"That's a great idea," Sirius told him. "I don't remember if I told you, but once you do master the animal, you are going to appear as a baby animal."

Harry looked confused. "A baby animal?"

"Yeah," Sirius told him. "It surprised us too. Prongs was the first one to transform and we were all pretty surprised when a little fawn fell out of his bed one day. I was a little puppy and Pete a baby rat. With each practiced transformation, we grew into our animals. Like I said, it takes a lot of work."

Harry nodded, yawning. "I'm willing to put in the work."

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "Good man." He stifled his own yawn. "Come on; let's get back to our beds. I for one could use a few more hours of shut eye."

"Why are you and Zee sleeping in the armchair?"

Sirius smiled at him. "She was too embarrassed to stay over with all of your friends here; thought it was unseemly. I convinced her to stay with me in the chair."

Harry smiled at that. "I like having her here."

"Me too," he admitted, grinning. "Now go on, back to the treehouse and get some sleep. Don't leave your friends out there all alone."

Harry grinned and jumped up. "Goodnight, Uncle Sirius and thanks."

Sirius smiled back. "You're welcome."

He watched Harry hurry out of the bedroom and stifled another yawn. Barely twelve hours after drinking the potion and Harry had already contracted fur, yeah he was pretty damn impressed, he thought. He used the washroom before he headed back downstairs, carefully inserting himself back into the armchair and pulling Zee back into his arms and his lap. She murmured in her sleep, but didn't wake up and he nuzzled his face into her neck and her hair, the scent of cinnamon and vanilla comforting him and he was asleep in minutes, the panther sleeping at their feet.

 **After his friends left the next morning,** all of them jealous over the fact that Harry had managed to sprout fur, Sirius filled him in on his talk with Peter. He spoke only of the upcoming ritual that Voldemort was trying to perform, deciding to leave the gorier aspects out of the story. He explained how Kreacher was keeping his eye on Peter at Number Twelve and that he would be staying there for the foreseeable future.

Zee had already left for work and Sirius spent the rest of the morning working with Harry on his Animagus transformation. To Harry's delight, he managed to get fur on both of his arms and part of his chest. After lunch, Sirius told him that he wanted to work on the 1929 Motosacoche M414. He had finally finished the Adler and Ducati to his liking and was itching to get started on another bike. Harry left him to his own devices and told him that he was going to Remus' cottage to see Tonks.

Harry used the Floo to get there, stepping out into the living room, surprised to see the changes. The former gold room had been painted an off-white and the dark oak of the wooden ceiling accenting Remus' warm brown leather sofa. The old sofa had been made to look new with bright throw pillows in white, pink and blue. The honeyed hardwood floor had a large white berber area carpet that covered most of the living room floor and under the coffee table was a bright pink fluffy rug that punched the colour into the room. The one wall was covered in dark brown picture frames showcasing photos of Remus and his parents; the Marauders; Remus and Harry; Tonks, Ted and Andy; and Remus and Tonks.

The circular coffee table in the centre of the rug had a white marble top, framed in dark brown and glass with a few of Remus' favourite books scattered across the bottom. The big wooden shelf was against another wall, full of books, with a new big white suede armchair with bright pink and bright blue pillows. The old television and VCR sat on a dark brown table across from the couch.

He found Charle in the kitchen, which had been newly painted in a soft, but bright green. The dark green, white, and black backsplash on the one wall with the stainless steel appliances looked great with the off white cabinets and ceiling and the honeyed brown hardwood that was in every room of the house except the bathroom. The kitchen had been completely remodelled and Harry almost didn't recognize it. Charlie was putting away green dishes in the cupboard when Harry walked in.

"Hi Charlie, the place looks great."

Charlie turned to smile at him. "Hi Harry. I have to agree. The colours they chose really work. Tonks is in the bedroom."

Harry nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "How is she?"

Charlie made a so-so gesture with his hand. "Unpacking and settling in is helping. I let her take me shopping yesterday which was absolute torture. Do you have any idea how many different kinds of china there are? Five hours, Harry, five! In the end, she chose this simple, but tasteful green stoneware dinner set."

Harry grinned. "Sounds fun."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Not. But it kept her occupied and it kept her busy which has been my goal." He nodded towards the kitchen table. "She also picked out that green and white striped table liner. That bowl belonged to Remus' mother, I guess."

"Yeah, it did," Harry said, eyeing the white and oddly shaped bowl with green vines painted around the edges. "I think she made it. This table was here too."

"It matches the kitchen well. Everything was painted and done, but the bathroom renovation was finally finished on Friday. Tonks is just finishing up the final touches on their bedroom. The bed was just delivered this morning and then she just has to finish settling in. But the place is done."

"I'm glad. Uncle Rem was really looking forward to living with her."

Charlie nodded towards the bedroom. "She's in there."

Harry left Charlie in the kitchen and turned to head to the master bedroom at the back of the house. He walked into the room, smiling at the two white walls and the two bright teal walls, the large king-sized four poster sleigh bed that now sat in the middle of the room resting against one teal wall, the big window on the left side. A teal and silver duvet covered the bed with white, teal, silver and black throw pillows. A black faux fur blanket draped diagonally over the end of the bed. The silver bed curtains were tied back with a teal and black knotted rope. Two tall dressers, one on either side of the room. The honeyed hardwood was covered in one large white area rug with silver stripes.

A large ornate mirror with a black frame covered part of one white wall with small framed art photos in black and white of a forest taken in each season. Harry recognized the trees as belonging to the Welsh forest behind Remus' cottage. There was a picture of Remus and Tonks from Christmas of last year framed on the nightstand.

"Tonks, it looks amazing in here! You did a great job."

She smiled at him from where she was folding her clothes and carefully inserting them into the dresser and hanging them in the closet. "It does, doesn't it? I wanted bright colours."

"They look great. Uncle Rem is barely going to recognize the place. This room alone looks way better than it did. I like the bed."

She smiled. "Yes, he will. It's just some new paint and a new bed. The dressers are new too, but Rem and I took those photos on the wall; the leather couch out there isn't new, nor is the bookshelf. I bought the frames for all of his photos as he never hangs them. The kitchen was completely remodelled, but that was what he insisted on. You know I don't cook so I could care less, but he wanted all state of the art stainless steel appliances. We chose the green to match that bowl his mum made in her pottery class. Sorry, I'm rambling."

"I like the pink rug in the living room," Harry told her. "It's totally you and you're not rambling."

She chuckled. "I had it in my flat and I was going to throw it away, but the pink pillows looked so good on the sofa, I thought that I would just lay it out on the white carpet beneath the coffee table and see and it just popped; made the room so much brighter. Have you seen the bathroom yet? Other than the kitchen, it's the most changed."

Harry shook his head as he followed her into the bathroom.

"We made it bigger as you can see, just took out that wall of wasted space at the end of the hall and made it into the bathroom. The shower has six shower heads, two on each wall and it's absolutely heavenly when you shower. One of the blokes at work was talking about it and I thought how great it would be for Remus to have that, especially after a full moon, how good the water would feel on his aching body. He doesn't know about this, it's … well, I just had it done on Friday."

Harry smiled at her. "He's going to love it."

She smiled back and scratched her nose. "We kept the big clawfoot tub just moved it over here and as you can see, the black and white swirl marble tile gives a nice touch to the navy backsplash. Everything is trimmed in white."

"It looks really good, Tonks."

She took his arm and tugged him into the smaller bedroom where a double bed was, a dresser, a nightstand and the walls covered in Quidditch posters. "I repainted in here last week. I kept the same grey, I just wanted to spruce it up a bit. Just because I'm moving in here doesn't mean anything, Harry. This will always be your room and you can come over and stay whenever you want."

"What about when you make me a godfather?"

She blushed, "That is not going to be happening any time soon so you just shush, this is your room."

He kissed her cheek. "Can I stay in my room tonight?"

Tonks only raised her eyebrow. "Why? I don't need a babysitter, Harry."

He shrugged, grinning at her. "I was thinking more along the lines of a movie night?"

Tonks smiled at him. "Are you checking up on me, Harry Potter?"

Harry grinned. "Me? I would never. What do you say?"

Tonks smiled brightly at him. "That sounds perfect, on one condition."

Harry merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I want to watch movies with lots of explosions and action. I want nothing that will make me cry and nothing that's too happy, got it?"

"Like I'd choose anything else," he said making her laugh.

Tonks beamed at him. "And you'll cook?"

Harry only rolled his eyes. "Do you think that I'm going to let you try to cook in that brand new kitchen?"

"Okay listen here, smart-ass, this is my house now too!"

"Exactly and I'm sure that Uncle Rem would like it to still be standing when he comes home."

Tonks simply gave him the finger and he laughed.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _I wanted to make the cottage a nice mix of Tonks and Remus. I hope I established that. Hope you enjoyed this one :D_


	149. Chapter 149

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _Thank you to Steel for this fun little add in with the puppy._

 _Thank you to my awesome friend Heather for letting me ramble about my story and for giving me some pointers on sentence structure (ironic, I know). Maybe one day she'll even finish reading this story LOL!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE:**

 **Harry had helped Tonks unpack the rest of her things as Charlie finished up the kitchen.** He went home to get a change of clothes and some toiletries, telling Sirius that he was going to hang out with Tonks for the night, before returning to Remus' cottage. Charlie said goodbye and made his way to The Burrow, telling Tonks that he would check in again on Wednesday. She only rolled her eyes at him and hugged him as she shooed him off.

Harry convinced Tonks to head into town after he left and they bought some food for the night (Tonks requested chicken and steak tacos along with an assortment of snacks) before they headed to the video store. They ended up with five action packed films for the night: _Die Hard, The Terminator, Lethal Weapon, Batman, Beverly Hills Cop,_ and _007: The Living Daylights._ They headed back to the cottage and Tonks put the movies in the living room before she followed Harry into the new kitchen.

Tonks watched in fascination as Harry grilled the chicken and the steak, adding the peppers and onions and the taco seasoning with a little bit of garlic, oregano, and steak spice. "You really are getting awfully good at this."

He grinned at her, putting her in charge of shredding the cheese. "It's not hard. I like it. It's kind of therapeutic, plus, you get to eat it when you're done, so bonus."

Tonks wrinkled her nose. "I've burned water."

"That's impossible!"

"Okay, so I didn't actually burn the water, but it boiled over all over the burner and then the kitchen smelt awful and it was a mess! By the time I actually added the pasta noodles, which turned out to be a mushy mess by the way, I knew that cooking wasn't for me."

He smirked at her. "But you can make really great brownies."

She blushed. "If I tell you this, you have to promise never to tell Remus?"

Harry merely lifted an eyebrow. "Okay?"

She bit the side of her lip as she grinned widely. "I practiced making brownies over and over when I was young because I knew how much Remus loved chocolate. And now, making those brownies for him is just an extra bonus because he loves them so much."

Harry grinned. "Sneaky."

She shrugged. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, Harry." She smiled at him as she shredded cheese. "Speaking of girls, anyone new for you since Cho?"

He blushed a little and shook his head. "No. I mean, there was this snog session after we won the Cup with Sophie but, it was nothing. After everything that happened, just … no."

"There will be more girls don't you worry."

He shrugged. "And you?"

"What about me? I don't like girls, I have Remus."

He rolled his eyes. "How are you really doing?"

Tonks didn't answer him. She continued to shred cheese for a long moment in silence and Harry thought that maybe she wasn't going to before she let out a long slow sigh. "I miss him. The thought of him being locked away in that place just … the Dementors bothered him at Hogwarts, Harry, and they really brought forth some of his nightmares about his early transformations. He sometimes even still dreams about that night when Greyback snuck into his bedroom and attacked him. I just wish that I could be there with him to help guide him through them. I hate that he's there all alone."

"What about you?"

"I'm not wallowing," she said. "Charlie told me to woman up and he was right. Crying did nothing. I'm grateful that he helped pull me out of my slump and get me to finish this place up and move in. I officially don't have a flat anymore as of yesterday morning. But … I don't really want to stay here by myself either."

Harry nodded. "Come stay with me and Uncle Siri. You'd be more than welcome."

She smiled. "I know and my parents have offered as well. I'll think about it. I just might … I might sleep in your bedroom here until he comes home. It's a brand new bed and it only just arrived today and I don't want to stay in it without him. That makes me sound like a child afraid to be alone, but I don't."

Harry smiled at her. "No, it doesn't." He finished sautéing the vegetables and turned to her, nudging her lightly and making her smile. "You're the best big sister that I could ever have asked for and if you don't want to sleep alone in the bed that you are meant to share with someone else, there's nothing to be ashamed of about that. You're a badass Auror, remember? You can do whatever the hell you want."

Tonks pouted and tugged him into a tight hug. "You're not so bad yourself, mister, cooking for me and offering to watch some action movies. You're trying to take care of me and that's sweet."

"Maybe I just missed you," he told her, smiling when she kissed his cheek.

"Maybe I missed you too." She pulled back and nodded towards the meat he was grilling. "But I'm also starving so get back to work."

Harry laughed and did as he was told. "Bossy much?"

"Only to my little brother," she said, making him grin.

She was going to be fine, he thought. But in the meantime, he was going to make himself available in case she needed him and he knew that Sirius would do the same.

 **By the time Wednesday came around,** Harry had managed to spread the fur across seventy-five percent of his body. He had even succeeded in giving himself a rather interesting looking tail which had been quite difficult to hide from Sirius, but he changed it back quick enough and let out a sigh of relief. He had also heard from Ginny, who herself had managed to sprout fur on her arms and legs. It had taken her two hours to change it back much to Ron's amusement. Ron hadn't changed anything yet. Luna had apparently sprouted ears, but no fur. Hermione had managed a snout and fur along her neck and Neville, like Ron, hadn't quite pulled anything off yet. From the tips that he had heard from his friends, he was getting very curious as to what their animals were going to be.

That afternoon, he and Sirius made their way to Diagon Alley for their appointment at _Gringotts_ and Harry found himself to be a little nervous. The goblin Bogrod led them down to the Black Family Vaults and Harry was surprised to learn that there were ten vaults in total belonging to the Black family. Sirius explained each one as they walked past: Black-Tonks vault; Black-Malfoy vault; Black-Potter vault 1-2; Black vaults 1-3; Black-Rosier Vault; Black-Lestrange vault; and the Black artefact vault.

Bogrod led them straight to the Black-Lestrange vault, which to Harry's surprise and amazement was guarded by a dragon, and opened the lock. Harry followed Sirius inside curiously. The vault itself was crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armour, the skins of strange creatures - some with long spines, others with drooping wings - potions in jewelled flasks, and a skull still wearing a crown. The sight of it made Harry swallow and Sirius nodded at him.

"A lot of dark magic in my family, Harry, remember that."

"The skins?"

Sirius scoffed at them. "Hunters. At one time they used to be displayed in Black Manor, I've seen photos. Now they are kept for the value of them."

"Why would anyone want that?"

Sirius shrugged. "Not exactly my decorating taste either, but to each their own." He turned to look at Bogrod. "You can wait outside of the vault; my son and I will let you know when we've finished our examination."

The goblin looked like he wanted to protest, but he moved back out into the underground cavern to wait for them.

Sirius let out a slow breath. "Alright, so we're looking for a golden cup with two handles. Be careful of everything in here, Harry. With members of my family, you never know what's safe to touch and what isn't."

Harry nodded and moved in the opposite direction of Sirius to explore the vault. He shifted through chests of rubies and emeralds, diamonds and sapphires; jewels so beautiful that they looked like they should belong on royalty. He found goblets and plates made of solid gold; portraits of people that he didn't recognize; marble statues and elephant tusks. Another chest was full of gorgeous ball gowns and dress robes while others were full of Galleons. The sight of the riches made him shake his head.

"How does she own _all of this_ when she's been imprisoned?"

Sirius scratched his chin, turning to look back at his son. "Her father didn't do anything about it when she went to Azkaban. This was her vault and her share of the Black family wealth and as the eldest daughter of Cygnus Black, she was given a lot of the family artefacts both Black and Rosier. When she married Lestrange, she didn't move her things into her husband's vault, which was smart, because the Lestrange vaults of both brothers were emptied by the Ministry of Magic when they were arrested."

"The Ministry can do that?"

"Sometimes. Both brothers were arrested and the families they injured or worse were compensated as best as possible. Rabastan and Rodolphus were both sent to prison for multiple life sentences and their wealth was distributed accordingly. Their father did nothing to prevent it as it was their private vaults. Bellatrix's vault would have also qualified, but the Black holdings on her vault kept it under her father's control and when he died, it fell under mine," Sirius explained. "As Lord Black, I am in charge of everyone who has Black blood, at least until Draco comes of age. I signed everything over to him a long time ago to carry on the title of Viscount of Falmouth and to be in control of most of the Black holdings."

"Why?" Harry asked, looking at his godfather in surprise.

"Well, I didn't want it for one. Putting him in charge of it all takes all the pressure off of me. I will still hold the title of Lord Black; still have authority to take my seat in the Wizengamot and still control Black properties and finances that are directly under my name. He will have the title and I distributed most of the wealth to him and Tonks. They are the two heirs to the Black fortune, though Draco will not have access to his until he is of age. I also gave quite a lot of the Black wealth to you, but being a Potter, I thought that you didn't need the responsibility of the Black family to befall you as well."

"Will I have a lot of responsibility in the Potter family?" Harry asked, a look of bewilderment on his face.

Sirius smiled. "Yes, and no. The Potters were an old pureblood family, respected, but known to be blood traitors. You will of course, have the Potter family seat in the Wizengamot which you can claim if you wish to when you turn twenty-one. But mostly it's just wealth and properties that all belong to you, not to mention the royalties that consistently add to your wealth due to your grandfather's invention of _Sleekeazy's Hair Potion_. I've told you before, Harry, you have enough money to never work a day in your life, but I would hope that you find something meaningful to do with your life one day. I wanted to be Auror when I was your age, but it never happened. I was busy fighting a war and I felt that was more important than trying to go through Auror training and then I went to prison and when I came out, nothing was more important than you. Now that desire to be an Auror is gone. I love working on my bikes and working with the Hogwarts Board of Governors and the now with the Wizengamot. That's more than enough for me. But I hope that one day, you find a career that's everything that you could ever want."

Harry nodded, smiling at his godfather. "Like maybe a professional Quidditch player?"

Sirius grinned. "Like maybe a professional Quidditch player, yes." He ruffled Harry's hair and let out a slow sigh. "Alright, let's get back to looking around."

"We should get rid of all of this stuff," Harry told him. "Even if she is on the run, she could still access her vault and this would give her a lot of power."

Sirius nodded. "I agree with you. Let's find the cup first and then we'll speak to Bogrod about changing the vault."

Harry turned to keep looking and his eyes drifted over the tall armoire and then flickered back. Sitting on the top, right in the middle, was a small golden cup. "Uncle Sirius!" He exclaimed, pointing to the top. "Above the armoire!"

Sirius turned and grinned. "Good eye, Harry!" He moved towards the armoire, pulling out a stool to reach up on top of it. He grabbed the golden cup with his hand and winced, tugging it down so hard it fell to the floor with a loud clang. "Don't pick it up!"

Harry only nodded, stopping mid-motion. He watched as Sirius pulled his tee shirt off, wrapping it around the cup and picking it up.

"There's some form of protection it," he said, looking at the cup. "It burned my skin when I touched it. This is definitely it."

"How can you be sure?" Harry asked. "You said it yourself, lots of stuff in here could be cursed with dark magic."

Sirius moved the cup closer to Harry. "Can't you feel it? I can feel the darkness pushing in my on my mind, almost as if the Dementors are near."

Harry shivered and winced when his head throbbed over his scar as if being near the object was enough to hurt him. "Yeah, I can feel it."

Sirius wrapped the cup up fully and tucked it away into Harry's book bag. "We got another one, Harry."

Harry grinned at him. "Two more to go!"

Sirius' eyes lingered on his son's scar for a moment he nodded. "Two more to go."

They met Bogrod outside of the vault and Sirius ordered the entire vault to become the Black Family Vault number four, effectively removing Bellatrix from having any access to her former belongings. She was banned from accessing the vault and in fact no longer had any access to anything within _Gringotts Wizarding Bank._ Sirius also removed all of the gold and jewels, putting them in the Black-Potter vault. They left the rest inside to be organized for another day and made their way to Number Twelve.

Sirius dumped open Harry's book bag onto the kitchen table and the cup fell out, clanging. He hovered his wand over it, using the same spell that Moody had been using and let out a sigh of relief when the Horcrux was made visible.

"This is it alright."

Harry leaned in closer to examine the cup. It was solid gold and looked to have Hufflepuff's personal crest engraved in the bowl of the cup. Two finely wrought gold handles were on either side and the circular bottom had a wavy design engraved along the edges. "It looks old," he commented.

"Well, if it belonged to Helga Hufflepuff it's quite old," Sirius said, tapping on the side. "There's some form of curse on here, it burns when you touch it."

"Stop touching it then!"

Sirius snorted and rolled his eyes, looking down at the ugly red blisters on his hand. "I will. I was just checking."

"Find a better way to check, Uncle Sirius," Harry said in annoyance.

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at the cup. "Should we call another meeting and get this thing taken care of or should we just take care of it right now ourselves?"

"Do you still have the Sword of Gryffindor here or did Professor Dumbledore bring it back to Hogwarts?"

"No, I have it; it's in the study in the vault."

Harry grinned at him. "Why wait?"

Sirius nodded and headed into the study, his eyes moving to the hidden door where Peter was locked inside before he moved to pull the Sword of Gryffindor out of the vault, bringing it back into the kitchen. He passed the sword over to Harry. "Would you like to do the honours?"

Harry nodded, accepting the sword. He let out a slow breath. "Is something going to come out at me?"

"Most likely," Sirius admitted. "You've seen what's come out for me. My mother for example, but you can do this, Harry. Remember, whatever comes out of that _isn't real_. It's just a spell that plays on your darkest memories and fears."

Harry waved the sword around, making it feel comfortable in his wrist before he lined it up with the cup. The moment the tip of the blade touched the edge of the cup, an eerie sounded floated up from it; a hum that sent chills down Harry's spine. Dementors rose up from the cup in a green hazy smoke, swooping down on the figure of Sirius lying on the ground. Sirius was writhing in their grasp, his head turning to stare at Harry.

"After everything I did for you, Harry, and this is how you repay me? How can you let them Kiss me?"

The image of Sirius disappeared, changing into him lying in the hospital wing, his face sunken and his neck twisted at an odd angle as Zee cried over his body. She turned to glare at Harry.

"This is your fault! You don't deserve him! You don't deserve anything! Everyone who loves you dies!"

"HARRY!" Sirius shouted, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist and hugging him from behind. He buried his face in his son's neck. "I love you and I will never stop loving you. I don't deserve you and you deserve everything; you deserve nothing, but the best. Destroy the cup, Prongslet."

Harry watched as Zee turned into Ginny, bleeding on the Chamber floor, telling him it was his fault, that the Basilisk had been hunting him and he raised the sword, slashing it down and slamming it into the cup. The gold seemed to melt at the contact, bubbling and shifting until an explosion of green smoke erupted out of the cup and vanished in a flash.

His breathing was heavy as the flash disappeared, the sword still in his hand and Sirius was still hugging him tightly from behind. Then he turned, sword falling to the floor with a clang and wrapped his arms tightly around his godfather, his heart pounding.

"It's not real, Harry. It's a figment of all of your worst fears culminated at once; your deepest fears," he murmured, kissing his son's temple. "I love you and I don't expect you to repay me for loving you. You are my world. Never forget that."

Harry didn't speak, he just clung to his godfather tightly as Sirius soothed him, running his hands over his back until he finally pulled away and looked into Sirius' eyes. "I'm sorry."

Sirius cupped his face. "You have no reason to be sorry. I know how hard that it is to destroy when it feeds on your fears like that. You did great. Another one bites the dust, right?"

Harry grinned at that and nodded. "Yeah."

Sirius nodded at the chalkboard. "Go check it off."

Harry did as he was told, changing the word 'rumoured' to 'found' as he added a checkmark after number four on the list.

 **FUVP Hit List:**

1\. DIARY (found in Chamber of Secrets through vault of Abraxas Malfoy) ✓

2\. LOCKET OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found in seaside cave) ✓

3\. SIGNET RING OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found on Gaunt abandoned property) ✓

4\. CUP OF HELGA HUFFLEPUFF (found in vault of Bellatrix Lestrange) ✓

5\. UNKNOWN

6\. UNKNOWN

HIMSELF

He smiled at his godfather. "I filled my friends in on the Deathly Hallows and told them about destroying the ring. Luna mentioned something about the lost diadem of Ravenclaw as being one of the only known objects from Rowena Ravenclaw, but it's been missing for centuries."

"It's a possibility that's for sure, but like you said, it's been missing for centuries. We'll keep looking and researching until we find out what the last one could be."

"Last two," Harry corrected.

"Yes, that's what I meant."

"Uncle Sirius?" When Sirius' eyes met his, he stared at him for a moment. "You know something that you're not telling me. Do you know where another Horcrux is? Does it belong to one of the four founders?"

Sirius hesitated. "No; and I don't know."

Harry only stared at him. "You said that you wouldn't lie to me."

"I'm not lying to you," Sirius said quickly. "Remember I told you that there was something that I needed to research further that I wasn't sure about? This is part of that. I can't explain it just yet, Harry, but the moment that I understand it, you'll be the first one I tell, I promise."

"If it's about a Horcrux, why can't you tell me?"

"Because it's complicated. It's not a historical object and it's hard to explain. Like I said, I don't know, not really, and until I do, until I make sense of it, I don't want to try to tell you about it when you're going to have questions that I can't answer. Okay?"

Harry bent down to pick up the sword, his eyes on the destroyed cup on the table. "But you'll tell me?"

"The moment I know, I promise."

Harry nodded as he put the sword on the table. "I want to work on my Animagus transformation some more, can you take me home?"

Sirius let out a breath of relief. He knew how lucky he was that Harry was accepting his answers. The thought of telling his son there was a Horcrux in his scar terrified him. "Yeah, let's go."

 **Harry and Sirius didn't talk much over the next week.** Sirius spent a lot of his time outside working on the '29 Motosacoche M414 and Harry started his school work in between working on his Animagus transformation. McGonagall came by a few times to work with him, smiling brightly and talking him through the fur that he kept sprouting further on his body. She told him how good he was doing and that she felt that he was close to finally transforming into the animal he had seen. Zee popped in a few times as well, but she was busy at work herself, getting things organized for when they were planning their vacation in a few weeks time. Tonks came over twice for dinner and stayed the night. Harry stayed up late into the night talking to her and she smiled brightly at him, but he knew that she was counting down the days and hours until her mate came home.

It was on his eighth day of practicing his Animagus transformation that he finally succeeded and he yipped in excitement from his spot on the top of the pirate ship. He barked, crying in surprise when he slid down a level, landing on his bum and ran down the stairs around the side of the house, his too large paws getting in the way as he tripped over them, flipping ass over teakettle in his attempt to run.

Sirius looked up from his spot under the bike at the sound of a whine and his face split into a wide grin. "Well, aren't you just the cutest little pup!" He bent down to pick him up, laughing when he barked. The pointy ears, the thick black and dark grey fur with a white belly and neck, the snout giving him a wolf-like appearance and Harry's bright emerald green eyes, shining out. "If I'm not mistaken, you are a Tamaskan puppy, Harry."

He put the excited puppy on the ground and laughed when Harry ran in a circle as Zee came up the driveway with Lady Godiva. The panther took one look at the new puppy and snarled. Harry barked back, a tiny puppy bark that did nothing and Sirius laughed.

"Did you get a new puppy?" Zee asked him in surprise, moving to scratch Harry behind the ears.

Sirius laughed. "No. He's pretty fucking cute though, right?"

"He looks like a mix between a wolf and a Husky, but the face and the ears are very much like your Animagus form, more German Shepherd."

"Tamaskan," Sirius said with a grin. "Mix between a Husky, a German Shepherd and a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. Known for its playful personality and he's absolutely gorgeous, especially those bright green eyes."

Zee smiled and then her own eyes widened. "Harry!"

The puppy yipped in excitement.

"Now he just needs to figure out how to change back. We," he said as he picked up the puppy and leaned over to kiss Zee softly, "are going to be in the treehouse to try to get him back to his normal self."

Zee nodded. "Well, alright. I ran into Tonks at the Ministry today and I think work was a bit rough on her. We're going to go shopping tonight and see if I can cheer her up a bit."

"You birds spending time together, sounds good."

"Us _women_ spending time together, yes," Zee said with a smile. She kissed him again and then kissed the top of the puppy's head. "Good luck, Harry." She whistled for Lady Godiva who was still staring at the puppy suspiciously before she followed Zee home.

Sirius put Harry back on the ground, changing into Padfoot and nudging him with his nose. Puppy Harry yipped, diving at Sirius in an attempt to play. They wrestled a little on the ground, nipping and playing and Harry thought that it was the best thing in world. Padfoot nudged him towards the stairs of the treehouse, nodding his head and gesturing for Puppy Harry to follow him. He ran up the stairs, turning to look down at Harry. Puppy Harry jumped onto the first step, surprised to find it so high. His paws slipped off the step and he fell backwards, flipping over and landing on his belly and let out a little whine.

Padfoot barked at him from the top of the stairs and Puppy Harry attempted a second time. He made it to the second stair before he crashed back down to the ground. Padfoot bounded down the steps, bending and picking up Puppy Harry by the scruff of his neck and carried him in his mouth up the steps and into the treehouse, placing him down on the floor. Puppy Harry yipped and ran around Padfoot's feet in a circle over and over and over again.

Sirius transformed back into himself, grabbing Puppy Harry and scratching him behind the ears. "Alright there, Pup, calm down." He placed a kiss on the top of the puppy's head. "Harry, you've managed to be a puppy and that's great, but now it's time to change back. Focus and come back to yourself like I just did, from Padfoot to Sirius, from Pup to Harry, okay?"

Harry tried to do as Sirius instructed, but he kept tripping over his own paws and sliding across the treehouse floor. Sirius would pick him up and tell him to change back. It took almost an hour but finally Harry was able to change back into himself and to his horror, he was completely naked.

Sirius tossed the blanket at him and laughed. "I forgot to mention that you have to imagine yourself wearing clothes."

Harry flushed in embarrassment as he tied the blanket around his waist. "That's kind of an important part!"

Sirius laughed, his eyes twinkling in mischief. "The first time I managed to master my transformation, I changed back out by the Black Lake. I was completely starkers. I had to sneak back into the castle and make it all the way back to Gryffindor Tower without any clothing or my wand."

"Did you make it?" Harry asked, eyes wide in laughter.

He grinned. "Almost. I ran into Marlene McKinnon, who at the time was my on again, off again girlfriend and we um, got a little busy. Girl had great hands," he said, a goofy grin on his face.

Harry made a disgusted face. "I did _not_ need to know that."

Sirius laughed. "Anyway, your clothes are part of you and as you master transforming back and forth between dog and man, you must also remember the clothes you were wearing. Try it again. Don't worry about your nudity; it's just you and me in here, imagine the dog again."

Harry nodded, grateful that Sirius had brought him up to the treehouse to work on it and hadn't forced him to transform in front of Zee. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the feeling of being the Tamaskan and when he did, he was a puppy again and he yipped in excitement.

Sirius grinned. "Excellent. Now, let's change back into Harry, with clothes this time. Come on, Pup, you can do this."

Puppy Harry rolled over, exposing his belly instead and Sirius grinned, bending down to rub it.

Harry tried to picture himself back as himself, wearing the jeans and tee shirt that he had been wearing that day, but when he changed back, he was once more completely naked. He swore as Sirius laughed and then he flushed red as Ginny popped her head inside the treehouse and Harry grabbed the blanket, covering himself as quickly as he could.

"Ginny!"

She grinned. "Sorry, Harry, I didn't expect to find you so um … indisposed."

Sirius laughed uproariously. "What's up Ginny? Were we expecting you today?"

She shook her head. "No. I just … I changed!"

"So did, Harry; hence the nudity."

Ginny blushed. "It took me six tries to change back with my clothes on," she admitted. "You should have seen Mum's face when she came into my room and found me crawling up my dresser! I thought that she'd be livid, but she stared at me for a long moment and then she said, 'Ginny, if you're learning to turn yourself in an animal now, the least you can do is learn outside!'"

Sirius snorted. "Really? Your mother wasn't mad?"

Ginny shook her head. "No. She helped me focus on changing back to myself and then she told me that she was proud of me and lectured me about keeping all animals outside of the house." She said with a grin. "I showed Ron and he shared his progress with me. He said that he's changed almost ninety percent of himself. Mum doesn't know that he's learning too. Wait until you see his animal, it's perfect, Harry! He's almost fully changed too. I can't wait to annoy Fred and George with our forms!"

"What's your animal?" Harry asked eagerly, still holding the blanket up around his waist in an attempt to hide his nudity.

Ginny grinned and took a deep breath before she shifted and the cutest, fluffiest little red baby panda bear sat on the floor. She reached her paws out and shook her round head, her pointy ears twitching before she changed back, wearing the same denim shorts and green tee shirt that she had been wearing.

"Brilliant, Ginny!" Sirius told her. "And a red panda, eh? Doesn't that just suit you!"

She grinned. "I love it! Let's see yours, Harry!"

Harry nodded and closed his eyes and ten seconds later, the tiny Tamaskan puppy was sitting on the blanket.

Ginny's eyes lit up at the sight of him. "You're so cute!" She hurried over to scratch his ears, laughing when he rolled over, exposing his belly and she rubbed it. "You would be a dog."

"He's a mix of a dog and a wolf actually."

Ginny turned to smile at Sirius. "A mix of both of his dads, sounds right to me."

Harry yipped and licked her hand.

Sirius grinned. "Come on, Pup, change back now and this time, let's keep it PG."

Harry focused on changing back and was thankful that this time he was wearing all of his clothes including his sneakers. Ginny's hand was still on his stomach and she blushed, pulling it back quickly.

"We did it!"

Harry hugged her, grinning widely. "We did!"

Ginny grinned and jumped to her feet. "I have to get home. I just wanted to share my success. I bet Ron will only be a few more days and it sounds like Luna and Hermione are close too."

"Neville as well," Harry told her.

Sirius smiled at them. "You'll have your own little pack of animals soon enough. See you later, Ginny."

She waved at them and hurried off.

Sirius grinned at Harry. "She's growing up fast that one."

"I guess," Harry said, throwing the blanket back into the hammock.

Sirius simply grinned. "A red panda though, that is a perfect animal for her. Cute, adorable and charming, a little Puffpatch."

"Unless you corner it," Harry said with a laugh. "Puffpatch?"

"Exactly," Sirius said. "Then you do not want to mess with her. Sounds like Ginny to me. And yeah, Puffpatch because you know, she's a little puffball and has patch eyes, you know. A new Marauder name, Puffpatch and Pup."

Harry grinned at him. "I don't know about that."

Sirius smiled. "Just something to think about, Pupfoot? Nah, Pup is better or what about Padpup?" At Harry's raised eyebrow, he grinned. "What do you think your friends animals are going to be?"

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea." He put his hands in his pockets and smiled at his godfather. "I want to try it again."

Sirius grinned. "Alright, let's do this."

 **Tonks smiled gratefully at Zee as they moved through the shops of the Muggle shopping centre.** She had already bought herself a few tops and now she and Zee were looking in the lingerie store which pleased and embarrassed her at the same time. She needed some new panties and things and if she was honest, she wanted to find something that would make Remus' eyes bulge right out of his head.

"This is sexy," Zee said, holding up the lingerie set. "I bet Remus would love these."

Tonks blushed as he looked at the bowknot lace crotchless panties with matching lace garter. "Crotchless panties? Really?"

Zee grinned. "Easy access."

Tonks bit her bottom lip. "Black isn't really my colour."

Zee simply reached for the one behind it. "Here's a lovely plum and look it comes with a matching lace push-up bra. If you wore this under say … this lovely purple and black teddy, I bet he'd need some immediate mouth to mouth resuscitation."

She laughed, taking the teddy from Zee's hands. It was pretty. It was dark purple see-through lace low-cut diagonally down her chest. A thick black ribbon tied in a bow just under the breasts and it hung open in black sheer just past the waist. She bit her lip and looked at the outfit again.

Zee grinned. "Go try it on."

Tonks hesitated, but then she grinned and headed to the dressing room. She let Zee come inside when she was done. "I feel completely provocative and a little dirty at the same time."

"And you look incredible."

"I feel so sexy," she said grinning widely. "It looks like I even have cleavage! But to own something like this, it's … not really me. I'm a cotton panties, sometimes satin kind of girl and this really isn't very practical."

Zee smiled. "And sometimes it's nice to get something for no reason other than to make yourself feel sexy." She held up the black lace crotchless panties she had originally shown to Tonks. "Now me? I happen to love Black all over me, pun intended, and I plan on wearing these for Sirius just as much as myself."

Tonks giggled and bit her lip. "I'm going to get it."

"Brilliant!" Zee said with a grin, leaving her friend in the changing room. "I'm going to snag a new teddy or two myself. Sometimes it's nice to dress up for your man as much as yourself."

They grinned at each other and twenty minutes later were seated in the restaurant down the road, each with a glass of white wine and their purchases under the table.

"Thanks for suggesting this, Zee," Tonks told her. "It's been nice having everyone keep their eye on me and keeping me busy. First my parents, then Charlie and then Harry being all brotherly and adorable. But it's nice to have some girl time. I don't have very many girlfriends."

Zee smiled kindly at her. "Well, you have me whenever you need some girl time. I've always been closer to animals than to people and often lose touch with friends. I have such a big family and I love them all so much that I flock to them for comfort and friendship, which is great, but it's nice to have something else. And I will never say no to a shopping buddy."

She grinned. "I'm not usually a big shopper, but sometimes it's fun to spoil yourself." She sipped her wine, smiling when the waitress came over and she ordered a bowl of chicken Alfredo as Zee ordered the same. "My mum keeps dropping by the house, commenting on the touches I've added and telling me not to worry that he'll be home soon. Finding out that he was a werewolf by reading the newspaper wasn't exactly the way that I planned on telling her."

"Your dad already knew?"

Tonks nodded. "He used to be part of the Order of the Phoenix during the war and Remus often did undercover missions with the werewolves. He's known since then. He told me that he became curious as to what it was about werewolves that scared people as he always thought that Remus was a nice man and never considered him dangerous. He said that he did research on them and that's how he knew when we were together that … well, he wasn't surprised to learn that he's my mate."

"It's wonderful that you both found each other. He loves you so much anyone can see that."

"I just wish that he felt like he deserved me. He's always telling me that he doesn't deserve me; that I deserve someone better than him and it makes me so angry! He's the best man in the world and he's everything that I've ever wanted. I want to spend the rest of my life with him and I know that he's the only man that I will ever love. Not to mention the sex is absolutely stupendous," she added, blushing. "Not that I have a ton of experience, mind you, but wow."

Zee grinned. "Ooh, well now you need to share."

Tonks blushed. "It's just … I mean, okay, I lost my virginity when I was sixteen, fifteen technically as it was two days before my sixteenth birthday and he was … sweet. It was okay, I mean, he was gentle and all that, but I never … came. Not once with Connor. He was so gentle and sweet and it was always nice. Then after Connor was Jon and he … once … and it was like everything changed, you know? But with Remus … the first time, before we even … he used his tongue and oh my God, it was just … incredible. With him, it's like, a minimum of three every time and I think it's a wolf thing, but his stamina is just …" she bit her lip and grinned. "I don't want to brag, but one weekend at Hogwarts, we shagged nine times in one night. Remus is … oh fuck it, he's really hung and I mean like big and thick and long and I mean, it hurt to walk a bit the next day, but it was so worth it."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Nine? Just how well hung are we saying here?"

Tonks blushed. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this."

"No, you definitely should. Nine times, seriously?"

Tonks grinned, nodding. "I lost track of how many times I came. He's just … incredible and he just worships me when we make love and I feel so cherished. Him marking me was the sexiest thing in the world and … as amazing as the sex is, it's him. He's sweet and kind and considerate and intelligent. Sometimes he'll just snuggle me up against him and tell me a story or the way that he asks to hear about my day and not just 'oh it was fine,' he wants to know everything, all of the little details. And he remembers things about me that seem so insignificant, but aren't. Like it's stupid, but I have this thing where when I eat stir fry I have to put the rice first, then my sauce, then my meat, then my vegetables, then my spices. Even though I mix it all together afterwards, it has to be piled in that order on my plate or it tastes weird to me. He knows that I like it that way and he'll build my plate for me in that specific order without question. Or, I like a little honey on my spoon when I drink tea and he always dips it and leaves it on the saucer for me. He's just so thoughtful and considerate. I love him so much that it just grabs me by the throat sometimes."

Zee smiled at her. "It sounds like he's pretty amazing. He loves you a hell of a lot, anyone can see it. I mean, he literally gave you his heartbeat."

Tonks grinned and clutched it in her hand. The steady feel of his thumping heart calming her. "I know." She smiled at the waitress when she brought them their food, thanking her. She took a bite and smiled happily. "Not to mention that he cooks for me. I can't cook at all and I hate cooking and he's perfectly okay with that. I love that about him."

Zee chuckled. "I love to cook. It's something that I shared with my grandmothers and it relaxes me. Sirius is a decent cook. I've always enjoyed everything he's made, but Harry is the real talent in the kitchen. He's so easy to teach. I love sharing that with him."

"He made chicken and steak tacos for me the other night. They were fantastic."

"He enjoys it, I can tell, which is nice," Zee told her. "The two of them are just … I didn't expect them both to mean so much to me."

"You love them."

"Completely," she admitted with a smile. "I tried not to fall in love with Harry, if I'm honest. I thought that if something happened and Sirius and I didn't work out, I didn't want to have a double broken heart, but after Pettigrew's trial, watching him comfort his godfather … I was done. Then in the summer when he asked me to teach him how to cook, I almost started crying I was so happy. Now he writes to me when he's at school and I keep his letters in a little treasure box in my kitchen. Isn't that pathetic?"

"No," Tonks told her with a smile. "It's sweet. Harry told me about your birthday."

Zee fiddled with the locket around her neck. "He gave me this beautiful locket and as much as I love it, he told me he loved me that day and that meant so much more."

"You love them," Tonks repeated. "What does that mean for you and Sirius?"

Zee blew her hair out of her eyes. "Merlin, I don't know. I love my own place. It's the first thing that I've ever had that was mine, you know? When I moved out, I lived out of tents and hotel rooms and tiny temporary rented cramped flats while I travelled and this house … it's mine. I love it and the thought of giving it up hurts me. I'm not ready to do it just yet, but at the same time, I'm almost never there. When I sleep away from Sirius, I miss him. I find myself cuddling with my pillow, wishing it was my boyfriend and I just sleep better when he's in my arms. He's a cuddler. He pretends like he's annoyed when I snuggle up to him, but if I move away in the middle of the night, his arms are back around me within minutes. And as you mentioned, the sex is quite stupendous. I mean, we've never got up to nine times, but we certainly get around. He's quite talented with his tongue too and very generous when it comes to making me happy. There was a bloke in Australia who I was with a while, almost six months, we shagged more than dated. He had the biggest … let's just say the sex was incredible. But it doesn't compare to how it is with Sirius. Not that Sirius is small by any means, he's quite well endowed actually but he just … he makes me feel sexy and wanton and just good about myself and about him and I'm in love with him."

"I can say from experience that he's never been happier than he is with you. And you're the first woman he's ever even brought back to Black Cottage."

Zee grinned at her words. "Really?"

Tonks nodded. "Really. Remus told me that he's never brought another woman back to the house or to his bed before you. He always went to them. You were different from the beginning."

She smiled. "He was different from the beginning. It started off as sex but … he talked to me about Harry and … we became friends. We wrote letters when I travelled and I looked forward to hearing from him, but it wasn't until he broke up with me that I realized how much he meant to me and how easily I could fall in love with him and that terrified me. When Harry came to me, begging me to give his father another a chance I knew I would. Now, I can't wait to take them to Georgia and to just have them both there; to spend time with my grandparents and my parents who are going to come stay too. I just want them to be my family."

"Harry was so jealous of you at the beginning and watching him step up, realize that he was being a little brat and fall in love with you himself has been incredible. I've always seen him as a little brother and I adore him. But I know that I'd really love it if he could have a mother figure in his life too."

Zee blushed a little at those words. "I'd really like to fill those shoes and the thought scares me a little bit. What if I'm not good at it?"

Tonks smiled as she ate her Alfredo. "I think the fact that it scares you a little bit means that you're doing it right."

Zee grinned. "Good." She sipped her wine and smiled brightly. "Did I tell you that he changed into his Animagus form?"

Tonks' eyes widened. "No! What animal is he?"

"A Tamaskan puppy dog, kind of a wolf-dog hybrid; a perfect mix of Sirius and Remus."

Tonks smiled warmly as she sipped her own wine. "A perfect mix of Harry then."

 **It was another two weeks before all six of them could change into their animals.** Sirius invited the five of them over for the night so that they could run around in their animal forms.

Luna had mastered her form after Harry and Ginny, surprising them by being able to change into a pale silvery gold European hare. It fit her personality well, swift and fleeting yet diligent, independent and oddly flighty. She hopped and ran around the backyard of Black Cottage in glee, especially when Hermione showed up and chased her. Hermione's animal was a red fox. She was quick on her feet and as Zee stated, red foxes were known to be notoriously clever as well.

Neville was next in the success category, changing into a black and white badger. Zee claimed that the badger was an animal that symbolized protection and the defence of others, making Neville blush furiously when he changed back into himself. Ron was the last one to master his form. He was the largest of all of them, though Harry was a close second. Ron was a reddish brown wolverine with dark brown spots on his snout. Wolverines were known to be dangerous predators when confronted and would protect those that they deemed worthy.

The six of them, all in their baby animal forms, chased each other around the yard. Zee was grinning at them, laughing in happiness as she played with the six different baby animals in the backyard and Marauder chased them, barking wildly. Then Sirius changed into Padfoot and ran circles around all of them, taking it in turn to pick them up by the scruffs of their neck and run them up the stairs to the treehouse.

Zee couldn't stop laughing when Padfoot trapped all six baby animals in the net tunnel up in the treehouse as they all fell over each other trying to meander their way out as Padfoot lay proudly on the platform at the end watching them struggle, his tongue hanging out in glee. Marauder tried to play with them, making them laugh as he attempted to help them from the net tunnel. Padfoot and Marauder both helped the baby animals from the tunnel and they ran around the yard, barking and playing with them as the six new Animagi switched between animal and human in their attempts to practice their transformations. Twice Ron ended up naked and Harry did his best to cover him as everyone pointedly looked away while he tried to switch back.

But they actually had done it.

The six of them had become Animagi.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _See? I didn't make you wait too long!_

 _And don't worry - next chapter is Remus._

 _Please review guys. I love seeing what you think of the new chapter!_


	150. Chapter 150

_Author's Note:_

 _I decided to post 150 today for your guys because your reviews have been amazing and I appreciated every one of them. Also, this is what we've been waiting for and I didn't want to wait until Tuesday to share it. I am also impatient and someone's sentence is up._

 _To answer a few reviewers:_

 _I read every review and appreciate them more than you know!_

 _Do I see this story following the general same timeline as canon? To an extent yes, but also no, it will most likely end earlier, but I don't know when exactly lol._

 _I chose a Red Panda for Ginny for a few reasons 1) They are small and adorable and appear nonthreatening 2) Territorial and when cornered, extend their claws and stand on hind-legs to appear bigger and more threatening and can be deadly - I feel like this fits Ginny, looks innocent, but in fact don't mess with her or anyone she cares about or she will take you down LOL._

 _McGonagall's reaction to animals will be coming eventually, but not for quite a few more chapters as they are back at school._

 _The jinx in Bellatrix's vault did not work because Sirius has Black blood and basically kind of overruled it, if anyone else had gone into the vault, it would have activated._

 _As to the Animagus process, the way I understand it and the way I am interpreting it for my story is that it takes roughly two weeks after drinking the potion to become the animal, however you appear as a baby and from there it takes close to a year to grow as your animal and become fully grown and to master the full Animagus transformation into an adult animal. It's about practice and precision and learning to grow and be the animal itself as much as transforming from man and woman to animal. Hope this helps!_

 _Lastly, Sirius did slip up and call Harry 'Prongslet' in the last chapter and that's because realistically, it's going to take him a while to stop doing so. It's a habit and those are hard to break so give Sirius some time._

 _Thanks to speedsONEandONLY for this little idea - I just loved it and I had to find a way to add it in. Kudos to you!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY:**

 **"Black!"**

Sirius turned around at the sound of his name on his way into the Wizengamot Chamber the afternoon of the twenty-third of June, surprised to see the broad shouldered blonde man rushing towards him. He knew that he looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't quite place the man. "Hello."

The man beamed at him, puffing out his chest as if attempting to make his large belly look smaller. "Lord Black, so glad that I caught you! I'd love to pick your brain if you can give me a few moments?"

Sirius only raised an eyebrow. "I can give you ten minutes, but then I need to get into the Assembly. Who are you?"

"Oh, right! So sorry! So many people just know me, I sometimes forget that not everyone does," he said, a loud booming laugh erupting from him. "Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

Sirius nodded. "Right, that's why you look familiar, Wimbourne Wasps. You were a hell of a Beater in the eighties."

"Thank you. Sometimes, I miss my Quidditch days. It's actually Quidditch that I was hoping to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"I heard a rumour that you were pricing out tickets for the World Cup for you and Harry Potter?"

"I was thinking about it, yes."

Bagman beamed at him. "I am looking to fill up the top box and someone of your caliber would be exactly what we need."

"Why do you need to fill the top box?"

Bagman shrugged. "We'd like to have it full of some of our more prominent Ministry employees and noble families that way they can mingle with the Bulgarian Minister of Magic and the Irish diplomats. We've been keeping the top box fairly open until we could see how many seats would be available. Would you be interested?"

Sirius rocked back on his feet, his hands moving into the pockets of his black jeans. "Depends on how many seats you have available."

Bagman grinned widely. "For the infamous Lord Black, I think I could make any number of seats available that you were looking for."

"You said that you want to fill it with Ministry employees as well as noble families? A good friend of mine is the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Department and I was hoping that he and his entire family would be able to sit with Harry and I, not to mention a few others, friends and the like."

He grinned. "Unless you say fifty people, I can give you as many tickets as you want."

Sirius grinned wider. "Then you have yourself a deal. I assume that you want me to speak with the Bulgarian Minister as well as the Irish diplomats."

"Maybe drop a few nice words about our Ministry in their ears is all, a little good faith never hurt anyone especially with the Bulgarians considering what's coming up in October."

Sirius smiled. "I'll come to your office after the Wizengamot session and we'll talk."

Bagman extended his hand, a warm smile on his face. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Lord Black."

Sirius nodded at him before he made his way down into the Chamber. He only waited around five minutes before everyone was settled and Dumbledore called the Assembly to order. The first order of business on today's agenda was the plans for the upcoming Triwizard Tournament.

The International Confederation of Wizards, the Department of International Magical Cooperation, the Department of Magical Games and Sports and the Department of Magical Education were all working together to try to work out the basic guidelines and decisions in terms of the tournament. Being that the Triwizard Tournament hadn't been held since 1792, the Ministry was a little wary about bringing it back due to the increasing number of champion deaths and the extremely dangerous tasks. The tournament of 1792 had resulted in the injury of the three champion judges who themselves had been trampled by a cockatrice on a rampage that the champions were supposed to be trying to catch.

"The main problem is safety, how are we going to keep the students and spectators safe during the tasks?" Lady Bones asked.

Fudge held up his hand to silence the murmurs of the Wizengamot. "We are working on this and working to determine all outcomes. Crouch, with his former Auror training, is doing his best to determine the safest wards for all tasks."

"This time there's going to be an age limit, right?" Lady Dettweiler questioned loudly. "The idea of having a twelve-year-old battle a dragon is just beyond me and explains half of the stupid deaths in the past!"

Fudge nodded at her. "Yes, we've set some guidelines. We've determined that only students who are seventeen, and have turned seventeen as of Halloween of this year will be allowed to participate in the tournament."

Sirius raised his wand. "How are you going to stop the younger ones from trying to get their names submitted?"

Dumbledore smiled at Sirius. "The Goblet of Fire will be kept somewhere safe to prevent anyone from tampering with it and I myself will draw an Age Line around the goblet. No one under the age of seventeen will be able to cross it."

"What if a younger student asks an older student to do it for them?" Sirius asked.

"We will take all precautions, Sirius."

Lucius Malfoy raised his wand. "And the tasks themselves?"

"There will be three, all dangerous and daring and each champion will be tested on their intelligence, on their bravery, and on their gumption. It will not be an easy feat which is why we are keeping it to seventeen-year-olds or older. This is not for the faint of heart," Fudge said sternly.

They outlined a few more of the guidelines and decisions about the tournament, including the provisions of having Beauxbatons and Durmstrang move into Hogwarts for the majority of the year.

"This tournament is a chance to intermingle with international students and to make friends and allies. We want to have more international cooperation and this is the start of that," Fudge explained. "The new generation can help us achieve that."

Sirius listened with half an ear, his eyes on Fudge. The man was intelligent and a good politician, but he had also proven to be completely incompetent over the last few months. Setting the Dementors on the grounds at Hogwarts; ordering them to Kiss the escaped Death Eaters … of course, it wasn't like he could protest against him for killing an innocent man when said innocent man was very much alive and sitting before him. But he knew that the man wasn't thinking straight and he was beginning to wonder who else other than Umbridge was whispering things into his ear.

He had brought up his concerns to Zee who only nodded. She agreed with him, but at the moment they both knew that there was nothing that they could do to about it. The last thing that they wanted was to get Hermione, McGonagall or Dumbledore into trouble with the Time-Turner. For now, the best course of action was to keep their eye on him and hopefully on Umbridge so that no more surprises would seem to come out of the woodwork.

He focused back in on the Assembly as the discussion turned to the secrecy of the tournament before they moved onto the next topic of the day: the World Cup. With it being only a little over a month away, the Ministry was still trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles and organize the portkeys needed as well as the arrangements for witches and wizards who would be coming in from all over the world to watch Ireland play against Bulgaria in the match.

From there, they moved onto some new policies to be discussed including the school curriculum and ideas to add to the Life in the Magical World course; transportation and how to use it without alerting Muggles; and finally Dumbledore asked if there were any new bills that needed to be discussed.

Sirius only smirked when Umbridge raised her wand.

"Senior Undersecretary Umbridge?" Dumbledore asked, smiling when she stood up.

"Hem, hem," Umbridge said as she stood. "Chief Warlock, I would like to formally present Bill 426-A17 to be voted on by the Wizengamot. I considered what the problems were concerning it back in March and I have a few proposed changes."

Lady Dettweiler raised her wand. "I want to hear these changes before we go any further in the voting process as what you proposed before hand was completely immoral."

There were a few murmurs of agreement around the Chamber.

"Hem, hem," Umbridge said in order to get the attention back on her. "I understand that the question of the Undesirable is the main problem with the bill, but I am proposing that the so called 'Undesirable' be registered properly within the Ministry to prevent any prejudice from befalling them."

Sirius raised his wand. "The part of Bill 426-A17 that discusses the rights and responsibilities of the British Magical Citizen is wholly acceptable to me, Madam Umbridge. But I refuse to agree to anything where you are calling fellow witches and wizards 'undesirables,' that's where I very much draw the line. We had this talk a month ago when my friend Remus Lupin was tried for his so called 'undesirable status' as a werewolf after you wrongfully attempted to have him executed without just cause. Can you promise that your new bill will be just and fair to any and all British Magical Citizens no matter what kind of blood they may or may not have running through their veins?"

Augusta Longbottom raised her wand. "As Lord Black has stated, unless the bill is declaring justice and fairness to all British Magical Citizens, I can't say why you think this bill would be accepted in our community."

"I want to protect our magical community and the new additions to this bill do so," Umbridge stated.

"Please address the court with the new sections of your proposed legislation, Madam Umbridge," Dumbledore requested.

"Hem, hem," Umbridge began before she began to read the bill aloud. "The first part of the bill is unchanged, so I will begin reading section two as that was where most of the discussion and concern lay the first time." She cleared her throat again before she began to recite the legislation.

 _Moved by the understanding that safety and the protection of our British Magical Citizens and our magical community is the essential condition for the continued existence of the safety and protection of the Magical World, and inspired by the inflexible determination to ensure that the existence of the British Wizarding World for all time, the Ministry of Magic has unanimously adopted the following law, which is promulgated herewith:_

 _Article 1_

 _Marriages between an Undesirable of the population (including and not limited to the following: Werewolves; Veela; Vampires; Giants; Trolls; those possessing of Blood Curses and/or Blood Diseases; Metamorphmagus; Seers; and any other relation that is deemed unworthy and undesirable by the Administration Registration Department) and a British Magical Citizen are strictly discouraged, but not prohibited._ _Annulment proceedings can be initiated only by the Wizengamot Administration Services if the British Magical Citizen does so wish it._

 _Article 2:_

 _Extramarital relations between an Undesirable and a British Magical Citizen are strictly discouraged, but not prohibited._

 _Article 3:_

 _Undesirables may not employ in their households any British Magical Citizens of any age._ _Undesirables may not employ in their households any House elves as a House Elf is only to serve a British Magical Citizen._

 _Article 4:_

 _Undesirables are encouraged to register themselves as an Undesirable with the Administration Registration Department and will be given proper Undesirable Status so as not able to pass themselves off as a British Magical Citizen but as nothing but the half-breed Undesirable that they are classified as._

 _Article 5:_

 _Any person or Undesirable who violates the prohibition under Article 1 will be punished with up to ten years in Azkaban Prison._ _Any person or Undesirable who violates the prohibition under Article 2 will be punished with up to twenty years in Azkaban Prison._ _Any person or Undesirable violating the provisions under Articles 3 or 4 will be punished with a fine and depending on the severity of one's crime, time spent in Azkaban Prison including anyone caught harbouring or illegally employing an Undesirable in a forbidden government-agency including and not limited to: hospitals, clinics, schools, and offices._

 _Article 6:_

 _The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, in coordination with the Minister of Magic, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Administration Registration Department, will issue all legal and administrative regulations required to implement and complete this law._

 _Article 7:_

 _The law takes effect starting the first of September 1994 and anyone seen to be harbouring an Undesirable will be subject to the letter of the law._

Augusta Longbottom raised her wand. "So you merely changed a few words around, 'discouraged' instead of 'forbidden' and so on, but this legislation reads almost the same."

"The law is about protecting the British Magical Citizen!" Umbridge exclaimed. "I am looking out for the good of our community!"

Dumbledore raised his wand. "The bill has been heard, does anyone have anything else to add before we put it to a vote?"

No one answered so he nodded.

"Those in favour of passing Bill 426-A17 into law, raise your wand."

Umbridge, Fudge, and five other members of the Lords of the Wizengamot raised their wands.

"And those who do not support Bill 426-A17, please raise your wand."

Forty-five wands raised into the air almost immediately and Sirius didn't even try to hide his smirk.

Dumbledore nodded, adding his own wand to the vote. "Forty-six votes against. Bill 426-A17 did not pass, forty-six votes to seven."

Sirius leaned over to Mrs Longbottom. "The bill does not pass go and does not collect two hundred Galleons."

Mrs Longbottom merely raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to assume that that's a Muggle reference that I'm unaware of so instead I say, 'good riddance.'"

He chuckled and leaned back in his chair, cracking his knuckles as he did so. Watching Umbridge scowl from her seat made his whole damn day. At least that bill was finally in the ground for good. Good riddance was right, he thought.

He left the Wizengamot with a smile on his face and made his way down to the Department of Magical Games and Sports. If Bagman was serious about offering tickets to the top box during the World Cup, Sirius couldn't think of a better way to greet Remus when he was released from Azkaban Prison the next morning. He smiled at the thought, knocking on the door to one Ludovic Bagman.

The man grinned widely when he recognized him. "Come in! Come in!"

Sirius stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The office was larger than expected and covered in Quidditch memorabilia from Bagman's old Beater bat to his old jersey along with some awards along the way.

"Have a seat!" Bagman exclaimed, smiling brightly.

Sirius took a seat in the chair across from him. "So top box tickets?"

Bagman grinned. "I've got a few seats gone already. Lucius Malfoy and his wife and son and two of his friends, Crouch will up be there along with myself, I'm commentating the match," he said cheekily. "Fudge of course and whoever he decides to bring along and then the Bulgarian Minister and a few Irish diplomats. You're thinking …"

Sirius crossed his legs at the ankles and tilted his head. "Myself, my son, and five others plus Arthur Weasley and his family, so … sixteen?"

Bagman grinned widely. "That almost fills my box, you're on!" He reached into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out an envelope, carefully counting sixteen tickets and passed them across the desk. "Remember, be charming to the Bulgarian Minister."

Sirius grinned back, his hands on the tickets. "For sixteen free tickets, I'd invite him home for dinner."

Bagman simply beamed at him.

 **The next morning as the doors to the cell were unlocked and pulled apart,** Remus let out of a slow sigh of relief. Thirty days had felt much longer than it had been and ever since the sun had risen, fears had plagued him that it wouldn't be today, that it was a lie, and that he was never actually being released. He rose slowly from the cold stone bench that served as both bed and seat within the cell, his knees cracking. The last three nights of the moon on top of his imprisonment made him feel sore, tired, and cranky.

Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in front of the doors, his dark eyes on Remus'. "You alright, Remus?"

Remus nodded, attempting to shove his hands into pockets that his drab grey prison pants didn't possess. "Fine."

Kingsley offered him a small smile. "Come with me." He took Remus by the arm and led him down the long hall and into the same room that he had first been brought into; the room that he had thought he was doing to die in. "Your clothes are there."

Remus nodded and quickly undressed, not bothering with modesty and pulling on the clothes that he had worn a month ago when he had been arrested. Once he was dressed again, the prison uniform tossed on the chair, he turned back to Kingsley. "Am I free to go?"

"You are," Kingsley told him, opening up the paperwork in his hand. "Sign here and here." Remus did as he was told and Kingsley signed his name beneath Remus'. "Sirius is waiting for you at the Ministry. Let's go."

Remus only nodded. He didn't speak as guards took his arms and led him outside into the thick fog and into the boat. They moved across the water in silence. When they reached the shore, Kingsley took his arm, nodding a thanks to the guards and used his Auror portkey to take them directly to the Ministry. The two of them arrived in his office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Sirius was pacing in front of the window and he looked up, eyes wide when they landed on him before he moved across the room and pulled Remus into his arms. "Rem!"

Remus hugged him back, the feel of his friend's warm embrace making him breathe a sigh of relief. "Siri."

Kingsley smiled at them. "I'm sorry that you had to spend time there, Remus. But you are now free and can never again be sentenced for being a werewolf."

"Unless of course you kill someone," Sirius joked, earning a hard glare from Remus. "Kidding! I know that you would never!"

Remus only let out a slow breath. "I just want to take a shower. Can we go? Where's my wand?"

Sirius pulled Remus' wand out from his pocket. "I took it home with me to keep it safe. I felt like you'd prefer that over leaving it in the prison."

Remus nodded, accepting his wand. "I want to go, Sirius."

Sirius nodded and put his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Let's go."

Remus felt like everyone was staring at him as they moved through the Ministry. He was dirty and cold and angry, he realized. He had deserved his sentence and he knew how lucky he was to have only been forced to spend thirty days locked away, but the light-hearted facade of his friend wasn't reassuring. When they finally got into the atrium, Sirius gripped his arm tightly and side Apparated him out of the Ministry and Remus was grateful, still feeling a little weak and weary from his imprisonment. He recognized the woods near his home immediately and almost cried out in relief.

He tore his arm away from his friend and started marching in the direction of his cottage in silence.

"Remus!"

He stopped in his tracks, his hands bunched into fists at his sides as he turned to look at his friend.

"I get it. You need a shower and you need a good meal. Have your shower and then come to the house. Harry is dying to see you, as is Tonks, and Zee is making a big welcome home meal for you. Tonks stayed over last night as we didn't want her to be alone and Harry's been trying to keep her calm, but she's anxious to see you."

"I just want to be left alone, Sirius."

Sirius sighed and moved towards his friend, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "No. Your family needs you and you need us. I got us tickets for the World Cup in August, a surprise for Harry's birthday so smile a little. Dinner's at six. Don't make me come get you."

Remus simply nodded, turning away from his friend and continuing to walk towards his cottage. He heard Sirius Disapparate as he moved, his heart soaring at the sight of his home and his walk sped up. He knew that Harry and Tonks would want to see him, but he wasn't ready.

Not yet.

He let himself inside, not even bothering to look around as he made his way into the bathroom, his clothes dropping on the floor, tossing the letters and petition onto the bathroom counter. He pointed his wand to the dirty clothes and muttered, 'incendio'. The sight of them turning to ash was more satisfying than he had anticipated.

His amber eyes moved to the mirror and for the first time he took in his surroundings. The bathroom was finished, he realized and completely different. The tall, double-wide shower in the corner was shining behind the black marble and glass and the large claw foot tub had been moved to the other side of the bathroom. It looked good, he thought. Nymphadora must have finished it while he had … he closed his eyes, dragging his hands over his face.

He didn't want her to see him like this.

His amber eyes stared at himself in the mirror. His hair waved over his ears and his eyes, badly needing a trim and he wore a full beard. His fingers touched the hair, eyeing the grey hairs that sprouted through the gold, red, and brown on his face. A few stray grey hairs had even started to sprout at his temples and he blew his hair out of his eyes.

He looked down at his body. He was dirty. Azkaban didn't care about a prisoner's personal hygiene, and he looked at the ugly scratch across his left thigh. He had done that to himself during the moon; he wasn't sure on which night, but he knew that the nearby Dementors had made his transformation harder to sit through despite the potion that had been offered to him. He scratched the cut absentmindedly and touched the tattoo on the top of his arm below his shoulder, feeling comforted by it.

He cleaned his teeth vigorously, gulping water from the tap like a man dying of thirst and then he clutched the sink, his hands tightening on the porcelain. He was home, he thought, he was free.

The door opened behind him and his eyes met her grey ones through the mirror.

"I want to be alone," he said coldly.

Tonks closed the bathroom door behind her and wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her lips to the centre of his back. "You've been alone."

"Dora -"

"No," she said angrily, kissing his back again.

Remus pulled away from her. "I need a shower."

Tonks watched him step into the shower, closing the door behind him as he turned on the jets. There were six of them now, he noticed in surprise as he turned all of them on. Tonks gave him only a moment before she undressed and slipped into the shower behind him and he closed his eyes.

"Dora," he protested.

Tonks ignored him. She picked up the bath pouf from the wall, adding soap to it and began to wash his back, his chest. Remus closed his eyes, standing there as the jets hit his body.

"Let me take care of you," she said softly as she washed him.

The water turned mucky as it slid down the drain, but Tonks didn't stop her ministrations. She scrubbed every inch of him, turning his body so that the jets of hot water beat upon his skin. She added more soap and washed him slowly, her hands rubbing his shoulders, his calves, relieving the tension there.

He let out a shaky breath as the water finally turned clear and then the sob tore through him. He turned his face up to one of the jets and let it beat his face as he cried. Tonks didn't say anything. She put the bath pouf down, resting her cheek over his heart, her arms wrapped around his waist. He didn't touch her and she didn't ask him too; she just held on as he cried. It was only a few moments before his arms wrapped around her and she sighed in relief, kissing the skin over his heart.

Neither of them spoke as the hot water beat on them from six directions.

"I need to wash my hair," he murmured, releasing her.

Tonks simply grabbed the shampoo, squeezing a generous amount into her hands and merely gestured for him to lower his head. He did and her fingers scrubbed his scalp vigorously. He kept his eyes closed, sighing when she used the shampoo on his beard and smiling as she scrubbed the hair there. Her fingers felt wonderful and the head and face massage relaxed him fully in ways that he hadn't realized he needed to be relaxed. He rinsed his hair and she scrubbed it a second time, thoroughly and softly and he sighed in contentment. He rinsed himself clean, feeling immensely better and more like himself, finally taking the time to look at her.

Her short hair was a bit longer, a duller shade of pink and she had dark circles under her eyes. He could see a faint outline of her ribs and he knew that she hadn't been taking care of herself in his absence.

He placed a hand along her ribs, his fingers brushing the jagged scar across her abdomen. It had faded somewhat, but still seemed to stand out across her unblemished skin. "I don't like seeing this. Have you been eating?"

Tonks didn't answer him. She stood on her toes, tugging his face down and kissed him softly. She kissed his neck, his collarbone, his chest, his ribs, his naval and then she knelt before him, her mouth moving over him and he fisted his hands in her curls.

"Nymphadora," he hissed.

She simply looked up at him. "Let me take care of you, Remus," she said softly before using her hands and mouth. Remus' head fell back against the marble of the shower, his eyes watching her as her plump pink lips slid over him, licking and sucking him thoroughly as her hands fondled and touched and he gripped her hair tighter, his eyes meeting hers as he emptied himself with a loud satisfied groan that echoed in the bathroom. She kissed her way up his chest, kissing his chin and then she shut off the shower. She took his hand in hers and led him out, grabbing a large blue fluffy towel and carefully drying him off before herself and leading him into their bedroom.

His eyes widened in surprise. The bed had arrived. A king-sized four poster sleigh bed that looked incredibly inviting. He sat naked on the silver and teal bedspread, not saying a word as Tonks slid red boxers up his body followed by blue jeans and a pair of brown leather sandals. She slipped a light blue button-down shirt over his shoulders and carefully buttoned him up, rolling the sleeves up to the elbows before grabbing his comb and brushing his hair gently.

He didn't say a word as he watched her dress in jean shorts and a white crop top before pulling on one of his green dress shirts, tying it at her waist and rolling up the sleeves. She put sandals on and used a quick charm on her hair to make it spiky the way she liked it and then she leaned down and kissed him softly, holding her hand out.

"Come on; they're waiting for us."

Remus stared at her hand. "Dora, I -"

Tonks sat in his lap, framing his face in her hands. "You needed a shower, a good cry, a release and a good meal with your family. One more to go. Let me take care of you, baby."

Remus captured her lips in his, his arms wrapping around her and holding her close. "You're too fucking good for me, do you know that? You are too fucking good for me." He turned his head to kiss her palm and she smiled.

"They're waiting, Rem, come on."

He kissed her again, deeply and rested his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you." She kissed him quickly and then stood up, extending her hand to him. "Let's go."

 **Harry was pacing the living room of Black Cottage,** waiting anxiously. Tonks had left almost two hours ago to get Remus and he couldn't believe that she hadn't brought him back yet.

Sirius merely smiled at him from his spot on the sofa. "Sit down, Harry. He'll be here. He just needs a little time. He needs to adjust and to just settle himself."

Harry sighed and simply transformed into his dog form. He was still a puppy with paws too big for his tiny form as he still had to grow into them, but his ears were perked to listen for his uncle and he played happily with Marauder on the living room floor while he waited. Marauder was ecstatic whenever Harry changed into his Animagus form. He seemed confused by the puppy and yet absolutely in love as Puppy Harry tugged on his ears and his tail in an attempt to play. The front door opened ten minutes later and Harry's ears perked up, yipping in excitement and running towards Remus and Tonks as they came inside.

Remus looked down at the puppy in surprise. "Why hello there, little guy," he said bending down to greet the eager puppy whose too big paws rested on Remus' knees and then his eyes widened when he saw the green eyes. "Harry?"

Harry transformed back into himself and hugged Remus so tightly that he almost fell over.

Remus smiled warmly, his eyes closing happily as he wrapped his arms around his boy, his young man now, he thought, turning his head to kiss his temple. "I missed you, little Prongs."

"It's Harry now," Sirius said from the sofa. "Our boy's getting too big for foolish childhood names now or so he tells me."

"Harry then," Remus said, framing Harry's face in his hands and kissing his forehead. "I love you and I'm so glad to be home."

Harry smiled. "I love you too. I'm so sorry! If I hadn't … you never should have gone to Azkaban."

Remus smiled kindly at him. "It's not your fault, Harry. I've been living on borrowed time and I knew it. Frankly I was incredibly lucky that I have a friend like Padfoot over there who has the political savviness to pull out a thirty day sentence for someone like me and … you and Nymphadora … when you came into that cage with me …"

"I knew that you wouldn't hurt me, Uncle Moony."

"And you … when did you become an Animagus?"

"Two weeks ago," he said with a grin. "I'm going to get bigger though."

Remus grinned. "I imagine that's true."

"I wanted to be able to play with you during the full moon like Uncle Sirius does, you know, if you wanted me to."

Remus looked touched. "Harry, that's really sweet of you. And maybe one night once you have mastered your transformation and are no longer a puppy, we'll talk about it."

Harry beamed at him. He moved out of Remus' arms, tugging Tonks towards him to hug her tightly. "You better now?"

Remus made a sound at the back of his throat that sounded almost like a growl, surprising both Harry and Tonks. He seemed to catch himself, but he reached out and put a hand on Tonks' waist as if needing to touch her.

She turned her head and smiled at him. "Did you just growl at Harry? Are you jealous of Harry, Remus?"

Harry grinned wickedly and reached up to flick Remus on the nose. "Bad dog! She was my big sister before she was your mate."

Sirius busted into laughter as Remus' mouth fell open and he stared at Harry in shock.

"Did you just call me a … 'bad dog'?" Remus asked in disbelief.

Harry grinned and kissed Tonks' cheek before he pushed her towards Remus, who wrapped his arms possessively around her and nuzzled her neck. "If the shoe fits, Uncle Moony. Come on, dinner's ready."

And he turned and headed into the kitchen, leaving Remus standing at the front door with Tonks in his arms, his mouth still gaping open in shock.

Sirius stood up and grinned at his friend. "That moment you think he's all James and then he opens his mouth and Evans comes out."

Remus grinned. "I'm completely flabbergasted right now."

Tonks kissed his neck. "That's what you get for being jealous." She stood on her toes and nibbled on his ear, dropping her voice to a low whisper. "You have no reason to be, love. It's you and only you that I want both in and out of our bed."

He flushed and she grinned.

"Come on, let's go see what delicious food Zee has prepared for your homecoming. We'll fill you in on what you missed and then we'll go home. I've been waiting for you to sleep in our new bed."

He grinned at her and kissed her softly. "I want dessert in our new bed first."

"I made brownies," she said, grinning cheekily.

Remus looked at her, his eyes so full of desire that her stomach butterflies started doing the salsa. "I'd love to eat one, but first I'm eating you in the middle of our brand new bed."

Then he kissed her lips as she blushed and tugged her into the kitchen and she couldn't stop smiling. Her man was home and it was everything she needed and wanted.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Two things:_

 _1.) Bagman was not in the Wizengamot session because he was busy with tournament stuff and I also feel like he's the type to send a delegator to do that sort of stuff for him._

 _And 2.) I wanted to bring up Bill 426-A17 once more just to officially close it. It has now officially been voted out of the Wizengamot and Umbitch cannot get it passed again. However, as of right now, she is still Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and we know Fudge spoke to her about her role in Remus' trial and how she overstepped but she has kept her job and position - for clarification._


	151. Chapter 151

_Author's Note:_

 _Again this is a rather long chapter, sorry about that!_

 _Also not important - but as I was telling my Beta the other day, re-watching original CSI with a friend and there's an episode from season six where Joe Manganiello guest stars and early 2000s Manganiello with his long-ish hair and stubble is how I picture my Sirius Black, just saying - hot! I love Gary Oldman, he's an amazing actor, but the cast of Harry Potter was too old to play the characters they were given even though I cannot imagine anyone else playing McGonagall or Snape other than Smith and Rickman, but they were too old according to the timeline JKR set up. And if I had to fancast Remus Lupin, as amazing as David Thewlis is, I see him as more of a mix between an Andrew Garfield and a young Guy Pierce, but again that's my choices, you all imagine them how you like as that's what's awesome about imagination! Anyway, just thought I would share my random two cents for anyone who may or may not interested._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE:**

 **When Remus and Tonks returned to their cottage that night,** Remus sank down onto the couch and closed his eyes. He smiled when Tonks simply straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burrowing close. He put his own arms around her, holding her close and just listening to the sound of her soft steady breathing.

Neither of them spoke for the longest time and then Tonks turned her head and pressed a kiss to the side of his throat.

"Tell me."

He tightened his grip on her and burrowed his face deeper into her neck. "It wasn't as bad as I imagined. It was bad, but … I imagined worse. Kingsley kept me in a good cell. The Dementors barely ever passed by me directly but … that whole place reeks of them and feels like them and it's just … I had a lot of dreams, old ones and some new, and my transformations were harder as I could feel the influence of the Dementors on my mind. As a wolf I feel like my mind isn't as guarded, I don't know if that's true or not or just my perception of how it felt, but it was harder to deter them when I was the wolf. And I was alone and it was cold and dirty and the food sucked and every day I wondered if they were really going to let me go free." He let out a deep breath. "I kept your letters under my pillow. They smelt like you and it helped. It helped more than you know."

He placed a soft kiss under her ear. "And today … seeing Harry with Sirius and Zee, they feel like a little family and having your parents come and … when your mother hugged me, it felt good, Nymphadora."

"They love you and they wanted you to be free as much as the rest of us. You have so many people who love you, Remus. You were on everyone's mind. You know, Harry came over here one night and he cooked me tacos because he said that he didn't want me to blow up our new kitchen before you came home, the cheeky bastard."

Remus chuckled. "But he's not wrong." He grunted when she slapped his arm. "I like that he took care of you."

"He did," she admitted with a smile. "We watched movies and … he's the best. You know that he learned how to become an Animagus for you."

"I can't believe that he's a little wolf-dog."

"I can," she said, kissing him softly. "He is who he most admires. The two men who have been fathers to him. I can't imagine him as anything else."

Remus sighed and closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. She smelt like his Nymphadora; like fresh raspberries and vanilla that he knew was her soap and he could smell her lust for him. "I missed you."

Tonks smiled against his neck. "I missed you so much. The first few days I stayed with my parents; Mum and Dad both tried to keep me busy. I was suspended for two weeks."

Remus pulled away, his eyes wide. "Because of me?"

She shook her head. "No. I was out of order when you got arrested and King told me that I was too close and he was right. I deserved the suspension. But … once you were gone, I didn't know what to do. But Mum and Dad were smothering me and when I got back to my flat it was lonely and then Charlie showed up. Dad went all the way to Romania to get him; told him that I needed a friend. He showed up and we ordered a ridiculous amount of food and spent the entire night eating and … I was crying and he held me and listened to me all night and then in the morning he told me to woman up. We packed up my flat and he helped me finish this place. He said that we were going to make it ready for you. For us."

Remus kissed her forehead. "I didn't say it. I'm sorry for that. It's perfect. Everything looks perfect."

Tonks smiled at him. "You didn't even look at anything. You're only been looking at me."

"I know and you're perfect."

She blushed and ran her fingers through the beard on his face. "Someone can't see properly through all of this mountain man hair."

"I know. I need a trim and I need to shave," he said with a smile. "But someone distracted me in the shower."

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I don't recall any distractions."

Remus slid his hand along her smooth leg, up over the cut-off shorts and undid the snap, the zipper slid down slowly and her breath hitched. "I thought about you every single day. I thought about how amazing you feel under my fingers, under my lips. I thought about how delicious you taste and how incredible you smell and I would lie there with your letters under my head imagining what I was going to do when I came home to you."

Tonks shifted, tugging her shorts down and tossing them behind her onto the living room floor. "I spent every night sleeping on this couch or at Harry and Sirius' or at my parents because I didn't want to sleep in our new bed for the first time without you. I wanted you to touch me in it. I wanted to touch you in it."

She untied the dress shirt and slid it off her shoulders, grinning when Remus' hands slid over her abdomen and beneath the crop top finding her naked. His long fingers pebbled her nipples before he leaned in and sucked on one through her top. She let her head fall back in pleasure, her fingers in his soft hair, the new sensation of his beard making her shiver.

His mouth moved up to her neck, sucking the skin there as he tugged the shirt up and over her head before he crushed his lips to hers for a hard, bruising kiss that left her breathless. She smiled and stood up in nothing, but her pale blue cotton panties and held her hand out to him.

"Come to our bed."

Remus' slow smile made the heat pool between her legs. He accepted her hand and let her lead him into the bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers before he pushed her back towards the bed, smiling when she turned down the duvet and he crawled onto the bed behind her, kissing her bum and making her laugh. His teeth nipped her panties and tugged them off, making her shiver slightly. Remus planted soft hot kisses along her thighs, spreading her legs wider and wider until she was fully exposed before him and then he simply looked deep into her eyes before he bent his head and licked her core.

She groaned, her fingers fisting in the sheets as his tongue danced and slid over and into her. His talented mouth had her writhing on the bed as he suckled her clit into his mouth as his fingers slid into the heat and she cried out his name, the new sensation of his beard rough on her skin, but not unpleasant. It wasn't long before she came, shuddering in pleasure as he simply continued his ministrations. She came a second time before he finally let her pull him up to kiss her.

"I want you, Rem, please," she begged.

Remus' fingers continued to work her as he bent his head to suckle a breast, his mouth wrapping around most of the mound as she cried out. "Mmm, my Nymphadora," he murmured. He tugged his boxers down, kicking them off before he positioned himself over her and she ground against him desperately.

He merely smiled and spread her legs wider, his fingers still moving in a delicious rhythm as another orgasm ripped through her and she screamed. He kissed her throat.

"Mine," he said. "You are mine. All of you. Every. Single. Orgasm," he panted, his finger stroking her clit with every word. "All of you. Mine. My mate," he said desperately and Tonks gripped his hair firmly.

"Yes, I am," she panted. "I'm yours!"

Remus nodded and then he plunged into her and all she could do was hold on. He rode her hard and fast as well as achingly slow and when she came over again, he lost it and buried himself deeper. He kissed her nose, her cheeks, her forehead, her neck, her throat, her ears and down her collarbone before finally kissing her lips.

Tonks moaned in satisfaction. "I really missed that."

"Multiple orgasms?" He asked cheekily.

She grinned and kissed his shoulder. "Yes, but also just sex. I missed feeling you inside of me. I feel whole when you're inside of me, like it feels right. Just right."

He kissed her deeply and began to move inside of her again, rolling over and taking her with him as she sat up and he let her take control. Tonks placed both of her hands on his abdomen as she rode him. She loved it when he let her take control like this. He didn't do it often enough as the wolf liked to be in control and she loved that about him. But nothing was sexier than knowing that she had him under her, inside of her and that she was in control. She picked up the pace, rolling her hips in a figure eight pattern that shot her already over sensitive body over the edge and he followed only a minute later.

Tonks collapsed against him, breathing heavy as she kissed his chest, his neck. "I love you."

Remus kissed her lips deeply, his own breathing ragged. "I love you, my Nymphadora. Mine." He cupped her face in his palm and kissed her again.

She adjusted herself slightly, keeping him inside of her as she fiddled with the necklace around her neck, her ear against his heartbeat. "I am yours, Rem, always. You don't have to worry about that." She kissed his chest. "I made brownies. I almost forgot."

He kissed her temple. "We should definitely go get those."

She laughed. "In a minute. I can't move."

Remus simply tugged her from the bed, locking her legs around his waist and headed into the kitchen. The sensation of still being inside of her while he walked made him hard again and she gasped.

"Rem," she begged, her teeth scraping along the side of his neck.

Remus simply rested her bum back against the island and opened the lid with the brownies, dipping his finger into the chocolate icing. He grinned at her and then painted her breast with it. He dipped his head to lick her clean, his mouth lingering over the scar he had given her and kissing her so gently that she sighed and then he began to ride her where they stood. He pulled out only to lift her down and bend her over the kitchen table before he continued to ride her. He slid his fingers into her and she screamed his name, her hips rocking back to meet him.

He grabbed a fistful of her short curls and dragged her head back as he nipped and sucked on her throat, his other hand kneading her breast before slipping back between her legs and she cried out for him. When the orgasm hit her, she felt boneless and was thankful his arms were there to scoop her back up because she was sure she would have just melted into the floor. He kissed her softly and picked up the brownie tin before he carried her back into the bedroom and sat her in their bed.

Remus sat next to her, helping himself to a brownie. "These are amazing. I haven't had anything chocolate since before I went into the prison."

Tonks ran a hand through her sweaty curls, smiling when he fed her a brownie. "I made them for you." She dipped her finger into the icing and held it out to him and he eagerly accepted, sucking and licking it clean. "By the way, King agreed to give me tomorrow off to help you readjust."

Remus licked his lips before he picked up another brownie and straddled her, painting her with the chocolate icing. "Good. I don't plan on letting you out of this bed for at least a day."

She gasped when the brownie slid between her legs and then he ducked his head and ate the brownie, his tongue swiping for loose crumbs and icing and only once he seemed satisfied did he turn on her and used his tongue for something else.

"I can't!" She gasped, her body begging him. "I can't possibly, I'll die!"

Remus smirked at her as he suckled and she came. "I won't let you, I promise." He assured her, sucking her breast. "And you will keep coming for me until I'm done with you, my lovely Nymphadora," he said huskily, his fingers stroking her heat. "My body needs to reclaim yours."

And then she was on her side and he was inside of her again and once more she was lost in pleasure. Her pleasure. His pleasure. She didn't know which, but she knew that he was home and all was right in the world.

 **It was a few days after Remus' return before Harry asked him to come over for the day.** Sirius had morning meetings with the Hogwarts Board of Governors and then was spending the afternoon helping Ludo Bagman with something at the Ministry. Remus found Harry in the kitchen cleaning up his breakfast dishes and smiled warmly.

"Good morning, Harry."

Harry smiled at him. "Hey Uncle Rem, thanks for coming over. No more beard?"

"Of course," Remus said, running his hand over his chin. "Anytime you need me, you know that. And no, the beard definitely had to go. Unlike Sirius, I rather like being clean shaven and Tonks prefers it as well."

Harry nodded and scratched his own chin. His hair was starting to get itchy again, he realized. He hadn't tried to shave again since that first day with Sirius, but he realized that he was going to have to do it again soon, he thought. He gestured for Remus to follow him into the sun room where he had placed the Pensieve basin and the chest of memories.

Remus saw it and nodded. "I wondered if Sirius had given it to you."

"This is the best gift that I ever could have imagined getting. It means so much to me that you and Uncle Sirius would have taken the time to put this together for me."

Remus smiled. "We enjoyed doing it and we travelled down memory lane a bit ourselves, which was great."

Harry nodded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. "I'd like to show you a few memories if I could?"

Remus looked at him bewilderment, but nodded. "Of course, I'd like that." He moved to stand next to the Pensieve on the desk. "I don't think that I've been in this room since I last taught you in here."

Harry grinned. "We don't use it for much anymore. My schoolwork is still hanging on the wall."

Remus chuckled. "You were my star student."

"Now you have lots of those."

"You'll always be my favourite," he said, making Harry laugh.

Harry opened the chest and poured three memories into the bowl before he took a deep breath. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Remus said and together they lowered their faces into the memory.

Remus blinked in surprise when he found himself standing out by the Black Lake looking at Ron, Hermione, Harry and Neville.

 _Neville stretched his arms up over his head as he spoke. "I wish that it would storm already. I'm dying to know what animal I can be."_

 _"I know, me too," Harry said with a grin. "We have to figure out how to get the six of us together in case it storms this summer. The potion is ready. If it doesn't storm by the time we go home, I'm going to lock them in a case to put in my trunk."_

 _Neville nodded. "Yeah, I'd say maybe we could all spend the summer together, but you're going to be in America."_

 _"Only for a month," he said with a grin. "I really like Zee's grandparents and they want me to call them Grandma and Grandpa, which is nice. Plus going to Georgia is going to be brilliant. I heard it's quite hot there in the summer."_

 _"Probably, I don't know, I've never been to America. But it was pretty hot in Brazil."_

 _"Brazil's definitely hotter," Harry said with a grin._

 _"What about Sophie?" Ron asked, grinning at his friend as he continued to skip rocks in the lake. "She's going to miss you."_

 _Harry rolled his eyes. "Sophie and I are not together, Ron. We just snogged that one night. We were … celebrating Gryffindor's win."_

 _Hermione sighed. "Sophie snogs everyone, Harry. You're better off, trust me."_

 _He smirked at her. "You're just saying that because you didn't like Cho."_

 _Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not that I disliked her," she said dismissively. "I just didn't get the chance to find out as she went out of her way to ignore your friends."_

 _He shrugged and dragged his fingers through his hair. "Girls are complicated anyway. Snogging Sophie was great and honestly, just what I needed after that spectacular Gryffindor win, but I'm not looking to date anyone right now. Besides, Sophie and I both had a bit too much Firewhiskey, which might have attributed to our snogging."_

Remus looked at Harry in amusement. "You were drinking? What were you thinking?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Uncle Siri and I already had the talk and he lectured me. Just watch."

Remus sighed, but did as Harry asked. He watched the memory unfold, his hand clutching Harry's arm when Pettigrew appeared; when he changed into a werewolf and when Harry woke up to learn that Sirius had died, his eyes widened in horror.

"What is this?" He asked, his eyes glassy in shock. "What do you mean that Sirius … he didn't …"

Harry only nodded towards the memory of Dumbledore as he told them that three turns should do it and Remus watched as Harry and Hermione went back in time and saved Sirius from the Dementors. The memory faded out to the bridge leading to Hogwarts. Harry watched as he and Sirius moved over the bridge.

 _"As easy as it would be to do so, the world is not divided between good people and Death Eaters. There's a lot of grey in the world sometimes and sometimes it is that grey that needs to be sculpted and utilized. Politics are generally a grey area. We will have to tread very carefully around Umbridge from here on out and I will do my best to keep fighting her bill from my position as a lord within the Wizengamot. Do you understand what I'm telling you, Harry?"_

 _"That she's not going to be punished for trying to have Uncle Rem executed."_

 _Sirius sighed. "I'm not saying that she will never be punished, Harry, but right now, no, she will not be punished as despite how she went about it, she was in fact doing her job."_

 _Harry stared at Sirius for a moment. "I thought … I thought that I had saved you only to lose Uncle Moony and …" tears welled up in his eyes and he stubbornly bit his lip to send them back._

 _Sirius moved to wrap his arms around his son, kissing the top of his head. "You're not going to lose me or Uncle Moony."_

 _Harry clung to him a moment, nodding against his chest. "Can we really just let Uncle Moony go to prison?"_

"I don't blame you or Sirius, Harry, you know that, right?"

Harry nodded, turning to look at his uncle. "I know. But I still feel like it was my fault."

"It absolutely wasn't. It was my mistake and no one else's. You and Sirius and Nymphadora, you saved my life." Remus said, putting his arm around Harry. "You blamed Sirius for it and that wasn't fair."

"I know," Harry admitted. "We worked it out though."

Remus nodded, turning back to the memory.

 _"Uncle Moony told me that the most important part of keeping your Patronus strong was keeping a happy memory in your head and that the more unhappy or terrible memories someone has, the harder that it is for them to keep that happy memory and that sometimes if they suppress the bad memories, the happy ones aren't as strong as they could be. You suppress everything, Uncle Sirius!"_

"Ooh, you hit a nerve there," Remus murmured, making Harry grin.

 _"I do not suppress everything, Harry!" Sirius exclaimed._

Remus watched as his best friend and son argued intensely about Sirius' past; about the Time-Turner; and about him. When Harry broke down and started crying in Sirius' arms, Remus tugged Harry tighter into his arms.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through this. Dumbledore was wrong to make you and Hermione rush in to save the day."

"There's more," Harry told him. "This is where I told Uncle Siri that he died."

Remus nodded, letting out a slow breath as he turned his attention back to his friend and son in the memory.

 _"What?" Sirius asked, his thumb wiping away a stray tear from his son's face. "I didn't die, Harry."_

 _"You did," Harry insisted. "The Dementors Kissed you and you died and … Zee was crying over your body and … you were dead!"_

 _"Harry, I didn't die. I'm right here."_

 _Harry spun around, his green eyes flashing. "You did! The Dementors fed on you and snapped your neck!"_

 _Sirius stared at him, shaking his head. "Harry …" he stood up and reached out to put a hand on his son's shoulder and Harry brushed it off. "Harry, talk to me. We don't lie to each other, remember?"_

 _Harry snorted. "That's not true. You never told me about your childhood and how bad it was."_

 _He let out a slow breath. "It's not something that I can easily bring up in conversation. Harry, look at me. I did not die. I'm alive. I'm here, right here in front of you."_

 _Harry slammed his fist on the stone. "But you were!" He spun around, his eyes wide as he blurted out the next words in one breath. "Dumbledore locked us in the infirmary and said that three turns should do it and then Hermione and I used a Time-Turner and we went back in time to save you and to capture Pettigrew!"_

 _Sirius stared at him for a full minute, his eyes wide. "You used a … Time-Turners are illegal and highly volatile to failure and to the danger of the user. Why did Dumbledore give two thirteen-year-olds one to play with?"_

 _"Hermione's fourteen," he said bitterly._

 _Sirius snorted. "Not the issue here, Harry."_

 _"Hermione's been using it all year for her classes. It was a special request from the Department of Mysteries. She's been taking every class offered and using the Time-Turner to do it."_

 _"She's been - and you - and her - went back - in time?" Sirius spluttered as he stared at him in alarm._

 _"Yes. Hermione grabbed Peter when he transformed and I sent my Patronus to protect us from the Dementors."_

 _"Which is why it kept circling us after you had collapsed because you were still standing nearby, the true caster."_

Remus whistled quietly. "Sirius definitely wasn't exaggerating when he said that you two had a fight. This was after I was arrested?"

"The same night. We had just left the Ministry and you were locked in the cage with Tonks. They tried to make her leave, but that didn't go over so well."

Remus nodded, smiling at him. "But you and Sirius made up?"

"Yes," he said as the last memory started to play. "I wanted to share that with you too."

"Thank you, Harry."

Harry shrugged. "You should have been there so I wanted to make sure that you understood. We had a lot to say and he finally opened up about his past to me. I had no idea Uncle Sirius had it so bad when he was a kid."

Remus nodded. "It was pretty bad, the way his parents treated him. The day his mum disowned him, Jamie told me that he showed up at his house, his lip bleeding and he was vibrating in rage. He was trying to keep a cool front, be the Sirius that we all knew, but as soon as Monty opened that door, he broke down. Your grandmother simply pulled him into her arms, cradled him against her and told Jamie to go make up the bed for him. He never even asked to stay there, they just made him a home."

"I wish that I could have known them," Harry told him.

Remus bent his head to kiss Harry's cheek. "They would have been so damn proud of you."

Harry smiled as he and Remus watched the memory unfold. He and Sirius were arguing now about his role as Secret Keeper.

 _"But I knew that this time I would do everything in my power to protect you, even if it meant my death, I would do it. I understand why you're angry with me over the Dementors, but Harry, if I do anything to ensure your safety; to save your life, I made the right choice."_

 _"I don't want you to die for me!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Mum and Dad died for me and … why am I worth it?"_

 _Sirius moved over to his son, gripping his hand. "You are the most important person in my life. You have been since the moment that you were born; before that even, since the moment I learned that I was to be your godfather. I love you more than life itself. I do not want to die, Harry. I want to live a long life. I want to see you grow up. I want to watch you fall in love. I want to stand at your wedding; hold your first child in my arms and watch you have the life that you deserve. But if at any point I do die and my death is a direct result of you being allowed to have that life, I won't hesitate to die for you. You are too important. Not because of the prophecy; not because a Seer proclaimed that you are the one destined to kill Voldemort because that's bollocks. We are taking out his Horcruxes one by one and when it comes down to it, he will die. I believe that. But you have to live because you deserve it. You deserve a full and happy life."_

 _"If you die for me, how am I supposed to have a happy life?"_

 _Sirius reached over and gently brushed Harry's hair away from his face. "Because I love you and would wish you to have nothing but a happy life. I would hope you wouldn't spend your whole life grieving for me."_

 _Harry stared at him for a moment. "Don't die, okay?"_

 _Sirius smiled. "I'll try not to. Same for you, okay?"_

 _Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "I'll try not to, too."_

Remus grinned at him. "You two are both so stubborn and bullheaded, do you know that?" He hugged Harry tight again, kissing his forehead as he watched the end of the memory and they stepped out back into the sunroom. "Harry, you know that we love you and that we will be here for you whenever you need us and we'll be here for you even when you think you don't."

He nodded, hugging Remus tightly again. "I'm so glad that you're home."

Remus smiled and kissed the top of Harry's head. "I'm pretty glad to be home too. I love you, little Prongs."

Harry smiled against his chest. "I love you, too, Uncle Moony."

Remus hugged him close for a long moment before he let go and smiled at him. "What happened after you and Sirius made up?"

Harry scratched his chin. "Well, he lectured me about the Time-Turner and said we had to tell Hermione's parents, which we did the next morning. Then he gave me the Pensieve and we watched three memories from it. The first one was the day that he brought me home from the Dursleys and gave me a bath. The second was my Dad singing 'All You Need is Love' to me in the nursery when Uncle Siri came to visit. And the last one was Dad trying to ask Mum out on a date. It was really embarrassing at how bad he was at it."

Remus chuckled. "He really was. It wasn't until the end of fifth year when we decided to get Operation Make Evans Fall in Love with Prongs underway that he smartened up."

Harry grinned. "You had an operation?"

"Oh, Harry, we had a whole game plan! But most of it involved your dad pulling his head out of his arse and growing up. I talked him up to Lily as we were pretty good friends and he stopped asking her out every two seconds, which helped. I think she missed it a bit to be honest, not that she'd admit to it, and she started looking back at him. He charmed her and they became friends and they fell in love."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad. I'm excited to see more memories of them."

"What other ones did you watch?" Remus asked him, his eyes skimming over the many phials in the chest.

"Just those three."

Remus' eyebrow rose as he turned to look at him. "Why? Don't you want to watch more?"

Harry nodded, his hands moving into his pockets. "It didn't feel right before."

Remus looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean it didn't feel right? I thought that you said that it was a good gift."

"No, it's amazing!" Harry said quickly, his eyes on his father. "I just … it didn't feel right looking at the memories without both of my dads there."

Remus' eyes softened. "Harry …"

He shrugged and smiled when Remus pulled him close for a hug, his fingers curling into Remus' shirt.

"I'd love to watch some of these with you. I love you more than anything and nothing in the world makes me prouder than being a father to you."

Harry smiled at him. "I love you, too."

Remus hugged him tightly, kissing the top of his head. "I'd like to share one memory with you right now, even though Sirius isn't here, if that's alright with you?"

Harry nodded, his eyes twinkling in curiosity. "Okay."

Remus smiled and moved to the chest, his eyes sliding over the parchment to find the right numbered phial that he was looking for. He scooped up the memories still floating in the Pensieve, returning them to their respective bottles before he added the new one. He let out a slow sigh.

"With you learning how to become an Animagus, I thought that I should show you how your dad made the decision to be one and essentially changed my life."

Harry looked intrigued as he stepped towards the basin. "Is this when they found out that you were a werewolf?"

Remus nodded. "When they confronted me about it. It's one of the best memories for me because it was the first time in my life that I truly felt accepted for who I was. Will you watch it with me?"

Harry nodded, grinning at his uncle. "Yes."

Together they bent their head and fell into the memory.

 _"Rem? Can we talk to you for a minute?" Peter asked, taking a seat at the large table his friend was sitting at in the library, books strewn around him._

"Your mum and I always studied together," Remus told him, smiling at the image of a twelve-year-old-Lily studiously looking over her History of Magic book.

 _"Hey Lily," he turned back to Remus. "So can we talk?"_

 _"Of course, Pete, what's going on?"_

 _Peter shook his head. "No, privately."_

 _Remus looked up from his Transfiguration homework. "I still have thirty minutes before curfew, Pete, can't it wait?"_

 _"Please, Remus."_

 _Remus sighed and began to pack up his stuff. "Sorry, Lily."_

 _She waved him off, yawning as she stared at the pages blankly. "Bye."_

 _Remus chuckled at Lily's struggle before he followed his friend out of the library. To his surprise, he didn't lead him to the dorm, but instead behind a mirror on the fourth floor. Remus gasped in surprise to find himself in a large cavern that seemed to lead out of the school before he grinned at James and Sirius._

"That's the hidden area where Hermione and I decided to hide our Animagus potion!"

Remus grinned at him. "Jamie decided to keep the potions there too. How funny."

 _"I did," Peter said with a grin, dropping his own book bag on the ground. "It leads to Hogsmeade."_

 _"Brilliant," Remus said, smiling at his friends. "Is this what you wanted me here for?"_

 _James sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair. "Partly. We did want to show you Pete's new discovery, but also we want to talk to you. Rem, we wanted to talk to you about how you've been feeling lately."_

 _"I'm fine," he insisted, scratching his nose. "A little tired I suppose. I have been studying extra hard lately."_

 _"To make up for the school you've missed," James supplied. "Yeah, we get it. That's what we want to talk to you about, missing school."_

 _Remus shifted uncomfortably. "Look, my parents need me home quite often. My grandmother is a handful and her memory loss is getting quite severe."_

 _"You're grandmother died last year, Remus," Sirius pointed out. "Or that's what you told us."_

 _"No, this is my other grandmother," Remus said._

 _Sirius rolled his eyes. "She died over the summer."_

 _Remus opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He hadn't realized that he had used some of the same lies, but obviously his friends had been paying closer attention to him than he had realized._

 _"The scars on Sirius' back, we know those are from his super crazy mother and father. But you seem to collect more scars on a regular basis," James said, gesturing to the eyebrow, neck, and encircling his chest and back with his finger._

 _"Not to mention that you seem to keep gaining and losing weight with an incredible frequency that seems to always correlate when you have to mysteriously leave the castle," Sirius added, leaning back against the wall of the cavern, arms crossed in front of him and one leg up, foot against the wall._

 _"Plus I saw Madam Pomfrey hide you in a cloak and hurry you across the castle grounds the other night," Peter said. "My dad works for the Department of Magical Transportation, Remus. If you needed to go home that is the last way that you would be getting there."_

 _James stared at his friend's large slightly panicked eyes now. "The new scar on your neck still looks fresh like you were scratched by a wild animal."_

 _"It's only the end of November, mate and you've already been out sick nine days!" Sirius exclaimed. "And it's been almost the same days each month!"_

 _Peter slid down to the ground of the cavern, stretching his legs out in front of him. "We're just worried about you, Remus."_

 _"Don't be," he said quickly. "It's nothing to be concerned about. I appreciate the fact that you're worrying about me, but I'm fine. Honest."_

 _"When you came to stay with me that last week of summer, Rem, even Mum was worried. She said that you looked much too peaky!"_

 _Remus smiled at James. "Your mother is the nicest person that I have ever met. But in August I got one of those terrible summer colds and I was just coming off the end of it when Pete and I came to stay with you. You blokes are worried for nothing."_

 _"What about the fact that last night at dinner, the house elves had a special plate of food prepared for you which was a steak and kidney pie with the steak made rare?" Sirius asked, eyeing Remus carefully._

 _Remus chuckled now. "Siri, I just like my steak rare and asked the house elves if they wouldn't mind preparing me my steak as so. Jamie does that ALL the time with his requests of treacle tart at every meal including breakfast!"_

 _James grinned. "It was probably a bad thing when Siri and I discovered how to get into the kitchens last year."_

 _Peter laughed, scratching his cheek. "But worth it."_

 _"Look, I think you blokes are grand for worrying about me, but I'm fine, really! Can we just go back to Gryffindor Tower now?" Remus asked, grinning at them._

 _"Only if you answer a few more questions," Sirius insisted._

 _Remus sighed and unbuttoned his cardigan. "Fine."_

 _James nodded at the fact that he was unbuttoning his jumper. "You rarely get cold."_

 _Remus shrugged. "I'm hot-blooded. Dad's like that too; poor Mum is under three blankets and by the fire and Dad and I are just fine in a tee-shirt."_

 _Sirius looked skeptical before he spoke. "Two weeks ago in Potions, Davies' potion exploded and when he jumped back in shock he fell back into the shelving unit and the whole thing came crashing down until you grabbed it and held it in place, pushing it back to the wall."_

 _"So?"_

 _"So that shelf was full of ingredients and textbooks and weighs a ton! You have to have super strength to hold it in place and put it back the way you did."_

 _"I hardly have super strength, Sirius," Remus said with a laugh._

 _James' eyebrow rose. "You are freakishly strong, Lupin, you must admit."_

 _Remus shrugged, a small smile on his face. "Okay, so I'm a little strong, is there something wrong with that?"_

 _"No, it's just weird," James said, his eyes moving over his friend's rather skinny arms and long legs. "Considering how skinny you are."_

 _"And pale!" Sirius added._

 _"Sirius, you're paler than me!" Remus exclaimed, rolling his eyes now._

 _"Every single time you have to leave for some family thing, the day before you have a headache and you move slower like your muscles and joints hurt!" James exclaimed, trying to make his friend take him seriously._

 _Remus simply stared at his friends. He couldn't believe how much they noticed about him. "Just spit out what you blokes are trying to say!"_

 _"You're eyes are the colour of golden whiskey, but when the moonlight hits them they turn almost a feral amber," Sirius said softly._

 _"You always have nightmares after you come back to school," James added._

 _Remus paled now. He closed his eyes and let out a slow sigh. "Everyone has nightmares. Sirius has nightmares almost as much as me."_

 _"Um, rude!" Sirius said, making James laugh._

 _Peter spoke up then. "And Sirius said the other day, the one that really made us worry, Rem, those days you leave always correspond with the lunar cycle. It was a full moon."_

 _Remus' fists clenched tightly at his sides and he grabbed his bag, turning to leave. Sirius grabbed his arm and Remus shoved him back, the strength surging through him. Sirius stumbled and James grabbed him. "I'm fine!"_

 _James grabbed Remus' arm now, but to Remus' surprise he simply pulled him into a hug. Sirius wrapped his arms around both Remus and James and Peter hugged Remus from the back._

 _"You're not fine, Rem. You're not. And lying to us all of the time can't be easy," James said, his voice low by his ear. "You're our best mate and we love you."_

 _"We really do, mate. Not to mention that you are the genuine to our genius!" Sirius supplied, with a smile and Remus chuckled into his shoulder._

 _"And we don't care if you howl at the moon," Peter added from behind._

 _Remus froze in their grasp and the three of them held him tighter._

 _"We know, Rem." James whispered._

 _Remus shook his head. "You - can't!"_

 _Sirius pulled back and gripped Remus' face between his hands, holding him still. "We've known since the end of last year. Well, we suspected at the end of last year, but we confirmed it this year."_

 _Remus pulled away from Sirius' grasp, but then James' hands replaced Sirius' on his face. "Let me go!"_

 _"No," James said. "You're our best mate and we don't care that you're a werewolf."_

 _The tears spilled down Remus' face before he could stop them and the sob that slipped out was so loud he startled himself. His three friends engulfed him in a hug again and he clung to them, crying. When he finally managed to control himself, he pushed them away._

 _"How did you know?"_

 _James grinned. "From all of the signs listed above, Rem." He pulled Remus down to the floor of the cavern and the three of them sat around him, a solid unit, each holding him. James held his left arm, Peter his right, and Sirius his ankles. "Right after finals last year, Sirius mentioned how it was kind of strange that you always seemed to have to leave suddenly around the full moon. Then after finals, the full moon came and you left early to go home. Over the summer, you looked peaky according to my mum and I remembered that the full moon was three days before you came over."_

 _Sirius smiled, squeezing Remus' ankle gently. "We started looking closer at you for more signs and sure enough, end of September, the full moon, you had to go home because your dad was sick."_

 _"Then when the October moon cycle came around, that's when we noticed the new scars and we started researching in the library," Peter said. "James said werewolf right away, but I told him you couldn't be because werewolves are vicious and dangerous creatures and you … you're nothing like that."_

 _The tears spilled down his cheeks again and he wiped them away hurriedly._

 _"After my birthday, we kept a close eye on you," Sirius said, watching his friend. "We watched for all the signs. Your strength; the headache and slow movements, and when sure enough right before the full moon, you went 'home': we knew."_

 _"We snuck under my invisibility cloak and we followed you to the hospital wing. We followed as Madam Pomfrey bundled you under this large cloak and led you across the grounds to the Whomping Willow tree. She immobilized the tree with her wand, hit something on the trunk and the two of you disappeared beneath it. Fifteen minutes later, she came out alone," James explained._

 _The tears streamed down his cheeks now and he tried to break free from his friends, but they tackled him, lying on top of his body to hold him in place._

 _"I'm sorry that I lied to you!" He exclaimed, struggling beneath them. "I'm a monster! Dumbledore knows, he planted the tree for me so that I could get away from people to keep them safe! I'll … I'll see if I can get a new room. Get - off - me!"_

 _"A new room?" Sirius asked in confusion. "Why would you need a new room? Is that what's beneath the Willow?"_

 _James glared at Sirius and turned back to Remus. "We still want you to be in our dorm, Rem."_

 _Remus stared into James' hazel eyes. "What? You want to room with a disgusting vicious monster?"_

 _James looked shocked. "Remus! How dare you say something so rude about Pete! You know how sensitive he is about his anger issues!"_

 _Peter shrugged good naturally. "Don't make me mad. I'll turn into a big green killing machine."_

 _Sirius laughed. "Hulk reference, nice," he said, grinning at Peter. "Which we would never know about if you hadn't shown us you Muggle comic book collection, Rem."_

 _Remus stared at the three of them. They were just joking around as usual. As if a huge bombshell hadn't just been dropped._

 _"What the fuck is wrong with you three?" Remus exploded, pushing them away and climbing to his feet, his eyes flashing in anger. "You just found out I'm a bloody werewolf! Do you have any idea how dangerous I am? I'm a fucking monster!"_

 _"You just look like Rem." Sirius said simply._

 _Remus' anger deflated instantly. "You - you don't care?"_

 _James grinned at him. "We already know how great you are and funny and smart and seriously mate, a right genius at pranks, but now we know your secret too. So you can be dangerous sometimes. You're a werewolf. So bloody what?"_

 _"But - but, I'm diseased!" He spluttered._

 _Sirius rolled his eyes. "Are you planning on biting any of us in our sleep?"_

 _"What?" Remus said in confusion. "No, why would I -"_

 _"Exactly," Sirius said, grinning at Peter. "Didn't Jamie just say that he was smart?"_

 _Peter shrugged. "Maybe he lost a few brain cells when we tackled him to the ground."_

 _James grinned widely and pulled Remus back to the cavern floor and the four of them huddled together. "And for the record, Rem, we don't think that you're a monster. You're just Remus. Our best mate."_

 _Sirius suddenly cackled, holding his hand over his mouth in surprise. "Merlin! Rem, I just realized!"_

 _"Realized what?" Remus asked carefully. He was still in complete shock over the three of them just accepting him as if he was normal._

 _"Your name … mate, you were meant to be a wolf."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Remus Lupin the werewolf, mate, your name practically means Wolf John Wolf!" He said as he laughed._

 _Peter grinned, laughter escaping him. "Merlin! Sirius you're right!"_

 _Remus simply stared at them as they all busted into laughter. "My name is Wolf John Wolf and I howl at the moon," he said, grinning widely. "Son of a bitch."_

 _James' eyes turned serious as he draped his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Hey Rem, are you, I mean, when you, you know transform and whatnot, are you always alone?"_

 _"Of course I'm alone!" Remus exclaimed, eyes wide in shock. "I would hurt someone, Jamie! I'd probably kill them! I don't even … I wouldn't even remember it!"_

 _James nodded. "But only people, right?"_

 _Remus looked bewildered. "What? What are you on about?"_

 _A small half-smile formed on Sirius' face as he looked at James. "James, you really are bloody brilliant!"_

 _Peter looked between the three of them completely confused._

 _James smiled at Remus. "Werewolves don't bite animals."_

 _"What are you on about, Jamie?" Remus said in exasperation. "I turn into a fucking wolf! I can rip the throat out of any animal if I so choose to!"_

 _"No," he said grinning widely. "I mean, if you bit an animal, say a rabbit for instance, they wouldn't turn into a rabbit-wolf hybrid."_

 _"Well, obviously not," Remus said carefully, wondering why his friend was asking such a stupid question. "I mean, the rabbit would probably be dead, but no it wouldn't become a werewolf."_

 _"Animals are safe."_

 _Peter still looked confused. "So Remus can be around other animals when he's changed into a werewolf, so what?"_

 _Sirius slapped Peter on the back, squeezing his shoulder. "Exactly what James is saying, Pete." He grinned at Remus. "If we were all animals you wouldn't have to be alone."_

 _James nodded. "Precisely."_

 _Remus didn't know what to say. The three of them were grinning at him widely with love and admiration and he had never felt so good about himself in his entire life. "You - you want to be animals so that I won't be alone?"_

 _James grinned. "Yes. We'll learn to become Animagi."_

 _"Sounds great! James, do you know if we get to pick our animal? I think I'd want to be something bloody fantastic like a mother fucking dragon!"_

 _"Sirius, be realistic! How could we hang out with Remus in secret if you were a dragon?" James said, rolling his eyes. "That would be brilliant though!"_

 _Peter grinned. "And you don't get to choose, Sirius. My Uncle Don is an Animagus and he's a raven. He said flying is the best thing that he can explain."_

 _"Aces!" Sirius exclaimed. "I'm pretty sure that there's an old book on Animagus transformations in my father's study. I'll find it when I go home for Christmas."_

 _James slapped his hands together with a grin. "Excellent! I can't wait to get started."_

 _"You - you'd really do that for me?" Remus asked in shock, staring at them with wide eyes. "It's supposed to be incredibly difficult and painful to become an Animagus. It can take years! You didn't think this through." He said, his hands going up to his hair and making it stand on end as he looked even more frazzled._

 _Sirius and James simply smiled as Sirius spoke. "It's for you, Rem, we don't have to think about it."_

 _James grinned at Sirius. "Maybe you could be a griffin, those are pretty majestic!"_

 _Peter laughed. "Also hard to keep quiet about on the school grounds. I'd like to be a giraffe."_

 _"You just want to be taller, midget," Sirius said as he opened up James' invisibility cloak and wrapped it around the four of them._

 _Peter sighed. "Yeah, more height would be great."_

 _"We're only twelve, Pete, be patient," James said on a laugh. "Oooh, how great would it be to be a lion or a giant bear?"_

 _"Wicked," Peter said, tugging Remus under the cloak. "Come on, Remus, we have to get back to the dorm, it's way past curfew."_

Harry stared at Remus as they exited the memory. "You were so surprised."

"I still am," Remus admitted. "I couldn't understand why they just accepted me and I was so grateful for them. You accepted me much the same, six years old and you found out I was a werewolf and you reacted the same. You told me we were the same when you traced my scars and then your own. Kids accept things in ways that adults don't."

"Uncle Siri decimated that bill, Uncle Moony. That horrid woman can never again get it passed. It's been voted out of the Wizengamot."

Remus smiled. "I'm grateful for that. But the world isn't going to stop treating me differently. The Ministry of Magic has an entire department devoted to keeping werewolves registered and to keep their eye on them. Dumbledore … me being at Hogwarts is something that I'm going to be forever grateful for and that petition … I don't know how you put that together, but thank you."

"It was all Ginny," Harry told him. "It was right after you had been arrested and she went to Percy and together they talked to the whole school. Everyone loves you and no one wants to see you leave."

Remus smiled. "I am honoured by that. Truly. I love teaching and when I resigned, it was the worst feeling to know that I wouldn't be able to go back."

"Well, now you can. Everyone is just as excited for Defence Club as well."

"I'm glad," Remus said with a smile. He watched as Harry put the memory away and closed the chest. "By the way, Nymphadora told me that you went and stayed with her and cooked in our new kitchen. It means the world to me that you tried to take care of her while I was gone. I know that she's always been a big sister to you and I guess I never thought about what me being with her would be like for you, how that would change … there's an age difference between the two of us and sometimes I wonder if she regrets choosing me."

"Never," Harry said simply. "She would never regret it. You are her entire world, Uncle Moony, and the only way you could make her any happier is if you asked her to marry you."

Remus blushed a little at that. "Marriage to a werewolf is something else entirely, Harry. I don't think that I'm ready to subject her to that."

"Umbitch's law didn't pass, Uncle Moony."

"Umbridge, Harry," Remus said with a smirk. "I see that Sirius is rubbing off on you entirely too much. I know that her bill didn't pass, but now that I'm officially a registered werewolf, if she marries me, she's going to be getting a lot of flak and … she's a beautiful, young and vivacious woman and I don't want to completely ruin her life."

Harry rolled his eyes. "She'll hex you if she hears you saying that."

"Probably," Remus admitted. "I've never loved anyone the way that I love her and I hope she knows how important she is to me. I mean … living with her … I know it's only been two days officially, but it's everything that I have ever wanted. She makes me really happy."

"Good," Harry told him. "You make her really happy too and when you went to prison she was a bit of a mess. She won't appreciate me telling you so, but she was. Charlie came to stay with her, knocked some sense into her and helped her finish up the cottage and move in. She is like a big sister to me, but she's also my friend and my family just as much as you are."

Remus smiled. "Yeah, she is."

Harry smiled. "So listen, about my Animagus transformation, Uncle Siri keeps trying to give me a nickname, said it's mandatory for my animal, but that's not true, is it?"

Remus shook his head. "No. McGonagall doesn't have a nickname for her Animagus, does she?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "According to Uncle Siri it's Minnie Meowly."

Remus laughed. "Minerva will kill him if he calls her that."

"And he keeps calling me Pup, Padpup, and Pupfoot and he tried to name Ginny Puffpatch."

He chuckled. "I kind of like Padpup. I think he just misses calling you Prongslet to be honest. You didn't say, what animals have your friends become?"

"Ginny's a red panda, which is why Uncle Sirius said Puffpatch because she's a little puffball. Ron is a wolverine, Neville a badger, Luna a hare, and Hermione a red fox."

"All wonderful animals," Remus said with a smile, looking thoughtful for a moment. "The New Marauders proudly present Digger, Hopper, Athena, Check, Padpup and Puffpatch."

"No," Harry said, laughing now. "Check?"

"Ron likes chess," Remus said simply. "I don't know, I just thought of them now, I didn't say they were good."

Harry smirked at him. "Just Harry, Uncle Moony."

Remus nodded, wrapping an arm around his son. "Alright 'just Harry,' whatever you say."

 **Ginny ran through the yard when she recognized Theo walking down the drive.** She hurried down to hug him, kissing his cheek.

"Theo! You actually came!"

He grinned at her and hugged her back. "I actually came. If my father finds out that I came here, he'll disown me," he told her, looking up at the ramshackle house that was The Burrow.

"How was the party?"

"Pretty great. Blaise made a toast, his mum cried. Pretty typical."

She smiled at him. "Come on, my mum wants to meet you."

He smiled as she took his hand and led him up the drive to the house and they stepped into the kitchen. Ginny was incredibly surprised that Theo had even agreed to stop by. She hadn't really thought that he would, as much as she wanted him to. He was so nice and she had really enjoyed spending time with him over the last few weeks of school. Their nightly kitchen dates had been a lot of fun and she felt like she had really gotten the chance to get to know him. He was different than the persona he often presented, the pureblood Slytherin, the Nott heir. He was funny and a bit of a smart-ass and he genuinely liked her.

Mrs Weasley was cleaning up their lunch dishes and Ginny grinned. "Mum, this is Theo, Theo, my mum."

Theo extended his hand to her, a small smile on his face. "Hi Mrs Weasley, thank you for having me."

"Of course, dear, you're more than welcome!" She said brightly. "Ginny show him to Ron's room, he can stay on the cot for the night."

Ginny nodded and led him upstairs. "Too bad you can only stay for the night, but I guess you're heading off to Malfoy's?"

Theo nodded as he followed her up the winding staircases that seemed to stop and go in strange places. "Yeah, Draco and I have plans. Plus his dad is taking us to the World Cup in August."

"Oh, I'm so jealous!" She said as they reached the top and she pushed the door open to Ron's room.

Ron was lying on his bed, the newest edition of _Which Broomstick_ open in front of him. "Nott," he said steely.

Theo grinned at him. "Weasley."

Ron glared at his sister. "I can't believe you made friends with a Slytherin."

"Don't be a git, Ron."

Ron simply pulled his magazine up in front of his face.

Ginny led Theo back through the house, showing him where the bathroom was before they headed outside by the pond. She dipped her feet into the water, smiling at him. "Sorry my brother's such a git, he was born that way."

Theo smirked at her, pulling off his own shoes and socks to dip his feet in the water. "I can handle Weasley, don't you worry."

She smiled at that. "You better watch out for Fred and George too, they're sneaky. Percy has basically moved into his room when he's not at the Ministry so he's probably safe."

"The Ministry?"

She nodded. "He was lucky enough to get hired right out of school. He's working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He really loves it and his boss, someone named Crouch, who he talks nonstop about."

Theo grinned. "Sounds interesting."

"Not even a little bit," Ginny told him, laughing. "But it's what he's always wanted, to work in the Ministry."

"Doesn't your dad work in the Ministry too?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, but unlike Percy, Dad has no ambition in terms of politics and government. Dad's fascinated by Muggles. He's Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Department and he loves it."

"As long as he loves it that's all that's important."

"Very true," Ginny told him. "So, tell me about the party."

"Expensive," Theo said with a grin. "I swear even the plates were bejewelled. Everyone was wearing fancy dress robes and enough jewellery to feed a small world country. Stephen was actually there."

"Really?" Ginny asked in surprise when she recognized the name of Theo's ex boyfriend. "Why was he invited?"

"His grandmother was and I guess he was staying with her."

"Did you talk to him?"

Theo shrugged. "He tried to apologize to me. Said something about how I confused him and it wasn't that he didn't like me, but that he was pretty sure he liked girls."

"Well, he can like both if he wants to," Ginny said simply.

"I said as much to him, but he looked rather scandalized at the thought."

Ginny laughed. "Poor Stephen."

Theo grinned. "Then I tugged him into one of the pantries and we snogged."

"Even after he said all that?"

Theo shrugged. "I was very persuasive with my mouth, even more so when I was on my knees." She blushed and he laughed. "Does the fact that I like to suck cock embarrass you, Ginny?"

"No," she said. "Not that you like to do it, but that you feel the need to tell me about it."

He chuckled. "Well, when you decide to do it for the first time you can tell me all about it if you want to. I'll even give you some pointers." She turned scarlet and he grinned. "What else have you been up to all summer?"

She shrugged. "Spent some time with Harry, Hermione, Luna and Neville. Harry was worried about you spending time with me, seemed to think that you had intentions."

He grinned, his eyes twinkling in delight. "What did you tell him?"

"That if you were going to have intentions towards anyone it would be him and he got this adorably confused look on his face."

He smirked. "Bloke's protective of you."

"We've been friends a long time. I think he sees me as a little sister that he has to take care of sometimes."

"Sorry, that's rough."

She shrugged. "He's one of my best friends and just because I think he's rather gorgeous doesn't mean that he has to like me as anything other than a friend. And I kind of saw him naked by accident the other day."

"What?" Theo exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Is he hung? I always imagined Potter was hung with massive balls of steel considering how many times he's survived against the Dark Lord. So, is he hung?"

Ginny flushed. "I only saw the back of him."

"Well, that's just an awful shame and avoidance of the questions. Is his butt at least as nice naked as it is in his Quidditch uniform?

Ginny flushed and bit her bottom lip and Theo laughed. "As I was saying, I definitely don't see him as one of my brothers and that's on me, he's one of my best friends. I told him if I wanted to snog you or anyone else that it was my choice, not his."

"Well, if you ever want to plant one on my lips, I won't say no, as long as you know that I'll be picturing one of your brothers instead."

She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed.

"No really, that picture I saw in the living room of that redhead with the long hair and the fang in his ear? He's sexy."

"That's Bill, He's a curse breaker in Egypt."

"I'd let him break me in any time."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "He's not gay."

Theo shrugged. "That's an awful shame."

"And he's going to be twenty-four in November."

"Maybe I like older men."

"You're incorrigible."

He grinned. "So my friends are always telling me. How have you been sleeping since you came home?"

"Good. You?"

"So-so," he admitted. "My father's in Croatia staying with a friend and I'm hoping that I don't even have to see him this summer."

"I wish that you were closer to your dad, it sounds rather lonely."

Theo shrugged. "If you knew my father you'd disagree." He smiled at her. "So, what else is there to do around here?"

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _To answer a review on the summer timeline. The whole Pettigrew and Time-Turner issue took place within the last week of May. Harry came home from school in June; Remus was released at the end of June. Harry is going to America - next chapter - he will be there for his birthday. Hope this helps._


	152. Chapter 152

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer some reviews: First, I chose Croatia because it was in Eastern Europe and near enough to Albania along the coast of the Adriatic Sea without being directly in the same country as Voldemort. Not to mention that I heard it's beautiful there and decided that it was the place for a rich wizarding noble to have a manor in. I know the two countries are not next door, but like I said, close enough or closer than say England and Albania. As Croatia is about the same distance as it would take for me to get to Quebec (roughly 11 hours by car) so it works for me as that's how my logic works haha. Second, I will stop worrying about long chapters since no one seems to mind LOL. Third, I love reviews, gushing and otherwise as I feel like I am re-experiencing the chapter with the reader which is really fun so please never stop. Fourth, just an oversight that Harry forgot to mention the fact that Hermione was grounded and also, at this point, her sentence would be up so it didn't really matter. And lastly, please remember the fashion of the 90s had its own flare, like today. Crop tops were in, the more belly you showed the cooler your were, as were cut off shorts and extremely short dresses and skirts whereas blokes pretty much stayed with button-downs and jeans or khakis. Not to mention my great love of chokers, I must have had thirty different ones at one time. That is all._

 _I dedicate this chapter to the guest reviewer Ana since she said that she is from Croatia (coincidentally) and leaves me wonderful, detailed reviews with every chapter that I greatly look forward to reading. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and I hope that you keep reading and reviewing!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO:**

 **Having Theo at The Burrow was more fun than Ginny had anticipated.** His one day stay had turned into four days much to Ron's chagrin, but Ginny was thrilled. They spent most of the time out by the pond talking and to Ginny's surprise, helping her mum in the kitchen. Theo was fascinated by the fact that Ginny and Mrs Weasley did all of their own canning and baking and when he realized that they had no house elves to help, he immediately rolled up his sleeves and wanted to know what to do.

Mrs Weasley at first told him no, that he was a guest, but when he began helping anyway, she only smiled and guided him through the process and soon they were making apple butter, blackberry jelly, dill pickles, red pepper jelly, raspberry jam, strawberry jam, tomato sauce, and grape jelly.

"I can't believe that you make all of this yourself, Mrs Weasley. That apple butter is to die for!"

Mrs Weasley smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, dear. It's my great-grandmother's recipe."

Theo listened attentively as Mrs Weasley showed him how to make the jams and jellies. At dinner that night, Mrs Weasley even told the table that Theo had helped make the chicken and he had found himself blushing. That first night when he had gone up to Ron's room to sleep, he had surprised himself by how much he had enjoyed spending the day there working in the kitchen with Ginny and her mum which had made him decide to stay a few more days. Ginny was thrilled with that news.

Ron scowled at him when he came into the room after announcing he would be staying three more days and he was reminded that not all of the Weasleys were thrilled with his presence. "Nott."

"Weasley," he said with just as much disdain before pulling off his shirt to change. "Look, neither one of us fancy sharing a room together so let's just agree to disagree and sleep in peace, deal?"

Ron only glared at him. "Look, Nott, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but if you hurt my sister, I will come after you."

"I don't plan on hurting your sister. She's one of the nicest people that I have ever met and she invited me here out of the goodness of her heart and I'm enjoying myself, despite you're dismal attitude."

"And like your attitude wouldn't be dismal if I came to stay over at your house out of the blue?"

Theo snorted. "Like my father would ever allow a blood traitor such as yourself through the front door! Besides, trust me, no one would rather spend time at that house less than me."

Ron raised his eyebrow. "Escaping home? Is that why you're here?"

"Partly," he admitted. "You have an incredible family, Ron, and you should thank your lucky stars every day for them. Not all of us are that lucky." He crawled onto the bed, yawning. "Goodnight."

Ron stared at him for a minute before he climbed into his own bed. "Look, Theo, I don't have anything against you personally. It's just that you're a Slytherin and you hang around Malfoy, who's an absolute foul git by the way, and now you show up out of the blue and are dating my sister; how did you think that I was going to react?"

Theo laughed and rolled over to look at Ron. " _What?_ You think that Ginny and I are dating?"

"You're not?" Ron asked, a bewildered look on his face.

Theo grinned at him. "No. Let me make something abundantly clear to you, Ron. First, Malfoy is absolutely a foul git, but he's also one of my best mates and I know that it's hard to believe, but being a git is actually part of his charm. Secondly, Ginny is one of the best people that I have ever met in my life and being her friend, which we are by the way, is wonderful and I look forward to it. And lastly, I am one hundred percent, no, make it one hundred and ten percent, gay. And for the record, I'm not interested in you, so cool your heels, but your brothers Bill or Charlie, now they sure are good looking."

Ron blushed. "You, er - you um, you like blokes?"

He only stared at him and raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No," Ron said simply. "I'm just … actually no, I'm not surprised. A lot makes sense now."

Theo smiled at him, a light weight lifting off his chest. "Well, thanks I think."

Ron was quiet for a long moment before he spoke. "I think Seamus is gay."

Theo opened his mouth in surprise. "Finnigan?"

Ron nodded. "I mean, I don't know for sure of course, but sometimes I think he is. Before the end of the school year, I saw him kiss this bloke with curly brown hair, but he dated Lavender and snogged her brains out for months on end so maybe not. I don't know."

"And you, Weasley?"

"I'm not gay," Ron said.

Theo rolled his eyes. "Trust me, that's incredibly obvious. So are you finally going to ask out Granger?"

Ron blushed. "What? Hermione's my … she's my best friend."

"Yes, and you want to stick your tongue down her throat!"

"No, I - "

" - So you don't think that she's attractive and you don't want to snog her?"

"I didn't say that! I mean, of course she's beautiful, but she's Hermione and - "

" - And you like her. Just saying, someone else is going to notice her soon and you're going to beat yourself up if you don't make a move first."

"She's my friend," Ron insisted stubbornly, turning his pillow over.

Theo smiled at him. "Blaise is my best friend, but if he asked me to fuck him I would in a heartbeat. Bloke is so damn lush! But I have no interest in making him my boyfriend. You and Granger … you'd want to do more than fuck her."

Ron blushed again. "You've … you've had sex?"

Theo nodded. "I have. Loads of times." At Ron's look of surprise, he sighed. "Another reason why your family is great, Ron, your dad doesn't bring you to a brothel on your thirteenth birthday to help you become a man."

Ron's mouth dropped open. "What? _Thirteen_?"

Theo let out a slow sigh. "And fourteenth. And over the summer last year. That would be one of the many reasons why I don't like my father and why I don't want to go home and why I am dreading my upcoming fifteenth birthday in October. And so you know, it wasn't a choice. It was 'you become a man here and now, or else.'"

"I'm sorry."

"I don't need your pity," he said angrily, punching his pillow. "Just … you're lucky to have the parents that you do. Goodnight, Ron."

"Goodnight," Ron said, his brow furrowed as he took in Theo's words.

Theo closed his eyes, his heart beating in his chest and he wondered what it would be like to have parents like the Weasleys in the same way that he often wished that he had Draco's parents.

He let out a slow sigh and drifted off to sleep.

 **By the time the eighteenth of July came around,** Harry found himself just as nervous as he was excited. He had gotten four letters from Colt and Flo since they had left in April, each one detailing at least one thing that they wanted to show him when he arrived in Georgia. Colt asked him about any new girlfriends; asked how his Animagus process was coming along now that he could turn into a puppy and Flo wanted to know all about his exams.

It was nice writing to them; nice to have someone other than Sirius and Remus who cared about what he was doing and what he was getting up to. Zee hadn't been kidding about the potential of a Howler either, as with everything that had happened with Sirius and the Time-Turner, Harry had been late responding to the last letter and he had gotten a fun response from Flo telling him that he better write back soon or she was going to have words for him in a red envelope. The threat had made him laugh and then grin at the thought that they cared enough to want him to write.

Zee had spent the last week or two filling Harry's head with what to expect once they arrived. She talked about the old farmhouse that she loved with the creaky stairs and the barn full of horses; the hikes that they had to go on; the time that they had to spend at the restaurant; how they had to go to the beach and to some of the Muggle tourist spots, including that it was mandatory for them to go to a state fair. Harry was anxious to go and nervous as Zee's parents would also be staying with them.

He had liked Misha and Sorcha, Papa and Grandmama, he corrected, but he wasn't quite as comfortable yet with them as he was with Grandma and Grandpa. He packed his bag ready to go and he grinned widely at Remus when he came down the stairs that morning.

"All ready?" Remus asked him, smiling warmly.

Harry nodded. "I think so. Thanks for looking after Marauder."

"Anytime," Remus told him, tugging him close for a hug. "Sirius gave me his mirror for the trip so if you need anything, give me a call."

"I will."

"Also feel free to call and tell me about any time that Sirius makes a fool of himself with Zee's family," Remus added, making Harry laugh.

"I will."

Sirius grinned at him when he came down the stairs. "Got everything, Harry?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let's go meet Zee and catch our portkey."

Thirty minutes later, Harry had side Apparated with Sirius to the coast near Bristol where an elderly gentleman was waiting for them. He stamped their passports and paperwork, telling them that their travel plans would be forwarded to MACUSA, the Magical Congress of the United States of America, before he nodded to the rusty bucket on the ground.

"You take off in two minutes."

Harry swallowed slowly, smiling when he, Sirius and Zee all reached out to touch the rusty bucket as the man counted down and the three of them vanished through the portkey along with Lady Godiva. Harry landed rather shakily, falling to his knees and fighting the urge to vomit as he felt the warm grass beneath his hands.

"You alright?" Sirius asked, picking Harry up by the back of his shirt. "International portkeys are a bit rough."

He nodded, dusting himself off and adjusting his bag. "I'm fine."

Zee grinned widely. "Lady G isn't too impressed either. Take my hand, I'll Apparate us."

Harry did as she instructed and a few minutes later the three of them were walking up the winding drive towards a bright yellow farmhouse with a big wrap-around front porch, a bright red front door and red shutters. Harry followed Zee up onto the porch where a large Saint Bernard was lying. He lifted his head, staring up at them and Zee bent down to scratch him behind the ears.

"Hi Bruno!"

The dog merely tilted his head to get her to scratch harder and Harry bent down to do the same. Bruno seemed pleased with the attention and they turned when the front door opened. Colt stood there, denim jeans and a white tee shirt, grinning widely.

"Y'all are here!" He picked up Zee, spinning her in a circle as she laughed.

"Hi Grandpa!" She kissed his cheek noisily and smiled. "I brought my boys with me."

Colt grinned widely, tugging Harry into his arms for a bone-crushing hug. "Harry, m'boy, welcome! Come in, come in!" He led them inside the cool house and urged them to have a seat in the living room. "Your trip was alright?"

"Yes, the portkey was fine," Sirius told him as they sat down. "Thank you for having us."

Colt waved his hand as if it was nothing. "I'm happy to! We'll get you settled upstairs and then I can take you on a tour. Flo's at the restaurant and won't be back until later tonight. She wanted to be here, but two of her workers called in sick and I'm afraid that she's stuck."

"Oh no," Zee said. "I'll run over there and give her a hand."

"No, you will not," Colt said, staring down his granddaughter. "Sit on your pretty little tush and relax, this is your vacation!"

Zee smiled and stood up to kiss her grandfather's cheek. "It is, which means that I can do whatever I want and I'm going to go help Grandma. Sirius, why don't you come with me? I'll show you the restaurant and we'll put you to work. Grandpa can show Harry around the ranch."

"Sounds good to me," Sirius told her, turning to Harry. "You'll be okay here?"

"Yeah, absolutely" Harry said with a smile.

Zee and Sirius took off and Colt led Harry up the stairs to the room at the end of the hall. He pushed open the door revealing a small room with a slanted ceiling, shaped like the roof of the house. A double bed was in the room with a brown and green checked quilt. There was a dresser under the window and a night table.

"This will be your room, Harry," Colt told him with a smile as Lady Godiva hopped up onto the bed and made herself comfortable. Harry was pretty sure that she had been completely unimpressed with the portkey. "Zee and Sirius will be staying right across the hall. I was going to put Sirius in here with you, but Flo told me that I was being too old fashioned."

Harry chuckled. "This is great, thanks Grandpa."

Colt nodded. "I'll let you settle in. I'll be in the kitchen. Come on down when you're ready."

Harry smiled and unpacked a few things before he headed downstairs. The panther was asleep on the bed, making him grin. The portkey and international travel had clearly worn her out. The house was cozy and warm and he liked the feel of it immediately. It reminded him of The Burrow in the same sense that it felt like a family lived here and just being in the house made him feel like he was part of it.

Harry met Colt in the kitchen and he immediately led him outside. He took him on a tour of the yard, through the barn and out in the paddock where the horses were. They had four horses: a Clydesdale named Shelby, an Appaloosa named Cloud Dancing; a Mustang named King Lightning, and Thoroughbred named White Fella. He showed Harry how to approach them, starting with Shelby, who was the most gentle. It reminded Harry of Care of Magical Creatures class and dealing with Hippogriffs. It was all about respecting the animals. He made eye contact with the horse as he approached, showing respect and the horse allowed him to stroke her. Harry fed Shelby an apple as Colt patted her flank.

"Now she'll love you for life, giving her apples."

Harry grinned. "She's beautiful."

Colt nodded to the Appaloosa who was grazing on grass. "Cloud Dancing is the troublemaker over there, but he's a good horse. He's the one that I plan to get you riding on this summer."

Harry's eyes widened at the concept. "Really?"

"Definitely. I have some ground rules though. Before you ride, you have to learn how to take care of him. That means mucking out his stall, keeping him fed and brushing him twice a day. If you can do that, I'll teach you how to ride starting tomorrow."

Harry beamed at him and Colt immediately put him to work. He shovelled manure and brushed Cloud Dancing, smiling at the horse. He was beautiful, brown with black spots and he kept rubbing his head against Harry's arm in a friendly fashion, searching his pockets for more apples and making Harry laugh. When he finished taking care of the horse, he played fetch with Chief, Colt's Newfoundland and grinned at Colt when he came out from the paddock where he had been riding Shelby.

"How's Cloud Dancing?"

"Good," Harry said. "He's all brushed, his stall is clean and he conned two more apples out of me."

Colt grinned. "Sneaky bastard, ain't he?" He ruffled Harry's hair. "I start my chores at five in the morning, if you're out here with me first thing, you can ride Cloud Dancing tomorrow."

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, making Colt grin.

Harry eagerly helped Colt around the ranch for the rest of the afternoon; shovelling out the horse stalls, giving them food and water, taking care of the dogs and mending a broken fence out by the paddock before he changed into his Animagus form and ran around the yard playing with Chief as Colt laughed. He had worn himself out a bit and after the little break, continued to help Colt mend the fence. They were about halfway finished when Colt introduced him to his ranch hands, Calvin, twenty-one, and Tucker, nineteen.

But it was the blue-eyed blonde that had caught his attention.

Her name was Harley Mills and she was newly fifteen. She took horseback riding lessons at the ranch from Colt four days a week and she had legs up to her ears. He grinned foolishly when she hopped down off of King Lightning, tossing her bright blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Hi, you must be Harry. Colt's been telling me how excited he was for you to come by for the summer."

"Hello," Harry said, glad that words had actually left his mouth.

Her long legs were clad in tight denim and she wore a white tank top, the swell of her breasts catching his attention before he caught himself. She was tall, he guessed around five seven and since his recent growth spurt put him at five ten, he still had a few inches on her.

"I'm Harley," she said, extending her hand.

Harry accepted it, smiling. "Harry."

"I know," she said with a bright smile. "I'm sure that I'll see you around."

"Definitely," he said back, earning a grin from her.

Colt smirked at him as Harley hurried off. "Girl's checking you out, must be the English accent."

Harry turned his head and caught her looking at him and he grinned slowly. She blushed and waved as she hurried off. "She's … nice."

Colt grinned, a deep chuckle rumbling through him. "Nice, right! Come on, Harry; let's get the rest of this fence mended before Flo comes back with Zee and Sirius. You can flirt with the girl tomorrow."

Harry blushed at that, but did as Colt suggested. He couldn't help but wonder if Harley would come back and let him flirt with her again and the thought made him grin.

By the time that Sirius, Zee and Flo returned, Colt and Harry had mended the fence in all three areas and finished all of the chores for the day. Harry was helping Colt get dinner started when they returned and he grinned foolishly when Flo came rushing into the kitchen, arms outstretched and tugged him into her arms, bending his head down to cuddle him to her.

"Harry!" She covered his face in kisses making him flush in embarrassment as Sirius grinned at him. "We're so glad that you're here! Did Colt show you the ranch, sugar?"

He nodded, kissing her cheek and making her smile. "He did. I met the horses and Tucker and Calvin. Grandpa said that he's going to let me ride Cloud Dancing tomorrow."

"As long as he gets up and takes care of him in the morning," Colt added, a grin on his weathered face. "Zahira knows my rules."

Zee smiled and took a seat at the kitchen table as Sirius did the same. "Same rules as always, Grandpa."

"Harley also stopped by for her lesson. Girl had eyes on our boy."

Harry blushed and Sirius smirked at him.

"Was she pretty?"

"Gorgeous," Harry admitted, sitting next to his godfather.

Zee smiled and filled Harry and Colt in on the activities of the restaurant for the day. Two people had called in sick making them short staffed, but Zee and Sirius had hopped in to help out and everything had run smoothly. Zee told Harry that she had Sirius serving tables like a pro by the end of the day.

"He only broke a plate or two."

"Seven," Sirius said on a laugh. "But considering that only two of them had food on them, I think that it went pretty well."

Zee chuckled. "It went very well. I appreciate you letting me rope you into helping out."

"Of course," he said, turning to Harry. "So, horseback riding, eh?"

Harry beamed. "I hope so."

"Grandpa is a wonderful teacher, Harry, you're going to love it. This weekend, we're going to go Cloudland Canyon State Park. It's beautiful and we'll go on a hike up there and see everything."

"Sounds great," he told her honestly.

So far he was already loving Georgia and he couldn't wait to explore more of it.

 **The next morning,** Harry woke up when his alarm went off at quarter to five. He smiled at the sight of Lady Godiva stretched out across the bottom of his bed. It was nice that she had come to sleep with him since Marauder was at home with Remus and Tonks. He stroked her gently and she opened one eye to look up at him, licked his hand and simply went back to sleep.

He got dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, putting his trainers on before he headed downstairs. Colt was in the kitchen drinking coffee and he smiled at him.

"Right on time," he said, his eyes twinkling.

Harry drank a glass of orange juice before he followed his grandfather out to the barn and got to work. Colt lent Harry a pair of work boots and a pair of work gloves to put on and he started his new morning chores. He let Cloud Dancing outside in the pasture and then removed everything from the stall. He used a shovel and wheelbarrow to clean the manure and spread out the fresh bales of straw across the ground. He refilled the food and water after moving them back into the stall and wiped his sweaty brow.

Colt came to inspect his work and grinned widely. "You do good work, Harry. Three more stalls to go."

Harry only nodded and got back to work. By seven, all four horse stalls were clean and he made his way out into the paddock where Colt was whistling at the horses. Cloud Dancing pranced right over to Harry and he tugged a green apple out of his pocket, eagerly feeding the horse.

"He likes you," Colt told him.

"I like him too."

"Stalls are all clean?"

"Yes, sir."

Colt grinned widely. "Let's head inside, get cleaned up, and get some breakfast. Then we'll see about getting you on a horse."

 **Sirius leaned against the side of the fence,** his eyes on his son. He had been watching Colt teach him to ride for the last few days. Harry had fallen off twice, but was determined to get back on. Now after almost three hours on his third day, he was riding well. He seemed to have bonded with the horse and as he watched the horse speed off, the sound of his son's laughter peeling out, he couldn't help but smile.

Coming to Georgia had been a good idea. They both needed the break and the vacation, he thought. He smiled when he felt her arms wrap around his waist and he slid his hands over them, taking her hands in his.

"He's doing well, isn't he?"

"Wonderful," Zee told him. "He's a natural. It's his Quidditch talent. He knows how to ride well, brooms and horses."

"Obviously," Sirius told her, watching Harry laugh as he raced Colt around the paddock. "Your grandparents really love him. It's not forced. It's as if they've known him for years."

"They kind of have," Zee told him as he tugged her around to stand in front of him and she rested her head back against his chest, her eyes on Harry. "I've been talking my boys since the beginning."

"The beginning, eh?"

"Almost the beginning. I might have left out a few things like what happened on our first date."

"Oh, when I shagged you senseless on my kitchen floor? Great first date."

She smirked. "Merlin, I was such a slag!"

He grinned and bent his head to kiss her neck. "It's okay. I was more than alright with it."

Zee chuckled. "I can't believe how much he's grown! He was so little when I first met him and now he's almost as tall as you, way taller than me and he's growing up to be so handsome. A little skinny yet, but that probably has more to do with the growth spurt than anything."

Sirius smiled. "His dad was skinny too at that age. He's got muscle though, don't think he hasn't, and when we were practicing his Animagus form I noticed that he has some abs coming in. I mean, he doesn't have abs you could bounce a Knut off of like me, but he has some serious muscle. That Quidditch training is doing him good not to mention all of the manual labour Colt has him doing is only going to add to it."

Zee rolled her eyes as she turned to look at him. "Bounce a Knut off?"

Sirius merely lifted up the bottom of his shirt and her eyes went to his well defined abdomen. "Want to test it?"

Zee ran her fingers over his muscles, smiling when he trembled at her touch. "You are too fucking sexy for your own good, do you know that?"

The slow smile that spread across his face made her grin.

"Conceited knob," she muttered affectionately, standing on her toes to kiss him. "So, do you want to try to ride a horse?"

"Mmm," he murmured into her neck. "I'd rather ride you."

Zee hit his arm and he smirked before she tugged herself out of his arms and he watched her run towards the tall man walking towards them. His short dark blonde hair was streaked with salt and pepper and his blue eyes nodded in Sirius' direction before he hugged Zee tight to him and kissed her cheek.

"Hello my jagadka, my zolatka. I've missed you."

"Papa," she said, kissing his cheek. "Come, you remember, Sirius?"

Misha nodded and stepped forward, extending his hand out to him. "I do. How are you, Sirius?"

"Good, thank you, sir."

Misha nodded towards the figures in the distance. "Is vat young Harry riding vith Colt?"

"He's a natural, Papa. Only been riding a few hours over the last three days and he looks like he was born to do it. I was just saying to Sirius that I think it's due to his Quidditch talent."

"Could be," Misha said with a smile. "Sorcha decided that she needed to stop and do some shopping before coming. I left her at va store."

Zee grinned. "Well, I'm glad to see you. How's work?"

"Vork is good. New cases, new Aurors, same old. How is your vork? You still vorking vith vat mudak?"

Zee chuckled. "He's gotten better, Papa."

"Mudak?" Sirius asked. "What does that mean?"

"Loosely translated, asshole," Zee said with a smirk.

"Ah, Forester then."

Misha smiled. "You know this mudak? See, I know he is not good for my daughter. You need a new partner, jagadka."

"I can handle myself, Papa." She kissed his cheek. "Now Grandpa plans to keep Harry busy with horseback riding, which I think is great, but he's quite powerful and it would be wonderful if you wanted to bestow some of your infamous Auror expertise on him."

Misha raised an eyebrow. "I vould love to show him a good Russian curse or two."

Sirius grinned. "Nothing too dangerous now, Misha."

Misha only smiled. "Ve'll see."

 **Horseback riding was incredible and Harry loved it.** He didn't even care that his entire body was sore, the feel of being free, of flying on the animal was almost as good as being on a broomstick and he could see why Muggles loved it so much. He had spent the entire afternoon riding Cloud Dancing before cleaning up the horses and the stalls for the night. Colt put him in charge of the horses for the rest of his time here and Harry was pleased to do it.

Dinner was great. Papa and Grandmama told him stories about Zee's childhood from her sneaking in stray cats and kneazles to the time Misha came home and found an entire nest of occamys living in her closet or when she had befriended a demiguise and named him Herman; and Papa told him about working in the Russian Ministry as an Auror, hunting Dark Wizards and helping to keep the world safe. Harry found it fascinating.

Sirius added his own stories in, making Harry blush in embarrassment as Sirius told them about the time Harry had pulled his first real prank and accidentally covered the Hogwarts Headmaster in flour, confetti and sprinkles; or when Sirius had transfigured all of his clothes into frilly dresses and Harry had worn them; or when they had gone to Pompeii and Harry had asked the tour guide questions about the sexual graffiti on the wall. Colt, Flo, Sorcha and Misha had laughed hysterically at the last story.

After dinner, Harry went for a walk with Misha around the property and Misha put up a protective warding around the woods, grinning at Harry.

"I show you some good spells, da?"

Harry beamed at him.

Misha taught him a few neat tricks. The one that he liked the most was a double shield charm. It worked similar to the shield charm that Remus had already taught him, but this one added a second layer of protection with a reflective mirror surface that not only protected him from oncoming spells, but sent them back at the caster while hiding him from view behind his shield. The charm was: _Protego Speculo._ It took Harry five tries to cast it and for the first time all year, he finally mastered his shield, letting it settle over him in a large protective bubble covering him on a three hundred sixty-five degree angle.

Misha was impressed and sent a few spells his way, dodging them when they rebounded back.

"Very good, very good! Zee vas right, you are very good, very strong." He said, smiling. "I teach you another, da?"

Harry only grinned. He learned three new spells that night on top of the double shield. Another one that tasered and stunned his opponent simultaneously; a curse that caused boils to surface and erupt black foul smelling pus all over one's face; and lastly a sneak attack charm, that made one almost completely invisible and soundproof to the human eye and ear.

He showed Misha his Animagus transformation and Misha urged him to try to practice his magic as a puppy. Harry was confused by this, but Misha told him that if he was powerful enough, he could make parts of his magic work even without being in human form and having access to his wand, most specifically simple spells or for Apparation when he was older, which Harry found fascinating. He had no idea that he would be able to learn how to Apparate in his Animagus form. He ran around his grandfather, yipping happily as a puppy and trying to think of what Misha meant, imagining something simple like lumos and his wand lit up from the ground ten feet away.

Harry's puppy dog eyes widened and Misha grinned.

"Powerful indeed," he murmured.

Sirius came out to check on them, his hands in his pockets and he grinned. "Padpup!"

Harry transformed back into himself and rolled his eyes. "I refuse to answer to that."

Sirius simply smirked and put his arm over his son's shoulders. "How's it going out here?"

Harry told him what Misha had taught him, demonstrating his new skills and Sirius grinned, nodding to Misha in appreciation.

"Looks like you're learning some great new spells."

Harry said goodnight to everyone after that and made his way upstairs to bed. He had just settled himself in his bed when there was a knock on his door. Sirius stuck his head in.

"Hey, got a minute?"

Harry nodded, grinning when Lucy, the chubby Beagle wandered in and made herself comfortable on the end of his bed. "Yeah, hi Lucy." He rubbed the dog's belly and she stared at him adoringly, happy to be getting attention.

Sirius took a seat on the edge of the bed next to the dog. "I know that you made plans to spend the day with Colt tomorrow and the horses, but Zee, her parents and I are going to head out, go on a boat ride and enjoy the sunshine. If you want to come with us you can or you can stay here. It's up to you. Flo will be at the restaurant."

A boat sounded fun, he thought but he really wanted to spend more time with Cloud Dancing. "I think I'll stay with Grandpa and Cloud Dancing. He goes back to work in two days so maybe we can go out on a boat after."

"Definitely," Sirius told him with a grin. "Zee said that she's taking us hiking this weekend too. Just the three of us; should be fun."

Harry grinned at him. "That double shield charm that Papa told me is so wicked! It reflects spells right back!"

"That is pretty great," Sirius admitted, a small smile on his face. "Just remember, no matter how powerful your shield is, not all spells are going to bounce off."

"I know. Dodge and deflect. I remember from Defence Club."

Sirius smiled. "Alright. Goodnight, kid."

"Goodnight, Uncle Siri."

 **Harry woke up early the next morning again.** Lucy was still sleeping on the end of his bed and at some point, Checkers, the part cat, part Kneazle had found his way into his room as well and was curled up on his pillow. Lady Godiva was stretched out on the floor next to him making him smile, apparently he had inherited guard animals in his sleep.

Harry changed into work clothes and headed outside for his now usual morning routine of cleaning the stalls. By seven, he was back inside and in the shower before he made his way down to breakfast. He said goodbye to Zee, Sirius, Sorcha and Misha before spending the morning riding Cloud Dancing.

Colt was called into the station for a work emergency just after lunch and Harry promised him that he would be fine on the ranch as both Tucker and Calvin were working with the horses.

He brushed Cloud Dancing, smiling at the horse and talking to him. When he heard his name, he turned, squinting at the sun despite his dark sunshades and smiled at the sight of Harley coming towards him. She was in tight jeans again, but this time a red short-sleeved crop top with a black leather vest over it, and she had a cowboy hat on with a black and red choker around her neck.

"Hey Harley," he said with a smile.

She sauntered over to greet Cloud Dancing, pressing a kiss to his face. "He likes you."

"He's a good horse."

"How are you liking Georgia so far? Colt told me that you're from England?"

Harry nodded, scratching his nose. "It's nice. Hotter than I'm used to, but still good. You've lived here your whole life?"

She nodded, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. "I have. I'm just over yonder. Colt's been letting me come out to ride the horses since I was a kid."

"I've only been riding for four days, but I can see the appeal."

She smiled at him, her lips a lovely shade of dark red. "Tucker said Colt got called into the station, guess that means my lesson is cancelled."

"If you've been riding your whole life, what are you taking lessons for?"

Harley grinned. "Oh honey, I'm learning how to race. I think I want to be a jockey so Colt is helping me practice. I've got the right build, but I'm tall so I have to adjust to the horse."

"That's wicked," Harry told her.

"I love your accent," she said, biting her lip.

"Er, thanks, yours is nice too."

Harley smiled. "Well, since my lesson was cancelled, would ya maybe want to ride with me? I know a great trail through the woods."

Harry grinned at her. "That sounds great, but I told Grandpa that I'd stay at the ranch."

She smiled and took a step closer to him, her finger tapping up his arm. "We won't go far, I promise."

Harry swallowed slowly, his eyes on her blue ones as all of the blood rushed down his body. "Alright."

Harley hopped up onto King Lightning and Harry jumped back onto Cloud Dancing. They told Tucker and Calvin where they were going and that they would be back before dinner. Calvin nodded and promised to pass on the message if anyone returned home before they got back.

Harley took off on King Lightning and Harry grinned in surprise, urging Cloud Dancing to chase after her. The speedy run through the trees had him laughing before they slowed down, the horses walking side by side through the trail.

Harry learned that Harley had just turned fifteen two weeks ago. She was hoping to get her driver's license and loved horses more than anything in the world. She had two older sisters named Harper and Holly. It was just her dad raising them as her mother had died in a car accident when she was six. She told him about her love of racing and how she wanted to race horses more than she wanted to do anything else.

Harry told her that it was his birthday in a few days as well and how his godfather had taught him how to drive a motorcycle. That had impressed her and Harry went on to tell her how he and Sirius had spent last summer driving the Ducati all over Europe. He told her about his friends and how he went to a boarding school in Scotland. When they finally reached their destination, Harry's eyes widened in awe. The scenery was beautiful. The lush green forests, the fresh grass they crossed over by the river. They tied up the horses to the trees and sat down near the water.

Harley smiled at him, shaking out her hair as she leaned back on her hands. "Is riding a motorcycle a lot like riding a horse?"

"Similar," Harry admitted. "But it rumbles beneath you and the power of it is pretty great. Uncle Siri says that I can get my licence for it when I'm of age."

She grinned. "That's really hot, Harry."

He smirked at her. "Is 'hot' a good thing?"

"Yes, totally a good thing."

His grin widened. "So, do you take all the blokes out here?"

She chuckled. "No. You'd be the first."

He grinned at that. "Not even your boyfriend?"

Her eyebrow rose. "Honey, if I had a boyfriend, do you think I'd be out here with you?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't say. I don't know you that well."

She smiled. "Do you have a girlfriend back home in England?"

Harry shook his head. "I did. We broke up. She was jealous over my friends and I didn't like that. I realized that I really just liked snogging her and wasn't too fond of her otherwise."

"Snogging?" Harley asked, giggling at the word. "What a strange term."

"Is that not what they call it here?"

Harley grinned. "Definitely not. What is it?"

Harry watched her toss her hair back again and he grinned, suddenly feeling rather bold. He leaned in close to her until his lips were inches from hers and he smiled slowly. "Why don't I show you?"

Her breath hitched before she nodded and he lowered his head and kissed her. Her lips were soft and moist and he put one hand on her waist as his lips met hers. He nibbled on her bottom lip, licking it with his tongue before he slid it between her lips and she moaned against his mouth, her hands slipping into his hair.

Harry smiled, kissing her softly as he pulled away, moving to sit on the ground. "That would be snogging."

Harley licked her lips and grinned at him, sitting up. She moved up to her knees and smiled at him. "You, Harry Potter, can snog me any time you want."

Then she leaned in and kissed him again.

He held onto her, the feel of her hands in his hair, one hand sliding over his chest making his breath hitch. His own hands roamed over her back as his lips met hers over and over, tongues meeting and dancing, lips moving over each other's necks. Harry groaned when she sucked particularly hard on the left side of his neck and he chuckled.

"You'll leave marks," he said on a laugh.

Harley grinned at him and kissed him again. "Maybe I want to."

By the time they made it back to the ranch, Harry was grinning from ear to ear. They had spent almost an hour snogging and he knew that he had at least two hickeys forming on his neck. He had even brushed one of her breasts and had groaned as his body reacted. She invited him to a dance that her high school was putting on. It was a summer fundraiser to raise money for the art program. Tickets were five dollars each and the dance would be in the school gym. Harry gladly accepted, kissing her goodbye at the barn.

He brushed Cloud Dancing, humming to himself as he settled him back into the barn and made his way up to the house. No one was back yet so he played fetch with Chief. Bruno only watched, staring at Chief as if questioning him for why he would want to run around like that on such a hot day. Then Harry transformed into his Animagus and ran around with Chief and Lucy, having the time of his life as he played with the dogs.

It was where Sirius and Zee found him an hour later.

Harry changed back into himself. "How was the boat?"

"Great," Sirius told him. "How was the horseback riding?"

Harry grinned widely. "Great. I need to get some dressier clothes for next week."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Oh?"

"Got invited to a dance."

"Oh really?" Sirius asked, grinning broadly. "Your first dance, are you nervous?"

Harry shrugged and then he frowned as if a dawning realization had just struck him. "I don't know how to dance."

Sirius laughed and draped an arm over Harry's shoulders. "All problems we can fix. So, is it the Harley girl then?"

Harry nodded, blushing. "We went riding out on the trail when Grandpa got called into work."

"And riding only of course," Sirius added, a knowing glint in his eye.

"We talked too," Harry said with a smile.

"So the love bites on your neck are just hazards of the ride then?"

Harry grinned. "She didn't know what snogging meant."

Sirius busted into laughter. "Harry, you'll be the death of me." He kissed the top of his head and grinned. "We'll do some shopping tomorrow. Zee mentioned going into town and seeing some of the tourist shops. Sound like a plan?"

Harry nodded, grinning. "Sounds great."

 **Harry spent the next two days with Sirius, Zee, Sorcha and Misha.** They went shopping and saw some of the sights in the Muggle town of Toccoa. Zee convinced them to go bowling, much to the amusement of her parents and Harry found the game rather charming and fun. They stopped at an automotive museum which completely fascinated Sirius and he bought himself a tee shirt souvenir along with a model of a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro in excitement.

They visited the Historic Ritz Theatre, catching a matinee of _Casablanca_ before Zee led them down to _Flo's_ for dinner. Harry was immediately charmed by the restaurant. It was styled like the 1950s from the white and red barstools, to the vintage booths. The waitresses all wore poodle skirts and the waiters wore jeans rolled at the ankles. Elvis was playing on the radio and Flo was behind the counter serving pie, a big smile on her face.

Harry took a seat at the counter and Flo leaned over to kiss him. "Hi baby, welcome to my humble home away from home."

"It's great," Harry told her.

Flo smiled and immediately told him that she was going to serve him a good meal. Twenty minutes later he was eating a large hamburger with bacon and cheese with a large side of onion rings and homemade mac and cheese. Flo listened as he told her what he had done that day. She gave him a piece of mudpie for dessert and told him that on Sunday she was going to teach him how to make her famous cornbread and mudpie.

After dinner, they headed back to the ranch and Sorcha smiled at Harry, asking him to walk outside with her. They walked around to the backyard, taking a seat on the bench swing and she smiled brightly at him.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk since Zahira's birthday, have we?"

Harry shrugged, smiling at her. "Zee has a big family."

"That she does and we are more than happy to welcome you and Sirius to it," Sorcha told him, a big smile on her face. "I just wanted you to know that Zee loves you very much and that you will always be welcome in our family, no matter what. Flo and Colt are the nicest people that I have ever met. They welcomed me into Zee's life with open arms, even though they lost their daughter, they accepted me as Zee's new mum. Misha and Zee are everything I ever wanted. I was never lucky enough to have my own children and I love Zee as if she was my own."

Harry nodded. "I don't remember my parents. Uncle Siri tells me about them, but it's not the same."

Sorcha smiled. "It's not the same, no." She was quiet for a moment. "The real reason I brought you out here was that I heard Sirius mentioning that you are going to your first dance next week?"

"On Friday," he told her, fidgeting nervously.

Sorcha grinned. "Well, I happen to love dances. I used to drag Misha out dancing as often as I could. I'd be more than happy to teach you."

"To dance?" He asked in surprise.

Sorcha smiled. "Nothing too fancy of course, but I'm sure that you'd like to know the basics before Friday."

Harry beamed at her. "That would be great actually! I've never really danced before. Well, I went to a wedding once with Uncle Sirius, but I was a kid so I don't think the dancing counted."

Sorcha reached over to hug him. "It most certainly did. Children are the best dancers because they dance they like no one is watching and have the most fun doing it. Now let your Grandmama show you how it's done."

Harry simply grinned at her.

 **Sorcha spent most of the night teaching Harry how to dance in Colt and Flo's living room.** She taught him the waltz and how to slow dance. Zee came out and asked him to dance with her and soon he was taking turns twirling Zee and Sorcha around the room. They moved onto a faster tempo and Sorcha showed him how to move to the beat without having to outright get down and dance. He didn't like it as much as the slow dancing as he thought it made him feel self-conscious, but then he laughed when Zee tugged Sirius into a dance and he spun her and dipped her, kissing her passionately as she hit him in the arm in an attempt to get free.

Then Sirius made Harry slow dance with him, making him laugh the whole time as he placed Harry's hands on his hips and with their joined arms pointing out, guided him around the room with his head held high. Sirius sang loudly to the music, which was 'At Last' by Etta James and kind of hilarious to watch him sing too, and when the song ended he told Harry that they were going to waltz to ACDC's _Thunderstruck_. They did. Needless to say it didn't work out so well, but Zee took a lot of photos and when Sirius dipped Harry, he kissed him with a loud smacking 'mmm' right on his forehead as Harry protested and shoved his godfather's face away in laughter.

Sorcha took pity on him and they practiced again to a more appropriate beat.

Zee changed through the CDs until she found some country. She put on Billy Ray Cyrus' _Achy Breaky Heart_ and then showed Harry how to line dance. He found the steps easy to follow once he established the beat and when Colt and Flo joined in, he grinned widely. They continued their lessons with Brooks and Dunn's _Boot Scootin' Boogie_ , dancing around the living room and laughing as Sirius, Misha and Zee all joined in.

Harry waltzed with Flo, Sorcha and Zee to different tempos and then Sorcha showed him how to do a basic slow dance and explained where his hands should go. Harry watched Sorcha and Misha dance; Zee and Misha; Zee and Sirius; Colt and Flo; Zee and Colt; and then Sirius and Sorcha and it made him smile. Dancing was a lot more fun than he had thought it would be. It was almost two in the morning when they finally stopped dancing.

He wasn't as worried about embarrassing himself at the dance now. But now he also knew never to dance in public with Sirius Black, the man was a menace he thought as he watched his godfather sing loudly to Abba's _Dancing Queen_ , twirling Zee around the room as she laughed. He liked watching her laugh, he realized. When Zee laughed, her whole face lit up and the sound was loud and catching and it brought an immediate smile to his godfather's face, lighting up his whole face in turn. They were really happy together, he thought; and he was really happy being with them, his family.

He went to bed that night with a huge smile on his face.

When he woke up on Saturday morning and finished his morning chores of cleaning the horse stalls, he couldn't believe that he had already spent over a week here. It felt like home, he thought. He showered and went down for breakfast, smiling at Zee as she filled his plate with scrambled eggs and hash-browns and bacon.

"What time are we going on this hike?" He asked her, eagerly digging into his breakfast. By the time he finished mucking out the stalls, he was always starving.

Zee smiled at him. "We'll head down to the park at nine. It should take us most of the day as I want to hit two of the main trails. You have your camera?"

"Of course," he told her. He had been taking pictures most of the week and he knew that Zee had snapped photos of him learning to dance last night.

"Good. There's going to be some beautiful scenery for you to get photos of. It's one of my favourite places in the world."

Harry grinned at her. "Where's Uncle Sirius?"

"He was in the shower when I came down. As soon as we finish eating, we'll head out. You have your new hiking boots we bought?"

"Yes, Zee," he said, making her laugh. When they had been shopping for clothes for Harry's upcoming date, Zee had insisted that both he and Sirius buy hiking boots.

"I'm just checking," she said, moving around the table to kiss his cheek. "How were the horses this morning?"

"Great. I took Cloud Dancing out for a quick ride before I came in to shower. He's wonderful."

"I knew that you would love horseback riding."

"It's like flying. I can see why Muggles love it so much. But I definitely prefer my broom for speed."

Zee laughed. "That's allowed I suppose."

He grinned as Sirius came down and joined them for breakfast followed by Colt. Flo had already left for the restaurant.

"Y'all heading up to Cloudland Canyon?" Colt asked, helping himself to the eggs, bacon and hash-browns.

"We are," Zee said, smiling. "You're back to work today?"

He nodded. "I am, only for four days and then I'm off until after y'all head home."

"Why only four days?" Harry asked.

"I'm just giving my deputy some time. His wife had their first baby the other day which is why I had to go in and cover. I told him that he could have some time with his family and that I would cover his shifts," Colt explained as he ate. "Where are your parents this morning?"

"Still sleeping I imagine," Zee said. "Papa said that they were heading up to Atlantic City today as Mama wanted to go shopping and he promised to take her."

Colt snorted. "That boy's going to head straight to the casino while she shops."

Zee grinned. "Most likely, but they'll both have a grand time."

"State fair opens on Friday," Colt said, scooping up his eggs. "You should take your boys, give them a real American welcome."

"Sounds great, Grandpa. Maybe we'll head down there on Saturday. What do you think, Harry? I know that Sunday is your birthday, but does the fair sound fun?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know what a state fair is, but sure."

Zee grinned. "You boys will love it, I promise. Now come on, eat up. We have a very long day of hiking before us."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Some Russian terms I used:_

 _jagadka = sweetie, darling_

 _zolatka = precious_

 _mudak = asshole, someone so arrogant doesn't even know what a dickhead is or that he is one_

 _da = yes_

 _I thought it was time for Harry to have a little fun American fling - and no, he didn't tell her how old he is lol._


	153. Chapter 153

_Author's Note:_

 _I had fun writing this chapter. I did a lot of research on different tourist attractions in Georgia and all about Cloudland Canyon State Park. And when I stumbled across a particular museum name I just thought it was absolute fate that I chose Georgia because I had no idea this existed let alone happened to be in Georgia. It's a fluffy chapter which is fun and I think much needed because we all know bad things are coming, that I can promise you!_

 _I just want to say for those of you asking, yes, Ginny and Hermione will date too - it has already been written, both of their first dates that is, and yes, Harry is going to find himself rather jealous, but be patient my lovelies. Hinny is going to be a slow burn, but it will get there._

 _Don't know if anyone else is interested, but did you watch the new episode of Game of Thrones? I can't wait to see what's next and am super pumped plus Endgame next week - sorry I'm a big geek sometimes LOL!_

 _Thanks to Saz for her assistance with my British phrases here - much needed! You are the best!_

 _Last scene is for Steel, hope you enjoy it._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE:**

 **Forty minutes later,** Harry, Sirius and Zee had Apparated to Cloudland Canyon State Park. Harry's backpack was full of snacks including fruit and sandwiches for lunch. Sirius had filled his bag up with water and Zee was carrying sunscreen potion, healing potions and extra film for the camera.

Zee explained how they were going to take the Waterfalls Trail first. They stopped a lot to take photos, especially along the forty degree slope of the canyon. They took turns posing in the areas and Harry took scenic photos as they walked up the six-hundred-step staircase in the rock. Zee explained how Daniel Creek was where each waterfall came from as they passed Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls which each pooled at the base of the canyon.

Sirius was mocking Zee, teasing her about her vast knowledge of the state geography and Harry held up his camera to snap a photo of Cherokee Falls just as Zee shoved Sirius and he fell face first into the water. Harry busted into laughter, snapping a second photo as Sirius broke the surface, spluttering. He transformed into Padfoot when he hit the shore and dove at Zee, making her laugh as she attempted to fight off the large wet dog, but he tugged her right into the water and then did the same to Harry.

Harry changed into his dog as well and swam around, yipping his little puppy bark happily. Zee had crawled back onto the shore and Harry and Sirius followed her, both still in their Animagus forms as they shook their fur, covering her in water as she shrieked before Sirius changed back into himself and tugged her back into the water. Harry changed back as well before jumping in the water after them. The three of them laughed as they splashed each other and cooled off in the glistening falls.

Harry was grinning when he climbed back onto the shore, lying down on the cool rock and letting the sun warm him. He only smirked when he saw Sirius tug Zee close to him as they floated in the water and into his arms to kiss her.

Sirius kissed her deeply, his hands slipping below the water to squeeze her bum and she moaned against his mouth. "Naughty vixen," he hissed, biting her earlobe.

She grinned against his mouth, slipping her hands down to squeeze his own bum below the surface. "Annoying prat."

He grinned and kissed her again before they moved from the water, lying down on either side of Harry to dry off in the sun. Zee lifted Harry's sunglasses up and kissed his cheek noisily making him grin as he pushed her away in mock embarrassment and then shrieked in laughter when she and Sirius both decided to tackle him. He escaped their grasp and dove back into the water to cool off but he was secretly pleased with the tackle.

They picnicked by the waterfall for lunch, eating the ham sandwiches that Zee had made and munching on fresh grapes and watermelon.

"You boys ready for the second hike of the day?"

"We're ready whenever you are, baby," Sirius told her.

She smiled and kissed both of them on the cheek, making Harry grin. Sirius performed a drying charm on the three of them before they made their way back.

"This is more of a scenic hike," she told them as they headed back to the Daniels Creek Bridge. "But it's a long one, almost five miles. It's called the West Rim Loop Trail." She told them as she reached for a bottle of water.

They took their time, stopping to view the Sand Mountain and looking at the Rhododendron and mountain laurel. Harry made Sirius pose with the dogwood and Zee made them both change into their dog forms again and took a picture with them next to the plants. They passed sour gum plants and beautiful large oaks, maples and hemlocks and even a few hickory trees. Harry took photos of the beautiful scenery and plants as he knew that Neville would want to see it all.

They saw deer in the forests, raccoons and foxes and Harry even saw a wild turkey which surprised him. Zee pointed out a red tail hawk up in the sky and told Harry that bats were known to live in the caves nearby as well. A large stag was drinking from the water and Sirius nudged Harry lightly.

"Go say hi, Harry, he's your family after all."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Just because my Dad could turn into a stag doesn't mean that I'm related."

Sirius grinned. "Are you sure? Don't be _stagnant_ in your decision."

He chuckled to himself as Harry and Zee rolled their eyes.

"Your jokes are getting worse in your old age," Harry told him.

"Hey, no old man jokes! I am young, sexy and fit."

"You keep telling yourself that," Harry said with a smirk. "But I think I see a grey hair."

" _What_?" Sirius bellowed, his hands immediately going to his hair and making Zee laugh.

"You just gave him a mini heart attack, Harry!"

He shrugged. "Serves him right."

Sirius had his eyes closed and when he spoke his voice was rather strained. "Do I actually have a grey hair?"

Harry laughed. "Not yet, you nutter!"

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and then shoved his hand over his son's face. "Liars will be punished!" He declared before his fingers dug into Harry's ribs, tickling him mercilessly as he yelped in laughter.

Harry finally broke away, his breath short from his laughing fit and his ribs sore from his godfather's fingers as they continued their hike down the trail.

They returned to the ranch around four that afternoon and Harry was pleased to see Harley out in the paddock riding King Lightning. He said goodbye to Sirius and Zee and took off to see her.

Sirius smirked as he watched him hurry off. "He likes that girl."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No," Sirius told her. "It's just that we're only here for two more weeks. I don't want him to get too attached."

"I think that he knows that," Zee said, standing on her toes to kiss him. "Everyone's busy."

"Okay …"

"Let's sneak upstairs and have a shower. I need some help washing my back."

A slow grin slid across his face. "Just your back?"

Zee bit her lip and let her gaze travel down his body. "I don't know, why don't we head upstairs and you can see?"

He took her hand and yanked and she laughed as he led her into the house and up the stairs. They were both giggling as they locked and silenced the bathroom door, kissing each other softly as they undressed and turned on the shower. The water poured over them when they stepped into the tub and Zee smiled as Sirius immediately grabbed the soap. She grinned at him as his soapy hands stroked over her and then she did the same to him.

Once they were both washed and rinsed, Sirius pinned her against the wall and locked his lips on hers. Zee grinned against his mouth, her hands trailing up his chest and over his back as they kissed and then her lips moved to his neck, over his shoulders and down his chest. She planted soft open-mouth kisses along his ribs and over his stomach. She slowly slid down to her knees as she kissed his sides, up along his ribs and back down across his abdomen before she kissed his navel and when her head moved between his thighs, his breath hitched.

Zee smiled up at him, blowing gently on his member before her lips pressed against his balls, kissing softly as her fingers stroked him and he groaned.

"Fuck, yes."

She smiled and licked the length of him, kissing him and licking the tip. Her tongue trailed along the underside of him, to the base and around and Sirius' hands rested in her curls. Her fingers slid up to grip him and he put his head against the cool tile.

"Fuck," he murmured and she smiled, finally wrapping her mouth around him and slowly and torturously sliding along his length as her hand worked him over.

Sirius let his gaze move down to her, watching the way her soft lips engulfed him slowly and then quickly and he groaned when her brown eyes met his. She was so fucking sexy, he thought. Her right hand slid up his thigh and fluttered across his abdomen as she moaned softly and the vibration around his cock made his breath hitch.

"Zee," he moaned. "Come here."

She only shook her head, his cock moving in her mouth with her head motion and he groaned again. God, she had a great mouth, he thought as he watched her pop his length out and start licking him as her fingers fondled his balls. He was getting close, he thought and when her hand moved to tug lightly on his bollocks again he threw his head back.

"Get up here," he hissed.

This time she obliged and he kissed her deeply, his hand sliding down and into her and she gasped when he started to stroke her.

"Mmm, so wet," he said, licking the side of her neck.

Zee gasped when his fingers slid deeper and it wasn't long before she was writing in desperation against the wall. Sirius' mouth was on her nipple, licking and sucking in torture and as his tongue flattened against her breast she came, crying out as she rode his hand. Her eyes were dark with pleasure as she came and she smiled at him, catching her breath before she moved back to her knees and finished him with her mouth.

Sirius cried out her name as he came, watching her gorgeous mouth take him, holding onto the wall for support as his knees trembled when he finished, she merely licked him, kissing his thighs and up his stomach before lingering on his shoulders.

"Mmm, you taste so good," she said, her hand fondling him gently. "Now I want you inside of me."

Her hand continued to fondle him and it didn't take him long before he lifted her, wrapped her legs around his waist and pinned her to the cold tile and when he plunged into her, she screamed his name, the sound echoing around the bathroom.

They slid down to the floor of the tub, both breathless as the now cool water rained down on them. Sirius shut off the tap and grinned at her, kissing her softly.

"I fucking love you."

Zee smiled, leaning back against him. "I'll fucking love you even more if you can carry me out of here."

He chuckled against her hair. "I can do that. I just need five minutes or so to recover."

She laughed, her face against his damp chest as she smiled. "This was a good break. I love using my mouth on you."

His eyes darkened in desire as he looked down at her. "Zahira, that is not the way to get me to relax."

Zee's eyes twinkled in mischief as she looked up at him. "Who said anything about relaxing?" She kissed him and grinned. "Come on; we better get dressed before someone notices that we're missing."

Sirius only nodded and climbed to his feet, pulling her with him and out of the tub. He kissed her again as they dried off and smiled. "And babe? I'll take this kind of break whenever you want."

Zee only grinned and wrapped a towel around her breasts. "I'll keep that in mind. Now come on, we still have to sneak into the room across the hall."

Sirius adjusted his own towel and grinned. One of the best things about her, he thought, she was never boring. And he couldn't stop smiling as he followed her out of the bathroom and across the hall to the guest room, his eyes on the lovely sway of her hips the whole time.

 **As Sirius and Zee were taking a break upstairs,** Harry had eagerly approached the paddock, his eyes twinkling as he watched Harley ride. She waved when she saw him, hopping down off of the horse and coming over to him.

"Hi Harry."

"Hey! I didn't know that you had a lesson today."

"Oh, I don't. I just came to ride King Lightning. Where are you coming from?"

"We went hiking in Cloudland Canyon."

She smiled. "That sounds fun."

"It was," he told her, grinning back. He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I'm glad that you're here."

Harley bit her bottom lip and grinned, taking his hand in hers. She led him back behind the barn and pushed him up against the wall where she proceeded to kiss him thoroughly. He grinned against her mouth, his hands resting on her waist as he kissed her back. She held one hand on his chest, her other hand sat on his waist as she kissed him, her soft lips meeting his in quick greedy bites that left him breathless. He slid his hands up her back as they kissed, turning to kiss her jaw and her neck before moving his mouth back to her lips.

Kissing Harley was way better than kissing Cho had ever been, he thought. Her soft round breasts pushed against his chest and all of the blood pooled between his legs. He shifted her slightly, turning his hips so as not to grind his erection into her and he deepened the kiss, his tongue dancing with hers. She moaned into his mouth and he grinned, his hand sliding along her lower back, down to cup her bum and she pulled back, eyebrow rising.

"Bold, Potter."

His slid his hand back up to her waist with a grin and she smiled.

"Much better," she said and then her lips returned to his.

They jolted when someone called out Harry's name almost two hours later and they were forced to break apart, both breathless. Harry felt like his lips should be numb, but he wanted to kiss her again. Harley seemed to be thinking along the same lines because she kissed him once more before she hurried off.

Harry made his way back up to the house, smiling at Colt. "Hey Grandpa, how was work?"

Colt only smirked at him. "Nice lipstick, Harry." Harry raised an eyebrow and Colt grinned. "You have lipstick smeared all over your lips. Looks about the same shade that Harley wears, imagine that."

Harry blushed and licked his lips, using his arm to wipe his mouth. "She was um … riding King Lightning."

Colt only chuckled. "I did some necking in my day, I remember. Come on; go clean up. Dinner's ready."

And Harry hurried into the house to clean up, grateful that Colt wasn't going to let Sirius see him with lipstick all over his mouth. He knew that he would never live that one down.

 **Harry spent all day Sunday in the kitchen with Flo and Sorcha.** Flo taught him how to make her famous cornbread and mudpie as promised and Sorcha showed him how to make her famous Cullen Skink, a traditional Scottish soup made with haddock and potatoes. It went great with the cornbread for dinner.

Both women talked his ear off about cooking and cooking experiments; what to do and not to do when experimenting with food. He learned all about Flo's life as a cook and restaurant owner and Sorcha told him all about her life as a journalist and some of the interesting places that she had travelled just to get a good story.

When Monday came around again, Harry spent the morning with Cloud Dancing before working on some more spells with Misha in the protected circle that he had made in the woods. They didn't want any of the Muggles to stumble upon them while they were practicing. After lunch, Harry met Harley and they went into town for burgers and milkshakes at _Flo's_ before taking a walk and ended up snogging on a swing in the park.

He spent most of the week snogging Harley as often as possible; in the woods, against the barn, at the movies, against a tree, really anywhere that she would let him. He had four love bites on his neck and he didn't even care. Kissing her was the best thing. She was so damn pretty and she smelt like peaches. She was always leaving red lipstick smears on his face and neck and they made him grin when he noticed them, even though when Sirius or Colt saw them he tended to get teased.

When Friday came around, Harry found that he was a little nervous about this dance. He wasn't nervous to spend time with Harley, she was truly great, but even after his dance lessons with Zee and Grandmama, he was still a bit nervous. Sirius told him not to worry, smiling when Harry came down the stairs dressed in black jeans and an emerald green dress shirt with a black tie. It wasn't a formal dance and Harley had assured him that a suit wasn't necessary, but Harry still wanted to look nice.

"You look smashing," Sirius told him, laughing when Zee tugged Harry's head down and attempted to fix his hair. "It's not worth it, Zee. It's a Potter family trait, their hair always looks like an absolute train wreck."

"Hey!" Harry said, offended. "I happen to like my hair even if I don't spend an hour in front of the mirror like some people!"

Sirius' mouth dropped open. "You're just jealous of this perfection."

Harry rolled his eyes making Sirius laugh.

Zee kissed his cheek, ruffling his hair a bit to give him a more casually messy style. "You look wonderful!" She passed him the single wildflower that he had picked for Harley. "You give that flower to Harley."

"I will," he said, smiling at her.

"Have a marvellous time, Harry," Zee said as Sirius took his arm and Apparated him to the dance where he was supposed to be meeting Harley.

They appeared behind the gym and Sirius grinned, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Listen, have a great time tonight. Dance, snog, enjoy yourself. I expect you back at the ranch at exactly ten. It takes ten minutes to drive from here to the ranch and if the dance ends at nine thirty, that gives you thirty minutes to snog your date goodnight and get home. Are we clear?"

"Yes," Harry told him, smirking slightly.

Sirius smiled. "If you need me for anything, I'm here."

"It's just a dance, Uncle Siri."

"Yes, it is, your first dance. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do! Scratch that, don't do anything that _Uncle Moony_ wouldn't do."

Harry smirked at that. "Is that because there's nothing that you wouldn't do?"

"Shut it, smart-arse," he said, making Harry chuckle. "Now, have a great time, Harry. Remember to thank Harley's sister for driving you home later."

Harry grinned and watched his father Disapparate before he headed around the building to the front where he was supposed to be meeting Harley. He smiled at the pretty brunette who stood there, the single flower in his hands.

"Hello," she said kindly. "I'm Loretta, the coordinator of the event, do you have a ticket?"

"I do," Harry told her, pulling it from his pocket. "But I'm still waiting for someone."

"Oh! You're not from around here, are you? Who are you waiting for? I can tell you if they've checked in or not."

"No, I'm just visiting from England. I'm looking for Harley Mills."

Loretta ran her finger down the list and smiled. "Oh yes, she checked in a few minutes ago."

"Thanks," Harry told her as he heard Harley call his name. He smiled when he saw her. She was wearing a bright blue spaghetti strap knee-length dress with next to no back. It flared at her waist with lace around the skirt and she was in black heels. "Wow, you look smashing!" He said, recalling Sirius' word from earlier. It definitely described Harley.

She smiled. "You look, um, smashing too. You use strange words sometimes. Is that bellflower for me?"

He nodded, handing it to her. "It is. I picked it from Grandma's garden."

Harley smiled. "It's beautiful." She carefully slid the flower into the bun at the back of her head. "There."

He grinned. "That looks fantastic."

"Thanks." She kissed him softly. "Are you ready to head inside?"

Harry held his arm out to her with a smile. "Whenever you are."

Harley grinned and took his arm as they headed into the school gym. Streamers hung from the ceiling with balloons. There was a DJ set up in the corner and loud music was blasting through the gym, the lights were on low, strobe lights and lights of different colours illuminating the dance floor.

Harry took her hand in his. "Did you want to get something to drink first or would you like to dance?"

Harley beamed at him. "Definitely dance!"

They made their way out onto the dance floor, bodies moving to the beat of the Madonna song followed by The Cranberries, Ace of Base, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Green Day and Weezer. When the music changed to Boyz II Men who started singing _I'll Make Love To You_ , Harry held her close, smiling against her hair, his hands on her waist as they swayed to the music and all he thought was that this dancing thing definitely had its perks.

They made their way over to the refreshments and each got something to drink. Harley introduced him to a few of her girlfriends, Allison and Shayna.

"God, Harley, you're dating someone from England, that's so totally exotic!" Shayna exclaimed, her eyes on Harry.

Harley smiled. "It has its moments."

They asked him tons of questions and he answered as many as he could before Harley tugged him away and back onto the dance floor.

By the time the dance ended, Harry had genuinely had a lovely time, especially when Harley had decided around nine that she was tired of dancing and had snuck him back behind the stage where they had snogged quite intensely. He had even moved his hands up to her breasts and she had let him fondle her through her dress. He had really liked that. He sucked on her neck, his lips meeting hers until they were both breathless.

"It's my birthday on Sunday," he told her, kissing below her ear.

"Oh, yeah?" Harley said, smiling at him. "What do you want?"

"A kiss would be nice," he said, nibbling on her collarbone, slipping the strap of her dress over her shoulder and kissing her there.

"Just one?" She breathed as he moved to kiss the other shoulder, her strap hanging down her arm.

"Or two," he said with a smirk. His lips moved over her collarbone, a little lower down her chest, kissing the exposed skin above her breasts and her head fell back as she let out a little moan.

"Or three," she whispered, tugging his mouth back up to hers, her tongue meeting his.

The DJ announced that it was the last dance interrupting them and Harry grinned, his forehead leaning against hers as they caught their breath and straightened their clothes before heading back out for the last dance to 'I'll Stand By You' by The Pretenders.

He kissed her goodnight when her sister dropped him off at the ranch and he couldn't stop smiling when he let himself inside.

Sirius was sitting in the living room with Misha, a bottle of vodka between them. "Hey, how was the dance?"

"It was fun," Harry told him. He spent five minutes telling Sirius and Misha about it before he yawned. "I'm tired though and I'm heading up to bed."

"Ypa!" Misha said, with a smile, toasting Harry with his glass as he and Sirius both drank to him.

Harry said goodnight and hurried up to his room. Lady Godiva was nowhere in sight which pleased him as he closed the door, undressed and climbed into bed. He thought about how nice Harley's skin had tasted, how her firm round breasts had felt in his hands and he reached down to touch himself, stroking firmly as he thought about her. When he finished, he turned into his pillow grinning.

This vacation was really turning out to be a lot of fun.

 **Sirius watched his son head up the stairs and he smiled at Misha.** "He really loves it here."

Misha nodded and poured them each another shot of vodka. "As he should. Ve are all very happy that you both came."

"I appreciate that," Sirius said honestly. "Neither Harry nor I have much in the way of family."

Misha stared at him for a long moment, placing both of his hands on his knees as he leaned forward. "I love my daughter very much. She is my vorld. Her mother vas the light of my life. My virst love and a part of me vill alvays love her. Vhen she vas killed, I broke. I had to send her avay for her own vell being. I could not take care of her. I could barely take care of myself and all I vanted was revenge. Vas it right? Probably not, but Colt and Flo, they understood and they took her in and they gave her the home and love and support that she needed. And vhen I came to her, finally allowing myself to break and to grieve, there was my little princess, arms open vide and ready for me. Vhen I met Sorcha, I vas vorried that it vas too soon, but she filled my heart vith so much love that I didn't think I deserved; I vas scared to let her in. Vhat if it happened again? Vhat if another dark vizard came after my family? But she pushed her vay into my life and into Zahira's and I vatched my daughter fall in love vith her and I knew she vas it for me. Vhen I brought her here to meet Colt and Flo, they accepted her vith open arms, as if I vas the prodigal son coming home to my family. That's the kind of people they are."

Sirius smiled at that, leaning back in his own seat. "I did notice that. Wide open arms, inviting and genuinely caring."

"Zahira vas always closer to them because of the time she lived here. She vrote letters once a veek and I arranged portkeys every summer for Zee to come spend at least a month with them. Ve alvays alternated between Scotland and Russia for the holidays, but my home has alvays been in St. Petersburg. My own mama and papa are Muggles and amazed by the magical world. I hope one day you vill bring Harry to stay vith us in Russia as vell."

Sirius nodded. "We would both really love that."

Misha smiled and lifted up his vodka glass as Sirius did the same, they clinked glasses and drank the shot. "Ypa!"

Sirius put his glass on the table. "I appreciate all of the spells that you're teaching Harry as well. He needs to learn how to protect himself, especially given his history of finding trouble. The Boy Who Lived moniker is more than I'd like it to be. If Voldemort ever does come back and I do believe that he will, I know that he's going to go after my son and I don't want that to happen. I want him to be able to protect himself in every way possible when I can't be there. Knowing you and Zee and this whole family would have his back if I asked means more than you can possibly know."

"Vell, I alvays vanted a son, but Sorcha and I vere not blessed vith having any more children so ve poured all of our love into our Zahira. Now she has blessed us vith our grandson. I vant him to grow up, to be able to protect himself. I know how dangerous the vorld can be and I can see the growing darkness that is coming." Misha admitted. "Virst Death Eaters escape and then your friend Remus is arrested … the British Ministry seems lost and losing control."

"I've noticed that myself," Sirius said quietly. "I'm doing my best to try to keep a reign on the Wizengamot and try to make sure things are running smoothly, but I'm only one man and I've only been at it for a few months. I don't know what else I can do there except make my voice heard and hope that someone realizes the dangers that are coming. The Triwizard Tournament is coming up in September and right now the big thing is keeping international magical cooperation and that's good too. We need to work on making friends internationally, especially if war comes calling once more."

Misha nodded. "Ve all do vhat ve can. You are smart man, you vill know what to do to protect your son."

Sirius smiled at him. "I hope so. When James and Lily asked me to be his godfather, I never imagined that I would be the one raising him, but now … I can't imagine not being his father. Remus and I both have been there for it all and he's growing into an amazing young man; out on dates and first dances. I sometimes don't know where the time went."

Misha tapped his fingers on his knee as he spoke. "You are a good father. He knows this. You are a good man too and my Zahira doesn't give her heart lightly, but she has given it to both of you."

"I won't hurt her."

Misha smiled. "I never thought you vould."

They both looked up when Zee and Sorcha came into the living room. Zee sat on the arm of Sirius' chair, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "Has Papa gotten you drunk on vodka yet?"

"No," he said with a grin.

Sorcha took a seat next to her husband and took his hand in hers. "Did Harry say how the dance went? Zee and I lost track of time out in the yard."

"He did. He said that it was fun and he went up to bed with a bit of lipstick on his face," Sirius said with a smirk. "I think this Harley is corrupting him."

Zee snorted. "I doubt that."

"No, Sirius has a point," Misha said with a smile. "Young boys are very susceptible to the charms of a beautiful woman."

"So are grown men," Sorcha said making Zee laugh. "I want to hear all about it in the morning. Are you three still planning to go to the fair tomorrow?"

Zee nodded. "Yes. I want to show Sirius and Harry how much fun it can be. I have a few other fun tourist places to go in the afternoon as well. Do you and Papa want to come?"

Misha shook his head. "Sorcha and I are going to stay here and ride the horses, but ve vill meet you later for dinner? Ve buy?"

"Not necessary, Papa," Zee said with a smile.

Misha merely waved his hand. "I vant to treat my daughter and grandson, da, let me." He winked at Sirius. "And I suppose I can include the boyfriend in that as vell."

Zee laughed and leaned in to kiss Sirius' cheek. "Papa loves you."

Misha scoffed at this. "He is not a fool, I'l give him that."

Sirius grinned. "Best compliment I've gotten all day."

Misha grinned and summoned two more glasses from the kitchen before he poured four glasses of the ice cold vodka and passed them out. "Ve drink to family, da?"

"Da," Zee said with a smile.

"Ypa!" Sorcha said in an attempt at Misha's heavy Eastern European accent and the four of them tossed the smooth vodka back.

"To family," Sirius said, smiling widely.

He felt at home with these people and he knew that Harry felt the same. It gave him a queer feeling in his stomach that wasn't exactly unpleasant and when Zee slid her arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek, he knew why. It was the people that made a home; that made a family and he was honoured that he and Harry had both been accepted into this incredible one.

 **Ginny grinned widely at Percy when she knocked on the front door of the blue Victorian home.** When her brother had offered to bring her over on his way into work, she had been surprised, but pleased at the same time. Percy had been a bit of a workaholic this summer and she was grateful for the small amount of time to be spending with him. She knew that like Bill and Charlie, he soon wouldn't be around much and she was a little sad to think about it.

The door opened and a tiny woman with blonde curls opened the door, a big smile on her face. She had bright blue eyes and a smile that lit up her whole face. "You must be Ginny!"

"Hi," Ginny said. "This is my brother, Percy."

"Percy, Ginny, welcome, please come on inside!"

Ginny and Percy stepped through the front doors just as a tiny blonde boy came running down the stairs.

"Dennis! No running in the house," the tiny woman said sternly.

The boy merely flushed. "Sorry, Mum."

"Thank you for inviting me over, Mrs Creevey," Ginny said with a smile.

"Oh, you're most welcome, dear. Colin has done nothing but speak highly of you."

Percy smiled. "I have to be getting onto work, you'll be alright, Ginevra?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine, Perce, go, be professional."

He grinned and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "It was nice meeting you, Mrs Creevey. Gin, Dad'll pick you up on Friday after work. Have fun."

"Bye," she told him as he hurried off. She smiled at Mrs Creevey. "Sorry, I have a lot of brothers."

"I think it's wonderful that he wants to take care of you. Come on, dear, Colin was taking photos of a bird that has nested in our yard. I imagine he's still out there. You can leave your stuff by the door."

Ginny nodded and followed the tiny woman outside. Colin was taking photographs. He was lying on his stomach on the branch of large tree in the yard, his camera close to the bird's nest and his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth as he concentrated. She watched him snap photo after photo before he seemed satisfied and moved to shimmy down the tree, his camera hanging from his neck. He spotted her as he came down and grinned.

"Ginny!"

"Hi Colin! Your mum said that you were taking photos of a bird?"

He nodded eagerly. "It's a goldfinch and she laid eggs. She's beautiful and I thought that it was a good opportunity to get a photo in." He moved to hug her tight. "I missed you! How's your summer been?"

"Pretty good. Spent some time with Harry, Luna, Hermione and Neville and then Theo came to stay over for a few nights. Ron wasn't too happy about it, but I was glad that he stopped by."

Colin grinned at her. "I'm glad. He seemed like a nice bloke. I can't believe that you're staying here for a whole week! Did you meet Dennis?"

"Briefly."

"He got his Hogwarts letter, Gin!"

"Wow, really? That's brilliant!"

"I know," Colin said with a grin. "He's so excited! I hope that he's in Gryffindor with us. Come on, I'll show you around!"

He attempted to give her a quick tour of the house, but she was much too fascinated to make it quick. She had questions about everything from the dishwasher in the kitchen to the Super Nintendo that Dennis was playing and the computer that his mother was using. Colin only grinned widely as he explained everything to her and watched her eyes widen in amazement.

Mrs Creevey put Ginny in Dennis' room, moving Dennis in with Colin, but Colin snuck in once Dennis went to sleep and they spent almost the entire night talking, their heads close together as they giggled and chatted. She told him how she was trying to learn how to become an Animagus and even showed him her progress, making his eyes widen in amazement as she ran around the room as a tiny baby red panda. He promised to keep it a secret and she only grinned, saying that she had already known he would. They talked about Theo; about how she felt like they had become friends because of their shared nightmares and Ginny admitted to having walked in on Harry naked and gotten a look at his bum. She had blushed when she told him and he grinned knowingly at her.

"You still fancy him."

"No," she insisted, her red face giving her away. "I don't, not really. I can still think he's handsome without fancying him! He's one of my best friends, Colin!"

"I think you're beautiful, Ginny, and as your best friend I mean that in the most platonic way possible. You think Harry is gorgeous and want to kiss him; that is very different!"

She rolled her eyes. "He doesn't even like me like that!"

Colin shrugged. "True, he doesn't and you know it, but it doesn't stop you from liking him." At her annoyed look, he smiled. "You just have to find someone else to take your mind off of him. Someone who you can snog."

"I don't know if I'm ready to snog anyone," she admitted.

He wrinkled his nose. "Me neither, but everyone else seems to want to. You know David brought a picture of a naked witch to school last year and hung it up in our dorm."

"A naked picture?"

Colin nodded. "He said that he stole it from his father."

Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste. "That's rather tacky, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, she's beautiful, but it does feel wrong hanging up there. I hope he takes it down this year. Oh!" He jumped up, moving to grab the box he had carried into the room with him. "I almost forgot, this is for you!"

"What is it?" Ginny asked, accepting the box.

He grinned. "Since I won't see you on your birthday, I wanted to make sure that you got your gift."

"It's still two weeks away, Colin!"

He smiled. "And I will be camping with my family so open it up!"

She grinned and carefully opened the box, her eyes widening when she pulled out the dark wooden frame. Inside was a photo of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. The green grass, the goal posts and floating above on a borrowed broomstick was her, wearing Charlie's old Gryffindor Quidditch robes, one hand on the broomstick and the other with a Quaffle in her hand.

"Colin, this is … when did you take this?"

He shrugged. "One of the days you were out flying. You look so natural up there. You should try out for the team, this year."

"I don't know," she said nervously. "I want to but, I don't know if I'm good enough."

He rolled his eyes. "Look at you! If this photo proves anything it's that Ginny Weasley was born to be on a broomstick."

She hugged him tight. "This is the best gift ever! It's beautiful!"

He smiled. "You're welcome and happy birthday! Now, promise me that you'll think about trying out?"

Ginny let out a slow sigh and then she nodded. "I promise. Now, I think it's time you tell me what you've been up too this summer?"

Colin grinned and told her how he had spent the first part of his summer taking nature photos all over the place and how his neighbour Mrs Tottinham had even paid him for the photos of her garden. He and Dennis were playing in a summer football league which he was enjoying immensely and told her that she had to come to his game this upcoming Thursday. He told her how his dad was going to take them camping in August for a week and how Dennis had accidentally turned his broccoli into green gummies which had infuriated their mother, but only convinced Colin that he was definitely going to get his Hogwarts letter.

By the time they finally fell asleep, both of them were still grinning.

 **The next morning after Harry was finished his morning chores and had taken his usual morning ride with Cloud Dancing;** he, Zee and Sirius made their way down to the State Fair. It was a big event and Harry was fascinated by all of the different things that they had to offer. There were fun games like ring toss or knocking over milk bottles for prizes. There were pie eating contests where one wasn't allowed to use their hands. Vegetables big enough to rival something that Hagrid had grown, not to mention the food.

Zee immediately bought Sirius and Harry each a deep fried Oreo, telling them that it was something that they had to try at least once. It was surprisingly delicious in his opinion. They wandered the fair. Sirius tried the ring toss, winning Zee a big stuffed animal of a lion. She kissed him and he grinned before whispering to Harry that he might have used a little spell to toss that last ring. Harry had only smirked at him.

Zee's attention caught something up ahead and she told them that she would be right back, hurrying off and Sirius pointed to the pie eating contest.

"Think you can win that, Padpup?" At Harry's arched eyebrow, he grinned. "Fine, Harry."

Harry smirked at him. "Ron would totally win it if he was here."

"Let's sign up, it will be fun."

He grinned and watched his godfather sign Harry and Zee up for the competition which would be in two hours.

"Why aren't you signing up?"

He only grinned. "Someone has to document this momentous occasion."

Harry only rolled his eyes as Zee rushed back, grinning hugely. "I just made it!"

"Made what?" Sirius asked her.

She smirked and stood on her toes to kiss him. "I need Padfoot."

Sirius merely arched an eyebrow before disappearing out behind one of the booths and emerging a few moments later in his furrier form. Zee scratched him behind the ears before she bent down and transfigured the hair tie on her wrist into a long pink ribbon which she tied around Padfoot's neck as Harry grinned widely.

"Don't you just look beautiful," she cooed, kissing Padfoot's head.

Padfoot whined, his eyes on the ribbon and she tapped him lightly on the nose.

"No, leave it on. We're going to win us a talent show!"

Padfoot pouted, covering his eyes with his paw.

Harry only stared at her as she carefully and discreetly made a leash and collar for her 'dog' and he followed her over to the area that she had come just from. It was a dog competition. Dogs were doing tricks for prizes and to Harry's surprise one could win cash for it. He watched as Zee straightened Padfoot's bow.

"You're going to make him do tricks?"

Zee grinned. "Don't you think that he's a handsome show dog?"

Padfoot barked, covering his face with his paw again as if he was embarrassed and she grinned, scratching him behind the ears.

Harry merely held up his camera. "Uncle Moony has got to see this!"

Padfoot nudged Harry sternly and shook his head and Harry only grinned and snapped a photo of Padfoot in the bright pink bow. Zee laughed and hurried Padfoot into the ring. She was grinning at him as she spoke commands: bark, sit, roll over, play dead, jump. Then she tossed a frisbee up into the air and made him catch it before having him jump through a large hoop. His butt got stuck in the hoop and the crowd laughed as Harry took photo after photo.

They didn't win the competition, but Zee was laughing, her curly hair in a messy braid down her back as Sirius came out from behind one of the tents.

"That was absolutely demoralizing!"

Zee grinned, laughing as he tugged her up against him, kissing her deeply. "But fun. You were such a good dog."

He chuckled and kissed her again. "You are lucky I love you." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Now come on, we have a pie eating contest to get too."

"Pie eating contest?"

"Yes, I signed you and Harry up and it's about to start."

Harry found it more fun than he had expected. His hands had to stay behind his back as a blueberry pie was placed in front of his face. Sirius kept his glasses for him as he dug in, trying not to laugh as blueberries covered his face in his attempt to eat it without his hands.

Someone won so he stopped eating, surprised to learn that the champion was Zee. Her face was covered in blueberries and she was grinning from ear to ear. Sirius snapped a photo of the two of them covered in fruit and pastry before he let them clean off.

They wandered around some of the vendor booths before Zee Apparated them to a few different must see places on her list and Harry was able to buy a few souvenirs and gifts for his friends. For Ron he bought homemade peach jam, an Atlanta Braves baseball hat and some Georgia peanuts along with an entire basket of American Muggle sweets; for Neville he also bought peanuts and a rather brilliant looking birdhouse; he found homemade candles for Hermione and a book on the history of Georgia, including a postcard from the Margaret Mitchell house and a special copy of her famous novel _Gone With the Wind_ ; for Luna he found dangling earrings of bright peaches that were strange enough that only she would wear them along with a set of wooden wind chimes that were said to protect the home from evil spirits; and for Ginny he found a beautiful Native American dreamcatcher because the idea of having something to give her good dreams seemed perfect and he also found bought her a necklace of something called enamel which was a combination of melted glass and metals, the pendant was the size of a Sickle with a beautiful colourful image of Georgian peaches and vines.

It was late afternoon when they left the boardwalk and Zee Apparated them to Eatonton where she said that they had to make a quick stop at a museum. Harry had groaned at this, but she hugged him and told him to trust her; that he was definitely going to want to see this one.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the Uncle Remus Museum. He had Sirius take a picture of him standing next to the statue of Brer Rabbit under the sign for the museum with a grin. He was going to frame the photo and write that Georgia had an entire museum dedicated to Uncle Remus' badly behaved rabbit.

He and Sirius couldn't stop laughing at their joke.

Harry bought a copy of Joel Chandler Harris' book as well for Remus. He figured his father would really get a kick out of it. They went to a barbeque restaurant for dinner meeting Sorcha and Misha there and Harry eagerly filled them in on his day, taking out his souvenirs to show them as they listened attentively.

The next day was Harry's fourteenth birthday and Colt and Flo took Harry to a rodeo show. He was fascinated by the men who rode and roped bulls with such precision. It was dangerous and exciting and he could see the appeal of it. Misha and Sorcha took him out to dinner and Misha told him stories about Russia, the history and the mafia that still ran underground in the Russian Ministry of Magic.

When they returned to the ranch, Zee had made him a large chocolate birthday cake with rainbow frosting and he grinned as they sang to him. Harley was there too which made him smile. He opened gifts after the cake. Colt and Flo had given him his own cowboy boots and a framed photo of him riding Cloud Dancing. Misha and Sorcha bought him new clothes and a book on Russian defensive magic (he told Harley it was a book of Russian folktales which Misha had charmed to appear as so). Zee gave him a new broomstick servicing kit and a new book on flying (they told Harley it was a football kit, to help him in his position as winger). Harley got him a little keychain of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and he grinned at her.

And finally Sirius handed him an envelope.

"You already got your main gift as you know, but this is a little surprise."

Harry grinned as he opened the envelope. He was pretty sure that he knew what was inside, but his smile practically cracked his face when he saw them. " _We're going_?"

"August twenty-fifth, we'll be in the top box."

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed, hugging his godfather tightly. "Thank you!"

"I'm doing a favour for Bagman and he scored me sixteen tickets which means, the Weasleys are coming along with Neville, Hermione and Luna if you'd like."

"This is great! Thank you! Thank you!"

Sirius hugged him back and smiled. "You're welcome, Harry."

After they ate more cake, Harry and Harley went for a walk outside and soon the two of them were snogging in the barn. They had slipped up to the loft, lying in the hay, hands roaming as they snogged intensely.

Harry couldn't believe how lucky he was. Not only was Harley letting his hands roam down over her denim clad bum, but she hadn't even protested when his hands slid over her breasts, squeezing lightly and fondling. She simply tilted her head back, grinning at him as he kissed her through her shirt. She slid her own hands under his tee shirt, touching his naked back and he sighed into her, grinning.

It was turning out to be a pretty great birthday in his opinion.

His lips met hers, for long, greedy kisses that left both of them breathless and it was Zee who found them an hour later, Harry's mouth kissing Harley's breasts through her tank top.

"Harry!" She exclaimed in surprise, startling both of them.

Harley blushed and pushed her hair out of her eyes.

The back of Harry's neck flushed red as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Er, hi Zee."

Zee only stared at him for a moment. "It's after nine, I think that Harley should head home now."

"Bye Miss Zacarias," she murmured, giving Harry a sympathetic look before she booked it down the ladder and hurried off.

Zee only stared at Harry for a moment. "I didn't mean to interrupt, but Sirius and I were wondering where you had wandered off to. Um, Harry, I hope that you and Harley are being … we're only here for a few more days and I don't …" she let out a slow breath. "You are only fourteen."

"We were just snogging."

Zee nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Well, yes, but I mean, that was some intense … it was a little more than just snogging and I know that your hormones might be getting a little out of control. I just want you to be careful."

"I appreciate that, but Uncle Siri and I already had the talk ages ago. I don't need another one," he told her, moving down the ladder.

"Harry," Zee said. "I'm not here to tell you what you and can and cannot do, but what was just happening up here will not happen again. You do not have free reign to do whatever you want around this ranch and you and Harley are not to be left in here alone."

Harry stared at her, his eyes cool. "I can snog whoever I want and you can't tell me what to do."

"I'm not trying to dictate your life, but as long as you're staying here, you will not be holed up in dark rooms getting into trouble with a girl! Are we clear?"

He simply stared at her coolly before he turned and walked away.

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow at him when he stepped up onto the porch. "Where have you been hiding?"

"Nowhere," Harry muttered.

"You have lipstick on your chin."

Harry wiped it off with his arm. "I can snog who I want."

"Yes, you can. But we are only here for eight more days so behave yourself."

Harry only glared at him and let himself into the house, door slamming behind him. Sirius merely looked at Zee questioningly as she approached the porch.

"What set him off?"

"I caught him and Harley up in the loft of the barn."

"Snogging, I presume?"

She nodded. "He was kissing her breasts."

Sirius grinned widely. "My boy's got game!"

Zee stared at him. "Sirius! This is serious. We can't just let him wander off and snog girls in dark secluded places!"

"Babe, he's a teenage boy, snogging is pretty much all he thinks about. Hell, when you're around, it's all I think about."

She smiled at that. "It's just … he should be more careful and what if I walked in ten minutes later, they could have been doing Merlin knows what!"

Sirius chuckled. "Zee, he's known the girl for two weeks. He's not going to fuck her against the barn door. He's fourteen and still rather innocent and experimenting and that girl is hardly going to let him fuck her either."

"You don't have to be so crude about it," she muttered.

He grinned. "Well, come on now, they're just kids."

"That's the point I'm trying to make, Sirius, they're not! I was Harley's age when I lost my virginity and a summer fling with an exotic English boy must be incredibly thrilling for her!"

"I love how worried you are," he said, kissing her forehead. "But trust me, I know my son. We had the talk and he knows all about being safe. He likes snogging her and experimenting a bit with touching never hurt anyone, but he's not going to take it further than that. He's too much like his mother."

"Like his mother?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, he has a beautiful heart and the last thing that he would want is to get serious with this girl and have to leave her. When is he going to see her again? Next summer, if ever?"

"You bring up a good point," she said quietly.

Sirius kissed her softly. "Do I need to go talk to Harry?"

She nodded and hugged him. "Yes."

He kissed her again and then headed into the house and up the stairs to Harry's room, knocking softly on the door.

"Come in," Harry said.

Sirius pushed the door open. Harry was sitting crosslegged on his bed in his plaid pyjama pants and a white tee shirt. "Zee's a bit worried."

Harry rolled his eyes. "She shouldn't be. She told me that I'm not allowed to be alone with Harley anymore! What gives her the right?"

Sirius sighed, closing the door behind him and moving to sit on Harry's bed. "It is her family home so she gets to make the rules, but you know that she didn't mean you can't spend time with Harley." He stared at his son for a moment. "Zee said that you had a right gob full?"

Harry flushed bright red. "We were just snogging, Uncle Siri, I - I'm not ready to do anything else. Her … our clothes were still on!"

Sirius smiled at him. "I know," he said. "I told her that. I think she just panicked a bit, thinking you were getting up to no good with the hanky-panky, worried that the older woman was getting frisky."

Harry rolled his eyes. "She just turned fifteen in June, she's not _that_ much older!"

Sirius grinned. "First Cho, then Harley, just saying, you seem to like the older ladies. I never asked if Sophie was older." Harry blushed and he smirked at him. "We're only here for eight more days and you can spend as much time with Harley as you want, but let's not go up to the loft in the barn, deal?"

Harry nodded. "Deal."

"Good and you can apologize to Zee in the morning."

"But I -"

" - No," Sirius interrupted. "She invited us here to spend time with her family and she has been nothing but nice to you. You don't have any right to speak to her rudely. She cares about you and was just worried."

"The way she spoke to me … she's not my … "

Sirius stared at him as he trailed off. "No, she's not your mother. She's my girlfriend and the woman who has been going out of her way to be a friend to you; who loves you and who cares about you. Would it really be so bad if she wanted to give you some motherly advice?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Sirius grinned at him. "Apology accepted. Now apologize to Zahira."

Harry nodded. "I will." Sirius nodded, standing up and moving to the bedroom door. "Uncle Sirius?"

He turned to smile at his son, his hand on the doorknob. "Yes, Harry?"

"I - I think I'd like it if she wanted to be my mum sometimes."

Sirius stared at him, eyes wide and he paled. "Er, well, I mean, that's great that you, um, er, we're not, I mean … right. Er, night, Harry."

Harry grinned as Sirius hurried out of his bedroom. Sometimes his godfather was a complete mystery to him.

 **Tonks let herself into the cottage that night after a long and rather strenuous day at work.** She had spent most of it doing paperwork and her eyes were sore from keeping busy. Remus was sitting on the sofa in the living room. He had seven different folders open on the coffee table and was making notes on his curriculum for the school year. She bent over the back of the couch to kiss him.

"Working hard, Professor?"

He grinned at her. "I'm just trying to get organized for the year. September's coming up fast. After that amazing petition my students signed, the last thing I want to do is disappoint any of them."

"Not possible, Rem," she said, kissing him again.

He smiled at her. "Harry will be back home in a few days already and then we have the World Cup. It's just … coming up fast."

"Oh yes, I can't believe that Sirius actually got tickets. It's going to be incredible."

"Agreed," Remus told her with a smile. "Come sit, tell me about your day."

She shook her head. "Long, paperwork, boring. I think I just want to take a shower."

Remus nodded, gripping her chin and tugging her close for a kiss. "Want to go out tonight? We can try out that new restaurant that opened in town that you were talking about?"

Tonks shook her head. "Maybe tomorrow. I think I just want to stay in."

"Okay," he said, smiling at her. "Go have your shower. I'll find something for dinner."

Tonks nodded and made her way into the bathroom. She stripped down, closing her eyes in pleasure as the six warm jets all hit her body simultaneously. Dealing with the backlash of the Dementors loose on the Hogwarts grounds, the still absent escaped Death Eaters of Lestrange and Pettigrew (who was only absent in the eyes of the Ministry), and Remus finally being home was more intense than she had expected it to be.

She loved her job and she loved working the cases, but after Remus had gone to prison, her faith in the justice system had wavered a little bit. Not to mention that Fudge was in still an uproar because twelve of the Dementors that had been sent to Hogwarts had mysteriously vanished. She knew that Harry had actually killed them with his Patronus; they had disintegrated. The power that he had was incredible and she was so proud of him. He had told her everything that had happened the night she had been in the forest with her mate and it still blew her mind to think about it.

As for Remus, he was getting ready for September and keeping busy, but he wasn't saying much. She knew that those thirty days in solitary had affected him, but he wasn't talking about it, not since that first night when he had opened up. He'd had a few bad dreams since he'd come home, but when she tried to talk to him, he pushed her away, insisting that he was fine. She didn't want to push him. She knew that when he was ready he would come to her. Coming home to him at the end of each day was the best thing that she ever could have imagined, knowing that it was a home they shared together. He made her so happy and she felt like she did the same to him.

She washed up and then covered her body in lotion before heading into their bedroom wrapped in a towel. She opened her dresser to find something to put on and her eyes fell on the lovely lingerie that she had purchased with Zee when Remus had been in prison. She hadn't had the guts to put it on yet.

She bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should and then before she could talk herself out of it, she locked the bedroom door and changed into the bra, panties, garter and nightie. She used her wand to dry her hair and added a bright pink lipstick as her only makeup and then she grinned at herself.

Remus wasn't going to know what hit him. She put her towel in the hamper and headed out. She found him in the kitchen, chopping vegetables at their new island and she leaned against the doorjamb, biting her bottom lip nervously as she lost her balance and caught herself on the door frame before she fell over.

Remus merely looked up in amusement at the sound of her stumbling and then his jaw dropped open, his whiskey coloured eyes widening as they travelled down her body. "D-Dora," he choked.

She grinned at him. "Zee and I went shopping and I picked this out for you. What do you think?" She asked, turning slowly to give him a full visual of the bow tied at the tip of her bum.

Remus dropped the knife and moved around the counter, his erection already straining his pants. "You are a goddess."

Tonks grinned, smiling when his hand reached up to cup a breast, sliding down over her stomach. She took his hand and placed it between her legs. "They're crotchless."

Remus' eyes darkened when he found her wet and then he simply fell to his knees and put his head between her legs.

Tonks' head fell back, her hands moving into his hair and all she thought was, she was really glad that she had gotten the outfit.

 **Harry apologized to Zee first thing the next morning and she did the same.** She didn't want him to think that he couldn't spend time with Harley, she had just been surprised to find them in such a compromising position. Harry promised not to be alone with her up in the loft of the barn again and they both felt better after apologizing. He spent the morning riding Cloud Dancing before Colt came home for lunch and offered to take Harry on a tour of the Toccoa Police Department.

It was interesting. He went through the jail cells and listened to his grandfather tell him all about how they booked criminals, arrested them and how the justice system worked in the American Muggle world. It was similar yet very different at the same time. The magical world was definitely a lot harsher in terms of punishment, at least in Britain, though Colt did tell him that they had the death penalty in the state of Georgia and explained how the process of executing a prisoner worked. Harry thought that it was rather strange that some states had the death penalty and others didn't when they were all part of the same country. When he asked Colt about it, Colt began explaining about the rather tumultuous history of America.

"Colonials," Harry said with a smirk, making Colt laugh.

"Damn straight!"

He met a few of the officers that worked under Colt and he smiled when Colt told him that he had officially handed in his retirement papers the week before. He would be leaving his badge behind starting September first and he was rather nervous about it. But he had the ranch and the horses and he knew that that's where he should be spending his time.

They went fishing and Harry told Colt about his talk with Sirius and Zee from the night before. Colt smiled at him and told him that girls come and go and that Harley was a summer fling and he was allowed to enjoy himself, but if he hurt that poor girl, he would be in a heap of trouble. Harry had smiled at him and promised not to hurt her. She knew that he was leaving on Monday.

They didn't catch anything, but they headed back to the ranch both feeling more rested. He spent the next few days riding Cloud Dancing, snogging Harley and practicing his Animagus. His puppy had already grown a bit from his practicing, but was still a bit of a runt and needed to grow. Harry was getting more comfortable in his dog form the more he transformed. He wasn't tripping over his big paws as much and he could even walk up stairs on his own for the most part. He was hoping that it meant that Remus would let him stay with him during the next full moon. Flo thought that he was adorable and cuddled the puppy for over ten minutes before Harry was able to plan his escape.

By the time the week had come to an end, Harry was anxious to go home and sad to leave at the same time. The ranch had seemed like home. He loved the horses, he loved Colt and Flo and he loved the entire atmosphere of Georgia. He spent his last afternoon snogging Harley before she kissed him softly and promised to never forget him.

He was feeling a bit bummed when he returned to the farmhouse and found Colt sitting on the front porch with Sirius and Misha. The three of them each had an open jar in front of them and a small bowl full of chocolates in the middle of the table. He watched as Sirius took a drink from the jar, wincing before he reached for a chocolate and popped it in his mouth.

He chewed for a moment and then grinned, leaning back in his chair proudly. Colt did the same, looking pleased as he watched Misha reach for a chocolate.

Harry stepped up onto the porch, his eyebrow raised. "What are you three drinking?"

"Homemade moonshine, Harry," Colt said with a grin. "My own personal recipe for incredible white lightning."

Misha made a face. "It burns right through your stomach. It's not smooth, not a good burn, like vodka."

Harry shrugged and reached into the bowl, helping himself to a chocolate as Sirius' eyes widened.

"Harry no!"

But Harry had already popped the chocolate into his mouth. "What?"

But he couldn't ask anything more than that because his entire mouth was on fire. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead as the back of his neck flushed red and he spit out the chocolate as Colt busted into laughter. Harry gagged, convinced that he was about to breathe fire as Misha handed him a tall glass of milk.

"Drink."

Harry drank, desperate to get the taste from his mouth as his eyes watered. He gulped down two tall glasses of milk before he was able to talk.

"What the hell was that?"

"Ghost pepper," Colt said on a grin. "Hottest pepper in the world. We were playing a little game of roulette and you, m'boy stole the prize."

"He can have it," Sirius said with a smirk. "I certainly didn't want it."

"I feel like I can breathe fire," Harry told them.

Misha handed him his jar of moonshine. "Drink."

Harry took a sip, gagging at the taste. "I think that's worse."

"Hey no!" Colt exclaimed. "That's my pride and joy!"

Zee came out onto the porch as Harry handed the moonshine back to Misha. "Papa! Are you giving Harry Grandpa's moonshine?"

"Just a vaste, Zahira. He ate va ghost pepper."

She looked at him sympathetically. "Well, at least you won't find Grandma's chilli too hot now."

Harry only glared at her.

They ate chilli and beer bread for dinner. Misha and Sorcha took a portkey after dinner, both hugging Harry tightly and telling him to write. They promised to see him again soon. Harry went for one more horseback ride with Colt, hugging Cloud Dancing before he went to pack his things.

Colt and Flo hugged him close, making him promise to write and Zee held onto Lady Godiva's collar as the three of them Apparated to the their portkey destination which left at nine oh seven that evening. Their passports and paperwork were once more processed by MACUSA before they touched the portkey, this time a yellow rain boot, and they landed near Bristol at two in the morning and the three of them Apparated home. Zee made her way to her own house, Lady Godiva in tow as Sirius and Harry stepped into Black Cottage. They had a pile of mail on the kitchen table, but Sirius urged Harry to try to sleep for a few hours and counteract the jet lag.

Harry crawled into his own bed happily, thinking that this had been one of the best summers of his life. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with a big smile on his face.


	154. Chapter 154

_Author's Note:_

 _Hope everyone had a good Easter! Mine was busy - I worked every day, but I did manage to squeeze a little writing out on Sunday night so yay me! Was going to wait to post this tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I will be home - so to those who celebrate - Happy Easter! And for those who do not - Happy Monday!_

 _Reviews: Thanks to Alix33 for that awesomely long review! Homebrew hooch is definitely not something that I'd want to drink, but I thought it was fun for Harry. As for the ghost pepper, anyone ever tried Flashbang? That stuff is hot! And as for the camera - it's a magic one with a waterproof charm on it (obviously LOL) so no worries, it was all safe!_

 _This is mostly a fluffy chapter as well with some fun Jily memories that I hope you enjoy, but you can see the next part of the story beginning in the last scene. The World Cup is coming and there are some changes there and not just for Harry, but a few things are staying the same as well._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: weekly and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR:**

 **After filling Remus and Tonks in on how much he didn't enjoy the portkeys to and from Georgia,** Harry pulled out the tokens that he had bought for them. He gave Tonks the candy and the white gold wolf bracelet that he had picked out for her. She kissed his cheek and slipped the bracelet on her wrist, grinning at Remus when he examined it with a smile.

Harry grinned widely at Sirius when he reached for Remus' gift, pulling out the framed photo of the two of them from the Uncle Remus Museum and passed it over to his father.

"Ta-da!"

Remus glanced at his son quizzically, taking the frame from him. He looked down at the photo of Sirius and Harry each standing alongside a statue of a rabbit and behind them the sign read: Uncle Remus Museum. Across the top in glowing letters it read: _Home of Uncle Moony's Furry Little Problem_

Tonks immediately busted into laughter. "Merlin! How did you two find this?"

Harry quickly launched into the story about the museum pertaining to the life of Joel Chandler Harris and his well known stories about the Br'er Rabbit and who Harris was in terms of American folklore. Tonks unwrapped the book with a smile and passed it to her mate, who looked upon it in interest.

"And you thought that it would be funny to title the photo 'my furry little problem?'" Remus asked, his eyes dark in annoyance.

Sirius nodded. "It was Harry's idea, but I did find it an odd coincidence, Moony." He stared at his friend. "Are you angry? It's just a joke."

Remus pursed his lips, placing the framed photo and the book on the table. "A joke at the expense of me being a werewolf, how original."

Harry frowned. "Uncle Moony, I thought that you would like it. I didn't mean to - hey!"

Remus had grabbed him, yanking him forward and wrapping his arms tightly around him before he kissed the top of his head. "You are a brat, but I love it." He said, kissing Harry again. "And my furry little problem has grown exponentially to include a sassy little PITA and his equally larger snarky little plonker!"

Harry laughed as Remus continued to cover him in kisses, not letting him go. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He squealed when his father began to tickle him. "Snuffles! Snuffles!" Harry shouted in an attempt to get away from his father's long tickling fingers at his ribs.

Sirius grinned widely as Remus merely rolled his eyes at him and stopped ticking their son. "Did you just call me a plonker?"

"And Harry a pain in the arse? Damn right I did, you prats. Leave it to you two Marauders to go all the way to bloody America and actually find this!"

Zee, who had been in the kitchen making tea when Remus was presented with his gift, leaned against the doorjamb with a smirk. "It was actually my idea to take them there."

Tonks howled in laughter as Remus merely shook his head.

"You three deserve each other."

Harry grinned and hugged Remus again. "You're not actually mad?"

Remus kissed Harry's forehead. "Not even a little bit. I can't wait to hang it in my living room."

"Nah, hang it in your office," Sirius said. "It's not like that furry little problem is a big dirty secret anymore. Everyone knows that you don't actually have a badly behaved rabbit."

Remus smiled and nodded. "True. Instead I have an old mutt and untrained puppy."

"Hey!" Harry said, earning a grin from Remus.

Sirius chuckled. "I also take offence to that! The furry little problem is a much better story!"

Tonks grinned widely, slipping her arm around her mate's waist. "I would just like to say that for the record, absolutely nothing about this man is _little_ and I mean, _nothing._ "

Harry frowned in confusion and then his eyes widened. "Ew, Tonks!"

Tonks busted into laughter as Sirius and Zee chuckled along with her. Remus merely flushed in embarrassment.

"Alright, alright, enough with the jokes at my expense!" He said, grinning at his son. "Nymphadora and I want to hear everything about your trip."

Zee smiled as the kettle began to whistle. "I'll grab the tea and Harry can tell you all about Harley."

"The motorbike?" Tonks asked in confusion. "Like the picture that Sirius has in the workshop?"

Sirius grinned. "Hey, you know a motorcycle, Tonks! I'm so proud!" He said, pretending to a wipe a tear from his eye. "But no, Harley as in the girl that Harry was snogging all summer. You should have seen the lipstick smears on our boy's face."

Harry's face heated in embarrassment. "There wasn't that much lipstick! He's exaggerating."

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh, he also managed to have a right gob full and not just with his hands."

Harry's face was so red that he felt like he was going to melt right into the floor. "I hate you right now."

Remus chuckled and put an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Was she pretty?"

"Yeah," he said with a grin. "And she smelt like peaches."

Tonks smiled. "Well, Scout, let's hear all about Harley."

Harry simply grinned and spent most of the evening telling Remus and Tonks all about Georgia; about Harley and Cloud Dancing; about Colt and Flo; about Misha and Sorcha and dancing lessons and magic lessons and everything that they had seen and done. By the time they were finished dinner, the potion covered photos were ready and they all laughed as they watched Padfoot perform in the dog show; Sirius get pushed into the lake; Harry horseback riding and all of the other photos that detailed their summer.

Harry took the last one from the summer, of himself standing in between Sirius and Zee, their arms around him as they stood on the porch of the farmhouse and sat it on the table by the wall near the kitchen. "Uncle Siri, I think that we need a frame for this one. We can put it over the fireplace."

Zee's eyes filled up with tears and she jumped to her feet to kiss his cheeks. "I love you, Harry. Thank you so much for letting me share Georgia with you."

Harry hugged her back as Sirius beamed at them. "Thank you for inviting me."

Remus and Tonks smiled at them as Sirius cleared his throat loudly.

"Well, we'll definitely get a frame when we go to Diagon Alley for your school supplies. Who wants pie?"

 **The next day was Ginny's birthday and Harry was happy to head to The Burrow to help her celebrate.** She loved her gifts, immediately putting on the necklace, hugging him tightly and wanting to know everything. Ron had commented about the bruise on Harry's neck and once Ginny had hurried off to talk to Colin and Luna, he had told Ron all about Harley Mills.

Ron grinned at him. "You would spend a good portion of your summer snogging."

Harry grinned widely. "She was so fit and I liked her. I was a little sad that I had to leave her as much as Georgia if I'm honest. She was a great kisser. How's your summer been? Did your parents tell you about the World Cup?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, just before you lot came over. Dad said that Sirius got us all free tickets from the Ministry."

"Uncle Sirius told me. He has to do some favour for Bagman, but it's worth it. We're in the top box, mate! I can't wait to see Ireland kick butt!"

"But Bulgaria has Krum!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Harry shrugged. "Doesn't matter mate, Ireland's the better team and you know it!"

They argued Quidditch semantics for a while and then Ron explained how he had been practicing turning into a wolverine and about how Ginny had changed into her red panda; snuck into Fred and George's room and swooped down on them in the middle of the night. They shrieked and she changed back into herself, making them stare at her in awe. Now they had apparently been trying to come up with a new nickname for her. Fred, who already called her Gem, was trying to make Gempanda stick, but Ginny wasn't having it and George, who often called her Nevra, was leaning towards Pandnevra. Ginny wasn't impressed with either choice, but her brothers certainly were with her becoming an Animagus and they promised not to let their parents know. They were even more impressed when they found out that Ron could turn into a wolverine as well and kept trying to make him do tricks after they had found him trying to sneak back into the house naked.

Ron filled him in on Percy's new job as a Junior Assistant to Mr Crouch in the Department of International Magical Cooperation and how he kept claiming that he had super important reports to write on things like cauldron thickness. Fred and George had also taken to spending a lot of time in their room as of late and a lot more explosions were being heard, but they wouldn't tell anyone what they were doing.

"I suspect Din knows, but she won't tell me. That girl will keep a secret until her grave," he said bitterly making Harry laugh.

He said goodbye when the party ended, promising to see him at the World Cup in two weeks and headed back home.

 **A few days after returning home,** Harry decided that he wanted to watch another memory or two from the Pensieve with both Sirius and Remus. They were happy to oblige him and suggested doing so after dinner. Harry stared inside of the chest, his eyes pouring over each memory. He had put a red sticker on the lid of each memory that he had already viewed and his eyes poured over the large amount of them that he still had to see.

Remus came into the sunroom, smiling at him. "Did you choose one?"

Harry nodded, pulling one out randomly. "I think so."

"Sirius will be here in a minute."

Harry nodded and carefully poured the memory that he had chosen into the Pensieve.

Sirius came in, stifling a yawn. "Sorry, long Ministry day today. I know that I promised to help out Bagman in return for those tickets but I am regretting it. He's rather annoying and likes the sound of his own voice. I think I could sleep for a week."

Remus grinned. "Never thought I'd see the day that Sirius Black was an official Ministry employee and actually enjoying it for the most part."

Sirius shrugged. "Neither did I. Alright, Harry, what memory did you choose?"

He grinned. "I don't know."

Remus smiled and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Let's find out then, shall we?"

Sirius placed his hand on Harry's other shoulder and the three of them leaned forward and fell into the memory.

 _Sirius was lying on an incredibly ugly orange fuzzy sofa, his feet hanging over the edge. "Prongs! What is taking you so long?"_

 _James came out, his hair sticking up even more than usual. "Sorry."_

 _Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You two are like rabbits."_

 _Lily came out from the room, her own hair a bit tousled as she attempted to pull it back in a high ponytail. "Sirius, as annoying as ever."_

 _He grinned and grabbed her hand, tugging her down to kiss her cheek. "You love me, Evans."_

 _"It's Potter now," she said with a grin. "Now get your feet off our sofa."_

 _Sirius grinned and sat up. "This sofa is an atrocity to the human eye, my feet can only improve it."_

 _"Trust me, I know," Lily said, pointedly looking at James._

 _He grinned and shrugged good naturally, moving to sit in the brown armchair and tugging his wife down into his lap. "They were just giving it away!"_

 _"With good reason," Lily said, making him laugh. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him softly. "We're going shopping for a new sofa this weekend and then we're going to burn this one."_

 _James smiled at her, his eyes full of adoration. "Whatever you say, dear."_

 _"Ahh, he's whipped already," Sirius stated, ducking as James threw a pillow at him._

 _"Are Moony and Wormtail on their way over?" Lily asked._

 _"Should be here soon," Sirius said. "Moony said that he had to stop by his dad's and Peter had to work until four."_

 _The front door opened and Peter came in. His dirty blonde hair waving over the tops of his ears. "Hey. Work took a bit longer than I planned. Is Moony here yet?"_

 _"On his way," Sirius said, grinning as Peter made his way into the kitchen and came back a moment later with a beer in his hand. "Hey, get me one too!"_

 _James rolled his eyes. "Nice of you to be so comfortable in my home."_

 _Sirius grinned as Peter came back with a second beer and a bag of crisps. "Our home, Prongs. Besides, I bought the beer."_

 _Lily smiled at them. "We're having lasagna for dinner so don't eat too many of those."_

 _Sirius blanched. "Evans is cooking, is that safe? Pass me the crisps, Pete."_

 _Lily threw the other pillow at him and he laughed as he caught it. "That was one time, Sirius Black!"_

 _James grinned and kissed his wife's cheek. "It was great, Lily. You're a wonderful cook, darling, and we ate every bite of it."_

"Could my mum not cook?" Harry asked, looking at Sirius.

Sirius grinned. "She could, but the first time she invited us all over for dinner after she and Jamie had been married for a few months, she burnt the chicken so bad that it was black and pretty much inedible."

"And you ate it?" Harry asked.

Remus grinned. "We ate every bite of it because your father made us. Lily spent the entire dinner crying in the bathroom."

"Just because she burned dinner?" Harry asked in bewilderment, turning his attention back to the memory as the memory version of Sirius spoke.

 _"Well, it was only a few weeks ago, Evans, I don't know if I'm ready to be poisoned again so soon in my young life, I have so much to live for!"_

 _Peter rolled his eyes. "He's not going to live much longer if he doesn't learn to place silencing charms on his bedroom."_

 _James laughed. "I see some things haven't changed."_

 _The front door opened again and Remus came in. "It's raining cats and dogs out there," he said, hanging up his raincoat. "Sorry, I'm late."_

 _"You're not late," Lily said with a smile. "You're just missing Sirius being a prat."_

 _"I'm merely stating that the thought of Evans cooking lasagna has me worried for my health."_

 _Remus chuckled. "We survived the chicken, I can't imagine this will be much worse."_

 _Lily scowled. "Remus, you're supposed to be on my side!"_

 _James wrapped his arms tighter around her, nuzzling her neck. "We're all on your side."_

 _Remus took a seat next to Sirius on the ugly orange sofa. "So what's going on? You stated in your invite that this dinner was very important."_

 _Lily moved into the kitchen to get Remus a beer and he thanked her._

 _James stood up, moving to wrap his arms around his wife, holding her back against him, his hands flat on her stomach. "We have some news."_

 _"What kind of news?" Peter asked, drinking his beer._

 _"First of all, despite the fact that I burned the chicken last week, I can promise you that the lasagna will be delicious and not poisonous," she added, earning a snicker from Sirius. "I'm sorry that I overreacted. I wasn't quite acting like myself."_

 _Remus nodded, his eyes solemn. "Lily, we get it. We know how much that big fight with your sister hurt you."_

 _She nodded. "It wasn't only that. I mean, yes, the fight with Tuney was bad, but … I always knew that one day she would push me away for good. I just didn't expect it to be so soon and now I won't even get the chance to meet my niece or nephew." Her hands slid over James', squeezing lightly. "And I'm sorry that I reacted the way that I did, crying in the bathroom like a child just because of the chicken. You guys are amazing and I can't believe that you ate that whole chicken."_

 _James grinned and kissed her cheek. "We didn't want to hurt your feelings. We didn't want to see you cry."_

 _"Also Jamie made us," Sirius said, earning a dirty look from Lily._

 _"And threatened us if we didn't eat it," Peter said, earning a glare from James._

 _"Accurate," Remus said with a smile. "But you're alright now?"_

 _She let out a slow breath and a bright smile bloomed across her face. "Very alright. Better than alright, actually."_

 _Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"_

 _Lily nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Jamie and I wanted to wait until I was in my second trimester before we made an official announcement and after last week's dinner fiasco, I don't think that we can keep it a secret much longer even if we wanted to as my hormones are obviously already out of whack. I'm pregnant."_

 _Sirius' eyes widened in horror. "It wasn't me!"_

 _Lily laughed. "I'm well aware of that, Sirius, but thanks for clarifying."_

 _James turned her around, kissing her deeply. "She's beautiful, isn't she? And she's carrying our boy in there!"_

 _"Or girl," Lily said with a smile._

 _James fell to his knees, pressing a kiss to her stomach. "Hi again, my little Bludger , it's your Dad. I can't wait to meet you and introduce you to these crazy gents. They're going to love you so much just like I do."_

 _Lily smiled, her hands stroking her husband's hair. "Jamie."_

 _He smiled up at her from the floor, his arms around her waist, his cheek resting against her abdomen as he turned to look at his friends. "That's how big is he, the size of a Bludger, can you believe it?"_

 _Sirius looked pale now, moving to stand up. "Fuck! You really made a baby! This isn't a joke? There's a real fucking baby in there?"_

 _Remus stood up, kissing Lily's cheek. "You two are going to be incredible parents. Congratulations!"_

 _"Wow!" Peter said, his eyes wide. "A baby! That's brilliant, Prongs!"_

 _"Thanks, Wormy," James said grinning hugely._

 _Lily was smiling at Sirius, who still looked rather horror struck. "Come here, Sirius."_

 _He moved towards her, swallowing slowly as she took his hand and placed it over her stomach._

 _"Jamie and I are going to have a baby."_

 _His eyes widened as something, a flutter almost, moved against his hand, staring down at his friend, who was still kneeling in front of his wife adoringly, and he smiled. "Was that -?"_

 _"Yes," Lily said with a smile. "Our little Bludger is moving around in there. It kind of feels like gas bubbles right now, but it's the baby."_

 _"A little Baby Prongs. That's almost scary," Sirius said in amazement, his hand still on Lily's stomach._

 _Lily kissed his cheek. "You'll have a niece or nephew."_

 _He grinned, his eyes widening in delight. "I'm going to be an uncle?"_

 _James kissed his wife's stomach again just as it grumbled loudly. He stood up, grinning at his friends. "Now the Little Bludger wants lasagna."_

 _Lily grinned and kissed her husband. "Our Little Bludger can't wait to meet all of his or her uncles."_

 _Sirius was grinning hugely, his eyes still wide in amazement._

 _Remus put a hand on his friend's arm. "A baby? Can you believe it? Prongs made a baby!"_

 _Peter grinned, smiling at his friends. "And leave it to Jamie to call him by Quidditch names."_

 _Lily turned to smile at them from the doorway to the kitchen. "Come along boys, dinner's on the table."_

Harry turned to look at Sirius and Remus, his eyes wide. "They called me a Little Bludger?"

Remus grinned. "The whole pregnancy Jamie gave you a different Quidditch name. Lily said early on, before they had even told anyone about you that you were their little Snitch, then a Little Bludger and when you kept your mum up kicking her, he called you his Little Beater."

"Lily said that he used to spend hours talking to her stomach late into the night. He would sing and tell stories and just tell you how loved you were," Sirius said with a smile. "She told me that sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night and he would just be resting his cheek against her stomach. He was completely head over heels for you before you were even born."

Harry grinned at that, his heart swelling at the thought that anyone could have loved him so much before he was even born.

Remus draped an arm over his shoulders. "Want to watch another one?"

Harry nodded and moved to the chest, grabbing another phial at random and dropping it into the Pensieve. The three of them moved forward and dipped into the memory.

 _The Gryffindor common room was mostly empty, but James, Remus, Peter and Sirius were lounging on the floor in front of the fire. Three girls that Harry didn't recognize were also there with Lily._

 _"Can you believe that we go home in one week and then it's seventh year?" Remus asked, crossing his long legs out in front of him._

 _The pretty brunette who Harry now remembered was Mary MacDonald smiled at him. "Then we'll be adults, it's pretty crazy."_

 _Sirius was grinning hugely. "Come on, it's late; let's play a game of Truth or Dare."_

 _"No," everyone said as a whole and Sirius pouted._

 _"Why not?"_

 _Peter rolled his eyes. "Because it's always the same, Sirius. We'll dare Evans to kiss James, she'll refuse, Jamie will dare her to kiss him, she'll refuse. Same old story, mate."_

 _"But it will be fun, right Jamie?" Sirius asked._

 _James shrugged. "I'm in."_

 _"No," Peter said a second time._

 _"I think truth or dare sounds fun actually," Lily said, biting her bottom lip. "Let's play."_

 _"Ha!" Sirius said triumphantly, sitting up. "Prongs, you start!"_

 _James simply shrugged and leaned back against the brick of the fireplace. "Fine, Marly, Truth or Dare?"_

 _The dark haired girl let out a long dramatic sigh. "Fine, Dare."_

 _James rubbed his hands together. "I Dare you to Dare Evans to kiss me. Oof," he said as Sirius smacked him in the face with a couch cushion hard enough to knock his glasses off. "Kidding! Marly, I Dare you to snog Peter."_

 _She shrugged and tugged Peter, who was spluttering in surprise, towards her by his shirt and kissed him. When she pulled away, he looked dumbstruck._

 _Marly licked her lips. "Sirius, Truth or Dare."_

 _"Dare," he said, examining his fingernails as if he was bored._

 _"I dare you to pick truth for once."_

 _Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fine, Truth."_

 _"Are you really going to buy a motorcycle this summer?"_

 _"Definitely. Evans has been helping me do some research in the Muggle world, it's going to be so badass."_

 _"Mum's not going to like that," James said on a grin._

 _Sirius shrugged. "She will once I take her out for a spin. Evans, Truth or Dare?"_

 _"Truth," she said quietly._

 _"What you told me yesterday, that still true?"_

 _"Yes," she said, her eyes on his grey ones as she bit her lip nervously._

 _He nodded, grinning. "So, here's your chance then."_

 _Everyone was staring between the two of them in confusion and Lily let out a slow breath._

 _"James, Truth or Dare."_

 _"Dare," he said smartly, his hazel eyes grinning at her._

 _"I Dare you to kiss me."_

 _The entire room was so silent, a pin could have dropped._

 _James stared at her, his eyes wide in shock. "You - ?" He crawled across the floor, eyes never leaving hers. "You dared me to kiss you," he said, his gaze moving to her lips._

 _She nodded. "Are you man enough to do it?"_

 _He leaned in and touched his lips to hers softly and without hesitation as their friends cheered._

 _Lily bit her lip when he pulled away. "James?"_

 _"Yeah?" He asked, a goofy grin on his face._

 _"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"_

 _James looked absolutely gobsmacked as he stared at her and Sirius grinned from next to his friend._

 _"He'd be delighted, Evans." He slapped James on the back._

 _Lily just grinned at James, grabbed him by the hair and kissed him again._

Harry looked at Sirius and Remus. "My mum asked _him_ out? That's how they got together, in a game of Truth or Dare? I thought that Dad asked her out?"

Sirius grinned. "Evans and I had actually planned it the night before. She finally admitted to me that she fancied James and by this time, he had stopped asking her out. They had become friends and she was scared that he didn't fancy her anymore; that she had lost her chance. I told her that I would arrange the opportunity for her to ask him out and that she had to take it."

Remus grinned. "They went to Hogsmeade the next day and spent pretty much every moment of the last week of school together. They exchanged letters all summer and Jamie used to go down to a phone booth in the nearby Muggle town and call her; talk to her for hours on the phone just to hear her voice. By the beginning of seventh year, they were inseparable."

Harry smiled at the thought. "I'm glad."

Sirius squeezed his shoulder. "Come on, let's call it a night. We're heading to Diagon Alley early tomorrow to get your school shopping done."

Harry nodded and carefully put the memory away, marking that he had watched it. The memories of his parents giving him a big smile on his face.

 **Ginny was grinning widely when Charlie came into kitchen that night.** He was supposed to have arrived the day before, but something had happened at the reserve and he had been detained.

"Jitterbug!" He exclaimed, grinning when she ran into his arms. "What are you still doing up?"

"Waiting for you, obviously," she said with a smile.

He hugged her tightly and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "Look at you, thirteen years old and growing more beautiful every day. When did you grow up on me?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm hardly grown up!"

He just grinned. "I don't know, Ginny, looking more like a young woman now. You been doing okay? You're last letter was full of this and that and Theo and Colin and I'm starting to worry that we need to have a talk about boys."

"I don't have a boyfriend!"

He grinned. "And when you do, I think it's important that they know that your big brother has dragons."

Ginny only crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Why? Do you think that I can't handle myself?"

Charlie grinned at the dangerous glint to her eye. "Never. But if you want to throw the pieces at me when you're done with them, I'll stomp on those for you." She laughed and he pulled her close for a hug. "Everyone else sleeping?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Good, I have something to show you." He glanced back towards the stairs to make sure no one was coming before he tugged off his shirt and Ginny's eyes widened.

"Wow!"

He grinned as he proudly asked. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

Ginny's fingers reached up to trace the Chinese Fireball over his shoulder and back, eyes widening at the lick of flames and smoke that seemed to shimmer down his side. "It's amazing!"

"It's Chi."

Ginny's eyes widened. "That dragon you loved who was killed? Oh Charlie, what a beautiful way to preserve her memory!"

He smiled at her. "It's actually tattooed with part of her ashes so I feel like her spirit is still with me. She moves all around my body too and when she moves, I can feel her, it's warm. It's like she's a familiar almost."

"It's incredible!" She told him, her fingers touching the warm skin. "Wherever Chi is, your skin is hotter."

He grinned. "I know." He pulled his shirt back over his head and grabbed his bag. "What room is Mum putting me in?"

"Ron's," Ginny said with a smile. "Hermione is in with me. Luna's coming over tomorrow night to stay before we head to the Cup and Harry and Neville are meeting us the day of. Bill is staying with the twins. He arrived yesterday."

"What about Percy?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Mum says that his new job keeps him so busy that he doesn't have to share a room. Don't ask him about his new boss, I think he wishes his lips were permanently attached to Mr Crouch's arse."

Charlie laughed as they headed up the stairs. "Ah, so not much has changed then."

She grinned at him over her shoulder. "Welcome home, Charlie."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "It's nice to be back. And Gin?"

She grinned at him. "Don't worry, secret's safe with me."

Charlie only smiled. "Thanks."

"Oh, Charlie?"

"Yeah?" He asked, turning on the stairs to look back at her.

Ginny grinned and then transformed into her Animagus and watched his eyes widen. She shimmied up his leg and snuggled into his shoulder.

"Gin! Wow! You're an Animagus!" He pet the panda in amazement, examining her fluffy little face and her baby claws with a grin. "This is incredible!" He put her back on the stairs and she transformed back into herself.

"Thanks. Wait until you see Ron."

Charlie grinned. "I leave you two alone for a few months and you grow up on me!"

She smiled. "Just a little. Oh, and Charlie?"

He bent his head down to kiss her forehead. "Don't worry, secret's safe with me."

Then he winked at her and continued up the stairs to Ron's room, leaving Ginny grinning up at him.

 **When Harry woke up the next morning,** he found Sirius making breakfast as Zee sat at the kitchen table, Lady Godiva's head resting on her leg as she read a letter.

"Morning," he murmured, taking a seat at the table as Sirius put a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him.

"Good morning, Harry," Zee said with a smile. "Papa called me this morning and told me to say hello to you. He wants to know if you've learned any of the spells from the book he gave you yet."

Harry smiled at her. "I'll write to him later this week. I think have the theory down pretty good on a few of them, but I haven't quite mastered the spell work yet."

Zee grinned. "You'll get there." She passed him his Hogwarts letter. "School supplies."

"We're going to Diagon Alley today?"

Sirius nodded. "I have to run into the Ministry this morning; something about an incident with a missing Ministry employee. But I shouldn't be too long and then we can head out. If I'm not back by two, you'll have to see if Remus can take you."

"I can go," Zee said with a smile. "I still have vacation time so I took the whole week off for the cup. That is, if Harry doesn't mind going shopping with me?"

Harry smiled at her. "No, that would be great, thanks Zee." He turned back to Sirius as he sat down to eat his own breakfast. "Who's missing?"

"A woman who works with Bagman in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I remember her from school, she was a few years ahead of me, but a really big gossip. She was on holiday and was supposed to be back to work two weeks ago now, but no one seems to know where she is. Bagman asked me to come in and help with some of the preparations for October since he's down an employee and since he gave me sixteen tickets for tomorrow, I can't really say no."

Harry smiled at that. "I can't wait for the World Cup tomorrow, Ireland is going to be amazing!"

Sirius grinned. "Should be a good match. The key to your bank vault is in my top dresser drawer. You need dress robes this year."

Harry frowned. "Why?"

"Yule Ball in December," Sirius said with a grin. "It is being officially reinstated, fourth years and above so you'll need to look your best for your date."

"Why is it being reinstated?"

Sirius smiled at him. "Something special is coming to Hogwarts this year and there's going to be all sorts of interesting things happening."

"Like what?" Harry asked, spreading jam on his toast.

"I'm not supposed to tell so that you can be surprised on the first of September."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! If I promise not to tell anyone else?"

He grinned. "Ah, what the hell, it doesn't apply to you anyway. The Ministry of Magic has reinstated the Triwizard Tournament."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really? I remember Uncle Moony telling me about that. People died!"

"That they did," Sirius said. "They've made it safe this year, well as safe as it is possible to be. Also, there's an age limit. No one under the age of seventeen will be able to participate. Three schools will compete, one champion from each school in three tasks and the winner gets a large sum of prize money and eternal glory. It's good press for the school as well as a chance to help bridge international relations."

"Wow," Harry said, smiling at him. "What are the tasks?"

"That I can assure you, I do not know. That's for the Tournament Committee only so that word doesn't get out. But there will be a Yule Ball in December so you need dress robes. There used to be a Yule Ball every year at Hogwarts when I went there, but when the war started escalating, they cancelled it and it was never reinstated."

Zee smiled. "We always had Yule Balls at my school. They were wonderful. The food, the dancing, the ballgowns … I have some great memories from those days."

Harry smiled at her. "So dress robes, got it. I guess it's a good thing Grandmama taught me to dance this summer."

Sirius chuckled. "And then some. How many books do you need this year?"

Harry tugged out his supply list and browsed it. "Just two, one for Charms and one for Defence Against the Dark Arts, but I need more potion supplies and ink and notebooks and all that."

Sirius nodded. "What about your uniform?"

"Shirts are okay, I think, but my pants are too short again and so are my robes."

"Try on one of your shirts before you go shopping if you're not sure. Whatever doesn't fit we'll donate."

Harry nodded, smiling at his godfather. "Alright. I also need more shampoo and soap and stuff."

Sirius grinned. "You can take out whatever money you need and make sure you have some spending money for the year too, for Hogsmeade trips and potential dates."

He grinned as he thought about Harley. He didn't think that he wanted to be with any other girls for the moment. "Okay."

Sirius dropped a kiss to the top of his head as he stood up. "Alright, I'm gone. Have fun." He kissed Zee. "Thanks."

"No problem, I love to shop."

Sirius grimaced. "Harry, I'm sorry in advance."

Harry laughed as his godfather hurried out of the room.

 **An hour later, he and Zee arrived in Diagon Alley.** They went to _Gringotts_ first and Harry took out money from his vault, meeting Zee in the atrium of the bank when he returned. They went to _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_ and Harry was measured for his new uniform; he did need new shirts. Zee grabbed him new socks and piled some undershirts in the basket as well, making him smile. He grabbed some underwear, some Hogwarts athletic gear for Quidditch practice; new dragon hide gloves since he'd burned a hole in the ones from last year; and new dragon hide boots and then wrinkled his nose when they got to the section of dress robes.

Zee smiled at him as he looked through the selection. "Why don't you let an expert help you out with this?"

Harry nodded gratefully at her and she looked through the racks before pulling out the forest green material.

"The green will make your eyes pop," she told him, holding the robes up to him. "And let's choose … ooh, the white shirt with the grey pinstripes is very nice," she murmured, holding it up to him with a smile. "And yes … this solid navy tie. You're going to look very sharp."

He blushed when she grabbed a cloak to go with it and chose a chestnut brown belt and brown oxfords before pushing him into the fitting room. He undressed, pulling the dress shirt on and buttoning it carefully, hanging the tie loose and draped the green material over his shoulders. When he turned to look at himself in the mirror, he had to admit, the green looked really good on him.

"Can I see, Harry?"

He rolled his eyes at her when he opened the door and she laughed.

"Ooh, you look wonderful. What do you think?" She asked, standing next to him, her hand on his arm as she grinned at him in the mirror.

He shrugged, staring at his reflection. The navy and brown accents looked really good with the forest green which genuinely did bring out the colour in his eyes. "I like the green."

Zee stood next to him, touching the collar of the dress shirt. "The light grey pinstripes just adds something, you know, and the navy tie … I mean, you're the one that has to wear it so you have to like it."

"It's fine, Zee."

She smiled at him. "Well, I think that you look incredibly handsome."

He blushed and she smiled, tugging his face down to kiss his cheek.

"If you're happy with it, let Madam Malkin measure you and we'll get a suit made in your size."

He smiled and hopped up onto the stool as the seamstress came in. Her eyes moved over Harry's attire and she smiled.

"About time someone chooses a nice fashion statement. Most boys have gone for black this year. So boring." She moved to measure him, adjusting the arm length and measuring him for pants before she smiled. "You're all done, dearie, I'll have the dress robes ready for you with your uniform in an hour."

He thanked her and went to change back into his jeans and tee shirt. Zee led him lead her into _Quality Quidditch Supplies_ next and he bought new Seeker gloves since he'd ripped the thumb on his old ones. They went to the _Slug and Jiggers Apothecary_ next and he refilled his potions ingredients with the gold package, getting the extra ingredients that he needed. He bought Hedwig more owl treats and then they headed to _Flourish and Blotts_ for his textbooks.

Harry was just stocking up on his ink, quills, notebooks, and parchment when he ran into Neville.

"Harry!"

"Hey Nev," he said with a grin, adding four new notebooks to his basket. "How's Badger life?"

Neville grinned widely. "Pretty great. I grew half an inch in size so I must be progressing well."

Harry nodded. "I'm not tripping over my paws anymore so that's a plus, but I still think I'm a bit of a runt."

"Got all of your supplies?"

Harry nodded. "Think so. Just need some last minute things, you?"

"Same. Just got my dress robes. Gran wanted me to get plum, but I shot that down fast. I got navy, you?"

"Green."

"Nice."

Harry grinned as Zee came up behind them. "Harry, did you see they have quills that check your spelling? That could be rather useful, hi Neville."

"Hi Zee," he said. "I'll take one of those quills if you don't mind, I can't spell anything correctly."

She smiled and passed him the quill before adding another one to Harry's basket. "We're heading into Muggle London for a few things, Neville, you're welcome to join us?"

He smiled at her. "Thanks for the offer, but I have to go. Uncle Algie needs my help to finish organizing the garden before we go back to school. But I'll catch you two tomorrow at the World Cup?"

Harry grinned. "Definitely. We're leaving really early so you have to be at Black Cottage for five."

Neville nodded. "I'll be there. See you!"

Harry watched him hurry off before he held up his basket. "I think that I have everything."

"Good," she said with a smile. He paid for his purchases and then they headed into the bath shop and Harry stocked up on soap and shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, cologne, aftershave and shaving cream. He smiled at Zee when she tossed a few extra things in his basket like an extra tooth brush, lip balm, an herbal muscle reliever, and Epsom salts. "The last two are for after a gruelling Quidditch practice or match, trust me on this."

He only nodded and bought his things.

They went into Muggle London next and Harry got himself a few new pairs of jeans and some new jumpers and long sleeved shirts. They went to lunch at a little café in downtown London and Harry grinned when Sirius showed up halfway through their meal.

"Hey, how'd the shopping go?" He eyed the bags and his eyebrow rose. "Overboard?"

Harry grinned. "I needed a lot of new clothes."

"Well, that's what happens when you grow like a weed," Sirius told him, smiling at the waitress as he ordered himself a turkey sandwich.

"How did everything go at the Ministry?" Zee asked him, drinking her water.

Sirius shrugged. "As well as can be expected, I suppose. No one has seen her. The last person who remembers speaking with her is a bartender in an inn in Albania. He said that she left with a tall dark haired man which doesn't give us much to go on. I'd like to hope that she merely found herself a good tumble and is holed up somewhere having a good time, but it doesn't seem very likely."

Zee nodded. "Papa said that this is the kind of stuff that happened before, disappearances and such."

"We know that he's out there and we know that he has people who are working for him so it's not unlikely either which is something else to worry about. I suggested as much to Kingsley, dropped a hint that I heard rumours of Death Eater activity. He told me that he had heard the same, but that they have no evidence. With Lestrange still on the loose and Pettigrew presumed the same, they have nothing."

Harry nodded, staring at his godfather. "But they don't really know that something bad happened to her?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, they don't know, Harry. Like I said, she _could_ be fine. Bagman seems to think so. Seems to think she wandered off somewhere and will turn up in a few weeks thinking it's still August, but not everyone agrees with him. We'll just have to take it one step at a time." He smiled when his turkey sandwich arrived. "So what did you buy?"

 **Draco sat on the bed in the brothel that his grandfather had dragged him off to for the third time in his life.** Despite his protests that he hadn't wanted to come and 'be serviced' as his grandfather called it, Abraxas had forced him to come anyway. His grandparents had shown up again a few weeks into the summer, claiming that their vacation in Croatia had been lovely. He had mostly tried to stay out of his grandfather's way since his arrival and the summer had been fairly uneventful over all. He had spent most of his time with Blaise and Theo, some of it flying and most of it still trying to understand what his parents were up to.

But this morning when he had woken up, his grandfather was sitting on the end of his bed, watching him. He had told him that he still had a lot to learn and that Lucius obviously wasn't equipped enough to make him a man. He ordered him to get dressed and to meet him down in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor. Draco had been surprised to see his grandfather's friend Titus Avery in the hall waiting for him as Abraxas ordered him to Floo to _Madam Sweetlings,_ telling Draco that he needed to enjoy life while he was young before purchasing a young blonde and young brunette to service his grandson for the morning.

Draco had decided that this was the perfect opportunity for him to do some snooping around. He accepted the two girls that his grandfather had bought for him and watched as his grandfather spoke to Avery in the room across the hall as a pretty brunette entered the room. He ignored the girls, watching the door to his grandfather's room, as it was only a few minutes before Avery came out and went into a room down the hall. One of the girls in his room had dark brown curly hair and she was unbuttoning his shirt, her hand slipping into his pants and he pushed her off. He had no interest in having sex with anyone at this brothel, he thought. He'd done that twice already and wasn't interested in experiencing it a third time.

"Kiss your friend," he told her with a smile, getting up and moving to stand next to the door where he could peek out at the room where his grandfather was in. "I want to see it."

The blonde grinned and tugged her dark haired friend close for a kiss. Draco stayed by the door. He left it open a crack so that he could watch for the pretty brunette while still keeping an eye on the two girls in his room. The blonde was kissing her friend's neck now and his breath hitched a little as he watched her mouth move lower and lick a nipple. His hand slid into his pants to touch himself and then he saw the pretty brunette come out of the bedroom across the hall and all thoughts of the two mostly naked girls were gone from his mind. He opened the door and requested the brunette immediately. The two girls kissing on the bed pouted, but he shrugged and told them to go.

She came into his room, a big smile on her face, watching the two girls leave in curiosity before she dropped the gown that she was wearing. Her lovely breasts sparkled with some sort of glittery lotion and she smiled sweetly at him as she crawled onto the bed.

"Hi, baby," she said softly, her fingertips dancing along her leg. "Come sit with me."

Draco moved to sit on the bed, taking her hand in his when she attempted to undo his pants. "No. I want something else from you."

She looked at him in puzzlement. "What's that, baby?"

He sat up, taking her hand in his. "The man you were just with?" At her nod, he smiled. "He was talking about something to another man when you went in there, wasn't he?"

She nodded.

"I want to know what he was saying."

She bit her lip. "I hear nothing and I see nothing."

"I'll double your price," Draco told her.

The young woman looked nervous, but then she nodded. "He didn't say anything important anyway," she said shrugging. "I want the Galleons up front."

Draco reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the little purse. "You'll get them after you talk. What did you hear?"

She shrugged, her fingers sliding over her breasts, circling her nipples as she spoke to him. "He said something called wormtail having gone missing."

"Okay."

She stared at him, twisting her nipples now, her eyes on his. "Someone named Kata was being well serviced and that the plan was coming along nicely. Something about payments having to be made and that this time there would be no second chances."

Draco grinned at her. "Anything else?"

She smiled at him, her eyes on his as she rubbed her nipples. "He told the man that with Selwyn taking care of the child, Kata was available for him to use if he wanted as Selwyn's father already was using Kata."

"And?"

"Then he told the man to leave and he shagged me."

"Thank you. You've been a great help," Draco told her, passing her the coins.

She leaned in, licking her lips. "Do you want to play with me now?"

"No," Draco said sternly. He didn't have an interest in the girls his grandfather had purchased for him, he definitely wasn't going to touch the one his grandfather had just used. "You can go."

He waited until she had left the room before he moved downstairs and used the Floo to get home.

His father was sitting in the drawing room when he stepped out of the fireplace, the newspaper open in his hands. His eyebrow rose slightly when Draco stepped into the room.

"Where have you been?"

"Is Mother around?"

Lucius shook his head. "No, she went shopping with your grandmother."

"Grandfather took me to _Madam Sweetlings_ again."

Lucius swore. "I told him to not … are you alright?"

Draco nodded. It pleased him that his father wasn't alright with his grandfather taking him there any more than he was pleased with going. "I'm fine. I snuck out. He's going to be angry if the girls tell him."

"I'll deal with it," Lucius said, nodding to the seat next to him. "Sit down, Draco."

He did as his father asked, tapping his fingers on the side of the chair.

"You know that things have been happening around here. Your mother and I have been doing our best to shield you from it, despite how much you keep trying to find the answers yourself."

"I know," Draco told him. "I know more than you think I do."

"I know that too," Lucius said carefully. "You've been practicing your Occlumency?"

"Yes," Draco told him hotly. "Every morning and every night just like I promised."

"Good," Lucius said sternly. "It's _very important that you never stop practicing that._ There are people who are going to try to break into your mind, Draco; to see what you know. It is very important that you don't tell them. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Draco swallowed carefully. "Grandfather has that woman, doesn't he? The Novak woman who went missing? I told Potter to look into it."

"You told - why Potter?"

"He knows more than he's let on and I think Sirius Black does too. Any information that I find out that could maybe put a stop to Grandfather hurting someone, so don't you think that I should do it?"

Lucius let out a slow breath, his eyes on the door. "Your grandfather is a very dangerous man, Draco. He is one of the people from which you need to always shield your mind from. If he learns that you've spied on him, that you've discovered something that you shouldn't have; he will not hesitate to punish you for it." He tapped his fingers on the chair for the moment. "However, you are correct about one thing, he does have Kata Novak. She is being held in the Selwyn Manor in Croatia. Thaddeus and Wendall are keeping an eye on her for the time being. She cannot be helped, Draco. It is important that you know that, she is _beyond_ help."

"Why are you telling me this? Why now?"

"Some things are going to start happening. Some good and some bad. Some of those bad things … I might be responsible for them."

Draco's eyes widened at that. "What? Father, what do you - ?"

Lucius held up his hand. "Practice your Occlumency, Draco. Keep your mind guarded at all times and remember, whatever I do, I am doing it to keep you and your mother safe. Nothing else is more important. Do you understand me?"

He nodded, slowly, his eyes wide. "Yes."

"Anything you learn that you think is important, go ahead and share it with Potter if you wish. Black doesn't trust me and maybe that's for the best, but maybe he'll trust you."

"Father, what are you talking about, doing bad things, what's happening?"

Lucius stood up, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "A war is coming, Draco, and when the first spell is cast, we might be on opposing sides. It's very important to me that you understand that no matter what it looks like, I am _always on your side._ It might look like I am not, it might look like you can't trust me and you might question that, but I am _always on your side_. Nothing is more important to me than you and your mother. _Nothing_."

The fireplace lit up and Abraxas stepped out, his white hair in a plaited ponytail at the back of his neck.

"Ah, Draco, I hoped you hadn't gone too far. Were the girls good to you?"

"I asked you not to take him there again, Father," Lucius said sternly. "He's a fourteen-year-old-boy and he doesn't need you to force him to have sex before he's ready to."

"Someone needs to turn him into a man and since you clearly aren't up to the task, I thought that I'd take him under my wing."

Lucius' hand closed tightly over the arm of the chair. "He is turning out to be an exceptional young man and I can assure you, none of it is because of your influence."

Draco felt pride bubble up inside of him at his father's words as he watched his grandfather sneer.

"A man needs to be pleasured from time to time, Lucius, and Draco needs to know what his options are in that case. He needs to learn how important it is to have control over his woman one day. To be a man a Malfoy can be proud of. You're too much like your mother, snivelling and pathetic, hiding behind the skirts of your wife. I won't have Draco growing up to follow in your poor footsteps," Abraxas said boldly. "We'll go to the World Cup tomorrow and then I expect once for all to know where your loyalties lie."

He stormed out of the room, his black robes billowing behind him and Lucius let out a slow breath.

"What's happening at the World Cup, Father?"

Lucius smiled at his son. "Hopefully a wonderful match. Go on, get upstairs and change into your training clothes. I'll meet you in ten minutes and we'll go over your training."

Draco only nodded. "Theo and Blaise?"

Lucius nodded. "Yes, them too. Ten minutes, go on."

Draco had hurried off to find his friends and change his clothes, left with more questions than he had answers.


	155. Chapter 155

_Author's Note:_

 _I am posting today because my weekend plans involve me crying as I watch Endgame and the Battle of Winterfell (yes, I am that much of a nerd), so here is your extra chapter! I hope you like my little changes here._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the parts of the dream from chapter one of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, that belongs to the lovely JKR nor do I own the parts from chapter eight._

 _The next few chapters, up to the beginning of the tournament, there will be some similarities to the book, but I've said it before - please be patient, I am setting it up which as you know by now - doesn't mean that it will be the same!_

 _Thanks to Steel for his assistance._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: weekly and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE:**

 **When Harry went to bed that night,** he dreamed that he was in a giant bubble, that his father was looking at him through the bubble and talking to him as if he could hear and see him. He kept calling him his Little Bludger and then he sang to him.

The dream shifted, he was back in Georgia, in the barn and he had Harley pressed up against him in the blue dress from the dance, the straps falling off her shoulders as he kissed her. His fingers touched the straps, tugging them lower and revealing the lovely swells of her round breasts, but it soon changed into something else, something darker and Harry woke with a start.

He lay flat on his back, breathing hard as if he had been running. The lightning bolt scar on his forehead was burning beneath his fingers as though someone had just pressed a burning wire to his skin.

He sat up, one hand still on his scar, the other hand reaching out in the darkness for his glasses, which were on the bedside table. He put them on and his bedroom came into clearer focus, lit by the sliver of moonlight coming in through the balcony doors.

Harry ran his fingers over the scar again. It was still painful. He turned on the lamp beside him, scrambled out of bed to look at himself in the mirror over his dresser. A tall, thin and toned teenager of fourteen looked back at him, his bright green eyes puzzled under his untidy black hair, patches of stubble on his neck. He examined the lightning bolt scar of his reflection more closely. It looked normal, but it was still stinging.

Harry tried to recall what he had been dreaming about before he had awoken. It had seemed so real. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to remember what Voldemort had looked like in his dream, but it was impossible. All Harry knew was that at the moment when Voldemort's chair had swung around, he had felt a spasm of horror and it had awoken him with a jolt. Or had that been the pain in his scar?

And who had the old man been? For there had definitely been an old man; Harry had watched him fall to the ground. It was all becoming muddled. Harry put his face into his hands, blocking out his bedroom, trying to hold on to the picture of that dimly lit room, but it was like trying to keep water in his cupped hands; the details were now trickling away as fast as he tried to hold on to them. Voldemort and someone named Selwyn had been talking about someone that they had killed, though Harry could not remember the name and they had been plotting to kill … him, he realized in alarm.

His eyes flew open and he turned to fling open the balcony doors, taking deep gulps of air for a moment, suddenly feeling confined and anxious. Once he felt like he could breathe normally again, he stood a moment and took in the cool night air before he hurried across the hall into Sirius' bedroom, forgetting that Zee had stayed the night. He jolted at the sight of his godfather's girlfriend, snuggled into Sirius' embrace, caramel curls tucked under his father's chin. He tiptoed towards the bed, shaking Sirius slightly.

Sirius turned, blinking in the dark and Harry made a gesture with his head before he left the room. His godfather yawned as he padded down into the kitchen a few minutes later, wiping sleep from his eyes. "What is it, Harry?"

"I just had a dream and … I need you to pull it out from my head and watch it in the Pensieve."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Quick, please, I'm already forgetting it!"

Sirius seemed to catch himself and moved to extract the memory from his godson's head. "Get the Pensieve from the sunroom."

Harry did, carrying it over to the kitchen table as Sirius dropped the memory into the basin.

"Now tell me what's going on."

Harry let out a slow breath. "I had this dream, but it didn't feel like a dream, it felt … real and when I woke up, my - my scar hurt."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Does it still hurt?"

Harry nodded. "More like a dull pain now, but it felt like someone had put an open flame on it."

"Has this happened at all since the last time you told me it hurt?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

Sirius nodded. "What was the dream, Harry?"

Harry let out a slow breath. "Voldemort was there … it felt real."

Sirius stared at him. "Alright, let's watch this together then, okay?"

Harry nodded and leaned forward, sticking his face into the memory as Sirius joined him. He found himself watching an old man climb stairs covered in dust in a house full of decay. A flickering light shone ahead through the gap of a door that stood ajar and the man grasped his walking stick firmly, the fire in the grate flickering as he stopped and listened to the man talk.

"There is a little more in the bottle, my Lord, if you are still hungry."

"Later," a second male voice said, but this one was strangely high-pitched, and cold as a sudden blast of icy wind. "Move me closer to the fire, Selwyn."

There came the chink of a bottle being put down upon some hard surface, and then the dull scraping noise of a heavy chair being dragged across the floor. Harry could see a glimpse of a tall man, his back to the door, pushing the chair into place. He was wearing a long black cloak, and he had dark brown hair. Then he disappeared from sight again.

"Where is Nagini?" The cold voice demanded.

"I – I don't know, my Lord. She set out to explore the house, I think …"

"You will milk her before we retire, Selwyn. I will need feeding in the night. The journey has tired me greatly."

"My Lord, may I ask how long we are going to stay here? The house in Croatia was more than adequate and so much better protected. I feel that we are exposed here. It offers no real protection for you."

"A week," the cold voice said. "Perhaps longer. The place is moderately comfortable for now, and the plan cannot proceed yet. It would be foolish to act before the Quidditch World Cup is over. We may move back to your father's house after it has transpired."

"The – the Quidditch World Cup, my Lord? Forgive me, but I do not understand … why should we wait until the World Cup is over?"

"Because, fool, at this very moment wizards are pouring into the country from all over the world, and every meddler from the Ministry of Magic will be on duty, on watch for signs of unusual activity, checking and double checking identities. They will be obsessed with security, lest the Muggles notice anything. So we will wait."

"Your Lordship is still determined, then?" Selwyn said quietly. "With Pettigrew having gone missing and Bella in a rage over losing the Longbottom boy, I wasn't sure."

"Certainly I am determined." There was a note of menace in the cold voice now.

A slight pause followed and then Selwyn spoke, the words tumbling from him in a rush, as though he was forcing himself to say this before he lost his nerve. "It could be done without Harry Potter, my Lord."

"Without Harry Potter?" The second voice breathed softly. "I see …"

"It is merely that if we were to use another witch or wizard, the thing could be done so much more quickly!"

"I could use another wizard," the second voice said softly. "That is true …"

"My Lord, it makes sense," Selwyn said, sounding thoroughly relieved now. "Laying hands on Harry Potter now would be so difficult, he is so well protected!"

"And so you volunteer to go and fetch me a substitute? I wonder ... perhaps the task of nursing me has become wearisome for you, Woodrow? Could this suggestion of abandoning the plan be nothing more than an attempt to desert me?"

"My Lord! I – I have no wish to leave you, none at all!"

"Do not lie to me!" The second voice hissed. "I can always tell. You are regretting that you ever returned to me. I revolt you. I see you flinch when you look at me, feel you shudder when you touch me …"

"No! My devotion to your Lordship - "

"Your devotion is nothing more than cowardice. You are upset that I made you bring me here; took you away from the beautiful Kata who you were so lovely bestowing yourself upon every day and night. You forget that in serving me you must do what I ask and in return, you can play with whomever you'd like when I say you can. How am I to survive without you, when I need feeding every few hours? Who is to milk Nagini?"

"But you seem so much stronger, my Lord."

"Liar," he breathed. "I am no stronger, and a few days alone would be enough to rob me of the little health that I have regained under your clumsy care. Silence!"

Selwyn, who had been spluttering incoherently, fell silent at once. For a few seconds, they could hear nothing but the fire crackling. Then the second man spoke once more, in a whisper that was almost a hiss.

"I have my reasons for using the boy, as I have already explained to you, and I will use no other. I have waited thirteen years. A few more months will make no difference. It gives me a chance to continue to build my strength and to strengthen my magical core. As for the protection surrounding the boy, I believe that my plan will be effective. All that is needed is a little courage from you, Woodrow – courage that you will find and get Bella and Brax to assist you with, unless you wish to feel the full extent of Lord Voldemort's wrath!"

"My Lord, I must speak!" Selwyn said, his voice slightly panicked now. "All through our journey I have gone over the plan in my head and Bertha Jorkins' disappearance has already been noticed, and if we proceed, if - "

"If?" Whispered the second voice. "If? If you follow the plan, Selwyn, the Ministry need never know that we are behind her disappearance. You will do it quietly, and without fuss; I only wish that I could do it myself, but in my present condition ... one more obstacle removed and our path to Harry Potter is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, my faithful servants will have rejoined us - "

" - I am a faithful servant," Selwyn interrupted, the merest trace of sullenness in his voice.

"Your father is a faithful servant, boy, you are merely a pup who hovers around waiting for me to let him play with the table scraps. I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never wavered, and someone who thinks about something other than his cock. You, unfortunately, fulfil none of those requirements."

"I brought you Bertha Jorkins."

"That is true," the second man said, sounding amused. "A stroke of brilliance I would not have thought possible from you and Thad – though, if truth be told, you were not aware how useful she would be when you caught her, were you?"

"I – I thought that she might be useful, my Lord –"

"Liar," the second voice said again, the cruel amusement more pronounced than ever. "You two were looking for a new playmate. However, I do not deny that her information was invaluable. Without it, I could never have formed our plan, and for that, you will have your reward. I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hand to perform … one that Wormtail was supposed to be honoured with …"

"R-really, my Lord?"

"Ah, you don't want me to spoil the surprise? Your part will come at the very end ... but I promise you, you will have the honour of being just as useful as Bertha Jorkins."

"You ... you …" Selwyn's voice sounded suddenly hoarse, as though his mouth had gone very dry. "You ... are going ... to kill me, too?"

"Why would I kill you? I killed Bertha because I had to. She was fit for nothing after my questioning, quite useless. In any case, awkward questions would have been asked if she had gone back to the Ministry with news that she had run into Bellatrix and met me." There was a low indiscernible mumbling before the second voice answered. "We could have modified her memory, true. But Memory Charms can be broken by a powerful wizard, as I proved when I questioned her. It would be an insult to her memory not to use the information that I extracted from her, Selwyn. Harry Potter is as good as mine. It is decided. There will be no more argument. But quiet ... I think I hear Nagini coming …"

Something was slithering along the dark corridor floor, and as it drew nearer to the sliver of firelight, Harry realized with a thrill of terror that it was a gigantic snake, at least twelve feet long. He watched as the old man stood there, his hand on his walking stick, horrified, transfixed as he stared at it, as its undulating body cut a wide, curving track through the thick dust on the floor, coming closer and closer, but then the tip of its diamond patterned tail had vanished through the gap in the door.

"Nagini has interesting news, Selwyn."

"Indeed, my Lord?"

"Indeed, yes," the voice said. "According to Nagini, there is an old Muggle standing right outside of this room, listening to every word we say."

The man didn't have a chance to hide himself. There were footsteps, and then the door of the room was flung wide open.

"Invite him inside, Woodrow. Where are your manners?"

The cold voice was coming from an unknown source in the ancient armchair before the fire. The snake, on the other hand, was curled up on the rotting hearth-rug, like some horrible travesty of a pet dog.

Selwyn beckoned the man into the room. "You heard everything, Muggle?" The cold voice demanded.

"What's that you're calling me?" The man said defiantly.

"I am calling you a Muggle," the voice said coolly. "It means that you are not a wizard."

"I don't know what you mean by wizard! All I know is that I've heard enough to interest the police tonight, I have. You've done murder and you're planning more! And I'll tell you this, too," he added. "My wife knows I'm up here, and if I don't come back –"

" - You have no wife," the cold voice said, very quietly. "Nobody knows you are here. You told nobody that you were coming. Do not lie to Lord Voldemort, Muggle, for he knows ... he always knows …"

"Is that right?" The man said roughly. "Lord, is it? Well, I don't think much of your manners, my Lord. Turn round and face me like a man, why don't you?"

"But I am not a man, Muggle," the cold voice said, barely audible now over the crackling of the flames. "I am much, much more than a man. However ... why not? I will face you ... Selwyn, come turn my chair around."

Selwyn moved towards the chair to do as instructed. The snake lifted its ugly triangular head and hissed slightly as the legs of the chair snagged on its rug. And then the chair was facing him, and he saw what was sitting in it. His walking stick fell to the floor with a clatter. He opened his mouth and let out a scream as the thing in the chair spoke and raised a wand. There was a flash of green light, a rushing sound, and the old man crumpled. He was dead before he hit the floor.

Harry and Sirius emerged from the memory, Sirius' face was ghostly pale. " _You dreamed this_?"

Harry nodded. "I don't think that it was a dream, Uncle Siri, I think … I think it was real."

"Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over two weeks. She went on holiday in Eastern Europe and no one has seen her. She's the employee that Bagman was talking about this morning."

Harry swallowed slowly. "Voldemort killed her. Who is that Selwyn?"

"Woodrow Selwyn, a Death Eater," Sirius said quietly.

"So it was real, what does that mean? How did I dream that?"

Sirius ran his hands over his tired face, his grey eyes on his son. "I have no idea."

Harry nodded, his green eyes wide. "And Voldemort … he … he looked like a child, but his skin was … monstrous and he … he held a wand."

"I know," Sirius said slowly, rubbing his hands back over his face.

"It was a nightmare, right?"

Sirius stared at him for a long moment. "I think that you already know the answer to that, Harry."

"But how … it doesn't make sense! Why would I be able to see something like that? I'm not a Seer!"

"Harry," Sirius said slowly, his eyes on his green ones. "I …" he trailed off, closing his eyes.

He knew that this was the moment; this was the moment that he should tell him what Voldemort had put into his head, but he couldn't find the words. How could he tell him that the man who had murdered his parents had left a part of his soul inside of him? That he himself was a Horcrux. It was too horrible. He moved around the table and wrapped his arms around Harry from behind and he did the only thing that he could think of, he lied.

"I don't know."

Harry stared at him, his eyes wide in horror, but he nodded and hugged him back. "What does this mean? What should I do?"

Sirius pressed a kiss to the top of his son's head, gently running a hand over his back. "I don't know, Harry. Right now, I just want you to calm down. It was a dream and until we know more, we don't know for sure that it was anything more than that."

Harry pulled back to stare at him. "Yes, we do."

"Remember what Dumbledore told you? That when the spell rebounded, Voldemort shared some of himself with you. That's why your scar hurt and maybe … it connects you somehow, like you can see into his head," Sirius said, trying to come up with an explanation.

"That makes sense," he said, letting out a slow breath. "I don't want to see into his head."

Sirius smiled. "I can't say that I blame you."

"Can we ask Dumbledore? Maybe he'll know more?" Harry asked him, looking up at his father hopefully.

Sirius nodded. "We'll ask him. We have the World Cup later today and then you need to get back to school. But I promise I will look into this, okay?"

Harry only nodded, his eyes wide. "Okay."

"Come on, you might as well hop in the shower. Neville should be here within the hour."

 **Neville arrived early at Black Cottage and Harry was still yawning as he came down the stairs in his Ireland Quidditch jersey and blue jeans.** His overnight bag was slung over his shoulder and he had piled the tent near the front door.

"Hey Nev, s'early?" He said, yawning.

Neville nodded, grinning widely. "That's okay, I think it will be worth it."

Sirius yawned as he came down the stairs. "You boys ready to go?"

"Where's Tonks and Uncle Moony?"

"They're going to Apparate there later and meet us. But we need to use the portkey to arrive."

Zee came down the stairs, her curly hair in a messy braid down her side and she wore blue jeans as well with a green tank top and a white zip-up sweater. "You boys have everything?"

"Yes," Neville said as they headed out of the cottage.

"We have a bit of a walk," Sirius informed them. "But Zee and I will side Apparate each of you with us to The Burrow."

"If you're going to side Apparate us to The Burrow, how come you can't just side Apparate us to the World Cup?"

Sirius smiled at him. "The Weasleys are all using the portkey, not fair for you to get off easy, is it? Besides, this way we'll have lots of time to set up camp."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I hate your logic. It makes no sense."

Zee grinned at him, linking her hand with Sirius. "It's an adventure, Harry."

Neville Apparated with Zee and Sirius took a hold of Harry before they arrived just outside of The Burrow.

Mr Weasley was coming out of the house followed by Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione who all looked just as tired as Harry and Neville felt. Fred and George looked more than just tired, in fact they looked livid.

"Morning, Sirius!" Mr Weasley called out as he approached.

"Morning, Arthur," Sirius said, smiling at him. "You remember Zee?"

"Yes, yes, splendid. Hello Harry, Neville, you excited for the Cup?"

Ginny yawned so big from next to him that her jaw cracked. "How come we couldn't wait until the sun came up?"

George put his arm around his sister and she leant against him, asleep on her feet. "Tell me about it."

Mr Weasley grinned. "Come on, you lot! We're meeting Amos Diggory and his son on Stoatshead Hill and it's a bit of a walk."

Ginny yawned again and gave a half-hearted wave to Harry and Neville as George helped her walk forward.

"What's up with Fred and George?" Harry whispered to Ron.

"Remember all of those explosions and stuff we keep hearing?" At Harry's nod, he looked back at his brothers and then whispered to Harry. "Turns out they weren't just making noise. They were inventing stuff! They want to open a joke shop."

"That's brilliant! They'd be great at that!"

Ron nodded. "Mum disagrees. They had a huge row about it last night. Mum claims that they are wasting their talents; that they didn't get enough OWLS and that everything they've made was rubbish. They invented this candy called Ton Tongue Toffee. Percy ate one last night and his tongue made it eight feet long before he let Dad fix it. And Mum keeps stumbling all over their fake wands and getting angry. I think the toffee just sent her over the edge; Mum was furious."

Harry sighed, looking over at Fred and George. "What's wrong with opening a joke shop?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't know, but Mum's not impressed with it. They didn't even say goodbye to her when we left this morning."

The eleven of them walked in almost silence for the rest of the almost twenty-five minutes until they reached the top of Stoatshead Hill. It was a rough walk, falling in rabbit holes and slipping on tufts of grass. He found everyone kept grabbing onto each other to prevent anyone from tumbling down.

"Now look around everyone, we're looking for something that could be a portkey, something a Muggle would just ignore, like a boot or a piece of trash."

"Arthur!" A voice yelled from the other side of the hill, waving at them. "We found it, it's up here!"

Mr Weasley smiled. "Excellent. Come along everyone."

Sirius held Zee's hand in his as they walked towards the man waving at them, reaching back to put his arm around Harry as they approached the top.

Amos Diggory was standing at the top beaming at them. He had brown hair, brown eyes with a bit of a ruddy face around his dark beard. "Arthur, Lord Black," he said before he spotted Zee. "Agent Zacarias, lovely to see you."

"Agent Diggory," she said with a smile. "Mr Diggory works in the DRCMC with me," she told Harry.

"You know my son, Cedric?"

Cedric Diggory nodded at them, smiling as Ginny and Hermione grinned at each other.

Mr Weasley smiled. "My sons, Fred, George and Ron, my daughter Ginny and their friends, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom. You know Sirius' son Harry?"

"Harry Potter?" Mr Diggory said with a grin. "Of course! Ced told me about how he beat you in that game of Quidditch last year."

"Dad, I told you, it wasn't a fair game," Cedric said quickly. "The Dementors came into the stadium and Harry fell from his broom."

"But you didn't fall off, did you?" He said, elbowing his son happily. "That will be a story to tell your grandkids one day, you beat Harry Potter in a Quidditch match."

Cedric rolled his eyes and glanced at Harry sympathetically.

Harry only smiled and shrugged.

Mr Diggory held up the old boot. "Supposed to send us off at six seventeen."

Sirius glanced at his watch. "Two minutes."

Harry yawned again and led his head fall onto Sirius' shoulder. "Can we have a nap when get there?"

Sirius smiled at him. "Sure, but I can guarantee that you'll be too excited once you arrive to even think about having a nap."

They all reached out to touch the portkey, holding onto each other and holding one finger on the old boot before Harry felt the familiar tug in his navel and they took off. Harry stayed upright this time, pleasing himself, but Ginny grabbed him as she went down and he fell on his bum as she toppled on top of him.

"Sorry," she said apologetically and he grinned as he helped her to her feet.

"Stoatshead Hill?" The man in front of them asked, his eyes on the clipboard. "Good, good. Throw the portkey over there," he said, pointing to the pile of random objects as Neville, Luna, Ron, and Hermione attempted to scramble to their feet. "And get moving, we have another one arriving in one minute and it's a large party."

Sirius led the way out as Mr Weasley got directions to their campsite which was run by a Muggle named Mr Roberts. They all moved down to their area and Mr Weasley smiled when they found the two signs marked Black and Weasley.

"Alright," Mr Weasley said with a grin. "We're going to set up our tents the good old fashioned Muggle way!" He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Who knows how to do it?"

Zee took pity on him and hurried over to help as Harry opened up the tent from his bag and tugged it out. Sirius moved to help him.

"The tent Arthur borrowed is bigger, so we're going to stay in that one and the girls will stay in ours," Sirius told him.

Harry nodded and twenty minutes later both tents were erected though Sirius had used a bit of magic to adjust them when Mr Weasley wasn't looking. Harry let himself into the larger tent, grinning as he looked around the spacious kitchen and sitting area before moving over to claim one of the beds. Ron took the bunk below him with a grin.

"This is brilliant! We're actually here!"

Harry grinned, tossing his bag on the top as Sirius came in and took the bed across from them. "It's going to be great! You're staying with us, Uncle Sirius?"

"Boys in one tent, girls in the other," he said with a smile. "Zee and Tonks can stay with Ginny, Hermione, and Luna. We'll be tight in here, but it will be fine." He tossed his bag on the bed next to him. "Rem can have this bed."

Neville claimed the bunk above Sirius. "We're lucky this tent has so many bunkbeds!"

Sirius chuckled. "We just transfigured the cots into bunks, Neville. Have to make room. There's going to be eleven of us in here for the night. Why don't you guys head off and look around, see what you can find? I'll help Arthur try to get some breakfast going."

Harry, Ron and Neville hurried off to explore leaving the girls to help settle in their own tent. Fred and George went off in search of their friend Lee Jordan.

If the witches and wizards were trying to stay under the radar from the Muggles, they were doing a really poor job. Harry could see people in unusual Muggle clothing, such as a man in a flowered dress; kids flying on toddler broomsticks and witches and wizards using their wands to light fires and cook. He could see what Sirius had been talking about in terms of keeping the Statute of Secrecy being a nightmare in events like this.

Harry yawned again as they turned into a new area of the campsite and entered what looked like a giant shamrock. Every tent in the area was covered in large green shamrocks to show the support for Ireland.

"Harry! Ron! Neville!" A voice exclaimed and Harry grinned when he turned and saw Dean waving them over. He was sitting with Seamus and another tall boy with curly brown hair and green eyes.

"Hey guys," Harry said with a grin. "Love the green."

Seamus grinned and pointed to Harry's jersey. "Ireland all the way!"

Harry laughed. "I hope so. They are definitely the team to win." He extended his hand to the curly haired boy. "Hi, I'm Harry."

"Will Matthews," he said with a grin.

Harry smiled at the name. So this was the bloke that Seamus had been spending so much time with last year. He raised his eyebrow at Seamus, but he blushed and shook his head. "Nice to meet you, Will."

Dean and Ron were arguing about the Bulgarian Seeker Krum and his ability to outperform the rest of his team as Neville asked Will about something Herbology related (apparently Will was another frequent helper of Professor Sprout's in the greenhouses). Seeing his opportunity, Harry tugged Seamus to the side.

"Is Will here with you?"

Seamus shook his head. "No, we just ran into a him about twenty minutes ago. I told Dean that he was tutoring me in Potions, which he was." He blushed a bit. "I've been writing to him all summer."

Harry grinned. "I'm happy for you, mate. You shouldn't hide it."

Seamus smiled at him, looking over at Will, a rather goofy look on his face. "Maybe. We'll see."

They said goodbye to Seamus, Will and Dean and headed back out to wander. They ran into Oliver Wood who eagerly pulled Harry over to introduce to his parents. He told them how he had just been hired on as a reserve Keeper for Puddlemere United and Harry congratulated him. They spoke Quidditch statistics for a bit before moving on.

Neville blanched when he ran straight into Cho ten minutes later.

Harry nodded at her. "Cho," he said kindly.

She stared at him for a minute, her eyes moving over his friends. "Harry. How's your summer been?"

"Good. Yours?"

"Good," she said simply.

"See you around," he said and she only nodded and scurried off.

Neville looked at Harry, his eyes wide. "I thought for sure she was going to go off on you or something?"

Harry shrugged. "We broke up a long time ago, I think she's over it. At least, I hope she would be. Besides, wasn't she snogging Roger Davies on the platform at the end of the year?"

Ron grinned. "And you dated someone way totally lush over the summer, way more fit than Cho."

Harry blushed as he thought about Harley and her soft skin. "Yeah, Harley, she was great."

Neville grinned at him. "Mate, how is it that you've already snogged three different girls and I can barely talk to one without my palms sweating?"

"Good point," Ron said with a grin.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, guess I've just been lucky. If you fancy someone, you have to do something about it. That's my advice."

"What if there's absolutely no way that they can possibly fancy you back?" Ron asked as they headed back to their own campsite.

Harry grinned sympathetically at his friend. "You won't know until you ask."

Neville seemed to nod as if taking this into stride, grinning at the vendor selling souvenirs up ahead. "Hey look!"

Harry loved the idea of the Omniculars, which gave the viewer the ability to break down each play-by-play of a Quidditch match if they desired. It showed the names of each Quidditch manoeuvre performed by the players and could slow down and replay the action if needed.

Neville pulled out his own coin purse. "This is wicked! Ten Galleons?"

The vendor nodded and handed Harry and Neville each a set. Ron shook his head when the vendor looked at him just as Sirius came up behind them.

"Good, Omniculars, we need some of those," he said to the vendor. "Harry, Nev you boys already have a pair so, I'll take fourteen please."

The vendor beamed at him, accepting 140 Galleons with glee.

Sirius passed Ron the set. "Sometimes we have to splurge a little."

Ron thanked him and eagerly put them to his eyes as Sirius moved to pass out the sets to everyone else. Remus, Tonks, Charlie, Percy and Bill had all arrived by now and were sitting around the campfire eating breakfast.

Ludo Bagman and Bartemius Crouch wandered over a little while later to talk to Mr Weasley and Sirius. Percy's eyes lit up at the sight of Crouch.

"Hello Sir! Nice weather for the match today, isn't it?"

Crouch looked over at Percy in confusion and then nodded. "Yes, wonderful day."

"Would you like a cup of tea, Mr Crouch?"

"Sure, thank you, Weatherby."

Percy's ears flushed as Ginny grinned at him.

"Percy, why don't you tell him that's not your name?" Ginny whispered.

Percy shook his head and responded in a clipped, impatient tone. "He's a very important and busy man, Ginevra. He has more important things to worry about."

Sirius stood up and moved into the tent when Crouch's eyes met his and a moment later Harry followed him inside.

"Is that the same Crouch who sent you to prison without a trial?"

"One in the same," Sirius said carefully, moving to change his shirt from the Aerosmith tee shirt to an Ireland Quidditch jersey over his black jeans. "We mostly avoid each other as much as possible," Sirius admitted, smiling at Harry. "But he works in the Department of International Magical Cooperation now so it makes sense that he would need to be present at the World Cup."

They walked out of the tent as Bagman grinned at them. "Sirius! Want to make a little bet on the action? Odds are in Ireland's favour."

"Not a gambling man, Bagman."

"Ah, come on! A little bit of a risk never hurt anyone."

Sirius sighed. "Fine, fifty Galleons on Ireland winning by a fifty points."

"Ah, good odds, good odds," he murmured, writing it down and passing the slip of paper over to Sirius.

"We'd like to make a bet, Mr Bagman," Fred said as he and George rushed over.

Bagman grinned, taking out his notepad. "What can I put you boys down for?"

"We'll bet thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, and three Knuts," Fred, as he and George quickly pooled all their money, "that Ireland win, but Viktor Krum gets the Snitch. Oh, and we'll throw in a fake wand."

"You don't want to go showing Mr Bagman rubbish like that," Percy hissed, but Bagman didn't seem to think the wand was rubbish at all; on the contrary, his boyish face shone with excitement as he took it from Fred, and when the wand gave a loud squawk and turned into a rubber chicken, Bagman roared with laughter.

"Excellent! I haven't seen one that convincing in years! I'd pay five Galleons for that!"

Percy froze in an attitude of stunned disapproval.

"Boys," Mr Weasley said under his breath, "I don't want you betting ... that's all your savings ... your mother –"

"Don't be a spoilsport, Arthur!" Bagman boomed, rattling his pockets excitedly. "They're old enough to know what they want! You reckon Ireland will win, but Krum'll get the Snitch? Not a chance, boys, not a chance ... I'll give you excellent odds on that one ... we'll add five Galleons for the funny wand, then, shall we …"

Mr Weasley looked on helplessly as Ludo Bagman whipped out a notebook and quill and began jotting down the twins' names.

"Cheers," George said, taking the slip of parchment Bagman handed him and tucking it away carefully.

Sirius moved over to sit next to George. "Let me see one of those fake wands." He accepted the one from Fred and grinned when it turned into a rubber chicken with a loud squawk. "Bagman's right, this is _very_ well done."

"We have an assortment," Fred told him. "This one turns into a rubber chicken. Some turn into a rubber haddock or a tin parrot and we have a few of them that actually turn on the user and beat them around the head and neck, all rubber of course."

"Brilliant boys!" Sirius said with a grin, turning to nudge Remus. "Tell Moony and I what else you've come up with."

Fred grinned and sat down between Sirius and Remus as George moved closer to Sirius' other side. "We have flying toy cars; telescopes that punch you in the face which resulted in us having to create a bruise removal paste as George and I had black eyes for weeks."

George chuckled. "Ton Tongue Toffee makes your tongue incredibly long and we have this new cream puff called Canary Creams. The problem is we're still trying to test it all and see how everything works out."

"What's the problem with the Canary Creams?" Remus asked.

"Fred and I each have a different reaction even when we eat the same puff so we're not sure what that's about," George admitted. "We were thinking of eventually getting some taste testers once we get back to school. We'd pay them of course. But that's down the road, Fred and I aren't ready yet."

Sirius grinned. "A definite possibility," he told them. "I'm intrigued by your good work, boys. What else have you got?"

Fred beamed at him as he and George immediately launched into a detailed discussion of their inventions as they ate around the fire.

It wasn't too long afterwards that a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods and suddenly green and red lanterns blazed to life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.

"That's the signal, folks, we can start heading down to the stadium. Everyone have everything that they need?" Mr Weasley asked. "Good, good, let's go!"

Harry walked with his friends. He could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts of laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious and Harry couldn't stop grinning when after twenty minutes of walking they finally arrived at a gigantic stadium.

"Seats a hundred thousand," Mr Weasley said with a grin as he looked at the awestruck faces of his children and their friends. "The Ministry had a task force of over five hundred working on it all year. There's Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time a Muggle has come close to it all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away, bless them!"

The Ministry witch at the entrance checked their tickets and sent them up to the Top Box. The stairs were carpeted in a rich purple as they moved up the endless stairs to the top of the stadium, everyone slightly out of breath when they finally reached the Top Box which was situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts. Thirty purple chairs stood in two rows and Harry eagerly hurried after Ginny as she ran over to the edge, her eyes wide.

"Wow," she said, grinning from ear to ear. "This is amazing!"

Harry had to agree. Advertisements flashed across a gigantic blackboard in gold writing. The entire stadium seemed to emit a mysterious golden light. He turned to look at the row behind them to see who else was going to be in the Top Box and he was surprised to see a tiny house elf sitting by herself, her hands covering her face. He glanced at Sirius in curiosity, but his godfather just shrugged.

Hermione was skimming the velvet covered tasseled program in interest. "Harry, it says that there will be a display from the team mascots before the match."

"Oh, that's always worth watching," Mr Weasley said with a smile. "National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show."

Harry frowned at that and looked at Zee. "Creatures?"

Zee nodded. "Not like what you're thinking, Harry. The Bulgarians will probably have Veela, that's their usual choice. Veela are popular in the Eastern European countries."

The rest of the box began to fill around them, different witches and wizards coming to shake hands with both Sirius and Mr Weasley. Percy kept jumping to his feet to greet them and when the Minister of Magic arrived, Percy bowed so low that his glasses fell off and shattered. His ears flushed red in embarrassment as Ginny grinned at him.

Bagman, who had come up into the box with Fudge, looked at the house elf. "Winky! Where's Barty hiding? I haven't seen him since this morning!"

The house elf carefully lowered her hands from her face, big brown eyes wide in fear. "Master - master wants me to save him a seat, sir. He is very busy! Winky is wishing she is back in master's tent. I is not liking heights at all, but master send me up to the Top Box and I comes, sir!"

Bagman frowned. "Yes, yes," he murmured, dismissing her as a man in gold-trimmed black velvet robes came up the stairs and approached them. "Lord Black, you must come meet the Bulgarian Minister!"

"Lord Black," Fudge said, nodding at Sirius as he moved over. "This is Oblansk, I mean, Obalonsk, no Oblansk, the Bulgarian Minister of Magic."

Sirius smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Sir."

The man answered in Bulgarian and Fudge stared at him helplessly. "Crouch was supposed to be up here to translate. I have no idea what he's been saying." He turned back to the man, noticing Harry by the wall. "That is Harry Potter, you know, Harry Potter, surely you know _who he is,_ the boy who survived You Know Who, The Boy Who Lived?"

The Minister said something in Bulgarian again, pointing to Harry's scar and started speaking loudly and excitedly.

"Knew we'd get there in the end," Fudge said wearily to Harry and Sirius. "I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for these sort of things!"

"Well, I'd prefer if you didn't use my son as a symbol in the meantime," Sirius said quietly.

Fudge flushed red, but nodded in apology.

The Bulgarian Minister said something else and Fudge stared at him in confusion. Zee stepped over, answering him quickly.

"Nash Ministr ne ponimayet. a ty govorish' po Russki?"

"You speak Bulgarian?" Fudge asked in surprise.

Zee shook her head. "Very little, I'm afraid, but I do speak Russian and its kind of similar." She spoke in Russian again and it seemed to work because the Minister immediately answered her in the same language and she smiled. "He said thank you for showing him the top box. He'd like to watch the match and see Bulgaria win."

Fudge beamed at her. "I could kiss you!"

Sirius merely lifted an eyebrow as he snaked an arm around Zee's waist and tugged her up against his side. "Not on your life, Fudge. She's mine."

Fudge chuckled. "Lucky man."

Zee smiled and settled the Bulgarian Minister of Magic near her and Sirius.

Draco nodded in Harry's direction as he moved to take his seat, but made no move to say anything and Harry didn't either. He watched instead the way that Abraxas Malfoy took his seat next to Narcissa, who looked rather uncomfortable with his choice of seat. Blaise and Theo nodded in his direction as well, but they didn't say anything either.

"Are we ready to go, Minister?" Bagman asked.

"Ready when you are, Ludo," Fudge said with a smile.

Bagman pulled out his wand and used the Sonorus charm on himself and his voice boomed out across the stadium. "Ladies and gentlemen … welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!" The crowed cheered and thousands of flags waved below. "And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce, the Bulgarian National Mascots!"

"I wonder what they've brought," Mr Weasley said, leaning forward in his seat. He suddenly whipped off his glasses and polished them hurriedly on his robes. "Aaah Veela!"

Zee grinned at Harry. "Told you."

A hundred Veela glided out onto the field and Harry's eyes widened. Why, Veela weren't creatures at all, they were the most beautiful women that Harry had ever seen except that they couldn't possibly be human and this puzzled him. Their skin shone as bright as the moon and their white-gold hair fanned out behind them without any wind and then the music started and they started to dance. Harry felt his mind go blissfully blank. All that mattered in the world was that he had to keep watching them.

Ginny touched his arm, leaning over to him. "They really are wonderful dancers, aren't they, Harry?"

He stared at her, blinking slowly. Her long flaming red hair tumbling over her shoulders from her high ponytail in the sunlight and he nodded, coming back to himself. They could dance alright, he supposed, looking at the way the light danced along Ginny's red hair. But he didn't think that they were anything to brag about. "Yeah, they are."

Zee smiled at him, her eyes twinkling as she nodded towards Ron who looked like he was trying to decide if it was a good idea or not to jump out of the Top Box; Neville also looked dumbstruck and as Harry looked around the box, he realized that all of the men were staring at the Veela with peculiar expressions on their faces. All except for Remus, who was staring at Tonks with adoration in his eyes. He murmured something into her ear that made her blush and she hit him playfully, taking his face and kissing him. Zee was staring in amusement at Sirius, but she grabbed his hand and he turned to look at her, his blank expression vanishing and he grinned, leaning in to kiss her.

Then the music stopped and angry yells were filling the stadium. The crowd didn't want the Veela to go. Ron started to shred the green shamrock on his chest and Mr Weasley grinned at him, stopping his fingers.

"You'll want that in a minute," he said sympathetically.

"Huh?" Ron asked, staring openmouthed at the Veela who had now lined up along one side of the field.

Hermione made a loud tutting noise. "Honestly!"

Ginny grinned at Harry and they both shrugged.

"And now," Bagman's voice roared. "Kindly put your wands in the air for the Irish National Team Mascots!"

Suddenly, what looked like a green and cold comet came zooming into the stadium, flying around it and then splitting into two comets, each one hurtling towards the goal posts. A rainbow arched suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light and a fireworks display followed. The rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged forming a great shimmering shamrock.

"Leprechauns," Zee said with a smile as the crowed applauded and gold coins seemed to rain down on them. "The Irish always love to have them perform."

The great shamrock dissolved and the leprechauns drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the Veela and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," Bagman said loudly, echoing across the entire stadium. "Let us kindly welcome the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you - Dimitrov! Ivanova! Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! And Krum!"

Viktor Krum, only eighteen years old, earned the loudest applause and cheers from the crowd.

"And now, please greet the Irish National Quidditch Team," Bagman yelled. "Presenting, Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! And Lynch!"

The green and red blurs on the field settled themselves amidst the applause and the ref signalled the start of the match.

And Harry couldn't stop grinning.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Nash Ministr ne ponimayet. a ty govorish' po Russki = our minister does not understand, do you speak Russian?_


	156. Chapter 156

_Author's Note:_

 _For those wondering, NO SPOILERS - I thought Avengers Endgame was fantastic and I cried like a baby. However, I do not want to spoil it for anyone who has not seen it so all I will say is: tacos, the Big Lebowski, stairs, and America's Ass. A perfect ending to an amazing franchise. There were some things I wasn't happy with but overall, I thought it was fantastic and to the middle aged man sitting in the row in front of me, uncontrollably and very loudly sobbing, I feel your pain! As for the Battle of Winterfell, the final season of Game of Thrones is coming to an end and each episode is more incredible than the last. So much happened! However, I do find myself disappointed - I mean, maybe I misunderstood, but did we wait eight seasons for that? Is it over? As excited as I am for what's next, I expected more there. Again, for those who haven't watched - I don't want to spoil anything._

 _To answer some reviews: I also miss when I posted ten chapters a week, LOL. But if I do that, you will have a long wait until I write more so this is a much better system, I think. I finished writing chapter 171 on the weekend and I have about eight chapters that are waiting for my beta to get through. And yes, Ginny did distract Harry from the Veela and yes, he is too oblivious to realize it, but Zee certainly did ;)_

 _The next few chapters, up to the beginning of the tournament, there will be some similarities to the book, but I've said it before - please be patient, I am setting it up which I do hope you know by now - doesn't mean it will be the same!_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the parts from chapter nine of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, that belongs to the lovely JKR._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: weekly and sometimes on weekends!_

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SIX:**

 **Harry couldn't believe how incredible that match had been.** Ireland had won, but Krum had caught the Snitch at the last second just like Fred and George had predicted. They had happily hurried over to Bagman to extract their winnings. Bagman hadn't looked particularly happy with this, but he had handed over the gold anyway, congratulating them on that incredible bet.

The best part of the match ending in Harry's opinion was seeing Fudge's face when the Bulgarian Minister spoke in accented English. It turned out that he had understood everything all afternoon and had just pretended not to because he found it so amusing to watch Fudge struggle.

Zee had also let it slip that Oblansk thought Fudge was a bit of an idiot. Apparently she had only translated half of what he said because the rest was for her amusement only. She had charmed the man completely and she told Harry and Sirius that he seemed like a good minister.

They went back to the tent to celebrate. Fireworks lit up the whole sky and singing and dancing could be heard by the Irish fans all over the camp. Sirius poured glasses of Firewhiskey for everyone to have one shot to help celebrate. Mr Weasley made his lot swear not to tell their mother and Charlie had smirked, claiming that none of his younger brothers or Ginny were dumb enough to do that.

It was after eleven when Sirius and Mr Weasley urged them all to go to bed. They had a portkey arranged to leave early the next morning.

Harry crawled into his bunk, watching the fireworks illuminate through the fabric, grinning hugely. It had been the best match that he had ever seen. He couldn't wait to get back on his own broomstick and try out some of those moves.

It was the last thing that he thought of before sleep overtook him and he slept with a smile on his face, dreaming of flying in a large stadium such as this one as people chanted his name.

 **"** **What do you want me to do, Cissa?"** Lucius' voice hissed angrily as Draco opened his eyes in the semi-darkness.

He was lying in his bed in their tent. Blaise and Theo were in the beds next to him and when he looked over he saw that both of them were awake too. The last thing that he remembered was Ireland's spectacular win as Krum snagged the Snitch right under Lynch's nose. They had been up late celebrating, he remembered.

"I want you to do what you promised me! You told me that Draco and I are what's important to you!"

"You are!" Lucius insisted. "But this … you know why I _have_ to do this!"

Draco could see the outline of his parents through the curtain that was blocking them from view. Narcissa crossed her arms in front of her chest, her blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders.

"Knowing you might and watching you head off to do it is something else entirely, Lu!"

Lucius gripped her arms in his, tugging her up against him as Draco moved closer to get a better look and to listen. "Cissa, this is …" he glanced back behind him when someone called his name. "I have to go. Get the boys out of here." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then he was gone, sneaking out of the tent.

Narcissa let out a slow breath. "Be careful," she whispered.

She turned and saw Draco, Blaise and Theo all watching her.

"Good, you boys are up! Quick, grab your wands and a jumper. We need to get out of here."

"Where's Father going?" Draco asked.

Narcissa only stared at him. "Don't worry about your father. Get your things, Draco, quickly!"

Blaise grabbed his arm and gestured with his head. The three of them pulled on jumpers and grabbed their wands, moving into the front of the tent where Narcissa was waiting for them. She was wearing her husband's cloak as she opened the flap in the tent and urged them out.

"We need to get just beyond the woods to the moor. Stay close together and whatever happens, _do not_ lose each other."

Draco nodded as the four of them began to move through the campground. They had just passed the second row of tents when they heard the first scream. Someone was laughing and the screams got louder as something exploded behind them. Theo turned to look back and Narcissa grabbed his arm.

"Keep walking, Theodore, straight ahead. Do not look back."

He swallowed slowly, but did as he was told.

More screams erupted; shouts and cries as people began to emerge from their tents. Tents were set on fire and more explosions were heard around them. Someone came running out of a tent and crashed straight into Narcissa, she stumbled, falling onto the ground and wincing as her ankle twisted at a sharp angle.

"Mother!"

Narcissa shook her head. "I'll be fine, keep going! I'll find you."

Draco made to protest as something else exploded nearby and Blaise grabbed his arm.

"Draco, let's go!"

"Listen to Blaise, go! I'll find you!"

Draco let Blaise tug him away just as they made it into the woods. They could see the campground now; almost completely lit up in flames. The screams seemed to come from all over and Draco's eyes widened when he saw the group of individuals in black robes marching through the campground. Their faces were covered in gold and silver death masks that looked skull like in appearance, each with a distinct design, their hooded robes pointed high over their heads. The masks hid each individual from view, but Draco knew that the man at the front, the one in the gold mask with the arabesque pattern, belonged to his grandfather and the sight of him sent chills down his spine.

His eyes were on him until Theo grabbed his arm and tugged and the three of them ran through the woods, trying to get to the moor on the other side. The screams sounded further away, but the flames still lit up the sky above them giving them a light to help make it through the woods. The green and red lanterns were extinguished and they lit their wands as the woods darkened around them.

"Theo!" A voice hissed in the dark and the three of them all turned at once, wands lit.

The figure in the black robe stepped forward, pulling off the silver death mask that he was wearing.

"Are you _running away_?"

Theo stared at the man defiantly. "We're going to safety. Everything is on fire over there."

Thaddeus Nott sneered at his son, grabbing his arm tightly. "No! You will learn to have a bit of a fun, live a little." He pulled him over the log and roots and around a set of trees to where two Muggle women were tied up on the ground. "I found us some presents."

Theo paled as he fell to his knees and Draco and Blaise came up behind him.

"Uncle Thad, what are you doing?" Draco demanded, his hand on Theo's arm.

Nott only glared at Draco. "Teaching my son how to have a good time. You boys can each have a turn, don't you worry." He picked up the blonde Muggle, ripping her nightgown open down the front as she whimpered in fear. His hand slid over her breast, rubbing it. "You can each take turns riding her, I'll share."

Another figure in black robes stepped out of the woods.

"For fuck's safe, Thad, stop thinking with your cock! The Aurors are starting to arrive and we need to get out of here!"

Nott held the woman closer, his hand sliding down between her legs. "Can't I take her with me?"

The figure swore, wand pointed out and a flash of green left both Muggle women dead on the ground.

"Problem solved; now let's go!"

Nott turned to look over at his son who was still kneeling on the ground, his eyes on the dead women in horror. He sneered at him in disgust before he took off into the woods after the other cloaked figure leaving his son and his friends behind with the two dead women.

Draco grabbed Theo's arm and he and Blaise urged him to run in the opposite direction as a loud explosion blew them back. Draco's ears were ringing as he coughed, rolling over to check on his friends. Blaise was covered in dirt and Theo coughed from next to him; his head was bleeding.

"I'm fine," he said, coughing. "Let's go."

The three of them climbed to their feet, attempting to run again just as a house elf came running past them. She looked like every step she took was a struggle, like something was holding her back. She tripped over a root and another explosion went off, sending the tiny thing flying. Draco reached up without thinking, catching the tiny elf in his hands as he stumbled and landed on his back, skidding across the ground, his head bouncing off something hard enough to make him see stars. The elf stared at him in horror as something moved in the forest and Potter and Weasley stumbled out of the woods in front of them. A man moved out from behind the tree, his death mask hiding him from view. He took one look at Draco holding the elf and his wand flashed green and purple.

Draco opened his mouth, whether to scream or to protect himself, he didn't know, but a shield jumped in front of him so fast that his eyes could only widen. Potter had his wand pointed in front of Draco, his own eyes narrowed.

The figure looked at Potter and then bellowed out "MORSMORDRE!" and a large green glittering skull erupted overhead with a serpent moving from the mouth.

And the entire area around the woods seemed to erupt into screams.

 **Harry woke up to someone shaking him and he opened his eyes just as Sirius shoved his glasses onto his face.**

"Get up! All of you, let's go!"

"What's wrong?"

Dimly, he could tell that something was wrong. The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing and celebrations had stopped. He could hear screams, and the sound of people running. He slipped down from the bunk and reached for his clothes, but Mr Weasley, who had pulled on his jeans over his own pyjamas, said, "No time, Harry - just grab a jacket and get outside, quickly!"

Harry did as he was told and hurried out of the tent, Ron at his heels.

By the light of the few fires that were still burning, he could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong green light, which illuminated the scene.

A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, were marching slowly across the field. Harry squinted at them. They didn't seem to have faces. Then he realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked with something skull like and metallic, each one with their own unique pattern. High above them, floating along in midair, were four struggling figures that were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air. Two of the figures looked to be children.

More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice Harry saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. Several caught fire. The screaming grew louder.

The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent and Harry recognized one of them: Mr Roberts, the campsite manager. The other three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee.

"That's sick," Ron muttered, watching the smallest Muggle child, who had begun to spin like a top, sixty feet above the ground, his head flopping limply from side to side. "That is really sick …"

Hermione, Ginny and Luna came hurrying toward them, pulling coats over their pyjamas, with Zee and Tonks right behind them. At the same moment, Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the boys' tent, fully dressed, with their sleeves rolled up and their wands out.

"We're going to help the Ministry!" Mr Weasley shouted over all the noise, rolling up his own sleeves. "You lot - get into the woods, and stick together. We'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!"

Harry made to protest, but Zee grabbed his arm. "Go, stay safe! We've got this!"

"Go, Harry!" Remus insisted, his eyes on the flames in the distance.

He nodded as he watched them hurry off.

Bill, Charlie, and Percy were already sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers; Mr Weasley tore after them with Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Zee at his heels. Ministry wizards were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was coming ever closer.

"C'mon," said Fred, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her toward the wood.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville and George all followed. They all looked back as they reached the trees. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was larger than ever; they could see the Ministry wizards trying to get through it to the hooded wizards in the centre, but they were having great difficulty. It looked as though they were scared to perform any spell that might make the Roberts family fall.

The coloured lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. Harry felt himself being pushed in every direction by people whose faces he could not see. Then he heard Ron yell with pain.

"What happened?" Hermione said anxiously, stopping so abruptly that Harry walked into her. "Ron, where are you? Oh, this is stupid - lumos!"

She illuminated her wand and directed its narrow beam across the path. Ron was lying sprawled on the ground.

"Tripped over a tree root," he said angrily, getting to his feet again. Someone bumped into them and they were shuffled into the crowd just as Neville groaned.

"What is it, Nev?"

"My wand! It's missing!"

Harry swore under his breath. "When did you see it last?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

Luna grabbed his arm. "We'll backtrack to the tent; come on Neville."

"Be careful!" Harry warned.

Luna smiled at him. "We'll be alright, Harry. We'll meet you in the woods."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm going with them!"

Ron made to protest and grabbed her arm. "Hermione! You can't go back there!"

"Why?"

"Because you're - " the tips of his ears reddened. "They're attacking Muggles and Muggleborns. Stay with us! We'll keep you safe!"

She smiled at him. "I'll be alright, Ron."

She squeezed his arm and transformed into her fox before taking off after the badger and hare that were Neville and Luna trotting off into the distance. The three baby animals soon disappeared from their line of sight as Ron let out a sigh of relief.

"She'll be safer as an animal. They all will."

"Do you really think that she's in danger?"

Ron gave him a hard look. "You don't?"

Harry nodded, turning to see where the others headed off too, but Fred, George and Ginny had all disappeared. "Where have the others got to?"

"They can't have gone that far," Ron said, pulling out his wand and lighting it before squinting up the path. "Do you think that we should change into our animals as well?"

Harry dug in the pockets of his jacket for his own wand and lit it. "Not yet. At the moment I feel safer with my wand than my puppy teeth."

A rustling noise nearby made all three of them jump. Winky the house elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was moving in a most peculiar fashion, apparently with great difficulty; it was as though someone invisible were trying to hold her back.

"There is bad wizards about!" She squeaked distractedly as she leaned forward and laboured to keep running. "People high - high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!"

And she disappeared into the trees on the other side of the path, panting and squeaking as she fought the invisible force that seemed to be restraining her.

"What's up with her?" Ron said, looking curiously after Winky. "Why can't she run properly?" Another loud bang echoed from the edge of the wood. "Let's just keep moving, shall we?" Ron said carefully as they followed the dark path deeper into the wood, still keeping an eye out for Fred, George, and Ginny.

They passed a group of goblins who were cackling over a sack of gold that they had undoubtedly won betting on the match, and who seemed quite unperturbed by the trouble at the campsite. Farther still along the path, they walked into a patch of silvery light, and when they looked through the trees, they saw three tall and beautiful Veela standing in a clearing, surrounded by a gaggle of young wizards, all of whom were talking very loudly.

"I pull down about a hundred sacks of Galleons a year!" One of them shouted. "I'm a dragon killer for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures."

"No, you're not!" His friend yelled. "You're a dishwasher at _The Leaky Cauldron,_ but I'm a vampire hunter, I've killed about ninety so far -"

Harry turned to Ron to laugh at the ridiculousness of the men before them, but Ron's face had gone oddly slack, and the next second Ron was yelling, "Did I tell you that I've invented a broomstick that'll reach Jupiter?"

Harry grabbed Ron firmly by the arms and rolled his eyes in exasperation as he wheeled him around, and marched him away. By the time the sounds of the Veela and their admirers had faded completely, they were in the very heart of the wood. They seemed to be alone now; everything was much quieter.

"Why don't the Veela affect you?" Ron asked him bitterly, having come back to himself. "You don't even react?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just … I know it's not … real."

Ron nodded. "I know that too, but I still can't seem to stop something stupid from coming out of my mouth when I see one. They're just so beautiful."

Harry nodded as he looked around. "I reckon that we can just wait here, you know. We'll hear anyone coming a mile off."

The words were hardly out of his mouth, when Ludo Bagman emerged from behind a tree right ahead of them.

Even by the feeble light of the two wands, Harry could see that a great change had come over Bagman. He no longer looked buoyant and rosy-faced; there was no more spring in his step. He looked ghostly pale and strained.

"Who's there?" He demanded, blinking down at them, trying to make out their faces. "What are you doing out here, all alone?"

They looked at one another, surprised.

"Well - there's a sort of riot going on," Ron told him.

Bagman stared at him. "What?"

"At the campsite … some people have got hold of a family of Muggles and -"

Bagman swore loudly. "Damn them!" He said looking quite distracted, and without another word, he Disapparated with a small pop.

"Not exactly on top of things, Mr Bagman, is he?" Harry pointedly asked Ron.

"He was a great Beater, though," Ron said, leading the way off the path into a small clearing, and sitting down on a patch of dry grass at the foot of a tree. "The Wimbourne Wasps won the league three times in a row while he was with them."

"Yeah, that's true," Harry said nervously, looking behind them in the woods. "Those were Death Eaters tonight, Ron."

Ron nodded, his face pale. "Yeah, I think so."

"What do you think that means?" Harry asked him. "I mean, Voldemort's not back, right?"

Ron shrugged. "You know more than I do, mate."

"I had a dream the other night about him," Harry admitted, looking over his shoulder. "I saw him … he was like a toddler with black and red scaly skin, like he had been burned so badly. It was … he could hold a wand though."

Ron's eyes widened. " _You dreamed this_?"

Harry nodded. "Uncle Siri says that maybe because of my scar I'm connected to him somehow. We don't really know because no one else in the world has a cursed scar like mine."

"Well, if he's a toddler, he's definitely not leading the riot tonight. But maybe he's, I don't know, still calling the shots."

He broke off abruptly and looked over his shoulder and Harry stood up to do the same. It sounded as though someone was staggering toward the clearing they were in. They waited, both jumping to their feet and holding their wands ready as they listened to the sounds of the uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt.

"Hello?" Harry called out nervously, his heart pounding in his chest.

He felt a bit relieved when he recognized Blaise and Theo by the trees. Theo's head was bleeding through his hands and he saw Draco take a step into the clearing towards them just as a tiny figure stepped out of the woods and a small ball of light hit the ground between them with a loud boom.

Grass and mud flew everywhere as Harry and Ron were thrown backwards. Harry's ears were ringing as he clutched his wand, wiping his dirty glasses with his hand in an attempt to see. He saw Blaise and Theo ducking behind a tree and Draco was on the ground. He looked mostly alright, Harry noted, eyeing Ron who had stumbled to his feet.

A masked man in dark robes moved out from behind the tree on his left. He took one look at Draco who seemed to be holding an elf and he lifted his wand. Harry sent the double shield charm that Misha had taught him straight at Draco without thinking and watched in amazement as whatever spell the man had aimed in his direction rebounded off.

The figure looked at Harry in surprise and then held his wand up to the sky and yelled "MORSMORDRE!" and a large green glittering skull erupted overhead with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue.

As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation.

Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams as the sight of the skull rose higher into the air and above the wood. He scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the skull, but he couldn't see anyone.

"Draco, you alright?" He called out, his wand still held high.

Draco nodded, climbing to his feet and moving towards Harry and Ron as the house elf squeaked and ran off just as a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty witches and wizards, appearing in the woods and surrounding them. Harry whirled around, and in an instant, he registered one fact: each of these witches and wizards had their wand out, and every wand was pointing right at himself, Ron, and Draco.

Without pausing to think, he yelled, "DUCK!"

He seized Ron and Draco by the backs of their jumpers and pulled them both back down to the ground.

"STUPEFY!" roared twenty voices.

There was a blinding series of flashes and Harry felt the hair on his head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. Raising his head a fraction of an inch he saw jets of fiery red light flying over them from the wands, crossing one another, bouncing off of tree trunks and rebounding into the darkness.

"Stop!" Mr Weasley exclaimed. "STOP! That's my son!"

Harry's hair stopped blowing about. He raised his head a little higher. The wizard in front of him had lowered his wand. He rolled over and saw Mr Weasley striding toward them, looking terrified.

"Ron, Harry," he said, his voice a little shaky. "Are you all right?"

"Out of the way, Arthur," a cold, curt voice demanded as Mr Crouch barrelled towards them. He and the other Ministry wizards were closing in on them. Harry got to his feet to face them. Mr Crouch's face was taut with rage. "Which of you did it?" He snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"

"We didn't do that!" Harry said gesturing up at the skull.

"We didn't do anything!" Ron insisted, who was rubbing his elbow and looking indignantly at his father. "What did you want to attack us for?"

"Do not lie, sir!" Mr Crouch shouted. His wand was still pointing directly at Ron, and his eyes were popping. He looked slightly mad. "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!"

"Barty," whispered a witch in a long woollen dressing gown. "They're kids, Barty, they'd never have been able to."

"Where did the Mark come from, you three?" Mr Weasley said quickly.

"Over there," Harry said, pointing at the place where they had heard the voice. "There was someone behind the trees, a tall figure wearing a mask. He attacked Draco first and then he pointed his wand at the sky and said an incantation before he disappeared."

"Oh, stood over there, did they?" Mr Crouch said, turning his popping eyes on Harry now, disbelief etched all over his face. "Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned!"

But none of the Ministry wizards apart from Mr Crouch seemed to think that it was remotely likely that Harry, Ron, or Draco had conjured the skull; on the contrary, at Harry's words, they had all raised their wands again and were pointing in the direction that he had indicated, squinting through the dark trees.

"We're too late," the witch in the woollen dressing gown said, shaking her head. "They'll have Disapparated."

"I don't think so," Mr Diggory said. "Our Stunners went right through those trees. There's a good chance that we got them."

"Amos, be careful!" A few of the wizards exclaimed in warning as Mr Diggory squared his shoulders, raised his wand, marched across the clearing, and disappeared into the darkness.

A few seconds later, they heard Mr Diggory shout. "Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious! It's - but - blimey!"

"You've got someone?" Mr Crouch shouted, sounding highly disbelieving. "Who? Who is it?"

They heard snapping twigs, the rustling of leaves, and then crunching footsteps as Mr Diggory reemerged from behind the trees. He was carrying a tiny, limp figure in his arms. Harry recognized the tea towel at once.

It was Winky.

Mr Crouch did not move or speak as Mr Diggory deposited the elf on the ground at Crouch's feet. The other Ministry wizards were all staring at Mr Crouch. For a few seconds Crouch remained transfixed, his eyes blazing in pale face as he stared down at Winky. Then he appeared to come to life again.

"This - cannot - be," he said jerkily. "No!"

He moved quickly around Mr Diggory and strode off toward the place where he had found Winky.

"No point, Crouch," Mr Diggory called after him. "There's no one else there."

But Mr Crouch did not seem prepared to take his word for it. They could hear him moving around and the rustling of leaves as he pushed the bushes aside, searching.

"Bit embarrassing," Mr Diggory said grimly, looking down at Winky's unconscious form. "Barty Crouch's house elf … I mean to say …"

"Come off it, Amos," Mr Weasley said quietly. "You don't seriously think that it was the elf? The Dark Mark's a wizard's sign. And Harry said that it was a tall figure in a mask. The elf hardly fits that description. And it requires a wand."

"Yeah," Mr Diggory said quietly. "But she had a wand."

"What?" Mr Weasley exclaimed.

"Here, look." Mr Diggory said as he held up a wand and showed it to Mr Weasley. "Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken, for a start. No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand."

Just then there was another pop, and Ludo Bagman Apparated right next to Mr Weasley. He looked breathless and disorientated as he spun on the spot, goggling upward at the emerald-green skull.

"The Dark Mark!" He panted, almost trampling Winky as he turned inquiringly to his colleagues. "Who did it? Did you get them? Barty! What's going on?"

Mr Crouch had returned, levitating two tall boys in front of him.

"Not just an elf, Amos."

Harry shook his head. "No, they didn't do it! They were with us!"

Ron nodded from next to him. "It's true. We were caught in an explosion before you came. They were on the other side of those trees!"

Mr Crouch looked like he wanted to protest this, but since he had pulled the boys out from behind Draco instead of the in the direction where they had found Winky, he couldn't. His face was still ghostly white, and his hands and his toothbrush moustache were both twitching.

"They're kids, Barty. Listen to the Potter boy," the witch in the woollen dressing gown stated.

Crouch dropped Blaise and Theo's stunned bodies to the ground.

Bagman, who had finally stopped gaping about like a fish out of water, stared at Crouch. "Where have you been, Barty? Why weren't you at the match? Your elf was saving you a seat too - gulping gargoyles!" Bagman had just noticed Winky lying at the feet of Diggory. "What happened to her?"

"I have been busy, Ludo," Mr Crouch said, still talking in the same jerky fashion, barely moving his lips. "And my elf has clearly been stunned."

"Stunned? By you lot, you mean? But why - ?" Comprehension dawned suddenly on Bagman's round, shiny face; he looked up at the skull, down at Winky, and then at Mr Crouch. "No! Winky? Conjure the Dark Mark? She wouldn't know how! She'd need a wand, for a start!"

"And she had one," Mr Diggory said. "I found her holding one, Ludo. If it's all right with you, Mr Crouch, I think that we should hear what she's got to say for herself."

Crouch gave no sign that he had heard Mr Diggory, but Mr Diggory seemed to take his silence for assent. He raised his own wand, pointed it at Winky, and said, "Rennervate!"

Winky stirred feebly. Her great brown eyes opened and she blinked several times in a bemused sort of way. Watched by the silent witches and wizards, she raised herself shakily into a sitting position. She caught sight of Mr Diggory's feet, and slowly, tremulously, raised her eyes to stare up into his face; then, more slowly still, she looked up into the sky. Harry could see the floating skull reflected twice in her enormous, glassy eyes. She gave a gasp, looked wildly around the crowded clearing, and burst into terrified sobs.

"Elf!" Mr Diggory said sternly. "Do you know who I am? I am an Agent of the Department for the Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures!"

Winky began to rock backward and forward on the ground, her breath coming out in sharp bursts.

"As you see, Elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago," Mr Diggory said sternly. "And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!"

"I - I - I is not doing it, sir!" Winky gasped. "I is not knowing how, sir!"

"You were found with a wand in your hand!" Mr Diggory barked, brandishing it in front of her. And as the wand caught the green light that was filling the clearing from the skull above, Harry recognized it.

"Hey! I know that wand," Harry said, holding his hand out for it. "And the person who owns it did not cast that spell!"

Crouch performed a quick regurgitation spell on the wand and an eerie smoke filled dark mark erupted from the end. "Who does this wand belong to?"

"Neville Longbottom," Harry said quickly.

Crouch snorted at this in disbelief just as Sirius came into the woods closely followed by Zee and Tonks.

"What is the meaning of this? Why is my son at wandpoint? Harry, are you alright?" Sirius demanded, rushing forward, eyes relieved at the sight of his son.

Harry nodded, relieved when Sirius grabbed his shoulder. "We found Neville's wand, Uncle Siri. Someone used it to cast that Mark into the sky."

Sirius held his hand out for the wand. "I'll take that, Crouch."

Crouch sneered at him. "This wand is evidence, Lord Black! I am not going to simply hand it over to you!"

"It belongs to a fourteen-year-old-wizard who did not cast that spell," Sirius said darkly. "You have no right to keep it from him!"

"Crouch, it looks like these kids were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr Diggory said carefully.

Crouch looked livid. He threw the wand at Sirius' feet and grabbed Winky roughly by the arm. "Did you steal that boy's wand?"

"No, Master!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Kingsley. "What's with the elf? What's going on?"

"She belongs to Crouch," Bagman supplied, his eyes moving around the wood nervously. "She was found with the boy's wand."

"So," Mr Diggory said, his eyes hardening as he turned to look at Winky again, who was cowering at his feet as Crouch still held her arm roughly. "You found this wand, eh, elf? And you picked it up and thought that you'd have some fun with it, did you?"

"I is not doing magic with it, sir!" Winky squeaked, tears streaming down the sides of her squashed and bulbous nose. "I is … I is … I is just picking it up, sir! I is not making the Dark Mark, sir, I is not knowing how!"

"It wasn't her!" Draco exclaimed, speaking for the first time. "There was an explosion and she came flying out of those trees! I caught her and then like Potter said, that wizard in the cloak showed up and he must have tossed the wand on the ground when he left. Winky tried to make a run for it, you showed up and sent stunners and she must have been stunned right near the wand! It wasn't her. And if my father hears that you've treated his only son and heir, the future Earl of Wiltshire, like a common criminal, you won't even be allowed to step foot into the Ministry! He'll ruin you!"

Sirius was staring at Draco now, his expression carefully blank.

Zee crouched down, glaring at Crouch, her eyes on the elf. "Winky, is it? It's okay. There's no reason to be scared. We know that it was an accident. That you were just caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's okay, we're not mad at you."

Winky stared at her, her eyes wide and full of tears. "I is not doing it!" She squealed again, her eyes rolling in terror. "I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!"

"You've been caught red-handed, elf!" Mr Diggory roared. "Caught with the guilty wand in your hand!"

"Amos," Zee said loudly. "Think about it … precious few wizards know how to do that spell. The boys say that it wasn't her and where would she ever have even learned it?"

"Zacarias, she is an elf found with a wand! That's a violation of her creature-status right there!"

Zee glared at him. "Innocent until proven guilty, Agent Diggory."

"She knew the spell," Mr Diggory said thickly, his eyes wide. "And she cast that mark into the sky!"

"How would she know it?" Zee demanded, glaring up at Mr Diggory menacingly.

"Perhaps Amos is suggesting," Mr Crouch said, cold anger in every syllable. "That I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?"

There was a deeply unpleasant silence.

Mr Diggory looked horrified. "Mr Crouch … not … not at all!"

"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure that Mark!" Mr Crouch barked. "Harry Potter and myself. And I trust you remember the many proofs that I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?" Mr Crouch shouted, his eyes bulging again.

"Mr Crouch, I - I never suggested that you had anything to do with it!" Mr Diggory muttered again, now reddening behind his scrubby brown beard.

"If you accuse my elf, you accuse me, Diggory!" Mr Crouch shouted. "Where else would she have learned to conjure it?"

"She … she might've picked it up anywhere - "

"Precisely, Amos. She might have picked it up _anywhere._ "

"Elf! Where did you learn that spell?" Mr Diggory demanded, turning to glower down at the elf once more.

"She has a name, Amos!" Zee said angrily, turning back to the elf with a kind smile. "Winky, where exactly did you find Neville's wand?"

Winky was twisting the hem of her tea towel so violently that it was fraying beneath her fingers. "I - I is finding it … finding it there, miss," she whispered. "In the trees."

"You see, Amos?" Zee said carefully. "Whoever conjured the Mark could have Disapparated right after they'd done it, leaving Neville's wand behind just as Mr Malfoy informed you. A clever thing to do, not using their own wand, which could have betrayed them. And Winky here had the misfortune to come across the wand moments later and pick it up before she was stunned."

"Amos," Mr Crouch curtly said, "I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for further questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her."

Mr Diggory looked as though he didn't think much of this suggestion at all, but it was clear to Harry that Mr Crouch was such an important member of the Ministry that he did not dare refuse him.

"You may rest assured that she will be punished accordingly," Mr Crouch added coldly.

"M-m-master …" Winky stammered, looking up at Mr Crouch, her eyes brimming with tears. "M-m-master, p-p-please …"

Mr Crouch stared back, his face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in his gaze. "Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible," he said slowly. "I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes."

"No!" Winky shrieked, prostrating herself at Mr Crouch's feet. "No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!"

Mr Crouch took a step backward, freeing himself from contact with the elf, whom he was surveying as though she were something filthy and rotten that was contaminating his over-shined shoes. "I have no use for a house elf who disobeys me," he said coldly. "I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation." He pulled his jumper over his head and dropped it onto the elf in disgust. "You are no longer a servant to the House of Crouch. Be gone from me like the filth you are."

Winky was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clearing. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Sirius, who said quietly, "Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections."

Zee moved to touch Winky's arm. "Winky, come on; come with us."

"I is an unworthy elf! I is disgraced!"

"No," Zee insisted, her eyes on the crying elf. "You are not disgraced. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Come on; we'll take care of you now."

Crouch merely glared at her. "What could you possibly want with a disgraced elf?"

Zee's eyes met his. "I would want her to not be left abandoned in the woods by the man who just tossed her away like she was garbage!"

Crouch's eyes flared in anger. "After what she just did, I have every right to dismiss that creature!"

"And I have every right to take care of her now that you have," Zee said simply. She turned back to Winky, taking her hand and helping the still sobbing elf up from the ground.

Tonks was bending over Blaise and Theo now as Zee tried to console the sobbing elf, "Rennervate," she said and the two of them blinked as they sat up. "You boys, alright?"

Blaise nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Er, yeah. What happened?"

Theo's head was still bleeding slowly and he blearily wiped blood from his eyes. "Fine, I think."

Sirius turned to Harry, Ron and Draco and he quirked his finger at Blaise and Theo. "The five of you with me now."

Draco nodded, his eyes wide as he scrambled after Sirius in the forest. Sirius pulled the five of them into a clearing just beyond the wood as Zee and Mr Weasley came up behind them. Zee was pulling Winky with her as the elf sobbed loudly. She let go of the elf's hand when she saw that Theo's head was bleeding and Winky burst into noisy tears, once more throwing herself to the ground.

Zee left the sobbing elf to her sorrow for a moment and immediately grabbed Theo, checking over the cut on his head. "It looks mostly superficial. Are you alright, sweetie?"

He nodded. "I tripped and I hit it on a tree."

She used her wand to clean the cut. "Head wounds bleed a lot, but I think that you'll be alright. We'll get this taken care of in a bit."

Sirius stared at the Draco, Blaise and Theo. "Where is Narcissa?"

"I don't know," Draco told him. "We got separated. She told us to meet her on the moor beyond the wood, but we never made it there."

Sirius nodded, his eyes moving over Blaise and Theo curiously. "You three will come home with me until I get a hold of Cissa. Harry, Ron, why did you separate from everyone else?"

"We didn't," Ron told him quickly. "Neville realized that his wand was missing so he, Luna and Hermione headed back to the tent to find it. Then we lost Fred, George and Ginny in the crowd."

Mr Weasley was staring at them intently as if he was slowly trying to process their words on top of everything that had happened.

"Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?" Ron asked.

"I'll explain everything back at the tent," Mr Weasley said tensely.

Sirius led the way back to the campground, but their progress was impeded at the sight of them. A large crowd of frightened looking witches and wizards was congregated there, and when they saw Mr Weasley and Sirius coming toward them, many of them surged forward.

"What's going on in there?"

"Who conjured it?"

"Arthur - it's not - Him?"

"Of course it's not Him," Mr Weasley said impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed."

Sirius helped them move through the crowd as Zee led the way and ushered everyone towards the tents, her hand still holding Winky's as she hiccuped loud tears.

All was quiet now; there was no sign of the mysterious masked wizards, though several ruined tents were still smoking nearby.

Charlie's head was poking out of the boys' tent. "Dad, what's going on?" He called through the dark. "Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but Ron and Harry - "

"I've got them here," Mr Weasley said, bending down and entering the tent. Harry, Ron, Draco, Blaise, and Theo entered after him.

Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a sheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely. Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose. Remus' cheek was bleeding and Tonks moved into the tent, seeing him and immediately sitting on his lap to examine his cheek, a bruise forming on her own. Fred, George, Neville, Luna, Hermione and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken.

Ginny jumped to her feet when she saw Theo's blood and rushed over to throw her arms around him. He hugged her back, trembling slightly, but didn't speak as she held onto him.

"Did you get them, Dad?" Bill said sharply, his eyes on his sister. "The person who conjured the Mark?"

"No," Mr Weasley said. "We found Barty Crouch's house elf holding Neville's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark."

"What?" Bill, Charlie, and Percy all said together.

"Neville's wand?" Fred questioned.

"Mr Crouch's elf?" Percy questioned, sounding thunderstruck.

Winky began to sob loudly again.

With some assistance from Harry and Ron, Mr Weasley explained what had happened in the woods as Winky continued to sob uncontrollably and loudly from her new spot on the floor of the tent as Zee knelt next to her trying to comfort the poor thing. When they had finished their story, Percy swelled indignantly.

"Well, Mr Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!" He said. "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to … embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry … how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the DRCMC -"

Hermione, who hadn't taken her eyes off of the sobbing elf, turned and glared at Percy. "I'm sorry that her pain is too much for you!"

"Well, I - "

" - I'm sorry that she almost died out there in the woods and no one even once bothered to find out if she was alright! It's too embarrassing to be associated with a slave!" Hermione exclaimed angrily.

"I'm just saying, Hermione, that house elves are supposed to listen to the wizards who employ them and she explicitly defied his orders!" Percy interrupted. "He was right to get rid of her! A house elf that doesn't do one's bidding is not worth keeping around."

" _One's bidding_?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. "She is a living creature and she is not meant to work herself to the bone for your precious bidding! She has rights! Basic rights and I think that it's absolutely appalling that anyone should treat her differently simply because she's not - "

" - Human," Charlie supplied, smiling at her. "Hermione, no one here is discounting that. But Crouch doesn't take well to embarrassment and she embarrassed him rather publicly therefore she has to go. It's as simple as that. But Zee brought her here for some reason."

"She had nowhere else to go," Zee said simply. "And the last thing that she needed was for Diggory to drag her up to the DRCMC on some bogus charges of wand-carrying and disturbing the peace. She is an innocent elf who was found in the wrong place at the wrong time. If left alone in the woods she might have gotten hurt or trampled."

Sirius smiled at her, sighing. "What are we going to do with her, Zee?"

"Don't you think that it was odd at how fast Crouch dismissed her or how he stomped off into the forest determined to find something?" Zee asked him, her eyes on Sirius. "Don't you think it was strange?"

He nodded, his eyes on his girlfriend. "No, you're right. It did seem strange even for him."

Winky was crying quietly, small hiccups emerging as Zee gently pat her on the back.

"We'll take her with us and introduce her to Kreacher," Sirius said simply. "I'm sure that he'd like the company and he can take care of her for now."

Zee smiled. "Winky? Would you like that?"

Winky wiped the tears from her big doe eyes, sniffling. "I is going with you?"

Zee smiled kindly. "Sirius has a large house with an old house elf that looks after it. His name is Kreacher and I'm sure that he would love to have some help. Would you like to come and see it, maybe help out if Kreacher asked you to?"

Winky swallowed slowly. "I is … I is … I is a bad elf!"

"No, I don't believe that. You were trying not to get caught up in the crossfire. Your life is more important," Zee said quietly.

Winky looked up at Sirius. "I is … I is wishing to help, sir."

Sirius smiled at her. "Well, you are welcome to help. Come home with us and we'll take care of you."

She still had big tears rolling down her cheeks, but she nodded.

Hermione glared at Sirius. "You're just going to put her to work for you?"

"Hermione," Sirius said gently. "House elves love to work. I'm going to introduce her to Kreacher and we'll go from there. She might not want to work for me, but at the moment she needs somewhere to go and I'm going to provide that."

"But she's not a slave!"

"No, she's not," Zee told her. "She is a house elf and she is free now and needs to make her own choices about where she wants to go. We are giving her a place to stay for the time being until she makes those choices for herself."

"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?" Ron asked impatiently before Hermione could continue her rant about the treatment of Winky. "It wasn't hurting anyone … why is it such a big deal?"

"It's the symbol of Voldemort, Ron," Sirius said quietly, moving to take a seat at the table. "And it hasn't been seen in thirteen years. The Death Eaters would send the Dark Mark up into the air whenever they killed someone."

"The terror it inspired … you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside …" Mr Weasley winced, his eyes on Sirius. "I'm sorry, Sirius."

"No, it's the worst feeling that you can imagine. The last time I saw it …"

Zee reached out to touch his arm as Remus spoke.

"It was floating above Harry's nursery."

Harry swallowed slowly and Zee moved around to tug him into her arms. "You're alright? You're not hurt?" She asked, brushing the hair off of his forehead.

He shook his head, his eyes on Draco. "I used that double shield charm that Papa taught me and …"

"That spell just bounced right off of it," Draco said. "Thanks, Potter."

Theo was breathing heavily, his hands still shaking and his arms still wrapped around Ginny tightly as if he was afraid to let go. "My father was in the woods … he … "

Blaise reached out to squeeze his friend's arm. "Theo, it's okay. Breathe."

There was silence for a moment.

Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, "Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured that mark. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Roberts' before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now. The other families, I don't know how they faired."

"We can't prove it was them, Bill," Mr Weasley said. "Though it probably was," he added hopelessly. "That's their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You Know Who was in power were done for fun. I suppose that they had a few drinks tonight and couldn't resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large. A nice little reunion for them," he finished disgustedly.

"But if they were the Death Eaters, why did they Disapparate when they saw the Dark Mark?" Ron asked. "They'd have been pleased to see it, wouldn't they?"

"Use your brains, Ron," Bill said bitterly. "If they really were Death Eaters, they worked very hard to keep out of Azkaban when You Know Who lost power, and told all sorts of lies about him forcing them to kill and torture people. I bet they'd be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back. They denied that they'd ever even been involved with him when he lost his powers, and went back to their daily lives as if nothing had happened … I don't reckon that he'd be overly pleased with them, do you?"

"So … whoever conjured the Dark Mark. . ." Hermione said slowly, "Were they doing it to show support for the Death Eaters, or to scare them away?"

"Your guess is as good as ours, Hermione," Mr Weasley said. "But I'll tell you this … it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if the person who did it hadn't been a Death Eater once, even if they're not now. Listen, it's very late, and if your mother hears what's happened tonight she'll be worried sick. We'll try to get a few more hours of sleep and then try and get an early Portkey out of here."

Sirius shook his head. "Let's not make Molly worry, Arthur. We should all get going home. I don't want to sit around here and wait for a portkey. There's enough of us to all Apparate out safely with a teenager."

Mr Weasley looked like he wanted to protest, but then he nodded. "No, you're right, Sirius. We'll all feel better when we get home."

"I don't know you two," Sirius said simply, eyes on Blaise and Theo.

"That's Theo and Blaise, Uncle Siri. They're friends of Draco's."

Sirius nodded. "Alright, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Harry and Neville can all come back to Black Cottage with me and Zee then, the rest of you to The Burrow?" Mr Weasley nodded. "Bill, you take Ginny; Charlie you've got George; Percy, Fred; Tonks, Luna; Remus, Hermione; Zee, Draco and Harry; Ron, you're with your father; Blaise, Theo and Neville, you're with me. Rem, can you take Winky to Kreacher before you bring Hermione to the Burrow?"

Remus nodded. "Of course."

Ginny kissed Theo's cheek. "If you need anything … "

He nodded gratefully at her. "Thanks, Ginny." He hugged her tightly once more before she moved over towards Bill to Apparate home.

Everyone took hold of their assigned partners and small popping sounds erupted from the tent as they all Disapparated. Sirius and Mr Weasley led Neville, Theo, Blaise and Ron out of the tent, using their wands to quickly close everything up and grab the two tents before Sirius held out his arm.

"Neville, Blaise, Theo?" Each boy took one of his arms, Blaise holding onto Theo tightly as they Disapparated and Mr Weasley did the same with Ron.

Sirius led the way down the driveway and into the house where Zee was already moving around the kitchen to make tea. Draco and Harry were sitting on the sofa in the living room. Zee had pulled out a first aid kit and moved to examine Theo's head more closely.

Sirius handed Neville back his wand. "Try not to lose this."

Neville nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Yes, Sirius."

He pulled him close for a hug. "You alright?"

He nodded. "I'm okay."

Sirius dropped a kiss to the top of his head. "Good man." He summoned a holster from his bedroom and passed it to Neville. "I was going to give this to you for Christmas, but I think that you could use it more now. It's a thigh holster, like Harry and I both have."

Neville beamed at him. "Really?"

Sirius smiled. "Yes, really. Keep it on you and keep a better hold of that wand, understood?"

He nodded. "Yes. Thank you!"

Sirius hugged him again. "You're welcome. Go on and use the Floo. Your grandmother is going to be worried sick when she finds out what happened."

Neville nodded, said goodbye and stepped into the fireplace, disappearing in a flash.

Zee finished applying a healing potion to Theo's head after cleaning the wound as Sirius took a seat in the armchair. Marauder came down the stairs, hopping up onto the couch and greeting Harry, Blaise, Draco and Theo with enthusiasm.

"So who are you boys?" Sirius asked, crossing his legs at the ankles as he stared at the four young men sitting on the sofa.

"Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini," Draco supplied. "They've been staying with me all summer."

Sirius let out a slow breath. "Nott and Zabini … you two are not in any trouble, but I need to know. Were any of your fathers out there tonight?"

Theo paled and Zee touched his arm in reassurance.

"Mine was," Theo said carefully. "I … he had two Muggle women …"

Sirius nodded. "You're not in any trouble here, Theo. If Harry says that you did nothing wrong, I believe him. Draco?"

Draco stared at him for a long moment. "I don't know for sure. But he left and he told my mother to get us to safety. But my grandfather was leading the charge."

Sirius let out a slow breath. "They were just Muggle baiting tonight, Arthur was right about that. Just to cause terror and mayhem; a little spot of fun, I suppose they'd call it."

Harry was staring at him. "Now what?"

Sirius pulled out his wand and conjured a Patronus, sending a quick message to Narcissa. "Now we be thankful that no one was seriously hurt tonight."

"That's not true," Theo said quietly, his face pale.

Blaise nodded. "One of the Death Eaters killed two Muggle women in the forest … we … we saw it, right before one of the explosions hit."

Zee closed her eyes. "Those poor women."

"Well, let's hope that they were the only casualties," Sirius said.

"Sir?"

Sirius looked over at Draco in surprise. "Sirius is fine, Draco, we are cousins after all."

Draco nodded. "Sirius, my father he … the other day he said something to me that he might have to do things that … my grandfather is the one to worry about."

"I'm well aware of the trouble that Abraxas Malfoy can cause, Draco."

Zee finished tending to Theo and moved onto Blaise. He insisted that he was fine, just dirty, but he did have a nice slice across the back of his arm. Something must have hit him during the explosion. Draco's back was scratched up in a similar fashion. Zee ordered the two of them to remove their shirts, ignoring their protests and was applying salve to the cuts when the alarms went off. Sirius moved outside in time to see Narcissa limping up the driveway.

"You have them? They're safe?"

Sirius nodded, grabbing her arm. "A little beat up, but they're fine. What happened to you?"

"My ankle," she told him, wincing as she attempted to climb the stairs.

Sirius scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the house. "Zee, can you look at her ankle, she can barely walk on it?"

"Sirius, I'm fine, put me down," she said sternly as he sat her in the armchair.

Zee moved to check her ankle, but her eyes were on the boys on the sofa. "Darlings, are you alright?"

Draco nodded. "We're fine, Mother."

Zee used a spell to set the ankle and nodded. "Try to keep off of it for the next few days, but I think that you'll be fine."

She nodded and gestured for Draco to come to her. Theo did the same and they both wrapped their arms around her. "You sure you're alright? Blaise?"

Blaise nodded from by the sofa. "We're all fine, Mrs Malfoy."

Sirius was watching her. "Two dead Muggle women that we know of. The rest have been obliviated. A few injuries, nothing serious. The panic caused more injury than the Death Eaters leading the riot."

Narcissa nodded, still holding Draco close, ignoring his attempts to get free. She kissed his cheek before she let him stand up and then did the same to Theo who hugged her a little longer so she kissed his cheek again. "Thank you for keeping my boys safe."

"Someone tried to curse him," Harry spoke from the sofa as Narcissa's eyes moved to Harry. "A figure in a cloak; the one who made the Dark Mark."

"What? Who?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. But if Potter wouldn't have got that shield up in time … I don't know what he sent at me."

"Thank you," Narcissa said gratefully.

Sirius nodded. "Do you want me to make up the guest room for you? You can stick around a bit if you're not feeling up to heading home to see your father-in-law after tonight's activities?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you. I appreciate the sentiment, but no … we need to be getting back." She reached for Draco's arm to hold as she shakily climbed to her feet. "Blaise, Theo; come on, we're going back to the manor."

Theo and Draco each took one of her arms to help her walk as Blaise opened the front door.

"Cissa?" Sirius said, as she turned to look at him. "Remember what we talked about."

She stared at him for a long moment and then she nodded and the four of them headed out and down the drive to Disapparate.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _As I said, a bit the same, but I do have plans and am going in a bit of a different direction. Be patient with me. As always, thank you and please review :D_


	157. Chapter 157

_Author's Note:_

 _First off, I dedicate this chapter to the lovely jmcglynn522 from Archive of Our Own who is constantly leaving me wonderful reviews that I look forward to reading after every chapter that I post. Not to mention telling me that my detailed descriptions of wands got her attention enough to head onto Pottermore and to do research to create her own wands to sell at a comic con in California, which is awesome! I urge you all to check out the facebook page - That1ReallyWyrdShop - some truly awesome and nerdy stuff! Absolutely brilliant! I am honoured that my story inspired her own creative outlet._

 _Secondly, to answer a few reviews: as to the upcoming tournament, the events themselves will be generally the same, but what happens in them will be changed (I actually just finished writing the Second Task). Yes, Zee noticed why Harry lost interest in the Veela, but no, she is not going to tell him. She is going to wait for him to figure it out on his own, at least for now ;) Yes, I did change my posting schedule, but only the specific days not how often I post as my work schedule has altered slightly and I've been posting pretty much the opposite of which days I said I was going to so I just thought that this was easier. As for Theo, he definitely sees Narcissa as a mother figure, having spent most of his young life hanging out at Malfoy Manor with Draco. Lastly, Hermione will be interested in house elves, but I have made some changes there as well which you will see._

 _Third and last but not least, I love this term that my Beta mentioned in passing while editing so I had to find a way to add it in there - great new Voldemort nickname LOL_

 _Thank you to my wonderful and amazing Beta - SilverStarwolfe who I drive crazy (she doesn't admit it but I get on her nerves with my constant questions and changes and badgering of when she is going to edit my stuff lol). Bex, you are amazing! Thank you for finding time in your busy life to edit my work! I appreciate it more than I can put into words!_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the pieces of the speech, that belongs to the amazing JKR whose characters and plot I am taking such a twist to. Thank you._

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN:**

 **Remus headed straight to Number Twelve with both Hermione and Winky in tow.** The house elf had mostly stopped crying, but she kept using the tea towel dress that she wore to mop at her face. He led them down into the kitchen as Hermione looked around in interest.

"Hermione, I know that you have already been informed about what has been happening, but this is the official headquarters of Operation FUVP," he explained, pointing to the blackboard in the kitchen that now covered almost all four walls and was full of information on Voldemort's life and history as well as the Horcruxes. Across the top of the wall facing the door in block letters it said: Operation Fuck Up Voldemort's Plans.

Kreacher stepped out of the boiler room just as Remus closed the kitchen door behind them. "Sir?"

"Hello Kreacher," Remus said politely. "Sirius asked me to bring you someone. This is Winky. Winky, this is Kreacher, he's the Black family house elf."

Winky let out a long sniffle. "Hello."

Kreacher stared at her. "Why is you crying?"

"She was just given clothes by her master," Remus said quietly, resulting in Winky bursting into loud obnoxious cries again.

Kreacher took an automatic step away from her.

"Kreacher, Sirius would like Winky to join the House of Black if she would like too. You are to help take care of her in the meantime until Sirius tells you otherwise."

Kreacher stared in disgust at the sobbing elf. "But she is disgraced, sir!"

"She won't be for long," Remus said to him. "You'll help her?"

Kreacher nodded, but he didn't look very happy about the prospect of it. "I is doing what is necessary for her and the House of Black."

"Sirius will be here to look in on her and to see how the two of you are doing," he added, his eyes on the elf.

Kreacher nodded again. "Yes, sir."

"Hermione, let's get you back to The Burrow."

Hermione was staring at Kreacher and Winky, but she nodded and allowed Remus to take her arm and to Disapparate her to The Burrow. "What's going to happen to her, Professor?"

"That will be up to Winky," Remus told her. "Sirius is giving her the opportunity to find a new job and a new home if she wants it. The choice will ultimately be hers. No one can force a house elf into working for them. They have to choose to serve that family or that witch or wizard willingly, but first she needs time to adjust to her own new situation. Being severed from her master like that is a very painful encounter for a house elf."

"How could he treat her like that? Like she was nothing!"

"Hermione, I know that it's hard for you to understand, but house elves have their own branch of magic and part of it comes from their love of serving others. It wasn't right how she was treated, that's true, but it's done now and she's being given a second chance. We'll have to wait and see how she decides to take it. Sometimes it's really hard for a house elf to move onto a new house and to a new family. Some of them aren't even capable of doing do, the emotional and magical trauma too much for them to handle. We'll take it one step at a time. It's up to Winky now."

"But it's abhorrent the way that she was treated! Just because she's an elf and not human doesn't mean that she doesn't deserve basic rights! After everything that happened with you and … I mean, after you were treated by the Ministry just because you're a werewolf … don't you think so?"

Remus smiled kindly at her. "The first step to changing anything, Hermione, is understanding. You talk about basic rights, but you have to understand that what we as men and women view as basic rights is not the same for everyone. House elves have their own branch of magic; their own culture and their own traditions. You have to understand them and where they come from as well as what they want before you can discuss drastic social change for their benefit. Magical creatures have always had a difficult relationship with witches and wizards. It is something that has been going on for ages. I'm not saying that it's right, but it's not necessarily wrong from their perspective either. It's still very much a work in progress."

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, someone should do something about it."

Remus smiled. "It only takes one voice, Hermione, one voice to speak above the crowd. One day, someone will do something and the world will listen." He smiled when he saw Tonks coming out of the house. "Go on inside, Dora and I must head back to Harry. I'll see you at school."

She nodded. "Thank you, Professor."

He nodded, taking Tonks into his arms and kissing her softly before they Disapparated.

Hermione only furrowed her brow. One voice, she thought as she marched towards The Burrow. One voice.

 **Once Draco, Theo, Blaise and Narcissa left, Harry rubbed Marauder's belly, looking at his godfather expectantly**. "So if Nott and Malfoy's dads were both out there in force tonight, can't you do something about that; get them arrested or whatever?"

"Knowing that they were out there and proving it, are two very different things, Harry," he said sadly, letting out a long sigh. "How well do you know this Blaise and Theo? Ginny looked like she was pretty close to Theo."

Harry shrugged. "Just in passing mostly. I talk to Blaise in class sometimes and Theo seems like a cool bloke; he and Ginny are pretty good friends actually. He went and spent some at The Burrow this summer. I know he doesn't really get along with his dad and it's just the two of them. By the sounds of it, he spends most of his time with the Malfoys. He looked horrified at the thought that his father was one of the masked figures. He said something about the woods …"

"You didn't see anything?"

"No. Ron and I got separated from everyone and like I said before, we saw Winky walking through the woods and then there was an explosion nearby. We went in the opposite direction of that and then there was another explosion and that one blasted Winky, who must have been trailing near us again because she went flying, and Draco caught her. Then that figure appeared and … well, all hell broke loose after that."

Zee took his chin in her hand, turning it to and fro to inspect him. "You're sure that you're not hurt?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he insisted. "Just a few scratches."

Zee merely raised an eyebrow. "Scratches still need to be treated, Harry. Shirt off."

Harry rolled his eyes, but pulled his tee shirt and jumper over his head to let Zee treat the scratches on his back and arms from the explosion.

Sirius ran his fingers through his hair, moving to sit on the sofa next to Harry as Remus and Tonks came through the front door. He turned Harry a bit to look at the scratches; he seemed to agree with Harry's assessment of them being superficial, before he blew his hair out of his eyes before spoke. "What happened with Draco tonight, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, looking up at Remus and Tonks as they took a seat in the chair. "Like I said, there was an explosion and I remember standing up and seeing Draco on the ground with the house elf. Blaise and Theo were just behind him in the wood and Theo's head was bleeding, I assumed from the explosion. I called out to see if he was alright and he started to move towards me and then I saw this wizard, dark hair, tall and he was wearing a mask and he just moved his wand toward Draco and … I shot out a shield without thinking and it covered Draco; it stopped whatever spell he was shooting at him. He looked annoyed and then conjured the mark and disappeared. Then everyone showed up and started shooting stunners. I pulled Draco and Ron to the ground, but Blaise and Theo were just behind Draco, closer to the trees and they didn't duck in time and were hit with the stunners that the Ministry people shot."

Remus nodded, his eyes wide. "Were those boys in the woods for the same reason as you?"

"I think so," Sirius told him. "Draco said that Narcissa told them to get to safety on Lucius' orders."

"And where was Lucius while all of this was going down? Wearing one of the masks?" Tonks demanded, her eyes flashing in anger.

Sirius shrugged. "Sure sounds like it from what the boys have said, but we don't know for sure. And Theo, was it?" At Harry's nod, he continued. "Said his father was in the woods, something about dead Muggle women. Do we know who his father is? Nott?"

"Must be Thaddeus Nott," Zee said with a grimace. "He's older and a bit of a pervert actually; always reaching out to touch a woman's bum or to say something inappropriate. One of the workers from the Beast Division of the DRCMC mentioned something about her being on the floor to pick up a file that fell and he told her that he liked his women on their knees. She filed a harassment charge and she wasn't scheduled near him again. He works for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. I heard that he had one son. He's a widower, mid sixties."

Tonks nodded. "I know exactly who you're talking about. Dark hair, a bit stooped? Slapped my butt once when he came up to the Auror Department for something."

"He what?" Remus exclaimed, his eyes flashing.

Tonks smiled at her mate. "Don't worry, I broke his finger. Kingsley said that he completely saw the _terrible accident_ , Nott wasn't as pleased, especially when King refused to punish me."

"That would be him," Zee said with a grimace. "Absolute douche. I heard that he married a woman forty years younger than him and she died a little less than four years later leaving him with one son."

"And he killed two Muggle women in front of his son?" Sirius exclaimed. "Sounds like father of the year."

Remus sighed. "We don't know what happened out there, that much is clear. But everyone here is safe and that's what matters." He looked up at the clock. "It's late. I think that we should all try to get some sleep and we'll talk about this again tomorrow."

Tonks nodded. "I have to head into the Ministry and see about doing some damage control. Kingsley told me that I could take time to make sure that you lot were settled before going in." She stood up, kissing Remus softly and then kissed Harry's forehead. "Get some sleep, Harry. When we know more, we'll talk."

Harry nodded as he watched her go.

Zee stood up too. "I'm going to go check on Lady G." She kissed Harry's forehead tenderly. "I'll come by again tomorrow."

Sirius only nodded, tugging her close for a long kiss before she left after Tonks. "Harry, go on, get up to bed. I'll be following in a bit."

Harry bit his lip as he stood up. "First, my dream and then … now this."

Sirius shook his head. "We don't know what that means, Harry. It could be nothing. It doesn't mean that it's connected."

"But it could also be something. He said in my dream, something about the World Cup, remember?"

"Harry, when I know, you'll know, alright?"

Harry let out a slow breath and he nodded. "Okay. Goodnight, Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus."

"Goodnight," they both said as he moved up the stairs, Marauder trailing up behind him.

Sirius stood up, moving into the kitchen as Remus followed him. He poured himself a glass of water and drank it quickly and then gestured for Remus to come with him. They went outside in the backyard and into the gazebo. Sirius put a privacy charm around the gazebo before Remus spoke.

"What dream was Harry talking about, Sirius?"

"It happened a few hours before we left for the World Cup which is the only reason why I didn't tell you," Sirius said.

Remus nodded, his eyes widening as Sirius relayed what their son had dreamed about.

"He saw this? He _dreamed_ it?"

"As clear as day, I watched the memory in the Pensieve. Woodrow Selwyn was there; he seems to be in charge of babysitting Babymort."

Remus snorted. "Babymort? Is that what we're calling him now?"

Sirius grinned. "It seems to fit. He's in the body of a child, Remus. I told you what Peter said about … the way he took over that child. It's his body now and he's growing with the child. But … his skin it was like … a burn victim. So badly burned and scared that it doesn't even look human just red and black and scaly. He's not going to last in that body and this ritual that he's planning …"

"He wants to use Harry."

"Yes, but why?" Sirius demanded. "He said it himself, any witch or wizard would do, so why Harry?"

Remus shook his head. "Maybe he thinks that Harry has something that others wouldn't; something that … Sirius, unless he knows about Lily's protection."

"How would he know that?"

Remus shrugged. "Word would have gotten around by now. I mean, I'm not saying that its common knowledge, but Harry is pretty famous. He's The Boy Who Lived and even the memorial says that Lily Potter sacrificed herself for her son. I imagine he would have put two and two together and three years ago, when Harry touched Quirrell while Voldemort was possessing him? He basically burned the man alive with his touch because of Lily's sacrifice. If he uses Harry in some way, it could potentially form some kind of counter-curse to allow him to touch Harry; to harm him."

Sirius nodded. "Alright, that's more disturbing than I originally thought and there's no way that I'm letting that happen."

They were both quiet for a moment and then Sirius let out a slow sigh.

"I've been keeping something from you."

Remus' looked up in surprise. "Oh?"

"It's not that I didn't trust you, Moony, it's … I was too afraid to say it out loud really, to … to hope for it."

"What is it, Sirius?"

"I spoke to Xander a few months back and we talked about the potential of dark magic living inside of the human brain, but not being part of the human brain and how it could potentially control or harm the person it is possessing or living in. I wanted to get his opinion since he's a brain healer, on the possibility of removing it without causing harm to that person. I sent him diagnostic scans of Harry's brain."

"Xander as in Althea's husband?" Remus asked carefully.

Sirius nodded. "I refused to tell him who the scans belonged too or what the dark magic was, I just wanted an idea. I wanted to know if it was possible to do it, could it be done safely?"

"And?"

"He thinks that there's a very real possibility," Sirius told him carefully. "He's still doing research on it and he says that there are still a lot of aspects to it that he doesn't know, but the way that it looks is that the dark magic, well the Horcrux itself, is focused inside of the scar on Harry's forehead. It lies just beyond it and it pushes on his brain, but it does not have access to it. It can't control him; it can't influence him in any way like the diary was able to do with Ginny."

"Well, we knew that," Remus said. "Well, we suspected as much anyway, but hearing the words is rather reassuring."

"But this dream, Moony … Dumbledore told Harry that when Voldemort tried to kill him he might have shared some of his powers with him and we know now that that's kind of true, in the sense that a part of Voldemort's soul was transferred over to Harry. But what if … what if, Harry is now being able to see inside of Voldemort's head, inside of his thoughts?"

"But how would he have access to that? And why now? It makes no sense, Sirius."

Sirius sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair. "I don't know why now, maybe because he's getting stronger? How else can you explain what he dreamed? He's not a Seer and a Seer wouldn't have seen anything so vivid and so detailed. He witnessed an event in Voldemort's life and I think … I think he dreamed it as it was actually happening."

Remus nodded, his gaze on Sirius. "Do you think that Xander can remove this thing?"

"I don't know. I hope that he can. I hope that he can find some way to pull it out of him, to heal him, to rid him of that monstrosity living inside of him, but I'm also terrified that he's going to tell me that he can't do it without leaving Harry without magic or worse leaving him in a permanent vegetated state."

"But he's still researching?"

"He is. He's determined to find out how it can be done and his last letter sounded fairly optimistic. I told him that it was dark magic, but I didn't tell him that it was a Horcrux. I wanted to see what he thought about it first and frankly, Moony, I've been afraid to hope."

Remus nodded, scratching his chin. He understood where his friend was coming from. The idea that Harry had a piece of Voldemort's soul inside of his head had kept him up at night more than once himself. "In the meantime, we need to keep an eye on Harry. He needs to tell us if he has any more of these dreams or any inkling of anything that he thinks might be Voldemort."

"Agreed."

"And if this happens again, maybe - maybe we can talk about teaching him Occlumency."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "I never did master that as much as my grandfather tried to insist on it. I didn't have the patience for it."

"We'll find someone who does. Dumbledore perhaps? But we'll keep it as an option; something to consider in case something like this ever happens again. Maybe it was a fluke; maybe it just … they connected mentally somehow, his soul reached out to the other pieces … I don't know, but I don't like it anymore than you do," Remus said. "As for you not telling me about going to Xander, you should have. He's my son just as much as he is yours and I care about his well being and I won't be left out of decisions like this about his health!"

"Moony -"

"No, Sirius," Remus said sternly. "He's mine too!"

Sirius nodded, his eyes on his friend. "I know it and so does he. I'm sorry. I won't keep anything concerning Harry from you again, I swear it. Like I said I just … I'm afraid to hope and I know that's not an excuse, but it's all that I have. And listening to Harry talk about his dream and how scared he was about it, lying to him about what I know … it was so hard, Rem. I felt dirty. I felt dishonest and I didn't like it."

"We agreed not to tell him, Siri."

"I know," Sirius told him. "And I haven't changed my mind on that subject. I still think telling him is an awful idea. I don't want him to know what lies behind his scar, but lying to him … it was so fucking hard."

"If lying becomes easy, that's when I think you've reached a problem," Remus said quietly. "It should never be easy to deceive the ones we love."

Sirius nodded. "You'll keep an extra close eye on him at school this year?"

Remus smiled. "Do you even have to ask?"

He grinned. "Sometimes I like the reassurance."

Remus chuckled. "I will keep an extra close eye on him. He should be able to stay out of trouble, I'd hope, especially with the Triwizard Tournament going on. Thank Merlin he's not seventeen and won't be signing up for that."

"You can say that again," Sirius said with a grin.

Remus smiled as he stood up. "I'm going to head home and try to get some sleep. If anything changes or if you need anything, call me."

Sirius nodded, his eyes moving up to the open balcony doors that led to Harry's room. "I will."

 **Draco sat in his bedroom with Blaise and Theo.** The three of them had been sent straight upstairs after Narcissa had gotten them home from Black Cottage. His mother refused to say anything on what had happened and Draco turned to look at his friends. Blaise was quiet, but his expression gave nothing away. Theo still looked visibly shaken.

"Theo, mate, you going to be alright?"

Theo only glared at his friend. "How can you ask me that, Draco? My father has always made it abundantly clear that he was a Death Eater during the war; showing off his tattoo as if nothing on earth made him prouder than to have been a servant of the Dark Lord. Listening to that talk growing up was one thing, but watching him tonight …" He stood up and stormed over to the window, his hands fisting at his sides.

"Theo - "

"Don't 'Theo' me, Blaise, he was going to rape those Muggles and he wanted us to … it was a game to him! They were people and he didn't even care!"

Draco moved to stand next to his friend. "He was caught up in the moment, maybe."

Theo snorted. "Caught up in the moment? Nothing on earth will make me be so caught up in the moment that I would fucking rape a woman!"

Blaise grinned, moving to stand on the other side of his friend and nudging him lightly. "What if it was a really cute bloke with a huge prick, eh?"

Theo rolled his eyes. "Be serious."

"Theo, you're not your father," Blaise said seriously. "We all know that. _You know that._ You're not that kind of person. You wouldn't harm anyone or anything no matter what the circumstances!"

Draco nodded from next to him. "You're the bloke who when we were eight found a baby rabbit in my mother's garden and forced us to take care of it until its mother came for it. You're the bloke who accidentally stepped on a lady bug when we were five and cried for an hour that you had killed something so innocent. You are not your father and you never will be!"

Theo nodded, tears in his eyes and he threw his arms around Draco tightly. "Can I stay here? I can't … I can't face him. I know it's only a few nights until we go back to Hogwarts, but can I stay here?"

Draco nodded, hugging his friend as Theo's hot tears trailed onto his neck. "What kind of question is that? Mother won't even let you go home, you know that!"

He snorted against his friend's shoulder as Blaise moved in to join in on the hug. "I don't know how I would survive without you two losers."

Blaise grinned, patting Theo on the back. "You'd make it. You'd just be a lot less entertained." He looked at Draco. "And you, mate? We heard what your dad was saying in the tent. He was out there too tonight."

Draco nodded, his grey-blue eyes solemn. "I know and I don't know what that means either. He … he said some things to me the other day about how he would be forced to do things and how he was doing it to keep my mother and I safe and that he was always on my side first and foremost. It was confusing and then he … he went off to do this!"

"He doesn't want to be a bad person," Theo said carefully. "Your father loves you and your mother more than life, anyone can see that. I believe that whatever he was doing, he was trying to protect you from it."

"How can he protect me when he goes out and he … what if he hurt one of those Muggles or he killed one of them? That Death Eater in the woods, he killed those two Muggle women like they were nothing! Like they were a bug beneath his shoe! Black said that no one was seriously injured, but he didn't know about those two Muggle women, there could have been more and the Muggles who ran the campground, they were tortured and …"

Blaise nodded, squeezing Draco's arm. "We don't know, Draco, and maybe it's best that we don't know. Just remember what your dad said that he's doing it to protect you. You know what your grandfather is like, he could be forcing his hand."

"You don't get it, Blaise, your father wasn't out there doing these terrible things!"

"No, he wasn't," Blaise said in annoyance. "Because he's dead and my mother is about to marry potential father number five with no regrets whatsoever and she … let's just say that her thoughts on the Dark Lord have more interest than is warranted. But the fact that she stays in Italy means that there's a less chance of her getting into any sort of trouble, outside of the marriage kind that is."

Draco let out a slow breath. "My father also told me to trust Potter. He said that I should … tell him things, anything that I think might be useful. He says that Black doesn't trust him, but that maybe he'll come to trust me."

"What do you think about that?" Blaise asked, looking pensive at the possibility.

"I think that Potter's a nice bloke," Theo admitted. "He's kind and he means well and I think that given what he's accomplished on his own in the last few years, he would definitely be someone that I'd want in my corner in a fight. He's The Bloody Boy Who Lived after all."

"But he's the same age as us, what is telling him anything going to do? I told him to look into Kata Novak and did he? I have no idea, but I do know that she's alive and that my grandfather has her and that Father said that she is beyond saving," Draco stated bitterly. "What am I supposed to do with that information?"

"Nothing," Blaise said sternly. "If she is beyond saving you just put that away, Draco, for your own well being. If you keep thinking about what ifs, it will drive you mad. But I agree with Theo, Black is gaining a reputation for being quite forceful in the Ministry of Magic. He was quite the talk at my mother's engagement party about how he had stopped Professor Lupin from being executed; about how he broke down his sentence and about how he stopped that legislation about Undesirables from going through. He's powerful and if your father says to trust Potter, who trusts Black, I imagine that there's a reason behind that."

Theo nodded. "I agree."

Draco stared at his friends for a long moment and let out a slow breath. "I'll trust Potter, but I refuse to be friends with that prick and his numbskull friends, especially Granger."

Blaise chuckled. "You love Granger, don't deny it. Arguing with her in Arithmancy gives you a high."

"That bitch is not always right!"

Theo grinned. "Yeah, Draco, she kinda is."

Draco only glared at his friends, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I hate the both of you."

Blaise smiled, his jaw cracking as he yawned. "Nah, you love us. Besides, this year, you are going to go on that date with Rowle and you will have a good time and finally tell Pansy to sod off."

"Because snogging her was the worst decision of your life," Theo added. "One make-out session and she thinks that the two of you are going to get married. It's horrifying."

Draco grinned at them. "I'll think about Rowle. As for returning to school, Theo, your birthday is coming up. You do know that your dad is going to sign you out for the whole weekend, his only son turning fifteen?"

Theo shook his head. "I'm going to talk to Snape. I don't have to go with him if I don't want too and as my Head of House, Snape should be able to put a stop to it, right? I don't want to go back to that brothel!"

Blaise shrugged. "I'm not sure, but if you're sure, you know he'll stand for you. And if you tell Snape where your dad is making you go, he will definitely make sure that you stay at school. Snape has no tolerance for parents who treat their kids like shit."

Theo nodded, his eyes on Draco. "I know." He crawled onto Draco's bed, closing his eyes. "I'm exhausted."

"Well, sleep in your own bedroom," Draco protested. "Mother still has the guest room down the hall set up."

Blaise simply grinned and stretched out across the end of the bed. "You have a king-sized bed, Draco, share."

Draco rolled his eyes, snorting when Blaise started snoring five seconds later. "If only I could sleep like that."

Theo smiled at him. "Draco, none of us want to be alone tonight. Get in."

Draco nodded and climbed onto the bed with his friends, leaning back against his pillow as Blaise slept curled up at the end like a dog. "I don't fancy being alone much myself."

Theo nodded gratefully at him and wrapped himself up in the thick blanket. "Goodnight."

Draco nodded, closing his own eyes and wishing for sleep. "Night, Theo."

And he slowly drifted off, comforted by the sounds of his friends' snores.

 **Narcissa checked on them three hours later and her face softened when she saw the three of them sleeping sprawled out across the large bed.** They had comforted each other, she thought, feeling a bit relieved. She closed the bedroom door softly, holding onto the wall for support as she limped back down to her own bedroom. She had just sat on the bed when Lucius strolled in.

He didn't say a word. He fell to his knees before her and buried his face in her lap.

Narcissa gently brushed her fingers through his hair. "Did you torture any of them?"

He shook his head. "I levitated them and … I told Father I was leading the riot, not participating in it. He seemed to take it in stride. Draco?"

She quickly explained what had happened and Lucius' eyes darkened.

"Who shot a curse at him? Who would dare shoot a curse at my son?" He demanded, his voice rising.

"Whoever shot the Dark Mark into the sky," she said quietly, framing his face in her hands.

He turned his head to kiss her hands. "He's alright?"

"Yes. Sirius made sure Draco, Theo and Blaise were all safe. He took them back to his home and sent word to me that they were alright."

"Why weren't you with them?"

"I hurt my ankle. I was worried that I would slow them down."

Lucius moved away from her, cradling her ankle in his hands. He summoned a healing salve from the bathroom and gently massaged it into her skin.

"Do you know who cast the Dark Mark, Lu?"

He shook his head. "No. Father does, but he's not telling. He's too busy dealing with the ritual and everything else." He massaged her ankle in silence for a long moment. "If - if something goes wrong, Cissa, if … "

"Shh," she said, shaking her head. "One step at a time, Lu. We know the risks here. Our son is safe; our boys are safe upstairs, sprawled across Draco's bed. He has good friends, baby, and they'll take care of each other."

"Bellarosa sent an owl. I told her Blaise was fine and she seemed pleased. I don't trust her."

"She's dangerous, I've always thought so. But Blaise isn't. He's a sweet boy, young man now and Draco trusts him. I trust him. I don't believe children should have to pay for their parents' mistakes."

Lucius nodded and moved to sit up on the bed next to his wife and kissed her softly. "Something else is going on, but I don't know what. Father has kept me deliberately out of the loop and it makes me uneasy. With Pettigrew still MIA on top of it all, he's worried that the ritual won't take place. He wants Potter for the ritual; determined to have him, but how he's going to get his hands on him is anyone's guess. He's so well protected. Selwyn is bringing the Dark Lord back to Croatia tonight."

"Why did he return to England when he's so weak?"

Lucius shook his head. "He said that he had to talk. To who, to how many, I couldn't tell you, but whatever he did, he's pleased. So is Father."

Narcissa moved into her husband's arms. "Thad was in the forest tonight; tried to get Draco, Theo and Blaise to assault some Muggle women."

Lucius snorted. "The man's the same age as Father and still only thinks about his cock. Theo alright?"

"Shaken. Someone else was with Thad and killed the women in front of them."

Lucius' eyes darkened. "In front of - " He bit his lip. "The boys?"

"They'll be alright, Lu, they have each other."

He pulled her close and kissed her forehead tenderly. "I still don't have anything remotely tangible to tell Black. Draco's taken it upon himself to share information with Potter and I told him to go for it. I stand by my decision even more now that I know Potter saved his life tonight."

"Do you think that's wise, letting Draco play spy like that?"

"I think it's the safest course of action for him," he admitted. "Otherwise, Father is going to suspect him and make him pay for it, or worse, make him take the Dark Mark."

"Take the - he is only fourteen years old!"

Lucius shrugged. "Most of his followers were sixteen when we were branded as you very well know. I think it's best if Potter trusts him and vice versa. I know Black threatened Draco's life if I didn't come through with information, but he'll protect him for you, Cissa, no matter what happens to me."

She rolled up the sleeve of his left arm and her breath hitched slightly at the sight of the Dark Mark. The pale pink scaring was now edged in what looked like a black burn. "It's getting darker along the edges."

"I know. He's getting stronger."

Narcissa simply moved closer into her husband's arms and closed her eyes. No matter what happened, she was determined to keep her family safe. No matter what.

 **Tonks didn't get home until almost seven o'clock the next evening.** She stumbled through the front door of the cottage, tripping over her own feet in her attempt to get her shoes off. She was tired, sore and cranky. The living room was empty and she tugged her shirt over her head, desperately needing a shower. She left a trail of clothing to the bathroom, standing under the spray happily and sighing in pleasure as the jets hit her.

She'd only slept two hours before she had been awoken by the screams and after putting in sixteen hours at the Ministry on only two hours of sleep, she felt exhausted. She almost fell asleep standing up twice and slapped herself lightly to finish off her shower. She barely dried off, tugged on one of Remus' old tee shirts and fell face first into their bed.

It was where Remus found her two hours later.

Her feet were half hanging off the edge of the large bed and the shirt had ridden up exposing her bare bum. Her face was almost flat into the mattress and she was out cold. He grinned when he saw her. He moved over to lift her and she sighed in contentment, but didn't wake as he shifted her under the blankets and into a more comfortable position, tucking her in for the night. He picked up her clothes, tossing them in the hamper before he moved into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea.

He had spent his day with Sirius talking about everything: what the Dark Mark appearing for the first time in thirteen years could mean; what the Death Eaters were hoping to accomplish by their petty Muggle baiting and instilling fear; why they had made a show when they had; and who the potential Death Eaters were that they knew of. They had made a list, thinking back to who they knew and who they strongly suspected. Bellatrix was obviously high on the list as was Abraxas Malfoy, but now they also knew that Woodrow Selwyn was part of that group and his father Wendall Selwyn as Harry's dream had stated that Voldemort had been hiding out in the Selwyn Manor in Croatia. Lucius had mentioned before that Titus Avery and Linus Lestrange had been meeting regularly with Abraxas so they were most likely included in that list; not to mention that Avery and Lestrange would have gone to school with Voldemort along with Selwyn and Thaddeus Nott, who they could also now add to that list. Remus also thought that Titus Avery's son Aurelius was most likely a part of that group as well.

Sirius had mentioned how most of them currently worked in the Ministry of Magic and what that could potentially mean if they were helping Voldemort. Now that the Death Eaters had attacked, what was the Ministry thinking of doing about it? The paper had told them nothing; six Muggles killed and many Muggles, witches and wizards injured in the riots, but there had been no mention that the riots had been started by Death Eaters. The only thing that had alluded to the fact that Death Eaters had been involved at all was that the Dark Mark had been raised over the woods.

Sirius planned to bring it up at the next meeting of the Wizengamot. He wanted to see where the Ministry could potentially be sitting on the idea that Voldemort might be returning. He didn't seem to have high hopes for them, but he wanted to feel them out.

Remus figured that with the Triwizard Tournament coming up, it could go either way. He just knew that he would feel better once they were back at Hogwarts and he could keep an eye on Harry who would have nothing to worry about except his school work.

He finished his tea and tidied up the kitchen before moving to lock up the cottage, shutting down the Floo and getting ready for bed. He undressed and crawled into the big bed next to his mate, snuggling down under the blankets.

Tonks turned to him in her sleep, snuggling up against him and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. Her eyes opened and she blinked up at him. "Time's it?"

"Late," he said, kissing her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

She smiled at him, turning to kiss his chest. "You didn't see the Veela."

"What?" He asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Tonks turned her head to smile up at him. "At the match yesterday, the Veela came out, all perfect and sexy and gorgeous and you didn't even do more than give them a cursory glance."

Remus smiled at her, bending his head to kiss her softly. "Why would I need to look at Veela when I have the sexiest, most beautiful woman as my mate?"

Tonks grinned up at him. "Flatterer."

He smiled and kissed her again. "I love you, Nymphadora, and no one else will ever come close to you, not even a Veela." He snuggled her back into his warm embrace. "Now close your eyes. It's late."

Her cheek rested over his heart and her arms snaked across his abdomen as he cuddled her and he felt her smile against his bare chest. "I love you, too."

And then she was sound asleep again, soft snores that made him chuckle and he knew that despite the unrest of the day and the hundreds of questions they may still have, they would be alright. They would take it one step at a time and it would be alright.

 **When Harry climbed onto the Hogwarts Express,** he was both anxious and nervous to be going back to school. So much was happening and he wanted to stay home and to help Sirius deal with it, but his father promised that if anything changed, if he learned anything new, he would tell him right away. By the time he found an empty compartment, he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

He only opened them when he felt someone plop down on the seat next to him and he grinned at the long flaming red hair that blocked his vision. "Hey Gin."

"Hi," she said brightly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just kind of tired still. Everyone alright at your place?"

"Yeah, just fine. Dad worked late and Mum was worried, but it was fine. Dad's pretty much been working double shifts lately. I can tell Mum is still a bit worried."

"She even hugged Fred and George as if her life depended on it and apologized ten times over for yelling at them," Ron said as he moved into the compartment. "What happened with you? Did Sirius really bring Malfoy, Nott and Zabini back to your place?"

Harry nodded, grinning at Hermione when she came in behind Ron. "He did. Hi Hermione."

"Hi Harry," she said, moving to sit next to Ginny. "So what happened?"

"Might as well wait for Neville and Luna, I'd really only like to say it once."

Ginny hurried out to find Luna and to talk to Colin as Ron filled Harry in on some of the inventions that the twins were working on. The train had just started moving when Ginny returned with both Luna and Neville in tow. Harry told them about what had happened with he and Ron in the woods first and then what happened with Malfoy's mother once she came to pick him up along with Theo and Blaise. When he got to the part about his dream the night before the Quidditch match, Hermione's eyes widened in horror.

"And your scar hurt when you woke?"

Harry nodded. "Uncle Siri said that it's probably because I'm connected to him through it in some way because he passed on some of his powers and things, right? I mean, that's the only reason that they can think of as to why I can speak to snakes. But … we don't think it was a dream, we think it really happened."

"And You Know Who was talking about wanting to kill you?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Blimey!"

The door to their compartment slid open and they looked up to see Draco standing there. "Potter," he said.

Harry merely raised an eyebrow. "Malfoy," he said in the same bored tone.

Draco leaned against the compartment door. "Can I have a private word?"

Harry gave him a look of surprise and nodded. "Alright." He followed Draco out into the hall and down to the luggage compartment, turning to look at him when he closed the door behind him. "What's going on?"

Draco waved his wand around them, muttering, "Secretum Bulla," and a large privacy bubble erupted around them before he shoved his hands into his pockets. "My father told me that I should trust you, that whatever information I come across that I think is relevant I should pass it on to you."

"Actually?" Harry asked in astonishment.

He nodded. "He says that Black doesn't trust him, but maybe he'll trust me." He let out a slow sigh. "I told you to look into Novak, do you remember?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, they definitely still have her, my grandfather and … others. I don't know who and I don't know where except that it's in Croatia at some privately warded manor owned by Wendall Selywn."

Harry started him in surprise. "That's more information than I expected."

"Look … you probably saved my life in the woods the other night and I guess I owe you for that, but … I don't trust my grandfather nor do we trust Theo's dad … bad things are coming, Potter, anyone can see that. And well … I don't want to be friends with you as I think that you're an arse, but if we could be … friendly enemies, I'd be willing to accept that."

Harry snorted. "Friendly enemies, frenemies? I suppose that could be arranged as I don't much fancy being your friend either."

"I'll tell you what I do know when I know it and I'd like to think that you'll do the same for me," Draco said simply.

"I can probably arrange that, but there are some things that I can't tell you. That's for your own safety as well as mine, got it?"

Draco stared at him for a long moment and then he nodded. "I accept that." He extended his hand, his silver-blue eyes meeting Harry's green ones. "Frenemies?"

Harry chuckled as he shook Draco's hand. "Frenemies."

Draco nodded and let out a slow breath. "I have some information that I'd like to give you now, whether it's relevant or not, I couldn't say, but I think either way telling you is for the best."

Harry nodded. "Alright, I'm listening."

"It's about Novak," Draco said carefully. "My father said that she's alive, but beyond saving. I didn't know quite what to do with that information."

"I knew that already actually, but thanks."

He only swallowed before he continued. "One more thing, I don't know if it means anything to you, but over Christmas break last year, Theo and I broke into my grandfather's study to try to find something out since my parents refused to say anything and we stumbled across this old journal of his. He was talking about trophies, things that the Dark Lord had valued during the war."

Harry's eyes widened slightly. "Trophies?"

Draco nodded. "Does that mean something to you?"

"Yeah, yeah it does. What exactly did the journal say about these trophies?"

"Why are trophies important?"

"Trust me, this is one of those things that it's better if you don't know."

Draco stared at him for a moment before he nodded. "The journal made mention of my grandfather having one to keep safe; that only those that the Dark Lord trusted most were given an opportunity to keep them safe, to guard them; as if it was an honour that he had bestowed upon them. The journal entry mentioned that one was given to Bellatrix, but that she didn't have anything to her name so my grandfather assumed that she had probably stored it in her vault at _Gringotts_ for safe keeping; that Selwyn helped secure one on some secret mission, but he didn't know where; that Regulus Black went on a mission with the Dark Lord and a few weeks later ended up dead and then there was some weird thing about Hogwarts being a good place to hide things. It didn't make much sense to me."

Harry was mentally ticking off Horcruxes in his head. Draco's grandfather had been given something to guard: the diary of Tom Riddle; Bellatrix's vault meant the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff; Regulus Black was the locket of Slytherin in the seaside cave; Selwyn helped with something, that could potentially be the ring or something else entirely; and Hogwarts, a good place to hide things … did that mean that one of them was hidden at the school?

"That is very interesting information, Draco, thank you."

"Potter …"

"Yeah?" Harry asked, turning to look at him.

"When something helps you, will you let me know?"

Harry grinned at him. "Everything that you just told me is very helpful. But yeah, I can do that. I'll give you one in return," he dropped a look to the door before lowering his voice to a whisper as even with the privacy charm he wanted Draco to know how serious this was. "He's been put into the body of a child. He means to do some ritual to come back to power. I don't know when and I don't know how, but I do know that your grandfather helped with the first part and that the child that he has possessed and essentially killed belonged to the Novak woman. So thank you, anything you tell me can help."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to tell my father who is working with Dumbledore and others to try to stop it. We just have to hope that they can."

Draco nodded. "Alright."

Harry watched as he simply turned and left the luggage room, the privacy charm evaporating in a snap once Draco had left the bubble. That had been an incredibly unexpected and illuminating conversation, he thought before he made his way back to his friends to fill them in.

 **When they stepped off the train,** it was starting to rain and as Hermione led the way down to the horseless carriages, the rain turned into a downpour. They made to race into the carriages, but Harry stopped in his tracks because this year the horseless carriages were being pulled by huge black skeletal horses.

"What is it, Harry?" Ron asked, stopping when he saw his friend stop in his path. "It's wet, hurry up!"

"The carriages! There's horses pulling them!"

Ron stared at him like he had two heads. "Um, no there's not. They are pulled by magic, like always. Hurry up, get in! I'm getting drenched out here!"

Harry closed his eyes and opened them again, but the black winged horses were still there. "No, mate, there are huge black winged horses there!"

"Harry," Hermione said gently, her head poking out from the carriage. "Are you feeling okay?"

"He's feeling fine," Luna answered, a soft dreamy smile on her face. "I can see them too."

"You can?"

She nodded, moving to pet one. Harry's eyes widened and he moved forward. The horses soft whiny reminded him of Cloud Dancing and he felt a pang of loss at the memory of the horse. He missed Georgia, the horse, and Zee's family, _his family,_ he thought with a jolt of warmth, more than he had expected too. The skeletal black horse in front of him seemed to appreciate the attention and he grinned.

"They're oddly beautiful," he murmured as Luna beamed at him.

"I agree."

Ron and Hermione were both staring at them like they had lost their minds. "What are you two on?" Ron asked in bewilderment. "There's nothing there!"

Neville grinned as he hurried towards them. "Oh hey, they seem to enjoy the extra attention, despite the dismal weather."

"You can see them too?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Neville only stared at Ron. "Can't you?"

Ron merely shook his head, looking between the three of them like he was trying to figure out their joke.

"They're Thestrals," Luna said simply. "I've been able to see them from the beginning. They're beautiful creatures, very misunderstood."

"Thestrals!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes alight with knowledge. "Of course! You can only see them if you've seen death! That's why you - oh!"

Harry nodded, his eyes on his friend. "Guess seeing Sirius die had more of an effect on me than I realized." He gave the Thestral one last pet before he hopped into the carriage next to his friends.

Hermione stared at him. "Harry, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Not your fault."

They drove up to the castle in silence and started to make their way into the Great Hall to get warm and out of the wet only to get bombarded by water bombs. Harry spluttered as one of them crashed right over his head and as he was already soaked from head to toe, he didn't appreciate the cold water shower adding to his already well drenched clothes. A second water bomb dropped, narrowly missing Hermione as it burst at Harry's feet, sending a shock of cold water over his sneakers and into his socks. He looked up in time to see Peeves in his bell-covered hat and orange bow tie whip another one at some second years, a wide, malicious grin on his face.

"PEEVES!" McGonagall exclaimed angrily. "Peeves, come down here at once!" She insisted, dashing into the entrance hall and slipping on the wet floor.

Harry moved quickly, his hands gripping her round the waist just as she stumbled and she squeezed his hands affectionately in thanks.

"Good boy, thank you!" She exclaimed, a bit breathless.

"No falling, Auntie Minnie, we need you around here."

She smiled at him. "I'm good, thank you, Harry." She turned back to the poltergeist, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Peeves, get down here, NOW!"

"Not doing nothing!" Peeves cackled, lobbing a water bomb at several fifth-year girls who screamed. "Already wet, aren't they? Little squirts! Wheeee!" And he aimed another bomb at a group of second years.

"I'm warning you, Peeves, I'll call the Headmaster!"

Peeves stuck his tongue out at her, tossing the last of his water bombs into the air and they crashed all over the entrance hall before he zoomed up the marble staircase, cackling insanely.

McGonagall shook off her wet hands with a grimace. "Well, move along then, into the Great Hall, go on!"

They went into the Great Hall, slipping and sliding across the floor as Harry mopped his wet hair back with his hand. It was decorated to its usual perfection, but Harry's eyes immediately sought the Head Table, spotting his father talking to Professor Sprout. Harry nodded to his friends, telling them that he'd be right back and he made his way up to the Head Table.

"Uncle Rem, I need to talk to you."

Remus merely raised an eyebrow and nodded, gesturing for Harry to follow him into the staff room behind the Head Table. He closed the door behind him, turning to look at Harry. "You look like you took a dip in the Black Lake."

Harry grinned. "It's raining a bit and then Peeves had water bombs."

"Ah," Remus said with a smile. "So that's what the commotion was about." He pulled out his wand and tapped his son on the head. "Siccum!" Harry's clothes immediately heated dry, warming him comfortably as Remus tapped his wand to Harry's head once more. "Recalfacio!" The warming charm seeped right down into his sneakers and he sighed in relief.

"Thanks."

Remus smiled. "Has something happened since this morning?"

Harry quickly reiterated his conversation with Draco on the train. "And he said that Hogwarts is the best place to hide things which we know is true because Flamel wanted Dumbledore to hide the Philosopher's Stone here so I think that there's one here, hidden somewhere in the castle!"

Remus stared at him in amazement. "And he just volunteered all of this information?"

"Well, I did save his life at the World Cup, which he admitted to grudgingly, but also, his father told him to share it with me. And most of what he told me we already knew which only goes to show that he's not lying."

Remus nodded, his eyes serious. "All very true. Alright, thank you for telling me. I'll pass it on and we'll go from there."

"But there could be one in the school, right here, right now!"

"Yes, but we have no idea what it is let alone where it could be and we're not going to find it tonight. Let's go back inside, see to the Sorting, enjoy the feast, and we'll talk about this later. Alright?"

Harry nodded, sighing. He knew that his father had a point, but the thought that one could be so close by was alarming and he had a sudden desperate urge to try to find it. "Yeah, you're right."

Remus smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "It's still good news, Harry."

Harry just grinned and nodded before following Remus out of the room and back into the Great Hall. McGonagall was in the middle of the Sorting as he snuck back around to the Gryffindor table and took a seat between Ron and Ginny. Ron gave him a hopeful look, but he merely shrugged in response.

He was interrupted by Colin, who was pointing excitedly to the little boy going up to sit on the stool.

"Harry, that's my brother, Dennis!"

"That's great, Colin," Harry said with a smile.

"Let's hope that he's in Gryffindor with us!"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great."

When the hat called out Gryffindor, Dennis Creevey beamed widely and bounded over to join his brother.

"Colin! I fell in!" He said shrilly, throwing himself into an empty seat. "It was brilliant! And something in the water grabbed me and pushed me back into the boat!"

"Cool," Colin exclaimed. "It was probably the giant squid, Dennis!"

"Wow!" Dennis said in amazement.

Harry merely caught Ginny's eye and they both chuckled. By the time the Sorting was done, Ron was moaning that he was so hungry he could eat a Hippogriff.

When they finished eating, Harry was feeling very well fed and a tad sleepy by the time Dumbledore stood up.

"Now that we are all fed and watered, I must ask for your attention while I give out a few notices. Mr Filch has asked me to tell you that the number of objects forbidden inside of the castle this year has been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office. I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out of bounds to students as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year."

Ginny leaned in close to Harry to whisper, "I only snuck in once."

He grinned at her, remembering that he had in fact encouraged her sneaking into the village as Dumbledore continued. "It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

"WHAT?" Harry exclaimed. He looked around to see that everyone was equally as appalled as he was.

Colin was saying something to Ginny who shook her head, looking sad.

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy, but I am sure that you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year Hogwarts has the great honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months. An event that has not been held in over a century. It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING?" Fred exclaimed loudly.

The hall bubbled in laughter and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively. "I am not joking, Mr Weasley, though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun who all go into a bar and order drinks. The bartender said to the - "

McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

" - Er, but maybe this is not the time, no," Dumbledore said. "Where was I? Oh, yes! The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities, until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued. There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament, none of which have been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided that the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger. The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."

"I'm going for it!" Fred hissed down the table, his face lit with enthusiasm at the prospect of such glory and riches.

He was not the only person who seemed to be visualizing himself as the Hogwarts champion. At every House table, Harry could see people either gazing raptly at Dumbledore, or else whispering fervently to their neighbours. But then Dumbledore spoke again, and the Hall quieted once more.

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said. "The heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year to the dangers of the tasks ahead. Only students who are of age - that is to say, seventeen years or older will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This - " Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and Fred and George were suddenly looking furious.

"This is a measure that we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." His light blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Fred's and George's mutinous faces. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen. The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. There will also be a Yule Ball held in December of this year. The Ball is to help celebrate the tournament as much as it is to celebrate Yule. It is for fourth years and above though a younger student may attend with an older student if they wish. More will be explained later on as the events grow closer. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is for you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"

The school began to move to head up to their respective beds, everyone murmuring to themselves about the tournament.

"It would be pretty amazing to sign up, wouldn't it?" Ron asked Harry as they moved up the marble staircase.

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, it would be cool. Uncle Sirius told me that the tasks are really dangerous which is why they are making it for seventeen and older only."

Ron shrugged. "It's not like we haven't handled dangerous before." At his friend's grin, he nudged him. "If Fred and George find a way around this judge, what do you say, want to throw our names in the hat?"

Harry grinned at him. "Honestly? Hell, yeah. It's not like it would choose someone that wasn't worthy to be a champion anyway, right?"

"Exactly!" Ron exclaimed. "What could go wrong?"

 **Seamus was on his way up the stairs as he followed Dean, who was whispering something in Parvati's ear that her blushing, when he heard someone call his name.** He turned and saw Will standing at the bottom of the stairs so he hurried back down to see him.

"Hey Will," he said, smiling when the boy gestured with his head for him to follow him.

Seamus did so and was led into the broom cupboard around the corner, laughing when the door clicked shut and Will's mouth met his. He let out a soft moan as his body was pressed against the wall and against the boy as his mouth was greedily assaulted. He moved his hands up into Will's hair, kissing him back. He had missed him more than he had wanted to admit. Writing letters all summer had been kind of wonderful, but other than the brief interlude at the World Cup, he hadn't seen him; he hadn't touched him; he hadn't kissed him.

Will's lips left his, trailing hot kisses down the side of his neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he admitted, tugging Will's mouth back to his. "I wanted to kiss you so badly at the World Cup, you don't even know."

Will smiled against his mouth, kissing the corners and moving his lips back to Seamus' neck. He licked a hot trail over his Adam's apple. "If it was even half as much as I wanted to kiss you, I know."

His tongue played with his earlobe, slipping into his ear before his lips moved over to the back of his neck. Seamus arched under his hands as they slid off his waist, around to clutch his bum and he groaned softly. He moved his own hands up and over Will's chest, sliding them down and he cupped him through his pants, feeling how hard he was and he grinned.

"I missed this too," he whispered and then he knelt down in front of him and Will groaned.

"Seam, we … fuck," he groaned when Seamus pulled him from his pants.

Seamus looked up at him, he could barely make him out in the dark of the room, but he knew those green eyes were on him as his tongue reached out to taste him, sliding along the tip, down beneath his shaft and lapping at his balls.

Will put one hand on the wall, the other one gripping Seamus' hair as his mouth engulfed him fully. "Merlin!"

Seamus smiled against him. He had been thinking about doing this all summer. He had dreamed about it more often than he wanted to admit. His tongue slid across the long shaft, sucking and licking and nibbling, his hand moving up to fondle him and to stroke. He tasted as good as he remembered. He wasn't as big as Dean, but he was beautiful in Seamus' opinion and he eagerly pleased him. He could feel him tensing, ready to let go and he popped him out, licking his lips and kissing his stomach.

Will groaned. "Tease."

Seamus simply smiled, he pulled Will's wand out from the pocket of his jeans and muttered 'lumos' illuminating Will's pale skin and his erection. "Hold this," he instructed.

Will took the wand, his breath coming out unevenly as he watched Seamus reach down to undo his own pants and he began to stroke himself. Will watched, one hand still gripping Seamus' hair and he panted a bit as he watched his boyfriend pleasure himself.

"Stop," he told him. "I want to touch you."

Seamus smiled and stood up, letting Will's hands touch him just as he reached out to fondle him. "Me too."

Will groaned. "I'm so close," he whispered.

Seamus stood on his toes and kissed him deeply, his hand working over him faster and faster, one hand sliding back to squeeze his bum and when he felt Will give, he only lasted a few seconds himself as they both groaned, hands working away on each other as they kissed.

Will dropped his forehead down to Seamus'. "This was a rather wonderful reunion," he said, making Seamus grin.

"It was," Seamus said back. "You feel and taste so good, Will, so good."

Will cupped his face in his hands and kissed him deeply. "First Hogsmeade trip this term, come with me."

Seamus shook his head. "I can't … you know why."

He nodded, closing his eyes. "I want to be your boyfriend in more than just dark alcoves, Seam."

"I'm sorry, Will. I just … I can't."

Will kissed him. "Okay, I won't push, I'm sorry."

Seamus watched him pull back, fix his pants and he did the same. "Will, I … I really like you, I like this, I like it a lot."

"I know, Seamus," he said with a grin. "And I really like it too. The first time you used your mouth on me before school ended last year, I thought this is the most perfect boy. I know that I'm asking a lot and if you're not ready to come out, I won't make you. I just … I want to be with you, however you'll let me."

Seamus pulled his mouth back to his. "It's your birthday in a few weeks."

"I know, sixteen, I can't believe it and your fifteenth birthday is a week after mine."

"I want to do something special for you."

"Yeah? I am yours to do with what you'd like."

Seamus slapped his butt. "You might regret those words."

Will kissed him again. "No, I won't. Come on, we better get back to our respective dorms before someone comes looking."

Seamus grinned and kissed him once more before they snuck out of the broom closet. Seamus couldn't stop grinning as he watched the sway of Will's butt. He did like him a lot, he thought, more than a lot if he was honest and that scared him too.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and whistled all the way back to Gryffindor Tower, unable to stop the smile from staying on his face.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Made up a few of my own spell incantations._

 _Secretum Bulla = privacy bubble_

 _Recalfacio = warming charm_

 _Siccum = drying charm_


	158. Chapter 158

_Author's Note:_

 _Thanks coloredwords, this has been in my head since I read your review and yes it does seem to fit, doesn't it?_

 _'_ _Cause we're Frenemies_

 _We like disliking one another_

 _Yes we're frenemies_

 _He's like my least favourite brother_

 _Gold!_

 _As for Hermione, I do have a somewhat plan with her house elf spiel, just give me time. As to the Thestrals, I assume no. I always thought that it was only the death of a human being that would affect the sight of the Thestrals but I could be wrong. And no, this will not be a Dramione, the boys just love teasing him, LOL._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the speech on Unforgivable Curses or the little bit about SPEW that belongs to JKR._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT:**

 **The school year started off fairly normal and his first week was already full due to his heavy workload.** Monday started off with a dose of double Transfiguration with McGonagall and the Hufflepuffs. They were learning the Vanishing Charm, 'Evanesco', first starting on a snail. Harry managed to vanish his snail on his first attempt, earning a bright smile from McGonagall and Gryffindor five points. He and Hermione were the only two to be successful on their first attempt. Then it was off to Astronomy with Professor Sinistra where she had the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws working in partners (Harry's partner was Gary Rivers) to study the individual planets to be presented with your partner. Harry and Rivers were given Jupiter. Monday afternoon ended with double Muggle Studies.

Birmingham had started his class off straight away with a quick overview of last year, which had ended with a discussion on why revolutions had erupted all over the Muggle world in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He moved on to talk about the Industrial Age. He went on to explain how the Industrial Age encompassed a new world for Muggles as they learned to replace hand tools with power driven machines over the course of two centuries and how they would be comparing Muggle inventions with their wizarding counterparts and discuss which Muggle devices wizards in fact used themselves. Birmingham explained how they would connect all of this together at the end of the school year to discuss how it all was supplanted by the Information Age of the twentieth century.

Tuesdays were filled with the Slytherins from double Defence Against the Dark Arts in the morning to Double Potions with Snape in the afternoon. Snape started class off with them brewing a Calming Drought. He walked around, his eyes narrowing as he spewed out instructions in his usual snarky manner, but he did stop over Harry's potion, raise an eyebrow when it turned the right colour and simply nodded as he walked away. Harry figured that it was the highest form of compliment from the Potions professor that he was likely going to get. Knowing that he was the one who had told Voldemort of the prophecy and seeing him, Harry had expected to feel more anger towards his Potions professor, but he didn't. He knew that Sirius was right, Snape had to live with those choices and he thought that the man was suffering more internally than he was willing to admit and that sounded like a just punishment, at least for now, he thought bitterly.

Harry had a little break after lunch when he went to Ancient Runes where Professor Babbling was teaching them how to write Celtic Runes and how to find the root of the word within each rune while Ron and Hermione headed down to Care of Magical Creatures with Neville, Seamus and Dean. Ron told him with horror that Hagrid had introduced some sort of new creature called a Blast-Ended Skrewt which apparently looked as awful as it sounded.

On Wednesdays, Ron and Neville had Divination in the morning and Hermione had Life in the Magical World, so Harry was granted with a free period. He immediately sought the Quidditch pitch, saddened at the thought that this year he wouldn't be playing and found himself starting Oliver Wood's regular regiment as he ran up and down the steps, thankful for the excuse to stretch his legs as much as for the exercise that exhausted him before he took to the skies on his _Firebolt_. After lunch he went to Ancient Runes to study Celtic Runes again and then Double Charms with Flitwick and the Ravenclaws where he was learning the Cheering Charm.

Thursday was the longest day of the week as he started the morning off with Arithmancy and Professor Vector had them breaking down algorithms and designing their own. McGonagall had them practicing the Vanishing Spell again with the Hufflepuffs; Harry had advanced to vanishing hedgehogs. Then he was subjected to two and a half hours of Double History of Magic with Professor Binns and the Ravenclaws. Harry had invested in sugar quills in an attempt to stay awake as Binns droned on about the Giant Wars. On Fridays, they had Herbology with the Ravenclaws and Professor Sprout had them collecting Bubotuber pus which wasn't exactly fun, but Harry could see the merit of it. After lunch, they went back to Astronomy with the Ravenclaws before ending the day with Double Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins.

It was Defence Against the Dark Arts that he found the most interesting so far this year as Remus had invited a special guest speaker to teach them about curses. To Harry's surprise the special guest was Alastor Moody.

He stood at the side of the classroom, his magical eye patrolling over all of them critically as Remus called the class to attention that Friday afternoon.

"Everyone, as promised, I have a special guest to speak to you all today. This is Alastor Moody, a retired Auror from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. As we spoke about on Monday, there are four main kinds of magic: Spells, Charms, Hexes and Curses. Who can tell me what a spell is?" Hermione's hand immediately flew into the air and Remus smiled, "Miss Granger?"

"A spell is a general form of magic, a basic magical ability that all witches and wizards can perform easily, sometimes even without our wands."

"Excellent. Five points to Gryffindor. And a charm? Mr Nott?"

Theo swallowed before he spoke. "A Charm doesn't alter the properties of the subject of the spell, but changes it. For example, if we turn a teacup into a rat, that's a spell, but if I made the teacup dance, that would be a charm."

"Great example, ten points to Slytherin. So spells are basic magic and charms change the property of the magic which would makes hexes what, Mr Weasley?"

Ron stared at Remus, wrinkling his nose. "It's like a jinx, meant to harm or hinder an individual, but not necessarily dangerous."

"Right, another five points to Gryffindor and finally, what is a curse?" His eyes moved around the room, stopping at Neville who was pointedly staring at his desk. "Mr Longbottom?"

Neville looked up in surprise, his eyes wide. "Er, a curse is the worst kind of dark magic. As it's always meant to cause harm and sometimes lasting harm to the person it is inflicted on."

"Correct, five points," Remus said with a smile, quickly writing the four definitions on the blackboard. "Now, curses are what I would like to spend the next few lessons discussing. They are extremely dangerous and we need to learn how to protect ourselves against them to the best of our abilities. They are one of the most dangerous aspects of the dark arts and not all of them are defendable. Auror Moody experienced his share of being up against them over his many years working as an Auror so I'd like everyone to give him your full attention today. Auror Moody?"

Remus moved over, leaning back against the wall of the classroom as Moody made his way up to the front of the desk. "As Lupin said, I'm Alastor Moody, some people call me Mad-Eye, and I'm a retired Auror. It was my job to catch Dark Wizards and to think like a Dark Wizard would in order to apprehend them. I put away more bad witches and wizards than I can even remember. I was one of the best."

He stared around the classroom for a moment, his magical eye moving around in its socket. "As Professor Lupin told you, curses are one of the main dangers you can experience when fighting against those who use the dark arts. And most of them can be healed and fixed or even shielded against, but there are some that are too dark and too dangerous for even that. They can permanently disfigure you; leave you unable to perform magic or worse, keep hurting you for years. So straight into it, then, curses. They come in many strengths and forms."

Harry pulled out his quill. He knew that anything that Moody had to share would definitely be important.

"Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, you're supposed to learn counter-curses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves as does Professor Lupin. They reckon that you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something that you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, blonde girl, when I'm talking."

Lavender jumped when she realized that he was staring at her and blushed. She had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope from Divination under the desk. Apparently Moody's magical eye could see through solid wood, as well as out of the back of his head. Lupin gave her a pointed look and she bit her lip.

"Sorry Professor, sorry, Auror Moody."

Moody nodded and turned his attention back to the class. "As I was saying, curses! Do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?"

Several hands rose tentatively into the air, including Ron and Hermione's. Moody pointed at Ron, though his magical eye was still fixed on Lavender suspiciously.

"Er," Ron said tentatively. "My dad told me about one … It's called the Imperius Curse, or something?"

"Ah, yes," Moody said appreciatively. "Arthur Weasley's boy?" At Ron's nod, Moody attempted a smile with his scarred mouth. "Your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse."

Moody got heavily to his mismatched feet, opened a briefcase that was sitting on the desk, and took out a glass jar. Three large black spiders were scuttling around inside it. Harry felt Ron recoil slightly next to him. Ron hated spiders. Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, and held it in the palm of his hand so that they could all see it. He then pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Imperio!"

The spider leapt from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, then did a backflip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance. Everyone was laughing, everyone except Moody.

"Think it's funny, do you?" He growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?"

The laughter died away almost instantly.

"Total control," Moody said quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window; drown itself; throw itself down one of your throats … "

Ron gave an involuntary shudder.

"Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse," Moody said and Harry knew that he was talking about the war with Voldemort. "Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will. The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be helping Professor Lupin teach you how to fight it, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He barked, and everyone jumped.

Harry saw Remus stifle a laugh from the corner and he grinned at him as Moody picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar.

"Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?"

Hermione's hand flew into the air again and so, to Harry's slight surprise, did Neville's. The only class in which Neville usually volunteered information was Herbology which was easily his best subject. Neville looked surprised at his own daring.

"Yes?" Moody asked Neville.

"There's one, the Cru-Cruciatus Curse," Neville said in a small, but distinct voice. Harry nodded, smiling when Hermione reached out to squeeze his arm in reassurance.

Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes. "Your name's Longbottom?" He said, his magical eye swooping down to check the register that Lupin had left open on his desk.

Neville nodded nervously, but Moody made no further inquiries. Turning back to the class at large, he reached into the jar for the next spider and placed it upon the desktop, where it remained motionless, apparently too scared to move.

"The Cruciatus Curse," Moody said. "Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea." He said, pointing his wand at the spider and said, "Engorgio!"

The spider swelled. It was now larger than a tarantula. Abandoning all pretence, Ron pushed his chair backward, as far away from Lupin's desk as possible.

Moody raised his wand again, pointed it at the spider, and muttered, "Crucio!"

At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Harry was sure that if it could have been given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently. All Harry could think about was that this is what Sirius' own mother had done to him; she had performed that spell on her son when he disobeyed and he felt sick. How could anyone perform that on a living person let alone a child?

"Stop it!" Hermione said shrilly.

Harry looked around at her. She was looking, not at the spider, but at Neville, and Harry, following her gaze, saw that Neville's hands were clenched upon the desk in front of him, his knuckles white, his eyes wide and horrified. He got up, moving to grab his friend's arm as Hermione did the same.

Moody raised his wand. The spider's legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch. "Reducio," Moody muttered, and the spider shrank back to its proper size. He put it back into the jar.

"You alright, Nev?" Harry asked.

Neville nodded and urged his friends to sit back down.

"Pain," Moody softly as Harry and Hermione once more took their seats. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse. That one was very popular once too. Right, does anyone know of any others?"

Harry's eyes met Remus' before he slowly raised his hand.

"Potter," Moody said simply.

"Avada Kedavra," Harry said quietly.

Several people looked uneasily around at him, including Ron.

"Ah," Moody said, another slight smile twisting his lopsided mouth. "Yes, the last and the worst of them. Avada Kedavra … the Killing Curse."

He put his hand into the glass jar, and almost as though it knew what was coming, the third spider scuttled frantically around the bottom of the jar, trying to evade Moody's fingers, but he trapped it, and placed it upon the desktop. It started to scuttle frantically across the wooden surface. Moody raised his wand, and Harry felt a sudden thrill of foreboding.

"Avada Kedavra!" Moody roared.

There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air - instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several of the students stifled cries; Ron had thrown himself backward and almost toppled off his seat as the spider skidded toward him. Moody vanished the spider.

"Not nice," he said calmly. "Not pleasant. And there's no counter-curse. There's no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me."

Harry felt his face redden as Moody's eyes looked into his own. He could feel everyone else looking around at him too. Harry stared at the blank blackboard as though fascinated by it, but not really seeing it at all. Knowing that it was the curse to have killed his parents; knowing that was what Voldemort had used on him before it had bounced off of him because of his mother's sacrifice; knowing that the green light from his dreams were reflected in that curse, didn't make seeing it any easier. How could a simple flash of green light wipe the life from someone so quickly?

"Avada Kedavra's a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it - you could all get your wands out right now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you how to do it. Now, if there's no counter-curse, why am I showing you? Because you've got to know. You've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He roared a second time, and the whole class jumped again.

"Now … those three curses - Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus - are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban Prison. That's what you're up against. That's what we've got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice constant, never-ceasing vigilance. Professor Lupin, why don't you take over again?"

Remus moved back to the front of the room, talking about each of the Unforgivable Curses in more detail and they spent the rest of the lesson writing notes on them. When the bell sounded, Remus asked Harry and Neville to stay behind. Harry shuffled his feet as his classmates left and Moody moved to take a seat in the chair behind Remus' desk.

"You two alright?" Remus asked, placing a hand on both boys' shoulders. "I can't imagine seeing that today was very easy."

Neville nodded, wiping at a tear that escaped from his eye. "It hurts. Auror Moody didn't say that it hurt."

Remus smiled and put an arm around Neville. "Neville, that is a curse that is extremely illegal and only the darkest witches and wizards would even consider using it on another human being. Bellatrix Lestrange is a monster and we both know this. What she did to you and … to Alice and Frank … she will be punished for it one day, I believe that."

Harry was staring at Moody, watching his magical eye roam around the room. "Auror Moody, what did you mean when you said that some people can fight off the Imperius Curse? How?"

Moody smiled. "You're inquisitive, Potter, I like that. Black and Lupin distilled good morals in you, boy." The back of Harry's neck flushed at this. "The Imperius Curse is a battle of wills and if a witch or wizard is strong enough than they can outsmart any witch or wizard who places that curse on them." He tapped Harry's forehead. "It's about what you know up there. Now, Lupin tells me that you've already mastered a Patronus, that's a strong bit of magic. Fighting off the Imperius is about understanding what's real and what's not real; what your mind is telling you and what it isn't really telling you. An example would be …"

"Veela," Remus said with a smile. "You know how I feel about Nymphadora and we are connected, deeply on many levels and because of my feelings for her, the Veela didn't affect me at the World Cup. I saw them as beautiful women, beautiful creatures, but that was it, I wasn't overcome with the same urges that other men were to do something impressive in order to gain their attention. My mind was able to comprehend the difference between the illusion and reality."

Harry nodded. "At the Cup, when the Veela came out, I wanted to impress them in some way, but then I thought it was dumb, I guess because I just … stopped."

Moody grinned an ugly scarred smile. "That's an excellent start, Potter. Lupin, I think that he would be an excellent one to test the curse on first, to see how his will fights against the demands."

Remus smiled at him. "We'll talk more about it. I'm still not sold on you performing an Unforgivable on my students no matter what Dumbledore says on the subject."

Harry stared at his father. "But if I could learn to fight it, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Remus squeezed his shoulder gently. "It would be. We'll talk about it. If you and Neville are okay, you can head out. I just wanted to check, I know what kind of memories watching those curses probably brought up for the two of you."

They both nodded, thanked him and Moody and headed out of the classroom. Neville moved his shoulders around as if he was uncomfortable in his own skin.

Harry merely raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I … I think I want to transform and just … run."

Harry nodded, his eyes lighting up. "That sounds brilliant! Let's put our bags away and head out."

"Should we get the others?" Neville asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. Come on, Nev, this is for us."

Neville just grinned at him.

Twenty minutes later, a puppy and a badger were running around near Hagrid's hut. The badger rolled and stumbled as he ran and the puppy yipped happily, running circles around the badger's form. Harry could feel that he had grown into his paws somewhat. His Tamaskan had gotten a bit taller and a bit longer, but he was still very much a puppy who was tripping over his too big paws. The badger had grown a bit as well, but was still baby-like as he moved around.

They spent an hour playing and running near Hagrid's hut before they transformed back into themselves. They were grinning as Hagrid saw them.

"Neville, 'Arry! What are yeh two doing out 'ere?"

"Just taking a break, Hagrid," Harry said with a smile.

"Come in for some tea," he said, urging them inside.

Harry and Neville filled Hagrid in about their summer. Hagrid was charmed by the idea of Harry learning how to ride a horse and Harry told him all about Cloud Dancing and how wonderful he had been. He explained how great Zee's family had been to him and how much he loved being there and then he and Neville revealed that they were studying to be Animagus. Hagrid had only smirked in response.

"Oh, so that's why yeh needed my 'elp so much last year wit' the dew an' Hawk Moth chrysalis thing! That's great! What animals are yeh?"

Harry grinned and transformed into his Tamaskan, startling Fang who immediately hid behind Hagrid's chair.

"It's a bloody puppy, yeh coward!" Hagrid bellowed, grinning like a fool when Harry propped his front paws on his knee and Hagrid scratched him behind the ears. He looked at Neville when he changed into a badger and his grin widened. "And a badger! Majestic creatures, they are!"

The badger rolled over and Hagrid chuckled, moving to rub the belly of the animal happily. They both changed back, telling him what it felt like to become an animal as he listened with rapt interest. They headed down to the Great Hall with him for dinner, still telling him all about their summer and he listened attentively, a big smile on his hairy face.

 **Hermione approached Harry after dinner on Friday,** a large pile of library books in her hands. Harry's eyebrow merely rose as she dropped them next to his chair in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"I have done as much research as possible on house elves and I still think that the way that Crouch treated Winky is an absolute abomination!"

Harry let out a slow sigh. "I knew that when I told you about it that you weren't okay with it. The look you gave Percy when he said that he agreed with him firing the elf so as not to embarrass him in public … if looks could kill …"

She let out a huff a she sat on the floor and looked up at him. "I just don't understand how this entire race of creatures has been enslaved to the wizarding world for generations! For centuries! I talked about it with Professor Carthaginian after class and she told me that they want to serve witches and wizards which is absolutely preposterous to me! They have been brainwashed into believing that its what they want! Hogwarts employs hundreds of them! Hundreds, Harry! How come we've never seen them around outside of the kitchens?"

Harry hesitated. "That's a sign of a good house elf, Hermione. You're not supposed to know that they're around. You know that Uncle Sirius and I have a house elf who takes care of some of the Black properties."

"I know and now after reading up on all of this, doesn't it disturb you that he calls you master? That you can call for him right now and that he _has_ to come because you _own_ him?"

"Hermione, I'm not saying that I know a whole lot about house elves because I don't, but what I do know is that their magic is tied to their work. They love to keep busy, to cook, to clean to do what they love and working for wizards who appreciate them is all that they want in the world. Now, it is true that we own them and that part isn't right either, but … you do know that the house elf is connected to our magic, right?"

She shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"A house elf when they present themselves to work for their master, they present their magic as well. Which means that a house elf cannot use magic against their master nor can a witch or wizard use magic against them. They are very powerful creatures on their own and can do spells and Apparate and charms and are very formidable, but what they love is work, no matter the kind."

"But Dobby used to tell you that his master hurt him, remember?"

Harry shook his head. "He hurt himself on his master's wishes which is something else entirely. They like to work. That's why Winky was so upset. Not only did Mr Crouch fire her, but he severed their magical tie. It was traumatic for her."

Hermione huffed indignantly. "Well, they can like to work all they want, I still refuse to support a system that calls for slavery! They deserve payment for their hard work!" She opened the container on top of her books just as Ron came over and she gave Ron and Harry each a button.

"Spew?" Ron asked in bewilderment. "What the bloody hell is this?"

"It's not spew, its S-P-E-W, Ron, and it stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare!"

"Never heard of it," Ron muttered.

"Well, of course you haven't because I just started it!"

"Yeah?" Ron asked in mild surprise. "How many members have you got?"

"Well, with you two, three but -"

" - And you think that we want to walk around wearing badges that say, 'spew,' do you?"

"S-P-E-W!" Hermione exclaimed hotly. "It's about time that someone does something about the way that house elves are treated! I was going to put Stop The Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status, but it wouldn't fit. So that's the heading of our manifesto."

Ron's mouth opened in amazement and then closed it again as she brandished a leaf of parchment at them. "House elves like working, Hermione."

"I've been researching it thoroughly in the library. Elf enslavement goes back centuries. I can't believe that no one has done anything about it before now."

"Hermione! Open your ears," Ron exclaimed loudly. "They. Like. It."

"Our short-term aims," Hermione said, blatantly ignoring Ron. "Are to secure house elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long-term aims include changing the law about non-wand use, and trying to get an elf into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures because they are shockingly underrepresented."

"And how do we do this?" Harry asked in defeat, sticking the button to his shirt and making her beam at him.

"We start by recruiting members. I thought two Sickles to join as it buys the badge and then the proceeds can fund our leaflet campaign. You're treasurer, Ron, I've got you a collecting tin upstairs and Harry, you'll be the secretary so you have to write down everything that I'm saying to keep a record of our first meeting."

There was a pause in which Hermione beamed at the pair of them and Harry sat, torn between exasperation at Hermione and the look of amusement on Ron's face. Hermione merely narrowed her eyes at Ron and he sighed as he pinned the button to his shirt.

"Fine, but for the record, I think that this is pointless," Ron insisted.

Harry just shrugged as Hermione spotted Ginny coming into the common room with Colin and she jumped up, hurrying over to them to tell them all about Spew. Harry pulled out his notebook to finish writing his letter to Grandma and Grandpa and Grandmama and Papa, half listening to Hermione's spiel around the common room. He wrote to Zee next, telling her all about Hermione's new manifesto and adding a button and a leaflet. He figured that if anyone would get a kick out of it, she would. She might even have some advice for Hermione on the subject.

It was after eleven by the time he finished so he put them aside to mail out in the morning, stifling a yawn and made his way upstairs. He pulled back his bed curtains and jolted at the sight of the wolverine lying there. He shoved him and the wolverine seemed to smile before changing back into Ron.

"Looking good mate, I think that you definitely got bigger."

Ron nodded. "I have. How long did Sirius say it takes until our animals are, you know, fully grown?"

"About a year and they changed every day," Harry said, changing into his pyjamas. "And it's been … what four months for us already?"

"Almost," Ron said with a grin. "You've definitely already doubled in size, but as you were such a tiny puppy to begin with that's not saying much," at Harry's look, he grinned. "What? You're a baby! Anyway, I looked up the sizes and approximate weight of our animals just to help us figure it out, you know? I'm supposed to be around sixty pounds. You on the other hand, are supposed to be close to ninety pounds."

"And where do you think we are?" Harry asked him.

Ron shrugged. "No idea."

Harry grinned and urged him to transform before he pulled out his wand and checked Ron's height and mass. "You're about twenty-five pounds." Ron changed back and checked Harry's height and mass: he was only eighteen pounds.

"So what do you think by my birthday, maybe?" Ron asked hopefully.

Harry grinned at him. "Definitely."

 **Sirius spent Harry's first week back to school talking to people at the Ministry.** The Ministry of Magic was still dealing with the aftermath of the attacks, witches and wizards complaining about injuries, broken and damaged tents and other issues that came up due to the attacks. The Muggles all had their memories modified and no one had been caught, much to the dismay of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Sirius spoke to the Wizengamot at the first session that September about the Death Eaters who had attacked. Fudge shut him down, vehemently declaring that a few loose cannons did not mean that the Death Eaters were back in full force and nor was it any inclination that Voldemort was mounting any kind of return. According to Fudge, Harry had killed Voldemort thirteen years ago and he wasn't coming back from the dead.

Sirius brought up Fudge's overreaction last year, insisting on Dementors guarding Hogwarts because of two escaped Death Eaters and how these attacks at the World Cup were now warranting no reaction in comparison. His words were met on deaf ears and Dumbledore only shook his head at him.

Fudge wasn't listening and Sirius knew that without direct proof, the Minister wasn't going to listen to anything that he had to say on the subject. He had immediately sent word to everyone of FUVP to meet at headquarters that Saturday where he felt that at least they would be able to do something about the potential situation.

Remus had asked him to come by the cottage the first night of school and he had filled Sirius in on what Harry and Draco had discussed.

"The journal said that there was one in the school?" He had asked in amazement.

"Harry seems to think so and frankly it's definitely what it sounded like. Of course, what it could be, we have no idea, but a location is a definite start."

Sirius nodded, his head full of thoughts on the subject.

By the time Saturday came around, he was feeling antsy. He drummed his fingers on the table in Number Twelve as he waited for everyone to arrive. Tonks got there first, moving to sit across from him and watching his leg bounce.

"You okay over there?"

"Antsy," he said simply. "The Ministry pulling you through the mud on this Death Eater stuff as well?"

She rolled her eyes. "Basically the common consensus is that we know that the riots at the World Cup were led by Death Eaters and the Ministry knows that they were Death Eaters, but no one can prove it; therefore they were not Death Eaters, to prevent causing the public to panic," she explained in exasperation. "I told King who we suspected some of them were and let's just say that we have some Aurors discreetly keeping an eye on them, but there is literally nothing that we can do unless we witness them, unmasked to identify, committing a crime."

Sirius swore. "This is so frustrating! It's like I know what is going to happen and I can do nothing to stop it!"

Tonks nodded as Remus came in. She held her arms open and he smiled wrapping her in his embrace, kissing her neck and lifting her from the bench. He took a seat and simply put her on his lap as if it was the most natural move in the world and she snuggled into his arms. "Hi, missed you."

He smiled at her and kissed her softly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You two are disgustingly happy, do you know that?"

Tonks simply grinned at him.

It was only another fifteen minutes before Bill, Moody, Dumbledore and McGonagall came in. Sirius glanced up at the clock. "Anyone heard from Zee?"

Tonks nodded. "I ran into her at Ministry this afternoon, she was working a double on some animal abuse case, but she said that she was coming."

Sirius nodded. "We'll give her ten more minutes and then we'll start."

She took twenty, apologizing as she came in and kissing Sirius before she sat down.

"Hey, I was worried," he kissed her fingers.

"I'm sorry, I'll send word next time I'm running behind," she told him.

He nodded and turned his attention back to the room. "We've learned a few things over the last few weeks. I'd like to fill you all in before we talk about them." After everyone's general consensus, he cleared his throat. "The World Cup, that scare threw all of us for a loop and we are very much aware that there are Death Eaters out there; the ones who walked free during the war and many of them who are helping Abraxas Malfoy in his mission to bring Voldemort back. The following are people who we strongly suspect to be Death Eaters and ones who we all should be watching out for."

He pointed his wand at the blackboard and the names appeared there as he spoke them.

➾ Abraxas Malfoy

➾ Lucius Malfoy

➾ Bellatrix Lestrange

➾ Peter Pettigrew (CAPTURED)

➾ Linus Lestrange

➾ Titus Avery

➾ Aurelius Avery

➾ Wendall Selwyn

➾ Woodrow Selwyn

➾ Thaddeus Nott

"Pettigrew, as most of you are aware, broke into Hogwarts at the end of May with a message for my son about the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff. Harry and I found it in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange in June as he said we would and we destroyed it. That was the last meeting that we had, to confirm that we had destroyed the cup. In the meantime, Albus and I have moved Pettigrew to a secure location in this house where he is being held prisoner until we know for certain that he has given us all of the information that he knows about Voldemort and what he is doing or potentially doing in the future."

"You've had him here all summer?" Moody asked gruffly, sipping the Scotch that Kreacher had just passed to him.

"We have. Kreacher has been taking care of him and has kept me updated on his movements."

"Mr Pettigrew sleeps a lot," Kreacher said to the room. "He mumbles in his sleep and he cries. He does not ask Kreacher where he is. He does not ask Kreacher to leave. He just tells Kreacher he is sorry."

Sirius nodded. "Thank you, Kreacher."

The elf beamed at him and hurried off to continue preparing dinner.

"He did give us some information in June that Albus, Minerva and I did not share right away for a few reasons. First, we wanted to wait for Remus to be here and secondly, we didn't know what to believe of it, but now we are certain that it is accurate." He quickly explained about what Pettigrew had told him concerning Voldemort's status as an infant.

"Babymort?" Bill said with a grin. "Interesting name, but … that is sick. This poor woman and she's still alive?"

"From what I gathered yes, she is being kept in Selwyn Manor in Croatia where she is being constantly sexually assaulted for the pleasure of whomever chooses. They keep promising to take her to her child, but she has no idea that her child has died and Voldemort now possesses him. I imagine that the thought of her child is the only thing keeping her alive," Sirius said sadly.

"And there's no way for us to get to Selwyn Manor?" McGonagall asked, her eyes wide. "We know that she's there, we should be able to mount some form of rescue?"

Tonks shook her head. "Unfortunately no because first of all it's in Croatia so we don't have jurisdiction to slip in there and mount any form of rescue mission. Secondly, the manor is guarded and Unplottable. No one knows where it is located outside of its country of origin. Pettigrew says that it is also under the Fidelius Charm and he doesn't know who the Secret Keeper is. It is well guarded and beyond our reach. The perfect place to grow and to restore the body of the darkest wizard we've ever seen."

"Which brings us back to this mysterious ritual that he is planning to use to try to come back," Sirius said, clearing his throat. "Two weeks ago, Harry had a dream that I believe was more than just a dream. He was watching Voldemort as if he himself was there in the room, witnessing this event. I think that we can all agree that the Horcrux inside of him allowed this event to take place. His scar hurt when he woke and he came to me immediately and I viewed the memory of his dream in a Pensieve. I would like to share it with you now."

Everyone watched as Sirius pulled out the Pensieve and amplified the memory onto the wall to be watched like a screen. When the memory faded, Bill spoke up.

"That thing … that … it's not a fucking baby."

"No, it's not," Remus said. "The baby was born sometime around March and this was in August and as you can all see he can already hold a wand and think and communicate the way that an adult can. The soul piece that he has left is merely residing inside of the body, that child is dead."

Moody scratched his chin as he spoke. "That Muggle that he killed, I know him. His name was Frank Bryce. Did anyone look into the Muggle police reports, see if there was anything on his death?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, we didn't know where they were nor who the Muggle was so it made it a little harder to do so. Frank Bryce, you say? Who was he?"

"A war veteran from the Second World War, a Muggle war back in the '30s and '40s. If you remember, I had mentioned it before that Bryce was the original suspect of the Riddle Murders back in the forties. My father was the Auror assigned to the case and I remember him arguing about it for ages that the Muggles were barking up the wrong tree looking at this veteran who worked as a groundskeeper and caretaker of the Riddle Mansion in Little Hangleton. Obviously, they never proved he did it and the charges were dropped," Moody explained. "Morfin Gaunt was arrested for their deaths, but as we know now, he wasn't guilty of it either."

Dumbledore nodded. "So as of two weeks ago, Voldemort was in his father's childhood home in Little Hangleton."

"Do you think that he sent someone to check on the Horcrux at the Gaunt Shack? It would be close by and if they saw the wards were down?"

Bill shook his head. "The wards aren't down, Zee. Alastor and I reinstated them before we followed Sirius and Tonks to Hogwarts. You wouldn't know that someone had tampered with them at all unless you attempted to get past them."

"Well, that's one small blessing."

"But he doesn't plan to stay there, as we know, he plans on returning to Croatia which is safer for him, but this ritual that he has planned with Harry is something that we do need to concern ourselves with."

Dumbledore nodded. "As well as this connection that Harry seems to have with him … nothing like this has ever happened before?"

"No, never," Sirius told him. "Remus and I were contemplating the idea of teaching Harry Occlumency to help stop it."

"That could be an option," Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes guarded in thought.

Lastly, Remus explained about what Draco Malfoy had told Harry and they all agreed that the castle needed to be checked.

"I think that the only place we know it's not for sure is in the Chamber of Secrets," McGonagall said with a sigh. "The castle alone, the secret rooms, the hidden rooms … it could take us years."

Sirius nodded. "I know especially because we have no idea what the object in question is. What I'm thinking is that we can divide and conquer. I think that we can all agree that it's not going to be some place that is constantly full of students like the Great Hall or the main classrooms. It won't be in any of your private offices or in any of the dorm rooms, but the common rooms, the other classrooms and anywhere else in the school is essentially up for grabs. The problem again is that we have no idea what this last one could be. We're going to have to keep looking for anything that is warded or gives up a negative vibe or energy. We all know what that Horcrux feels like when we get close to it and I think that we'd all know that feeling if we came across one, am I right?"

At everyone's nod, he sighed.

"So, divide and conquer. Moony, Minnie, and Albus are going to get the bulk of this one being that you're all at Hogwarts on a daily basis. With Albus' permission, perhaps, Tonks, Zee and I can also try to look around and I'd like to get Harry and his friends to do the same. All eyes on this can only be helpful and Harry knows how dangerous the Horcrux can be so I trust him to help us find it."

Bill nodded. " _Gringotts_ has been transferring me to London every few weeks which means I'll be in the country a lot more and I'd like the chance to help look for it as well. Like you said, all eyes on this."

Dumbledore held up his hand. "I agree with this plan, however, the all eyes is going to be a problem this year. With Hogwarts hosting the Triwizard Tournament, the amount of people that we are going to have in the school won't allow anyone to move around and search for this so easily. I think for the time being, Minerva, Remus and I should be the only ones looking. Harry of course may also be included because he will already be at Hogwarts."

Sirius nodded. "I guess I can see that. Who else is going to be at the school?"

"Ludo Bagman, Barty Crouch, and Cornelius Fudge are the three main ones, but there will also be reporters attending certain events, Ministry officials and international Ministry officials, plus the headmaster and headmistress from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, not to mention the students they bring to sign up for the tournament."

"Karkaroff needs to be watched," Moody said gruffly.

"Igor Karkaroff?" Sirius asked in surprise. "The accused Death Eater?"

Moody nodded. "He's the Headmaster of Durmstrang now, ironic, isn't it?"

Sirius frowned. "When did he get out of Azkaban?"

"He only served a little time. The Ministry released him when he gave up the names of other Death Eaters," Moody said, a scowl on his face. "The dirty rat deserved a Kiss if you ask me. He was caught with Anton Dolohov torturing Muggles."

Dumbledore only raised an eyebrow. "His past crimes are that, his past, Alastor. He's been a free man now for over a decade and he is now the Headmaster of a school and we will show him the respect that grants him. But yes, he will still be watched."

Remus let out a slow breath. "Well, we can start the search for this potential Horcrux anyway, no matter how small and in the meantime, maybe Bill, Sirius and Zee can try to research what the object in question could be. Maybe try to give us an idea of what exactly we're looking for."

"Harry mentioned the lost diadem of Ravenclaw as a potential founder object, but as we know, that has been lost for centuries," Sirius said. "But something along those lines could be a good start."

Everyone seemed to be in agreement. Talk turned to the upcoming tournament and Moody told Sirius that he was thinking of putting Harry under the Imperius Curse to see if he had the ability to throw it off.

Sirius' eyes widened. "You want to do what to my son?"

Remus chuckled. "I had the same reaction."

"Potter thinks that it's a good idea," Moody said with a smile. "We spoke about it yesterday after class. Dumbledore has given me the authority to do so and I think that if anyone is going to have the mindset to do it, it's going to be Potter."

"Sirius, you yourself could fight it off by the time you were, what, twelve?" Remus asked him.

"Excuse me?" Zee exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You fought off the Imperius Curse at twelve?"

Sirius glared at Remus. "One of those lovely traits about my dear mum," he said. "This may come as a surprise, but I didn't exactly listen to my parents as a kid and they decided that in order to discipline me, they would put me under the Imperius Curse and make me do what they wanted. The first time I think I was about eight. But yeah, by the time I was eleven actually, I could throw it off completely."

McGonagall reached out to touch his arm. "Sirius, you … you should have told someone, told me."

He smiled at her. "By the time that I started Hogwarts, the Imperius was basically a long memory. My mother couldn't control me with it."

Zee was scowling. "Yeah because she moved onto the Cruciatus," she muttered, remembering the image of a young boy cowering under his mother's hateful wand in the eerie glow of the Horcrux.

"Long time ago," Sirius told her. "And yes, I get the ramifications of learning how to fight against it. The last thing that any of us would want was for anyone to be put under the curse and forced to do something against their wishes but … he's fourteen!"

"And I think that he can do it," Moody told him. "Remus and I decided that the class wasn't the place for it, but his Defence Club starts up again in two weeks and I'm going to be a guest speaker to the Advanced Classes. I want to practice putting them all under it, just the Advanced students."

McGonagall frowned. "I would like to say that I hate this idea and I fully support it at the same time."

Moody grinned at her. "It will be in a controlled environment, Minerva. Remus will be there watching and keeping track and most importantly, we can make sure that no one can hurt them."

Sirius let out a slow sigh. "Alright. Let me know how he does."

Remus just nodded, a small smile on his face. "We will. It should be quite the Defence Club meeting."

Sirius could only agree.

 **Sirius tapped his hands on the table as everyone headed out after the meeting an hour later.** He waited a beat before heading into the study and opening the secret passage to where he had hidden Pettigrew away. He hadn't seen him since he had put him in there at the beginning of the summer.

He tried not to think about him at all if he was honest with himself.

Peter didn't even look up when he came into the room. Sirius grabbed the wooden chair in the corner, turning it around to straddle it, his eyes on the man lying in the bed. His hair seemed to be more patchy, full of bald spots and he looked old and worn down. Sirius let out a slow sigh and the sound made him turn around.

"Sirius?" He croaked in surprise.

Sirius nodded, his eyes on him. "Kreacher says that you don't say much. But you're eating so obviously you don't want to die."

Peter simply stared at him. "Some days I think I do."

"What else do you know, Pete?"

"What?"

"You heard me," Sirius said carefully. "You know more than you've let on. Maybe it's a survival instinct, you think if you only share pieces with me that I'll let you live longer. Is that the case?"

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to do the right thing just once in your life. Help me. Help Harry. Help yourself."

Peter stared at him and swallowed slowly. "I don't know how to help you. I told you what I knew." He looked up when Zee stepped into the doorway. "Need reinforcements, worried I'll attack?"

Zee only moved forward, placing her hands on Sirius' shoulders. "Are you going to attack?"

Peter stared at the two of them. "I don't know anything."

"And I think that you know more," Sirius told him. "You came all the way to Hogwarts just to tell Harry that Bella was given a special gift from Voldemort? That seems strange. Why that moment? Why that gift? Harry shared the memory of that night with me, I know what you said to him about how in another life he would have called you uncle. Does the thought of what you did to James and Lily haunt you, Wormtail?"

Peter only blinked and closed his eyes.

"You told me about Kata Novak and about the baby that Voldemort is possessing. You told us about the ritual that he is doing, but not enough about it."

"I don't know any more," Peter said desperately. "If I knew I would tell you! I swear."

Sirius nodded. "Maybe. Maybe, not. But my question is, what am I going to do with you? If you don't know anything else; why am I even bothering to keep you around? I think it might be time to turn you back over the Aurors and to the Dementors. You obviously have nothing more to tell me and therefore are of no use to me."

Peter paled. "I know stuff! I mean, I can tell you about the other Death Eaters, the ones that I know!"

"More than you've already told me? I know about Woodrow and Wendall Selwyn and Thaddeus Nott, what else do you know? Who else is behind this?"

Peter swallowed slowly. "Abraxas Malfoy is working with Titus Avery, Linus Lestrange and Wendall Selwyn to keep the Dark Lord alive. Bella was also helping, but that was back before I came here so I don't know if it's the same."

"How are they keeping him alive?"

"They feed him, part milk and part venom from the snake Nagini and they mix it with unicorn blood. It's important that he has all three of them mixed together consistently and constantly because it's supposed to help sustain him when he gets his old body back."

"How is he going to get his old body back?" Sirius asked him, his fingers tapping his arms as they lay across the back of the chair. "He, for all intents and purposes, died thirteen years ago. His body is dust and decay; rotted flesh and bones."

Peter stared at him. "But his soul didn't die and that means that if he puts his soul back into his body, he can heal it, for the most part. The soul is what gives life to the body. I don't think that it will be exactly the same, but he seems to think that it will work out okay."

Sirius nodded, letting out a slow breath. "You know that we can't let that happen, Pete."

"I don't know how you're going to stop it," he admitted.

"He wants Harry for the ritual."

Peter nodded. "He said that it's important because it will show the world that not even The Boy Who Lived can stop him from returning; that nothing will stop him from showing how powerful he really is."

"He has a point about that," he admitted as Zee let out a small breath behind him. "And the ritual itself?"

Peter shook his head. "I swear I don't know!"

"How does he plan to get to Harry? He has to know how well protected he is."

"He does," he told him carefully. "I don't know how, but I know that he was working on something with Brax and Wendall. They had an idea of some kind, but whatever it was they always discussed it behind closed doors."

"And Lucius?"

Peter shook his head. "Brax thinks that he's a coward; claims his son is not really a man. He wasn't around much and when he did he looked uncomfortable to be there. He knows even less than me."

Sirius nodded, standing up and putting the chair back in the corner. "Just so you know, Harry is the most amazing kid, young man, actually. He's bright and sassy and has the biggest heart of anyone that I have ever met, even bigger than Lily's was, if you can imagine. He's the best of Jamie and Lily and you lost the chance to know him and I feel sorry for you."

"Sirius … I … I fought as hard as I could."

Sirius only stared at him, his grey eyes sad. "No, Wormy, you didn't."

And he closed the door behind him, sealing Peter once more in the vault. He leaned back against the door, surprised to find tears in his eyes and he hastily wiped them away as Zee simply wrapped her arms around him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I'm fine."

She only raised her eyebrow. "We're not going to let him take Harry. I will do everything I can to protect him along side of you, you know that, right?"

He leaned down and kissed her deeply. "I know."

"As for Peter, you can't just leave him in there indefinitely."

"Sure, I can," he said with a grin. "No, I know that. But for now, it works."

Zee smiled at him and tugged him back into the kitchen. "I was just talking to Kreacher, he said that Winky is adjusting, but that she's not ready to take on a new family. She still sees Crouch as her master and won't hear of accepting anyone else."

"I know. She is helping Kreacher with the work for now so I guess that's something. Do you have any other suggestions about what we can do for her?"

"Maybe we can send her to Hogwarts, more elves are there and they might be able to help her cope a bit?"

"But you don't think so?" He asked, taking a seat on the bench at the table.

Zee shook her head. "I think being here with Kreacher is good for her. It might take her a while to adjust, but she's here with another elf and she can help out here."

He nodded. "I agree. I guess we'll give her a few more weeks and then we'll see where she's at."

Zee smiled at him, moving to sit in his lap. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Oh?" He asked when her arms wrapped around his neck. He placed a hand on her hip, the other on her leg, holding her in place. "About?"

"The Imperius Curse."

His eyebrow rose. "I don't like it either, but if Harry can learn to fight it off that's going to be beneficial to him in the future."

"Yes, I agree with that, even if I don't like it."

"Then what about it?"

"I know that you spoke with Harry already and I know that you don't want to tell me about it, but … sometimes it just hits me, the things that your parents did to you …"

Sirius bent his head and captured her lips in his for a long kiss. "I'm okay, baby. It was a long time ago and talking to Harry did help me. I'm glad that I told him everything."

She played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "You are an amazing man. An incredible father and so strong, you didn't let them break you, you kept fighting and I am so proud of you." She kissed him softly. "And I love you and the thought of you as a helpless child undergoing Unforgivable Curses pains me so much. I want to hurt the person who did this to you and knowing they are dead …"

Sirius dipped his forehead to hers. "Do you really want to know everything, Zahira?"

She stared at him for a long moment. "I keep telling myself that it doesn't matter, but it does. I wish your parents were still alive so that I could inflict the same pain on them that they put a helpless child through."

He half smiled. "I would have paid good money to watch you take on my mother." He kissed her nose. He let out a slow breath. "I didn't know how bad it really was until after I told Jamie …"

By the time he was done, Zee had tears pouring down her cheeks. She kissed his cheeks, his nose, his forehead. "You didn't deserve it. None of it."

"I know," he told her. "But it protected my brother from them and I would have done it all over again if it did that."

"Thank you for telling me. I know that you didn't want too and I know that it was hard and -"

" - I wanted too," he interrupted. "Ever since I told Harry I … now you know all of my secrets."

"Not all of them," she said with a coy smile.

"Oh? What else don't you know?"

"The age you were when you lost your virginity."

He chuckled. "Thirteen. She was older by a year and more experienced. I thought it was the greatest day of my life."

She smiled. "Was it?"

"Up until that point, hell yeah," he said with a grin. "Now? I think the best sexual encounter was the day that I told you I loved you. You … fucking destroyed me and it was amazing, but then again, the night after my first Wizengamot session was … fuck, basically any time I'm in your mouth, in you, with you …"

She grinned cheekily. "Flatterer."

"Oh, and what's your best sexual encounter?"

Zee looked thoughtful for a moment. "Six years ago in Australia when I was -" she yelped when he tickled her stomach, laughing.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I hear you saying, 'Sirius Black the Sex God,' you might want to start over."

She laughed, desperately swatting his hand away. "You!"

He grinned and kissed her. "You're the best I've ever had, Zahira, and I mean that in so much more than just the sex."

She smiled against his mouth. "For me too and that very much includes the sex." She kissed him again, long and deep and they just sat there holding each other and snogging for the longest time. When Zee finally tugged her lips from his, she was smiling. "Walk me home?"

Sirius simply stood up, still holding her in his arms, kissing her deeply again and Disapparating to the property line of Black Cottage and carried her up the drive.

"I said home," she told him with a grin.

Sirius pulled her inside and carried her upstairs to his room, lying her on the large bed and crawling on top of her, his arms caging her in as he kissed her softly. "We are home."

Zee smiled up at him. "This is your home."

"I'm tired of being without you, Zee."

"You're not without me," she said.

Sirius kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her neck. "I want more."

Zee stared at him, stopping his lips by framing his face in her hands. "You want more what?"

"Of you."

He tugged his face away, undoing her pants and sliding them down her hips. He was tugging down her underwear when she spoke.

"Sirius, you have me. All of me. What are you asking?"

He didn't respond. His eyes met hers for a moment and then he buried his head between her legs. She arched her head back in surprise as his tongue got busy and when his fingers joined in, she cried out in pleasure as he worked her over. His name burst from her lips when she came and he kissed her thighs, resting his chin on her stomach as he looked up at her.

Zee blinked slowly, her body still coming down from her incredible high. Her fingers gently brushed through his hair as she smiled down at him. "Mmm, it's been much too long since we've done that."

He grinned. "I love you."

"I love you," she said, her fingers still in his hair.

He licked his lips. "You should have more stuff here."

"Hmm?"

"Stuff. You should have it, here. You always have to go home for clothes and you're always stealing mine."

"Are you asking me to leave my clothes here?"

"Well, I'd prefer if you were naked all of the time," he said with a grin. "Especially when you run up and down the stairs. I want to watch these big beautiful knockers bounce."

Zee rolled her eyes. "You are a piece of work."

She made to move out from under him, but he hung on, sliding her shirt up and unclasping her bra. "Big beautiful cantaloupe sized tits," he corrected, his tongue sliding over a brown nipple as she smacked him lightly in the head and making him grin. "But really, we almost never spend a night apart so you should have more stuff here."

"I've already moved some stuff into your bathroom."

"I noticed," he said with a grin, tugging her shirt over her head and leaving her fully naked beneath him. "Bring more. I want …" He said as his tongue trailed across a nipple. "I just want."

"Are we almost moving in together?" She asked him as his hands slid up to fondle her large breasts.

Sirius' eyes widened slightly. "No! I mean, you still have your own place, but … I want some of your stuff here, with you, that's all."

Zee smiled and tugged his face up to hers to kiss him softly. "You are an adorable coward."

"I'm not a coward," he said, pouting.

Zee kissed his nose. "You are. You want me here, but you don't want me to actually move in, that's a coward."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "So move in."

Zee's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

He grinned now. "Now, who's the coward."

"Sirius, I … we … do you even know what you're saying?"

"I love you. I know that you are one of the most important people in my life and in Harry's life. I need you. Next month it will have been exactly four years since the first time I fucked you on my kitchen floor and proceeded to shag you for about a year. In November, it will have been three years since I asked you to officially be my girlfriend after you fucked me into oblivion."

"Mmm, that was a good night," she said, smiling up at him. "Let's make a deal. I will move some of my stuff in here and we'll see how this goes, part-time. We need to make sure that it's okay with Harry first and to be honest, I don't know if I'm completely ready to give up my own space one hundred percent. It's the first place I've ever had that was truly mine and I love that house."

Sirius licked her nipple again, flattening his tongue to pebble it. "So you'll be here, but not fully here?"

Her fingers were still in his hair as he moved his tongue to her other breast. "I'm always fully here with you, Sirius Black, but I want to keep my house next door for a bit even while I'm living here with you. Is that alright? We'll see how this goes, just the two of us? Then we can talk to Harry about it and just test the waters, the two of us and then later the three of us?"

He slid his hand down between her legs and slid his fingers inside of her. "Best idea I've heard all day."

"Sirius," she moaned. "Take off your clothes."

"No," he said, using his tongue on her breasts as his fingers worked her.

"Sirius," she hissed in pleasure.

He simply grinned, pulling a nipple into his mouth to suckle enthusiastically and her hips arched into his hand. He moved to her other breast, twisting and flicking with his tongue and teeth and she screamed his name as his fingers brought her to orgasm a second time. He slid his wet fingers up her stomach to knead a breast and Zee turned towards him, shoving him back to straddle him.

Sirius grinned up at her. "Excuse me, I was busy."

She opened his pants, shoving them down his hips just enough and simply lowered herself onto him. He groaned as she took all of him in and he watched her breasts bounce in front of him as she rode him. The setting sun from the bedroom window illuminating her in a beautiful orange glow and when he added two fingers she cried out, the orgasm ripping through her and he grinned in satisfaction before he fell over the edge, rising himself up from the bed to kiss her as he came, slipping deeper inside of her.

Zee collapsed next to him. "Take off your clothes."

He grinned, pulling his shirt off and tugging his pants and socks down, tossing them onto the bedroom floor. "Didn't need too."

She slapped his abs lightly. "I need to sleep."

Sirius wrapped his arms around her, snuggling her up against him. "So sleep. When you wake up, we'll start packing up some of your things."

She smiled against his chest. "Are we really doing this? Are we really going to try living together?"

"Don't you think we're ready?"

"More than," she said honestly, kissing his chest. "I love you, Sirius."

He kissed the top of her head and tugged the blanket up over them and he couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.


	159. Chapter 159

_Author's Note:_

 _I am immensely glad that I am keeping you guys guessing on the whole Moody situation. This pleases me! I have ideas my lovelies, but I am holding them close to the vest! I do think Hagrid would be a bit jealous about the Animagus ability, but mostly I thought who would appreciate baby animals more? I like Kreacher and I feel like he is an under-appreciated elf. We need to give him some more appreciation. To midnitewanderer, thank you! This is how I picture Sirius in my head and I am so glad that anyone can appreciate the way that I've written him in the same way and thanks but honestly, this is just written for fun. As to the SPEW business, it will be different as Hermione is more informed this time around and she will not be working to trick the elves into freedom as I always thought that was terrible. She just wants to do good in the world._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the little section with the Imperius Curse that belongs to the wonderful JKR!_

 _I have been going back and forth on whether or not to give the Animagi their own nicknames. I still haven't found any that I'm in love with enough to choose, but I did come up with one for Harry that I love. I hope you guys like it._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _Thank you to Steel for letting me pick his brain!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE:**

 **Harry was humming to himself as he made his way down to Remus' Hogwarts suite.** His father had asked him to pop by after dinner that night and he had been intrigued as to why. He was halfway there when he ran into Sophie Roper. She smiled coyly at him.

"Hi Harry," she said, flipping her curly brown hair behind her shoulder. "How was your summer?"

"It was pretty great. Yours?"

"Good," she said, moving towards him. She tapped her fingers on his chest. "I thought about that night a lot, you know after Gryffindor won the Cup."

He swallowed carefully. He did know and he still couldn't quite believe that she had used her hand on him and that he had let her. "Yeah, I remember."

She smiled, her eyes on his lips. "It was fun."

Harry nodded, feeling a bit strange. "Yeah, yeah it was. Um, Sophie, that was just a one time thing, I mean, you and me, we aren't …" he let out a slow breath. "I met someone over the summer."

Sophie smiled at him. "I'm happy for you. And I know that it was just a good snogging session, but if you ever wanted to have a second one, I wouldn't protest." She said, her hand trailing down his chest, over his abs and he grabbed her hand before it went lower. "You were … fun."

He blushed. "Er, thanks. I think I'm good for right now."

Sophie grinned. "Okay. See you around, Harry."

He watched her go, watching the lovely sway of her hips in the skirt that she was wearing. She was definitely beautiful and the thought that he could just grab her and snog her was very alluring, but he remembered what Hermione had told him. Sophie Roper did snog everybody. He shook the thoughts from his head and continued down to Remus' suite and he let himself inside.

The last person that he had expected to see sitting there was Snape.

"Er, hi Professor," he said, his mouth agape in surprise.

Snape merely pursed his lips at him. "Potter."

Remus came out of the small kitchen with a tea tray and smiled at his son. "Hi Harry, have a seat. Professor Snape just stopped by for a small chat."

"I can come back another time, Lupin," Snape said making to stand.

Remus shook his head. "No, it's fine. Anything that you have to say to me you can say in front of Harry anyway."

Harry was pleased with this as he took a seat, his eyes on Snape in curiosity. He hadn't spoken to him outside of Potions class and he wondered why he would be bothered to stop by and see Remus.

Snape looked uncomfortable for a moment before he masked it. "Lupin, I wanted to apologize for my part in your arrest last term. I didn't intentionally mean for your secret to be let out to the world as much as it may have seemed like I did. It was just that the Aurors were heading out after Black and Potter and you were … I thought that they needed to know that you were out there."

Remus nodded. "I know and I don't blame you for it."

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "Uncle Rem, he's the reason that you got arrested!"

Remus held up his hand to silence his son. "No, Harry, he's not. Severus, we both know that I have been lucky to have kept this secret as long as I have. You were right to inform the Aurors that there was a werewolf loose on the grounds. If Dora hadn't come out and found me, I very well may have hurt someone. I am grateful to you for knowing that they needed to be warned. The last thing that I would ever want to do is hurt someone."

Snape nodded. "Well, nevertheless, I'm glad to see that you've come out of it relatively unscathed."

Harry snorted. "Relatively unscathed? He went to fucking Azkaban!"

"Harry," Remus said sternly. "That language is not appropriate when talking to a professor." Harry flushed as Remus continued. "Yes, I did go to Azkaban, where I was lucky enough to only serve thirty days of what could have been a sentence of up to a decade. Sirius, Dumbledore, and Nymphadora were all fined for harbouring my identity. I was granted permission to come back here and to teach, but I am a registered werewolf now, which means that I can expect periodic check-ups by the Werewolf Registry Department to make sure that I am not doing anything unbecoming of a professor and too much like a werewolf while I'm here. It is also noted in my favour that I am no longer living here in the castle which makes me less of a threat to the student body."

"You aren't a threat at all," Snape said quietly. "If I truly thought otherwise I wouldn't have signed that petition that Weasley thrusted upon me last year."

Remus smiled. "I admit, seeing your name there did surprise me. Thank you for that, Severus."

Snape nodded. "I know that the Ministry supplies you with the Wolfsbane Potion now, but if you need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask."

He nodded at Harry before standing up and heading out of the room.

Harry only stared at the door as it closed behind him. "He's been Imperiused."

Remus chuckled. "No, Harry, he hasn't. Snape is many things, but he's not stupid. He made the right choice last year in telling the Aurors my secret. Considering the consequences that wrought, I can see why he would feel guilty. Sometimes we need to make amends anyway that we can."

"So what, you two are friends now?"

Remus shook his head. "Hardly and I doubt that we ever will be, but let's just say that we've become mutual acquaintances. We tolerate each other and might even be considered friendly co-workers. He even signed that petition for me to come back which I must say was a surprise."

Harry's horrified face only made him grin.

"Listen, I asked you here tonight because I want you to make me a list of the spells that you've been learning from Misha. We're going to spend some time once a week, going over them together so that I can see how you're progressing on them."

Harry smiled. "Papa's sent me a few since Georgia, but nothing has worked as well as that double shield charm."

"That's alright, anything you learn is still important, but we're still going to go over them; add them to our list of what you've learnt. Defence Club starts up again formerly in two weeks and we'll be working on different spells and charms there."

"Okay, I'll be ready."

Remus smiled at him. "How are you doing without Quidditch?"

Harry rolled his shoulders. "It blows, Uncle Moony! I don't understand why it had to be cancelled just because of the tournament!"

"Well, it's a lot of responsibility upcoming for the teachers as well as the champions and the students too who will be cheering on their schools. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but it will be. You've been out on your broom anyway, I noticed."

He nodded, scratching his chin. "Yeah. Flying is a nice break from school work and I kind of miss Wood's exercise regimen. Fred and George were teasing me, but they've both been joining me on the pitch as they miss it too. Sometimes it's just nice to practice and whatnot."

"And good for you to keep it up. Your muscle strength is just as important as your magical strength, don't forget that."

He nodded, grinning. "I plan too. I kind of like running around the pitch and up and down the stadium steps before going out on the broom, it's oddly calming and it helps me think and blow off some energy. Uncle Rem, are you really still being watched by the Ministry?"

"I am," Remus admitted. "I probably will be for the rest of my life. I am a known dangerous creature, Harry. It's for the best."

"That's not fair, you didn't even do anything wrong!"

Remus shrugged. "The law is the law. Now, go on, back to your dorm and do whatever it was that you were up to tonight, I'm going to head home. I want to try to get some sleep before the moon tomorrow night."

"Can I stay with you tomorrow night? I'm really good as my Animagus now, Uncle Moony."

Remus hesitated. "Harry, you're still only a puppy."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I stayed with you as I am now and you didn't hurt me. Please, Uncle Rem! I want to be there with you and Uncle Siri, please, please!"

Remus stared at him for a long moment and then he shook his head. "It's a school night, Harry. Maybe over the Christmas holidays, when you've grown more into your animal, alright?"

Harry sighed and nodded. "I guess."

He smiled and tugged Harry into his arms, kissing his forehead. "I'm honoured that you want to come hang out with me, but school is important too, alright? I don't need you to be as tired as me on Monday morning. I'm not saying no. I'm just saying not this time. I want you to get bigger first. Now go on, have fun with your friends."

Harry nodded as his father released him from his arms. "Say hi to Tonks for me."

"I will," he said with a smile. "Goodnight, Harry. I'll see you on Monday morning."

Harry hugged him goodbye and made his way back to Gryffindor Tower. He was just outside of the portrait hole when his mirror vibrated and he tugged it out, moving down into one of the empty rooms down the hall as he answered it.

"Hi, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius grinned at him from the mirror. "Hey, how's school?"

"Fine," Harry told him, taking a seat on one of the desks. "What's going on?"

"Can't a concerned father just check in on his boy?" When Harry rolled his eyes, he grinned. "Um, actually, there was something that I wanted to discuss with you. You have a minute?" When Harry nodded, Sirius blew his hair out of his eyes and let out a slow breath. "I kind of asked Zee to move in."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. " _You did_?"

Sirius nodded. "And I think she agreed, kind of, that is. We've decided to just try it out, you know? She's moving some of her stuff over, but keeping her place for now and well, we'll see. But this is a temporary thing, Harry, and we won't make a final decision concerning it without first talking to you and seeing how you feel about it."

Harry stared at him. "Are you crazy?"

Sirius bit his lip. "Damn, maybe this is a bad idea, maybe I should have spoken to you first about it, maybe I should - "

" - No!" Harry interrupted him. "Of course I want her to live with us! Are you daft? I don't want it to be temporary!"

Zee moved into the mirror, her eyes wide. "Harry, do you really mean that?"

Sirius made a show of trying to push her away and she ignored him.

"Yeah, I really mean that," he said. "I think this is great!"

Zee pulled the mirror from Sirius' grasp. "Harry, I'm not quite ready to give up my own place yet. I think I'm going to keep it for when my family comes to visit, but Sirius and I will be living here at Black Cottage and well, I guess we'll see where we go from there."

Harry beamed at her. "That's brilliant! I told Sirius that you should move in with us at the beginning of the summer. I like having you there and so does he."

"I can speak for myself, thanks," Sirius said from the background, tugging the mirror back from his girlfriend. "And you, you're supposed to be on my side here, not telling my girlfriend my secrets."

Harry rolled his eyes. "This is great, Uncle Siri, really."

Sirius smiled at him. "Good. I'm glad that you think so. Anything else new on the horizon over there?"

"No, but Snape was just nice to Uncle Rem and it was strange. He just apologized for being the one to get him arrested and Uncle Rem just accepted it!"

Sirius frowned. "The git apologized?" At Harry's nod, he looked pensive. "Well, that's something to think about anyway. Everything else okay?"

"Yeah, same old otherwise," Harry said honestly.

Sirius smiled at him. "Alright, well, I'll let you go then. You have a good night and if you need anything, you know how to find Zee and I."

Harry grinned widely. "Yeah, I do. Goodnight, Uncle Siri, goodnight Zee."

"Goodnight," they both chorused before the mirror went blank and Harry found himself staring down at his own reflection. He put the mirror back into his pocket and grinned.

Zee was moving in and he couldn't stop smiling.

 **Ginny was excited.**

She had been waiting to be able to join the Defence Club since Harry had first told her about it last year and now she was finally old enough to participate. There were two sign up sheets this year. One for third years looking to join which she eagerly signed her name to as well as Colin's to the list; the other for anyone fourth year and above who were interested this year and hadn't been involved last year.

Ginny, Colin, and Luna all hurried into the Duelling Room the following Wednesday night eagerly. Remus was standing up at the front, setting up dummies around the room. He smiled kindly at them when they came in.

"Good evening, all," he said with a smile. "As most of you know, last year Professor McGonagall and I started up this little Defence Club. There are two categories to the club, the third and fourth years who will work together as well as the fifth through seventh years. In each category, I have broken down each student in terms of a level: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Today I will be testing each of you to see which level you will fall under. Do not be discouraged if I place you in the Beginner Level as you can always move up. This is a place for you to learn how to defend yourself and others and everyone learns at their own pace. I want each of you to succeed no matter what level you may fall under. Now, let's get started."

Forty minutes later, the thirty-two third year students who had shown up were all tested and Remus was making the list. He smiled as he read the names aloud. Only three of them had been moved to the Advanced Class: Ginny, Luna, and a Hufflepuff named Edith Carlyle.

"Ginny?" Remus called out after he had dismissed the students. "May I have a word?"

Colin and Luna said that they would wait for her as she moved over to where Remus was at the front of the duelling room.

"Yes, Professor?"

Remus smiled at her. "You were extraordinary tonight, quite a powerful witch."

She blushed under his praise. "Thank you, Professor."

"Did Harry teach you everything that he learned last year?" He said, his amber eyes twinkling in amusement.

She grinned. "I really wanted to join this club last year."

"That's nice to hear. You will be an asset to the Advanced class that's for sure. In the meantime, I have heard rumours about some infamous Bat Bogey Hex that the Weasley Boys all greatly fear from their sister."

Ginny grinned, turned and pointed at the dummy, sending her Bat Bogey Hex right at it. The stuffing exploded out of the dummy's nose, turning it into large bats that burst from the dummy's nose and Remus winced sympathetically.

"Marvellous!"

She smiled at him. "I know how to take care of myself, Professor."

"You know, that doesn't surprise me," he said with a smile. "I look forward to seeing you in my Advanced Class and Ginny?" When she looked up at him, he grinned. "Keep up the great work."

She beamed at him as she hurried out to meet her friends. She couldn't wait to get started.

 **Sunday afternoon,** Harry couldn't stop thinking about the full moon and how much he wanted the chance to run around with Remus and Sirius now that he could turn into a Tamaskan. He said as much to Ron when they were flying out on the pitch and Ron grinned at him.

"On a scale of one to ten, how mad do you think your dads would be if you snuck out of school and went to join them?"

Harry hesitated, thinking it over in his head as they landed in front of Hermione who was reading in the stands. "I guess it depended on how I snuck out of the school. Uncle Rem is going to be in the cellar at his house; sometimes with the potion now, he and Uncle Siri go into the woods as his cottage is pretty isolated. It makes Uncle Remus nervous though, even with the potion. He says that Uncle Sirius isn't strong enough to keep him under control by himself if something happens. When they were in school, my dad was a stag and between the two of them they could rein him in if necessary, but Uncle Sirius isn't strong enough to do that on his own."

"But if he has you now too …" Ron said with a grin.

Harry grinned back at him as Hermione merely pursed her lips. "What?"

"Harry, Professor Lupin specifically told you no and said that he would let you be there over Christmas. By then, your Animagus form will be a lot bigger and you'll be able to keep up with them."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on, 'Mione; this is one of the main reasons why I wanted to become an Animagus in the first place! During July's moon I was still too small and in Georgia so I couldn't have even if I wanted to be and in August I was still getting a handle on my form, but now, I'm almost twenty pounds!"

"Eighteen," Ron coughed, earning a hard glare from Harry.

Hermione merely shrugged. "I'm just saying, Harry, that maybe Professor Lupin is making a valid point. You are only still a puppy and you can get hurt."

"He's not going to hurt me!"

"I didn't say that he was going to hurt you. I said that you might get hurt playing with them. Sirius is a fully grown dog and Professor Lupin … I'm just saying that maybe they know what they're talking about."

Harry only glowered at her. "I don't care. I'm going."

Ron grinned. "How are you going to sneak out of the castle?"

Harry bit his lip and grinned at his friend. "The Floo in Uncle Moony's suite is connected directly to his cottage. You'll cover for me?"

"Of course," Ron said with a grin as Hermione glared at him. "'Mione, you're not going to turn him in, are you?"

"Oh, of course not," she said in a huff. "I won't have to. His fathers will kill him."

Harry only grinned at her. "Nah."

 **Harry had checked his Astronomy notes twice that September evening to make sure that he had the correct time of the moon rising.** At quarter to eight, he used his Invisibility Cloak to sneak down into Remus' suite, telling the password to the portrait and tossing his cloak on the sofa. He hurried over to the fireplace and tossed some Floo powder into the flames, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"Here goes nothing," he murmured before he stepped into the flames and called out "Lupin Cottage." He stepped out of the grate and blanched at the sight of Tonks sitting on the chesterfield cross-legged with a cup of tea in her hands. He had forgotten that she would be there as well.

"Wotcher, Harry."

"Er, hi Tonks."

She merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"Er, no … Uncle Moony knows that I'm coming here tonight."

Tonks merely tilted her head in amusement. "Oh really? Funny, 'cause I swear he told me that you asked him to be here tonight and that he told specifically you no."

"Um, he did, but then he changed his mind," Harry told her.

Tonks sipped her tea, staring at him suspiciously before she grinned and then nodded her head towards the cellar. "Moon hasn't risen yet."

Harry grinned at her and hurried forward to hug her tightly. "Thank you!"

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "What are big sisters for," she told him as he hugged her. "I know that this is part of the reason that you wanted to become an Animagus in the first place. And he's a stubborn arse and we both know that he's not going to hurt you."

"I think he knows that he was just worried that I'm not big enough in my form yet."

"Let's see you then," she said as Harry grinned and changed into his puppy. He yipped, attempting to hop up onto the couch, but to no avail.

Tonks laughed and scratched him behind the ears, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. "You really are the cutest little pup. We need a name for you. Still against Padpup, eh?"

He yipped again, his tiny puppy bark and she giggled, lifting him up into her lap.

"Yeah, I agree, it's not really you. What about …" she turned his chin in her hands and smiled. "Look at this, you have a tiny black lightning bolt over your left eye, fascinating … Bolt."

Harry simply rolled over off of her lap onto the couch.

Tonks rubbed his belly and grinned. "No, don't like Bolt? How about … Scout, it's another word for Seeker." He gave a happy puppy bark and she grinned rubbing him behind the ears again. "Scout, I like that." She glanced out the window as the moon rose and Harry's ears perked up at the sound of the howl from the cellar. Tonks picked him up from the couch, laughing when he licked her face. She carried him to the door of the cellar and carefully unlocked it. "Go on, Scout. Have fun."

Harry yipped as she locked the cellar door behind him and he carefully ran down the stairs, slipping on the second step from the bottom with his too-large paws and flipped ass over tea-kettle all the way down, landing on his bum.

Padfoot immediately sat up and growled. The wolf stared at him menacingly as Harry climbed to his feet. He yipped and ran towards the wolf, running behind his legs and cowering away from Padfoot who was staring him down with those familiar grey eyes that told Harry he was definitely in trouble.

The wolf bent his head, picking Puppy Harry up by the scruff of his neck and dropping him onto the floor in front of him. He sniffed him suspiciously and then turned to growl at Padfoot when he made an attempt to pick him up. Padfoot backed off. Puppy Harry jumped back up to his feet and then jumped in surprise when Remus' long tongue swiped across the top of his head, one large paw holding him in place as he licked him. Puppy Harry whined and covered his eyes with his paw, letting out a tiny yip as he was thoroughly cleaned off by the wolf.

Padfoot let out a loud gruff of a bark and Puppy Harry attempted to bark back, but his tiny puppy bark was minuscule in comparison. The wolf merely raised his head, nudging Harry to stand before he tossed his regal head back and howled.

Puppy Harry jumped up in excitement, tossing his own head back and letting out a tiny squeaky howl that sounded nothing like Remus. The wolf seemed to be laughing at him, nudging him forward and howling a second time. He tried again, his tiny howl echoing in the room. Padfoot howled as well and Puppy Harry howled along with them.

It was only a few minutes before the door to the cellar opened and Tonks carefully came down the stairs slowly. "You boys going to howl all night?"

The wolf wrapped his large paws around the puppy, tugging him into his embrace and licking him again.

Tonks smiled. "Papa Wolf found his pup," she said. "You boys behave down here and Rem, don't eat the puppy. You and Sirius can kill him in the morning."

Padfoot growled at her and Remus turned to growl at Padfoot, snuggling Harry into his side. Padfoot whimpered and bent his head, submitting to the wolf. Harry managed to scramble himself loose, yipping happily as he ran around the wolf and the dog; playing and tugging on their tails and ears in typical puppy fashion.

By the time he finally tired himself out, he let out a big puppy yawn and the wolf stretched, tapping his paw on the ground and Harry hurried over to lie next to him, snuggling into the soft fur of the wolf's belly. Padfoot lay down next to them, his tongue sneaking out to lick Puppy Harry and Harry was internally grinning before he finally drifted off to sleep.

He woke in the morning, his face snuggled under Remus' arm, his father's hands scratching him behind the ears. He yipped at him, licking his face and Remus only stared at him.

"I thought that I told you no, little Prongs."

"He came in through the Floo, did you want me to turn him away?" Tonks asked from her seat on the stairs. She was holding a cup of tea out to her mate and Remus sighed as he climbed to his feet, accepting the cup of tea from her and kissing her softly. She passed him his pants which he slid on before turning to where Puppy Harry was now snuggled against a still sleeping Padfoot. "Do you think it's possible to ground him while he's still at school?"

Puppy Harry whined at that and Remus smiled. "Just because you're adorable doesn't mean that you're not in trouble. Upstairs, Harry. Now."

Harry transformed back into himself, pouting. "Uncle Rem, I just wanted to -"

" - Now, Harry," he interrupted, pointing to the stairs.

Harry bowed his head in defeat as he climbed up the steps and took a seat in the kitchen. Remus came up behind him, pulling a jumper over his head before he placed both of his hands on Harry's shoulders, bent down and kissed his cheek before he knelt next to his son.

"I love you very much. You are my son, my nephew, my pup, in every way that counts," he said softly. "And I love that you want to be with me during the full moon, I do. It means so much to me, Harry. But, first and foremost I care about you and your education and I cannot have you out with me all night and not get the sleep that you need."

"But I did sleep!" Harry exclaimed.

Remus sighed and kissed Harry's forehead. "Not the point, I'm trying to make, Harry. I'll make you a deal. Every time the moon falls on a weekend, you can stay with me. I'll teach you how to howl properly and we'll play in the woods. Padfoot can teach you how to run and jump. But, during the week or on a school night, you being with me is off limits. School comes first and with that comes getting the proper rest of a good night's sleep tucked away in your own bed. Understood?"

"Yes, Uncle Remus," he said dutifully, looking down at his hands.

Sirius stepped into the kitchen, his brow furrowed. "So what do you think, Moony, a month's detention?"

"What? No way!" Harry protested.

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow as he ticked off the offences on his finger. "You snuck out of school without permission; you stayed out all night when Uncle Remus specifically told you no. I can't ground you so having Moony give you detention seems fair."

"You did way worse than this when you were at school! You snuck into London to go to concerts!" Harry exclaimed.

"Do what I say, not what I do," Sirius said with a smirk making Harry scowl at him.

Tonks smiled, leaning against the doorjamb of the kitchen. "It's my fault. I'm the one who encouraged Harry to come over here last night. He wrote to me and told me that Remus had said no and I knew how much he wanted to be here; how much he had been working on his Animagus just to stay with his fathers during the moon. I told him to take the Floo from Remus' suite here and that I would let him into the cellar after Remus had transformed."

"Nymphadora!" Remus exclaimed, glowering at her. "You can't just go against what Sirius and I tell him! We're his fathers and we have rules!"

She shrugged. "Big sisters have to help their brothers when they ask and Scout over there, he's your pup and he should be with you blokes when he wants to be."

Sirius sighed and dropped a kiss to the top of Harry's head. "I love you, you little twerp."

Harry grinned at him. "Please don't make Uncle Moony give me detention!"

Remus sighed and dragged his hand over his face. "I won't give you a detention if your promise me, weekend moons only?"

Harry sighed and nodded. "I promise."

Remus grinned. "Good." He glanced up at the clock. "You have an hour until you have to be in Transfiguration so I suggest that you get a move on. If you're late for Minerva's class, I won't be supplying you with a note explaining why."

Harry grinned at them and hugged his fathers tightly. "Thank you!"

"Get out of here," Sirius said, kissing his forehead.

Harry grinned at them and smiled at Tonks, mouthing 'thanks' before he hurried into the living room and stepped into the fireplace. It had been completely worth it, he thought with a grin. Being a puppy with his fathers during the moon was the best feeling in the world and he couldn't wait until he was bigger so that he could really play with them.

Even if it was only on the weekends.

 **September turned into October and before they knew it, a notice went up announcing the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students on the day before All Hallow's Eve.** Everyone was interested in meeting the new arrivals and seeing how the judge was going to be picking the names for the tournament. Fred and George were still both determined to sign up and get their names in, even though they weren't turning seventeen until April. Harry and Ron had spoken more about the possibility late into the night, thoughts of eternal glory in their minds and then laughing about how ridiculous it was.

Defence Club was getting interesting this year. Remus had asked his Advanced Class to work on dodging and deflecting as per usual, but now they were learning how to battle two opponents at the same time. Harry used his double shield charm and managed to fight off two opponents pretty successfully until he came up against Ginny and she hexed him with a hex strong enough to break his shield and send him flying backwards into the mats provided, earning her a bright smile from Remus and twenty points for Gryffindor.

Moody had shown up during the third week of lessons and lectured the Defence Club once more on the Unforgivable Curses, explaining how he was going to try to teach them to fight off the Imperius Curse. Draco was put under first and under Moody's orders jumped onto the desk, rolled under it and stood on his head. During the third attempt, he fought it off, surprising Moody who praised him for almost a minute but Draco soon fell back under the curse and Moody told him he had to work harder if he was going to successfully fight it.

Hermione went second and she skipped around the classroom and did a cartwheel and Theo began to tap dance; neither of them were able to fight it off. Harry was called up to the front next. After watching his friends embarrass themselves, he felt nervous about the prospect, but Moody kept insisting that it was all about your strength of will, a battle of wills really, and how it didn't matter how strong of a wizard or witch you were because it was about the power of the mind.

Harry stepped up to the front and watched as Moody pointed his wand at him and muttered, "Imperio!"

It was the most wonderful feeling. Harry felt a floating sensation as every thought and worry in his head was wiped gently away, leaving nothing but a vague, untraceable happiness. He stood there feeling immensely relaxed, only dimly aware of everyone watching him.

And then he heard Moody's voice, echoing in some distant chamber of his empty brain: Jump onto the desk … jump onto the desk …

Harry bent his knees obediently, preparing to spring.

Jump onto the desk …

 _Why, though?_ Another voice had awoken in the back of his brain. _Stupid thing to do, really_ , said the voice.

Jump onto the desk ….

 _No, I don't think I will, thanks,_ said the other voice, a little more firmly … n _o, I don't really want to._

Jump! NOW!

The next thing Harry felt was considerable pain. He had both jumped and tried to prevent himself from jumping; the result being that he'd smashed headlong into the desk knocking it over, and, by the feeling in his legs, fractured both of his kneecaps.

"Now, that's more like it!" Moody growled and suddenly, Harry felt the empty, echoing feeling in his head disappear. He remembered exactly what was happening, and the pain in his knees seemed to double. "Look at that, you lot … Potter fought! He fought it, and he damn near beat it! We'll try that again, Potter, see if you can do better than Mr Malfoy here and the rest of you, pay attention - watch his eyes, that's where you see it - very good, Potter, very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you!"

By the end of the Defence Club, he could completely throw it off and Moody was beaming at him. Remus was equally as impressed and told Harry that it was a good thing for him to be able to fight it. He had been the only student able to completely throw it off in the class, but only half of them had been tested, the rest would be tested in the following meeting. Malfoy had been a close second, but still managed to be controlled fifty percent of the time so Moody wanted to test him again in the next meeting until he mastered it. The rest of the class would be tested next time as well.

Ginny was nervous about it and said as much to Harry when they left. "What if I can't fight it off? What if someone takes control of me again like with the diary?"

Harry put his arm around her shoulders before she escalated into a full blown panic attack. "That won't happen, Gin." She still looked scared so he tugged her back into the duelling room. "Auror Moody, can you test Ginny now?"

Moody raised an eyebrow. "Defence Club has ended for the day, Potter. I'll test her next week with the rest of the class."

Remus was watching Ginny wring her hands together nervously and he nodded. "But of course if she wants to try it now, we'll let her, won't we, Mad-Eye?"

Moody rolled his eyes, but the look Remus gave him made him sigh and he pointed his wand at Ginny. Harry watched in fascination as all of the worry seemed to disappear from her warm brown eyes. Moody ordered her to jump on the desk and she started too, but Harry could see it in her eyes that she was questioning why. Unlike him, she did start to jump, but instead of stopping, she simply sat on the ground and Moody's eyes widened.

"Impressive, Weasley. Up, let's try it again."

When they left twenty minutes later, Ginny was beaming. "I did it!"

"I knew that you would," he told her honestly. "You're a powerful witch, Gin."

She hugged him tight and smiled. "Thank you! I was overthinking it in my head and thinking that if someone could curse me with it than I could be under someone's control again and it scared me."

"No one is going to make you do anything that you don't want to do, Ginny," Harry told her, holding her arms tightly. "You're the strongest girl that I know."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Harry."

She hugged him tightly and he grinned at her. "Hey, did I tell you that Zee moved in?"

Ginny's face lit up. "Really? That's great!"

She looped her arm through his as they headed back to Gryffindor Tower and he filled her in on the good news as she smiled up at him.

 **Theo's hand was shaking as he read the letter from his father at breakfast one morning in October.** It was the first time that Thaddeus Nott had communicated with him since that night at the World Cup when his father had shown up with those Muggle women. He stood in the entrance hall, the letter clutched tightly in his hands as he contemplated what to do about it.

 _Theo,_

 _You will be fifteen on Friday. I have signed you out of school for the weekend so that you may celebrate properly._

 _I will be there to pick you up at twelve sharp on Friday afternoon._

 _Thaddeus Nott_

The hand on his shoulder made him jump and he smiled at Draco. "Hey."

"Didn't mean to scare you. Is that from Uncle Thad?"

Theo nodded. "You were right. He's signed me out of Friday afternoon classes."

"Go to Snape."

Theo closed his eyes. "If I do this, Draco, my father is going to be furious."

"Fuck him! This is the first time that you've even heard from him since that night in the woods. You don't have to go if you don't want to." He stared at his friend for a moment. "Do you want me to come and talk to Snape with you?"

He shook his head. "No, I … I can do this."

Draco nodded and squeezed his friend's shoulder in reassurance. "I'll let Snape know that you need to talk to him. Go down to his office and wait."

Theo only nodded as he watched his friend head back into the Great Hall. He let out a slow breath before he headed down the stairs towards the dungeons. He only waited five minutes before he saw Snape's billowing black robes come around the corner. He merely raised an eyebrow at him before unlocking his door and ushering him inside.

"Have a seat, Mr Nott," he said, closing the door behind him. "Mr Malfoy tells me that you have something urgent to discuss."

Theo was ashamed to see his hands tremble as he passed the note to Snape as he sat down.

Snape took a seat behind his desk and read the letter quickly before looking up. "I'm already aware of this. Your father has to get my permission to sign you out. He has orders to return you to the castle by dinner on Sunday evening."

"I don't want to go, sir."

Snape watched him for a moment. "You will be fifteen on Friday, Mr Nott, your father has control over what you can and cannot do. If he wants to sign you out of this school, he has every right to do so despite your wants."

"Professor … please don't let my father take me out of the castle this weekend."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Mr Nott, he is your father, I am merely your Head of House. I have no control over him wanting to remove you from the school for any reason."

Theo nodded, his face pale as he stood up. "Oh, okay."

"Sit down, Theo," Snape said with a hiss.

Theo did as he was told, staring down at his hands.

"What aren't you telling me?" Theo didn't answer and Snape let out an impatient sigh. "I can do nothing for you if you don't tell me the truth. Why don't you want to go home for your birthday?"

"Do - do you know what … _Madame Sweetling's_ is?" He asked, the last words coming out in a whisper.

Snape's nostrils flared. "The Parisian Brothel, yes, I am aware." He stared at Theo for a long moment. "Are you telling me that your father plans to take you there this weekend?"

Theo nodded. "Yes."

"It is illegal for anyone under the age of sixteen to be inside of that brothel."

"Yes."

Snape stared at him. "Your father has brought you there before?"

"Yes, sir."

"How many times?"

Theo swallowed carefully. "Four. He … says that I have to go, sir."

Snape stood up and began to pace in front of his desk with his hands behind his back as his black robes billowed behind him in a bat-like fashion. He didn't speak for the longest time and then he turned to look at Theo. "It will be handled. Get to class."

"But my father - "

" - I will take care of it," Snape said sharply. "Get to class."

Theo nodded and jumped to his feet. "Thank you, sir."

Snape watched him leave before he tossed a handful of Floo powder into the fire and called for Dumbledore. The Headmaster stepped into his office a moment later, dusting himself off.

"What can I do for you, Severus?"

"As the Head of Slytherin House, I have the power to deny parental rights when it comes to removing their children from school, do I not?"

"To some extent," Dumbledore said carefully. "We are the guardians of their children; to teach them and to advise them on their parents' behest. But we are not their parents and if the parents wish to remove the students from the school for any reason, we cannot stop them."

Snape scowled. "What if the student doesn't want to go?"

Dumbledore frowned. "Depending on the age of the student, we can argue that they are old enough to make their own decisions."

"Fourth year, but turning fifteen," Snape said quickly.

"Sixteen, we can argue consent, but a fourth year, they are still very much a minor and their parents have control over their choices, Severus. Which student are you concerned about?"

Snape put his arms behind his back as he spoke. "I have a student who claims his father wishes to sign him out of school to bring him to a brothel and he very much does not want to go. His father has taken him there four times previous, each time against his will. He has asked me to intercede on his behalf."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed in anger. "That is an entirely different scenario all together, Severus. That qualifies as sexual abuse and possibly rape. Have the student see Madam Pomfrey for a full check up immediately and do what you need to do. I will support you however you see fit. Who is the student?"

"Theodore Nott."

Dumbledore's eyes darkened. "His father was an old chum of yours, was he not?"

Snape glowered at him. "I was never _chums_ with Thaddeus Nott, he's nearly thirty years my senior, but I will talk to the old man. I won't let Theo go with him if he doesn't want to. We both know that Nott was one of the troublemakers at the World Cup in August."

"We don't know that for sure, Severus," Dumbledore said carefully.

Snape merely raised an eyebrow. "Don't we?"

Dumbledore stared at him for a long moment. "You know that Igor is arriving in two weeks. I need you to keep an eye on him."

"Why should I? He knows that I was sent to spy on you for the Dark Lord and I know that he betrayed his fellow Death Eaters. He should know to stay as far away from me as possible."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean that you should need to. Keep an eye on him, Severus. I want to know that he is behaving himself while he is a guest at our school. We have enough going on with the tournament and paying homage to a former Death Eater is not something that I have the time or the inclination for."

"But I do?" Snape said in annoyance.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I want weekly reports upon his arrival. And let me know what happens with Nott. I expect Theo to be taken care of in the hospital wing no later than tomorrow night."

Snape watched the Headmaster step back into the fire and he scowled. Sometimes he felt like Dumbledore expected too much from him and sometimes he knew that he could never do enough good in his life to make up for all of the bad. He turned back to his desk and grabbed a fresh sheet of parchment.

He had a letter to write to Thaddeus Nott.

 **Sirius made his way into Hogwarts that afternoon dressed in black leather pants with a white button-down shirt untucked and loose at the colour under his official purple Wizengamot robes which he had left open and headed up to Dumbledore's office.** He had been surprised when he had received the summons from the Headmaster and curious as to what Dumbledore needed to talk to him about. The fact that Dumbledore had asked him to come in his Wizengamot robes had intrigued him even more.

He merely raised an eyebrow when he stepped into the office and saw Snape was there along with Dumbledore.

"Well, this is unexpected," he said dryly.

Snape merely looked venomous. "I can assure you, Black, this was not my idea."

Dumbledore held his hands up in surrender. "You two can get along well enough to handle this. Sirius, I called you here today because you are not only a member of the Wizengamot, but also sit on the Board of Governors and you know the student we are here to discuss."

Sirius took a seat where Dumbledore gestured. "Alright, you have my attention."

Snape scowled. "I have a student in my house who's father wishes to take him out of school for the weekend for his birthday; however, said student has informed me that he does not want to go as his father will be bringing him to a Parisian brothel where he has taken him before. We had the matron give him a full physical yesterday and he is in perfect health and there are no signs of physical abuse on his part, but Albus and I both agree that forcing your son to go to a brothel against his wishes counts as sexual abuse."

Sirius' eyes flared. "I agree with that. Do you actually have the authority to stop him from taking his son from the school?"

Snape hesitated. "That's the grey area that we're dealing with. I wrote to the parent in question and claimed that I was denying the trip home and he was not pleased. He said that he is still coming at noon today to take his son."

Sirius glanced up at the clock which read ten in the morning and frowned. "And you're just telling me this now?"

"I've only known since Wednesday," Snape explained. "I spoke to Dumbledore immediately to try to find a solution and upon getting the parent's response today, I realized that I still don't have one."

Sirius nodded, looking thoughtful. "How old is he?"

"He turned fifteen today."

Sirius nodded. "Hogwarts deems third years responsible enough to go into the village of Hogsmeade alone and unchaperoned by adults. Fourth years are given more free reign and allowed to visit Hogsmeade on weekends with permission from their Head of House whether it is a formal visit or not which means that by fourteen, we are trusting these students to make their own decisions, are we not?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "But the courts still deem the age of fifteen as a minor so parents get the final say in all of their decisions."

"Yes, I understand that," Sirius said carefully. "Can I ask who the student is?"

"Theodore Nott," Snape said quietly. "And I tell you this only because Dumbledore assures me that you can help."

Sirius' eyes flashed. "Theodore Nott. That boy is terrified of his father, I saw that first hand after the incident at the World Cup. The fact that he came to you at all is an amazing feat."

Snape only nodded. "I'm well aware of that and it was actually Draco Malfoy who insisted that his friend speak with me on the subject."

"I don't know enough about his situation, but what I do know is that that boy seems to avoid his home quite a bit. He spent last Christmas with the Malfoys and bounced this summer from the Zabini estate in Italy to the Weasleys to the Malfoys."

"The Weasleys?" Snape said in surprise.

"Seems he's made friends with Ginny according to my son."

Snape looked surprised by this, but didn't say anything.

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think that we can scare him into thinking we can do more than we can. Is anyone opposed to this?"

Dumbledore smiled. "No. I will let you take the lead, Sirius. Shall we go down to greet Lord Nott?"

Sirius simply grinned and clapped his hands together. "Let me just make a call first. I know exactly who can put an end to this problem."

 **Theo smiled at Ginny when she ran over to him in his seat at the Slytherin table during lunch and hugged him tightly.**

"Happy Birthday!"

He grinned at her. "Thanks. How did you know?"

She merely rolled her eyes. "I have my ways." She reached behind her and pulled out an average sized box wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string. "For you."

Theo smiled. "You didn't have to get me anything."

Ginny scoffed at this. "After that beautiful quilt from Italy that you sent me for my birthday there was no way that I was ignoring yours. Open it!"

Theo grinned and eagerly untied the string, his eyes widening when he pulled out the softly wrapped bars. "Did you make this?"

Ginny smiled brightly. "Mum and I. You were so amazed that we did all of our own canning and baking and cooking so we thought that we would make you some homemade soaps and shampoos. That one in your hand is shampoo. It's made primarily of avocado and coco butter but it has some extracts of rosemary and lavender and some oils. Plus it smells divine. The soap is that bright orange one. It's made from lemons and orange peels with a bit of coconut oil and lime. It's refreshing and smells like citrus. The last one in there in the jar is that ocean salt spread that you kept using of mine. I made you your own batch for your face to keep you looking so pretty."

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "This is the most thoughtful gift that anyone has ever given me! Thank you!"

Ginny hugged him back. "You're welcome. I hope that you like them. If the scent isn't something that you prefer, Mum and I can change it. We just tried to choose things that seemed to fit you."

"This is amazing! I can't wait to go take a shower," he admitted, making her laugh.

"Good."

He closed the box back up and glanced at the clock. "Listen, I have to go meet my father, he wants to take me home for my birthday so you better get lost. If he sees me with you, he'll be furious."

Ginny's brow furrowed. "I'm not afraid of your father. If you want me to stay with you, I will."

Theo smiled gratefully at her. "I appreciate that more than you know, but trust me. This is for your own safety."

She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Alright, if that's what you want. I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks, Ginny."

He watched her go, feeling a little stronger. He made his way over to where Draco and Blaise were sitting and he smiled at Draco and passed him the box.

"Can you put that in the dorm? I don't want my father to see it."

Draco nodded. "Snape can't do anything? Actually?"

Theo shrugged in defeat. "Maybe I can convince the girls to send that bloke in again. He was nice."

"Not the point, Theo," Draco said angrily. "You don't want to go there and you don't want to be forced to have sex with some stranger!" He demanded, his voice lowering to a furious whisper.

"My father doesn't care what I want, Draco. I'll see you on Sunday."

He stepped out into the entrance hall and was surprised to see Snape there with Dumbledore and Sirius Black. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked over to them.

"Professor Snape, Professor Dumbledore, Lord Black," he said politely.

Sirius stared at him. "Mr Nott, Professor Snape has informed us that you do not wish to go home with your father this weekend, is that true?"

Theo shrugged, looking over his shoulder to make sure that Thaddeus Nott had not suddenly arrived. "That's true."

Sirius nodded. "Well, then you can stay at school if that's what you prefer."

Theo's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, actually?"

They all turned when the front doors opened and the stooped figure of Lord Nott stepped into the entrance hall. His dark hair was streaked in grey and his pot belly not well hidden beneath his robes. He nodded towards his son.

"Ah, Theodore, ready to go then?"

"Theo will not be going with you this weekend, Lord Nott," Sirius said, his eyes on the older man.

Theo watched as Dumbledore set up a privacy charm around them, blocking their conversation from any curious bystanders.

Nott looked surprised by this. "Yes, he will be. He is my son and I have signed him out of the school for the weekend."

"Technically you have yet to sign him out, Thaddeus," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "With the Triwizard Tournament starting up next week, we think that it's important for Theo to stay at the school and to work on his education."

"He would like to stay and celebrate with his friends," Snape added oily. "He has asked for permission to stay in the school."

Nott snorted. "I am his father and I make all choices on what my son does with his time."

"He's fifteen years old, Lord Nott, he knows his own mind," Sirius demanded. "He does not want to go with you."

"I am his father and I will take him bodily from this school if you do not get out of my way!"

Snape sneered. "You would have to go through all us to get to him. Is it worth it?"

Nott looked taken aback by this. He rounded on his son, who was standing behind Snape looking flabbergasted by this turn of events. "Theodore Thaddeus Nott, you get over here right now!"

"I don't want to go with you," Theo said sternly, feeling his own bravery come to head at the thought that these three men were willing to stand up for him.

The doors opened again and Sirius grinned smartly as his secret weapon stepped into the hall.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen!"

Theo smiled brightly at her and as she marched around Snape towards him and engulfed him a warm hug. "Hi Auntie Cissa."

Narcissa kissed his forehead. "Happy Birthday Theo!"

"Cissa, what are you doing here?" Nott demanded. "I am trying to take Theo home for his birthday and these imbeciles think that they can stop me!"

"True, they do not have the authority to do so … but I do."

Nott merely raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I am his godmother and in fact his de facto guardian signed over by you after Aster died. In fact, since Theo spends almost every waking moment not at Hogwarts under my protection, Lucius and I are his guardians even more so than you."

Nott stared at her, his eyes wide. "I am his father and if I want to take him from this school at any given moment, I have the right to do so! I am trying to make him into a man!"

"By forcing him to go to a brothel," Sirius sneered. "Real man-like, is that the only way a dungheap like you can get it up, have to pay someone to tickle the pickle? Your son doesn't want to go and you cannot make him. If you take him from this school, I will have the DMLE here in a snap to arrest you for child abuse and Lady Malfoy will claim full custody of _her godson_."

"Severus! You are his Head of House, tell him that he has to come with me!" Nott exclaimed, his voice rising in anger now.

Snape simply sneered at him. "I am his Head of House and if Theo doesn't want to go with you, I will not make him."

"Theodore, you tell them that you want to come home with me!"

"No," Theo said sternly, smiling as Narcissa kept a warm arm around his waist. "I am home. Leave, Father."

Nott scoffed. "You've become a snivelling little shit, haven't you? Guess that's my fault, left you alone with this bitch too much. I should have listened to Brax when he warned me that she would turn you soft. Don't come crying to me the next time you need something. I expect you home for the Christmas holidays."

"He will be staying with our family for Christmas, Thad, but you are welcome to join us for the festivities," Narcissa said smoothly.

Nott looked furious, but he turned on his heel and stormed out of the hall without another word to his son.

Theo was staring wide-eyed, still not entirely sure what had just happened. "You - he - I - thank you!"

Narcissa kissed his forehead. "Happy Birthday, Darling. You celebrate it however you'd like."

He hugged her back, smiling before he turned to the room. "Thank you. He'll be furious for a while, but he'll forget about it in a week or two."

Sirius nodded. "If he gives you any more trouble, you tell Snape or Cissa. It will be taken care of."

"And you know our home is always open to you, Theo," Narcissa said kindly.

"I know," he said smiling gratefully at her.

"As is Molly's and if you'd like, mine. You need not go back with your father if you'd prefer," Sirius said kindly. "We will gladly find a place for you."

"Thank you," Theo said honestly, touched by Sirius' words. "But I'm okay."

They nodded and said their goodbyes before they headed off and as Theo watched them leave he felt like it was one of the best birthdays that he had ever had.


	160. Chapter 160

_Author's Note:_

 _As to the concerns involving the Imperius Curse, Ginny has already shown her strength of character and as a witch by being able to fight back at the diary Horcrux, which is why I thought she would be able to throw off the Imperius Curse when it was set upon her. I even had Na'eemah hint at her ability to do so many chapters ago in chapter 110: ("My understanding of this form of dark magic is not by any means top notch, but yes that's exactly what happened. Ginny, you were possessed by this diary, but you did not let it control you. In other words, imagine someone placed you under the Imperius Curse - a dark curse that allows another witch or wizard to control you - and they told you to jump out this window. You move to the window and you realize that's dumb, if you jump you'll die, so you refuse. So someone comes along on the other side of you and places the Imperius Curse on you again and once more instructs you to jump out the window. You move a little closer, but again you think, no, I don't want to do this. So once again, someone comes over and places the Imperius Curse on you and this time, you are bound and you do jump, but you catch yourself on the ledge and you hang there, questioning how to save yourself. Your will to live is stronger than your will to obey and you climb back inside. That is what you did on a daily basis, Ginny. You fought with every moment of every day to live as you and those moments, those black spots on your memory where you couldn't remember what you had done, those were the moments when you had been Imperiused more than three times. Do you understand what I'm saying?" "My soul was stronger than his.") I felt like this hinted at her power to throw off unwanted mind control as once you are able to break that kind of mind control, you have the ability to do so again, at least in my mind. In terms of Draco, he is well versed in Occlumency as his mother taught him. I like to think that he has the strength of mind to toss the curse off, but only for a few seconds. As noted, Moody saw that he had the potential to do it, but was soon put under the curse once more. I think that's just as important to note that he's not entirely successful at throwing off the curse and would still be under the thrall more often than not. Hope this helps._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the pieces of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, that belongs to the lovely JKR._

 _Again - this is the last chapter where there is some chunks from the book - some of the information just needs to be said. Thank you!_

 _Also, it kind of bothered me that the dates were wrong in Goblet of Fire, Halloween of 1994 fell on a Monday so in my story, I am keeping the date the same, but having Dumbledore alter the classes to make it fit because that just seems like something he would do._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY:**

 **When Harry went down to breakfast on the morning of the thirtieth of October,** he found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffindor; blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw; yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff; and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down beside Fred and George at the Gryffindor table. They were sitting apart from everyone else and conversing in low voices, not for the first time this year and it was very unusual for them to not be loud and boisterous. Ron led the way over to them.

"It's a bummer, all right," George was saying gloomily to Fred. "But if he won't talk to us in person, we'll have to send him the letter after all. Or we'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid us forever."

"Who's avoiding you?" Ron asked, sitting down next to them.

"Wish you would," Fred said, looking irritated at the interruption.

"What's a bummer?" Ron asked George.

"Having a nosy git like you for a brother," George said.

"You two got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?" Harry asked. "Thought any more about trying to enter?"

"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen, but she wasn't telling," George said bitterly. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon."

"Wonder what the tasks are going to be?" Ron said thoughtfully. "You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. We've done dangerous stuff before …"

"Not in front of a panel of judges, you haven't," Fred said. "McGonagall says that the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done on the tasks."

"Who are the judges?" Harry asked.

"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," Hermione said, and everyone looked around at her, rather surprised, "because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage." She noticed them all looking at her and said, with her usual air of impatience with the fact that nobody else had read all the books that she had, "It's all in _Hogwarts, A History_. Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School."

"What are you on about?" Ron asked, though Harry thought that he knew what was coming.

"House elves!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes flashing. "Not once, in over a thousand pages, does _Hogwarts, A History_ mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!"

Harry shook his head and applied himself to his scrambled eggs. His and Ron's lack of enthusiasm had done nothing whatsoever to curb Hermione's determination to pursue justice for house elves. True, both of them had paid two Sickles for a SPEW badge, but they had only done it to keep her quiet. Their Sickles had been wasted, however; if anything, they seemed to have made Hermione more vociferous. She had been badgering Harry and Ron ever since, first to wear the badges, then to persuade others to do the same, and she had also taken to rattling around the Gryffindor common room every evening, cornering people and shaking the collecting tin under their noses.

"You do realize that your sheets are changed, your fires lit, your classrooms cleaned, and your food cooked by a group of magical creatures who are unpaid and enslaved?" She kept saying fiercely.

Some people, like Neville, had paid up just to stop Hermione from glowering at them. A few seemed mildly interested in what she had to say, but were reluctant to take a more active role in campaigning. Many regarded the whole thing as a joke.

Ron now rolled his eyes at the ceiling, which was flooding them all in autumn sunlight, as Harry leaned in towards her.

"Hermione, we've talked about this. They love their jobs. You knew that Hogwarts had house elves. We've been to the kitchens."

She let out a huff in response. "Now that I know they are unpaid and kept as slaves it tends to change my thoughts on the subject."

Harry sighed. "But they love their jobs."

Hermione glared at him. "And what about Winky, Harry? How is she doing now that Sirius took her in? She has become a slave all over again to him!"

"No, she hasn't," Harry tried to tell her. "Did you even write to Zee like I told you to? I sent her one of your pamphlets."

Hermione only stared him down. "She works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures therefore she is part of the problem! It's right there in the name - control! That's all they want to do!"

"I don't think that you're seeing this right," Harry told her. "Change doesn't happen overnight. Did you learn nothing with how long it took that stupid Undesirable bill to get shoved aside in the Wizengamot? Uncle Rem had to be arrested for them to even realize the problem!"

"Harry, there are thousands of house elves working just in Great Britain alone as slaves!"

"Hermione, you can't change centuries of oppression with one pamphlet! Why don't you talk to some of the house elves? Go down to the kitchens and speak with them. Get a feel for what they want. I can ask Kreacher to come and you can speak with him as well if it will help."

"I will," she said hotly, turning back to her breakfast.

Harry simply looked over at Ron and they both just rolled their eyes. Sometimes, talking to Hermione was more stressful than not talking to her, Harry thought.

 **After dealing with Hermione and her spew rant,** they spent the rest of the day discussing the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The day seemed to move slowly as everyone was waiting in anticipation for the evening's festivities. When the bell rang early, they hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.

The Heads of Houses were ordering their students into lines in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest.

"Nearly six," Ron said, checking his watch and then staring down across the bridge that led to the front gates. "How do you reckon they're coming? The train?"

"I doubt it," Hermione said.

"How, then? Broomsticks?" Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky.

"I don't think so … not from that far away."

They scanned the darkening grounds excitedly, but nothing was moving. Harry was starting to feel cold. He wished they'd hurry up. Maybe the foreign students were preparing a dramatic entrance.

And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers. "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

Something large, much larger than a hundred broomsticks was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon!" One of the first years shrieked, losing her head completely.

"Don't be stupid … it's a flying house!" Dennis Creevey said.

Dennis' guess was closer. As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder-blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant. The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed as the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.

Harry just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms, two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars, before it opened.

A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Harry saw a giant shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage followed by the largest woman that he had ever seen in his life. He had only ever seen one person as large as this woman and that was Hagrid; he doubted whether there was an inch difference in their heights, but this woman seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive skinned face; large, black, liquid looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman. Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Bonjour, Dumbly-dore," Madame Maxime said in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," Dumbledore said.

"Mes étudiants," Madame Maxime said, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.

Harry, whose attention had been focused completely upon Madame Maxime, now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. They were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.

"'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," Dumbledore told her. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," Madame Maxime said. "But ze 'orses - "

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," Dumbledore assured her. "The moment that he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges."

"Skrewts," Ron muttered to Harry, grinning.

Ron, Hermione and Neville had been filling him on the terrible creatures and Harry was quite pleased to no longer be in that class the more he heard about them. They sounded beyond dreadful.

"Suis moi," Madame Maxime said imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.

"How big do you reckon Durmstrang's horses are going to be?" Seamus asked, leaning around Lavender and Parvati to address Harry and Ron.

"Well, if they're any bigger than this lot, even Hagrid won't be able to handle them," Harry said. "That's if he hasn't been attacked by his skrewts. Wonder what's up with them?"

"Maybe they've escaped," Ron said hopefully.

"Oh, don't say that," Hermione said with a shudder. "Imagine that lot loose on the grounds …"

Harry grinned at her. Hermione was in Arithmancy with him, but had decided to drop Ancient Runes in favour of Care of Magical Creatures and after every class she was more horrified by the skrewts than the class before. He was about to say something about them escaping when they finally heard the sound of something else approaching the castle; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed.

"The lake!" Lee Jordan yelled, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"

From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water, except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the centre; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks - and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor. What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool and then Harry saw the rigging.

"It's a mast!" He said to Ron and Hermione.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.

People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" He called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his silver hair was short, and his goatee, finishing in a small curl, did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.

"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good … Viktor, come along, into the warmth. You don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold."

Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Harry caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave him, or the hiss in his ear, to recognize that profile.

"Harry - it's Krum! I don't believe it!" Ron said, in a stunned voice, as the Hogwarts students filed back up the steps behind the party from Durmstrang. "Krum, Harry! Viktor Krum!"

"For heaven's sake, Ron, he's only a Quidditch player," Hermione said.

"Only a Quidditch player?" Ron said, looking at her as though he couldn't believe his ears. "Hermione - he's one of the best Seekers in the whole world! I had no idea that he was still at school!"

As they headed back into the entrance hall, Harry saw Lee jumping up and down on the soles of his feet to get a better look at the back of Krum's head. Several sixth-year girls were frantically searching their pockets as they walked.

"Oh, I don't believe it, I haven't got a single quill on me!"

"Do you think he'd sign my hat in lipstick?"

"Really," Hermione said loftily as they passed the girls, now squabbling over the lipstick.

"Hermione, you don't understand the intricacies of Quidditch and having a player like Krum still be in school is incredible!" Harry told her.

Hermione simply rolled her eyes. She mumbled something about boys and made to turn to Ginny, but scoffed when she saw that her friend was also on her toes, trying to get a look at Viktor Krum. "Honestly! He's _just_ a Quidditch player."

Ginny linked her arm with Hermione's and smiled. "Hermione, love, you just don't appreciate the sport enough to understand. Imagine Godric Gryffindor or Rowena Ravenclaw just walked through the doors of the school, wouldn't you want to talk to them? Or Newt Scamander or Bathilda Bagshot?"

"Well, obviously, but Ginny, they are not remotely the same! They were brilliant witches and wizards who did some truly remarkable things in their lifetimes; not to mention Gryffindor and Ravenclaw helped create this school! I would have so many questions! And Scamander or Bagshot are brilliant and penned books with the research they did in their careers! That's just amazing!"

Ginny grinned. "And for those of us that love Quidditch, that amazing Seeker is to us who Scamander and Bagshot are to you, in terms of being in awe."

Hermione stared at her for a moment and then nodded. "Point made, but I still think it's ridiculous. He only catches a ball."

Ginny locked eyes with Harry and rolled them slowly making him grin as they walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Ron took care to sit on the side facing the doorway, because Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students were still gathered around it, apparently unsure about where they should sit. The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. They were looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. Three of them were still clutching scarves and shawls around their heads. The Durmstrang students decided to make themselves comfortable at the Slytherin table much to Ron's chagrin.

Up at the staff table, Filch, the caretaker, was adding chairs. He was wearing his mouldy old tailcoat in honour of the occasion. Harry was surprised to see that he added four chairs, two on either side of Dumbledore's.

When all of the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. Soon they were all eating the delicious feast, which had a greater variety of dishes in front of them than usual, including several that were definitely foreign.

"Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?" A girl with a long sheet of silvery-blonde hair that fell almost to her waist asked. She had large, deep blue eyes, and very white, even teeth.

Ron went purple. He stared up at her, opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out except a faint gurgling noise.

"Yeah, have it," Harry told her, pushing the dish toward the girl.

"You 'ave finished wiz it?"

"Yeah," Ron said breathlessly. "Yeah, it was excellent."

The girl picked up the dish and carried it carefully off to the Ravenclaw table. Ron was still goggling at the girl as though he had never seen one before. Harry started to laugh. The sound seemed to jog Ron back to his senses.

"She's a Veela!" He said hoarsely to Harry.

"Of course she isn't!" Hermione said tartly. "I don't see anyone else gaping at her like an idiot!"

But she wasn't entirely right about that. As the girl crossed the Hall, many boys' heads turned, and some of them seemed to have become temporarily speechless, just like Ron.

"I'm telling you, that's not a normal girl!" Ron insisted, leaning sideways so he could keep a clear view of her. "They don't make them like that at Hogwarts!"

Harry, who's eyes had found the candlelight dancing on the red hair next to him spoke without thinking. "They make them okay at Hogwarts."

Ginny laughed, the sound pulling Harry from his trance. "Ron sure knows how to make a fool out of himself."

Harry nodded as he turned back to his plate and Hermione scoffed at them.

"When you've both put your eyes back in, you'll be able to see who's just arrived."

She was pointing up at the staff table. The two remaining empty seats had just been filled. Ludo Bagman was now sitting on Professor Karkaroff's other side, while Mr Crouch, Percy's boss, was next to Madame Maxime.

"What are they doing here?" Harry asked in surprise.

"They organized the Triwizard Tournament, didn't they?" Hermione said. "I suppose they wanted to be here to see it start."

When dessert was finally cleaned up, Dumbledore rose to his feet. "The moment has come. The Triwizard Tournament is about to commence. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Mr Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports." Applause broke out for the two men, a bit louder for Bagman. "Mr Bagman and Mr Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued. "And they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts. The casket, then, if you please, Mr Filch."

Filch walked over to the where Dumbledore was standing carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman," Dumbledore said as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him. "And they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways: their magical prowess; their daring; their powers of deduction; and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly. "One from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open to reveal a large, roughly hewn wooden cup, full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," Dumbledore explained. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night on All Hallows Eve, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete."

Whispers began to float around the hall again and Dumbledore merely held up his hand to silence the hall.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line."

Fred grinned. "An Age Line! That should be fooled by Aging Potion, shouldn't it?" He whispered, grinning widely. "And once your name's in the goblet, you're laughing! It can't tell whether you're seventeen or not!"

Harry only nodded, turning his attention back to Dumbledore.

"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. A reminder that classes will be cancelled tomorrow and Tuesday morning, giving everyone a chance to observe the Goblet and be ready for the evening's festivities. Tuesday afternoon classes however will be scheduled. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."

Fred grinned at them. "The Aging Potion will work for sure, just a drop or two. We got this!"

"But I don't think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance," Hermione told them as they began to make their way out of the Great Hall. "We just haven't learned enough yet."

"Speak for yourself," George said shortly. "You'll try and get in, won't you, Harry?"

Harry thought briefly of Dumbledore's insistence that nobody under seventeen should submit their name, but then the wonderful picture of himself winning the Triwizard Tournament filled his mind again. He wondered how angry Dumbledore would be if someone younger than seventeen did find a way to get over the Age Line.

"Yeah, why not. Let me know how the Aging Potion works."

Fred and George beamed at him as Hermione looked livid.

"Harry! You find danger enough on your own, do you really think throwing your hat into the ring is a good idea?" Hermione said shrilly.

Harry simply shrugged. "Maybe not, but doing dangerous stuff for an award instead of just finding myself in that situation would be completely different, Hermione."

"Harry," Remus said quietly from behind them. "I'm not hearing you actually considering throwing your name in, am I?"

Harry flushed as he looked at his father. "Well, I mean, maybe?"

"You are not seventeen. The Goblet of Fire is not going to accept your name even if you do try," Remus warned him.

Harry shrugged as he glanced at Fred and George. "Fred and George reckon an Aging Potion should work."

Remus simply smiled. "They can try, but I can assure you, it won't work. Now, please promise me that you will not do anything foolish to get your name into this tournament? Please, Harry."

Harry sighed as he looked into the concerned eyes of his father and he nodded. He knew that Remus was right and that he should just watch the tournament. Why should he risk his life when he didn't have to? "I promise."

Remus put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Thank you. We have enough going on without you being in this terrible tournament on top of it. Now go on, get up to bed. Tomorrow night Hogwarts will have an age appropriate champion for you to cheer on."

Harry nodded and hurried off to catch up with his friends. Remus had a point; there was more than enough for him to be worrying about and adding his name to a potentially deadly tournament wasn't a good idea. He said as much to Ron as they undressed for bed and Ron only nodded in agreement.

But they both couldn't wait to see if Fred and George's attempt the next day would be successful or not.

 **Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville all hurried downstairs early the next morning and they weren't the only ones.** There were already about twenty people standing around the Goblet of Fire. It had been placed in the centre of the hall on the stool that normally bore the Sorting Hat. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third year girl eagerly.

"All the Durmstrang lot," she replied. "But I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet."

"Bet some of them put it in last night after we'd all gone to bed," Harry said. "I would've if it had been me … wouldn't have wanted everyone watching. What if that Goblet just tossed you right back out again?"

Someone laughed behind Harry. Turning, he saw Fred, George, and Lee all hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited.

"Done it," Fred said in a triumphant whisper to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Just taken it."

"What?" Ron asked.

"The Aging Potion, dung brains," Fred said, rolling his eyes at his brother.

Harry watched, fascinated, as Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket bearing the words: _Fred Weasley - Hogwarts._ Fred walked right up to the edge of the line and stood there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon him, he took a great breath and stepped over the line.

For a split second Harry thought that it had worked, George certainly thought so, for he let out a yell of triumph and leapt after Fred, but in the next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as if by an invisible force. They landed painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and both of them sprouted identical long white beards.

The entrance hall rang with laughter. Even Fred and George joined in, once they had gotten to their feet and taken a good look at each other's beards.

"I did warn you," Dumbledore said coming out of the Great Hall and sounding greatly amused. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett and Mr Summers, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."

Fred and George set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Lee, who was howling with laughter, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione, also chortling, went in to breakfast.

The decorations in the Great Hall had changed this morning. As it was Halloween, a cloud of live bats was fluttering around the enchanted ceiling, while hundreds of carved pumpkins leered from every corner. Harry led the way over to Dean and Seamus, who were discussing those Hogwarts students over seventeen who might be entering. They all agreed that Warrington from Slytherin was a terrible choice, but pretty-boy Diggory from Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw's biggest flirt, Roger Davies weren't much better. Harry was pleased to learn that his fellow Quidditch player Angelina Johnson had put her name in successfully. He had to agree that she would be a great champion.

After breakfast, Harry urged his friends to head outside with him so that they could run around in their animal forms. Ginny eagerly flagged Luna down to join them and they ran out to play near the Forbidden Forest and near Hagrid's hut. They had just transformed back into themselves, planning to say hello to Hagrid, but they were alarmed to see Hagrid emerge from his cabin in the ugliest suit that they had ever seen and with what looked like an attempt to brush his scraggly hair. Ginny giggled when she caught sight of Madame Maxime and they realized that Hagrid was trying to impress her.

"They would make the largest babies ever," Ron said making Luna bust into laughter.

Since Hagrid was clearly preoccupied, they decided to stay in their animal forms a little bit longer.

Puppy Harry barked happily, chasing the red panda who had climbed up the tree, hanging upside down from a branch, taunting the dog with her claws as he jumped to try to catch her rather unsuccessfully. The badger rolled around under the tree as the wolverine leapt over him in an attempt to catch the red fox that had picked up the hare by her ears and was carrying her around. The hare escaped, running and hopping in glee before moving to lay next to the badger. The red fox leapt over the wolverine who growled menacingly at her. The dog barked happily and ran around the tree.

It was where McGonagall found them thirty minutes later and Harry was relieved to see that she had a smile on her face.

"Well, I should have known that a report of strange animals on the school grounds would be you six," she exclaimed, her hands on her hips as she looked at all of them, pride in her eyes. "Well, I know this little pup is Harry, but let's see if I can guess the rest of you, shall I?"

Puppy Harry barked in response and put his paws on her legs so that she would rub under his chin.

She smiled as she pet the dog, her eyes on the five other animals. The red panda was hanging from the tree branch, swinging in delight, her long tail resting on her head; the red fox was curled up, brown eyes alert and staring ahead; the wolverine was rolling around on the grass, his belly pointing at the sky while the hare sat perfectly still beneath the tree, ears perked up high to listen; and the badger sat calmly against the tree, his little paws twitching as if he longed to grab onto something.

"Hmm," she said with a smile as a loud grumbling sound erupted from the wolverine making her laugh. "Well, I'm going to guess the hungry wolverine is Mr Weasley."

Ron grinned as he transformed back into himself. "Lucky guess, Professor."

She smiled at him. "A blue-eyed wolverine is pretty rare and when you add in those little brown freckles on his snout, it could be no one else. Well done, Ron." Her eyes moved back over the other students. She was watching the red fox closely. "Brown eyes and a rather bushy tail, I'm going to say the fox is Miss Granger."

When Hermione appeared she smiled.

McGonagall stared at the other three animals, examining them closely. "The badger has the same wide-eyed expression Mr Longbottom gives me when I ask him a question in class."

Neville grinned sheepishly as he transformed back into himself. "The same expression, Professor?"

"Yes, wishing that I would look at anyone else," she said chuckling. Her eyes moved over the last two and smiled. "Brown eyes, that autumn fur and the overall gait of how she's hanging there, I'd say that the red panda belongs to Miss Weasley."

Ginny transformed into herself, still sitting on the branch in the tree. "Overall gait, Professor?"

"You never can sit still in my class, always fidgeting, moving, shifting. You, Miss Weasley, are a constant bundle of energy just like your brother Fred."

Ginny grinned. "The highest compliment, I'll take it!"

Harry moved over to the tree, holding his arms out to lift her down and she smiled gratefully at him as he lifted her and placed her on her feet.

"Thanks, Harry."

McGonagall smiled down at the hare. "I guess that leaves the hare as Miss Lovegood. The pale-blondish brown colour of your fur is indicative of your hair and when you add in those bright blue eyes and the expression of being a million miles away, I would say that's Luna Lovegood."

Luna smiled dreamily as she transformed back into herself. "Good deductive skills, Professor."

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "You six all look rather brilliant. You've done very well for yourselves. Ten points to each of you."

"Thanks, Auntie Minnie," Harry said with a grin. "I think we're almost fully grown too."

"It looks like you are getting there," she said with a smile. "But you still have a while to go. And it's Professor, Harry."

He only grinned at her in response.

"Alright, you lot, back to the castle. Try to stay further on the grounds when you change as you are not animals that are common enough to be on the Hogwarts grounds. By spring, you six should be full Animagi and we can talk about registering your forms with the Ministry."

"Thanks, Professor," Hermione said brightly as they followed her back up to the castle for the Halloween feast.

They spoke more about their animals and about who they thought the champions were going to be. Harry had to admit, out of the choices, he was betting on it being Diggory or Angelina, but he was hoping for Angelina. They ate the feast happily as they guessed, eyes all impatiently looking towards the Goblet of Fire and then at Dumbledore to see if he had finished eating yet.

At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," Dumbledore announced. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them to please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber," he instructed, indicating the door behind the staff table, "Where they will be receiving their first instructions."

He took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The blue-white flames from the Goblet of Fire left an eerie glow around the hall. The flames inside the goblet turned red and parks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it and the whole room gasped.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice. "Mr Viktor Krum."

"No surprises there!" Ron yelled as a storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall.

Harry saw Viktor Krum rise from the Slytherin table and slouch up toward Dumbledore; he turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.

The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Miss Fleur Delacour!" Dumbledore declared.

"It's her, Ron!" Harry shouted as the girl who so resembled a Veela got gracefully to her feet, shook back her sheet of silvery blonde hair, and swept up between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.

"Oh look, they're all disappointed," Hermione said over the noise, nodding toward the remainder of the Beauxbatons party. That was a bit of an understatement in Harry's opinion as he watched as two of the girls who had not been selected had dissolved into tears and were sobbing with their heads on their arms.

When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement that you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion was next. The Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

"The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!"

Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping, as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on for so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure that I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support that you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real - "

But Dumbledore had suddenly stopped speaking.

The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.

Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore.

And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out: "Harry Potter."

Harry's mouth dropped open.

His eyes wide in shock as he stared at Dumbledore. He felt Hermione nudge him and he looked over at Ron, Ginny and Neville as they all stared at him eyes wide. He was stunned. He felt numb. He was surely dreaming. He had not heard correctly. There was no applause. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall; some students were standing up to get a better look at Harry as he sat, frozen, in his seat.

Up at the top table, McGonagall had got to her feet and swept past Ludo Bagman and Karkaroff to whisper urgently to Dumbledore, who bent his ear toward her, frowning slightly.

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione; beyond them, he saw the long Gryffindor table all watching him, openmouthed.

"I didn't put my name in," Harry said blankly. "You know I didn't."

Both of them stared just as blankly back.

At the top table, Dumbledore had straightened up, nodding to McGonagall. "Harry Potter!" He called out again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

"Go on," Hermione whispered, giving Harry a slight push.

Harry got to his feet, stumbling slightly over his own feet. He set off up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. It felt like an immensely long walk; the top table didn't seem to be getting any nearer at all, and he could feel hundreds and hundreds of eyes upon him, as though each were a searchlight. His eyes sought Remus at the Head Table as his feet moved forward and the mix of anger and worry in his gaze made him look down at his feet in shame.

"Through there, Harry, with the other Champions," Dumbledore instructed.

Harry merely swallowed and nodded, closing the door behind him. The last time that he had been in this room was at the beginning of the year when he had told Remus about his talk with Draco on the train. He closed his eyes as he looked up at the three champions who were all staring at him.

Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, and Fleur Delacour were grouped around the fire. They looked strangely impressive, silhouetted against the flames. Krum, hunched-up and brooding, was leaning against the mantelpiece, slightly apart from the other two. Cedric was standing with his hands behind his back, staring into the fire. Fleur Delacour looked around when Harry walked in and threw back her sheet of long, silvery hair.

"What is it?" She asked. "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?"

She thought that he had come to deliver a message. Harry didn't know how to explain what had just happened. He just stood there, looking at the three champions, not sure what to say.

It was only a few seconds later before the door behind him opened and the teachers and judges made their way inside. Remus immediately put both of his hands on Harry's shoulders and squeezed and he let out a slow breath that he hadn't realized that he was holding, reaching back and gripping his father's robes for support. The feel of him standing behind him calmed him slightly.

"Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" Dumbledore asked calmly. "Or get an older student to do it for you?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I swear I didn't!"

Remus' hands tightened on his shoulders.

"He's lying!" Crouch declared, his eyes flashing. "He somehow did it."

"He's not," Remus said sternly. "If Harry says that he didn't do it then he didn't do it. My boy is not a liar."

Karkaroff scoffed. "But you are a werewolf which makes your word just as invalid as his!"

"I'd trust his word over yours, Karkaroff," Snape declared from the other side of the room. "As much as it pains me to admit it, Potter isn't capable of getting his own name in there, not without help."

"Aha!" Karkaroff exclaimed. "So you admit that he had help submitting his name!"

"I admit that someone else entered his name, yes, but Potter clearly had no part in it," Snape insisted.

McGonagall had moved over to Harry now, her eyes serious. "Harry, did you ask anyone to put your name in for you?"

"No! I swear, Auntie-Professor, I don't know who would do this!" Harry exclaimed.

Madame Maxime looked offended. "This child is actually going to compete with our champions? It's preposterous!"

"This _young man_ is an extremely capable fourteen-year-old and he might surprise you," Remus said loudly, his voice on edge.

"Za rules were for zeventeen years of age and older only! Krum and Delacour are eighteen, Diggory, zeventeen and Potter is fourteen, that is clearly against za rules! I insist that you let us redraw za names so that our zchools may also have two champions!"

"It doesn't work like that, Olympé," Crouch declared, his index finger absently stroking his pencil thin moustache. "The Goblet of Fire is a magically binding legal contract. Entering one's name is the same as signing it, whether the contestant entered themselves or not. Once drawn, the Goblet of Fire has set events in motion. No new names may be drawn until another tournament is called forth and the names chosen must compete. We must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament, end of story."

"Well, Barty knows the rule book back to front," Bagman said, beaming and turning back to Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, as though the matter was now closed. Maxime and Karakroff both looked livid. Bagman however continued to look rather amused. "I think this tournament has just became even more exciting! Harry Potter involved? It's going to be a real crowd pleaser having The Boy Who Lived compete!"

Harry felt like he wanted to throw up. He looked at McGonagall gratefully when she gently tapped his cheek.

"Our champions must compete. Let's allow them to go up to their beds and get some rest. I can assure you that Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are anxious to celebrate with them."

Harry looked back at Remus desperately as Bagman spoke up again.

"Can't run off yet, have to give our champions their instructions, do we not? Barty, want to do the honours?"

Crouch seemed to come out of a deep thought. "Yes, instructions. Yes, the First Task …" He moved forward into the firelight. "The First Task is designed to test your daring so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard … very important. The First Task will take place on the twenty-fourth of November, in front of the other students and the panel of judges."

Harry swallowed slowly … only twenty-four days away, he thought.

"The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from all end-of-year tests. I think that's all, Albus?"

"Yes, thank you. Harry, Cedric, I suggest that you two go on up to bed," Dumbledore instructed, smiling at both of them. "I am sure that Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are waiting to celebrate with you, and it would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise."

Harry glanced at Cedric, who nodded, and they left together as Harry looked back once more at Remus who only nodded at him in reassurance.

The Great Hall was deserted now; the candles had burned low, giving the jagged smiles of the pumpkins an eerie, flickering quality.

"So," Cedric said slowly, with a slight smile. "We're playing against each other again!"

"I suppose," Harry said quietly. He really couldn't think of anything to say. The inside of his head seemed to be in complete disarray, as though his brain had been ransacked. He wasn't sure how this had happened or why it had happened, but he felt like he was trapped in a horrible dream.

"So … tell me," Cedric said, interrupting his thoughts as they reached the entrance hall, which was now lit only by torches in the absence of the Goblet of Fire. "How did you get your name in?"

"I didn't," Harry said, staring over at him. "I didn't put my name in. I was telling the truth."

"Ah, okay," Cedric said. Harry could tell that Cedric didn't believe him. "Well, see you, then."

Instead of going up the marble staircase, Cedric headed for a door to its right. Harry stood listening to him going down the stone steps beyond it, then, slowly, he started to climb the marble ones.

Was anyone except his friends going to believe him, or would they all think that he'd put himself in for the tournament? Yet how could anyone think that, when he was facing competitors who'd had three years' more magical education than he had - when he was now facing tasks that not only sounded very dangerous, but which were to be performed in front of hundreds of people? Yes, he'd thought about it; he'd fantasized about it, but it had been a joke, really, an idle sort of dream; he'd never really, seriously considered entering.

But someone else had considered it; someone else had wanted him in the tournament, and had made sure that he was entered. Why? To give him a treat; to see him make a fool of himself? Well, they were very likely to get their wish.

Harry got a shock to find himself facing the Fat Lady already. He had barely noticed where his feet were carrying him. It was also a surprise to see that she was not alone in her frame. The wizened witch who had flitted into her neighbour's painting when he had joined the champions downstairs was now sitting smugly beside the Fat Lady. She must have dashed through every picture lining over seven staircases to reach here before him. Both she and the Fat Lady were looking down at him with the keenest interest.

"Well, well, well," the Fat Lady declared. "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion, then?"

"Balderdash," Harry said dully.

"It most certainly isn't!" The pale witch exclaimed indignantly.

"No, no, Vi, it's the password," the Fat Lady proclaimed soothingly, and she swung forward on her hinges to let Harry into the common room.

The blast of noise that met Harry's ears when the portrait opened almost knocked him backward. Next thing he knew, he was being wrenched inside the common room by about a dozen pairs of hands, and was facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling.

"You should've told us that you'd entered!" Fred bellowed; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.

"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" George roared.

"I didn't," Harry said. "I don't know how my name - "

But Angelina had now swooped down upon him. "Oh, if it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor!"

"You'll be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" Katie Bell shrieked.

"We've got food, Harry, come and have some!"

"I'm not hungry, I had enough at the feast," he grumbled quietly.

But nobody wanted to hear that he wasn't hungry; nobody wanted to hear that he hadn't put his name into the goblet; not one single person seemed to have noticed that he wasn't at all in the mood to celebrate. Lee had unearthed a Gryffindor banner from somewhere, and he insisted on draping it around Harry like a cloak. Harry couldn't get away; whenever he tried to sidle over to the staircase up to the dormitories, the crowd around him closed ranks, forcing another butterbeer on him, stuffing crisps and peanuts into his hands. Everyone wanted to know how he had done it, how he had tricked Dumbledore's Age Line and managed to get his name into the goblet.

"I didn't," he said, over and over again, "I don't know how it happened."

But for all the notice anyone took, he might just as well not have answered at all.

He saw Ginny sitting with Colin and Neville on the other side of the common room, her chocolate brown eyes watching him with worry and he felt a pang of relief. She would believe him. He forced his way through the crowd over to her.

"I didn't enter."

Ginny tugged him down between her and Colin. "Of course not."

Harry let his head fall onto her shoulder as Neville moved to block them from the view of the crowd. "No one believes me."

Neville nodded at him. "We believe you, mate. What did Dumbledore say?"

Harry shrugged. "They don't know anything more than we do. But I have to compete because it's a magical contract and because it's a competition none of the teachers can help me. I'm doomed."

"Don't be stupid," Ginny said sharply, patting his cheek gently as he lifted his head. "You are a brilliant wizard who has been in difficult situations before. You can do this."

Neville nodded. "I agree and just because the teachers can't help you doesn't mean that the rest of us can't. You still have Sirius and Zee and Tonks who can assist you and I'm sure Lupin is going to give them ideas to tell you as well."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Ginny told him with a smile.

"Where's Ron and Hermione?"

"Hermione went up to bed. She had a headache and she thought you were never going to get free from the crowd and I haven't seen Ron since the feast," Neville said. "But don't worry, mate, we're all on your side here!"

Harry smiled gratefully at them. "I think that I'm going to head up to bed. I'm really tired. Maybe when I wake up it will all have been a bad dream."

Ginny smiled sympathetically at him. "No, unfortunately that won't happen; but get some sleep."

He nodded and stood up just as the portrait hole opened and Remus and McGonagall stood there, beckoning Harry forward.

He sighed in defeat as he followed them out into the hall.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(French) Bonjour = hello_

 _(French) mes étudiants = my students_

 _(French) Suis moi = follow me_

 _I'm just editing chapter 161 and I will be posting that one today as well because I feel like this chapter is just a set up one._


	161. Chapter 161

_Author's Note:_

 _I'm posting two chapters today because I think chapter 160 is a set-up for this chapter so you are getting lucky :D_

 _This is an unintentional very steamy chapter by the way._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

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 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE:**

 **"** **We're going to McGonagall's suite, follow us," Remus told him.**

Harry only nodded glumly, following them down the hall through the tall portrait at the end of the corridor of Godric Gryffindor; the password was "Nyx" and he stepped inside. Remus urged him to take a seat on the sofa and he looked at Nyx gratefully when she laid her head in his lap. She was growing larger every day and Harry knew that within another six to eight months she was going to be a fully grown tiger; a massive magnificent tiger with the tall pointed ears of a Kneazle and the long feathery tail of a zouwu. He stroked her absentmindedly as he watched McGonagall sit in the chair across from him and Remus sat next to him.

"I wasn't lying, I didn't enter."

"We know, Harry," Remus said calmly. "First of all, you promised me that you wouldn't and I know that you would never intentionally go back on your word. And secondly, the look on your face alone ... but this is a major concern."

The fireplace lit up next to them and Sirius and Zee stepped out followed by Tonks. Harry was crushed into Zee's embrace as Sirius stood over him, his hands in his hair.

"Minnie, how the fuck did this happen? Dumbledore and Crouch assured me that every possible precaution was being taken!"

Harry kept his arms around Zee, surprising himself when he realized that he wanted to cry and he blinked back his tears. "I didn't enter, Uncle Siri!"

Zee kissed his cheek, letting go only long enough to sit next to him, keeping her arms still wrapped around him. "Of course you didn't!"

Tonks was staring at him. "But how did someone confuse the Goblet of Fire? An object that powerful, someone must have tampered with it and to have done so without leaving any evidence behind?"

Remus cleared his throat. "We have a few theories and none of them are better than the last, but Snape's theory makes the most sense. Severus thinks that someone used a powerful Confundus Charm to confuse the Goblet of Fire, he says that it's the only way it could have been confused into picking a fourth name and I think that he's right. Minerva agrees."

"If someone confunded it and then charmed the parchment with Harry's name to be the only Hogwarts champion for the fourth school, it is plausible. But the person who did so had to have used a strong enough charm to overcome the powers of the magical artefact itself and they obviously had been planning to do it for weeks," she explained, letting out a frustrated sigh. "If not months and I can assure you that none of the students here are powerful enough to have done it."

"Do we think that they were working alone?" Zee asked. "If it had to be done by someone so powerful than they must have had help!"

McGonagall shook her head. "That's just it, we don't know."

"Who had access to the goblet?" Sirius demanded, his eyes flashing in anger. "Other than the students, who had access to it?"

"Albus put an Age Line around it and I can assure you, it was powerful enough to stop anyone underage from crossing it. But that still leaves all of the Hogwarts staff, Karakroff, Maxime, Bagman and Crouch not to mention the few Ministry witches and wizards who were in out of the school in the last twenty-four hours to check on things."

Sirius was staring at his son, eyes wide. "That's too many bloody options! I want the names of every Ministry witch and wizard who stepped foot in this castle! I want them immediately checked over for any sign of a Dark Mark, the use of Polyjuice Potion, the Imperius Curse, I don't care, I want them examined!"

"Sirius, I can't just go seize and search them without just cause," Tonks exclaimed.

"One of them did this, Tonks, and I want to know who! I want to know who is attempting to get my son killed by entering him in this goddamn tournament!"

"Sirius!" Zee exclaimed, her arms still wrapped around Harry. "You panicking is not helping matters! Harry is stressed enough without watching you overreact!"

Sirius knelt down in front of his son. "I'm sorry, Harry; how are you doing with this?"

"Did someone really enter my name in an attempt to kill me?" He asked, his eyes wide.

Sirius leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "You are going to prove them all wrong and win this damn thing." He kissed him again, tugging him close for a hug. "We are going to work together twice a week, learning everything you possibly can in preparation for the First Task."

"But I don't even know what it's going to be! It's supposed to test my daring, I don't even know what that means and it's in twenty-four days!"

Remus reached over to touch Harry's shoulder. "As a professor, I cannot directly help you, Harry, but as your father, you can bet that I will be giving Sirius as much help as possible."

"As will I," McGonagall said from the chair. "Our Gryffindor Champion is going to have a chance at this no matter what."

Harry swallowed slowly, feeling a bit relieved and nodded. Nyx was still lying with her head in his lap and he kept stroking her calmly. She was a beautiful animal and the fact that she was trying to calm him he found oddly reassuring. He looked up at the people around him, his family, and he let out a slow breath.

"I can do this," he said quietly. "It's not like someone hasn't tried to kill me before, right?"

Sirius kissed his head again. "Well, not the point, but yes. You can do this, Harry, and we will be there every step of the way, preparing and assisting you in any way that we can. That I can promise you."

Harry hugged his godfather tightly, closing his eyes. "Okay. Where do we begin?"

 **When Remus dropped Harry back off at Gryffindor Tower,** he made his way back to McGonagall's suite, his head pounding. He had done his best to reassure his son that everything was going to be alright, but he wasn't quite sure that it was accurate. How had this happened?

Sirius was still pacing in front of the fireplace when he went back into the living room of McGonagall's suite. He only looked up at the sight of his friend. "Harry okay?"

Remus shrugged. "As well as can be expected."

Sirius nodded and went back to pacing. "I don't understand how this goblet could have been as safe as houses when anyone seventeen and older could have simply added a younger student's name to begin with. Can we just talk about what a huge bloody loophole that is? That's more than just a sodding loophole actually, that's a problem! At this point, we're bloody lucky that Harry was the only underage contestant to begin with!"

"Sirius, it wasn't that simple! I'm sure that there was more protection on the goblet than that. Dumbledore did specifically say that the students had to submit themselves."

"He did, Minnie, yes, however, as this clusterfuck with Harry has proven, anyone could have bloody submitted anyone else's name that they bloody well wanted! That's a huge oversight that the Department of Magical Games and Sports conveniently forgot to look into!" Sirius exclaimed. "And don't think that I won't be having it out with Bagman when I see him!"

Zee stood up, taking his hand in hers and urging him to go take a seat on the sofa. She kept his hand tightly in hers. "It was an oversight, yes, but right now it's hardly the part that we should be looking at. We need to help Harry in every way that we can."

"Absolutely, but we also need to get that idiot Fudge out of the Ministry!"

Remus frowned. "Fudge is a lot of things, Sirius, but he can't be blamed for this. He was overseeing a great deal of the tournament true, but he wasn't the one handling the specifics."

"No, but he was the one who ordered thirty Dementors to roam freely across the Hogwarts grounds last year and got me accidentally Kissed!"

Zee leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Which you absolutely cannot use against him because Harry and Hermione used a Time-Turner illegally to stop that from happening! And he stopped Umbridge's man-hunt against Remus and the Undesirable Bill."

Sirius frowned. "I hate it when you're right."

Tonks was tapping her foot on the ground as she stared at her cousin. "In the meantime, what are we going to do to help Harry? Remus, can you and Minerva really not help him?"

Remus ran his fingers through his hair. "Technically no because we are professors we are forbidden from directly helping him in any of the tasks, however if I was to mention a few suggestions to my beautiful Auror and she happened to teach him, well, that of course would not be me helping him at all."

Tonks grinned. "Good show!"

McGonagall nodded. "We will train him to the best of our abilities. Hopefully the first task won't be too dangerous. I imagine that it won't be a well kept secret too much longer. These things always have a way of getting out."

Tonks bit her bottom lip. "I, er, I may know what it is, or at least part of it."

Remus' eyes widened. "What?"

Tonks sighed and hesitated before she spoke. "I might be wrong, in fact, I'm desperately hoping that I am wrong, but … do you remember when Charlie came to see us last term and he said that he had been drafted by the Ministry for a top-secret project involving dragons?"

Remus paled. "Blast!"

"Bloody hell!" Sirius said at the same time.

McGonagall simply paled. "Merlin, that can't be ... I mean, they wouldn't actually have them _fight_ a dragon would they?"

Tonks shook her head. "I have no idea. I'll try to contact Charlie and see if I can get him to reveal anything to me. You try to see what you can figure out. How are we going to train Harry?"

"Sirius, you and Tonks can both visit the school whenever necessary, without Quidditch, Harry should be free most nights for training other than Advanced Defence Club. Whatever you might think he needs to learn to help him I suggest that you teach him," McGonagall said. "You can use Remus' suite as a private training area or you can bring him home if you wish."

"I'm going to call Papa too," Zee told Sirius. "He might have some suggestions to help and he might even be able to come to Scotland and give him some lessons himself."

Sirius only nodded. "He's been in dangerous situations before and he's made it out knowing a lot less. Of course, actually watching him go through the situation instead of finding out about it after the fact is completely different, but nevertheless, he's been through worse."

"He did slay a giant Basilisk with only the Sword of Gryffindor when he was only twelve," Remus said with a smile. "I mean, at that point, what's a dragon to him?"

Sirius let out a tiny strangled laugh. "Merlin I wish Jamie was here sometimes. He would know what to do; how to guide him."

Zee kissed his cheek. "So do you. We're not going to let him do this alone, baby. We will be there, every step that we can be."

"Minerva, let's try to figure out what could be important for him to know straight away. If we can make a list and get that started it will be a great help. Sirius, next Thursday night? You and Nymphadora can start his training?"

Sirius only nodded at Remus. "Next Thursday, we'll be there."

 **Harry went back up to his dorm that night feeling slightly better.** He wasn't just going to be thrown into this tournament. He was going to have help from his fathers and from others. Of course knowing someone entered him with the express desire that he be killed was something else entirely. His first thought concerning who it could have been would be Voldemort, but if Voldemort wanted him for some ritual than he most certainly didn't want him to perish in this tournament, right? Unless of course he needed him dead for the ritual? That was a disturbing image, Harry thought as he stepped into his dorm. But there was no way that Voldemort had snuck into Hogwarts in the middle of the night to enter Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire. He knew that at least was a fact.

He was surprised to find all four of his dorm mates awake and waiting for him.

"Hey, you blokes didn't have to wait up," he said in surprise.

Seamus shrugged. "Of course we did! What the hell happened, mate? How did you get your name in?"

"I didn't," he insisted for the umpteenth time in exasperation. "I was telling the truth. I never entered."

Neville's eyebrow rose. "What does that mean exactly? What did Lupin have to say?"

Harry sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair causing it to stick up in every which direction. "That's it, no one really knows. But they think that Snape has the most plausible theory in that someone confunded the goblet into thinking that I was the only champion for a fourth school which made my name come up and they think that it was most likely done in an attempt to get me killed or at least gravely injured."

Ron's eyes widened. "Are you kidding?"

"I bloody well wish I was," Harry muttered. "And I have to compete because it's a magically binding contract. No new names can be chosen because the goblet has gone out. Uncle Siri and Uncle Rem said that they are going to start training me, well, Uncle Siri will be, as technically Uncle Rem can't help me because he's a Hogwarts teacher."

"Wow," Dean said quietly, his eyes wide. "That's insane! So not only do you have to compete in this dangerous tournament, but your competition is three seventeen-year-olds!"

"Krum and Delacour are eighteen, but yeah."

"It's kind of amazing though, right?" Dean prompted. "I mean, if you win, it's going to be eternal glory and all that jazz."

Harry frowned. "What are the chances of me honestly winning this thing? I'm a goner!"

Ron glared at him. "No, you're not! You are a powerful wizard, Harry, and like we said the other day, this is stuff that you can do! Remember all of the obstacles that we faced on the way to the Stone? In the Chamber? You're going to be fine!"

"But I had help with all of that stuff!" Harry exclaimed.

"And you're going to have help now," Ron said calmly. "No one is going to let you die, Harry."

Harry stared at his friends, relief coursing through him. "Thanks, I mean ... thanks."

Neville grinned at him. "Do you want to get some rest, Harry, or do you want to play a game or something?"

"I could stay up for a bit," he admitted. "I don't think that I want to see what I might dream about when I close my eyes."

He smiled gratefully at them as the four of them tugged blankets and pillows down to the floor in between his and Ron's bed, making a makeshift fort and spreading out comfortably.

"What are we talking about?" Ron asked, stifling a yawn. "About the tournament?"

"No, honestly, anything else," Harry said gratefully, changing into his pyjamas before he joined his friends on the floor.

Seamus bit his lip nervously as he looked around at them. "I have something, maybe ..." when everyone looked at him, he let out a slow breath. "I um ... I think I might be well … I might have sex."

Dean's eyes widened. "Actually? When? Why do you only think?"

He shrugged, the tips of his ears blushing a bit. "Well, I don't know for sure, but I think so, I mean, my fifteenth birthday was on the twelfth and I think ... I think that I'm ready."

"Who's the bird?" Ron asked, moving to bring out the stash of sweets that they kept in the window seat.

"Just someone that I've been fooling around with," Seamus said quickly, his ears reddening. "We're keeping it quiet for now."

"Nothing wrong with that," Harry said, smiling at him. "But do you really think that you're really ready?"

He nodded. "I do, yeah. I mean … yeah, I think I'm ready."

"You have to tell us what it's like," Ron said, curiosity in his voice.

Dean shrugged. "It's kind of amazing."

All eyes moved to him and he grinned.

"Er, yeah, I might have um ... with Parvati ... in September."

"Dean!" Seamus exclaimed, his mouth open in surprise. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted to," he admitted. "But it just never seemed to be the right opportunity."

Neville's eyes were big as he stared at them. "I haven't even held a girl's hand!"

Dean grinned at him. "It was brilliant! I mean, the first time was okay for her, not great granted, but the next time ... she was all wet and warm and ... it was incredible! I've never felt anything like it before."

"Wow," Neville said quietly.

Seamus was looking at Dean, his eyes clouded. He seemed to catch himself and he nodded. "Well, good for you, mate. I guess you and Parvati are getting kind of serious then?"

Dean shrugged. "A little, I guess, yeah."

Ron simply stared at them. "I can't even believe that you've had sex!"

Dean shrugged as if it was no big deal. "When the opportunity arises, you know? Right, Seam?"

Seamus only nodded. "Right."

Harry cleared his throat. "Well, I personally am not ready for that yet," he admitted as Ron and Neville both looked grateful for this. "I mean, snogging is brilliant and this summer, I met this girl in Georgia named Harley and it was just great. She even let me kiss her breasts through her shirt and that was just so bloody brilliant, but ... I don't know if I'm ready to go any further than that. After the Cup last year, I didn't tell you, but Sophie got a little frisky when we were snogging; gave me a hand job and yes, it was amazing but ... I don't know, it seemed too fast and I don't know if I want to do something like that again unless it's with someone that I really care about."

"That's good of you, Harry," Seamus told him. "That's how I feel. I want to and I think that I'm ready and I really, really care about W-her, so I want to, but I don't want to do it with just anyone, you know?"

They all sat there with pensive looks on their faces as they munched on candy. It wasn't until Neville spoke up again that Harry realized that no one had spoken in over a minute.

"There's supposed to be a dance at Christmas time and ... what if no one wants to go with me?"

Harry grinned at him. "That won't be a problem, Nev, trust me, you'll find someone to have a brilliant time with."

They chatted a bit more about girls and kissing before heading into their own beds and bunking down for the night. Harry was surprised to see that it was already after two in the morning. He felt better after talking to his friends and to his family, but the idea of the tournament looming over him was still on his mind and he was grateful when he finally climbed into his own bed and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Seamus simply lied in his bed, his eyes on the ceiling of his four poster. He was thinking of giving his virginity to Will. They hadn't talked about it officially, but he knew that Will had done it before and he wanted to. He wanted to go further because touching him, kissing him, sucking him, and being kissed, touched and sucked in return was everything that he had ever imagined it would be and he wanted to know what it felt like to do it all. He wanted to sink himself deep into Will more than he wanted to do anything else in the world so he couldn't understand why it was bothering him so much that Dean had slept with Parvati.

He punched his pillow in anger and then jumped when his bed curtains opened and Dean crawled inside, sitting across from him on the end of his bed.

"Dean! What are you doing in here?" Seamus hissed in surprise.

Dean pulled out his wand and muttered a privacy charm. "I wanted to talk to you. How come you never told me that you were seeing somebody? I thought that we told each other everything."

"You never told me that you had sex with Parvati!" Seamus accused.

"I wanted to, but you weren't here and then every time I tried ... I don't know. Who are you seeing?"

"We're keeping it a secret," Seamus murmured.

"Why? Is she ugly?"

"No!" He exclaimed. "Look, sometimes I just want to keep things private, okay?"

Dean merely raised an eyebrow. "No need to get so testy. It's just that when your best mate is keeping something from you, it tends to annoy you." He rubbed a hand down the front of his pants. "Besides, I was kind of hoping you might want to help a bloke out with that talented mouth of yours?" He asked, tugging his pyjama bottoms and his boxers down and pulling out his erection.

Seamus gulped. "I just told you that I was seeing someone and you just finished telling me that you've been having sex with Parvati!"

"Vat won't use her mouth. She says that it doesn't seem very clean and she's not ready to try that yet, but she's great with her hands. We've only had sex three times and ... Seam, no one has blown me since you last Christmas."

"You have a girlfriend," Seamus repeated.

"She doesn't make me feel as good as you," he said quietly, his hand slowly pumping himself. "Please?"

Seamus stared down at Dean's large erection and he found himself licking his lips before he shook his head. "No. I'm with someone, Dean."

Dean merely stayed where he was, fondling himself. "Never stopped you before. Come on, Seam, what are friends for? Use your mouth."

"I said no," Seamus said angrily. "You said so yourself, it was experimenting! We're friends, but I'm not here to just get you off whenever you feel like it!"

Dean continued to pump himself, moving faster now and he kept his eyes on Seamus'. "Alright, you can just watch then."

"I don't want to -"

" - Yes, you do," Dean insisted, locking his eyes with his friend as he worked himself over.

Seamus wanted to tear his eyes away, but he found that he couldn't and when Dean finished, wiping his hand on Seamus' sheets, guilt swam through him. "Get out," he said quietly.

Dean only stared at him, tugging his pants back up. "Who's the bloke, Seam?"

Seamus' eyes widened. "W-w-what?"

"Who's the bloke?" He repeated. When Seamus didn't respond he merely nodded. "I thought Will seemed like a nice bloke at the Cup and when I saw you talking to him again a few weeks ago it all clicked into place. You never cared when you were with Lavender. In fact, your hands and mouth found themselves on my cock pretty frequently when you were with her. Will's different I take it."

Seamus simply stared at him. "Dean ... I ..."

"Are you ashamed?"

Seamus swallowed slowly. "No, I ... I don't know. I liked Lavender and I like Will and I ... maybe I'm bi."

Dean simply stared at him. "No, Seam, you're not." He climbed off of the bed, adjusting his pyjama pants as he did so.

"How long have you known?" He whispered, his eyes downcast.

Dean lifted his friend's chin and stared into his eyes. "Really known? Since the moment I woke up last Christmas morning with your mouth wrapped around my cock. Sure, you were curious and I get that, who isn't a little bit, but ... mate, you told me how good I tasted and ... I just knew."

"Do you hate me?"

"Are you kidding?"

Seamus shrugged. "I lied to you."

Dean snorted. "Nah, you didn't. But I do think that you're lying to yourself and I'm not okay with my best mate doing that. If you really like this Will bloke, and if you're thinking about having sex with him than I'm guessing that you do, maybe it's time that you stop lying to yourself."

Seamus watched him crawl back into his own bed and he let out a slow breath, rolling over to punch his pillow again. He wasn't lying to himself, Dean was wrong about that, he thought. But his hand reached down to grip his hard cock and as he pumped himself he imagined Dean watching him and then he imagined Will's mouth and when he came, he let out a soft muffled sob.

And when he closed his eyes, he didn't really know what the truth was and that scared him a little more than he wanted to admit.

 **By the time that Remus and Tonks made it back to the cottage,** his brain was still on overdrive. The thought of Harry being a Triwizard Champion was mind-boggling and he was simultaneously terrified and excited for his boy. He dragged his fingers through his hair as Tonks stood up on her toes to kiss him.

"It's going to be okay, Rem."

"You don't actually know that, Dora," he said softly, lowering his hands to her waist.

"I don't know it for sure, no, but in my heart I believe that it will be and that he will be." She stood on her toes to kiss him again and he lifted her, smiling when she wrapped her legs around his waist as they kissed deeper.

"I don't know what I would do without you," he whispered against her neck.

She smiled and kissed him again. "Go insane obviously."

His lips trailed down her neck, over her collarbone and his fingers gripped the bottom of her jumper, tugging it over her head. His eyes widened at the sight of the blue denim shirt she wore. "Is this mine?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she told him with a grin. "It clearly belongs to me now."

"Now," he said on a strangled laugh. "So _it was_ mine."

She unbuttoned it and let it drop to the floor behind her. "Now it's off so it hardly matters."

He grinned and lowered his head to her chest, kissing the swell of her breasts over her bra.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered as his lips brushed her skin in a gentle caress.

She smiled as he walked them towards the bedroom, dropping her down onto their bed. "We had a training session today and afterwards I was trying on some of the new athletic uniforms for size and Atwell told me that I'd be much prettier if I had bigger breasts because I would fill out the tank top nicer with my sports bra. She's quite curvy, I mean, not Zee curvy, but she's really pretty. It is something that I've thought about, I told her. I mean, all I have to do is imagine how I -"

Remus' mouth covered hers as her bra came undone and off and then his mouth bent down to work over her left breast. "No."

"No?" She squeaked in surprise as his teeth grazed her. "It would be no different than changing my hair colour."

"No," he growled, kissing her breasts tenderly. "You are perfect."

She smiled at him. "Sometimes a girl gets to be a little vain."

Remus' eyes met hers as his tongue stroked her nipple. "Why would you ever want to change yourself?"

Tonks blushed, tugging his face up to hers. "Well, I mean no one thinks their body is completely perfect. I mean, I really like my bum, I think it has a nice shape to it, but my tits have always been rather small, like a chubby boy's and maybe I should -"

Remus' hands cupped each breast. "These are magnificent," he insisted, lowering his mouth back to them. "Definitely not like a chubby boy."

She groaned when his teeth grazed her. "It's my body you know, if I want to change it, I can."

Remus stopped kissing her, tugging off her pants and underwear until she lay naked before him. His whisky coloured eyes moved over her full of lust and love and desire. He slid his hand down her stomach, between her legs, spreading her with his fingers and making her gasp. He bent his head to kiss her stomach, his fingers pumping her achingly slow.

"I won't stop you," he whispered. "I just want you to be happy and if changing your body will make you happy, I can't tell you otherwise. However, I love you just like this," he said, bending his head to nuzzle her breasts, cupping them in his free hand and sucking on the skin. "Breasts spilling over my fingers, in my mouth, as my fingers are inside of you," he whispered, pumping her faster as her breath hitched. "I love the way your skin glows a soft pink when I pleasure you; the dimple on the top of your bum that begs me to kiss it before I bury my cock deep inside of you." She groaned as he added a third finger, panting now.

"I love how you taste, your skin, your nipples, your lips, your ... cavern," he said making her grin as she moaned. "I love how your breasts fit perfectly in my hands, how I can fit my mouth right around most of them, how soft they are, how beautiful ... how my teeth marks are just here in a soft white scar that covers the entire underside and how I can see it when I look at you because they are the perfect size," he said, twirling his fingers now in a new rhythm that made her cry out, her legs falling open wider.

"I love your beautiful brown curls, the birthmark on the back of your neck that you glamour away, the thirteen freckles on your nose and the three freckles on your left shoulder that you try to hide," he said, his tongue sweeping across her nipple as his fingers began to pump faster and faster.

Tonks was moaning desperately now, her hands in his hair. "Remus ..."

He smiled at her, his tongue continuing to tantalize her breasts as his fingers worked her over. "I love these gorgeous grey eyes, the different shades of pink you're always experimenting with that make you so vibrant. I love the dark purple you choose between your legs," he said, using his teeth to graze her nipples now and she cried out.

Merlin, she was so close, she thought, so close. "Rem," she moaned.

He simply wrapped his mouth around as much of her breast as he could, sucking hard and she screamed, clenching around his fingers as she came. He continued to play with her breasts as he slid his hands around to squeeze her bum and then he bent his head lower and used his mouth.

Tonks was crying his name as he brought her over again. His tongue and fingers working simultaneously as she screamed. When his mouth finally met hers she slid her fingers into his hair and smiled in satisfaction.

"I'm not as perfect as you make me out to be."

His lips touched hers softly. "But you are perfect to me. I just want you to be happy, my Nymphadora, in every possible way."

She slid her hands down his chest and unzipped his pants, finding him hard and ready for her. "Having you here with me is all I need." She stroked him as his eyes crossed and she smiled. "I want you, Professor."

Remus grinned and pulled his jumper over his head and his shirt as Tonks shoved his black jeans and boxers down. He didn't bother removing his socks, instead he just rolled over, tugging her down on top of him. "Show me how you want me, Dora."

She smiled in triumph, lowering her head to lick him and he groaned. She positioned herself over him and took him deep into her. She placed one hand on his chest and the other gripped her hair as she rode him, her grey eyes never leaving his. And when she came all over again, he simply smiled and held on, furiously meeting her demand until he let go and emptied himself.

Tonks buried her face in his neck. He was still inside of her and she refused to move. It felt too good to have him there, inside of her, like he was part of her.

His hand slid up to cup a breast, kneading softly and she lifted her head to kiss him.

"I love you so much, sometimes it just grips me by the throat, you know?"

"I know," he said kissing her, rolling her onto her side and taking her again. She screamed when she came, her eyes wide as he took his pleasure.

"I can't ever move again," she whispered against his chest.

Remus grinned and rolled her onto her stomach, shifting a pillow beneath her abdomen. "That's alright, love, I'll do the moving for both of us." And then he was inside of her again and she groaned.

He came and she turned to snuggle into him, kissing his neck. "It's a wolf thing, right?"

"Hmm?"

"The stamina … I mean, God, you've barely finished and you're taking me again, it's a wolf thing, right?"

He kissed her nose. "Sometimes I can't ... you'll tell me if it's too much? I don't want to hurt you."

Tonks grinned against his chest. "Trust me, my screams are definitely not from pain, Professor."

He grinned back and kissed the top of her head. "Nymphadora?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you really wish that you had huge knockers?"

She smiled up at him. "I think they're a nice size to be honest, small and compact like an apple, true, but with the right bra I still have decent cleavage so I guess they're okay. Plus I can go braless and no one even really notices, but I just … when she pointed it out I got to thinking and I thought maybe that you wished they were bigger. You really don't wish for me to make them bigger?"

He kissed her deeply. "I really don't wish that. I love you exactly the way you are, but if you choose to change something about yourself, I won't stop loving you."

She smiled. "I'll keep them for now. But you know if I decide to, I'll tell you first."

Remus nodded and tugged the blankets up around them. "Deal."

 **When Seamus pulled Will into the empty classroom on the fourth floor the next morning and threw his arms around the taller boy's neck to tug his mouth down to his, he literally sighed in pleasure at the taste of him.** Will slid his hands up Seamus' back, kissing him deeply.

"Mmm," he murmured against him. "I missed you."

Seamus smiled at him. "I missed you too. Can you talk for a bit?"

Will nodded, his green eyes looking at him in concern. "Of course. Everything alright?"

He shrugged, dragging his fingers through his hair. "I - I don't know."

Will took his hand, tugging Seamus over to a chair in the corner and making himself comfortable in his boyfriend's lap. He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his lips and nuzzled his neck for a moment. "I'm listening."

Seamus sighed and buried his face in Will's neck as his arms came around him. "I - last night, Dean came to see me."

"Okay."

"He ... he tried to get me to blow him and I wouldn't and ... he touched himself in front of me ... and … I … I watched him."

Will nodded, pulling away just a little. "Oh?"

"Will, I ... he was doing it intentionally, I know that now. He was trying to get me to admit that I'm ..."

Will's green eyes met his. "That you're what?"

"Gay," he said in a tumble of breath.

Will smiled and kissed him softly. "I already knew that, silly."

Seamus pouted. "Well, I ... I mean, I guess I knew, but I didn't want … not really, and ... Will ..."

"What?" He asked, planting soft kisses along the side of his neck. "You can tell me anything."

Seamus cupped Will's face in his hands, looking deep into the green eyes. "I want to make love with you. I want to bend you over that desk over there and just bury myself deep until you're screaming my name and I'm terrified because I've never done that before."

Will kissed him softly. "Are you terrified because you've never done it or are you terrified that I'm going to let you?"

"Both," he said, his eyes on his.

Will kissed him again, shifting so that he was straddling his boyfriend in the chair. "I love you, Seamus. You are funny and quirky and kind and you make me smile. You're sexy and sweet and I want you more than anything. I love having you as my secret boyfriend, but nothing would make me happier than being able to claim you publicly as mine."

Seamus stared at him and then he leaned in and kissed him deeply. "I don't want to hide anymore. I want the world to know that you are mine as well."

Will kissed him again, more passionately this time, stroking his bottom lip with his tongue. "And you want to be on top, eh?"

Seamus blushed, "Well, I mean, it does seem kind of ... I mean ... yeah, I want to be inside of you."

Will grinned widely. "I want you inside of me."

Seamus turned a darker shade of red and Will kissed him again.

"Friday. After dinner, meet me by Ravenclaw Tower and we'll go up to my bedroom."

Seamus' eyes widened. " _In your room_?"

Will nodded. "Yes, in my room. If you're going to take me, Seam, I want it to be in my own bed. Don't worry, we'll be discreet and I'll use privacy and silencing charms."

"But your roommates - ?"

"Two of them will be at Defence Club and the other two I can guarantee will be in the library studying for OWLs. We'll have the whole place to ourselves and then you'll be nice and hidden in my bed behind my curtains, I promise. Do you trust me?"

Seamus nodded. "Of course."

Will kissed him again. "And by Friday you'll have more time to think about it; to make sure that it's what you really want."

"It is," Seamus insisted.

Will smiled, kissing his throat, his lips lingering over his Adam's apple. "Mmm, I hope so, but if you decide that you're not ready, that's okay too."

"You've done it before?"

"With my last boyfriend, yeah."

"And were you on the top?"

Will shook his head. "No, I like the bottom like I'm going to be with you." He kissed him again. "Whatever you want. But until then ... can I tell people that you're my boyfriend?"

Seamus nodded, his eyes wide. "I ... yes."

Will smiled. "How about we only tell them if they ask?"

Seamus looked relieved by this and smiled when Will kissed his neck again. "Okay, but on one condition?"

"What's that?" He asked.

Seamus smiled at him. "You can kiss me whenever and wherever you want and I can do the same to you."

Will's smile widened. "Anywhere I want, eh? That has a lot of meaning."

Seamus simply grinned. "I love you, Will."

Will's eyes softened and he kissed him softly. "I love you, too."

Seamus buried his face in the crook of the taller boy's neck and he smiled. He had never felt happier in his whole life.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _Two things here:_

 _1\. I wanted Dean to come off as a bit of an asshole, but also a really supportive friend. He's not stupid and he knows that his friend is lying and he wants Seamus to be himself and to be comfortable with himself which is why I wrote it the way that I did and_

 _2\. I hate how people always assume that because Tonks is a Metamorphmagus she looks like some form of a supermodel, she doesn't. In my mind she is about 5'6, lean, athletic, small breasts, I kind of picture her body type like Keira Knightly a bit to be honest. I think that one of the best parts of Tonks is that she is a badass Auror who is clumsy as fuck and the only thing that she consciously changes about herself is her hair colour and glamours away those few unwanted freckles, but she is confident in who she is and I wanted Remus to love that about her, to tell her how much he loved her the way she is and that if she did decide to change something drastic about herself that he would still love her. I think that's the most beautiful part of their relationship._

 _3\. That is all. Please review!_


	162. Chapter 162

_Author's Note:_

 _First of all, I just realized that it has been over a year since I first published this story (I'm 14 days late in noticing). I never expected it to be this long or to have gotten so many wonderful readers and reviewers so thank you so much! I write for you just as much as for myself. Thank you for all of your support!_

 _As to those who reviewed - I am very happy that Ron was there to support Harry as well. I think because Ron has known Harry for eight years at this point that he would understand better than anyone how much Harry didn't want it, especially because he was there standing beside him when Harry promised Remus that he wouldn't enter. That was just as important as most of you have realized how sacred a promise is between Harry and his fathers, that's not something that they would ever break intentionally. I do think that Harry needed that family support and wanting to cry, but not crying was just as important because he is fourteen and he's a young man now, but also still a kid and he's caught between the two. Zee gave him the opportunity to get snuggled and coddled without having to let the tears fall and I think that helped him a lot. As to Dean, I do believe he is always a bit of an ass and yes, he did go about it the wrong way, but the part that I wanted to focus on was that he just wanted his best mate to stop lying to himself and I think that he helped give Seamus the push thathe needed, even if he went about it the wrong way. As for Remus being the perfect man, well I might agree a little there, but he's not Jamie Fraser lol - but he is perfect with Tonks. He loves her for who she is and I think that's beautiful about them._

 _Also shout-out to guest-reviewer Ana, miss your thoughts, where have you been? Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

 _Thanks to Steel for a few of these fun suggestions and for helping me verbalize my own thoughts more clearly._

 _The last scene - I've had it written since the middle of the summer and I've been waiting and waiting for the right moment to post it. Hope you all enjoy it - it gives me a chuckle every time! :D_

 _And just to repeat: it kind of bothered me that the dates were wrong in Goblet of Fire, Halloween of 1994 fell on a Monday so in my story, I am keeping the date the same, but having Dumbledore alter the classes to make it fit because that just seems like something that he would do._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO:**

 **Harry woke up the next morning hoping desperately that last night had been a dream.** He was alone in his dormitory when he crawled out of bed and he grabbed his toiletries, moving into the bathroom to take a long hot shower. He stood under the spray, letting the hot water beat down on his face, his hands against the cold tile.

He was going to compete in the Triwizard Tournament.

He was a Hogwarts Champion, chosen by the Goblet of Fire.

And someone had entered his name into the tournament in an attempt to get him killed.

He opened his eyes and let out a slow breath. Whoever it was sure knew what they were doing, he thought. He had no idea how he was going to survive this tournament.

He finished his shower, did a quick shave on his patchy chin and neck and added a bit of deodorant and cologne before he attempted to fix his hair to no avail. He dressed in jeans and a red knit jumper before he slowly made his way down into the common room. Since they didn't have classes until this afternoon, he didn't want to wear his uniform yet. The common room was fairly deserted and he headed down to the Great Hall hoping that there was some scraps of breakfast left, but when he looked at his watch he knew that he had missed out so he turned to head towards the kitchens instead.

The last thing that he expected to see in the kitchens was the house elf that he had freed two years ago.

"Harry Potter!" Dobby exclaimed happily, eyes wide and a huge ugly grin on his face.

"Dobby?" Harry asked in amazement.

"It is, sir!"

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked him, surprise evident in his voice.

"Dumbledore is giving me a job, sir! He pays Dobby one Galleon a month and he says that Dobby can wear whatever clothes Dobby wants, sir!"

Harry nodded, his eyes taking in the rather assorted clothing that the elf was wearing. He had on bright red socks with the Hogwarts house elf uniform and a black knit hat perched between his ears. "That's great."

"It was hard for Dobby to find work, Harry Potter. No one is wanting a house elf who wants wages, but Dumbledore is understanding, sir; Dumbledore says Dobby must have at least one day off a month, sir. He insisted on three, but Dobby couldn't, Harry Potter, sir, he couldn't!" He exclaimed, as if the process of too much freedom was more than he could possibly bear.

"Well, er, I'm glad that Dumbledore hired you then."

"And now Harry Potter has come to visit Dobby! Dobby is so grateful, sir! What can I do for Harry Potter?"

Harry smiled at him. "You're welcome, Dobby. And actually, I kind of missed breakfast. Is there any chance that you could scrounge something up for me?"

Dobby beamed at him and five minutes later Harry found himself with a full breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, toast with grape jelly and a bowl of oatmeal with fresh berries and brown sugar. He ate it all happily as he listened to Dobby explain what he had been up too since Harry had last seen him. When he heard Dobby say the name, Winky, his eyebrows shot up.

"You know Winky?"

Dobby nodded, his ears drooping. "Ah, yes, sir. Poor Winky is distraught, sir. She was given clothes by her master and she is ashamed, sir! Winky loved her master."

"Yeah, I know, Uncle Sirius is trying to convince her to work for him, but I don't think it's going very well. She's still quite upset over what happened."

Dobby nodded. "Winky is very sad, sir. She thinks that she failed her masters. But she will be alright, Harry Potter, sir."

Harry smiled at him. "Good." He went back to his breakfast, eating every bite before he stood up. "Thanks for this, Dobby. I appreciate it."

"Anything for the Hogwarts Champion, sir."

Harry blushed. "Er, right."

He said goodbye and made his way back upstairs, not really sure where he was going or what he wanted to do and when he found himself moving towards his father's Hogwarts suite, he wasn't really that surprised. The last thing that he wanted was to be around a school full of people who were convinced that he had put his name into the Goblet of Fire and somehow cheated the system.

"Harry!"

He turned and offered a smile for Ginny as she hurried towards him. "Hi Gin."

"Hey, we've been looking for you!"

He nodded and gestured for her to follow him through the open portrait hole. He plopped himself down on the sofa and she curled up next to him.

"I went down to the kitchens because I missed breakfast."

Ginny smiled at him. "Did you sleep alright?"

He shrugged. "As good as can be expected, I guess. Uncle Remus, Uncle Sirius, Tonks, Zee and Professor McGonagall told me that they believe me and we're going to start having some form of private lessons to try to get me ready for this thing."

She reached out to touch his arm. "You can do this, Harry. If anyone has a chance at getting through this thing successfully it's you. We're all here for you."

He smiled at her. "Thanks, Ginny, that means a lot."

"Now, what are you doing hiding out in here? Isn't Professor Lupin at home in his cottage until classes this afternoon?"

He shrugged and stretched his long legs out so that his feet were on the coffee table. "Yeah, he is. I just didn't really know where to go. I figured most of the school still thinks that I cheated somehow anyway and I didn't want to deal with it before I had to."

"So you're hiding then?"

Harry merely looked at her from under his long lashes. "I wouldn't say hiding exactly."

"I would say exactly hiding," she insisted, jumping to her feet. She held her hand out to him. "Come with me."

"Where?" He asked, staring at her outstretched hand.

"Let's go run around outside. It will make you feel better."

Harry stared at her for a long moment before he accepted the hand and stood up, tugging her into his arms. "Thanks, Gin."

She hugged him back and smiled up at him, causing a little flutter in his belly that wasn't exactly unpleasant. "Anytime. Come on; everyone is already outside waiting."

He nodded and watched her lead the way out of Remus' living room as he wondered when exactly it had started to feel different when Ginny touched him and if he was starting to lose his mind. He decided that it would be better if he didn't think about it.

He had more than enough on his plate as it was.

 **Sirius sat on the couch in his living room,** his legs stretched out and feet up on the coffee table as Zee sprawled out next to him, her head resting in his lap and her knees up so that she could write on the yellow legal pad that she had propped against her knee. She tapped her pencil across the top of the pad as she stared at the paper before her, biting her bottom lip in concentration.

"Don't understand why you can't just use a self-inking quill like normal people?"

"Oh, like a pen? Yeah, Muggles have those too," she said, grinning up at him.

He slapped her leg, making her laugh. "What do you have so far?"

"I've only written down what Papa suggested over the phone. Speaking of, I think that we need to install a telephone here."

Sirius frowned. "That weird Muggle thing? No way!"

"How is it any different than your communication mirror?"

"It just is," Sirius insisted stubbornly.

Zee merely tilted her head back to look up at him. "Well, if I'm going to be living here, a telephone is mandatory so that I can talk to my family. Three of them are very much Muggles, Sirius. Plus, Mama and Papa keep a telephone as well so that I can call them whenever I want."

Sirius ran his fingers through her hair. "Is it a deal breaker on you moving in here?"

She smiled when he bent his head to capture her lips. "No, but we're still getting one."

"When did you suddenly become the boss of me, woman?"

Zee grinned. "You love it. I'll get the phone figured out later. First, I want to go over this list."

"Wouldn't it be easier if Misha just came out here?"

"It would be, yes, but he has to close the case that he's working on first. And Harry has us to teach him anyway. As long as we understand the concept of the spells, curses, jinxes, and hexes then we can teach them to him."

Sirius nodded. "True." He let out a slow sigh, glancing up at the clock. "I thought that Moony and Tonks would have gotten back by now."

"Remus didn't go. As a Hogwarts professor he agreed that it would look too suspicious if any of the dragon tamers recognized him. Not to mention that he has to teach this afternoon. And Tonks could be wrong."

Sirius merely stared at her. "We both know that she's not wrong. Dragons have been used in the tournament for centuries and what else could Charlie Weasley possibly be working with our Ministry on?"

"It doesn't mean that he would have to fight one. Dragon slaying is illegal, Sirius."

"Anything to do with him facing a dragon isn't exactly comforting though, is it?"

Zee sighed, dropping the pad on her lap. "You are going to be a huge ball of stress until this tournament is over."

"How can I not be? We have no idea who entered his name! We have no idea why they entered his name outside of the very real possibility that they are trying to get him killed! We know that Voldemort wants him for some ritual and if we're too busy trying to get Harry through this tournament we could lose focus and slip up and leave him unprotected in some way and allow Voldemort to get exactly what he wants!"

"Breathe, baby," she said softly, reaching her hand up to stroke his stubbled cheek. "We will figure everything out. One step at a time, okay?"

Sirius let out a slow breath, turning his head to kiss her fingers. "I know. It's just … a lot to take in. Merlin knows the press is going to be all over this on top of it! Dumbledore already said that they would be all over Hogwarts with the tournament and when they get wind that The Boy Who Lived is a Hogwarts Champion … Zee, I've kept him almost entirely out of the limelight," Sirius told her, still running his fingers through her hair. "I don't want him being bombarded by the press!"

Zee smiled up at him. "We'll deal with the press. I have a friend in the editing department of the _Daily Prophet_ and we can make sure that you get to approve anything posted about Harry before it's published."

Sirius nodded, looking a little relieved by this. "No, I … I mean, yeah, that would help a lot actually, yeah."

Zee smiled up at him as his fingers continued to stroke her hair. "I know you wish that he called you this morning."

He smiled at her. "You know me too well. I just can't help but think that he's probably going a little crazy himself, trying not to think about it and as a result probably only thinking about it. I mean, he has his friends which is good. God, I hope that they're all on his side, being the support system that he needs."

"He has some pretty great friends, Sirius. I can't imagine that they'd be anywhere else."

"No, I know you're right. I know he has amazing friends and thank Merlin for that. I just … I want him to feel supported and I'm worried that with there being two Hogwarts Champions, he might not be. I want to know what the First Task is so that we can move on from there and figure out how to get him through it successfully, maybe even help him win it," Sirius said with a grin. "He _could_ win this tournament, Zacarias. He has the ability to do so."

"I would never bet against him," she said with a grin. She picked up her legal pad and pencil again. "But winning isn't the priority. We just need to get him through it. Even though we don't know for sure, I think that we can both agree that dragons are a very real possibility for the First Task. The weakest part of a dragon is their eyes, but the thought of Harry hurting a dragon is … I couldn't bear to watch him hurt a dragon."

Sirius smiled, his fingers still playing in her curls. "Your heart is so big, love. I don't want him to hurt a dragon either, but if it comes down to my boy or the dragon …"

She nodded. "I would always choose Harry."

He smiled as she lifted his free hand and kissed his palm. "I don't know what I would do without you, Zahira. I can't imagine not having you in my life; not having you here with me when I need you."

Zee kissed his palm again. "Good because I need you and Harry just as much and you are very much stuck with me." She sat up when the timer beeped from the kitchen. "Ooh, that's lunch. Why don't you call Harry and check in?"

"Well, I don't want to bother him if he's not ready to talk to me yet. Maybe I should wait until he comes to me?"

Zee only kissed his lips before she sauntered off to the kitchen. "Call him."

Sirius only watched the sway of her hips before he sighed and tugged out the mirror. The fact that she knew him better than he knew himself was oddly comforting, he thought.

 **Harry spent the rest of that morning running around in his animal form with his friends.** Ginny had been right. It was exactly what he had needed. They chased each other around, running and jumping and playing before they transformed into themselves and stretched out on the cool grass, grinning at each other.

Harry dragged his fingers through his hair. "Thanks. I needed this."

Neville smiled at him. "Any time, mate. You know that we're all here whenever you need us."

"I know," he said with a smile. "And I appreciate it. The thought of being thrown into this tournament is a lot more daunting than you'd think, especially when I sure as bloody hell didn't ask for it."

Ron stretched his long legs out. "It's going to be fine, Harry. If anyone can get thrown into a tournament and make it through successfully it's you. Look at your Animagus! A wolf-dog hybrid; that's your leadership coming through, your strength and your tenacity, you can do this, Harry."

Harry smiled at his friend, a lump in his throat that surprised him. He was so grateful to all of them. "Thanks Ron. It means a lot that you guys are all on my side for this. I know that not everyone in the school is going to believe that I'm innocent in this. It's nice to know that I can come out here and run around with you lot in our animal forms, even if we're still kind of babies."

"We're all getting bigger," Ron protested with a grin. "Don't know how much longer we can hide them from everyone to be honest."

Harry smiled. "Mine's not exactly hidden to begin with given that Uncle Sirius helped me and that I snuck out of Hogwarts to be with Uncle Rem during the last full moon."

Ron snorted. "I meant that not all of us have such well informed parents, Harry."

Neville nodded. "I haven't told Gran yet. I think that she'd be proud, but I wanted to master it first. Uncle Algie didn't exactly react well when he found a badger in the yard. He chased me with a pitchfork for almost thirty minutes until I managed to get far enough way to change back into myself. But then again, he didn't know that I _was_ the badger."

Harry chuckled. "A pitchfork?"

Neville laughed. "I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried, Harry."

Hermione grinned. "I was practicing in the living room and when I changed into a fox, I was so excited that I ran under the kitchen table to show my parents and got stuck under my dad's chair. He had to get his tools and take the chair apart for me to get out. He thought that it was hilarious, but Mum was a bit horrified."

"Daddy only smiled when I came hopping down for breakfast," Luna said, her voice dreamy. "He told me that if I was a good girl he would give me lots of carrots and lettuce."

Neville snickered. "Sounds like he's already trying to plump you up."

Luna smiled. "He says bunnies are very independent and swiftly intelligent and that if I was to be anything else he would deem it impossible."

"Sounds like your dad, Luna," Ginny said with a smile.

"Well, Uncle Sirius tried to get me into the treehouse so that he could help me focus on transforming back to myself, but I was too little to get up the stairs so he had to carry me. He changed into Padfoot and carried me up by the scruff of my neck and then we played for a while in our animal forms. It was fun. Then he made me focus on changing back and he forgot to mention that the first time you change back you wind up completely starkers."

"Thankfully I was in my room when that happened!" Ginny said with a laugh.

Hermione nodded. "Dad had brought me to my room to try to sleep as it was late and I woke up in the morning as myself, but starkers. It was a surprise! I'm glad that my parents weren't around for that!"

Ron grinned. "I was out by the pond and had to sneak back into the house to try to find clothes. Took me almost thirty minutes and I only made it halfway up the stairs before the twins found me."

"They stopped making fun of him when he tackled them to the ground as a baby wolverine," Ginny said with a grin. "They were in shock and really impressed."

"What about you, Ginny? Did anyone find out about your form?" Hermione asked.

Ginny grinned. "Mum caught me trying to climb up my dresser and she was oddly cool about it. She said, 'Ginny, if you're learning to turn yourself into an animal now, the least you can do is learn outside!'"

"Typical Mum, wanting to keep the house clean," Ron said with a grin. "I haven't told her or Dad that I'm an Animagus as well. I want to have some fun with it first."

Ginny smiled as she remembered that her mother had genuinely surprised her with her calm reaction. After she had returned from Harry's, where she had snuck out without her mother's permission, Molly had been waiting for her in her bedroom.

"Hi, Mum," she said nervously.

Her mother merely patted the bed next to her. "Sit, Ginevra."

She sat.

"Ginny, I know that the last two years have been a bit of a roller coaster for you. After everything that happened in the Chamber of Secrets and then speaking with Na'eemah most of the year … the fact that you decided to learn how to become an Animagus is amazing. That's very strong and advanced magic."

"You're not mad?"

"No," Molly said softly. "I'm proud of the strong, beautiful young woman that my daughter is becoming." She reached out to brush Ginny's hair away from her face. "My little warrior princess, always trying to best her brothers."

"And succeeding," Ginny said with a grin.

Molly chuckled. "And succeeding." She kissed her forehead, hugging her close. "Now, let's see that little red panda again."

Ginny changed into her Animagus form and Molly smiled when she climbed into her lap and snuggled close.

"Oh my, you are the cutest little thing, aren't you?"

Ginny made a cooing sound in response.

"A little Blazing Flame of Fluff," Molly said. "However, Miss Blaze, all red pandas, no matter how adorable, will be playing in the yard only from now on. Am I clear?"

Ginny changed back into herself and hugged her mother tightly. "You're clear."

She shook her head as she remembered and smiled at her friends. "Mum said that she was proud of me because it's very advanced magic. Anything like that she would be cool with, but if she found out that I used my Animagus form to sneak out or something, I would be grounded for life."

Ron chuckled. "Accurate."

Harry smiled at his friends as they talked a bit more about what it was like the first few times that they had changed and how as they practiced throughout the summer, they felt more and more connected to their animal forms and by the time that they decided to go back to the castle for lunch, Harry felt a little better. Ginny hurried off with Luna to find Colin and he watched her go for a moment, thinking about how she had felt pressed up against him earlier. Her breasts had pressed against him, warm and soft and … bigger, he thought to himself with a grin. She had grown up and was … beautiful, he concluded and he wasn't sure how he felt about that realization.

He smiled at Ron when his friend slapped a hand on his shoulder, making him choke on his tongue. If Ron knew the thoughts that were going through his mind right now, he thought, slightly panicked at how his best mate might react. Neville pointed out to where Krum was looking out at the Black Lake and girls were crowded near him and giggling and Harry turned his attention there, taking his eyes off the dot of Ginny in the distance.

"They can't just leave him alone for a minute, can they?" Hermione asked in exasperation.

"He's famous, Hermione! Girls follow Harry around like that too or haven't you noticed?" Ron asked, pointing to the group of second year girls who were pointing at them and giggling.

"How long have they been following us?" Harry asked in bewilderment. He hadn't noticed this and it made him a little uneasy.

The one girl with dark black hair was very pretty and she was smiling at him and waved. Harry waved back unsure of what else to do.

"Why are they following me?" He asked again, his eyes on his friends.

Hermione smiled at him. "They only appeared a few minutes ago. You are a champion now, Harry. There's been girls following Diggory too. Are you sure that you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine … I just … I don't like people following me."

Neville grinned at him. "Look at this way, if girls keep following you around you won't even have to think about who to ask to the Yule Ball next month."

Ron made a face. "Who wants to go to a dance anyway? Sounds boring."

"I went to an American school dance in the summer. It was kind of fun," Harry admitted, looking back at the group of girls who giggled. "But this one is supposed to be all formal like, eh?"

Hermione turned at the sound of someone calling her name and she smiled at Lavender when she waved her over. "I'll see you guys in class."

Neville wrinkled his nose as she hurried off. "Does she help everyone with their homework?"

Ron grinned. "I think that she rather likes it. And maybe it's about something else?" He and Neville looked at each other and grinned.

"Nah."

Harry chuckled as they stepped through the doors of the castle, the warmth engulfing them from the cool draft of November air. He felt the vibration in his pocket and he stopped to touch the mirror.

"I'll see you guys in there," he told them, slipping into alcove by the window and glancing around to make sure that the gaggle of girls had disappeared. He found that he was more than a little relieved to see his godfather's face. "Hi Uncle Sirius."

"Hey, how you holding up today?"

He shrugged in response.

Sirius sighed. "I know it's daunting and terrifying, but we'll get through this just like always. How's everything there? Your friends around?"

He nodded. "Yeah. The guys were waiting up for me when I got back to my dorm last night and we talked a bit and then I went for a run today with everyone by the forest. It was … calming to just be a dog for a while."

"I can relate to that," he said with a smile. "Anyone giving you grief about it all?"

He shrugged again. "I've been staying out of everyone's way. But classes this afternoon … I guess we'll see."

Sirius nodded. "Rem and I are both here anytime you need us, Prong-Harry. No matter what. Zee and Tonks too."

"I know," he said quietly. "I just … I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

"I want you to just relax. To focus on your studies and nothing more until next Thursday night when we will focus on the tournament tasks, understood? Let me do all of the worrying for you."

Harry nodded, biting his bottom lip. "Uncle Siri?"

"Yeah?"

Harry stared at the mirror for a minute. He felt like he wanted to tell him something, anything that would help ease the big ball of worry from culminating in his gut, but he didn't have the words. He only shook his head. "Never mind."

Sirius only smiled. "I love you. If you need me - "

"I know," he said. "See you."

When he put the mirror back in his pocket he felt a little lighter, but was still worried.

He made his way down to the Great Hall, sitting down in between Ginny and Seamus to help himself to some food. Colin was on the other side of Ginny and Neville on the other side of Seamus. Ron, Hermione and Dean sat across from them. He filled his plate as he listened to Hermione tell Ron about how she planned to talk to some of the Hogwarts house elves; to try to convince them to be set free and it reminded Harry of Dobby.

"Dobby works here now," he said, making Hermione turn to look at him.

"Dobby? The elf that you freed?"

"That mad elf who blocked the barrier and set a Bludger on you in his attempts to save your life?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide. "That elf?"

Harry nodded. "One in the same. I met him in the kitchens this morning. Dumbledore hired him on. He said that it's been impossible for him to find a job in service as no one wants to pay a house elf. Not that he's being paid much, mind you. The thought of too much freedom and riches seems to terrify the poor elf. You should have seen the look of horror on his face when he told me that Dumbledore tried to insist that he accept more than one day off a month."

Hermione looked horrified. "One day off a month? That's barbaric! It's still slavery!"

"Hermione, house elves - love - to - work!" Ron exclaimed for the umpteenth time. "I don't know how many more times we can tell you this before it sinks in."

Harry looked up when the shadow came up over him and he nodded at Will as he stood behind Seamus and Neville at the Gryffindor table.

"Hey Longbottom, did Sprout find you this morning?" He asked, his hand resting on the table between Harry and Seamus.

Neville shook his head as he looked up at him. "No. What's up?"

"That Thaumatagoria you planted is finally starting to bloom. Sprout mentioned something about wanting to re-pot it and see if she can plant more. It's the first real sign of development it's shown since we first seeded it. That's the one you brought back from Brazil, right?"

Neville nodded eagerly, his eyes wide in excitement. "It is! Matthews, that's the plant that's supposed to add incredible magical properties to any potion! If it's starting to bloom that means it might actually be usable! I heard that it can take years for it to even bloom into anything at all!"

Will grinned at him. "I might tag along then. We haven't had anything good to play with in the greenhouses since Sprout let us help her with that Devil's Snare last year."

Neville beamed at him. "Sounds great."

"I'll meet you after dinner then and we'll head down to greenhouse six?"

"Perfect, see you then."

Will nodded, turning to smile at Harry. "By the way, congrats on becoming Hogwarts Champion, Potter. I'll be cheering you on."

He moved his hand from the table as he turned to go, but Seamus linked fingers with him, stopping him in his tracks. To Harry's surprise, Seamus reached his hand up, tugged Will's face down to his and kissed him softly.

Will grinned at him, his eyes wide as he licked his lips. "You can come play in the dirt with us tonight if you want?"

Seamus smiled at him and shook his head. "No, thanks. But come find me after, yeah?"

Will smiled at him, moving back to the Ravenclaw table, a huge grin on his face.

Ron merely grinned, leaning across the table to whisper. "So he's the mysterious someone? Seems like a nice bloke. Are you sure that you're ready to give him your, _you know_?"

Seamus blushed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm completely sure." He looked over at Will, the tops of his ears flushing when he realized that his boyfriend was staring back at him, a goofy grin on his face and his eyes full of lust. "Totally, completely sure."

Harry grinned at him. "Good on you, mate. Can you pass the potatoes?"

 **Tonks stepped into the dragon reserve late Tuesday evening,** her eyes peeled for the Weasley red hair among the crowd. It had taken her most of the day to secure an international portkey to Romania; not to mention how long it had taken the International Magical Office of Law to authorize her passport for a day trip to the dragon reserve and how she had to explain to Kingsley why she had to miss work.

The entire thing had been a headache and now she had less than four hours to do what she came to do before she had to be at the portkey location to get back home.

She marched through the reserve, weaving between the small stone buildings, as she searched for him and she smiled when she recognized the sound of his voice, stopping in her tracks and back tracking towards the forested area on the right.

"No! Careful Trotsky! The last thing we want is for them to be uncomfortable during transportation! It's hard enough to move them as it is! Aims, can you help?"

Tonks stayed behind the fenced off area, her eyes wide as she watched a group of ten witches and wizards work to get a dragon into the large cage that was waiting for her. She was pretty sure that the dragon in front of her was a Chinese Fireball and she had to admit, she was rather beautiful.

"Damn it, Trotsky! What did I just say?" Charlie roared as the Fireball blew fire and lit up eight trees in the distance, barely missing a dark haired wizard with large glasses as he fell to the ground in fright.

"Weasley, the nest is secure!" A blonde woman called out and Charlie nodded.

"Get the nest inside now! Show Ya Mei that her children are safe before she sets all of you on fire!"

A few people scrambled around and then a large nest was carefully levitated over to the mother where four large eggs in a beautiful red and gold shell were nestled. It took another ten minutes for the nest to be secure.

Tonks watched Charlie wipe sweat from his brow as Ya Mei made herself comfortable inside of the cage and sat on her eggs, keeping them safe.

"Aims, Santana, you're in charge of transport. Once Ya Mei is safely secure and in place we'll discuss moving Rhiannon. Get the proper dosage of sleeping draught needed. She'll need to have drunk it all in time for transport. Everyone else can close down for the night."

There was some hustle of movement as they all shifted to do their respective tasks and Charlie shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to head out of the padlock. His eyes widened when he saw Tonks near the fence.

"Tonks!"

She laughed when he picked her up and spun her around in a circle, hugging her tightly. "Hi Charlie! Put me down, you fool!"

He kissed her cheek and grinned at her before placing her back on the ground. "This is a pleasant surprise! Want a tour?"

"Absolutely!"

He grinned widely as he showed her around the reserve, explaining where they kept the different dragon breeds and why; how they kept them fed; how they kept them safe; where the different homes were and how certain areas were built around dimensional portals to keep the dragons safe and to help them travel easily.

"And you're moving some of them, nesting mothers?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, four of them. Why?"

Tonks let out a slow breath. "You wouldn't be transporting them to Scotland for the champions of the tournament, would you?"

Charlie frowned. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Harry's name was picked last night, Charlie."

His eyes widened. "What? Really? Fuck!"

Tonks quickly explained what had happened and how Sirius and Remus were convinced that someone had tricked the goblet into spitting out his name in an attempt to hurt him.

"I know that you're sworn to secrecy and you can't tell me what's going on with the First Task but … are the dragons part of it?"

"I don't know the First Task, Tonks. That's not something that I'm privy to. What I do know isn't anything secretive, but last March, a few members of the Department of Magical Games and Sports came up to the reserve to talk about reserving nesting mothers; three precisely for November of this year," Charlie said carefully. "It was important that they had eggs waiting to be hatched and instructed us to try to breed the dragons if necessary. Last night we received an urgent message demanding that a fourth nesting mother was needed. My team is transporting four dragons to Scotland with their eggs."

Tonks paled. "Why would they want nesting mothers?"

Charlie shook his head. "I couldn't tell you. But four dragon for four champions. Ya Mei is being transported tonight and hopefully by Friday we can get Rhiannon over there, she's a Welsh Green. I'm hoping Tilde goes easily by Sunday or Monday. She's the Swedish Short-Snout and usually pretty well mannered. The problem is going to be Ilka. She should be arriving next Thursday. She's the only nesting mother we had left and she's an absolute demon. Hungarian Horntails are always a bit vicious to begin with, but she's the devil incarnate I swear. Whatever they have planned for these dragons I know that the champions are each going up against one and trust me, whoever gets Ilka …"

Tonks swore under her breath. "Any place around here a girl can get a drink?"

Charlie wrapped an arm across her shoulders and grinned. "I know a place or two. Come on; you can tell me what the hell's going on."

Tonks let out a slow breath as Charlie led her away from the paddock. "If only I knew."

 **When Monday came around, Harry realized how much he couldn't avoid the rest of the student body.** The last few days, after his name had been picked, he had tried to go to his classes and be quiet and it had mostly worked out as people were still in shock over Hogwarts having two champions, but by the weekend, people were constantly pointing at him and mumbling things under their breath. It reminded him of second year when the school had thought that he had been the one to open the Chamber of Secrets. He was thankful for his friends who seemed to have decided to work together in making sure that he was never quite alone. People who had always been nice to him were now giving him dirty looks. And everyone from Hufflepuff seemed to think that he had stolen their champion's thunder.

The Ravenclaws seemed more torn over their support. A few of them had mentioned to Harry that he was a goner and a few of them had made their animosity show a little stronger. The Slytherins however, had genuinely surprised him.

Theo and Blaise had made it pretty clear that they didn't really care who the Hogwarts Champion was and had actually started an underground gambling ring to bet on the Champions; Krum and Delacour included. Theo had slapped him on the back in Defence Against the Dark Arts class and whispered that he had bet on him to come out on top in the First Task so that he wasn't to screw it up. Harry felt oddly relaxed at the thought that Theo had that much confidence in him.

It was Potions class on Tuesday afternoon however, when Draco had approached him.

"So, now you need to sign up for trouble?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You aren't actually stupid enough to believe that I signed up for this."

Draco snorted, sliding into the seat next to him so that they could finish the potion that Snape had assigned the two of them to work on in last class. "No, I know you didn't. You're dumb, Potter, but even you aren't that dumb!"

"Gee, thanks," Harry muttered as he pulled out his textbook.

Draco grinned at him. "Look at this way, if you get killed in the tournament at least you won't have to worry about all of the other shit that's happening."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Not comforting."

"Wasn't trying to be," he said smartly.

They didn't speak again until they had their potion boiling as Harry carefully stirred it counter clockwise.

"Father says that it was intentional."

Harry's ears perked up, but he didn't dare look back at Malfoy. "What was?"

"What do you think?" He scoffed.

"What do you know?"

"Nothing else," he whispered. "But Father says that there won't be a play for you until later on."

Harry stared at him. "You know that they are planning on making a play for me?"

Draco shrugged. "What you said about the ritual that he wants to do, it made me think. You'd be the one he'd want in the end, wouldn't you? The one who got away? If someone threw your name into the ring it wouldn't be to let you get killed. They want you to succeed, to be distracted."

"For me to let my guard down," he finished.

Draco nodded. "So don't fuck it up."

Harry only nodded. "And don't let my guard down. He can't touch me, physically that is, it hurts him," he whispered under his breath.

Draco only stared at him. "Ever thought that maybe he's doing this ritual so that he can?"

Harry's eyes widened before he caught himself, turning his attention back to their potion.

"Just something that I was thinking about. And try to actually do good, Potter; Theo conned me into betting fifty Galleons on you coming out on top in the First Task. If I lose, I'll make your life hell."

Harry grinned at him. "Hey, your gamble, Malfoy."

He looked up when the door to the Potions classroom was opened, surprised to see Colin Creevey standing there, looking nervous.

"Yes, Mr Creevey?" Snape asked oily.

Colin gulped. "I'm here to collect Harry Potter, sir."

"Potter still has forty minutes left of Potions Class."

Colin nodded. "I was sent by Professor McGonagall, sir. Harry is needed in the Trophy Room with the other Champions, sir."

Snape scowled and waved his hand.

Harry grabbed his bag, shrugging at his friends before he followed Colin out of the Potions class.

"What does Professor McGonagall need me for, Colin?"

"The Weighing of the Wands Ceremony," Colin said with a grin. "She's letting me stay to watch so that I can take photos. Harry, I'm the new photographer for the _Hogwarts Herald_ , isn't that great?"

"Yeah, that's brilliant, Colin. Ginny says that you're a fantastic photographer."

Colin beamed. "I love it. It's what I want to do after school; travel the world maybe and take photos. Did Ginny show you the photo that I gave her for her birthday?"

"No," Harry said, looking down at the smaller boy. "What is it?"

"It's her on a broom on the Quidditch pitch. She just looks amazing and so at home. I think I captured the essence and the sense of freedom and happiness that she feels when she's out there," he said with a grin. "Anyway, don't worry, Harry, any photos that I take of you will not be published in the paper without your approval."

"Thanks. I, er, didn't actually know that we had a school paper."

"Apparently it hasn't been run in a few years. Not since, Marcella Hobbs graduated two years ago, but Juliet Rinaldi from Ravenclaw and Damien Winters from Slytherin decided to bring it back this year. They've been working to get the first issue out before Christmas. I'm the only photographer, which is great, plus they have two more writers on board. I think that it's going to be fun!"

Harry only nodded as he let Colin ramble on. A school paper didn't sound like too bad of an idea though it did depend on what the paper was posting, he thought.

They arrived at the Trophy Room and Harry followed Colin inside. Cedric, Fleur and Viktor were already there along with a platinum blonde in a green dress with a plunged neckline that left almost nothing to the imagination. A man with a blue mohawk and nine earrings in each ear stood behind the camera.

"Harry!" The woman exclaimed in excitement, grabbing his arm, her long nails painted in a dark green digging into his arm as she tugged him over. "Let's get you here for the photos! Bozo, I want individual as well as group, you hear?"

"I hear," the man with the blue Mohawk exclaimed.

Harry took off his Hogwarts robe as instructed, loosening his Gryffindor tie and rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt to stand back to back with Cedric who had done the same. Next he crouched down next to Fleur, noticing that she smelt like vanilla before he stood in between Viktor and Cedric with Fleur sitting in front of them for the final photo. The individual photo sessions seemed to have lasted longer.

Bozo made Harry pose straddling a chair, his chin resting on his forearms; standing near the window, one leg resting back on the wall and arms crossed casually in what Harry liked to think was a typical Sirius Black pose; sitting in a chair, legs spread casually and arms behind his head, which made him feel oddly exposed, but made the woman shout with joy. He watched as Bozo made the other three champions do similar poses before the woman, who had been introduced as Rita Skeeter, tugged him into the supply closet.

"Now, this is much more private, isn't it?" She said sweetly, tapping on her notepad.

"It's a closet," Harry answered dryly.

She smiled sweetly at him. "I'd love to get your story, Harry. I want to know what makes you tick. The youngest champion, thrust into this tournament without a choice. How are you coping?"

Harry's eyes were on the quill which was moving across the notepad of its own accord.

"Don't look at the quill, Harry, look at me," she said, bending over to sit on an overturned bucket and giving Harry a full look down her dress. "Now, how did you feel when your name was called?"

" - Er," he said and watched in fascination as the quill began to write.

 _Harry Potter's bright green eyes sparkle like emeralds, a glimmer of tears in them as he tries to explain his complete fear at the idea of being forced to compete in a tournament meant for older and wiser contestants._

"I don't have a glimmer of tears in my eyes!" Harry exclaimed.

Skeeter smiled. "Ignore the quill, Harry. How do you think your parents would feel about you being in this dangerous and deadly tournament? Do you think that they would be proud of you?"

 _Tears fill his eyes at the mention of James and Lily Potter …_

"I'm not bloody crying!"

The door to the closet opened and McGonagall stuck her head in. She glared at Skeeter. "Didn't realize you had permission for one-on-one-interviews, Rita?"

She smiled sweetly, her quill and notepad disappearing into her dragon-hide purse. "Harry and I were just getting to know each other a little better."

McGonagall put her hand on Harry's arm as he stepped out of the closet. "She's a viper. Be careful what you say to her," she whispered.

Harry only nodded. "I didn't say anything."

McGonagall smiled. "Keep it that way, trust me," she warned as she led him back over to the other champions.

Harry was surprised to see Mr Ollivander there. Dumbledore stepped into the room followed by Bagman and Crouch. Harry noticed that Madame Maxime and Karkaroff were already present as well. A dark-haired girl in Ravenclaw robes was standing next to Colin, a notepad in her hands. Harry assumed she must be Rinaldi.

"Welcome, welcome to the Weighing of the Wands Ceremony," Bagman exclaimed, a bright smile on his face. "This is just to make sure that all of your wands are in proper working order so that you are ready and prepared for this tournament. Miss Delacour, would you like to begin?"

Fleur stepped forward, tossing her silvery blonde hair over her shoulder before she presented her wand to Mr Ollivander.

Ollivander smiled kindly at her. "Ah, yes, yes. Nine and half inches, Rosewood, excellent choice and a Veela hair core, if I'm not mistaken."

"Oui, it iz from my grandmére," she said proudly.

Ollivander nodded and waved it around and a beautiful bouquet of red roses poured out from the tip. "It is in excellent working order, Miss Delacour."

She accepted it back with a smile as Ollivander turned to Krum.

He examined the wand carefully and smiled. "Ah, a Gregorovitch! Wonderful craftsmanship! Ten and a quarter inches, Hornbeam with dragon heartstring." He waved it around and a fountain of water spurted out the end into a gold basin. "Perfect."

When Cedric handed him his, he beamed. "One of mine! Of course, I remember when you bought this from me six years ago! Twelve and a quarter inches, Ash wood and unicorn hair."

He waved it and red fireworks erupted from the end.

Harry handed him his wand next, pulling it from his holster and handing it over.

Ollivander smiled, his eyes seeming to glow as he examined the wand. "Ah, yes, Mr Potter … nice and supple, eleven inches, Holly, and possessing the core of a phoenix feather. It seems to be in excellent working condition." He waved it and blue birds flew from the end to fly around the room, chirping cheerfully.

Bagman grinned. "Well, Barty, looks like we have four wand-ready Champions!"

Mr Crouch only nodded. "Seems so. Just a reminder, the First Task will be on the twenty-fourth of November. Best of luck."

"Maybe I could have just a few more words with Mr Potter?" Skeeter asked eagerly.

McGonagall put her hand on Harry's arm and steered him towards the door. "You may not."

He grinned at her once they were in the hall. "Thanks, Auntie Minnie. Talking to her made my head spin."

"She likes to distort things. Bright witch, but be careful what you say to her, Harry. Go on, the dinner bell should be going off soon."

He nodded and hurried off to throw his book bag up in Gryffindor Tower before he made his way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. The bell rang just as he arrived outside of the door and the sixth year class filed out quickly. Harry went inside as the last student left and watched his father pack up his papers to put into his briefcase.

"Uncle Rem, you have a minute?"

Remus smiled at him. "Always. What's on your mind, Harry?"

Harry closed the classroom door behind him and moved to perch himself on the end of Remus' desk. "I talked to Draco again today and he made me realize something."

Remus merely arched an eyebrow.

"What if … what if this ritual thing that Voldemort is trying to do to - to come back, what if it's so that he can _hurt me_? Because remember when I touched Quirrell, he … he couldn't bear it and maybe that's why he wants … _me_."

"Harry, we're going to do everything that we can to make sure that never happens, you know that, right?"

He nodded, looking up in the whiskey coloured eyes so full of concern and love. "I know. It's just that Draco said that me being in this tournament, it is intentional and that they aren't going to make a play for me until later in the game."

Remus reached up to put his hands in his hair. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Well, I wasn't too keen on it myself when I heard it," he admitted.

Remus smiled. "What else did Draco say?"

"Nothing. He doesn't know anything else, but he told not to let my guard down."

His father nodded slowly. "You already know not to do that." He reached out to squeeze Harry's shoulder gently. "Did you tell Sirius yet?"

Harry shook his head. "I kind of figured that he'd implode on impact and voted you were the safer choice to relay the information to."

Remus chuckled and tugged him close, kissing his forehead. "You might be right about that." He sighed. "Alright, let's sit on this for a few days, just the two of us and we'll figure out what it could mean and how to tell Sirius together, deal?"

"Can we tell Tonks?"

Remus grinned. "Yeah, I'll fill her in tonight."

Harry nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Uncle Rem, this wand weighing thing, what would have happened if one of our wands wasn't in order? Would we not be able to compete?"

Remus smiled. "No. Competing is mandatory as you know, but you would have to be issued a new one before the First Task and then it would have to be inspected."

"Oh," Harry said, scratching his chin. "Do wands stop working after a while?"

"Not usually and definitely not an Ollivander wand, but accidents do happen. Look what happened to Ron's wand two years ago," Remus supplied. "We should talk about getting you a second wand though. Sirius and I keep meaning to."

Harry frowned. "Why?"

Remus sighed. "Because of your wand core."

He merely raised an eyebrow. "I don't get it."

"Your wand has a phoenix feather wand core. In fact, the feather inside your wand once belonged to Dumbledore's phoenix."

"Fawkes?" Harry asked in surprise. "Really?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. Harry, do you remember when Sirius and I told you all about the Horcruxes and about Voldemort and about Operation FUVP?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember us telling you that Voldemort's wand also contains a phoenix core?"

Harry thought back for a moment. It sounded familiar, but they had thrown so much information at him in terms of the Horcrux, the operation, Voldemort's past, the prophecy, if they had mentioned it he was pretty sure it had completely slipped his mind. He wasn't sure why that would be something important enough for him to remember. "Yeah, is that a big deal? Don't lots of wands have similar cores?"

"Kind of," Remus told him. "Lots of wands have similar cores that is true, but the reason why yours is unique, Harry, is because the phoenix feather that resides in Voldemort's wand also comes from Fawkes."

Harry's eyes widened. "What?"

Remus nodded. "Fawkes only gave two feathers and one is inside of your wand and one inside of Voldemort's which means that if you were to ever duel him, your wands wouldn't act against each other."

"Does that mean if he tries to kill me, I won't die?"

"No," Remus said carefully. "He can definitely still hurt you. It just means that your wands may act up or even connect. If that were to happen it would be a phenomenon known as priori incantatem where the wands would connect and force each wand to regurgitate its last spells used, essentially rendering them useless in a fight. So it might not be a bad idea to pick up a spare wand to have on you in case something like that ever happens. Also, it never hurts to have extra protection."

"I'm only allowed one wand in the tournament," Harry told him.

Remus nodded. "I know. But its something that we can keep in mind for the future, yeah?"

He grinned as his stomach grumbled.

"Get down to dinner. I'll see you in Defence Club tomorrow."

"Thanks, Uncle Rem."

Remus only smiled at him as he watched him hurry off. He was really growing up into an amazing young man. He was incredibly proud of him. But as he grew up, he was also starting to really question things and Remus had a terrible feeling that Harry was right. If Voldemort somehow used Harry's blood in his ritual, he would be immune to the protection that Lily had left her son which would pit Harry, an innocent teenager against the darkest wizard to have ever lived and that was something that definitely couldn't happen. And if Harry tried to fight him and their wands connected …

He really didn't want to be the one to tell Sirius about it, he thought.

 **Sirius used his towel to wipe the steam away from the mirror as he grabbed a comb to fix his hair Thursday evening before they went to Hogwarts to meet with Harry.** He brushed it through and then squinted in the mirror, his eyes widening in horror.

"ZAHIRA!"

Zee ran into the bathroom, still tugging her jumper over her head. "What? What is it? Are you okay?"

Sirius closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. "Tell me, this is not what I think it is."

"Tell you what?" She asked, frowning. "Sirius, you're scaring me? Did Harry call? Did something happen?"

Sirius shook his head, his lips tightening as he slowly pointed to his head.

Zee stared at him in confusion and then she caught it in the light and she snorted earning a scowl from him. "Is that a white hair?"

"I am _too young_ to have white hair!"

Zee had busted into laughter now, holding the doorframe of the bathroom for support. "You can get white hair at any age, Sirius."

Sirius had picked up the single hair now, leaning closer to the mirror to inspect it. "This is Harry's fault! If his name hadn't come out of the Goblet of Fire, if he keeps finding himself in these situations that almost … he's lucky I haven't had a bloody heart attack yet with everything that's happened to him! Look at my hair! It's ruined!"

Zee was still giggling as she moved over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, kissing his shoulder blade where the tattoo of the Marauder crest sat. "It's not ruined you big drama queen."

She tugged his head down, plucked the hair between her fingers and yanked.

"BLOODY BUGGERING HELL! WAS THAT NECESSARY, WOMAN?"

Zee simply grinned. "Apparently it was. Look, you're white-hair free now. Calm yourself."

She made to go and he tugged her back against him. "You are a sadist."

She laughed. "Oh, I am, am I? You're lucky the white hair was only on your head. Just wait until I find one a little lower," she said, her hand slipping down his happy trail. "I'll tug it out too."

Sirius dipped his head to kiss her. "I love you, but if anyone is taking care of _those_ white hairs, it's going to be me."

Zee chuckled against his mouth. "Finish getting dressed. We'll have a quick bite to eat before you go meet Harry for his first training session. You can tell him that he's ruining your hair."

Sirius only scowled at her in response.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _As many of you have noticed, I may not have the entire story planned, but what I do have planned, I attempt to foreshadow. For example, Will's love of Herbology, a small and very little name drop back in chapter eighty-seven about a third year Ravenclaw boy who worked with Neville to help fit the Mandrakes along with Professor Sprout … just saying, I am sneaky like that. And yes, Neville's plant will prove important, but I don't know how yet._

 _Oh and Happy Victoria Day weekend :D_


	163. Chapter 163

_Author's Note:_

 _Reviews: I LOVED giving Sirius his first real white hair freakout. I have a fun prank in mind for later on when Harry finds out. You will meet Zee's editing friend, just wait. Yes, the Weasley twins do know about the gambling ring or will be finding out and yes they will be placing their own bets. Casually debating how and when Seamus should give his virginity away over dinner is exactly how it should be! No one cares that he is gay and I want that to be important as why should it matter who you love? Language at the dragon reserve, I would think Romanian since its Romania but I also imagine that since dragon tamers come from all over the world, it would be a mix of different languages; kind of like it's own little town. Ah the Yule Ball - so many interesting suggestions, but as I have already finished up the Third Task, it is done already! Thank you for all of your kind words._

 _Expecto Patronum Secretum Disputatio = secret talk (I was trying to figure out how to make the Patronus talk and decided to add to the spell myself so this is it, only the person it is sent to can hear the message). Thanks!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _Thanks to Steel for giving me this suggestion - of course, I changed most of it, but the idea is still there._

 _Thanks to Saz for some slang words here - wrote them down for future use :D_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE:**

 **Tonks headed towards Hogwarts, coming in through the front gate and smiling at McGonagall when she greeted her in the entrance hall.**

"Hi Minerva."

McGonagall merely pursed her lips. "Nymphadora Tonks, did you just use the front door? Colour me impressed."

She grinned. "I wanted to make it formal and all when I requested to see Harry."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Colour me amazed as well."

Tonks chuckled. "May I see him?"

"I believe he is on his way to Professor Lupin's office to organize his first training lesson with Sirius, but he may also still be eating dinner."

"I wanted to catch him before he met with Sirius."

McGonagall nodded. She gestured for Tonks to stay where she was before she headed into the Great Hall. It was less than two minutes later before Harry came out. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her.

"Tonks, hi. What are you doing here?"

She tucked his arm in hers and smiled. "Care to take a walk with me?"

Harry looked back at McGonagall questioningly, but she merely shrugged.

"I assume that this is a secret from Sirius and Remus, Miss Tonks?"

Tonks grinned cheekily. "Yes, please."

Harry was doubly curious now as Tonks led him outside. Once they were far enough away from the castle, she reached up and kissed his cheek.

"I need Scout."

Harry, still not really sure what was going on, changed into his Animagus form. Then to his surprise, Tonks scooped him up into her arms.

"Ooh, you're getting bigger every time I see you! I won't be able to pick you up much longer."

Harry merely barked in response.

She shushed him and quickly hurried into the Forbidden Forest, puppy in her arms. Harry wasn't sure where they were going or what she was doing, but she carried him for almost thirty minutes through the thicket until he heard a loud familiar roar that made his ears perk up.

Tonks placed him on the ground at her feet. "Stay with me. Do not wander off or I will conjure you a leash."

Harry thought that that was a little extreme and he barked at her to tell her so, but he followed quietly behind Tonks anyway. He had heard roars such as that once before, he thought, when he had been on vacation with Sirius, when they had gone to Sicily to visit a dragon reserve …

His fears were alleviated when he saw the flames dancing ahead through the thicket.

"Trotsky, hold!" Charlie yelled out.

Harry's green eyes widened in shock. Charlie was surrounded by a group of eleven other witches and wizards and they were all surrounded by four large dragons.

He let out a little squeak of a bark and Tonks reached down to scratch him behind the ears.

"I know," she told him. "It's why I had to show you. I didn't know if you'd believe me without proof."

Harry simply stared.

Each dragon looked more fearsome than the next. He was completely frozen in his spot. He was pretty sure that if he wanted to move right now, he couldn't. He watched as Karkaroff and Maxime approached the paddock, both with their eyes wide in interest. And to his surprise, Hagrid, who was with Madame Maxime and was once again wearing his ugly suit as if hoping to impress the headmistress.

Harry's eyes moved across the four large dragons. They seemed to be sealed in some form of magical cage; he could see the blue-white sheet in front of them that confined three of them in place rather peacefully. However, one dragon was chained up and locked inside an iron cage inside of the magical barrier. Her black scales were dark and glistened in the moonlight and her bronze horns and spikes seemed to shimmer down the long tail. Her yellow eyes looked murderous as she let out another deathly roar and set a tent on fire.

"Get closer to her from the back, Trotsky! Ilka needs another chain! We have to contain her. Aims, you go around the other side of her."

Trotsky nodded and ran to grab another chain with a large shackle to attach to her other foot.

"She's beautiful!" Hagrid exclaimed, eyes wide as he watched the tamers struggle to keep the dragon in place.

Charlie wiped sweat off his forehead. "That she is, Hagrid; but she's also a demon in disguise! Whichever champion ends up facing that Horntail, I pity them."

"Ah, Charlie, she's just seriously misunderstood! You have ter see the beauty in her!" Hagrid exclaimed as the Horntail shot another stream of fire out at Trotsky and he rolled out of the way just in time. He let out a slow whistle. "Er, well, I suppose that Horntail is a right nasty piece of work, but she's still gorgeous!"

Charlie snorted. "You have no idea. Getting her here was only half the problem. But we needed to be here early to get them settled. The less riled up they are before the First Task, the better for everyone."

Harry was still staring at the dragons with eyes wide as Hagrid asked if each champion was going to be facing a dragon. Obviously, Harry thought, why else would they be here? He was a goner. How was he supposed to fight a dragon? He didn't protest when Tonks picked him up and Charlie approached them with a smile.

"Tonks, twice in one week? I'm starting to feel special," he said, reaching out to scratch Harry behind the ears. "Who's this handsome fella?"

"Scout," Tonks said with a smile. "We wanted to say hi before we headed home."

"What wonderful green eyes," Charlie said, still scratching Scout behind the ears.

Hagrid stood next to him, grinning widely. "Scout, eh? 'E looks just like 'Arry!"

Tonks smirked at him. "Hagrid, shh; no one can know that I brought him to see the dragons."

Charlie's eyes had widened slightly. "Harry? He's an Animagus? What am I saying, of course he is! I saw Ginny and Ron. Hello Scout."

Harry barked once in response and Charlie grinned.

"Look at you, I can see it now, the green eyes and you have a mark here, almost like a lightning bolt in your fur, fascinating. If I didn't know it was you, I don't know if I would have put two and two together."

Tonks grinned and kissed the top of the dog's head, before she turned him and cuddled him into her shoulder like a baby. "He's an amazing young man. Charlie, and a pretty damn cute puppy. What can you tell us about the dragons?"

Charlie sighed, "Not much I'm afraid. As I was saying to Hagrid, I don't know the specifics, but I'm pretty sure that the task involves getting past the dragon who will be guarding something. One dragon for each champion. Each dragon will be in the arena along with her nest of eggs which makes her extra dangerous. The last thing that you want to do is get between a mother and her children and I have a feeling that whatever they want the champions to get past will involve exactly that. Ilka is the most bad-tempered and the most dangerous, but don't underestimate the other three. They may seem calm and collected in comparison, but they're just as deadly and dangerous," he explained.

Tonks nodded, snuggling the puppy closer into her arms. Scout wasn't much of a puppy anymore, as his body was the length of Tonks' torso, but as he wasn't a fully grown Tamaskan and had yet to grow into his paws. "Thanks Charlie."

He nodded, smiling at Harry. "I'll be watching the First Task. Good luck, Har-Scout."

Scout barked in response and Tonks smiled, hugging Charlie goodbye before she carried Scout away from the paddock in the forest. It was only when they had been away for almost ten minutes, did he jump out of her arms and transform back into himself.

"I can't fight a bloody dragon!" He exclaimed. "Tonks, that's insane! What are they thinking? It's completely unsafe! Not to mention unethical!"

Tonks glared at him. "Scout, now!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not an actual dog that you can command, Tonks!"

"No, but if you're seen near the dragons than we're both in trouble. Change into Scout, now!"

He knew that she was right. He changed back into his dog and trotted dutifully behind her, glancing back every once in a while, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. They had just returned to the castle when Harry saw McGonagall waiting for them. She nodded to Tonks and then to Harry and Harry knew that she knew exactly what Tonks had shown him.

McGonagall only ushered them inside before bidding them goodnight and making her way to her own office.

He changed back as he watched McGonagall go before turning on Tonks. "Isn't it cheating for me to know what the task is?"

Tonks shook her head. "No. As you saw, Maxime and Karkaroff were there which means that their champions will know by the morning."

He nodded, looking pale. "I ... I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Tonks. How can I beat a dragon? You saw them back there! You saw how big they are! I remember being at the reserve in Sicily! It takes dozens of witches and wizards to control them! It's not like I can stun her and run away! I'll get eaten! I'll get trampled on! I'll get burned alive!"

Tonks reached up to grab his shoulders tightly. "Harry!" She said, giving him a shake. "It's going to be alright."

He stared at her, eyes wide and when he saw that she was smiling at him, his eyes narrowed. "Why the bloody hell are you smiling?"

Tonks merely grinned wider. "Listen, I know that Sirius is going to be training you, with my help obviously, but according to Charlie, he's pretty sure that you just have to get _past_ the dragon. Charlie would never agree to anything that involved you physically harming an animal, especially a dragon, which bodes well for you because it means that fighting the dragon is out of the question. She's going to be guarding something that they want you to take. I have no idea what that could be, but that's the plan. Which means in theory, that you shouldn't have to do anything particular to the dragon; you just have to distract her. Are you listening to me?"

He nodded, calming slightly. "Yes."

"Harry, what is the one thing that you can do better than anyone else?"

He shrugged, leaning back against the wall and dragging his fingers through his hair. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do. Think."

"Well, I mean, I'm a fair flier, but -"

" - Exactly!" She said with a grin. "And if I wanted to sneak past a dragon ..."

Harry's slow grin had her grinning back. "You are brilliant, Tonks!"

She grinned widely. "I have my moments." She slipped her arm around his waist and smiled. "Now listen, I think that the less people who know about your plan, the better it will be."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "You don't think that I should tell Uncle Sirius or Uncle Remus? What about Zee?"

Tonks smiled at him. "You read my mind. You, Zee and I; we'll keep it between the three of us. Zee and I can both help keep the men calm in the stands and you can fly your heart out there and impress everyone on your _Firebolt._ We both know that Sirius and Remus will be worried sick enough as it is; let's just keep the plan quiet, alright?"

Harry nodded, thinking of how he could fly around a dragon. "I've been practicing a bit; going over old drills that Wood used to have us to do last year. I find it kind of calming to run around the pitch and up the stands and what not before I take to the skies. Wood's training regimen, as exhausting as it was, is oddly satisfying at the same time."

Tonks nodded in understanding. "I agree with you there. I need the physical outlet myself. Sometimes it just helps me to put my thoughts into perspective and to burn some of that excess energy off. But, I think going out to practice is a good bet for the next two weeks. You still have time to do this. Just think of it like a Quidditch game and the dragon is the opposing team's Beaters and they are sending Bludgers at you left and right. What do you do?"

"I outmanoeuvre them."

Tonks grinned widely. "Exactly."

He let out a slow breath. "Thanks Tonks."

She reached up to kiss his cheek. "I know how terrified you must be because I'm scared shitless enough for you and I won't even be facing this thing. But I _know_ that you can do this! I have every faith in you, Harry." When he smiled at her, she hugged him tight. "Now come on; let's head to Remus' suite before they send out a search party for you. I'm sure McGonagall already let them know that I was talking with you, but I still bet they're antsy."

He nodded and they walked companionably up the stairs to the second floor, heading to Lupin's office and then onto his suite. Even though he wasn't living there anymore, the suite still belonged to him and was still used when he needed it. They stepped through the portrait and Zee immediately jumped to her feet.

Harry smiled at her and let her engulf him in a tight hug. She was in heeled boots, but she was so short that her head still only rested at his shoulder. When she released him, he saw the worry in her eyes and he smiled.

"I'm fine. I'm … dealing with it," he admitted.

She nodded and kissed his cheek. "You are too damn brave for your own good sometimes."

He let her lead him over to the sofa and he sat down, propping his feet up on the coffee table next to his godfather. "Thanks for waiting. Tonks wanted to talk to me."

Sirius nodded and draped an arm around his son's shoulders. "How's the week been? Students still giving you grief over your name being pulled?"

Harry shrugged. "It's not so bad. I'm pretty sure that all of Hufflepuff House hates me, but the rest of the school seems to be divided and only three quarters of them think that I'm a lying cheat."

Sirius frowned. "Idiots."

"I have my friends and they've all been really supportive so that's been nice. And you know, someone wants to kill me, just another school year, right?"

Remus came out of the kitchen nook with a platter of tea and scones and shook his head. "We already told you, that's not exactly reassuring, Harry."

Harry smiled at him. "Well, maybe not, but it's kinda true," he said as he counted off on his fingers. "First, a Quirrell-possessed Voldy tried to throw me off my broom and then tried to kill me when I followed him after the Stone; then a giant Basilisk tried to kill me multiple times which in turn made Filch try to strangle me before I fought said Basilisk and almost was killed by a memory of Voldemort; and then last year I almost got Kissed by Dementors after Hermione was kidnapped by an escaped Death Eater … a tournament really sounds kind of tame in comparison."

Sirius flicked his son in the forehead in annoyance. "Why have I not removed you from this school and locked you in a giant bubble?"

He stuck his tongue out in response and Sirius lightly cuffed him across the head.

"Brat."

Remus sighed and took a seat on the love seat next to his mate as Zee made herself comfortable on the other side of Harry. "Harry, we know that you've found yourself in difficult situations before; some of them your fault entirely and others more of a troublesome circumstance, but this is different. You will not be alone and any time you feel that the task is too much trouble or you think that something is wrong, you have the option of opting out. It's a clause in the contract, however, you always must try. Simply not competing is not an option and after what we spoke about the other day, I think that we can both agree that getting through the tasks is first and foremost what's important."

Harry nodded. "I know. I'm just trying to make light of the situation."

"Which we applaud you for," Sirius told him. "But this is a serious situation, no pun intended, and I want to make sure that you feel ready for anything that they might throw at you in the First Task. Speaking of the task, we think that we might know what it is."

"I know already, it's dragons."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "How the bloody hell do you know that?"

"Hagrid showed me," he said without thinking as Tonks winked at him.

Sirius stared at him. "You're awfully calm about this rather alarming announcement. Care to explain?"

Tonks smiled at him. "Harry and I talked about it on the way up here. He has a plan."

"I don't want to talk about the dragon right now anyway," Harry said. "Uncle Rem and I have something that we want to talk to you about."

Sirius only stared between the two of them.

Harry let out a slow sigh. "Voldemort wants me for the ritual to bring him back and he plans on making a play for me. Draco told me as much and that my being in this tournament is intentional."

"Well, it's nice to know that our fears have been confirmed," Zee said carefully. "But are you saying that you know who put your name into the Goblet of Fire?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I still have no idea about that, but Draco just warned me to watch my back and well, he said some things that made me think."

"Made both of us think," Remus said. "When Quirrell died three years ago, it was because of the protection spell that Lily left over Harry when she sacrificed herself for him. When he tried to physically attack him, his very touch burned him. It was too much for Voldemort to bear and the love that Lily left for her son, destroyed him and he in turn destroyed Quirrell when he dispossessed him. Harry and I believe that part of the reason why Voldemort is so insistent on wanting to use Harry for this unknown ritual is because if he uses Harry's blood then that protection will become a part of him as much as it is a part of Harry."

Sirius stared at them for a minute. "We considered that, Rem. And you're only telling me this now because …?"

"Sirius, we assumed that you'd react badly and decided to wait until we saw you tonight," Remus interjected before Harry could speak up. "We considered it, yes, but I think this proves it's more than just a theory."

"Uncle Siri, it doesn't change what we already know it just … it makes more sense as to why he wants me specifically. Draco said it best: I'm the one who got away. It makes sense that he would want revenge on me or something. And I don't know what the tournament has to do with that … I mean, if he does want me for the ritual, obviously he doesn't want me dead which means he thinks that I can get through it … I don't know."

"Of course you can get through it," Zee said sternly. "We have every faith in you and we will be here as much as we possibly can every step of the way. I've been working all week trying to come up with a list of spells and charms and hexes that we can teach to you."

Harry smiled at her. "Really? You've been working on it all week?"

Zee leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Papa's been helping me. He says hello by the way and that he knows you are strong enough to do amazing in this tournament."

Harry hugged her back as Remus spoke up.

"It's something else that we can add to this mysterious ritual. But for now, Harry, getting through the tournament is what's important."

"I handled that just fine," Sirius exclaimed, pouting. "I don't understand why you both kept it from me."

"I figured that you'd be mad," Harry said simply.

"Well, of course I'm mad! Some asshat wants to hurt my son!"

Harry smirked at him. "But first a dragon does."

Sirius let out a slow breath. "Alright, we'll get back to the dragon. Tonight, is about discussing when and where we're going to have lessons and going over what you've already covered with Misha and in Defence Club. Agreed?"

Harry nodded. "Agreed."

Remus leaned forward in his seat and nodded at Zee who had a notepad ready. "Let's start discussing useful spells."

Harry listened to them brainstorm, adding in things that he'd covered already and new spells that Misha had sent him in his letters, but mostly he just listened. He wasn't alone in this. His family was going to make sure that he was prepared in any way that they could and he knew that no matter what, it was going to work out. One task at a time, he told himself and he grinned at Tonks.

He couldn't wait to show his fathers what he had planned.

And most of all, he really hoped that he could pull it off because if flying didn't work, he had no idea how he was going to distract a dragon.

No idea at all.

 **The next morning after leaving Defence Against the Dark Arts class, the sound of someone yelling Cedric's name made him turn his head. He had spent most of the night thinking about the four dragons that he had seen hidden in the Forbidden Forest.** Maxime and Karkaroff had been there which made him pretty positive that they had told their champions. But it also meant that there was one champion who had been left in the dark. He couldn't let Cedric go in blind. Not only wasn't it fair, but Cedric Diggory was a genuine nice bloke and the real champion in most of the eyes of the student body. Harry couldn't exactly dispute it either since it was for all intents and purposes, true.

He urged his friends on, promising to see them in the Great Hall for dinner. Neville only looked back at him curiously, but he shook his head. He had a few things that he needed to do and one of them had just presented an opportunity. He adjusted his book bag on his shoulder and let out a slow breath as he approached Cedric and the crowd of Hufflepuffs.

"Well, if it isn't Potter? Come to find another way to cheat Cedric out of his well-earned Champion status?"

"No," Harry said simply, his eyes on Cedric. "Can I have a word?"

"Yeah, you can have a word," the blonde Hufflepuff exclaimed, pointing to the badge on his chest. It was a large circle that read: _Go Cedric, the REAL Hogwarts Champion._ "Like my badge? Watch this." He pressed his fingers to the centre of it and in a swirl of green the words vanished and changed to, _Potter Stinks!_

"Clever," Harry said, not amused.

"I thought so. Macmillan gave it to me. He and some fellow Hufflepuffs were handing them out for free this morning. I'll make sure that your friends all get a copy."

Harry ignored him, his eyes on Cedric. "I need to speak with you for a moment. Alone."

"No way, Ced!" The blonde boy next to him exclaimed. "Look how he already got his name into the tournament! You can't trust him!"

Cedric held his hand up to silence his friend. "Go. I'll meet you in the Great Hall. Ryan, I'll be fine!"

His friends looked like they wanted to protest, but he gave them a look that told them that he wasn't going to argue. Ryan and the three other Hufflepuffs hurried off, shooting Harry nasty looks over their shoulders, flashing their _Potter Stinks_ badges as they went. Once they were out of earshot, he looked at Harry curiously.

"Can I help you with something?"

Harry stared at him for a moment. "It's dragons."

"What?" He asked in bewilderment.

"The First Task. It's dragons."

Cedric's book bag slipped out of his hand and landed with a loud clunk. "I beg your pardon?"

Harry nodded. "Look, I just … I found out and … I just thought that you should know."

"Why are you telling me this?" He whispered in surprise.

Harry shoved his hands into his pockets. "I know that you don't believe me, but _I did not_ enter this tournament. You deserve to be Hogwarts Champion way more than I do and everyone knows it. But I'm in it now, for better or for worse, and I found out that the First Task is dragons, nesting mothers. I think that we just have to get past them, not fight them, at least I sincerely hope not and I know for a fact that Delacour and Krum know too. It's only fair that we all go in on the same footing, isn't it?" He said rather quickly.

Cedric nodded, his eyes still wide. "Thanks."

Harry nodded. "Good luck."

Cedric picked up his book bag and hurried off and Harry felt a little lighter. The hand on his shoulder made him jump and he spun around to look at McGonagall.

"Er, hi, Auntie Minnie."

"Professor, Harry," she said for the umpteenth time making him grin. "That was a really decent thing that you just did for Diggory."

Harry shrugged. "It's only fair, isn't it?"

She smiled. "I agree, but not everyone is as kind as you. Ten points to Gryffindor."

Harry grinned in surprise. "Thanks."

"Did you set up plans with Sirius to get some extra lessons in?"

He nodded. "Yeah. We're going to meet on Mondays and Thursdays since I have Defence Club on Wednesday nights."

McGonagall smiled. "Good. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Actually, Auntie Minnie, can I use your Floo?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Whatever for?"

"I need to talk to Zee and I was hoping that she could call me."

McGonagall's eyes softened and she nodded. "Nyx is sleeping in there, but she shouldn't disturb you."

"Thanks."

He grabbed his bag and hurried down the hall to her office, closing the door behind him. He needed to get his homework out of the way after dinner so that he could perfect his summoning charm. He had spoken to Flitwick at lunch today and the Charms professor had assured him that he could summon anything that he put his mind to provided that it was in Scotland. Harry had felt very reassured by those words. But first, he needed to talk to Zee.

He greeted Nyx affectionately, who nuzzled his hand in greeting before burying her head under the cover of her long feathered tail which covered over her body like a blanket. He tugged out his wand and concentrated on what he wanted to do. He hadn't used his Patronus as a messenger yet and he was a little nervous that it wouldn't work, but at the same time he knew that it would. He called it forward and watched in amazement as the stag, wolf and dog moved around him, the light of them illuminating the office in a glow that had Nyx's head rising.

He focused on the stag, closing his eyes as he concentrated on just the stag. The stag's form seemed to brighten as he pranced around him.

"Expecto Patronum Secretum Disputatio," he said and a message bubble seemed to appear above the stag's head and he grinned. "Zee, I'm in Auntie Minnie's office at Hogwarts. Floo-call as soon as possible. I'll wait. Don't tell Uncle Sirius." He waved his wand and the speech bubble vanished. "Zee Zacarias," he said and the stag disappeared through the wall of the castle.

Five minutes later, Zee's head appeared in the fireplace, making him jump. "Harry! Are you alright?"

He grinned at her, crossing his legs in front of the fire. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to you. The Patronus worked then? I've never used that spell before."

"It worked beautifully. It appeared while Forester and I were working on a report."

"Did Forester hear my message?"

She shook her head. "No, you did it correctly, only I could hear the words."

He grinned. "Brilliant!"

Zee smiled at him. "Yes, it was quite an impressive display of magic. You've mastered it very well. Now, what's going on, sweetie?"

Harry let out a slow breath before he told her about everything that he and Tonks had discussed after seeing the dragons. "I have a plan, kind of anyway, and Tonks and I agree that surprising Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus is probably for the best because they're going to be worried enough as it is. But if you and her know then maybe …"

"We can keep them from losing their minds," she finished with a smile. "Harry, you're a wonderful flier, I think that this sounds like a great plan, but even knowing what you have planned I am still going to be worried watching you go up against a dragon. But as for the plan, it sounds like a decent one."

"Good," he said. "I think so too. I want to practice other charms and hexes in case the dragon gets too close but, using my _Firebolt_ is my first line of defence."

"Remember, if you just need to get past the dragon, _distraction is the key_. As an animal lover I obviously don't want you to hurt the dragon, but I also want you to come out in one piece. Distract the dragon, remember that."

"I will," he told her with a smile. "My first thought was maybe to use my Animagus form, but I haven't registered yet and well, I'm not quite fully grown."

Zee smiled. "By March you should be or soon afterwards. It takes a little less than two years for a dog to grow from puppy to adult and with an Animagus it would be a lot less. Harry, about registering your form. I think that you should wait to register it."

"You do?"

She nodded. "Yes. I've been meaning to talk to Minerva about it. But with everything that's going on and with this mysterious ritual in the works, this could be something that could help keep you safe and if no one knows what animal you can be, I think it would be safer for you if anything ever happens where you need to remain hidden or to make a quick getaway."

"You're right," he said. "I guess I just … Uncle Siri and I talked about the consequences of it if the Ministry finds out."

Zee nodded. "I think those consequences are not as important as keeping you safe right now."

Harry smiled at her. "Okay. I can deal with that. Um, so you won't tell Uncle Siri about my plan with the dragon?"

Zee smiled warmly at him. "Your secret is safe with me."

Harry beamed at her. "Thanks. I, um, have to get to dinner. Will you be at my lesson on Monday?"

"If you'd like me to be there I will be."

"I do," he insisted, liking the way her smile lit up her whole face.

"I wouldn't miss it. Anything else going on?"

He shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. Thanks, Zee."

She smiled warmly. "You're welcome. Have a good weekend, Harry."

"You too," he said, watching as her head disappeared from the fireplace.

Alright, he thought, Tonks and Zee knew what the plan was. Now he just had to figure out how to execute the plan. His stomach let out a loud grumble and he grinned.

But first he had to eat.

 **Sirius watched Zee hang up the phone before dinner that evening and he merely raised an eyebrow.** "Well? What did he say?"

"For you to stop bitching and let me install a damn telephone in your house."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I don't bitch."

Zee chuckled and moved to wrap her arms around his waist, smiling up at him. "If you say so."

Sirius leaned down to capture her lips. "Lies, woman."

She slid her hands up his back, her fingers nestled in his hair as she kissed him. When he pulled away, she smiled against his lips.

"We're moving my stuff in slowly. Part of that will be the phone. Now, Papa says that our list looks great. But in all honesty, Sirius; it's a dragon, Tonks confirmed that and Harry knows it's coming and he's ready."

Sirius let out a slow breath. "I know and he's way too damn calm about it! The task is coming up in less than two weeks and he's all nonchalant, telling me that he knows what he's going to do! What does that even mean? How does he know? Who the hell knows how to go against a dragon? I sure as hell don't!"

Zee smiled. Harry and Tonks had filled her in on the plan and she had to admit, it was a brilliant one. She thought that it was clever and would allow for Harry to play to his own strengths. He was very talented and very powerful, but he could also fly incredibly well and she thought that flying was one of the safer ways for him to make it through the First Task if she was honest.

"He has a plan, Sirius, and frankly, I think letting him surprise us is a good idea. He is the Champion and we are here to guide him and only to guide him," Zee said carefully.

Sirius sighed and tugged her close to kiss her softly. "I know. I just don't like the idea of not knowing what he has planned against a dragon, you know? I mean, what if something goes wrong? What if he gets hurt?"

"Madam Pomfrey will be there. As will we. He can do this, Sirius."

"I know," he told her. "And that's what scares me."

Zee snuggled into his embrace and held him for a moment. "Well, I think that we both need a distraction."

Sirius' hand immediately moved to knead her breast. "Oh yeah?"

Zee slapped his hand away and kissed him chastely. "Not that. I moved over some clothes, but I need to actually go through my stuff and pack."

Sirius grinned. "You do, Miss Zacarias, that you do."

"Come help me?"

"What do I get out of this?"

She merely raised an eyebrow. "Other than me moving in with you?"

He smirked. "Right, of course," he said and she jumped to her feet.

"Let's go see how much stuff I need to get rid of."

"You know my closet is only so big, right?"

Zee grinned at him. "A little expansion never hurt anyone."

He only rolled his eyes as she led him upstairs to her bedroom.

He had already expanded the closet while she had been at work today, he thought with a grin. He'd pushed it into the hallway and brought it into the bedroom a bit. He'd added shelves and new racks for her shoes. It was twice as big now and came equipped with an organization charm to assist and had enough room for all of her stuff and his to sit side by side. He knew that she was going to love it.

But most of all, he knew how much he was going to love having her living with him and he couldn't wait.

 **Ginny finished her Potions paper in the study hall just off of the library.** She turned her neck from side to side to stretch it out, relishing in the cracking sound in relief. She stretched her arms up over her head as she stood up and her blue jumper rose up a little and she felt the cool air hit her stomach before she put her arms back down. She reached down to grab her book bag off the floor as a shadow fell over her. She looked up at the boy who stood there, a handsome smirk on his face.

"Hi," he said, casually leaning his hip on the table that she had been working on.

"Hi," Ginny said back. She noticed that he had rather lovely warm brown eyes.

The boy crossed his arms in front of him and he grinned at her. "I've noticed you around. You prefer to study in here rather than in the library?"

Ginny nodded. "It's too quiet in the library. I sometimes find that it's too hard to concentrate. I like a little noise and someone is always playing music or talking or something in here."

"Agreed," he said. "You're not getting ready to go already, are you?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I still have a paper for McGonagall. I just needed to stretch my legs."

The boy nodded. "Good. This room needs a little more beautiful."

She blushed and he grinned, brushing his dark hair behind his ear. He wore it a bit on the long side, brushing the nape of his neck and a bit shaggy. It suited him, she thought.

"Would you mind if I borrowed your Transfiguration text for a moment? I forgot mine up in Ravenclaw Tower and I just need to check something with my friend Terry over there. I'll be but a moment?" He asked, smiling sweetly and making a dimple appear in his right cheek.

Ginny smiled back at him. "Sure. I need to go over my notes first anyway." She handed him the textbook and his fingers brushed hers sending a little thrill through her.

"Great. Be back in five."

She nodded and watched him walk away. She placed a hand over her stomach as it fluttered nervously. He was incredibly handsome, she thought, and very sweet. She turned to her Transfiguration notes and tried not to sneak glances over at him and his friend Terry, but she found that she couldn't concentrate.

When he came back over, her textbook in his hands a few minutes later, she was drawn to his warm brown eyes again. She watched him tuck a strand of dark hair behind his ear.

"Thanks. Good luck on your paper."

She nodded and watched him walk back to his friend. She turned to look down at her textbook and saw that there was a piece of parchment sticking out of it. She almost called out to him, but stopped herself. It was probably her homework, she thought, tugging out the parchment and opening it up.

But to her surprise, it wasn't her homework.

 _Hi Beautiful!_

 _I'd love to know your name and more about you. I'll buy you a Butterbeer at_ The Three Broomsticks _in Hogsmeade next Saturday at noon. Hope you'll meet me there with a smile._

 _PS - My name is Michael._

Ginny blushed to the roots of her hair and snuck a glance up at him. His arm was hanging over the back of the chair, his brown eyes on her and he had a sexy smirk on his face.

Ginny pulled her quill out and turned the parchment over to scrawl a quick message in her loopy cursive.

 _Michael,_

 _If you throw in a chocolate scone, I'll be there._

 _PS - My name is Ginny._

She folded the parchment into a butterfly and used the levitation charm to send it over to him. He caught it with a grin and opened it. She bit her bottom lip as she watched him grin at his friend and write a message before levitating it back over to her. She re-opened it, smiling as she read.

 _Beautiful Ginny,_

 _Chocolate scone? You sound like my kind of girl. You got yourself a date. See you at 12._

 _Love,_

 _Michael_

Ginny grinned widely and tucked the parchment back into her textbook. She watched the two boys stand up, talking to each other and Michael shot her a wicked grin that made the butterflies in her stomach dance before they left the room. She flipped through her Transfiguration textbook mindlessly, but took in nothing for ten minutes until Colin slid into the seat across from her.

"Oh, Colin, thank Merlin!"

He merely raised an eyebrow. "What? Are you alright? You're all flushed."

Ginny passed him the note and his eyes widened.

"You have a date in Hogsmeade next weekend!"

Ginny nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Um, yes. He just … came over to say hi and then he sent me this!"

Colin was beaming at her. "Ginny! This is great news! So Michael who?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I've never really noticed him before. I think he's a fourth year at least as he's pretty tall and he was wearing a Ravenclaw tie. He was sweet and he has dark hair that's kind of swept around his face in a dashing sort of way and brown eyes. And a really cute dimple on his right cheek when he smiles."

Colin grinned. "What are you going to wear?"

Ginny's eyes widened. "Oh, Merlin! I don't know!"

Colin grinned and jumped to his feet. "Come on; let's go find Luna. You need to figure this out. Your first date, you have to make his jaw drop even more than it already did when he sees you."

Ginny bit her lip, her eyes twinkling in happiness. "It is just a drink, I don't want to be too fancy."

He rolled his eyes. "I didn't say fancy, I said jaw-dropping. Come on!"

Ginny laughed as he took her hand and led her out of the study hall, her books and papers in her arms as she struggled to hold onto her bag.

 **Forty minutes later, Luna and Ginny had each chosen three potential outfits and had brought them down into the Gryffindor common room before Colin had urged them to follow him to one of the unused classrooms on the seventh floor.** They had just stepped inside when Theo poked his head in.

"Ah, thought this was the room, but wasn't entirely sure," he said with a grin, closing the door behind him. "I never come up to this floor. Too many Gryffindors."

Ginny rolled her eyes at him. "You love Gryffindors."

"Nah, just you," he said with a smile, sitting up on the desk. "So, your note said that it was important."

Colin grinned at him. "Our girl has her very first date tomorrow."

"Potter?" Theo asked, his eyes widening.

Ginny rolled her eyes again. "Hardly. I told you, Theo; Harry and I are just friends."

Theo shrugged. "That is sad. So who's the bloke then?"

"His name is Michael and he's a Ravenclaw, I think he's in your year."

"Dark hair, sexy as sin dimple, brown eyes and a really nice bum?"

She nodded, blushing a bit. "Yes."

Theo grinned. "Lucky girl." He took in the outfits that she had with her and grinned. "That would be Michael Corner. I heard that he really knows how to snog well. And you want to find the perfect outfit, I get it. What are we going for? Sexy Siren or Breathtaking Angel?"

Ginny blushed. "I want to look like myself."

Luna grinned and erected a room divider with her wand. "Ginny and I will be back here. You boys can help us with picking the right outfit."

Theo grinned at Colin. "I feel like I should be offended that she asked the gay bloke for fashion advice, but I'm too excited to care."

Ginny scoffed at him. "You know I asked you here for information on Michael and because I value your opinion and Colin has the eye for this sort of thing. I think it's the creativity because of his photography skills."

Colin grinned. "Go, pick an outfit so that we can vote."

Ginny hurried behind the privacy wall that her friend had erected and grinned at Luna. "I'm nervous."

Luna smiled at her. "Nervous is a good thing. Colin and I will be nearby if you need us, but far enough away to give you the privacy that you want."

Ginny nodded as she shimmied out of her uniform and changed into a black long-sleeved crop top with knee length denim skirt overalls with black and white striped tights and black block heeled boots.

Theo whistled as she came out from behind the privacy screen. "Looking fit! Your tits look great in that top."

Ginny blushed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Luna smiled at her. "Don't be embarrassed, Ginny. You have very nice breasts."

"I'm trying another outfit," Ginny said, turning around to change.

She came out next in black velvet tights with a white cotton blouse and black and silver striped suspenders with dark grey velvet ankle boots with a heel.

Colin grinned. "I like that one."

"Accents her tits again," Theo said with a smirk.

"I hate you, Theo."

He grinned. "Don't be cheeky, love. You have them, flaunt them. Also, your bum looks great in those velvet tights. Let's see the final outfit."

Ginny went back behind the screen and a few minutes later emerged wearing a purple and black plaid spaghetti strap ankle length dress that cut low at her breasts with thick black velvet buttons down the chest to her waist and a white long-sleeved tee shirt underneath. The dress had a high slit to mid thigh on the right side. She kept the grey ankle boots on and added a purple velvet ribbon choker.

"Well?"

Colin grinned. "That's definitely it. You look smashing, Gin."

"Lush," Theo said with a grin. "And your tits are covered yet still lovely."

"Will you stop with the tits?" Ginny exclaimed, covering her chest with her arms. "You don't even like baps!"

Theo grinned. "Not true, I do like lovely man baps and a nice thick pecker, but you, darling, look lovely. Truly. Michael is going to be gobsmacked."

"Really?" Ginny asked, glancing down at her outfit.

Colin grinned and moved to hug her. "Truly, you look wonderful."

Ginny grinned at the three of them. "You lot are the best."

Luna hugged her tight and smiled. "So you better tell us all the deets, especially if he snogs you."

Ginny smiled back. She had a date and she couldn't wait.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Yes, Harry will be flying for the First Task, but it will also be different. Wait and see - as you know, I have my changes._

 _Also, I had a lot of fun picking 90s clothes for Ginny's first date LOL. Anyone remember wearing long-sleeved or short-sleeved tees underneath dresses? Oh, the 90s lol. And yes, Ginny's first boyfriend will still be Michael Corner. I always thought he would be one of those adorably charming first boyfriends, at least at first._


	164. Chapter 164

_Author's Note:_

 _Just a little fluffy chapter here before we get into the First Task._

 _To respond to some reviews: Ginny is oblivious and Harry doesn't find out about her date, he finds out a different way as you will see, but not for a bit as he clearly has other things on his mind. As to Hermione being a teenage girl, I agree read below! I really enjoy writing Theo and I feel like he is that kind of cheeky bastard, at least in my mind he is. I find I am writing him like a friend of mine and it makes me smile lol. Thanks for the comments on the 90s clothes, it was fun. Ahm butterfly clips, I had so many of those lol! Sparkly ones, light-up ones, neon ones, bubble ones lol. Love the reference to Santa's Little Helper from the Simpsons, but Scout is a Tamaskan while Santa's Little Helper is a Greyhound, completely different dogs!_

 _As to the Game of Thrones series finale, I found it a very poetic ending myself. There are some things that I would have liked to see, but overall, I am happy with it and I think the petition to re-do season eight is uncalled for. People worked very hard on this season and honestly nothing about it was a surprise. It's been hinted at for seven previous seasons. Anyway, I don't want to put any spoilers on here for anyone who hasn't watched yet, but feel free to PM me if you want to discuss!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR:**

 **While Ginny was prepping for her first date,** Hermione was sitting in the library alone making notes for History of Magic. She used a pen for her own notes, writing neatly to keep things organized for herself. She rolled her eyes when she heard the giggling. She was getting incredibly tired of the fan club that was consistently following Viktor Krum around.

Krum had taken to spending most of his time in the library. Every moment that he wasn't on the Durmstrang ship was spent looking through the stacks or reading a book at the table while he studied. Now that he had been chosen Champion, he was pouring over books on dragons, confirming Hermione and Harry's suspicions that Karkaroff had told his champion of what was coming in the First Task. However, his research meant that the girls of his fan club also showed up and they giggled and spied on him from where he worked. Hermione could see the tension in his shoulders as if he was trying his best to tune them out and she scoffed. She had her own work to do and she came to the library for peace and quiet.

She put her homework away, annoyed that she couldn't concentrate on it. She pulled out the book that she had found on the history of house elves and tugged out her notes. Harry and Ron were still teasing her about SPEW and she was determined to learn everything that she could about house elves and the kind of magic that they possessed. She wanted to talk to some of them as well and she would, but she liked to give herself a thorough knowledge through books first. Harry had told her that she could talk to Zee as well and that idea did intrigue her. The magizoologist was bright and intelligent and she worked in the DRCMC and despite her earlier misgivings, she had to admit that she might be able to help her. Even if it was only how to further her cause.

She knew that her friends were right. If she wanted to truly find a way to change the world, she had to understand all sides of the situation. She couldn't just butt her head in, wands blazing without understanding why the house elves allowed the magical world to enslave them. She wanted to understand why house elves seemingly wanted to be enslaved and why they loved to serve others so much. She knew how she wanted them to be treated fairly, but first she had to figure out what it meant for them and why they didn't question how they were treated.

And she knew that it wasn't going to change overnight.

Hermione could feel someone's eyes on her and she looked around suspiciously, surprised to find Viktor Krum staring at her. Every time that she was in the library she found his intense dark gaze on her. She checked her fingers for ink spots to see if she might have accidentally transferred some to her face again, but she found her hands were clean. She glanced behind her, noticing Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass in their rolled up short skirts and loosely buttoned tops and she scoffed. Boys, she thought, turning back to her notes.

Pansy and Daphne moved to sit with Krum and some more girls were giggling nearby breaking her concentration and she frowned when they pointed at her and said something to Krum, laughing loudly. Hermione rolled her eyes. She could only imagine what they were saying about her. Maybe they would say something that would make Krum and his gaggle of female followers leave the library, she thought hopefully as she focused back on the book that she was reading, wishing that she had some headphones or anything really to tune out the annoying giggling girls so that she could get some actual work done. She contemplated using a silencing charm, but if Madam Pince caught her using magic in the sanctity of her library she would be boldly dismissed from said library so she gritted her teeth and tried to tune them out.

The sound of a chair scraping sharply across the floor made her look up as Pansy and Daphne marched away from Krum looking annoyed. Hermione smiled to herself, two annoying girls down she thought. She turned her attention back to the book.

 _"House elves are magical beings capable of working five times faster than the average witch or wizard. They have strong magical capabilities, can Apparate anywhere regardless of wards if given proper instruction or called upon by a witch or wizard they have tied themselves to. House elves love to work and to serve witches and wizards in any capacity needed. Nothing makes them happier …"_

She scowled at the book. "Of course if it was written by a house elf, there might be better information," she murmured to herself, closing the book in frustration. She pulled out her list of house elf magic and wrote: ' _tied to witch or wizard?'_

Harry had mentioned that she remembered, something about it affecting their magic in some way which was part of the reason why Winky had been so distraught upon being given her freedom at the World Cup. Hermione didn't understand how the magic was tied in. Was it something that was paid for once a witch or wizard accepted the house elf as a slave? Was it part of their slavery that they gave up a part of their magic? If they were so magical already; why were witches and wizards afraid to give them wands? It sounded like they didn't even need them anyway so why bother?

She jumped when Madam Pince's voice echoed. "Out! Out! All of you, giggling and causing a disturbance! This is a library! Out!"

The girls who had been spying on Krum glared at the librarian as she ordered them out and Hermione looked over at Krum, surprised to find him staring at her again. She looked behind her and saw the leggy seventh-year blonde and smiled to herself. Boys, she thought again. They were always so predictable.

Hermione turned back to her list of questions about house elves and their magic and became lost in concentration once more now that the silence of her sanctuary had been returned. She tapped her pen against her chin and when the chair scraped the floor next to her she jumped, turning to smile brightly.

"Harry, I was just thinking - oh, sorry," she said in surprise as her eyes met the dark ones of Viktor Krum. "Er, hello."

He smiled at her. "Dobŭr den. I hope I am not invruding."

"Oh! Um, well, I'm just working on … um, no. I'm sorry, can - can I help you with something?" She asked, completely bewildered. She had no idea why he would have come over to sit with her in the first place.

He smiled wider, a rather handsome smile she did admit. When he smiled, his brow softened and his eyes twinkled. "You spend a lot ov vime in here, studying, da?"

"Yes," she said. "I want to do well."

He nodded. "And you are annoyed by vose, girls."

It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway. "I don't understand why they feel the need to follow you around like lost little puppies. I for one can think of fifty other things that I'd rather be doing with my time."

His smile widened. "Vell, I am very vamous, da?"

Hermione merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I hadn't heard," she responded dryly.

Viktor smiled, his dark eyes staring into hers and Hermione's stomach fluttered nervously. One could get lost in those eyes, she thought.

"Vhat are you studying vith so much vocus?"

"Well, I'm actually trying to learn more about house elves and their magic," she said matter of factly.

"Vhy?"

Hermione let out a slow breath, turning in her seat to give him her full attention. He was staring at her, his chin resting on his hand and his dark eyes full of curiosity. If she could bring someone like Viktor Krum over to her side of the argument in terms of house elves it could potentially really help her cause, she thought. She reached in her bag for her collection tin and pamphlet, passing one to as him she spoke.

"Because I think that it is completely immoral that the magical population as a whole has enslaved these magical creatures to be nothing more than servants to them! They deserve the same rights and freedoms that we as witches and wizards have a right to! Just because they are elves and not human beings doesn't mean that they do not have human tendencies and human thoughts and still deserve the same basic rights and freedoms! They are intelligent and communicate and act like humans and denying them their rights and freedoms is morally and socially wrong on many levels. I've started my own organization to try to help people become more aware of what they are doing. They are feeding on this thought and encouraging that they work as servants. It's disrespectful and I think that it needs to stop. I think that they should all be freed from a life of servitude and given the chance to earn fair wages for fair work. This pamphlet explains what I would like to see changed in our society."

Viktor was staring at her, an amused expression on his face. "Vhat is your organization called?"

"SPEW, the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare!"

"Good name," he said honestly.

Hermione smiled, "I wanted to call it the Stop The Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status, but I decided that it that was too long and it wouldn't fit on my buttons." She let out a quick breath. "Would you like to join? It costs two Sickles, which buys the badge."

"You are very inveresting," he said with a little tug at his lips. "Very, vhat's va vord … am-bee-shus."

"Yes, I am," Hermione said proudly. "I want to make the world a better place, Mr Krum, is that so wrong?"

His dark eyes bore into hers and she felt herself blushing under the intensity of his gaze. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out two Sickles, handing them to her. "Nye, I vind it, admphable? Nye, I … ad-my-rah-ble," he said slowly. When she handed him a badge, he smiled and carefully attached it to the collar on his cloak. "Blagodarya ti … I mean, vank you."

"You're welcome," she said with a smile. "Thank you for taking an interest. But I don't think that you came over here to learn about my position on house elves. What can I help you with, Mr Krum?"

"Viktor," he said, a small smile tugging the corners of his mouth. "I am Viktor."

"Hermione Granger," she said, extending her hand to him. He accepted it and to her surprise, brought it to his lips.

"Nice vu meet you, Herm-own-ninny. I had heard you are very bright vitch, smart and somevimes vutor other students?"

She nodded. "Yes. But I'm only fifteen, I'm sure that you know much more than I do."

Viktor smiled at her, his dark eyes on hers. "You are nice and you do not giggle like vose girls vhen I valk. I vot perhaps you vould like to valk vith me, da?"

Hermione stared at him in surprise. "Talk with you? About what?"

"I vould like to speak better," he told her. "So vhen I come back vu England, I can speak better vith people. I listen vu you valk and vis helps me learn. I vould like vu hear more about your S-P-E-W."

Hermione stared at him in surprise. "Do you actually want to know more?"

"Da. Yes," he repeated, smiling at her. "You vell me about S-P-E-W, I vant vu know vhat you vould like vu change."

Hermione found herself smiling back as she tucked a bushy curl behind her ear. She added the Sickles to her collection tin and wrote his name on her list as she spoke. "We're small so far. I just started it in September and Harry is going to help me get in contact with the DRCMC, that is our Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, as his mother is an agent there, but I want to do my own research first and learn all I can about house elves and the magic that they have."

Viktor nodded. "Go on."

"Well, short-term, I want to make sure that elves are given fair wages and better working conditions. I've seen how terribly house elves can be treated by their masters, forced to punish themselves if they misbehave or don't do something that they were asked and it's barbaric! Long-term, I'd like to change the law about wand-use. Did you know that our Ministry doesn't even have an elf represented in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures? They are beneath them. It's pathetic and completely uncalled for. Do you own a house elf?" She asked, her eyes on his dark ones in a rather accusing manner.

He smiled slowly, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Nye. My mama likes vu do the vork herself, but my grandparents, vey had von vhen I vas a child. She vas alvays very nice vu me. Her name vas Anya."

Hermione nodded and continued to talk his ear off about house elves.

When she went up to her dormitory that night she realized that she had never asked him how he had known that she tutored other students in the first place. His interest in SPEW had taken her by surprise and she had gotten carried away as usual. She smiled as she climbed under the covers of her four poster.

But she had recruited someone else to join her cause and that was alright with her.

 **Seamus was lying on his back, Will's head snuggled under his arm.** They were stretched out and snuggled close in Will's four poster bed. It had been the most amazing night of his life, he thought.

He had been nervous, who wouldn't be, and the entire time that he had followed Will through the Ravenclaw common room after dinner, his palms had been sweating. But no one had even bothered to look up at him. No one had cared that he was following Will up to his dormitory or that he was a lion in the eagle's nest. When he had stepped inside the fifth year boy's dorm, he noticed that it was laid out a bit differently from the dormitories in Gryffindor Tower. Everything was blue and bronze of course, but there were still five four poster beds, five desks, five dressers and five nightstands. The only real difference seemed to be that it was more octagon shaped; or maybe he just thought it was.

Will had led him to the bed on the left and then he had put up a privacy charm, a silencing charm as well as a Do Not Disturb charm around the bed before he had grinned at him and closed the bed curtains around them.

"See, now no one will even know that you're in here except for me," he had breathed, moving to sit back on his knees. Will had reached over to gently brush his fingers through his boyfriend's hair. "I love you and as much as I want this, I don't want it if you're not ready."

But he had been more than ready and it had been perfect, he thought. It had been everything that it was supposed to be and more. He kissed the top of Will's head, his breathing finally slowing down, but his heart was still pounding in his chest from the aftermath.

"What are you thinking about?" Will whispered, brushing his fingertips down the side of Seamus' cheek and bringing him back to the present.

Seamus smiled at him. "How good I feel. Was it, I mean, was it okay?"

Will reached up to kiss him softly, moving his hand down over Seamus' hip. "Better than okay. You were amazing."

"I didn't …"

"You didn't what?" Will asked, resting his chin on Seamus' chest and looking up into his eyes.

Seamus let out a slow breath. "I didn't know that it would feel so good to be inside you, to - " he blushed bright red as he spoke. "To touch you while I was …"

Will grinned, his nimble fingers doing delicious things that made Seamus' eyes roll back. "You were incredible, Seam. It was perfect. In fact," he said, kissing his boyfriend's chest and planting kisses lower and lower as Seamus sucked in a breath when his lips hovered over him, his tongue flicked out over his tip, licking in long torturous strokes. "Are you up for round two?"

Seamus smiled at him, moaning when Will's mouth wrapped around him. "If you keep that up, I won't last for round two."

Will grinned up at him, his cheeks hollowing as he worked him.

Seamus' hips arched involuntarily. "Will! Fuck, stop," he moaned.

Will smiled and kissed his way back up his chest before he moved to lie next to him, spreading his own legs. "I stopped. Now what?"

Seamus grabbed a fistful of his boyfriend's hair and kissed him deeply, rolling on top of him as they kissed and settled himself between Will's legs. "I love you."

Will slid his hands down Seamus' back. "I love you, too."

Then they were kissing again and nothing felt more right.

 **The next afternoon, Hermione made her way back to the library.** She had lost time the night before with the house elf research and then her recruitment of Viktor Krum to her cause and she needed to finish her Arithmancy essay and to work on her notes from History of Magic if she was ever going to decipher what Binns had taught them that week. She made herself comfortable in the library, smiling when Harry, Ron and Neville joined her. It was a little while later when Viktor appeared again, sitting at a table near them, books open. To her delight, he was wearing the SPEW badge on his cloak which he had hung over the back of his chair.

She felt eyes on her and when she looked up she was startled to find that intense dark gaze meeting hers and her stomach quivered in pleasure, surprising her. She looked behind her and noticed Pansy and Daphne were there again. Today they both wore rather short dresses and she rolled her eyes. Of course he was looking at them and not at her. Boys were all the same. She should know better, she thought, thoroughly annoyed at herself as much as him.

She couldn't help but grin when less than ten minutes later Madam Pince kicked all of the fangirls out of the library again and she noticed that once again, Viktor's shoulders relaxed once they were gone. She imagined that having girls throw themselves at you all the time was rather tedious, she thought.

Harry stretched his arms up over his head, turning her attention away from Viktor. "Okay, my essay is done. I need a break and some food."

"Me too!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes moving over to Viktor. He had accumulated another group of fangirls again who hadn't yet been caught by Madam Pince. "I still can't believe that's Krum over there. Viktor Krum!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's just a student, Ron. In fact, I convinced him to join SPEW last night."

Ron glared at her. "Hermione! Why would you bore Krum with some rubbish like that? House elves like being enslaved! Why even bother?"

"Don't get her started, Ron," Harry said with a smirk as Hermione glared at them.

"Don't get me started, what does that mean, Harry? It is for a good cause and you two just think that I'm full of it!"

Harry took her arm in his. "We support you, Hermione. Honestly."

"We do. All of us, even Ron," Neville said smiling warmly at her.

Ron rolled his eyes and then nodded. "Yeah, we do."

"Want to get a snack with us, Hermione? You can even tell us more about your house elf cause?" Harry offered, giving her a small smile. "Ice cream sounds great, right?"

She smiled back and kissed his cheek. "Yes, it does. But, no. Off with you lot, I have work that I want to finish and you three telling me how hungry you are is just distracting."

Ron smiled and stood up. "Hope to see you before dinner, but we know that we won't."

"Bye Hermione," Neville said, grabbing his own books and following his friends from the library.

Hermione urged them off and turned back to her books, sighing. She pulled out her History of Magic notes to try to rewrite and decipher them with help from her textbook. With Binns being so boring and hard to focus on if she didn't take the time to do this, she had no idea what was going on.

She worked well for almost fifteen minutes before the chair next to her moved and she turned to smile, expecting it to be one of her friends who had forgotten something, but was surprised to see that it was once again Viktor Krum.

"Um, hi," she said in surprise.

He smiled and sat next to her. "May I sit?"

She nodded.

His intense gaze met hers again and she blushed. "I vas vatching you vith Harry Potter. Is he your boyvriend?"

"My - Harry? No," she said with a grin. "We're just friends."

"Good," he said, as he reached out and placed his hand over hers. "I vould very much like vu ask … vill you …" He looked frustrated. "My English somevimes not great, I vould like vu ask … vould you come vith me vu va Yule Ball next month?"

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Me? Why?" She squeaked.

He smiled warmly. "I vant vu get vu know you."

He wanted to get to know her? She couldn't imagine why. He was an internationally famous Quidditch star. And she was just, well, _her_.

He smiled again and brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it softly and sending shivers up her arm. "I have been seeing you and I vink you are very bea-u-tee-vul. I like valking vith you. I vant vu get vu know you. Vill you go vith me, Herm-own-ninny?"

Hermione only nodded, completely speechless. His dark eyes stared into hers and she managed to squeak out. "Okay."

His lips brushed the top of her hand again and he smiled. "Perhaps you might even vish me luck in va task ahead? Da?"

She smiled. "Good luck."

Viktor smiled warmly. "I vill be here again tomorrow. Maybe you sit vith me, da? Ve can study vugether? Valk again? Da?"

"Yes," she said, smiling up at him.

He grinned and stood up. "I look vorvard. Have good day, Herm-own-ninny."

Hermione watched him walk away, her eyes on his broad shoulders and his dark hair.

Viktor Krum had just asked her to go to the Yule Ball with him and she had no idea why.

But she couldn't stop smiling.

 **Harry smiled at Hermione when he saw her waiting for him the day of the Hogsmeade trip.** "Hey Hermione, been waiting long?"

She shook her head. "No. I just didn't know what time you lot were getting up."

He grinned and stifled a yawn.

"Still training hard, I see."

He nodded. "I need to burn off some energy and training out on the pitch really helps. It's important that I stay in good physical condition as much as mental, especially with the First Task being next week already."

"I can't believe how calm you are about this task. I am freaking out for you!"

Harry slipped his arm around her shoulders. "And I appreciate that, Mione. I don't know. I feel like I have a plan and having a plan makes it seem less terrifying. I may change my mind when I get down there and am actually faced with a dragon. But for now, it feels right."

"I'm glad that you're taking it seriously, Harry."

"Don't have much of a choice, do I? I don't want to get eaten or set on fire."

She smiled, slapping his arm. "Prat. Are Ron and Neville coming down?"

"Slowly and eventually, but yeah. Let's go get some breakfast. They can meet us down there. Are Ginny and Luna coming?"

Hermione smiled. "Maybe later on. They have other plans. I have something later on too so I'm only coming for the morning."

Harry shrugged. "Okay. Whatever you say, Hermione. Let's get some food."

 **Ginny took a deep breath as she waited in line for Filch to check permission slips.** This was her second official trip to Hogsmeade and the next trip wasn't going to be authorized until mid February. She was nervous that she had a date and she was excited and terrified at the same time. He seemed so sweet and nice and she was anxious to get to know him.

She had told Hermione who had grinned widely at her and told her that Michael had always been very nice to her. Plus he was a Ravenclaw so he was incredibly intelligent. Then Hermione had told her about what had happened in the library and Ginny's jaw had dropped open. Viktor Krum had asked her friend to attend the Yule Ball with him; her friend who knew absolutely nothing about Quidditch.

Hermione was just as much in shock as Ginny was.

"He's sweet, Ginny, and I think that he knows that I don't care that he's famous."

"I bet it's part of the reason why he likes you," Ginny told her honestly with a grin. "It's probably refreshing. You're going to work with him in the library later again?"

Hermione nodded. "He said that he'd be waiting there. He's been sitting with me off and on for most of the week and we just talk about my classes and he tells me a little about what they learn in Durmstrang. His accent is very sexy."

Ginny grinned widely. "After curfew, we both have a lot to share tonight."

Hermione had only grinned back in response.

Ginny smiled at Colin and Luna as they crossed over the bridge away from the castle with her. "I know that we still have over an hour until I have to meet Michael, I don't want to be too early."

Luna smiled dreamily at her. "Let's go look in the book shop on the way over. I want to get Daddy a new book for Christmas."

Colin nodded. "Sounds good to me."

The three of them looked up when Neville hurried towards them, a determined look on his face.

"Ginny!"

"Hi Nev," she said with a smile. "Everything okay? You look a bit frazzled."

He chuckled nervously. "Erm, not really. I mean, I guess, um, I don't know."

Ginny smiled and linked her arm through his. "Where's Harry, Ron and Hermione?"

"Oh, um, they were heading to _Zonko's_ , I said that I'd catch up."

She nodded. "What's up, Neville?"

He let out a slow sigh, stopping her in her tracks, his eyes darting to Colin and Luna respectively before he spoke. "Ginny, I know that it's still over a month away and that you probably don't want to, but I'm no good at this whole dating thing and frankly, most girls terrify me and I don't want to go to the Yule Ball alone and I thought that since we're friends, maybe you'd like to go with me, as a friend that is, and this way we can both have fun and just have a good time and well, please say yes because I already asked Hermione as a friend and she already has a date and if you say no I can't possibly go because no one will go with me and I can't go alone and please make me stop," he finished, biting his lip.

Ginny smiled at him. "Neville, I'm sure that some girl would love to go with you to the ball."

He shook his head. "I rather doubt it. Please, Gin, come with me, as a friend?"

Ginny stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I'd love to, Neville. It's my only opportunity to even go and if you really want to go with me instead of some lucky girl, how can I say no?"

He let out a sigh of relief and grinned, hugging her tight. "Thank you! I just … I'm not ready to ask anyone out yet. Is that … bad?"

"No!" Ginny exclaimed with a smile. "When you're ready, you'll be ready. Don't rush yourself, Neville. I'd be honoured to go with you, as friend. We'll have a great time together."

"Thanks, Ginny," he said. "Hey, do you know who Hermione is going with anyway?"

Ginny smiled at him. "That's her secret to share. Listen, I have to go, but I'll see you later."

Neville nodded, smiling at her. "Yes, thanks Ginny."

She watched him head off in the opposite direction, a bounce in his step and she smiled. He was so sweet and she knew that he would make a girl very happy one day. He just needed to not be so shy. She was going to the Yule Ball!

"Look at you, Miss Popular!" Colin exclaimed, linking his arm with hers. "A date with Michael; now a date to the Yule Ball, what's next for you, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny blushed. "Neville and I are just friends, Colin. Besides, third years can't even go to the ball unless we're invited by an older student."

Luna looked thoughtful. "Well, now we will have to find you a dress."

"I'll write to Mum when I get back. I think I have one that can be altered."

They chatted about the upcoming ball on their way to the bookstore and Luna found a few interesting books for her father before they made their way to _The Three Broomsticks._ Ginny felt her nerves kick in as they entered the pub at exactly noon. Her eyes scanned the bar, worried that he might stand her up or that the date wasn't real in some way, but then her smile widened when she saw him sitting at a booth in the far corner and she realized how ridiculous her thoughts were. She waved goodbye to her friends and weaved through the tables over to him.

"Hi Michael," she said when his eyes met hers.

"Hi Ginny," he smiled back, urging her to take a seat in the booth next to him. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you," she said, blushing. "You look good too," she said, taking in his blue knit jumper, black leather jacket and blue jeans with his white runners.

Rosmerta, the pretty bartender, came over to take their order and Michael ordered them two Butterbeers and two chocolate scones, making Ginny smile.

"So, I'm really glad that you came today," he told her with a grin. "I think you're beautiful."

She blushed and placed her hands in her lap. "Thank you."

He grinned. "Your hair is all fire and it's just amazing. It's the first thing that caught my eye about you. Then I saw you tackle Potter in Defence Club and I thought, that girl's a badass."

Ginny chuckled. "I didn't realize that you were in Defence Club."

"Ah, that's a hit to my ego!" He exclaimed, making her smile. "I'm just moving into the Advanced Class now. Professor Lupin let me sit in on the last few just to see how it went. You are a very skilled witch."

"I have a lot of brothers who I like to keep on their toes."

Michael grinned. "A few brothers? Anyone that I know?"

"A few I imagine," she said. "My last name is Weasley."

Michael's eyes widened. "Red hair, I should have guessed. So your Ron's little sister? The way he talks about you, I imagined you to be much younger but you're … you should be no one's little sister."

She smiled as his eyes dipped down her body rather provocatively before moving back to her eyes. "Well, I am. I have six older brothers. But only Ron, Fred and George are still at Hogwarts."

"Impressive. I have an older sister. Her name is Madelyn and she's a huge pain the arse, but I like her. She's a seventh year and in Ravenclaw with me." He smiled at Rosmerta, thanking her for the butterbeers and scone. "So, Ginny, tell me about yourself. I want to know everything."

Ginny smiled. "I don't really know what everything implies."

"Everything," he said with a grin. "Birthday?"

"August eleventh."

"Favourite colour?"

"Green."

"Do you like Quidditch?"

"Love it."

"Favourite team?"

"Harpies."

He grinned. "Good taste."

"You?"

"Harpies," he said with a grin. "They are great, but actually I've always been a supporter of the Wasps. I thought it was pretty exciting when Ludo Bagman showed up to introduce the tournament. I'd love to get his autograph."

"He'd love it," Ginny told him. "I met him at the World Cup this summer and he rather likes the attention."

Michael smiled. "Maybe I will. Okay, the Weird Sisters or the Charmers?"

"Weird Sisters for dancing, the Charmers for listening."

"Good answer. Charms or Potions?"

"Charms."

"Cats or dogs?"

"Dogs."

"Night or day?"

"Night," she said with a grin.

"Chocolate or vanilla?"

"Chocolate."

"Strawberry or Raspberry jam?"

"Strawberry."

"Can I kiss you? Yes or no?"

"Ye - oh! That was clever."

He grinned and leaned in. "Was that a yes?"

Ginny stared into his brown eyes and nodded. "Yes."

Michael smiled, his dimple flashing as he bent his head and touched his lips to hers. Ginny pressed her own lips to his, unsure of how to proceed, but then his lips moved under hers and it made sense. The pub around them seemed to evaporate and there was nothing but Michael and his soft lips that sent shivers down her spine and when his hands touched her shoulders, she leaned into him and the kiss deepened.

He smiled, licking his lips as he pulled back. "Mmm, you taste like butterbeer."

"So do you," she answered.

He grinned and tucked a loose hair from her braid behind her ear. "Shall we do that again then?"

Instead of answering, Ginny merely leaned in and captured his bottom lip and when he kissed her back, she thought that it was perfect.

 **Ginny was grinning when she got back from her date.** She had spent three hours in _The Three Broomsticks_ with Michael talking about anything and everything. They had kissed a few more times and he had kissed her goodbye once they had reached Gryffindor Tower. It had been a wonderful afternoon and she couldn't stop smiling.

She'd spent the rest of her evening telling Colin, Luna and Theo all about her date and how sweet and charming Michael had been. She walked with Colin back to the Gryffindor common room just before curfew. She said goodnight to him before she hurried over to where Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville were sitting by the fire.

"I've mastered the Summoning Charming pretty well and I think I'm as ready as I can be," Harry admitted, looking up and smiling as Ginny approached. "Hi Gin."

"Hi," she said, smiling back.

"What are you all dressed up?" Ron asked her.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I went to Hogsmeade and wanted to look nice, didn't realize it was a crime. Hermione, can I steal you?"

Hermione nodded and said goodnight to the boys before she followed Ginny up to her dormitory. KJ was the only one up there and she merely gave Hermione a cool look before heading into the bathroom to shower and leaving them alone. Ginny settled herself on her bed and Hermione did the same.

"Well?" Hermione asked. "You looked pretty happy during dinner. I'm guessing that it went well?"

"He's so nice, Hermione!" Ginny gushed, grinning widely. "He's sweet and charming and friendly and he kissed me."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "He kissed you!"

"We kissed lots actually. He has the softest lips and it was just perfect, you know? It was a really great first kiss and second and third and eighth kiss," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

Hermione smiled at her. "That's great, Ginny! Michael is really intelligent, but the professors are always complaining that he doesn't apply himself well enough. Plus, he has really nice eyes."

"Doesn't he?" Ginny asked, biting her bottom lip. "He asked me if I'd go for a walk with him around the grounds tomorrow after lunch. I said yes. I really like him, Hermione."

"That's great, you deserve a nice first boyfriend. I know that you still like Harry a little."

Ginny shrugged. "I think that part of me will always like him a little. He's the boy who saved me from the Chamber of Secrets; one of my best friends and the person I trust most in the world. But, yeah, I need to think about myself and Harry's already had two girlfriends and honestly, I'm obviously not his type. I want him to be happy and I deserve to be happy too. And if Michael makes me happy. I mean, he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend or anything, but he asked me out again so I think that's a good sign."

Hermione smiled. "It sounds like one to me. He is really very fit."

"I love his dimples," Ginny said with a smile.

Hermione grinned back. "Speaking of being fit, I spent the evening with Viktor again."

Ginny's eyes widened. "That's what, five times now?"

Hermione nodded. "Six actually. He's so sweet, Ginny! And it's fascinating to learn all about his home and his country. He has two younger sisters named Iglika and Desislava and they both think Quidditch is boring much to his dismay. He said that when he wrote home to tell them that he was picked as champion they told him it was about time that he did something cool. He can't say my name at all and I think that it's kind of endearing actually because he tries so hard. He calls me Herm-own-ninny. I tried to get him to say Mione instead and he called me, 'Mine' and that gave me an odd little thrill."

"Is that what you talk about, his home?"

"Sometimes. I told him about my parents and how they are Muggles and dentists. He thinks that's fascinating. I told him about my friends and we spoke about my classes a little and what I'm studying or learning. I met him in Hogsmeade this afternoon. He held my hand as we walked through the village and we looked in the shops and had butterbeer. And then tonight he kissed me."

"What?" Ginny squeaked. "And you're just telling me now!"

Hermione grinned, looking sheepish. "We had just left the library and his fangirls had been disbanded again by Madam Pince. He walked me back to Gryffindor Tower, holding my hand in his and he told me how excited he is to take me to the Yule Ball and then there's this little alcove by the stairs that's hidden by that big tapestry of the castle?" At Ginny's nod, she smiled. "He tugged me behind it and he leaned back against the wall, placing his hands on my hips and then he smiled slowly and tugged me towards him and dipped his head and kissed me. It was soft and sweet and almost chaste. He pulled away and smiled and then his hands slid up my back into my hair and he pulled me up against him and we kissed again. It was … wonderful."

Ginny was grinning from ear to ear. "I can't believe that the girl who dislikes Quidditch is sneaking around the school and stealing kisses from an international Quidditch star. Life is so unfair!"

Hermione chuckled. "When he looks at me, Ginny, those intense dark eyes, it's like he sees into my soul or something and I get these little shivers over my body. When he kissed me, I thought, finally, you know? And I know that he's three years older than me, but I like him. I'm looking forward to going to the dance with him."

"Is he nervous about the task?"

"I think so. We don't talk about the tournament or Quidditch. I think it's just kind of a unsaid rule that those two topics are off limits. We just talk about each other and he listens and I've been helping him with his English a little. He says that he likes Hogwarts better than Durmstrang and I've rather gotten the impression that he doesn't like Karkaroff that much. Nothing he's said, just an impression, you know?"

Ginny nodded. "I'm excited that were both going to the ball. Mum wrote back about sending me a dress for the ball and she promised not to tell any of the boys that Michael asked me out. I don't actually know if they'd do anything, but I'm not risking it. I'm kind of glad that I'm going with Neville."

Hermione smiled. "Smart move. And yes, I would have said yes to Neville, but Viktor had already asked me."

"Viktor," she said with a grin, her eyes twinkling. "Are you going to tell Harry and Ron that you're going with him?"

Hermione hesitated. "I want to, but … he's a famous Quidditch star and I'm worried they're going to be get all, you know …"

Ginny nodded. "Quidditch star crazy? Maybe it is a good decision to wait. But you'll introduce me at the Ball, right? I promise not to embarrass you."

"You would never embarrass me," Hermione told her sincerely. "And yes I will."

Ginny just beamed at her.

 **Since Wednesday mornings were his free time,** Harry continued to spend them outside on the Quidditch pitch. Now that he knew he had plan in mind for the First Task, he found himself training harder than ever.

Taking Tonks' advice about finding an outlet for his energy, he had started waking up an hour earlier to jog around the Quidditch pitch. He did five laps around the pitch before he stretched; resting his broomstick across the back of his shoulders and started running up and down the stands. He made it up and down twice before he stretched slowly and chugged water before heading to the showers.

He spent his free period practicing flying between the goalposts, through the posts and practicing his weaving, diving and rolling. He trained hard and it was where Ginny found him broom surfing the following Monday night after dinner. He jumped back down on his broom and landed in front of her, grinning.

"That was pretty brilliant, Harry," she told him sincerely.

"Thanks," he said, running his fingers through his hair. "It helps burn off some energy, you know?"

"Nervous energy?"

He shrugged. "It's on Thursday."

She smiled at him. "Yes, it is and I think that you're going to do brilliantly."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. You didn't bet against me then?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I didn't bet at all. Fred and George bet on you though. Theo has done quite well for himself with this betting pool he's started."

Harry nodded. "Thanks." He sighed. "I haven't intentionally been avoiding you all, I just need to concentrate, you know?"

"I know," she said with a smile. "Just wanted to check in."

"Gin?"

"Hmm?" She asked, turning to smile at him.

Harry stared at her a moment. She seemed to be glowing with happiness. "You look different."

"Different how?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure, just different."

Ginny smiled. "Well, I hope good different."

"I didn't mean - yes, of course you look good, there's just something … you look really … happy."

"I am happy," she said. "If you feel up to going for a run later, let me know. I like running and jumping in the trees."

He nodded. "Thanks, Gin. I think I'm just going to fly some more."

"Alright. I'm going to go bug Colin. See you later."

Harry watched her go, his eyes on her round bum before he caught himself. She did look different, good different, he thought. She had done something to her eyes. Nothing particularly crazy, but something that made them pop and she had been wearing shiny lipgloss and she smelt of flowers and spring.

He shook the thoughts from his head. The tournament was messing with his mind, he thought. It was Ginny and that was that, he thought, grabbing his broom. He soared back up into the sky and focused on flying.

That was something he at least understood.

 **When Thursday came around,** Harry woke up feeling nervous but determined. He laid his _Firebolt_ on his bed in his dormitory and opened the window once his roommates had all left for class. Afternoon classes had been cancelled for the First Task, but Harry was relieved of his classes for the entire day. He wasn't really sure what to do and found himself walking by the Black Lake, lost in thought. He met his friends in the Great Hall for lunch before McGonagall came to claim him along with the other champions and he moved towards the forest, thinking of the nerves fluttering there.

His eyes widened when he saw the massive arena that had been erected near the Forbidden Forest. They had kept it well hidden under magical concealing charms until the tournament organizers had been ready to share it and Harry could see why. The arena was twice the size of the Quidditch pitch with tall walls blocking anyone from seeing inside of it. McGonagall led he and Cedric around the left side to where a large tent stood.

Harry was relieved when he saw Sirius, Zee, Remus and Tonks waiting in front of the tent for him.

"Hi!"

Zee tugged him into her arms and Sirius hugged him from the other side. "Are you ready?"

Harry shrugged, feeling immensely better now that he was squashed between Zee and Sirius. "Not even remotely."

Sirius kissed his forehead. "We'll be cheering you on, Harry. You can do this!"

He nodded. "I know. Thanks."

Zee kissed his cheek. "Good luck, love."

Harry was then squished between Remus and Tonks, both hugging him tight and wishing him luck and Tonks whispering to him to fly his heart out, before he watched them go back around to the entrance of the arena to find their seats. He let out a slow breath, his eyes meeting the angry stare of Amos Diggory from his right. He watched Cedric pat his father's back and turn him away from Harry and Harry stepped into the tent. He was immediately accosted by Ludo Bagman.

"Harry!" He exclaimed, slapping his back in cheerful bravado. "Excited, my boy?"

"Er, sure."

Bagman nodded solemnly. "Listen, Harry, I get it. You didn't ask for this. You're involved in this tournament against your wishes and the other champions are much older and more experienced than you. Between you and me, that means you should get a little extra help. Anything I can do to make you feel better!"

"Um, thanks, Mr Bagman, but I'm fine."

Bagman looked like he wanted to protest, but Fleur walked in followed by Mr Crouch and he nodded. "Excellent."

Harry moved over to where his name was written over a dressing room wall divider and he found a red and gold long-sleeved jersey with black pants all in fire-proof material, the name Potter etched in bold black letters across the back and the Hogwarts crest across his chest. He changed into his clothing, putting his Quidditch boots back on and emerging a few moments later as Krum and Cedric came in. Five minutes later, they were all wearing their respective school clothing, Harry and Cedric differed by house colours, and Bagman had urged them to gather around him.

"Champions, gather round, gather round," he said with excitement. "As you know, today's task is set to test your daring, your bravery and most of all, your instincts. In this bag," he shook the velvet pouch in his hand, "is a figure of what you will be facing out there. Each one has a number on it which details in which order you will be performing your tasks. Ladies first, Miss Delacour," he said, holding the bag out to Fleur.

Fleur took a slow breath and reached her hand into the bag and pulled out a figurine of a Common Welsh Green with a number two around its neck. She nodded in response and didn't exhibit any surprise at the sight of the dragon. Cedric reached next, the Swedish Short-Snout and a number one. Krum got the Chinese Fireball and number three and Harry gulped.

He knew what was left.

He stared at the figure of the Hungarian Horntail with the number four and he suddenly realized that he had the same figure at home on his dresser. He had been fascinated by the Horntail that he had seen in Sicily on the reserve. They were ferocious beasts and he remembered how the dragon tamer had told him that they could shoot fire up to fifty feet. But now, looking down at the dragon figure, the Horntail didn't seem as exciting as it once did, but a hell of lot more terrifying.

Mr Crouch stared at the four of them. "You will be confined to the tent until your name is called. Myself, Mr Bagman, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime will be judging your performances. Each dragon is guarding a Golden Egg. It is your task to get this egg away from the dragon safely. The best of luck to you."

Harry swallowed slowly, taking a seat on the chair in front of his dressing area, watching the dragon figure lay down in his hand and go to sleep. If only the dragon out there would do the same thing, he thought.

He heard Bagman announce the tournament, but he wasn't listening, instead he watched the other champions. Cedric kept running his fingers through his hair, glancing up at the ceiling, his eyes focused, but fearful. Krum was pacing back and forth in front of his dressing room, his arms crossed behind his back and his eyes on his feet as he walked. Fleur looked a little sick to her stomach, but she sat on the edge of a chair, twisting her hands in her lap and she seemed to be talking to herself.

Harry reached under his robes for the dog tag necklace that he had worn since his sixth birthday and fiddled with it, holding the warm metal between his thumb and forefinger as if hoping it would give him some sort of comfort.

"Harry!" A voice hissed and he turned to see a flash of flame-coloured hair near the entrance to the tent. He hurried over and lifted the flap just as Ginny threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

The feel of her pressed against him made his body react and he quickly moved away from her, the back of his neck flushing. This was Ginny; he told himself.

"Gin, what are you doing here?"

She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Lots of love and luck."

He smiled brightly at her. "If I don't get eaten first."

Someone cuffed him across the back and he yelped, turning to glower at Hermione. "That hurt!"

"You're not going to die," she told him, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Lots of love and luck. We'll be cheering you on."

He nodded and hugged her tightly, pleased that it felt normal. Hugging Hermione didn't make him feel strange things, he thought. He hugged her tighter, holding on an extra moment and thankful for her. "Thanks."

"We love you," Hermione told him, kissing his cheek again. "And you can do this. Good luck!"

Hermione snuck a look over at Viktor and smiled at him. His intense gaze stared back at her, a soft smile tugging at his lips before she turned back to Ginny, taking her arm in hers as they waved goodbye and hurried off.

Harry watched them feeling a bit lighter.

He sat back down in front of his dressing area, his eyes on the sleeping form of the Horntail figure just as he heard Bagman announce the first champion, Cedric.

"Good luck," he said, causing Cedric to turn and smile at him.

"You too," he said before he took a deep breath and stepped out of the tent towards the arena.

He could hear Bagman commentating, every minute felt like an hour. It seemed that whatever Cedric had decided to do was working and then he heard the crowd gasp and shout; someone screamed and then there was loud applause. The whole thing had taken less than fifteen minutes, he noted in surprise.

He looked up at the clock and his feet tapped nervously to an unknown beat. His eyes met Fleur's as she began to pace quietly and then Bagman called her name.

"Bonne chance," Harry said, making her turn to look at him in surprise.

"Merci," she said, closing her eyes for a moment. "Here we go."

Harry and Krum both watched her go and the crowd cheered as she entered the arena. Bagman's running commentary told them nothing of what she was doing, but again the sounds of the crowd made Harry nervous and he twisted his neck from side to side in an attempt to calm himself. He glanced over at Krum who was still pacing, his eyes on his feet. He looked rather calm, but nervous at the same time.

Harry placed a hand over his uneasy stomach, closing his eyes. It was just a Quidditch match, he thought; pretend it's Slytherin. That made him grin, but didn't help his nerves. When Krum's name was called, Harry again wished him luck.

Krum nodded. "You as vell."

And then he was gone and Harry was alone in the tent.

The sounds only seemed more brutal as the crowd 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at appropriate intervals. When Bagman shouted that something was a bad move, Harry stood up and began to pace the width of the tent. When that didn't do enough to calm his nerves, he fell to the ground and began to do push-ups. He did twenty before he started to pace again.

Just another game, he murmured, just another game.

And then the crowd was cheering again and Bagman's voice called out his name.

"And now for our fourth and final champion, facing the most dangerous of dragons, the Hungarian Horntail, is … Harry Potter!"

Harry let out a slow breath and thought, here goes nothing.

And then he stepped out of the tent and into the roaring crowd of the arena.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(Bulgarian) Blagodarya ti = thank you._

 _(Bulgarian) Dobŭr den = good day_

 _(Bulgarian) da = yes_

 _(Bulgarian) nye = no_

 _(French) Bonne chance = good luck_

 _(French) Merci = thank you_


	165. Chapter 165

_Author's Note:_

 _I have a busy week ahead and will not be able to post a chapter until the weekend so you are getting 165 early. Hope you all enjoy my little changes._

 _To respond to some reviews: Harry's reaction to Ginny having a boyfriend all I can say is … chapter 167. Thanks for noticing the dog tag reference, I felt it was fitting. I'm glad I have made Corner impossible to hate, I want you to like him. I always thought Hermione and Viktor had more going on than was told in the books. Also, I know that I made Viktor have a heavy accent, but I like to think that the more he talks to Hermione, the more it becomes less heavy as he learns to speak better English. Hermione sees how Harry looks at Zee and she knows that he's come to love her like a mum so it makes sense that she would reference her as such. The Yule Ball has not been formerly announced but I like to think that it's one of those things that people kind of know about it as it's rumoured to be happening as Neville mentioned in chapter 161 and spoke about how he is nervous that no one will want to go with him. I do think that Harry was raised right and he would want to be a good sport no matter what happens._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

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 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE:**

 **Tonks was holding Remus' hand tightly in hers as they watched each champion face off against a dragon in an attempt to steal the Golden Egg from the nest.** They were holding their own and each was doing a splendid job of distracting the dragon. But when Krum came out and was paired with the Chinese Fireball, she couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips.

"What?" Remus asked her, squeezing her hand. "What is it, Nymphadora?"

"Harry's been paired with Ilka."

Sirius turned at her words, raising an eyebrow. "Who the hell is Ilka?"

Zee's hands were wrapped around Sirius' hands as she stared at Tonks. "The dragon? Do you know what kind it is?"

Tonks nodded, her eyes wide. "Charlie told me that they had these three in mind, but when they got the call for a fourth dragon last minute, they only had one nesting mother left. Charlie was telling me how she would have been their last choice to let be in this tournament, but they didn't have any other dragons available."

Remus' breathing had quickened along with his heartbeat in the necklace between her breasts and Tonks kissed his fingers in reassurance. "What kind of dragon is Harry going to be facing, Dora?"

They watched as Krum hit the Fireball with a Conjunctivitis Curse, temporarily blinding her and she roared in anger.

"A Hungarian Horntail," Tonks said quietly.

All of the blood drained out of Sirius' face and Zee wrapped her arm around his waist, moving closer to him for his comfort as much as hers.

Remus was simply staring, eyes wide. "A Hun … but they … but that …" his fingers curled possessively around hers and she slipped her arm around his waist as well.

"It's okay, he has a plan, remember?"

Sirius swallowed slowly, wincing as he watched the dragon below stumble around blindly almost crushing its own eggs in the process as the dragon tamers ran out to save the eggs. "He has a plan, she says. He's about to face a fucking Hungarian Horntail!"

Zee kissed his cheek. "Our boy has a plan and he's got this. We trust him, right?"

Sirius snorted. "Like we have a bloody choice!"

Remus let out a slow breath as the judges gave Krum his score, the highest so far of the champions. The crowd cheered as the dragon tamers saved all of the dragon eggs and helped bring the mother and her eggs away from the crowd as Krum headed out of the arena, his head held high. Remus held Tonks tightly as Bagman spoke.

"And now for our fourth and final champion, facing the most dangerous of dragons, the Hungarian Horntail, is … Harry Potter!"

The crowd cheered and they watched as Harry, dressed in his red and gold uniform stepped into the arena, his wand in his thigh holster, looking slightly green.

"Oh Merlin," Remus murmured.

Sirius reached out and touched his friend's arm. "He can do this, Moony. It's just a dragon, right? He's already conquered a Basilisk and a Mountain Troll."

Zee chuckled nervously. "Well, now he can add a dragon to that list."

And the four of them looked down at their boy, eyes wide as they waited with bated breath to see what Harry had planned.

 **Harry glanced around briefly at the looming crowd,** the sound of the door behind him being sealed shut rather ominous. The feeling of being locked in with the creature wasn't exactly reassuring. The sunlight was high and he couldn't distinguish faces among the crowd which made him feel slightly better. He'd rather not personally know who was watching even if he suspected.

His eyes moved across the arena. It was built to look like a mountain top; full of rocks and tall green grass. The dragon was waiting for him at the opposite end of the arena. He could see her gleaming black scales shining in the afternoon sunlight. Her dark wings nestled around her, bronzed spikes on her tail in a deadly fashion.

He took in his surroundings carefully before he tugged his wand out of his thigh holster and shouted, "Accio _Firebolt_!"

The sound of his voice had alerted the dragon and he threw himself to the ground, rolling just in time as a jet of fire shot out across the arena, narrowly missing him. The heat of it making his skin flush. He dove behind a rock as the Horntail roared and he snuck a look up at the sky in search of his broom, but saw nothing. Gryffindor Tower wasn't exactly next door he reminded himself reassuringly. It would come.

"Looks like Potter has decided that hiding is the key! He's not going to find the egg like that folks!" Bagman said loudly and making Harry scowl.

"I'm finding my bearings, you git," he muttered under his breath.

The Horntail had moved a few feet away from the nest now, eyes searching for him. She knew that there was a threat nearby and she wasn't going to let him out of her sight. His shadow alerted her and Harry had to duck and roll again to avoid being burnt to a crisp and he heard the crowd gasp.

And then he heard it and a grin shot across his face.

He rolled a third time as the flames came barrelling towards him and he jumped, landing smoothly on his _Firebolt_ as if he had been born to it and took off as the crowd cheered.

"Merlin's beard! Potter can fly!" Bagman shouted.

And then he heard nothing. It was just him and his broom; it was just another game. He was flying and he was free.

He flew high into the sky, circling the arena for a moment before he dove back down into the pit towards the dragon.

He swerved left and then right, doing a sloth-grip roll when the dragon aimed it's massive teeth in his direction and the sound of her teeth clasping together made his bones tremble from the thunderous sound and then he dived towards the nest.

But the Horntail was faster and her tail shot out, tall spikes aiming for his head. He jumped, surprising himself as his broom shot out from under him. He dove towards it, catching it with his left hand and swinging his leg back onto it so seamlessly that it felt like the action had been planned. He could hear the crowd cheering in the distance, but he tuned it out.

He needed to find a way to get down to that egg, he thought.

The Horntail kept her eyes on him now and every time Harry attempted to distract her, her yellow eyes watched him suspiciously. When he went left, her tail followed, the spikes staying a little too close for comfort and when he went right, her jaws opened and flames shot out. He pulled his broom up and flew high up into the sky, trying to think of a way to get around her. Her chain was holding her in place, but if he could just get her to lift from her nest just a little, he could sneak in and around.

But the Horntail wasn't stupid.

She had six dragon eggs nestled below her and she had no intention of letting the wizard near her young. Every time Harry swerved, she followed him. When he shifted, her head moved with him and when he got too close, her flames set him on another path. He dove below her fire, pulling an incredible dive up from the ground at the last minute and slipping into seamless loop-the-loop as he flew around the dragon.

He changed directions and began to fly faster, circling the dragon around and around in an attempt to make her dizzy. At first, he thought that it was working, but then her tail smashed into the side of him and he winced as a bronzed spike sliced through his arm. The pain of it took his breath away and he clenched his teeth as blood dripped down his arm.

The dragon was pissed off now, he thought as she roared at him, her wings fluttering around her.

Harry's arm felt like it had been ripped apart by a Basilisk fang and he grinned to himself. _You survived that, Potter,_ he thought, _you can do this_.

He closed his eyes for a moment as the wind ripped through his hair and then he dove back down towards her head and her yellow eyes followed him, narrowed in annoyance as if he was a particularly annoying fly that she longed to swat. She roared flames again and Harry felt the heat, wincing at how close it was. He needed more of a distraction, he thought as he remembered Zee's advice, distraction was the key.

And then it came to him.

He pulled his wand from his holster, eyes on the dragon as he thought of his happiest memory and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!"

Three blindingly blue-white animals emerged from his wand. The stag came first, running straight down from the air, barreling at the dragon head on and fearlessly. The dog came second, circling her spiked tail and making her boom in anger and when the wolf ran at her as Harry soared around her head, she clamoured in frustration; her long tail swinging at the wolf and making it disintegrate into nothing. She lifted her head, her wings flapping behind her and stood up from the nest in an attempt to reach the stag that was floating near Harry ten inches above her head. The stag kept charging at her, through her and around her and she was truly pissed off now.

"Come on," he murmured. "Come on."

The stag continued to circle her head as the dog danced into the air to work with the stag as if it knew the stag needed assistance. The dog and stag met halfway and then both charged head on at the dragon as the wolf reappeared at the dragon's feet and soared up to help its brothers.

The Horntail roared in anger, her yellow eyes narrowing as the stag, dog and wolf ran through her and emerged on the other side unscathed.

"Come on," he said again, still circling her slowly, his eyes darting down to the nest where the Golden Egg was waiting.

And then she was off the ground and her massive jaws clamped around the stag successfully.

Her outcry when she realized that it was made of magic and not of flesh and bone resulted in an explosion of fire high into the sky and straight at Harry, but Harry was already diving, his broom flying to the ground towards the Golden Egg.

He scooped up the heavy prize, a grin on his face and the spiked tail slammed into his back. He bit his tongue to stop himself from crying out at the pain of it. He felt the spikes stab deep into his flesh, fiery hot and burning as if they too were made of the flames that she shot from her mouth and then he heard the suction sound as they left his back and he felt like the breath had been knocked right out of him. He only just managed to keep his fingers on the egg as he grabbed hold of the broom with his other hand and shot away from the dragon as she exploded fire and thunderous rage, feet stomping in fury as she lay herself back down over her nest to protect her young.

He landed gracefully on the grass in front of the judges, the Golden Egg tucked under his arm and his broomstick in his hand. The dragon tamers erected a magical barrier between Harry and the Horntail and he saw Charlie grin at him as they turned to calm the Horntail and usher her out of the arena into her cage for safe keeping.

He could feel the blood dripping down his back, but he kept his eyes firmly on the judges, determined to stand tall. His arm was on fire and now his back felt like he'd been stabbed and boiled alive simultaneously. His heart was pounding a jig in his chest as he tried not to pass out and suddenly the sound of the arena seemed to swoop in around him in an uproar of noise as the crowd wailed and hollered in delight.

"Harry Potter has successfully managed to capture his Golden Egg!" Bagman shouted.

Harry's bloody fingers were slipping on his broom handle and he clenched his teeth from the pain, his hands trembling, but he kept his eyes on the judges, not making a verbal sound while inside his body was screaming.

Bagman was beaming at him. "What a fantastic show from Mr Potter! Who knew he could fly like that, folks? I hope Mr Krum took stock of that! Now, let's see what our judges are saying! As we know, the score is a maximum of fifty points!"

Dumbledore waved his wand into the air and a fiery number nine appeared; Maxime an eight; Karkaroff a six; Crouch a seven; and lastly Bagman gave him a 10, surprising him. He was injured, he knew that he didn't deserve a ten and wondered briefly on it as he heard Bagman shout out again.

"Potter and Krum are tied with 40 points, putting them both in first place! Good show, Mr Potter, good show!"

Harry nodded his acknowledgement and managed a weak smile before he promptly passed out before his head hit the ground.

 **Sirius and Zee stood up at the same time when the Horntail's flames erupted at Harry.** He heard Remus gasp from next to him as Harry ducked and rolled and Tonks cheered.

"He has that Quidditch training, baby, look at him go!"

Remus wrapped his arms around his mate, resting his chin on the top of her head as they stood up to get a closer look. "Did he just call for his _Firebolt?_ "

"Bless your super hearing, Moony!" Sirius exclaimed, eyes wide as he watched his son duck behind another rock. "That's brilliant, Prongslet! You can fly, that's brilliant!"

Zee's arms tightened around his waist and she gasped when Harry's broom appeared and he jumped onto it, soaring off into the sky and the crowd 'oohed' in awe. "He's incredible in the air," she breathed as they watched him take off.

None of them moved; none of them dared to breath as they watched him soar through the air as if he was born to it, weaving in and around the dragon effortlessly.

When the tail sliced into his arm, Sirius swore as Remus clutched his friend.

"He's flown with a broken arm before," Tonks assured them. "He's got this!"

Remus bit his bottom lip, his heart racing and when Harry's Patronus came barreling from his wand, his grin split his face. "That's my boy!"

Zee's eyes had widened. "A Patronus!"

The crowd seemed to agree, gasping in surprise. The strength and power of it seemed to illuminate the arena, and when the stag charged first, the power of it hitting the dragon was strong enough to cause a thunderous rumble throughout the stadium as if the earth was shaking below their feet.

Sirius was trembling as he watched. "His Patronus was strong enough to take out twelve Dementors; it's more than strong enough to distract a bloody dragon."

"If only a Patronus had the capability of destroying things other than Dementors and Lethifolds," Remus said, his eyes on his son. "But fuck if it isn't strong enough to piss off that Horntail."

When the wolf reappeared to join the fray, the crowd cheered and then Harry was diving towards the Golden Egg.

"Yes, yes! Oh, good show, Harry!" Zee exclaimed, clapping as she jumped up and down in excitement before she gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "No!"

Sirius moved to the edge of the aisle they were in, looking down at his son's bleeding and mangled back in horror as all of the blood drained from his face, but Harry was already escaping the Horntail and landing seamlessly in front of the judges. Zee grabbed his hand and tugged him along as Remus and Tonks followed. They made it down from the stands just as Harry fainted and Zee ran faster with Sirius, Remus and Tonks on her heels.

The whole task had taken less than fifteen minutes but Sirius felt like a year had passed.

Harry was being levitated into the tent when they arrived and Madam Pomfrey was scowling.

"Dragons! I tell you, what crazy creatures are they going to allow into this school next! First Dementors and now this!" She ranted, vanishing Harry's torn and bloody shirt to the end of the bed as she rolled him onto his stomach.

Zee placed a hand on his forehead and he whimpered in pain, but didn't fully regain consciousness.

Madam Pomfrey smiled reassuringly as Sirius, Remus, Zee and Tonks surrounded his bed. "He'll be fine. Don't you worry. It's nothing that I can't take care of."

Sirius wrapped his arms around Zee, bending his head to kiss the side of her neck, wincing as Madam Pomfrey washed the deep cuts on his back. The dragon's tail had torn through muscle and Sirius felt faint at the sight of his son's bones.

"It cut him to the bone," Zee murmured in horror. "Our poor baby! I don't know how he even stayed on that broom!"

"Determination and sheer Potter stubbornness and tenacity," Remus supplied, wincing as the matron carefully waved her wand over Harry's back.

"Vulnera Sanentur," she said clearly and the wounds and gashes seemed to fuse together as muscle and bone mended beneath her hands, blood returning to his back in thick rivulets.

Sirius let out a breath of relief when his back was healed closed with nothing, but long red gashes left as witness to the event. Madam Pomfrey covered his back with a cooling salve and Harry groaned, his eyes fluttering open as the matron turned to work on his arm which was superficial in comparison to his back.

"Ow," he murmured softly.

Zee fell to her knees next to him, her eyes wide as she moved her face close to his. "Sweetie, are you alright?" She asked, kissing his cheek.

Sirius ran his fingers through Harry's hair. "Hey, talk about some incredible flying out there, Harry."

He grinned and blushed when Zee kissed his cheeks again. "Thanks. I'm sore, but I think I'm alright." He turned his head to look at Madam Pomfrey. "Am I going to live?"

She snorted. "Flying with dragons! Honestly, I have enough to do around here without consorting to dealing with dragons! You'll be fine, Mr Potter. A little sore for the next week as your muscles are healing and regenerating, but you'll be just fine. Drink," she instructed passing him a cup full of a blood red liquid.

Harry grimaced but did as she told him. The potion tasted like copper and brussel sprouts and he swallowed, willing his stomach to keep it down. At the matron's stern look, he finished the cup in one more swallow, choking.

Remus smiled and bent his head to kiss Harry's forehead as his son handed the empty cup back to the matron. "You were amazing. That Patronus … Harry, that was bloody brilliant! It was a perfect distraction and it was so strong and powerful. I've never been prouder."

Harry beamed at him as Madam Pomfrey bandaged his arm and his back before she let him sit up again. "I just knew that I needed another distraction because she wasn't buying just me up on that broom."

Zee sat on the bed next to him once he was settled and tugged him close into her arms, cradling his head against her as she kissed his cheek again, running her fingers through his hair and away from his face. "It was amazing! You were so good out there! And you're tied in first place with Viktor Krum! Baby, we're so proud of you!"

Harry grinned at her and let her hug him close. "Thanks." He watched her wipe tears away hastily and his eyes widened. "Are you crying?"

She smiled at him. "I'm sorry, I just … when that tail hit you … Merlin, I was so worried, Harry!"

Sirius wrapped his arm around her and tugged her back against him, kissing her cheek. "He's made of strong stuff," he said with a grin, reaching over to hug Harry tightly, careful not to touch his bandages. "Besides, birds love battle scars," he added, winking rather obviously and making him laugh. "I'm so damn proud of you, Harry."

Harry hugged him back before turning to hug Remus and then Tonks. Zee was brushing his hair out of his eyes, a soft smile on her face when Bagman came over to him.

"Well done, Harry!" He said, a huge grin on his face. "You surprised all of us out there! Who knew that you could fly like that? I bet Krum is wondering why he didn't think of doing it himself!"

Harry nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"I don't want to intrude on your family time, but I need all four champions together for a few moments to talk about the Second Task. Are you able-bodied?"

Harry nodded and climbed to his feet, reaching for his bloody and mangled shirt. Zee took it from him and did a quick mending and cleaning charm before she helped him pull it over his head so that he didn't stretch his arm and back more than necessary, kissing his cheek again when his head came out the top. He thanked her before he left his family by the bed and moved to the other end of the tent where Cedric, Krum and Fleur were waiting with Bagman and Crouch.

Cedric's left arm was bandaged up to his shoulder and the entire left side of his face. Fleur had a large bandage over her leg and Krum was covered in scratches and cuts, but most looked rather superficial. They all nodded at Harry as he approached.

Crouch merely pursed his lips. "Well, the First Task was fairly successful. Good job everyone. The Second Task will not be taking place until the twenty-fourth of February which gives you all plenty of time to rest up. Now, where the First Task tested your daring, the second is looking to test your logic and your intelligence. Your clue can be found inside of the Golden Egg. Once you decipher the clue, you will understand what the second challenge will be. Good luck."

Bagman beamed at them. "And jolly good show, all of you!"

Crouch nodded, bade them farewell and left the tent. Bagman wished them luck with their eggs and hurried off as well.

Cedric grinned at them. "Can the four of us just take a minute to relish in the moment? We each just went up against a dragon and didn't die."

A slow smile spread across Fleur's face. "Once za terror passed, I zuppose it was very exciting, n'est pas?"

Krum snorted, his hands in his pockets. "Exciting, more crazy, da? Vho vants vu vight a dragon? Not me."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know what to do or how to fight a dragon."

"Flying was a good choice, Potter," Cedric said with a grin. "You've always been a great flier. Wish I would have thought of it. I transfigured a rock into a dog in hopes of distracting the Short-Snout and it worked well, but halfway through the dragon decided that I was better prey than the dog and I got this," he said gesturing to his bandaged face and left shoulder and arm. "Hurts like a bitch too!"

Fleur smiled. "You zill did very well. I enchanted za dragon in hopes of making her sleep and it worked very well, but she znored and zet my zkirt on fire."

Krum shoved his hands into his pockets. "I used the Conjunctivitis Curse vich blinded my dragon so vat I could move in vu reach va egg, but I lost points because va dragon almost smashed some of va veal eggs. The dragon vamers vere able vu safe vem so vat vas good. I didn't mean vu any of vem vu get hurt. That spell you did, vith va animals, it vas incredible. Vhat vas it?"

"My Patronus," Harry said with a smile. "I learned it last year."

"That's NEWT level work, Potter," Cedric said in surprise. "I can't even make one. I tried."

Harry smiled. "I asked Professor Lupin to teach me last year. You remember how badly the Dementors affected me, Cedric? Just them coming onto the Quidditch pitch made me fall off my broom. I needed something to protect myself and well, now that I know how to perform the charm, it can be used for all sorts of things. Apparently distracting the Horntail is one of them."

Fleur nodded. "Well, zis was fun. I 'ope you all 'ave luck with zis egg. I must go find my family again. Zey are worried about my burn. Au revoir, mes amies."

Krum wished them luck as well before he too left the tent. Harry watched Cedric move back to the medical side to where his own father and mother were waiting for him before he moved back to the other end of the large tent to see his own family.

Sirius draped an arm around his shoulder when he came around the corner. "Champion meeting all done?"

Harry shrugged and leaned into his father gratefully. His whole body felt exactly like he had been smacked around by an angry dragon. "We were just discussing our tactics. Bagman said that the next task isn't until the twenty-fourth of February and that my clue is inside of this Golden Egg."

Zee had picked up the egg from the bed and was curiously examining it. She noticed the latch on the side and smiled. "I wonder what's inside?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't want to think about it yet. I think I just want to sleep for a week."

Sirius pressed his lips to his son's forehead. "We are so proud of you. You did brilliantly out there and if you want to sleep for a week no one can blame you."

"Well, I for one want him in my class tomorrow," Remus said with a smile. "You were brilliant. I can't tell you how proud I am of you."

Harry smiled as he closed his eyes, leaning into Sirius more as Madam Pomfrey came back around, her eyes narrowed.

"Back into the bed, Mr Potter!"

Harry dutifully did as she asked, feeling too exhausted and sore to continue standing. He tugged off his shirt again so that she could once more examine his back and apply more salve. She warned him that there may be some scarring, but she was confident that it would heal up well. She forced a second blood replenishing potion on him before she gave him a potion for pain followed by an anti-inflammatory potion for his back and arm. The little bit of Skele-Gro she made him drink next for the two small broken bones in his arm made him wince in disgust and the face he made at her when she offered it only earned a scowl so he drank it back quickly. Once he was set to her satisfaction, Madam Pomfrey told him that he was free to go, but that he had to return the next morning for her to apply more salve to his back.

"And if you're not here before your first class, Mr Potter, I will make you stay overnight in the hospital wing for the entire weekend," Madam Pomfrey said sternly.

"I'll be here, Madam Pomfrey, I promise," he told her as Zee leaned in to kiss him again and making him blush in embarrassment even though he secretly loved the way she was coddling him.

Harry hugged Sirius, Zee, Remus and Tonks goodbye when the matron cleared him and made his way back to Gryffindor Tower, his stomach grumbling, reminding him that he had been too nervous to eat any lunch.

McGonagall met him on the stairs, her eyes beaming. "Harry, you were magnificent out there! Truly spectacular! That was quite the show, using your talents like that. I'm so proud of you."

He smiled and hugged her. "Thanks Auntie Minnie."

In a rare moment of affection, she kissed his cheek before she pushed him off. "Gryffindor is waiting to celebrate with their champion. You are tied in first place with Mr Krum. The house elves are preparing a feast in your honour which will be delivered to the Gryffindor common room within half an hour. Go, celebrate!"

He beamed at her. "Thanks."

"Harry," she said when he made to head down the hall to the portrait of the Fat Lady. "You made not only me and Gryffindor House proud today, but all of Hogwarts. Take pride in that."

He grinned at her and with the Golden Egg tucked in his arm, made his way towards the Fat Lady. When the portrait hole opened, he was met with a roar of noise. He stepped inside, the Golden Egg clutched in his arm and the common room cheered.

Fred and George had started singing and soon most of the common room had joined in. "For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow and so say all of us!"

Harry smiled as people congratulated him, wincing when someone slapped him on the back. "Oy, some of us were hit with a spiked dragon tail, mates!"

Apologies were ushered as they moved Harry to the centre of the room, all eager for him to share his story of fighting the dragon. The food arrived and Harry ate happily, answering questions and feeling relieved when he was finally surrounded by his friends. He grinned when he saw Luna slide into the large arm chair that he was in.

"Hi Luna, you snuck into the party, eh?"

She smiled at him and gave him a hug. "I had to come celebrate with you. Besides, Will tagged along with me."

Harry looked up to find Will and smirked when he saw that he was pressed against the wall in the corner as Seamus snogged him intensely. "I think Will came for another reason entirely."

Luna smiled. "Love?"

"Maybe," he said with a grin. He smiled at Ginny when she slid into the chair on the other side of him, essentially crushing him between the two girls. "You ladies do realize this is an armchair, right? As in it's made for one?"

Ginny grinned and kissed his cheek, ignoring him. "You were incredible out there, Harry! Your flying alone was amazing! And when you used your Patronus like that … are you really alright? Your back looked really bad?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Pomfrey said that I might scar a bit, but it's healing alright. I have to go back in the morning for a check-up, but she gave me stuff for the pain and actually let me leave the hospital wing so I'm taking it as good news."

Ginny looked at him rather skeptically, but seemed to accept his words. "Cedric was hurt the most after you, but you definitely got the brunt of the injuries. Charlie said that the Horntail is a demon and that you were really lucky."

"She was just protecting her eggs, I get it," he said, tugging the tiny Horntail figure out from his pocket.

Ginny's eyes widened. "Is that … where did you get that?"

Harry smiled at her. "We picked them out of a pouch. It's how the dragons were chosen for us, luck of the draw."

The Horntail was sleeping now, letting out tiny smoky snores and Ginny eagerly slipped the dragon into her hands, stroking the dragon's back and the figure seemed to purr in response.

"She really is very beautiful. It's times like this when I can see why Charlie loves dragons so much."

"You can keep that, if you want," Harry said, smiling at her. "I think that I've had enough of Horntails to last me a lifetime."

Ginny grinned as the dragon nuzzled into her hand. "Thanks, Harry."

Ron came around from the back of Harry's chair eating a large chocolate cupcake with candied raspberries on the top. "Mate, how brilliant is it that you are tied with Krum?"

Harry grinned. "Pretty great. He told me that he blinded the dragon?"

Ron nodded, scarfing down the cupcake before he spoke. "His was definitely the coolest after you. But the judges took points off because the dragon went crazy and almost smashed some of her real eggs. They didn't much like that. Charlie and another dragon tamer ran in and rescued the eggs. They were able to mend any damage done to them in time and he seemed pretty hopeful that the eggs would be okay. Karkaroff gave him a ten, but he gave every other contestant a low score, the git."

"Fleur and Cedric are close behind us though."

"Harry, you are in first place, even being tied with Krum. You could actually win his thing."

Harry scoffed at him. "Ron, just because I had a lucky break with the dragon doesn't mean that I can win the tournament. I don't even know what the Second Task is!"

Hermione was examining the Golden Egg by the fire next to Neville. "Have you opened this yet?"

He shook his head. "No. The Second Task isn't until February and frankly, I'm trying not to think about it. There's supposed to be a clue in there."

Neville eyed the Golden Egg suspiciously. "Well, it can't be worse than a dragon, really."

"That's true," Harry said with a smile. "The Second Task is supposed to be about testing my logic and my intelligence."

"Open it, Harry," Dean said from behind him, his hand in Parvati's.

"Yeah, come on, Potter, open it!" Someone called out.

Fred and George came around to sit in front of Hermione and Neville, their eyes on the Golden Egg. "Yeah, let's see what's inside."

Harry grinned and carefully shoved himself out of the armchair as Ginny and Luna made themselves more comfortable and he took the Golden Egg from Hermione. He held it above his head as people cheered and urged him on and then he slipped his fingers into the clasp and popped the egg open.

The piercing screeching sound that filled the room made everyone yelp and cover their ears. Harry dropped the Golden Egg and watched it roll across the carpet, still screeching loudly. Luna picked it up and slammed the lid shut making everyone sigh in relief.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes on the Golden Egg.

Harry shook his head. "Other than making my ears bleed, I have no bloody idea."

George grinned and slapped his hands together. "Well, now that we are all properly made deaf, who wants dessert?"

The room cheered and Harry grinned. He had to admit, being celebrated for something that he was supposed to have done for once had its perks.

 **Zee rubbed her tired eyes as they stepped back into Black Cottage after the First Task and smiled at Sirius when he simply plopped down on the chesterfield and tugged her down over the side into his lap.** She sighed in contentment when he snuggled her down into his arms, her head resting over his heart.

"Can we just stay right here for the rest of the night?"

Sirius kissed the top of her head with a smile. "Sure. I can support that decision."

"Mmm," she said, closing her eyes. "I'm exhausted and I only watched him fight a dragon."

Sirius chuckled, his hands running up and down her back soothingly. "Me too. He was incredible."

Zee smiled against his chest. "He really was. I'm so proud of him."

Sirius grinned and kissed the top of her head again. "Me too."

They sat there in contentment for a while, both just holding onto each other before Sirius spoke.

"The Yule Ball is on the twenty-third of December, but Harry is still coming home on Christmas Eve."

"Mmhmm," she said, still snuggled against him.

"I already spoke to Andy and we're going to go there for Christmas dinner. You're going to come with us this year, right?"

Zee pulled back a bit to look into his eyes. "Spend Christmas with you?"

"Spend all of it with me," he said, gently brushing a curl behind her ear. "Last year you went to Russia and the year before that, only to Scotland, but you were still gone … I want you with us, with me and I know that Harry feels that same."

Zee smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him. "I want that too."

Sirius grinned. "So Andy's then?"

She nodded, kissing him again. "I talked to Mama and Papa yesterday about it actually. We were talking about the First Task and I mentioned that Harry would be staying at school for the ball, but then would be coming home. Christmas is in Scotland this year and Mama already agreed that we're pushing it back. I told her that the twenty-sixth would be perfect. Grandda says that it will give him more time to perfect his turkey."

Sirius smiled at her. "Your family is incredible, Zee, honestly."

She grinned. "It's only going to be Mama's side. Baba and Deda have their own celebrations with Tetya Olga and Tetya Sasha and the grandkids. But it will be a big Christmas dinner! Papa says that he's trying to convince Grandma and Grandpa to come as well."

"Sounds perfect."

"They can stay next door in my cottage," she told him, snuggling back into his arms as he ran his hands up and down her back.

"Harry will be thrilled," Sirius told her. "He was really disappointed last year when you didn't spend Christmas with us. And now that he's met your family, he doesn't want to miss anything."

Zee smiled. "And he won't. They're his family too." She tilted her head up and kissed him deeply. "You two are my world, Sirius Black, and that means you get my overbearing loving family along with me."

Sirius smiled at her. "Having you is more than I ever imagined. Anything else is just a bonus." He kissed her again before he summoned the blanket from the chair and wrapped it cosily around them. "Now, how do you feel about a nap?"

She grinned, stretching out a bit and snuggling closer. "I feel very agreeable to it."

He held her close, letting his eyes drift closed and he thought that he couldn't imagine feeling any happier than he did at this moment. And he couldn't wait to tell Harry about the Christmas plans.

 **As the month of December blew in,** McGonagall pulled Harry aside after class to inform him that the Yule Ball would be taking place on two days after the beginning of the Winter Solstice, the twenty-third of December, and that she needed to know the name of his date as soon as possible.

"My date?" Harry asked her.

McGonagall nodded. "You must have a date, Harry. The Champions are expected to open the ball with a dance and you must have a partner."

Harry sighed and nodded. "Right, I knew that."

She smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "You are a Champion. I'm sure that finding a date won't be problem."

Harry had only nodded. It wasn't that finding a date was a problem, he mused, it was more the fact that he didn't really know who he wanted to take. He still thought about Harley from time to time and the idea of asking Sophie to go with him made him cringe a bit. And asking Cho was even worse, he thought. He wasn't looking for a relationship with anyone right now, though the thought of having a good snog did have its merits.

He looked at the fangirls who followed him around religiously and wondered if any of them would want to go with him. The one girl with blue eyes and dark black hair was really pretty, he noted as she smiled brightly at him, but he shook his head. He didn't want to go with a stranger. He had to dance in front of the whole school and open a ball, he needed someone that he was comfortable with.

He plopped himself down onto his bed that night and groaned in frustration making Seamus raise an eyebrow at him as he tugged his shirt over his head.

"Problem, Harry?"

He groaned and covered his face with his hands. "I have to find a date for the Yule Ball."

"You could go stag," Seamus said with a smile, tossing his uniform shirt on his bed. "Then you can dance with whoever you want."

Neville smiled at them as he finished changing into his own pyjamas and sat on the side of his bed. "That has its perks."

Harry shook his head, peeking out between his fingers. "Nope. McGonagall says that the Champions and their dates have to open the ball with a dance."

"Oh," Seamus said in disgust. "That sounds horrid. I don't even know how to dance."

"My grandmother taught me this summer. I went to a dance in America. It was fun. You're staying for the ball though?"

Seamus nodded, blushing a bit as he spoke. "Yeah. I asked Will to go with me today and he said yes."

"And Dean's going with Parvati, I assume?" He asked, tugging his own undershirt over his head.

"You assume right," Dean said with a grin, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling off his tie.

Ron came up the stairs with Hermione and Ginny, yawning loudly. "You two need to go to your own dorm, shoo. There are half-naked boys in here."

"All the more reason to come up," Ginny said, smirking at her brother when he looked horrified.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "We'll just be a minute, Ron. Harry, I just wanted to ask to borrow that defence book that Professor Lupin gave you? I wanted to look something up for my essay."

Harry nodded, his pyjama shirt still in his hands as he went over to his desk to pass the book to her. His back was still covered in the long red scratches from the Horntail's spikes, but they had faded to a soft pink by now. Madam Pomfrey had told him that she was confident there wouldn't be any scarring after all, but that they wouldn't completely disappear until probably January.

"Hermione, you do know that it's almost eleven and that you should be going to bed and not studying more, right?"

She smiled at him and took the book. "I will, I promise."

Ginny sat on Harry's bed with a smile, moving his pillow to lean against it comfortably. "I just came up to annoy Ron. He says that we shouldn't go home for Christmas."

"I'm just saying that with the Yule Ball being on the twenty-third, it seems rather pointless, doesn't it, Ginny?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah, I agree with Ginny. I want to go home for Christmas. Zee is living there now and it's our first Christmas and her family is going to be there. Besides, term doesn't start up again until the fourth and Dumbledore said that the train will be taking anyone who wants to go home on the twenty-fourth. It's just leaving at nine instead of eleven."

Ron frowned, "I guess. It just seems pointless is all."

"Plus I still need to find a date to the ball," Harry said. "McGonagall told me that the Champions are required to open the ball with a dance."

Neville looked pained at the thought. "I'm so glad that I don't have to open a dance."

Harry grinned at him. "Not helping, Nev."

Ron grinned. "We better get a move on, mate, before all the good ones are taken."

"The good ones are taken," Dean said with a grin. "I'm going with Parvati, Seam has Will. You could ask Roper, I heard that she's hoping Harry's free."

Harry made a face. "I'd rather not take Sophie."

Ginny stood up from the bed. "Well, you two will figure it out. Come on, Hermione, let's leave the boys to their girl discussion."

Hermione grinned, holding the book in her hands. "Good plan."

Ron moved to step in front of them, his eyes wide. "Oy, Hermione, you're a girl!"

Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Did you just notice, Ron? Bully for you."

Ron shook his head and touched her arm. "No, of course I didn't just notice, I just meant, we can make it easy. You can go to the Ball with me and Harry can take Ginny."

Ginny glared at her brother. "You're a prat, Ron Weasley. Do you think that that's how a girl wants to be asked?"

He winced when she elbowed him in the gut. "I didn't … I just meant, we're all friends, why can't we just go together?"

Hermione glared at him. "First of all, Ginny and I already have dates to the ball and secondly, if you'd learn to pull your head out of your arse maybe you could bother to notice that I've been a girl the whole time!"

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the dormitory, leaving Ron staring after her with his mouth hanging open.

"What's up with her? It was just a suggestion. Poor girl probably doesn't even have a real date, she's just embarrassed. I'll ask her again tomorrow."

Ginny glared at him. "No, you will not! She does have a date, you prat!"

"Who?" Ron demanded.

"That's none of your business, Ron Weasley!"

Ron's eyes flashed. "And who are you going with, then?"

"Me," Neville said, coming up to stand next to them. "We're going as friends and we're going to have a great time."

Ginny smiled at Neville and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Yes, we are. Hope you find someone to put up with your neanderthal ways, Ron."

Ron watched her hurry down the stairs and glared at Neville. "What's with you taking my sister to the ball? You didn't ask my permission to do that?"

Harry snorted. "Ask your permission? Really, Ron? Ginny will kill you if she hears you saying any such thing."

Neville smiled at him. "I asked Hermione first, but she told me that she already had a date so I asked Ginny instead. I'm not ready to ask a girl out on a date yet so I wanted to go with a friend."

"That's a nice idea, Neville. I think that you and Gin will have a great time."

"Thanks, Harry."

"But it puts Ron and I back to square one."

Ron scowled. "You're a Champion, Harry. You'll have no problem finding a date to the ball."

Harry nodded. "Trust me, Ron, that's part of the problem."

When he crawled into his four poster and put his glasses on his nightstand, he snuggled into his pillow and the floral scent made him think of Ginny and he sighed. He was glad that she was going with Neville; glad that they were going as friends, but he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't thought to ask her first?

And when he closed his eyes, he tried to think of anything other than the upcoming ball.

 **Ginny followed Hermione into her dormitory watching her friend scowl.**

"Mione, I know that he's a huge git, I'm sorry!"

"To just assume that I would go with him, how rude!"

Lavender and Parvati looked up at them. "What's going on?"

"My git of a brother is getting desperate to find a date to the Yule Ball," Ginny said in annoyance.

Lavender tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "I was hoping that Seamus would ask me, but I guess that I'm not his type anymore."

Parvati smiled sympathetically at her. "Will is so sexy. That curly hair and that smile … Seamus is a lucky guy. I'd choose Matthews over you too, Lav."

Lavender threw her pillow at her friend. "Not helping. Ginny, do you think that Ron would want to go with me?"

"I bet he would, actually. He and Harry are both still looking for dates," Ginny told them.

Sophie had peeked her head out from behind her bed curtains, her eyes wide. "Harry still needs a date?"

Natalie Monroe, the last girl in their dorm smacked her friend's arm. "You just spent the entire evening snogging Roger Malone!"

Sophie simply smiled sweetly at her friend. "What's your point?"

"You are a slag, Soph."

Sophie looked offended. "I am not! To be a slag you have to have had sex."

"I think oral counts," Parvati said, shooting Sophie an annoyed look.

"So why did you say no to Ron, Hermione? Going with a friend isn't a bad idea," Parvati said kindly. "It's better than showing up alone."

Hermione plopped herself down on her four poster. "I already have a date."

"You do?" Natalie asked in surprise.

"Oooh, who?" Parvati and Lavender both exclaimed, their eyes wide in disbelief.

Hermione blushed.

"He asked her out in the library," Ginny said with a grin, moving to sit on her friend's bed.

Parvati and Lavender looked annoyed when they realized that Hermione had no plans of telling them who it was so they shut the curtains to Lavender's bed so that they could whisper excitedly to each other. Ginny rolled her eyes, closing Hermione's curtains as well and muttering 'muffliato' a new spell that she had learned from Fred and George that week, who in turn had apparently learnt it from Remus in Defence Club.

"Good idea not to tell anyone. I can't wait to see the look of shock on everyone's face when you walk in on the arm of Viktor Freaking Krum!"

Hermione smiled. "They wouldn't believe me even if I told them anyway."

"True," Ginny said with a grin. "It's basically like a fairy tale."

Hermione smiled. "I haven't even seen him since before the First Task except in passing. He did so well in the First Task. That curse was brilliant!"

"It was. It was definitely the coolest thing that any of the contestants did, other than Harry that is. I mean, watching him fly around that dragon was terrifyingly awesome and when he cast his Patronus! I didn't even know that the Patronus Charm could do that! I can't wait until Professor Lupin teaches the Defence Club the Patronus Charm. Do you think that we'll get to learn it this year?"

Hermione nodded. "I don't know. It is NEWT level magic, Ginny. Harry really was brilliant. Ron was right earlier, he _could_ win this thing if he tries."

Ginny smiled at her friend as she moved to change into her pyjamas. "Yes, he could. I really didn't mind seeing all of them with their shirts off either. Seamus has a really nice back and Dean is really fit and I mean, Harry has that lovely little happy trail going over his abs." At her friend's look, she grinned. "What? I can look, can't I?"

Hermione chuckled. "I suppose."

Ginny tossed her hair over her shoulder. "So, what's the real reason why you aren't telling anyone about you and Viktor?"

She sighed as she tossed her jumper onto the bed. "Everyone will think that I'm lying. I'm the resident bookworm, the bossy-know-it-all, why would someone like Viktor Krum even give me a second glance?"

Ginny rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You are so much more than that, Hermione. It's just that you hide yourself off and he was smart enough not to let you. When are you seeing him again?"

She blushed. "I'm hoping tomorrow. I'd like to congratulate him on the task and he mentioned something about meeting me in the library when I saw him in the Great Hall the other day, but we've barely spoken since the First Task and I know that it's only been a week but I … I miss him," she admitted. She bit her lip as she pulled her shirt over her head to change into her pjs and Ginny's eyes widened.

"Hermione Granger! You have been holding out!"

Hermione looked startled as she stared at her friend. "What?"

Ginny glared at her and blatantly placed her hands over her friend's breasts. Hermione was wearing a sports bra over her regular bra along with a spandex top. "Are you trying to hide your tits or flatten them?"

Hermione's face flushed red. "I … they just sprouted up out of nowhere this summer, Ginny!"

Ginny pointed to her own chest. "And what do you call these?"

She blushed. "I just …"

Ginny smiled at her. "You are beautiful! Don't try to hide your body, Hermione. There's nothing to be ashamed about."

She blushed and pulled the top off followed by her sports bra and then put her arms over her regular cotton bra. "I had to buy new uniform shirts because these stupid things popped all of the buttons."

"They're bigger than mine!" Ginny exclaimed with a laugh. "Once boys see that you have these beauties no one will be surprised that Krum asked you out."

Hermione scowled at her and pulled her pyjama top over her head. "Just because I have breasts now doesn't mean that everyone will suddenly like me!"

"No, that's true. Look Hermione, it's your body, not mine. I remember how my tits seemed to grow out of nowhere too and you had to help me resize everything and it sucked, but it also kind of rocked. I mean, we're not kids anymore. We're young women. I'm just saying that you shouldn't be ashamed of any changes your body is making. Being intelligent and being good-looking are not opposites of each other. You can be both, you know. Don't hide. Be proud of who you are."

Hermione stared at her friend. "The robes are bulky enough that I guess people wouldn't really notice anyway, right?"

Ginny smiled at her. "Hermione, it's not like they're bigger than your head. They're just breasts, we all have them. You're like one cup size bigger than me. You have normal sized breasts, stop worrying! You have curves. It's a good thing."

Hermione bit her lip. "I know you're right. I guess I was just embarrassed because it seemed to happen so quickly. I think it's because of the Time-Turner thing last year. My body is closer to being sixteen than fifteen now because of how much I used it and … I just felt like … "

"I had a growth spurt this year too, Hermione. We all grow up at our own pace and some of us develop faster than others. Mum told me that I'm almost a year younger than she was when my breasts came in and you had to help me alter my shirts last year, remember? You're not alone."

"It just … surprised me is all," she admitted quietly. "I didn't take that into consideration when I was using the Time-Turner. I'm a little embarrassed by how quickly my body changed."

"Don't be," Ginny told her. "Now, let's talk about your date with Viktor tomorrow and what you're going to wear."

She blushed again. "It's not a date. I'm just meeting him in the library to study, maybe."

"It's basically a date," Ginny said with a grin. "Which means no more trying to squish your tits against your chest!"

Hermione nodded. "Okay, you're right, I concede. So … what do you think I should wear?"

Ginny smiled at her. "I have the perfect outfit."

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _(French) Au revoir, mes amies = good bye, my friends_


	166. Chapter 166

_Author's Note:_

 _Wow, guys, this story has now gotten over 3000 reviews! Thank you. I love you 3000!_

 _To answer some reviews: I didn't like that the eggs got smashed by the Fireball in the books so yes, I made sure that they were safe. I also think that Harry would have made more of an effort to make friends with the other champions and like Cedric said, they all just survived fighting a dragon. They deserve points. Zee is an original character yes, though I think that she is based on a mix of different characters in my mind. As to the use of the Patronus against the dragon - my thought was that it didn't collide physically so much as magically, but my thought was magically it collided with the dragon's fire enough to knock it back, but not strong enough to stop it. The sound of it hitting together was like two magic spells colliding in mid air, but strong and powerful-like which resulted in the thunder. Harry standing there until he passes out - I think that both badass and dumbass suffice here lol. And thanks for all the congratulations on hitting one million words, I am impressed with myself and shocked too haha._

 _I dedicate this chapter to WarMunger98 who wrote me such a touching review that I almost teared up while reading it. Thank you for your continuous support over the years. This one is for you!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX:**

 **Remus sat in his office as he worked out what he had planned for each of his classes come January and making detailed notes about spells and creatures to cover.** He looked up at the knock on his door and offered a friendly smile to Delta Carthaginian, the Life in the Magical World professor.

"Good evening, Delta," he said with a smile.

She smiled back, leaning against the doorjamb. "Buonasera, Remus. I was hoping to pick your brain if you had a few moments to spare?"

"Of course, please come in and have a seat."

Delta made herself comfortable in the chair across from him, crossing her long legs and revealing her thin black high heels. "It's been an interesting semester so far with this tournament, vero?"

Remus nodded. "That it has. Teaching two of the champions on top of it is always fun."

She smiled. "Sì, though neither of them are in my class, naturalmente. I am really enjoying teaching this course on the magical world. It's fun and I love watching the students learn our traditions and why we do things the way that we do. I find it meraviglioso."

"I am glad to hear it," he said, leaning back in his chair.

Delta nodded. "They always have very intelligent questions and many of them tie in with their own knowledge from the Muggle world, asking why we do things this way when the Muggles do them that way and such. Often it sparks some wonderful debates. Getting feedback from the students and watching them teach themselves is very rewarding in itself. But, I have been getting a few questions lately about some of the traditions of the two different schools. Questions such as why the Durmstrang students make the v sound or why the Beauxbatons students speak so quickly and say the z sound instead of s. I answered many of these last year as well concerning the hints of my own accent and the Italian words that I often use in my every day speaking."

"What did you say?"

"Well, I tried to explain about different languages and different cultures and it got me thinking; you started a Defence Club separate from your classes. What were the reasons behind it?"

Remus looked a bit startled by this. "For starting the club?"

She nodded, her long delicate fingers tapping her knee. "Sì."

"To be honest it was something that Minerva wanted. After we discovered the Chamber of Secrets we thought that it would be a location that we could put to good use. Last year, Minerva and I built an obstacle course down there to test our students' skill levels and defences. This year we've added to it and it will be used again at the end of January for some friendly competition and once more at the end of the year based on what we've taught the students. Minerva and I take turns leading the club, but in all honesty, it's about teaching our students how to use magic defensively and how to protect themselves. It's about using the magic that's a part of them and incorporating it into their daily lives. What I teach in Defence Against the Dark Arts is important and vital, but it is also a curriculum based subject and not necessarily something that they will use all of in their lifetime," he explained carefully.

Delta looked thoughtful for a moment. "All valid points."

He nodded. "What are you thinking, Delta?"

She smiled brightly, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. "I would like to add a portion to my class about different cultures and languages. I think that it would greatly benefit the students and allow them to see how different countries do things. International magical cooperation is something that I think we need to jump right on board with and the more students who are understanding of different cultures now will only make it easier for the next generation to help us do that."

"I agree," he said with a smile. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, I know that this class was the brainchild of your friend, Lord Black?" At Remus' nod, she smiled. "Would it be possible for you to put a little bird in his ear about adding to the curriculum? I thought maybe that I should run it by the Board of Governors first?"

He nodded. "I think that it's a lovely idea and I think that you should talk to Dumbledore about it actually. This class is still relatively new so any new ideas or guidelines are definitely welcomed as I'm sure you're aware and I'm sure that Dumbledore would be more than happy to help you add to it in any way that would be more beneficial to your students."

Delta seemed to consider this. "I was thinking that one of the first orders of business could be having guest speakers come in from all over the world. My friend Juliette Léandre works in the Département de Coopération Magique Internationale in the French Ministry and I thought maybe she could be one of the first guest speakers since we currently are playing host to the French students here. We can discuss how things are done in the French government as opposed to the British and so forth which could lead to some interesting debates on the subject. My second years are currently studying the British government and the Wizengamot so looking at how other countries govern would be beneficial to them. Dumbledore is actually coming in to be a guest speaker next week since he is Chief Warlock, but I was wondering if I should open it up to any other students who may be interested."

"I think it all sounds rather brilliant," Remus told her honestly. "I can't imagine that the Board wouldn't be interested in at least discussing the possibility, but I will pass it on to Sirius once you have a proposal in mind. In the meantime, I suggest that you bring your idea to Dumbledore. Opening it up to other students is a nice idea, were you thinking of a club then, since you mentioned the Defence Club?"

"Sì. I was thinking something along the lines of a Multicultural Club where students can talk and discuss and learn about different cultures from their government to their society with maybe even a language component? It's been over a century since Hogwarts offered any language courses. Whatever happened to learning more than just Latin and Runes? What about Gobbledegook or Mermish or the language of the Giants? These are all cultures and societies that we should take the time to learn about and to teach our students to understand and appreciate," Delta explained rather passionately.

Remus smiled at her. "I think that it's a rather marvellous idea if I'm honest. I would have loved the opportunity to learn a new language when I was in school. As it is, Latin and Runes were it for me. Put together a guideline of what you'd like to cover and present it to Dumbledore and I will get a copy to the Board of Governors, but I think that it sounds rather brilliant. It could even potentially be an optional class for older students."

Delta grinned. "Grazie. I will do so."

She stood up just as McGonagall knocked on the open door. "Remus, Delta."

"Hi Minerva," Remus said warmly. "Always lovely to see you."

She smiled. "I'm glad that I caught you both. I actually just came from your office, Delta."

Delta smiled at her. "Well, here I am."

McGonagall nodded. "I just wanted to remind the both of you that the Yule Ball will be taking place on the twenty-third which means that it is mandatory for all staff to be present. The doors will open at five thirty sharp and the Champions and their dates will arrive promptly at six, opening with a waltz. Speeches and formal announcements will be from six thirty to seven. Dinner will be at seven and dessert at eight. Albus booked The Weird Sisters who will be playing from nine to twelve thirty. By one, I expect all students to be in their dormitories and tucked away in their beds. It will be up to the staff to monitor them, make sure that nothing inappropriate is going on; that students are where they are supposed to be; that no first through third years are present outside of those designated; and that all students are enjoying themselves in the designated areas including not only the Great Hall, but the front court yard, the back court yard and of course the front hall. Of course, I would still like to see you all have a nice time as well. You are welcome to bring dates, but I would ask that they assist in chaperoning the students. Formal wear is mandatory."

Remus smiled at her. "Sounds perfect, Minerva. Dora and I will be happy to help chaperone the dance."

Delta smiled as well. "As will I. My friend Leonardo will come with me to assist."

McGonagall nodded. "Excellent."

"Minerva, I was just running an idea by Remus. Would you be able to help me put it in writing to present to Dumbledore?"

McGonagall smiled kindly. "Of course. I have time now if you'd like."

"That would be meraviglioso."

Remus watched as the two women left his office and he smiled. He rather liked Carthaginian's idea and he thought that it had merit. It would be a wonderful edition to the school. He made a note to tell Tonks that she needed to find something appropriate to wear to the Yule Ball if she was going to be attending as his date. He found himself rather looking forward to the ball and the opportunity to spend the night dancing with her and of course, keeping an eye on the students, he thought with a grin. He wondered if Harry was aware that he would be opening the dance with a waltz.

He couldn't wait to see that, he thought, grinning to himself.

 **The figure stood outside in the alley, the cigarette smoke hiding them from sight.** The Muggle habit had become a nervous tic that the figure couldn't quite stop when they felt anxious. The cigarette dropped to the ground, crushed under their boot as the man Apparated in front of the figure.

"Well, how did Potter do?"

"He was rather brilliant. The judges put him in second place."

"That's a good start. He needs to win this tournament."

The figure gulped audibly. "Listen, I think that I can get some of it together, we might not have to use the boy to - "

" - we're using the boy."

"Abraxas, please … give me a chance to make this right."

Abraxas Malfoy moved forward, his fingers clutching the front of the figure's shirt. "You've been given plenty of chances to get your life back together. Now, this is your only option. You do what I tell you. You make sure that Potter wins that tournament. If you try to run, I will find you. If you try to protect your family, I will find them. Seems your daughter is quite the little artist. She's what? Eight - nine years old? You wouldn't want something to happen to her, would you? Not to your Cordelia."

The figure paled and fumbled for a cigarette as Abraxas knocked it to the ground.

"Your filthy habit isn't going to save you. You know what I want. If you want to make good on what you owe, its time to start paying out. We'll talk again after the Second Task."

The figure only nodded as Abraxas Disapparated, leaving them feeling more terrified and unsure.

Potter had to win.

It wasn't just about them anymore. Cordelia's life depended on it.

 **Hermione sat in the library trying to focus on her homework the next afternoon, but her foot kept tapping impatiently as she snuck a look around the quiet room.** She was hiding out in the Muggle Section of the library because it was the in the back, in the quietest area and gave her the most peace and quiet. Also, it was where Viktor usually came to find her.

The thought of his name sent a little thrill through her system and she smiled. She had barely seen him all week except for in passing at meal times and she was rather surprised to realize that she had missed him. She knew that he was working to catch up on his own studies and she had seen him with his two friends, Dimo and Andrei, swimming in the Black Lake this morning which had shocked her. It was a little cold for deciding to take a dip in the lake in December, but she knew that it was much colder in Bulgaria.

She had taken Ginny's advice and she was wearing comfortable blue jeans, her black boots and a light blue cardigan over a long-sleeved white scoop-necked tee shirt. And she _hadn't_ tried to hide her breasts. She glanced down her top. It was modestly cut, but she still felt like her boobs were trying to pop out of the top as she just wasn't used to having them.

She shifted and tucked her curls behind her ear, focusing down on her homework. Transfiguration, she thought, focus. But when the chair scraped next to her, her eyes lit up as she turned her head and the sight of him, all broad shouldered and tall, made her head spin.

"Hi!"

He smiled warmly at her as he took a seat. "Hi."

"You were incredible in the First Task!" She exclaimed, her eyes dancing in excitement. "That curse was brilliant and so well executed. You didn't miss or hesitate and the dragon wasn't seriously hurt so that was good too as if you had blinded her for life, I wouldn't have liked that very much, but it was only temporary and you got the Golden Egg and you're in first place, Viktor!" She said in a rush as if she needed to get the words out as quickly as possible.

He smiled and took her hands in his. "I am in tie, not virst."

Hermione beamed at him. "Well, Harry did really well too."

"Da. He is good flier. I did not expect vat."

"He plays Seeker for our house team," Hermione told him. She reached up to touch the scratch on his cheek. "You weren't too badly hurt?"

Viktor smiled and turned his face to kiss her palm making her blush. "Nye. Only small scratches. I vas lucky. I like vat you vorried about me."

Hermione blushed and then her breath hitched when he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. It was soft and his hand slid up her arm into her hair to hold the back of her neck and she sighed into him. When he pulled away, her eyes fluttered open almost dreamily and she found that he was grinning at her.

"What?"

"I like kissing you."

"I like kissing you, too," she admitted.

He kissed her cheek tenderly and then he turned his attention to the books in front of her. "Vhat are you vorking on vuday?"

"Transfiguration. We just learned the colour changing charm and I have to write an essay on why this is useful and how it works. What did you bring to work on?"

Viktor smiled as he opened his notebook and his textbook. "I must vork on my history. Professor Penkov says even champions must not vall behind."

Hermione smiled warmly at him. "That is true. Did you write home to your family and tell them about the First Task?"

He nodded. "Da. Iglika and Desislava say I do good job, but vey vink dragon must not be very vierce. Vey say dragon must be soft if I get just scratch. Vey like teasing me. I sent vem my little Chinese Fireball dragon vu show vem. Mama vells me vey keep it on ver dresser."

"They sound so sweet, your sisters. They look up to you."

Viktor grinned. "Somevimes, da, but somevimes vey laugh at big brother. Vey vill be here vor va Second Vask, I hope. If not ven vor sure va Vird Vask."

"Good. They can see their big brother in action," she said with a smile.

He was still holding her hand in his, his thumb stroking over her knuckles. "After ve vork, ve go vor valk outside, da? We valk more. I lucky, nye girls follow me today. It be just us, da? Maybe I kiss you again."

Hermione smiled. "Maybe I'll let you."

Viktor's smile made his dark gaze twinkle at her and heat soared through her body surprising her. "Da." He said, kissing her hand.

She let out a soft sigh as her stomach fluttered like wings. After talking to Ginny last night and not telling Lavender and Parvati about her date to the Yule Ball, she was feeling a little self-conscious of the fact that she hadn't told anyone that he was her date.

"Um, Viktor?" She asked hesitantly.

"Da?"

She bit her lip nervously. "I haven't told anyone that you're taking me to the ball, other than my friend Ginny."

His brow furrowed slightly. "Vhy?"

"Well, I mean, you are famous and I'm just me and well, I thought that no one would really believe me anyway. Ron's mad at me because he asked me to go last night. Well, no, he didn't ask, _he assumed_ that I would go with him because hey I'm a girl, like he only just realized it, and when I told him that I already had a date, he got angry. He doesn't believe me. He thinks that I just said it because I'm mad and my roommates think I'm lying too, I mean, really, who would want to go with me and sometimes I don't believe it myself that you really want to go with me. I mean, I don't even like Quidditch."

He chuckled, the sound sending a little thrill through her. "You are strange voman not liking Quidditch, but you are bee-u-tee-vul voman, smart and … vhat's the vord, kind. You listen to me ven I valk. You ask me my voughts, my vords and I vant vu vell you. I like you, Herm-own-ninny. I like you very much."

She stared at him, eyes wide in surprise. "I like you very much too," she admitted. "I don't know if I'm going to tell Harry and Ron about you, though. They would act weird and I like that it's just us right now, is that okay? Are you mad?"

He reached over to cup her cheek. "Nye, I am not mad. You, moyata kafyava krasavitsa, are very sveet. I am happy going vith you and I am happy being here vith you now. Vhen people see you on my arm, vey vill be very jealous, da? Vor how vas I so lucky as vu get prettiest girl as my date?"

Hermione's cheeks heated and he smiled, sending a shot of heat through her. "You make me feel special."

Viktor leaned in and kissed her softly. "You are very special. Only vools do not vell you vis every day. Now ve study, da?"

She nodded, stealing a look at him from under her lashes, still not sure what it was that he saw in her. But she wasn't going to question it. He was much too sweet and kind and she loved spending time with him.

And she couldn't wait to spend the evening dancing with him at the Yule Ball.

 **When the _Daily Prophet_ came out the next morning,** Neville raised his eyebrow at the sight of the front page. "Harry, I thought you said that you _didn't_ have a date to the ball?"

"What?" Harry asked, his fork full of eggs halfway to his mouth. "I don't."

Neville tugged the paper away from Seamus' grasp and smirked at him. "Well, you should probably tell your girlfriends then. I didn't even know that you had a girlfriend let alone more than one."

Harry's eyes widened when he saw the photo of Ginny hugging him in the champions tent before the First Task before the photo flashed, changing to Hermione hugging him tightly. "What the … how did they even get this photo?" He tugged the paper away from Neville to read the article.

 _POTTER'S SECRET GIRLFRIEND(s)_

 _Harry Potter, the First Place Hogwarts Champion tied with Bulgaria's famous Seeker Viktor Krum, is harbouring a secret girlfriend, Hermione Granger. A plain, but ambitious girl who is always seen at his side or is he keeping more than one on the side? Potter was also seen with the gold-digging Guinevere Weasley, youngest daughter of Arthur Weasley. Potter is a hot commodity and girls are fighting for him through any means available …_

Harry spluttered as he continued read the article. "Love potions? Blackmail? Gold-digging? Fighting over me? Who wrote this rubbish?"

Hermione reached for the paper, her cheeks heated in embarrassment as she read. "They've accused me of making a love potion to get you, Harry!"

Ginny grinned from next to Hermione. "I think it's hilarious!"

Harry scowled at her. "You would! They didn't even get your name right!"

"No," Ginny said laughing. "Think about it, Harry. Of all the girls in the school, I would say that you and Hermione are the least likely to get together. You two are more brother and sister than Ron and I. And well, Guinevere just wants your money so what have you got to worry about?"

Harry scowled at her and she grinned.

"Besides, I know that Hermione would never use a love potion on anyone, least of all on one of your friends," Ginny said with a reassuring smile. "And Harry knows that I'm not blackmailing him for his money."

"Ginny does have a point," Harry said, grinning at her. "Are you madly in love with me, Mione?"

"You caught me," she said, rolling her eyes in amusement before they suddenly widened in alarm. "Oh no! I got my parents a subscription to the _Daily Prophet_ so that they would be kept better informed on the news in our world. I have to go talk to them!"

Harry watched her run out of the Great Hall to mirror-call her parents and grinned. "I think her parents are going to hate me even more now."

Ginny touched his arm sympathetically. "The Grangers don't hate you, Harry. Hermione just said that they were a little nervous when they learned what an incredible troublemaker you are."

He grinned at her. "I'm an angel, I don't know why people keep sprouting these terrible lies about me. I'm sorry that you were dragged into this, Gin."

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "We know the truth and we already established that you and I will always be just friends."

Harry frowned at that as Ginny turned to talk to Fred and George as they mocked her for her blackmailing methods. When she put it like that it sounded strange, he thought. It sounded wrong, but he wasn't really sure why. All he knew was that he didn't like the idea of anyone calling her a gold digger or declaring that he was in a relationship with people that he wasn't.

He looked up when the hand fell on his shoulder and he smiled at his father. "Hi Unc-Professor Lupin."

"Interesting article in the paper this morning, Harry. Do I need to check you for a love potion?" He asked, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Haha."

Remus smiled at him. "Sirius and Zee will be dealing with this, don't you worry."

Harry simply shrugged. "We know that it's not true and that's what's important, right?"

"Right," Remus said. "I'm glad that you're thinking of it that way. Have a good day of classes, Harry."

Harry watched him go with a smile, but he couldn't help but wonder what exactly Sirius and Zee were going to do in terms of dealing with the paper.

 **Sirius was sitting at the kitchen table that morning in nothing but an old pair of grey sweats.** He spit his tea out when he saw the headline of the morning paper, opening the _Daily Prophet_ wider to read the article as Zee came into the kitchen. She was wearing one of his Queen tee shirts that almost reached her knees and nothing else, her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head and he found himself momentarily distracted as he watched her make her morning tea before he held the paper up.

"Look at this!"

Zee glanced down at the paper and her eyes widened. "Hermione is Harry's girlfriend? That doesn't seem right."

"Because it's not!" Sirius exclaimed. "I mean, don't get me wrong, she's a bright witch and pretty enough and definitely intelligent enough to put him under a love potion, but she would never do it! The way she bickers with Weasley it wouldn't surprise me if they ended up together, but not her and Harry!"

Zee stared at him in surprise. "What?"

Sirius grinned. "The way those two bicker, it reminds me of James and Lily. Trust me; those two belong together though how long it will take them to figure it out could be anyone's guess. As for Ginny blackmailing him or being a gold digger, that's just preposterous! Ginny and Harry are only friends!"

Zee only made a non committal response to that as Sirius continued to rant. She had her own thoughts on Harry and Ginny, but she didn't want to share them with Sirius until she knew that they had merit.

"Skeeter. I should have guessed."

"That woman is foul," Zee said with menace. "She wrote an article last year claiming that by me asking for more money to go to the dragon reserves I was helping form a dragon army in some bogus attempt to take over the ministry."

Sirius chuckled. "Sexy."

Zee rolled her eyes. "Not the point."

He grinned. "Who did you say that you knew at the paper again? Someone in the editing department? I think that we need to set up a meeting."

She nodded. "I'll send him an owl right away."

Sirius grinned, standing up and placing his tea on the counter behind her before slipping an arm around her waist, bending his head to nuzzle her neck. "We can take the meeting together. I have a few choices words for the _Daily Prophet._ "

Zee turned in his arms, slipping her own around his neck and smiling at hm. "Are you going to go all 'Lord Black' on them?"

He merely raised an eyebrow. "All Lord Black?"

She nodded. "You know, powerful and sexy as all hell."

Sirius nipped at her lips. "Maybe. Are you going to rip my clothes off again if I do? Get down on your knees and use your mouth on me?"

Zee smirked and stood on her toes to kiss him. "If you're lucky."

He grinned against her mouth, sliding a hand down to pinch her bum. "Minx." He let his hand travel beneath the tee shirt and between her legs, fingers slipping into her and her head fell back as he smiled. "Mmm, you feel good," he said, kissing her lips. "All soft and warm and wet. Bet you taste even better," he said before he slid down to his knees.

Zee merely panted softly as Sirius continued his ministrations and used his other hand to lift one of her legs, resting it on his shoulder before he leaned in and used his mouth on her.

"Fuck," she exclaimed, her hands going into his hair.

His tongue stroked softly and then quickly, dipping in and out in a teasing fashion. He flattened his tongue over her and she cried out when he started to lick again before sucking deeply. She groaned his name as his tongue worked magic and it was only a few minutes before she came, her fingers kneading into his soft hair and her other hand holding onto the counter behind her for support. He kissed and licked her thoroughly before putting her leg back down and standing up. He kissed her cheek and then reached around her for his cup of tea and took a long sip.

"Best breakfast in town," he said, bringing his tea to his lips again. "I'm going to take a shower. Why don't you send that owl?"

Zee merely watched him go, still trying to catch her breath from her surprise morning orgasm. Living with Sirius was definitely everything that she had thought it would be and more, she thought with a grin.

 **Harry was broom surfing, arms stretched wide as he flew around the Quidditch pitch the next afternoon.** He was following his regular workout routine and was enjoying his flying as he tried to think of the upcoming task; as that's what it had become to him now, a new task that he needed to complete.

He knew that he needed to ask someone soon. The Yule Ball was eight days away and even he knew that girls needed more time to be ready for the dance than a week. But no one interested him. In fact, the more he tried to think of asking someone to go with him the less excited he was about it. Ron's suggestion of going with Ginny sounded amazing. A friend. Someone that he could be himself with. Someone that he didn't have to impress. And he realized that he was angry that Neville had thought about it first.

And he still had no idea who Hermione was going with as she was still giving Ron the cold shoulder and him by default. But according to Ginny it was someone who appreciated Hermione for who she was which had only earned a scowl from Ron in response.

Ron had been scowling a little less since Lavender had asked him to the dance. Ron had stared at her, eyes wide in surprise before he had nodded and Harry had answered for him. He seemed surprised that she wanted to go with him and he kept sneaking glances at her during dinner and in classes which resulted in Lavender and Parvati starting to giggle.

But Harry had yet to find a date himself.

A few of his so-called fangirls had asked him out and one third year boy much to Seamus' amusement, but he had turned them down. He didn't want to attend with a random person who only wanted to go with him because he was a Hogwarts Champion, but the problem was that he also didn't know who he wanted to go with.

He finished his work out. His muscles pulling in a comforting way as he tossed his broomstick over his shoulder and headed to the locker room to shower and change. He had just finished and he was still rolling his neck, adjusting his bag of workout clothes and his broomstick when he saw Sophie standing outside the door to the locker rooms. She smiled brightly when she saw him.

"Hi Harry!"

"Hi, Soph," he said, smiling kindly at her.

She was the last person that he wanted to run into if he was honest. She seemed to be working extra hard to seek him out this year and it made him feel a little uncomfortable. It wasn't that he hadn't enjoyed their little snog session last year, but it had been too much too fast and he didn't really like her all that much; that was the part that made him the most uncomfortable if he was honest with himself.

Sophie reached up to kiss his cheek. "I'd love to save you the trouble of finding a date to the dance, Harry. We'll go together, have fun, dance and enjoy ourselves, yeah?"

"Er - "

She smiled, moving closer and sliding her hands up his chest. "It will be fun," she said, sliding her hand down. He stopped her when she reached his navel and she pouted.

"Soph, you're very nice and I appreciate the offer, really I do, but I already have a date to the ball."

Her eyebrow rose. "Oh? I had heard that you were still looking. Who are you taking? Is it Romilda Vane? I heard that she was on the short list."

"Short list?" Harry asked in bewilderment, not even knowing what that meant. "No, I don't know who Romilda Vane is. I'm um …" he hesitated. He had no idea, he thought anxiously. Everyone already had a date and he had no idea who he was going to take he only knew that he _really didn't_ want to go with Sophie Roper. He looked towards the castle anxiously, trying to come up with a name or an excuse as if he was honest, she scared him a little, when he saw the sun glint off a familiar pale blonde shade of hair and he grinned. "Luna Lovegood."

Sophie's mouth dropped open. "Loony Lovegood?"

"She's not loony and I'd appreciate it if you didn't call her as such. Now excuse me!" He tore himself away from her and jogged towards Luna, his broomstick still over his shoulders.

Luna looked up in surprise when he appeared. "Harry! Look at you, you're covered in Nargles! Have they seeped into your brain yet?" She asked, her hand reaching up to touch his hair as she swatted away what Harry assumed must be Nargles.

He grinned widely. "I sincerely hope not. Luna, I know that it's last minute and that you probably don't want to go, but will you do me the honour of attending the Yule Ball with me?"

Luna stared at him in surprise. "Harry, this ball is very important and prestigious and you should have someone important on your arm. You're a champion, you know."

He grinned at her and slipped an arm around her shoulders as they walked towards the castle. "I'd much rather go with a friend if she'll have me?"

She smiled brightly. "I'd love to go with a friend too."

Harry smiled warmly. "Thanks, Luna! You won't regret it, I promise! We'll have a grand time, but we do have to open the ceremony with a dance."

Luna merely shrugged. "That's not too bad. I suppose that means that I must attend Flitwick's lessons as I have never waltzed before. I like to dance more freely."

Harry grinned. "You can dance however you'd like."

"Good. I suppose that I have to find a dress."

Harry smiled. "I'll help you get something if you'd like. I know that this is last minute and that it's expensive and whatnot."

"Don't worry, Harry. Daddy will owl me the money." She patted him gently on the arm. "See you soon."

He watched her head up the stairs and he grinned, feeling like the pressure was off a bit. He was going with Luna, he thought with a grin, it was going to be great.

 **"Now befitting with tradition, the Yule Ball will open with the waltz," McGonagall said loudly to the Gryffindors the next evening as they were all gathered around in the orchestra room for dancing lessons.** "It may be an old fashioned dance, but it is timeless. Harry, since you will be helping to open the ball, why don't you come up here and help me demonstrate?"

He blushed a bit at that as he heard his friends rag on him and he suddenly felt even more relieved that Sorcha had taught him to dance that summer.

He was taller than McGonagall by at least three inches so he took her hand in his and placed the other on her waist, surprising her

"Grandmama taught me to dance the waltz this summer," he said simply before he turned her seamlessly into the dance earning applause and catcalls from the Gryffindors.

McGonagall beamed at him, smiling when he turned her and back towards him in time to the music. "As Mr Potter has just flawlessly demonstrated, the waltz is a simple dance that we all must learn. Watch his feet, one, two, three, one, two, three - see, bring it back again, one, two, three, one, two, three."

Five minutes later he found his arms full of Hermione as she stared in determination down at her feet. Harry took his hand off of her waist and cupped her chin in his fingers, tugging her up to look at him.

"Hey, at me, not at the floor."

She flushed. "What if I step on your feet? I don't know what I'm doing, Harry."

"You won't," he told her. "I won't let you. Watch my face, step one, two, three, see? It's easy. Good. Look, you're dancing with me."

She laughed when he turned her and dipped her, spinning her out and back into him. "Thanks for not letting me fall. I have terrible coordination. Dad used to stand me on his feet and dance around with me that way."

"You're doing great. Your mystery date will be thrilled."

She blushed.

"Are you really going to make me wait until the Yule Ball to find out who's taking you?"

Hermione sighed, letting him lead her around the dance floor confidently. "I just ... you promise not to laugh?"

"Hermione, why would I laugh? Anyone would be lucky to take you."

She blushed again. "It's just … I mean, I was more surprised than anyone when he asked me."

Harry merely raised his eyebrow. "Tell me."

"It's Viktor."

"Viktor?" He asked, his brow furrowing. "We don't know anyone named - _you can't mean Krum?_ " He asked incredulously.

She nodded, biting her bottom lip. "You said that you wouldn't laugh!"

"I'm not laughing, Mione, it's ... he's so much older than you!"

"Three years," she said biting her bottom lip again. "I'm aware. He just turned eighteen in August. He's sweet and he … likes me. We met in the library and he let me talk his ear off about house elves and then we talked about Arithmancy and Transfiguration and History of Magic and he makes me laugh and he thinks that it's funny that I don't know anything about Quidditch. He took me to Hogsmeade and told me about his sisters and … I really like him, Harry."

Harry stared at her, his eyes wide in surprise. "Wait ... are you and he ... _dating?_ "

She bit her lip again. "Well, he hasn't really asked me or anything, officially, I mean, but ... I - I think so. We meet in the library or around the castle and we go for long walks and we talk and he took me to Hogsmeade and … are you mad? He's a champion and I know that I'm supposed to be rooting for you and I am I swear it's just -"

Harry put his fingers over her mouth to silence her. "I love you. You are one of my best friends. I know how much you support me, especially in this tournament. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't plan on it."

He smiled. "Well, I don't think it's exactly something that we plan, but good. He makes you smile a lot. Don't think that I haven't noticed that big goofy grin you've been sporting for a few weeks now."

Hermione grinned and kissed his cheek. "Yeah, he does."

"Good. It looks good on you."

She smiled and hugged him tightly before they turned back to the dancing and then she looked up into his eyes. "And Harry?"

"Yeah?" He asked, spinning her out and back into his arms again.

"I love you too."

Harry grinned at her. "Thanks. And no, I won't tell Ron."

Hermione beamed at him. "Thank you! I'm still a bit annoyed with him after all."

He chuckled. "But you have to dance with me at least once at the ball."

She smiled. "I promise."

Harry spun her out again, smiling and thought that maybe this ball might be more fun than he had originally thought.

 **Sirius and Zee stepped into the office of the _Daily Prophet_ for their appointment with Danny Evangeline, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper situated in the heart of Diagon Alley. ** They were immediately ushered down to his office and given chairs to wait as he finished up a meeting. The man who rushed in ten minutes later with flyaway grey hair and large glasses merely smiled apologetically when he saw them.

"I'm terribly sorry, my meeting ran late. I apologize for my tardiness. Zee! How lovely to see you again! I was just going to owl you to discuss your next project." He exclaimed, shaking her hand enthusiastically before letting his eyes move to Sirius. "And the infamous Lord Black. I've heard that you've been causing quite a stir in the Ministry over the last nine months."

Sirius simply grinned at him. "Maybe it was time to stir the pot."

"Touché," Evangeline said with a smile before moving to take a seat behind his desk. "I'd love a chance for an interview on your dealings with the Wizengamot?"

"I'll consider it," Sirius told him.

The man grinned broadly. "So, how can I be of help to the two of you today?"

Zee leaned forward in her seat. "Danny, you've known me for what, six years now?" At his nod, she smiled. "You are a gifted editor and one that I adore working with as the work you do with the _Daily Prophet_ is truly inspiring. However, I was extremely unimpressed with the article that I read the other day about _Harry Potter's Secret Girlfriends._ "

Evangeline chuckled. "Not exactly front page worthy, was it?"

Sirius glowered at him. "No, it was not."

He sobered a bit when he saw Sirius' less than impressed expression. "Zacarias, you know how this goes. I have so many articles and stories at my disposal and the front page is for what I know is going to sell papers. The Boy Who Lived is a Champion in the Triwizard Tournament, the Second Champion for Hogwarts; that's newsworthy! Anything with his name on it is going to sell papers."

"The fact that he was made champion, absolutely that's newsworthy," Zee said. "But the sordid article about his secret girlfriends was tasteless and I have a problem with how you portrayed my boy as being led around like a bull with a ring through his nose! That is not newsworthy, but tabloid worthy, and it's more than just a problem."

"The _Daily Prophet_ is printing gossip about _my son_ without _my_ approval. If you can't be bothered to get your facts straight, I think that you're in the wrong career," Sirius exclaimed, his eyes flashing in anger.

"Now, see here, Black -"

" - No, you see here, Evangeline. My son is not some pawn to be used to help you sell this piece of shit paper. My son is a Hogwarts Champion. He is currently tied in first place with the World Famous Seeker and Durmstrang Champion, Viktor Krum. He was incredible in the First Task, as were the other three champions. Why didn't you talk about their achievements? Why didn't you write a play-by-play of their actions against a dragon? Instead, you publish speculation and bullshit about a fourteen-year-old-boy's social life as if his personal life is any of the world's bloody business."

"This is a newspaper, Lord Black," Evangeline said hotly. "We publish what is reported and that is our right as British Magical Citizens!"

"Freedom of press is subjective, Evangeline," Sirius said hotly. "Publishing salacious gossip just to sell a paper is bullshit and you know it. I want a formal apology written for this nonsense concerning my son and his secret girlfriends."

"I will not!"

"You will!" Sirius exclaimed darkly. "Or I can make your life incredibly difficult! Hermione Granger is a bright witch and you not only pulled her name through the mud, but published lies about her making love potions and blackmailing my son! As for Ginny Weasley, you not only published her name incorrectly, but actually claimed that she was a 'gold digger only interested in blackmailing Potter in order to obtain fame and fortune.' People are going to eat that up and what if either of these young women are put under investigation for crimes that they've never even committed? It's uncalled for and inexcusable and you will put it to rights immediately."

"Ah-hah! So one of them is his secret girlfriend!"

Sirius glowered. "No, they're really not. Now, let's talk about all of the facts that you published that were incorrect, Weasley and Granger being his girlfriends being only one of many."

Evangeline swallowed slowly. "Rita Skeeter interviewed several students at Hogwarts. She has interview recordings backing up her facts."

"Backing up gossip and nothing more!" Sirius exclaimed. "You will not publish a single thing about my son without my approval and you will not publish a single thing about my son that is not directly pertaining to his involvement in the Triwizard Tournament, do you understand?"

"Lord Black, I am merely the editor. What my reporters write -"

" - are lies! I want a formal apology to Harry, Hermione, and Ginny printed in the next edition of this paper and that includes one from Rita Skeezer herself!"

"Er, it's Skeeter, actually."

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "Schemer, yeah, that she is. Are you aware that she dragged my son into a broom closet to interrogate him about the tournament and when he refused to answer any questions she allowed her Quick Quill to write notes about him crying over his dead parents? How is that anything other than terrible journalistic tendencies? I could demand for you to sack her immediately and I should, but I'm willing to give you and this paper one last chance to make it right."

"Lord Black, the _Daily Prophet_ has been reporting the news to the United Kingdom since 1743 and I for one am not going to allow you to come in here and tell me what I can and cannot publish!" Evangeline declared, his face heating as he blustered.

Sirius simply crossed his arms. "Reporting lies. The public, your readers, deserve to know the truth, not badly written rubbish that barely even qualifies as news."

Evangeline was turning a dark shade of purple by now. "How dare you, sir!"

Zee stood up, putting herself between the two men. "Danny, Sirius is right. This is a wonderful paper and you work hard to make it so, upholding its history as Britain's number one paper in the country. However, what Rita Skeeter wrote about Harry wasn't appropriate and in fact it makes you and the paper look bad; resorting to gossip instead of news? You do owe Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley a formal apology. Nothing written in that article was even close to being true."

Evangeline seemed to consider what she was saying, but he only nodded stiffly as he spoke. "We are the number one paper in this country and we strive to be so."

"And you can continue to be so if you report the truth and not gossip. If I wanted to read gossip, I would grab a copy of _Witch Weekly,_ this is supposed to be the news. And in all honesty, if you don't comply with what we are asking of you, Lord Black has the power to get rid of you."

"To get - now see here, Zacarias - "

" - No," she interrupted, her eyes flashing. "I am an agent of the DRCMC and it's not only Lord Black who can make your life very difficult, Danny. My boys mean the world to me and if you continue to harass or disrespect the privacy of our son I will make you the laughing stock of the entire Ministry before Sirius buys your paper and sacks you!"

"And the first thing that I would do is sack you, it's true," Sirius added with a grin.

Evangeline paled, his eye twitching slightly. "Article 10 of the Wizarding Rights Act declares that ' _freedom of speech is the right of every British Magical Citizen by law._ ' That includes freedom of the press."

Sirius merely grinned. "True, however, you are a newspaper which means you are printing news _not_ fictional gossip. You have one week to print a formal apology to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. You will then correspond directly with me about any potential articles or mentioning of my son or photos of my son that may or may not be published in your paper. If I see anything that goes against what I have asked of you, I will buy this paper ten times over and crush it like a bug before I sack you and make sure that no one in this country gives you a job in journalism ever again. Are we clear, Mr Evangeline?"

He nodded, swallowing slowly. He looked like he wanted to argue, but Sirius could see the wheels turning in the man's head. He knew who he was and he knew the wealth and the power behind the name of Black.

"And if you do not print formal apologies to Miss Granger, Miss Weasley and my son, you won't get a single new column from me as _Nature's Magic_ has made it quite clear that they would love to take me on as a regular columnist in their monthly magazine."

He stared at her, eyes wide. "But you've been writing for the _Daily Prophet_ for six years!"

"I won't write for a tarty gossip rag that slanders my son's good name!"

Evangeline looked startled by this and he swallowed slowly. "Zacarias, we depend on your column every week! You signed a contract!"

"Which we both know expires at the end of this month," Zee pointed out. "Danny, listen to me, by printing an apology you are making yourself and the paper look better as well. Let's keep making the _Daily Prophet_ Britain's number one paper and maybe I'll sign a new contract with you, shall we?"

Evangeline nodded stiffly. "I accept your terms. However, you should be aware that Skeeter is my top reporter for the Triwizard Tournament at the moment."

"I have no problem with that," Zee said with a smile. "We would just like to fact check her work. I won't stand by idly while she attacks my boy, do you understand me?"

"And if Sleazer keeps writing nothing but gossip about our son, I will deal with her personally. Fair, Evangeline?"

"Fair," he agreed, extending his hand to Zee and then to Sirius as he looked between them. "The paper will issue formal apologies, they will be printed on the twenty-third. I will write them myself and I will have Rita Skeeter write her own apologies as well. But I want a trade off in return."

Sirius merely raised his eyebrow. "A trade off in return for keeping your job?"

Evangeline nodded. "Er, yes. I want Zee to sign a new contract, promising me six more months, no, make it one year, and after the Second Task, Harry Potter gives a personal one-on-one interview with the _Daily Prophet_."

Zee placed a hand over Sirius' arm. "We will be in attendance during any and all interviews with our son."

"And the contract?"

"When I see the apologies, I'll sign on for another year," Zee told him.

"Deal," he said, beaming at her.

Sirius merely glowered. "But we better see those damn apologies and they better be good!"

Evangeline smiled. "The twenty-third, Lord Black. I look forward to working with you. Now, Zacarias, do you have any new adventures for me? Our readers absolutely adore your column, but I am almost out of material and if you're going to be signing on for another year …"

Sirius raised an eyebrow at her, ignoring Evangeline. "You never told me that you wrote a column for the paper?"

She bit her lip and shrugged. "It was just something fun that I did when I travelled and I've continued it in my spare time. Yaxley thinks that it brings the department good press."

Evangeline grinned and rifled through the papers on his desk, grabbing a weekend edition and flipping through it eagerly. "She only gives me one article a week. I publish it on Saturday's paper and it's always a big hit which is why she knows it would kill me to lose her, especially to the magazine _Nature's Magic_. Ah, here it is, in section E." He slapped the paper in excitement as he passed it over to Sirius.

Sirius accepted the paper, turning to look at the column and immediately realized that he had in fact been reading her column for years, _Z Confessions of a Magizoologist._ "This is yours?" He asked in astonishment. "I love this column!"

Zee grinned sheepishly. "Yes, it's mine."

Evangeline smiled brightly. "I have enough for six more weeks worth, but I would love some fresh new material along with that name on the dotted line."

She smiled. "You'll have both when I see the apologies in print."

He nodded in agreement as they said goodbye and headed out into Diagon Alley. Sirius draped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her close to him. "How come you never told me that you write a weekly column for the paper?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just thought of it as being part of my job and not as a separate thing that I needed to share. Besides, it's anonymous and …"

"You should be proud of it. I should have known it was you. Looking back, there were a few stories that you had told me that were familiar when I read the column every week like that one about the story you told me about the fairies teaming up with the doxies to cause mischief in the Minister's hotel room in Belfast or that good one about the erumpent chasing the rhino in northern India."

Zee smiled at him. "Thanks. I like writing it, but I also like that it's a bit of a secret. It's called confessions for a reason, you know."

He kissed her softly. "Can we tell Harry?"

Zee smiled. "Yes. My boys and I have no secrets."

Sirius kissed her again. "No secrets from each other or from _our son_."

She blushed a bit. "It just slipped out, but it … I love him, Sirius, I feel like he's mine just as much as he's yours and - "

Sirius placed his fingers over her lips. "Yeah, baby, he is, and he would be so damn proud of you for defending him right now. He knows how much you care about him and so do I. He loves you too."

"My boys," she said with a grin.

Sirius bent his head to kiss her, long and lingering and watched her lashes flutter open as he smiled. "My woman. You were amazing in there. Thank you. I want you at the interview with us and you know what you should write about for your next column? The dragons in the First Task. I bet that you could write a way better article than Skeazer ever could."

She chuckled. "It's Skeeter, Sirius."

"Is it though?"

She laughed as they headed into _Twilfit and Tattings_. "You are ridiculous and I love you for it. And I will definitely write something about the dragons in the First Task." She kissed him again as they stepped into the store. "Now, let's find something wonderful for Mama for Christmas."

He grinned as she tugged him to the back of the store to look at the women's clothing knowing that there was nowhere else that he would rather be than with her.

 **Remus looked up from his desk when the door to his office closed that evening and despite his surprise to see Snape there, he gave no inclination otherwise.** "Severus, I hope all is well."

Snape didn't respond, he simply sat in the chair across from him. "I can say with absolute certainty that it wasn't Karkaroff who entered Potter's name into the tournament."

"I never suspected him," Remus said honestly. "I know that he used to be a Death Eater, but the man was hardly pleased with Harry's name being called. He tried to remove his champion from the running. Did you think that it was him?"

"Not remotely, but Albus asked me to keep an eye on him. I swear that Karkaroff is getting more paranoid and he keeps speaking to his champion like they know some big national secret," Snape said bitterly. "And after how successful Potter was in the First Task, Karkaroff is even more bitter that he's being allowed to compete."

"If I didn't know any better, Severus, I'd think that you were worried about Harry."

Snape scowled. "I may not like the boy, but I hardly want to see him dead!" He sighed, his eyes on Remus. "The more I think about it, the more I think that his name was entered for a reason."

"Misdirection."

Snape nodded. "Exactly. Someone wants us to be paying attention to something else."

"I agree," Remus said, leaning back in his chair. "Unfortunately, we don't know who that someone is. You have obviously made it your business to find out."

Snape simply raised an eyebrow. "I'm keeping my eyes open. After what happened at the World Cup in the summer; then Potter's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire … I don't think that the two are mere coincidences. I think that they are part of the same plot." He lifted his left sleeve and put his arm down on Remus' desk. "The edges of this haven't been black in thirteen years."

Remus' eyes widened as he looked down at the ugly tattoo of the Dark Mark. "Knowing you have this and seeing it with my own eyes is something else entirely, I must say."

Snape ignored him. "You know my past and you know that I once was part of his followers."

"I do," Remus said carefully. "But I am surprised that you are so willing to share it with me."

"I know Dumbledore told Black and there's nothing that he knows that you don't. You two always were attached at the hip. You know that I've worked hard to try to put that life behind me." When Remus didn't answer, he sighed. "When the Dark Lord fell, this tattoo faded to a light pink. It no longer hurt or pulsed or did anything at all. It was one of the reasons why I thought that he might actually be gone, until four years ago when Quirrell let a troll into the school on Halloween and _his_ mark pulsed at me. I didn't know that Quirrell was possessed or that the Dark Lord was working with him, but I knew at that moment that the Dark Lord wasn't truly gone. But for the Dark Mark to be acting up like this … something's happening and this is proof that he's getting stronger."

"Is it just your arm?"

Snape shook his head. "No. Karkaroff has approached me with the same fears. It seems that his Dark Mark is also blackening along the edges. When the tattoo looks like ink again, the Dark Lord will have once again reached his full strength."

"Why are you sharing this with me, Severus?" Remus asked carefully, keeping his expression blank.

Snape stared at him. "Because we both know that if the Dark Lord does return to his full strength, the first person that he's going after is Potter. We spoke about it after his name was drawn from the Goblet of Fire, but the more my mark shows signs of the Dark Lord's returning strength, the more convinced I am that he is somehow behind Potter's entrance into the tournament."

"Why?" Remus asked. "What would Voldemort possibly have to gain by putting Harry through the Triwizard Tournament?"

"At first I thought that maybe someone was hoping he would be killed, but Potter's too resourceful for that," Snape said bitterly. "I think that they're using the tournament to test him. It gives them a chance to see his skills, to check out his power and to try to see his strengths and weaknesses."

Remus frowned at that. "I hate how plausible that sounds."

Snape nodded. "I'm keeping an eye on Karkaroff on Dumbledore's orders, but my eyes are also open for anything else suspicious. If you and Black come up with any theories on who entered Potter, I'd like to be kept in the loop."

Remus stared at him in surprise. "You're willingness to help worries me, Severus. Has Harry started to grow on you?"

Snape scowled. "Hardly. He's adept at Potions, I'll give him that. I can see that he has inherited his parents' skill level. But if the Dark Lord is testing him somehow, I don't want to be kept in the dark and frankly, this mark puts me in the thick of it no matter what I may want." He stood up and made his way to the door, stopping when Remus said his name.

"I find it curious that Dumbledore has you spying again and how willing you are to pick back up the cloak and dagger routine. I can see that you've changed, but I still don't entirely trust you. I'm still surprised that you signed the petition for me to come back and teach here."

He turned to look at him. "If _his_ mark does become clear inked lines once more your lack of trust might be for the best, Lupin, because if I don't return to him, he will kill me and I don't plan on dying, but I also have no intention of letting him control me again. I made that mistake once and it cost me everything."

Remus watched him close the door behind him without another word.

Dumbledore was using him to spy on Karkaroff, an ex-Death Eater. Snape was investigating on his own about who had entered Harry's name into the tournament. He found that very interesting indeed. But the part that he found the most illuminating was that he realized that he did trust Snape. Dumbledore was already setting the man up to become a double agent once more and Remus knew how beneficial that would be to helping them take Voldemort down.

He wondered how Sirius would feel about bringing Snape into FUVP and he grinned at the thought. Not yet, he told himself. But he planned on keeping a closer eye on Snape himself in the meantime.

He might be more helpful than they thought.

 **Harry was making his way back up to the school after his workout on the pitch when he caught sight of Krum heading towards the Durmstrang ship with two of his classmates.** He turned and hurried in his direction without thought, calling out his name.

All three of the young men turned to look at him. The one on Krum's left had blonde hair and the other was tall and broad shouldered with dark brown hair and a full beard making him look much older than seventeen or eighteen.

"Potter?"

Harry nodded. "Krum. Can I have a word?"

Krum stared at him for a moment before he nodded and murmured in Bulgarian to his friends. "Vis is Andrei and vis is Dimo, vey are vriends of mine."

Harry nodded politely to them. "Nice to meet you."

Krum spoke in Bulgarian to them again and they said something back before they made their way to the ship leaving them alone. "Vhat can I do vor you?"

Harry put his cold hands in the pockets of his jacket, annoyed that he had misplaced his gloves again. "I wanted to talk to you about Hermione."

Krum's eyebrow rose. "She is not your girlvriend."

Harry grinned. "I'm aware of that, despite what the newspaper has been printing. Look, she's one of my best friends. I love her like a sister and you seem to have come out of nowhere and swept her off of her feet."

Krum looked pleased with this. "She is very special. I like her mind. I like vatching her vink; vu listen vu her valk and discuss her vhoughts. She is bee-u-tee-vul and vull of life. She makes me smile. And she sees me vor me, not just because of my Quidditch valent."

Harry nodded, surprised. It was the most that he had ever heard Krum speak at once. "Hermione couldn't care less about Quidditch. She only comes to the house games because I play and she wants to support me. I don't even think that she knows the name of the ball we catch as a Seeker let alone anything else about the sport. And she hates flying. She's terrified of it actually; so trust me, you being a Quidditch star has nothing to do with her liking you."

Krum smiled. "You are here vu varn me avay ven?"

"No," Harry said. "You make her smile too. I just wanted to say keep making her smile because there are a lot of people who love Hermione and if you hurt her, you will regret it."

Krum snorted. "Are you vreatening me?"

"Yes," Harry said simply. "I may be young, true, but if you hurt my best friend, I will make you regret it."

Krum stared at him a moment and then he nodded. "Da. I accept vis. I don't plan vu vurt her. I like Herm-own-ninny."

"Her-mio-nee," Harry said carefully.

"Her-mio-nee," Krum repeated with a smile. "Tya e moyata krasiva kafyava krasavitsa."

"Er, yes," Harry said.

Krum smiled. "Blagodarya ti, Potter, vat means, vank you."

"You're welcome and it's Harry."

"Viktor," he said with a grin. "And I must say, you vere an excellent flier in va Virst Vask. I vas very impressed vith your skill vor somevon so young."

Harry beamed at him. "Thanks! I saw you at the World Cup. You were amazing. That Wronski Feint was incredible! I tried to explain it to Hermione, but she just thought that it was absolutely terrifying. She was convinced that you were going to die and she had her face covered the whole time."

Viktor chuckled. "I vill explain it vu her later. I must go in and do my homevork. I vill see you at va ball tomorrow, da?"

"Yes," Harry said. "And I expect a dance from your date."

Viktor's eyes twinkled in amusement. "I suppose, but only von."

Harry grinned as he watched Viktor head back to the ship. He was a nice guy and he could see why Hermione liked him. He was interested in her mind and her thoughts and he knew that having someone to share her intelligence with was a big thing for her as he and Ron didn't exactly give her the opportunity to share her knowledge too much. He understood her intrigue, but he wondered what it was Viktor that had said about her? _Tya e moyata krasiva kafyava krasavitsa_ , he thought. He would have to try to sound it out to Zee, she might know.

He headed back to the castle to grab lunch before Arithmancy, deciding that it was probably best if Hermione didn't find out that he had spoken to Viktor on her behalf. He knew how dangerous his friend could be with her wand. And he had a feeling that she wouldn't exactly take kindly to him threatening her date.

He grinned at the thought and whistled under his breath as he walked, thinking it was definitely best if she didn't find out.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _A small change here as noted above, I wanted to change the Yule Ball to be Christmas related, but still give the students the opportunity to spend time with their families because I thought that it was stupid in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that if you went to the Yule Ball you couldn't go home for Christmas. So originally I had worked it out to be Christmas Eve but after speaking with my beta I decided to change the ball to be the twenty-third of December that way students can still go home for Christmas after the ball. Anyway, little change, just saying._

 _(Italian) vero = true_

 _(Italian) Buonasera = good evening_

 _(Italian) meraviglioso = wonderful_

 _(Italian) naturalmente = of course_

 _(Italian) Sì = yes_

 _(Bulgarian) moyata kafyava krasavitsa = my brown haired beauty_

 _(Bulgarian) Tya e moyata krasiva kafyava krasavitsa = She is my beautiful brown haired beauty._

 _(Bulgarian) Blagodarya ti = thank you_


	167. Chapter 167

_Author's Note:_

 _****** WARNING THIS CHAPTER GETS VERY DARK AT THE END ******_

 _While writing this chapter, I was researching my flower choices for corsages and boutonnières and I learned that in Britain they call them buttonholes and I found this hilarious as I had no idea! I don't know why I found it so funny, but I did, so I had to share. Thanks Saz for confirming this for me! You are always my go to for anything British related and I appreciate it :D_

 _To respond to some reviews: thank you for your feedback, I adjusted the waltz dance in the last chapter. I learned the waltz back in grade nine, but I forgot we did this combination thing which is why we had eight steps. I'm glad that you are all loving Hermione and Viktor, I love them too. As to Snape, I am trying to give his character more depth and I did always picture the Dark Mark as something that was very much alive which is why I have been writing it as such. It is essentially a personal tracker for Voldemort that allows him to control his followers, to an extent, at least that's how I imagined it. Love your guesses on who the mysterious figure is. Can't wait to see if any of you are surprised. Also, Happy Birthday to ninaz08, glad I could assist with a chapter on your birthday. I hope you had a good one._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN:**

 **Sirius opened the** ** _Daily Prophet_** **on the twenty-third and quickly scanned the headlines in search of the formal apologies to Harry, Ginny and Hermione.** He smiled when he came across them, reading the printed words with smugness.

Zee stepped into the kitchen and began to organize the counter into her cooking station, taking out flour, sugar, ginger and eggs and lining them up carefully.

"What'cha making?" He asked, standing up to kiss her.

"Cookies and tarts," she said with a smile. "Do you think that Harry will be disappointed that we decorated for Christmas without him?"

Sirius shook his head. "He'll understand. He's coming home late tomorrow which doesn't give us a lot of time for decorating. When I pick him up tomorrow, we'll decorate the tree and do some of our own traditions."

Zee nodded. "Alright, good. I'm glad that you saved the tree for him. I know that you like to wait until he comes home to decorate, but with him coming home so late this year, you just don't have the time. I can finish most of my Christmas baking today. Though on Christmas Day I want to get the potato casserole dish made in the morning to bring to the Tonks' for dinner, or at least get it started. I'll save some of the tarts and cookies for then as well, but I want to get started on my pies"

Sirius kissed her ear. "Need help?"

"No, I got this," her eyes fell on the paper in his hands. "Is there an apology in there?"

"Six of them," he said with a grin. "Three rather measly ones from Skeazer and three much better ones from Evangeline, one from each of them dedicated individually to Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. He also wrote an editor's note apologizing for publishing gossip in the newspaper. He kept his word, babe."

"Good," she said sternly, turning to look at him as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "He listened. We'll see if and what he publishes concerning the Yule Ball and if he continues to stay true to his word, I'll sign the contract in January."

Sirius grinned, tossing the newspaper back on the table and spanning her waist with his hands. "Maybe you can throw a few provisions in there, something like the contract becoming null and void if he goes back on his word."

Zee put her arms around his waist as she smiled up at him. "That could be arranged."

Sirius bent his head to kiss her deeply. "You don't need to start baking right this minute, do you?"

Zee chuckled against him. "Yes, I do. Go outside in the workshop and play with the bikes or something."

He kissed her again and sighed. "Fine, fine." He glanced up at the clock on the wall. "I'm excited for Harry about the Yule Ball tonight and everything, but I wish that he was home with us."

She smiled at him. "We'll have him home with us tomorrow."

He nodded and moved to put the kettle on. "I think I will go out and work on the Motosacoche for a bit. I'm going to make myself a tea first. You sure that you don't need any help in here?"

Zee smiled and shook her head. "I'm sure. Now, why don't you mirror-call Harry and make sure that they all saw the apologies from the paper?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

She watched him take his tea and wander off to do just that and she grinned to herself. Sirius wasn't the only one who was anxious for their boy to come home for Christmas, she thought. She clapped her hands together, shaking herself from her thoughts. Time to get to work; she had lots of Christmas baking to do.

 **After talking to Sirius, Harry immediately sought out a copy of the newspaper which he knew that Neville had a subscription to.** He opened it up to the page that Sirius had told him and he quickly read the apologies.

It wasn't much, but it did cover the basics: that the paper had been wrong and that Hermione was not his secret girlfriend nor did she use love potions or blackmail to get his or anyone else's attention; that Ginny was not his secret girlfriend nor was she using blackmail in an attempt to wrangle his money from him. The paper went on to say that they were sorry to have printed such gossip and promised to only print the truth in the future. He figured that it was acceptable enough. The one from Rita Skeeter left something to be desired, but it still made Harry feel a bit better to see it and he knew that Hermione felt the same.

Ginny still found the entire thing amusing, especially since they hadn't even gotten her name right the first time, but Harry thought she appreciated the apologies just the same.

He spent the morning and most of the afternoon involved in a snowball fight that soon encompassed most of the fourth years, a few third years and some of the fifth years, along with the entire Gryffindor Quidditch Team. They built forts to divide and conquer and were laughing as snowballs went flying in every direction.

Fred and George had even sent a few flying towards Remus when he was walking on the grounds. Everyone had slightly panicked thinking that they were all going to end up in detention when the snowball smacked Lupin right in the back of the head. But he had only chuckled and told them to have fun.

But Harry knew better.

Ten minutes later, a giant snowball had been enchanted to hover over Fred and George and their team. They tried to outrun it, but it simply crashed down on top of them, making Fred, George, Angelina, Lee, Alicia, and Katie, who had all been in the vicinity with the twins, look like abominable snow monsters. They had stared ahead, mouths open in shock as Remus had simply walked by whistling.

"Well, played, Professor," George said, shivering under the snow.

Remus had simply winked at him on his way back up to the castle.

The snow fight pretty much ended after that and the girls all took off to get ready for the ball. Harry, Ron and Neville headed inside to warm up themselves chatting about the ball and wondering if the rumours about the Weird Sisters performing that night were true.

Neville reassured Harry that he would be fine during the opening dance, but he only nodded. It wasn't the dancing that he was worried about so much as being the centre of attention and he was thankful again that Luna had been kind enough to agree to attend with him. Even if Sorcha hadn't taught him to dance during the summer, McGonagall's lessons over the last two weeks had been quite informative. He felt eyes on him, dragging him from his thoughts and turned to find the culprit the same pretty dark-haired girl who often seemed to be around him. She smiled and blushed before she looked away.

Harry watched her for a moment before he turned his attention back to his friends as Ron asked them who Hermione was taking for the umpteenth time.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You'll see tonight, Ron."

"I still think that she's lying. Poor girl, doesn't want me to know that she has no one to take her. I would have taken her, you know?"

Harry glared at him. "You sound like a right prat, you know that, right? What makes you think that no one would have asked her?"

"I didn't mean - "

" - to speak before you think? Yeah, you should work on that. Someone great is taking Hermione because he knows that she's beautiful and smart and he makes her smile. She deserves that and you should be her friend and be supportive," Harry said bluntly. "Because at the moment, you just sound like a jealous arse."

Ron ran his fingers through his hair. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Harry shrugged. "Don't apologize to me."

Ron only nodded as he followed his friend up to their dorm to shower and get ready. He knew that Harry was right, but he couldn't help but think about what Theodore Nott had said to him during the summer.

 _"_ _\- So you don't think that she's attractive and you don't want to snog her?"_

 _"_ _I didn't say that! I mean, of course she's beautiful, but she's Hermione and - "_

 _"_ _\- And you like her. Just saying, someone else is going to notice her soon and you're going to beat yourself up if you don't make a move first."_

Someone else had realized that she was beautiful and intelligent and he scowled at himself. It didn't matter, he thought bitterly, Hermione would never think of him as more than a friend anyway. But when he stepped into the shower, he found himself once more wondering what it would feel like to kiss her and when he imagined a faceless bloke leaning in to kiss her instead, he felt murderous.

Whoever this mystery bloke was, he had better treat her right, he thought. He would talk to her and apologize and then he would talk to the bloke too. He nodded to himself as he washed his hair; right, a plan. That was a good start. He heard Seamus say something from the shower stall next to him and he grinned.

He had his own date tonight and if he played his cards right, maybe Lavender would let him kiss her. That would definitely help him take his mind off of Hermione and her mystery date.

At least he hoped so.

 **Remus' mouth went slightly dry when he caught sight of his mate sneaking into the Great Hall at exactly five fifteen that evening.** She had done something different to her hair, he noticed, changing it from the usual bubblegum pink to a bright magenta with bubblegum highlights. It was longer in the front, dipping just past her chin in her natural soft curls, but short and choppy in the back revealing her slender neck. Her long dress was bright yellow satin, form fitting, long flowing sleeves and tied halter style around her neck with a deep revealing v just below her breasts almost to her navel and left her back completely bare. A thigh high slit was on the left side of her dress. She wore black heels that he knew she would stumble in all night, but made the glimpses of leg he could see through the slit in her dress look more incredible than usual.

His heartbeat dangled between her breasts and she wore long earrings in black and pink quartz and a matching choker at her neck. A black and pink bracelet adorned her wrist as well along with a matching ankle bracelet. She caught sight of him and smiled, her magenta lipstick matching her hair as she made her way over.

He took her hands in his just as she stumbled and he kissed her hand. "My lovely klutz."

Tonks grinned widely. "I have to wear heels if I'm going to dance with my Celtic giant."

He smiled, slipping an arm around her waist. "That dress is entirely too provocative for a school dance. You aren't even wearing a bra."

She smiled, looking down at the v cut that outlined the sides of her breasts down the middle. "The dress doesn't call for one."

McGonagall marched over to them in her deep green dress with a high neck and long sweeping sleeves. "Remus, Tonks," she said sternly, taking in Tonks' dress. "Miss Tonks, don't you think that that's a bit revealing? Let me seal up that slit in the side just a bit?"

Tonks only smiled. "Minerva, I'm hardly a student."

McGonagall nodded, but still gave her a disapproving look. "You look beautiful, I will admit, but I really think that thigh high slit is just a bit too much and the v-cut … you are at a school dance after all and - "

" - Minerva, I love it."

McGonagall sighed. "Fine, but you should be aware that internally I'm giving you detention."

Remus chuckled as they watched her march away. "Detention, eh? Naughty. I'll have to make sure that you're properly punished later."

She laughed and kissed his cheek before she reached out to straighten his tie. She had picked out Remus' clothes for him when he had protested about finding a new suit to wear. He wore a steel grey suit with a light blue and white pinstripe shirt and a wide bright yellow tie that was the exact shade of Tonks' dress. "You look smashing in this."

"The pants feel a bit tight in the rear," he admitted.

"Your bum looks fantastic."

He blushed. "Dora, I'm not looking to showcase my bum. This is my place of work. I need to be professional."

Tonks smiled. "Are they actually tight or just tighter than you normally wear?"

"The latter," he admitted.

Her smile widened. "You look very sexy, Professor. Now come on, let's go stand where we're supposed to before we dance. You'll have to lead me through this waltz."

He nodded and took her hand in his. "Come on; we're just over here. Harry will be opening the ball with the other champions."

"I know. He's so nervous," she said with a smile. "I'm glad that he's taking Luna. She's the right sort of friend he needs tonight to help get him through this."

"Exactly. Plus, it helped that Zee's mum taught him to dance this summer. He feels more confident about it. We'll be sitting at his table."

"Excellent," she said, putting her handbag down on the chair that Remus pointed out. "He's excited to come home for Christmas this year. His last letter was just full of it. Mum will be cooking on Christmas Day and then they are spending Boxing Day in Scotland with Zee's family. Sirius is becoming quite domesticated, is he not?"

Remus chuckled. "I suppose he is, but don't tell him that. It's hard to say no to Harry when he wants that family so badly and Sirius does too; he just doesn't want to admit it."

"Why, do you think?"

He sighed, his arm resting on her hip as he led her over to where they were supposed to stand for the Champions' arrival. "You and your parents are all that he has left, Nymphadora. Fee and Monty took him in and they doted on him and gave him a true family for the first time in his life and he lost both of them within weeks of each other. Then James and Lily died and then he lost Harry and he lost me when he went to prison … I think that he's more afraid of being hurt again than he wants to admit. I think that's his fear and not the commitment that we tease him over. To be honest, if he lost Zee right now … I don't know if he'd survive it. The fact that he finally asked her to move in with them is a good thing. For both him and Harry."

She nodded, smiling at him. "Zee is perfect for them. Too bad that they couldn't be here tonight to see Harry open the ball."

Remus smiled. "Special invite only, however, there will be some important Ministry officials here. And I asked Colin Creevey to make sure that he gets a lot of photos of Harry for myself and Sirius. He's photographing the event for the _Hogwarts Herald._ "

"Good. Did any of the other staff members invite dates?"

"Only a few of us; myself, Delta, Gideon, Aurora and Charity."

Tonks nodded as she looked around the Great Hall. "Anyone that we know?"

Remus shook his head. "No one that I've met before. Delta is bringing a friend from Italy, a fashion designer she said, I think his name is Leonardo? Gideon is bringing his boyfriend, Liam O'Kelly. I guess he's a journalist for an Irish newspaper and will be writing about the ball and the tournament. Aurora is bringing someone named Jones? I don't know if he's a significant other or a friend and I have no idea who he is otherwise. Charity is bringing her fiancé, a woman named LiMei Lee who actually works as the Ambassador to the Ministry of Magic in Hong Kong so I think that Dumbledore is pleased with that just because it opens us up even more to the whole promotion of international magical cooperation."

She smiled. "Fascinating. I don't know any of these people."

He chuckled. "Sorry, I sometimes forget. You know Aurora Sinistra and Charity Burbage. But Delta is the new professor for Life in the Magical World and Gideon teaches the new Muggle Studies class."

"Oh, right," Tonks said, smiling up at him. "I only ever had Sinistra for Astronomy, but those people all sound very interesting. Will they all be sitting with us?"

"No," he said, holding her hand. "McGonagall has arranged the special guests around the three main tables. We'll be with Harry and Krum and a few others." He let go of her hand, moving his hand to her waist and letting his fingers tighten on her hip. "So, are you going to keep looking for an excuse to avoid it and leave me in suspense all night?"

Tonks only smiled at him beneath her lashes. "Whatever do you mean?"

He smiled. "Dora, what did King say?"

Tonks smiled brightly. "He said that if I can close six more cases successfully I can write and perform my final A3 proficiency test at the end of March. If I pass, then I will be promoted to an A3 and given the official title of Special Auror Tonks."

Remus beamed at her and kissed her forehead. "I am so proud of you."

She grinned back at him. "I will pass it. I am determined to come out on top."

"And you will, my badass Special Auror," he told her, kissing her softly.

"I want it so badly, Remus."

He smiled. "You've been working hard for it and you deserve it, King knows that. I know that you can do this." He watched Flitwick and McGonagall move around some last minute decorations before he spoke again. "Come on; you get to look the part of stern chaperone now. The students are starting to arrive."

Tonks simply smiled at him, staying by his side with his arm possessively resting on her waist. "Now I'm going to know which ones fancy you."

He blushed. "No one would … you're being ridiculous."

She leaned into him. "I know how sexy my professor looks right now. I'll be keeping my eye on your delectable backside all night."

Remus let his gaze drop to v of her dress that exposed the sides of her small bra-less breasts. "I think it's me that needs to be worried."

Tonks grinned. "No need, love. You can peel me out of it later. Maybe under our Christmas tree."

Remus' heated gaze sent shivers down her spine. "That excuse of a dress is not going to be peeled off."

She pouted. "But under the tree would be fun!"

He lowered his head to nip gently at her earlobe. "Nymphadora, I want you wearing that dress when I take you and trust me, under the tree is only just going to be the start."

She blushed just as the doors opened and the first few students began to make their way into the hall. His arm stayed around her waist as he smiled at the incoming students, greeting them by name when they saw him and she knew that there was no place that she would rather be than by his side.

And later on, riding him under their tree, she thought with a grin.

 **Harry stood in his dormitory looking at himself in the tall mirror.** He had to admit, the deep forest green suit that Zee had picked out for him looked good. The white button-down shirt with the grey pinstripes and the dark navy tie seemed to tame the green down while still making him stand out. He wore a chestnut brown belt with matching brown oxfords. His black formal cloak tied around his shoulders. His hair was its usual mess, but he felt like he had finally learned to tame it somewhat to look casually messy in it's voluminous way. He added a bit of cologne before he turned to glance over at Ron.

Ron had the unfortunate luck to be wearing robes from the nineteenth century in a deep maroon colour with a cream coloured ruffled blouse. He glowered at himself in the mirror. "Why does Mum hate me?"

"She doesn't hate you," Harry said carefully. "And it's not that bad."

Ron turned to glare at his friend. "Not that bad? Harry, I look like I'm wearing a dress!"

Seamus laughed from behind them. "Er, I mean, no, you look fine."

Ron glowered again. "Lavender is going to hate it."

Seamus sighed and moved to stand in front of Ron. "Maybe we can fix it up so that it doesn't look quite so … old-fashioned?"

Harry grinned. "We can start by getting rid of the maroon." He whipped out his wand and said, "Colovaria!"

Ron's robes immediately shifted from maroon to black. "Brilliant! Thanks, Harry!"

Harry nodded, looking at him critically. "Wait. I can fix this."

He waved his wand again and said, "Diffindo," severing the lace edges. It still looked old, but the black and the lack of lace made him look more aristocratic and less like he had time travelled.

"That's the best that I can do, mate. I'm not a tailor."

Ron beamed at him. "It looks loads better, thanks, Harry!"

Harry smiled back. "You're welcome."

"Wait!" Seamus said, grabbing his own wand. "My mum uses this one all the time." He waved his wand around Ron's shirt and said, "Inalbesco!"

The cream colour of Ron's shirt became a pristine dazzling white as Seamus nodded in approval. He raised his wand again with a grin.

"Evanesco solutam linum!"

The loose threads of the lace that Harry had severed vanished making Ron's robes look smooth and clean cut. The black robes were old fashioned with a high collar and long tails, but with the lace gone and the maroon out, it looked much better.

"You actually look rather dashing, Ron," Seamus said with a grin. "And I did the charm correctly without destroying your robes, so point for me."

Harry chuckled at that statement. Seamus had improved a lot this year and was less prone to blowing things up, mostly, he thought with a grin.

Ron looked at himself in the mirror again, smiling widely. "Blimey, it looks completely different! Thanks Seamus!"

Seamus grinned at him. "You're welcome."

He was dressed in black robes himself with a bright royal blue bowtie and he had added a bit of gel to his hair to get it to stand up in a loose spiked fashion. Dean stepped out in his own black robes with a hot pink tie making them all grin.

"Parvati's dress is this colour and we wanted to match. You lot are just jealous because I can pull the pink off," Dean said with a smirk. "I like the green, Harry. It seems champion worthy."

Harry smiled at his friends as Neville came out of the bathroom in his navy suit, burgundy dress shirt and bright white tie with his hair carefully slicked and parted to the side. "Looking good, Nev."

He flushed. "Gran just sent me the shirt last week. Ginny said that she's wearing burgundy. Did you know that we're supposed to match our dates?"

Ron blanched. "We are?"

Harry chuckled. "Didn't you wonder why Lavender kept asking you about your dress robes?"

Ron shrugged. "Not really. But now that they aren't so awful, I guess that I feel bad for not making more of an effort to match her."

"What's she wearing?" Seamus asked, adjusting his tie.

"She said black and white?"

"Then you're golden," Dean said with a grin. "What about you, Harry? What's Luna wearing?"

"She actually asked about my robes since she didn't have any to wear when I invited her so I have no idea."

Neville smiled. "Knowing Luna it could be anything."

Harry grinned. "I know. She will definitely help make my opening waltz a bit better."

Dean nodded. "What about Will, Seam?"

Seamus grinned and touched his bowtie. "We got matching ties."

"Alright, you lot, let's go get our dates and maybe we can figure out who the hell Hermione is going with!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry rolled his eyes. He was really getting annoyed lately with the fact that Ron was convinced Hermione had said no to him out of spite and planned to spend the night of the Yule Ball alone in her room. He even wondered if he had detected a jealous undertone from his friend, but he thought that he might be imagining it. He had hoped his words earlier had hit home with Ron, but he honestly wasn't sure.

"She's going to have the time of her life. Wait until you see her date," he said with a grin, thinking of how many girls were going to be jealous when they found out that Hermione Granger was the girl to have stolen Viktor Krum.

Ron scowled at that and Harry thought that maybe he wasn't crazy, Ron was definitely jealous and he found that very interesting. He didn't say anything as the five of them made their way downstairs. Seamus and Harry left together to meet their dates down in the entrance hall as Ron, Neville and Dean waited for theirs in the Gryffindor common room.

Seamus was fidgeting with his sleeves and Harry smirked at him. "What?"

"You look nervous, mate."

Seamus shrugged. "I am a bit. I mean, I know that I've come clean about Will and all, but this is a dance and everyone will be there."

"And what?"

"Don't you think that people will care that I'm going with a bloke?"

Harry only scoffed at him. "No and if they do they are bigots so they can piss off. It's not like you're the only gay person in the school, Seam."

Seamus smiled at him. "Thanks, Harry. I sometimes think that everyone has the same views as my dad and well … you're right."

Harry smiled at him in reassurance as they made their way down into the entrance hall to wait for Luna and Will. Harry looked around at the other students and he nodded in surprise when he saw Cho, looking radiant in a white and gold dress, take Cedric's hand in hers. Harry saw that Roger Davies, a seventh year Ravenclaw, was lucky enough to be escorting Fleur to the ball and Viktor was dressed in his formal Durmstrang robes of blood red with an ocean blue rose over his heart as he shifted nervously at the bottom of the stairs. A few girls were staring at him and giggling.

Will came down the stairs in navy robes with a white shirt and his matching royal blue bowtie, grinning widely. He hurried right over to Seamus and kissed him earning a catcall from someone across the room.

Seamus smiled at him. "You look amazing."

"I can say the same," he said with a grin.

Seamus opened his hand to show Will the matching buttonhole that he had purchased for him. "I picked this out in Hogsmeade. It's a dendrobium orchid. I thought since we have matching bowties in this exact shade of blue that blue and white orchids would be nice." He flushed as he carefully placed the buttonhole over Will's heart.

Will smiled and kissed him. "It's gorgeous. Thank you."

Seamus beamed at him as Will adjusted Seamus' buttonhole and then he offered his arm which Seamus gladly took and the two of them made their way into the Great Hall.

Harry, who had made himself scarce to let his friend greet his date, smiled at Viktor. "Viktor," he said nodding in greeting.

Viktor nodded back. "Harry. Are you ready to valtz?"

"Not even a little," Harry said with a grimace. "But I suppose that we can all make fools of ourselves together."

Viktor nodded as Fleur made her way over to them with Roger on her arm.

"Bonjour Viktor, 'Arry. Comment ça va?"

Harry smiled kindly at her. "Bonjour, Fleur. Je vais bien. Vous avez l'air incroyable ce soir, votre rendez-vous est très chanceux."

Fleur beamed at him. "Tu parles très bien le français, 'Arry. I am impressed."

"Merci. My father taught me. I am decent, but not great," he said with a grin.

"More than decent," she said with a smile. "The effort is appreciated."

Harry smiled at Viktor. "I never learned Bulgarian I'm afraid."

Viktor chuckled. "Vat is okay. I am still learn English." He made to say something else but his eyes widened and Harry turned around to see what he was looking at.

The vision coming towards them in an ankle-length dress of ocean blue silk surprised him. If he hadn't known that it was Hermione, he wasn't sure that he would have recognized her immediately. Her dress tied around the neck with her mid back and up bare and as she walked down the grand steps in nude heels with a blue and silver stripes on the toe. Her usual rather bushy hair was pinned up off of her neck in some complicated twist that framed her face in soft curls. Her lashes were longer and she wore a blood-red colour on her lips the exact shade of her date's robes. Thin silver strips dangled from her ears and she wore a simple silver y necklace. She looked incredible.

"Her-mio-nee," Viktor said with a smile, taking three quick steps to her and kissing her hand, making her blush. "You look breath-ta-king."

She smiled at him. "You look wonderful too. I like the blue rose."

He kissed her hand again before he held his arm out to her, slipping a ruby red rose with a glittering jewel in the centre of the corsage, on her wrist. "Now ve match," he said, kissing her hand again.

She grinned wider and he led her over to the door of the hall where they were to wait to be announced into the hall.

Harry looked down at the wrist corsage that he had made for Luna. Not knowing what her dress looked like, he had tried to find something that made him think of his friend. He had chosen a wrist corsage with a pale blue ribbon tied to a shock-o'lat sunflower in a deep purplish mahogany after explaining to the florist about his date's personality. He saw a glimpse of red from the corner of his eye and turned, his eyes widening when he saw Ginny coming down the stairs on Neville's arm.

She was wearing a form fitting long sleeved off the shoulder dress with pointed sleeves that fell gracefully to the floor. Her gold heels peeked out from beneath it and her hair tumbled around her shoulders and down her back in careless fiery waves, pinned to the side with a gold Gryffindor lion clip. She wore a simple rose gold choker around her neck that Bill had bought her for her birthday and large rose gold hoops at her ears from Percy. He swallowed slowly when she smiled at him. She had grown up, he realized and he was suddenly incredibly jealous of the fact that Neville was taking this breathtaking beauty to the dance.

"Harry! You look rather dashing!" She saw the corsage in his hand and grinned. "Ooh, that's perfect for Luna! Wait until you see her dress. She looks amazing!"

Harry only nodded and watched as she and Neville disappeared behind the doors to the Great Hall. He couldn't believe that was Ginny, he thought. When had she grown up on him? Had she always been that beautiful? Had he just been too dense to notice? He swallowed slowly and closed his eyes.

 _It was Ginny._

She was his best friend and he had no business even thinking the thoughts that he was thinking. But a sudden image of assaulting those red lips, of his hand on the small of her waist as he pressed her against a wall shot a lick of lust through him that surprised and horrified him at the same time.

No, he thought, no, no, no. She was his friend. He wasn't going to ruin that. This ball was doing strange things to his mind. It was the formal wear, he insisted to himself, shoving the thoughts away. He was here with Luna, he thought. Where was Luna?

And then he saw her.

She seemed to float down the stairs in a long sleeved dress of dark charcoal grey. It was slim fitting and fell to the floor as her turquoise heels peeked out the bottom. It had a high neck with open shoulders and an open mid back, making the sleeves seem more like long gloves. A thick turquoise bedazzled sash worked as a belt at her waist and dangled down the left side of her dress. She wore chunks of dangling turquoise at her ears and her long pale blonde hair was braided around her head and then pinned up in bun that looked like a rose.

Harry took her hand when she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Luna, you look incredible," he said sincerely. "Absolutely beautiful."

She did look beautiful and just quirky enough to still be the girl that he knew. She had grown up on him as well, he realized, wondering when all of the girls he knew had turned into gorgeous women. Taking a page from Viktor's book, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, making her smile in surprise.

"I have something for you." He slipped the corsage onto her wrist.

"Oh, a sunflower!" Luna exclaimed with a smile. "Harry, that's my favourite flower!"

"I'm glad," he said with a grin. He offered his arm to her with a bright smile. "Are you ready to open the ball with me?"

"I am," she said with a smile. "We will dance like fairies on a mound!"

Harry grinned at her. "Thank you for coming with me, Luna."

"Thank you for asking me," she said sincerely.

Harry smiled at her as she accepted his arm and the two of them made their way to the entranceway to wait for their announcement. He fidgeted with his own buttonhole over his heart; he had gotten himself a sunflower to match Luna's and she smiled sympathetically at him.

"It will be fine, Harry. We only have to dance for two minutes before everyone else joins us."

"I know," he said. "Everyone looks great too. Ginny told me that I would be impressed with your dress. She was right. You really look great."

"Ginny helped me pick it out. She is excited to be going with Neville. She said that it will be nice to go with a friend, no pressure, and I quite agree. But I think Michael is disappointed anyway that he didn't ask her in time. Did you see her dress? I'm the one who suggested that she get gold heels. If she's going to look radiant in that shade of deep burgundy than she might as well add in some gold and go for a Gryffindor-ish tone," she explained with a smile.

"Yeah, I suppose. Michael wanted to take you?"

Luna shook her head. "No, his girlfriend silly."

Harry only shook his head in confusion. He had no idea who Michael was nor who his girlfriend was, but knowing Luna, he sometimes knew that it was better not to ask questions. He nodded at McGonagall as she hurried over to them.

"Champions, everyone is just settling in and then Dumbledore will announce you in. You will be entering in terms of your score. First will be Mr Krum with Miss Granger, then Mr Potter with Miss Lovegood, Mr Diggory with Miss Chang, and lastly Miss Delacour with Mr Davies; you will enter when your name is announced."

It was only a moment later before the doors opened and Dumbledore's voice could be heard.

"And now to announce our wonderful champions! I present Mr Viktor Krum from Durmstrang!"

Viktor and Hermione stepped into the Great Hall to polite applause.

"From Hogwarts, Mr Harry Potter!"

Harry kept Luna's arm tucked into his as they stepped through the doors into the winter wonderland that the Great Hall had been turned into and he blinked at the flash of the camera. Gone were the house tables and in their place were round tables of twelve surrounding a large dance floor. Tables numbers were assigned as groups had signed up their tables over the last two weeks with their heads of house. Icicles hung from the ceiling and everything was white and blue and silver from the ice statues to the tinsel and the silver and white trees. It was beautiful. He led Luna over to stand next to Viktor and Hermione as Cedric and Cho were called in, followed by Fleur and Roger.

"Your champions, ladies and gentlemen!" Dumbledore called out as the four champions and their partners got into position in each corner of the dance floor. "Our champions will lead us in a waltz!"

The room applauded once more and Flitwick led the orchestra into Tchaikovsky's Garland Waltz from _Sleeping Beauty_ and Harry carefully put his hand on Luna's waist, taking her hand in his.

Harry smiled at her and he felt reassured when she grinned back at him and then they began to dance and he knew that it would be alright. Luna was a graceful dancer and she let him lead happily, a soft smile on her dreamy face. When Dumbledore invited everyone else to join in, Harry let out a breath of relief and Luna chuckled.

"I for one thought that went swimmingly and there wasn't even any gnome saliva to make us dance too strangely."

"Er, right," Harry told her.

They moved seamlessly into the second dance, Strauss' _Blue Danube,_ and when the song ended, Dumbledore urged everyone to take their seats for dinner. Harry and Luna followed the other champions to the Head tables where they would be sitting with the staff and special guest Ministry members who were in attendance.

He looked around at all of the new people that filled the Great Hall. There were three large circular Head Tables of thirteen at the front of the dance floor. Harry and Luna were sitting at the large table on the right with Viktor and Hermione along with Remus, Tonks, Hagrid and to Harry's displeasure, Snape. Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore stood up, smiling brightly.

"Welcome! I welcome you all to this joyous Yule Ball as we spend this lovely evening together. As you can see, we are full of many guests and dignitaries tonight to help us celebrate not only the Triwizard Tournament, but to help celebrate the importance of international magical cooperation which is something that this tournament strives for. Bringing together three magic schools is not only about competition, but a chance to learn more about the countries that the students come from and about the people they are. I see many of you tonight have found dates with students from other schools, including two of our champions. I applaud you and I urge the rest of you to please, make friends. Let's show them our Hogwarts school spirit."

Applause broke out as Dumbledore smiled and raised his hands to speak once again. "I would like to introduce our very special guests to you now. When I call your name, please stand so that we may all welcome you to Hogwarts here tonight." He extended his arm to the main table that he was sitting at as he spoke. "Mr Ludo Bagman from the Department of Magical Games of Sports."

Loud applause met his announcement and he smiled jollily as he waved as Dumbledore continued.

"Mr Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic; Miss Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic; Madame Simone Richelieu, President of the Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France; Mr Chavdar Oblansk, the Bulgarian Minister of Magic; Mr Jericho Jones, from the International Confederation of Wizards; Lady Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Miss Katherine Thomas of the International Magical Office of Law; and of course you all know our own Professors Minerva McGonagall and Aurora Sinistra along with Madame Olympé Maxime of the Beauxbatons Academy and Professor Igor Karkaroff of the Durmstrang Institute."

Loud applause followed each name and Harry watched Tonks lean in towards Remus and hiss angrily. "How dare they bring that foul toad here after what she did!"

Remus simply locked his fingers with hers, bringing her hand to his lips. Harry knew his father could feel said foul toad's eyes on him, but he was pointedly ignoring her as Dumbledore continued his introductions.

"The table to my left, has Mss LiMei Lee, the Ambassador to the Hong Kong Mófǎ bù; Mr Liam O'Kelly, a journalist for the _Irish Prophet_ ; our own Hogwarts Champion Cedric Diggory and his date, Miss Cho Chang; the Beauxbatons Champion, Miss Fleur Delacour and her date Mr Roger Davies; Professors Sybill Trelawney, Charity Burbage, Filius Flitwick, Gideon Birmingham and Bathsheda Babbling along with our own Hogwarts librarian Madam Irma Pince and our caretaker Mr Argus Filch."

He smiled at the polite applause and slight coughs at the mentioning of the crabby caretaker's name.

"And lastly our table to the right includes Auror Nymphadora Tonks, an A2 in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Signore Leonardo Fanucci, Rome's famous fashion designer; Mr Percy Weasley, Junior Assistant to Mr Bartemius Crouch from the Department of International Magical Cooperation, who unfortunately could not be in attendance tonight; and of course our second Hogwarts Champion, Mr Harry Potter and his date, Miss Luna Lovegood; Durmstrang's Champion, Mr Viktor Krum and his date Miss Hermione Granger; and of course Professors Remus Lupin, Rubeus Hagrid, Delta Carthaginian, Septima Vector and Severus Snape along with our own school healer, Madam Poppy Pomfrey."

Loud applause once more erupted and Dumbledore smiled. "Tonight, we celebrate with this ball the beginning of Yule. We celebrate the accomplishments of our four champions in the First Task and we look forward to cheering them on in the Second Task at the end of February. The tournament is about discovering our own international magical cooperation; making new friends and discovering new places and new cultures. Tonight I urge you to mingle, to talk, and to learn about our new friends. Together, we can make the world a better place and it all starts with a friendly smile. Now, I urge you to order something delicious from the menu provided. Relax and enjoy because at exactly nine, I have the honour of announcing that our musical guests for the evening will be the Weird Sisters."

"You're shitting me!" Tonks hissed as the crowd cheered in excitement, earning a light smack on the arm from her mate and making Harry laugh. "You knew the whole time!"

Remus smiled at her, taking her hand to his lips and kissing her fingers. "Shush, love. I wanted to surprise you."

Tonks beamed at him. "I think I love you even more than I did five minutes ago."

He smiled and kissed her fingers again. "Behave yourself and maybe I'll waggle an introduction to the band from Dumbledore."

Her eyes widened to saucers as she whispered to him. "If you manage that, Remus Lupin, you are getting so lucky tonight."

He blushed and grinned at her as Dumbledore sat back down and Harry grinned across the table at Tonks. "Can you believe it?"

"No!" She said, her eyes wide. She turned and kissed Remus' cheek. "This is the best surprise ever!"

He smiled at her. "Good."

 **The food was delicious.** The menu had five different main course options and one could order as many of them as they wanted: beef, chicken, fish, vegetarian, or lamb. There were salads and vegetables and antipastos galore and Harry eagerly ate the delicious food as he chatted around the table.

Luna was a delightful date. She asked question after question to their table guests including questioning Viktor on his views about dragons and the mysterious mythical Jarvey and whether or not he might have seen one in Bulgaria. Remus and Tonks spoke mainly to Professor Carthaginian and her date Signore Fanucci about his job as a designer in Italy and what had brought him to Scotland, outside of Delta, who he in fact was engaged to.

The only downside to their table was Snape who seemed to be avoiding conversation with most of the table. Luna, however, decided that this wasn't right and pulled him into the conversation at every opportunity asking him about obscure potions and about whether or not he could invent his own potions about absolutely anything. By the time that dessert was served, Snape had even cracked a small smile at something Professor Vector had told him.

Harry couldn't stop himself from watching Hermione. He had been shocked when she had told him that she was attending the ball with Viktor Krum, but watching her with him was something else entirely. Viktor was incredibly attentive to her. When she spoke, he gave her his full attention and stared at her like every word out of her mouth was music to his ears. He tried to get her to eat more food and poured her white wine, water and pumpkin juice to drink and Harry had caught him kissing her hand twice. Hermione was smiling at him, her brown eyes beaming in happiness. It was nice to see her so happy, he thought.

When dessert was finished, Dumbledore stood up again, arms stretched wide to silence the hall.

"Now that we are all fed and watered, I would be honoured to introduce our musical talent for the evening. Drinks and snacks will be available at a table against the wall at the back for anyone who needs some more refreshments during the dancing. Now, I urge you all to get onto the dance floor and to enjoy yourselves. Hogwarts is proud to welcome, the Weird Sisters!"

The lights dimmed and brightly coloured lights illuminated on a stage that appeared in the middle of the dance floor. The music began to play and Luna grinned.

Harry smiled at her and jumped to his feet. "Shall we dance, Luna?"

She nodded, accepting his hand as Viktor and Hermione followed them along with Remus and Tonks and most of their table. Harry was much more comfortable with this kind of dancing then the formal waltz and he couldn't help but laugh as Luna shimmied, her arms moving in the air like she was trying to fly as the Weird Sisters sang asking them if they could dance like a hippogriff. He laughed when Seamus and Will came over to join them, Seamus wiggling his bum in an attempt to dance as Will grinned at him, shaking his head at his boyfriend's exuberant dancing skills.

When the music finally slowed down, Harry took Luna's hand to slow dance with her. He put her arms around his neck and placed his hands on her waist.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight, Luna. It means a lot."

Luna smiled up at him. "It's been a great deal of fun so far, so thank you."

He smiled. "And if there's another bloke who you would like to dance with, go. I won't be offended."

Luna nodded, a soft dreamy expression on her face. "I will dance wherever my feet take me."

He chuckled and when the song ended they headed to the refreshment table to get drinks before making their way over to where Ron, Lavender, Parvati and Dean were sitting at one of the tables.

"Hey, you lot," Harry said, sliding into an empty chair. "Why aren't you dancing?"

Dean grinned. "We were. We needed a breather."

Lavender crossed her arms in front of her chest. "This one won't dance."

Ron scowled at her. "I said not now, not that I wouldn't!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ron," he hissed, leaning into his friend. "Why aren't you dancing with your date?"

"Are you not seeing this?"

Harry frowned in confusion, following Ron's steely gaze across the dance floor to where Hermione was dancing and laughing between Viktor and his two friends Andrei and Dimo and two girls who he assumed were the other Durmstrang boys dates. She looked like she was having a wonderful time.

"Yeah, she's having fun. You should try it."

Ron glared at him. "Having fun? Harry, she's dancing with Krum! He's your competition!"

Harry merely raised an eyebrow. "So? He's a nice bloke and he likes her."

Lavender stood up now and tapped Ron on the shoulder. "You are coming to dance with me right now, Ron Weasley."

Ron looked at her in surprise and then yelped when she grabbed his arm and tugged him from his seat. "Okay, okay, ow! No need to yank so hard!"

Harry grinned as he watched Lavender drag him onto the dance floor and Ron reluctantly started to dance, but within a minute he was smiling and seemed to be having a good time. Dean and Parvati had also moved back to the dance floor.

Luna smiled at Harry. "Ron is being a bit unreasonable with Hermione, isn't he?"

He nodded. "Yes, but I hope he'll figure that out on his own. You want to dance some more?"

She shook her head. "I'm going to rest for a bit and I want to talk to Colin about the photos that he's been taking all night. He's really proud to be in charge of the photographs for tonight's event."

"Alright, that sounds fun."

Luna stood up and kissed his cheek. "Go dance. I'll come find you after."

Harry watched her go with a grin. Coming with Luna was definitely a great choice. He headed to the refreshment table to get something cold and found himself standing in front of Ludo Bagman.

"Harry!" He exclaimed cheerfully. "How's the Yule treating you?"

"Very well, thank you," Harry said.

Bagman grinned at him. "I'm still incredibly impressed with those flying skills you pulled off in the First Task! You should consider a professional career in the sport. You're quite good! I'd be happy to help get some scouts out here for you, you know, when you're old enough to consider playing."

"Wow, really?" Harry asked in surprise.

Bagman, nodded. "Of course! I know talent when I see it and if you're up for the hard work it entails, we recruit as young as sixteen if the talent is there."

"Wow," Harry said, grinning widely. "Would I still be able to stay in school and get my NEWTs like Viktor?"

"It would be a lot of work for you, but depending on the team, they would encourage it," Bagman said with smile. "One of my favourite tasks is finding new Quidditch blood. Listen, Harry, while I have you alone for a moment, have you been looking at your clue for the Second Task?"

"Oh, um, not really," he admitted, remembering the Golden Egg tucked away in his trunk.

Maybe he should bring it home tomorrow, he thought. If he had it at home he might motivate himself to open it again and try to figure out what that atrocious shrieking was.

"If you need any help with it, I'd be happy to drop a hint or two," Bagman said, interrupting his thoughts. "I said it before, you were thrown into this without your consent. Anything that I can do to make it a little easier on you is the least I can do!"

"Er, thanks, Mr Bagman, but I kind of think that I should do this one on my own. Are you helping Cedric too?"

Bagman looked uneasy for a moment. "Well, no, like I said, you didn't sign up for this … and I wanted to make sure that you aren't too nervous."

Harry smiled at him. "I appreciate your concern, but I think I've got this."

He nodded. "Well, if you change your mind, don't be afraid to ask."

Harry watched him walk away and he frowned. It was strange that Bagman kept offering to help him out when he wasn't helping any of the other Champions. He was pretty sure the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports was not supposed to be doing so, but then it dawned on him. Bagman was a gambling man and he'd bet anything that Bagman had bet on him winning this tournament. After all, he had said it himself, having The Boy Who Lived as a Hogwarts Champion was newsworthy and how much more newsworthy would it be if he won.

He grimaced. This tournament was more of a pain in the ass than anything, he thought.

He grinned when he saw Hermione wave him over and he hurried onto the dance floor, thoughts of Bagman's gambling far from his mind.

 **Draco watched Theo dance with Daphne Greengrass on the dance floor in amusement.** He was dancing around from partner to partner and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself for a bloke who couldn't find a date. Scratch that, Draco thought, who had found a date but said date had cancelled last minute. Theo was taking it in good stride though.

He had been set to attend with a fifth year named David something or other, but the bloke's grandfather had passed away and he had to go home, missing the ball entirely. Theo was understanding about it, but Draco knew that he was disappointed.

Ever since Snape had stepped in and called in Draco's mother and Lord Black to stop Thaddeus Nott from taking Theo home for his birthday, Theo seemed to be walking on air. He was happy and seemed more full of life than he usually was and as Draco watched his friend move to dance with a fiery redhead, he realized that a lot of it had to do with his growing friendship with Ginny Weasley.

Draco wasn't sure what he thought about her if he was honest. He knew that his father had been the culprit behind Weasley opening the Chamber of Secrets three years ago and despite Lucius not really knowing what the book was capable of, he was still guilty of the horror that had happened because of him. But Theo insisted that Ginny was beyond cool and she made him smile a lot. The fact that Theo had even spent some time at the Weasley residence that summer surprised him, but his friend was happy so he couldn't fault him for that even though the thought of going to the Weasley residence made him want to vomit.

He turned to smile at his own date. He had finally gotten up the courage to ask out Ophelia Rowle and smiled at her as she tugged him back onto the dance floor. She was beautiful with her dark hair and bright blue eyes. She always had a smile and she was intelligent and unlike Pansy, didn't seem to have the intention of trying to get him to marry her at the tender age of fourteen.

"Come on, Draco; at least try to pretend that you're having fun with me," she teased, taking his hands and moving his arms back and forth to urge him to dance. "Shake those hips a little."

Theo came up behind him, placing his hands on Draco's hips and shifting his body from side to side. "Yeah, come on, Draco; shake that booty!"

Draco elbowed his friend who grinned and turned Ophelia in a circle. "Hey, leave my date alone."

Theo grinned. "Just showing her how a real man dances."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'll show you how a real man dances," he said in annoyance, tugging Ophelia close to him. He placed a hand on her lower back, took her hand in his and spun her out and into him flawlessly and she gasped.

"You're full of surprises!" And then to his surprise, she tugged his face down to hers and kissed him softly. "Spin me again."

Theo winked at him as he danced off into the crowd and Draco did as Ophelia asked, unable to keep from smiling. Tonight was definitely exactly what he needed.

 **Seamus couldn't imagine feeling any happier than he did at this moment.** He was dancing with Will, their arms around each other as they slow danced and he was grinning widely.

"Did I tell you how good you look in that suit?" Seamus asked him, tilting his head back to look up at his boyfriend.

Will smiled and bent his head to kiss him softly. "Not nearly as good as you do in yours."

"You two are adorably disgusting," Parvati said with a smirk as she and Dean danced next to them. "Go be disgustingly happy somewhere else."

Seamus laughed. "You go be disgustingly happy somewhere else."

Parvati winked at him. "Alright, we'll be disgustingly happy together," she said, standing on her toes to kiss Dean.

Will bent his head again and kissed Seamus. "It's almost midnight. You want to get out of here?"

"Get out of here?"

Will smiled, leaning down to whisper in his boyfriend's ear. "I was thinking you could take me to your bed."

Seamus' mouth went dry as he nodded. "I'd like that."

Will grinned as he spun Seamus out and back into him. "Lead the way, Mr Finnigan."

Seamus couldn't stop smiling as he danced with his boyfriend out of the Great Hall, both whistling happily.

 **Harry caught Ginny in a dance as Seamus and Will left the dance floor.** The song had changed to a slow one and he placed his hands on her waist and held her close.

"I finally caught you for a dance."

She smiled at him, her fiery red hair sparkling in the candlelight. "You did. Neville is a wonderful dancer."

"I can see that," he said with a smile. He had seen that, he thought. He had spent a good portion of his evening watching his friend twirl her around the dance floor; watching her big curls bouncing along her back; and watching her soft lips turn into a laugh at something that Neville had said to her. "You look beautiful, Gin."

Ginny blushed. "You don't look so bad yourself, Mr Potter. We clean up nice, don't we?"

"That we do," he said, inhaling a whiff of her distinctly floral scent.

"So, has my brother stopped being a prat yet?"

"Why do you say that?"

Ginny shrugged, turning and her breasts brushed Harry's arm. "He's obviously jealous. Does he know that he likes Hermione as more than just a friend?"

"I couldn't tell you," Harry told her, his eyes moving down the form fitting dress. It was just the formal wear, he told himself. She looked too grown up like this and too beautiful to be his Ginny. When had he started to think of her as his, he wondered, scowling at himself. "And I'm not completely sure he does, I think he just … I have no idea."

Ginny smiled and it made his skin pimple in gooseflesh as his stomach did a small flip-flop. "Should be interesting to watch him figure it out."

"Yeah," Harry said with a grin.

His eyes were on her soft lips and he wondered what she would do if he just lowered his head and kissed her. Would she hate him? Would she even let him? Would she hex him? Or would she kiss him back? He licked his own lips in anticipation, imagining how good it would feel to press his lips to hers and then he heard someone call her name breaking his thoughts.

Ginny tugged herself away from him, turning to the person who called her name and Harry's eyes widened in surprise when she let herself be caught up into a dance with Michael Corner.

And then to Harry's horror, Michael bent his head and kissed her.

And all Harry saw was green.

Someone grabbed his hand and he found himself looking down at Luna.

"Did you see that? Luna, Corner just stuck his tongue down Ginny's throat! She's going to hex his balls off!"

Luna chuckled and carefully led Harry away from the snogging couple and into a dance. "I rather doubt it since they've been snogging non stop for about a month now."

Harry's eyes widened. " _Excuse me_?"

Luna grinned. "I told you earlier, Harry. Michael wanted to take her, but she had already agreed to go with Neville before she and Michael had their first date. He was really nice about it too."

"She's been snogging - _him_?"

Luna nodded. "Her boyfriend, yes. Don't get all overprotective, Harry, or she'll hex you."

He scowled slightly, knowing that Luna was right. Of course she had a boyfriend, he thought. Hadn't he just been thinking that she had grown into a beautiful young woman? And he had almost … he cursed himself.

Ginny was his friend. His best friend and he wasn't going to ruin that by acting on something like this. It was just the formal wear, he told himself. Once he saw her in the New Year in her school uniform it would be like before, he thought.

Feeling better about himself, he turned to smile at Luna when he caught Ron marching out into the Great Hall after a distraught Hermione and he dropped her hands.

"Luna, I have to go."

Luna's gaze followed his and she nodded. "I'll go keep Neville company. Good luck stopping that explosion from going off."

He grinned at her and hurried off, catching the tail end of the argument and visibly wincing. He had thought that he had managed to curve Ron's attitude, but obviously he hadn't been very successful on that front.

"Do you even know what you're doing, Mione? You are fraternizing with the enemy! How can you do this to Harry? To Hogwarts?"

Hermione scoffed. "Professor Dumbledore just spent five minutes opening the ball with the importance of promoting international relations and you can say that to me?"

Ron merely let his eyes travel down her body and back up. "Well, if you're going to dress up like some tart and whore yourself out to the enemy, what else do you need me to say?"

Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock as tears filled her eyes. "You bloody arse! How dare you call me a whore!"

" - no, I - " he said quickly, realizing what had escaped his lips. "Mione, I didn't mean it like that!"

"I think you made your thoughts pretty damn clear, Ronald!"

Harry stepped forward into the entrance hall and saw that Ron's face was bright red and Hermione was equally as flushed and on the verge of tears. He threw a quick privacy charm up around his friends as he made his way over to them. Ron looked beyond livid and Hermione looked crushed.

"Hey," he said easily as Hermione turned around and glared at him.

"Do you have something to say to me as well? Do you also think that I'm a traitor? That Viktor is only using me to pull one over on you? That I'm just whoring myself to fraternize with the enemy?"

"Mione, you know that I don't," Harry said quickly. "Ignore Ron. Don't let him ruin your night."

" _Ruin her night_?" Ron exclaimed angrily. "Ruin her night? Harry, do you see her? She's dressed up like a tart and getting close to the enemy!"

Harry grabbed Hermione before she could run off, glaring at Ron. "Viktor's not our enemy, Ron, and you don't mean that. Hermione looks incredible and you know it."

He blushed. "I didn't - I mean, I … "

Hermione tugged her arm from Harry's grip and ran out the front doors of the castle. Harry glared at his friend.

"What is wrong with you? I think that it's great about her and Viktor. He's a nice bloke and she looks beautiful! You have no right to call her a tart or a whore or to treat her the way that you are currently treating her. It's not her fault that you're a jealous git!"

"I'm not jealous!"

Harry only stared him down. "You are! You should be ashamed of yourself! Now go find Lavender and apologize to her for being a shitty date. I'll find Hermione."

Ron shook his head, his face pale. "No, I'll find her. You're right, Harry, I ... I'm being a git."

"A jealous git."

Ron chose to ignore the last part, running his fingers through his red hair. "Tell Lavender ... I'll be back. I need to make this right or I'll never forgive myself."

Harry only nodded and watched his friend run out the front of the castle to find Hermione.

 **Ron ran outside where the winter wonderland theme continued.** The front courtyard had been transformed with a warming charm that extended around the outside area. Ice sculptures were around the edges and plush arm chairs and sofas were situated under the stars and the dancing candlelight illuminated the courtyard. He looked around helplessly and then he saw the hint of ocean blue on the left side and he made his way over there.

"Mione?"

"Go away, Ronald!"

His shoulders slumped in defeat. "Not until you listen to me."

Hermione wiped tears from her eyes, turning to glare at him. "Ever since I told you that I already had a date tonight you've been treating me like I have some contagious disease! I'm sick of it! What did I do to deserve this? I am not dressed like a tart! And I am definitely not whoring myself or consorting with the enemy! How dare you even say such things to me?"

He sighed. "I know. I ... I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it. Of course, you would never …" He dragged his fingers through his hair. "I guess I just ... I was surprised. You ... I took you for granted. I assumed that you would always be around and that was unfair of me. Harry's right, I am a git. I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry. You're beautiful."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.

He smiled at her. "You're my best friend, you have to forgive me."

Her mouth dipped a little before she caught herself. "I don't _have_ to do anything. You hurt me, Ron!"

"I know, I'm so sorry. Do you want to hit me or hex me? Or both. You can. I deserve it. Just please don't shut me out. You're my best friend and I can't … I can't lose you. I didn't mean any of it, I'm sorry, Mione. Go on, hex me."

"Don't tempt me," she said steely.

He grinned and extended his hand to her. "Come back inside. Dance with me and then maybe you can introduce me to your Krum?"

She smiled at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "Really?"

Ron nodded, his blue eyes on hers. "Please? I'm so sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean any of it. Not a single word and I know that you have every right to hate me for what I said and I can't fault you for it, but please … I'm sorry. I'm rubbish at apologies and all I seem to do is shove my foot further into my mouth, but I am, sorry, that is. Come dance with me. Let me make it up to you."

Hermione stared at him. The fact that Ron was here grovelling for an apology told her exactly how bad he felt. It took a lot to get Ron to apologize for anything and she knew that and she could see the sincerity in his eyes. He had called her beautiful, she thought, still surprised by his outburst.

"That would be nice, Ron, thank you."

She placed her hand in Ron's outstretched one just as a loud bang made her jump. Ron tugged her towards him as he stepped in front of her, his wand out and eyes wide as he suddenly saw what the sound had been.

Something was blocking the doorway to the Hogwarts bridge; leading directly onto the cobblestone path to Hogsmeade. At first, Ron thought that it was a cave in of some kind, but when he moved closer he realized that it was none of the sort. The smell alone should have alerted him to something being wrong, but he was too horrified to look away and when he realized what it was he turned and grabbed Hermione, burying her face in his chest so that she wouldn't see it.

"Get Dumbledore. Now."

"What is it, Ron?" Hermione asked, trying to sneak a look behind him, but even in her heels, he was much too tall.

Ron gripped her chin tightly in his fingers. "Trust me, Mione, you _don't - want - to - see - this._ Get Dumbledore, now!"

She only nodded and hurried towards the castle without a backwards glance. Ron cast a spell to build a wall up the way that he had learned from the twins that summer in their attempts to hide their inventions from their mum. The wall blocked the entrance from everyone's view except him. He could still see it.

He tried to look away, but he found himself incapable of it.

There was the figure of a man hanging upside down from the front archway, his arms and legs spread wide, chains holding him in place between the archway. The figure had been skinned alive in what looked like long thin strips. His hair was shaved off of his head and his left eye was dangling from its socket. The soles of his feet looked like they had been set on fire multiple times or roasted over an open flame. The only part of his body that hadn't been flayed alive was his chest which had been sliced open instead with the symbol of the Dark Mark glowing an eerie green from where it had been carved into the cavity of his chest. From the amount of blood surrounding the wound, it looked like he had been very much alive while it happened.

The body itself was mutilated as if he had been tortured beyond recognition, but the face had been left largely intact outside of the left eye, untouched in it's flawless look of horror. The pencil-thin moustache stained in blood and bile as the wide life-less eyes stared straight ahead.

Bartemius Crouch hadn't died gently.

Ron fought back his urge to vomit. The figure was still oozing blood and bile and when Ron managed to tear his gaze away from the face, they drifted down the man's naked legs and he realized that the man's penis had been split down the centre and sliced like the legs of an octopus; his testicles were gone completely, or so he thought, until he noticed that they had been shoved into the man's mouth.

The message beneath his body written in bright burning flames on the cobblestones sent a chill down his spine:

 _He is only the beginning._

 _The Dark Lord will rise again._

 _And he will bring an end to all who do not stand with him._

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _I know, very dark! I wanted it to be very dark and very disturbing on every level and I think I managed that. I made up random spells for this chapter. Seamus always gets a bad rep because his movie counterpart often blew things up, I'd like to somewhat remedy that. I think he would have picked up on some skills from his mother so here we go!_

 _Inalbesco = dazzling white_

 _Evanesco solutam linum = vanish loose threads_

 _(French) Bonjour Viktor, 'Arry. Comment ça va? = Hello Viktor, Harry, how are you?_

 _(French) Bonjour, Fleur. Je vais bien. Vous avez l'air incroyable ce soir, votre rendez-vous est très chanceux. = Hello Fleur, I am good. You look incredible tonight. Your date is very lucky._

 _(French) Tu parles très bien le français, 'Arry = You speak French very well, Harry_

 _(French) Merci = thank you_

 _(Chinese) Mófǎ bù = Ministry of Magic_

 _As to the Yule Ball itself, I felt like there should be some important people in attendance at the Yule Ball so I made up some names - also I wanted Tonks to be Remus' date and thought some of the other professors should have the option of bringing guests and decided to randomly select people. Based on the age of the professors, I chose Burbage, Carthaginian, Sinistra, and Lupin. Then I was thinking that if Fudge attends, why shouldn't the Ministers of the French and Bulgarian Ministries also be in attendance since their respective schools are being represented? And yes, Umbridge would attend because Fudge attends. I just made up some names and some interesting positions for the other important people._

 _This is about magical cooperation so let's get some._

 _Head Table organization:_

 _Table One:_

 _1\. Albus Dumbledore_

 _2\. Minerva McGonagall_

 _3\. Madame Maxime_

 _4\. Igor Karkaroff_

 _5\. Ludo Bagman_

 _6\. Cornelius Fudge_

 _7\. Dolores Umbridge_

 _8\. Simonne Richelieu_

 _9\. Chavdar Oblansk_

 _10\. Aurora Sinistra_

 _11\. Jericho Jones_

 _12\. Amelia Bones_

 _13\. Katherine Thomas_

 _Table Two:_

 _1\. Cedric Diggory_

 _2\. Cho Chang_

 _3\. Fleur Delacour_

 _4\. Roger Davies_

 _5\. Sybill Trelawney_

 _6\. Charity Burbage_

 _7\. LiMei Lee_

 _8\. Gideon Birmingham_

 _9\. Liam O'Kelly_

 _10\. Irma Pince_

 _11\. Argus Filch_

 _12\. Filius Flitwick_

 _13\. Bathsheda Babbling_

 _Table Three:_

 _1\. Harry Potter_

 _2\. Luna Lovegood_

 _3\. Viktor Krum_

 _4\. Hermione Granger_

 _5\. Remus Lupin_

 _6\. Nymphadora Tonks_

 _7\. Rubeus Hagrid_

 _8\. Delta Carthaginian_

 _9\. Leonardo Fanucci_

 _10\. Septima Vector_

 _11\. Percy Weasley_

 _12\. Severus Snape_

 _13\. Poppy Pomfrey_

 _Thank you as always and please review :D_


	168. Chapter 168

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer some reviews: It was ugly and I wanted Ron to be the good guy there for a minute and stop Hermione from seeing it, especially because he was such a jerk to her! As to the Bolton reference, very true, but I think Ramsey might have been kinder LOL. I like to think that the Daily Prophet would be kept on a better leash so to speak because there's no way that Sirius is going to take that lying down. He wants to do what is needed to protect not only Harry, but himself and his family. Harry has noticed Ginny, but he's a little slow and a bit in denial about his feelings. Anyone that knows me, I am a HUGE Joss Whedon fan, especially Buffy the Vampire Slayer and there's an episode in season three where Xander and Willow kiss and they joke that it's because of the formal wear - I was thinking along the same lines here. Where did I get that gruesome scene? From the disturbing depths of my imagination; seriously sometimes my mind goes to a dark place and you don't want to be in there lol. I just thought that I would try to imagine the worst way someone could be tortured and well, i.e. the end of chapter 167 was the result of it. I love that Luna is a sunflower all the time, it is a very apt description for her! As to the sound Ron and Hermione heard, it was a spell locking the upside down body into place in the archway with a loud bang. Yes, Death Eater activities will be much more gruesome then in canon. I'm trying to keep you on your toes for sure, purplevictory! Thank you for the slight notice of my LGBT representation. I just want to subtly show that love is love and it doesn't matter. I really love writing Theo and Seamus stuff too, especially Theo. I am sorry that I have spoiled anyone's ability to eat a hotdog for a while, sorry-not-sorry, but it was unintentional. Steel, I hope there is a lot of things in this story that you never see in real life, but that last scene, most definitely hope not for many, many reasons!_

 _To Toghgal, I know you are not caught up to this chapter yet, but the review left on chapter 141: "Holy good god almighty! What is happening! I feel like you're standing in the background going, 'are you not entertained!?'" - this just made my entire day HAHA so thank you!_

 _Thanks to Moony the Sheep for a little help here!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-EIGHT:**

 **Harry watched Ron hurry out of the castle and he shook his head.** He wanted to let them work it out themselves, but he also was worried that Ron might mess it up. He had warned him earlier that he needed to think before he spoke aloud.

He turned to head back into the Great Hall to let Luna know what had happened and to tell Lavender where her own date had disappeared too, but it was Viktor who blocked his path.

"Viktor hi," Harry said brightly.

Viktor only stared at him. "Vhere is Her-mio-nee?"

"She's outside with Ron. They got into a bit of an argument so they're working that out, but I'm sure that they'll be right back."

Viktor only nodded. "Va redhead voo is mad at her vor coming vith me?"

Harry hesitated and then nodded. "Yes."

He didn't look happy about this, but he didn't say anything. He turned when someone called his name and he nodded at the blonde man who rushed over.

"Viktor! Come on, so many girls to dance vith!" He said with a smirk. "Anyanka and Daniella are vaiting!"

Viktor smiled. "I have a girl to dance vith. I vait vor her. You dance vith vem. Harry, you remember Dimo Radkov, Dimo, Harry Potter."

Dimo extended his hand with a grin. "Zdraveĭte! Enjoying yourself?"

"I am, yes," Harry said with a grin. "You?"

Dimo nodded. "Da, it is very vunderful." He turned back to Viktor. "Andrei and I have been looking vor you. Vhere has your beautiful date disappeared to?"

"She vill be back," Viktor said tersely. He said something in Bulgarian that had Dimo raising his eyebrow.

"Da?"

Viktor nodded.

Harry only glanced between the two curiously. He was going to ask what they were saying, but he was distracted by the image of Hermione running into the entranceway, her eyes wide.

"Harry!"

He ran to her. "Hey, what is it? Ron didn't say something even stupider, did he?"

She shook her head. "He didn't let me see … but there's something bad ... Harry, I think … I think that someone's dead. We need Dumbledore."

"Moyata brilyantna zhena, dobre li si?" Viktor shook his head and repeated his question in English. "Are you alvight?"

Hermione turned and ran into Viktor's arms, sighing when his strong arms came around her and he kissed her cheek. "I'm okay. I promise." She kissed his cheek in turn and smiled at Dimo.

"Dimo, zdraveĭte!"

"You are learning vell, Mione."

"Blagodarya," she said carefully and not very well, making Viktor smile.

Harry nodded at them, a little impressed that his friend was making an effort to learn a few Bulgarian words. "Hermione, get Dumbledore and whoever he's with. I'm going to find Ron."

He turned and hurried outside into the courtyard before anyone could stop him. He could see his friend staring in horror at the entrance to the bridge which was now covered with a large wooden wall.

"Mate?"

Ron only shook his head. He was deathly pale making every freckle seem to stand out bold against his pale skin. "I used that wall charm that George showed me to block …"

"What is it, Ron?"

"I - I think it's Mr Crouch," he whispered, his blue eyes wide.

"You _think_?"

Ron let out a slow breath. He was doing his best not to vomit, but the coppery smell of blood was still in the air around them and knowing that the mutilated body lay just beyond the wall made it hard for him to think straight. "I - I think that I recognized part of his moustache, but I'm ... I'm not sure," he admitted swallowing slowly. "He's dead, Harry."

Harry put his hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezed gently. "I'm sorry that you had to find him."

"So am I."

They both turned at the sound of Snape's oily voice. "Potter, Weasley! What's the meaning of that wall blocking the entrance to the bridge?"

Harry kept his hand on his friend's shoulder in support as Snape and Dumbledore stopped in front of them.

"Mr Weasley?" Dumbledore said quietly, ignoring Snape's demands. "You wished to see me?"

The sound of the headmaster's voice seemed to be what he was waiting for. Ron whirled around, his eyes on the two professors before he promptly vomited on Snape's shoes.

"Weasley!" Snape bellowed in rage.

Ron wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I ... I think it's Mr Crouch, sir." Snape raised an eyebrow as Ron pointed his wand at the wall that he had erected and said, "Finite Incantatem."

His wall went down and the figure appeared again making Dumbledore gasp as Snape merely stared ahead, his eyes carefully blank as they looked up on the spread-eagled corpse hanging upside down within the archway.

Harry's eyes fell on the body and his own gut churned. How could anyone do that to another human being? This was torture unlike anything that he could ever have imagined. He tried to look away, but his eyes only stared on and when he saw what was between Crouch's legs, he too bent over and vomited all over the ground. He was grateful to his friend when Ron put an arm around his waist and turned him away from the horrific image before him.

Dumbledore immediately erected a privacy charm around the entire courtyard, locking the doors to the Castle. "Both of you wait over there please," Dumbledore said quietly.

Harry only nodded, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he and Ron moved away and Snape and Dumbledore approached the body. The fiery message was still glowing on the cobblestones. Harry watched as Snape erected a barrier around himself and Dumbledore and they couldn't see them anymore.

Harry let out a slow breath. "Well."

Ron only nodded, wiping his own mouth. "Harry ... he was alive when they did that to him."

Harry nodded, his eyes dark. "I know."

"What did that message mean? _'He is only the beginning. The Dark Lord will rise again. And he will bring an end to all who do not stand with him.'_ We know that he's not back yet, right?"

"Right," he said, reassuring his friend and himself. "He needs me for that. Or he wants me for that."

Ron only nodded. "Right."

Neither of them found that very assuring.

"It wasn't Voldemort who did this. He couldn't have, not yet. What could Crouch have done to warrant that from Voldemort? I know that he put a lot of Death Eaters away in Azkaban years ago but … that was beyond personal. Someone _hated_ him, Ron."

Ron nodded, his blue eyes extra bright against his pale skin. "I'll say. If someone had done that to me … I would have told them anything that they needed to know."

Harry stared at his friend for a moment. "I don't know if I could have withstood that either," he said honestly, remembering the torture that Pettigrew had been subjected to before he had agreed to becoming a Death Eater.

They both turned their attention to where Snape and Dumbledore were both examining the body and speaking quietly.

Dumbledore stared at the mangled corpse of the man before him. He had been a good man, he thought. He had his ups and downs and like any other man he had made his fair share of mistakes, but he most certainly hadn't deserved this, he thought sadly. He sent a Patronus to Sirius, asking him to come to the bridge quietly, immediately, and alone.

Snape only raised an eyebrow at his message. "Why Black? He's not an Auror."

"No, he's not, but he is aware of what's happening. Severus, you came to me many years ago and asked for my help, for my protection against Voldemort. You became my spy then."

"I remember," he said bitterly. "You still think that I'm your spy as you have me watching Karkaroff."

"And he has done a few suspicious things, has he not?"

Snape shrugged. "He's slippery and he wants his champion to win, but if you're asking me if he did this, I can guarantee you that he did not. He would never have had the stomach for it. This took days, if not weeks. Whoever did this ... they kept him alive … intentionally. I'm guessing that he knew something or they thought that he knew something. But this wasn't Karkaroff."

Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes full of steel. "No, this wasn't Igor."

"You've started the Order again," Snape said quietly. "You know that he's close to returning and you want to be prepared."

"Let's just say that this time around we're going to be ready for him. Can I depend on you, Severus? When he calls you to him, whose side will you truly be on?"

Snape's eyes flashed in anger. "You know that I'm on your side, Albus. I could never return to him after he ... I know that I made mistakes."

Dumbledore nodded. He stared at Snape for a long moment as if he was contemplating something before he spoke. "Tell Sirius what happened here and then bring him down to your office. It's time for the two of you to make amends. He knows about your past, Severus, and you know what he lost. Work it out. I think that it's time for the Phoenix to rise again and this time, I want to line up all of the willing soldiers that I can find, but I need them to trust each other. Harry and Ron will be waiting for you both as well. Find out what they know. I'm going to get Amelia and Auror Tonks to deal with this … atrocity."

Snape watched Dumbledore go around the wards that he had erected to approach Harry and Ron just as he saw Sirius Apparate onto the bridge and make his way onto the Hogwarts grounds. He tried not to snarl as Sirius approached and he watched Black's eyes narrow and widen at the sight before him.

"Holy flying fuck!" He exclaimed, eyes wide.

Snape only nodded. "Potter and Weasley discovered the body. It's Barty Crouch."

Sirius swallowed and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Of course they were the ones to bloody well find him. Are they alright?"

"Seem to be. Dumbledore was bringing them down to my office to wait for us."

Sirius' eyes met his. "Why your office? Where is Dumbledore?"

"He's getting Amelia Bones and Auror Tonks to deal with this mess since they are the only members of the DMLE in attendance at the ball tonight."

Sirius nodded, his eyes moving to the fiery message and the Dark Mark carved into his chest. "This is incredibly violent. This isn't just a warning about Voldemort's inevitable return, this was personal to Crouch."

"I'll say," Snape said carefully. "They shoved his own balls down his throat."

Sirius visibly winced and his gaze fell to look between his legs and he paled at what he saw there, covering his own crotch with his hand. "Merciful Zeus! They split his …"

Snape only nodded, his own face pale. "Yes."

Sirius closed his eyes as if he was trying not to see it. When he looked over at Snape, the man was staring at him. "Why did Dumbledore ask you to wait for me? Why are the boys going to your office? Has Arthur been called?"

"I honestly couldn't say. But Dumbledore asked me to wait for you because he thinks that we need to work together and as much as I hate the idea and would rather stick burning hot pokers in my eyes - "

" - that can be arranged," Sirius interjected.

Snape ignored him and kept talking, " - I think Dumbledore has a point. This is a warning about the Dark Lord's imminent return, but there have been signs over the last year that things are coming into play. Obviously Dumbledore trusts you and you obviously know more than you've let on. What do you know about the Dark Lord's return?"

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Snape in curiosity. "And I should tell the former Death Eater, who is the main reason why my best friends are dead, this because …?"

Snape pushed up the left sleeve of his dress robes. "Because for months now this has been steadily turning darker."

Sirius' eyes locked onto the Dark Mark tattoo on Snape's forearm. It looked like a burn with blackened edges and it seemed to shimmer before him. Remus had told him that Snape had approached him about the tattoo and he knew that his friend was leaning towards trusting Snape. But that didn't mean that he had to be on the same page.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"When he fell that night at the Potter's, my entire tattoo turned pale pink," Snape said quietly. "Since about this time last year, it has started to tingle and to occasionally hurt on a regular basis for the first time in thirteen years. He's getting stronger, Black, and I want to know what you know about it."

"And why should I tell anyone who bears that mark anything that I might know? You were his bloody servant! You're the reason that James and Lily Potter are dead; the reason that he went after them and after Harry to begin with!"

Snape simply pursed his lips and closed his eyes. "Because Merlin help me, Black, you need a spy on the inside and we both know that I'm all you've bloody well got."

Sirius only stared at him for a long moment. The fact that his words rang true didn't make him feel any better. Snape had proved himself slightly over the last few years, he'd admit to that. Signing the petition for Remus had been a huge step up the ladder for him. They both knew what he had done during the war; who he had hurt and how he had tried to make amends. After he had learned how Snape had turned spy because of the prophecy he had been angry, but he had also come to realize that Snape regretted his choices. Remus trusted him and Sirius trusted Remus, but that didn't mean that he had to like it.

The fact that he did trust the git standing before him made him feel a little uneasy and the fact that he was right, only made him feel more so. They did need a spy on the inside, especially if they were going to find out what the Horcrux inside of Hogwarts was.

Sirius let out a slow sigh. "And you're standing here, telling me that you are willing to risk your life to play spy to both sides again? Why?"

"Yes. I know that I made mistakes and I regret them every day," Snape said carefully. "I know what role I played in the Dark Lord targeting Lily. I know her blood is on my hands and if you think that I don't regret that every single day of my life … if this is the only way that I can truly attempt to make amends for what I did to her … to help protect her son against the dark wizard who took her life … then yes, I am willing to play spy to both sides again."

Sirius stared at him in surprise and he snorted. "Regret is good, Snape, but we both know that the only reason you are not locked away in Azkaban right now is because Dumbledore has kept your secret for thirteen years."

"You need me, Black, and Dumbledore knows it or he wouldn't have asked me to talk to you nor would he have kept my secret all these years. If I was truly a danger, he would not be letting me teach at this school. You need my help. Admit it."

Sirius only stared at him. "First, I want to see my son."

Snape looked like he was going to protest, but he nodded and turned, his robes bat-like as they billowed out behind him and he led Sirius down to the dungeons, neither of them speaking another word to the other.

 **Hermione let Viktor steer her away from the crowd and into an empty classroom.** She was a little appalled to find herself trembling and she turned gratefully into his strong arms. He held her close, his chin resting on the top of her head as she snuggled against his breast.

"Thank you."

He kissed the top of her head. "Vas it bad? Do you vant vu valk about it?"

She shook her head. "I - I didn't really see it. Ron … he … he moved in front of me and he's so tall … he didn't let me see it, but Viktor … I could smell it …"

"Shhh," he whispered, holding her closer and kissing her forehead. "I am sorry you had vu see such verrible vings."

"Terrible things," she said softly and he chuckled, the sound rumbling against her cheek.

"Terr-ible th-ings," he repeated, smiling at her.

Hermione tilted her head up to look at him. "I should go find Ron and Harry and make sure that they're okay."

Viktor shook his head, lowering his face down to kiss her softly. "Vey have each other. Vey are vine. Va-the redhead, the von voo found the body … he made you cry, da?"

Hermione snuggled back into his arms. "He apologized. He said that by being with you I was fraternizing with the enemy; that I wasn't being supportive of Harry and when Harry set him straight, he realized that he was being a prat and he apologized."

Viktor frowned. "I'm the enemy?"

"No," she said. "You're not. Ron was a git."

"Hmph," Viktor said in response.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing," Viktor said, kissing her softly again. He had seen the way the redhead's eyes had been on them all night. Her friend may have been acting on a jealous impulse and he couldn't say that he blamed him. He knew exactly how lucky he was. "I have gift for you."

Hermione looked up at him in surprise. "What? Viktor, you didn't have to - ?"

He placed a finger over her lips and smiled when she kissed the finger. "Da, I did. You are very bee-u-tee-ful and I am vankvul you are my girlfriend. I am lucky man."

Hermione blushed. "I'm your girlfriend?"

He grinned and glanced at her quizzically. "Da. Do you not vant to be?"

"No! No, I do," she said, grinning widely. "We just … we haven't really … I didn't know and -"

He kissed her to stop her from talking. "I am fool for not saying so. I vant you to be my girlfriend, Her-mio-nee. I vant it very much. Da?"

"Da," she said as wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. She lost herself in the feel of his soft lips, in the rough stubble against her cheek and the smell of him, pine and leather and mint. "It's me who's the lucky one."

Viktor smiled and kissed her cheek. "Vesela Koleda, vat is, Merry Christmas."

He handed her a small square box wrapped in a bright red ribbon and she grinned at him as she carefully untied it. Inside was a thin gold chain with a small golden key pendant.

"It is to vell you vat you have the key to my heart," he said, smiling at her. "I like you very much, Her-mio-nee."

Hermione smiled down at the necklace in awe. It was the sweetest gift that she could ever imagine getting and she grinned widely at him when he carefully took it out of the box and fumbled with the clasp as he clipped it around her neck. "It's beautiful," she said honestly, staring down at the small golden pendant that nestled itself just above her breasts. "Blagodarya."

"Molya," he responded with a grin.

"How do you say, 'Merry Christmas' again?"

"Vesela Koleda."

Hermione grinned up at him. "Vesela Koleda, Viktor."

She kissed him again, sighing when he deepened the kiss, his hands on her face, his other on her waist as his tongue met hers for long strokes that left her feeling breathless and aroused. When he finally pulled away, they were both of out of breath.

"I have something for you too," she admitted, her cheeks flushing. "But it's upstairs in my room. Will you walk with me?"

He nodded and took her arm as they walked up the many stairs to Gryffindor Tower. He kissed her hand as she rushed into the common room, promising him one minute and hurried up to her room. She grabbed his gift from inside of her trunk and hurried back out into the hall. He was leaning against the stone, nodding at the seventh year Gryffindor girl who was shamelessly flirting with him. He saw her and immediately walked away from the girl. Hermione couldn't help, but grin when she saw the girl looked annoyed that he had left her so quickly.

Hermione handed him the gift that she had wrapped with a smile. "It's nothing as beautiful as this necklace," she told him. "But I hope you like it."

Viktor grinned widely. He looked like a little boy on Christmas morning as he ripped open the paper and the bow to reveal a book. He read the title and smiled. "It is va-the book you love?"

She nodded. "We were discussing it in Hogsmeade last week and I found a copy in that little book shop we visited. I've always loved the bravery and the passion that Alcott writes for Rosamond's character and well, I thought maybe that you'd like to read it. Maybe we can read it together if the English is too difficult that is. I should have found it in Bulgarian."

Viktor grinned and kissed her to stop her rambling. "No, the English von is good. It vill help me, da? I vould very much like vu-to read it vith you."

Hermione beamed at him. "Vesela Koleda, Viktor."

"Vesela Koleda, moyata kafyava krasavitsa."

And then he was kissing her again, long and lingering and when his lips left hers, she sighed.

"I had a really wonderful time tonight. Thank you for being with me after everything … I feel like it's wrong for me to feel so happy."

Viktor smiled and kissed the palm of her hand. "It is never vrong to veel-feel happy. Goodnight, Her-mio-nee."

"Goodnight," she whispered as he kissed her palm once more before he walked her back over to the portrait hole and made sure that she went through it.

When the portrait closed behind her, she let out a slow sigh, a big grin on her face. Despite the darkness that had struck her evening, it had been one of the best nights of her life, she thought, her fingers playing with the small golden key around her neck.

She couldn't stop the grin from plastering itself to her face as she made her way upstairs. She had never felt happier or more special and as she placed a finger to her lips, she could still feel Viktor's lips on hers and she went to bed that night with a smile on her face.

 **Harry and Ron stood in Snape's office as they waited for their professor.** Dumbledore had ordered them down there when Lady Bones and Tonks had gone over to examine the body. They had only waited a few minutes before the door opened and Snape stormed inside, closely followed by Sirius. Sirius immediately went to Harry and Ron, putting a hand on both of their shoulders.

"You boys alright?"

Harry nodded. "We're fine, Uncle Siri."

He hugged Harry to him, placing a hand on Ron's shoulder. "And you, Ron?"

"It is Mr Crouch then?"

"Yes," Snape said curtly from behind them. "The castle itself was sealed which is why Dumbledore thinks that they chose the entranceway. Not to mention that if Weasley hadn't found the body first, our international guests would have stumbled upon it when they left the ball."

Sirius nodded. "And we saw that there was no sign of who specifically left the body."

Snape shook his head. "No. But hopefully the Aurors will learn that."

"Ron, has anyone contacted your parents?"

The fireplace lit up behind Snape again and Mr Weasley stepped out, answering Sirius' question. He moved towards his son, squeezing his shoulder.

"Ron, are you alright?"

Ron nodded, but let his father wrap his arms around him in a tight hug and he held on. Mr Weasley kissed his son's forehead before his eyes found Sirius'.

"What's going on? Minerva sent a Patronus saying that Ron had been the one to find a body? You found a body?"

"It was Mr Crouch, Dad," Ron said quietly.

Mr Weasley pursed his lips. "What happened?"

Snape quickly explained the state of the body and that Ron and Harry had been the ones to find it and Mr Weasley paled.

"Merlin's beard!" He pulled Ron closer to him, holding onto his son tightly and kissing his hair. "No one should ever have to lay eyes on something like that! Ron, are you sure that you're alright?"

Ron nodded. "I'm fine, Dad. It's not an image that's going to leave my mind anytime soon, but I'm fine. I'm not hurt or anything."

"The message said that the Dark Lord will be rising again," Snape said carefully. "I want to know why those words did not seem to alarm either Potter or Weasley."

Sirius scoffed at him. "Do you really not think that I haven't kept my son informed that that dickwad might return someday? He's well aware of the trouble that Voldemort will bring forth. With Pettigrew and Lestrange escaping last year, he's been prepared!"

Mr Weasley was staring at Sirius, his eyes carefully guarded before his gaze moved to his son. "If you boys are alright, why don't you head on up to your dormitories to try to get some sleep? Unless you'd like to come home with me now, Ron? You don't have to stay tonight if you don't want to?"

Ron shook his head. "I'm okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

Harry only looked from Sirius to Snape, but his father only shook his head at him. He moved to the door with Ron and they left the adults alone in the dungeons.

The moment the door closed behind them, Mr Weasley pursed his lips.

"Sirius, I think that it's about high time you tell me how much of this you've shared with my son. He just found the dead and tortured body of Barty Crouch and you're standing there telling me that you've been preparing your son for You Know Who's return for at least a year by the sounds of it? I think that I deserve some answers here."

Sirius sighed and took a seat in the wooden chair behind Snape's desk, earning a scowl from the Potions Professor that he promptly ignored. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk as he spoke carefully.

"Ron has been through a lot with Harry."

Mr Weasley scoffed at that, taking a seat in one of the visitor chairs. "Of that I'm well aware. When they went after the Philosopher's Stone in their first year, I thought that was intense enough for him, but then he flew my car to school and ended up in the Forbidden Forest against an army of Acromantulas and helped rescue my daughter from a shade of You Know Who in the Chamber of Secrets. And don't even get me started on how he broke his leg last year running after an escaped Death Eater. I know _exactly_ what kind of trouble my son has found himself in alongside Harry, Sirius."

Sirius nodded. "He's brave, Arthur. You have very brave children who you should be very proud of."

"I am," Mr Weasley said carefully. "But being brave and being proud of my children does not warrant how I currently feel knowing that my son just discovered the dead and tortured body of a high ranking official within the Ministry of Magic! I want to know what the bloody hell is going on!"

Snape was staring at Sirius now, his dark eyes carefully narrowed. "You and Dumbledore have been strangely close-mouthed for a while now, after what happened at the World Cup, and now this ... has Dumbledore restarted the Order?"

Sirius carefully examined his fingernails, his elbows still on Snape's desk. "With your past, why would that matter to you?"

Snape eyes narrowed. "My past mistakes are none of your concern. You know my role and you know what I want and listening to you try to drag it out is not going to help matters!"

"They are actually," Sirius said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning back a bit in the chair. "When Voldemort returns, Snape, who's side are you going to be on?

Mr Weasley was staring between the two of them, his eyes wide. "During the war, Molly and I were young and busy raising our boys when Dumbledore started the Order of the Phoenix. We denied joining when Fabian and Gideon asked us simply because we were raising a family. We already had five boys to take care of. But my children are older now and if the Order is back in existence, I'd like to join. I won't let my son continue to find dead bodies. If a war is coming, I want to fight. I won't stand back and watch my children fight this war in my place. I want to join."

Snape sat down in the second chair next to Mr Weasley. "So do I."

Sirius looked between the two of them. The Order of the Phoenix was Dumbledore's baby and he had no intention of pulling people into this war, but they did need help. He knew Remus was right and that Snape could potentially be very helpful, but it was a matter of trust. Could they truly believe that he had turned his back on Voldemort? Knowing Dumbledore trusted him was one thing, but there was a lot of bad history between the two of them and he knew that that was going to make it harder for them to get along. But he did trust him and that alarmed him just as much.

And as for Arthur Weasley … he had been wondering how much longer he would be able to keep the Weasleys in the dark. Bill was a great asset to FUVP and he knew that the two youngest members of the family knew just as much about the operation as their older brother did. Having Arthur Weasley on board would be beneficial. He had watched him at the World Cup. The man hadn't hesitated and his normally warm brown eyes had been dark and heated. He would have done whatever necessary to save those Muggles from harm. They needed that kind of mentality from people if they were going to win this war.

Sirius let out a slow sigh, his gaze moving between Snape and Arthur Weasley. "Do you know what took place at the World Cup?"

"I know enough," Snape admitted. "After what happened with Nott in October, I spoke to Theo and I know that Thaddeus Nott was involved in the riots at the World Cup and that he assaulted and attempted to rape two Muggle women and convince his son and his friends to join in before another Death Eater killed the women. I believe that I know who some of the men were behind the masks."

Sirius nodded. "You say that you know that he's getting stronger, when the tattoo becomes completely inked over, does that mean that he's at full power?"

"Yes," Snape said carefully. "It would mean that he's back. What do you know, Black?"

"Wait," Mr Weasley said, holding his hands up. "Am I understanding this right … you were a Death Eater?"

Snape nodded, his face carefully masked. "Was being the correct term."

"He turned coat before Voldemort fell and fought for our side," Sirius said, his eyes on Snape. "Or so Dumbledore says."

Mr Weasley nodded. "Albus Dumbledore is an extremely honourable man. If he trusts Snape, I do too. He wouldn't allow him to teach in this school if he thought he was dangerous."

Sirius snorted. "Dumbledore is an honourable man, yes, but he's made mistakes, Arthur. Quirrell? Lockhart?"

"I'm not saying that he hasn't, but they each barely lasted the school year. Snape has been teaching here for almost fifteen years. Dumbledore trusts him."

Sirius sighed. He knew that, but it still goaded him to admit it because it was Snape. "Remus tells me that you have Harry's best interest at heart. You saved his life in his first year when Quirrell was jinxing his broom. Harry told me himself that you have remembered that he is Lily's son as much as his father's and that he doesn't deserve to have the darkest wizard who ever lived hunting him down for simply being born. Are they wrong?"

Snape stood up and walked over to the cupboard and taking out a bottle of Firewhiskey and three glasses, pouring the three of them each a glass and taking a long sip before he spoke. "We don't have to like each other, Black, but we do have to trust each other. Weasley is right about Dumbledore trusting me. He's not a stupid man. He wouldn't have lived as long as he has if he hasn't learned how to make wise decisions and wise choices. He's not perfect. None of us are. But he knows how dangerous the Dark Lord can be. He knew it then and despite his warnings, he was too late to stop it from happening. He asked us to get along. To put aside our differences and to work together. Are you refusing to be man enough to do that, Black?"

Mr Weasley sipped his own whiskey, his eyes moving between the two men. "I think that Sirius is wondering whether or not to trust you himself. For the record, Sirius, if Dumbledore trusts him, so do I."

Snape nodded at him before turning his gaze back on Sirius. "I made the wrong choice all those years ago, Black, and that was on me. The crimes that I committed after that, I can put the blame on him, sure. He forced me to do it, he drove my hand and he did. I didn't have to do the things I did, but if I hadn't, he would have tortured me. I didn't have to make the choices I did, he didn't force me to say yes, but I knew if I said no that I might have been killed. I can put the blame on him easily, but they are still on me. I chose life over death, over torture, and because I chose my life, I did many things that I'm not proud of. I know how lucky I am that Dumbledore took me in and that he allowed me to spy for him. _I owe him_ ," he said, taking another long sip of his whiskey.

Snape let out a slow breath, letting the whiskey burn down his throat before he spoke again. "I know that I should be in Azkaban for the crimes that I committed. I don't want to see the Dark Lord return any more than you do, probably a great deal less than you do because if I don't return to his side when he calls me, he will kill me and I have no desire to return to his side; to that life. And no, Black, I don't want to see him hurt Potter or anyone else for that matter. If he returns, _when he returns_ , I will go to him when he calls for me and I will play my role as spy once more; do my best to convince him that I have never left his service. I can already see the struggles with some of my students whose parents were Death Eaters in the past and I don't want to see them fall down the same path that I did. If you're helping reorganize the Order, I want in."

Sirius stared at him for a long moment before he drank the Firewhiskey, the heat of it burning his throat and heating his belly. "He's in the body of a child. His followers took the child from the mother's womb and he possessed it. He's working on a ritual and a potion to restore his body. We're working on figuring out the ingredients to this potion. All we know so far is that he wants Harry for it, most likely his blood, and that it contains a sacrifice of some kind from a loyal follower. Can you figure out the other ingredients?"

Snape looked thoughtful. "Possibly. A resurrection restoration like that would take months to organize and he would have to be sustaining himself on more than just a soul possession of a child to be stable enough for it to even potentially work?"

"Snake venom and unicorn blood," Sirius said. "I'm sure that there's more, but that's all that I've been made aware of."

Snape nodded. "I will try to piece this together to the best of my knowledge. I can even reach out ... make it known that I feel him getting stronger, see if he needs my ... help." He added, looking pale at the thought.

Sirius nodded. "If you think that it would help, I say do it. But anything you can tell me about it would be appreciated, but first, I have one question for you, and you better give me a straight answer."

"I give you my word."

"I don't trust your fucking word. I want you to swear to me that you will tell me the truth, swear on the life of Lily's son; on the life of the child of the woman whom you once loved. I want you to swear to protect him with your life if necessary."

Snape's eyes flashed slightly. "I already swore as such to Dumbledore a long time ago. My past actions have reflected as such if you remember Potter's broom fiasco in first year. I will not let harm befall him."

Something in his expression surprised Sirius, but he knew at that moment that Snape was telling the truth. And having an extra guard on Harry made him feel better as well. He took a deep breath and then asked the question that had been burning him ever since he had found out that Snape had been a Death Eater.

"Did you know that Peter was the spy?"

Snape hesitated. "Yes and no." He held his hand up when Sirius made to protest. "I knew that there was a spy within the Order. I knew that it was a he and I knew that he had access to Potter. I actually thought that it was Lupin. I had heard rumours that Greyback had the ability to control the minds of those he turned and I thought that he might be controlling Lupin in order to make him the spy. I learned that Greyback does in fact have this ability, but like the Imperius Curse, if the wizard is strong enough he can fight it off and Greyback was quite livid when he learned that he couldn't control Lupin; that he in fact had no control over anything that Lupin said or did. But in all honesty, I did not know that it was Pettigrew until the Dark Lord let it be known that he knew where the Potters were. I alerted Dumbledore immediately but ... it was too late."

Sirius nodded. He knew that Snape had just told him the truth and it hurt him a bit to realize that even Snape would have sold out Pettigrew if he had known. He had wanted Lily to be safe. He didn't like the man, but he respected the fact that he would have done what he could to protect Lily. He knew that it had only been for Lily and not for James and Harry, but he trusted him to keep Harry safe now. He closed his eyes as he thought about what he wanted to say.

"Snape, would you be willing to take Pettigrew on?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you claimed that you had been keeping him prisoner since last year in an attempt to learn about Voldemort and where he was, would Voldemort believe you?"

Snape looked thoughtful for a moment. "Depends on Pettigrew. We know that he's a good liar obviously since he played double agent himself, didn't he?"

Sirius looked livid at his words. The fact that Peter had fooled them all was something that he was never going to get over. "Yeah, he did. But he's also a bloody coward and only looks out for himself and everyone else be damned! But you might be able to get more out of him."

"How do you propose that I get a hold of him without letting on to my own plans to be a spy for both sides?"

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll let him go. I'll tell my elf to bring him somewhere to set him free and you scoop him up, kidnap him, whatever?"

Snape looked thoughtful. "That could work ... he might be able to help me with this potion that the Dark Lord is putting together. Alright, give me a few days to figure things out. I still have my parents' old house in Spinner's End."

"By the Evans' old place?"

Snape nodded. "Yes. But I could keep him there. I have a house elf that could help to keep an eye on him … yes, this could work to our advantage."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "Do you really think that you can figure out this potion?"

"I honestly don't know, but I sure as hell am going to try," Snape told him honestly.

Mr Weasley was looking between the two of them, his eyes wide. "Wait! So you were a Death Eater and are going to still be one?"

"Was being the correct term," Snape repeated oily. "As Sirius told you, I turned spy for the Order before the Dark Lord fell and I plan on playing that role once more."

"And you know that he's already been moved into the form a child?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes on him. "Yes."

"How? When?" Mr Weasley exclaimed, his eyes wide in horror and confusion.

"When Pettigrew kidnapped Hermione and Ron last year, we caught Pettigrew and have been keeping him hostage trying to glean information from him. We knew that if we turned him over to the DMLE they would simply let the Dementors Kiss him and we knew that he had information that we needed," Sirius explained.

Mr Weasley nodded, his eyes wide. "And Harry knows … all of this?"

"Most of it," Sirius told him. "I wish that I could keep it all from him, Arthur, but Voldemort has made it his mission to come after my son and I won't leave him clueless and defenceless against the darkest wizard to ever have lived."

"So Ron …"

Sirius nodded. "Ron and Ginny are amazing friends, Arthur. Harry opened up to them and yes, they too know everything as does Hermione, Neville and Luna."

Mr Weasley was pale as he closed his eyes. Sirius could see that he was angry and doing his best to hide it.

"Arthur, I know that you're angry and you have every right to be. They're young and me telling Harry is one thing, but your children knowing is another and I get that. But, when I was a kid, I came from a shitty home and my friends were the thing that kept me together. Trusting them and having them trust me back meant the world to me and I told my son that if he felt like he needed to tell his friends, to tell them, because they would always be there to support him no matter what," Sirius told him. "And they have been. I know that they're young, but so is Harry and he's fought Voldemort three times in his life and survived. Your daughter fought a part of him once and survived. These kids, these young adults, are growing up to be amazing men and women and we have to trust them."

Mr Weasley nodded. "I'm not going to tell Molly how much Ron and Ginny know. It will only worry her, but after the holidays, I'd like to talk about this again. I want to help, Sirius. I may not be able to be a double agent, but I'm sure that there's something that I can do to help out."

Sirius smiled at him. "I'm sure there is. I'll talk to Dumbledore and we'll see what he wants to do. But I for one, would definitely like to reform the Order of the Phoenix and it would be great to have both of you on board."

"Good," Mr Weasley said. "In the meantime, I will try to help my son deal with the horror that he just had to witness. But if You Know Who really is coming back, I won't stand by and do nothing. I won't watch him destroy anyone else that I love."

Sirius nodded as Mr Weasley said his goodbyes and stepped into the fireplace, disappearing in the green smoke before he turned to Snape. "There's something that I have to deal with if Crouch is dead. You'll get back to me about Pettigrew?"

Snape nodded. "I will. And Black?" When Sirius looked at him, he scowled. "Get your ass out of my chair."

Sirius simply grinned. "Git."

And then he hurried out of Snape's office and made his way upstairs to see Dumbledore about Crouch.

 **Harry and Ron were both still pale as they stepped into their dormitory after leaving Snape's office.** The room was empty, though Seamus' bed curtains were closed up tightly. Harry suspected that Will might still be in the bed with him, but since his friend had used a silencing charm, he didn't particularly care.

Harry took a seat on his own bed and ran his hands through his hair, smiling when Ron sat next to him.

"Well, that wasn't how I planned on ending my evening. I didn't even say goodnight to Luna."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, I didn't say goodnight to Lavender either. Was Hermione okay?"

"Yeah," Harry told him. "She said that you stopped her from seeing anything and Viktor was holding her when I left."

Ron scowled slightly.

"Are you and her good now?"

"I think so," he admitted, running his fingers over his eyes. "I was a prat. I know that. I said some terrible things to her."

"You like her," Harry said quietly.

Ron opened his mouth to protest this and then he nodded.

Harry smiled at him. "It's okay with me, you know, if that was part of the reason why you were pretending that you didn't. I don't like Hermione that way. She's like a sister to me."

Ron stared down at his hands. "It doesn't matter anyway, she's with Viktor Krum. He's an international Quidditch star, there's no way that I could ever compete with that."

"Ron - "

" - No," Ron interrupted. "Theo told me in the summer that if I didn't make a move, I would lose my chance with her and he was right. Stupid bloody Slytherin."

Harry chuckled. "She's not marrying him, Ron. He's a nice bloke and he clearly adores her, but he lives in Bulgaria. He's three years older than her. I mean, I'm not saying that they're breaking up, but, you know, _we are_ only in fourth year."

Ron smiled at him. "I know." He stood up, stretching his arms up over his head. "She needs someone more intelligent anyway. Someone to keep up with that big beautiful brain of hers. She's my friend and that's all that I need from her. I know that I'm not good enough for her."

He headed over to his own bed as Harry frowned at him. He felt bad for Ron, but Hermione _was_ happy with Viktor for the moment and despite Ron's words, Harry knew that anyone would be lucky to have Ron in their life and he most definitely was good enough, he thought. He undressed and crawled into his own bed, thinking that his friends' lives were incredibly complicated.

But his mind kept drifting back to the mutilated body of Crouch, making it hard for him to sleep.

Who could have done it and why? What had Crouch done that had warranted that level of violence and rage? It must have taken weeks to do that kind of damage and he wondered how Crouch had been able to withstand the pain. The thought of what had been left between his legs … he placed his hand over his crotch sympathetically. If that was what his Death Eaters were capable of, Harry wondered how bad Voldemort would be. He knew what the dark wizard was adept at. He had seen it at Peter's trial. He had witnessed it in the Chamber of Secrets.

But this … it was beyond anything that he had been capable of imagining. And to think that he had been busy worrying about Ginny.

Ginny, he thought with a grin. She had looked so incredible tonight and she had been kissing Michael Corner. He scowled and punched his pillow. He had no idea what she saw in him. He had always thought that he was a git. True, he hadn't actually ever said more than two words to the bloke, but the git part was obvious.

And he was her boyfriend!

He was being stupid, he thought. Ginny was his friend. He wasn't jealous. He didn't like her that way. It was just the formal wear, it had taken him by surprise. That was the real reason that he was so shocked. Anyone could see that. Him fancying Ginny was just ridiculous.

He nodded, feeling better about it and closed his eyes. But all he saw was Crouch again. He wasn't sure how long he lied there, eyes wide open, unable to sleep, but Dean and Neville had come up to bed and everyone was sleeping by the time he silenced his bed and reached for his mirror. He held it up to his mouth and said: 'Sirius'.

It was almost thirty seconds before a face filled the mirror and his eyes widened in surprise to see Zee.

"Er, hi," he said awkwardly.

She smiled warmly at him. "Hi Harry. Sirius is still out dealing with tonight and he forgot to take his mirror. Are you alright, sweetie? Do you need to talk?"

He shook his head. "No, I …"

Zee offered him a small smile. "I'm not Sirius, I know."

"No, I didn't mean … I don't know what I want to say," he admitted. "I can't sleep. I keep seeing … his body."

Zee's eyebrow rose. "What body?"

Harry hesitated before he spoke. "Did Uncle Siri not tell you?"

She shook her head. "He hasn't come back yet since Dumbledore called for him. What happened, Harry? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just … it was after midnight at the ball and Ron and Hermione were arguing outside and Ron found the body. Someone killed Mr Crouch, Zee. They tortured him and they killed him and left his body displayed in the entrance way to the castle from the bridge to Hogsmeade."

Zee gasped. "Merlin! And you saw this?"

He nodded. "Ron and I both did … it was … it was awful."

"How's Ron doing?"

Harry shrugged. "Alright, I guess. He's sleeping."

"Everyone deals with events like this differently. Did you have a nightmare?"

He shook his head. "No, I just … I can't shut my brain off. Zee, who would do something like that? Who would … I didn't like him much, but still."

"It sounds rather gruesome, it's true. And how you felt about him means nothing in terms of how he was treated. I know that it was horrible, baby, and I am so sorry that you had to see that. You'll be home with us tomorrow and we'll try to enjoy Christmas together and put it behind us. Or if you want to talk about it, we can do that too. Whatever, you want."

He smiled at her, feeling a little better. "Thanks. I'll um, I'll let you get back to bed. I'm sorry that I woke you."

Zee smiled warmly at him. "Never be sorry for that. I am always here when you need me. We can talk some more if you're not ready to close your eyes?"

He nodded, his heart swelling a bit. He didn't want to close his eyes. He didn't want to be alone and seeing her smiling face made him feel so much better. "You don't mind?"

"Of course not," she said, her brown eyes twinkling at him. "How was the Yule Ball? Did you dance?"

He smiled. "Yeah, Luna was great. I danced with Hermione too and Ginny and a few other girls who asked me. Everyone looked great and Ginny looked … I mean, everyone looked beautiful."

Zee nodded, her eyebrow rising. She had begun to wonder if maybe she had imagined Harry's reaction to Ginny at the World Cup. His eyes had been on her instead of the Veela and she had found that very interesting, especially because she knew that Harry hadn't made the connection. But she had. The way his focus on the Veela had shut off completely the moment Ginny had spoken to him had been incredible and she knew that Harry hadn't noticed it.

"Ginny attended with Neville, did she not?"

"Yeah, but only as a friend. She's … actually, she's dating Michael Corner! I can't even believe it. He's such a prat! He plays Chaser for the Ravenclaw Team."

Zee tried not to grin at him as she listened to him rant about Corner and how he didn't understand what Ginny could possibly see in him. She listened to him tell her about how great Ginny looked, with little tidbits on Hermione and Ron's argument and how Hermione had been secretly dating Viktor Krum for over a month. He told her all about the Weird Sisters performing and how excited Tonks was to see them.

He talked to her for almost an hour and she just smiled as she listened. When he started to yawn, she smiled at him.

"I think your exciting evening is catching up with you."

He smiled at her. "Yeah, maybe. I think that I could sleep now," he said, stifling another yawn.

Zee smiled at him from the mirror. "Goodnight, Harry. I'll see you tomorrow when you come home. I love you."

He grinned at her. "Thanks Zee, I love you too."

When the mirror went dark in his hand, he tucked it under his pillow and yawned hugely before he closed his eyes and was asleep before he had even settled himself back into bed.

 **When Sirius left Hogwarts that night,** he headed straight to Number Twelve. He had spent over an hour talking to Dumbledore after Madam Bones and Tonks had left with Crouch's body. Tonks had taken photos of the crime scene and of the body before the Auror Techs had arrived to collect evidence. Despite Dumbledore's attempt to keep it a secret, the entire Yule Ball soon learned that Mr Crouch had been found murdered.

Dumbledore gave rooms to the dignitaries staying overnight before leading Sirius up to his office. "You spoke to Severus?"

Sirius nodded and relayed the conversation in Snape's office. "And Arthur Weasley would also like in. To be honest, with as much information as three of his children know, I'm shocked that it took him this long. I've kept him in the dark on things his children know and he's angry about that and he has every right to be. He wants in and I think that we should let him. Reforming the Order of the Phoenix is a good idea, Albus."

"It's your operation, Sirius, not mine."

Sirius shook his head. "No. I think that we should keep FUVP as an operation the way it is, but I do think that we should reform the Order of the Phoenix as well. Operation FUVP can be a need-to-know mission within the Order, but the rest of the Order can help with everything else. We can place people we trust around the Ministry; to try to keep our eyes open to any signs of what may be coming. I don't trust Fudge, Albus. He said that he was going to do something to Umbitch for her falsifying claims against Remus, yet he didn't. She received nothing more than a slap on the wrist. He ordered Dementors to a school. I was Kissed because of him and … I think that we need to keep our eyes and ears open."

"I agree," Dumbledore said calmly. "I don't think Fudge is untrustworthy so to speak, but he is a coward and that can be just as dangerous. And you spoke to Severus about Pettigrew?"

Sirius nodded. "It was just a thought. If we could work it out right, Snape can maybe use Pettigrew to his advantage and maybe even get more knowledge on this potion that Voldemort is brewing."

"I like it, Sirius. I think that it's a wise plan as it would also help to bring Severus back into Voldemort's good graces. We need to use his skills and knowledge to the best that we can."

They spoke a little more about Crouch and Sirius learned that he had been kept alive as long as possible. The coroner had determined cause of death to be asphyxiation. He had survived weeks of endless torture only to choke to death on his own bloody testicles. Sirius had hated the man, but he had definitely not deserved to go out like that.

He left Dumbledore just after two in the morning and made his way to Number Twelve. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with Zee, but he had to tell Winky about Crouch. He knew that the elf was going to be devastated and he didn't want her to find out in some other way.

He found Kreacher and Winky both in the kitchen talking, despite the rather late hour.

"Happy Christmas Eve, Kreacher, Winky."

"Happy Christmas Eve, Master Sirius!" Kreacher exclaimed.

Winky nodded politely at him. "Hello, sir."

Sirius took a seat at the table. "Would you sit and talk with me for a bit, Winky?"

Winky hesitated a moment before she sat across from him. "You is a nice master, sir."

Sirius smiled. "Thank you, Winky. You've been here for five months now. You've been helping Kreacher, I know that, and I appreciate the hard work that you've been helping him do. I can see that you're a good elf, a hard worker and appreciative of what life can give you."

"I is, yes, sir."

He nodded. "I would be honoured for you to come and work for me and for the House of Black. As my elf you would be in charge of keeping all of the Black properties up to date and cleaned and helping my other family members when needed, all except one. I would order you to never help or speak to one Bellatrix Lestrange as she is very evil and crazy."

Winky stared at him. "You is still wanting me, sir, after my master gives Winky her freedom?"

"Yes."

Winky blinked slowly. "What if my master sees he did Winky wrong and wants Winky to go back, sir?"

Sirius sighed. "I'm afraid that won't happen, Winky. I am very sorry to tell you, but Mr Crouch was found dead this evening. Someone tortured and killed him."

"No!" Winky shrieked in horror, her hands covering her mouth.

He nodded. "He was murdered, Winky. He was murdered by someone who obviously hated him or wished him a great deal of harm. He was tortured very badly, Winky." Sirius was watching her big eyes as he spoke. He was beginning to think that Zee had been right. Winky knew something and it was the real reason why Crouch had sent her packing so quickly. "He was flayed alive," he said and watched her eyes widen even more.

"F-f-flayed, sir? Like one is doing with fish?"

"Exactly like that," Sirius told her.

"But the young master Barty -" she threw her hands over her lips in horror.

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "Died in Azkaban, did he not?" When Winky only continued to look horror-struck he sighed. "Your loyalty is great, Winky, but if you know something to help us find out who hurt Mr Crouch, I think that you should tell me now."

"He's a bad boy!" Winky exclaimed suddenly. "I is taking care of him for Master ever since he snuck him out of prison!"

Sirius' eyes widened as Winky poured out the whole story; about how Crouch's wife had begged her husband; how they drank Polyjuice and snuck the young Crouch out of prison disguised as his wife; how Mrs Crouch had died in Azkaban under the guise of Polyjuice Potion; and how Crouch had kept his son a prisoner in their own home. Winky told him about how much Crouch Jr had worshipped the Dark Lord; how he used to tell her how he would kill Crouch if he ever escaped and how Crouch started keeping him under the Imperius Curse just to keep him in line.

It had been Crouch Jr who was sitting invisible up at the World Cup and Crouch Jr who obviously had made the Dark Mark at the World Cup and by the sounds of if, Crouch Jr who had savagely tortured and murdered his own father only to hang his mangled and bloody body at the front entrance of Hogwarts during the Yule Ball to honour the tournament that his father had worked so hard to put together. It was the ultimate fuck you to the father who he had obviously hated.

"Winky, thank you for telling me this. We need to try to find Crouch Jr to try to bring him to justice for his father and before he finds Voldemort."

"It is too late for that, sir."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, Winky?"

"The Dark Lord came to the house already. He was disguised as a baby and the man carrying him told Master Barty where to go." Her large eyes were wide in manic glee now. "And now that I know that my poor master has been taken care of, I can find young master Barty and help him! I can tell him that his Dark Master isn't safe, sir. I can tell him what you know, sir. I can - "

Winky shrieked as Kreacher's tiny body tackled her to the ground and a loud snapping sound had Sirius' eyes widening.

Winky's head lay at an odd angle on the floor of the kitchen.

"Kreacher couldn't let her go, sir! Kreacher had to stop her! She would have ruined it! She would have made Master Regulus' sacrifice for naught! Kreacher had to snap her neck, Master Sirius, to protect his masters!"

Sirius stared at Kreacher, shocked that the elf would jump in to protect him like that and shocked that he hadn't seen it coming. Winky had still been loyal to the Crouches; had still been loyal this whole time and he had foolishly brought her directly into the headquarters of FUVP.

"Master Sirius?"

Sirius cursed himself for his stupidity as he shook his head and offered a small smile to his elf. "Thank you, Kreacher. I owe you my life. If the wrong people found out what we are doing here … You are an extraordinary elf."

Kreacher beamed.

"Kreacher," he began slowly. He was almost afraid to ask and to find out the answer. "I need to know ... was Winky still communicating with her masters while she was here?"

"No, sir."

"Are you sure?"

"I know it, Master Sirius. I put the Black House tracker on her the first day. She only left the house once and she went to Hogwarts to see Dobby. I know, sir, because I followed her. I is not trusting free elves, sir."

Sirius laughed. He couldn't help it. Never in a million years would he have imagined that the mad old elf who had been his mother's eyes and ears would defend him in this way. Never in a million years.

"Kreacher, thank you. You have proven yourself to be above and beyond anything that I ever could have asked of you. I will deal with Winky."

Kreacher nodded. "Yes, sir." He turned to head into the boiler room before he stopped and looked back at him. "Master Sirius?"

"Yes, Kreacher?"

"I is wanting you to know that I is hurting anyone who tried to hurt you or Master Harry or your lady Zee, sir. I is keeping you safe, sir."

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise. "Thank you, Kreacher. That means a lot to me. You are a wonderful house elf."

Kreacher nodded, smiling brightly as he left Sirius alone in the kitchen and Sirius ran his hands over his face. The fact that Kreacher had become so loyal to him touched him. The elf had surprisingly become very helpful over the last few years, ever since Sirius had told him that he wouldn't let Regulus death have been in vain. Ever since he had destroyed the locket. Now he owed the elf his life. As grateful as he was to Kreacher for stopping Winky from spilling the secrets of Operation FUVP, he still had one problem: what the fuck was he going to do with the dead house elf?

Sirius left Winky where she was and he sent a Patronus to Zee. She showed up a few minutes later, entering the house wearing one of his jumpers and black tights under her red cloak and knee high white heeled boots. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun and her eyes were still tired. He knew that he must have woken her up.

"Sirius?"

He smiled at her, bending his head to kiss her softly. "I love how sexy those boots make you look."

She grinned at him. He had given them to her as an early Christmas present that evening. He had seen her eyeing them when they had been Christmas shopping and had gone back to get them for her. She had been incredibly impressed by the sweetness of it.

"Thanks. Flattery is always appreciated, but why did you wake me up in the middle of the night? What's going on? You said that Dumbledore had called you to Hogwarts. Crouch is dead?"

"Yeah, he … how do you know?"

"Harry called. You forgot the mirror on the nightstand."

Sirius nodded. "He said that he was alright. Does he need me?"

She shook her head. "He was just having trouble going to sleep after what he saw, which is understandable. I talked to him and he's okay. It will be good to have him home later today. It will be good for him to come home for a bit and to be with his family."

"Yeah, yeah it will be. Did he say anything else?"

"Nothing important," she said with a smile, thinking about how jealous he had sounded over Ginny. She had found that rather interesting and she wanted to wait and see if that meant anything before she shared it with Sirius. "So Crouch was murdered, what does that have to do with Operation FUVP?"

Sirius sighed. "Quite a lot apparently. We have a bit of a problem."

He quickly explained everything that had happened that night culminating in Kreacher snapping Winky's neck.

Zee gasped, pushing her way past him into the kitchen to see Winky's body. "Sirius!"

"Don't give me that look, Zahira, I didn't bloody kill her! And Kreacher saved our lives! If she told anyone about any of this … if this information about Horcruxes and about Voldemort's life got into the wrong hands …"

She looked taken aback by this. "She was spying on us?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. She seemed loyal to Crouch, but even more so to Barty Crouch Jr, who side note, is supposed to be dead by the way."

Zee stared at him. "How is he alive then?"

"I remember Crouch and his wife coming to Azkaban to visit him," he told her. "I'd only been there about three years. He had come a month or so after me and he cried all of the time; screaming and crying and begging that he was innocent. He was wasting away and the Dementors were slowly sucking the life of out him. When his family came to see him, he died less than week later. But according to Winky, it was actually Mrs Crouch Polyjuiced as her son who died in Azkaban. Crouch helped his own son escape Azkaban after he was the one who sent him there in the first place."

"What did he go to prison for? Was he innocent?"

"He was caught with the Lestranges for torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity."

Zee's eyes widened. "Merlin! Was he guilty?"

"He claimed that it was the wrong place at the wrong time, but Crouch claimed that he was guilty and sent his only son to prison. Unlike with me, he gave him a trial, but from what I've heard, it wasn't much of one," he said honestly. "I don't know if he was guilty or not, but it sure sounds like it. I don't understand why he would have been at the Longbottom residence if he wasn't torturing them. It's not like he was friends with Frank or Alice. Crouch was known to spend all of his time at the office and away from his family. It's not actually that surprising that his son fell into the wrong crowd and if Crouch is the one who sent him to prison, only to help him escape and keep him imprisoned in his own home and under the Imperius Curse on top of it … someone can't have been too happy with daddy."

Zee nodded. "And Winky has been the main caretaker of the son, keeping him imprisoned all this time … she probably helped raise him as well, thought of him as her own."

"I think so," Sirius said. "That's why she was so adamant to return to him and to tell him all about what we know. Kreacher stopped her."

Zee let out a slow breath. "He saved your life and I am grateful for that. But what are we going to do about her now?"

"I was kind of hoping that you'd have the answer to that. I mean, I know that if a house elf kills a witch or wizard they can be executed for it, but if it's another house elf … I mean, not to sound crass, but does the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures really even care?"

Zee shook her head. "Sadly, no. The only law pertaining to violence of magical creatures is Law 15B which states that _'any attack by a magical creature who is deemed to have near-human intelligence and therefore responsible for its actions can be sentenced by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement if the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures deems it justified_.' Basically, unless the elf belonged to someone and they themselves demanded justice, her death would be considered lawful. And if you are right and Kreacher snapped her neck in order to stop her from attacking you, he served you well above and beyond his station as your house elf and you in fact could argue self-defence if this went to a trial. Which it won't. Winky was a free elf. She had no masters and no job or no home. Did she even have any family to protest her death?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't think so. Kreacher did mention that she was friends with Dobby. That elf that Harry freed two years ago. He's working at Hogwarts now."

"Well, he definitely needs to be informed," Zee said sadly. "We can have a small memorial service for her if he wishes. If he wants justice for her, Sirius … we will have to allow Kreacher to be spoken to."

Sirius nodded. He knew that she was right about that and he knew that he would defend Kreacher to the best of his abilities. The elf had surprised him in more ways than one tonight. "I never saw it coming, Zee."

She reached over to take his hand, squeezing lightly. "You can't blame yourself. It was my idea to bring her here."

"You didn't know … she was going to tell Crouch Jr everything that we knew about Voldemort and about the Horcruxes. She was planning on selling us out. She had no intention of ever giving me a chance. I never thought that I'd say this, but thank Merlin Kreacher is such a paranoid SOB! He tracked her and he kept watch on her and … when she threatened our operation and indirectly threatened Harry and I, he killed her without hesitation."

Zee sighed. "Let's move her into the study and cover her up. We can talk to Dobby in the morning and see what he wants to do."

"What if he insists that Kreacher be punished? It would be in his right to do so," Sirius said. "I won't see him executed for this."

"One step at a time, Sirius," she said, moving into his arms and standing on her toes to kiss him softly.

He nodded and kissed her again. "Alright. Go on back home. I'll move Winky into the study. This wasn't exactly how I planned on spending our Christmas Eve morning together."

She smiled as she hugged him. "It's still Christmas Eve no matter how we spent it and tonight we're going to spend it with Harry. Let's just enjoy that."

He kissed her again. "We will. Go on, I'll be home soon."

Zee smacked his butt lightly as she turned around. "Don't be too long. I might get cold waiting around naked for you."

His eyebrow rose and he gave her a wicked grin. "Naked where?"

She smirked as she put her hand on the front door. "Wouldn't you like to know. Don't be long."

He watched her leave with a grin on his face. He definitely wouldn't be long.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _As to the wall spell, I just had the idea that Fred and George use a spell to make a wall in their room to hide their joke products from their mother, kind of like a secret room sort of thing. I thought that Ron could use the spell there to block the body._

 _(Bulgarian) Zdraveĭte = hello_

 _(Bulgarian) moyata brilyantna zhena = my brilliant woman_

 _(Bulgarian) Blagodarya = thanks_

 _(Bulgarian) dobre li si = are you alright?_

 _(Bulgarian) Molya = you're welcome_

 _(Bulgarian) Vesela Koleda = Merry Christmas_

 _(Bulgarian) moyata kafyava krasavitsa = my dark-haired beauty_

 _And for anyone interested, the book is "A Long Fatal Love Chase" by Louisa May Alcott._


	169. Chapter 169

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the opening lines of Dickens._

 _DISCLAIMER II: I do not own the words to the clue._

 _To answer some reviews: Yes, Holy Hell Kreacher about sums it up LOL. Kreacher has come far. I'm so pleased that everyone is enjoying my Hermione/Viktor for the most part. I am really enjoying writing them which makes me feel bad because I like Romione so much LOL. I wanted to show the slow build of trust between Sirius and Snape and I think that is slowly beginning to unfold with every task or step they do together. Arthur did have every right to be mad and he is also wise not to tell his wife. When Molly eventually finds out, she is not going to be happy; especially when she finds out her husband knew. And yes, Harry is in denial and will be for a bit._

 _Also, remember that first Christmas present from Zee? :D_

 _Thank you to Steel for giving me the idea of this newest spell for Misha to teach Harry. I love it._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe! - for not only editing but for her assistance with the bath scene._

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE:**

 **When Harry walked in the front door on Christmas Eve, he was immediately glad to be home.** Owls had already delivered some of his gifts that morning at Hogwarts, surprising him. He had opened them happily, pleased to see some new novels, new supplies for his broomstick servicing kit, new gloves and a new scarf. Mrs Weasley had sent along a new jumper that was so soft under his fingers, he eagerly pulled it over his head. His eyes had widened in surprise when he saw that she had knit a Hungarian Horntail on the front of it and he was incredibly touched by her thoughtfulness. She had also sent along some homemade sweets. But Harry was looking forward to getting the rest of his gifts at home with his family.

The house was fully decorated in a way that seemed bigger and more glamorous than ever before. He was a little bummed that he hadn't gotten to help decorate, but considering that he had come home later this year, he knew why. He immediately spotted the small differences in the living room space.

The couch had new throw pillows; there were some paintings on the walls that he recognized as having been in Zee's cottage and a nice large throw rug under the coffee table. There were a few sculptures around which he knew had been made by one Zee's Russian cousins, though he couldn't remember which one. The photo from the summer of Harry, Sirius and Zee was now sitting in a frame on the fireplace mantle. But nothing much had changed.

It still was home.

Zee smiled brightly at him as she came out of the kitchen. "Harry!"

He grinned and happily engulfed her in a big hug. "I'm so glad that you're here."

She kissed his cheek, smiling brightly. "That means so much to me to hear you say that." She kissed him again and smiled. "Are you okay?" She asked, pushing him back to inspect him. "Did you sleep alright after we talked?"

He grinned and hugged her tightly again. "I'm fine. Thanks for letting me talk last night."

She kissed his cheek. "Anytime. Go and put your stuff upstairs. Sirius is waiting for you to decorate the tree so that we can properly celebrate our Christmas Eve before we go to Ted and Andy's tomorrow."

"You're coming?" He exclaimed, grinning widely.

Zee nodded. "I am and the day after we're going to celebrate with my family in Scotland. You can't get rid of me now, mister, I adore you way too much."

Harry grinned and grabbed his bag from the floor before hurrying upstairs to his room to change. Marauder was asleep on his bed and he spent five minutes playing with his dog before he changed his clothes and attempted to fix his hair before he hurried back downstairs. Marauder followed him, eagerly looking for affection.

Zee sat on the floor to play with him and his tongue hung out happily as she scratched him behind the ears. She kissed the top of his head and he made a whining sound until she rubbed his belly.

Harry bent to play with his dog as well. "Is someone not getting enough attention around here?"

Marauder whined appreciatively as Sirius stepped into the living room, his eyebrows rising in amusement. "That dog gets more attention than I do. Don't let him fool you."

Harry kissed the top of Marauder's head. Sometimes he missed his dog more than he could put into words. Marauder seemed to realize this because he crawled into Harry's lap as if he was still a puppy and licked his chin, making his boy laugh. He rubbed him happily.

"Are we going to decorate the tree? Did you cut one down already?" Harry asked eagerly, his eyes on his father.

Sirius smiled and bent to kiss his son's forehead. "No. I waited for you, Prongslet, Harry," he corrected himself with a smile. "There's something that we have to take care of first though."

Harry glanced up at his father quizzically. "What's that?"

Sirius sighed. "I was going to do it this morning, but I decided that waiting for you was better since Dobby knows you."

"The house elf?"

Sirius nodded. "Winky's dead, Harry."

Harry's mouth opened in surprise.

Sirius quickly explained what had happened the night before.

"And Kreacher killed her?"

Sirius nodded. "He was protecting us. I'm very grateful to him for what he did, but by the sounds of it, Dobby is her only real friend or family. He needs to be informed and I thought that since he seems to like you, having you with me would be good for him, to see a friendly face that is."

Harry only nodded. "So are we going back to Hogwarts to get him?"

Sirius shook his head. "Actually I asked him to come here for six thirty. I figured that you'd just be getting home around then."

The sound of Apparition less than ten seconds later had all of them looking up. Marauder barked at him and Dobby merely held his hand up and Marauder immediately sat back down.

Harry grinned. "Wow, Dobby, how did you get him to do that?"

"Dobby knows how to handle animals, Harry Potter, sir! Happy Christmas Eve!"

"Happy Christmas Eve, Dobby," Harry said, smiling. The elf was wearing a bright red beanie, a green knit scarf and bright red socks around his Hogwarts uniform. "I like the hat."

Dobby beamed at him. "Thank you, sir." He smiled brightly up at Sirius. "Harry Potter's family wanted to see Dobby?"

Sirius nodded and gestured his head towards the living room. "Yes. Would you sit down with us for a few moments, Dobby? I'm afraid that I have some bad news to share with you."

Dobby's eyes widened in alarm. "I is standing, sir, t'would be disrespectful, sir, to sit."

Harry smiled at him. "We would like for you to sit with us, Dobby. You are an equal after all, a free elf."

Tears filled Dobby's eyes. "Oh, Harry Potter is too kind to Dobby, sir!" But he hopped up onto the couch, his small legs dangling off the end and he beamed when Harry sat next to him.

Sirius moved into the armchair, smiling when Zee sat on the arm and he took her hand in his. "Dobby, I understand that you are good friends with Winky?"

Dobby nodded. "Yes, Lord Black, sir! Dobby has known Winky since Dobby was a wee elf! Winky's grandmother helped teach Dobby to sew, sir!"

Zee smiled. "That's sweet, Dobby. Is Winky's family still around? Her grandmother, perhaps?"

Dobby shook his head sadly. "No, Miss. Winky's whole family was killed by dark wizards in the war. I is Winky's only family now."

Sirius nodded. "Dobby, I'm very sorry to tell you this, but Winky was killed last night."

Dobby's big doe eyes widened to saucers. "No!"

Harry reached out to gently touch the elf's arm. "Dobby, our house elf, Kreacher, do you know him?"

He nodded, huge tears rolling down his face. "Kreacher is a good elf! He always does what his family needs, sir. He didn't trust Winky. I is not knowing why. Winky is a good elf, Harry Potter, sir."

Sirius sighed. "Dobby, you're right, Kreacher didn't trust Winky and last night, Mr Crouch was murdered."

"I know, Lord Black, sir. The elves heard his body was found. It was most gruesome, sir. I is knowing Harry Potter and his Wheezy found it, sir. Dobby does not want to think about it."

"And you don't have to," Zee said, offering him a small smile. "But … Sirius went to tell Winky that her old master had died last night."

Dobby's ears drooped slightly. "Poor Winky, she must have been so sad, miss."

Sirius nodded. "She was, Dobby. But she also told me that her master had helped his son escape Azkaban and that his son was still working for Lord Voldemort."

Dobby's big eyes looked fearful.

Sirius let out a slow breath before he continued. "I took her in after Crouch freed her. She was distraught and I tried to give her a place to calm down and to help her figure out what she wanted and where she wanted to go. She betrayed me. Kreacher killed her to stop her from hurting me. If he wouldn't have jumped in to snap her neck like he did, Winky's actions would have caused both Harry and I to be killed. She's dead, Dobby. I am sorry for your loss, but I wanted you to understand what happened and to hear it personally from me."

Dobby was staring at him, his eyes wide. "She is wanting to hurt Harry Potter, sir?"

"Not directly," Sirius said. "But she wanted to return to the son of her master who is working with Lord Voldemort. She would have gladly told him all of our secrets which would have hurt Harry and myself."

"If Voldemort finds out our secrets, Dobby, he would come after me," Harry said quietly.

Dobby looked fearful now. "Don't speak the name! Don't speak the name!"

"I'm sorry, Dobby," Harry said. "But to fear the name increases the fear of the wizard and I don't want to give him that kind of power."

Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulder reassuringly, staring down at him in pride as Zee stood up and moved to sit on the couch next to the elf.

"Dobby, as Winky's only family we wanted you to know what happened. Kreacher is responsible for her death and Sirius, Harry and I believe that he was acting in self-defence to protect his family," she explained. "But if you think that this isn't true, we will help you get a formal trial for her death at the Ministry of Magic. We don't want to do anything that would make you think that we killed her for any reason outside of our defence."

Dobby nodded, tears still rolling down his cheeks. He was rocking on the couch now, large tears falling into his lap. He was quiet for a long moment and when he spoke, he spoke only to Harry.

"Harry Potter has been nothing but kind to Dobby. He is giving Dobby his freedom. He is visiting Dobby in the kitchens at Hogwarts. He is telling Dobby about Winky. He is treating Dobby like an equal, sir. He is a good, noble, honourable wizard. Dobby knows Harry Potter would never lie to him. If Kreacher killed Winky to protect Harry Potter and his family, Dobby knows that Kreacher did right. Dobby understands, sir."

Harry let out a slow breath of relief. "Dobby, even if she did make a bad choice, we understand that she was your friend and we're really sorry that she died."

Dobby nodded his large head. "Thank you, sir."

Zee placed a comforting hand on the elf's shoulder. "We would like to give her a memorial, Dobby, with your permission of course?"

Dobby's eyes widened. "You is wishing to help Dobby bury her, miss? Even after she betrayed you?"

Zee nodded solemnly. "Despite her wrongdoings, we are sad that she died, Dobby. We wanted to help her. We didn't want her to die. If you will let us, we would like to bury her properly wherever you think that she would like and to have a memorial service for her."

Dobby's face broke out into a large smile and he threw his arms around Zee. "Dobby is grateful, miss! Dobby is honoured that you is wanting to help!"

Zee smiled warmly at him, patting him gently on his back. "You just tell us what you'd like and we will give her the memorial that she deserves."

Dobby used his scarf to blow his nose loudly. "Thank you, miss, Lord Black, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby appreciates your kindness."

Harry nodded as Dobby climbed off of the couch. "Dobby, if you don't want to be alone today, you are welcome to join us for our Christmas festivities."

Dobby's eyes widened. "Harry Potter is too good, sir! Dobby is not worthy of your kindness!"

Harry flushed. "We just want to make sure that you'll be alright, Dobby."

"Dobby will be fine, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is helping with the Hogwarts feast. But thank you, sir."

He nodded to them before he Disapparated with a loud crack and Sirius sighed.

"He's a good little elf. I'm glad that he's letting us help with the memorial and thank Merlin, he understands and doesn't want to bring Kreacher to trial. That's a headache that we frankly don't have time for."

Harry nodded, looking at the place where Dobby had just been sitting. "He is a good elf."

Zee was smiling at both of them. "I know that we don't really need a house elf around as we have Kreacher to pick up the slack anywhere needed, but have either of you considered asking Dobby if he would like a job? He idolizes you, Harry. You gave him freedom from abusive masters and he thinks the absolute world of you. I think if you were to offer him a chance to work for you in any capacity, he would be honoured to take the job."

"But Dumbledore hired him at Hogwarts," Harry told her. "He already has a job."

Zee smiled. "Hogwarts has hundreds of house elves, Harry. They would hardly miss one."

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Do you think that we should, Uncle Siri?"

Sirius looked pensive for a moment. "Honestly, Harry, it's up to you. I think it would be good for Dobby to be with a family as opposed to Hogwarts and all of the hundreds of elves. Being free is frowned upon in the world of house elves so I can't imagine that he's very comfortable there. Think on it and after Winky's memorial if you've decided yes, you can talk to him."

Harry nodded, wondering exactly what he would do with a house elf. "Wouldn't Kreacher be mad?"

Sirius smiled. "No. Kreacher is old and very devoted to us, of course, but he would never begrudge us for taking in another elf, especially if it was one who he knew was completely devoted to us. But you can talk to him first too if you'd like."

The thought made his head hurt, but he nodded. He knew that Sirius and Zee were right. Dobby would probably be happier somewhere that wasn't Hogwarts, but he wasn't sure if he would want to work for him and Sirius, especially considering it was Kreacher who killed his friend Winky.

He would definitely have to think about it.

 **After Dobby left it was almost seven thirty and Harry and Sirius went outside and into the woods to cut down their tree so that the three of them could decorate their Christmas tree.** Zee played Christmas songs on the wireless, pumping it through Sirius' surround-sound so that it played throughout the whole house while dinner cooked in the kitchen. She made him and Sirius dance with her and she sprinkled tinsel in their hair. She made gingerbread cookies and cinnamon peppermint cookies with peppermint hot chocolate for them to snack on while they worked as she knew how hungry Harry was from being on the train all day.

Sirius sang along loudly to the carols, making them laugh. But by the time the tree was decorated, Harry thought that it finally felt like Christmas. Zee made a pot roast with mashed potatoes and brown sugar carrots, freshly buttered green beans and fresh corn with buttermilk biscuits. It was incredible.

Harry spent most of dinner telling Sirius and Zee about the Yule Ball. When he mentioned that Umbridge had been in attendance, Sirius had scowled. But he seemed relieved to hear that she hadn't tried to speak to Remus or Harry at all. When he told them about Ginny's boyfriend, Zee had only smiled and she found it interesting that Sirius hadn't noticed his son's rather jealous attitude. Zee did however notice that Harry glossed over quite a bit of it, she had gotten quite the rant last night and now he seemed to be trying to pretend like it didn't bother him that Ginny had a boyfriend. That was interesting, she thought with a grin. But she decided to keep it to herself for the time being. She would let Harry figure out his own feelings.

When they finished dinner, Zee convinced Harry to change into his Animagus form to play with Marauder in the snow. But mostly with her. He jumped and ran around the living room at first until she coerced him outside where Zee transfigured one of Marauder's toys into a new frisbee and tossed it. Puppy Harry barked happily, running after it. He tripped over his big paws in the snow and cried out when he fell into a rather alarming snow bank. Zee was laughing when she came over and picked up the puppy, snuggling him into her arms to help him warm him up.

"Did you get stuck in the snow? Oh, poor puppy," she said with a grin. She kissed the top of his head and set him back on the ground.

He barked and tore off across the yard after the frisbee again. They played for almost thirty minutes before Sirius came out and transformed into Padfoot, running across the yard to play with Harry. Marauder joined in, barking happily to have new dogs to play with as the three of them rolled around in the snow. Harry was half the size of Padfoot and Marauder and still obviously growing. Another few months and he would be a fully grown Tamaskan. Marauder gave up quickly and laid down to rest, watching Harry and Padfoot run around happily.

Zee watched them, a soft smile on her face as she stroked the neck of her panther. Lady Godiva was watching them play with a look of disdain upon her face, as if she knew that they could be doing better things with their time.

When they finally had enough, the three of them shook their coats full of snow and Zee shrieked in laughter as she was sprayed with cold, wet, dog snow. She led Marauder back into the house, drying him off and using a warming charm on him as he barked and licked her face in appreciation before settling himself in front of the fire and closing his eyes. Sirius and Harry transformed back into themselves and followed her inside.

Sirius sneezed when he entered the house and Zee quickly put a warming charm on him and Harry.

"Thanks, babe," he said, leaning down to kiss her. He smiled at Harry. "Merlin, it's after ten already. Why don't you run up and shower and change into some warm pjs? Remus and Tonks should be here soon so that Moony can read us _A Christmas Carol_ in our regular Christmas Eve tradition. He said that he would come by around ten thirty."

Harry nodded, the thought of a long warm shower sounding incredibly inviting. "Alright."

"You know, I've actually never heard that story before," Zee told him as Harry hurried upstairs to shower and change into his pyjamas. "Strange, isn't it?"

Sirius wrapped his arms around her, leaning down to kiss her. "Nah. I'd never heard it until my first Christmas with Harry after I'd been released from prison." He kissed her again. "Want to have a quick shower with me, love?"

Zee smiled against his mouth. "Nothing with you is ever, quick, Black."

"Damn straight," he said with a grin. "But really, come wash my back?"

"Harry is here," she exclaimed.

"And he knows that we have sex," Sirius told her, his eyes twinkling. "I want to spread your legs under the hot water and use my mouth on you. Come upstairs with me."

Zee's face heated. "Remus and Tonks are going to be here any minute!"

Sirius nibbled at her neck. "Fine. I'll wash my own back. But once we go up to our bed, I plan on having my wicked way with you." His eyes travelled down her body slowly and then back up again before he turned and headed up the stairs.

Zee placed a hand over her racing heart. Damn that man, she thought in annoyance. Now she was aroused. She hurried up the stairs to change into some more comfortable clothes and to try to think of anything other than the very sexy and very naked man in the shower of their master bathroom.

The sound of Harry's shower going as well as the shower in the master bedroom made her smile. It was so homey, she thought. She locked the bedroom door, undressing quickly and grabbing a fresh pair of black velvet tights. She moved to the dresser to find warm socks to go with it and had just turned towards the bed to put on her pants, when a warm hand slid between her thighs.

"Sirius," she breathed. She hadn't even heard the shower turn off, but she could smell his shampoo.

His finger slipped beneath her panties and into her, stroking softly. "Come for me, Zee."

Her fingers clutched the duvet desperately as he bent her over the bed, a second finger slipping into her and then a third. She buried her face in the duvet as he rocked his hand against her, stroking and kneading in just the right places and she cried out, the orgasm ripping through her.

He removed his hand, straightening her underwear before he kissed her neck and licked his fingers. "Happy Christmas, love." He slapped her bum playfully. "Now hurry up and put some clothes on. Remus and Tonks are going to be here any minute and you and your wanton ways are going to make us late."

Zee let out a strangled laugh as she watched him saunter back into the bathroom, the towel still wrapped around his waist. "You are going to be the death of me, Sirius Black!"

He simply turned and grinned at her. "But you taste so bloody good."

She blushed and climbed to her feet. She hurried past him into the bathroom to tidy herself up, hoping desperately that the duvet had muffled her moans enough because she definitely hadn't thought to use a silencing charm.

Her worries were for her naught as when she stepped out into the hall five minutes later, Harry's shower had only just shut off. But when she came downstairs at quarter to eleven, Remus and Tonks were already in the living room.

"Happy Christmas!"

Tonks grinned at her. "Happy Christmas! Sorry, we're late."

"No, not at all! We were playing in the snow and needed to get some dry clothes anyway."

Remus stood up and smiled at her. "I'll make us some hot chocolate."

"That sounds lovely," she said with a smile.

Soon the five of them were all comfortably sprawled around the living room, snuggled under warm blankets. Remus and Tonks were curled up in the arm chair; Sirius and Zee were cuddled on the couch and Harry had chosen to sprawl himself out across the living room floor, wrapped in warm blankets and snuggled with a content Marauder as Lady Godiva slept in front of the fireplace and they listened to Remus read.

" _Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it …"_

It was well past two by the time Remus finished reading. Harry was half asleep on the floor, his dog snuggled into his side.

"Guess he's getting too big for us to pick him up and carry him up to bed, eh?" Remus said with a smile.

Sirius grinned back at his friend. "We still could."

"Or you can use your wands and levitate him?" Tonks suggested, stifling her own yawn.

Zee smiled at them, bending down to shake Harry's shoulder gently. "Harry, Harry, wake up, darling."

His glasses were crooked on his nose as he blinked owlishly up at her. "Time's it?"

"Late," Zee said with a smile. "Go on up to bed, love."

He climbed to his feet, stretching hugely, his jumper riding up to expose his ribs. He said goodnight to everyone and headed up to his room, tossing his glasses on his nightstand before he fell face first into his bed. He smiled when he felt Marauder settle at the end of the bed and then he was fast asleep.

 **Harry was woken up by the sound of loud Christmas carols the next morning and when he went downstairs he was surprised to learn that it was already after eleven.** But the late night of the Yule Ball, followed by the early morning train ride and then his late night with his family had caught up with him. He hadn't even gotten home last night until after six and by the time they talked to Dobby, decorated the tree and ate dinner it had already been after nine. It had been worth it, he thought with a grin.

He found Sirius and Zee sitting around the Christmas tree with Remus and Tonks. They opened presents, which included new clothes, new school supplies, and a magical pocket knife that did everything from working as a knife to magically opening any lock. Zee had teared up when she opened her gift from Harry. He had taken a picture of the two of them from the summer and had it etched onto a bronze Christmas tree ornament. She hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek before she proudly displayed it on their tree. They took pictures as they opened gifts and Remus made them French toast with scrambled eggs and bacon for brunch.

Harry helped clean up before he eagerly helped Zee make Christmas cookies and tarts as well as a cheesy potato casserole to bring to the Tonks' for dinner that night. They were cleaning up in the kitchen when the Floo activated and he was surprised to see McGonagall step out into their living room.

"Auntie Minnie!"

She smiled brightly at him. "Hi Harry! I was hoping to catch you." She laughed when Sirius engulfed her in a big hug, swinging her around in a circle. "Put me down, you fool!"

He kissed her cheek loudly. "Happy Christmas, Minnie!"

McGonagall accepted the glass of white wine from Sirius as she made herself comfortable in the living room. She filled them in on what had happened concerning Crouch's death and how the school was handling the alarming news of having his dead body displayed so prominently in their front entrance. The newspaper had already picked up the story, leaving some rather unflattering remarks concerning the safety of Hogwarts.

Sirius filled McGonagall in on his talk with Snape and Mr Weasley; telling her about Winky and how they were going to be having a memorial for her with Dobby's help once Harry returned to school in January. McGonagall thought that it was a nice idea and told them that she wanted to attend once Sirius had the details.

Harry had been surprised to learn about Snape and said as much. "He's the one who told Voldemort about the prophecy in the first place and now we're going to trust him all over again?"

Sirius sighed. "Yes, Harry, we are. I believe that he wants to do the right thing and that he truly wants to help get rid of Voldemort for good. I trust him."

"So the Order of the Phoenix is going to be a real thing again?"

"Yes," Sirius said. "And no, not until you're seventeen."

Harry scowled at him. "But that's not fair!"

"Life isn't always fair," Sirius said simply. "You have more than enough on your plate right now with being a champion and keeping up on your studies. I am keeping you informed with our operation as it is. You don't need to join the Order."

McGonagall only smiled at him, nodding in approval at Sirius' words. "Speaking of being a champion; have you looked into your clue for the Second Task yet?"

Harry shook his head. He had been so preoccupied with the Yule Ball that he hadn't touched the Golden Egg since he had opened it in the common room after the First Task, he realized.

"No, um, not at all actually."

Sirius frowned at him. "Not at all? What have you been doing? Tomorrow before we head to Scotland, we're going to examine that egg. You need to prepare yourself, Harry."

Harry nodded. He knew that his father was right. He had to figure out what the Second Task was if he was going to prepare himself for it at all. They spoke a bit more with McGonagall about forming the Order; exchanged gifts and she returned to Hogwarts. Sirius had given her season tickets to her favourite Quidditch team, the Montrose Magpies. She, in turn, had given Harry a book called _A Wizard and his Animagus_ which talked about how to become one with your animal form, including how to use magic as an animal. Harry flipped through it eagerly, remembering how Misha had discussed that possibility with him during the summer. McGonagall had also given him some sweets and a generous gift card to _Quality Quidditch Supplies_.

She visited for two hours before she headed back to Hogwarts and Harry, Sirius, and Zee headed to Ted and Andy's.

The moment they stepped into the house, Andy grabbed Harry, covering his face in kisses.

"Let me look at you! A Hogwarts Champion!" She beamed, kissing him again. "We're so proud of you!"

"Andy!" He exclaimed in exasperation as she hugged him tightly and continued to kiss him.

"Dora told us all about that Horntail. Merlin, Harry! That must have been terrifying!"

Harry shrugged, his ears burning red. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Ted grinned and pulled him into a hug once his wife had finally let go. "Brave idiot."

Harry grinned back as he hugged him. "It wasn't so bad, honest."

Ted pat his back and let him go as they all settled themselves in the living room. "Well, let's hear it then. Dromeda and I have been waiting to hear all about your fight with the dragon."

Harry smiled as he made himself comfortable on the couch next to Tonks and Remus. He told them all about how Tonks had shown him Charlie and the dragons and how he had learned that he didn't actually have to fight the dragon, just get past them; how all of the dragons were nesting mothers and why Charlie thought that was important and how Tonks had come to help him see that flying was a good option. When he got to how he used his Patronus, Remus spoke up.

"You should have seen it, it was incredible! The Patronus surrounded the dragon and each form attacked, keeping guard over Harry and distracting the Horntail enough for him to get by and get the egg. It was very well executed."

"Zee said that you were injured?" Andy asked, her eyes full of concern.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but Madam Pomfrey fixed me up pretty quickly. I was healed fully in a few days. It wasn't so bad."

Sirius scowled. "That dragon tore his back open to the bone, but oh yeah, it wasn't so bad."

Harry simply grinned at him. "I'm fine now, aren't I?"

Remus simply elbowed him lightly, grinning, "Sassy git," he murmured making Harry grin in response.

They talked some more about the First Task and Harry told them about the Yule Ball. Sirius told them about what had happened with Crouch. Andy had frowned at that as Sirius spoke about Dumbledore reforming the Order of the Phoenix.

Ted nodded. "You know that I want in again, Sirius. I didn't stand by the first time and I don't plan on doing so now."

"Edward," Andy said weakly. "Last time you … it's dangerous."

"And how do you think the world's going to be if he comes back, Andromeda?" Ted told her, taking her hand in his and kissing her fingers. "I won't stand by and do nothing."

She stared at him, her face full of love and pride. "I'm going to be by your side this time."

Ted looked like he wanted to protest and she shook her head.

"Last time I let you allow me to sit on the sidelines because of Dora, but she's fighting this time, she's grown up, has been for some time now and she's a powerful Auror to boot and she doesn't need me to take care of her. I want in."

Sirius smiled at her as her husband only nodded. "We'd be happy to have you, Andy. Anyone willing to help in any way is appreciated."

When they said goodnight and headed home, Harry was yawning from all of the good food and the long day.

He went to bed, sleep consuming him quickly with Marauder snuggled at his feet. He woke up early the next morning and found Lady Godiva sleeping next to his bed, surprising him. He wondered if she had slept there the night before as well. He bent down to scratch her behind the ears and her yellow eyes stared at him as if she mildly accepted the attention before she stretched and stood by his closed bedroom door, turning her head as if saying, 'okay you're up, let me out.'

He let her out of his room and decided to get up and take his shower. The house was quiet when he made his way downstairs just after eight so he poured himself a bowl of cereal and ate quietly in the kitchen. He grabbed his Golden Egg from his book bag and whistled for Marauder. The dog followed him outside through the snow and into the treehouse.

Harry settled himself in the warmth of the cabin. The warming charms that Sirius had placed for cool weather immediately warming the room. He sat on the cushions and pillows that provided chairs on the floor and sat the Golden Egg down, examining it closely.

The Golden Egg itself looked pretty normal. When he tapped it with his fingers it made a clinking hollow sound, reminding him that the egg had nothing inside of it outside of that terrible screeching noise. He flipped the egg over, running his hands along the smooth surface, searching for anything, but it was clean and smooth except for the hinges. He sighed and tapped his wand over the top of it.

Nothing happened.

He carefully opened the egg half an inch.

Nothing happened.

He opened the egg wide and the loud screeching filled the treehouse. Marauder cried and buried his head under his paws. Harry tried to decipher what it was, but it sounded like a crying banshee. He slammed the egg shut, rubbing his head as Marauder gave him a look of great annoyance and left him alone in the treehouse.

He opened it again and the sound emerged. He tried to concentrate. What could the screeching mean? Was it just a sound? Was it another language? He couldn't imagine any language sounding like that; it sounded high pitched enough to shatter glass. He closed the lid again, shaking the egg and opening it up again. The screeching sounded a bit muffled this time, but still the same high-pitched sound that was painful to the eardrums. Intrigued that he had muffled the sound, Harry shook it harder, flipping it upside down as he opened it.

This time the screeching subdued and he swore that he heard music almost, but the screeching was so prominent that he couldn't figure out what it was.

What kind of screeching sound had music to it? Was it a song?

He scratched his head and lay back on the pillows, letting the Golden Egg screech loudly as he held it upside down over his head before shoving it under the pillow. The pillow definitely gave it a more muffled sound and this time he swore he could hear flutes.

He sat the Golden Egg in the middle of the treehouse, flipping it upside down as it screamed and leaving it there before he went to the chalkboard wall to help write his thoughts, which really were no help at all.

➾ Screeches like a banshee

➾ Flutes?

➾ Possible musical screaming?

➾ Different language?

➾ Muffled when upside down

He settled himself in the hammock, hands behind his head and his eyes closed as he just lay there listening to the Golden Egg scream.

It was where Sirius found him thirty minutes later and he winced as he stepped through the door, moving to close the Golden Egg as Harry opened one eye to look up at him.

"Merlin's beard, that's a terrible sound!"

Harry only nodded. "It is. But what does it mean? How is that even a clue that I'm supposed to decipher?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes moving to the chalkboard. He tapped the fourth point. "You might be onto something with this one."

"Yeah right, who speaks like that in such a high pitch sound?"

"Well, it's definitely not a banshee," Sirius told him. "Their screams are fatal so putting one in a Golden Egg would clearly not be a clue, but a death sentence." He crossed out the first point on the board. "How long have you been out here?"

"Dunno, what time is it?"

"Nine thirty."

"Since about eight," he said, sitting up. "Uncle Siri, what if I can't figure this out?"

Sirius smiled at him. "You will. It's just going to take time. Come on; bring it into the house; maybe Zee and I can help a bit."

Harry nodded, climbing out of the hammock and grabbing the egg.

Zee was sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea and eating toast and jam. She smiled warmly at him. "Good morning, Harry."

"Morning," he said, sitting at the table. "Sorry if I woke you."

She smiled. "You didn't."

"It's the egg," Sirius told her as he sat down. "That's what that god-awful sound was."

"Oh?" She asked, her eyebrow rising.

"I don't know what it is," Harry admitted. "But it sure is awful sounding. When I shook the egg and held it upside down it did get kind of muffled though and I thought I could hear some kind of music, but the screeching was still so violent and angry sounding it didn't really help at all. Maybe my ears are just bleeding and I only imagined the music."

"He thought maybe it was another language," Sirius told her. "I'm not really sure myself."

Harry popped open the Golden Egg in the centre of the kitchen table and as soon as it started screeching again, Marauder whined and barked, running out of the room. Zee stared at it, looking thoughtful.

"Language might not be that far off," she murmured as Harry closed the egg. "Something about that is familiar to me."

"Familiar how?"

She smiled and shook her head. "I'm not sure yet."

Harry nodded and stood up, scooping the egg with him. "I'm going back to the treehouse to listen to this thing scream at me until it's time for us to go. Maybe something will come to me."

Sirius and Zee nodded as they watched him go. He stopped in the sunroom and grabbed some of the books from the shelf. Maybe if he listened to it while he looked through some books on defence and magical creatures, it would come to him, he thought.

Once he was comfortable on the floor of the treehouse once more, he popped open the egg, opening the book on defensive magic as he tried to tune out the sound of the screaming egg. After twenty minutes and a bit of a headache, he closed it with annoyance. He was never going to figure this thing out. And if he never figured it out, he wouldn't be able to do the Second Task.

He scowled to himself and stood up to pace the room. He moved over to the bookshelf by the wall, looking at the titles, but they were all books of fiction, some comic books and a few old toys. His eye caught something red and he moved closer to the shelf, shifting over a container full of Legos and his eyes widened as he picked up the magnifying glass.

It was the first present that Zee had ever given him he remembered. He had forgotten that he had it if he was honest. The tool of a magizoologist to help him decipher magical creatures and their true forms. It measured levels, he remembered, magical levels and danger levels and adrenaline levels. He could have used it with the dragon, he thought bitterly; maybe then he would have known when she was going to attack him a little faster and given himself more time to get out of the way.

He tossed it on the pillows in annoyance as he turned around, tripping over the egg. It sprung open again, screeching loudly as it spun across the room and Harry fell to the ground, wincing as he hit his elbow. He turned his head to look over at the egg and his gaze shifted through the red lens of the magnifying glass blocking his vision and his eyes widened in shock.

Floating above the egg were bubbles.

They glowed purple through the lens as they floated there, the screeching sound still loud and evident. He lifted his head to look at the egg and saw that it looked perfectly normal, but when he grabbed the magnifying glass and held it to his eye, the bubbles floated above the open egg once more.

Harry just about screamed in excitement. He jumped to his feet, grabbing the magnifying glass in one hand and the egg in the other, slamming it shut as he hopped onto the fireman's pole and slid down, running across the lawn and into the house.

"Zee! Zee!"

"Harry?" She called out as he ran into the living room and saw her curled up on the couch with a book. "What is it?"

"Look!" He exclaimed in excitement, opening the egg and handing her the magnifying glass.

Zee accepted the lens, holding it up to her eye and looking at the egg.

"Do you see them?" He demanded.

She smiled as her eyes met his. "I do."

He plopped himself down onto the couch next to her, taking the lens and staring through the glass to watch the purple bubbles float above the egg. "Bubbles! There are invisible purple bubbles!"

Zee smiled and shut the egg so that they didn't have to scream over each other. "Bubbles are a good sign."

"If this magical lens worked than that means it's a magical creature, right?"

"It sure sounds like it," Zee said with a smile.

"And if there are bubbles then that means that it must be an underwater creature, right?"

Zee smiled as she watched the wheels turn in his head. "I think that you're a lot closer to figuring this out than you realize. If you go back to the language idea, which I do believe has merit, what kind of magical creatures have their own language?"

Harry frowned, his brow furrowing as he thought about her words. "Well, like human-like creatures that can talk? Like house elves or centaurs or goblins and stuff?"

"Yes, but there are lots of magical creatures with abilities similar to humans. They live on different plains or in alternate realities and have their own governing societies and rules."

"Like fairies or pixies?"

"Exactly," she said with a smile. "But none of those creatures speak in bubbles."

Harry nodded, frowning at that. Bubbles … that had to mean underwater creatures. He remembered that Uncle Remus had showed them Grindylows last year, but he was pretty sure that they didn't speak. "I don't know."

Zee smiled as she stared at the Golden Egg for a moment. "Bubbles are an interesting sign. I think that it absolutely means water and if it means water, that means you should put the egg under the water."

"It won't damage the egg?"

Zee shook her head, her eyes twinkling in mischief. "No, it won't. Sirius is in the shower right now."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the egg and booked it up the stairs and into the master bathroom. To his surprise, Sirius was not in the shower, but lounging in the large claw foot tub, his hair clipped out of his face in a stubby ponytail, the dark stubble damp from the water and the tub was full of rainbow bubbles. His muscled and tattooed arms rested on the ledge of the tub and his eyes were closed, fresh cucumber slices over them.

Harry snorted. "Actually? A bubble bath? And why do you have cucumbers on your eyes?"

Sirius' head shot up so fast that the cucumber slices slipped into the bubbles with soft plops. "Excuse me, this is my private time," Sirius said sharply, the glass full of mimosa in his hand as he crossed his legs at the ankles where they were lounging over the end of the tub. "Don't knock it until you try it."

Harry smirked at him. "What's with the cucumbers?"

"Some of us have to work hard to be this good looking."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh brother," he said laughing when Sirius shot him the finger.

"What do you need? Can't a bloke have a nice bath in piece?"

Harry continued to chuckle at him. "I can't wait to tell Uncle Moony this."

"Hey! Let's keep this between us, alright?"

"No way," Harry said with a grin.

Sirius sighed. "What do you want in return for keeping it a secret? If you tell; Moony, he'll never let me live this down!"

Harry grinned wider. "And you think I'm going too?"

Sirius sighed and flicked a bubble at him. "What do you want, you little twerp?"

Harry grinned wider and held up the Golden Egg. "Incoming!"

"What?" Sirius spluttered before the Golden Egg came flying over the edge of the tub, sinking through the bubbles and hitting him in the kneecaps with a big splash. "Fucking, ow! Bloody hell, Harry, why are you throwing this egg at me?"

Harry grinned from where he stood by the bathroom sink. "Open it, Uncle Siri!"

Sirius groaned and reached down between his legs to obtain the Golden Egg beneath the water and flipped it open, biting his lip in anticipation for the loud screeching, but to his surprise, a screeching never emerged. Instead a soft musical melody floated throughout the bathroom, echoing off the walls.

Harry's eyes widened in shock. "They're singing!"

"I can hear that," Sirius said with a grin. "One second." He pushed his face into the bubbles to listen to the words.

 _Come seek us where our voices sound_

 _We cannot sing above the ground,_

 _And while you're searching, ponder this_

 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

 _An hour long you'll have to look,_

 _And to recover what we took,_

 _But past an hour - the prospect's black_

 _Too late, it's gone,_

 _It won't come back._

"Are you writing this down, Harry?" Sirius called out, wiping soap off his face and repeating the words as they were sung.

"One minute!" Harry said, hurrying into the master bedroom and stealing the notepad and pencil that Zee had left on the nightstand. He flipped to an empty page as the song continued to sing and Zee came into the bathroom, her eyes widening.

"Sirius! Are you using one of my rainbow bath bombs?"

He shrugged. "I want my skin to be lovely for you, darling."

Zee reached over to unclip his hair and kissed him. "You're lucky I love you, you prat. You owe me a rainbow bath bomb."

"Okay, enough with the bath jokes; jeesh, can't a bloke just enjoy some relaxation time?" When they both only continued to stare at him in amusement, he pointed to the singing egg under the water. "Write this down already!"

Zee's head perked up as she listened to the melody. "Of course!"

They listened to the egg sing four more times to make sure that Harry had recorded it perfectly before he let Sirius close the egg.

"Good, great," Sirius said from the bathtub. "Can I finish my bath in peace now?"

Harry laughed. "I guess."

Sirius snorted and held the egg over the edge of the tub, "And take this damn thing with you!"

Harry grinned, taking the egg from his father before taking his notepad and hurrying back downstairs with Zee on his heels. He sat on the couch, looking over the clue carefully. "It's Merpeople, isn't it?"

Zee smiled, sitting next to him. "Yes. They speak a beautiful language and it's said that their songs are sorrowful and melodic to listen to. If it is Merpeople, and I really do think it is, and the Second Task is based around your school, I'd imagine the Black Lake which would mean Selkies and Sirens who are simply a different race of Merpeople."

Harry nodded. "You knew right away, didn't you? When you heard the egg?"

Zee smiled at him. "Yes, I can speak Mermish."

Harry's eyes widened. "So why did you make me give it to Sirius? Why didn't you tell me it was Merpeople?"

She grinned. "Because it's up to you to figure out as much of the clue as you can by yourself. Sirius being in the bath was just a bonus. I knew that I had more bath bombs and I've been trying to figure out why they were missing, the prat."

Harry chuckled. "He's never living that down. I mean, he seriously had cucumber slices over his eyes." His brow furrowed as he looked pensive for a moment. "The Merpeople though, the clue said that they're going to steal something from me?" He looked thoughtful for a moment and then his eyes widened. "Zee! If they take something … they can't come on land, can they?"

"No, they do have the ability to walk on land. Selkies live in cooler climates like the lochs of Scotland. They look like a half-human, half-fish and they can walk on land for short periods of time passing as human. But if they were to steal something, they would not hide it on the land, that's true. They'd want it to be somewhere they can guard and protect it."

Harry swallowed slowly. "So I would have to go into the Black Lake to find it?"

She nodded. "I think so."

He stared at the words on the paper for a moment. "How deep is the Black Lake, Zee?"

"I'd say about two hundred and fifty metres," Sirius said as he came down the stairs. "There's a Giant Squid that lives in there after all."

Harry frowned. "Right … the Giant Squid. He's mostly friendly though, right?"

Sirius nodded. "For the most part. He likes the attention students give him. But he's not the only squid that lives down there. He's the only Giant Squid that's true, but there are still some pretty monstrous-sized squids that live in the lake with acidic ink that can poison and kill not to mention Grindylows, Kelpies, I've heard rumours of sharks, but how true they are, I couldn't tell you. There's Selkies and large eels and massive catfish and don't forget those little tiny black ones that look like tadpoles but eat human flesh."

"Not helping, Uncle Sirius," Harry said dryly, earning a grin from his godfather.

Sirius shrugged. "You asked."

"Okay, so … if the lake is roughly two hundred and fifty metres deep and there's all of these monstrous animals down there and the Selkies have stolen something from me to hide; they would bring it into their kingdom, right?"

Zee nodded. "Yes, they would. I've heard the Scottish Selkie Kingdoms are beautiful. A sight to behold, but it is a kingdom, which means it will be guarded and protected by their fiercest warriors.

Harry frowned. "How am I supposed to get down there and find anything? I can't breathe underwater that long!"

Sirius sighed. "There's the Bubble Head Charm? That works quite well and it will allow you infinite breathing as long as it stays intact."

"And it's incredibly dangerous, Sirius!" Zee exclaimed in annoyance. "If Harry is attacked by any creature and it gets close enough to his head to pop that bubble, he's done."

Harry looked pale. "I'm a goner then."

Sirius sat on the couch next to his son and pulled him into his arms. "No, you're not a goner. We'll figure this out, Harry."

"How?" He asked desperately. "There's no possible way for me to breathe underwater for that long! The clue says that I only have an hour to find whatever it is they are going to steal from me! I can't be swimming around and holding my breath or I'll never reach the bottom! I'll never find it!"

"Hey!" Zee said, grabbing his hand in hers. "Panicking is not going to help. Sirius and I are here for you, Harry, and we are not going to let you fail!"

"How am I supposed to breathe, Zee?"

She brushed his fringe away from his face and kissed his forehead tenderly. "You have me and I happen to be a pretty damn cool magizoologist if I do say so myself. I've spent time all over the world, Harry. I've picked up all sorts of neat tricks, including deep-sea diving off the coat of the Great Barrier Reef. I took lessons from a wizard a few years back and the two of us spent weeks exploring underwater creatures. I even wrote a paper on the seahorses that live in the Indian Ocean. Did you know that there's an entire community of seahorses that live there? They serve the Merpeople there as part of their royal guard."

Harry stared at her, eyes wide. "And you were under the water?"

"For almost two hours each time."

A slow grin spread across his face. "How?"

Zee smiled at him. "By learning the Scuba Diving Charm. It's not easy. It's incredibly complex and most witches and wizards find it quite hard to master. If it's not done correctly, you can suffocate yourself. But I think that someone who can produce such a powerful Patronus and who has already mastered an Animagus form, should have no problem learning it. We have almost two months to practice after all."

"And what if I can't learn it time?"

Zee kissed his forehead again. "Then we'll think of something else. But you can do this, Harry. I know it."

He beamed at her, letting out a slow breath of relief. "Thank you."

Sirius leaned in to kiss his son's cheek. "Guess we have to get some swimming practice in too."

Harry nodded. "In the Black Lake?"

Zee shook her head. "Eventually. But I think we'll start a little closer to home and maybe see about getting you swimming in the English Channel. Where you learn the charm doesn't matter so much as you practice and perfect it."

"Swimming in January. Sounds fun," he said dryly.

Sirius grinned. "That's what warming charms are for."

Harry looked between Sirius and Zee, feeling slightly better about the upcoming task. He had the beginning of a plan and that was a start.

 **An hour later, Harry, Sirius and Zee had made their way to Scotland to the Brown House for Christmas dinner.** Sorcha answered the door, kissing Harry's cheeks and hugging him tightly before moving to do the same to her daughter and Sirius. They found Misha in the living room with Callum drinking Scotch and snacking on cheese and crackers.

Harry was hugged by the two men as Callum squeezed his shoulder affectionately.

"There's my great-grandson! Heard you've become a Hogwarts Champion?"

Harry nodded, smiling at him. "I have, sir."

Callum scoffed. "No, sir, business, Harry! I've told you, it's Grandda!"

"Grandda, I have, and it's been more than I bargained for," he admitted.

Misha urged him to come and sit next to him, asking questions about the dragon from his letters. Harry grinned as he told them both about the dragon and about the Golden Egg clue that he had only worked on that morning. He explained how Zee was going to teach him how use the Scuba Diving Charm in an attempt to help him breathe under the water of the Black Lake for an hour.

Soon Uncle Brian and Auntie Jo arrived along with Dougall and Ellen and Jenny and Ian. Harry found himself playing a game of football outside, laughing when Jenny kept levitating the ball away her brother every time he attempted to kick it. They soon progressed to Quidditch, Harry borrowing Grandda's broom and they played catch with the Quaffle. They were frozen by the time they went back inside to warm up with hot chocolate and biscuits.

They were just sitting down to dinner as Gran said thanks for the meal when the doorbell rang. Zee went to answer it and Harry heard her squeal in delight a minute before Colt and Flo came into the dining room.

Harry hurried over to them, grinning and laughing when Flo covered his face in kisses.

"Merry Christmas, Harry!"

"Happy Christmas, Grandma," he said back, hugging her before he moved to hug Colt, surprised by how much he had truly missed them.

Their portkey had been delayed, but they had wanted to surprise them. They all sat down to dinner, eating and chatting about the holidays and the family. Jenny told them about something funny that happened at work the other day. She worked at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, specifically in the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee. Apparently, someone had accidentally cast a charm in a department store in downtown London that made all of the clothing levitate and attempt to dress the many Muggles in the store. After using a quick memory charm, they had managed to convince the Muggles that the employees had all helped them pick out the clothing which in fact had not been flying around, but merely thrown around in an attempt to make their holiday shopping experience more lively and entertaining. Ian was studying to be a healer and almost fell asleep in his pudding due to the long hours he had been putting in at _St Mungo's._

After dinner, they all made themselves comfortable in the living room as Grandda told his own family Christmas story about his ancestor who had gotten lost during a storm in the Scottish Highlands only to be guided to safety by a beautiful woman who seduced him and took him to her home in the land of the fairies. He was made for storytelling, his voice calm and deep as he explained how love had brought them together and then torn them apart due to her being a fairy and him a wizard. But on Christmas Day three hundred years before, they had married and settled here in this village, despite protest and started a family and lived happily ever after.

Harry smiled at the story, feeling full and happy as he lay on the floor in front of the fireplace, his head resting on the pillows provided and Lady Godiva lying next to him. It felt right being here. It felt like a family, he thought, listening to them bicker over how the story truly went - or according to Gran what Callum had forgotten - then Uncle Brian telling his father that he had skipped over one part. Papa and Grandmama were holding hands as they listened and Grandma and Grandpa sat together on the other side of the room with the chubby orange tabby named Moe stretched across their laps.

Auntie Jo started talking about her greenhouse. She kept one year round to work on her flowers and plants. Misha stood up, tapping Harry on the shoulder and gesturing for him to follow him out into the backyard. Harry watched as Misha put up a large warming charm around the yard and grinned at him, muttering more charms quickly.

"See, now it is safe for you to perform magic vith your papa!"

Harry smiled. "The trace isn't still on me?" He knew that Sirius had authorized him to be able to use his wand at Black Cottage over the holidays, but if he used it anywhere else that wasn't home or school, the Ministry would be immediately alerted.

"Bah!" Misha said, grinning. "'Ve are hidden from all that just like ve vere in Georgia!"

Harry grinned and pulled his own wand out of his thigh holster. "What are we studying today, Papa?"

"I like that you used the Patronus on the dragon. It vas smart and helpful. I vant to teach you how to expand it; how to make your Patronus extra strong!"

Harry's eyebrow rose in curiosity. "I'm listening."

Misha grinned. "It is how you use your Patronus to vork like the animal it is or in your case, animals they are."

"Isn't that what I did with the dragon?"

"Da, but this vould be bigger, stronger. You used it as a distraction, da?" At Harry's nod, he continued. "A distraction is good, but this vould make them fighters, solid forms to help you fight. Strong animals to guard and protect you."

"That sounds well, awesome actually," Harry admitted.

Misha grinned. "I know. So listen carefully to your papa. It is your Patronus that you cast so you must have a happy memory in place, a strong one, da? Then vhen the Patronus is formed you must imagine them as guards, you must mentally tell them vhere and how you vould like them to go vhether it is to vork as a shield for you, to stand in front of your shield charm already as extra protection or to guard another vitch or vizard for you. They are part of your magic; part of you, an extra arm for instance. As you know, the vords of the Patronus Charm 'expecto patronum' mean 'I avait a guardian'; someone to protect you and keep you safe from harm. This vill do that and so much more! I show you, da?"

He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and brandished his wand through the air with determination. "Expecto Patronum Familia!"

Harry watched in fascination as a dazzling blue-white bear emerged from the end of Misha's wand. The bear wove out in front of him, snarling and growling; he stood up on two legs, imposing and strong and glowing with power before he sat in front of Misha as if waiting for an order. Misha's eyes were on the bear and he brandished his wand again, but said nothing and the bear vanished appearing on the other side of Harry, flanking him as if he had been ordered to protect him.

"Wow," Harry said quietly.

"Da," Misha said with a grin. "He vill do vhatever I need from him; attack or guard. He can vork as a shield if you vant. He is mine to command."

"I thought the Patronus Charm was mostly used as messengers."

"They are. They can be. But you have the potential to use it for so much more if you have the willpower to learn it."

Harry nodded and watched as Misha's bear prowled around them, its eyes moving all around as if looking for any sign of trouble. "I definitely want to learn how to do that."

Misha grinned widely at him. "Khorosho, I show you how." He gestured for Harry to point his wand. "Let's begin."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(Russian) Khorosho = Good_


	170. Chapter 170

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer some reviews: I never changed Tonks' Patronus, I just made it a wolf from the beginning since her relationship with Remus was fluid years before they were ever dating. To HinnyFTW, no, I mean do mean "actually"; is that not a term you use? It's very common vernacular for me._

 _Thanks for the lovely reviews, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on what's next._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY:**

 **Harry was pleased to learn that Colt, Flo, Misha and Sorcha would be staying next door in Zee's cottage for the remainder of the Christmas holidays.** Misha transformed the living room into a magic training zone for Harry to practice the new charm. His animals appeared easily as guards, but getting them to do anything else was a lot more difficult than he had expected.

Misha used Sorcha, Colt and Flo to help him by shooting spells at them and making Harry work to shield them while trying to maintain his Patronus. After two hours of attempting it, Harry was out of breath and sweating, but his shield charms had all held in place. However, his Patronus had failed every single time.

Misha smiled at him as they took a break and Harry guzzled back a glass of water in the kitchen. "You vill get it, Harry. It is hard, I told you this."

"But I can already do the first part of the charm so it shouldn't be this hard!"

Colt put an arm around Harry and grinned. "It takes work. Nothing comes easy, m'boy. You have to practice and you stopped me from getting hit with whatever it was my son-in-law here tried to hex me with."

Misha grinned. "Nothing too permanent, I assure you."

Flo chuckled. "Your shield charms are becoming quite powerful, Harry. You had four shields up covering yourself, me, your grandpa and your grandmama and yet you still managed to keep one Patronus animal in front of each of us."

"But the animals didn't do anything. They just sat there," he whined in annoyance. He felt like he had been working on this charm forever and he just wasn't getting anywhere with it.

Sorcha kissed his cheek and urged him to sit down as she moved to make him a sandwich. "They will. Misha, perhaps you started too big. Maybe Harry should first practice to make the animals do tasks before attempting it with the shield charms and defending himself at the same time. You ask a lot of our grandson all at once."

"I treat him like an Auror in training."

"Which he's not, duine gòrach," Sorcha said sternly. "He's fourteen and still learning magic. Give him a chance, da?"

Misha gave her a look of annoyance and then smiled when she kissed him softly. "Da."

They tried again after lunch. This time Misha worked Harry with just the expanded Patronus Charm. Within the first thirty minutes, Harry had successfully managed to get his stag to charge at Misha's spell, knocking it away as if the stag himself was a shield. The stag's head was bent forward, antler's out as it charged head on towards Misha's spell and the impact when the antler's hit the magic was incredible; like a cosmic explosion as the spell blew back and disintegrated before it hit Misha.

Misha grinned widely. "Da! Just like that! See how your stag vorks like a shield, solid and it hits my magic, propelling it back, da?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I see."

Misha grinned. "Again. This time, ve try to vork the dog too, da?"

A few more attempts and Harry had each animal of his Patronus as a solid form running towards Misha, knocking back spells and shielding him in their duel. Each one grew more powerful and more like the animal that it represented as it pushed back and attacked Misha's magic. The stag continued to charge forward, to defend with its antlers; the dog bared its teeth, lunging at the force full speed; and the wolf's teeth flashed, standing tall and strong with its hackles raised, the strong arms and legs of the alpha wolf chasing down and attacking whatever it had to. Misha was grinning widely at him the whole time.

"Very good, Harry, very good!" He said, beaming. "Ve vill vork again tomorrow, da?"

They did.

Harry spent most of the rest of the week spending time with Misha and practicing his new Patronus Charm. Sirius and Misha worked together to duel him, sending hexes and spells his way as Harry erected his shield charm to stop them. He sent his Patronus out to guard Colt, Flo and Sorcha. Zee sent a hex at him from the side and his wolf Patronus dove at her, knocking the spell back towards her, teeth bared and jaw clenched as it bit into the spell and caused her to fly back and land on her behind as her spell disintegrated into the air and the wolf prowled around her, looking to stop any further attempts she threw towards him.

It took him three days, but he had it.

Misha beamed at him proudly as his animals guarded and worked together in tandem to assist him where he ordered them. "You are becoming a very good duelist, Harry."

"Thanks, Papa," Harry said with a grin.

Harry knew that he could use the Patronus to knock back anything that came towards him no matter how powerful, but like anything else there were some spells and curses that couldn't be repelled. The Unforgivables were one of them. Remus did tell him that sometimes using a spell such as this could be enough of a distraction for him to hide or get away if someone tried to use an Unforgivable on him, but there was no defence against an Unforgivable Curse.

In between learning the new charm, Harry helped Sirius and Zee plan a memorial service for Winky. It would be held the first night that Harry was back at school. Dobby had asked them if they could do it on the shore by the Black Lake by the mountains.

Harry mirror-called Hermione that night to tell her, explaining how and why Kreacher had killed Winky and how they were doing a memorial for her. Hermione was furious at the idea that there was no justice in it; that another elf had murdered her and there would be no trial. Harry explained how they had spoken to Dobby and how he agreed that it was done in defence of Harry and Sirius and how since Winky had no real masters or family to come forward, they all agreed that it would be for the best if it was just forgotten. But Harry stressed that it was the event itself, not Winky that would be forgotten.

Harry had still gotten a twenty minute earful on the rights of house elves in the process and he hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise. He understood where his friend was coming from. It wasn't fair and he completely agreed with that. Zee had explained the law to them and how it worked when it involved magical creatures. He said as much to his friend and told her that the law was Law 15B and he knew that she would immediately research it and add it to her findings for her SPEW list. Hermione said that part of the problem was again the lack of house elf representation on the committee within the DRCMC and Harry had to agree with her.

When he finished talking to her, he told Sirius and Zee as much and Zee immediately began to jot down the laws pertaining to house elves specifically and penned them in a letter to Hermione to help with her research. She thought that Hermione was doing a very brave thing and wanted to help her succeed even if she didn't fully agree that house elves would support it. It was still a good cause and Zee told Hermione that if she spent the next few months working on a proposal with detailed reasons as to why house elves deserved representation within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures that Zee would not only back her, but help her get it formally presented. Hermione had been thrilled with this and had promised to work hard on her findings.

By the time the second of January came around, Harry was anxious to head back to school and a little bummed to be leaving his family at the same time. But he was incredibly pleased when he learned that Misha, Sorcha, Colt and Flo would all be coming to the train station to see him off. He hugged each of them goodbye in turn, smiling when Misha told him that he and Sorcha would see him at the Third Task.

"Unfortunately we cannot be here for the Second Task," Sorcha said, kissing his cheeks. "We will be in Russia for work, but the Third Task, we will be there to support you, I promise."

He hugged Colt and Flo who were heading home by portkey the next afternoon. Colt urged him to write after the Second Task. They wanted to know everything and Flo told him to keep practicing the charms, spells, and hexes that Misha was teaching him.

"Misha is a very strong and skilled Auror, Harry. If anyone is going to teach you how to fight well in a duel, trust me, it is going to be a Russian spy."

He grinned at that and kissed her cheek before he hugged Sirius and Zee and headed onto the train.

He found Hermione in a compartment at the end of the train and slid into the seat across from her. "Hey."

Hermione smiled at him and moved to hug him tightly. He kept his arms around her as she hugged him close.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It was just a rough Christmas. My parents were horrified when they found out about Mr Crouch. And the paper said that you and Ron had found the body which resulted in a rather heated argument about the safety of Hogwarts. Mum is worried and Dad really had to talk her down about even allowing me to come back."

"Mione, I'm sorry. You should have called me and Uncle Sirius, maybe we could have helped calm them down."

She smiled and stretched her legs out. "It's okay. We worked it out. The fact that I've been communicating with them once a week has helped a lot. They understand what's happening and they're worried about you and the tournament as well."

"Did you tell them about Viktor?"

Hermione blushed. "Yes. Dad was a bit angry. Told me that I had promised him I would never date a boy before I turned thirty. Mum said that he can't hold me accountable for something that he made me swear to him when I was four, but he seems to be taking it quite personally like I betrayed him or something. And when I mentioned that Viktor's an international Quidditch star he seemed intrigued, but still angry."

Harry chuckled. "It sounds like a dad thing."

"That's what Mum said," she told him smiling. "Plus, Viktor gave me this." She reached under her jumper and pulled out the gold chain with the golden key pendant on it. "It's cheesy, but he told me that it was the key to his heart." She blushed as she said it and Harry grinned at her.

"And you love it."

She nodded. "He's wonderful, Harry. He's just … he's wonderful. Mum says that the next time I call them she wants him to be there so that they can kind of meet him."

Harry only continued to grin at her and she cleared her throat quickly.

"How was your Christmas? Are you still planning on having the memorial tomorrow?"

"Really great and yeah we are," he said, filling her in on what his grandfather had taught him. He explained about the clue in the Golden Egg and her eyes widened in amazement.

"You're going to swim down to the Kingdom of the Merpeople? Harry, that's amazing!"

He shrugged. "In theory, it is. But who knows what I'm going to encounter on the way down there. There's all sorts of creatures and things and well, I still don't know what it is that they are going to steal from me. My broom is probably what I'd miss the most."

Hermione nodded. "That does make the most sense, unless of course it's not an object, but that hardly seems likely. That Patronus Charm extension sounds amazing."

"It is pretty great. Papa says that I've really improved on my duelling skills. With the amount of practice that I get in Defence Club, I can't say that I'm that surprised that I'm improving. I just hope that the spells help in the Second Task."

"I'd imagine that performing spells underwater would be quite different as well," she said, looking thoughtful. "I mean you would be underwater, the oxygen levels and the atmosphere … it could affect your magic. But you'll be practicing?"

Harry nodded. He hadn't thought about that, he realized. What if when he was under the water, his spells didn't work? That didn't give him a very strong sense of reassurance.

"Yeah, we're going to start this Thursday. Zee's taking me down to the beach by our house so that we can work on this Scuba Diving Charm. I didn't even know that there was such a thing."

"Oh, yes! Apparently a Brazilian witch invented it after spending time in the Great Barrier Reef. I hear it's really advanced magic though."

"Yeah, that's what Zee said. She learned it when she was in Australia. I guess we'll see how it goes. If I can't master it in time for the Second Task, I'll have to find an alternative."

"An alternative to what?" Neville asked as he stepped into the compartment with Ron, tossing his backpack on the seat.

"Learning to breathe underwater," Harry said.

Neville merely raised an eyebrow. "You can use Gillyweed for that."

"What?"

Neville grinned at him. "Gillyweed. It's almost like a slimy seaweed plant from the Mediterranean Sea, but if one chews it, it gives you fish like abilities and allows one to breathe under the water. There's a lot of debate of course about how well it works in freshwater compared to saltwater, but either way it's a helpful plant."

Harry stared at him. "Nev, sometimes I forget how goddamn bloody brilliant you are!"

Neville simply grinned back at him. "Er, thanks, Harry."

He was definitely going to keep the idea of Gillyweed in his back pocket in case this charm didn't work out properly.

It was a few hours into the train ride when Harry made his way to the bathroom and found his path blocked by Ernie Macmillan.

"Ernie," he said politely, nodding his head.

Ernie merely tapped the badge on his chest. "We know that you defeated a dragon in the First Task and everything Potter, but we all know that you shouldn't be a champion, nor do you deserve to be. It's Diggory who deserves to have his name in lights. It's Hufflepuff House's time to shine."

"I never said that it wasn't," Harry told him carefully, turning when he recognized Justin Finch-Fletchley coming to stand next to his friend. "I like Cedric. He's a good choice for champion."

Justin scoffed and tapped the badge on his chest. "We changed these a bit and we'll be passing them around the school so that everyone knows who they _should be_ supporting in this tournament. We just thought that you'd like to see them first."

The badge was Hufflepuff yellow with a black badger on it and in bright red letters they flashed 'Go Diggory! #1 Hogwarts Champion' _._ Harry watched as Justin pushed on the badge and the words vanished to show a dragon setting an image of Harry on fire as the words, 'Potter Stinks!' flashed in an image of dragon fire.

"Clever," Harry said, trying not to show his annoyance. "Of course, the dragon in the First Task _actually set_ Diggory on fire and not me, but well done otherwise."

Justin frowned at that, glaring at a short blonde boy next to him. "Damn it, Smith! You said it showed promise!"

Harry smirked as he moved past them to head to the bathroom. He wasn't going to let their stupid badges get to them. He had the support of his own house and his friends and family and that was what mattered most to him.

Draco was standing outside of the bathroom with his arms crossed in front of his chest when he came out. Harry merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Malfoy."

"Potter," he said, nodding. He moved away from the wall to head into the bathroom, bumping into Harry as he did so and shoving something into his hand before he slammed the door behind him.

Harry felt the parchment in his fingers and slipped it into his pocket as he weaved his way back down to his own compartment which unfortunately included going through Ernie, Smith and Justin again. Zacharias Smith, the apparent third year behind the Harry's head on fire part of the badge, was grinning widely when he saw him.

"We adjusted it, Potter, want to see?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Not particularly, no."

Smith ignored him and pressed on the badge smugly. This time, the badge flashed to an image of Diggory stomping on Harry's face as the words 'Potter Stinks!' flashed around it.

"Tasteful," Harry told him in annoyance as Justin passed him a badge proudly.

"Wear it. Show your support for the real Hogwarts champion."

Harry only stared at him. "I'd love to, really, but I have my own champion stuff to contend with."

"Shut it, you blighter!" Someone called out as he moved down the train.

He sighed, closing the compartment door behind him to the sounds of their calls and taunts.

"Guess you saw the Hufflepuff Badges," Ron said, his eyes on his friend.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I did. Clever of them, really."

Ron scowled. "Don't let them goad you, Harry. Ernie's always had a stick shoved up his arse and Finch-Fletchley does anything Ernie tells him too."

"I know and I don't expect Hufflepuff House to support me. They have their own champion and I get that," he said honestly.

"But you don't see any of the Gryffindors making negative comments about Diggory," Hermione said indignantly.

"Just leave it, guys," Harry told them. "It's not important."

But the image of Diggory stomping on his face still made him scowl more than he wanted to admit.

He pulled out the piece of parchment that Malfoy had passed him and opened it carefully. The neat handwriting surprised him.

 _Crouch Jr is alive. He did that to his father. Theo's father helped smuggle him to Croatia to join the Dark Lord. Burn this._

He didn't have to be told twice. He tapped his wand to the parchment and said, "Incendio," watching the paper burn to ash as his friends stared at him.

He told them what the note said and they nodded. Ron shifted slightly and Hermione moved to sit next to him.

"How have you been holding up?"

Ron shrugged. "Alright, I guess. I mean, it's not something that I'm going to get out of my head but, I'm fine. Thanks."

She touched his arm and he smiled at her, his blue eyes locked on hers.

Hermione seemed to catch herself and smiled, pulling out her Charms book. "So, did you guys finish your homework?"

The three of them groaned collectively in response and she grinned.

It was nice to see that some things hadn't changed.

 **Classes picked up as usual the next day, but to Harry's dismay it seemed that there were a lot of people wearing the new badges.** Many of them were Slytherins, all of the Hufflepuffs and a few Ravenclaws who felt the need to push the badge as he walked by and he would watch Diggory stomp on his face as the words 'Potter Stinks!' flashed across the top.

It irked him more than he wanted to admit.

He had mirror-called Sirius when he had gotten to his dorm the night before and told him about the note from Malfoy. Sirius had only nodded and said that he was glad to know that their suspicions had just been confirmed. He told him that he would meet him on the other side of the Black Lake at eight o'clock the next night.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny all headed around to the Black Lake that night. They were going to have the memorial on the opposite side of the lake by the mountains, looking across at Hogwarts. It was a good walk and took them almost thirty minutes to get there.

Harry saw that Sirius, Zee, Remus, Tonks, and McGonagall were already present with Kreacher standing next to Sirius and to his surprise Dumbledore and Hagrid stood with Dobby. A small wooden coffin had been made for Winky. Dobby was mopping his tears with a handkerchief.

Sirius nodded at Harry and passed him a shovel as Sirius used a heating charm to soften the ground before the two of them dug a hole at the base of the mountain, gently lowering her coffin inside as everyone held their wands up to light their path.

Dumbledore spoke as they covered her coffin in dirt. "A death is not the extinguishing of a light, but the putting out of a lamp because the dawn has come. Life is given to us, we earn it by giving it. Let the dead have immortality of fame, but the living the immortality of love. Life's errors cry for the merciful beauty that can modulate their isolation into a harmony with the whole. Life, like a child, laughs, shaking its rattle of death as it runs."

Dobby wiped tears from his eyes again. "Winky was a good friend. Those were very nice words, Master Dumbledore, sir."

Kreacher moved to stand next to Dobby. "Winky was a good worker and a kind elf. I am sad that I hurt her. But she wanted to hurt my masters and I is not letting her do that, Dobby. I is sorry she is dead. I is sorry you lost your friend because of me."

Dobby nodded and to Harry's surprise, hugged Kreacher. "Thank you, Kreacher."

Zee smiled at them as she spoke. "My grandpa said these words when my mama died and I always found them comforting. I would like to share them now, if that's alright with you, Dobby?"

Dobby nodded. "Dobby would be honoured, miss."

"Warm summer sun, shine kindly here; warm summer wind, blow softly here; green sod above, lie light, lie light; good night, dear heart, good night, good night."

"Mark Twain," Remus said with a smile. "Beautifully spoken, Zee." He cleared his throat and smiled at Dobby. "I always liked Mary Oliver myself. 'To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go; to let it go.'"

Tears rolled down Dobby's cheeks as Sirius and Harry finished burying the small coffin by hand. Zee put up a monument at the head of the grave that said:

 _Here lies Winky,_

 _A loyal and loved elf,_

 _A friend and a confidant,_

 _Rest in Peace._

Dobby let out a big sob as Zee read the words of her tombstone aloud.

Harry put the shovel down and squeezed Dobby's shoulder in reassurance. "I'm sorry for your loss, Dobby."

Then to Harry's surprise, Sirius began to sing. His smooth voice echoing over the wind and offering comfort.

" _If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me? For I must be traveling on, now, 'cause there's too many places I've got to see. But if I stayed here with you,_ boy, _things just couldn't be the same, 'cause I'm as a free as a bird now, and this bird you cannot change_ ," he sang and Dobby beamed at him.

They stood in silence, offering silent condolences to the elf before Dobby nodded, turning to face them all.

"I is lucky to have met such nice witches and wizards to help Dobby bury his friend. I is honoured that Harry Potter and Lord Black dug Winky's grave by hand. Your kindness will never be forgotten. Winky would be honoured that even Kreacher is here. Winky would know that Kreacher was just doing his job. Nothing made Winky more proud than seeing a good house elf. Nothing sirs, and misses. Thank you."

Harry nodded and moved to place his hand on Dobby's shoulder, squeezing lightly. The elf's hand covered Harry's and he beamed up at him. "We're going to head back to the castle, Dobby. Do you want to come with us or would you like some more time with Winky?"

Dobby stared at her grave for a moment before he shook his head. "No. Dobby is ready to go back, Harry Potter, sir."

They walked around the lake in silence, coming up on the castle again. Sirius, Zee, Tonks, Remus and Kreacher said goodbye, heading home. Dumbledore and McGonagall headed back towards the castle and Hagrid towards his hut. Harry urged his friends to go on without him.

"Dobby, can I have a moment?"

Dobby looked over at Harry in surprise. "Of course, Harry Potter, sir! Dobby always has a moment for Harry Potter!"

Harry smiled at him and gestured him to sit with him on the bench in the courtyard as he watched his friends head back into the castle. "Dobby, I've been thinking about it and I know that you're very happy being a free elf. Dumbledore pays you what you'd like and gives you time off and I think that's great. You're getting what you've always wanted, right?"

Dobby nodded eagerly. "Oh, yes, sir!"

"Good," he said, not really sure how to say this. "Dobby, I was wondering, and if you don't want to that's okay, I know that we'll still be friends, but … would you maybe like to leave Hogwarts and come to work for me instead? I would be honoured to hire a free elf such as yourself, especially one that I consider a friend. You saved my life, you know."

Tears rolled down Dobby's cheeks as he stared at Harry in awe. "You is - you is - wanting Dobby to - to be _your elf,_ sir?"

Harry nodded. "Uncle Siri has Kreacher and I know that he's my elf too, but I would rather have someone else to help out; someone who I know always has my back. You tried to warn me about Vol-You-Know-Who back in my second year and I trust you, Dobby. But I understand if you'd like to stay at Hogwarts and with Professor Dumbledore. He's a good man."

Dobby jumped off the bench and threw his arms around Harry's waist. "Harry Potter wants Dobby! Dobby has never been this happy, sir, _never!_ Dobby is honoured and Dobby wants to serve the noble Harry Potter, sir! Dobby does!"

Harry grinned at him, the back of his neck flushing. "Er, good, I mean, great!"

"But Dobby already has a master, sir."

Harry smiled at him. "You do. Let's go talk to him, shall we? After all, you're a free elf, Dobby, and that's not going to change."

Dobby beamed at him.

Harry led the way to Dumbledore's office and up the spiral staircase, after guessing the password, 'Cockroach Cluster'.

Dumbledore was smiling at him when he came inside. "Harry, what can I do for you tonight?"

Harry cleared his throat. "Um, sir, I was wondering … I want Dobby to come and work for me."

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Well, I admit, that's the last thing that I expected when I saw you here tonight."

Harry grinned. "I freed him from the Malfoys two years ago, sir. He is a free elf and as he is in the employ of Hogwarts, you do not own him. I would like to hire him myself."

Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles. "And how does Dobby feel about this?"

Dobby held his chin up high, adjusting his bright red beanie around his ears. "Dobby is thankful to Master Dumbledore for hiring a free elf, but Dobby wants to go with Harry Potter, sir."

"Well, then you of course must go with young Harry," Dumbledore said with a grin. "I thank you for your service, Dobby, but I really must fire you now. You will be provided with a nice severance package for your outstanding service to this school."

Dobby's eyes widened. "Oh no, sir! Dobby could not accept such a thing! Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

"Oh, yes," Harry told him with a grin. "You will accept it, Dobby. You worked hard here and you deserve to be well compensated and, after all, he did fire you."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at them. "Thank you, Dobby. I wish you the best of luck and you will always have a job here if you ever decide to come back."

Dobby beamed at him.

He followed Harry back down the stairs, tugging on his ears nervously. "Tis too much money, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby does not know what to do with such riches."

Harry grinned at him. "You can save it up for something you might want or you can spend it on new clothes for yourself."

Dobby looked rather unsure.

Harry smiled and knelt in front of him. "Dobby, you are now officially working for House Potter. I am going to pay you one Galleon a day - no," he said when Dobby made to interrupt. "I am going to pay you one Galleon a day. I know it is too much and that you don't want it, but I don't care. You deserve more than that, but getting you to accept this is going to be hard enough. You can stick with your one day off a month, but if you ever want to take a day off, all you need to do is tell me and I won't disturb you, alright?"

Dobby's eyes were wide as he nodded. "Harry Potter is too good to Dobby, sir!"

Harry smiled. "I'm honoured that you would work for me, Dobby. Listen, you are my elf, but if any of my family should be in need of your service, I would be honoured if you would help them as well. That includes Uncle Sirius, Zee, Uncle Remus, and Tonks and maybe some of my friends if necessary. Do you agree?"

"Oh, yes, sir!" Dobby grabbed Harry's hands in his own. "But Dobby insists that Harry Potter let him be his true elf, sir!"

Harry stared at him curiously. "I don't know what that means, Dobby."

Dobby smiled. "Dobby wants to bind himself to Harry Potter, sir."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Dobby, you're a free elf. If you bind yourself to me, you will not be."

Dobby shook his head. "Dobby knows he is free in his heart, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby wants to bind himself to his new master to better serve him, sir."

Harry hesitated. "I don't really know what that means, Dobby."

Dobby explained how a house elf was bound to the family in which they served through blood. It was why a house elf could be passed down in a family through generations because the blood bound the elf to the witch or wizard who headed the family. By binding himself to the witch or wizard in question, it allowed the elf to always be able to find his master in times of trouble or great need; sometimes without the master even having to call for him. He explained that if the elf chooses, he can answer the call of any witch or wizard who calls him whether bound to them or not, but if bound by blood, the elf is stronger and the connection between elf and master is complete. If bound, they cannot use magic against the other and the elf is subservient to the master unless told otherwise.

Harry frowned as he listened to the elf explain it to him. "Dobby, I want you to work for me, but I don't want to own you like a slave. That's why I freed you in the first place."

Dobby smiled at him. "You won't, Harry Potter, sir. I am a free elf and you can say as much when I tie my magic to yours."

Dobby explained it again and why he thought that it was important and Harry could see how much it meant to the little elf for him to do this so he nodded.

"Alright, Dobby, what do I have to do?"

Dobby smiled so wide that Harry thought his face would crack. He took Harry's hand in his own and carefully sliced his palm. Harry winced at the cut and watched as Dobby cut open his own palm and dropped three drops of Harry's blood into his open cut. The blood sizzled in a blinding blue when it touched the elf's blood and then vanished, healing the cut immediately. Dobby healed Harry's cut and smiled.

"Now you must say the words, Harry Potter, sir."

Harry nodded, his eyes on Dobby. "I, Harry Potter, bind the elf Dobby to me as my friend and servant. He will be a free elf forever and always. If I should die before him, he will be a free elf and will not be bound to anyone in my family unless he so chooses to be."

Silver wisps of magic clasped around Dobby's hands and trickled along Harry's. They constricted for a moment and then vanished into the air, leaving no trace behind.

Dobby grinned at him. "I am yours, Master Harry."

Harry shook his head. "Absolutely no master. You can call me, Harry, Dobby, nothing else."

Dobby looked slightly strained at this, but nodded. "I will do my best, Mas-Harry Potter, sir."

Harry nodded. "Good. Um, also, I want you to be free to wear whatever you want. Any kind of clothing that you feel like wearing, go right ahead. If I present you with clothes, Dobby, they are a gift for you and nothing more. It does not mean that I no longer want you to be my elf. Do you agree?"

Dobby beamed at him. "Dobby accepts, Mas-Harry Potter, sir!"

Harry grinned back at him. "Good. Um, so I don't really need an elf right now since I'm at school, but if you go to Black Cottage, I'm sure that Uncle Siri can give you some stuff to do in the meantime, I mean, if that's okay. I will call you if I need you?"

Dobby nodded eagerly, hugged Harry around the middle and Disapparated on the spot. Harry simply stood in the hallway in front of Dumbledore's office a little dumbstruck, but feeling good about what he had done.

Dobby was now under his protection and vice versa and he felt oddly content about that. It had been a good choice, he thought. Definitely a good choice.

 **Thursday night, Harry was both anxious and nervous to learn the Scuba Diving Charm.** McGonagall let him use her Floo to head home and he immediately greeted a happy Marauder in the living room. Sirius followed Harry and Zee out into the backyard to assist in any way that he could. He side Apparated Harry down to the Sidmouth Town Beach along the English Channel, the cool wind whipping up from the water and reminding them that it was January.

Harry had changed into warm sweat pants and a Gryffindor hoodie over top of his bathing trunks. He stood in his black combat boots on the sand and looked out across the dark body of water.

"This is crazy," he told them.

Zee smiled at him. "Well, when I learned it was Australia's clear warm waters so yes, this is quite the change."

Harry shivered under the breeze and Sirius grinned at him. "Put a warming charm on yourself."

"No, not yet," Zee told him sternly. "If this charm is performed correctly, it will also keep your body at the right temperature needed depending on your surroundings."

"All good and well, Zahira, but right now he's freezing."

Zee nodded. "No, you're right. Until we have a handle on this spell, absolutely. Recalfacio!" She said, waving her wand over Harry and a warmth seemed to seep out of his clothes and into him.

He sighed in relief.

Zee smiled. "Okay, so before we get started on this, do you have any questions for me?"

Harry scratched his chin, realizing that he was going to have to shave again and nodded. "Yes. Is it harder to perform magic under the water? Hermione was saying something about the oxygen and the atmosphere on top of the water pressure possibly affecting my magic?"

"She's not wrong," Zee told him. "But it is quite simple still. The only difference is how you aim your spells. For example, if you're playing Quidditch in a storm and the wind is howling and coming in strong from the West, but you need to move to the West therefore towards the wind, how do you move your broom differently than if the wind was behind you?"

Harry nodded, understanding what she meant. "I see. Okay, that doesn't sound too bad then."

Sirius grinned at him. He was also in sweats and a hoodie and he kicked off his own combat boots and socks, moving down the snowy beach to the water. "Are we really doing this?"

Harry followed suit, taking off his own boots and socks and moving to the shore. The cool wind biting into him, but the warming charm held up and kept him feeling good. "I think that we're really doing this."

Zee smiled as she stood behind them. "Alright, so the key to making this charm work is to understand the difference between breathing underwater and breathing on land. While there is oxygen below the surface, aquatic creatures don't need it to breathe, they breathe on the dissolved oxygen within the water itself through their skin or their gills or through their organs. They don't need to breathe like we do as humans. The first rule is understanding that dissolved oxygen is not the same as oxygen like we breathe. If you breathe normally under the water you will just ingest the water and choke on it. We can't have that."

Harry nodded. "I think we all understand the concept of drowning, Zee."

"Smart-ass," Sirius said making him grin.

"What's the charm, Zee?"

"The spell itself is simply, breathe. Respirare. Repeat after me."

Harry did as she asked and she smiled.

"Good. Alright, so the charm itself is easy, the hard part is saying it beneath the water."

Harry frowned. "You can't say it above the water?"

She shook her head. "No. It has to be done under the surface so that you get the right amount of oxygen and temperature moderation based on the water you are diving in. That's what makes this charm so difficult. The wand motion must be precise which means, you must move it in a circular motion around your head, despite the water pressure and the currents, understand?"

He nodded and made to step into the English Channel, but Zee called his name stopping him.

"You need to undress, Harry. I know what you have on is warm, but the thickness of the material will only weigh you down."

He knew that she was right, but he cursed the cold under his breath as he undressed to the bathing trunks that he had worn underneath, shivering from where he stood on the beach before he stepped into the freezing cold water making his breath hitch despite the warming charm. Sirius performed a quick temperature charm and winced.

"Fuck, it's only ten degrees."

"Does knowing the exact temperature make you want to swim in it even more?" Zee asked, her eyebrow up in amusement.

Sirius merely stuck his tongue out at her before he stripped down to his own bathing trunks and he followed Harry into the English Channel.

They walked into the cold water until it was at their waist, the waves barreling at them in a nice constant stream, but not strong enough to knock them over. The cold wind made Harry shiver.

Zee, who had dressed in a black skintight water suit with long sleeves, followed them into the water. She erected a privacy charm around them despite no one else being on the beach.

"Alright, we'll have to get you a wetsuit to wear for practice, Harry. But for now, that works fine. Okay, so wand out. You're going to wave it in a circular motion around your head, above and waving downwards, like this."

Harry nodded as he watched her.

"Now, we're going to go below the water, eyes on me as I perform the spell. I just want you to watch for now."

Harry took a deep breath and plunged below the cold water. The cold seemed to seep into his bones, but he kept his eyes wide open as Sirius lit his wand under the water so that they could watch as Zee moved her wand in the motion that she had just shown him and blue lightning seemed to zip around her and then suddenly she smiled and spoke clear as day.

"I am now able to breathe under the water, talk under the water and see clearly as if I was above land. It's almost like a protective plate around my face that allows my eyes, ears, mouth and nose to be covered appropriately." She waved her wand and said, "Finite Incantatem," as she rose towards the surface.

Harry and Sirius broke the surface next to her, breathing deeply. "I could hear you so clearly. It was like we were on land."

She smiled. "And that's exactly what the spell is like. It allows you to be yourself, but beneath the water. Do you think that you are ready to give it a try?"

Harry nodded, glancing up at Sirius who grinned at him. Sirius removed Harry's warming charm and at Zee's command, he took a deep breath and plunged back beneath the surface, the cold seeming more shocking now that the warming charm was gone. He moved his wand in the proper motion, feeling the pressure of the water moving his hand out of whack, but he said the charm anyway, choking on the water as nothing happened.

He broke the surface coughing as Sirius smacked his back.

Harry cleared his throat. "The water moved my arm."

"It's different using your wand down there," Zee said with a smile. "You ready to try again?"

They plunged back beneath the cold water and Harry again tried the movement, holding his wand steady despite the water pressure and he yelled out, "Respirae!"

Blue sparks erupted from his wand, but nothing happened.

He felt Sirius grab his shoulder and tug him back to the surface as he shivered in the cold wind.

"Again," Zee said with a smile.

The tried four more times and each time the blue sparks seemed to get brighter, but nothing happened. Harry choked on the water, gasping for breath when Sirius tugged him to the surface again. He let his godfather drag him to the shore as Zee hurried after them.

"I want to try it again," Harry said, coughing slightly.

"No," Sirius said sternly. "We've been out here over thirty minutes, that's long enough." He shot a drying charm at Harry's bathing suit and urged him to put his sweatpants and hoodie back on. "We're learning this slowly and I won't have you dying of hypothermia in the process."

Sirius put his own clothes on and performed a warming charm on both of them as Zee did the same to herself and then Sirius tugged Harry into his arms and Apparated them back to the house. They sat on the couch in the living room, snuggled under warm blankets and drinking hot chocolate.

"I made sparks," Harry said, smiling as Zee gently brushed his wet hair out of his face.

"You did and that's an excellent start. Now you know what to expect from the feel of the water and the pressure of it on your wand. I think that you have the movement down, but now it's about getting the charm. You have to focus on it. You're not just ordering yourself to breathe, you're ordering yourself the ability to survive underwater."

He nodded, taking a long drink of his hot chocolate as it warmed him. "Right."

"It's going to take practice, Harry, and like Sirius said, we're only going to be working on this in thirty minute intervals. You have to stay healthy too."

Harry took another long drink before he spoke. "Neville told me about this water plant too, called Gillyweed. He said that if you chew it, you can breathe underwater for up to two hours, though he thinks that it's more effective in saltwater and freshwater might alter the amount of breathing time it provides."

Sirius looked intrigued by this. "That sounds promising. Does he know where you can obtain some Gillyweed?"

Harry shook his head. "No. He said that Sprout doesn't grow it in the greenhouses. But if I could maybe find some, it could be an alternative in case something happens and this, you know … doesn't work."

Zee kissed his cheek. "This is going to work, Harry. But you're right, it never hurts to have a backup plan."

Sirius grinned at him. "I'll see what I can find out about this Gillyweed; maybe the Apothecary carries it. In the meantime, we're going to keep practicing this charm. Saturday after lunch, you are coming back here and we're going back out into the Channel to practice, got it?"

He nodded. "Got it."

Zee smiled. "Finish your hot chocolate and then you can head back to school."

Harry grinned at her, feeling a bit more reassured by everything. He was going to learn this charm, he thought and he was going to swim down to the Kingdom of the Merpeople and steal back his broomstick or whatever it was that they were going to take from him. Nothing was going to stop him from doing the best that he could in this task; nothing.

 **Sirius followed Harry back to Hogwarts and made his way up to Dumbledore's office.** The headmaster was sitting behind his desk, his fingers tapping when he came in.

"Ah, Sirius, right on time."

Sirius made himself comfortable in the cushy armchair just as Snape stepped out of the fireplace. "Snape," he said cooly.

Snape only nodded in his direction and took a seat in the chair next to him.

Dumbledore continued to tap his fingers on his desk, his eyes moving between the two men for a moment. "I know that you've spoken to each other and I've spoken to each of you in turn about reforming the Order of the Phoenix. I think that we can all agree that it's a good idea to bring it back and to see what we can learn in terms of what's coming and what we can do to try to stop it, especially with the untimely death of Barty Crouch.

"Speaking of Crouch, Albus," Sirius said, crossing his feet at the ankles. "I've heard word that it was Crouch Jr who killed and tortured his father. He's been smuggled out of the country by Thaddeus Nott, presumably to the Selwyn Manor in Croatia to work with Voldemort."

Dumbledore frowned. "So he is alive."

Sirius nodded. "Very much so and obviously full of a shit-ton of daddy issues."

Snape stared at him. "I was under the impression that he died in Azkaban."

"I was too," Sirius told him, quickly explaining about Winky and the World Cup and how he had learned what Crouch had done; how it was actually Mrs Crouch who had died in Azkaban and how Crouch Jr was now free after spending years imprisoned in his own home by his father. "As I said, daddy issues."

Dumbledore tapped his fingers together. "Well, there's nothing that we can do about him for the moment, but there is something that we can do about Pettigrew. Severus, Sirius mentioned that he discussed Pettigrew with you. Have you decided on what to do about it?"

"Yes," Snape said carefully. "I think that taking Pettigrew on as my own prisoner would greatly benefit me in establishing my role with the Dark Lord. If Black can figure out how to get Pettigrew to me in a way that does not reveal him as my ally, I can kidnap him and then insert myself into the inner circle of the Dark Lord once more."

"Do you honestly think that he'll still trust you?" Sirius asked him, his grey eyes watching Snape carefully.

Snape swallowed slowly. "I have to hope that he does. I am going to tell him that by staying here at Dumbledore's side all of these years, I was able to ascertain over a decade of intel on the man he hates. If I also have Pettigrew that could potentially be another point in my favour."

"How are you going to make contact?"

Snape shook his head. "I don't know yet. Once I have Pettigrew and I am able to speak to him, I will form a plan on who to contact. But I think my best bet is Nott or Malfoy Probably Malfoy considering Nott is still a bit ticked off with me concerning Theo."

Sirius nodded. "Alright. The question is, how and where am I releasing Peter to you and how are you going to grab him?"

Snape smiled. "Next Friday evening, you're going to have your elf bring him to a Muggle neighbourhood in Leeds. Make sure the Anti-Animagus charm is still in place. I'll handle the rest."

"And as for the Order," Dumbledore said carefully. "We need to establish a formal headquarters. For the time being, Sirius, do you think that you could reach out a bit, try to see who may be interested in joining from the old days. Maybe Remus can reach out to the packs again?"

Sirius nodded. "Alright; I think that could be arranged. As for headquarters, I think our current location would be great. Remus and I will take care and organize the place for safety."

Dumbledore nodded. "That sounds good to me. You can invite the Weasleys there to discuss the plan and I will speak with them about joining the Order formerly."

"Sounds like a plan," Sirius said honestly. "Before we get started with that; Snape, do you know where I can ascertain Gillyweed?"

Snape looked bewildered at the turn in the conversation. "Whatever for?"

"Doesn't matter. Do you know where I can obtain it?"

"I have some in my private stores."

Sirius grinned. "Of course you do. Excellent. I'm going to need you to give me some."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because we're allies now and you should share with your allies." At Snape's annoyed look, he simply grinned. "Okay, let's get started."

 **Pettigrew was lying in his bed in the brightly lit room, thumbing through the pages of the Sherlock Holmes book that Sirius had left for him.** He had only seen him once since he had last spoken to him. Mostly, it was just the elf who came in and out with food. He never spoke to him or acknowledged his presence in any way. He felt like a ghost, lost and alone, but grateful to be locked up in a place with no Dementors.

He had no idea where he was, but anything was better than Azkaban, he thought.

He looked up when the door opened and Kreacher stood there, arms folded across his chest.

"My master is tired of keeping you here. He says that you are a reminder of what he lost. We will not be keeping you prisoner anymore."

Pettigrew's eyes widened as he sat up. "But I'm to be somebody's prisoner still? Are you turning me over to the Ministry?"

Kreacher simply grabbed his arm and the feel of being Apparated away made his stomach clench at the sudden upheaval and the elf pushed him to the ground. "I won't let you hurt my master anymore. Go die somewhere else."

Then he Disapparated with a loud crack, leaving Pettigrew lying in the street, vomit on his lips. He glanced around quickly, trying to gauge his surroundings, but he didn't recognize anything. He knew that he was in a Muggle neighbourhood, but he had no idea where. He was wandless and when he tried to transform, the pain sent an electric shock through him. Of course that stupid charm was still in place, he thought bitterly.

He climbed to his feet and started walking, not knowing where he was going. He couldn't go back to the Death Eaters, not now. They would surely kill him. He had been gone for months, though how long he wasn't sure, but the snow on the ground told him that it had been a long while. He felt like someone was watching him and he turned to look behind him, pulling his cloak closer in an attempt to fight off the chill.

He saw no one.

He kept a slow and steady pace for almost twenty minutes before someone grabbed his arm and familiar oily voice made the hairs on his arms stand on end.

"Peter Pettigrew as I live and breathe."

His eyes widened when he recognized Snape standing before him. "Snape."

Snape sneered, holding his arm tightly and Disapparating with him on the spot.

Pettigrew fell to the ground as Snape let go and found himself on the ground of a large study, bookshelves covering the walls. "W-w-where am I?"

"The question is where have you been? An escaped Death Eater who snuck into Hogwarts, caused quite a bit of ruckus only to have escaped the Ministry's grasp once again."

"I was being held hostage," he said quickly.

Snape scoffed. "Who would want to keep a snivelling rat like you as a hostage?"

"Sirius Black! He kidnapped me!" Peter shouted.

Snape kept his expression perfectly blank. "That baboon? Why? And if that's true, how did you end up out here?"

"A house elf brought me. He tossed me into the street like garbage with no wand."

"If you expect me to sympathize with you, I can assure you I don't. The last thing I expected upon visiting a friend's garden for potions supplies was to see you wandering the street."

Pettigrew's bottom lip trembled. "Are - are you going to kill me?"

Snape sneered, grabbing him by the front of his robes. "I should turn you over to the Aurors and let the Dementors have you; there's a hefty price on your head. Maybe I'll even get a nice reward for it."

Pettigrew yelped. "Snape, please don't do that! Please! You know what's happening! I know you've felt it!" He touched Snape's forearm where he knew the tattoo sat.

"Oh, you mean the Dark Mark? Of course, I have. I'm not an idiot!" He shoved Pettigrew away from him and watched him stumble and fall to the ground. "Have you seen him? Has he truly returned to us?"

Pettigrew nodded, his eyes wide. "He's working on it, and he's close. Or he was. You haven't returned to him yet?"

Snape shook his head. "I've been biding my time. After all, my role as spy on Dumbledore has served me well these past thirteen years."

"You've been loyal to him this whole time?"

"My loyalty has never wavered. I am ashamed to admit that I thought he was dead, but now … feeling my mark come alive again, I've been afraid to hope. Nothing would make me happier than to see our Lord rise again, stronger and more powerful than ever before."

Pettigrew only stared at him.

Snape smirked at him. "Get to your feet, you whimpering sod. I want to know everything that has happened to you since you escaped from Azkaban. Everything."

Pettigrew gulped. "After I tell you, what are you going to do with me?"

"If you're lucky, I'll tell the Dark Lord that you're still alive and ready and willing to serve him. If you don't tell me what I want to know, I'll kill you myself."

Pettigrew swallowed slowly and nodded. "There's a potion …"

 **Despite his trying, the blue sparks under the water seemed to be staying just that, blue sparks.** Every other day after dinner he would take McGonagall's Floo home and practice the charm in the English Channel. The blue sparks had grown stronger with each casting, but his one and only time that he had gotten the spell to work, it had only worked for thirty seconds before he once again found himself choking on the water.

Zee assured him that it was going to take time, but as January came to a close and the cold burst of February set in, he knew that he didn't have that much time left. On top of trying to find time to work on the Scuba Diving Charm, Harry had been doing his best to comfort Hagrid.

Rita Skeeter had someone found out that Hagrid's mother was a giantess and had written an article about it in the _Daily Prophet_. Harry had immediately mirror-called Sirius who had helped him by coming down and they set Hagrid straight with the help of Remus, McGonagall and Dumbledore. Hagrid was convinced that all of his students were going to be terrified of him now and Remus had snorted at that. He told Hagrid that if no one was afraid of the werewolf, they were hardly going to be afraid of the half-gentle-giant with the heart of gold.

Sirius had been furious and had said something about getting Zee to talk to Danny Evangeline again. It only made Harry even more unimpressed with Skeeter and he really didn't look forward to giving her an interview after the Second Task, especially since he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be able to complete the task in the first place.

He was on his way to the library that evening to try figure out what other spells he needed to learn to protect himself under the water from any magical and non magical aquatic creatures, when he heard a sound that stopped him cold in his tracks.

He turned slowly, his eyes widening as he saw Ginny pressed up against the wall half hidden behind the tapestry, Corner's hands on her waist, slipping up her sides, brushing the sides of her breasts as they snogged intensely. Her hands were linked around his neck as she kissed him back. His hands tightened into fists at his sides at the sight of them and Ginny moaned softly when Corner's mouth moved along her jaw. He watched in horror as Corner's hand slid off her waist and down to squeeze her bum.

Ginny shoved his hands off. "I don't think so, Michael."

He grinned at her and nipped at her lips. "Can't blame a bloke for trying to cop a feel of his girlfriend's lovely bum now, can you?"

She grinned and tugged his lips back to hers.

Harry didn't understand what she saw in him. He had just grabbed her bum in public. He had no right, he thought bitterly and he angrily stormed over to them before he could talk himself out of it. He grabbed Corner's shoulder and shoved him back and over.

Ginny's mouth opened in surprise. "Harry! What are you doing?"

"He had his hands all over you!"

Ginny merely raised an eyebrow. "Yes, he did! He's my boyfriend and I wanted his hands all over me!"

Michael climbed to his feet, wiping his hands on his black pants. "What's your problem, Potter?"

"My problem is that you are sloppily snogging her in the middle of this damn hallway where anyone can see it! She deserves better than you."

He scoffed. "I'm exactly what she needs and I'm going to touch her wherever I want!"

Harry saw nothing but green at those words and his wand was pointed at Corner before he could stop himself.

Ginny stepped between them, slapping her hands on both of their chests. "If you two could stop acting like children fighting over a toy that would be great! Harry, what is wrong with you?"

"He had his hands all over you, Ginny! You're in the middle of a hall for Merlin's sake! Anyone could have see you! You're lucky it was me and not one of your brothers! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

She merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so when you were kissing Cho all over the castle, that was fine, but with me it's different and I should be ashamed?"

"Exactly!" He exclaimed, his eyes flashing in annoyance. "No - I mean - "

Ginny glared at him. "You are not the boss of me, Harry James! You are my friend and I love that you're worried about my well-being, but I can and will snog whomever I want to wherever I want to and you can't stop me!"

Harry made to protest this and she raised her wand towards him.

"Don't think I won't hex you!"

He scowled as he watched her take Michael's arm and wrap it around her waist, standing on her toes and kissing him softly.

"Come on, Michael; let's go somewhere more private."

Michael stopped her, his hands framing her face as he kissed her.

Harry's fists clenched at his sides angrily as he watched them walk away. What did she see in him? He thought bitterly. He was a conceited pillock and if he hurt her he was going to make him wish that he had never set eyes on Ginny Weasley. He scowled as he marched off towards the library, anger still coursing through him.

He slid into the seat across from Hermione and her eyebrow merely rose.

"You look ready to kill someone. Is everything okay?"

"That stupid sod Corner was just pawing at Ginny in the hall like she was a common trollop! What gives him the right?"

Hermione smiled at him. "He's her boyfriend, Harry, and I can assure you that Ginny can handle herself. He's not doing any pawing that she doesn't approve of."

That made him scowl harder.

Hermione smirked at him. "Maybe if you talked to Michael and got to know him a bit you could see that he's a nice enough bloke."

"Ginny deserves better than that gormless tit."

Hermione grinned. "Well, let's let her make her own choices, Harry."

"I just want what's best for her, is that so wrong?"

"No, not at all," she said sympathetically, watching him rant and she smirked. "How long have you fancied her?"

Harry's face turned bright red. "What are you on? I don't - fancy Ginny! That would be - she's - we're - just friends," he spluttered.

Hermione only nodded. "Sorry, my mistake then. You just seemed to be taking her dating Michael rather personally."

"Because he's a stupid sod, that's why!"

Hermione simply grinned at him. This was an interesting turn of events she thought and she wondered how long it was going to take her friend to admit his feelings.

But she did know one thing, she was really going to enjoy watching it unfold.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _The quotes I used for Winky's funeral:_

 _Dumbledore's quote was from Rabindranath Tagore_

 _Zee's quote from Mark Twain_

 _Remus' quote from Mary Oliver_

 _Sirius sang the opening lines of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Freebird'_

 _(Gaelic) duine gòrach = silly man_

 _Thanks to Bex for the #1 Hogwarts Champion badge idea._


	171. Chapter 171

_Author's Note:_

 _This chapter is a bit on the long side and yes I know you guys don't mind, but I'm just saying LOL._

 _I had this idea of creating a charm that would be very powerful and would have the ability to conceal things in a way that others couldn't; felt that if anyone could create it, it would be the Marauders themselves and why not call it 'The Marauder Charm' in honour of them. Even two of them were quite the genius and I like to think they were smart enough to create something complex like this. I love making Sirius the goofy prankster as well and even though it's completely cheesy, I feel like this is totally something that he would do!_

 _Thanks to Josh for this little idea about the Pensieve, I thought that it was a great idea._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-ONE:**

 **Sirius sat in the kitchen of Number Twelve, his eyes on the blackboard walls of information that they had acquired over the last two and half years.** The past of Voldemort himself; the people who he had come into contact with; his known and suspected Death Eaters; the missing people they believed him to be responsible for; and of course the Horcruxes themselves.

He stared at the list of them on the wall, his fingers tapping impatiently on the table.

 **FUVP Hit List:**

1\. DIARY (found in Chamber of Secrets through vault of Abraxas Malfoy) ✓

2\. LOCKET OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found in seaside cave) ✓

3\. SIGNET RING OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found on Gaunt abandoned property) ✓

4\. CUP OF HELGA HUFFLEPUFF (found in vault of Bellatrix Lestrange) ✓

5\. UNKNOWN (potentially located within Hogwarts)

6\. UNKNOWN

7\. VOLDEMORT HIMSELF

With the Triwizard Tournament and Harry's involvement with it, on top of the sudden brutal murder of Crouch, Sirius knew that they hadn't been taking the time to search the castle the way that they should have been. McGonagall and Remus had each done a little recon and they had knocked off a few rooms and areas to no avail, but the castle was incredibly large. Not to mention that the castle was a magical being on its own and had rooms that appeared and disappeared based on the occupants of the castle; extra classrooms or guest rooms, bigger dorms and second dorms; secret passages to explore.

It was like finding that one particular piece of hay in a haystack.

Then there was Winky.

Sirius had been trying not to let it bother him, but bringing her here had been incredibly stupid. Not only had she been privy to all of the information that they had collected, but she could have ruined the entire operation and that was on him. Number Twelve was safe, he knew that, but the operation wasn't. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how important it was for it to be taken into secrecy, especially if they brought anyone else on board.

And it was time to bring someone else on board.

He looked down at the letter clutched in his hand. It had arrived that morning and reading the words over and over had done nothing to reassure him of its contents.

 _Sirius,_

 _I know that it's been a while since we spoke, but I think that I may have figured it out. If I use the right combination of spells I think that I could safely operate on this person and move the dark magic matter into an object for it to inhabit before it could be destroyed. It would be possible to destroy it during the surgery, but the risk of it blowing back into the brain would be astronomical. I think putting it somewhere else would be the wisest course of action._

 _The tricky part is going to be moving it without angering or spooking it. From what I can see, the dark magic has a mind of its own; its own matter and its own personality that seems to want to claw its way through everything. I've never seen anything like it and removing it will most definitely be a bit of a fight, but_ _I do think it is possible._ _It's a miracle that it has stayed in one place like it has all of these years. Once it starts to trickle out, and I do believe that it will if given the right incentive, it indeed could alter the brain and alter the person who it is ultimately inside of. I suggest that we try to remove it no later than by the end of the year. If the person has lasted this long with it inside of them, waiting a few months isn't going to change that, but I do think removing it soon is the best course of action. I would like at least another month or two to prepare myself for the neuro-healing procedure._

 _I will tell you this, there is risk. If something happens and the dark magic moves or is torn the wrong way, it could seep into the brain and affect the magic of the person. It could be harmful to the physical and emotional well being of said person and to be honest, if something does go wrong; the person could die. Anything to do with the brain is always dangerous no matter what it entails - there is always risk._

 _I want you to know that I don't think that this is going to happen. Like any surgeon, I must tell you that there are odds, but I think they look good. I would give this a 75% chance of working successfully with no risks or problems, which are excellent odds, however there is still that 25% chance that something could go wrong. It doesn't mean a twenty-five percent chance that they could die, it just means there is a twenty-five percent chance that there_ _could be_ _complications. So it ultimately comes down to choice of the person on having it removed._

 _Thea and I will be staying in London for two weeks with the kids in March to visit Thea's parents. I think that it would be a great idea to meet up and discuss this further._

 _Xander_

Sirius read and reread the letter. He had scarcely breathed since he'd read the words the first time and he didn't quite know what to say or do now that he had. A seventy-five percent chance of removing it with zero complications, that was a good number, he thought. He smiled at Kreacher when the elf brought him a sandwich and a cup of tea.

"Thank you."

Kreacher smiled at him. "Of course, Master Sirius."

Sirius reread the letter in his hand, still unsure on his thoughts. By the time that he had finished his tea, he still hadn't come to a conclusion. He said goodbye to Kreacher, checking his watch. Remus should be getting home for the day he thought and quickly Apparated to Wales to see his friend.

He knocked on the door to the cottage, smiling when Tonks opened the front door still in her Auror uniform.

"Wotcher, Sirius!"

"Hey Tonks. Is Remus home yet?"

"Yes, he's making us omelettes for dinner."

Sirius nodded and followed her back into the kitchen, smiling at the sight of his friend over the stove. "Hey Moony."

"Hi," Remus said. "Omelette?"

"No thanks. I um, I need to talk to you. Tonks, do you think that we could talk in private actually?"

Tonks only nodded. "Of course. I'm going to grab a nice long bubble bath anyway." She smirked at her boyfriend. "You can come join me when you're done. Bring the omelettes."

When the bedroom door closed behind her, Sirius shook his head. "I think that you two are worse than rabbits."

"And like you and Zee are any better," Remus said in amusement.

"We are! You two can't go two seconds without touching each other!"

"When's the last time you and Zee had sex?"

Sirius bit his lip as he remembered how Zee had woken him up that morning with her mouth wrapped around him. "Not the point."

"My point exactly," Remus said with a grin. "So what's going on Sirius?"

Sirius cleared his throat, moving to take a seat at the barstool. "After what happened in December with Winky, I've been thinking that we need to put a secrecy charm on the entire operation."

"A Fidelius?"

Sirius nodded. "I think so, yeah. I told Dumbledore that we can use Number Twelve as the HQ for the Order which means that I want to move the blackboard into the study where only you and I will have direct access to it."

"That sounds like a wise decision."

"Rem, is it possible for more than one person to be the Secret Keeper?"

Remus looked pensive for a moment. "I believe so, yeah, but it would take away from the potency of the charm, I would think."

Sirius shook his head. "I disagree. I was thinking that we should both be the Secret Keepers of this operation. If we do the charm correctly, it would also mean that Dumbledore, Moody, Bill, Zee, and Tonks would also be under the charm's secrecy and therefore unable to reveal any of the information that it involves. But between the two of us, we could keep it safe."

Remus looked unsure for a moment. "We can divide it. You would be the Secret Keeper of the operation's location being that you are Head of the House of Black already, it would only further your own charms. We could put myself as Secret Keeper of the operation itself. However, putting me as Secret Keeper, Sirius … we both know that Greyback can use my lycanthropy to see - "

" - Rem, don't even try to use that bullshit on me. I trust you with Harry's life. Snape said it himself, you are way stronger than Greyback and he can't get into your mind. He couldn't do it when you were a child, he's not going to do it now."

Remus nodded. "If you're sure. I think that we should put it on Zee or Tonks myself."

Sirius smiled at him. "We're the Marauders and this is our operation, it's you and me, Rem."

Remus smiled back at him. "You and me."

"Divide and conquer," Sirius said with a grin. "We can each perform the charm on each other. We just have to get the secret just right, so that everyone who does know becomes unknowing until we once more bring them into the loop, correct?"

Remus nodded, sipping his tea. "I believe so, yes. If I am understanding you correctly, you want to create an entirely new charm using the foundation of the Fidelius?"

"Something that fits for this, yes."

"And I'm assuming that you want to get started on this now."

He nodded. "Yes, but first, you need to read this."

Sirius passed the letter over and watched as Remus carefully pried open the parchment that he had been clutching tightly. He read the words quickly, his eyes flashing slightly as he did so before his friends stormy gaze met his.

"A seventy-five percent chance?"

Sirius nodded. "He can take it from his head and put it into an object. Rem, if he does that, if he removes it from Harry, we can destroy it!"

"But there's a twenty-five percent chance that it will hurt Harry."

Sirius nodded, his face ghostly pale. "I know. Fuck, I know!"

Remus urged Sirius to take a seat again as his friend had begun to pace around the kitchen. "How is he going to do it?"

"I don't know. We would have to talk to him to get some more information, but ... there's a possibility, Rem! And you saw what he said about the dangers of not removing it!"

Remus nodded, letting out a slow breath. "After the dream Harry had in the summer I tend to agree with that assessment. But he also hasn't had anything like it since."

Sirius buried his face in his hands. "We have to tell him. We have to admit that we've been lying to him this whole time."

Remus sighed. "He's going to be furious. We promised him that we wouldn't lie to him and that's all we've been doing for over a year."

"No, we were intentionally not telling him, that's different. I'm the only one who directly lied to him this summer after that dream and I felt like a piece of a shit when I did it."

"Sirius, we have to do this thing right. We need to sit down with Xander; come clean about exactly what this dark magic matter is and talk to him about exactly how he wants to remove it, step by step. I will not go to Harry with this without every available piece of information we have on the subject. This is his choice as much as ours."

Sirius nodded. "I know and that's what scares me. He wants to do what's right always and as proud as that makes me, it terrifies me too. He's too damn brave and self-righteous for his own good sometimes!"

"That I agree with," he said softly

"I see why you are looking at the secrecy aspect now. We have to bring Xander in on the operation, Sirius," Remus said carefully. "Now that he knows the dangers of the dark magic we have to inform him exactly what kind it is. We both have seen how quickly the soul pieces lash out when attacked. What if it affects him while he's trying to remove it and he falters? If his magic is shifted for even a second, Harry could die."

Sirius stared at his friend, his eyes dark and stormy. "That's not an option."

"Siri, it is a strong possibility and we both know it! This soul piece has imbedded itself inside that scar on Harry's forehead. We agreed that it's not actually a real Horcrux in the sense that the others have been, but it still is a piece of Voldemort's soul. That has powerful ramifications that come with it. If Xander doesn't understand the properties of it, how can he even attempt to safely remove it?"

"If we bring him on this, Moony ... he might change his mind."

Remus stared at his friend, the turmoil in his eyes. "He might, but I won't risk the maybe on the possibility of our son's life. Are you willing to risk it?"

"No, fuck no, what do you take me for?"

"I assume the same terrified parent that I am," Remus said carefully.

Sirius nodded. "We need to ... it's only you and me that know I went to Xander about this. I haven't even told Zee and I assume that you still haven't told Tonks?"

Remus shook his head. "No. We agreed not to tell them until we knew more. Xander's coming to London in March so we have time to line our ducks in a row. Tonks and Zee should be there for that. They might have some insight."

"I agree. Until Xander and Thea come back to London, let's hold this close to the vest. For now, we should try to figure out this charm. I want to create our own. I want this to be the strongest charm for secrecy and safety of any and all that we bring into this operation."

Remus smiled at him. "I agree. Let's think on this a bit over the next few days, see what kind of brainstorms we can come up with. Then on Friday night you can meet me here. Ted gave me a bottle of _Jameson_ for Christmas that I've been looking to open up."

Sirius grinned. "Sounds great. I'll be here and we'll get started."

Remus nodded. "And we'll get started."

 **When Friday came around, they spent hours going over every aspect of the Fidelius Charm.** The charm's responsibility was to magically conceal a secret within the living soul of a human being. The trick however was how to record the secret within the charm while casting it to make sure that it was truly concealed in every way, shape and form. It was an immensely difficult charm to perform. Once cast, only the person whose soul possessed the secret would be able to reveal any or all information pertaining to it. Anyone who had previously been informed of any or all information within the Fidelius Charm would now be cast out until said Secret Keeper revealed the information to them once more.

In the end, they decided to make the secret the operation itself. Sirius would be the sole possessor of the location of FUVP and ultimately the Order of the Phoenix since the location would be the same including the Horcruxes themselves and Remus would be the sole possessor of the information gathered on Voldemort including his followers and his crimes. By putting Sirius as the Secret Keeper of Number Twelve, this also meant that Kreacher was kept safely in on the secret as being the elf of the Black Family, he was magically bound to keep all secrets of his master unless he was freed or given permission to speak of them.

Remus explained that as powerful as the Fidelius Charm was, it was infallible as they both knew. It depended on an individual to keep the secret and even as they both trusted each other explicitly, they knew how dangerous hoarding such a secret could be. So they decided to tweak it.

Remus remembered how Lily had created a charm to prevent anyone from entering a room if they held any form of malicious intent towards anyone inside of it. It had worked quite well, he remembered, as once the charm had been performed, the person had been immediately expelled from the room. He made notes to add the charm into the complexity of the Fidelius Charm.

Sirius suggested that they also add a charm to prevent anyone from overhearing any potential conversations that they may have about the operation outside of the safety of the charm zone. If anyone was discussing the operation and happened to mention the word 'Horcrux' while someone outside of the charm zone could overhear it, the non-informed party would hear something else entirely. Sirius decided that word would be 'hard-on' and anytime someone said the name Voldemort, those outside of the charm zone would hear the word 'vagina' much to Remus' chagrin.

"Really, Sirius, does it all have to be about sex?"

Sirius grinned. "Think about it, Moony! Someone overhears your conversation and you're talking about how important it is that we find the Horcrux that is concealed by Voldemort and all someone hears is that 'we find the hard-on that is concealed by the vagina!' That's gold!"

Remus chuckled. "And you're actually twelve."

He laughed. "But it's hilarious and you know it! Plus, it's an extra safety precaution which we can never have too many of."

On that, Remus agreed with.

They worked out a few more kinks, adding in this malicious intent charm; a Confundus Charm to disorient and alter the memory of the moment a person interfered; the word befuddlement charm (Sirius choosing all of the codewords to be cheesy sexual innuendos despite Remus' protests); and they divided all of the secrets between the two of them and mixed the charms together into one.

It took them almost two weeks to create the charm to their specific requirements, but it was worth it.

They called it the Marauder Charm. It kept secrets; concealed identities and conversations; prevented harm and malicious intent to anyone involved or to the location itself; and most importantly, it kept the operation safe.

Once they decided that it was perfect and having tested it on a few random small things, they headed to Remus' home in Wales to perform the charm on each other as if they placed it when they were inside the secret location, Remus would automatically be cast out since he wouldn't know the location of Number Twelve. Tonks was still at the Ministry so they spread out in the living room, both going over their own secrets that they needed to magically conceal.

Remus performed the charm first, moving his wand meticulously over his friend as Sirius concentrated fully on what he was meant to conceal. The Secret Keeper in question had to focus wholly on what they wanted to keep hidden. The wand movements had to be precise and the incantation spoken clearly all at the same moment for it to work. A pink glow emitted from around Sirius and burst into silver signalling that the charm was complete and successful. He picked up his own wand and performed the same charm on Remus with the same results.

They grinned at each other and then Sirius carefully whispered the address of Grimmauld Place into Remus' ear and the two of them Apparated back there and stepped inside.

"It definitely worked," Sirius said with a grin as he led the way into the study where they had moved the blackboard walls. "I can only see the hard-ons on the blackboard wall." He busted into laughter, "Merlin! It even works on us because we haven't even brought each other into the fold yet and since you don't know the secret, you hear the fun words!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Let's work the last part of the charm out so that we can both be privy to the information on Vagina."

Sirius laughed again as the charm kicked in for him and Remus grinned.

"You really are twelve, you know that, right?"

Sirius grinned. "Come on, Rem, don't you want to learn more about the Dick Eaters led by Vagina?"

"No," Remus said, concealing his smirk.

He wrote: 'Operation FUVP, history' on a piece of parchment and passed it to Sirius and knew it worked as his friend read it. Sirius did the same, but his parchment read 'Operation FUVP, hit-list and mission report'. The entire blackboard wall was once again available to him to read.

Remus let out a sigh of relief. "It's done."

Sirius nodded. "Good. Now we just have to bring everyone else back on board. I'll let Dumbledore know that our headquarters is officially up and running. This room can only be accessed by you or me."

"Blood charm?"

Sirius grinned. "Yes. Since no one will be able to get into the house unless I tell them the location I think a blood charm will be safe."

Remus nodded as they took a few minutes to set it up; charming the wall to stay hidden as well unless they asked for it. "Alright, looks like the Order is back up and running."

"And Operation FUVP is well guarded."

Remus sighed. "I'll write to Adrian."

"And I'll see about getting Arthur and Molly on board."

They both nodded, understanding that it was the start of another upcoming war and neither of them felt very good about it.

 **It was a few days before the Second Task and Harry was sitting in the study hall looking through the many books on aquatic creatures that he could find in the Hogwarts library.** He had spoken to Hagrid earlier during lunch about what kind of creatures were in the Black Lake and he had eagerly filled him in.

Outside of the Giant Squid, there were ten other large monstrous squids that lived under the surface and six of them were incredibly dangerous if their territories were invaded. The Merpeople lived in the centre of the lake at the very bottom and their entire village was surrounded by a colony of Kelpies and seahorses who often travelled through portals from loch to loch below the surface. When they travelled through portals, they often brought new creatures with them including a colony of basking sharks who had somehow adapted themselves to the freshwater as they traveled back and forth through the portals, in and out of the saltwater with the Kelpies. There were also Grindylows and tiny black flesh-eating pixies that swam in colonies in the depths of the loch.

Harry found none of this reassuring.

Ron, Hermione and Neville had been helping him research as much as possible as well when they were free. Ron and Lavender were now mostly attached at the lips and Hermione was spending a lot of her spare time with Viktor, but Neville was usually around to assist him. He was glad that his friends were happy, especially Ron who seemed genuinely happy to be spending time with Lavender. But as the Second Task drew nearer, he became more and more nervous for what was coming and thought he could really use as much help as possible.

Ginny was still annoyed with his outburst at her snogging Michael and had been giving him a bit of a cold shoulder as of late, not that he could blame her. He had been a complete git and he knew it, but every time he thought of approaching her to apologize, he imagined her snogging Corner and he saw green again. The fact that he had woken from dreams of him kissing her behind tapestries was simply his subconscious playing tricks on him. It wasn't that he fancied her, he told himself repeatedly, it was just that she deserved someone better than Corner. Neville only nodded at him when he explained his reasoning, but didn't say anything on the subject.

Seamus and Will had also been helping him learn about the creatures under the lake, but he found them distracting as they often ended up disappearing to snog while 'looking for a book' in the stacks. Dean became rather surly at this and as of late he and Parvati had been arguing a lot.

But today, he was alone in the library as he made notes on the different creatures. He looked up when the shadow fell over him and he was surprised when Cedric plopped himself down in the empty chair across from him.

"Hi Harry," he said kindly.

Harry nodded, eyes on him. "Cedric. What can I do for you?"

Cedric swallowed carefully before he spoke. "Look, I owe you one for the dragon. If you hadn't warned me about what was coming, I would have been a goner in the First Task."

Harry shifted in his seat. "It was only fair. Fleur and Viktor already knew and well, we should all have a fair footing."

He nodded. "I agree. Did you figure out the clue for the Golden Egg yet?"

"I think so," he admitted, not sure how much he wanted to give away. He did agree with keeping it fair, but it was a competition after all.

"So you put it under the water then?"

"Yes," Harry told him. "I heard the song if that's what you're asking."

Cedric nodded and leaned across the table. "I was speaking to my friend about how the 'taken' in question is supposed to be something that we value above all else."

"I know."

Cedric shook his head. "No, I don't think that you quite understand, Harry. The poem never directly says the word object. It's ' _taken what you'll sorely miss'_ which means it is something or someone who is important to you."

Harry's brow furrowed. "What? They're going to kidnap a person?"

Cedric nodded. "It's what I think, yeah."

"But they - how would they - no!"

Cedric shrugged. "I didn't say that I agreed with it only that it's what I think they are leaning towards doing. I just came to this conclusion myself and I thought that you should be made aware. And for the record, Harry, good luck."

Harry watched him hurry off and his eyes stayed wide.

He had to master that charm!

There was no way that he was going to lose anyone to this tournament. He closed his books and stuffed everything into his bag before he called for Dobby. He was skipping History of Magic today, he thought bitterly. He had to learn that charm, no matter how long it took him to do so.

 **Sirius found his son lying on the Sidmouth Town Beach, gasping for breath two hours later.** The sight of him lying near the water made his breath hitch in relief. Harry had been missing for over two hours and no one had any idea where he had gone except that he was clearly no longer on the Hogwarts grounds. Sirius had been livid. He had never felt more terrified as his life. He crossed his arms in front of him, his grey eyes relieved at the sight of Harry, but his voice still came out like steel.

"Are you cold?"

Harry's head snapped up and he looked over at his godfather. "I think that I got it!"

Sirius' eyes widened, momentarily distracted by his son's good news. "Actually?"

Harry nodded and sat up. "Yeah! I've been in the water for almost an hour. It was amazing, Uncle Siri! I could breathe and I could talk and my body temperature evened out so that I wasn't even cold. It was incredible!"

Sirius grinned and helped him to his feet. "That's great, Harry. I'm proud of you."

And then he cuffed him across the head.

"Ow! What the bloody hell was that for?"

"Oh, well, let's see," Sirius said, ticking off his offences on his fingers. "Skipping class; sneaking out of school to come to the beach; attempting a Scuba Diving Charm without supervision where you could have drowned; should I say more?"

Harry stared down at his feet. "I'm sorry. I just … I'm running out of time and I had to master this!"

"And you did and I'm happy for you. But we had this talk in September when you snuck out during the full moon. You are not to leave school without permission! How did you get out of the school anyway?"

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Dobby."

Sirius snorted. "Maybe having you take on that elf wasn't such a good idea after all."

Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest in annoyance. "Look, I want to try the charm again; will you watch and supervise so that I won't drown?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "This is not a laughing matter, Harry! Underwater charms are tricky and you should _never_ be attempting breathing charms without someone nearby to assist you."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, looking at Sirius, his eyes pleading. "I just … I wanted to learn it. I didn't think about it like that."

"You didn't bloody think at all," Sirius told him. He sighed in exasperation as Harry's green eyes pleaded at him. "Go on then. Show me this charm."

Harry grinned as Sirius moved into the water with him, wincing at the feel of the cold. Sirius' eyes widened as he watched the charm cover Harry's head and he heard Harry yelp in joy. He brandished his wand around in the water, shooting small spells and lighting his wand to see through the water. Sirius broke the surface, grinning as he saw Harry take the charm off and follow him up to the surface.

"I've got it!"

Sirius hugged him tightly when they got to the shore. "Yeah, you've got it." He performed a quick drying and warming charm on them both before he Apparated them both to Black Cottage where McGonagall was sitting in the living room drinking tea.

"Hello Harry," she said sternly making him gulp.

Sirius squeezed his shoulder lightly. "Punishment comes even for champions, Harry."

Harry took the loss of points and the week's worth of detention from her without protest. She told him that his detention would start the night after the Second Task so that she didn't deter him from his preparations. Since it was only three days away, he wasn't sure if it was that helpful.

After she left, Harry told Sirius about his conversation with Cedric and how he thought the Merpeople were going to kidnap a person.

"So you have to be extra careful, okay? You can't be stuck under the water! You just can't be!"

Sirius held his son tightly and kissed his forehead. "Harry, I love you. No, look at me," he said, framing his son's face in his hands as Harry rolled his eyes at him. "You are an incredible wizard and I am so proud of you sometimes that when I look at you I want to burst. You are a Hogwarts Champion and even if I am kidnapped by the Merpeople, I trust you to find me down there and to bring me to safety. You are ready for this."

Harry nodded and hugged him tight. "I'm ready."

Sirius kissed the top of his son's head. "Okay, now let's get you back to school. Try not to worry about who or what is going to be waiting for you under the water. No matter who or what it is, I know that you can rescue it or them safely. I trust you."

Harry nodded, feeling slightly better.

"And in case for some unknown reason, your brilliant new Scuba Diving Charm doesn't work," Sirius said, moving to grab a jar from the coffee table. "I found you some Gillyweed."

Harry beamed at him and hugged him again. "Where?"

"I have my sources," Sirius said with a smirk. "Now go on, back to school. Remus said that you can use his suite to practice your spells over the next few days. I'll see you on the twenty-fourth and if you sneak out of school again you will be grounded until your forty-five and serving detention alternately between Remus and Auntie Minnie for the rest of your Hogwarts education. Clear?"

Harry grimaced at his godfather and accepted the Gillyweed. "Clear."

 **When the day of the twenty-fourth was finally upon them, Harry found himself feeling incredibly nervous.** He had practiced the charm a few more times in the Black Lake yesterday afternoon, but he was still anxious and feeling a bit unsure. The deeper he dove into the lake, the more creatures he was going to come across and most of them were incredibly dangerous. Not to mention the idea that someone could be down there because of him …

He had met the other champions in the tent and changed into the wetsuit they provided him with. His was in Gryffindor colours, the Hogwarts crest once more across his chest and his name was on his back. He had just finished changing when Ron burst into the tent, his eyes wide.

"Harry!"

"Ron, what's going on?"

Ron shook his head, grabbing his friend's shoulders. "Harry, I can't find Hermione or Ginny and they would never miss your big moment like this!"

Harry stared at him. "Well, Ginny's still a bit peeved at me. We had a bit of a row," he admitted, remembering how he had almost hexed Michael Corner in the hall. She had barely spoken to him since.

Ron ignored this. "Peeved is one thing, Harry, but you know that she wouldn't miss your task! And Hermione is missing too and I asked Krum and he hasn't seen her either. Colin said that he hasn't been able to find Gin anywhere since Dumbledore asked her to his office last night and her roommates said that she never came to bed!"

A ball of fear pitted itself into the bottom of Harry's stomach. Cedric had tried to warn him that the Merpeople might take a person, but he hadn't said anything about them taking two.

"Ron, they've taken what I'll sorely miss."

Ron stared at him for a moment and then his eyes widened. "You mean - the Merpeople took them!"

Harry's heart began to pound wildly in his chest and he could hear the blood roaring in his ears. "They took … I'll get them back, Ron. I'll get them both back."

Ron nodded, slapping his friend on the shoulder. "I know you will." He pulled Harry close for a one-armed hug. "Good luck, mate."

Harry watched his friend sneak out of the tent, his blood still roaring in his ears. They had no right to kidnap his friends. He had been thinking that it would be Sirius, he had prepared himself to deal with rescuing Sirius, but to have to save Ginny and Hermione … it was too much. How could they play with people's lives like that?

Harry moved out onto one of the docks that had been erected into the middle of the Black Lake. Stands surrounded the lake so that everyone could watch the Second Task, though Harry wasn't sure if they would even be able to see anything considering the champions would be spending all of their time under the water.

The judges table was full of Dumbledore, Bagman, Karkaroff, Maxime and to Harry's surprise Percy Weasley. As Junior Assistant to Crouch, they had assigned him as a judge to the Second Task until they finished choosing a new Head for the Department of International Magical Cooperation since he had been attending the other tournament related tasks while Crouch had been under the weather, or as they knew now, being tortured.

Bagman used the Sonorous Charm on himself and his loud voice echoed across the lake. "I welcome you all to the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament! Today, each of your champions will be diving below the surface of the Black Lake to find the people that they will miss the most."

Loud cheers erupted from the stands and Harry snuck a look at the other champions. Viktor's face was set in a determined grimace; Cedric looked slightly green and Fleur was radiating with rage. Good, he thought. They weren't going to take this lying down any more than he was.

He stood on the dock looking out at the smooth, dark canvas of the Black Lake. His heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn't believe that the organizers of this tournament would do something as dangerous as kidnapping people and placing them under the water. And she was … they were …

He closed his eyes, fisting his hands at his sides. If anyone hurt Ginny, he was going to hurt them, he thought bitterly. And to have taken Hermione as well … why did he have two people to rescue? That didn't seem fair. He heard the bell go off, signalling that it was time for the champions to start the task and he immediately dove into the Black Lake. The water was freezing and he could feel his limbs seizing from the impact of the cold water. His fingers felt like they were already starting to go numb.

He pulled his wand from his thigh holster and encircled it around his head, pointing downwards as he said as clearly as he could with water gushing into his throat and making him choke, "Respirare!"

He felt the effects of the Scuba Diving Charm immediately. He felt the jolt of oxygen rush into him and he breathed in relief as his body temperature seemed to regulate to the temperature of the water. He took a deep breath, pleased as his glasses stayed water free and he could see clearly through the depths of the lake as if he had special underwater lenses in them. The charm allowed for him to see, hear, breathe, and speak as if he was on land.

He swam lower, but he wasn't moving very fast. He wished that he knew how to swim a little bit faster, he thought as he watched a small blue fish move lower into the lake. Inspiration dawned on him, and using one of the suggested spells that Zee had given him, he pointed to his feet and said, "Caudal pinna," and watched in amazement as a pale blue caudal fin appeared over his feet, giving him the ability to swim like a fish. The sight of it bolstered his confidence as he dove deeper into the lake, breathing easily as he swam below the surface and through the thick seaweed and underwater plants that surrounded him.

The deeper he swam, the more he came to the conclusion that it was incredibly eerie below the water.

Unlike swimming in the English Channel, this was darker. Everything seemed to give off a greenish-blue glow and seemed dim, but bright at the same time. It was a completely different world; full of flora and fauna and plants like he had never even seen before. The water made them look alive as they moved in the waves and he watched in fascination as one particular green leaf seemed to rise up, slipping over his fin as he swam over it as if attempting to touch him.

He watched fish swim by him, some seeming to look at him in confusion, but most just swam as if he wasn't there. A family of small tiny black fish the size of bottle caps moved in his direction. He shifted slightly to let them swim past and then gasped when they immediately attached themselves to his chest. He reached down to pull them off and choked when their tiny teeth seemed to sink through his flesh like leeches. Flesh-eating water pixies, he thought in horror, as he tried to remember what Hagrid had told him about them. Blood speckled the water as Harry struggled, shaking his body in an attempt to free himself. He pointed his wand at them and yelled out the first spell that he could think of.

"Evanesco fish!"

The fish vanished in a loud pop and he let out a sigh of relief, blood still speckling the water as he swam, his eyes peeled for anything else that might look harmless and not be. He dove deeper below the surface, past the little mountains and turrets which looked almost like an underwater cavern. The smooth surfaces of the rock seemed to glisten with a dusting of gold as if jewels had once graced the surface. He touched the rock as he swam past, moving through the thick tangle of seaweed and grassroots that seemed to stretch as high as the trees.

The green creature that appeared in front of him with its long teeth bared, startled him. Sharp teeth dug into his wrist as he attempted to disentangle himself from the creature. The sharp horns and the slimy green claws dug harder into his arm as another sickly green creature reached out to grab his leg.

Harry fought them off, kicking and squirming before he finally pointed his wand and yelled, "Vi Calida Aqua!"

The jet of boiling hot water that shot from his wand hit the first Grindylow straight in the eye and he let out a strangled scream that echoed in the water. He turned his wand on the second one and when the jet of water hit him, he shrieked as well before they both took off in the opposite direction, shooting him dirty looks from over their shoulders.

Harry swam through the thick seaweed, trying to get deeper into the lake and to find the underwater village of the Merpeoples. The shadow that seemed to hover over him had him looking up in alarm as the entire surface above his head seemed to disappear. Something large and dark floated above him and he moved deeper below the water, deciding that it was best not to find out what had darkened the area just as a large tentacle swiped the surface of the rock that he had been resting by.

The long tentacle brushed his leg almost seductively and he shivered, attempting to swim deeper. His attempts were thwarted as the tentacle, almost twice his own height in length, wrapped around his left leg and tugged. He yelped, the bubbles in the water reacting to him and escaping his lips as he was suddenly pulled up and around as a second long tentacle wrapped around his waist and began to squeeze. The first tentacle slid between his legs, trapping him further and when he attempted to get loose, the squid squeezed tighter. Harry made to point his wand at one of the legs and another tentacle seemed to slip out and trap his right arm against his body.

He struggled, attempting to get free to no avail. Harry closed his eyes for a moment. If he could just focus and concentrate on how the squid was holding him, maybe he could break free. He remembered sitting amidst the Devil's Snare in his first year in his attempt to reach the Philosopher's Stone and how not struggling had helped him slip free of the dangerous leaves. He stopped struggling and stayed perfectly still as the squid's long legs seemed to slip and slide over his legs and chest. The one holding him quivered for a moment and then to his relief, let go and he found himself falling slowly to the bottom of the loch floor.

But then the squid's dark eye seemed to lock on him, realizing what he had done, and it dove, tentacles outstretched and Harry gripped his wand, pointing it up at the squid and screamed, "Remordeat!"

The stinging hex shot out and slapped the squid's undercarriage and it let out a sound of rage. Harry attempted to hex it a second time, but before he could he watched in horror as a long tentacle flung out and swung up to the body of the squid, holding tightly to the flailing figure of Fleur Delacour. A second arm seemed to wrap her tighter before grabbing her by the throat and the Bubble Head Charm that she had been using suddenly popped.

Fleur's eyes bulged as water seemed to gush into her and Harry knew that if he didn't get to her in the next minute or so, she was going to drown. He aimed his wand at the first squid and shot another stinging hex, this one hitting one of the tentacles around Fleur. The leg convulsed in pain, but it didn't let go so he tried a stunning spell. It seemed to do the trick as the squid froze and shook and Fleur was left dangling in the water. Harry sent another stunning hex at the other squid who was moving towards Fleur in the water. It hit the squid head on and it dropped to the bottom of the lake in slow motion.

Harry immediately swam towards Fleur, ignoring the two large squids who were sinking slowly in the water and starting to shake off the stunners at the same time. He grabbed her hand tightly before he tugged her lower into the lake as the large squid on the left's one eye seemed to watch him with suspicion. He could feel the anger of the creature and he knew that if he was forced to fight it, he had no real way of defending himself. The long tentacle flicked towards them again and Harry's arm gripped Fleur's waist as he pulled her into his arms and rolled through the water, crashing behind a rock as the tentacle slammed into the area where they had just been, leaving a long trail of bubbles behind.

He ducked behind the rock, grabbing Fleur on either side of her cheeks and pulled her lips to his, breathing deeply into her mouth. His lips brushed hers as he pulled away and he tugged the Gillyweed from his pocket, shoving it into her mouth.

"Chew!" He demanded.

Fleur did as she was told and then her eyes widened as she was suddenly hit with an influx of oxygen and she choked, gagging before she took a deep breath, gills forming on the side of her neck and Harry watched in fascination as her hands feet became webbed. "Merci!"

He grinned, the sound of her voice muffled by bubbles, but he still understood her. "De rien. Nous devons continuer!"

Fleur nodded, her eyes moving upwards to look for signs of the squid. And then she grabbed Harry's arm in shock as the entire lake around them suddenly turned to pitch darkness.

Harry felt the ink touch him before he realized what it was. It felt like acid, bubbling on his skin and into his arm and he knew by the feel of Fleur's tight grip on his arm that she was experiencing the same. He lit his wand, illuminating a long stream of light through the inky darkness and caught sight of one of the squids diving towards them, its large jaws opened as he if it planned to devour them and he shot a reducto curse towards it. The squid screamed and bellowed and blood seeped from it, mixing with the ink.

It seemed to do the trick because it took off and barrelled in the opposite direction, leaving Fleur and Harry with burning skin in the darkened water. Fleur wrapped her arm around Harry's waist and pulled him deeper into the water, rolling them behind a rock and away from the squid ink and the feel of the cold water against his skin provided immediate relief.

Both of them were covered in red burns that seemed to bubble and burst. Fleur's beautiful skin was red and blistered and he knew that he must look the same. She leaned in and kissed Harry's cheek before she swam off in the opposite direction to try to find her own captive and he was suddenly reminded that they were supposed to be working alone.

Harry only looked around carefully, checking for the squid again, but he was pretty sure that the squid had decided to leave them alone. He had always thought that the giant squid was nice. He had seen people feeding it and playing with it in the water, but he couldn't believe that the large smaller squids were so dangerous when the monstrous one wasn't. It didn't make sense. He shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't have time to think about the squid at the moment, he had to find Ginny and Hermione. He moved around the rock to get his bearings and knew that he had to be at the centre of the lake by now, he just had to get deeper to find the Merpeople village.

He dove through the water, his caudal fin helping him swim faster through the dark lake and he saw the bright light ahead as he approached the large archway with blue flames dancing in the torches on either side. He could hear the singing now, soft and beautiful in an eerie and creepy way.

 _Come seek us where our voices sound_

 _We cannot sing above the ground,_

 _And while you're searching, ponder this_

 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

 _An hour long you'll have to look,_

 _And to recover what we took,_

 _But past an hour - the prospect's black_

 _Too late, it's gone,_

 _It won't come back._

He held his wand in front of him as he passed the two Merman guards by the arch, each with tall spears, but they only watched him approach cautiously, making no move to stop him.

Harry swam through the doorway and into a city unlike anything that he had ever seen before. Towering turrets made from rock and stone seemed to glisten in the water in bright bejewelled colours and covered in flora and fauna looking like an underwater jungle. One of them seemed to rise higher than the rest with a tall tower that seemed to be beckoning him forward. He increased his speed, swimming faster and around the tower to the courtyard where he saw the four figures, each tied to a mast amidst the ruins of a large ship.

The ship itself had to be at least a few centuries old. It looked like it had once belonged to pirates with the tall masts, the wooden wheel and the old cannon balls situated around the deck of the ship. The ship itself was covered in green algae, giving off an eerie glow and making the ship look even more sunken and broken below the surface. Long eels swam in and out of the ship's broken windows, a few of them hovered near the tall masts.

The fiery red hair seemed to glisten in the eerie light as he made his way towards Ginny. He put his fingers to her neck, breathing in relief to feel the steady pulse there. She was obviously in some form of enchanted sleep that allowed her to breathe beneath the water. His eyes darted side to side to see Hermione next to her, equally as unconscious and next to her was Cho and then a girl who had to be Fleur's sister by the silvery blonde of her hair.

Harry's eyes darted around him, but he saw no one else in sight.

If there were only four captives here, that meant that Hermione wasn't for him, he realized. He stared at his friend for a moment, surprised to come to the conclusion that Hermione Granger was Viktor Krum's captive. He looked around again quickly, but there was no sign of the three other champions?

What if the other champions had been attacked by the squid like he and Fleur? What if they weren't able to find their captives? When the hour was up and they hadn't arrived to rescue them, did that mean the Merpeople were going to keep them?

The thought of taking Ginny and running seemed compelling, but he knew that he couldn't just leave the others here when he didn't know if they were going to be saved or not. He pulled the pocket knife that Sirius had given him for Christmas from his pants and cut the ropes around Ginny's legs and hands. She immediately began to float away and he wrapped an arm round her waist, pulling her into his arms, her long red hair flowing around him and blocking his view.

He grabbed her wrist, finding the hair tie that she always kept there and carefully tied her hair back. His arms held her tightly as he looked around again, but there was no sign of any of the other champions. He wrapped Ginny's legs around his waist, attempting to lock her in place before he moved towards Hermione. But the water and her unconscious form fought against him and he felt Ginny start to float away and out of his arms. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her into his arms again.

He locked Ginny's arms around his neck and said, "Incarcerous!" Ropes tied her hands and kept her in place before he did the same with her legs around his waist, locking her tightly around his body. Then he turned back towards Hermione

The moment he touched his friend's hands, he was surrounded by twenty Merpeople, all of them pointing their spears directly at him.

"You must only take one!"

"But she's my friend too!"

The tall Merman in the centre only shook his head. "Only one or you will be forced to fight us, wizard!"

Harry held his wand up to do just that when they suddenly all turned and scrambled away in horror and Harry hugged Ginny tightly, burying her face in his neck as his eyes widened in alarm.

A shark was barreling towards them at high speed, his large jaws open wide as he moved towards Hermione. The look of the legs and black wetsuit covering the second half of his body made Harry sigh in relief. He handed Viktor his knife and the shark seemed to nod at him, returning the knife before he took off with Hermione cradled in his arms.

Harry looked around frantically as Cho and the young girl stayed tied to the mast. He glanced down at his watch and saw that he only had ten minutes left to reach the surface before his time was up. He moved towards the two girls again and the Mermen surrounded him, spears pointed just as Cedric, a Bubble Head Charm making his head look like it was trapped in a fishbowl, appeared next to him. He used a severing charm on the ropes, grabbed Cho and took off.

Harry looked up at the surface again and shook his head, his arms still wrapped protectively around Ginny. Fleur had been right behind him after the squid. Something must have happened. He wrapped Ginny more securely in his arms, checking to make sure that she was still tied into place before he moved towards the young girl. He sent a stunner at the Merpeople and they shrieked and scattered. He shifted Ginny to his right side before he cut the ropes and carefully maneuvered the girl into his arms, wrapping her around his other side as he held on. He held both of them for a moment, trying to figure out how he was going to swim with the both of them securely in his arms.

He kicked his caudal fin desperately and moved only a little, but he slowly managed to swim out of the courtyard only to find himself surrounded once more by the Merpeople. Their spears were all pointed at him.

"Only one prisoner per champion. You must leave the child with us."

"No!" Harry bellowed, raising his wand.

An arrow flew past his head and he rolled, holding onto the girls as tightly as he could and watched as a Merman riding a giant water horse barrelled towards him. Harry pointed his wand at the Merpeople and yelled, "Flipendo!" and the Merman fell back, flipping backwards off of the Kelpie and Harry grabbed a hold of the mane of the large seahorse.

The large head turned towards him, green eyes staring and he carefully flew onto her back. The Kelpie swerved and bucked as if attempting to rid herself of her new riders. Harry stroked the neck of the water horse the way that he had Cloud Dancing, whispering reassurances to her. The Kelpie continued to fight him, but Harry kept stroking the neck.

"It's okay, it's alright," he purred. "I won't hurt you. I just need help getting these girls to the surface. You're safe with me. You're safe. You're a good girl. Beautiful."

Harry's soft voice and lightly stroking hands seemed to be what the Kelpie needed because she seemed to submit to him, letting out a soft neigh that sounded like acceptance.

"Good girl," Harry repeated in encouragement as he pet the Kelpie. "Will you take us up to the surface?"

The Merpeople had recovered and were now pointing their spears at Harry and the Kelpie.

"Release the girl!" One of them shouted, his long spear nicking Harry's leg.

Harry turned his wand on them as his blood speckled the water and they scattered as the Kelpie let out a roar.

The Kelpie turned it's massive head and nuzzled Harry's stroking hand before it turned and shot up like a rocket. Harry felt like he was on his broomstick, flying at top speed through a hurricane as water rushed at them from all sides. The fast moving race through the water seemed to wake the girls and Ginny's face nuzzled his neck as she woke, eyes blinking at him as the Kelpie broke the surface with a huge splash.

"Harry?" Ginny asked blearily, blinking in confusion.

Harry pointed his wand at his head as he choked for air and muttered "Finite Incantatem" and took a deep breath, his arms still around Ginny as his caudal fin disappeared as well. "Hey, it's alright, I've got you."

The little girl stirred from next to them and Ginny smiled at her. Her arms and legs were still tied tightly around Harry, but she grabbed the little girl's hand.

"Hi, it's okay. Gabrielle, right?"

The girl nodded, her eyes terrified.

Harry stroked the mane of the Kelpie with a smile, patting the horse on the side of the neck. "To the docks, please."

He untied Ginny and Gabrielle's hands, but he kept his arms around Ginny and neither girl attempted to move from his grasp.

Ginny's eyes widened as the Kelpie swam across the surface of the water and brought them right up to the docks. Fleur was standing on the edge, her eyes terrified as she reached for Gabrielle, pulling the young girl from the water horse and lifting her onto the dock.

"Gabrielle! J'étais si inquiet! Est-ce que tu vas bien? Il vous a sauvé! Oh merci déesse, il t'a sauvé! Je t'aime, Gabrielle!" Fleur exclaimed quickly, covering the small girl's face in kisses.

Harry carefully lifted Ginny off of the horse and onto the dock before he climbed off after her. "Are you alright? You're not hurt?"

She shook her head, her chocolate brown eyes looking up at him as she shivered. "No. I'm fine. I … what happened? How did I get down there?"

"You don't remember?" He asked, his eyes on hers.

"No, I - oof!" She exclaimed as Percy suddenly scooped her up into his arms and hugged her tightly against him. He had obviously run down from the Judges table and his pale face alerted Harry to how worried he was. "Percy!"

"Ginevra! Merlin, when I learned it was you who was … are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine. Honest." She let him hug her tightly and she kissed his cheek. "I'm okay, Sir Percival."

He nodded against her, but he didn't let go, his arms still wrapped tightly around his sister and his blue eyes locking on Harry's. "Thank you."

Harry only nodded back, his wetsuit making him shiver on the docks in the February wind as a warm blanket infused with a warming charm was suddenly wrapped around his shoulders. He smiled gratefully at Zee as Sirius wrapped his arms around him as he kissed the top of his head.

"Fuck, Harry!" He exclaimed. "You were under that water twenty minutes longer than you should have been, Prongslet!"

The Kelpie neighed in delight and splashed the dock, making Harry grin.

"I made a friend in the water."

Zee smiled. "I can see that. You know, Kelpies are water demons, but they can understand human speech. They know when someone means them harm and when they don't. They are playful and sweet, but they can also be very dangerous if provoked."

Harry broke out of Sirius' grasp to bend down and pet the horse again. The Kelpie nuzzled his hand in delight. "She's beautiful."

Sirius placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "We have nowhere to keep a Kelpie, Harry."

Harry smiled as he continued to stroke the neck of the water horse. "Thanks for your help, girl. You can go now."

The Kelpie let out a little sound of delight before she fell back and dove under the water.

Harry stood up again and found himself once more locked in Sirius' arms. "Was I really under the water that long?"

Sirius nodded, kissing Harry's cheek. "Much too long. Are you hurt anywhere?" He asked, turning Harry's head to and fro to examine him and frowning when he saw the dark red blisters on his neck. He opened the blanket and saw that the blisters spread to his arms as well and part of his wetsuit looked torn and melted and one of his legs was dripping blood down the ankle. "Pomfrey, now."

Harry only nodded as Sirius led him over to Madam Pomfrey where the other champions and their captives were wrapped in warm blankets as the matron examined them for injuries. He sat Harry down on the bed, his eyes looking through the open tent flap to where Dumbledore was conversing with the Merpeople at the end of the dock.

Madam Pomfrey hurried over to them and examined Harry quickly. "Squid ink, I presume?"

Harry nodded and winced as she immediately began to rip his wetsuit off, shoving it down until it pooled at his waist to give her access to his burns and she immediately began to rub a salve into his blisters. It was hot when it touched him, but it immediately cooled down and he felt instant relief on the burns.

"The acidity of the ink is poisonous if it enters your bloodstream," Pomfrey declared as she pulled the blanket off of Harry and ordered him to take the wet suit off. "It isn't deadly, but it will make you very sick if not taken care of."

She turned her back to give him privacy and Harry tugged the curtain closed around him, undressing into the warm red sweat pants on the bed, rolling the left pant leg up to his knee to give Pomfrey access to the spear wound and leaving his shirt off as Madam Pomfrey came back around the curtains.

She immediately went to work examining the scratches and tiny bite marks before she forced him to drink an anti-venom potion to counteract any poisons that may have filtered into his system. The potion tasted like vomit and Harry grimaced as he choked it down.

Zee sat on the bed next to him, stroking his hair. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "I'm fine. The charm worked great, Zee. How's everyone else? If I was twenty minutes over … how did the other champions do?"

Zee opened her mouth to respond as Remus and Tonks came into the tent and wrapped their arms around Harry. Remus kissed his forehead and tugged him to his feet.

"Are you good to come out and get your score?"

Harry nodded and let his father lead him from the tent. Zee came up behind him and wrapped him in the blanket again to fight against the chill of the February winter air. He moved away from his family to stand with Cedric, Viktor and Fleur and Fleur turned to hug him, kissing his cheek and he blushed red.

"You saved me from the squid and then you saved my seester! After the squid, I was attacked by ze Grindylows and I never made it! Merci! Merci! Merci! If you ever need anything, 'Arry, I am forever in your debt! Merci beaucoup!" She exclaimed, kissing his cheek again.

He only smiled back at her. "Anyone would have done the same."

"Non, zey would not 'ave. Merci, beaucoup!"

Harry nodded at her, blushing when she kissed his cheek again just as Bagman called them to attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We are ready to tally the scores! But first, Professor Dumbledore has something that he would like to say."

Dumbledore stood up, beaming at the crowd. "After speaking with King Lir of the Merpeople, I was informed of what happened below in the village. It seems that despite arriving last, Mr Potter arrived at the courtyard first of the champions and only returned last because he was determined to free all of the captives. After Mr Krum and then Mr Diggory took hold of their own captives, he fought the Merpeople for Miss Delacour's captive. He then fought a warrior for control of the Kelpie and shot away from the courtyard riding the water horse with Miss Weasley and Miss Delacour in tow."

Harry's face flushed as he felt everyone turn to look at him. He felt stupid now, he thought. Obviously Dumbledore wouldn't have let anyone die down there. They would have been safe, but he had let his mind play tricks on him in the eerie dark of the water. He should have just taken Ginny and run, he thought, he would have won.

He watched the judges converse for a moment before Bagman charmed a number ten into the air; Dumbledore a nine; Percy a ten; Madame Maxime an eight; and Karkaroff a seven, giving him a total score of forty-five. His eyes widened in surprise. He was in second place next to Cedric and only two points behind him. Viktor was in third with forty points and Fleur in last with twenty-five.

But the Second Task was over and he felt relieved.

Bagman came down from the judges table, grinning broadly at the four champions. "Well done, champions, well done! You all did splendidly!"

Cedric only glared at him. "Taking live hostages wasn't part of the agreement. We entered into this tournament, they didn't!"

Viktor nodded. "It vas unfair!"

Bagman only scoffed at this. "They were perfectly safe and you all did wonderful!"

"Some of us were thrown into this tournament without our consent already so how dare you throw others into the same dangers! Fleur's sister is a child!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes flashing. "You can't just kidnap innocent people and force other people to save them! None of them were even of age!"

"My seester is only nine years old!" Fleur exclaimed in anger, her eyes flashing as well. "If 'Arry hadn't …"

Harry glared at Bagman. "You've already forced me into this damn tournament when I didn't sign up and now you're threatening my friends! You have no right - "

Sirius put an arm around his son's shoulders and a hand across his mouth and tugged him back. "I agree, Ludo. None of these ladies agreed to be thrown under the water," he bent his head to whisper in his son's ear. "Calm yourself, Harry. If you punch him, I'll be honour bound to have to help out."

Harry snorted in response and Sirius pulled his hand off of his mouth. "My father's right, none of them agreed to it, Mr Bagman."

"Well, it was all in the spirit of competition, Harry, Sirius! They were safe!" Bagman said, looking a little worried. "It's all in the rules of the tournament that anyone and anything valued by a champion can be used against them to help push the competition along."

Viktor turned from where he was standing with his arm around Hermione and glared at Bagman, his voice perfectly calm. "If you ever put Hermione or anyvone else in danger for the sake of this tournament again, I vill make you regret it," Viktor said darkly.

"As will I," Cedric said.

Fleur nodded from next to him.

"Same goes," Harry said.

Bagman swallowed slowly when he saw that they were all still scowling at him and he cleared his throat. "Er, anyway, I am here to tell you that the Third Task will not be until the twenty-fourth of June. I'll be meeting up with you a bit before then to discuss the task in question. Until then, carry on and best of luck."

Harry moved back over to his family, letting Remus engulf him in his warm embrace, the bite of the February wind chilling him to the bone. Remus, who always seemed to be rather hot-blooded, felt like a furnace and Harry leaned into him gratefully.

"The Third Task isn't until June and I'm supposed to get a hint about it a few weeks beforehand. Until then, I guess I can just focus on my schoolwork and my detentions of course."

Remus kissed the top of his head. "Good. You deserve a break. How was it down there? What happened? What creatures did you encounter?"

Sirius took Harry's other arm as they walked towards the castle. "If you're up for it, we'd love to watch the task with you in the Pensieve."

Harry nodded. "That sounds great. Maybe I can see where I went wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Harry," Remus said kindly. "You have a big heart just like your mother and it's my favourite thing about you. You were afraid the captives were in danger and wanted to save them. Be proud of yourself for that."

"But if I had just grabbed Ginny and ran, I would have been first."

"And your bravery and attempt at rescuing all of them still brought you up to second place," Remus said with a grin.

Harry smiled as he let his fathers lead him to Remus' suite where he made himself comfortable on the couch, wrapped up in warm blankets. "Are you going to bring the Pensieve here?"

Sirius grinned and pointed to the basin on the coffee table. "I might have planned this earlier on." He took a seat next to his son and smirked at him. "So … the person you'll miss the most is Ginny, eh?"

Harry blushed. "I can't believe that they took live prisoners down there, Uncle Siri! Ginny didn't even know!"

"Hmm, but she's the one you're going to miss most, not Ron or Hermione or Neville or Luna, but Ginny."

Harry blushed darker. "She was my first friend."

"She was," Sirius said with a smile, watching Harry closely.

Zee moved to kneel in front of Harry, brushing his wet hair out of his eyes. "You did wonderful saving her like you did. I'm sure that she's going to be very grateful."

"She's mad at me," he said, making Zee frown.

"She didn't look mad at you."

He smiled at her. "I saw her snogging Michael in the hall and … we got into a row. He had his hands all over her and she didn't even care!"

Zee smiled. "Well, Michael is her boyfriend, Harry."

"She deserves better than him," he said in annoyance.

Remus only smirked at Zee and kissed the top of Harry's head. "Well, maybe so, but right now that's her boyfriend and you need to be a supportive friend."

Harry nodded. "That's what Hermione told me. Can you believe that Hermione is who Viktor Krum would miss the most?"

They all looked up when Tonks came into the suite. "Sorry, I was with Ginny and Hermione. They are both fine. Madam Pomfrey has given them a clean bill of health. I asked them to come up here and to bring your friends, Harry. I thought that maybe you'd want to share the Second Task with all of them."

He looked surprised by this and then smiled. "Yeah, actually, Tonks, that would be great, thanks."

Zee stood up, smiling. "Why don't you ask Dobby to bring us some snacks and drinks? I'm sure that he'd love the opportunity to check up on you."

Harry nodded and said Dobby's name. The elf appeared next to him in seconds, beaming.

"Harry Potter is a champion!"

Harry blushed. "Er, yeah, thanks, Dobby. Do you think maybe we could have some food and such for everyone?"

Dobby nodded eagerly. "Right away, Mas-Harry Potter, sir!"

And then he vanished with a loud crack again.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was warmly dressed in jeans and a jumper. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna were all sitting on the floor around the coffee table eating the sandwiches and snacks of fruits and vegetables and crisps that Dobby had provided and drinking warm Butterbeer.

Sirius urged Harry to extract his own memory, having watched Sirius do it enough times now and Harry placed the long silvery wisp into the basin. Harry twirled it with his wand and said, "Projecto!"

The memory began to play in the basin, but also amplified itself up onto the ceiling like a screen. They all leaned back to look and watch it.

Harry winced when the squid attacked him. It looked much worse from this angle he thought as the second squid moved in and when he tugged Fleur close to breathe air into her lungs, Ron whistled.

"Snogging under the water now, classy."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I was trying to help her breathe, you prat."

"Good thing that you had that Gillyweed," Neville said with a grin. "Where did you get it?"

Harry nodded. "I didn't want to perform the Scuba Diving Charm on her because Zee said that it's harder to perform on another person than on yourself and I'd never attempted it before. Uncle Sirius gave me the Gillyweed."

"Well, the Gillyweed came in handy," Sirius said, his eyes watching as the squid ink seeped into Harry and Fleur. "You saved her life, Harry."

By the time the memory ended, they were all looking at Harry, eyes wide in amazement.

"What?"

Tonks kissed his cheek. "You are such a little hero. You had no way of knowing that the Merpeople wouldn't have attacked you."

"I wasn't being a hero, I was being stupid. I thought that they were all going to die if the champions didn't rescue them," he said bitterly. "I should have just taken Ginny and left."

Remus smiled sympathetically at him. "You made your choice and it worked in your benefit. I'm very proud of you."

"As am I," Sirius said, kissing the top of his head.

"Thanks," Harry said sheepishly letting Sirius engulf him in a warm hug.

Zee kissed his cheek when Sirius finally let him go. "Now, as much as we'd love to hoard you in here, I think that you have a house that's waiting to celebrate with their champion."

Remus nodded. "Agreed. I doubt you'll need anything, but I'll be here late tonight. I have some exciting marking to do."

"Oh, thrilling," Sirius said making them chuckle.

Harry said goodbye before he followed his friends out of Remus' suite and they began to make their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Ginny grabbed his arm.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?"

He nodded, watching as his friends continued on to the Tower as Ginny tugged him into an empty classroom. "Look, I'm sorry about Corner, I was a prat, I know it. I just don't like him and I don't want you to get hurt. You're my best friend, Gin."

Ginny smiled at him. "I know, Harry. The fact that I was the person you'd miss most definitely drilled that into me."

"Of course you - " He trailed off and let out a small sigh. "Ginny, I don't know what I would do without you. You know that, right?"

"Probably something incredibly stupid," she said, smirking slightly. "Harry, you are one of my best friends and I know that you feel the same. If something happened to you, I don't know what I would do without you either. But, we're friends and I love having you watch out for me the way that a friend should, but I don't need someone else being overprotective of me. I have six brothers who already like to butt their noses into my life."

"I know," he said with a smile.

"Look, you might not like Michael, but I do," she said honestly. "He's my boyfriend and he makes me smile and I like snogging him, even in hallways where anyone can see us."

Harry's face heated. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you like that."

"Good. As I said, I have six brothers, Harry, I don't need another one. And I can take care of myself."

"I know that too," he said with a grin.

"Good, because the next time that you decide to meddle where you don't belong, I'm going to bat bogey you. Clear?"

He winced at the thought and grinned. "Clear."

"And Harry?"

"Yeah?"

She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "You were really brave down there. Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome," he told her sincerely, pulling her close for a hug. "I'm sorry that you were dragged down there on my behalf. It was uncalled for. They had no right to do that to you."

She hugged him tight before she pulled away. "It's not your fault."

"But it is because if you - "

Ginny placed her fingers over his lips. "It's not your fault. And I'm honoured that I'm the person who you'd miss most. If I had to be randomly kidnapped by the Merpeople and put into an enchanted sleep and placed under the water to be rescued by you, I would do it again. I know that you would never let anything happen to me. I trust you with my life, Harry."

He nodded, his eyes still dark. "My point is that it shouldn't have happened. If you hadn't been in an enchanted sleep - "

" - I would have tried to save everyone too," she said with a grin. "And I would have saved myself because I am not one to sit back and let the men have all the fun."

He grinned. "Definitely not a damsel in distress if you can help it."

"That's right," she said smartly. "Thank you. Now come on; we have a party to get to."

He followed her out of the classroom, his eyes on the sway of her hips before he caught himself. They were friends. A friend that he valued above all others if today had told him nothing else and the last thing that he wanted to do was to do anything that would take her away from him. He watched her hair bounce in the high ponytail.

It was perfectly acceptable to find a friend beautiful, wasn't it?

He was pretty sure that it was, he thought. It didn't mean anything and when he watched Ginny run towards Michael, he only scowled internally.

They were friends and nothing more.

But his dream the other night, the one where he had pinned her against the wall, his hands on her bum as they kissed flashed through his mind.

They were friends and nothing more.

He would just have to keep reminding himself of that.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _My spells:_

 _Respirare = breath (Scuba Diving Charm)_

 _Caudal pinna = make fin_

 _Vi Calida Aqua = shoots out boiling hot water_

 _Remordeat = sting it_

 _Projecto = to project_

 _Different language words/phrases:_

 _(French) merci = thank you_

 _(French) merci beaucoup = thank you very much_

 _(French) de rien = you're welcome_

 _(French) nous devons continuer = we have to keep going_

 _(French) J'étais si inquiet! Est-ce que tu vas bien? Il vous a sauvé! Oh merci déesse, il t'a sauvé! Je t'aime, Gabrielle! = I was so worried! Are you fine? He saved you! Oh goddess, he saved you! I love you, Gabrielle!_


	172. Chapter 172

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer some reviews: I'm glad you enjoyed my little Sirius fun moment with his codewords and the new take on the Fidelius Charm renaming it the Marauder Charm, I liked that one myself. Absolutely love the Harry "We're Just Friends" Potter mention from LifeonEarth LOL. It does describe his attitude and will continue to for the next little while, but I can confirm I have officially started writing the beginning of Hinny. As for Ginny, she is oblivious to Harry at this time as well because in her mind, he told her he wasn't interested in being anything other than friends and in her attempt to get over him, she friend-zoned him. I wanted to change the Second Task just a little bit and I thought having the Gillyweed as a means of helping Fleur was a good way to tie it in. Tonks and Zee still do not know about Harry and yes, they will be finding out very soon. Remus is starting to notice a little bit, but Harry isn't pushing his feelings aside because he thinks he doesn't deserve Ginny, he just thinks that they are better as friends and he doesn't want to ruin the friendship. He is also very much in denial and will continue to be for a bit. As to alix33's comment on the Room of Requirement, no, Sirius and Remus do not know about it. I always got the impression the Marauders had never stumbled upon it or if they did, never realized what it was because it was not on the map or ever mentioned. In my story at this time, no one knows about the room that we know of. As for Hogwarts answering the question of where all Tom-Riddle-related-items are located, that would be TOO easy and whereas I do believe the castle has a mind of its own, I don't think it's alive in that sense._

 _Thanks to Steel for letting me talk over my ideas here._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO:**

 **Remus sighed as he watched Harry leave with his friends.** "He truly did amazing down there in the lake. Seeing it all just now … he handled himself brilliantly and that spell you taught him, Zee. It worked better than I ever imagined."

Zee grinned. "It really did! Merlin, I was so proud of him down there. And the way he dove right at Fleur and breathed life into her like that … thank Merlin you gave him that Gillyweed, Sirius."

Sirius nodded, stretching his legs out to put his feet up on the coffee table. "Thank Merlin I conned Snape into giving me some from his private stores."

Remus chuckled. "That was a surprise. Any news from him since he hauled in Peter?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nothing that I know of. I know he plans on laying low for now until he figures out his game plan. But when he makes first contact I'm assuming that he'll reach out to one of us if not Dumbledore."

Zee nodded and stood up, holding her hand out to Sirius. "Well, we should head home. Harry is going to be busy celebrating with his friends and I know Remus mentioned that he has a lot of work to do."

Tonks smiled, kissing her mate's cheek. "He does. I need to head into work myself. I told King that I would come back after the task and finish up my own case files. I'm going through a practice run for the A3 practical with Auror Atwell at seven tonight as well."

Remus kissed her softly. "You're going to do amazing."

"I hope so," she said with a grin. "After what happened with Crouch, everything got pushed back. The torture and murder of such a high ranking official, the Ministry is still in an uproar."

"What did King say when you told him it was Crouch Jr?" Sirius asked.

Tonks shrugged. "He's starting to question where I'm getting my information. Look, I know it's not my call, but King's brill and he should definitely be on the top of the list as a recruit for the Order."

Sirius nodded. "I agree. I'll run it by Dumbledore. We're still looking into recruiting people and starting it up again officially. So far only Molly and Arthur have been brought on board."

She smiled and stood up, leaning down to kiss Remus softly. "I'll be late. Knowing Atwell she'll run me through the course a minimum of three times. It will be after two at least."

He smiled at her. "Go kick some butt, my badass Auror."

Tonks grinned at him and moved into the fire, disappearing in a flash of green.

Sirius smiled at Remus. "You can come back to the house with us, if you want? We're just going to throw something together for dinner and watch a movie?"

Zee nodded. "We rented some film called _Speed_ that looks kind of fun."

Remus smiled at them. "You two enjoy. I have thirty assignments to mark and three classes worth of quizzes. I think I'm just going to hang out here and try to get it done."

Zee smiled at him. "Well, if you change your mind, you're welcome."

"If the Floo's closed we're having sex in the living room," Sirius said, laughing when Zee smacked him. "What? At least I'm giving him fair warning?"

"Prat," Zee said, waving goodbye before she too disappeared into the fireplace.

Sirius waved goodbye and followed his girlfriend into the fire as Remus just shook his head. Some things never changed, he thought with a grin. He sighed and stood up, stretching his arms up over his head. He was going to grab his stuff from his office and curl up right here at the coffee table with a nice cup of tea and listen to some Billy Joel, he thought.

It sounded like a decent plan to him.

 **The figure stood in the dark alley behind the pub, fingers tapping impatiently.** He was almost thirty minutes late and being outside in the cold waiting for him was making the figure feel slightly annoyed. The cigarette dangling from the dry lips was the only light.

When the man Apparated into the alley, the figure jolted slightly, stepping on the cigarette with their boot and swallowing slowly.

"You're late, Malfoy."

Abraxas Malfoy merely raised a perfectly coiffed eyebrow. "Am I? Don't forget who's in charge here."

The words were met with terrified silence and Malfoy smirked.

"How did Potter do?"

"Second place. I thought we lost him in the lake but it turned out that he was playing hero and it looked good to the judges. Listen, I think that we can do this another way. He's a bright and talented young man. I don't think we need to set him up to die."

Abraxas smiled coldly. "Don't we? The Dark Lord will rise again and he will do so with Potter's blood on his hands. Are you telling me that you don't want to help out anymore? You submitted his name without a problem. Why are you backing out now?"

"I'm not!"

Abraxas snorted. "Sure seems like it. No one backs out of a deal with me, you bloody twit! If you do not make sure that the Triwizard Cup is a portkey and that Potter touches it, I will do more than just kill you. I will make what happened to Crouch look like child's play, do you understand."

The figure turned ghostly white and nodded. "What about the other champions? How am I supposed to intervene without being suspicious? What if they get to the cup first? I can't just impose myself into the Third Task?"

Abraxas only stared. "I trust you to find a way. Oh, and one more thing?"

The pale figure looked at Abraxas carefully. "What's that?"

"If anyone other than Potter comes out of that portkey, no matter the outcome, you're entire family will be dead within the hour and when I come for you, and oh, I will come for you … the Dark Lord will let all of us play because do you know what we hate more than a coward?"

The figure only stared.

"Betrayers," he said coldly. "Bring Potter to me and don't contact me again."

The figure fumbled to light another cigarette; the trembling fingers on their wand caused it to shoot sparks and singe the bottom of their pants as they brought the cigarette to their lips and took a long drag. Concern for Potter didn't matter now. The Triwizard Cup had to be made into a portkey and no matter what, Potter had to be the one to touch it.

The other champions be damned.

Personal survival came first and that was that.

 **Hermione watched Harry pull Ginny into the classroom to talk to her.** She hadn't been remotely surprised to learn that she was who he would miss most, but she could see that he was. She had always admired how much they both relied on the other. They were truly great friends and Harry was starting to see Ginny as something more and she wondered how much longer he would convince himself otherwise.

She smiled when she saw the figure outside of Gryffindor Tower. He was pacing back and forth and looked rather annoyed as he brooded.

"Viktor?"

His head shot up quickly and a wicked grin split across his face as he took four steps towards her, grabbing her hands and squeezing lightly. He nodded to Ron, Neville and Luna as they headed past him through the portrait hole.

"Can ve talk?"

Hermione nodded, told her friends that she would catch up and took his hand. She led him down the hall to one of the empty study rooms, closing the door behind her and moving to sit in one of the large comfy armchairs by the fire. Viktor immediately sat next to her in the chair and let out a slow breath.

"I've been going crazy vaiting for you."

"I'm sorry. Harry asked us to view his memory of his time in the lake. I saw you as a half shark; that was very impressive Transfiguration work," she said reaching up to brush his wet hair out of his eyes. "Thank you for saving me."

He grabbed the hand touching his hair and pressed his lips to her palm. "I am sorry it vas you down there."

She smiled. "The person that you would miss the most? It was certainly unexpected."

Viktor nodded, his dark eyes on hers. "I care about you great deal, moyata kafyava krasavitsa."

"I care about you too," she whispered as he kissed her palm again, holding it up to the side of his face where she could feel the beginning of a five o'clock shadow.

"I am no good at saying vhat I vant to say to you."

"But you're using your tee sounds!"

He smiled. "I have good teacher."

"You have _a_ good teacher and yes, you do."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly. "Da?"

"Yes," she said, smiling against his lips. "But you can keep saying 'da'. I think its kind of sexy," she admitted, biting her bottom lip.

Viktor leaned in, tugging her bottom lip into his mouth and suckling gently before he crushed his lips to hers. She slid her hands up his back as he kissed her and when he deepened the kiss, she moaned into his mouth. She wasn't sure which one of them moved, but soon she was in his lap as they kissed, his mouth moving over her neck and her cheeks. His soft lips trailing over hers, along her jaw and down her neck before moving back up to her lips and repeating the process. He left her feeling breathless and hot and bothered and when his hips rutted forward, the feel of him, hard as rock through his pants brushing against her own heat sent an electric thrill through her system.

She licked his earlobe, sucking it into her mouth and she gasped in surprise when his hands slid up the back of her jumper and boldly unhooked her bra.

Viktor's forehead rested against hers and she was pleased to find him as breathless as she was. "I'm sorry, too fast, da?"

She nodded, moving off of his lap to sit next to him.

Viktor bent his head to kiss her again. "You are so krasiv, I vant to see all of you."

Hermione blushed under his dark gaze. "Viktor ... I've never ... you're the first I've ever even kissed."

He grinned, bending his head and kissing her deeply. "This pleases me, da? All of your pleasure only comes from me."

She smiled and re-hooked her bra back up before her hands were sliding over his broad chest, feeling his muscles quiver beneath her palms and she bit her bottom lip when he simply pulled his shirt up and over his head. His skin was pale from the winter months, but soft. She trailed her fingers through the dark curly hairs on his chest in fascination, following it to where it stopped at his chest only to continue in a dark trail beneath his belly button and below his pants.

She tapped his belt buckle before letting her hand slip back up over his chest. "You're so beautiful."

He smiled. "I do not think beautiful is the vord to describe me."

Hermione bit her lip again as her hands brushed over the corded muscles in his neck. "I would." She bent her head and pressed her lips to his shoulder, to his neck, pressing soft open mouthed kisses against his skin. She kissed over his heart, the centre of his chest and then she boldly slid her tongue across a nipple and he groaned.

"Moyata kafyava krasavitsa, you slay me."

Hermione smiled, kissing the nipple again and watching in fascination as it hardened and before she could talk herself out of it, she sucked.

Viktor moaned her name, his hands sliding up her back; they slid beneath the jumper, fingers stroking slowly across her back, up and down. "May I?"

His fingers were holding the hem of her jumper as she sucked on his nipple so she nodded, removing her mouth as he tugged her jumper over her head, revealing her pretty white and blue striped cotton bra.

Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest self-consciously and he smiled, tugging them down. She still hadn't gotten used to the fact that she even had breasts yet, let alone to be wearing something so revealing in front of him.

"You are krasiv," he said quietly. "Beautiful. Do not feel ashamed."

He bent his head, kissing the swell of her breasts, fondling them in his large hands and she let her head fall back in pleasure.

And then his lips were back on hers and she knew that she had never felt so happy in all of her life.

 **Ginny grinned when Michael tugged her close and kissed her the moment that she had come into the common room.** She grinned foolishly at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came with Matthews. He said that his boyfriend was a Gryffindor and that he would help me get in to join in the celebrations." Michael kissed her softly. "Are you okay? After the champions dove into the lake, Bagman revealed who each champion was set to rescue and when I heard your name ... are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I wasn't hurt at all."

"I'm glad," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Waiting for Potter to rescue you was awful. I wanted to go down there myself."

"That's sweet, Michael. But I was fine. Dumbledore brought us up to his office for a chat and then I suppose he must have brought us down into the lake. He gave us tea and honestly, I don't remember anything else until breaking the surface of the lake with Harry."

He nodded, his eyes narrowed.

"It was a surprise, knowing that I was who Harry would miss the most, but he's one of my best friends so it does make sense."

Michael frowned at that. "Seems strange to me that it would be you over his other friends."

Ginny merely raised an eyebrow. "Well, it was."

Michael seemed to notice her annoyance because he cleared his throat. "So, um, what was it like riding that water demon?"

"The Kelpie?"

"Yeah."

"Kind of awesome," she admitted with a grin. "Not as good as being on a broomstick, mind you, but it was great! I felt like I was flying above the water on a cloud or something."

Michael put his arm around her and kissed her softly. "Tell me about it."

Ginny smiled at him as she began to describe the underwater adventure as she knew it, Michael's eyes on her. She had thought that she had detected a slight jealous edge to her boyfriend's voice, but the way he was looking at her now made her think she had imagined it. He understood that she and Harry were friends and nothing more.

When she finished talking and he tugged her close to kiss her, she grinned against his mouth. Yeah, things with Michael were just fine, she thought.

 **The celebrations were high in the Tower and Harry was relieved to hear that this time, not everyone wanted to talk to him.** Ginny and Hermione were both equally in high demand. Especially Hermione as everyone wanted to know what it was that Hermione had done to make herself worthy of being the person that Viktor Krum would miss the most; even more so when they realized that she was missing. Harry knew that she was talking and most likely celebrating with Viktor.

Her celebrating had definitely involved snogging as well, he thought when he watched her tug Viktor through the portrait hole a little while later. Her hair was a bit messy and Viktor's was standing on end as well, but they were both grinning widely.

There was endless food and drink around the common room and Harry made his way to one of the tables to help himself to some more pumpkin juice. He smiled kindly at the pretty dark haired girl who slowly approached the table. He had seen her around quite often. She was often in the group of fangirls that followed him around, or that was the term Hermione used for the gaggle of giggling girls.

The girl brightened when he smiled at her and she moved closer to him.

"That was really brave, Harry, what you did in the lake."

He smiled at her. "Thanks. I think that it was rather stupid myself. I should have known all of the captives would be safe."

"No, it shows that you have a big heart and I think that's so brave. I'm Romilda," she said a little breathlessly. "But most people call me Romy."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Romy."

"It was my birthday last month."

"Oh, well congratulations," he said. "I mean, Happy Birthday."

"I turned fourteen," she told him, smiling widely.

"Ah well, good for you." He said, not really knowing where she was going with this.

She smiled brightly at him. Harry watched her take his glass and freshen up his pumpkin juice. She turned with his glass in her hand and grabbed a cupcake, putting a small chocolate candy on the top before passing them both to Harry with a smile.

"For you, the Hogwarts Champion."

"Thanks."

He bit into the chocolate cupcake and the candy, thinking that it was rather mouth watering before he drank his juice, emptying his glass. His stomach gave a lurch that surprised him. He suddenly felt rather queer, he thought to himself.

And then his eyes fell on her.

She was more than pretty, he thought. Pretty wasn't quite the right word. Her long dark black hair was shiny and soft and her blue eyes were sparkling at him. Her smile was soft and she had a dimple in her left cheek. Her eyes were outlined in long dark lashes. She was beautiful.

He grinned hugely at her and reached out to take her hand. "Want to come for a walk with me?"

Romilda nodded eagerly. "Yes, I'd like that."

He entwined his fingers in hers, feeling happy to be lucky enough to be holding her hand and the two of them left the Gryffindor common room together.

"How have I never noticed you before?" He asked, his eyes taking in every part of her.

She shrugged. "Maybe you weren't looking hard enough."

"I need to rectify that immediately," he said, tugging her into the empty classroom on the left and kissing her softly, making her moan against his mouth. "Tell me that you don't have a boyfriend," he whispered.

"I don't have a boyfriend," she admitted shyly.

Harry kissed her again. Her lips were soft and supple beneath his. "Be my girlfriend, Romy, please?"

"Yes," she moaned wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.

This was perfect, he thought. This was exactly what he needed. Someone who appreciated the hard work that he had done as a champion; someone who appreciated him. His hands slid into her hair and she kissed him back eagerly, her own hands sliding over his back.

Harry couldn't put into words what it was like being with Romilda, but when she moved away from him, he felt like he was going to fall apart.

He needed to be with her.

He needed to touch her.

He needed to be near her.

When she kissed him, he felt like his life was finally right.

But he couldn't explain why.

She kept giving him chocolate covered candies and when she placed them in his mouth, he'd grin, swallow and then kiss her. They spent almost two hours snogging quite intensely in the empty classroom and Harry never wanted to stop touching her.

They were sitting on the floor and Romilda was curled up in his arms, sighing happily.

"This is everything that I ever wanted, Harry," she said, smiling up at him.

He bent his head, kissing her softly, lingering over her lips. She moved into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as she held him in place and they snogged eagerly. Harry knew that he wanted to keep kissing her; to just go on and on, his lips on hers, but his body soon had other ideas. Romilda noticed too because she grinned at him.

"It's a bit soon for that, isn't it?"

Harry responded by kissing her neck, sucking on the pulse point and she let her head fall back in pleasure. She tasted so soft he thought, so good. Like Harley had, he remembered.

Harley. The thought of her made him smile. Harley was long gone and he hadn't had a proper snog since then that was true and then lately he'd been having those weird thoughts and dreams about kissing Ginny, which was preposterous because Ginny was his friend.

Ginny! She had been under the lake and he had saved her and then -

"Ginny!" He exclaimed aloud, his eyes wide as he pulled away from Romilda. "Where's Ginny?"

Romilda smiled warmly at him. "Don't worry about Ginny, Harry. She's fine," she told him, slipping another chocolate coated candy into his mouth.

Harry chewed thoughtfully for a moment and then his eyes brightened and he bent his head to kiss her again. "You're so beautiful, Romy. So perfect. So wonderful. So soft."

Romilda smiled at him and he smiled back, his expression rather dreamy. "Harry, it's almost curfew. Do you think that we should go back inside and see if the party is still going on?"

He nodded, taking her hand in his. "As long as we're together, I'll go wherever you want."

She smiled. "Of course."

He let her lead him back to the Gryffindor common room, his hand clasped tightly in hers. He saw Ron and Neville and immediately put an arm around Romilda's shoulders.

"Ron! Neville! You know, Romy, right?"

Neville shook his head. "No. Romy, is it?"

"Romilda actually, Romilda Vane, but everyone calls me Romy."

"And you and Harry are ...?"

Harry kissed Romilda's cheek tenderly. "She's my girlfriend, Nev."

"Damn Potter, you do work fast," Dean said with a grin from where he sat, his eyes kept moving across the room to where Parvati and Lavender were talking. "Rescuing Ginny and now you've found a girlfriend in one night. Impressive"

Harry hugged Romilda tighter to him. "She's perfect. I'm so lucky to have found her."

Ron frowned at that. "Er, sure. If you say so. How did you meet anyway?"

"She's a Gryffindor, Ron, obviously they met at the party," Seamus said, grinning when Will put an arm around him and kissed his cheek.

Harry grinned at his friends. "She's amazing."

Romilda tugged his face down to hers and proceeded to kiss him passionately earning a collective groan from his friends.

Fred blanched at the sight of it, reaching around the snogging couple for a handful of crisps. "Oy! Harry! Go suck face somewhere private! Champion or not some of us would like to keep our dinners down!"

"Hear, hear!" George said, as laughter drifted through the common room. "It's bad enough we've seen ickle Ronnikins with his lips smashed against Brown's like he's a starving man."

"Oy!" Ron exclaimed. "That's my girlfriend."

Fred only gave his brother a pointed look. "We know. We're questioning her taste not yours."

Lavender overheard them and rushed over, throwing her arms around Ron and pulling his mouth to hers for a long kiss. "He's perfect! My Won Won!"

George made a gagging sound from behind them which Ron and Lavender promptly ignored.

"Haha," Harry said, finding a seat in an armchair near the fire and snuggling Romilda down into his arms. She kissed his cheek and he grinned at his friends, a big goofy grin on his face. He turned his head to kiss her softly again and she grinned up at him.

Neville cleared his throat loudly. "So, um, Romilda, is it? What did you think of the Second Task? Harry was pretty brilliant trying to save everyone, wasn't he?"

"He's always brilliant," she said dreamily. "And he's a hero."

Neville nodded. "Well, of course, yeah, but this was quite heroic even for him. To have to go down below the lake and rescue Ginny, that's great and he even rescued that Delacour girl's sister."

"Ginny," Harry said, his eyes narrowing a bit as he looked around for her. "Where is Ginny?"

Ron managed to pry himself loose from Lavender's clutches as Parvati called her over. She patted Ron's cheek lightly and hurried off as Ron turned to Harry and Neville, moving to sit in the chair across from Harry.

"She went for a walk with that stupid git," Ron said sullenly, making Neville laugh.

"She's allowed to have a boyfriend, Ron."

Ron scowled. "No, she's not! He's an idiot. Ginny is never allowed to date anyone ever. Pretty sure that's a rule."

"Pretty sure, it's not," Neville said, making Ron growl at him.

Harry grinned and started to stand up. "I'll go tell her that. We can go together and let her know that Michael's not good enough for her. I'm going to go find her."

Romilda tugged him back down and popped a candy in his mouth before she kissed him. "Stay with me instead."

Harry looked like he wanted to protest, but then his eyes softened as he looked into his girlfriend's eyes. "Yeah, okay." He kissed her again, lingering on her lips as she stared dreamily up at him.

Neville cast a sideways glance at Ron who shrugged at him.

By the time they decided to head up to bed that night, Harry had spent most of the evening snogging his new girlfriend and staring into her eyes as people congratulated him on a job well done. Ron and Neville left them in the common room as they headed up stairs.

Dean was scowling when they got to the dorm.

"What's up mate?" Ron asked, tugging his shirt over his head.

Dean rubbed his palms over his face. "Vat just broke up with me."

"Ah bollocks, that's shit, mate," Ron told him sympathetically.

Neville nodded. "What happened?"

"I don't even know. I thought that we were happy!"

Ron changed into his pyjama pants, tossing his dirty clothes on the floor near the hamper. "I'm sorry."

"She made up some stupid excuse," he muttered.

"Like what?"

Dean shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "It's nothing. It's ... nothing. It was stupid."

"Where's Seamus?" Ron asked, stifling a yawn.

"Last I saw him, he and Will were still snogging near the portrait hole," Neville said.

Dean scowled darkly at that as he crawled into his own bed, shutting the curtains around himself.

Neville changed into his own pyjamas as he spoke. "Ron, do you think that Harry was acting a bit strange downstairs?"

Ron shrugged. "A little, yeah. But Romilda obvioudly seems to make him happy by the amount of snogging they were doing."

Neville 'hmmed' in acknowledgment.

"You don't think so?"

"I don't know. He seems too happy like almost fake happy which I know doesn't make sense, but he does."

Ron frowned. "No, I thought the same if I'm honest. But every time I tried to get a closer look he and Romy were too busy snogging. I think the twins might have snuck him some Firewhiskey."

Neville nodded. "And I mean suddenly she's just his girlfriend, I mean, he didn't even know her before the party tonight?"

"I know. The whole thing is really strange," Ron admitted, turning when they heard movement behind the door.

Harry came into the room, attempting to unbutton his shirt and struggling. He stopped what he was doing when he saw his friends, staring blankly ahead. "I have to go find Romy."

Neville raised an eyebrow. "Why? She's going to bed, Harry. You'll see her in the morning at breakfast."

Harry frowned. "I miss her."

Ron snorted. "You literally just snogged her less than a minute ago. Your lips are swollen and your face, lips and neck are covered in pink lipstick."

"But I need her."

"Harry, you've literally known her for all of today; you don't need to be with her twenty-four/seven," Ron said, his voice rather snarky.

"But I do! I need her here. How can I sleep, Ron, if I'm not holding her in my arms?"

Ron looked at Neville uneasily. "Same way that you slept last night, mate. Well, I'd reckon better actually as you won't be worrying about the Second Task."

"Send Hermione a Patronus, Harry," Neville suggested. "She'll get Romilda down here for you."

Harry beamed brightly, but when he waved his wand and said the words nothing happened. He frowned. "That's strange. My Patronus doesn't want to work."

"Try it again," Ron suggested.

He did, waving his wand and loudly bellowing 'Expecto Patronum!' But nothing happened.

Harry looked completely perplexed; like his entire world had gone askew and he didn't know why.

"Try it again, Harry. Think of something happy," Neville said reassuringly. "If you can't make a Patronus then Hermione won't know that you want to see Romy."

Harry nodded and tried again and again, but nothing happened. His wand just made swirling mists of silver and blue.

"How come it's not working?" Neville asked, looking uneasily at Ron.

Dean stuck his head out of his bed, interested in the commotion. "Harry can't make a Patronus? Maybe he's not happy enough."

"But I'm so happy!" Harry protested. "It's the happiest that I've ever been! Romy is the greatest thing to ever have happened to me! She's perfect and I love her more than anything in the whole world! So how come I can't make a Patronus?"

Ron frowned, looking at Neville and Dean. "We're not sure, Harry. Look, maybe you're just tired. With the Second Task and the adventure under the water on top of spending the evening with Romilda, I think that you're just tired. Why don't you get into bed and try to get some sleep, okay?"

Harry nodded, struggling with his buttons again. Ron took pity on him and unbuttoned his shirt, helping his friend into bed. Once the bed curtains were closed around him, he frowned at Neville.

"If I didn't know better, Nev, I'd think he was drunk. Are we sure the twins didn't slip him anything?"

Dean, who had moved to stand by his bed, crossed his arms in front of his chest. "He only had pumpkin juice and some Butterbeer and whatever those chocolate candies were that what's-her-face was feeding him in between their snogging."

Neville's eyebrow furrowed. "Something's wrong with him. He says loves her?"

Ron nodded. "I agree. Are we sure that he's not just drunk?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I just told you; he didn't drink anything out of the ordinary."

Seamus came into the dorm, grinning foolishly. "Great celebration, eh? Harry really was fantastic out there! Is he asleep already?"

Neville shook his head. "No, but he's acting quite strangely. We think he might be drunk or something? Do you know Romilda Vane?"

"No, should I?"

"She's Harry's new girlfriend and he's in love with her," Dean supplied.

Seamus nodded, undressing and changing into pyjama bottoms and a tee shirt. "Right, that pretty dark-haired girl he was with. Good for him, I guess."

Harry pushed his head out of the curtains of his bed. "Did you say Romy's name? Is she here? Can I see her?"

"She's coming, Harry," Neville said, smiling softly. "But she's going to be upset if you're not resting. You need to sleep. You had a long day."

Harry nodded. "But she's coming up here? I can hold her while I sleep?"

"Er, of course," Neville said reassuringly. "But you have to go to sleep first."

Harry beamed and snuggled back into his pillows. "Good. I like holding her. She's perfect. I love her."

Neville shook his head, his eyes moving to where Seamus and Dean were staring at Harry in confusion. "He seems drunk, right?"

Seamus nodded. "He's slurring his words a bit and he doesn't seem to look at you when he's talking. If I didn't know any better I would definitely say drunk."

Neville let out a deep sigh. "Let's just hope that he sleeps it off."

Dean bit his bottom lip. "I think that we should keep an eye on him for a bit first, make sure that he goes to sleep safely."

Ron nodded, scratching his chin. "Good call. Don't need him to get sick in his bed or something."

Dean moved to make himself comfortable on the end of Harry's bed. "Harry, mate, why don't you tell me about your Romy? How did you meet her?"

Harry grinned widely, sitting up. "At the party. She's so beautiful. She has perfect hair and beautiful eyes and soft lips. I like her lips. I like her lips on mine. I wish I was kissing her right now. I love her. She's amazing. She's the best thing to ever happen to me. I don't deserve her, she's too incredible. Her skin is soft and beautiful and she has a beautiful smile."

Dean raised an eyebrow as Harry continued to ramble on about the perfections of one Romilda Vane. "It's going to be a long night," he murmured as the boys all looked uneasily at each other.

 **It took an hour for Harry to finally settle down and go to sleep.** The four boys still weren't sure what was wrong with him, but Dean returned to his own bed for the night and they all settled themselves down to try to get some sleep.

Harry lied in his bed listening to his roommates settle in. When Romilda still hadn't come up, he had decided that his friends were just waiting for him to go to sleep. He couldn't have that so he pretended to fall asleep so that they would stop watching him.

He knew now that they were keeping Romilda from him.

He didn't know why but he couldn't trust them.

They were lying to him.

He had to get away.

He lied there in his bed with his eyes closed, listening to them chat. Dean sounded a bit heartbroken over Parvati and Seamus sounded stupid happy with Will; Ron and Neville were trying to figure out when Harry had gotten drunk.

He wasn't drunk, he thought bitterly. He'd had one Butterbeer and a glass of pumpkin juice. He just missed her. She was the love of his life. She was the most amazing and most beautiful girl that he had ever known. He just wanted to be with her. What was wrong with that? He punched his pillow, waiting rather impatiently for his friends to go to sleep. It wasn't right of her to just let him go off alone like this. They were meant to be together. Anyone could see that.

After what felt like hours, but was really only about ten minutes, the room was finally quiet. Harry threw his bed curtains open, grabbed his wand and hurried out of the dorm.

He had to get to her.

He had to tell her how much he loved her.

The common room was empty and dark, the embers of the fire glowing a soft warmth through the room. He waited a beat before he transformed into his Animagus and ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. He was surprised to realize that it worked and he changed back into himself outside of the door that said: 'Third Years' and pushed it open.

His eyes moved around the room desperately searching for that long dark hair. If he could just see her for a moment, he was sure that he would be okay. He had only taken two steps into the room when Ginny stepped out of the bathroom in a baggy tee shirt that went down to her knees and her hair wet down her back.

"Harry?" She whispered in shock.

The sound of her voice coursed through him and he moved towards her. "Gin? I - I - where's Romy?" He asked quietly.

Ginny's eyebrow rose. "I heard that you and her are dating now. She's the one at the end with the huge poster of you in your Quidditch uniform from last year."

Harry turned, alarmed to see the giant poster of himself on the wall across from the bed. "Where did she -?"

"It was one of the photos that Colin took last year during the championship match. She begged and begged him for it."

He nodded. Her hair seemed too bright, to vibrant, too beautiful. Looking at her made his head hurt. She was so clear and so perfect and the room was blurry in comparison. "Ginny ... Ginny ... Ginny ..."

Ginny frowned and took a step towards him. "Hey! Are you okay, Harry?"

He put a hand to his aching temple. "Something's not right," he whispered. His stomach was churning again. Why had he come in here?

Ginny moved towards him, taking his hand in hers as he began to hyperventilate. She placed his one hand over her heart. "Hey! Look at me! Feel my heartbeat?" When he nodded, she smiled. "Concentrate on that. One, two, deep breaths, Harry, come on. One, two, in and out, that's it."

It only took him a moment before his breathing evened out.

"There," she said smiling at him. She reached up to cup his cheeks. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, covering her hands with his. "I … I don't feel so well."

"Harry?"

He turned, his eyes turbulent as he tore his gaze away from Ginny to see Romilda staring at him from where she was sitting on her bed.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Romy," he said. "I ... why am I here? How did I …" he glanced around in confusion. "Something's not right," he muttered.

Romilda jumped to her feet as Ginny grabbed his waist when he faltered.

"Harry, let's get you to the hospital wing," Ginny said, looking up at him in concern. "Something's not right with you."

He nodded leaning into her. "Your hair smells nice."

She chuckled. "Thank you."

Romilda jumped up to take Harry's hand. "I'll take him, Ginny. He's my boyfriend after all!"

Ginny looked like she wanted to protest this, but Harry was already leaning into Romilda, a big goofy grin on his face. "Sure. Do you want some help getting him to the hospital wing?"

Romilda shook her head. "No. I got this. He's my boyfriend, not yours!"

Ginny watched Romilda lead Harry out of the dorm and then she heard Harry giggle as the stairs turned into a slide and they slid down them. She made to go to her own bed, but then she changed her mind. As long as she had known Harry, she had never seen him acting so strangely. She slipped out carefully, moving up to the next level and sneaking into the fourth year dorm.

If anyone would know what was going on it would be Hermione.

 **Harry was still grinning from the slide as he pinned Romilda up against the wall of the common room and kissed her deeply once they reached the bottom.** His hands slid up her sides, brushing her breasts as they kissed.

"Harry - " she said in between kisses.

But he didn't stop kissing her. He kissed her deeper and longer and with every kiss he felt like he was drowning.

Romilda pushed him away from her. "Shh, it's okay. I'm right here."

The sound of her voice seemed to calm him and he let her lead him over to a chair where she curled up in his lap. Harry buried his face against her soft breasts, resting his head against the softness of them.

She opened her hand to give him a chocolate candied heart. "For you."

He kissed her hand. "No, I don't want anymore chocolate. My head hurts, Romy, and my stomach … I feel sick."

"This will make you feel better, baby, I promise," she pushed the little chocolate candy into his mouth and he sighed into her, chewing softly. "See? All better."

Then she was kissing him again.

"Harry?"

He pulled his lips away from Romilda's blinking around the room and his eyes focusing on the bushy brown curls of his friend. Everything seemed blurry around the edges, except his Romy, she was perfect. He turned back to her and kissed her neck.

"I love you," he said hazily.

"Harry!"

He jolted and turned back to where Hermione was standing. "Hi Hermione," he said, nuzzling Romilda's shoulder. "Did you meet Romy yet? She's so pretty."

Hermione frowned. "She is, yes. Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Harry wrapped his arms tighter around Romilda. "Okay."

"Just you and me, Harry. You can see Romy again after."

Harry shook his head, nuzzling her shoulder again. "Nuh-uh. She stays."

Romilda gave Hermione a dirty look. "He's my boyfriend, not yours, so piss off!"

Hermione glared at her. "He is your boyfriend, you're right." She marched over and grabbed Romilda's arm, yanking her off of Harry's lap and pushing her to the floor as she shrieked. "Get off him!"

Harry was staring at where Romilda had fallen to the floor, his eyes blinking in and out of focus. "Romy, why did you leave?"

Neville and Ron came down the stairs in time to grab Romilda before she shoved Hermione.

"He seems drunk, right?" Ron repeated for the umpteenth time. "We thought we'd gotten him to sleep!"

Hermione shook her head, her hand against Harry's cheek. "No, he's not drunk. He's flushed and his pupils are dilated to saucers! I think that he's been dosed with something."

Ginny, who had gone upstairs to find Ron and Neville, pushed past Hermione and sat on the couch next to Harry. She took his hand in hers and placed it over her heart again. "Feel my heartbeat, Harry? Remember, breathe in and out, in and out."

He stared at her, his jaw slightly slack, but did as she instructed, his eyes drowning in her chocolate brown ones.

"Let me go!" Romilda exclaimed, trying to elbow her way out of Neville's grip.

"Ron, go to Professor Lupin's suite and see if he's still here otherwise use the Floo to call him."

"Want me to get the mirror?"

Hermione hesitated. "No, let's get Professor Lupin here first. Harry says that Sirius tends to overreact a bit. I think Lupin is the best choice for the moment."

Ron nodded and hurried out of the portrait hole.

"He's fine!" Romilda exclaimed angrily, tears in her eyes. "We're in love and he just wants to be with me!"

"Romy?" He asked, his eyes widening when he saw her. "Come sit with me?"

Ginny moved to kneel in her seat on the couch, standing high on her knees, blocking Romilda from his view and still clutching Harry's hand over her heart. "Hey, look at me, Harry."

He blinked owlishly. "Your hair is so pretty. It's like an open flame. It dances in the light and catches the red and the gold and the orange and the sun."

Ginny smiled at him. She was still clutching his hand over her heart. "That's right, look at my hair. Focus on my hair, Harry."

Hermione frowned and turned to glare at Romilda, her eyes widening. "You gave him a love potion!"

Romilda blanched. "How dare you! I would _never_! He's in love with me! And I love him!"

Hermione scoffed. "He didn't even know who you were until the party! You've been following him around for months like some creepy 1little stalker and now he's suddenly in love with you? I don't buy it."

"He said that his head hurt earlier and that his stomach was upset. He's befuddled and confused. He can barely keep his balance," Ginny said, watching as his eyes moved over her hair as if he was in a trance. "And he's completely mesmerized by my hair … this isn't Harry."

Neville nodded. "He couldn't undress himself earlier. Ron had to help him. It was like he forgot how to undo buttons and then we tried to get him to make a Patronus to see if Hermione would get his girlfriend for him because he kept asking for her, but he couldn't make one."

Hermione's eyebrow rose. "He couldn't cast a Patronus?"

Neville shook his head. "Not at all. It was barely a wisp of a spell."

Ginny turned to glare at Romilda. "How dare you do this to him!"

Romilda glared back at her. "You're just jealous because he's with me!"

Hermione turned around and silenced Romilda before petrifying her. The girl fell back onto the floor as Neville's eyes widened in shock.

"Hermione!"

Hermione shrugged. "She needed to shut up. Ginny, can you get him to stand? We need to check his balance levels."

Ginny nodded, still holding his hand over her heart as she stood up, tugging him up with her. "How are you feeling, Harry?"

"Funny," he said.

The portrait hole opened behind them and Remus came in with Ron. His eyes fell on the petrified girl on the floor before moving around to Neville, Hermione, Ginny and Harry.

"What is going on? Why is Miss Vane petrified?"

"I did it, Professor," Hermione told him. "I think that she dosed Harry with a love potion."

Remus' eyes narrowed. "Finite Incantatem," he said, pointing his wand at Romilda.

She jumped to her feet, eyes blazing in rage. "That bitch just petrified me!"

Remus merely raised an eyebrow and when he spoke his voice was cold. "Did she? All of you, follow me, now!"

Ginny kept Harry's hand on her heart. "He keeps hyperventilating, Professor. I'm trying to get him to count my heartbeats."

"That's good, Ginny, that's great advice. Just keep doing that. We're going down to the dungeons. Miss Vane, you too."

Romilda glared menacingly at Hermione, but she reluctantly followed them out of the portrait hole and down the stairs to the dungeons. Remus made for them to wait in the hall before he moved down to the door on the far left from the Potions classroom. He said something to the door because it opened and he stepped through it.

Romilda immediately pushed Ginny out of the way and threw her arms around Harry.

"Romy," he said happily, kissing her neck.

"I love you, Harry!" She said desperately.

He only nodded and kissed her.

Hermione grabbed Romilda again and pulled her away from Harry as Ron and Neville moved to grab Harry's arms.

"No," Harry said stubbornly. "I want her! Give her back to me!"

Romilda stared smugly at them. "He's mine. He wants to be with me! Let us be together!"

Ginny scowled at her. "If we're wrong, we'll apologize, but until proven otherwise, you keep your mangy paws off him!"

Harry was pouting as Ron and Neville each held him tightly and then there was a flash of red light and Ron and Neville each went flying, smashing into the walls as if they had been stunned and Harry strolled towards Romilda, grabbing her and pulling her into his arms.

"She's mine," he said, angrily.

Romilda smirked at them, wrapping her arms around Harry. "I'm right here, baby."

Harry nuzzled into her neck happily as Remus and Snape emerged from the door at the end of the hall.

Snape stared at them in disgust. "There seems to be a problem here?"

"I think Romilda dosed Harry with a love potion, Professor!" Hermione exclaimed, staring at Harry in alarm.

This was not her friend. He was not the kind of bloke to stun his friends like that and the power had just erupted from him. He hadn't even used his wand, she thought.

Remus, who moved to help Ron and Neville frowned. "What happened here?"

"They tried to take him away from Romilda and he stunned them."

Remus nodded, his eyes narrowed. "He's definitely been bewitched, Severus."

Snape stared at Harry, his arms still wrapped around Romilda. "I have an antidote in my Potions cabinet. Do any of you know how he ingested it?"

"It's not a love potion!" Romilda cried. "He really loves me!"

Snape only stared at her and scoffed. "I rather doubt that."

"There were these chocolate candies that she kept feeding him!" Neville exclaimed.

Hermione raised her wand. "Accio chocolate candies!"

Romidla gasped as ten chocolate candies were ripped from her pockets and flew out into Hermione's hands. "Those are mine! Give them back!"

Hermione passed them to Snape. He nodded at her and tilted his head to urge them to follow. Snape moved around his cabinet for a few moments before he pulled out a phial with a clear liquid in it.

"He has to drink it all for it take effect," Snape said.

Hermione took the phial from him and held it to Harry's lips. "If you drink this, Harry, you and Romy can leave together."

Harry grinned at her and downed the liquid, making a face. "That tastes foul."

And then his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Mione, I … I feel awful."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheek. His arms moved around her as well, hugging her tightly against him. "It's okay. We're here."

Romilda screamed. "How dare you!"

Snape rounded on her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You stupid child! Amorentia is nothing to be trifled with! You infected that boy with lustful feelings and nothing more!"

Romilda blanched, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I just … I just wanted him to like me."

Remus glared at her. "Did you ever try talking to him? Fifty points from Gryffindor for that dismal behaviour! You will be serving detention with me for the remainder of the school year. I will speaking to not only your Head of House about this, but I will be personally contacting your parents!"

"You aren't bright enough to have brewed this yourself," Snape declared viciously. "You can barely brew a suitable antidote to common poisons, where did you get …" he scoffed. "Rhea."

Remus glanced at Snape in curiosity. "Who?"

"Rhea Vane. One of my most gifted Potions students. She and her sister Regina own _Venus Copia_ in Diagon Alley; the cosmetics and beauty supply shop. She brewed the Amorentia for you, didn't she?"

Tears were rolling down Romilda's face as she nodded. "She-she-she sent it in the candies. She said that he would have to eat lots of them for it to work."

"How many did you feed him, girl?" Snape demanded.

Romilda sniffed. "She-she-she gave me a hundred."

"There's only ten left," Hermione said.

Snape sneered. "Brainless bint."

"Severus!" Remus exclaimed, glaring at him. "Is Harry going to be alright?"

"He's going to feel incredibly depressed for at least the next twelve hours and will most likely suffer from memory loss until the depression fades. I'd recommend you boys take him back to his dorm or bring him to Black. He shouldn't be left alone. He will most likely sleep it off, but someone should watch him just to be safe. But after that he'll be fine," Snape said.

Remus nodded. "Can you guys take care of Harry? I have to fill Sirius in and deal with Miss Vane."

Hermione nodded, hugging him. "He won't be alone, Professor."

Remus smiled at her. "Thank you for coming to get me. You did well. Romilda, you're coming with me. We're going to speak to McGonagall and then we're going to contact your parents and I'm sending an agent from the Department of Intoxicating Substances to _Venus Copia_. I think that your sisters' supplies need to be thoroughly checked for any illegal or dangerous substances."

"But Professor - "

" - Do not speak," Remus said sternly. "What you did is wrong and harmful to not only Harry, but to those around him. In his attempt to get to you, he could have hurt his friends. Love potions are extremely dangerous!"

Tears poured down Romilda's cheeks. "I - please don't send an agent out to my sister's shop, Professor, please!"

Snape nodded at him, turning to Ron, Neville, Hermione, Ginny and Harry. "Get Potter to bed. Miss Vane, follow Lupin and I."

Hermione kept her arm around Harry's waist as the five of them headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Ginny moved to wrap an arm around his other side.

"What happened?" Harry asked, looking around at his friends in bewilderment.

"You were given a love potion, Harry," Ginny told him.

He looked at her, his eyes wide. "Shouldn't I feel happier then?"

She smiled and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You will. I promise. You were amazing today in the Second Task. You saved me and Gabrielle Delacour. It was brilliant."

Ron nodded, grinning at his sister. "Everyone was cheering for you, mate."

Harry smiled, a little dazed. "That's fun."

They continued to tell him how great he was in the Second Task until they returned to the dorm. Hermione and Ginny said goodnight and let Ron and Neville take over. They helped Harry change into his pjs and crawl into bed.

"Get some sleep, Harry, we'll be here if you need us," Ron assured him. "We're going to sleep right here."

Harry nodded, watching as they made a fort of blankets and pillows between his and Ron's and he and Neville bunked down under the blankets on the floor. "Can I stay there too?"

Ron smiled. "Of course, mate; come on over."

Harry grinned and snuggled under his blankets between his friends. "Was I really under a love potion?"

"Yeah."

"Who was I in love with?"

"Romilda Vane," Neville said with a smirk.

Harry's brow furrowed. "Who the hell is that?"

Ron and Neville grinned at each other and then they busted into laughter. "Don't worry mate. In the morning, we'll explain everything. We promise."

Harry shrugged and snuggled into his pillow. "Okay. If you say so."

Within minutes, he was sleeping soundly and Ron and Neville grinned at each other. Neville stifled a yawn. "Want me to take first watch?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah, you sleep. I'll wake you in an hour."

Neville nodded, smiling at his friend. "Okay. If he wakes, let me know."

Ron nodded and leaned back against the side of his bed, watching his friend sleep. He would keep watch. He would keep his eye on his friend and make sure that he slept peacefully until the antidote fully filtered his system and he was able to remember everything that happened without the feeling of depression moving in. It was the least he could do.

After all, his friend had most definitely not been drunk.

 **Remus was beyond livid as he settled Romilda into Snape's office and called McGonagall and Dumbledore there.** After he explained the situation, Romilda was in tears as McGonagall and Dumbledore spoke to her about the implications of her actions. By the time he contacted Sirius, his rage had died down a little, but he was still spitting mad.

Sirius yawned as his head appeared in the fireplace. "Hi Moony. It's late, what's going on? Is Harry alright?"

"The first thing I want to tell you is that he is fine. Ron and Neville are taking care of him and come the morning, he is going to be completely fine."

"Come the - what happened?" Sirius asked, his grey eyes clearing from the sleep filled eyes that had answered the Patronus by Floo call.

Remus let out a slow breath. "Harry was given a love potion which resulted in a few problems for the evening."

"A love potion?" Sirius asked, grinning slightly. "Actually?"

Remus scowled. "Actually. A third year Gryffindor girl slipped it to him by way of candies and he became insanely lustful for her in such a regard that his magic lashed out and threw Ron and Neville away from him when they attempted to help."

Sirius' eyes darkened. "Wait, did some bird force herself on him?"

"Siri, you know as well as I do that anything you do under the influence of a love potion isn't within your realm of control. It is essentially a date-rape potion. Thankfully, his friends realized that something was wrong with him and they came to get me. Snape had an antidote available. He's going to be fine, but from what I gathered, he spent most of his evening snogging this girl."

Sirius and Zee arrived two minutes later as Remus filled them in on what had happened. He explained how he, McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore had all agreed that suspending her for two weeks was only the start. She was being sent home for those two weeks and when she returned, she would spend every evening in detention alternating between Remus, Snape and McGonagall. She lost one hundred points from her house and McGonagall would be putting a restraining charm upon her which did not allow her within ten feet of Harry.

Romilda had cried the entire time, desperately apologizing. Snape had proceeded to lecture her on the dangers of the love potion and how it could be perceived as date-rape. He had even gone so far as to tell her that Harry could have raped her under the potion, which had made Romilda's eyes widen in shock.

"People under a love potion will do anything to be with the object of their lust and if that lust reached the appropriate level within Potter, he could have lost control; the lust can make the individual need more contact with the object of his desires. If you had given Potter the love potion and he decided to force you to have sex with him, he would not have been punished for it," Snape declared viciously, his eyes on Romilda's tear filled ones. "Do you understand the severity of that? He could have hurt you just as badly as you could have hurt him and yet you would have been to blame for it because you administered him a controlled substance without his knowledge."

McGonagall had gone on to explain how a love potion alters a person's mental state and makes them think they are in love with the person who brewed the potion, or in Romilda's case, the potion brewed for her. They learned that Snape had been right, it had been Rhea Vane who had not only brewed the potion, but had added a bit of Romilda's hair into the potion which made Harry susceptible to Romilda's charms instead of Rhea's. It had been Regina Vane who had then given the potion to her sister through the candies.

Mr and Mrs Vane were completely appalled by the actions of their daughter when they arrived at Hogwarts to speak with the professors and Sirius. The Vanes attempted to apologize for her, but Sirius had only glared at them. He told them that if Romilda ever attempted anything like this again or came close to his son, he would make sure that she spent the rest of her life in Azkaban. When they learned that it had been done with the help of their two eldest daughters, they had been shocked and even more apologetic. By eight the next morning, Remus had the Aurors from the Department of Intoxicating Substances in the school to talk to Romilda Vane and then follow up on an inspection of _Venus Copia_.

By the afternoon, all three of the Vane sisters were in serious trouble. The Aurors of the DIS had found two barrels full of Amortentia. For the right price, the Vane Sisters were adding it to any beauty supply product the customer asked for. This was considered the selling of a controlled substance with the potential to harm and Regina and Rhea Vane had immediately been arrested.

Rhea and Regina had both been charged with distributing an illegal substance; administering a noxious substance without consent; second degree assault on a minor; as well as illegally manufacturing a controlled substance with the intent to sell. Both were fined, their shop closed down and they were sentenced to five years in Azkaban. Romilda, being a minor, was given three hundred hours of community service and it was being put on her permanent record. Fourteen was declared still old enough to understand the severity of her actions and the restraining charm would last for six months unless Harry Potter wanted it to remain on her longer.

Sirius, Zee and Remus had all threatened to sue the Vanes if any harm befell Harry because of Romilda's actions. By the time the day was over and the Aurors had taken over, Remus felt drained and he knew that Sirius and Zee felt the same. Those responsible were being punished and Harry was safe.

That was all that mattered.

 **Harry was appalled that he had let someone slip him a love potion and thoroughly annoyed with himself for being foolish enough to accept food and drink from someone that he didn't know.** Romilda had come to apologize to him that morning with her parents standing behind her and he had only nodded curtly at her. The last thing that he wanted to do was talk to the girl who had done such a terrible thing. Hearing about what had happened the night before was awful and he felt violated. He had snogged her almost all night and it hadn't been of his own free will.

He said as much to Sirius when his father had pulled him aside after the Vanes had apologized to him.

"How are you holding up?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm fine, I just … I feel a little dirty."

Sirius shook his head. "Don't. I know it's a lot easier to say that than to do it, but don't. You did nothing wrong, Harry. You were given a love potion and therefore are not responsible for any of your actions under said potion. You kissed a pretty girl under the influence of a potion that she gave you. You are not to blame. This is on her and her meddlesome sisters who are all being charged accordingly for their crimes. You're lucky that you have such great friends and that they knew something was wrong."

He nodded. He knew that and he had thanked them profusely when he found what they had done. Ron kept apologizing as he had been convinced that Harry had been drunk and hadn't realized that he had been dosed with a love potion, but he didn't blame his friend. He wouldn't have thought love potion if he had seen any of his friends acting the way he had.

Sirius, Zee and Remus had told him about the charges laid upon Romilda Vane and what the DIS had discovered about _Venus Copia_. Harry was pleased to learn the shop was being shut down, but he couldn't help but wonder who else may have been a victim of a love potion because of the antics of the Vane sisters. The Aurors apparently had the same questions and were investigating the shop records further to try to discover any other victims.

It made Harry feel a little better to know that it was being taken seriously, but he still felt a bit used by the whole thing. He was just glad that at least for him, it was all over.

It was a few days after everything had happened and he was sitting in the Quidditch stands, his broom on his lap when Hermione found him. She slid onto the seat next to him and looked out across the pitch.

"Warm weather's coming soon. You'll have better flying conditions."

He snuck a look at her from under his lashes. "And what do you know about better flying conditions?"

Hermione smirked at him. "Viktor says ideally it's a cloudy day because the sun doesn't blind the players and it makes the Golden Snitch easier to spot in the sky."

"Look at you, learning about Quidditch."

She smiled and tucked her arm in his. "He asked me to visit him in Bulgaria this summer."

Harry's eyes widened. "Actually?"

Hermione nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Yeah. He said that he's going to invite me to a game too. The first one of the season is apparently in the middle of July. His family is supposed to attend the Third Task and they want to meet me. Something came up and they couldn't be here for the Second Task."

"Are you nervous?"

"Incredibly. Harry, what if they don't like me?"

"Only crazy people don't like you. You're the brightest witch of the age."

She smiled. "I really like him, Harry. Like, _really_ like him. He makes me smile and he's intelligent and he has all of these plans to be a Transfiguration researcher, you know, once Quidditch is over."

"I like that he makes you smile," he said.

Hermione leaned into him and he wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. "Harry … if I decide to go … to Bulgaria, that is … would you come with me?"

Harry looked down at her in surprise. "What?"

She blew her hair out of her eyes. "I know my parents would never let me go alone and frankly, I don't want to go alone. Bulgaria isn't exactly next door and I wouldn't know anyone outside of Viktor's family and possibly Andrei and Dimo, but … if you came we could go to his match together and … will you, please?"

He smiled at her. "If you want me there, I'll be there. I bet Uncle Sirius and Zee might even tag along."

Hermione grinned up at him and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Harry. I'll let you know what I decide, I mean … who knows what's going to happen between Viktor and I over the coming months. But if I do decide to go, I'd really love to have a friend tag along."

"Hey, any friend who bodily throws a crazy girl off of me, then petrifies said girl and then steals her love potion candies in an attempt to free said friend from crazy girl's clutches, is the best friend a bloke can ask for!"

She blushed. "I - I just wanted you to be able to think clearly without her influencing your presence."

He grinned. "And you succeeded." He hugged her close. "Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione grinned back at him. "I introduced Viktor to Mum and Dad through the mirror. Mum says he's charming and Dad scowled at lot, but they both like him."

"That's good."

She smiled. "I think so. Mum said that I could invite him to stay for a week in the summer too and when I suggested it he was so pleased. I really like him."

"I know," Harry said with a grin. "You've been glowing with happiness for months now."

Hermione grinned back at him. "So are you going to fly that broom or just stare at it?"

"Depends, want to go for a ride?"

"Oh no!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide. "I am here in a strictly observing capacity only!"

Harry tugged her to her feet. "Come on; just a little lap around the pitch?"

Hermione tugged her hand free. "Do it and die, Potter!"

Harry laughed and hopped onto his broom, soaring above her. "You don't know what you're missing!"

Hermione watched him zoom off, doing a quick loop-the-loop into the air and her own stomach lurched. She knew exactly what she was missing and the ground was the place she was most happy.

But she was glad to see her best friend with a smile on his face once again.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(Bulgarian) moyata kafyava krasavitsa = my brown haired beauty_

 _(Bulgarian) krasiv = beautiful_

 _As mentioned in the author's note of chapter 114, I moved Romilda Vane up to be in the same year as Ginny because I had this idea in mind. I felt like this needed to happen because in the book it wasn't discussed and I wanted it to happen to Harry and not to Ron. I wanted to write this chapter for a few reasons, but the main was one is because I do not think a love potion is a joke. It is essentially a date-rape drug as someone is not in their right mind when it is administered. I wanted that to be emphasized; for the professors to take it seriously and report to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement because it is in fact a crime, and for Romilda Vane to be properly punished as it wasn't in Half-Blood Prince and that always bothered me. Yes, it was shadowed by Draco's attempt to kill Dumbledore through Slughorn's poisoned mead being given to Ron, but it was still a very serious offence that I felt like needed to be addressed. I hope I got that across here._

 _Thank you for reading and please review :D_


	173. Chapter 173

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town"; Warrant's "Cherry Pie" nor to ACDC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."_

 _Also, this is a bit of some steamy filth which I think we were due for or maybe just me LOL - definitely Saz as I know how much she loves it ;)_

 _To answer some reviews: Thank you for agreeing with me on the love potion scene. I think people romanticize it too much. It is of course good for some things, as we all love the scene where the smell of it makes us realize who or what we are attracted to which usually reveals the person you are attracted to. I always got the impression myself, don't know if it's just my opinion or not, but if you were to dose someone with a love potion who was already in love with you, they would act completely normal because you can't create something that's already there. I wanted Romilda to be punished for what she did because it didn't happen in the books and that was because the issue with Ron almost dying clearly took precedence, as it should have. But I wanted to take a stand against it here and I agree - date-rape can happen to men just as easily as to women and should be addressed as such. As to Hermione and Viktor - I love writing them! I'm so glad you guys are all enjoying their blossoming romance as much as I am. As to Corner, there is a tinge of jealousy there which we will see more of. I always imagined Michael in my mind as effortlessly charming and adorable, with a pinch of sweetness that could turn in an instant if you didn't agree with his views. Ginny will see his true colours soon enough. To DetroitNate, slow-burn Hinny, more like a glacial thaw - LMAO. This is kind of accurate, but in my defence, the story did start off when Harry was five years old so that should be taken into consideration!_

 _It would have been just desserts for Romilda if Harry had forced himself on her, I agree, however, I didn't want Harry to lose his virginity that way and that would be something Harry would be forced to live with, knowing that he raped someone against their will and no matter the fact that he had been drugged, I don't think that would have been something he could get over. I just wanted Snape to warn her that it could have happened if Harry hadn't possessed such a strong will. Ron is of course Harry's best friend, he just has a few best friends in this story and I suppose I have made him and Ginny a bit closer, but Ron has always been there for him. It was Ron and Neville who stayed with him all night to make sure that he was okay. It was he and Ron together who dealt with Crouch. Ginny's presence did affect Harry and I like to imagine that if one had a strong enough will, and wasn't consistently being re-dosed, they could break out of the trance of the love potion much like the Imperius Curse._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe for her wonderful editing skills and for the little add-on to my prank here!_

 _Thanks to Steel for being my sounding board; always being around when I need assistance or have questions and it's very much appreciated._

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-THREE:**

 **Ginny looked up from her seat on her bed when the dormitory door opened and Romilda came in.** She had been suspended from the school for the last two weeks and seeing her come back brought a scowl to her face.

"Ready to show your face again?"

Romilda bowed her head, tears in her eyes. "I just wanted him to like me."

"There are a million other ways that you could have gotten his attention and none of them would have involved drugging him," Ginny responded darkly. The two weeks without her around hadn't dimmed her anger at the girl one bit.

"Oh, calm down, Weasley," KJ exclaimed in annoyance as she came out of the bathroom. "So Romy got some great snogs in, it's not like she molested him."

"And what do you call snogging someone who doesn't want to snog you, KJ?" Freya demanded, her eyes flashing in anger. "If a bloke had done that to you, you'd feel differently, wouldn't you? Just because the potion made him want her didn't mean that he _actually wanted her_."

Romilda moved to her bed, tossing her bag there as she began to unpack. "Look, I know what I did was wrong, okay? I've been lectured by everyone and their goddamn mother and all of the teachers will be checking my bag in every class to make sure that I'm not carrying around any substances that could harm another person. I know it was wrong, but it wasn't right for them to go after my sisters' shop either!"

Ginny merely raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't it? You got the potion from your sisters so it makes perfect sense to me. How many unsuspecting men and women have been put under a love potion brewed by your sisters, Romy?"

"Look, Ginny, I didn't return to school to have you come at me! You're not exactly innocent yourself! The whole school knows that you were responsible for attacking everyone when we were in first year!"

"Completely different circumstances," Ginny said darkly. "And unlike you, I was found innocent of my crimes."

Romilda scoffed. "Innocent? You set a bloody Basilisk on the students and a ghost! If Harry hadn't saved your ass, you would be dead and everyone would know you were the real monster!"

Ginny's face flushed. "You're right, Harry did save me. He's my friend and now it's my job to make sure that he's kept safe from dangerous creatures like you!" Her eyes moved to the life sized Quidditch poster of Harry hanging on the wall across from Romilda's bed. "I'd take down that poster if I were you as well. After the stunt you pulled, Harry will never be yours."

Romilda glared at her. "He could have been! I just wanted to make him see how good it could be with me! I never planned on keeping him under the potion forever, but you and your nosy ginger cunt just had to butt her nose in where it didn't belong! How does Corner feel about you whoring yourself out to so many men in your life? Everyone knows your shagging Colin and that dark-haired Slytherin bloke and the way you throw yourself at Harry, you're probably doing him too! I know you certainly _wish you were!_ "

Ginny's face flushed. "How dare you! You don't know the first thing about me!"

"You're just jealous because Harry Potter kissed me!" She yelled triumphantly.

Maisie jumped up to stand between the two girls, her arms outstretched. "Okay, okay, let's call a truce here. The six of us have to share a dorm for years yet. Romy, you know what you did was wrong no matter how you look at it and Ginny is dating Michael, not those other guys."

KJ snorted. "And everyone knows that Slytherin is gay."

"I didn't realize that his sexual choices were public knowledge," Ginny stated dryly.

KJ rolled her eyes. "I'm hardly the only one who's seen him snogging blokes around the castle. His lips have been glued to David Richardson's for over a month now. You know, that really sexy fifth year Ravenclaw with the brown hair and the nice arms? The good-looking ones are always gay."

Ginny ignored her and turned back to Romilda. "I'll agree to a truce if this one stays away from me and my friends, including Harry."

"McGonagall put a restraining charm on me. If I get more than ten feet near him, I'll be pulled back and she'll be alerted."

Ginny looked pleased with this. "Good. As promises go, that doesn't mean much, but I'll take it. Harry is one of my best friends and if anyone hurts him they will have to deal with me."

Romilda only stared back at her. "I'm staying away from him, but I won't take his poster down."

Ginny shrugged. "If you want a constant reminder of someone you can never have, that's on you."

Imogen, who had been quiet the whole time the argument had been taking place only nodded at Romilda. "You should take it down, Romy."

Romilda glared at her. "No!"

KJ rolled her eyes and stood up, ripping the poster off the wall and tossed it onto the bedroom floor. "Take it down, Romy. It makes you look bad to keep it."

"Haven't I been punished enough?" She asked, angry tears in her eyes. She hopped into her bed and slammed the curtains around her so roughly that one of them fell down. Imogen simply stood up and carefully locked it back into place.

Ginny only grabbed her toiletries and headed into the bathroom, her heart still racing. She hoped that Romilda had learned her lesson because what she had done was wrong and she wasn't going to sit back and let someone hurt Harry.

Romilda came into the bathroom a few moments later, returning her soaps and shampoos to her shelf in the cupboard and Ginny didn't say anything, but she grinned to herself as an idea formed and she whistled cheerfully as she stepped into the shower, a big smile on her face.

 **Harry was trying not to grimace as Rita Skeeter strolled over to him in the Great Hall the following Saturday afternoon, a big smile on her face.** He understood why he was doing this, but he really wished more than anything in the world that he didn't have to. But Sirius had told him that part of the deal that he had made with the editor of the _Daily Prophet_ was for Harry to agree to give an interview about the Second Task.

His smile widened when he saw Sirius and Zee come into the Great Hall and hurry towards him. Zee immediately kissed his cheek and sat on his right side as Sirius did the same, squeezing his shoulder gently from the left.

Rita Skeeter merely raised an eyebrow. "Don't want to leave young Harry alone with me?"

"No," Sirius growled. "You are not to be interviewing him without a designated adult with him."

Skeeter merely shrugged and raised her quill. "So, Harry, the Second Task is now under your belt and you are in second place, how do you feel?"

He scratched his nose. "Good, I guess."

"Just good? The other three champions are years older than you in both age and experience and yet you've managed to outsmart them? Shouldn't you be more excited?"

"I haven't outsmarted anyone," he said, his eyes on her quill suspiciously. "I've just done my best."

She nodded and her quill scratched quickly across her notepad. "Hermione Granger was pulled into the Black Lake for the task, but she was the captive for Viktor Krum, how does that make you feel? Is it true that she broke your heart?"

"It makes me feel like she deserves to be happy," he said simply making Sirius smirk. "She's not now nor has she ever been, my girlfriend."

Skeeter nodded. "And what about the rumours circulating that you are partially responsible for the closing of _Venus Copia_ and the criminal charges against Rhea and Regina Vane?"

"That beauty supply store was illegally selling love potions to unsuspecting patrons. I think that it's about time that the Ministry stepped in," Zee said coldly.

Skeeter merely raised an eyebrow. "And you, Agent Zacarias, you seem to be playing a motherly role to our Mr Potter, is there more to the story?"

"No," Zee said sternly.

Harry grinned at her before he turned back to the reporter. "Do you want to know what I did in the lake or what?"

Skeeter nodded curtly so Harry outlined what had happened to him below the surface as she recorded his events. When he was finished, she smiled brightly. "This will be in tomorrow's paper. After the Third Task, maybe we can talk again."

"Probably not," Sirius said, glaring at her.

Once she had left, Harry let out a slow breath. "I don't actually have to talk to her again, do I?"

Sirius draped an arm over his shoulders and grinned. "Not if you don't want to. I only promised them the Second Task, not the third."

Harry looked relieved by this. "I don't want to."

Zee smiled warmly at him, reaching up to gently brush his fringe away from his face. "How are you doing since everything happened last week?

Harry grimaced. It had been almost a week since the whole Second Task followed by the love potion debacle and if he was honest, he had tried not to think about it. "Alright, I guess. Romilda apologized, but I just asked her to stay away from me."

"As she should have," Sirius said darkly. "Love potions are very dangerous. Her parents were beyond furious and embarrassed when I spoke with them. They couldn't stop apologizing to me on your behalf."

Harry nodded. "I mean, I'm a little honoured that she, you know, liked me so much I guess, but … looking back on it, it was like I was in a daze and I didn't really know what I was doing. It was kind of like being under the Imperius Curse, but every time it seemed to clear, she gave me another candy and I seemed to fall deeper."

Zee kissed his cheek. "You have incredible friends who knew that something was wrong and watched out for you."

"I know," he said with a smile.

Sirius stared at him. "Harry, it doesn't matter how much you like someone; forcing them to do anything against their will is not okay. You did nothing wrong, alright?" He pulled him close for a hug and kissed the top of his head. "You did nothing wrong."

"I know," Harry said, but hearing the words made him feel better just the same.

Sirius stood up and gestured for Harry and Zee to do the same. "Come on; let's head to Remus' suite. I want to talk to you for a minute."

Harry nodded and followed them through the castle and into Remus' suite where Remus and Tonks were both snogging on the sofa. The back of Remus' neck flushed when he saw them come in.

"How'd the interview go?" He asked as Tonks snuck in one last kiss on the side of his neck.

Sirius shrugged. "We'll see, you know how Skeeter is." He plopped himself down into the armchair as Harry sat next to Tonks on the sofa.

Zee sat on the floor, her back leaning against Sirius' chair. "If she prints anything other than what we said, I'll be having a word with Danny."

Sirius nodded. "Good."

"So what's going on?" Harry asked, looking between them.

Remus smiled at him. "Nothing to worry about, Harry. We just wanted to touch base on the Hard-On Hunt."

"On the - _what_?"

Sirius grinned. "Oh, shit, Moony, we forgot to bring him into the charm zone!"

"The what?"

Remus quickly brought Harry into the charm zone and all of the information he had already known came flooding back to him as Sirius and Remus quickly explained about the charms that they had made to prevent anyone from discovering their operation in light of recent events.

"Now, I'm kind of sad that he won't get to hear all of my cheesy innuendos. I worked hard on those!" Sirius protested.

Zee rolled her eyes. "Trust me, you'd rather not know, Harry."

He grinned at them. "So what's going on?"

Remus scratched his chin and reached for his glass of wine off the side table. "As you know, with the Triwizard Tournament going on, there is a constant influx of people in the castle. This means that searching for the mystery Horcrux has been a lot harder than it could potentially be."

Harry nodded. "I've been looking occasionally around different rooms. I even snuck into the Restricted Section a few months back to try to see if I could stumble across one, but nothing. I mean, I guess I'm just looking for the feeling which makes it harder. We don't even know what it is."

"Exactly," Sirius said, sighing. "It makes the search a lot more difficult. And really, sneaking into the Restricted Section? Harry, there's a professor about!"

Remus grinned. "I heard nothing."

Harry looked sheepish. "I just thought because it's you know, restricted, maybe he would have hid one in there."

"It's decent logic, Harry," Zee said with a smile. "But the problem is, like you said, that none of us know what exactly we're looking for."

"I've covered most of the empty classrooms in the castle along with the study rooms, but we still have public bathrooms and hidden rooms not to mention the Towers and closets and who knows where else to search," Remus said. "It's a large castle and a magical one at that. As we discovered with the Chamber of Secrets, there are rooms in this castle that people might not even know still exist."

Harry frowned at that. "It sounds like we're giving up."

"Absolutely not," Sirius said with a smile. "It's just that at this point, we don't have enough to go on. I would like to focus instead on the upcoming Third Task and getting you through it safely until we figure out anything else on what this Horcrux could be. Are we in agreement there?"

Harry nodded. He knew that Sirius was right. They had no idea what the Horcrux was. They didn't know what the object was that he had hidden it in and they had no idea where it was. The only lead they had was that he had hidden something somewhere in the castle. It didn't exactly make it easy to find.

"Alright."

"No news on what the Third Task is going to be yet?" Tonks asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. Bagman said that he would provide us with more information a few weeks before the task. Until then, I guess we just wait."

Zee smiled. "Well, until then we can keep teaching you as many defensive spells and charms that we can. I know Remus has a bit of interesting stuff lined up for Defence Club as well."

"Alright, that sounds good."

"Harry, give these to your friends to read," Remus said, passing him two pieces of folded parchment. "It will bring them back into the charm zone for anything you've previously shared with them on the Horcruxes and Voldemort. After they've all read them, burn the papers, okay?"

Harry accepted the parchment and nodded. "Will do."

Sirius nodded, his eyes on his son. "Also, Easter's a bit late this year, but are you still up to coming home for the weekend? Misha and Sorcha will be back in Scotland and Zee wants to have a small dinner just the five of us, seven if Remus and Tonks decide to come?"

Harry grinned. "No, that sounds great. I do want to come home."

"Good. It's not until the middle of April, but sign up with McGonagall, okay?"

He nodded, smiling at his family. "I will."

 **The high pitched scream of horror that erupted from the bathroom that Sunday morning only made Ginny grin into her pillow.** But she hopped out of bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes and looking around at her roommates in curiosity.

"What's going on?" She asked as a second and third scream echoed throughout their dormitory.

Romilda came running out of the bathroom, her eyes wide in horror. Her beautiful long black hair had been cut into a bowl cut, dyed tomato red with a parted top of dark green making her look like she had a giant tomato on her head. She was spitting mad and looked ready to kill.

"You did this!" She shrieked, diving towards Ginny.

Ginny shifted out of the way. "To your hair? How? I was sleeping!"

Romilda glared at her. "The top of my head is a bloody tomato! A tomato!"

KJ snickered. "Legit, you even have a little green leaf on the top. What an atrocious cut!"

"What's that smell?" Maisie asked, holding her nose in disgust as the smell wafted into the dormitory. "Merlin, Romy, your hair smells like something died in there!"

Freya merely looked uncomfortable. "How did this happen, Romy?"

"HOW THE BLOODY HELL SHOULD I KNOW?" She screamed. "I put shampoo into my hand and washed my hair and when I came out of the shower, this is what it looked like!"

"So someone dosed you with something without your permission?" Ginny asked innocently. "How horrible."

"You bitch!" Romilda exclaimed, shoving Ginny so hard that she fell back and landed on her bum as McGonagall stepped into the dormitory.

"What is going on in here?" She demanded. "The entire tower can hear you and - goodness, gracious!"

Romilda snarled. "Professor, it was Ginny! She did this to me! She ruined my hair! She cut it and turned it into … I want her punished!"

"Professor, I merely said that it was tragic that someone would dose Romy with something without her permission; I never said that I did it."

McGonagall only stared at her, her lips pursed slightly. "Well, whoever decided on this prank, Miss Vane, I can assure you, will be punished. Get dressed and come with me. Madam Pomfrey can help sort you out."

"You mean it's not permanent?"

"I hardly doubt it," McGonagall said in annoyance, pinching her nose against the smell. "But if it is, dear, I'm sure a hairstylist can do something to make it look less … er, round and fruit like."

Ginny grinned as Romilda howled in horror.

"However, you've earned yourself lunch detention with me for the rest of the week on top of your evening detentions for that physical altercation with Miss Weasley," McGonagall added as Romilda burst into tears.

"But, Professor! Look what she did to me!"

McGonagall only stared at her. "Physical violence is not prohibited, Miss Vane, nor do you have any proof that Miss Weasley is the one to have done so."

Romilda wailed in response.

Ginny couldn't stop grinning.

By lunch time, most of the school had heard what had happened to Romilda Vane. She was still in the hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey attempted to fix her hair, but Ginny knew that it would be no use. She had worked hard on her charm, mixing it into Romilda's shampoo and her hair gel before applying it. It would hold for exactly forty-eight hours and in twelve, would sprout from the tomato to a dark lime green with blood red streaks, choppy and unevenly cut as the length would grow back to normal only on one side. The smell would only get worse and if one attempted a cleaning charm, her head would waft an even more terrible smell of decay and feces. She thought it was quite ingenious.

By Tuesday morning, Romilda's hair would be back to normal except for the smell. It would linger for weeks no matter how much she washed it and would be clumpy no matter how much she brushed it and Ginny felt like it was a good prank to get her point across.

Colin slid onto the bench next to her as he reached for the pumpkin juice. "I got a photo of the top of her head. It took some effort, but I managed to climb into the rafters of the ceiling. She really does look like a tomato."

Ginny grinned at him. "Make sure that you get another one after dinner today as her hair should have changed again by then."

Colin nodded. "I will. It should make an interesting article on substance control."

They both looked up when McGonagall called Ginny's name and she only sighed, getting up to follow her Head of House to her office. Once the door was shut behind her, McGonagall stared her down.

"We both know that you dosed Miss Vane in whatever this charm is whether you admit to it or not," McGonagall said carefully. "I can't say that I blame you. What Miss Vane did to Mr Potter was completely unacceptable; it violated his rights, but you dosing her with something does not make it better and is in fact still wrong."

Ginny nodded. "I admit it. I'll take detention if you think it has merit, Professor, but I stand by my prank. In my opinion she deserved a lot worse. Colin wants to use the photos to help Juliet write an article on her hair mess along with the abuses of controlled substances and I think that will be a nice wakeup call to a lot of people."

"I want to see this article before it is published, but I do rather like the idea," she admitted. She crossed her arms in front of her before she let out of a slow sigh. "I do not condone what you did and we both know that it was wrong of you. You will serve detention with me every night this week and we will not speak of it again." McGonagall adjusted her square framed glasses, her eyes on Ginny. "And five points for your restraint."

Ginny beamed in response.

 **Sirius had been out in the workshop for almost three hours that Sunday morning.** He had lifted part of the motorbike to get underneath and work on the undercarriage of the Motosacoche M414 The physical exertion made him warm so he had pulled off his tee shirt, angling the lights down to give him a better angle. He reached for his wand, using it to turn the music up and wiped sweat from his brow.

He was proud to say that the bike was almost done. He had refinished almost all of her in chrome and teal. She looked sharp and she looked gorgeous and fast and he was anxious to take her for a test drive. He was hoping within another month, maybe two, weather permitting, he'd be able to get her on the road and see how she ran. She was a beautiful 1929 masterpiece.

He slid out from under the bike, grinning widely. He grabbed his water from the bottle next to him and chugged it back, pouring a bit over his head to cool off. He had spent the better part of his Saturday out here working on the bike and was quite pleased to be doing something so simple again. It seemed like lately the Ministry had been monopolizing a lot of his time, not to mention the Board of Governors. Carthaginian wanted to add a Multicultural Club or potentially a culture class for sixth and seventh years and he thought that it sounded brilliant so he wasn't sure why he needed to have input into that. As far as he was concerned, it was her class and she could tweak the curriculum as she saw fit.

He sighed and tapped his fingers to the beat on the bike before grabbing a socket wrench and sliding back under the Motosacoche. His feet were tapping to the beat of Thin Lizzy belting out that the boys were back in town when he felt something touch his leg. He jerked slightly, but figured Marauder had found his way through the dog door. Then he felt his fly open and he slid out from under the bike in time to see her free him from the confines of his black jeans.

She was dressed comfortably as she had been lounging in the house in black tights and a long jumper and her tongue was sticking out the side of her mouth as she grinned wickedly at him before she bent her head and licked him from base to stem.

"Well, hello to you too," he said, gasping when she licked him again and he immediately stood at full attention.

Zee grinned wickedly at him. "My book was getting a bit on the steamy side and I thought I'd much rather be doing naughty things to do you than reading about it."

"Well, I happen to completely agree with that statement," he said, grinning back at her.

Zee tugged his jeans down, unbuttoning his black combat boots and tossing them behind her before pulling his jeans off and leaving him completely naked on the drop cloth of his workshop. She let out a small sigh of pleasure, her hands sliding up his thighs, brushing the soft hairs there. Her fingers slid over his balls, kneading softly before her lips followed, kissing and sucking, licking and pulling as he groaned her name.

"Fuck," he hissed when her teeth brushed his tip.

Zee simply smiled at him, spreading his legs wider. Her fingers slid down and gently rocked into him as she sucked him. He was panting now, his fingers clutching her hair as he attempted to tug her up to his mouth. Zee ignored him, her tongue trailing and circling torturously slow along his length; stroking the underside; circling the base and then sucking gently on just the tip. She slid her lips along him, taking him deep into her mouth and she hummed along with the beat of Foreigner playing on the stereo and Sirius groaned her name.

"Mmm," she moaned, slipping him from her lips to move down to lick and suck on his balls. She tugged one into her mouth, kissing the second one softly, teeth grazing. "I love your cock."

Sirius groaned. "Come here," he hissed, trying to tug her up to him again. Her mouth was a dangerous weapon, he thought. No one had ever done him as good as she did and he knew that he would give her anything if she asked for it when she had him like this.

"I love the taste of your cock," she said in response as she licked his tip.

Sirius hissed in pleasure when she kissed the underside of his shaft.

"Mmm," she moaned again, smiling as she licked him.

"Come here," he demanded, panting.

Zee shook her head, licking his tip. "Not until you finish in my mouth."

"Fuck!" Sirius exclaimed when she engulfed him in her hot mouth again. "You - fuck!"

She sucked him slowly, aching slow, and it drove him mad as she casually stroked a thumb across his balls. Her fingers slid beneath his sacs and into him, lazily moving in and out in a maddening fashion. She popped him out with a loud smacking sound, licking him slowly in long sensuous strokes, circling the tip as he groaned her name, panting. She bent her head and softly blew gently on his balls, kissing them softly; leaving hot open-mouth kisses along the underside of his shaft.

And when she finally took him back into her mouth, she sucked him hard and he came. He kept his eyes on her, watching as her eyes glinted in satisfaction as he emptied himself.

When he finally finished, she "mmmed" against him as she slid him out of her mouth. Her lips trailed along him, licking him before she kissed his balls and then up his chest, sucking on the side of his neck.

"You are a goddess, Zahira," Sirius said with a grin.

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I love you."

Sirius wrapped his arms around her, snuggling her up against him. He felt immensely satisfied and happy at the moment. "I fucking love you too."

She grinned and kissed him softly. "We should have a nap right here."

He merely raised an eyebrow. "I could sleep for a week right now." He kissed her softly. "But first I think it's my turn to taste," he murmured, tugging her jumper over her head kissing the swell of her breasts as Warrant began to play on the stereo. "Even the music agrees with me. _Cool drink of water such a sweet surprise; tastes so good makes a grown man cry,_ " he sang in her ear, licking up the side of her neck. _"Sweet cherry pie_."

Zee grinned when he licked his lips. "I am most definitely going to take you up on that offer, but first, a letter arrived for you from Greece."

"Good, been waiting to hear back from Xander about when he and Thea are coming to London."

Zee nodded. "Just to visit?"

"Among other things," he said, slipping his hand down the front of her pants and into her knickers. "Mmm, you feel so good. So hot. So ready for me."

Zee smiled at him, her head falling back a little when his fingers stroked her. "Sirius …"

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. " _Sweet cherry pie_."

"We both know that cherry has been gone for ages."

He vanished her clothes, sliding down lower and spreading her legs as he chuckled. His tongue found her clit and he rolled it around his tongue before he pulled away and grinned at her. "Found the cherry pit."

"Crude," she said, gripping his hair. "Keep going."

He grinned. "Zahira, I don't plan on stopping."

And then his mouth was on her again and she arched her hips towards him, crying out in pleasure as he worked her over. She was panting his name, begging him when he slid up to kiss her breasts and slid into her. Zee rolled them so that she was on top and she rode him hard and fast, his hands squeezing and rubbing her breasts as he sat up to lick a nipple and she came hard. She screamed his name as the orgasm ripped through her and he followed a moment later, his face buried between her breasts.

They collapsed against each other, both sweaty and breathing heavily. The music had changed to AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" making Sirius chuckle.

"You did fucking shake me," he said with a grin, kissing the side of her neck.

Zee snuggled into him. " _Working double time on the seduction line_."

" _She was one of a kind, she's just mine all mine_ ," he sang back with a grin, kissing her deeply.

Zee kissed down his chest. "I'm starving. Let's go inside and scrounge up some lunch."

Sirius smirked at her. "You just ate my cock like a woman dying of thirst now you want food?"

She smacked him. "I need protein!" Sirius opened his mouth to respond to that and she covered it with her hand. "Don't even say it, you prat. _Real protein_."

She crawled to her knees to stand up and he spanked her, making her shout in surprise. He grinned at her as he watched her bum wiggle. "Alright, you naughty minx, come on, I'll make you a sandwich."

"Thank you," she said with a grin, leaning down and kissing him softly.

Sirius stood up, tugging her to her feet and against him to kiss her again. "But we're eating naked."

"No, we're not," she said.

Sirius only wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She laughed as he lifted her up into his arms and carried her from the workshop to their cottage, both of them completely naked and grinning at each other.

Thirty minutes later, Zee was wearing Sirius' jumper and he was in sweats as they curled on the sofa under a big blanket each with a ham sandwich on a plate with some freshly sliced pickles as Sirius opened the letter from Greece. Zee licked mustard off her thumb and he leaned in to lick it from her lips making her laugh.

"It's from Thea," he said with a smile, turning back to the letter in his hand. "You know, the one you thought was my wife."

Zee grinned. "Have I mentioned how happy I am that you aren't married to her?"

Sirius slid his hand along her thigh and under the jumper to rest on her hip. "So am I." He kissed her softly. "Thea and I are much better suited as friends than we ever were together. Plus she's disgustingly happily married with four kids." He shook the letter out and began to read aloud.

 _Sirius,_

 _It was so lovely to hear back from you so quickly. Xander and I are both anxious to speak to you about this dark magical matter. He's feeling pretty confident about being able to remove it safely, but he does want to go over all of the details with you concerning it._

 _Xander and I will be coming to London for the last two weeks of March. We will be staying with my parents in London, but we'd very much like to spend time with you to discuss the above. Maybe we could have dinner and I can finally officially meet your lovely Zee again? Have I told you how happy I am that you FINALLY asked her to move in with you? Anyone can see that she makes you incredibly happy. I look forward to meeting her again._

 _Please write back and let us know what day works best for you. We'll be arriving in London on the 20th of March. Look forward to hearing from you._

 _Love,_

 _Thea_

Zee kissed his cheek. "For the record, you make me incredibly happy too."

Sirius smiled at her. "We should invite them here for dinner that week. With Remus and Tonks as well."

She nodded. "Sure. What's this thing about dark magic?"

Sirius let out a slow sigh. "Only Rem knows," he admitted. "I - I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to get my hopes up let alone anyone else's but … Xander's a neuro-healer."

Zee frowned. "A neuro-healer, why would you - " she gasped, her brown eyes widening in shock. "Harry!"

Sirius nodded. "He thinks that he can remove it, Zee."

Zee stared at him, her face terrified. "Without hurting him?"

"Seventy-five percent chance of safely removing it. There are risks and potential complications. That's what he wants to come here and talk about. Rem and I spoke about it back in January when I first heard from him saying that he thought it was possible. We want to hear all of the risks, all of the pros and cons and once we understand it and figure out what he wants to do, we need to tell Harry. This will ultimately be Harry's decision, not ours."

Zee swallowed slowly. "Siri … how long have you …"

"I asked him over a year ago," he admitted. "But I didn't tell anyone. Remember I said at one of the meetings of FUVP that I had something in the works? I didn't want to say anything on it until I had a legitimate medical opinion; until I had something to back up my idea and Xander provided me with that. He's been studying scans of Harry's brain for months and … he just doesn't know what it is."

"You want to bring him into the operation?"

Sirius nodded. "He and Thea both. They might be able to provide some good insight into a few things, but mostly … I can't tell them what it really is without bringing them in."

"Will it affect how he plans to remove it?"

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "That's why I need to talk to him."

Zee rested her head over his heart, snuggling against him. "If this works … Harry would truly be free of that thing."

He nodded and tilted her head up to look into her eyes. "But he's going to know that we all lied to him. I promised him that I would never lie to him, Zahira, and this summer … after he had that dream … I lied to his face."

"You were scared and you didn't want to horrify him with this news and -"

" - and I still fucking lied to him. He's not going to take that lying down."

"No, he's not," she said quietly. "But we'll be here for him. All of us and we'll deal with it together. Let's hear what Xander has to say first."

He nodded and kissed her lips. "Alright." He tossed the letter onto the coffee table. "Let's talk about something else. I can't think about that right now."

Zee kissed his neck, sliding her hands down his chest. "Want to go have shower sex?"

He grinned and slapped her butt. "You are quite in the mood today, aren't you?" When she only kissed his neck he grinned. "Race you. Loser has to cook dinner."

Zee jumped to her feet, slipping her hand down the front of his pants and stroking him firmly. "Hope you know what you're going to make."

He groaned when she let him go and ran up the stairs. He beat her to the door and he pinned her against the wall of the shower and slipped into her. He rode her hard against the wall as her cries echoed in the bathroom. Once they finally found clothes, they voted it was a tie and went out to dinner instead.

It was a pretty great Sunday over all, he thought.

 **The following Tuesday afternoon, Harry took his seat in Ancient Runes class stifling a yawn.** He had been starving at lunch and had eaten so much that he now felt like he was ready to settle into a slight food coma. He watched Professor Babbling move to the front of the class as she discussed their newest project. She wanted them to decipher three passages from an ancient text detailing the magical properties of Runes. The passages themselves were written in a mix of Celtic, Babylonian and Phoenician and they needed to break apart every word to discover what the passage was trying to say while explaining which Rune was used and why.

She divided the class into partners. They would have two weeks to finish the three passages and hand in the work. Harry wrote down the due date and accepted the passages from her and was surprised when he was paired with Mandy Brocklehurst.

She smiled kindly at him as he moved to join her at her desk at the back of the classroom. "Hi Harry."

"Hi," he said, sitting down. "I guess we're to be partners here. Mandy, right?"

She nodded. "Amanda, but everyone calls me Mandy."

"I'm just Harry," he said, making her grin.

She had a pretty smile, he thought.

She opened her textbook and snuck a look at him under her lashes. "I heard what happened to you after the Second Task. I know that you probably don't want to talk about it, but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry it happened to you. No one should ever try to force someone to be in love with them."

Harry nodded, his face heating. "Er, thanks."

Mandy smiled and moved her chair closer to him so that they could both look over the passage. "Um, I admit, I'm better with the Babylonian Runes than I am with the Celtic ones."

"That works, I think I have the Celtic ones down a bit better myself. It sounds like we'll make a good team then."

Mandy smiled warmly at him, adjusting the glasses on her nose. "I think so too."

They spent the last ten minutes of class discussing how to tackle the passages and agreed to meet in the study hall on the first floor after dinner to get started. Harry said goodbye to her and grabbed his books, heading towards the dungeons for Double Potions.

It unnerved him a little that most of the school seemed to be aware of what had happened between him and Romilda Vane. But as the news of _Venus Copia_ being investigated and ultimately closed for the time being had been released to the public, the subject of love potions had been heavily on everyone's minds. He had only snogged her (quite a lot really), but he still felt like he had been violated in some way. The whole thing left him feeling rather uneasy.

His friends had been amazing and had done nothing to make him feel bad about being duped by the girl. Ginny had said something harsh about her motives and Hermione had hinted that Ginny had in fact been behind the prank on Romilda's hair, but Harry chose to ignore it. He didn't want to think about Romilda Vane at all.

Except that it was all he could think about.

It was strange to him that the only times he was even remotely lucid when under the love potion was when Ginny was in the room. He remembered that things seemed clearer when she was present, but he didn't know why. No, he knew why, he thought bitterly.

His feelings for her had been changing and as much as he had been doing his best to deny it, he knew that it was true. Just like he knew that he was jealous of Michael Corner. Sure, he had pretended not to be. He had told himself and others that it was just because he thought that she could do better, but he had been lying to himself. He just wanted to be the one to hold her and to kiss her and every time he thought about it, he hated himself.

They were friends.

She was his first ever friend and she was happy. She had a boyfriend who she obviously adored and she would always be his friend as long as he didn't do anything to screw it up, like do something stupid and tell her that he fancied her after he had already told her that they were only friends and could be nothing more. The thought of losing her was too much and he didn't want to risk it.

He had been spending a lot of time lately contemplating girls and relationships in general. He watched Hermione smile and flirt with Viktor as he complimented her in both English and Bulgarian; as they discussed complex Transfiguration methods and she eagerly looked at his own school work in an attempt to learn more. He watched the way Viktor listened attentively as she spoke about house elves, giving her feedback about what he thought was a good choice and what wasn't. He watched Hermione fall for him more and more every day.

Then he would look to Ron. He and Lavender had pretty much been inseparable since the ball, but they didn't seem to talk much. Mostly Lavender sat sideways on his lap as they snogged, occasionally coming up for air to join in on the conversation.

Dean and Parvati were still over and done with. Dean still wouldn't share why it was that they had broken up either, but he seemed to have made peace with it for the most part.

Will and Seamus seemed more in love with each other every day. Will was always eating with them or bringing Seamus a little token: a candy, a flower, once a charmed butterfly. Seamus would treat him the same; sharing kisses in the halls and sneaking into Will's bed during the night and vice versa.

Ginny and Michael seemed very much the same. They were always holding hands. Michael would just watch her with a soft smile on his face and when he kissed her to interrupt her she would laugh and kiss him back.

They were all happy.

Seeing Ginny happy only made him push his own thoughts aside. It was a crush he had on her and he knew that now. He loved her, of course he did; she had been his first ever friend and they had shared a lot together. She was one of his best friends and she knew him well, but it didn't mean that he was _in_ love with her. She was beautiful and he knew that and sometimes he found himself losing focus when her hair was in his view, losing himself in the red and gold, but he was hardly in love with her. It was a crush nothing more and after everything that had happened with Romilda Vane and the Second Task, the last thing that he wanted to do was ruin the relationship that they did have. She was too important and he knew that.

He just needed to forget about seeing her in a different light and just concentrate on the upcoming Third Task.

She couldn't know.

It would be better for both of them.

 **Ginny was talking to Colin about his latest photographs in the office of the** ** _Hogwarts Herald._** The newsroom was situated just down from the hospital wing and Colin was quite proud to have his own little desk.

"Did you see Romilda?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "No, but her hair should be normal by now, except for the stench," she added with a wicked grin.

"Madam Pomfrey couldn't get the stench out. She tried every spell she could, but her hair still smells like shit so she shaved her head."

Ginny's mouth dropped open. "She's bald?"

"Smoother than a baby's bottom," Colin said, grinning widely.

She giggled. "Oh my! I didn't expect that to happen!"

Colin smirked at her. "Please, you knew that vain bitch, pun intended, wouldn't go around with her hair smelling like human feces for weeks. Besides, Pomfrey will give her a hair growing potion and within a month, she'll be normal looking again."

Ginny grinned and chuckled. "I should be ashamed, but she deserves it."

"Agreed," Colin told her, crossing his arms in front of him. "Which is part of the reason why I want to use the photos of her as part of the article."

"I just don't know if talking to Harry is a good idea, Colin."

"I just think that it would be an important article to publish, Ginny, but Harry needs to be part of it. And I won't write about him without his approval, but everyone knows now anyway that he was slipped a love potion. It's not invading his privacy when it's not a secret anymore."

She frowned at him. "I'm not saying it is I'm just saying that I think Harry would rather forget about it."

Hands covered her eyes from behind and lips touched her ear as they whispered, "Guess who?"

"Well, I hope Michael or someone is about to be hexed."

He grinned and spun her around. "It's me. What are you two getting up to in here?"

"Colin thinks that there should be an article on the misuses of love potions and he thinks that I should be the one to convince Harry to be interviewed by one of the journalists. I don't think that he'll agree to a direct interview."

Michael frowned. "Look, I get it, Potter was dosed and all that, but like, do we still have to be on about it? I certainly wouldn't be complaining if some gorgeous bird wanted to get in my pants so badly. He needs to lighten up."

Ginny slapped her hands on his chest when he attempted to lean in for a kiss. "You're missing the entire point! It's the fact that she took his choice away from him! That's the problem!"

He shrugged. "I just don't see it as an issue. I think it's a compliment. She liked him ergo love potion."

Ginny's eyes flashed dangerously. "You're joking?"

Michael shook his head. "No."

Ginny grabbed his hand. "Come with me."

Michael rolled his eyes as Ginny pulled him from the newsroom and down the hall into an empty classroom. "Snogging time?"

Ginny glared at him. "Do you honestly think that? That because Romilda liked Harry, dosing him with a love potion and taking away his choices was a perfectly acceptable way to try and get his attention?"

"Look, I'm not saying that what she did was right. I'm just saying that Potter came out of it relatively unscathed. He snogged a pretty girl. Situation done and over with. Let it go."

"Unscathed?" Ginny exclaimed. "Michael, he hurt his friends in an attempt to get to her! That's not something that we can just ignore. Putting a love spell on someone is extremely dangerous because love is dangerous. He could have been hurt!"

Michael tugged her close by her wrist. "I get it. You're worried about what could have happened. But he's fine. Potter's always bloody fine."

"I want to make sure that he stays fine, is that too much to ask?"

Michael kissed her forehead. "I love that about you, Ginny, but Potter's your friend and I'm your boyfriend. I think it's about time that you start showing me some attention."

"I show you attention," she said with a smile. "Even when you're acting like a jealous git."

"I don't act jealous. I just think Potter needs to cool it and realize that you have a boyfriend."

"He's aware of that."

"Is he? You're the person he would miss the most, Ginny!"

"Because we're friends. I've told you this a hundred times!"

"Well, I'm friends with Su Li, but you seem to get annoyed when we spend time together."

"She's your ex-girlfriend!"

Michael smirked at her. "So? We're just friends _now_."

Ginny glared at him. "You're insufferable!"

"And you love it," he said, tugging her close for a quick kiss. "Kiss me."

Ginny did, enjoying his soft lips on hers, but she was still a bit annoyed with him. "Just so you know, you're not off the hook."

He grinned and kissed her. "I know. Kiss me anyway, I'm cute."

She snorted. "Oh really?"

But she didn't protest when he pulled her down into his lap and kissed her. She just kissed him back.

 **Harry found himself fascinated by the blue tint in the lenses of her glasses.** It was the second time that they were meeting for their project and he kept tilting his head to watch the colour shift in her lenses; watching it reflect her light brown hair and it wasn't until her hand grabbed his that he was jolted back to attention.

"Harry, I have been talking for the last five minutes and I know that you haven't heard a single word I've said."

"Er, that's not true," he said quickly, trying to focus back on what she had just said.

"Okay, then who is the witch who deciphered the first Celtic Runes?"

"Er -"

Mandy only smiled triumphantly at him. "Ha!"

He smiled at her. "I'm sorry. I know that there's no excuse for it, but my mind is wandering today. Then I was distracted by the blue tint in your lenses."

Mandy looked surprised by this and tugged her thick brown frames off. "It just helps with the bright lights. I only wear them when I'm doing schoolwork."

"They look nice on you," he said making her blush. "I just can't focus right now and am easily distracted."

"Well, thanks," she told him, slipping her frames back on her face. "But we need to get back to this passage. The first section is clearly Celtic as I was saying and I believe that it deals with the warrior queen. But the next part goes on about some important wizard from Mesopotamia. I have no clue how they are connected or maybe I'm just translating wrong. Celtic Runes are not my strong suit."

Her hands clenched her hair as she bit her lip.

He grinned at her. "Hey, do you like ice cream?"

Mandy glanced up at him, her lips slightly parted in surprise. "What? Who doesn't like ice cream?"

"Some strange people out there you know."

She smiled and he grinned back.

"You have a beautiful smile. Let's take a break and get some ice cream and then we'll come back and dive into this. Deal?"

"Deal." Mandy said making him smile.

He stood up and offered his hand, surprising her again. She placed her hand in his and let him lead her to the kitchens. He ordered up an ice cream bar and the house elves were only too happy to oblige. Five minutes later, they had a large assortment to choose from.

Mandy licked mint chocolate chip off of her spoon as she grinned at him. "This was a great idea, Harry."

He grinned and nodded, digging into his own bowl, one scoop of orange sherbet, one of birthday cake and one of chocolate chip cookie dough.

"I have a few of them every once in a while," he admitted with a smile.

"You know, you're different than I expected," she told him. "I mean, you're famous so I guess I just always thought that you'd be more aloof and well celebrity-like."

Harry grinned. "Uncle Sirius always made sure that my feet were firmly planted on the ground when it came to the whole famous thing. I didn't even truly understand how famous I was until I came to Hogwarts. And now being a champion, I think this year emphasized the fame a lot more, you know."

"You've done really well. I admit, when your name was chosen I thought badly of you. Cedric had already been chosen to be champion for Hogwarts and we were all angry, but ... that was stupid of me; of all of us. After the First Task when I saw you fly off against the dragon, I could see how dangerous this competition really was. Hannah told me that Cedric even told off a few people for booing you. He said that as far as he is concerned, you are both Hogwarts Champions and no matter who comes out on top in the end, it's a win for the school."

"He really said that?" Harry asked in surprise.

Mandy nodded. "He said that you had been forced into the competition against your will and were just trying to make it through the tasks and then when you saved Ginny Weasley and that Delacour girl ... that was so brave, Harry!"

The back of his neck flushed. "Well, thanks. It was a little stupid though. In my head I thought that if Fleur didn't get down there to save her, she would die. I should have known that Dumbledore would make sure all of the captives were safe. I overreacted."

Mandy smiled at him, licking the mint chocolate off the back of her spoon. "You were under the Black Lake dealing with all sorts of magical creatures down there, it makes sense. I would have overacted too!"

He smiled back. "Thanks, Mandy."

She nodded, turning her attention back to her ice cream. "This was a good idea, Harry. I needed a break. I love Ancient Runes, but sometimes I tend to get too focused on them and I tend to lose myself and then I stop making sense."

"No problem. Hermione is quite like that herself."

"I can't believe that she's dating Viktor Krum," Mandy said with a grin. "I mean she's so smart and pretty, yeah, but he's so much older, you know? I always thought she should have been in my house; she has the brains for a Ravenclaw."

"I sometimes think she should be in Ravenclaw too, but she's a Gryffindor, trust me. Viktor's a nice bloke and he's pretty taken with her, and she is fifteen since her birthday is in September," Harry said, finishing up his ice cream. "Plus it's entertaining to watch him talk Quidditch with her. She has zero interest in the sport."

Mandy chuckled. "I can relate to that."

"You don't like Quidditch?" He asked, his eyes wide in shock. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's just flying around playing catch, I don't see what all the fuss is about."

Harry's mouth dropped open.

She giggled. "I do know how good of a player you are though. Everyone talks about it and after you outflew a dragon, people have been discussing nothing else."

She pulled out her hair tie and her light brown hair tumbled to her shoulders. Harry watched as she carefully braided the front away from her face and then pulled it back into a ballerina bun at the base of her neck as she spoke.

"Are we ready to get back to Ancient Runes?"

"As ready as ever," he said, standing up. "Lead the way, m'lady."

She did and Harry found his eyes shifting down to the sway of her hips before he caught himself. She was really very pretty, he thought. He grinned at her when she turned to see if he was coming and hurried up next to her.

They had a project to work on.


	174. Chapter 174

_Author's Note:_

 _Wasn't sure I was going to get the time to post a chapter this weekend as I've been working like crazy for the holiday! Happy Canada Day everyone (1st July but its the weekend lol)!_

 _Answering some reviews: I do think that Harry was feeling a bit lonely and he needs to experience what having a good girlfriend is like. Cho was a disaster and Harley could have been more, but with only two weeks, he didn't get the chance to find out. As for McGonagall, I imagined her reaction similar to the 'have a biscuit, Potter' moment in Order of the Phoenix, where she doesn't necessarily agree with what was said or done and she knows that she can't outright approve of it so she has to be subtle I thought the giving of points and a detention was a good way to do this. As to Dumbledore not sharing his knowledge of the Room of Requirement, I always thought that he vaguely believed it existed, but never knew exactly where it was or how it worked. His only reference to it in the books was that he found a room full of chamber pots one night when he really had to pee. I think once it is found, he will think oh I knew about this, but otherwise doesn't have a clue. I do think one of Ginny's best qualities is loyalty which is why I wanted her to prank Romilda - no one messes with the people she cares about. Corner is beginning to show his true colours but Ginny is not quite ready to leave him yet. Haha to 'what teacher, two seconds ago he was necking with his girl' accurate and also part of the reason why I had Sirius say as much._

 _To answer Lady Phoenix: I am trying to make the story more detailed; more adult as you can see and I want to show the other characters, Harry's friends and family, and show how he his evolving to become the man he should be. I think that there are some things that can't change no matter what, destined to happen a certain way, but that doesn't mean that Harry can't have good things in his life like Sirius and Remus who are the fathers he deserved. I like to think they would have had an amazing life together if they had been given the chance. At this point, no, Harry has never told anyone outside of the one time he briefly said something to Neville when they were children, that he was mistreated by Muggles. At some point, he will come clean, but it's not something that he has to do because he is loved and well taken care of and that part of his life isn't something he dwells on._

 _Since a few of you keep commenting on my Gabaldonian names (which honestly was accidental), I figured I might as well toss a bone in here to one of my favourite series of all time. For those of you that don't know - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is what I am referring to. For anyone else who is an avid reader and may be interested, a few of my favourites (meaning I have read them more than once) outside of Harry Potter and Outlander are: the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon; the Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry; the In Death series by JD Robb; the Chesapeake Bay Quartet by Nora Roberts (I cry every damn time); the Wings in the Night series by Maggie Shayne; The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare; The Princess Bride by William Goldman; The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas; and The Bronze Horseman Trilogy by Paulina Simmons. All wonderful works of fiction, some romance, some fantasy, some historical conspiracy, some mystery - I read a bit of everything and I haven't been posting as much this year due to my writing and therefore lack of reading, but feel free to follow my instagram brie_reads if you are a bookworm like me and want some recommendations._

 _Pottermore and Harry Potter wiki were my friends here in establishing the timeline which is from my own story notes. This is how it is written on the blackboard walls of FUVP, previously in the kitchen and now moved to the study under the new directive of the charm and only accessible to Sirius and Remus unless authorized._

 _I like to think that Hogwarts has many secrets; extra rooms, hidden surprises and things that our characters may not have gotten the chance to find when they went to school, even the Marauders, who we know most likely never even found the Room of Requirement or the Chamber of Secrets since they were not on the map. This is one of those secrets I believe for sure exists. Hope you like it._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR:**

 **Harry found himself really enjoying spending time with Mandy.** She was sweet and she was smart. He learned that she had two older brothers, both graduated. One was a Potioneer named Hugo and the other a Curse Breaker in Hong Kong named Jack. She loved music and loved to sing and was actually really talented, since Harry had conned her into singing for him. She wanted to be a Curse Breaker as well and work with Ancient Runes and dig up historic things. Her fifteenth birthday had actually been the day before the Second Task and she told him how her friends had spoiled her with a girlie day; had done facials and manicures and pedicures to celebrate. She had three dogs at home: an English Bull-Dog named Frankie, a Cocker Spaniel named Mellie and a Cockapoo named Trixie.

He told her about his time in Georgia and at the Quidditch World Cup and he learned that she loved to swim, which was a real sport unlike Quidditch, according to her. They spent almost an hour arguing about that one. But he was surprised by how much he enjoyed himself.

By the time they had wrapped up their project, Harry found himself feeling a little depressed to not have a reason to see her outside of class. Every moment he spent with her had made him smile and reminded him that he couldn't spend his life pining after someone he couldn't have. That he had to find happiness where he could and Mandy made him feel happy. They were sitting in the library discussing how the presentation was going to go and as he watched her pack up her bag, he reached out to touch her arm.

"Mandy?"

"Yes?" She asked, tucking her glasses away into their case.

Harry stared at her for a moment, his eyes on her lips and then he slowly leaned in.

Mandy's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you - ?"

He smiled, his face a breath away from hers. "I was thinking about it, yeah."

Mandy stared at his lips for a moment and then she closed the distance and gently pressed her lips to his before she pulled back and stared at him. "Um …"

Harry reached out and cupped her chin, kissing her again and she sighed into him. When he pulled away, her eyes fluttered open.

"Did - did I do it right?"

He chuckled. "Better than." He smiled at her. "Mandy, I'd really like to take you to Hogsmeade tomorrow. Would you come with me? On a date that is?"

She stared at him in surprise. "You - you want to take me out on a date?"

"I've enjoyed spending time with you and getting to know you. I'd really like the chance to learn more about you. Maybe if you go out with me tomorrow you can finish telling me all about Trixie's latest embarrassments. I'd really like to know how she ended up with her head stuck in the pot."

Mandy grinned. "Okay. I … I'd like that."

"Meet me by the doors for ten?"

She nodded, grabbed her bag and hurried off, sneaking one look at him as she did and when she saw that he was smiling at her, she smiled back.

Harry watched her go and smiled. He was looking forward to tomorrow.

 **His heart was pounding so fast that he almost fell out of his bed.**

Ron grabbed the canopy pole so tightly that his knuckles turned white as he tried to catch his breath. He rubbed his hand over his face and let out a slow sigh. There was no way that he was going back to sleep after that, he thought.

He grabbed a jumper and carefully snuck downstairs into the common room. He found himself pacing in front of the fire for almost ten minutes which did nothing to soothe his nerves. He contemplated going back upstairs and waking Harry; he knew if anyone would understand what he was feeling it would be his best mate, but it wasn't Harry that he needed right now.

He didn't think about it. He transformed into his wolverine and ran up the stairs to the girls dormitory. He carefully snuck into the third year girls dorm and butted his head against his sister's leg until she woke up and blinked at him. He only turned and walked away as Ginny yawned.

It was only two minutes later when she shuffled downstairs in Fred's over-sized jumper.

"What's up, Ron? Are you okay?"

He nodded and gestured for her to sit with him. "I'm fine."

Ginny only quirked an eyebrow. She moved to sit next to him. "Mr Crouch again?"

He didn't answer her.

Ginny sighed and gently wrapped her arms around her brother. "You know it's okay to have a nightmare. Seeing something like that … I can't imagine it and I don't want too. You and Harry both saw him like that. That level of monster that another human being can inflict on another, it's horrifying and terrifying on every level. You're not just going to get over it no matter how much you wish that you might."

Ron only nodded. "I can't stop seeing it, Din. I can't shut it out of mind."

"Shh," she said soothingly, nestling his head on her shoulder. "You will, Ron. I know you will. You just have to give yourself time. Trust me, I'm the Queen of the Insomniacs."

He smirked at that. "I thought Nott said that he was King."

"He wishes," Ginny said making him laugh.

"What exactly do you two do during your late night meetings anyway?"

Ginny gently ran her fingers through his hair the way their mum always did when they were sick or had a bad dream. "Lots of stuff. Sometimes we talk about aimless things; Theo likes to share his sexcapades with me even though I have told him many times that I don't want to hear about them. Sometimes we talk about our nightmares and sometimes we just eat ice cream or scrambled eggs."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Ron said quietly. "I talked to Dad about it over Christmas break until I was blue in the face. Talking about it just makes me picture it all over again."

"The nightmares aren't every night anymore, right?"

He shook his head. "No. This is the first one I've had in weeks."

"Good," she said softly. "Tell me about Lavender."

"Why?"

"Because she's your girlfriend and you don't want to talk about your nightmare."

Ron sighed. "I don't know. She's nice. Kind of giggly and we really just snog a whole lot."

"Mmm, that I've noticed."

"Oy, you're one to talk! Always sucking face with that stupid git Corner."

"He's not stupid."

"Oh, but he is a git?" When she hesitated, he sat up triumphantly. "I knew it! What did he do?"

"Nothing," Ginny said quickly. "We just had an argument the other day and he still won't admit that he's wrong." At her brother's look, she sighed. "He's angry that I'm so supportive over Harry, especially after the love potion situation."

"That prank on Vane was genius. Fred and George were so proud."

She smiled. "Michael thinks that everyone is blowing it out of proportion and that being slipped a love potion is nothing to be concerned with. He says that Harry was able to snog a pretty girl so he should stop complaining about it and I told him that it wasn't that he kissed her, it was about her taking away his choice to kiss her. He doesn't see the difference. Well, no, he does, but he doesn't agree with it. He claims that if some pretty girl slipped him a love potion he would be fine with it."

"Sounds like a git."

Ginny rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I hate most about having six big brothers?"

"Can't think of a single thing actually," Ron said with a grin. "We're all awesome."

"I hate how they always think that they're right and then when it turns out that maybe they kind of sort of maybe partially possibly were a teensy tiny bit right; they never let it go."

Ron grinned at her. "So are you breaking up with the git or what?"

Ginny glared at him. "No."

" _What?_ Why not?"

"Just to spite you."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Come on, Ginny! The bloke is douche, get rid of him."

Ginny smiled at him. "He's entitled to his opinion, Ron. I'm not going to break up with him just because we share a different thought."

Ron scoffed at that. "Sure you're not."

"I like him, Ron. I'm going to give him a chance."

He nodded. "Fine. Lavender wants me to take her _Madam Puddifoot's_ tomorrow and the thought of going in there makes my head hurt. Harry asked out Mandy Brocklehurst today. He says that he's taking her to lunch at _The Three Broomsticks_."

Ginny looked surprised to hear that, but she quickly hid her reaction. "Good for him. After the Romilda situation, I wasn't sure that he would want anything to do with girls."

Ron only nodded. "I don't know if Mandy is the right girl for him though."

Ginny shrugged. "I think that she's nice. I met her the other day in the library when I was with Hermione. She's sweet and smart and according to Hermione, she makes Harry smile. He needs that. I think that he's a little taken with her."

Ron stared at her for a moment. "You're all of those things."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Ron, but I told Harry that I liked him as more than just a friend and he told me that he did not feel the same. He's one of my best friends, Ron, and I won't lose that friendship to something that's never going to happen. I'm not his type. I won't pine after him."

"I - "

"No," she said strongly. "I'm not his type, Ron. He's my friend and nothing more. I'm with Michael now. I'm going back up to bed. Are you going to be alright?"

Ron nodded, his eyes on her. "I'll be alright. Thanks for listening, Ginny."

Ginny hugged him and stood up. "You're welcome. And Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop being a meddlesome git."

He just grinned at her. "Can't. It's my job as your big brother."

She only chuckled and shook her head.

Ron watched her go and he leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. He did think Mandy would be good for his friend, but he also wasn't as oblivious as people thought. He had noticed Harry's eyes staying a little longer on Ginny than was necessary and he knew that his friend's feelings were changing in her direction. He would let him fight it for a while, he thought. But eventually, they were both going to give in to it.

And he couldn't wait to tell them that he had told them so.

 **Hermione opened** ** _The Hogwarts Herald_** **at breakfast the next morning, her eyebrows rising at the large photo of Romilda Vane, bald and hiding her face in embarrassment.** She snorted at the image and nodded at Neville who was sitting across from her.

"Guess McGonagall approved the article that Ginny said Colin was taking photos for."

Harry looked over at his friend as he helped himself to some bacon. "What article?" He glanced over and saw Romilda's face and winced. "Ugh."

Hermione smiled and began to read aloud:

 _With the closing of the popular shop_ Venus Copia _, many readers have been wondering why something like a love potion can be considered dangerous? A love potion is a magical means of getting that special someone to notice you. The smell of Amortentia is heaven on your nose, making you realize who you are attracted to. It can be used to boost the confidence of a loved one, give them the push they need to tell that special someone how they feel, but it does not create love._

 _Love is one of the greatest mysteries in the world. The Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic even studies it and yet no one understands how it works or why. To love someone and to be loved by someone is in itself, the greatest experience that anyone can ever have. Love for a friend; for a parent; for a lover or for a pet; there are many different kinds of love and each one shares a part of your soul with another being. Love cannot be created. Magic cannot force someone to love you. Amortentia is a potion that instills the idea of love; lustful feelings in another, but it does not create love. This is where there is a danger._

 _Love is the strongest weapon we have which means it is also the most dangerous. People will do almost anything for those they love and when you have been given a love potion, that urge rises to the next level._

 _"_ _People under a love potion will do absolutely anything to be with the person the potion urges them too. Most of us have some semblance of control on our desires, but if the potion is potent enough, if that person's control is taken away, the potion can make that person act in ways that they never would," Professor Snape told this reporter sternly. "If you give a love potion to someone that you fancy and they kiss you and the potion kicks their lust drive up to overdrive, easier to do in hormonal teenagers than adults, then the person you gave the potion to, is no longer responsible for their own actions."_

 _No longer responsible for their actions - what does this mean? Lust. It fills all of us and if one was juiced up on a love potion, they no longer have control of their actions. They are compliant and 'in love' with the person who gave them the substance meaning they are compliant to them completely. Compliant how, you may ask? Compliant enough to let that person do anything they wish … including sexual assault._

 _Doesn't seem so funny now, does it?_

 _"_ _It's not only about the person committing the assault," Professor Snape went on to say. "It's about the person they administered the substance to as well. If that person acted in a sexually aggressive way or in a violently aggressive way towards the person they 'love' or towards someone who was trying to get them away from the person they 'love', that person would not be responsible for their actions. They are in fact the victim."_

 _Love potions are a controlled substance and are labelled as such by the Ministry of Magic. Giving someone a love potion without their consent is considered illegal and is a crime with up to ten years in Azkaban Prison. The Department of Intoxicating Substances claims that Amortentia 'is a highly dangerous incapacitating agent which when administered to another person, incapacitates the person and renders them vulnerable to a potion-facilitated sexual assault, including rape.'_

 _This means that if an individual gave someone a love potion and the person they gave the potion to then raped them, the rapist would NOT be responsible as they were in fact the victim. What do you mean by not be responsible, you ask? If someone was raped then they are the victim, right? Wrong! If the so-called victim of rape had given the 'rapist' a love potion beforehand, than the victim is in fact the rapist._

 _Regina and Rhea Vane, owners of the shop Venus Copia, were charged with distributing an illegal substance; administering a noxious substance without consent; second degree assault on a minor and illegally manufacturing a controlled substance with the intent to sell. Both were fined, their shop closed down and they were sentenced to five years in Azkaban Prison. This is not a joke. Romilda Vane, being a minor, was given three hundred hours of community service for her role in administering a love potion to Harry Potter without his consent._

 _Potter isn't a woman, he didn't have to worry about being raped, some of you might say, but his actions towards those who attempted to remove Vane from his presence were borderline dangerous. It is important to remember that men can be sexually assaulted just the same as women. Rape is about power and control and not sex. If someone is administering a controlled substance to you, they do not have your best interests in heart. Potter's only comment on the situation, "It was wrong of her to force me to fall in love with her. When I realized what had happened, I felt violated. I'm just glad it's over."_

 _Did you know that 10% of all rape victims are male?_

 _Did you know that only 3% of those male victims report it?_

 _Rape is the extreme case-scenario in terms of a love potion being given without consent and did not happen in the case of Potter and Vane, but the word needs to get out anyway. If anyone has any questions please speak to your Head of House or Madam Pomfrey. Remember, speaking out is the first step._

Harry let out a slow breath when his friend finished reading. "That wasn't as bad as I thought."

Ginny smiled at them, taking a sip of orange juice. "I told you that the article was about the use of controlled substances and Pomfrey is the one who told Juliet to add the rape statistics. It wasn't about you, Harry."

Neville nodded, his face somber. "And the point of the bald Romilda picture?"

Ginny grinned and tapped her finger on the picture as Romilda went from bald, to the tomato hair and to half clumpy green hair and back to bald. "Read underneath."

Hermione flicked the paper and leaned forward to read it. " _Romilda Vane was given a substance without her knowledge that did the above to her hair. The prank was used as a point to show her the severity of her actions. The offending party was properly punished accordingly._ " Hermione grinned. "Have you been properly punished, then?"

Ginny grinned. "McGonagall let me do my homework and practice my defence spells."

Harry smiled at her and nodded. "I just want to forget about the whole thing. But if this article helps others understand how much it sucks to not act like yourself, I'm okay with it."

Ginny squeezed his arm gently. "What time are you meeting Mandy?"

"Ten," he said with a smile. "She's great. I'm looking forward to it."

Ginny smiled warmly at him. "I'm sure that you'll have a great time. Michael and I are going to _Honeydukes_. Are you and Viktor going to Hogsmeade, Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head, blushing. "No, he's going to take me on the Durmstrang ship and show me around. I might even get to meet some of his professors."

"Swot," Harry said, making her laugh.

Hermione shrugged as Neville told them about his plans to grab butterbeer with Dean, Seamus and Will. It was going to be a good day for everyone, she thought.

 **Sirius stepped into** ** _The Hog's Head_** **the next morning nodding at Aberforth Dumbledore who was behind the bar.** He saw Fred and George Weasley sitting in a booth in the corner and he made his way over to them with a smile.

"Hello, pranksters."

Fred beamed at him. "Hi Sirius! Thanks for meeting with us!"

Sirius nodded, sliding into the seat across from them. "Of course. What can I do for you blokes? You're not in any trouble, are you?"

Fred hesitated. "Not directly, no."

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "Alright, that sounds rather ominous. What's going on?"

George sighed. "It's actually about Ludo Bagman."

Sirius nodded. "Not what I expected. But go on. What's going on with old Ludo?"

Fred let out a slow breath. "Sirius, do you remember how we made a bet with him at the World Cup?"

"I do. You boys won, did you not?" He asked, his eyes moving between them.

"Yes, and he paid us immediately, but he paid us in Leprechaun gold."

Sirius frowned at Fred's statement. "So it all disappeared."

George nodded. "We thought maybe that it was an accident so we wrote to him asking if he realized his mistake and well, he hasn't exactly been nice to us about it. Basically he told us we were too young to be gambling anyway so he wasn't going to pay us. So then we asked him for our original money back and he told us no. We tried to speak with him the few times that we've seen him at Hogwarts, but he's been avoiding us now. We, well, we know that you kind of know him …"

"How much money does he owe you boys?"

Fred hesitated. "Well, we bet on Ireland winning, but Krum catching the Snitch and the odds were twenty to one against it happening."

Sirius sighed. "So you boys would have come out pretty well for yourselves then. I can see why he's been avoiding paying you. It's known that Bagman has more than a bit of a gambling problem. I heard it was even one of the main reasons why he ended up divorced a few years back. I can give you blokes the money he owes you and try to finagle it out of Bagman myself."

"What? Sirius, no we don't want your money!" George protested. "We just want Bagman to pay us what he owes us!"

Fred nodded. "We're putting money aside to try to open a joke shop and I know that it's not much, but it was all that what we had saved up so far. We were hoping this would help us out."

Sirius smiled at them. "I admire the joke shop idea. In fact, I think it's absolutely brilliant and that the two of you have quite the creative genius. I'll pay you the money that Bagman owes you and I'll deal with him about the debt and I promise not to say anything to your parents."

George let out a sigh of relief. "Sirius, we appreciate this really, but we can't take money from you."

"You can and you will," he said. "The world needs a little laughter and you boys are well on your way to providing it. I told you, keep me posted on what you've come up with. Anything I can do to help you with it, I want to."

Fred nodded. "Yes, sir."

Sirius grinned. "Trust me, you're not the only two that Bagman owes money to. There were some angry mutterings about him during the Second Task; it seems he's making bets on the champions for anyone interested."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that illegal since he's kind of running the tournament especially with Crouch gone?"

Sirius shook his head. "Not strictly against the rules, no, but definitely not exactly in the acceptable category either. As to the money, the odds were twenty to one, you bet what forty-two Galleons, am I right?"

"Thirty-seven, but Bagman added the five for the fake wand."

He nodded, pulling out a little notebook from his pocket. "Forty-two and twenty to one odds, he should have supplied you with eight hundred and forty Galleons, when you add in the Sickles and Knuts … we'll round it up to an even eight hundred and sixty Galleons. How does that sound?"

Fred and George simply stared at him open mouthed.

George shifted nervously before he spoke. "Er, that's five Galleons more than Bagman paid us with the Leprechaun gold."

Sirius smiled at them. "We'll call it good faith money. Do you boys have your own account at _Gringotts_?"

"No," George said in surprise. "We just keep our money hidden in a jar in our bedroom. Sirius, we really can't accept this from you. This isn't why we called you here."

Sirius snorted. "Let's get you boys set up properly. I'll transfer your winnings into your new account and you can start saving for this joke shop of yours. I'm not taking no for an answer." They both just nodded, wide-eyed and he grinned at them. "Any new ideas you want to run past me?"

"Well, we did have this idea with a love potion. After what happened to Harry, we thought that it's not a good thing that people have such easy access to them so instead of a love potion, what about a romantic fantasy love potion? A few drops and you'll find yourself amidst a wonderful fantasy of your own creation with whomever you fancy," Fred explained. "It was George's idea and doesn't imply dosing anyone but yourself."

Sirius grinned. "You two really are quite the geniuses. Alright, let's head to _Gringotts._ You boys can use Abe's Floo and meet me in _The Leaky Cauldron._ I think whether I am successful in getting Bagman to pay up or not, this will be a nice investment into your future. I want to be a silent partner in this venture."

George blushed. "You really think we'll be a hit?"

"If you two were selling any of these things when I was in school, James and I would have been your two biggest customers."

Fred and George simply beamed at him.

 **Harry saw Mandy waiting for him right away.** Her light brown hair was pulled back in a low braid at her neck and she was wearing blue jeans and a black jumper. As he got closer, he noticed that she was also wearing small silver hoops in her ears.

"Hi, Mandy."

She smiled brightly at him. "Hi, Harry."

He offered her his arm and together they walked past Filch who checked off their names, scowling as usual, and headed across the bridge into Hogsmeade.

"Did you read that article this morning?" She asked him, as they stepped off the bridge.

He nodded. "Hermione read it aloud. I guess it had some good points in it."

Mandy smiled at him. "I know that you're just embarrassed and I get that, but I think the article will do a lot of good, not only in showing that what Romilda did was wrong, but in how dangerous it can be to give anyone any kind of potion without their consent."

"I agree with that," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm just glad its over."

Mandy nodded. "Then I won't bring it up again." When he smiled, she grinned back. "Did you still want to know about Trixie?"

At his nod, she immediately launched into her story. Once Mandy got talking, she talked about everything. Harry found it a little fascinating and she made his head spin. She told him about her dogs and how Trixie got her head stuck in a pot (crack of thunder scared her and she ran, crashing into the cupboard which opened and the pot fell on her head); about her eldest brother Jack and his fiancée, Tazanna, and how Tazanna was a sports writer; and about how Mandy swam every morning in the pool.

"Wait - you swim? At Hogwarts? Where?"

"In the pool," Mandy said, smiling at him.

"Hogwarts doesn't have a swimming pool!"

Mandy laughed. "Yes, it does. It's a well kept secret, but the castle does have one."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Where? How did you find out about it?" He had spent hours studying the Marauder's Map and he knew with absolute certainty that there was no swimming pool listed.

Mandy smiled. "It's just past the Hufflepuff common room and dormitories, near the kitchens. Just past the kitchens on the right, there's a portrait of a wizard blowing bubbles. It sits right in between a portrait of Merlin and that witch who invented sugar quills. You would never know it leads anywhere if you didn't know it was there. You touch the portrait and pop the bubbles and the door opens and leads to the pool."

Harry's eyes widened. "You have to show me this later! Going for a swim some place that is not the Black Lake sounds amazing."

She chuckled. "Well, I can imagine that's true."

"How did you find out about it?"

"By accident. Halfway through my first year I was kind of feeling homesick so I started exploring all of the portraits near Hufflepuff after I left Suzie and Hannah and trying to learn who they were and why there was a portrait of them at Hogwarts. I just touched the bubbles out of curiosity and voila!"

"That's brilliant," he said, grinning at her as they arrived at _The Three Broomsticks._

It wasn't long before they were sipping butterbeer and Rosmerta had brought them over a menu. Harry ordered a club sandwich with chips and Mandy ordered the reuben with chips.

He told her about Zee moving in and how she had a pet panther who seemed to have decided it was her lot in life to protect him. He explained how the panther had been sleeping just next to his bed every night when he was home and how much he liked having Zee around.

Mandy smiled warmly at him. "She sounds wonderful. I couldn't imagine not having my mum around. She's the centre of our family and the absolute best. But my dad died when Mum was pregnant with me so I never even met him. He was killed in the war. Hugo and Jack are always telling me stories, but it's not the same."

He nodded. "My dads gave me memories of my parents for my birthday. It's brilliant, I can view them and learn what they are like, you know? Plus, I get to see Uncle Rem and Uncle Siri when they were young and that's always fun."

"Is it weird having your uncle teach at Hogwarts?"

"No," Harry said simply. "He used to be my teacher before I came here so it just feels normal. And with the tournament going on this year, it's kind of nice having him so close by."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

She smiled at him. "I was just wondering, you call them both your fathers, but you call them by the name of uncle instead of dad, why?"

Harry frowned at that. "I guess it's just what I'm used to. They are my dads in every sense of the word and they both know it and they are uncles to me and godfathers and brothers. It's what I would have called them if my mum and dad had survived and I guess it just works for us. Is it weird that I don't call them dad?"

Mandy shook her head. "No! Not at all, I just wondered."

He nodded. "Well, now that Tonks and Zee are around I kind of feel like I have extra parents too, well Tonks is more like an annoying big sister really, but it's the same thing."

Mandy grinned. "That's nice. It's nice to have a family who cares about you. I'd love to meet them some time."

They talked about their friends.

Harry learned that Mandy's best friends weren't actually in Ravenclaw house, but were Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff House. She got along better with them and spent all of her time with those two girls and a great deal of time in their dorm in Hufflepuff. It wasn't that she didn't get along with the girls from her house, but she said that she really only had common ground with Padma Patil, who she considered a close friend as well.

Harry told her about how he had met Ginny, Ron, Neville and Luna before Hogwarts as well and how happy he had been when they had all been sorted into the same house, outside of Luna. Mandy thought it was sweet that he had stayed friends with them all, especially Ginny and Luna being that they were both a year younger. He explained about why she was important to him and Mandy just smiled.

"She's dating Michael Corner, isn't she?"

Harry nodded. "The git."

She laughed. "I've heard some stories about him myself. If she's as smart as you say she is, she'll figure it out on her own. He is very charming."

"I guess," he said, finishing his butterbeer. "I still think that he's a git."

They walked through Hogsmeade afterwards holding hands as Mandy smiled at him and he walked her back to the Ravenclaw common room.

"I don't want to say goodbye yet," he said softly. "I've really had a great time, Mandy. Talking to you has been great and I want to spend more time with you."

Mandy's face lit up. "I can't believe that Harry Potter wants to spend more time with me."

He smiled sheepishly. "I'm just Harry, Amanda."

She blushed. "I've noticed that today too." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Why don't I show you that secret swimming pool?"

Harry grinned at her. "That sounds brilliant."

"Get your swimsuit and meet me by the kitchens. There's somewhere in there where you can change."

He bent his head and kissed her softly. "Be back as quick as possible."

She smiled at him as he hurried off in the opposite direction.

Harry hurried down the stairs and then back up them to Gryffindor Tower. He had just put his swim trunks and a towel in a bag along with a pair of flip flop sandals that he was surprised to even find in his trunk to begin with when Ron came into the room.

"Hey mate, how was your date?"

"Pretty great," Harry said with a grin. "I really like her."

Ron smiled at him. "Glad to hear it. Lavender and I are going for a walk by the lake, but if you wanted to join us - ?"

"No, that's alright thanks, I'm going to meet Mandy again."

Ron's eyebrow rose in surprise. "You just left her. You must have had a good time. You sure didn't rush off to see Cho so quickly."

"Cho was … I actually like Mandy. She's sweet and she makes me smile and she listens."

Ron nodded. "You can tell me all about her later then. Have a good time."

Harry grinned and slapped Ron on the shoulder before he adjusted his bag and hurried out of the dorm and down the many flights of stairs. Mandy was already waiting for him near the kitchens.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, but us Gryffindors have a million stairs between us."

She smiled. "You're not late and us Ravenclaws have just as many stairs so stop complaining."

Harry grinned and took her outstretched hand as he followed her down the hall to the portrait of the wizard with the bubbles. He watched as she raised her hand up and carefully poked the three bubbles. They popped and then the portrait opened inward as the whole wall moved and they were immediately accosted with the heat of the room.

He followed her down the winding stairs that seemed to go on forever, but when they reached the bottom, it was incredible.

The pool itself covered most of the room, but it was pitted into the ground as if it had been born out of the castle. The walls were stone and rock and they looked like they had travelled under the ground. The room's ceiling was enchanted like the Great Hall and the night sky twinkled at them under the bright moon and stars; pixie lights danced along the rocks and the pool shone a deep blue. Harry noticed the pool was lit with bright blue lights that were imbedded in the edges of the pool.

"It's salt water as well, which means it's even more refreshing," she explained. "The door at the end there is a change room and a bathroom equipped with a shower. The water is always eighty-two degrees and perfect."

He nodded, his mouth still open in amazement and when he turned and saw the waterfall that filtered into the pool, he gasped. "Whoa!"

Mandy grinned. "It's beautiful, right? I don't know who made it. But one of the seventh years said that they heard that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff built it together as a sanctuary for themselves; as a place to get away from the politics of dealing with Gryffindor and Slytherin all the time. I think that they just needed a man-free zone."

Harry chuckled. "Thanks for sharing this with me."

Mandy smiled. "Well, you can go change in there."

He nodded, turning when he saw her lift off her jumper. "You -?"

"I put it on underneath," she said with a smile.

Harry only nodded, but he couldn't tear his eyes away as he watched her undress. She wore a bright pink one piece suit underneath with a high neck and next to no back. She grinned at him and then dove seamlessly into the pool.

She brushed her hair back when she broke the surface. "Hurry up and change. The water's perfect."

Harry grinned and hurried off to do just that. He dove into the water next to her two minutes later, the warmth of the water and the room making him sigh. It really was perfect. It had been ages since he had enjoyed a good swim and training for the Second Task absolutely did not count, he thought.

She raced him around and he had to admit, she was a good swimmer. She was graceful and moved through the water as if she had been born in it. He lost every time. He didn't care.

The third time he lost, he cornered her against the side of the pool. "I want to kiss you, Mandy."

Mandy smiled at him and bit her lip. "Okay."

He bent his head and kissed her and her arms came around his neck as they treaded water and he lost himself in the sweetness of her. He knew he was the only boy she had ever kissed and he found that he rather liked that. He softened his mouth, kissing her slowly, but quickly; soft nips and kisses that made her sigh. He kissed her cheek when he pulled away.

"You're so pretty, Mandy. Beautiful, really, and I really like you."

Her blue eyes sparked in the reflection of the pool. "I really like you too."

"Will you go out with me again? Tomorrow?"

Mandy smiled, biting her bottom lip. "Yes."

Harry grinned and bent to kiss her again gently. "Race you to the waterfall? Loser gets to pick the date?"

"You're on! Wait - the loser?" She asked as Harry made a break for it.

She was laughing as she quickly caught up to him, kissing him softly under the waterfall when they arrived.

"Guess you have to pick the date. You lost."

Harry grinned. "Worth it."

And then they were kissing again and he thought that this was something he could get used to.

 **While Harry was enjoying his first date with Mandy, the knock on the front door of Black Cottage that Saturday afternoon startled Zee from her reading.** She was deep into her book and had rather lost track of time. It was the third in a series of an English nurse who had travelled through time and had fallen in love with a Scottish highlander. Sirius had sent a Patronus saying that he was running late at the Ministry and she realized when she glanced up at the clock that he wasn't the only one.

Zee hopped to her feet, patting Lady Godiva on the head to urge her to stay where she was and ordered Marauder to do the same. She tugged open the door and smiled warmly at the beautiful lanky blonde woman who stood there with two small children in her arms

"Hello."

The blonde smiled brightly. "Zee! So lovely to see you again! We met once years ago, I'm Thea, a friend of Sirius'."

She extended her hand and Zee shook it. "Yes, I remember you."

"Did Sirius not tell you that we were coming?"

Zee smiled. "He did. I'm afraid that I lost track of time and he's running a bit late himself. Please, do come in."

Althea smiled and stepped inside. "My husband should be here in a moment as well. He was trying to reel in our two oldest terrors."

"No problem. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"If you have anything cold actually that would be wonderful!"

Zee nodded, inviting her inside. "Of course! I made fresh pink lemonade this morning."

"That sounds perfect," Althea said with a smile.

It was only a minute later when a second knock sounded on the door and Althea moved to let her husband in.

"Sorry I'm late, love; these two hellions decided to make a break for it!"

The hellions in question were each holding onto their father's hands, eyes wide as they were greeted by an intrigued Marauder.

The man smiled warmly at Zee. "Hi, I don't believe that we've met, I'm Xander Papakonstantinou, Thea's husband."

"Hi, please come in, I'm Zee Zacarias," she said urging him inside.

Xander smiled and motioned to the two boys. "This is Niko, and this is Nilo. They're four years old and sorry to say, little hellions."

Althea chuckled. "And then some!" She passed the baby to her husband with a smile. "This is Calla, our baby girl. She's just shy of eight months old. And this little sweetie in my arms is Phoenix, he's two and half."

"They're beautiful," Zee said honestly, smiling at the happy little family.

She knew who Althea was in passing as Sirius talked about her and her family from time to time. She was a healer, Harry's first healer in fact, and she and Sirius had dated once upon a time. Seeing how beautiful she was, blonde and lanky, made her feel a little twinge of jealousy that surprised her. She had no reason to be jealous and she knew that. She pushed it down and smiled brightly.

"Why don't we settle outside in the gazebo?" Zee suggested, attempting to get her bearings. It was the end of March and the weather had turned surprisingly warm over the last few days. "It's kind of warm out today and the boys might like to play in Harry's treehouse?"

Niko and Nilo's eyes lit up at the words treehouse and she grinned at them.

Two minutes later, Zee had ushered them outside to sit in the gazebo. She did a quick charm on the treehouse to keep the kids out of the cabin and out of Harry's private things, but gave them free reign on the treehouse itself. The boys were ecstatic and immediately made a beeline for the tire swing.

"That thing is a lifesaver! I still can't believe that Sirius designed that himself," Thea said with a smile. "I remember when he was building it. He was so proud. Xander, you should get his help designing one for our little demons."

He looked thoughtful as he stared out at the treehouse. "Maybe I will."

Zee served fresh pink lemonade and some fruit and crackers and cheese, smiling in surprise when Thea passed her their youngest child.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you, Zee! I feel like I know you already, Sirius talks about you so much. His letters are always full of you and Harry. You know, I knew that he liked you before he knew it. That day we met here, he had just spent part of the morning ranting to me about this crazy woman next door with a pet panther and then after you left I mentioned that he hadn't said that you were a pretty brunette and he told me that your hair wasn't brown, but caramel and a few other things. He was quite taken with you right from the beginning."

"I was quite taken with him myself," Zee admitted with a smile. "And a little heartbroken when I thought the sexy bloke with the motorbikes was married."

Althea grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment." She kissed the top of Phoenix's head when he climbed into her lap. "You're good for him and for Harry. Anyone can see that. Sirius and I ... we make much better friends than anything else and it never would have worked out between us even if I hadn't left to go to Sri Lanka. It was too soon after everything and I had my own ambitions and my own desires to get married and to have kids and his only concern was Harry, which it should have been. He had just been released from prison. A relationship of any kind of outside of Harry wasn't even remotely on the horizon for him. It was a fling that turned into a friendship I treasure."

Zee nodded. She was glad to hear it, but it still unnerved her a bit to meet someone who had slept with her man once upon a time. She quashed the little slice of jealousy that rose up. This woman was happily married and quite obviously madly in love with her husband and she knew with absolute certainty that Sirius was hers, but the little bit of jealousy still surprised her.

"He said that you more or less fooled around for a few weeks and then you took off to Sri Lanka and you became pen pals."

"That pretty much sums it up," she said with a laugh, taking Calla back from Zee when she began to fuss. She watched her husband push the kids on the swing in the yard for a moment. "It was great sex, I will say that, and I can say with equal measure that being with Xander is everything that I ever wanted and more. He's my someone just like I know that you are Sirius' someone. I'm glad that he finally got off his high horse and asked you to move in. He needs you. More than I think he realizes."

"I like you," Zee said making her chuckle just as Sirius came out into the yard. He was still dressed in his Wizengamot apparel, but he moved in quickly, tugging Zee to her feet and kissing her passionately.

"Why hello to you too," she said in surprise when he pulled away.

He grinned. "Anything Thea tells you about me is a complete lie."

Althea smirked at him. "Get your beautiful smart arse over here."

Sirius grinned and moved over to kiss her chastely on the lips before he scooped up the baby seamlessly. "Hello Thea. Motherhood becomes you. Hello, Calla."

The baby merely stared up at him, eyes wide.

"Thank you," Althea said with a smile. "You look happy yourself. I like this woman, Sirius. You make sure that you tell her how much you appreciate her every day."

He grinned wickedly. "I show her fairly often," he said, smirking back at Zee.

Zee laughed. "When are Remus and Tonks coming over?"

"Rem was just waiting for Tonks to get home and change. I'm going to run up and do that myself. Um, Thea, some of what Rem and I have to discuss is of a rather sensitive nature - "

" - don't worry, I'm bringing the kids to my parents before we have dinner. I just wanted you to see them and to meet my newest."

"I'm glad that you finally got your baby girl."

"Me too," she said with a smile. "And I'm hoping this one is a girl too," she added, placing a hand over her stomach.

Sirius' eyes widened. "Does the man never let you sleep, woman?"

Xander came up behind Sirius and grinned widely. "Other way around, Black. The woman is insatiable."

"This will be the last one though, I swear it this time."

Xander grinned. "I'm getting myself fixed. Five children is plenty and we're very happy."

"But this one will be a girl too," she said with a smile.

Xander grinned back at her, bending to kiss her softly. "Boy."

Althea scowled. "Shush!"

Niko and Nilo came running inside and Althea and Xander quickly sat them around the table to supply them with snacks as Sirius hurried into the house to change. By the time he came out, the happy family was eating snacks as Lady Godiva lay by the door of the gazebo, her eyes on the children suspiciously. Marauder was happily letting the boys climb all over him.

Althea and Xander left an hour later to bring the boys to her parents' house before they all sat down to dinner. They returned twenty minutes later, looking much less stressed.

"We love them, but dropping them off sometimes is such a relief!" Althea admitted, with a smile. "But Calla has to stay with us, I'm afraid. She's still a bit needy."

Sirius grinned. "She's welcome. Even Phoenix might have been alright. I just didn't want your boys to hear something that they shouldn't have."

"And I appreciate that," Althea said with a smile.

Remus and Tonks arrived a few minutes later and soon the six of them were situated in the kitchen as Sirius and Zee set the table and served beef Wellington with garlic mashed potatoes and oven baked asparagus with garlic, olive oil and black pepper. Zee tossed a fresh spinach, cranberry and sunflower seed salad together and opened two bottles of Doppio Passo Botter Primitivo Salento red wine from Puglia before they all sat down to eat; Althea was drinking pink lemonade.

Althea and Xander filled them in on life in Greece; their jobs and their growing family. Sirius told them about when he had last seen Apollo, who he was still fairly good friends with, when he had come to town last and discussed Apollo's growing family as he was now the proud father of three daughters: Daphne, Circe and their two month old daughter, Cassie. Sirius and Zee told them about Harry and the Triwizard Tournament as Remus and Tonks explained how well he had done in the first two tasks.

It wasn't long after this that Sirius had steered the conversation to Xander's last letter.

"Are you finally going to tell me who the unlucky person is?" Xander asked, leaning back in his chair.

Sirius nodded, his eyes solemn as Zee took his hand in hers and squeezed. "It's Harry."

Althea nodded. "I told Xander that I suspected as much. I thought the original scans looked familiar."

"I didn't want to say it was Harry until I knew for sure that there was even a slim chance that you could examine the magic with the intent to remove it."

"So it's trapped in his scar then?" Xander asked.

Remus nodded. "It is."

"I'm going to assume that it happened the night He Who Must Not Be Named attacked him as a baby?" When Remus and Sirius nodded, Xander sighed. "He's been living with it for thirteen years and there's been no sign of it affecting him?"

Sirius hesitated. "Yes, and no. He's had it affect him slightly. Twinges and pain in the scar that he told me feels like someone is putting a hot wire to his forehead."

"He said it burns into his skull, but then the pain is gone as if it had never been," Remus explained. "And he had a dream about Voldemort that we think might have actually happened, like he connected to the mind of the dark wizard who gave him the scar."

Xander frowned at that. "That is something else entirely."

Remus nodded. "Xander, Thea, we know that the two of you have a home and a life in Greece and that it is definitely safer there for you both to stay. A war is coming here and we are determined to fight and to win."

"But we need your help," Sirius said honestly.

Xander took his wife's hand, helping her situate their daughter at her breast to feed before he spoke. "If you're asking me to help fight in the upcoming war, I can't. As much as I want to help, my life is in Greece and my family needs me. But, if you're asking for my help in other ways, in a way that I can help from my home in Greece, I'm yours to command."

Sirius smiled at him. "That means more than you can possibly know, Xander."

"We are working on a way to kill Voldemort," Remus said. "But it's top secret so - "

" - You need us to swear in," Althea said with a smile. "Whatever you need. Xander and I will be glad to help in any way that we can."

Sirius smiled gratefully at her, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. "Thank you."

Xander crossed his feet at the ankles, his hand resting on his wife's knee. "What do you need for us to do?"

Sirius smiled at him and he and Remus each passed over a sheet of parchment to Xander and Althea, the one from Sirius read: 'Operation FUVP, Mission Report'; and the one from Remus, 'Operation FUVP, History Report.' They both read it and burned the parchment and then Sirius whispered the location in their ears.

Five minutes later, the six of them were sitting in the study in Grimmauld Place. Sirius had conjured armchairs for everyone to sit comfortably. Althea had put Calla down for a nap in the living room as Zee brought over the dessert that she had made, brown sugar rum cannolis and tea, as Xander and Althea both read the information on the blackboard covering the walls with their brows furrowed.

Althea's eyes were wide, taking in how old Voldemort was when he had committed his first murder; his first crimes. "Merlin's beard, this is more than I expected. How long have you been accumulating this?"

"Almost three years," Zee told her. "It hasn't been easy, but I feel like we've done fairly well."

Remus moved over to the board, tapping each date as he went over the information with them.

 **TIMELINE:**

31st March 1926:

➾ Merope Gaunt marries Tom Riddle (love potion?)

31st December 1926:

➾ Tom Marvolo Riddle born;

➾ Merope Gaunt dies in childbirth, Riddle left in orphanage.

September 1928:

➾ Morfin Gaunt returns home from Azkaban, sister and father both dead.

1936: 

➾ A pet rabbit is strangled in the orphanage, matron believes it was Riddle.

1937:

➾ Riddle terrorizes Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop in a seaside cave.

August 1938: 

➾ Dumbledore meets Riddle, tells him that he will be coming to Hogwarts.

➾ Riddle reveals he can speak to snakes.

➾ Gets his wand from Ollivanders, a feather from Fawkes (Dumbledore's phoenix)

September 1939:

➾ Riddle learns about the Chamber of Secrets.

July 1942:

➾ Riddle murders his father and grandparents.

August 1942:

➾ Morfin Gaunt accused of Riddle murders.

September 1942:

➾ Riddle turns Marvolo's ring into Horcrux.

May 1943:

➾ Riddle asks Slughorn about creating multiple Horcruxes.

13th June 1943:

➾ Riddle learns how to open the Chamber of Secrets and releases the Basilisk, killing Myrtle Warren and framing Rubeus Hagrid, who is expelled.

September 1943:

➾ Riddle turns diary into Horcrux.

1944:

➾ School mates refer to him as Lord Voldemort.

June 1945: 

➾ Riddle asks Dippet for a job at Hogwats, denied.

➾ Riddle begins work at _Borgin and Burkes_.

1957:

➾ Riddle kills Hepzibah Smith (who collected the Locket of Salazar Slytherin and the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff), framing her house elf Hokey for her murder.

➾ Turns cup into Horcrux

➾ Turns locket into Horcrux by murdering Muggle tram

➾ Riddle disappears

1967:

➾ Voldemort returns to Hogwarts and asks Dumbledore for a teaching job; denied

1970s:

➾ Voldemort rises to power.

1975:

➾ Eugenia Jenkins forced out of office because of rising threat of Voldemort; Dumbledore asked to be Minister of Magic, declines offer, Harold Minchum steps up

1977: 

➾ Dumbledore starts the Order of the Phoenix.

1979:

➾ Kreacher and Voldemort hide the locket in the seaside cave

➾ Regulus goes back with Kreacher, switches out the lockets and dies

➾ Peter Pettigrew starts passing information to Voldemort

➾ Snape overhears the prophecy and tells Voldemort

31st July, 1980:

➾ Harry James Potter born

1981:

➾ Learn of a spy within the Order of the Phoenix

➾ The Potters go into hiding.

➾ 28th September; The Potters use the Fidelius Charm

➾ 31st October: Murder of James and Lily Potter, Voldemort defeated & accidental Horcrux made

➾ 1st November: "death" of Pettigrew and Sirius Black sent to Azkaban

1990:

➾ Quirrell takes a year off to study the dark arts, comes across Voldemort in Albania and returns with Voldemort

31st July 1991:

➾ Voldemort fails to obtain the Philosopher's Stone and possesses Quirrell

May 1992:

➾ Voldemort drinks unicorn blood to sustain himself.

June 1992:

➾ Harry defeats Quirrell and Voldemort is expelled from the dead man.

September 1992:

➾ Ginny Weasley possessed by the diary Horcrux

October 1992:

➾ The Chamber of Secrets is opened.

29th May 1993:

➾ Harry destroys the diary Horcrux with Basilisk venom.

February 1994:

➾ Kata Novak kidnapped; her unborn child possessed by Voldemort

July 1994:

➾ Bertha Jorkins murdered by Voldemort.

August 1994:

➾ Harry dreams about Voldemort and Woodrow Selwyn

➾ Death Eaters cause violent riots at the World Cup

➾ Learn Thaddeus Nott is also a Death Eater

December 1994:

➾ Barty Crouch found murdered and tortured; believed to be done by Crouch Jr

➾ Dumbledore decides to recruit for the Order of the Phoenix again

"This is all that we know so far pertaining to where he's at. He's working on returning, of that we know. If we can find and destroy all of the pieces of his soul before that, we have a shot at actually getting rid of him," Remus said carefully. "But we need to keep Harry safe to do that and he won't stay safe if a piece of that mad man's soul is trapped inside of his scar."

Xander nodded and tapped the hit list with his finger, his lips moving silently as he read the board.

 **HORCRUXES:**

➾ Invented by Herpo the Foul (also credited with creating the Basilisk)

1\. Murder (unnecessary aka not in self-defence or to protect another)

2\. Choose an object for the Horcrux, bathe object in blood of a dead Virgin.

3\. Turn wand upon self, slice across heart, draw soul energy from the heart to wand top.

4\. Move soul piece into chosen object to hold Horcrux

5\. Seal in intestines of living child until child's death, seals the Horcrux.

➾ 3 lives to create 1 Horcrux:

1\. The unnecessary murder of someone.

2\. The death of a virgin.

3\. The death of a child.

He let out a slow breath. "You think that it's a Horcrux inside of his scar?"

Zee nodded. "An unintentional one. He planned to use Harry's death as a gateway to making another Horcrux, but something went wrong and we believe that his soul piece was blown back into Harry. It's not the same as the others, but we don't know if that makes it less or more dangerous than the planned Horcruxes either."

Xander nodded, his eyes moving back over the process of making a Horcrux.

"He did it by accident that much we're sure of," Tonks told him.

Xander nodded again and moved to sit on the arm of his wife's chair. "I do believe that given my findings on the dark magic residing inside of Harry's scar, the process would be similar. I did theorize that it seemed to be a living entity within his scar with its own personality and magical counterparts, which makes more sense now that I know its a soul piece. Though a very small one."

Althea tapped her fingers on the table as she spoke. "If creating one Horcrux implies slicing your soul in half, that means that by the time he made it to Harry, his soul was already desecrated way beyond repair. Half for the ring; then one quarter for the diary; one eighth for the cup; one twelfth for the unknown one; and ultimately about one twenty-fourth of his soul then resides within Harry. I'm not saying that it won't be powerful because it will be, but in comparison to the diary, its strength would be quite diminished."

"Agreed," Zee told her. "But the part that we're most concerned about is how the Horcruxes fight back. If Xander goes in to remove it, is it possible for him to do so without injuring the Horcrux to prevent it from lashing out and creating an implosion dangerous for both Harry and Xander?"

Xander let out a slow breath. "I think it is. The method I was leaning towards using is a tricky one. It implies using a mix between a stunning charm, a numbing charm, a suction charm and a shield charm and that's not even including the potions. I want to do everything possible to protect Harry and to protect his mind from any backlash that this Horcrux may put on him. At the same time, I don't know how well it will work. We might not be able to keep him under if the Horcrux fights back, he might wake up."

Remus let out a sigh of relief. "But you do think its possible?"

"I do," Xander told them. "I would need help to perform it. Not the healing surgery itself, but to help keep him calm; to hold him in place. You've said it already that Harry is a powerful wizard which means that he might be fighting me just as much as the soul piece is. He's going to need the four of you to be there for him."

"That won't be a problem," Zee said in determination.

"You said that there was a twenty-five percent chance of serious risks involved?" Tonks asked, her eyes on Xander. "What kind of risks are we talking about?"

"The obvious ones," Xander said, sipping his tea. "Any time we are dealing with neuro-healing there's risk. I am planning to go into the brain, to work closely with the organ that makes Harry the wizard that he is. The brain controls almost everything. Therefore there's a risk of speech problems, memory loss, muscle weakness, a loss of balance or vision, and a loss of coordination. Now if any of the above does happen, it's not something to alarm ourselves with. Often these are short term risks that can easily be rectified; however there's also a small risk that they can be permanent. There's also a risk of blood clots in the brain, which can lead to bleeding in the brain or there can be seizures, a stroke, an infection that could turn deadly or cause swelling in the brain or he could fall into a coma. All of which again, could potentially be reversed, but could also be irreparable. If any of the above does happen, it could cause an influx in his magic, unbalancing his power, weakening his power or worse removing his magical ability all together."

Sirius swallowed slowly. "He could be a Squib."

"More powerful than a Squib, but yes, his magic levels would be almost nonexistent. I doubt that he could summon enough magic to light the end of his wand. Again, this could be a simple fix, but it could also be permanent and potentially deadly. If the Horcrux shifts while I'm removing it, which I will doing one thread at a time, and it affects any of his brain stems, Harry could fall into a permanent vegetative state where he would ultimately die."

Remus swore and closed his eyes as Tonks took his hand in hers. "There's a twenty-five percent chance of any of that happening?"

Xander nodded. "Yes. But there's a seventy-five percent chance that it all could be just fine as well."

"He's going to want to do it, no matter what the risks are," Tonks said quietly. "We all know what he's like. He's going to insist on it, claiming that it's unsafe for us to be around him while he has this inside of him; that if he doesn't get it done it's dangerous for us."

"It's not dangerous for us," Zee said sharply. "Having that thing inside of him does not change who he is! It doesn't alter him in any way and he could live out his life with that inside of him!"

"No," Sirius said quietly. "He couldn't; because as long as that thing resides in his scar, Voldemort can never die and as long as he can never die, Harry will claim that his life isn't worth it."

"But it is!" Zee said furiously, tears in her eyes. "He's only a boy with a full life ahead of him and he can't -" she wiped at her tears as Sirius put an arm around her.

"You know we're right, baby."

She nodded, laying her head against Sirius' shoulder. "That makes it worse."

They all sat quietly for a long moment until the sound of Calla crying interrupted them. Althea jumped to her feet to head into the living room off the study to get her daughter as Xander spoke.

"It's a big decision. I know it and so do you. It sounds like you all know that Harry is going to want to do it. It's the end of March, I suggest that we let him finish out the school year and the tournament. I will set everything up at the hospital in Athens for the beginning of July. If you decide to go through with it, we'll be ready."

Sirius nodded and let out a slow breath. "We'll have to talk to him about it first. He's going to be furious that we lied to him."

Remus stared at his friend. "After the Third Task? The last thing we need is for him to be worried about this on top of the tournament."

Sirius swallowed slowly, his eyes meeting Zee's as he clenched her hands in his own. "After the Third Task."


	175. Chapter 175

_Author's Note:_

 _I wanted this first scene to happen a certain way in my mind because I think it's something that needed to happen. Thank you to Bex for all of her help in making it come out the way I wanted it to._

 _Thanks to Steel for help with the prank._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE:**

 **Ginny watched Harry walk with his girlfriend.** They were holding hands and something she had told him was making him laugh. It was that great Harry laugh too, the one that made you know he had let his guard down. She hadn't heard him laugh like that since the Quidditch World Cup, she thought. It was about time someone could make him happy. He had been acting strangely lately, at least around her. She knew that he didn't like her boyfriend, but there was something else there. After the Second Task, he had backed off of her and Michael substantially and was now only talking to her when Michael wasn't around. It bothered her because she didn't want him to think that he couldn't be around her when she was with Michael.

Boys were so frustrating, she thought. Maybe now that he was with Mandy he would be around more. It was honestly just nice to see him happy. She knew how much being in the tournament had stressed him out on top of the added stress of worrying about Voldemort returning. As far as she knew they still didn't know anything else except that he was trying to make a potion to restore his body, which was terrifying enough and had kept her awake more times than she wanted to admit. If anyone deserved to take a minute and be happy, it was Harry. He was going home that night for Easter weekend and he seemed excited about it. She thought that he needed the little break from school just as much as he deserved to be happy.

He had been dating Mandy for almost a month now and she seemed to make him really happy. He had even told her that she was going over that night to watch a movie with him at Black Cottage and he was going to introduce her to Sirius and Zee. His face had lit up when he told her. It was nice to see him so happy.

She was alright with staying at school for the break as her parents were visiting Bill in Egypt to help him pack up his things. He was being officially transferred to London and she was looking forward to him being around more. And it was only for the weekend anyway, the students who were going home would all be back in three days.

The sound of something hitting the table next to her made her jump and her eyes moved to her boyfriend. "Michael!"

He merely raised an eyebrow. "Watching Potter?"

"No," Ginny said, annoyed at his tone. "It's nice to hear him laugh. I think that Mandy is good for him."

Michael scoffed. "She's a bore. I tried to kiss her last year and she hexed me."

Ginny merely raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you might have deserved it."

He rolled his eyes. "I saw the article in the _Daily Prophet_ today on that shop closing down in Diagon Alley. I guess the Vane Sisters have been formally charged and the shop is being closed for good. It was a repeat article as some of the people who were given the love potion have come forward."

"I know that they had a lot of nice things in there so that is a little disappointing, but I think it's for the best overall. If they were giving people love potions without their knowledge who knows what else they were secretly putting into their products."

Michael nodded. "It's been almost four weeks and we're still arguing over this stupid love potion thing."

"Maybe if you would just admit that it was wrong, I wouldn't have to argue with you."

Michael only gave her a pointed look. "Look, I thought about it and Terry gave me this whole spiel about how if a bloke had used the potion on me and made me kiss and do stuff with him and well, I kind of saw the problem. I wouldn't have enjoyed that and well, I guess, maybe, it was wrong for Vane to dose Potter."

Ginny stared at him in surprise. "Do you actually think that?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. I realized that it could come across as date rape and that doesn't sit with me. I can see why you were concerned and well, I'm sorry."

Ginny threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I'm sorry that I've been such a bitch about this, but the thought of someone hurting my friend like that has just been eating at me. The potion made him act like a different person and that's what was so scary."

Michael tugged her into his lap, kissing her again. "I get it, Ginny. I'm sorry it took me so long to come to that conclusion."

Ginny let herself fall into the kiss when his lips met hers again, sighing when his lips moved to her neck. "Let's get out of here."

He grinned and tugged her to her feet. She grabbed her books and her bag and let him lead her out of the library. It was only a few minutes later when she found herself pushed against a wall behind one of the tapestries and his lips were on hers again.

She really loved kissing Michael.

He was sweet and his lips always felt so wonderful on hers and on her neck or her hands. She loved the feel of him against her and she wanted him to just keep kissing her forever. He moaned against her mouth and she felt his hardness against her stomach, surprising her. It wasn't the first time that he had made his intentions known, but it still shocked her.

She made to shift, but he only ground his erection into her, the hardness pressing into her stomach and she shook her head. "Michael, don't."

He sighed and kissed her neck. "I'm sorry, you just make me feel so many things, Ginny."

"It's nice to know that I can make you feel that. I … I just don't want to feel it against my stomach, okay?"

Michael nodded and bent to kiss her again, shifting his hips away from her. The snogging soon turned passionate again and more desperate and then he was holding her hands in his and moving one of them down and before she could protest, he was pushing her hand over his groin.

Ginny shoved him away from her. "I said no!"

Michael scoffed. "I'm tired of you being such a fucking tease, Ginny! You're all over me! It's about time you give me something more. It's not like I'm asking you to have sex with me. Just wank me off."

Ginny glared at him. "I'm not ready to do something like that."

"It's nothing," he said, moving towards her again and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "It would be nothing to you. You don't even have to touch it, just rub it, through my pants."

"I-I-I don't want to," she said, appalled that her voice was shaking.

Michael smiled against her hair. "I'll show you, pet. I'll touch myself and you can watch, how about that?"

"No," Ginny said, gasping when he pinned her back against the wall. "Michael, don't please!"

But it wasn't Michael now.

Ginny knew it wasn't him.

The image hit her so quickly that she almost fell over. She could see him hovering over her, blurred outlines; his dark hair falling into his face as his hands pumped himself furiously, her blood on his hands as lubricant as he grunted and then she watched in horror as he finished all over her, splashing into her hair, onto her face, onto her lips and the tears fell from her eyes.

She pushed Michael away and vomited and he stared at her in surprise.

"Ginny, I'm sorry, don't cry! I won't rush you! I'm sorry! I didn't mean … I'm being a prat, I'm sorry. Are you okay? I would never force you, baby, you know that, right?"

But she wasn't thinking about Michael anymore and she felt dirty. She felt like a slut and she wanted nothing more than to scrub herself clean.

She had to get away.

She had to get away from him.

He touched her arm and she turned without thinking, grabbing her wand from her holster and used the curse that Bill had taught her.

But she didn't aim for his nose.

The sound he made as a huge bat-shaped bogey erupted through the crotch of his pants only made her pause for a moment.

"If you EVER force yourself on me again, Michael Corner, I will make you wish this was the worst thing that I had ever done to you."

She left him lying on the floor of the hallway, his hands over his groin as bat-bogeys flapped around him and he groaned in pain while she ran.

She didn't know who she was looking for, not really, but the moment George grabbed her arm she threw herself into his and the tears fell.

George didn't ask her what was wrong. He simply scooped her up like he had when she was little and carried her into an empty classroom, rocking her in his arms as she cried. His hands ran up and down her back soothingly and he was whispering soothing words in her ear, but she couldn't make them out.

When the tears finally subsided, Ginny hiccupped and pulled away. "Thanks, Georgie."

He kissed her forehead. "What happened, Nevra? Who do you need me to go beat up for you?"

She snorted and hugged him again. "I left him on the floor in the hallway with bat bogeys coming out of his pants."

"Coming out of his - Merlin's balls, you made them come out of his prick? That's cold, Nevra, even for you!"

Ginny nodded. "It wasn't entirely his fault. I … I had a panic attack."

George kept his arm wrapped around her. "Tell me."

Ginny put her head on his shoulder. "I was in the Chamber, George and … Tom was … it wasn't really Michael's fault."

"Was he pressuring you?"

"He … he wanted me to touch him and I said I didn't want to. I'm not ready and he was pushy and … maybe I overreacted."

"No," George said sternly. "You absolutely did not overreact. Did you say no?"

"Yes."

"And he still tried something?"

Ginny nodded.

"Git deserved bat-bogeys then," George said. "When a girl says no, you stop, end of story. You going to be okay, Nevra? Do you want to write to Na'eemah?"

She nodded, hugging him tightly. "I think I might. Maybe I'll ask McGonagall if I can Floo her?"

"Of course," he said, kissing her head. "Come on; we'll go together."

Ginny let him pull her to her feet and she hugged him fiercely. "George, thanks for listening."

George smiled against her hair. "First rule of being a big brother, no one is allowed to pick on my baby sister who's not family."

She laughed and curled into him as he hugged her tightly. "Git."

George draped an arm around her shoulders when she pulled away. "Doesn't stop it from being true. Come on; let's go see if we can get you to Na'eemah."

Ginny let him lead her out of the room, a soft smile on her face. Even if Na'eemah was busy, she felt better already. Having her brothers in her corner was something she appreciated more than she could explain.

She wondered if Michael was still on the floor in the hallway and she felt a twinge of guilt at the thought. She was going to have to explain why she had hexed him to McGonagall.

And then she was going to have to apologize to him.

She didn't particularly want to do either.

 **When Harry stepped into his home that Friday night for Easter weekend, he found his thoughts seemed even more befuddled than usual.** It had been just over a month since he had been dating Mandy Brocklehurst and he really liked her. Spending time with her made him smile; it made him laugh and he enjoyed doing simple things with her like homework or sharing a meal. She liked his friends, which was definitely a plus, and he found Susan and Hannah to be very nice as well.

Mandy was fun. She was smart and she listened to him and he loved listening to her. Kissing her was great and wonderful and he enjoyed just holding her and he really enjoyed snogging her. She was hesitant and sweet each time he kissed her and he felt her confidence building and he liked that. He liked helping her boost her confidence.

It was why he had asked her to come over to Black Cottage the first night of Easter weekend, since she was also going home for the holiday as well, and to watch a movie with him. She had never seen a Muggle film before and he had been telling her about this crazy American film about a dinosaur park and she was intrigued. He had mirror-called Sirius and asked him if Mandy could come over on Friday and if they could rent _Jurassic Park_ and watch it. Sirius had only grinned at him and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, but had said yes.

He had spent the whole morning with her, kissing and talking and then they had all gone their separate ways to head home for the holidays. Only sixty students were returning home for Easter this year so McGonagall was allowing parents to pick them up. The two students who came from Muggle homes were taking the Knight Bus.

Sirius picked him up in Hogsmeade and he hugged his father tightly as he side Apparated him home. Sirius had spent the last two days setting up the VCR and surround-sound speakers in the treehouse so that they could watch the movie projected on the wall. It sounded brilliant to Harry and he said as much as Sirius hugged him again and said that he had to run off to finish something at the Ministry and would be back in a few hours.

Harry headed upstairs to throw his bag on his bed, feeling a little guilty. He had spent the last two nights having intense wet-dreams and to his horror, they had not been about Mandy. The sight of her red hair at breakfast had made guilt swim through him. He didn't dare mention his thoughts to anyone and he knew that Sirius had noticed something from the moment that he had picked him up in Hogsmeade. But he hadn't known what to say.

Not to mention that he had a girlfriend.

A really beautiful girlfriend who was kind and overall a really great girl and when he compared her to … he buried his face in his hands. He was a terrible friend. If she found out … he groaned into his hands, grateful for Marauder who jumped up on the bed to comfort him. He pet the dog for a few minutes before he went outside to stand on his balcony, looking out at the backyard; at the magnificent treehouse that stood across the back.

Mandy was sweet and coming here tonight for a movie date and he was thinking about another girl. He was the worst boyfriend in the world. He took a seat on the egg shaped swing chair in the corner and rocked gently, trying to work out his thoughts.

Mandy was great. She made him happy. She made him smile. Ginny was … his friend and the thought of losing or possibly ruining that friendship wasn't something he wanted to even attempt. He just wished that he could stop thinking about her.

He turned at the knock on his bedroom door, running his fingers through his hair nervously. "Come in."

Zee poked her head in and gave him a small smile. "Hey, Sirius already took off. Are you going to come down and hang out with me until Mandy gets here?"

Harry shrugged. "Er, I guess, yeah."

Zee leaned against the doorjamb of his bedroom door, her eyes on him. "You okay, sweetie?"

His gut clenched and he shrugged, leaning back in the egg swing chair. "Yeah, yeah, fine."

Zee moved into his room and came to stand out on the balcony with him. "You have the best view in the house. I still look out at that treehouse and think that it's the most brilliant thing that I've ever seen."

"Yeah, it's pretty great," he told her.

She was quiet for a moment before she turned those dark eyes on him. "You've been quiet since you came home. You just came straight upstairs, didn't say much. Sirius said that you were quiet in Hogsmeade too. You know that you can talk to me, right? I know that I'm not Sirius or Remus or even Tonks, but I can lend an ear or two. Unless, of course it's me and you don't want me living here anymore?"

"What? No!" He exclaimed, grinning at her. "Definitely not! I'm glad that you're living here, Zee. I just …" he sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Uncle Sirius is gone?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

He let out a slow breath. "I … you can't tell him, okay? He'd just tease me and … promise?"

Zee smiled kindly at him. "Unless it's a life or death situation, Harry, I would never betray a confidence. You can trust me."

Harry smiled at her. "There's this girl …"

Zee smiled, moving to sit on the edge of the swing chair and he shifted to make room for her. "Mandy?"

"Not Mandy," he said slowly. "Mandy's great. She's nice and sweet and so pretty. She makes me happy and I like spending time with her it's just … this other girl, she … she makes me feel things that … when I see her, I feel like my heart just races and when she smiles or laughs it's like my world has shifted and everything is right where it's supposed to be. She's beautiful and funny and smart and powerful and completely … not available."

Zee smiled sympathetically, reaching out to touch his arm. "Not available?"

"She has a boyfriend."

"Have they been dating long?"

"A few months," he admitted. "And he's a nice bloke and she likes him. Well, I think he's a git actually, but she likes him for some reason. If she found out that I had feelings for her, she would hate me. She'd think that I was just trying to break them up."

She nodded. "Why would she think that?"

"I saw her snogging him once and I … overreacted … she threatened to hex me."

Zee grinned. "She has spirit, I like her already."

He snorted at that. "More than just spirit. She's incredible and …"

"And one of your best friends," Zee finished with a smile.

He nodded, swallowing slowly. "How did you know?"

She shifted back into the chair and put her arm around his shoulders, smiling when his head rested against her shoulder as the egg chair swung back and forth. "I first suspected in the summer when the sight of her broke your concentration on the Veela and then at Christmas when you spent almost an hour telling me about her boyfriend Michael Corner and when she was the person you would miss most in the Second Task, I wondered. Sirius scoffed at me; said that she was your first friend, but I had a feeling it was something a little bit more."

"Zee … she fancied me last year and I … I told her that there was no chance of it happening, that we were friends and nothing more and that our friendship meant the world to me …"

"And you're now reciprocating those feelings," she finished. "Harry, if Ginny wasn't dating Michael, if she was single … would you still want her?"

"What? You think that I'm just … jealous because Michael has her and I don't?"

"It's not unheard of," she said kindly. "To want what you can't have."

He shook his head. "No … I … before Christmas, I started to notice that she … and at the Yule Ball, she was so beautiful. I mean, she's always gorgeous but … she outshone everyone there and I didn't even know that she was with him. But then everything happened with Romilda and by the time everything came to a head, she was still dating Michael and well … I lost my chance."

"You did not lose your chance. You just postponed it a bit."

Harry looked at her quizzically.

"Harry, you two are young and I'm sure that she's not going to be marrying Michael Corner any time soon." That made him smile. "Just remember to keep being her friend and your chance will come."

"So I probably shouldn't just kiss her then?"

"Sirius' advice I assume?"

Harry blushed. "He said that if I like a girl, I should show her how I feel, but to never do something that she wouldn't want. He told me that the girl always gets the last word and that … I want to kiss her, Zee. I … I almost did at the Yule Ball before I knew about Michael and … I've tried not to think about her like that. She's my friend and I don't want to lose her, but sometimes …"

Zee smiled at him. "Do you like Mandy, Harry?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's so great! She makes me smile and she's fun and I really like spending time with her, but then I feel really guilty when I think about Ginny."

Zee stared at him for a moment. "It's up to you, to give Mandy a chance or not. But I think you should. She makes you happy and right now you need someone like that in your life. If you are worried about your friendship with Ginny than now isn't the time to act on anything and I think you know that. Not to mention, most of us girls do not find it attractive when our men start kissing other girls," she added making him smirk at her. "Pining after someone you can't have is only going to hurt you. If you like Mandy, give her a chance. You can't give up your own chance at happiness on something that may never be."

Harry wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. "Thanks, Zee. You really are the best mum."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she held him tighter. "Oh, Harry, I love you so much. I'm honoured that you think of me as a mum." She kissed his cheek tenderly. "Now, why don't we head downstairs and make some snacks for you and Mandy. The movie is all set up in the treehouse for you. Did Sirius tell you that he installed surround-sound out there?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. He said that he worked on it over the last two days, but he was busy with other things which is why it took him so long. How long did it really take him?"

Zee rolled her eyes. "Six and a half hours. Come on; I'll tell you all about it."

Harry grinned and followed her out of the bedroom. She was right. Ginny was his friend; one of his best friends. He wasn't going to let his feelings get in the way of that. He had Mandy and she had Michael and right now that was okay too. Zee was right, he was happy with Mandy and the last thing he needed to do was stress about something that was never going to be.

He was looking forward to showing Mandy the intricacies of _Jurassic Park_. Not to mention his treehouse. He would just focus on that and enjoy the evening with his girlfriend who he was very excited to spend time with.

The more he thought about it, the more he knew that it was going to be a great night. Zee was right. It was time he let himself be happy and enjoy spending time with the girl who made him happy.

Not the girl who he was never going to have.

 **The movie was a success.**

He and Mandy were lying in the hammock, snacking on nachos and drinking fizzy drinks. He kept his arm around her, grinning when she jumped every time something scary happened. She actually shrieked when the velociraptors showed up in the kitchen.

When the movie ended, it had seemed a natural move to start kissing her. They were interrupted by Sirius thirty minutes later who only grinned at them.

"Ah, young love," he said boisterously.

Harry groaned and buried his face in Mandy's hair, tossing one of the pillows at Sirius' head. "Uncle Siri!"

He grinned widely at them. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's time for Mandy to head on home. I promised her mother she would home by eleven."

"We'll be right in."

Sirius nodded and slid down the fire pole leaving the two of them alone.

"He's nice and funny," Mandy said as she carefully climbed out of the hammock.

Harry shrugged. "He's a pain in the ass, but he's the best." He tugged her close and kissed her softly. "Thanks for coming over."

"It was fun. The movie was really good too. Are they all scary like that?"

"Nah, some are funny and some make you cry and some are full of action. We'll have to watch another one some time this summer."

Mandy nodded and smiled. "I'd really like that. Thanks for inviting me."

Harry tugged her close and kissed her, deepening the kiss, letting his hands slide up her back. When he pulled away, her eyes fluttered open, looking a little dazed and he grinned. "Goodnight, Mandy."

"Goodnight, Harry," she said, laughing when he slid down the fireman's pole and urged her to do the same.

They walked back to the house hand in hand and Mandy smiled at him before she stepped into the Floo and disappeared.

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned at his son. "Getting some nice snogging time in, I see."

Harry rolled his eyes. "She is my girlfriend."

"That she is," Sirius said with a smirk. "How was the movie?"

"Great. She loved it. The surround-sound was brilliant by the way."

"Piece of cake to hook up too," Sirius said.

Zee snickered from behind him. "Oh yes, piece of cake."

"Zee told me that it took you over six hours."

Sirius turned to glare at his girlfriend. "Traitor."

Harry laughed. "I'm heading up to bed. What time is everyone coming over tomorrow?"

"After lunch," Zee said with a smile. "I'd really love some help making dinner."

Harry grinned at her. "I'd love to help. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," they both said as he headed up the stairs.

Zee grinned when Sirius put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "He told me that he thinks I make a great mum today."

"And you cried?"

She elbowed him. "Shut it! It was sweet."

Sirius kissed her cheek again. "You're the first he's ever really had and I can tell you, babe, next to Lily Potter, no one on this earth could do a better job than you."

Zee didn't have words for that so she just kissed him.

This was her family and there was no where else she would rather be.

 **Ginny found Michael outside by the Black Lake the next afternoon and she bit her lip as she approached him.** She had avoided him most of the evening the night before and had taken the coward's way out in hiding from him for most of the morning. But she knew that she couldn't just hide from him. She had to talk to him.

"Michael?" She asked tentatively.

The sound of her voice made him jump and he turned to look at her in surprise. "Ginny? Here to hex me again? I earned two weeks worth of detentions because of you and I was the one who was hexed!"

She shook her head. McGonagall had told her she was going to give him detention when she had explained why she had hexed him and why she had needed to speak with Na'eemah, but she hadn't heard if her Head of House had gone through with it. "I'm sorry about that. You deserved to be hexed, but I suppose that was a bit extreme."

When he only stared at her she sighed.

"Michael, I'm not ready to do what you were asking me to do. The fact that I said no and you kept pressuring me was wrong. I overreacted and I realize that, but you wouldn't stop and I panicked."

He nodded and stood up, wiping his hands on the side of his jeans. "I was caught up in the moment, Ginny. You're gorgeous and vibrant and I wanted you because I'm attracted to you and aroused by you. I would _never_ have forced myself on you. I just want you to know that and you … you had no reason to be that bloody terrified of me."

She nodded, her face pale. She did know that. She knew he wasn't the type to force himself on her, but in the moment her panic had set in. "That's wasn't all you … it … it triggered something else in me and I'm sorry that I took it out on you."

He only stared at her. "You don't trust me."

"No, I - "

Michael only let out a slow breath. "There's been something off about us for a while, Ginny. We both know that your heart isn't in this. You fancy Potter."

"No, I don't!" She insisted, her brown eyes on his. "We're just friends. It …" she let out a slow breath. "I … I was raped okay?"

Michael's eyes widened. "You - well fuck. Ginny, I'm sorry."

"I don't want your pity," she said, her eyes flashing angrily. "It was a long time ago and … I'm telling you because in that moment, I didn't see you, I saw … him … and that's what scared me. That's why I hexed you."

He nodded, his eyes on her. "I see. I was caught up in the moment, Ginny. Maybe I did push a little too hard, but I'm not the guy who doesn't take no for an answer. I don't want you to think that. I would never … _rape you._ "

"I don't think that," she told him honestly. "You've been nothing but sweet to me. I know that you would never have … I'm sorry."

He shuffled his feet before he spoke. "But you know … if you've already done it, I don't see what the big deal is … I mean, fuck, no, that came out wrong."

Ginny's eyes were glaring daggers at him. "How dare you!"

"Don't hex me!" He exclaimed, his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that, I just … no, I'm an arse, I'm sorry! I didn't mean that."

Ginny's fingers were clutched tightly around her wand as she stared at him. "More than an arse."

He nodded and took a tentative step closer to her. "I like you, Ginny. I mean, I really like you. You're sweet and funny and like I said on our first date, a badass. You can take care of yourself and I admire that. I also like that you're not clingy, you give me my space and I give you yours and that's great. But I want more from you and you clearly want Potter. Go ahead and deny it if you want, but you do. You go to him at every opportunity and you talk about him more than any of your other friends."

"Don't throw Harry into this, Michael. He's not part of you and me."

Michael shook his head. "He is whether you see it or not. You were the one he would miss most in the Second Task, Ginny."

"For the last time, he's one of my best friends and he is very happily dating Mandy Brocklehurst right now! He's not interested in me!"

"He is dating Brocklehurst, but it doesn't deter you from fancying him and I don't see you denying that. Look, there's been something off about us for a while, since that love potion debacle maybe sooner, but it's been there. We both know it. I want to date someone who wants me, completely. Who wants to touch me and who wants me to touch them. I … messed around with Su Li last night. I'm not proud of it, but my pride was bruised and she was there and you …"

"Are breaking up with you right now, how'd you guess?" Ginny said dryly. "There has been something off about us for a while and if you want to make Harry the excuse, fine, but we both know that he's not. And you going back to your ex last night only proves that."

"Right," Michael said. "Sorry for getting the impression that you wanted to break up with me when you left me cradling my balls on the floor last night as huge bat-like bogeys erupted from the head of my penis!"

Ginny shrugged. "Remember that moment the next time a girl tells you no."

He snorted and then flashed her that charming smile and she pushed down her anger. "It's been fun, Ginny. I'm sorry that it ended like this."

She nodded. "I'm sorry too … that I chose such a manky knob head to be my boyfriend. Su Li can have you, in all of your cheating douchery, you prat!"

She turned and walked away without another word as he called after her. The fact that she didn't even feel remotely sad surprised her a little. But she wasn't sad. She knew that this was the right decision. She had bared her soul to him; admitted why she had freaked out and he had been a complete dickwad.

But he was right.

There was something off about them and maybe it was because of Harry. Michael hadn't supported her friendship with him and that had bothered her. They were friends and she had wanted to be there for him after the Romilda situation and after the Second Task and if Michael couldn't support that than she didn't want to be with someone who was going to make her choose between her friends or her boyfriend.

And she definitely didn't want to be with someone who moved onto someone else the very same night that she had told him no.

She needed to just relax and focus on herself for a little while. She saw Theo up ahead and hurried over to him.

"Theo!"

He turned and a big smile came over his face when he saw her. "Hi, chick! I heard you hexed Corner in the balls last night? What gives?"

Ginny shrugged and moved to hug him tightly. "He got fresh. Listen, Mum sent me this new mud face mask for Luna and I to try out and I've been putting it off, want to come join us? It'll make you pretty."

He chuckled and kept his arms around her. "I'm already pretty, but yes, I do. You'll tell me what happened?"

She nodded, linking her arm in his. "I will as long as you promise not to do or say anything to Michael?"

Theo made a face. "Can I reserve judgment first?" At Ginny's look, he sighed. "Fine, fine. Let's go put mud on our faces then and you can fill me in."

 **Harry spent a good portion of his Saturday in the kitchen with Zee.** They made a home-made honey glaze for the ham that they were having for dinner and together they made devilled eggs, a green bean casserole, cheesy mashed potatoes, brown-sugared carrots and butternut squash.

Harry was pleased to see Misha and Sorcha and spent time in the backyard showing Misha how much his Animagus had improved. He was now a fully grown Tamaskan and stood almost six feet tall on his hind legs and weighed almost a hundred pounds. Marauder had barked at him before simply lying down.

"Your dog approves," Misha said with a laugh, petting Marauder.

They talked about the tournament and Harry explained how he was still waiting to find out the details of the Third Task. He was pleased that his grandparents planned on coming to see him in the end of it.

"Second place is very impressive," Misha said with a smile. "For someone just trying to make it through, you are doing very vell. You could vin, da?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe, I guess. I just want it to be over."

Misha nodded, his arm around Harry's shoulders. "I understand. You vill do your best."

"I will," he vowed, making Misha grin widely.

Harry talked about his classes, about his friends and all about Mandy; Misha and Sorcha talked about work and how they would be staying next door in Zee's old cottage for the next two weeks before going on a little holiday to New Zealand for a week. Misha told Harry that he wanted him to come to Russia this summer for a few weeks and Harry eagerly grinned at Sirius in anticipation, making him laugh.

Zee told them all how Sirius had found a second grey hair last week and had panicked just as strongly as he had the first time. They all teased him for being vain as Remus and Tonks arrived and Harry hurried to greet them. He pulled Remus aside, whispering about Sirius' freakout and they grinned at each other.

Remus helped distract everyone as Harry added the colour-changing potion Remus had brought him to his godfather's drink. It was supposed to last twelve hours after drinking and the two of them had been planning it since Christmas after Zee had told them the story of Sirius' last freakout over one little white hair. He sat back down on the living room floor and drank his own butterbeer as Sirius reached for his.

They watched in amazement as his hair changed slowly, the long tresses still just so perfectly casual-like near his face turned snow white, streaked in silver. His stubble turned silver and Harry snorted into his drink.

Sirius merely raised one white eyebrow. "What's up with you?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing."

Sorcha stepped out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dish towel and gasped when she saw him. "Goodness, Sirius!"

"What?" He asked as Harry and Remus grinned at each other.

"Your hair!" Sorcha exclaimed in surprise.

Sirius paled. "What about my hair?" He touched the top of his head and seemed relieved to feel the hair there before he jumped to his feet and hurried to the mirror on the wall by the stairs. "BLOODY BUGGERING HELL!"

Harry busted into laughter and Sirius turned around, his eyes wide.

"YOU DID THIS?"

Harry laughed harder, clutching his sides as he did so and tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. He gasped when Sirius tugged him to his feet.

"You put it back right now, Harry James! I am too bloody young to have hair this colour!"

Harry only gasped for breath amidst his laughter. "C-c-can't," he stuttered. "Lasts t-t-twelve hours."

Sirius' eyes widened. "You little jerk. One rule, Harry, one rule to follow. You NEVER mess with this perfection! Never the hair!"

Remus and Tonks were laughing loudly too as Zee smirked at them.

"Look at this! I've aged twenty years!"

Zee laughed and stood up, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's waist. "I don't know, I think you look kind of sexy with white hair. It suits you; very dashing."

Sirius glared at her. "Don't patronize me, witch."

She bit her lip. "No, really."

Sorcha nodded. "She's not wrong. It really does look quite nice on you. At least you know he's still going to be good looking when he goes grey, dear."

Misha snorted. "It's just hair!"

"Not to Uncle Siri," Harry said with a grin, finally managing to catch his breath. "To him it's basically a life style. His hair is apparently part of what makes him god-like."

"I am god-like," Sirius said, earning a collective groan from Harry and Remus.

Misha chuckled. "Ah, he is pansy."

Sirius frowned as Harry laughed harder. "No! My hair is a godsend! You are all just jealous because my hair is perfect."

"You are a big drama queen," Remus muttered under his breath.

Sirius shot him the finger and Remus snorted.

"You missed it over Christmas, Papa," Harry said with a grin. "There was a bubble bath, Zee's rainbow bath bubbles actually, and he had cucumber slices over his eyes!"

"So he is a pansy!" Misha repeated, making Zee snort in laughter.

"He still owes me a damn rainbow bath bomb," Zee muttered.

Sirius scowled at them. "I hate all of you."

"Well," Sorcha said, grinning around at everyone. "Before we were distracted there, I was about to say that dinner is ready."

They all headed into the kitchen to eat, Sirius still touching his hair in worry.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Tomorrow it will be back to normal. I know better than to do something permanent to your hair, Uncle Siri."

Sirius merely glowered at him. "Just remember that payback's a bitch, Prongslet."

Harry only grinned at him in response.

But he found out how much Sirius meant that when he went down to breakfast the next morning and found Marauder waiting to go outside. He let his dog out and decided to go for a run with him, changing into his Tamaskan form and chasing his dog around the yard. He saw Sirius and made a beeline for him, running at full speed and putting his large paws on Sirius' shoulders before he licked his whole face.

Sirius made a face of disgust, scratching dog Harry behind the ears and then he grinned and tapped Harry with his wand. Harry felt a tingling sensation and then a click and he realized that his father had outfitted him in a collar attached to a leash. He made to change back and a little electric shock filtered through him.

Sirius grinned wickedly. "I think you'll stay as a dog for a while, Harry. Time to think about your crimes." He tugged on the leash and Harry whined.

Sirius led him into the house and eagerly served him Marauder's dog food for breakfast. Harry barked, refusing to eat it and Sirius just shrugged.

"Dogs eat dog food."

Harry growled at him. He was definitely getting him back for this. But every time he tried to change back into himself, he was awarded with a small shock. Zee came into the kitchen in pyjama shorts and a long tee shirt, yawning and Harry barked at her, showing her the food.

"No, Zee, he's being punished for the hair."

Zee chuckled. "I thought that you looked rather dashing."

Sirius knew she wasn't lying. She had been particularly intrigued with the white hairs the trailed down below his pants as well and had told him as much before she had used her mouth, but that was hardly the point.

"Change back, Harry, and I'll make you some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast."

Harry whined and pointed to the collar.

Sirius grinned triumphantly. "I am in control!"

Zee bent down to scratch his head. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm sure he won't keep you on the leash all day."

He kept him trapped for over four hours.

Sirius led him around outside by the leash, ordering him to sit and beg and play dead and roll over as Harry only growled at him. He did everything his godfather asked of him and when Sirius finally stretched out in a lounge chair in the sun, his hands behind his head, Harry had had enough.

He strolled right over and lifted his leg.

Sirius sputtered just as the hot urine hit him in the stomach. "FUCK!"

Dog Harry only smirked in response.

Sirius waved his wand and the collar and leash vanished as Harry changed back into himself. "That was uncalled for and disgusting! I can't believe that you just pissed on me!"

Harry grinned. "When you gotta go, you gotta go."

Sirius glowered at him in response. "Truce?"

Harry grinned back, extending his hand as Sirius used a cleansing charm on himself. "Truce."

Sirius shook his hand and then grimaced. "I have to shower again."

Harry laughed as he watched Sirius head back into the house to shower. It had definitely been worth it, he thought.

 **On Monday, before heading back to school, Sirius knocked on the doorjamb to Harry's room.**

"Hey, all packed?"

He shrugged. "I think so. I didn't bring much home."

Sirius grinned. "True. Can we talk for a minute?"

Harry nodded, sitting on his bed. "Sure. What's going on?"

Sirius sighed as he moved to sit on the bed next to his son, petting Marauder who was loafing there. It was where Marauder spent most of his time actually, sleeping and loafing around the cottage. "We know where another Horcrux is."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really? The one in the castle? Where? What is it? How did you find it?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, not … this one is … it's something that Remus and I suspected, but we couldn't be sure and until we found out, we didn't want to tell you."

Harry glanced at him quizzically. "Why?"

"It's kind of incredibly complicated," Sirius said carefully. "It was a Horcrux that Voldemort made by accident so it's not exactly like the other ones. Anyway, we're going to need some help getting rid of this one and we're planning on taking care of it in the summer when you get home."

"I get to help?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded. "We're a team, right?"

Harry grinned at him. "Yeah."

Sirius pulled him close, hugging him tightly. "I love you."

"I know," Harry said in surprise, letting Sirius hug him tightly. "I love you, too."

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "You're growing up so fast on me. This tournament and everything you've accomplished and learned this year, I am so proud of you."

Harry nodded, his face buried against his father's shoulder. "I know."

Sirius kissed his forehead over his scar. "We have lots more to talk about concerning the Horcruxes and this particular one, but I don't want it on your mind for the Third Task. The summer alright? I'll explain everything."

"Alright."

Sirius kissed his scar again, standing up. "And Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"I like Mandy."

Harry grinned. "So do I."

Sirius squeezed his shoulder. "Get your stuff and I'll take you back to school."

Harry watched Sirius leave, his brow furrowed. That had been rather strange he thought. He was excited that they knew where another Horcrux was, but he found it strange that Sirius hadn't told him what it was. But, he wasn't going to destroy it without him which made him grin. They were another step closer to stopping Voldemort for good.

He grabbed his bag, grinning as he gave Marauder a kiss and a rub. The dog only looked up at him in response so he kissed him again before hurrying down out of his room and down the stairs.

Thirty minutes later, he had returned to school and he felt more than a little refreshed after his weekend at home. Dean was the only other Gryffindor in their year to have gone home for the weekend and Harry thought that he too looked a bit refreshed upon arrival.

He had just finished unpacking when Ron came into the dormitory.

"Hey, how was your weekend?"

"Great," Harry said honestly. "I needed it. Anything exciting happen here?"

Ron shrugged. "Same old, really, but Ginny did break up with the git."

Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. "She did?"

Ron nodded. "She didn't say why, but she hexed him on Friday night."

Harry frowned. "She hexed him? You don't know what he did?"

Ron shook his head. "No, but he did something because George got up in his face yesterday afternoon."

"George?" Harry asked in surprise. Other than Percy he was the least likely Weasley brother to lash out at anyone.

Ron nodded. "I don't know what he said to him or what happened, he won't tell me, but when he finished talking to Corner, the bloke was deathly pale and looked terrified."

"Did you ask Ginny?"

"Of course, I did! She told me that it was none of my business and to butt out."

The knock on the doorjamb had him turning and he grinned at Hermione.

"Hey, thought maybe you were still out snogging your famous boyfriend."

She rolled her eyes and hurried to hug him. "Prat. How was your weekend?"

"Really great. It was exactly what I needed."

Hermione smiled warmly at him. "Good."

Neville joined them in the common room and Harry learned about everyone's weekend. He filled them in on the prank that he had pulled on Sirius, followed by the prank Sirius had pulled on him and the four of them chuckled. Hermione told them that Viktor and Andrei had taken her on board the Durmstrang ship and how she was able to meet some of Viktor's professors. She gushed in excitement about the prospect of meeting the academics and Harry and Ron only grinned at each other.

Hermione had also taken the weekend to interview more house elves. She had been spending the last few months finally taking the time to talk to each house elf and to get their stories, recording them. Over the last few months, she had spoken to over fifty different elves, including Kreacher and Dobby, and the fact that they all wanted to be enslaved alarmed her.

Dobby turned out to be the most helpful as he explained why he had asked Harry to allow himself to be bound to the elf. She found it all completely fascinating and was working on a formal paper to present to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures with a petition asking for house elf representation. Zee was helping her craft it. After months of research she had finally concluded that it wasn't something that she could change overnight and that change had to be done slowly. But she wanted to petition for house elves to wear better clothing as she loved how Dobby now dressed in dark black trousers with his brown shoes and white dress shirt with his occasional scarf and crazy hats. He looked professional and she had said as much to Harry making him grin. Her paper outlined the need for house elf representation within the DRCMC and to request that house elves wear better uniforms while they work that kept them protected and warm, without freeing them.

Viktor had helped her craft it along with help from his friend Dimo and his girlfriend Anyanka, all who had joined SPEW much to Hermione's pleasure. Zee sent ideas and edits to her work back and forth and offered to present it directly to her department head when Hermione felt it was finished. She couldn't wait to get the first draft formalized and said as much to Harry.

He was proud of her for trying to make change and he thought that she had done well in learning what she could about house elves. Harry told them about Misha and Sorcha planning a trip to New Zealand. When he explained how Mandy had come over the Friday night and how they had enjoyed the movie, Hermione grinned.

"I love that you set up a little movie theatre in the treehouse. We should have a movie night over the summer, all of us."

"That sounds great," Harry said honestly. "Something else happened," he said quickly and whispered to them about what Sirius had told him.

Ron's eyes were wide. "Another one? He found it?"

Harry nodded. "I guess so. He wasn't clear on it and he said that it won't be done until the summer. He wants me to focus on the Third Task and getting through the tournament which I guess is fair."

Hermione smiled at him. "More than fair. You're in second place, Harry."

"Mandy told me that Cedric said we're both Hogwarts champions and that it's a Hogwarts' win no matter who comes out on top. I don't care if I win, Hermione."

Ron grinned at him. "We know you don't, but you have to agree, it would be bloody brilliant if you did."

Harry grinned back at him. "Yeah, it would. Honestly though, I just want it to be over and done with. I think that I'd rather just have exams to worry about."

His friends nodded in understanding. They chatted a bit more before Ginny came in with Colin, laughing at something and Harry waved at her. She smiled and hurried over to the four of them.

"Hi! How was your weekend home, Harry?"

"Great. Ron said that you broke up with Michael?"

She shrugged. "It was time. I'm going to head up to bed. Goodnight."

Harry jumped to his feet and touched her arm. "Wait! Can we talk for a minute?"

Ginny stared at him in surprise but nodded. She let him lead her to corner of the common room and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What's going on?"

"Are you okay?"

Her eyes softened and she nodded. "I'm fine."

He only raised his eyebrow in concern. "What did he do?"

"Sometimes it just doesn't work out, Harry. You know that. Look at you and Cho."

"Yeah, but I had a reason there. She didn't want me spending time with my friends and I wasn't okay with that. What happened with you and Michael?" Ginny shifted on her feet and Harry touched her arm. "Ron said that George had an altercation with him. George isn't the person to do that without a reason. Did he hurt you?"

Ginny smiled kindly at him. "Harry, I'm fine, honest. He pushed for us to get a little intimate and I wasn't ready for that and when he didn't take no for an answer, I hexed him. It's over and done with."

Harry frowned. "No, it's not. You're hiding something from me, I can tell."

Ginny sighed. The concern in his eyes had her softening slightly. "Promise me that you won't tell my brother?"

"Promise. Tell me."

Ginny stared into his green eyes, so full of concern for her and she sighed. "It was stupid I … he touched me and I had this flashback to Riddle in the … I panicked and I hexed him, I think maybe I thought it was … I panicked. It was me, not Michael."

Harry's eyes darkened. "You panicked because he tried to force himself on you?"

"No!" She hissed quickly. "It wasn't like that. Look, we talked and we decided to break up. It's over. Don't go after him."

Harry made to protest and she touched his arm.

"Promise me."

"That's not fair," he said quickly.

Ginny smiled triumphantly. "I think it's more than fair. He didn't hurt me, Harry. We just ended. Promise me that you won't threaten him or say something to him or hex him or hurt him in any way or get anyone else to do anything to him on your behalf."

Harry bit his lip and then swore. "Fine, I promise. But I don't like it."

Ginny grinned and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

"Did you - er, did you talk to Na'eemah?"

She nodded. "I did and I'm fine, I promise. Now I'm heading up to bed. Thanks for being such a great friend, Harry."

He nodded and he watched her hurry off, the sway of her hips and her freckled calves making him stare after her before he caught himself. Ron and Neville were playing chess, but Hermione was staring at him with a knowing look in her eye that made him uncomfortable. She tended to be more inquisitive than he often liked. He sat down next to her and she leaned in, putting his arm around her.

"It's okay to fancy her, you know."

Harry shook his head. "I don't. I like Mandy."

Hermione nodded and kissed his cheek. "I know you like Mandy and I think she's great. I won't say anything else if you don't want me to." At his look, she cleared her throat. "On Saturday, Viktor and I are going for lunch in Hogsmeade. You and Mandy should come with us. It will be fun."

He smiled at her. "That sounds great actually, thanks Hermione."

He kept his eyes on the game of chess that his friends were playing and tried not to think about what Ginny had said. Corner had definitely done something, something that sparked a flashback to Riddle hurting her, to him raping her and the thought made his hands clench at his sides. He knew that if anyone was capable of handling themselves more it was Ginny, but the thought of Corner trying to push her into doing something had him fuming. He was glad that the git was out of her life.

"Hermione, do you know what Ginny hexed him with?"

"She Bat Bogeyed him," Hermione said.

Ron blanched and stared at Harry in horror. "Worse. She made the bat-shaped bogeys come out of his prick instead of his nose."

Harry visibly winced.

Yeah, Ginny didn't need his help, he thought.

But he still had a burning desire to punch Michael Corner in the nose. Damn Ginny for making him promise to keep his nose out of it. He thought that punching him would be oddly satisfying and cathartic.

Too bad he couldn't do it.

 **Zee walked into Black Cottage that night after a long day at work to the sound of Bon Jovi blasting through the speakers.** Yaxley had been on her ass all day about getting things in order. She was behind in her paperwork again. And now she was being ordered to go to Greece to work with the Ministry there in trying to save a village of Merpeople who had been stumbled upon by Muggles. People had apparently taken photographic evidence and were now trying to get down into the village under the sea.

It was basically a nightmare.

She had worked with Princess Sapphira almost a decade ago and apparently the mermaid had requested her assistance personally.

She sighed and tugged her curls up into a messy bun as Sirius stepped out of the kitchen in his old apron, the faded words of _Sirius' Grilled Perfection_ and Harry's faded childhood handprints making her smile.

"Beer?"

"Merlin, yes!"

He chuckled and passed her the bottle in his hand. "Rough day?"

She shrugged. "No more than usual. I have to go to Greece. I think at least a week, maybe two, but I'm not sure."

He nodded. "You haven't travelled that much in the last year or two."

Zee smiled at him. "Noticed that have you?"

"Its caught my attention, yeah."

Zee long sip of her beer before she put it on the coffee table and moved towards him. "Open."

Sirius grinned and opened his arms and she snuggled into his chest, sighing when his arms came around her.

"You give the best hugs."

He smiled. "Well, thank you. I practiced a lot on Harry."

She chuckled against his chest, but didn't move from his embrace. "I've been turning down a lot of travel opportunities. There's just been so much going on here with you and Harry and the operation and ... I haven't wanted to not be here for my boys when they need me."

Sirius smiled and tilted her face up to look at him. "We appreciate that, but part of the reason I fell in love with you is because of your passion for what you do. I don't want to stop you from doing it."

"You haven't. It was my decision. But I do have to go to Greece, specifically the island of Lefkada. Princess Sapphira of the Merpeople requested me personally. I helped her out almost ten years ago now when she fell in love with a wizard. But now a Muggle has found the village under the sea or came close enough to it and there's photographs ... it sounds complex. They need helping getting protection in the village and we have to modify some memories. Who knows how long it will take."

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. Come with me."

His eyebrow rose. "To a Greek island with you?"

She nodded. "We'll bring one of the bikes. It will be good for you. You can just hit the road while I'm working and we'll spend our nights together. You can head into the mainland and visit Apollo. You'll have the mirror if Harry needs anything. But Remus and Tonks will be here. We'll be back before we even learn what the Third Task is going to be."

He bent his head and kissed her softly. "I'm in."

Her smile lit up her face. "Really?"

"Babe, I can't say no to you even if I wanted to. And I never want to."

Zee stood on her toes and kissed him deeply. "I love you."

He kissed her back, his hands cupping her bum in her short skirt. "I love you. I'm making spaghetti and meatballs, how does that sound?"

"Wonderful. Do we have any wine to go with it?"

Sirius shrugged as she moved to check the wine rack. "Don't know. I didn't buy any lately."

Zee grinned triumphantly when she found a bottle of Italian red. "One left."

"If you weren't such a wino, we'd have more."

"Oh, really?" She said with a laugh, carefully using her wand to open the bottle. She poured them each a glass as she drank her beer. "This can breathe until dinner's ready. I'm going to go arrange our portkeys. Should we bring Marauder?"

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Yeah. He'd love it and if Apollo is free he can see his brothers and sisters. What bike should we bring?"

Zee grinned at him. "Whichever one you want."

"That's a hard call, love, it's like choosing between a child."

Zee smirked at him. "Only one, Sirius."

He watched the sway of her hips as she moved to the fireplace to make arrangements and he grinned. He could do that.

He finished making dinner, blaring his music loudly and set the table. He left the food on a warming charm before heading into the living room to see if Zee was ready or not. She was on her hands and knees in front of the fire, her plump little bum pointing out in her short black skirt and he grinned, licking his lips as a naughty thought crossed his mind. He fell to his knees next to her, slapping her bum lightly and he felt her twitch. He stroked her behind softly and then he let his hands slip between her thighs and stroked her through her underwear.

Zee was trying not to make a sound as she spoke to the Portkey Authorization Office. She could feel Sirius' fingers getting busy and bit her lip to prevent the moan from escaping her. He was so going to pay for this, she thought.

"I will be travelling with two animals, my boyfriend and a motorbike for transportation. All costs will be sent to the DRCMC under Agent Zahira Zacari-AS!" She gasped, when he spanked her again and his fingers soon began to pump in and out of her.

"Details of the trip are work related?" The bored attendant asked her.

Zee nodded, biting her lip harder when she felt his fingers leave her and him slide into her from behind. He was so going to pay for this she thought, her hips moving to meet him of her own accord. "Yes. Oh, _yes_ … I will be working with the Merpeople who live off the coast of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea."

The attendant nodded. Outlining the details of the portkey and promising the information would arrive by owl within the hour. Yaxley would provide her hotel information and where they would be staying.

Zee only nodded as Sirius moved faster behind her. A hand had moved around the front of her and his fingers were working in tandem as he pistoled into her and she let out a tiny gasp as her orgasm began to flutter.

"Yes, thank you, that would be-be w-wonderful," Zee said. "Thank you for your time. Goodnight."

She pulled her head from the fire just as the orgasm ripped through her and she screamed. Sirius followed her a moment later, panting as he lay on the floor next to her. "That was fun."

Zee turned to glare at him. "I was trying to have an important business call!"

"You could have stopped me."

She merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh, could I have?"

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "You know you could have. You liked it."

Her cheeks flushed. "Maybe I did."

Sirius grinned and kissed her again. "Ready for dinner?"

"In a minute," she said, adjusting her skirt. "Where are my knickers?"

Sirius stood up, zipping up his pants. "What knickers?"

Zee laughed as she followed him into the kitchen. "Give them back to me, Sirius."

He tugged her close for a kiss and grinned. "I don't think you were wearing any."

Zee smacked him. "Prat."

Sirius simply moved to serve dinner. "Spaghetti and meatballs, my lady."

Zee just grinned at him and shook her head. He was a prat and she swore that she fell more hopelessly in love with him every day. The git, she thought.


	176. Chapter 176

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer review questions or comments: I'm glad that everyone for the most part agreed with my Michael is a douche scenario and Ginny basically being too good for him and too kind-hearted. I think he deserved worse myself and so do others as you will see below. As to the Bat-Bogeys from his crotch, I kind of took it to mean that she forced the Bogey's down his body and to come from his penis in massive bat flapping shapes and I expect that it was incredibly painful (or I hope so)! She doesn't want anyone to do anything to him because a) she's embarrassed by her panic attack and wants to forget about and b) she hexed him and left him lying on the floor pretty good. As to Sirius overreacting when Harry peed on him - He - Is - A - Drama - Queen. Enough said lol. I love the begging for some Remus and Tonks and don't worry there is lots coming up with them - some even in this chapter :D And no, Mandy is not a bad person and yes, the wards on Black Cottage do still repel anyone who enters with the intent to harm. As to Dean and Ginny, I haven't really decided yet, but Ginny will have someone else or two before Harry. The Hinny scene is written and it's just a matter of getting to that spot in the timeline._

 _I wanted to address the nickname situation for Ginny as some people have questioned where they have come from. I have been slowly dropping them in from time to time over the vastness of this story. Each one of Ginny's brothers has his own nickname for her or chosen version of her name that they prefer to call her by. I like to think it is a sweet term of endearment they use. Bill calls her Firecracker (first mentioned in chapter 61); Charlie calls her Jitterbug (first mentioned in chapter 103); Percy calls her Ginny or Ginevra as I like to think he's the only one allowed to call her by her full given name simply because he likes to be pompous like that (first noted in chapter 119); Fred calls her Gem (first mentioned in passing in chapter 154); George calls her Nevra (first mentioned in chapter 109); and Ron calls her Din (first mentioned in chapter 103). Hope this helps._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe for her help in getting this scene just right!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SIX:**

 **Theo was heading back to the Slytherin common room to change out of his muddy clothes from Herbology when he heard someone call his name.** He turned and raised an eyebrow when he realized it was Potter.

"Potter, what can I do for you?"

Harry gestured for him to follow him into the private nook off the side and Theo grinned.

"My favourite snogging place! I didn't know you wanted to kiss me."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm here about Ginny, you prat."

Theo merely raised his eyebrow. "Oh? Realized she's gorgeous, did you?"

Harry chose to ignore that. "Let me rephrase that. I'm here about Corner and his treatment of Ginny."

Theo's eyes darkened. "That prat deserved every bogey erupting from his prick. Apparently he screamed like a little girl, but I feel like it was justice. Did you know the bogeys actually travelled from his nose and down and out his prick flapping like giant bats? No one messes with our girl."

Harry smiled at that, wincing slightly at the image. "I agree. But, I don't think he was punished enough."

"On that I also agree," he said angrily. "However, she practically ripped me a new one when I threatened to do just that."

"Me too. She made me promise not to do anything nor to get anyone else to do something for me. I keep my promises."

Theo grinned widely. "I never promised."

"I was hoping for that as well," Harry said back. "I know how much you care about her."

Theo smirked. "I have an idea. I love that girl and she is one of my closest friends and I refuse to sit back while some jackass treats her like shit. I would have to lower myself … but it would be worth it."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Lower yourself?"

Theo nodded. "Just wait, Potter. It will be worth it."

 **Hermione grinned when she saw Viktor waiting for her outside of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom that Friday afternoon.** She hurried over to him happily, standing on her toes to kiss him. She dropped her book bag to the floor and his arms came around her, holding her in place as they kissed softly.

"Hi," she said, biting her bottom lip.

"Hi," he said back with a grin, bending to kiss her softly again. "How vas class?"

"Good. Professor Lupin is one of the best teachers."

Viktor nodded. "Valk vith me?"

Hermione nodded, smiling when Harry came up behind them.

"I'll take your bag, Mione. See you at dinner?"

She smiled. "Thanks."

Ever since she and Harry had gone on that double date with Viktor and Mandy, Harry had seemed to be extra nice to her about Viktor. Harry and Viktor seemed to have become good friends actually and she found it a little strange sometimes the way they laughed and joked as if they had some secret between them that she couldn't quite get. But the thought of her best friend, the one she often considered like a brother to her, could be that nice to her boyfriend made her smile.

Not that Ron wasn't nice to Viktor, he was. But it wasn't quite the same. With Harry it was just easier. She couldn't explain why either.

Viktor took her hand in his and led her out of the castle and into one of the courtyards on the south side, his fingers entwining with hers as they sat on the bench. "I can see your mind thinking, stop."

She smiled at him. "Sorry, sometimes I have too many thoughts."

He kissed her softly. "I like your thoughts." When she blushed he kissed her again. "Mama vrote to me. She and my papa and my sisters vill all be at the Third Task in a few veeks. I can't vait for you to meet them. Mama says you sound like a smart lady."

Hermione smiled. "What if they don't like me?"

Viktor rolled his eyes. "Then they are stupid and I can promise you, they are not."

"Your English has gotten so much better," she told him.

"I have excellent teacher," he said with a smile.

" _But,_ you always forget your articles. You have _an_ excellent teacher."

He smirked and bent to kiss her again. "Teacher talks too much."

She laughed when he tugged her up into his lap and planted soft kisses along her neck, his stubble tickling her. "Mmm, I want to stay with you, but I have a lot of homework to do tonight."

Viktor kissed her ear. "So? Ve have time before dinner, da?"

Hermione grinned when he jumped to his feet, her hand clasped tightly in his and he tugged her out towards the Black Lake and the Durmstrang ship. They climbed aboard and he led her down into his room.

It wasn't the first time that he had taken her there, but the thought of being in a boy's room was still oddly thrilling.

He urged her onto the bed and they kissed deeply, hands roaming and soon they were both without their shirts. Hermione liked it when he touched her. She hadn't let him go any further than this, but she loved kissing his broad chest, playing with the curly dark hairs and she loved the feel of his hands on her back. He never pressured her to do more. He just kissed her and touched her, fondled and kissed her breasts and made her feel things that she had never imagined feeling.

Viktor pinned her to the bed, kissing her deeply, his fingertips dancing along her stomach as his tongue did wicked things to hers. Her hands roamed over his naked back, nails tickling as they snogged and soon she felt his hardness against her thigh. He grunted slightly, shifting himself away from her, his lips moving to her neck.

Hermione hesitated only a moment before she let her hand slide down his ribs and over the bulge in his pants, squeezing lightly. The hardness surprised her and his breath hitched.

"Hermione," he moaned softly. "Don't, moyata kafyava krasavitsa, I vill lose control. You vill make me come."

She smiled coyly at him and rubbed. "I think that I'd like to see you lose control."

He groaned against her neck as she continued to fondle him through his pants. He was hard and big, and seemed to be getting bigger the more she touched him, and she didn't really know what she was doing, but it was obviously enough because soon his hips were thrusting into her hand and he groaned her name, a wetness covering the front of his pants and he let out a soft sigh of satisfaction.

"Ti si boginya, moyata kafyava krasavitsa," he murmured, kissing her neck, down her collarbone and over the swell of her breasts.

"A goddess, am I?" She asked, a pleased smirk on her face. "Did you - ?"

Viktor nodded, his hands moving up to fondle her breasts through her bra. "Da. I am lucky man to have you here vith me."

Hermione watched him use his wand to clean himself before he kissed her again just as the door to the bedroom opened. She grabbed the pillow to cover herself as Andrei came in.

"Oooh, am I interrupting something good?"

Hermione blushed scarlet.

"Otidi si dosaden varvarin," Viktor said in annoyance.

Andrei only chuckled. "Annoying barbarian? How crude. Vhy do you put up with him, Hermione?"

Viktor called him something crass and Andrei smirked.

"I didn't come here to intentionally invade your privacy." he nodded behind him. "Karkaroff is on the varpath, you better make sure he doesn't see her."

Viktor nodded. "Blagodarya."

Andrei discreetly turned his back as Viktor helped Hermione back into her shirt and tie, kissing her softly.

"You must go. Karkaroff vill be furious if he sees you here."

Hermione frowned. "Is he still giving you grief for being with me?"

Viktor shrugged. "I choose voo is in my life, not him." He kissed her softly as she slipped her robe back over her uniform. "He vill be looking for me. Andrei vill help you off the ship. I vill come find you later; ve can vork on our homework together, da?"

Hermione nodded, her eyes smiling. "Da."

He grinned when she tugged him close by his hair and kissed him deeply before she whispered in his ear.

"Next time I want to really touch you."

The back of his neck heated as he grinned at her.

Hermione only grinned back as she let Andrei take her arm and lead her away feeling bolder than ever. Being with Viktor was more than she had ever imagined and she couldn't wait to make him lose control again.

The thought made her blush and bite her bottom lip nervously. Yeah, she was definitely feeling bolder than ever and she thought next time they were alone, she might let him take off her bra.

She grinned to herself as she said goodbye to Andrei and hurried back to the castle, feeling confident and incredibly feminine in a way that she couldn't quite explain. But she was happier than she had ever been.

 **Remus knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office.** Even though he was no longer a student, being summoned to the headmaster's office still gave him a deep sense of foreboding. He stepped inside when called and offered a polite smile as Dumbledore urged him to have a seat.

"Remus, yes, please sit."

"What can I help you with, Albus?" He asked, sitting in the cushy armchair that Dumbledore provided.

The headmaster looked strained. "Severus has made contact tonight. He wants to report."

Remus nodded. It had been almost three months now since Snape had acquired Pettigrew. He had wondered a few times if he had decided to make the leap back into Voldemort's clutches yet. It seemed that he had and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He knew that he trusted Snape, but the thought of sending anyone willing into Voldemort's ranks unnerved him.

They only waited five minutes before Snape stumbled through the fire. He looked paler than usual. There were dark circles under his eyes and Remus knew immediately that he had been tortured.

He jumped to his feet, but Snape merely waved him back.

"He has accepted me back into his fold."

Dumbledore nodded, his usually twinkling eyes staring at Snape in concern. "What happened?"

Snape let out a slow breath, holding a hand to his ribs. "As you know, I made contact through Malfoy; Lucius through Abraxas specifically. We spoke and he agreed to take me to a secret location. I was brought in the dark, side Apparition through three different stops. I believe it was the Selwyn Manor, but I can't be sure as they worked hard to cover their tracks."

"Did you see him?"

He nodded, his eyes dark. "He's in the body of a baby; just over a year old. But he can hold a wand as you know."

"And?"

Snape let out a slow breath. "I told him that I had learned he was back and how I had bided my time to return to him; how I have been spying for you for thirteen years and how you're getting old, he liked that."

Dumbledore nodded. "Go on."

"I told him that I had kidnapped Pettigrew and how he had told me his struggles over the last while and how I had learned about the Dark Lord's attempts to restore himself with a potion. I begged him to let me help him. He tortured me and he laughed; said that the potion was already done and that it was just a matter of obtaining a few key ingredients. I begged him to let me help him obtain the last few key ingredients and he only smiled and said that it wouldn't be a problem. His plan is well underway and the last ingredient would be coming to him shortly."

"Coming to him?" Remus asked. "Harry? What does that mean?"

Snape nodded. "I think so. He didn't tell me what it means. I'm not there yet, but I got that impression that he expects Potter to be brought to him. He told me that he had someone working hard for him from the inside. I don't know who. But he seems confident that he will have access to Potter."

Remus paled. "How?"

"I honestly don't know and he didn't seem much inclined to tell me."

Remus clutched his hair making it stick up everywhere. "What can we do?"

"We can't do much. If he does indeed have someone close to Potter, we can't risk them getting suspicious. However, Potter also can't be left alone for any period of time," Snape said simply.

"He won't like that," Remus said, shaking his head. "We can have teachers walk him to every class?"

Snape snorted. "That would make it incredibly obvious that we think someone is trying to get to Potter. Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment, Lupin."

Remus nodded. "You're right. What about Nyx? She's the size of a full grown tiger by now and Minerva has her well trained. She could stay by his side between classes. Minerva says that Harry plays with her sometimes so she knows him already."

"That's an idea," Dumbledore said carefully. "However, I don't think that we should do something as drastic as that. Severus is right; we can't let anyone know that we're onto them. We have to be careful."

"On that I agree with," Remus said, sighing. "Anywhere he goes in the castle he should be accompanied by his friends or Mandy at least. Never alone."

Snape nodded. "Agreed; nothing out of the ordinary."

"And I don't want him going to Hogsmeade," Remus said. "He won't like that, but there's only one trip left and we can use the tournament as an excuse. He can stay behind to train for it."

Dumbledore's long fingers tapped on the desk. "That sounds like a good idea. We get him through the Third Task safely and then if the threat still seems imminent, we'll have Sirius take him home after the tournament. The rest of the students will be returning home two days later anyway."

"Are you going to tell him?" Snape asked, his eyes on Remus.

"Yes," he answered simply. "I won't keep him in the dark on something concerning his safety." He let out a slow sigh. "I'll talk to him about it tonight before I head home. Albus, I know that I'm not supposed to be staying on in the castle due to my lycanthropy, but maybe Tonks and I could - "

"Of course, Remus; if you'd prefer to stay in your suite for the last month, no one is going to stop you. You know that I never agreed with the Ministry's restrictions on you. I imagine Harry would feel safer with you close by as well."

"Thank you," he said, turning back to Snape. "Did you learn anything else, Severus?"

Snape shook his head. "Nothing new, no. He wants me to report to him on Dumbledore again. He asked about Karkaroff, I told him that he's in the castle and terrified of the burning on his arm. The Dark Lord only chuckled at that and said that he would be dealt with for his betrayal. He doesn't take well to betrayal and I can only imagine what will happen to Igor once the Dark Lord gets his hands on him. He's asked me to continue my role as a spy here and he says that he will call for me when he needs me again. Until then, I am a sitting duck."

Remus clutched his hands together and nodded. "Thank you for sharing this with me. I'm going to talk to Minerva and then find Harry."

"Is Sirius still in Greece?"

"Black's in Greece?" Snape asked in surprise.

Remus nodded. "For four more days. He went with Zee. He needs a break as much as anyone. They extended their stay and I think they deserve it. After I talk to Harry, I'll contact him."

"He should be down at the Quidditch pitch with Bagman and the new Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. They were supposed to be filling the champions in what the Third Task is tonight," Dumbledore said, glancing out the window.

"I'm going to soak in the bath," Snape said, standing up.

"Poppy would be more than happy to provide you with something for the pain, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly.

Snape shook his head. "I have my own pain potions. Goodnight."

Remus watched him step through the fire and let out a slow breath. "Albus, we can't let him get to Harry, not again."

"He won't be alone, Remus. We'll see to it."

Remus nodded, but the little ball of fear in the pit of his stomach was still there.

 **Harry and Cedric arrived at the Quidditch pitch at seven o'clock that evening and Harry's eyes widened in horror.** When he had read the notice last week that the pitch was down he had been bummed, but this was more than he had anticipated. The entire pitch was surrounded by hedges, overgrown and large, digging into the grass and surrounding the goal posts.

Bagman noticed his expression because he grinned widely. "No need to be so horrified boys! I would never not put a Quidditch pitch back to rights!"

Viktor and Fleur approached from the other direction, both looking out at the pitch in interest.

Bagman slapped his hands together anxiously. "Excellent! Now that we're all here! I'd like for the four of you to meet Mrs Miranda Jameson, the new Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

Mrs Jameson smiled warmly at them. "Good evening. I look forward to watching you all succeed in the final task. It sounds very exciting."

Harry only continued to stare at the pitch his eyes wide. This meant that the pitch would be closed until after the Third Task which meant that he wouldn't be able to run out and work on his training. There was only three weeks left of school, but he looked forward to flying just as much as he wanted the outlet of it to let out some energy. He let out a slow sigh as Bagman placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"Don't look so glum, Harry. I promise, all will be as right as rain soon enough!"

Harry only nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Mrs Jameson continued to smile at them. "The three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament were designed and organized over the last five years. I was on the task building committee and helped construct the Third Task for you. I am pleased to say that it will be a maze."

Cedric merely raised an eyebrow. "A maze?"

"A hedge maze," Bagman said proudly.

Mrs Jameson smiled. "A hedge maze. Your Care of Magical Creatures professor is assisting us with the maze. By the time the task starts, the walls will be twenty feet or higher. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the centre of the maze and the champion who reaches the cup first, will be the winner."

"Zo we just 'ave to get through za maze to the cup?" Fleur asked carefully.

Mrs Jameson nodded. "Exactly. However, there will be obstacles. Like any maze, you will find yourself at a dead end. There will be magical creatures to pass; charms and spells to unlock; and of course, you will be competing with each other. With every task you complete, you will move one step closer to the cup. Any questions?"

"How do you know when someone touches the cup?" Cedric asked.

"The Triwizard Cup will set off the end of the tournament and when it is removed from its spot, the Cup will be charmed to make the maze itself collapse, showing the audience who the winner is," Mrs Jameson explained proudly. "The final task will be testing your skills as witch and wizards; your logic, your bravery, your intelligence and your cunning. Do not underestimate anything. I wish you all the best of luck in your final task."

The four of them nodded and said goodnight, making to head back. Harry stopped when he heard Bagman call out his name.

"Harry? Could I have a word?"

Harry nodded and said goodbye to the other champions, moving over to where Bagman was standing. "What can I do for you, sir?"

Bagman had his hands in his pockets and he nodded at Mrs Jameson before urging Harry to follow him closer to the maze and out of her earshot. "I just wanted to check in on you, Harry. You did great in the last two tasks, you really did! How are you feeling about this one?"

"Okay, I guess," he admitted. "An obstacle course inside of a maze sounds pretty decent. Professor Lupin likes to put us through these kinds of tests actually."

"Good! Good! So you have a plan then?"

"I guess so. Look, Mr Bagman, I appreciate that you want to help me, but I don't really think its fair that you ask me and not at least Cedric as well."

Bagman looked slightly guilty with that, his fingers twitching slightly. "You're right obviously, it's rather unsportsmanship-like. I apologize. I guess I just feel like you got stuck with a rotten deal and have constantly surprised us with how well you're doing. I'd like to see you succeed. I really think you could win this."

"I just want it to be over," he said honestly. "I don't care who wins."

"You could do it, Harry. Even if you don't care, you should do your best in there."

Harry nodded. "I will, sir."

Bagman smiled at him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Good luck."

Harry nodded at him and made his way back to the castle. He appreciated Bagman wanting to help him, but it felt wrong to accept help from the man essentially running the tournament. When he reached the castle, he went straight to Remus' office and found his father marking papers at his desk. He knocked on the doorjamb and closed the open door behind him.

"It's an obstacle course maze. First one of us to the cup in the centre is the winner."

Remus grinned widely. "Well, that sounds like something that we can handle."

Harry nodded. "Mr Bagman tried to help me out again."

Remus frowned. "He owes a lot of money to a lot of people. Sirius said that he has high odds on you winning the lot. If he loses this time, I don't know if he'll ever get out from under it. Don't worry about Bagman. It's the maze that we need to work with. Minerva and I already have most of the courses set up down in the Chamber. We'll let you try them out before anyone else. It will give you some practice. There's six different ones set up, one for each defence class. It would be great if you could try them all."

Harry nodded. "That sounds great. I'm just so glad that it's going to be over."

"You and me both."

"Uncle Moony? Do you really think that I could win?"

Remus smiled at him. "Harry, I believe that you can do anything that you put your mind to."

He grinned. "You have to say that."

Remus chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "I would never say it if I didn't believe it."

Harry nodded. "Okay, I'll be ready."

Remus smiled. "Good. I need to talk to you about something. I just need to clear up a few things first. Will you meet me in my suite in about an hour?"

"Sure. What's going on?"

Remus smiled. "We'll talk in an hour. Go tell your friends about the task. I'm sure that they'd like to help you."

Harry scratched his chin and nodded. "Okay. See you in a bit then."

Remus watched him leave the office and he let out a slow breath. An obstacle course in a maze, that didn't sound too bad. Once this tournament was over and he was safe at Black Cottage, they could all breathe a sigh of relief. At least until they told him about the Horcrux, he thought. He checked his watch and closed the books on his desk.

He had to speak to McGonagall.

 **Harry made his way to Remus' suite later on that evening and let himself inside.** He grinned when he saw Tonks drinking a glass of red wine sprawled out across the sofa. She had her feet up on the table and she grinned widely at him.

"Come, sit! I'm celebrating!"

Harry moved to sit next to her. "You got it?"

She beamed at him. "You are now looking at Special Auror Nymphadora Andromeda Mary-Ellen Tonks."

"Yes!" He exclaimed, high-fiving her. "I knew you'd get it! Wow, an A3!"

She drank her wine, a huge smile on her face. "I know! It's what I've been dreaming about forever!"

"So now what?"

"Now I get to be an even more badass Auror than before!" She exclaimed, making him smirk at her.

"No really, what does it mean?"

"I get to run my own cases. I can be put in charge of missions and operations and most importantly, I am ranking officer to my partners. Within the next two years, depending on how I've worked and how my cases have worked, I have the potential to move up the ladder, but anything higher than an A3 is usually more bureaucratic and I'd like to stay in the field longer," she explained. "Also, I no longer have to wear my uniform except for special occasions."

"That's brilliant, Tonks! I'm happy for you."

She grinned and kissed his cheek. "I'm so happy, I could burst! I also get a teensy little raise, not much, but it's still exciting because it makes me feel like I'm worth it."

Remus stepped through the portrait hole and Tonks jumped to her feet, passing her wine glass to Harry as she threw herself into his arms.

"I got it!"

Remus' face lit up as he spun her around, kissing her lips. "I knew you would! I'm so proud of you!"

She grinned, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. "I brought red wine."

"I see that." He kissed her again and then smiled at Harry. "I take it Dora already shared her news with you?"

"Yeah, it's great," he said honestly, smiling at how happy the two of them looked.

Tonks moved to sit back next to Harry as Remus took a seat in the armchair.

"It is great," Remus said honestly. "I'm so proud of you, Dora."

Tonks beamed at him as Harry turned to grin at Remus.

"So what did you need to speak to me about, Uncle Moony?"

Remus let out a slow sigh. "While you were down on the pitch, Dumbledore and I met with Snape. He's made contact with Voldemort as his spy on Dumbledore."

Harry's eyes widened. "And?"

"We don't know anything new, Harry. However, Snape did try to get information on this restoration potion and Voldemort wasn't talking, but he did tell Snape that the final ingredient would be coming to him."

"Coming to him?" Harry asked in bewilderment. "What does that mean?"

"We think that he was referring to you," Remus said honestly. "Remember we talked about him needing you for the potion."

"I'm not just going to go to him," Harry said. "Does he think I'm stupid?"

Remus smiled. "I know that, but it sounds like he has a plan in place and that unnerves me. I want to make sure that this doesn't happen. Dumbledore and I spoke about it and we both agree that there's only one month left of school and you should be confined to the castle to some extent." He held his hand up as Harry made to protest. "Let me finish. You are safest in the castle, but as we have learned from four years of experience, this castle may be safe, but it's not impenetrable. We would like you to refrain from going to the last Hogsmeade trip next weekend; you can use that time to train for the tournament and we will keep it as such so as not to attract suspicion for why you are staying back. I want you to promise me that you will not be travelling outside of Gryffindor Tower by yourself. At least one of your friends or Mandy must be with you at all times."

"But Uncle Moony - "

" - This is absolutely not up for discussion," Remus said sternly. "If you are with other people there's less of a chance of you being taken or hurt in some way. However, that also means restricting your access on the grounds. You will only stay on this side of the Black Lake, not near the mountains or the Forbidden Forest. If you want to visit Hagrid, bring Mandy or your friends. And lastly, walking to and from classes, you will always have your Invisibility Cloak with you just in case."

"Really?"

"Well, I suggested having teachers walk with you at first or even have Nyx follow you around. She likes you because she's known you since she was a kitten and Minerva would be more than willing to part with her to guard you during the day. However, Dumbledore told me that would look too suspicious if there is someone on the inside so I voted on your friends and your cloak. Can we agree on that?"

Harry wanted to protest, but the worry in his father's eyes had him nodding. "Yes."

Remus let out a sigh of relief. "It's only four weeks. I know it seems drastic, but until this tournament is over and you are home safe, I think that it's for the best."

Harry nodded and let out a slow sigh. "I guess that I can live with that."

Remus smiled at him. "Yes, you can. Sirius and Zee will be back on Friday, but I'm going to let him know about our plan of proceeding with caution anyway. Tomorrow after dinner, meet me in my office and we'll head down to the Chamber to go through the first obstacle course. You will be ready for the Third Task."

Harry grinned at him. "I'll be ready."

 **When Harry left, Remus moved to wrap his arms around his mate.**

"I am so proud of you, my badass Auror," he said kissing her neck.

She grinned and tugged him down onto the couch with her. "I'm proud of myself. This is what I always wanted."

Remus kissed her again, his hand moving to slide up her leg. "I think we should celebrate."

"Oh?" She asked, grinning up at him. "Should we?"

Remus kissed her neck, moving his mouth down and using his teeth to unbutton her shirt, making her laugh and then gasp when his mouth found her beneath her bra. "Mmm, my beautiful badass Auror," he murmured, kissing his way down her body.

He climbed to his feet, tugging her with him and carrying her into the bedroom of his Hogwarts suite. She fell back on the bed, smiling at him as he undressed her, crawling onto the bed with her.

"You too," she breathed, tugging at his jumper.

He helped her take off his clothes until he was just in his boxers and then he stopped her, pinning her arms up over her head, his head moving between her legs to kiss her softly.

"I want to please you," he murmured, kissing her thighs.

Tonks tossed her head back. "That's never a problem, Rem."

He grinned up at her and spread her legs, his tongue sliding into her, licking and stroking her deliciously as she moaned his name. She struggled under where he was holding her hands, but he only grinned at her and kept her in place, his tongue working her over until she was pleading his name, only then did he let go of her hands in lieu of adding his fingers.

"Reeemmm," she whined, but then she was soon going over and crashing down.

She grinned at him as he kissed up her stomach, kissed her breasts.

"You spoil me," she said, tugging him closer to kiss him.

Remus kissed her passionately, his hands cupping her breasts as he did so. "Not possible."

She grinned and then pushed him off, hopping off of the bed and finding her pants.

Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh, did you think we were done already?"

Tonks smirked at him. "Well, I already came."

He chuckled. "And you're going to come again! Get your sexy arse over here."

She held up one finger as she rifled through her things and then turned, a wicked grin on her face. "Found it!"

"Found what?" He asked as she straddled him and his hands slid up to cup her breasts again.

"These," she exclaimed in delight, locking his right hand into one of the Auror-issue magical handcuffs.

Remus' eyes widened in surprise when she hooked the other cuff to the headboard. "Dora!"

She grinned and slid her hands up his chest. "Now you're all mine. I can have my wicked way with you." She pressed a kiss to his ribs and smiled at him. "Very special Auror issue too, so you can't break out of them."

Remus smirked and used his free hand to cup the back of her neck. "Come here, you minx."

She coyly escaped his grasp and tugged his boxers down. "No." And then her hand was on him and he groaned when she licked him. "Let's hope no one decides they need to speak with Professor Lupin … all naked and cuffed to his bed, his very impressive erection pointing at his stomach … waiting to be deliciously used … so naughty."

"Dora," he gasped as her mouth sucked on the tip of him.

Tonks smiled and straddled him again, taking him into her and he groaned when she began to ride him, slow and torturous, her hips moving in a slow circular movement that made him pant her name and when he came she followed, riding him into bliss before she collapsed against him, kissing his lips.

"I love you, Remus."

"Untie me, Nymphadora."

She flicked her wand at the cuffs and they opened and he wrapped his arms around her, snuggling her into his embrace. "I love you so much," he murmured against her cheek. "So much that it still takes me by surprise that you love me back."

Tonks smiled at him as she was snuggled close. "It shouldn't." She kissed him softly. "Mmm, I feel so loose and limber … take me from behind."

Remus' eyebrows shot up and he grinned at her. "Greedy."

But he did as she asked and this time he used the handcuffs on her.

 **Sirius and Zee returned from Greece a few days later feeling refreshed and relaxed.** They had extended their stay an extra week just to veg and take some time to themselves. Sirius had spent time with Apollo and Medea and had met their newest daughter Cassie. Marauder had particularly loved the holiday. He had been pleased to meet Hermes and Calypso, his brother and sister dogs, and they had played happily, but he had been tired and spent a good portion of the trip sleeping as well. Apollo had commented on Marauder being almost ten years old and said that his father Zeus had lived to be nine, which was how old Marauder was now Sirius realized in surprise.

Sirius spent his spare time playing with Apollo and Medea's three daughters. Circe was utterly charming and soon had Sirius wrapped around her finger just as much as she did her father. Daphne had a way about her, always smiling and she would march over to her new sister and point every time Cassie made a sound. Sirius thought the little family was charming and told Apollo he was a lucky man.

Zee had worked with Princess Sapphira and the Greek Tmíma Magikón Dimiourgión to get the village secured. Two agents worked with her and with the princess to use a mix of magic as well as Merpeople magic to seal the village in a protective magical bubble that sealed it away from the Muggle world. The photos that the Muggles had taken were destroyed and the memories were wiped of all those who had thought that they had seen something. The Greek Ministry promised to help keep tabs on the village and help keep it away from the Muggles. It had been taken care of safely and efficiently and Princess Sapphira was very grateful.

Sirius introduced Zee to Apollo and Medea and they had dinner together. They dropped in to spend the afternoon with Xander and Thea; Xander told them that he had scheduled everything to be taken care of at _St Nicholas Hospital_ on the eighth of July. Sirius only nodded. He had almost told Harry when he had been home for the Easter weekend, but the last thing that he wanted was for Harry to be worried about the Horcrux instead of the Third Task. He and Zee both agreed that they would talk to him the first day he came home from school with Remus and Tonks. They spent their nights in Greece exploring the nightlife; going for long motorbike rides, and making love in their room or down by the beach. Both were very happy with their trip.

Sirius filled Zee in on his conversation with Remus concerning Harry's safety and what Snape had to say. He agreed with the idea of proceeding with caution, but he also desperately just wanted to wrap his son up in a protective bubble and take him home.

Marauder and Lady Godiva moved to prowl around the house when they returned as if they felt the need to make sure that nothing had changed while they were gone. Sirius plopped himself down on the sofa, tugging Zee down into his arms.

"That was great. I should travel with you more often."

Zee kissed him softly. "I agree."

Sirius stretched his legs out, lifting them to prop them on top of the coffee table. "Harry should be going through obstacle course number two tonight."

"Did Remus say how he did on the first one?"

"Very well," Sirius told her. "He said that he flew through it without a hitch, but it was the Beginner level. I think an obstacle course in a maze is the best thing that he could go through for a Third Task. He works well under pressure."

Zee nodded and snuggled into Sirius' side as Lady Godiva stretched out on the floor in front of them. "He does."

Sirius kept his arms around her, sighing in contentment. "Let's just stay like this. We don't have anywhere to be."

Zee smiled against his chest. "You won't hear any complaints from me. But weren't we going to head to Hogwarts and watch Harry go through the obstacle course?"

Sirius sighed. "Yeah … just let me close my eyes for ten minutes."

Zee chuckled against his chest. "Deal."

 **The next three weeks seemed to fly by for Harry.** He spent his spare time snogging Mandy or talking with Mandy or his friends about the obstacle courses that he'd been practicing on and his preparations for the Third Task. Cedric heard that Harry was using the Defence Club courses and he asked Remus if he too could practice on them.

Harry and Cedric were soon training together, working their way through the obstacles as Sirius timed them since Remus wasn't able to as it would be considered help from a teacher. But Sirius was only there to time them; the courses were for their own practice and nothing more.

Mandy usually came down to watch him practice and afterwards they would go over where he went wrong before falling into a long snogging session that was always sadly broken up by curfew. He loved kissing her. Long, sweet kisses that made his blood flow and his cock twitch in his pants. She had let him put his hands under her shirt the other day and he had nibbled at her neck as he fondled her and her eyes had heated as he touched her.

Being with her was making him happier than he had felt in a long while.

But the best thing that happened was the big dent to Corner's reputation. Apparently, Theo had finally put his revenge into motion.

It had happened one random Wednesday morning in the middle of the Great Hall. Everyone was eating breakfast and chatting amongst themselves when Theo simply stormed across the Great Hall, grabbed Corner's face and kissed him deeply, passionately, and with a great deal of tongue before pulling back, grinning widely and saying loudly, 'thanks for last night.'

Corner's eyes widened in horror as he desperately stuttered that he had no idea what Nott was talking about, but Theo had taken it one step further and loudly said that Corner really knew how to use his mouth and that he hoped to see him again soon. Theo winked at him and walked back to the Slytherin table as people at the Ravenclaw table began to question Corner. Rumours were soon flying that Corner was cheating on Su Li with Theo and Corner was seen trying to explain that he wasn't gay and that he had never been with Theo or any other bloke in his life. But the damage was done. Corner's worst nightmare made into a reality and Su Li broke up with him.

Harry thought hurting the prick's reputation was better than nothing, he thought; even though he still really wanted to punch him in the face rather badly.

By the time the day of the Third Task finally arrived, Harry just wanted the whole thing to be over. He woke up with a ball of worry in the pit of his stomach. This was it. He would finally be done with this wretched tournament after today and he couldn't wait.

He dressed in jeans and a tee shirt and walked with Neville down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Mandy was already eating oatmeal at the Hufflepuff table and looking over her notes so he hurried over to kiss her softly and wished her luck on her History of Magic exam that day before he went to have a seat next to his friends.

Nyx approached him after breakfast and he stroked the large tiger behind her ears. Without his own exams to write, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do today as the Third Task wouldn't be until eight, but McGonagall came over to him.

"Nyx has found your already I see."

Harry smiled. "She's a beauty, Auntie Minnie. It makes me miss Marauder even more."

McGonagall smiled. "It's Professor, Harry. Come on; the Champion's families are arriving."

He grinned and hopped to his feet, eager to see Sirius and Zee. To his surprise, his family was more people than he had anticipated. Sirius was there along with Ted, Andy, Misha and Sorcha and to his surprise Bill.

"Hi Bill," he said in surprise.

Bill grinned at him. "Hey! Sirius let me tag along today so that I could see you in action. Charlie and Percy have both told me how great you've been doing."

Harry smiled. "Thanks. It's nice of you to want to come." He shook his hand before Andy engulfed him in a hug, kissing his cheek. "Hi Andy, hi Ted, where's Tonks?"

"She's still at work, but she'll be here before dinner."

"As will Zee," Sirius said, smiling when Harry moved to Sorcha next, the woman snuggling him close and kissing his cheek.

"Our Champion!" Sorcha said proudly, kissing him again. "We can't wait to see you out there tonight, mo ghaisgeach treun."

"What does that mean?"

Sorcha kissed his forehead. "My brave warrior."

He grinned at her before he moved to Misha next, grinning when the man hugged him in a tight bear hug and kissed the top of his head. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," he admitted, finally going to Sirius and hugging him fiercely. "I'm so glad that you're here."

Sirius kissed the top of his head with a smile. "No where else that I'd rather be." He made to move his arms away, but Harry held on tighter and he smiled his face buried against his son's neck. "I love you," he murmured quietly in his ear, kissing his cheek.

Harry pulled away and smiled at them. "Thanks for coming. I didn't expect you all to be here so early."

"No where else that we'd rather be," Sirius repeated, making Harry smile.

He nodded at Cedric when he saw him wave. "Um, do you want to maybe meet the other Champions?"

Sorcha nodded, hooking her arm through his. "Yes, please!"

Harry smiled and led them over to Cedric first. "Grandmama, this is Cedric Diggory, the first and real Hogwarts Champion.

"Don't be modest, Harry," Cedric said with a smile. "We're both Hogwarts Champions no matter what the circumstances behind us becoming so entailed."

Mr Diggory scoffed at this. "Through treachery!"

"Something you want to say, Amos?" Sirius asked, his eyes glaring daggers at Mr Diggory.

Mr Diggory shook his head. "We both know that your boy is only in this tournament through trickery. My son is the real champion and everyone here knows it!"

"Dad!" Cedric said sharply. "Harry and I are both champions and if you can't accept that then I don't want you here."

Mr Diggory's face heated in embarrassment. "I won't miss my son winning the Triwizard Tournament!"

"You will if you don't pull your head out of your arse, Amos," the woman next to him said smartly. She extended her hand and Harry could see where Cedric got his eyes and smile from. "Piper Diggory, lovely to meet you."

Harry accepted her hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you as well, Mrs Diggory."

Mr Diggory didn't say anything more as they talked politely for a few moments before Harry moved with his family over to Fleur. She was talking animatedly in French to an older couple who he assumed must be her parents as the woman had the same silvery blonde hair and he recognized Gabrielle standing there as well.

Gabrielle saw him and ran at him, hugging him tightly around the middle. "Merci, 'arry Potter! Tu m'as sauvé la vie!"

"De rien, Gabrielle," he said with a smile. "Bonjour, Fleur. This is my family, they wanted to meet the French Champion. Everyone, this is Fleur Delacour."

"Bonjour! Comment ça va?"

Sirius took her hand and kissed it. "Bien. I am Sirius Black, Misha and Sorcha Zacarias, Ted and Andromeda Tonks and this is Bill Weasley."

Fleur locked eyes on Bill in interest before looking away. They met Monsieur and Madame Delacour, who owned a winery in Burgundy and learned that Fleur had just been hired by _Gringotts_ herself. Bill immediately began to ask her questions about the program and told her all about his experiences working as a curse breaker. Fleur kept her eyes locked on him, a slight blush on the back of her neck.

After meeting the Delacours, Harry approached Viktor with a grin. Viktor's little sisters looked like tiny little fairies as they bounced and danced as they talked and were very much teasing their big brother about something as they spoke in rapid Bulgarian and Viktor translated in amusement.

"We saw you at the World Cup," Sirius said with a smile. "You're very gifted. I look forward to seeing more of you. I heard that you are looking to stay in England?"

"Da," Viktor said. "I have signed up vith the Falmouth Falcons for two years, but then I hope to play again for the Vratsa Vultures, stay close to home."

Sirius nodded. "Good for you. I also heard that you are dating our Hermione."

Viktor smiled. "Da. I like her very much."

"Good. You take care of her now," Sirius said with a grin. "Since her father isn't here, I thought I'd just let you know."

Viktor grinned. "Her father threatened me already, Lord Black. I promise to be good to her. She is vunderful."

"That she is," Sirius said with a smile.

They chatted a bit more and Misha spoke with Mr and Mrs Krum, since he actually could speak Bulgarian, before they said goodbye and Harry led his family out into the grounds by the Black Lake. Dobby eagerly brought them drinks and snacks closer to lunch time as Harry showed them around the grounds and around the castle. Misha was very interested in seeing the castle since he had never been to Hogwarts before.

When it was finally time for dinner, Mandy found him and kissed him softly as Harry introduced her to his grandparents and to Andy and Ted and Bill. He held her hand as they ate dinner at the Gryffindor Table and Ginny and Ron eagerly sat with Bill. He told her all about his day and she told him about how her last exam went. Zee and Tonks soon arrived and the chatter turned to work. Hermione, who had been sitting with Viktor and his family, soon came over and sat with Zee and discussed her final draft for the house elf legislation and Zee promised to present it at the next meeting in two weeks.

The Head Table was full of special guests again as Dumbledore reintroduced the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Ludo Bagman, Miranda Jameson, the French President Simonne Richelieu, and the Bulgarian Minister, Chavdar Oblansk who were all present for the final task of the tournament.

And then dinner was ending and Dumbledore climbed to his feet and quieted the Great Hall announcing for everyone to make their way down to the Quidditch pitch and for the champions to head into the room behind the Head Table for their final instructions.

Harry stood up, grinning and kissed Mandy softly, ignoring the wolf whistle from his godfather as the Gryffindor table cheered him on. He kissed her again.

"Last one."

"Go win it, Harry," she said kissing him again.

He grinned. "I just want it to be over. I don't even care. You can cheer for Fleur if you want."

She chuckled and brushed his lips with hers. "I'll be cheering for you, you daft boy. Good luck."

Harry smiled and kissed her once more before he made his way back into the room.

 **When they made the announcement for the champions, Hermione had stood up and hugged Harry, wishing him luck before she moved to the Slytherin table to find Viktor.** His sisters were adorable and she had immediately fallen in love with them that afternoon, listening intently as they asked question after question about her hair and her clothes and her studies and her parents as Viktor and his mother, Boyana, kept up on translations. Viktor's father, Kosta, had kissed her cheek and told her that she made his son very happy and she blushed furiously. They were wonderful. She smiled warmly at Mr and Mrs Krum again before taking Viktor's hand.

"Good luck."

He smiled and tugged her into the entrance hall and down behind a tapestry before he pushed her back against the wall, kissing her deeply. Hermione sighed into him as his lips crushed hers, greedy and full of promise and when he finally let go she sighed happily.

"After, ve vill talk about you coming to Bulgaria, da?"

Hermione nodded, her eyes glazed from the kiss. "Da. Viktor?"

He tucked a curl away from her face and ducked his head to kiss her softly again. "Da?"

"I love you," she said, surprising herself. She had been falling for months and she knew that, but at this moment, she knew that she had to tell him. "Harry doesn't care if he wins, he just wants it to be over and done with so I have no qualms about telling you that I hope it's you. I love you. Go win this thing and come back and kiss me."

Viktor grinned widely and ducked his head to kiss her again. "I love you, too, Hermione, moyata kafyava krasavitsa. I have been yours since I first laid lay eyes on you. Obicham te."

"My brown-haired beauty," she said with a smile. "I love it when you call me that. Good luck!"

He kissed her once more and then he kissed the palm of her hand, winking at her before he took off to meet with the other champions. Hermione placed a hand over her fluttering stomach with a grin.

He loved her too, she thought with a squeal, running to find Ginny. She couldn't wait to share her news with a friend.

 **Harry stepped into the room behind the Head Table after Cedric as Fleur followed them.** Viktor came almost five minutes later, his lips swollen and Harry grinned. He hadn't expected Viktor and Hermione to still be a thing, but the Bulgarian was completely besotted by his friend and he could hardly blame him. He knew that Hermione was head over heels for him and he loved seeing her so happy. He had thought the age difference thing would affect them, but it didn't. Hermione would be sixteen in September and honestly with everything that she had undergone with the Time-Turner last year, she was really closer to being seventeen and he sometimes forgot that.

He looked up when Dumbledore entered the room followed by Madame Maxime, Professor Karkaroff, Bagman and Jameson.

Dumbledore smiled warmly at them. "At last, we have come to the final task. The five of us will be judging as you know and each of you will be entering the maze from a different corner. Your champion clothing is available in your designated spots in the locker rooms of the pitch. Let's head down and get you ready."

Harry nodded and made his way down to the Quidditch pitch. He was soon outfitted in a similar outfit that he had worn for the First Task. It was even made from the same fire-proof material which worried him slightly. He hoped that there wasn't another dragon hidden in the maze.

He walked out to see the stands full as everyone cheered. There was a high stand in the front where the two ministers and president were sitting along with the champions' families. He listened as Bagman explained how Cedric would enter the maze first and Fleur last based on their scores and how each champion would follow one minute later on the whistle.

Jameson walked Harry around to the left corner of the maze; Cedric would be entering on the right corner; Viktor on the corner left of Harry and Fleur on the corner left of Viktor. He watched as Karkaroff spoke to Viktor, Maxime to Fleur and Dumbledore smiled warmly at Cedric. He smiled at Jameson as she instructed him to enter upon the second whistle and that if he came to any harm or felt that he was unable to continue on, to send up red sparks and that someone would come and fetch him. She explained how the five judges would be patrolling the maze as Bagman wouldn't be commentating as they wanted the champions to be kept in the dark on the other champions' progress throughout.

Harry nodded and smiled, glancing at his watch. The task was supposed to start at exactly eight and it was five to eight already. He shifted from foot to foot, his wand in his hand and finally on the second whistle, he headed inside and was immediately surrounded by darkness as a hedge of the maze closed up behind him. The hedges themselves were over twenty feet high, almost seeming to go on forever. The setting sun was all that illuminated the walk through, but the dark hedges still darkened the path. Harry lit his wand and moved carefully forward.

Everything was dark. The hedges seemed to be rustling as he past them; vines and leaves twitching in the walls, almost closing in on him and darkening the path. He held his wand high, brightening it as he moved forward. The Triwizard Cup was supposed to be situated in the centre of the maze. Hermione had found a handy compass spell that always pointed north so he whispered, "Point Me."

His wand pointed North, which was behind him, so he knew that he had to keep going straight for the time being. His feet made no sound as he padded across the soft grass of the pitch, eyes peeled for any signs of an obstacle for him to cross. He made a sharp left and caught himself before he fell into the deep trench that lay before him. It had to be at least ten feet wide and ten feet deep and it was filled to the brim with scorpions. He gulped at the sight of them. He hadn't learned the whole conjuring something out of nothing yet and he wished that he had just so he could just make a bridge as he tried to think of another way to make it across the trench safely.

There was no way that he could jump it, he thought, contemplating whether or not levitating himself over was a wise decision or not. Then he grinned. He was pretty sure that he could make that jump if he was a dog. He tucked his wand into his thigh holster and transformed, backing up carefully another ten feet and making a run for it. He was a fully grown Tamaskan now and when he leapt, he kept his eyes open wide, praying silently that he wouldn't fall into the trench full of the scorpions. He landed on the other side and let out a breath of relief, changing back into himself and pulling his wand out once more.

The scorpions were still in the trench and no where near him and that was all that mattered. One obstacle down, he thought, feeling a little thrill of excitement trifle through him.

Harry lit his wand again and headed back in the new direction. He had only been walking for a minute or two, but he heard the clicking sound before he saw them and the flash of sparks that erupted from his left made him jump before three massive Blast-Ended Skrewts started running at him. He veered to the left to avoid them as he shot a stunning spell, ducking when it ricocheted off the side of their armour and came flying back at him. He jumped over one of them as the second one made a beeline straight for him.

The bottom of his left pant leg was singed from the blast and he was stabbed with a pincer. He decided the best course of action was simply to run, which he did as he hurried off, sliding around the corner just as a large dining room cabinet charged at him.

He gawked in surprise as the drawers opened and knives flew out towards him. Plates and other dinnerware flew at him as he stunned and froze the objects in an attempt to get away. The last thing that he had expected to come across was flying furniture, he thought. He rolled to avoid the open door of the cabinet as it attempted to block his path, but the wood still struck him on the top of his head hard enough that he saw stars. He attempted to get by again and the cabinet leg stepped out in front of him, tripping him and he caught himself on the wall of the maze.

At least he thought he had.

The moment he touched the hedge, vines gripped his hand, tugging him forward and he used a severing charm on it as he pulled himself away just to get trapped in a headlock by the large cabinet. Harry struggled to get free, choking before he waved his wand and claimed, "Finite Incantatem" and watched in amazement as all of the objects suddenly stopped.

"Couldn't have thought of that first, Potter?" He muttered to himself as he moved past the fallen objects and further into the darkness of the maze.

He kept a watchful eye on the hedge walls. It seemed like the maze designers had done their job well; everything was a challenge, including the maze itself. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination or if the maze seemed to be talking to him, but he swore that he could hear whispers among the hedges as the vines moves and shifted, occasionally stretching out and attempting to reach for him an inch or two past the wall.

He was moving for a while and the fact that he didn't find any other obstacles began to unnerve him. He thought that maybe he had just chosen the correct path when a feeling of absolute dread suddenly overcame him and he stopped in his tracks at the sight of the Dementor moving towards him. He thought of his family cheering him on when he came out of the maze and watched as his Patronus shot through the Dementor, the three animals surrounding it from all sides and plowing through it. The Dementor rose up as if to fight back before it disintegrated into nothing.

Harry stared in amazement. He knew that Sirius had told him how powerful his Patronus had been last year, but seeing it with his own eyes as the Dementor was destroyed was pretty incredible, he thought. It was the safest that he had ever felt when standing near those creatures.

He took a deep breath and hurried around the corner and the moment he turned, his entire being turned upside down. Harry threw his arms out in an attempt to catch himself from falling, but falling wasn't the problem. He was floating upside down in gold mist, hanging four inches above the ground as if something had tethered his feet. He waved his arms uselessly, trying to figure out what had happened. He had never heard of such a thing before.

It was at least a minute before he worked up the courage to just throw himself out of the mist. He crashed to the ground, landing on his left ankle and he winced at the pain that shot up his leg. He had definitely sprained it, he thought as he climbed to his feet. He turned to look back at the gold mist and saw that it was still glistening in a wall in the middle of the maze. Whatever it was, he had passed it, he thought in curiosity, thinking that he would ask Remus about it later on.

He used the compass charm again and found himself going in the wrong direction and sighed.

He had to keep going.

He had to find the cup.

He just needed this to be over.

 **The figure stood outside of the maze, looking around anxiously.** The pawn had to find out what was happening in there. Fingers twitched nervously again as they reached for a cigarette that wasn't there and cursed bitterly. The figure glanced around again and seeing no one in sight, headed into the maze to inspect.

Guards stood all around the maze to make sure that the champions were safe so the pawn knew they had to be careful. They couldn't be seen.

But if anyone got to the cup before Potter, they were worse than dead. The figure had known better than to mess with Abraxas Malfoy, but the temptation had been too strong not to say yes. How were they supposed to know that the gamble wouldn't pay off?

Fuck, the figure thought, reaching for a cigarette again. The filthy Muggle habit usually calmed them, but at the moment the pawn was too high strung and too worried. If anyone reached that cup before Potter they wouldn't see a Sickle of the money Malfoy promised them.

Not to mention that they would be worse than dead.

The figure gulped audibly and began to move through the maze, his wand held high.

Potter had to make it to that cup.

And no one was going to stand in Potter's way.

They would make sure of it.

 **Harry continued to travel through the maze, limping a bit as his ankle twinged from his fall.** He could hear the maze rustling around him, as his if it was talking and it sent shivers down his spine. He took a sharp right at the next available path and the large python that uncoiled itself had him gulping, especially when he saw that it was holding Cedric tightly in its grasp.

Harry pointed his wand at the snake and spoke clearly in Parseltongue. "Let him go!"

The snake's head spun sharply, yellow eyes staring at him. "Why should I? He is food."

"He is not food. Release him at once and let us both pass!"

The python squeezed Cedric tighter and Harry raised his wand higher.

"Release him!"

The python eyed the wand apprehensively before he let go and Cedric fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Harry kept his wand pointed at the great snake as he moved forward and helped Cedric to his feet, tugging him along and away from the python. They had just turned the corner as Cedric choked on his breath.

"Thanks, Harry. If you hadn't come along, I think that thing would have finished me off. I think I broke a rib or two."

He grinned. "No problem. Let's get the hell out of here. A broken rib is better than being eaten."

Cedric grinned back. "Agreed."

They came to a fork in the maze and Harry veered to the right as Cedric went left.

"Good luck," they both said at the same time before moving in their own directions.

Harry stepped cautiously along the path, the hedges rustling and seeming to be moving in and moving closer; listening for any new sounds when the ground beneath his feet suddenly gave away and he fell six feet under, landing on the same left ankle that he had sprained earlier. He heard something snap and he hissed in pain just as hundreds of small fire ants began to emerge from around him, stinging him through his pants, up to his arms. He hissed in pain and vanished the whole colony with one swift spell in relief before he moved to the edge of the crumpled earth and attempted to pull himself up.

It took four tries and on the second attempt a branch from the hedges shot out and sliced his leg down his calf right to his broken ankle. His whole body was burning profusely from the stings of the ants as he crumbled back to the ground, groaning. He had just grabbed the top of the ground again when a strong hand pulled him up and over the edge as he smiled gratefully at Viktor.

"Thanks," he said, lying on the ground for a minute to catch his breath.

Viktor nodded. "You're velcome. Vatch the valls. I vas trapped against the hedge for a bit unable to break free."

"Thanks, I will. Be careful heading that way, giant python."

Viktor winced, but nodded. "Kŭsmet. Your leg?"

Harry shook his head and waved him on. "I'll be fine. Good luck."

Viktor gave him a curt nod, wand out and he headed deeper into the maze.

Harry lay on the ground another minute, working to catch his breath. Keep going, he told himself. We have to be almost there.

He climbed to his feet shakily. When he put pressure on his leg, the white-hot pain made him swallow back bile, but he kept moving, limping along. He was moving slowly, coming along the maze and when he found himself moving towards the walls in an attempt to use them as support, he stopped himself just as vine shot out and tripped him and he fell, swearing when he fell once more on to his injured leg.

He crawled to his feet, holding his leg tightly as he made to stand and his hand was covered in blood, reminding him that he had been cut badly when he'd fallen into the earth. He let out a slow sigh and turned the corner, heading right again.

The sight of the Sphinx sitting there made him stop in his tracks. She had dark brown hair braided around her head and large dark almond eyes. Her body was that of a lioness and her large paws rested in front of her, a sharp pointed tail flapping around her feet. She took in his injured state and smiled.

"Behind me lies that of which you seek."

Harry nodded. "So, er, can I pass through then?"

The Sphinx smiled widely. "No."

"Um, I don't want to fight you."

"I do not fight," she said easily. "Answer a riddle and I shall let you pass."

"Just one?"

The Sphinx shook her head. "Three. If you answer all three correctly, I will let you pass by peacefully."

"And if I don't?"

She smiled and her eyes darkened. "Then you will not leave here alive."

"Can I hear the riddle first before I decide?"

"If you answer incorrectly, you will die. If you choose not to answer, I will let you go. If you answer one, you must answer them all. There is no in between."

Harry gulped. He had never been very good at riddles, he thought. "Er, okay."

The Sphinx smiled and carefully settled herself into a comfortable position.

"I can run, but I cannot walk.

I have a mouth, but I cannot talk.

I have a head, but I cannot think.

I have a bed, but I cannot sleep.

Who am I?"

Harry stared at her as he scratched the top of his head. "Run, but can't walk, talks but no head - er, could you please repeat the last bit again, please?"

She gave him a small polite smile and nodded. "A bed, but cannot sleep."

He nodded. What could run and also had a mouth, he thought, trying to work out the clues in his head. A mouth could be used to describe an area in a body of water, as could a bed he thought and then he grinned proudly as it suddenly came to him.

"You're a river!"

The Sphinx smiled. "Very good. Here is your second puzzle.

"What does man love more than life?

Fear more than death or mortal strife?

What do the poor have, what the rich require?

And what contented men desire?

What does the miser spend?

The spendthrift save?

And all men carry to their graves?"

Harry frowned at that one. She once more repeated it for him as he contemplated the verse. It was the third line that was sticking with him, what contented men desire and he had a sudden image of standing in an empty classroom with Dumbledore four years ago staring up at the Mirror of Erised.

 _"_ _The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is."_

And suddenly he realized that he knew the answer.

"Nothing."

The Sphinx's smile widened. "You are a worthy opponent, champion. Are you ready for the final riddle?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, please."

The Sphinx settled back on her haunches.

"First think of the person who lives in disguise,

Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.

Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,

The middle of middle and end of the end?

And finally give me the sound often heard,

During the search for a hard-to-find word.

Now string them together and answer me this,

Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"

"Could I have it again … more slowly?" He asked tentatively. The last one sounded much more complicated than the first two, he thought.

She blinked at him, smiled, and repeated the poem.

"All the clues add up to a creature that I wouldn't want to kiss?" Harry asked carefully.

She merely smiled her mysterious smile.

Harry cast his mind around. There were plenty of animals that he wouldn't want to kiss; his immediate thought was a Blast-Ended Skrewt, but something told him that wasn't the answer. He'd have to try and work out the clues.

"A person in disguise," he muttered, staring at her, "Who lies ... er ... that'd be an impostor. No, that's not my guess! A - a spy? I'll come back to that, um, could you give me the next clue again, please?"

She repeated the next lines of the poem.

"'The last thing to mend,'" Harry repeated. "Er ... no idea what 'middle of middle' is … um the sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word … Er … that'd be ... er ... hang on - 'er'! Er's a sound!"

The Sphinx smiled at him and repeated the last clue.

"Spy ... er ... spy ... er ..." he repeated before he grinned widely. "A creature I wouldn't want to kiss - a spider!"

The Sphinx smiled more broadly. She got up, stretched her front legs, and then moved aside for him to pass. "Well, done, you shall pass. What you seek lies just beyond."

"Thanks!" Harry exclaimed, rather pleased with his own brilliance.

He hurried past the Sphinx and around the corner, still limping heavily just as he heard Fleur scream and he turned in time to watch a giant Acromantula fling her into the wall of the maze and he watched in horror as the hedges gripped her tightly and pulled her into its clutches and she vanished into the hedge. Red sparks flew up into the sky and he knew that someone would be there to collect her momentarily so he moved towards the Acromantula, but Cedric was already dealing with it.

He watched in amazement as Cedric stunned it and transfigured its many legs into bubbles as it crashed to the ground, unable to run at them, but he didn't move away fast enough and the giant spider's pincers stabbed his leg and he howled in pain.

Harry stunned the beast and Cedric collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Thanks. You just keep saving my life in here."

Harry shrugged. "I just want to get the hell out of here. Go on, the Cup is there, you were here first, take it!"

Cedric wiped sweat from his brow and nodded at the cup gleaming before them behind a colourful mist. "I wouldn't have made it here if you hadn't saved me from that python. Hell, I wouldn't have survived the First Task if you hadn't told me about the dragons!"

"Yes, you would have. You're brilliant!"

Cedric grinned at him. "It's a Hogwarts victory either way, let's take it together. We've worked our butts off in this tournament, let's celebrate together."

"You mean that?" Harry asked in surprise.

He nodded. "I do."

Harry grinned and moved to help Cedric to his feet, wincing at his ankle. "Shit, my ankle is definitely broken."

"But you can walk?"

"Kind of," he said, grinning at him. "Bloody limp along more like it."

He laughed as they approached the colourful mist, both limping in pain.

Harry stared at the colours for a moment. "Have you seen anything like this before?"

Cedric shook his head. "No, but I feel like we can't just put our hands through it and grab it."

"Yeah, they wouldn't make it easy like that."

Something about the colour pattern was making his head itch. He had seen it before and suddenly it dawned on him. The blues, the reds, the greens, the yellows, and the white were glaringly obvious.

"It's a puzzle," he said, grinning widely. "In the Muggle world they call it a Rubik's Cube."

Cedric merely frowned. "Okay?"

Harry moved his wand over the blue and turned and watched in fascination as the colours shifted as if the mist itself was a giant cube that needed to be formed. After the first couple of shifts, Cedric caught on.

It took them ten minutes, but they worked in tandem, shifting each colour block until each side was a solid colour and when they put the last piece into place, the whole thing shimmered and lowered to the ground, the Triwizard Cup seeming to rise up from the centre, gleaming brightly.

Harry grinned at Cedric. "We did it!"

He nodded, grinning back at him. "Let's end this together. On the count of three?"

Harry nodded, limping towards the cup. "On the count of three. One."

"Two."

"Three," they both exclaimed and their hands closed over the handles of the cup.

A sharp pull started in their navel and Harry's eyes met Cedric's across the cup before they were both sailing through space in a howling wind of colour and movement and he swallowed nervously.

No one had mentioned that the Cup was a portkey.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(Greek) Tmíma Magikón Dimiourgión = Department of Magical Creatures_

 _(Bulgarian) Otidi si dosaden varvarin = go away, you annoying barbarian_

 _(Bulgarian) Ti si boginya = you are a goddess_

 _(Bulgarian) moyata kafyava krasavitsa = my brown haired beauty_

 _(Bulgarian) Blagodarya = thanks_

 _(Gaelic) mo ghaisgeach treun = my brave warrior_

 _(Bulgarian) krasiv = beautiful_

 _(Bulgarian) Obicham te = I love you_

 _(Bulgarian) Kŭsmet = Good luck_

 _I wanted the task to be similar yet the same and I wanted to add more riddles because one just seemed too easy in my opinion. I can promise you this - the next chapter is a bit different than you're expecting :D_


	177. Chapter 177

_Author's Note:_

 _I have been very busy lately with work and whatnot and just wanted to say that for the near future, I will most likely only be posting once a week instead of twice - some time in the Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday zone. I like to have my filler chapters piled up a bit as I personally feel less rush and pressured and at the moment am only twelve chapters ahead, not to mention that my beta has been very busy lately and has only had time to look over up to chapter 182 and I am waiting on her to catch up with me. I apologize for this delay, but promise to still drop one chapter a week. Hopefully I will be back to my twice a week posting soon._

 _DISCLAIMER I: I do not own parts of the scene below, that belongs to the amazing JKR._

 _DISCLAIMER II: I do not own the Shakespeare quote from Macbeth._

 _Hope you guys like my take on this scene. Also sorry/not sorry._

 _To answer some reviews and/or comments: I am glad that you liked my small changes to the Third Task, especially the riddles which I thought were quite fun. Theo did what he thought would hurt Corner's pride the most and no, Ginny does not agree with it, but unfortunately you will not see her thoughts on the subject for a few more chapters as more important things are about to take precedence. Yes, Harry is better trained and he does have faster reflexes, this is true, but let's remember that he is still only fourteen and about to up against the darkest wizard to ever have lived and his followers._

 _Yes, I have seen Spiderman: Far From Home and I loved it. If anyone wants to discuss it, please message me. I also saw Yesterday this afternoon and it was so good! I recommend. But I must say that a world where the Beatles, Coca-Cola, and Harry Potter do not exist, is not a world I want to live in LOL._

 _Thank you to Steel for letting me bounce ideas - your suggestions are always helpful and appreciated!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SEVEN:**

 **Harry's heart was pounding from the portkey when he fell on his ankle in the darkness.** He gasped from his fall. His leg felt like someone had sliced a knife through his muscle and pulled it all the way up his calf. He was pretty sure that his ankle was broken, possibly in more than one place. He looked up at Cedric, his eyes wide.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know. Did you know that the Cup was a portkey?" Cedric asked him, reaching down to help pull Harry to his feet.

Harry shook his head, wincing at the pain. "Ah bollocks, my ankle isn't going to cooperate."

Cedric nodded, putting an arm around his waist. "Lean on me. We'll figure out where we are."

He did so just as the blinding white pain hit him. It was so shocking and so sudden that he lost his vision, his wand slipped from his fingers as he covered his head with his hands. His knees buckled as his head split and he would have collapsed to the ground if Cedric wasn't holding onto him.

"Kill the spare," a voice echoed and Harry flinched, shoving Cedric as hard as he could before he could even comprehend what he was doing.

The two of them fell to the ground tangled in each other just as a flash of green light shot above them.

Harry's eyes were wide as he met Cedric's. "Get to the Cup! We have to get back!"

"How do you even know that it'll take us back?" He whispered urgently.

Harry shook his head, both of them rolling behind a large stone to avoid the killing curse a second time. "Just take it already!"

Cedric grabbed Harry's arm tightly. "I'm not leaving you here!"

"I didn't say to," Harry hissed back in annoyance. "Let's go!"

He just wanted to get the hell out of here before someone else sent a killing curse in their direction.

Cedric nodded and pointed his wand at the cup and said, "Accio Cup!"

The Triwizard Cup came barrelling towards them and the slicing charm that hit Harry's wrist was enough to jerk him free just as Cedric vanished with the Cup and Harry gasped in pain. He grabbed his wrist, trying to stop the blood from gushing out as a high pitched laugh seemed to echo around him.

"You let him get away, you fool!"

"My Lord, he - "

" - Leave it be! Our man on the ground will take care of him. Tie him into place!"

Harry winced as arms grabbed him and shoved him hard against the stone he had just been hiding behind. His head cracked against it, but the pain in his scar was so strong that he barely felt it. His wrists were pinned up over his head and vines erupted from the ground to hold him into place; the sharp thorns stabbing into his palms and arms. The pain in his head subsided enough for him to focus and he recognized the man in front of him from the dream that he had had in the summer. Woodrow Selwyn, he thought, wincing when the man healed his gushing wrist before brushing his hair away from his face.

"The famous scar," he muttered, tracing it with his thumb.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Harry exclaimed, moving his head away from him.

Selwyn smirked. "You're in for quite the ride, Potter. My hands on you are the least of your worries. Have you ever seen a snake eat someone alive? I can assure you, it hardly looks like it would be pleasant," he said with a menacing grin.

Harry swallowed carefully, glancing around for any sign of the snake in question and when he didn't see one, he sighed in relief. Honestly, he'd had enough of snakes to last him a lifetime.

"Or maybe you'd like me to let another touch you? I have friends who love nothing more than to split open the ripe virgin arse of a teenage boy, would you like that?" He asked, his voice heated as if he wanted nothing more than to watch such a thing take place.

Harry paled as the high cold voice that spoke from the distance sent shivers down his spine and he knew with every fibre of his being that this was it; this was the ritual that Voldemort had been waiting for him for.

And he had never been more terrified in his entire life.

 **Cedric landed in the centre of the maze with a yelp, falling on top of Viktor as he crashed and sending the Bulgarian Champion to the ground.**

"Argh!" Viktor exclaimed.

Cedric scrambled to his feet and grabbed Viktor's arm. "Sorry, I - Harry!"

Viktor merely raised an eyebrow. "Vhere is Potter?"

"The Cup - it was a portkey! It took us to this graveyard and someone was trying to kill us! We - we grabbed the portkey to come back, but just as it started to go, I felt Harry's grip loosen and … we have to get to him! Viktor, I have a really bad feeling about where we were!"

He reached for the cup and Viktor's hand at the same time, but nothing happened.

"No!" Cedric exclaimed angrily. "The portkey must have only been for one round trip! I don't even know where he was."

"Vho vas vith him?"

"I don't know, but they tried to kill us … I think he was a Death Eater."

Viktor's eyebrow rose. "Fleur has already left the maze. Ve vill have to go out and get help. It vas a graveyard?"

Cedric nodded. "Yeah. I want to say that it looked like it was near Hampshire, but I can't be sure. I only got a quick look. Viktor, we can't leave him there!"

Viktor nodded. "Ve should send up sparks. I only just escaped from those skrevts."

Cedric looked relieved and nodded and they both turned to send up red sparks just as a cold voice said, "Avada Kedavra!"

The sound of a body hitting the ground next to him made Cedric blanch as he looked down at Viktor's lifeless eyes and when he saw the figure holding the wand before him his eyes widened.

"You! Why did you - ?"

"Me!" The figure said with a grin. "How did you escape, boy?"

Cedric swallowed. "The portkey took me back."

"And Potter?"

"He's there," Cedric said slowly, his wand raised.

The pawn's usual jolly face turned into an evil smile. "Then my job here is done. Unfortunately, I can't have you blabbing about my business."

Red sparks erupted into the air from Cedric's wand, but the figure was faster.

"Avada Kedavra!" The voice exclaimed and Cedric collapsed next to Viktor; dead.

The red sparks disintegrated before they rose above the maze and the figure paled slightly. The task was done, he thought as he strolled casually back to his post on the right corner of the maze, leaving the two dead bodies entwined together and swallowing slowly.

He just had to bide his time and then he would escape. Killing the champions had been the last thing that he had wanted to do, but what choice did he have? He was too far gone now; in too deep. If he wanted to live, he had to do he was told.

There was no other choice.

 **As Selwyn moved back into the shadows, Harry blinked around at his surroundings.** His head was pounding from hitting it on the stone and he felt disoriented, not quite aware of himself as his scar throbbed painfully. An eerie fog seemed to have crept over the ground, blocking most of the place from view, but the tombstones and graves that rose in and out of the fog had him gulping. He was in a graveyard, he realized. There was a large manor in the distance on a hillside and a black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to the right of the hill, but he couldn't make out any familiar features. He attempted to read some of the names on the stones: Clarke, Smith, Johnson, Roberts … none of them helped him try to decipher where he was.

The fog flowed across the ground in thick clouds making everything hazy and smoke-filled. He blinked furiously trying to make sense of where he was; trying to find a clue to help him get home. The shuffling returned and his vision was suddenly filled with a levitating large black cauldron, big enough to fit a grown man. He watched as Selwyn carefully placed it on the ground, his wand emitting blue sparks to erupt around the bottom and purple and red flames danced beneath it.

A familiar high-pitched laugh grabbed him by the throat and he glared at the woman who strolled through the fog. Bellatrix Lestrange was the image of the beautiful monster; the one who lured you into the night by her beauty and feminine wiles only to tear you apart by the throat the moment that you were alone. Her dark black curls hung half-way down her back, her tips dancing in silver. She wore a black lace corset dress and tall black laced boots under her black hooded open robe. Her lips were blood red against her pale skin and her eyes danced in manic glee.

"Not so brave now, are we, Potter?" She taunted.

Harry merely spit at her feet.

Bellatrix flicked her wand and Harry's head smashed to the left, his cheek burning and vibrating as if he had been slapped by a rock. "I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart, Potter. We'll see how smart that mouth is when I cut you open."

"If you touch me my father will kill you!"

She smirked. "Your father's dead, Potter, and if you mean that pathetic excuse of a cousin of mine, I'm hardly worried. He's nothing but a mongrel beast who will be leashed and muzzled soon enough. So many of us are just dying to play with you, Potter."

Selwyn chuckled menacingly. "I figured between Fenrir and Macnair, the boy could be well broken in. You know, I heard that there's no better way to make a boy yours than by sodomizing him."

Bellatrix laughed. "I bet he'd like it."

She flicked her wand again and tears leaked down Harry's face as a black silk thread stitched its way across his lips preventing him from speaking again. He could taste his own blood as his mouth burned from the pain of it.

"Bella," a voice echoed in the fog sending shivers down Harry's spine. "There will be no playing with him! The boy is mine and mine alone!"

"Of course, my Lord."

Selwyn moved towards the cauldron, stirring the contents with his wand. "It is ready, my Lord."

The white-haired man in a black suit walked out of the fog with a bundle of blankets cradled in his arms. The blankets were stirring and Harry knew exactly what was inside those blankets. The long white-hair of the man was tied back with a black silk ribbon and when he turned, his pointy face made Harry gasp. It was none other than Abraxas Malfoy.

Abraxas passed the child to Selwyn, his eyes dancing in delight. Harry stared at the stirring movement of the baby in the robes, unable to look away. He remembered what that child looked like; he remembered the monstrous form that Voldemort had taken once he possessed the child, but he was still unable to look away. The child's head, flaky skin of black and red like a burn-victim, turned to look at him, eyes so dark they glinted red and he felt his scar sear with pain so intense that he gasped.

He could hear noises at his feet and when he looked at the ground, a gigantic snake was slithering through the grass, coming out of the fog like a horror film. She circled the headstone where he was tied and as she slithered his gaze followed her and he caught the name on the stone that he was tied to.

Tom Riddle.

He swallowed slowly, fear trickling through him. The ritual, he thought … he was tied to the tombstone of Voldemort's father and that seemed more terrifying than he could explain.

He watched as the liquid in the cauldron bubbled and boiled over. He could feel the heat of the flames on his legs and feet as the cauldron began to send out fiery sparks as though it were about to burst into flame at any given moment. Steam was thickening, blurring the outline of Selwyn as he tended to the fire and mixing with the fog making it hard for Harry to see what was happening.

But when he heard the cold high voice echo through the fog again, he shivered.

"Hurry!"

The whole surface of the water was alight with sparks now as if diamonds were floating on the top.

Selwyn gave the potion one last stir before he carefully unwrapped the body of the child and Harry yelped through his muffled mouth trap. It was even worse than he remembered. Scaly and flaky, pus-filled; red and black and raw. The child's face was thin and flat, almost snake-like and the dark eyes gleamed bright red. There was no hair on its body and the toddler, for that's what it had grown to become, was clearly still helpless.

Bellatrix moved to lift the child into her arms, her eyes staring at the monstrosity in absolute adoration. She placed a gentle kiss to the top of the monster's head and Harry fought back vomit as part of the monster's raw skin stuck to her lip. Its thin, feeble arms reached up to wrap around her neck as she carried the monster to the rim of the cauldron. She carefully lowered the creature into the cauldron and the potion made a hissing sound before he vanished below the surface, landing with a soft thud as it hit the bottom.

If he could just get to his wand … he had to get out of here, he thought. But his wand was lying on the ground where he had collapsed and not nearly close enough for him to have access to it. He tried unsuccessfully to summon it towards him, but to no avail. The pounding in his head was making it hard for him to concentrate and the blinding pain in his scar, had him blinking to keep focus.

Cedric must have arrived safely back at Hogwarts by now, he thought. Everyone would know that something had happened to him. Of course, no one knew where he was, he thought bitterly and he didn't know how long the monster needed to be in that potion. Please let it drown, he thought, his scar burning almost past endurance … please, let it drown.

But he knew that it wouldn't. He knew with every fibre of his being that when that monster rose from the cauldron, he would be reborn and there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

Selwyn was standing over the cauldron now as Abraxas and Bellatrix stepped back, their wands all raised high over it. If reminded Harry of the three witches from the story of Macbeth and as he thought, 'double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble,' he knew that the three of them couldn't be more far removed from the Shakespearian tragedy.

Bellatrix raised her wand high, her voice loud and powerful as she spoke. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

The ground beneath Harry shook and cracked. He felt the vibrations under him and under the stone like the earth was splitting. He watched in horror as a large bone burst from the earth, hovering over the cauldron and disintegrated into dust, falling softly into the potion. The diamond surface of the water broke and hissed sending sparks in every direction and turning a vivid, poisonous-looking blue.

Selwyn raised his wand now, his voice trembling a little. "Flesh of the servant - w-willingly given, you will revive your master!"

He stretched his right hand out in front of him, gripping his wand tightly and with a quick severing charm, sliced his middle, ring, and pinkie finger cleanly off and Harry watched in horror as they plopped into the potion, blood spurting from his hand like a fountain, pebbling the dirt at his feet. Selwyn let out a small grimace, biting his tongue hard enough to draw blood, but to his credit he did not scream though thick tears rolled down his cheeks. The cauldron bubbled higher and the blue turned a burning red, bright enough to illuminate the entire graveyard through the fog.

Selwyn reached down to grab the blanket from the ground, wrapping it around his hand carefully and not making a sound as Abraxas moved towards Harry. His eyes were shining in glee as he held his wand high.

Harry swallowed back his bile as he watched the man hover near him, pulling a jagged dagger from his back pocket. It had an elaborate emerald and ruby handle and the blade itself seemed to shine in bright silver. Harry couldn't take his eyes off of it. He touched the tip of the blade to the centre of Harry's wrist and conjured a ceramic bowl from a rock.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe," he said loudly.

Harry could do nothing to prevent it, the vines were holding him too tightly into place. The tip of the blade sliced into his wrist and he made a gasping sound through his sewed lips as the blade sliced him cleanly from wrist to elbow. Blood sprayed from his arm as Abraxas hit the artery and Harry tried not to pass out as he watched the bowl fill with his blood.

Abraxas sealed the wound once the bowl was full and Harry blinked in pain, the blood loss making him feel dizzy and disoriented even more than he already was.

Harry watched as Abraxas carefully turned the bowl upside down and his blood trickled out into the cauldron making the liquid turn an instant dazzling white.

Bellatrix took the bowl from Abraxas, painting the remaining blood across her forehead and cheeks in long lines before she licked her fingers. Selwyn stood tall on the other side of her, holding his bleeding hand in the blankets as the three of them stared in awe at the bubbling potion. It was simmering now, sending diamond sparks in all directions.

Harry's heart was pounding like a jackhammer. This was it. Voldemort had found his ritual and now he was going to emerge from this cauldron and kill him. Everything they had learned; everything they had planned with the operation and the hunt had been for naught, he realized.

This was where he was fated to die.

A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron, obliterating everything in Harry's line of vision until all he could see was the dark outline of a tall, skeletally thin man slowly rising from the cauldron. The steam cleared and Harry saw the deathly white skin clinging to his bones, the flat thin and snake-like face, slits for nostrils and those dark livid scarlet gleaming eyes.

Lord Voldemort had risen again.

 **Sirius glanced at his watch and let out a small sigh, sneaking a look over at Remus.**

"I hate not being able to see anything! That French girl emerged from the maze almost half an hour ago!"

Remus nodded. "But three Champions are still in there."

"How hard can it be to get through the bloody maze?"

Zee smiled and kissed his cheek. "We don't know what they are dealing with in there, Sirius. There could be creatures or spells or who knows what is hidden in the depths. Not to mention that it's a maze."

Misha slapped Sirius on the back. "He is strong! He vill come out soon and maybe he vill be victorious, da?"

Sorcha linked her arm with her husband's as she smiled. "Victorious or not, I'm so proud of him!"

MIsha kissed his wife softly. "As am I. Being a champion alone is very worthy."

Remus glanced at his own watch. "It has been quite a while though. Do you think there are many dead-ends in the maze?"

Hagrid, who was sitting two rows behind them, moved to sit with them. "There's a fair few I know that! But findin' it shouldn' be ter hard."

Tonks nodded, her eyes on the large maze before them. "He's been in there for over an hour, but he was in the lake for an hour and twenty-minutes …"

Remus wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek.

The seven of them stared ahead, worry in their eyes as they looked for a sign from the three remaining Champions.

Someone had to be approaching the cup soon.

 **"** **My Lord!" Bellatrix gasped, offering her hand to help him from the cauldron.**

He emerged naked, his hair-less body so deathly white that it seemed to shimmer in purple as if he were bruised all over. He accepted her hand, stepping out onto the grass before he merely held his arms out, held head back as if waiting for her to check him over.

Bellatrix smiled in pleasure as she moved forward. She placed her hands on his face, sliding them down his cheeks, down his neck, over his shoulders and arms. Harry watched in horror as her hands trailed over his hips, over his bum and moved between his legs to touch him before sliding down his thighs and kissing his toes.

"You are perfect, my Lord," she said breathlessly. "Absolutely perfect."

Voldemort crooked a finger at her and she stood up. He gripped her firmly by her neck and squeezed making her eyes bulge in shock. "I do not need your approval, Bella."

She nodded, gasping for breath as he let her go, shoving her to the ground roughly. "Yes, my Lord."

Voldemort made a motion for her to stay on her knees as he began to examine his own body. His hands were like large, pale spiders; his long white fingers caressed his own chest, his arms, his face. He reached down and cupped his groin, fondling for a moment as if checking to make sure that all was there as Bellatrix stared up at him, eagerly licking her lips. He held up his hands and flexed the fingers, his expression rapt and exultant. The large snake slithered around him, hissing and Harry's ears perked at the words spoken in Parseltongue.

"You are alive once more, my Lord. You are whole again. It was successful."

"Yes, it was. Thank you, Nagini; you have been a great help to me and you shall be rewarded."

The snake hissed its pleasure, turning its head to stare at Harry and the moment his eyes met the yellow ones of the snake the sharp pain the look caused had him gasping. Suddenly he was thrown back into memories. Vernon Dursley was locking him in his cupboard; Marge Dursley was beating him with her belt; Sirius was dead; Ginny was lying unconscious on the floor of the Chamber and then just as quickly the visions vanished.

Harry attempted to gasp for breath, breathing heavily through his nose in an attempt not to hyperventilate. It had been here all along, he thought. There was another one. The snake was a Horcrux! He knew it so strongly that it shocked him, but his scar burned in pain and he knew that it was true.

This snake held a piece of Voldemort's soul.

Voldemort ignored Harry and instead turned to look at his three loyal followers, a gleaming smile on his face. "You three have proven yourselves to be more than just loyal, but true friends. Lord Voldemort does not forget that. Abraxas, robe me."

Harry watched as Abraxas waved his wand and Voldemort was suddenly dressed in black trousers, a black shirt, black shoes and a black billowing robe. He smiled down at himself in approval before he held his hand out to where Bellatrix was still kneeling before him.

"Bella, let me see your arm, my dear."

Bellatrix was grinning widely as she stood up, holding her right arm out proudly to display the perfectly inked Dark Mark.

"It is back," he said with a smile, tracing it with his finger. "They will all have noticed it by now so we shall see and … we shall know."

He pressed his long white forefinger to the tattoo on Bellatrix's arm and she moaned in pleasure. The sound made him smile and he cupped her chin, pressing his pasty white thin lips to hers.

"Always a treasure, Bella," he said, pushing her away.

He held his hand out to Abraxas and smiled when the man placed his wand there. His long fingers flexed the handle, running his fingers along it lovingly as if it were a lost limb before he turned to look down at where Harry was still tied to the tombstone, a cruel smile twisting on his snakelike face.

"You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father," he hissed softly. "He was a fool much like your mother, but I suppose that they had their uses in the end. She died to defend you and I killed my father and see how useful he proved to be in his death …"

He began to pace back and forth as Selwyn, Abraxas and Bellatrix stood idle by the cauldron waiting for him to give his next orders.

"My father proved more useful to me in his death than he ever did in his life and now look, my true family returns …"

The air was suddenly full of swishing cloaks. Between graves, behind the yew tree, in every shadowy place, witches and wizards were Apparating. All of them were hooded and wearing arabesque death masks and one by one they moved forward; slowly, cautiously as though they could hardly believe their eyes. Voldemort simply stood in silence, waiting for them. Then one of the Death Eaters fell to his knees and crawled towards Voldemort, kissing his boots.

"Master … master," he murmured, his voice full of terrified awe.

The Death Eaters behind him began to do the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on his knees and kissing his boots and the hems of his robes before backing away and standing up; forming a silent circle enclosing Voldemort and Harry in the centre. Abraxas, Selwyn and Bellatrix all stepped back, hoods up, to take their places in the circle.

"Welcome, Death Eaters," Voldemort's voice echoed quietly through the eerie silence of the graveyard. "It's been thirteen years since we last met and yet you answer my call as if it were yesterday." His thin lips curled into a cruel smile. "But I smell guilt; the stench covers the air."

The circle seemed to shiver around them as though each member longed to step away, but didn't dare to do so.

"I see you all, whole and healthy and I ask myself, why did this band of followers never come to the aid of their master to whom they had sworn eternal loyalty?"

Harry shifted, the pain in his scar had lessened to a slight twinge and he tried to manoeuvre his body to reach the mirror in his pocket. If he could just touch it; if he could just say Sirius' name, he knew that they would find him. The thorns pierced into his skin, but he ignored the pain. It was becoming second nature to him now; something for him to focus on. He wiggled his butt, kicking his legs out a little. No one paid him any attention.

"And I answer myself," Voldemort continued into the darkness. "They must have believed me broken, they thought that I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment … and then I ask myself, but how could they have believed that I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against any mere mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living? And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort …"

Harry wiggled a bit more, tears blinding him as his ankle shifted the wrong way and reminded him that it was broken sending a fiery pain through his body that had him groaning. But he felt the mirror, he felt it shift from his pocket. He just had no idea how he was going to activate it, he thought bitterly.

" … perhaps they now pay allegiance to another; perhaps that Champion of Commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore?"

At the mention of Dumbledore's name, the members of the circle stirred and some muttered and shook their heads. Voldemort ignored them.

"I am deeply disappointed in all of you," he said sadly.

One of the men suddenly flung himself forward, breaking the circle and collapsed at Voldemort's feet. "Master! Master, forgive me, please! Forgive us all for our foolishness!"

Voldemort merely shrieked in cruel laughter before he raised his wand and said, "Crucio!"

The Death Eater on the ground writhed and screamed. His body contorting in ways it shouldn't, his muscles spasming as if he were being electrocuted and Harry closed his eyes to block out the image, but the sounds he could hear seemed to make it worse when he couldn't see it. A gasping sound of relief made Harry open his eyes again as Voldemort spoke.

"Get up, Aurelius," Voldemort said softly. "Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? Your father has shown nothing but loyalty to me over the last year. Abraxas has told me what Titus has done to assist in my return, but you … you didn't even answer your father's call when he summoned you to help. I want thirteen years' repayment before I even think of forgiving _something_ as worthless and pathetic as you, Avery."

Avery whimpered and moved back to his place within the circle, his eyes downcast in shame.

Voldemort turned back towards the circle. "Lucius, my slippery friend. I am told that you have renounced the old ways, but to the world you present a respectable face. Your father says that I can count on you to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture. Abraxas, did you not say that Lucius was proud to lead the exploits at the Quidditch World Cup this summer?"

"I did, my Lord," Abraxas spoke from across the circle. "But I'm afraid that he still needs to learn some discipline as well. He's far too cowardly for my liking."

Voldemort smiled. "And you would ask your master to show it to him?"

Abraxas smiled cruelly. "No one else is more worthy, my Lord. Do what you wish with him."

"My Lord," Lucius said quickly. "I was constantly on the alert, had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me - "

"Really?" Voldemort interrupted. "And yet it was not you who came to find me in Albania, was it? And was it not you who ran from my mark when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer. Yes, I know all about what you've been up to, Lucius, and you have disappointed more than just your father as of late. I expect more faithful service in the future."

"Of course, my Lord," Lucius said reverently. "You are merciful, thank you."

Voldemort simply sneered at him. "But … you do need to earn a little respect as well. Crucio!"

Lucius screamed as he fell to the ground. His head bobbed at an odd angle and his legs twitched madly before Voldemort lifted the spell.

"Do not disappoint me again."

"Thank you, my Lord, thank you!"

Harry was half-listening to the conversation around him and half-trying to pull the mirror up. The thorns tore through his arm as he managed to painfully pull one arm free from the vine. He gripped the mirror tightly in his hand and carefully wrote on the surface in his own blood.

 _Riddle grave_.

He watched the letters shimmer before vanishing and he shoved the mirror back into his pocket. He had no idea if that had reached his father or not, but he had to try. With his mouth sewn shut, there was no way for him to verbally access the mirror. He had never tried to send a message a different way, but the mirror was charmed to communicate and he had to pray that it meant all forms of communication.

He winced when Bellatrix suddenly grabbed his chin. He hadn't been paying attention to her and she had noticed his attempt at getting free. She waved her wand and the vines shot up from the ground wrapping around him like a vice and holding him more securely and tightly into place; thorns piercing into him on all sides. She merely smiled cruelly before moving back to her spot in the circle as Voldemort continued to talk.

"Rodolphus and Rabastan should stand here, but they are still entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me. When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honoured beyond their wildest dreams. Dolohov too will be awarded for his sacrifice along with Rookwood … Abraxas will get the Dementors to join us; we will recall the banished giants and all of my devoted servants shall return to me … an army of creatures whom we all fear."

He walked around the circle, stopping to comment to some, others he passed in cold silence.

"Macnair … destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic now? You shall have better victims soon, I will provide them for you."

"Thank you, Master, thank you," Macnair murmured.

"And here," Voldemort said, moving to the two largest hooded figures. "We have Crabbe, you will do better this time, will you not, Crabbe? And you too, Goyle?"

They bowed clumsily, muttering dully.

"Yes, Master!"

"We will, Master!"

"The same goes for you, Bulstrode and Macklebee."

"Yes, Master," they both declared.

"And you, Nott," Voldemort said quietly as he walked past the stooped figure in Macklebee's shadow. "You've been a great help to me so far, but your past discretions still leave much to be desired."

"My Lord, I prostrate myself before you, I am your most faithful - "

" - That will do," Voldemort said as if he were bored. He stopped again in front of another wizard, smiling. "And Barty … what you did to your father was truly beautiful work. I only wish that I had seen it. It sounds like a true masterpiece."

"Thank you, my Lord," Crouch Jr said brightly. "I learned from the best, Master."

"That you did," he said proudly, squeezing Crouch Jr's shoulder in reassurance. "For those of you who haven't heard, Crouch here tortured and murdered his own father, the infamous pain in our arse, Bartemius Crouch Sr. I believe that I heard you cut off his balls and stuffed them into his mouth?"

Crouch Jr nodded, a bright grin on his face. "He choked on them, my Lord."

Voldemort chuckled as if he had been told a rather amusing story. "Well done, my son. Lord Voldemort is proud of you and you will be rewarded for your loyal service to not only me, but to the world for ridding us of that disease."

He nodded at the wizard standing next to Crouch Jr.

"And you, Fenrir, have you continued to live your savage ways?"

The man stepped forward, falling to his knees before Voldemort and kissing his boots. "Always, my Lord. I live to serve you."

Voldemort moved to the robed figure on the right of Fenrir and reached out his hand. "The lovely and deadly Bellarosa returns to me tonight."

A perfectly manicured hand slipped into Voldemort's as the death mask vanished revealing the most beautiful woman that Harry had ever seen. Beautiful dark curls fell around a face that looked like it had been carved from marble, skin like milk chocolate with dark brown eyes under long lashes.

"I am yours to do with what you wish, my Lord. I am yours to command, ever and always."

He smiled in amusement. "I have heard that you have another new husband ... are they boring you, these men?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes. But something terrible always seems to happen to them."

"How terribly sad," he said with a cruel smile. "If this one gets too boring may I suggest letting Fenrir have him. He does enjoy a good spot of torture now and again or even Macnair?"

Bellarosa smiled coyly. "Of course, my Lord."

Voldemort dropped her hand and moved on to where a large gap stood in the circle. "And here we have six missing Death Eaters … three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return, I shall enjoy killing him. Two who remain my most faithful servants and who are in fact working for me right now. In fact, they are both stationed at Hogwarts awaiting instructions."

The Death Eaters stirred and Harry saw their eyes dart sideways at one another through their masks.

"It was because of Abraxas' efforts that he was able to convince Ludo of the importance of our task and it was because of him that our young friend arrived here tonight … yes," Voldemort said with a grin curling his thin lips and the Death Eaters all looked at where Harry was tied tightly to the tombstone; the thorns from the vines cutting into him from all directions. "Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party. One might go so far as to call him my guest of honour."

There was silence, quiet enough to hear a pin drop on the grass until the Death Eater on the left of Woodrow Selwyn spoke up.

"Master, we crave to know … we beg you to tell us … how you have achieved this … this miracle … how you managed to return to us …"

"Ah, what a story it is, Parkinson," Voldemort said with an air of excitement. "And it begins and ends with the Potter boy."

He walked lazily over to stand next to Harry so that the eyes of the whole circle were upon the two of them. The snake continued to circle the tombstone, its eyes watching Harry as if waiting to pounce.

"You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?" Voldemort said softly, his red eyes upon Harry, whose scar began to burn so fiercely that he wanted to scream in agony. "You all know that on the night that I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in an attempt to save him and unwittingly provided him with a protection that I admit I had not foreseen … I could not touch the boy."

Voldemort raised one of his long white fingers and put it very close to Harry's cheek.

"His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice and this is old magic, I should have remembered it and I was foolish to have overlooked it … it doesn't matter, I can touch him now."

Harry felt the cold tip of the long white finger touch him and he thought his head would burst from the pain of it. The finger traced his scar almost adoringly before moving in silent motion down his cheek, down the side of his neck, over his shoulder. It inched down his chest, over his thighs and stopping on his broken ankle where he suddenly grabbed it and squeezed. Harry groaned in agony as the pain shot up his leg and Voldemort merely laughed softly in his ear before he stood up and continued to address the Death Eaters.

"I miscalculated, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice and it rebounded upon myself. Pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body. I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost … but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know … I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked … for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive and without the means to help myself … for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of wand … I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second to just exist. I settled in a faraway place, in an Albanian forest I had once visited to seek something lost and I waited … surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me; one of them would come and perform the magic that I could not … but I waited in vain."

The shiver ran once more around the circle of listening Death Eaters. Voldemort let the silence spiral horribly before continuing.

"Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me. I sometimes inhabited animals - snakes, of course, being my preference, but I was little better off inside them as pure spirit, for their bodies were ill adapted to perform magic and my possession of them shortened their lives so none of them lasted long. Then four years ago, the means of my return seemed assured! A young, foolish and gullible wizard wandered across my path into the forest … a teacher at Dumbledore's school. He was so easy to bend to my will. He brought me back to this country and after a while, I took possession of his body, to supervise him closely as he carried out my orders. But my plan failed. I did not manage to steal the Philosopher's Stone and I was thwarted again by Harry Potter."

The silence seemed to echo across the graveyard, not even the wind stirred. Harry was breathing loudly through his nose, the only sound heard as he hoped desperately that Sirius had obtained his message and was on his way. If the message didn't go through, he didn't know how he was going to get out of here alive. But the mirror stayed silent in his pocket. He felt no vibrations. No sign of it having activated and his hopes were dashed.

Voldemort continued to talk as the Death Eaters stared at him as if they were enraptured by his speech.

"The servant died when I left his body and I was left as weak as ever. I returned to my hiding place far away, and I will not pretend to you that I didn't then fear that I might never regain my powers … Yes, that was perhaps my darkest hour … I could not hope that I would be sent another wizard to possess … and I had given up hope, now, that any of my Death Eaters even cared as to what had become of me … and then almost two years ago, my wish was granted in the eyes of this beautiful witch."

He waved his wand and the death mask vanished, revealing a regal woman in her mid sixties.

"Isla, my sweet, you found me and you held me in your arms as your husband told you where to bring me. It seems that Abraxas had heard rumours that I was alive, hidden underground in an Albanian forest. He and Isla immediately came to find me. Brax used his skills to break out my faithful Bella from Azkaban and along with Bella, came the snivelling rat of Peter Pettigrew."

Pettigrew whimpered as his mask was removed and he fell to his knees. "I'm here to serve you, my Lord."

"Hmm," Voldemort said. "You have consistently failed me, Wormtail, and now you snivel before me like the rat that you are." He turned back to the circle. "But Pettigrew did help. He and Bella found the pureblood child that nourished and housed me in the Selwyn Manor in Croatia for over a year so that I could build up my strength; so that I could return to you all, regenerated, renewed and restored. And then … Woodrow and Thaddeus brought me Bertha Jorkins."

Selwyn bowed so low that his nose touched the ground. "It was our honour, Master."

Voldemort sneered. "They merely wanted to fuck her, make her bleed a little, but she proved to be invaluable in ways that they never imagined. She told me that the Triwizard Tournament would be played at Hogwarts this year. She told me that she knew of a faithful Death Eater who would be only too willing to help me, if I could only contact him. Imagine my surprise to learn that my beloved Barty was in fact alive and well, but being kept a prisoner in his own home. She told me many things, including how to use the one who helped orchestrate this whole event into motion. The Memory Charm upon her was quite powerful, but I broke through it and her mind and body were both damaged beyond repair. Her body maybe a bit more than was necessary, but we all know how much Wood and Thad like to play with my pets," he said, smiling cruelly. "But she had served her purpose so I disposed of her and worked with my loyal followers to help concoct this potion of my own invention."

He moved back to gesture to the large cauldron which was still steaming behind him.

"With a little help from Nagini," he continued. "The potion was concocted from unicorn blood and snake venom while I waited for the right opportunity to snag my essential ingredients. The child's body I possessed abled me to once more be in human form and strong enough to travel until the time was right for my rebirth. I knew I would settle once more for my old body and my old strength and I knew that to achieve this, I would need three powerful ingredients … Selwyn bravely provided me with his flesh. My father's bone meant that we would naturally have to come here, to the graveyard where he is buried. But the blood of a foe … Woodrow wanted me to use any witch or wizard who hated me, but I knew that if I wanted to truly rise again, more powerful than ever, it had to be the one who stripped me of my power thirteen years ago. I wanted Harry Potter's blood; for the lingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins too."

The Death Eaters seemed to be waiting with baited breath.

"But how to get to Harry Potter? For he has been better protected than I think even he knows; protected by his blood traitor godfather and that half-breed Mudblood loving wolf with charms and protections keeping him well hidden; with his mother's protection blended into the charms … making it impossible for me to ever find him, let alone touch him … Then, of course, there was the Quidditch World Cup, but I was not strong enough to attempt a kidnap in the midst of a horde of Ministry wizards nor foolish enough to send another in my place and then the boy returned to Hogwarts where he is under the protection of that crooked nose Muggle-loving fool from morning until night. So how could I take him? Why, by using Bertha Jorkins' information of course."

He smiled cruelly, his eyes roaming around the circle.

"Ludo ensured that the boy's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire; to ensure the boy won the tournament; that he would touch the Triwizard Cup first which would be a portkey to bring him here, beyond the reach of Dumbledore's help and protection and into my waiting arms. A little fear and a loyal servant is born to me. And here he is … the boy you all believed had been my downfall."

Voldemort moved slowly forward, turning to face Harry and his eyes gleamed in pleasure as he raised his wand said, "Crucio!"

It was pain beyond anything that Harry had ever experienced. His very bones were on fire, shaking as if he were being shocked and burned alive from the inside. His head was splitting and his eyes were rolling madly and he wanted nothing more than for it to end.

And then it was gone.

He was hanging limply in the vines that bound him to the headstone, looking up into those bright red eyes as the Death Eaters laughed around him.

"You see how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could ever have been stronger than me," Voldemort said loudly. "But I want there to be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by a lucky chance and I am now going to prove my power by killing him, here and now, in front of you all, where there is no Dumbledore to help him and no mother to die for him and no half-breeds and blood traitors for him to hide behind. I will give him his fair chance. He will be allowed to fight, and you all will be left in no doubt which of us is the stronger wizard. Just a little longer, Nagini," he whispered and the snake glided away through the grass to where the Death Eaters stood watching.

"Bella, untie him and give him back his wand."

 **Sirius checked his watch again and blew out a long breath. "It's been well over an hour now! We're going on two!"**

Remus frowned as he saw Dumbledore move from his position in the maze to say something to Madame Maxime and he squinted. "Karkaroff's run off."

"What?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"Dumbledore, he just said that he's run off. Something spooked him."

"Well, it was mentioned that he wasn't exactly taking his sore arm well," Sirius said carefully, grateful as always for his friend's wolf-hearing.

Remus nodded. "But to desert his champion while he's still in the maze?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, Moony." He glanced uneasily at Zee. "It's been a really long time and three of the four champions are still in there."

Zee squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek.

Sirius held her hand tightly, his eyes on the maze. Karkaroff choosing this moment to run off was rather suspicious he thought. His eyes met Snape's and he stood up. "I'll be right back."

He moved down the stands and grabbed a cup of water as Snape sat next to him. "My mark is back."

Sirius' eyes widened. "What?"

"Just now. It flickered and it's fully tattooed, no scarring. I bet that's what spooked Karkaroff."

Sirius stared at him. "So he's … how? I thought that he needed Harry?"

"Wanted Potter, yes, but didn't necessarily need him," Snape said carefully. "Bagman and Jameson are still patrolling the maze at the back. I'm going to go offer a hand, see if we can figure out where the champions are stuck in the maze."

Sirius nodded as he watched Snape hurry off, his stomach churning.

He was in the maze, he thought, the panic rising.

He was in the maze.

He was safe.

He was in the maze.

But the words didn't reassure him.

 **Bellatrix skipped towards Harry, smiling gleefully.** Harry tried to climb to his feet, but his ankle would barely support him as Bellatrix flicked her wand and the vines broke free of him, loud suctioning sounds echoing in the silence as a hundred thorns popped out of his skin. She waved her wand and the stitches across his mouth flicked open and he gasped desperately for breath, the thin silk still threaded through his lips.

Harry placed one hand back against the tombstone as Bellatrix handed him his wand and he contemplated making a run for it. His one hand was holding his mirror in his pocket desperately wondering if he dared try to call for help as his ankle shook violently under his weight. The Death Eaters closed ranks and formed a tight close-knit circle around him and Voldemort, removing all of the gaps from the missing Death Eaters.

"You have been taught how to duel, Harry Potter?" Voldemort said softly, his red eyes glinting through the darkness.

Harry nodded sharply, his heart pounding in his chest as a memory shot across his brain so strongly that he almost gasped in surprise.

 _"_ _Don't die, okay?"_

 _"_ _I'll try not to. Same for you, okay?"_

 _Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "I'll try not to too."_

 _Sirius smiled and leaned in to kiss his son's forehead. "I love you, Harry."_

The memory brought tears to his eyes and he furiously blinked them back. He did know how to duel, but how could he be expected to duel the darkest wizard who had ever lived when he had thirty Death Eaters at his back and he was up against the impossible, the Avada Kedavra Curse. There was no known spell to counteract it. Moody had told him. How could he defend himself?

"We bow to each other, Harry," Voldemort said, bending a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned to Harry. "Come, the niceties must be observed. Show us your manners … bow to death, Harry."

The Death Eaters were laughing again. Voldemort's mouth was smiling. Harry did not bow. He was not going to let Voldemort play with him before killing him. He would not give him that satisfaction.

"I said, bow," Voldemort demanded, raising his wand and Harry literally felt his spine curve as if a huge invisible hand were bending him ruthlessly forward and the Death Eaters laughed harder. "Very good," Voldemort said softly, raising his wand again so that the pressure bearing down on Harry lifted. "And now you face me, like a man … straight-back and proud, the way your father died … and now, we duel."

Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus Curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming that he no longer knew where he was. White-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was ready to explode and he knew that he was screaming.

And then it stopped.

Harry rolled over and scrambled to his feet. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably. He staggered sideways into the wall of watching Death Eaters, one of them grabbed him and he heard a whisper.

"They know."

And then he was pushed back towards Voldemort.

"A little break," Voldemort said, the slit-like nostrils dilating with excitement. "A little pause … that hurt, didn't it, Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

But Harry wasn't listening.

He was focusing on the words that Lucius Malfoy had just whispered in his ear. They knew what, where he was? Did that mean that they were coming for him? His heart soared with happiness at the thought. He wasn't going to die, he thought. Not today.

"I asked you whether you want me to do that again," Voldemort demanded. "Answer me, you insolent twat! Imperio!"

The sensation of the curse hitting him made his mind go completely blank and it was such a nice feeling as a voice urged him to say no.

 _I will not_ , a stronger voice in the back of his head demanded, _I will not answer him._

Just answer no.

 _I won't do it, I won't say it._

Just answer no.

 _I won't,_ he thought and suddenly he felt the dream-like-state lift at the same moment that he raised his wand and thought of his family coming for him and shouted, "Expecto Patronum Familia!"

Three huge solid animals burst from his wand and circled him making Voldemort's eyes widen in surprise before he masked it.

"Crucio!"

The curse ripped into Harry and he screamed, but the stag charged, antlers drawn and knocked Voldemort off of his feet making the Death Eaters gasp in shock. When Voldemort fell, the curse lifted and Harry was breathing heavy, trying to catch his breath as he scrambled to his feet, his leg trembling badly under his weight. He flipped his wand and the wolf and dog charged at Voldemort. The power of it barrelled through him as they charged over and over and over until Voldemort sent a shield charm up so powerful that all three animals disintegrated.

He smirked. "Parlour tricks, that's what you have for me, boy? Crucio!"

With the reflexes born of his Quidditch training, Harry flung himself sideways onto the ground; he rolled behind the marble headstone of Voldemort's father, his ankle screaming and he heard it crack as the curse missed him.

"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Harry," Voldemort's soft, cold voice said he moved closer and the Death Eaters laughed again. "You cannot hide from me. Does this mean that you are tired of our duel? Does this mean that you would prefer me to finish it now, Harry? Come out, Harry … come out and play, then … it will be quick … it might even be painless … I would not know … I have never died …"

Harry knelt behind the headstone and he knew that this was it. He had fought as hard as he could and when he stepped out from behind that tombstone, he was going to die. He tried to think of how to escape; of how to get past the thirty Death Eaters and Voldemort, but his mind went carefully blank.

"Harry … be a man, come out and face me like your father did …"

His father, he thought and then it came to him.

They had the same wand cores. Remus had told him that if push came to shove, their wands wouldn't work against the other. He didn't have to use some incredible powerful spell, he just had to distract him. Priori Incantatem, he thought. He just had to distract him long enough to get away.

He didn't know if it would work. But he had to try, he thought desperately. He couldn't die here. Not today.

Harry took a slow breath and stepped around the tombstone, shouting "Expelliarmus!"

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort cried out at the same time.

A jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as the red light blasted from Harry's, but instead of the spells hitting their targets, they met in midair and Harry's wand was suddenly vibrating as through an electric charge was surging through it. His hand seized around it and he couldn't have released it if he wanted to as a narrow beam of light connected the two wands in bright deep gold.

And then Harry felt his feet lift from the ground and he and Voldemort were both being raised into the air, their wands still connected by that thread of shimmering golden light. The Death Eaters were shouting, asking Voldemort for instructions and the snake slithering at their heels.

The golden thread connecting Harry and Voldemort splintered, but the wand stayed connected and a thousand more beams arched high over Harry and Voldemort, criss-crossing all around them until they were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, a cage of light, beyond which the Death Eaters cries were now muffled.

"Do nothing!" Voldemort shouted and Harry saw his red eyes were wide in astonishment and he knew that Voldemort didn't know what was happening. "Do nothing unless I command you!"

Harry grinned widely, feeling confident for the first time since he had arrived in the graveyard and he concentrated with all his might on the gold thread as an unearthly beautiful sound filled the air as if the light-spun web was singing a song of hope; a phoenix song and his confidence soared. He held tighter to the wand as it began to vibrate more powerfully and large beads of light began sliding up and down the thread and he focused with all of his might on sending those beams towards Voldemort. He concentrated every last particle of his mind on forcing that bead towards Voldemort and when he succeeded, his wand became easier to hold.

He watched the beads fly across the light and into Voldemort's wand. Just a little further, he thought, just a little further and than he could make his escape.

But something stopped him.

He watched in horrid fascination as a ghostly figure of a man slid out of the wand.

"So he is a wizard, how 'bout that?" He asked in astonishment as Voldemort stared at him in shock.

A woman came out of the wand next and then another man and suddenly Harry's stomach clenched. He suddenly knew who was coming out next and he watched in amazement as the ghostly apparition of Lily Potter came out of the wand.

"Mum?" He asked in astonishment, his eyes wide.

"Harry," she said, her voice like music to his ears. "My handsome boy. You're so brave, baby; hold on, just hold on a moment longer, okay? Dad's coming."

James Potter came out of the wand then, grabbing his wife's hand. "Hi Harry. Hold tight okay, just a bit longer."

"Dad?"

"Used to be Dada, but I'll take Dad," he said with a smile.

More figures began to emerge from Voldemort's wand. It was vibrating so hard now that Voldemort had to use both hands to keep it steady. But Harry's eyes were on his parents, tears in his eyes.

James grinned widely at him. "I know that you're scared, Harry; anyone would be. But you've been incredibly brave tonight; braver than anyone your age should ever have to be. We love you so much and we're watching over you. But you know what you have to do now."

Lily smiled. "I promise that you can do it, baby. Misha told you that it was possible and I know that you're scared, but you can do it. Go to him. We'll only stay for a few seconds longer once you let go."

Harry nodded, his eyes wide and blurred with tears.

"Harry, tell them that it's about time that they found strong women to keep them in line," James said with a smile.

"Tell them we approve and that we love them. When we tell you, baby, let go. We love you."

Harry nodded, his vision blurred.

"Now!" James exclaimed.

Harry nodded and let his wand drop, transforming into his Animagus as the figures moved in around Voldemort. His wand hit the ground and he rolled, his sharp teeth tearing through the ankle of the Death Eater who attempted to grab his wand as the man howled.

He scooped his wand between his bloody teeth, stumbling over his broken ankle and thought _Sirius_ as hard as he could and he Disapparated with a loud crack just as he heard Voldemort scream.

"NO!"

And then Harry crashed headfirst into a concrete wall.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _I know, I know, I suck, another cliffhanger._

 _From this point forward in the story, I am steering further and further away from canon. Some things may of course still play out, but with the Horcrux Hunt and with the changes I have made, I just wanted to give people that head's up._

 _Thank you as always!_


	178. Chapter 178

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to all for your patience - I know I spoiled you with my 2 updates a week. I will hopefully get back to that but for now, it will be once a week posted on either Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday depending on my week. Thank you again!_

 _At this point in the story, I am steering further and further away from canon. Some things may of course still play out, but with the Horcrux Hunt and with the changes I have made, I just wanted to give people that head's up. Thank you as always!_

 _To answer some reviews: Sorry to disappoint, but yes, Viktor and Cedric are both dead. I am glad that I surprised most of you with Bagman being the big bad though some of you did guess! I know it was a while ago, but back when Harry was in Georgia in chapter 152, Misha was showing him that he could learn how to do wandless magic while in his Animagus form and he managed to light his wand from ten feet away. Misha went on to explain to him that some witches and wizards had even managed Apparition in their Animagus forms. Harry heard the Phoenix song in Goblet of Fire, I assume Voldemort heard the same, but doesn't associate it with goodness and Dumbledore the way that Harry does (but JKR never said if Voldemort heard the song as well). To Clupeidae, puns are ALWAYS appreciated. Keep them coming LOL. I wanted Harry to be smarter and to have prior knowledge. He didn't know 100% that the wands would react like that, if he or Voldemort had been a second off on their casting, he could have died, but it was the only option he had left so he took it. He needed the distraction._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the little bit of Dumbledore's speech from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I do not own the lyrics to the song at the end, those belong to Iain Camshroin, but I love the cover of this song sung by the Rankin Family._

 _Thanks as always for the wonderful comments and reviews!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT:**

 **At least that's what it felt like.**

Upon landing he had changed from dog to man and his head was splitting as he made to stand, falling forward as he stumbled. He realized that his head splitting was mostly due to the fact that his nose was broken and bleeding profusely. His whole body was trembling in pain as if he had broken every bone in his body just as hands grabbed him tightly and he was suddenly wrapped up in strong arms that smelt like leather, wood and forest. His face was crushed against the strong chest and the familiar arms and scents alerted him immediately and he began to shake as he fought the urge to cry.

"Uncle Siri!"

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "Shh, I got you, baby, I got you!"

"He's back! He's back!"

"Shh," Sirius whispered, kissing the top of his head. "I got you, baby. You're safe now, you're safe."

Harry clung to Sirius, trying not to hyperventilate. He heard Remus say something about the wards, but he didn't know what that meant. He was holding onto Sirius, clinging like a steel vice.

Lord Voldemort was back.

He had returned and he had seen it. He had seen his followers. He knew who they were by name.

He shuddered as Sirius' hands ran up and down his back soothingly. And then he remembered; someone had brought him to that graveyard.

"Uncle Siri, Uncle Siri, its Bagman! He's a spy! Bagman is the spy! He said it! He said that Abraxas convinced Bagman and he submitted my name and turned the cup into a portkey! The Triwizard Cup was a portkey and it took me and Cedric to a graveyard with Voldemort!"

Harry's green eyes were wide with panic as he stared at his godfather, gushing to get the words out as fast as he could.

Sirius nodded at him, cupping his face in his hands. "We'll find him, Prongslet," he assured him, pulling him back into his embrace as Harry's hands fisted in the back of his shirt.

"Sirius, did Harry just say that the cup took him to a graveyard with Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked sharply from behind them.

Sirius nodded sharply. "He's back, Albus."

Dumbledore said something to McGonagall before he moved away for a moment.

"Sirius, he's bleeding everywhere," Zee said, her voice slightly panicked. "We need to get Poppy to look at him."

Harry ignored her and burrowed his face closer to Sirius' chest to block out his surroundings. His whole body hurt. He felt like he'd been run over by something. His bones were burning and aching in ways that he had never imagined possible. His head was pounding and his scar felt like it was on fire. He could feel the blood still oozing slowly from his cuts. His lips burned and he could taste the silk that was still threaded through them. His face was on fire. He burrowed closer, clinging tighter to Sirius and ignoring the pain in his body.

"Harry! Harry! Prongslet, where are you hurt?" Sirius demanded, his eyes moving over as much of his son as he could see. He attempted to lift Harry's head to look into his eyes and Harry pushed his face further into Sirius' chest and clenched his fists tightly into Sirius' shirt again. Sirius' gaze met Remus' and he nodded.

Remus stood up to go, but Harry's hand snaked out and gripped his wrist tightly, head turning to stare at Remus desperately. "Don't go!"

Remus leaned in close to Sirius and pressed his lips to Harry's head. "Siri will be here, little Prongs. I'll be right back. I promise."

Harry only nodded, but he didn't let go of Remus' hand and he clung tighter to Sirius, his eyes still wide and panicked.

Tonks touched her mate's arm. "I'll go. Stay with him."

Remus nodded as Tonks hurried off to look for Bagman.

Zee hurried over to get Madam Pomfrey, returning a moment later. She reached out and was stroking his hair as Sirius half carried him from the pitch and towards the castle, his arm around his son's waist and Harry's across his shoulders. McGonagall whistled for Nyx and pointed at them and the large tiger stood up and stretched before following them, her eyes searching. It was only once Sirius had sat Harry on the sofa in Remus' suite did he start shaking.

Zee wrapped her arm around him as Sirius moved in from the other side. Remus knelt in front of him, holding his hands tightly as Nyx stretched out in front of the door as if she was keeping guard.

"Harry, what happened?" Remus asked gently, his gaze staring intently into his son's face.

"He's back," he whispered, his wide eyes staring intently into Remus' gold ones. "He used my blood." He held up his blood soaked arm and Zee made a strangled sound at the sight of it.

Remus cupped Harry's face with one hand, still holding Harry's other hand tightly. "You're safe here, Harry. It's okay. Madam Pomfrey is on her way up to check you over. You're safe."

Not two minutes later the school matron burst through the door with some supplies and shooed Remus and Zee away, but Harry wouldn't let go of Remus' hands. She made to protest, but one look into his terrified eyes and she nodded sharply.

"Broken ankle," she said. "It's fairly clean, but broken in two places. Broken nose. Possibly broken or at least fractured ribs. Broken cheek bones. Massive blood loss. Stings. Cuts. This was badly healed whoever sliced your arm."

"Malfoy," he whispered. "Abraxas Malfoy."

Sirius nodded, his eyes dark as he watched Madam Pomfrey carefully un-sew his lips, tugging out the silk thread as Harry winced slightly. She forced a blood replenishing potion on him followed by a pain potion, a healing potion and a calming draught. He drank them all, still holding onto Remus with Sirius' arm wrapped around him. She told him that she needed to heal the broken bones and fractures, but due to the large amount of them she wanted the potions to kick in first before administering a mixture of Skele-Gro and Skele-Heal to help heal his broken and fractured bones. He only nodded, green eyes still wide in panicked shock.

It was only once the matron backed away did Remus lean in and kiss Harry's forehead tenderly.

"Harry, can you tell us what happened?"

Harry stared at Remus. He had stopped shaking and when Sirius leaned in and rested his cheek against his uninjured one, he let out a slow breath, feeling calmer.

"He's back. Voldemort's back."

 **Bagman looked up at the sound of the wards breaking, his eyes wide.** He hurried around the side of the maze in time to see Harry Potter collapse in front of Sirius Black, bleeding and panic filled. He felt his own blood drain from his body.

How the hell had the boy escaped?

He gulped slowly and hurried around the edge of the maze, heading towards the Forbidden Forest. He walked quickly, slipping into the trees and glancing behind him, but no one seemed to have noticed his absence. It took him ten minutes, but he made it to the bridge leading to Hogsmeade. He took one final look behind him, saw no one in sight, and Disapparated on the spot.

He went to his flat straight away, throwing things together quickly. He had to get out of the country as quickly as possible. He thought about his ex-wife and his daughter and he cursed himself.

How had he let himself be so stupid?

Bagman grabbed his bag and his wand and headed straight to his ex-wife's home. He banged his fist on the door and paled when Macnair opened the front door.

"Why hello, Ludo! It seems Brax was correct in assuming that you'd run straight here to the home of Constance Thompson-Bagman."

Bagman swallowed slowly as he stepped into the house. "I did everything that was asked of me! You can't hurt them!"

The front door closed behind him as Macnair merely nodded towards the living room. Bagman moved inside and his eyes widened when he saw his ex-wife tied to the chair and his daughter tied up next to her, both with tears in their eyes.

"On your knees, Ludo."

Bagman trembled as he knelt in front of his ex-wife and daughter. "I'm sorry, Connie. I owe Malfoy more money than I even know! I lost at the World Cup. Twenty thousand Galleons."

Constance Bagman's eyes narrowed as Macnair removed her gag. "Twenty thousand … Ludo … you said that you'd stop! You promised me and Cordie that you would get help! You lost all of our savings! If I hadn't left you, if I hadn't … we almost lost this house! If my father hadn't chipped in to help me we would have! And now you dared to get into bed with a Malfoy?"

Bagman bowed his head in shame. "I thought that I could win it back! I was confident that Krum would pull through and he did catch the Snitch, it was glorious, but Ireland won and … I lost everything."

Macnair snickered, moving behind Constance and touching her hair. "She's a beauty, Ludo. You lost her because of your stupidity. And Cordie, is it?" He asked, moving to touch the little girl's golden hair. "Bet she would have been a beauty when she grew up too."

He waved his wand and the ropes tying Bagman's daughter to the chair vanished and she immediately ran to her father, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Daddy! Daddy, he hurt me! He hit Mummy and then he hit me!"

Bagman held his daughter tightly and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I love you."

Macnair sneered at him and held up his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

The little girl collapsed to the ground, eyes open wide and lifeless and Bagman began to sob as the woman screamed.

"No! Not Cordelia! No!"

Macnair backhanded her and petrified Bagman. "That was mercy. She was merely collateral damage."

Constance Bagman glared at him. "How dare you! How dare you call my daughter collateral damage!"

Macnair smirked and stroked her hair again. "Trust me, love, you'll be thankful that she's not around to see what I'm going to do to her Mummy while her Daddy watches."

She paled as Macnair reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver snake figure and glanced up at the clock.

"We're right on time as well. Never doubt Abraxas Malfoy, he always knows exactly who he is dealing with." He grinned down at Bagman. "After you watch what I do to your lovely Connie, Ludo, the Dark Lord wants to have a private word with you. So does Brax."

He held onto both of them, tucking the statue into his waistband and counted down from ten as the statue worked as a portkey and the three of them disappeared in a flash leaving nothing behind but the dead body of the child staring lifeless at the ceiling.

 **Tonks moved around the maze meeting Misha as she came around. "No sign of him?"**

Misha shook his head. "I found tracks heading towards the Forbidden Forest. It looks like he made a run for it. I know I do not have authority here, but I vould be villing to follow the lead if you'd like?"

Tonks nodded, her eyes searching the forest behind him. "I would like, thank you. I'm officially deputizing you, Misha. I appreciate the help. I'm going to head into the maze."

Misha nodded and hurried off along the edge of the forest as Tonks headed into the maze. The hedges rustled as she moved along cautiously and when she saw the giant python resting ahead of her she gasped and petrified the snake. The python's yellow eyes glared at her and she knew before she had even taken one step towards it that the spell wasn't going to hold. The snake was too powerful. She sent a stunning spell at it and when that did nothing, but make the snake angry she used a reducto curse and the large python disintegrated before her.

Tonks let out a slow breath of relief and headed deeper into the maze. It took her almost ten minutes to find the Triwizard Cup stand. All of the other obstacles had been taken care of by the champions, much to her relief, and when she saw the glow of the cup up ahead she picked up the pace and hurried forward.

The two dead bodies lying next to it made her heart clench. Diggory's hands were still touching the cup and Krum lay next to him, his wand broken in half as if someone had crushed it with their boot. Both were staring straight ahead, eyes wide in horror and she swore angrily.

This was needless death.

Two young men on the verge of greatness and their lives had been coldly snuffed out as if they had meant nothing to the world. She sent up red sparks from where she stood and only had to wait a moment before Snape moved into her light. His eyes moved coldly over the bodies of Diggory and Krum, but they showed no emotion.

"No sign of Bagman then?"

Tonks shook her head. "He rabbited. I have an Auror trying to track him down."

Snape shook his head. "It's no use. The moment Potter left the graveyard someone would have been sent after him. My guess is that he's already dead or he'll soon wish to be."

"Well, until I know otherwise, we're tracking him down," Tonks said hotly. She sent her Patronus out with a message to Kingsley and closed her eyes as the wolf took off through the hedge. "What's happening out there?"

"Black and Lupin took Potter up to the castle with Black's girlfriend. Pomfrey was getting supplies and then checking him over. Dumbledore's announced that the task has been cancelled and is trying to get the students back up to the castle."

"The Krums and the Diggorys are both in the stands tonight," Tonks said softly.

Snape nodded. "We'll levitate the bodies to the edge of the maze, but we'll keep them hidden until the families can be properly informed."

Tonks nodded her agreement and the two of them did just that before emerging from the maze at the front where Jameson and Fudge were talking with Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"You can't just cancel the Third Task, Albus!" Fudge exclaimed boisterously. "There are people here to watch this unfold! I want a damn explanation!"

"And I've given you one, Cornelius," Dumbledore declared sharply.

Fudge merely shook his head, his eyes livid. "He is _not_ back!"

Tonks stepped up next to the Minister. "Snape and I just found two dead champions in the maze, Bagman's missing, and Harry Potter showed up badly injured, bleeding profusely and claiming otherwise. Do you have a better explanation, Minister?"

Fudge paled and shook his head. "He is _not_ back!"

McGonagall glared at him. "Pull your head out of your arse, Cornelius! The evidence clearly states that he is! We need to get on top of this as quickly as possible! You need to check on Azkaban and make sure that the Dementors are removed from the prison and Aurors need to be sent to stand guard. He's going to want his followers back straight away!"

Fudge shook his head. "I'm telling you, _he is not back!_ "

Minister Oblansk approached carefully, his eyes guarded. "Is vere someving I can do to assist here?"

Tonks smiled at him. "Yes, thank you, Minister. We have a terrible tragedy that has occurred in the maze."

Oblansk raised an eyebrow. "Da?"

"Viktor Krum and Cedric Diggory are both dead."

Oblansk nodded, his face pale. "How?"

"We don't know the specifics yet, but we do know that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned."

"He - is - not - back!" Fudge declared adamantly, the vein in his forehead practically jumping off his head.

Oblansk turned to look at him. "Vhy deny vat is happening? It only makes you foolish man. Va signs have been here for months. Ve've seen them in my country. You know for sure?"

Tonks nodded. "Harry Potter was a witness. He escaped."

"Why should I believe the words of a fourteen-year-old-boy?" Fudge demanded angrily.

Tonks glared at him. "Are you calling him a liar? Harry is my family and I can promise you, Minister Fudge, he does not lie! If he says that You Know Who is back than it must be so!"

"You are out of line, Auror Tonks!" Fudge exclaimed, his eyes flashing.

"No, she's being honest," McGonagall said hotly. "Why would we lie about such a thing, Minister? We would not say it if it wasn't true! Do you think that we want it to be true? Do you think that we want to create some sort of panic? I remember the war and who we lost and I have no desire to become caught up in another one!"

Oblansk's eyes darkened as he nodded. "I vill alert my ministry immediately. Let me know vat you vould like for us to do. Anyvay ve can help you, ve vill."

"Us too," President Richelieu said from behind him, glaring suspiciously at Fudge. "I remember 'ow bad it was before and we will not let 'im return to full power again. Le Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France will 'elp in any way possible."

Tonks smiled gratefully at them as Fudge continued to bluster. "Thank you both. Having both the French and the Bulgarian Ministries on our side will be a great asset. Minister Fudge, perhaps you could check on the Dementors now?"

Fudge's mouth opened and closed like a codfish before he finally caught himself as Kingsley Shacklebolt approached them.

"Auror Tonks, I received your message. What is going on here?"

"Sir, I deputized Special Auror Misha Zacarias from the Magical Bureau of Russia. He's the Head of the Russian Auror Department there. He's currently chasing the tracks of Ludo Bagman."

"Ludo Bagman?" Kingsley asked in surprised.

"It looks like he was the one behind entering Potter into the Triwizard Tournament," she began, quickly explaining how Harry had returned claiming Voldemort's resurrection; how Bagman had been working for the dark wizard; and the two dead champions in the maze who had presumably been killed by Bagman.

Kingsley nodded solemnly. "Excellent work, Tonks."

He turned to Fudge. "I'll send a few of my Aurors to Azkaban immediately with your permission, Minister?"

Fudge continued to stare at them, his eyes wide. "He cannot be back!"

Dumbledore, who had been coordinating with McGonagall and Flitwick on the side to fix the broken wards, turned to stare at Fudge as if he was an impertinent child throwing a tantrum. "I do not have the details yet, Cornelius, but what I do know is that when Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort. He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth."

Fudge stared at Dumbledore for a long moment. "You are honestly willing to take Potter's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?"

"Certainly I am," he answered calmly. "He has no reason to lie as Auror Tonks and Professor McGonagall have just informed you. I will go speak to him once I have finished dealing with this situation, but two champions are dead, Cornelius, Bagman seemingly the culprit, and Harry shows up gravely injured and terrified and you would think that he has what, made it all up? Whatever for?"

Fudge swallowed slowly. "But he can't be back, Albus, he … _can't be back,_ " he said desperately.

"Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore repeated. "If you accept that fact straightaway than the necessary measures must be taken. We may still be able to save the situation. Minister Oblansk and President Richelieu have already offered their support. The first and most essential step as Minerva has already said is to remove Azkaban from the control of the Dementors - "

" - Albus, I'd be kicked out of office for even suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know that the Dementors are standing guard at Azkaban!"

"The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant that he asks them!" Dumbledore declared. "They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the Dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard-pressed to stop him from regaining the sort of power that he had thirteen years ago!"

Fudge was opening and closing his mouth as though no words could express his outrage.

"The second step you must take - _and at once_ ," Dumbledore pressed on. "Is to send envoys to the giants."

"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again. "What madness is this?"

"Extend them the hand of friendship now, before it is too late," Dumbledore advised cautiously. "Or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedoms!"

"You - you cannot be serious!" Fudge gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from Dumbledore. "If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants - people hate them, Dumbledore! It would be the end of my career!"

"You are blinded," Dumbledore said, his voice rising now, the aura of power around him palpable, his eyes blazing once more. "Blinded by the love of the office that you hold, Cornelius! I tell you now - take the steps that I have suggested and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic that we have ever known. Fail to act however, and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world that we have tried to rebuild!"

"Insane," Fudge whispered, still backing away. "Mad!"

Oblansk put a hand on Fudge's shoulder. "But true. Ve must all vork together now if ve vant to stop this. Simone and I vill vork vith our own ministries; reach out to our own Aurors. Ve vill make a stand together."

Fudge only stared at the Bulgarian Minister. "He can't be back. He just can't be …"

Jameson, who had been staring eyes wide between them, finally spoke up. "Fudge, we have to stick together in this. Chavdar is correct and I am grateful that the Bulgarian and French Ministries are willing to assist us in any way that they can. We have to keep the Ministry strong for the public. Dumbledore is right, anyway that we can prepare for this, we have to take the steps in doing so and immediately."

Snape strode forward at that moment, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes and stuck his forearm in front of Fudge who recoiled at the tattoo there.

"There," Snape said harshly. "The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was half an hour ago, when it burned black and inked over, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the mark burn. We both knew that he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."

Fudge only stared at him, his eyes moving to Kingsley. "It's preposterous!"

Kingsley stared at him. "I'm sending Aurors to remove the control of the Dementors from Azkaban, Minister."

Fudge only nodded and fumbled in his pockets for a moment, pulling out a large bag of gold and pushing it at Dumbledore. "I guess this belongs to Potter."

Jameson nodded. "He did get to the cup, did he not?"

Fudge grumbled something under his breath. "Take Potter's winnings."

As Dumbledore accepted the bag of coin, Fudge turned and headed off towards the castle, clutching his lime green bowler hat in his hands and seemingly muttering to himself. Jameson hurried after him, her eyes wide.

Tonks only shook her head. "I still don't think that he believed us."

Dumbledore shook his head. "We shall see. Kingsley, please go ahead with the Dementors, anything that you can do to help."

Kingsley looked hesitant, his eyes on the retreating back of the Minister before he nodded and headed towards the castle.

"Filius has most of the wards back in place already," McGonagall said carefully. "Have you spoken to Harry?"

"Not yet," Dumbledore said carefully. "Sirius, Remus and Zee took him to up Remus' suite. Madam Pomfrey went to tend to him. We need to tread cautiously with this."

Tonks nodded as the Diggorys and the Krums waited with the Delacours on the edge of the stands. "Someone needs to tell them the news. They are looking for their sons."

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes sad. "Yes, someone does."

He took a slow breath before he began to march purposely towards them and Tonks watched as the two families worlds fell apart.

 **Hermione had been sitting with Viktor's family in the stands with Bill, Ginny, Ron, Neville, Luna, Fred and George.** She'd been holding hands with Desislava, Viktor's nine-year-old-sister as they watched anxiously. They could see the maze moving and occasionally there was a spark of light indicating that a spell had been used, but mostly they were kept in the dark.

It had been almost two hours and yet only Fleur had emerged from the maze and was sitting between her parents, holding her little sister's hand. Something had to be happening in there, she thought. It didn't make sense for it to be taking so long.

She had barely formed a thought on it when the whole pitch seemed to tremble. At first she thought that it was an earthquake, which was ridiculous because earthquakes just quite simply didn't happen in Scotland. The rumbling quaked the pitch and suddenly there was a flash of light as if a cosmic explosion was happening overhead. People gasped in surprise. Fred and George stared up at the sky, eyes wide.

"The wards have been broken," Bill exclaimed in astonishment.

"But that's impossible," Hermione said. "It's impossible to Apparate onto Hogwarts grounds!"

"Yet someone has," Bill said carefully.

Hermione glanced at him in surprise as she saw Harry throw himself into Sirius' arms and her heart stopped.

"Something's wrong."

Ginny nodded, standing up as well, her eyes wide. "Harry!"

Ron, Neville and Luna followed them as they ran down the stands towards Harry and Sirius.

Ginny grabbed her brother's arm when she heard Harry speak.

"He's back! He's back!"

The absolute panic had her gasping as Ron put an arm around her.

Bill, who had hurried up behind them put a hand on both of their shoulders. "Let Sirius and Remus handle Harry. You guys stay here for now. Something's happening."

Hermione could only nod as she watched Dumbledore's eyes darken. The headmaster turned to say something to McGonagall as Sirius, Remus and Zee led Harry away from the crowd and she turned to look towards the maze again.

Where was Viktor?

Where was Cedric?

She made to move into the maze herself without thinking and Ron grabbed her arm.

"Mione!"

"Viktor's still in there, Ron! He's still in there! What if he's hurt? Or trapped?"

Ron pulled her tightly into his arms as he watched Tonks and Snape head into the maze along with Misha as Jameson and Maxime moved around the edges. "They'll find him."

Dumbledore held up his hands and used a Sonorous Charm on himself. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Third Task has been cancelled. All of you are to return to your dormitories at once. Do not delay."

The crowd immediately began to whisper conspiratorially, trying to figure out what it could mean.

"It's cancelled? Why? Didn't Potter and Delacour make it out?"

"Where's Diggory?"

"Where's Krum?"

"Where's the cup?"

"Did no one win?"

"What happened?"

Ron looked up as Mandy hurried over to him.

"Where's Harry? Is he alright? What's happening?"

Ron shook his head. "I don't know. His family took him and Madam Pomfrey went after them. Come on; we'll go see him together."

Mandy nodded, her eyes wide. "He just appeared out of nowhere and there was so much blood! Is he going to be alright?"

"I don't know," Ron said again, putting an arm around her as the crowd began to disperse around them. "But Harry's pretty tough. I'm sure whatever it is, he'll get through it."

Hermione smiled at Ron and she clutched his arm as Tonks and Snape emerged from the maze, their faces grave. "Ron, wait, something's happening."

Ron nodded and turned to look where Hermione was pointing. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Fudge, Oblansk, Richelieu and Jameson were huddled in front of the main entrance to the maze talking. They couldn't hear what they were saying, but whatever Dumbledore and Tonks were sharing with them was making Fudge recoil in horror. Soon Kingsley Shacklebolt approached them along with Snape as Flitwick and Bill worked to fix the broken wards with the help of Carthaginian and Birmingham.

Then Fudge had stormed off, soon followed by Kingsley and Dumbledore was approaching the waiting families along with Fleur. The desperate scream that erupted made Hermione's stomach plummet and before Ron could stop her, she was running as Boyana Krum collapsed to the ground in front of Dumbledore and Amos Diggory cried out.

"My son! Not my son!"

Hermione's heart clenched as she stopped in front of Dumbledore, tears in her eyes. "Viktor?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes met hers, sadness etched in them. "I am very sorry, Hermione, Viktor is dead."

She heard the words, but she couldn't comprehend them.

"No! No, no, no, he's in the maze! He's still looking for the cup! He's going to win!"

Dumbledore reached out to touch her shoulder. "He was murdered, Hermione. He and Cedric both. I am very sorry for your loss, my dear."

Hermione shook her head. "No! No, you're wrong! You're wrong!"

Tonks came up behind her and pulled her into her arms as Snape levitated the two bodies outside of the maze. "Hermione, honey, I'm sorry."

Hermione's eyes found Viktor's dark hair and she stared into his lifeless eyes and her heart broke. She let out a loud sob before she could stop herself and she let Tonks engulf her in her arms as Kosta Krum reached down to hold his wife as his daughters clung to him. Amos and Piper Diggory had thrown themselves over their son's body and were openly weeping now. She watched it unfold as if it were a bad dream, her own sobs tearing through her.

Tonks held her close, rocking her gently in her arms. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. Harry told me how much he meant to you. I'm so sorry, honey."

Her body shook against Tonks as the sobs tore through her. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be! He loved her and she was going to go to Bulgaria and she was going to see him play Quidditch. They were going to spend their days kissing and laughing. He was going to come to London and stay with her so that she could show him her favourite Muggle book shop. He was supposed to win and come back to her.

He was supposed to come back to her.

"There's no sign of him, Albus. He's fled," Snape said carefully.

"Misha Zacarias is tracking him," Tonks said.

Snape merely nodded. "And I told you, it's too late for him."

Dumbledore stared at Snape for a moment as he watched McGonagall attempt to comfort the families. "Minerva, I need to go and find Harry."

She nodded, her eyes sad. "Poppy should be done healing him by now. I don't know how bad his injuries were, but Sirius took Nyx with them as an extra precaution."

Dumbledore's eyes darkened. "Severus?"

"I'm going. Find Potter. We need to know what he knows."

"Minerva, you can handle this?"

McGonagall nodded, her eyes moving to the hole in the sky where the wards were being repaired. "Filius is already getting to work on it. Bill Weasley has been helping. The wards are almost back up."

"I have to get to Harry, Hermione," Tonks said gently. "Do you want to come with me?"

Ron appeared next to them and he pulled Hermione into his arms. "I got her, Tonks. Let us know when Harry is ready to see us."

She nodded gratefully at him as Hermione curled into Ron's arms as she cried.

Ron gently ran his hands up and down her back, her face was buried against his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears, but he didn't let her go. Flitwick worked with Birmingham, Carthaginian, McGonagall, and Bill to repair the wards in the distance. Bill was talking with Flitwick as they worked and Ron and Hermione could hear little tidbits.

Someone had managed to Apparate into the Hogwarts grounds. They had broken through all of the warding in one section which had created what felt like an earthquake. She knew instantly that it had been Harry. Her friend had appeared out of nowhere seconds after it had happened, his nose bleeding and his whole body covered in both wet and dry blood, dirt and mud.

Krum and Diggory were both dead. They had been found in the middle of the maze next to the Triwizard Cup. Did that mean that one of them had won?

Hermione was trembling as she clung to Ron's tee shirt, her sobs still wracking through her. Neville and Ginny had appeared next to him, each touching Hermione in comfort and she watched as Luna tried to calm Mandy who was demanding to see Harry.

Hermione finally managed to catch her breath. She didn't know what she felt. It was nothing. There was nothing. But she was aware of the strong hands patting her back and the strong arms gripping her. Her face stuck to the wet material of his tee shirt, soaked by her own tears and her breath hitched as she pulled back and tilted her head to look up at Ron.

"I -"

"I'm sorry, Mione. I know how much you liked him."

"I loved him," she said softly, tears falling from her eyes again.

Ron nodded and gently used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "I know. Come on, let's go back up to the castle. We can try to figure out what's going on."

Hermione shook her head. She should go to Viktor's family. She should be with them, she thought. Ron seemed to understand because he nudged her along towards the Krums and let go of her just as Desislava threw her arms around her. Hermione held the little girl tightly, her body still trembling in her own shock and grief.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered as the little girl cried against her.

But she knew that the words didn't help the little girl anymore than they helped her.

 **Ron stood back with his hands in his pockets, his eyes sad as he watched Hermione for a moment.** Luna touched his arm and smiled up at him.

"I'll stay with her. You, Neville and Ginny take Mandy and find Harry."

Ron nodded. "Alright. You'll bring her to us when she's ready?"

Luna smiled at him. "I will. Go, see Harry."

Ron nodded and turned back to where Ginny was comforting Mandy.

"Harry's the strongest person I know, Mandy. He's going to be alright. I know it. We just have to give him some time to heal. Madam Pomfrey is taking care of him right now and he's with his family," Ginny told her.

Mandy nodded, her eyes wide. "I just want him to know that I'm here. I want to be there for him."

Ginny smiled kindly. "We all will be. He knows that." She looked over when Ron's tall, lanky shadow fell over them.

"Come on; let's go see Harry," he said.

Ginny linked her arm through Mandy's as Neville came up on the other side of Ron and the four of them made their way back up to the castle, trying to comfort each other.

 **Sirius looked up when Dumbledore stepped into the suite, his eyebrow up.** "What happened?"

Tonks came in behind him, hearing Sirius' question. "Bagman rabbited. No one saw him leave, however it looks like he made his presence known before he took off."

Remus raised an eyebrow in question.

"Krum and Diggory are both dead. They were found in the middle of the maze, near the cup. We think that he stopped them from taking it so that Harry could get there first."

"No," Harry said quietly causing everyone to turn and stare at him in surprise. It was the first words that he had spoken in over twenty minutes since Madam Pomfrey had first started to examine him. "Cedric and I took the cup together. A Hogwarts win. The cup was a portkey."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You said that earlier, Harry. It was a portkey that took you to Voldemort?"

Harry's eyes drooped as Remus and Sirius each sat on either side of him, arms around him and each holding his hands as he spoke. "Cedric and I took it together. It was a Hogwarts win, we said, but the cup was a portkey and it brought us to the graveyard. Selwyn, he … he tried to kill Cedric, but we tried to take the portkey home. It worked, but he cut me loose at the last second and only Cedric got away. He got away."

Sirius brought Harry's hand to his lips and pressed it against the side of his face tenderly. "So you were alone?"

"Not alone. Selwyn and Bellatrix and Malfoy were there. There was a big cauldron with the potion. Bone of the father and flesh of the servant and blood of the enemy. Malfoy cut me, from my wrist to my elbow … there was a lot of blood. Bellatrix sewed my mouth shut when I told her that you would save me, Uncle Siri. Selwyn said that Fenrir or Macnair would want to-to sodomize me, but Voldemort said … he - he said no, that I belonged to him."

Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "I'm sorry, I didn't save you, Harry."

Harry curled closer to him. "Voldemort came out of the potion. Then he touched the Dark Mark on Bellatrix's arm and … and they came."

"The Death Eaters?" Remus prompted.

Harry nodded. "Sleepy."

Remus kissed his forehead. "How did you get away, Harry?"

"Priori Incantatem, just like you told me, Uncle Moony. Mum and Dad … they came … they told me that I could get away …"

Remus nodded, his face pale. "Can we see the memory, little Prongs? So you can get some sleep?"

Harry nodded and closed his eyes as Remus used his wand to take the memory from his head. Within minutes, Harry was sleeping soundly, his head against Sirius' chest.

Sirius kissed the top of his head, wrapping his arms more securely around his son. "How long is this potion going to keep him out?"

"A few hours at least," Madam Pomfrey said, her eyes sad. "Is it true, Albus? Is You Know Who really back?"

Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes staring at Harry's sleeping form. "It seems so. Did Harry mention why Bagman did it?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. I had heard that he was cleared of being a Death Eater. Wasn't he charged with passing information onto Rookwood back in the day?"

"He was cleared of all those charges; claimed that he never knew Augustus Rookwood was a Death Eater. He was never thought to be one. Harry mentioned Abraxas Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Bagman owes a lot of people money," Tonks said quietly. "I wouldn't be surprised if Abraxas promised him gold in exchange for it. Bagman was getting pretty desperate by the Second Task, trying to make bets on Harry to win, Snape was telling me … it may have started off as fairly innocent, submit his name, urge him to win, nothing too bad … I don't know, but … money can change a man and he killed two students. Misha is trying to track him down now, follow his magical fingerprint, but Snape said that it's too late and that he's probably already dead."

"Krum and Diggory are really dead?" Remus asked, his eyes sad as they looked at his mate.

Tonks nodded. "An Unforgivable. They were both lying in the centre of the maze next to the Triwizard Cup."

"Minerva and Filius have recruited some help in fixing the wards. Harry Apparated onto the grounds," Dumbledore told them.

Remus' eyebrow rose. "I thought that was impossible."

Dumbledore shook his head. "It should be. However, I have seen in certain circumstances, a child who is desperate for their family in times of great panic or great fear can find a deep well of power within them. It's the only thing that I can think of to explain how he broke a hole through every ward placed around the grounds and landed directly in front of you and Sirius. Though it does probably account for how injured he is. It would be something akin to smashing directly into a concrete wall and then plowing straight through it."

Sirius held his son tighter, turning to look at Remus before he spoke. "He Apparated into the grounds … that's …"

"A lot of fucking power," Remus said simply.

Tonks nodded, her eyes on where Harry was sleeping soundly, his face pressed against Sirius' heart. "Should we move him into Rem's bed?"

"I don't want him to wake up alone," Sirius said honestly. "We'll take him home with us."

"He needs to be monitored," Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "Keep him here or bring him to the hospital wing. This boy has been injured and tortured."

"You're right, Poppy, I'm sorry. I just want to keep him safe," Sirius told her.

Madam Pomfrey only nodded. "I'm going to go get some more potions and salves for him. His ankle, broken bones, ribs and cuts need to be more thoroughly taken care of and I'd like to do that while he's out if I can. He is going to have a painful few days in store."

Sirius nodded as he watched her hurry out of the room, dropping a kiss to Harry's forehead as Pomfrey stuck her head back in the door.

"Sirius? There are some students out here looking for Harry?"

Zee nodded at Sirius and stood up, moving into the hallway where Ron, Mandy, Neville and Ginny were standing. "Hi guys. Harry's going to be okay."

Ginny let out a breath of relief, her eyes behind Zee on where Harry was passed out with Sirius and Remus. "What happened to him?"

Zee smiled sympathetically. "We don't know everything yet. What we do know is that Lord Voldemort has returned and that Harry witnessed it."

Mandy gasped, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide. "What? You Know Who? He's back!"

Zee nodded. "Yes. We're going to take care of Harry and you guys can see him tomorrow, alright?"

Ron looked like he wanted to protest, but Neville touched his arm.

"We'll be here first thing tomorrow morning, Zee," Neville said.

Sirius watched them leave as Zee stepped back inside, closing the portrait door behind her as Dumbledore started to explain what had happened with Fudge. He told them that that Kingsley was working with his department to try to get Azkaban away from the control of the Dementors.

"So is Fudge on our side in this or is he burying his head in the fucking sand?" Sirius demanded, his eyes flashing angrily.

"I'm not quite sure yet. But the Bulgarian and French ministries are looking to take charge. I told him that he needs to make an envoy to the giants, but I'm not sure if he's going to listen to me."

Remus nodded. "Are you still thinking of asking Maxime and Hagrid?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said carefully. "They might be our only option. Zee, any suggestions on an agent of the DRCMC that could assist them?"

"A few," she said carefully. "Tonks, was my mum still downstairs?"

Tonks nodded. "She was trying to help where she could and your father was following Bagman. Why?"

"Mama has a friend who trades in magical goods with the giants of Cornwall. She might be able to help us and I think that she would be a better asset than anyone from the DRCMC."

Dumbledore smiled. "Can you contact her?"

Zee nodded. "Yes."

"I need to meet with Adrian. I told him that I would come see him if I heard anything about Voldemort returning," Remus said with a sigh, his eyes on Harry's sleeping form. "I need to warn him before Voldemort makes a play with more than just Fenrir's pack."

Tonks gripped his hand in hers. "I'm coming with you."

"Dora, you should -"

" - No, I'm coming with you and I won't take no for an answer!"

Remus looked like he wanted to argue but he nodded. "Okay. Okay, you're right. You should come with me. Padfoot, you're still trying to get the old band back together?"

He nodded. "Between Dumbledore and myself yes. I did finally hear back from Tia and Diggle. They both want in. I'm still waiting on Dung. We need to get ahead of this as quickly as possible."

"King is dealing with Azkaban, Dumbledore's covering the giants, I'll deal with the packs, what about the centaurs?"

"You know that they won't join us, Rem. It's a wizard's war."

Remus nodded and let out a slow sigh. "I know. Dobby!"

The elf appeared immediately and when his eyes fell on Harry they widened to saucers.

"Harry Potter sir!"

"He's okay, Dobby," Sirius told him with a smile. "He needs to heal up and to rest. Can you bring him some clean pyjamas and his toiletries?"

Dobby nodded, reaching out to gently touch Harry's hand as if reassuring himself before he nodded again and disappeared in a snap as Remus swirled the Pensieve on the coffee table.

"Are we doing this now then?"

Zee gripped Sirius' free hand in hers and she nodded as Dobby returned a moment later with the supplies for Harry. To Sirius' surprise, he also brought with him Lady Godiva and Marauder. Both animals immediately flocked to Harry's side as Nyx growled. When the large tiger saw that they meant no harm, she settled back down near the portrait hole door as Lady Godiva and Marauder settled themselves on the floor in front of their boy.

"Harry Potter needs his Marauder, Lord Black. The panther wanted to come too."

"Thank you, Dobby," Sirius said with a smile. "We'll take good care of Harry."

"Dobby will make sure Black Cottage is ready for Harry Potter's return."

And then he Dispparated with a loud crack.

Sirius nodded at Remus who continued to swirl his wand around the Pensieve.

"Projecto," Remus said and the memory of the Third Task played before them as they all watched, mouths open in horror at the scene that unfolded before them.

When Bellatrix sewed Harry's mouth shut, Sirius swore. "If I ever lay eyes on my bitch of a cousin, I'm going to kill her myself."

No one spoke again as they watched Selwyn, Bellatrix and Abraxas Malfoy brew the potion and Lord Voldemort emerge.

Sirius' eyes widened when he saw Harry writing on the mirror and he reached into his pocket to tug it out. The bloody message on the mirror made him pale.

 _Riddle. Grave._

Harry had tried to warn him. He had got a message to him for help and he had failed him. With all of the commotion in the stands, he had never even felt the mirror go off.

"Siri, don't beat yourself up like that," Remus said carefully.

"He fucking sent me a direct message telling me where he was and I didn't even see it! I ignored it!"

"You didn't ignore it," Zee said darkly. "You missed it! Things happen and Harry is back now and he is safe and nothing else matters!"

Sirius only nodded, his eyes on his girlfriend before turning back to the memory.

Zee grabbed a spare piece of parchment and a quill from the table as Voldemort began to name some of the Death Eaters and she quickly jotted down the names as the memory continued to unfold before them.

As Voldemort became more involved in his speech, Sirius' eyes narrowed at the mentioning of how they had worked to get their hands on Harry; on his protection.

 _"_ _But the blood of a foe … Woodrow wanted me to use any witch or wizard who hated me, but I knew that if I wanted to truly rise again, more powerful than ever, it had to be the one who stripped me of my power thirteen years ago. I wanted Harry Potter's blood; for the lingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins too."_

 _The Death Eaters seemed to be waiting with baited breath._

 _"_ _But how to get to Harry Potter? For he has been better protected than I think even he knows; protected by his blood traitor godfather and that half-breed Mudblood loving wolf with charms and protections keeping him well hidden; with his mother's protection blended into the charms … I could never find him, let alone touch him … Then, of course, there was the Quidditch World Cup, but I was not strong enough to attempt a kidnap in the midst of a horde of Ministry wizards nor foolish enough to send another in my place and then the boy returned to Hogwarts where he is under the protection of that crooked nose Muggle-loving fool from morning until night. So how could I take him? Why, by using Bertha Jorkins' information of course."_

 _He smiled cruelly, his eyes roaming around the circle._

 _"_ _Ludo ensured that the boy's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire; to ensure the boy won the tournament; that he would touch the Triwizard Cup first which would be a portkey to bring him here, beyond the reach of Dumbledore's help and protection and into my waiting arms. A little fear and a loyal servant is born to me. And here he is … the boy you all believed had been my downfall."_

 _Voldemort moved slowly forward, turning to face Harry and his eyes gleamed in pleasure as he raised his wand said, "Crucio!"_

The moment the spell hit Harry, Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Zee all gasped. Tears welled up in Zee's eyes and she squeezed Sirius' hand tightly. Sirius kept his arm more firmly wrapped around his son, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He knew what that spell felt like and being tied tightly to the tombstone while your body was fighting that curse made the pain worse. The body had no ability to move; making the pain more intense and more difficult to bear.

Remus' eyes were wide and he reached over to kiss Harry's forehead, his eyes meeting Sirius'. But neither could look away from the memory.

 _Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus Curse and he screamed._

 _Harry rolled over and scrambled to his feet. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably. He staggered sideways into the wall of watching Death Eaters, one of them grabbed him and he heard a whisper._

 _"_ _They know."_

 _And then he was pushed back towards Voldemort._

 _"_ _A little break," Voldemort said, the slit-like nostrils dilating with excitement. "A little pause … that hurt, didn't it, Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"_

Sirius' eyes darkened. "I want to talk to Malfoy. What did that mean?"

"Shush, Sirius," Remus said darkly, his eyes on the wolf who had bitten him so long ago.

Voldemort hit Harry with the Cruciatus again and then they all gasped and when the two wands connected. Dumbledore stood up and began to pace the room.

"You told him that would happen?"

Remus nodded. "I thought that he should be prepared. I wanted to get him a second wand. He needs to be better protected and this way something like that can't happen again."

They watched in amazement as the ghostly apparition of Lily Potter came out of the wand.

 _"_ _Mum?" Harry asked in astonishment, his eyes wide._

 _"_ _Harry," she said, her voice like music to his ears. "My handsome boy. You're so brave, baby; hold on, just hold on a moment longer, okay? Dad's coming."_

 _James Potter came out of the wand then, grabbing his wife's hand. "Hi Harry. Hold tight okay, just a bit longer."_

 _"_ _Dad?"_

Sirius paled. "Jamie."

 _"_ _Used to be Dada, but I'll take Dad," he said with a smile._

 _More figures began to emerge from Voldemort's wand. It was vibrating so hard now that Voldemort had to use both hands to keep it steady. But Harry's eyes were on his parents, tears in his eyes._

 _James grinned widely at him. "I know you're scared, Harry; anyone would be. But you've been incredibly brave tonight; braver than anyone your age should ever have to be. We love you so much and we're watching over you. But you know what you have to do now."_

 _Lily smiled. "I promise that you can do it, baby. Misha told you that it was possible and I know that you're scared, but you can do it. Go to them. We'll only stay a few seconds longer once you let go."_

 _Harry nodded, his eyes wide and blurred with tears._

 _"_ _Harry, tell them that it's about time that they found a strong woman to keep them in line," James said with a smile._

 _"_ _Tell them we approve and that we love them. When we tell you, baby, let go. We love you."_

 _Harry nodded, his vision blurred._

 _"_ _Now!" James exclaimed._

 _Harry nodded and let his wand drop, transforming into his Animagus as the figures moved in around Voldemort. His wand hit the ground and he rolled, his teeth tearing through the ankle of the Death Eater who attempted to grab his wand as the man howled._

 _He scooped his wand between his bloody teeth, stumbling over his broken ankle and thought Sirius as hard as he could and he Disapparated with a loud crack just as he heard Voldemort scream._

 _"_ _NO!"_

As Harry landed in front of Sirius, the memory ended and Dumbledore stared at the two men in amazement.

"He's an Animagus?"

Sirius nodded. "He is. He's only just fully mastered it in the last few months. Minnie's been helping him. We were going to register him, but we thought that it was a good way to keep him safe. Now it doesn't matter. Voldemort knows."

Dumbledore stood up. "I need to talk to Hagrid and Maxime. Zee, can you find out from your mother about that friend of hers as soon as possible?"

"Of course," she said as he nodded at them and hurried from the room, the portrait door closing behind him as Nyx got up to follow.

Remus turned his eyes on the sleeping form of their son. "We have to get that thing out of him, Padfoot."

Sirius gently brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes. "I know."

Together he and Remus carried the sleeping form of Harry into Remus' bedroom and tucked him into the big bed. Sirius kissed his forehead, leaving the door open a crack before they returned to the living room.

Andromeda came into the suite with Ted, Madam Pomfrey and Sorcha. "Everyone is gone now. The Diggorys and the Krums have taken their sons home and Luna has brought Hermione to the hospital wing."

Sirius paled. "Fuck, Hermione! I didn't even think … how is she?"

Andromeda shook her head. "Heartbroken and grieving, but she'll be alright. Madam Pomfrey gave her a calming drought and a sleeping potion. Dumbledore just filled us in outside. Remus and Dora need to head out and get the werewolves on our side in this. We need every available body that we can get to be on our side. Edward, you go on and talk to the people you worked with in the Order before. Convince them why they need to join up again. Zee, you need to do the same. You work with magical creatures. There has to be something that you can do to bring more help to our side."

Zee looked like she wanted to protest, her eyes on the open crack of Harry's bedroom door. "But - "

Sirius leaned in and kissed her softly. "I got him, baby. Go. We could use your help on this. Any help that you can get us."

Zee nodded and let out a long sigh. "I can't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do. Mama, did Dumbledore ask about your friend?"

Sorcha nodded. "I'm going to send her an owl right away."

Remus' eyes stayed on his bedroom door. "It's going to take a few days to get the packs together for a council meeting. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"I've got him, Rem. He'll be alright. Go."

Remus nodded as Tonks twined her fingers with his.

Andromeda glanced sharply at her cousin. "Sirius, what do you need from me?"

"Lucius said something to Harry in the graveyard about knowing something. You need to talk to Cissa and find out what that meant. Can you get to her?"

Andromeda nodded. "I'll take care of it."

She kissed her husband as she, Ted, Remus, Tonks, and Zee all hurried out of the portrait hole leaving Sirius alone with Harry and Sorcha. Sorcha moved into the bedroom with Harry, conjuring a rocking chair to sit next to him. Sirius simply crawled into bed next to his son, wrapping his arm around him tenderly and letting his head fall onto his chest, kissing his cheek.

Marauder settled himself at the end of the bed, his head resting on Harry's uninjured leg as Lady Godiva settled in front of Sorcha's rocking chair.

Madam Pomfrey started to examine his leg and arm more closely, adding more salve and healing it in stages, muttering under her breath. Sirius carefully removed his son's shirt so that she could examine his ribs.

Sorcha reached across the bed, gently brushing Harry's hair from his eyes and when she began to sing, Sirius glanced at her in surprise. Her voice was beautiful and melodic and no one spoke as she sang, her fingers brushing gently through Harry's hair lovingly as Madam Pomfrey continued to work on her patient.

 _"_ _O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi gun dàil an t-àite 's an d'rugadh mi, Cuirear orm fàilt' 's a' chànain a thuigeas mi. Gheibh mi ann aoidh agus gràdh 'n uair ruigeam. Nach reicinn air thunnaichean òir. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi ann coilltean, chì mi ann doireachan, Chì mi ann maghan bàna is toraiche. Chì mi na féidh air làr nan coireachan, Falaicht' an trusgan de chèo. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Beanntaichean àrda is àillidh leacainnean. Sluagh ann an còmhnuidh is còire cleachdainnean. 'S aotrom mo cheum a' leum g'am faicinn. Is fanaidh mi tacan le deòin. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo."_

As the last notes died away, Harry shifted slightly, his head burying deeper into Sirius' chest and Madam Pomfrey finished bandaging Harry's arm and leg.

"I've always loved that song, my grandmother used to sing it to me when I was a babe," Madam Pomfrey said as she carefully bandaged around Harry's torso over his injured ribs.

Sorcha smiled. "I used to sing it to our daughter when she was sick. My grandmother sang it to me when I was a wee babe as well."

"What is it about?" Sirius asked her as Madam Pomfrey stood back, pulling the blanket up around Harry.

"Essentially it's about coming home to a place where you are welcomed and loved," she said with a smile.

Sirius nodded gratefully at her, kissing his son's forehead again.

Madam Pomfrey nodded before turning to Sirius. "There are signs that he was under the Cruciatus, more than once," she stressed. "He needs rest. This is all that I can do for him for now. I know that you want to hold him, Sirius, but let him get some rest."

Sirius nodded, the memory of Harry being hit with the Cruciatus enough to make his fists clench and he kissed the top of his son's head. "I will. Thank you, Poppy."

Madam Pomfrey nodded at them and hurried out.

Sirius wasn't leaving his son's side.

For anything.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _As to the song choice by Sorcha, this is one of my favourite songs, I personally love the version sung by the Rankin Family. The song is called "Chì Mi Na Mórbheanna" and the lyrics in English are as follows:_

 _Oh I see, I see the great mountains_

 _Oh I see, I see the lofty mountains_

 _Oh I see I see the corries_

 _I see the peaks under the mist_

 _I see right away the place of my birth_

 _I will be welcomed in a language which I understand_

 _I will receive hospitality and love when I reach there_

 _That I would not trade for tons of gold_

 _I see woods there, I see thickets_

 _I see fair, fertile lands there_

 _I see the deer on the ground of the corries_

 _Shrouded in a garment of mist_

 _High mountains with lovely slopes_

 _Folk abiding there who are customarily kind_

 _Light is my step when I go bounding to see them_

 _And I will remain there a while willingly_


	179. Chapter 179

_Author's Note:_

 _This is the chapter post for the week guys - just a heads up! I won't have time to post tomorrow._

 _Thank you for all of the kind reviews! I thought adding the foreign Ministers in was important and will be brought up again later on. As to Harry's lips being sewn shut, Bella un-sewed them before Harry and Voldemort duelled, but the black silk thread was still threaded through his lips even though they were no longer sealed shut and yes this would have transferred to his Animagus form. As to Abraxas Malfoy, he died of Dragon Pox in 1996, but I am only in 1995 so I didn't alter his timeline, and no, he will not be dying of Dragon Pox in this story as since I have made him rather evil, that would be much too nice for him I think. As to Snape's public confirmation, it was only in the small group of people in front of the maze: Fudge, Dumbledore, Tonks, McGonagall, Jameson, Oblansk and Richelieu, none of whom will be telling Voldemort, at least in theory. In the book, Snape shows Fudge in the hospital wing which is still in front of Dumbledore, McGonagall, Harry, the Weasleys, Sirius, and Madam Pomfrey so in my head it's about the same. Dumbledore also tells Fudge in Goblet of Fire that he can be a Minister remembered by all, I kept that part of his speech. I'm glad that everyone liked my song choice as well, it is one of my favourites and is used again in this chapter. To coloredwords, that was always one of my biggest issues with the books - if you can view people's memories, why not use them to get facts straight? To supersandman86, funny you should mention the werewolves. I wanted to get more into the wolves and the packs and this is the start of this here. I haven't contemplated the origin too much but that is something I may keep in mind, thanks. Harry does still have Hedwig, yes, though he mostly sends her on long distances now to correspond with Colt and Flo and Misha and Sorcha. Aren't the Hit Wizards almost like contract killers to some extent; a high class Auror unit trained to do just that? I'm not sure though, I could be wrong._

 _Well, it's THE moment. With an important person being there for the moment._

 _Also -_ _looking for some opinions here._ _Do people think that Colin Creevey is gay? I always believed him to have a massive man-crush on Harry, but I haven't decided otherwise. Please send me your thoughts and explain why or why not. Thanks!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-NINE:**

 **Draco didn't know what to think.**

He had watched Potter appear seemingly out of thin air. Dumbledore cancelled the tournament and the entire school was herded away from the pitch and sent back up to the castle. It had been over forty-five minutes since Potter had reappeared and yet no one seemed to know where Potter had appeared from or why Diggory and Krum were missing. He had tried to linger, to figure out what was happening, but a prefect had caught him and ordered him back to the castle.

Blaise, the tallest of the three of them, had snuck a look back as they walked. "Fudge looks livid. What do you think happened? Potter appeared out of nowhere and he looked like he'd been through hell and back."

Draco nodded before he suddenly stopped and grabbed Blaise's arm as Theo walked into him from behind.

"Ow, fuck, Draco, give a bloke some warning!"

"Sorry, I just … _he's back_."

Theo's eyebrow shot up. "What?"

"Potter … appearing like that and looking like he'd … the Dark Lord must be back."

Theo paled. "Don't say shit like that, Draco."

"Think about it," he hissed under his breath. "What else could cause the tournament to be cancelled? Where did Potter come from? How did he appear out of thin air?"

"He learned to Apparate?" Blaise suggested.

Draco glared at him. "Don't be stupid. Everyone knows that you can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds!"

Theo grabbed Draco's arm as they headed into the Slytherin common room and urged his friends up into the dorm, closing the door behind him. "My father was in Croatia helping the Dark Lord and Draco, your grandfather was …"

"Looking to restore him to perfect health, yeah, I know," he said crossly.

Blaise looked troubled, moving to sit on his bed. "How do we find out?"

A house elf appeared in the middle of the dormitory startling the three boys.

"Binky! What are you doing here?" Draco asked, staring at his mother's personal house elf in surprise.

Binky handed Draco the letter in her hands. "Lady Cissa asked Binky to deliver this to Master Draco. Binky will wait here for your reply."

Draco accepted the letter, quickly breaking the seal as Blaise and Theo huddled around him to read it.

 _Draco,_

 _Your father's Dark Mark has completely inked over and returned fully restored. Within moments of him seeing it, he was summoned by the Dark Lord. He has returned. It is important that you know that your father had no choice but to go to him. The coordinates of where he was summoned are 51.0577° N and 1.3081° W. If anything is to happen, you must tell Sirius these coordinates._

 _Love,_

 _Mum_

Draco's eyes widened. "I mean, Potter's returned should I still tell him?"

Theo nodded. "Any little thing has to help, right? Where are the coordinates to?"

Blaise muttered something under his breath and the globe at the other end of the room flew over and lit up. "Just outside of Hampshire. I wonder why there?"

Draco shook his head, clutching the letter tightly in his hand. "Binky, tell my mother that I've gone to inform Sirius."

Binky nodded and Disapparated with a loud crack.

"I'm coming with you," Theo insisted.

Draco nodded, turning to look at Blaise. "You coming or what?"

Blaise shrugged. "I suppose. Moral support and all that."

"Oh piss off," Draco said in annoyance. "I don't have time for your little dramatics."

Blaise grinned as he followed his friend up the stairs to the common room. "You love it."

The three of them hurried through the castle, not entirely sure where to go. Draco headed for the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. He knew Lupin had to have a room somewhere near it. They had just turned the corner towards the classroom when he recognized his aunt up ahead. The last person that he expected to see in the hall was Andromeda Tonks.

"Draco!" She exclaimed, rushing over to them. "You've made my life easier!" She tugged him into the empty Defence classroom and closed the door. "I need to speak with your mother urgently."

Draco hesitated a moment before he handed her the note. "This is for Sirius, Mrs- Aunt Dromeda."

Andromeda opened the crumpled letter and her eyes widened in surprise. "Coordinates? This is where Lucius was summoned to?"

Draco nodded. "Is my father alright?"

"I'm afraid that I don't know anything about your father," she admitted. "But you know that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned. You boys know what that means?"

Theo nodded, biting his bottom lip. "We know what that means."

Andromeda placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Can you get me a meeting with your mother? I don't want to alert your grandmother or Abraxas of my speaking with her."

Draco nodded. "Binky!"

It only took a moment for the house elf to return to him.

"Yes, Master Draco?"

"Aunt Dromeda, Binky will give my mother whatever you ask."

Andromeda smiled politely at the elf, quickly writing a note on a spare piece of parchment she had found on Remus' desk and wrote down a meeting place and a time and signed her name. "Please give this to my sister, Binky."

Binky nodded and Disapparated again with a loud crack.

"Thank you, Draco."

"It's really starting, isn't it? The war?" Theo asked, his eyes wide.

Andromeda gave him a sad smile. "In some regards, I don't think that it ever really ended, sweetie. It was simply a reprieve. You're Theo, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Call me Dromeda or Andy. Draco, my home is always open for you and your friends if you need it. Remember that." She stood on her toes and kissed Draco's cheek. "I'm off. You boys get back to your dormitory. I'll pass the message onto Sirius."

Draco nodded as he watched her hurry off and he turned back to Blaise and Theo. "Are you two still working on your Occlumency?"

Blaise shrugged. "My mind is a steel trap."

Theo rolled his eyes at Blaise. "I think mine is pretty steady. I build my walls up every morning and night. Do you think that I want my father to find out how much I like to suck cock? He'd Avada me on the spot. He's the only person in the world I don't want knowing how gay I am for my own safety!"

"Pretty much everyone in the school knows, Theo; especially after that stunt you pulled with Corner a few weeks ago," Blaise told him.

Theo shrugged. "The school is not my father. I can deny rumours to him, but proving facts are something else entirely."

Draco grinned. "Well, not the kind of secret that I was going for, but we have to keep our walls up and as strong as we can. The Dark Lord could look into any of our minds at any given time."

"Do you think he will?" Blaise asked, his eyebrows high on his forehead.

Draco closed his eyes as he spoke. "As my aunt said, Blaise, the war never really ended, it was merely a reprieve. I think that we need to be prepared for anything."

Theo only gulped. "We'll be ready."

 **Ginny followed her brother and Neville as they brought Mandy back to the Ravenclaw Tower.**

"Is he really going to be okay?" Mandy asked, her eyes full of tears. "Is You Know Who really back?"

Ron nodded, patting Mandy's back awkwardly. "It looks like he is. Look, Mandy, we're going to see Harry after breakfast tomorrow and you can see him right after that. We just … we need to see him first, alright? But he's going to be okay, I promise."

Mandy sniffled and nodded. "Thanks. You guys have been really nice to me. I know that I'm panicking and crying like a little girl, but there was just so much blood and Merlin, I'm so worried about him!"

Ron shook his head. "We understand, trust us. We're worried about him too. Get some rest tonight and tomorrow we'll all go and see Harry."

Mandy nodded and headed into her common room.

Ron turned to his sister. "We need to find Hermione."

Neville sighed and scratched his head. "Luna said that she was going to take her to the hospital wing after the Krums left."

The three of them hurried back up the stairs to the hospital wing and found Luna sitting next to Hermione who was sleeping soundly.

"Madam Pomfrey just left. She gave her a calming drought and then a sleeping potion. She was going back up to check on Harry," Luna said carefully. "Hermione couldn't stop crying."

Ron took a seat on the other side of his friend and took her hand in his. "We won't let her wake up alone."

"Ron, Pomfrey's going to kick you out when she comes back. You know how she feels about after hours visitors."

Ron only glared at Neville. "She will not wake up alone."

Ginny swallowed carefully, smiling when Neville put his arm around her and cast a privacy charm around Hermione's hospital bed so that they could talk privately. "He's really back. Harry saw him."

Luna nodded. "We always knew that he would return."

"Doesn't make it any easier to swallow," Neville said carefully. "I wish that we could figure out what that last one is or where it's hidden in the castle. It would bring us one more step closer to getting rid of that monster for good. Now that he's back … who knows what kind of untold damage he's going to cause. Viktor and Cedric were already killed and it's only the beginning."

"I think that I was onto something in the summer about the diadem," Luna said softly.

Neville arched an eyebrow and tapped his fingers on his leg as he looked over at her. "I thought that Ginny said that it's been lost for centuries."

"That's what Luna told me," Ginny said, her eyes on her brother.

He was holding Hermione's hand clutched against his cheek, resting his face against her palm. His eyes were closed, but she knew at that moment that Ron was in love with the witch before him. She had thought that maybe it was a passing fancy and the jolt of it surprised her. She wondered if he knew it yet. She rather doubted it and found that interesting on its own.

"It was lost," Luna continued, her voice dreamy and bringing Ginny out of her own thoughts. "Helena told me that she hid it in a hollowed out tree in a forest in Albania when the Baron came looking for her."

"The Baron?" Neville asked.

"Oh, yes, the Bloody Baron," Luna said matter of factly. "Did you not know that they lived in the same time? Well, the Baron was in love with her and when Rowena Ravenclaw was dying, she asked him to find her daughter and to bring her home. Helena did not love him in return and hid the diadem, refusing to go home with him and he killed her in a murderous rage."

"So the diadem was in a forest in Albania?" Ginny asked carefully before her eyes widened. "The very forest where Tom was hiding all of those years?"

Luna nodded. "Which is why I think that he found it."

"And returned it to Hogwarts," Neville said, his eyes darting between the two girls in shock. "Luna, you figured it out! We have to tell Sirius!"

Ginny nodded. "Knowing what it is will be a huge help, but we still have no idea where it could be hidden in the castle."

"Still knowing that it's a diadem will definitely aid us in finding it," Neville insisted.

Ginny only nodded, her eyes clouded. "I agree. I'll tell Sirius. You guys stay here with Hermione."

Neville looked like he wanted to protest, but Ginny was already hurrying off. She walked quickly through the castle and up the stairs to the third floor where Remus' suite was and she said the password, stepping through the door. Lady Godiva stood in the doorway of Remus' bedroom, her eyes stared at Ginny for a long moment before she turned and walked back into the room.

Ginny followed and Sirius looked up when she entered.

"Ginny?" He asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Is he okay?"

Sirius smiled at her, his eyes softening. "He'll be okay. How's Hermione?"

"Sleeping. Madam Pomfrey gave her some potions. She's heartbroken and devastated. She was in love with Viktor."

Sirius nodded, his eyes sad. "I'm sorry for her."

Ginny nodded, her eyes on Harry. Sorcha was running her fingers through his hair lovingly. His right arm was wrapped from elbow to wrist tightly and his left leg was bandaged from the knee down. His torso was wrapped tight with white bandages. They had cleaned him up and dressed him in red and gold plaid pyjama pants, but he was still full of scratches and small cuts and bruising was starting to form on his arms, on his face, and across his chest and legs. She moved towards the bed and took his hand in hers, squeezing gently.

"I'm here when you wake up, Harry. We all are."

She felt his fingers squeeze back and she smiled before she turned to Sirius. "I have something to tell you. Can we talk privately for a moment?"

Sirius' eyes fell on Sorcha and she nodded.

"I'll go make myself a cup of tea," Sorcha said quietly, leaning down to kiss Harry's forehead before she left the room.

The door closed behind her as Ginny sat on the end of Remus' bed, petting Marauder with her free hand as Harry held the other in his sleep.

"What's going on, Ginny?" Sirius asked carefully.

"We think that we know what the final Horcrux is. Luna figured it out."

Sirius' eyes widened. "She - how?" He asked incredulously.

"Did Harry tell you that in the summer we had discussed how the diadem of Ravenclaw would be something that Tom might have been interested in?"

"He did, but he also said that it had been lost for centuries."

"It was," Ginny said slowly, explaining what Luna had told her concerning the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron.

"Merlin," Sirius exclaimed in surprise. "I never knew why the Bloody Baron was covered in blood and from what I understood, everyone was too afraid to ask him. Wait, if he murdered the woman he loves in an Albanian forest, how did they end up at Hogwarts? Never mind. Not important. What makes you think the diadem - fuck!"

Ginny nodded. "My thoughts exactly. It was where he spent his time, right? We think that he found it, Sirius. We think that he turned it into a Horcrux and returned to the school to hide it."

Sirius nodded. "And he was known to be in Albania before he returned to the UK before the war … bloody hell. Great work, Ginny. Tell Luna thank you."

Ginny smiled, squeezing Harry's hand in hers. "Was he tortured tonight?"

Sirius sighed and reached out to squeeze her shoulder gently. "He's going to be okay, Ginny, I promise. He … he went through an ordeal tonight that no one should ever have to go through. I'm sure that he will tell you all about it. But for now, he needs his rest."

Ginny nodded and stood up, slipping her hand from Harry's.

Harry rolled away from Sirius. "Ginny …"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Harry, I'm here." She took his hand again, squeezing lightly and he seemed to settle back into sleep, relieving her a bit. "I'm not leaving him."

Sirius smiled, his eyes on her. "Of course, you can stay as long as you like."

Ginny settled herself more comfortably on the bed, holding Harry's hand in hers. He looked so beat up and yet so innocent lying there with his eyes closed. She couldn't imagine how terrified he must have been. If anyone knew what Tom was capable of, she did.

And now he was back.

Her breath hitched slightly and Marauder nudged his head under her arm, snuggling in and she smiled gratefully, dropping a kiss to the dog's head. "Thanks, boy."

Sirius carefully slid his arm out from underneath Harry and climbed off the bed. "Sorcha and I will be in the living room. If you need anything or if he wakes, call for me."

Ginny nodded as Sirius squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before he left. Harry shifted a bit in his sleep, his hand still holding hers and she sighed. She would be here for him when he woke up.

There was no where else that she wanted to be.

 **Remus and Tonks Apparated into the small town of Painswick and Remus held tightly to his mate's hand as they walked through the cobbled streets of the town and knocked on the front door of a quaint little cottage.** A beautiful woman in her early fifties opened the door. She had thick dark black hair that tumbled over her shoulders and big brown eyes that stared at them in surprise.

"Romulus!"

"Hello, Maia," Remus said quietly. "May we come in? I'm afraid that it's rather urgent."

Her eyes looked over Tonks in interest before she nodded and let them inside. She led them over to the living room and urged them to take a seat as a tall man with dark hair and bright blue eyes came down the stairs.

"Romulus," he said, his blue eyes moving over Tonks. He took a step closer and Remus shifted to stand in front of her making the man smile. "I can smell you on her, my friend. She is yours."

Remus relaxed a little, but still held tightly to her hand when he sat back down. "Adrian, this is my Dora; Dora, Adrian Roberts and his mate Maia."

Maia nodded at them. "Adrian, where's Nikita?"

"She's asleep, hen." He smiled at Remus. "Our first grandbaby; it's the first night that Hawk has let us have her to ourselves."

"Hawk's a father now?" Remus asked in surprise.

Adrian smiled and nodded. "Aye. He is happily mated himself to a wolf from Echo's pack. Her name is Emily. But, I assume that you did not bring your mate here to me tonight to ask about my family."

Remus shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He's back."

Adrian nodded, his blue eyes a flash of steel as Maia moved to sit on the arm of her husband's chair. "You are certain?"

Remus nodded. "I am. I know for a fact that Fenrir has already returned to him as well."

Maia's hands fisted at her sides. "If Fenrir chooses him, most of his pack will follow."

"Maia," Adrian said, kissing his mate's hand. "You are in my pack now; you aren't obligated to follow him."

"But my friends and family might," she said, her eyes dark.

Remus let out a slow breath. "I know the politics of the packs and I know that many of the wolves will choose to follow Fenrir and ultimately Voldemort as he will offer them freedom that the Ministry of Magic still denies them. You and I both know how unwise that decision is no matter how good it sounds. You were on my side the first time, Adrian. I urge you to please follow in my footsteps again and do not support Lord Voldemort."

Adrian stared at Tonks for a long moment. "You know that he is a wolf?"

"I do," Tonks said carefully.

"And you allowed him to mark you?"

"I did," she said defiantly. "He is mine."

Adrian smiled. "Romulus, you gave your heart to a wild one. She will be good for you." He brought his own mate's hand to his lips and kissed it once more. "I will talk to the pack. You know our rules, Romulus, our ways. I will not force them to follow me. I will not be that kind of leader. Echo usually agrees with my politics, but she will not force her will upon her pack either. Daimon and Rune will also give their packs a choice. However, Fenrir still has his claws into Cami and Ivory's backs. As long as he has power over them, their fathers will cave to his will."

"Are Conan and Volk's packs still the largest in Europe?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes. Volk's pack alone is twice the size of the four of ours combined."

Remus swallowed slowly. "How many young wolves do you have?"

"We have fifteen in this community," Maia said softly. "We protect our young."

"I know," Remus said. "I wasn't implying otherwise, Maia. You know Fenrir will sacrifice the young ones if necessary. He gave them to Voldemort the last time as a show of his support and loyalty."

Maia's eyes flashed in anger. "If you think that I will ever forget the moment my father took my pup from my arms and handed her to that monster so that he could slit her throat in front of me, you are a bigger fool than I thought, Romulus!"

Adrian wrapped an arm around his wife. "Maia, don't," he said, kissing his mate's cheek. "Romulus knows. He's on our side. He has always been on our side."

"Maia, I am on your side, both of you. I know what Voldemort is capable of and I know what your father is capable of better than anyone. He was a young man when he inflicted me and he has never shown remorse for what did," Remus said angrily. "I want all of you to be safe in this upcoming war. I do not want to see any more innocent children slaughtered. How soon can you call the council together?"

Adrian scratched his forehead, his eyes on the darkening sky outside. "Give me twelve hours. You and your mate will attend the council?"

Tonks smiled warmly at the man. "We wouldn't miss it for anything."

Adrian smiled back at her. "I like your mate, Romulus. You are a lucky wolf."

Remus kissed Tonks' cheek. "I know." He turned back to Adrian, his eyes grave. "What do you need us to do?"

 **Harry woke up slowly.** His whole body was aching and burning and when he shifted, the pain in his ribs made him wince. He could feel a warm hand around his and it seemed to calm him. It told him that he was going to be okay and he curled his fingers tightly around the small hand. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking in the dimness of the room. Only a small lamp was on at the far end and he blinked again, surprised when Marauder licked his face.

"Marauder," he murmured, lifting one arm to hug the dog to him.

Marauder whined, snuggling himself into Harry's side and he blinked owlishly again. He had no memory of how his dog had come to be with him, but he was glad to feel him close by. He could see the red and gold ponytail high on her head before him and a small smile fluttered across his lips.

"Ginny," he murmured.

"I'm here, Harry," she said quietly, turning her hand in his.

A floral scent seemed to wash over him as she leaned forward and carefully pushed his glasses onto his face with her free hand and he was awarded with the sight of her bright smile and the splash of freckles across her cheeks.

"There, now you can see. How many fingers am I holding up, Mr Champion?"

He grinned and winced at the pain it shot across his cheekbone. "I'm not concussed."

Ginny tugged his hand up to her heart and clutched it there. "You scared me. You scared all of us."

Harry nodded, his eyes on her warm brown ones. "Thanks for being here, Gin."

Ginny smiled warmly at him, leaning down to gently kiss his non-injured cheek. "No where else I'd rather be. Harry … Luna figured it out. The Horcrux in the castle that is, it is the diadem."

"Horcrux," he murmured as his mind flashed to the evening before and his eyes widened. "Ginny! There's another one! Voldemort's snake!"

"What?"

"He has this giant snake and I swear to you, there's a piece of his soul residing inside of her! I could feel it when she looked at me!" He exclaimed.

Ginny gently brushed his fringe away from his forehead. "Okay, we'll add it to the list. I'm going to go get Sirius and your grandmother now, alright? They're in the living room."

He nodded. "Where's Ron and everyone? Mandy?"

"Ron's in the hospital wing with Hermione. She's fine," she said quickly when his eyes flashed in worry. "Madam Pomfrey just gave her a calming drought and a sleeping potion to help her and Ron didn't want to leave her alone. Viktor's dead, Harry, and so is Cedric."

" _What_?"

"Bagman … it looks like he killed both of them. I don't know the details. I'm sure that Sirius will fill you in. Neville and Luna went back to their rooms as did Mandy. Everyone will be here to see you after breakfast. Mandy was really worried about you," Ginny told him.

Harry nodded, his fingers twining with hers. "I'm okay, I hope you told her that I'm okay, but I'm really glad that you're here."

Ginny smiled at him, her chocolate eyes full of concerned relief and stood up as Marauder carefully lay next to his boy as if he knew where he was injured and how not to hurt him. "I'll go and get Sirius."

Harry watched her go, feeling calmer. She always seemed to know what he needed, he thought. Having her there when he woke was exactly what he needed. Sirius came hurrying into the room two seconds later and he smiled at him.

"Harry! Hey, Prongslet, how're you feeling?" He asked, placing a hand on his forehead.

Harry only grinned up at him. "I was injured. I don't have a fever."

Sirius only rolled his eyes. "That smart mouth is back, you must be feeling better." He sat on the edge of the bed as Ginny hovered in the doorway. "I don't know how much you took in earlier of your injuries as you were pretty out of it."

He nodded, wincing slightly. "Everything hurts."

Sirius nodded, his grey eyes on his son. "Your ankle is broken in two places. Your left cheek is fractured; six fractured ribs; the cut on your arm is deep and infected; your nose is broken, which means that you have two black eyes; not to mention that you are full of cuts and scratches and bruises. I have another dose of bone healing potion for you which should finish mending your fractures, but you're going to be hurting for about a week."

"Where's the potion?"

Sirius smiled and stood up to grab the potion from the nightstand. "We watched your memory while you were sleeping."

Harry nodded, his eyes meeting Ginny's as she closed the bedroom door at her back. "Uncle Siri, Nagini, she's a Horcrux."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Come again?"

Harry swallowed slowly, wincing at the pain it caused in his face. "She's a Horcrux. The snake."

"How do you - are you sure?" He asked incredulously.

Harry nodded. "I just knew it when she looked at me. I could feel it, you know, like when we touched the other ones? She has a piece of his soul inside of her. I know it."

"But that means there's eight, not seven," Sirius said in surprise, muttering to himself.

Harry frowned. "Where does the eighth one come in?"

"Voldemort himself," Sirius said carefully.

"I don't understand," Harry said, his eyes moving to where Ginny was still standing by the closed door. "Ginny told me about the diadem, so that was the one that you meant we were going to destroy this summer, right? The one you said that you think you know where it is? Then the snake and then Voldemort himself, which is seven."

Sirius shook his head. "We'll talk about it after, Harry. I want you to drink this and get some rest. You have a lot of healing to do."

"No," Harry said, his eyes flashing as Ginny moved towards them. "What aren't you telling me?"

Ginny sat on the bed on the other side of Marauder, her eyes on Sirius. "What did Tom do, Sirius?"

Sirius let out a slow breath. The two of them were staring at him, eyes wide and concerned and he could feel the panic bubbling up inside of him. He wasn't going to be able to keep it a secret any longer. "Harry, let's get you rested up and healed and then we'll talk about the Horcruxes and what our next move is going to be."

Harry stared at him and his green eyes flashed in annoyance. "You're lying to me."

"Harry, I'm not - "

" - you are lying to me," Harry said again. "Where is Uncle Rem? Where's Zee? Where's Tonks?"

"After we watched the memory, Harry, we realized that we had to take action as soon as possible to try to prevent Voldemort from gaining as much power as he had thirteen years ago," Sirius said carefully. "Andy took charge and we tried to send people out to make some decisions. Remus and Tonks went to try to recruit some of the werewolf packs before Voldemort does. Zee is reaching out to her contacts to do the same. Misha is trying to track down Bagman. He rabbited soon after you appeared. Harry, I'm afraid that he killed Viktor and Cedric before he disappeared."

Harry closed his eyes, blinking the tears back. Ginny had said that, but it was still a lot for him to take in. "Fleur?"

"She's okay. She sent up red sparks and came out of the maze only slightly injured from the obstacles."

Harry nodded. He could see the turmoil in his father's face and the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him he wasn't wrong. "What aren't you telling me, Uncle Siri?"

Sirius hesitated, his eyes darting to Ginny who was holding Harry's arm. "Harry, can we please talk about this after you're healed up?"

"No," Harry said sternly. "I want to know what is going on. I want to know why you're lying to me."

Sirius closed his eyes before he spoke. "Ginny … can I have a moment alone with my son?"

Harry tugged Ginny's hand closer to him, twining his fingers with hers. "No, I want her to stay, Uncle Siri."

Ginny looked at Harry in surprise, but squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Sirius swallowed slowly and held the potion out to Harry. "Drink this, you're in pain. I won't tell you anything while you're sitting here in pain."

Harry took the potion and gulped it back, trying not to vomit at the taste of it. He handed the empty cup back to his father. "Tell me."

Sirius nodded at the potion cups sitting on the nightstand. "You still have a second bone-healing potion to drink and another blood replenisher."

"I'll drink them after. Tell."

Sirius stared at Harry for a long moment. "I was trying to protect you, Harry. I knew that you deserved to know the moment that I realized, but I fought against telling you. I didn't want it to be something for you to know until I knew how we could get to it and destroy it."

"Destroy what?" He asked, but a sinking feeling was starting to appear in the pit of his stomach. He let go of Ginny's hand as Marauder nudged his head under his good arm and he hugged the dog, his eyes on Sirius as Ginny stayed seated on the other side of Marauder.

"Harry … this past summer when you had that dream about Selwyn and Voldemort you asked me why you had dreamed it; why you had seen those moments and … that was my moment. I should have told you right then and there, but I froze … and I lied."

Harry glared at him. "Number nine; we always tell each other the truth."

Sirius swallowed slowly. "I don't know how to tell you this."

Harry stared at him, green on grey and the pit in his stomach deepened and he suddenly knew. "It's in me, isn't it?"

Ginny reached out and squeezed Harry's wrist gently. "The Horcrux?"

"It's why my scar hurts when I'm near the soul pieces; when he touched me it was like my head was on fire … that's why, isn't it? I'm … a Horcrux."

Sirius blinked back tears and he nodded. "Yes, but an accidental one. You were the Horcrux that he never meant to make, Harry."

Harry's green eyes only stared, unblinkingly. "How long have you known?"

"I suspected before we went back down into the Chamber of Secrets last year. I've known for sure since your dream."

Harry stared at him, his anger bubbling up under the surface. Sirius had known the entire time. He had known when Harry had the dream in the summer about Voldemort; he had known exactly why he had been forced to dream it and he had denied knowing. Harry had spent many sleepless nights trying to think about what that dream had meant; why he had dreamed it and how it could be real and to find out that the man he trusted most in the world had known the answer felt like a knife to his gut.

"Get out."

"Harry," Sirius began.

"Get out!" Harry yelled, ignoring the pain that it caused in his cheek when he raised his voice. "I don't want you here!"

"Prongslet, let me explain - "

" - it's Harry, not Prongslet and I don't want to hear you explain anything! You've had over a year to explain things to me and you've done nothing but lie to me! You knew! You knew how scared and bloody worried I was after I had that dream and you told me that you didn't know! You lied right to my face!"

"Harry," he said again softly. "I just wanted to protect you."

"Well, you did a piss poor job of it, didn't you? You told me that he wouldn't get to me! You told me that I just had to get through this damn tournament and that it would all be okay. IT WASN'T OKAY! IT'S NOT OKAY! I SENT YOU A MIRROR MESSAGE AND YOU DID NOTHING! NOTHING! I THOUGHT THAT I COULD TRUST YOU OF ALL PEOPLE! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"

"Harry," Ginny said softly, squeezing his arm. "Harry, you don't mean that."

He glared at her. "He's been fucking lying to me over a year, Ginny! I don't want him here!"

Sirius looked like he wanted to protest, but he stood up and nodded. "I'll go, but Harry, when you're ready to listen - "

" - there is nothing that I want to hear from you!" Harry declared angrily. "Get out!"

Sirius nodded, his eyes full of emotion before he moved to the bedroom door as Lady Godiva hopped up onto the bed and spread out across the end, her eyes on him. When the bedroom door closed behind him, Harry turned to Ginny.

"Don't give me that look!"

Ginny reached out and gently brushed her fingertip over his scar and he froze. Her fingertip gently traced the shape of the lightning bolt, her chocolate brown eyes staring into his as she spoke. "I had a part of his soul inside of me once too. It doesn't change who you are. It doesn't make you a bad person. You are Harry and no matter how Tom is connected to you, you will never stop being the Harry that we know and love."

He stared at her, tears glistening in his eyes. "It's not the same, Gin. You … he possessed you, but this … his soul it's … _in me_."

"It was in me too," she said quietly, her fingertip still gently tracing his scar. "Sirius loves you more than anything in this world and we both know that he was trying his hardest to protect you from the pain of knowing that you're a Horcrux. You know that, Harry."

"What I know doesn't matter," he insisted stubbornly. "He lied to me, Ginny! I knew that something was wrong this summer! That dream I had, it was so real and my scar hurt so badly and I asked him and he … he looked me right in the eye and he fucking lied to my face!"

"Yes, he lied to you, but he has also been nothing but completely honest with you! He told you all about the Horcruxes, about the prophecy, and at that moment he told you that there _was_ something else that he had to work out before he could explain it. He promised to tell you the moment that he _did know and understand it._ You told me so yourself. He told you again at the end of last year that there was something that he couldn't tell you just yet. And you yourself told us that Sirius said that there was another one; something that he couldn't explain yet, that he didn't want you to worry about until the tournament was over, but then you would deal with it _together_."

"I get what you're saying," Harry said stubbornly. "But that doesn't justify the fact that he's been lying to me!"

Ginny glared at him, her brown eyes blazing. "I never said that it did. I said he omitted something, but he _told you_ that he omitted it. He _told you_ that he would tell you when he could. That doesn't sound like a complete lie to me."

"Ginny," Harry said slowly. "He watched me freak out over my scar and over that dream and he said nothing! He just sat there and he did nothing!"

"And now he's telling you!" She declared, her eyes on him. "So don't you dare sit here like a cantankerous child throwing a tantrum!"

Harry glared at her. "You can get out too!"

Ginny only scoffed at him. "Kicking me out of this room isn't going to change anything. Don't you want to know what he meant when he told you at Easter that he knew how to get rid of another Horcrux? Don't you want to know what he meant by calling it an 'accidental Horcrux?'"

Harry stubbornly stared down at his lap for a long moment. "It doesn't matter, Ginny; don't you see that? He didn't tell me because he knows that I have to die."

Ginny leaned forward and gripped both of his hands tightly in hers. "Sirius would _never_ let that happen, Harry. He would die first."

Harry's green eyes met hers and the sparkle of tears in them had her gently brushing his hair back. "Neither can live while the other survives, remember?"

Ginny smiled at him. "Prophecies are fickle, Harry. They cannot be taken literally. Do you honestly think that Sirius or Professor Lupin are going to sit back and let you die just so the world will be rid of Voldemort?"

He stared at her and let out a slow breath. "No."

"Good."

"But it's stupid of them! My life isn't worth the cost of hundreds!"

Ginny glared at him. "And letting Voldemort kill you isn't the answer either, you brave git." She reached towards the nightstand and grabbed the last two cups of his potions sitting there. "Now shut up and drink these."

He smirked slightly. "When did you get so bossy?"

"I've always been bossy when I'm confronted with a stubborn arse. Drink."

He rolled his eyes, but drank the potions that she handed him. Ginny placed the cups back on the table and stood up. "I'm going to get Sirius to come back in here and explain about the Horcrux."

"Ginny, I don't want to talk to him right now!"

Ginny only raised an eyebrow. "Tough and since you're confined to a bed, you don't have a choice."

She moved to the door and opened it. Sirius was sitting in the armchair his head in his hands.

"Sirius? Can you come back in here please?"

His head shot up immediately and he hurried into the room.

"Harry drank the rest of his potions. He's agreed to sit there quietly and listen to what you have to say."

"I agreed to no such thing," Harry muttered.

Ginny only glared at him. "I'll put a silencing charm on you."

Sirius smirked at her. "You're still a little spitfire. Thank you."

Ginny simply crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Don't be charming. You lied to Harry. Tell him why."

Sirius only stared at her before he turned back to Harry. He took a seat in the rocking chair near the bed. "One of the reasons why I didn't tell you, Harry, is because I didn't know how to destroy it without hurting you."

"Neither can live while the other survives," he said softly.

Sirius reached out and clasped Harry's hand. "Yes and no." When Harry's eyes reached his, he smiled. "I think that we can remove it and trap it in an object. Once it's trapped in an object we can use the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy it like the others."

Harry stared at him. "Wait, you want … to remove it from me?"

Sirius nodded. "It's not going to be an easy task. In fact, it's incredibly dangerous. It's going to take a lot of magical skill and a lot of concentration to do it. Thea's husband Xander believes that he can remove it. He's a neuro-healer and I sent him scans of your brain. I didn't tell him what it was or who it was until he told me that he thought he could remove it safely. Remus and I brought Xander and Thea into FUVP in March and told him what exactly it was in your brain and he explained to us the risks of removing it. There's a seventy-five percent chance of removing it successfully with little to no complications. But it's that twenty-five percent that worries us."

"Complications?"

Sirius bit his bottom lip before he continued. He told Harry everything that Xander had told them about the dangers; the potential risks and side effects; the process that Xander wanted to use and that he had already made time at the beginning of July to take care of it in Greece.

"Remus, Zee, Tonks and I will be right there with you, Harry, for it all. But if it's too much, if you decide that you don't want to go through with it, we would never make you!"

Harry stared at him. "If you don't remove it, Voldemort can never truly die, right?"

Sirius let out a slow breath before he nodded. "That's true, but I don't care about that. I care about you. We've destroyed almost all of his soul pieces. If the one inside of your scar is the only one left, we can imprison him; keep him contained and captured for the rest of your life. We would find a way around it, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "No … I don't want to live with a part of him in me. I want it gone."

Ginny moved back to the bed and sat on the end next to the panther. "Once it's in an object, it can be destroyed and it won't hurt Harry anymore?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes. We're ninety-nine percent positive that it will work. It's the task itself that's dangerous. But, Harry, after this, we know what the last ones are. The diadem, the snake and then it's just Voldemort himself."

Harry stared at his father for a long moment before his green eyes turned on Ginny's warm brown ones. "I think that I'd like to be alone now."

Sirius reached over to squeeze his hand gently and nodded. "Of course. Sorcha has been dying to come back in and mother you a bit. I'll tell her that you'd like some alone time."

Ginny smiled at him as she stood up to follow Sirius out. "Get some rest, Harry. I'll be back in the morning with everyone else."

Harry watched them leave, the door closing shut behind them and he turned to hug Marauder to him with his good arm. The moment his face touched the soft fur, the tears fell. He cried quietly, holding his dog close. He didn't want to die, he thought. He was only alone for a few minutes before Sorcha stepped inside.

"I know, Sirius told me that you want to be alone," she said moving to the bed. She saw his tears and simply sat on the edge of the bed, tugging him against her breast and stroking his hair.

The moment she wrapped her arms around him, the sobs escaped him. He couldn't stop them. It was like a tidal wave of emotion that he had been holding back just erupted and the tears fell like a waterfall. Sorcha hummed under her breath, rocking him gently back and forth in her arms as he cried. It was almost five minutes before he caught himself and he wiped at the tears with the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry."

Sorcha cupped his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. "Never be sorry. We all need a good cry every now and again. You went through hell tonight. I couldn't imagine anyone being as brave as you are, mo ghaol." She kissed both of his cheeks tenderly. "I brought you some milk and a sandwich. Try to eat a bit before the potion knocks you out some more."

"You can stay, Grandmama," he said sleepily. "Please?"

Sorcha smiled and kissed him again. "Eat. I'll tell you a story."

"It's okay," he told her. "I'm not a child. I don't need a bedtime story."

Sorcha only raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You don't need a story, mo ghille làidir."

He smiled at her and bit into the sandwich. "I don't know what that means." His brow wrinkled slightly. "I had a dream that you were singing to me in that language."

"Gaelic," she said with a smile. "I was. A song I used to sing to Zahira when she was sick or when she wanted a lullaby. Eat. I'll sing it again and you will get some sleep and rest."

He must have made a face of protest because she glared at him.

"Suidh agus ith, mo ghille làidir."

Harry grinned, but did as she asked. She sat on the edge of his bed and started to talk to him about a woman who had fallen in love with the handsome Silkie, taken his fur pelt and hid it so that he was forced to stay with her. They had many children and grew old together, but one day he found his pelt, and disappeared back into the sea and the woman mourned him on the cliffs every night. On the last night of her life, he appeared and told her of his love for her, kissing her lips once more before vanishing back beneath the waves.

By the time that she was finished he had eaten all of the sandwich and drank the milk. The pain potion was kicking in and he was starting to feel sleepy again. On top of his crying bout which had drained him.

"That's a sad story," he whispered.

Sorcha smiled and kissed his forehead. "Aye, love often is. Go to sleep, mo ghaol. We will be here when you wake."

Harry fell asleep almost immediately, the melodic sound of Sorcha singing softly to him, the words drifting over his sleeping frame, softly and beautifully like a warm blanket.

" _O chì, chì mi na mórbheanna. O chì, chì mi na córrbheanna. O chì, chì mi na coireachan. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo. Chì mi na sgoran fo chèo_."

And then sleep overtook him and there was nothing.

 **Sirius sat in the living room as Ginny stood by the portrait hole for a long moment.** He looked up at her as he spoke.

"Thank you for coming by tonight. He needed you."

She nodded. She had needed to be here for him just as much, she thought. "He's my friend. Of course I came." She hesitated a moment before she spoke. "I won't say anything to anyone else about him being a ... do you really think that you can remove it?"

"Xander is positive," Sirius said calmly. "There is a risk though and that's what scares me."

"If anyone can do it, Harry can."

Sirius smiled at her. "You are a wise witch, Ginny Weasley."

She smiled back and nodded. "I'll be back after breakfast with everyone else."

She turned and stepped out of the portrait hole, surprised to find Luna leaning against the wall inspecting her fingernails.

"And?"

"And what?" Ginny asked, her eyes on her friend. "How long have you been out here? How's Hermione?"

"Hermione's still out, Ron is with her. Neville went back to his dorm and I came here to find you."

Ginny nodded and then the sob tore through her and Luna pulled her friend into her arms. "He's back, Luna. He's really back."

Luna ran her hands up and down Ginny's back soothingly as she hugged her. "I know. How's Harry? Was he awake?"

Ginny nodded, clinging to her friend as she cried. When she finally pulled away, she wiped at the tears hastily. "He's injured, but he's going to be okay. It's knowing that Tom is back that's the big problem. Luna …"

Luna kept her arm around her friend as they walked towards Gryffindor Tower. "It was a soul piece, Ginny. It wasn't actually Voldemort. And you fought it! You fought a piece of him and now we know what the next piece is. And we're going to find it and destroy it."

Ginny smiled at her friend and leaned in to hug her tightly. "I love you, Luna."

Luna hugged her back. "Well, I am delightful so that makes sense. Now, try to get some sleep. In the morning, we'll see Harry; Hermione will be awake and maybe everything will look a little less dark."

Ginny nodded. "We can hope. Goodnight, Luna."

She watched her friend head off towards the Ravenclaw Tower and let out a slow breath. In the morning, they would take the next steps for now she just needed to be strong and to be there for Harry if he needed her.

 **Remus settled himself into the guest room of Adrian's house later on that evening as Tonks sat on the side of the bed, unbuttoning her shirt.**

"Do you think that you can convince them?"

Remus shrugged, pulling off his own shirt. "I honestly don't know. Adrian wants us there for support and to show evidence of our cause but ..."

"But you want to be with Harry," she said softly.

He nodded. "What happened to him tonight, Tonks, it was ... worse than I ever imagined. How was it Bagman? How did none of us see that he was working for fucking Voldemort?"

Tonks helped him take his pants off as he sat next to her in his boxers. "You can't blame yourself for it, Rem. None of us saw it. From what I can see from the evidence, he didn't have much of a choice. At least in some of it."

"Two champions were killed. It would have been three ..."

"But you told Harry about the wands connecting and he was able to come up with a plan to escape."

Remus dragged a hand over the rough stubble on his face. "Misha taught him that he could do spells as an Animagus. But to have Apparated ... his power is growing more and more."

"Like Dumbledore said, in times of great need our magic can surprise us. I once Apparated to my grandparents house when I was four because Mum told me that I couldn't have a sleepover. My grandmother just about doubled over when I appeared out of nowhere in her kitchen."

He nodded. "That's true. Maybe part of it is the Horcrux as well. It could be suppressing some of his power?"

"It could be."

He smiled and kissed her softly. "I'm glad that you're here with me."

She gave him a pointed look. "Remember that the next time you try to tell me I can't go."

Remus smiled. "Yes, dear."

She elbowed him lightly and he grinned. "Rem, can you explain some of the pack stuff to me? Maia ... the way that she was saying Fenrir was her father ..."

He nodded, nuzzling her neck as he held her close in the bed. "He is her father, biological that is. He's my ... sire for lack of a better word, but he is her actual father."

"I always got the impression that werewolves were made not born."

"Yes, and no," he said carefully. "They are born, but if a werewolf bites or scratches a witch or wizard they are infected with lycanthropy and gain the ability to become werewolves during the full moon."

Tonks nodded and stood up at the soft knock on the door. "I'll get it." She pulled Remus' shirt over her shoulders since she had undressed to her panties for bed and opened the door. She was surprised to see Maia there. "Maia?"

Maia smiled at her. "Dora, I was wondering if I could have a private word with you?"

"Um, sure," she said in surprise. "Just give me a moment."

Maia nodded. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Tonks closed the door and moved to grab her jeans.

"Nymphadora - "

"Remus," she said with a knowing smile. "I'll be fine." She zipped her jeans and buttoned his dress shirt before she bent down to kiss him softly. "I'll be back in a bit, get some sleep."

He gripped her hand tightly. "Be careful."

Tonks smiled at him. "I will be fine. They are trustworthy, you said so yourself."

Remus nodded. "Yes, but … you are mine and they are wolves."

Tonks kissed him again. "I am yours and a badass Auror to boot, therefore I'm safe." She kissed him once more before she left, closing the door behind her and made her way downstairs.

Maia was sitting in the kitchen brewing tea and she smiled warmly at her when entered. "Dora, thank you for coming."

Tonks nodded, taking a seat at the table. "Please, call me Tonks. Everyone does."

Maia smiled. "Thank you, Tonks." She poured them each a cup of tea before she spoke again. "You love him very much."

"Yes, I do, but is that really any of your business?"

Maia chuckled softly. "No, not really. However, it is what I was hoping to discuss with you."

Tonks merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I don't know how much you know about wolves. We're not the monsters that the world makes us out to be. Like any race or culture, there are those who think differently and those who enjoy inflicting pain upon others, but it doesn't mean that we all think like that. As you can see, Adrian and I have been mated for many years. We have three sons, Hawk, Odin and Rafe. Hawk found his mate in Emily when they were only sixteen. It was a surprise as they were both young, but when you find the other half of your soul, you cannot bear to be apart from them."

"She's a wolf too?"

Maia nodded. "Yes. She's a from a pack in France who we met on a family vacation. They've been together almost ten years now."

"I don't understand the difference between your use of the term wolf as opposed to werewolf?"

"We are all werewolves, humans who can shift into the wolf. Some of us were born wolves like my Adrian and others like myself and like your mate, were made." She took a sip of her tea before she continued. "We do not see each other as different, the only difference is how we raise our children. When two wolves mate with each other, they have wolf children. Not actual wolves, I can see the look in your eye, but children with the ability to be a werewolf. You on the other hand, do not have that ability. You are simply a witch therefore if you were to have children, they would not be wolves."

Tonks nodded. "Yes."

"But he's marked you?"

"Yes."

"Have you marked him?"

Tonks' eyebrow rose. "Pardon?"

Maia smiled. "I thought not. Given that you are not a wolf nor familiar with our ways, I thought it might be my duty to educate you. You have no desire to become a wolf yourself?"

"Even if I did, Remus would never allow it. He's only just started to come around to the belief not to be ashamed of who he is. If he ever made me like him I don't think he would ever forgive himself," Tonks told her truthfully. "But no, I don't have a desire to be a wolf."

"My father raped my mother," Maia told her, her eyes on Tonks. "When she gave birth to me, he doted on me until my fifth birthday, when he bit me and made me like him. I hated myself for a long time too. I hated him. I hated the world. It wasn't until I met Adrian that I realized why I had come into the world. He made me see the beauty in myself. Being mated makes you feel loved and whole in ways that you can't understand until you experience it yourself."

"We are mated as you say. He calls me his mate. He bit me. He marked me," Tonks said.

Maia smiled. "But you have not marked him. Tonks, when he bit you, when he marked you, was it not the most sensual experience you had ever had? You felt it, the feel of his release, the feel of his sex pulsing inside of you while you also felt your sex pulsing around him, like you were truly one, didn't you?"

She blushed. "Yes. But sex with him is always … mind blowing."

Maia grinned. "The wolf stamina is quite impressive, I know."

"What do you mean by marking him?"

"Wolves mate for life, Tonks," she said with a smile. "The moment a wolf decides to mark his mate, he is hers for life. He will never stray. The desire to leave will never be there. You are all he wants. But the female can always do what she wishes. He can never force her to do anything she does not want. If you mark him, he will worship you."

Tonks stared at her. "He already treats me like I'm a goddess, I don't need him to worship me."

Maia smiled. "Poor choice of words. To truly be mated with your man, to truly be his, you must mark him as well. It will make the mating equal on both sides."

"I'm to bite him?"

Maia nodded. "Not just bite him, _mark him_. Choose a place on his body that you love. I chose the back of Adrian's right knee. You kiss and suck the skin there, like you're giving him a particularly good hickey and you keep him on sexual edge while you do it. Once he is writhing beneath you, begging you to take him, only then do you break the skin. He will orgasm and at that moment, you need to take him inside of you. You will feel the same sensation as the last time, as if you are one in the same."

"Why is it important that I do so?"

Maia smiled at her. "It's not necessary, it's true, but it makes you truly equals and I think that you're a woman who appreciates that."

Tonks stared at her. "I appreciate you telling me this, but what I do with my mate is my business and not yours."

Maia nodded. "Yes, it is. I just wanted to tell you because you are coming to the Council of Elders with us which means the wolves will see you with Romulus. He was desired last time he was here. If you haven't marked him yourself, he will be open to them."

"But you just told me that he wouldn't stray."

Maia smiled. "He won't. I don't know you, Tonks, but I know that even if I knew my man would not touch another woman, I don't want to watch them throw themselves at him and flirt and touch him even in the most innocent of ways. But that's just me. If you mark him, he will be bound to you the same way and you to him. It's essentially a marriage bond, a soul bond if you will and others will respect it. It's not necessary and whether you do it or not, will not for one minute affect your happiness. I just wanted you to be made aware of the possibility."

"If it doesn't affect my happiness, why bother with it?"

"Like I said, you will truly be bound; not to mention, it makes you safe from him."

Tonks' eyebrow rose. "I am not in danger from him."

"I meant, if something were to happen and he was to lose control; to scratch or bite you when he is the wolf … you would not be turned because you had become equals, mates. Now, if he scratches or bites you when he is the wolf, you could still become a wolf yourself and you've said it would be something that he would never forgive himself for nor is it something you would want. I love being a wolf, I've embraced it, but I know how difficult it is to live in a society that fears us. We are treated differently because of our powers. He loves you for who and what you are. Neither of you want that to change. I respect that. Wolves mate for life."

"Thank you for telling me this," Tonks said softly. "You were right, I don't understand a lot of things about wolves. I only know Remus."

Maia smiled softly at the use of his real name. "Romulus is lucky to have you. Blessed be."

Tonks only nodded and said goodnight, making her way back upstairs to the guest room where she and Remus were staying. She knew that the woman had meant well, but she thought that it was a little strange to have taken a complete stranger aside and urged her to bite her mate. What would it do? Make you truly equals, she thought. Aren't we already? Remus had never treated her as anything other than an equal. He had always been nothing, but incredible to her. She stopped outside of the door, her mind racing. The thought that if she did so, he truly could never hurt her … he had never mentioned it. Why not? A marriage bond, a soul bond, those words echoed in her mind and she realized suddenly why he hadn't.

He had marked her. He had made her his, but he had always left it open ended. She could leave him at any opportunity if she chose to and she realized that he expected her to. He never wanted to force her to stay with him. If she marked him, they were truly bound and truly equal mates and she knew that she did want that. She wanted it more than anything else in the world.

She slipped into the room, closing and locking the door behind her. She stripped down to her knickers and climbed into the bed with him.

"Well?" He asked, nuzzling her neck as she snuggled into his embrace. "What did Maia want?"

"Have you met with the Council of Elders before?"

Remus glanced at her in surprise, his whiskey coloured eyes wide. "Yes. I came with Adrian years ago during the war."

"There were beautiful women there?"

He raised an eyebrow and kissed her nose. "Yes. There are beautiful women everywhere. Dora, you know that I had a past before I met you."

She turned in his arms, resting her chin on his chest. "I know. But … all this talk of packs and family and … why didn't you ever mate with another wolf?"

Remus let his hand slid sensually along her naked back. "Because you were what I didn't know that I was waiting for. You were always waiting for me, the other half of my soul, and I think I knew it on some level and maybe that's why I fought so hard against it." He reached between them to trace the mark under her left breast. "Maybe it's even why I fought so hard against marking you."

Tonks slid her hand between his legs to fondle him. He was already half-way hard and she stroked him firmly. "I'm the best thing that ever happened to you."

Remus groaned against her ear. "Fuck, I know it. I'm the luckiest man alive to have found you."

Her strokes became more consistent, harder and softer and then she was kissing her way down his chest, sliding his boxers down and kissing his tip, his sacs, and licking his thigh. She turned her head to lick his length, long sensuous licks that left him breathless.

"Dora," he hissed.

She smiled at him before she slipped his boxers off completely and wrapped her mouth around him. He made a gasping sound that had her grinning widely. Maybe it was Maia's words echoing in her head, she knew that it was part of it. But at the moment, she wanted to make him hers in every way and the idea of marking him as he had her was truly the most erotic thing that she could imagine. His fingers clutched her short curls as his thumb crazed the short buzzed hairs on the side of her hair and she popped him out of her mouth, kissing up his chest.

"I'm going to mark you as mine now."

Remus' eyes darkened in desire and surprise. "Dora …"

Tonks slid her hand back down to fondle him as she kissed his chest, his ribs, his stomach. "Do you want me to mark you, Remus?"

He groaned as she kissed his length again, sucking on the sensitive skin of his right thigh as her thumb worked his tip and he cried out her name. "Fuck … Dora, if you … this isn't … you will be bound to me, if you do this; forever."

Tonks' eyes met his as she wrapped her mouth around him fully, sucking him hard before she slid her lips off and kissed the tip of him. "I've never wanted anything else." And then she used her hand on him.

The moment she felt him tighten before his release she bit his right inner thigh.

It was the most incredible and erotic thing that she had ever done.

She'd broken the skin, but it was the sensations her bite caused to flow through her. She tugged her knickers aside and took him into her, riding out his orgasm as her own suddenly over took her. She could feel everything. It was like they were one, riding out one long incredible orgasm that never seemed to end. She pressed her thumb to where she had bitten him and he came again and again, flipping her over and pressing her into the mattress as he rode her.

When the tremors finally stopped, she brushed a hand over her sweaty hair and grinned at him. "I bit you and I liked it."

Remus let out a strangled breath, sucking on her bottom lip. "Why did you do that?"

Tonks cupped his face in her hands. "I want the whole world to know that you are mine, Remus John Lupin. I wanted them to know that you are mine, that I am yours, and that nothing and no one is going to come between us. It's not just wolves that mate for life."

Remus stared at her for a long moment and then he bent his head and kissed her deeply, his tongue stroking hers so boldly that she squirmed beneath him as his fingers plunged into her and drove her to peak so quickly that she gasped against him and as the last waves of her orgasm disappeared, he licked the back of her neck. "Marry me."

Her eyes widened to saucers and her hands gripped his strong arms above her. "What?"

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(Gaelic) mo ghille làidir = my stubborn boy_

 _(Gaelic) Suidh agus ith = sit and eat_

 _(Gaelic) mo ghaol = my love_


	180. Chapter 180

_Author's Note:_

 _Okay, so I think things have kind of calmed down for me, hopefully? I am aiming to get back to my two posts a week schedule, but I cannot make any promises._

 _I thought with fourth year coming to an end, I would supply the timeline once more._

 _Chapters 1-50:_ _Harry's first year with Sirius and Remus (always knew this would be long as the first year was the most important in establishing the relationship that I wanted Harry to have with his "fathers and uncles")._

 _Chapters 51-63:_ _Harry ages 7-11 (a lot of time jumps here; focusing on small things that I wanted to happen: Harry getting sick for the first time; his first injury; being a kid; as well as me wanting to establish the beginning of the Remus/Tonks relationship buildup, etc)._

 _Chapters 64-74:_ _Harry's first year at Hogwarts (essential to the plot, but as you know I didn't change too much here except for the important introduction of two things, Zee and setting up the beginning of Sirius and Dumbledore working together over the issue of Voldemort's imminent return)._

 _Chapters 75-105:_ _Harry's second year at Hogwarts (knew this was going to be a big year of change as I wanted certain things to be different and to help cement Harry and Ginny's friendship; deal with Lockhart and to bring Remus in as the DADA professor early; not to mention start off the Horcrux Hunt with the diary)._

 _Chapters 106-143:_ _Harry's third year at Hogwarts (very different due to many levels and really setting up the power that Voldemort is accumulating before his resurrection or rebirth which will hopefully set up my storyline for year four)._

 _Chapters 144-179: Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts (the same but different due to the Horcrux Hunt, but many different things happened such as Crouch's murder, but now, Voldemort has returned._

 _Chapters 180-present:_ _Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts._

 _To answer some questions: In regards to Luna, I've always felt like she was just the perfect, quiet, dependable type of friend who is always there when you need her. Ginny was trying to be strong for Harry, but of course she would be freaking out inside too. Her worst nightmare was a memory version and to know the real thing has returned, that has got to be a lot for her to handle. Harry needed to have that little breakdown. He essentially discovered three new Horcruxes in one night on top of witnessing Voldemort's rebirth and being tortured and learning two of his friends were killed. Sorcha was there for him and he needed it and he needed it from someone who wasn't Sirius or Remus; he needed the comforting arms of his grandmother. Harry needed Ginny to be there that night and I think out of all of his friends, she would understand the most because of her interactions with the diary. Harry needed her more than I think he realized and it's important for both of them._

 _As to Mandy, the Horcrux thing is not something that Harry will be telling Mandy about. It is a secret and only a select few amount of people know and Mandy isn't included on that list. Harry and Mandy are still getting to know each other and this is too big of a thing to bring her in on in such a short amount of time. I have so many ideas forming and I only hope that I can do them justice as we delve deeper into the war. As to the idea of "gaining the ability to become werewolves" I always thought that the transformation is forced and painful, but for those who choose to live in packs and as wolves, they consider it differently. I am still working on the wolf storyline, but in my head I think of it as the wolves are separate from those born as wolves and those who are turned into wolves. The idea with Tonks marking Remus, it's more like she has chosen to be his mate and made him hers officially which means that she won't ever want anyone else and neither will he. It's like a soul bond, but until Tonks had marked him, she always had the option to leave at any opportunity which is why Remus never told her about it, as he was afraid that he wasn't giving her a choice. They were made for each other and they have both accepted it. I had to add the "I bit you and I liked it" line because I loved when Tonks told Remus, "you bit me and I liked it" in chapter 95. It felt like there was no way that she would let that pass without adding it in._

 _And don't worry, Sirius is going to have quite a bit to say when he finds out how Remus proposed LOL._

 _Thank you for all of the thoughts on Colin. I am still working out my plot ideas there, but I appreciate your thoughts and comments._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY:**

 **It was hardly how she had imagined it.**

She was lying naked on her stomach in a bed that wasn't their own, her mate still perched over her. His thumb still pressed against her clit as her body vibrated from the aftershocks of what had happened. She turned her head to look back at him, but his whiskey coloured eyes were full of desire and love as he stared at her.

"Marry me, Nymphadora. Be with me. Always."

"Remus," she whispered in surprise, turning as he sat up. "You … you haven't thought this through." She reached her hand out and touched the bite mark on his thigh. "Is it because I did this?"

Remus leaned in and captured her bottom lip in his. "Part of it. It's that you cared enough to do it even knowing that it wasn't necessary. It's that I've been waiting my whole life for you and that I've been a complete fool for trying to talk myself out of deserving you. I love you. I love everything about you. I love what you stand for. I love your compassion. I love your warrior personality. I love your beauty. I love how you make me feel. I love how you always stand beside me through everything. I love how you taste. I love your sense of humour. I love your body. I love your mind. I love your eyes and I love you more than life. Nymphadora, I want to be your mated husband. Be with me."

Tonks pressed her fingers to the bite on his thigh. "I've never wanted anyone else."

He grinned and lifted her into his lap, kissing her deeply. "I love you."

Tonks wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself close to him, kissing him deeply. "I love you, Remus."

They kissed over and over, basking in each other for the longest time until Remus pulled back and kissed her cheeks, her nose and then he grinned foolishly.

"We're getting married."

She grinned widely and kissed his nose. "Yes."

Then his eyes widened in horror. "That was such a shitty proposal! I'm sorry! I don't even have a ring!"

Tonks chuckled and kissed his cheek. "I'm not a big ring kind of girl and well, it wasn't exactly the big fancy romantic proposal I imagined when I was little girl, true, but it was ours and it was perfect. Let's not tell my Mum that we were both naked and you were still holding my clit when you asked me though?"

He grinned, but then his eyes sobered. "You know it won't be easy."

"I don't need easy."

"People are going to look at you strangely."

"I've never cared what people thought of me."

"There will be stigma, being married to a werewolf."

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to back out of your proposal, Professor Lupin?"

A small smile flitted across his lips. "No. I want you too damn much."

Tonks kissed him, long and deep until they were both breathless and she rested her cheek against his, gently tracing one of the long, thin white scars with her finger that were so faded that they were barely noticeable now unless one was this close.

"I've never wanted anyone more in my life. I can't wait to marry you, Professor Lupin."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "After this, when we go home. I'll find you a ring."

She shrugged and kissed him again. "I just need you."

Remus lied her back against the sheets, covering her body with his. "I'm yours, Dora, always."

Then his lips met hers again and she knew that it was completely true.

 **Ron woke up the next morning to the sound of his name and he blinked.** His head was on his arms and as he sat up his back cracked. He had fallen asleep bent over Hermione's bed, he realized and his eyes immediately sought her brown eyes.

"Hey, morning."

"Ron? Did you stay here all night?"

Ron squeezed her hand gently. "I didn't want you to wake up alone."

Tears welled up in her eyes again. "It wasn't a dream, was it? He's really - he's gone?"

"No, it wasn't a dream," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Mione." He moved to sit on the side of her bed. "Madam Pomfrey gave you a calming drought and a sleeping potion last night to help you. But if you're feeling up to it, I'd like to go and see Harry this morning."

"Harry," she breathed. "Oh my … I forgot! I'm a terrible friend!"

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed, squeezing her hand. "You most certainly are not! If anyone would understand it would be Harry. You lost someone important to you, Hermione. You need to take a moment for yourself. Harry understands that. Here, Ginny brought you some clean clothes and some girl stuff, she said, whatever that is." He told her, handing her the bag from the chair.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you for being here, Ron."

He nodded. "Of course. Go on, make yourself feel a bit better and get dressed. I'll wait."

Hermione climbed out of the bed and then leaned down and kissed his cheek before she took her things, hurrying off into the small bathroom of the hospital wing. Ron heard the shower turn on and he let out a slow sigh. She was going to be alright, he thought and that's what mattered.

He looked up at the knock on the door and smiled at his sister. "Hey, she just got into the shower."

"You look like you could use one too. Go on, I'll stay with her and we'll meet you at Professor Lupin's suite to see Harry."

Ron nodded gratefully at her and hurried off to go change and shower for the day. He needed to see Harry. Things were happening and he knew that the war had officially started all over again.

It wasn't a comforting thought.

 **When Harry woke up that morning he felt mildly better.** He let Madam Pomfrey examine him without fuss as she explained how his bones had mended, but that he still needed to rest carefully over the next few days so that the muscles could heal with his bones. He wasn't allowed to fly or do anything strenuous for at least four days and he grudgingly promised.

Remus and Tonks were still gone as was Zee, but Misha had returned to sit with him. He told Harry and Sirius that he had found Bagman's nine-year-old-daughter dead and it looked like his ex-wife had been kidnapped before the trail had gone cold. He was convinced that they had used a portkey, but unfortunately he could only track the initial use of the portkey and not the destination.

Dobby had just served him oatmeal and fruit for breakfast with a side of bacon when his friends came into the bedroom.

"Hey," he said, smiling at the sight of them.

Ron took a seat in the chair and grinned at him. "You look better than yesterday. Ginny told us about your injuries, you feeling alright?"

He nodded. "As good as I can be, I guess."

"I always knew that he would return," Luna said quietly. "We liked to think that he wouldn't; that someone would be able to stop it somehow, but we knew that it would happen."

He swallowed slowly, drinking his orange juice. "I know."

Hermione moved to sit on the bed next to Harry and wrapped her arms around him. He put his good arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Mione, I'm so sorry about Viktor. He was a really great bloke."

She nodded against his shoulder. "They took him back to Bulgaria for burial. Mrs Krum said that she would keep me informed of the funeral arrangements."

Harry kissed her forehead. "We'll all go with you, if you like?"

She nodded and stayed pressed against him, tears blinding her vision. "Thank you."

"Will you tell us what happened, Harry?" Neville asked quietly, sitting down next to Marauder at the end of the bed. "In the maze and … after."

Harry stared at his friends. "He came back. I don't really think the how if it matters much."

Ron nodded, the turmoil in his friend's eyes making his own stomach turn over. The horror of what had happened to Mr Crouch had been one thing, he couldn't imagine what his friend had saw. "I'm sorry, mate."

Harry stared at Ron for a moment before he nodded and turned to Luna. "Luna, Ginny told me what you discovered. That's brilliant and well, at least we had some good news out of all of this."

She smiled. "Every little bit counts, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

The six of them looked up at the knock on the door and Harry smiled at the sight of Mandy.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt," she said nervously.

Harry shook his head. "No, you're not interrupting. Come in."

Mandy came into the room slowly, sitting next to Harry on the bed as Hermione moved out of the way to give her space. She gently cupped Harry's bruised cheeks, turning his head to and fro as she examined his black eyes and bruised and healed over broken nose.

"Are you alright?"

He leaned in and kissed her softly, the feel of her lips under his making him feel surprisingly better and alive. "I'm alright. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I was so scared, Harry! You appeared out of nowhere bleeding and looking so broken and then Dumbledore cancelled the tournament and everyone left and … then Diggory and Krum were declared dead. It was a lot to take in. Is You Know Who really back?"

Harry nodded and kissed her again. "Yes."

Mandy settled herself at his side comfortably, her arm around him gently. "I'm sorry that you had to see that."

Harry kept his arm wrapped around Mandy. The feel of her making him feel slightly better, but he found his eyes sought out the warm brown ones standing at the edge of his bed petting Marauder.

"So now what are we going to do?" Neville asked, looking around at his friends and pulling Harry's gaze away from Ginny.

"We aren't going to do anything," Mandy said sharply. "It's hardly our job to stop You Know Who. Harry? Am I right?" She asked turning his face to look at her.

"Of course. Not our job," he repeated.

Ginny cleared her throat, her brown eyes staring at him. "Well, Harry, I'm glad to see that you're feeling a bit better, but I'm going to let you get some rest and head down to breakfast."

Neville nodded. "I'll come down with you. McGonagall told us this morning that the train is taking everyone home today as opposed to tomorrow."

Ron, Hermione and Luna all got up to go as well, but Mandy took Harry's hand in hers.

"Do you want me to stay for a bit? I've already packed all of my things and Padma told me that she would get it on the train for me?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that would be great. Stay."

She kissed him softly, mindful of his bruises and smiled. "Then I'll stay."

Once everyone else was gone, Sirius stuck his head inside. "Harry, I had Dobby pack up all of your things from your room. You're just going to come home with us. I don't want you going on the train."

Harry glared at him. "Am I to be even more restricted now?"

Sirius frowned. "Not restricted. I just want you safe and not to mention that you're still quite injured. Mandy, nice to see you again."

She nodded, her arms still around her boyfriend.

"We leave in an hour," Sirius told him.

Harry scowled as Sirius left the room.

"Don't be angry with him, Harry," Mandy said softly. "He's just worried about you. We all are."

"No, that I'm used to. We just ... he's been lying to me about something and we had a row about it last night. I wish Uncle Rem was here. Sometimes I wish I could pass off as just remotely normal."

Mandy smiled at him and gently brushed his fringe over his scar. "Let's just hide this and there, now you look like just Harry; completely normal."

He frowned at that. "Is it that repulsive?"

"Well, scars are never nice to look at," she said matter of factly. "But it's not repulsive, no. I just meant that if you hide it like that, you're just Harry."

"I think I need more than my scar covered to pass that off."

Mandy nodded. "Was it awful?"

"Watching him come back? Having him torture me? Nah, piece of cake. What do you think?" He scowled at her.

She looked at him in surprise and her eyes flashed hurt for a moment before she masked it.

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Mandy. I didn't mean it like that. I don't want to talk about it."

Mandy gave him a small smile and nodded. "We don't have to. We can talk about whatever you'd like."

"I don't really feel like talking at all to be honest."

"That's okay too," she said resting her head against his shoulder. "We can just sit here."

But Harry didn't find that reassuring either.

He could feel the tension in his girlfriend; her burning desire to ask questions. It was an uncomfortable silence. She must have noticed because she started rambling about how Hannah was coming to stay with her for a week and how she would love it if he could come and meet her mum and he only nodded rather non committable in response.

Now that he was awake and not focused so much on the pain, he was thinking about the removal of the Horcrux inside of his head. It was scheduled to happen in a little over a week. He knew that if the outcome didn't look potentially good that Sirius would never have even told him about it. That didn't reassure him either. It only further reminded him of the fact that Sirius had lied to him.

That he had continued to lie to him.

He leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes in annoyance. How was he supposed to trust him when he kept hiding things? When he kept holding back? What else wasn't Sirius telling him? Once the Horcrux was removed from his head; what did that mean for him? For the prophecy?

 _Neither can live while the other survives._

Those words had been haunting him and now he didn't know how this would affect them let alone affect him.

Mandy reached out and covered his scar with his hair again and he grabbed her wrist.

"I get it! It's vile! Stop covering it up!"

Mandy stared at him in surprise. "I'll take that tone only because I know how stressed and tense you are. I don't think that it's vile, Harry. I was just trying to remove the reminder of what it stands for."

Harry snorted. "That I have a target on my back? Don't bother. It won't change anything."

As he said the words, he knew that they were true. Once the Horcrux was removed it wouldn't stop Voldemort from coming after him. It wouldn't change anything. As far as he knew Voldemort didn't even know that he had the Horcrux in him. If he did, he would certainly not be trying to kill him.

He saw Mandy's wide eyes and he sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm in a really shitty mood and I don't mean to take it out on you."

She nodded. "I can't even begin to imagine what horrors you went through watching him return and … being tortured … I know that you must be feeling a mix of emotions and maybe you'd rather be alone."

It was on the tip of his tongue to say yes, but the look in her eyes made him stop. She didn't deserve for him to be treating her that way. She was sweet and she just wanted to offer him comfort. He needed to stop acting like a prat and take what she was offering.

"No, I'm sorry. Can we just - can we just lay here? Tell me about your summer plans. You said that your oldest brother Jack is getting married?"

Mandy smiled at him and cuddled back into his chest. "Yes, on the nineteenth of August. Tazanna is wonderful. I couldn't be happier!"

He nodded and let her ramble on until Sirius came to tell him that it was time to go. When she kissed him goodbye, he realized that he hadn't actually taken in a single word that she had said. He nodded at her and told her that he would write to her soon to discuss potential summer plans and then she was gone.

 **Remus and Tonks made their way downstairs for breakfast the next morning and made small talk with Adrian and Maia.** Adrian was holding his granddaughter, Nikita. After eating, the four of them headed out and Remus Apparated with Tonks in his arms to the designated location.

The Council of Elders always met in the same place when a meeting was called. They met in the morning sun at ten in the ruins of Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire. Erecting a magical barrier, hiding them from potential Muggle tourists, they gathered under the arched dome of the Green Cellarium.

"They don't Apparate?" Tonks whispered, her arm around her mate's waist as she watched men and women emerge slowly through the entrance and into the room.

Remus shook his head as he whispered in her ear. "Most of them aren't trained witches and wizards and only a handful of them even know how to use magic like we do. I was lucky to get to go to Hogwarts. Most places don't welcome wolves."

Tonks only nodded in response; tucking her anger down at how much was taken from them simply because they turned into a wolf.

They waited ten minutes before Adrian stepped into the middle of the large circle. Twenty men and women stood around him, one of them Remus recognized as being Hawk and he was holding his baby daughter in his arms.

"I welcome you all to this emergency council meeting," Adrian declared with a small smile. "I called forth only the pack leaders and their advisors, as today, I have something serious to discuss with you."

The room seemed to tense as a whole and Remus tightened his arms around Tonks, his eyes on Adrian.

"Many of you will remember Romulus, the wolf who once lived among us during the war; the wolf who tried to help us escape the slaughter that our brothers and sisters were being subjected to by Greyback's Dark Lord. Romulus has returned to us today with his mate to tell us that the Dark Lord has indeed returned."

There was a gasp from someone and Adrian held his hands up to silence the crowd. "I do not force you to follow my will and I have no intention of doing so now, but with the return of the Dark Lord, I am pledging to you all that I will not join him. I will not let him harm my family or my pack. Last time, Fenrir drove us to him and we lost mates, we lost friends and we lost children." He closed his eyes. "Many of you will remember how Fenrir held his granddaughter, Maia and I's only daughter, our beautiful little Clara; how he offered her up to the Dark Lord and how the Dark Lord slit her throat before us as a sacrifice and a warning of the control that he had. Fenrir didn't even blink. Maia and I … we grieved and we broke."

The room was dead silent. Some people were looking at each other in horror, others in sadness, but no one spoke.

Adrian cleared his throat. "I think about my beautiful Clara every day. Not a moment goes by that I don't wonder what her life would have been like; how she would have been proud of her brother Hawk for finding his mate; or how she would have been proud of her brothers Odin and Rafe for what they have achieved. But she is gone, as are so many of our loved ones. However, the Dark Lord is back and this time, I will fight against him."

A tall woman with short cropped silver hair stepped forward. "I lost my mate in the war, as you all know; living without a mate is like losing half of yourself, but I have carried on. I have carried on for my son, Ethan, who I hope to pass on this pack to one day. I will fight against him, but like Adrian, I will not force my pack to do the same."

Adrian nodded. "Thank you, Echo."

A stocky man with long black hair stepped forward. "I hear your words, Adrian, but how do we know that this is true? What proof is there that he has really returned?"

"Harry Potter saw him resurrect himself from a potion with the help of his Death Eaters. Two champions of the Triwizard Tournament were murdered in an attempt to get to Harry Potter. Potter escaped before Voldemort could kill him. Make no mistake, Rune, he is back," Remus declared darkly. "I would not be here begging for your help if he were not."

"Begging are you, Romulus?" Another man said with a snort. "Always were too good to settle with the pack; prefer to live like a wizard."

"I am a wizard," Remus said. "I am also a wolf and how I choose to live does not negate part of who I am, Daimon."

Daimon scowled at him. "And what of the Ministry? Are wolves going to be given better rights or still treated like stray dogs in the street?"

Remus nodded. "I have no control over the Ministry of Magic, but I do believe that if we stand alongside of them, against Voldemort, the Ministry will see that most wolves can in fact be trusted."

"They almost executed a wolf last year. It was in the paper!" Rune exclaimed angrily.

"But they did not," Remus declared. "That wolf was me. You know me as Romulus, but my real name has always been Remus Lupin and I was saved by wizards and by my mate, who held me as I transformed into the wolf and proved to them that I was not a danger."

Echo smiled. "Your trial was greatly followed among the packs. Rune swore that you were the wolf in question. You were set free, yet you are still investigated and watched despite the trial you won."

"I am. I am a professor at Hogwarts which makes them worried."

"The Ministry would be forced to change their minds if you stood with us," Tonks exclaimed, her voice echoing along the walls.

Every wolf turned to look at her.

Remus kissed her cheek tenderly. "My mate, Nymphadora," he declared. "She is a witch, not a wolf."

"We could smell her the moment we arrived," Rune said bitterly. "But you've marked her and she you; anyone can see it."

"She's an Auror for the Ministry of Magic and we are going to fight against Voldemort in any way that we can," Remus declared, his eyes glinting dangerously at Rune. "The question is, will you stand with us?"

Daimon nodded. "I will stand with you, Romulus."

Rune sighed. "As will I. Romeo, you will get the word out to the pack."

Romeo was standing beside him and he nodded. "I will, Alpha. What about Cami?"

Rune closed his eyes. "As long as Cami continues to choose to be with Fenrir, we can assume Conan will choose Greyback."

"Volk's pack as well?" Adrian asked.

Daimon shook his head. "I rather doubt that Volk will do anything Greyback does."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Why? The last I heard, Fenrir was keeping Cami and Ivory as his wives."

"He was," Daimon told him. "But then he knocked up Ivory and abandoned her. Volk is furious. He's proclaiming that Greyback used Ivory and discarded her like trash. Greyback is claiming that the child isn't his. There's a bit of a war going on between the two packs."

Adrian's eyes met Remus' and he grinned. "That might enable us to get Volk's attention. Daimon, would you be willing to speak with him?"

"Not me," Daimon said, shaking his head. "He would never even grant me an audience, but he has always had a soft spot for Echo."

Echo nodded, standing tall and smiling when her son gripped her arm. "I will go and speak to Volk. In the meantime, we will reiterate the message among our packs. Anyone who wishes to stand with us, we will let you know, Adrian. Those who wish to remain neutral, we should make sure that they have protection."

"Absolutely," Rune declared. "I will not let any innocent lives be slain again."

Adrian smiled. "I close this council meeting on a good note. I wish you all luck with your packs and you, Echo, with attempting to gain Volk's trust."

The room emptied quickly, but a beautiful willowy blonde woman made her way towards them as Adrian and Maia spoke to Hawk and Emily.

"Romulus? Or is it Remus now?"

"Either will be fine, Summer. How have you been?"

Summer smiled coyly. "I've missed you. I still think that you could have done great things if you had joined our pack."

He smiled. "Maybe, but I like where I am. I was waiting for my Dora."

Summer nodded, her eyes moving over Tonks. "I can see why, she's beautiful."

Tonks glanced at the woman in surprise. "Er, thanks, so are you."

Summer smiled back. "I wish you both many blessings and happiness."

Remus nodded as she walked away and Tonks turned to stare at him. "What?"

"What was that?"

He kissed her softly. "An old friend. No, I never slept with her," he said before she could respond. "She tried to convince me to join the pack; to run free and to leave my life in the wizarding world behind, but I couldn't … the thought of leaving my friends, of leaving Harry was more than I could bear. I had a family already. She tried to tell me about wolf traditions and politics and I blatantly ignored her."

"Which is why his ignorance drove him back to me many years ago when a certain mate suddenly got his attention and he didn't understand what was happening to him," Adrian said with a grin, putting a hand on Remus' shoulder. "If you had listened to my wolf lessons many moons ago, you would not have been so lost, my friend."

Remus smiled at him. "Lesson learned."

"Come; you can have tea with us."

Remus shook his head, extending his hand. "I appreciate the offer, Adrian, but we just want to head back. My boy needs me and I need to see him."

Maia smiled at them. "We appreciate that, Romulus, but Adrian and I would both like you to come to our pack meeting tonight and see how they react to this news. Your help would be appreciated."

Tonks linked her fingers through his. "Of course we'll be there. We want to bring good news back ourselves, don't we, love?"

He nodded and let out a slow breath. He just wanted to get back to Harry, but he knew that he was alright with Sirius. This was important.

"What time is the meeting?"

 **Hermione spent the entire train ride back to King's Cross staring blankly at the book open in front of her.** Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna had attempted to pull her into conversation a few times, but her heart wasn't in it. She was still completely shocked that Viktor was dead.

When the train pulled up in front of the station, she felt rather numb and Ron put his arm around her, half lifting her from the seat until she realized that they had arrived. She said goodbye to her friends and carefully wheeled her cart behind her, carrying Crookshanks' cage in the other hand as her eyes searched for her parents. They were standing near the platform sign and the moment she spotted them, she walked faster.

Jean's eyes softened at the sight of her. "Hermione! Sweetheart, we're so sorry about Viktor."

"We know how much he meant to you," Greg said softly.

Greg reached her first, tugging her into his arms and the moment she was cradled against his chest, the tears fell all over again. Jean moved into her husband's arms, wrapping her own body around her daughter as Greg held both of them. They both kissed their daughter's hair and cheeks as she cried, whispering words to her that she barely heard.

When she finally managed to catch her breath, she wiped her eyes, looking up at her father. "I loved him, Daddy."

Greg kissed her forehead. "I know, jellybean." He kissed her again before he bent down to grab her trunk. "Come on; let's go on home, okay? The car isn't too far."

Jean picked up Crookshanks' cage and wrapped her other arm around her daughter's waist. Hermione let her head rest against her mother's shoulder as they walked to the car.

"Wait," Hermione said, stopping before they reached the car. "How did you know … about Viktor?"

Jean smiled and gently tucked a bushy curl behind her daughter's ear. "Your friend Ron. He used the mirror to contact us to tell us what had happened. He said that he was staying with you in the hospital wing and for us not to worry as you weren't hurt, just grieving. He didn't want us to worry and he wanted to make sure we took good care of you when you came home. Such a sweet boy. You have a good friend there, Hermione."

Hermione stared at her mother in surprise and nodded. "I can't believe he …"

Greg kissed her forehead. "You have wonderful friends, jellybean. You take care of each other. Come on; let's get into the car, okay?" Once they were inside, Greg turned to look at her. "We were going to take you to dinner at that Indian restaurant you love, but if you're not feeling up to it, we can just get some for takeout?"

Hermione nodded. "Takeout please. I don't want to sit in a restaurant right now."

Jean smiled at her and reached back to squeeze her hand. "Done. What would you like?"

Jean used the car phone to call ahead as Greg drove through the London traffic. Thirty minutes later, they had bags full of fresh Indian food and were pulling into the drive of their home on Heathgate. Greg unlocked the front door, carrying Hermione's trunk as Hermione let Crookshanks out, cradling the cat in her arms.

She helped her mother set the table as they sat down to eat and halfway through her meal, the words came tumbling out; about the tournament; about planning to visit Viktor in Bulgaria; about meeting his family; about Harry appearing and breaking the wards; about discovering Ludo Bagman had killed Viktor and Cedric; and about how Harry had witnessed the return of Lord Voldemort.

Greg stared at her when she finished. "So you're telling us that war is coming to your world?"

She nodded. "I think it's been coming for a while, but yes."

Jean let out a slow breath. "Harry's okay?"

Hermione smiled at her mother. "He says so. Sirius wouldn't let him take the train home, but he's okay. He says that he will go with me to Viktor's - f-funeral."

Greg stood up and kissed her cheek, wrapping an arm around her as he crouched next to her in her chair. "So will Mum and I. Darling, we're so sorry. Losing someone you love is never easy."

Hermione reached under her shirt to pull out the golden key pendant, holding it between her thumb and forefinger. "Mum … I thought he was … he could have been the one."

Jean smiled and kissed her daughter's cheek tenderly. "He wasn't, darling. First loves are always very intense and all consuming. Some first loves are the it love, the big one that lasts forever, but most are sweet and beautiful and not meant to last. God would not have taken him from you so quickly if he was to be your be all and end all, I don't believe that. One day, you will find your Prince Charming and you'll know."

"I don't want anyone else," she cried.

Greg kissed her cheek. "You never have to date again if you don't want to, jellybean."

"Greg," Jean said sternly.

Hermione smiled at her parents. "He was perfect and I loved him and … all the things that we were going to do together and now we can't and … his team lost him and he was just really getting into his career as a Quidditch player … I miss him."

"And he will always have a special place in your heart, Hermione. You will never stop loving him. Just take it one step at a time, one day at a time and eventually, darling, it will hurt a little less. I promise you," Jean assured her.

She smiled gratefully at her parents and allowed her mum to con her into snuggling between them on the couch and watching one of her favourite movies, _My Fair Lady._ Greg put his arm around her, smiling when she cuddled into him and an hour into the movie, she was sleeping soundly against her father; exhausted in her grief.

 **Zee stepped into Black Cottage later on that night feeling exhausted.** It was almost midnight and she had been running around between countries since she had left Hogwarts at eleven the night before. She closed the door behind her and Lady Godiva immediately came over to greet her, nuzzling her hand gently. She pet her lovingly as she left her boots at the door and Sirius poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Hey," he said in relief.

She moved to him and kissed him softly. "Hey. Is he here?"

"Upstairs. He took the last of the potions from Pomfrey, including a dreamless sleep draught."

Something in his expression made her narrow her eyes.

"What?"

"Fuck. Zee, I told him."

Her eyes widened slightly. "What?"

He quickly explained what had happened; how Ginny had shown up with the news of the diadem; how Harry had said Ginny's name in his sleep; how she had stayed until he had woken up; how they had discussed Nagini being a Horcrux; and how Harry had figured out that he was one.

"He's furious at me. He's been giving me the cold shoulder."

Zee kissed him softly. "He'll get over it, Sirius. But he has every right to be angry at you."

"I know! That makes it even worse!" He let out a slow sigh as he dragged the heels of his hands across his face. "Your parents have been great. They stayed all night with him and just went back next door after we got home."

"Good." She kissed him again. "Have you slept at all?" At his look, she nodded. "I'm going up to check on him and then I need to shower. We'll go to bed together."

He nodded. "I was just debating making myself a snack. Harry didn't come down to dinner and I didn't eat much myself. Did you have any success?"

"I think so. We'll see. Most of them weren't sure whether or not to believe he was back. We'll see what happens."

She headed upstairs, leaving Sirius to his own devices concerning snack food, and knocked gently on Harry's bedroom door. There was so answer so she opened it just a little and saw that he was sleeping in his bed, Marauder stretched out across the bottom. She stepped inside and sat on the edge of his bed. She gently brushed his fringe out of his eyes and kissed his forehead softly. He stirred at the kiss and blinked wearily up at her.

"Zee?"

She handed him his glasses and he quickly put them on.

"Hi."

She smiled at him. "Hi. How are you feeling, sweetie?"

He shrugged. "Better."

"Sirius told me."

His eyes narrowed. "You knew?"

"Sirius told me before we spoke to Xander. But yes, I knew. I agreed with him about not telling you. You still had the Third Task up ahead and it was important to keep your head in that and not have you worried about this."

Harry stared at her. "I could have handled it."

Zee gave him a small smile. "You are right. You could have. But you don't have to bear the world on your shoulders, Harry. Sometimes letting others do the worrying for you is a good idea."

He didn't answer her and she gently brushed his hair away from his forehead.

"Are you hungry? Do you need any more pain potions or anything?"

He shook his head. "No, Madam Pomfrey gave me a few to last me through tomorrow morning and Dobby brought me a sandwich an hour ago."

She nodded. "Well, get some rest and heal up. We have a lot to talk about. I know that you're angry with all of us for keeping it from you, but I think that you also know why we did. Sirius and I would both like to talk to you about what Xander has planned and how we can proceed. I'd like to talk about the diadem and the snake as well."

She stood up to go and he clamped his fingers around her wrist. "C-can I ask you something?"

Zee sat back down, her brown eyes on his. "Anything."

Harry let out a slow sigh, his eyes wide as he looked at her. "I … never mind."

Zee frowned. "Harry, I am always here if you need to talk about absolutely anything." She cupped his cheek gently. "Tell me."

"Ginny knows."

"Ginny knows about you being a Horcrux?" When he nodded, she smiled. "Sirius mentioned that she was there with you. Is that a bad thing that she knows?"

He shook his head. "No … I'm - I'm glad she does she … understands and she said it's not the same and that it doesn't change who I am; that she had him inside of her once too and that she was still her."

Zee's eyes softened and tugged him towards her, wrapping her arms around him. "Of course you are still you! Harry, this soul piece has not changed a single ounce of who you are. You have always been our Harry and removing it will do nothing to change that. You will probably feel better in fact and there's a small possibility that you might even be stronger. But you are you, one hundred percent. I can promise you that."

"You can't!"

She pulled away a little to cup his face in her hands. "I can! Look at who Voldemort was even as a child, Harry. He was a monster. He didn't know how to love. He didn't know how to have friends; how to live like a decent human being. You have a great capacity to love which you've shown by allowing me into your life; by allowing my family into your life. You love Sirius and Remus and your friends with all of your heart and you are incredibly brave and selfless." She kissed his forehead tenderly. "I am honoured that I get to know you, let alone love you. You are the son of my heart, Harry James, and I am so proud of the man that you are growing up to be."

Tears welled up in his eyes and he blinked them back, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She was warm and soft and her embrace was tight and inviting and he held on, hugging her for a long moment and then he started to talk.

He hadn't meant to.

In fact, he had kind of resigned himself against telling anyone, but the words tumbled out of his mouth. His fear in the graveyard; his decision to die fighting like a man; and his pain at being tortured, at being under the Imperius Curse and being confronted with his mum and dad. Zee gently trailed a hand up and down his back as he spoke, keeping him in her arms since he made no move to pull away.

His voice broke when he got to the part about his parents.

"Of course they are watching over you," she said softly. "I like to think that my mum is watching over me. I barely remember her myself, only tidbits and Mama has been in my life for so long that I sometimes forget that she is only my stepmother. Your parents are so proud of you, Harry. I know that. Sirius and Remus know that."

"But … it was just a spell, right?"

Zee smiled and kissed his cheek. "No, sweetie, it wasn't."

His eyes widened. "They were … really there?"

She nodded. "Priori Incantatem forces the wand to re-examine its last spells or hexes and curses, but when it comes to death curses, only the spell is released. By releasing the spell, the soul of the person who was killed has the ability to return to that witch or wizard's wand for a short period of time if they so wish it. The moment your wand connected with that monster's, I know that your parents were only waiting to jump through and see you up close." She brushed her fingers through his unruly hair. "The pride and joy I saw on their faces in your memory when they were given the moment to see their boy, who was so full of fire and love, trust me, it was enough for them, even if they were only given a moment. I wish that I had been given the opportunity to meet them."

"They - they said that they approved of you and of Tonks."

Zee smiled at him, unshed tears in her eyes as she gently brushed her finger down his uninjured cheek. "Well, that's the best compliment a girl can have." She kissed his forehead tenderly. "You're going to be okay, sweetie, I promise."

He let her hug him a moment longer before he pulled away, making himself comfortable in his bed again. "I - I think that I want to try to sleep again now."

Zee smiled and stood up. "That sounds like a good idea. Get some rest. When you're feeling up to it, come downstairs and we'll talk, alright?"

Harry nodded. "Is Uncle Rem back yet?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so, no. But I'm sure that he will be back soon. Goodnight, Harry. I love you."

She closed his bedroom door behind her and let out a slow sigh before moving down the hall to the master bedroom. She was surprised to see Sirius sitting on the bed waiting for her.

"Hey, I thought that you were making a snack since you didn't eat dinner."

Sirius shrugged. "Realized I wasn't really hungry. I heard you talking to Harry. I'm glad he talks to you …"

Zee closed the bedroom door behind her and moved to straddle him on the bed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Do you need me to comfort you too?"

Sirius popped open the top buttons her blouse. "Maybe."

She kissed his cheek. "Harry's going to be okay, Sirius."

"I know," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "He's still mad at me."

"He's hurting and he's terrified. What he went through in that graveyard … Merlin, Sirius, as if being tortured and forced to duel the man who killed his parents wasn't hard enough; he saw and spoke to his parents for the first time in his life. I can't imagine what that was like for him. He escaped only to learn that two of his friends had been murdered, that he himself is a Horcrux and that you knew about it and kept it from him. He's a wreck and frankly no matter what he says, I just think that he needs someone to talk to about everything, someone more than us."

Sirius frowned when she kissed his forehead. "He said that he doesn't want a mind healer."

Zee smiled. "Sometimes stubborn men don't know what they want and need to be told."

"Haha," he said, kissing her neck.

Zee tucked his hair behind his ear. "I need to shower. I've taken six international portkeys in the last twenty-four hours. I feel like I've been run over emotionally and physically by an Erumpent."

She climbed off his lap and continued to unbutton her blouse, tossing it in the hamper. Sirius followed her into the bathroom as she undressed and stepped into the shower.

"Where did you go? Who did you talk to? You said that they were a maybe, but who?"

The shower turned on and Sirius watched the shadowy blurred outline of his woman behind the frosted glass. She took a minute to stand under the spray before she answered him.

"I went to Greece first and requested an audience with Princess Sapphira. She has promised to speak to the other villages and districts about not joining Voldemort if he comes calling. Last time, the Merpeople were left largely alone except for one of the small villages in the North Sea. The Village of Nix is known to have gold and jewels, more than most," she said through the shower door.

"And they joined him?"

"Not entirely," Zee called out as she scrubbed her hair. "But they gave him access to their gold and he murdered half of their village even after promising them that he would help restrict wizard access to their homes. Princess Sapphira has promised to try to convince everyone to not allow Voldemort or his Death Eaters any access, but whether or not they come on land and help us fight when the time comes, that I do not know."

He nodded, leaning back against the bathroom counter and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Not giving him access is still a good sign. After Greece, where did you go?"

"I headed to France to talk to a friend who is married to a half-Veela. Her husband is very powerful and has made it his business to befriend the Veela around the world. He knows at least one Veela in almost every country. He agreed to try to persuade them to fight against Voldemort if the time came. Last time, the Death Eaters enslaved four female Veela in France and used them as sex slaves. They are not willing to allow this to happen again."

"Good," Sirius said, letting out a slow sigh. "That's good news. After France?"

"I stayed in France a little longer and spoke to Lord William Clovenfield, the vampire who owns the winery out there and married a witch. He has agreed to speak to some of the vampire outposts within France and the United Kingdom about choosing the other side. Most vampires prefer to live quiet lives off of the radar, but considering how many of them were slaughtered in the last war, he thinks that we might be able to gain some valuable allies this time around."

Sirius could see her shadow rinsing her hair. Her voluptuous curves distorted through the frosted glass. "After Clovenfield?"

"I headed to Ireland to speak to the King of the Fae. King Taliesin assured me that all fairies, gnomes, and leprechauns in his kingdom would be loyal to anyone who followed Albus Dumbledore. The king is a big fan of him and says that both times he had the honour of speaking with him, he was treated with nothing but the utmost respect and kindness and he knows what kind of man he is. He also said that he would put a word in with the goblins, but they are very mistrustful of witches and wizards and honestly, I don't know if they'd support either side if it came down to it."

Sirius nodded. He had to agree with her there. "Still, that's more than just a little success, Zee. No one outright told you no."

"I know, but no one other than King Taliesin actually agreed to help us fight either."

"You still did amazing," Sirius told her, watching her figure through the door. "That's still a good number of magical beings who will not be joining his army. I hope that Moony and Tonks are just as lucky. He was going to see Adrian and he's head of one of the wolf packs in England, but if it's anything like last time, they will have to have a council meeting between the packs to discuss any potential alliances."

"Do you think that there's a chance?" Zee called out.

"I hope so," he said honestly. "Obviously Greyback is loyal to Voldemort, which means that his pack will be too, but if Remus can convince the ones not in Greyback's pack to follow Dumbledore instead, we might stand a chance."

The shower shut off and Sirius opened up a large towel holding it out and wrapping her up in it as she stepped out of the shower.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him. She tucked the towel closed at her breasts and accepted the other towel to wrap her hair. "If we get any of these magical beings to help us, Sirius, the big question is going to be the Ministry."

Sirius frowned. "I know. I guess that's going to be on me to try to talk some sense into the Wizengamot."

"Not only on you," she said, moving to the counter and grabbing her body lotion.

Sirius watched as she rubbed the vanilla-cinnamon scented lotion into her body. "I want to bring King on board, he can help with that. I think Amelia Bones would probably be another asset, especially since she dealt with finding Crouch's body and recognized that it had obviously been done by Death Eaters. You would obviously be an important speaker and representer from the DRCMC. I'm hoping Bill can help us with the goblins since he works for _Gringotts_ and now that he's been transferred back to London, that could help."

Zee smiled at him as she rubbed the lotion in her legs. "One step at a time, Siri. Let's figure out each step slowly. Any news on Fudge?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, but the paper didn't say much this morning either. Just an announcement that Harry Potter was deemed Triwizard Champion and that two of the champions were killed in the maze. It is listed that Ludo Bagman is the one who murdered the champions in an attempt to win a gambling bet. He and his wife Constance are both listed as missing and his daughter as dead. The article went on to say that if anyone has seen him to please inform the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but there's nothing about Voldemort or his return."

Zee rubbed the lotion into her arms, her chest and her back before moving into the bedroom to tug on a pair of silk pyjama shorts and one of Sirius' Nirvana tee shirts. She used her wand to dry her hair and carefully pulled her hair back into a messy bun on the top of her head.

Sirius leaned against the doorjamb to the bathroom watching her. "You're so fucking gorgeous."

She smirked at him. "Like this? Flatterer. I don't even have any makeup on."

He took a step forward and tugged her towards him to kiss her softly. "Gorgeous. And all mine." He slid his hands down, cupping her bum.

Zee smiled up at him, changing the subject back. "Are you worried that the paper hasn't printed anything?"

Sirius shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure what to think. The next Wizengamot session is in four days, I guess I'll know then. But with the Bulgarian and French Ministries looking to come together on this, Fudge has to admit that it is real."

"Is he just in denial?"

"I believe so," Sirius admitted. "We can hardly blame him. Who wants to admit that Voldemort has returned? But he needs to step up and help get the Ministry and the country ready. We cannot let him gain as much power as he had last time."

Zee nodded and kissed him softly. "No matter what happens, we will do what we can to stop that from happening. He doesn't know that we know about the Horcruxes. And we're close, Siri, there's only three left and we now know what all of them are."

Sirius held her close to him. "I know."

She smiled. "Come on; I'm starving. Come eat with me. We'll put a film on and just shut our minds off for a bit. When Harry is ready to talk, we have a lot to discuss."

He kissed her forehead, smiling. "Alright, that sounds like a plan. Maybe by the morning we'll have heard from Remus."

Zee smiled in response, taking his hand and leading him out of their room and down the stairs. One step at a time, she told herself; it was the only thing that they could do.

 **Andromeda sat in the little Muggle cafe in the small town she had chosen that Monday morning, her fingers tapping on the table.** It seemed that some things had never changed, she thought as she glanced up at the clock and saw that her sister was late.

Exactly fifteen minutes late, Narcissa strolled through the cafe, spotted her and took a seat.

"Andy," she said curtly.

Andromeda stared at her. Her blonde hair was styled perfectly; plaited at her neck, not a hair out of place. She stopped herself from bringing her own hand up to her unruly mop of curls in response. "Cissa, thank you for meeting me."

Narcissa nodded. "Draco told me that you gave the information to Sirius."

"I did. We already knew as Harry told us, but getting the coordinates was great so thank you."

She folded her hands in front of her. "Why did you want to meet with me?"

"Your husband told Harry that, 'they knew'; was he implying the location? Why did he tell him that?"

Narcissa swallowed slowly, her eyes on her older sister. "The moment his tattoo became inked again, he knew that he would be called upon. We've talked about it and the importance of me knowing exactly where he is going at all times."

"And?"

"When he gets the coordinates, he gives them to me. If something is to happen or if he doesn't return when he is supposed to, I have a starting point in which to find him."

Andromeda could see the turmoil in her sister's eyes at the thought of her husband not coming home. "Did he tell you what happened?"

"Yes. He told me how all of his followers returned to him; how he told them how he had come to return; how he tortured some of them, Lucius included. Then he duelled Harry."

Andromeda nodded. "Harry escaped."

"I know, I'm grateful." She clutched her hands before she spoke. "Brax took the Dark Lord to his manor in France until they've organized properly. He was furious with Harry's escape. He knows that Dumbledore has been alerted as has the Ministry, the two things he was hoping to avoid until he was more organized. Right now, he's waiting to see how they react. Brax has already spoken to the Dementors. Envoys have been sent to the giants. He's amassing an army once again."

"Do you know what for?"

She nodded. "He plans to take the Ministry by force, but I don't know when. He's not ready yet. But I do know that he was hoping for the element of surprise and Harry escaping stopped that from happening."

Andromeda brought her tea to her lips, her eyes on her sister. "Cissa, are you safe? Is Draco safe?"

Narcissa smiled gratefully at her sister. "Yes, we're fine. Brax and Isla are hosting the Dark Lord in France for the time being, which is a relief for me. Bella volunteered Malfoy Manor and I have a feeling that it won't be long until our home is overrun, but right now, the Dark Lord is staying in France. Andy … it won't be more than a few weeks until there's a mass breakout from Azkaban."

"We're working on it, Cissa. We all remember the power that he had the last time and like you said, Harry escaping alerted not only Dumbledore, but the Ministry of Magic as well."

She nodded. "Draco told me that you offered your home to him, Theo and Blaise."

"It's open to you as well if you need it," she said kindly. "I know the fine line you and your husband are walking, but if you need me to keep Draco safe or you, you need only say the word."

Narcissa nodded. "Thank you, Andy … thank you." She looked around before she spoke, leaning across the table. "Meeting with you again may become difficult. If I learn anything else, I will send Binky directly to you. I have to get going."

She hurried to her feet, stopping only when Andromeda reached out and squeezed her hand gently. "Be safe, Cissy."

Narcissa smiled kindly at her. "You too, dear sister."

And then she was gone, leaving Andromeda alone in the cafe with only more questions than she had answers.

 **When Harry woke up on Monday morning, he finally felt a little bit better.** His bruises were starting to fade and his body ached a whole let less. He took the last of the potions that Pomfrey had given him and made his way into the bathroom.

He undressed and stared at himself in front of the mirror. He still looked like hell. Under both of his eyes were still a bruising purplish yellow. He removed the bandage from his ribs and the bruises peppered there made him wince. He removed the bandage from his arm and leg as well and saw the cuts and slices had fully healed. He cleaned his teeth and then stepped into the shower and the feel of the hot spray on his body almost made him whimper it felt so good.

He took his time washing up and he had just stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist when there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Harry? I have some salve for your bruises?"

He opened the door to stare up at Sirius, the concern in his grey eyes made him feel a little guilty for treating him so badly, but he had lied to him and Harry still wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Sirius' eyes moved over his ribs and back up to his face. "Rub a generous amount of this on them and hopefully they will be healed up my tomorrow. You need to shave as well if your cheek can handle it. You're looking rather patchy."

Harry accepted the container offered. "Thanks."

He closed the bathroom door to do just that, examining his cheek carefully in the mirror. He knew the fracture had healed, but it was still a bit tender. He voted against the shave and applied the salve generously, rubbing it into his skin until his bruises seemed shiny and then washed his hands; dragged a comb through his hair pointlessly and made his way to his bedroom to change into clean clothes.

When he went downstairs five minutes later, Sirius was making breakfast and Zee was reading the paper.

"Morning."

Zee lowered the paper, her eyes on him. "Hi! You used the salve, good! How are you feeling?"

He shrugged. "Better."

Sirius smiled. "Sit and eat some breakfast. Remus is on his way over."

Harry brightened at those words as Sirius placed a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him. He was halfway through his breakfast when Remus arrived by Floo and hurried into the kitchen. He immediately bent down and wrapped his arms around Harry from behind, kissing his non tender cheek.

"I'm fine, Uncle Moony."

Remus looked like he wanted to argue that, but he instead sat in the chair next to him. "One day, Harry, you're going to wake up with those words tattooed across your forehead."

That earned a small smile from Harry.

Remus scratched his chin and grinned widely. "Um, so … I asked Tonks to marry me."

All three of them stared at him for a full thirty seconds, eyes wide before Harry let out a whoop.

"That's great!" Harry beamed. "Tonks has been telling me that she was going to marry you most of my life."

Remus blushed and shrugged. "It's time and we're ready."

Sirius smiled at him. "Moony, that's great. I'm happy for you. You deserve every bit of happiness."

"Thank you, Sirius," he said, grinning at his friend. He smiled when Zee hugged him.

"Wonderful news that we very much needed to hear amidst the darkness of late," she said, moving to sit back in her chair.

Sirius nodded. "Much agreed. Did you tell her parents yet?"

He shook his head. "No, we decided to tell them at dinner on Sunday so please keep it a secret until then."

"Done," Sirius said with a smile. "So other than the happy proposal; how did it go with the packs?"

Remus grinned. "Good. I think good. Adrian is on board, as were Echo, Daimon and Rune and they think that they can convince Volk as he's not on good terms with Greyback at the moment. But we'll see. The packs don't control what others decide to do, but I think that most, if not all, will agree with the decisions their Alphas make."

"That's good. That's good news. Every little bit counts," Sirius said, his eyes on Harry.

Harry picked at his eggs, intentionally ignoring Sirius' look. "If they don't?"

"We want to stop him from having power like he did thirteen years ago. But we can only do so much," Sirius told him honestly. "Zee had some potential luck as well."

Zee nodded and explained about the Merpeople, the vampires, the Veela, the fairies, the gnomes and the leprechauns.

Remus smiled. "That is potentially some very good news. Nymphadora has headed into work for the day too and she is going to talk to King about the Order. She said that he's the best and should definitely be given the opportunity to help in other ways."

"Arthur and Molly are already on board and have been for a few months now. After Ron and Harry found Crouch, I knew that I couldn't keep them in the dark from it much longer," Sirius admitted. "Plus we got Xander and Thea on board in terms of dealing with the AH."

"AH?" Remus asked.

"Accidental Horcrux," he answered, his eyes on Harry. "Harry knows, Moony."

Remus' eyes were wide as he stared at Harry. "And you seem remarkably calm about it."

"I think that I always knew on some level," he admitted carefully. "But I am not okay with you all lying to me about it no matter what your motives were!"

Remus nodded. "I know that and so does Sirius, but can you blame us for doing so? The last thing that we wanted to do was to tell you about this when we had no idea how to safely remove it without hurting you, without watching you die; neither of which Sirius and I are willing to do. You can be angry at us as much as you want, but I would make the same choice again."

Harry only stared at him. The amber eyes were locked on his, the determined stare only making him swallow slowly. "So now what?"

Sirius let out a slow sigh. "I told you that we have a scheduled plan in Greece for the eighth of July. Xander will be ready for us then. If you're still ready, we're going to remove it and place it in an object for us to destroy it."

"How?"

Remus leaned across the table and gripped Harry's wrists in his hands. "It's going to be awful. I don't want you to think otherwise. Xander is hoping to be able to knock you out, but he can't guarantee it. You've seen how they fight back and you've seen how they can filter into someone's mind and make them imagine the worst of their memories; the worst of their thoughts. We don't know how that might affect you while Xander is trying to remove it nor do we know how it may affect Xander. This is as much trial and error as you can imagine."

"Will I die?"

Remus' grip on Harry's wrists tightened. "No."

Sirius and Zee had each stood up to touch his shoulder. "If something happens and it looks like you are even remotely in danger of that happening we will stop it. We won't let you die, Harry."

Harry's eyes met Sirius. "Don't stop it."

"Harry -" Zee began.

But he shook his head. "I want it gone. If it costs me my life so be it. I don't want to die, but ... if it's the cost to end him ... let me go."

Sirius moved closer to hug him. "I will not sit back and let you die! I won't do it!"

"Uncle Siri, please ... I trust you to get it out and to keep me safe, I do, but in case something goes wrong ..."

Remus' grip tightened slightly and he nodded. "It won't, but if it does ... we will do the right thing, Harry."

Harry nodded, his face set in determination. "We can't let him win."

Zee kissed his cheek. "We won't."

Harry turned back to his scrambled eggs and tucked in quietly.

Voldemort wasn't going to win. He couldn't.


	181. Chapter 181

_Author's Note:_

 _Love that you guys clued into my treatment of Harry's scar; I thought distinguishing between Ginny and Mandy there was equally as important. As to Fudge well, that will be explained more as things are still unravelling._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-ONE:**

 **Hermione received the letter from Iglika Krum the next afternoon.** She was cleaning out her trunk and organizing her bookshelf while her parents were at work when the owl soared in through her open bedroom window. The return address was listed as Bulgaria and she eagerly ripped it open, her fingers trembling.

 _Hermione,_

 _Mama helped me write this as my English it no good. We want you come for Viktor's funeral. It will be Friday and Saturday. Can you come Wednesday and stay until Saturday? Mama will make room for you and whoever you come with. We know how important Viktor was to you. Desi and I look forward to see you._

 _Your friend,_

 _Iglika_

Hermione read the letter three more times and wiped a stray tear from her eye before she pulled out her mirror and said, 'Sirius'. His face appeared twenty seconds later and he smiled kindly at her.

"Hi Hermione. Everything alright?"

She nodded. "As good as it can be, I suppose. May I speak to Harry, please?"

Sirius smiled at her. "Of course. Remind me to set up your mirrors so that you can speak more directly with each other. I'm sorry about Viktor, Hermione."

"Thank you," she said quietly.

It was only a minute before Harry's face appeared in the mirror.

"Mione, hey, how are you holding up?"

Hermione shrugged in response. "Harry … Iglika wrote to me, Viktor's sister. They want me in Bulgaria on Wednesday and to stay until Saturday for the funeral."

Harry's eyebrow rose, but he nodded. "I'll call you back in a bit. You won't be going alone."

The mirror went blank in her hand and she stared down at her own reflection, wiping a tear from her eye. Harry's assurance made her feel a little better. She added more water to the bowl for the Krums' owl and began her response to Iglika with a soft smile.

Her mirror vibrated twenty minutes later and she smiled when she saw Harry's face.

"Zee's arranging an international portkey for us. Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna will all be coming along as well as Uncle Sirius and Zee. Uncle Siri is looking into renting a house for us to stay in."

Tears rolled down her cheeks before she could stop them. "Thank you, Harry."

"Of course. Uncle Sirius will be by to pick you up on Wednesday afternoon. He says that he will bring you and your parents to the portkey area which will take you directly to the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic. They will have a car waiting for you to bring you to the Krum home. The rest of us will be there later Thursday night to be with you for the funeral."

Hermione smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you."

"Always. If you need anything else, you know how to get a hold of me."

She nodded as she said goodbye, relief coursing through her.

She wouldn't be going alone and she was incredibly grateful for that. She didn't want to be alone when she said her final goodbyes, she thought as the tears began to fall all over again. She curled her hand over the key pendant around her neck and buried her face in her pillow, one arm around Crookshanks who's head nuzzled her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. She snuggled the cat closer, grateful for the contact and unable to stop the tears from consuming her all over again.

 **Harry had just closed the mirror and handed it back to his godfather as Zee moved over to him to adjust his tie.** Today was the funeral of Cedric Diggory and Harry had been grateful for even the small reprieve of discussing Viktor's funeral rather than to think about it.

He still was at a loss for words at the thought that Bagman had killed both Diggory and Krum. Cedric had escaped the graveyard only to lose his life moments later and Harry knew that he had been killed because he would have told them where Harry was. Viktor had been collateral damage which somehow made his death worse than Cedric's.

The three of them arrived together and Remus and Tonks met up with them as they made their way onto the Diggory Estate. Harry recognized most of the Hogwarts students up ahead, most of them Hufflepuffs and older students who had known Cedric. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna and Ginny hadn't really known him so they wouldn't be attending this funeral so when he saw Mandy, he felt the little clench in his stomach, happy to see someone he knew. Mandy saw him and hurried over, kissing his cheek.

"You look loads better!" She kissed him softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Loads better," he responded, making her smile. He took his hand in hers as they took a seat in the chairs provided for the ceremony. "I'm glad you're here."

Mandy squeezed his hand gently. "I knew you needed support today." She kissed his cheek again and he smiled gratefully at her.

It was a simple ceremony, but the large turnout only showed how well liked and how well loved Cedric had been. When Mr Diggory stood up to make a speech, he couldn't get through it and another man had to finish it for him as Mr and Mrs Diggory cried in front of their son's casket.

After the ceremony, they invited people back to their home for a late luncheon, but Harry didn't want to stay. Zee and Tonks had already taken off as they both had to be back at the Ministry. Remus had an appointment, but when he made mention of cancelling it, Harry had urged him off. He didn't need everyone watching over him and babying him at the moment. Remus hugged him tightly and told him to call if he needed anything and Harry had only nodded, promising to do so as he watched him go.

Watching all of these people grieve for such a wonderful young man was hard to watch and he didn't want to stay much longer than necessary. He said as much to Sirius who only nodded and told him that they could sneak out.

Mandy hugged him tightly when he whispered to her that he and Sirius were taking off. "Are you going to be alright?"

He smiled at her. "Yeah, of course. We're going to Viktor's funeral at the end of the week. I don't want to impose on the Diggorys any more than necessary."

She nodded and kissed him softly. "When you get back, let me know."

Harry nodded gratefully at her as she hurried off to meet back up with Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones, her two best friends from Hufflepuff who she had attended the funeral with. Sirius put his arm around Harry to Apparate them home when someone called his name. They both turned in time to see Piper Diggory hurrying towards them.

She smiled kindly at them when she reached them. "Wait a moment, please."

Harry looked at her in surprise before he caught himself. "I'm very sorry, Mrs Diggory. Cedric was a really great bloke and he deserved to be Hogwarts Champion more than anyone. I'm very sorry for your loss."

Mrs Diggory smiled at him. "Thank you. I just wanted to say thank you for coming. I understand that … Professor Dumbledore told Amos and I that you saved his life, Harry. That you saved him from dying and that he made it back to the maze safely. I know that in the end, it didn't matter, but … thank you."

Harry nodded at her. "He made it to the cup first. He was the real winner, but we helped each other in the maze and … he said that we should take it together, a Hogwarts victory either way. I'm sorry, Mrs Diggory."

She smiled. "Thank you." She squeezed his hand gently, nodding at Sirius before she hurried off and Harry turned to look at his godfather.

"I never really thought about it, but … what happened with the tournament? I know that Dumbledore cancelled it, but … Cedric deserves the win, even in death, he should be awarded as the Triwizard Champion."

Sirius put his arm across Harry's shoulders and Apparated them both home before he spoke. "With Cedric and Viktor both dying, Harry; Fudge declared you Triwizard Champion. He gave Dumbledore your winnings and he gave them to me. With everything that happened, the winner's ceremony was cancelled and voted against."

Harry stared at him as they headed up the drive to Black Cottage. "I don't want the winnings, Uncle Padfoot. I don't deserve them."

Sirius smiled at him. "You do deserve them. No matter what happened at the end of the tournament, Harry, you did earn them. You outflew a dragon. You fought Grindylows and giant squids and Merpeople under the sea. You made it through the obstacles in the maze and when the Triwizard Cup took you to another obstacle; the most deadly of all of them, you duelled Lord Fucking Voldemort and you came back alive. You are a champion, Harry, and I am so proud of you."

Harry sat on the couch in the living room and loosened his tie. "I don't care, Uncle Padfoot. I don't want it. I didn't want to be in that bloody tournament to begin with and winning it when Cedric and Viktor both lost their lives … I don't need the money. I don't want the money."

Sirius took a seat next to him. "You're right. You don't need the money and if you don't want to keep it, I respect that. What would you like to do with it? Give it to charity? Give it someone else? It's a thousand Galleons."

"Charity maybe," he said hesitantly. "Who were you thinking?"

Sirius scratched his chin. "I was thinking that the darker the world seems to get, the more laughter we need."

Harry grinned at him. "Fred and George."

Sirius smiled. "My thoughts exactly. I helped them get an account at _Gringotts_ a few months back and I know that they are saving like crazy for a joke shop."

"They won't take it," Harry said with a smile.

Sirius grinned. "If I just drop it into their bank account they will. I've already told them that I plan to be a silent partner of sorts in this joke shop venture of theirs. If even half of their inventions had been out when your dad and I were in school, we would have been their biggest customers."

Harry smiled as Sirius draped an arm across his shoulders. "That sounds like a good plan. I think I'd like to be a silent partner too."

"Sounds good to me. Come on; let's get something to eat and then you can pack for Bulgaria. Unfortunately, we have another funeral to attend. Zee's already made arrangements and rented a small house for us so that we can all stay together."

Harry nodded gratefully. "That will be good for Hermione."

"My thoughts exactly. She shouldn't be alone," Sirius said with a smile. "I have a session with the Wizengamot on Thursday morning and into the afternoon. We'll head to Bulgaria afterwards. Go on upstairs, change, and pack. Hermione is going to need her friends over the next few days."

Harry had to agree and he had no plans of leaving her alone while they were there.

 **Remus had snuck out of the funeral after Tonks had left as he had made an appointment at a jewellery store in a small magical village ten minutes from his home.** He stepped into the tiny shop and a small elderly woman smiled brightly at him.

"Good day to you, sir," she said, nodding her head in acknowledgement.

"Good day to you," Remus responded with a smile. "Are you Mrs Copper? I have an appointment, my name is Remus Lupin."

The woman nodded, her eyes dimming a bit. "Yes, the werewolf. After I responded to your letter I realized that I recognized your name from the paper."

Remus nodded, his eyes on hers. "Yes, that's me. Are you asking me to leave your shop?"

Mrs Copper hesitated before she shook her head. "No. My grandson goes to Hogwarts and he is always telling me how wonderful of a teacher you are. I think that you are trustworthy."

"Thank you, madam," he said, taking a step towards the counter.

"You are looking to design a ring rather than to choose one?"

Remus nodded. "I think so. Depends on what you have to offer. My woman is … unique … I want to find her a ring that symbolizes her uniqueness."

Mrs Copper smiled. "I like unique. Describe her to me."

Remus smiled, his eyes lighting up a little. "She's vibrant and beautiful. She has these gorgeous grey eyes and her hair is naturally curly brown, but she tends to like to keep it in varying shades of bright pink and it suits her. She wears it in short wild curls parted to the left side and its buzzed on the other and around her neck. Pink and purple are her favourite colours. She's smart and capable. She's an A3 and strong and powerful. She knows what she wants and when she loves you, it's with her whole heart and being. She will do anything for the people that she loves."

"I like her already," she said with a smile. "Pink is a nice choice as well, I think that a rose gold band is a great place to start, don't you?"

Remus nodded, smiling as she pointed to a few different rose gold bands in the display. "Rose gold sounds perfect." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the little cloth bag and placed it on the counter. "When I was young, my parents and I went to India to speak with a wizard there about trying to find a cure for my lycanthropy. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but my mother did find this gemstone. She wore it on a black ribbon around her neck her whole life, claiming that it was a sign that she was meant to be my mother and that everything that happened to me and to us had happened for a reason." He carefully slid the ribbon necklace out from the bag and passed it across the glass counter to Mrs Copper. "I know that it's nothing overly fancy, but … could you make a ring from that stone?"

Mrs Copper's eyes widened as she stared at the gemstone. It was the size of her thumbnail, but it sparkled in the light. "A rainbow moonstone? This is quite fetching, Mr Lupin. Do you know what a moonstone represents?"

Remus shook his head. "No, I have no idea. My mother just kept it because it represented the moon, which influences so much of my life."

Mrs Copper nodded. "A rainbow moonstone is a symbol of the Goddess of the Moon. They say that it represents love energy and that it helps you keep a peaceful mind; helps remove the stress from your life and is the stone that helps you take a step forward in your future. The fact that you want to put it into an engagement ring says quite a lot about you as well as the woman who you plan to give it to."

He smiled. "She's more than just a goddess to me. I like everything that you just said."

Mrs Copper placed the necklace on the glass and held up a finger. She disappeared in the back for a moment before returning with a white gold ring. "Listen for a moment. See how this band is braided around, with the blue sapphires and diamonds around the edge of the three braids on the top?" When he nodded, she smiled. "Imagine this band in rose gold, but if we were to replace the blue sapphires with pink sapphires, still keeping the small diamonds around it. Then, if you allow me to shape the moonstone into let's say a marquise cut, the shape represents zest and full of life and energy which I think sounds like your woman, we could place it in the centre of the ring, outlined in soft rose gold prongs and a pavé set to hold the moonstone in place, giving it the impression of more stones around the moonstone."

Remus seemed unsure so she smiled.

"Allow me to show you." She took out her wand and carefully began to design the ring in the air. The different colours banded together in the air, forming and sparkling to form the ring that she was creating. As the image hovered above the counter, he swallowed slowly.

"It's perfect."

Mrs Copper smiled warmly. "Excellent. I will only have to carve a little from the moonstone to give it shape, but if you'd like the carvings back I would be happy to oblige you or if you'd like, I could sprinkle it into the melted rose gold before I form the ring and it will add a lovely unique shine to the band."

"Do that," he said with a smile. "That sounds perfect."

Mrs Copper smiled. "It won't take me long to construct it. How soon do you need it by?"

"How long do you need to make it?"

Mrs Copper smiled warmly. "I can have it ready by tomorrow afternoon."

Remus nodded, smiling brightly. "That's great. So, how much is this going to set me back?"

"It's going to cost you, that's for sure," she said with a smile. "I charge 80 Galleons for the ring design and creation, but since you are supplying the gemstone, it's just the band of diamonds and pink sapphires so … that would be … 565 Galleons." She pulled a quill out from behind her ear, dipping it in the ink from the pot and quickly doing the math. "645 Galleons, 2 Sickles and 25 Knuts."

He smiled. "Thank you."

Mrs Copper smiled. "Come for three tomorrow and the ring will be ready. I think your woman is going to love it."

Remus nodded, feeling good about the ring. "I think she will. Thank you and I will see you tomorrow."

He left the shop with a spring in his step and Apparated to Muggle London to his bank there. He calculated the conversion to be roughly £1,944.18 so he took out £2,000 just to be safe and then made his way to Diagon Alley to convert it to wizarding coin. He still preferred to keep the majority of his money in the Muggle bank just because of his known werewolf status. He felt like it was safer for him, especially if the Ministry did get infiltrated by Voldemort and his supporters. Once his wallet was full, he Apparated to the Tonks house in Shoreditch. He checked his watch, nodding at the time before he knocked on the front door.

Ted answered it, his eyebrow rising. "Hello, Remus." He moved back to allow him to come inside and Remus smiled at him.

"Hi, I was hoping that you would have gotten off work on time today."

Ted nodded and gestured for him to take a seat. "I did. Dromeda was just making tea, would you like a cup?"

"Yes, thank you."

Ted headed into the kitchen and he and Andromeda emerged together a few minutes later, Ted carrying the tea tray.

"Is Harry alright?" Andromeda asked, passing him his tea.

"He's coping. We attended Cedric Diggory's funeral this morning and Sirius and Zee are taking him to Bulgaria on Thursday night with his friends for Viktor Krum's funeral. But other than that, he's doing okay."

"Good," Ted said. "Sirius told us that he was alright, but his injuries that night and … I still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that he's back."

Remus nodded, sipping his tea. "I don't think that any of us can."

Andromeda smiled and offered him a chocolate biscuit. "But you didn't come here today to talk about Harry, did you?"

Remus shook his head, smiling warmly at her. "No. I came here to ask for your daughter's hand."

Tears welled up in Andromeda's eyes as she gripped her husband's hand. "Oh, Edward!"

Ted stared at him. "Does she know that you're here?"

"No," he said carefully. "But I love her. She is the part of me that I never realized was missing until she filled it. I know that I don't deserve her. She's incredible and brilliant and strong. For some reason, she wants me and I am so thankful for that. I bought a ring today and … I want to marry her, but I don't want to do so without your blessing."

Andromeda reached out and squeezed his hand. "Remus, you are the perfect man for her. You are everything that she has always wanted and you make her incredibly happy. I can see how much you love her and if she wants to marry you, I couldn't be happier with her choice."

Remus smiled at her. "Thank you, Andy."

Ted nodded from next to his wife. "She won't like that you came here. She'll say that it's old-fashioned and unnecessary."

Remus shrugged. "Maybe not, but it was the respectful thing to do."

Ted smiled. "I would be honoured to officially welcome you to our family, Remus."

"Thank you, both of you. That means a lot to me."

"When are you going to ask her?" Andromeda asked, her eyes dancing in excitement.

"Soon," he said with a smile. He didn't think that they needed to know that he had technically already proposed to their daughter. "I pick up the ring tomorrow."

Ted squeezed his wife's hand. "Don't wait too long. This one can't keep a secret from our daughter to save her life."

Remus grinned. "I won't."

He left their home ten minutes later feeling lighter than air.

He had some more planning to do.

 **Sirius arrived at the Ministry of Magic on Thursday morning just before eight.** He still wasn't entirely sure how he was going to try to convince the Ministry that Voldemort had returned. He had spent an hour talking to Harry, Remus, Zee and Tonks the night before and they had agreed that bringing the phial with Harry's memory of the night in the graveyard was a good start. The problem with doing so was that it would also immediately weed out those Death Eaters who were in the Ministry of Magic.

In theory, this was great, but it also presented a huge potential danger. The Death Eaters in question could attack; Voldemort could possibly be alerted and come to the Ministry … Sirius really didn't know what would happen. But in the end, they decided that it was still the best course of action and to let the chips fall where they may.

Sirius just had a few people to talk to first to try to help him attempt to catch some of those chips as they fell.

He made his way to the Department of International Magical Cooperation first and knocked on the open office door of Miranda Jameson. She looked up and nodded at him.

"Lord Black, you're early. The Wizengamot Assembly doesn't meet until nine."

"So are you," he noted.

She smiled. "I have a few things to put into order before I head into the session. What can I do for you?"

"May I?" He asked, gesturing for the door to close.

She nodded, so he closed the door to her office and took a seat in the armchair across from her desk.

"I was wondering how much contact you've had with Oblansk and Richelieu since the tournament?"

Jameson's eyebrow rose up. "Quite a bit actually. They are both interested in assisting our Ministry in any way that they can. Oblansk has already had his Auror Department's Intelligence Unit break off to work with our Aurors and Richelieu is sending her own Aurors out to track down any potential Death Eaters who have homes and estates in France; those they can find that is, as we both know they probably have hidden safe houses all over Europe and I imagine that a few of them have hidden them under protection charms. They are both very willing to help and the last thing that they wish to see happen is for You Know Who to gain control like he had before. It wasn't only Britain that was affected by him and Richelieu hinted that he had his hands in many different pies across Europe."

Sirius nodded. "Good, good. That's what I want to hear. I've been checking the paper daily, but there has been nothing about the return of Voldemort."

She winced slightly at the name. "The last thing that we want to do is create a nationwide panic. The Minister is still rather shaken and hasn't spoken to anyone about what happened on Saturday. I was hoping that part of it could be addressed today in the Wizengamot."

"As am I," Sirius told her. "We need to mobilize any way that we can. Right now, he is still getting organized himself. He doesn't know how many of his followers are still truly loyal to him and how many of them simply returned to him out of fear. I gather that Bagman is still missing as is Karkaroff and I imagine that he will be spending some of his time tracking them down. Did Shacklebolt take Dumbledore's advice concerning Azkaban?"

Jameson nodded. "Yes. The Dementors are still on the island, but there are Aurors there taking it in turns; twelve hour shifts twenty-four-seven to guard the prisoners, but it's not ideal. Britain needs to rethink its entire prison situation as we all know that having the Dementors as guards is not really acceptable nor safe for the prisoners or for us. You Know Who turned them against us last time and I agree that he will do so again this time around."

"Agreed," Sirius said carefully. "I know it's rather last minute, but is it possible to get a few delegates from the ICW on board for today's assembly? I know Dumbledore will be in attendance as Chief Warlock and since he holds his title as Supreme Mugwump it will guarantee that the ICW is kept informed, but any extra members would be greatly appreciated."

Jameson nodded. "Actually, that won't be a problem. Vladimir Radkov is in the ministry today to discuss his son taking his wizarding tests here in Britain as opposed to returning to Durmstrang. It seems that more than a few of the students who stayed at Hogwarts this year for the tournament do not wish to return to their own school with their headmaster fleeing and then abandoning them on top of the death of their champion. Not to mention that Radkov happens to be the Bulgarian representative of the ICW. Katherine Thomas from the International Magical Office of Law can be called in and she can reach out to the lawyers within the ICW to try to get more assistance."

"Dumbledore has arranged for the Ambassador to the Hong Kong Mófǎ bù to attend along with Jericho Jones from the ICW. They were in attendance at the Yule Ball and Dumbledore asked them to attend the assembly meeting today as special guests," Sirius told her.

She smiled. "Well, it looks like you will have a bit of an audience then. That is what you're looking for, isn't it, Lord Black?"

Sirius nodded. "Essentially. I can't decide if Fudge is just blind or in denial, but after today, I want to know where he stands and if he will not step up and do his job, then we need to seriously discuss replacing him as our Minister of Magic."

Jameson looked troubled by this. "I don't want to see him leave the office. He's very charismatic and popular with the people, but I agree with you. We have to do what's right for our country. Did you have someone else in mind?"

"Potentially. I want to see where Fudge stands before I ask for a motion to impeach him. I've invited a few other guests with some assistance from a few friends of mine. We'll see how it goes."

"What proof do you have to bring them around?" Jameson asked. "If Fudge didn't believe Dumbledore at Hogwarts, what makes you think that he's going to listen to you now?"

Sirius held up the phial he pulled from his pocket. "Harry Potter's recollection of Voldemort's return."

"You're really planning on showing Harry Potter's memory?" She asked in shock, her eyes wide.

"If that's what it takes for people to believe, to watch my son being tortured by that maniac, than yes, I will show it. Harry and I spoke about it and he agrees with me. We need to get the world ready to face Voldemort and anything that we can do to push that along needs to be done and it needs to be done immediately."

Jameson nodded. "I look forward to it. I'll see you in there, Lord Black."

Sirius thanked her for her time and made his way to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and into Kingsley's office. Kingsley nodded at him when he saw him coming.

"Sirius, excellent, I received your owl last night. I will of course be in the Wizengamot session today."

Sirius nodded. "I'm glad to hear it and expected nothing less from you. I do need you to bring some Aurors with you to make some arrests."

Kingsley's eyebrow rose. "Who are we arresting?"

Sirius smiled at him. "You'll see. At least five would be wise, ten would be wiser. At least have them stationed outside of the courtroom if not inside."

Kingsley stared at him, his eyes carefully blank. "Consider it done. Sirius, Amelia sent me a memo telling me that removing the Dementors was a wise decision and that she had ignored Fudge's demands to stop it. I chose to listen to my department head over our Minister in that regard."

"That's good to hear," Sirius said honestly, letting out a slow breath. "We need to get Fudge to come around on this. Amelia's a smart woman and having her in our corner is a great start."

He said goodbye to Kingsley and left the DMLE before he made his way back to the atrium to look for Zee and Tonks. They were each bringing some special guests to the Wizengamot session today and he hoped that they had managed to convince them to attend. He had just entered the main atrium when he saw Lucius up ahead. He picked up his pace and grabbed his arm, gesturing for him to follow him to the bathroom.

Lucius closed the bathroom door behind him and raised an eyebrow. "What do you want, Black?"

Sirius hesitated before he spoke. "I'm doing this for Cissa and not for you, I'd like to be perfectly clear on that."

Lucius looked at him suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"In the assembly today, I am hoping to show Harry's memory of the Third Task and what came after it."

Lucius paled. "If you do that … everyone who was there will be immediately implicated as his followers!"

"I'm aware," Sirius said sharply. "That's kind of my point. The less followers he has the better chance we have at defeating him, Lucius. You know that I'm right."

He nodded, his eyes wide but carefully blank. "Why are you telling me this?"

"We both know that you are mentioned by name in this memory. Don't come to the assembly today. Get to a safe house and hide; go to France to stay with your father, I don't fucking care. But if you come to the assembly today, you will be arrested."

Lucius swallowed slowly. "And you're giving me fair warning?"

"For Cissa's sake. If you are sitting in the Wizengamot session at nine, you will be arrested by the end of the assembly meeting. You've been forewarned."

Lucius nodded, his eyes on Sirius. "I need to speak with Narcissa."

Sirius shrugged. "I said my piece; what comes next is up to you."

Sirius left him alone in the bathroom, wondering if he had made the right decision in warning Malfoy. He headed into the atrium to find Zee and Tonks. Tonks was speaking to a dark-haired man in a friendly way and he offered a smile to him when he approached.

"You must be Adrian," he said, extending his hand.

"I am," Adrian said, accepting the hand. "Remus and Tonks insisted that I attend this meeting today. I admit, I have my doubts about it."

Sirius nodded. "And your concerns are noted, but we need to show the support that we've mustered for ourselves as well as to the Ministry as a whole."

Adrian smiled. "This is Echo Simpson, another Alpha leader."

"Nice to meet you," Sirius said, accepting the silver-haired-woman's hand.

Zee smiled behind him. "King Taliesin is here as well, Sirius." She smiled widely at the handsome man approaching them. His hair was golden blonde and he had eyes as green as the hills of Ireland. "Your Majesty," she said, bowing slightly.

"Zahira, thank you for inviting me today." His eyes shot over to Adrian and Echo and he raised a brow. "You invite me here in the presence of wolves?"

"Today is all about magical cooperation, Your Grace," Sirius said. "We will have many different magical beings here with us today and I would hope that we can all work together."

King Taliesin looked unsure of this, but he nodded curtly.

Sirius smiled. "I invite you all to follow me down to the courtroom and I will show you to your seats." He snuck an arm around Zee's waist and he whispered in her ear. "What about Clovenfield?"

"He said that he was coming," she whispered back.

Sirius only nodded and let out a slow sigh. Today was going to be one for the history books, he thought.

 **Lucius used the Floo to get back to Malfoy Manor, startling Draco and Theo, who were lounging on the sofas in the living room.**

"I thought that you had the Wizengamot this morning?" Draco asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Where's your mother, Draco?"

"She was talking to the house elves in the kitchen about the upcoming garden party for the Herbology Association," Draco answered.

Lucius stormed out of the living room as Draco and Theo looked at each other in confusion. He made his way into the kitchen and ordered the elves out, grabbing Narcissa's arms and squeezing tightly.

"Sirius gave me warning. He is sharing the memory of the graveyard with the Wizengamot today. If I attend, I will be arrested."

Narcissa's eyes widened. "What? Arrested? Just like that?"

Lucius stared at her. "We both know that I deserve it, Cissa. The question is, what do you think that I should do?"

She looked startled by this. "You're asking me?"

He nodded, swallowing slowly. "If I don't attend, it will look suspicious as I have never missed a session before. If I do attend, I will be arrested before the assembly is even over. If I am arrested, I will be perceived to be loyal to the Dark Lord keeping you and Draco safe. If I hide and stay away from the Ministry, I am showing cowardice, but still loyalty to the Dark Lord and hopefully still keeping you and Draco safe."

Narcissa bit her bottom lip and chewed nervously.

Lucius cupped her face in his hands, kissing her deeply; long, slow, and passionately until she was breathless. He placed his forehead against hers. "I love you, Cissa. Your safety is what's most important here. Yours and Draco's. Tell me what I should do."

She swallowed slowly, her eyes on the clock. She pointed her wand at the door to the kitchen, locking it before she tugged at his clothes. Lucius' breath hitched as she freed him from his pants and he parted her dress, slipping her panties down her creamy white thighs before he slid into her. He rode her achingly slow on the kitchen prepping table, his fingers working in tandem until her eyes widened and she cried out as she came, her head falling back in pleasure. He followed her over, kissing her lips, her neck and her cheeks.

Lucius held her, their bodies still joined and he nodded. "I knew you'd pick that option."

"I never told you what I chose," she said, kissing him as he stood up and zipped up his pants. She pulled her panties back up, her eyes on her husband as he fixed his robes.

Lucius smiled at her. "Yes, you did."

He took her hand in his and kissed her palm. "You and Draco should be safe. If anything happens, go to Sirius or to your sister."

"Lu!"

Lucius hesitated, his hand on the door before he turned back to look at her. "Be safe."

He opened the door and found Draco and Theo at the end of the hall. He gestured with his right hand and they both moved towards him. Draco's eyes widened when Lucius pulled him and Theo both into his arms for a tight hug.

"Father!"

Lucius ignored him and kissed both of their cheeks. "No matter what happens, you boys keep your mother safe and each other."

Theo blushed. "Uncle Lucius - "

"She's your mother too, Theo; maybe not biologically, but she is."

Theo nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Father, what's going on?"

Lucius checked the watch on his hand before he smiled at his son. "Be safe."

And then he grabbed his walking stick that held his wand and stepped into the fireplace, disappearing into the green flames.

 **By the time nine o'clock struck, Sirius was feeling a little nervous as he took his seat in the assembly.** He could see many of the lords and ladies and the Common Wizengamot Members looking uneasily and curiously at the special guests sitting in the visitors area on the left. There was some uneasy chatter going on as well that made him a bit nervous.

The door opened and Sirius hid his surprise at the sight of Lucius walking in. He only nodded in acknowledgement to Sirius and took his seat in the Malfoy chair, staring straight ahead, looking a little paler than usual, but giving nothing away otherwise. It wasn't the move that Sirius had anticipated for him. In fact, he had been counting on him fleeing as quickly as possible.

Dumbledore came in last, looking troubled as he settled himself in the centre chair and then stood up and raised his hands to quiet the room. "My Lords, my Ladies, My Common Wizengamot Members, and guests, I welcome you to another session of the Wizengamot. I am aware that we have a few things on the agenda to discuss, but today, they will all be pushed aside in favour of discussing another more important matter."

Lord Marcus Bulstrode stood up, his eyes flashing. "Some of us have come prepared, Dumbledore, to discuss the new educational reforms and the new proposals in funding, you cannot change the daily agenda on a whim!"

Sirius stood up, his plum robes opening as he did so. "He is Chief Warlock so he actually can, Lord Bulstrode. We have more than a few important topics to discuss today and the most important one being what happened on Saturday at _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_ during the Triwizard Tournament."

"My son informed me that Dumbledore told the whole castle that He Who Not Be Named has returned! I won't stand for our Chief Warlock scaring the children in the school with rubbish like that!" Lord Tiberius Ogden declared. "Everyone knows that You Know Who was defeated years ago! A man cannot simply return from the dead!"

People were nodding in agreement, rumblings stirring among the court.

Dumbledore raised his hands again. "Lord Voldemort has returned. He did not return from the dead, but has in fact been in hiding for fourteen years and by denying it, Lord Ogden, we are only giving him the chance to gain more power and to take us by surprise once again."

The room was silent until Fudge stood up, his face turning varying shades of purple.

"Albus, _he - is - not - back!_ "

Sirius stood up. "He is back, Minister, and like Dumbledore just said, if we don't do something about it, he is going to take us by surprise."

"What proof do you have?" CWM Griselda Marchbanks asked, her voice raspy.

"Other than the word of both Dumbledore and myself, who have no reason to lie, I have my son's memory of the night of the Third Task. The night where he was kidnapped by Death Eaters and forced to watch the resurrection of the darkest wizard to ever have lived; where he was tortured and forced to duel him; and where he escaped and returned to Hogwarts to tell us what had happened," Sirius said carefully. "I plan to share it with you all today so that you can see the truth. He - has - returned."

There were mutterings around the room as people began to look uneasily at each other. Lord Bulstrode stood up slowly and started to inch towards the door, but Kingsley moved to block it.

"The Wizengamot is in session, Lord Bulstrode. No one is allowed to leave until the Chief Warlock dismisses the session. The doors have been magically sealed as you very well know."

Lord Bulstrode looked pale, but he sat back down.

Sirius only stared him down.

Lady Augusta Longbottom raised her wand. "I know that Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore would never tell a lie about something as serious as this. But for those of you who are in denial, I vote that we watch the memory."

Everyone was shifting nervously now as the Court Scribe pulled out the Pensieve and Sirius strode to the centre of the courtroom to pour the memory into the bowl. He used his wand to move it around before he said, "Projecto!"

The memory covered the ceiling like a screen and Sirius stood under it, watching it unfold before the court.

 _The Triwizard Cup gleamed brightly and rose up from the centre of the colourful cube._

 _Harry grinned at Cedric. "We did it!"_

 _Cedric nodded, grinning back at him. "Let's end this together. On the count of three?"_

 _Harry nodded, limping towards the cup. "On the count of three. One."_

 _"_ _Two."_

 _"_ _Three," they both exclaimed and their hands closed over the handles of the cup._

 _The cup sucked them away through the portkey and dropped them in a dark, foggy graveyard._

 _"_ _Where are we?"_

 _"_ _I don't know. Did you know that the Cup was a portkey?" Cedric asked him, reaching down to help pull Harry to his feet._

 _Harry shook his head, wincing at the pain. "Ah bollocks, my ankle isn't going to cooperate."_

 _Cedric nodded, putting an arm around his waist. "Lean on me. We'll figure out where we are."_

The memory continued, with Harry saving Cedric from the Killing Curse and Cedric disappearing with the Triwizard Cup. The whole courtroom watched, eyes wide as Harry was dragged to the headstone by Woodrow Selwyn and tied up and the ritual began.

When Bellatrix kissed the scabby child that Voldemort was possessing, a few people gagged and Sirius only offered one glance of sympathy over as a few members of the court vomited on the ground before them.

 _Bellatrix was grinning widely as she stood up, holding her right arm out proudly to display the perfectly inked Dark Mark._

 _"_ _It is back," Voldemort said with a smile, tracing it with his finger. "They will all have noticed it by now and now … we shall see and we shall know."_

 _He pressed his long white forefinger to the tattoo on Bellatrix's arm and she moaned in pleasure. The sound made him smile and he cupped her chin, pressing his pasty white thin lips to hers._

 _"_ _Always a treasure, Bella," he said, pushing her away._

When the Death Eaters appeared, begging for forgiveness, all of them robed and masked, the court settled into a state of uneasiness. Sirius noticed that Kingsley had stood at full attention. Zee, who had already written down all of the names from the memory, passed the sheet of parchment to Kingsley who nodded at her in thanks.

When Voldemort said Lucius' name, he had paled slightly, but he didn't move from his seat as the court gasped. The next were names of those imprisoned followed by the names of both Bulstrode and Macklebee which had the court gasping a second time. Bulstrode jumped to his feet, wand out and Lucius stunned him from behind before he dropped his own wand in surrender.

Tonks and Kingsley immediately disarmed Macklebee, handcuffing the three of them and placing them in a protective cage at the edge of the courtroom with the help of two other Aurors that Sirius didn't recognize. They watched as the memory continued, as Voldemort implicated Ludo Bagman as the one to have entered Harry into the tournament; to explain why he had tried to kill Harry and how he ordered Lestrange to give Harry back his wand.

The torture curse hit Harry and when he screamed, Sirius' fingers tightened on the table before him. Watching the memory again was harder than he had expected as he tried to tune out the memory of his son's screams.

The wands connected and the court gasped. James and Lily Potter emerged from the tip of Voldemort's wand and Sirius heard Augusta Longbottom whisper, "Oh Merlin!"

 _And then Harry was dropping his wand, transforming into his Animagus as the figures moved in around Voldemort. His wand hit the ground and he rolled, his teeth tearing through the ankle of the Death Eater who attempted to grab his wand as the man howled._

 _Harry scooped his wand between his bloody teeth, stumbled over his broken ankle and Disapparated with a loud crack just as they heard Voldemort scream._

 _"_ _NO!"_

Harry transformed back into his bloody, mangled and broken self and landed in front of Sirius in the stands of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. The memory ended and Sirius closed the Pensieve, scooping the memory back into the phial.

The courtroom was silent. Some people had their mouths open agape in shock, others were crying, others enraged.

The Aurors were holding Malfoy, Bulstrode and Macklebee at wandpoint, magically handcuffed, as Dumbledore stood up.

"As you can clearly see, Lord Voldemort has returned."

Chaos erupted at those words.

Everyone began to talk over each other, eyes on the three men who the Aurors were holding in horror until Dumbledore loudly called for silence.

"As I have stated, Lord Voldemort has returned. It is up to us to help secure the power of the Ministry of Magic, to keep us all safe from harm and to protect what is ours. With the help of Lord Black and a few others, we have started to do this. Minister, if you would permit us to tell you of our plans?"

Fudge was deathly pale and his eyes were wide with shock. He was shaking his head no as if he couldn't quite believe what he had seen before his eyes. "This - is - not - possible," he hissed.

"It is very possible, Minister," Sirius declared. "You denying it is not going to make it go away."

Fudge only started at Sirius and Sirius noticed that he had a little bit of vomit on his chin which made him smirk a little. The man wasn't completely immune, he thought.

"Please, Lord Black, go on," Fudge said quietly.

Sirius nodded at him. "As you can see from the memory, Voldemort has many followers at his disposal and he plans to get more. He talks of taking the Dementors, of making envoys to the giants and of breaking his loyal followers out of Azkaban and that's just a start. Head Auror Shacklebolt has already dispatched Aurors to the prison to guard the prisoners and the Dementors have been dismissed and an attempt at containing them is underway under the orders of Madam Amelia Bones. We have some witches and wizards heading into the mountains to attempt to make friends with the giants, to persuade them to not accept anything from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. If he manages to persuade them to his side, he will have power like he did the first time around and I remember what it was like then. We were sitting fucking ducks waiting to be slaughtered."

The room seemed to nod in agreement.

"Madam Jameson?"

Jameson stood up, nodding at Sirius. "As Lord Black has stated, we were sitting ducks the last time and we don't want the same thing to happen this time around. In our conversations for more international magical cooperation, the Bulgarian and French leaders were both in attendance at the Triwizard Tournament on Saturday to support their respective champions in the Third Task. After finding the bodies of both Diggory and Krum, they immediately agreed to assist us in any way needed. Minister Oblansk has promised to assign his elite Auror Intelligence Unit for the sole prospect of helping us track down Death Eaters. President Richelieu has offered her support in the same, including looking into any Death Eater activity within France and within the borders of. The Ambassador to Hong Kong, LiMei Lee, is willing to work on coordinating any assistance needed from the Mófǎ bù and Jericho Jones and Katherine Thomas will be helping Dumbledore with the International Confederation of Wizards in hopes of gaining more international support and assistance."

Sirius stood up again when Jameson sat down. "He's a powerful wizard and he's not afraid to do the worst to get what he wants. This is why we need more than just the help of our international allies. We need to smarten up and to make allies with our own people. We have some special guests in attendance today to discuss doing just that. Your Majesty, would you like to start us off?"

King Taliesin stood up and made his way to the centre of the room. "Thank you, Lord Black, for your gracious invite to your government today. I am Taliesin, King of the Fae. Agent Zahira Zacarias of your Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, came to visit me after the return of He Who Must Not Be Named and she asked me if we would be willing to help. During your last wizard's war, many of my kind were slaughtered, innocents and some not so innocent, but I do not wish to see my people torn to shreds again. I do not wish to see any more innocent lives lost. We the fae, along with the gnomes and the leprechauns, will support the Ministry of Magic against the dark wizard, but in return, we want full control over our own government and society. We do not want to be listed as 'beings' in your Ministry, but as people, as fae, and as your allies."

The court began to mumble again in disapproval. One of the men stood up and scowled.

"Fae are nothing more than tricksters and dangerous beings! How can you expect us to trust you?"

Dumbledore stared the man down. "CWM Himmler, you are speaking to a king and should show proper respect. King Taliesin came here of his own freewill to offer to ally his kingdom with us, to try to prevent this war from coming and you would show him disrespect?"

"Thank you, Dumbledore," King Taliesin said quietly. "As I said, we are keen to become allies with your Ministry of Magic, but we want the Ministry to show us a sign of good faith. Allow us to govern ourselves with no more meddling from your Ministry. Allow us to become allies of the witches and wizards of the Ministry."

Fudge stared at him in horror. "To govern yourselves? What makes you capable of it?"

"I am the king of my people, the true ruler and despite your influence and constant disruption, we the fae have ruled ourselves quite well for thousands of years both before and after we were pushed underground by the Muggles."

Fudge merely shook his head. "You are using this as an excuse to take power away from the Ministry!"

Dumbledore stood up. "Cornelius, do you even hear yourself? King Taliesin has offered his support and we are grateful for it."

Lady Amelia Bones raised her wand. "Permission to speak, Chief Warlock?" At Dumbledore's nod, she smiled and bowed her head to King Taliesin. "Your Majesty, what you ask is not something that can be done overnight. But I would like you to know that we will take it into consideration to be voted upon at the end of this session, if that is acceptable to you? For now, I would like to hear from the other special guests before we make any decisions."

King Taliesin nodded. "I accept this, beautiful lady, but only if I may deal with a wise goddess such as yourself not with that scum who you allow to rule you."

Fudge's face turned purple as he jumped to his seat. "How dare you, sir!"

"Order!" Dumbledore exclaimed, urging Fudge to sit down.

Fudge did so grudgingly and shook his head angrily.

The Fairy King moved to take his seat again as Adrian stood up. "My name is Adrian Roberts. I am the Alpha of the werewolf pack in Southwestern England. Yes, I am a registered werewolf in your department, as is my entire pack," he added as people began to look around uncomfortably. "We are looking to live in peace within our own packs and communities and during the last war, You Know Who and his followers killed many of us. I lost a daughter; many of us lost friends and this time around, we are not looking to allow this to happen a second time. As King Taliesin mentioned, we too look to become allies with the Ministry of Magic. We will stand by your side and fight if necessary. Not many of us have magic available to use freely, but those of us born as wolves can shift into wolves whenever we wish and we would be willing to fight alongside of you. But like King Taliesin mentioned, we also would like some of our own terms met."

Chatter erupted around the room and Umbridge stood, her face flushed in revulsion.

"Filthy half-breeds are not _something_ that we want to make allies with!"

Sirius stood up. "With all do respect, he's a pureblood, Madam Undersecretary, and he is here as a courtesy. Adrian, I am sorry for her vulgar attitude."

Adrian nodded, his eyes on Umbridge as he spoke. "Wolves are treated as dangerous creatures within your society. You have every right to believe that we are as such because we can be dangerous. But we are also witches and wizards, shape-shifters and wolves who are just looking to live normal lives. We fall in love and sire children and live our lives any way that we can. But we are treated as outcasts. Many of us are not welcome in shops run by witches and wizards. Many of us are forced to find work in the Muggle world just to make ends meet. We do not seek to hunt during the moon and to harm anyone. Like any society, we have our bad seeds, but the majority of us just want to live our lives. We are willing to continue to work with the Werewolf Registry if the Ministry is willing to change the laws pertaining to werewolves."

"Absolutely not!" Umbridge declared viciously. "Those laws are in place for our protection!"

"Sit down, Dolores," Lady Bones exclaimed, her eyes on Adrian. "Which laws are you asking us to change, Mr Roberts?"

Adrian smiled at Echo, who stood up next to him. "My name is Echo Simpson and I am the Alpha leader of the Northwestern England pack. As Adrian has said, we want to better our own communities. Our children have magic and it's not fair that they have been denied a magical education because of their status first as a wolf instead of a witch or wizard. We want our children given the opportunity to attend any magical school that they see fit. Accommodations will be made by the packs to remove them from the school during the moon and keep them away from their classmates when they transform. We want to be able to work jobs and to be a part of the wizarding society the way that we deserve to be. We won't hide who we are, but we also cannot and should not be punished for being who we are."

Fudge stared at them, his eyes shocked as if they were making the most unreasonable demands that he could imagine. "If I agree to any of this, I would be laughed out of office! Wolves allowed to practice magic! It's absurd!"

Sirius stood up, his eyes dark. "Dumbledore allowed one boy to study magic at Hogwarts and he's one of the best wizards that I know. Remus Lupin was very fortunate that Dumbledore knew of his condition and not only helped him hide it so that he could attend Hogwarts, but went out of his way to do so. He shouldn't have had to hide it. It's not a shameful secret and we need to stop thinking like it is. Wolves deserve the ability to use their magic just the same as the rest of us. How many werewolf attacks are there every year? A handful? Look at Grindelwald and look at Voldemort, both of these wizards have a higher kill count than every werewolf put together, but no one is going around saying that wizards should be stripped of their magic!"

"Stripped of their - _I said no such thing_!" Fudge declared, his face turning purple.

"You may as well be," Sirius demanded. "If you deny people the ability to learn how to use what they have, you might as well strip them of their powers entirely."

"I - would - be - laughed - out - of - office!" Fudge repeated.

Lady Bones glared at him. "As I said to His Grace, King Taliesin, we will take it into consideration. Having werewolf packs as our allies would be very beneficial to us and worth the laughter no matter the cost."

Sirius was pleased with Bones' tact and he thought that he had made a wise choice in asking her to speak up today. He had sent her an owl the day before discussing his plan of showing the memory and his worry about Fudge's denial. He had said that after her deciding to allow the DMLE to remove the Dementors, he had considered her an ally. She had immediately written him back and informed him that she would be willing to hear out anyone he invited to the Wizengamot to speak. Fudge obviously wasn't going to be listening to them so he was glad that Bones was. He nodded at Clovenfield who stood up next.

"Good day, everyone. I am Sir William Clovenfield, brother-in-law to the lovely Lady Lucretia Dettweiler over there, hello Lucretia."

Lady Dettweiler nodded back to him in greeting.

"I am one of the leaders of the Vampire Confederacy of Europe. I know, most of you hear the word 'vampire' and want to run for the hills. I am not here to hurt you. Like the Alpha Wolves and the King of the Fae have said, I am here to offer up myself and the Confederacy to you as allies."

Umbridge was turning purple now. The thought of being in the room with so many half-breeds and magical creatures seemed to be taking a toll on her. Her eyes were bulging and she was staring at Clovenfield, who could have passed for a normal man in the street, like he was dirt on her shoe.

"Vampires have been mistreated in our society and I won't deny that a lot of it is because we have brought it upon ourselves. But like the Alpha Wolves have stated, we want to be free to live our own lives. To fall in love and have families and to be the men and women who we were meant to be. We are also interested in education for our children. Like the wolves, vampires who have children with witches and wizards, their children are denied entry into magical schools. For anyone who has bothered to find out, children who have a vampire parent are not in fact vampires. They are not a danger. They are simply witches and wizards who have a few extra senses and powers. They do not have the ability to bite anyone and turn them into a vampire. Why should our children be denied the magical education that they deserve because of unfound fears?"

Adrian was nodding and Clovenfield smiled at him.

"The VCE will gladly ally ourselves with you if a war does breakout. We will promise not to join He Who Not Be Named, but like any society, we cannot guarantee that all will follow in our footsteps. We have our bad seeds just as you do," he said, pointedly looking over to where Malfoy, Bulstrode and Macklebee were still being held in the magical cage that the Aurors had erected around them against the wall. "But those of us who are willing; those of us who just want to live our lives, we are willing to align ourselves with a Ministry who supports us; with a Ministry that we can trust; and with a Ministry that we know will work hard to stop the Dark Lord from taking over."

A few people applauded, Lady Dettweiler leading the charge, and he smiled charmingly at her before he took his seat.

Zee stood up next and wiped her sweaty palms on the side of her charcoal pencil skirt. "I am Agent Zacarias of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and I brought these allies in today to help us make peace and magical cooperation just as much as to gain an ally for an upcoming war. I would like to share with you today that a friend of mine, Princess Sapphira of the Merpeople in Greece, has also spoken to her council and to the councils of the other Merpeople around the United Kingdom and our European nations. They have all agreed to not join with You Know Who if he approaches them again. In the last war, he slaughtered Merpeople in an attempt to gain their jewels and they are not willing to allow that to happen again. If a war breaks out, we can guarantee them to be neutral which I think that given our previous treatment of the Merpeople as a whole, is a fair tact."

Griselda Marchbanks raised her wand. "Neutrality is more than fair, I agree. Agent Zacarias, you have done well for yourself in gaining friends and allies and, Minister, I think that we need to take what these men and women are saying into consideration. It's almost the twenty-first century and it's time for us to stop letting our fears get in the way of living in a society where magical cooperation is palatable."

Dumbledore smiled warmly at her. "Well said, Griselda. Agent Zacarias, did you have something else to add?"

She smiled. "Yes, thank you, Chief Warlock. I have also been offered the support of the Veela, who suffered sexual and physical abuse from many of the Death Eaters during the previous war. They wish nothing more than to see He Who Must Not Be Named destroyed and our world saved from his tyranny."

A man snorted in the back. "Sexual abuse of a Veela? Are you kidding me?"

"CWM Norton, are you claiming that the Veela are lying?" Amelia Bones asked, her eyes narrowing in disgust.

Norton only stared back. "They're bloody Veela! They are literal sexual beings created to make a man pant with want and need. They cannot be sexually abused when they are whores just giving it away!"

"Order!" Dumbledore exclaimed when people began to both loudly agree and disagree with Norton's outburst.

"It is exactly that mindset, CWM Norton that makes the Veela not want to ally themselves with us," Zee declared angrily. "They are incredibly beautiful _women_ with magical powers that do not require a wand. They are powerful beings in their own right who will attack like Harpies when necessary; but like any other powerful woman, if they are cornered and incapacitated, they are unable to defend themselves. Just because they are beautiful does not mean that they deserve to be treated as nothing more than a pretty face; it does not mean that they deserve to be raped by bloody micro-phallus men who couldn't get it up with a real woman if they tried!"

King Taliesin applauded from behind her. "Well said, Zahira. I am honoured to call you a true friend of the Fae and I can say with absolute certainty that the Veela feel the same."

Zee smiled at him as Dumbledore called the court to attention once more.

"Our guests have all spoken and offered their council. We would be fools to turn them away because of our fears at something different. Different does not mean bad. As a wise man once said, there would be no need for love if perfection were possible. Love arises from our imperfections, from our being different and always in need of the forgiveness, encouragement, and the missing half of ourselves that we are searching for, as the Greek myth tells us, in order to complete ourselves," Dumbledore said as the court went quiet.

Fudge stood up and shook his head. "Different doesn't mean bad, Dumbledore, but it also doesn't mean that we should bow down and let them take what they want from us. We can fight off You Know Who just fine without their help!"

Lady Bones stood up, her eyes glaring at Fudge. "You are a disgrace to your office, Fudge."

The entire courtroom went absolutely silent.

"What did you just say to me, Amelia?" Fudge asked, his voice cold.

"You heard me." She held her wand up high into the air. "I motion to impeach Minister Cornelius Fudge from office immediately."

Chatter erupted around the courtroom and Sirius' eyes met Zee's in surprise as Dumbledore ordered silence.

"Amelia, are you certain that you wish to make this motion?"

Lady Bones stared right at Dumbledore and nodded. "I am certain."

Dumbledore nodded. "Motion to impeach our current Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge from the office he has held for the last five years."

Forty-seven wands immediately stood up high into the air.

Fudge began to splutter in shock. "You cannot mean it! You cannot simply remove me from office with one motion! I have devoted five years of my life to this government!"

Lady Bones stood up. "And they haven't all been bad, Cornelius, but your behaviour today has shamed me, has shamed the government of Wizarding Britain and has shamed yourself. The Wizengamot has voted."

"Motion passed," Dumbledore said loudly. "Forty-seven to three as our three remaining members are currently being held by the Aurors."

Fudge was pale now as he stood up. "You - you cannot mean it!"

Dumbledore raised his wand. "We need to vote upon a new Minister of Magic. You know how this works, the Wizengamot can impeach anyone not doing their due diligence as Minister, but anyone new that the assembly chooses must then be voted on by the public or a new choice must be made. Any suggestions?"

"Dumbledore!" Someone called out.

Dumbledore smiled and waved his hand. "I am flattered, but no. I am not the man for the job. I am very happily running a school."

"Amelia Bones!" Sirius said loudly, raising his wand.

Lady Bones' mouth opened in shock. "Oh! I couldn't."

"Amelia Bones!" Sirius said again.

"Amelia Bones!" Augusta Longbottom declared.

"Amelia Bones!" Lady Dettweiler called out.

Soon the assembly was chanting her name and she looked around at them all, completely flabbergasted.

Dumbledore smiled and raised his wand. "Those in favour of voting in Lady Amelia Bones, current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to be our new Minister of Magic, please raise your wands."

To Sirius' surprise, the vote was unanimous.

Dumbledore smiled. "Well, it looks like we have a new Minister. Madam Minister, would you like to say a few words?"

Bones looked around in surprise. "Thank you. I did not expect this. I am honoured that you have chosen me to lead you and I only hope that we can make the right decisions together to help not only stop He Who Must Not Be Named but make the Wizarding and Witching World a place that we all want to live in."

"Here, here!" Sirius exclaimed, earning a smile from her.

Dumbledore tapped his wand and smiled. "After our assembly we will make an announcement of our new choice for Minister and open the polls for everyone to vote yes or to give a suggestion for someone else."

The courtroom erupted in chatter as Kingsley moved to gesture Fudge to take a seat in the visitors area. He was pale and looked completely shocked at the events that had just taken place.

Bones stood up and turned to where Adrian, Echo, Clovenfield and King Taliesin were sitting. "As the unofficial newly appointed Minister of Magic, I would like to formally apologize on behalf of the Wizarding and Witching World for the mistreatment that you have received within our society. A war is coming and we need to accept as much help as we can. Magical cooperation is just as important as protecting ourselves and we cannot do one without the other no matter how much we like to think that we can. We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more. If our Chief Warlock would lead the vote, I would like to welcome our new allies into the fold and have their leaders sit down with our departments and properly welcome them to our world the way that they should have always been."

Umbridge stared at her in horror. "With all due respect, Madam Minister, we cannot allow these filthy half-breeds, these non-human buffoons into our schools, into our society!"

"Dolores," Bones said sharply. "You may have been an excellent ally at your job to Fudge and maybe that's why he has constantly overlooked your prejudices and your insults, but that is enough! We are at war! It is time that we swallow our pride and admit to our faults. We are not superior to the men and women looking to ally themselves with us. With them stepping forward and offering us a show of peace, I would claim that they are in fact superior to us!"

Umbridge looked sickened, as if her entire world had just collapsed before her eyes. "You cannot mean it!"

Bones gave her a deathly stare. "I do. And if I am voted in as Minister of Magic, you will _not_ be part of my department." She left Umbridge staring at her in shock before she nodded at Dumbledore. "Let us vote."

Dumbledore nodded and raised his wand. "During the war last time, I formed an intelligence operation under the guidance of our former Minister of Magic, Eugenia Jenkins, may she rest in peace. We had discussed it prior to her losing office, plans of how to infiltrate Lord Voldemort's plans, but when Minchum took office, he didn't want to hear of it. Today is a day that would have made Eugenia proud. With your permission, Madam Minister, I would like to call this vote the Phoenix Initiative."

Bones nodded, her eyes on Dumbledore. "I cede the floor to you, Chief Warlock."

Dumbledore smiled. "With the Phoenix Initiative, I want to prepare the Wizarding World for war. I want them to be ready to defend themselves and their families and to tell them how to get help from the Ministry if they need it. The Phoenix Initiative will also incorporate the different departments who are willing to work with our new allies on opening education up to every magical person and being with human tendencies who are willing and able to study magic. It will help to bring them into our society not as outcasts, but as friends and allies. If we succeed with it, it will be the greatest bill for magical cooperation ever made. To our guests, is there anything else that you would like to see happen within the Phoenix Initiative?"

Clovenfield smiled. "I cannot speak for the others, but I would like to see a department that befriends and takes into consideration the needs and decisions of its neighbouring governments. The VCE has our own council and I know that the Alpha Wolves are only two of the pack leaders. I think that our council leaders should be entitled to a seat within the Wizengamot."

Adrian's mouth opened in surprise before he shut it and Tonks grinned at him.

Dumbledore nodded. "I think that that sounds like a marvellous idea. Full magical cooperation from all British subjects. Are we ready to vote?"

Half of the Wizengamot looked completely shell-shocked and flabbergasted like they couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Others looked livid and disgusted at this turn of events like Umbridge and others were smiling widely as if this was the best news that they had ever received.

Sirius held his breath. He honestly had no idea where this vote was going to go.

Dumbledore raised his wand. "Those in favour of making the Phoenix Initiative a reality, please raise your wands."

Sirius raised his wand into the air immediately along with Augusta Longbottom, Amelia Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Lady Dettweiler and a few others. Then the wands slowly began to rise and Sirius grinned widely. It was truly a sight to behold, he thought.

Dumbledore smiled and raised his own wand. "It looks like thirty-nine votes to fourteen. Motion passed. I am proud to pass the concept of the Phoenix Initiative into action. We will work together to form the concept into a project that we can make a reality."

There was applause around the room as people were looking at each other in surprise.

Kingsley raised his wand and Dumbledore pointed at him.

"As to these three prisoners, is Azkaban still the desired location until they have a trial?"

Bones nodded, standing up. "Yes, thank you, Head Auror Shacklebolt. Keep them in the lower levels until we can set up a trial for them in the following week. As to the other names mentioned, I want Aurors sent after them as soon as possible. I would also like your assistance in calling a departmental meeting, we need to vote on a new head of the DMLE if I am to be Minister of Magic."

Kingsley nodded, smiling at her as Dumbledore dismissed the assembly. Kingsley ordered his Aurors out to take the prisoners and barked another order about an emergency meeting for the Auror Department as they had a manhunt to take care of.

Sirius moved across the room to where Fudge was still sitting, looking shocked as if he couldn't quite believe what had just happened.

"Fudge, I am sorry that you were voted out. I was hoping for a chance to sway you to our side."

Fudge only nodded, still looking pale. "Watching everyone agree like that … I think you were right." He stood up and nodded at the new Minister of Magic. "Madam Minister, I think that you made the right call here. Dumbledore's idea is a good one and no matter what happens now, you've made the effort to try to prevent You Know Who from gaining more power. You have a clearer head than I did. I hope you will let me offer my services to your government once you are voted in."

Bones looked at him in surprise. "Thank you, Cornelius. I appreciate your support. I was sorry that it had to happen like this."

He nodded. "The public will have their say and I am sure that they will agree with you being the right choice to succeed me."

He clutched his lime green bowler hat, nodded politely at her before he made his way to the door.

Sirius smiled at Bones. "I think once he thinks things over, he may actually be an asset to your department."

"Lord Black, when you sent me that owl to ask me to support you on your stand, this was hardly what I had in mind!"

He grinned at her. "I think that you'll be a great leader, Madam Minister. You know how to keep a firm hand and you know how to listen to the advice of others. The public is going to see that and the majority of them will be impressed with the braveness of their new Minister and those who aren't impressed would have been the first ones to deem Fudge a coward if Voldemort did take over and he did nothing to stop it."

Bones smiled at him. "I think that you're right. We'll be taking things one step at a time here. Now excuse me, Lord Black. I have a new department to form."

Umbridge jumped to her feet when Bones made to leave and she glared at Sirius. "You have ruined everything!"

Sirius snorted. "Have I? You are a petty toad who needs to pull her head out of her arse! A war is coming, Umbitch, and it's about time you figure out whose side your on."

She flinched at his words before she narrowed her eyes, grabbed her files and stormed out of the courtroom after Fudge.

Dumbledore nodded at Sirius, stepping down to where he was standing. "I think that went surprisingly well."

"Me too. I almost can't believe that Fudge was impeached and that he agreed to help the new Minister."

"Fudge isn't always the wisest, but he knows when he's been beat," Dumbledore said carefully. "But Amelia … she will be a great Minister and I think that no matter how the public votes, her passing of the Phoenix Initiative will make her be remembered as the Minister who tried to save the world."

Sirius smiled at him and nodded. "I agree."

Zee moved over to him and kissed his cheek. "The new Minister asked me to help form the new department and to help choose some Ministry members to be on the board. It's kind of exciting. It's like we're building a whole new world."

Sirius grinned at her. "In a sense we are. But first, we have to fight to keep the one we have."

As he watched her hurry off, he knew that was going to be the hardest step. He checked his watch and sighed. He needed to head home, pack and coordinate with Dobby and Kreacher. They were headed to Bulgaria tonight and he needed to make sure that they all travelled there safely and undetected; especially Harry.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _Just mixed in partial quotes here from two Americans. Dumbledore's was from Eugene Kennedy and Amelia Bones' was from Bill Clinton._


	182. Chapter 182

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer some reviews: I didn't even think Marvel, but I should have lol. Yes, Sirius did basically tell Umbitch to fuck off and unfortunately, we haven't seen the last of her quite yet. I'm glad everyone seems to approve of Bones as my new Minister of Magic, I always liked her. Lucius wants to protect his family, but I wouldn't necessarily say he is good either, at least not all the way through. I never thought Fudge was a bad guy, just not right for the job. He took the coward's way out and it bit him in the ass. Himmler and Norton were just random names I picked based on books that were surrounding me at the time I was writing. Thank you_ _midnitewanderer __for that heartfelt review. I will be sad when this story is finally complete as well. To those asking about the ring, I googled what I was imagining and found a fairly close ring on Etsy; (Etsy Moonstone engagement ring vintage 5x9mm marquise cut rainbow moonstone unique moissanite diamond wedding band 14K rose gold antique - copy and paste this onto google or anyone curious)._

 _And yes, I know the whole Wizengamot just saw Harry transform - it is explained at the beginning of this chapter. Don't worry, Sirius has covered all of the bases. Thanks to_ _purplevictory_ _\- "I agree that Harry may have taken comfort from his grandmother. I liked how you wrote his inner conflict and interaction with Mandy, he was mad, but didn't want to take it out on her and yet she just couldn't be what he needed her to be at that moment." - this is exactly what I was trying to explain. In reference to the speed of Fudge being removed from office, the Wizengamot voted for him to be impeached, however Bones is only temporarily acting Minister until the public is informed and can vote accordingly. And yes, I do think Zee is a feminist to some extent. She's a strong independent woman and not afraid to show it. As to the question if I got the name Althea from Hazel Wood, no, I have no idea what that is. I got the name Althea from the Greek goddess._

 _Also just to help with the timelines, the Third Task was Saturday; Tuesday was Cedric's funeral; Thursday was the day of the Wizengamot session; Viktor's funeral is Saturday. Hope this helps._

 _Thanks as always for the wonderful reviews and thoughts. And please, don't hate me too much with this one ;)_

 _Helpful family reminder names for this chapter!_

 _Althea Castellanos Papakonstantinou and Alexander "Xander" Papakonstantinou_

 _Niko Alexander (4)_

 _Nilo Alexander (4)_

 _Phoenix Nikolas (3)_

 _Calla Galina (11 months)_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-TWO:**

 **Harry and Remus both stared at Sirius in shock as he explained to them what had happened during the Wizengamot session.**

"So Fudge is gone?" Harry asked in amazement.

"Yeah," Sirius said simply. "He knows that he's lost and I think that he's okay with it. We'll see what the people vote, but I can't imagine that Amelia won't win. She's the one we need right now and she's going to do a bang up job."

Harry looked up at the barn owl who flew in with the copy of the _Evening Prophet_ newspaper and eagerly accepted a copy as the bird took off again. He opened it up and raised an eyebrow. "They certainly didn't wait long to make sure word got out."

"What does it say, Harry?" Remus asked him as Harry began to read:

 _LADY AMELIA BONES DECLARED NEW MINISTER OF MAGIC BY WIZENGAMOT AS MINISTRY OF MAGIC DECLARES RETURN OF HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED_

 _In a surprise move today, the Wizengamot Assembly impeached Cornelius Fudge from office and unanimously voted on Lady Amelia Bones, current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, to become the new Minister of Magic. The polls will open Monday morning for the public to vote her in or out of office, but so far, our temporary Minister Bones is already stirring things up._

 _Her first move as de facto Minister was to help vote on a new idea that the government is dubbing 'The Phoenix Initiative'. The idea in question is all about incorporating magical cooperation within the government and within our society focusing on education, government, and the economy._

 _"_ _I think that it's a great cause," Minister Bones told the Daily Prophet this evening. "It's about time that we start making magical cooperation a part of our daily lives. We can't be afraid of people just because they're different from us. A war is coming and we have to be prepared for it."_

 _The new Minister went on to warn the public that the rumours are in fact true._

 _"_ _Denying it is not going to help anybody," Minister Bones declared. "You Know Who has returned and I urge everyone to please be on their guard for anything suspicious. If there is anything that concerns you or if you think a friend or family member may be acting strangely, please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Your safety is our first priority."_

 _The new Minister promised to release a safety measure bill in time for the weekend paper to help residents feel safer and better protected in their homes._

 _With the return of He Who Must Not Be Named, everyone is running scared and it seems like Minister Bones is taking charge. It's about time we have a Minister who knows what she is doing._

 _Former Minister Fudge was not available for comment._

 _THREE WIZENGAMOT MEMBERS ARRESTED AS DEATH EATERS_

 _Lord Lucius Malfoy, Lord Marcus Bulstrode, and Lord Aaron Macklebee were arrested today during a session of the Wizengamot after being accused of being Death Eaters. Irrefutable evidence was given of their loyalty to He Who Must Not Be Named and they were immediately arrested by the Aurors and taken to Azkaban to await trial._

 _Rumours are circulating of other known Death Eaters within the Ministry ready to be weeded out. Another arrest was made this evening for Ludo Bagman's personal assistant, Henry Jacks. No formal charges have been made against him and the Aurors claim that he was only brought in as a witness._

 _Is fear already taking over?_

 _To read more about the previous trials of the Death Eaters after The Boy Who Lived defeated He Who Must Not Be Named, turn to page six._

 _THE RETURN OF HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED AND THE TRIWIZARD CHAMPION HARRY POTTER_

 _Harry Potter, better known to the world as The Boy Who Lived, recent winner of the Triwizard Tournament, was a witness to the recent return of You Know Who. Escaping the dark wizard's clutches once again has called for many people to wonder what kind of powers he is hiding._

 _The Ministry of Magic revealed that Potter is a registered Animagus at barely fifteen years of age. After winning a tournament dangerous enough for older wizards to struggle through and after his defeat of You Know Who in 1981, the world is wondering, is Potter the one powerful enough to rid the world of the dark wizard for good?_

 _For reasons why Potter may be the Chosen One, turn to page nine._

Harry spluttered when he saw the last article. "The Chosen One!"

Remus took the paper from Harry's hands and frowned. "That is interesting. Where are they getting this information? Sirius, I thought Evangeline promised not to publish anything about Harry without your permission?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes on the paper. "He did. I gave him permission to publish it. I went directly to his office before coming home. Let them have their rumours and codswallop, it takes the attention off of what happened in the Third Task. Some people are whispering that Harry is the one who killed Diggory and Krum and I thought this piece was a better way to quash those rumours."

Harry frowned. "People really think that I killed them?"

Sirius smiled at him. "Only idiots."

"And when did I become a registered Animagus?"

Sirius grinned. "Minerva registered you herself after the Third Task. We figured with everyone having seen you arrive as a Tamaskan dog before transforming into yourself, on top of you using your form as a means of escaping from Voldemort, your secret is out. Now you are registered and backdated as being registered since the first of June per lessons with Minerva. It will be up to your friends to decide if they want to register as well."

Harry nodded as Remus put the paper on the table. "I guess that makes sense." He glanced at the headline about Voldemort's return. "Well, the world knows now."

Remus squeezed his shoulder gently. "Yes, they do and we're going to take things one step at a time."

"If the Ministry is aware of Voldemort and they are starting this whole Phoenix thing, does that mean that there won't be an Order?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm not sure. Obviously, we are still working with our Operation FUVP and we want to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, but I think having the Order will still be a good idea in terms of the agency of it. However, it may not need to be kept a secret this time around. We'll see what happens when Bones is officially voted into office and go from there. The Phoenix Initiative is only an idea so far and we still need to drum out the idea and the concept of it and that's going to take time. The Horcruxes will still stay a secret for now. We can't have too many people knowing about it and risk it getting out to Voldemort that we are hunting them down."

Harry nodded, grabbing his bag from the couch. "Alright … so how come Dobby is Apparating me to Bulgaria?"

Remus smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders at the abrupt change in the conversation. "It's safer that way. No one will even be aware of you leaving the country. We need to keep things quiet about where you are at all times. We know that Voldemort is out there now, Harry, and he has many followers that are still in the wind."

"I still can't believe that Lucius allowed us to arrest him. I gave him a warning," Sirius said in surprise, shaking his head.

Remus shrugged. "He knows what he's doing, Padfoot. He must have a reason behind it."

Sirius nodded. "Unless he thinks that it was the safer choice for Cissa and Draco, which could very well be the case."

Remus stared at his friend. "Possibly. Right now, he's imprisoned and it might be the safest place for him. Is the Bulgarian Ministry going to be talking to the Croatian Ministry about Selwyn Manor?"

Sirius shook his head. "I'm not sure. Amelia Bones will be dealing with that along with Kingsley. Tonks mentioned that she would be talking to King today or tomorrow to discuss the details of the Death Eater hunt. Most of them will have gone into deep hiding by now, but hopefully we've weeded out a few more of them." He glanced at the clock and stood up. "Alright, Harry, Dobby will be taking you to the cottage that we rented in the city of Varna. Your friends, Zee and I will be meeting you there within the hour."

Harry smiled at him. "I won't leave the cottage, I promise."

"Good," Sirius said in relief, leaning in to kiss Harry's forehead.

"Can I bring Marauder?"

Remus smiled at him. "Of course you can. I'll see you in two days when you come back."

"Are you sure that you and Tonks don't want to come?" Harry asked him.

"We have some work to do here. I only met Viktor briefly as did Tonks. You go and pay your respects and be there for Hermione. She's going to need her friends."

Harry nodded as Sirius grabbed his bag and headed out the front to Apparate to the Ministry of Magic. He knew that Hermione needed him and he planned on making sure that she had every friend available to her as she needed it.

He didn't want her to grieve alone.

 **Hermione was thankful to Sirius when they arrived in Bulgaria.** The Bulgarian Ministry of Magic immediately ushered them to a waiting car which drove them through the lovely city of Varna directly to the Krum home. The driver helped them with their luggage and then Hermione held both of her parents hands as they moved through the Muggle repelling charms and their eyes widened at the sight of the large home, that to them, had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Desislava Krum came running out of the house as they started up the drive and hugged Hermione tightly, speaking quickly in Bulgarian. Hermione only understood half of what she said, but she nodded and followed the little girl inside.

Mrs Krum smiled warmly and moved to hug Hermione. "So glad that you could come, Hermione. I vish Viktor vas here to show you his home."

"Me too," Hermione said softly, tears in her voice.

Mrs Krum kissed her cheek and smiled at the people behind her. "And vho did you bring vith you?"

"Mrs Krum, these are my parents, Greg and Jean Granger; Mum, Dad, this is Mrs Boyana Krum."

Greg stepped forward to embrace her. "I am sorry to meet you under such terrible circumstances."

Mrs Krum smiled at him. "As am I. Your charming daughter has captured our hearts and she is very velcome here, along vith anyone else she vishes."

"Thank you," Greg said with a smile.

"This is my husband, Kosta, and my daughters Iglika and Desislava," Mrs Krum said as everyone nodded in greeting. "Now come; I shall feed you."

And she led the way to the kitchen without waiting for a response.

They had spent the evening talking about Viktor; about his passion for Quidditch and Transfiguration; about his love of flying and about how much he had spoken about Hermione. She looked at hundreds of baby photos; learned how he first broke his arm and his nose; and about how much he loved his little sisters. Greg and Jean had shared similar stories about Hermione and they told the Krums how much their daughter had loved their son.

It was exactly the kind of closure she needed.

Thursday morning she found herself occupied with Viktor's friends Andrei, his girlfriend Daniella, and Dimo along with his girlfriend Anyanka. They spent the morning talking about her and Viktor and sharing funny stories about their friend. She spent the afternoon with Iglika and Desislava, who both peppered her with questions about Viktor and how they met and the things they had done and spoken about. Iglika was twelve and eager to know everything. Desislava was only nine and still seemed to be in shock over losing her big brother and decided that she needed to hug Hermione as much as possible. Hermione found that she didn't mind and rather liked the warm embrace of the small girl.

Now it was the day of the funeral and Hermione felt sick to her stomach again. The thought of watching them lower his beautiful body into the ground made her heart clench and she bit her lip to fight back her tears.

Harry and everyone had arrived late last night and arranged for Hermione, Greg and Jean to stay in the cottage with them for the last night so that the Krum family could be alone to deal with their grief. Sirius had rented a four bedroom cottage for the two nights and Hermione would be sharing a room with Ginny and Luna after the funeral today. The knock on the doorjamb startled her from her thoughts and she turned to see her two girlfriends there.

"Hermione, your dad asked us to come and get you. Are you ready to head to the funeral?" Luna asked, moving to sit on the bed in the lovely guest room Hermione had been given in the Krum home.

"I - I don't know."

Ginny moved into the room and hugged her tightly and Hermione curled into her friend's embrace, grateful for her. "Whatever you need, Hermione, we're here for you, all of us."

The three of them headed into the living room and Greg reached for his daughter as soon as he saw her. Hermione immediately moved into his arms, engulfed in his warm hug and when she turned around and saw her friends all waiting for her, love swamped her.

She could do this, she told herself. It was time to say goodbye.

 **Tonks had to work late at the Ministry on Friday.** She had spent her lunch hour deep in conference with Kingsley Shacklebolt and she was pleased to say that he was more than just interested in joining the Order. He really liked the entire concept of having an elite force working strictly on stopping Voldemort and had made notes on the concept of it. She had immediately put him in contact with Dumbledore and felt good about that.

They had also finally tracked down Ludo Bagman. He had been found dead in a ditch outside of London. Constance Thomas-Bagman had been found with him. She had been brutally raped before being killed. They couldn't prove who had hurt them, but they knew that it was Death Eaters and most likely Abraxas Malfoy based on what Harry had heard in the graveyard.

The case had been passed onto another Auror and Tonks was grateful. She had enough on her plate as it was. They were still trying to find Barty Crouch Jr to talk to him about his father's torture and murder, but no one had seen him. He seemed to be a leaf in the wind that they just couldn't seem to catch.

Not to mention that Karkaroff was also still MIA.

She Apparated home, smiling when she saw the lights on in the cottage. She loved coming home to her man; her mate; her fiancé, she thought with a grin. They were supposed to be going to her parents' home on Sunday for dinner and she couldn't wait to tell them that they were engaged. She had promised Remus that she would wait until they could tell them together, but she was finding it hard to keep it a secret from her mum. She had always told Andromeda everything and hadn't stopped by once this week for tea, which she knew her mum would see as a sure sign that she was keeping a secret.

Tonks stepped into the cottage, surprised to find the living room empty. She figured that he was in the kitchen, but found that empty too outside of a bouquet of pink alstroemerias in the centre of the island. She pushed her nose into the flowers happily, enjoying their scent and then saw that a petal had fallen to the ground. She bent to pick it up, only to notice that a trail of petals led out of the kitchen and she followed it, intrigued.

It led her to the bathroom and when she opened the door she saw that the entire room had been lit by floating candles and the tub was steaming full of thick bubbles in her favourite scent with a glass of her favourite white wine poured and sitting on the shelf near the wall for her.

She almost purred in happiness.

Tonks undressed, tossing her clothes into the hamper before she climbed into the tub, sighing at the warmth of the water. The moment that she settled herself in the tub, the Weird Sisters began to play from the wireless in the corner and she grinned.

"Are you going to come out of hiding, oh perfect man of mine?"

Remus stepped into the bathroom and grinned at her. He knelt next to the tub, his fingers twisting in her curls and tugging her lips to his for a long passionate kiss that left her breathless.

She grinned at him. "Join me."

Remus kissed her again. "I will, but not yet."

Tonks frowned and brought her soapy hand up, shifting the bubbles away so that a pink nipple glistened above the surface. "Please?"

Remus licked his lips but shook his head. "In a bit."

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "You leave me gorgeous flowers with a trail of petals leading me to this beautiful hot bubble bath with my favourite wine and my favourite band playing … I think I am putty in your hands, Professor."

He smirked and kissed her again. "Good, that's how I like you."

"Charmer," she said, smiling at him as she reached for the wine glass to take a sip. "What do you need me to do for you first? Or is it to you?"

His cheeks flushed and she grinned. "I've corrupted you."

Tonks grinned wider. "Did you now? Are you sure that it wasn't the other way around?" She asked, twisting her nipple between two fingers as he watched. "Get in here."

Remus kissed her again, sighing when she covered his neck with soapy bubbles. "In a minute."

She only pouted and he smiled, kissing her pouted lips.

Remus reached into his pocket and carefully removed the velvet box that he had been carrying for the last two days. It was perfect and he had never been so happy with anything that he had purchased more than he was with the ring in his hand. He held it in his hand by the side of the tub as he looked at her.

"You are the most beautiful, most incredible woman that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You aren't afraid to be different. You aren't afraid to let the world know what you think of them and you're not afraid of being with me, no matter what the world thinks about it."

"Rem," she said softly. "I love you. What other people think doesn't matter."

He smiled. "I love you, Nymphadora. I love you so much that sometimes I just wake up in the middle of the night and look at you and my heart just bursts with it. You are my world and I know that you said you didn't need it, that it was enough, but I disagree." He lifted the box up and flipped open the lid. "Nymphadora, will you marry me?"

Tonks' eyes filled up and she grabbed him by the hair, tugging him close to kiss him deeply. "I already told you yes, you silly man!"

Remus kissed her again. "But this time it was better because my finger wasn't on your clit when I asked."

She laughed and her eyes twinkled. "True, but I hope it will be there again soon."

He flushed and held out the ring. "May I?"

Tonks' eyes fell to the ring in his hands and she gasped. "Oh! Oh, Remus … it's gorgeous!"

He slid it onto her finger and smiled as she admired it. "I wanted to give you something that was uniquely you. The stone belonged to my mother. It's a rainbow moonstone."

Tonks' eyes snapped to his. "It couldn't be more perfect. I love you."

Remus kissed her deeply, leaning into her and laughing as she tugged his shirt off. He stood up and undressed, stepping into the large tub and stretching out, pulling Tonks close and into his lap. He took her ring hand, kissing each finger tenderly.

"You're so beautiful."

"You make me feel beautiful," she whispered, kissing him softly. She took his hand and kissed each finger, sucking on each one, her eyes on his as she grinned. "I think you mentioned something about your finger before …"

He grinned and slid his hand under the water and a finger slipped into her. She gasped and leaned into him, sucking on his bottom lip.

"Rem?"

"Mmm?" He said as his finger circled inside of her.

"I can't wait to marry you."

His eyes softened and he added a second finger, his lips meeting hers for a long, deep kiss. "Neither can I."

And then he lifted her high so that she was standing in the tub and used his mouth on her.

Tonks threw her head back in ecstasy, her fingers clutching his hair as her beautiful engagement ring winked on her finger and she knew that she had never been happier in her entire life.

 **Hermione felt like the days of the funeral happened in a daze.** She was aware of everything around her, but she felt like she was looking down at herself, as if it was a film that she was watching on screen, but not really participating in. After the first showing, she went back to the cottage Sirius had rented and cried herself to sleep as Ginny and Luna lied on either side of her, their arms wrapped around her in comfort.

Her friends were incredible. It seemed whenever one of them left her alone, someone else would come to sweep her away. Ron's arms were always open and around her as were Harry's. Ginny and Luna linked arms with her or held her hands and Neville had a way about him of just giving her this look that she knew meant it would be okay.

Her parents were there as well, talking to Sirius and Zee and a little bit to Mr and Mrs Krum. Sirius explained to the Grangers about the upcoming war and what it meant now that Voldemort had returned and she had seen the fear in their eyes. But they trusted Sirius and they trusted her and she knew that they would let her make her own choices about wanting to stay in the magical world.

Even if they were terrified for her.

When the funeral was finally over on Saturday afternoon, Hermione felt emotionally and physically drained. The Krums told her that she would always be welcome in their home if she ever decided to return to Varna and Desislava asked if she could write to her and Hermione eagerly accepted.

They returned to the cottage to pack up and Hermione went out into the yard, her arms wrapped around herself as she looked up at the sky. Ron came up to stand beside her.

"If you're not up to going home, we'd love to have you at the Burrow."

Hermione offered him a small smile. "Thanks, but I think that I want to spend some time with my parents right now."

Ron nodded and offered his hand. "Okay, if you change your mind, you only have to say the word."

Hermione smiled at him and hugged him close. "Thank you for everything, Ron. Dad told me that you called them and … thank you!"

He hugged her back, holding on a moment longer than necessary. "Of course. Come on; the portkey takes off in thirty minutes. You have to make sure that you're all packed."

Hermione nodded as she let him lead her back into the house. She was really grateful for her wonderful friends, she thought. But she missed Viktor and her heart ached at the thought of what could have been.

And what now would never be.

 **Ginny finished packing her stuff and hurried off to find Harry.** She had been so busy trying to be there for Hermione over the last few days that she hadn't had a chance to really talk to him. He was putting his bag in the living room when she found him.

"Harry! Can we talk for a minute?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, but nodded and led her into the backyard. "What's going on? You okay?"

Ginny smiled at him. "I am fine. It's you that I want to check on." When he rolled his eyes, she grabbed his arm. "I'm not talking physically, Harry."

Harry stared at her. "It's not until the eighth."

Ginny nodded. "I know and I know how scared you must be."

He shrugged. "I've been trying not to think about it."

Ginny squeezed his arm gently. "If you need to talk about any of it, you know where to find me."

Harry nodded at her. "You didn't tell anyone?"

"It's not my secret to share, Harry," she said softly. "Did you want me to tell them?"

He shook his head. "No … not yet. Hermione has enough going on right now, I don't want her worrying about me on top of it."

Ginny smiled at him. "Okay. Do you want me to come to Greece with you?"

Harry's eyes met hers in surprise. "You'd - you'd do that for me?"

"Do you really have to ask that? I would be there in a heartbeat if you wanted me to be."

He pulled her close for a hug and her floral scent engulfed him. She felt good in his arms, she felt right and he knew that letting her come to Greece with him was a bad idea. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin their friendship.

"I appreciate that, Gin, I do, but I'll be okay. Uncle Sirius and Uncle Rem are both coming and so are Zee and Tonks. I'll be fine. I'll write to you the moment it's over and let you know what happened. I promise."

Ginny smiled and kissed his cheek and his whole body tingled at the feel of her lips on his skin. "If you change your mind, my offer is always open. What about Mandy?"

"What about her?"

"Does she know why you are going to Greece? That you'll be undergoing an operation?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I mean, I can't exactly tell her, can I? I wrote to her and told her that I'm going to Greece for a few weeks with my family to visit some friends of Uncle Sirius and that I would write to her. She wants me to meet her mum and to go with her to brother's wedding in August."

Ginny smiled at him. "I think not telling her is a good choice, at least for now."

Harry stared at her for a moment. "She - never mind."

Ginny merely raised an eyebrow. "She what?"

Harry's eyes stared into her chocolate brown ones. He could lose himself in those eyes, he thought; drown in a pool of chocolate and not even be mad about it. "She is worried about me and she wants me to talk to her about the graveyard and … I don't know what to say."

She smiled sympathetically at him. "Of course she wants to know that, Harry. Her boyfriend broke through wards believed to be impossible bleeding and broken and claiming that Voldemort had returned. I would want to know too."

"I don't want to talk about it," he admitted.

"I get that. But as someone who was forced to talk about it, it does help and maybe telling Mandy about it will help a little more because she doesn't know all the extra stuff like we do. She's … I don't want to say an outsider, but I do. It could be good for you," she told him.

Harry let out a slow sigh. "I want you to come to Greece with me, Gin, but it's better for both of us if you don't."

She frowned at that. "What does that mean?"

Harry pulled her close for a quick hug. "I'll write to you and tell you what happened, I promise. Try not to worry about me too much this summer."

Ginny continued to frown at him. "If you don't explain what you meant by that, Harry, I will be following you to Greece."

His smile was slow and it made her stomach flop deliciously. "Knowing that you will be here when I get back is more wonderful than I can explain. That's all."

Ginny smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Then I will be here until you tell me that the operation went well and that you are safe."

Harry stared at her and then he nodded. "And you won't tell anyone else? I don't want everyone to worry and with Hermione still reeling from Viktor, the last thing I want is for her to … I'll tell them all after it's over. Okay?"

Ginny nodded. "Okay."

He nodded and followed her back into the house, his heart pounding a bit in his chest. Being near Ginny was getting downright dangerous, he thought and grabbed his bag, eager to get home and away from the temptation that was his best friend.

 **The next week passed in a blur for Harry.** He spent his spare time exercising and working out his sore and tired muscles; training with Misha in the backyard and training with Remus. Remus and Misha had both decided that even though he wasn't of age, they were teaching him how to Apparate properly. He had already done it in his Animagus from and broken through the wards at Hogwarts, so teaching him to do it wouldn't be too hard.

"I want to stress this, Harry. You are to Apparate for an emergency only. If the Ministry catches you Apparating whilst underage you will be in trouble. You are not old enough to be doing so and do not have a license," Remus lectured.

Harry only nodded and promised not to use it unless absolutely necessary. Within two days, he had it down and was able to Apparate from Black Cottage to Lupin Cottage and back quite easily both as himself and in his Animagus form, making Misha smile.

By the time the seventh of July hit, Harry was positive that the days had sped up. He didn't want to admit it out loud, but he was nervous. The portkey to Greece seemed to have been a whirlwind of a thing. One minute they were at the portkey station and the next they were standing on a sunny street in Athens, Greece and the very reason that they were there seemed to be screaming at him.

Zee had organized the portkey privately, stating that she was heading there for a vacation, but there was still the possibility that the Ministry of Magic would be aware of the fact that Harry had left the United Kingdom. Only Zee had actually been the one to travel by the portkey. Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Harry had each been Apparated there by Dobby and Kreacher, who had been only too happy to assist.

Sirius and Remus were both being extra cautious with him now. He knew that they had increased the charms on Black Cottage and on Lupin Cottage and had used something that they had created called the Marauder Charm to triple the wards. They were confident that no one would be able to ascertain his location as long as he was at one of the two homes, but it was the travelling and going other places that made them nervous. Diggory's funeral for one had made Sirius nervous about allowing Harry to attend, but Harry had insisted on attending anyway. Cedric had never been anything but nice to him and the thought of not attending and paying his last respects to his friend wasn't something that he wanted to miss. Then the whirlwind trip to Bulgaria had meant even more wards and more charms to keep him safe, but Sirius and Remus had felt that Harry was safer in Varna for Krum's funeral than they had been in England for Diggory's.

Now they were in Greece and tomorrow the neuro-healer Xander Papakonstantinou would remove the AH, as Sirius had taken to calling it, from his head. It made his head spin a little to think about it.

He adjusted his bag on his shoulder as he followed Sirius and Zee through the streets and down to the small cottage that they had rented. It had three bedrooms for them and Harry tossed his bag on the bed, letting out a slow sigh as he looked out at the beautiful city. He had only been to Greece once before and he didn't remember much outside of the wedding and some dancing. Now he was old enough to appreciate the trip, but he had too much going on to really appreciate what he was seeing.

Tonks knocked on the doorjamb and grinned, leaning her hip against it. Her beautiful moonstone engagement ring winking at him as the sunlight reflected off the surface of it. They were planning a small wedding before the summer was over and he couldn't wait to attend and watch them get married.

"Hey," Tonks said.

Harry only nodded at her and changed into his Animagus, stretching out across the bed.

Tonks sat on the bed next to him and scratched him behind the ears, gently running her hands along his back. "I know that you're scared, Scout. I'm terrified for you. But this is the big moment and we are all going to be here with you the whole time. Nothing is going to keep us away."

He made a whining sound and put his head on her knee. Tonks kissed his snout with a smile.

"Come on out. We're going to head down to the beach for a bit. Why don't you put your bathing trunks on and join us?"

The thought of going out and having fun seemed like just the thing he needed, but he also just wanted to get it over with. She seemed to realize that because she nodded.

"Yeah, I thought so too. Okay, change into something more Greece worthy and we're going to go see Xander and Thea so that Xander can explain the procedure to you."

Scout licked her face as she gave him a look of disgust before he transformed back into himself. "That sounds perfect!"

Ten minutes later, the five of them were sitting in Xander and Thea's living room as their kids played around them. The twins Niko and Nilo were four and running around the living room giggling in laughter as their three-year-old brother Phoenix chased them. Calla was eleven months old and crawling everywhere. Thea was hugely pregnant again, due in September, and Xander kept gently running his hand over her stomach from where he sat next to her. They had found out they were having twins again, but this time a boy and a girl and they were thrilled. Xander had also stressed these two would be their last and had gotten himself fixed on his wife's orders.

He kissed his wife's hand softly, his eyes on Harry who had been watching the kids play.

"Well, Harry, what would you like to know specifically?" Xander asked him.

Harry hesitated, his eyes moving to Sirius and Remus who nodded at him. "I guess I mainly want to know exactly what this procedure is going to entail? What are you going to be doing to the soul piece to remove it from my head?"

Xander nodded. "That's the tough part. When someone has something on their brain, it's my job as a neuro-healer to remove it safely without injuring the brain itself or anything else about the person. Usually, I start off by putting the person into a dreamless sleep and freezing them. The freezing charm is to prevent any unintentional movement from the patient while I am operating. Once you are frozen in place and asleep, I can examine your brain more carefully. I do this by wearing my Examination Lenses which allows me to see through the skin and the bone and into the muscle and tissue, highlighting each part in a different colour spectrum for me to examine. The muscles are pink, the tissue blue, the brain purple and the bone green. It is up to me to determine where each vein, each stem leading to your spinal cord and basically into your entire nervous system, is going and why. From there, I will move to the place directly where your scar is situated on your frontal right lobe and examine the blackness that sits just in front of your brain and I will carefully and slowly extract each thread of it from your brain and your tissue."

"I thought that it wasn't in my brain?" Harry asked.

"It's not in your brain, no," Xander said carefully, "But it has subtly attached itself to you which means it has veins or arms that have extended into you and it's feeding off of you and your essence to help it survive."

Harry gulped visibly at that. "So it is part of me?"

"No, Harry," Remus said gently. "It is feeding off of you, but it is not in you. It does not change who you are."

Xander nodded. "Remus is right, it does not alter you as an individual in any way. However, I do think that it might be suppressing some of your magic. I cannot be sure, but once it is removed, I do believe that you will be a more powerful wizard than you are now."

Harry only stared at him. "How long will it take?"

"A few hours at least," Xander told him honestly. "The hard part is going to be carefully extracting the soul piece in a way that is not going to wake it up."

"What happens if it wakes up?" Harry asked.

"If it wakes up, it could alter you and force you to wake up and then you could be fighting me. It could also lash out directly at me and my magic and fight me. Sirius has informed me that when it does lash out it could hit me personally and dig into my own memories, my own fears and insecurities, which would make it harder for me to concentrate and to keep my magic steady in your brain to remove the threads that bind it to you," he explained carefully. "It's going to be difficult, Harry, and frankly, I'm not going to lie to you, this is the hardest surgery that I will ever have performed in my life because I cannot tell you exactly what will happen when I attempt to remove it from your brain. I have never before removed something that is so clearly and so visibly alive."

Harry nodded. "Knowing what you will be doing in there helps me though, I mean, if I were to wake up, knowing what you're doing will help me and maybe even help me stay calm."

"I hope so," Xander told him honestly. "And you know the potential risks and side effects?"

"Yes," Harry said, remembering everything that Sirius and Remus had told him.

"Going into this, I personally think that the biggest risk is you falling into a coma, but as I told Sirius and Remus, that's not necessarily a bad thing. A coma is a way for your body to heal and to cope with what has happened to it. But we're going to take it one step at a time, Harry, and I can promise you that I will do my very best to get that thing out of you."

"Thank you," Harry told him honestly as Zee picked up his hand, squeezing tightly. "And this will happen tomorrow?"

"Yes," Xander told him. "Eight a.m. I will have a monitoring charm over you to help me keep me informed of you brain activity, your heart and your blood pressure. It will also help keep an eye on all of your organs and tell me what is happening to your body while I work. I am taking every precaution. I have an operating room scheduled for us at _St Nicholas' Hospital_ and I have three of my best healing assistants scheduled to assist."

Harry gulped audibly. "What about Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus? Will they be in the room along with Zee and Tonks?"

"Normally, I do not allow that for the safety of the patient as well as the family members, but this is not a normal procedure. This is different and I am fully aware that I might need them to help me keep you calm during any and all changes or outbursts within the surgery, so yes, the four of them will all be present."

Harry nodded. That made him feel a little better. "And ... what are we going to put the Horcrux into once we remove it?"

Sirius pulled out an ornate gold box dripping in onyx; a black snake covered the side looking almost life-like. "This belonged to my father. He always kept cigars in it and I always thought that it was the most hideous thing that I've ever seen. Reg and I were never allowed to touch it. We're going to place it in here and seal it closed and then blow it to smithereens when we destroy it later."

"How do you know that it will stay in there?"

"We don't," Zee told him honestly. "But we're ninety percent sure that it should nest in there comfortably enough for us to destroy it."

Harry nodded, staring around at everyone in the room. "Okay."

Althea smiled at him. "I can't imagine what this is like for you, Harry, but after tomorrow, it will all be over."

It would be over, he thought, one way or another.

 **Harry couldn't sleep that night.** He tossed and he turned and he cuddled Marauder to him in the large bed, eyes wide open and wondering if tonight was going to be his last night on earth. It wasn't a happy thought, but he couldn't remove it from his mind.

He held his dog close to him, his thoughts a jumble of emotions and his scar throbbed painfully, the pain intense enough for him to bite his tongue. Marauder barked at him and he winced.

"I'm okay, boy."

But he knew that someone wasn't.

Someone had displeased Lord Voldemort and he could feel it in every fibre of his being that that someone was in serious trouble. He didn't know who, but he knew that Voldemort was not happy with them.

Marauder nuzzled him, offering him comfort and he gladly accepted it. He wished that he was still a kid who could run into Sirius' bed and feel safe, he thought, hugging the dog. But he was too old to do that now. Not to mention that he had been putting distance between himself and his fathers since the big Horcrux reveal and he had never wished so desperately that he hadn't.

He rested his head against Marauder's stomach wondering if maybe he should go wake up Sirius or Remus anyway, they probably wouldn't mind …

The door to his room opened half an inch and he saw Sirius poke his head in and a wave of happiness passed over him.

"Uncle Siri," he said quickly, relief etched on his face. He really didn't want to spend the night alone.

Sirius gave him a small smile, closing the bedroom door behind him and moving to stretch out in the bed next to his son. "Come here." Sirius put his arm around his shoulder, tugging him forward and into his arms. "I imagine that you're sleeping as well as me tonight?"

Harry shrugged against his shoulder and allowed Sirius to pull him closer before he burrowed into his side in relief.

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "I'm terrified of this."

Harry looked up at him. Now that Sirius had his arms around him he felt a little bit calmer. He felt like maybe everything really would be alright. "But you think that it's going to work."

He sighed. "Yeah, I do think that it's going to work, but it's how it's going to affect you that worries me."

He turned his head into Sirius' chest. "Uncle Siri … I'm scared that I might die tomorrow."

"Hey," Sirius said, kissing his head again. "None of that! I don't want to hear that!"

"But it is possible! The side effects … if the Horcrux reacts and fights back … Xander could lose control and I can become a vegetable or a - a Squib!"

"Harry, we are going to do everything in our power to keep both you and Xander calm and collected in there. I won't lose you! You won't lose any part of you. We have to stay positive about this," Sirius said with determination as if he was also trying to convince himself. "I trust this is going to work. You know that I would never allow you to go through with this if I wasn't confident in Xander's ability to safely remove the AH."

Harry let Sirius engulf him in a tight hug. "Before you came in … my scar hurt." Harry felt Sirius jerk against him slightly. "It was just a twinge, but … I knew that Voldemort was mad at someone. Someone did something to displease him."

"Do you know who?" Sirius asked quietly.

Harry shook his head. "No. I just felt it. It was like I had this intense rage inside of me … but it wasn't … it wasn't my rage, the emotions belonged to him …"

Sirius was quiet for a moment. "Now that he's … back, maybe the soul piece is more attuned to him and therefore you feel a reflection of his emotions. I'm not sure. But after tomorrow, you won't have to feel his emotions ever again. Just your own emotions and thoughts up there, alright, Prongslet?"

Harry nodded, his head resting on Sirius' shoulder. He knew that he wasn't a little kid anymore, but having his father here with him made him safer than he had in a long time and he shifted closer to him.

"Uncle Siri?"

"Hmm?

"I'm sorry that I've been so … distant lately … I get why you lied to me, I do! I even understand why you didn't want me to know amidst the chaos of the tournament. You were right. I wouldn't have been able to concentrate on it and … maybe I would have let something slip to Voldemort in the graveyard if I had known about what … was inside of me … I'm sorry."

Sirius sighed, hugging him close. "Don't be sorry. You had every right to be angry. I was angry at myself for keeping it from you. I just want so badly to keep you safe; to keep you from harm and every time that I think I have a handle on how to do that, you pull out some crazy stunt and save yourself. You are becoming quite the young man, Harry. I miss that little boy who used to want me to sing him to sleep; who insisted on hearing stories and starting tickle wars. You are the most important person in my world, Harry. No one else holds a candle to you."

"Not even Zee?"

Sirius smiled and gently brushed a finger down his son's cheek. "Not even Zee. I am madly in love with that incredible woman and watching you and her grow closer makes me very happy. But you are my number one, Prongslet. Now and always. Harry … Prongslet still slips out sometimes, I'm sorry. You will always be my little Prongslet."

Harry grinned. "I guess, sometimes … it's okay."

He smiled and kissed his hair. "I can't believe that you're going to be fifteen. You are growing up much too fast on me."

"I'm the same height as you now."

Sirius grinned. "I noticed that too. When we get home, we're going to measure you in the archway." When Harry rolled his eyes, he grinned wider. "Hey, until you are fully grown, mister, your height will be recorded."

The door opened a bit again, making both of them turn and Remus smiled. "Can I join the party?"

Harry smiled at him and he and Sirius slid over to make room as Remus stretched out on the other side of Harry. "You can't sleep either?"

Remus shook his head. "Not remotely. Tonks kicked me out. She said that I was thinking too loudly."

"I'm really happy that you and Tonks are getting married, Uncle Moony," Harry told him.

Remus smiled and hugged Harry to him. "Me too. I'm going to need you to rest up and get through tomorrow with flying colours because I need my best men up there."

Harry grinned. "Really?"

"Of course. You and Sirius will be standing up there with me; I won't have it any other way."

Sirius gave his friend a look of approval before smiling back at Harry. "Speaking of girls, I've been wondering about something."

Harry merely lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. "What's that?"

"After the Third Task, it was Ginny who you wanted when you woke up; who you insisted on staying with you while we spoke; and who knows about the AH. Have you told your other friends?"

He shook his head and looked down at his hands. "No."

He nodded. "I thought not."

"Why not?" Remus asked him, his brow furrowing slightly.

Harry sighed. "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that ... with Viktor's death and Hermione and … Ginny gets it in a way that they won't. She understands. She ... the diary ..."

Sirius nodded, smiling softly at his son. "Yeah, she does."

"She's ... sometimes it's just easier to talk to her. She knows when I need to talk and when I don't want to talk. She just gets it; gets me."

Sirius stared at him. "When did your feelings for her start to change?"

"What? They didn't!"

Remus scoffed at him. "Denial runs big in the Evans bloodline, doesn't it, Padfoot?"

"I'm not in denial!" Harry insisted stubbornly.

Remus grinned. "Your mother used to tell me the same thing whenever I caught her checking out James. As for you, I first wondered about it during the Quidditch World Cup with the Veela dance. Did you know that Ginny broke his trance, Sirius?"

Sirius grinned. "It takes a strong connection with someone to break a Veela trance."

"It does. Plus, you didn't see the awestruck look on his face when he was dancing at the Yule Ball."

"Actually, I saw the photos and every time a certain redhead moved into his line of vision he looked like Jamie always did when Evans was in the room. Not to mention that Ginny was who he would miss most in the Second Task. Moony, wasn't he very much denying it then too?"

"I think he was," Remus answered with a smile.

"Ginny and I are friends," he insisted, the backs of his ears flushing. "Of course I would miss her!"

Remus patted Harry's arm gently. "You are friends. Good friends. I understand why that worries you."

"I _can't_ like her as anything other than a friend."

"And why is that Harry?"

"She used to fancy me … and - and - I - I told her that we could never because we were friends. She doesn't even like me like that anymore. I - I can't risk losing her as a friend just because I think that she's beautiful."

Sirius smiled sympathetically at him. "Sometimes being friends first is what makes a love stronger. Look at your parents, they went from being friendly to your mum almost hating him to becoming close friends to being head over heels in love."

" _We're just friends_. I won't risk that," he insisted adamantly.

Remus and Sirius' exchanged a look before Sirius spoke up. "That's okay if that's what you want, Harry. We just want you to be happy."

"And we know that you obviously like Mandy quite a lot."

"I do like Mandy!" He said quickly. "She's great."

Sirius smiled at him. "You and Mandy have definitely seemed to have gotten closer since we saw her at Easter."

Harry blushed a bit. "I really like her. She's so pretty and so sweet. She's easy to talk to and she makes me smile."

"Plus the snogging," Remus added, looking over at Sirius. "Did I tell you, Padfoot, that I caught Harry and Mandy snogging rather intensely behind that big tapestry of the giant wars on the sixth floor a few days before the Third Task?"

"No, I don't believe that you did," Sirius said with a smirk. "How intensely are we talking, Moony?"

"Oh well, there was definitely some obvious tongue action and he was also cupping a butt cheek."

Harry was turning a bright shade of red as his fathers grinned at him. "Come on, this is unnecessary torture!"

"We just want to make sure that we taught you well, Harry," Sirius said with a smirk. "You've obviously managed the snogging portion well enough and we both know that you made it to the breasts with Harley … just how far have you gotten with Mandy exactly?"

"There's no way that I'm telling you that!" He exclaimed, his face reddening even more.

Remus smiled. "Good man. Just because Padfoot always liked to share every sordid detail of his romantic life doesn't mean you do too. It's private for a reason."

Harry looked at him gratefully.

"But," Remus said, his eyes on his son's green ones. "We are going to practice the contraceptive charm again; just to make sure that you know how to do it right."

Harry turned scarlet, but nodded.

Sirius sighed and moved his hands behind his head, stretching out more comfortably as Marauder took up the end of the bed. "I miss this."

"Me too," Remus admitted. "Sometimes it's nice for it to just be the three of us again; just us blokes, no women around."

Harry smiled as he settled himself a bit more comfortably between them. "Having you two here right now … it reminds me of when I got sick or had a bad dream. You always used to sleep with me in the middle."

Remus grinned. "Guess you don't need us to do that anymore. Merlin, you're already as tall as Sirius as it is. I sometimes still can't believe how grown up you are; my little Prongs."

"Not so little," Harry said with a grin. "Uncle Siri measured me at six feet which is taller than him."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You have a quarter of an inch on me! Big deal."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Still taller."

Remus chuckled and kissed the top of his son's head. "Just because you have the height of an adult, doesn't make you one. Stop growing up so quickly, Harry."

"I'll try, Uncle Moony."

"So let's make a new rule?" Sirius suggested, grinning at the two of them. "The three of us are going to have a boys only club once a week for the rest of the summer? No girlfriends, no women, period."

Remus smiled. "The women may disagree."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Please; they'll be happy to be rid of us."

Harry laughed at that, but nodded. "That sounds brilliant."

Sirius smiled and looked over at the clock on the table. "It's still only two thirty and I don't know about you two, but sleep is not in the cards for me tonight."

"Me neither," Harry admitted. "Can you both stay here? All night?"

Sirius smiled at him and his eyes softened when Harry burrowed closer to him, his arms hugging him tightly. "As long you as you want, Harry. Now and always."

Remus wrapped an arm around Harry from the other side and the three of them lied there in silence for a moment before Remus spoke up, winking at Sirius across the bed. "So … it's pretty obvious that the Chudley Cannons are going to win the Quidditch Cup this year, don't you agree?"

" _What?_ " Harry exclaimed. "They've lost every single game!"

"Exactly, they're due for a comeback!"

"You've lost your bloody mind," Harry said, shaking his head. "Everyone knows that the team this year is going to be Appleby! They've had an incredible season. I wish that I would have been at that last game against Kenilworth. I read that Dawson scored eighty points himself in the last ten minutes of the game!"

Remus grinned at Sirius over Harry's head as they listened to their son rant about Quidditch. They were going to be just fine, he thought; just fine.

 **After spending the night lying between his fathers and talking Quidditch strategies and statistics along with girls and contraception, Sirius dragged him out of bed and downstairs to try to get breakfast started.** Remus immediately got to work and frowned at him when he saw him picking at the breakfast that he had made as Zee and Tonks came down.

Harry was eating pieces of his toast, picking at the crust and dropping it back onto his plate when Tonks kicked him under the table until he grinned at her.

"My stomach is too nervous to eat."

She nodded. "I guess that's fair."

Sirius nodded and stood up to squeeze his shoulder, kissing the top of his head. "Remember, Harry, after today, it's going to be over. You will be free and another one bites the dust."

Harry only nodded in response to that.

They headed to _St Nicholas' Hospital_ after everyone had eaten breakfast, Zee had urged Harry to eat at least half a piece of toast, and he was brought into the private waiting room. He took a seat between Sirius and Remus, Tonks next to her mate and Zee on the opposite side of Sirius. They waited ten minutes before Healer Assistant Angelis led them into a small room with a bed. She ordered Harry to undress down to his boxers and to put on the robe and socks provided. He nodded and was pleased for the moment alone. Once he was dressed accordingly he let his family back in and took Remus's arm.

"Remember what you promised, Uncle Rem. Destroy it. No matter what."

Remus pulled him close and kissed his forehead. Harry could feel his heart beating wildly against his cheek. "I promise."

Then he was being led inside; drinking the sleeping draught and the last thing he saw was Healer Papakonstantinou nod before his eyes closed and his mind went blank.

 **The moment that Harry was asleep, Sirius let out a slow sigh.** He placed the ugly gold ornate box on the table, the black onyx serpents seeming to move in the light. It really was incredibly ugly, he thought.

"Alright, what do you need us to do?"

Xander smiled at him. He set up the monitoring charm and Sirius watched in fascination as a blue and white outline of Harry's body rose above him so that they could see his heart beating and his organs working as Xander checked his vitals.

"I'm going to secure him to the table for all of our safety," Xander said murmuring 'incarcerous' as thick straps securely bound Harry's body to the table before them. "Sirius, Remus, if you could each hold a hand and an arm, it would give him reassurance to feel your presence. Zee, Tonks, if you could just stand by. If I need anything else I will ask the two of you, but I can't have you hovering as I need space to work."

Zee nodded and Tonks clutched her hand tightly in hers.

"Healer Assistants Angelis, Georgopoulos, and Vitalis will be assisting me as necessary," Xander told them.

Sirius watched as Xander let out a slow breath before he put on his examining glasses and touched the tip of his wand to Harry's head. It was completely fascinating the way the layout of Harry's brain suddenly seemed to float above his skull. He knew that Xander could distinguish the parts more clearly through a flow of colours with the Examination Lenses that he had told Harry about, but as he watched him shift over stems and tissue to find the Horcrux it made him uneasy and he was only looking at a magical outline and not the actual brain.

Then he found it and Sirius' breath hitched.

The Horcrux glowed green and black in thick smoky flashes. It hovered at the right frontal lobe, but like Xander had said, it made no move to attack or to move from that spot.

Xander nodded. "There it is, the tricky bastard."

He moved his wand just slightly, tipping it into the black smoke and a small wisp hovered near his wand, moving slowly along the edge as if feeling it out, testing it. Xander moved his wand slightly to the right and the gold power that emanated from it, sprung up around the black smoke, encasing it. The black smoke rose up, pulsing beneath the golden light as if trying to break free and Xander's eyes darkened.

"Oh, it knows it's in danger now."

Vitalis moved closer, her hands moving out to hold Xander's arm steady as his wand arm trembled. Harry stirred slightly and Remus gently brushed a finger along his cheek.

"Shhh, its okay," he whispered. "It's okay, little Prongs; we've got you."

This seemed to settle him slightly, but it didn't settle him comfortably. The black smoke pulsed around the gold in flashes and then the green underlying layer of the smoke rose beneath the gold and exploded around Xander.

"You don't have the power to do this," a voice hissed through the room sending shivers down Sirius' spine. "You think that you can defeat me, but I am eternal. I am immortal and I am destined to always be."

Xander's eyes flashed slightly, but he kept his wand hand steady, slowly chipping away at the edges of the smoke, unplugging every tiny thread of it from its crevice at the front of Harry's brain.

"You are nothing! The poor boy of a lowly farmer, not even worthy enough to lick the mud off of my boots, you filthy little Mudblood!"

Vitalis worked harder to hold him steady as Remus and Sirius tightened their grip on Harry as he attempted to break free. His eyes were still closed, but his jaw had clenched and his hands were attempting to fist as his fathers each linked their fingers through his and held on tightly.

The black smoke darkened, but the gold was starting to seep through it. The gold encased the black, shimmering like diamonds over a lake and rippling along the edges, tearing each thread of blackness from the threads of the brain.

"Mudblood!" The voice hissed through the air.

Xander was sweating now.

It was pouring down his face in small rivets as Georgopoulos wiped him off while Vitalis kept his arm steady and Angelis used a cooling charm on his body. It had already been well over an hour, and fifty percent of the Horcrux was still tied into the brain. Sirius could see it pulling at the roots and he watched in fascination as Xander carefully threaded the gold as if he was unstitching a wound and each thread fell apart at his touch.

The voice hissed angrily through the air.

"You'll kill him! The boy cannot survive without me as part of him! I will destroy him!"

Harry shifted and Sirius and Remus tightened their grips and at once the Horcrux shifted onto them, breaking into two different distinct voices, each one narrowing into them individually. The smoke hovered, blocking Harry from their view as it consumed them.

Walburga Black's voice hissed through Sirius, but he did not let go of Harry. He could no longer see his boy, but he held on tightly, determined to ignore the figment of his mother that was hovering at his side.

"Raising that filthy half-blood child. Whoring yourself with someone who is not pure. You deserve nothing in your pitiful life. You're not worth my spit, you tackless ungrateful little shit. Having you as a son was the worst punishment that the world could ever have bestowed upon me."

Sirius closed his eyes and breathed slowly, glaring hard enough at the figment of his mother that she vanished and he focused harder on Harry. He was still struggling against the straps; the muscles in his neck straining as he tried to turn his head. He wasn't conscious, but his body was fighting them, straining to move and to break free. Sirius held his head tightly, knowing that he was going to bruise his jaw, still a bit bruised from the Third Task as it was, but too desperate that Harry not move as Xander worked.

He looked up as the smoke engulfed Remus and he saw the figment of Tonks hover near his friend.

"I don't love you. I could never love a monster such as yourself. When you touch me I want to vomit, and I hate myself for allowing it. I'm just using you."

The real Tonks moved towards Remus and slipped her arms around his neck from behind, kissing him softly on the ear. "You know it's not real, Rem. I love you." She kissed his neck as his fingers tightened on Harry.

The smoke seemed to pulse before rounding back on Xander, turning into Althea, but her soft smile was missing and instead she held a look of intense dislike that Sirius had never before seen grace her face.

"Your children are ashamed of you. You're the worst husband a woman could ask for, always at work, never at home to help raise the family that you wanted. You disgust me! It's no wonder I turned to another. Do you really think all of these children are really yours?"

Xander's hand trembled slightly and it was enough, the black smoke sprung up and backtracked, rethreading its way through the gold. He swore under his breath as Georgeopoulos wiped sweat from his brow again. He took a slow breath and began to unthread it once more.

The smoked figures kept circling the three of them, hissing and spitting angry words and traumatizing them with its speech before it turned on Vitalis. Whatever the smoke was whispering at her was enough for her to falter and Zee immediately stepped forward and held Xander's arm steady.

"I'm sorry," Vitalis said, tears in her eyes.

Zee shook her head. "It's alright. I know how convincing it is. I've got him."

Vitalis nodded and composed herself before reaching back out to hold Xander's arm, nodding at Zee in assurance.

And Xander continued to work.

 **Harry was experiencing his own internal fight.** The black smoke seemed to hover around him, crowding him and making him feel claustrophobic. He could hear voices, telling him to fight, but whenever he stepped towards the smoke, he was cornered again and locked into the tight place, unsure of what to do or how to move.

And then the smoke cleared.

Ginny was lying on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets, but it wasn't the Ginny from his past, it was the Ginny from his present. She was bleeding and her body looked shattered and broken. The image of a young Tom Riddle was standing over her, twirling his wand between his fingers with an evil grin.

"Do you know how many bones are in the human body, Harry? I broke every one of them, one at a time … you should have heard her scream."

"Harry," she breathed and he reached for her as gold seeped out and trapped him, holding him still and preventing him from saving her.

Then she was gone and he was standing on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Sirius was lying dead on the ground as the Dementors swooped down and sucked out his soul. He ran towards them, brandishing his wand and screaming his Patronus and as the Dementors disintegrated, the gold threads linked around his wrist, pulling his arms tightly to his body and urging him to be still.

It's not real, he thought. It's not real.

The gold threads tugged and held him firmly in place. He could feel Remus' fingers on his cheek; could hear the words of reassurance, but then the smoke cleared and he saw Zee get hit with a shot of green light, her body falling lifeless to the ground. Sirius ran to help her and a spell hit him, making him stumble before a killing curse tossed his dead body to the ground next to Zee.

"Everyone you love will die," the voice hissed. "It will be your fault. You will watch them die and you will know that you are to blame for every death."

"No!" Harry shouted, struggling against the golden rope. The golden threads snapped and he ran towards the images of Sirius and Zee only to watch them disappear into the smoke to be replaced by Remus and Tonks and his friends all lying dead on the ground before him one by one.

"You won't save them all," the voice said eerily. "You will be the cause of their deaths; slow and painful, they will all die screaming!"

The explosion of gold seemed to rain down over him like fire and the black smoke disintegrated around him and he ran through the gold mist blindly, desperately trying to find a way out.

He wasn't going to let anyone die because of him.

 **The next hour dragged on and Harry began to struggle in his binds, his eyes fluttering open and full of panic as Sirius and Remus each worked to hold him as still as possible.** The freezing charm wasn't holding him and petrifying him wasn't an option because it would also petrify the movement of the Horcrux and hinder Xander's ability to unthread it.

Sirius whispered words of comfort into Harry's ear, kissing his fingers as Remus did the same, both of them eyes wide and terrified as they watched his body struggle beneath the binds.

Xander swore as Georgopoulos wiped more sweat off of him. "I've almost got it," he hissed. "A few more stitches and it should be off."

Angelis grabbed the box from the table and opened it, rushing over to Xander, her eyes wide. He twisted his wand through the smoke, the gold threads unweaving the black slowly; the sound of Harry's sudden screams echoed around the room.

"HARRY!" Remus and Sirius both exclaimed.

Angelis shook her head. "Stay back!"

Harry was screaming in pain, his body twisting and bending as if he was being held under the torture curse for an extended period of time. Vitalis tightened his restraints as Sirius and Remus held tightly to his hands, tears in their eyes as they watched their son turn and struggle beneath their hold.

Xander's eyes were narrowed, but he never broke concentration. Harry's screams were becoming more desperate now; more pain filled.

"Xander … Xander you get that fucking thing out of him right now!" Sirius demanded, his eyes on his son. "I can't listen to this!"

"Padfoot," Remus said softly, his finger stroking Harry's cheek. "He's almost there. Just hold on! We promised him we wouldn't stop!"

Xander was still unstitching in silence; methodically with each stroke and then finally the last thread snapped and the Horcrux reared its ugly head, forming into the snake-nosed face of Lord Voldemort.

Angelis stabbed the box at Xander's wand and with an eerie scream, the Horcrux disappeared into the box and she slammed it shut, her breathing heavy as Harry finally stopped screaming, his body trembling. She placed the box on the table, using a charm to lock and seal it closed just as a loud rumble seemed to vibrate from around Harry. The rumbling grew louder and then bright white-blue power erupted in a flash so quick that it knocked Xander, the two healing assistants, Sirius and Remus all back, flying into the walls. Zee and Tonks gasped as the power flashed again suddenly, illuminating the room in bright light. The raw power seemed to radiate all around Harry like a flashing beacon and then just as quickly, it vanished into the air just as Harry started to suddenly convulse where he lay. Foam began to form at the side of his mouth, his eyes half closed as he thrashed wildly.

Sirius paled as Harry's head hit the table hard enough to draw blood and he and Remus ran back to their son's side, both of them staring in horror at Xander's words.

"Vitalis, grab him, he's seizing!"

Sirius and Remus immediately moved away from their son to give Xander room to work, eyes wide in panic as Harry continued to convulse on the table. Xander immediately put his wand tip to his head as the healing assistant held Harry in place. The moment the gold glow touched him, Harry stopped and Xander removed the straps, turning him so that he could vomit over the side of the table. Harry choked for a moment, his eyes wide and then he collapsed back onto the operating table, eyes closed, body trembling in aftershocks.

Xander moved his wand back over Harry to do a quick diagnostic exam and he began to seize again. His body convulsed harder and harder, freezing into place, eyes wide in panic. The blue monitoring charm began to flash wildly and Healer Assistant Vitalis grabbed her wand.

But Sirius didn't need the words spoken to see what was happening before him.

They had removed the Horcrux safely, but Harry's body hadn't been ready to equip itself without it.

Harry's heart had stopped beating.

 ** _THE END!_**

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Just kidding - don't hate me ;)_

 _I couldn't resist!_


	183. Chapter 183

_Author's Note:_

 _Okay, so I know it was mean, and I'm sorry, but only a little because I enjoy the panic a little too much sometimes ;) I'm glad you enjoyed the Hinny interaction. I know it's been a slow burn but I promise it is almost there! As to the not eating or drinking before the surgery, my thought was that is usually due to the opiods or drugs that the doctors and surgeons provide and since Harry was for the most part controlled by magic and a sleeping draught, I thought the food and drink was irrelevant. And as of right now, Voldemort does not know that he has access to Harry's mind or memories so he will not be aware that he "could have potentially" used it to his advantage._

 _I wanted Harry to have a moment with his fathers and I thought this was it. A moment where he could be himself but also still be that little internal kids who needs and wants their support and assurance. I hope I managed to convey that. I thought Sirius and Remus would see the irony of Harry denying his feelings for Ginny in a way that Lily once did for James so I thought it would be fun to throw it in there._

 _Also while I appreciate the offer of a big fat cookie as bribery to post the new chapter, it wasn't chocolate chip, so I had to decline, but you get the chapter today as opposed to Saturday lol._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THREE:**

 **Sirius was shaking, his eyes full of unshed tears as he glared at Xander.** "What the fuck do you mean his heart has stopped beating? Get it beating! Now!"

Remus grabbed Sirius' arm before he could move in Xander's direction as Zee let out a choked sob from the corner. He nodded at Tonks who was clutching Zee's hand in comfort, their eyes on Harry.

Xander was ignoring them and examining his patient, murmuring under his breath as different colours emanated from where his wand touched Harry's body. His wand highlighted a deep blue over the heart and Harry suddenly took in a deep breath, but stayed unconscious. Xander continued to examine him, his wand moving up and down his body as he murmured spells. It was over five minutes before he nodded and stood up, wiping sweat from his brow.

"His heart is fine. It was the shock of everything that set it off and the seizure broke a blood clot near the heart vessels, triggering the attack."

"But he's … alive?" Remus asked, his voice so quiet that he wasn't even sure if he had spoken aloud as he listened to the sound of his son's steady heartbeat with his good hearing.

Xander smiled. "He's very much alive and I am happy to say that the Horcrux is completely gone. There's no sign of it anywhere in his body."

Sirius and Remus each let out a breath of relief as Zee and Tonks each moved into their arms, tears in their eyes.

"However, he has fallen into a deep coma."

Sirius' head shot up. "You said that _was_ a possibility, but that he would be okay if that happened, right?"

Xander nodded. "In theory, yes. His brain just went through a traumatic surgery, Sirius. A three and a half hour war with that Horcrux and who even knows what was happening inside of Harry's mind while that was going on. His body needs to rest and to recuperate from that. I'd like to move him to a private room here in the hospital to monitor him. He's not out of the woods yet. The longer that he is in a coma, the more serious it becomes. We need to monitor him closely and hope that he wakes up soon."

Remus nodded and kissed Harry's hand. "Of course. Whatever you need to do. Just … make sure that he's okay."

Sirius picked up the box that now held the Horcrux, his eyes staring at it. "It's really in here?"

Xander smiled. "It's really in there."

Sirius grinned and bent his head to kiss Harry's scar tenderly. "We did it, Prongslet. You rest up and you heal and when you wake up, you're going to feel loads better, I promise. But you wake up, Harry; you come back to us."

Angelis and Vitalis moved Harry into the private room down the hall as Sirius, Remus, Zee and Tonks made themselves comfortable around his bed. They each were touching him in some way, eyes on him as he slept as still as the dead.

Now they just had to wait.

 **On some level, he knew that it was a dream.** Everything was too vivid and too surreal to be real life. If it wasn't a dream, he couldn't explain it otherwise. He stood at what clearly was King's Cross Station, looking around in wonder. Everything was vividly white and blindingly so, but he could see the platform and the benches and he could hear the sound of trains rushing by him.

He walked along the cement, his hands in his pockets, but the scenery never changed. He saw someone waving at him from up ahead and he moved forward, unsure of what he was seeing before he recognized the figure as Cedric Diggory.

"Cedric," he said in surprise, his eyes moving around them. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you," he said, taking a seat on the bench and patting the wood next to him. "Have a seat."

"Um, don't take this the wrong way, but … aren't you dead?"

Cedric chuckled. "Very dead. Deader than dead. Dead and buried, dead."

"Okay, I get it," Harry said, making Cedric chuckle. "Wait, does that mean that I'm dead?"

Cedric smiled sadly at him. "No, at least not yet. I'm here to guide you."

Harry glanced at him in confusion. "Guide me? Guide me where? And what do you mean by 'not yet'? Am I dying?"

"You are on the edge, teetering between life and death because you made a choice. You made a choice to remove that Horcrux from your brain and your body is protesting against it. It doesn't want to survive without it."

Harry swallowed. "I don't need it. It was feeding on me and I want to just be me, just Harry."

Cedric smiled. "A lofty ambition to be sure, but how do you know that you don't need it? You've lived with it inside of you for almost fourteen years. Your body is used to making room for it; used to nourishing it. It doesn't know how to take care of only you and it's struggling to survive without it."

Harry gulped. "I don't need it. I can fight this."

"Good. It's important not to give up."

Harry stared at him. "Is that what you came here to tell me? To keep fighting and to not give up?"

Cedric shrugged loosely. "Partly. I'm also here to give you a choice. Come with me. There are some people who want to talk to you."

Harry stood up and followed Cedric along the path. The further he followed him, the brighter the scenery seemed to get, colour flooding in until the white vanished and he soon recognized the cobbled street as being part of Godric's Hollow. Cedric led the way down the street and he suddenly knew exactly where Cedric was taking him. They stopped in front of the two story cottage that he had once lived in. But here it wasn't destroyed. Here it looked beautiful with moss growing up the side with wild roses. The gardens were fully in bloom with every flower imaginable and there was a chubby grey cat lounging on the front stoop.

"Don't you want to see what's inside?" Cedric asked him.

Harry nodded and took a step through the front gate that opened with a creak. He had only stepped onto the stoop, bending to pet the cat when the front door opened and the woman who stood there was the most beautiful young woman that he had ever seen. Her auburn hair hung straight past her shoulders and her bright green eyes were filled with tears under her thick fringe as she pulled him into her arms.

"Mum," he gasped. She smelt like coconut, he thought as he wrapped his arms around her. He stood taller than her by almost a head and she laughed.

"You're so handsome! My darling boy," she said, tugging his face down to kiss him noisily. "Come inside, Smoky is fine on the stoop. He's a loaf of a cat. Your father is out back on his broom."

The warmth of her hand in his had him gasping in surprise. It couldn't be real, he thought as she led him through the living room with the comfortable looking lumpy brown sofa and out the back door to where he could see a speck in the air doing loops on his broomstick.

"Jamie! He's here!"

James dived at them, landing gracefully in front of them as Lily shrieked. James grinned and tugged her close for a kiss before grabbing Harry's arms and just grinning at him. "Your mother is always worried that I can't control my broom. Look at you, lad. Merlin, you're almost as tall as me already!" He leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Almost a man. Padfoot and Moony raised you well."

Harry simply stared at the young man before him. He looked so much like himself that he swallowed slowly. "Dad."

James smiled and pulled him close and Harry wrapped his arms tightly around his father. He smelt like broomstick polish and citrus and he held him tightly, basking in the sensation of being held by his father for the first time that he could remember.

Lily moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him as well making him the centre of their sandwich. "We love you so much, Harry."

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, holed together in a big hug sandwich in the backyard, but the sound of a deep chuckle had him shifting and moving out of his parents' embrace to look at the man walking towards him. He looked like an older version of James Potter and himself. His hair was the colour of salt and pepper and he wore rectangular frames over his hazel eyes. He was smiling kindly.

"Come here; let me get a good look at my grandson."

Harry stared at him, grinning back as the man touched his arm.

"The Potter hair, good genes; tall and well forming muscles in all the right places, you've done well, boy. Our sons are raising a good man. Don't you agree, Fee?"

The woman who stepped out from the shadows had snow white hair pulled back into a bun and a thick fringe brushed to the right side. Her eyes were filled with tears as she pulled Harry close and tugged his face down before she covered his face in kisses that he made no effort to stop.

"Harry James, my beautiful and handsome grandson. I'm glad that I get to hold you like this, even if I never did when you were a baby." She kissed his cheeks again, pinching them slightly. "You call me Nan."

Harry simply stared at her, his mouth open in shock. "How - how are you all here?"

Fleamont reached over and messed up Harry's hair. "We're here to see you, son."

Harry sighed as Euphemia let go of him only long enough for Lily to pull him back into her arms. "Mum … are you here because … I'm dead?"

Lily kissed his cheek tenderly. "No, you are not dead, Harry. But like Cedric told you, your body is struggling to survive and you're teetering on that edge between life and death. That's why you can see us, darling. That is why you are here with us at this moment. You've tipped into the afterlife."

Harry's eyes widened as James swung his arm around his shoulder. "Dad."

James kissed his forehead. "Let us smother you with love, kiddo."

Harry grinned and allowed them both to kiss him like crazy for a full minute before he pushed them away. "Okay, okay, jeesh!"

Lily chuckled. "We missed out on our chance to do so in your life, darling."

Harry nodded, his eyes wide and sad. "I know."

Lily reached up and gently brushed his fringe away from his face, tracing her fingertip along his scar. "I would have died a thousand times over to save you, Harry. Even knowing what I missed with you, knowing that you had the chance to live was all that I've ever wanted."

James took his wife's hand in his as Euphemia and Fleamont stood on either side of him. "As would I. Padfoot and Moony have been great fathers to you and even though I wish that it had been me, I am proud of them and so damn proud of the man that you are growing into."

Lily took his hand in hers. "Sirius and Remus are the parents we wish that we had the opportunity to be and we love Zee and we can see that you do too," she added, making him flush. "I'm glad that you love her, she's the mum that I always wanted to be to you."

Harry smiled, tears in his eyes. "I love you."

James smiled back, tears glistening his own hazel eyes. "We love you more than words can describe, Harry." He put an arm over his shoulders. "But now it's time for you to make a choice."

Harry looked over at him, surprised to find that he was barely two inches shorter than his father. They looked so much alike he thought and with a jolt he realized that his parents were only six years older than him. "What kind of choice?"

"Deciding to remove the Horcrux from your brain was a brave move, Harry," Euphemia told him. "But it was also incredibly dangerous. The neuro-healer worked on your brain for over three and a half hours, shifting and moving parts as if it were a puzzle. It was hard work, but he did it. He was successful."

"So why am I here?"

Fleamont slapped a hand on his back. "The aftershocks of the procedure shut your body down. You had a seizure and for a moment your heart stopped beating. At this very moment, you are lying in a hospital bed in a deep coma."

He snapped his fingers and the stone of the house before him changed into a large looking glass where an image of Harry lay in a coma. Harry watched as Zee sat sideways on Sirius' lap, comforting him as they both reached out to hold Harry's hand. Remus and Tonks sat on the other side of him, Tonks touching his knee and Remus his other hand, his fingers curling around Harry's.

"They are waiting for you to wake up," Euphemia told him.

He nodded, his eyes on his parents and grandparents and on the parents that he had waiting for him. "Okay."

James smiled at him and kissed his forehead again. "We love you, Harry, and nothing would make us happier than for you to stay here with your Mum and I, with your Nan and your Pop; to get the chance to be parents to you finally; to get to know you and to tell you all those things that we never got the chance to. If that's what you want to do, we will support you. But we don't want you here with us yet."

Harry's brow rose in confusion as Lily gripped his hands.

"We've seen the two paths that your life will take, Harry. Neither of them will be easy, but in both of them you will find love and in one of them, you defeat Voldemort."

"Only in one?"

Lily nodded, her green eyes so like his shining widely from her young face. "There is one option where he wins; where you let him win to save her and the world suffers for it. But there is another option where you defeat him and the world is saved."

"Who is the girl?"

James grinned and tugged him closer. "We're not here to tell you your future, Harry. We don't know what path you will decide to take. We're only here to tell you to fight for it. Life is about choices; some of them easy, some of them hard. But every one of them sets you on your path. Walk that path, Harry. Live the life that you were meant for; the life that you want to live."

Harry stared at them. "But … if I choose … I won't get to stay here with you anymore?"

Lily kissed his cheek. "No, my darling. But we will always be right here," she said, placing her fingers over his heart. "We will always be watching over you and loving you with every breath you take. You are and always have been our entire world. We love you so much, my baby, my Harry James."

Harry hugged his parents close, tears in his eyes as he looked at the image of him lying in the hospital bed. He could see Sirius and Remus, the concern and worry in their eyes as they looked at his sleeping form and he nodded. He let Fleamont and Euphemia hug him close too before he moved out of their grasp.

"I'm ready," he said slowly. "I'm ready to go back."

Cedric moved out of the shadows and smiled at him, extending his hand. "Goodbye, Harry and good luck."

Harry shook his hand and his eyes widened as Viktor stepped out of the mist from behind Cedric. "Viktor."

He nodded at Harry. "Vhen you return, tell Hermione that I love her. Tell her that I vant nothing more than for her to find happiness in life and to become the incredible voman that I know she vill be. Vill you tell her that for me, Harry?"

Harry smiled at him. "I will."

Viktor smiled. "Go now, Harry; the vorld is vaiting for you."

And he stepped through the looking glass and away from his parents.

When he opened his eyes, the bright lights of the hospital room made him blink owlishly. His whole body was sore and numb and he felt like he'd gone a round with a dragon or a monstrous squid, he thought, wincing slightly. His movement alerted Zee who immediately jumped up and slipped his glasses onto his face, kissing his cheeks.

"Hi darling, hi, how are you feeling?"

"Thirsty," he rasped.

She reached for the cup on the table and pointed her wand into it, 'Aguamenti', she said, filling the glass and passing it to him.

His hands seemed sluggish to him and she obviously noticed because she held the cup to his lips to help him drink. "Thanks," he said.

Zee kissed his forehead again. "We've been worried sick about you. Sirius finally fell asleep about an hour ago and Remus and Tonks about an hour before that." She gently trailed her finger down his cheek. "You've been in a coma for three days."

Harry's eyes widened. "Three days? It only felt like I was gone an hour."

She smiled. "Where did you go?"

Harry shifted slightly, smiling when she fluffed the pillows up behind him and helped him lean back comfortably. His body was sluggish and hard to move. "Godric's Hollow. Mum and Dad were there and Nan and Pop. They told me that I was teetering into the afterlife and that I had to make a choice. Mum told me that I wasn't allowed to choose to stay with them; not yet."

Zee smiled and gently ran her fingers through his hair. "She's a wise woman."

"She … she told me that you're the mum that she always wished she could be."

Tears welled up in Zee's eyes and she wiped at them hastily. "I love you very much, Harry."

"I know," he said, yawning. "I love you too." He snuck a look at Remus and Tonks. "I'm glad that they're finally getting married. Maybe you and Uncle Siri should do it too."

Zee chuckled. "Siri and I are moving just fine at our own pace, mister." She tapped his nose and grinned. "I don't need a ring on my finger to define my relationship with you and Sirius. I am proud to call you my son."

He grinned at her and she kissed his cheek before she helped him drink some more water and stood up.

"I'm going to get Xander."

Harry watched her hurry off and yawned again, his eyes on his sleeping family. He was exhausted. If he had been asleep for three days he thought that he should feel more rested. He only waited a moment before Xander came into the room, his wand out.

"Harry! How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he said, yawning again. "And a little sore, like I was in a fight and kind of numb."

Xander smiled. "In a manner of speaking, you were."

He hovered his wand over Harry, diagnostically checking him over. Harry obeyed his every instruction, lifting his leg, bending his knee, wiggling his toes and fingers, curling his arm, sitting up, and rolling over. He asked him to recite the alphabet backwards and forwards, to multiply seven times five and then add eight and subtract six. He asked him to tell him the name of all four of the Beatles and then he smiled and urged Harry to close his eyes. A warm golden glow drifted over Harry's head, around his brain, pressing in on it and then letting go and Xander grinned.

"It's completely gone, one hundred percent. You have nothing but a very healthy brain in there, Harry."

"That's good," he said. "Hermione will be glad to hear it. She sometimes thinks that I don't have one at all."

Xander chuckled and passed him his wand. "Last test for the moment," he said with a smile. "I want you to perform a simple spell for me."

Harry nodded staring at his wand for a moment before he said, 'Lumos.' His wand lit so brightly that it blinded him and he winced.

Xander grinned. "Oh, yes, I think your magic is at full capacity now."

Harry grinned back at him and said, 'nox' before placing his wand on the nightstand. "My legs feel numb."

Xander nodded and trailed his wand over them. "Muscle weakness. You haven't moved from this bed in over three days, it's normal." He picked up Harry's right leg and gently lifted and bent it, pushing it back against his hip before doing the same with his left. "How does that feel?"

His muscles were screaming at the movement, but it felt good. He could feel the tingling sensations vibrating down his body. "Better."

Xander spent a few minutes carefully exercising each leg, before he held up a finger. "How's your vision?"

"As crappy as usual," he stated, earning a small swat from Zee and making him grin. "I can see all of your fingers, sir."

Xander smiled. "Good."

Harry yawned again as Zee shook Sirius gently and he jumped up, noticed Harry was awake and immediately fell to his knees next to his bed and gripped his son's hand.

"Prongslet!"

Harry smiled at him and yawned. "I'm fine, Uncle Siri, just tired."

Sirius kissed his forehead as Harry's eyes drooped and Xander smiled.

"I just finished examining him. He's in perfect health. It worked, Sirius. He just needs to get some rest. The coma helped him heal and now he needs to sleep, eat and rest for the next few days. I want to continue to monitor him for the time being. Harry, you had a serious seizure before you fell into a coma. I want to make sure over the next few days that you don't develop any side effects because of it. No blood clots or brain swelling. I'll check you over again this afternoon and then in the morning, we'll see how you're feeling, how everything is looking and if you're still looking good, we'll talk about getting you home. Alright?"

Harry nodded, but he was already drifting off again, listening to the rumble of their voices, followed by Remus' lips on his forehead and Tonks gripping his hand and then he was falling into sleep and he felt and heard them no more.

 **Xander was true to his word.** Harry was woken up a few hours later and asked to perform the same tests again. This time Remus stood by the bed to allow him to lean on him as his legs shook. He took a minute to gain his balance, the room spinning a bit as he clutched Remus' arm tightly. He walked slowly around the room before exhaustion overtook him and they tucked him back into bed.

Xander insisted that this was normal. His brain had been the onslaught of a serious attack and then his body had been in a coma so he needed time to heal. Sirius and Zee went back to the rented cottage to shower and get some sleep as Remus and Tonks stayed with him. He was woken up again close to midnight and taken through all the same tests all over again, but this time he walked the length of the hall and his legs were no longer tingling. He ate a bowl of chicken soup and a ham sandwich, feeling better before he went back to sleep.

In the morning when he woke, Remus and Tonks were gone, but Sirius and Zee were both sitting on either side of the bed. He climbed out of bed on his own to use the bathroom, feeling stronger and more like himself. Xander came back in to check him over and he grinned widely.

"I don't think that the seizure left any lasting damage, Harry. Your brain is functioning normally. The Horcrux is gone. Your body is healing and looking good. Your vision and balance are still alright?"

"Yes," he said, smiling at him. "And my muscles are getting stronger."

"Good," Xander said with a smile. "I'll come back and see you after lunch, if everything looks the same we'll get you signed out and out of here."

Harry ate a full breakfast and a full lunch, surprised at how hungry he was. When Xander came back after lunch, he felt even better than he had, but still a bit tired.

"I'm going to release you from the hospital," Xander told him. "But you still need to take it easy over the next few days. Preferably a full week. Eat three full meals every day. Drinks lots of water and orange juice; rest and relax. Nothing strenuous. No flying," he added and saw Harry's eyes fall. "Sirius mentioned that you like to run, that's fine, but short distances only. If you feel yourself getting tired, stop and rest, don't over exert yourself. That includes magic and your Animagus form. Don't over exert yourself," he repeated. "I'll come and check up on you in a few days."

Harry was pleased with this and eager to leave the hospital. Apparating and Floo were both fairly strenuous so Sirius took him in a Muggle taxi cab to drive them back to the rented cottage that they were staying in just outside of Athens. The first thing he did was take a long hot shower and then he crawled into the bed, Marauder snuggling at his feet and he went to sleep.

He woke up around midnight and found Zee and Tonks in the living room talking. Zee made him a sandwich and told him that Sirius and Remus had been Apparated back to Wales by Dobby and Kreacher for the full moon, but would be back first thing in the morning. He only nodded and ate his sandwich, quietly falling asleep between Zee and Tonks on the sofa as they chatted about Remus and Tonks' wedding. Tonks woke him up two hours later and helped him back into his bed where he snuggled with his dog and was soon fast asleep again.

After a few days of rest in the rented cottage, Harry felt as good as new. Sirius had called for Kreacher, who had come to take the Horcrux and seal it away safely inside of Number Twelve until they returned to England to destroy it. Having it gone from their sight as well as gone from his head made him feel light and happy.

He spent his first free afternoon down by the beach of Edem with Marauder. He jogged along the sand as the dog panted behind him. He stopped to let Marauder rest, laughing when he rolled over in the sand, paws up in the air and his tongue hanging out. He gave him some water and watched him lap at it happily before they headed back.

Sirius and Zee were lounging on the deckchairs in the hot sun and Sirius lifted his sunglasses up to look over at Harry. "Hey, just the bloke we were talking about."

"I'm fine, honest. I feel great."

Sirius smiled. "We can see that. That's one of the things that we want to talk to you about. You feel good and I think that we can all honestly say that we need a little holiday, yeah?" At Harry's look, he grinned. "Zee suggested that we leave Athens and head out to Corfu and I think that it sounds brilliant. We'll rent a place or get some hotel rooms and just relax and enjoy ourselves for a week or two before returning to civilization. I know your birthday is next week, but what do you think?"

"Tonks and Uncle Rem too?"

"Yes, for a bit anyway," Sirius said. "Tonks and Zee will only be around for part of it as they both have to head back to work. What do you think?"

Harry grinned. "Brilliant!"

Sirius grinned at him, looking at him from overtop of his sunglasses. "We've also decided, that if it's alright with her mum, you can invite Mandy to join us if you'd like."

Harry beamed widely at those words. "Really?"

Zee chuckled. "Really. Why don't you send your girlfriend a message and let us know what she says?"

Harry couldn't move fast enough to do just that.

 **Theo sat on Draco's bed, his eyes on his friend as he attempted to make his hair lie just so.** He had spent the summer so far at Malfoy Manor with Draco. Blaise was in Italy with his mother and new stepfather. The summer had been rather quiet since Lucius had been arrested. He and Draco hadn't heard anything about what was happening with the Dark Lord nor with Theo's father. But so far they had been left mostly to themselves, which was exactly the way that they liked it.

Druella Black had gone on a holiday to Spain and claimed that she wasn't returning until the wizarding world had sorted itself out again, no matter which side won. She didn't particularly care whether the Dark Lord was in power or not; she just thought that she was too old to deal with it. Theo knew that Draco was a bit relieved to see her go. His grandmother could sometimes be a bit overbearing especially when it came to the importance of the pureblood bloodline.

His friend was still trying to fix his hair and he rolled his eyes, leaning back against the pillows "Can you primp anymore, pretty boy?"

Draco made a rude hand gesture in response that made him grin.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to stay, Draco?"

Draco huffed at him. "I'll be fine. Mother and I are going to that villa in Tuscany for a few weeks. Grandfather gave us permission like it was a big deal that we were even allowed to go."

Theo nodded. "It's just that I don't want to leave you if you need me. I know how much you and Auntie Cissa have been struggling since Uncle Lucius was arrested."

Draco turned to look at his friend, shrugging his shoulders as if it didn't bother him, but Theo knew better. "Father knew what he was doing. Blaise has gone underground with his mother and stepfather. Mother and I are going to take this little vacation and try to relax. By the time we get back, hopefully something good will have come out of it all."

"I can't wait to take this little trip myself," Theo said with a grin.

He had been planning it for the last two months and after everything that had happened with the Triwizard Tournament, he had decided to just go for it. He had written Ginny and asked her if she wanted to go with him. He had been even more pleased when she had written back saying that her mother was going to allow it. He had been worried that the overprotectiveness of her mother would mean that the answer would be no.

Draco smirked at him. "How did you convince the Weasley matron to agree? I heard that she's pretty protective and strict with her kids?"

"Ginny's brother Bill is coming with us as a chaperone. Apparently he has some work that he can do on the island for _Gringotts_ and he agreed to take us. He works as a curse breaker. Ginny is beyond thrilled."

"Where are you going again?"

"The island of Anguilla."

"And where is that exactly?" Draco asked, his eyebrow raised.

Theo rolled his eyes. "You really need to get better with geography, mate. It's in the Caribbean, part of the British West Indies to be exact. Clear beaches and blue skies, it's going to be amazing."

Draco grinned at him. "Well, I hope that you have fun. I'm looking forward to spending time in Tuscany. Ophelia is going to come and stay with us."

Theo wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Oooh, bringing the girlfriend home to Mother. Getting serious."

Draco ignored him. "We're going to spend our days soaking up the sun and exploring the sites."

"Good. I think that we both deserve a little holiday."

"Still no word from your father?"

Theo shook his head, leaning back against Draco's bed. "Nothing and I'm okay with it. Kiki told him that she was taking me and a friend to Anguilla with a chaperone and he told her that it was for the best if I was out of his hair. I assume that he's still in Croatia or possibly might have found his way to our villa in southern France by now. I think that he's smart enough to avoid returning to England for the time being. Everyone is searching for him. He's a known Death Eater now. Black revealed the names of everyone who was with Potter the night he came back."

Draco finally had his hair the way he liked it and he plopped onto his bed next to his friend. "The Ministry of Magic isn't fooling around. Grandfather seems pleased with Father's arrest; claims that Father could never have known that he would be arrested in the middle of the Wizengamot Assembly and Mother agrees. But he was acting weird before he left and I think he did know or at least had an idea that he was going to be arrested. Don't you think?"

Theo shrugged. "I think he did know something. He was definitely acting weird before he left that day. I heard that the Aurors are adding extra safety features to the island where Azkaban is located. They don't want to risk the Dark Lord managing to break out his imprisoned followers."

Draco's eyes darkened slightly. "Let's hope that they're successful enough to hold him out. His plans may have been foiled, but I doubt that he's going to wait much longer before he attempts to break them out."

"At least Uncle Lucius will be back home when he does break them out."

Draco wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. His father returning was definitely good, but it was the release of the others that made his stomach clench uneasily. His mother held a strong face all day every day, but he had listened to her cry herself to sleep most nights as he and Theo attempted to comfort her. He had heard horror stories of what some of the men and women in Azkaban had been capable of, especially one man named Dolohov. He knew that even if his father did come home soon, the war was still happening and the Dark Lord wasn't going to leave their family alone.

His grandfather would make sure of that.

 **Ginny still couldn't believe that her mother was letting Bill take her and Theo to the island of Anguilla.** They were set to leave in two days and she was so excited that she could barely keep still. The thought of the hot sun and the warm beach had her eyes dancing in delight. She had never travelled anywhere before outside of visiting Bill in Egypt and most of that was a blur to her considering what she had been going through at the time. Bulgaria hadn't exactly been a vacation, but she supposed that she could add that to her list as well. But the possibility of Anguilla was thrilling and she was looking forward to the holiday.

Ron had soured slightly at the idea of them going, but when she had offered him the chance to come along, he had flat out refused. She knew that he didn't want to go too far in case Hermione changed her mind about coming to stay and she respected that. He wanted to be close to his grieving friend, especially since he was clearly in love with her. Not that he would ever admit it.

Lavender had been by a few times to spend the afternoon with him and the two of them had spent their time snogging by the pond. Ginny was surprised that they were still together if she was honest with herself as she couldn't at all fathom what they did outside of snog. She was pretty sure that they hadn't even had a real conversation with each other and when they did talk, Lavender was all about her 'Won Won' which made Ginny want to gag. She had no idea how Harry, Neville and Hermione managed to stand being around them when they were so gag-worthy.

Hermione had opted to stay home with her parents and to just take some time to grieve which Ginny thought was a healthy option. Ron had mentioned that she had written the other day saying that her parents were taking her to Germany for a week to explore the history and the culture and to try to help take her mind off of Viktor. Ginny thought it sounded like exactly what she needed.

Luna was on an African safari with her dad and would be gone until the first week of August. Neville had written to Ron to tell him that he was spending his summer at a greenhouse summer program in Northern Ireland and that Will would be joining him there. It was six weeks and they would get to learn how to care for and study plants and flowers from all over the world. The two of them were beyond thrilled. Seamus was already making plans to go up and visit his boyfriend at the camp which was apparently only a thirty minute walk from Seamus' home. But Neville, Hermione and Luna all promised to make it back for her birthday which would be a few days later this year due to her own holiday.

Ginny felt even more thrilled for her trip when she had received the letter from Harry yesterday morning. It had been short, but she had breathed a sigh of relief when she read it.

 _Ginny,_

 _It's gone. I'm fine and it's hidden safely until we return to England. We've decided to spend another week, maybe two, and just enjoy the beaches and soak up the sun. Uncle Sirius says its a much needed holiday. I should be back in time for your late birthday celebration and I promise that I'll tell you everything._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

Knowing that he had succeeded in removing that soul piece made her feel so much lighter and so much happier knowing that he would be happier as well. True to her word, she hadn't said anything about it to her brother or to anyone else. It was Harry's secret to tell. But she was happy that it was finally gone.

Her parents were busy moving in to help with the Order of the Phoenix and Arthur was even helping with the Phoenix Initiative. Minister Bones had asked his assistance in designing a Muggle component that she was interested in potentially discussing with the Muggle Prime Minister in the future. Magical cooperation meant also cooperating with the Muggles, though to what extent, Ginny wasn't sure, but she had heard Percy say that it was a fantastic idea.

Bill had officially moved back to England and had purchased a flat in London, much to their mother's chagrin, who had been hoping that he would move back home to let her fuss. He promised to come home once a week for dinner which had subsided her worries. Charlie was still in Romania, but had written home to say that if they needed him for anything to send an owl and that he would do what he could to help.

But it was Percy who had the biggest change.

After working as a junior assistant to Crouch and filling in for him when he had been 'sick,' Percy had moved up slightly in terms of responsibility. His role at the Yule Ball and in the Second Task had looked good on his resume. He had been harshly questioned in the beginning when Crouch had turned up murdered; asking how he hadn't suspected the sick notes were a fake, but Crouch's secretary had vouched for him, claiming that she had thought that the notes were authentic herself. Miranda Jameson, the new Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, had taken a liking to his go-getter initiative and had promoted him from junior assistant to her personal assistant and he was in his element, helping organize meetings and writing up drafts for the international components of the new Phoenix Initiative.

Fred and George were keeping busy creating chaos as she liked to call it; inventing up a storm in their room. Apparently Sirius had become their silent financial backer, which they were keeping a secret from their mum, and they were looking to rent space for a shop the following summer when they graduated. In the meantime, Sirius was allowing them to store any of their excess products in one of the guest rooms of Number Twelve. Kreacher was helping them move their products back and forth.

Ginny shook her head as she smiled at her mother. She was supposed to be hanging the laundry, but she had gotten distracted daydreaming. Molly only scowled at her and she grinned.

"Sorry, Mum."

"Hurry up, Ginny. We haven't got all day to finish up!"

Ginny smiled and finished her work. She liked coming home and getting back into the daily chores. It seemed normal and it sometimes made her forget about the terrible things that were happening in the world.

"What time is it, Mum?" She called out.

Molly smiled at her. "Still too early for Theo to arrive. Now hurry up. I want his bed made up before he arrives."

Ginny simply grinned widely. She couldn't wait.

 **Mandy arrived in Corfu two days later by international portkey.** Her mother had spoken to Sirius by Floo and after being assured that her daughter would be well taken care of, had allowed her to travel to Corfu to spend a week and a half with her boyfriend and his family.

Mandy tripped over her bag as the portkey landed in the living room of the villa and Harry hurried forward to help her. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "Thanks. I don't know how anyone comes out of these things straight."

He grinned and picked up her bag. "No worries. Come on; I'll show you to your room."

He led her down the hall of the villa that they had rented and to the door at the end of the hall, pushing the door open to show her a beautifully lit room with a full view of the ocean and a large bed. "I'm in the room next to you. Uncle Siri and Zee are in the room across the hall and Uncle Remus and Tonks are in the room at the other end of the villa."

Mandy grinned and threw herself across the bed. "It's so beautiful! Thank you for inviting me, Harry!"

Harry sat on the bed next to her, his fingers going to her hair as he leaned down to kiss her. "Thanks for coming. I missed you," he said honestly.

Mandy kissed him back and smiled up at him as she sat up. "I've missed you too. Have you been keeping up on the news in England while you've been here?"

Harry shook his head, sitting up as well. "Not really. Last I heard was that Madam Bones was voted in officially as Minister of Magic."

Mandy nodded. "She was. Susan is so proud of her, that's her auntie, you know. Anyway, she was voted in and she's really working hard to put together this Phoenix Initiative. Susan said that she has recruited two to three people from every department to find people to help. Rumour is that we will be getting a large influx of new students at Hogwarts come September, wolves and vampires alike and maybe even some fae. It's rather exciting, don't you think?"

"It is," he admitted. "It's not fair that they've been denied an education just because they're different and by Bones allowing them the chance to move in and get one, she is opening up the world to a whole new level of magical cooperation." He hesitated before he looked over at her under his lashes. "Has there been any bad news?"

She shook her head. "Not too much, but a little. They found Professor Karkaroff a few days ago, dead; the paper believes that it was Death Eaters. The Aurors also have confirmed that there are rumours that some Death Eaters are hiding out in France and the French Ministry is helping to search for them. They are still calling you the Chosen One."

He blushed at that. "What rubbish!"

Mandy chuckled and leaned in to nip at his bottom lip. "Sounds like a heroic name to me."

He blushed darker and tugged her close for a kiss.

They had only been snogging for a few moments before someone cleared their throat and Harry turned to see Tonks wiggling her eyebrows at him from the doorway.

"Lovely to see you two getting on, but we do have some ground rules here. No bedrooms and no closed doors. Clear?"

Mandy blushed and Harry nodded. "Clear."

Tonks grinned. "Brilliant! Why don't you two do a quick change and head down to the beach? The water's lovely."

Harry nodded and stood up. "We'll see you down there."

Tonks smiled and winked at him before she hurried off.

Mandy flushed when he turned to look at her. "Guess we got caught."

He took a step towards her and kissed her quickly again. "Worth it. Meet me in the living room when you're ready, yeah?"

She smiled and nodded and Harry hurried to his own bedroom to find his bathing trunks with a new spring in his step. Being on this holiday and spending time with Mandy was exactly what he needed.

 **When Theo arrived at the Burrow, he was immediately hugged by Mrs Weasley, who fussed over him for a full minute in a way that made him grin.** He and Ginny eagerly spoke about their trip and what they hoped to do there. Ginny had even convinced Mrs Weasley to let him stay in her room on the cot as opposed to Ron's room and she had grudgingly agreed as Ginny argued that since he was gay, it made more sense for him to be in her room than Ron's.

It had taken some convincing, but it had worked.

Ginny was lying in her bed that night, smiling over at him in the cot next to her. "I still can't believe that Mum is letting me go. I thought for sure that she would say no when I asked her. But even before Bill mentioned that he had work to do in the Caribbean, I think that she was leaning towards yes."

Theo nodded, his hands behind his head. "I think that she knows it's safer there. The world is getting darker here and the British West Indies are over six thousand kilometres away."

Ginny smiled at him. "I know. I've never really been anywhere before and an island of warm sand and water sounds amazing."

He smirked at her. "We'll find you a sexy bloke to snog while we're there."

She blushed. "Possibly. I just want to enjoy myself. Have you ever been to the Caribbean before?"

Theo shook his head. "No, never. I decided last summer that I wanted to take a trip somewhere in the Caribbean. I was going to ask Blaise to come, but I changed my mind."

"It must be nice to just take a trip whenever you want," she said wistfully.

"You can't be afraid to take chances in life," he told her. "Besides, it's less time to spend with my father. He doesn't care where I go or what I do. If your brother wasn't coming with us, I would have taken my house elf. She's usually who I travel with, but she agreed that Bill was an acceptable chaperone. I wouldn't be surprised if she pops in to check up on me though."

"That's kind of sweet," Ginny said, making him grin. "Have you been very many places, Theo?"

"A fair few," he admitted. "Italy multiple times, but that's mostly been to see Blaise. Draco's parents have a villa and vineyard in southern France that I've spent time in. Christmas of my first year, I went to Switzerland with my father. I spent all of my time learning to ski and it was pretty great. Not last summer, but the summer before that, I took off and went to Thailand. I was there two weeks before my father even realized I was missing and Kiki had to take me home. That's my house elf by the way, Kiki."

Ginny smiled at him, resting her chin on her arms. "Your life seems so exotic and so tragic at the same time."

Theo smiled. "I get by. But this trip, it's going to be epic! I hope we both find some cute blokes to snog."

"What happened to David?"

"He was no one serious," he said with a smile. "We just fooled around a bit."

"You need to find yourself a man, Theodore Nott. No more of this I'll just snog whomever I want to nonsense."

Theo grinned widely. "First of all, I am a very rich bachelor. The only good thing I have going for me in terms of being a Nott is that I am incredibly wealthy. Secondly, people hear the name Nott and immediately think of how rich I am. I'd rather just suck their pricks and move on."

"Theo!"

He smirked at her and shrugged. "Well, it's true. It's hard to find a relationship with someone who sees beyond the Nott name and the Nott wealth. Not to mention that Hogwarts doesn't have that many openly gay blokes. Most of the blokes I fool around with are straight and are just simply looking to get off."

Ginny frowned at that. "Seamus and Will are happy. And George's friend Chris has been dating his boyfriend Leopold for over a year. You can't use that as an excuse."

He shrugged and smiled at her. "It's not really an excuse; maybe I'm just not ready to be in a serious relationship with anybody."

"Why not? You can't be afraid of letting someone get close to you, Theo."

He smiled at her from his cot. "I'll keep that in mind. Now go away and close your eyes; the faster you go to sleep, the faster you'll wake up and we can head to Anguilla."

Ginny beamed at him and turned so that she was lying lengthwise on her bed again. "Goodnight, Theo."

"Night," he said, closing his eyes.

Ginny looked over at him again, her brown eyes moving over his dark brown hair and his long straight nose, high regal cheeks and the lean muscles in his arms. He was very handsome, she thought; he deserved someone. She just wanted him to be happy. She sighed, rolling over and closing her own eyes. This trip was exactly what both of them needed.

And she couldn't wait.

 **When Ginny and Theo went down to breakfast the next morning, Bill was already sitting at the table eating the bacon and eggs that their mum had made for them.** They ate eagerly as Bill explained how they would be taking an international portkey off the coast of Devon to bring them straight to Anguilla and that Bill's assistant would be meeting them in Devon to travel with them.

"Assistant?" Ginny asked, her eyes meeting her brother's gaze. "I didn't know that you were bringing anyone along with us?"

Bill nodded, drinking his orange juice. "Yeah. She was assigned to work with me for the summer and when the goblins suggested that we head to the Caribbean to work with curse breakers in the _Gringotts BWI,_ they insisted that she come along to learn about the work."

"What's her name?" Ginny asked.

The back of Bill's neck flushed a bit. "Er, you may have actually met her already. Fleur Delacour?"

Theo's eyes widened. "The Beauxbatons Champion?"

Bill nodded. "She was accepted into the _Gringotts Curse Breaking Program_ back in January and started the week after the tournament. She's very excited and eager. I'm also helping her with her English a bit." The tips of his ears reddened when he said the last part and Ginny smirked at him.

"Helping her with her English, eh?"

Bill gave her a look. "Enough from the peanut gallery. Eat your breakfast and pack up or I'll take the portkey without you."

Ginny only smirked at him, but she didn't say another word.

They finished their breakfast and grabbed their bags. Ginny hugged her parents goodbye and her brothers who all urged her to have a good time and to stay out of trouble, except Fred and George who urged just that, and to come back with a tan. Theo was hugged tightly by her mum before she shooed them off and they headed out with Bill.

When they arrived at their destination, Fleur was already waiting for them. She was in a white sundress with ripe cherries on it. Her beautiful silvery-blonde hair was pinned up in a knot and she smiled warmly at them.

"Bonjour!"

Bill did a quick introduction before they accepted the portkey and took off. Ginny landed hard on her bum as Theo tripped over her legs. She looked up at her brother and saw that he had his arms around Fleur's waist, obviously saving her from falling. He seemed to notice because he quickly let go of her and cleared his throat.

"Well, let's go. We have a little villa that the bank rented out for us to stay in," he said before he led them off towards their little villa.

Ginny's eyes widened when she saw it. The 'little' villa was directly on the beach. It was made from white stone, large archways opening up the house and bringing it out into the sunshine with a terracotta rooftop. The house opened up onto the beach with a small outdoor seating area under a shaded top with plush lounge chairs and benches and a small table to seat four. Inside was a large living room all decorated in warm woods and bright white and blues leading into a large fully stocked kitchen.

The master bedroom had a large king-sized bed with a full double bathroom including a double sink, a jacuzzi tub, and stand-up double wide shower. The two guest rooms each had queen-sized beds and their own private bathrooms. It was the most beautiful house that Ginny had ever seen.

"Bill, it's gorgeous!" She breathed, her eyes taking in everything.

Bill smiled at her. "It really is. I asked for four bedrooms, but I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"Can Theo and I have the master?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide in excitement.

Bill frowned. "I don't really feel comfortable with letting you share a bed with him, Ginny. You can have the master, but Theo can stay on the fold out sofa-bed in the living room."

"Bill! It's a king-sized bed and Theo is practically a girl!"

"Hey!" Theo said, shooting her an amused look. "I feel like I should take offence to that." He grinned. "But I don't. It's sadly true."

"Mum let him stay in my room the last two nights!"

Bill sighed and glanced over at him. "Oh, fine, but Mum doesn't hear about it, clear?"

Ginny squealed and hugged him tightly before she grabbed Theo's hand and dragged him into the master bedroom. Bill and Fleur settled themselves into the other two rooms. Ginny jumped up onto the bed, grinning widely.

"I can't believe that we're really here!"

Theo laughed and jumped up onto the bed with her. They held hands, jumping up and down on the bed like kids until they collapsed in laughter. Theo grabbed his aching side, grinning before he rolled off the bed to grab his bag, flipping through his clothes until he found his bathing trunks. "Come on! Let's hit the beach."

Ginny watched him head into the bathroom to change and she grinned widely. This holiday was going to be great.

 **Harry and Mandy spent the next few days walking hand in hand along the beach, swimming and snogging as they basked in the sun.** Sirius and Remus gave them free reign for the most part as long as they didn't wander too far away from the villa and checked in periodically.

It was how Harry had come to be lying over Mandy on her beach towel in the sand, his hand on her hip as he kissed her the day of his birthday. Her hands were on his arms, squeezing lightly as they snogged. She let out a soft moan when his lips moved to her neck and his hand slid up to cup a breast through her neon pink bathing suit. She had been wearing the dark pink one-piece that he had first seen her in when they were at Hogwarts for the first day and a blue one-piece for the second, but now she had changed into a neon pink two piece that made his mouth water in appreciation of her soft curves.

"Harry," she moaned, kissing his neck.

He grinned down at her, looking into her bright blue eyes. "Mandy."

Mandy smiled and kissed him again, quickly. "You are distracting."

His grin widened. "I can distract you more."

"I know you can," she said with a laugh. "Let's talk."

Harry stood up and held his hand out to her instead. "It's hot. Let's go back in the water."

Mandy sighed. "Harry, we need to talk."

"We will, after," he said, taking her hand in his. "Race you to the water?"

She nodded and she was soon laughing as he sprinted past her and then shouted when he scooped her up into his arms and boldly threw her into the ocean.

"Harry!" She shrieked in laughter as she spluttered to the surface.

Harry grinned widely and waddled in after her, arms moving around her waist and kissing her deeply. It was easy with Mandy, he thought. She made him smile and he felt light and happy with her. He knew she wanted an explanation for the graveyard and for everything and he didn't know how to tell her. He didn't want to tell her. He understood why she wanted to know, but he also knew that he couldn't tell her. He didn't want to tell her. It wasn't like talking to Ginny or to his friends. This was too big and she simply wouldn't understand it. He knew that. They talked about almost everything else and while he did feel a little guilty keeping the real reason why he had come to Greece a secret from her, he knew that it wasn't something that she needed to know nor was it something that he should tell her. He wasn't even sure if she would understand it nor was it something he wanted to share with her. She talked about her family and her ambitions; filled him on what her friends were up to this summer; told him of her desires and her fears; and talked about the upcoming school year with a smile on her face.

He would talk to her, he thought, but first, he just wanted to kiss her. To do anything to keep his own thoughts and memories from that night at bay. He kissed her again, pressing her against him and she gasped slightly. He knew he was hard. He had been doing his best to hide it from her all day and had been forced to give himself a quick wank in his room after lunch. But she was so pretty and so sweet and kissing her made him want to touch her; made him want to show her what she did to him.

He slid his hands up her back, bringing one around to cup a round breast. Mandy's eyes were on him and she nodded. He bent his head and gently kissed the swells of her breasts that he could see over her bathing suit top. He could taste the ocean on her skin and he darted his tongue out to lick the salt and she let her head fall to the side. His mouth moved a little lower and he felt her hard nipple against his cheek through the wet bathing suit top and he boldly swept his tongue over it making her gasp.

"Harry," she moaned.

They snogged some more. Harry alternating between her lips and her bikini top covered breasts and her hands running over his naked back and chest in appreciation until they were both hot and aroused. Harry broke away from her. He was hard and he needed some distance to keep his sanity, he thought as he swam off. She stood there for a moment, all flushed and smiling before she swam after him.

They swam around, splashing each other and laughing before heading back to the beach to dry off. Once they were settled back on their towels, Mandy turned on her side to look at him.

"Can we talk now?"

His eyebrow rose slightly. "About?"

"You know what about," Mandy said, her eyes on his. "You've been avoiding it."

Harry sighed. He knew that he had been avoiding and it and he kept hoping that she would let it go. "I told you, I already talked it over. I told Ginny and Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus and my family. I have talked about it!"

"But you haven't explained it to me!" Mandy said in annoyance. "Why would You Know Who kidnap you of all people?"

Harry let out a slow sigh. "Because I'm the Chosen One?"

Mandy rolled her eyes. "Don't mock it if you're not going to explain it, Harry!"

Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Voldemort murdered my parents when I was a baby, Mandy, and he tried to kill me and he failed. Do you think that he's just going to let that stand?"

Mandy stared at him. "So he kidnapped you for a revenge killing then? How did you escape a second time? How does anyone escape from You Know Who alive? From what my brothers have told me, he killed everyone who opposed him. No one gets away alive."

"Well, I do," Harry said defiantly. "He wants me dead and I fought him and I escaped, okay? First he used my blood to help resurrect his body and then he tortured me and then we duelled and then I escaped. End of story."

Mandy was quiet for a long moment. "Harry, I know how important your friends are to you. My friends are important to me too so I get it, but … why can Ginny know and I can't? I know that you are keeping something from me."

"Ginny gets me, Mandy. She … she understands, okay! Do you remember what happened in her first year? With the Chamber of Secrets? It was Voldemort who was behind it all and she's faced him and she understands what I'm feeling and what I … I'm sorry, but she knows and she gets it and you won't."

Hurt flashed across Mandy's eyes for a moment. "You won't even give me a chance to try?"

Harry rolled onto his back, closing his eyes against the bright sun as he spoke quietly. "Mandy, Voldemort wants me dead because he believes me to be the reason for his downfall fourteen years ago. I am the so-called Chosen One and as long as I'm alive, he will hunt me down. That's not keeping something from you, that's just a fact and if you think that I want to think about that, you're wrong."

She leaned in and gently brushed his hair out of his face. "And he gave you this scar."

Harry swallowed slowly. "He marked me for death and yet neither of us died because my mother sacrificed her life for mine."

Mandy kissed him softly. "I don't mean to pester you. I'm just worried about you."

"Don't be. I'm fine."

She stared at him and then she nodded. "If you change your mind and you do need to talk, you know that I'm always here to listen, right?"

Harry nodded. "I know. I just … I've talked about it and the last thing I want to do is think about the graveyard anymore."

She smiled softly. "I respect that, Harry. I won't pester you about it again."

He nodded, relief coursing through him just as a shadow fell over them and Tonks grinned down at them. She was dressed in a bright purple bikini, a purple and gold sarong tied at her waist and she had rainbow mirrored tinted sunglasses on.

"How are you two doing out here?"

Harry grinned. "We're good. The water's wonderful."

"On that I agree," she said with a smile. "We were just talking about heading into the village and renting jet-skis; could be a fun birthday celebration, would you two be interested?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Actually?" He turned to look at Mandy who looked rather hesitant. "I'll drive?"

She grinned. "Okay."

An hour later, Mandy's arms were wrapped tightly around his waist as he raced across the water chasing Sirius and Zee who were ahead. Tonks was racing behind them, Remus' arms around her as she shrieked in joy.

Harry sped up to try to catch Sirius and Zee. He watched as Sirius turned too quickly and he and Zee toppled over and into the water, laughing. Mandy clung to Harry tighter, her face pressed against his back.

"Scared?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "A little bit, but I am really loving getting to snuggle close to my boyfriend like this."

He grinned widely. "Want to go faster?"

Mandy only nodded and then screamed when he sped up and took off across the water, the ocean splashing up around them. It really was an incredible day.

 **After spending time with the jet-skis, the six of them headed back to the villa for dinner.** Mandy watched in fascination as Harry cooked dinner for them, since it was his turn and despite it being his birthday, he had insisted on making dinner anyway. He barbecued chicken kebabs with garlic and vegetables seasoned with olive oil, paprika, garlic, pepper, oregano and thyme. He threw asparagus and yellow beans together in garlic and oil and cooked them in a pan on the barbecue until they were crispy. Then he added a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and feta cheese in a red wine vinegar and olive oil.

"I can't believe that you're such a good cook, Harry," she said in amazement as the six of them sat down to dinner.

He grinned at her and shrugged. "I like to cook. It's like brewing a potion, you just have to take your time and know what you want to make."

Sirius took a bite of his chicken kebab and smiled at Mandy. "We take turns cooking in our home. Zee and Harry are clearly the superior chefs. Remus is next and I'm not too bad and this klutz would set the house on fire if we left her unsupervised."

Tonks pouted. "I take offence to that."

Remus grinned at his mate. "You can't take offence when he's stating a fact, Dora."

Harry heard her kick him out under the table and he grinned.

Mandy told them about her brother's upcoming wedding in August and how excited she was for Tazanna to become part of their family. She said how she and Tazanna had become fast friends, but her mum had taken some time to warm up to her. The wedding was going to be small and in a hall they had rented in a magical village in Ireland.

Tonks asked her questions about the hall and what some of the wedding party was about, earning a smile from Remus.

Harry knew that they were planning a small ceremony before he returned to school, but he didn't really know any of the details yet outside of he and Sirius being the best men. Tonks was obviously busy making plans and it made him smile.

"Tonks?"

"Yeah?" She asked, eating some of the salad.

"When you and Uncle Rem get married, does that mean that I get to you call you Nymphadora?"

Tonks smiled sweetly at him, her voice coming out very bubbly. "Of course, Harry, as long as you don't mind being covered in painful boils every time that you do."

He blanched and Remus chuckled.

Zee lifted her wine glass and grinned at Remus and Tonks. "You know, I don't think that you told us, Tonks, how did Remus propose to you? I know it happened when you were speaking to the wolves."

"Which time?" She asked, grinning at her as Remus' neck flushed.

"Er, well, I drew a bath for her with her favourite wine and her favourite bubbles and her favourite album - "

" - Yeah, yeah," Tonks said, covering his mouth with her hand. "It was incredibly sweet and he presented me with this beautiful ring and I said yes. But the first time, before he had a ring, it was during sex."

Sirius spit his wine out, eyes wide as he goggled at his friend. "You of all people proposed during sex?"

"It wasn't _during sex!_ " Remus protested, pushing Tonks' hand away as she grinned widely at him. "It was … you know, after."

Tonks grinned and smirked at Sirius and Zee. "His finger was still on my clit."

"Um, hello, still in the room and not needing to know this," Harry said, raising his hand in annoyance.

Tonks smirked at him. "Sure, you do."

"Wait, wait, wait," Sirius said, putting his hands up to stare at his friend. "You, Remus John Lupin, proposed _during sex?_ "

Remus sank down into the chair he was sitting in. "It wasn't during - Dora, look what you've let loose!"

Sirius shook his head, grinning like the cat that had just ate the canary. "Harry, I'll have you know that when your dad was trying to work up the courage to propose to your mum, Moony here kept shooting down all of his ideas. He wanted to go big and wild and have the whole world there and we told him no. It hadn't worked when he tried to ask your mum out, it wasn't the right proposal for her. She needed something intimate for them. And what was the big one again, Rem, you know that one thing that you told him _never_ to do? It's just on the tip of my tongue …"

"Donotproposeduringsex," Remus murmured.

Sirius, if possible, grinned wider as he held his hand up to his ear. "I'm sorry, Moony, I don't think I quite caught that?"

Remus glowered at him. "I told him that whatever he chose to do to just not propose during sex."

Sirius smirked at him. "And yet, what did you do?"

Tonks was laughing now, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter as she reached across to grab Remus' hand in hers.

Remus kissed her fingers and then glared at Sirius. "I was right about that. Proposing during sex is not a good idea, but for Nymphadora and I … it was right." He kissed her calm and her eyes darkened and her laughter stopped.

She stared at him for a moment. "It was perfect. I had just marked him as mine and it was perfect."

Remus kissed her palm again. "You're perfect."

Mandy was grinning widely as she elbowed Harry. "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard."

Harry nodded, smiling at his uncle and the woman he considered his sister. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Zee smiled at them. "Well, we are all very happy for you both and Tonks, we're going shopping tomorrow again to find you the perfect dress. We have wedding plans to discuss."

Tonks beamed at her. "Good. I can't wait to marry him."

Remus' smile formed slowly as he tugged her forward and kissed her softly. "I love you."

 **After dinner, Sirius and Zee decided to take a walk on the beach and Remus and Tonks moved outside to work on some wedding plans.** Harry and Mandy decided to stay in and put on a film. Since the villa was Muggle owned, they had a television and a VCR set up. There was even a cupboard full of movie options. They spent ten minutes going over the films available before Mandy chose one titled _Four Weddings and a Funeral._ They curled up on the large sofa, Harry's arm around her and lost themselves in the film.

Mandy teared up during Matthew's speech and he kissed her softly, handing her a tissue from the table that made her smile at him and when the movie ended, he kissed her again over and over until Sirius' hand cuffed him across the head.

"He's using tongue, Zee, I'm so proud!"

Harry blushed and Mandy laughed.

Sirius grinned at him. "It's after eleven, you two to your own bedrooms. You have five minutes to say goodnight."

Zee took his hand and led him away and Harry heard her mumble something before Sirius responded.

"What? He's obviously become a good kisser, I didn't see Mandy complaining."

Mandy grinned and stood up. "He's quite the character, isn't he?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, he's the best pain in the arse."

She chuckled as she took his hand and led him down the hall to her bedroom door and wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him softly. "Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"He's right thought. You really are a very good kisser."

He grinned and kissed her again. "So are you. Goodnight, Mandy."

"Goodnight," she said smiling and turning to let herself into her room.

When the door closed behind her, Harry grinned widely, feeling like he was on top of the world.

 **"** **Sirius, you really shouldn't tease him about his kissing," Zee said carefully as she changed into her pyjamas that night.**

Sirius grinned at her. "He knows that I'm just teasing him. He's happy with Mandy and I like seeing him so happy. He deserves that."

Zee nodded as she tugged her hair down so that it tumbled over her shoulders. "I know that, I just think that you shouldn't tease him so much."

He moved to stand up behind her, slipping a hand under her shirt and cupping a large breast. "Mmm, we'll see." His fingers stroked her nipple and she sighed. "It's been ages," he told her, kissing her neck.

She had to agree. With the tournament and then everything that had followed, they had both been too busy and too worried about Harry. She missed touching him, she realized and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to ride him hard. "Take off your clothes and get on the bed."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, aggressive, I like it." He undressed quickly and sat on the end of the bed, his eyes on her.

Zee pulled her tee shirt over her head, her naked breasts bouncing at the movement before she slid her pyjama shorts down her body followed by her knickers and Sirius licked his lips. "Lie back," she ordered.

Sirius did as she instructed and folded his arms behind his head. "I love it when you take charge."

He obviously did because his penis was already hardening and lengthening against his stomach. She grinned and moved forward, spreading his legs wide to stand between them and gripping him in her hands, fondling him gently. Then she bent her head and licked him. He groaned as she moved up further to lick him from root to stem until he stood at full attention and then she grinned.

"Budge up a bit," she demanded.

He did as she asked just as she straddled him and took him inside of her, eliciting a groan from both of them. Sirius placed his hands on her hips and simply held on, eyes wide as she worked her clit, her eyes on his and it wasn't long before they were both going over.

She snuggled into him, sighing in contentment. "I needed that."

Sirius grinned and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Zee."

She grinned and lifted her head to kiss him. "I love you too."

 **Tonks smiled at Remus as everyone headed into bed that night.** They had most of the wedding planned since they both just wanted something small, but it was approaching quickly. They had decided to marry on the nineteenth of August, giving them a week to themselves before Remus went back to Hogwarts. She was going shopping with Zee the next day to try to find a dress and she was excited and anxious about it. She just wanted something simple; something that was her but was still bride-worthy. She moved into his lap, straddling him in the chair and kissed him softly.

"We're finally alone," she said, kissing him again.

He smiled against her lips, his hands resting on her hips as they sat there in the chair snogging for what felt like forever. It surprised him how much he genuinely loved to just snog her. He could do it for hours happily. He sucked on her bottom lip before he pulled away, a little breathless. "I wish that you didn't have to go back to work in two days."

Tonks smiled at him. "Me neither, but if I want that week with you to celebrate our marriage with a honeymoon, I can't stay here any longer."

Remus nodded, his head falling back as her lips worked their way down his neck. "Let's go for a walk."

He stood up, startling her, but his arms were still around her until they reached the water and she slid down his body to her own feet. He took her hand in his and they walked in companionable silence for almost fifteen minutes until they reached an area that seemed secluded from the rest of the beach. It was well past midnight and no one was around, but he tugged her down into the warm sand behind the rocks, the water brushing their feet and kissed her deeply.

Tonks moaned against him and then her eyes widened when he sprawled on his back and tugged her down on top of him. She kissed him again, smiling.

Remus kissed her before he cupped her chin. "I want to taste you."

Tonks immediately closed her legs to the flood of arousal that flooded her as he tugged her bathing suit bottoms down and urged her to sit on his chest. She could see over the rock this way and there was no one in sight which was good because his strong hands were guiding her hips up his chest until his tongue swiped over her and she let out a low whimper. Soon his tongue was too busy for her to care if the entire village caught them and she fisted her hands in his hair, crying out as she came.

Remus simply suckled her clit between his teeth and nipped, rolling his tongue around it and sucking harder and she gasped, her hips bucking above him desperately. And when she came a second time, his tongue worked out her orgasm before he lifted her off of him and into the sand, tugging her up to her knees and freeing himself from his own bathing trunks and slipping deeply into her with a loud groan.

Tonks gasped, her fingers digging into the wet sand as he rode her hard. His thick length pounding into her so deeply, filling her and reminding her that he was all hers; a part of her. She sat up, changing the angle and turning her head to kiss him. He pulled out and tossed her back onto the sand, slipping into her from the side and she screamed as the orgasm tore through her again. She slid her fingers down to the mark on his thigh and pressed it with her fingers. Remus' eyes darkened as her other hand slid along his sac, caressing and squeezing until he grunted, then he wrapped her legs around his waist and slid deeper into her. His eyes widened and he buried his face in her breasts as he came.

As the orgasm tore through him, she came again and she kept her legs locked around him, running a hand down his back over the light blue tee shirt he still wore.

"Guess we can check beach sex off our list," she said making him lift his head just enough to grin at her.

"We have a list?"

Tonks grinned at him. "Oh, I do. So far Greece has given us the ocean and the beach."

"Our room doesn't count?"

"No. And neither does the shower," she added, remembering how just that morning he had knelt before her in the shower and used his mouth so wickedly that she had screamed.

"Good thing I know my woman and used a silencing charm on the bathroom first."

Tonks grinned wider and slid her hands between them to caress the mark on his thigh. "Rem?"

"Hmm," he asked, his nose sliding over her nipple as he rubbed his head against her bikini top clad breasts.

"When we get married, the sex is still going to be mind-blowing, right?"

Remus grinned and sucked her nipple through the suit. "Well, I'm not sure if mind-blowing will last forever, but I do plan on spending as much time as possible in between work, eat, and sleep with my tongue and cock inside of you. I want to fuck you from every angle. I want to do naughty things to you and with you. And … I want you to sneak into my office and blow me under my desk again."

"Remus!" She said in surprise, her eyes darkening in pleasure. "I thought you didn't like that."

"No," he growled. "I didn't like that you made me come with McGonagall standing right there … but I kind of did."

She grinned wickedly. "Remember when we had sex in Snape's office and you left your butt imprint on his blackboard?"

"I remember eating you out on his desk and knocking an ink pot to the ground," he said, licking her nipple again.

Tonks smirked. "You sitting in Dumbledore's chair in the Great Hall like a king while I rode this big beautiful cock was a sight to behold."

"You are a bad influence, Nymphadora," he said, his cock swelling inside of her.

She moaned and arched her hips up to meet him. "I wouldn't have to be if you weren't so insatiable."

Remus grinned and tugged her bikini top down, freeing her right breast for his mouth as he rode her hard into the sand. "I'm going to keep you here with my cock buried inside of you until the sun comes up," he said, his hips pounding her as she cried out in pleasure. "And then I'm going to fuck you in the ocean."

Tonks cried out as pleasure soared through her and when he pressed his thumb over her, her hands slid up his bum, squeezing. She came hard and he swiped his tongue across her nipple greedily before he pulled out and changed positions, his fingers pushing into her as he sucked on her ear.

"Again, Dora."

Tonks buried her fingers in his hair as she simply held on for dear life. She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with this man.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _My Beta had this comment about the bit on Dumbledore's chair and I had to chuckle and share: I can almost imagine the expressions of the hundreds of portraits in there or the ghosts who passed through. XD_

 _Now I'm cackling LOL!_

 _PS - it was time for some much needed fluff which will continue into the next chapter._


	184. Chapter 184

_Author's Note:_

 _Shoutout to Lindsay and Elizabeth - You'll know why :D_

 _Busy weekend ahead for me so this is your second post for the week. I hope you like it._

 _Yes, yes, my slow burn has gotten wildly out of control, but I do not want Harry and Ginny to be rushed. They are perfect for each other and they need to get together when they are supposed to be. Harry needs some time to just adjust and to relax and to spend it with his girlfriend. Mandy understands that he's not ready to talk just yet and she is worried about him, but right now she sees that he just needs to have a little vacation and spend time with her and for the moment, she is okay with that. As to Harry choosing to go back, as much as he wanted to stay with his parents and grandparents, he wasn't ready to give up the life or the parents he already has waiting for him back home._

 _This chapter is important for a few reasons. Yes, it is full of fluff, but I also think that it's important for both Ginny and Harry. I know that some of you will agree with me and I have a pretty good idea of those who will not._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FOUR:**

 **Ginny was lying on the beach in a turquoise two piece, her freckled back exposed to the sun.** She had applied a generous amount of sunscreen already, but she could already feel the heat of the sun on her back. They had already been in Anguilla for three days and she thought that it had been the most incredible time of her young life. The weather was beautiful; warm sun, warm sand and crystal clear blue waters. Bill and Fleur had spent most of their days working on their assignment which was something to do with a cursed pirate treasure from a few centuries earlier. She reached down for the bottle of sunscreen before she became too lobster-like and Theo took it from her.

"I was just thinking that you were going to fry if you didn't reapply."

"Thanks," she said as he put it on her back before handing it back to her. She did the rest of her body and was rubbing it into her legs when she heard someone say, 'hey'.

She looked up and saw two good looking teenage boys in front of her. One of them was very blond, almost Malfoy blond, with bright blue eyes. His friend had sandy brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hey," she said back.

Theo grinned at them. "Hi, and who might you two be?"

"I'm Dan," the brown-haired bloke said. "And this is my friend Ryan. We're starting a volleyball game along the beach and wanted to know if you two were interested in joining. We could use two more players."

"I've never played volleyball before," Ginny told them, wondering what it even was. The thought of learning a Muggle sport intrigued her.

"It's easy. We'll teach you," Ryan said with a grin.

Ginny grinned at Theo. "You in?"

"I'm in," he said, jumping to his feet and tugging her up with him. "Let's go!"

Ten minutes later, Ginny found herself loving the game. It was simple enough, don't let the ball touch the ground. She was better in the back because she was short and couldn't stop the ball from soaring over her head when she was too close to the net. But she was soon doing very well and had scored six times on the opposing team, making Ryan beam at her.

They played for almost two hours before heading to the water to cool off. Ginny learned that Dan and Ryan were on holiday themselves and that they lived in California. They were both freshman at Fresno High in San Joaquin Valley and were here in Anguilla for the summer. They were planning on going surfing the next morning and Ginny immediately became intrigued at the idea that Muggles had a way to fly on the water. Theo laughed at her when she told him that she wanted to try it and he agreed that it sounded fun.

They spent the afternoon with them and agreed to meet them the next morning for surfing lessons. When Ginny told Bill about it over dinner, he grinned widely at her.

"That does sound fun. With as much as you love to fly, it sounds like surfing would be right up your alley. Do you think that they'd mind if Fleur and I joined in?"

Fleur smiled. "Oh non, I do not think I should like to try zat, but I will watch."

Fleur did watch and the boys watched her. The only one who didn't seem at all fazed by Fleur in her modest white bikini, was Ryan and Dan's friend, Connor. Ginny immediately linked her arm through Theo's as they watched Dan, Ryan and Connor ride the waves.

"I think Connor is gay."

Theo rolled his eyes. "That's absurd. Just because the Veela charms aren't working on him doesn't make him gay …"

Ginny grinned. "You keep checking him out."

"I check everyone out," he said cheekily.

Ginny simply wiggled her eyebrows at him and moved back into the ocean. In less than an hour, Ginny was feeling confident up on the board. She stood up, working to keep her balance and rode her first wave, screaming in excitement even as the second wave took her down.

Ryan swam towards her and grinned widely. "That was awesome! Try again!"

By lunch time, Ginny had found a new love and almost looked like she had been surfing her whole life. She loved the feeling of flying over the waves, riding the water like it was air and soaring like a bird. It was almost as good as flying; almost.

They picnicked on the beach, chatting about surfing and agreed to meet up again the next morning to try it again. Bill and Fleur headed back to work and Ginny asked their new friends if they were interested in exploring Fountain Cavern with her and Theo. Connor readily agreed and Ryan shrugged indifferently. Dan's girlfriend wanted to go shopping so he shook his head and hurried off with a blonde.

Ginny found the cavern completely fascinating. It was a place called Fountain Cavern and it had all sorts of archaeological history and culture. Ginny found herself amazed by it. She took photos to show her father when she got home; making faces with Theo and asking the tour guide all sorts of questions.

The next day they met the boys for surfing again and were joined by Dan, his girlfriend Gina and her friend Mellie, before taking a boat ride out later that afternoon to sail around and see some of the sites around Anguilla. She smiled when she saw Theo talking animatedly with Connor. She smirked slightly and Ryan came up to stand next to her.

"They seem to be making friendly," he said conversationally.

She nodded. "They do."

"So you two are from England?"

She smiled at him. "We are, but we attend a boarding school in Scotland."

"Boarding school? That sounds terrible."

"Nah, it's brilliant."

"And he's your boyfriend?"

Ginny laughed. "Oh Merlin, no! He's just a really great friend and I'm really not his type."

"Oh," Ryan said, smiling wider at her. "That's good."

"Is it?" She asked with a grin.

He nodded, his smile catching. "It is. There's this party tonight at Shoal Bay East. There's going to be music, a bonfire, it sounds great. Come with me."

Ginny smiled at him. "I'll think about it. Theo has to come."

"Of course; just promise me a dance."

"Maybe," she said, smiling at him.

She soon learned that he played football which wasn't at all like the football that she knew. Apparently Americans called British football 'soccer' and American football was quite different. He explained how he was a quarterback and what his role was in the game. He was also a huge flirt and she thought that the attention he bestowed upon her was rather nice. She hadn't wanted to admit it to anyone, but after what had happened with Michael, she was nervous around blokes. She was scared that if she allowed herself to get too close; to attempt any intimacy past snogging, she would panic again. That she would once again find herself in the Chamber and under Tom's thrall and the thought scared her. She didn't want to be that girl.

But for now, she was very much enjoying the flirtatious banter back and forth. And when they stepped off the boat, he called her name and she turned to look at him, eyes widening in surprise when he pecked her cheek.

"Smooth move, Mr Baker."

He grinned. "Come to the party tonight and dance with me."

Ginny bit her lip as she smiled at him. "It does sound fun."

Ryan moved a little closer to her, his eyes on hers and then he was dipping his head to meet her lips for a soft, lingering kiss and she smiled at him. "Come to the party tonight and dance with me."

"What party?" Theo asked from behind them, making Ginny jump slightly. "I love parties."

Ryan explained the event and Theo grinned at her.

"Let's go."

Ginny smiled at Ryan. "I guess we'll see you there tonight."

When they returned to the villa, Theo was grinning widely. "So you and Ryan, eh?"

Ginny shrugged, blushing a little. She had known he was going to kiss her and she had wanted him too. "It was … nice. Not like your kiss with Michael."

Theo rolled his eyes. "Look for the hundredth time, he needed to be taught a lesson for how he treated you and since he is a complete asshat, the idea of him possibly being gay is basically a death sentence in his eyes. He said as much to you when he realized the love potion thing could be bad if a bloke had used one on him."

Ginny sighed. "But I asked you not to do anything to him. I had already hexed him."

"You did. His prick deserved it and more and besides when Pott - er, I mean, when I decided to do that, it was a punishment for me as well. Did you think that I wanted to kiss him?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "You were going to say Harry."

"No, don't think I was," Theo said.

"Theo, why did you do that to Michael and what does Harry have to do with it?"

"Because he deserved it."

"And Harry?"

"Ginny, you have got Potter on the brain, not that I can blame you, he has turned into quite the dish this year. He really has the most gorgeous bum and those eyes - "

" - Theo!"

He grinned at her. "Potter didn't do anything. We just happened to be chatting about how much of a prick Michael is and Potter mentioned that you had made him promise not to do anything and he wished that he could. I told him that I hadn't made any such promise."

"So he put you up to it?"

Theo shook his head. "No. It was one hundred percent my idea, but he may have cheered me on."

Ginny glowered at him. "You kissed him without his permission and ruined his reputation!"

Theo smiled at her. "Are you actually mad at me for doing it?"

She sighed. "No. He did deserve it, the git. After I told him what happened to me and why I panicked he told me that he cheated on me with his ex-girlfriend! Sometimes I think I should have punched him in the face."

Theo chuckled. "There's still time in September, I'm sure he'll do something else annoying."

Ginny grinned. "No, I'm over him. He was … he deserved it. But next time, even if Harry cheers you on, stay out of it."

He shrugged. "Michael's a dickwad, now let's talk about Ryan."

She snorted, watching him wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at her. "Okay, look, I think that maybe I do want to spend some more time with Ryan and not to just forget all about Michael. It will be fun to dance with him tonight and maybe kiss him again. I just … with everything that happened at the end of the year on top of Michael, I need the distraction."

Theo grinned. "I think that we deserve more than just a distraction. We deserve some fun."

"And you? I saw you talking with Connor," she said.

His smile widened. "I think that you were right about Connor, I got a vibe from him."

"See! At the party tonight you should ask him out and see what happens!"

Theo shrugged but his eyes were twinkling. "We'll see. Come on, we have to find something to wear!"

 **When they arrived at the party, the music was blaring and Theo immediately tugged Ginny into the throng of people to dance.** She laughed as they fell into the rhythm of the crowd, moving and dancing to the beat. When the song slowed, he put his hands on her hips and she smiled as they danced slowly under the moon and the light of the fire.

"I see Connor over there," Theo said, his eyes moving over to the water.

"Go say hi."

He shook his head. "What if I'm wrong and he's not ... I don't ..."

Ginny stood on her toes and kissed her cheek. "Can't be afraid to take chances. A good friend of mine told me that once."

He grinned sheepishly. "Okay. Should we see if Ryan is around?"

"I'll be fine. Go!"

She watched him hurry off towards Connor and she grinned moving deeper into the dancing horde. She was only alone for a moment before she found herself dancing with a tall blond bloke with a dazzling smile. They danced for two songs before Ryan cut in and she politely said goodbye to the unknown blond.

They danced almost in silence before he suggested that they take a walk on the beach. She smiled when he placed his hand in hers and she took off her shoes to walk barefoot in the sand. He asked her about herself and she told him about her brothers and her friends and he smiled.

"Can I kiss you again?"

Ginny blushed, but she nodded. He bent his head and kissed her softly on the lips. Small little nips until she parted her lips and then it was sweet and deep. They grinned at each other and kissed again and Ginny thought so far this holiday definitely had its perks.

And it was exactly the kind of distraction that she needed.

 **Theo couldn't stop grinning.**

He had made Connor's entire neck and back of his ears flush bright red with his flirting and he was feeling pretty proud of himself. The bloke was definitely interested he thought. He settled back into his spot on the beach, his arms resting behind him in the sand and his long legs spread out. He was trying to work up the courage to kiss him.

"You have the sweetest looking lips, has anyone ever told you that? Cherry red from that drink in your hand and utterly kissable."

Connor blushed harder, and rubbed a finger over his lips before he turned and pressed his lips to Theo, surprising him. The kiss was hesitant and unsure and Theo reached a hand up into his hair, holding him close, deepening it and he felt the boy sigh into him.

Oh, he was definitely interested, he thought.

And then he kissed him again.

Connor's lips were soft and moist and after kissing him chastely for a minute or two, he used his tongue and the boy's eyes flew open in surprise before he used his own, touching and tasting him. Theo placed his hands on the boy's hips, leaning in and deepening the kiss, long and soft, deep and slow until they were both breathless.

"Wow," Connor said, his eyes on Theo's.

"Was that your first time kissing a bloke?" Theo asked.

Connor nodded, his eyes heating up. "Yes."

Theo squeezed his hip gently. "Want to do it again?"

Connor grinned and licked his lips. "Yeah, yeah, I do," he said as he pushed Theo down into the sand and covered his lips with his again.

It was turning out to be a great holiday, Theo thought.

 **Ginny grinned at Theo when he started walking towards her and Ryan where they were sitting near the fire talking a few hours later.** They had told Bill that they would be back by midnight and it took fifteen minutes to walk back to the villa.

"I have to go," she said making Ryan pout.

"Come surfing with us again tomorrow? Please?"

"I'd like that," she told him honestly. "Surfing is incredible and I think that I'm getting quite good at it."

"Definitely," Ryan told her with a grin. "You're a natural!"

She saw Ryan's eyes widen slightly when Theo kissed Connor before he hurried over and slipped his arm through Ginny's. Ginny looked back at the boys as she and Theo hurried back to their villa.

"So, how good of a snog is he?"

"I thought that you didn't want to hear about my escapades any more?"

Ginny grinned at him. "No, I said 'sexcapades'. I don't desire to hear about those, but kissing is definitely allowed."

His smiled slowly. "It was great. His lips were super soft and tasted like cherries from that cherry soda pop he was drinking. His hands moved into all the right places and we just kissed for over an hour; him lying on top of me, pinning me to the sand. I could feel his erection against my leg and he was definitely into me."

Ginny smiled at him. "Are you going to spend some more time with him?"

He nodded. "He said that maybe after surfing tomorrow we could go for a walk, I told him that I would if you didn't mind?"

"No! Go, have a great time!"

Theo grinned and nodded. "I definitely want to snog him again."

"Good. I just want you to be happy, Theo," she said as they came up upon the villa. Bill was sitting out on the patio waiting for them and he waved. "Waiting up. He has no trust."

Theo grinned. "I'd like to snog _him._ "

Ginny glared at him. "I think we both know that Bill is out of your league and clearly into Fleur."

"What about Fleur?" Bill asked as they stepped onto the patio.

"She's beautiful and you're into her."

Bill blanched at that. "What? She's a colleague, Ginny. That would be extremely unprofessional. Go on; the both of you get to bed."

Theo grinned and tilted his head to watch the sway of Bill's hips as he walked in front of them and when Ginny closed the bedroom door behind them, he grinned at her. "Seriously, your brother has the most biteable arse."

Ginny made a vomiting motion and he grinned.

"I'd like to bite Connor's arse."

"You just snogged him today!"

Theo grinned. "I didn't say right away. I just said that I'd like to. Besides, we still have a week and a half to enjoy ourselves. You can snog Ryan some more."

Ginny shrugged. "We'll see."

She headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed and smiled at herself in the mirror. Kissing Ryan had been nice. It had been fun and there were no strings involved. She wasn't looking for anything serious and she wasn't going to find it here when they had less than two weeks left of their holiday. But she could enjoy herself. There was nothing wrong with sharing some good snogs, she thought. She was single after all. She finished cleaning her teeth and washing her face, changing into her pjs before she headed back into the bedroom. Theo was already wearing striped bottoms and a white tee shirt.

"Gin, on a scale of one to ten; who do you think would be more likely to give a bloke a chance, Bill or Charlie?"

"Please stop telling me how attractive you find my brothers," Ginny pleaded. "They can choose to be with whomever they want, I just don't want to know the details."

Theo grinned devilishly. "I can't help it. If Bill or Charlie wanted to let me bottom for them, I'd be naked and under them before you could even blink."

"I'm going to have nightmares!" She exclaimed in horror. "Please stop!"

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I'm certainly not."

He went into the bathroom to get ready for bed and she shook her head in amusement, crawling beneath the covers. The cooling charm on the villa made the room a little chilly and she snuggled into the pillow, feeling tired and was asleep before Theo even came back from the bathroom.

The last thing that Ginny expected when she fell asleep was to actually tumble into a nightmare, but it didn't really surprise her. Since Harry had told her of Voldemort's return, Tom had crept back into her dreams more often than not as of late. Tonight was no different.

She was in the Chamber and he was standing before her, his dark eyes raking her in, but she wasn't a child anymore. She was the same as she was now and he no longer looked the handsome young prefect. He was bald with a snake-like nose and his eyes gleamed red as he twirled his wand through his fingers.

"I remember you, young and innocent ... are you still innocent? If I close my eyes I can almost smell your blood on the stone floor."

She raised her wand to defend herself, but he was faster. Her clothes vanished and she was suddenly standing naked before him, attempting to cover herself.

"You've become a woman now," he observed. "Good. Get on your knees. This time I'll start with your own wand before moving onto more fun things."

She tried to fight him off, screaming in terror, but when she saw the familiar bone in his hand, she screamed and woke to Theo calling her name.

Ginny threw her arms around him as Bill hurried into the bedroom just as she burst into tears.

"Ginny?"

Theo was rubbing her back gently as she cried into his shirt. "I think she's okay," he said to Bill. "Woke me from a dead sleep."

Bill nodded. "If you need anything ..."

The door closed quietly behind him as Theo crooned soft words to her. Her sobbing finally subsided and she moved away from him.

"I'm sorry. I need to shower."

She hopped off of the bed and hurried into the bathroom. Once she was standing under the spray, she heard the bathroom door open.

"Theo! I'm in the shower!"

"There's a curtain and no offence, but you have nothing that I want to see," he said, hopping up onto the large counter. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not overly," she called out, turning her face under the spray.

"The Dark Lord can't hurt you anymore, Ginny. Not like he did … you're safe now."

Ginny didn't answer him and when the shower shut off, she was thankful when he passed her a towel over the shower curtain. She wrapped herself up and stepped out, her hair wet down her back.

"We both know that what we dream often defies logic."

Theo nodded, hopping off the counter and moving to stand in front of her. "It does, but it also plays on our fears." He leaned in and kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her. "I've grown fond of you, chick; no more scaring the shite out of me at four in the morning."

Ginny hugged him tightly and nodded. "I'll try. Go, get some sleep. I'm fine."

He looked hesitant, but nodded when she urged him off. She changed into clean pjs and French braided her hair before heading into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She had just sat on the sofa when Bill plopped down next to her and opened his arms. Ginny curled into him immediately.

"I knew that you wouldn't go back to sleep," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"I told Theo to go back to bed, but he was so sweet, making sure that I was okay."

Bill nodded. "I'm still not sure I like the fact that you two are sharing a bed, gay or not."

Ginny grinned. "He doesn't like me like that, Bill. You, however, he would like to do many naughty things to, he says."

Bill flushed red. "Er …"

She smiled and stayed cuddled against him. "They've been coming back since Harry told me what happened to him. The thought of him … he's back, Bill. He tortured Harry and he would have killed him if he hadn't found the means to escape. And now … Harry is finally safe from it all."

"I wondered if he had told you," Bill said quietly, his eyes on hers. "Sirius sent word to me to let me know that another one was gone, but I didn't want to say anything in case you didn't know."

"Just me," she told him honestly. "I was there when he found out and afterwards … I don't think that he wanted to talk about it and he said that he didn't want to burden Hermione after Viktor … did Sirius say how it went? Harry just told me that he was fine and I know what his version of fine entails."

Bill smiled and gently pressed his lips to the top of her head again. "He has a lot of recovering to do, but he handled the procedure just fine. Sirius told me he was going to be resting and enjoying a much needed vacation while he healed. Sirius said that he had a seizure and his heart stopped, something about a blood clot and he was in a coma for over three days. But he woke up and everything was good."

"His heart - _stopped_?"

"Only for a moment. It sounds like it was a combination of the shock of it. Sirius says that they are planning to destroy it when they return to England."

Ginny stared at him and let out a slow breath. His heart had stopped beating, he had died and he had only written the words that he was fine. When she saw him she was going to have some choice words for him, she thought. "Good, that's good."

Bill gently touched her cheek. "Do you want to talk about your nightmare, Ginny?"

Ginny shook her head. "It was more of the same."

He nodded. "Do you want me to contact Na'eemah?"

She shook her head again. "No. I'll be alright, honest."

Bill smiled at her. "Always were a Firecracker."

She smiled up at him. "I'm going to go surfing again after breakfast with those boys that Theo and I met. I'm getting quite good at it. You have to work on balancing yourself and judging the waves. It's fun."

"Good. Go and have a good time." He stood up and stretched. "I'm going to try to get another hour or so of sleep. You should try to do the same." At her look, he nodded. "Turn on the wireless then and Gin?" When she turned to look at him, he grimaced. "Please tell Theo to stop checking out my butt."

She giggled as she watched her brother head back down to his room feeling much better about everything. She moved to the bookshelf on the wall, skimming the novels there and she tugged out one with a half naked man on the cover holding a scantily clad woman and she grinned. She could use a good romance novel, she thought and she moved out onto the patio with her cup of tea, making herself comfortable in the lounge chair and opened the book to read about how the devilish pirate lord had found himself falling in love with the beautiful outspoken woman; forgetting her own nightmare for the time being and falling into the world of swashbuckling romance on the high seas.

 **Bill was working side by side in the cavern vaults of the bank with Fleur as they organized the treasure that had been uncovered from the shipwreck.** Her silvery blonde hair was pinned up off of her neck in a delicate twist, but a few flyaway wisps were still blowing around her face. He found his eyes on her more often then not and he cursed himself silently. They were colleagues and he refused to allow himself to succumb to her pheromones the way that other men did.

No matter where they went on the island, men were falling all over themselves to get her attention, to say hello, and he found it incredibly embarrassing so he could only imagine how she felt having to deal with it. He could see that it bothered her, but she never let it show. She just kept working so diligently, cleaning off each treasure with interest and attempting to discover what each piece was only to be interrupted over and over again by a random man promising to build her a castle or to take her away somewhere exotic.

But he would be lying to himself if he hadn't thought about promising her the same.

She was beautiful. Incredibly beautiful and he knew that part of that was the Veela blood that ran through her veins, but he thought that it was more than that. Her blue eyes sparkled in delight when she discovered something new and her cheeks would flush. He could see the excitement dance in her eyes or her concentration as he taught her something new or walked her through a new procedure. She was quick to learn and incredibly intelligent. He found himself getting lost in conversation with her easily not only about curse breaking and buried treasure, but she talked about the tournament a bit, and how she had prepared herself for the tasks. He found her enchanting.

But every time he felt that pull, that lick of her Veela charm pulling him forward, he did everything in his power to stop it. She was his trainee, he was her supervisor and it would be wrong for him to allow something to happen. Sometimes he wondered though if she wanted something to happen between them.

Fleur was very touchy, a hand on his arm or on his back when they worked. She was always quick to smile and when she messed something up she would start swearing in French which he only understood half of the time and found amusing. It had been a week since they had been in Anguilla and the constant day by day spending time with her was making it hard on him.

"Bill?"

He turned to look at her, the sound of her voice pulling him from his thoughts. The heat of the cavern had made her strip off her blouse to a light blue tank top over her beige capri pants. He found himself looking at the milky white skin of her shoulders before he could stop himself.

"Bill?"

"Sorry, yes?"

Fleur smiled at him. "Are you sure zis belonged to ze same ship? I think zis one may be from anozzer?"

Bill moved closer to her in curiosity, bending his head to examine the gold coin. "Excellent eye. This one is almost a century older than the rest of the gold. See the texture change and the way the grooves go in the opposite direction. This is a Spanish coin as well while the others are clearly Italian Galleons."

Fleur beamed at him. "Where do you think it came from? Are there Spanish shipwrecks nearby as well?"

"I'm not sure, but I imagine there must be. Spain did a lot of exploring over the centuries and Spanish pirates were all over the world. It's getting late though, let's put this away and head back to the villa to grab some food. We can do some research on when the first witches and wizards arrived on the island and maybe we can narrow it down."

"Très bien," she said with a bright smile.

Bill grinned as he put away his tools and his papers, bundling up his notes and his parchment and stuffing them into his bag before he moved to climb out from the deep cavern below the _Gringotts BWI_ building that they were working in. He reached a hand down to pull her up and she smiled at him, tripping slightly over the last step and he found her tight lithe body up against his.

He let out a slow breath before he released her. "You alright?"

"Oui, merci."

She adjusted her own bag as she followed him out of the cavern and the vaults and up to the beautiful white marble interior of the bank. Bill informed the goblins of what they had achieved that day before they headed out into the sunshine.

"Before we head back, can we go for a walk on ze beach? It's so lovely."

Bill smiled at her. "That sounds perfect. We'll take the long way back to the villa."

They walked in companionable silence for a few moments before she turned to smile at him. "Was your seester bien zis morning? I heard her cries in ze night."

Bill nodded. "Yeah, yeah, she's okay. Ginny's a fighter. She just had a nightmare. I think that we've all been having more of those of late since You Know Who returned."

Fleur nodded. "I still cannot believe zat zey are both dead. I sometimes think I should write to 'Arry and … but, I do not know what to say."

"Harry will be alright. His family is taking good care of him, but I'm sure that he'd like to hear from you. You both survived the tournament together after all."

"Oui," she said quietly.

A man walking past them suddenly stopped and turned, his eyes widening before he hurried after them.

"You're so beautiful! Come with me and I will give you a large ship to sail the world with me?"

Fleur blushed. "Non merci."

The man panted after her. "Two ships!"

Bill turned to glare at the man, stepping in front of him and blocking him from Fleur. It seemed to push the man out of his Veela pheromone haze. "The lady said no, get lost."

The man shook his head as if confused before he nodded and hurried off, looking back at them as if he was still unsure of what had just happened.

"Merci," Fleur told him.

Bill stared at her. "That must be hard. I mean, I can see that you weren't even paying him any attention yet he still found himself drawn to you."

Fleur shrugged. "It 'as been zat way my 'ole life, my maman 'as it worse. Men just can't seem to act normal around us. It makes it 'ard to be taken seriously."

"I take you seriously," Bill said with a smile. "You are beautiful, that's a given, but you're intelligent and creative and innovative and I honestly think that you are going to make a great curse breaker. I don't say that lightly."

Fleur smiled at him, her blue eyes twinkling in delight. "Merci."

They started walking again and Fleur smiled at him.

"Not all men act zis way of course, some men are not even affected by my blood. Like you, you are not like the ozzers."

Bill let out a slow breath as they approached the villa. "I'm affected more than you think," he said quietly before he hurried towards the villa.

And he didn't see the slow smile that spread across Fleur's face at his declaration.

 **Tonks and Zee each headed back to England a few days later as they had to return to work.** Remus made himself comfortable at the table outside and started organizing his timetable for September and his course load so Sirius decided to take Harry and Mandy sight-seeing.

They went to the Achillion Palace first and then headed into town to explore and do some shopping. They took lots of photos and then convinced Remus to head down to the beach with them where they learned how to snorkel with a Muggle instructor. They enjoyed it so much that the four of them set up a day cruise the next day where they explored sea caves in the Blue Lagoon; did some more snorkelling and swimming at Bella Vraka beach before visiting the village of Syvota.

It rained on one day, so Harry and Mandy cuddled on the sofa and watched movies: _The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off,_ and _The Princess Bride._ The rest of the week was spent snogging and staying on the beach; swimming and exploring. Mandy hadn't brought up Voldemort again or the graveyard and Harry was grateful. He hadn't spoken of it to anyone since before Cedric's funeral and he still didn't feel ready to talk about it.

Harry had continued his morning run on the beach with Marauder, who usually was too tired to go more than half of the three kilometres that Harry ran, but he always found his dog lying on the patio at Remus' feet waiting for him happily when he returned as was Mandy. She told him that running was not something that she wanted to do and he had only chuckled.

Dobby popped in to check on them and brought Harry his Hogwarts letter a few days before they went home, making him grin. He thanked the eager elf and opened the envelope to check out his letter. His eyes widened when the badge fell out. Mandy bent down to pick it up off the ground and she grinned widely.

"Well, hello Captain."

Harry grinned down at the gold badge shaped like the head of a lion with the words: _Captain_ embossed in the centre. "Wow! I didn't … I thought for sure that Angelina would make captain this year!"

Mandy grinned. "Guess McGonagall thought you deserved it more."

His grin widened. "I can't wait!" He flipped through the parchment and found the one the badge had fallen out of.

 _Dear Mr Potter,_

 _This year Gryffindor House is proud to offer you the position of Quidditch Team Captain. After speaking with the students of the Quidditch team, the vote was unanimous for you to take over the role. I look forward to an exciting year and hope you help bring our team to another victory._

 _The Cup looks very good in my office._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

 _Head of Gryffindor House_

Harry smiled. "The team voted for me."

Mandy stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Guess that means you deserve it even more."

He grinned and flipped to the next piece of parchment.

 _The following is your books and supply list for fifth year. A reminder to all students that fifth year is OWL year and will be a heavy workload._

 _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 5 by Miranda Goshawk_

 _Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard_

 _The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger_

 _Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger_

 _Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms by Marius Tarquinius_

 _Spellman's Syllabary_

 _New Law of Numerology by Yara Hakimi_

 _Goshawk's Guide to Herbology by Miranda Goshawk_

Harry frowned at the list. "Magical theory? That sounds dreadful."

Mandy looked down at his book list in interest. "I rather agree. But the new book for Ancient Runes sounds good."

He nodded. "I guess. Do you think that you made prefect?"

Mandy shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's going to go to Padma actually, but there's a small possibility I suppose. Are you disappointed that you didn't get it?"

Harry shook his head. "Not even a little. Quidditch Captain is way better!"

"Did I hear you say Quidditch Captain?" Sirius asked, stepping onto the patio with a tall mimosa in his hand.

Harry held up the badge with a grin. "All mine!"

"Brilliant! Minnie knows that you're the best choice for that," he said, turning at the sound behind him. "Moony, Harry's made Quidditch Captain."

Remus grinned as he stepped outside to join them. "Congratulations, Harry. That is good news!"

"I'm not a prefect though," he said, his eyes on his fathers.

Sirius grinned. "Well, that's because you're a little troublemaker like me and your dad were, guess Moony didn't instil enough goodie-two-shoes in you."

Remus frowned. "You don't have to be a goodie-two-shoes to become a prefect, Padfoot. Dumbledore only picked me to try to keep you in line."

"How'd that work out for you?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"It's a still a work in progress," Remus answered making Harry laugh. He smiled at him. "Harry, being a prefect isn't important to us. We just want you to do your best, to study hard and learn everything that you can. The rest is just a bonus."

"Thanks," Harry said, smiling at them. "I bet Mione made prefect."

Mandy grinned. "If Hermione Granger did not make Gryffindor Prefect, the world as we know it has ended."

Harry laughed and put his arm around her. "True."

Sirius chuckled. "If you two are up for it, Remus and I were thinking about taking that Muggle tour to swim with the dolphins this afternoon?"

Mandy's eyes widened. "Really?"

Sirius grinned. "Get your stuff. We're leaving in ten."

Harry laughed as his girlfriend ran into the house in excitement. "You just made her whole day."

Sirius grinned. "Put your letter and badge away. We have a tour to attend."

 **Swimming with the dolphins had been incredibly fun.** Mandy had laughed the whole time and when one of the dolphins kissed her, she had giggled madly and then wrapped her arms around Harry, beaming with excitement. They spent the evening eating dinner with Sirius and Remus before Remus headed back to England. It was the full moon that night and he thought that it would be safer for him to be at home in the cellar. He assured Harry that there would be plenty of time for him to stay with him in his Animagus form and for him to stay in Corfu and enjoy the rest of his vacation. Harry protested this and Remus finally agreed that the night of September eighth, Harry could stay with him as it did fall on a Saturday. Harry reluctantly agreed that it was fair. After saying goodbye, Harry and Mandy went for a walk on the beach, holding hands and snogging.

They were headed back to England the next afternoon and Harry felt sad at the thought and surprised that August had already crept up on them. He had enjoyed his time with the sun and the sand and with Mandy.

Especially right this moment.

They were on a secluded stretch of the beach and she was straddling him. They had been snogging almost non-stop for almost thirty minutes and Harry was doing his best to not pump his hips up towards her. She was only in her bikini and he could feel the warmth of her pressing over his crotch through his bathing trunks and he was rock hard. He shifted slightly, but the friction of their damp suits made him feel even harder and he groaned into her neck.

Mandy grinned at him and kissed his chin. "This feels so good."

Harry's eyes stared into hers. "So good," he repeated and his eyes widened when she pressed herself down on him. "Mandy …"

She was grinding herself against him now, rocking her hips over his cock and he gasped, tossing his head back. "Is this okay?" She asked, her eyes on his. "It just … it feels so … good …"

"N-unh," Harry managed, his hands sliding up to cup her breasts, his thumbs rubbing her nipples through her bathing suit. This was better than anything he had ever imagined. She was hot and warm and the sensation of her rubbing against him through their bathing suits was driving him crazy. His cock was so hard he thought he would combust and he bit his lip to keep from coming.

Mandy was humping him faster now, her own head falling back over her shoulders as his hips rose up to greet her and then she was crying his name and he lost it. He leaned in and sucked a nipple through her bathing suit as they ground against each other, both breathless.

Harry stared at her, his breathing heavy. "Did you just - ?"

She nodded, blushing furiously. "You too?"

He nodded back. "That was … I mean, I never knew it would … feel like that."

Mandy smiled. "Me neither … it just … it felt right. I mean … er, well, Tazanna told me that it was okay to do that in terms of you know … safety?"

Harry grinned and kissed her softly. "It was great."

Mandy kissed him. "Let's go for a swim and clean off, yeah?"

She crawled off his lap and he could feel the stickiness beneath his bathing trunks and his eyes immediately fell to her bikini clad bottom and his eyes widened slightly. She had orgasmed, he thought in amazement, but then she was running towards the water. He hopped up and hurried after her, swimming to catch up and locked his lips on hers again.

"Mandy?"

"Yeah?" She asked, smiling when his hands slid down to cup her bum.

"We should definitely do that again at some point."

Mandy grinned wider and nodded. "Yes, I think maybe we will."

And then her lips were on his and he couldn't stop smiling.

 **Tonks' stomach clenched uneasily as she landed in the grass, tripping and falling on her bum, the portkey falling out of her hand.** One of these days, she would actually come out of it straight, she thought, checking her watch. She had taken the portkey to Romania for a quick stop before returning to England as she needed to talk to her best friend.

She had two hours until she had to be at work for the night shift, she noted, moving quickly through the camp. It took her twenty minutes to find Charlie. He was drinking Hungarian wine with some of the tamers in the little pub and telling a story about one of the first dragons that he had ever seen. She stood in the doorway and just watched him. His red hair reflected in the light of the fire and his toned arms were lightly scarred, one of them freshly bandaged and he was grinning widely across his handsome freckled face.

"Don't forget to mention the part where she sneezed, blowing fire and you jumped ten feet into the air and yelped like a little girl," Tonks called out, grinning widely.

Charlie's head whipped around and his face split into a huge grin before he jumped to his feet and pulled her into his arms, kissing her cheek loudly. "Tonks! Mates, this here is my best girl, Tonks. She's an A3 in the British Ministry of Magic. And it was a very manly scream, may I add."

Everyone roared in laughter as they said hello and Charlie turned back to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I have to be at work soon, can we talk?"

Charlie nodded, putting his pint down and hurrying her outside of the pub. "What's going on?"

Tonks grinned and held her left hand out to him.

He stared at it for a full thirty seconds before he comprehended what he was seeing.

"Shit, is that … you're engaged!"

Tonks nodded, biting her bottom lip. "We're getting married in three weeks."

"Wow! Why so fast? You're pregnant? Ow!" He exclaimed when Tonks punched him in the shoulder.

"No, you prat!" Tonks said, glaring at him. "We thought if we get married before school starts up we can have our honeymoon before he goes back to Hogwarts. It's not like we need a lot of time. We just want a small ceremony with the important people in our life. Besides, come the thirtieth of September, Remus and I will have been together for four years. I want him to be my husband, Charlie."

Charlie grinned at her. "I'm happy for you, Tonks. I know how much you love him."

She nodded, grinning. "More than I can even put into words. Um, I came here though because I need you at my wedding. It's going to be on the nineteenth and if you can only come for the weekend I understand, even a day pass, but I need you there."

Charlie smiled at her. "I wouldn't miss it."

"Good, because I want you to stand up there with me, I want you to be my Maid of Honour."

Charlie's eyebrow rose. "That's a bird's job."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Man of Honour then. You're my best friend, Charlie. You have been for as long as I can remember. I don't really have any close girlfriends. Will you be my Man of Honour? Stand up there with me? Help keep me calm and tell me that I look perfect."

He grinned. "Can I plan your bachelorette party?"

"I'm not going to a strip club."

His grin widened. "Well, now we just have to go."

She rolled her eyes and he tugged her close to kiss her cheek.

"I'd love to be your Man of Honour."

Tonks squealed happily and kissed him noisily on the mouth. "I love you!"

"I love you too, Tonks. And we're definitely going to a strip club."

Tonks only grinned and hugged him tightly. She didn't care. She just wanted her best friend at her side when she married the man she loved. The other details didn't matter.

 **Ginny was absolutely in love with surfing.** She spent every morning riding the waves and it brought a huge smile to face. Ryan was sweet too and she enjoyed spending time with him. They surfed and swam and snogged. He was a great kisser and she had even felt bold enough to let his hands wander over her breasts while they kissed, something she had definitely not let Michael do. When her birthday came around, he took her dancing and shopping in the city and then they snogged some more. The holiday had been everything she hadn't known that she had needed.

On their last night in Anguilla, Ryan and Connor invited the two of them to a house party at the beach house that they were staying in with some friends. Bill had agreed to let them go as long as they didn't stay out too late.

Within ten minutes of arriving, they found themselves playing a game called 'Spin the Bottle'. The concept was pretty basic. The rules were that if the bottle landed on someone, the person who spun it was obligated to kiss the person it landed on, on the lips. If you became paired with the same partner through a second bottle spin, the kiss had to include tongue and had to last for a solid minute. If it happened a third time, the two people would proceed into the nearby closet where they would enjoy 'seven minutes in heaven,' being an intense snog session.

Ginny found herself a little nervous to play, but when her first kiss was only with Ryan, she relaxed a little. There were ten people in the circle and she was only one of three girls. After kissing Ryan, she kissed a brunette named Dave, then a blond named Matt twice. The second kiss with Matt was rather sloppy and she discreetly wiped her mouth when it was over. Connor spun the bottle next and when she realized that it was pointed at her, she blushed. He kissed her softly and very sweetly on the lips. It felt strange to kiss someone who was clearly interested in her friend, she thought, but the kiss had been quite nice. Ginny got Ryan a second time, and their lip lock became a bit more passionate as people 'oohed' at them. It landed on Dan next. His lips were incredibly soft and he kissed her rather deeply and used tongue, surprising her. Her eyes fluttered open in surprise when he pulled back and he grinned, winking at her and she placed a hand over the little flutter of pleasure that erupted in her stomach. He was quite the kisser, she thought.

The game continued on and she kissed Dave a second time, liking how well he used his tongue. Other than Ryan, he was definitely the best kisser so far, she thought. Dan was very passionate with his second kiss and she kissed his cheek when he pulled away. After Dan, she kissed Jordan and then it landed on her first girl. Ginny smiled at the girl who was dating Dave, named Robyn. She kissed her chastely, ignoring the excitement from the boys at the kiss, and smiled before the bottle landed on Aaron.

When it was finally Ginny's turn again and the bottle landed on Ryan for the third time, he held out his hand to her and she followed him nervously into the closet.

"I don't know how I feel about this," she said honestly.

Ryan smiled at her. "It's seven minutes and it's not like we didn't make out for two hours this afternoon already."

Ginny blushed at that and grinned when he bent his head to kiss her. "I guess you have a point." She kissed him back happily and then smiled. "Dave was a pretty good kisser."

Ryan frowned at her. "Was he now? But I'm better, right?"

Ginny smiled and reached up to kiss him. "Definitely."

A slow smile spread across Ryan's face as his lips met hers, over and over until she could barely remember her name. His hands slid up her ribcage and he boldly cupped her breasts and she sighed into him as he fondled her. He slid the strap of her dress over her shoulder, his lips following and Ginny let her head fall back. The feel of his soft lips on her skin was delicious. He bent his head lower, lips kissing her through her dress, gliding over her breast and when his teeth grazed her nipple, even through the material of her dress and bikini top, she trembled.

"Ryan," she murmured.

He grinned against her breasts. "You're so hot, Ginny."

Ginny gasped, trembling against him. "That feels good."

Ryan's hands cupped her breasts, rubbing and massaging as his lips worked over her neck and down over the swell of her breasts and then the door opened.

Theo smirked at them, wiggling his eyebrows. "Well, I think that you two definitely went for the 'seven minutes in heaven' didn't you?"

Ginny flushed as Ryan removed his hands and she fixed the straps of her dress. "This is a stupid game."

Ryan nipped at her ear, slipping an arm around her waist. "Want to go make out somewhere more private?"

She hesitated a moment and then nodded. Ryan tugged her with him upstairs and found a private room for them. He pulled Ginny down onto his lap and his lips found hers again. They kissed long and deeply for what seemed like hours, soft and sweet. Ryan's hands continued to wander and Ginny squirmed slightly when she felt his hardness pressing under her bum.

"Sorry," he murmured against her neck. "You're so frickin' hot."

She smiled against his lips. "You keep saying that, is hot a good thing?"

"Amazing thing. Means you're gorgeous."

"Oh," she said, blushing. "Well, thank you."

Ryan slid the straps of her dress down her shoulders again, kissing the skin there and soon the dress was pooled at her waist and his hands were cupping her through the bikini top she wore. He kissed her breasts through the bikini top, his mouth moving over her nipple as his thumb worked the other and Ginny gasped against him.

"Oh," she moaned.

He grinned against her breasts, sucking gently and she gasped his name.

The knock on the door had both of them jumping.

"Gin? You in there?"

"Yes!" Ginny said, tugging her dress back quickly and giving Ryan an apologetic look. She bent and kissed Ryan quickly on the lips. "This was lovely. Will I see you tomorrow?"

Ryan stood up and kissed her deeply, his hands gliding down her bum boldly. "Definitely."

Ginny beamed at him. "I'll meet you at the beach in our usual spot?"

"I'll be there. Goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight." She pulled open the door and grinned at Theo. "Is it midnight already?"

"Yeah, let's go, chick," he said, draping an arm over her shoulders. "Before your deliciously sexy brother comes searching for us."

Ginny rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "I can't believe we go home tomorrow already!"

Theo grinned. "We do. Now come on; I want to hear all about what kind of naughty things you and Ryan were getting up to in there."

Ginny blushed to the roots of her hair as Theo grinned at her. It had definitely turned out to be a pretty great holiday.

 **The next morning, Ginny went out to meet Ryan to surf again.** They spent almost three hours in the ocean before they lounged on the beach snogging. She kissed him goodbye just after noon, smiling when his lips left hers.

"I'm going to miss you," she admitted.

Ryan kissed her again. "I'm going to miss you too. It's been a lot of fun."

"Yeah, it has," she told him.

They kissed once more, softly and slowly before she gathered up her things and hurried off. She would never forget him and as sad as she was to leave, she knew that he wasn't what she was truly looking for. But she had really, really enjoyed her time snogging him and if she was honest, she had enjoyed letting him help her explore her own sexuality in a way she hadn't been comfortable with when she had been with Michael. She hurried back to the villa, finding the place empty, or so she thought until she heard a soft moan.

Ginny looked over into the living room and found Theo and Connor wrapped around each other snogging. Both of them were shirtless and wearing only their bathing suits. Theo's hand had slipped beneath Connor's bathing trunks.

She blushed and hurried back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her loudly to alert them to her presence. It obviously did nothing to deter Theo however because he didn't come to the bedroom for another thirty-five minutes and he was grinning widely when he did.

"Hi, Ginny."

She glared at him. "In the living room, Theo!"

Theo grinned sheepishly. "We were just fooling around."

Ginny only stared at him. "Your version of fooling around and my version are very different."

"Blokes are different than women, Ginny. We're mostly just looking to get off."

"That's ridiculous," she said heading out into the kitchen to find a snack.

Theo followed her and shrugged. "Still a fact. Connor and I have been snogging for almost the last two weeks and the last few days we looked to move a bit further. I went down on him the other night and today he returned the favour. Oral is nothing to be ashamed about."

"I didn't say that there was," Ginny told him. "I just think that we're a little young to be putting so much emphasis on sex."

Theo hopped up onto the island countertop. "I'll be sixteen in two months and my father made sure that I lost my virginity three years ago. The girl was beautiful and soft and did absolutely nothing for me. In my opinion, I lost my real virginity on my fourteenth birthday when the girls in the brothel brought in a handsome bloke for me when I couldn't get it up. I haven't had sex since, Ginny. It's … mostly oral and snogging and sometimes hands. As much as I enjoyed it, I don't want to just let some bloke have his way with me until I'm ready. I wasn't ready before."

She only stared at him. "But it was still consensual, right?"

He nodded, his eyes on her. "Yes, it was consensual to an extent; no one was tying me down, but was I ready for it? I don't think that I was. No one is forcing you to have sex, Ginny."

"I know," she told him, biting into the apple she picked up from the bowl on the counter. "But I freaked with Michael, Theo. He pushed a little, it's true, but … I freaked out. He just wanted me to touch his … his prick and I wouldn't and all I could think about was how …"

Theo hopped off the counter and pulled her into his arms. "One day, you are going to find the guy who makes you want to do those things, Ginny. It could be tomorrow, it could be ten years from now, but you will find him. You let Ryan go further than Michael, didn't you?"

She nodded. "A little, yeah, but … I'm not ready to do anything else."

Theo smiled. "Don't let anyone push you into something that you're not ready for and don't be afraid to push back if necessary."

She smiled, pulling back to look up at him. "Sometimes I wish you were straight, Theodore Nott."

Theo smiled at her and he gently bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was sweet and chaste and made her feel absolutely nothing. She pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"Nothing."

He grinned. "Same here, chick. You are beautiful, but you just don't have the right equipment for me." She smirked at that and he grinned. "You'll find him, Ginny. I know you will." He slid his arm around her shoulders. "Come on; let's go for one last swim before Bill and Fleur return. I want to smell like the ocean when we return to England."

Ginny smiled at him and nodded. "Race you to the beach?"

Before he could respond, she was off and he chased her, laughing as they splashed into the water and the warmth of the ocean.

 **When Ginny stepped into the Burrow four hours later she was immediately engulfed in her father's arms.** She hugged him tightly as he grinned at her.

"Dad!"

"Look at you, all freckled and lightly tanned. Did you have a wonderful time?"

"The best," she told him sincerely.

She spent the evening filling her brothers and her parents in on her trip and gushed about how amazing the surfing was. She promised to show them lots of photos as soon as Colin helped her develop them. Once she finished unpacking, she smiled at the knock on her doorframe and saw her mum standing there.

"Hi Mum."

Molly moved into the room, closing the door behind her. "You've grown so much, Ginevra. A beautiful young woman, fourteen years old already and I am so proud of you."

Ginny smiled at her. "Um, thanks."

Molly took a seat on the edge of her daughter's bed. "Bill mentioned that you had a nightmare."

She shrugged. "They come and go."

Molly nodded, her eyes on her daughter. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she admitted.

Her mum nodded, watching her move around her room for a moment. "Bill mentioned that you met a boy out there?"

"Yes, his name was Ryan Baker. He was a Muggle and from California. He was sweet. We snogged a bit."

"Snogging can be nice as long as we are being cautious. Remember Ginny, I was pregnant before I graduated from Hogwarts, I don't want that for you."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Mum, we only snogged … I'm not ready for … that."

Molly nodded. "I'm relieved to hear that."

Ginny was quiet for a long moment as she unpacked and put her bag away in the closet before she began to organize her toiletries on her dresser. "Mum … what if … what if when the time comes, I can't be … intimate with someone else?"

"Because of what happened?"

Ginny nodded.

Molly sighed and moved to sit on the side of her daughter's bed. "Come here, Ginny."

Ginny sat next to her mum and let her arms come around her.

"What happened to you wasn't about sex; it wasn't about intimacy or love or anything to even do with you specifically. It was about power. He had power over you and that was what he really wanted, control. When the time comes … when you are older and ready to become intimate with someone who you love, it won't be about power. It won't be about control. It will be about the two of you. You will want to touch and pleasure each other, not harm each other and that's very important."

"I know the difference, Mum. But Michael … he … he barely touched me. He didn't hurt me and I - I panicked."

"And that's okay too, Ginny," Molly said quietly. "Not everything heals overnight. You will have to learn to trust yourself; to trust your partner and most importantly to trust what your body is telling you just as much as your heart."

Ginny nodded. "But what if I can't?"

Molly was quiet for a long moment. "Sweetie, you will, I promise. If you need it, we'll find someone for you to talk to, to help you find a way to push past it. You can talk to Na'eemah about it. But you are strong and no matter which path you take, I know you will be alright."

Ginny hugged her mother tightly. "Thanks, Mum. I'm just scared that I won't be strong enough to cope with it. I felt like I went back to square one and it was three years ago."

"Time is irrelevant, Ginny," Molly said carefully. "It's about you and your feelings and your emotions and that's all that matters."

She nodded. She knew her mother was right and she knew that she was strong enough to push through it, but sometimes she still felt like that helpless girl in the Chamber of Secrets and it worried her.

"I kissed Theo."

Molly's eyebrow rose slightly. "I thought that he was gay?"

"He is," Ginny said with a smile. "I told him that I wished he was straight and he kissed me and there was nothing there between us. He told me I'm beautiful, but he likes blokes."

Molly chuckled. "Well, I'm relieved to hear that."

Ginny smiled. "I knew that he was gay but … I guess it's nice to know for sure. He's the best, Mum, and I think I fancied him a bit and I guess now I know. He's one of my best friends and I wouldn't change that for the world."

Molly gently brushed Ginny's hair away from her face. "You already knew that, dear. We both know that your heart belongs to someone else."

Ginny made a face. "We're just friends. I wish that I could get over him for good, Mum. He's with Mandy and she's so nice and she makes him smile. He deserves to smile."

"Yes, he does," Molly told her. "And we can't always help who we love either."

Ginny only sighed and Molly kissed her cheek. "I know that you had a mini celebration in Anguilla, but tomorrow your friends will be over to wish you a happy belated birthday."

"Colin and Luna too?"

Molly smiled as she stood up. "Colin and Luna too. Goodnight, Ginny. I love you."

"Love you too, Mum."

Ginny watched her mother leave and she sighed. She knew that her mum was right as she contemplated her thoughts and then she moved over to her desk and started to compose a letter to Na'eemah. Writing her thoughts out had always helped her and writing to Na'eemah seemed like the best option.

 **When they returned from Greece on the fourteenth of August, it was almost two in the morning.** Harry felt lighter than he had ever remembered feeling in his life. He knew most of it was in his head, but it didn't matter.

The Horcrux inside of him was gone.

The piece of Voldemort was gone.

Marauder barked at him when he came into his room and he moved to hug his dog tightly as Marauder licked his face. Harry kissed the top of the dog's head before moving to look at himself in the mirror. He pushed his hair back, his eyes on his scar, gently tracing the lightning bolt with his finger. It was just a scar now. All traces of magical residue were gone.

He grinned widely. He couldn't ever remember feeling this good, he thought. He rubbed Marauder's head once before he went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Corfu had been the best holiday and he grinned as he remembered how Mandy had ground against him; the feel of her heat pressing in on him. He hopped into the shower and soon found himself gripping his penis tightly. He remembered the look in her eyes as she had rolled her hips into him, her breasts bouncing in her bikini top and he bit his lip to keep from making a sound as he pumped himself deliciously and came all over his hand at the memory of it. It had been brilliant, he thought. He hoped that when school started back up she might even let them do that again.

He finished his shower and then stood in front of the bathroom mirror as he brushed his hair. Sirius had measured him again when they got home; six feet even. His lanky form was bronzed from the Greek sunshine and the lean muscles he had accumulated from his training over the year made him look in good shape. He traced the scar on his forehead again with a smile before he put his pjs on. He tossed his glasses on his nightstand and snuggled into his pillow. He felt the dog settle at the end of his bed comfortably. He reached out to scratch Marauder behind the ears before getting comfortable again and for the first time in longer than he could remember, he slept dreamlessly.

He woke to the sunlight brightening his room and blinked owlishly at the blurry clock on his bedside table. He tugged the clock closer and saw that it was just shy of eight. A little earlier than he planned on being up, but still not bad. He grabbed his glasses and sat up, stifling a yawn before he hopped out of bed, stretching hugely as he climbed to his feet. Despite his lack of sleep, he felt energized and raring to go.

They were planning to spend the morning at Number Twelve to destroy the Horcrux that Xander had removed from Harry's scar. After that Harry was heading to the Burrow for Ginny's belated birthday celebration. He was looking forward to seeing his friends even though he would have to tell them what had happened. It would be good news, especially since the Horcrux would be fully destroyed.

And if he was honest with himself, he wanted to see Ginny.

He wanted to assure her that he really was fine and he just wanted to see her to assure himself that his thoughts last year had just been a fluke. He didn't like her as anything other than friend and he needed to see her to assure himself of it. He had bought her a beautiful ocean blue bathing suit sarong with white waves on it; a black and gold beaded choker necklace; and a picture frame carved from an olive tree and etched with dolphins along the edge. He hadn't known what to put in the frame so he had left it blank, but he still thought she would like it. He had also found her a pair of black Quidditch gloves that he thought she would like for flying.

He glanced at Marauder who was still immovable at the end of the bed before he headed into the bathroom to take a shower. He felt refreshed and ready to take on anything he thought as he shaved his patchy neck and chin. It was so annoying he thought, if he was going to grow hair on his face it could at least allow him to grow a beard or something. He touched his scar again, grinning widely as he checked out his dark tan before he headed back into his bedroom to get dressed.

The sun was shining and it looked beautiful outside. Harry thought it was a perfect day to head out and go for a morning fly.

Marauder was still sleeping so he sat next to the dog to stroke his neck, to see if he could con him into coming out with him, but the moment he touched him, he knew that something was wrong.

"Marauder?"

The dog didn't move. His usual happy greeting gone. His soft brown eyes were staring blankly ahead and the reddish bronze fur seemed paler to him. Harry felt his heart stop and he knew.

"Marauder!"

The dog didn't move and tears prickled the back of Harry's eyes.

He was gone.

Harry slid down to the floor in front of his dog, kissing the top of the dog's head and wrapping his arms around him. He was still a little warm, he thought as he blinked back tears. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, arms around his dog, his face buried in the dog's fur as tears rolled down his cheeks, but he heard movement in the hall at some point and he stood up. He kissed Marauder's head once more before he stepped out of his room.

Sirius was stretching his arms up over his head, his hair still messy from sleep. He gave Harry a small smile. "Morning, Prongslet-Harry," he said sleepily. "Zee's already left for work, but do you want to find some breakfast before we - what is it? What's happened?" He asked, his eyes narrowed when he saw the tears.

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out so instead he reached for Sirius' hand and tugged him into his bedroom. Sirius let out a low gasp when he saw the dog lying lifeless at the end of the bed.

"Oh, oh, Harry," he said tugging him into his arms.

Harry buried his face in Sirius' neck and shoulder and began to cry all over again. Sirius kissed his cheek, his hands running up and down his back soothingly, blinking back his own tears.

"He was a good dog, Harry," Sirius said softly. "He lived a happy life. He loved you, Harry, and he lived nine long happy years with you."

Harry hiccuped into Sirius' shoulder. "He can't be gone, Uncle Sirius; he can't be. He's … I need him."

"Shh," Sirius soothed, kissing his son's cheek. "I know, Harry, but he knows you're going to be okay now. He's been getting slower in the last year and I think that he was holding out until we could remove this." He pulled Harry back a little to kiss his scar. "He knows your safe now."

Harry's bottom lip trembled as he nodded. "I - I want to bury him."

Sirius nodded. "Okay. Want me to bring him downstairs?"

Harry shook his head and moved towards his dog. "No, I'll do it."

Sirius watched him as he carefully lifted the dog into his arms and carried him down the stairs and out into the backyard. Harry laid him gently on the grass, tears still trickling down his cheeks. He grabbed a shovel from the shed and stared across the yard for a long moment before he moved to one of the large oak trees at the far left of the end of the treehouse and he carefully began to dig a hole behind the tree.

Sirius sent a Patronus out and summoned a second shovel before he went over to help him. Ten minutes later, Remus moved across the lawn to join them, shovel in his hand. They didn't speak, just dug the grave quietly until it was finished. It took them almost two hours, but they didn't stop, just kept working methodically and quietly. They were all dirty when they finished and Harry simply walked over to Marauder, staring down at the lifeless form of his dog; of his first real friend and felt the tears fall again.

Sirius wrapped Marauder up in a sheet. Harry's eyes met his as he watched him wrap the dog from his spot kneeling next to Marauder's body and he only nodded at him. He wrapped Marauder's head carefully and then bent to pick him up, carrying him to the grave that he and Sirius had dug for him. Sirius hopped down into the hole and held his arms out for the dog. A small sob escaped Harry as he handed the dog's body down to his father. Sirius carefully laid Marauder down in the dirt, wiping a tear from his own eye before grasping Harry's hand and letting him help him out.

Remus held Harry tightly for a moment as the three of them stared at the sheet-covered body in the ground and then Harry picked up his shovel again and the three of them slowly started to refill the hole with dirt.

Harry smoothed dirt over the hole with his shovel a little later on and fell to his knees, his hands in the dirt. Sirius knelt next to him, wrapping an arm across his shoulders and kissing the side of his head as Remus did the same from the other side of him.

"I love you, Harry. I'm sorry about Marauder. He was a good dog," Remus told him.

"He was the best dog," Harry whispered, blinking back tears. He laid his palm across the dirt. "I love you, Marauder."

Sirius kissed him and used his wand to make a small stone plaque as a marker, which he carefully placed overtop the freshly turned soil. "What would you like to write on it?"

Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the stone. The words slowly carved themselves into the rock.

 _Here lies Marauder (6th June 1986 - 14th August 1995)_

 _The best friend a boy could ask for._

 _Always loved, never forgotten._

Sirius and Remus both kept their arms around Harry as the three of them knelt in the dirt. Harry wasn't sure how long they knelt there, but when Sirius kissed his cheek again he stood up. The three of them walked back towards the house to where Zee was waiting on the patio, tears in her eyes.

"Hi, I made some sandwiches up for you guys."

Harry only nodded glumly.

Sirius wrapped his arms around Zee and kissed her tenderly. Remus kept his arms around Harry, resting his chin on the top of his boy's head until Sirius reached out and grabbed Harry's arm. Sirius tugged him between he and Zee, squishing him like a sandwich as they both kissed his cheeks.

"I'm okay," he said, but he let his arms come out around both of them anyway.

Remus' eyes met Sirius' and he nodded, moving into the house to set up the food that Zee had put together.

The three of them stood there for a few minutes just hugging before Sirius let go and urged him to head inside and clean up. Remus placed his hands on Harry's shoulders when he sat at the table and rested his chin on the top of his son's head.

"I know it hurts, Harry. We're all going to miss him."

Harry nodded and stared at the sandwich in front of him. "I'm not hungry."

"Try to eat something anyway," Remus said, sitting next to him. "Go on."

Harry took a small bite of the sandwich and chewed methodically, not even taking in what he was eating.

"Do you still want to go to the Burrow this afternoon for Ginny's birthday?" Sirius asked him. "If you're not up to it, I'm sure she'd understand."

Harry shook his head and stood up. "No, I want to go. I'm going to go take a shower."

Sirius and Remus watched him walk away and Zee gripped Sirius' hand in hers. "He'll be alright. It's never easy to lose a pet."

Remus nodded. "Thanks for coming home for lunch."

She smiled and kissed Sirius. "You boys will be alright. I have to head back."

Sirius nodded as she hurried out to Apparate back to the Ministry. "Marauder was … he knew that his boy would be okay."

Remus smiled. "Yeah, he did. How are you holding up?"

Sirius shrugged. "He's been moving slower in the last year and Apollo did mention to me that his dad only lived to be nine but … you never are really ready to lose a dog and Marauder was the best. It's going to be strange not having him underfoot here."

"You'll have Lady Godiva."

"She's not quite the same as having a dog," Sirius said with a grin.

Remus nodded and stood up. "No, that's true. If either of you need anything, let me know. He'll be with his friends this afternoon and I think that's a good place for him."

"I agree," Sirius said. "Thanks Moony."

Sirius looked down at his own half-eaten sandwich as Remus left and he sighed.

Marauder would definitely be missed.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _I cried while writing this chapter and while editing this chapter._

 _(French) Très bien = very good_

 _(French) Oui = yes_

 _(French) Merci = thanks_


	185. Chapter 185

_Author's Note:_

 _I spent last night at the Backstreet Boys concert for the DNA World Tour and it was fucking awesome! And guess who are HUGE BSB fans and met the band before sitting in our row - Korn! Completely brilliant! Anyway, I had an awesome time, 26 years of loving these guys and they still put on one hell of a show! Backstreet's Back bitches and that's the way I like it :D_

 _PS - Been a fan since I was seven, don't even care if you judge me LOL_

 _Anyway, on a more Harry Potter centric note - Thank you for appreciating our loss of Marauder equally as much as I did. I know that most of you did catch on to the fact that I've been foreshadowing his death, but to me he stuck around as long as Harry needed him. He knew that it was okay for him to go and I think that's important. It also does symbolize the end of Harry's childhood to some extent. As to the Molly scene, I always thought Mrs Weasley was an amazing mum. People always villainize her and I don't know why. She was a great mother and her and Ginny were close, being the only girl in the family. She is the pillar of that family, supporting and loving all of her children, despite her flaws, she wants what's best for them. I don't believe I will bring the Dursleys back or have Harry go seek them out, no. And I know, I know, slow Hinny burn, but I can promise it will happen before it does in the books._

 _DISCLAIMER: This is one of my favourite Fred and George moments, so I had to keep it - thanks JKR!_

 _Thanks to Steel for giving me the push I needed with this scene. You are the greatest!_

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE:**

 **Ginny noticed immediately that something was wrong with Harry when he arrived at the Burrow that afternoon.** He had wished her a happy birthday when he had arrived, hugged her quickly and then moved to sit with Ron. He was smiling and chatting with Ron and whomever else was around, but his smile never quite reached his eyes.

He had grown again, she noticed. She swore that he had gotten taller, though not as tall as Ron who had toppled over six feet some time in the last two months. She suspected that he would be as tall as Bill who was the same height as Professor Lupin and according to their mum, as tall as her uncles had been. Her eyes wandered over Harry's summer tan, his messy black hair and the lean muscles in his biceps as he stretched his arms over his head.

"I think even his butt got cuter," Theo whispered in her ear, making her jump.

"What?"

He grinned at her. "Potter's butt, I think it's cuter than it was in June. He got quite yummy this summer, didn't he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Theo simply smirked at her. "She takes one look at Potter and forgets all about Ryan."

Ginny blushed. "I don't like Harry like that, we're just friends." She kept her eyes on him, frowning as she watched him nod at Ron, his green eyes staring off into the distance. "Something's wrong with him. He's not acting like himself."

"He looks fine to me," Theo told her. "Damn _fine_ in fact. I think his bum got tighter."

Ginny shook her head. "No … something's off. I _know_ him."

She gave him thirty minutes before she left Theo with Colin and Luna and moved across the yard to sit next to Harry.

"Tell me."

"I'm fine."

Ginny only stared him down. "Tell me."

Harry stared at her for a long moment and then he shook his head. "I'm fine."

Ginny reached over and squeezed his hand in hers. "All of us are here if you decide that maybe fine is not the real emotion that you're feeling right now."

He stared at their hands for a moment and then he stood up and tugged her behind the shed for some privacy.

Ginny was a bit surprised, but she didn't speak.

Harry let out a slow breath. "I - I spent my morning ... burying Marauder. He died this morning, peacefully ... in his sleep."

Ginny's mouth opened in surprise. "Oh, Harry!"

He sighed into her when she hugged him. "I'm sorry. I just ... I didn't want to ruin your birthday."

"You couldn't have! I'm so sorry. He was a great dog," she said tears in her voice. "I loved him too."

She hugged him tightly, her cheek resting over his heart, more relieved to hear the familiar thump-thump, thump-thump against her ear than she wanted to admit. The thought that his heart had stopped meeting, even for only a moment sent a chill down her spine and she hugged him tighter, snuggling into his embrace.

Harry felt her cling tighter to him and he wrapped his arms around her in response. She felt good in his arms; she felt right. She smelt floral and lovely and a bit like apricots and strawberries. He leaned into her, basking in the feel of her in his embrace, the warmth calming feeling of her touch; the brush of her breast against his arm and he felt his cock harden. He moved away quickly, guilt swimming through him. _This was Ginny_. He was with Mandy and he shouldn't be feeling like this. He moved away from her and cleared his throat.

"Er, right ... we should get back."

Ginny looked up at him, her eyes moving to her hands. Whenever she hugged him anymore, it seemed like he couldn't move away fast enough. When had she become so repulsive to him, she wondered? "I'm so sorry, Harry. If you want to go home you don't have to stay here."

He shook his head. "No, of course I'll stay. Is Hermione coming?"

"She should be. She said that she was going to be late."

He nodded. "Maybe after Theo and Colin leave we can talk. I'd like to tell everyone about what happened in Greece."

Ginny's eyebrow rose. That was a good sign, she thought. She knew that they would want to know what had happened and she definitely was interested in learning the whole story. "Good. I know that I for one would like a better explanation for everything other than hearing that your heart stopped beating that is." At his look, she stared him down. "Bill told me and he said that you had a bloody seizure! You told me that it went fine! That's hardly fine!"

"You had a seizure?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide and fearful from where she stood next to Ron.

Harry grimaced, eyes darting to look at where his friends had appeared near the shed. "Look, I'll explain it later, but obviously I'm fine."

Hermione frowned at that, but she didn't look convinced.

They were interrupted by Mrs Weasley calling them over. She had Hogwarts letters for them. Apparently they had arrived a few days ago, but she had held onto them until Ginny was home so that they could all open them together.

"Don't know why she made us wait," Fred said in annoyance, giving his mother a pointed look. "It's just our supply lists, why must we open them together?"

"Because I wanted you all to do it as a family," Mrs Weasley told him. "Indulge me. This is your last year at Hogwarts after all!"

George grinned at her. "Right, sorry, Mum." His eyes met his brother's and they snickered.

Neville, Luna, Colin and Theo made their way over to them in interest.

"Ooh, Hogwarts letters," Luna said with enthusiasm. "Daddy and I went shopping for my supplies yesterday."

Hermione was jumping in excitement when she saw them and she grabbed Harry's arm. "Did you get yours, Harry? Was it inside? I screamed so loudly when mine fell out that Dad thought something terrible had happened and came bursting into my room in a panic!"

Harry laughed. "Congrats on making prefect, Mione. Dobby brought me my letter a few days ago in Corfu and no, I'm not a prefect, but I did make Quidditch Captain."

"Brilliant, Harry!" Neville said with a grin. "That's exactly what you wanted!"

"I didn't expect it at all, especially with Quidditch being cancelled last year, but I'm pretty excited."

Theo grinned at him. "Guess once you outfly a dragon, captain status is mandatory."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, it's a secret job description."

Ginny tore hers open as Colin grabbed her arm. "If Harry made captain you have no reason not to try out for the team this year," he said quietly. "I will drag you to the tryout myself if I have to."

She smiled at him. "We'll see, Colin. I think that they only need a Keeper." She laughed as Theo leaned over her shoulder to snoop. "Excuse me, my booklist is for my eyes only, Mr Nott."

Theo grinned and kissed her cheek as Ron stared at his envelope, his mouth open wide in shock. "What's with the face, Weasley? You'll catch flies with that trap open!"

Ron did not answer. Harry looked around. Ron was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts.

"What's the matter?" Fred asked impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment. Fred's mouth fell open too. "Prefect?" He said, staring incredulously at the letter. " _Prefect_?"

George leapt forward, seized the envelope in Ron's other hand, and turned it upside down. Harry saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm. "No way," George said in a hushed voice.

"There's been a mistake," Fred said quickly, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect … "

The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry. "We thought you were a cert!" Fred said in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.

"We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" George exclaimed indignantly.

"Winning the Triwizard Tournament and everything!" Fred said.

"I suppose all of the mad stuff must've counted against him," George said to Fred.

"Yeah," Fred said slowly. "Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right." He strode over to Harry and clapped him on the back while giving Ron a scathing look. "Prefect … ickle Ronnie the prefect …"

"Oh, Mum's going to be absolutely revolting," George groaned, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.

Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, and then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Harry took it. A large P was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion. He had seen a badge just like this on Percy's chest on his very first day at Hogwarts.

"Wow, Ron … I thought for sure that Nev was going to get it. Congratulations, mate."

Ron's eyes were wide in shock. "Why the hell would Dumbledore give it to me? Fred and George are right! What was he thinking?"

Neville was shaking his head. "I didn't want it so I'm glad that it's you; besides, everyone knows that Dumbledore is a little bonkers."

Hermione was staring at Ron in amazement. "Ron! I am so … wow … it's so …"

"Unexpected," George supplied, nodding.

"No," Hermione said, blushing under Ron's stare. "No, it's not …Ron's done loads of …he's really …"

Mrs Weasley came back towards the picnic table carrying a large platter of sandwiches and a large platter of sliced vegetables. "Well, did you open them? What are the book choices this year? Any new supplies? Ron, we'll have to get you more pyjamas. When I was folding laundry this morning I noticed that they are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing! At this rate by Christmas you'll be as tall as Bill. We'll look tomorrow when we go shopping, what colour would you like?"

"Get him red and gold to match his badge," George said, smirking as he helped himself to a sandwich triangle from the platter.

"Match his what?" Mrs Weasley said absently, straightening the platters onto the table and levitating over a stack of cups before pouring them all glasses of pumpkin juice.

"His badge," Fred said, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."

Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs Weasley's preoccupation with organizing the food on the table.

"His … but … Ron, you're not …?"

Ron held up his badge.

Mrs Weasley let out a shriek of joy. "I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"

"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?" George asked indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.

"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news! You could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh Ronnie!"

Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back, but Mrs Weasley didn't notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.

"Mum … don't … Mum, get a grip!" He muttered, trying to push her away.

She let go of him and said breathlessly. "Well, what will it be?"

"W-what do you mean?" Ron asked, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.

"You've got to have a reward for this!" Mrs Weasley said fondly. "How about a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through?"

"Mum," Ron said hopefully. "Can I have a new broom?"

Mrs Weasley's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.

"Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "Just - just a new one for a change …"

Mrs Weasley hesitated, then smiled. "Of course you can. I better go check on Ginny's birthday cake. Little Ronnie, a prefect! Oh, I'm all of a dither!" She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled back into the Burrow.

Fred and George exchanged looks.

"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" Fred asked in a falsely anxious voice.

"We could curtsy, if you like," George said.

"Oh, shut up," Ron said, scowling at them.

"Or what?" Fred asked, an evil grin spreading across his face. "Going to put us in detention?"

"I'd love to see him try," George sniggered.

"He could if you don't watch out!" Hermione said angrily, at which Fred and George burst out laughing and Ron muttered, "Drop it, Hermione."

"We're going to have to watch our step, George," Fred said, pretending to tremble, "with these two on our case."

"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," George teased, shaking his head.

They were chuckling to themselves as they helped themselves to the food on the table.

Ron stared at the badge in his hand for a moment and then grinned. "I'm going to see if maybe Mum will get me a Cleansweep, be right back!"

He dashed into the house and Ginny grinned at Harry. "Guess that means no more rule breaking for you either, Harry."

Hermione frowned at him. "Or sneaking out after hours."

Harry smirked at her. "What if I bring the prefects with me? That means I'm safe, right?"

Theo laughed. "I don't think it counts, Potter, but nice try. Draco made prefect for our house and frankly he can have the added responsibility. I don't know who the other is, but my bet is on Pansy."

Colin shrugged as he looked at Ginny's booklist. "As exciting as this is, I vote Ginny opens presents now."

Ginny grinned. "I vote yes to that as well."

Luna smiled and hurried over to the table where they had all piled their gifts for her. "Can I choose the first one?"

Ginny grinned and hopped up onto the table to sit. "Bring them to the queen!"

Harry laughed. "Greedy, isn't she?"

Hermione chuckled as Mrs Weasley came outside with another platter of food. "It's her birthday, she's allowed to be."

 **By the time the party broke up and Theo and Colin headed home, Ginny had everyone follow her out to the swimming hole.** Once they were all seated under the large willow tree, Harry let out a slow sigh. They were all waiting for him to talk and it made the pit in his stomach seem to plummet nervously.

"I've been keeping something from you guy," he said quietly before he quickly fired out the rest before they could interrupt him. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you, it's just everything moved so fast and on top of Voldemort coming back and Viktor's death ... it got pushed back. But Ginny knows. She was with me when I found out and ... I asked her not to say anything … I … I just didn't know what to say."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "What's up, mate?"

Harry sighed. "We found another Horcrux. It turns out there are eight of them and not seven. He made one by accident."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What do you mean 'by accident'?"

"When ... when he tried to kill me when I was a baby, we think that he was trying to make another Horcrux, but well ... he was badly injured and he lost control when the killing curse rebounded off of him …"

"No!" Hermione gasped, her hands immediately covering her mouth as Ron gripped her arm tightly.

Harry nodded. "It's why I had those dreams; why I was ... affected like I was by him … when he was nearby … the diary …"

Neville frowned. "Are you saying that you _are_ the accidental Horcrux?"

"Yes," Harry said. "I was."

He told them about the night he found out; how his family had known for over a year and had kept it from him; and what the real reason was that he went to Greece. He told them about seeing his parents both in the graveyard and in the afterlife. By the time he was done, the five of them were all staring at him in shock.

Harry let out a deep breath. "So when I get home, Uncle Siri and I are heading to headquarters to destroy it. We were going to go this morning, but …" he trailed off and blinked back tears. "We had to bury Marauder."

"Oh, oh Harry! I'm so sorry," Hermione exclaimed, moving to hug him as Luna moved in from the other side.

"He knew that you were safe," Luna told him. "The Horcrux was gone so he knew that you were safe."

Harry hugged her back and blinked back the tears at Luna's words. "Thanks. I … it doesn't seem real. Um … it was peaceful, in his sleep, that is. Um … so there's just the two Horcruxes to go and then we just have to kill Voldemort himself."

"I can't believe that Sirius kept it from you," Neville said, his eyes wide. "But at the same time ... how do you even tell someone that?"

"Exactly. I was angry at first, but now I get it and well … it's done. We just have the diadem and Nagini."

"Nagini?" Ron asked, his brow crinkling.

Harry nodded. "Voldemort's snake."

He took a deep breath and then he started to tell them the details that he had refused to tell them back in June. He watched their eyes widen in surprise and horror as he explained how he had been tied to the headstone; what the Death Eaters did; what Voldemort had looked like and how he had been resurrected; how the Death Eaters had arrived; how he had been tortured and forced to duel with Voldemort and how he escaped with the help of their wand cores joining.

Ginny reached out and gripped his hand tightly. "To have seen your parents twice in such a short time … Harry, I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you must be feeling."

He stared into her warm brown eyes and saw nothing but understanding there and he nodded. "Thanks, Ginny." He let out a slow sigh. "So, um … the important thing is that we know Nagini is a Horcrux."

"How do you know, Harry?" Neville asked him. "Did You Know Who give the impression that he had put part of his soul inside of her?"

Harry shook his head. "When I was in the graveyard … I just knew that she was a Horcrux, I could feel it … which now I know I could feel because I was the accidental one. So we have to find the diadem inside of Hogwarts and then we have to figure out how to kill Voldemort's snake and then him."

"We'll find the diadem, Harry," Ron assured him. "Especially with Hermione and I as prefects this year, we'll be able to wander the castle more than usual."

Harry grinned at him. "Thanks, Ron. We have to find it soon and I think that we could use as much help as possible on that front. In the meantime, Uncle Sirius is working with the Wizengamot on this new project called the Phoenix Initiative that Dumbledore implemented and Madam Bones is helping organize. But they are also still recruiting for the Order of the Phoenix. Uncle Siri says that there are still missions and small projects that can be taken care of as we still don't know who all of his followers are or how many more of them are still working in the Ministry of Magic."

"My gran told me that Sirius actually showed the Wizengamot your memory from the graveyard and that it implicated Malfoy, Macklebee and Bulstrode directly which is why they were arrested," Neville said.

Harry nodded. "He did. It helped cement support for the Phoenix Initiative and Fudge's denial over it being real is what caused them to impeach him. Uncle Siri says that Madam Bones is the woman for the job. They are even looking to make allies with the segregated part of the population. Mandy told me that the paper reported that we might have werewolves and vampires as students this year."

Hermione smiled widely. "It's about time the magical world starts doing so. I think that it's awful the way people are treated for being different. People are people and it's as simple as that."

"I agree," Ron said, his eyes on her. "Our family is still considered blood traitors and we're what the magical world calls purebloods. The whole thing seems ridiculous."

Harry sighed. "Well, the Phoenix Initiative is looking to bring some positive change into the government anyway. Uncle Siri says that it won't change overnight and that there will definitely be a lot of animosity at the beginning as not everyone agrees with it, but it's a start. In the meantime, the Order is still trying to uncover who Voldemort's followers are and maybe try to work out what his next move is. There are some things that still need to be done in secret and that's what the Order of the Phoenix is going to be used for."

"What do you know about the Order of the Phoenix, Harry?" Mrs Weasley demanded from behind them.

Harry turned slowly as Mrs Weasley narrowed her eyes, her hands on her hips. "What do you mean, Mrs Weasley?"

"What do you know about the Order? That is secret information, young man!"

Harry nodded. "I'm aware."

Ron swallowed slowly. "Sirius trusts Harry, Mum, and he trusts us."

Mrs Weasley was turning a lovely shade of puce now. "He trusts you with war information? You are children! He should be ashamed of himself! None of you are old enough to join the Order and you should not even be aware of it!"

Harry winced. "With all due respect, Mrs Weasley, he's my father and after everything that I have been through; coming up against Voldemort again and again; what Ginny went through in the Chamber ... if anyone deserves to know, we do."

Mrs Weasley failed to agree. "That is the most irresponsible thing I have ever ... how dare he inform MY children of such things without ... he cannot!"

"Mum!" Ginny exclaimed, making Mrs Weasley's eyes snap to her. "If anyone deserves to know this, we do. We aren't children anymore."

"We stopped being children the moment that Voldemort came back," Ron said quietly, his hand reaching out to grip Hermione's. "The moment that Mione lost Viktor and Hogwarts lost Cedric."

"The moment that Tom stepped out of the diary," Ginny said quietly.

Harry's hand squeezed Ginny's wrist gently as he stared at Mrs Weasley. "Uncle Sirius and I always try to be honest with each other and he has kept things from me; things that I deserved to know … but we are informed on everything now and we will continue to be. It was me that watched him come back, Mrs Weasley. It was me who was tortured in that graveyard."

Mrs Weasley stared at him for a long moment. "If Sirius Black wants to be the kind of parent who informs his son of things that he has no business knowing, I can't stop him, but I can do something about him telling my children."

"He didn't tell them," Harry said. "I did. Uncle Siri told me that if I trusted them and felt like I could tell them than to do so. Are you saying that it was wrong of me to trust my friends?"

"No, Harry," Mrs Weasley said kindly. "Of course not!"

"That's what it sounds like to me," he said angrily. "My dads are the best men that I know, Mrs Weasley, and if I can grow up to make even half of the good decisions they make, than I've done something good in my life."

Mrs Weasley opened her mouth to comment and then promptly shut it again.

"Mum, a war is coming. Wouldn't it be better for us to be on our guard and to be prepared?" Ginny asked her.

Mrs Weasley bit back tears, shaking her head. "After Gideon and Fabian I - I don't want you in this war and I will not let Sirius Black or anyone else drag you into it!"

She stormed off and Harry tugged his mirror out. When Sirius' face came on the screen he looked sheepish as he spoke.

"So Mrs Weasley accidentally found out that we all know about well, everything and she's beyond livid at you."

Sirius winced. "I'm on my way."

The mirror went blank and Harry looked around at his friends. "Well, that went well."

Ron gulped. "I've never felt worse for Sirius in my life. I'll go track down Dad, he might be able to calm her down."

Harry nodded and jumped to his feet. "I'll come with you."

Harry and Ron hurried around to the shed where Mr Weasley could be heard whistling as he tinkered with whatever Muggle contraption he was currently playing with.

"Dad," Ron said quickly, startling his father who bumped his head on the shelf and winced.

"Bloody shelf!"

Ron grinned as his father's head lifted, his hand rubbing the back of it. "Didn't mean to startle you, Dad. Um, we wanted to tell you that Mum sort of found out that we know stuff about the Order and about You Know Who."

Mr Weasley paled slightly. "Merlin's beard! You didn't tell her that I knew, did you?"

Ron shook his head. "No."

"I called Uncle Siri though and he's on his way over to talk to her," Harry told him.

Mr Weasley nodded. "I'll go try to head her off."

Harry and Ron exchanged an amused look as Mr Weasley hurried into the Burrow to find his wife and Harry let out a slow sigh. "I feel bad for your dad."

"I feel bad for Sirius," Ron said with a grin, leaning back against the counter of the workshop. "Mate, I'm really sorry about Marauder, I know how much he meant to you."

Harry nodded. "Thanks. It … it was a shock this morning and I don't really know how I feel. I'm sad of course, but it still doesn't seem real."

"Well, if you need anything or if you want to stay here for a bit, you can."

"Thanks, Ron." He let out a slow breath and then closed the door of the shed. "I wanted to ask you something … about girls …" Ron raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Um … have you and Lavender … moved past snogging?"

The tips of Ron's ears reddened as he shrugged. "There's been some hanky-panky, sure."

Harry nodded, glancing behind him to make sure that no one else was around. "Mandy came to Corfu with us after I had healed and everything and we snogged … a lot, but the last day before we left, she er … we were still in our bathing suits, but she was rubbing herself against me and … we both … finished … and it was kind of brilliant. I mean, if it was that great with our clothes on, it makes me wonder how great it could really be, you know?"

Ron's eyes widened. "She started it?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yeah and it felt bloody amazing."

Ron grinned. "Lavender's let me kiss and touch her tits and she … used her hand a few times, but nothing like … that."

Harry grinned back at him. "I mean, I want to do more, but I still don't think I'm ready."

"Me neither," Ron admitted. "And Lavender's great but … she still calls me Won Won."

Harry snickered. "It's a very manly pet name."

"I was kissing her tits the other day and she called me pookie."

Harry snorted. "Even manlier."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Don't laugh, you git! I like her and all, but … I feel like you did with Cho, where she could literally be anyone and I wouldn't care which makes me feel like a really shitty bloke when I'm snogging her."

"Maybe you should dump her, yeah?"

Ron shrugged. "When we get back to school I think I will. Ginny told me that I can't do it in a letter."

"Probably not."

Ron's brow crinkled. "She's going to cry."

"Yup," Harry said simply as his friend sighed.

He grimaced. "Would it be wrong to let her give me a wankjob first?"

"Yes."

Ron grinned. "Thought so."

Harry laughed. "You prat."

He sighed and then he glanced out the window of the shed to where Hermione was standing with Ginny, Luna and Neville. "How do you think she's doing? It sounded like she had a brilliant time in Germany with her parents."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it did. I think that she's doing alright. I doubt she's eager to start dating again, but she's taking it one day at a time. Viktor was a really great bloke and she fell in love with him."

"She's writing to Desi, Viktor's little sister. I guess they've become pen pals of a sort."

"Good for her," Harry said quietly. "You still fancy her then?"

The tips of Ron's ears reddened. "Don't be daft."

But Harry watched the way Ron watched her and he smiled.

Time would tell.

 **Sirius Apparated to the Burrow directly after speaking with Harry.** He was only halfway up the drive when he heard the argument and he winced. He was entirely responsible for it and he felt a bit guilty at that conclusion.

Mr Weasley was staring at his wife. "Molly, you have to calm down!"

"Don't you tell me to calm down, Arthur! Our children are more informed on You Know Who's actions than we are! Our children! They are not even part of the Order!"

Sirius knocked hesitantly on the doorjamb. "Sorry to interrupt, Molly, Arthur."

Mrs Weasley glared at him. "Oh, don't you try to charm me, Sirius Black! You had no right to bring my children into this without first discussing it with me!"

"Well, technically Harry brought them in - "

" - Don't you dare throw that sweet boy off the broomstick! You told him! You told that child things that no rational adult should even know! You are the most irresponsible parent, Sirius Black! I love that child as if he were my own and for you to - he's not your friend, Sirius, he's not James Potter!"

Sirius cleared his throat, his voice rising as he glared at her. "I am aware of exactly who he is, Molly. Maybe I'm not perfect, but Merlin knows you and Arthur aren't either. Name me one perfect parent who hasn't made mistakes. I never expected to be given the task of raising him. I expected to be the fun godfather who let him get away with all of the stuff that James and Lily wouldn't let him do. I wanted to be his friend and confidant and I think that despite me taking on the role of his father, I think I still managed to be the fun godfather and friend that I wanted to be."

"You remember how he was as a child; terrified to be touched, to be yelled at? He fucking exploded your windows out of your kitchen when Arthur touched his shoulder. He is the most resilient and the most caring person that I have ever met in my entire life. He has his mother's heart and his father's great capacity to love. I have done my best by him and maybe it's not the best by your standards, but it's worked for us. For the three of us. Remus, Harry, and I are a family, Molly, and when Harry was a child, we wrote our family rules together. Number nine: we don't lie to each other. Now there are somethings that I admit, I have lied to him about in order to protect him. Every time I lied to him it was like there was this sour taste in my mouth, bitter and wrong. We're a team, Harry and I, and if I have to tell him every single tidbit of information that I learn on the mad man who murdered his parents and wants to kill him, I will do it!"

Mrs Weasley let out a huff of breath. "Sirius, of course I don't think that you're a bad parent, I just … I lost my brothers in the war and they were my world growing up. I loved those boys more than life and the thought of losing anyone … you are a wonderful father. I'm sorry for saying otherwise. It was wrong of me. You and Remus are everything to that boy and I know Zahira has come to be an important part of Harry's life as well. But you are giving them too much information. They are children, not adults!"

"Molly, he's fifteen years old. He's not a child. And he's faced Voldemort four times in one way or another. He just watched his rebirth in June and was tortured by him, duelled him and escaped near death. He has more of a right than anybody. As much as I want to put him in a protective bubble and baby him, he's not a child anymore! And if he looks to his friends, who he knows will support him, especially the girl who he rescued from Voldemort, how can I fault him for that?"

Mrs Weasley huffed and then promptly burst into tears.

Mr Weasley pulled her close. "Hush, Molly, it's okay."

Mrs Weasley waved her hand and shook her head. "It's just ... that poor sweet boy! Being forced to grow up like that! Watching that foul evil man come back …!"

"I don't like it anymore than you do, Molly, but I like to think that if I have an honest and open relationship with my son he won't go off and do something too stupid without at least talking to me about it first."

Mr Weasley chuckled. "That's actually good logic."

Sirius grinned sheepishly at Mr Weasley. "Look, he knows the drill. Until he's seventeen, he isn't going on missions or doing anything dangerous without my consent. He is helping me with something as is Bill, Arthur already knows what that is; a sensitive matter involving his knowledge on curse breaking."

Mrs Weasley glared at him. "So my eldest son along with my two youngest children and my husband are more informed than I am? Have you all just been playing me the fool?"

"No," Sirius said. "We kept it on a need-to-know and frankly, Molly, not to be rude, but you didn't need to know. Why should we burden you with it when it wasn't necessary?"

Mrs Weasley huffed. "Well, I certainly need to know now!"

Sirius let out a slow sigh. He agreed with that, but for now the Horcruxes were staying strictly amongst the members of FUVP along with Harry and his friends. But it was time that the Weasleys were made aware of everything else, including the prophecy.

"On that I agree. Molly, would you mind putting on a pot of tea? We have a lot to discuss."

Mr Weasley took a seat at the kitchen table, taking his glasses off to clean them. "Yes, yes, I think we do."

 **Seamus flashed his visitor's badge to the guard at the front of the camp and he was immediately let through.** Having Will at this Herbology summer program was the greatest thing in his opinion since it was barely a thirty minute walk from his home and he was making time to see his boyfriend almost on a weekly basis. Neville had taken a day pass to go to Ginny's birthday and Will had invited Seamus to come spend the afternoon with him for what would be the last time until they returned to school.

He couldn't believe that he had already been dating Will Matthews for over a year.

He spotted his boyfriend's curly brown hair and he picked up his pace, laughing when Will hugged him tightly.

"You just saw me less than two weeks ago!"

Will shrugged and lowered his head to bury his face in Seamus' shoulder. "Don't care. Missed you."

They hugged for a long moment before Will grabbed his hand and tugged him along the edge of the wood. They walked for almost ten minutes until they were near a large greenhouse full of colourful plants and Will pulled him along the back, leaning back against the glass of the house before he pulled Seamus forward and kissed him deeply. Seamus sighed, leaning into his boyfriend against the glass wall as they kissed.

"What's wrong?" Seamus asked him, cupping Will's cheeks as he looked up into his boyfriend's green eyes.

"Nothing. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid if it's bothering you," Seamus said simply.

Will sighed and wrapped his arms around Seamus again, cuddling him close. "One of the blokes in my dorm spray-painted 'Poofter' over my bed and then when I called him out on it, he apologized and told me that he was just hoping I'd give him a free blow job because, and I quote, 'gays do it better.'"

Seamus frowned. "What an arse!"

"And then some," Will admitted. "I'm just annoyed."

"What did he say when you refused to blow him?"

Will grinned. "I didn't refuse per say, I simply told him that he's right, I do give great blow jobs and that he just had to ask my boyfriend."

Seamus chuckled. "You are the best, but also my only realm of experience so I can't really be sure one hundred percent, now can I?"

Will kissed the corners of his mouth. "Yes, you can; trust me."

Will's lips trailed down his neck, nibbling at his ear, sucking the lobe before he nipped at Seamus' mouth. And then he was sliding down to his knees and Seamus froze.

"Will," he hissed. "It's daylight! Anyone could see!"

Will only unzipped Seamus' jeans and pulled out his boyfriend's growing erection. "They'll see you standing in front of the greenhouse and nothing more," he assured him before he leaned in and licked his balls.

Seamus groaned, his eyes moving down to watch his boyfriend's mouth suck his sacs into his mouth. "Oh, fuck."

Will grinned, his hand moving around to cup Seamus' warm growing erection in his fingers as his mouth sucked below. He slowly sucked the balls, licking his way across them and over to the underside of Seamus' shaft and Seamus' head fell back in pleasure as Will's hands both got busy. Seamus gripped his boyfriend's mop of curly hair, grunting with every pull and tug.

"Fuck … I'm close … babe, I'm so close …"

Will smiled and kept moving his hand back and forth, touching his boyfriend the way he knew he liked and then Seamus was groaning and coming. Will licked him and then used a quick cleaning charm on them both as he stood up, tucking his boyfriend back into his pants and kissing his lips.

"Told you I missed you."

Seamus grinned and stood on his toes to meet Will's lips. "I'll have to repay the favour and those were mostly your hands, Will, not your mouth."

Will smirked. "I'm good with those too." They heard sounds from nearby so Will nipped at his neck. "Baggage claim, Hogwarts Express … I want you to ride me."

Seamus flushed, but he nodded.

Will kissed him again. "Come on; I'll show you all the exciting things that I've been learning about Herbology."

Seamus simply grinned, his fingers linking through Will's as he followed him around the greenhouse, a huge satisfied smile on his face.

 **After filling the Weasleys in, Sirius felt a bit better, but he knew that Molly was still incredibly unimpressed with him.** The woman had the biggest heart of anyone and he knew that she was worried and scared and that she deeply cared for Harry as much as her own children. He was grateful for that, but also a bit annoyed that she still had deemed him an irresponsible parent for filling Harry in on so much of the so-called war information.

He had found Harry out by the swimming hole with his friends and he smirked when he saw his son's eyes on Ginny, who was dressed in a turquoise bikini showcasing her own summer tan. His son's denial was rather adorable and quite frankly had Evans stamped all over it.

"Harry!"

Harry turned and swam to the shore. "How'd it go?"

"Better than expected. You about ready to head out?"

He nodded and grabbed his towel. "Yeah, I want to get it done."

"Me too," Sirius admitted.

They said goodbye and Sirius took his arm, grinning. "Why don't you side Apparate me this time? Get some practice in?"

Harry grinned widely and did just that as they landed inside the entrance way to Number Twelve.

"All your parts still intact?" Sirius asked him.

Harry rolled his eyes but they both did a check for good measure. "All good."

Kreacher immediately came to greet them. "Master Sirius! Master Harry! You've returned! How was Greece?"

"Greece was wonderful, Kreacher. A much needed vacation, thank you. Did you lock up the cigar box like I asked?"

Kreacher nodded, his eyes wide. "Of course, Master Sirius. It's right in the study, sir. Are you wanting any food or beverages?"

"Not at the moment, Kreacher, thank you," Sirius told him as he and Harry headed down the hall to the study just as Remus Apparated into the entrance hall.

"Oh, good, I was worried I was running late."

"No," Sirius told him with a grin. "Not late. We're a bit behind ourselves. I filled Arthur and Molly in."

"Everything except FUVP?"

"Yes. She cried when I mentioned the prophecy."

Harry frowned. "You don't qualify that as FUVP?"

"The Horcruxes are between us and I think that the less people who are kept informed of them means the less chance of Voldemort finding out," Remus said. "But the prophecy helps explain why Voldemort is after you and helps them understand why we have kept you informed. The Weasleys will be helping us try to track Voldemort and his Death Eaters so it makes sense that they both know about the prophecy."

"They might not have to do as much if Amelia gets this Phoenix Initiative off the ground," Sirius said.

Remus nodded. "Have you any idea on how that's been going?"

Sirius shook his head. "Only what we already know. I'll find out tomorrow at the Wizengamot."

He slapped his hands together as he led them through the blood wards and into the study. He moved to the safe immediately and unlocked it, carefully pulling the ornate cigar box from the safe-box. He placed it on the desk in the middle of the room before he pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the safe, lying it next to the box.

Harry stared at it, letting out a slow breath. "It's really in there?"

Remus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's really in there. I think that you know why it should be you who takes care of this one?"

Harry nodded and picked up the sword, his eyes on the ugly box. Sirius moved everything off the desk.

"Since we trapped it into the box, I don't believe that we will have to open it. I think you should just be able to break it with the sword," Sirius said carefully.

Harry nodded again, clutching the sword tightly in his hands. He positioned the tip over the box and let out a slow breath and pushed. The sword tore through the gold and onyx like paper and into the blackness, rising around the sword like a swarm of angry bees, buzzing and hissing. He pushed harder and a foul high-pitched scream seemed to slice through the air before the blackness disintegrated into nothing and the cigar box almost melted into the desk.

Remus squeezed his son's shoulder, tugging him back against him. "Great work, Harry."

"That one didn't put up much of a fight," Harry said, his eyes moving to where Sirius was using a spell to scrape the remains of the box off the desk.

Sirius snorted. "Not much of a fight? It stopped your bloody heart!"

Harry grinned. "I meant, now."

Remus nodded. "Well, this time it wasn't trapped by the Horcrux spell, but trapped by us and we already did the hard work extracting it from your head. This time, we just had to crush it."

"Another one bites the dust then," Harry said as his fathers grinned at him.

Remus dropped a kiss to the top of his son's head. "Two to go."

"How are we ever going to get our hands on that snake?" Harry asked them.

Sirius sighed. "After we find and destroy the diadem, we'll figure that out. Until then, I don't want you to worry about that. One step at a time, Harry."

Harry nodded and let out a slow breath and moved to the board on the wall, using his wand to cross off another one on the list.

 **FUVP Hit List:**

1\. DIARY (found in Chamber of Secrets through vault of Abraxas Malfoy; destroyed by Harry Potter) ✓

2\. LOCKET OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found in seaside cave; destroyed by Sirius Black) ✓

3\. SIGNET RING OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found on Gaunt abandoned property; destroyed by Sirius Black) ✓

4\. CUP OF HELGA HUFFLEPUFF (found in vault of Bellatrix Lestrange; destroyed by Harry Potter) ✓

5\. HARRY POTTER (accidentally put into the scar on his forehead; moved to cigar box; destroyed by Harry Potter) ✓

6\. DIADEM OF RAVENCLAW (believed to be hidden in Hogwarts)

7\. NAGINI

8\. VOLDEMORT HIMSELF

"Three more if we count Voldemort," he said, his eyes on Remus.

"Voldemort is going to be much harder to kill than any Horcrux," Remus told him. "Two to go and then we can worry about tackling him. Like Sirius said, one step at a time."

He nodded. "Can we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow for my school supplies?"

"Sirius has the short Tuesday Wizengamot session in preparation for Thursday, but I'll take you tomorrow morning. I have a few last minute wedding things to take care of before Saturday."

Harry beamed at Remus. "Sounds great."

 **Dean plopped himself down into the chair in Seamus' bedroom.** He was staying with his friend for the week, but Seamus had run off to spend the afternoon with Will. He had invited Dean along, but Dean knew that he wanted some alone time with his boyfriend so he had claimed to have plans in the village.

His plans had involved joining a group of Muggles for a bite in the local pub. They had been fun, especially the brunette who he had ended up snogging in the booth for over thirty minutes.

But that wasn't what was bothering him.

It was what had happened in the bathroom.

Dean had left his new friends to use the loo. He rested one hand on the wall as his right hand aimed his cock, whistling as he pissed. He had just finished zipping himself back up when he heard the low groan. He'd found himself moving to the stall to snoop before he could stop himself. He stood on the toilet and peaked over the edge, eyes widening at the two men coupling there. His eyes had stayed on them, watching as the blond man pinned his partner's hands up against the wall of the stall before he had lowered the brunette onto his cock.

"Deeper," the brunette moaned. "Fuck me harder."

The blond seemingly obliged and the wall Dean was leaning over vibrated from the motions of their movement. Embarrassed, he had hopped down and hurried out, heading back to the Finnigan house quickly. Seamus' parents were both gone so he had hurried into Seamus' bedroom, appalled by the fact that he had an erection.

And when he touched himself, he had imagined lowering someone down onto his own cock, riding them hard and deep against a wall and when he came, it was Seamus' name that erupted from his lips.

He cleaned himself up in embarrassment as he remembered his last conversation with his ex-girlfriend.

 _"Dean, I don't think that we should be together any more," Parvati told him, her eyes sad._

 _Dean reached for her hands, tugging her into his lap. "Vat, you don't mean that, love. We're great together."_

 _Parvati leaned in and kissed him softly. "You are a sweet bloke and I'm glad that you were my first. Making love with you these past few months, kissing you and enjoying you has been wonderful."_

 _"More than," he told her. "You're perfect."_

 _"I know that you like me, but we both know that you are imagining being with someone else when I touch you."_

 _Dean flushed. "What? What are you on about?"_

 _Parvati stared at him. "When I touched you the other day, Dean, when you came … you said Seamus' name."_

 _"No!" He protested. "That was … it's because I saw him through the window, that had nothing to do with me … and …"_

 _She smiled sadly. "There's nothing wrong with being attracted to blokes, Dean. I'm not mad that you're gay."_

 _"I'm not bloody gay! If I was gay I wouldn't be looking to shag you at every opportunity!" Dean exploded._

 _She smiled again. "Maybe, maybe not, but we both know that you really want Seamus to be the one getting you off and not me."_

 _"You don't know what you're talking about!" Dean said angrily, his eyes flashing. "If you want to break up with me that's fine, but don't use some bullshit excuse like that! Seam and I are friends and I'm not attracted to him or to any bloke!"_

 _"Goodbye, Dean. I hope that you figure out what you're looking for."_

 _"I'm not bloody attracted to blokes!"_

 _Parvati only gave him a small smile and then gently kissed his cheek. "Goodbye."_

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about their breakup over the last seven months. She was wrong. He liked women. He really liked women and he was going to show her exactly what she was missing out on when he returned to Hogwarts. He was going to date so many girls that it would blow her mind, he thought.

He looked up when Seamus' bedroom door opened, interrupting his thoughts and he grinned at his friend. "How's Will?"

"Good," Seamus said. "He told me loads of stuff about plants and soil that went right over my head. He and Neville seem to be having a great time. We caught up for a bit when Neville came back from the Weasleys."

Dean nodded, stretching his long legs out from the swivel chair he was sitting in. "I just got back myself about twenty minutes ago. I met some Muggles down at the pub."

"Meet anyone exciting?"

Dean shrugged. "Snogged a brunette."

Seamus grinned. "Good for you, I guess. There hasn't been anyone you've been interested in since Vat?"

He shrugged again. "Who knows what will happen when school starts up again. I've been thinking about maybe even trying out for the Quidditch team this year. They're going to need a Keeper with Wood gone."

"Are you any good at Keeping?" Seamus asked curiously. "I've never even seen you play Quidditch?"

"Dunno, if I'm honest," Dean admitted. "But I'm a fair goalie at football and it's relatively the same thing. I'm just thinking about it anyway."

Seamus nodded. "Want to go have a game of football in the yard then; get a little practice in?"

"Sure, why not," Dean said, standing up and stretching his arms up over his head.

Seamus nodded and moved to pull his shirt off. "I'm just going to change then."

He turned and Dean's eyes fell on the lean muscles of his friend's pale back; milky white skin with a smattering of brown freckles. Seamus bent down to open the bottom drawer of his cabinet and Dean's eyes moved over his friend's bum, the soft lines, the roundness of it and his cock twitched slightly.

He did not like blokes, he told himself vehemently and rubbed a hand over his twitching cock in an attempt to calm it. He jumped to his feet quickly.

"Come on, Seam; I'll kick your butt on the football field."

Seamus laughed, tugging an old tee shirt over his head. "You're on!"

 **Harry had trouble sleeping that night.** He missed the feeling of having Marauder lying at the end of his bed. He tossed and turned for over an hour until he heard movement at his bedroom door. He frowned and headed over to open it and he smiled at the sight of Lady Godiva. She nuzzled his hip with her head before she prowled into the room, hopped up onto his bed and stretched out across the end, yawning hugely. Her large yellow eyes were staring at him as if she was waiting for him to get back into bed.

Harry smiled gratefully at her as he climbed back into his bed and gently rubbed her behind the ears. "You're a good kitty. Do you miss Marauder too, Lady G?"

Lady Godiva merely licked his hand and then rested her head on her paws.

Harry stretched out, the warmth of the panther at his feet making him sigh in contentment. It wasn't the same. She wasn't cuddly and fun-loving like his dog had been, but she was watching out for him and he appreciated that fact.

He still had trouble sleeping and he woke almost every hour, staring at the clock and wondering what it was that was keeping him up. Finally at four, he just got up for the day. He urged Lady Godiva to come with him as he snuck down to the Sidmouth Town Beach and jogged along the shore until his heart was pounding and he was slightly out of breath. The panther followed him back to Black Cottage and he did twenty push-ups and sit-ups before heading up to take a shower.

It was still only a little past seven, but Harry made himself scrambled eggs and a toasted tomato sandwich before heading out to the treehouse. The morning sun shone down on him as he stretched out on the top of the pirate ship with a notebook and a pencil as he started to work out some Quidditch plays along with a workout and practice routine ideas for the team.

Remus found him up there just after nine and he took a seat on the floor of the ship, leaning his back against the captain's wheel. "Sirius said that you've been brooding up here."

He shrugged. "Not brooding; just keeping busy."

Remus nodded. "Sirius and Zee headed to the Ministry already. Zee said that Lady Godiva didn't want to go with her today."

Harry smiled at the panther who was stretched out on the edge of the deck of the ship, her eyes closed as she bathed in the morning sun. "I think that she's keeping tabs on me. She even slept on the end of my bed last night."

"Maybe she misses him too."

He nodded. "It feels strange not having him around, Uncle Moony."

Remus smiled at him. "I know. Maybe today when we go shopping we can look at some new puppies, if you're ready."

Harry shook his head. "No! I can't just … replace him!"

"I didn't say that," Remus said kindly. "Getting a new puppy would not be replacing Marauder in any way. But we won't talk about it again. When you're ready, you'll know."

He swallowed slowly and nodded. "Can we head to Diagon Alley now?"

"I'm ready when you are," Remus said.

Harry closed the notebook and tucked it under his arm. "Let's go."

 **Harry and Remus stepped into Diagon Alley later on that day to take care of his school shopping.** It didn't take them long to find the books that he needed or to punch up his supplies before Remus brought him into Ollivander's for a second wand, which made him feel a little nervous at the thought of doing so.

"I like my wand, Uncle Rem."

"As you should," Remus told him with a smile. "I don't want you to not use your wand, Harry. I just … I want you to have another wand that works for you just in case."

"If our wands connect again you mean?"

He nodded. "It doesn't hurt to have a backup wand, does it?"

Harry swallowed slowly and reluctantly agreed. Mr Ollivander was thrilled to see him and immediately started to check out his wand before searching the store for an alternative. It took him over half an hour to find out, but he finally found a wand that felt comfortable in his hand.

It was twelve inches long and made of hawthorn wood with both a unicorn hair and a dragon heartstring entwined together. He performed a simple spell to make flowers bloom from the floor of the shop, but the power of the spell caused flowers to erupt everywhere in the shop as if they were suddenly standing in a forest and it made Ollivander clap in excitement.

"Bravo, Mr Potter! I think that you've found your second wand."

Harry thanked him and they paid for it before he placed the wand box in his shopping bag. Remus urged him to wear it in his holster next to his regular wand, clipping it into place just behind so that no one would know he had it except him.

"Does that feel okay?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it feels great."

Remus smiled. "I want you to learn each spell this year with both wands until you're completely comfortable with both of them, alright?"

"I promise."

Remus grinned at him and they headed into _Madam Malkins._ Harry let Madam Malkin measure him for a new uniform before they headed into Muggle London and he was fitted for the black tuxedo that he would be wearing on Saturday.

They stopped at a pub for lunch and Harry grinned at his father. "Are you getting nervous?"

Remus smiled at him as he dug into his ham sandwich. "Actually no, which surprises me. I thought that I would be, but … she is who I want and I know that marrying her is the best decision that I could ever make."

Harry grinned. "Good. Tonks is the best so you have to take care of her."

Remus smiled. "Are you warning me against hurting her?"

He shrugged. "I love you both, Uncle Moony, but she's basically my sister so I have to watch out for her."

Remus chuckled. "Yes, you do. I promise to take care of her, Harry. We're going to take care of each other."

"I'm glad," Harry said, leaning back in his chair as he munched on a chip. "So what exactly do I have to do on Saturday anyway?"

Remus smiled. "Just stand up there next to me and make sure that Sirius doesn't lose or forget our rings."

He laughed. "Are you sure that you wouldn't rather I hold onto them then?"

Remus smirked in amusement. "Don't tempt me."

He grinned. "Is everything all done then?"

"Almost," Remus told him. "We're going to go pick up the rings when we leave here and you can give them to Sirius. He is getting fitted for his tux later today. Charlie sent his measurements so he should be good. We just can't decide on a song for Dora to walk down the aisle to. She says that everything is too traditional and boring and she's right. We need something that's just us."

Harry nodded, his brow crinkled. "I'm sure that you'll think of something."

"I'm sure that we will," Remus said with a smile. "We're going to go through her albums tonight and if necessary, Sirius' collection."

"That will take you forever!"

Remus chuckled. "We still have a few days. I'm not worried."

Harry grinned at him and he knew that whether they found the perfect song or not, he and Tonks were going to be incredibly happy together.

 **When Sirius returned to the Ministry of Magic, he headed straight for the Wizengamot.** Augusta Longbottom smiled at him when he sat down.

"Someone is sporting a tan. Did you enjoy your holiday?"

"I did. Harry and I both needed it. What did I miss here? Is Bones still working on the Phoenix Initiative?"

Augusta nodded. "She is and we've been working on some new educational programs. Umbridge has actually been assisting with it. Apparently she loves the idea of offering a multicultural class and wants to help Delta Carthaginian run it for the students at Hogwarts while providing guest speakers to the younger classes on why being knowledgable and having international magical cooperation is important."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like her at all."

"Let me clarify. IMC for witches and wizards _only_. Bones did remove her from the Minister's Cabinet once she was elected Minister, but she has been transferred to the Department of Magical Education as that is where her expertise lies, at least in theory."

Sirius nodded. "Hmm, we'll see about that."

"I agree. Since her discretions happened under Fudge, Bones says that she has to give her a chance to prove herself, but frankly I think Amelia is just waiting for her to screw the pooch so she can send her out on her arse."

"Augusta! Such shocking language."

She rolled her eyes and ignored him. "We will see what happens. In the meantime she is out of Amelia's hair and since she was only part of the Wizengamot because she sat on Fudge's cabinet, out of our hair."

Sirius grinned. "That is something anyway. Though I can only imagine what kind of trouble she's going to get into in the education department. And you forgot that with her involvement in the education department, that does mean we will still have to deal with her antics when we sit on the Board of Governors."

Augusta nodded. "Then when she's canned, I'll pop some champagne."

Sirius laughed. "I'll buy it for you."

"Good man," she said with a smile. "Now, about the Board of Governors, we need to discuss recruiting some new members since a few of our number have been arrested."

Sirius frowned. "We can bring it up at the meeting today. I want to hear what Madam Bones has been doing first."

Augusta smiled. "Let's get started then."

 **When Remus got home later that evening, he heard music playing and he grinned at the sight of his mate sitting cross-legged on the floor in an over-sized Ramones tee-shirt and a pair of his boxer shorts.** Records were spread out around her and she was looking at the backs of them intently, her brow crinkled.

He kicked off his shoes and knelt behind her, nuzzling her neck, wrapping his arms around her.

"Are you wearing my boxers?"

She turned and grinned at him. "All of my knickers are dirty and I didn't want to do laundry."

Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "I love you."

Tonks turned in his arms, kissing him softly. "I love you too."

He fiddled with the hem of her tee shirt, his eyes on the emblem of the band. "You saw them in concert, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Dad loves them. He took Mum and I when I was fourteen or fifteen. This used to be his shirt, but I stole it."

"You like the Ramones?"

"Love them," she said with a grin. "Blitzkrieg Bop is one of my favourites as you very well know. Not to mention Joey Ramone's cover of 'What a Wonderful World'; classic."

Remus was grinning at her. "I have to agree. I always loved 'I Wanna Be Sedated,'" he said before he kissed her again. "And they covered our perfect song."

Tonks' eyebrow lifted. "They did?"

Remus dug around until he found the album _End of the Century_ and quickly placed it on the turntable. When the beat started, he grinned widely at her and softly sang in her ear. " _Have I ever told you? How good it feels to hold you?_ "

Tonks kissed him deeply, interrupting his singing and breaking the kiss as the chorus began.

"What do you think, Nymphadora?"

"I think it's as perfect as you are," she said, sliding into his lap to kiss him again. "This is our song, Remus, and I can't wait to marry you on Saturday."

He grinned against her mouth, kissing her softly and slowly, lingering and deeply, his hands on her back holding her in place and he knew; this was perfect. He leaned back against the arm of the sofa, tugging her more firmly into his lap as the Ramones played on the record player and her lips met his.

Spending an evening snogging his mate sounded like the best thing that he could think to be doing with his time. Especially because in three days time, she would be his wife.

And he had never wanted anything more.


	186. Chapter 186

_Author's Note:_

 _BSB was the greatest night ever! They rock and are still awesome and even though I've sadly moved past the stage where I dreamed of marrying a Backstreet Boy (mostly) it was an incredible show. To DovahStark, yes, Harry will tell Hermione but I felt it should be a more private moment between the two of them. Hinny is coming. I know it seems like forever from now, but it is, I promise. It will happen sooner than it did it in the books, MUCH sooner! We are only starting year five remember. As for Dean, it's not being gay that freaks him out so much as to the fact that he only seems to be feeling gay for Seamus, his best friend, which is what is worrying him and why he is so adamantly denying it. To Moony the Sheep, I love Downton Abbey so I will very much take that compliment. I am doing my best to keep a balance on everything even though the story is getting darker the older Harry gets. I still want to keep a little fun and love and romance and smut when I can._

 _To purplevictory, give Harry some time to come to those thoughts himself. As much as he may want to talk to his dads, he is fifteen, and like most teenagers, the thought is mortifying. My plans for Umbridge, such a difficult way to explain it. I hope you enjoy my changes there. I wanted Mrs Weasley and Sirius to have a blowout mainly because most of her family is very involved in what is happening and she was clearly left in the dark. It is harsh what she says and I know she didn't believe it, but she's worried, she's panicking, and she's remembering losing her brothers in the war and she overreacts. She apologizes and Sirius understands where she is coming from. So does her husband. But I think the moment very much needed to happen. To supersandman86, for sure McGonagall is beyond proud, you know she's going to use that to her advantage! To Zee Goddess - the name makes me ridiculous happy (obviously) what a lovely review and thank you very much for your kind words. To coloredwords, I completely agree and I do explore that a little later on. To jmcglynn522, twatnugget's club literally made snort coca-cola out of my nose so thanks for that. LOL_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics, this version is covered by the Ramones._

 _Thank you Steel for coming up with the name of CBC. Much appreciated - it is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe for her hard work on this chapter and for the edits provided on 185, which I have gone back and fixed._

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

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 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SIX:**

 **When Sirius left the Ministry that evening, he felt like things were working out and that the Ministry of Magic was finally taking some form of step in the right direction.** Amelia Bones was turning out to be the absolute best choice that the Ministry could make. She was trying to prepare the Ministry against the potential onslaught from Voldemort and Sirius thought that she was doing a bang-up job of it.

Bones loved the idea of the Phoenix Initiative. She had formed a new cabinet within her government called the CBC. The goal of the CBC was to work together to build the Phoenix Initiative Project into an actual bill to be formally passed by the Wizengamot and put into immediate action. After the initial discussion in the Wizengamot that had resulted in Fudge's impeachment and Bones' election, the next few weeks had been spent forming the new cabinet by Bones and the new potential allies.

Bones had called forth Dumbledore and Zee to assist in putting the cabinet together since they had assisted in bringing forth the potential allies. Dumbledore brought in Katherine Thomas from the Magical Law Office and Jericho Jones, a fellow member of the ICW. Zee had urged Walter Barrow, the Head of the Beast Division from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, to help out. Adrian and Echo invited Rune and Daimon, the four pack leaders of the United Kingdom to sit on the cabinet. William Clovenfield agreed to sit as part of the VCE along with the vice-president of the confederacy, Alice Langdon. The half-Veela witch, Colleen Sanders, agreed to sit on the cabinet on behalf of the Veela population of the United Kingdom. Zee convinced King Taliesan of the fae to join the cabinet, and with him came Brigit, the Mage of the Court of the Fae and a known scholar of fae history. This put the cabinet at fifteen members to discuss and vote on how to proceed with the new project.

The first matter of business was discussing a name. Everyone unanimously agreed that PIP, Phoenix Initiative Project, wasn't appropriate when they were only the cabinet to begin discussing the project and not the project itself. After almost forty minutes of discussion, it was Brigit who offered the name that everyone had loved: the Crann Bethadh Cabinet, shortened to CBC.

The name itself meant tree of life and as Brigit had explained, they were each a root in the tree that connected to the greater good of the world, which was symbolized as the trunk, and it was their duty to work together and to branch out from the trunk to come together for one bright new future. Bones had beamed at the Court Mage and nodded.

That was exactly what they wanted to do with this new world order.

And the CBC immediately got to work.

There were four main components to the potential project that the CBC would be outlining: education, the Wizengamot, the sub-government, and a war council. Education was one of the most important as it was one of the key components for the allies agreeing to assist, and the one that they had already stepped up for September. Every British Magical Citizen would have the right to obtain a magical education no matter what being or beast they had previously been classified as. If they had the ability to perform magic, they would be given the opportunity to learn how to use it.

The problem was implementing something like this as it had never been done before in the United Kingdom, or really to this extent, anywhere else in the world. Hogwarts was going to be open to all new students this year. There were only five new students who would be attending that were technically qualified as beings: three of them wolves, one vampire and two half-fae. All five of the new students had only just turned eleven and would be attending as first years. Everyone was completely unsure on if they even wanted their children to attend the school as it was a big change to their own societies as well. Bones wanted this transition to be easy on the students and their families as well as everyone else and not everyone agreed with the idea.

Depending on how it all worked out; older students could possibly also be starting, but that was something to discuss in the future once a more established plan could be set up.

The wolf pack leaders main concerns at the moment were getting the students somewhere safe to transform during the full moon, especially considering the fact that the Wolf Packs did not agree with the idea of drinking the Wolfsbane Potion. After speaking with Remus about how it dulled the senses and kept them rather docile, the wolves were even more against the idea. Being a wolf was part of who they were; the danger and the ability to track and hunt was part of it. They refused to do anything that would render them as losing part of that ability.

Adrian had volunteered for Remus to be the werewolf representative at Hogwarts. To be the support the students may need if they had any questions or any problems. Everyone agreed that this was a good idea, but they needed to counter it for the other students. It was decided that a representative from the Education Department would work as a counsellor in the school for any and all students to go to, no matter their background or being status.

The other big question was about wand magic. Brigit, the Mage of the Court of the Fae, taught children how to use their magic where as witches and wizards were taught how to use it and control it through their wands. Brigit wanted to know why witches and wizards were not taught how to harness their magic without the use of a wand. The question wasn't about the wand itself, but about learning to control the magic. It was decided that a new class would be introduced for sixth and seventh years to learn how to control their magic both with and without their wands. It was deemed a class for older students only, who had already passed their OWLs and were capable of taking the next step of their magical education.

The class on "Wandless Magic" would be paired with the second new class being added to the curriculum for fifth through seventh year students. It was a mandatory class they were calling "International Magical Relations" which would provide each student in the class a chance to learn about international relations, magical cultures and traditions from all over the world and a chance to learn up to three new languages, one each year. It would be taught by both Carthaginian and Babbling and would have guest speakers to assist when needed.

It was still very much a work in progress, but Sirius felt like they were on the right track to some big, positive changes that were going to really change how the magical world worked.

Bones had then called for a vote to expand the Wizengamot from its minimum of fifty-three seats to seventy-three, making available seats for the wolves, the vampires, and the fae with a few extra for any other wizarding families who wanted to claim a seat in the governmental assembly. This meant that the Wizengamot, which in its full capacity had previously held 211 seats in the House of Lords and Ladies, needing only 37 members present to pass legislation, and the Common Wizengamot Members which had previously held 188 seats, needing only 29 members present to pass legislation, were both now increased to accommodate new potential members. With the increased numbers, the full Wizengamot session would hold 475 members, as opposed to the previous 399, adding seventy-six new seats for new allies and new blood to join the governmental assembly. This was something that hadn't been changed since the Ministry of Magic was formed in 1707.

The issue of sub-government would also be added to the bill once they had debated the merits. Bones was completely on board with each sect governing themselves as long as they were willing to follow the laws and the governing sector of the Ministry of Magic. They were still to be detained under Ministry laws if any law was broken and would follow Ministry standards in their daily lives. Clovenfield and Langdon agreed that the Vampire Confederacy of Europe would be happy to do so as long as they were able to deal with rogues as they saw fit before turning them over to the Ministry. The wolves and fae had each demanded the same. The promise to break down the particulars was going to be in the next meeting and Bones asked each leader to bring in their own laws to discuss openly at the table.

The last part of the project was the idea of forming a War Council. Sirius and Dumbledore had both agreed to co-head that part of the project since they were already basically running their own war council in the background, not that they had admitted to such publicly of course. The idea was that the War Council would help keep track of the Death Eaters and potential Voldemort movement by forming coalitions among their allies including not only the wolves, the vampires and the fae, but potential coalitions from the Merpeople, from the elves, from the goblins, and from the international Ministries willing to help along with their own Auror Squads. The War Council could then call upon the designated coalitions as needed when Voldemort ultimately brought the battle forward. They needed soldiers ready on the front; people willing to fight and they needed to be organized and ready when the time came.

The educational reforms were being tentatively signed for a one year trial. The rest of the project would be discussed and organized over the next month with plans to be finalized and ready to be voted upon by no later than mid September for the test trial. Sirius felt like the Ministry was finally taking a step in the right direction and he was proud to be part of it.

He adjusted the garment bag on his shoulder that contained his tux for Saturday as he stepped into Black Cottage and grinned when he saw Harry and Zee lounging on the sofa watching a movie. Lady Godiva was stretched out on the floor in front of them.

"Hey," he said, draping the garment bag over the bannister and kicking off his combat boots. He plopped down next to them and nodded at the television. "What'cha watching?"

" _Grumpy Old Men,_ " Harry supplied. "It's pretty funny."

"How'd it go today?" Zee asked, urging Harry to stop the movie.

Sirius shrugged. "Pretty well. They've really taken this whole project to the next level." He filled them in on what had happened and Harry frowned.

"Soldiers?"

Sirius nodded. "Dumbledore and I are working out the kinks to the idea. But we need people willing to fight when the time comes. The more people we have ready to stand against Voldemort, the better our chances will be when that moment inevitably arrives. We still need to organize it and form a semblance of a plan, not to mention figure out how we will implement this into action, but it's a great start."

"The CBC table discussions are quite fun," Zee admitted. "Yaxley isn't too pleased with me being involved with them and he claims that it's taking me away from my job, but Bones overruled him. I think Barrow and I will be able to help make some real change in our department later on because of the table discussions happening now. I'm glad that the Wizengamot will be voting on the bill once we've written it."

"Me too, it makes it more official and it is a positive change for the Ministry," Sirius told them. He grinned at Harry. "You and Uncle Moony get all of your school supplies?"

"Yes, and a back-up wand."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Good. He said that he was going to urge you to do so. What is it?"

"Twelve inches, made of hawthorne and it has a dual core of a unicorn hair and a dragon heartstring. Mr Ollivander said that it's powerful and precise and it works great, but I like my old wand more."

Sirius smiled. "That's alright. It's just a back-up wand. You just have to be comfortable with it in case you ever need it."

Harry nodded. "I will be. We also got some new uniforms as my pants were too short again and my shirts were too tight in the shoulders. I'm all set."

"Good," Sirius said, kissing Harry's forehead. "We have the wedding on Saturday and then almost two weeks left to enjoy of summer before you head back to school. Anything particular you want to do?"

Harry grinned widely. "Get my motorcycle license?"

Sirius smirked. "Have to be at least sixteen for that, Prongslet. But, if you're up for it … we'll take a little bike ride. You can even drive the Ducati."

Harry beamed at him in response.

 **Tonks stared at herself in the mirror of her childhood bedroom, her eyes glancing at the clock that told her it was almost five thirty that evening.** At six, she would be standing across from the man she loved and saying, 'I do' and she couldn't wait for it.

She looked at herself in the mirror again, grinning widely. She had decided on a slim fitting strapless dress in ivory-silver satin. It had a high slit on the left and the dress laced up in the back like a corset with hot pink laces that tied in a bow at the base of her spine, adding just a splash of colour to her dress. Her bustier beneath boosted her cleavage, making her actually have some, she thought, tucking her mate's heartbeat between her breasts. Beneath the dress, she wore knee high pink platform heeled boots that laced up gladiator style across the front of the legs. She let her hair out a little to curl around her head, wearing it longer and shaggier than normal, and she wore no jewellery except for the bronze choker necklace from Remus with her name, his heartbeat, the crystal wolf pendant dangling from her bellybutton (not that anyone could see it), and her engagement ring.

She smiled when her father came into the room. "Hi Dad."

His eyes softened as he looked at her. "I still can't believe how grown up you are. You look beautiful. My daughter has grown into an incredible woman who I am so proud of."

Tonks smiled and pressed her hands down the sides of her dress. "I feel like a princess or something in this. I'm glad that Mum didn't press me on the loads of taffeta and lace."

Ted chuckled. "Your mother knows you too well. She tried to put you in lace once when you were five and halfway through your birthday party we found you running around in your underwear, the dress mysteriously disappeared."

She grinned. "Sounds about right."

Ted smiled and tugged her close, kissing her cheek. "Remus is a lucky man."

"It's me that's lucky, Dad. He's everything that I've ever wanted; more than I imagined I could ever have."

"I'm glad that you found him, Dora. I like the way that you two take care of each other. Marriage is about being partners, being equals. I would never have survived this long without your mother and I like to think that she feels the same."

"She does," Tonks told him, pulling away to smile up at him as Andromeda hurried into the room.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes when she saw her daughter. "Oh, pixie, you look beautiful! Such a radiant bride!"

Tonks hugged her mum tightly. "Did you see him? Is he nervous?"

Andromeda smiled. "He looks very calm and very handsome. He looks wonderful in teal." She turned her daughter around to look at the dress and smiled, adjusting the hot pink laces of her corset back with a smile. "He's going to faint when he sees you."

Tonks grinned. "I'm hoping his eyes bug out in amazement."

Ted chuckled. "You women always like to see us squirm."

Tonks grinned wider. "Definitely. Is everything okay out there?"

Andromeda smiled. "It all looks beautiful. Zee helped me with the last minute decorations and everyone is here and waiting. You have nothing to worry about, Dora."

Tonks smiled at that and nodded. She passed her mum the simple floral crown she had made with pink, white and teal roses and smiled as her mum carefully placed it on her head, tucking her curls around it.

"Perfect," she said, tugging one curl out to dangle just so near her eye.

She let her mum kiss her cheek again before Andromeda turned her around again. "What are you doing?"

Andromeda smiled as she gently laced the small blue sapphire dragonfly brooch through the bottom of her dress so that it sat on the top of her bum just above the bow. "My grandfather, he gave this to me on my fifteenth birthday. He said that it had once belonged to his grandmother and that he thought the dragonfly symbol suited me above all of the other Blacks. I wore it pinned to my dress the day I married your father. No one from my family was there, but I wore it anyway. I like to think that it is a symbol of good luck for a happy marriage plus, it's something borrowed and blue."

Tonks smiled, turning to look at the brooch in the mirror. "Mum, it's beautiful. Thank you."

Andromeda kissed her cheek again. "I love you, my little pixie; all grown up and getting married yourself, wherever did the time go?"

Tonks hugged her mum tight once more before she grinned at her parents. "I love you both very much. You were the best parents a girl could ask for. Are you ready to walk me down the aisle?"

"No," Ted said, tugging his daughter back into his arms as she laughed. He hugged her tight for a long moment, his lips pressed to her forehead and then he sighed. "Okay, now I'm ready."

She grinned and kissed his cheek. "He makes me so happy, Daddy."

Ted smiled at her. "I know. Seeing you so happy, makes me very happy." He held his hand out for his wife and kissed her fingers. "Let's go give away our baby girl."

Andromeda sniffed and Ted passed her his handkerchief.

It was time.

 **It was a small ceremony, which is exactly what they both wanted.** There were only five of them up at the front with Adrian officiating. As the Alpha of his pack, he was pleased to officiate all weddings for his wolves and had offered his services to Remus and Tonks, who had been happy to accept. They wanted a small ceremony, simple and uniquely them.

Sirius and Ted had built a beautiful arch out of flowering branches of ferns and white blossoms, using the forest as a backdrop and planting pink roses and alstroemeria in bright colours around the arch. Hagrid had helped extend the flowers to creep up over the chairs of the wedding guests and make Remus' backyard look as if the forest had swept in and taken over. Twinkling fairy lights danced in the surrounding wood and hovered around the yard. It looked like a fairy wonderland and was picturesque as the large trees surrounded the yard and the little cottage itself, making it look exactly as it was; a little slice of heaven in the middle of the forest.

He smiled at Colin Creevey, who they had offered to pay for his photographs. He was snapping photos of the wedding and had done individual photos of Remus, Sirius and Harry earlier that day before moving to get photos of Tonks and her parents and Tonks with Charlie. He truly was a gifted photographer for one so young.

Remus was dressed in black pants, a dark teal dress shirt with a white and pink striped tie under his black suit jacket. Harry and Sirius stood next to him, each in a black tux with a white shirt striped in teal. Their ties were solid teal. Charlie was standing in as the Man of Honour. He had always been Tonks' best friend and the thought of getting married without him up there had bothered her so she had insisted that he be her Man of Honour, much to his chagrin. He stood on the other side of Remus in a black suit with a hot pink shirt and a teal and white tie.

When the music started to play, Remus couldn't help but smile. The song they had chosen by the Ramones was perfect for them. She claimed a traditional wedding march was boring and she wanted something more up their alley; more fun and more full of life; something to explain their love.

Remus thought this song couldn't be more perfect.

Sirius had set up Remus' record player, charming the yard so that the music would surround it and play everywhere. When the upbeat music began, he turned to look down the aisle and the sight of her, hips moving to the beat as she linked arms between her parents, brought a huge smile to his face.

She looked incredible, like a vision that he couldn't quite believe was real. Her lips, painted a dark pink mouthed the words to him and he grinned; that was _his woman,_ he thought as he mouthed the words to the song back to her.

 _Have I ever told you?_

 _How good it feels to hold you_

 _It isn't easy to explain_

 _And though I'm really tryin'_

 _I think I may start cryin'_

 _My heart can't wait another day_

 _When you kiss me I just gotta_

 _Kiss me I just gotta_

 _Kiss me I just gotta say_

She began to move up the aisle now, her hips still moving to the beat and she was still mouthing the words to him and his heart was soaring, pounding in his chest like a jackhammer and he knew that every word in this song spoke to him; spoke to them.

 _Baby, I love you, come on baby_

 _Baby, I love you_

 _Baby I love, I love only you_

 _I can't live without you_

 _I love everything about you_

 _I can't help it if I feel this way_

 _Oh I'm so glad I found you_

 _I want my arms around you_

 _I love to hear you call my name_

 _Oh tell me that you feel_

 _Tell me that you feel_

 _Tell me that you feel the same_

 _Baby, I love you, come on, baby_

 _Baby, I love you_

 _Baby, I love, I love only you_

 _Oh I'm so glad I found you_

 _I want my arms around you_

 _I love to hear you call my name_

 _Oh tell me that you feel_

 _Tell me that you feel_

 _Tell me that you feel the same_

"Baby, I love you," Tonks said when she reached him, tripping slightly as her father clutched her tightly to prevent her from falling.

Remus grinned and accepted her hands from her parents and brought them to his lips. "I love only you."

Ted and Andromeda each smiled warmly, kissed their daughter's cheeks and then kissed Remus' cheek before they took their seats. Sirius waved his wand and turned the music down, an instrumental version of the same song played quietly in the background.

Adrian smiled at them. "Today, I have the honour of standing before you and officiating the wedding of Remus and Dora. Two people who are made for each other; who hold the other half of each other's hearts. I welcome you today to witness their formal joining under law." He smiled, his eyes on Remus. "Remus, would you like to start?"

Remus nodded, his eyes on her grey ones. They were darker than usual, outlined in something to make them look sultry and big, but he only saw her beautiful grey eyes. He swallowed slowly, still holding both of her hands in his. "Someone once said that loving someone deeply gives you courage, but being deeply loved by someone gives you strength. You give me both of those qualities in ways that I never knew I could have them. I'm stubborn and when I set my mind on something, I tend to stick to it, but you kept chipping away at me and I've never been more thankful that you did. You are the other half of me, Nymphadora; of my heart; of my soul. I want nothing more than to hold you and to make you happy, for you being here with me is all I will ever need."

Tears welled in her eyes but she refused to let them fall.

"As the song said when you walked up the aisle to me, ' _baby I love you, I love only you;_ ' now, forever, and for always," Remus said clearly.

Adrian smiled. "Dora, would you like to say something to Remus?"

She nodded, her eyes on him. "I love you more than I can put into words. Words have always been your specialty, but I will try my best here. Remus, you are who I was waiting for without realizing I was waiting. You are the sun to my sky and the moon to my stars. I love everything about you; your heart, your scars, your soul. I know that no matter what happens or where life takes us, that as long as I have you by my side, I'll be alright. ' _I can't live without you. I love everything about you. I love only you_.'"

They grinned at each other and Adrian smiled.

"Remus, do you take Dora to be your lawful wedded wife; to love and to cherish; to care for in sickness and in health; to be your mate, forever and for always?"

"I do," he said, bringing her hand to his lips. "I really, really do."

Tonks grinned widely as Adrian turned to her.

"Dora, do you take Remus to be your lawful wedded husband; to love and to cherish; to care for in sickness and in health; to be your mate, forever and for always?"

"I really, really do."

Remus' smile widened and he mouthed 'I love you' to her and she smiled brightly.

"May we have the rings?"

Sirius was grinning widely at Remus and Tonks, amused by their antics and when Remus' raised an eyebrow at him he simply grinned back.

"The rings, Padfoot?" Remus asked.

Harry elbowed Sirius who grunted and quickly pulled the ring box from his pocket passing them over.

They had chosen a matching Celtic wedding ring set. Tonks' was rose gold and braided in an interlaced weave. Remus' was the same weave of rose gold with a matte finish. It was perfect for them.

"Repeat after me, Remus," Adrian said as Remus accepted the ring from Sirius. "With this ring, I am giving you a token of my love and devotion to you. This ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of our love."

"With this ring, I am giving you a token of my love and devotion to you. This ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of our love."

"As I place this ring on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be as your husband."

"As I place this ring on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be as your husband," Remus repeated.

"With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours. Forever and for always."

Remus smiled at her as he spoke. "With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours. Forever and for always," and he slid the ring onto her finger. It clicked into her engagement ring, joining the two and her fingers linked tightly with his for a moment.

"Dora, repeat after me," Adrian began.

Tonks grinned at Remus, her eyes twinkling in tears of happiness. "With this ring, I am giving you a token of my love and devotion to you. This ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of our love. As I place this ring on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be as your wife. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours. Forever and for always." She slid his ring onto his hand and their fingers twined together tightly.

Adrian smiled warmly at them. "Now if you would each pass each other your wands."

Charlie handed Remus Tonks' wand and Harry passed Remus' wand to Tonks.

"Hold them against the other with your ring hands," Adrian instructed as Remus and Tonks each held each other's wands crossed together like an x. "Repeat after me, together. With these wands crossed I hold your magic within me."

"With these wands crossed I hold your magic within me," they repeated.

"By holding onto my lover's wand I claim safety and swear to never use my magic against my lover in anger or animosity."

As they repeated the words, a golden swirl of power emerged around their crossed wands, binding them together as they switched hands, now holding onto their own wands.

"Magic to magic, heart to heart, soul to soul, we are one and we are all," they said as the gold tightened and exploded into soft dust that fluttered to the ground.

Adrian smiled at them. "And alas with the exchanging of rings and the merging of wands, I can now pronounce you husband and wife; two soul mates bound by love. You may kiss the bride."

Tonks stood on her toes, despite the tall heels, and tugged Remus' face down to hers before he could kiss her. Her lips met his for a long, greedy kiss that left him breathless and when she pulled away, he could feel his cheeks were heated.

"I love you, Nymphadora," he said quietly as their guests clapped. He turned the hand on his face to his lips and kissed her palm.

"I love you, my husband," she said, slipping an arm around his waist and turning to smile at the guests before them.

Remus knew that it was the happiest day of his life.

 **When the ceremony ended, Zee and Andromeda levitated the tables around the yard and re-arranged the chairs so that everyone could be seated.** It was a small gathering with only three tables plus the head table of which was Harry, Sirius, Charlie, Remus, Tonks, Zee, Andromeda and Ted. The rest of the wedding party included a table with Kingsley Shacklebolt, an Auror named Natalie Atwell, Moody, and two other Aurors that Harry didn't know along with Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick. The next table had Hagrid, Adrian and Maia, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill, Percy, Fred and George. And the third table had ten people with Neville and Augusta Longbottom; Ron, Ginny, Mr Lovegood, Luna, Mr and Mrs Granger, Hermione, and Colin.

Remus had insisted on Hermione and her parents coming to include them and because he wanted Hermione there. He still was very appreciative of her for keeping his secret as long as she did. Sirius had told him that Greg and Jean were very nice and had urged him to invite the Muggles along because she would appreciate having her parents nearby. Harry thought that it was a good idea and he could see that Hermione was grateful that they were there. He knew that she was still having a bit of a difficult summer.

Zee had taken it upon herself to do all of the cooking and the meal was beyond fabulous. Dobby and Kreacher had been asked to serve and they had both been thrilled at the opportunity. Zee made miniature crab cakes and a caesar salad as an appetizer served with frozen watermelon slices before serving a dinner of grilled chicken cordon bleu wrapped in bacon served on a medley of fresh summer vegetables with broccoli and cheddar rice. For dessert she had made strawberry shortcake and a peach blueberry cobbler. They drank pinot grigio and white sangria to pair with it.

After dinner, Sirius had charmed the record player to work as a DJ and they danced on the patio under the twinkle of fairy lights and the stars. It was how Harry came to be dancing with Ginny to the music later on that evening.

His hands rested on her waist and her arms were wrapped around his neck as they swayed to the music. He thought that she looked incredible. She had a light tan from her holiday in Anguilla and he was positive that she had a few more freckles on her face. He had a sudden urge to trace each freckle with his finger and his hands twitched slightly at her waist. She was dressed in a knee-length summer blue sundress and her long hair was in a thick French braid down her back. She was in blue heels that did something to her legs and Harry had found himself admiring her calves and the freckles that adorned them. She was wearing the necklace that he had given her for her birthday and dangling silver stars in her ears. He shifted her in his arms and his eyes fell to the swell of her breasts before he pointedly looked away, staring at where Charlie was laughing as Tonks danced in his arms. She was almost his height in her heeled boots, he noticed.

"You okay, Harry?" Ginny asked him, smiling up at him. "You're acting strange."

He nodded, swallowing slowly as he worked to keep the right distance between them. "I'm fine. I'm happy that Tonks and Uncle Remus are married."

"They seem really happy," she said. "It was a perfect wedding. Something small like this is all you really need. The people who care about you here and no one else. Where's Mandy today? She would have loved to be here with you."

"Her brother is getting married today too," he admitted. He had been disappointed that she couldn't attend, but being at her brother's wedding clearly held precedence. "She was really excited about it and disappointed that I couldn't go with her either."

She smiled. "I like her, Harry. She makes you smile and you need someone like that in your life."

He grinned back at her, watching the fairy lights dance in her hair. "She does. She's incredibly sweet. Did you have a good time with Theo in Anguilla?"

"The best!" Ginny exclaimed, her brown eyes lighting up in excitement. "Harry, I learned how to surf! It was incredible! Its like flying on the water and it makes you feel so alive! You would love it!"

"Sounds brilliant," he said honestly.

"It was. Theo didn't have the knack for it, but he said that it was still fun, but I could stand on a board and I rode two waves before I fell off into the ocean. Ryan said that I was a natural! I think that with practice I could be great at it."

He grinned. "I bet you could be. Who's Ryan?"

Ginny flushed. "Oh, this American bloke I met. He was nice. He taught me how to surf and to play volleyball."

Harry merely raised an eyebrow.

"I told you before, Harry, who I snog is not your business."

"I didn't say anything," he said, his voice visibly annoyed. She was allowed to make friends, he thought bitterly.

Ginny only stared him down. "Well, for your information, his name was Ryan Baker. He was very nice and I enjoyed my time with him. He was an excellent snog; almost as good as Dave."

"Who was Dave?"

Ginny only grinned mischievously at him. "Another American bloke I met. Let's talk about something else. Are you excited to be Quidditch Captain this year?"

Harry nodded, his eyes on hers as his hands sat on her waist as he tried not to think about her snogging two different blokes. The creature in his chest gave a little roar and he pushed him down in annoyance. He had no right to be jealous he thought, annoyed at himself.

"Yeah. We'll have to have tryouts as we need a Keeper with Wood gone. But I think that it will be great. I'll talk to the team when we get back to school and see how everyone feels about it. I want to start training right away. With there being no Quidditch last year, I think we're all a bit out of shape."

Ginny smiled up at him. "You'll whip them back into shape in no time."

Bill came up behind them and tapped Harry on the shoulder. "Can I steal her for a dance?"

Harry nodded and dropped his hands as Ginny turned to her brother with a smile. His eyes fell on the soft swell of her bum before he caught himself and hurried off in the opposite direction. He spotted Hermione dancing with her father and he moved across the dance floor to ask to cut in. Mr Granger reluctantly passed his daughter over to him.

Harry grinned at her when her arms came around his neck. "I think your dad is annoyed that I stole you."

Hermione smiled at that. "No, he's just being Dad."

Harry held her close, hugging her as much as dancing with her. "How have you been, Mione? I'm sorry that I haven't been around much this summer."

Hermione shook her head, moving closer to hug him back as they danced. "No, you had much more important things to do. I get it. I've been okay. I miss him, Harry. But the ache I get in the pit of my stomach doesn't come every hour of every day anymore and Mum tells me that that's a good thing. Ron's been wonderful. He writes me almost every day. Ginny sent me postcards from Anguilla and I loved the ones that you sent from Corfu. Neville sent me a beautiful bouquet of Spring Squill flowers in a pale blue that he potted himself in that Herbology camp. Mum and I planted them in the back garden as a tribute to Viktor. Luna's sent me all sorts of postcards from Africa. She rode an elephant!"

Harry grinned. "That's pretty amazing. I'm glad that we're all checking up on you."

She smiled. "I'm very grateful for all of you. Mum says that I have wonderful friends."

He nodded, his eyes solemn. "We just want to make sure that you're doing alright. Sometimes … when I lay in bed at night after I dream about that night … I think if I would have just let Cedric stay in the graveyard with me, he still would have died, but maybe Viktor would still be alive."

Hermione shook her head. "Don't think like that, Harry. I don't blame you for an instant. None of this is your fault. It was Ludo Bagman who murdered him, but … this happened because of Voldemort."

He nodded, his eyes on hers. "I'm still sorry you lost him. He was a really great bloke. Actually … there's something that I've been meaning to tell you." At her arched brow, he sighed. "Do you remember when I told you how I was on the edge of the afterlife and I saw my parents?" She nodded and he swallowed slowly. "I left out a few parts of that. I had a guide first who brought me to my parents and my grandparents. It was Cedric."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Cedric was your guide?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling at her. "And he was the one who brought me back as well, but before I went back, Viktor was with him." Harry could practically feel her heart stop and he tugged her up against him, his lips to her cheek. "I only saw him for a moment, Mione. But he asked me to pass on a message to you. He told me to tell you that he loves you and that he wants nothing more than for you to find a chance at happiness; to become the incredible woman that he knows you will be."

Tears rolled down her cheeks and he turned his head to kiss her cheek, using his thumb to brush her tears away. "He … you really saw him?"

Harry nodded. "I really saw him. He wants you to be happy, Mione. He doesn't want you to spend your life grieving him."

"I'm not … I miss him."

"And that's okay. I miss Marauder every day," he admitted, hugging her close. "I know it's not the same, but I do. I don't think about him every minute of every day and then I feel guilty, but I shouldn't. Viktor wouldn't want that for you either."

She blinked back tears and kissed his cheek. "Do you think Mandy will mind if I come to you for lots of long hugs this year?"

Harry hugged her close again, letting her burrow into his shoulder. "She won't mind at all. I give great hugs."

"You really do," she said, letting him hold her close. "So does Ron. I always feel like when you two hold me close, I know that I will always be safe."

Harry kissed the top of her head. "Always."

When she pulled back he nodded towards where Ron was talking to Neville and Luna. "Make Ron dance with you. He never got the chance at the Yule Ball."

Hermione smiled. "I'll just go sit with them for a bit. Want to join?"

"In a bit," he said, his eyes moving to Zee who was sitting up at the head table by herself. Sirius was busy talking with Mrs Longbottom about something so he moved up and held his hand out to her. "May I have this dance?"

Zee looked up in surprise and smiled. "I'd love to." He swept her up into a dance and she grinned up at him. "Mama taught you well."

Harry grinned. "When do Grandmama and Papa come back to England?"

"I'm afraid that you probably won't see them again before Christmas," she said. "Papa is back at work and as head of the Auror department in Moscow, he is very busy."

He nodded, feeling a bit disappointed at that news. "I get it."

It must have shown on his face because Zee, standing in four inch heels, stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "They love you too and this year we'll be going to Moscow for Christmas. With everything that happened with you and our trip to Greece, we didn't quite make it to Russia. But at Christmas, we're going, I promise."

Harry grinned, pleased at the thought of going to Russia for Christmas. He twirled her into the dance making her laugh. "They look really happy, don't they?"

Zee turned to look where Harry was pointing at the happy couple. Tonks had kicked off her heeled boots and was dancing in her naked feet, toes painted a bright pink, her arms laced around her husband's neck, dancing on her tip toes. Even at almost five feet five inches, Remus towered over his bride at six foot four.

"Incredibly. Come on, let's go steal them for a dance."

Harry grinned as they headed over so that he could sweep Tonks into a dance and Zee danced with Remus.

It really was a great wedding.

 **Harry, Sirius and Zee were the last guests to leave the wedding.** Dobby and Kreacher cleaned up the yard before congratulating the happy couple and hurrying off. Harry, Sirius and Zee each hugged them before taking off themselves and Remus turned to look at his beautiful bride.

Tonks was lounging on the porch swing by the backdoor, her feet bare and bright pink toes curled around the pole of the swing. Her legs were stretched across the swing, one lovely tanned leg exposed by the slit of the dress. She was grinning at him.

"I finally have you all to myself."

Remus grinned back at her, moving across the patio to bend and kiss her softly. "My wife."

"My husband," she said with a grin.

Remus scooped her up into his arms bridal style and kissed her again. "I have to carry you over the threshold, it's an important tradition, Mrs Lupin."

Tonks grinned widely. "If you must, you must."

He carried her through the glass patio doors, using his wand to lock them behind him before he sat her on the counter and kissed her deeply. "Nymphadora …" he moaned against her mouth, his hand sliding up her ribs and cupping her small breasts in his hands. "Mmm, let's start in the bath, yeah?"

"I like the sound of 'start in,' Mr Lupin."

He scooped her back up into his arms and carried her into the bathroom, sitting her on the bathroom counter before he waved his wand and started the bath. Bubbles poured into the water and he moved back to her, kissing her lips and sliding his hands up her back.

Tonks grinned and loosened his tie, tugging it over his head before she slipped his suit jacket off his shoulders, watching it fall to the ground. She unbuttoned his vest, tugging his shirt from his pants and unbuttoning that too, slowly sliding them off as they fell to the ground behind him. She bit her bottom lip as she undid his trousers, slipping them down his slim hips and sliding her hands down his bum, gripping his cheeks firmly.

He grinned and kissed her, lifting her down from the counter as he stepped out of his pants. He turned her around, his eyes meeting hers in the mirror as he slowly unlaced her. He placed the dragonfly brooch on the counter as he reached the bottom and then with his eyes on hers, he slid the dress down her torso and it slipped to the floor. His eyes darkened as he took in her outfit. A white silk push-up bodysuit with a corset bustier that made her breasts look busty and fuller than usual. The suit attached to her white silk panties with a hot pink ribbon clip on either side of her hips and his eyes widened in amazement.

"Where did you get this?"

Tonks grinned at him in the mirror. "Zee helped me pick it out when we were in Corfu. Do you like it?"

Remus trailed his hand over her stomach, touching the lingerie in amazement. "You look incredible."

He slid his lips over the swell of her breasts before he carefully unhooked the clips on the left side and peeled it away. Her nipples pebbled to the cool air and he rubbed them with his thumbs making them more erect, unhooking the pink ribbons and tossing the lingerie to the floor. He flicked his wand at the bath and the water stopped and then he illuminated the room in soft candlelight. He slid his hands over her stomach, softly touching the light scars that still marked her, fingers touching the wolf pendant she still wore dangling there. He lifted her arms up and back around his neck, trailing his fingertips down her armpit and down the side of her ribcage and then back up to trace the mark he had left on her. He took her left hand and placed it open across her breast, bending to kiss the rings that adorned it and the nipple that peaked through her fingers.

"You are a goddess, Nymphadora," he murmured, his hands moving up to her hair to unpin the curls from the flower crown and watched as they bounced down around her ears and almost to her chin.

He trailed his lips along the side of her chin, down her neck and over her shoulders, kissing his way down her spine and pressing his lips to edge of her panties. He put his thumbs in the sides of them and gently pulled them down, leaving her naked and exposed before him. She stepped out of them when he told her to and then smiled when he stood up, his hand reaching down to trace the perfect triangle of light purple hair she had there.

"If I were an artist, I would paint you just like this, leaning back against me, naked, wanting," he whispered, his lips pressing against her earlobe.

Tonks smiled and turned in his arms. "My turn, Mr Lupin."

Remus grinned widely as she hooked her thumbs in his black boxer shorts and slid them down over his hips, his semi-hard erection springing free. He stepped out of his shorts, sighing as she slid her hands over him, stroking him lightly, her nails sliding along his ribs and up his chest in a soft caress that made him tremble.

"Dora," he moaned.

Tonks grinned widely, her hands sliding around to clutch his bum tightly in her hands. "My sexy professor."

Remus groaned when her finger danced along his bum, slipping along the crack and teasing him. He bent his head and kissed her deeply before he tugged her over to the bath. He stepped in first, stretching out in the large tub that they had expanded and built for two. Tonks stepped in after him, stretching out next to him.

He picked up the soapy bath scrub and gently began to wash her, slipping the scrub between her breasts, over her shoulders and between her thighs as her head fell back in pleasure. When he got to her feet, he massaged them in his hands, lifting them from the water and kissing her toes, the arch of her foot and her ankle.

By the time Tonks got a hold of the scrub, they were both incredibly aroused. She danced the bath scrub over his chest and shoulders, down his back, across his thighs and between his legs. She massaged his feet and his shoulders, her lips trailing over his neck as she did so and they sighed into each other in the candlelight.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, his lips meeting hers.

Tonks smiled, straddling him in the tub. "So are you."

And then she took him inside of her and they both groaned, water sloshing over the side of the tub as they moved together, fingers twined together and lips meeting as they made slow and steady love in the warm water. They came together, crying out in pleasure and it echoed along the bathroom walls.

Remus pressed a kiss to her collarbone, holding her close. "I love you, Dora. Thank you for marrying an old fool."

"You are not old, Remus. You are thirty-five years of perfection," she said, slipping her hand under the water to squeeze his sacs. "Sexy as sin and don't even know it." She kissed him softly.

He grinned against her mouth. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but you make me so happy."

Tonks' smile widened and she stood up, stepping out of the tub. They dried off and Remus eagerly picked up the lotion bar. It smelt like grapefruit and oranges with a hint of almonds and he rubbed it over her body, massaging it into her skin and trailing his lips over every surface before the lotion touched her.

By the time he was done, Tonks' body was yearning for him. She kissed him deeply and laughed when he picked her up bridal style again, flicked his wand to distinguish the candles and carried her into their bedroom.

Zee had turned down their bed and sprinkled pink and yellow rose petals on their bed and strung the room in fairy lights making it look enchanting. Remus laid her on the spread before him, stroking her hip as he moved onto the bed with her. Tonks pulled him down to kiss him and they just lay there, long languid kisses for the longest time and then he stroked a finger over her and she shuddered in pleasure.

Remus kissed her shoulders, her breasts, swirling his tongue over her nipple and sucking slowly and tantalizingly until she squirmed beneath him and made him grin. He pressed on her clit, holding his thumb in place, but not giving her the movement she wanted and she groaned in frustration. Remus continued to kiss her breasts, working his way over each one, not missing a single spot of skin and trailing down her stomach. His tongue dipped into her belly button and she gasped as his mouth slid lower, kissing her thighs, kissing her mound softly. She groaned his name and his tongue slid along the edge of her, teasing as he slid his thumb out, spread her lips and licked her.

Tonks cried out in pleasure, gasping his name over and over as his mouth worked her over, licks and nips, delicious tugs and twirls until she was falling over the edge, her hands gripping his hair as she came.

Remus licked his lips, grinning up at her. "I think you taste better now that I can call you my wife."

She grinned and pulled him up to her mouth to kiss him before she rolled him beneath her and kissed him deeply. Tonks urged him to lie on his stomach and she sat on his bum, massaging his shoulders and his back as he purred in contentment. Her hands moved lower as she slid down his body, rubbing his bum and she kissed the dimple at the top, kissing his cheeks and nipping at her favourite part of him. Her hand slid down between his legs to stroke his long shaft and sacs, rolling them in her hands as they nestled between his legs and she kissed his bum. She trailed her tongue along the edge of him and he groaned in surprise and then she slid her tongue into him and he moaned, his cock jumping in her hand.

Tonks used her tongue sharply and without abandon, diving in and out as he groaned her name and then she slid her tongue out and down over his sacs, sucking on the tip of his cock and slipping a finger inside of him.

Remus cried out in reckless abandon, rolling onto his side. Tonks continued to pump her finger in and out of him as he slid into her, riding her fast and hard, his own fingers finding her and he came first, yelling her name as he did and she followed soon after, her hands sliding up his back as he nestled her head over his heart.

"I love you, Nymphadora," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

Tonks snuggled into his embrace, the heat from his body making her skin stick to his, and she sighed in contentment. "I love you, Remus Lupin."

And she drifted off to sleep with his arms tightly around her, a big smile on her face.

 **Remus woke up the next morning to the soft graze of his wife's fingertips dancing along his spine.** He sighed in contentment, a big smile on his face as he rolled over to look at her and jolted in alarm, rolling off the bed and onto the floor as Tonks busted into hysterical laughter.

"Uncalled for!" He declared, glowering at her.

Tonks, who had decided to alter her face and hair to resemble a certain hook-nosed, greasy-haired git, slowly changed herself back as she roared in laughter. "Get back up here."

Remus knelt on the floor by their bed. "Promise me that you will never do that again."

She grinned and leaned across the bed, kissing his lips. "Admit it, you thought it was hilarious."

Remus fisted his hand in her curls and kissed her deeply. "No," he growled. "It sure as hell killed my morning erection."

Tonks giggled. "But your face, Rem! Oh Merlin, it was priceless!"

"How long have you been plotting this, Dora?"

"Months … eons …" she said, still giggling. "But you always wake up first and distract me."

Remus stood up. "First day of our marriage and you're already giving me trust issues."

Tonks grinned and leaned forward to kiss his limp cock, licking it softly as it trembled under her tongue. "Let me make it up to you," she murmured as he began to harden under her ministrations.

Remus held her in place for a moment, letting her work him over and then he tugged her away and to her feet on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her, tugging her forward into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. He kissed her deeply before he headed into the kitchen, holding her in his arms and then he sat her on the barstool by the island.

"First we need sustenance. What do you want for breakfast, Mrs Lupin?"

Tonks grinned, stretching her arms up over her head. "Pancakes."

Remus nipped at her bottom lip and grinned. "I love you, Nymphadora."

Tonks tugged him close for a long kiss. "You're not really mad at me, are you?"

His hand moved to cup a naked breast and he grinned. "You are a mischief maker and I love you, but please, for the love of Zeus never make yourself look like Snape again, especially in our bed!"

She grinned. "I promise, my husband."

He grinned widely at her words. "I'm going to make my sexy wife chocolate pancakes with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar for breakfast."

"That sounds brilliant," she told him. "I'm going to sit right here at the counter and watch you make me breakfast."

Remus bent his head to lick her breast. "As long as you stay naked."

Tonks grinned as she checked out his own naked bum as he headed to the cupboard. "I just have a few last minute things to pack, but then I'm ready to go. Will you tell me where we're going yet?"

He grinned at her from over his shoulder. "No. It's a surprise. Our portkey leaves at one."

Tonks brought her legs up and sat cross-legged on the counter. "But it's our honeymoon, I want to know."

Remus only shrugged, a soft smile on his face. "You will, at one-oh-one."

She sighed as she watched him putter around their kitchen naked. As far as she was concerned, they could spend the next seven days right here. She didn't care. She just wanted to spend the whole time making love with her husband in every way imaginable. Her eyes stayed on his bum, watching the sway of it, the way it clenched and moved as he bent and stretched and she licked her lips, her eyes falling to his long swaying cock between his legs. And she definitely wanted him to stay naked, she thought.

So far this being married thing definitely had its perks.

 **Harry yawned as he headed downstairs Monday morning, his hair sticking up even more than usual.** It was almost eleven, but after waking with a full blown erection around seven that morning, he had fallen back to sleep after sating himself. But the last two nights, his dreams had been the same. Ginny, looking like she had at the wedding, hands on him, offering to do naughty things to him, and he'd woken aching for her and cursing himself.

But it was better than the dreams that usually plagued him.

Every night when he closed his eyes he found himself back in that graveyard. When he woke he could hear the manic laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange echoing in his ears; see the smirk of Abraxas Malfoy as he sliced open his arm and he'd wake with a scream in his throat as his body convulsed in phantom pain from the Cruciatus Curse. He'd wake reaching for Marauder and when he remembered why his dog wasn't there, he'd hug his pillow and try not to cry.

"Sleep well?" Sirius asked, startling Harry out of his thoughts.

"Like the dead," Harry told him, stifling a yawn as he opened the ice box to look for food.

The wand that Remus had convinced him to purchase had come in handy more than he had thought it would. Since it was a second wand and one they were keeping for his own safety, it wasn't registered to him and the first thing that he had done with it was put a silencing charm around his bedroom. Sirius and Zee didn't need to wake every night to his nightmares, he thought.

"Are you awake enough yet to chat?"

Harry grabbed the orange juice and stared at Sirius before he nodded. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of his father's tone. "Um, yeah?"

Sirius urged him to sit down as Harry pulled out cereal and milk with his juice. "I just wanted to talk to you about well, you, and see how you're doing with everything?"

Harry frowned at him. "With everything?"

Sirius nodded. "We've had a pretty busy summer and I know that removing the Horcrux and then destroying it and then healing was a big part of that. It's the healing process that I want to discuss."

"I'm fine, Uncle Siri. No more fractures or bruises or anything."

"Physically, yes."

Harry stared at him for a moment before he turned back to his cereal. He didn't want to talk about that. Re-hashing it all to tell his friends had been hard enough and on top of the nightmares that plagued him most nights, the last thing that he wanted to do was to relive the moment.

"Harry, I know that losing Marauder on top of what happened was extra tough on you. We both know that you're still having nightmares. I know that you placed a silencing charm on your room, but if you think that I can't tell when you've had a nightmare-laden evening, you're wrong. Lady G is a great pet, but she's not Marauder. You can still come to me anytime you know, just because Zee is here now doesn't mean that you can't seek me out in the middle of the night."

He shrugged, the concern in his father's voice making him feel guilty. "They're always the same, waking you isn't going to change anything."

Sirius sighed. "Harry ... you need to talk about what happened. You can't bottle up everything inside because it will consume you. Trust me. It took me years to learn that."

He shrugged again. "I did talk about it. I told my friends. I don't know what else you want me to say."

Sirius only stared at him. "Telling them what happened and talking about it aren't necessarily the same thing." At his son's look, he nodded. "Well, when you are ready to talk, you know how to find me."

Harry only swallowed and moved back to his cereal.

Sirius stood up, bent over Harry's lean frame and kissed the top of his head. "Seeing Voldemort return ... just your memory of it, haunts me, Harry, so I can only imagine what's running through your dreams. Zee thinks that I should find you a mind healer to talk to. I don't think that you need one. I think that you have a lot of people in your life willing to be there for you the second that you need them. But if you want to talk to a mind healer, I will find you the best damn mind healer in the world."

"You already know what happened," he said quietly. "Voldemort tortured me."

"I know."

Harry could feel the anger bubbling up inside of him. He was tired of people asking him if he was okay; that they understood what had happened to him. He knew that his father was just worried about him, he did, but the idea still infuriated him.

"No, you don't know!" He exploded. "Selywn tied me to that bloody tombstone with magical vines that cut into me! They touched me like I was a bloody toy that they could amuse themselves with! Then Voldemort used the Cruciatus on me, three times! And I tried to call you for help and you didn't answer! They used my blood to bring him back! Mine! It's my fault that he's returned! It's my fault that he came back because he used me to do it!"

"Hey!" Sirius shouted back at him, grabbing Harry's arm before he stormed out of the kitchen. "None of this is your fault! None of it! I don't want to hear you saying such a ridiculous thing ever again!"

Harry ripped his arm away from him. "You don't get it! You weren't bloody there!"

He grabbed the apple from the counter and stormed up the stairs to his room, but Sirius, who had chased him up the stairs, slammed his hand on his bedroom door before he could slam it.

"No, I wasn't there," Sirius said softly. "Do you think that I wasn't there on purpose? Do you think that if I had an inkling of where you were, I wouldn't have come to you?"

Angry tears clouded Harry's eyes and he blinked them back. "No!"

Sirius leaned against the wall of the hallway. "So it's my fault?"

"No!" He exclaimed, his eyes flashing in anger. "I just …"

Sirius simply opened his arms, his eyes on his son.

Harry stared at him for a full minute before he moved into them and the moment Sirius' arms came around him, he broke. He hadn't cried, not really, not since that first night as Sorcha held him and even then, everything that had happened didn't quite seem real. He curled into Sirius, the feel of his father's warm hands on his back, his strong arms wrapped around him and the familiar smell of home made him cling tightly.

He did blame Sirius, he realized. Not entirely and not for all of it, but he did blame him. They had known that Voldemort was trying to come back and yet he had still somehow gotten to him. No matter how many defensive spells they taught him or how many things he learned about Voldemort, he still hadn't been ready.

"It's okay, Harry," Sirius said softly near his ear. "You're allowed to feel all of those things. You can be mad at me. You can be mad at yourself. But it's Voldemort we should be mad at. It's not your fault, none of it. I'm sorry that I didn't protect you. I'm sorry that I let you down."

Harry shook his head, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "You didn't … I'm sorry. I - I didn't mean it."

Sirius kissed his forehead. "You can't leave this bottled up in here. It's going to implode. You have to talk about it. If not to me, then to someone, okay?"

Harry nodded, moving out of Sirius' arms. "I … I don't want to. Not yet."

Sirius smiled at him. "I won't push you. But you promise me that you will talk about it when you're ready?"

Harry nodded again, his eyes on Sirius'. "I promise."

He smiled at him. "Good. Now, why don't you shower and get ready for the day now that you finally got your lazy butt out of bed," he added, making Harry grin. "How about we take an afternoon road trip down the coast, take our minds off things? You can drive the Ducati."

"By myself?" He asked, his eyes wide in excitement.

Sirius grinned back. "By yourself."

Harry grinned hugely. "Can we drive to Bath and pick up Mandy?"

Sirius stared at his son for a moment. Maybe letting him spend time with his girlfriend was exactly what he needed, he thought. He glanced up at the clock and shrugged. "It's about a two hour drive there if we take the A303."

"Please, Uncle Siri!"

Sirius grinned at him. "Send her an owl and let her know what time we'll be arriving. I'm sure that I can find something to do while you two have a short date."

Harry beamed at him and hurried into his room to send his girlfriend a letter.

 **The feel of the Ducati under him felt comfortable and nice and Harry grinned back at Sirius as he sat on the newly refinished Motosacoche behind him.** They had left a note for Zee, not knowing how late they would be returning home and Sirius had carefully insisted that they use a shield charm over themselves just in case something happened. But Harry knew that they would be alright. Voldemort didn't even know where Harry lived and he figured that the last place he would come looking for him would be on a Muggle highway.

He locked his helmet into place and then headed out down the drive with Sirius driving next to him. They had spent the day before going over some of his defensive spells and Sirius had commented on how much stronger and more powerful his spells seemed to be now that the Horcrux was gone. Harry had to agree. He could feel the power in it. He could feel the power in himself and he felt stronger. He wasn't sure if it was true or not but he felt like it was and the mentality was really what mattered.

Sirius had performed a communication charm on their helmets so that they could talk to each other normally while riding the bikes and he had hooked up the wireless to play in their helmets as well so that they had music. They drove happily, both of them beaming as they made the trek to Bath and to the Brocklehurst home.

Harry pulled into the drive and Mandy opened the front door just as he pulled his helmet off. She ran down the porch steps and into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Hi Harry," she said, kissing him.

He grinned against her mouth, holding her close. "Hey."

"Hi Sirius," Mandy said, keeping her arm around her boyfriend.

"Hello Mandy. How was your brother's wedding?"

"Magical," she said with a grin. "How was Professor Lupin's wedding?"

"Small and simple," Harry replied.

"Mandy, what's all that loud noise?" A woman called out and Mandy gripped Harry's hand tightly in hers.

"Come on inside, I want you to meet my mum."

Sirius grinned at them. "I'm just going to head into the village and do some shopping. I'll meet you back here for seven?"

Harry beamed at him. "Perfect. Thanks, Uncle Siri."

Sirius winked at him. "Don't do anything Uncle Rem wouldn't do."

Harry rolled his eyes as he let Mandy drag him into the house. A tall, thin woman with Mandy's soft brown hair and smile, smiled warmly at him.

"Hi Mrs Brocklehurst," Harry said quietly.

Mandy grinned. "Mum, this is my boyfriend, Harry Potter. Harry, my mum, Diana Brocklehurst."

"It's lovely to finally meet you, Harry," Mrs Brocklehurst said kindly. "What was all of that noise outside?"

"My father and I rode motorbikes here," he said with a smile. "I was hoping you would let Mandy come out with me for a few hours."

Mrs Brocklehurst frowned. "On that loud Muggle contraption?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Please, Mum! Harry's father is going to meet him back here at seven so we won't be long!" Mandy begged, her eyes on her mother.

Mrs Brocklehurst sighed. "Oh alright then, but don't go too far."

Mandy hugged her mum tightly and then grabbed Harry's hand. "Is it scary?"

Harry shook his head as he watched her put shoes on before he led her outside. "Nah, it's kind of brilliant actually. It's like the jet-ski, you'll love it." He passed her the extra helmet that was clipped to the seat and climbed on, locking his own helmet into place.

Mandy placed the helmet on her head and climbed on behind him nervously, straddling him as her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "I just hold onto you?"

He turned to grin back at her. "Nice and tight."

She grinned. "I think that you're enjoying this too much."

Harry's grin widened. "Maybe a little. Now, where to?"

Mandy smiled. "There's a lovely café just ten minutes up the road that serves really great scones and pastries."

"Sold," he said, making her laugh as he started the Ducati.

Mandy gasped at the rumble beneath her and her arms tightened around him.

"Hold on," he said and then he took off down the road, her squeals of delight making him grin.

He definitely wanted to get his motorbike license he thought, officially that is.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Remus quote is from Lao Tzu._

 _Also, I've been planning that little Snape moment on Remus for some time and just never seemed to find the right moment to tie it in._

 _Thank you as always and please review._


	187. Chapter 187

_Author's Note:_

 _Oh the constant reviews on Harry/Mandy; some of you want them to be together forever; some of you have suggested she die; some of you suggested she be Harry's first … one extreme to the next. Harry likes her. Be patient, people. I know I tease, but I promise, what you want is coming, soon-ish. I am glad that everyone liked the wedding, I had fun writing it. To Wolf's scream - Tonks can adjust her body to be anything she wants, but as I outlined in chapter 161, she doesn't change much about herself. Her hair, hides a few freckles and blemishes, but she is confident with who she is. To repeat from my author's note from that chapter: I hate how people always assume that because Tonks is a Metamorphmagus she looks like some form of a supermodel, she doesn't. In my mind she is about 5'5, lean, athletic, small breasts, I kind of picture her body type to be like Keira Knightly a bit to be honest. I think that one of the best parts of Tonks is that she is a badass Auror who is clumsy as fuck and the only thing that she consciously changes about herself is her hair colour and glamours away those few unwanted freckles, but she is confident in who she is and I wanted Remus to love that about her, to tell her how much he loved her the way she is and that if she did decide to change something drastic about herself that he would still love her. I think that's the most beautiful part of their relationship._

 _Harry is Harry and very stubborn and he will come to his own decisions eventually. Yes, I did do a similar Snape-like prank in my Beginning series, but this was a slight variation that I have been wanting to do for a while. There was no Ginny behind this one, it wasn't on Sirius this time. As for Umbitch, I have plans, but they are still working themselves out. Didn't really think about Tonks wearing a collar, Jen, but I guess the choker could be thought of as such. As to an operation to break up Harry and Mandy, fun, but no. Their relationship will come to an end soon. Patience my lovelies._

 _As to your reviews and questions, I love them - please keep them coming! "What was the process in your head. He told their story, what came before he didn't show; we're not supposed to. Homer's Odyssey was swell. A bunch of guys that went through hell; he told the tale but didn't tell the audience why. He didn't say, here's what it means and here's a few deleted scenes, Charybdis tested well with teens; he's not the story. He's just a door we open if our lives need lifting." It came on my shuffle on the drive home and I couldn't resist as I felt like it oddly fit. Points to anyone who gets my reference (without Googling it). And yes, I am that much of a nerd that this would come on my shuffle in my car._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SEVEN:**

 **Harry enjoyed his afternoon with Mandy.** She told him all about her brother's wedding and how she and her Mum had both held back their tears until Jack started crying during his vows then they had both cried in happiness. She said that it had been a great deal of fun. He told her about Remus and Tonks' wedding as well and how it had been small, but really lovely.

He told her all about Ginny's time in Anguilla with Theo and how she had apparently learned how to surf. Harry explained how she had compared it to flying and how he thought that he definitely wanted to try it as there was no feeling in the world quite like flying. He explained how Ginny had said it was similar to broom surfing, attempting to keep the balance and ride the wave as opposed to the air, but how you had the added difficulty of fighting the waves making it slightly different.

Mandy only grinned at him.

"What?"

She chuckled. "Nothing. If my eyes start to glaze over just give me a push."

He grinned. "Sorry. Must be the same look I get when you talk about swimming competitions."

Mandy stuck her tongue out at him before she picked up her iced coffee. "It sounds like Ginny had a good holiday anyway."

"Sounds like it," he told her with a smile. "I think Hermione did too. She's been struggling a bit with Viktor. She had plans to go to Bulgaria for a good part of the summer and her parents took her to Germany instead."

"I feel so awful for her," she admitted. "I couldn't imagine losing someone in that way. They were the cutest couple."

Harry nodded. "She's strong. She'll be alright."

Their conversation moved onto the upcoming school year and the potentially terrifying topic of OWLs. Mandy explained how she had already started to try to allot study time for herself every week to try to get a head start on things and Harry groaned.

"I do not want to start studying every week! It's going to be way too much! I just want to get Quidditch tryouts off the ground and work with the Defence Club more and maybe spend most of my time snogging my girlfriend."

Mandy blushed as he linked his fingers through hers. "I suppose that I can maybe find time for you as well."

Harry kissed her fingers and she grinned at him. "I got used to seeing you every day and I missed you."

"I missed you too," she told him, placing her other hand over their joined ones. "Your last letter made me cry. Have you been doing okay?"

He shrugged, smiling when her hand squeezed his. "I'm getting by."

"I know how much you loved Marauder, Harry. He was a beautiful dog and so sweet the way he followed you around and slept in your bed. Getting over the loss of a pet isn't easy. Trust me, I lost my dog Angel when I was ten and I cried for weeks. I still miss her."

He nodded. "It was hard, especially after we had just gotten back from holiday, but I'm glad he went peacefully, you know?"

She smiled. "I know."

They were both quiet for a moment before she cleared her throat.

"So, I think that you should tell me how you conned Sirius into letting you ride the motorbike alone? I thought that you told me that he said you had to wait another year to get your license?"

"He did," Harry said with a grin.

And soon they were lost in conversation once more.

When he dropped her back off at home almost two hours later, he held her close by her front door and kissed her deeply. His hands rested on her waist, one sliding up her back as his tongue met hers. They sighed against each other's mouths and Mandy's lips moved over his neck and his cheeks before she dragged his mouth back to hers. A loud wolf whistle had them both blushing and pulling away.

Harry shot Sirius a look over his shoulder before he bent his head and kissed his girlfriend softly on the lips. "I'll save you a seat on the train?"

She nodded. "Yes. Thanks for a fun afternoon, Harry."

He kissed her once more and said goodbye before he moved back across the lawn and back to the Ducati.

Sirius was parked next to him, his helmet on and he was grinning widely. "Sorry to tear you two lovebirds apart, but we have a long drive back."

Harry put his own helmet back on and started the bike. "The whistle could have been avoided."

The sound of Sirius' laughter echoing in the earpiece of his helmet only made him grin as he turned the bike out onto the street and headed back home with Sirius riding behind him.

It had been a great day and exactly what he needed, he thought.

 **Theo was thumbing through his new textbooks as he lounged across the sofa in the living room of Malfoy Manor just after lunch and he jolted when a hand touched his shoulder.**

Narcissa smiled at him. "Sorry, darling, I didn't mean to startle you."

Theo shook his head, his eyes on the regal woman who stood before him. "No, sorry, I was daydreaming. What can I do for you, Auntie Cissa?"

She urged him to scoot over as she sat next to him, taking his hand in hers. "Your father is demanding that you go home for the last three days of the summer holidays. He wants me to send you directly to the Nott Estate in southern France and my father-in-law claims that you will have safe passage upon arrival."

Theo nodded, swallowing slowly. "Haven't seen him since he showed up for my birthday last year, I guess I can see why he'd insist on it."

"I won't force you to go, Theodore."

He smiled at her and shrugged. "It's alright. I should go home for a bit."

Narcissa squeezed his hand gently. "I've appreciated having you here most of the summer. You and Draco have both been wonderful to have around. I'm glad that you had a good trip to Anguilla too, even if I was a bit disappointed that you didn't come to Tuscany with us."

Theo smiled at her. "You needed some time with Draco. Did you like Ophelia?"

Narcissa shrugged. "She's a nice enough girl, I suppose."

"But no one is going to be good enough for your little dragon," Theo said with a smirk.

Narcissa chuckled. "I'm not _that_ bad." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "There's something that I do want to talk to you about before you get ready to head off." At his look, she let out a slow sigh. "Abraxas hinted to me that Goyle mentioned something about his son being uncomfortable sharing a room with a 'flamer'. Thad claimed he's lying and that his son would never even consider being a homosexual."

Theo flushed. He had hoped that the rumours hadn't reached his father, but he should have known better. After the stunt he had pulled on Corner in the middle of the Great Hall, it really had only been a matter of time. "So he wants to question me; that's why he really wants me home."

"Darling, you don't have to go."

He shook his head. He loved that she gave him the option not to, but he also knew his father and he couldn't avoid him forever. "No, I do." He stood up, stretching his arms over his head and Narcissa grabbed his hand again.

"You lie to them, Theodore. Don't you admit to anything."

Theo's eyes met her grey-blue ones. "You - you know?"

Narcissa stood up and gently brushed his hair away from his face. "Of course, I know. I know both of my boys like the back of my hand. You are the Nott heir. You will do great things one day as the marquess and you will accomplish those great things with the money and prestige that you will one day inherit from that miserable old bastard. If he finds out that you are gay, he will take that away from you. All of it."

Theo nodded, swallowing slowly. "I know."

"People know at school then?"

"Yes," he admitted. "I haven't exactly kept it a secret."

She nodded and kissed his forehead. "You need to find yourself a girlfriend, a pretend one if necessary, but you need to find one. The day you turn seventeen, Thad loses all control over you, Theo, but until that day comes he can take everything away. Lie to him. Is your Occlumency strong?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Narcissa smiled again and pulled him close for a hug. "You lie and you keep things quiet this year. I hate asking you to do this. I hate asking you to not be who you are, but, darling, it is for your own protection. Do you understand?"

Theo nodded. "I understand."

Narcissa kissed his forehead again. "I don't want you to go, Theo."

He smiled at her. "I'll be fine. I've been avoiding going home for too long now. I have to talk to him. And it's only for three days."

"When you turn sixteen, we're going to discuss getting you away from Thaddeus Nott permanently. We may even be able to convince the Ministry to cede all of the Nott assets to you including Norfolk and considering your father is on their most wanted list it may be possible, but in case that isn't an option, you must be seventeen."

"I know."

She sighed and hugged him close again. "You write to me when you get back to school."

"Auntie Cissa?" When her eyes met his, he smiled. "Thanks for the warning."

She nodded. "I'll have Binky send your supplies to Hogwarts for you."

Theo thanked her and headed off to the fireplace to Floo to the Nott Estate in southern France, a ball of dread in the pit of his stomach. He knew that Narcissa was right. He had to not only convincingly lie to his father, but he was going to have to prove it. He was the Nott heir and if he wanted the wealth and prestige that belonged to him, he would have to do whatever it took to make that happen.

Whatever it took.

He stepped out of the Floo and into the large entranceway of the Nott French Estate. The high marble ceilings and paintings covered every inch of the space and his shoes echoed on the marble floor.

"Hello?"

There was no answer and he snorted. What had he been expecting? A welcome home party? He moved through the entranceway into the hallway of art, through the sculpture room and into the first parlour. He found his father sitting in the third parlour drinking red wine. He made to say something and stopped in his tracks when he saw the long blonde head of hair bobbing up and down over his father's crotch.

Thaddeus spotted him and gestured him forward with his fingers. "Sit, Theo."

Theo did as his father commanded, staring at his hands as the woman finished her task and stood up, wiping her mouth.

"Acceptable," Thaddeus said with disdain. He tossed a bag of coin at her which she took before hurrying off. He took a long drink of his wine. "Are you done hiding behind Narcissa's skirts?"

"I wasn't hiding," Theo said darkly.

Thaddeus glared at him. His dark brows flecked in silver looked menacing as he stared him down. "Not hiding? What do you call refusing to come with your own father when he wanted to take his son out for his birthday? What do you call gallivanting off to the British West Indies?"

"Enjoying myself," Theo said. "Your name was released to the Wizengamot as a known Death Eater. The entire British Ministry of Magic and a French Auror Squad is looking for you. Did you think that I wanted to associate myself with you and risk being arrested?"

"Well, I'm glad to see that I didn't raise a complete imbecile."

Theo bit his tongue, his eyes on his father. Like the man before him had any say in how he had been raised, he thought. "Why did you want me to come here? I'm going back to Hogwarts in three days. It seems like a waste of both of our times."

"I thought that maybe you'd want to check on your father, see how he's fairing since as you said, I am being hunted."

Theo snorted. "You're still paying whores so you must be doing just fine."

"Confined to the manor, I have to do what I can to keep myself occupied," he said darkly. "The Dark Lord has been generous enough to ensure our homes and properties are sealed away and protected from the Ministries. As long as I stay here, I am safe."

"Why did you want me here?" Theo demanded.

Thaddeus drank his wine again. "I've been hearing rumours about you."

Theo shrugged indifferently, closing his mind. He knew that his father couldn't read minds, but it helped him get into character. "That I'm gay? Yeah, I've heard them myself. You know how rumours spread."

Thaddeus stared at him for a long moment. "So you didn't kiss a boy named Corner in the middle of the Great Hall the day before the Third Task? You're denying it?"

Theo shrugged as if it was of no concern to him. Lucius had always told him that the best way to tell a convincing lie was to give part of the truth. "No, I did kiss him. It was a dare; a way to teach that dickwad a lesson. He hurt one of my friends so I figured I'd hurt his reputation a bit. It was only a kiss, Father. One kiss hardly makes me gay."

"So you didn't enjoy it?"

"Not at all," he said in disgust. "Why the bloody hell would I want to kiss a bloke? Did I pretend to enjoy it? Absolutely! I was making a point!"

Thaddeus stared at him. "I don't know, Theodore. I respect you not willing to back down from a dare, but I won't have you bring shame upon this family either."

"I figured backing down from the dare was more shameful," Theo told him defiantly. "Notts don't back down; Notts take what they want."

Thaddeus smiled at that. "That's my motto." He stood up, zipping up his pants properly. "There's a lovely brunette waiting for you in your bed upstairs. I expect to hear her moaning within the next ten minutes. Don't say that I don't give you anything, Theo. Now, what do you say?"

Theo blanched as his father pat him on the head like he was a dog. "Thank you, Father."

Thaddeus gestured for him to move so he stood up and headed up the stairs to his room. The brunette in question was lean and willowy. She was lying naked on his bed, small, high breasts, brown hair tumbling over her shoulders and the sight of her there did nothing for him. He glanced back at his father who was standing in the hallway and he nodded, closing his bedroom door, but Thaddeus grabbed it.

"Leave it open."

Theo's hand shook slightly, but he did as his father demanded and moved to the bed. The young woman was smiling at him, he guessed that she was about sixteen or seventeen and he kissed her softly as she helped him out of his clothes. Her hand closed around him and he closed his eyes, imagining that it was Connor's hands. He remembered how sweet Connor had been, how curious as he stroked him and soon he could feel himself hardening under her ministrations. When her mouth wrapped around him, he imagined that it was Connor's mouth.

When he finally opened his eyes, his bedroom door was still wide open, but his father was nowhere to be seen and he let out a breath of relief. The thought of trying to perform with his father standing there was the last thing that he wanted, but he also knew that his father could and most likely would return very shortly to make sure he was enjoying his gift. He flipped her over onto her stomach, trying to imagine that she was still Connor and he did what needed to be done, keeping his eyes closed almost the whole time and hating himself.

When she left, he stayed in his bed, tears in his eyes as he turned to hug his pillow. If Narcissa found out what he had come home to, she would be furious. But he knew that he had to come home. He had to show his father that he was a Nott, the future of Norfolk and his one true heir. He had to do this the right way if he was going to get what he wanted.

The knock on the doorjamb had him wiping the tears away before he turned and stared at his father.

"Was she good?"

"Excellent," Theo told him. "Thank you for the gift, Father."

Thaddeus sneered at him. "Theo, Notts don't cry. Wipe those tears from your eyes and if I see you crying again I will give you something to cry about."

Theo nodded, annoyed that he had let his father see his emotions in the first place.

"Get dressed and come downstairs. The Dark Lord is coming over for dinner."

The door slammed shut behind him and Theo swallowed slowly. He carefully put his mind at ease, locking things in his mind as quickly as he could and moving decoys to the front.

This was a dinner that he had never dreaded more in his entire life.

 **Ginny was lying on her stomach in the grass out in the orchard next to Colin thumbing through the hundreds of photos that she had taken on her trip.** Her brothers were flying above her playing Quidditch and as usual, had deemed her not allowed to play. She chose to ignore them and instead focused on the photos that her friend helped her develop. She tapped her finger on the one of her and Ryan holding surfboards.

"That's Ryan!"

Colin glanced up from his own stack of photos to look down at the boy there and grinned. "Of course it is. He looks like your type."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ginny asked, organizing her photos around her chronologically.

"He's kind of a mix between Corner and Harry. See, he's athletic like Harry; star of the football team, likes to surf, kind of a jock. But, he has the charm like Corner did which makes me think that if you had done more than have a little summer fling with him, he would have turned out to be a douche and also might have been hit with the Bat-Bogey hex."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You know nothing."

Colin grinned at her as he continued to sort through the photos. "I see what I see. He was a nice bloke, though?"

"He was the sweetest," she admitted. "He was very patient when he taught me to surf and snogging him was a lot of fun."

Colin nodded, helping her sort through the photos. "I'm glad."

"Oooh, this was the underwater cave we explored. Look how beautiful it is and see how the Muggles use these contraptions to explore it. Genius, isn't it?"

"Very," he said in amusement. "That's scuba gear and that is a device that records what is happening under the water so that Muggles can explore better." He explained, pointing things out in her photos as he smiled. "These are really good, Ginny. You have a knack for it."

She shook her head. "Not really, I was just trying to use some of your techniques."

"Well, obviously learning from the best is the first priority." When she laughed, he grinned. "I have the photos developed from Professor Lupin's wedding as well. I think they turned out wonderfully. There's a really nice one of you and Harry dancing here, let me find it."

"He's with Mandy, Colin, who is quite possibly the nicest human being in the world."

Colin shrugged as he sorted through the wedding photos in the envelope he had brought over. "I still think that something changed between the two of you. I know that you keep denying it, but honestly, tell me I'm wrong. I think that he's starting to realize how beautiful you are and how much he would like for you to be more than just his friend. Look," he said, pulling out the photo he had been looking for. "Look at how his eyes follow you and when he catches you looking, he flushes and pointedly looks away."

Ginny watched the photo in fascination for a moment before she shook her head. "You're wrong. We're friends. I won't get my hopes up that he's going to see me as something more. If I do that, I'll never really get over him and I am, over him … mostly, that is. I'm not his type and I won't pine after him."

Colin only stared at her. The flush in her cheeks told him she wasn't as over him as she liked to believe she was. "Yeah, alright. Either way, you should definitely find someone worthy of you this year. If you date another douche like Corner, I'll help Theo do more than embarrass him."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "What Theo did was ridiculous! I mean, Michael is clearly not gay!"

"Yeah and the mere thought of it sent him into a panic! He's a total douche and a homophobe and deserves that little dent in his reputation. Not to mention it made Su Li break up with him, which the cheating bastard deserved."

Ginny smiled from under her lashes. "Well, that's true."

He nudged her lightly. "And this year I want to see you try out for the Quidditch team. Promise me? You're so good, Gin. You deserve to be on the team."

She blushed and shrugged, looking up wistfully as Fred and George scored on Ron. "I want to, but Harry said that they need a Keeper this year. I know Ron is looking to maybe fill that role. Keeping isn't for me. I want to be a Chaser and they don't need any of those. Not to mention that my stupid brothers won't even let me play."

"Convince Harry to have players on reserve. You deserve to be on that team, Ginny and we both know it. And we both know that when you get that on team, your brothers are going to be blown away."

She shrugged again. "We'll see. When Harry calls for the tryouts we'll see how it goes." She turned back to the photos with a smile. "Oooh, look here, this is when Theo and I spent an afternoon at a Muggle spa. It was rather wonderful. We took a bath in the mud!"

Colin's eyebrow rose. "Ew, why?"

Ginny grinned. "It helps with sore muscles and helps keep skin smooth or so the Muggle told us."

Colin only shook his head. "No, thank you! I'll stick to good old fashioned water baths, maybe with some bubbles."

She laughed and pointed at another photo. "Did I tell you that I played this game called Spin the Bottle?"

"No, and yes, I know what it is!"

She grinned and bit her lip. "I kissed almost everyone in the game, even one girl. It was kind of nice to just kiss people without any expectations behind it."

"Yeah, I bet it would be," he told her. "And Ryan?"

She blushed. "An amazing kisser! Way better than Michael and I thought that he was the greatest."

Colin made gagging noises and she smacked him.

"Which I learned was wrong so forgive me!"

He grinned and stood up as they saw the figure moving in the distance. "I think that's Luna finally coming by. Still up to taking a dip in the swimming hole?"

Ginny nodded and jumped to her feet. "Definitely!"

She hurried across the lawn to hug Luna, who laughed and hugged the two of them in turn and then, ignoring the Quidditch game that she wasn't invited to, pulled her friends aside as they hurried into the Burrow to change into their bathing suits. She wanted nothing more than to enjoy the last few days of her summer with her friends before she headed back to school.

 **Theo had changed into his formal wizarding robes, the same ones that he had worn from the Yule Ball last year, before he slowly made his way downstairs and into the drawing room.** His father was well dressed himself and sipping a glass of red wine. He poured one for Theo and urged him to have a seat.

They only waited ten minutes before the fireplace lit up and Abraxas Malfoy came out followed by Bellatrix Lestrange and a tall, skeletal bald man with eyes so dark they glowed red. Theo swallowed slowly as he got to his feet.

Thaddeus stood up and fell to his knees before the bald man. "My Lord, you honour me with your presence!"

Theo immediately knelt next to his father, keeping his eyes on the floor. He shifted his walls, keeping them tightly in place and allowing random thoughts and fears and scenes to flow across his mind. Narcissa had taught him well and now it was time to prove that he could keep secrets.

A hand touched his chin and urged him to stand and he found himself staring into those dark red eyes.

"My son, Theodore," Thaddeus said proudly. "He's fifteen and a Slytherin; very intelligent."

The Dark Lord merely stared at him. "Hello Theodore, I am Lord Voldemort."

"It's an honour to meet you, my Lord," Theo said, bowing his head slightly.

Voldemort smirked. "Is it? Well, I will take the flattery. You are friends with Brax's grandson, Draco, are you not?"

Theo nodded. "Yes, my Lord, and Blaise Zabini."

"Ah, Bellarosa's boy. Yes, yes, very good. Fifteen, you say?"

"Sixteen in October," Thaddeus added.

Voldemort sneered. "And he's a man?"

"Had him broken in at thirteen, my Lord."

"Good. Virgins are frowned upon around my Death Eaters, you see, Theo, some of them rather like breaking them in personally. Your father was wise to get that innocence out of you as quickly as possible," Voldemort said smoothly and making Theo's stomach plummet in raw fear that surprised him.

He stared at Theo for a moment and Theo stared back. He felt a small push on his walls and he let him break through, making him think that he had no wards. It was enough because the intrusion disappeared moments later and Voldemort smiled.

"Well, is Theo going to be joining us for our war council, Thaddeus?"

"If you wish him to be, my Lord, then of course."

Theo swallowed nervously and Voldemort twisted his lips into what looked like an attempt at a smile. "Would you like to see how we plan to take back the world, Theo? To bring the magical world to its knees and at our feet where they belong?"

Theo nodded. "Yes, my Lord, if you would grant me that honour."

Voldemort stared at him for a moment. "Then come along. The others should be arriving shortly."

Theo took a seat at the long dining room table as his Kiki served wine and dessert, letting out a slow breath of relief. The Dark Lord had barely made an effort to look into his mind and he was grateful as he had known from the first wave of intrusion that his walls weren't strong enough for the powerful man before him and the thought terrified him. What would he do if the Dark Lord decided to _really_ look into his mind? How would he stop him? He frantically tried to make his walls stronger, focusing on his mind and keeping what he wanted hidden, hidden away behind tight walls. He only hoped that the wizard couldn't be bothered to look into his mind a second time.

Within ten minutes, the room was full of over twenty people, all of them Death Eaters and Theo swallowed slowly, sipping his wine in silence. He had been shocked to find that one of them was Snape and tried not to look at his professor. Snape had helped him with Thaddeus and now … he was a follower of the Dark Lord? Disappointment shot through him and he sipped his wine again.

"My Death Eaters, this summer has not gone as we had originally planned. With the unfortunate escape of that wretched Potter boy, we lost the element of surprise. The Ministry of Magic has taken a stand against us. They are prepared to wage war against me, against you, and against what we stand for. But I don't plan on giving up."

The Death Eaters were nodding and grunting in agreement.

"I want what I have always wanted. A world led by those who deserve to lead. A world ruled by those pure of blood, pure of intent and who _deserve_ to practice magic. I won't stand by and watch this country fall to the dogs. But we can't take our stand without all of our army."

Murmurings and mutterings erupted around the table now and Voldemort nodded.

"Yes, yes. The giants are already back on my side. The promise of destruction was all they needed and Greyback has convinced the wolves. The ones who have made a pact with the Ministry will be slaughtered like the deceitful pets they are, for they are not wolves, but pups playing at being wolves," he declared viciously. "The VCE may have refused us for now, but like last time, they will see how much better their lives can be to have blood at their disposal whenever they want; to feast on the Mudbloods and Muggles. Brax, have the Dementors come over?"

"They are only waiting for a word from you, my Lord. They are your most loyal servants." Abraxas declared, his eyes gleaming in delight.

Voldemort nodded. "Good, good. The Ministry thinks that removing their control from Azkaban was a smart decision, but I think that they've made the job easier for us."

Bellatrix grinned in delight. "Are we finally breaking them free, my Lord?"

"Yes, Bella. It is time."

Theo's head lifted up sharply and he swallowed as his father spoke up.

"What do you need us to do, my Lord? How can we serve you?"

"Wait for my instructions, Thaddeus. If all goes to plan, by midnight on Friday, Azkaban will have a breakout like we've never seen before. And then, the Ministry will start to listen."

Theo drank his wine slowly, his heart pounding in his chest. Lucius would be free, he thought, happy to realize that and terrified at the same time. He knew that not everyone in the prison was like Lucius Malfoy and he knew that most of them were dangerous, deranged criminals and murderers who worshipped the mad man before him. The thought of them all being free was more than just a terrifying thought.

He drank more wine, the slight buzz urging him to stop. He needed to stay sharp; to not lose focus, he thought as the war council discussed who was imprisoned. He kept his eyes downcast at the table, switching to water. The fact that he would be going back to school had never made him feel more safe, he thought, nor more guilty for his thoughts.

Going back to school might keep him safe, but with a potential breakout happening, not everyone else would be.

 **Remus and Tonks returned from their honeymoon on the last Thursday afternoon in August and after dropping off their luggage, headed to Black Cottage.** Harry grinned when they came inside.

"Hello Mr and Mrs Lupin, how was Positano?"

"Amazing!" Tonks exclaimed, plopping down on the sofa. "I've never been to Italy before and it was brilliant! We did some tours, spent some time on the beach, and ate at romantic restaurants. It was wonderful."

"Anything exciting happen here?" Remus asked.

Harry shook his head. "Nah, same old. Sirius is in the workshop out back and Zee is at work."

Remus nodded and moved to head outside. "I'll go tell him that we're here."

The moment that he was out of earshot, Tonks grabbed Harry's hand in hers. "I finally did the prank on him!"

"The one where you make yourself look like Snape?"

She nodded, snorting in laughter. "He jumped out of the bed so fast, it was hilarious! I'm still laughing about it and it's been over a week."

Harry grinned widely. "I wish I could've seen it!"

"Oh, Harry, he was so traumatized! It was brilliant! Worth every second!"

Harry grinned and couldn't help but laugh as Tonks doubled over in laughter herself. The two of them were still laughing when Sirius and Remus came in almost five minutes later.

"What did we miss?" Sirius asked, wiping his greasy hands on the grease rag he had hanging from his back jean pocket. He was shirtless and glistening from the heat outside, his hair pulled back in a short stubby tail at his neck, the front pieces still dangling in his face. He drank cold water from a tall glass before looking at Harry and Tonks again.

Harry grinned. "Tonks was just telling me how she woke Uncle Moony up one morning looking like Snape and how he fell right out of bed!"

Sirius busted into laughter. "Like how much like Snape?"

"Just her face," Remus said in annoyance. "But it sure as hell wasn't the wakeup call I wanted from my new wife."

Harry busted into laughter again as Tonks and Sirius joined in and Remus glared at them.

"It wasn't funny!"

Tonks stood up, clutching her side as she moved to kiss her husband. "It was hysterical, but I love you."

Remus flicked her in the forehead. "Minx."

She grinned and sat back down next to Harry. "Harry said nothing much has happened since we left?"

Sirius shook his head and took a seat in the chair. "No, nothing new anyway. Harry and I went on a bike ride to Bath so that he could see Mandy, but other than that we've just been hanging around the house. Back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"We're still going to have Defence Club this year, right Uncle Rem?"

Remus nodded. "Definitely. Though it may start later depending on how these new educational reforms come into play."

"Zee is attending the final discussion on them today. There's going to be some new students this year and the few of them who are actually willing to send their kids to Hogwarts are very iffy on it. They are determined to have all of their i's dotted and t's crossed before they allow their children over the threshold."

Remus nodded. "That seems more than fair. They are distrustful of witches and wizards and after our shared history together, I can't blame them. Adrian asked me to be the coordinator for the three wolf children who will be attending. Two are best friends and just turned eleven in May and June so we'll see how they do; one is a little girl from Daimon's pack. Did they work out what they want them to do during the moon yet?"

Sirius shook his head. "That was supposed to be finalized today. I'm assuming that Dumbledore will fill you in at the staff meeting in the morning."

Remus nodded. "I imagine so. Zee will probably have some more news on that front when she gets home tonight as well."

"True," Sirius said.

Harry stretched his arms out over his head. "Now that you're back, Uncle Rem, do you think maybe we could watch a memory in the Pensieve?"

Remus smiled. "I'd love that, Harry."

He grinned. "I haven't watched any more in ages."

"I wondered when you'd decide to watch another one," Sirius admitted.

"I want to save them," Harry said, blushing. "I like the idea of watching them slowly so that I will always have them."

Remus smiled. "Saving them is nice too. Go on and pick one out. Nymphadora, would you like to watch with us?"

"If Harry doesn't mind," she said with a smile. "I think that I'd like that very much."

Five minutes later, Harry had chosen a random memory from the chest and poured it into the basin. He used his new wand to stir it and then projected it onto the ceiling.

Sirius grinned. "I remember this. Harry you were about eight months old here."

Harry watched the memory unfold in curiosity.

 _"_ _I'm not sure that this is a good idea," Lily said hesitantly, snuggling Harry in her arms. "We really shouldn't go out."_

 _"_ _Lily, you are not even going out," Sirius said in annoyance. "James charmed the living room to look like a restaurant and the two of you are sharing a romantic date downstairs. Rem and I can handle Harry."_

 _She bit her lip nervously. "It's just that the last time you two babysat him, the nursery looked like a war zone."_

 _"_ _Little mistake, won't happen again," Sirius assured her._

 _Remus lifted Harry from her arms. "We got this. Now go downstairs and enjoy your date night with your husband. You won't even know that we're here and we'll get Harry to bed."_

 _Lily blew her hair out of her eyes and then leaned in and kissed Harry's forehead, both of his cheeks and then the top of his head. "You be good for your uncles, Harry. Mummy and Daddy will be right downstairs."_

 _Harry cooed at her and she waved goodbye before disappearing down the stairs, sneaking one more look back at her son._

 _Remus grinned at Harry. "Let's go play, little Prongs."_

 _Sirius followed as Remus sat Harry on the nursery floor and began to play with his toys. Harry cooed and giggled, laughing in delight as Sirius and Remus made his toys fly around him. They played with him in contentment for almost thirty minutes before Sirius scooped him up into his arms._

 _"_ _I think it's bath time."_

 _Remus nodded and led the way down the hall into the bathroom. He filled the tub up, adding the baby soap and the bubbles. Sirius handed Harry over to Remus and hurried out to change, coming back two minutes later dressed in bathing trunks and carefully lowered himself into the bath._

 _Harry giggled in delight as Sirius lifted him down into the water, plopping his butt down into the tub. With Remus' help they washed his hair and his little body as he cooed and giggled in the water, splashing everywhere. Sirius lifted him under his arms and he stood there, holding onto Sirius as he kicked and splashed and giggled, occasionally losing his balance and plopping down in the low water._

 _"_ _See, all clean," Remus said, leaning over the tub to kiss Harry's chubby baby cheek._

 _Harry grinned as Sirius stood him up again and then he peed on Sirius' leg._

 _"_ _Ugh, fuck!" Sirius exclaimed as Remus roared in laughter._

 _Harry giggled and clapped his hands together as Remus lifted him from the tub. They drained the water and refilled the tub back up to wash Harry off again. Sirius continued to swear as Remus dried him off and held him in place on the bathroom counter. They rubbed him in lotion and baby powder which Sirius knocked off the counter sending puffs of powder everywhere as Remus choked on it._

 _"_ _Sirius! It's supposed to go on Harry, not all over the bathroom!"_

 _By the time Remus clasped the nappy onto Harry, the entire bathroom looked like a war zone. Water and bubbles were all over the floor; powder all over the counter and floating in the air and wet towels dropped everywhere._

 _"_ _Er, Rem, I think it's on backwards," Sirius added, drying himself off._

 _Remus tilted his head to examine his nephew. "How can you tell?"_

 _Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, but I thought that Lily always clipped these the other way."_

 _Remus titled his head and squinted at the clips on the side of the nappy . "Looks alright to me; he's covered, isn't he?"_

 _Harry yawned and waved his little arms around. Sirius took him from Remus and carefully moved him onto his shoulder._

 _"_ _Hi, there, Prongslet, it's okay," he crooned to him as they moved back down to the nursery. They carefully put him down in his crib and he was soon sound asleep._

 _"_ _See? I don't know what Jamie and Lily are always ranting about, taking care of a baby is easy!" Sirius exclaimed._

 _"_ _Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, have you seen what this bathroom looks like?" Lily exclaimed shrilly from down the hall._

 _Sirius paled. "Er, on second thought, maybe I'll just stay here with Harry in case he wakes up."_

 _"_ _Coward," Remus hissed at him as Lily came into the nursery._

 _She hurried over to the crib and peeked down at her son, stroking a finger down his back. "How come he's not in his pjs?"_

 _Remus smiled. "He was falling asleep so we just put him down."_

 _Lily smiled. "And who was the genius who put his nappy on backwards?"_

 _Remus and Sirius each pointed at each other and Lily laughed._

 _"_ _I'll fix my son. You two clean that bathroom. I want to see it spotless."_

 _"_ _Actually, Lil, I have a date," Sirius began._

 _Lily merely lifted an eyebrow. "Bathroom. Spotless. Now."_

 _Sirius blanched and hurried off as Lily lifted her son from the crib and kissed his cheek._

 _Remus grinned at her. "Lily, can you show me how you put his nappy on again?"_

 _Lily smiled. "Of course. Watch and learn, Moony."_

The memory faded away and Sirius grinned.

"I can't believe that you put his nappy on backwards and then tried to blame it on me!"

Remus shrugged. "You're the one who destroyed the bathroom!"

"Me?" Sirius exclaimed in astonishment.

Harry laughed. "It was fifteen years ago, I don't think it still matters."

Tonks grinned. "You two were adorable! Didn't even know how to put his nappy on!"

Harry blushed. "Er, well, that was a long time ago, obviously."

Tonks chuckled. "You were the cutest little chubby faced baby, Harry!"

He groaned when she leaned in and kissed his cheeks as he attempted to shove her away, only succeeding by tickling her.

"Fine, fine, I give!" She shrieked, clutching her sides as Sirius and Remus merely shook their heads at them.

"Now, now, children," Sirius said sternly. "It's time to act like grown ups."

Harry and Tonks grinned at each other and then they each ran forward and tackled Sirius and Remus, tickling them mercilessly as they cried out in laughter.

The front door opened a moment later and Zee stood over them, her eyebrows up in annoyance. "This is what you have been doing with your time?"

Sirius grinned, shoving Harry away by putting his hand over his face and tugged her down into his arms. "Save me, Zahira; these maniacs have attacked!"

Zee shrieked when Sirius' fingers began to knead her stomach. "Snuffles!"

Harry grinned. "Aw man, she knows the codeword and everything!"

Remus laughed, attempting to catch his breath as he wrapped an arm around his wife. "Tickle war is over, I'm afraid."

Zee smiled at them, eyes moving around the room. "How did this war start exactly?"

"We were watching a memory in the Pensieve about them babysitting me and failing at it," Harry supplied with a grin as Remus and Sirius each leaned in and flicked him in the head. "Ow! They _were_ failing at it. Anyway, we were going to watch another memory."

Harry climbed to his feet away from the prying hands of his family and moved to the chest. He scooped up the old memory, adding his x to the bottle and putting it back before he browsed through the phials. He picked another at random and poured it into the basin and projected it upwards. He moved to sit on the sofa and grinned when Sirius and Zee each came to sit on either side of him.

Harry noticed immediately how much younger Sirius looked. His hair was still the same carefree style with his tattoos peeking out from underneath his Queen tee shirt. Remus looked even younger, no slivers of grey in his hair and he had a rather boyish grin on his face as he sat comfortably in the armchair in the hall of the hospital.

 _Sirius was pacing within the halls of_ St Mungo's _with Remus and Peter. James and Lily had been in the room for hours; felt like days._

 _"_ _Sit down, Padfoot!" Peter insisted, leaning back in his chair. "Pacing back and forth like a mad man isn't going to make it go any faster."_

 _"_ _Pete's right, Sirius; come sit down." Remus told him, patting the bench next to him._

 _Sirius only looked up at his friends, eyes wide. "I can't. I'm too … edgy. James is in there having a fucking baby!"_

 _"_ _Well, technically Lily's having the fucking baby, but I know what you mean," Peter said, grinning widely. "Never would have believed that tosser would have got the chance to date Evans let alone convince the poor girl to marry him and breed."_

 _Remus laughed, dragging his fists over his tired eyes. "That tosser wore her down and she had the hots for him for years; we all knew it. She was just smart enough not to show it."_

 _Sirius grinned. "Remember that time that she told him that she'd rather kiss every Death Eater on the arse than spend another moment talking in his presence?"_

 _Remus laughed, smirking at his friends. "Merlin, I thought Prongs was going to die. He stuttered and stared at her like she had suddenly grown three heads. Now they are having a baby together. It seems like the world is really changing."_

 _"_ _Just because they're having a baby doesn't mean our world is changing," Sirius insisted, his eyes on his friends._

 _"_ _Babies change things, Padfoot," Peter told him, crossing his feet at the ankles. "Babies change everything."_

 _The door at the end of the hall opened and James rushed out, black hair sticking up worse than ever, crooked glasses and a face splitting grin plastered across his mouth._

 _"_ _It's a boy! Quick, come see!" He exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waved them forward._

 _Peter and Remus stood up, following Sirius who was in the lead, as they made their way into the room where Lily was sitting. She was propped up in the bed, her dark red hair damp and plaited at her neck as she held a tiny bundle in a green and blue blanket knitted by Euphemia Potter._

 _"_ _Marauders, I'd like for you to meet the first Marauder of the new generation, Prongs II," James announced proudly, beaming so brightly that he was practically glowing._

 _"_ _James, for the last time, we're not naming him Prongs II!" Lily exclaimed, rolling her eyes at her husband. She smiled warmly at the three of them. "Come closer and meet your nephew, gentlemen."_

 _"_ _Nephew?" Remus asked, smiling brightly._

 _James grinned widely. "Obviously, Uncle Moony. Say hello to Prongs II."_

 _"_ _Harry," Lily said, chuckling. "His name is Harry James Potter."_

 _"_ _After my grandpa," James said with a smile. "He was an Auror and the coolest bloke around. And James for the coolest bloke in this little man's life - moi."_

 _"_ _Um, excuse me, godfather claims that status," Sirius said, raising his hand in acknowledgement and taking a seat on the edge of the bed, looking in at Harry. "Hi there, Prongslet, I'm your godfather."_

 _"_ _That's Uncle Padfoot, Harry, otherwise known as Uncle Sirius or Uncle Moron," James said, smiling down at his son._

 _"_ _Your dad's the moron, Prongslet. I'm the cool one. Stick with me, little man and we got this."_

 _Lily smiled up at the four men around her. The Marauders; the man she loved more than life itself and the men he called his brothers. "Sirius, would you like to hold your Prongslet first?"_

 _Sirius beamed as Lily carefully placed Harry into his arms. "He's so small, Lil; barely weighs a thing!"_

 _Peter leaned in, smiling. "He's got James' black hair disaster."_

 _"_ _You don't know that it's going to be a disaster, Pete," James said defensively, looking at his son's mop of black unruly hair._

 _Peter only smirked. "I think we do, Prongs."_

 _Sirius gently ran his finger down Harry's cheek, grinning when Harry's tiny hand gripped his finger hard. "Hi there, Prongslet, strong grip you've got there." He passed the baby to Remus who looked panicked._

 _"_ _Um, Peter can - oh boy," he exclaimed in panic as Sirius left the baby in his arms. "Hi, little Prongs."_

 _Lily smiled at him. "Relax, Rem, he's fine."_

 _"_ _He's so precious," Remus told her, a soft smile on his face. "Right, Harry? Are you precious?"_

 _Harry only stared up at him, fingers twitching until he grabbed a hold of Remus' finger. Remus smiled and carefully passed the baby over to Peter who held him with expert ease._

 _"_ _Hi Harry," Peter said, cradling him against him. "You are going to be a great little Marauder, aren't you, Prongs II?"_

 _James grinned widely. "See, darling, even the boys agree that the Prongs nickname must live on!"_

 _Sirius smiled. "He is Prongslet, little Prongs, Prongs II."_

 _Lily smiled at them. "His name is Harry, but whatever endearing nicknames you three give him is for you blokes alone."_

 _James took his son from Peter, holding him closely in his arms. "He's our Harry," he said, taking Lily's hand in his own and leaning down to kiss her softly. "Thank you for giving me my son. I love you."_

 _Lily held his cheek in her hand, her green eyes on his as she kissed him. "I love you, James."_

 _His lips met hers again for a longer kiss and Peter cleared his throat._

 _"_ _Well, we'll leave the new family alone to get acquainted. But we'll see you when you head home."_

 _Remus and Sirius nodded, saying goodbye before the three of them left the room._

 _"_ _James and Lily have a fucking son!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I have a godson! We have a fucking nephew!"_

 _Remus grinned widely. "It's rather marvellous, isn't it?"_

 _Peter nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It really is. When my cousin had her first, it's the greatest thing. But now we're like uncles and that's just … the ultimate, you know?"_

 _Sirius grinned widely. "I have to go tell Andy!"_

 _"_ _But Sirius, it's three in the -" Remus began as Sirius Disapparated on the spot, leaving his friends staring after him in amusement, and arrived just outside of the house where Andromeda lived with her husband Ted. He practically ran to the front door to ring the bell._

 _Andromeda answered, her eyes half closed, but they widened when she saw her cousin there. "Sirius, what's wrong? Are you alright? What happened?"_

 _Sirius grinned like a fool, picking her up and swinging her around in his arms. "I'm an uncle, Andy! I have a godson! A fucking godson!"_

 _Andromeda stared at him, her mouth open in shock for a full thirty seconds before she comprehended what he had just said. "Sirius Black! Did you just wake me up at three forty-five in the morning to announce that your godson was born?"_

 _He grinned sheepishly. "I don't even care, Andy! I'm godfather to the cutest bloody fucking kid in the universe named Harry James Potter and I'm proud as hell."_

 _Andromeda finally smiled. "I can't even be mad, you git. Congratulations, Sirius."_

 _Sirius hugged her again. "I'm going to be the best godfather ever to this kid. My little Prongslet."_

 _"_ _Prongslet?"_

 _Sirius grinned. "Nickname; long story." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "And a new tattoo idea. See you Andy!"_

 _He Disapparated and the memory faded away._

Zee chuckled and grinned at Sirius. "You two were adorable. Had either of you ever held a baby before Harry?"

Remus shook his head. "No, and we were both terrified."

Harry looked sad for a moment. "They look like kids there, I mean, I know that they were grown up and everything, but they looked so young, my mum and Dad."

Remus smiled. "We were young, Harry. Your parents were only four years older than you are now when they got married and it was barely a year after that when you were born."

"That's a scary thought," Harry admitted, rubbing a hand over his heart.

Remus grinned at him. "Different times and they were madly in love and ready to get married. Having you was a surprise and one that they were more than happy to take on. They loved you so much."

He nodded. "I can't imagine being married in four years!"

Sirius chuckled. "Hell, I can't imagine being married now!"

Zee snorted. "Trouble, the lot of you."

Harry grinned at her before he turned to Sirius. "Did you get that tattoo right after?"

Sirius smiled, circling the name 'Prongslet' over his heart. "Four days after you were born. Your mum cried when she saw it. Claimed that I was such a good dogfather. Running joke that I rather disapproved of."

"But it fit," Remus said with a smile. "We were all incredibly happy to have you in our lives, Harry. You have always been so loved."

Harry smiled at them, feeling ridiculously warm inside. "It was a good memory."

Zee kissed his cheek. "Thank you for sharing it with me."

Remus stood up, stretching his arms over his head. "Well, Dora and I need to get going. I need to organize what I need for school tomorrow and she has to work early. I'll see you at the feast tomorrow night, Harry."

They said goodbye and when the front door closed behind them, Zee grinned at them.

"Now, did you boys eat yet?"

Harry grinned at her. "No. Are you going to cook something?"

Zee smiled and stood up. "No, I believe tonight is your turn, Mr Potter."

Harry grinned and stretched his arms up. "Okay, okay, I'm going."

He moved into the kitchen to get dinner started and couldn't help but smile to himself. His parents had loved and welcomed him. His fathers had loved and welcomed him and even though they had been young, it was nice to see them together as a family.

The feeling of warmth stayed with him for the rest of the night.

 **Draco stepped onto the Hogwarts Express the next morning and his foot tapped impatiently until he saw Theo step into the compartment.**

"Hey!" He said, jumping to his feet.

Theo simply shook his head and sat down.

Draco frowned at him and quickly closed the compartment door and put a privacy charm around them. "Mother said that you had to go home and then we didn't hear from you … what happened?"

"Father's confined to the estate in France. Apparently the Dark Lord did something to all of the Death Eater properties keeping them unfindable by the ministries. He's safe there as long as he doesn't leave the estate."

Draco nodded, his eyes on his friend. "And? What did he want?"

Theo's eyes met his. "Greg let it slip that I'm gay."

Draco swore in response.

"I lied. I claimed that I kissed Corner on a dare and that Notts don't back away from a dare. He agreed with that sentiment and had a girl in my room waiting for me."

"Did you … ?"

"Like I had a choice," Theo scoffed. "I tried to imagine she was Connor, you know that American bloke that I was telling you about?"

"Did it work?"

Theo shrugged. "I don't know, I got off so it must have. I hated it. It was forced and uncomfortable and … I hated not being able to say no." He rubbed his hands over his face. "Draco … I met the Dark Lord."

Draco paled and stood up again, pacing back and forth in the compartment. "In person?"

Theo nodded. "Something is going down tonight, Draco. They are planning to attack Azkaban and release all of the prisoners. He said that by midnight tonight, the Ministry would see what he wanted."

Draco's hands clenched at his sides. On one hand, he was glad that the prisoners were being released because having his father home again would do a world of good for his mother, but on the other hand, he knew what the real criminals inside the prison were capable of.

"Did he say how?"

Theo shook his head. "Talked around it mostly. I don't think that he wanted me to hear the exact details. He insisted that I sit through the war council preliminaries and then ordered Father to send me up to my room. I was only too happy to go."

They both looked up when the compartment door opened and Blaise stood there with Ophelia. Draco grinned at his girlfriend, tugging her inside and kissing her.

"Hey," he said.

She smiled. "Hi! The girls want me to sit with them, but I wanted to say hello first."

He grinned and kissed her softly. "Thanks for that." He ignored Blaise who was making a gagging sound in the background. Once Ophelia left, he turned and held up both middle fingers to his friend who snorted.

"What? I didn't want to watch you suck her face off. You have to work on your technique."

"Piss off, Zabini," Draco said in annoyance, closing the compartment door. "I don't hear her complaining about my technique." He placed another quick privacy charm once the door was closed and then turned back to his friends. "Theo met the Dark Lord."

Blaise paled. "What? When?"

Theo quickly repeated what he had told Draco as Draco stared out the window of the moving train. If Theo had been introduced to the Dark Lord, he knew that meant that it was only a matter of time before his grandfather forced him to meet him. If he was honest, he had been surprised that he hadn't already, but with his father going to prison, maybe Abraxas wanted to wait. Not to mention that he knew they were all sticking underground and in hiding. He was okay with that, but also morbidly curious which worried him slightly.

"What was he like?" Blaise asked in reverent awe, bringing Draco's attention back to the forefront.

"Creepy looking," Theo admitted. "He's all skin and bones and his eyes … they seem to be almost red … it's eerie. When he looks at you, you can feel him pushing in on your mind, trying to read into your thoughts. Not all of the time, but it's inconsistent and I could tell that he was trying to catch me off guard."

"Did he?" Blaise asked.

Theo shook his head. "No, my walls held and I pushed all sorts of random thoughts and memories to the front so that it looked disorganized. I think he bought it. This was no more than simple prodding. The way he pushed forward … if he ever decides to really look into my mind, I don't think my walls will actually hold up. I could feel them shaking and he barely looked. He's powerful and I mean, really powerful."

Draco let out a slow sigh. "Guess that means we need to work harder on our Occlumency just in case."

Theo nodded. "Yeah, we do. There's something else too, the way the Dark Lord appeared and the way my father just fell to his knees to worship him … why? My father is a marquess, _the_ Marquess of Norfolk in fact, yet he would lower himself to bow before the Dark Lord? Why? What does the Dark Lord possess about him that makes him worthy of it? Your grandfather is the Earl of Wiltshire and your mother, Blaise, is the Baroness of Sardinia. All of them outrank him in aristocratic titles."

"Not entirely true," Draco said quietly. "He is the direct heir of Salazar Slytherin. Slytherin was the first cousin of the King of Wessex, which as you know, was the first official royal house to rule England. Edward the Elder's mother was Sabia Slytherin, Salazar's younger sister, so if you technically take that into consideration, he could claim status to rule."

Blaise scoffed. "Please, the House of Wessex lost claim to the English throne soon after Hogwarts was established."

Draco shrugged. "I'm just saying, technically he comes from original royal blood."

"Well, so do most of us, Draco," Blaise said in annoyance. "My aunt married into the Romanov family of Russia and was part of the royal court of Catherine the Great and Isla Malfoy's ancestors were part of the Hanovers. If you start doing that, it's going to lead to even more problems. The way that Mamma talks about him … she speaks in reverent tones like he's some form of Messiah. She says that Signore Oscuro is above all titles of nobility, that lord is the kindest word to call him for now. He is our sovereign and our saving grace."

"He wants to be a king then? Is that it?"

Blaise shrugged, his eyes on Draco. "In some ways I think so. A king or the Minister of Magic, but he wants to hold the power over everyone, Magical and Muggle alike."

"We don't have a king in the magical world. I respect Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The Queen is a very kind and strong woman who does justice to England, the magical world doesn't need her equivalent, we have the Ministry for that," Theo said in annoyance. "Even Father admires her and he abhors Muggles."

Draco sighed. "So, does anyone know what the Dark Lord really wants then?"

Theo bit his bottom lip. "He likes control. He likes to be in charge and he likes power, of any kind. I think that he wants to rule over everyone and to dictate the lives of those he believes to be beneath him. He spouts blood purity and the importance of keeping our magic within our blood history, but what does he ultimately want? I don't know."

Draco, Blaise and Theo all looked at each other, no one quite sure how to answer that.

"There's one more thing," Theo said quietly. At his friend's expressions, he sighed. "Snape was there. He's a Death Eater."

"Bloody hell," Draco said, his eyes wide. "I thought that he was alright."

Blaise shook his head. "I guess that means him helping you with your father last year was a fluke?"

Draco shook his head. "Not necessarily. Just because he's a follower of the Dark Lord doesn't mean that he likes Thad. I definitely got the fact that he does not."

"But how can we trust him now?" Theo asked. "Should we tell someone?"

Blaise let out a slow breath. "Should we tell Potter you mean?"

"What's he going to do?" Draco demanded. "Theo doesn't know the plan! He doesn't know what's going to happen or how it's going to happen!"

"But maybe they can be more prepared if the Aurors know the prison is going to be attacked?" Theo suggested, his eyes wide. "Unless of course it's a test … see how much he let me listen to and see what happens."

Draco paled. "That seems much more likely. Why else would he let you sit in on the preliminaries of his war council? That's suspicious on its own."

Theo nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I agree."

Blaise swallowed slowly. "My mother definitely left the impression that she was waiting for news. She's planning on staying in Italy, but she supports the Dark Lord and I saw her tattoo. She's not even hiding it anymore; at least not from me."

Draco sighed as he stared at his friends. "The three of us trust each other and my mother is right about one thing, determining who we can and cannot trust is going to be one of the hardest parts about this upcoming year. We can trust Potter, but we have to be careful with what we trust him with. If anyone finds out that we're passing on information, we're worse than dead."

Blaise nodded. "Agreed."

Theo's eyes met Draco's and he nodded. "Agreed. But Draco? It's going to be one hell of a long year."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _As mentioned in the Author's Note of chapter 47: I have this head canon that the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight is basically equal to aristocracy in the wizarding world in terms of wealth and official titles and they kind of lord it over everyone - an impression I got mostly from the grace and poise that is Jason Isaacs in his role as Lucius Malfoy, but also from the books in the way that Draco talks about his father and his home life. So I have thrown this idea into the ring and made up some titles to use (the Malfoy title based on the fact that their mansion is supposed to be Wiltshire) and I just kinda picked a random other name. Nott is the heir of Norfolk, with the title of Marquess, higher up than an Earl. More of this will be explained in the upcoming chapters._

 _I though it would be fun to connect the old wizarding families to important people in English history, hence the mentioning of Wessex and Hanover and then everyone loves Catherine the Great so why not make Zabini be loosely connected to the Romanovs. As mentioned above, more of this will be explained in the upcoming chapters._

 _(Italian) Signore Oscuro = Dark Lord though directly translated as Lord Dark_

 _Thanks as always and please review :D_


	188. Chapter 188

_Author's Note:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the quote and the speech; belongs to the lovely JKR._

 _Interesting thoughts on Theo and Blaise, I do enjoy hearing your guesses as to what will happen. Harry needs to talk about Ginny to anyone who will listen, even to his girlfriend LOL. I am trying to make Voldemort more intelligent and organized, yes, it always bothered me that he never seemed to have a specific goal outside of kill Harry Potter, like no offence but before he knew of Harry's existence, what was he doing? What were his plans? He was evil and people were afraid of him, that's really all we know. I think Harry has come to accept that Peter was a big part of his parents' lives and his as a child and I don't think he really compares the memories he sees with the man now, I think he almost sees them as two different people because he doesn't really know Peter therefore seeing him in memories isn't something that bothers him the way it would Sirius and Remus. I know people are getting frustrated with the lack of Hinny, but you have to trust me. I have a plan and it is coming very soon._

 _A few people asked about my referencing the Queen of England in the last chapter. As I mentioned before, I think the older pureblood families have nobility and aristocracy and because of that I think they are connected to the Muggle political world which I will explain in more detail in the upcoming chapters. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we learn that the Prime Minister is made aware of the magical world when he or she is sworn into office, I like to think that the ruling monarch is also aware of the magical world for the same reasons. More will be elaborated in the upcoming chapters._

 _Thanks to Saz for helping me with my British slang._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-EIGHT:**

 **Remus made himself comfortable in the staff room next to Flitwick the next morning.** Dumbledore had called the staff meeting for noon today instead of after the feast and he was a bit relieved. The lateness of the staff meeting always made him feel rather exhausted for the next day. But with the first of September falling on a Friday this year, it hardly mattered as they had the weekend to settle in before classes started up on Monday. He tapped his fingers on the table as he watched everyone come in, exchanging small talk with the other professors. He smiled and thanked the ones who congratulated him on his marriage, his fingers curling around his wedding ring with a smile.

It had only been a little over a week, but the sight of the ring on his finger brought a smile to his face every time. Waking up next to her every day seemed more incredible than it had a week before. He had never felt more happy or more alive in his entire life.

When Dumbledore finally stepped into the room, he leaned back in his seat to wait to hear what changes were happening this year.

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to what I hope will be our best year yet," Dumbledore exclaimed with a smile. "We have a few changes this year both in the curriculum and in staffing and I would like to discuss them now."

Everyone settled in and gave him their full attention.

"First off, Charity Burbage is no longer a professor here. She finished off the final lag of Muggle Studies classes with last year's graduates and the old class has ended. Gideon will be teaching the new version from now on. She sends her regards to everyone, but she is looking forward to moving to Australia and working on a research project there. She will be greatly missed. Now, as I'm sure all of you are aware by now, the Minister of Magic Amelia Bones has taken it upon herself to work with a new cabinet within the Ministry of Magic to help us to better the education that we give to our children. Our children being the operative word. We want every single child to be given the education that they deserve no matter who or what we have classified them to be in the past. This includes witches and wizards who are extra such as werewolves or even vampires. I will make Remus an example, even though I know that he hates it," he added, his eyes twinkling.

"I brought Remus Lupin into this school in September of 1971 and I'm sure that a few of you will remember that I held a staff meeting informing you all of his condition to help prepare for his many absences within the school year. He was an exceptional student; hard-working, dedicated and he strived to be the best that he could be and has become an extraordinary wizard and professor here at Hogwarts due to our help with his education. What would have become of him if I hadn't welcomed and invited him to our school? All children should be given an equal opportunity to learn."

McGonagall stood up to speak, clearing her throat. "We have six new potential students who will be arriving today and will be ready to be sorted. Three of them are werewolves; two boys named Maximus O'Ryan and Jack Wolf and a girl named Sari Danson. One vampire, a girl named Mila St James. She isn't the first half-vampire child we've had here, most of us have taught the Clovenfield twins who will be in third year starting today, but as you know, the Clovenfield twins were brought in by Dumbledore much in the same way that Remus was once upon a time."

"As in the Ministry isn't aware of it," Remus added, making everyone chuckle.

"And finally," McGonagall continued, a small smile on the corner of her mouth. "There will be two half-fae girls named Tara Brady and Ciara Casey. It is up to us as professors to make sure that they are being treated like the other students and to assist them with whatever they may need. They are used to a different sort of community, especially Brady and Casey so we must help them feel like they are at home. Like all first years we want them to feel welcomed here."

Dumbledore nodded at her and continued off. "The Ministry of Magic is working on a new project which we are dubbing the Phoenix Initiative which claims that every British Magical Citizen has the right to obtain a magical education and for the first time in our history we are including those citizens to be anyone with magic who may be considered other. If they are human, even if only in part, they deserve the chance to be trained to become the powerful young witches and wizards that they were born to be."

Everyone was nodding in agreement with him and he smiled as he continued. "With this comes the introduction of two new classes for our older students. The first one is for sixth and seventh year students only. It is an elective and not mandatory for students, but it is called 'Wandless Magic' and we have a new professor coming in to teach it. Her name is Rhiannon. Rhiannon has been working under Brigit, the Mage of King Taliesan's court, teaching the children how to use their magic for many years now. We are very excited to invite her here to do the same to our young witches and wizards here at Hogwarts. Rhiannon will be teaching them how to harness their magic both with and without the use of their wands. She should be arriving just before the feast and apologizes for not being able to be here earlier. As to our second new class, it will be co-taught by two of our own. Delta, would you and Bathsheda like to discuss your new course?"

Carthaginian smiled warmly as she stood up. "I'd love to, Albus, grazie! The second course is something that I am very excited about as it was something that I was trying to get up and running last year as maybe a club of some kind, but I think that adding it to the curriculum is a much better idea. This class will be mandatory for all students fifth through seventh year. We are calling it 'International Magical Relations' and Professor Babbling and myself will both be teaching it. This class will help keep our students up to date on magical cultures and traditions all over the world; keep them informed on international magical relations; and give them the chance to learn up to three new languages, a new one each year. Taking on a new language will not only help prepare them for the future, but give them the chance to broaden their horizons. We all know how to do a translation charm and as handy as it is, it doesn't really help you immerse yourself in the language and the culture. It doesn't help you learn it, not truly. We want to offer this meraviglioso opportunity to our students. At the end of the year, Professor Babbling and I will assess each student and decide with them whether they will take on a new language the following year or continue with the one that they have already chosen."

Babbling smiled. "Everything that she said. Delta and I will each teach part of every class since she is better in the relations area and my expertise lies in language and culture. We will be planning and organizing our lessons together and working as a team to get this course out."

"We look forward to seeing the finished product," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Now, with the introduction of these two new classes on top of curricular changes, the Department of Education has insisted on bringing in two Ministry members to evaluate our classes, our curriculum, and our professors."

"That's outrageous!" Flitwick said, his eyes flashing. "I've been a professor at Hogwarts for over twenty years and I don't need to be evaluated nor does my class!"

A few people nodded and murmured in approval as Dumbledore raised his hands.

"It's nothing against any of you, I can promise, Filius. This is just something that needs to be done with all of the new changes that we've implemented over the last few years. With the Life in Magical World, our new Muggle Studies class and these two new programs, the Department of Education wants to make sure that we are staying on our toes; that we're not introducing too much to our students and that we are giving them the education that they deserve. We are first and foremost a school and educating our children is our first priority. The Head of the Education Department, Henry Richardson, has chosen two people to assist us in this task, Mary Raffigan and Dolores Umbridge."

Remus' eyes flashed. "Umbridge? Do you honestly think that anything she is going to have to say is going to be good?"

"I agree, Albus, she's nothing but a bigot who likes the sound of her own voice!" McGonagall declared darkly.

Dumbledore sighed. "Alas, I have no say in who they are sending over, Minerva. Raffigan will be covering the core curriculum subjects: History of Magic, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Flying, and Astronomy. Umbridge will be covering the course electives as well as the new subjects: Muggle Studies, Life in the Magical World, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Wandless Magic, and International Magical Relations. The two of them will also split the extracurriculars including Art, Frog Choir, Ghoul Studies, Magical Theory, Non-Magic Studies, Music, Orchestra and Xylomancy. From what I understand they will be moving between the classes, taking notes and speaking to our students and our professors on what they may or may not be learning. As Education representatives they will have authority as professors to implement rules and rule breaking as they see fit. They will be working from the staffroom for the time being and probably won't be moving into your classrooms until October, but please be prepared for them. Suites have been made up for them in the guest areas near the kitchens. They will be staying with us for most of if not the entire school year. I urge you to welcome them and I ask the Heads to tell your students to treat them with respect."

"What are they hoping to find?" Flitwick demanded. At the mentioning that his Frog Choir would also be investigated, he looked particularly unimpressed. "Frog Choir is hardly something that needs to be worked over!"

"They are looking to make sure that we are sticking to the Ministry outlined curriculum and moving from there to give the students the education that they are supposed to have and this includes the extracurriculars, Filius. Are we covering all aspects of music? Are students given the opportunity to expand on their skills? It is all equally as important to the education process. If there are any other changes on that front, I have yet to be made aware of it. If there are any problems or concerns or questions about anything that we have discussed here today, please address myself or Minerva."

Remus raised his wand. "Clubs still fair game this year or will they be watched as well?"

"Clubs are different and not curriculum based therefore we have the authority over what we teach in them. I assume that you are still interested in running the Defence Club, Remus?" McGonagall asked.

Remus nodded. "I am and I was wondering if this year we could have some of our staff guest speak for a few weeks. I would love to get some of Filius' knowledge as well as Severus' as there are both defensive charms and potions that can be discussed."

Flitwick smiled. "I would love that, Remus. We'll work something out!"

Snape merely scowled. "If you insist on it, I suppose that I could spare an hour or so of my time."

Remus smiled. He found that he took a bit of a gleeful pleasure in the fact that Snape desperately didn't want to help him. But Snape was very knowledgeable about potions and he wanted him to pass on that expertise to his students despite his dismal attitude. "Thank you."

Dumbledore grinned. "Quidditch will also be happening again this year. If the Heads could make sure each of their common room bulletin boards are updated with the full list of the clubs offered, along with any tryouts and meetings that would be appreciated. Any other orders of business that need to be addressed?"

"Yes, what will be happening with the three wolf children for the full moon? I know that the packs do not agree with the use of the Wolfsbane Potion so where will the students go to transform?" Remus asked. "They need a place where they can be safe from themselves as well as from others?"

"O'Ryan's parents have insisted on bringing him home for every moon for the time being. This may be something that changes later on, but for now his family will be picking him up after classes and taking him home for the three nights that he transforms each month," Dumbledore explained calmly. "Wolf and Danson have not transformed yet. Teachers, if you could make sure that they have a study partner to help them keep up on their classes and what they will miss in their absence, it would be greatly appreciated. Any other concerns?"

When no one answered, he smiled.

"Good. I look forward to another wonderful year ahead. Students should be arriving in four hours. Take your time to settle in and get ready for the year."

Everyone began to move and bustle around the room and Remus turned to Flitwick. "I'll get you a copy of what Minerva and I have already covered with our Defence Club and you can see what you think you'd be interested in teaching?"

"That's perfect, Remus. The students really love that club. I've heard them talking about it. Are you still keeping it for third years and above only?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. I think that it's the best place to be in terms of learning. I'll have new auditions this year for any new third years and then the new fifth years will automatically be in the Beginning Level until I deem them worthy enough to move up. It's just easier that way."

Flitwick smiled. "I look forward to working with you."

Remus grinned back at him. At least he had one thing to look forward to because he was pretty sure that having Umbridge around wasn't going to be good.

 **Harry leaned back in his seat on the train, his arm draped casually around Mandy's shoulders.** Ron and Hermione were sitting across from him with Ginny and Luna. They had spent the last little bit catching each other up on their summers. Mandy was explaining how amazing it was to swim with the dolphins in Corfu.

"That does sound incredible," Ginny said with a grin. "I saw some dolphins, but I definitely didn't get to swim with them. I did learn how to surf though. It's this amazing Muggle sport where you stand on a board and ride the waves. Absolutely brilliant!"

Mandy smiled warmly at her. "Harry was telling me about it. He said that it was kind of like the Muggle version of flying. Did you have a nice time in Anguilla, Ginny?"

"The best," she exclaimed. "Theo and I met some really nice Americans there who were on vacation."

"And she met Ryan Baker," Luna said, grinning widely as she fiddled with the red radishes that swung from her ears.

Ron's eyebrow rose. "Who the hell is Ryan Baker?"

The compartment door slid open and Neville poked his head in. "Hey, sorry that took so long." He passed the book across to Hermione who eagerly accepted it.

"Oooh, thanks Neville."

"You look a bit peaky, Neville. Was your walk to the baggage compartment not nice?" Luna asked him, looking him over in concern.

Neville moved to sit next to Mandy and shrugged. "Let's just say that it was a little more sight-seeing than I wanted. Hermione, that book has all sorts of stuff on house elves from all over the world. Is Zee still helping you with your ideas?"

She nodded. "Yes. Everything was put on hold because of … yes, I am still working on it."

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Ron turned his attention back on his sister.

"You never answered my question, Ginny. Who the hell is Ryan Baker?"

Ginny pulled her legs up onto the seat, moving to sit cross-legged. "This bloke I dated this summer. It was a small summer fling."

"Ginny said that he kissed like a dream," Luna supplied, earning a glare from Ginny.

"Yes, he did," Ginny said on a laugh. "Then we played this Muggle game called Spin the Bottle and well, that's how I snogged Dave, who was quite possibly an even better kisser."

Hermione smiled at her. "Spin the Bottle, really?"

"It was strange," Ginny said. "But it was kind of fun. It was nice to just kiss someone with no strings attached to it."

"How many blokes did you kiss in the game?" Mandy asked curiously.

Ginny blushed. "Seven, but one of them was Ryan and I snogged one girl. She was nice, I suppose, but that's not for me. Theo met this adorable bloke named Connor. He kept making him blush the whole time, but by the end of our time there, they were snogging like crazy."

"You kissed seven - Ginny! People are going to start thinking that you're a scarlet woman!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Hardly. They were just a few snogs, Ron. I want to learn how to kiss well so that I don't drool all over my next boyfriend like you and Lavender do."

Neville snorted and Ron glared at him.

"For your information, Lavender and I do not drool. And I am breaking up with her. Tonight."

Luna stared at Ron for a long moment. "I don't think that she'll appreciate that, Ronald."

"Well, I don't want to be with someone who I don't … want to be with. In the end that's only hurting the both of us, and she deserves a chance to be happy with someone else." Ron said simply.

Hermione stared at him in surprise. "That's very mature of you, Ron."

He shrugged. "It's how I feel."

"Where is Lavender anyway?" Neville asked. "I'm surprised that she's not in here with her Won Won?"

Ron rolled his eyes, the back of his ears flushing. "I er, told her that I had prefect duties for the whole train ride."

Neville snorted. "Smooth."

"You've been rather quiet, Harry," Ginny said kindly, her eyes on him. He had been staring out the window, his face looking pensive. Mandy was snuggled into his side and rubbing her hand over his stomach through his tee shirt.

"Just thinking is all," he said with a smile, watching the sunlight dance along Ginny's hair before he caught himself. "Nev, why don't you tell us more about that Herbology camp that you were at with Will?"

Neville smiled. "It's nothing that you would be interested in, I'm sure. We studied plants and took care of them and I thought it was great. There's nothing better in the world than taking care of something with your hands and watching it grow. I love having my hands in the dirt like that. It's so rewarding. Will loves it too. Actually, he's decided to apply for that Herbology apprenticeship in the Congo. If he gets in, he would potentially be transferring there come January."

"Wow," Ron said in surprise. "The Congo? That's pretty far."

"It has a large rainforest there and is full of so many interesting plants and creatures. It's a great place to build some experience. I hope that he gets in. He'll be seventeen in October and that's what he wants to do is be a Herbologist when he graduates," Neville explained. "But keep it quiet, I don't think that he's told Seamus that he's applied for it yet."

Luna smiled at him. "Sounds exciting. Daddy and I visited the Congo for a few days this summer. The heat was dreadful, but it was very beautiful. We were hoping to find a Jarvey, but we only found a herd of Erumpents and some rhinoceroses. I did ride an elephant though and that was pretty fantastic. It was worth the trip."

"I bet riding an elephant would be brilliant," Ginny told her, her eyes dancing at the thought.

Mandy grinned at them. "It sounds like you all had pretty amazing summers. Ron, you didn't go with your sister to Anguilla?"

He shook his head, scratching the end of his long nose. "No, I decided to stay here. I helped my brothers with some of their inventions, which watch out, they have some wicked ones to get you out of class this year."

Hermione frowned. "That is very irresponsible. Classes are important! Ron, as prefects we are going to have to put a stop to that."

He sighed. "But it's Fred and George, Mione; that's like trying to stop gravity."

Hermione gave him a pointed look and he sighed.

"I'll talk to them."

"Speaking of being prefects," Hermione said as she stood up. "Ron and I need to go make our rounds."

Mandy picked up Harry's wrist to look at the time and stood up as well. "I have to go too. I promised Hannah that I would sit with her on the train." She bent down to kiss Harry softly. "Will I see you later?"

He nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

She said goodbye to everyone and followed Ron and Hermione out of the compartment. Neville stretched his legs out across the seat as Ginny and Luna did the same across from them.

"I still can't believe that Ron made prefect," Neville said honestly.

Ginny grinned. "I can't wait to see him try to stop Fred and George from doing anything."

Harry smiled at her. He watched her stretch her arms up over her head, her long red hair tumbling over her shoulders. "Where's Colin at?"

Ginny shrugged. "He was helping Dennis with something or other. I think that I'm going to go find him actually. Luna, you want to come with?"

Luna nodded and stood up. "Sure. Bye Harry, bye Neville."

Neville watched them go and then he grinned at Harry. "Not to sound like Ron, but can you believe that Ginny kissed seven blokes and one girl while she was on vacation? Like blimey, I've still never even snogged anyone!"

Harry grimaced slightly. He didn't want to imagine Ginny kissing anyone. An image of her kissing him was something else entirely though, he thought, shutting that idea down quickly.

"Sounds like she had a good time anyway."

Neville nodded and leaned his head back against the seat. "Well, unless you have any objections, Harry. I think that I am going to try to get a little nap in."

"Sure," Harry said as he watched his friend close his eyes.

He moved to sit on the bench across from Neville, stretching his long legs out across the seat and when his head hit the back of the seat a floral and distinctly Ginny scent washed over him and he scowled. He inhaled her scent slowly and felt it calmed him as much as it aroused him and he closed his eyes too.

Actually, a nap sounded like a pretty good idea.

 **When they arrived at the school, Harry and Neville quickly found a carriage pulled by the Thestrals and jumped inside.** Ron and Hermione were still busy doing prefect duties so the two of them pulled their luggage off the train. Harry held onto Crookshanks' cage as he meowed at him. He was glad that he let Hedwig fly to Hogwarts on her own, he would hate having to cart her cage around all the time. They travelled quietly up to the castle with two second year girls that they didn't know and left the luggage in the front entranceway.

Harry's stomach was growling something fierce as he and Neville took their seats at the Gryffindor table. He tapped his fingers on the table impatiently as Seamus sat across from him.

"Hey Harry, how was your summer?"

"Good, yours?"

"Same," he said, shrugging. "Me Mam hesitated about letting me come back after what happened in June. But she agreed that maybe the school was the safer place for me."

Harry nodded. He hadn't thought that some parents might try to keep their kids home with them, but it did make sense and he found his eyes roaming the Great Hall to see if anyone he knew was missing, but nothing caught his eye outside of the flash of red dancing on her shoulders. He caught himself staring and quickly looked away.

It wasn't long before everyone was settled and McGonagall organized the sorting. Gryffindor received thirteen new students this year, seven girls and six boys. By the time McGonagall took the hat away, Harry was almost groaning as he held his stomach. Ron was doing the same and was saying something about eating a hippogriff.

Harry's eyes scanned the Head Table, recognizing a few new faces and he scowled at the sight of Umbridge up there. She was wearing a pink pant suit with a matching pink pointy hat and he thought that she still had the face of a toad. What was she doing here?

Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat, a bright smile on his face. "Welcome, welcome to another year here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This year, there is a darkness that is creeping into the world. Last year, we had a terrible tragedy here at our school. We lost one of our own students, Cedric Diggory and we lost the Durmstrang champion and internationally famous Quidditch star, Viktor Krum. We all know why this happened. Lord Voldemort has returned and with him, he brings darkness and chaos and I am sorry to say, a war. But no matter how dark the world may get, we are here to teach you to learn and to become the amazing young witches and wizards that I know you are all going to grow up to be. Remember that happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light."

His eyes twinkled as he looked around the room over his half-moon spectacles. "Now, I know that you are all hungry, but I would like to introduce a few people before we tuck in. This year we have two new classes starting for our older students. The first one is for fifth through seventh year and will be called International Magical Relations. It will also feature a language component where each student will be given the opportunity to learn a new language. It will be taught jointly by Professors Carthaginian and Birmingham. Our second new class, Wandless Magic, will be an elective for sixth and seventh year students only. It will be taught by our new Professor Rhiannon. Any sixth or seventh years interested in signing up for the class, please speak to your Head of House tomorrow."

"Wandless Magic?" Hermione whispered urgently. "That's fantastic! I wish that we could take it this year!"

Ron grumbled under his breath. "They've already added another class, Hermione. Do you know how much homework were going to have?"

"But it would be so interesting," Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide in excitement. "Don't you think, Harry?"

Harry smiled at her. "Yeah, it will be and next year you can take it. You learned your lesson in third year about taking on too much."

She blushed but nodded, turning her attention back to Dumbledore.

"We have also said goodbye to our formal Muggle Studies professor Charity Burbage as Professor Birmingham has taken over the entire course load. She enjoyed her time with us and is looking forward to the opportunity to do some research in Australia. This year, the Ministry of Magic's Education Department will be working directly out of Hogwarts. We have two new special guests who will be staying with us here at the school for the duration of the school year. They will be sitting in on your classes, asking questions to both staff and students and working on the Ministry curriculum. They will have the same authority as professors when it comes to enforcing school rules including the awarding of and taking away of house points so I urge you to treat them with the same respect that you give our professors. Madam Mary Raffigan, the Head of the History Department in the Department of Education," a tall, lean blonde woman stood up, adjusting her dark rimmed glasses and gave a little nod. "And Madam Dolores Umbridge, the Assistant to the Magical Review Board Director."

Everyone applauded their welcome as Umbridge's eyes looked greedily around the school, narrowing as she did so.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Yes, welcome to Hogwarts. Now, I would like to remind you that - "

"Hem, hem," the sickly sweet voice said and Harry scowled.

Dumbledore looked back at Umbridge in surprise before he sat down.

Umbridge stood up, smiling around at the students in what Harry thought was a sickly sweet and fake smile. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore for your kind words of welcome. The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching. Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts have brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress' sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment," she declared as her eyes shifted down the Head Table and passed over Remus before she turned back to the students.

"Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited," she finished sweetly with a bright smile and sat down.

The hall was completely silent and then Dumbledore clapped as he stood up. "Yes, thank you Madam Umbridge for those enlightening words. Now, I urge you all to tuck in."

Food appeared on the tables and Harry groaned in appreciation. He bit into a butter croissant gleefully before he even attempted to fill his plate. He glanced over at Hermione who was staring up at the Head Table and shaking her head.

"What?"

"Didn't you hear her speech, Harry?"

"Well, yeah, but come on, we know that she's bat-shit. Uncle Siri said that the new Minister is just looking for an excuse to sack her. She has to know that she's on her last leg."

Hermione nodded but shook her head. "'Progress for progress' sake must be discouraged'? That hardly sounds like someone here to implement a new educational curriculum. And did you see the look on her face when she looked at the new professor and Professor Lupin?"

Harry looked up at the Head Table where his father was talking to Professor Rhiannon before his gaze moved back down the table to land on Umbridge. "It's going to be an interesting year, Mione. We'll see how it goes."

But the whole time he ate, he felt like eyes were watching him and when he snuck a look back at the Head Table, he swore that Umbridge's eyes were on him and it sent a little chill down his spine that unnerved him.

It was going to be a rather long year, he thought.

 **Sirius grinned at his girlfriend as she stretched out on the sofa in their living room, her feet on his lap.** She had worked late tonight and had just taken a long shower. Her curls were still a bit damp and she was wearing her pjs. He kneaded her left foot between his hands and she groaned in pleasure.

"Ooh, never stop that!"

He chuckled and lifted her foot to his mouth to kiss the arch of her foot. "We have the house to ourselves again. Harry's back off at school."

"Mmm," she answered as he continued to massage her foot.

Sirius danced his fingers up her ankle, up her calf. He stopped to tickle behind her knees and her legs fell open and he grinned slipping his hand up higher. He tugged her towards him, locking her feet behind his back and sliding his hands over the boxer shorts she wore.

"What happened to that foot massage?" He grinned and lifted her shirt up to kiss her stomach, his tongue playing with the belly button stud that was there.

"I could use a massage myself," he told her, kissing her higher, his tongue slipping beneath her breasts.

Zee sat up, moving into his lap and giving him more access to her breasts as he lifted her pyjama top. "You owe me a foot massage, Black."

Sirius grinned at her and tugged her shirt over her head. "Absolutely. I promise. But first, this." He laved at her right nipple, flattening his tongue against it and she groaned.

"Mmm," she moaned, her hands moving into his hair to hold him in place. "I thought that we were going to watch a movie."

Sirius slipped his hand into her boxer shorts and between her folds. "I want to watch you instead."

Zee sighed against him. It never failed to amaze her how quickly he could arouse her. The smallest touch and she was suddenly so needy for him. She arched under his quick fingers, gasping. After all this time, she felt like they should have burned each other out by now. But every time was just as amazing as the last if not better than the time before and she couldn't get enough of him. His thumb circled her and her hips arched to meet him as she licked his neck.

"Siri?"

"Hmm?" He asked, his tongue still working her nipple.

"Use your mouth."

He lifted his head, his grey eyes full of arousal as he stared at her. "So bossy."

Zee sighed in disappointment when his hand moved away, but then he was kneeling before her in the living room. He tugged her boxers down, his lips moving over her thighs and her legs and then he nudged her down a bit and spread her legs wide.

"How do you want me, love?"

Zee gripped his hair in her hands and threw her legs over his shoulders. "Like this."

Sirius grinned up at her and then buried his face between her legs. His slow teasing made her arch desperately.

"Don't tease me, Sirius!"

His tongue slid just under where she wanted him and pressed a kiss there. "It's been a while, I need to investigate thoroughly and - " kiss "- make - " kiss " - sure that - " kiss " I don't miss - " kiss " - a - " lick " - single - " kiss " - spot."

Zee groaned, her hand moving to her hair as his tongue began to work her, slow licks and soft kisses; long swipes and swirls; flicking in and out of her achingly slow and then like a jackhammer as she held his head in place, groaning his name.

Sirius moaned against her. As much as he loved having Harry home, he missed having the opportunity to spend hours making love to Zee. Her taste and her desires were something that he desperately craved. He loved the way that she wasn't afraid to tell him when she wanted something. She wasn't afraid to do what she wanted. He slid his tongue slowly along her folds, licking every spot and feeling her tremble beneath him. Merlin, the taste of her made him so hard.

He reached down to rub himself, urging his cock to be patient as he licked slowly as if she was melting ice cream on a hot day. He pressed his lips to the heat of her, kissing her there and opened his lips to tug her clit into his mouth. At the first suck, she screamed his name and he suckled her slowly, slipping a finger into the heat and the feel of her pulsing around his finger as well as his tongue made him groan against her.

Zee let go of Sirius' hair to grip her own hair tightly, slipping a hand down to fondle her breast. She twisted her nipple lightly, rubbing the other one fiercely as Sirius worked her over and then one of his hands slid up to rub her breast and she sighed his name.

Merlin, he was so fucking good at this, she thought. It was like he knew exactly what she needed, like he could understand her body before she could. He suckled her harder and added a second finger and she felt the fluttering in her stomach.

"Sirius, I - oh, yes!"

He grinned against her as she came and he eagerly continued to pleasure her with his tongue and fingers as she rode him, crying out. He licked and sucked continuously until she stopped trembling and then he slowly pressed a kiss to her clit and kissed her mound, her pelvis, swiping his tongue into her belly button and then licking a hot trail up her ribs and between her breasts to the side of her neck.

"You are the only food I need," he murmured against her neck, sucking the skin there.

Zee moaned and wrapped her arms around him. "Sirius?"

"Hmm?" He asked, kissing her neck.

"I admit it, you are a god."

Sirius grinned widely and cupped a large breast in his hand. "And you are my goddess." He bent his head to suckle her nipple. "What would you like me to do to you now, my goddess?"

Zee licked her lips, grinning widely. "Use your mouth again."

He smirked against her nipple. "Greedy. Aren't you going to let me play?"

Zee slid her hand down to cup him through his jeans and smiled. "Touch yourself while you lick me."

Sirius' eyes darkened as he unzipped his jeans and pulled out his erection. He kept his eyes on hers as he stroked himself and then he bent his head and began to lick her all over again. Zee's eyes stayed on his moving hand, watching the way he fisted himself, getting faster with every movement and she groaned as her own orgasm began to build again.

She grabbed a fistful of Sirius' hair and lifted his head. "Don't come."

He groaned, his hand still pumping himself furiously as he bent his head again.

She was writhing beneath him, crying his name as his tongue moved in and out of her in expertise and when she came he squeezed his cock in an attempt to not come and he used his fingers on her as he watched her fall apart. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed, a soft flush on her breasts as well and she was glistening in a soft sheen of sweat that he found himself licking the salty taste of from her skin.

"You are so delicious," he murmured.

Zee smiled and urged him to stand up. She fisted her hand around him and pumped him faster and faster and he cried out as he came, his legs trembling as her hand held him. He groaned as she milked him and he slid back down to his knees when she let go, burying his head in her lap.

"I love you so much, Zahira."

Zee gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. "The feeling is mutual." She slid off the couch to the floor with him and snuggled into his side as he wrapped his arms around her. "Sirius, I think that I want to get married."

Sirius turned to look at her in surprise. "Yeah? To me?"

She slapped his chest. "No, to Tripp! Of course to you, you idiot!"

He kissed her softly. "I've never really thought about marriage."

"Me neither," she admitted. "But it could work for us, don't you think? I mean, not right this second, but maybe down the road we could … talk about it again."

Sirius slid his hand over her round bum. "We could talk about it right now."

Zee rested her chin on his chest as she looked into his eyes. "I love you. I love Harry. I want both of you in my life forever. That doesn't mean that I need a ring on my finger. It doesn't mean that I need to marry you and take on your name."

"I never thought it did," he admitted. "I love having you here with us. Harry does too. We … we're happier with you; better with you. I sometimes wonder if it would have been different if I met you years ago when Harry was still young, if it would have changed anything?"

"I think we met exactly when we were supposed to." She placed a kiss to his chest. "Mama told me that she thinks we should get married, but I think that's just her wanting to be at her daughter's wedding. But I honestly don't know if I'm ready yet. I mean, I still haven't even sold my cottage yet. It feels like if I married you, I would lose a bit of myself and I don't know if I'm ready for that."

Sirius frowned. "How so?"

Zee shrugged. "Well, when you marry a man, you take on his name and you lose part of yourself and I love being Zee Zacarias, I don't know if Zee Black has the same oomph to it."

Sirius made a growling sound. The name Zahira Black made him harden instantly. "Zahira Black sounds fucking amazing."

She laughed and kissed his chest again. "It does have a nice ring to it. But you and I, we're not exactly conventional."

"You can say that again," he admitted. "I don't need to marry you to know that I want you forever. I'm happy the way that we are. I don't need you take on my name. But if you wanted to get married, I would be happy married to you as well. Wow, I never thought I'd say that."

Zee grinned and nuzzled his chest. "Let's just put a pin in it for now. Something that maybe we can discuss again in the future. At this moment, Siri, I'm not ready to get married. But I like to think that when I am, we can discuss it again?"

Sirius tugged her up to his lips and kissed her deeply. "My world is yours, Zahira, as much as you'll let me give you. If you want to just keep living in sin, I'm alright with that too."

She chuckled at that, her hand moving down to stroke him. "The sin part is a particular favourite of mine."

He grinned and his breath hitched as her hand worked him over. "I must agree on that."

She kissed the side of his neck, sucking the skin hard enough to leave a mark as her hand continued to stroke and pump him. And then her hands were gone and she was moving away. He made a sound of protest before he was greeted to the lovely sight of her round bottom as she turned her body and she stretched out across his, her tongue licking his ankles and then she was guiding him into her and he groaned. He reached out to stroke her bum, watching it bounce as she rode him, her knees pointing towards his and when they both went over, all he thought was that there was nowhere in the world he would rather die than with her riding him.

She collapsed against him, her face pressed against his thigh and she sighed. "I can never have enough of you."

Sirius slapped her bum, watching it jiggle and grinned. "Same here. Let's just catch our breath a bit and maybe we contemplate that movie."

Zee rolled off him and sighed as he tugged her up to cuddle. "Sleep first."

Sirius kissed her forehead, snuggling her close with her face pressed against the middle of his chest. "Anything you want."

Zee drifted off to sleep, a huge smile on her face and as Sirius watched her sleep peacefully against his chest, he thought about what she had said. He tucked a curl out of her eyes as he looked down at her.

Down the road, marriage might be something he thought, but only if it was with her.

He closed his own eyes, sighing in contentment and when he drifted off, he dreamed of her.

 **Harry was sitting in a comfortable armchair by the fire of the Ravenclaw common room with his girlfriend sitting next to him.** She was thumbing through the pages of her Rune Dictionary, a pensive look on her face. Harry nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck as she squirmed.

"I need to make sure that I'm ready for my classes," she told him.

He grinned at her. "You're adorable. You might not even have Runes on Monday. We don't even have our schedules yet. We still have two whole days before classes even begin."

Mandy smiled and turned in his arms to kiss him. "It's our OWL year, Harry, we have to be ready."

Padma Patil rolled her eyes before she took a seat next to them. "Is she already stressing? Girl, I am going to hit you if you start stressing already about OWLs."

Harry smiled as Mandy and Padma began to discuss classes and the stress of the upcoming year until Padma nodded at the clock.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, Harry, but as a prefect, I must tell you that curfew is in ten minutes, which means that you must be in your own common room."

Harry tightened his grip around his girlfriend and pouted. "That's not what I want to hear, Padma."

"Hey, it's my first night as a prefect, I have to enforce the rules, even for my friend's boyfriend."

Harry frowned at that. He knew that she was right. He kissed Mandy's cheek before he stood up and lead him out of the common room and out into the hall near the entrance way to Ravenclaw.

"Thanks for coming to stay with me this evening," she said with a smile, standing on her toes to kiss him.

He kissed her back, sighing into her happily. "It wasn't exactly a hardship. Plus, I wanted to avoid the Gryffindor common room if I could as Ron was planning to break up with Lavender and I bet that she made a scene."

"That's not very nice," Mandy said, giving him a stern look.

"I like Lavender, don't get me wrong, but she's so … much … when she broke up with Seamus it was so matter of fact and then with Ron, sorry, _Won Won_ ," he emphasized, rolling his eyes. "Everything is so much bigger and she's so annoying!"

Mandy chuckled. "Want me to give you some crazy nickname? Har Har maybe?"

Harry grimaced. "Please don't."

Mandy kissed him again. "Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight," he said, kissing her one last time before he made his way back to Gryffindor Tower.

The common room was still pretty packed with people and his eyes scanned the room in search of his friends and he found Neville sitting with Dean and Seamus in one of the corners so he made his way over there. He sat on the arm of Neville's chair and nodded at his friends.

"Hey, how'd the breakup go?"

Neville grimaced. "It was loud. She cried. A lot. Parvati had to come and take her away to her room."

Harry frowned. "I feel kind of bad for her, but she had to know that it was coming, right?"

Dean shrugged. "Ron went up to bed. He said that everyone was staring at him, which to be fair, they were."

Seamus snickered. "He should have done it somewhere more quiet and not in the middle of the common room."

"Well, it wasn't like he made an announcement," Dean said in annoyance. "They were talking quietly in the corner until Lavender exploded and started yelling that he was her Won Won and that he needed her."

Harry visibly winced. "Poor Ron."

"Yeah, smart on you to disappear, mate," Seamus said with a grin. "Where did you go?"

"Ravenclaw until Padma kicked me out because of curfew."

Seamus grinned. "You and Mandy are still going strong, eh? Good for you. She's great."

"Yeah, she is." He said, grinning. "We'll have been dating for seven months on the eighteenth."

"Are you doing anything special for her?" Seamus asked.

He nodded. "I think so, but I can't decide what yet."

Neville scratched his head. "You'll come up with something or I bet Sirius will know."

He shrugged. "I'll figure it out."

The sound of Ginny's laugh had his head turning and his eyes immediately found her on the other side of the common room, head to head with Colin. Her long red hair was up in a high ponytail, dancing down her shoulders her chocolate brown eyes were full of glee as she pointed to something in Colin's hands. Colin grinned back at her and elbowed her lightly making her laugh again. The sound seemed to wash over him and he couldn't help the smile from forming on his face.

"Anyone else notice that Weasley is incredibly lush this year?" Dean asked, his own eyes falling on Ginny. "She's all lean curves and I'd love to grab me a handful of those tits."

Harry scowled at him. "Don't even think about it!"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "What? Like you haven't thought about it." He leaned back in his seat to watch her stand up. "Her arse is like a perfectly formed upside down heart. She's definitely the best looking girl in the common room."

Seamus turned to look at her as well. "She is pretty tidy, mate."

"Peng is what she is," Dean said with a grin. "Corner said that she was a great kisser."

Harry glowered at them. "Ginny is off limits! She's Ron's sister and Corner is a git!"

Dean shrugged his shoulders, stretching his arms up over his head. "Ron doesn't control who his sister dates, Harry. And in case you didn't notice, I'm hardly the only bloke checking her out."

Neville put his hand on Harry's arm when Dean got up to go to talk to Ginny. "If you go over there, she'll hex you."

Harry glared at him. "She's not his!"

Neville smiled at him. "Ginny is perfectly capable of making her own decisions, Harry. Don't you think that you're overreacting a bit? Dean is a nice bloke. He's our friend."

Harry glowered at him. The creature in his chest had roared to life the moment Dean had started commenting on Ginny and now he could feel it growling in the pit of his stomach. Dean couldn't go over there. Ginny wouldn't give him a chance, he thought. But when he saw her smile warmly at Dean, his fists clenched at his sides and he stood up.

"I'm going to bed."

Neville exchanged a look with Seamus before they got up to follow him.

Harry refused to look over at where Ginny and Dean were talking again, but when he heard her laugh, the creature in his chest practically roared and he glowered harder, stomping up the stairs. Ron was sitting on the side of his bed, but Harry only nodded at him as he grabbed his toiletries from his trunk and made his way into the bathroom to try to work off some of his anger.

He had no reason to be upset. Ginny could date whoever she wanted; snog whoever she wanted. He had no say in it. Hadn't she told him there had been all sorts of snogging blokes this past summer, Americans he remembered. He took out his toothbrush and began to clean his teeth vigorously.

 _Corner said that she was a great kisser._

 _Perfect upside down heart._

 _Handful of those tits._

 _Taking a handful of those tits._

Dean's words echoed in his ear and he scowled in the mirror. He had to get over this. He had to do something to stop these feelings from welling up inside of him. Ginny was his friend, not his girlfriend. He couldn't be having these thoughts about her. He couldn't be feeling jealous when she was with other blokes or he wouldn't be able to be around her at all.

And that was the last thing that he wanted.

Not being around Ginny was like never stepping into the sun again. Like never feeling the warmth on his skin. It was absolutely unthinkable.

He washed his face and shoved his glasses back onto his face before his eyes stared back at him in the mirror. Mandy. Mandy was his girlfriend and he cared about her; more than cared about her, he really liked her. She was sweet and kind and beautiful. He knew that she deserved better than him. He hadn't even talked to her about the graveyard or what he was feeling and he knew that bothered her, but the thought of telling her … she wouldn't understand and he didn't want to try to explain it knowing that. She deserved someone who was going to give her the full attention that she deserved; someone who wasn't so visibly pining after someone else, but he selfishly didn't want to lose her. In his head, he thought that if he lost Mandy, he wouldn't be able to control the creature in his chest that seemed to emerge in Ginny's presence. If he lost Mandy, he would have to face his feelings for Ginny and he was so afraid that she had put him in the friend column permanently.

And Mandy was … she was great. She made him laugh and when he remembered what they had done on the beach, he hardened. He closed his eyes and imagined her sitting on him again, the feel of her rubbing against him and his hand slid down into his pants to touch himself. He remembered how good she had felt, how good he had felt and when he fantasized about looking up into her eyes, he was awarded to the sight of warm brown ones as her red hair fell into her face.

He bit his lip to stop himself from saying her name aloud as he came. He glanced back at the still closed bathroom door and cleaned himself up, changing into his pyjama pants and leaning his head against the cool mirror to catch his breath. It had to stop, he told himself.

The problem was that he didn't know how to make it stop.

Dean was right. Ginny _was_ incredibly lush. And other blokes were starting to notice.

He looked up when a knock sounded on the bathroom door and he waved his wand to unlock it as Ron stepped inside.

"You almost done in here, mate?"

"Yeah, sorry, daydreaming," he said with a grin. "Hey, I heard Lavender cried?"

Ron grimaced. "Screamed and cried. I told her that I was sorry, but that I just saw us as only being friends. That made her cry even harder. I feel bad, but it's for the best, you know?"

"I know," Harry said sympathetically.

He grabbed his bag of toiletries and picked up his clothes before he headed past his friend and into the dormitory. Seamus and Neville were already in their pyjama bottoms and Neville turned to look at him as he pulled a white tee shirt over his head.

"You alright?"

"Fine," Harry said, tossing his dirty clothes into the hamper at the end of his bed.

Neville moved across the room and took a seat on Harry's bed as Seamus moved into the bathroom. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were acting like a jealous git down there."

Harry glared at him. "I'm not - look, after what happened with Corner last year, I just want to make sure that Ginny finds someone who is good for her, you know? And Dean … yeah, he's my friend, but he's also … experienced and well … I don't want him to hurt her."

Neville smiled at him. "I think that you two would be great together. You know each other so well and you can read each other's moods and reactions."

"Ginny and I are just friends, Nev."

Neville shrugged. "Right, just friends."

Harry sat on the bed next to his friend. "I'm with Mandy. I care about Mandy."

"I'm not saying that you don't, Harry. But we both know that you're lying to yourself by saying that you don't want something more with Ginny."

They both turned when the dormitory door opened and Dean came in, grinning. "Hey!"

"Did you ask out Ginny?" Neville asked, smirking at Harry's annoyed expression.

"Nah. Just flirted. She's so lush though. I think that she may be interested. I'll see how it goes." He looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow. "You okay with that?"

"Ginny can make her own choices," Harry told him. "Just remember that she made Bat-bogeys erupt from Corner's prick."

Dean paled and cupped himself. "Well, yeah, but he deserved it, right? Right?"

Harry simply grinned and stretched his arms up over his head as Ron came out of the bathroom. "Must have. Hey Ron, where was Hermione tonight?"

"She went up to bed early. First night back at school since everything happened. She just wanted to be alone and I think that she didn't exactly want to hear my breakup with Lavender either. Don't think I didn't notice how both of you mysteriously disappeared around the time that I asked Lavender to talk."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I have no idea what you're talking about, mate."

Seamus came out of the bathroom and grinned. "Excellent, we're all still awake!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yes. I thought that we could start the night off with some good old fashioned fun and a game of 'would you rather?'"

Dean groaned. "I hate this fucking game."

Seamus grinned widely and bent over his trunk, emerging with a green bottle. "New rules. I nicked a bottle of my dad's _Jameson_ from the pub. We can have a wee drink or two amidst the answering."

Ron grinned. "I might take a cuppa."

"Good man, Weasley!" Seamus said, grabbing the water goblet from Ron's nightstand and carefully pouring two fingers into the glass.

Neville hesitated. "Is it any good?"

" _Jameson_ is mother's milk, Neville. Nothing is better!"

"Oh, go on then," Neville said reluctantly, passing Seamus his own water glass.

Soon the five of them each had two fingers of the Irish whiskey in their glasses. They pulled pillows and blankets down into the nook between Dean and Seamus' beds, making a makeshift fort and settled down in a circle.

Seamus held up his glass with a grin. "Bottoms up! Let's toast to a great year!"

They all gulped back the liquid in one shot and Harry's eyes watered as he tried not to gag. Ron did gag, choking as he clutched his throat. Tears leaked out of Neville's eyes as he carefully muttered, 'I'm okay, I'm okay.' Dean held his hand over his mouth as if he was attempting not to vomit and Seamus merely made a face.

"Delicious!"

Harry glared at him. "Yeah, no, mate."

Seamus grinned widely. "It's an acquired taste. Now, onto the game. Dean! Since you were so excited to play, I vote that you go first."

Dean held his glass out to Seamus. "I need more of that then!"

Seamus grinned and poured two more fingers of whiskey into his glass. "Good man!" He gestured with the bottle and everyone held out their glasses. Once everyone was settled, Seamus slapped his hands together. "So Dean, would you rather spend the rest of the year as a single man or get back with Parvati?"

Dean contemplated for a moment. "Get back with Parvati. I didn't want to break up with her in the first place. Besides, at least that means I would be getting some action outside of my hand."

Harry frowned at him. "Why did you two break up anyway? You never did say."

Dean shrugged and stared into his drink. "She said that we were going in different directions. I didn't see it." He took a small drink of his whiskey. "It's not bad if you sip it." He turned his attention to Neville. "Nev, would you rather be the last virgin of our year or kiss Seamus?"

Seamus' made an obnoxious kissing sound with his lips and Neville snorted.

"Last virgin. I know where those lips have been," Neville told them as he blushed. "I went to get that book for Hermione out of my trunk in the baggage compartment on the train earlier. Let's just say that the sight before me involved a naked Seamus and Will that will forever be burned into my eyelids."

Seamus wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Ball sucking is a thing that everyone should try at least once."

Ron coughed. "Hard pass."

"But if anyone wants to suck on mine, I wouldn't protest," Dean added making Seamus smirk.

"Harry," Neville said, turning the conversation back around. "Would you rather kiss Hermione or Ginny?"

Harry took a slow sip of his whiskey, his eyes shooting daggers at Neville. "What kind of question is that? They are both my friends!"

Ron stared at him from over his glass, his eyes carefully guarded as he watched his friend. "Seems simple enough to me. If you had to snog one of them, who would you choose?"

Harry took another sip of his whiskey, his ears burning. "Hermione is like a sister to me. I would never even consider and … and Ginny is my … friend too, my oldest friend and … um … so I guess … Ginny?"

Dean snorted. "She is so lush, mate. I'd love to kiss her everywhere."

Ron threw a pillow at him and it smacked him in the face. "Say anything like that about my sister again and I'll hex you, you tosser!"

Dean shrugged. "Can't deny the truth, mate."

Harry finished his whiskey and held his glass out to Seamus for more. "Dean, would you rather blow Seamus while the whole school watched or blow Snape?"

"Oooh," Seamus said, grinning widely. "Harry's getting dirty now!"

"Neither. Why the hell would I want to blow anyone?" Dean demanded, taking a long drink of his whiskey.

Seamus leaned back against the bed, stretching his legs out across the floor. "Well, first of all, cock is delicious. Secondly, makes you feel right powerful to have that hard yumminess in your mouth and third, it is a huge turn on! Not to mention that my cock is beautiful and you would be honoured."

Dean rolled his eyes, but his gaze dropped to the bulge in his friend's pants before he looked away. "Snape is greasy, so no, so … I'd choose Seam, even if the whole school had to watch me get him off."

Ron grinned and leaned back on his hands. "What class would that fall under do you think?"

"Charms maybe?" Harry said with a snort.

Dean crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Fine, who would you rather blow then, Harry? Draco Malfoy or Lee Jordan?"

"Why those two?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"Well, everyone knows that Malfoy's a stuck up little swot so I imagine having you on your knees in front of him would make him come down a peg or two and as to Lee, well, according to Parvati, the rumour is that he has the biggest cock in the whole school," Dean said matter of factly.

Seamus nodded. "It's true. Will said even the blokes in Ravenclaw talk about it in reverent awe."

Harry raised an eyebrow. He really wasn't sure what to do with that information. "Well, I'd choose Malfoy then because if I was forced to blow a bloke, I'd rather it be so tiny that I barely knew it was in my mouth in the first place."

Laughter erupted and Ron swore as he shot whiskey out of his nose.

"It fucking burns, mate!"

Seamus doubled over in laughter, clutching his side as Ron held his nose in his hands as his eyes watered. Harry passed Ron the jug of water which he gulped desperately before Seamus poured him some more whiskey. Once they were able to control themselves, Seamus grinned widely.

"For the record, Harry, I saw Malfoy's prick in the bathroom last year and he's not small."

"I really didn't want to know that," Harry said, making Seamus laugh. He took a long drink of his whiskey and turned his attention to Seamus. "Seam, would you rather marry the most beautiful girl in the whole school and never be able to kiss Will again or tell your dad that your gay?"

The whole room went quiet.

Seamus drank the whiskey back in his glass and stared at his friends. "I'm going to tell him at Christmas."

"Really?" Dean asked, his eyes wide. "For real?"

Seamus nodded. "Will and I talked about it. He said that he would come with me if I wanted, but I think that it's something that I have to do by myself."

"Do you really think that he'll be mad?" Neville asked him.

Seamus shrugged. "I don't know. I thought that it was the end of the world just thinking about telling him, but … I feel like part of him already knows. This summer, whenever I went to visit Will and Neville at the camp, he would give me this strange look. I think that he might even maybe okay with it."

"Seam, that's great," Dean told him honestly. "Your dad is a bit old fashioned and like you said, kind of set in his Muggle ways but, he loves you. I don't think that he's going to take it as badly as you seem to think."

He nodded. "We'll see."

Dean hopped up onto his bed and reached down to grab his friend's arm. "I'll come with you, if you want. Your dad likes me."

Seamus grinned. "He thinks that you need a father figure in your life."

"So he says," he said with a grin. "I'll be there, just say the word."

Seamus nodded, squeezing his friend's hand before he let go. "Thanks." He let out a slow sigh. "Well, this game took a turn, didn't it?"

"I'm sorry. I went too far with that question," Harry admitted.

Seamus shook his head. "No, you didn't. You've known about me and Will longer than anyone here and I appreciate your support, Harry. None of you know what it's like to hide part of yourself away from your parents."

"I think my dads would be cool with it," Harry admitted. "When they gave me the talk they even added this whole portion about blokes. I'm not gay, but if I was, I don't think that they would care."

"My parents wouldn't care either," Ron said. "One of Mum's younger brothers was gay and he was her favourite. Love is love, you know."

Neville shook his head. "My Gran is pretty old fashioned, I don't know how she would take it to be honest, but I like to think that she would be okay with it."

"Are you coming out, Nev?" Seamus asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

He blushed and shook his head. "No! I've never even kissed a girl let alone another bloke!"

Seamus leaned over and pressed his lips to Neville's gently. "There! Now you've been kissed."

Neville's eyes were wide in shock before he wiped his mouth in disgust. "By the lips I saw buried between Will's thighs, gross!"

Everyone laughed and Neville shook his head.

"Er, thanks though. Maybe now I won't be so nervous when the time comes," he admitted.

Harry grinned at him. "No one is rushing you, Nev."

He shrugged. "I'm rushing me! This year, I want to be brave enough to ask out a girl, even if she says no, I just want to do it."

Seamus held up his glass. "To Neville, finally going on his first date!"

They all cheered before Neville turned to Ron.

"Ron, who would you rather see date your sister, Dean or Harry?"

"Harry," he said so quickly that Harry's head shot up. "I wouldn't trust anyone else to keep her safe and to treat her the way that she deserved to be treated."

Dean shrugged. "But you've known Harry longer so that doesn't seem fair. I could be great for your sister. I wouldn't mind having her on her knees and - "

"Flipendo!" Ron said as Dean flipped backwards over his bed and onto the floor.

"Fuck!" He muttered from the other side of the bed.

Seamus hopped over the bed to help his friend to his feet. "Deserved that one, mate."

Dean rubbed a hand over his head. "Yeah, sorry, Ron, that was uncalled for."

Harry stood up quickly, grabbing the pole of the canopy for support as his head spun. "I'm going to bed."

He held onto the furniture as his head continued to spin and fell face first into his four poster. He used his wand to tug his bed hangings closed as he heard his friends decide to do the same. It was less than ten minutes before the dorm was quiet and Harry laid there thinking about Ron's words and then he shut his eyes tightly.

It didn't matter what Ron thought.

It didn't matter what Neville thought.

The only thing that mattered was what Ginny thought and he had told her that it was never going to happen. She was over him. Mandy, he thought, he was with Mandy.

But when he drifted off to sleep, Ginny was the last thought that crossed his mind.

 **Lucius leaned his back against the cool stone of the wall in his cell.** He shivered slightly against the coolness of the rock, but the relief of it was worth it. The summer heat had been awful this year and the Aurors hadn't bothered to offer cooling charms to the prisoners. Not that he could blame them really. The fact that the Dementors had more or less been removed made the cell seem not as bad as he had imagined, other than the fact that he was now trapped with his own thoughts.

He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. All he could think about for the last two months was his last moment with Narcissa. The feel of her spreading her legs for him and the warmth of being inside of her; of coming inside of her, where he belonged. Merlin, he hoped that she and Draco were safe. And Theo. He wondered if Thaddeus had attempted to drag his son home yet.

He and Narcissa had argued about that one.

She wanted him to stay and to protect him. Not that he didn't want Theo to be protected, but he knew that when it came to Thaddeus Nott, there was only so much that he could do. All Nott would have to do is complain to Abraxas. He sighed as someone screamed from nearby.

The screams didn't even affect him anymore, he noted. A prisoner was having a nightmare or a panic attack. It all seemed normal to him by now.

But the boom of the explosion definitely wasn't normal.

He scrambled to his feet, eyes wide as he attempted to look out through the small rectangular peep hole by the door. His chains clanked together, preventing him from getting too close, but he could see movement in the halls. Someone laughed loudly and then there were more screams and an eerie chill ran down his spine.

That was the sound of someone being tortured.

He swallowed slowly and waited only a moment before the door to his cell was blown open. Bellatrix stood there, grinning widely. She pointed her wand at his chains and the ice ripped up the metal, freezing his skin as well as the chain before it shattered apart. His raw wrists were now affected by the frosted bite of the ice charm as well, but he nodded at her.

"Thank you."

"Your father is organizing the supplies and going through the stash of wands. Go find yours."

"They weren't destroyed?"

She smirked. "Not all of them. Seems there's a bit of a backlog."

He nodded and headed out. On the one hand, he wanted to refuse to go with them, but on the other he wanted to find his wife and to check on his son.

And he wanted out of this damn prison.

Even when he knew that he was merely trading one cell for another.

 **Tonks was snuggled up next to Remus in their bed, half-asleep.** She jolted when Kingsley's Patronus appeared in the room. It was set on stealth mode so as not to wake Remus and as she listened to his low smooth voice tell her that Azkaban had been attacked, she jumped out of bed and found her clothes. She tugged her panties on and her jeans before grabbing a bra and light blue blouse. She buttoned it up, tucking it into her jeans and grabbed her badge off the nightstand. She clicked it into her belt and added her holster before she bent her head and kissed Remus' cheek lightly. She ran a hand through her short hair, using her wand to style the curls slightly and give her less of a bedhead/been shagging my husband look as she scratched the buzzed part at the back of her neck. She scribbled a quick note to let Remus know that she had been called into work and took off.

Kingsley was waiting for her in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He nodded when he saw her come forward. "Tonks. Come on. We are just waiting on Arnett and Atwell."

She nodded and followed him into the conference room. They only waited five minutes before everyone was stationed.

"Azkaban was attacked this evening at exactly twenty two hundred and thirty seven hours," Kingsley declared, his eyes moving around the room. "Every prisoner has been broken out except for the select few who are too elderly to have escaped. Four Aurors have been killed: Gregson, Bishop, Lewis, and Davis. Jane and Campbell have been rushed to _St Mungo's_ and unfortunately they are critical."

"What happened, Sir?" Atwell asked, her eyes grave.

"Death Eaters attacked the prison from all sides. The Dementors fled the island entirely, letting the Death Eaters through and they blew up the entire left side of the prison. Campbell was injured in the explosion. Bishop took out one prisoner and one Death Eater who was left masked and for dead by his friends. He has been brought into custody to the hospital for the time being. Many of the Death Eaters were injured, but unfortunately, they got the upper hand on this one. We were not prepared. We only had eight Aurors on duty for the night shift as opposed to the twelve on days and we were not prepared," Kingsley repeated.

He flicked his wand at the white board on the wall. "This is a list of every prisoner who was being contained inside of Azkaban along with what their crimes were. We are not talking about petty theft and larceny here, but murderers, rapists, and arsonists, all more dangerous than we can imagine and they are all loose on the streets."

Tonks raised her wand. "What are we saying about the Dementors?"

"We lost control of them," Kingsley told her. "Dumbledore was right. They didn't even attempt to guard the prison. They let the Death Eaters in and then left with them. You Know Who has them under his complete control."

Arnett nodded, frowning at the list. "Where would you like us to start, Sir?"

"The public needs to be made aware of the mass breakout for their own safety. Get some officers to assist in alerting any victims of the Death Eaters and their families to be on the lookout. Send word to the _Daily Prophet_ about what happened and tell them to warn the public. The Minister is on her way in now to discuss what the next step is. We are officially declaring a state of emergency. You Know Who is not messing around."

Tonks nodded. "Higgins and I will start with the paper and take the first fifteen names from the top for victim and family alerts."

Kingsley nodded. "Excellent, Arnett, you and Leonard are in charge of the next fifteen names. I want every single person affected by your fifteen names made aware of the situation by oh eight hundred hours. No exceptions. Come see me for your assignments. Those of you who already know, head out and get to work."

Tonks nodded at her partner as Higgins hurried to catch up with her. He was an A1 and had only recently graduated two months ago, but she felt like he had a lot of potential. He was determined and a quick thinker. She liked working with him.

"Alright, let's send word to the paper first and get the news out. Do you have our list of names?"

Higgins nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Yes, Tonks, er, Lupin. Our first name is Cassius, Hayden; imprisoned 04/06/75 for … blimey … setting three people on fire in the middle of a crowded street resulting in four deaths not including the three she set on fire."

Tonks let out a slow breath. "We're in for a long night. Grab us each a cup of coffee and meet me at the _Daily Prophet._ We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(Italian) grazie = thanks_

 _(Italian) meraviglioso = wonderful_

 _To explain my thoughts on wolves. I imagine there is a pack mentality for all wolves. However, those born wolves, those with two wolf parents, can transform at any time. Their children are given the same shape-shifting ability, but it does not happen for them until they hit puberty and are mature enough for the transformation, around 13-15 years of age. Those who are bitten, are forced to transform every month on the moon. They don't distinguish themselves differently, they are all wolves. They still undergo a painful transformation, but those born as wolves can change at will and once they master it, no longer have pain as the moon does not dictate when and where they change like it does for those who are bitten. Adrian is a wolf such as this, while his wife Maia was bitten, but their children were born wolves. That's the world I imagine. It is explained more later on. So of the three new wolf children, only Maximus O'Ryan was bitten and transforms every month while Jack Wolf and Sari Danson are born wolves and have not yet hit puberty or matured enough for the transformation to take place. Hope this helps._

 _And side note, Jameson is my personal drink of choice. I prefer to keep it in the freezer and just drink it straight as I think the flavours are magnified when it's ice cold. Otherwise I order it with ice._

 _Thanks and please review :D_


	189. Chapter 189

_Author's Note:_

 _I would like to start off this chapter on a rather serious note. This has nothing to do with ASC. One of my friends asked me to put this up as there are many people who read and follow this story. Josh, this is for you and for your friends and family who are suffering a loss: If there is anyone out there who may be having suicidal thoughts or knows of someone who is having those thoughts or thinks that they may know someone who could potentially be having suicidal thoughts, please reach out. Reach out to them; let them know that they are not alone. Be there for them in any way that they may need; guide them towards help whether through self-help books, medical professionals, counsellors, teachers, religious leaders, friends, family, anonymous help-lines, etc, anything that will help you or your friend or your family member. Losing someone you love to suicide is one of the most heartbreaking experiences one can ever have and knowing that someone out there could have maybe prevented it, makes it even harder. It is not your fault that you feel this way! You are not blame! Do not be ashamed! Please get help! Reach out! Talk to someone! And please remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! You are loved! You are cared about! And nothing and no one should ever make you feel like your life is not worth living! Thank you! That is all._

 _Back to ASC._

 _In reference to my last chapter, they are teenage boys, who let's face it, say things to try to impress their friends, do and say stupid stuff because they don't know better and because they were drinking. Yes, Dean is overcompensating a bit on the whole girls thing, but please trust me, I do have some semblance of a plan. Also, I apologize for the confusion with the Jenkins name drop, I made a character name change and missed that one with my edits. McGonagall was in fact talking about the two half-fae girls, Tara Brady and Ciara Casey (not Jenkins). I did go in and edit that out. There are 6 new students who came in through the new Ministry guidelines on British Magical Citizens: 3 wolves, Maximus O'Ryan, Jack Wolf, and Sari Danson; 1 vampire, Mila St James, and 2 half-faes, Tara Brady and Ciara Casey. Again, I apologize for the confusion._

 _Thank you to Jmcglynn522 for understanding me here: "I'm disagreeing with everyone worrying about Ginny and Dean. Ginny isn't a weak, damsel in distress! She's not going to date someone and be pressured into sex ... remember the Bat-Bogeys from the penis last time? If Ginny decides to sleep with Dean (which I really hope she doesn't), then it'll only be because SHE wants to […] I'm not as worried about that Twatnugget in Pink being at Hogwarts as before. She lacks the level of power that she held before. Can she start shit? Yes! Can she get away with taking over the school without anyone stopping her? No! Be scared for those poor new kids that the prejudiced toad is going to terrorize as much as possible!" - Yes to all of the above, thank you for understanding where I am going with this story._

 _Yes, Neville is feeling a little tired of Harry not admitting his feelings and he has no shame in telling him so. Neville is a sly boy and he is very onto Harry lol. As to the whole Sirius and Zee marriage talk - thank you to hills for summing it up nicely "Bunch of punks with a match made in heaven" LOL. Yes, they are and yes, they are both rather commitment phobic. As to the bit on wolves, I guess I made it up, I don't really know, it might be a combination of all of the werewolf-related stuff I've read in my life. More will be explained later on, I just wanted to emphasize the difference between the wolves in my world and in my opinion. For Hasti, yes, Sirius did smoke cigarettes as a teen, mostly as a rebellious thing for his parents, but no, Harry will not take up smoking mostly because I think it's an awful smelly habit and a huge turn off. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the Auror action, there will be some more of that I think in the future and I do love Criminal Minds so maybe that influenced my writing._

 _In terms of the drinking, most of us did it when we were kids. I'm not having them binge drink or get alcohol poisoning or anything of the sort, just teens drinking, getting a buzz for the first time and learning the fun and horribleness of drinking at the same time, as seen in this chapter. In terms of the "jinx" on the DADA position, Remus almost lost his job at the end of third year when he was almost executed by the Ministry and Umbitch, I think the petition to bring him back and all of the moving parts that included Lockhart leaving early and Remus starting a term before he did in canon and then returning for fourth year, ended the so called "jinx" at least in my story it did. Hope this helps answer a few questions and concerns._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-NINE:**

 **Lucius stepped into Malfoy Manor, his limbs aching.** He had barely stepped over the threshold when Narcissa came running towards him, throwing herself into his arms. He stumbled slightly, but he held her tight, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"Oh Lu!"

He didn't speak, he simply held her close.

"You've seen her. Now stop snivelling and get upstairs and change. I want you back down here in fifteen minutes so that we can discuss our next move," Abraxas demanded, storming past Lucius and into the parlour and opening the liquor cabinet to pour himself a drink.

Lucius pulled away from his wife and nodded, but he held her hand in his and led her away with him.

"Fifteen minutes, Lucius!"

Lucius ignored his father as he carefully moved up the stairs. Narcissa closed their bedroom door behind them and threw herself into his arms again.

"Are you hurt?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just prison aches and pains."

"Where are you going?"

He shook his head. "The whole Ministry is on a man-hunt attempting to find the escaped prisoners. We both know that I can't stay here. I give it thirty minutes tops before Aurors show up demanding you to tell them where I am."

Narcissa nodded, moving to help him undress before she turned on the shower. He washed quickly and was just buttoning his shirt when Abraxas stormed into the bedroom.

"Let's go."

Lucius nodded and grabbed his wand. His had been one of the lucky ones that had yet to be destroyed and he was thankful as he was quite attached to it. He bent his head and kissed his wife softly. "I'll be in touch."

Narcissa watched him storm off with her father-in-law and she clutched a hand to her uneasy stomach. It was starting. She watched them leave the Manor before she hurried into the parlour and dug out a piece of parchment and some ink. She dipped her quill and quickly wrote the message before she rolled it up and headed to the kitchens and called for Binky. The tidy little elf smiled brightly at her.

"How may I be of service, Mistress?"

Narcissa handed her the rolled up and sealed parchment. "Bring this to Andromeda. Stay only if she wishes to respond otherwise come right back to me."

Binky nodded, accepting the roll and Disapparating with a loud pop.

Narcissa placed a hand over her uneasy stomach again. She had to come up with a plan and the hardest part was that no one else was there to help her with it.

 **The lovely voice in her ear made her sigh in contentment.** It was deep and rumbling and tugged at her sleepy consciousness.

"Dromeda?" The voice murmured near her ear again. "Love, wake up."

Andromeda blinked owlishly and burrowed herself closer into her husband's naked chest. "Still dark."

He chuckled and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "There's a house elf here to see you, love, from your sister."

Her eyes widened and she sat up quickly, noticing the tiny elf standing near their bed. "Binky?"

Binky smiled brightly and took a step forward. "I is sorry to disturb you, mistress, but I is coming with news from my Mistress."

She handed the parchment over as Ted reached for his wand and flicked their bedside lamp on. Andromeda carefully unrolled the parchment, opening it so that Ted could read it as well.

 _Azkaban has been broken into and all of the prisoners have been set free, including Lucius. He and Brax stopped by for a change of clothes only and are taking off to a safe location._

 _They won't tell me where._

 _The Dark Lord is setting his plan in motion and as the Ministry scrambles to deal with the breakout, he will strike. Tell them to watch the Ministry; not all are who they say._

Andromeda read it twice more before she incinerated the note with her wand and her eyes met Ted's. She turned to look at the elf and nodded. "Thank you, Binky. Please tell your Mistress that I received her note."

Binky nodded and Disapparated with a loud crack.

Andromeda turned back to Ted, her hand reaching out to lie over his heart, her fingers twirling in his curly chest hair. "How many people are kept in Azkaban?"

"Over a hundred at last count," Ted said quietly. "The Aurors must already be on it. Watch the Ministry … does that mean that she believes there are spies there?"

"She must," Andromeda said quietly. "I'll tell Sirius and Zee in the morning so that they can keep an eye out for anything suspicious. They are both working so diligently on that new project to try to stop He Who Must Not Be Named."

Ted bent his head and kissed her bare shoulder, tugging the strap of her nightie that had fallen off her shoulder back into place. "Are you worried about Narcissa?"

Andromeda hesitated. "She can handle herself better than anyone, I know that, but … she is playing a dangerous game, love. If anyone finds out that she is helping us like this … who knows what will happen to her?"

"Lucius loves her."

"That doesn't mean that he will be able to save her," Andromeda said quietly.

Ted dropped a kiss to the top of her head and held her close. "We have to trust that she knows what she's doing."

Andromeda snuggled into her husband's embrace, resting her cheek against the warmth of his chest, her hands clinging to the base of his spine. "How come even after almost twenty-five years with you, I still feel so safe in your arms?"

Ted smiled against her hair, his hand gently gliding up and down her back. "I love you a little more every day, Andromeda, and I promise that I will always make you feel safe. Always."

She smiled against her husband, holding him tightly. She wished the world had their very own personal Edward Tonks to keep them safe, but he was hers, and she wasn't letting him go for anything.

 **When Harry went down to the Great Hall the next morning, the entire school was buzzing.** Due to his intake of Seamus' so called 'mother's milk,' his head was pounding and he had spent a good portion of his evening heaving into the toilet bowl. Since Ron and Neville had both been right there with him, he didn't feel too guilty. Seamus had snored loudly from his spot on the floor next to Dean's bed and Dean had been on his bed, one hand stuck to his face and his mouth open as he slept this morning like the dead.

Harry planned on never drinking again, he thought. His stomach churned slightly, but the smell of bacon made his mouth water. He sat down to a late breakfast as it was almost ten and had just eaten his first slice of bacon when Hermione shoved the newspaper in front of his face.

"Read this!"

His eyes fell on the image of the prison, half the building blown to shreds and ruins and his eyes widened.

 _Mass Breakout from Azkaban Prison Last Night Puts Entire Population at Risk!_

"Fuck!"

Hermione nodded, not even bothering to scold him for his language. "Precisely. Looks like he's thrown the first stone."

"More like thrown the first mountain," Ron murmured, leaning over Hermione to read the article. "How many people were imprisoned there?"

"It says one hundred and seven," Hermione said quietly. "Thirty-five of them were imprisoned specifically for being followers of Voldemort."

"Fuck!" Ron said, wincing when Hermione elbowed him in the gut. "Ow! You didn't hit Harry when he swore!"

Hermione chose not to answer him. "This means that the Ministry needs to not only re-capture the ones that they had already imprisoned, but find the ones who are behind this breakout."

"Not to mention find another prison," Ron said. "They destroyed half of the castle! With the Dementors abandoning their post, they will need somewhere else to store them safely or bringing them in isn't going to do anything."

Harry frowned as he ate his bacon. "War is coming."

Hermione looked up from the paper and shook her head. "Harry, it's already here."

 **Sirius walked into the Ministry that Saturday afternoon and saw that despite it being the weekend, most of the Ministry was in an uproar about the breakout.** People seemed to be moving at high speeds, with no real destination in mind as if they had no idea what to do. He made his way straight for the conference room in the Office of the Minister of Magic and took a seat, tapping his fingers on the table.

Bones looked up when he started tapping and let out a slow sigh. "Well, I guess he made his move."

Sirius snorted. "We knew that it was coming. We talked about how important it was to make sure that we had more than the Dementors standing by and we did."

"And four of them were killed."

"It's a war, Madam Minister, and I am sorry to say, but it means that we are going to lose people."

She nodded, her eyes sad. "Where are we with your War Council plans?"

"Not far. As you know our first table discussion was scheduled for this Tuesday. I have a few ideas that I've spoken about with Dumbledore, but as to an official plan, we have nothing outside of what the Auror Squads have been doing."

She let out a slow breath as Kingsley stepped inside the room. "Shacklebolt, what have you got to report."

"Every family who was or will possibly be affected by one of the escaped prisoners has been made aware of the security breach. We are on the alert, but it seems like he's stashed everyone away somewhere where they don't plan to be found. We need to find out what his plans are. We need a spy inside."

"We have one," Sirius told him. "But we also need our spy to stay alive."

Kingsley nodded. "Agreed."

Bones stared between the two of them. "Everyone should be arriving from the CBC within the next hour. Lord Black, I want you to get started on your War Council ideas, the meeting has been pushed up to this afternoon. We need to make a plan for this and we need to make a plan now."

Sirius nodded. "Agreed. I need to talk to Dumbledore first, but I promise that we will have something for you by the end of the day."

She nodded, turning her attention back to the board full of the floating portraits of the faces and names of the escaped convicts that covered almost every surface of the room. "Anything is better than what I have before me now."

Sirius stood up, nodding at Kingsley and sneaking a last look back at Bones. Her shoulders were tense and he knew that she was trying hard to figure out how to put a stop to Voldemort's next move. The problem was that they had no idea what his next move was going to be.

 **After breakfast, Harry headed back upstairs to his dorm to shower and change.** He had already showered that morning, but he still felt rather grungy and disgusting from his obvious hangover. Dean and Seamus were both still out cold and he only shook his head at his friends before he made his way down into the common room. He spotted Angelina on the sofa and he immediately made a beeline for her.

"Angelina, perfect!" He exclaimed, plopping into the seat next to her.

Angelina smiled at him when he sat down. "Hi Harry. Did you hear about Azkaban? How scary is that?"

He nodded. "Incredibly. Definitely not how I wanted to start my morning."

She nodded solemnly. "I agree. I'm glad that we're at school and away from the brunt of it, which makes me feel callus."

"No, it doesn't. It makes you sound normal," he told her with a smile.

Angelina smiled warmly. "I suppose it does."

Harry smiled at her, shifting in his spot to give her his full attention. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Quidditch."

She smiled at him. "For the record, Harry, McGonagall asked me if I wanted to be captain this year and I did consider it. But it's my NEWTs this year and honestly, as much as I would love getting the chance to be Quidditch Captain, I think that you would do a much better job of it."

Harry grinned brightly at her. "Well, thanks. It was a surprise, I for sure thought that it was going to be you. I was hoping, if you are willing that is, that you might be interested in helping me co-captain a bit. It's just that you were on the team with Wood longer than I was and I'd love to have someone around to bump advice off of?"

Angelina grinned widely. "I'd love that, Harry! Thanks."

"Good," he said, grinning back. "I want to get tryouts started no later than the third week of school. We have to find a new Keeper and I know replacing Wood is going to be difficult, so we have to find the right fit."

She nodded and bit her lip. "Plus we need another Chaser."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "What do you mean? You, Alicia and Katie are like the Chaser Dream Team."

Angelina chuckled. "True, but Alicia has decided to resign from the team this year."

"WHAT?" Harry spluttered in surprise.

"I know," Angelina said sadly. "I had pretty much the same reaction. But it's her last year as well and she wants to study abroad in America after graduation, studying the eccentricities of numerology. Professor Vector is taking on her and one other student to work on a huge project and it's going to be taking up a lot of her time. She did promise to help us find a replacement though."

Harry frowned slightly. "Well, I guess that's more than fair. But dammit, she's a great Chaser and finding anyone as good as her is going to be disappointing."

Angelina nodded. "I agree. As for Keepers, there's a sixth year who is pretty good. His name is McLaggen and he could be a shoe in after Oliver."

"Maybe … my friend Ron would be a good choice as well," Harry admitted.

"Weasleys do have good Quidditch blood so that is something to keep in mind."

Harry nodded. "We'll set up tryouts. One Chaser and one Keeper."

"Sounds like a plan. I look forward to seeing what you come up with, Harry."

He smiled at her and stood up. "Me too. I'll let you know when the tryouts will be."

He made his way out of the common room and almost bumped into Neville.

"Hi Harry," Neville said brightly. "I was just thinking of heading down to Hagrid's, want to come?"

"That sounds great," Harry told him. "I haven't seen him since Uncle Rem's wedding."

The two of them walked companionably down to Hagrid's hut and were disappointed when he wasn't there. Neville nodded his head towards the edge of the forest and transformed into his badger. Harry grinned and changed into his Tamaskan, barking in glee as he chased the badger around the edge of the forest, dancing in and out of the trees.

The badger made a churring sound, gesturing with his head and Harry grinned when he saw his girlfriend walking towards them with Susan and Hannah. He made a beeline for her and licked her face as she giggled and then he changed back into himself and kissed her softly.

"Hi."

Mandy smiled at him. "Hi, I thought that was you, but I wasn't sure. I've never actually seen you in your Animagus form before." Her eyes fell on the badger in curiosity. "And the badger?"

Neville changed back into himself and Hannah's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh!"

"What are you two doing out here?" Mandy asked.

"We were hoping to see Hagrid, but he wasn't home," Harry said. "You?"

"We were going to take a walk around the lake," Mandy told them. "Want to join us?"

Harry grinned and tugged her up against him. "Nah, you get some quality time in with your girlfriends. After dinner, your time is mine."

Her eyes widened slightly before she smiled. "Oh, it is, is it?"

Harry bent his head to kiss her earlobe. "I'm going to snog you senseless."

She blushed when he pulled away and grinned back at him. "See you later."

Neville smirked at his friend as Hannah turned to look at them again before whispering something to Mandy. "Did you decide what you're doing for your seventh month anniversary yet?"

He shook his head as he watched her walk away before turning his attention back to Neville. "No."

Neville stared at him and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You know, it's not really fair to her that you want someone else."

Harry glared at him. "Mandy is my girlfriend, Neville. You don't know what you're talking about!"

Neville simply transformed back into his badger and hurried off towards the edge of the forest. Harry sighed and changed into his dog to follow his friend. She was his girlfriend and he cared about her and right now he had to figure out a plan for their anniversary.

But first he had to figure out the plan for the Quidditch tryouts, especially if he now had to find a Chaser and a Keeper.

The anniversary date could wait.

 **Sirius looked up when Dumbledore stepped into Number Twelve with McGonagall that afternoon.** He had sent word for them to meet him here as soon as possible, but he was still glad to see that they had gotten away fairly quickly.

"Sirius, how's Amelia dealing with the breakout?" Dumbledore asked, taking a seat at the long kitchen table.

Kreacher immediately began to serve tea and biscuits and Sirius thanked him before speaking.

"As well as can be expected. She wants to see some results on this War Council thing and since we hadn't even decided on our first table discussion until Tuesday, we don't have much."

McGonagall nodded, helping herself to a shortbread biscuit. "We spent the summer making the alliances which granted was just as important, but we didn't find the time to plan for the attacks."

"Any word on the giants? Hagrid didn't say much at the wedding?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't think that any of them are coming, Sirius. Voldemort got to them first and unfortunately they have a penchant towards violence and mayhem all of which we are not going to allow them to do. They've sided with him. Maxime and Hagrid did what they could; they provided gifts and provided our ideas for peace, but the Gurg is only interested in what Voldemort has to say and not us."

Sirius swore under his breath. "I knew that we weren't going to bring everyone over to our side, but losing the giants fucking sucks bollocks! They are very powerful beings."

"And if he uses them like he did the last time, they will crush homes and villages," McGonagall said sadly. "As I said before, we didn't plan a way to stop these attacks, we were too busy trying to find allies."

Sirius bit into a cinnamon biscuit. "Which we had hoped to have more time to do. Lucius and Abraxas Malfoy have left the country and are in a safe-house. I am assuming that any other followers of Voldemort are heading to the same few locations. Most of them have been suffering in Azkaban for years and they will need a bit of time to replenish their strength before Voldemort can make his next move. But, I got word that there are definite spies within the Ministry of Magic."

Dumbledore tapped his long fingers on the table before he spoke. "We have to assume as much. He had spies the last time and with Bagman turning out to be working for Voldemort last year, we have to be cautious."

"Which is what I want with this council," Sirius declared. "Having a Ministry ordered War Council is exactly what we need. It gives us access to resources and to soldiers when we need them, but it also leaves us vulnerable to spies."

"You want the Order to be a secret coalition," McGonagall said quietly. "The backup."

Sirius nodded. "Exactly. I don't want to take chances with this. We have our allies and we have our resources and our soldiers, but we don't have a guarantee that we can trust them all. We need diligence and we need to make sure that we are taking precautions to make sure that no one is Imperiused or under the guise of Polyjuice Potion. I want to set up codes between our core group to make sure that we are always keeping each other safe. Number Twelve is the best meeting place. I have charms melded into the house that stops anyone from entering who wishes harm on anyone inside, but having codes is still a good add on."

"I agree," Dumbledore said. "Get everyone together as soon as you can and establish codes amongst each other. In the meantime, you and I will work with the War Council to establish a plan. We have a lot of work to do."

Sirius let out a slow sigh. It was more than a lot of work, he thought and the hard part was that he had no idea how to prevent anything from happening. They needed Snape to get more information and he was hoping that Narcissa might be able to give them some more as well. Depending on spies was not the wisest choice of action, but at the moment, it was all they had.

 **Theo turned at the sound of someone calling his name as he moved down the dark side staircase and into the dungeons.** He needed to clear his head after reading about the breakout. He felt guilty for not informing Potter or anyone about the upcoming breakout, but also relieved that no one was paying him any attention.

Meeting the Dark Lord had been more of a terrifying experience than he had wanted to admit. The feel of his power, of his capabilities was both awe-inspiring and terrifying in ways that he couldn't put into words. He had thought that he had mastered keeping his mind closed, but after spending a moment with the Dark Lord he felt like a child without a wand. Now he had freed all those who deserved to be locked away; those who followed him and those crazy enough to choose to follow him since he had freed them. It wasn't a comforting thought and he couldn't seem to shut his brain down.

He had spent the last two hours walking aimlessly around the lake before he realized that he'd missed curfew altogether and had started to make his way back to the castle and down into the dungeons. He merely frowned at the sight of the tall, stocky Hufflepuff prefect walking towards him as he made his way back to the Slytherin Common Room.

"Macmillan," he said tersely, looking up at the tall stocky teen.

Ernie nodded at him. "Out of bounds, aren't you, Nott? Curfew started fifteen minutes ago."

Theo rolled his eyes. "Are you actually going to give me detention for it, classes haven't even started yet and I'm around the corner from my common room?"

"Five points from Slytherin for your cheek."

Theo stared at him. "You always were a self righteous prick."

Ernie merely took a step closer to him. "You can have a chance at earning the points back if you ask nicely."

Theo only stared at him. "For five measly points? Knowing you, you'd probably insist that I squeal on some of my Slytherin friends. I'm not a canary, Macmillian, and I'm not going to sing."

Ernie scoffed at this. "Please. I already gave detention to Crabbe this evening, I hardly need your help."

He raised an eyebrow. "I see power has already corrupted you. What do you want?"

Ernie licked his lips. "Rumour around the castle is that you have a mouth made by the gods."

Theo smirked and took a step towards him, coming out of the shadows. "Let me get this straight, Macmillan. You, a Hogwarts prefect, are offering me the chance to earn Slytherin back the points that you took away from me for being out past curfew by getting on my knees and sucking you off? How scandalous!"

Ernie flushed. "I just thought that you'd want the chance to help your house!"

"No, you want to get off, you dirty bugger!"

"I'll take another five points off for disrespecting a prefect!"

Theo smirked. "Now that's just blackmail!" He stared at Ernie. "I'd consider it ..." he said slowly watching Ernie's eyes widen. "But my mouth is worth at least fifty points minimum ... and if you want to come well ... another fifty."

"That's preposterous!"

"And what you're asking isn't?" Theo demanded. "I may like to fool around, Macmillan, but I'm not a bloody whore for hire!"

Ernie suddenly reached forward and grabbed him by his robes, pulling him into the empty classroom on the left and closing the door, leaving the room in total darkness as he shoved Theo to the ground in the process.

"What the actual fuck, Macmillan?" Theo exclaimed, pulling his wand from his thigh holster in genuine surprise. The last thing that he had expected from the Hufflepuff was to be tossed about.

Ernie knocked his wand from his hands, the sound of it clinking on the ground seemingly echoing in the dark silent room before he locked the door and silenced it. "I am a prefect, Nott, and you must do what I say!"

Theo stood up, eyes glaring at him. "You are a self-righteous prick!"

Ernie's fist plowed forward and Theo blanched at the pain to his lip and was surprised to taste blood. Ernie grabbed a fistful of his hair and shoved him to his knees. Then Ernie undid his pants with one hand and pulled out his erection, rubbing it slowly.

"Blow me."

Theo stared at him. "No!" He made to stand but Ernie's grip tightened on his hair. "Let me up, you arse!"

Ernie simply yanked his head back and shoved his cock up against Theo's face, the tip slapping his cheek. "This is what you like, isn't it, Theo? Aren't you a giant cock-sucking whore?"

Theo's eyes were glaring daggers at him, but he opened his mouth and gagged when Ernie shoved his penis inside hard and rough. He sucked for only a moment before he used his teeth, biting down hard enough to make Ernie roar.

Ernie's fist connected with his head and Theo fell to the ground.

"You fucking bit me!"

"You fucking shoved your cock at me!"

Ernie murmured 'incarcerous' and Theo's hands tied behind his back before he grabbed him by the hair again. "Blow me. If you bite me again, I will make you regret it."

Theo struggled in his grip and Ernie cupped his chin hard enough to bruise.

"Open your mouth like a good little whore!"

Theo had never thought that it was possible that he would hate anyone more than he hated his father, but as he stared at the bobbing angry red cock before him, he knew that Ernie Macmillan was in close second. He took a slow breath and then he took the prefect's penis into his mouth. He used his tongue, wincing when Ernie tugged harder at his hair, almost pulling it out by the roots. He licked the shaft to help lubricate it and then he hollowed his cheeks and sucked him hard.

The prefect groaned in delight, hips arching and his other hand grabbed Theo's hair tightly as he shagged his throat. Theo gagged, but the teen made no notice of it. And then he was coming and Theo, left with no other choice, swallowed.

Ernie sighed in contentment as his cock popped out of the Slytherin's mouth happily. "The rumours are true. Of course, I think a bit more practice never hurt anyone."

Theo snorted. "If you think that this is ever going to happen a second time, think again! You'll be expelled for this!"

Ernie smirked. "No, I won't. Because you're not going to tell anyone."

Theo stared at him. "You don't know me! You can't just force yourself on someone!"

The prefect grinned as he zipped himself back up. "I didn't force myself on just anyone, Nott, but the son of a notorious Death Eater. I am a well behaved, hard working prefect who maintains excellent grades ... hard choice on who'd they'd believe."

"They would believe me."

"Would they?" Ernie asked, smirking at him. "Bet your father would believe that his son is a cocksucker. He'd disown you. I know the likes of Thaddeus Nott, my father has told me all about him and you, Theodore, the only son set to inherit riches beyond his wildest dreams, the only heir to the Nott fortune, the future Marquess of Norfolk, will lose everything the moment that your father discovers that you sucked a prick."

Theo paled slightly. After everything that he had done at the end of the summer to make sure his father didn't find that out, this was the last thing that he wanted. Narcissa had warned him that he had to keep his nose clean; to maybe even get a pretend girlfriend because until he turned seventeen, Ernie was right, Thaddeus could make his life hell.

"Why are you doing this to me? Why are you working so hard to ruin my reputation? I just need to make it a year and I inherit everything; my father won't have any say in who I spend my time with."

Ernie grinned. "Good. That's a whole year of practice for you then."

"You're lying."

Ernie simply licked his lips. "Tomorrow night, eight thirty, broom closet on the third floor. I expect you on your knees and waiting for me, to beg for my cock like the little whore you are ... and this time, you're going to show me exactly how good you are, no little quick suck to get me off. Show me why blokes say that mouth is a gift of the gods." He pulled his robes closed, adjusted his prefect's badge and dropped Theo's wand on the floor. "Oh and Nott? If you tell anyone, I will ruin you and make you the poor little rich boy no more so don't even think of using magic against me because I will make you will regret it."

Theo only glared harder as Ernie smirked before he left the classroom, whistling as he walked and Theo fought back tears as he desperately tried to untie his still bound hands.

If his father heard wind of this, he would lose everything. Thaddeus Nott would take his name off every account; he wouldn't be left a single Knut to his name ... not to mention what his father would do to him if he found out that his only son was a homosexual … what he would allow the Dark Lord to do to him …

He touched his fat lip, wincing at the pain of it. He'd play by the prefect's rules for now, but the moment he had an out, he was going to curse that tiny little prick right off his body. He managed to break himself free and stood up, using a quick concealing charm on himself to hide his injuries before he made his way back to Slytherin House.

No one could find out what had happened.

No one.

 **Sirius thanked Kreacher as he stepped into the kitchen of Number Twelve the next afternoon.** The elf was truly a godsend. He had set the table with Dobby's help, filling it with drinks and snacks for the large group that would be arriving within the next half an hour. He sighed when Zee's arms encircled his waist and she rested her face against the centre of his back.

"It's going to be fine, Siri. We have to start somewhere."

He nodded, running his hands along the arms that held him. "I know, but starting from the bottom isn't where I want to be."

"Most people don't get to start at the top, Sirius," she said quietly. "You have to work your way up."

"I know. But right now, I wish we could take the easy way out."

He moved to the blackboard and began to write.

Zee watched him for a moment. "What are you doing?"

"I want to establish where we have everyone and where they may or may not be useful. This will be the members wall."

She nodded and immediately started at the other end, adding to the list. When they were finished, she kissed his cheek. "Let's arrange it a bit by location." She waved her wand and the names shifted and guided around the room until it was organized alphabetically in a list format.

 _MINISTRY OF MAGIC:_

 _Sirius Black ➾ Wizengamot, Hogwarts Board of Governors, War Council_

 _Dedalus Diggle ➾ Accidental Magic Reversal Squad_

 _Elphias Doge ➾ Special Advisor to the Wizengamot, Hogwarts Board of Governors_

 _Albus Dumbledore ➾ Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump ICW, War Council, CBC, (also part of Hogwarts, Headmaster of Hogwarts)_

 _Hestia Jones ➾ Department of Intoxicating Substances_

 _Tonks Lupin ➾ A3 Auror Department_

 _Sturgis Podmore ➾ Department of Mysteries, Level One_

 _Kingsley Shacklebolt ➾ Head Auror, CBC_

 _Ted Tonks ➾ Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Objects_

 _Emmeline Vance ➾ Head of Hit Wizards Division_

 _Arthur Weasley ➾ Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office_

 _Zee Zacarias ➾ Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, CBC_

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY:_

 _Albus Dumbledore ➾ Headmaster (also part of Ministry of Magic)_

 _Filius Flitwick ➾ Charms_

 _Rubeus Hagrid ➾ Care of Magical Creatures_

 _Remus Lupin ➾ Defence Against the Dark Arts, Werewolf packs_

 _Minerva McGonagall ➾ Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor House, Transfiguration_

 _Severus Snape ➾ Potions, Death Eaters_

 _GRINGOTTS WIZARD BANK:_

 _Fleur Delacour ➾ curse breaker in training_

 _Bill Weasley ➾ curse breaker_

 _OTHER:_

 _Aberforth Dumbledore ➾ pub owner_

 _Mundungus Fletcher ➾ professional thief_

 _Alastor Moody ➾ retired Auror_

 _Andromeda Tonks ➾ housewife, spy contacts, communication coordinator of Order_

 _Molly Weasley ➾ housewife, communication coordinator of Order_

 _OUT OF COUNTRY:_

 _Alexander Papakonstantinou ➾ neuro-healer (Greece)_

 _Althea Papakonstantinou ➾ pediahealer (Greece)_

 _Charlie Weasley ➾ dragon tamer (Romania)_

 _Misha Zacarias ➾ Head Auror of Russian KGB (Moscow)_

 _Sorcha Zacarias ➾ journalist (Scotland and Moscow)_

"There," Zee said with a smile. "Are we forgetting anyone?"

Sirius scanned the list carefully and shook his head. "I don't think so." He took a seat at the head of the table his eyes on the blackboard. "I'm going to put Molly and Andy both in as the communication coordinators. They will be in charge of who is on a mission and who is free and making sure that we are recording check points and length of time. I want to keep everyone as safe as possible."

Zee put her wand in her leg holster and then plopped into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm glad that we brought Mama and Papa in, but … I worry."

He kissed her softly. "I worry about you every bloody day. I don't know what I would do if anything … you're being extra careful, right?"

Zee smiled and gently stroked her finger down his cheek. "Always. Worrying about each other is a given, but we need to try to take care of everyone here as much as ourselves."

Sirius nodded. "That's part of the reason why I want Andy and Molly to coordinate everything. They have the most free time at the moment and both of them are fierce mama bears which is exactly what I think we need to help keep us in line. Plus with Andy potentially keeping us informed through Cissa, she is another spy link."

Zee bit her bottom lip. "Spies are good, but I am worried a little bit about those boys. Draco, Theo and Blaise … we both saw them after the World Cup and now … how deep are they going to be into this?"

Sirius kissed her forehead. "Deeper than we'd like I'd imagine. I have to hope that their age will help keep them out of it as much as possible, but they are not our responsibility, babe. Andy gave them the option of a safe house and I would hope that if something goes amiss, they will use it. Until then … let's hope that they are three more sets of eyes and ears who will communicate with Harry to help us."

Zee nodded and Sirius held her close for a long moment as Remus came into the kitchen with Tonks. It was only a moment later before everyone began to arrive. Zee moved into the chair next to Sirius and thanked Kreacher as he began to pour everyone drinks. The elf even presented Moody with his special bottle of unopened single malt Scotch and Moody grinned widely, thanking the elf before he served himself.

Once everyone was settled around the kitchen table, Sirius let out a slow breath and began.

"I'd just like to thank everyone for coming, that's a great start to this meeting. Unfortunately, Dumbledore couldn't attend the meeting as he is working with the Minister today so I will be speaking for him." He cleared his throat as he looked around the room. "Most of you know each other. Some of you are new to the Order and others were around with me the first time around. Lord Voldemort is back and the world has gone to shit. Prisoners have escaped Azkaban and we have no idea what his next move will be."

A tiny witch with dark hair raised her hand. "Sirius, what is the Ministry hoping to do to counteract You Know Who?"

Sirius let out a slow sigh. "Something called the Phoenix Initiative, which if you remember, Tia, we started attempting to do back in the first war. This time we have a minister willing to listen and this time we are building a war council to try to assist. But just like last time, we know that there are spies within the Ministry of Magic."

Arthur frowned at that. "But you don't know who."

Sirius shook his head. "No. But this time around, we are more aware of a few things." He pointed his wand at the blank blackboard on the opposite kitchen wall from where he and Zee had recorded the names. The skull and serpent symbol of the Dark Mark appeared there. "Every Death Eater bears this symbol on their left forearm. My cousin Bellatrix Lestrange has the mark on her right. Why it is on her right as opposed to her left, I am not sure, but they all bear this mark. We are going to implement an increased security check for all Ministry personnel upon entering and leaving the building each and every day. It will include checking for the mark. However, as we are all well aware, there are many ways to hide it and to conceal it. The important part is doing our best to keep everyone in the Ministry of Magic safe."

"How in depth will the security check be?" Arthur asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Bones is working on that with the Aurors and the Security Division. Unfortunately, we cannot make it as in depth as we would like due to civil liberties and freedoms, but we will try to be as cautious as possible. This is why I have called a meeting today. The Order will be the secret eyes and ears that we might not be able to possess in the Ministry. We are going to work our hardest to get a good War Council up and running, but we are also going to be working in the background, underground, and on the sidelines."

Moody leaned back in his chair. "Smart. Constant vigilance."

"Precisely," Sirius said with a smile. "Now, before I get into my ideas, I just want to do a quick introduction around the room so that we are all aware of who is present and what potential roles we have in the Order or what help we could be."

Moody rolled his eyes. "No goddamn roll call, Black. You have us all listed on the wall up there already." He pointed his wand around the table as he spoke. "Black, Zacarias, Jones, Diggle, Fletcher, Bill Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley, Lupin, Auror Tonks - sorry - Lupin, Shacklebolt, Ted Tonks, Andromeda Tonks, McGonagall, Flitwick, Doge, Abe, Delacour, Hagrid, Podmore, and Vance. Everyone clear?"

Sirius smirked. "Thanks, Mad-Eye. We have a few people who couldn't be here today as well. Charlie Weasley who is working from Romania; Xander and Althea Papakonstantinou who are working from Greece; Severus Snape; Dumbledore as well as the Russian Auror Misha Zacarias and his wife Sorcha who will be working both here and from Russia."

Moody nodded. "Make small talk amongst yourselves later to get better introductions. Tell us what your plan is, Black."

Sirius leaned back in his seat at the head of the table. "Well, first thing is about keeping constant vigilance which means that we have to set up security features for ourselves. This house is very well guarded and charmed and as you saw, can only be accessed by getting the information from the Secret Keeper. But for our own safety, I want everyone to increase the security on their own homes and to have codes with every person in this room. For example, Remus and I know everything about each other and would instantly know if one of us was lying. But Tia, I haven't seen you in over fifteen years, is your favourite song still 'Honky Tonk Woman' by the Rolling Stones?"

Hestia chuckled, tucking her dark hair behind her ear. "Definitely. I like that idea, Sirius. Something that only we would know about each other, an inside joke even that could help us decipher if any of us have been compromised."

"Now obviously not all of us are here today and some of our members will continue to work out of the country, but we will have our own security features for them," Sirius explained.

Moody nodded. "Well done. Now, when it comes to finding out the spies within the Ministry, what do you have in mind?"

Zee squeezed his hand gently. "Amongst our number we have a pretty diverse group of people. As you can see, Sirius and I organized our group by location. Bill and Fleur work at _Gringotts_ , which I hope means that they can help us earn some potential assistance from the goblins?"

Fleur shook her head. "Zey do not trust us. Zey say zat zis war is not their problème."

Bill nodded. "But they aren't willing to help You Know Who either so that's something."

"But it gives the two of you another aspect to be cautious about. The Ministry isn't the only avenue that Voldemort may be looking to infiltrate," Zee said quietly. "As you can see, the Ministry of Magic is another location and the one where most of us will be working from. I work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures so I will do what I can from that department. Kingsley, Ted, Tonks, you three all have access to different levels of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Arthur, you are the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office which puts you in contact with all sorts of different departments around the Ministry not to mention Muggle officials. Jones, Sirius says that you work with the Department of Intoxicating Substances, that's another potential place where we need to be on the lookout. Diggle, I understand that you work for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad?"

The short man nodded excitedly. "Oh, yes, and I can tell you, not all of it is kids, oh no!"

Sirius chuckled. "I can imagine, Ded. Dung is our unsavoury friend as he has a tendency towards pick pocketing and spends his time skulking in Knockturn Alley. Sturgis, you work on level one of the Department of Mysteries, I know that doesn't mean much in terms of your clearance, but keep an eye on what you can. Em, I know that you run your own division under the Hit Wizards now and I need your mad skills to help us organize here. Andy, Molly, you two have the hardest job as neither of you work in the Ministry. I want you to take to the streets, Diagon Alley, and other magical villages and towns and just keep your ears to the ground. Elphias, I am looking to you to help me in the Wizengamot as Special Advisor, your voice matters. Filius, Minnie, Rem, Hagrid, you are all at Hogwarts. I hate to say it. I hate even suggesting it, but keep an eye on your students. Many of their family members may be or may be connected to Death Eaters. They could be in danger as much as be dangerous themselves."

Zee nodded. "Charlie Weasley is doing what he can from the dragon reserve in Romania as are Xander and Thea from Greece. My father is forming a special unit of Aurors in the Russian Ministry to be available to the War Council when needed and he will keep his eyes open in Russia. We all have a part to play in this and not everyone is going to be aware of what everyone else is doing. I think that we can all agree that it's for our own safety as much as each other's."

Sirius smiled at her before he continued. "Right now we are looking to gain information. The more information we have, the better equipped we will be to make plans. Anyone you investigate, keep a report on them and check in. Molly, Andy, being that the two of you are the most organized and have the most free time for the moment, I would like to make you the communication centre of the Order. I want everyone in this room to make sure that they are checking in and out with the two of you over any potential missions. Keep track of where they are supposed to be and with who and for how long. You two are the go between. It doesn't matter which one of you is spoken to, but anyone that any one of us considers suspicious must be on our radar."

"And what do you expect an old retired Auror to do, Black?" Moody demanded.

"Be vigilant, Mad-Eye. Go and visit your old stomping grounds; do some training with the Aurors and set them straight; guest speak to the students in the Defence Club at Hogwarts. Be seen and be heard. I think that you can do the rest."

Moody nodded. "You would have been a hell of an Auror, Black."

Emmeline Vance smiled. "He would have been a great Hit Wizard as well."

"There's something else," Remus said, clearly his throat. "Everyone in this room needs to be aware that sixteen years ago Sybil Trelawney made a prophecy about Voldemort. Voldemort only heard part of it and he is determined to hear the full thing now that he is restored. It hints that Harry Potter will ultimately be the one to defeat him."

There were some gasps around the room and Remus held up his hands.

"I like to think that it won't happen, but I also can't ignore the fact that our son has survived against him four times now, most recently in June. Voldemort can't ignore that either and he is searching for answers. Anything that you may potentially know about prophecies or what that could mean, please think on it and let us know."

Sturgis Podmore cleared his throat. "I know that prophecies are fickle and cannot always be taken literally. Depending on how events play out, fate doesn't necessarily insist that the prophecy needs to come true."

Zee nodded. "We agree with that, but Voldemort may not agree. The prophecy stated that he would choose his equal and that's the part that he didn't hear. By choosing to go after Harry as a baby, he set his path. But we are all going to fight his dictatorship and his attempt at bringing war to our country. Harry is fifteen and not a soldier in this war until he is forced to be and I don't plan on letting that happen."

"None of us do," Remus said sternly. "Molly, Andy, any objections to being the ones running the communication aspect of the Order?"

Molly shook her head, speaking for the first time. "No, actually I'm honoured and I think that twenty-five years of herding seven children where I needed them to go has given me the experience for it. I think Andromeda and I will make a good team."

Andromeda smiled at her. "I agree." She clapped her hands together. "Now let's get to work."

 **Bill took Fleur's arm in his as they left Number Twelve and headed towards the London Underground.** The Order meeting had taken a little longer than he had expected, but given what they needed to discuss he wasn't that surprised. Sirius had mentioned to him in passing that he would be calling another meeting of FUVP within the coming weeks once things had calmed down. He wanted to give everyone the full details on the Horcrux extraction and he said that he had news on the others.

Bill knew that at the moment, dealing with the Order and the Ministry of Magic were Sirius' first priorities, and he understood the reasons for it. But he could see that Sirius was just as anxious to form FUVP back into action as well.

"Did you still want to grab some dinner and discuss the new project tonight?"

Fleur smiled warmly at him. "Oui. I caught up on some reading of za history we found in Anguilla ze ozzer day and I might have come up with a new plan to open za cursed box we found in za ship."

Bill grinned. "Great. I can't wait to hear your idea. I want to talk to you about the new project the goblins are trusting us with as well. We'll be heading down into the London Catacombs. Have you ever been?"

She shook her head. "Non, but I was in ze ones in Paris. Zey are very terrible, I theenk."

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure going down there isn't going to be a walk in the park. It's definitely going to involve some cleanup as well. We'll talk more over dinner. How does Italian sound?"

Fleur moved closer to him as more people climbed onto the train. "It sounds très bon."

Bill's breath hitched slightly as her body pressed into his and her pheromones assaulted him. He saw the man's eyes change behind her and he immediately wrapped his arms around her in a possessive fashion that surprised him.

"Miss, may I - "

" - No," Bill growled. "Run along."

The man's eyes met his and he seemed to come out of his trance.

Bill looked down at Fleur, who's eyes were staring up at him. "Sorry, I don't like seeing men throw themselves at you like you're up for auction."

"You never do."

"I never do what?"

"Zrow yourself at me like ze ozzers."

Bill's eyebrow rose. "We work together. I respect you too much to allow myself to act like an imbecile."

Fleur stood on her toes, her lips brushing his cheek. "You theenk I cannot tell ze difference?"

The feel of her lips on his cheek made his whole body tremble in response. He moved his arms away.

"Fleur …"

"I know zat you find me attractive, n'est pas?"

"Of course I find you - you're beautiful! That's not the … we work together."

Fleur smiled seductively. "And zis makes you not want to kiss me?"

Bill stared at her, his fingers twitching at her waist. "No."

Fleur moved away from him, her eyes flashing in hurt before she masked it. "Je suis désolé, my mistake."

Bill swore under his breath. Being around her was harder than he wanted to admit. She was incredibly beautiful, that was a given. She smelt like heaven and when she laughed, her eyes danced and her lips parted the sweetest way. She was smart and creative and her willingness to learn intrigued him. She picked up on things fast and as much as he didn't want to admit it, was one of the best new recruits he'd ever had.

The fact that being around her made him as hard as rock was another situation all together.

They stepped off the train and Fleur started moving across the platform. He grabbed her arm, roughly pulling her back into his arms. Her lips parted in surprise and her eyes widened as he simply bent his head to hers.

The moment his lips touched hers, he knew that it had been a mistake. Now that he had kissed her, no one else was ever going to make him feel like this; no one else would ever come close. He tugged her closer, his hands moving into her hair, deepening the kiss and when she moaned against him, it was enough to pull him out of his trance.

Her cheeks were flushed and her lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes.

"If you think that I don't think about doing that a few thousand times a day along with a few naughtier things then you're stupid."

Fleur's eyes flashed in anger. "'ow dare you call me stupid!" Her fists hit him angrily on the arm.

"I didn't mean - fuck!" He dragged his hand over his face. "I think that you're far from stupid, Fleur. You are one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. One of the bravest as well and the sexiest. I just meant … of course, I'm attracted to you. You're bloody gorgeous and I love the way that your eyes dance when you laugh. I like watching your little booty dance when you bypass the puzzle piece when we're exploring. I like spending time with you and I spend most of my time with you trying to convince myself why I can't touch you. You have men throwing themselves at you all the time, even some women. I don't want you to think that what I'm saying is because of your Veela thing, because it's not."

Fleur stepped towards him, her eyes softening. "I can tell ze difference, Bill. I want you to touch me."

Bill's breath hitched. "You do?"

She nodded. "I want you to kiss me again."

He did. Long and deeply until someone whistled at them and he broke away, smiling at her. "Will you go out with me, Fleur?"

She smiled. "Oui, but if you call me stupid again, I will make you wish you hadn't, oui?"

Bill grinned widely. The fact that he just found her threat as incredibly sexy as the rest of her made him question his own sanity. "Oui."

But he couldn't wait to find out what came next.

 **Zee's eyes were on her boyfriend as the last of the Order members left them alone in Number Twelve.** She was leaning back against the kitchen counter where she had cleaned up the last of the glasses before she turned to look over at him.

"So, should I be worried that half of the Order is full of your old girlfriends?" Zee asked, her hands gripping the counter behind her.

"What?" Sirius asked, looking up from the _Evening Prophet_ that Kreacher had just brought him.

Zee grinned at him. "Old girlfriends. Yours. Keep up."

He grinned sheepishly. "My old girlfriends?"

"Sirius," she exasperated.

He chuckled and stood up to move towards the counter where she was standing and boxed her in. "I love you."

She smiled up at him. "That's not really an answer, Mr Black."

Sirius leaned in to nip at her lips. "They were a long, long time ago, love. You wouldn't be jealous now, would you?"

Zee scoffed at this. "Hardly. I just happened to notice that many of the very attractive women you recruited for the Order are exes of yours."

"They were part of the Order before and they were hardly girlfriends. It's not like I really dated them."

"I don't think that makes it better," she said with a laugh.

Sirius chuckled at her, leaning in to bury his nose in the wild curls on the top of her head. " _You are jealous_."

"I'm not," she insisted, attempting to escape his grasp.

He ignored her protests and covered her body with his. "You are."

Zee sighed as she stubbornly looked up at him. "Okay, fine, maybe I admit I am a little teensy bit jealous. I mean, Thea is wonderful and I love that you stayed such good friends with her, but I can't help but think sometimes that you used to shag her!"

"I did. Many, many times over. In fact, we had great sex."

Zee's eyebrow rose. " _Oh really?_ "

"But nothing and no one compares to being with you. They are history, Zahira, ancient history." He nipped at the end of her nose and kissed her cheek. "Em and I … we used to snog when we were in third and fourth year and some of fifth year. She was the girl that I learned how to perform oral on. And in fifth year, she told me that she was attracted to girls and not blokes. She helped me perfect my magic mouth that you love so much."

Zee merely raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so fine, she's a lesbian but -"

" - And Tia," he continued, ignoring her tone. "Tia, well, we shagged each other senseless for most of seventh year. Then she wanted to experiment a little and we had a lovely threesome with Marly and well … Tia and I ended after that and I went for Marly."

"That's cold."

Sirius shrugged. "Yeah, but we weren't together, not really. We were just shagging. I dated McKinnon for the rest of seventh year. So technically, they were shags and nothing more, not even girlfriends."

"So I should feel special then?"

"Very," he said with a grin. "I never took any of them on dates. Except for Thea, we had two."

Zee gave him a pointed look.

"What? We've gone out. Haven't we?"

"I don't need you to take me out," she said, kissing him softly. "I love you the way you are."

Sirius frowned as he looked down at her. "We've gone on dates."

Zee grinned at him. "We must have." At his look of concern, she smiled. "We have done a lot of wonderful things together, Siri. Motorcycle rides; our trip to Greece; our trip to Georgia; our movie nights and late night chats. You are wonderful."

He was still frowning as he looked at her. "But like a moment where I take you out somewhere and I pay … that's happened, right?"

Zee stood on her toes and kissed him. "Maybe one day it will."

"Zee, are you saying that I haven't ever taken you out on a real date, in almost five years, _never_?"

She smiled up at him, sliding her arms around his waist and down to cup his bum. "Babe, it's not really our style, is it?"

Sirius slid his hands up to brush the sides of her breasts. "I owe you a date."

Zee stood on her toes to kiss him. "How about you take me home and show me that magical mouth of yours?"

Sirius' slow smile made desire swirl in her gut as his hand reached out to cup her chin. "I love you more and more every day, woman, you know that, don't you?"

She smiled up at him. "I know and I love you too, even when I'm seething in irrational jealousy."

He grinned and kissed her softly. "I'm yours. Completely."

Zee slapped his bum. "Completely. Now come on, let's go home. It's your turn for dinner."

Sirius bent his head to kiss her deeply. "Then we're going on a date. Grab your purse."

Zee laughed. "Sirius, I'm hardly dressed to go out anywhere special. I don't need you to take me out on a date."

He nipped at her lips. "I know you don't need it, Zee, but you fucking deserve it. Let's go."

And she laughed when he twined his fingers with hers and tugged her out into the streets of London, a grin on his face.

She was positive that she had never loved him more.

 **Seamus woke up quickly, lying in the dark of his four poster and wondering what had woken him up.** He turned and smiled at the sight of Will's curly mop of brown hair snuggled into his pillow. They had spent the entire Sunday evening lying in bed and chatting; catching up on what they hadn't had time to catch up on in their brief summer visits. Will had told him that he had something that he wanted to talk to him about. But then Will's hands had crept into his trousers and well, they had soon been occupied with other pleasant things.

He watched his boyfriend sleep, a soft smile on his face as he wondered what it was that Will had wanted to talk to him about. He gently pressed a kiss to Will's palm, which was open near his head, and Will shifted, burying his hand under his chest.

He grinned and sat up, gently nudging the sheet down. His boyfriend was lying on his stomach, gloriously naked. His lean muscles making Seamus lick his lips as he reached down to fondle between his legs. Will made a small groaning sound and Seamus bent his head to lick him from behind, twirling his tongue along Will's shaft and balls.

Will's cock twitched to life and Seamus moved his mouth over it, sucking his boyfriend's sacs into his mouth aching slowly until Will groaned his name and attempted to roll over. Seamus held him in place, his fingers gently stroking along his bum.

"Seam," he groaned.

Seamus smiled against him, sucking harder on his sacs as Will trembled beneath him and then he let go, allowing his boyfriend to roll over and grin up at him. "You fell asleep in my bed."

"Well, you wore me out after our chat," Will said, tugging Seamus close for a long kiss. He rolled him over so that he was on top and planted soft kisses down Seamus' throat and moved lower and lower until Seamus' breath caught. "Mmm," he murmured, sliding his tongue along Seamus' shaft. "Didn't I mention something about being great at giving head?"

Seamus curled his fingers into his boyfriend's head of curls. "So you keep teasing."

Will grinned and slid his lips achingly slow along his shaft, taking all of him into his mouth as he hollowed his cheeks and sucked and Seamus' arched his hips desperately.

"Fuuccckkk!"

Will grinned, popping him out slowly to lick and tease. "Do you want to come in my mouth, Seam?"

Seamus shook his head, tugging Will up to kiss him. "I want to ride you."

Will smirked. "First day of classes tomorrow, I'd like to be able to walk."

Seamus grinned and slapped his bum. "I'll think about it."

Will smiled and wrapped his arms around Seamus, kissing him deeply. They held each other and kissed for the longest time and then Will turned his head to nip at his ear. "I want to ride you."

Seamus shook his head, rolling his boyfriend so that he was back under him. "No," he said, pinning Will's hands above his head. "Your arse belongs to me, Will Matthews."

"And no one gets to ride yours, is that it?" Will asked, squirming under Seamus' hot tongue as it trailed down his ribs.

"That's right," Seamus told him, his mouth opening to take Will's cock. He sucked him long and hard as he squirmed beneath him and then he kissed his way back up Will's chest. "I bet you're not even tight anymore. I bet your arse is just waiting for me, hot and ready …" he murmured, sliding his finger into Will's mouth.

Will sucked the finger, lingering over it and lubricating it with his mouth before Seamus popped it from his lips and slid it into him. Will jerked slightly at the intrusion and sighed. "Merlin, just like that …"

Seamus smiled as he worked his finger in and out of him, his lips moving back to Will's cock. "I am going to ride you so hard that you are going to come by my third thrust."

Will gasped as Seamus continued to rock his finger in and out of him and then the finger was gone and Seamus was pushing Will's knees up, fingers stroking his lover's balls before his thick cock slid into Will in one motion that him gasping. Seamus' eyes were closed above him and Will reached out to stroke his cheek. It was the only sign that Seamus needed and he began to move.

Seamus reached down to pump Will's cock in his hand, holding it tightly and just like he told him it would, on his third thrust, Will cried out, spurting between them as Seamus continued to thrust in and out of him. "I'm close," he gasped. "I'm so close!"

Will slid his hands down over his boyfriend's bum, squeezing the cheeks and then he slid one hand down between his legs and glided his fingernails gently along Seamus' sacs. Seamus gasped and exploded, his head falling back as he rode out his climax, his hands clinging to Will's knees desperately before he collapsed against him.

"So good," he murmured. "You're so good."

Will smiled and ran his hands up and down his boyfriend's back. "You are so good. I love it when you ride me, you know that."

Seamus smiled and kissed him softly. "It's not that I don't trust you, Will, I do … I …"

"You don't want to be the bottom," Will said with a smile. "That's alright."

"You're not mad?"

"At you? Never," he said, kissing his cheek. "It just means that I get to ride your mouth that much more often."

Seamus grinned. "Yeah, you can definitely do that." He kissed him again. "Hey, you said that you wanted to tell me something, but then you started using your hands and well, distractions ensued."

Will smiled and slid his hands down to hold his boyfriend's thick limp cock. "Can't help it. This is easily distracting."

"We were talking about it the other night," he murmured against Will's ear.

"About your cock?"

Seamus nodded. "I said that I had a beautiful cock as Neville apparently walked in on me sucking your balls on the train, but we were too busy to notice."

Will's cheeks flushed. "Too bad he hadn't been five minutes later, he would have caught you shagging me senseless."

He grinned. "I said something jokingly that everyone should suck balls at least once and Dean made a joke that he'd be willing to let someone suck his balls."

Will frowned at that. "Did you ever?"

"Did I ever what?"

"When you used to fool around with Dean, did you ever suck his balls?"

Seamus shook his head. "Not like with you. I didn't really know what I was doing, you know. I needed a good teacher."

Will smiled. "Seam?"

"Hmm?"

"You do have a beautiful cock."

Seamus smiled. "You keep distracting me. What did you want to talk about?"

Will glanced over at the clock that was flashing three in the morning and he sighed, kissing Seamus' cheek. "It can keep. I have to get back to Ravenclaw Tower."

Seamus yawned, rolling over in his bed. "See you at breakfast?"

Will carefully got dressed and then bent his head to kiss him softly. "Definitely."

Seamus watched him sneak out of his dorm and he ran his hands through his messy hair wondering what it was that his boyfriend was cleverly avoiding telling him.

 **By the time Monday came around, Harry found himself rather anxious to get started on his classes.** With the first of September falling on a Friday this year, they had the weekend to catch up with friends and settle back into life at Hogwarts before starting up classes, but with the prison breakout it seemed like everyone was quite on edge. He just wanted to get back to some normalcy that classes would provide.

He smiled at McGonagall when she handed him his schedule and he quickly opened the envelope with his name on it to check it out. With the new class that was starting and on top of his electives, he was taking eleven courses this year.

 _Mr Potter,_

 _With your two continued elective courses of Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, you are at 11 courses for your fifth year. If you wish to drop one of your electives please speak with me. If you would like to take another elective, that is also an option. Twelve credits are the max allowed for the school year._

 _Professor Minerva McGonagall_

 _Head of Gryffindor House_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

"How's yours looking, Harry? Are you going to drop anything?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. I like my electives and it's not too bad. I have a free period on both Mondays and Wednesdays."

Ron grinned. "Excellent. I want to drop Divination, but Mum says that I have to keep it and write my OWL."

Harry snorted. "Sucks to be you, mate." He glanced down at his schedule with a grin. "It looks like Monday mornings are starting off with Double History of Magic."

Ron's smile widened. "Excellent. I could use the extra lie in."

Hermione gave him a dirty look. "It's not made for you to have a lie in, Ron!"

"Oy, and like you pay attention when he drones on!"

"Afterwards Harry and I have Arithmancy," Hermione continued on as if Ron hadn't spoken. "I assume that means you and Neville will be heading to Divination."

"Along with Dean and I as well," Seamus said in annoyance. "Why did we take that class again?"

"But we have that new class this afternoon," Hermione said in interest. "Look, they've split it into two so the first half is with Carthaginian and then the second with Babbling. I can't wait to see what the language options are! Oooh, I bet learning something like Mermish would be amazing!"

"Dumbledore speaks Mermish," Harry told her. "And so does Zee."

Hermione beamed at him. "My French has gotten much better, but something exotic like Mermish would be quite the skill to have."

"Look on the bright side," Ron said, popping a fried potato in his mouth. "At least today there are no Slytherins."

Harry looked over his timetable again and grinned. "We've just got them for Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Wednesdays is the night class this year. Oy, Angelina!"

She looked up from her breakfast six people over and smiled at him. "Harry?"

"Any of you have Astronomy still?"

"Just me," Katie Bell said from across the way. "It's on Monday nights."

Harry nodded. "Next Thursday, six o'clock I want everyone on the pitch. Pass it along?" Angelina and Katie both nodded and he turned back to his friends. "Did I tell you that Alicia has decided to leave the team this year? Now, I not only have to find a Keeper, but a new Chaser as well! I'm hoping to get tryouts next Saturday or at least the one after so that we can get lots of practice in before the first match in November."

"Did I hear you say that you need a Chaser, Harry?" Colin asked, his eyes wide in excitement.

Harry grimaced slightly. The thought of Colin Creevey potentially wanting to play Quidditch with him made him nervous. The bloke was too jittery and the thought of him on a broomstick actually made his eye twitch. "Er, yeah. You thinking of maybe trying out?"

Colin shook his head with a laugh. "Oh no! Me and broomsticks don't mix, but I know someone who is."

Harry watched him hurry off, shaking his head and feeling a little relieved that Colin wasn't looking to try out for the team. "Well, should we head off to History of Magic then?"

Ron tugged his bag up from under the table. "Harry, do you really think that I've got a shot at being Keeper?"

"Can't see why not," Harry told him honestly. "You just have to be more confident. You have to do your best when I call the tryout. Angelina was telling me about this sixth year named McLaggen who apparently is really good."

Ron frowned and nodded. "Right."

"I'm sure you'll be much better, Ron," Hermione said with a smile. "You always do well when you play at the Burrow."

Ron nodded a they headed up the stairs to the first floor. "Yeah, I'll have to get some practice in then. Do you think tomorrow night we could go out after dinner?"

"Sure," Harry said as they headed around the corner towards the History of Magic classroom.

He would be more than willing to help Ron get better. As much as he wanted his friend to be on the team, he just wanted to find a good Keeper and a good Chaser. Gryffindor had to win the Cup this year and he was determined to help lead them to a victory year.

 **Ginny had just taken her seat in Transfiguration when Colin came running around her desk, his cheeks flushed with excitement.** "Colin, where's the fire?"

His grin widened. "You'll never believe what I just heard Harry say!"

Ginny's eyebrow rose as Colin moved into the desk next to her. "What's that?"

"Alicia Spinnett doesn't want to play Quidditch this year. She's helping with the tryouts and offered to help him train to find her replacement Chaser for Gryffindor."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Harry is looking for a Chaser?"

Colin nodded. "It's your chance, Ginny! You've been saying for two years that you wish you could play on the school team and now you have the chance to try out for the position you actually want!"

She grinned widely and bit her bottom lip. "Colin, at lunch today we have to go see Madam Hooch about finding me a broom. I have to get one that I'm comfortable on."

He nodded eagerly. "I'm in."

Her fingers were already tapping impatiently on the desk as McGonagall came in, but her mind was already on the possibility. She had almost stopped daring to dream that she would get the chance to play Quidditch. Learning to surf this summer had been the most incredible thing and it had only reminded her how much she truly loved to fly. The night of her birthday she had taken Fred's broom out to fly around the orchard, the wind zipping through her hair. Sometimes she liked to imagine that she could become good enough to play for Gwenog Jones and the Holyhead Harpies, but she knew that was just a fantasy.

But Harry was looking for a Chaser.

She bit her lip as she grinned. She couldn't wait to surprise the hell out of her brothers with her skill. It would show them for refusing to let her play with them all these years, she thought.

As McGonagall began to talk about the overview for the year, Ginny's foot was tapping impatiently as she tried to remember what broomsticks were available. She was pretty sure that the flying class had been given _Cleansweep 7s_ and if she did make it on the team she would be able to fly on a _Nimbus 2001_. Just the thought of it made her grin wider.

This was going to be a great year.


	190. Chapter 190

_Author's Note:_

 _Happy Labour Day!_

 _The message in the last author's note was for a friend of mine who lost someone, not me. But thank you for your kind words and please keep them in your thoughts and prayers._

 _As to ASC: Theo sees that he has no other choice at the moment and finds himself trapped in what he sees as an impossible situation. Thank you so much christyannb94 for your kind words! Male rape is a real thing and should definitely be addressed and it is not just penetration that constitutes rape._

 _Thank you to Annerb for insight on my wording here._

 _Thank you to Brandon, a guy I work for his full on political knowledge in helping me draft this. Much appreciated future Prime Minister (I seriously wouldn't doubt it)._

 _Thanks to Steel for the name of the chalice._

 _Thank you to my Beta - SilverStarwolfe!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY:**

 **Harry took a seat next to Ron that afternoon looking up in mild interest at Delta Carthaginian.** He had heard nothing but good things about her, but as he had never taken her Life in the Magical World course, she was new to him. She was very attractive he thought mildly, and she was sitting on her desk in a black knee length a-line skirt with her legs crossed showcasing calves wearing tall black high heels. She was in a light pink blouse with ruffles tucked into her skirt and her hair was pinned up in a French knot. She was smiling widely at them.

"Ciao buon giorno," she exclaimed, her smile widening. "Some of you I know and some of you we are meeting for the first time. I look forward to teaching you all this year and I welcome you to join me on this new adventure. I am Professor Carthaginian and this is the first ever class of International Magical Relations taught at _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_. A new course that I hold vicino e caro al mio cuore. I can see most of you are staring up at me thinking, what did she say? This is one of the many reasons why this course is so important."

She smiled brightly as she looked around the room before she pointed to where Justin was sitting next to Ernie at the front of the classroom. "Mr Finch-Fletchley, can you tell me something that is happening in the world right now?"

"Er," Justin said, looking around at the class. "You Know Who broke his Death Eaters out of Azkaban."

Carthaginian nodded solemnly. "He did, five points to Hufflepuff. Miss Granger, what does that mean for us?"

"That a war is here," Hermione said matter of factly. "And the Ministry of Magic is trying to get other countries to assist as needed."

"Correct, five points to Gryffindor," Carthaginian said with a smile. "Who can tell me who the Minster of Magic is right now? Miss Monroe?"

"Amelia Bones."

"Five points to Gryffindor," she said as she hopped off the desk. "But International Magical Relations is not just about the war we know is coming, it's about how we as a community, as a country, and as a culture intermingle and interact with people of different cultures, societies, and magical abilities. It's not about blood purity or supremacy and prejudice it's the people in our world, both magical and non-magical. It's about how we work together for the common good."

Carthaginian smiled warmly, taking a drink from her ceramic water bottle on the desk before she continued. "In this class, I want to study not only what it means to be a British Magical Citizen, but how the government works compared to other magical countries and how we should act and speak to people of different cultures. In this course, we will be studying the cultural, political and economic factors that play a role in our global society. We will focus on how to protect our domestic interests when travelling abroad. We'll look into international trade and commerce. For example, in the Mediterranean and in parts of Eastern Europe, the most common used type of travel is a flying carpet. Those are banned in Britain in favour of Floo because it attracts less attention from the Muggles, yet is not a problem for Muggles in other parts of the world. Why? We'll talk about that and other similar questions. We'll concentrate on diplomatic relations and how to use what we learn to provide a positive dialogue with other nations and to help impact change."

She hopped off the desk and her heels clicked as she walked between the rows as she spoke. "I can see many of you looking at me like, this is too much information. Don't worry. I'm not going to throw it all at you at once. We're going to focus mainly on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but we will look back at history, economics, political philosophy, and folklore to see how those events have impacted what is happening in the world today. To do this we will examine literature and art, laws and global security. The language that you choose will help influence your own realm of study as starting in January you will each be working on an individual study unit, or an ISU, about a specific international event that transpired in either the Muggle or the Magical world and how both worlds were affected. But we'll discuss more on that later."

Carthaginian leaned back against her desk as she spoke. "But international relations can also be discussed among our own local societies and communities. For example, if I was calling upon a friend of mine who is a vampire, what kinds of things should I know about his culture? Mr Entwshistle?"

Kevin looked taken aback to have been asked a question and swallowed slowly. "To not disturb them during the day because that's when they sleep?"

"Two points to Hufflepuff. That is a common courtesy, but I was thinking more along the lines of culturally. Anyone else have any ideas? Miss Roper?"

Sophie tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well, to maybe wear a scarf to protect your neck since they, you know, like to suck blood?"

Carthaginian smiled. "They do, yes, but most won't attack you for no reason. Those are the kinds of stereotypes that we need to try to stop. Vampires are human beings with lives just the same as us. Would you go around attacking people for no reason? I was thinking more along the lines of the fact being that I was invited over so being a guest, I would bring something like a bottle of wine as a gift. Just because vampires drink blood to sustain themselves doesn't mean that they can't appreciate other types of food and drink. Food is more of a construct, but a nice cabernet sauvignon goes a long way in polite circles. We are a friendly society and we should be as such to every person we come into contact with. Person meaning anyone who has the ability to communicate any form of language with you. Language is what makes us human. Okay, so keeping that in mind, how about if we were speaking to a Merperson, what kind of things are important for us to keep in mind when we are communicating with them? Miss Granger?"

"We should always talk directly to them as they have the ability to read our lips which helps us better communicate."

"Excellent, five points to Gryffindor," Carthaginian said with a bright smile. "That is the kind of stuff that I want to address this year. I want to study beings and creatures, cultures and communities and twist in a bit of politics to tie it all together and explain why we are not as different from each other as we may think. We are a community at heart and that is the most important part of magical relations, community. I did not assign a textbook for this class, but I will be supplying supplementary reading when I can. The second half that is being taught by Professor Babbling will tie in to what you learn from me and as I mentioned before, will be a large part of your ISU which we will talk more about before Yule. Consider them a part one and part two as opposed to two separate classes."

She pointed her wand at the blackboard.

"Today, I want to start with the building of our own magical hierarchy. Who controls what and why? To make it easy, we'll use Hogwarts as an example and compare it to the Ministry of Magic hierarchy. So using this comparison, Professor Dumbledore is to Hogwarts what Madam Bones is to the Ministry of Magic, which would make Professor McGonagall equal to who in the Ministry? Who has power second after our Minister of Magic?"

Harry raised his hand. "The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic."

"Correct, five points to Gryffindor and do you know who currently holds that position, Mr Potter?"

"I think my father said that Madam Bones appointed a Whitney Dashwood," Harry said.

"Another five points," Carthaginian said with a smile. "Lady Whitney Dashwood had currently been working as the Head of the International Magical Office of Law before she took on the post as Senior Undersecretary. Below her is the Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic which would be equivalent at Hogwarts to Professor Flitwick as he has been here the longest after Professor McGonagall."

The positions and names branched out into two columns on the board like a tree diagram and she smiled at them.

"Magical relations are everything and how we treat people we meet in different countries reflects not only on us personally, but on how those people then see our country," she said sternly. "I am going to show you how to understand the world and how to make the world understand you. And we're going to start by going back through history and detailing the growing governments."

She waved her wand and textbooks floated off the back table and moved across to each student.

"If each of you could please turn to chapter six, we'll get started."

Harry opened the book as it landed in front of him and read the chapter title of "The Trouble with Authority" and he smiled. He thought that the class was going to be pretty interesting overall.

Two hours later, he hadn't been disappointed. After the overview of the course from Professor Carthaginian, Professor Babbling had come in to discuss the language component. Fifth years were being given a choice of three languages to learn with more options available in sixth and seventh year. His choices for this year were Mermish, Gobbledegook, and ancient Greek. They had two weeks to make their selection and then the class would be divided up accordingly from there. In the meantime, Professor Babbling would be providing snippets of the three to help them make the choice that they thought would be the most interesting to learn.

He was intrigued and a little intimidated. Hermione was beside herself. She wanted to learn all three languages and didn't understand why they could only choose one. Ron only rolled his eyes at her.

"Mione, you can always learn the other ones later, but starting with one is a good idea."

"But what if next year there are different options and these ones aren't available to me?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Harry put his arm around her shoulders. "You learned Bulgarian last year. You can learn any language that you want. Why don't you talk to Professor Babbling and see what she thinks?"

Hermione nodded and hurried off to do just that.

Ron only shook his head. "I don't even want to learn a new language at all, like what good is it going to be unless I plan on working in international relations?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, doesn't Bill speak Gobbledegook and he's a Curse Breaker?"

"Yeah, but he works with the goblins all the time," Ron said. "I suppose anything that involved contact with them maybe …" He shrugged. "I don't know, I think Gobbledegook would potentially be the most useful."

Harry nodded, he tended to agree, but he definitely wanted to think more on it. Ancient Greek had potential as well and Mermish would be interesting, but he wasn't sure what he would use it for. Overall, he had to admit the introduction to the new class had been quite interesting and he was curious to see where it would go next.

 **Sirius sat in the Office of the Minister of Magic for the second table discussion meeting of the War Council.** After getting most of the business with the Order out of the way on Saturday and Sunday following the first table discussion, Sirius felt that he could establish the Ministry plans a little more clearly.

He was running the discussion along with Adrian Roberts and Echo Simpson from the wolves, Brigit from the fairy court, Alice Langdon from the Vampire Confederation of Europe (VCE), Jericho Jones from the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW), Katherine Thomas from the International Magical Office of Law (IMOL), and Kingsley Shacklebolt from the Aurors. They had made a bullet list on the white board and so far, Sirius was liking where they were taking their ideas.

They had agreed to break up the War Council into coalitions among each community in case someone was infiltrated or taken out of the mix then there would be a back-up unit ready to help. It would be volunteer based as they had no plans of forcing anyone to fight for them. Sirius agreed that when it came down to it, they needed people willing to protect others and to lead the charge against Voldemort and his Death Eaters when the time came.

"King, would you be willing to run a Spook Squad with a diverse group of individuals from all of our allies who would report to you on any potential threats or suspicious behaviour?" Sirius asked.

Kingsley nodded. "The goal would be to get spies in where we could and to try to figure out what You Know Who's ultimate goal is. Other than murder and mayhem, he has to have a plan of some sort. He must want something and we need to find out what that is. I think if we formed a Spook Squad, which is a great name by the way, it would go a long way towards helping us discover that. In the meantime, the different coalitions can practice and train as necessary to be prepared for anything."

"I think that it sounds like a great idea," Brigit said, leaning back in her seat. "I will gladly help lead the training."

"It's not just about magical ability," Adrian said. "Not all of my wolves are even capable of using their magical skills in the way trained witches and wizards are, but we have strength."

"Magic is only part of the weapon," Brigit said sharply. "Fae warriors are taught to fight with magic as well as bow and arrows and broadswords. I'd be happy to teach any of it to those who feel that they don't have enough magical strength to assist."

"Each person will work with what their strength is and how they want to help. Brigit, I agree with giving them an option at additional training as anything we do in terms of battle-ready plans, duelling will only be part of it," Kingsley said. "But we need to focus on having an expeditionary force. Our Aurors and Hit Wizards are amazing; some of them the best trained in the world actually, but they are first and foremost law enforcers and not available to both enforce the law and defend the country. I want to have contingencies in place if You Know Who does decide to launch some form of full scale attack. We still aren't sure what it is that he wants and that is part of the problem. He hasn't made his intentions clear."

Sirius nodded. "I agree with, King, an expeditionary force is exactly what's needed here. Someone would need to be the head of the unit and we would have to figure out how to organize it."

Katherine Thomas smiled at them raising her wand into the air. "Muggles have a full defence system in place. They have an army, an air force, and a navy, often with other specialized units. Our specialized unit would be the so-called Spook Squad, but we need other specialized units. We could technically follow their example by setting up a Ministry of Defence and organizing three defence squads based on land, air, and sea. Land would be our witches, wizards, vampires and wolves who could work together to form infantry units and defend as necessary. We can leave the air to the fae, to the Veela, and potentially even have another unit of witches and wizards on broomsticks to attack from the air. Dragon tamers could also be brought in depending on the level of emergency declared. The same could be said about the sea. We could discuss speaking to the Merpeople about helping us form a sea defence and I know that there's a few Magizoologists who have the touch with creatures like Kelpies and could potentially ride them into battle if necessary."

Sirius grinned at her. "Katherine, that's rather brilliant."

She smiled. "It's my job to know the law and Muggle politics is just as fascinating to me."

Sirius grinned at Kingsley. "Four potential squads or units. I know Weasley works in Romania with dragon tamers there and we could definitely bring some of the people on board." He jotted down notes and grinned widely. "This is honestly a brilliant idea, Katherine. Thank you for bringing it to our attention."

"If we do form these we will have to recruit people to join them. They will have to be trained and ideally, paid by the Ministry, though some of them may be volunteers," Katherine said, her eyes on the group. "The men and women who fight for the Muggles are given a wage as well as a promised benefit of financial support to their families if they are killed in action, much like we supply for our law enforcement officers."

Kingsley nodded, making notes himself. "I have quite a few Aurors in my department who would excel at training and potentially leading all of these units. Rufus Scrimgeour would be an ideal choice to lead the unit on the ground. He has an excellent mind for strategy and tactical and is one of our best trainers in the Academy."

Sirius was nodding as he made notes on his page. "This is looking great. I think we are actually ready to start drafting the legislation. Does anyone disagree?"

Everyone nodded so he smiled.

"Let's get to work and by next week, we can present this to the Wizengamot. In the meantime, if you all could reach out and talk to people who may be interested or could be of help in forming this defence, that would be a great start. The more people we have on board before we present our legislation draft, the more prepared we are for anything," Sirius said.

Adrian nodded. "I know that Echo and I both have many men and women in our packs who would be willing to be on call for a good fight."

Langdon nodded. "There are a few in the VCE who would also be on board with it. Let's get writing."

Sirius nodded at Katherine Thomas who immediately grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment. It was going to be a long afternoon, but it was going to be worth it.

 **Draco was lying in his bed, his breathing still heavy as Ophelia's hand continued to fondle him gently.** She was getting damn good with her hands, he thought, leaning over to kiss her.

She grinned widely. "That was nice."

"It was better than nice. Thanks," he said, kissing her on the lips. He felt incredibly relaxed now and thought that he might drift off to sleep.

Ophelia kissed him softly again and stood up, adjusting her own robes. "I have homework to do so I'm going to get going before you fall asleep. Come find me later?"

Draco grinned at her. "Sure thing, love."

He heard the door close a moment later and sighed, putting his arms behind his head. She was great and he enjoyed her, but he was starting to think that their relationship had gotten a bit stale. He kept his arms behind his head as his eyes closed and not a second later heard the dormitory door open and Blaise tugged his curtain aside and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Well, Draco, isn't that a rather lovely and well spent cock."

Draco rolled his eyes and shoved his goods back into his pants. "If you had the decency to check if I was dressed before making yourself comfortable in my bed, you wouldn't be forced to look at it."

Blaise smirked at him. "Where's the fun in that? Ophelia getting better with her hands?"

"She's _really great_ with her hands," he said with a grin. "What do you want?"

"I got a letter from Mamma today."

Draco's eyebrow rose at that as he sat up in the bed, his shirt still unbuttoned. "I'm taking it's not the usual how's the term going then?"

Blaise shook his head. "My stepfather went out for a walk and was attacked by a werewolf. Apparently it was quite violent and he was, I'm quoting here, 'torn to shreds'."

Draco winced. "So he's dead?"

"She's absolute poison, mate. This makes five dead husbands in sixteen years."

"You think that she called the werewolf attack?"

Blaise shrugged. "Probably. The thing with her, Draco, no one can ever prove it. I knew before I came to school that he was running out of time. She was hinting to me that Jason was flirting a little too much with other women and she felt like he was neglecting her. But I think it was more than that. They were arguing about her Dark Mark last I heard. Jason didn't agree with it and he wanted to know why she had allowed that evil man to brand her in the first place."

"What did Bellarosa say?"

Blaise snorted. "Something along the lines of a branding coming in many forms."

Draco nodded, scratching his stomach. "I haven't heard anything new either. Mother wrote to me and said that all was quiet on the western front and I told her about how school's been going. Father did send word that he's somewhere safe, but obviously he couldn't say more in case the letter was intercepted by the Ministry. I assume he's with Grandfather."

"I've been thinking about Theo meeting him … it can't be too much longer for us, Draco."

"What could he want from us? We're only fifteen, what could we even offer him?"

Blaise stared at his friend. "Mamma wants to meet me for lunch at the first Hogsmeade trip in October."

"So she's left Italy then?"

"Or at least she will be," Blaise confirmed. "If she leaves Italy she's going to get herself into trouble. The Ministry of Magic knows her name as she was revealed in Potter's memory. If she's caught, it will be her own bloody fault. But if she's coming here, it's not just to see me. She has a reason and I imagine that the Dark Lord is part of that. She worships him."

Draco paled slightly and his long fingers tapped along his knees. "We both know that she does more than worship him. My mother alluded to that fact."

Blaise shrugged indifferently. "Mamma whoring herself out is hardly a surprise to me."

Draco stared at his friend for a long moment. "You think that she's going to ask you to meet the Dark Lord?"

Blaise nodded. "I do and if she asks me, Draco, we both know that means your grandfather can't be too far behind in insisting that you do the same."

The door to the dorm opened and Theo stepped in, his eyes downcast. His dark brown hair was a bit messier than usual and his cheeks were flushed.

Theo headed straight into the bathroom and closed the door behind him without saying a word to either of them.

Draco raised an eyebrow at Blaise. "I know that he said meeting the Dark Lord was awful, but he seemed okay with it considering. Now it's like he's … there's something off with him."

Blaise nodded, his eyes on the closed bathroom door. "Any idea who he's been fooling around with?"

"No clue, he's been oddly closed lipped about it," Draco admitted. "You know how Theo is, he mopes about for a bit before he finally comes forward."

"Maybe Weaslette will have better luck," Blaise supplied. "Have you asked her?"

Draco shook his head. "Hardly."

Blaise grinned and licked his lips. "I'd be willing to ask her. She filled out this summer, Draco, even you must have noticed. I saw a picture of her and Theo on the beach in Anguilla and Merlin, she was wearing this turquoise bikini and her milky tits looked like ripe ample oranges. I bet her nipples are brown like her freckles or maybe a soft delicate pink. And I know that you've noticed her arse."

Draco shrugged. "I've looked, sure. She's not my type, but yeah, she blossomed I'll give you that."

Blaise grinned. "That nice tight arse, I'd love to bend her over and just mmm," he groaned making Draco snort.

"I'd be careful there, Zabini. I heard she made bogeys the size of bats come out of the end of Corner's prick last year. Apparently he screamed like a little girl."

Blaise winced. "I'd still like to tap that."

"Well, ask her about Theo and you can flirt away."

He grinned. "I just might do that. But first I'm going to go meet Roper."

"The Gryffindor?" Draco asked, his eyebrows up. "You going after red instead of green now?"

Blaise grinned widely, rocking on the balls of his feet. "Well, I've already worked my way through some green and Roper likes to spend time on her knees. Who am I to refuse her?" At his friend's look, he grinned. "You see if you can talk to Theo, I'll see if I can get the scoop from Red."

Draco nodded as Blaise hurried out of the dorm to meet his date. Once his friend was gone, he simply moved into the bathroom. He could hear the shower running so he just waited by the counter for his friend to finish. Theo came out five minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Hey," Draco said, hopping up onto the bathroom counter.

Theo nodded. "Hey. What were you and Blaise gossiping about?"

Draco grinned. "Gossip? Us? Never." When Theo grinned, he smiled back. "Bellarosa's a widow again."

Theo stared at him. "Are you kidding?"

Draco shook his head as he filled his friend in on what had happened. "We're starting to think that we might be meeting the Dark Lord soon ourselves. Bellarosa wants to meet Blaise for lunch during the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. He's feeling a bit uneasy on her returning to England."

Theo nodded, gently rubbing his stubbled cheeks in shaving cream. "He should be. The Ministry is searching for her, but I think that with all of the safe houses they have set up everywhere, they won't be found until they are ready to be found which isn't exactly reassuring either."

"No, it's not," Draco admitted. "I've been thinking about maybe breaking with up Ophelia."

Theo's eyebrow rose. "Why? I thought you really liked her."

"I do. I mean, of course I do. She's gorgeous and sexy and nice, but like it just feels almost stale and mechanical between us anymore. Before Blaise came in she had just given me a good wank and well, it was great, but it was also just … I don't know. You seeing anyone right now?"

"No," Theo said quickly. "Just … fooling around."

"Who's the bloke?"

"No one important."

Draco stared at him as he watched his friend start to shave. "You've been acting kind of off since just before school started up. Since the news about Azkaban actually. Everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Draco," Theo said as he shaved. "Obviously I'm a bit off about the whole Azkaban thing. Father always talks about some of the people that were in there and the things they had done. Dolohov particularly … it's not a good thing that those men and women have escaped."

"I agree. I'm not pleased with it either, but that's not what's really bothering you."

"It's nothing, Draco, just something that I have to work out for myself. Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

Draco didn't doubt that, but he knew that there was something else going on here as well. He just wasn't sure what that was. "I know. I'm just checking in."

Theo grinned. "And I love you for that. Now go away."

Draco snorted and hopped off the counter. "Fine. I'll be in the common room once you're decent. I'd like to get started on Potions if you're up for it."

Theo nodded as Draco left the bathroom and he leaned forward onto the counter and closed his eyes.

He had planned on coming straight to the common room to work on his homework, but Macmillan had cornered him. He'd been punched in the cheek again and thrown to his knees. The taste of his own blood had smeared across the hard cock Macmillan had shoved into his mouth. When he'd finished, Theo had gagged and the prefect had simply gripped his hair tighter and held him in place, milking himself in his mouth before he pulled away.

Theo had made to stand, but Macmillan had shoved him back to his knees.

"Whores don't stand until I've left the room," he said, shoving his cock back into his pants. He stared at Theo for a moment, at the blood and semen on his lips and he'd grinned. "Saturday two thirty in the afternoon, broom closet on the second floor. Nott, you are going to beg for it this time or you'll regret it."

Theo made to stand again and the prefect's fist shot out, punching him straight in the jaw and he groaned in pain.

Macmillan grinned. "Remember who's in charge here, cocksucker. Stay on your knees until I've left."

And then he turned and left the room, leaving Theo holding his jaw on the floor of the empty dungeon room.

He had to find a way out of this, he thought. He had to find a way to stop Macmillan from blackmailing him. It wasn't just about the money and the Nott estate, he thought, if the Dark Lord or his followers got wind of who he was … it would be a hell of a lot more than his pride at stake.

And that's what scared him.

 **By the time the Wizengamot session came to meet, Sirius was feeling very good about the drafts of legislation that they had written.** By the time they had finally formed the bill, the whole cabinet felt confident about it. September was already into its third week and there hadn't been any news since the prison break nor had any of the prisoners been caught. However, four bodies of former prisoners had been found.

The first one had been on the Dorset coast. His body looked like he had been beaten and torn to shreds before being killed. Tonks had told him that the man had been sentenced to ten years in Azkaban and had been in his last three months. He had been illegally manufacturing and selling cursed objects to Muggles. Whatever he had done, his refusal to follow Voldemort and his followers had gotten him killed.

The last three were found huddled together in a ditch outside of Hampshire. As all three of them were fairly elderly, the Aurors had concluded that they hadn't been worth the effort to try to convert to his side.

Sirius stifled a yawn as he took his seat in the Wizengamot. The big discussion had been on the new bill that they were planning to discuss today and he could see that word had gotten around. It was the largest assembly of the Wizengamot that he had seen yet as he noted that very few chairs were empty. Usually no more than a few dozen members showed up on a weekly basis. He had barely slept the night before, nervous about today and anxious to get something in place. The more time that passed since the breakout meant that the more ready Voldemort and his followers were going to be and they needed to get this into action as soon as possible. Seeing so many people turn up made him feel a bit more positive for what was coming.

Dumbledore stepped up to the podium and started the session, addressing the assembly. He explained about the proposal for the Phoenix Initiative again and the work that they had been putting into it.

"There are four components to it and with every part we have done our best to accommodate everyone," he explained with a smile. "Our Minister formed a new cabinet called the Crann Bethadh Cabinet otherwise known as the CBC which has been working diligently on making this project into a bill. Along with the help of a second cabinet, known as the War Room, which has been led by Lord Black and myself. Lord Black, would you be so kind as to present the bill to the assembly."

Sirius nodded and stood up, the parchment in his hand as he made his way to the podium at the front. "As our Chief Warlock has explained, this is the bill of the Phoenix Initiative Project, some of which we have already started to put into motion. We wrote multiple drafts of this before we came to our final bill. I will read the bill aloud to you now, copies have all been provided at your seats. The bill is being drafted as Bill E72-WD9, but we are informally calling it the Phoenix Initiative. Before I go forward, I just want to state the new changes made to the British Magical Citizenship Law."

 _British Magical Citizenship:_

 _A British Magical Citizenship will be provided for all subjects of the realm under the protection of the Ministry of Magic. All Witches and Wizards, no matter the status of their blood and every British Magical Citizen no matter which "being" or "beast" they had previously been classified as under the British Magical Citizen Bill of 1589. Altered to include any magical being with human-like abilities capable of performing magic, September 1995._

"Everyone clear on those changes? We voted them in last week?" At everyone's nod, Sirius continued.

 _The Ministry of Magic plans to enact the following laws under the Phoenix Initiative Project, Bill E72-WD9. The legislation contains four major categories and each one will be drafted under a separate Ministry department and broken into four sections:_

 _I. Department of Education_

 _II. Wizengamot Assembly_

 _III. Sub-Government_

 _IV. War Council_

 _I. Department of Education:_

 _Every British Magical Citizen has the right to earn a magical education by attending a magic school in the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Magic's Department of Education strives to provide world-class education, training, and care for every British Magical Citizen. We strive to ensure the following principles are met by our educators and our Board of Governors:_

 _Article 1:_

 _1\. Ensuring our academic standards match and keep pace with key comparative nations._

 _2\. Strive to bring our innovative education standards in line with leading international systems._

 _3\. Ensure that education builds character, resilience and well-being._

 _4\. Strive for every single student to reach their potential to live a more fulfilled life whilst providing a productive economy so that our British Wizarding World is fit for the future._

 _Article 2:_

 _1\. A British Magical Citizen is a subject of the realm under the protection of the Ministry of Magic. All Witches and Wizards no matter the status of their blood and every British Magical Citizen no matter which "being" or "beast" they had previously been classified as, will be granted equal opportunities under the law._

 _2\. Any British Magical Citizen with the ability to perform magic of any kind must be given an equal opportunity in accordance with the educational provisions of the Ministry of the Magic's Department of Education's rules and regulations._

 _3\. Those British Magical Citizens formerly known as "beings" or "beasts" including but not limited to anyone with magical blood such as Werewolves, Shapeshifters, Vampires, Fae, Veela, Merpeople, Elves of every caliber, Goblins, Centaurs, or any other British Magical Citizen with magical capabilities._

 _4\. The status of the subject of the realm is acquired in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Magic and with the British Magical Citizenship Laws._

 _Article 3:_

 _1\. In the provision of Werewolves attending magic school, families who do not support the use of the Wolfsbane Potion due to them being minors and not adults undergoing the transformation, will be permitted to remove their children from the school during the full moon if they wish it._

 _2\. The Ministry of Magic has the power to remove, arrest, or sentence any British Magical Citizen from any establishment if they have become a threat to the well being of the community or to the general public. This includes any Werewolf who is not using the Wolfsbane Potion and maims or injures an individual during the full moon. There is a zero tolerance policy for Werewolf-related attacks that may occur not during the full moon._

 _3\. Vampires or part-Vampires attending educational facilities will be allocated the proper dietary needs._

 _4\. Fae will be given the opportunity to show their own powers and magical skills while still following curriculum based magical teachings. All students ,no matter blood, beast or being, will be given the chance to learn both wandless and wand magic accordingly._

 _5\. Any British Magical Citizen with magical capabilities interested in providing their children with a Ministry sanctioned magical education has the right to discuss terms and responsibilities with the School Board, the Department of Education and the Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in question._

 _Article 4:_

 _1\. The Head of the Department of Education of the Minister of Magic and the Hogwarts Board of Governors, in coordination with the Office of the Minister of Magic, will issue the legal and administrative orders required to implement and complete this law._

 _II. Wizengamot Assembly_

 _The Ministry of Magic's Wizengamot Assembly is an elected and hereditary assembly for Witches and Wizards to draft legislation, vote, and otherwise assist the Minister of Magic in governing the British Wizarding World. Hereditary seats are given to members of old families interested in sitting in the Wizengamot under the House of Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot. Members must still be voted in publicly and magically before being allowed to sit on the Wizengamot. The House of Common Wizengamot Members can be formed by any Witch or Wizard interested in joining and must still be voted in publicly and magically before being allowed to sit on the Wizengamot._

 _Article 1:_

 _1\. The Wizengamot strives to expand the current mandatory number of official seats from 53 to 73 seats; allowing the Wizengamot in full capacity to hold 475 seats._

 _2\. The House of Lords and Ladies will be increased to 257 seats from the previous 211; only mandatory for 41 of those seats to be in attendance in order to call forth a session of the Wizengamot Assembly._

 _3\. The House of the Common Wizengamot Members will be increased to 218 from the previous 188; only mandatory for 32 of those seats to be in attendance in order to call forth a session of the Wizengamot Assembly._

 _4\. The Wizengamot will officially elect and vote in new members of the House of Lords and Ladies and the House of the Common Wizengamot Members from all local municipalities including but not limited to Alphas of the Wolf Packs; members of the Vampire Confederacy of Europe specifically those from the Vampire Confederacy of England (only British Magical Citizens who are members may sit on the Wizengamot); members of the Royal Court of Tara; and any other British Magical Citizen who shows an interest in joining the Wizengamot Assembly._

 _Article 2:_

 _1\. Every single member of the Wizengamot must be voted in by the Wizengamot Assembly and swear an oath of magic and blood, adding it to the Sovereign Chalice._

 _2\. Once blood is mixed into the Sovereign Chalice the British Magical Citizen is both magically and legally bound to serve in the Assembly for a minimum of six months out of the year._

 _3\. If the member has missed more than six months of Wizengamot meetings, they can be voted out of the Wizengamot and a new election must take place to replace their seat. The Chief Warlock/Witch has the right to decide upon this decision._

 _4\. Special guests may sit in and view Wizengamot Assembly sessions only when they are made open to the public or for a reason stated by the Chief Warlock/Witch._

 _Article 3:_

 _1\. All Wizengamot Members must come in formal assembly robes at all times even during emergency meeting sessions._

 _2\. Any member of the Wizengamot has the right to declare an emergency assembly for any reason that they seem fit, but the Chief Warlock/Witch has the right to deny the meeting if they do not deem it a state of emergency._

 _3\. The Wizengamot has the ability to declare a state of emergency for any reason they see fit, but it must be voted on by the assembly before being formerly passed._

 _Article 4:_

 _1\. The Chief Warlock/Witch in coordination with the Minister of Magic, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Wizengamot, will issue all legal and administrative regulations required to implement and complete all laws and legislations._

 _III. Sub-Government_

 _The Ministry of Magic is the law of the British Wizarding World and all British Magical Citizens are held accountable to follow the laws and regulations implemented by the Ministry of Magic._

 _Article 1:_

 _1\. Each unitary authority among districts and counties reports directly to the Ministry of Magic._

 _2\. Each unitary authority has the right to be responsible for their own state of government including but not limited to tax collection, social care, and general governing as long as the laws implemented by the Ministry of Magic are followed._

 _Article 2:_

 _1\. A Sub-Government may be allowed to form under the law of the Ministry of Magic provided that at least three members of the Sub-Government sit on the Wizengamot Assembly._

 _2\. A Sub-Government may include the Royal Court of Tara whereas the King/Queen are solely responsible for their court and people including law and order, but any crime committed within the Sub-Government against a British Magical Citizen that does not reside in the Sub-Government of the accused will be held accountable by the Ministry of Magic for their crimes. If said crime occurs within the Sub-Government against a British Magical Citizen who does reside in the same Sub-Government, the Ministry will allow criminal action to be taken by the Sub-Government provided that the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement is brought in to oversee the sentencing._

 _3\. A Sub-Government may include the four Wolf Packs of Britain run under the Council of Elders: Southwestern, Northwestern, Southeastern, and Northeastern whereas each Alpha is solely responsible for their pack and people including law and order, but any crime committed within the Sub-Government against a British Magical Citizen that does not reside in the Sub-Government of the accused will be held accountable by the Ministry of Magic for their crimes. If said crime occurs within the Sub-Government against a British Magical Citizen who does reside in the same Sub-Government, the Ministry will allow criminal action to be taken by the Sub-Government provided that the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement is brought in to oversee the sentencing._

 _4\. A Sub-Government may include the Vampire Confederacy of Europe, specifically the Vampire Confederacy of England whereas the Minister of the Vampire Confederacy of England is solely responsible for their people including law and order, but any crime committed within the Sub-Government against a British Magical Citizen that does not reside in the Sub-Government of the accused will be held accountable by the Ministry of Magic for their crimes. If said crime occurs within the Sub-Government against a British Magical Citizen who does reside in the same Sub-Government, the Ministry will allow criminal action to be taken by the Sub-Government provided that the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement is brought in to oversee the sentencing._

 _5\. A Sub-Government may be added accordingly if asked only after a vote and discussion by the Wizengamot Assembly on necessity and requirements for said Sub-Government to exist outside of the Ministry of Magic's unitary authority and jurisdiction._

 _IV. War Council_

 _A sub-committee of the Ministry of Magic established to decide a course of action and to make decisions concerning the defence and national security of the British Wizarding World. The Warlock/Witch Commander of the War Council has the ability to make defence and national security decisions when the Minister of Magic is unavailable to do so._

 _Article 1:_

 _1\. In time of national security or a state of emergency, the War Council has decided to establish a Department of Defence under the Office of the Minister of Magic._

 _2\. The Department of Defence will be run by the Warlock/Witch Commander elected who will then elect four commanding officers to lead the expeditionary forces during times of war._

 _Article 2:_

 _1\. The first force will be called Terra Troops, representing our Earth element and protecting the land from those who wish to see it harm._

 _2\. Terra Troops will be a land-based force including trained Witches, Wizards, Wolves, Shape-shifters, Vampires, and any other land creature willing to assist the infantry phalanx._

 _3\. This will be the biggest of the four units and there will be a minimum of one hundred Troops in the unit._

 _Article 3:_

 _1\. The second force will be called the Aqua Protectors, representing our Water element and protecting the oceans, lakes, and rivers from those who wish to see it harm._

 _2\. Aqua Protectors will be a water-based force including Magizoologists, sea creatures, and any Merperson willing to assist in protecting the shores during a battle._

 _3\. There will be a minimum of eighty Protectors in the unit._

 _Article 4:_

 _1\. The third force will be called the Wing Guards, representing our Air element and protecting the skies as well as guarding our Aqua Protectors and Terra Troops from above._

 _2\. Wing Guards will be an air-based force including Witches and Wizards on broomsticks, Fae, Veela, Dragon Tamers and dragons or any other flying creatures or beings willing to assist in protecting the British Wizarding World._

 _3\. There will be a minimum of eighty Guards in the unit._

 _Article 5:_

 _1\. The fourth and final force will be called the Spook Squad, representing the Fire element and protecting our intelligence and element of surprise._

 _2\. The Spook Squad will be an intelligence gathering operation of highly trained Witches and Wizards along with any other British Magical Citizen willing to assist in protecting the British Wizarding World._

 _3\. The Spook Squad will be responsible for providing as much detail as possible on potential threats and attacks from Dark Witches and Wizards or from creatures or beings looking to harm the British Wizarding World._

 _4\. The Spook Squad will be highly trained and sworn to secrecy and the smallest of the four forces with only thirty Spooks._

 _Article 6:_

 _1\. The goal of the War Council is to coordinate allies and forces to defend the British Wizarding World when an attack occurs; to protect the lives of our people._

 _2\. The War Council will call forth all forces when necessary and coordinate with any Sub-Governments within the Ministry of Magic as needed._

 _Moved by the understanding that safety and the protection of our British Magical Citizens and our magical community as a whole is the essential condition for the continued existence of the safety and protection of the Magical World, and inspired by the inflexible determination to ensure that the existence of the British Wizarding World for all time, the Ministry of Magic has unanimously adopted the following Phoenix Initiative Project otherwise known as Bill E72-WD9 to be brought into law starting the 1st of October, 1995._

Discussion immediately broke out among everyone as Sirius finished reading the bill and Dumbledore stood up.

"It's a lot of changes, we are aware of that, but they are changes that we need for our government. Madam Minister?"

Minister Bones stood up and made her way over to the podium. "I was elected by all of you only a few short months ago. I didn't ask for this job and yet here I am doing my best to lead our world into a safer world. This legislation has been drafted by over a sixty people. Our Education department, the Hogwarts Board of Governors, members of the Office of the Minister of Magic, our Sub-Government leaders from our new allies as well as members of the International Confederation of Wizards, lawyers from the International Magical Office of Law, members of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, members of the Wizengamot, and Aurors and officers from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We are not taking this lightly. We are striving to move forward on a note of positive change and on the tail of this change, defending ourselves from the dark witches and wizards following He Who Must Not Be Named and the war that they are ultimately bringing with him. We need to make change now and we need to be ready to follow through on it so that we can all have safe lives and provide safety for the future of our children."

Applause broke out and Bones smiled. "Are they any questions about the new legislation before we bring it to a vote?"

"In terms of wandless magic, will our children be taught that immediately after we've been telling them to wait for their wands?"

"No," Bones said with a smile. "Lord Ogden, the new Wandless Magic course is only offered to those students who have already written their OWLs. We want our children to learn how to centre and focus their magic first before we teach them how to expand it. We all know how powerful our children are before they have wands. When one is learning, the wand is an essential tool, but once they've learned how to focus their magic, expanding its use to wandless will be an easy switch for them. Our new professor at Hogwarts is a former mage in the Royal Court of Tara and she will be teaching them how to do so now that they are older and have better control over their own powers."

"For the War Council," CWM Marchbanks declared, "How will members be chosen? Will there be restrictions and contingencies?"

Sirius smiled at her. "Age limits for sure. No one under the age of seventeen will be allowed to join a unit and my dear, Griselda, I know that you're as strong as a horse, but I think anyone under the age of seventy-five should also be restricted."

CWM Marchbanks glared at him. "I could out duel you any day, young man!"

Sirius grinned wider. "I don't doubt it."

Kingsley stood up. "We are choosing commanders from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to run the new units and from there we will open it to the DMLE and to the public along with our allies from the French and Bulgarian Ministries to assist in joining the units if interested. We will begin training immediately and move on from there. We want to be ready for whatever surprises He Who Must Not Be Named throws at us next."

Bones smiled warmly at them. "CWM Shacklebolt, we also need to discuss a new location for prisoners since Azkaban has been destroyed."

Kingsley nodded. "We are working on potential locations now, Madam Minister. I will make sure that you are kept informed."

"Thank you. Any other questions on Bill E72-WD9 or can we put it to a vote?"

Dumbledore stood up when everyone quieted down. "I am honoured to bring the Phoenix Initiative to the voting table today. Those in favour of passing Bill E72-WD9 into circulation, please raise your wand."

Three hundred wands immediately rose into the air.

Dumbledore smiled widely, adding his own wand as Bones did the same putting them at three hundred and two. "Three hundred and two is more than half which means Bill E72-WD9 passes into law."

Sirius grinned widely, turning to smile at Augusta Longbottom. "It's a great day to be here today."

She smiled back at him. "You, boy, are as smart as a whip and I look forward to seeing what else you can handle with the War Council."

"Oh, I won't be running that," he said with a shake of his head. "Not my area of expertise, but I do plan on joining the Terra Troops Unit if I pass the requirements that is. I want to be ready for this war in any way that I can be."

Augusta Longbottom smiled at him. "We're off to a great start and Griselda and I will be joining the Terra Troops right alongside you. I'd like to see you try to stop us."

Sirius grinned at the two women. He knew that they were powerful and he knew that they were more than capable of handling themselves, but allowing the two elderly women to go off and fight seemed ridiculous to him. He opened his mouth to say something on it and the look in her eye made him promptly close it.

He wasn't going to have to make the decision on who joined the units so whoever King elected to run the Terra Troops could tell them no.

He was just glad that it wasn't him, he thought.

 **By the end of the second week of school, Harry was looking forward to Quidditch practice.** Every single professor had been drilling into their heads the importance of this year being their OWLs and just the thought of the Ministry run tests he would be required to take at the end of the year gave him a headache. He looked around at his team, he felt a little sad that it wasn't the same six other people that he had become accustomed to. Wood was gone; graduated over a year ago now and the thought of Alicia leaving as well made him feel sad and a bit nostalgic. He cleared his throat, leaning over the top of his broom as he stood on the pitch.

"Oy! Attention over here, please!"

Everyone quieted down to look at him and he smiled.

"Thanks. So, um, as you know, I was chosen to be Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year."

"And the badge looks right dashing on you, Harry," Fred said, batting his eyelashes dramatically.

Harry grinned at him, puffing out his chest to show off the badge. "I pulled a Percy and polished it this morning."

Fred snorted and gave him a thumbs up sign.

"Anyway," Harry said, grinning at his team. "I've asked Angelina to help me co-captain for the year. She deserves to be up here and even though she turned it down, I'd really like her help. She also informed me that our amazing Chaser Alicia has decided to quit."

"What?" Fred and George exclaimed simultaneously.

"Leesh, you can't leave us! It's our final year!" Fred exclaimed.

George nodded. "No one can ever replace you!"

Alicia smiled at them. "That means a lot, guys, honestly, but I have to do this for me. I really want to have my spare time to work on this Arithmancy project and to do that, something has to give. But I promise to be on reserve if for any reason you become a Chaser down and no, Fred, me leaving does not qualify me filling in for being a Chaser down."

Fred closed his mouth as he frowned. "Spoilsport."

Katie elbowed her lightly. "We'll miss you, Leesh. I better hear you cheering us on."

"I won't miss a game," she vowed, grinning widely. "And I plan on helping you find a qualified Chaser first."

Harry grinned at them. "A Keeper and a Chaser. The tryouts will be on Saturday afternoon. I already put a notice up in the Gryffindor common room. Does this work for everyone?"

Everyone nodded and he grinned.

"Excellent. Tonight, I just want to get some flying practice in. See how well everyone remembers how to fly after our hiatus last year."

"Well, give us a break, Potter, not all of us got to practice on a dragon," George said as he hopped onto his broom.

"Yeah, some of us had to do boring old normal flying," Fred added.

Harry stuck his tongue at them and hopped onto his broom. "I'll lead laps around the pitch, guys let's go!"

His team grinned as they all followed him.

Harry flew down the pitch, looping around the goal posts, flying through and around them, diving down and back up before zooming back towards the other end and repeating the process. He was pleased to see his team following him in almost perfect harmony.

They hadn't lost anything at all, he thought with a grin.

He just hoped the tryouts on Saturday went just as well.

This year that Cup was staying with Gryffindor House, he thought.

 **When Harry stepped into the common room that night after practice he was surprised to see Ginny sitting next to Dean chatting.** He knew that Dean was determined to get with some girls this year, but even he had to know better than to go after the youngest Weasley. He had really thought that he had made his thoughts clear on it and he had thought maybe Ron had gotten his point across as well, but obviously Dean wasn't willing to be deterred. When Ginny laughed at something he said, Harry found himself scowling.

He walked over and sat down on the couch next to Ginny, shifting a bit closer to her than was necessary so that his knee bumped hers. "Hi Gin, Dean."

"Hey Harry," Dean said brightly, shifting a bit towards Ginny's other side. "Ginny and I were just talking about your Quidditch tryouts tomorrow. It would be great to be on the Gryffindor team."

Harry stared at them in surprise. "You're both going to try out for the team?"

"Don't know if I'm good enough," Dean admitted. "But I make a fair goalie in football so I figured why not. I was seeing if Ginny wanted to help me practice?" He asked. "I heard that she likes to fly."

Ginny opened her mouth to answer and Harry spoke first.

"Sorry, Dean, she's much too busy to do that. You'll have to just try your luck by yourself." He grabbed her arm and tugged her to her feet.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed in surprise as he tugged her out of the common room and down the five steps to the little private study rooms just below the common room. "That was rude! Maybe I _would_ like to help Dean."

Harry ignored her. "No, you wouldn't. Dean's a nice bloke, Gin, but he's not good enough for you."

Ginny glared at him, pulling her arm from his grasp and crossing them in front of her. "Oh _really_? And why do you get to dictate who may or may not be good enough for me?"

Her voice held a dangerous lilt to it, but he didn't care. He was staring at her soft moist lips. They seemed to be shimmering in some clear gloss that made them look more pink and more full than usual. His eyes trailed over her untucked dress shirt, a little tight over her breasts, loose tie and short kilt before he took step closer to her.

"I know what you need, Ginny."

Ginny swallowed slowly, her brown eyes on his green ones. "Harry … what are you …"

He moved closer, his hands on either side of the wall next to her head. He was so close that he could count every freckle on her face, but he didn't touch her. "Don't - flirt - with - Dean."

Ginny's breath hitched and her eyes narrowed. "I will flirt with whomever I want to flirt with, Harry. I've snogged boys before and I plan on snogging again. You can't control who I decide to date and I swear if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I'll hex you so badly that you won't be able to walk for a week. No, a month!"

He smirked when she tried to push him away and found him immovable. "Might be worth it."

And then he bent his head and crushed his lips to hers.

It was everything that he had ever imagined it would be, but it was a hundred times better. Her tight, lithe little body pushed against his as he tugged her up against him. His hands splayed in her hair. His lips were greedy on hers and he barely took a breath before he urged her mouth open wider with his tongue and she moaned against him. The sound of her moan shot straight to his cock.

Because she was kissing him back.

She assaulted his mouth, deep long kisses that he met eagerly and when he finally pulled back, their mouths were both swollen. She was staring at him in shock.

"What … Harry … you … what about Mandy?"

He flushed red. "She's not you," he whispered, framing her face in his hands. "I tried to say it didn't matter, Gin. I tried to convince myself that we could only ever be friends, but I still want you. It's you that I dream about, Gin. It's you that I imagine on her knees, doing naughty things to me. It's you that I want. No one else. Just you. Always."

Ginny stared at him and then she stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "I'm yours. I always have been."

His mouth found hers again and soon his hands were under her shirt, unbuttoning it and his mouth lowered over her breasts, tugging them free from her bra as his mouth took her pink nipple. Ginny moaned and her hands slid down to cup him, slipping into his trousers. Her small hands gripped him tightly and he woke up in his dorm, his hand holding his hard cock and his heart pounding.

It was the third time since school had started, he thought, stroking his cock. He had to get her off his mind. But as he touched himself, he imagined her pink lips wrapped around him and he came hard, gasping slightly as his hand slid over his stomach.

He had to stop this, he thought. It was getting wildly out of hand. His dreams of her were coming almost as frequently as his bad dreams and thank Merlin he used a silencing charm every night because if Ron knew what his dreams entailed about his sister he'd be a dead man.

Dean flirting with Ginny again today had obviously made him more angry than he had realized. Ginny couldn't date Dean, he thought. He wasn't good enough for her and there was also the point that he wasn't entirely sure that Dean wasn't into Seamus. Not that his friend would admit to such a thing.

He let out a slow sigh. He had to stop thinking about Ginny. Quidditch tryouts were in two days … that's what he needed to focus on. Ginny was going to be there, he thought. She was coming to try out for the team, Dean had told him. He scowled again at the thought. Dean needed to stay away from her. Mandy, he thought, Mandy not Ginny, Mandy.

But when his eyes closed and he drifted off again, there was a familiar laugh and dancing red hair.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(Italian) Ciao buon giorno - Hello, good day!_

 _(Italian) vicino e caro al mio cuore - near and dear to my heart_

 _Brandon that I work with is super into politics to the point that if he ended up being PM in 30 years it wouldn't shock me. I bounced questions off of him for parliament and seats and whatnot to help me work out my numbers. I thought if there are 850 House of Lords seats and 600 House of Common seats, the magical world would be a lot less so I figured 200ish seemed like a good number. I_ _spent days doing research on how the British government works and compared it to my own local government to write the bill and am proud of how it turned out. In terms of the unit names - thanks to the many people on Discord who tossed out ideas. Much appreciated._

 _As to the course description at the beginning, one of my favourite classes in university was International Relations in the Twentieth Century and I implemented parts of that class description to help explain the new course._

 _And I know - that was mean! I couldn't resist!_


	191. Chapter 191

_Author's Note:_

 _I want to start off this note by giving a little breakdown of the political jargon for those who found it a bit difficult to read. I wanted the political stuff to make sense in terms of government. Politics have_ _never_ _been my strong suit and I didn't particularly like civics class in high school, but what I do know I covered in English history and in Canadian history and I took one American government class in university, which was awful by the way, American government is strangely confusing to me. When I wrote Umbitch's bill back in chapter 134, I explained how I used the bill from Nuremberg (the anti-Jewish legislation written by the Third Reich in the 1930s) and I kept the same outline. I originally looked it up to help me write my own ideas, but I ended up using it as a guideline for both bills which helped me organize it accordingly. I knew that I wanted the Phoenix Initiative to have 4 sections:_

 _1\. Education -_ _to cover new classes and new students including new rules in place for those new students._

 _2\. Government \- __wanted to have a way to bring in the new allies to the Wizengamot (this is where I spoke to my friend Brandon and had him explain it to me. I did research on the British Parliament and seat numbers and then made up my own seat numbers accordingly)_

 _3\. Sub-Government -_ _I was thinking that obviously the Ministry of Magic does not control every tiny village and town where witches and wizards live in the UK, so I thought like my small town is municipal and is run by a township - a unitary government - so keeping that wording, I thought well the fae have their own community, as do the wolves so that can be the unitary governments to rule themselves like a town does, while still following the guidelines and regulations from the Ministry of Magic or the ruling party, but allowing them to dole out justice as they see fit as long as it is only within their own community and they are keeping the Ministry of Magic informed on their plans._

 _4\. War Council -_ _this was the big one. I wanted the Ministry to begin ideas on how to defend the people from the big bad._

 _Once I had all of those in place, I broke it down further. I studied educational goals from different British school boards to help me implement the new educational guidelines; I used pieces from the course syllabus from an international relations course I took to help determine more information for that and for the explanation of the new class. Then I broke down the war council into the 4 elements, using army, navy, air, and intelligence as my operating plan._

 _Military formations - again I took some military history classes, but it was never my strong suit. I knew that I wanted to divide between the 4 elements and then I thought well, most militaries have the 3 main components of Air Force, Army, and Navy (depending on the country) and then I thought well an Intelligence component would also be cool, but how to incorporate that magically … so if I used the 4 elements, I thought Earth is Army, Latin for Earth is Terra, so I thought Terra Troops sounded like a cool name and then I thought okay, Army, well that could be the duelling component, the witches and wizards on the ground ready to fight. Navy would be water which could be Aqua Protectors, well, they've been making alliances with creatures so it would be cool to get the Merpeople on board and magizoologists who have access to water animals so maybe they could help as well. The air element would be like the Air Force, okay what can magical people do that can fly - dragons, dragon tamers, witches and wizards on broomsticks, etc. Then I thought okay Fire can be used for intelligence because it is complex and I thought that it makes sense to have a special elite Spook Squad to try to figure out what the "enemy" is doing. Spook makes me think of old time spy movies so I thought it was a good name. Anyway, I thought this might make it seem more helpful and it breaks down my elaborate and somewhat confusing thought process on the subject._

 _Reviews: Yes, it was mean, but necessary I think as well. Harry is using Mandy, but I don't think that he fully realizes it, not yet, and no, he's not going to be a cheater, and Ginny would never let him be a cheater, it's not part of who they are. As to the bill, it took me over 2 weeks just to write that scene. As to how they control what's happening, specifically in terms of those being Death Eaters unknown or potentially Imperiused, they have security protocols in place, but there are no guarantees. Some of them will be explained later on. Thank you to christyannb94 for an incredible review, I do try to bring a little bit of everything to this story and am working on keeping a balance. As to Umbitch, if you remember Dumbledore did say that Umbitch and Raffigan would be spending the first few weeks going over the course syllabi, reviewing the textbooks chosen and making notes on the curriculum for each class before inspecting. Don't worry, they will be coming into play soon enough._

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-ONE:**

 **Theo woke up earlier than he planned on.** After lying in bed and listening to his roommates snores, he got up to hop in the shower. It was only ten after five, he noted and classes didn't even start until eight twenty, but he knew that he wasn't getting back to sleep. Sleep hadn't come easy to him since meeting the Dark Lord. It had already been a long month and September wasn't even over yet. Dealing with Macmillan was another story all together and he still didn't know how to get himself out of that situation. He knew that his friends were worried about him, but he needed to work it out for himself. Not to mention that he knew how Draco and Blaise would react if they found out.

He had just headed up to the Slytherin common room, debating about heading down to breakfast early when he heard the crying. His eyes scanned the room before he saw the tiny girl on the sofa near the fire. She had a huge blanket wrapped around her that looked like she had pulled it down from her bed and huge tears were falling onto it. Her bright blonde hair was in two braids on either side of her face and she looked so lost. He moved over there carefully, not wanting to startle her and knelt down in front of her.

"Hi there, little duck, I'm Theo."

She looked up at him, her eyes a startling bright green and full of tears. "Hi."

"Can I sit?"

She looked surprised by this, but nodded.

Theo sat next to her on the couch, stretching his legs out across the floor. "I woke up feeling hungry this morning. Want to come down to early breakfast with me?"

The small girl used the back of her hand to wipe her tears away. "I don't know."

Theo held his hand out to her. "Come on; let's go get some breakfast. You'll feel better after you eat."

The girl smiled and accepted his hand. "My roommates are mean to me."

Theo frowned. "Why?"

She stood up. "They said that I'm a freak."

"You don't look like a freak to me," Theo told her. "What's your name, little duck?"

"Ciara."

"Well, Ciara, you can't let what other people say bother you. You don't look like a freak to me."

She sniffed, wiping her tears on her sleeve. "My mum is a fae and my dad is a wizard."

Theo's eyebrow lifted. "Ah," he said, his eyes on her. "Can you fly?"

Ciara's face broke out into a smile. "No."

"What, no tiny fairy wings?"

She giggled. "No."

Theo grinned. "You just look like a witch to me then."

Ciara smiled back. "Can I still come down to breakfast with you?"

"Absolutely," he said with a grin. "I'll wait for you to get dressed."

The little girl beamed at him, grabbing her blanket and running to the stairs that led down to the girls dormitories, stopping to turn back and smile at him. He smiled back as she hurried off and then he leaned back against the couch to wait for her. She was sweet, he thought and a half-fae. He had heard in passing that there two half-fae who had started at Hogwarts this year, but he hadn't thought much about it otherwise. There were wolves too, he remembered. He didn't even know if any of them had been sorted into Slytherin, but obviously Ciara had been and her dorm mates weren't treating her nicely. He wondered what her surname was.

He only waited ten minutes before she came upstairs dressed in jeans and a warm jumper in the same bright green as her eyes. Theo stood up and offered his arm, making her smile up at him in adoration as they headed out of the Slytherin common room and into the dungeons.

"So Ciara, what's your last name?"

"Casey," she said. "My dad works at the Ministry of Magic."

"That's a great place to work," he told her. "What does he do?"

"He works in maintenance," she said. "He was really excited that I was able to come to Hogwarts this year. He said that the Ministry was doing some good for once."

"I agree," Theo told her. "You are one hundred percent welcome here. Listen, if anyone gives you grief over having a fae as a mum, I want you to come tell me, okay? My last name is Nott and we Slytherins stick together."

Ciara beamed at him and to his surprise, hugged him tightly. "Really?"

He smiled and pat her gently on the head. "Of course. Now you should tell me all about these mean girls."

Ciara shrugged. "Only Mila is nice, but her dad is a vampire. They aren't mean to her though because she scares them. They said that she's going to drink their blood. The other girls said that my dad's a half-blood and my mum is a freak so that makes me a full freak with dirty blood."

Theo smiled. "No one has dirty blood, Ciara. Have you made any friends? Mila maybe?"

She sniffed. "Mila's nice and Tara is my friend, but she's in Hufflepuff."

"That's okay. It doesn't mean that you can't be friends with her. One of my closest friends is in Gryffindor."

"There's a nice boy in our house too, his name is Julian."

"See? You don't need those mean girls anyway."

Ciara grinned up at him. "Will you be my friend, Theo?"

"Absolutely," he said with a smile. "You can come to me anytime."

The little girl smiled happily at him as she sat at the Slytherin table for breakfast and he grinned back. She was adorable and in his opinion, she had been sorted into Slytherin which meant no matter what kind of blood she had, she was a Slytherin at heart, and no one was going to mess with her.

He'd make sure of it.

 **"** **Weasley!" The smooth voice called out, making Ginny stop in her tracks.**

She and Colin both turned around to see who was calling for her and her eyebrows rose at the sight of Blaise Zabini hurrying towards her.

Classes had just ended for the day and they were on their way to dinner before the weekend would start. Blaise was wearing his black trousers and white uniform shirt, top buttons undone and tie hanging loose around his neck. His dark hair was chopped short on his head and he gave her a winning smile as he stopped in front of her.

"Zabini," she said, eyes on him. It really ought to be a sin for anyone to be as good looking as Blaise Zabini was, she thought.

He grinned widely. "Have you seen Theo lately?"

Ginny shook her head. "Not much over the last few days, no. We don't exactly have multitudes of classes together."

Blaise's smile widened. "Fair point. I think something's going on with him, but he's not saying. I'm a bit worried."

Ginny frowned and turned to Colin. "I told you that there was something off about him!"

Colin shrugged. "I said that I didn't know, I just agreed that he'd been more quiet this year."

"Definitely more quiet," Blaise said with a nod. "But there's also something that he's hiding. I'm worried about him and so is Draco."

"And you think that I can get through to him?"

Blaise shrugged. "Possibly. Will you talk to him?"

She nodded. The look of concern in Blaise's dark eyes made her feel a little nervous. If both Zabini and Malfoy had also noticed something going on with Theo, than something was definitely going on. "I'll see what I can do."

Blaise smiled at her and bent his head a little closer to her and sniffed. "Thanks."

"Did you just - _smell my hair_?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Blaise's grin widened. "Well, you smell great, Weasley. If you ever want to know what it's like to snog a real man, come see me."

Ginny's mouth dropped open in disbelief as he took off, turning to stare at Colin. "Can you believe that?"

Colin grinned. "I told you, you're beautiful, Ginny. All the blokes are noticing you more than before. You really grew up this summer."

She blushed. She had noticed that about herself the last few months, but hearing Colin say it made her feel oddly flattered and embarrassed at the same time. "Well, that hardly seems … it doesn't matter. If Zabini and Malfoy are both worried about Theo as well, something must definitely be going on with him."

Colin nodded, his eyes on his friend. "I agree. How are you going to get him to talk?"

She bit her lip as she looked thoughtful for a moment and then turned to Colin to tell him what they needed to do. He nodded, grinning widely at her as she relaid her idea.

"Sounds perfect."

"Meet us in the kitchens, Colin. I'm going to go snag Theo."

Colin grinned and hurried off to do just that as Ginny made her way towards the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, her eyes peeled for her friend. She didn't see him anywhere and she frowned at that, until she saw him walk through the doors a moment later. He looked a little paler than usual and his cheeks were a tad flushed.

Ginny hurried over to him. "Hi!"

"Hey," Theo said easily, his eyes on hers.

"I'm stealing you for myself tonight. We're going to the kitchens for our dinner."

Theo looked like he was going to protest so Ginny took his hand in hers and tugged him along, making him sigh. She was determined to put a smile back on his face tonight and she was ready to get him to feel a bit better and hopefully open up about whatever it was that he needed to talk about.

When they stepped into the kitchens, the house elves were bustling about and Ginny smiled at the tiny elf that she had befriended over two years ago during one of her late night jaunts named Daisy.

"Hi Daisy. Theo needs some cheering up tonight, would you mind if the three of us played around for a bit?"

Daisy smiled warmly at her. She had learned how Miss Ginny liked to play around and found it charming. "As long as Miss Ginny let's Daisy clean everything up when she is done."

Ginny smiled at the elf. "We'll talk about it."

She pulled Theo over to the kitchen countertop where Colin had already laid out the ingredients for a chocolate pudding cake topped with fresh bananas and strawberries.

Theo snorted when he saw it. "You are going to make me bake?"

"Bake dessert," Ginny said with a smile. "Chocolate always cures the soul."

She elbowed him lightly as he rolled up his sleeves with a sigh and then the three of them got to work, chuckling and grinning as they poured and mixed the ingredients before placing the cake into the oven to bake. Daisy brought them each a plate of food from the dinner served in the Great Hall and Theo eagerly dove in.

"I befriended an adorable little first year this morning," Theo told them. "Her name is Ciara Casey and her mum is a fae. I guess her dorm mates are giving her a hard time."

"That's horrible," Colin said. "Is she in Slytherin?"

Theo nodded. "Yeah. I found her crying in the common room just after five this morning. I think that she's been sleeping in there rather than in her room."

"Poor thing," Ginny said. "I hope you set those girls straight."

Theo grinned. "I said something to Pansy at lunch and she marched over there to deal with it after dinner. Pansy is a lot of things, but being head bitch is her specialty. She made three of them cry, but Ciara said that they've been somewhat friendly to her since. It's only one day so far, but I'm hopeful. Pansy can be a real scary bitch when she wants to be."

"Are you going to watch out for her?" Ginny asked, chuckling at his description of Pansy Parkinson.

Theo nodded. "I told her I would. But I think that she's going to be okay. One of the other girls in her dorm, Mila St James, her father is a vampire. They seem to have bonded over both being called freaks, but the other girls are scared of Mila and not of Ciara. Ciara's befriended another first year Slytherin as well named Julian Norton and the other little half-fae girl in Hufflepuff, Tara Brady. I think a lot of it is nerves too, right? She's never really been away from home. I told her if she needed anything I would always be around."

"You are a bleeding heart, Theo," Colin said with a smirk.

Theo snorted. "Don't let it get around."

Ginny smiled at him. "It's too late, we know your secret."

He shrugged. "I'm hardly the only person to do so, I saw your brother talking to the little first year boys from your house just last week."

"Which brother?"

"The annoying one," Theo said.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "That just depends on the day of the week, but I'm going to assume that in this case you mean Ron. He's a prefect you know, so it's his job to talk to first years."

Theo grinned. "His job yes, but I heard him saying something similar to what I said to Ciara. Aren't two of the wolves in Gryffindor this year?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes, and Ron did go out of his way to make sure that they felt welcome. From what I understand, their dorm mates think it's brilliant. Ron said he had to go tell them to go to bed three times because they stayed up the entire first night asking them a million questions about pack life and society. They've made instant friends."

"Luna said the Danson girl in her house is very quiet and doesn't talk too much to others. Two of the girls were mean to her, but the prefect told them off," Colin said.

"I guess I never really thought about what it would be like having these new students in the school. It makes sense that everyone is curious about them," Theo admitted. "I even understand the fear to some extent, but they are only eleven years old. They're here to learn. And I don't know if it's just me, but I swear we were never that tiny."

Ginny laughed. "We were, we just like to think we were older and wiser."

He smirked. "I suppose that's true."

"Ginny's trying out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team tomorrow," Colin told him with a grin. "They are looking for both a Chaser and a Keeper and I told her that she's going to be brilliant."

"She definitely will," Theo said, smiling. "You should have seen her on the surf board in Anguilla, Colin. She was incredible! She was riding the waves like she had been born to it. She's even better on a broomstick."

"I just hope that everyone else agrees with you two," Ginny admitted. "Flying is one thing, but I have to be able to meet their requirements for my Chaser skills as well. Will you come watch tomorrow? Tryouts begin at two."

"I'll be there, but I might be late. There's somewhere that I have to be at for two thirty."

Ginny nodded, her brown eyes on his. "Where's that?"

"Just something I have to do. I can have secrets, chick."

Ginny smiled at him and rested her chin on her hands. "Yes, you definitely can, but not ones that make you look so sad."

He shrugged. "I'm alright, honest."

Ginny only stared at him for a long moment before she turned to Colin. "I don't believe him, do you?"

Colin shook his head. "No, not even a little."

Theo sighed. "I'm just worried about the escaped Death Eaters and my father and … honestly, it'll pass."

Ginny and Colin both looked unconvinced, but they left it alone.

By the time they dug into the chocolate pudding cake, they were all smiling and laughing, but Ginny couldn't help but notice that the smile didn't quite reach her friend's eyes.

 **Theo left Ginny and Colin after a fun evening in the kitchen.** He loved listening to Colin talk all about his photography and his plans for the _Hogwarts Herald_ this year. Listening to Ginny talk about Quidditch and about flying always brought a smile to his face as well. They were sweet for worrying about him and he appreciated that, but the last thing that he could do was tell them what was really bothering him.

Ernie had made that pretty clear in his terms, that no one was to know. And if he was honest, he didn't want anyone to know. He was embarrassed that he had somehow let this happen. The thought of missing the start of Ginny's tryouts tomorrow because he had to be on his knees at a designated time hurt him. Sucking the prefect off was mindless and he tried not to think about it, but it was the abuse the prefect bestowed upon him both before and after that was starting to take a toll on him.

He had a bruise the size of the prefect's fist on the left side of his ribs that hurt when he moved. His jaw was perpetually sore from the constant slaps and punches that followed his sucking and he was finding it harder to hide the bruises on his neck from the night before.

Macmillan had found him in the boy's bathroom on the sixth floor and had forced him to his knees and then had wrapped his hands around his throat and squeezed while he shoved his penis into his mouth. Theo had seen stars before Ernie had finally let go and when he'd woken that morning, he had purple and yellow finger-shaped bruises littering his throat. It hurt to talk and he had placed a glamour charm over them so that no one would see them.

It was only the third week of September and he was already stuck in this situation beyond his control. He had been thinking about what Narcissa had said to him at the end of the summer, about potentially being able to claim his rights and his inheritance away from his father once he turned sixteen as opposed to seventeen and he wondered on if it was possible or not. But he wasn't sure who to ask or how to get that information. If he could find out, he could put a stop to this and then he could curse the cock right off of Macmillan.

He shoved his hands into his pockets as he headed down towards the Slytherin Common Room and saw Snape step out of his office.

"Sir," he said kindly.

The hand that landed on his shoulder when he attempted to walk by had him stopping.

"Come into my office for a moment, Theo."

Theo let out a slow sigh before he moved into the Potion Master's dungeon office and took a seat in the chair in front of his desk. Snape closed the office door behind him and moved around to sit in the chair across from Theo, his dark eyes staring at him for a long moment and he felt the loose prodding on his mind.

"Narcissa taught you well, your Occlumency is strong."

"Thank you, Sir. I don't know if it's strong enough to fool the Dark Lord, but I think my walls are strong."

Snape nodded and pushed into his mind again. The assault felt like a battering ram against his temple and he felt his magical walls shake before Snape nodded. "Could be stronger. I'd say with another fifteen to twenty minutes, I could break those walls down completely if I wanted to."

"I'll work harder on them, Sir."

Snape nodded again before he stared at him, his long fingers tapping together in front of him. "What's on your mind, Theo?"

Theo shrugged. "Nothing. Just tired. Long day."

Snape continued to stare at him. "I suppose it was. How did you find your meeting with the Dark Lord?"

Theo stared at him. "I hated it."

Snape's eyes bored into his for a moment. "You must keep those thoughts to yourself. I want you to know that I always have your best interests in mind, Theo. I abhor the way your father has treated you and I will continue to do what I can to keep you safe from him while we are at school. But I wanted to warn you that the Dark Lord often recruits at sixteen."

Theo paled slightly. "I won't join him!"

Snape nodded. "I don't want you to join him, Theo. I'm not here to recruit you. I'm here to warn you. You are a bright young man and I think that you are smart enough to realize that some of us are in too deep to get out again, but you still have choices. I know that you'll be sixteen in October and with it being the school year, I doubt that he would try to bring you in. But come the summer, you need to be on your guard."

"I don't have to say yes," Theo said carefully.

"No, you don't have to say yes," Snape said quietly. "But if you say no he'll kill someone you love. Torture you. Make you suffer. If you continue to say no, he'll kill you. If you're lucky, he'll do it himself. If you're not and he hands you over to any of his followers, your death will take hours if not days."

Theo's eyes were wide as he stared at Snape, deathly pale now. "Why are you telling me any of this? I saw you sitting there with him! You agreed with everything that he had to say!"

"I did and I was," Snape snapped at him. "Because if I disagreed with him, what do you think would happen to me?"

His breath hitched. "You … you don't really support him, do you?"

"I am a loyal follower of the Dark Lord and I plan to stay as such. I will do whatever heinous deed he commands of me because that is the path that I chose. The Dark Lord is wise and powerful. But he is also ruthless and cunning. Watch out for yourself."

He gestured to the door and Theo stood up, his brow furrowing. "Professor?" At Snape's look, he spoke. "Do you think that he will try to recruit Blaise and Draco as well?"

"Zabini's birthday isn't until December so he has more time and Draco won't be sixteen until June, but I can assure you, he will want to collect the three of you, whether this year or the next I couldn't say, but he will want you."

Theo swallowed slowly. "I'll … be on my guard, Sir."

Snape nodded. "Do that."

Theo closed the office door behind him, his head spinning. Snape was a Death Eater and yet he still felt like he could trust him. He wasn't sure how that made him feel he thought as he headed back to the Slytherin common room.

Draco was snogging his girlfriend behind the tapestry near the entrance to the common room and he snickered when he saw his friend's hands boldly cupping Ophelia's breasts through her blouse. Guess he decided not to break up with her, he thought.

He found Blaise by the fireplace and sat next to him. "Ginny said that you sniffed her hair."

Blaise snorted. "She smells nice. She really grew up this year."

"I won't deny that, I have eyes even if she doesn't have the right stuff for me," he added, making Blaise grin.

"Yes, you do have eyes. Did you tell her what was bugging you?"

Theo smiled at him. "I appreciate you going to her to watch out for me, but I'm fine. Honestly."

Blaise stared at him for a long moment. "I still don't believe you. You know that I'm here when you decide that you're ready to talk, right?"

"I know," Theo told him. "I appreciate that. Did you see Draco out there with Rowle? He said that he was thinking about breaking up with her."

"Told me the same, but then I reminded him that he would only have his hand for company and he reconsidered. I give it another week, max."

Theo nodded. "Bet you ten Galleons he makes it to All Hallows Eve?"

Blaise's grin flashed quickly. "You're on."

 **Harry was surprised to see how many people had shown up to try out for the positions of Chaser and Keeper that Saturday.** The stands were full of waiting participants and he was surprised to see that most of them didn't even have brooms. He took a drink of water from his bottle before he sat it on the bench and said as much to Angelina.

Angelina narrowed her eyes as she looked around. "Oy! Anyone trying out for the position of Gryffindor Chaser please line up on my left and those for Gryffindor Keeper please line up on my right!"

The crowd of people immediately began to line up and Harry began to walk up and down the line of them, examining them carefully. Ninety percent of them were girls he noted and then he saw the flash of blue and bronze and sighed. He suddenly knew why there were so many people there and he rolled his eyes.

"Oy! Anyone who is not in Gryffindor House needs to leave now! This tryout is for Gryffindor students only!"

There was a loud groan as half the crowd dispersed to take off, groaning again when Harry ordered them directly off the pitch. Most of the girls were giggling madly and staring at him.

Angelina grinned at him. "Anyone who is here only to see Harry Potter needs to leave now."

There was a collective groan as more people walked off the pitch.

"Also any first years need to leave as well," Harry called out.

Six more students took off, heads down as Harry shook his head.

"Thank you," he said, glancing out at the crowd of about twenty Gryffindors, a much better number he thought. He recognized Ginny standing in the group and smiled. He knew that she liked to fly, but he had never seen her play Quidditch. He noted that she was in the Chaser line-up with interest.

"Alright, so first off we need to get you all equipped in the proper athletic clothing for tryouts. Your school robes won't do. Girls, follow Angelina and she will help you out. You blokes can come with me."

Twenty minutes later, each person was outfitted in Gryffindor athletic gear. They were all wearing black drawstring pants with Gryffindor down the side in bright gold. The boys were in black muscle shirts or tee shirts with the Gryffindor logo across the chest and the girls differed between tanks, sports bras, and tee shirts.

Harry nodded at everyone. "Anyone who does not have a broom, there are _Cleansweep 7s_ by the benches there. Please find one that you are comfortable with before we begin."

Once everyone had a broom, he smiled. "Great. I am going to run you through a basic Quidditch practice before we try out for the specific positions. This will test your stamina, your endurance, and see how well suited you are to a practice before we delve into your Quidditch skills. Follow the lead of the Gryffindor team."

Harry held his _Firebolt_ over the back of his shoulders and began to do simple stretches, using his broom as he lunged and twisted his hips and shoulders in a gentle motion to loosen up. Then, still holding the _Firebolt_ over the back of his shoulders, he began to jog around the pitch. At the halfway mark, he headed up the stands to the top, moving back down the stairs on the other end. Everyone was huffing and puffing behind him as he led them back around the other half of the pitch in a slow jog and then back up and down the stands again. Once they reached the pitch a second time, he urged them to stretch it out slowly.

Ten of the people were lying on the grass gasping for breath. Everyone else was bent over, hands on their knees as they relaxed and gulped back water.

Harry gave them a minute to catch their breath before he spoke up. "That's a typical start to practice. Usually from now we move onto sit-ups and push-ups followed by chin-ups on your flying broomstick. Twenty of each; let's see it!"

There was a collective groan as everyone got to work.

Harry stood next to Angelina once he finished his own sixty reps, his eyes on the people lined up. He had been surprised to see Dean there, despite knowing his roommate planned to tryout. He tried not to scowl as he watched his roommate flirt with Ginny. Ginny had opted to dress in the same attire as Gryffindor's current three Chasers. Riding low on her hips was black drawstring pants with Gryffindor down the side in bright gold, but it was the black sports bra with the Gryffindor logo across her chest that had caught his attention. It accented her flat stomach littered in freckles. The swell of her round breasts were already glistening in a soft sheen of sweat from the workout that he had started them with. Her long red hair was up high in a ponytail and danced down her shoulders and back and she was wearing the Quidditch gloves that he had given her for her birthday.

She bent down to scratch her ankle and his gaze immediately settled at her cleavage and he choked on the water that he had been drinking, closing his eyes tightly. When he opened them, the sixth year Cormac McLaggen, who was trying out for the position of Keeper, had his head bent to check out her butt and Harry practically growled at him. Cormac closed his teeth over his fist and said something to the bloke on his left who nodded and grinned.

Harry broke the cup in his hand, water spraying everywhere. Katie Bell gave him a look and he shook his head, jumping onto his broom and heading up into the air. He did four loop-de-loops before landing back on the ground.

"Alright, we're going to start with the Chaser tryouts. Those wanting to try out for the position of Keeper, have a seat in the stands. Chasers, on your brooms." He rose up with them surrounding him. "I am going to fly high and monitor your progress. Angelina and Katie will be passing the Quaffle around to you as Alicia plays the role of Keeper. Watch out for the Beaters, they will be working to unseat you as much as possible. Let's see what you can do!"

He flew up higher to watch them work, eyes on those trying out as Fred and George shot Bludgers towards them while they passed the Quaffle back and forth to each other.

Harry was hoping to find a Chaser who worked well amongst the team and who worked well with Angelina and Katie. But Harry kept his eyes on Ginny. She flew well. She flew really well, actually, he thought. Her long red hair was in a high pony tail, blowing behind her as she flew, whipped under a Bludger and loop-de-looped around George who gasped at her.

"Nevra, when the hell did you learn to fly so good?"

She smirked at her brother. "When you boys were sleeping and I stole your brooms."

Fred stared at her, looking half-amazed and half-horrified. "Gem's a little scary sometimes, Forge."

George grinned and flew up around his brother.

Fred hit another Bludger at her as Katie passed her the Quaffle, Ginny caught it in one hand, swerved around the Bludger, and sent a perfect goal through the centre hoop before Alicia could block it. She whooped and circled around, scoring twice more.

Her brothers were staring at her in shock.

She flew up high, grabbed the Quaffle again and passed it flawlessly to Katie, spinning to the left and diving down quickly before she pulled herself back up from a seamless dive, catching the Quaffle as Angelina passed it to her. Harry tilted his head to watch her progress, too focused on her and not on his surroundings, and the Bludger hit him right in the leg. He swore as he felt his calf burn and he flew down to the ground as his team surrounded him.

"Blimey, Harry! You alright?" Fred asked, checking his leg.

Harry nodded. "Fine. It was my fault, I wasn't paying attention." His eyes drifted over to Ginny who had landed next to him, her long red ponytail bouncing as she hit the ground. His attention had very clearly been on someone else.

"Should we get him to Madam Pomfrey?" Fred asked, looking at Harry in concern.

Harry shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine. Trust me, it's not broken."

Ginny gave him a pointed look. "I don't trust your version of fine, Harry. You should let Madam Pomfrey check you out."

Mandy, who had been watching in the stands, had hurried down to see if he was okay and she nodded at Ginny's words, reaching out to touch his arm. "Hey, let's get you to Madam Pomfrey."

Angelina nodded. "Harry, go; come back after you've been cleared. I'll run the tryout."

He nodded and let Mandy lead him off the pitch, limping a little. He was pretty sure that nothing was broken, but his leg hurt like a bitch nevertheless.

"Ginny's very good, isn't she?" Mandy said quietly, startling him from his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Ginny," Mandy said again, her eyes on her boyfriend. "She's good. She was doing pretty amazing up there, wasn't she?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, she was."

Mandy watched him for a moment. "You were so busy watching your Chasers you forgot to keep an eye out for the Bludgers."

He smiled at her. "I'm not used to being so stationary during a game either." They stepped into the castle and she led him towards the hospital wing as he spoke. "Out date might be a little later tonight, depending on how long tryouts take, and I have to leave before dark to see my father so we might only be able to sneak out for an hour or two."

Mandy smiled. "I know. We'll talk after your tryouts are done and you've found your Quidditch team."

He nodded as they stepped into the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey saw him.

"Merlin's beard, Potter, it's still September, what did you do already?"

He grinned at her. "Bludger to the leg. I think that I might have fractured something."

Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes as he sat on the bed and she began to examine him. "Surprisingly no, but you did tear through a muscle." She handed him a vial of potion. "Drink that."

Harry drank it down, making a face at Mandy in disgust. "Can I go back to practice now?"

Madam Pomfrey glared at him. "No flying for forty-eight hours."

He pouted, but agreed, his leg already feeling slightly better from her potion as he made his way back down to the pitch with his girlfriend. He could see that Angelina was already getting the Keepers going and he watched as Ron paced nervously in front of the stands. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Hey mate!"

Ron grinned at him, looking a bit green. "You okay?"

"Golden," he said, eyes on Dean who was doing fairly decent. "You try out yet?"

Ron shook his head. "No. What was I thinking, Harry? I'm not good enough for this!"

"You're going to be great, Ron. I know it."

He smiled at Hermione when she came over to them. "I'm fine, I swear."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Mandy already told me what Madam Pomfrey said so don't even try to lie to me," she said sternly before turning to Ron. "Ron, I just wanted to say good luck out there. I know how much you want this."

His ears pinked a little and he nodded.

Harry made a face as he watched McLaggen head out to replace Dean. "That's the bloke Angelina was telling me about. I think that he looks like a ponce, but apparently he's really good."

Ron looked even more nervous so Harry pat his shoulder before he headed out to see Angelina and told her that he would be watching from the ground due to his injury. McLaggen was good. He blocked four out of five saves and then on the last one, he missed by a mile, turning in the complete wrong direction altogether and making Harry frown. It seemed rather out of character for him.

Ron went up next and saved all five earning a loud cheer from Harry and Hermione along with Fred and George who hurried over to high-five him.

Angelina grinned and pulled Harry aside. They agreed to narrow it down to Ron, Dean and McLaggen for Keeper and Ginny, a girl named Demelza Robbins, and a boy named David Gunderson for Chaser. They ordered another game and had Fred and George get back into position for Alicia, Katie, and Angelina to join the fray.

Harry took a seat on the bench, his leg propped up as he watched them fly into formation. They were all talented, now he just had to find the best pick.

But his eyes were on the bouncing red ponytail as she flew overhead and he forgot to watch the other players entirely.

His eyes were only on her.

 **Sirius nodded at Snape when he stepped into Number Twelve that afternoon.** Kreacher immediately made him a cup of tea as Zee came out of the living room and took a seat next to Sirius.

"Snape, I don't think that you've officially been introduced. This is my girlfriend Zee Zacarias, Zee, Severus Snape."

"Right, the git who likes to treat our son like crap," Zee said, crossing her legs.

Snape only sneered at her. "A beautiful woman like you should have better taste, but we all have our flaws." He turned back to Sirius, his sneer still in place. "You said that you had questions for me, Black? I don't know anything about the prison break outside of the fact that he's stationed the prisoners around a few safe houses to help rebuild their strength. Those who were not previously Death Eaters are also being talked into becoming his followers."

"Figured as much when the bodies started turning up," Sirius said under his breath. "No, I wanted to ask you about his snake."

Snape frowned. "Why?"

"It's like a familiar to him, right? Harry mentioned that she seemed to do whatever he asked of it. I know that he speaks Parseltongue, but Harry said that he seemed to be oddly attached to it."

Snape scratched his forehead. "He is. I imagine that it's because Nagini nursed him through his many possessions and ultimately it was her venom that helped keep him alive."

"You don't know anything else about the snake?"

"No," Snape said carefully. "I do know that Bella hinted something along the lines of some ritual that they did with the snake a few months before the Dark Lord was restored. The Dark Lord needed the help of her and Brax to perform it on the snake as it greatly weakened him in the child's body. I don't know what it was, but I assumed that it was something to do with the restoration potion."

Sirius nodded. "You're probably right. I just thought that him having a familiar seemed out of character for him, like he could actually care about something for once?"

Snape nodded, taking a drink of the tea Kreacher had brought him. "He does seem inordinately attached to her, but she did milk him for many months. It makes sense. Do you need me to try to find out more about the ritual performed on her?"

Zee shook her head. "No, you're right. It was most likely pertaining to the resurrection potion itself. Has Voldemort made any plans to move forward since the breakout?"

"No. Like I said, he's about building strength at the moment. But he does plan on making a move on the Ministry of Magic at some point," Snape said. "He's been in a rage since Potter escaped him, but the news that Dumbledore passed some secret initiative through the Wizengamot hasn't made him much happier. He's still furious about Potter's escape. He claims that one of us should have told him that Potter was an Animagus and he's convinced that someone helped Potter as Disapparating as an Animagus is a rare ability."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, tell me about it!"

Zee smiled. "My father told him that he could do it and they practiced doing wandless spells in his Animagus form, but to have actually succeeded in Apparating and all that way … we were surprised ourselves."

"How did he break through the wards at Hogwarts?"

Sirius shrugged. "We don't know for sure, but Dumbledore thinks that it was because he needed me, his family, and in times of great need - "

" - your magic answers," Snape finished quietly. "It's still very rare and very powerful for him to have done so. Very few people could have done it nor have done it." He was quiet for a moment. "Maybe there was more to that prophecy than we thought."

Sirius frowned. "What are you saying?"

"As I mentioned before, the Dark Lord has become very interested in the prophecy since Potter escaped his grasp again. He is determined to find out what sort of powers Potter has been foretold to have that could potentially rival his since it was said that he would have powers to defeat him."

"He's looking to find the source," Sirius said in surprise. "Now that's interesting. Does he know who gave the prophecy?"

"No," Snape said. "And since I didn't know at the time either, he thinks that I still don't."

Sirius nodded, his eyes darkening. He looked at Zee when she touched his arm. "No, I'm just thinking … he knows that Dumbledore knows the full prophecy, but who else?"

"The Guardian would know."

Sirius looked at his girlfriend, his eyebrow rising. "The Guardian?"

"Of the Oracle," Zee said.

Snape nodded, his eyes on Zee as he spoke. "But no one knows who that is. It's one of the biggest mysteries in the Department of Mysteries. The Guardian is kept hidden and a secret from everyone. Not even the Minister of Magic is privy to who they are."

"Exactly," Zee told him. "The Guardian is the only person who knows every single prophecy recorded and has complete access to them."

Sirius frowned. "How have I never heard of this before?"

Zee grinned at him. "I dated an Unspeakable once. He told me that he worked in the Department of Mysteries assisting the Guardian of the Oracle in the Hall of Prophecy, but being that he was an Unspeakable, he couldn't exactly tell me what that meant."

"A Hall of Prophecy?" Snape whispered, his eyes wide in interest. "I could bring that to the Dark Lord's attention … that could be useful."

Zee nodded. "We already know what the prophecy pertained so it hardly matters."

"How do you know that the prophecy in question is there?" Sirius asked.

Zee shrugged. "I don't know for certain, but from what Lenny was able to tell me I ascertained that the Guardian has the power to trace every single prophecy ever made. The Guardian then places it into an orb that is then held in the Hall of Prophecy to be kept as a record of the oracle. I assume that they are studied in some way to try to figure out what they could mean."

Sirius nodded. "You really dated a bloke named Lenny?"

Zee rolled her eyes at him. "Really? That's the part that you narrow in on?"

Snape stood up. "That's information that I can use. In the meantime, let Dumbledore know that the Dark Lord is interested in the prophecy. If this doesn't pan out, he may make a move on him since he knows that he has the knowledge of it, but I doubt it would be anytime soon. He knows how well protected Dumbledore is and I think Dumbledore is the only wizard who he has ever truly feared."

Sirius nodded and watched him leave and when the front door slammed behind him, he turned to Zee. "So Lenny, huh?"

Zee smiled at him. "Yes, Lenny. We went on a total of four dates as I found him incredibly boring. You would think that dating an Unspeakable would be exciting, but since they literally can tell you nothing, it makes conversation rather hard."

Sirius leaned in, sliding his hands up her thighs to rest on her hips. "And you only had conversations with him?"

Zee grinned as his lips brushed the side of her neck. "No, we also had sex."

"After four dates, you were such a slag."

She slapped him on the arm and he grinned against her mouth.

"My slag," he whispered, kissing her softly.

Zee wrapped her arms around his neck. "Call me a slag again and the only action you're going to ever get again is from your own hand."

He winced and nibbled at her lips. "You are right. You are my goddess and I apologize."

Zee grinned. "Good." She shifted sideways into his lap. "Now, if we can get over the jealousy - "

" - I'm hardly jealous of some prat named Lenny," Sirius scoffed.

Zee rolled her eyes at him. "Sure sounds like it."

"Well, who was all jealous last week over Em, Tia and Thea?"

Zee smiled. "Well, Lenny was just a shag, so why does it matter?"

Sirius made a growling sound as he realized that she had used his own logic against him. "I'm an idiot."

She grinned. "My idiot." When his eyes narrowed, she smiled and cupped his cheeks to kiss him softly. "Now, if we can both stop being needlessly jealous, I want to talk about this Hall of Prophecy. From what I understand, there is a Guardian who is essentially the Head of the Oracle division within the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry of Magic. I don't know for sure, this is only my guess, but I assume that the Guardian has some form of Seer abilities if is not a seer him or herself. Like the way the Ministry can track the magic use of underage witches and wizards, this Guardian can track prophecies using their diviner skills. I think that they can then take them from the Seer who gave the prophecy or from someone who overheard it, kind of like how we can remove memories into a Pensieve to be viewed later? But the Guardian takes the prophecy in question and places it into a special orb to keep it safe and they store it in the Hall of Prophecy."

"And you think that they study them there?"

She nodded. "Well, why else would they keep a record of them if one is not going to try to decipher what the prophecy could mean? I imagine most of them are kept as anonymous visions as well unless they knew for sure who the prophecies were made about."

Sirius looked pensive for a moment, his thumb gently stroking the elephant on her ribs beneath her shirt. "And you think that the prophecy about Harry is in there then?"

"I can't imagine why it wouldn't be. Like I said, Siri, this is my guess. No one knows how it works and those that do know are forbidden from talking about it. Unspeakables are extremely powerful mind witches and wizards with a skill level for Occlumency that is completely unprecedented. I heard just to get through the interview process you go through an intense mind attack. Who really knows what might be in there?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, who really knows," he murmured. But his mind was thinking now. "If Snape told Voldemort that a record of the prophecy in question was being held at the Ministry of Magic, that could be a way to get him there directly."

"Do you really think that he would go himself instead of sending one of his lackies?"

Sirius frowned. "Fuck, no."

Zee wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "One step at a time, Sirius. We're getting there."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, that ritual that Snape said that Bella and Brax helped Voldemort perform on the snake? We're both thinking that was the Horcrux, right?"

"It sure sounds like it. Something that weakened him? That he couldn't perform alone because he was in the body of a child? I think it definitely was and I think he did it as another precaution in case the potion didn't work. They are both obviously willing to help him in any way possible and helping him murder innocents to remove a piece of his soul hardly seems like a stretch for them."

Sirius nodded. "I agree, if they even knew what the ritual truly was. But it's nice to have it confirmed."

"Snape doesn't know what it is that they did."

"No, and it's probably for the best that he doesn't find out. The last thing we need is for Voldemort to get wind that we are hunting them down. We just have to hope that he doesn't make any more in the meantime."

Zee nodded, her eyes on his. "At least we finally know something. He wants to know about the prophecy."

"One step forward," he agreed.

Zee smiled at him. "By the way, he is a bit of a greasy-haired git, isn't he?"

Sirius grinned widely. "I fucking love you." He kissed her softly as she chuckled against his mouth and then he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Come on, let's go home and get some dinner. I have to get to Wales before the moon comes up. Harry is joining us tonight."

"Be safe," she said as he lifted her with him when he stood.

He sat her on the kitchen table and kissed her softly. "Always."

 **Harry stood under the spray of the shower in the Gryffindor locker room after the tryouts.** He had spent the remainder of practice with his eyes on Ginny, watching her in her incredible flying skills and the way that the sun had glinted off her fiery red hair and he was rock hard. He stood under the spray and his hand covered his cock as he imagined tasting that sweet sheen of perspiration off of her chest; covering his mouth with hers as his fingers danced along her hipbones, counting each freckle around her belly button; touching the ones on her back as he pulled her closer, as her lips met his and he came so quickly that he startled himself. He bit his lip hard as he tried not to groan as his hand lingered on the base of his shaft, trying to prolong his orgasm and when he caught his breath he leaned his forehead against the cold tile of the shower wall and cursed himself.

These thoughts were getting completely out of hand. He'd been hit with a Bludger today just because he couldn't concentrate on anything but her. Ginny was his friend, not his girlfriend, who was in fact waiting for him in the stands at this very moment for their anniversary date tonight. He had asked Dobby to help him prepare a romantic meal and bring it to the swimming pool room since he knew that it was her favourite. And here he was thinking about another woman. Wanking off to someone who wasn't his girlfriend.

He should be ashamed of himself.

Ginny wasn't for him and he needed to stop having these naughty thoughts about her. He washed up and headed into the change room in his towel to change. He had just finished spraying cologne on himself and brushing his hair before he grabbed his Quidditch bag just as Ginny stepped out of the women's showers dressed in black tights and a long sleeved off the shoulder dark green cotton shirt.

"Hi Harry," she said brightly grabbing her brush and attempting to detangle her long red hair. "I feel pretty confident about that tryout, do you think that I did okay?"

He nodded, stopping his fingers from reaching out to touch her hair by shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Oh yeah, you did great, Gin! You were definitely the best by far!"

She beamed at him. "Really?"

"Really!" Katie said, coming out of the showers behind Ginny. "Angelina and I were really impressed. Harry, we're choosing Ginny, right?"

"Definitely. No one better for the position."

Ginny whooped in delight, jumping in excitement. "YES!"

Harry grinned at her. "Welcome to the team, Gin. As for Keeper?"

"McGlaggen had better skills than Ron, Harry, but he missed three saves. It was like he forgot where he was or something. Ron was definitely better than Thomas so … two Weasleys?" Angelina said, hesitantly. "Merlin, we'll be outnumbered."

Harry laughed. "You get used to it. Ron and Ginny it is. Excellent!"

Ginny grinned wider and hugged Harry. "Thank you so much!"

He nodded, hardening again at her touch so he moved away quickly. "Yes, good. Well, um, I have to go see Mandy. Bye."

He hurried out of the locker room, trying not to think about her and when he spotted Mandy waving at him, he grinned as guilt swam through his stomach. Ginny isn't yours, he told himself letting out a slow breath.

Get over her, he mentally shouted, his eyes on Mandy.

He smiled at his girlfriend as he approached her in the stands. "Hey, did you watch until the end?"

"I did," she told him. "Did you decide?"

"Ginny and Ron," Harry said with a grin. "Angelina says that we'll be outnumbered by Weasleys, but we all agree that they were the best. Ginny was fantastic! I had no idea that she was so good as her brothers never let her play Quidditch with us when we play at the Burrow. I mean I always knew that she loved to fly, but she's great. She was brilliant out there and she meshed so well with Angelina and Katie, picking anyone else would just be dumb." He said, plopping down on the bench next to her.

Mandy smiled at him. "Yeah, she is." She slipped her hands into his and smiled at him. "Harry, I _really_ like you."

He grinned widely at her, linking his fingers through hers. "Well, that's good. I really like you too."

She smiled at that. "You're good looking and sweet and the nicest boyfriend that a girl could ask for. After our time in Corfu ... on the beach ..."

Harry's grin widened as he leaned in. "Watching you come for me was incredible and I know that it was only the one time, but it was … special."

Mandy blushed and stared down at their joined hands for a moment. "I could fall in love with you," she blurted out, her eyes moving back to his. "I can see myself falling." She let out a slow breath before she spoke. "Which is why I think that we have to break up."

Harry frowned. "Wait - what?"

"Harry, you're wonderful. Everything about you is just wonderful, but we can't be together any more."

"Why?" He asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "Where is this coming from? I thought that things were going great between us!"

Mandy chewed her lip before she spoke. "Because I am falling in love with you, Harry. You're an amazing bloke. And I won't let myself fall only to get my heart broken by someone who can't love me the way that I want him too."

"Mandy, what - what do you mean?"

She had a soft smile on her face, but her eyes were sad as her gaze met his. "Harry, you're in love with Ginny Weasley. Anyone can see it. At first I thought that it was just because you're such good friends. I tried to tell myself that it was the reason why you talked about her so much; why you seek her out so often and why you're eyes follow her when she enters or leaves a room. You talk about her all the time. It's her that you talk to about the big moments in your life, not me. I'm not who you need and I let myself pretend that I could be longer than I should have because I care about you, but I can't do it anymore."

"No, Mandy, Ginny and I, we're friends -"

"You are," she interrupted him, squeezing his hands in hers. "And you're in love with her. I think that it's time you stop fighting that and admit to it. Tell her how you feel. She deserves to know."

She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. "You were the perfect first boyfriend that a girl could ask for. I'm going to miss you and … give me a bit of time, but I think that I'd like to be friends, if you'll have me that is. Just not … yet. Good luck, Harry."

She let go of his hands and jumped to her feet, hurrying across the pitch.

"Mandy! Mandy, wait!" Harry called out after her, but she only turned back and smiled, shaking her head at him before she hurried off.

Harry sat there feeling completely bewildered by what had just happened.

The loud crack of Apparaition only had him looking up at his house elf.

"Mas-Harry Potter, sir, Dobby has prepared everything for your date."

The anniversary dinner he had planned, he thought, rubbing his hands over his cheeks. "Dobby, I'm sorry, but the dinner tonight has been cancelled. I know that you must have worked very hard on it and I'm sorry."

Dobby's ears deflated. "Mas-Harry Potter doesn't want my food?"

"No, Dobby, of course I wanted it, it's just … well my girlfriend broke up with me so I guess there won't be a date tonight after all."

Dobby nodded, his eyes sad. "I is sorry Harry Potter, sir."

"Thanks. Um, have a good night."

Dobby stared at him for a moment and then he reached out and pat Harry on the head as if offering comfort before he Disapparated and Harry buried his face in his hands. He _liked_ Mandy. He _cared_ about Mandy, he did, he thought desperately, but he couldn't help his mind from drifting to her words.

 _You're in love with Ginny Weasley._

Love, that seemed like an over exaggeration he thought. He fancied her, sure. He'd admitted to that. He loved her as well, always had, but _in_ love with her, that didn't seem quite right. He put a hand over his aching heart and saw her in the distance come out of the locker rooms. Her long red hair dancing in the wind.

He was in serious trouble.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _As to Ginny's Quidditch attire, I take my inspiration from blvnk's work - love that picture of Ginny in her Quidditch gear. So I thought let's make it the practice uniform for school, girls can choose the top to wear when practicing._

 _Thanks to Bex for helping with the idea concerning the Guardian._

 _PS - for Kmi, DeMandy is no more._


	192. Chapter 192

_Author's Note:_

 _Reviews: Thanks to Kmi for finally leaving me a review! Mandy did catch on and she's a smart girl and I think that she knew to get out when it was time. Now Harry needs to make his own choices and he needs to find out how Ginny feels. As for Theo and Ciara, I wanted him to show a softer side, to show that there is different kinds of prejudice even among students and to stand up for her. He gave her the same advice he needs to follow himself, but he'll get there. No one is forcing Harry and Ginny to be together, people are just trying to make Harry pull his head out of his arse and realize that he likes her as more than a friend and to figure out what he wants to do about it. Hinny will not be in this chapter as we don't want Ginny to think she's a rebound, do we? To ladyinwaiting2005, that would be an epic dream, but sadly no Bowie's Goblin King will make an appearance here lol. Blvnk's work is always incredible and I am always inspired after seeing it. As to the Guardian, it was an idea my beta tossed my way and I love it. I am still working out the kinks of it, but I imagine him as being somewhat akin to the wizard in the Wizard of Oz, a deep mystery that no one understands just knowing he is all powerful, but whether or not we will see behind the curtain has yet to be determined._

 _Thank you to Jen for pointing me in the right direction and for giving me the basis of the background I needed here. I am a huge history nerd as you already know, and I spent days working on this, researching historical facts with Harry Potter facts and mixing it all together because I am a huge nerd and thought it would be fascinating. You should see my spreadsheets and notes, photos and everything (I tend to go a little overboard) LOL. I hope you like it._

 _Thank you to Steel for giving me some guidance here._

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO:**

 **Hermione hooked her arm through Ginny's when they stepped into the Gryffindor common room after the Quidditch tryouts were done that evening.** "My room?"

Ginny nodded and followed her friend upstairs, lounging on her bed. "I'm so excited, Hermione! I've been dreaming about being a Chaser for so long!"

"You deserve it," Hermione told her honestly. "You were incredible out there. Harry made the right choice. You were clearly the best. I don't even know much about Quidditch and I could tell how good you were and that says something."

"Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that," Ginny said, still grinning widely. "Ron did a decent job, but he definitely wasn't the greatest. McLaggen was way better, but he kept getting confused. Honestly, the way that he was playing I thought that he'd been Confunded or something. His moves were just so splotchy and out of turn with how he had started off."

Hermione blushed. "What a strange thing to say!"

Ginny's eyes widened as she looked at her friend's blushing face. "Hermione! Did you use a Confundus Charm on him?"

"No! Of course not!" She exclaimed quickly.

But when she turned around, Ginny could see the back of her neck heating. "Liar. That's kind of genius. It was sweet of you to give Ron the little boost. I won't tell him."

"He really wanted it," Hermione said softly. "He was so nice to me this summer, Ginny. I just … I wanted to do something nice for him in return. Did you know that he called my parents to tell them about Viktor so that they would be ready for me?"

"I didn't, no," Ginny said with a smile. "He can be really sweet sometimes."

"He can," Hermione admitted. "I'm glad that you're both on the team."

Ginny rolled onto her stomach, putting her feet up behind her as she grinned at her friend. "Me too. Everything else okay with you? You've been a bit more reserved than usual since school started up."

Hermione shrugged as she stretched out on the bed next to her friend. "I miss him still. But not like I did and then I feel a bit guilty for it."

"You can't feel guilty, Hermione. He wouldn't want you to grieve forever. It's been almost three months."

She nodded, a soft smile on her lips. "He - he told that to Harry. Did - did Harry tell you that?"

Ginny shook her head, a puzzled look on her face. "No, he didn't say anything about that."

"When he … in Greece when they were doing the operation and he saw his parents, he saw Viktor and Cedric too. He told me that Viktor asked him to pass on a message to me that he loves me and that he wants me to become the incredible woman that he knows I will be and not to spend my life grieving for him."

Ginny put an arm around her. "He was an amazing bloke, Mione. You were lucky that you had so many wonderful months with him."

"He was," she said, wiping a tear from her eyes. "I was so in love with him. I don't know how I would have dealt with the long distance thing, with him being gone all the time and me being here at school … I like to think that we would have made it work, but thinking about it now … I honestly don't know."

Ginny nodded. "It definitely would have been hard, but if it was meant to be you would have done it."

Hermione's eyes met hers from beneath her lashes. "My mum said something similar to me. She said that if he had been the one for me, God wouldn't have taken him away so early, that I would find love again. I just … the thought of being in love with someone else, Ginny, it seems impossible. He was just so wonderful and so sweet and he made my body feels things that I can't explain. I … I was going to give him my virginity in Bulgaria."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. Actually?"

Hermione nodded. "I had been thinking about it more and more and after we told each other that we were in love, I knew it was something that I wanted. Now … I don't know if I'm disappointed or not. And then …"

"And then what?"

Hermione shook her head. "When I look at another bloke and I feel attraction of any kind, I feel guilty, like I'm betraying Viktor in some way."

Ginny smiled sympathetically. "You aren't. He would want you to move on, Hermione. Not right this minute, not until you're ready, but he would want you to move on. To find love and to be happy. When you are ready," she repeated.

Hermione nodded, smiling at her friend. "Thanks Ginny."

"Anytime," Ginny said with a grin. She bit her lip before sneaking a look at her friend. "Can I ask you a boy question, Hermione?"

"Of course," Hermione said, grinning at her. "I don't know how much help I will be, but please go on."

Ginny shrugged and snuck a glance at her friend from beneath her lashes. "What do you think of Dean?"

Hermione's eyebrow rose in surprise. "He's definitely been flirting with you."

"Oh, that I've noticed," Ginny said with a smirk. "Bloke is just full of zealous charm."

Hermione smiled. "He's not the only one who's had his eyes on you lately."

Ginny smiled back at her friend. "Yeah, boys have been weird this year. Blaise Zabini actually sniffed my hair!"

She laughed. "Okay, I didn't expect that. But I was actually talking about Harry."

The back of Ginny's neck flushed. "Harry doesn't like me like that, Hermione."

"Harry was too busy staring at _you_ today which is why he didn't dodge that Bludger _like he should have_."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest before she promptly closed it again.

"I know that you still like him," Hermione said carefully.

"Me liking Harry is relative … _he's Harry_."

"What does that mean, 'he's Harry?'" Hermione asked, her eyes on her friend.

Ginny stared down at Hermione's bedspread as she spoke. "He's Harry … he's one of the most important people in my life, Hermione. He's sweet and always there for me when I need him and … Merlin, he's so good looking and I try so hard to pretend that I don't notice, but he really does have the nicest bum and I could lose myself in those green eyes of his and when he hugs me … I want to run my fingers through his hair for the rest of my life and I'd be lying if I said I haven't had more than one dream about him doing lovely and naughty things to me … but … we're friends and he told me before that we would always be _just friends_. Him and Mandy have been together for seven months, Hermione. He's happy with her. He was probably only staring at me because he was watching how well I was doing as a Chaser and if I let myself think that … I have to stop thinking about him as anyone other than my friend."

Hermione smiled sympathetically at her friend. "I get it, Ginny. You don't want to get your hopes up, but were you not just telling me that the blokes are very flirty this year? And for the record, for being just your friend, Harry was acting like a pretty huge jealous arse when you were with Michael last year."

"Last - no," Ginny said. "We talked about that. He apologized for overreacting, but he said that he was worried because of the whole Tom thing and well, he did say that Michael was a git, which as it turned out, he was a huge git, but still … you've got it all wrong."

Hermione grinned. "Another thing, Mandy made a comment to me that Harry's eyes were on you for most of the game. She's not stupid, Ginny. Even she has noticed that he pays extra attention to you."

"There's no way, Hermione, I'm telling you. He only likes me as a friend because if it was …" she placed a hand over her trembling stomach as she thought about her friend's words, as she imagined the thought of Harry kissing her and she closed her eyes as the image was too perfect. "We're just friends."

Hermione smiled at her. "Okay, I just thought that you'd like to know my observations. So, now that you know them, how do you feel about Dean flirting with you?"

"Same way that I did the first time," Ginny said, smiling. "He's cute and his flirting is rather charming and it makes me feel special. But … I don't know if he's really _that_ interested in me either as despite his constant flirting, he still hasn't actually asked me out yet. We'll see what happens."

"Are you interested?"

Ginny wanted to say yes, absolutely. Dean was sweet and handsome and she liked that he was an artist, but her friend's words were echoing in her mind now and when she closed her eyes and imagined someone leaning in to kiss her, it wasn't Dean she saw, it was Harry. "I don't know," she admitted.

Hermione smiled slowly. "Because he's not Harry."

Ginny blushed and buried her face in her hands. "I can't let myself … no, Harry and I are just friends. It's all we'll ever be."

But when Hermione only gave her a shrug, her stomach trembled and the fact that she was starting to desperately hope that it could be more worried her. If he rejected her again, she didn't think that she could handle it.

She swallowed slowly and closed her eyes. "Tell me more about Dean, Hermione."

 **Harry sat out on the Quidditch pitch until the sun started to set, still wondering about Mandy's words.** He missed dinner completely, too lost in thought to contemplate heading into the Great Hall. He liked Mandy and he cared about her, he knew that, but at the same time, she was right. He wasn't falling in love with her and despite how much of a wonderful girl she was, he couldn't picture himself with her in the future. When he closed his eyes and pictured himself five years from now, he saw someone else and desire stirred in his gut at the thought of it.

He grabbed his bag and his broom as he made his way back into the castle and to Remus' suite. He let himself into the suite and dropped his stuff on the sofa before he stood there for a moment, still trying to come to grips with what he was feeling.

Mandy had dumped him.

Not only that, but he wasn't as sad about it as he thought he should be. In fact, he almost felt relieved.

And he didn't know how to come to terms with that.

He glanced up at the clock and saw that it was almost nine thirty so he shook his thoughts from his head and moved towards the fireplace to take him to Remus and Tonks' cottage. When he stepped out into their living room a moment later, Tonks was sprawled out across the sofa, a report open on her raised up knees and she grinned at him.

"Wotcher. How were tryouts?"

"Great. Ginny's Chaser and Ron's Keeper."

Tonks smiled at him. "We figured that your date must have run a bit late. Sirius and Remus are already downstairs and - " she said as a loud howl echoed through the cottage, " - someone has already transformed."

He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Okay, can you let me downstairs then?"

Tonks moved her reports to the coffee table, eyes on him for a moment. "Come sit with me first."

At his look, she rolled her eyes.

"Come sit!"

Harry sighed and took a seat next to her. "I'm supposed to be downstairs."

"And you will be, Mr Crankypants, but first, you will tell me who put that look on your face?"

"What look?"

"Like your best friend died."

He shrugged. "I'm fine."

Tonks leaned forward and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Tell me."

"There's nothing to tell," he insisted stubbornly, shoving her off of him.

Tonks only continued to stare at him, batting her lashes.

He blew his fringe out of his eyes. "Mandy broke up with me."

"Oh," Tonks said in surprise, moving to hug him and ignoring his protests. "No, accept my love!"

He snorted into her neck, but wrapped his arms around her. "I'm fine."

Tonks kissed his cheek and pulled away. "Breakups are tough."

Harry shrugged again. "I guess."

"Wasn't it the big anniversary dinner tonight?"

He nodded.

Tonks smiled sympathetically at him. "Did she say why?"

He blushed and stared at his hands. "Not really."

Tonks stared at him. "Is there someone else for her?"

"No. At least, I don't think so."

"So, what was her reason then? The last I saw she was pretty crazy about you." When he didn't answer, she grinned and leaned over to poke him in the ribs. "Tell me, or I'll keep annoying you."

Harry swatted her hands away as she poked him in the ribs, laughing when she didn't stop. "Okay, okay, you crazy woman!"

Tonks grinned and leaned back against the arm of the sofa. "So?"

Harry sighed and his hand went up to his hair as he spoke. "She - she said that she was falling in love with me and that … she had to break up with me before she did fall because she didn't want to get hurt."

"Were you falling in love with her, Harry?"

"I care about her, sure … she's … no, no, I wasn't."

Tonks smiled sympathetically at him. "And she knew that."

He nodded, his eyes meeting hers. "Yeah, I guess she did."

"Breakups happen. It definitely sucks, but it sounds like it was for the best. You are both sad to see it end, but she ended it before anyone really got hurt and that's what's important."

"I guess."

Tonks leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Zee should be here soon. We were going to drink wine and talk about girl stuff. Why don't you hang out here with me until she comes and we'll help you wallow a bit before you go downstairs?"

Harry shook his head and stood up. "Nah, I think that I just want to transform and … I want to be with Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony."

Tonks nodded as he transformed into his Animagus and she scratched him behind the ears. He was such a large dog now that she didn't even have to bend to do so. "Alright. But if you need to talk about anything, I'm always here."

Harry licked her hand affectionately before he headed to the door of the cellar. Tonks unlocked it and opened it up, letting him inside before she sealed it again. Harry heard her lock it behind him before he ran down the stairs, limping a bit as he remembered the Bludger to his leg. Madam Pomfrey probably hadn't wanted him to transform into his Animagus form either, but she _had_ only said no to flying, he thought.

Padfoot barked and tackled him and he barked back, wrestling with the dog in joy as the wolf growled. Harry whined as he moved his leg wrong and pain shot through his back leg. Padfoot immediately moved forward to nudge his leg, licking it in concern as the wolf moved to do the same, checking him carefully for marks. Harry barked that he was alright, moving slowly, but easily and they seemed to accept this. Harry moved to play with the wolf next, jumping and yipping around him, his loud bark echoing in the cellar. It was only a few moments before Tonks unlocked the door and Padfoot carefully led the wolf and the dog out of the cellar and out into the backyard.

Remus immediately made a beeline for the woods, howling loudly at the moon as Harry and Padfoot howled along with him. Harry tackled the wolf playfully and the wolf wrestled with him before licking the top of his head like he was a pup in need of a bath, despite his massive size. And as Harry ran into the woods, barking happily with Padfoot and the wolf chasing him, he thought that this was exactly what he had needed.

To run wild and free and to forget about all of his worries.

 **Tonks locked the door to the house once the wolf and dogs were outside and she crossed her arms in front of her chest.** She knew that Remus was a bit nervous about being let loose in the woods, but Sirius had assured him that he and Harry were both large enough animals to keep him under control and that the potion took the edge off and kept him calmer and more alert, but she knew that her husband was still nervous. She watched him lick the large Tamaskan as if he was still a puppy and she smiled. He was such a papa wolf and she loved him for it.

The sound of the fireplace made her jump and she hurried into the living room as Zee was dusting herself off.

"Hi, sorry I'm late," Zee said, holding out the bottle of rosé in her hand. "I needed to finish my report and get the plans formed for the new Aqua Protectors. When Sirius left to come here, I thought that I would be right behind him, but it took me longer than I planned. I have a group of magizoologists helping me form the unit and how to get more magical creatures involved."

"Sounds exciting."

Zee grinned widely. "I think it will be. I am trying to work with the Merpeople now and to convince them to shift their stance of neutrality and to join the force, but I don't know how successful I will be. They are very distrustful of the Ministry of Magic and considering their past with them, I can't blame them." She jumped at the sound of the howl and the barking and smiled. "Is Harry out there with them?"

Tonks nodded. "He is. He was a bit late himself. It seems that Mandy broke up with him tonight."

"Oh!" Zee said, her face sad. "The poor darling! It was their anniversary tonight, wasn't it? How is he holding up?"

"He said that he's fine," Tonks told her. "But we both know what his version of fine entails. Come into the kitchen and we'll open that wine."

Tonks led the way into the kitchen to get wine glasses and then opened the icebox with a smile.

"I sliced up some kielbasa with cheese and crackers for us to snack on and I have a bag of salted crisps."

"Sounds perfect," Zee said with a smile as she opened the bottle of rosé.

A few minutes later they were both sitting cross-legged on the couch in the living room drinking wine and snacking.

"So, how's married life been?"

Tonks grinned widely. "Perfect. I mean, nothing really changed, I suppose. We were already living together, but I like being able to call him my husband as much as my mate. He's the sweetest."

"How so?"

Tonks shrugged. "Like this morning, he brought me breakfast in bed and we ate and talked and then spent the whole morning making love. It was just … wonderful and lazy and wonderful. Then we just lied there and talked about the war and well, what's coming. He's nervous about Umbridge being at Hogwarts this year and I can't say that I blame him. She's such a bigot and I don't see how she will do anything good for that school. Not to mention that she very clearly doesn't like him though how much of that is hate compared to fear I'm not sure."

"Yeah, I agree with that. Sirius says that Amelia is a very bright woman and I happen to agree with her. Umbridge knows that she isn't high on the Minister's list either so that should come into play with how she acts. But Mary Raffigan was also assigned to Hogwarts and she's a bright woman. She's the historian that I spoke to about that necklace outline we found in Slytherin's study in the Chamber of Secrets a few years ago. She's very well informed on Hogwarts history and Hogwarts mythology and I think that having her at the school could be a huge asset."

Tonks nodded. "Well, hopefully she also manages to reign in Umbitch because if that woman harms one hair on Remus' head I will end her."

Zee snorted as she drank her wine. "Might be worth it to see that."

Tonks shrugged. "Maybe."

Zee smiled at her. "Did Harry say why Mandy broke up with him?"

"Not in so many words, but she told him that she was falling in love with him and needed to break away before she got hurt."

Zee nodded. "She's a bright young woman, I admired that about her. She knows her own heart and her own mind. I know that Harry cares for her, but his heart doesn't belong to her."

"No, no, it doesn't," Tonks said with a smile. "Do you think that he'll make a move on Ginny now?"

Zee shook her head. "I honestly don't know what goes through his head. He is more than just simply interested in her or fancies her and I think that Mandy realized that. They are friends and I understand that worry about ruining the friendship, but the way that she was there for him when he learned about the AH and the way that Sirius said he reached for her in his sleep when she was holding his hand … they have a connection that really can't be denied and it goes beyond a simple friendship whether he wants to admit to it or not."

"On that I agree," Tonks told her. "I think that he's on the verge of falling in love with her, teetering on that edge and doing everything he possibly can to stop himself from falling over."

"Did you see them dancing at your wedding? The way his eyes followed her around the dance floor. Our boy is quite smitten and I hope that he decides to act on it soon because Ginny's a beautiful young woman and she's smart and vivacious and brave and she's not going to be single for very long," Zee said, reaching for a cracker with cheese and kielbasa. "And to be honest, Harry isn't the jealous sort, but with Ginny he becomes very protective of her. He's lucky that she didn't hex him when she was with Michael Corner because he definitely deserved it."

Tonks chuckled. "Wish that I could say the same, I'm totally prone to jealousy. Did I ever tell you about the time Rem and I ran into an ex-flame of his in the Ministry? God, I took one look at her flirting with him and the first thing I did was put my arm around his waist and shove my hand into his front pocket. It was like I had this need to claim him."

"That's the mating aspect of you and him though. Wolves mate for life and as you said, Remus had done his part, but he had never given you the opportunity to do yours so it was like part of it was still open. Remus had no interest in anyone else, but you still saw him as potentially desirable to others and needed to stake your claim to him. You are his other half in every way."

Tonks grinned widely as she drank her wine. "He is definitely all mine and I plan to spend my day tomorrow worshipping his body. He's always ridiculously horny after the moon and I love showing him how sexy he is."

Zee smiled. "It's a wonderful kind of power, isn't it? To hold our men under our thrall? I love pleasuring Sirius. I love sex in general and sex with him is always amazing, but I love just pleasing him. Fuck, I don't care if it makes me sound like a scarlet woman or whatever, but I absolutely love giving him head. It turns me on so much to watch him come undone like that. I love everything about it and I definitely try to go down on him as often as possible."

Tonks blushed. "Remus is the only man that I've ever done that too and I like it. He's just … big, and I can't take all of him, you know?"

Zee grinned. "So you keep teasing."

Tonks bit her bottom lip and grinned. "I like being with him that way, every way, and well, it is kind of sexy to give him pleasure."

Zee grinned. "It really is. Plus it helps when your man isn't selfish. Sirius is not a selfish lover and I love that about him. I mean he definitely goes above and beyond in that category."

"Remus too," Tonks said, biting her bottom lip. "Definitely. He is always pleasuring me and I feel so wanton sometimes it's ridiculous, but Merlin, he's the best."

Zee chuckled. "Great sex definitely adds that little extra to a good relationship that's for sure."

"Speaking of good relationships, Remus and I were talking about it a few days ago, the fact that you've been together longer than us and yet the topic of marriage has never come up. Have you and Sirius talked about marriage yet?"

"Well, officially we've been together a little less than you. That first year I travelled so much we really just shagged each other's brains out at every opportunity, sometimes going over a month without seeing each other. But yeah, we've talked about it. I love him, Tonks. He's the most amazing man that I have ever known and he just amazes me every day with his love and devotion to Harry and to his friends. He's intelligent and brave and has a short temper, but deep down he's like a child who still craves love that he's not sure he deserves. That part of him just makes me want to love him even more," Zee admitted with a smile. "And Harry, watching him grow up and … he is my son in everything but blood and I would lay down my life for that boy in a heartbeat. They're my family."

Tonks smiled. "I know that Harry feels the same about you."

Zee grinned. "He talks to me and trusts me and I know that he's getting to that age where he might not come to Sirius and I or to you and Remus for those same things anymore and that hurts me a little. But I love him and I will be part of his life no matter what. Sirius and I spoke about marriage and I think maybe it's something that I might consider in the near future. I like where I am with him and to be honest, I don't know if I want to surrender myself to be Zahira Black. But, I am putting my cottage up for sale this week."

Tonks' eyes widened in surprise. "I thought that you were going to keep it?"

"I was, but it's just sitting there unused and there's no point in it. My parents and grandparents stayed there when they were down, but I haven't spent a single night there since Sirius and I moved the last of my things into Black Cottage. I think part of me kept it because it was my first home, the first thing that I owned myself, but another part of me was keeping it because of that fear, you know the one that tells you that you're jumping all in too fast. That fear dissolved the moment I moved in with Sirius and Harry. I knew that I had made the right choice. I was home. It's stupid for me to keep it."

Tonks grinned. "I'm happy for you. What did Sirius say about marriage?"

"Believe it or not, he might be a bit more ready for it than I am, but neither of us are quite there, not yet. How did he put it … that we're both quite happy living in sin, but we're open to discuss making it more legal when the time is right."

"What about kids?"

Zee smiled. "I don't know. They were never something that I ever admittedly decided I wanted and Harry is ours. Maybe one day, but Harry is enough for me right now. Have you thought about kids?"

Tonks shrugged and scratched the buzzed hair at the base of her neck. "Sure. I know Remus is worried about how his lycanthropy will affect his children even though it's extremely rare for it to be passed down unless both parents are wolves, but we haven't talked about it. Maybe in a few years when the war is over we can discuss it again. I take the potion the first of every month and I never miss a dose. I'm very good with it and it's fairly effective."

Zee chuckled. "Very effective. I take it too and that one percent chance of a baby upon us is scary enough, but I think it works well."

Tonks grinned. "Merlin, listen to us marriage and babies, we need to talk about more important things."

"Like how Harry is in love with Ginny?" Zee asked.

Tonks smirked. "Obviously. Now, Zee, would it be completely tactless of us to make a bet on how long it takes him to make a move?"

Zee's mouth opened in surprise. "Completely. It would be invasive and heartless. It's absolutely none of our business."

Tonks nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

"But, I say by Yule he's going to cave."

Tonks grinned. "All Hallows Eve."

"What are we betting?"

"Ten Galleons?"

Zee smirked. "Deal."

They clinked wine glasses, eyes twinkling in laughter. It was going to be an interesting couple of months, Tonks thought.

 **Tonks and Zee were both waiting for their men in the backyard when the sun rose the next morning.** Zee watched them come out of the woods, wincing slightly at the painful expression on Remus' face as he shifted back. Sirius and Harry changed back into themselves once Remus had finished shifting. They both reached down to help him to his feet and she bit her lip, as she caught a glance between Remus' legs and turned to Tonks.

"You weren't lying."

Tonks smirked at her as she watched her man walk naked towards them. "Told you."

Tonks hurried out with a pair of pants for him. Remus kissed her softly, accepting the pants and pulling them up quickly. Sirius was saying something to Remus, but Zee's eyes were on Harry. He moved past his fathers and towards the house, nodding at her before he made his way into the kitchen.

Zee watched him go inside and frowned. She snuck a look back at Sirius, Remus and Tonks who were talking by the woods and then followed her son into the cottage. He was definitely not fine and she was determined to find out what was going on with him.

Harry was standing in the doorway, a surprised look on his face when he saw the full breakfast laid out on the kitchen table. Zee had cooked a plate full of scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, sausages, shredded hash-browns mixed with onions and cheese, blueberry pancakes with strawberries and maple syrup and had poured them all tall glasses of orange juice. He had planned on coming inside to make breakfast and hadn't expected it to all be done already.

He jolted slightly when Zee slid her arm through his and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Didn't want my boys to go hungry this morning. Sit and eat."

"Thanks, Zee," he said, the sight of the food making him feel a little overwhelmed.

He took a seat at the table and Zee leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Tonks told me about Mandy. You doing okay, sweetie?"

He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She stared at him for a moment, sneaking a glance out the kitchen window to where Remus, Sirius, and Tonks were still talking. "It's okay to be sad, Harry. You are supposed to be sad when a relationship ends, especially when it was a good one. And I know that you liked Mandy, but … ending a relationship is still like a death. You mourn the loss, have conflicting emotions, but oftentimes there's a sense of relief when it's over. We've all experienced it, but no one wants to admit it."

He nodded again. "I'm … I'm not as sad as I should be."

Zee smiled at him, moving to sit in the chair next to him. "And Ginny?"

Harry's eyes met hers. "Mandy said that … she said that I'm in love with her."

"With Mandy?"

"No … with Ginny," he said, his eyes on hers. "I …"

Zee's dark eyes met his in question. "Are you?"

"She's my friend and she … she wouldn't be interested in me like that."

Zee smiled sympathetically. "Well, before she was dating Michael and you were with Mandy and now you are both free. I think that you should think about it, sweetie."

"But she's my friend."

"She is," Zee said with a smile. "She will always be your friend and you will always have her in your life, but, I think that we both know that you want her to be something more than just your friend and Harry, this isn't a feeling that's going away. It's been many months now. Do you still only see her as a friend?"

He reached down to rub his sore leg remembering how the Bludger had hit him because he had been too busy watching Ginny to pay attention and he shook his leg. "I want more."

Zee smiled widely. "Well, that's an excellent start. I'm not here to tell you to ask Ginny out or not to, I just want you to think about what it is you do want. You need to figure out what you really feel, Harry, whether you fancy Ginny or not, if she's really your friend, she deserves to know what's going on with you. Think about that." She looked up when the back door opened and she smiled. "Good, breakfast time, come sit!"

"Zee, you didn't have to do his," Remus said in surprise, moving to sit down.

"How do you know that it wasn't me?" Tonks asked, pouting.

Remus tugged his wife down into his lap and kissed her softly. "Because I love and adore you for many, many reasons, Nymphadora, and one of them is how utterly hopeless you are in the kitchen."

Tonks grinned at him. "You're lucky you're so cute."

Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder before he took a seat in the chair on the other side of his son. "So, why were you limping last night?"

Harry smirked. "Caught that, huh?"

"Yes, I bloody well caught it. I thought I had hurt you with that tackle."

Harry shook his head. "Nah, it wasn't you. I got hit with a Bludger in the leg from practice."

"A Bludger? Not moving fast enough?" Remus asked, taking a piece of bacon.

Harry shrugged. "Watching the Chasers."

"Oooh right, tryouts," Sirius said with a grin. "How did Ron do?"

"Great actually. I mean, he was nervous that much was obvious, but he did the best out of everyone. He saved every goal so we made him the new Keeper."

"How about the Chaser? Any luck?" Sirius asked as he began to fill his plate.

Harry covered his blueberry pancake in maple syrup before he dropped strawberry slices on top suddenly realizing how hungry he was after missing dinner the night before. "Yeah, we did, um, Ginny."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Ginny?"

"She was amazing. I mean, her brothers never let her play with them, but I always knew that she was a talented flier, but she's an amazing Chaser. Angelina and Katie were just raving about her and frankly, there was no competition. So the three of us will now be outnumbered by Weasleys."

Remus chuckled. "Talented family. So you feel good about your team?"

He nodded. "Definitely. I think that it's going to be great."

Sirius nodded, taking a bite of scrambled eggs as he eyed his son. "And?"

Harry shrugged. "And what?"

"What else is going on with you?" Sirius asked, his eyes on Harry.

Harry shrugged again and leaned over his plate to eat. He hated when Sirius looked at him like that; it was like his father knew he was hiding something and at the moment, he most definitely did not want to talk about it. "Nothing."

"It's not nothing," Sirius said, tapping his fingers on the table. "Did something else happen?"

"I'm fine," he insisted, suddenly feeling rather annoyed. He understood that they were worried about him, but he was tired of talking about Mandy and his feelings for Ginny that weren't going away. He was tired of everyone telling him what he should do. They were his feelings and he would choose what to do or what not to do with them when he was ready to. "I don't have to tell you everything."

"No, you don't," Sirius said slowly. "But if you continue with that attitude, you will not be joining Moony and I on the next full moon."

"I don't have an attitude!" Harry said sharply, glaring at his father. "Just because I don't want to tell you everything doesn't mean that I have an attitude!"

Zee raised an eyebrow. "I beg to differ. Sirius doesn't deserve that tone, Harry."

He glared at her. "I don't always need to sit here and talk about my feelings either. Whatever, I'll eat at school."

He stood up sharply and Tonks grabbed his arm.

"Mandy broke up with him last night before he came over and he said that he was fine, but he's acting like a sullen little brat, so maybe he's not entirely fine."

"So what if she broke up with me? It's not the end of the world!" He exploded angrily, glaring at Tonks. "And when I tell you something, you can't go blabbing it to them!"

"Harry," Sirius said quietly. "It's okay to be hurt."

"I'm not bloody hurt!" Harry exclaimed, turning to glare at the table. "She broke up with me and - whatever, I'm over it! I'm going back to school!"

He stormed into the living room and grabbed a handful of Floo powder just as Remus grabbed his arm, yanking him back.

"We are only looking out for you, Harry. We love you and we want to make sure that you're okay. That's all. If you don't want to talk to us about what happened with Mandy, we aren't going to make you. But if you are going to give us attitude over us asking about your life, we can make said life very difficult for you. You treat us with the same respect that we treat you."

Guilt swam through Harry and he nodded. "Right, sorry. I guess I'm just tired."

Remus nodded. "Tired is acceptable. Now get your butt back in that kitchen chair and eat breakfast with your family. I won't say it again."

Harry hesitated only a moment and Remus' eyes darkened before Harry carefully put the Floo powder back into the canister and made his way back into the kitchen. He took a seat at the table as Sirius stared at him.

"Something that you'd like to say, Harry?"

"I'm sorry," he said, the tips of his ears reddening. "Tonks, I didn't mean … I know you would never betray a confidence if I asked."

She smiled at him. "Forgiven, but you're still a prat."

He half grinned at that as Sirius stared at him. "So, apology accepted on all fronts, now what happened between you and Mandy?"

"You just said that I didn't have to tell you!" Harry protested, feeling angry again for no real reason.

Zee smiled sympathetically at him. "It's fine, Harry, we don't have to talk about Mandy if you don't want to."

Harry stared back down at his plate and ignored them. He couldn't shake the feeling of annoyance. He was mad that Mandy broke up with him and he was mad that everyone thought that he was in love with Ginny. How he felt about Ginny was his business and no one else's and everyone needed to just butt out of his thoughts. When he was ready to tell her, he would, but he didn't need everyone pressuring him about it either.

"Do you have lots of homework to do today?" Sirius asked, cutting through his angry thoughts.

He shrugged, stabbing his eggs a little more violently than necessary. "A bit."

"There's something that I want to talk to you about if you can spare some time."

Harry merely raised an eyebrow, finally lifting his head to meet Sirius' eyes. "About?"

"Nothing serious, pun intended."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Why do I put up with you?"

Remus chuckled as he finished up his own breakfast. "Well, I'll let you two talk. I need to get some sleep."

Tonks stood up with him. "Shower first, you'll feel better."

He smiled at her and kissed her softly. "Yes, dear."

Tonks swatted his arm playfully as Remus bid them goodnight and made his way to the bathroom. They finished up their breakfast and cleaned up before they headed back to Black Cottage. Zee left them alone, whistling for Lady Godiva and said that she was going for a walk so that they could talk. Harry only stared at his godfather in question when he was brought into the sunroom.

He noticed that Sirius had gotten rid of the two desks he had used when Remus had taught him and it now had four comfortable armchairs surrounding a wooden coffee table. The space near the windows had flowered plants. The long table that Remus had used as a desk was pushed up against the wall of the house and Sirius moved over to it.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing to worry about," Sirius said with a smile, picking up the folders there and moving to sit in an armchair. He placed the folders on the coffee table and urged Harry to sit with him. "It's just that I got some mail from the bank the other day and it reminded me that you are getting to that age where we need to start talking about the Potter Estate and your future responsibilities as Lord Potter."

Harry raised an eyebrow at him as he settled himself in the armchair across from his father. "The Potter Estate?"

Sirius nodded, the early morning sunlight illuminating the room in a warm glow. "Harry, you are old enough now that you should be aware of what you will be coming into in two years time when you turn seventeen. You parents and grandparents obviously left everything to you and I have touched very little of it. I dipped into it to pay Remus to be your teacher and that's really it. I used the Black money for everything else and the rest has been what you've withdrawn yourself over the last few years."

Harry stared at him. "Okay. So they left me a ton of money?"

"Money, properties, investments and the noble name of Potter of Somerset. Your dad had just stepped into his role as Lord Potter just before you were born. He had refused to take the title while his father was still alive, but when Monty died of Dragon Pox, well … Jamie became Lord Potter."

"Like the way that you are Lord Black?"

"Exactly like that," Sirius told him. "The Potters are a very old wizarding family, Harry, and as you know, the Potter are even connected to the Peverells and the story of the Three Brothers, making them an even older family than we had originally thought. The Potters have always been known for being extraordinarily brave and well known Potioneers. They were always very good at managing money and making investments over the years. They are an old, noble, and wealthy pureblood family."

Harry frowned at that. "Er, what does that have to do with me exactly?"

Sirius sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he crossed his legs at the ankles. "Ten years ago, Harry, after I brought you home, I found out that my mother had died while I was in prison and that even though I had been written out of her will and blasted off of the family tree, I had somehow become the sole beneficiary of the Black Family Estate. It was nothing that I wanted. I had run from that life faster than I can possibly explain. I told you what my childhood was like and how much I didn't want to be part of a family that supported such darkness. But until the moment that my mother kicked me out, I was the eldest son and I was groomed to be as such. I was to be Lord Black, the future Viscount of Falmouth."

He scratched his chin as he spoke. "So, let me give you a brief backstory of the Black family history. In the ninth century, my ancestor was a Viking king named Haifdan the Black. He was called as such for his black hair and black nature. He was said to have singlehandedly defeated and killed the previous ruler and through slaughter and death, became the first king to rule a unified Norway. He is a legend who ruled over the Muggles and the witches and wizards alike. One of his slaves was a witch from England who he forced to wed him and it's said that he forced her to have his children. She gave him three sons who eventually sailed to England to see their mother's homeland and one of them settled here. Their eldest son, Elof the Black married a powerful witch, who had ties to the Muggle King Alfred the Great and helped secure Elof with political power. Over the years, the family name became Black and my ancestors weaved themselves into Muggle politics and power, taking what they wanted from whomever they wanted. This went on for many years and the power they wielded over the Muggles was then also slowly shown in the wizarding world as my ancestor Orion Black led the Wizards' Council into forming the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1692. Soon after the signing of this, Orion had an affair with a witch named Catherine Fitzroy, the Viscountess of Falmouth."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "So how did your family get her title?"

Sirius snorted. "Being sneaky and conniving, obviously. Orion had an affair with her as I said and her husband, the Viscount, had also been given the title the Duke of Northumberland as a gift from his father, King Charles II twenty years prior in 1674. He was illegitimate at the time and the king bestowed this honour on him as a gift. Fitzroy, that's George Fitzroy, was a Muggle and upon discovering his wife's affair, he also learned that she was a witch. He attempted to pay Orion off. Orion blackmailed him and Fitzroy soon owed thousands of pounds to the Black Family. In the end, he passed them the title of Viscount of Falmouth and signed over all of the deeds and properties to Orion Black."

Harry stared at him. "So your family earned the title through blackmail?"

"Blacks blackmailing, ironic, isn't it?" Sirius said. "Anyway, the head of the Black family became the new Viscount of Falmouth and henceforth known as Lord Black; and when the Wizard's Council helped form the Ministry of Magic in 1707, Lord Orion Black, Viscount of Falmouth, became one of the first members to sit in the House of Lords and Ladies within the new Wizengamot Assembly."

Harry nodded, leaning back against the desk in the sunroom. "That's kind of interesting actually. I guess that means politics is in your blood."

Sirius grimaced a bit at that. "And bloodshed and blackmail and womanizing so that's not very reassuring. Anyway, in the 1930s, a document came to light called the _Sacred Twenty-Eight_ , where twenty-eight families were listed as still being pureblood in the twentieth century and considered to be above all of the other families in the wizarding world because of their pureblood status and wealth. They started to look at other witches and wizards with disdain. It wasn't a new concept, but it was a growing problem that seemed to be going through the magical world and the Muggle worlds alike, raising certain types of people up on a pedestal while others were shunned for things they couldn't control like blood status. The Blacks were high on that list, but the Potters were a pureblood family and they had been for centuries. They were wealthy and in every way fit the bill to be on this list, but your great-grandfather, Lord Henry Potter, spoke up in the Wizengamot about the Great War that was erupting all over Europe. He watched the domino effect as country after country toppled into war and he asked Minister Evermonde to aid the Muggles in this great struggle. Potter was deemed Pro-Muggle, a blood traitor and considered a disgrace to the pureblood name of wizards for wanting to meddle in Muggle affairs. His words were met upon deaf ears and the Potters were soon being called blood traitors and hypocrites. Henry wasn't the first Potter to want to help out in Muggle affairs and it was brought up time and time again the fact that the Potters were stalwart do-gooders and too Pro-Muggle to ever be part of the _Sacred Twenty-Eight._ "

Harry frowned at that. "Just because they wanted to help?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes. The magical world has prided themselves on keeping our world a secret from the Muggles, Harry. It was mostly for our own safety, that's true, for as you know, the Muggles often persecuted those who were different, those who might have had an inkling of real magic. Very few witches and wizards were ever actually executed by the Muggles and most of them were in fact just ordinary Muggles and a few Squibs, but the growing fear and tension has always been there. As Muggle technology grows, this fear has become more rampant in the twentieth century especially after we've seen the devastation and chaos that Muggles bestowed upon each other in their two great world wars. It was part of Grindelwald's speeches many years ago and was what turned a lot of people anti-Muggle and towards Grindelwald and his ideas in the first place."

Harry leaned forward in his chair, his eyes on Sirius. "Grindelwald's anti-Muggle regime was defeated though."

"Yes, by Dumbledore ultimately defeating him in a duel in 1945. Before Muggle technology grew, witches and wizards lived alongside of Muggles, in their societies. We were even held in high esteem by them. We worked as Healers and Shamans and miracle workers. Muggles came to us for help and to fix small problems. Then as the world grew and empires were formed, it was often witches and wizards who controlled lands. We were the lords who protected our serfdom from anything from bad crops to invasions from outside forces. We worked in tandem with Muggle governments and found roles to play with the Muggle Monarchs and with those roles, we were given noble titles and aristocratic nobility that we carried into our own world."

"I remember," Harry said, staring at Sirius. "Uncle Rem said that it's one of the reasons why the magical world focuses so much on learning Latin and Ancient Greek because it was part of the old curriculum and helps connect to the old world as much as to the new."

Sirius nodded. "Yes, exactly. So, as I was saying, the Potter family has always been kind and generous and willing to help those in need. In fact, your ancestor, Simon Potter was given the title Marquess of Somerset by King Edward III in 1348 for his potion skills. The Potters had been known throughout England for almost two hundred years to have created medicinal potions that healed the sick and helped the wounded. Simon Potter supplied King Edward III and his wife with many potions and when he helped the king's wife Philippa birth thirteen children successfully, he was considered to be a mage. The King and Queen granted him the honourable title of Marquess of Somerset and made him part of their royal court, creating the title of Marquess for him. Somerset was chosen because Potter House was situated in Somerset. Simon Potter, Marquess of Somerset, was an infamous name in the Royal Court and he passed on information to the Wizard's Council about the British Monarch and what was happening in the Muggle world. The Potters soon played legendary roles throughout our political history as it was often their influence that helped the magical world deal with the Hundred Years War, the Wars of the Roses, the Protestant Reformation, the Gunpowder Plot, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, and ultimately the moment that the Kingdom of Great Britain comes into being in 1707 which urged the Wizard's Council to form their own magical government under the title, the Ministry of Magic that same year."

Sirius tapped his fingers on the arms of the chair as he spoke. "The Potters weren't the only ones to move within the Muggle world as you saw, three hundred years later, after the Potters were granted the title of Marquess, the Blacks blackmailed the Duke of Northumberland into passing on his second title, the Viscount of Falmouth. The Malfoys have been the Earls of Wiltshire since about the same time; Neville will inherit his grandfather's title as the Earl of Cumbria; and so on. Thaddeus Nott is the only other Marquess left in British wizarding society, being the Marquess of Norfolk, which will ultimately pass to Theo when he reaches majority. The old pureblood wizarding families, most of us have royal titles that we continue to honour to this day."

Sirius reached for the folder on the coffee table between him and Harry and opened it. The page on the front was an emblem of a family crest and the name Potter stamped beneath it.

"This is the Potter family crest. As I said, the title of Marquess of Somerset was given to Simon Potter in I believe 1348, but it will be in here for sure. This is a detailed history and timeline of your family lineage, Harry, with a list of their accomplishments and noted lives along with a family tree. Monty and Jamie put it together back when we were in fifth year as part of a project they worked on together. As you can see, the eldest granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell, Iolanthe Peverell married Hardwin, son of Linfred of Stinchcombe, known to be 'The Potterer.' Linfred is the earliest known ancestor of the Potter family," Sirius said with a smile. "He was known as 'The Potterer' which is where your surname originated from much like mine did from Haifdan the Black. Simon Potter was the great-grandson of Hardwin and Iolanthe."

He reached behind the folder for the large book. "This is _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy._ My grandfather made me memorize this book when I was a kid. It was important that I knew the name of every wizarding family in Britain and their background so that I could know instantly upon meeting someone whether they were someone who was worth spending my time with. I had to be friends with the right sort of people after all. There's information in here about every magical family of Britain from the last eight hundred years."

Harry nodded, his eyes on the family crest. "This is all very interesting, Uncle Siri, but, why do I have to know it?"

Sirius smiled at him. "It's important to know where you came from and I just thought that it would be interesting for you to know where your history all came from. You are Lord Harry James Potter, Marquess of Somerset and although officially you will not come into the political title of Marquess until you turn seventeen, it still belongs to you and technically you are Lord Potter and have been since your parents died as James was the last remaining Lord Potter. But you can see how the connections of the Potters can be seen throughout the centuries if you look at your family tree. It was through Hardwin wedding Iolanthe that the Potters were also brought into contact with the Gaunt family, who were distantly related to Salazar Slytherin himself."

"So I'm related to Voldemort?" Harry asked, his eyes widening.

Sirius shook his head. "Very, very, very distantly, Harry. We're all distantly related in some way or the other. See, it was Fleamont's younger brother Charlus Potter who married into the Black family by marrying my great-aunt Dorea Black which makes us cousins of a sort. Charlus and Dorea both died during the first war along with their son William for opposing Voldemort. Fleamont and Euphemia only had James and when they died of Dragon Pox, he was the only Potter left until you. My aunt Lucretia married into the Prewett family which distantly connects me to Mrs Weasley. My grandmother was Melania Macmillan connecting me to another old pureblood family from the _Sacred Twenty-Eight_."

"So what exactly is the _Sacred Twenty-Eight_?" Harry asked. "Just a list of families?"

Sirius nodded. "For the most part. It's a list of twenty-eight families who were still truly pure of magical blood by the 1930s, meaning that no one with those family names had been tainted by Muggle blood according to the author. It's believed to have been written by the Marquess of Norfolk, who at the time was Lord Cantankerus Nott, Theo's grandfather, but we don't know for sure as the author published it anonymously." He opened the folder and flipped the pages to the list on the tenth page. "As you can see, Potter isn't on here because Nott considered Lord Henry Potter a failure to the pureblood name and a blood traitor so he didn't include the Potters along with a few other families who he considered disgraceful in terms of blood purity. As you know, the Weasleys have also become known as blood traitors, but at the time, Nott still listed them among the pureblood elite along with Abbott, Avery, Black, Bulstrode, Burke, Carrow, Crouch, Fawley, Flint, Gaunt, Greengrass, Lestrange, Longbottom, Macmillan, Malfoy, Nott, Ollivander, Parkinson, Prewett, Rosier, Rowle, Selwyn, Shacklebolt, Shafiq, Slughorn, Travers and Yaxley. These are considered the twenty-eight family names of the so called noble pureblood elite of the British Wizarding World. What do you notice about those names, Harry?"

"Most of them are Death Eaters," Harry said, his eyes meeting Sirius' gaze.

"Exactly," Sirius said. "Blood status has become a mantra once again and Voldemort is leading the charge. He appealed to those elite pureblood families in the First War and he still is, talking about making the magical world a society where only the pureblood will reign supreme and superior to those who are not on this list. The world is changing and I am proud to say that I am helping the world along in that change, but there are still those who are stuck in the past, those who cannot see past blood and unfortunately they are often the type of people who Voldemort will win over to his side."

Harry nodded, his eyes on the list. "Not all of them are supporters though."

"No, not all of them," Sirius said with a smile. "I know it's a lot of information and like I said, it's just for your knowledge. You should know about the Potters and what they achieved and where you come from, Harry. I have your key to the Potter vaults and there is more in there than just money. There are deeds to properties, jewellery, tapestries, art and sculptures, much like we found in the Black vault, but with no dangerous elements. Just good stuff."

Harry smiled. "I thought that I had my own key?"

"You have the key to your own personal vault, the one that your mum and dad set up for you when you were born, but the key to the Potter vaults I have kept in my possession until I deemed it was time to give it to you or for you to inherit it on your seventeenth birthday."

"Vaults as in more than one?"

Sirius nodded. "As in more than one, yes. The Potter House in Godric's Hollow was where your mum and dad decided to move, but Fee and Monty lived at Potter Manor at Clevedon Court in Somerset, which has been the Potter home for centuries ever since they inherited it from Simon Potter's wife, Matilda de Clevedon. Her father Sir John de Clevedon, built and designed the original manor himself, but a lot of it has changed over the centuries. They kept the name Clevedon Court to honour Matilda's father's genius architectural work and it's always been known as such despite it being the Potter home for centuries."

Harry swallowed slowly. "Is it … is it still there?"

"Yeah, it is. Jamie offered it to me after your grandparents died. He and Lily didn't want it, the grief was still so fresh and new that they didn't want to live there. I felt the same. The thought of walking those halls without your grandparents wasn't something that I wanted for myself. James and Lily closed it up and sealed the house up after they died. There are other property holdings and investments in lands and companies around the world including a few apothecaries and Muggle pharmaceuticals along with the _Sleekeazy's Hair Potion_. Monty's invention there really took off and he sold the company for an astronomical amount of money in the early 1960s after he retired and quadrupled the family's already large wealth. The Potter name still owns fifteen percent of the profits and those earnings are put into your account every month."

"What am I supposed to do with it all?" Harry asked him, his eyes wide.

"Anything that you'd like," Sirius told him with a smile. "You can leave it there to collect interest. You can invest it; which a good portion of it has already been invested and is in fact earning you more money as we speak. It's yours, Harry. As to the title of the Marquess of Somerset, it is a noble aristocratic title mostly just in name nowadays. As Lord Potter you are entitled to a seat in the Wizengamot when you turn seventeen, though it usually recommended you wait until nineteen to claim it. You don't have to claim it if you don't want to, but unless you decide to formally pass the seat to your child, the Potter seat will be forfeited within the House of Lords and Ladies and auctioned off to someone else. I suggest that you take it. At the moment it is used by a seat-warmer, meaning a member from the Minister's office sits in the Potter seat until it is claimed or forfeited. You don't have to attend every meeting of the assembly once you claim your seat, but you must serve at least six months out of the year which is roughly fifteen sessions. James only attended three assembly meetings himself after taking his seat as once you were born, he took precedence in you and well … other things deterred him, but your grandfather sat in the House of Lords and Ladies right until his death along with my own grandfather."

"And the Marquess of Somerset bit?"

"Aristocratic title used for government proceedings and in the holding of Clevedon Court. When you turn seventeen and the title passes to you formally and you will be obligated to attend the odd Ministry of Magic function along with invitations to formal royal galas by the British Crown to solidify your relationship with the Crown. Monty said that it was like three gatherings a year with the Muggles and the Ministry of Magic stuff was usually just for Yule unless something special happened that year. Though it does secure you invites to all of the royal events including garden parties, the royal ascot, and those kinds of things, but the events are optional. It's mostly ceremonial as I said, though it does also give you the opportunity to take a seat in the House of Lords in the Muggle Parliament if you wished. I understand that a few of your ancestors chose to sit on both to help keep the magical world up to date with Muggle politics. It was another reason why the Potters were considered beneath the rest of the magical world as despite their pureblood status, it was believed that they held too much sympathy for the Muggles. I think that Lord Henry Potter was the last Marquess of Somerset to hold a seat in both the Wizengamot and the Muggle Parliament."

"It's a lot to take in," Harry admitted, rubbing his forehead. He felt like a headache was forming between his brow, but he knew that it was just the influx of so much information. Wealth and nobility, politics and blood status. It was all making his head spin.

Sirius smiled at him and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "The titles and wealth are yours when you turn seventeen. The political aspect is nothing that you even have to consider until you turn seventeen and like I said, even then you are not obligated to take your seat immediately. Most people claim the seat and don't really join the proceedings on a regular basis until they are closer to thirty. I ignored mine for years, but I don't know if I'm the best example there. I just thought that it was time for you to be aware of what exactly it is that you are entitled to and what will one day be yours," he explained, leaning back in his chair and tapping his fingers on the arms. "As my son, you are also my heir. Since the Blacks are an old family as well with their own titles and estates, I didn't want you to be thrusted that responsibility on top of what the Potters have left you. Years ago, I divided the Black Estate between myself and the two remaining Black grandchildren, Tonks and Draco Malfoy."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Malfoy?"

Sirius nodded. "I sat down with his parents and we talked about what mine and Cissa's grandfather left the Black Family and I divided the estate eighty-twenty. Twenty percent left for me, forty for Tonks and forty for Draco. None of which he has access to until he turns seventeen. The properties have been divided between Tonks and Draco as is most of the wealth. Tonks already has her share. I made sure that she was given it after her grandfather died. Draco will inherit the title of Viscount of Falmouth when he turns seventeen, holding both the Earl of Wiltshire and the Viscount of Falmouth. He will also inherit Black Manor in Sussex where his grandmother lives. I don't want the title and prefer to just be Lord Black within the Wizengamot. The twenty percent I kept for myself will be divided evenly between you and Remus if anything ever happens to me. Black Cottage and Number Twelve will be yours and yours only along with my entire personal vault. As you know, we cleaned out the Black vaults after we entered Bella's and I organized it all, moving much of what I wanted you to have into the Potter vaults. But one day, it will all be yours."

Harry stared at him. "I … I don't know what to say."

Sirius smiled. "I know that it's a lot of information and like I said, nothing you need to worry about right now. I just thought that you are old enough now to understand it and should be made aware of what will one day be yours when you come of age. Your free period tomorrow afternoon, I'd like to take you to _Gringotts_ so that we can go through the Potter vaults and see what's there. You are old enough now to start taking on a role as the Potter Heir."

"What does that mean?"

"Mostly a whole lot of parchment," he said with a grin. "I just want to show you your assets and we can discuss investments and see how things are being run and if you like it than it will stay the same, or we can do some new investing. It's important to understand your own finances; how they are being run; how they work; how they benefit you and your future. When you turn seventeen, it will all be thrusted upon you, Harry, so if we start little by little to help you understand how it all works now, it won't seem so daunting later on. I want you to know about your heritage and your history as well, Harry. The Potters were the most noble family that I have ever had the privilege of meeting and I want you to be aware of where you came from. That's all."

Harry nodded, staring at Sirius. "I wish that I could have met them. Seeing Nan and Pop when I …they were kind of wonderful."

Sirius grinned. "They were amazing. In fact, I have two memories that I've been thinking about lately and I would really like to show them to you today. Will you grab the Pensieve from the cupboard there."

Harry stood up and moved over to the tall cupboard by the door to the sunroom, opening the bottom cupboard door where the Pensieve dish and the chest of memories were currently being stored. He sat them on the coffee table in the middle of the sunroom before he sat back down. Sirius rifled through the chest for a moment before he pulled out two phials and poured them each into the Pensieve basin.

"These are both my memories and ones that I thought that you would appreciate as I think both of these moments really signify the type of people that Fee and Monty both were. You ready?"

Harry nodded as he and Sirius each dipped their heads into the swirling liquid and fell into the memory.

Harry found himself standing in front of a large stone manor. Sirius put his hand on his shoulder.

"That's Clevedon Court, like I said before it's been the home of the Potters for over seven hundred years."

Harry nodded, eyes wide as he saw the young boy step off the Knight Bus in front of the house. He recognized the cocky step and the dark locks as Sirius before he even saw his face.

 _Sirius shoved his hands into the pockets of the black jeans he wore. They had holes in the knees and he was wearing black army boots with the laces untied and a white tee shirt under his open leather jacket with a Gryffindor scarf around his neck. He had a small knapsack over his shoulder as he stood there in the snow, staring up at the house as if he was unsure._

 _The Knight Bus left and Sirius stood there a moment longer before he carefully trudged up the long drive and knocked on the front door. It was only a moment before the small slim woman with bright white hair streaked in silver that Harry recognized as Euphemia Potter, pulled it open. Her hair was pulled back in a French braid and her fringe covered her forehead. She smiled warmly at the sight of him._

 _"Hello dear, Happy Christmas. Can we help you with something?"_

 _Sirius swallowed slowly. "Er, is this James Potter's house?"_

 _The woman's smile widened. "It most certainly is and you would be?"_

 _"Um, Sirius Black? We're friends at school."_

 _"Oh! Sirius, lovely to finally meet you, do come in!" She tugged him inside the large entranceway. The big medieval style hall full of old art and tapestries. "You can put your boots and jacket there. Rosa!"_

 _A tiny elf appeared and Euphemia smiled warmly._

 _"Rosa, dear, set him up in Jamie's room, we have a guest."_

 _The elf nodded, taking Sirius' bag as Euphemia smiled warmly at him._

 _"I'm Euphemia Potter, but everyone calls me Fee. Come on in, love, Jamie's in the living room."_

 _Sirius followed her through the large hall into a large living room with a massive Christmas tree that stood close to twenty feet tall and dancing in fairy lights. James was sprawled out across the sofa tossing a Quaffle up into the air and then catching it._

 _"Jamie, love, your friend Sirius has come by. You should have told me that he was coming, I would have set a spot for him for dinner."_

 _"Didn't know," James said, jumping to his feet. "Hey mate."_

 _"Hey."_

 _Euphemia beamed at the two of them. "Well, I'll go let Darby know that we have another for dinner."_

 _Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet. "Um, sorry for just showing up."_

 _"Nah, it's cool," James told him, his eyes on his friend. "Are you staying the rest of the holiday?"_

 _Sirius shook his head. "No, I don't want to impose. I just … I had to get out of that house for a bit."_

 _James nodded. "You won't be imposing. Mum will be thrilled if you stay the whole holiday. She loves guests."_

 _He shrugged. "Wicked house."_

 _"Thanks. Come on and sit. Mum will bring snacks in a moment."_

 _Sirius raised an eyebrow. "But we didn't ask for anything."_

 _James chuckled. "Trust me."_

 _They settled on the sofa and James urged Sirius to stretch out with him so that their legs were both side by side across from each other the same way that they had first sat on the school train, just as Euphemia came into the living room with a tea tray full of tea and biscuits._

 _"I brought you boys a little snack," she said as James smirked at his friend._

 _"Told you. Hey Mum, Sirius is going to stay for the whole holiday, okay?"_

 _"Oh, wonderful! I love having guests," she exclaimed brightly. "You boys eat up and then you can head outside. The snow looks just perfect for building a large fort."_

 _James grinned as his mum left the room and he turned to his friend. "See, it's fine." He reached for a biscuit, eyeing his friend carefully for a moment. "So, want to talk about it?"_

 _Sirius shook his head as he shoved a biscuit in his mouth. "Not really."_

 _"What did your folks say when you told them you were coming here?"_

 _"Didn't," he said simply, lifting the cup of tea to his lips and drinking deeply. "I told Reg and then I snuck out at dawn this morning."_

 _James' eyebrow rose. "That might have made it worse."_

 _He shrugged as he helped himself to a second biscuit. "I couldn't stay there a moment longer."_

 _James only nodded. "Okay. You're welcome here as long as you want, Siri."_

 _Sirius' eyes met his and he nodded slowly as Euphemia came back into the room with Fleamont, who was polishing his glasses on his sleeve as he walked._

 _"Sirius, this is Monty, Monty, Sirius Black. Sirius will be staying the rest of the holiday with us, isn't that wonderful?"_

 _Fleamont smiled warmly at his wife. "Wonderful. James, why don't you boys head upstairs and get some warm clothes on. I think that it's high time we build a massive snow fort, what do you say?"_

 _James grinned and jumped to his feet. "I'm in."_

 _He gestured for Sirius to follow him, raising an eyebrow when Sirius stole another biscuit before he did so._

 _"Mum will have lunch ready in about two hours if you're hungry."_

 _Sirius nodded as he followed James up the staircase and down the hall to the door that said James F. Potter on a gold plaque. "What does the F stand for?"_

 _"Er, Franklin."_

 _"Really? Then how did your father get the nickname Monty?"_

 _James blushed. "Okay, fine, it's Fleamont and if you tell anyone I will kill you in your sleep."_

 _Sirius busted into laughter as he followed James into his room and grinned at the sight of it. His walls were covered in Quidditch posters and statistics, posters of The Beatles, of Elvis Presley and of guitars along with posters of broom ads and he was surprised to see photos of himself, Remus and Peter. There was a large queen-sized bed in the middle of the room with a desk, two tall dressers, a toy chest, three bookshelves as well as a large closet. His broom was hanging on the wall over his bed. A large cot had already been set up next to the bed._

 _"You can sleep in the bed if you prefer," James told him. "It's big enough for the two of us to share or if you want your own room, we have lots of guest rooms, but knowing Mum she put the cot in here assuming that you'd be more comfortable with me." He plopped onto his bed and sighed. "So, I lied, tell me what happened."_

 _Sirius let out a slow sigh. "My parents were just … Mum is furious that I'm still hanging around with you and Rem. She claims Pete is tolerable, but still not worthy. She says that Gryffindor has dulled my senses and made me forget right from wrong. They've been praising Reg left and right, which is good, he deserves the praise, but they do it in a way that belittles me and it was just grating my cheese, James. Like oh, Sirius, Regulus received an Outstanding on his Potions homework, I don't know how you achieved an Outstanding when your work is clearly inferior."_

 _"What the bloody hell does that mean?" James exclaimed, his eyes flashing in anger. "Obviously it's outstanding if that's the grade you achieved!"_

 _Sirius shrugged. "Also they somehow learned that I've spent the last month snogging Em who is not a pureblood and therefore completely beneath me and how I'm slumming it."_

 _"Siri, mate, I'm sorry."_

 _"Whatever, I just … I couldn't listen to it anymore and I blew up on my mum last night. I was so angry that my magic reacted and I blew out all the windows in the upstairs."_

 _James goggled at him. "Wow!"_

 _He nodded. "And well, all hell broke loose after that."_

 _"Meaning?"_

 _Sirius moved to close James' bedroom door before he lifted up his shirt. His ribs were littered in fist sized purple bruises._

 _James' eyes darkened. "They hit you?"_

 _"Oh no," Sirius said. "Simply hitting me is too Muggle. Mum added a weight charm to Father's fists first." He winced as he put his arms down. "I think I broke a rib."_

 _James jumped to his feet. "My Mum will fix you right up."_

 _Sirius blanched. "No! Fuck, you can't tell her!"_

 _James' eyebrow rose. "Siri, you need medical attention."_

 _"No, can't you just … I mean, isn't there something that you could do?"_

 _James hesitated a moment before he nodded just as a knock sounded on the bedroom door._

 _"You boys coming or what?" Fleamont called out._

 _"Dad, can we build the fort after lunch? Sirius is feeling a bit tired," James called out._

 _Fleamont pushed the bedroom door open and eyed the two boys for a moment. "Everything okay in here?"_

 _"Fine," James said, grinning widely. "Siri's just tired. After lunch we'll build the fort, Dad."_

 _Fleamont nodded. "Sure, whenever you'd like, Jamie. If you boys need anything, just ask."_

 _James grinned at him as he closed the door and then he called for Rosa. The elf appeared in his bedroom a moment later, eyes wide._

 _"How can I help you, Master James?"_

 _"Hi Rosa, listen, I need you to get some healing stuff and help me heal my friend Sirius, but you can't tell Mum or Dad."_

 _Rosa stared at him. "Master James, I is not comfortable lying to the Marquess and Marchioness, Sir."_

 _"Don't lie, just … don't tell them is all."_

 _Rosa hesitated, but she nodded and disappeared with a loud crack._

 _Sirius stared at him. "Do you really think that she won't tell them?"_

 _James nodded. "We're fine."_

 _Rosa came back a few moments later with the first aid kit and Sirius carefully tugged his shirt off. The elf stared at him for a long moment before she moved forward to help give him some healing salve for the bruises. James looked in the kit and mixed the potions for Sirius' ribs, pouring the appropriate dose into a cup and passing it over._

 _Sirius winced as he drank the potion and James stared at the fresh welts on his friend's back._

 _"Siri … how the bloody hell did this …?"_

 _Sirius shrugged. "It's fine. Just pass me some of that salve."_

 _James' bedroom door flew open and Euphemia stepped in with a tray of sandwiches and her eyes widened. James moved to block Sirius from view, but it had been too late. Euphemia put the tray down on the desk and moved carefully towards Sirius. She placed her fingers on his chin and tilted his head to look up at her._

 _"Who hurt you, darling?"_

 _"I'm fine," Sirius told her, reaching for his shirt._

 _James took the shirt from his friend's hand so that Rosa could continue to apply the salve. "His parents, Mum."_

 _Euphemia's eyes darkened in anger for a moment before she masked it. She took the salve from Rosa and immediately set about taking over the task. She ordered James which potions to give him and covered the welts in fresh bandages. Sirius' cheeks were flushed in embarrassment as he pulled his shirt over his head and murmured a thanks under his breath._

 _Euphemia reached out and gently brushed his hair behind his ear. "Your parents are Orion and Walburga?"_

 _Sirius nodded. "I'm fine, Mrs Potter, honest." His eyes widened in surprise when she leaned in and kissed his cheek tenderly._

 _"You are always welcome here, Sirius. I don't care for how long you stay or what time you show up. Our home will always be your home." She kissed his forehead and tugged James to her to hug him tightly and kiss his cheeks. "You make Sirius rest and eat those sandwiches I brought up. I'll have Monty whip up another healing potion for him to take after dinner."_

 _Then she was gone and Sirius was staring at James, his eyes wide._

 _"What just happened?"_

 _James grinned. "I think Mum just adopted you. Here, have a bacon sandwich," he said, tossing one at Sirius._

 _Sirius caught it, staring at James in wonder. "Your parents are brilliant."_

 _James grinned back at him. "I know."_

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _What Zee tells Harry about a breakup being like death, I paraphrased it a bit, but it's one of my favourite quotes from CSI, said from Lady Heather to Grissom in season nine, episode five._

 _Real historical figures mentioned:_

 _Haifdan the Black = said to be first king of unified Norway_

 _King Alfred the Great = king of Wessex in 9th century_

 _Catherine Fitzroy = real wife of George Fitzroy, bastard son of King Charles II, the first Duke of Northumberland (I created title of Falmouth and made Catherine a witch)_

 _George Fitzroy = husband of Catherine Fitzroy, bastard son of King Charles II, the first Duke of Northumberland (I created title of Falmouth and made Catherine a witch)_

 _King Edward III = real king of England (actually his heir King Richard II is the one who created the first Marquess title in England in 1386, the Marquess of Dublin, I made it forty years earlier to the made up character of Simon Potter)_

 _John de Clevedon = architect of Clevedon Court, real manor house in Somerset (made up his daughter Matilda)_

 _Known Potter family members mentioned:_

 _Charlus Potter and Dorea Black = not clear on how they were connected to Harry, I decided to make Charlus be the younger brother of Fleamont; made up the name of their son, William_

 _Linfred of Stinchcome_

 _Hardwin Potter_

 _Henry Potter = argued with Minister Evermonde about getting involved in WWI_

 _Fleamont Potter = when he retired he sold his company, I decided in the 1960s soon after James was born_

 _Known Facts:_

 _1707 = year the Ministry of Magic was created_

 _1707 = Act of Union created the United Kingdom of Great Britain_

 _That's my inner nerd, hope you enjoy. Like I said, you should see my spreadsheets and notes and photos (I tend to go a little overboard) LOL! Please review :D_


	193. Chapter 193

_Author's Note:_

 _Convinced by my Hinny Discord friends to share my research and my notes on my tumblr so anyone interested in seeing stuff on the Potter history, Potter family crest, homes I chose for the aristocratic families, Tonks' engagement ring and wedding dress, Remus and Tonks' wedding rings or anything else please go check out my tumblr - breaniebree and drop me a line!_

 _To answer some reviews: Pottermum, thank you. I like to add detail as I do the research first and then I always want to try to implement it somehow into the story. I do think Sirius and Remus work well together and that having Remus corral Harry in and back to the table was needed as his "non-attitude" was apparent. For hasti, yes, I do believe that both Sirius and Walburga were taken to Madame Sweetling's or some place similar by in my opinion, either their father or grandfather. Saz, I wish some of my readers offered to draw fan art but no one has offered. That would be a good one to see._

 _Thanks Steel for the idea of adding rain - so simple, but so impactful._

 _Thanks to the lovely people in writing-nook for helping me with this Colin scene. You are wonderful._

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE:**

 **The memory dissolved and shifted and Harry glanced at Sirius as he found himself standing in the dark and gloomy entranceway of what he realized was Number Twelve.** Sirius slammed the front door behind him. His hands were in his pockets and he looked a few years older and Harry could see the runic tattoos on his inside left forearm. The moment the door slammed shut, the life-sized and massive portrait of Walburga Black immediately began to scream at the sight of him.

 _"_ _YOU DISGUST ME! NO CHILD OF MINE WILL BE A GRYFFINDOR!"_

 _Sirius ignored the portrait much in the way that he had all of last summer when Orion had hung it in the entranceway._

 _He dragged his trunk up the stairs to his room as Walburga, Orion and Regulus chatted about how great Regulus' school year had been, barely acknowledging him. It was how he liked it best most times. He wondered how long he would have to wait until he could go see James._

 _He plopped himself onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling, grinning at the topless blonde Muggle in denim straddling a 1973 Gilera 125 Strada. James had found the poster for him last year when he had gone to New York with Fleamont. Sirius had enjoyed using a permanent sticking charm and placing it on his ceiling just to spite his mother who would hate it for the nudity and the fact that it was Muggle. A Muggle who had great breasts, he thought, staring up at them._

 _His door banged open and he merely raised an eyebrow, his arms folded behind his head. "Hi Mum, realized that I came home too?"_

 _Walburga Black stood there, hands fisted at her hips and her lips curling into a sneer. "How many OWLs do you think that you will bring home?"_

 _"_ _Couldn't say; won't get my results for a few weeks now, will I?"_

 _"_ _I assume your doing well in your studies though Regulus says that you seem to spend a lot of time in detention. Why am I just hearing about this now? Your Head of House should be writing to me to inform me when you step out of line. I will be writing to Dumbledore about McGonagall's absolute incompetence in keeping me informed of your well-being." She demanded, looking around the room in disgust when her eyes fell on another Muggle poster, this one was a redhead in a purple bikini leaning against a 1964 BSA Thunderbolt. "And why must you decorate your walls with those awful Muggle machines?"_

 _"_ _I think they're cool," he told her. "McG doesn't write to you because she knows you don't care. I always get good grades, I'm sure my examination marks will be the same."_

 _Walburga only stared at him. "Your father and I have been talking about your choices and your behaviour. In November you're going to be seventeen."_

 _"_ _Aw, you remembered my birthday? I'm honoured, of course it's only June."_

 _She was across the room and her hand slapping his cheek before he could blink. He sat up on his bed and grabbed her hand. "I'm not a child anymore, you better think again before you hit me."_

 _Her eyes widened in fear for a moment before she masked it. "You will be seventeen this November and as the eldest son and heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, it's time for you to start to think about your future. The Dark Lord, he's approached your father and I about helping him build a better world. You should think about how you want to help him, Sirius. You would bring honour to your family."_

 _"_ _This so called Dark Lord is recruiting henchmen to kill and torture Muggles and Muggleborns. No thank you."_

 _Walburga's eyes darkened. "He wants to build a world where the pureblood wizard is praised; is worshipped and is treated with respect! It's about time that you realize what it means to be a Black. Your father and I have decided that you will wed Alecto Carrow. She's fifteen and a member of the sacred twenty-eight. You will marry when she turns sixteen."_

 _Sirius' mouth opened in horror. "Or not."_

 _"_ _No, you will. I am tired of seeing my eldest son make terrible choices. It's bad enough that you were put into Gryffindor House over Slytherin and are hanging around with a Potter, blood traitors, the whole family has been for centuries, but to be seen with that half-blood Lupin and Regulus tells us that the redhead you hugged goodbye at the station is a Mudblood! You should be ashamed of yourself!"_

 _"_ _Don't call her that!" Sirius exclaimed, his anger rising. "She's an amazing woman and I would choose her over you any day."_

 _Walburga merely smirked. "You will marry Alecto Carrow."_

 _"_ _No, I won't!"_

 _"_ _You will marry her or I will get a message out to the Dark Lord about where this Mudblood of yours lives and we'll see how quickly you change your mind."_

 _Sirius stood up, towering over her and pointing his wand at her heart. He didn't care that he was underage; he would use it if he had to. "If you touch her, I will kill you."_

 _Walburga smiled. "There's the Black blood in you, my dear boy. Toujours Pur."_

 _Sirius lowered his wand, a sense of disgust washing over him. He was NOT like his family. He wouldn't let himself be. "I'm not like you."_

 _"_ _Crucio!"_

 _Sirius collapsed to the ground, biting his lip to keep from screaming as the curse brought him to his knees. When she lifted her wand, he breathed in relief, catching his breath._

 _"_ _You will marry Alecto Carrow. You will produce at least two pureblood heirs, preferably male. You will graduate with honours and join the ranks of the Dark Lord as a proud member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black," she demanded, her wand pointed at him. "And you will abandon all ties with that Potter boy and his traitorous parents once and for all. Have I made myself clear?"_

 _Sirius wiped blood from his lip, spitting on the ground in front of her. "Screw you."_

 _The curse hit him a second time and he screamed as it coursed through him. He felt like his insides were on fire, like someone was holding them in the midst of a burning flame and crushing them with rocks at the same time. His eyes caught movement in the doorway and his eyes met his brother's who was watching wide-eyed, hidden off to the side. When she finally let him breathe, he gasped for breath and rolled onto his side._

 _"_ _It's about time you start showing respect to this family," she demanded, her eyes glaring at him with hatred and contempt. "You are an embarrassment!"_

 _Sirius climbed to his feet, grabbing his bed frame to steady his shaking legs. "Better an embarrassment than to be like you." When she raised her wand he grabbed it, ripping it from her arms. "I'm not a child that you can control anymore. The Imperius stopped working on me when I was twelve and this is the last time that you will ever use the Cruciatus on me so I hope that you fucking enjoyed it! I am going to be seventeen in November and I am going to be in charge of my own future and my own destiny. I will not be marrying a pureblood bitch just to breed with her. And I will not abandon my friendship with the blood traitor Potter as it would be a tad hypocritical of me being that I also befriend Muggleborns and purebloods alike."_

 _"_ _This is your last warning, Sirius! If you want to be part of this family, you will do as I command."_

 _Sirius stared at her. "Then I don't want to be part of this family. I haven't been, not really, in a long time. You trying to make me now is a fucking waste of both of our time."_

 _"_ _You disgust me!"_

 _Sirius merely shrugged. "So you're nagging portrait told me when I walked in the door."_

 _"_ _Get out! Get your stuff and get out of my house! You are no longer welcome here!"_

 _Sirius only stared at her for a moment and then he simply grabbed the trunk that he had dragged up the stairs and pulled it behind him as his mother screamed at him all the way back down. He dropped his mother's wand at the foot of the portrait and the last thing he heard was his mother blasting his name off of the family tapestry as he stepped back out onto the London street. He never looked back._

 _He climbed aboard the Knight Bus and was soon stepping back out on the front lawn of Clevedon Court just as the skies opened up. His lip was still bleeding and his body still trembling from the aftershocks of the Cruciatus. He stood on the front lawn, the sky crying above him soaking him to the bone as he stared up at the house for a long moment, his fingers curled around the handle of his trunk as he pulled it behind him in the rain._

 _The front door opened and Fleamont stepped out onto the front step. He stared at Sirius for a long moment. His eyes moved to the teen's trunk before they met the dark, turbulent eyes that were full of unshed tears before he nodded and gestured with his head._

 _"_ _Are you going to stand out there all day, son? I think it's about time that you come home."_

 _Sirius dragged his trunk behind him and stepped up onto the front step. Fleamont simply tugged him forward and wrapped his arms around him tightly, kissing the side of his head and Sirius' fingers curled into the back of the blue cotton dress shirt he was wearing and he started to cry._

 _Fleamont didn't speak, he simply held him close, his hands patting his back in comfort until the tears subsided and then he pressed a kiss to Sirius' forehead and smiled. "Get your trunk."_

 _Sirius sniffed his tears back as he pulled the trunk into the house and Euphemia came out of the living room. She immediately rushed over to him, hugging him close and kissing his cheeks._

 _"_ _Oh, welcome home, love!"_

 _Sirius closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in her warm scent as she snuggled him close. "I … they kicked me out."_

 _Fleamont placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder, squeezing lightly. "They can't have. This was always your real home, son." He performed a warming charm and a drying charm on Sirius since the rain had soaked him to the skin. "That's better."_

 _Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes again and Fleamont smiled warmly at him before he turned to the house elf who had appeared there._

 _"_ _Rosa, take Master Sirius' trunk up to Jamie's room. Sirius, I'll get you a pain potion to deal with the aftershocks of that curse."_

 _Sirius' eyes met Fleamont's. "Curse?"_

 _"_ _How many times were you under the Cruciatus?"_

 _Sirius swallowed slowly, his bottom lip trembling under Fleamont's steely look and he knew better than to lie. "Two."_

 _Euphemia kissed his cheek again. "Get the potion, darling." She smiled as James came down the stairs. "Jamie, love, Sirius will be living here from now on."_

 _James grinned. "Excellent! Welcome home, mate."_

 _Sirius stared at the three of them in amazement. "You … I can just … move in?"_

 _James laughed. "Well, yeah, pretty sure Mum loves you more than me anyway."_

 _"_ _James, I love all of my boys equally."_

 _James smirked at her. "See? All of her boys, that includes Rem and Pete too. I'm not even her favourite anymore!"_

 _Euphemia tugged him into her arms, ignoring his protests and covered his face in kisses. "You will always be my baby boy, Jamie, no matter how many handsome sons I have."_

 _James grinned at her as he struggled out of her grasp. "Love you too, Mum."_

 _Euphemia tugged Sirius close and reached for James again, holding both boys in her arms and kissing his cheek in turn. "I love you both very much. Now, Sirius go see Monty and get that pain potion. James, that room of yours better be spotless so that Sirius can make room for his things until I get a bedroom set up for him proper."_

 _Sirius grinned at her. "Fee, I'm fine rooming with James, it's no trouble."_

 _Euphemia kissed his cheek noisily. "My boys; off with you."_

 _Sirius tenderly kissed her cheek, making her smile before he followed James up the stairs, a soft smile on his face._

 _He was home._

The memory dissolved and Harry found himself standing back in the sunroom next to his father. He snuck a glance at Sirius who looked a little sad.

"Uncle Siri, why didn't you move in with them sooner? I mean, if they knew how bad your parents treated you, how come they didn't try to make you leave?"

Sirius sighed. "I downplayed it. I never really thought that it was wrong the way that I grew up and once I did start to realize it, I just stopped going home. From third year onwards I spent every Christmas at Clevedon Court. I never went home in the summer for more than a week or two. I barely saw my family so it didn't really make sense to say something about it."

"And what did your mum mean when she said McGonagall never wrote to her?"

Sirius smirked. "Minnie knew exactly who my real parents were, Harry. Whenever I earned a detention or got into trouble or did anything that she deemed noteworthy for my parents to know, she sent word to Fee and Monty. She stopped writing to my actual parents in my first year."

Harry nodded. "I'm glad that you had them."

"Me too," Sirius said sadly.

"You miss them," Harry said quietly.

"Like I lost a limb," Sirius admitted, smiling at Harry. "They would have spoiled you rotten and loved you so much. They were the best people I ever met and the way they just invited me into their home, no questions asked … I had never felt so wanted in my entire life. You have a lot of them inside of you. You have Fee's generous heart as much as your mum's and you have this way about you when you look at someone that reminds me of Monty. That trusting look that tells someone that everything will be alright and that they can trust you. It's a good quality to have."

Harry smiled at him. "Thank you for sharing that with me, Uncle Siri. I wish that I had met them. Seeing them when I ... I felt loved."

"They would have spoiled the shit out of you!"

He grinned. "And like you didn't?"

Sirius grinned and swung an arm around his son's shoulders kissing his cheek. "I love you. I know that you're growing up and I know that you don't want to tell me everything anymore and I have to accept that. I can't promise you that I won't try to butt into your personal business, but I can promise not to pester you about it after you tell me no. If you don't want to talk about what happened with Mandy that's okay too."

Harry leaned into Sirius. "I just ... I didn't see it coming, Uncle Padfoot, and I should have." He pulled away and moved to stand by the windows, looking out into the backyard. "We … I like her, Uncle Siri. We even …"

"You even what?" Sirius asked him, his eyes on the tall, lean frame of his son. He was a young man now, he thought, more man than child. He could see the blush rising on the back of his neck as he spoke.

"In Greece we … we still had our bathing suits on, but we … humped a little and it was kind of brilliant."

Sirius smirked slightly. He felt an odd mix of pride and horror that he wasn't sure how to distinguish. "You dry humped? Did you both climax?"

Harry's neck turned a darker shade of red. "Yes."

Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Like I said, you're growing up. She was the first?"

He nodded. "Yes. And we only did it the once."

"Harry, I feel like I'm probably the wrong person to talk to in terms of sex and the right moment. I always jump in cock first and that hasn't always worked out for me. Zahira is the exception to this and … I don't want you to move too fast. I know that coming from me that's a tad hypocritical, but just hear me out. Sex is about getting to that release, that instant gratification that comes when you orgasm. It's about pleasure and enjoyment, but it also should be done between two people who mean something to each other. Being with Zee has taught me that. Harry, dry humping is good, I know that, but you still have to be careful. Especially in bathing suits, the risk of getting a girl pregnant is still possible."

Harry closed his eyes. "I know. I don't know if I'm ready to … have sex and … I know that I wasn't ready to have sex with Mandy either, I want it to be … I don't know, it should be special, right?"

"Right," Sirius said with a smile. "And only when you and your partner are both ready." He was quiet for a moment. "You don't have to answer, but is that the reason why Mandy broke up with you? The dry humping? Did she think that you were moving too fast?"

Harry shook his head. "No, she's the one who started … that, so no. And we haven't … not since Corfu, we've just snogged, a lot, and … no, she said that ... she said that I'm in love with Ginny."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Are you?"

Harry stared at his feet. "I don't know."

Sirius slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I think that you should take some time to figure that out. But remember, don't take too much time because that little spitfire isn't going to wait around on you forever."

"You think that she's waiting around on me?" He asked, sneaking a look at Sirius from beneath his lashes.

Sirius grinned. "Take some time for yourself, Harry, and think about what you want. Thats's what's important. Once you figure that out, talk to Ginny and tell her what's been going on. You keep saying she's your friend, well, no matter what you decide, as your friend, she deserves to know. Think about it."

Harry nodded, his eyes on Sirius.

That sounded like a good plan.

 **When Harry returned to school that Sunday afternoon, he felt a little lost in thought.** Ginny was very much on his mind, but so was all of the information that Sirius had shared with him. Marquess of Somerset, he thought; it seemed a little overwhelming. Not to mention the warning that Sirius had given him before he left.

"Some girls are going to be after you for your title, Harry. Be careful and wary of them; the older you get the more of a potential high ranking bachelor you'll be and girls will flock towards you."

Harry hadn't really known what to make of that and decided that he would rather not think about it. He had his broom and his Quidditch bag in his hand as he left Remus' suite and made his way back to Gryffindor Tower. He found Neville in the dorm room rifling through his trunk.

"Hey Nev."

"Hey Harry," Neville said, tossing some pyjamas behind him. "Have you seen my history textbook?"

Harry shook his head. "No, sorry."

Neville sighed and dug deeper into his trunk.

"Hey Nev, do you know about all the, you know, nobility and stuff?"

Neville lifted his head out of his trunk and scratched his chin. "You mean like Cumbria?" At Harry's nod, he smiled. "Yeah, I think that it's a little terrifying. I mean, you know that Gran's always had the house elves call me m'lord since I was a kid. Uncle Algie's been having me help with the paperwork and the little bits of it for the last two summers."

Harry nodded. "Uncle Sirius just told me today. I mean, I always knew my parents were rich and everything and I knew that Uncle Siri was the Viscount, but … wow."

Neville smiled sympathetically at him. "Bit overwhelming, eh?" He stood up and moved to sit on his bed. "It's not as bad as you think it is. Mostly it's the little roles we play. We are the go-between for the witches and wizards in our county technically to speak with the Ministry of Magic on their behalf. Most of them don't even use us for that anymore since the Ministry has become more modern. Since we do have wealth, it is our responsibility to help defend our county if need be and Gran says that includes the Muggles who may live near the area being attacked. According to Gran, as head of the Longbottom Family it is my responsibility to ensure that those around me are safe, protected, and free from harm. In the old days that meant forming armies and using our magic to protect them, but now it's our voices and we use them in the Wizengamot and in the British Parliament if necessary. Gran says that no Longbottom has sat in the British Parliament since my grandfather died as my dad never did. She thinks that I should take my seat when I come of age. In the Muggle world that's eighteen, but she recommends waiting until I turn twenty-one when I claim my seat on the Wizengamot."

Harry scratched his itchy chin as he realized that he was full of patchy stubble again. He was finding that he was having to shave more often now and he wasn't too fond of it. "I don't know if I'm into the politics thing. Uncle Sirius is so good at it."

Neville nodded. "Yeah, me neither. But Gran says that most witches and wizards are just there to vote and to be part of the decision making process. Besides, according to my Gran, Sirius is a political mastermind."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess he kind of is. That does make it seem a little less scary."

Neville grinned. "Sirius just sprung it all on you, eh?"

He shrugged. "Yes, and no. I mean, I did know some of it, but he more or less told me my official title and what I will be coming into when I turn seventeen. He says that he will be training me to understand how everything works and how to deal with my role. We're going to go to _Gringotts_ during my free period tomorrow to start looking at what's in my vaults."

Neville nodded. "Sounds fun. Do you think that Sirius would mind if I asked him to help me understand my investments? Gran just leaves it all to the goblins which is fine I guess, but I think that I'd like to understand how it all works too."

Harry shrugged. "He'd probably love it. He's weirdly into that stuff."

Neville grinned. "Great. I'll write to him after dinner today." He sighed and looked around his messy bed with his trunk belongings strewn everywhere. "Why can't I remember where I put that bloody book?"

Harry grinned at him and pulled out his wand. "Accio Neville's history textbook."

The book in question came soaring out from under Ron's bed and landed in front of Harry.

Neville sighed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Harry chuckled as he tossed the book at his friend, putting his Quidditch stuff away. "Couldn't tell you."

"By the way, Hermione said that you got plowed by a Bludger yesterday because you couldn't take your eyes off of Ginny?"

Harry gave him a pointed look. "Hermione doesn't know what she's talking about. I was watching the Chaser tryouts, not Ginny."

"Not the whole time," Neville said with a grin. "Mandy's had to notice by now."

Harry blew his fringe out of his hair. "Yeah - she - she broke up with me last night."

Neville's smile faded. "I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "No, she had the right of it. Maybe I was watching Ginny and … wake me at dinner, okay? I need to get some sleep."

Neville nodded as Harry stripped down to his boxers and crawled into his bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. "Will do. But Harry?" Harry turned back to look at Neville as he spoke. "Don't let Dean beat you to the finish line. I like the bloke, but if I have to listen to him tell me about Ginny's luscious tits after he's touched them, I'm going to punch him and frankly, you might kill him."

Harry snorted. "Ginny won't fall for Dean's charms, she's smarter than that."

Neville only stared at him. "Not if someone gets his butt in gear and asks her out already."

"Nev … Ginny doesn't like me like that way."

Neville shook his head. "You know, Harry, sometimes you really are thick, aren't you?"

Harry only stared after him as he watched his friend leave the dorm with his history book and he shook his head. Neville didn't know what he was talking about, he thought. He used his wand to close his bed curtains, tucking his wand under his pillow before he closed his eyes and was out like a light and his dreams were all of Ginny.

 **When classes started the next day, Harry felt rather well-rested.** He had gone to bed soon after dinner and woken up around four that morning, wide-awake. Looking to burn off some energy, he had snuck out of his dorm and went for a run around the Quidditch pitch first in his Animagus form and then as himself. He showered and dressed for the day and then took the folder that Sirius had given him down into the common room to study until it was breakfast time.

Harry opened the folder up, smiling at the stamp of his family crest on the front cover. Notes had been made along the side in small cramped writing that he didn't recognize.

 _The Potter Family Crest:_

 _\- The gold on the edge of the helmet, the golden tassels, the gold ribbon displaying the family name and the gold Hippocampus represents generosity and elevation of the mind._

 _\- The silver and white of the feathers, the three white cinquefoils represent peace and sincerity._

 _\- The black feathers, black shield, and black ermines represent constancy or grief._

 _\- The red outline of the helmet and red border of the ribbon bearing the family name represents military strength and magnanimity whether through that of a warrior or that of a martyr._

 _\- Cinquefoils represent the Rose of Venus, maternal love._

 _\- Ermines represent nobility and dignity._

 _\- Hippocampus (or seahorse) symbolizes the important partnership between males and females; patience, serenity and persistence; stalwart-do-gooders with a natural desire to help people, particularly those who cannot truly help themselves; represents protection, inflexibility, friendliness, contentment, high-perception, generosity or sharing and a strong connection to the water element._

Harry stared down at the writing in surprise. So much of what was represented on his family crest actually sounded like him which he found incredibly surprising and a little unnerving. He flipped to the second page where the family tree was drawn out, detailing births and deaths of his family members. He browsed the many names in interest, moving over page after page until he found his own name scrawled. His fingertip traced the lettering for a moment before he moved to what was next.

The same cramped neat writing filled the parchment:

 _Important Potters:_

 _Linfred of Stinchcombe_ _being the earliest known ancestor from the 12th century living in the village of Stinchcombe, Gloucestershire. He was known to be rather eccentric and absent-minded, but with a helpful nature and affability that made everyone like him. Muggle neighbours often visited seeking remedies for their ailments and he grew his own ingredients in his garden. He was nicknamed "The Potterer" for his invention of many medicinal potions including potions that developed into ones that we use today such as_ Skele-Gro _and_ Pepperup Potion. _He fathered seven children, leaving each of them quite wealthy upon his death._

 _Hardwin Potter,_ _eldest son of Linfred, married Iolanthe Peverell of Godric's Hollow, the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell who inherited the Cloak of Invisibility. Iolanthe told Hardwin that possession of the cloak was kept a secret and he respected her wishes, passing the cloak down through the Potter family to the eldest child of each new generation._

 _Simon Potter,_ _grandson of Hardwin Potter, and well-known Potioneer who further developed his great-grandfather's potions and happily assisted King Edward III and his wife Philippa in the birth of their thirteen children. When Simon's wife, Lady Matilda Clevedon's father, Sir John Clevedon, died, the manor home he had built was left to his only daughter and son-in-law and Simon and Matilda moved to Somerset. From then on out, Clevedon Court became the home of the Potter seat. Simon continued his work, serving as the royal healer in the court of the King of England and in 1348, King Edward III granted him the title, Marquess of Somerset. Simon served as Lord Potter in the Wizengamot of the Wizard's Council, eventually serving as Chief Warlock. Lord Potter also sat at the king's table in the court of King Edward III and his grandson, King Richard II._

 _Ralston Potter_ _served as Lord Potter in the Wizengamot of the Wizard's Council from 1612-1652 and was a staunch advocate of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy voting to not go to war with the Muggles, but to live and work alongside of them._

 _Abraham Potter_ _was one of the first of the original twelve Aurors recruited to go to America in 1694 and to help train witches and wizards to deal with the difficulties of the post-Salem Witch Trials era._

 _Henry Potter_ _served as Lord Potter on the Wizengamot from 1913-1921. He caused a minor controversy by publicly condemning the Minister of Magic Archer Evermonde's decision to forbid witches and wizards in aiding the Muggles in the Great War (1914-1918). His outspoken and pro-Muggle views are one of the main reasons the Potters were excluded from the document titled "The Sacred Twenty-Eight."_

 _Charlus Potter_ _, younger brother to Fleamont Potter, served as a Hit Wizard in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. His wife Dorea Black Potter and their only son William were all killed by Death Eaters in 1974._

 _Fleamont Potter ,_ _after graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, developed_ Sleekeazy's Hair Potion _and in November of 1926, wooed American witches with it's success, quadrupling the family gold. He was a prominent member of the Wizengamot as Lord Potter until his death by Dragon Pox in 1979._

Harry stared at the list of names in interest. He had known that his grandfather had invented _Sleekeazy's,_ but the thought of his ancestors having created _Skele-Gro_ and _Pepperup Potion_ on top of it made his head spin. Maybe he did need to pay more attention in Potions class, he thought.

The next page was titled _The Sacred Twenty-Eight._

 _After much research into the Most Ancient and Noble Families within the United Kingdom, it has been concluded that only twenty-eight of us are still living within an ancestral realm of blood purity. We are a rare breed who must strive to survive the growing miscegenation of our society who are tainting and muddying our noble and ancient blood with that of the Muggle or worse that of the magical creatures such as Wolves or Fae or Veela. It is up to the Sacred Twenty-Eight to preserve the purity of the magical bloodlines at all cost and never to allow it to be tainted._

 _1\. Abbott_

 _2\. Avery_

 _3\. Black_

 _4\. Bulstrode_

 _5\. Burke_

 _6\. Carrow_

 _7\. Crouch_

 _8\. Fawley_

 _9\. Flint_

 _10\. Gaunt_

 _11\. Greengrass_

 _12\. Lestrange_

 _13\. Longbottom_

 _14\. Macmillan_

 _15\. Malfoy_

 _16\. Nott_

 _17\. Ollivander_

 _18\. Parkinson_

 _19\. Prewett_

 _20\. Rosier_

 _21\. Rowle_

 _22\. Selwyn_

 _24\. Shafiq_

 _25\. Slughorn_

 _26\. Travers_

 _27\. Weasley_

 _28\. Yaxley._

 _The following have been excluded from the Sacred Twenty-Eight for the safety of keeping the blood pure and unmolested by those unworthy to carry the pureblood name._

 _House of Campbell - married a Mudblood_

 _House of Goldstein - married a Squib_

 _House of Jones - illegitimate child with Muggle_

 _House of Lovegood - Pro-Muggle views and sympathies_

 _House of Potter - Pro-Muggle views and sympathies_

 _House of Scamander - attachment to beasts worrisome and Pro-Muggle sympathies_

 _House of York - last surviving son died in Grindelwald's riot in Paris, 1927_

 _If steps are not taken to ensure blood purity within the United Kingdom, those who possess so called "pure magical blood" will be forced to delve further into Europe and find families of similar social standing and acceptable bloodlines to marry into so that only children with the purest of blood will be born from here on out._

 _Anonymous, 1931_

Harry made a face of disgust as he read the document over a second time. If it truly had been Theo's grandfather who had written such a document with such views, he was glad that the House of Potter had been considered too Pro-Muggle to be put on the list. He had no desire to be on the so-called sacred list anyway.

The next piece of parchment was a list of companies both magical and Muggle that he held a stock in; followed by a list of charities that the Potter Family donated to on a regular basis. The whole thing was making his head spin and when he looked at the numbers moving in across the page, changing by the second, as the stock markets shifted and fluxed, the large number at the bottom made him blanch. What would he ever do with this much gold?

He turned to the last page which was a list of Potter properties. His eyes scanned the list in curiosity and he saw that outside of Clevedon Court and the cottage in Godric's Hollow he also was the sole owner of a herbological garden centre in Devon where he remembered that he and Sirius had gone a few times to get seeds for their own garden; a place called _Potter's Paradise_ which was apparently a small manor house in Barbados; a villa in southern Italy; two wineries in France; a Scottish distillery; and two potion making warehouses, one in New York that bottled and supplied _Sleekeazy's Hair Potion_ and a second one in Liverpool that supplied _Skele-Gro_ and _Pepperup Potion_ to nearby clinics and hospitals.

Harry only stared at the papers for a moment more before he turned back to the first few pages that listed the family tree, glancing over the many names. His family had stuck within the same pureblood families for centuries he noted. He flipped back to the last page of the family tree to where his name was written.

 _Fleamont Henry Potter m. Euphemia Fawley_

 _James Fleamont Potter m. Lily Evans (mb)_

 _Harry James Potter (hb)_

 _Evans Family, Muggles, Cokeworth, Midlands, parents Deacon Evans (Secondary School history professor) and Cecilia Evans (homemaker, part-time bank teller)._

Harry frowned slightly at the letters next to his name and his mother's, but as he read it, he realized the importance of it. He was the first half-blood of the Potter family line and for some reason it gave him an odd sense of elation. Cokeworth, he thought, smiling at the name. He had never known that his mother was from there nor what his mother's parents' names had been.

His grandfather had taught history he thought with a grin, that was oddly surprising. He wondered what he had been like. He remembered Sirius telling him that his grandparents had died in a car crash when his mother had been in seventh year.

He scratched his chin and leaned back against the cushion of the sofa just as the cushion next to him was filled with bushy brown curls.

"Hi Mione."

Hermione smiled at him and leaned over to look at the folder. "What are you studying so intently so early this morning?"

"Uncle Sirius gave it to me. It's my family history. My grandfather was a secondary school teacher. He taught history in the Cotswolds."

"That's really interesting, Harry," Hermione said, smiling at him. "You never met him?"

He shook his head. "No, he and my grandmother died in a car crash when my mum was in seventh year. Uncle Siri said that her sister abandoned her, thought that she was a freak so my dad and their group of friends kind of adopted her."

"Your poor mum. I couldn't imagine having a sister who didn't have the ability to use magic though. That had to be really tough on both of them."

Harry shrugged. "I guess."

"May I?" She asked.

Harry passed her the folder and she flipped to the page titled _'Important Potters_ ' and smiled.

"The Potters invented _Skele-Gro_! And _Pepperup Potion_! And _Sleekeazy's_! Harry, this is brilliant and look, one of your ancestors helped train the original Aurors in the Magical Congress of the United States of America! This is wonderful!"

He smiled. "Seems like my family was always Potioneers, Politicians, and Aurors with a few loose cannons thrown in. See, it says James Jeffery Potter was a pirate in the seventeenth century and credited with being the curse breaker to break through underwater tombs in the Mediterranean. And Joan Potter invented _Hiccough Sweets_."

Hermione smiled. "This is honestly really wonderful. You're very lucky to have this."

Harry nodded, his eyes on her. "I know." He closed the folder and checked his watch. "It has to be time for breakfast soon, I'm starving."

She smiled at him. "Half an hour. So, why were you up so early? Just couldn't sleep?"

Harry shrugged. "Mostly, yeah. I did sleep most of the day yesterday and I think it just threw my schedule out of whack, but it was worth it. We ran outside in the woods and you could just see the difference it made in Uncle Moony."

"I'm glad."

He nodded and scratched his nose. "Er, Mandy and I broke up too."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? I didn't know that you were planning on breaking up with her."

"I wasn't. She broke up with me."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said moving to hug him.

He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm fine, Mione. Honest."

"Did she say why?"

Harry shrugged. "Doesn't matter. She said that she needs some time and some space, but maybe we can still be friends."

"You should try to be friends. You both got along really well."

He nodded.

"But she was smart, Harry, and she mentioned more than once that you were fairly distracted during Quidditch tryouts. We both know that you should have seen that Bludger coming at you."

Harry gave her a look. "I was watching the Chasers like I was supposed to be. I needed to make sure that they were not only playing well, but merging well with Angelina and Katie. I lost focus for a moment and yes, my leg still hurts."

Hermione smiled at him. "We both know that you were only watching one of the Chasers, Harry."

"I don't know what you mean."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "If you're going to play the fool, I won't stop you, but you should know that I think you're an idiot."

Harry watched her storm off, his face set in annoyance. She didn't know what she was talking about, he thought bitterly.

But Sirius' words were echoing in his mind. He needed to take some time for himself and think about what he really wanted. If he was going to do this, he had to be sure.

The flash of red out of the corner of his eye had his head turning as he watched that glorious mane of red hair tumble over her shoulders and down her back as she hugged Colin, saying something that made him laugh.

He had to be sure, he repeated, grabbing his folder to put it away as his stomach let out a loud unhappy grumble. First, he had to get some food and then he would worry about everything else.

 **Classes that day started off pretty much the same as Binns droned on and on about some rebellion with the goblins and Harry did his best to pay attention.** He was yawning hugely when he stepped into Arithmancy and found himself paired with Theo for a small project.

He sat across from him, eyes on his lean form and noticed that he looked a little worse for wear himself this morning. Once Professor Vector had instructed them on the math, Harry slid his chair closer to Theo so that they could go over the algorithm together. They worked in companionable silence for ten minutes before Theo suddenly turned to him.

"Does your godfather know of any good lawyers?"

Harry frowned in surprise. "Er, I suppose so, maybe. Why?"

Theo shrugged. "I am looking to invest in one, but I need to find someone that I can trust. Sirius Black is well known within the Ministry of Magic these days, I thought that he may have some suggestions."

Harry stared at him for a moment. "I'm going to see him this afternoon to go over some noble stuff, I can ask him."

Theo made a face, leaning in to whisper to him. "Precisely what I want to talk to a lawyer about. Auntie Cissa says that I can claim my title at sixteen."

Harry nodded, his eyes on Theo. "But your father is the Marquess, is he not?"

Theo shrugged. "And a wanted man. That should be taken into consideration."

"I'll ask Uncle Sirius today and get back to you."

"Thanks, Potter."

The bell rang signalling the end of class and Vector told them rgar they would be continuing their work on Wednesday with their assigned partners. Harry trekked back up to Gryffindor Tower to put his books away, grabbing his notebook for International Magical Relations before heading down to the Great Hall for lunch. Today they were to be starting the language component of the class and Hermione was beside herself with excitement.

Harry was really unsure on what language he wanted to learn and even now he wasn't sure if he had made the best choice. He had spoken to everyone and written to everyone looking for suggestions. The list in his notebook of pros and cons was long and in the end, he had chosen the one that most interested him and decided to go from there. So over the course of the school year he would be studying ancient Greek.

Professor Babbling divided up the class of nineteen between the three languages. Only himself, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones had opted for ancient Greek. Dean, Seamus, Lavender, Parvati, Sally-Anne Perks and Megan Jones chose Mermish. Leaving Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ernie Macmillan, Kevin Entwhistle, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Wayne Hopkins and Roger Malone to study Gobbledegook.

Harry said goodbye to his friends and moved to sit with Hannah and Susan, feeling a little uneasy at the prospect of sitting with his ex-girlfriend's two best friends. He sat next to Hannah and nodded at the two girls.

"So ancient Greek, eh?"

Hannah smiled warmly at him. "I think that it will be rather fascinating. Plus ancient Greek helps you understand all sorts of medical terms and I think that I maybe want to be a Healer one day so it would totally help."

"The Cyrillic and Greek alphabets are pretty similar so I think learning it would be beneficial later in learning other languages later on," Susan said with a smile.

Harry nodded. "I just thought that it would be interesting and like the syllabus said learning ancient Greek can help with Runes, Arithmancy, curse breaking and ultimately increase your spell repertoire because of the Latin and Greek combination. I thought it sounded more fun than Mermish or Gobbledegook."

Hannah smiled at him. "I agree. However, understanding Gobbledegook would be good from a financial standpoint, but this seemed better."

He smiled and looked up at Professor Babbling when she placed three textbooks in front of them. "For next Monday, I want you to study the alphabet, how the characters are written and why. I will be working with you personally."

"You're not teaching the other languages?" Harry asked in surprise.

Professor Babbling smiled. "I am fluent in all three, but ancient Greek is my specialty. Professor Dumbledore has agreed to teach Mermish with the help of the Merchieftaness Murcus from the Black Lake, who is a personal friend to Dumbledore. Professor Carthaginian will be teaching Gobbledegook."

Harry nodded in interest and opened the textbook to the first page which listed the Greek alphabet. "Professor, is it comparable to modern Greek?"

"It is similar," Babbling said with a smile. "Once you've mastered ancient Greek, it wouldn't take you no more than a month or two to master modern Greek. We'll talk more about it next week."

Harry nodded as the bell sounded and he put the textbook in his bag along with his notebook. He stood up and then hesitated, moving back over to Hannah and Susan. "Erm, how's Mandy?"

Susan's eyes darkened. "You broke her heart. How do you think she is?"

Hannah placed a hand on Susan's arm. "Suze, that's not fair. Mandy broke up with him, remember?" She gave Harry a sympathetic look. "She's okay, but she is a little heartbroken, she really liked you, Harry."

"I like her too," he admitted, his eyes sad.

Hannah smiled. "But sometimes no matter how much we like each other, we know that we aren't meant for each other." She squeezed his arm gently before she gestured for Susan to follow her.

Harry shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched them go. He knew that he and Mandy weren't meant for each other, but he had really liked her and he did miss her while at the same time, he did feel a bit relieved that they weren't together anymore. It was those conflicting thoughts that were bothering him the most.

He grabbed his bag off the table and told his friends where he was going before he headed to his father's office where he found Sirius waiting for him. They had some exploring and finances to discuss.

 **Theo looked up at the sound of someone sitting next to him in the library as he tried to work on his Transfiguration paper before dinner and he smiled at Colin.** His curly blonde hair seemed even more flyaway than usual and his tongue was sticking out the side of his mouth as if he was contemplating something.

"Creevey."

Colin nodded and let out a slow sigh, sliding his chair closer to Theo. "Homework before dinner? You must have exciting plans."

Theo snorted as he thought about how he had been ordered to meet Macmillan on the seventh floor at seven. "Not really. What are you doing in here?"

"Looking for you actually," he said, wiping his sweaty palms on the sides of his pants. "How did you know that you were gay?"

Theo glanced at the lanky teen next to him in surprise. It was the last thing that he had expected Colin to ask him. "Well, I think that I always knew to be honest. Why?"

Colin shrugged and dragged his fingers through his wild afro of pale curls as they only bounced back into place. "I was just curious."

He stared at him, watching him bounce nervously in the chair next to him. "Colin, are you worried that you might be gay?"

"I don't know. I should know, right?" He said, his eyes bright as they stared at Theo.

Theo smiled and leaned on his elbow, turning to give his friend his full attention. "What makes you think that you might be?"

Colin shrugged again. "Well, I don't know, maybe nothing."

He merely raised an eyebrow in response.

Colin sighed. "So today in Potions class I found himself staring at Ginny for the longest time. She had her nose all crinkled up in disgust from the awful smell that was emerging from someone's nearby cauldron. It was green and definitely not the Calming Draught that we were supposed to be brewing and her freckles made her face look darker in the dim light of the dungeon and all I could think about was how pretty she is and how beautiful she looks in the bright light or the low light or any light really."

Theo grinned. "That sounds like you fancy Ginny, Colin. And I can promise you, with tits like hers, she's not a bloke."

He smiled. "I know. And she does have fabulous tits, I mean, it's wrong of me to look at them because we're friends, but sometimes I just want to as they're, you know, there, but then I think about what kissing her would be like and I love her like a sister so that seems wrong too so then I thought maybe it was just a friendship thing so I imagined kissing you and that was weird."

Theo tilted his head to grin at him. "Colin, you know that you can be attracted to both blokes and birds, right? You don't have to choose one that you like better. It's about finding the person who makes you happy."

Colin nodded, still wiping his sweaty palms on the side of his pants. "I had a dream last night that Ginny and Luna were on my bed snogging and both of them were topless."

Theo's grin widened. "That's a great dream. Did you wake up hard?"

"So hard," he said, blushing. "Then after I, you know, I went to take a shower and David was in there and he was also, you know, and well … I couldn't help but watch."

"Did David catch you?"

Colin nodded. "He told me that I could watch and then when he finished he called me a freak and I felt … wrong. But I liked it, Theo. I liked watching his hands move along his cock like that and I … am I gay?" He buried his face in his hands. "I feel like I don't know who I am!"

Theo grabbed Colin's hand and tugged him up to his feet. "Come with me."

He dragged Colin from the library and down to an empty classroom on the left, closing the door behind him. Colin merely looked up at him, his eyes wide.

Theo crossed his arms in front of his chest as he stared at his friend. He had always thought Colin was adorable, his curly blonde hair and tall lean frame was making him grow into an attractive bloke. He knew that he was Muggleborn and loved photography, but other than the few times he had been around when he had been with Ginny, he had never really spent any time alone with the bloke. He watched him now, his blue eyes wide, his curly blonde hair wildly flyaway from his hands and badly in need of a trim. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his Gryffindor tie crooked and his laces on his trainers were undone. He looked adorably sexy, Theo thought.

He took a step towards him. "Okay, so you are attracted to Ginny and Luna yet it also excited you when David stroked his cock, am I getting this right?"

Colin nodded, swallowing slowly. "Er, yes?"

"Okay, let's try an experiment then."

His soft lips opened in a surprised oh. "Like what?"

Theo smiled and leaned in a little closer. "Trust me. Close your eyes." At Colin's look, he chuckled. "Close your eyes, Colin."

Colin let out a slow breath, his hands gripping the table behind him tightly before he closed his eyes.

Theo stared at him for a moment. Colin's cheeks were a little flushed and he smiled as he realized that he could practically see the wheels turning in the boy's mind wondering what was going to happen now that his eyes were closed.

"Keep your eyes closed," Theo said.

"They are!"

He grinned. "Okay, I want you to imagine soft lips pressed against yours. Soft kisses against your mouth. That hot, wet mouth is moving down your neck, over your shoulders, down your chest. Fingers are unbuttoning your shirt as the mouth moves lower, kissing down your chest softly. Are you imagining it?"

Colin nodded, his mouth parted slightly. "Uh-huh."

Theo smiled. "That hot mouth keeps kissing you as nimble fingers tug your zipper down. Hands slip into your underwear and free your cock, stroking it. Then that delicious mouth and those soft lips wrap around your cock and they look up, your cock in their mouth and they make eye contact with you. Who is it?"

Colin flushed dark red. "What?"

Theo grinned. "Who has their lips wrapped around your cock? Is it a girl or is it a bloke?"

Colin mumbled something under his breath.

"Colin, tell me."

"It was … Harry," he whispered.

Theo grinned. "Well, that answers your question, doesn't it?"

Colin blushed. "That just … just like that?"

Theo smiled at him. "I never said he or she, I just said imagine lips and you imagined Potter, who I totally believe is completely hung by the way, so I think that makes you pretty damn gay."

Colin sighed. "But … girls …"

Theo leaned in closer to him. "Potter or Ginny on their knees right now, which one would you choose to suck your cock?"

Colin blushed scarlet and covered his face with his hands. "That's … I can't say."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Colin peaked at him between his fingers. "Because I want both of them."

Theo grinned. "There's nothing with that, Colin."

Colin frowned. "That seems greedy."

Theo chuckled. "It's not greedy. It doesn't mean you choose to be with multiple people at the same time, though if you do that's your prerogative, but it means that you are attracted to both sexes."

Colin scratched his head. "Oh."

He smirked and pat Colin's arm gently. "Unless you are on the brink of making a life altering choice, I'm not sure why needing to know this very minute was so important to you."

"Because … because I like Ginny, Theo, I mean, I really like her and when I look at her, all I can think about is how she gets more beautiful every day and that she'll never be mine. That I will always be in the friend column no matter what I do and that even if I did find my way out, her heart belongs to someone else."

"Potter," Theo said with a nod. "Not that she'd admit it, but it's Potter. In your fantasy you had both of them."

Colin blushed. "The thing is … I love her. She's my best friend, my first magical friend and as much as I'm attracted to her, I'm not _in love_ with her. We're better off as friends that much is obvious and yet I can't stop - it doesn't make sense."

"Okay, so again, why did you need to know this very minute?"

Colin sighed and let out a slow breath. "I just don't know what to do. If I admit that I like blokes and birds, now what?"

"What do you mean, now what?"

"Now what do I do with this information?"

Theo chuckled as he watched him tap his fingers on the table behind him. "You don't do anything, Colin. You're still you. You are attracted to blokes and you are attracted to birds. Now that you know that, you move at your own pace. If you find someone that you think you might like, you maybe flirt a little and go from there. It's not going to change anything."

"But what if I don't know how to flirt and I don't know how to kiss and they laugh at me because I don't know anything about relationships or having a boyfriend or girlfriend and I know the fantasy I just had about Harry is just a fantasy because everyone knows that he's not into blokes and I don't know what to do or how to go about anything or - mmph."

Theo's hand covered Colin's lips to stop him from talking. He leaned in close and his eyes met his before Colin nodded and he crushed his lips to his, smiling as Colin opened his mouth hesitantly. He kissed him softly, deeply and slipped him a little tongue before he pulled away. "Now you've kissed someone. Breathe."

Colin stared at him, his breathing heavy. "I - um - er …"

Theo smiled. "You are absolutely adorable, Colin Creevey, and trust me, you'll find someone who wants to be with you when you are ready. And when the time comes, I promise to help you in any way that I can."

Colin continued to stare at him. "Could you … could you maybe do that again?"

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Do what again?"

"Kiss me."

Theo slid his hand along Colin's cheek, cupping the back of his neck as he leaned in and kissed him softly. It was soft and sweet and when he pulled away, Colin was grinning foolishly.

"You're really good at that."

Theo smiled. "Thanks. Colin, I like you, but we're friends and - "

" - No," he interrupted, shaking his head. "I know. I feel the same. I just needed to be sure, I guess. Thank you."

Theo grinned at him. "You're welcome."

Colin slipped his hands into his pockets and snuck a glance at him. "But the kiss was really nice."

Theo smiled and grabbed his book bag off the floor. "Yeah, it was. Come on, let's go to dinner."

He watched Colin walk in front of him and he smiled. He wished that he could remember when he had been that innocent. Macmillan caught his eye as they stepped into the Great Hall and he sobered, swallowing slowly.

He hoped Potter got back to him soon about that potential lawyer.

 **Harry and Sirius had spent over three hours in the Potter vaults within** ** _Gringotts_** **and Harry felt like his head was spinning.** Sirius had told him that he had taken the little jewellery box with his grandparents and parents important things out years ago and had it locked in his vault in Black Cottage for Harry to go through, but the rest just seemed massive.

Not only was every vault full of gold and jewels, but they were full of art and sculptures and priceless tapestries or old clothing and portraits of family members who had long died. Harry had found himself having a rather in depth conversation on war with his great-grandfather Henry's portrait who insisted that casualties would have been way down if the Minister of Magic had allowed witches and wizards to intervene properly in the Great War.

It had been amazing and overwhelming.

He looked over at Sirius when his arm came around his shoulders.

"Does your brain hurt yet? Mine hurts and I was only looking at you."

Harry grinned. "A little, yeah. But I'm glad that we did this and I see what you mean about me not having to do much to maintain it."

"It all takes care of itself for the most part, Harry. You just have to know where to keep your fingers in all the pies."

He nodded. "I think that I can do that."

Sirius smiled. "Once a month we'll go over it together, okay? It will help you keep a better understanding of what's going on and will help you keep track of it all. The more we do it, the more you'll be able to handle it all yourself."

Harry nodded. "That sounds great, thanks."

"Want to stop at a pub and grab a bite?" He asked, looking at his watch. "I think that you missed dinner."

Harry readily agreed and they slid into Muggle London to find some place to eat. Once they were seated and had each ordered a plate of fish and chips, Harry asked Sirius about lawyers.

"I know a few, I reckon," Sirius told him as he sipped his pint. "Who's looking?"

"Theodore Nott," Harry said. "He mentioned something about his upcoming sixteenth birthday and being able to claim his rights with his father being wanted by the Ministry? I don't know how much of thst is true or not, but he says that he needs to find someone who he can trust with his estate."

Sirius frowned at that. "Hmm, that is interesting."

"Is he right?"

"Well, in theory maybe. I'll look into it. I think I know someone who could potentially help."

Harry nodded. "Okay, I'll let him know."

"How were your classes today otherwise?"

"Okay," Harry said, shrugging. "Binns was as boring as usual. I'm working with Theo on these algorithms for Arithmancy. Babbling divided us up according to language and it's just me Hannah and Susan learning ancient Greek from our class, you know, Mandy's friends."

"Ah," Sirius said, his eyes on his son. "Is that awkward?"

"I don't know yet," Harry told honestly. "Susan seems to be holding a bigger grudge than Hannah. We'll see."

"And anymore thoughts on Ginny?"

Harry only took a long drink of his tea. "Any new ideas on where the diadem could be hiding?"

Sirius grinned. "Okay, not so subtle subject change, I can take a hint." He picked up a chip from his plate, tapping some of the salt off the fry before popping it into his mouth. "No, and I haven't thought about it. I've been too busy working on the War Council. King is hoping to get the first recruits into training within the next two weeks and we'll see."

He nodded. "You're going to sign up."

Sirius stared at his son before he reached across the table and placed his hand over his. "I am. I'm not a sit on the sidelines kind of bloke, Harry, and I know that you aren't either. But this is for seventeen and older and I am signing up. I want to do my part just as much as you do."

Harry stared down at his food. "I want to help fight him."

"And you will," Sirius told him. "When it's the right time. In the meantime, I am giving you and your marauders the job of the diadem. We know it has to be somewhere inside the school. Find it, Harry. Start looking and see what you can dig up. Explore the castle and maybe you'll find new secret passages to add to the map."

Harry smiled at him. "I can do that."

Sirius grinned back. "So let's embark on a new hunt. Operation FUVP is back in action and I will work on the Order stuff. Deal?"

"Deal."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _I wrote the Sacred Twenty-Eight wording and added the random names of those not included, the twenty-eight names listed are from Pottermore._

 _Real historical figures mentioned:_

 _King Edward III = real king of England (actually his heir King Richard II is the one who created the first Marquess title in England in 1386, the Marquess of Dublin, I made it forty years earlier to the made up character of Simon Potter)_

 _John de Clevedon = architect of Clevedon Court, real manor house in Somerset (made up his daughter Matilda)_

 _Known Potter family members mentioned:_

 _Charlus Potter and Dorea Black = not clear on how they were connected to Harry, I decided to make Charlus be the younger brother of Fleamont; made up the name of their son, William_

 _Linfred of Stinchcome = earliest known Potter_

 _Hardwin Potter = married into Peverelly family and brought Cloak of Invisiblity_

 _Abraham Potter = went to America to teach Aurors of MACUSA._

 _Henry Potter = argued with Minister Evermonde about getting involved in WWI_

 _Fleamont Potter = when he retired he sold his company, I decided in the 1960s soon after James was born_

 _Lily's parents' names have not been revealed nor do we know naything about them outside of them supposedly dying some time before Harry was born so I chose their names and professions from my Jily story that I wrote a few years ago called:_ ** _Crazy Little Thing Called Love._**

 _Thank you as always and please review. :D_


	194. Chapter 194

_Author's Note:_

 _Reviews: Thank you for the kind reviews, especially James who writes me mini novels that I love! Keep them coming (I'm a bit of a review whore ;) For those who followed me on tumblr at_ _breaniebree_ _thank you! I hope the photos and extra information make your story reading more enjoyable! I struggled writing the Colin scene because I wanted him to come off as unsure of himself and not clear if it was okay for him to fancy both boys and girls and for Theo to be like, it's totally allowed and just be who you want to, which I thought meant a lot coming from Theo considering his own personal struggles and how much he wants to take his own advice. I wanted to bring the Potter Family to life and what better way to do that than by having Sirius show Harry the memory of him being adopted into the family both initially and then officially. It's how I always imagined it went. Full trust and open arms as if he had always had a home there._

 _For the people claiming Hinny shouldn't happen now because it's too forced - it is coming, deal with it. For those who can't wait - it is coming, be patient, single digit chapters away …_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-FOUR:**

 **Peter looked up at the sound of the door opening to the large dining room in Selwyn Manor.** He was sitting at the table eating the sandwiches prepared by the house elves. His eyes moved across Macklebee and Bulstrode as they took their seats, both looking marginally better than they had when they had arrived over two weeks ago. Prison had not been kind to them.

"Pettigrew," Macklebee said in acknowledgment, reaching for a sandwich.

"How was Azkaban without the Dementors breathing over your shoulder?" Peter asked.

Macklebee glared at him. "Still prison. Black thinks that he's the big man on the hill now and I can't wait to take him down a peg or two. That smug look on his face when our names were pointed out in that memory …"

Bulstrode placed a hand on his shoulder. "He'll get what's coming to him."

Peter took another bite of his sandwich and chose not to answer.

The three of them visibly flinched as Nagini slithered into the room, her long body sliding across the floor until she settled herself in the middle of the table as Voldemort came in behind her followed by Abraxas, Lucius, Bellatrix, Woodrow and Wendall Selwyn, Titus and Aurelius Avery, and Barty Crouch Jr. They made themselves comfortable around the table as the Dark Lord sat at the head, touching his long spindly fingertips together as he looked around the room.

"The Ministry has run scared since our breakout, but they are preparing for war," he said cooly to the room.

Peter swallowed slowly, afraid to tear his eyes away from the Dark Lord's dancing fingers.

"I've heard news of a new piece of legislation that is currently being put into action that will mobilize troops in case we attack. I find it incredibly Muggle-like and I'm not concerned. I know that we will be triumphant," he said smoothly. "We'll let them struggle with their attempts at preparation and we will concentrate on more important things."

"Anything, my lord, anything you say," Bellatrix said, her voice almost reverent.

Voldemort gave her a cruel smile, his thin lips looking almost mocking. "Our soldiers are spread across safe houses in Eastern Europe waiting for my word. In the meantime, I have a little project that I would like to start out with. Harry Potter escaped my grasp in June."

He paused there, eyes moving around the room to see the reactions of those around him as they waited with baited breath for him for to continue.

"He escaped all of our grasps and as you know, I was angry. It was my opportunity to kill him once and for all and I was distracted. I allowed myself to get cocky. Potter being an Animagus took all of us by surprise and I for one would like to make sure that something like that _does - not - happen - again_."

As everyone only nodded at him, he continued.

"Part of the way I will do this, is to discover his weaknesses. Other than being a child, he has proven to have a natural affinity for magic, surprising considering his mother was a filthy Mudblood. Obviously Black is an obstacle that we must deal with in the future, but in the meantime, I want to hear that prophecy. I want to hear the prophecy that claimed Harry Potter would be my downfall. For he has weakened me and he has struck me down, but he has not ended me. I am immortal."

Titus Avery leaned back in his seat. "Breaking into the Ministry of Magic is not going to be an easy feat, my lord. All of us are on the most wanted list."

Voldemort nodded. "I'm aware. But you are wrong about that, Avery, not all of us are on that list. I think it's time that we send word to Corban."

Abraxas nodded. "I know a few people who work on the ninth level of the Ministry as well, I'll see what I can discover. The Ministry has to have a copy of the prophecy somewhere like Severus said."

"As for Black," Macklebee said bitterly. "I want to make him suffer. That smug look when he had all of us arrested and … it's not just Potter."

Bulstrode nodded. "Everyone knows that he's been fucking that Magizoologist cunt for years now."

Voldemort smiled. "Black will pay, but he's not our first priority, Markus. Potter is. They call him the Boy Who Lived and now he's being hailed as the Chosen One. The last thing that we need is more him to become the chanted hero."

"And Black is Potter's weakness!" Bellatrix exclaimed, her eyes gleaming in manic excitement. "Let me kill him for you, my Lord!"

Voldemort held up his hand to silence her. "Black is one of them, yes. But right now, the contents of the prophecy are more important than Black. I want to know why it was prophesied that he would defeat me and once I do, I will kill him, and he will become the Boy Who Lived No More."

Everyone only nodded as Voldemort stood up. He sailed from the room as the great snake followed him and Macklebee glared at Abraxas.

"I want Black and his bitch of a girlfriend."

Abraxas smiled. "When the time is right, I'm sure that the Dark Lord will give them to you, Aaron, until then, we follow his orders. Lucius, come with me."

Lucius stood up, nodding as he followed his father out of the room.

Peter watched them go, a lump in his throat. The fact that Harry Potter was an Animagus at fifteen years old only further reminded him of James and he swallowed slowly. What did the prophecy say? Was it true? Was Harry actually more powerful than Lord Voldemort?

The thought terrified him on many levels and he turned back to his food, his stomach churning. After he had left Snape when the Dark Lord called him back to the graveyard, he had found himself once more in the thick of things and just like before, he wasn't sure what that meant for him.

The only thing that he did know was that the power he had watched his nephew exude fighting the Dark Lord in an attempt to escape had been amazing and the pride that had welled up inside of him, both scared and pleased him simultaneously.

And he had no idea what to do with his thoughts.

 **When Harry returned to Hogwarts that evening, his head was still full of the Potter Estate.** He joined his friends in the common room to do his homework and filled them in on what he had gone over with Sirius. Hermione was fascinated. Ron seemed mildly interested, but Harry could see the annoyance line there as well. He knew that it bothered Ron sometimes that his parents weren't very well off, but he had been doing a good job of pretending like it didn't. Ron was exceedingly proud in a way that Harry admired.

Harry let Neville know that Sirius was excited at the prospect of giving him financial advice as well and Neville grinned at him. They worked in companionable silence for the most part, each of them complaining in turn about something homework related before heading up to bed. Harry found himself a bit restless and pulled out the folder again from his trunk. He soon found himself scribbling furiously in his journal, trying to make his brain quiet down. When he finally tucked his journal away for the night, he still lied there, eyes open and unable to shut his mind off.

When the clock read one thirty, he jumped up. He pulled a tee shirt over his head and grabbed his sneakers, his invisibility cloak and the map. He needed to find something to occupy his time since sleep clearly wasn't happening. He snuck a look back at his roommates who were all sleeping soundly and decided to venture down himself.

He made his way up to the tallest tower, eyes on the map, but no one was in sight. Out of general curiosity he found himself exploring everything that he could find. He looked in broom closets and abandoned rooms with a loose idea of searching for the diadem in the back of his mind. He moved towards the West Tower, thinking maybe something was there and to his surprise he did find something.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the diadem.

But there was a hidden door behind a tapestry of elves dancing around a stone circle. He almost didn't see it, but something seemed to sparkle and had caught his attention from the light of his wand. He moved closer, checking the map and grinned when he saw the little dot appear with a speech bubble that read: 'patefacio sursum'. He said the words aloud and watched in amazement as the stone wall behind the tapestry slid open revealing a large circular room at the top of the tower.

It looked almost like a common room of sorts with a warm fireplace against the wall, two big armchairs and a small love seat full of throw pillows and blankets. There were bookshelves on the walls full of novels both Muggle and Magical works of fiction along with history books and books on herbs and plants, potion making, and a few charms books. It was warm and inviting and when he went to the window and looked out he saw that he could see the entire Hogwarts grounds below. He found it oddly peaceful.

His watch told him that it was after three and he yawned, finally starting to feel tired. Instead of making his way back to his dorm, he made himself comfortable in the armchair, tugging one of the blankets up around him and was soon sleeping soundly in the hidden room, content with his own company.

When he woke in the morning, he forgot where he was for a moment before he remembered his exploration. He thought about showing the room to his friends at the earliest opportunity, but then he decided to wait. It was quiet here, peaceful and he thought that it might be a good place for him to think when he needed it. He checked his watch, realizing that he had slept almost two hours and jumped to his feet.

He made it back to his dorm just as his roommates were getting out of bed and he hopped in the shower, leaving them none the wiser that he had been absent. When he moved into the dorm to dress, he saw Seamus staring at himself in the mirror, seemingly lost in thought.

"Seamus, you okay?"

Seamus looked startled for a moment before he caught himself and nodded. "Yes, fine."

Harry only raised an eyebrow and he sighed.

"Fine, really. Just thinking about something is all."

Harry nodded as he dressed in his uniform to get ready for the day, but he couldn't help but wonder what was on Seamus' mind. He waited for Ron and Neville before heading down to breakfast and his eyes searched the hall for that familiar head of bright flames before he could stop himself. He saw her sitting next to Colin and he let out a slow sigh, feeling calmer at the sight of her.

He had his own thoughts to think about and the most important one at the moment was trying to figure out if Ginny could possibly ever be interested in him in a romantic sense and what he wanted to do about it.

 **October brought upon a gust of fall, temperatures dropped and the winds seemed to chill down to the bone.** Seamus was bundled up warm as he sat under a tree on the edge of the Black Lake near the Forbidden Forest watching his boyfriend skip stones along the surface. They had been there for almost half an hour and had barely said anything. Seamus leaned back against the thick tree trunk as he spoke.

"Are you ever going to tell me what's going on? You keep starting and then you push it off like it's nothing."

Will hesitated a moment before he tossed another stone and watched it skip across the surface of the lake. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared out at the water in silence for a long moment before he turned and knelt in front of his boyfriend.

"I'm leaving in January."

Seamus chuckled. "In the middle of the school year? Yeah, right."

Will shook his head. "No, I am, babe."

Seamus' eyes widened before hurt flashed across them. "What do you mean you're leaving? You can't just leave Hogwarts!"

Will leaned back on his ankles, his eyes on his boyfriend. "At the Herbology Camp this summer an opportunity came up. I signed up and applied and I heard back, officially, three days ago."

"What kind of opportunity?"

"Seam, you know that my dream has always been to be an Herbologist. I want to work with plants and study them and discover new ones or new ways to use them. I love vegetation and I love immersing myself in that world," he said quietly, his eyes on his boyfriend. He smiled as he continued. "There's an opportunity for me to further my education by taking on an apprenticeship where I can study the rainforest and the plants and the animals that live there. I will be working with other Herbologists who will be training me and assisting me in my tasks. It's a one year apprenticeship program and when I'm finished, I write my NEWTs along with my PLANTS, you know, the Painstakingly Laborious Agriculturalist/Naturalist Trial Sets. Then I can find a job in my field."

Seamus stared at him. "That's great, Will. I mean, I know that it's what you always wanted. But I still don't understand the leaving part?"

Will let out a slow sigh. "The apprenticeship program is in the Congo."

Seamus' mouth opened in shock before he promptly closed it again.

Will leaned in and pressed his forehead against Seamus'. "I leave the twenty-eighth of December."

Seamus bit his lip, surprised at the urge he felt to start crying. "You - Africa?"

Will kissed his cheek tenderly. "I love you and this last year has been the best of my life. But I … I want this, Seam. I want it so bad and I wasn't even sure if I was going to get it and then the letter came and … do you hate me?"

Seamus shook his head. "No! Of course, I don't … it's just … that's less than three months from now and … what am I going to do without you?"

Will smiled and moved to sit next to his boyfriend, wrapping him tightly in his arms. "You'll do great without me just like always. But I hope you'll miss me."

"Gods, Will! I'm going to miss you every fucking day," Seamus said, burying his face in his boyfriend's shoulder.

His arms tightened around Seamus as he held him for a long moment. "I don't want to leave you, but I want this so much and I - "

Seamus shook his head, tilting his head up to look into the green eyes. "No, I - I get it."

Will bent his head and kissed him softly. "I love you. I will write to you every day. I promise."

Seamus leaned into the kiss, nodding in acknowledgment, but not really taking in what Will was telling him. Instead, he let his cold fingers find their way into his curls and tugged him closer, deepening the kiss. He wasn't sure how long they sat there, wrapped in each other's arms as they kissed, but when they finally stood and made their way back to the castle, the sun had started to go down.

Will kissed him goodnight and Seamus made his way up to his empty dorm. He undressed, changing into his pyjama bottoms before he crawled into his bed and buried his face in his pillow as the tears fell. He clung to the pillow tightly trying to muffle his sobs and he had just managed to get himself under control when he felt the bed sink at his hip and he turned a tear-stained face to see Dean sitting there looking concerned.

"Hey," Dean said softly, pulling the bed curtains closed around them.

Seamus stared at him and then he sat up and threw his arms around Dean, hugging him tightly.

Dean seemed slightly startled by this, but he carefully brought his arms up to hold his friend.

Seamus clung tightly, the smell of Dean's cologne, that citrus flowery musk that invaded his senses and made him think of his best mate. He relaxed a little as Dean's hands ran up and down his back in comfort. He finally managed to control himself before he pulled back and sniffed.

"Sorry."

Dean shook his head, keeping his hands on Seamus' bare back. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Seamus let out a slow sigh. "Will he's … he's moving away! To Africa!"

Dean's eyebrow rose in question as Seamus gushed about the apprenticeship program and what a wonderful opportunity it was for him. When he finished, his eyes were full of tears again.

"Seam, it sounds like a great chance for him, of course he's going to go."

"I know," Seamus said sadly. "But I love him and I want him to stay here with me and then I feel like the worst boyfriend ever because I don't want him to not have his own dreams!"

Dean smiled sympathetically. He could see the turmoil in his friend's eyes as he tried his best to ease it. "You're not the worst boyfriend ever and besides, he didn't say that he wanted to break up, did he?"

Seamus shook his head. "No, but … long distance isn't … I mean … maybe …"

"You and Will are going to figure it out, Seam."

Seamus nodded, using his hand to wipe away his tears. "Yeah, I guess."

Dean shifted on the bed so that he was lying next to his friend. "Budge over."

"What - what are you doing?"

"Not leaving you alone to wallow. Budge up."

Seamus hesitated only a moment before he shifted and lied back down to look at his friend who was stretched out next to him. "You think that I'm overreacting."

Dean shook his head, getting comfortable on his side to look at his friend. "If I thought that you were overreacting I would tell you that. You've been with Will for over a year, of course you're sad and scared for him to leave. It doesn't mean that you aren't happy for him. It doesn't mean that you don't want him to succeed."

"Of course I'm happy for him! Of course I want him to succeed! It's his dream, Dean!"

Dean smiled. "You two will figure it out. I promise."

Seamus nodded, his eyes on Dean's dark brown ones. "Dean?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you - er, I mean, can you stay here until I fall asleep?"

A soft smile fluttered across Dean's lips. "As long as you want, Seam."

Seamus smiled at that and tugged the blankets up around him, comforted by the warm body lying next to him. He snuggled into his pillow, his eyes on Dean's dark neck before he closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

Dean watched his friend fall asleep, his breathing softening as he drifted off and he frowned. Seamus' sandy brown hair was a tousled mess on top of his head and he let his eyes drift down the soft milky white skin and the soft blonde hair curling across his chest. He had a smattering of freckles across his shoulders and Dean found himself fisting his fingers tightly to stop himself from reaching out to trace them. His gaze dropped lower to the light blonde trail under his naval that drifted down into his pants and he felt his cheeks heat. Seamus needed a friend right now, not a creepy gawker he told himself.

He stayed on his side, his eyes on his friend for the longest time, watching the rise and fall of his chest until he turned, rolling over onto his side, his warm bum brushing his hip and Dean bit his lip to stifle his groan. He slid carefully out of the bed, wrapping his friend up more securely and shuffled back to his own bed.

He crawled into his own bed, trying to come to terms with what he was feeling. He had been spending the majority of his time flirting with Ginny. He was going to ask her to go to Hogsmeade with him. He wanted to take her on a date. He wanted to get his hands on her tits if he was honest with himself, but then he glanced over at the sleeping form of his friend. He knew that Seamus would be alright, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep an extra close eye on him.

His eyes moved across the freckles on Seamus' pale back and he sighed. He could find his friend good looking, it was normal. It didn't make him gay, he thought bitterly. He was going to ask out Ginny in the morning. Then everything could go back to normal once he had a girlfriend again.

But Dean's eyes stayed on Seamus for a long time before he finally drifted off to sleep.

 **Ginny didn't find out that Harry and Mandy had broken up until almost a week after it had happened.** Hermione had mentioned it in passing and Ginny had been startled to discover it, not having noticed that Harry wasn't spending time with his girlfriend. Dean was flirting with her on a daily basis and she had thought that he was going to ask her to the upcoming Hogsmeade trip, but now she wasn't so sure. She found that instead of thinking about Dean and whether or not she was interested in him, she found herself watching Harry.

And she was watching Harry in a way that she found to be very dangerous.

She noticed that he ran his fingers through his hair whenever he was frustrated with his schoolwork or did it absently when he was lost in thought. She noticed that he drummed his fingers on the table in the same rhythm as Professor Lupin, which was often to the tune of 'We Will Rock You' by Queen. She noticed that his eyes were quick to smile or laugh whenever one of his friends spoke to him in a way that made him seem lighter and more approachable than he had ever been which she assumed was part of the Horcrux removal. She noticed that his eyes landed on countless girls as they walked by as if he was contemplating something before he would dismiss them almost instantly.

And most of all, she noticed that he never looked at Mandy.

She wanted to ask him how he was doing with the breakup and if he was feeling alright, but Hermione's words had made her suddenly nervous to do so. Harry had been acting _very_ strangely around her lately, she could admit that. He seemed hesitant to show her the same affection that they had always shared like hugs; Merlin, she missed his hugs sometimes more than she could express. He was always there, his arm touching hers or his hip bumping hers and each time it sent a little thrill through her.

His black hair, always so unruly, stuck up in every direction giving him a careless bedhead look that was incredibly sexy. He was six feet tall if he was an inch and his lanky form was all lean muscle from Quidditch. She ignored Theo's teasing for the most part, but she did have to admit that Harry's bum had definitely gotten better looking if that was even at all possible. He hadn't said anything to her about Dean, but she had seen a strange look in his eye whenever Dean approached her. It looked oddly like anger which made her wonder why he would be angry that Dean was harmlessly flirting.

But she had never once saw him watching her.

Harry was Harry and the thought that he could possibly like her as someone more than a friend was thrilling and terrifying in equal measure. The terror was because she was too afraid to get her hopes up. The thrill was because whenever he did look at her and her brown eyes locked on those green ones, her stomach would do a full backflip.

But he had told her … they would only ever be friends and she hated herself for allowing her hopes to rise that they could possibly be more. But she was lying to herself if she hadn't also replayed his words in her mind over and over again. The words he had said to her before the AH was removed: _that it was better for both of them if she hadn't gone to Greece with him._

Those words had bothered her the moment that he had said them, but she hadn't known what to make of them. And if she was being honest with herself, she still didn't know what to make of them.

She looked up, smiling brightly at Colin as he walked towards her and blocked her view of Harry.

"Hi Colin, how goes the paper?"

Colin shrugged and sat down. "It goes."

Ginny tucked her long hair behind her ear and smiled brightly at him. "Talk."

He shrugged again. "Don't you have Quidditch practice?"

"Not for another hour," she said, smiling at him. "Now stop stalling. What's wrong?"

"Nothings wrong," he said slowly. "I'm just … I have a lot of thoughts."

"Knut for your thoughts?"

He smiled sheepishly and leaned in closer to her. "My thoughts are worth Galleons, Ginny, how dare you."

She chuckled. "I apologize. Is the paper giving you trouble? Are you not being given good enough photograph opportunities?"

Colin shook his head. "No, it's fine. Dennis was just telling me that he finally had a class with an official inspection in it."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Really? I wondered when they would start on that. It's the first week of October and I haven't heard anything."

He nodded. "Apparently they've been spending their time holed up in the staffroom and reviewing the course syllabus for each class and comparing it to the Ministry curriculum. Dennis said that he had Madam Umbridge sit in during Frog Choir. He said that she didn't say much, but sat in the corner scribbling all sorts of notes. But towards the end of the session, she went over to Flitwick to ask him questions and mid question, she used her wand to measure his height."

Ginny's mouth dropped open. "How dare she! That horrid cow!"

Colin nodded. "Flitwick chuckled about it and told her not to worry, that he used his desk when he needed to see over the classroom. But you know how Flitwick is, I just think that he didn't know how to react."

Ginny shook her head, shooting a glance towards the head table where Umbridge was sitting between Raffigan and Sinistra. "I don't trust her being here. After all the trouble she caused two years ago with Professor Lupin and her so called Undesirable Bill, she is trouble. Not to mention that she's nothing but a bigot. She's afraid of anyone who is different."

Colin snuck a glance at the head table as well before turning his attention back to Ginny. "I agree, but like Dumbledore said, she's here on orders of the Ministry of Magic. There's nothing that we can do and technically she hasn't done anything wrong."

Ginny took a sip of her orange juice and scowled as the word _yet_ crossed her mind.

That didn't mean that she had to like it.

 **Theo was surprised to see the regular barn owl land in front of him.** He hardly ever got mail unless it was from Narcissa Malfoy. He stroked the bird in thanks and took the letter in interest, his name was on the front, but not much else.

Blaise nodded at him. "Who's that from?"

"Dunno," Theo told him, carefully slicing the envelope open. He pulled out the parchment and read quietly to himself.

 _Dear Mr Nott,_

 _It has come to my attention that as of the 21st of October 1995, you will be turning sixteen years old. Sixteen is the legal age of majority meaning that even though seventeen is the year we are considered to be adults, sixteen is the age that one is legally in control over their own actions and decisions, and parents can be classified as being no longer responsible for them. It is also the age of consent, which means that you, the heir to the Nott Estate and the future Marquess of Norfolk have every legal right to your title and name and can technically fight for the claim to inherit at the age of majority under certain circumstances._

 _I would like to meet with you to discuss this further._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Franklin M. Smith_

 _Smith and Davis Magical Office of Law_

 _Diagon Alley, London_

Theo stared at the letter in his hand in surprise. Potter's godfather had come through he thought and he had chosen someone who wasn't directly associated with the Ministry of Magic which was interesting. Theo tucked the letter away in his robes and smiled at Blaise.

"Potentially good things, Zabini."

Blaise only shrugged and dug into his berry oatmeal. "Whatever you say, Theo."

But Theo couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face.

 **Sirius spent his morning running drills under Auror Rufus Scrimgeour the new Commander of the Terra Troops Force.** He was still auditioning witches and wizards for the new unit and Sirius was happy to tryout, but he had no worries about not getting in. He knew that he had the skill to be on the force, but the difficulty of the obstacles themselves were proving quite challenging and he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He and King had discussed the Terra Troops Force more the other day, the plans for it, and what they were generally looking for in their new recruits.

They wanted witches and wizards who were powerful duellists and who had the ability to spend lots of time on their feet. Scrimgeour wasn't messing around and he was running them through drills and physical Auror examinations and obstacles in an attempt to get them ready. Outside of himself, Kingsley had also signed up, along with Bill and Percy Weasley, Remus and Tonks, and a handful of Aurors that Tonks insisted were in excellent form. The others were part of the general public. Maintenance men and women, healers and office workers, people were showing up from out of the blue to try to help. Everyone wanted to play a part and Sirius thought that it was fantastic.

It meant that this could actually work. It meant that the magical world was actually taking the threat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters seriously and that this time around, no one was willing to stand back and let him take power. It was a good thing and he felt pride rush through him that he had helped push it forward.

He wiped sweat off his brow as he dodged two curses, swung himself up over a pipe and threw himself into the tunnel to escape his opponent. The course was tricky, but worth it, he thought as he waded through the thick mud. It was made for Aurors and he was determined to come out on top.

Scrimgeour had ordered all volunteers to run the course twice a day for the next three weeks. The trick was that course changed every time you re-signed up. Things were higher to climb or backwards; new tunnels and holes appeared; and each time was against a different opponent. Scrimgeour wanted his team in peak physical condition. He set up individuals against Aurors to practice duelling to keep the energy high and to see what people were actually capable of without formal training. Much to Sirius' chagrin, Augusta Longbottom and Griselda Marchbanks had both shown up to try out of the force.

After nearly two days of arguing and threats, Scrimgeour finally caved to the women that they could be part of the unit, but he insisted that they were only to work on their duelling and when both women took down his prized Aurors in under ten minutes, he sighed in defeat. Marchbanks and Longbottom were moved to be part of the Terra Troops Command Force as opposed to directly in the thick of things and they seemed somewhat satisfied with his decision. But Sirius had a feeling that when the moment of a real battle came about, the two women would most definitely find their way into the thick of things.

Personally, he wouldn't want to come up against either one of them.

Sirius finished his training that day and made his way down into one of the far dungeons of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures where the large room had been transformed into a menagerie of sorts full of animals that needed to be tended to or needed to be sorted before being set free or returned to their homes. A group of magizoologists were using the creatures and the menagerie space as part of their training for the new Aqua Protectors Force.

He leaned against the arched stone doorway and watched his woman gently play with Kelpie in the water. She was stroking his neck as she spoke to him and Sirius thought that the Kelpie was staring at in her adoration. He watched Lady Godiva spot him and move away from her spot by the wall where she was obviously doing everything possible to avoid getting hit by the water. He stroked the panther's head when she came to his side, his eyes still on Zee as she laughed when the great sea creature splashed her.

One of the other magizoologists said something to her and she smiled and responded in kind before they both climbed onto the backs of the two kelpies. The sea creatures trusted them and it made Sirius smile to see it. This could really work, he thought. Things were coming together.

He looked up when the man approached him and he tried not to grimace when he recognized that it was Forrester.

"Hello, Lord Black; come to see how we're doing down here?"

"Partly," he said, his eyes on Tripp. "Mostly I came to see my woman in action."

"Yeah, she's something else, eh? Honestly, I've learned a ton from her. We're heading to France next week to see about recruiting some more magical creatures and to deal with the Melusines, you know the French Merpeople. There are more kelpies there and Zacarias thinks that she can help barter a new deal. She's very optimistic."

Sirius nodded, only partially listening to what he was saying, his eyes on Zee. He bent down to give Lady Godiva more attention as she head-butted him and when Tripp made a motion to pet the panther, she growled at him.

He looked uneasy as he took a step back. "That panther is something else."

"She knows who she likes and who she doesn't," Sirius said simply.

Forrester only nodded.

"Are you going to be part of the Aqua Protector Force?" Sirius asked him.

Forrester shook his head. "Yaxley needs me in the department. But I'm helping bring in some creatures and to recruit people for the unit. I think that it sounds amazing."

"Yaxley can't stop you from volunteering," Sirius told him.

He smiled. "I know. It's on my mind." He shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned. "Well, I'm off for the day. Tell her to stop for the day as well, she's been working herself too hard with those kelpies today, been at it over four hours already on top of her nine hour work day."

Sirius nodded his thanks as Forrester took off and he thought maybe, just maybe the git was okay. He kept his attention on Zee, grinning as her laugh echoed around the room and after almost thirty minutes, she finally said goodbye to the kelpie, pulling her shirt over her head to reveal a black tank top, just as wet as her shirt had been.

Someone whistled at her and she shot them the finger right before she spotted Sirius. She hurried over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to kiss him deeply.

"Hi, how long have you been here?"

"A while," he admitted, his hand sliding up her back. "No taking off your clothes in public."

Zee grinned cheekily up at him. "I'm hardly stripping down." She kissed him again. "Did you see Tripp?"

Sirius nodded. "I did and he ordered me to take you home. He said that you've worked hard enough today."

She sighed and stretched her arms up over her head. "I need a massage."

"I can provide that."

"A real massage," she said, her eyes on his.

Sirius blew his hair out of his eyes. "I can do that. Come home."

Zee smiled and nodded. She knelt down to stroke her panther behind the ears as the large cat purred at her. "Let me just grab my things."

Ten minutes later, the two of them were walking through the front doors of their home and Lady Godiva moved to stretch in front of the fire. Zee stretched her arms up over her head again as Sirius closed the front door behind them.

"Merlin, I forgot how wild Kelpies can be and riding them is like being back on a horse, oddly more intense on your own muscles than you'd think."

Sirius smiled. "You looked bloody sexy on that Kelpie. Only way it would have been better is if you'd been wearing some skimpy little thing or even better, nothing at all, and holding a spear or something like some warrior goddess."

Zee rolled her eyes. "Why am I always naked or mostly naked in these fantasies of yours?"

He grinned and slid his hands up to cup her breasts. "Because you're fucking gorgeous."

She grinned back. "Flatterer."

He bent his head to kiss her softly. "How about I go run you a hot bath and make good on that massage?"

Zee practically purred in his ear. "A hot bath sounds so good right now."

Sirius pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Good, we can share."

Her mouth dropped open as he hurried up the stairs and she grinned. She should have known he would have an ulterior motive. She moved into the kitchen to make sure that Lady Godiva had fresh water and she filled up her food bowl before she moved upstairs to the master bathroom. Sirius had filled the tub with her favourite rainbow bath bomb and lit the bathroom in candlelight. She pinned her curls up in a messy bun before she undressed and climbed into the large tub, sighing in contentment as Sirius slid in behind her.

She leaned back against him, her head nestling under his chin and slipping his arms around her waist.

"This is nice."

Sirius kissed the top of her head and nodded. "It is."

"How'd your training go?"

"Good. It was rather exhausting, but in a good way. I always keep in shape, but I haven't done a course like that in eons. It was nice to keep busy, it felt like I was doing something for once. Scrimgeour is going to be a great commander. He's tough, but firm. I think that he will run the unit well."

"It's the Auror training course, right?"

Sirius nodded. "The physical exam, yeah. It's an obstacle with lots of physical activity that changes every time you go through it. We rolled logs and ran laps and waded through mud, climbed up a fence, all while maintaining a safe hold on our wands. They stress getting through the physical activity without using your wand to see how well we perform without magic in case Aurors are forced to pursue in front of Muggles. Scrimgeour thinks it will help us keep up in case we find ourselves in a long battle."

"He's right," Zee told him, running her fingertips over each one of his knuckles. "Using too much magic can be just as physically draining. Pacing yourself is the right way to go."

"We want a hundred people for the unit and so far we only have about thirty-five, but it's a start and more people can always come later on. Scrimgeour is the commander, but he's agreed to make his second in command Daimon, one of the wolf Alphas. He's going to be running a separate unit within the Terra Force of just the wolves, the natural born wolves."

Zee nodded, her eyes closed in contentment. "It always amazes me that the wolves are treated the same as werewolves. I mean, at least with werewolves you can see where the prejudice came from. A wolf passed on their affliction through the saliva and blood of a bite during the full moon. They were then considered dangerous and the one they bit is then forced to painfully transform into a werewolf. But the wolves … they are simply witches and wizards with the ability to shape-shift into wolves. They were born with the ability. They are incredible hunters. They see well at night. They have amazing hearing and unprecedented strength and speed. They don't go out with the intention to hunt and kill and maim. The wolf is part of them."

"I know and it took Rem a long time to accept that part of himself. He only sees the wolf part as the affliction. The disease given to him by a wolf. The problem is that the wolves are born that way, but those who are bitten, who are forced to become wolves against their will, their transformations are full of pain and they often don't remember what happens once they change. They lose themselves in the wolf. Those who are born as wolves don't have that problem."

"So will it be werewolves or wolves helping us?"

"Both," he told her. "Daimon is organizing the wolves who can change at any time to be part of his unit, the werewolves interested in helping are being trained by Scrimgeour with the help of Adrian and Maia. He's a wolf and she's a werewolf and they think that the Auror training will be very beneficial in helping them get a unit ready. Adrian has a theory that all wolves can transform on will even when it's not the full moon. He thinks that with the right focus on the mind and body that you can will the wolf forward even those who were bitten not born. I don't know if I believe that or not, but he is considering it and claims that it's entirely possible."

"Remus and Tonks are both signed up for the Terra Troops?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, and no, as far as I know, Rem is only fighting as himself and not as a wolf. Along with Augusta Longbottom and Griselda Marchbanks," he said with a grin. "Scrimgeour tried to convince them that they were too old to be in the ground troops but to no avail. Those women are tough old birds and I wouldn't want to be forced to duel them."

Zee smirked. "Are they doing the physical training too?"

"Merlin no, though I wouldn't put it past them to do it," he admitted. "They are helping the wolves dip into their magical cores and use their powers. Unlike Rem, most of them never had any formal magical training and they don't know how to use their powers like they should. Griselda says that she can whip them into shape in no time. Some of them are using wands, but most of them are learning wandlessly as after so many years, the magic they do know is focused that way for them."

"And it's coming along?"

"Aye, I think it is," he said with a smile. "Forrester said the Aqua Protectors are coming along as well."

She nodded, closing her eyes again, her fingers still tracing his knuckles under the warm bubbles. "I think so. We have six Kelpies already willing to help and I have friends on the reserve in New Zealand who deal with magical creatures of all kinds coming and going. Plus my department has been talking to more magizoologists from all over the world, anyone who may be interested in helping. We have fifty great agents in our department but of those fifty, only about thirty are going to be physically able to fight based on age and experience. I want to speak to Princess Sapphira again and maybe a few more Merpeople and see if we can bring them on board. I know that they originally said neutrality, but if the fight comes to them … I think that they'll be on board especially once we explain how the Ministry is looking to protect them. Each agent has their own creatures that we can use as well and convincing the sea creatures to join is harder than you think. They have minds of their own as well and we won't force them to help us fight."

Sirius bent his head to kiss her earlobe. "That's what I love about you, that soft gooey heart that won't make anyone not even a magical creature, do anything that they don't want to do. Except me for some reason."

She grinned and turned her head to kiss him softly. "Sometimes I know what's best for you, that's why."

"Hmm," he said, making her laugh.

"I think it's coming along, Sirius, I really do. Have you checked in with the Wing Guards Force?"

He nodded. "Just briefly. The Department of Magical Games and Sports actually received a huge influx of volunteers from our Quidditch teams and reserve players. Oliver Wood is actually leading one of the units. He came to see me during training this morning to tell me that anything Harry Potter's godfather needed he would be willing to help. He loves me for putting a _Firebolt_ on his team at Hogwarts. He has an incredible mind for strategy which I devise from his love of Quidditch and for one so young, he knows what he's doing. If even half the volunteers are anything like him, I think it's looking good."

Zee nodded. "That just leaves the Spook Squad."

Sirius' hands wrapped around hers in the water as his legs intertwined with hers. "That one is going to be tricky and I know that Amelia wants to run that unit herself, but in all honesty, I don't know if she'll have the time. I was thinking about suggesting Moody."

"Really? Do you think that he'd be interested? I mean, he is retired after all."

"He is, but he's great at that kind of stuff. I think having him in charge would be beneficial, but I don't know, there might be someone else obvious that we've overlooked."

Zee turned to kiss his neck. "You've done your part, baby. Now, we have to trust our teams and the CBC to help us make these plans into a reality. It's only been three weeks and I think that we've progressed really well."

"But if he attacks tomorrow we won't be ready."

"No, but we're more ready today than we were yesterday and that's all that matters."

Sirius kissed her softly, his hand sliding up through the bubbles to fondle her breast. "Harry's first Quidditch match is in a little over three weeks."

"I know, I hope to be back in time."

Sirius raised his eyebrow. "Going somewhere?"

"Yes, didn't I tell you?" At his look, she sighed. "I'm sorry, it must have slipped my mind. I just found out this morning. Yaxley wants Forrester and I to head to France to speak with the Merpeople in the village Marseille Fond de L'Océan about not only potentially aiding the Aqua Protectors, but he said that one of Melusine is supposed to be living on land somewhere. That they've been protecting something. It all sounds rather mysterious and he wants me to look into it. There's only three in our department who can speak Mermish well enough to go and after my discussion with Princess Sapphira, Yaxley thinks that I have the best relationship with the Merpeople to try to find out."

"A Melusine has been living on land for a long period of time? I thought that was impossible?"

Zee shook her head. "Not impossible. They need contact with water every week or so, but they can maintain a normal life on land. How else do you think that they can have affairs with humans?"

Sirius made a face and she laughed.

"Oh come on, like you've never imagined a beautiful mermaid seducing you."

His fingers circled a nipple. "If they looked anything like you maybe."

"Oh come off it, I'm sure that you've had some wild fantasy about a gorgeous mermaid, topless, seducing you on the beach …"

Sirius grinned at her. "Does she have your tits?" At her look, he grinned wider. "Doesn't mean I'd want it to actually happen, Zee."

She smiled. "Well, sometimes you can't help who you fall in love with. I don't know for sure, but if the Melusine has been living on land for this long, I feel like they may or may not be a full Merperson. Maybe a parent was one, I don't know. Yaxley says that they have important information and that we need to find them. He thinks that the only way we will be able to do so is by going to the village and speaking directly with the Chief. The last I heard this village was by the Vieux-Port in Marseille, but the underwater cities are always being moved or warded to appear to be moved. Depending on how long it takes me to find it and then to speak with the Chieftain and then to potentially find the Melusine living on land … it could be a few weeks. Tripp and I are heading out in two days."

Sirius kissed her shoulder gently. "Will you have a place to stay?"

"I have a tent that I carry around. I'll be heading out in two days and I'll take Lady G and my bike. It will be easier for me travel and speak with people both Muggle and magical. I'll kip down where I can. Tripp will meet me where I ask him too."

"I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I want him with you at all times."

Zee smiled and turned her head to kiss him. "I'll have Lady G. I'll be careful. I always carry around an emergency portkey."

"We know that there are a lot of them in France, Zee, and I - "

" - Potentially," she interrupted with a smile. "We don't know for sure. They may also be in Croatia at the Selwyn Manor."

"Yes, but - "

" - but I will be careful," she told him, kissing him again. "You'll do the same here?"

He kissed her deeply, long and hard enough to bruise and when he finally pulled back the emotion in his eyes made her cup his cheek.

"I love you."

Sirius nodded and rested his cheek against her hair. "I'll be careful here too."

The water was starting to get cold so Zee climbed out of the tub, wrapping herself in a large fluffy towel. She dried off carefully and then picked up her body lotion.

"You owe me a massage, Mr Black. Perhaps you could apply this as you rub?"

He grinned as he stood up from the tub, grabbing his own towel to dry off. He took the lotion from her and kissed her softly as he followed her into their bedroom. Zee dropped the towel on the bedroom floor and crawled onto the bed, snuggling into the pillow as she lay on her stomach.

Sirius let his own towel fall before he straddled her hips and poured a generous dollop of lotion into his hands and started at the base of her spine. Zee let out a loud purr of contentment and he smiled, kneading his hands into her muscles.

"Merlin, babe, you're so tight."

She nodded, burying her face into the pillow. "I know."

He massaged her spine, her hips, her shoulders, rubbing in her lotion as the tension slowly melted from her body. He used it on her arms and down over her bum and onto her calves, relieving the tension there. Then he flipped her over and continued his way up her legs, over her ribs and breasts and back onto her shoulders. She sighed in pleasure.

"Do my back again, please?"

He smiled as he rolled her back over and began to massage her lower back and up to her shoulders and back down and it was only moments before he heard her soft breathing that told him she had fallen asleep. He kissed the back of her neck before he made his way into the bathroom to clean up the tub and the towels and then he crawled back into bed next to Zee and wrapped his arms around her to tug her close, pulling the blankets up. She sighed as he snuggled her into his embrace, but didn't wake up and soon he too was fast asleep.

 **As the second week of October came underway, Harry had his first introduction to the Ministry-involved examination of his classes.** He was thankful to see that it wasn't Umbridge and he was curious as to what Mary Raffigan was going to have to say considering that she was sitting in on a lesson with Professor Binns.

As usual, Binns' dull voice droned on and on and he found himself drifting and losing focus, attempting to suck on his sugar quill to keep his sanity to no avail. Binns had mentioned something about Oliver Cromwell before he yawned, his eyes closing slightly.

The sound of heels echoing on the stone floor interrupted his stupor and his eyes widened as he watched Raffigan march up to the front of the class.

"Professor Binns, look at your students!"

Binns looked startled and stared at her blearily as if he didn't fully comprehend her statement. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your students!" Raffigan demanded. "They are a breath away from being comatose! How do you expect them to learn anything if you can barely keep their attention for a full minute! The history of our magical world is of vital importance not only to understand our past, but to help us improve upon our future! King Charles I is an incredibly important monarch for both Muggle and magical history and yet you've grossly glossed over the importance of it! I bet not a single student in this classroom even comprehended a single word that you just said!"

If it was possible for a ghost to look flustered, Binns had managed it.

"I am the professor here, Madam, not you, and I demand that you leave my classroom at once!"

Madam Raffigan only stared at him. "Class, can any of you please tell me what Professor Binns was talking about?"

Everyone only stared at her until Anthony Goldstein raised his hand. "Er, the Glorious Revolution?"

Madam Raffigan shook her head. "That would be almost fifty years later when William of Orange comes to England in 1688. This was the English Civil War which took place when King Charles I ruled England and there were a series of political moves and civil struggles from 1642 to 1651. Does anyone know why King Charles I is so important to us as witches and wizards?"

Everyone only stared at her.

Finally, Hermione's hand tentatively waved into the air.

"Yes, Miss - ?"

"Hermione Granger," she said with a smile. "Because Oliver Cromwell was a wizard."

Raffigan smiled brightly at her. "Five points to Gryffindor." She turned back to Binns. "One student out of twenty-one understood, that's pitiful."

Binns stared at her before he huffed indignantly, turned, and disappeared through the blackboard.

Raffigan let out a huff of annoyance. "I apologize for that students, but I love history and to hear someone like that trying to teach it to you and seeing that none of you are even gaining a single piece of insight is just …" she shook her head, tucking a stray blonde hair behind her ear. "You still have two hours left of this class so if its alright with you, I'd like to tell you all about the King of England and Oliver Cromwell."

Harry leaned back in his chair in surprise, a small grin on his face. This was by far the most interesting thing to happen in Binns' class since Hermione had convinced him to tell them about the Chamber of Secrets myth back in second year.

Raffigan sat on top of Binns' desk and nodded. "Now, as I was saying, King Charles I is a very important monarch to our magical history. Now old Charlie was a bit full of himself in the way that he believed very strongly in an ancient doctrine called the Divine Right of Kings. This doctrine, which most monarchs believed to be true at this time, claimed that monarchs were not subject to any earthly authority, meaning that they were basically gods themselves or considered to be God's representative on earth and could do whatever they wanted as they were the chosen ones fit to rule. He used this to his advantage and when he married a Roman Catholic, well, people were a little worried that he would be lenient towards Catholics again in England. At this time, Protestantism was the sole religion of England. Our dear Charlie decided that as the god-like king he was, he could do as he wished and he soon became embossed in some difficult fights with Parliament. Can anyone tell me what some of those fights were about?"

Mandy raised her hand, surprising the class. "According to the textbook, one of the main ones was that the Duke of Buckingham had led a naval expedition against Spain that was a huge failure. Parliament spoke out against him and the king ignored their claims about Buckingham being a bad influence. Then there was the whole situation with the Five Knights' Case which found that the king could imprison anyone without a trial if they refused to pay the forced loan and when Parliament fought him on this, claiming that the king didn't have the power to do this without parliamentary consent, he essentially ignored them."

"Correct, ten points to Ravenclaw," Raffigan said with a smile. "Buckingham was eventually assassinated and the king became distressed. Now this was all at the beginning of his reign and his fighting with Parliament was a big part of what he is known for, but I am going to skip ahead a little bit now, you can find his trials in more detail in your textbook. In 1642, a Civil War broke out in England between our dear Charlie and Parliament and in January of 1647, the Scots accepted £100,000 to deliver the king to the commissioners, which they did. He was kept under house arrest before being moved to Windsor Castle. In January of 1649, the Rump House of Commons indicted him on a formal charge of treason and King Charles I was beheaded. Now I can see you all wondering, why is this important to the history of magic? It's just law and English monarchy stuff. Well, you are right, however as Miss Granger stated, Oliver Cromwell was a wizard."

She smiled widely as she looked around the room, full of students who were all staring at her in mild interest, none of the same sleepy, drooling faces that the history class had previously contained.

"When Charlie was killed, England became a commonwealth and the House of Lords was abolished by the Rump Commons. Cromwell, a successful military leader from the British campaigns against the Irish opposition to British rule, forced the Rump Parliament to disband in 1653 and proclaimed himself Lord Protector," Raffigan said quietly. "This was a _big deal_. He claimed that as Lord Protector he wanted to heal and settle the country, to bring spiritual and moral reform and to restore liberty of conscience, promoting godliness throughout England. As a wizard, his role as head of state over the Muggles was something to definitely be concerned about. Cromwell had been a sublime military leader, leading Muggle and magical troops alike through military conquests in Ireland, but now he was trying to lead the Muggles by leading the country, something else entirely. The Wizard's Council did not approve of his new title."

She hopped off the desk and walked between the rows as she spoke.

"The Wizard's Council immediately called him forth to answer for his actions, claiming that by his signing for the king to be executed, he was a traitor and had committed treason against the Wizard's Council as well as his king for trying to rule over the Muggles. Cromwell argued that the Muggles needed to be ruled; that the Muggles were incapable of ruling themselves as the king had proven. Many of the high lords and ladies in the council supported him, but most of them rallied against him including Lord Ralston Potter, Lord Tiberius Nott, and Lady Almira Bones, all fighting to keep him out of the power of Muggle politics. The argument was that we were to observe, to assist and to work alongside the Muggle government, but it was not our job to rule over them. Cromwell disagreed with this statement. He claimed that as witches and wizards, we were superior to Muggles, therefore him ruling as Lord Protector was in the best interest of their society."

Anthony Goldstein raised his hand and Raffigan smiled, nodding in his direction. "Did the Wizard's Council remove him from power?"

"Excellent question, Mr - ?"

"Goldstein," Anthony said with a smile.

"Mr Goldstein, excellent question. The Wizard's Council did eventually remove him from power. The problem was doing so in a way that would remain a secret from the Muggles. The Council wasn't willing to obliviate an entire parliament so they had to work in secret. He was ultimately executed by someone slipping a large portion of foxglove into his tea. The plant caused him to go into heart failture and the Muggles believed him to have died of a common Muggle ailment. Unfortunately, he tried to have his son take his place as Lord Protector and the Wizard's Council stepped in. With the help of important witches and wizards, King Charles II was elected as monarch and the monarchy was restored to England."

The bell rang and she smiled warmly.

"I'd like you all to write ten inches on the intervention of the Wizard's Council and why it was important that they intervened; why was Cromwell wrong and do you think that the King would have been executed if Cromwell hadn't been a wizard. Due next class."

Harry gathered up his bag, his eyes on his friends. "That was actually kind of interesting."

Hermione beamed at him. "It was way more than simply interesting! She seems very knowledgeable about history and you can sense her passion for it. I mean, the English Civil War is kind of cut and dried, but she made me rather curious. Of course, it does go to show that there has always been those select few who believe that their magical blood puts them above others."

Ron nodded, scratching his chin. "It was definitely a nice change from Binns that's for sure, but I can't believe she gave us homework!"

Neville chuckled. "That's the part Ron worries about."

Hermione grinned at them. "Well, I thought that it was rather wonderful. Do you think that means that she might be lecturing next week as well? I'd love to see her thoughts on the progression of the Wizard's Council along with the British Parliament."

Harry shrugged. "Who knows. But I imagine her not so favourable review of Binns is definitely going to be taken into consideration."

Neville nodded. "Definitely. Hey, Harry, was that your ancestor that she was talking about?"

"Yeah, it was," he said with a grin, remembering the name from the folder Sirius had given him. "It's kind of brilliant to learn that my ancestors did something worthwhile."

Ron grinned. "It is brilliant, I agree. My great-great-great-grandfather was part of the original Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Dad always says that they named me after Ronald Weasley who was one of the early Hit Wizards in the Ministry."

Neville chuckled. "Wish that I was named after someone cool like that."

Ron's stomach let out a loud grumble and they all grinned. "Guess we should head to lunch."

Harry laughed. "Guess we should."

 **Tonks yawned as she stepped into her home.** It had been a long couple of days. She had been working steadily with Higgins to hunt down the escaped Death Eaters; working with their families to learn everything that they had been accused of. But despite the hard work that the Aurors had been putting in, too many of them were still on the loose.

She kicked off her boots, pressing her fingers to eyes as she rolled her shoulders. She had been putting in fourteen hour days and it was catching up with her. She was thankful to have the weekend coming up off as it not only meant rest, but it also meant that she would be able to spend some quality time with her husband who she felt like as of late, she had seen only in passing. Her stomach grumbled and she stood there a moment debating whether to choose shower or food and decided the shower felt more important.

She undressed in the bathroom, tossing her clothes into the hamper before she turned on all six jets, standing under the spray heads happily as the jets of hot water beat on her skin. She gloried in the feel of the water pressure for a moment before she washed up and shaved her legs and under her arms. She used her lotion bar before she tossed on a bathrobe and made her way into the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat.

To her delight, Remus had left her a covered plate in the fridge. She used her wand to heat it up before she ate standing up at the kitchen counter. She had just finished when Remus came through the front door.

"Hi love," she said with a smile.

Remus smiled back at her. He took off his shoes and put his battered briefcase on the floor before moving into the kitchen to kiss her. "You just get home?"

She nodded. "About an hour ago. Actually got off early today."

Remus only raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the clock. It was almost eight already. "You've been working too hard. Any progress?"

Tonks shook her head. "Not as much as we'd like."

He led her into the living room and to the chesterfield where she snuggled into his warm embrace happily.

"We've found more bodies. Three of them elderly and the other four showed signs of torture. We think that they are the ones who refused to join him."

"It's nice to know that some of the people in Azkaban had morals, not that it did them any good," Remus said simply.

Tonks danced her fingers along the arms wrapped around her as she spoke. "I agree, but it's the ones who are missing that's still the problem. He has too many safe houses, Remus. His followers all have homes and manors under protection and we don't have access to them. King got a warrant to check out the Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire the other day along with the Macklebee Estate in York, but their families don't know where they are."

"You're doing the best that you can, Dora. Voldemort is smart and he's keeping them safe and somewhere he wants them to be for the time being. I think that when he's ready for people to know his location, we're going to know."

Tonks nodded. "I spent my lunch training with the Terra Troops as well. Scrimgeour is really training hard. I felt like I was back in Auror training."

Remus chuckled. "I noticed that myself. Not to mention that the training course also told me that I'm not in great shape."

She grinned tilting her head back to kiss his neck. "Don't listen to him, you're in great shape."

"No, I need to pull myself out a bit so that I can keep up with the rest of them. I was a little winded, I admit. But it was nice running through the course, dodging spells and keeping up with what was happening. He's made the courses like a potential battlefield and I found it fascinating. I might even copy some of it for my Advanced Seniors Defence Club."

"How is Defence Club this year?"

"It's going slowly. I have my younger students organized and set up, but I'm still working on Harry's group. He will be in the Advanced Class again for sure. He's been so busy with Quidditch training lately and trying to get his team better. Every time I see him, he just tells me a day count until the match on the fourth of November."

Tonks grinned. "I'm looking forward to the match, I admit."

"Me too. It will be a welcome distraction."

"And Ginny?"

Remus smiled. "I don't know. They've been sitting very close lately at all meals, but he hasn't said anything about them dating."

Tonks grinned. "He cares for her a great deal, I hope that he asks her out soon."

Remus nodded, absently running his hands over her arms.

"Umbitch?"

"You've adopted Sirius' name for her now as well?"

Tonks shrugged. "You have to admit, it does fit."

He snorted in amusement. It did, but he didn't want to give Sirius the satisfaction of being right. "She's been quiet. Raffigan took over teaching History of Magic."

Tonks' eyebrow rose and she turned to look back at him. "What? Where's Binns?"

"Apparently she was insulted that he had put his entire class to sleep and lectured him on it. He took offence and left. No one has seen him. Raffigan has taken over all of his classes. She's doing pretty great too from what I've heard. The students seem to like her. However, it means that she has stopped doing inspections and I think that they have all fallen to Umbitch's responsibility."

Tonks pursed her lips. "Did they get through very many?"

Remus shook his head. "No. They spent most of the first month viewing the syllabus for every class and the textbooks we provided. Raffigan had made it through my class, Snape's and Binns. Umbitch handled Magical Theory, Xylomancy, and Frog Choir. Fil told me that she took out a tape measure and actually checked out his height while he was talking to her."

Tonks' mouth dropped open. "The nerve of her!"

Remus nodded. "She's taken away some house points from a few students who were misbehaving, but she hasn't done much else. I don't know if the Department of Education is going to send anyone else to help her or what, but I guess we'll see."

"Has she said anything to you?"

"No," he said. "Not a word, but she does stare at me as if she is puzzled and there's always a great deal of dislike in her gaze."

Tonks made a huffing sound. "Well, no one likes that toad anyway!"

He dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "True. Zee left this morning for France, right?"

Tonks nodded. "Sirius said that she seems pretty positive about bringing the Merpeople on board with the Aqua Protectors. But it all depends on what she brings to the table. Her partner was meeting her there this afternoon by portkey as she was riding her motorbike."

"How long is she going to be gone?"

"A few days, up to a week, maybe two. Sirius said something about her having to find the village as it moves around a lot. He was having dinner with McGonagall tonight."

Remus smiled. "Good."

Tonks turned in his lap, her bathrobe opening at the shoulder. "Can we go to bed now?"

Remus' hand pulled the robe fully open, his eyes darkening in desire as they looked their fill of her body. "I hope you don't mean to sleep because I have missed you, Nymphadora."

He bent his head to suckle her breast and her head tilted back in pleasure.

"Mmm," she moaned. "Not to sleep, no."

He kissed her breast and pulled away. "Then, yes, we can definitely go to bed now."

Tonks laughed as he took her hand and tugged her to the bedroom, her robe falling to the floor.

Yeah, she had definitely missed her husband.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(my spell) patefacio sursum = open up_

 _Thanks to Dusk for helping me word this one: PLANTS, Painstakingly Laborious Agriculturalist/Naturalist Trial Sets._


	195. Chapter 195

_Author's Note:_

 _I will not have time to post this weekend so you get an early one! Enjoy!_

 _Reviews: Trust me, I have plans. I thought PLANTS was like the mastery program for Herbologists, I have another one mentioned in this chapter for Care of Magical Creatures as you will read below. No Lady Godiva does not eat kibble. Zee just feeds her when she doesn't have time to let her hunt; usually raw steak or chicken. Peter is Peter and we'll have to wait and see what happens there._

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the scene from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, though I did alter it slightly._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

 _PS - Don't hate me too much for this cliffhanger …_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE:**

 **Lucius let himself back into Selwyn Manor after Apparating onto the grounds.** They weren't using the Floo Network to prevent any detection from the Ministries. The sight of his father sitting with Bellatrix and his mother made him stop in his tracks.

"How's Narcissa, Lucius?" Isla asked him.

"She's good, Mother. She's worried about me."

"Woman worries too bloody much, Lucius," Abraxas said coldly. "You need to reign her in and bring her over to our side on this. We can't afford any loose ends and you need to stop sneaking around to see her."

Lucius' eyes darkened. "She's not a loose end, Father. We agreed to keep her out of things for the time being as it looks less suspicious on her. As for not seeing her, she's my wife and I will do as I please."

Isla nodded. "It does, Brax, Lucius is right. Narcissa needs to look innocent here. It means a safe place for Draco to come home to for Christmas as well. With the Ministry of Magic hunting both you and Lucius, we can't have our whole family showing support for the Dark Lord, not yet."

Abraxas only nodded his agreement.

Lucius poured himself a glass of brandy from the decanter on the table before he took his seat next to his mother. "Has there been any news?"

Bellatrix only stared at him. "We've received a few more loyal followers if that's what you're asking."

Lucius didn't need more clarification than that. Selywn Manor held a large dungeon where they had shoved most of the escaped prisoners from Azkaban. They had been taking it in turn to pull them out individually and question their loyalty. He had done so himself only that morning. He preferred talking to them and seeing what their beliefs were before he took to using more painful methods to get them to come to his side, but he knew that his father and Bellatrix both preferred to use more brute force than was necessary.

Bellatrix particularly as of late seemed to be feeling extra violent. Now that her husband had returned to her from Azkaban, the two of them had been fucking like rabbits against and on every surface possible; sometimes even in front of the prisoners or other Death Eaters. Bellatrix was determined to get herself pregnant this time around, to give her husband the heir he needed and deserved. But she was forty-four years old now and well past her prime child-bearing years no matter how much she wished otherwise. Considering she was the reason why he and Narcissa had struggled with Draco's birth and the cause of Narcissa's miscarriages before Draco, he personally wished that she never conceived.

The lack of her success was partly to blame for her anger. Lucius knew that she had been using more than just her husband in her attempt as well, but if Rodolphus knew, he wasn't aware of it. That morning he had watched her beat one of the prisoners almost to death before allowing Isla to heal him and to let him rest before they questioned him again. Her sanity was pushing her over the edge and he could see the Black Madness dancing in her eyes.

He looked up at the sound of the movement by the doorway. The sight of the Dark Lord there startled him and he jumped to his feet.

"My Lord," he said, bowing his head in reverence as Abraxas, Isla, and Bellatrix all did the same.

Voldemort waved them off. "Stand up. Has anyone seen Corban arrive?"

Bellatrix shook her head. "Not yet, my Lord."

"I need to know the moment he does. I've learned of a new Seer and it seems that one of his agents may know of their location."

Abraxas raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Voldemort smiled, the expression on his thin lips looking cruel. "I know that Nott will want in on this. Bella, hand-pick two more Death Eaters to go with him. I have a task for them."

Bellatrix fell to her knees before him. "I'd be honoured to, my Lord."

Voldemort patted her gently on the head before he slid his hands around to her throat, squeezing lightly. "Rabastan is waiting for you upstairs. I'll send for you when Corban arrives."

Bellatrix nodded and jumped up to go.

Lucius tried not to grimace. Now she was even doing her brother-in-law. The desperation that reeked from her made him grimace. He had told Narcissa about her pregnancy attempts and his wife's eyes had darkened.

 _"_ _I hope to Merlin that she never gets pregnant," Narcissa had said viciously. "After the babies she made me lose and after I almost lost Draco! She doesn't deserve to be a mother!"_

 _He had held her close and kissed her tenderly as he tried to reassure her. He hardly thought that it was going to happen if he was honest. She'd had multiple miscarriages before going to prison so he couldn't imagine that she would have more luck now. He watched her scurry out of the room to presumably attempt to reproduce and Voldemort followed her._

 _The sick fuck took his pleasure in watching her screw everything that moved. But it wasn't his business, he thought, sipping his brandy. He had snuck off to see his wife as much for himself as to pass on some information. They'd made love twice and he'd held her close as he told her that they were recruiting more Death Eaters. She'd told him that she'd been communicating with Andy and he'd kissed her lips, urging her to be safe._

 _"_ _I don't know how much longer you'll be safe here. Once the Dark Lord decides to make his move, our home will be open to him, Cissa."_

 _She had nodded and snuggled into his arms. "Be safe."_

He wished the same for her, but in all honesty, he wasn't sure he knew what that word meant any more. The only person he knew was truly safe at the moment was Draco since he was safely protected at Hogwarts, and he was thankful for that. He sipped his brandy again, looking over at his parents.

"Do you think that this Seer might actually know something?" Lucius asked.

Abraxas sipped his own brandy carefully. "We shall see. We need to find out the details of this prophecy as soon as we can. Potter obviously has some form of hidden powers that we're not aware of. Lucius, do you think that you can see what Draco knows?"

"I've asked him," Lucius said dryly. "He tells me that Potter is powerful, but he's not standing out more than anyone else. He claims that the Mudblood Granger is still top of the class."

Abraxas frowned. "How he can let that dirty little bitch do better than him is disgusting! He better study harder if he knows what's good for him!"

Lucius only nodded in agreement. His son was very intelligent and he had Os across the board and he knew that he was in the top three percent of his class. But for Abraxas that wasn't enough, not when a Mudblood shared that percentile.

"We'll see how he does on his OWLs," Lucius told him.

"When the Dark Lord takes over, that filthy Mudblood will be his to torture. I'll make sure of it personally. We will rid the school of the filth that doesn't belong."

"And after the school, the country," Isla said, smiling when her husband squeezed her hand.

Lucius only nodded, his eyes on his parents. He didn't particularly care if Mudbloods lived in his world, he just didn't want to have to associate with them. He knew his father in particular wanted to torture and maim them; to destroy them in every way. But in all honestly, he wasn't sure what the Dark Lord wanted.

Voldemort talked a lot about taking over the Ministry of Magic; about making the world a place for purebloods to flourish; about changing society for the better, but in all honesty, Lucius wasn't sure what he wanted. He enjoyed pain and destruction. He enjoyed being above others, showing his superiority in both magical skill and intelligent thought. He didn't like to be questioned. He didn't like to be forced to say more than he wanted.

Last night someone had questioned him.

It was a Death Eater that Lucius had never seen before. The man had a heavy Croatian accent so he had guessed that he was a newer recruit. It didn't matter now, as Nagini had eaten him whole. The sound of the man's screams, of his nails raking across the floor as she started at his feet had been horrifying. He would much rather not think about it.

He finished his brandy and stood up. "I'm going to get some rest until I'm needed."

Abraxas only nodded, his eyes on his son. "Get some rest. In the morning, I have a new task for you."

Lucius swallowed slowly, his eyes not leaving his father as he left the room. As of late he felt turning his back on the man was becoming more and more dangerous by the minute. He wasn't sure what he had done to displease him, but he knew that pissing off Abraxas Malfoy was a very dangerous thing to do and he needed to do whatever it took to get back into his father's good graces.

As this was the last place that he wanted his own son to end up and if he didn't do something to get in Abraxas' good graces and ultimately the Dark Lord's, they would turn to Draco to do what he couldn't.

And that's what he was afraid of happening most.

 **Ron stood next to Hermione behind Hagrid's hut as they waited for their professor to get the class ready.** He cast a sideways look at her, unsure what he was looking for. He wasn't sure when he had consciously realized that his feelings for her were more than just a friend, but he knew that they were. But she was way out of his league, everyone knew that. He knew that. They were better off as friends.

He reached out to touch her arm and she smiled at him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Umbridge is coming."

Ron turned around to look where her eyes were and he let out a slow sigh. So far, the Ministry woman hadn't caused as much mischief as they had all expected her too. The biggest news was still Raffigan essentially taking over History of Magic, which she had. Binns had officially left the school, moving on to be a ghost somewhere else or moving into the afterlife, Ron wasn't sure which, but he was gone and hadn't been seen anywhere in Hogwarts since the day after Raffigan had taken over his class of fifth years. Raffigan had taken over for presumably the rest of the school year. Dumbledore hadn't said anything more on the subject of it and she had been leading every class since then for the last week and a half. But neither Ron, Harry, Hermione or Neville had been there during an inspection with Umbridge. They had only learned of her inspection on Frog Choir and her not so polite measuring of Flitwick during the said inspection through Ginny.

"I feel like this isn't going to be good," Ron mumbled, his eyes on Hagrid.

Hagrid's creatures had improved somewhat this year, but considering that they knew Umbridge to be a bigoted toad, the fact that Hagrid was a half-giant was bound to come up. Today they were supposed to be taking care of Diricrawls, which Ron had to admit, he was looking forward to. They were interesting creatures and Hagrid had two of them sitting up ahead on a tree branch, waiting for the class to gather around.

"Gather roun', gather roun'," Hagrid instructed as everyone moved closer.

"These two up 'ere 're what we call Diricrawls! Now these 're real special birds. If yeh look closer, yeh can see 'em all plump an' feathery! Muggles actually call 'em Dodos! They 're rare 'ere in Scotland an' I have one o' only pair in th' country! These creatures ar' somethin' special! They can appear an' disappear anywhere they like teh escape danger, like we can. It's like Apparatin'. If yeh hold one, they'll take yeh wit' 'em, but yeh don't know where yeh goin'," he said with a grin. "An' they can drop yeh wherever they like along th' way."

"Hem, hem," a sickly girlish voice said from next to Hagrid.

Hagrid looked around in confusion before he raised one bushy eyebrow. "ey there Madam Umbridge, welcome ter Care o' Magical Creatures. As yeh can see today we're learnin' 'bout Diricrawls."

"I see," she said slowly. "Did you know that Diricrawls are only allowed to be studied by magizoologists directly within the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures? You don't have the authority to keep them at the school."

Hagrid frowned. "I foun' 'em an' I raised 'em. Th' DRCMC knows as I had a magizoologist come out ter look at 'em."

Umbridge merely stared up at him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"The DRCMC knows 'bout 'em."

"Your speech leaves something to be desired, perhaps you could speak more clearly so that I can attempt to understand that excuse for the English language?"

Hagrid frowned. "Th' Department knows 'bout these creatures. A Magizoologist came out ter look at 'em already."

Umbridge only gave him a look of intense annoyance and scribbled onto her clipboard furiously.

Hagrid glanced over at where Ron, Hermione and Neville were standing nearby, obviously eavesdropping, and shrugged.

Ron shook his head. He wanted to tell Hagrid something to help, but he didn't know what. He was going to ask Hermione what she thought when Umbridge asked the question he had dreaded her bringing up. The woman was so foul, he thought angrily.

"Your mother was the giantess Fridwulfa, was she not?"

Hagrid stared at Umbridge. His large hand moved to scratch beneath his beard as he spoke. "That's wha' my dad said, but I nev'r met 'er. Giants aren' exactly maternal types."

"How did your father copulate with a giant? The logistics of Fridwulfa, who stands at nineteen feet tall being with your father who from all accounts barely reached six feet are just baffling ... how did he manage to impregnant her?"

"Are yeh askin' me how ter explain how my parents had sex before I was alive 'cause even if I knew that, why would I want to talk 'bout it an' wit' yeh o' all people?"

Ron chuckled and Hermione stifled her own laugh. He leaned in to whisper to her. "It's a fair question though, I mean she had to be huge and even if he had a massive cock ..."

Hermione blushed, but she laughed. "Shush, Ron!"

Umbridge gave Hagrid a dirty look before she scribbled on her clipboard furiously.

"As I was sayin'," Hagrid continued to the rest of the class. "Diricrawls are called Dodos by Muggles an' they believe 'em ter be extinct."

"What creatures have you studied from the curriculum?" Umbridge rudely interrupted him.

Hagrid stared at her. "I sent yeh that. I'd like ter teach my class now if yeh don't mind."

Ron smirked, leaning down to whisper to Hermione. "Isn't she supposed to have viewed all of this before she comes to the class?"

Hermione shook her head, her eyes narrowing. "She's doing it on purpose. She's trying to fluster him and to make him look bad." She took Ron's arm and they carefully shuffled closer so that they could hear the full conversation between Hagrid and Umbridge

"You were expelled from Hogwarts in 1943 and yet here you are working as a professor?"

"'arry Potter an' Dumbledor' cleared my name fo' that. It was You Know Who tha' was th' culprit."

Umbridge only scribbled furiously again.

"How are you a qualified professor if you have never even finished your education? You aren't a qualified magizoologist, which as I understand is the requirement for being the Care of Magical Creatures professor? One must obtain at least a NEWT in the subject to teach."

"I've work'd wit' animals my whole life. Dumbledor' figur'd I was qualified."

She pursed her lips and scribbled again. "You were taken to Azkaban in May of 1993?"

"False accusations."

Umbridge only nodded before she began to move around talking to the students. Ron grabbed Hermione's arm to prevent her from stomping over there when he heard Umbridge ask Malfoy if Hagrid's rough and dangerous appearance made students afraid of him; if his heavy and hard to understand accent made it difficult for them to learn; and if it was true that students were regularly injured in his class.

"She's grasping," Ron said, tugging her back. "You know she is."

"She's looking to get him sacked just because his mother, who he never even met, was a giantess!"

Neville moved over to them, nodding. "She's reaching and she knows it. Dumbledore won't let her sack him."

Ron frowned. "Do you think that she's right though, about Hagrid supposedly having to be a qualified magizoologist?"

Hermione shook her head. "He has more experience with animals and magical creatures than anyone! I bet if there was a test they made him take, he would pass it just fine!"

Neville grinned. "So let's get him to write the Creature Research and Welfare License Standards, you know the CRAWLS?"

"Is that possible without his NEWTS?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening.

Neville shrugged. "I can't imagine why not. Not everyone writes their NEWTS, I mean it's not required for graduation as long as the students pass all of their required exams. NEWTS are only required if they want to work in a Ministry enforced field."

Hermione stared at him. "I didn't realize that."

Neville nodded. "So if we just have to get someone from the DRCMC, like maybe Zee or someone that she can recommend, to come out and test him, he will be a formal professor even without his NEWT on the subject. If he has his CRAWLS qualification, Umbridge won't be able to do anything to him."

Hagrid interrupted them by asking them to sketch the Diricrawl and to see if they had any distinguishing features that could be watched out for.

"How long have you had this teaching job, Professor Hagrid?"

"This is th' start of my thir' year," he told her.

She made a face of surprise before she began to scribble furiously again.

"And how many Ministry approved curriculum-based creatures have you covered?"

Hagrid made a face. "I speak ter Dumbledor' 'bout tha'. He knows wha' creatures I cover in my classes."

Umbridge only raised a brow and proceeded to scribble on her clipboard.

Ron shook his head at Neville. The three of them knew that wasn't a good sign.

Hagrid started to explain about the different colour feathers of the Diricrawl and how to distinguish them from other large birds when Umbridge interrupted him again to say that his results would be known by the end of next week.

Ron, Hermione and Neville all agreed that he didn't look impressed.

By the time that the three of them finished telling Harry what happened with Hagrid, he was furious.

"That foul toad! She can't just go around asking people's parentage like that!"

Neville nodded, frowning slightly. "We know, Harry. Do you think that the Education Department knows what she's getting up to up here?"

Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Measuring Flitwick's height is completely irrational, not to mention rude, insulting and completely inappropriate! His height does not reflect at all on his teaching abilities! He's one of the best professors at this school and one of the most intelligent! He was a champion duellist once upon a time!"

Harry nodded, his eyes darkening. "And asking Hagrid all of those personal questions! She has no right to do so!"

"We all know that, Harry," Ron said in annoyance. "She definitely needs to be taken down a peg or two."

Harry agreed. He didn't understand how what she was doing that was being accepted. "Does anyone know if she made it to McGonagall yet? I know Raffigan didn't have time."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so, no."

Harry grinned. "I hope it's our class she chooses. Can you just imagine if she tries to ask McGonagall any of those kinds of questions?"

Neville smirked. "She'll eat her alive."

"It'll be worth it," Harry said with a grin.

 **It turned out that they didn't have to wait that long.** The next day, Umbridge and her clipboard were sitting in a corner and Ron clapped his hands together gleefully.

"Excellent! Let's see Umbridge get what she deserves."

Hermione only snuck a look over at Ron. "You seem pretty certain."

Ron grinned at her. "Mione, McGonagall doesn't take shit from anybody."

Harry could only agree with that statement. It was one of the reasons why he respected her so much. He opened his textbook and grabbed his quill, ready to see what would happen in excitement.

McGonagall marched into the room without giving the slightest indication that she knew Madam Umbridge was there.

"That will do," she said, and the silence fell immediately. "Mr. Finnigan, kindly come here and hand back the homework. Miss Brown, please take this box of mice - don't be silly girl, they won't hurt you - and hand one to each student."

"Hem hem," Umbridge said, employing the same silly little cough that she seemed to use as her interrupter marker.

McGonagall completely ignored her, making Harry smirk to himself.

Seamus handed back Harry's essay. Harry took it without looking at him and saw, to his relief, that he had managed an O and McGonagall had even written a little note at the top claiming that he had done excellent work.

"Right then, everyone, listen closely - Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again I shall put you in detention! Now, most of you have now successfully vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today we shall be - "

" - Hem hem," Umbridge said again.

"Yes?" McGonagall, turning round, her eyebrows so close together they seemed to form one long, severe line.

"I was just wondering, Professor, whether you had received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec - "

" - Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom," McGonagall said, turning her back on Umbridge. Many of the students exchanged looks of glee and Harry and Ron smirked at each other. "As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell - "

" - Hem hem."

"I wonder," McGonagall said in cold fury, turning on Madam Umbridge. "How you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."

Umbridge looked as though she had just been slapped in the face. She did not speak, but straightened the parchment on her clipboard and began scribbling furiously. Looking supremely unconcerned, McGonagall addressed the class once more.

"As I was saying, the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to be vanished. The snail, as an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, as a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic that you can accomplish with your mind on your dinner. So, you know the incantation, let me see what you can do."

Harry grinned widely, pulling out his wand to work on vanishing his mouse. Unlike with Hagrid, Umbridge did not attempt to follow McGonagall around and Harry figured that was a wise choice. He could imagine how McGonagall would react to that. She did, however, take many more notes while she sat in her corner, and when McGonagall told them all to pack away, rose with a grim expression on her face.

"Well, it's a start," Ron said, holding up a long, wriggling mouse tail and dropping it back into the box that Lavender was passing around.

As they filed out of the classroom, Harry saw Umbridge approach the teacher's desk; he nudged Ron, who nudged Hermione, who nudged Neville in turn, and the four of them deliberately fell back to eavesdrop.

"How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" Umbridge asked.

"Thirty-nine years this December," McGonagall said brusquely, snapping her bag shut.

Umbridge made a note. "You used to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

"Yes."

"But you left to teach?"

"Obviously," McGonagall said in annoyance.

"Then you married your boss, am I correct?"

McGonagall's nostrils flared. "That is none of your business and has nothing to do with what and how I teach Transfiguration."

Umbridge pursed her lips. "I am looking to get a full character assessment of the staff as well their educational expertise."

"My character is that I am teacher who gets all of my students through their tests and exams to the best of their abilities. Don't ever ask me about my personal life again."

Umbridge scribbled furiously before she looked up. "And your alluded sexual relationship with Lord Black?"

McGonagall's face flushed. "How dare you insinuate such a thing! My personal life is none of your business and you have no right to question me on any of it! Get out of my classroom before I set my cat on you."

Nyx raised her head from behind McGonagall's desk, growling and Umbridge blanched.

"Very well," she said. "You will receive the results of your inspection in ten days' time."

"I can hardly wait," McGonagall said in a coldly indifferent voice, and she strode off toward the door. "Hurry up, you four," she added, her eyes on the four of them and she winked at Harry as she brushed past him.

Harry had thought that she had been brilliant.

He said as much in his letter home, telling Sirius every detail about the inspection of Hagrid as his friends had informed him before telling him about McGonagall. He repeated the story in his letter to Colt and Flo and to Sorcha and Misha. He made his way to the Owlery later that night to see if Hedwig was up for some deliveries.

She hooted happily when she saw him and he stroked her wing softly, giving her some treats from his pocket.

"Are you up to a long journey, girl?"

She nipped at his fingers affectionately and he smiled. He was always sending her off to Georgia and to Russia to deliver letters and he felt like she was never around anymore. After losing Marauder, the lack of Hedwig's company seemed even more depressing.

"There's three letters there, girl. Bring all three of them home first and Uncle Siri will send Persephone with one of the others."

Hedwig hooted as he tied the letters to her leg and took off out the window.

Harry watched her until she was nothing more than a fleck in the darkness before he made his way back down to Gryffindor Tower. He recognized Theo up ahead and was about to call his name when he saw a shadow of a figure hurry away from him. He frowned and as he got closer, saw the blood dripping from Theo's lip.

"Theo?"

Theo turned, wiping the blood off his lip with the back of his hand. "Potter."

"You okay?" Harry asked him, his eyes on the blood.

Theo nodded. "Fine. Just bit my lip."

Harry stared at him. He wasn't sure why he didn't believe him, but he knew for a fact that he was lying. The left side of his face was a little red and he had a small cut above his eye. "Who was that leaving?"

"Potter, appreciate the concern, but who's cock I was sucking is not your business unless you want me to suck yours."

Harry flushed as Theo turned on his heel and stormed off.

He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he thought that maybe Theo was hiding something. He had hardly looked fine and Harry wondered how he had cut his face and his lip. It wasn't his business though, he thought. He kept moving down the stairs and tried not to roll his eyes at the sight of Umbridge walking towards him. He had so far managed to avoid talking to her as much as possible.

"Mr Potter," she said curtly. "Curfew is in one minute and yet you are quite far from Gryffindor Tower."

Harry nodded. "Yes, Madam Umbridge. I wanted to send a letter home."

She pursed her lips. "Next time wait until the morning. Thirty points from Gryffindor."

"Thirty?" He asked incredulously.

Her eyebrow lifted and her eyes gleamed. "Question my authority again and I'll make it fifty. Do I have to give you detention as well?"

"No, Madam Umbridge," he said quietly.

"Good. Scurry off."

He did just that, annoyed, but rather grateful to have avoided detention. Apparently she was taking her authority seriously enough to not only take away house points, but to give out detentions as well.

He sighed as he snuck back to Gryffindor Tower and saw Ginny sitting by the fire. She was writing in her diary, he noticed. He made his way over to her, his eyes on the way the light of the fire reflected in her hair.

"Hey Gin."

She smiled brightly as she looked up at him. "Hi, Harry. Did you get your letters off? Ron said that you were attempting to make it to the Owlery before curfew."

"I did, but I got caught by Umbitch."

Ginny smirked. "Umbitch?"

"Uncle Siri's name for her."

"I approve," she said with a grin. Colin called her name and she waved at him. "See you at practice tomorrow."

He watched her hurry off to the other side of the common room and he sighed as a dawning realization seemed to come over him.

Ginny was worth the risk.

He'd talk to her after practice tomorrow about going to Hogsmeade next weekend with him. Feeling lighter and excited at the thought of asking Ginny out, he made his way upstairs to his dorm, a grin on his face.

 **Seamus' eyes met Will's as he sat down across from him in the library that evening.**

"You are a surprisingly difficult person to find as of late," Will told him, sliding his chair around and closer to him.

Seamus half-smiled. "Yet you still found me."

Will nodded. "I hate this not talking thing. I miss you."

Seamus snuck a look up at him. "I'm not angry at you, Will. This is a great opportunity for you and one that I want you to have more than anything. But the more I think about it, the more I don't think that I can do the long distance thing. The idea of not seeing you or touching you ... it's too much and it would be years."

Will nodded. "I know." He was quiet for a moment. "But you will write, as a friend?"

Seamus wrapped his arms around Will. "Yes! Of course I will."

Will sighed into him. "I don't want to leave you, but please, Seam, don't shut me out. It's been over a week since you've even spoken to me and I just … can we just still be friends, please?"

Seamus kissed his cheek tenderly. "I'm sorry. I never meant to shut you out. We are friends and I will always be your friend, but …"

Will nodded in understanding. "But you and me, we're done."

Seamus' eyes were sad as he bit his bottom lip nervously. "Yeah, I think that we are. I think that it's for the best."

Will stared at him for a long moment before he nodded. "I think so too."

Seamus tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes on his now ex-boyfriend, feeling sad at that sudden realization.

"Study with me?" Will asked him, a soft smile on his lips.

Seamus smiled back at him. "After. First, tell me about the Congo."

Will's smile was catching as it crossed his face and Seamus knew that as sad as he was that no matter what, everything would be okay.

 **Sirius greeted Hedwig with a smile when she flew in through the kitchen window that night with the thick envelope tied to her leg.** He put out her food and water dish before he opened the envelope and sure enough, three more envelopes fell out. He smiled at the thickness of the two letters that would be going out to his grandparents. He kind of loved that Harry felt he could write to them and that he did. He opened the letter addressed to him curiously. Harry very rarely wrote to him anymore since they usually just used the mirrors.

 _Uncle Sirius,_

 _Umbitch inspected Hagrid's class and according to Ron, Hermione and Neville, it was awful! She mocked him for how he speaks, for how he looks, and gave a general impression that he was stupid. Ron said that she even asked him how it was possible for his father to have impregnated his mother if she was a giant. Ginny told us that Colin's brother Dennis said that when she inspected Flitwick during Frog Choir, she measured his height! I'm not sure what she thinks any of this has to do with education, but it's completely unacceptable!_

 _However, today she inspected Auntie Minnie's class and it was brilliant!_

 _First, she tried to interrupt her with that stupid little cough she does - hem, hem - and she was ignored. Then she tried a second time and when Auntie Minnie asked her what she wanted, she was all did you get my letter? Auntie Minnie stared at her and said obviously I received it or I would ask you why you are in my classroom. Umbitch didn't like that! Then she interrupted her again and Auntie Minnie told her that she didn't permit interruptions in her classroom and she wasn't sure how she expected to get a thorough understanding of how she taught if she didn't in fact let her teach. Uncle Sirius, if you could have seen her face, Umbitch was so mad!_

 _She asked all sorts of personal questions to Auntie Minnie too, inappropriate ones and she made all sorts of notes whenever Auntie Minnie refused to answer them. She even questioned her about her husband and the fact that he had once been her boss and said that she was having a sexual relationship with you. Auntie Minnie was furious and told her to leave before she set Nyx on her. I wish that she just would have. Umbitch is a foul toad and she deserves to be fired._

 _So, how do we get rid of her?_

 _Also, do you know what's happening with Madam Raffigan? She's teaching all of the History of Magic classes now and she's way better than Binns ever was so I kind of hope that she sticks around._

 _But Umbitch has seriously got to go._

 _Also, everyone loves that nickname for her._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

 _PS - Dobby says that he's filling the ice box for you so that you don't have to cook for yourself while Zee's in France. Don't argue with him, he seemed really excited to do it and I hate to disappoint him._

 _PPS - I've decided to ask Ginny out on a date. She's worth the risk, Uncle Padfoot. She's so important to me and I want the chance for her to be more. I'm going to do it after Quidditch practice tomorrow. The Hogsmeade trip is next Saturday. Wish me luck._

Sirius chuckled as he folded up the letter in amusement. He knew how nervous his son was about asking her out, but in all honesty, unless Harry mucked it up the way James did, he couldn't not imagine her saying yes. He saw the way that she looked at him when he was asleep last June. The turmoil in her eyes at the thought of leaving him and the relief when he clung to her hand like it gave her a legitimate reason to stay. She might possibly be just as smitten as Harry was, he thought with a grin.

As to Umbridge, she most definitely needed to be dealt with. He knew Bones had more or less shuffled her to the Department of Education just to get her out of her hair more than anything and from what Augusta had told him, Richardson wasn't any happier having her underfoot which was part of the reason why they allowed her to go to Hogwarts in the first place.

The Board of Governors didn't seem to care much either. Sirius agreed that the Department of Education needed to take a firmer stand on curriculum guidelines and a closer inspection on how and what was being taught with all of the new changes that were taking place as of late, but Umbridge clearly had other ideas. He was intrigued at the idea of Raffigan taking over History of Magic though.

He grabbed a fresh piece of parchment and began his letter to Richardson.

 _Dear Mr H Richardson,_

 _It has come to my attention that the two representatives who you have sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy have rather lost their way. One of them has taken over teaching a class from another professor and for all intents and purposes, is doing a wonderful job, while the other's brash, rude, and insensitive nature has done nothing but offend teachers and students alike._

 _I would like to propose a meeting with you and the Board to discuss this. It would also be beneficial to have a sit down with both Madam Raffigan and Madam Umbridge to discuss their findings so far and how we can proceed with this Ministry sanctioned inspection._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lord Sirius Black_

 _Hogwarts Board of Governors_

He sealed the letter in an envelope and whistled for Hedwig. She flew over and extended her leg.

"Good girl. Take this to the Ministry for me. When you get back you can rest a night and then we'll send you off to Colt and Flo with Harry's letter, okay?"

Hedwig hooted and when he finished tying the letter into place she took off, soaring through the open window.

Sirius wrote a quick note for Harry, securing it to Persephone's leg, stroking her wing lightly. "Bring that to Harry, then I have a long journey for you, girl."

She nipped at him affectionately before she took off towards Hogwarts. He sighed as he watched her fly away, the house quiet once more. He missed Marauder quite a lot in times like these, he thought.

He glanced up at the clock and figured that he could spend a few hours in the workshop to clear his head. He wondered how Zee was faring in France

 **Zee parked her motorbike by the entrance to the cave that she had been heading towards, turning her gaze to look for Lady Godiva.** The panther was staring at her, her yellow eyes seeming to tell her to move forward so she lit her wand and headed into the darkness.

She had been heading to the magical Melusines village Marseille Fond de L'Océan when she had stopped at the pub to ask for directions. The underwater village often moved around and the last she had heard it was located by Vieux-Port, but in her first circle around she had spotted nothing to indicate the village was still there. She soon learned from a wizard that the Melusines were often seen near Chateau d'If. When the wizard had asked her why she was looking for Marseille Fond de L'Océan, Zee told him that she was a magizoologist from England who needed to speak with the Merchieftan and the wizard had immediately told her about the cave.

Someone somewhere had smuggled in a griffin and not just one, but two, who had bred. The creatures were causing a ruckus in nearby Muggle towns who were attributing it to eagle attacks as many small dogs and household pets had been carried off. The Magizoologists of the Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France had managed to get a hold of the two griffins. They had captured the two of them and taken them away to be put somewhere that they couldn't harm the Muggles, but the wizard had explained that in the two weeks since that had happened, they were starting to think that the creatures had left a nest.

Zee had immediately whistled for Lady Godiva and headed towards the direction of the caves. Her panther kept easy pace with her on her 1937 BSA M20 and she knew that Lady Godiva loved it. Whenever Zee was able to take the bike with her on a job, Lady Godiva revelled in the chance to run by her witch's side. She stroked her panther behind the ears as she headed towards the cave, her wand lit.

"Stay Lady G, I don't want you to scare them if there is a nest in here. It may be occupied."

Lady Godiva prowled the ground, but stayed where she was told.

Zee raised her wand higher moving further into the cave. She could hear the rustling and was thankful not to see bats anywhere as she moved further into the darkness. She climbed over a large boulder and her eyes widened at the sight of them.

She had been a magizoologist for almost twelve years now and she had never in her life seen anything like the sight before her. Three small baby griffins were stretched out in a large nest in the middle of the cave. Their tiny wings not big enough to allow them flight and their large lion like paws too big for them. The weight of their wings and their long, heavy tail made it hard for them to stand upright, tripping over themselves and all over the uneven ground of the cave, squawking at the sight of her.

Zee urged Lady Godiva to stay where she was, moving down into the cavern. She opened her bag to pull out the food that she had gathered; six large raw steaks that she had gotten from the Butcher before heading towards the caves. They immediately spotted her, sniffing the air and yipping in excitement.

"Shh," she said soothingly, moving in close. "It's okay now. I won't let anyone hurt you."

She reached out a tentative hand, her wand still in the other and let out a breath of relief when the first cub merely rubbed its feathered head against her offered hand. She put her wand down to scratch them behind the ears and soon found herself wrestling with three baby griffin cubs vying for her attention, their tiny wings fluttering in excitement while their long lion-like tail whirred wildly. She played for a few minutes, laughing and cuddling with them before she carefully spread out the steaks from her bag. They immediately tore into the meat in happiness, each fighting the other to try to grab more of the juicy meat.

Zee used her wand to give them water, making sure that they were hydrated. They couldn't be more than a few weeks old and at the moment were completely harmless fledglings looking for love. But she knew how dangerous they could become once they were able to grow up. They finished eating and immediately made a beeline for her again and she snuggled them close, the sound of her laughter echoing off the walls of the cave.

She had to find somewhere safe to bring them.

There was a magical creature reserve near Fiordland National Park in New Zealand. She knew a few magizoologists who worked there and took care of not only a few fully grown griffins, but unicorns, Occamys, Thunderbirds, and even a Cerberus. She would send word there immediately about getting the cubs transferred over before they got too big. She laughed when one of them pecked lightly at her hand and she held onto them happily.

Zee tugged out her camera, snapping photos of the happy little cubs rolling and playing and wrestling with each other, nipping at the other as their tiny wings fluttered, lifting them no more than half an inch off the ground before they would crash down, tripping over their large paws in defeat. She recorded the nest that their parents had made in the cave for them and worked out how they would have food in the meantime. She needed to speak with the Département de Créature Magique and see what the French DCM agents had done with the parents of the cubs.

She sent word to Forrester about the delay in getting to the Merpeople village and ordered Lady Godiva to guard the cave before she hopped back onto her bike and took off towards the village. She found the owl post quickly and sent word to the reserve in New Zealand about her find before she headed back and settled herself in the cave to camp there. She had no plans of leaving these three innocent baby griffins alone.

By the morning, she had already heard back and was pleased to see that her friend Bura Visnjic was sending magizoololgists immediately to France to collect the cubs and promised that they would be there by noon. She procured more fresh steak for the cubs and gave them water, urging them to play and roll over as Lady Godiva only stared at her.

"Oh Lady G, don't be jealous, they won't be here much longer."

Lady Godiva only gave her a look as if saying, whatever and lied down in front of the entrance to the cave to wash herself.

Two men arrived just before noon with large crates ready to transport the babies. The cubs whined at the thought of being separated from Zee and she found tears in her eyes as she hugged and kissed them goodbye, helping the tamers carefully move them into the cages and secure them.

"Bura has a place for them?"

The tall dark skinned man covered in tattoos smiled at her. "She does. We have a family actually and I think that they will be quite at home there. She told me to tell you that she will send you photos and news of them once they are settled. It's a good thing that you found them when you did, another four or five weeks and their wings will have extended enough for them to figure out how to fly. It would have been a bitch to try to bring them in safely once they are air born."

"Thanks, Abioye," Zee said with a smile, saying goodbye the baby griffins as they were carefully loaded into the crates and then she grinned as she watched Abioye and his partner, Zhang place them in the enchanted trunk that they had carried with them.

"We have a portkey ready to take us right to the reserve for two. Thanks again for letting us know about the cubs. Merlin knows how big they would have managed before something terrible happened."

Zee frowned. "I doubt that they would have survived that long without help. I'm just glad that I found them when I did. Thank Bura for me again."

Zhang nodded in salute as he and Abioye rose up on their broomsticks and headed away from the cave to their portkey destination.

Zee sighed, gathering up her things and using a quick packing charm to get everything into her knapsack. She adjusted it on her shoulder and bent to kiss the panther on the top of her head.

"Well Lady G, it's just you and me again. We need to speak to the Merpeople and I need to get a hold of Tripp."

She had barely sent word to him when he arrived at the entrance to the cave.

"Merlin, Tripp! You scared me!"

He grinned at her, his cocky innocence making her sigh in relief. "Sorry. I saw the tamers leave and I figured you were ready to head out. Do you know where the village is located?"

Zee nodded, hopping onto her bike. "The folk around here last heard it was by Chateau d'If so we're going to head out that way. The only way to the old prison is by boat."

Forrester raised an eyebrow. "Apparate?"

Zee shook her head. "Not that close to a Melusine village. They'll sense the magic and either attack or move on and we'll never find them again. We have to approach carefully and show them that we come in peace and with respect."

Forrester nodded and scratched his head. "There's a boat yard just up the road. We can rent one from a Muggle and head out there right away. Are you hoping to recruit some of them for the Aqua Protectors Force?"

"That would definitely be a bonus," Zee told him. "But for the most part, I want to see if they are willing to listen to Princess Sapphira about at least proclaiming neutrality."

"And the Seer?"

Zee turned to stare at him. "What Seer?"

Forrester seemed to catch himself. "Oh, sorry, I must be thinking of a different mission. You know how I mix things up sometimes."

Zee stared at him. He didn't mix things up, not usually. In fact, despite her complaints, he was a good partner and she had always trusted him. His floppy blond hair was wildly blowing in the wind, but his eyes looked off, dangerous even. "Tripp, are you feeling alright?"

"No, I - " he grabbed his stomach as his wand fell from his fingertips and Zee raised her wand in alarm as three men in dark cloaks and masks came out from around the cave.

"The coward's not feeling well," the shortest of the three men said, pointing his wand at Forrester. "It's been hard to keep this one under control. He fights back on the Imperius, you know. Been trouble from the start."

"If we didn't keep erasing his memory maybe we'd have a better chance at controlling him," the taller one said in annoyance.

Zee held her wand tightly. "Who are you?"

The short man snickered and tossed his hood back. She met the dark eyes of the somewhat stooped man and she recognized him immediately.

"Nott."

He licked his teeth as he grinned. "Good memory. When we heard you were nearby caring for griffin cubs we couldn't pass up the opportunity to say hello. Markus has been waiting to talk to you."

"Markus?"

The biggest of the three pulled his mask off, grinning widely. "Crucio!"

Zee screamed as her body shook in unimaginable pain. She collapsed to her knees, tears in her eyes as he lifted his wand. Her own wand was still in her shaking hand, but she was unable to hold it steady as her body reacted to the curse.

"Chateau d'If is the place to find the Seer so thanks for that information. As to the other, well, you fucking Black makes you exactly who I want my hands on at the moment. That bastard sent me to Azkaban so I'll punish his cunt. Crucio."

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood to try stop herself from screaming, but she couldn't contain it. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. As if she was being stabbed everywhere from the inside out. Lady Godiva was growling from behind her and she heard Nott say something about killing the cat.

The curse lifted and her hands shook as she sent a stunning charm at Nott taking him out before she incapacitated the taller unknown man. She made to disarm Bulstrode next, but he was already moving towards her.

Lady Godiva intervened.

She heard him scream as her panther's teeth ripped into his side and she jumped on the motorbike, kicking it into gear as the engine roared to life. She shot another hex out at them and whistled. Lady Godiva tore into Bulstrode's side again before running after her, keeping up with her bike. Her whole body was vibrating in pain as she tried to will herself to drive straight, to keep up, but as her body shook, so did the bike and she felt the curse hit a second before she could react.

The bike flipped beneath her and she screamed, cradling her head to try to protect herself as she flew over the handles, crashing to the ground below and scraping the entire right side of her body. She choked on her own bile as she attempted to crawl to her feet, her arms around Lady Godiva who nudged her, licking the blood from the side of her face.

"I'm fine, Lady, I'm fine," she whispered, holding tightly to her wand.

She struggled to climb to her feet, her body shaking and she screamed as the torture curse hit her again. She choked on her own blood as the pain twisted itself through her already injured side, seemingly to magnify the agony of it. She felt like she was being boiled alive while simultaneously being ripped apart from the inside.

She heard her panther growl and then a painful yell as teeth tore into flesh. She made it to her knees as the curse lifted, her eyes on the tall man who was currently having his neck torn into by her panther and she didn't even care. She could see Nott and Bulstrode moving slowly and she knew that Lady G had made a dent in Bulstrode large enough to slow him down. She looked back at her bike, the wheels turning wildly, the mirror and light smashed and her body shook violently both in pain and in rage.

She heard Nott yell something as she fumbled into her knapsack, tugging it off her back as she tried to find the emergency portkey. She gripped it tightly from the front pocket of her bag and whistled for Lady G. The panther moved to her instantly and she wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"You did so good, Lady G, so good. I'm so proud," she whispered.

She felt a curse hit her leg hard enough that she blacked out just as the portkey took off and then she felt nothing at all.

 **When Harry woke up the next morning, the sight of Persephone flying towards him made him smile.** He took the letter from her as Neville raised an eyebrow.

"Sirius never writes, what's up?"

Harry shook his head he opened the letter grinning. It was short and sweet.

 _Don't back down. Don't get scared. Go for it. And remember, you can never mess up as bad as your dad did, you have too much of me in you for that. Good luck today. Get that girl!_

 _Love Always,_

 _Uncle Sirius_

He grinned as he folded the letter back up. "Nothing, just an inside joke."

Neville nodded as he helped himself to the plate of scrambled eggs.

Harry was nervous, he knew that, but it was Ginny he told himself. He just had to figure out what he was going to say.

As the day went on, more news reached his ears about Professor Binns. After he had refused to show up to his next class following his walk out on the fifth years, Raffigan had taken it upon herself to teach the seventh years. When he didn't show up the next day, or the day after that, the rumours took off. Rumours were flying that Binns had left the castle entirely, but Harry really wasn't sure what was going on. But by the end of the week, it was clear that Raffigan had temporarily taken over History of Magic like Harry had told Sirius.

That Sunday afternoon, he found himself watching Ginny during Quidditch practice yet again.

Her flying really was incredible and he had to give her credit for her talent. She was a natural. She played well and she seemed to understand Angelina and Katie as if she had been playing with them for years. Her long ponytail blew behind her in the wind and he grinned.

Harry had been thinking a lot about her lately. About their friendship; about his feelings and about what everyone else had been telling him. He knew that his family was right, that Mandy was right … he wanted more with her, from her. Ginny was pure sunlight. She was the one person he trusted most in the world; the one person who calmed him, who kept him sane.

It had always been her.

She was the girl who hugged him out of the blue in a jungle gym at a park, kissing him on the mouth and who had become his very first friend. She was the girl who stopped him from panicking the first time that he'd had a panic attack at the Burrow. She was the girl who always made him laugh, never failed to make him smile, and who always had a quick word to share. She was the girl who listened to his nightmares and understood his bad dreams. She was the girl who understood his horrors upon learning of the Horcruxes, who understood his fears better than he did because she had lived through it herself. She was the girl who had held his hand all night after Voldemort had returned.

And she was the girl who he was most afraid to lose.

A world without Ginny was a world without sunlight, without magic, and it was a world that he couldn't imagine living in. He needed her. He needed her warm hugs, her wit and her sass. He needed her smile and her bright disposition. He needed her to put him in his place, to keep him calm and to be there for him. But most of all, he needed her to need him and to be the same for her that she was to him and that's what worried him the most.

But Sirius was right, he could do this if it was what he wanted and he knew that she was exactly what he wanted. This was it, he thought. He was going to tell her how he felt.

He watched as she landed her broom and moved to get some water from the water container and he flew down towards her, watching the sunlight reflect off her hair.

"Gin?"

Ginny turned to smile at him, her cheeks flushed from the air. "Harry, great practice! I think that I'm working well with Angelina and Katie and that we're going to be really ready for the first match in two weeks."

"You're brilliant," he said with a grin. "Better than Angelina and Katie even."

She grinned. "Flatterer."

He dragged his fingers through his hair as it stood up even more and smiled at her. "Listen, there's something that I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

He nodded, swallowing slowly. With the setting sun shining on her hair and her cheeks flushed from the air, the thin sheet of perspiration on her neck, he thought that she was the most beautiful goddess that he had ever laid his eyes on. "Yeah, there's … erm … Ginny, I was actually wondering if - "

" - Harry! Mate, that practice was epic!" Ron said, moving up to stand next to him and helping himself to some water. "I think that I'm really getting the feeling of being Keeper. I hope I can keep it up during our first game."

"You will," Ginny told him. "You just have to be confident."

"And not let the other team taunt you," Fred said, reaching for some water himself.

Harry let out a slow breath, his eyes on Ginny. "Ginny, can I have a moment?"

Ginny glanced at him curiously but nodded. She followed him away from her brothers who were now bickering about the upcoming match and whether or not Ron had the skill to keep up with the game, and she smiled at him.

"Everything okay, Harry?"

He nodded, biting his bottom lip. "Yeah, yeah, it's great. I just … I wanted to talk to you."

"So you said," she told him, a small smile on her lips.

"Um, so … Mandy broke up with me a few weeks ago."

Ginny nodded, her chocolate brown eyes on his. "I know. I heard. I'm so sorry, Harry, I know that you really liked her."

He shrugged in response. "I did, but it just wasn't … I didn't know how to make her understand about Voldemort and about … me … it wouldn't have worked out between us."

"Well, communication is important and if you had just talked to her, she might have understood."

"I didn't want to talk to her," Harry said. "I didn't want to talk about it again."

"I get that, but - "

" - she's not you," he blurted, interrupting her. "I mean, she doesn't get me, not like you do. You get me, Ginny. You just … you get me and … fuck, I'm buggering this up!"

Ginny merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Buggering what up?" She reached out to touch his arm. "Harry, you know that you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know and that means the world to me, Ginny. You are so important to me. I don't want to lose that."

She smiled. "I'm not going anywhere."

He grinned sheepishly, his eyes on her soft lips as she spoke. He had a sudden urge to dip his head, to kiss those lips. "Ginny, I - "

" - Harry!" Hermione called out, running towards them.

Harry and Ginny both turned as Hermione ran down from the stands, waving at them. Harry let out a frustrated sigh. How was he supposed to ask Ginny to Hogsmeade if he never got a second to get the words out?

"What is it, Hermione?"

Hermione was pale as she thrusted her communication mirror at him. "It's Sirius. Zee's been hurt."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(French) Marseille Fond de L'Océan = Marseille Ocean Floor_

 _Thanks to Clupeidae and rachel | malenkayacherepakha for helping me word this one: CRAWLS = Creature Research And Welfare Licence Standards._


	196. Chapter 196

_Author's Note:_

 _Reviews: I'm glad the wait was excruciating, it makes me feel powerful bahahaha! J/k. Kind of. As for the relationship of Bellatrix and Narcissa, in my story I decided that Bellatrix caused Narcissa to have miscarriages, but as far as I know that is not canon. Yes, Harry did get cockblocked a bit there and then well, other things happened. I know I'm cruel, teasing Hinny consistently and then it's not there, but I promise VERY soon. ;) To midnitewanderer, thanks, I literally laughed out loud. To Menna Taha, as far as I know I am not Satan, but a crazy old lady once told me that my red hair is a sign of the devil so I can't be too sure._

 _For those people constantly leaving reviews claiming that I am pushing my personal agenda by having gay characters:_

 _1) I am not gay myself so not sure how that's a personal agenda and_

 _2) This is a repeat of the Author's Note_ ** _listed in chapter one_** _: It is rated M because of language and violence and sexual scenes, which will be present later on in the story. Here are the warnings of mature themes that I posted on Archive of Our Own as well to prepare you for what this story will entail. Comedy; Father-Son Relationship; Sirius Black & Harry Potter; Remus Lupin & Harry Potter; Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley; Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks; Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s); Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter; Remus Lupin/Original Female Character(s); Harry Potter; Ginny Weasley; Sirius Black; Remus Lupin; Minerva McGonagall; Graphic Depictions Of Violence; Major Character Death; Underage; Multiple Sex Positions; Oral Sex; Sex; From Sex to Love; Sex Talk; Implied/Referenced Child Abuse; Past Abuse; Emotional/Psychological Abuse; Physical Abuse; Torture; Psychological Torture; Implied/Referenced Torture; Blood and Torture; Nightmares; Shower Sex; __Gay Sex; Gay Character(s)_ _; Explicit Language; Multiple Orgasms; Friendship/Love; True Love; Recreational Drug Use; Masturbation; Rape; Mind Rape and_

 _3) If you didn't read the warnings the first time, that's not my problem as they are listed there. Hope you have a fantastic day! More gay smut to come, I promise!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-SIX:**

 **Harry felt like the bottom of his stomach had just opened up.** He took the communication mirror from Hermione, his eyes on hers before he glanced down to see his father's face.

"Uncle Siri?"

"Harry! Listen, Zee was attacked by Death Eaters in France. A portkey just transported her directly to the DMLE and King contacted me. I'm on my way to _St Mungo's_ right now. He said that she's been badly injured."

"How bad?" Harry asked, his eyes widening in fear. "Is she going to be okay?"

Sirius bit his lip. "I don't know how bad, Harry. As soon as I find out what happened I'll get back to you."

The mirror went blank in his hand and he glanced up at Hermione and Ginny, his eyes wide in worry and panic.

Ginny immediately linked her arm through Harry's, holding his wrist tightly. "She's going to be okay, Harry. Zee is one of the toughest women that I know."

Harry nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. "Death Eaters got to her to in France … do you think that they're watching her?"

Ginny's warm brown eyes met his. "They might not have known who she is, Harry. It could just be a coincidence."

Harry shook his head as he sat his broomstick on his shoulder. "It wasn't."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but he was already stomping off towards the showers, lost in thought.

Here he was, trying to work up how exactly he was supposed to ask one of his best friends out on a date and Zee was … she was alive, he told himself, Sirius had said that she was injured. He made his way into the showers, undressing before he stood under the spray, letting it hit him in the face for the longest time. Zee had been going to France to talk to the Merpeople he remembered, something about neutrality and the thing about the Aqua Protectors … she was careful, he thought. She knew how to be careful. How had they gotten to her?

He punched the wall in his anger before he curled his fingers at the pain of it. When he stepped out of the shower and got dressed, he pulled the mirror from his locker, but there was no sign that Sirius had tried to contact him. He shoved the mirror into his pocket and haphazardly pulled a comb through his hair as Ginny stepped over to him, freshly showered herself.

"Hey," she said quietly, taking a seat on the bench.

"Hey."

Ginny smiled at him. "I know that you're worried about her, but I'm sure that Sirius will contact you soon."

Harry nodded, but he didn't say anything. His eyes locked with hers when she grabbed his hand, squeezing gently. "Thanks, Gin."

Ginny smiled warmly at him. "Let's go see Professor Lupin. Hermione was saying that you two have your first Defence Club meeting tonight to see which category you're going to fall under for the older students."

He nodded again. "I don't know … I don't know if I can concentrate."

"You can and you will," Ginny told him smartly. "Come on. Professor Lupin made it on a Sunday until he organizes the groups better just so you could have Quidditch practice first. You can't disappoint him by not showing up."

She looped her arm through his and Harry immediately pulled her close, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder, breathing in her scent deeply.

Ginny wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Zee's a tough cookie, Harry. She's going to be alright, I know it."

He nodded, but he didn't let go of her.

Ginny hugged him tightly. "I've missed your hugs. You give the best ones, you know?"

He smiled against her shoulder. "So do you."

They stood there for a moment, hugging tightly before Ginny turned her head to kiss his cheek. "Let's go talk to McGonagall, I bet that she'll let you go to _St Mungo's_ and see her?"

Harry shook his head, moving out of Ginny's embrace reluctantly. "No, you're right. I should … Defence Club … Uncle Siri will contact me. There's nothing that I can do there."

Ginny smiled up at him. "Okay, I think that's a good idea. Hey, what did you want to talk to me about? Before …"

The back of Harry's neck flushed as he shook his head. "Er …" Thoughts of asking her to go to Hogsmeade next Saturday vanishing from his mind. This wasn't the time, he thought. He couldn't ask her now, not with … Zee was going to be alright, he told himself. She had to be. Ginny's eyes were still on him so he swallowed slowly. "Nothing, I, er, I just wanted to say great job today. You're were doing great out there."

Ginny glanced at him quizzically. "Thanks."

He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I, um, I should head to the duelling room for Defence Club."

He grabbed his stuff and hurried off, broomstick over his shoulder and left Ginny staring after him in confusion.

 **Sirius Apparated directly to** ** _St Mungo's_** **after speaking to Harry.** The healers quickly directed him to the fourth floor and his stomach plummeted as he hurried off to find his woman. He found Kingsley in the hall trying to subdue a very angry panther and he immediately whistled. Lady Godiva's eyes found him before she moved to his side, nuzzling his hip in recognition.

Kinglsey let out a slow breath. "That panther has been hissing and roaring at anyone who attempted to get near Zee. I had a hell of a time getting the healers near her. One of the Aurors stunned her and that royally pissed her off."

Sirius stroked Lady Godiva's head, his eyes on the Head Auror. "What happened?"

Kinglsey shook his head. "We don't know for sure. She used her emergency portkey and it deposited her in the centre of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as it is assigned to do. She was falling in and out of consciousness, the panther was going crazy. I had to stun the damn panther a second time, which I think is part of the problem now. By the time the panther came to she wasn't exactly happy with me. Zee's leg was bleeding badly so was her lip. One whole side of her body is torn up pretty bad. I'd say the torture curse for sure. Other than that, I don't know what happened to her."

"Her supervisor?"

"I can't get a hold of Yaxley and her partner is MIA."

"Fucking Forrester," Sirius muttered under his breath, his hand still resting on Lady Godiva's head.

Sirius gestured for the panther to follow him with a tilt of his head as he pushed his way into her hospital room. One of the healers immediately turned to see him.

"Immediate family only."

"I am her bloody family," Sirius said angrily. He snapped his fingers and the panther jumped up onto the end of the hospital bed to settle. "How is she?"

The healer in charge looked like he wanted to protest, but the panther was growling at him so he merely swallowed slowly and took an automatic step back.

"She's been tortured and the curse that hit her leg … it's new to us. It's infected her leg and is slowly working through her blood stream. We don't know what the curse is, but she seems to be in a lot of pain. She hasn't regained consciousness."

Sirius paled and took a step towards the bed, his hand gripping hers. "Give her something for the pain."

"We have," the healer said quietly. "It's not working."

"Find out what's bloody wrong with her," Sirius demanded. "And find something else to help her. You can't leave her unconscious and in pain."

The healer only nodded. "We need to draw more of her blood to try to figure out what the curse was."

"So do it," Sirius said roughly, kissing the hand he held. "Do whatever you need to do. Just … heal her."

The healer nodded and set back to work.

Sirius held her hand tightly, pressing his lips to her fingers. "It's going to be okay, love. We're going to figure this out. You just … be strong, baby, please. I need you."

He pressed her hand against his cheek, his eyes on her as his heart pounded wildly in his chest. The left side of her face was scratched and torn almost raw and he could see that it continued down her right shoulder and her right arm as well. He shifted the blankets down and watched the same injuries continue down her hip and her leg. The opposite leg was oozing blood from a gash in the back of her calf from her knee to her ankle. It was bandaged off, but Sirius could see that it was the source of the problem. He kissed her hand, his eyes on her.

"You're going to be okay, Zahira. You have to be," he whispered almost to himself.

A hand touched his shoulder and he turned to look back at Kingsley.

"I just got word that Agent Forrester has turned up at the Ministry with Zee's mangled bike. I guess that she attempted to escape on the motorbike and a Death Eater hit the bike and she went flying. She crash landed fairly hard which probably accounts for her torn and scratched appearance. I'm going there to talk to Agent Forrester now, I'll keep you posted."

Sirius nodded. "If he's the reason that she's hurt, King, I want ten minutes alone with him in a cell."

Kingsley stared at him. "You know that I can't let you do that, Sirius."

Sirius' turbulent gaze met the Auror's. "Five minutes then."

Kingsley looked like he was going to argue, but then he nodded. "I'll keep you posted."

Sirius turned back to Zee, her hand still trapped in his. If her stupid partner had anything to do with this he was going to make him wish that he had never set eyes on Sirius Black. He kissed Zee's fingers again, gently reaching out to touch her hair. She was going to be alright, he told himself; she was going to be alright.

He kept repeating the words to himself silently as if he could will it to be so.

 **Zee was grasping in pain. She could feel it coming over her in waves, vibrating through her system like she was lying on hot coals.** She could hear the pressure popping in her ears; the sound of water coming to a boil; feel it under her skin. Her bones ached like tiny hammers were hitting her all over her joints. But when she tried to claw to the surface it was like she was drowning and couldn't reach the air to breathe.

The distant murmur of voices around her were muffled. She couldn't make them out. Someone was holding her hand, warm and steady and it calmed her, but when she tried to reach out to them, to tell them that she was here, something hot and humid dragged her back under.

Her mouth tasted like ash. She could smell her own body burning and she wanted to scream, but no sound was coming out. It was a constant ache. A torture that she couldn't explain; that she couldn't stop. Something vile was pushed down her throat and she choked on it, the flavour mixing with the ash as her blood boiled and popped. Her muscles were scorched from the inside out. She felt branded by fire; consumed by a heat that was melting her down to nothing. She couldn't tell where the fire started and her body began. It was an endless maze of pain.

She screamed and she screamed, but no sound emerged from her lips as she felt the bubbles erupt in her blood like liquid lava; boiling over at thousands of degrees as if she were a volcano ready to pop. Her head pounded and the pain seemed to vibrate up and down her leg, radiating its energy and pain from one part of her body to the next. She wanted it to stop. She wanted to die. She would do anything to stop the pain.

Anything.

Another vile liquid was pushed down her throat and then she pushed past the realm of consciousness, but her blood still smouldered. And the pain didn't stop.

But her world went black and despite the pain, she knew no more.

 **"** **So not only did you not find the location of the Seer, but you failed to kill the bitch agent before she escaped?"** Voldemort demanded coldly, his eyes on Thaddeus Nott who was kneeling before him and grovelling.

"My Lord, she used an emergency portkey and her panther - "

" - I do not have the time or the desire to listen to your pathetic excuses," Voldemort exclaimed darkly. "She was _one woman_ who we had under our thumbs! Her partner was under Yaxley's control and yet she still escaped!"

"My Lord, I'm - "

The scream tore through him as Voldemort merely flicked his wand and murmured the Cruciatus. He held it in place for only a moment before he allowed Nott to catch his breath.

"Don't apologize for failure. Just know that if you fail me again, then you will really have a reason to be sorry. Get up!"

Nott scrambled to his feet, his face still contorted in pain.

"Kata, my dear, come over here."

The beautiful blonde woman, once so vibrant and full of life, was now pale and alluded to an almost zombie like-state. She moved slowly across the room and knelt before Voldemort.

"Thaddeus has misbehaved. In punishment, you are not to go to him if he calls for you. You are to ignore him. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my Lord."

Nott looked pained by this, but didn't speak.

"Woodrow."

Woodrow Selwyn, who had been standing by the wall with a few other Death Eaters watching Nott grovel, stood up straight immediately. "Yes, my Lord?"

Voldemort smiled cruelly. "Take Thad upstairs with you and Kata. Chain him up. He can watch while you fuck her. When he is begging to climax, come get me."

Woodrow nodded, grabbing Kata in one hand and Thaddeus in the other. "It would be my pleasure, my Lord."

Thaddeus however had paled considerably.

Peter, who had been standing by the wall watching, swallowed slowly. As everyone left the room, he snuck a look over at Aurelius Avery.

"Why does the Dark Lord want to know when Thad is begging?"

Avery smirked. "Ever been so hard and so unable to come that you want to cry; so desperate for that sexual release that your body is grasping for it? Thad is a sexual deviant and the Dark Lord knows it. My guess, he's going to use that opportunity to torture him for his failure. I imagine that being put under the Cruciatus would be quite the feat when sporting an erection."

Peter paled. The feel of the burning pain and the way everything twisted and turned inside of you, as if everything was breaking ... he was incredibly glad that he wasn't in Thaddeus Nott's place. Bulstrode was still unconscious and a healer was working on him. The panther had torn into him badly and they weren't yet sure if he was going to make it. The fact that he was unconscious was the only reason why the Dark Lord had yet to question him. Macklebee was dead. The panther had torn out his trachea and he'd bled to death in seconds. Nott had brought both of them back to the manor, covered in blood and reeking of failure.

Peter stepped out of the room and let out a squeak when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned to look at Abraxas and swallowed slowly.

"The Dark Lord wishes to speak with you, Pettigrew."

Pettigrew nodded and as he followed Abraxas into one of the parlours, his stomach flopped nervously.

Voldemort was sitting in a high backed chair, Nagini coiled at his feet. He crooked his finger and Peter stepped inside, kneeling before him.

"The cunt agent who escaped, she is the whore of your old friend, is she not?"

Peter nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

"Rumour is that she's taken a motherly interest in the little brat too," Voldemort said dryly. "Nott tells me that he hit her with the Blood Boil Curse. With any luck, she'll die in the hospital very soon. I've heard that its rather an awful way to die, feeling your body liquefying and then turning to ash ... burning through her ... I wish that I could see it. Watching the life leave someone's eyes is quite rewarding in itself."

Peter only continued to stare at the floor, his body trembling.

"Look up, Wormtail."

Peter did very slowly, meeting the dark red gaze.

"You fear me, Wormtail. I can see that. Your mind has always been open to me, as pathetic as your thoughts are, your fear has always been strong." He tapped his wand against the arm of his chair as he continued. "But you are smarter than I've given you credit for. You've been kidnapped and imprisoned by your old friends and returned to me, not from loyalty, but from fear. Snape was quite right about that. You can be useful to me which we both know is the only reason why you are still alive."

Peter swallowed slowly. "I can be useful, my Lord, I swear it."

Voldemort sneered. "We'll see about that. I want you to learn what you can about this cunt agent. I want to know what her background is, her blood status, her family. If someone manages to discover what the curse she was hit with was, she may yet still be saved, but we can hope for her death in the meantime while she suffers unimaginable pain. You tell me what you learn about her. She's a hindrance and we need to learn more about her and what her relationship is like with the Merpeople. Yaxley claims that she is one of his best agents and she obviously knows more about this Seer than she's let on."

"My Lord, I - I don't understand, do you want her to survive?"

Voldemort stared at her. "I don't care either way. Her suffering is rewarding enough and if it affects Potter on top of it, that's just a bonus. But find out about her family, Wormtail. I want to know everything."

"And - when I find them, my Lord?"

Voldemort smiled. "Kill them."

Peter swallowed slowly as Voldemort waved him way.

"Brax, I think Markus has been waiting long enough, bring him back in," Voldemort called out.

Peter left the room as the bloody body of Markus Bulstrode was floated into the room. His leg had been torn open by the panther, but the beating his body had taken had come from the Death Eaters. He watched them throw his beat-up form to the ground as Voldemort smiled.

"Markus, let's start back at the top, why did you fail me?"

The door closed behind him and Peter was grateful not to hear anymore. He leaned back against the wall, his mind churning over his new orders.

It was time to learn everything he could about Sirius' DRCMC Agent.

 **Harry made his way back to Gryffindor Tower, tossing his Quidditch stuff in his dorm before he headed back down to the duelling classroom.** The room was already pretty full of fifth through seventh year students. He made his way to Remus, his eyes on his father.

"Any news from Uncle Siri?"

Remus shook his head. "No, but Nymphadora is working the case. She was unconscious when they found her. Sirius will get the details and let us know. I'm sure that he just needs some time to process it himself. We have to be positive that she's doing to be okay. Good thoughts, alright?"

Harry nodded. He could understand that. He knew that Sirius must be going crazy at the moment. He just wanted to make sure that they were both going to be alright. He made his way over to where Hermione was talking to Ron and Neville.

Ron reached out to squeeze Harry's shoulder. "Mione told us. Any news?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but everyone says that she's unconscious and injured. I don't know if they're just reassuring me or not, but I'm taking it as a good sign. We just don't know how serious her injuries are yet. But she's alive and that's all that matters."

Neville nodded and gave his friend a reassuring smile as Remus called the room to attention. Remus was using today's lesson to divide the group between Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced once more. He divided the group based on what division they were in the year before and then he began to explain about what kind of new things he was looking to work on this year.

Harry found himself listening with half an ear as Remus explained how he wanted to focus more on duelling with a profound note on hexes and jinxes. He kept his hand in his pocket, wrapped around his mirror as he desperately waited for it to vibrate, anything to give him some news. They were divided up into pairs within their old groups and told to duel. Harry found himself partnered with Blaise.

They pointed their wands at each other and Harry shot the first spell that he could think of, a disarming charm and to his shock and surprise, he not only disarmed Blaise, but Blaise's entire body shot back like a rocket and he crashed into the mats leaning against the stone wall.

Harry stared at the wand in his hand, not really sure what had just happened.

"What the fuck, Potter?" Blaise growled as he climbed to his feet.

Remus was there to make sure he was okay before he turned to Harry. "Harry, what happened?"

Harry shook his head. "I - I don't know. I just disarmed him. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary."

Remus frowned for a moment before he held up his wand. "Disarm me."

Harry swallowed slowly before he raised his wand. "Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

"Reducto!"

Remus' shield disintegrated at the curse and his eyes widened. " _Very good,_ Harry. See me after Defence Club."

Harry nodded and moved to stand next to Hermione who was giving him a strange look. "What?"

Hermione only shook her head. "We haven't done much spellwork since school started up as most of the work has been written. I don't know how much of your wand you used this summer, but Harry, I think your magic is stronger than it was before."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't you think that I would have noticed it before now if that were true? I mean, if it was because of removing the you know what, wouldn't I have noticed after it happened?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm not sure. It depends on what you were using your wand for, I suppose."

Harry stared at her for a moment. He hadn't used his wand much since the Horcrux had been removed. He'd learned how to Apparate and he'd used a silencing charm on his bedroom, but other than that, his studies had all been theoretical so far. He hadn't noticed an increase in anything. But that wasn't entirely true, he thought. The other day in Transfiguration his switching spell had been so powerful that he'd changed his feather duster into a family of ferrets instead of just one and then he'd switched the toy pig into a giant wart hog, equipped with sharp tusks. Then on the second day of learning the Vanishing Spell with the mice, he'd vanished not only his mouse, but his entire desk along with it.

He frowned slightly as he watched his father organize the Defence Club. He found himself once more in the Advanced Class along with Hermione, Theo, and Draco. Neville had progressed up to Intermediate and was beside himself with excitement as he joined Ron this time around. Once Remus had dismissed everyone with promises of having a schedule made up for club meetings, did Harry approach his father.

Remus smiled at him. "I think that your real magical potential has finally emerged."

Harry only raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess I have been doing some stuff a little more powerfully than I should be, but … I mean, I feel the same."

Remus pointed his wand at the dummy. "You should feel the same. It's just your power, Harry. It belongs to you and it is part of you. I want to explore it a little more so that we can grasp where your strengths are. I want to do some tests with you here. Tell me how you feel after you perform the spells. Go on."

Harry stepped over to stand in front of the dummy, his wand raised. "Any spell?"

"Yes."

Harry merely waved his wand and muttered, "Flipendo!"

The dummy flipped over backwards and landed halfway across the room, crashing into the other dummies.

Remus grinned widely. "I think that you're true power levels have risen. Again, Harry. Let's try your Patronus."

Harry nodded, scrunching up his nose as he tried to think of a happy memory. Thoughts of Zee being safe and healthy and happy with Sirius was all it took as he said the incantation. "Expecto Patronum!"

The wolf, the dog, and the stag erupted from his wand in a blinding blue-white silver. They were not only corporeal, but so solid in appearance that Harry couldn't even see through them. They ran around the room, knocking over the training dummies before they surrounded him. He only stared in amazement, reaching out to touch his Patronus and the solid feel of the spell beneath his fingers surprised him, jolting him like an electrical current at the touch.

Remus was grinning at him. "Incredible, Harry! Try another."

Soon Harry was sending all sorts of different jinxes and hexes out at the training dummies and watching as his spells were so powerful that he destroyed three dummies in the process. When he used his shield, Remus' own spell reflected back on him so powerfully that his father flew across the room and crashed into the wall.

Harry ran to him, helping Remus to his feet. "Sorry, Uncle Moony!"

But Remus shook his head, smiling. "No! Don't be sorry! Harry, this is excellent work! I am so proud of you."

"It's not too much?"

"No, it's amazing. Be very proud of yourself. Lily used to have power like that. The girl could crush you in a duel. She disarmed your father once and the spell was so strong that he flew twenty metres backwards and knocked over five students in Defence Against the Dark Arts class. I remember it clearly because he was lying on the ground, his glasses crooked and he was grinning like a fool as he declared that he was going to marry that girl one day."

"What did Mum say?"

"Piss of, Potter," he said with a smirk.

Harry grinned. "Sounds about right."

Remus smiled at him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "You are doing brilliantly. Can you feel a difference in your magic?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just feel like me."

"That's all that matters then," Remus told him. "It is you. I think that the real levels of your power are finally coming to head. Just keep practicing and doing your best. I'm really proud of you."

The sound of his mirror vibrating had both of them jumping as Harry pulled it from his pocket.

"Uncle Siri?"

Sirius was pale, but he smiled at him. "Hey, Harry. Zee crashed her motorbike while trying to get away and she's a little beat up from that. There's something wrong with her leg, but the healers are working on it; trying to figure out what the curse was that the Death Eaters used. She still hasn't regained consciousness, but they are working on her."

Harry let out a breath of relief. "Good. You're staying with her?"

"Until the moment that I can bring her home," Sirius told him with a smile.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "Until she regains consciousness we don't really know much, but the healers are hopeful. I'll keep you posted."

Harry nodded and the mirror went blank in his hand as he looked up at Remus. "Something's wrong with her leg? Could that be why she's unconscious?"

Remus draped an arm around his son's shoulders. "Sirius won't leave her side. The healers will figure it out, Harry. If there's any change, Sirius will call you."

Harry tucked his mirror into his pocket as he nodded. "I know. I just … I should be there."

Remus smiled. "When she wakes up, you can talk to her. Right now, you are needed here. She's not conscious, there's nothing that you can do there." He held his wand out again. "I want to see how else your powers have progressed. Let's take your mind off of Zee and get some practice. Wand out, little Prongs."

He knew that Remus was right. There was nothing he could do at the hospital. It was better for him to stay here and wait on news.

Harry grinned as he held his wand out before him. "Alright, let's do it."

 **Sirius stayed by Zee's bedside the whole night, not moving in fear that she would wake and he wouldn't be there.** It was close to ten when the healers told him that visiting hours had ended two hours prior and that he needed to be leaving. Whether it was the look on his face or the growling panther or a combination of the two, they didn't bother him again.

Her leg was still oozing blood at a slow and steady pace. They kept giving her blood replenishing potions, but Sirius knew that it wasn't working. It had been almost eight hours already and she still hadn't regained consciousness, nor had her leg stopped bleeding. It was three in the morning when he heard the loud Russian voice and his head lifted only a moment before Misha and Sorcha came running into the room.

"Vhat happened?" Misha demanded. "It took forever to get a damn portkey here!"

Sirius shook his head. "I - I don't know the details yet. She hasn't woken up. She was in France for work and it ... Death Eaters ..."

Sorcha moved forward, wrapping her own hands around the hand that Sirius was holding before she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Do not blame yourself, my darling. She has a dangerous job and there are risks."

The kiss seemed to shake him as he found himself fighting back tears. "I can't lose her."

Misha sat on the other side of his daughter's bed, gripping her other hand. "You vill not. She is warrior. Does Harry know?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, I contacted him as soon as I heard. Did the healers tell you that they still don't know what's wrong with her leg? The gash in her calf won't stop bleeding. It extends from the back of her knee to the heel of her ankle."

Misha frowned and lifted the blankets up to look at his daughter's leg. He muttered something in Russian that Sirius recognized to be a common curse word that Zee often used, before he stood up and disappeared.

Sirius looked at Sorcha who was still holding Sirius and Zee's hands together. "What was that?"

"He knows something," she said soothingly.

It was only a moment later before Misha came back into the room with three healers.

"I see this often in Moscow. It is a blood curse."

Sirius paled as the healers immediately began to unravel the bandage on her leg. "What kind of blood curse?"

Misha ignored him and began to bark instructions at the healers. One of them was listening intently before he immediately put his wand to the large gaping wound. A black pus-filled bile began to shimmy from the gash, oozing down her leg and onto the bed. Zee began to thrash wildly and Sirius immediately grabbed her shoulders to hold her down. The wound was festering now and the smell of burnt flesh made him nauseous, but he didn't let go.

It was almost thirty minutes before the healer finished, wiping sweat from his brow.

"It's done."

Misha nodded. "Burning it is the only effective method that I have seen. It's called the Blood Boil Curse or better known as Ulcus Sanguis Malediceret."

Sirius, is possible, paled even more. " _What_? No one has used that curse in centuries! I heard that it was lost dark magic!"

Misha shook his head. "Since Grindelvald, it has had a resurgence. I have seen it many times. She is lucky I knew vhat it vas."

The healer nodded. "Thank you, Auror Zacarias. We will take care of her from here."

Misha nodded and let the healers work as they checked her vitals and made sure that she was given more blood replenishing potion along with another sleeping draught.

"Is it true what the Blood Boil Curse is like?"

Misha stared at his daughter, kissing her hand before he spoke. "It is liquid lava that travels from the vound into the blood stream. It travels very slowly, small bursts of excruciating pain from the vound track slowly throughout the body. I heard it is akin to being burned alive from the inside out. It is fire in the blood, unable to stop the pain. A victim can stay alive for veeks trapped in their own body before the blood is finally burned away and then the organs and then the bones. It hollows out the body until the skin turns to volcanic ash and they ... disintegrate before your eyes. It's ... beyond horrific. No one had used it in centuries and then suddenly Grindelvald's followers vere cursing people vith it all over Eastern Europe. You are lucky it did not come to England."

"Obviously someone from Voldemort's following has brought it back," Sirius said darkly. "Thank Merlin you were here!"

Misha nodded. "I think ve caught it in time, but her leg vill have burn scar forever. She may need to stay on blood replenishers for a vhile as vell."

"Whatever it takes."

"What happened to her face and to her side?" Sorcha asked. She had been quietly stroking her daughter's hair as they spoke.

"I guess that she was trying to get away and they hit her motorbike, King told me that its totalled and she ... she was thrown from it."

Misha said something in Russian to the panther as he inspected her jaw. The panther immediately began to clean herself. "Lady Godiva took a good chunk out of somevone. The dried blood in her fur says as much."

Sirius nodded. "She refuses to leave her side."

Sorcha smiled and stroked Lady Godiva behind the ears. "She takes good care of our baby, don't you, Lady G?"

Lady Godiva moved into Sorcha's touch and purred.

Sirius dragged his fingers through his hair as Zee continued to sleep. "How long is she going to be out?"

"Another ten to twelve hours at least," Misha said. "Possibly longer. Go home, have a rest. Her mama and I vill stay vith her now."

Sirius shook his head. "I can't go without her ..."

Sorcha kissed his cheek. "Go. Let Misha and I take care of our baby. Go home, have a shower, try to get some rest. You come back in the morning after a good lie in."

He hesitated and Misha nodded. "Go. She vill yell at you if she sees you looking like shit vhen she vakes."

He smirked at that, but he nodded, bringing his lips to her fingers. "I'll be back, baby. I love you." He kissed her fingers again before he stood up to go.

Sorcha stood up to hug him tightly and he settled into her warm embrace in relief. "If there is any change, I will send word. Get some rest. Our daughter needs you to keep your strength up."

He nodded and moved to go, but when he stepped into the hall, he suddenly felt very awake and before he could talk himself out of it, he was Apparating to the Ministry of Magic. He made his way down to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and despite the late hour, the department was bustling. He found an Auror in the bullpen who told him where he could find King and he made his way down to the holding cells and interrogation rooms.

Kingsley only shook his head when he saw him. "No, Sirius."

"I want to see him!"

"He was under the Imperius Curse," Kingsley said quickly. "He's beside himself with guilt and worry. Parts of his memory have been obliviated. This wasn't the first time that he's been put under."

Sirius was glaring at him. "I want to see him." He pulled his wand from his holster and handed it over to the Auror. "Now can I see him?"

Kingsley took the wand from Sirius' hand and let out a slow breath. "Fine. Two minutes, that's it."

Sirius nodded and only let out a slow breath when Kingsley closed the cell door behind him. His eyes immediately spotted Forrester who was handcuffed to the table before him along with the chair and the wall. Sirius stood in front of him for a full ten seconds before he spoke.

"She's alive and she's going to be okay."

Forrester let out a breath of relief. "Thank Merlin! I swear, Black, I never meant to hurt her! I knew something bad was coming and that they wanted her to find the Seer."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "What Seer?"

"The one who holds the prophecies!"

"Explain. Now."

Forrester took a deep breath. "The Melusine, the one who lives on land. There's a rumour that they are the Seer. I don't know anything else except that I was supposed to get Zacarias to lead me to the Seer and then I had to go tell the man at the back of the pub."

"Which man?"

"I don't know," Forrester exclaimed desperately. "I know that I would recognize his voice but … I don't know his name. He always wore a hood."

Sirius nodded. "Why are they looking for a Seer?"

Forrester shook his head. "I don't know."

Sirius took a step closer to him, gripping him by the front of his robes and lifting him from the chair only as far as his chains would allow. His other hand reached down and gripped his balls tightly, squeezing and twisting viciously as Forrester paled. "If you are lying to me and if you knowingly had any involvement in Zee being hurt, I will rip your balls of and feed them to her panther before I kill you. Do you understand me?"

The door slammed open behind him, but Sirius didn't move.

"Sirius, put him down!" Kingsley demanded.

Sirius twisted harder and Forrester turned ghost white. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes! Yes! Please!"

He let go and Forrester slumped back down into the chair, tears in his eyes and his face deathly white.

Sirius simply turned to look at Kingsley, "See? I didn't even need my wand."

"Get out of my department, Black, before I arrest you for assaulting my prisoner!"

Sirius took his wand back from Kingsley. "I'm gone."

He ignored the angry look that Kingsley was giving him and he walked purposely out of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and back to the main atrium before he Apparated back to Sidmouth. He made his way up the drive to Black Cottage and into the house before he leaned back against the front door in the darkness, closing his eyes.

The house was dead silent and he wasn't sure that he liked it.

There was no Harry. No dog to greet him. No panther to make her way forward. No woman to kiss him hello. Not even an owl hooting from the sunroom as Persephone was in Moscow and Hedwig in Georgia with Colt and Flo delivering Harry's newest letter. He stood there for a moment, trying to determine what he wanted to do before he moved upstairs and into the bedroom. He undressed and lied naked on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He woke three hours later feeling unrested and made his way into the shower.

When he went downstairs, Dobby was in the kitchen making breakfast and his eyebrow rose.

"Er, morning, Dobby."

"Good morning, Lord Sirius Black, sir!"

Sirius stared at the elf who had prepared him a plate of scrambled eggs with toast, fried tomatoes, onions, and sausages. "Um, what are you doing here?"

Dobby placed the plate on the table and poured a tall glass of orange juice. "Master Harry told me that you wouldn't be feeling yourself today, Sir. He said I must come and make you eat breakfast before you are allowed to go back to the hospital. He made me promise to make you eat, Sir. He says even if I have to force you, Sir, I must do it."

Sirius scoffed in annoyance before he smiled. "Meddlesome little twerp," he murmured, tugging his mirror out of his pocket and saying his son's name.

Harry answered a moment later, his eyes sleepy, his hair sticking up in every direction and his glasses crooked. "Morning, Uncle Siri. Is Zee alright?"

"Zee is going to be fine. Misha showed up and he recognized what was wrong with her leg. An old curse, very dark magic and very dangerous, but she's recuperating now. You, however, sent your house elf to Black Cottage to babysit me!"

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I know. He's going to tell me if you don't eat what he made you."

Sirius made to protest this and Harry interrupted him.

" - I'll just tell Zee and Auntie Minnie if you don't."

Sirius shut his mouth and glared at him. "You have become a right little pain my arse, do you know that?"

Harry grinned at him. "Eat, Uncle Siri, you'll feel better. Then you can go sit with Zee, Papa and Grandmama and you'll feel better. Promise?"

He let out a slow sigh, turning the mirror to show Harry the plate of breakfast on the table. "I promise. She's going to be out for a while, healing, but when she wakes I'll have her mirror call you when she's up to it, okay?"

"Okay."

"How's school?" Sirius asked, moving to sit at the table.

Harry leaned back against his pillows and stifled a yawn. "Good. Quidditch practice yesterday and then the first Defence Club meeting. My magic is stronger. I disarmed Uncle Remus and it sent him flying across the room and then I made his shield disintegrate with my reducto curse."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Always knew that you had more firepower in you. Evans used to have power like that. She and Jamie were the ultimate power couple. Does it feel strange?"

He shook his head. "No, it just … it feels like me, like I'm using my magic the way that I should be. Before … I mean, I didn't notice it, but now it's like I had this power inside of me, but to reach for it I had to pull it through this barrier like I was trapped in a fog or something or … like when I was learning the Scuba Diving Charm and how when I tried to learn the charm under the water it was like I was trying to pull my magic through the water and to the surface, but it kept getting stuck or something … I don't know."

"Hmm, that's interesting especially because you never really had any trouble learning new spells to begin with. Now you are at the learning curve that you were born with. Things should be easier for you now."

"I hope so," Harry told him. "It feels right when I do magic, but the result seems intense. Uncle Rem said that I just have to focus it and I will be able to direct the power level of my spells as I use them."

"Good," Sirius told him, looking over at Dobby who had his little arms crossed in front of him and was glaring at Sirius, his eyes darting between his face and his breakfast plate. "Your elf is giving me death glares. I better eat my breakfast. You have big plans for the day?"

"Just classes," Harry told him.

"Right, right, it's only Tuesday. Hey, Quidditch practice the other day, did you ask out Ginny?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I was going to, but then I got the news about Zee and … it wasn't the right time."

Sirius smiled sympathetically. "Okay. I have faith in you. Tell the girl how you feel."

Harry grinned. "I will. Eat your breakfast, Uncle Padfoot. Call me when Zee wakes up?"

"I promise. Have a good day, Prongslet."

"Bye, Uncle Siri."

Sirius watched his son's face disappear before he put his mirror away. "I'm eating," he said, reaching for his fork and stabbing into his eggs.

Dobby only continued to watch him.

Sirius smirked at the elf. "You are going to watch me until I eat every bite of this, aren't you?"

"And the orange juice," Dobby said smartly. "Master Harry was very clear."

Sirius muttered under his breath, but he couldn't stop smiling as he ate his breakfast. His boy was growing up and he couldn't be more of proud of him.

 **Dean found Seamus in the library staring blankly at his History of Magic notes that night after dinner.** He slid into the chair next to him and elbowed him lightly.

"Good subject to lose focus in."

Seamus smirked at him and dropped his quill on the table. "I guess, yeah, though since Raffigan has taken over, it's gotten vastly more interesting."

"Agreed," Dean said with a smile. "I saw Will in the hall. He said that you've been avoiding him."

He shrugged. "He's not wrong."

Dean rested his face on his chin as he stared at his friend. Seamus was stroking one finger along the feather of his quill, his head bent in concentration. "It's only Halloween next week, Seam. He's not leaving until after Christmas."

Seamus let out a slow breath. "But it's … there's an end now. I can see it and … I don't like it. I don't like the idea of him leaving and me just … I can't do the long distance thing, Dean, I just can't!"

Dean reached out to grab his friend's arm. "Seam, you need to talk to him. You're going to regret it if you let him leave and you didn't."

He nodded, continuing to trace his finger along the feather. "I know."

"Make plans with him for Hogsmeade on Saturday. You can spend the day together and talk and … he'll understand."

Seamus only nodded again. "I just … I need some time to think, that's all. We … we broke up."

"Aw shit, Seam … I didn't know that," Dean told him. "If you need to talk, I'm around. Are you sure that it's what you want?"

He nodded. "I can't do the long distance thing, Dean. It's not something I want and maybe this is for the best, we part before we can hurt each other and … I just need some time apart from him. I don't want to lose him as a friend."

"You won't," Dean assured him. "He cares about you. Even if you're not together any more. Like I said, if you want to talk, I'm around."

Seamus smiled at him. "I figured by this time you'd be snogging Ginny Weasley."

Dean grinned. "Flirting with her has become a very fun habit."

"You haven't asked her out yet? You've been wildly flirting for weeks."

Dean shrugged. "Anticipation is everything, my friend." He squeezed Seamus' shoulder lightly. "See you later."

Dean felt his friend's eyes on him as he left the library and he sighed. He hated seeing Seamus so upset. He hoped that he would just talk to Will and maybe they could still be friends. But not lovers, the voice in his head seemed to whisper. He growled internally at the thought, it didn't matter who Seamus was lovers with.

He didn't care.

But the further he walked from the library, the darker his thoughts got and he realized that he did care.

And he didn't know what to do about it.

 **Sirius relieved Misha and Sorcha for the second time, smiling at them as they headed back to Zee's old cottage to try to get some rest.** Zee had yet to regain consciousness and they had been taking it in turn to sit with her. He lifted her hand, kissing her fingers tenderly just as her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, baby, hi," Sirius said, a huge smile on his face as he pressed her palm against his cheek.

Zee blinked owlishly, her dark brown eyes, slowing taking him in. "Sirius?"

Sirius kissed her fingers, her palm, the back of her hand. "Hi."

"Mmm, where am I?"

"Hospital," he said quietly. "Do you remember what happened?"

She blinked again, her eyes not quite focused and he could see that she was trying to fight through the last dregs of the sleeping draught. "Bike crashed … Nott … Lady G?"

The panther raised her head from the end of the bed, carefully shifting to rest her head over her owner's heart. Zee smiled as she gently ran her free hand across the soft silky fur.

"You were cursed," Sirius told her. "Your parents have been here the whole time. I just sent them home to get some rest. Misha knew how to stop the curse from spreading. You still have a lot of healing to do, baby."

Zee reached away from Lady Godiva to gently brush his cheek. "I'll be okay. Harry?"

"At school, but worried. I told him you'd mirror call him when you woke up. It's been three days."

Zee half-smiled softly. "I'm okay, baby. I'll call Harry in a little bit."

Sirius bent his head to capture her lips for a soft kiss. "I love you. I'll get the healer."

"Sirius?" Zee called just as he stood up.

"Yeah?"

"I'm okay, I promise."

Relief coursed through him as his eyes softened. "Just rest. Lady G, make sure she gets some rest."

Lady Godiva only added a large paw to Zee's chest, making her chuckle and Sirius knew that despite everything, she was going to be alright. That was all that mattered.

 **Harry was just on his way to the Great Hall for lunch when his mirror vibrated in his pocket.** He immediately snuck a look at Ron who was with him and gestured with his head. His friend followed him into the empty classroom as he tugged his mirror out. Zee's face was there and he sighed in relief, grinning widely.

"Zee! You're awake!"

She smiled warmly at him. "I am and I look a mess."

"Nah, you look beautiful," he said, grinning widely.

The right side of her face was badly scratched with purple and red gashes, yellow and purple bruising around her cheek and nose. But her smile told him that she wasn't in pain and relief coursed through him. She had been unconscious for three days.

"You sound like your father," she said with a chuckle. "I just wanted to let you know that I woke up a few hours ago and that I'm going to be okay. I'm just very tired and I need lots of rest."

Harry smiled into the mirror. "I'm glad. Uncle Siri was freaking out."

Zee's smile widened. "I know he was worried, you both were. Crisis averted, I promise. How are you doing?"

"Fine," he told her. "I feel better knowing that you're alright. Our first Quidditch match is next Saturday."

"I know," she said. "And I plan to be there. So keep training your troops, Captain Potter."

Harry grinned as she said goodbye and he put the mirror away. "She's alright."

Ron draped an arm across Harry's shoulders, slinging his book bag onto his other shoulder. "I'm glad to hear it, mate. I know how worried you were about her. I know I'd be going bonkers if it was my mum."

Harry's eyes met his. "But she's not - not really."

Ron grinned. "She is where it counts and you know it."

Harry smiled at his friend. Sometimes, Ron was more insightful than he gave him credit for. "Yeah, yeah she is. I love her, Ron. She's the best thing to happen to Uncle Siri and me getting a mum out of the deal on top of it is just kind of great."

"If anyone deserves it, you do," Ron told him. He squeezed his shoulder gently before he let go. "Now let's grab some lunch. I need to fuel up in prep for Quidditch practice since someone is running things like a drill sergeant."

Harry smirked. "No smartass comments from the peanut gallery or I'll add more laps." At Ron's groan, he grinned. "There's no way Slytherin is beating us next week!"

He just hoped that it turned out to be true.

 **When Harry woke up on Thursday morning, he decided that today was going to be the day that he asked out Ginny Weasley.** After talking to Zee again yesterday and having another great Quidditch practice, he was feeling confident that things were looking up. It was time for him to pluck up his courage and tell her how he felt.

He got dressed, attempted to comb his hair to no avail and applied deodorant and cologne before he grabbed his bag and headed down to the Gryffindor common room to wait for her. He felt a little nervous at the thought, but he kept reminding himself that it was Ginny, the easiest person to be honest with in his life, other than his fathers.

He thought about Hogsmeade being this Saturday, the weekend before their first match, and where he wanted to take her. There was a tiny little ma and pa style restaurant just off the main stretch of the road. Sirius had told him about it in passing in the summer and said that students usually weren't there as it was a tiny hole in the wall and best kept secret. He wanted to take her there. To hold her hand across the table as they ate homemade Italian food and talked. He wanted to take her to the Shrieking Shack, to snog her senseless everywhere he could, from her lips to her toes. The thought of those lips on his made his already eager cock twitch in his pants.

He wanted to just hold her; to kiss her; to touch her and that possessive part of him, the part that often erected a roaring creature in his chest, made him want to claim her as his. The flash of red hair at the bottom of the girl's staircase had him jumping to his feet before he realized that it was the wrong shade and he sat back down. The redhead in question was only a first or second year and while her hair was indeed red, it wasn't the right kind of red. She didn't have the same fiery glint as his Ginny did.

 _His Ginny_ , he thought with a smile. Merlin, if she knew what his thoughts were she would clock him and the thought made him grin even wider.

Ron and Neville came down and he told them that he would meet them in the Great Hall. Ron only gave him a questioning eyebrow, but he shooed them off. He didn't want to tell Ron about his intentions to ask out his sister until he'd first spoken to Ginny. She deserved that no matter what her answer turned out to be. Hermione came down soon after and gave him a knowing look when he told her that he was waiting for Ginny. He chose to ignore it as she headed out of the portrait hole.

Harry looked at his watch and saw that it was almost eight already. Classes started in twenty-five minutes and there was still no sign of Ginny. It wasn't like her to miss breakfast. He called for Dobby and the elf appeared in front of him, beaming brightly as Harry gave him instructions.

Five minutes later, Dobby reappeared with a bowl of fresh strawberries and a warm buttery croissant which Harry accepted with a smile. He took the egg sandwich that he had asked him to bring for himself and ate it quickly, his eyes on the staircase. Ten minutes until class, he thought.

Where was Ginny?

He was just debating about changing into his Animagus and running up to find her when she came running down the stairs. Her long red hair waving madly as she attempted to pull it back. Her shirt was unbuttoned and untucked revealing a white tank top underneath that showcased the lovely swell of her breasts. Her shoes were half on and she was pulling up her knee high socks in her hurry; her bag, her jacket and her robe all dangling off of her arm.

"Sleep late?" He asked.

Ginny turned, the sight of him standing there surprising her. "Harry! I swear I closed my eyes for only a minute and a whole hour had passed!" Her book bag crashed to the floor as she finally finished getting her hair up in a high messy bun. She buttoned her shirt much to Harry's dismay, tucking it into her kilt as she tightened her tie.

Harry passed her jacket over to her and she smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you! If I'm late for Snape, I'll never hear the end of it. Time?"

"Six minutes," he said.

Her stomach gave a loud rumble and she groaned. "Fuck! I'll never make it to the kitchens before the dungeons."

Harry picked up her bag and handed over the container of strawberries and the croissant.

Ginny's eyes widened in delight. "For me?"

"I wanted to see you this morning and when I realized the time I asked Dobby to bring some food for us."

Ginny stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "You are a godsend, Harry Potter!" She bit into a strawberry, the soft juice dribbling down her lips and Harry found himself fighting the urge to lean in and lick it off. "Totally worth waking up late."

He grinned at her. "I'm glad. Listen, I've been wanting to ask you - "

The warning bell sounded and Ginny made a sound of protest, grabbing her bag from the floor.

"Harry, I'm sorry, I have to go! We'll talk later, okay?"

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watched her toss her robe over her bag and with the food in one hand, make a beeline out of the portrait hole.

He blew his fringe off his forehead.

Why was it that his timing lately really seemed to suck?

 **Draco flopped down onto his bed in the Slytherin dorm face first, burying his face in his pillow.** He had just spent the last ten minutes breaking up with Ophelia after Defence Against the Dark Arts class and he felt a little bit like the scum of the earth. They both had a free period on Thursday afternoons and usually spent their time snogging, but today, he knew that it was time. He merely held up his middle finger when he felt the bed dip next to his hip.

"Is that anyway to greet a concerned friend?" Blaise asked him mockingly.

"Concerned, my arse. Yes, I broke up with Ophelia. No, I don't want to talk about it. I'm going to lie here until it's time for dinner. Go away."

Blaise ignored this and stretched out on the bed next to his friend. "Did you at least shag her first?"

Draco opened one eye to glare at him. "No. She wasn't ready and I'm not a complete tosser."

Blaise was quiet for a minute. "But she used her hands a lot?"

"Yes! Go away!"

Blaise ignored him. "No, you made me ten Galleons, so thanks."

Draco rolled his eyes. "What?"

Blaise grinned. "Theo bet me you'd make it to All Hallows Eve, which by my calculation is not until Tuesday so ten Galleons for me."

Draco snorted. "You two are gits."

"Hogsmeade trip in two days."

Draco didn't say anything. He knew that his friend was worried about meeting his mother and he was worried that if anyone saw him with Bellarosa, they could both potentially be arrested. Not to mention the idea that his mother was only coming to discuss recruiting him to join the Death Eaters. It wasn't a pleasant thought and it had been on his mind quite often lately so he couldn't imagine how much his friend was thinking about it.

Draco had heard word from his grandfather the other day as well. It had come through his mother's owl which hadn't overly impressed him. Abraxas had written with word that something special would be happening at Malfoy Manor this Christmas and that he was looking forward to having his grandson home. Narcissa's letter had been in the same envelope and had been written with a code.

Draco recognized the format immediately which had alarmed him for a different reason. The only situation that he could warrant for his mother doing so was that his grandfather must be keeping a close tab on her or worse, he was reading her letters. No one would realize that there was a code there unless they knew it. He and Narcissa had come up with it when he was a kid and she was teaching him how to read and write. She would quote authors and stories and they would laugh about them.

Narcissa had written that she had spent her morning re-reading _The Taming of the Shrew_ and that she had always admired Katherine who was such a strong woman for "My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break." She had gone on to explain how Draco should read it again to help broaden his mind with literature as Shakespeare was such a prominent wizard so many years ago.

It made him uneasy like someone was muffling his mother's voice and it didn't sit well with him. There had also been no news of his father which told him that Abraxas was keeping him away from Narcissa as much as possible. He didn't like that idea either.

The sound of Blaise's voice pulled him out of his own thoughts and made him lift his head to meet his friend's eyes.

"Draco, I want you to come with me."

"Are you sure? Bellarosa might not be impressed to see me."

"Don't care," Blaise said stubbornly. "I think that whatever it is she wants to say to me is important for you to hear as well."

Draco nodded, biting his bottom lip. "That doesn't bode well either." He rubbed a hand over his face, the feel of stubble there annoying them. "Grandfather is spying on Mother too, I'm sure of it. The surprise at Malfoy Manor for Christmas isn't something that I am particularly looking forward to."

"Don't blame you," Blaise said quietly. "You think He's going to be there, right?"

"Yes, what else could it be?"

Blaise stared at him. "We have to be ready for anything, Draco. If he breaks into our minds, if he sees anything that he doesn't like …"

"Imperius us? Torture us? Kill us? Yeah, the thought has crossed my mind already," Draco told him, sitting up. "The thing is, I don't think that he will. Theo said that the Dark Lord showed a general interest in him, but barely bothered to look into his mind. I think that he just wants to make us like him, see what he wants and well, urge us to join him. At least for now."

Blaise nodded. "Forgive me if I don't find that overly assuring."

"I'll be there with you, Blaise."

Blaise sighed in relief. "Thanks, mate. I want Theo to come too, but he has that meeting with his lawyer and who knows how long that will take … hopefully after …"

"Oh right, I forgot about that," Draco said honestly. "It should go over smoothly. I doubt Thaddeus Nott can keep his hands in all those pies when he's a wanted man. And don't worry, Theo will be there."

Blaise looked relieved by that as he spoke, "I agree, but we both know that he always gets away with more than he should."

Draco nodded. "True."

"What about you? Your grandfather threatened you over the Malfoy name yet?"

"A few times," Draco admitted. "But he doesn't know that when I turn seventeen I come into the Black Family title as well. Sirius Black signed it all over to me when I was a child, some deal he made with my parents."

Blaise's eyebrow rose. "He didn't leave it to Potter?"

Draco shrugged. "What would be the point? It would be a step down for Potter to take on the title of Viscount."

Blaise nodded. "I don't have to worry about that. I'm the only living heir and since my mother married into the name, it's mine already."

"Well, it's mine already too, but the control and responsibilities of it aren't mine until I turn seventeen. That's the difference."

"True." He scratched his head as he stood up. "Anyway, Hogsmeade is on Saturday so let's be ready."

Draco nodded. "She may just want to visit with her son, Blaise, you know there's a chance of that."

Blaise scoffed at his friend. "When has Mamma ever shown a maternal instinct in her life? I'm not saying that she doesn't care about me, but Merlin, to come all this way to just visit me? There's no bloody way and we both know it."

He shrugged, his eyes on his friend. "A bloke can hope."

Blaise grinned. "I need a distraction. I'm going to see if I can find Roper."

Draco snorted. "You still getting blown by her?"

Blaise smirked at him. "Every chance I get. See you later."

Draco watched him hurry out of the dorm to find the girl in question and he lied back down on his bed, arms tucked under his head as he stared at the canopy of his four poster. He had a lot to think about and he had no idea where he was even supposed to start.

 **When Harry left Herbology on Thursday, he hurried up to his dorm to shower.** They had been using manure today and he felt like the smell had seeped into his pores. Once he was sufficiently scrubbed and cleaned, he tossed on dark blue jeans and a red knit jumper from Mrs Weasley before making his way down to dinner.

The flash of red just down the table from him made his stomach clench nervously.

It had been five days since they had Quidditch practice and since he had almost asked her out. Now that Zee was doing alright and the scare over her attack had waned, he felt like he was ready to try again. This morning's attempt before breakfast hadn't exactly gone as planned. The trip was on Saturday and fast approaching and he found himself to be feeling incredibly nervous to ask her out. It was different. She was different, he thought.

He ate quickly and stood up when she did. He told Ron that he'd meet him upstairs and hurried out of the Great Hall, catching up with Ginny at the top of the main staircase where she was walking with Colin and Luna.

"Hey Ginny!"

"Hi Harry," she said brightly, turning to look at him. "Colin was just about to show us his newest photographs. They are doing a story on the history of the school and he's been taking wonderful architectural shots for the last two weeks."

"That's brilliant, Colin," Harry told him honestly. "Ginny, can we talk for a minute?"

She nodded, smiling. "Of course." She turned to friends. "I'll meet you in a few?"

Luna smiled at her. "You know where to find us."

She looped her arm through Colin's, both of them looking back at Harry before they hurried off.

"How's Zee doing?"

"Good," Harry told her with a smile. "She's doing really good. Papa recognized the curse that hit her and the healers are giving her the proper potions. She's going to be in _St Mungo's_ until at least next Tuesday so that they can monitor her. It's a slow process. But I talked to her just after lunch again today and she said that Uncle Sirius is an overbearing mother hen which sounds about right."

Ginny grinned. "He loves her very much."

Harry nodded. "We both do. I'm glad that her parents are down as well. They are staying in her old cottage and I guess taking turns with Uncle Sirius to stay with her."

"I'm glad to hear it," Ginny told him honestly.

"Me too," he said with a smile.

"Thank you so much for that food this morning. You are honestly the best. I don't know how I would have handled Double Potions with Snape on an empty stomach."

He grinned. "You're welcome. I wouldn't want to impose a Weasley on the world without breakfast."

Ginny smirked and smacked his arm. "Prat."

He flashed a grin at her. "I'm sorry that you slept in, I was hoping to catch you this morning for more than just a handful of strawberries and a croissant."

"The strawberries and croissant made my entire day, so I'm okay with it," she told him, grinning back. "But what did you want to talk to me about?" She asked, her brown eyes on his.

She shifted her book bag on her shoulder and his eyes fell to where her tie was loose and the top buttons undone on her blouse giving him the tiniest peak of creamy white skin speckled in freckles.

He swallowed slowly. "Actually, there's something that I've been wanting to ask you for a while now and … well, it's harder than I thought it would be if I'm honest. You're one of my best friends, Ginny, and I would never want to do anything that would stop that."

Ginny smiled quizzically at him. "You couldn't." She reached out to touch his arm. "Should I be worried?"

"No!" He said quickly, flashing a grin at her now. "No, definitely not worried. I mean, I think it's good. I hope - ?"

She continued to smile at him, her eyes dancing in question.

"Ginny, for a while now, I've been - "

" - Ginny!"

They both turned to see Dean running up the stairs towards them and Harry scowled.

"Hi Dean," she said with a smile. "Everything alright?"

"It's great," he said with a grin. "Hey Harry." He turned back to Ginny, grinning widely. "Listen, I think that you and I should go to Hogsmeade together on Saturday. Yes?"

Ginny stared at him in surprise before she smiled. "Yes."

Dean grinned. "Excellent. I'll meet you in the common room for ten, yeah?"

"That sounds great," she said, smiling back at him.

Dean winked at her, nodded at Harry and then hurried off.

Ginny turned to Harry with a smile. "I was beginning to think that he would never ask me," she said with a chuckle. "He's been flirting for ages."

Harry scowled. "I noticed."

Ginny lifted an eyebrow. "Harry, you've been acting very strangely around me lately. Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. Just my timing."

"What?"

Harry sighed. Third times the charm was supposed to be the saying, but for him it was third time interrupted. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe he and Ginny weren't meant to be more than just friends. The thought made his stomach drop. "Have fun with Dean on Saturday. See you at practice tonight."

"But I thought that you wanted to ask me something?" Ginny said, confusion evident in her voice.

Harry reached out and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. "It doesn't matter."

He turned and headed up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, his hands in his pockets. He had waited too long, he thought bitterly and now she was going on a date with stupid Dean Thomas. He kicked the wall in his anger and then swore at the pain it caused in his foot. Why had Dean chosen that exact moment to show up? He thought bitterly, if the prick had been two minutes later, he'd be the one going to Hogsmeade with Ginny.

The thought of Dean kissing her made his fists clench at his sides and he stormed up to his dorm, grabbed his broom and his Quidditch gear and booked it down to the pitch. His team found him out there thirty minutes later already running laps up and down the stands. But his anger had yet to abate.

He ran his team hard, ordering drills up and down the stands, around the pitch and then flying drills before they even got to the game. The Chasers worked in perfect tandem and when his eyes fell to the perfect curve of her bum in the black sweats, he scowled slightly more angry at himself than anything.

It was almost nine when he ended practice and he stood in the shower in the locker room letting the water beat down on his face. It wasn't fair, he thought. Dean didn't deserve to take Ginny to Hogsmeade. Merlin, he thought bitterly, if he had just asked her in the locker room after practice this wouldn't be happening. But he had been worried about Zee and it hadn't seemed like the right opportunity.

Now it was lost.

He dried off and headed into the locker room to change.

Ron was sitting on the bench next to him in his boxers tugging on his socks. "You okay, mate? You looked like you were on a war path all practice?"

Harry shrugged. "Fine, just disappointed."

Ron lifted an eyebrow. "Disappointed in what? I thought the practice went great."

"No, practice was great. I think we're in really good shape for the match against Slytherin next Saturday. It's going to be great."

"So what's up then?"

Harry tugged his boxers up under his towel before he tossed the towel on the bench and reached for his jeans. "I just have bad timing and it's pissing me off."

"Bad timing for what?"

Harry zipped himself up before he reached for his shirt. "Never mind. I lost my moment."

Ron frowned, staring at him in confusion. "I don't get it."

"Never mind. We should get Potions done before bed."

He stuffed his Quidditch gear into his bag and grabbed his broom, heading out of the locker room with a sigh. More annoyed with himself than with anything.

He saw Dean sitting in the common room with Seamus, laughing at something and he scowled.

Too slow, Potter, he thought.

But he couldn't stop scowling for the rest of the night.

 **Theo looked at his watch as he made his way up to the entrance hall Saturday morning.** He was supposed to meet the lawyer in _The Three Broomsticks_ for twelve thirty. He still had two hours, but he was hoping to find some time to wander around the village. He had turned sixteen last week and he wanted to get himself a little gift to help celebrate.

Someone grabbed his arm as he came up the last staircase and he was tugged into a broom closet. He smelt the familiar mint soap before the wand was lit, illuminating his face. Macmillan was grinning at him.

"Hello, Theo."

"There's someone waiting for me in Hogsmeade so this will have to wait," Theo said in annoyance, reaching for the door handle.

Macmillan reached down to stroke himself. "Don't worry, I'll be quick. On your knees."

Theo thought about protesting, but the glint in the prefect's eyes told him that he was looking for a fight so he sank to his knees and reached out to undo the prefect's trousers, pulling his erection out.

Macmillan sighed, rubbing his cock along the side of Theo's face. "Do me good, Nott. I've got a date later."

Theo ignored this and opened his mouth. The guttural grunting that soon erupted from Macmillan made him close his eyes. When he finished, he pat his hand on Theo's head.

"Good job." He gripped Theo's chin roughly and yanked his head up. "I didn't even have to teach you a lesson first." He shoved him away hard enough to make Theo's teeth rattle.

Macmillan tucked himself away, doing up his pants before he left, closing the door to the broom closet behind him. Theo stayed on his knees, his eyes closed. If Smith could help him, this would potentially be the last time that he would have to put up with Macmillan's blackmail.

He stood up and snuck out of the closet, the feeling of disgust washing over him. He felt ashamed and dirty and he hated that the stupid Hufflepuff had made him feel that way. He shoved his hands into his pockets and slipped back to the Slytherin dormitories.

He had to shower again before he could meet with Smith.

By the time he made it into Hogsmeade, he had ten minutes to make it the pub. His eyes glanced around, looking for anyone who might potentially be the lawyer, but he saw only Hogwarts students so he took a seat at a corner table in the back and ordered a Butterbeer. Five minutes later, a man in a suit, a fedora and a black cloak overtop stepped into the pub.

His eyes scanned the room and Theo raised his hand so the man moved towards him.

He was in his early thirties, Theo noted, and very good looking. He was tall and lean with brown hair worn short and cleanly cut with bright blue eyes. He smiled warmly and extended his hand, lifting his hat off.

"Theodore Nott?"

Theo nodded, accepting the hand. "Mr Smith?"

Smith nodded, still smiling as he took his head. He ordered a Butterbeer as well before he opened his briefcase. "It's an honour to meet you, Lord Nott. This is quite the case and when Lord Black mentioned it to me, I was immediately intrigued."

"How do you know Lord Black?"

Smith smiled. "He's a loyal client to our firm. We've been dealing with his estate for some years now."

Theo nodded, smiling as Rosmerta brought the lawyer a Butterbeer. "And do you really think that I have a chance here?"

Smith stared at him. "As I mentioned in my letter, sixteen is the age of wizarding majority. Seventeen is the legal age for most things, but in certain circumstances, sixteen is the age we consider to be an adult. At sixteen, you can be tried as an adult and sent to Azkaban for crimes. At sixteen, you are old enough to get married without consent from your parents. At sixteen, you are old enough to live on your own. You are the legal and true heir to the Nott Estate and with your father's dealings, you taking control of the family assets shouldn't be a problem."

"Even though my father is alive and is still the Marquess of Norfolk?"

Smith pulled out a stack of parchment from his briefcase. "Let's talk about your estate, Lord Nott. The more I know, the more we can break it down and discuss your father being a wanted man."

Theo let out a slow breath and nodded. "What do you need to know?"

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Blood Boil Curse = Ulcus Sanguis Malediceret_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the quote from the Taming of the Shrew, that belongs to William Shakespeare, who I decided was a wizard by the way._

 _Sidenote: If I named my chapters - this one would be called Harry Interruptus LOL_


	197. Chapter 197

_Author's Note:_

 _I'm giving you a second update back to back for 2 reasons:_

 _1) The amount of reviews I received in less than 12 hours astounded me and_

 _2) For those of you claiming that you are done with this story and no longer plan to keep reading it, I am sorry to hear that and good luck in future endeavours, and for those who are kind enough to keep reading it - this one is for you. I love you!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-SEVEN:**

 **When Theo left the pub, he was feeling pretty confident with the way of the meeting.** Smith seemed like a standup bloke and he had explained things very clearly. Smith was going to file a formal motion to the Ministry's Magical Office of Law outlining why at sixteen, Lord Theodore Thaddeus Nott was eligible to inherit his full worth and titles due to the fact that his father, Lord Thaddeus Cantankerous Nott, Marquess of Norfolk, was a wanted criminal and a known Death Eater.

There was only one problem with doing so.

It would instantly alert his father to his plans which would then alert the Dark Lord.

But Theo was already thinking up ways to get out of that. If he could convince his father that he had taken over the titles and wealth in a way to take the heat off of the Nott Family, he may be able to pull through it. As much as he wanted freedom in this way, he knew that he was also digging himself a bigger hole and one that he was more afraid than he wanted to admit about how the Dark Lord would react to.

He checked his watch and saw that he still had ten minutes to meet up with Blaise and Draco. He knew how nervous Blaise was today concerning the meeting with his mother and he didn't want his friend to be there alone. He moved quickly through the streets and through the throng of students, down into the homes and houses. The house on the end of the street with the black roof was the one he was looking for, but he recognized his friends up ahead and made haste to catch up with them.

Blaise smiled when he saw him. "You made it!"

Theo smiled in greeting. "I told you that I wouldn't be too long."

His gaze met Draco's who only nodded before the three of them stepped into the home with Blaise in the lead. The woman who answered the door had clearly been Imperiused as she seemed to stare right through them. She pointed to the back and they looked uneasily at each other before moving to the back of the house.

Blaise stopped in front of them and Theo peaked around his friend's shoulder discreetly. Mrs Zabini, Baroness of Sardinia, sat in a Queen Anne chair, her legs crossed delicately as she balanced a cup of tea on her knee. As always, he found himself a little shocked at the sight of her. She was beyond beautiful.

Her skin was the colour of milk chocolate and her thick black hair hung in soft waves just past her shoulders. Her dark brown eyes shone out of her perfectly done up face and she wore a matching skirt and jacket in a vibrant purple over a white silk blouse unbuttoned just enough to show the lovely swell of perfect cleavage peaking over a lace tan bra. As usual, she had diamonds glistening at her ears and her neck; gold and jewels flashing on her wrists and her hands were adorned in rings. She smiled sweetly at them.

"Boys, lovely, come sit!"

"Ciao Mamma," Blaise said, moving to kiss her cheek.

Mrs Zabini smiled warmly. "Ciao. Theo, Draco, come kiss!"

Theo and Draco both kissed her cheeks in turn before taking seats in the chairs in the living room. Mrs Zabini poured them each cups of tea before she spoke.

"I didn't expect all three of you to come today, but I suppose that I should have."

Blaise sat his teacup on the table. "So a werewolf, eh?"

As if on cue, her eyes filled with tears. "It was so spaventoso! So much blood! But he could not be saved," she said sadly, a perfect single tear rolling down her cheek. "Era l'amore della mia vita. I will never find amore again!"

Theo rolled his eyes at Draco, whose lips twitched slightly in response.

"Mamma, cut the cazzate, we both know what happened to Jason was hardly an accident."

Mrs Zabini's eyes widened in horror. "How dare you imply that I hurt him, Blaise Antonio? Am I a werewolf? No!"

Blaise only crossed his arms in front of him. "What you are is a conniving puttana and we both know it."

Mrs Zabini's eyes darkened.

"Mamma, why did you come here? The entire British Ministry of Magic is looking for you. You were safer in Italy."

Mrs Zabini tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I come to see my caro ragazzo and this is how mio figlio treats me."

"Mamma …"

Mrs Zabini let out a huff, taking a sip of her tea. "You have always been too much like me for your own good, Blaise Antonio." When he didn't respond, she tapped her fingers on her knee. "I've come here to do some work for Signore Oscuro. I will be careful."

"People are looking for you."

"They are, but I will not be found."

Blaise snorted. "The day will come, Mamma, when you won't be able to get away with everything just because of your looks."

Mrs Zabini smiled. "For Christmas, you will say that you are going home with your grandparents in Rome, but Benito will pick you up and bring you to Procida to stay at our home there. We will be having a very important visitor over the holidays."

Blaise swallowed slowly. "Mamma, I have told you, I don't want any part in your Dark Lord."

"He is il nostro signore oscuro and you will show him the proper respect when you meet him. You will listen to what he has to say."

"And if I do not come home?"

Mrs Zabini's eyes narrowed slightly. "Blaise, il mio amore, do you not trust your own, Mamma?" His look must not have satisfied her because her eyes darkened. "You will come home. You will meet our guest and treat him with respect. You will listen to what he has to say. And when he asks you a question, Blaise, you better think very hard about what you want your answer to be. Capisci?"

"Sì Mamma," he said quietly.

She nodded at him before turning to Draco and Theo.

"Theodore, your father has been talking of you very much as of late. Signore Oscuro finds you very interessante and says he looks forward to meeting you again."

Theo swallowed slowly, the ball of fear in the pit of his stomach surprising him. "I look forward to it, Signora Zabini."

"You too, Draco," she said with a smile. "Brax has been raving about his grandson and Signore Oscuro says he cannot wait to meet the newest Malfoy heir."

Draco's eyes met hers cooly. "I look forward to it, Signora Zabini."

Mrs Zabini nodded, examining her beautifully manicured hands, the red nails filed to a point. "Voi ragazzi would do well to remember that we are purosangue. We are the elite of the magical world and we will never stay as such if we do not fight for it."

The three of them only stared at her.

She crooked her finger at Blaise who stood up to kiss her cheeks again. "Ciao. Have a good term."

Theo and Draco kissed her cheeks in turn before they led Blaise out of the small house. None of them spoke a word until they had reached the village again. Draco erected a privacy charm around them in an alley before he spoke.

"Well, guess that makes it official then. The Dark Lord is interested in us, that's what she said."

Blaise growled in frustration. "That puttana is going to get all of us killed."

Draco only stared at him. "We all knew that it was coming, Blaise. Theo already met him."

"And I told you, it was awful," Theo said, shivering slightly at the memory. "I'm telling you, our Occlumency is not strong enough to keep him out. He didn't bother digging into my mind. He gave me a cursory examination and that was it."

"Maybe that's how we can keep him out," Draco said quietly.

Theo's gaze shot over to his friend. There wasn't a way to keep the Dark Lord away, hadn't they just established that? Their families were all involved and how were they supposed to avoid him when he was invited into their own homes over the holidays. They were all involved whether they wanted to be or not.

"Draco, Snape told me that we can refuse his offer, but he will kill us! Torture us! Or worse, go after the people we care about! We have no choice!" Theo exclaimed.

Draco shook his head. "I'm not saying refuse him, Theo. I'm saying, join him."

Theo paled. "Draco … do you know what he makes you do? To become one of his followers, you have to do something worthy. I asked for a puppy as a child and Father told me no because he would force me to kill it after it loved me! Father told me that when he joined up, his first order of business was to kill a puppy who loved him! He had to torture this innocent puppy for over an hour after he had spent weeks taking care of it, before he was given a knife and told to slice it open! That's how he earned his tattoo! I'm not killing a fucking puppy!"

Blaise grabbed Theo's arm. "Theo, that's not what Draco's saying … is it?"

Draco let out a slow breath. "I don't want to kill anything or anyone either, Theo! Do you think that I want this? I'm just saying that we lay low. We grovel. We show him the respect and admiration that he expects of us and _maybe_ he won't dig deep into our minds. Father told me that unless he thinks we are hiding something or unless he needs information, he doesn't just assault the minds of his followers. If we show him faith and loyalty, he will take it at face value. He doesn't care enough to look deeper."

Blaise stared at him for a long moment. "That means lie to everyone, Draco. Mamma knows that I'm not keen on him and so does your father. How are we supposed to pull that off?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, but my father told me that it's about survival. We have to keep each other safe no matter what. I need to protect my mother and if we run, who will protect her? My father is too much under my grandfather's control; he's not getting out and Mother won't leave him. Theo and I promised to keep an eye on her. No matter what happens, it's about keeping our loved ones safe, right?"

"Mamma said it, Draco, we are the elite of the magical world and we have to fight to keep it. That's what the Dark Lord ultimately wants. The purebloods to be in charge; to be in control."

Theo shook his head. "I don't believe that. Purebloods aren't the elite. In fact, I think we're part of the problem."

Draco scoffed. "We're superior, Theo, it's obvious. We've had superior blood for centuries. Do you really want some Muggleborn like Granger running the world?"

"I'd take Granger over the Dark Lord in a heartbeat," Theo shot back. "Blood doesn't always win out, Draco. Blood doesn't always mean family. Look at Potter, his mother was a Muggleborn and his magic was so strong that he shot Blaise into a wall with a disarming spell! Look at Goyle, he comes from a long line of pureblood wizards and he can barely figure out which way to stand up his cauldron. Blood doesn't define us."

Blaise stared at him. "You've been hanging around with that blood traitor Weasley too much."

Theo glared at them. "We're all people, Blaise, that's all I'm saying. Look at little Ciara Casey! She's sweet and she has incredible power. But because her mum is a fae, she wouldn't have been allowed to learn magic if it weren't for the changes in the Ministry this year!"

Blaise and Draco exchanged a look.

Theo only stared back at them, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I'm tired of hiding! I'm tired of lying about who I am and what I believe. I don't even know what the hell I believe anymore! I was taught the same as you, that purebloods are elite, are superior but now … Ginny is the best person I know yet her family has been deemed blood traitors simply because they don't believe in the superiority of purebloods? Creevey is intelligent and nice and yet I'm supposed to stop him from being a wizard because his parents are Muggles? Casey is sweet and kind. She's bright and learns quickly, but just because her mum is a fae, she's not supposed to be worthy to learn magic with us. It's crazy! Doesn't it all seem crazy?"

Draco sighed. "Theo, we're not saying change your beliefs or your way of thinking. Blaise and I have spent the last five years questioning what we were taught as well, you know that. We all bleed red, right?"

Those words calmed him a little as Theo nodded. He knew that he was on the verge of a full blown panic attack and Draco's words had calmed him to a great extent. "So what's the plan then?"

"Survive," Draco said simply. "Father said that we can trust Potter and I think that he's right. Potter's a stalwart do-gooder to the extreme, but he's smarter than I give him credit for. Potter's godfather is certainly causing a ruckus in the Ministry as of late. We have to be careful obviously, only share what we think they can know, but we also need to stay alive."

Theo nodded. "We need to play roles."

Blaise's eyes moved to Theo. "Are you going to be able to do that once your father finds out that you're challenging him for his title and fortune?"

"I think so," Theo said with a small smile. "I'm writing him tonight to tell him that I'm doing so because it will show the world that I'm innocent and that the Notts aren't all bad. If I'm shown to be against my father, I think that will look favourably on me for the Ministry."

Blaise grinned. "And could also have you available to do things for the Dark Lord that your father wouldn't be able to accomplish as a wanted criminal."

"Exactly," Theo said. "I think Father will be alright with it."

Draco let out a slow breath, his eyes moving between the two of them. "We have just over a month to prepare. In the meantime, we need to build stronger walls in our minds and decide what we can and cannot let slip to the Dark Lord if necessary."

"What about taking the mark if he asks us?" Blaise asked, his eyes on Draco. "You're not sixteen until June, but Theo and I … Mamma made it sound like that might be happening? I don't want to do that, Draco. I don't want that disgusting tattoo marked on my body."

Draco shook his head. "I don't think that's going to be happening over Christmas. At least not yet, though I do imagine that he will be feeling you out. I think that we have time."

Theo swallowed slowly. "We _hope_ that we have time."

"Theo, surviving is what's important. Father made that clear. Mother has made that clear. I don't want to hurt anyone either and maybe if we do what I suggest and keep our heads down, show him our loyalty and support, he won't ask us to do those things. He'll still consider us too young and leave us alone. We have to do whatever it takes to survive."

Blaise nodded. "One step at a time, right?"

"One step at a time," Draco repeated.

Theo stared between the two of them. He knew that they were right. Their families were too involved for them to stand on the sidelines, but he also wasn't sure that jumping into the snake pit was a wise choice.

"One step at a time," he agreed.

But the ball of fear was still clenched in the pit of his stomach and he wasn't sure what to do about it.

 **Hermione caught up with Ginny as she came through the portrait hole, taking her arm and urging her to follow her upstairs to her dorm.** Once they were sitting comfortably on Hermione's bed, did she speak.

"So, how was the date with Dean?"

Ginny bit her lip and shrugged. "It was fun. He's sweet."

"And?"

Ginny grinned. "I don't know. He kissed me and that was nice, though he used a bit too much tongue for my taste if I'm honest."

"Are you going out again?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't ask, but he gave the impression that he hopes to."

Hermione smiled. "Dean's a nice bloke."

"He is! He's tall and handsome. He's a really gifted artist, Hermione. He was sketching on a napkin while we chatted and he drew the whole room and everyone in it. It was incredible."

"You did say that his flirting was fun."

"It was," Ginny said, smiling. "It just … I had fun, I did, but something didn't feel right."

Hermione frowned, leaning back against the pillows propped up at the head of her bed. "What didn't feel right?"

Ginny tucked her hair behind her ear. "Something is going on with Harry, have you noticed?"

Hermione smiled. "I told you what that is and you said that I was crazy."

"I never said the word crazy. It's just … he keeps asking to talk to me, but then something happens and we get interrupted. Like last week after practice, he pulled me aside to talk and then Ron interrupted him and then you came with news of Zee being hurt. I talked to him after and he said something about me being good in practice, but I knew that wasn't it. He _always_ talks to me, Hermione, Harry doesn't have trouble telling me things. I'm worried about him."

Hermione stared at her friend. "Has he approached you since then?"

"Yes," Ginny said. "We were interrupted by the bell as I was late for class and then interrupted by Dean who asked me to Hogsmeade. After Dean asked me out, Harry just shut down and said that it wasn't important."

Hermione smiled. "He's a bit miffed that you went with Dean."

"But why?"

"Ginny, Harry is like my brother, I know him as well as you know yours and I told you, he _fancies_ you. He likes you as more than a friend and I don't know for sure, but I think he was trying to ask you to go to Hogsmeade with him."

Ginny frowned. "But that's …" She trailed off, looking thoughtful.

Harry had been acting strangely, she did admit. When he hugged her it was like he didn't want to let go or he pushed her away, there was no in between. She had caught him staring at her on many different occasions. That morning when he had waited for her with fresh strawberries and a buttery croissant … she had noticed his eyes dipping to her breasts, but she had assumed it was because she wasn't fully dressed. Could he actually …?

She put a hand over her navel at the pull of desire that erupted there. Harry was off limits. She had put him there herself the moment that he had told her it would never happen. That's what the other boys were for more than anything if she was honest with herself. A welcome distraction from her dreams. Michael and then Ryan and the other boys she had snogged that summer, Dave for one, and Dan … and now Dean … none of them had meant anything to her, not really. She had never imagined the relationships flourishing into anything more than snogging. None of them appealed to her on another level the way that Harry did.

Hermione was grinning at her. "Ginny, you are one of the smartest girls I know. You can't _not_ have noticed. He's fancied you for a while now. Why do you think Mandy broke up with him? She's a sweet girl, but she knew the reason he took that Bludger was because he was clearly and _very visibly_ distracted by you."

"He wasn't," Ginny protested mildly. "He was just watching the Chasers."

Hermione smirked. "Ginny, I bet you a hundred Galleons that if you asked Harry who the other Chasers were who tried out with you, he wouldn't have a clue if they were boys or girls let alone be able to tell you what their names were."

Ginny flushed. "He … he fancies me?"

Hermione smiled. "You should see for yourself now that I've finally got you listening."

Ginny bit her lip and grinned. "And me dating Dean?"

"Is not something you want, now is it?"

The desire curled in her gut as she held her hand there. The thought that her friend could be right was thrilling and exciting and terrifying all the same time. She didn't want to get her hopes up that it could be true, but she desperately wished that it was true at the same time and it scared her.

Harry was Harry and the thought of being in his arms, of kissing him made the desire curl tighter and she grinned widely at Hermione.

"I think that you're right, Hermione. It's not something that I want and I think that it's about time that I find out what Harry wants."

Hermione simply grinned.

 **Sirius kissed Zee goodnight before he left the hospital.** He hated leaving her there every night, but after she had awoken, she told him to go home when visiting hours were over. She was feeling much better and her leg was healing nicely. Four more days of blood replenishing potions and healing draughts to make sure the curse was completely flushed from her system before they would even consider releasing her.

In the meantime, Tripp Forrester had been released from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and was undergoing treatment at _St Mungo's_ himself, trying to recover the memories that had been removed from his brain. Sirius knew that could take hours to months depending on the witch or wizard who had performed the charm.

His thoughts were still on the Seer. He hadn't said anything about it to Zee. He had just held her hands, kissing her fingers as she told him about the baby griffin cubs she had taken care of and how it had distracted her for a few days. But now that he knew she was going to be alright, it was fresh in his mind again.

The only reason that he could think about finding a Seer was because Voldemort believed this Melusine knew the prophecy about Harry. It wasn't a comforting thought and he didn't know how much to believe about it. He had asked Dumbledore to come to Black Cottage that night as he wanted to discuss it with him.

He found the headmaster standing on the front stoop when he made his way up the drive and grinned when he realized McGonagall was there as well.

"Sorry I'm late, Albus. Minnie, hi."

McGonagall immediately moved forward to engulf him in a warm hug. "Look at you! You must take care of yourself as well, Sirius," she said, kissing his cheek.

"I am, I swear. I just haven't shaved. I want to spend every second I can in the hospital with her."

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "How is Zahira?"

"Healing. By Wednesday morning they are hoping to release her. She gets the last of her potions on Tuesday, we hope."

"I'm glad to hear it," Dumbledore told him as Sirius led them into the house and urged him to take a seat in the living room.

"Would you like a drink?"

"I wouldn't say no to a glass of sherry."

"Minnie?"

She smiled, "Red wine please."

Sirius nodded and went into the kitchen to pour them each a glass of their desired drink before he passed the cup over and took a seat in the living room. "Any news on your end?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Nothing that we don't already know, I'm afraid. We know that Voldemort is plotting something and his followers are starting to move forward as the attack on Zee showed us, but other than that, I'm not sure."

"He wants to know the full prophecy."

"That doesn't surprise me. He has never heard it in its entirety and I imagine the fact that Harry has escaped him yet again is enough to make him wonder on it. Sirius, now that Voldemort has returned, we need to discuss what to do about the Horcrux residing inside of Harry. If Voldemort realizes the connection there, he can use him against us."

Sirius shook his head. "No, he can't. We destroyed it."

Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise. "You - _what_?"

"I kept it just between our family, Albus. But it's gone. It was surgically removed this summer and we destroyed it."

"How?" Dumbledore asked in amazement. "How did you remove it safely?"

McGonagall reached out to grip Sirius' hand as he spoke and he smiled gratefully at her as he explained the procedure and how Harry had actually died on the table. He explained how he had healed in a coma and ultimately come back more powerful than he was before.

"We think that the soul piece was hindering his power to a great extent. It was feeding off of him like a parasite and now that it's gone, it's an opportunity for him to grow into his powers and to his potential."

Dumbledore stared at him. "I'm amazed that it was removed so easily. I had thought …"

"I know what you thought," Sirius said darkly. "And I told you that I would find another way. I wasn't going to let my son bloody well sacrifice himself at Voldemort's hands."

"Sirius, it's not what I wanted, it was just the only way that I could see it happening."

Sirius glared at him. "Well, I found another way. It's gone from him and that's all that matters. Right now, the deal is the prophecy and how Voldemort may or may not get a hold of it."

He quickly filled Dumbledore in on what Forrester had said about the Seer and with the conversation he and Zee had had with Snape concerning the Hall of Prophecy. Dumbledore looked pensive as he listened. He sipped his sherry and Sirius could see the wheels turning in his head.

"There is a copy of the prophecy there. I recorded it myself and the Seer took it."

"Have you met the Seer?"

Dumbledore smiled. "No one has met the Seer. He is … almost like an illusion. Hidden behind a curtain where no one can truly see his or her identity."

"Are they human?"

"The Seer? I don't know. Like I said, it is a great mystery. You think that this half-Melusine person is the Seer?"

"Voldemort does," Sirius said. "Or thinks that they know something about the Seer anyway."

Dumbledore nodded. "True, the details aren't clear so it could be either or."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "I've been thinking, is there a way to remove the prophecy from the Hall of Prophecy? I mean, they are stored in there as records, but it's not mandatory for it to be there, right?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, not mandatory. They study them and try to see how much of the prophecy comes to pass and where the truth lies and where the predictions come in."

"And if we already know what this prophecy means, than it wouldn't have to stay there?"

Dumbledore stared at him. "You want to destroy the copy of it."

Sirius nodded. "Think about it, Albus. If we destroy it, Voldemort wouldn't know what it contained and it might give us a leg up, a chance to be one step ahead of him."

"Removing it won't be easy," McGonagall said softly. "It's very well hidden deep within the Ministry."

"I'm sure Amelia would help us get access, Minnie."

"Amelia isn't the problem," Dumbledore said carefully. "The Department of Mysteries is just that, a mystery, and much of what they do in there is a secret to most of the wizarding world. Gaining access for any reason is almost impossible without the proper authentication. Even the Minister of Magic has restricted access to parts of the research there."

Sirius sighed. "Well, what do you suggest?"

"Have you spoken to Podmore?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, Sturgis is barely a level one and he knows the same that we do. But it's been an idea that I've been tossing around."

Dumbledore nodded. "We could use the Order for it. Infiltrate the Department of Mysteries and have people keep watch on the Hall of Prophecy, make sure that no one is there who shouldn't be?"

"That's an idea," Sirius said in agreement. "Then we figure out where the prophecy is and how we may or may not obtain it safely."

"We'll call forth an Order meeting and discuss it. Maybe someone else will have a few ideas," Dumbledore suggested.

Sirius nodded. "Sounds good. Thanks, Albus."

Dumbledore smiled. "You have done admirable work, Sirius, with the War Council especially. How's the training coming along?"

"Good," Sirius told him. "It's hard work, but I'm really enjoying it. The physical demands alone are exhausting and exhilarating. I think Rufus is a great leader and he's really whipping his team into shape."

"I've heard the same from the other units. Each one is slowly growing and more people have been signing up. It's going to be an incredible force."

"I just hope that when the time comes, it will be enough," Sirius told him.

Dumbledore nodded. "We have to hope it will be. We don't know what Voldemort's ultimate plans are, not yet, and until he is ready to make his move, we must just prepare and be ready for him."

Sirius agreed and that was the part that made him the most nervous.

 **Harry wasn't sure what was going on this week, but he felt like fate had dealt him a cruel joke of some kind.** Ginny seemed to be looking even more amazing than usual and she was near him more often that not. He could smell her shampoo, her floral scent washing over him and he was doing everything in his power to hide the tent that kept forming in his trousers when she was nearby, adjusting his robes accordingly.

It had all started on All Hallows Eve.

Ginny had sat next to him at lunch, leaning over him to steal the pita bread slice and his face had ben engulfed in her long fiery red hair. He had sniffed it before he could stop himself, his eyes on the lovely soft skin of her wrist, followed by the freckles on the back of her hand as she stole a piece of bacon from his plate. She tucked her long hair behind her ear and he found himself admiring the small roundness of her earlobe where a silver hoop dangled there. The top of her ear was also pierced with a silver hoop, he noticed and a third hoop next to the first one in her lobe. He wondered when she had gotten the piercing on the top of her ear, but then his thoughts had vanished when she'd spoken to him, her voice soft and whispering.

"Harry, can you pass me your cock?"

"My _what_?" He exclaimed, his eyes widening and his cock immediately jumping to attention in his pants.

Ginny only smiled sweetly at him. "I said, can you pass me the guac. Are you okay?"

He swallowed slowly, reaching for the bowl of fresh guacamole and passing it over to her. "Yes, f-fine."

Ginny scooped some of the guacamole onto her plate with some of the pita slices and tomato and he watched her dip it into the guacamole and eat happily. She smiled at him, her hand gently touching his thigh as she reached down to scratch her own leg and he jumped.

Ginny merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure that you're alright? You seem rather jumpy?"

"Fine," Harry told her, adjusting his robes as he stood up. "Er, I have to get to Muggle Studies."

He had hurried out of the Great Hall, his breathing heavy as he tried to think of anything to remove the raging boner that he was currently sporting.

The afternoon had passed fine, but at the Halloween feast, he had found himself sitting next to Ginny again. She spoke to him about her Charms class and laughed and giggled with Colin who was on the other side of her. Luna made to come sit with them and Ginny was forced to shuffle closer to Harry, his arm moving around her waist naturally so that she didn't fall off the back of the bench. She turned to smile at him sweetly, thanking him and he swallowed slowly.

Now she was even closer to him and he could count every freckle on her nose. He dropped his hands to the table, turning his attention to Neville who was smirking at him from across the table. Harry didn't like the knowing look that his friend was currently giving him. He needed to stop this. She was dating Dean now, he told himself. Dean, his roommate and the bloke who had stolen his chance away.

The mantra he kept telling himself did nothing to soothe his ego and he found himself glaring opening at Dean most of the time. He knew that wasn't fair either. Dean was a nice bloke and hardly deserved his animosity, but the sight of him and the thought of him kissing Ginny made the creature in his chest roar to life all over again.

By Friday, Harry was convinced that Ginny was doing it on purpose. It seemed that no matter where he was, she was there, sitting close enough for him to touch her. He smelt her everywhere and he couldn't even close his eyes at night without imagining her touching him. He'd spent every night that week with his hands wrapped around his cock, pumping himself over and over, desperate for release with thoughts of Ginny on his mind.

He worked his team hard that practice. Tomorrow was their first Quidditch match of the season and it would be against Slytherin and he was determined to win. He watched Ginny use a towel to wipe beads of sweat from her forehead, tugging off the hoodie she had been practicing in and wearing only a red and gold Gryffindor sports bra underneath. His mouth immediately went dry as she headed into the locker rooms with the rest of the team.

When he made it back to his dorm that night, he was hard and bitter. He must have had a look on his face too because Seamus raised an eyebrow at him.

"If looks could kill I feel like we'd all be in big trouble, mate."

Harry frowned. "Sorry."

Seamus only stared at him. "You've been in a right mood all week. Anything that you'd like to share with the class?"

Harry only glared at him. "No."

Dean snorted. "Did practice go badly or something?"

"Nah, he's been in a mood since last week. I heard your mum was going to be fine, so that can't be it," Seamus said, his eyes on Harry.

Harry let out a slow breath. "No, she is doing great, thanks. She's home now and she and Uncle Sirius are hoping to come to the match tomorrow. Sorry, I just … I have a lot on my mind. I don't mean to be an arse."

Seamus nodded. He stared at Harry for a second longer before he spoke. "Accepted," he said as he turned to Dean. "So, did my ears deceive me or did I hear you ask out Monroe?"

Dean grinned broadly. "Your ears did not deceive you. We're going to hang out tomorrow before and hopefully after the game. She loves art which is a bit of a bonus for me."

Harry turned to stare at him. "Wait … you asked out Natalie Monroe?"

Dean nodded, scratching his chin. "I did."

"I thought that you were dating Ginny?"

Dean grinned. "I wish. Mate, _how thick are you_? We all know that you fancy her! I took a sucker's bet with Neville that if I interrupted you and asked out Ginny on a date, you'd punch me in the nose! Not only didn't you react, you just gave up! You never confronted me before the date or interrupted our date, nothing."

Harry stared at him, his mouth open wide. "So … you didn't want to date Ginny?"

Dean snorted. "She's gorgeous. If she wanted to date me, I'd throw you under the bus in a heartbeat, but she doesn't. We went to Hogsmeade together and we had a great time. But she told me that we were better off as friends, do you know why?"

Harry shook his head, swallowing slowly. "No. I … she likes you. She told me that she waiting for you to ask her out."

Seamus appeared next to him and smacked him in the face with a pillow. "She likes you, you thick git! Ask her out already!"

Harry stared at the two of them wide-eyed, the tightness in his chest suddenly feeling lighter. Ginny _wasn't_ dating Dean, he thought. She wasn't dating anyone. He had a sudden urge to run to the girl's dormitory and tell her how he felt, but he knew that wasn't the right choice. "Well, have fun tomorrow then."

Dean grinned. "I plan to. Tomorrow's the big game, Harry; great time for a bloke to have a conversation with his new star chaser. And if you don't grow a pair of balls, someone else is going to ask her out and they won't be as nice as me."

He turned back to Seamus, chatting absently about his plans for Natalie the next day.

But Harry's mind was going into overdrive now.

He tossed his Quidditch training clothes in the hamper and put his broom away. If Ginny was single that meant he couldn't waste any time in asking her out. He couldn't let anyone interrupt them. Dean was right. He had to man up and just spit it out. He stripped down to his boxers before he tugged on his plaid pyjama pants and then he crawled into bed, pulling the bed curtains closed around him.

Tomorrow, after the game, he thought. When they were celebrating their win in the common room, he would pull her aside and he would ask her.

Thoughts of kissing Ginny was the last thing on his mind and when he fell asleep he had a big smile on his face.

 **Sirius was annoyed that the hospital had insisted on keeping Zee an extra two days just to make sure that everything was alright now that she had stopped taking the blood replenishing potions.** He just wanted to take her home and Friday morning when he was finally given the chance to do so, he carried her up the driveway and through the front doors.

"Sirius, I can walk. I'm hardly an invalid," she protested.

He ignored her and carried her to the living room sofa. He kicked off his boots before he took a seat, sitting her sideways in his lap and pushing a large throw pillow under her back. He tugged the blanket off of the back of the sofa and wrapped up her legs before he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Lady Godiva stretched out on the floor in front of them. She had spent the entire week by her mistress' side and looked like she didn't plan on stopping.

Zee gently ran her fingers through his hair. "I'm fine. You can stop worrying now."

"No, I can't," he murmured. "You … they could have killed you, Zee, or worse, captured you and done God knows what to you!"

Zee kissed his hair. "But they didn't. I got away and I'm safe and I'm fine." She pulled his head back to look at him. "I'm fine. I'm with you."

Sirius leaned in and kissed her softly, gently and then deeply, his hand on her cheek. When he pulled away she was smiling at him. "I love you."

Zee kissed him again. "I'm sorry that I made you worry."

He shook his head. "Forrester made me worry. The Imperius has been used since the Middle Ages and still no one has figured out how to be certain someone is being controlled."

"The eyes are - "

" - Not enough," Sirius interrupted darkly. "He was compromised, Zee! Forrester was bloody fucking compromised for Merlin knows how long! He was your bloody partner! You depended on him to have your back and he was fucking working for them!"

"Not by choice," Zee exclaimed, framing his face with her hands. "I know it doesn't make it better. I know it only makes it more scary that he was forced into serving them like that, but it's the facts. Getting angry over something that we cannot control is not going to change anything. I am fine. Papa recognized the curse that I was hit with and I'm going to be alright."

"But if Misha hadn't shown up - "

" - Sirius!"

He closed his mouth, his eyes tortured as he stared at her. "I thought that I was going to lose you. I thought that I was going to sit there and watch you die and I wouldn't be able to stop it."

Zee kissed him deeply. "You didn't. I'm right here. We're here together. I'm home and tomorrow we're going to go to Hogwarts together and watch our son play in his very first Quidditch match as team captain. We're not going to think anymore about this. We're just going to spend the day with each other. Okay?"

He nodded as she kissed him again. Her lips moving over his, over his jaw where his stubble had become the workings of a beard, down his neck and then back up to his lips.

"The beard is interesting," she said, making him chuckle.

"It's … I didn't have time to deal with it," he admitted, kissing her again, his arms tightening around her waist. "I needed to be with you."

Zee smiled against his chest. "You are with me. I missed being in your arms, Siri. I missed being held by you when we sleep."

"You're the one who cuddles," he insisted in annoyance. "Someone is sleeping on their own side of the bed when all of a sudden this spider monkey attacks."

Zee grinned. "I know and that spider monkey is named Sirius Black."

"Lies," he said making her laugh. "I'm not the one who needs to be cuddled."

"You're right, it's all me. You cling like a spider monkey in the middle of the night, but it's for me, because I need it."

"Exactly," he said, his eyes brightening.

She smiled, gently stroking her fingers down his cheeks. "Take me upstairs, Sirius."

He kept his arms tightly around her, kissing her hard as he stood up. "You won't complain that you can walk by yourself?"

She grinned and shook her head. "Not today. Not if it's what you need right now."

Sirius carried her across the room and into the hall, up the stairs to their bedroom where he gently lied her on the bed, kissing her again before he lay next to her, opening his arms up to get her to snuggle into him.

"I'm not delicate," she murmured against his chest. "I won't break."

Sirius nodded. "I never said that you would. I'm not delicate either, baby, but without you … I will break."

Zee kissed him passionately, rolling on top of him as they kissed. His hands slid off her hips to rest on her bum and she framed his face as they kissed. Long, languid kisses that left both of them breathless. Sirius' hand slid over her bum, down to where her leg was mostly healed, the burn scar from the back of her left knee almost to her ankle, on a long jagged gash, was rough under his fingertips. She smiled, turning to look at her leg.

"Is it hideous?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nothing about you could ever be hideous."

Zee kissed him again and he rolled to the side, dropping her next to him. "Maybe I wanted to be on top."

Sirius grinned. "No. You are still healing. We're going to sleep."

Zee pouted, her hand slipping down his chest to unzip his jeans and slipping her hand inside. "I don't think that you feel like sleeping."

Her fingers wrapped around him, squeezing and he groaned. "Sleep. You still need to rest. Rest and nothing too strenuous, healer's orders. He said at least another two weeks, preferably three. You're still to take protein potions and strength replenishers twice a day for the next fourteen days."

Zee's fingers were stroking him now, slowly dancing along his shaft, her hand slipping in deeper to flutter across his sacs. "I am resting. See I'm lying down and everything."

Sirius pressed his lips to the side of her head. "You are a temptress. I'm staying firm here," he insisted.

She held up her second hand before she added it to her other one and he groaned. "You are definitely getting firmer," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"Not what I meant," Sirius muttered, attempting to push her hands away.

Zee ignored him. "I am a temptress. I'm yours. I believe you said, 'your goddess.'"

He groaned as her hands worked him over. "Zee, fuck … stop. We can't. You have to rest."

She smiled seductively, her lips brushing his chin, his neck, kissing his chest through his shirt. "I do, you're right. I will be resting. My mouth and hands weren't injured, were they?"

She shimmied downwards and his hands went to her wild curls. "Zee …"

But then her mouth was on him and he thought that she was the devil incarnate and he didn't care; not one bit.

 **Theo hated every step he took as he made his way to meet Macmillan that Friday night.** He had to put up with the prick for a little longer and he hated himself for it. He had received word from Smith that morning to tell him the paperwork was being cycled and they just had to wait now, but that it would be in Theo's best interest to get some letters discussing his character to prove that he was mature enough to handle the responsibilities that would come with the Nott Estates and titles. He had already written to Narcissa, but he wasn't sure who else to ask. His first thought had been Snape, but he wasn't so sure.

His father had written him as well.

To Theo's surprise, the news of Theo attempting to claim the titles and estate actually pleased his father. The letter had been very interesting.

 _Theo,_

 _This is an idea that I should have considered myself. With you as Marquess and in control of all of our assets, I will be a free man in terms of the Ministry of Magic dealings. It will ensure our wealth is accessible through you. You will be able to give me what I need and give the rest to the Dark Lord when he asks. It will be quite the honour._

 _It's rewarding to see you finally living up to the Nott Family name._

 _Thaddeus Nott_

Theo had stared at the letter feeling pride radiating from his father and disgust for himself. The last thing that he wanted was to give the Dark Lord access to the Nott Estate, in fact part of the reason why he was doing this was to get away from that wizard. Narcissa was a great person to talk to about it all, he knew that, but she was the wife of an earl, not the earl and she couldn't understand his predicament.

He wished Lucius was around in a place where he could talk safely to him. He saw Ciara walking towards him with Mila so he smiled and waved just as Snape called his name.

"Nott, come with me."

Theo raised his eyebrow in question, wondering what it was that Snape could want with him. To his surprise, Snape did not bring him to his office, but instead to the Potions classroom. He unlocked a drawer in his desk and passed him a letter.

"This was delivered to you via me as the recipient early this morning. I apologize for not giving it to you immediately."

Theo frowned and made to open it, but Snape shook his head.

"Open it in private. I hardly need to know the contents. And Theo, your walls are in shambles right now. Pull your emotions in and hold those walls up."

"Yes, sir."

When he left the classroom, he found a little nook on the first floor and made himself comfortable as he examined the envelope that said, _Theo, Slytherin House._ He opened the envelope and pulled out the letter in curiosity.

 _Dear Theo of Slytherin House,_

 _You have welcomed Ciara into Slytherin House and into Hogwarts. She writes home often with stories about how you did this and how you said that. It warms my heart to think that someone is watching out for her. She said that you've helped her with her studies and with bullies and I am in awe to learn that wizards with such a kind disposition still exist in this world._

 _Ciara looks up to you. Thank you for being her mentor, her saviour and most of all her friend._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Prince Finley Alexander of Tara_

 _Court of the Fae_

 _PS - if there is ever anything you need, you need only to ask._

Theo stared at the letter in surprise. He knew that Ciara had mentioned she was half-fae, but she had said nothing about being part of the royal family. Was she?

 _If there is ever anything you need, you need only ask._

He had no idea what the fae could provide him, but he suddenly felt a little safer knowing that there was another option for him.

He pulled out his parchment pad and began a quick response back.

 _Dear Prince Finley Alexander of Tara,_

 _I am humbled and honoured to hear from you. Ciara is a sweet girl who I was glad to befriend. She's part of my house and even though I am sixteen to her eleven, I would be glad to be her friend if she needs me. I do not know her connection to you, but it's nice to know that I did something right enough to be mentioned._

 _As to the favour you offered, thank you from the bottom of my heart, but I cannot accept as I would not know what to ask for from them Court of Tara._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lord Theodore Nott_

 _Marquess of Norfolk_

He hesitated on signing the letter as such and then left it, before adding

 _PS - If there is anything I can do for you or for Ciara, please ask._

He sealed the letter magically, using the Nott ink blott to seal it. By the time he made it up to the Owlery he was still questioning why the letter had come to him. He pinned it to his owl's leg and watched the bird fly off as he sighed.

Some things were always a surprise, he thought. He checked his watch and grinned, he had a Quidditch match to attend and he was looking forward to seeing his friends play against each other.

 **Harry was nervous that morning.** The first Quidditch game of the year always made him fairly nervous, but today he felt it in waves. This was the first game that he would be leading Gryffindor in as the team captain. This was the first game with the new team. And he was lying to himself if he said that he wasn't nervous about attempting to talk to Ginny after the game.

Seeing Ron ghostly pale and nervous eased his own discomfort a little. Hermione was trying to reassure him, insisting that he was a great Keeper and that he was going to do a wonderful job out there today, but Harry wasn't so sure. He could see the mood that Ron was slowing digging himself into and he knew that if he didn't pull his friend out of his funk, his nerves would get the best of him.

He ignored Hermione's insistence that his friend eat and instead pulled him down to the pitch early. The moment that they were in the locker room, Harry grinned at his friend.

"You are going to do great out there, Ron. If I had any doubts about you as Keeper we wouldn't have chosen you for the team. We would have chosen that cocky SOB McLaggen. But we chose you."

"You just chose me because Weasleys have good Quidditch blood. That's what Angelina said."

Harry glared at him. "They do have good Quidditch blood as has been shown and you are a Weasley. Act like one."

Ron stared at him in surprise. "Act like one?"

"Be the best damn Keeper that you can be, Ron. Remember, the team chose you, don't let us down."

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "What if I'm not as good?"

Harry stared at him. He knew the big thing that his friend was constantly struggling with was being overshadowed by his brothers. Since he didn't have any siblings, he couldn't imagine what that was like.

"You know what I love about your family, Ron?"

"No," Ron said, looking slightly bewildered by the change in the conversation.

Harry smiled at him. "Your family is full of support for everything that you do. The fact that you made prefect this year made your mum cry. When you wrote home to say you were on the team, your parents wrote back to tell you that they would come to your first game."

"Well, Ginny - "

" - Yes, for Ginny too," Harry said. "But for you, Ron. Do you think that they care if we win or not?"

"No," Ron said quickly.

Harry grinned. "They just want you to play your best. That's all that I want. I want you to do your best out there and to make sure that every goal you do let in is met in equal measure with those you don't because we are going to crush Slytherin out there today."

Ron grinned at him. "Well, crushing Slytherin is a definite plus."

Harry slapped his friend on the shoulder. "And look at it this way, you can't possibly do worse than McLaggen in tryouts, the bloke literally went the opposite way of the Quaffle; twice."

Ron snorted. "That's true. I thought that he was supposed to be good."

Harry shrugged. "Me too."

They looked up as the rest of the team made their way into the locker room and Harry grinned at them.

"Team, it's our first match. We've been training hard. We have a new team with fresh blood and I just want to say, we can crush Slytherin today. I know it."

Fred and George cheered.

"So let's just go out there and play our heart out. We'll show them why Gryffindors are the best at Quidditch."

Everyone grinned, whooping in joy as they began to get changed. It was going to be a great game and when it was over, he was going to ask Ginny out on a date.

Playing Slytherin suddenly seemed much easier, he thought.

 **When the game started, Harry saw the Snitch fly towards the Gryffindor goal posts before he focused on Malfoy.** As much as he hated to admit it, Malfoy was a decent Seeker. The only times that he had ever lost the Snitch was to Harry, which to Harry's way of thinking, meant that he couldn't let his guard down, not for a second. Looking across the pitch at the players, he noticed that like the Gryffindor team, Slytherin had to replace two players.

Malfoy was still playing Seeker; Adrian Pucey, Graham Montague, and Cassius Warrington were still playing the Chasers; and Miles Bletchley was still the Keeper. Montague was team captain this year, claiming the title after Marcus Flint had graduated and it looked like he had replaced Derrick and Bole as Beaters with Crabbe and Goyle. Harry noted that they were the only Hogwarts team without any girls and he wondered if that was intentional on their part or if the girls in Slytherin were genuinely uninterested in playing.

He took a quick look at his team before he rose up high to take a better stock of the game before he made any decisions. Lee Jordan was commentating and he grinned as he listened, his eyes peeled for the Snitch.

"And Weasley passes the Quaffle to Bell who throws and it flies past Bletchley so gracefully, well done! Score by Bell! Ten points to Gryffindor! Slytherin has the Quaffle now as Warrington gains control but Weasley is gaining on him. Merlin's balls look at that bird fly! Weasley soars under Warrington and swipes the Quaffle right from under him! Goyle smacks a Bludger towards Weasley, she dives and avoids it. Beater Weasley comes from behind Chaser Weasley and hits the Bludger so hard he knocks Goyle right off his broom! Warrington has the Quaffle again and he's barrelling down towards the pitch with Johnson and Weasley on his tail! It looks like Gryffindor's new Keeper is about to be tested. Let's see what he can do!"

Harry's gaze moved to Ron. He could see his stance, the worry in his gaze and he thought please Ron, come on, please. Warrington moved in and threw the Quaffle hard; Ron flipped, doing a three-sixty on his broom, taking the Quaffle right to the chest.

"YES!" Harry shouted, fist bumping the air.

"And Weasley stops it! Gryffindor in possession!"

Harry's eyes moved around the pitch when he saw the glint of blonde from out of the corner of his eye. But Malfoy was searching just the same as he was. He circled the opposite way, flying over the stands and he smiled at the sight of Sirius and Zee and to his surprise, Misha and Sorcha sitting there with Remus and Tonks along with Bill and Mr and Mrs Weasley. He waved before a glint of red caught his eye. He turned in time to see Ginny accept the Quaffle from Angelina and score Gryffindor another ten points.

He kept moving carefully around the pitch, eyes peeled, doing his best not to look at Ginny as her long red hair flew behind her in a long ponytail. But then he saw it, the flicker of gold dancing by Ginny's ear and he flew towards her. He lowered his hands on the Firebolt, diving forward just as a Bludger came barreling in her direction in a well hit shot by a grinning Crabbe. He shifted to block it just as the Snitch disappeared and he swore.

Ginny glared at him as they both dived away from the Bludger. "That better not have been some protective move, Harry!"

He grinned at her. "Please, I know better."

He took off again, leaving her smirking at him as Angelina scored again. He listened with half an ear as Lee commentated and did a silent cheer when he heard that Gryffindor was in the lead seventy to fifty. Slytherin was catching up fast and when Pucey scored again, followed by Montague, Harry became more and more frantic to find the Snitch.

And then he saw it.

It was dancing right by Dumbledore, almost touching his tall hat in delight, directly under where Harry himself was flying. He put on a burst of speed and dove down. He saw Malfoy barreling in from his left, but he snatched the Snitch before he could move in, taking Dumbledore's hat along with it, and grinned widely.

"Sorry, Sir."

Dumbledore chuckled, accepting his hat back. "Nice catch, Harry."

Harry held his fist up high.

"Oh, I say! Potter has the Snitch! You know, Potter, I don't think Dumbledore's hat was part of the deal, but - Gryffindor wins, two-twenty to seventy! What a close game, people!"

Harry grinned, diving down towards his team, Snitch clutched tightly in his hand. His team had truly played spectacular! Ginny had been phenomenal. She had given Gryffindor thirty points just herself and it had been her first game. They had been tie with Slytherin and Harry was forced to admit that Slytherin's team seemed very well practiced this year. But Ron had done very well for himself. It had been one of the best games of Quidditch that Gryffindor had ever played as long as Harry had been on the team because he felt like each team had been evenly matched, which was a nice challenge for once, he thought.

Harry landed smoothly on the ground, running across the grass to greet his team. Everyone was laughing and cheering, hive-fiving and hugging. He hugged Angelina and Katie and then Ginny turned to hug him, her eyes blazing and when she leaned in for a hug, without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that the entire school was watching, Harry kissed her.

And everything around him seemed to dim in comparison.

Her floral scent engulfed him, the fruity smell of her hair filling his nose as his lips moved over hers. Soft and slow for several long moments - or it might have been half an hour - or possibly several sunlit days until they finally broke apart slowly. He didn't want to stop touching her, he thought as his hands still rested on the small of her back, the Snitch fluttering between his fingers, and his eyes met her chocolate brown ones nervously. Her brown eyes were full of surprise, curiosity and dare he say it, want.

"Are you going to snog the whole team like that, Harry?" She asked cheekily.

He kept his arms around her waist, his eyes only on her as he shook his head. "Definitely not."

Harry finally turned his head to look around at the rest of the team. George looked like he had been clubbed over the head and Fred was making kissing faces at them and he grinned back before his eyes sought Ron. His best mate was wearing an expression that said, 'about time.'

Harry slid his hands down Ginny's back and around her waist to take her hand in his. "Can we talk?"

Ginny nodded, a soft smile on her face. "Yes."

Harry grinned and then he tugged her up against him, making her grin in surprise before he kissed her again, softly and slowly, the taste of her making his body yearn for more.

Her eyes fluttered open when he pulled away and she smiled warmly, licking her lips. "Yes."

Harry couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

 _End Authors Notes:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I don't own the little turn of phrase of sunlit days, that belongs to JKR, but it's one of my favourite moments so I tweaked it._

 _And yes, it finally happened!_

 _(Italian) spaventoso = dreadful/terrible/awful_

 _(Italian) Era l'amore della mia vita = He was the love of my life._

 _(Italian) Amore = love_

 _(Italian) cazzate = bullshit_

 _(Italian) puttana = bitch_

 _(Italian) caro ragazzo = darling boy_

 _(Italian) mio figlio = my son_

 _(Italian) il nostro signore oscuro = our dark lord_

 _(Italian) il mio amore = my love_

 _(Italian) capisci = do you understand_

 _(Italian) voi ragazzi = you boys_

 _(Italian) purosangue = pureblooded_

 _PS - Hope you like it and please leave me a review :D_


	198. Chapter 198

_Author's Note:_

 _I did receive a pretty negative review recently, which happens sometimes and people are entitled to their opinion on stuff, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU to and Sarek Fan, who before I had even read the negative review in question both commented directly back to the reviewer defending me and my writing. I was incredibly touched by that. Thank you very much! As Clupeidae kindly said to me - Breanie Defence Squad, Assemble! Thank you all very much! Your kind thoughts and words are more appreciated than you know!_

 _I know that I dropped those two chapters back to back and disappeared last week, but in my defence you still got two chapters last week LOL. In all honesty, I've been fighting a wicked flu bug since Wednesday, I missed three full days of work, and only just started to feel mildly like myself today. Still taking some more meds and going to bed early, but I do feel a little bit better and wanted to post a chapter today._

 _Onto the reviews: WOW! Thank you! I hit an all time high on review count with that last chapter, the Hinny finally happening chapter, 86 reviews, thank you so much! As to me tweaking that canon moment - that kiss in the Gryffindor common room is one of my favourite moments of the entire Harry Potter series. I knew that I wanted their first kiss to be the same, but as Kmila said in my absolute favourite comment of the week: "JKR: Let's make it big. I want all the Gryffindors to see Hinny's first kiss. Breanie: Hold my beer." So thank you for that gem! Neville is a bit of a punk I suppose, but he's been friends with Harry and Ginny for a long time here, so he's had enough of them LOL. As to Blaise, Theo and Draco, I want to show their fears and insecurities while at the same time showing that they haven't necessarily changed the way that they were raised and brought up; they still have certain beliefs that they've yet to let go of. To HpF2 - take a deep breath and tell that girl how you feel - if Harry can do it, you can too! To PurpleLotus, I salute you with my ice cold Jameson as well, thank you for reading and reviewing!_

 _To scrappy8 - I must have done something right this chapter because you blessed me with three whole extra words! Thank you!_

 _I'm glad you guys appreciated my guac/cock joke - I had more fun writing it than I should have lol. I just had this image in my head of Ginny saying cock and Harry basically swallowing his tongue trying not to get her to notice how affected he was by her saying that word. To Menna Taha - thank you for that lovely review, I could feel your excitement behind it and it made me smile. To hellishrose - you're right, Harry does much better when he acts on instinct which is why I wanted to use that moment from HBP, it's so iconic and to me such an important part of Hinny and who they become together. To Tammy - thank you, I do try to show all aspects of our society which includes the ugly part. Anyone can be abused, not just weak women like some people think, but women you would never imagine being capable of letting someone abuse them; men and children as well and it doesn't mean sexual or physical abuse, but emotional and psychological as well. As for my Theo, I love him and soon he will get away from that Hufflepuff, I promise._

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT:**

 **Harry held Ginny's hand in his as everyone headed to the locker rooms and he urged her to come up to the stands with him.** Before they made it there, Bill and Mr and Mrs Weasley had come down to congratulate them on their win.

"Ginny ... I can't believe how good you were, darling. When did you learn how to play?"

Ginny only stared at her mum, her eyes blazing in a defiance that Harry found ridiculously attractive. "I broke into the broom shed in the middle of the night and flew in the orchard."

Bill let out a full-bodied laugh, bending to kiss her forehead. "That's my girl, Firecracker!"

Mrs Weasley merely stared at her daughter completely perplexed. "Ginny, how long has this been going on?"

Ginny shrugged. "Since I was seven."

Mr Weasley chuckled. "Always were a sneaky one, weren't you, love?"

Ginny beamed brightly at her father. "I didn't think that it was fair that Mum said only the boys could play so I taught myself."

"Well, you did a marvellous job and we are incredibly proud of you," Mr Weasley told her.

Mrs Weasley nodded from next to her husband. "Your father is right, Ginny. You fly better than any of the boys. I'm sorry, I should have let you join them."

Ginny smiled, her eyes softening. "Thanks, Mum."

Mrs Weasley's eyes darted down to where Harry and Ginny were holding hands and she smiled at her daughter, a knowing look in her eye as she leaned in to kiss her cheek and whisper quietly in her ear. "Good things come to those who wait, darling."

Ginny blushed and kissed her mum's cheek. "Will you come to the next game?"

"If your father is free," Mrs Weasley told her. "Write soon?"

"I will," she promised, moving to hug Bill close and then both of her parents. "Thanks for coming."

Mr Weasley smiled. "Wouldn't have missed it. I wish that I didn't work so much and could make it to more of these games. Now we must go congratulate the boys. Nice to see you, Harry. We love you, Ginny."

"Love you, too," Ginny told them.

Harry watched them head off to talk to Ron, Fred and George with a grin before he took her hand in his again and led her up to the stands to where his own family was waiting.

Sorcha immediately engulfed him in her arms, kissing his cheeks. "You were incredible out there! We're so happy that we got to see a game!"

Harry grinned. "Thanks. It was a nice surprise to see you in the audience."

Misha smiled, his eyes on Ginny. "And voo is this?"

Harry squeezed Ginny's hand as he smiled at his grandparents "Grandmama, Papa, this is ... this is Ginny."

Ginny extended her hand with a smile. "His girlfriend."

Harry beamed at her.

Misha grinned, wrapping Harry and Ginny both up in a big bear hug. "It is lovely to meet you. I vondered voo the girl vas voo made him all googly-eyed."

"I haven't been googly-eyed!" Harry protested.

Sirius slapped a hand on his shoulder. "More than googly-eyed, bloke's been pining something terrible."

Harry flushed. He turned to Zee, she was still sitting, but was grinning widely. He bent to hug her tightly, kissing her cheek. "I didn't expect you to come today. You're supposed to be resting."

"I am resting," she said with a smile. "See? I'm sitting and everything."

Sirius smiled. "She's resting. I won't let her do anything else."

Zee rolled her eyes. "He's a like an overbearing mother hen. I'm being well taken care of, I promise."

Tonks, who was sitting next to Zee, grinned widely. "By the way, Zee, looks like you owe me ten Galleons, he kissed her closer to All Hallows Eve then to Yule."

Harry's mouth opened in shock. "You bet on me?"

Tonks shrugged. "Damn right I did."

Remus grinned at him. "It's better not to ask."

Sirius smiled. "That was some kiss out there, Harry; in front of the whole school too."

He blushed. "It just er, happened."

"Oh? You fell on her lips? I didn't think that I saw you trip over anything? Did you see him trip over something, Moony?"

"Sirius, leave him alone," Sorcha chided. "I thought that it was rather romantic."

"Er, thanks. I need to go change and shower though ..."

"Right," Sirius said with a smirk. "Shower. Go celebrate with your team. We'll talk later."

He hugged everyone goodbye and everyone hugged Ginny in turn before they headed back to the locker rooms. He tugged her aside before they headed in.

"Did you mean it?"

Ginny stared at him, her eyes blazing and full of emotion. "Did you mean to kiss me?"

"No. But I've wanted to, for months."

Ginny's cheeks flushed. "Months?"

He took a step closer to her. "Months. I didn't think that I stood a chance with you. I thought that I blew it and that you had friend zoned me for good." He bent his head, brushing his lips against hers softly. "Did you mean it, Gin? Are you my girlfriend?"

Ginny stood on her toes and kissed him deeply. The feel of her pressed against him better than anything that he had ever imagined. Bliss. Pure unadulterated bliss.

When she pulled back the tip of her pink tongue moistened her lips. "Are you asking me to be?"

He groaned. "You're really not going to make this easy on me, are you?"

She chuckled, tilting her head slightly as she grinned. "Not even a little bit. Not if you've truly been pining for me."

Harry reached out, placing his hands on either side of her waist. "I've truly been pining," he admitted. "Ginny, will you let me take you out on a date tomorrow?"

Ginny gave her head a tilt and looked pensive. "I have to think about it. I might be busy."

Harry slid his hands up her back and pulled her against him, touching his forehead down to hers. "You're right, you are busy. You're going on a date with me tomorrow at noon."

"Oh no, I can't, I'll miss lunch."

His fingers played with the ends of her long ponytail. "I'll feed you."

She smiled slowly and wickedly and his entire body reacted. "You will, will you?"

Harry smiled softly at her. "It's always been you, Ginny, and I was too thick to notice, but it's always been you."

Her teasing expression vanished and her eyes darkened in desire. "It's always been you for me too."

Harry bent his head to kiss her. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Ginny's hands slid over his own back as she spoke. "Yes."

And then his lips were on hers and all was right in the world.

 **Sirius kept his arm around Zee's waist as they walked back across the Hogwarts grounds to head to Hogsmeade.**

"I can walk like a normal person, you know," she said, smiling up at him.

"Indulge me," he said, keeping his arm around her.

"When do you think that they started dating?" Zee asked him. "I mean … it's been well over a month since Mandy broke up with him now. Do you think that he asked her out right away?"

Sirius shook his head. He knew how much Harry had wanted to ask her out right away, but he also knew that his son hadn't been ready to do so, not yet. But lately he had been so worried and busy with Zee that maybe he hadn't seen the signs. No, he thought, Harry and Ginny couldn't have been together that long.

"No, it can't have been too long. He would have told us. I know that he was going to ask her out two weeks ago, but news of you interrupted his plan. I do wonder how he went about it though."

Zee smiled as they stepped onto the bridge, moving across towards the village. "Me too."

When they made it to the gates and into the village, Sirius wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Hold on tight."

"I can Apparate myself, you know."

"I'm just worried about you, baby. If you don't let yourself heal, you won't be ready to go back to work. Let me take care of you."

Zee sighed into his embrace, resting her cheek over his heart. "I have another few weeks off to rest and relax. I promise to take it easy."

Sirius nodded, sighing against her neck. "Okay. But I'm still doing the Apparating. Hold on tight."

He turned on the spot and they arrived on the front step of Number Twelve, slipping through the door and into the warmth of the house. Kreacher greeted them at the door with an ugly toothy grin and gestured for them to follow him to the kitchen. Soon they had steaming mugs of hot tea in front of them and a platter of fruit and vegetables to snack on.

Within twenty minutes, most of the Order members had arrived.

Kreacher served drinks as needed before bowing and leaving them alone.

Dumbledore tapped his long fingers on the table and Sirius looked over at him, wondering what he was going to say.

"I thank you all for coming here tonight," Dumbledore said with a smile. "As most of you know, we had a minor setback. Zee was attacked in France by Death Eaters unknown. One of them was Thaddeus Nott, but those responsible escaped. It was the why of her being attacked that needs to be addressed."

"Her relationship with Potter and Black," Moody said darkly from the other end of the table. "She's a link to them. An obvious one at that. It makes sense to go after her."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, anyone who potentially has access to Harry is in danger, that's a given. But they are not in immediate danger and I do not believe that Zee's connection with Harry had anything to do with her attack last week. I think that it had to do with her recruiting new members for the Aqua Protectors."

Moody raised an eyebrow. "Are there any Merpeople willing to join in on this?"

"A few," Zee said easily. "I'm still working on that with a few other agents. But the main reason I went there was because I was looking for a half-wizard, half Merman; a French Melusine who is believed to be living on land near the Merpeople city off of the coast of the Chateau d'If. But unfortunately I was attacked before I could locate and speak with him."

Bill leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "What does this wizard have to do with anything?"

Zee wrapped her hands around her tea. "That's just it, we don't know. I was looking for him with the intention of getting his help in bringing the Merpeople on board; in seeing how he felt about joining the force. My partner, Tripp Forrester, was Imperiused by someone and was told to use me to help find this wizard, who the Death Eaters apparently believe to be a Seer."

Fleur frowned, sitting her own tea cup back on the table. "A Seer?"

"The prophecy about Harry," Remus said softly. "Voldemort is looking for answers."

"It's what we believe," Sirius said, his eyes on his friend. "I spoke to Dumbledore about it the other day, the idea that he is looking for a way to gain access to the prophecy directly. There's only one sure of way of doing this and that is getting access to the recording of it in the Hall of Prophecy."

"The Hall of Prophecy?" Emmeline Vance asked, looking around the room in curiosity. "I've never heard of it."

"It's in the Department of Mysteries," Zee told her. "But the location is the only thing about it that's not a mystery. We know that the Hall of Prophecy is minded by the Guardian. The Guardian is a mystery in his or herself. I believe that they may be a Seer themselves and are able to track prophecies made, record them, and hold a copy in the Hall of Prophecy. There is a research team who then studies the prophecies to try to decipher their meaning."

"But the entire process is just as much of a mystery as the department. Very few people have access and know what is being researched in there. It is only for those who need to know," Dumbledore said quietly. "But I handed over a copy of the prophecy after I heard it, as anything pertaining to Lord Voldemort needed to be studied and heard in my opinion. I was hoping maybe someone would have figured out what it was referring to, but as history has shown, sometimes fate is fate for a reason."

Sirius leaned back in his chair. "What we do know is that Voldemort wants to hear the prophecy. Harry has escaped his grasp multiple times now and he has to be thinking that there's a reason for that. Maybe he is even wondering if he is more powerful than him, I don't know. But I imagine knowing a teenager has stumped him isn't something that he's overly impressed with. He wants to know exactly what the prophecy says and I think that we need to make sure that this doesn't happen."

Molly was biting her lip nervously when she spoke. "How do you suppose we do that? You just finished saying that the Hall of Prophecy is almost a myth in itself. How are we supposed to take the prophecy, which I assume is what you are proposing?"

Sirius nodded. "In theory, or at least protect it. I just want to make sure that Voldemort or his followers don't get their hands on it. That's the important part. If we have anything that we know and they don't, it gives us one check against them. Sturgis, I know that you can't tell us much, but what can you tell us?"

Sturgis Podmore sipped his tea for a moment, looking around the table at everyone gathered. "I can say that the hall you speak about does indeed exist and that I may even know how to access it. However, there's one thing that you don't know. Only the Guardian has the ability to remove or place a prophecy in the hall."

Sirius frowned. "Really? There's no way for anyone else to take it?"

Sturgis shook his head. "As far as I know, only the Guardian can do it."

McGonagall looked perplexed, crossing her arms. "So guarding it might be all we need to do. It would help us keep track in case anyone does try to make a move on the prophecy."

"Dull work," Sirius admitted. "But I agree, it has to be done. It's important for Voldemort not to get his hands on it."

Andromeda smiled. "Molly and I will set up a schedule. We'll take turns."

"You'll need invisibility cloaks," Moody barked. "It's best to stay out of sight. I think staying by the entrance to the department should be good enough."

Sturgis nodded. "Yes, the cloaks are a good idea."

Everyone seemed to nod in agreement.

Ted raised his wand. "Can we get back to this Melusine … I'm sorry, Zee, I don't understand the difference between a Melusine and Merperson?"

Zee smiled. "No, of course not, Ted. It's simply the French term for a Merperson, usually considered only to be female, but they accept the word for all genders. The mythology says that Melusine herself was in fact the daughter of the fae Pressyne and King Elinas of Albany, presently Scotland. She made the king promise to never look at her in the bath and when he broke this oath, she took his daughters to Avalon for his betrayal. For if he had seen her in the water, he would know of her true identity. The French Merpeople call themselves Melusines in her honour. I was hoping to talk with them about the Aqua Protectors Force that the Ministry is working on. Unfortunately, I never made it to them."

Ted nodded. "But You Know Who believes one of these Melusines is a Seer?"

"We think so," Zee told him. "It's the impression that my partner gave Sirius. He could just be hunting down known Seers in an attempt to learn the prophecy; to discover who the Seer was who spoke the words."

"We know very little of what he plans. He's broken out his followers; he's recruited the giants and the Dementors. We know that he had some werewolves on his side along with some vampires. We have to assume that there's more. But ultimately what does Voldemort want?" Sirius asked the room. "Does anyone really know?"

"Respect," Dumbledore said quietly. "He wants respect. He wants reverence. And most of all, he wants recognition. He considers himself immortal, the most powerful wizard to ever have lived."

"He's not," Remus said quietly. "He's afraid of you, Albus."

Dumbledore smiled. "You give me too much credit, Remus. Lord Voldemort is not scared of me. He distrusts me because I saw his weaknesses. I knew him as a child before he knew of his future. It worries him."

"It's not only that," Hestia Jones said. "Everyone knows that you were the one to defeat Grindelwald, if anyone could defeat a second dark wizard, it would be you. He has to see you as a threat."

"I'm an old man now and my defeat of Grindelwald was half a century ago now. Lord Voldemort is much more dangerous than Gellert ever was, ever could be."

McGonagall put her hand on Dumbledore's arm, squeezing lightly. "We're not asking you to take on this fight, Albus. But we are using you as part of our defence. No matter what you say, Remus and Hestia are right, _he is fearful of you_ , whether because of your power or because of your shared past, he knows that you are a threat to him and what he stands for."

"And I think that he is also starting to see Harry as one," Sirius said. "Harry's powerful. To say otherwise would be false. But he is also a fifteen-year-old-wizard. I know what you are all thinking, fifteen is still a child, but think back to what you were doing at fifteen. I had already become an Animagus by Harry's age; lost my virginity; and been tortured. Voldemort had already murdered at fifteen. As much as we like to think the word child, fifteen is more than old enough to be considered a powerful threat. Harry faced him in June and he escaped by sheer luck. Next time, Voldemort will be looking to kill him and I plan on doing everything in my power to stop that from happening."

"The paper has dubbed him the Chosen One," Emmeline said from the corner. "Is that true?"

"It is if the world wants to believe it. Hell, it might even work in our favour; make Voldemort more fearful of what Harry represents," Sirius said.

Everyone seemed to consider that for a moment.

Molly let out a slow sigh. "In the meantime, Andromeda and I will work out a schedule. If everyone could please let us know when they would be available for guard duty, we can get started on this."

Everyone murmured in agreement.

Tonks leaned in to kiss her husband's cheek. "The prophecy does elude to Harry being the Chosen One, 'the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord', if that's not chosen, I don't know what is."

Remus nodded. "Maybe, but right now we have other aspects to worry about."

"Two of them," Tonks said.

Zee stared at them for a moment. "Can you two stay a bit later to discuss that?"

Remus nodded.

The Order quickly began to disperse, except for Bill, Fleur, Moody, McGonagall, Dumbledore and the four of them.

Sirius smiled. "Fleur, we need to speak to Bill about something privately?"

Fleur nodded and stood up. "Oui, oui, je suis désolé."

"No need to apologize," Sirius said with a smile. "Kreacher will bring you another cup of tea. We're going to move into the study, feel free to roam the house if you wish."

Fleur smiled. "Merci."

Once everyone was settled in the study, Sirius locked and sealed the door behind them, adding a silencing charm. He grinned at Bill.

"So the French maiden, eh?"

Bill bit his lip and shrugged. "I'm helping her improve her English and she's been teaching me some French in return."

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "What is she teaching you? Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?"

Bill rolled his eyes, a sly grin on his face. "Piss off, Black."

Remus cleared his throat. "If you're done, Padfoot, we'd like to discuss the Horcruxes."

Sirius nodded and moved to the front of the room as Bill took his seat. "Harry, Remus and I destroyed another one this summer. If you remember, Albus had told us that he believed Voldemort had accidentally placed a Horcrux inside of Harry the night he tried to kill him as a baby. Unfortunately, this was accurate. Healer Alexander Papakonstantinou, a well known neuro-healer in Athens, operated on Harry this summer and it was safely removed."

Zee outlined the procedure and what had happened; explaining how they had trapped it in a cigar box where Harry had later destroyed it himself using the Sword of Gryffindor.

"Which means that there are two left," Moody said gruffly, his eyes on the list on the wall.

Sirius nodded. "Harry learned about Nagini being one when he came face to face with Voldemort in the graveyard in June. She's a boa constrictor and she seems to be important to Voldemort in some way. From what we understand, she was able to communicate with him when he was possessing reptiles in Albania. Pettigrew confirmed that she had even milked him and cared for him before he was placed into the body of a child. She's almost like a familiar. She never leaves his side unless ordered and as he is a Parselmouth, he communicates with her. There will be no way for us to take her out safely until the end."

Moody nodded. "Which leaves the diadem."

Remus tapped his fingers on the desk next to him. "This is what we believe to be the next Horcrux. It has been lost for centuries. The diadem once belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. We learned that the diadem had never actually been lost as it was claimed, but stolen by Rowena's own daughter Helena. She is the ghost known as the Grey Lady who resides in Hogwarts. Apparently she hid the diadem in a hollowed out tree in a dark forest in Albania."

Bill's eyebrow rose. "That's how You Know Who found it?"

"We believe so," Tonks said. "We already know that he was a very intelligent child and he went out of his way to learn everything he could get his hands on. We think that he charmed its location out of Helena Ravenclaw's ghost and then he went to Albania in search of it. According to the timeline that Dumbledore helped us make, we think that he hid the diadem inside of Hogwarts when he returned in '67 to ask for the teaching job of Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"You think that it's _inside_ of the school?" Bill asked in surprise.

"We're almost sure of it," Remus told them. "We've been trying to narrow our search, but the school is massive not to mention magical. There are hidden rooms all over the place and as we learned a few years ago with the discovery of the Chamber of Secrets, there might even be rooms that we don't know exist yet."

"How do you plan to find it?" Moody asked.

Sirius scratched his chin. "Remus, Minnie and Albus are taking it in turn to search when they can, but ultimately, we are asking Harry and his friends to do just that."

Bill nodded. "They've been looking for it?"

"Not aggressively, but I know that Harry has been doing what he can and I told him to get his friends to help him search for it. We need to find it. Voldemort's power is growing as quickly as his army. We still don't know what he plans to do and if we can knock another soul piece of this list, we are one step closer to stopping him for good," Sirius told them.

Moody stared at the list. "You've done incredible work here, Black. You've destroyed two of them yourself and Potter's destroyed three. I think keeping him informed is a smart idea, but I don't know if I agree with bringing his friends on board."

"I know it's a risk, Mad-Eye," Sirius said carefully. "But Harry trusts them. They've never given him a reason not to trust them and trusting your friends is one of the most important parts of friendship, especially at his age. He counts on them and they count on him. The six of them are smart, resourceful and brave. I think it would be stupid of us not to give them a chance."

Moody nodded. "I trust you, Black. You know Harry better than anyone and if you think that it's a good idea to have these kids on board, I'm on your side."

Sirius smiled. "I know my son and his friends, Alastor, and trust me, if anyone is going to find that diadem, it's going to be that lot."

Remus had his eyes on the list as he spoke. "Agreed."

And he knew the words were true.

 **When Harry stepped into the portrait hole, the wave of noise he was met with made him grin widely.** He was slapped on the back in congratulations as he was pulled inside. Fred grabbed him and pulled him over by the fire where George was sitting.

"Harry, sit!"

Harry stared at them apprehensively. They had seemed okay with him kissing Ginny on the field, but now he wasn't so sure.

"Fred, George," he said easily.

Fred grinned widely. "So, how long have you been dating our sister?"

He only stared at them. "Not sure that she would be okay with your questions."

George lifted an eyebrow. "Not quite the answer we were looking for."

Harry shrugged, a half smile on his lips. "You know how much she means to me. I don't think the rest of it is any of your business."

"Are you hearing this, George?" Fred asked, looking over at his twin with his eyes wide.

He smelt her before he saw her, the feel of her hand on his shoulder sending shivers over him. She sat on the arm of the chair.

"Harry, my brothers aren't giving you grief, are they?"

"We would never," Fred said, his voice mockingly offended.

George grinned. "Just want to make sure our Harry is treating you right, Nevra, that's all."

Ginny merely raised an eyebrow. "My life, not yours. Get lost."

They both kissed her cheek before they hurried off and Ginny sat on the arm of the chair next to him.

"Hi," he said, grinning at her.

"Hi," she said back, her eyes on his.

Harry felt the hesitation. He was used to her making herself comfortable next to him. She would never hesitate before stuffing herself into the chair with him, but now he could see the question in her eyes. He shifted over just a little and she slipped into the chair next to him, grinning when his arm came around her.

"Does it feel weird?"

Ginny shook her head, her eyes on his. "No, it feels right and it scares me a little."

Harry kissed her cheek. "I know what you mean."

Ginny twined her fingers with his, smiling widely. "Tomorrow, we'll talk about this?"

He nodded. "Yeah, tonight we celebrate with our team."

"Harry!"

They both turned as Neville hurried over to them, beaming.

"Great game, you two!" He said brightly. "And honestly, about time he told you, Ginny. He's been pining something awful."

"Have not," Harry said darkly.

Ginny smirked at him. "Funny because Tonks and Sirius said the same thing."

Harry chose to ignore this. "Ooh, look, someone asked the house elves to bring up food."

He tugged Ginny along with him, making her laugh and the sound made him grin widely. It did feel right, he thought, and as scary as that thought was, it was also just right and he thought that he'd never been happier.

 **Hermione sat near the fire watching Harry and Ginny laugh as they filled their plates full of food.** She had only been a little surprised to see Harry kiss her on the pitch, but she knew that Ginny had been more surprised than she had let on. The two of them belonged together she thought, it made sense.

She heard Ron's voice and she turned, searching for the tall, lanky redhead. She wondered what his thoughts were on his best friend and his sister dating. He was speaking to two first years, lecturing them on something and it made her smile. It was nice to see Ron taking his job as prefect seriously. She hadn't been sure if he would. But as she watched him, the change in him made her smile. He had grown up a lot this year and in some very good ways. She had found herself more than once checking out his bum and she was a bit embarrassed by it.

His letters all summer had been wonderful. They had talked about everything. Ron had told her all about what his family was up to and had asked her questions about her time in Germany. She'd kept him updated on herself, her parents and her trip along with any news Desi shared with her from Bulgaria. Viktor's sister still wrote to her every few weeks. Her English was getting better and better with every letter and Hermione was proud of her. She loved corresponding with the girl, hearing about how the family was doing. Iglika even had a boyfriend now which Desi was eager to tease her about. Ron shared in her amusement.

And he gave the best hugs.

With Harry, the hugs were warm, inviting, thoughtful and made her felt so comfortable and loved. With Ron, she felt all of that, but when he held her close, she also felt a desire to be closer to him. When he hugged her it was like she was wrapped up in this giant chair. She barely reached his heart as his latest growth spurt put him well over six foot two, but when his arms held her, she felt safe. He was steady, she thought.

She snuck a look over at where Harry and Ginny were grinning at each other by the food table. They were the other half of each other's coin, anyone could see it. It was about time that Harry had kicked his butt into gear and made his move. They needed each other, she thought with a smile.

Someone sat next to her and she turned, surprised to see the tall, blond frame of Cormac McLaggen there.

"Hermione Granger," he said, grinning widely. "Aren't you a pretty little thing?"

Hermione merely raised an eyebrow. "Pretty uninterested? Yes, I am."

He put his hand over hers when she made to stand up. "Don't be like that, you don't even know me. At least give me a chance to prove uninteresting before you claim me as such."

When he grinned again she had to admit that he was rather handsome. With his full head of blond hair and perfect smile, he was attractive. She had noticed that he was a good Quidditch player as well and if she hadn't Confunded him during the Gryffindor tryouts, he probably would have proven to be even better. But he didn't need to know that.

"Calling me a thing isn't the way to get my attention," she said smoothly.

Cormac smiled. "I suppose that's fair. A beautiful, smart _woman_ like you deserves lots of praise and admiration. Perhaps we can chat?"

She hesitated. He was attractive and nice, she thought; not to mention that she still felt a little guilty for confunding him during the Quidditch tryout. Talking to him would be alright, she thought, it might even ease her guilty conscience for the Confunding Charm. Viktor had been gone for almost six months and while she still missed him, she didn't think about him constantly any more. He would want her to be happy, she told herself. Besides, a little light flirting hardly hurt anyone.

"What would you like to chat about, Cormac?"

Cormac's smile widened. "You. Tell me everything."

Hermione only lifted an eyebrow and smiled politely. "Where would you like me to start?"

 **Ron finished speaking to the two first year boys that he had found drinking whiskey and shook his head.** He would never have been so bold when he had been in first year. He would have to speak to Fred and George about keeping the alcoholic substances away from the younger kids. He heard Hermione laugh and when his eyes found her bushy hair, he frowned when he realized that she was talking to McLaggen. Why would she want to talk to that tosser, he thought?

He headed over to where Harry and Ginny were grabbing food and grinned at them.

"We won!"

Harry grinned back. "Knew you had it in you, Ron. Bletchley is a great Keeper and you kept on par with him today."

Ron nodded. "The Chasers are good too, even when they fight dirty."

"Slytherin always does," Harry told him.

"And you two …"

Harry grinned, his gaze moving over Ginny. "Yeah, I know, finally."

Ron only stared. "Listen, I said that I preferred you over Dean, not that I gave you permission to snog my sister in front of the whole bloody school!"

Harry shrugged good naturally, grinning at his friend. "I took it to mean you accepted it."

"And we don't need your permission, Ron," Ginny said hotly. "What Harry and I do is our business, not yours."

Ron glared at her. "I didn't say that it was. I just meant … look, take care of each other okay?"

Harry smiled. "We will."

Ginny wrapped her arm around Harry's waist. "Now butt out, Ron."

He grinned at her. "Brat." He nodded to where Hermione was chatting with McLaggen. "What's that about?"

Ginny's eyes moved to her friend and smiled. "It looks like she is finally moving on from Viktor."

Ron scoffed. "With that ponce? Please, she could do so much better."

Ginny smiled. "Yes, she can. But right now she's laughing and smiling, nothing else really matters, does it?"

Ron wanted to protest, but he knew that his sister was right. Hermione was only just finally coming out of her shell. He knew how much Viktor's death had affected her. If she needed to sit and chat with stupid McLaggen, he wouldn't stop her.

But it certainly didn't mean that he had to like it.

 **When Harry finally made it up to his bed that night, he couldn't stop grinning.** He'd kissed Ginny goodnight, just a soft kiss that had left him aching for more before he watched her head up the stairs to her dormitory. Only once she was out sight, did he make his way back up to his own dorm.

He felt like he was walking on air after he kissed her goodnight. He had a date with Ginny the next day and he needed to come up with something perfect. He didn't want to disappoint her, but options around the castle were rather slim. He stripped down to his boxers and was just tugging his pyjama pants on when Dean came out of the bathroom. He nodded at him.

"Hey, how was your date with Monroe before the match?"

Dean grinned widely. "It was great."

"Glad to hear it," Harry told him honestly. "Dean, about Ginny - "

Dean held his hand up to stop him. "It was obvious that you liked her, mate, and frankly pretty obvious that she fancied you back. I thought if I flirted enough, asked her out it might motivate you to get a move on. She's great and I can see why you like her. We had one date and I could see she liked you just as much. No hard feelings. I like her, but not the way you do."

Harry grinned, feeling bit relieved. "Good. Thanks. I still can't believe you did all of that just to make me jealous!"

Dean grinned widely. "The pining needed to stop."

"I wasn't pining!"

He chuckled. "If you say so! Hey, come here," he said, gesturing for Harry to come over to his bed. He grabbed the sketchbook that he had tossed there and flipped it open. It was a charcoal sketch of Harry in the common room a look of longing on his face as he looked over near the fire where Ginny was sitting, laughing with Colin. "I drew this the other day."

"Blimey Dean, this is … it's so life-like. But I … I never looked that bad!"

Dean rolled his eyes. "You were pining, admit it."

Harry only shut his mouth in response and Dean grinned, ripping the sketch out of the book and passing it over.

"Keep this. It's a reminder for you."

"Thanks," Harry said in surprise. "It's … it's really good. I guess maybe … I was pining, a little."

Dean nodded, rubbing his chin before he flipped to the back of the book and passed it over. Harry's eyes widened at the sight there.

It was a second charcoal sketch, but this one was of Natalie lying on the bed in their dorm. Her skirt was ridden up, revealing a hint of thigh and her shirt unbuttoned except for one button in the centre just under the swell of her cleavage. The lace of her bra made her breasts look even more enticing and her tie was loose around her neck. One hand was on her stomach, the other behind her head and she had a knowing smirk on her full lips.

"Wow," Harry breathed.

Dean grinned. "She asked me to sketch her and well, we got to chatting about art and nudity and the art of seduction and well ... isn't she lush?"

"Bloody hell, Dean this is really good. I mean, it looks ... its basically a portrait."

Dean's smile widened. "I think it's what I want to do, you know, draw. It calms me."

"You have the talent for it," Harry told him honestly.

"Thanks. Anyway, Natalie and I still are getting to know each other. After she saw my drawing, she snogged me senseless. She even let me touch her tits through her bra."

Harry's smile widened. "Lucky."

Dean nodded. "So like I said, I'm happy for you and Ginny. She's lush and well, I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little disappointed that I didn't get to grab those tits myself, but we just didn't get on."

"Well, I'm glad for that," Harry admitted, making Dean laugh. "But if you talk about her tits or any other part of her again, I'll have to knock you in the nose and remember, I get a free one."

Dean snorted. "Fair."

Seamus came in and nodded to them before he headed to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"Seam okay? I heard Will's leaving Hogwarts for good in January."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, he is. He's taking it hard, but I think he'll be okay. They broke up a few weeks ago though. Seam said the long distance thing, it's too hard."

"Makes sense," Harry said, looking over at the bathroom door. "They're still friendly?"

"Yeah, they are definitely staying friends," Dean told him.

"Good," Harry said, thanking Dean for the sketch again.

Once he was settled comfortably in his bed, he placed a silencing charm around his bed curtains and pulled out his mirror to call Sirius. The sight of his father's face along with Zee's made him grin.

"Hi Harry," Zee said brightly. "Great game today."

He smiled. "Thanks."

"Did you call to tell us how you and Ginny finally got together?" Sirius asked him in a whining tone. "I mean, snogging on the pitch was nice, I'm sure, but you should have told us that you'd asked her out. When did you do it?"

Harry blushed a bit through the mirror. "Er, actually, I didn't exactly ask her out."

"She asked you?"

He shook his head, dragging his fingers through his hair. "No. The game ended and I just ... sort of … kissed her."

Sirius goggled at him. "You just - bold move, Prongslet! I love it."

Zee smiled. "Well, I guess it's safe to say that Ginny feels the same about you then."

He nodded. "I think so. We're having our first date tomorrow."

Sirius lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is your first date, Mr Potter?"

Harry let out a slow breath. "Er, that's why I'm calling actually. I want it to be perfect."

Zee smiled. "I'm sure it will be. What did you have in mind?"

Harry grinned at them, relieved that they both understood. "Okay, so …"

 **Harry was nervous the next morning, which he thought was strange as it was just Ginny.** After speaking with Sirius and Zee the night before he had recruited Dobby's help to set everything up the way that he wanted.

Ginny was waiting for him outside of the Great Hall when he made his way down there around quarter to twelve. She was wearing black tights and a long chocolate brown jumper that almost reached her knees. It fell off the right shoulder showcasing her bra strap along with a dash of freckled skin. She wore a black belt around the middle, outlining the frame of her small waist.

Harry stood at the bottom of the stairs and just admired her for a moment. He saw Theo wrap an arm around her and whisper something in her ear that made her laugh before he moved towards them.

Theo draped his arm across Ginny's shoulders. "So you know that I expect all of the details and I do mean _all_. I still think that he's rather hung and you better tell me, chick, so I can live vicariously through you."

She chuckled. "It's our first date, Theo!"

Theo shrugged. "I'll give you some pointers on how to suck him off."

Ginny blushed scarlet and he laughed.

"No, seriously. I want to know everything, okay?"

She nodded. "I promise. Theo ... its Harry."

He grinned. "I know."

He heard Macmillan call his name and he tensed slightly. "I've got to go."

Ginny frowned looking over at Ernie. "Since when are you friends with that prick?"

"Ginny, you don't even know the bloke."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that he made those stupid badges against Harry last year and promoted booing Harry in the tournament, even after Cedric told him not to. And I know that he was one of the first people to spread rumours about Harry being the heir of Slytherin in my first year. He's a pompous prat and I don't like him."

Theo nodded. "Fair points. I'm not a fan of him either, chick, but we have a project to do together. We'll chat later?"

She nodded, smiling when he kissed her cheek. She saw Harry and her smile widened.

Theo chuckled. "You're whole being lights up at the sight of him. You two are disgustingly adorable. Have fun, yeah?"

She bit her bottom lip nervously. "I will."

Harry walked over to them as Theo said goodbye and he offered his hand. "Are you ready?"

Ginny smiled. "Yes."

Harry wrapped his fingers around her small hand and tugged her closer to him. "Come on. It's a bit of a walk."

Ginny's eyebrow rose in curiosity, but she didn't say anything. She let him lead her up the main staircase and higher up.

"I went exploring a few weeks ago. I couldn't sleep and I had a lot on my mind. Some of it the Potter stuff, a lot of it you, but I couldn't sleep. I pulled out the map and maybe had some far-fetched idea about stumbling across the diadem. But I found this hidden room at the top of one of the towers. I haven't shared it with anyone yet."

Ginny's smile was slow and her stomach curled in desire that surprised her. She liked that he was showing it to her first. They walked up the many flights of stairs, both of them a little breathless when they got to the top. Harry showed her the tapestry of elves dancing around the stone circle and tapped his wand against it, muttering the incantation.

The tapestry moved over and a door appeared.

Harry led the way inside and her eyes widened. The room itself didn't look overly remarkable. It was like a small cozy common room with a warm fire burning, but the room itself wasn't what made her eyes widen. A large blanket had been spread out in the middle of the room along with a large assortment of food dishes with two plates. Music was playing on low from a wireless.

"I mean, I know that I can't really take you anywhere since it's not a Hogsmeade day, but I wanted to do something special and Zee suggested an indoor picnic when I asked for advice and -"

" - it's perfect," Ginny said with a smile.

Harry beamed at her.

The two of them settled on the blanket and Harry passed her a plate as they sorted through the food selection. They had turkey bacon club sandwiches, assorted fruits and veggies, cheese, pickles, crisps and some treacle tart and chocolate pudding for dessert.

"Dobby, I presume?" Ginny said with a smile as she popped a fresh grape into her mouth.

Harry grinned. "I can't get anything by you, can I?"

She shrugged, a soft smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye. "Not well, no."

Harry poured them each a glass of iced tea as he spoke. "So ... is this strange?"

Ginny blew her hair out of her eyes before she looked at him. "You and me? It should be, yeah, but like I said last night, I don't know, it feels ... right? Don't you think? Do you think it's strange?"

He shook his head. "No. I've missed you. I know part of that is my fault as I tried to pull away a little because I was so worried that I would muck up our friendship or something and that's the last thing that I would ever want."

Ginny took her hand in his. "I've really missed you too, Harry. I was worried that I had done something to offend you or to repulse you in some way."

"No! You could never!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide in horror.

"And then what you said about me going to Greece with you … those words have been bothering me for months, trying to figure out what you meant by them," she said slowly.

He squeezed her hand in his own. "I'm sorry that I'm an arse. Everything I did to try to not ruin our friendship put a strain on it."

"Not a strain," she said. "I was just worried about you."

"Ginny ... I didn't want you to worry. It's just … I've fancied you for a while now and I tried to convince myself that I shouldn't, but you were just ... you."

Ginny's eyes softened as she linked her fingers with his. "Harry, I - I never really got over you, not really. I convinced myself that it would never be and maybe if I hadn't tried so hard to convince myself of that, I might have noticed your affections sooner. Hermione told me that it started eons ago."

"Hermione has a big mouth," Harry said, making her laugh.

"No, she told me that your feelings for me were changing and I thought that she was crazy. How - how long exactly?"

Harry took a long drink of his iced tea before he spoke. "It feels like always. It was more of a - a feeling like I was just waiting for you. Its why Mandy broke up with me."

"What?"

"She said that I'm in love with you and that it wasn't fair to any of us."

Ginny stared at him, her eyes wide. "Are you?" She asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Harry took both of her hands in his, squeezing lightly. "I think that I've loved you for most of my life, but to be _in love_ with you, Ginny ... you could make me fall, so fast."

She blushed and scooted up to her knees to be closer to him. "Kiss me."

His eyes darted to her lips. He watched the tip of her pink tongue touch the corner of her lips and he rested one hand onto the blanket for leverage, slipping the other into her hair and his lips touched hers. Softly, gently, almost a whisper of a kiss and when his lips left hers, he was still only a breath away.

"I want the chance to fall," he told her.

Ginny swallowed slowly, brown eyes on green. "I want that same chance with you."

Harry's slow grin made her stomach clench in desire and he pressed his lips to hers again for another soft kiss, just enough to tease.

Ginny sighed into him. "We should get back to our lunch."

He smiled, nodding as she sat back down. He watched her crunch on a carrot stick and he smiled.

"You know, I didn't realize that my feelings for you were any more than that of a protective friend until the day I saw you snogging Corner."

"You _were_ jealous! Hermione said that you were and I insisted that you weren't."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe I was, yeah. I know I really didn't like hearing about those American blokes from the summer."

She grinned mischievously. "Oh?"

He gave her a look of annoyance and her grin widened. "No. It wasn't even that you were with them, Ginny, it was ... it was that they were snogging you and … I wasn't."

Ginny smiled at that. "Oh."

Harry ate his sandwich quietly. "It feels like I've just been waiting for you, for this chance, for us, you know?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "But in my defence, the first time I hugged you on that jungle gym in the park I knew that you were important to me. You were my first kiss."

He grinned, remembering how she had kissed him when they'd been children. "You were my first friend." Her eyes softened at his words. "I didn't plan on kissing you in front of the whole school like that. I want you to know that, I had it all planned out. I was going to pull you aside after practice and ask you out all proper like."

Ginny's grin flashed. "When did you decide to kiss me like that?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think I did, not really. I just … reacted." Ginny stared at him, her eyes blazing and his cock twitched in reaction. "It was better than I ever imagined."

Ginny bit her bottom lip, her eyes dark in desire. "For me too, Harry."

And then her lips were on his and he thought that he had never felt happier in his entire life.

 **Theo avoided Macmillan on his way down to the Great Hall that Monday morning.** The prefect liked to try to corner him on his way up from the dungeons so he had taken the long way to breakfast just to avoid him. He had just finished spreading raspberry jam onto his toast when an unfamiliar owl landed in front of him.

He accepted the letter with a smile as the owl began to help herself to his toast making him grin. "Alright then, guess that piece is yours now," he told the owl. The owl appeared unfazed and continued to nibble on the crust of the toast.

Theo shook his head, opening the envelope and surprised to see the familiar loopy cursive from the other day.

 _Dear Lord Theodore Nott,_

 _You being part of the same house that holds Ciara means that you should be cordial to her, sure, but you went above and beyond. She told me how you helped get the prefect to speak to her and to the girls who were bullying her. She told me that you eat breakfast with her and brought her treats from the sweet shop in Hogsmeade. That's more than just doing your duty as a friendly Slytherin and it is greatly appreciated._

 _The new changes in the Ministry of Magic are working to help bring our government into better contact with yours, but allowing our children to attend Hogwarts was something that worried all of us. Ciara and Tara have been chosen as they are only half-fae the right age to start at your school and the treatment that Ciara has received by you is enough to make me think that we made the right choice._

 _She is lucky to have a friend like you._

 _Respectfully,_

 _Finley_

He hadn't expected to hear back from the mysterious member of the fae royal court, let alone receive a letter with such an informal ending. Finley, he thought. It did seem like a princely name. He wondered if Finley was an uncle or a caretaker of some sort for Ciara which would explain his interest in her. He made himself a new piece of toast and finished eating before he made his way to Charms, pulling out his parchment pad to respond to the letter as Flitwick discussed the Locomotion Charm. He grinned to himself as he read it over carefully.

 _Dear Finley,_

 _Since you signed your letter as such I hope that I am not offending you in using your first name, I mean no disrespect. I am unsure on how you are involved in Ciara's life as she has told me that her father is a half-blood wizard who works as a maintenance worker at the Ministry of Magic, but that her mum is a full blooded fae. They called her a freak and I told her that no one has dirty blood, sadly something that I have only come to understand within the last few years myself. Coming from an old pureblood family, I was taught otherwise and am ashamed to say that it took me a long time to figure out what was right and what was wrong. But I am learning and since one of my best friends for the last few years is what in our society we deem a blood traitor, merely because she in fact doesn't agree with the pureblood mantra, I think that I am learning a little._

 _I don't know anything about the Court of the Fae, but I assume your knowledge of us is similar in your world considering we are just merging our societies now with the beginning of this new Ministry project?_

 _Respectfully,_

 _Theo_

He smiled as he read it over. He pictured Finley as a portly man with a bowler hat similar to what Fudge normally wore; maybe with the same kind eyes as his niece. He figured the bloke was worried about her and Theo was honoured that he was the one who had been chosen for him to write to.

When he made it to lunch, he saw Ciara sitting with Mila and moved to sit near them at the Slytherin table.

"Afternoon ladies, how were your classes this morning?"

Ciara grinned widely at him. "Great! We learned about fertilizers!"

Theo laughed. Her enthusiasm for everything was rather catching. "Interesting. I'll pass on that myself."

Ciara tucked her hair behind her ear. "Theo, how come Morrigan came to see you this morning?"

"Who's Morrigan?"

"The owl with the white wing," Ciara told him. "That's how I know it's her. Her whole body is dark grey with white spots, but her left wing is solid white. Uncle Finn calls her Morrigan and says that she's a gift from Morrigan herself so she should be honoured."

Theo raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know that was her name and well, she was here because I received a thank you letter from someone named Finley for you. Apparently someone has been writing home about me quite a bit."

She blushed. "I just want everyone to know that I'm making friends."

He smiled kindly at her. "It's alright. I appreciate the sentiment. How are you related to this Finley person?"

"He's my uncle," she said as Theo nodded. "Mum's brother."

"Ah, I suspected as much and you're close with him?"

Ciara nodded. "He's the best. He's the one who convinced Mum and Dad to let me come to Hogwarts this year so I think he took it extra hard when I wrote home and told him about the mean girls. He blamed himself."

"Well, he seems like a nice bloke and I'm honoured that he wrote to me. I told him that I'd be more than happy to continue to keep an eye on you for him."

Ciara rolled her eyes. "Don't encourage him."

He chuckled, looking up as Draco sat across from him. "Hey Draco."

Draco nodded, smiling at Ciara and Mila. "Hi Ciara, Mila. Theo, I've been thinking about what you asked me concerning a character reference and I was thinking that you should ask Snape."

"I was thinking the same thing," Theo admitted.

He had been putting it off due to the worry about Snape's involvement with Voldemort, but Snape had told him that he was always on his side. He knew that Snape wasn't a huge fan of Thaddeus Nott either which did mean that he would most likely want to help Theo take the estate from him just as much as he would want to help Theo.

"It will look good for the lawyers coming from your Head of House and well, I can't imagine Snape would protest."

Theo nodded as he helped himself to some bacon. Draco was right and he had just been putting it off himself. He ate his bacon quietly for a moment.

"I'll ask him."

He just had to be careful because as much as trusted his Head of House, he still wasn't sure how much he could actually trust him.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Melusine - actual myth about how she could only be a mermaid when she took a bath, returning to her natural self so she made her husband promise to never spy on her in the bath and risk seeing her for what she was, he broke the promise, saw that she a mermaid and she took his daughters away in punishment._


	199. Chapter 199

_Author's Note:_

 _Well, as I mentioned in the last chapter I have been getting over a very bad flu bug and am still dealing with an annoying bad cough, but am back to work and doing okay, I guess. I have also been lucky enough to find a new beta in TheDistantDusk so thank you to her for her work on this chapter._

 _Reviews: I am anxious for Harry and Ginny to share everything as well and since they are such good friends already, they already trust each other to a great extent and I hope that I am able to show that in their relationship. As to Ron, I have tried to make him more mature and I think seeing Crouch definitely made him grow up faster. I've always loved Ron's character and I look forward to writing more of him. To scrappy8 - I am so excited that you enjoyed Harry and Ginny's talk! To christyannb94, thank you - I do prefer whisky so maybe it's a hold my whiskey moment? To bobstur, only 3? Please, you should know me better than that ;)_

 _I did make a cover for this story, using a photo of Dan Radcliffe as a kid and my version of Sirius, Marauder, Black Cottage and Sirius' motorbike. Thank you to those who noticed and commented._

 _Thank you for all of your reviews, thoughts, opinions, and feedback. It is ALWAYS appreciated. I have the best readers in the world!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week and sometimes on weekends (may change depending on my new beta - but I will try my best for once a week, probably only once a week for the next little while). I will not be posting this upcoming weekend due to a busy work weekend and it being Thanksgiving._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-NINE:**

 **Sirius was exhausted.** Scrimgeour had run them through a heavy obstacle course that night for almost four hours. He had been firm on it and proclaimed that no one was going home unless they completed the course. Sirius was pleased to say it that he had been the third person to finish, only coming in behind two Aurors. One of them had been Tonks.

He felt like the unit was coming along fairly well. Another fifteen new recruits had shown up within the last week, not including the twenty Aurors who were joining from the Special Elite Task Forces sent out by the French, Russian and Bulgarian Ministries. The Russian Ministry had gotten involved due to Misha's insistence, and as Head Auror, he had spoken to the Russian minister personally.

They were getting stronger and geared up towards working in a cohesive unit to defend if necessary, though Sirius knew that the minister was hoping it wouldn't be the case. Sirius couldn't imagine how the magical world was going to explain a full on battle if it happened. They'd done it before, sure, during Grindelwald's terror. But with the growth of Muggle technology, it was getting harder to keep those secrets from the Muggles.

The Muggle Intelligence Units were getting stronger and more powerful every day. In the early twenties, the Auror Department had even infiltrated M16. Aurors were trained as M16 agents and worked in tandem with the British Secret Intelligence Service and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Aurors had a special unit called MIS (Muggle Intelligence Service) designed to hire these agents to work undercover. Sirius knew that it was through these witches and wizards that most of the intelligence was gathered.

Amelia Bones had spoken in the Wizengamot about the possibility of getting the Queen and the Muggle Prime Minister more involved in what was coming. Something that they immensely did not want to do. It had been bad enough that Bones had to inform them about the mass breakout from Azkaban prison at the end of August, which had obviously (and with good reason) alarmed both of them. Frankly, he was happy to not be in her place.

He adjusted the chain around the heap of the destroyed motorbike, lugging it behind him with the use of his wand to help lighten the load. Despite the adjustments, the bike still weighed over four hundred pounds and charms could only do so much. He was sweating by the time he pulled it into the work shed.

A glance at the clock told him that it was already after ten, so he headed around the front to head inside the house. Since the living room only had a low light on for him, he assumed Zee must have gone up to bed. As much as she kept claiming that she was fine, he knew that she was still recuperating. She was still on ordered medical leave for another two weeks and she got tired easily these days. He found her sleeping more often than not.

Sure enough, when he made his way upstairs, he found Lady Godiva curled up on the floor at the end of their bed. Zee was lying half on the blankets, half off of them in her favourite silk shorts and tank top pyjamas. Her curly hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head and she was sleeping soundly.

He bent down to kiss her cheek and she curled into the pillow, but didn't wake. Sirius changed into a pair of old jeans and a beat up jumper before he went back downstairs and out into the work area. He used his wand to get the lights on, turning the music on low, and then he lugged the heap of metal into the middle of the work station. The bike's red paint was scratched and chipped something awful, and the back wheel was rolled sideways, cracking the frame. The handlebars and the whole front end were smashed in, reminding him that the whole thing had flipped, driving across the pavement at a hundred kilometres. It was crushed.

Sirius knelt next to it and began to tear it apart, trying to figure out what he could salvage and what he couldn't. He was feeling a bit more positive about it when he saw that almost fifty percent of the bike was in the salvageable department. He cleaned up what he could, charming the area to stay hidden to all but him. He didn't want Zee to see the bike like this. As far as she needed to know, the bike was destroyed. He was going to spend the next few months restoring it for her and if he was lucky, he would be done by February.

He wiped grease on his shirt, realizing that the clock said it was well after one, so he headed inside. Zee was still lying in the same position, making him smile. He stripped down, tossing his engine grease clothes in the hamper as he padded into the bathroom to shower. When he came out ten minutes later, she still hadn't even moved. He hung his towel on the back of the bathroom door and slid naked into the bed behind her, curling his arms around her tightly and spooning her. His cock pressed against the swell of her warm bum and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. He tossed one of his legs between hers, snuggling close, and slid one hand up her tank top to lightly grip her left breast.

He was asleep in moments.

Zee woke up a few hours later, the feel of Sirius' hand on her breast, his leg entwined with hers and his warm naked body snuggled into her back. She stretched a little, sighing as his fingers brushed her nipple from where he held her breast. He was such a cuddler, she thought. She carefully began to extricate herself from his grasp, but he made a groaning sound and pulled her back making her laugh.

"Sirius," she whispered. "I need to use the loo."

He ignored this and snuggled closer into her neck.

Zee pried his arms off of her and carefully crawled away from him and out of the bed. He only grunted, rolling over onto his back. She shook her head in amusement before she hurried off to use the bathroom. She finished up before she drank a glass of water and then moved back into the bedroom. Sirius had rolled onto her side of the bed now, and he was thrashing a little.

She moved quickly, sitting on the side of the bed and rolling towards him, spooning him in her arms, her lips on his hair.

"Shh, shh, Siri, honey, I'm here, I'm right, here, baby."

He calmed when she touched him as she ran her hands over his abdomen and he slowly woke up. He rolled over to face her, his eyes haunted, and he leaned in to kiss her softly.

"I didn't mean to wake you. You need to rest."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "You didn't. I had to use the loo. Want to talk about it?"

He shrugged and snuggled her into his embrace, his face nuzzled into her neck. "Just a nightmare. My mother was alive and she used that Blood Boil Curse on you right in front of me, but we couldn't find a cure and you ... I watched you turn to ash before my eyes, and you were screaming in pain and ... I - I couldn't save you."

Zee hugged him tightly. "You _did_ save me."

He shook his head. "No, I didn't. Your dad did."

Zee smiled, gently brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I love you, and you being there for me saved me just as much. It was just a bad dream. I'm here with you and I'm okay, I promise."

Sirius stared into her eyes for a long moment in the dark. "You were in bed early again tonight."

"I was tired," she told him. "I spent the entire afternoon cooking and baking. I filled the ice box with enough meals to last us past Christmas, and I even brought some over to Remus and Tonks. Then I cleaned up half of the kitchen before Kreacher showed up and ... he and Dobby ordered me out of the kitchen, can you believe that?"

Sirius grinned. "I asked them to keep an eye on you; to make sure that you didn't overexert yourself."

Zee raised an eyebrow. "They wouldn't take no for an answer and well, I guess that I'm glad they did, because I sat on the couch and was out like a light. I had a one hour nap. Then I took a long bath and took my potions and read for a little and then I was tired."

He kissed her forehead. "Did the potion make you sick again?"

Zee shook her head. The newest batch of strength-replenishing potion that the healer had prescribed had made her rather nauseous, and she was having trouble keeping it down. "No, I chased it with the protein potion. It worked better. Stop worrying about me. I only have three more days left of potions and then I'm going back to the hospital for a check up."

Sirius slid his hand down to her leg, cupping the calf that was now scarred over. A large burn scar covered most of her calf. He knew that the burn had been necessary to remove the dark magic from her blood, but seeing it infuriated him. She didn't deserve to have anything blemish her beautiful caramel skin.

"I hate that you're going to have this scar."

Zee smiled at him. "Guess I can't wear short dresses anymore."

Sirius' eyes met hers. "Bollocks! You can walk around buck-arsed naked and still be the sexiest woman in the world, scars and all. Don't you dare let this stop you from wearing what you want!"

Zee's eyes softened. "I love you."

Sirius framed her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "I love you, too." He snuggled her into his arms again, tugging the blankets up around them. "Let's go back to sleep."

Zee wiggled her hips a little, pushing him onto his back and straddling him. "Don't wanna. I'm awake now."

Sirius grinned, holding her hips above him and sighing when she took him in her hand. "You are a vixen who is supposed to be resting. The healer said that you have to take it easy, no sex."

Zee fondled him in her hand. "Doesn't mean that I can't please you."

Sirius' eyes softened. "As much as I love sex — and babe, trust me, I fucking love the sex, I love all of you — but you don't need to take care of me. I'm waiting for you to be healed, and then I am going to make love to you for days."

Zee bent her head to kiss him deeply. "Days, huh?"

Sirius tucked her back into his arms, snuggling her at his side. "Days," he promised, kissing her forehead. "I am going to use my mouth on you until you're a puddle beneath me. But you have to heal first."

"Promises, promises," she said, making him smile.

He kissed her softly. "Until you're feeling up to it, I'm not taking any chances. How about we sneak downstairs and eat some of that apple pie that Andy baked us the other night?"

Zee kissed him again. "Sirius?"

"Hmm?"

"I like it when you take care of me."

His smile was slow as he nuzzled her neck. "I love taking care of you when you let me."

She smirked and crawled out of the bed. "Let's go get some pie."

Sirius accepted the hand she offered and climbed out of bed. "Let me just find some pants."

 **It had only been two days, but knowing Ginny was his girlfriend had given Harry a real spring in his step.** He waited for her in the morning to go down to breakfast, kissing her before her first class and again both before and after lunch. He daydreamed about her in class, and when he saw her at dinner, he beamed.

Neville elbowed him lightly. "You're like a flaming torch that lights the way towards her. It's kind of nice, in a poetic sort of way."

Harry grinned at him. "I can't believe that she's my girlfriend."

Neville smirked at him. "I can't believe that you finally told her you fancied her. It's only been eons."

"Not eons," Harry said defensively.

Neville only gave him a pointed look. "I first noticed the jealous stares when I was dancing with her at Yule Ball, how long you stayed in denial after that is just bloody ridiculous."

"What about the Yule Ball?" Ginny asked, sliding onto the bench next to Harry in the Great Hall.

Harry slipped his arm around her waist. "Nothing. Ignore Neville. He's crazy."

Ginny smiled at him. "Neville, you're not crazy; don't listen to Harry."

Neville smiled warmly at her, leaning around Harry to meet her eyes. "I know. He's just thick."

Harry ignored both of them and leaned in to kiss the corner of Ginny's mouth. "Hi."

Ginny's eyes were smiling as he pulled away. "Hi."

Hermione sat down on the other side of Ginny and nodded in their direction. "Good, you're all here," she said as Ron sat across from her. "I finally finished it."

"Finished what?" Ron asked, reaching forward to help himself some of the chicken.

"My house elf legislation."

Harry's eyebrow rose in surprise. He had been beginning to wonder if she had forgotten about it, but he should've known better. Hermione was nothing if not thorough. "Really?"

She nodded. "I think so. Viktor helped me a lot with it last year and I only had a little to fix up. Dobby and Kreacher were both very helpful, Harry. I spoke to Daisy and Daffodil in the Hogwarts kitchens as well."

"And?" Ron asked as he swallowed some potatoes. "Have you come to the conclusion that house elves love working?"

Hermione glared at him. "I don't want to stop them from doing what they love, Ron. I just want to make sure that they're treated fairly for it."

"So what did you conclude?" Neville asked, drinking from his glass of milk.

"I concluded that house elves still need their own representation within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. They are very powerful, and like with what Dobby did with Harry, they have the ability to bind themselves to witches and wizards and to essentially keep themselves from being abused, to some extent. I think that any house elf who takes on a job should have to sign a magical contract with their employers discussing safety within the job. The contract can include making a magical oath through a bond if that's what they prefer," Hermione explained. "But I want them to have choices, including the whole being passed down into families through estates like property. I also have a section on clothing and proper uniforms for them to wear with a directive of how giving them clothes outside of the uniform can be discussed as a termination standard."

Harry nodded. "It sounds well thought-out. Have you spoken to Zee about it?"

Hermione shook her head as she began to fill her own plate with food. "No, I didn't want to bother her while she's been resting. But I would like for her to take a look at it first. She's been helping me write it to some degree."

"She's feeling much better," Harry told her. "In fact, I'd bet that she'd love it if you sent it to her. I rather got the impression that she's going a bit stir crazy all cooped up and unable to do much."

Ginny's hand slid over his thigh as she helped herself to some of the fresh vegetable platter. Harry's breath hitched a little. "I think that it sounds rather interesting. With all of the changes the Ministry is currently implementing, bringing forth a change for house elves will fit in just right."

Hermione nodded. "I hope so. I want it to be just right, you know?"

"It sounds like you have the right intentions, Hermione," Ron told her. "Sometimes that's the right step."

Hermione smiled warmly at him. "I think so. I'll send it to Zee after dinner. Harry, is Hedwig back yet?"

Harry shook his head. "No, not yet."

"That's all right, I'll use one of the school owls."

Ginny's hand was still resting comfortably on Harry's thigh, and it was sending all sorts of thrills through his system that he tried not to show. He leaned into her a bit, stealing a kiss on her cheek, and she turned to give him a slow smile.

"After practice tonight, we should go for a run," Ron said as he poured more milk into his glass. "We haven't done that in a while."

Neville nodded. "I agree. I haven't been spending as much time as a badger as I'd like to."

"Have you thought about registering your form?" Harry asked, adding a second helping of the scalloped potatoes to his plate.

"I already did," Neville told him with a grin. "Gran made me at the beginning of the summer. McGonagall wrote that she had trained me as well."

"You never said," Harry said in surprise.

Neville shrugged. "Figured it wasn't a big deal. You registered, well, you had to after what happened, and Gran thought that it was a wise choice for me to be as well. I agreed with her."

"Professor McGonagall spoke to me about registering myself in September," Hermione explained. "I filled out the proper paperwork and am also registered. Did she ask you yet about assisting with her third years?"

Harry shook his head. "No. What's going on?"

"She's getting ready to talk about human transfiguration and wants to discuss the Animagus transformation. I think that she wants to use the six of us as an example. She told me that she would tell me more about it when it came close."

Ginny nodded. "Ron, Luna, and I are all registered as well. Mum and Dad insisted on it, and Mr X was very strict on it as well, which surprised me. But McGonagall helped us take care of it in July. She was our personal instructor according to the registration forms."

Harry stared at them in surprise. "How come none of you told me?"

Ginny shrugged. "I kind of forgot about it if I'm honest. I was more worried about you and about you going to Greece. It seemed like a simple little thing, especially since you already know what all of our animals are anyway."

He nodded. He knew that she was right, but he still would have liked to know that they were all formally registered with the Ministry of Magic as Animagi. He wondered if McGonagall was going to ask all of them to help her or not.

"But I'm up for a run later, for sure," Harry told them, diving back into his food with gumption.

"Hermione, Luna, and I will meet you guys out on the pitch then. What time do you think practice will be done?" Neville asked him.

"By eight," Harry said. "We played great on Saturday. I just want us to get our usual practice routine down."

"He likes to run us ragged," Ginny said with a grin.

They chatted more about going for a run and then when dinner ended, they headed up to Gryffindor Tower to get their Quidditch things and head down to the pitch. Harry had just finished changing when Ginny came into the changing room, dressed in her sweats and long sleeved Quidditch shirt against the chilly November air. He took her arm, tugging her towards him. She grinned, her arms moving around his neck as she stood on her toes to kiss him.

"Oy! Some of us don't wish to be blinded!" Ron bellowed, slamming his locker shut.

Harry and Ginny ignored him, kissing softly. They grinned at each other when they pulled apart. Harry's fingers were already playing with the end of her long ponytail. "I guess that we should get out there."

Ginny smiled, leaning in to kiss him once more. "Guess we should."

And to Harry's surprise, she pinched his butt before she turned and hurried off out of the locker room. His eyes found her round bum as he walked behind her, and all he thought was how incredibly lucky he was to have her in his life.

 **By the time practice ended, Harry found himself feeling anxious for a run.** The run around the pitch hadn't done enough to help him weed out his excess energy, nor had it done much for the sexual tension he was feeling from being near Ginny. He, Ron, and Ginny met the other three behind Hagrid's hut, transforming into their animals and taking off into the woods.

Ginny's panda, despite being fully grown, was still small and round, but she ran around a tree happily before she hurried up the branches to sit on the top. Harry chased the wolverine and the fox, barking in glee. The badger and hare taunted him, trying to give the wolverine and fox a chance at escape. The wolverine broke free, making a beeline for the opposite end of the meadow in the middle of the forest when the small red panda dove from the tree, landing on top of him and causing them both to roll down the steep incline. The Tamaskan followed, his nose prodding the small panda for injuries, and when he saw that she was okay, licked her. The wolverine head-butted him in response.

It was pushing midnight before the six of them finally headed back to the castle.

Neville and Ron voted on heading in first. The plan was to give each team ten minutes to sneak back up to Gryffindor Tower before the next team made their move to lower the risk of being caught out past curfew. Hermione and Luna went after the other two, planning to split at the staircase that separated Gryffindor from Ravenclaw Tower. It was past midnight when Harry and Ginny eventually headed into the castle. They made it to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom before they heard Filch and Mrs Norris.

Harry grabbed Ginny's hand, tugging her into the classroom and through the password-guarded door of Remus' office. His breath hitched as he pressed Ginny against the door, the feel of her tight body against his making him swallow slowly. They waited only a moment before they heard Filch leave, and Harry's eyes met her warm brown ones.

Her eyes were twinkling at him in a combination of mischief and desire and he bent his head to kiss her.

Ginny made a soft sigh, her arms twining around his neck to kiss him back, and he thought his world had never felt more right than when she was in his arms; when he was touching her. His hands slid over her shoulders, down her arms and around to the small of her back as his mouth met hers in long, slow kisses. His thumbs moved in slow concentric circles at her hips, forcing her jumper to rise up just enough for him to brush skin. He thought that she had the softest lips and she tasted like sunshine, warm and soothing.

His lips melted against hers, deep kisses, soft kisses, open-mouthed kisses, closed-mouth kisses, neither of them coming up for air. Her fingers were playing with the short hairs at the base of his neck and her breasts were pushed up against him. He pressed against the warm weight of her, the feel of her breasts against him; he shifted, his breathing heavy, not wanting to make her uncomfortable at the feel of his growing reaction to their closeness.

Ginny's eyes fluttered open, a soft satisfied smile on her face. "It's okay, I don't want to catch my breath yet."

Harry grinned slowly and watched the blush rise up in her cheeks. "I think Filch is gone by now. Everyone is going to wonder where we've got to."

Ginny's smile widened as she walked him back to Remus' desk chair before pushing him into it. "I don't think they will," she told him, slipping sideways into his lap.

Harry wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up more securely. "No?"

She shook her head, her lips brushing the side of his neck. "No."

His breath hitched. "I never want to stop kissing you."

She smiled, brushing her lips against his. "So don't stop."

Then his mouth was on hers again, and he knew _that_ he was where he was supposed to be.

It was almost two by the time the two of them stumbled into the common room, their lips swollen and hair mussed. Harry stole one more kiss before Ginny headed upstairs with a grin. He headed up the stairs to his own dorm, but jolted in surprise when he saw Ron sitting on his bed.

"Hi, Ron."

Ron merely raised an eyebrow. "If I have to watch you every second, I will. Nev and I have been back almost two hours, mate!"

Harry shrugged. "We almost got caught by Filch and had to hide out. We came back as fast as we could."

Ron only stared at him. "Your swollen lips tell a different story, liar."

Harry grinned at him. "We were trapped for a while."

Ron shook his head. "Right, 'trapped'; I'm sure."

"Ron, you know that I'm not going to hurt her, right? Ginny's the strongest girl I know. I could never make her do something that she doesn't want to do."

Ron stood up, moving over to his own bed. "I know it and I trust you, mate. Don't tell her I said anything, will you? She'll hex me."

Harry snorted as he undressed. "Remember that the next time you butt your nose in."

Ron only gave him the finger, making Harry snort in laughter, before Ron shut his bed curtains.

Harry changed into his pyjama pants and headed to the bathroom to clean his teeth. He climbed into bed, seeing the clock read two twenty, and sighed. He would be tired in the morning, but as he remembered the feel of Ginny snuggled in his lap, her lips on his, he knew that it would be completely worth it.

 **Harry was just heading into Arithmancy class the next morning when he felt his mirror vibrate in his pocket.** He moved away from the students in the hall, slipping into one of the nooks by a window to answer it. He grinned at the sight of Zee's face there. She still had a few small nicks on the side of her face, but the bruising was almost entirely gone. She looked much better, he thought.

"Hi Zee," he said happily. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, very good," she told him. "The one potion isn't agreeing with me, but if I take it before the other one, it sits better. Listen, I know that you're on your way to Arithmancy, but I wanted to run an idea past you. Since Sirius insists that I keep the mirror on me at all times, I figured this was my chance while he's away at the Ministry."

"Sure," Harry said easily, wondering what she was keeping a secret.

She smiled. "I want to get Sirius something special for Christmas this year. There's nothing that he really needs, but there's something that I know he wants and has been hesitant about getting it for himself."

Harry only raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well, you know how he likes to ride out to that Muggle news stand in the village and buy a copy of the _MCN_ every week?" At his nod, she continued. "I noticed that he keeps circling a particular new bike that's just been released."

Harry grinned. "You want to get him the new BMW K1100RS?"

Zee nodded, biting her bottom lip. "I know that it's a lot but, Merlin, he never buys anything for himself. The '96 is supposed to be able to go up to 220 km/h in 3.8 seconds. It has a four cylinder and four stroke inline engine and it's water cooled with an electric starter."

"Manual?"

"Yes, a five speed. It's power rated as a 99.25 HP at 7500 rpm with a torque of 107 Nm at 5500 rpm."

Harry grinned. "He's been drooling after that one for most of the summer. He said that he likes the red or the plum coloured one with the chrome."

Zee nodded enthusiastically. "The deep blood red one with the chrome is really sexy."

"So are you going to get it?"

Zee bit her bottom lip before she nodded. "It's not too much?"

Harry gawked at her. "You're buying him a motorbike. That's definitely a lot, but you know that he's going to love it."

"But we _did_ talk about it and we kind of said no gifts this year …"

Harry chuckled. "Well, buying him the bike would be the complete opposite of the whole no gifts rule, but I think that you should do it. He'd love it."

"So would I. It seats two and my bike … I assume that it's a complete write off as I haven't even gotten it back. It would be nice to have one that we can share, not that he won't let me ride any of his others."

He grinned. "You're the only other person he trusts with them. He says I'm still in a trial period, but that you appreciate the beauty and the mechanics of them just as much as the ride."

"Well, they are beautiful machines."

"I have to head to class, Zee. I say go for it, buy the bike."

Zee beamed at him. "Thanks, Harry. I'm going shopping tomorrow when he's out. Have a good day of classes, love you."

He smiled as her face disappeared from the mirror. He shoved it back into his pocket and made his way into Arithmancy just as the bell went off. Harry took his usual seat at the back of the class, thinking about the bike that Zee was talking about. Sirius had been drooling over it since news of the new model had come out. He thought that it was a great gift, and he knew that his father would love it.

Harry was looking forward to Christmas this year. He was going to be spending it in Moscow, which was thrilling enough. He knew that the Zacariases celebrated Little Christmas as they were Russian Orthodox, but since Harry would have to go back to school and since Zee worked in England, they always celebrated early so that she could be with them. The plan was to celebrate Christmas at home as usual, and then to take a portkey to Moscow on Boxing Day morning and remain in Moscow for the rest of the holiday. Zee had told him that they would be staying at her parents' home.

Harry couldn't wait. He hadn't seen any of her cousins or her grandparents since her birthday last April and he was anxious and nervous to see them again. The thought of staying with Papa and Grandmama was exciting though, and if he was honest, he was looking forward to some normalcy. A chance to just get away from the news of Voldemort and the growing tensions that underlined daily life.

Harry shook the thoughts from his head and turned his attention to Professor Vector, realizing that he hadn't been processing anything that the professor had said. He pulled out his parchment pad and his quill and gave Vector his attention, but he couldn't help but imagine how excited Sirius was going to be if Zee actually bought him the motorbike. It was going to be a great holiday, he thought, even if it was still over a month away.

 **After speaking with Harry, Zee found herself excited at the prospect of buying Sirius a motorbike.** He was busy lately between the sessions of the Terra Troop training, the Wizengamot, and guard duty with the Order of the Phoenix - not to mention voting in new members of the Hogwarts Board of Governors to make up for the ones who'd been arrested (no one could make a decision on who was a good fit, and it was taking much longer than it should). Zee had a lot of time on her own, which she enjoyed, but also made her a little stir crazy.

She was back on her feet now, but she found herself getting tired easily. She knew part of it was from the potions, but most of it was the after effects of the dark curse. She spent a good deal of her time cooking, but now the ice box was full at both their home and Remus and Tonks' cottage. She'd cleaned the cottage from top to bottom, gotten rid of unwanted junk, and repainted a few of the rooms, giving everything a fresh touch up. She'd also rearranged some furniture between the living room and the sunroom, and changed their bedroom around before deciding she didn't like it and moving it all back.

It made her feel like she was doing something and it helped her balance her magic out, slowly using more of it every day. The dark magic had affected her entire system and that meant her magic had been influenced more than she wanted to admit. She hated feeling any kind of weakness and she hated asking Sirius for help.

Sirius was amazing.

He made breakfast for her every morning and lined up her potions at the table. He made sure that she was getting the rest she needed and she loved him for it. He never questioned any changes she made (only told her it looked great and asked how he could help), but she definitely needed to get out a bit. Her parents had gone back to Russia after the first week of her being home, but her grandmother stopped by every few days to check in, and she was grateful for that. She and Gran had even gone shopping; she'd spent more than she should on a large amount of new clothes and shoes, but it made her feel good about herself.

Gran and Grandda had come over to take her to lunch a few times as well to try to help her keep her spirits up. At the time, she'd adored the time with them as they'd filled her in the family and how Ian was getting on at the hospital. But now that she had spoken to Harry about getting Sirius a motorbike, Zee was itching to go out and do some shopping on her own.

So after Sirius left the next morning, she got dressed and took the Knight Bus to London. Zee made her way to a motorbike dealership and struck up a conversation with one of the salesman. He was a bit reserved when speaking with her at first, but once he realized that she more than knew what she was talking about, he took her to the BMW K1100RS. Zee had to admit, it was beautiful. She examined every inch of the deep blood red model. When the salesman asked her if she wanted to take it for a test drive, she grinned widely.

Being on the bike, the wind in her hair, made her smile and made her feel more like herself. She hadn't ridden since she'd been thrown, and part of her had been worried that she would be too afraid to get back on. To Zee's surprise, she felt comfortable, felt like she was home. The November air was cold, but the roads were still good. Ideally, there were still a few weeks left of good riding before winter, and being on the bike again reminded her of why she loved riding. She didn't feel weak and injured when she was on the bike; she felt like who she was, Agent Zee Zacarias of the DRCMC. When she pulled it back into the lot, Zee beamed and removed her Muggle cheque book with a big smile.

She shook the salesman's hand and discreetly transfigured her woollen hat into a helmet before straddling the bike and taking off in glee. A little over three hours later she pulled up the drive to her own cottage, a wide smile on her face. She was cold, but the drive had been magnificent - the bike incredible. She carefully pulled the bike into the back shed, covering it with a tarp and locking and sealing the door before she walked back to Black Cottage.

Lady Godiva greeted her at the door as Zee stepped into the kitchen to make herself a warm cup of tea. As she took out the kettle an owl flew through the window. Zee greeted the owl affectionately, offering snacks and water as the owl hooted in appreciation. Zee opened the letter in curiosity and smiled when she recognized Hermione's writing.

 _Zee,_

 _I didn't want to disturb your rest, but Harry told me that you were probably going stir crazy so that I should write to you. I finished it! I'm very pleased with how it turned out, and I would love your thoughts. I am going to show it to Professor Carthaginian next class as well as I think that she will have some very interesting insights on the subject. Will you still present it to the Department for me?_

 _Cheers,_

 _Hermione_

Zee's smile widened in delight as she unsealed the document that Hermione had drafted, eyes moving over the legislation. Hermione had done a marvellous job drafting it. Zee was excited to present it and see what could be done about getting it implemented. She yawned and moved into the living room, pointing her wand at the fire to warm the room as she curled up on the sofa. She'd just rest for a bit and then she would write her back.

But that was where Sirius found her two hours later, curled up on the sofa fast asleep. He bent to kiss her cheek and scooped her up into his arms. Zee snuggled into his arms, and he smiled as he carried her upstairs and into their bedroom. Sirius undressed her. He stripped her down to her knickers and then grabbed one of his shirts and pulled it over her head.

Zee didn't wake as he tucked her in, kissing her gently. When she did wake a few hours later, she felt loved and happily snuggled into the warm bed.

Yeah, she really liked that he took care of her, she thought.

 **Tonks leaned back in her desk chair, stretching her arms up over her head and cracking her neck.** She'd been stuck in the office for almost three hours now and she felt like her body was protesting the lack of action.

She and Higgins were still logging through the escaped prisoners, but they were getting to the point now that the ones they couldn't find had presumably joined Voldemort's forces. It wasn't an overly comforting thought. She reached for her cup of coffee, but pouted when she realized that it was empty. Tonks stood up, using the opportunity to stretch her legs.

"I'm heading to the cafeteria for a coffee and a danish," she told her partner. "You want one?"

"Another coffee and danish would be great, thanks Lupin."

She grinned, the sound of her new name making her smile. She headed out to the lifts, the smile still on her face. Tonks loved that she had taken Remus' name. She'd debated with herself about it because she loved her name. She loved being Tonks more than Nymphadora. The only time she enjoyed being called by her first name was when it left her husband's lips. She loved being Tonks, and Remus knew that. He had never asked her to take his name. He had never even brought it up.

But _she_ had.

Tonks had legally changed her name two weeks after they were married. She was now Nymphadora Andromeda Mary-Ellen Lupin, but those who knew her still called her Tonks. She enjoyed being Auror Lupin, Auror Tonks Lupin to those who knew and loved her. It made her smile every time someone called her Lupin. It made her "his" in another way and it sent an odd thrill through her body.

She made it to the cafeteria on the main level and placed her order. She'd just paid for her order and was turning to head out when she almost walked into the platinum blonde in tall heels.

"Oops, sorry," Tonks said easily, saving herself and the coffees from spilling in what she thought was an almost miracle move.

"Nice save, Lupin!" Atwell exclaimed from across the room, making her chuckle.

"Thanks," she called back before turning her attention to the hand that still gripped her arm and gave the woman a cool glance. "Sorry about that, I'm a little clumsy, but no harm done."

The woman only stared at her. "Lupin?"

Tonks nodded. "Yes?" She felt like the woman was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place her.

The woman scoffed and dropped her hand in disgust. "You married _that thing_?"

Tonks' eyes narrowed. "What did you just call my husband?"

"You heard me. How could you demean yourself in that way? Merlin, when I learned what he was and how I had … I let him _shag me!_ "

Tonks stared at her before it clicked. Veronica, she remembered, the woman that he'd slept with years ago … _ten_ years ago? _Twelve_? "That makes you one of the lucky ones, doesn't it? Roni, right?"

Veronica nodded. "He should have told me what he was before we … when he was accused two years ago, I couldn't believe it. I let that disgusting thing touch me and you, _you married it_. What is wrong with you?"

Tonks' eyes darkened. "I married the most incredible man who loves and supports me in everything that I do. I married the sexiest and most selfless man. I took his name and you know what, one day I'm going to have his children too."

Veronica looked positively scandalized. " _He's - a - werewolf!_ " She hissed.

Tonks only stared her down. "He's a wizard. He's a professor. He's my husband, my man, my mate, my lover and we both know that the real reason that you're acting like a self-righteous bitch is because you loved his big cock and the amazing sex and he dumped you. You're too old for him and too pathetic for me to keep speaking to."

Veronica's face paled. "I'm disgusted that I ever let him put his hands on me!"

"Well, I'm disgusted that he put his hands on you too, you hag! Get over it, it's been a decade at least and he barely remembers you. You're old news."

Veronica swallowed angrily before she jerked her chin up. "I may be old news, dearie, but at least I don't participate in bestiality."

Tonks' mouth dropped open in anger. "You bitch!"

Hands grabbed her arm and yanked her back. She turned to see Atwell shaking her head at her. "No, Tonks! She's not worth it."

They both watched Veronica scurry off to the lifts with a fearful look over her shoulder.

"Did you hear what that bitch said to me?" Tonks demanded.

Atwell smiled kindly. "I heard the tail end of it. Tonks, you've been lucky so far, but you know that people are going to talk. You married a werewolf - and not just any werewolf, _the very wolf_ who was big news at the Ministry a few years ago; the one who was almost executed. Now you're using his name. I don't know what you expected to happen."

"I expected people to have a smidgen of common human decency! You know, Remus shagged her over a decade ago?"

Atwell's eyes rose. "Really?"

Tonks nodded. "And she's trying to claim how disgusted she is by it and says that if she had known, she never would have demeaned herself like that."

"You don't believe her?"

Tonks smirked at her friend. "When Rem and I were together, she tried to throw herself at him years later because the sex was so good and she missed him. He was adorably flustered by it."

Atwell snorted. "Figures."

Tonks smiled at her. "I was jealous back then but now … that bitch better watch her back."

Atwell nodded, urging Tonks towards the lifts. "Let it go, Tonks. You're an Auror and we have more important things to worry about. Like I said, you married a werewolf, there's going to be talk no matter what. My advice is to keep your head down."

"I'm not a keep-my-head-down kind of woman," Tonks declared.

Atwell chuckled. "All right, well at least _try_ not to punch her in the face."

Tonks scoffed at that as the lift closed behind them. "I can't make any promises if she gets in my face again. And for the record, I was thinking more along the lines of a good throat punch."

The sound of Atwell's laugh made her grin back. But she couldn't help but think about her friend's words. She _had_ been lucky so far. No one outside of those she knew well had really approached her about her marriage. The Ministry of Magic Administrative Services lady had made a face when she had changed her name, but no one had outright said anything to her.

Remus had warned her that people wouldn't like it, and she had ignored him. She didn't care what people thought of her. Remus was the man of her dreams, and she loved him with every fibre of her being. She clutched his heartbeat in her palm as the lift opened, the tray of coffee and danishes in her other hand. If anyone said anything about her husband's wolfish tendencies she would show them the real beast - and _that beast_ wasn't going to be Remus.

She passed the coffee and danish to Higgins and took a sip from her own before plopping her butt back behind her desk. She'd just taken a bite of her danish as Kingsley came into the bullpen. He gave her a firm look and gestured for her to follow him into his office. She nodded at Higgins who jumped to follow her, wiping danish crumbs off his uniform shirt.

Higgins closed the door behind them as Kingsley leaned back against his desk.

"I have a new mission for you two. I know that you've both been working hard on the prison breakout, but unfortunately I think that we can all agree that the bodies we haven't found have probably joined You Know Who's army." He grabbed a folder off his desk and handed it to Tonks. "New player in town. There's been four reported sightings of the Baroness of Sardinia in the last two weeks. I think Bellarosa Zabini has left Italy."

Tonks' eyebrow rose as she flipped open the folder. "She's wanted for questioning as she was outed by Harry Potter, was she not?"

Kingsley nodded. "We believe her to be a Death Eater, but she's more than that. Her fifth husband was killed by werewolves at the beginning of September in Paris where he was visiting on business."

"Fifth husband?" Higgins asked.

"She's known as the Black Widow in some circles," Kingsley said carefully. "No one has ever proven it, but it's believed that she's behind the death of all five of her husbands. She's dangerous and she's smart. She hasn't been caught for a reason. The French Aurors investigated the scene in Paris, but there was no evidence of her taking part, and she was in Italy when the attack occurred. I want you to talk to the witnesses who claim that they've seen her and report back to me. I want to know if there's a chance that she's still in England."

"We're on it, Sir," Higgins said, smiling brightly.

"Tonks, control your boot. He smiles too bloody much."

Tonks snorted at Kingsley, her eyes twinkling in suppressed laughter. "Will do, Sir."

She passed the file to Higgins and smirked at her partner as the two of them left Kingsley's office. "Grab your coffee and let's book. Where's our first witness located?"

Higgins shuffled the folder open, his eyes on the file. "Hogsmeade."

"Let's go see what they have to say about the Black Widow, shall we?"

 **Draco knew something was going on with Theo; and he hated that he wasn't talking to him or to Blaise or to anyone else about it.** He knew that the whole taking on the Nott title and responsibility was weighing on him, and he knew that Theo wasn't as okay with the whole "surviving idea" that he'd tossed out. He knew that Theo had already come face to face with the Dark Lord and was terrified; he had every right to be.

Draco, on the other hand, didn't really know what to think.

He knew that the Dark Lord was dangerous and powerful, but in all honesty, his grandfather scared him more. He knew exactly what Abraxas was capable of. He'd seen it firsthand, whereas the Dark Lord was more of an idea. At the same time, he found himself equally curious and terrified to meet him.

Draco also knew that he had more options than most. Pansy's father was hinting about her meeting the Dark Lord soon, as was Daphne's father. Greg and Vince were anxious to meet him. They claimed that he would help bring about a better world. It was the better world argument that he didn't fully understand.

The Ministry of Magic was implementing so many changes lately both for education and for the government. They were working diligently to make life better for the British Magical Citizen, and Draco could see the appeal to that. Would a world entirely out of purebloods be a better world? He honestly couldn't say, but he did know that purebloods were superior to Muggleborns. That's what he had been taught, after all. But then after spending time with the Tonks family, with his Muggleborn uncle and half-blood cousin, he'd found himself questioning the so-called differences between them. He'd come to understand that everyone's blood was red, and those who bled red still deserved an opportunity to practice magic. He just wasn't sure on how and where it all tied together. Thinking about it just made his head hurt.

He rubbed a hand over his forehead at the thought. He took a shortcut down from the library back to the Slytherin dorms by cutting past Professor Lupin's office. He just wanted to lie down for a bit and think. He jolted in surprise when he saw his aunt step out from Lupin's office. She was smiling and he watched as she kissed Lupin's cheek before she turned and caught sight of him.

"Draco! I'm so glad that I've run into you!"

Draco merely stared at her. "Hello, Aunt Andy."

She beamed at him and leaned in to kiss his cheek, standing on her toes to reach him. "My, you're growing tall!"

He nodded. "I suppose."

Andromeda smiled warmly at him, tucking her arm in his. "Will you walk me out?"

Draco nodded as they walked down the hall together. "What were you doing here?"

She smiled brightly. "I wanted to talk to Remus about some gift ideas for my Dora. Christmas is just around the corner and I thought that I should tell him my plans."

"Right," Draco said quietly.

Andromeda snuck a glance over at him. "I know that you have your own plans for the holidays, but Ted and I would love it if you wanted to join us for dinner on Christmas Day again."

"Mother wants me home."

"I figured she might," Andromeda said easily as they approached the front door entrance. "My door is always open for you, Draco. I know that times are getting dangerous for all of us. Please, don't be too proud to use it." She kissed his cheek and left through the front door.

Draco watched her go. He wasn't too proud to use it. She and her husband had been nothing but nice to him. But if he chose that route, he would be forced to leave his parents, and he wasn't sure if he could do that. His mother was vulnerable. He couldn't let her get hurt, no matter what it meant for him.

He needed to organize his thoughts and figure out exactly what it was he did think and know. And he needed to figure out what was happening with Theo. He was tired of watching the sadness in his friend's eyes, and he was determined to figure out what he was hiding from him.

Even if he had to follow him to do it.

 **Dean was stretched out on his bed with his sketchbook open on his lap.** He held the charcoal pencil in his left hand as he sketched away his thoughts. He had finished it before he had even registered what he was sketching. He'd drawn Seamus. It was the way he looked when he was lost in thought, staring dreamily out the window.

He closed his book and sighed. He had to come to terms with this, but he wasn't sure what those terms were exactly. Nonetheless he knew that he was attracted to his best mate. It was more than just attraction; he wanted him physically and emotionally. He knew that meant on some level that he was he was most likely bi, but he wasn't sure if he was. Not really.

He'd spent the last few days looking at other blokes, sketching their likeness and thinking about their features. Harry had incredible eyes and they were always very expressive. As of late, there was this twinkle of delight in them whenever Ginny came into the room. Ron had broad shoulders on his tall frame. He had nice shoulders, and Dean could see the appeal in them. Neville was kind and his smile was honestly the sweetest thing. It made you want to smile back. Dean had _looked_ too, a little more than he should have, when they were showering. Harry had a great butt; Seamus had said it, but Dean agreed. Ron had a nice bum too, and the muscles in his arms were lean and strong. Neville had the light brown chest hair coming in, and large hands. And Dean was lying to himself if he hadn't looked further. Harry was big down there, he thought. He'd caught a glance or two. Ron was a close second. Neville was average in length, but thick. Dean could see the attractive appeal of all of them. He appreciated the beauty of them in an artistic way.

He wasn't physically attracted to any of them, thought. Not like he was to Seamus.

That soft chubby tush, those freckle spatter patterns on his back and arms. His blue eyes, his sandy brown happy trail ... all of it made him hard without him even trying.

So was he attracted to blokes … or was he attracted to girls and to Seamus?

He sighed and scratched his head.

He had to tell him, he thought. He couldn't just ignore this. Seamus had to know. But not yet. He knew that his friend wanted to tell his family over the holidays, and there was still Will. He hadn't left yet. They'd been broken up for almost two months, yes, but he didn't want to impose on what they'd had. He knew how much his friend had loved him.

And who was to say that Seamus would even ... Dean sighed. Just because Seamus had gone down on him before didn't mean that he wanted more from him. They were friends, and like he had told Seamus, they had been experimenting. Seamus could want to be only friends with him.

Dean closed his eyes, remembering the feeling of Seamus waking him up, his mouth wrapped around him. Dean's hips jerked at the memory. He wanted that feeling again. And to be honest, he wanted to experience it both ways. He wanted to taste and touch Seamus in the same ways that Seamus had once touched and tasted him. Just the thought of it excited him in ways that he couldn't quite explain, and he licked his lips at the thought.

"Dean?"

He jolted at the sound of his name and smiled at Natalie, his new girlfriend. "Hey, Nat."

She stepped out of the doorway and sat on the side of his bed. "I was looking for you. Why are you hiding up here?"

He grinned when she straddled him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Just sketching and thinking. It helps clear my head."

Natalie smiled, pressing her lips to his neck. "I'd like to not think at all myself."

Dean's smile widened as she picked up his hands and placed them on her chest. He kneaded her breasts gently before he kissed her. Her soft lips and firm breasts reminded him that he very much liked girls.

But as her lips trailed down his neck, he couldn't help but wish that it was Seamus' mouth instead.

 **Remus finished fixing himself a cup of tea in the staff room during his free period that afternoon just as Rhiannon came in.** The fae was rather extraordinary, and he knew that the students had been raving about her class as much as her. She was incredibly beautiful. Black hair over ivory skin and piercing eyes so green that they were almost turquoise. He nodded politely at her.

"Rhiannon, hope your day is going well."

She smiled kindly back. "It is, thank you. I was actually looking for you."

He arched his brow in curiosity. It wasn't that he didn't speak to her, but he had made it a habit to do no more than preliminaries. The fae did not usually wish to associate with wolves, and he hadn't wanted to offend her.

"Oh? How may I help you?"

Rhiannon tossed her hair over her shoulder. What looked like real flowers shimmered in her earlobes. "You run the Defence Club?" At his nod, she continued. "Magical defence is great. I've seen the power behind my students, and most of them are already young adults. I've heard that you have some real power potential in your group."

"Yes, I suppose I do," he said, not sure where she was going with this.

"We train to fight with magic at the palace, but we train more than just our powers. We train our bodies as well."

"I do the same," Remus told her. "We work on the importance of physical activity and being able to dodge and deflect spells and hexes physically as well as magically."

"Dodging is good," Rhiannon told him. "But I was talking more physical. We have our royal guard train with not only magical defence, but with archery and broadswords."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "A friend of mine mentioned that came up during a CBC meeting. Are you suggesting that we teach the Defence Club how to physically fight?"

Rhiannon nodded. "Absolutely. Maybe just your senior section to start off, but learning how to fight, especially in times of war is very important. It's great physical activity as well and I think that they'd find it fun."

"I admit that it has appeal. I'll have to run it by Minerva. I've never done either myself so I would need assistance."

Rhiannon's face cracked into a wide smile. "I'd be delighted. Let me know what Minerva says."

She left him alone in the staffroom and he thought that things were definitely getting more interesting.

 **Since Zee's attack, Sirius had been forced to cancel and reschedule his meeting with Henry Richardson.** He'd organized his notes from what Harry had told him and made his way to Hogwarts. He wanted to talk directly to Hagrid and Flitwick. The more accurate information he had on the insults and unacceptable behaviour from Umbridge when he went into the meeting with Richardson, the better.

He snuck into McGonagall's seventh year Transfiguration class, standing in the back and just watching her. He had always loved her class. She always kept it interesting while still being strict. She spotted him about thirty seconds in, and he grinned widely at her.

"Class, it looks like we have a visitor from the Ministry here. Say hello to Lord Black."

Sirius made a dramatic bow and winked at Fred and George, who were sitting on the left.

"Sirius, since you've decided to rudely interrupt my class, why don't you do something useful and show them your Animagus form?"

A few of the students turned to him in interest, so he smirked and transformed into his dog. A few of the students made _aww_ sounds at the sight of him; one gasped and proclaimed that he was the Grim. Some of them even pet him. Nyx stared at him from the front of the class, her eyes bored.

McGonagall finished up her lecture just as the bell rang. "I want ten inches on my desk next class!"

"That's what she said!" someone yelled out.

Sirius snorted as McGonagall scowled.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr Jordan!"

Sirius changed back into himself and put his hand on Fred's shoulder as he high-fived Lee Jordan for his remark. "You boys have new stuff to show me?"

Fred grinned. "Tons!"

Sirius' smile widened. "Meet me in Remus' office before dinner. I have a job for you two."

Fred's eyebrow rose in curiosity before he nodded and whispered something to George.

McGonagall finished erasing the board and turned to smile at him. "What can I do for you, Sirius?"

"I missed you, Minnie. I'm here to give you my undying love and devotion."

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "Right. How's Zahira?"

"Getting better. She still sleeps a lot. The potions make her a little sick, but she's healing. She has two days left and then they want her to have one week without them to see how she does. If everything looks good, she can go back to work two weeks before Christmas."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it."

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "She's anxious to get back to work. I think that she's going a bit stir crazy at home."

"I imagine she is. And you?"

He shrugged. "I'm taking care of her."

"And getting some rest yourself?"

Sirius smiled warmly. "Yes, Mum."

McGonagall pat his cheek affectionately. "You are such a little shit, you know that?"

"Minnie!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes widening. "I am appalled that you would use such language!"

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "What are you really doing here, Sirius?"

He smiled. "I was hoping to commandeer the staff room. I need to talk to Hagrid and Flitwick about Umbitch."

"What did you just call her?"

He smirked. "It's the best name for her and you know it."

She chuckled. "Umbitch … and what about her?"

"Her inappropriate inspections. I heard that she asked you some ridiculous questions. You should have told her that I'm a sex god and that I seduced you when I was a teenager."

McGonagall rolled her eyes. "That would have only caused more problems."

He shrugged good-naturedly. "But it would have been fun."

"You're a little instigator and part of the problem. Why do you need to speak about the inspections?"

"I have a meeting with Richardson coming up and I would like to have all of my facts straight before the Board meets. I can only get away with so much coming from my son's school gossip report."

McGonagall's eyebrows rose. "What has Harry been telling you?"

"What I said about your inspection, and I heard that she had some incredibly rude things to say to Hagrid. She had the gall to measure Flitwick's height. None of that sounds relevant to how these professors teach. I want to find out how much is true," Sirius explained. "I'm going to keep a record of it and show it to Richardson. He only sent her here to get out of his hair in the same way that Amelia shuffled her to the Education Department to get her out of hers. She's on her last chance and yet she's pulling stunts like this? I want to know what's going on."

"Hagrid didn't mention anything to me about his review. I asked him and he said that it went okay. Filius didn't say anything either, but he wouldn't bring something like that up unless you directly asked him. He's much too polite. I, for one, would like her gone from this school as soon as possible, but I understand the protocol and the need to make sure all of the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted first. Doesn't make me like it any more, though."

Sirius smiled. "Agreed. So, can I take over the staff room?"

"No, but you can use my private rooms. The staff room is part of her office. This will give you more privacy and will guarantee you no Umbitch interruptions."

Sirius grinned. "You love the name."

She rolled her eyes. "Password is 'bejewelled'. Go away."

Sirius bent to kiss her cheek. "I'm gone. Thanks, Minnie."

He made his way out of the classroom as her next class began to file in. He checked his watch and grinned. He would find Flitwick first and let him know where he'd be. If he was lucky, he'd manage to speak to both of them before dinner.

 **Ginny was washing her hands in the girls' bathroom near Defence Against the Dark Arts when the door opened and Mandy stepped inside with Padma Patil.** Their eyes met in the mirror and Ginny offered Mandy a polite smile. She wasn't sure how to act around her now, if she was honest. Knowing that the girl had broken up with Harry because of his feelings for her made her feel both oddly elated and tad guilty.

"Ginny," Mandy said politely, moving to the mirror.

Ginny smiled warmly. "Hi, Mandy."

Mandy leaned into the mirror to apply fresh lipstick before she turned to look at her. "I'm glad that you and Harry are together."

Ginny smiled, surprised to feel a little relieved at Mandy's statement. "Thank you. He told me what you said."

"I let it go on longer than I should have. I like him and I guess I hoped that maybe if I could make him fall in love with me, he'd forget about you. But that was silly of me," Mandy said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. She bit the side of her lip before she continued. "You're who he needs and wants, and I'm glad that he finally told you how he felt. He's a really wonderful bloke and you're lucky to have him. I hope you know that."

"I do," Ginny told her, smiling back. "I hope that there's no hard feelings, and maybe we can even be friendly still?"

Mandy smiled brightly. "I'd like that."

Ginny finished washing her hands, smiled kindly at the two girls, and made her way out of the bathroom. That hadn't been as uncomfortable as she had expected. Mandy was a nice girl, and she was glad that they could be friendly towards each other. She smiled when she saw Harry come around the corner talking to Neville. She snuck up behind him, slipped her arms around his waist, and pressed her cheek against his back. His hands immediately tugged her around to hug her close.

"Hi," he said, bending his head to kiss her softly.

"Hi," she said back, her eyes twinkling at him.

She still couldn't believe that she was dating Harry. She couldn't believe that she had _been_ dating Harry, for almost a month. She couldn't believe that she was kissing Harry, but then his mouth would be on hers and she'd know it was real. He was real and it was the most incredible feeling in the world.

"Where are you two off to?" she asked them, smiling at Neville.

Neville shrugged. "Nowhere exciting. Sprout let us go early because she has to take care of the Devil's Snare in one of the greenhouses. It's apparently getting wildly out of control. Ron decided to take a nap and Hermione went to the library."

"Nev and I weren't feeling up to either. Where are you coming from? Why aren't you in class?"

Ginny grinned mischievously. "I had to use the loo, but then I saw you here in the hall and thought oh, boyfriend."

Harry's grin widened, his hands splaying around her waist as he bent his head to kiss her deeply. "Hi, girlfriend. Don't go back to class."

Neville smirked at them. "I'll just find my way to the common room on my own, shall I? See you."

They both waved absentmindedly before Harry kissed her again.

"Uncle Rem won't care," he whispered, his lips trailing over hers and along her jawline.

Ginny smiled against his mouth, standing on her toes to reach him better, her arms encircling his neck. "I think that he might."

He shook his head, kissing her softly. "Nuh-uh."

She chuckled, kissing him softly and sighing into him as he kissed her over and over and over again before she tugged herself away from him. "Class … I'm supposed to be there."

Harry licked his lips, twining his fingers with hers and tugging her close again. "I'll fill you in on what you've missed."

Ginny grinned. "You don't even know what I'm studying."

"I could learn," he told her as his lips brushed her earlobe, his tongue circling the small silver hoop.

Merlin, he made her bones turn to jelly. She pushed against his chest, wiggling away from him.

"I have to go."

Harry sighed and nodded, taking a step towards her. He bent his head to kiss her softly. "I'll wait for you to finish, and then maybe we can go back up to that tower room and chat?" He kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Chat, right," Ginny repeated.

His lips were soft, quick kisses on the corners of her mouth, on her lips, on her chin, on her cheeks before she stepped back. "I have to go."

"Have fun in class," he told her.

Ginny only nodded mutely before she turned and hurried off down the hall, determined not to look back at him. She was almost at the door before she caved. Harry was standing there in open robes, his dress shirt untucked, his tie loose and his hair wonderfully messy. He had a cocky smirk on his lips that she desperately wanted to kiss away.

She let herself back into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and sighed in disappointment as she closed the door behind her, her lips still tingling from Harry's touch.

This was going to be the longest class of her life.


	200. Chapter 200

_Author's Note:_

 _To those on the Hinny Discord - sorry it's late, this one is for you (specifically Kmi, Hills, and Clu)! The big 200!_

 _To those who noticed I added a cover - thanks. I randomly came across this picture of young Daniel Radcliffe so I just added some round glasses and thought it was adorable. For those who have been following me on tumblr, that is the puppy version of Marauder, Sirius' first motorbike, the 1970 Triumph Bonneville, and Black Cottage and of course my version of Sirius and Harry. Though my version of Harry and Ginny are both exclusively based on blvnk's amazing artwork._

 _Reviews: For those of you guessing Zee's recovery is slow because of something else - no, she is not pregnant. The potions just made her sick and tired. To coloredwords: Dean checking every one out in the shower discreetly LOL; wonder what they would say if they knew? Haha - embarrassed? Pleased? Horrified? I imagine a combination of the three. One does not need pants to eat pie, but Sirius decided thought he 'should' get dressed. To speedsONEandONLY, Thanksgiving is roughly on the same day here every year, it falls on whatever weekend the tenth of October is close too, so this year it's this weekend, even though the tenth was Thursday. The Monday is technically our holiday, but everyone does dinner on the Sunday and Monday is the recuperating day. I imagine it's the same food staples: mashed potatoes, turkey, corn, stuffing, green-bean casserole, devilled eggs, and for dessert we usually do pumpkin cheesecake (but that's just because none of us really like pie in my family). Remus does not have sensory charms on his office, though he should if knew Harry was sneaking in to snog Ginny. To jmdaz44, thank you! I have worked very hard on this story and have no plans of stopping until it is complete. Glad me having McGonagall swear and take points away for Lee's comment made people smile - she probably should have given detention, but remember they are in seventh year, she's pretty used to them at this point._

 _Thanks to Clupeidae for inspiring me to add more detail to this chapter._

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _Now I have some bad news: I have been writing this story for almost 2 years now and I've loved every minute of it. I can't believe I'm at chapter 200! It is far from over; however, I am sorry to say that I will not be posting for the next few weeks. I need some time to catch up with the story, organize my thoughts and make sure that I can find the time to continue writing it. I never expected ASC to go on for so long, this all started as a mini drabble of Sirius taking Harry away from the Dursleys to a loving home and it escalated into this massive story with so many sub-plots and characters that I've grown to love and who I love writing and love sharing with you all. I hope you understand and I promise, a few weeks and I will have a new chapter for you and we will be back upon a regular posting schedule._

 _For those of you who have decided to give up because I'm a few days late in my posting - sorry, but sometimes life gets in the way. I think I post pretty regularly or try to, and I need this little break for myself and for the sake of the story. I hope you will all be here when I get back._

 _Thank you to Dusk for her awesome editing!_

 _Thank you for all of your support. Thank you for reading and sticking with me for the last two years. You guys rock!_

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED:**

 **Sirius managed to speak to Hagrid that afternoon.** After making notes on how the inspection had gone with Umbridge, he'd reached the conclusion that no one had been exaggerating. He had to wait for Flitwick to finish his last class, but when the Charms professor came into McGonagall's private suite, Sirius smiled at him.

"Fil, thanks for meeting with me," Sirius told him, extending his hand.

Flitwick smiled warmly as he shook Sirius' hand before taking a seat. "You are most welcome. What would you like to speak to me about?"

Sirius leaned back in his seat, his eyes on the professor. "Your inspection from Umbitch."

Flitwick's lips twitched at the name slip. "For the Frog Choir?"

Sirius nodded. "I heard that she was rather unprofessional during her inspection."

He shrugged. "She asked some personal questions that I thought were none of her business, but I suppose that she was just doing her job."

"I heard that she took out a measuring tape to check your height."

His lips pursed. "Some people fear what they don't understand."

"Fil …"

Flitwick sighed. "She was rude and abrasive. The inspection felt personal to me and almost nothing related to what I was teaching. She didn't ask me anything about the music or the choir itself, and she even went around asking some of my students if they found it difficult to take instruction from someone so small … that one good kick would take me out."

Sirius' brows knitted together as he wrote that down. "Bloody bigot."

"She's been sent by the Ministry of Magic, Sirius."

Sirius nodded. "I'm aware. Richardson sent her here along with Raffigan, who is now teaching. I want to speak to him about the both of them and see about getting actual inspectors in here if that's what they want. Umbitch is nothing but a nasty woman who no one wants to work with, but I heard that Raffigan is doing quite well as a professor?"

"Yes, I've heard that myself. She's a very bright woman and full of ideas. She's very friendly whenever I've spoken to her and she has a very passionate zest for history and mythology."

"What happened to Binns?"

"He had enough," Flitwick admitted. "He went to Dumbledore and told him that if his teaching methods were to be critiqued after all these years, then he didn't need to stay. He moved on. Dumbledore said that it was the only thing holding him back."

"Hmm," Sirius responded, adding to his notes. "Well, as long as the subject is still being taught, I guess that's all that really matters … and in all honesty, Binns was the most boring professor to ever have lived."

"Did you talk to Minerva?"

"I did," he said. "And to Hagrid. Unfortunately, I had to push back my meeting with Richardson and now he won't be able to see me until the end of January, what with the holidays coming up. Still, I want to be prepared for the meeting. He'll be sitting down with the entire Hogwarts Board of Governors."

Flitwick nodded. "Well, anything else that I can do to help, please let me know."

"I will, thank you. Your honesty is appreciated, and if you could pass it on to the other professors, that would be great."

After Flitwick left, Sirius organized his notes to be less chaotic as he read them over. There was no way that Umbitch was going to get away with this kind of behaviour, he thought … not this time.

And he rather looked forward to seeing her try to talk her way out of this one.

 **Hermione headed to class thirty minutes early that Monday, hoping to catch Professor Carthaginian.** The professor smiled warmly when she knocked.

"Come in, Miss Granger. Eager for class today?"

"Always," Hermione said honestly. "But I actually wanted to speak with you about a project that I'm working on."

"I haven't assigned your project yet," Carthaginian told her.

Hermione smiled. "No, it's a personal one."

Carthaginian invited her to pull up a chair to the desk at the front of her class. "How can I help?"

Hermione took a seat in the chair offered and took a deep breath before she spoke. "Last year, I learned more about the magical world through your class, and part of that world is house elf enslavement and I hate it. I hate that people can force them to do things; that they are owned and sold like property and that if they disobey, they are treated like garbage and tossed away as if their thoughts and feelings don't matter."

Carthaginian nodded. "Many people would agree with you. However, it's been this way for centuries, and that kind of change is hard to get people to accept despite those feelings."

"Well, it has to stop," Hermione said passionately.

She explained how she had been speaking to house elves to try to better understand their culture and beliefs, to figure out how their magic worked and how she learned about their power to connect to a witch or wizard and bind themselves to them. She told her about how they wear rags and how many of them are treated like vermin despite the hard work that they do and she explained how she wanted to change it.

Carthaginian was smiling warmly when she finished. "Brava, Hermione! That is the kind of inspiration and innovative attitude that I want to see coming from my students. I like that you want to get them their own representation within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, that is a fine place to start; however, with doing so, you have to remember that house elves are trained to please their owners, so you have to be cautious of the elf chosen to represent the others. The elf chosen has to be someone that the department can trust as well as the house elves. Your ideas on giving them better working conditions are great and I like the idea of changing how they are employed. But house elves still need their own authority, and if given the choice, should be allowed to bind themselves to their employer if they so choose. Still, I like the idea of limiting it to that witch or wizard only, not to the family name."

Hermione nodded, showing Carthaginian the draft that she had worked up. "I've been corresponding with a magizoologist in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures who has been helping me. She plans to show it at the next departmental meeting in the new year and work on getting it passed."

"Hermione, that is fantastica! I hope you insist on putting your name on the bill as this is something that could put you in the right direction for a Ministry led career down the road!"

"I think that I want to work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I don't want to be a Magizoologist, but I want to work in the administrative part of it and help change things."

"That sounds like a great career choice for you. If you need any other help with this idea, my door is always open."

"Thanks Professor," she said sincerely.

Carthaginian smiled. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd love to read your statement before you send it off to your magizoologist friend?"

"That would be great! She already has a copy of it, but I'd really love your opinion," she told her.

Carthaginian nodded as the first few students trickled into the classroom. "Good. Now take your seat, class will be starting."

Hermione beamed at her, feeling more confident in her work. After spending the last few days corresponding with Zee, she had told her of her idea to speak to Carthaginian, and Zee had thought that it was a great idea. She wanted Hermione to send her final finished statement after taking Carthaginian's thoughts on it and Zee was going to present it at the department meeting at the end of January. Hermione couldn't stop grinning as she took her seat.

Remus had been right. Sometimes, one voice was all that was needed to get the ball rolling for change. Baby steps still counted and one day, she hoped that those baby steps would increase to Hagrid-sized steps. She wanted to see those steps; to be part of that change no matter how long it took her to achieve it.

 **Harry tapped the tip of his quill on the end of his parchment book, eyes on Carthaginian as she did a quick overview of the last class.** So far, he was finding this class much more interesting than he had anticipated as they covered the history of the Ministry of Magic and the international connections that the Ministry had made since its inception in 1707. His eyes fell on Hermione as she furiously scribbled notes. Harry wondered what Carthaginian had said about her house elf ideas before the mention of his godfather's name ripped him from his thoughts.

"Lord Sirius Black has been one of the core contributors to helping make the Ministry a better running government as of late," Carthaginian explained. "Does anyone know about the Phoenix Initiative Project? It's been in the paper."

A few students nodded absently. She smiled, crossing her legs from where she sat on her desk.

"The Phoenix Initiative Project is an incredibly innovative move for the Ministry of Magic. Professor Dumbledore actually coined the project and a good portion of its ideas back in the 1970s, when He Who Must Not Be Named was first gaining power. The Minister of Magic at the time agreed with his ideas, but the war made it hard for her to do anything about it before she left office. The new minister did not agree with Dumbledore's ideas and thought that it wasn't the time to be implementing such radical change in the government. Part of the project is actually this class that you are sitting in today. Education falls under the project heading to a great extent, at least in terms of some of the recent changes."

She pointed her wand at the blackboard and names broke out across the top: _Minister of Magic, Wizengamot, Office of Magical Law, Department of Magical Law Enforcement,_ and the _Wizengamot Administrative Services._ "A show of wands, how many of you have stepped foot inside of the Ministry of Magic before?"

About a quarter of the class raised their wands into the air.

"Most of you, I assume, visited with a parent who works there?" At the nods, she continued. "The Ministry of Magic is modelled a great deal after the Muggle British Parliament. Our Minister of Magic is the figurehead of our country. She helps bring law and order to our communities, to our country and to the Ministry itself. But she can't do all of this by herself. This is why she has a large support staff. As we talked about in the first day of class, her Deputy Minister is Lady Whitney Dashwood, who has the power and authority to sit in the Minister's place if needed, or in an emergency. Bones and Dashwood then have a full support staff, including personal assistants and secretaries, department heads, and high ranking members of the Wizengamot, including the Chief Warlock. The position of Chief Warlock has been held by Professor Dumbledore since 1981, as Madam Minister Bagnold appointed him soon after her election into office. This means that the Chief Warlock also sits on all minister-led councils and sessions to help keep the Wizengamot informed on all political affairs."

Hermione's hand jumped into the air, startling Harry from his stupor.

"Sì, Miss Granger?"

"Professor, I'm a little confused. Does the Wizengamot run everything? They seem to be responsible for a lot of stuff, including the trials of prisoners?"

Carthaginian pursed her lips. "Over the last twenty-odd years, the Wizengamot has been taking it upon themselves to run most of the Ministry. But when Jenkins was in power, the Ministry was divided. The Chief Warlock has the power to sit as a presiding judge over any trial that he or she sees fit, but unless given permission by the Minister of Magic, the trial is always overseen by members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as well as the Office of Magical Law. The Wizengamot is _not_ required to be present for trials."

"How does it work?" Hermione asked.

"Well," Carthaginian said, hopping down off the desk as she spoke. "Anyone arrested is brought to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement where they're hustled into the appropriate punitive department. Aurors deal with serious crimes and the use of dark magic, where the MLE would handle someone caught stealing. After someone is arrested, the Office of Magical Law is brought forward to discuss their crimes. Lawyers come in and it can take months for any form of action. Prisoners are held in dungeon cells below the Ministry of Magic to await trial, depending on the severity of their crime. For example, Gilderoy Lockhart —" At the sound of their former professor's name, a few people looked up from their notes.

"Yes," Carthaginian continued. "You remember him. He was your professor and he was charged with fraud, assault, rape, and obliviating memories. The chain of evidence against him took months. In fact, the investigating parties are still presenting some of it due to the large number of people he mentioned in his books who've yet to be formally interviewed. Lockhart was tried and found guilty before being sent to prison, but he was still being tried for crimes while he was in prison as new evidence against him emerged. Unfortunately, due the breakout at the beginning of the school year, he is no longer in Azkaban, though his whereabouts at the moment are unknown."

She looked around at her staring class before she pointed to the board again. "As to the trials, a praetor from the Office of Magical Law oversees the trials of the accused. Members of the Wizengamot often sit as jury members along with those magical citizens chosen for jury duty. Since He Who Must Not Be Named began causing havoc in the 1970s, anyone remotely connected to the Death Eaters was tried by a mix of the Wizengamot and the Office of Magical Law. Almost everyone accused was sent immediately to Azkaban, sometimes even without a trial."

Hermione nodded, her brow furrowed. "But now that the Ministry is taking charge on this? I mean, on You Know Who. Will the laws change again?"

Carthaginian smiled. "The Ministry of Magic is trying to get ahead of the situation, Miss Granger, but I think that you are all smart enough to realize that a war is happening. It might not seem like it. We're safe on the castle grounds, but out there, You Know Who is plotting with his followers to most likely take over the Ministry of Magic, as that is where the power lies. Which is why it brings us back to the Phoenix Initiative Project. The CBC, or the Crann Bethadh Cabinet, worked diligently to put this bill put into motion. As I stated earlier, Education was a big part of the initiative. Not only did they introduce new classes, but they made sure that we as educators are following the curriculum outlined by the Department of Education. That is part of the reason why Madams Raffigan and Umbridge are here inspecting the professors and their classes. However, education was not the only part of the project. This bill is doing something that the Ministry of Magic hasn't done in over two hundred years: Changing the structure of the government itself."

Carthaginian tapped her fingers against the wall behind her as she continued. "The governmental section of the bill outlines not only increasing the size of the Wizengamot Assembly, but also opening up our government to more than just the same old families. The project calls for magical inclusion for all British Magical Citizens, which means anyone who is capable of performing magic will be allowed a voice within the government. This is part of what I want to discuss today."

"Professor," Hermione said again, raising her wand. "Will the Ministry return to the old ways of holding trials and dealing justice?"

"Madam Bones wants to. I've heard that she's working on shifting the power back, but after over twenty years, it will be a slowly-adjusting change. The government is sometimes a fascinating study, even though I know most of you hear me say the word _politics_ and want to have an immediate lie in. But it's important for you to understand how your government is run so that when you turn seventeen and are given the opportunity to vote, you will know not only who you might want to vote for — but _how_ to vote. Many of you will be inheriting governmental seats within the assembly, and others will be taking those seats through political movement within the Ministry itself. Both are important," she explained, her eyes moving over the class and stopping on Harry. "Mr Potter, since you live with your guardian, Lord Black, what can you tell me about his hereditary seat within the Wizengamot?"

Harry swallowed before he spoke. "Well, I know that his family has held the seat for hundreds of years and that he's the only official Black left so he inherited the seat — but he had to be accepted by the Wizengamot as well as by the Black Chair itself, which tested his familial magic, before he could sit on the council."

"He had to be _accepted_ ," Carthaginian told them. "This is why hereditary seating is important. Many of you will inherit a hereditary seat in the Wizengamot when you become of age due to your old family names. Those who have family seats waiting for you, raise your wands."

Harry looked around as he, Neville, Ernie, Susan and Hannah all had their wands raised.

Carthaginian smiled. "That's because all of you come from old established families in the magical world. Old bloodlines are wonderful, but they aren't any different from new blood. The only difference is that these old bloodlines were the original members of our governing body, our founding mothers and fathers, so to speak. They wanted to pass that down through their families, but in order to do so, those witches and wizards who inherited the seats have to be considered worthy. Not just anyone is allowed to sit on the council. They have to swear a magical oath with no intent to harm or to willfully lead the assembly down a wrong path. Now oaths can be broken, but making an oath on your magic makes it much harder especially when one adds their blood to the Sovereign Chalice."

"Professor, what's the Sovereign Chalice?" Hannah Abbott asked.

"I'm glad that you asked, Miss Abbott. The Sovereign Chalice is a golden goblet made from the crown and the staff of the first Council Chief of the Wizard's Council. The Council Chief used them as authoritarian symbols to swear in his allegiance and role in that title. A group of twelve witches and wizards agreed to melt the crown and staff into a goblet enchanted to hold the blood of those who swore an oath to uphold justice and law. By adding a blood drop, your oath is bound by magic and blood, and by breaking the oath, you can be stripped of your magic."

Harry raised his wand. "Professor, how does it strip you of your magic?"

"Well, it is only in extreme cases. Over the course of the centuries, it has only ever been done twice. The first was the wizard Ekrizdis, does anyone know who he was?"

Ron raised his wand. "Wasn't he that nutter who lived in Azkaban?"

"He was! Five points, Mr Weasley. In the fifteenth century, Ekrizdis lived on the little island of Azkaban where he built his fortress. At first it was his private home, and he served on the Wizard's Council as a valuable member of the assembly. However, allegedly he practiced very dark magic and lured, tortured and killed any Muggles who happened to sail near his fortress; of course, no one discovered this until well after his death. His true evil soon came to the surface when he tried to enforce a law that allowed the torture of Muggles if they stumbled onto magical lands. Obviously, this measure failed and his voting became more erratic. It's said that he went insane and the chalice stripped him of his magic, leaving him weak and a Squib. It's a very powerful and painful process to strip one of their magic. It takes hours, sometimes days, for every piece of magic to ebb its way from your blood, your body, your heart. When it's gone, the person is left with all of the memories of what they could once do, but without any ability to carry them out. Before that happened, though, Ezkrizdis escaped the clutches of the Aurors and disappeared. It took five years to find him and when they did, it was only because he died in his fortress on the island in the North Sea. The Concealment Charms that he had placed there had faded with his death allowing the Wizard's Council to even know his place existed at all. Yes, Miss Bones?"

"Why did they decide to use his home as a prison?"

Carthaginian smiled. "An excellent question, five points to Hufflepuff. The reason that Azkaban was chosen was because as I said, Ekrizdis was insane. When the Aurors found his home on the island, it was not only infested with Dementors, but filled with untold horrors and evidence of the many crimes that he committed there. He was found dead in his bed. The Wizard's Council wanted to destroy the fortress originally, but were afraid that the dark entities that resided there and the darkness of the island itself could retaliate against them, and they didn't have the manpower at the time to deal with it."

"Professor, what do you mean by the 'dark entities could retaliate?'" Susan Bones asked.

"That much dark magic and dark creatures in one place, uncontrolled and unrestricted … no one really knew what to do about it; how to control it; how to stop it. They thought that if they left it alone, it might disperse enough for them to move in safely and clean the place out. They left it alone for over a century which in hindsight, wasn't the best plan, as the darkness of the island only grew. It wasn't until Damocles Rowle was elected Minister in 1718 that he decided to use the fortress as a prison, with the idea of forcing the Dementors to work there as guards. It was soon clear that the situation wasn't ideal. It was considered inhumane and awful to keep people there, but it was constantly overruled. And until two years ago, no one had ever escaped the prison. Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Now that the prison is destroyed, will they rebuild it?"

"I don't know what the plans are for a prison, but I'm sure that it will be another issue for the Ministry to deal with. As I was saying the Sovereign Chalice helps rein in the witches and wizards with dark intentions. By swearing allegiance to serve justice in the Ministry and to the Sovereign Chalice, they ensure that some extent of corruption is addressed. Unfortunately there is no way to stop total corruption from happening. People are flawed and we all make mistakes, but it is a step in the right direction. After swearing an oath and dropping a bit of blood into the chalice, the hereditary seat must also accept you. Usually, one feels a little pull on their magic, alerting them this is the case," she explained with a smile. "Yes, Mr Thomas?"

"Who was the other person who was stripped of their magic?"

"A witch from the thirteenth century named Desdemona Lestrange. She was a member of the Wizengamot for fifteen years, but she was also a murderer. There was a known killer in London at the time, but no one could figure out who it was. Men were being gutted and killed in the streets … wizards, usually Muggleborn, but a few half-blood and purebloods were even killed. She turned out to be behind it, I don't remember the reasoning, but I think it had something to do with her husband's death. Desdemona went insane and tried to take over the Wizard's Council, claiming herself Chieftainess and Queen of the Wizard's Council. She wanted everyone to call her Queen Desdemona. She attempted to pass a vote giving her full power, and it backfired. Her magic was removed, and she was imprisoned for five years before she eventually died of dragon pox."

Carthaginian tapped her foot as she continued. "Now, as I said, our government has a lot of moving parts and a lot of places where we excel, and places that we need work. No government is perfect, and it will take time to get ours to the level that we all think is a fair system. Change may come from the top, but it works its way up from the bottom, and no matter how slow that change, it is _still_ changing, and this is important to remember. Now, this class is International Magical Relations, but understanding our own government is essential to understanding how we operate on an international level. The Phoenix Initiative will bring new change, and will create an entirely new department within the Ministry of Magic. The Department of Defence will work in tandem with the Aurors on dividing cases between those that are country and society-wide threats versus individual or group threats. Part of this department will include off-shoots of international assistance including the Russians, the Bulgarians and the French. However, discussions have also leaked that if a full scale war _does_ break out here in England, we have support from Hong Kong, Italy, Romania and Greece as other potential allies. Talks among the International Confederation of Wizards have discussed many potential plans to assist if needed. Now this will go both ways: If a dark witch or wizard rises in another country or someone amasses an army or a country-wide threat, our new Department of Defence could be a stepping stone for an international body of defence — maybe even a stepping stone for an international defence system. We're hopeful that this will help us form many new concepts to only better improve our governing body."

The bell rang and she raised her voice over the bustle of movement. "Before you head off to your language class, I want three to five changes that you think that the Ministry needs to make to assist in international relations and why. We'll discuss them next class. Ciao!"

Harry closed his notebook and grabbed his bag. He was taking Ancient Greek in the same class as Ancient Runes, which luckily for him was only two floors down. He hurried along, smiling warmly at Hannah when she stepped in behind him. This class was proving rather interesting too, and he found himself enjoying the passages they studied. He'd even picked up on two new spells in Ancient Greek that Professor Babbling had let them try out. One worked as a luminary guide when lost in the dark, and the second one was a more complicated unlocking charm for stubborn locks.

He opened his book and waited patiently for Professor Babbling, his eyes on his watch. He planned to spend his free period after class flying out on the pitch and then he planned to meet his girlfriend and hopefully spend a good portion of the evening with her in his arms. The thought made him grin before he caught himself.

He couldn't wait to snog her again.

 **Remus stepped into his cottage that evening, yawning.** The day had felt longer than usual, and he wanted nothing more than to snuggle into Nymphadora and sleep the entire weekend away. He heard chatter coming from the kitchen, and he smiled at the sight of Ted and Andromeda sitting at the table with his wife.

"Remus," Ted said, a smile on his face. "Come sit. Dromeda made pie."

Remus smiled as he sat down with them. "What's the occasion for pie?"

Ted grinned. "One never needs an occasion for pie."

Once Remus had a slice of fresh blueberry pie in front of him, Andromeda turned back to her daughter.

"So have you seen the woman again?"

Tonks nodded. "In passing the last few days, and she always gives me dirty looks, but she hasn't spoken to me again since that day in the cafeteria. Atwell says that I should let it go, but at the same time, I think a throat punch would do the bitch good."

Ted chuckled. "That's my girl!"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Who is this, and why don't I know about it?"

Tonks shook her head. "No one important."

Andromeda frowned. "Dora, don't lie to him. He deserves to know."

Remus looked between his wife and his mother-in-law in confusion. "What's going on?"

Ted sighed. "An old flame of yours insulted Dora a few days ago, and she's still holding a grudge."

"An old flame?" Remus asked. "I didn't really have any old flames. Who?"

"Veronica something or other," Tonks said. "An old shag then."

Remus' mouth opened in surprise. "Veronica Riley? _Why_?"

Tonks sighed and explained about how Veronica had heard Atwell call her Lupin, and how she'd reacted. "I swear that I was ready to drop that bitch right there if Atwell hadn't stopped me."

"Nymphadaora," Remus said quietly. "I told you that taking my name would be hard."

Ted shook his head. "A man's lucky to have a woman want to take his name. It's her choice to do so and our Dora? She knows what she wants. I'm proud to call her Lupin."

Remus flushed as Andromeda stood up to kiss his cheek.

"We'd best be off, Pixie. Ted and I have a few errands to run. Dinner on Sunday?"

"We'll be there, Mum," Tonks said, hugging her parents goodbye. Once she had closed the front door behind them she turned to her husband. "I _didn't_ punch her in the throat, so points for me, right?"

Remus tugged her down into his lap. "I'm sorry that you were forced to put up with that. You don't deserve it."

"Neither do you," Tonks told him.

He smiled and kissed her softly. "I love that you took my name. I love that Auror Nymphadora Lupin is such a badass."

Tonks' lips lingered on his. "I am and don't you forget it."

"How was work otherwise? Any luck with the Azkaban breakout?"

She shook her head. "We're pretty much at a standstill. Higgins and I looked around for Zabini as well, but she's in the wind. She was definitely in Hogsmeade in October though."

Remus nodded. He told her about what Rhiannon had suggested and Tonks' eyebrows rose.

"That sounds brilliant! I'd love to learn how to swing a broadsword!" She reached down to fondle him through his jeans. "Do you think holding this thing counts as experience?"

Remus' cheeks heated. "Dora!"

She grinned and nibbled on his ear. "Mmm, just saying, I think that I'm getting pretty good at handling _your sword_."

"Minx."

Tonks chuckled against his mouth before she stood up. "Why don't we go into the bedroom and see how good I can be?"

Remus stared at her for a moment before he stood up, undoing his belt, jeans and boxers, and dropping them all to the floor. "Who said that we need to go to the bedroom?"

Tonks grinned and reached out to touch him. He was already half hard when she took him in her hands. "Take off your shirt and tie."

Remus did as she asked, standing naked in the kitchen and sighing under her ministrations. Her hands were pumping him slowly, _achingly_ slowly, and he grew harder.

"Come here, Nymphadora," he murmured, pulling her closer. "Take off your clothes."

Tonks ignored him and instead fell to her knees. Her hands continued to work him before she made eye contact and took the tip of him into her mouth. Remus elicited a groan as her tongue slid over him, stroking the underside of his shaft in quick little licks that shot lust straight into his belly.

"Nympha- _fuck_ …"

Her eyes twinkled at him as she worked her mouth lower, taking more of him. His head fell back as her mouth got busy, along with her hands. Remus rested his hand on the back of her head, holding her in place. He did everything he could not to thrust his hips, to urge her to take more of him into that sweet mouth. Tonks understood what he wanted and he watched in amazement as she tilted her head back, her mouth moving like she was savouring a particularly delicious candy. She moaned against him and the sound send shivers through him as he grunted.

Tonks slowly pulling him out of her mouth, flattening her tongue against his tip as she caught her breath. "I made it halfway that time."

"Nymphadora," Remus moaned, his fingers clutching her curls. "Take off your clothes."

Tonks grinned seductively, tugging her shirt and bra off. His hand reached down to grip a breast, and when his thumb stroked her nipple, she leaned forward and engulfed his cock in her mouth again.

Remus groaned, his hips thrusting slightly before he could contain himself. "Fuck!"

She took him deeper, her hand pumping his base as her other hand slid below to fondle him. She trailed her fingernails over his sack, kneading it with her thumb, taking him deeper into her mouth. He weaved his fingers through her hair even tighter as she slowly slid her lips off, dipping her head to kiss and suck his sack again. His legs trembled as she pulled his balls into her mouth, savouring them. He groaned in desperation.

She sucked harder and he gasped, his cock bobbing in the air. Her hand slid up to pump him again before her mouth returned to his shaft, flattening her tongue across his tip. He reached back to grip the table for support and she grinned wickedly.

"Having trouble standing there, Professor?"

Remus' breath hitched. "You're destroying me."

She slid her hand up his stomach and stood up, kissing his lips. "Payback, love, for all of the times that you've destroyed me."

He kissed her deeply, his hardness pressing into her belly as he tugged her pants and underwear down. "I want to be inside of you."

Tonks kissed him gently and pulled away. "No."

"No?"

She grinned and licked her lips. "I need to practice more."

Remus groaned as she dropped back to her knees and used her mouth. "No, you - fuck!"

Tonks moaned against him as she worked him over, and when he felt the tightening in his gut, he grabbed her hair roughly, his fingers brushing against the shaved part of her head.

"I - now!"

Her eyes met his and they twinkled in delight a moment before he came. Her hands gripped his arse, holding him in place in her mouth. When he finally began to soften, she slid her mouth off him, his eyes on hers, and swallowed. Remus groaned, tugging her up onto the table to kiss her deeply. She sighed against him, her hand still squeezing his bum.

"I love your big cock, Rem."

"I can't handle any more of your teasing right now, you vixen," he said, bending his head to kiss her breast. "And I'm going to show you what I love."

She shrieked when he picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder, his hand slapping her naked bum as he carried her to the bedroom.

"Put me down!"

He ignored her, so she slid her hand down to spank him. He kept walking, kicking the bedroom door closed behind them as he tossed her down onto the bed. She bounced on the softness before he pinned her arms up over her head, his tongue trailing between her breasts and down her tight abdomen, making her muscles quiver in anticipation. He licked her belly button ring, tongue trailing along her scars, licking lower, sucking the skin long enough to leave a mark before he parted her legs and used his tongue between her thighs.

Tonks cried out, her head tilting back against the bedspread and her hands struggling against his grip. He ignored this and continued to assault her with his mouth and tongue as she wriggled desperately. He sucked and licked, nipping at her in all the right places and when he flattened his tongue against her clit and inserted two fingers, she screamed his name.

Merlin, he loved the taste of her. He could spend the rest of his life with his tongue inside of her and never tire of it. He loved the way she reacted to every swipe and lick and as he happily sucked the little nub into his mouth, her hips arched against him, and his fingers clenched at her sides. She was the most glorious and gorgeous person he'd ever seen, and when she was climaxing, she was an absolute goddess.

He flicked her with his tongue before he swiped up in one long delicious lick and then he used his fingers, watching in fascination as her hair colour swapped from varying shades of pink and purple to her natural brown before hitting a light blonde and going back to pink. When her hair changed, he knew that he was doing it right. Watching her lose control was amazing. He let go of her hands just as she came, bowing his head to taste her again.

The sound of her panting his name between cries was music to his ears, and when she finally stopped vibrating beneath him, he slipped two fingers back in to build her up again. He was already rock hard again. Tonks was trembling beneath him, her cheeks flushed, her nipples hard as he straddled her, positioning himself over her. He teased her, brushing himself over her slit as she groaned, hips arching. Then he tugged her up into a sitting position, wrapped her legs around his waist, and slid into her.

Her eyes widened as she cried out and he just held her, waiting for her to adjust until she finally began to ride him. Her fingers squeezed his bum as she did so, and her small breasts bouncing. Remus kissed her forehead tenderly when she came a second time. He lasted only a minute longer before he fell back onto his side, tugging her with him.

Tonks snuggled into his warm embrace, her skin sweaty and glistening. "Mmm, we haven't been doing that nearly enough lately."

Remus kissed her softly. "Work's been keeping us both long hours."

She slid her hand over his arms. "We need to make time. Mind blowing sex every day, maybe twice a day."

"Check," he said, grinning against the top of her head. "Now we should sleep though."

She nodded, her cheek pressed against his heart. "In the morning, will you make me French toast?"

He chuckled. "Anything you want, love."

She tilted her head back, her eyes twinkling in mischief. "If you add strawberries, I'll suck you off while you make them."

Remus' eyes darkened. "Then you wouldn't get your damn breakfast and you know it."

"If I'm going to handle that broadsword, I have to practice," she said lightly.

"You're such a little tease, go to sleep."

She rested her cheek over his heart again, sighing in contentment. She liked teasing him and she loved to make him smile. Not to mention that her teasing usually resulted in her being given incredible orgasms, and she'd never not love those. She let her eyes close and she drifted off, thinking of all the ways she planned to seduce her husband in the morning.

 **Morrigan landed in front of Theo again a few days after he had written back.** He raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected to hear from Ciara's uncle again. He took the letter and smiled when the owl greeted him affectionately before it took off once more. Theo broke the seal to read in curiosity.

 _Dear Theo,_

 _You have not offended me and in all honesty, I would be honoured if you'd call me Finn. That's what my friends call me._

 _Our societies are indeed changing. The Court of Tara has always been open to other magical and Muggle beings alike coming to be part of our world. Though I admit we are sometimes still hesitant towards wolves, as they used to be our enemy once upon a time. My own sister fell in love with a Muggle and she is as happy as she can be. Sometimes it is hard for us as we have to change our way of life to reflect one of non-magical society for the sake of those we love … but love is a magic in itself, and should never be taken for granted or deemed unworthy merely because of a difference in blood!_

 _So, tell me, is Ciara adjusting a little better now that the school year has taken off? She seems much happier in her letters and they are always full of the things that she has learned in class. She really loves Potions and says that Professor Snape is her favourite professor. Is he a good professor?_

 _Your Friend,_

 _Finn_

Theo smiled as he closed the letter. He felt rather honoured that this man was looking to him for his opinions. He thought that Ciara was lucky to have someone so caring in her life. Snape _was_ a good professor for the most part, and he had to stop worrying about his connection to the Dark Lord. He tucked the letter away safely in his pocket before he made his way up to the Head Table and stopped in front of Snape's chair.

"Sir?"

Snape looked up, his teacup in his hand. "Yes, Mr Nott?"

"I need a character reference for my lawyer. Would you please write me one?"

Snape stared at him for a long moment and then he nodded curtly. "I'll have it ready before dinner. Come pick it up in my office."

"Thank you," Theo said, feeling lighter as he turned away. He found a cozy little alcove near the entrance hall and pulled out his parchment with a smile.

 _Dear Finn,_

 _Thank you! Your letter inspired me to do something that I have been putting off. Professor Snape is a good professor. He's knowledgeable and intelligent, but he can also give off a rather angry glow. In fact, I think he's miserable ninety percent of the time, but he is always there for the students of his house when they need him. Thank you for reminding me of that._

 _Ciara is a lucky girl to have such a nice bloke for her uncle. I appreciate you taking the time to write to me. With the Christmas holidays coming up soon, it's nice to know that I have a friend in my corner._

 _Wishing you the best and a merry holiday._

 _Your Friend,_

 _Theo_

He sealed the letter in an envelope and made his way to the owlery to send it out. He watched his owl fly away and he sighed. He felt like he had found a friend in this mysterious prince. Ciara was lucky to have an uncle such as this. He was whistling at the thought of making a friend with a prince as he made his way back down to the Slytherin common room. He tried to imagine what Finn looked like. He had to be at least mid-thirties he figured, maybe slim like Professor Lupin. He wondered if he was married and had his own kids as well. It would be nice to have someone like that to talk to. Someone he could even look up to when he gained his title; someone he could go to for advice.

 _Like a father_ , a voice whispered in his head.

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were the closest thing to parents he'd ever had. He adored them, but with Lucius on the run from the Ministry and them being supporters of Voldemort, he felt like nothing he said to them was safe. His own father wasn't worth his spit, and Theo knew that. The Weasleys were the kindest people he'd ever met, taking him into their home and welcoming him with open arms, but Arthur Weasley didn't understand the intricacies of running an estate. Theo'd never really had a family, and the thought that Ciara's uncle could be a kindly older man to fill those shoes made him feel oddly elated.

Maybe when he wrote back, he would ask his advice on what he should do first when he took on the title of Norfolk. He was lost in his thoughts when a hand grabbed his arm. He turned to see Macmillan there.

Ernie sneered at him. "Sally-Ann isn't letting me get past fondling. Why don't you come help me with my wand?"

Theo swallowed slowly before he dutifully followed the Hufflepuff prefect to an abandoned classroom down the hall. _Almost there_ , he thought. Snape was writing him a reference, and he would find two more people to write him the same. Once the lawyer had everything organized, he'd be able to claim his birthright, and once he had the title, he'd make Macmillan pay for this.

When he finished, he spit at the prefect's feet without thinking. Ernie grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him backwards with a snarl. Theo curled into a ball to protect himself against the onslaught of Ernie's feet and fists. He finally cried out in pain as his nose was broken from a punch to the face, his ribs bruised painfully from fists and boots.

"If you _ever_ waste my seed like that again, I'll make you regret it," Ernie said, before he spitting on his face.

Theo's fingers clutched his wand as he urged himself not to do it, not to curse that prick. He knew that it would make the situation worse. As he watched Ernie smugly leave the room, he let the tears roll down his cheeks. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand this.

Theo crawled to his feet, wincing in pain, just as Peeves slid into the room.

"Oooh, naughty Slytherin Nott's been fighting. I should tell a professor, I should!"

Theo shook his head. "Please don't, Peeves."

Peeves stared at him before making a raspberry and disappearing through the wall.

Theo managed to climb to his feet, using his sleeve to mop the blood from his face. He used a glamour charm on himself to hide his injuries, and then he slowly made his way back to Slytherin. He was pretty sure that he could heal his own nose, he just needed a mirror. And hopefully, his ribs would heal on their own.

He didn't pass anyone along the way, and by the time he reached his dorm, his whole body was aching from the long walk. He would just sit for a moment and rest, he thought. Then he could heal his nose. But when Theo finally collapsed in his own bed, he slept like the dead.

He was woken less than an hour later by Draco shouting.

"What the fuck, Theo?"

He blinked owlishly as the flash of pain in his face, reminded him that he hadn't fixed his nose before passing out. Considering his friend's reaction, Theo was pretty sure his glamour charm had worn off as well.

"Draco?"

Draco grabbed him by the arms and pulled him to his feet. "What the bloody hell happened to you? Your face is covered in blood?"

"Can you fix thit?"

Draco pointed his wand at Theo's face. "Episkey!"

The shot of pain and the loud crack made his eyes water, but his nose felt infinitely better. "Thanks."

Draco put his wand away. "What happened?"

Theo shrugged, deliberately not looking his friend in the eye. "I came down here for a nap and tripped, fell down the stairs, smashed my face into the stone. It hurt like a bitch, but it seemed like too much effort to go back up the stairs."

Draco stared at him. "I don't believe you."

"That's your prerogative," Theo told him, shrugging it off. "But that's what happened. I took a beating going down the stairs though. Do you still have any of that bruising salve?"

"You're going to the hospital wing."

"What? No, I'm fine."

Draco grabbed his arm roughly and tugged him out of the bed completely. His voice was cold as ice when he spoke. "I will fucking carry you if you make me, Theo."

Theo swallowed slowly. "That won't be necessary, I'll go."

Draco didn't speak to him as he marched him back up the stairs and to the hospital wing. He told Madam Pomfrey that Theo claimed he'd fallen down the stairs, and that Draco had taken it upon himself to heal his nose. Pomfrey gave Draco twenty points for his excellent healing work before she made Theo take off his shirt.

"Mr Malfoy, if we could have some privacy, please?"

Draco shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving his side."

"Draco — "

" — _Shut it_ , Theo."

Theo closed his mouth and carefully tugged his shirt over his head, wincing at the pain. His ribs were covered in fist size bruises. Some were fist-sized, but some had obvious boot impressions.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "You did _not_ fucking fall down the stairs!"

"Mr Malfoy, if you are going to yell at my patient, I will force you to leave."

Draco nodded, but glared at his friend.

Theo flushed, his eyes in his lap. "I think a rib is broken."

Pomfrey ignored him as she poked and prodded. He winced as her wand healed three of his ribs before she wrapped his torso in a tight bandage. Then she forced him to drink a potion (so vile he nearly vomited) before she grabbed his chin and stared him down.

"Who hurt you?"

Theo pulled his chin from her grasp. "I fell down the stairs, I told you."

Pomfrey stared at him before she nodded. "Get into bed and get some rest. I'll see how you are in the morning before I release you for classes tomorrow. I'll tell Professor Snape where you are."

Draco took a seat in the chair next to Theo and crossed his arms. He waited for the matron to leave before he spoke. "Now you're lying to Pomfrey too?"

Theo closed his eyes. "Go away, Draco."

"No," he said angrily. "I want to know who the prick was who did this to you. When I find him, he's going to wish that he'd never been born!"

"Draco! I fell down the bloody stairs and I kicked myself as I tumbled ass over tea kettle, okay? It's embarrassing enough as it is, stop trying to make it something that it isn't!"

Draco stared at him before he got up so fast the chair behind him flipped over. "Don't you fucking lie to me, Theo; don't you do that! Our whole life has become about lies. If we can't trust each other, what do we have?"

Theo swallowed. The hurt flashing in Draco's silver-blue eyes made his heart clench. If he told Draco, he'd go after Ernie … and he couldn't risk that, _not yet_ , not until the thing with the lawyer was resolved. Theo had to wait until then. He couldn't risk taking the chance that it backfired on him.

"Just trust me, okay? I know what I'm doing! Let me handle this!"

Draco reached out to touch Theo's shoulder before he caught himself. Then he turned and stormed out of the hospital wing. His silence more hurtful than anything he could have said.

 **Harry and Ginny were walking hand in hand through the halls when Draco stormed through their joined hands.**

"Oi!" Harry called out.

Draco shot them the finger as he kept walking.

Ginny looked at Harry in surprise. "What was that about?"

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea. He's always been a bloody wanker though."

"Yes, and no," Ginny said carefully, her eyes on Draco's retreating back. "Theo said that he cares very deeply about his friends and doesn't know how to deal with it, which is part of his attitude."

"He's still a wanker."

Ginny stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "I support that. Was he coming from the hospital wing?"

Harry shrugged as they walked along the hall. Peeking into the hospital wing, they could see the curtains closed around a bed.

Harry frowned. "There is someone in there."

Ginny broke away from him and took a step into the hospital wing before Madam Pomfrey spotted her.

"Out! I have patients resting! Out!"

Ginny frowned as the door closed in her face.

Harry tugged her close. "Want to go up and get the map? It will tell us who's inside."

Ginny thought about it for a moment before she shook her head. "No, it's none of our business. We don't know for sure that he came from there. He probably came from the library."

Harry kissed the top of her head, entwining his fingers with hers again. "Okay. Shall we keep walking then?"

Ginny smiled, squeezing his hand as they continued their stroll. "Yes, please."

Harry brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed her fingers in a move he always saw Sirius and Remus use. The smile it brought to Ginny's face made him grin back. "It sucks that it's raining. I really wanted to take you up on my _Firebolt._ "

Ginny looked up at him. "I think that _I'd_ be the one taking you up on your broomstick."

"Oh really?"

"Really," she said as he backed her up into the alcove at the end of the corridor until her back reached the wall. "I think by now you should know I can handle any broomstick."

Harry's breath hitched as he contemplated the double entrendre. "You _are_ incredible in the air."

Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know. Aren't you glad that I tried out for the team?"

His gaze dropped to her lips as he nodded, lowering his head. "Uh-huh," he murmured, brushing his lips over hers.

Ginny brushed hers back, gently and teasingly as they stared at each other, neither of them willing to make the first move … and then she gasped in surprise when he lifted her, pinning her against the wall with his hips so that they were face to face. His hands shot out to hold the wall on either side of her head. "Well, hello up here."

Her arms were still circled around his neck, and she slid one hand into his neck before tugging his mouth to hers.

Harry groaned against her mouth, his hands leaving the wall to grip her waist as his mouth met hers. It was almost ten minutes before they heard someone coming. Harry pulled away, carefully lowering her back to the ground. Ginny winked at him, interlacing their fingers just as Snape came around the corner, his robes billowing out behind him.

"No loitering in the hall," he said darkly. "Five points from Gryffindor."

Ginny stuck her tongue out at his retreating back. Harry laughed, tugging her arm.

"Where are we going?" Ginny asked.

He shrugged, eyes twinkling. "Anywhere you want."

Ginny simply tugged him along the corridor. He tilted his head to watch the sway of her hips and thought he'd never felt happier.

 **Ginny glanced at her watch for the fourth time the next afternoon before she blowing out a frustrated sigh.** There was late - and then there was forgetting all together. She stuffed her books back into her bag and left the library, heading towards the study hall. That's when she saw Blaise.

"Zabini!"

He turned and flashed her a winning smile. "Hi Weasley. Are you done with Potter and coming to snog me?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "No."

He shrugged good naturally. "Can't blame a bloke for trying."

" _Anyway_ ," Ginny said ignoring his flirtatious smirk. "Theo was supposed to meet me over an hour ago. Do you know where he is?"

Blaise frowned. "He promised Draco and I that he'd rest this afternoon before he met with you. Maybe he overslept?"

"Why does he need to rest?"

"He took a hard fall down the stairs the other day and spent last night in the hospital wing. You didn't hear?"

" _What_?" Ginny exclaimed, suddenly remembering how Draco had plowed his way through her and Harry the day before. "What happened? How did he fall? How bad were his injuries?"

Blaise made a gesture with his head and urged her into the private alcove, away from the crowded corridor. "He says that he fell down the stairs, but Draco and I don't believe him. His nose was broken, he has a black eye and a few broken ribs. Draco said that he had fist shaped bruises and a boot impression over his ribs, but Theo's not talking."

Ginny's eyes widened in alarm. "What do you mean _he's not talking_? _Who did this_ to him?"

"We don't know. He keeps insisting that he fell down, that we don't know what we're talking about, and to leave him alone. I know that he's been seeing someone, but he hasn't said peep about him."

"I need to see him, Zabini, please."

Blaise shrugged. "I don't know where he is."

"Check your dorm then. But I need to see him."

Blaise stared at her. "When he's ready to see you, he will. I'm letting him rest."

Ginny glared at his back as he turned and walked away. She understood his protectiveness, as she felt the same. Which infuriated her more. Why wouldn't Theo tell anyone who hurt him? Ginny adjusted the strap of her bag and ran all the way back to Gryffindor Tower. She spotted Neville and Ron playing chess in the corner, but a quick scan of the room showed her that Harry wasn't there. She ran up the stairs to the boys dormitory to find him.

Unfortunately, she was stopped halfway up by Fred and George.

"Ginny, just where do you think you're going?" Fred asked, his voice accusatory. "Do Forge and I need to discuss the birds and bees with you and Harry?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Hardly. I need to see Harry."

" _Snog_ Harry, you mean," George corrected. His expression sobered at his sister's menacing look. "Just teasing, Nevra, but you know that you're not supposed to be up here. You, my lovely sister, are not a bloke."

"Now's not the time for your jokes, George! Something happened to Theo, and stupid Zabini won't let me see him. I need Harry to find him on the map."

Fred draped an arm across her shoulders. "Gem, you don't need the map, you have us. Come with us and we'll help you."

Ginny stared up at her brother. "You will?"

Fred grinned. "Sneak into the Slytherin common room? Piece of cake."

She stared at them apprehensively. "Okay. Tell me what to do."

Fred and George exchanged a look and she wondered just how good of an idea this really was.

Thirty minutes later, she was standing in the Slytherin common room in complete shock. She never should have underestimated the power of the Weasley twins. Their knowledge of secret passageways, passwords and shortcuts had not only gotten her through the portrait hole safely - but she had the hood up on a Slytherin robe disguising her well enough to sneak undetected through the throng of students.

The large, rectangular, stone common room was decorated in Slytherin colours. A warm fireplace lit up on one end, and students were sprawled around chatting and doing homework. Ginny took a deep breath before heading towards the archway on the far right. Fred had explained that the dorms were underground rather than elevated like Gryffindor's. She followed the stone steps down, passing the marked dormitories until she found the section marked fifth years. Then she carefully pushed open the tall wooden door.

Her eyes passed over five four-poster beds decorated with velvet green bed curtains as opposed to red. Clothes were thrown haphazardly around the floor, and she smelled a mix of cologne, dirty socks, and peppermint. The room was circular like Gryffindor tower, but instead of bright windows, the walls were glass, displaying the underside of the Black Lake. It was rather beautiful. There was only one bed curtain closed. She took a step towards it just as the bathroom door opened on the left and Malfoy stepped out.

He was wearing unbuttoned black trousers and nothing else. His pale skin was more muscled than she expected for his lean frame, his shoulders broader.

"Weaslette," he said dryly. "How the fuck did you get in here?"

She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Carefully. Is he asleep?"

Malfoy looked like he was going to protest before he shrugged. "Supposed to be. I put a silencing charm around his bed so he wouldn't be disturbed. Do you know who he's been seeing?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, he wouldn't tell me."

"Ten minutes and then you're gone. If anyone finds out that we let a blood traitor in here, all hell will break loose."

Ginny smirked at him. She rather doubted that Malfoy would cause such a ruckus, but she'd let him think otherwise. She took a step towards Theo's bed, pulling his bed curtains open. He was sleeping, his breathing quiet, but there was an ugly bruise over his right eye and cheek. She bent her head to kiss his non bruised cheek, and he stirred.

"Ginny?"

"If you weren't so injured, I'd punch you, Theodore Nott."

He smiled. "Aw, chick, that's so sweet." He sat up with a wince. "Wait, how did you get in here?"

Ginny ignored him. "What happened?"

"I fell down the stairs, kicked myself as I fell, and smashed face first into the stone wall at the bottom."

"That sounds painful," she said honestly.

"It was. Also embarrassing. I broke a few ribs on my way down. Don't worry, chick, a few more days and I'll be fine."

"Your face is pretty bruised. Didn't Madam Pomfrey give you any bruise salve?"

"She did," Malfoy said darkly from behind them. He had pulled on a shirt by now. and his arms were crossed in front of his chest. "But since Theo's been using a glamour charm to hide bruises, he hasn't healed properly."

"So Malfoy's right, you _are_ lying."

"Ginny, I'm going to be okay."

She frowned, her eyes searching his. "Why won't you tell anyone who hurt you?"

Theo let out a slow sigh. "I - no one is hurting me."

"And there he goes, lying again!" Malfoy exclaimed angrily. "If you're not going to tell me the truth, Theo, then sod off! Next time I find you bleeding all over your bed, I'm going to leave you there to rot, you bloody wanker! Now let's go, Weasley. You've seen him!"

Ginny made to protest when Draco grabbed her arm. He was already shoving her out of the room and back up the stairs. "I can walk myself, Malfoy!"

He ignored her until he'd shoved her out of the portrait hole. "If I see you in here again, I'll report you."

"I wanted to check on Theo! Blaise told me that he was in the hospital and he was supposed to meet me, but he didn't show up. I love him too, you know."

Malfoy only stared at her for a long moment. "Then next time, _you_ can deal with him when he's lying in a puddle of his own blood."

And then the portrait hole slammed shut.

Ginny stomped her foot in frustration and turned around just as Harry came around the corner, the map in his hand.

"Ginny, are you okay? I saw your name on the map with Malfoy's in Slytherin House, and I panicked."

Instead of answering, Ginny threw her arms around his neck and burrowed close. When his warm arms came around her, his hands resting flat on her back.

"Are you okay? What are you doing down here?"

She sighed against him. "Harry, someone hurt Theo."

Harry pulled back to look into her eyes. "What?"

Ginny quickly explained what had happened. "And I know that Malfoy is just as worried about him. He's worried sick, anyone can see that, but he kicked me out and Theo won't tell anyone what happened!"

Harry kissed the top of head before he spoke. "You know, a few weeks back I saw him leaving a room after another bloke. His lip was bleeding, but he told me that it was nothing, and to be honest, it _did_ look like nothing at the time … but now I wonder."

"Who was the bloke?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. It was dark, and I only saw an outline."

"I'm so worried, Harry. What if they hurt him again? Why won't he tell us?"

"There must be a reason behind it," he insisted. "But for now, let's make sure that Theo's not wandering the castle alone for any reason. I'll stick with him in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, and I'll put a bird in Draco and Blaise's ear about doing the same for his other classes. Whoever attacked him isn't likely to do it with others around."

She nodded. The thought calmed her a little. "But what about when he's in Slytherin? Or even near Crabbe or Goyle? He rooms with them and he doesn't get along with them, he's told me. We both know that their fathers are Death Eaters."

Harry gently brushed his thumb across her cheek. "We can't watch him twenty-four hours a day, Ginny. We'll do what we can and hope that he decides to come clean about who hurt him."

She knew that he was right, but it didn't make her feel any better. "Okay. Harry, it had to be a Slytherin, right? Someone who maybe knows his dad?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, Gin. But we'll find out, we will," he insisted at her look. "And Theo will be okay."

She burrowed back into his arms, letting him hold her close. Theo had to be okay; she couldn't bear it otherwise.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Thank you Steel for helping me with the idea about the Sovereign Chalice._

 _Ekrizdis is the man who created Azkaban. It was only discovered because he died and his charms failed._

 _Damocles Rowle was the Minister of Magic who decided to make Azkaban a prison and use the Dementors as guards._

 _Desdemona Lestrange is of my invention._

 _I feel like the government is never fully explained, how it works and how people are brought to justice, we only see the little snippets of Dumbledore's memories of Death Eater trials and how Harry is tried by the Wizengamot, which we know is not normal, so I hope this chapter better explains how it works._

 _Praetor is Latin term for judge during Roman times._

 _Thank you as always for reading and I promise to be back with chapter 201 in no longer than 4 weeks from now. Thank you for everything and please review!_


	201. Chapter 201

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to everyone who left me such positive reviews about me needing this time for myself. I feel refreshed and ready to go after three weeks. It was much needed and a wonderful reprieve for me to get my creative juices flowing once again. The Hinny Discord was very helpful to me as well so thank you for that._

 _To LifeonEarth (and anyone else interested) here is a chapter by chapter guideline of Remus/Tonks and Sirius/Zee and Harry/Ginny - this has also been posted on my tumblr._

 _Remus/Tonks (Remadora) Chapters:_

 _17-19-20-21-40-55-57-58-59-60-61-62-65-70-72-73-74-75-77-80-81-83-84-86-88-90-91-93-95-101-107-110-121-123-125-130-132-137-139-140-142-143-146-150-153-157-161-167-176-179-180-181-182-183-185-186-194-200_

 _Sirius/Zee (Zeerius) Chapters:_

 _65-66-68-70-71-73-74-75-76-77-78-85-86-87-89-92-93-98-99-104-105-110-111-112-115-120-121-123-128-130-131-132-134-135-136-138-139-140-143-144-148-149-152-153-155-157-158-159-162-163-165-166-167-168-169-172-173-175-176-180-183-188-189-191-194-195-196-197-198-199_

 _Harry/Ginny (Hinny) Chapters:_

 _19-22-23-26-32-45-46-55-60-76-78-79-81-85-89-93-99-100-102-103-104-105-108-110-112-113-114-116-119-124-125-129-135-137-140-143-148-149-151-153-155-159-162-160-164-165-166-167-170-171-172-173-174-175-179-180-182-183-184-185-186-187-188-189-190-191-193-194-195-196-197-198-199-200_

 _Reviews: I want Hinny to be adorable and I agree we just didn't get the opportunity to see them in this love-struck stage. As to Theo's attacker being a Slytherin, yes, Ginny will not be happy. To SuperBossy, I do think that Theo should tell his friends but right now he doesn't feel that is an option so he's not sharing it. To Carys924, thank you! I can never decide which genre is my favourite so I try to write a little bit of everything. Interesting theories about Finn, we'll see how many of you guessed right (eventually). The destruction of Dementors, supersandman86, very interesting concept. I will think about it. To HGRfan 35, that sounds fascinating and totally makes sense! For those silent readers who never leave reviews, but read diligently every week - THANK YOU! You are just as precious to me as those who leave thoughts (but you are always welcomed and encouraged to leave your own)._

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her wonderful editing skills and putting up with annoying self!_

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND ONE:**

 **When they left Number Twelve that afternoon, Sirius was furious.** He was doing his best not to show his anger, but he was more than just pissed off. When Molly had listed Zee's name as being on guard duty for the next week, his stomach had plummeted. He'd spoken before he meant to.

"No, she's bloody well not!"

Molly had looked up in surprise. "Zee told me that she was able to do guard duty on Tuesday and Wednesday next. Did you not, dear?"

Zee nodded. "I did, Molly. Yes, thank you."

Sirius had glared at her. "She's not doing guard duty, Molly! Take her name off the roster! I'll do her nights!"

"Ignore Sirius, Molly. I make my own decisions, _not him_."

He had been fuming ever since. He hadn't spoken another word to her as the meeting ended and they headed back to Black Cottage. Sirius slammed the door shut behind them, tucking his shoes away before he stormed into the kitchen to get himself a drink.

"Oh, is that your plan then?" Zee asked from behind him. "Come home and have a drink instead of telling me why you acted like an arse back there?"

He turned to glare at her, the bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand. " _I_ acted like an arse? Well, you do whatever the fuck you want without asking me for permission first. Why can't I do what I want?"

Zee's eyes narrowed from the doorway. " _Ask your permission_? You did not just say those words to me."

Sirius shrugged, putting the bottle down without opening it. "Maybe I did! _You're mine_ , aren't you? You live under _my_ roof! You are _my girlfriend_!"

Zee glared at him and marched into the kitchen. "Well, then as _your girlfriend_ , let me cook _you_ dinner since that's all I'm good for obviously - to live and serve under Lord Black. With your permission, of course."

"Fuck!" Sirius declared, slamming the bottle back down on the counter as Zee began to search for pots and pans. "Zahira — "

" — don't you, _Zahira_ me!" she replied angrily, a frying pan in her hand. "How _dare you_ speak to me like that? How _dare you_ imply that I don't know what I'm talking about in front of the Order today! I'm hardly helpless! I am a powerful witch who is a high ranking agent in the DRCMC, and you are acting like I'm some stupid incompetent child who doesn't know how to care for herself!"

Sirius felt angry again as he stared back at her. "How dare you tell Molly that you're up for two bloody days of guard duty next week without telling me first! At the moment, you _are_ incompetent!"

"You've been doing duty twice a week since we started it!" Zee yelled at him, her eyes flashing in anger. "So _you_ can do it, but I'm incompetent?"

"Yes! No! I mean — I'm capable of it!" he yelled back.

Zee's eyes narrowed. "And I'm not? Just because you have a penis doesn't make you better than me! I'm just as capable of going out on missions for the Order, and I don't need you to pull the Penis Card and claim otherwise!"

"I'm not saying that you're not capable or incompetent!" Sirius exclaimed. "Don't put words in my mouth! This has nothing to do with my damn penis! You're still bloody healing! You haven't even gone back to work yet!"

"I go back next week. If I can work, I can do guard duty!"

"Zahira, I don't want you doing this until you're better," he stressed. "Your first week back to work is going to be rough. Give yourself at least until the second week before you add more! If it was me, you'd insist on the same! You'd tell me that I was trying to do too much!"

Zee glared at him before her eyes softened a little. "Fine. I'll push it back to cover some time during the holidays. By then, I'll have been back to work for over two weeks and _perfectly capable_ of handling guard duty with a partner for a few hours! Is that alright, oh, Lord Black, sir?" She asked, batting her lashes.

"No!" he retorted. "You will not be capable by then! You're not doing this bloody Order guard without me there! I won't have it! Not in your condition! And don't start with that Lord Black shite - you know that's not what I'm saying!"

She glared at him. "You are not the boss of me, Sirius Black. I will not sit back and let you treat me like some bloody damsel in distress who can't find her own bloody shadow if she's left alone in the dark for too long, simply because I don't have a cock!"

"I never said that you were a bloody damsel!" he shouted back. "I said that you're not healed enough, and that I won't have it! This has nothing to do with the fact that you're a woman, Zee! You're not going and that's that! I don't want you leaving this bloody house, period!"

"You are being unreasonable!" Zee insisted. "I don't take orders from you, Sirius! You can't tell me what I can and cannot do!"

"Yes, I can!" he exploded, his eyes flashing in rage. "And you're not bloody well going! I'm writing to Molly to take your name off the roster! You will not be going and that's that! End of discussion!"

The clink of the frying pan against the side of his head made Sirius stumble backward in pain.

"Bloody buggering _fuck!_ "

"You don't tell me what to do!" Zee yelled. "I am part of the Order just the same as you, and if I'm needed for a simple task like guard duty, I am going to be there! And you won't stop me, you bloody prat!"

Sirius clutched his head as it throbbed painfully, a little blood dripping through his fingers. His angry eyes met hers, but when he spoke his voice was as cold as ice. "I have a meeting."

"Your meeting isn't for another three hours," she pointed out bitterly.

Sirius only stared at her before he turned and stormed out of the cottage.

Zee collapsed, tears in her eyes, to the kitchen floor when the front door slammed shut. Lady Godiva hesitantly nuzzled her shoulder, but Zee could only put her arms around the panther and she sobbed.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry knocked on the doorframe of McGonagall's office door after lunch that Saturday.** He grinned when Nyx lifted her head, stretching her long frame before rising to greet him. He scratched the large cat behind the ears, his eyes on McGonagall.

"You wanted to see me, Auntie Minnie?"

McGonagall nodded and urged him to have a seat. "Yes, come in, Harry. I know that you are heading out to Quidditch practice, but I just need a moment. Did Miss Granger mention guest speaking in my class?"

"She mentioned it in passing, yeah," Harry told her. "Something about now that we're all registered, you wanting us to show our Animagus forms to your third years?"

McGonagall tapped her fingernails on the desk as she spoke. "I would. I want you to answer any questions truthfully about the process, about what it's like to be your animal, and any other concerns that they may have. I have my third years on Mondays just before lunch, but that would mean that you have to miss one session of Professor Vector's class."

"That's all right, Auntie Minnie. I'd be glad to help."

She beamed at him. "Wonderful! How about the last Monday before you head home for the Christmas holiday? I'd like to have all six of you there at once. Do you know which class Miss Lovegood has on Wednesdays before lunch?"

Harry smiled. "She's in Potions with Ginny."

"Excellent. I will organize it then and let you know that week."

"Sounds good," he said, tapping his hands on the lid of her biscuit tin. "What kind have you got in here?"

McGonagall's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Chocolate chip oatmeal, go ahead."

He grinned and helped himself to two before sneaking two more. "For Ginny."

"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes.

Harry looked down when Nyx nuzzled into his hand. "Auntie Minnie, can I take Nyx for the afternoon? I thought that she might like to run with me during Quidditch practice."

McGonagall looked at her pet in surprise before she nodded. "I think that she would like a good run. Go ahead. Just send her back once you get back into the castle. She'll find me." She stared at the tiger for a moment. "And _don't_ bother Mrs Norris."

Nyx almost looked like she was chuckling as she followed Harry from the office.

Harry turned to grin at the tiger. "None of us likes that mangy old cat, either."

Nyx rubbed her head against his hip as Harry gently scratched the top. He hurried up to Gryffindor Tower to get his broom. When they arrived, Nyx made herself comfortable on his bed as Seamus came out of the bathroom.

"Whoa, tiger," he said, eyes wide.

"She's good," Harry told him. "I asked McGonagall if she could come to practice with me. I think that she'd like to have a good run."

Seamus continued to stare at her in awe, so Harry gestured him over.

"Nyx, this is Seamus. He's a friend. Go on, Seam, pet her."

Seamus took a step forward, his eyes hesitant, as he brushed his hand over her soft fur. "Wow. You're kind of brilliant, Nyx."

Harry grinned. "She's basically a big kitty, but she can be dangerous too. If anyone tries to hurt McGonagall, for example, she'll kill them in a second."

Seamus nodded. "I always wanted a cat. I mean, Nyx is gorgeous, but I'd be happy with a regular cat, or maybe a Kneazle. But it just never worked out. Maybe when I move out and get my own place."

Harry grabbed his bag of Quidditch gear and took off his kit to change into his practice clothes. "Maybe one day you will." He pulled up his sweat pants and glanced at his friend. "You doing okay? I know that Will is leaving in three weeks."

"I think so," Seamus admitted. "I'm sad and I know that I'm going to miss him, but… I'm okay with it. I think that I always knew on some level that we weren't going to be together forever and… I'm going to write to him, stay friends, you know?"

"Good," Harry told him honestly. "You know that there's someone out there for you."

Seamus smiled. "Unlike you, Harry, the one I want isn't in the cards for me."

Harry stared at him for a moment as he picked up his broom. "Never say never, Seamus. Sometimes, I think Dean wants more from you than just friendship."

Seamus blanched. "All he does is talk about girls' assets and how much he wants to shag them!"

"Exactly," Harry said, his eyes on his friend. "Seems like overkill, mate. Come on, Nyx."

The tiger shook her long magnificent tail before she jumped off the bed to follow Harry, leaving Seamus staring after them lost in his own thoughts.

Harry was halfway down from Gryffindor Tower when he saw Draco emerge from the library stairwell. He called out to him, but Draco merely raised an eyebrow and waited for Harry to approach him.

Nyx prowled next to Harry, her yellow eyes on Malfoy as if she was sizing him up. Harry placed a hand on her head as Malfoy smirked.

"Need a guard tiger now? What, McGonagall giving you special privileges?"

Nyx growled, and Draco jolted slightly, making Harry grin.

"No, I offered to take her out for a run with me, and McGonagall was happy to allow it. I actually wanted to talk to you about the other day."

Draco crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What about it? If it's about your girlfriend sneaking into my house, I don't want to hear it. I dragged her pretty little arse out of there."

"Not about Ginny being there, no. She wanted to see Theo - and it sounds like with good reason."

"Theo says that he fell down the stairs, and he has no reason to lie," Draco said. "Now, if you don't mind, I have better things to do with my time than to talk to you."

"Better things, like maybe sticking close to your friend," Harry said hotly. "Ginny said something about Crabbe and Goyle not being fond of Theo. Maybe if you and Zabini stopped letting him wander around alone, you might actually see what happened. Gryffindors take care of their friends. Just a thought."

He gestured to Nyx and she turned to follow him, but he could feel Malfoy's glare on his back as he headed downstairs. He just hoped Draco took his advice. It sounded like Theo needed some protection, and Malfoy and Zabini were perfect for the job.

~ ASC ~

 **Having Nyx at Quidditch practice was more entertaining than Harry had anticipated.** She ran around the pitch at high speed with the players, passing each of them three or four times before she followed Harry up and down the stands. Her tail danced in the wind as the players flew past it, her eyes on their broomsticks, until she finally stretched out on the grass of the pitch.

Harry thought that the practice went great and told his team as much as they headed to the changing rooms.

Ron towel-dried his hair as he leaned against his locker, his eyes on Harry. "I felt a little more motivated in practice today having that big ass tiger chase me," he admitted.

Harry laughed. "She only chased you because you yelped and ran!"

Ron grinned. "And my life flashed before my eyes when she tackled me to the ground!"

"And what was that life, Ron? Cup of tea, cup of tea, almost got shagged, cup of tea — ow!" He yelped when Ron punched him in the shoulder.

"Prat."

Harry grinned at him. "She wasn't going to hurt you." McGonagall had Nyx well trained, but her hunting instincts still kicked in when she was provoked. "She thought you were playing."

Ron pulled his jumper over his head as he spoke. "I'd love to see someone attack McGonagall when Nyx is nearby."

Harry nodded. "That's one of the reasons why we gave her to McGonagall. She'll keep her safe."

"Can we sic her on Umbitch?" Ron suggested, tugging his boxers on as he finished drying off.

Harry grinned, pulling his own boxers up. "I bet if we got Nyx to roar at Umbitch, she'd shit herself."

Ron's smile widened. "Dare you."

Harry tossed his towel over the bench as he reached for his deodorant. "Don't tempt me. Did you hear if she sat in on any other classes since McGonagall's?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah, I heard that she's been hanging out in the staff room and making detailed notes, whatever that means. I wonder who her next target will be?"

Harry frowned as he finished getting dressed and pulled a comb through his hair (with no real hope). "I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see. I'm going to meet Ginny, see you after."

Ron nodded absently, reaching for his own deodorant. "Will we _see you after?_ "

Harry grinned. "Maybe, depends on Ginny."

Ron rolled his eyes. "As long as I don't have to watch you snog her, mate."

Harry grabbed his stuff, hurrying out onto the pitch to wait for Ginny, his broomstick over his shoulder. Nyx was still lounging on the grass, but she stretched and prowled over to him before resting her chin on his knee when he sat down.

"You're such a good girl, Nyx. You take such good care of Auntie Minnie."

Nyx's eyes closed in blissful happiness as Harry rubbed her behind the ears, her flowing red tail swaying behind her. Practice had run almost two hours and it was still only two thirty, meaning that Harry still had the whole afternoon to spend with his girlfriend. He looked up when the air sent a whiff of her shampoo his way. He felt his face light up as he watched her move towards him, coming to sit next to him in the stands. It had been exactly one month since he'd kissed her on the field in front of the whole school, and he still couldn't believe that they were together. She was everything that he hadn't realized he needed; everything he wanted on every level, and Merlin, when he kissed her, he felt things that he couldn't put into words.

Harry's eyes took in her freshly washed and dried hair that tumbled down her shoulders and back, the dark brown tights and warm boots she wore under her thick green jumper and cloak. Harry's hand continued to stroke the tiger as he leaned in and kissed the tip of Ginny's nose. She grinned in surprise.

"What was that for?" Ginny asked.

He smiled. "You look amazing."

Ginny blushed. "I didn't even do anything."

"You don't have to," he told her, reaching out to take her hand in his. He squeezed her fingers before moving them to the top of Nyx's head. He heard Ginny draw in a sharp breath. "Nyx, this is Ginny. She's wonderful and you'll love her."

Ginny made a soft sigh as her fingers delved into the tiger's soft fur. "She's incredible. I'm always in awe of how well she listens to McGonagall. The other day in class, Smith was interrupting - and being his typical arse self - and Nyx just prowled over to his desk and licked her lips. Smith went ghost white. It was rather entertaining until McGonagall called her back up to the front."

"She's had her since she was a kitten so she's trained her well," Harry explained. "Uncle Sirius wanted Auntie Minnie to have some form of protection, and Nyx will definitely protect her. Ron thinks that I should urge her to roar at Umbitch and watch the toad shit herself in fear."

A loud laugh erupted from Ginny, making him grin wider.

"Oh Merlin, I'd pay to see that!" She scratched the tiger behind the ears, smiling at her boyfriend. "I think that I need to work on my loop and throw, it was a little shallow."

He nodded. "I agree, but you fixed it by the third throw."

She rolled her shoulders. "I can't afford to make a mistake like that in the next match."

"It was only practice, Ginny," he said. "And you corrected yourself. Angelina needs to move around you more as well, she was too far away when you made an effort to pass. The three of you will get in sync, but it's going to take some time. We've only had one game."

"Ron could use some more practice," Ginny told him. "When he misses one, it's like he loses hope, and suddenly, his talent vanishes. You have to say something to him, Harry."

He nodded. "I don't know what to say about it. Whenever I bring up his confidence, he shuts down. I told him that he was better than McLaggen who, according to Angelina, was supposed to be some Quidditch superstar."

Ginny bit her bottom lip. "Well, his tryout was rather strange, wasn't it?"

"I thought so," Harry admitted before he looked over at her suspiciously. "Hang on, what do you know about it?"

She shrugged, her eyes twinkling. "Whatever do you mean?"

He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. "Tell me."

She trembled slightly, her lips still brushing against his as she spoke. "Hermione may have accidentally hit McLaggen with a Confundus Charm during tryouts."

Harry's mouth dropped open before he laughed, moving away to lean back against the Quidditch stands. "I knew it! I _knew_ something weird was going on! He literally flew the opposite way! It was like he completely forgot what he was doing! It was so strange and so out of character with the way that he had been playing up to that point. Why did she do it?"

"She wanted to help Ron," Ginny told him. "She said that he went above and beyond this summer with helping her deal with her grief. Did you know that he even used her mirror communicator to tell her parents about Viktor so that they would be ready for her? He really wanted the position and Hermione knew that."

"Yeah, he did and he deserves to be Keeper. He just needs to pull his head out of his arse and admit that he's a good Quidditch player," Harry said. "But then again, if he's as confident as you, it might be too much for the team to handle."

Ginny elbowed him and he chuckled.

"Honestly, Gin, watching you out there, how the bloody hell did you get so good? I knew that you could fly. You've always been incredible on a broom. Remember when I used to let you fly at my house when we were kids, and you were the first one I let try out my Firebolt when I got it?"

She grinned mischievously. "I told you - I snuck into the broom shed and stole their brooms."

"And?" Harry prompted.

" _And_ ," she continued. "I tossed around the Quaffle, throwing it and diving after it, aiming for the goals by the orchard. It was hard by myself, but it made me more determined. I'd throw the Quaffle and fly after it to catch it, then attempt to score. It was fun, and whenever I dropped it, well, I'd curse myself and try again. I wanted to be perfect."

Harry kissed her fingers. "Whatever you did, you were brilliant - and by far the best Chaser who tried out. Angelina and Katie have been raving about you, and it takes a lot to impress them. Plus, the look of shock on Gred and Forge's faces almost made it worth it."

Ginny grinned. "Almost as good as when you kissed me in front of the whole school."

"I'd like to kiss you again right now," he said, his eyes on hers.

Ginny moved closer to him, brushing her lips over his cheek. "Want to go up to our tower room and snog?"

The back of his neck heated and he grinned. "Absolutely."

He stood up, extending his hand for her. "Go on, Nyx; back to Auntie Minnie."

Nyx purred, stretching her long legs, before she sauntered off.

Harry's fingers entwined with Ginny's as they headed back to the castle. "I keep thinking that we should tell the others about the room, but then I think about how I get you all to myself - and that stops me every time."

Ginny smiled up at him. "I keep thinking the same thing."

He glanced over at her, the sunlight reflecting on the red of her hair. "It's Hogsmeade next Saturday. I want to take you on a proper date."

"Oh, you do, eh?" she asked, her eyes twinkling at him. "Snogging isn't good enough for you?"

He grinned and kissed their joined fingers. "Snogging you is bloody brilliant, and you know it. But I want to take you somewhere nice."

"Being with you is enough, Harry," Ginny told him. "I don't need anything fancy."

Harry's heart soared at her words. "For me too, Ginny. I just… I want to give you more. There's this great little Italian restaurant that Uncle Siri told me about. My dad used to bring my mum there and I want to take you."

"In Hogsmeade?" Her brow rising as she looked at him skeptically. "Where?"

He grinned. "Best kept secret. Will you let me take you out, proper-like?"

Ginny's lips curved as she nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

His heart soared as they headed up the stairs to the tower room before whispering the password and slipping inside. Ginny dropped her Quidditch bag on the floor and moved to curl up on the couch, and patted the seat next to her. Harry tossed his bag down, broomstick next to it, before joining her.

His hand moved up to cup her neck, brushing her hair out of her face. "I could spend my whole life kissing you."

Ginny's eyes twinkled in delight as her gaze fell upon his lips. "I could say the same. Is it supposed to be like this?"

"Wanting to kiss you all the time?"

She nodded.

"I don't know," he told her. "I wanted to kiss other girls before, Ginny. You know that. But I've never… I never felt the need to kiss them like I do you. I _need_ to kiss you; to touch you. I want to kiss you and to touch you all the time. I need and want it as much as I need to breathe."

His lips were a breath away from her now.

"I'm not stopping you," she whispered. "I want to be kissing and touching you all of the time, too. Kiss me, Harry."

His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and then tickled hers. She let out a soft sigh before his lips brushed hers featherlight and soft… once, twice, three times, before she took it upon herself to press her mouth back to his. The contact made Harry groan, his hand on her neck and the other on the small of her back, playing with the ends of her silky tresses.

Their lips met in soft gentle caresses and open-mouth kisses, savouring the taste of each other. She smelled floral and soft, and her lips tasted a bit like peppermint as he nipped at the corners of her mouth. He sucked on her bottom lip as her breath hitched.

"What?"

Ginny's eyes met his, turning on the sofa to give herself better access. "You're so good at this," she murmured.

"Kissing you?" he murmured back, his lips on her jawline. "It's not hard when it's all I want to do." His lips met hers softly. "Kissing you is better than treacle tart."

She chuckled against his mouth. "High praise coming from Harry Potter."

He nipped at her lips. "You're amazing at this," he said, brushing his lips against hers, before trailing them down her jawline again. "Let's just stay up here forever."

Ginny's hands slid up his arms to his shoulders and into his hair. "Kiss me."

Harry's mouth met hers again, harder this time, deeper, and when her tongue met his, he sighed. The hand in her hair slid down her back, resting just over her bum while the other sat over her abdomen.

Harry's thumb gently stroked her navel, and even through her jumper it sent shivers through her as she moved closer to him, desperate for his touch.

They kissed over and over, mouths meeting, tongues dancing as the sun set and the room around them darkened. Neither of them noticed. Soon Ginny was climbing into his lap, her lips trailing over his jaw. He groaned against her, shifting her slightly so that she couldn't feel how hard he was.

He tugged away, breathless, his eyes on hers in the growing darkness. He grabbed his wand, flicking light into the room, and Ginny's hot mouth moved down his neck. Her hands were resting on his abdomen and her fingers brushed against his shirt. Harry's cock twitched the lower her hand moved. He urged himself to be calm. When Ginny shifted again, he shifted with her, keeping his erection away.

Ginny pulled back, licking her lips. "When did it get dark?" She picked up his wrist to check his watch as he kissed below her ear. "Harry, we've been up here for almost three hours!"

His tongue stroked her earlobe before he sucked it into his mouth. Ginny moaned softly. "Have we?" She moved and her leg brushed against his erection.

Harry watched her eyes widen. "Sorry," he said, shifting again in embarrassment. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel uncomfortable.

Ginny's eyes met his. "That's… new."

He kissed her neck. "No, trust me - it's really not."

Ginny's brow arched as she linked her hands behind his neck. "It's not?"

Harry groaned as she began kissing under his ear. "Fuck, you _know_ it's not."

Ginny's breath hitched. "I heard that they just happen sometimes… that it's just a bloke feeling hot and bothered. So I might have nothing to do with it at all."

He kissed her softly. "Trust me, you are _entirely_ to do with it. All I do is look at you. I'm sorry, I've been trying to keep it away."

Ginny nodded, blushing, but her gaze fell to his lap. She shifted back, her eyes on the bulge that shifted down his left thigh and she swallowed nervously, impressed and surprised by the size of it. "Erm, does it hurt?"

"No, it's more… tightly confined," he said, surprised at how easy that was to admit.

Ginny's eyes stayed on it, and she gasped when it visibly twitched and throbbed, making her skin flush. She snuck a look at him from under her lashes, her mouth parted slightly.

"Stop," Harry groaned, kissing her ear. The feel of her eyes on his cock only made him harder. "You'll just make it worse."

Ginny grinned and then she carefully placed her hand over the bulge, touching him through denim. Harry practically jumped off the couch, gripping her arms to steady her as she slid off of him.

"Ginny!"

She giggled. "It felt hard."

"I _am_ bloody hard!" he exclaimed.

Ginny reached for his hand. "You don't have to hide it from me, Harry."

Harry let her guide him back down to the couch. "I'm not hiding it, I… okay. I guess maybe I _am_ hiding it."

She reached over to brush her fingertips over the denim again. His cock twitched and she trailed her fingertips over the bulge, tracing the outline of his long shaft in curiosity. "Does this feel okay?"

"Brilliant," he whispered, not daring to breathe. If she didn't stop what she was doing, he was terribly afraid he'd go off like a cannon. He gripped her hand in his, stopping her motions, and brought her hand to his lips. "Ginny…"

Her eyes were blazing as she looked at him, nodding. "I'm — I'm not ready for that."

He kissed her fingers again, a small smile on his lips. "Neither am I."

Ginny blushed and kissed him again. "Don't hide it from me, Harry, I… I rather like knowing that I can make you feel that way."

His smile deepened. "Just looking at you makes me feel that way. And Merlin, kissing you… you have to give me some breathing rom when you're, well, _you_."

Ginny kissed his cheek. "Maybe we should head down to dinner then? Stop all of these distractions."

Harry captured her lips in his again until she moaned against his mouth. "I just need a few minutes."

She grinned sheepishly, looking at him from under her lashes. "Just picture Snape naked."

Harry blanched and she watched in amazement as all signs of his erection disappeared.

"And that did it," he said making her laugh.

Ginny hooked her arm through his as they stood up. "After dinner, we can come back up here and snog some more."

"I think that you're going to be the death of me - and as someone who has already died, this is definitely the way I'd rather go." He laughed when she elbowed him in the gut. "Ha, ow!"

"There will be no more dying!"

He pushed her back against the wall by the exit to kiss her again, sighing when her hands slid up his back. "Absolutely, I promise."

She arched into him as his hands continued to slide up and down her back. "Can we use Dobby for food?"

Harry's mouth met hers again, grinning in between kisses. "Best idea I've heard all day."

Twenty minutes later, Dobby had happily presented them with fish and chips. They ate contentedly, sitting across from each other at the coffee table on the floor.

"This was a much better idea," Harry told her, adding lemon to his halibut.

Ginny beamed at him. "I have a few." She leaned back against the couch as she bit into a chip. "Tell me a secret."

His eyebrow rose as he reached for his glass of water. "You know them all."

Ginny tilted her head to look at him. "No, we all have secrets, Harry, and I don't mean a _big_ secret. A little one, like something that you don't even know is a secret."

Harry frowned at that. He wasn't sure what she meant. She must have noticed his confusion because she reached across the table to brush her fingers over his knuckles.

" _My_ little secret (that's not really a secret) is that sometimes when I'm flying, I imagine that I'm playing for Gwenog Jones and the Holyhead Harpies. Isn't that ridiculous?"

"No," Harry told her in surprise. "That's not ridiculous at all. She'd be lucky to have you."

Ginny shrugged. "Maybe." She shifted so that she was sitting next to him and sighed when he put an arm around her.

Harry's fingers found their way into her hair, gently threading through the silk tresses. When she didn't protest, he continued his ministrations, loving the feel of that magnificent mane in his hands.

"I think that I want a tattoo."

Ginny sat up, her eyes widening. "Yeah?"

He nodded, his fingers still playing with the ends of her hair. "Yeah. I was thinking about asking Uncle Sirius about it over Christmas. He was fifteen when he got his first tattoo."

"What would you get?"

He shrugged. "I - I kind of want to get a memoriam for my parents. Is that morbid?"

"No," she told him. "Not at all, unless you make it so."

"I just want to get something that represents them and well, I suppose their birth and death dates. I just don't know where yet. But I was thinking, my mum could maybe be a lily, you know, because she... "

"Because her name was Lily," she finished with a smile. "That would be beautiful, Harry."

"And my dad, his Animagus form was a stag..."

Ginny grinned. "I think that it sounds kind of wonderful. A really touching tribute. You could even ask Dean to design it for you, I'm sure that he'd like that."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, maybe. I've been thinking about it. I don't know where I'd get it though."

Ginny curled back into his arms. "On your back, maybe?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I think that I'd want to see it, but I don't want it to be visible to the whole world all the time, either. It's not something that I want right away, but in the future maybe."

Ginny's fingers lifted the hem of his shirt, her fingers sliding beneath the material and over his firm abdomen. She pressed her palm over his ribs. "Like here?"

His breath hitched, and he nodded.

Ginny smirked at him, her hand sliding back out from under his shirt in slow torture before he bent his head to kiss her instead. "Mmm," she said against his lips. "We're supposed to be eating."

Harry held a crisp up to her to let her take a bite before he kissed her again. "Kiss now, eat later."

And she laughed when his mouth found hers again - and somehow, she didn't protest.

Not once.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius grinned at the sight of Fred and George stepping into Remus' office that evening.** His talk with Flitwick and Hagrid the week before had taken longer than expected, so he'd been forced to reschedule his meeting with the Weasley twins. He'd spent the entire afternoon drinking in _The Hog's Head_ as Aberforth listened to him rant about Zee. He'd had to take a sobering potion before he made his way to the castle to talk to the Weasleys. He needed to take his mind off his argument with Zee before he went crazy thinking about it, but he was still so angry.

She had taken it all wrong.

It wasn't that he thought that she was incapable or incompetent. He knew how powerful and strong she was. She was incredible and he would trust her with his life in a heartbeat. It was just that she was still healing, and he didn't want her to jump in too soon before she was ready. Obviously, he knew that she could do Order missions and it's not that guard duty was strenuous - but _it could be_. He just wanted her to be safe and to be at her full potential so that she would _stay_ safe. He hardly thought that was unreasonable. Nor did it warrant a fucking frying pan to the head, he thought, absently rubbing the small cut that Aberforth had cleaned up for him.

He shook the thoughts from his head and focused on the twins. He urged them to have a seat and to close the door behind them before he flicked his wand to add a privacy and silencing charm.

Fred raised an eyebrow. "I feel like we're about to be interrogated. I can swear - with almost certainty - that we didn't do it."

Sirius smirked. "That won't hold up in court."

George chuckled. "We were interested when you told us that you had a task for us, but then you didn't get back to us."

"Yes, and I apologize for that. It took me a little longer than I planned, and the Ministry has been keeping me quite busy as of late. Harry's been keeping me informed on Umbitch."

Fred snickered. "She's something else, that's for sure. She's been causing a bit of a ruckus around the classes and she takes ridiculous amounts of points off. Harry lost thirty points for being a few minutes past curfew, and Lee lost forty for being too loud in the corridor. But mostly she's been keeping to herself."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I still don't trust her. How are your inventions coming along?"

"Really great, actually," Fred said brightly. "We've invented sweets to get you out of class or work if you wanted. We're calling them Skiving Snackboxes."

George grinned and reached into his bag to pull them out. "We have Nosebleed Nougats, which give you a nosebleed, and then when you eat the other half here, it miraculously stops and you can go do what you'd like. Or Puking Pastilles, which is the same concept."

"Genius," Sirius said, examining them carefully. "What else have you got?"

They explained what they'd been working on and how they were planning to sell their products under the radar of the professors.

"We want to get our names out there," Fred explained. "And we've come up with a name."

"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," they both exclaimed.

"Shortened of course to WWW Products," George clarified.

"We'll supply jokes, candies, daydreams, and we even have some fireworks."

"And we have Headless Hats!"

George pulled one from the bag and plopped it onto Fred's head, within seconds, his entire head vanished. " _Voila_!"

Sirius grinned widely. "That's genius!"

"And it works for a long while," Fred said, his head reappearing as he pulled the hat off.

"There's a building in Diagon Alley that we think would be perfect," George told him. "We were planning on heading there next Saturday afternoon to talk to the owner. He seems interested in us renting the space."

Sirius grinned. "Excellent. You two are going to do well, I can promise you that. Did you tell Minerva that you plan to leave Hogsmeade next weekend?"

Fred nodded. "We just told her that we had an appointment in Diagon Alley. She told us that we have three hours, but since we're of age, she can't really stop us from going."

"True. But I still think that you should tell her that you're leaving the village, just to be safe. Your products are partly what I wanted to speak to you about."

George raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"You said that you are going to start selling them?"

"Well, we started a little to some of the Gryffindors, and they are definitely interested in more."

Sirius nodded, tapping his fingers on Remus' desk. "Anything that you can slip to Umbitch?"

George's smile was slow. "Maybe. What were you thinking?"

Sirius shrugged. "Well, I would _never_ tell you to do something to someone of authority in the school, but if you _happened_ to see her, and she _happened to accidentally_ stumble across one of your products in a bad way, well, it would be _a terrible coincidence_ , wouldn't it?"

Fred grinned widely. "A little Puking Pastille in her pudding?"

"Or a Creepy Crawlie in her workstation?"

"The Nose-biting Teacup?"

"Ton-Tongue Toffee?"

Sirius smirked at them. They were incredibly intelligent (and rather ingenious), and he found every new invention more incredible than the next. "For starters."

"We'll see what we can do," George promised. "She's taking over one of the offices on the fifth floor since Professor Raffigan has taken over Binns' office."

"How is she doing?"

"We like her," Fred said honestly. "She makes the subject somewhat bearable and she doesn't talk in a tone that would put dogs to sleep. So it's a plus."

"Good," Sirius said. "I'm glad to hear that something good is coming out of it. As for Umbitch, make her office feel at home as well."

Fred and George gave him identical smirks. "Our pleasure."

He wished them luck location hunting, and asked to be kept in the loop. They were finishing school in a few months, and he knew with absolute certainty that they would be business owners before that happened. They were smart young men and he knew that they were talented enough to warrant building the business from the ground up. They were already halfway there. He knew that Zee would get a kick out of their plans - but then he frowned.

She wasn't going to want to hear about their plans. Not after how he'd left things that afternoon. He headed into Remus' suite to use the Floo, and he nodded at his friend who was sitting on the sofa marking papers.

"Doesn't it suck that you have homework to do?"

Remus smiled down at the parchment. "Yes, and no. It shows me how my students are learning, which makes it rather rewarding. How was your conversation with Fred and George?"

"Good. They are really coming together on this joke shop. They have a location in mind to rent and are checking it out on Saturday."

Remus only raised an eyebrow. "Good for them. And?"

"What do you mean, 'and?'"

Remus chuckled. "I know you, Padfoot. You put a bird in their ear over something."

Sirius grinned. "Moony, I have no idea what you are referring to. I only asked about their products."

Remus shook his head. "Never mind, I don't want to know anyway. How's Zee?"

"She's doing better," Sirius told him as he drummed his fingers anxiously on his leg. "She's been two days off the potions now and she's feeling stronger. She's getting anxious to go back to work."

"How much longer is she off?"

"Another week," Sirius said rather bitterly. "Then she'll only be back for a short bit before she's off for the holiday. She was supposed to be on guard duty next week, but I made Molly and Andy take her off the list."

"Bet she didn't like that," Remus said. "She seemed pretty decisive at the meeting this morning."

Sirius snorted and pointed to the small cut above his eyebrow. "She clipped me with a bloody frying pan! Said that I was being overprotective and unreasonable!"

"Were you?"

Sirius stared at his friend, running his hand over his chest. Every time he thought about the moment he'd learned of her attack, his heart stopped. "Maybe a little," he conceded. "But she's not ready to go back to work, and until she does, I'm not going to let her do guard duty for the Order. I mean, it's boring and nothing is happening - but it could. And if she's not healed enough… no. I won't have her hurting herself all over again!"

Remus nodded in understanding. "I get it, Padfoot, and she does too. But for your own sake, you better put her back on the roster right after the holiday."

"She's going to be back on _during_ the holiday," he said bitterly. "After all, s _he'll have been back to work by then and perfectly capable of handling guard duty with a partner for a few hours_."

"Sounds like the two of you really had it out," Remus replied.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You'd think that I was telling her to stop working entirely or something! I know that she's perfectly capable. I know that she's strong enough to handle herself — but is it too much to ask for her to be healed first?"

"Would it be too much to ask if _you_ were the one who needed to heal?"

Sirius swore. "I hate you, Moony."

Remus smiled. "I know how concerned you are about her, but you said so yourself. She's doing better. She goes back to work next week. I know that you worry about her and that she has a dangerous job, but so does Dora. We have to trust them."

Sirius nodded. He knew that his friend was right. And he did trust Zee. Her job and her passion for it were part of the reason he fell in love with her. She was a strong, intelligent, and vibrant woman who was more than capable of kicking butt - and it was a huge part of what he loved about her. She didn't hold back. _With anything_. She gave her whole heart and soul into everything she did.

He said goodbye to Remus and took the Floo to The Hog's Head and Apparated to London. He bought a bottle of Zee's favourite red wine and a mixed bouquet of pink roses, Oriental lilies, limonium, and purple monte casino before he made his way home.

When Sirius stepped into Black Cottage a little while later, Zee wasn't in sight. His heart stopped for a moment at the thought that she'd left - but then he saw the light coming from the partly open door of the sunroom. He made his way over and found her reading in one of the armchairs.

The sun had set and the garden was dark through the windows, as he bent his head to kiss her cheek.

"I'm sorry that I overreacted. I'm a bloody arse and a bloody wanker. You should have hexed me as well as flung the pan at me."

Zee turned to look over at him, her eyes softening at the bouquet. "You brought me flowers?"

He smiled, moving around the chair to kneel in front of her. He rested the bouquet and the bottle of wine in her lap. "And a bottle of cab sauv. I'm here to grovel as much as you need. Baby, I'm _so_ sorry. I know that you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. I love that about you. I wasn't trying to pull the — what did you call it…?"

"Penis Card," Zee told him. "Please continue."

He snorted, sliding his hands up her thighs to rest on her waist as his eyes met hers. "I wasn't trying to pull the Penis Card. You are an amazing witch who I trust with my life. I overreacted and I knew it when I started talking, but I _do_ want you to be fully healed before you go back into the field - and to me, that includes Order stuff. On the night you return, what if something happens? What if you aren't fully healed, unable to defend yourself or to protect your partner? I love you. I'm not sorry that I want to keep you safe."

Zee reached out, gently brushing her hand through Sirius' hair. "I overreacted too. I get it, Sirius. I'm just going stir crazy here. I'm not used to having so much time on my hands ,and I guess when I thought that you were trying to limit what I can do even more, I panicked. I talked to Andy after you left and we pushed back my guard duty until the second week of January. That gives me almost three weeks of work under my belt on top of the holiday. Time to rebuild my strength before I move into Order tasks as well."

Sirius sighed and buried his face in her lap. "Thank Merlin."

She smiled as she lifted his head and then frowned as her thumb brushed over the cut over his eyebrow. "I'm sorry that I hit you with a frying pan."

"It's all right. I was an arse and deserved it," he said, taking in her red-rimmed eyes. "Fuck. I made you cry… I'm sorry, I'm _so_ bloody sorry."

Zee bent her head down to kiss his forehead tenderly. "They were mostly angry tears. I love you, Sirius. I know that you're worried and scared for me after what happened and if it had been you who was attacked, you're right - I would be thinking the same thing. The flowers are beautiful, thank you." She placed the flowers and wine on the table next to her before leaning forward to kiss him. "Will you stop treating me like I'm made of glass now? I'm not breakable."

Sirius nodded, turning his head to kiss the fingers that were on his cheek. "I know, but _I am_ when it comes to you."

Zee's eyes softened. "Sirius, I'm not going anywhere. I love you, even when you're being a bloody wanker."

His fingers kneaded her waist, and then his thumbs hooked into the top of her black tights. He slowly inched them down, his eyes on hers.

Zee only stared at him, lifting her bum as he slipped them down her legs before his eyes met hers. He licked his lips and then he leaned in and kissed her through her lace knickers.

Zee's hands clutched his hair as he kissed her through the lace, his mouth suckling through the fabric and teasing her until he finally used his thumb to swipe it aside. His tongue found her instead. She gasped, her hips arching as he worked her over, her eyes closing in ecstasy until her breathing became ragged and short. She panted his name as the orgasm tore through her, making her toes curl from where they dangled over the arms of the chair. His head turned to kiss her right thigh, before he turned to kiss the other leg, his legs gliding tenderly down her scar until he reached her toes.

Then he stood up and tugged her to her feet to kiss her again.

She sighed into him, tasting herself on his lips.

"Find a vase for your flowers. I'll get dinner started and we can open the wine," he said, kissing her again. "And then I'm going to have you again for dessert." Her eyes darkened in desire and Sirius grinned. "And Zahira? I'm not planning on going anywhere either, not without you. I need you too goddamn much."

He left her standing there in her lace knickers, her jumper bunched around her waist from his hands, and he made his way into the kitchen with a skip in his step.

 _They were going to be just fine_ , he thought.

~ ASC ~

 **After two full days of rest, Theo finally ventured out of the Slytherin dormitory in search of some freedom.** He didn't make it very far before his eyes met the gaze of his Head of House who was standing outside of his office door, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Feeling better, Mr Nott?"

Theo nodded. "Much better, thank you, Sir."

Snape stared at him for a moment before gesturing for him to follow him inside. "I wrote a character statement for you as promised. However, I am now wondering if I will be forced to amend it."

Theo's eyebrow rose. "What do you mean?"

"You were physically attacked, Mr Nott. That much is obvious - yet you not only refuse to acknowledge that it happened, but won't tell anyone who your attacker was," Snape said quietly. "I'm tempted to pry it from your mind myself, but I've restrained myself."

Theo swallowed. "Professor, I appreciate your concern, but as you can see I'm fine — "

" — Mr Nott," Snape said coldly. "When a student from my own house is attacked, I need to be made entirely aware of it. What if this same student has hurt someone else? Who attacked you, and why?"

Theo looked down at his hands. "I didn't see. It was fast and… I didn't see them. Then I was embarrassed about it and… I should have defended myself better."

Snape was quiet before he handed over a sealed envelope. "You are still lying to me, Mr Nott, but if there is one thing that I have come to expect from you, it's that you know what your choices are."

Theo's eyes met his. "This letter is part of me handling it, Sir. Thank you."

Snape nodded. "Come to me when you can, Theo. No one who attacks a student in this school will go unpunished."

Theo smiled gratefully before he made a quick exit, the envelope clutched tightly in his hand. He knew that Snape had just given him nonverbal approval to deal with Macmillan as he saw fit, and he was grateful for it. Now he needed a few more references for his lawyer. He just had to figure out who to ask.

His opportunity arrived that day in Transfiguration.

Theo stayed back after class ended, taking his time cleaning up his things. McGonagall was his favourite teacher in the school, so the fact that she'd asked him to stay behind made him slightly nervous. He had gotten an O on her last two assignments, so he wasn't sure what she could possibly want.

Blaise nudged him lightly. "Let's go. We're going to be late for Herbology."

"One minute, McGonagall asked me to stay behind."

Blaise raised an eyebrow but nodded, saying something to Draco.

"We'll be in the hall."

"You don't have to wait," he said automatically.

Draco only stared at him. "We'll be in the hall."

Ever since he had come out of the hospital wing, the two of them had stuck to him like glue. He appreciated the sentiment more than they knew, as it had meant that over a week had passed since he'd had to deal with Macmillan. But he also didn't want to alert them that something was wrong. As his friends headed into the hall, he approached the front of the classroom.

"Er, Professor, you wanted to see me?"

McGonagall finished wiping the blackboard before she turned to him. "Yes, Mr Nott, I did."

Theo swallowed. "Is something wrong?"

McGonagall gave him a rare smile. "Of course not. Your work in this class has been nothing short of exemplary. You are one of my top students - which is why I wanted to check in on you."

"Oh, I'm fine. Stairs are tricky, you know," he said, a small laugh escaping him.

She nodded, her eyes on his. "They sometimes can be, yes. They are meant to help bring us up or lend us a hand getting down, but sometimes even the best of us stumble over a step or two."

"I suppose," he said, thinking that sounded rather cryptic.

"But there are always people around us to catch us when we fall."

Theo kept his eyes perfectly blank. "I appreciate that, Professor."

McGonagall sighed. "If you decide that you need to come clean about who hurt you, Mr Nott, there are many people in this school who would stand up for you, myself included. I hope you know that."

Theo felt shame wash over him as he nodded, letting the lie slip out again. "I do, Professor. But I'm okay and like I said, I just fell down the stairs. It was more embarrassing than anything."

McGonagall pursed her lips. "All right. I won't pester you about it again. But I would like to ask for your help on an extra curricular project. It would go towards your final mark."

Theo raised an eyebrow. He had never considered himself an extra curricular sort of person. "What would it be?"

"I have two first year Slytherins who are struggling in my class, and I thought that you might be interested in doing some tutoring. It would be twice a week, here in my classroom. I would give you thirty house points every session, and it will count as extra curricular work for you."

He thought about it for a minute, surprised and pleased that she would ask him. "I think that I'd like that, Professor, but can I ask for something in return?"

McGonagall glanced at him curiously. "You can certainly ask."

Theo swallowed. "I ... I need a character reference for my lawyer. I'm trying to claim my inheritance and title now with my father being a fugitive, and I need statements claiming my character is responsible enough a full calendar year before I turn seventeen. Professor Snape has already provided me with one, but I was hoping that you might also assist me?"

McGonagall smiled warmly. "I would be honoured to write a character reference for you. I'll have it for you by tomorrow."

Theo nodded, feeling lighter at the thought. "Thank you."

"In regards to the tutoring, when you pick up the reference letter tomorrow we'll work out a schedule."

"Thank you, Professor."

McGonagall nodded. "Now hurry along or you'll be late for class."

He grabbed his bag and hurried out into the hall where Draco and Blaise were waiting for him. "You didn't have to wait, but thanks."

Blaise put an arm around Theo's shoulders and very noisily and obnoxiously kissed his cheek until Theo pushed him away. "We have to keep an eye on you somehow. Now come on; let's go to class."

He grinned, feeling lighter. He had another reference letter coming. His friends were watching out for him. It wouldn't be too much longer now, he thought. It was all coming together.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry found himself daydreaming in study hall the next afternoon.** He was supposed to be working on his Potions assignment, but he found himself examining the Marauder's Map instead. He absently watched the little dots move around the map, eyes drifting around the different levels of the castle.

He needed to find a place somewhere in the castle where Voldemort could have hidden the diadem. The problem was that he couldn't figure out _where._ His first thought was somewhere in the dungeons. Tom Riddle had been a Slytherin after all, but Harry couldn't see him hiding it somewhere as obvious as the Slytherin dorms or the Slytherin common room. The other thing that was bothering him was that the Horcrux he had hidden with the locket had been enclosed in a very elaborate security system. The only thing that Harry could imagine as a security system of equal measure was the Basilisk, and obviously that wasn't a problem anymore.

He scratched the stubble on his neck, absently thinking that he needed to shave, as he examined the Chamber of Secrets on the map. If the diadem was down there, they definitely hadn't seen it. He tried to remember what had been inside the treasure chest full of snakes, but he didn't remember seeing a tiara of any kind. It had mostly been coins if he remembered correctly. Dumbledore had access to the belongings, though. He could ask him.

Neville nudged him and he looked up. "That's certainly not Potions."

Harry grinned. "I can't focus right now. Nev, the diadem has to be somewhere. I know it's already been searched, but what about the Chamber of Secrets?"

Neville took a minute to connect to what Harry was talking about, but then he nodded. "You want to search it again? It could be worth a second look."

"I just think that I'd feel better if we search it again. It's enormous down there. There's not only the private office and the chamber itself, but all of the passageways leading to it. Ideally the pipes run through most of the whole school, and we couldn't have checked everything. Right?"

Neville looked thoughtful for a moment. "Ginny's brother _did_ find that little cubby in one of the passageways. There could be more."

"Exactly. I want to check, Nev. Uncle Sirius said that we need to explore the castle and try to figure out where it could be."

Neville grinned. "So, are we heading down there tonight?"

Harry grinned back at him. "Yeah, let's do it." He turned to Ron, who was snoring from the table next to him, his head on his Potions textbook. He elbowed him awake.

"Ow - what? I wasn't sleeping," Ron muttered, wiping his chin as if checking for drool.

"Right, you were totally awake," Harry said in amusement. "Where are Nev and I heading?"

Ron stared at him. "Ok, so I closed my eyes for two seconds. What did I miss?"

"We're going to head down to the Chamber of Secrets," Neville whispered. "Harry thinks the diadem might be down there."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you already search it though?"

"Well, yeah, but at the time we didn't know we were looking for this, and we didn't explore all of the tunnels. Just the main ones leading into the throne room."

Ron nodded, looking pensive. "That's true. And what about the chest of jewels and stuff?"

"I don't know. I was going to try to ask Uncle Rem about it and see what else they found. I mean, at the time, we didn't know that we needed to find a tiara. It was so full of dark magic spells that if there was any form of warning, we wouldn't have noticed," Harry said, starting to feel a little excited now.

He reflected on that pull he'd always felt when he was near a Horcrux, the sense of evil that he knew Sirius likewise felt as well when one was nearby. Dark magical artefacts could have obscured that effect. That trunk had been full of tons of stuff.

Ron stretched his arms over his head and stifled a yawn. "You want to go tonight?"

Harry nodded. "After dinner? We can head down there. I mean technically, it's not off limits anymore."

"Well, Professors Lupin and McGonagall don't let us down there until the end of the year," Neville said.

Harry shrugged. "But it shouldn't be in use unless they choose tonight to work on the new course."

Ron nodded, standing up. "Alright. I'll go drag Hermione from the library and fill her in."

"Great," Harry said, his eyes on the Marauder's Map looking for his girlfriend's dot and seeing it leaving Care of Magical Creatures class with Luna. "I'll go let Ginny and Luna know."

Neville smiled. "I feel like the six of us haven't done anything in forever."

Harry frowned as he thought about his friend's words. "I think you're right. We need to amend that."

Neville stood up as well, grabbing his own books. "I'll come with you to the library, Ron. I have two books to return. Meet by the entrance to the chamber after dinner?"

"Sounds great," Harry told him, waving his friends off.

He grabbed his own belongings and headed out and down the stairs to meet the girls. They were chatting and laughing at something with Colin in the courtyard. Colin waved goodbye and headed towards the castle and Harry nodded at him as he hurried by. Luna waved at Harry as he headed towards them.

"Hello, Harry. You look very excited."

He grinned. "I guess I might be."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to share?" she asked, slipping her arm through his.

He grinned at her, looping his other arm through Luna's. "Nev, Ron, and I were talking and we think that we want to head down to the Chamber tonight and do some searching. Are you two up for a little adventure?"

Luna's eyes widened. "I am!"

Ginny smiled at her friend. "Luna has been missing us all hanging out as of late."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry, Luna, Neville just made me realize that we haven't all hung out, the six of us, in a long time. Between Quidditch and Defence Club and keeping up on homework and — "

" — snogging me," Ginny said cheekily.

"Yes, that's the most important one," he admitted, making Luna laugh. "But, yeah, I guess it's just been busy and we all seem to be going our separate ways in the summer these days."

"I know. Daddy and I like to go on adventures and excursions when we can," Luna told him. "But I like having friends too."

Harry kissed her cheek, making her beam. "Well, tonight is the six of us then. Are you in?"

"Well, I did rather like the first excursion into the Chamber. Do you think the diadem is down there?"

"I don't know," Harry told her honestly. "Thinking about it now, it seems like it would be too obvious of a spot, especially considering the diary connection, but I think not looking would be a mistake as well. I want to talk to Uncle Remus first and see what they did with everything they pulled out of those chests. I know some of them were Hogwarts artefacts, but the diadem wasn't one of them. Zee spoke to a Hogwarts historian about it, and she would have known if they found the diadem. Actually, the historian was Professor Raffigan, and she's well informed about all of the history, myths, and legends about the school. But still, it could be hidden somewhere else down there."

Ginny looked pensive. "Bill and Zee did find the necklace box in a protected area in one of the main tunnels, and Remus and Tonks came across the hidden eggs - so it _is_ possible. But we mapped out the chamber. Between the three of us, we would have seen something, right?"

Harry shrugged. "We did the main chamber and main tunnels that led in and out, but it's connected through the aqueducts. Pipes run under most of the castle and possibly even beneath some of the grounds. It might not be directly _in_ the Chamber."

"That's true," Ginny said. "I think that you're right. Even if it's not there, it's worth a look."

"I've been examining the map, trying to think of places where he would have felt safe to hide it, but there's nowhere that I feel would be completely safe for him. I mean, unless he was bold enough to hide it within Slytherin House."

Ginny frowned at that, shaking her head. "No, I don't think he would be. Tom was very meticulous in everything that he did. He knew exactly what he wanted and he wouldn't leave something that important lying around where hundreds of students would have daily access to it. He wouldn't be able to be sure it would be safe. No, if it's here in the castle, he hid it somewhere where he thought only he knew about. Plus, I've been inside Slytherin House, and it's too much like the Gryffindor common room: open spaces, lots of seating, and places to hang out. I doubt the dorms would be an option either."

Harry nodded. He agreed with that assessment, but it was nice to know that Ginny felt the same. "All right, well. Knowing that's out of the way, we do know a few other places that would be out of bounds as well. We can start a list and cross them off as we go. We need to find it as soon as we can as it will be one less obstacle for us to concern ourselves with."

Luna nodded, tucking her wand behind her ear. "And the snake?"

Harry shook his head. "There's no way that we'll be able to get it. It's always by his side, and I think that until he attacks somewhere or someplace, we're going to be stuck waiting. And like Uncle Sirius said, if we kill his snake before we get the other one, he might suspect what we're doing."

Ginny let out a slow sigh. "I think that the list is a good idea. We can start looking, but we should go talk to Remus first."

Luna slipped her arm out from Harry's. "I'm going to put my bag in my dorm. I'll meet you after dinner?"

"By the entrance to the chamber, Luna," Harry told her.

Luna beamed at them before she skipped off, her book bag over her shoulder.

Ginny turned, hooking her free arm around Harry's waist and tilting her head up to look at him, a soft smile on her face. "Hi."

The evening sun danced along her hair, her freckles seeming to darken in the setting light. He was positive that he had never seen anything more beautiful. Harry bent his head to kiss her, lingering over her lips just long enough to elicit a soft moan before he pulled away.

" _Hi_."

Ginny bit her lip as she looked up at him. "Should we go talk to Remus before dinner then?"

Harry bent his head and kissed her once more. "Yes, otherwise he's going to head home on us."

Ginny kept her arm entwined with his as they headed through the courtyard and into the castle. Harry led the way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and found his father putting assignments into his briefcase.

Remus smiled warmly at them. "Hello, Harry, Ginny. What can I do for you two?"

Ginny took a seat on one of the desks as Harry stood next to her. "We had questions about the stuff we removed from the Chamber of Secrets three years ago."

Remus raised an eyebrow in surprise, stopping what he was doing to lean back against his desk. "Well, that's hardly what I was expecting."

Harry stared at him. "We found all sorts of stuff down there, right? You said that it was mostly history and family stuff of Slytherin himself, but of Hogwarts too, right?"

Remus nodded, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "A bit, yes. Most of it was old scrolls and ancient texts pertaining to Dark Magic that we decided was better off destroyed. It would not do anyone any good to get their hands on those kinds of spells. There was a manifesto of some kind written by Slytherin. It looked private, maybe nothing he ever planned to share, but it was written as a manifesto. It was full of gold, as you know - ancient coins both Roman and Greek as well as Galleons. There were some jewels, rubies, and sapphires in jewellery that we donated to the History Department and then the outline of the necklace that Bill and Zee found, which we never recovered."

Ginny sighed. "We were hoping maybe there had been a tiara in there."

Remus looked surprised. "No, but a good deduction. We never did come across a tiara." He stared at the two of them for a moment. "Were you thinking that it might be in the Chamber of Secrets then?"

Harry shrugged. "I thought that it might be possible. The aqueducts go under most of the grounds and well, we didn't cover the entire area. We just focused on where the chamber was, the throne room and the main entrance."

"True," Remus said, nodding in agreement. "It would be a good place to start looking. I can tell you that Minerva and I searched Slytherin's study pretty thoroughly before we started building the defence courses down there, but we didn't examine the throne room other than the cursory look after removing the Basilisk. As to the necklace box that Bill and Zee discovered, we managed to determine an outline of the necklace which Zee presented to Professor Raffigan at the time. We knew that it was a lost piece that would be worth billions if found today, but we ruled it out as being a Horcrux."

Ginny smiled at him. "We were just wondering, if maybe we had accidentally stumbled upon it and didn't realize it."

Remus nodded. "It's a good deduction, like I said. Are you two thinking of trying to explore the castle a bit to attempt to find it?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "We've done the brief looking, and now we need to look harder and seriously contemplate where he might have stashed it."

"Sounds like a plan. Do you need anything else from me?"

Harry shook his head. "No, we just wanted to know about the jewels."

Remus smiled and turned to finish putting the assignments into his briefcase. "All right. Well, I am off for the night, but if you need me, you know how to get a hold of me. Let me know of your progress."

Harry nodded as they said goodbye and Ginny took his hand in hers. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.

She kissed Harry softly. "I think that we should still go exploring. Bring your cloak and your map, and we'll see what we can find down there."

He grinned. "My cloak is hardly going to cover all six of us, Ginny."

Ginny's eyes twinkled up at him. "Who said that it needed to cover all six of us?"

Harry watched the sway of her hips as she turned and headed out of the classroom and he couldn't resist tilting his head to get a better view, his tongue between his lips. An adventure with Ginny was exactly what he needed.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the sassy remark from Harry to Ron, that belongs to the Buffy verse, season six, episode one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I just love it so much and it slipped out when I was writing LOL._

 _Thank you for reading and please review._


	202. Chapter 202

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you for all of the lovely welcome back reviews. It feels nice to know that I was missed. To answer some review comments:_

 _As to the fight with Sirius and Zee, I thought was necessary, and I know that not everyone agreed with how I made it happen, but to be clear — it was an accident that Zee hit him with the frying pan. They both moved at the wrong moment and bam! They love and care for each other very much, yet both are incredibly stubborn and bull-headed. Zee would never intentionally hit him nor he her, but sometimes these things happen (my grandma hit my grandpa with a frying pan once when they were arguing and much in the same it was in her hand and they moved and bam — they laugh about it now). And yes, make-up sex is the best. Theo and Ernie situation is coming, but not in the next few chapters as Christmas holidays are approaching so Theo will not be at school. But Ernie will get what's coming to him, I promise — and I can't wait for you to find out how!_

 _I like the Penis Card and I felt it fit the moment. I like the idea of Harry getting a tattoo, definitely never covering his entire chest, arms, shoulders, and back like Sirius, but something for his parents would be nice. Glad to see you enjoyed my Nyx/Harry interaction and Nyx keeping on eye on Smith lol. Remus does deserve a mic drop — he knows how worried Sirius is because he feels the same about Tonks, but they have to trust their women if they want the same trust in return. To christyannb94: this chapter might officially kickstart it;) To supersandman86: no Scooby Doo adventure lol. I know it seems obvious to all of us who know exactly where the diadem is hiding, but at the moment, Luna only knows what the Grey Lady told her, and they don't know that she knows more about it than what she said. But don't worry, we'll get there. I think J. Jamie Dupane said it best: "I know that many of us feel impatient because it is so *obvious* but we should realize that the only reason it feels obvious to us is because vision is often 20/20 in the hindsight. If we only have the data they have, the possibilities are endless. They are just kids and Hogwarts is a huge place with a thousand new places yet to be explored. RoR is not something everyone thinks of at the snap of your fingers. Many stories make them simply reach the conclusion out of nowhere calling it logical. No, it is not. It wasn't until the very last moment that Harry realized it in the canon." — thank you. And just a reminder - they don't know about the Room of Requirement yet._

 _To speedsONEandONLY: Harry does see more than people think and deserves credit for it. To Firekel: WOW! Thank you so much, that is honestly an honour that I don't think I deserve, but I am so pleased that you are enjoying the story. Thank you VERY, VERY MUCH!_

 _This chapter has some dark thoughts._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her awesome work editing this! Much appreciated!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND TWO:**

 **When they arrived in the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny immediately balled her fisted in the back of Harry's jumper.** He attentively turned to put his arm around her waist. He knew that despite coming down here last year for the defence course and despite coming down here to close it all up and map it out, the place still made her nervous. No, not nervous, he thought… it made her feel _helpless_ \- and he knew that was the one thing that Ginny hated. It was a reminder of the worst time in her life, and he loathed that she still felt even an inkling of helplessness just thinking about it.

The six of them stood in the throne room, their eyes wide as they looked around. Remus and McGonagall had begun to set up some new obstacles around the large room, interweaving through the statue of Salazar Slytherin and flowing through the other defence course.

The room itself had changed a great deal already. Now the mini lake under the statue was surrounded by a stone fence. The stones were clean and the room was well lit. The office of Slytherin stood in the mouth of the statue, its door left open, and with all of the defence stuff around, it looked more like a classroom and less like the horrible place that Harry remembered. It was almost comforting in some way - and he knew that Ginny felt the same.

"Where do you want to start?" Neville asked, his eyes searching the room. "It can't be anywhere in here. Not with the way Professors Lupin and McGonagall have set everything up."

Hermione put her hands on her hips as her eyes roamed the room as well. "Well, why don't we split up in twos to explore the outer chambers and tunnels, and we can meet back here in say, an hour? Hour and a half?"

Ron nodded. "That sounds sensible. Like Harry said, it's not exactly small down here."

Luna removed her wand from behind her ear. "I'll go with Neville."

Neville beamed at her. "Sure thing, Luna."

Hermione smiled at Harry, who still had his arm around Ginny. "I'll go with Ron."

Harry nodded as Neville and Luna headed into one of the main tunnels and Hermione and Ron headed through another one. He took Ginny's hand in his and kissed her fingers. "We ready?"

She nodded and urged him to go through after Ron and Hermione, but they veered left; their friends had gone right.

The large aqueduct was built from stone, and the illuminated torches gave off an eerie light as they moved through the tunnel. The torches were obviously motion-charmed to light up at movement, Ginny stayed close to Harry, her wand drawn as they trudged through the low water that covered the ground.

"You don't actually think that we're going to find it down here, do you?" Ginny asked him softly, her eyes on the walls to look for any kind of symbol that could tell her of a secret hideaway.

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't. I think that it would be too easy if it were down here, but not looking… I _have_ to be sure."

Ginny nodded as they moved further through the passage and came to a fork. "Left or right?"

"Left," he said, tugging her with him.

The further they walked, the more the tunnels seems to narrow. There was an eerie silence only broken by the sound of water flowing - and when a water snake lifted its head above the low water, Ginny jumped. Harry picked her right up though, making her grin. She shimmied around onto his back until her legs were locked around his waist. Harry turned his head to kiss her.

"Still not big on snakes, eh?"

"No," she growled, burying her face in the back of his neck.

He chuckled, but kept a tight grip on her thighs as she piggybacked him through the tunnels. The feel of her pressed up against his back was rather lovely. He did his best to focus on what was before him, and not on the feeling of her soft breasts pressed against his shoulder blades.

The tunnel widened into a new chamber, this one full of large stone arches showcasing where the water flowed from under the Black Lake, bringing water in and out of the school. He walked up the steps to where the passage widened as Ginny slid down his back to examine the script on the wall.

"This is just the numbering system for the aqueduct," she told him, running her fingers over the Roman numerals and Latin writing.

Harry looked around, his eyes moving to the winding stone staircase at the opposite end of the chamber. Ginny followed him, hopping across the stone path and away from the water to avoid any more water snakes, until at last they arrived at the stairs. They walked side by side until it became too narrow. Harry was forced to duck his head as the stairs rose higher, and finally they reached a large circular stone door with a metal lock on it.

"Alohomora," Harry said. The lock clicked, but didn't open.

Ginny frowned. "Well, that was rather anti-climatic."

He grinned. "I learned another one in Ancient Greek the other day." He pointed his wand at the lock a second time. "Ánoixe."

It clicked twice, but still didn't open.

Ginny smirked at him. "Time for plan B."

He watched in amazement as she tugged her hair down, pulled out a tiny bobby pin, and inserted it into the lock. She played around with the pin for a moment before it clicked and the lock opened, dust escaping in a large puff.

"You are brilliant, Ginny, do you know that?"

Ginny grinned widely. "Sometimes, it pays having Fred and George as brothers. How else do you think that I snuck into the broom shed?"

He chuckled as they tugged the heavy door open together, using their wands as buffers against the waves of cobwebs covering the door. The moment they stepped inside, torches lit up along the walls, revealing a tall staircase that wound around the walls of the room.

Ginny sighed in defeat at the sight of yet another staircase, but nonetheless began to trudge up the stairs, with Harry on her heels. They had only been walking for a moment before she snuck a look back at him. "It's bad form to stare at a girl's bum for so long, you know?"

He smirked. "Hmm, is it? Even when said girl's bum is shaped like a perfect upside down heart?"

Ginny blushed as he grabbed her hand and stopped her so that he could kiss her. When she stood two steps ahead of him, they were almost the same height.

She smiled against his mouth. "Come on, we have about a million more stairs to climb."

Harry nodded as he looked up. The stairs definitely seemed to go on for a few more levels, and he wondered how far under the school they'd wandered. He slid his hands down her waist and cupped her bum. "Keep walking, then, so I can get my eyeful."

She laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we should trade places so I can look at yours?"

He grinned slowly. "Sure."

Ginny laughed and kissed him once more before she continued her trek up the stairs. They walked up eight more flights before they arrived at another door. This one wasn't locked, but it required both of them to pry the heavy stone open. The sound of rushing water surprised them as they climbed through the door into what looked like a cave. Harry immediately recognized where they were.

"Is that a waterfall?" Ginny asked in amazement, pointing ahead.

Harry nodded. "It is."

He took her hand in his as they walked through the cave. The door slid shut behind them, disappearing into the stone as if it had never been there. He pulled her around the waterfall and out into the hidden swimming pool.

Ginny's eyes widened. "Wow!"

"It's incredible, isn't it? The water is like the ocean, warm and refreshing. It's even salt water."

His eyes travelled over the room. The pool was pitted into the ground as if it had been born out of the castle. He pointed to the ceiling to show Ginny how it was enchanted to look like the night sky, and how the pixie lights surrounded the rock and stone to make the pool shine in a deep coral blue.

"There's even a shower and room to change over there. Bathing suits and towels just appear as needed."

Ginny stared at him. "How come you've never shared this with anyone?"

He shrugged, his eyes meeting her warm brown ones. "Mandy showed it to me last year."

"It's beautiful," Ginny said.

He nodded, his eyes on hers. "We came swimming here once. I think she comes fairly often as she's a swimmer, you know? But I thought that it was pretty brilliant. Is it weird that I came here with her?"

"No. I went to The Three Broomsticks multiple times with Michael and once with Dean. Does that mean that we can't go there?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not!"

She moved closer to him, sliding her hands up his chest to softly knead his shoulders. "Are you thinking about being with Mandy down here instead of me?"

Harry shook his head. If he was honest, this was the first time that he had even thought of his ex girlfriend since his lips had first touched Ginny's. "No, not even a little bit."

She stood on her toes to kiss him. "Maybe one day we'll come back for a swim. It does look lovely and inviting."

Harry smiled at her. "You're kind of incredible, you know that?"

"I know," she said, making him laugh. She grabbed his hand in hers. "Now, is there a shortcut out of this place? We have to meet the others. Maybe they had better luck?"

Harry tugged her towards him, bending his head to kiss her softly. "Come on. Follow me."

~ ASC ~

 **Ron led the way through the tunnel, taking the right passage with Hermione behind him.** He didn't know where he was going, but he figured that the tunnel had to lead somewhere. He slowed his pace so that she was walking next to him and he smiled at her.

"So, can we count this as a patrol?"

Hermione smirked at him, shivering from the cool air of the chamber. "No."

He grinned and tugged his jumper over his head before passing it to her. "Worth a shot. Put this on."

Hermione accepted the warm maroon sweater from him. It was fairly roomy on her and she had to roll up the sleeves a couple of times, but it was warm and soft and smelled like Ron. _Earthy_. "Thank you."

Ron nodded, his wand lit before him. "Let's go this way."

Hermione followed him closely, her eyes searching the ground as much as the walls. "Ron?"

"Hmm?" he asked, glancing over at her. His uniform shirt was rolled up to the elbows, untucked and partially unbuttoned, showing his undershirt. The light hair on his arms seemed to shimmer in his wand light.

"You've been a pretty great prefect, I just wanted to say. Some of the first years who have come to ask me questions have asked for you specifically. The two wolf boys seem to have taken a liking to you."

He shrugged. "Well, I found some of them drinking. I mean, at eleven? Can you imagine? They're just looking to belong, and its kind of nice having someone to boss around. Ginny stopped letting me do that by the time she was six."

Hermione chuckled. "I'm surprised that she let you boss her around at all."

Ron shrugged again, a smile on his lips. "I actually enjoy being a prefect, to be honest. I never expected it. I thought it would go to Harry for sure."

"I did too, but I think it going to Harry would have been a mistake. He doesn't have what it takes to be a prefect. He has too much on his plate to begin with, and you just seem to understand it. I applaud you for it, Ron."

He smiled at her in surprise. "Well, thanks."

"I just mean, we work well together - as prefects, that is. Don't you think?"

Ron smiled at her. "Yeah, we do. Just like I think that we both understand that the diadem is not down here without searching for it."

"Harry doesn't want to leave anything to chance."

"And I get his reasoning for it," Ron told her. "But it feels like a waste of time to search for something in a place we know it won't be."

"I agree," she said. "But I also like his reasoning of crossing it off a list. There's a lot of unexplored territory down here, and we may stumble upon another hidden room of some kind."

He nodded as they moved down a wide tunnel with a steep incline. "Or end up under the Black Lake."

Hermione laughed. "I've been under that lake. I'd rather not reach the bottom again."

Ron grinned. "Right, but you don't remember being down there."

"No," she said. "But I'd still rather not go back. That feels like eons ago."

Ron snuck a look at her. "You miss him."

It wasn't a question, but she nodded. "Yes."

"You still writing to Desi?"

Hermione smiled. "I am! She's such a sweet girl. She's always fascinated by my classes and what's going on here. I told her that I have a date for Hogsmeade next weekend and she said that she's happy for me. She says that Viktor would have wanted me to be happy."

"He would have," Ron told her. "He was a stand-up bloke, but I know for a fact that he wouldn't want you to be happy with McLaggen."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh really?"

"Trust me," he said as they turned the corner through a stone passageway. It seemed to get warmer the longer they walked and the smell of lavender and cedar seeped into the air. He sniffed in curiosity. "Smells like my mum's bath."

"It smells lovely," she said, sniffing the air herself. "And for your information, Ron, Cormac is quite pleasant and I agreed to go out with him. He wants to be a professional Quidditch player when he finishes school."

Ron snorted. "You know, for a girl who hates Quidditch, you sure pick blokes interested in it."

She looked over at him. "You don't like him."

"No, he's a bloody prick, but if you like him I'll shut up about him."

"Really?"

He grinned. "No."

She laughed as they moved further into the new passage, her eyes moving across the stone walls and arched doorways of the aqueducts. "We're way past the chamber now, so where is that smell coming from?"

She led the way through the large archway, and they found themselves in a large circular room with what looked like a marble square bath in the centre. The heat from the water warmed the room as she walked closer.

"Is that a hot spring?" Ron asked in surprise, his eyes on the bath.

Hermione nodded. "I think so. I heard that the Romans built pools and baths like this all over Europe, but I never imagined that Hogwarts had one. I always heard that they smelled sulphuric, and this one smells like a relaxing bath."

Ron leaned over the edge to peer down into the water. "I heard witches used to charm the hot springs to make them more relaxing."

Hermione inhaled deeply. "It definitely looks and smells relaxing."

Ron unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it on the side. "Reckon we should try it out?"

Her eyes widened as he stepped out of his shoes and socks and tugged his pants off, revealing dark green boxer shorts. Ron pulled his undershirt off as well and slipped into the water. His eyes closed immediately.

"Mione, you've got to come in for a dip! This is incredible!"

Hermione bit her lip, shaking her head. "I can't! I don't have anything suitable."

"Come in the water, Mione," he said from below her.

Hermione hesitated only a moment before she tugged his jumper over her head and stripped down to her blue cotton knickers, leaving her white vest on over her bra, before she dipped her toes into the warm water. It felt heavenly on her feet and she slipped into the water with a soft gasp of delight. The scent of cedar wood and lavender seeped into her skin, and she instantly felt relaxed, as if all of the tension was oozing from her body.

"I don't think that this is the kind of searching we're supposed to be doing."

Ron swam across the spring. "We deserve a little break. Besides, this is incredible! I wonder if anyone even knows this is here."

"Maybe the staff does," Hermione told him.

Ron made a face. "I'd rather not imagine Snape swimming here, thank you."

She chuckled and began to swim herself, the hot water soothing her tensions away. She closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of the water. They swam around each other, splashing and laughing until Ron finally hopped over the side.

"Come on. We have to meet everyone soon and we still don't know how to get out of here."

He stood and reached out his hand to pull her out of the pool. Hermione let him tug her to the surface, but slipped on the stone edge and tumbled towards him. Ron's hands reached out to steady her, gripping her bum in his attempt to catch her. The feel of his warm, large hands on her bum made her flush. When her eyes met his deep blue ones, her breath hitched.

And then he was kissing her.

Or she was kissing him.

She didn't know which one of them had made the move - and frankly, she didn't care.

His lips were soft against hers, yet surprisingly urgent. _This is Ron,_ rushed through her brain until her brain shut off as lust swept through her instead.

Her fingers clutched his forearms, the soft hairs there, the feel of his warm skin making her burrow closer. His lips moved against hers, deeply and slowly, and when his tongue slipped between her lips, she didn't protest. She slid her hands up his arms, revelling in the lean muscle, over his shoulders and down his naked back. She moved closer, lips meeting his, and imagined pushing him to the ground and grinding herself over him until the aching inside of her stopped.

Ron's fingers clutched her bum, the tip of his thumb brushing under her wet knickers. She jolted back, suddenly realizing what was happening, pushing herself away.

 _This was Ron._

His eyes widened in surprise before he dropped his hands.

"Sorry, I didn't — I didn't mean to touch your bottom. Um..."

Hermione blushed, gripping his forearms to steady herself. "It's all right." She shifted away from him, the cool air of the room pebbling her nipples through her wet top and bra. Ron's eyes dropped to her breasts. Her breath hitched and she made to cover herself with her arm, suddenly feeling very exposed.

Ron caught himself and backed away. "Er, that was..."

"A fluke," she said sternly, her cheeks heating in embarrassment. "We went for a swim and it escalated into something that it shouldn't have. It won't happen again."

Ron looked like he wanted to protest, but he swallowed slowly and nodded. "Right, a fluke. Won't happen again, of course. Let's dry off, yeah?"

He picked up his wand, using a drying charm on himself before doing the same to her, and they quickly put their clothes back on. He handed Hermione his jumper again and she pulled it over her head, the warmth of the jumper and the drying charm making her feel safe. She dragged her fingers through her hair, attempting to tame it, before she tugged it back into a messy bun at the top of her head. When she turned, wand in her hand, she could feel Ron staring at her, but she refused to meet his gaze. She slid her shoes back on.

"Come on; let's go find the others."

And Hermione headed towards the stairs at the opposite end of the pool refusing to look back at him and ignoring the desire that stirred in her gut.

That had _definitely_ been unexpected, she thought.

~ ASC ~

 **Neville kept his eyes on Luna as she skipped ahead of him down the tunnel.** She kept alternating between herself and the hare, making him smile as she sniffed around in curiosity. They walked for almost ten minutes in silence before Luna changed back to herself and pointed to the wall.

"I think that there's a secret passage here."

Neville raised an eyebrow as he got closer. "Why do you think?"

She tugged on the candelabra and the stone slid away. "Because Sirius Black once said that it's a classic for a reason. No where else in this passageway is there a candelabra on the wall."

He grinned, using his wand to rid the entrance of cobwebs. "Shall we?"

Luna nodded, leading the way through the passageway with Neville on her heels. "Ooh, look at the insect activity! You know, that means there might be a Moke living down here!"

"Luna, sometimes I forget how much I miss you," Neville said sincerely.

She beamed at him. "I'm glad that Harry asked us to help. It's not here. It would be too obvious of a place to hide it. We should check all of the statues instead."

Neville's eyebrow rose. "Why?"

"Well, hiding it in plain sight would be genius, would it not? It's a tiara - and with the right charms it could blend right in."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, sometimes your mad ideas aren't so mad."

Luna smiled. "All the best people all."

He shook his head and they continued to trek through the passageway until it widened into a larger aqueduct. They bypassed the archways, past the water levels, and followed a winding staircase up two levels to a heavy stone door. The door disappeared into the wall when they stepped through it, making it look like it had never been, and leaving them in a dark, musty-smelling room. Neville lit his wand as Luna wrinkled her nose at the dust. The room looked like a storage facility. There were shelves upon shelves of boxes full of old parchment and the like. Luna stuck her head in the first box.

"It looks like old class rosters! Ooh, this one says Gryffindor House, Class of 1743!"

Neville knelt beside her to rifle through the boxes. "This one is Hufflepuff, 1682. They must just store them down here."

They pushed the boxes back into place and looked down the long aisles of shelves.

"This way," Neville said, leading the way.

They passed rows upon rows of shelves before they spotted a door up ahead leading to a narrow staircase. They climbed up and quickly emerged at the dungeons.

Luna grinned. "Well, that was rather a lovely walk, wasn't it?"

Neville snorted. "Peachy. Well, I guess we didn't find anything."

Luna shrugged. "Better luck next time."

"Let's go meet the others. I think your statue idea has real merit, Luna."

Luna skipped along next to him, filling him in on why she thought the statues were a good idea as he listened attentively. Being around Luna meant that there was never a dull moment, he thought with a grin.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry sat in the heavy wooden chair behind Slytherin's desk with Ginny in his lap, his lips hungrily meeting hers.** They'd only been snogging for a few moments when Ron's voice broke through his concentration.

"Oi! No one wants to see that!"

Ginny merely kissed Harry's neck before she turned to glare at her brother. "Don't look then."

Harry stood up, lifting Ginny with him. "We didn't know how long everyone else would be."

Ron only glared at them. "Right."

Ginny took Harry's hand and led him past her brother and into the throne room where Hermione was talking to Neville and Luna. "Any luck?"

Neville shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Nothing. But Luna and I ended up in the dungeons in an old storage room where it looks like class rosters of all of the witches and wizards who had ever stepped foot into Hogwarts."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Really? That's fascinating!"

Luna nodded. "We only looked into a few boxes. The door is at the end where the dungeons wind around before they lead outside onto the grounds."

"Harry and I ended up back in the main castle as well," Ginny said. "There's a saltwater swimming pool by Hufflepuff House and the kitchens with a waterfall and everything. It's pretty amazing."

"Mandy actually showed it to me last year. She heard that it was built by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," Harry told them. "The entrance is behind a portrait near the kitchens."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "A swimming pool is pretty awesome. Hermione and I found a large Roman bath, big enough to swim in. It led us through a secret passage behind the portrait across from the staff room. We wondered if that meant the staff may know about the bath. It's a hot spring after all."

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Guess we just have to add our findings to the Marauder's Map now."

Hermione nodded and opened her satchel to pull out her parchment pad. "I'll start a list here and we'll cross off our search areas."

"That would be great, Hermione. I think that we all knew it wasn't down here, but I'm still glad that we came down. It sounds like we all discovered some new places, which is definitely a plus."

"Luna had a brilliant idea about where to search next," Neville said, nodding at her.

"The statues!"

Ginny stared at her for a moment before her eyes widened. "Of course! The diadem could blend right in and no one would notice!"

Luna nodded. "There are hundreds of them all over the school and hidden in plain sight. If the right charms were used, it could sit on the top of one of them for decades and no one would be any wiser."

Harry grinned as he thought about what she was saying. There were statues everywhere. Some wearing hats or helmets, some with crowns… it was possible. "Luna, that's brilliant."

Luna smiled sweetly at them. "All we'd have to do is use a revealing charm on the statues to make sure that all of their parts are marble and stone. Anything that isn't would show itself."

Hermione added statues to her list and nodded. "That sounds like another great place to start."

Harry reached for his own bag and parchment pad. "It's only nine. Are you interested in adding our new finds to the map tonight?"

"I am," Ginny said, kissing him softly.

Harry smiled at her. "I added the pool already last year after Mandy had showed it to me, but the tunnels leading from the chamber up to it still need to be included."

"How do we go about it?" Hermione asked.

"Measuring Charm," Harry explained. "We need to make sure that we know every angle and every section we're mapping out - tunnels and rooms and stairs so that the map can be entirely accurate. Also need a basic sketch along with the measurement for accuracy. Ginny and Luna helped me last time."

Neville nodded. "Well, why don't we split up again between those that know?"

Ginny smiled. "Sounds good to me. Up for a new partner, Neville?"

"Sounds great, Ginny."

"I'll go with Harry," Hermione said. "And Luna can go with Ron."

Ron nodded. "Same destinations then? I'll take the bath, Harry and Hermione the pool, and Neville and Ginny the dungeons?"

They all agreed, this time planning to meet back at the entrance near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

The six of them headed off in their new directions and Harry guided Hermione through taking proper measurements as they moved into the tunnels. They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes as Harry did his best to sketch the frame of the tunnel. He was thankful that the charm would make his drawing accurate, as his skill wasn't the greatest.

He glanced over at his friend. Her silence didn't bother him. He had always liked that he and Hermione could sit quietly without the need for endless chatter, but she looked rather lost in thought.

"Are you okay, Hermione? You look more pensive than usual."

Hermione looked up at him. "Fine, just thinking."

He stared at her for a minute. "Okay, if you need to think aloud, I'm listening."

She smiled at him but stayed quiet until they slipped through the stone door that Ginny had broken into. "I'm going out with Cormac on Saturday."

"McLaggen?" Harry asked, his face disgusted. "Why?"

"Because he asked me."

"And you said yes?" he asked in disbelief.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Saying _no_ seemed rude when he's been very nice to me."

"He looks at girls like they are pieces of meat."

"It's only one date, Harry."

Harry frowned. "One date with a real ponce. You could do better."

She smiled at him. "Not everyone is going to be like Viktor, Harry. I know that. Talking with Cormac was nice after the Quidditch match and he's sought me out a few times since then to ask my thoughts on things. He's charming."

Harry stared at her for a long moment. "I'm sure that you'll have a good time then."

Hermione nodded and went back to her measuring, but Harry couldn't help but think that something else was going on in that mind of hers. He didn't know what, but he'd bet his broomstick that her thoughts were not on Cormac McLaggen.

~ ASC ~

 **By the time that Hermione made it back to her dorm room that night, her mind was in overdrive.** She desperately wanted to tell someone about the kiss, but also didn't want anyone to know. It had been Ron. She had never pictured Ron in that way, not really. He was Ron, her friend, her confidant. Ron, Harry, and Neville were friends and nothing more, and to think of Ron in a sexual way felt _wrong_. But then she closed her eyes and remembered how good his lips had felt against hers, and desire fluttered through her.

She grabbed her things and climbed into the shower to wash the dust and grime from the Chamber explorations off; letting the hot spray hit her as she remembered what it felt like when Ron's hands had touched her bum… the feel of him pressed against her, his lean muscles and strong arms… and when her own finger stroked her clit, she jumped in surprise.

She was hot, she realized… hot and a little randy. She let her fingers explore in hesitation, unsure of what she wanted, and feeling frustrated when it didn't seem to help. She leaned back against the wall of the shower, pushing her hips out, and the shower head sprayed her in a way that made her gasp in surprised pleasure. Hermione bit her lip in embarrassment before she reached up and pulled the removable shower head down, angling it towards her and letting the water pressure do delicious things to her body. It wasn't long before her hips were arching as she imagined Ron standing across from her, watching her pleasure herself with his lips swollen from kissing her. She came hard, crying out in pleasure, his name bursting from her lips.

Hermione slowly caught her breath, coming down from her high as she hooked the shower head back up, her legs trembling as she sank to the floor. She had never imagined that her body could do something like that. She'd explored a little after a particularly good snogging session with Viktor, but thoughts of Viktor had never… she closed her eyes, her heart pounding as she realized what she had just done.

A fluke, she had told him. It had been a fluke and he had agreed. He hadn't meant to kiss her like that.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she blinked them back. It had been a fluke, she told herself. _Just like this_. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She climbed to her feet, shut off the shower, and dried off, rubbing the lotion Ginny had given her for her birthday into her skin.

She wasn't attracted to Ron, she told herself. _She wasn't._

But when she crawled into bed, she wasn't entirely sure if she believed her own thoughts.

~ ASC ~

 ** _Dear Theo,_**

 _Ciara says that you are going home for Christmas and are looking forward to a quiet holiday. That sounds lovely. I hope you find time to spend with your loved ones as well. Do you have a large family?_

 _Life here for the holiday is always fun. We decorate the court and sing and dance and drink until the morning. I like to play the flute myself and am quite good if I can say so. My family is looking forward to having Ciara home for the holidays. I miss my favourite niece and can't wait to hear all about her stories in person._

 _I find myself enjoying writing to you. It's nice to have a found a friend outside of my world. Perhaps you can help me better understand how your world works and I can do the same with mine, if you are so inclined?_

 _I must finish this letter off now as I must get back to my command post, but please write back when you can._

 _Your Friend,_

 _Finn_

Theo smiled as he tucked the letter away in his pocket. The correspondence between him and the prince was almost every other day now, and he enjoyed writing to him as well. It was a constant thing that made him curious about the man who loved his niece so much. He waited until he went up to his dorm to respond, sitting up in his bed, his parchment pad on his knees.

 _Finn,_

 _It is lovely to have a friend to write to like this as well. You are kind and I feel like you've taken me under your wing the way that you have your niece. I'll have to start calling you Uncle Finn soon too._

 _No, in all honesty, I find this refreshing. You are a stranger, but someone I feel like I can confide in. You told me before that if there was anything you could do for me, to only ask. I was wondering if I could ask some advice? I have this friend, he's in a bad way at the moment. He's being blackmailed into performing sexual favours, and he thinks that he knows what he's doing. He thinks that he knows how to put an end to it, but in the meantime, he is being hurt. I want to help him. I want to tell someone that this is happening to him, but I am worried for him. It's important that he keep his secret, and if I tell someone about the blackmail, word might get out and ruin everything. What do you think I should tell him? How can I help him?_

 _Thank you._

 _Your Friend,_

 _Theo_

He stared at the letter for a long moment before he made his way into the bath to shower, his thoughts still on the letter he had just written. It was the first time that he had consciously admitted it. He was being blackmailed. He was allowing Ernie to treat him like a piece of garbage all for the sake of his pride, his reputation, and most of all, securing his inheritance.

But it had been four months now.

He felt himself feeling afraid all the time. A cute seventh year boy had flirted with him, and he had been too afraid to flirt back. It was getting worse and worse. It wasn't even about the forced oral anymore. He'd become used to that; accepted it, even. But the violence that came with it was too much. Ernie liked it when he bled: His lip, his nose, his face, his ribs ... Theo was a walking bruise, and Theo didn't know how to put an end to it. He'd glamoured the bruises away so often now that it became second nature, but when he stood in the shower and looked at the multicoloured wounds on his body, shame washed over him.

He had become Ernie's whore, and he hated himself.

Macmillan had found him again last night for the first time since Theo left the hospital. He'd been leaving the library after returning a book and had gone off alone, not thinking. The prefect had pinned him against the door of the broom closet, squeezing his throat so tightly he'd thought that he was going to die. When he'd shoved Theo to his knees, he'd slapped him across the face, hard enough to make his lip bleed - and he'd smashed Theo's head into the shelf on the side, clipping his ear. By the time Ernie'd unzipped his pants, he'd been hard; Theo had known the prefect had gotten off on hurting him.

Theo stood at the basin of the sink with the razor in his hand, staring at his neck. Sometimes he wondered if it would be easier if he just killed himself. He'd no longer have to deal with the blackmail, with his father, or with the upcoming war - and sure, his friends would miss him, he knew that.

But they'd get over it.

But the longer he stared, the more he knew that he could never go through with it. He didn't _want_ to die.

He put the glamour on himself to hide his injuries and the dark circles under his eyes before he got dressed. Taking a look in the mirror again, he put on a wide smile. It hurt his face as his torn lip cracked open, and before he could hold it back, a loud sob escaped him.

Theo gripped the counter desperately, loud sobs wracking his body in between heavy breathing, and he slowly crumpled to the bathroom floor.

Warm arms wrapped around him and he turned into them, sobbing uncontrollably. A firm hand ran up and down his back as he was held tightly and when he finally felt like he had no tears left in him, he cuddled closer into the soft neck and then slowly pulled away. His eyes met the silver-blue ones of his best mate.

"I'm sorry."

Draco only stared at him. "Tell me what's wrong, Theo."

Theo swallowed, wiping his eyes and nose on the sleeve of his jumper.

"Theo," Draco repeated when he didn't answer. "Please. How am I supposed to defend you against the unknown? Weaslette thinks it's Crabbe and Goyle… is it? Are they hurting you? Are they threatening you over something for your father? Does it have to do with the Dark Lord?"

Theo shook his head. "No, Crabbe and Goyle haven't done anything. No one is hurting me, Draco. I just… I'm scared about the Dark Lord and about my father too. It's a lot to deal with."

Draco only stared at him cooly. He reached over and squeezed his friend's shoulder. "I found you lying in a pool of your own blood, Theo. When are you going to stop lying to me? If not me… _please_ , talk to someone. I'm worried about you."

He knew that Draco was beyond worried if he had admitted that. He forced a smile onto his face to reassure his friend. "I'm fine. You've been great and I know that I can depend on you. I do, I know that. I just… there are some things that I'm dealing with over the majority issue, and taking on Norfolk and the estate. It's a lot and… I wish your dad was around to give me advice."

"Shit," Draco said quietly, slipping his arm over his friend's shoulders as he shuffled closer to him on the bathroom floor. "I'm sorry. I forgot that my dad being on the run meant you lost him too."

He nodded, wiping away the rest of his tears. "It's a lot… being Marquess and taking on Norfolk and the estate and the properties and all that comes with it. I just… I wish I had someone to help me sort through it; to help me with this lawyer. If Smith comes through, I'll have it before my seventeenth birthday and as great as that is… it's a lot of responsibility, Draco, and I don't know what I'm doing!"

"You will and you do. It just seems daunting. Take it one step at a time and you know Blaise and I are here to help you," Draco said.

"I know. I know that, like I said, it's just been a lot." He climbed to his feet, rubbing his hands through his messy dark brown hair. "Thanks for… you know for …"

Draco climbed to his feet as well and nodded. "Yeah, of course." He watched Theo gather up his shower stuff before he called his name, making Theo stop at the door. "Whenever you're ready, Theo, I'm here to listen. Whoever or whatever it is that you're not sharing with anyone… I'll be here to listen."

Theo let out a slow breath and let himself out of the bathroom, his heart pounding in his chest. He had never doubted Draco wouldn't be there, and it was part of the reason why lying to him was so bloody hard.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny yawned hugely from her seat at the table in the library the next evening.** It wasn't her usual place to work, but Colin needed to do research for his Herbology assignment and Harry was in Astronomy class. They had gotten back late from searching the Chamber of Secret, and she wished she had snuck up to her dorm to have a nap. She smiled when Theo slid into the chair next to her.

"Hi, I've missed you."

He only raised one eyebrow. "Did you? I figured that you were too busy snogging to notice that I wasn't around."

She rolled her eyes. "No, but that's been lovely."

Theo grinned widely. "Tell me how he kisses."

"Better than I imagined," she said honestly.

"Oooh, now I want details."

Ginny grinned, blushing a little as she whispered. "His hands are always in my hair or cupping my face, sliding over my back and shoulders, on my waist, around my abdomen. When he kisses me, it's like he has all the time in the world… and he just can take his time with these soft, slow, _delicious_ kisses that can turn hot in an instant."

"Damn! Bloody hell woman, now you've got me wanting to snog Harry. How's his bum? Still delectable?"

"Yes," she admitted. "I might have pinched it once or twice."

"That's my girl," Theo said with a grin.

"Theo," she said quietly. "The other day, when we were snogging, he was very… _hard,_ and when I, you know, looked down… he was…" She carefully pointed to her mid thigh.

Theo licked his lips. "I knew he was hung!"

Ginny blushed. "I… I traced the outline of it. It was… I liked it."

Theo gave her a suggestive look. "And when the time comes, you'll like it much better, naked-wise."

"I'm not ready for something like that," she told him. "Not yet."

"I know, chick. I'm always here when you need advice."

"And I'm always here when you need someone to talk to," she said, her chocolate brown eyes staring right at him. "I hate that you're lying to me."

Theo let out a slow breath. "I met with that lawyer in Hogsmeade and I'm working on getting character references. McGonagall and Snape have both provided me with one, and so did Draco's mother. Once he has those, he can file and hopefully soon I will have gained control over the Nott Estate, wealth, and holdings. That will make all the difference."

"Will it stop you from lying?"

"I'm omitting, there's a difference."

"Theo — "

" — I'm okay, chick, I promise. And once these references go to my lawyer, I'll be even better."

"Who's your lawyer again?" Ginny asked him.

"Franklin M. Smith from _Smith and Davis._ He's a nice bloke and I trust him," Theo told her.

"Good," she said as Colin returned to the table with a stack of books. "Find everything Colin?"

Colin made a face of disgust. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate doing research?"

"If you'd just done the assignment last week with me, you wouldn't have so much to do. I told you that you could use my notes," Ginny told him.

He sighed. "And I appreciate that sentiment, but if I'm going to write a paper with a deserving grade, I have to do the work myself, including the research. Thanks Ginny. Hey, Theo, how's it going?"

"Good," he said with a smile.

He and Colin talked for a moment, teasing Ginny about her quality Harry snogging time.

"Hey, I happen to very much enjoy my quality Harry snogging time!"

"As you should," Theo said with a grin. "Colin and I are just jealous of your time with Harry instead of us."

Colin grinned. "Only a little."

Ginny smiled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to neglect you! I don't want to be one of those girls who suddenly can't be away from her boyfriend for ten minutes."

"But you don't want to be away from Harry for ten minutes," Colin teased. "It's okay. You guys are made for each other. You are Harry and Ginny, it just makes sense."

"Harry and Ginny?" she asked with a grin. "I don't even know what that means."

"Hinny!" Theo exclaimed, with a smile. "I'm coining it! It's mine!"

Ginny bubbled up in laughter. "Hinny?"

"It's your couple name," Theo said. "From now on, I shall call you Hinny. Accept it. Trust me, it's the better option; unless you want me to call you Garry?"

Colin giggled, covering his mouth with his hand so that Madam Pince didn't hear him. "Can we please call them Garry?"

"No!" Ginny hissed, rolling her eyes at them. "Hinny is much better."

Theo beamed at her. "Hinny it is."

~ ASC ~

 **When Ginny said goodnight to Theo, she and Colin headed back to Gryffindor Tower.** Dennis came over to talk to Colin, so Ginny found a seat in front of the fire. She opened her bag to pull out some fresh parchment, thinking about Theo's words. She wrote home, outlining her conversation with her friend and her worries about him before detailing the same to Bill. She had just finished when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville came in.

"I just didn't see it! I mean, how am I supposed to sketch the star when I couldn't even find it?" Neville asked, sighing in annoyance. "I hate Astronomy."

Hermione smiled sympathetically. "I'll give you my notes."

"Thanks," he said gratefully, smiling at Ginny. "Hey Ginny, how's it going?"

"Good," she replied, smiling when Harry moved into the armchair with her and lifted her so that she was sitting on his thigh. "This is _my_ seat!"

Harry kissed her cheek. "Now it's for both of us."

She grinned and kissed him softly. "Theo has decided that he's now going to refer to us as Hinny from now on."

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"

"He says that it's our couple name."

Hermione chuckled, sitting in the chair next to them. "That's cute. It suits the two of you."

"Well, I flat out refused to let him call us Garry."

Harry blanched at that and she laughed.

"So we're Hinny now, Harry and Ginny."

Harry cupped her face with his right hand. "As long as I get to be with you, I'll go by whatever you say."

Ginny's eyes softened as she leaned in to kiss him. "You're the sweetest."

"Letters home?" He asked, nodding to the envelopes in her lap.

She nodded. "And one to Bill. I'll send them out in the morning."

"Sounds good. Hogsmeade tomorrow."

Ginny smiled at him. "I remember. I believe that you said something about taking me out on a proper date."

"I did," he said with a grin, kissing the tip of her nose. "Maybe we can meet up with everyone at The Three Broomsticks in the afternoon?"

"Sounds good to me," Ron cut in. "How about you meet us around two?"

"We'll be there," Ginny told him. "Hermione?"

"I'm meeting Cormac there for twelve, so that shouldn't be a problem."

Ron grimaced. "I can't believe that you're going out with that idiot."

Hermione glared at him. "Who I decide to go out with is no one's business but my own. I already know your thoughts and yours, Harry - I don't need more!"

Harry put his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I told you my thoughts and I said that I wouldn't bring it up again."

Ginny smiled at her friend. "You said that he was nice and I think going on a date with him is a good idea. You need to put yourself back out there, Hermione, and even if the date turns out to be a bust, at least you went."

Ron glowered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Why waste your time when you can just come and have fun with Neville and me?"

"Ron, I know that it's hard sometimes, but don't be a prat."

Harry smirked at his girlfriend's comment as his best mate turned a lovely shade of red.

"Whatever, Ginny! If Hermione wants to waste her time on that prat, that's her problem!"

Hermione chose not to answer that and stood up. "I plan to have a lovely time. Now I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

She took off towards the girls dormitories and Neville sighed. "Way to go, Ron."

"What did I do?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You were a prat and you know it."

Neville stood up. "Ron and I will be nearby anyway in case she needs us. Not that she'd admit it. I don't much like Cormac either."

Ginny shook her head at them. "Hermione is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. You lot act like she's going to be attacked."

"No," Neville said carefully. "Not her, _him_."

That made Ginny grin as Neville said goodnight, and Ron followed him a few minutes later. She made herself more comfortable in the chair - and sat more prominently on her boyfriend's lap.

"So, what time are we going on this proper date then?"

Harry smiled, his arms wrapping around her waist. "I was thinking we could head into the village around ten and maybe do some shopping before we head to the restaurant for twelve. If you can hold out that long, that is?"

Ginny leaned in, her teeth gently nipping at his earlobe. "I'll just nibble on _you_ if I feel peckish."

An image of Ginny nibbling on something that was most definitely not his earlobe flashed through his mind and the back of his neck flushed. "Absolutely."

"Will you tell me where it is yet?"

He shook his head, grinning at her. "Nope. It's a surprise. Uncle Sirius told me about it, and I've never been there myself. Uncle Sirius said that he met Uncle Remus there for lunch back in September. He claims that the food is excellent."

Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck. "I can't wait."

And when her lips touched his, Harry thought that he couldn't wait either.

~ ASC ~

 **Ron and Neville headed into Hogsmeade with Dean and Seamus, chatting and laughing about nothing in particular as they browsed** ** _Zonko's Joke Shop._** He tried not to, but he found his eyes moving around the village as he looked for a sign of Hermione and McLaggen.

He knew that it was none of his business. She had every right to date whomever she liked, but he couldn't stop himself from remembering how good she had felt plastered against him, all wet and soft… the way her round bum had felt under his hands, against his fingers. He scowled.

It was a fluke.

He stared absently at the shelf of joke products. But he didn't _want_ it to be a fluke. Kissing Hermione had been everything that he had ever imagined it would be. She had been vibrant and demanding and yet she had melted under his touch. He'd never wanted anyone more. Whenever he looked at her, fingers covered in ink spots, untucked dress shirt over her kilt, those wild bushy brown curls that tumbled to her waist, his cock responded. Just that morning he'd wanked to the memory of her pressed against him, imagined what she would have done if he'd let his fingers glide under those knickers.

 _Fuck_ , he thought. Now he was hard again. He discreetly covered his crotch with his cloak and tried to think about something else. He knew that he fancied her. He had since at least third year, right around the time he had started to notice she had breasts. Really pretty, round, bouncing breasts that she had tried to hide. He'd told himself it was just a passing fancy as they were friends and when she started to date Viktor, he knew that he would never have a chance with her.

Hermione Granger was intelligent and charming and she knew what she wanted. Not that he would admit it - but the fact that she was a bossy little swot was part of her appeal. He'd fantasized more than he wanted to admit about taking control over her, tying her hands and just doing what he wanted as she moaned beneath him, begging him for more. But they had been just that: fantasies.

Until she had kissed him.

Ron hadn't told anyone as he'd known that she wouldn't want him to. She had been embarrassed by it, and clearly uninterested in more. That goaded him as he caught a glimpse of McLaggen walking by the joke shop with some friends. What the hell did Cormac McLaggen have that he didn't? Money was the first thought that rushed through his mind, and his face flushed. He knew that Hermione wasn't that kind of girl, but Viktor Krum had been an internationally famous Quidditch star and McLaggen's family was well off. He had been named one of Britain's top ten young and up and coming bachelors just that summer. What could Ron possibly have to offer her?

 _A fluke_ , she had told him. _It had been a fluke and it wasn't going to happen again._

He heard someone say his name and he turned back to his friends, pushing thoughts of Hermione from his mind.

"Ron, we were just saying that we're looking forward to going home for Christmas. You have any big plans?" Neville asked as they made their way towards The Three Broomsticks.

Ron shook his head. "Nah, just Christmas stuff. Charlie's actually coming home this year so Mum is pretty excited. You?"

"Nothing crazy, no. Gran and I will do our usual. Seamus is telling his dad this Christmas though, right?"

Seamus nodded, swallowing. "I am. Dean's going to come stay the first part of the holiday with me."

Dean smiled at his friend. "He needs me there with him just as much as I need a place to stay. My mum went on holiday with some girlfriends and won't be back until Christmas Eve, so I'm going to hang with the Finnigans until she gets home."

Ron nodded, shoving his cold hands into his pockets. "Are you nervous?"

Seamus shrugged, looking over at his friends. "Not as much as I was. It's time. I'm sixteen and I want them to know. I'm glad that Dean is going to be there, though. At least no matter what happens I'll have someone supportive on my side."

Dean draped an arm around Seamus' shoulders. "You'll also have your mum, don't forget that."

Seamus smiled gratefully, squeezing his arm before he moved away from his grip. "Yeah. Will leaves on the twenty-eighth as well. He promised to write me, but I don't know if he will right away. We ended things rather amicably, but, you know…"

Ron nodded. "We're here if you need us, Seamus. And I know that if something goes wrong, which I don't think it will, you and Dean can always come to the Burrow. Mum loves company."

Seamus grinned at his friends. "You blokes really are the best, you know that, right?"

Neville laughed as they opened the door to the pub. "You know it, now come on; let's head inside and warm up with some Butterbeer. I can't feel my nose."

Ron snorted as they headed inside and he felt a little better - especially when he didn't see Hermione and her date anywhere. He took a seat at the table, eyes moving around the pub to see if someone else to caught his eye, but even as he looked, he knew that he had no real interest.

He just wanted to go home for Christmas and think about something else. This time next week he would be home, and he'd force himself to think about anything except for the fluke. _Anything_.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry met Ginny in the Gryffindor common room, grinning at the sight of her in warm chocolate brown tights and an oversized bright blue Weasley jumper with a white letter W on the front.**

"Weasley or William?"

Ginny's eyes twinkled at him. "Bill won't even know it's missing. I took it last year."

"You are a little klepto," he said, bending his head to kiss her softly.

Ginny smiled. "So where are you taking me first on this proper date of ours?"

He lifted the bouquet of flowers from the table that he'd placed them on. "First of all, these are for you."

Her eyes widened in surprised delight as she accepted the beautiful bouquet of mixed tulips and orchids before burying her nose in the blooms. "Where did you even get these?"

Harry smiled. "Professor Sprout. Greenhouse eleven is full of flowers, and Neville helped me sneak in to pick them for you this morning."

Ginny's eyes were laughing. "Stolen flowers? Who's the klepto now, Mr Potter?" She stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "Thank you. They're beautiful and unexpected, which makes them even better."

"You're welcome," he said.

"I'm going to put them up by my bed. I'll be right back."

He nodded as he watched her hurry back up the stairs to her dorm. She came back five minutes later and took his hand in hers. Together they headed out of the portrait hole and down to where Filch was waiting to begrudgingly sign them out.

Once they made it to the bridge leading to Hogsmeade, Ginny grinned up at him. "Are you getting excited to go to Moscow?"

He nodded, his eyes on her. "Yeah, I am. I want to see Papa and Grandmama again and well, I only met Zee's Russian family once, but they were really nice. We're going to be staying with Zee's parents in Moscow and then going to Baba and Deda's for dinner in St Petersburg."

"How long are you going to be gone again?"

"Four days," he told her. "We're not going until the day after Christmas."

"I can't believe it's going to be Christmas so soon already. Charlie's coming home!"

"That's great!"

Ginny beamed as she thought of her older brother. "It is. He's only been back in England in passing over the last year - for Tonks and for the wedding, and last year, he didn't make it home for Christmas because of the tournament. He had too much work to do with the dragons."

"It will be nice to have him home."

"I think so," she said, sneaking a look over at him. "Bill's dating Fleur Delacour."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really? Well, I guess that they have been working together a lot."

She nodded. "I suspected he liked her over the summer, but he said that they were just colleagues."

"When did that change?"

"Bill told me they started dating in September. He likes her. She's going back to France for Christmas, and he's a little sad. But I think it will be nice to have the whole family home for Christmas for once."

Harry slipped his arm around her waist as they walked. "I agree. I wish Grandma and Grandpa were going to be in Moscow with us. I haven't seen them in ages. They wrote back the other day and Grandma says that it's about time I kissed you. Apparently I spoke about you so much in my letters that she was starting to wonder if I had even realized I fancied you."

"Pining away for me, were you?" she teased.

Harry stopped walking to turn her in his arms, his lips touching hers for a soft, sweet kiss that left them both wanting more. "I was waiting, not _pining_."

"I was pining a little bit too."

The back of Harry's neck flushed a little. "Ginny, you make me really happy, you know that, right?"

Ginny squeezed his hand, her eyes on his. "You make me really happy too."

They grinned foolishly at each other as Harry led her off the main stretch of road and down an alley. She moved closer to him as they stepped out of the alley into a neighbourhood and moved up the street and over one more block until she saw the small house up ahead - a green, red, and white canopy over the front with the words: Mangia Italiano.

Harry led her up the front porch and through the door. The home had been turned into what looked like a warm family kitchen. Round wooden booths with thick red cushions surrounded the walls full of moving photos. Intimate tables sat in the middle of the room with more booths on the nicked hardwood and warm pine walls. Soft jazz music played over the wireless and the place smelt like tomatoes and herbs and garlic. Ginny's stomach immediately grumbled.

A middle aged woman hurried over to them with two menus. "For two? Right this way."

She led them to one of the intimate round booths along the wall and they sat next to each other, grinning, as she dropped the menu on the table.

"I'll bring over some water for now until you decide what you'd like. My name is Maria if you need anything."

As soon as the waitress left, Ginny turned to Harry and kissed his cheek. "This place is wonderful! Thank you!"

He grinned. "You're welcome."

He moved his eyes around the room and jolted in surprise when he saw the moving photo hanging up behind Ginny.

"Ginny, look," he said pointing to it.

Ginny turned. The photo hanging there was of two young lovers. The woman was laughing as she pushed the young man away from her as he nibbled lightly at her neck, a big grin on his face and a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of them. "Are those your parents?"

Harry nodded in amazement, the way his mum laughed, her eyes twinkling in delight and his father's quick grin… he could see the love they shared. "Uncle Sirius told me that they came here a lot, but that's kind of brilliant."

The waitress returned with the two glasses of water and saw where their eyes were looking. "James and Lily. They came here once a week after they started dating. They were always so playful, and we could hear them laughing from the kitchens. We loved having them. That photo was taken on their one year anniversary. He proposed not long after and well, I think that you know what happened a few years later." She finished sadly before her eyes widened at the sight of Harry's scar. "Blimey! Are you -those are _your parents_?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, they are."

The waitress beamed. "Well, on behalf of this restaurant, welcome! Let us whip you up an appetizer on the house. It's lovely to see the young man of a couple I was able to witness falling in love. Thank you for coming, Mr Potter."

Harry smiled back. "Thanks for having us."

When she left, Ginny turned to him. "She witnessed them falling in love? That's really sweet!"

"They came here once a week? That's kind of brilliant too, like it was their place."

Ginny smiled when he linked his fingers with hers, bringing their joined hands to his lips. "We have our tower room, but maybe we can have this place too."

Harry's smile was slow and it sent bolts of heat down her middle. "I like that idea."

The waitress was smirking at them when she returned, interrupting their kiss. "Sorry to interrupt. Here's an antipasto and a house salad. Have you decided what you'd like to have yet?"

Ginny smiled brightly at her. "The spaghetti and meatballs in that photo looks pretty great. I'll have that."

"I'll have the same," Harry said, his eyes not leaving Ginny's.

The waitress smiled warmly. "Absolutely. Enjoy."

"Why are you staring at me?" Ginny asked, fiddling in her seat.

"Because you're beautiful," he said simply, and she blushed.

"You need your eyes checked," she told him, slipping his glasses off and placing them on the table. She leaned in and kissed him softly, nibbling on his bottom lip as his breath hitched. "Can you see me when I'm this close to you?"

"I can see you with my eyes closed," he murmured, kissing her jaw. "But yes, I can see you this close. I can see close up, just not any further than a few inches."

Ginny kissed him again, lingering on his mouth long enough to make him groan before she turned to the cheese and prosciutto plate. "Shall we eat?"

Harry put his glasses back on and bent his head to kiss the side of her neck. "Let's eat."

~ ASC ~

 **Hermione spent almost two hours in the bookstore at the end of the street before she made her way to The Three Broomsticks to meet Cormac.** He was already there, chatting with some friends, but when he saw her he shooed his friends away and ushered her to sit with him in the back corner booth.

"Hi, Hermione!"

"Hi, Cormac," she said, taking a seat in the booth next to him.

"I'm glad that we're doing this," he told her with a grin.

She smiled at him. "Me too."

She ordered tea instead of butterbeer and kept her attention on him as he told her about his family and his plans of becoming a professional Quidditch player (for the third time). She nodded absently and found that while he was mildly interesting, she found him a bit full of himself. When he moved closer to her in the booth, she only raised an eyebrow as he draped his arm over her shoulders.

He slowly licked his lips as he stared down at her. "Can we stop pretending now?"

"Pretending?" Hermione repeated, looking over at him. "What are we pretending?"

Cormac's fingers began to gently slide up and down her arm. "Why don't you start giving me that kiss you've been longing to give me since you walked in?"

Hermione scoffed at him. "That _I've been longing to give you_?"

He smirked and leaned in closer to her. "We both know that you want this."

She let him move in. She had no desire to move away, but no desire to move closer either. His lips touched hers softly for a moment, and then became harder. She gasped against his mouth. He was forcing his tongue into her mouth in an unflattering way, and she shoved him away from her.

"No, thank you!"

Cormac grinned. "Now, come on, pet. Don't play hard to get."

He moved in again and Hermione shoved him back. "Try that again and I'll have you at wandpoint."

He snorted, but shifted away from her. "Fucking tease."

Hermione scowled at him and jumped to her feet, grabbing her bag. "Goodbye, Cormac."

She stormed out of the pub, more annoyed at herself than at him. She had known he was a ponce and she had known how full of himself he was, but her guilty conscience had talked her into giving him a chance. She wiped at her chin in annoyance and felt like it was covered in his drool. She used a cleansing charm on her face and felt slightly better. The kiss had been awful, and for someone who seemed to get around like he did, she had expected it to be better. In fact, if she was honest, she had expected him to wow her the way that Ron had.

She would never have guessed in a million years that Ron Weasley could kiss a girl like that. It had come out of nowhere. She was glad that there were only six more days until she was going home for Christmas.

She had a lot to think about.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(Ancient Greek) Ánoixe = open_

 _"_ _All the best people are" = quote from Alice in Wonderland_

 _I always pictured Cormac McLaggen in the way of Armistead Stuart from the film What A Girl Wants and kind of wrote his character as such here._


	203. Chapter 203

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer some reviews: I know that the Alice quote wasn't spot on, it wasn't meant to be. I felt like coming from Luna, it just fit to come out of the blue like that and not be a direct quote. I thought that having a small little reminder that his parents fell in love when they were at Hogwarts was a nice idea. I always loved Romione and I always wanted them to end up together in the books and I think JKR was wrong in saying they wouldn't have worked out together, but that's just me. And sorry, unlike Harry and Ginny, the kiss is not what will bring them together. It was a fluke. ;)_

 _Thank you to Steel for the idea bounce on the Animagus scene._

 _Thank you Dusk for editing this for me — much appreciated!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND THREE:**

 **By the time Monday came around, Harry found himself a little anxious to guest appear in McGonagall's class.** The six of them were all to report to the Transfiguration classroom at ten that morning to help teach her third years about the Animagus transformation. It was the last week of classes before the holiday, and everyone was starting to feel anxious.

Harry and Hermione were being signed out of Arithmancy for the morning, while Ron and Neville were missing Divination, and Ginny and Luna were missing Potions. They stood at the back of the class as the third years all filed in, and McGonagall clapped her hands to gain the class's attention just as Umbridge slithered into the room.

"Class, today, as you know, is a little different. I have combined my two third year classes into one to allow everyone to see the guests I promised. I have six students who, over the course of the last two years, have become Animagi. They are here today — "

" — hem, hem," the annoying fake cough sounded from behind Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes at Ginny as Umbridge stepped forward.

"Professor McGonagall, if I may have a word?"

"Madam Umbridge, I am in the middle of teaching a class. If there is anything that you wish to tell me, I suggest that you do so at lunch," she said firmly, before promptly turning her back on her and addressing her class once more. "Now, as I was saying, the six students at the back of the classroom have all shown tremendous skill in the art of Transfiguration and — "

" — hem, hem."

McGonagall huffed in annoyance. "What is it, Madam Umbridge?"

Umbridge smiled sweetly. "Allowing these six students to miss their own lessons today just to help you with your class is unacceptable, and in fact against the educational decree guidelines issued in the educational handbook I passed out the other day. These students are out of bounds and skipping class, so they will have to be punished accordingly."

McGonagall glared at her. "I don't care what it says in your ridiculous handbook. These students are here to learn about the Animagus transformation today, and as I have helped the six students behind you learn this difficult charm, I want them to present it to my class. I have already spoken to Professors Vector, Trelawney, and Snape who all agree that this is an acceptable use of their time. Not to mention, I've spoken to Dumbledore about combining my two third year classes just for today. Professor Sprout gave my third years their assignment last week to cover today's missed class. I can assure you, everything has been taken care of."

Umbridge looked like she was going to protest, but McGonagall merely turned back to the class.

"Class, I apologize for the interruptions. As I was saying last week, the Animagus transformation is a very difficult piece of magic than can only be mastered if you have the strength of mind as well as the strength of magic to force it into being. The charm itself requires constant discipline and repeating until the time is right for the transformation to take place. It —"

" — hem, hem."

" — can _only_ happen once the potion has been brewed successfully and a lightning storm has altered the colour of the potion, allowing it to be consumed and your animal to be revealed to you," McGonagall continued, ignoring Umbridge completely. "The potion itself is difficult to brew, but the entire charm requires a great deal of determination and concentration, and it is not something to be taken lightly."

"Hem, hem."

"Only those willing to undertake the hard work will succeed at doing it."

"Professor McGonagall, if I could have a word?" Umbridge exclaimed loudly over the class.

McGonagall stared at her. "You can speak with me at lunch. Interrupt my class again, and I will have you removed."

Nyx stood up from under the desk, licking her lips, and growling low. She took a step towards Umbridge, blocking McGonagall. Umbridge turned sheet white, taking an automatic step back.

Harry snorted and Ginny elbowed him until he contained himself.

He watched as Umbridge took a seat at the back of the classroom - well away from Nyx, who continued to eye her. She pulled out a clipboard and began to scribble furiously.

Harry leaned down to Ginny. "What do you suppose she scribbles there?" he whispered. " _McGonagall was mean to me today when I interrupted her. She will pay_."

Ginny grinned and whispered back, "Or maybe, ' _McGonagall's tiger tried to eat me. It was very unprofessional._ '"

Ron, upon hearing them, leaned in with a snort. "Or, _McGonagall wouldn't let me interrupt her, I wish I could take off house points."_

Harry snorted as the three of them snickered. He grinned sheepishly at McGonagall who gave them a look before she turned back to the class.

"Over the last two years, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood all learned how to become an Animagus. Does anyone remember what the first part of the Animagus transformation is? Yes, Mr Donovan?"

"You have to chew on a Mandrake leaf."

"Correct, five points to Hufflepuff. Mr Potter, why don't you tell us about your experience with the Mandrake leaf."

Harry cleared his throat before he headed to the front of the class. "I think that the Mandrake leaf was the most difficult part. We couldn't take one until the leaves were ripe, and then you had to keep it in your mouth for an entire month, not removing it for any reason. This was the hard part as it stayed there while I slept, while I ate, and while I brushed my teeth. It was rather bothersome, as it changed the way I tasted food. It left a bad taste in my mouth, and I felt like I still tasted salted seaweed weeks later. Most of the time I used a sticking charm, but it had to be constantly replaced, as the leaf was always moving around in my mouth."

McGonagall smiled. "How was the process of the potion brewing, Miss Lovegood?"

Luna moved up next to Harry. "We all pitched in to collect the ingredients for the potion, but Harry and Hermione brewed it together, since the two of them are the best at potions. It had to be kept in a dark room at all times, and many of the ingredients had to be obtained at the right moment, such as fresh morning dew untouched by human feet or sunlight for at least a week. Professor Hagrid had to help us find some."

"Mr Weasley, how long did you have to wait after you brewed the potion?"

Ron scratched his forehead as he spoke. "We had to wait until the next full moon, and then we had to spit our Mandrake leaves out under the rays of the moonlight to add it to the potion. We each had our own potion bowl to add our leaves to. Once our chewed leaves were added, we had to pour the concoction into a vial and shake it, before keeping it somewhere dark; somewhere it would not be subjected to sunlight until a lightning storm occurred."

"While you were waiting on lightning, was there anything else that was required, Miss Granger?"

"Yes. We had to perform a charm on ourselves every sunrise and every sunset until the lightning storm occurred," Hermione answered promptly. "We were to wave our wands in a circular motion counter-clockwise over our head as we said: 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus', which basically means that we are intentionally transforming our mind to coincide with that of the animal. The charm helped us mentally and physically prepare for that."

"Exactly," McGonagall said. "Mr Longbottom, what happened when lightning struck?"

Neville cleared his throat. "Well, if we had brewed the potion correctly, it was supposed to turn a blood red. After the lightning storm, we checked the potion, and it was a blood red colour so we knew that it was safe to drink. After we drank it, an image of our animal appeared in our mind."

"Was it easy, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, not at all, Professor. It was painful. It felt like I had drunk hot sauce and it burned my throat and my stomach. I felt like the potion was boiling inside of me, but then there was this sound, and I could hear the heartbeat of my animal alongside my own. It was like an animal had bonded with me, chosen to share their soul with mine."

McGonagall gave her a rare smile. "Excellent way of putting it, Miss Weasley. For that's exactly what the Animagus transformation is. It's the spirit of an animal choosing to bond itself to the witch or wizard in question, so that when you see that animal in your mind's eye, that is the animal that has chosen you. The animal that you will become. Mr Potter, what happened after you saw your animal."

"We repeated the charm and tried to transform."

"Did it work?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah, nothing happened. It takes between two or three weeks for anything to happen normally. When it does, it's gradual - a paw, or an ear, or maybe a full leg. The first time I managed anything it was my whole arm and nothing else. I couldn't figure out how to change it back, or progress any further, for over an hour. It takes a lot of concentration and practice. Once you do finally become an animal, you're not big and powerful like you think, either. You're a little baby, and you need help with everything."

Ginny smiled. "My mum found me. I couldn't jump onto the bed or get out of my room, as I was too little, and I couldn't figure out how to transform back."

"I couldn't climb the stairs, they were too high for me," Harry admitted, chuckling.

"The transforming back was especially hard because as an animal, we don't have access to our wands," Neville told them.

"Not to mention that when you do turn back into yourself, you're usually buck arsed naked. No one ever mentions that you have to picture yourself wearing clothes first," Ron added as some of the students laughed.

"Language, Mr Weasley," McGonagall scolded, before nodding at a petite girl with long blonde hair. "Yes, Miss Payne?"

"How long did it take your animals to grow up? And do you think like an animal when you're in that form?"

Ron shrugged. "I feel like an animal. I can run and jump and do everything that the animal can do, but I have my own mind. I know that I am not an animal, but a wizard, and I think that that's the beauty of the Animagus transformation, you're not changing yourself, but just giving yourself a disguise."

"Well said, Mr Weasley. Five points to Gryffindor," McGonagall told him, making his ears flush.

"As to how long it took," Luna continued. "Just over a year for our animals to grow up. We had to practice on a regular basis, changing into our animal selves, running around and playing as our animals, as well as practicing to change back. Professor McGonagall helped us with that, and then helped us register our forms with the Ministry of Magic."

"Why is it illegal to become an Animagus, Professor?"

"Excellent question, Mr Sahni. Five points to Ravenclaw. It is not _illegal_ to become an Animagus per se - but it is illegal to keep it a secret, as having the ability to transform into an animal at will is a great disguise, and some people take advantage of that. There was a wizard in the ninth century who did some terrible things, both as a wizard and in his animal form. He would change into his Animagus form of a bear and escape before anyone could accuse him," McGonagall explained. "Registration is for everyone's safety and for your own. If something were to happen and you were injured in your Animagus form to such an extent that you were unable to transform back, knowing that there is a witch or wizard who looks like that animal could save your life."

The dark haired boy named Sahni raised his hand again. "But how would they tell you apart from any other animal?"

McGonagall smiled. "Another great question, Mr Sahni. Distinguishing marks must be recorded with the Ministry so that they can know the details of your disguise. Each Animagus has their own distinguishing qualities that showcase their true identity. I'll go first."

A moment later, a sleek grey cat with black stripes jumped up onto the desk and Harry walked over to her. "Can anyone see anything that might make you think this cat looks like Professor McGonagall?"

A girl with cornrows raised her hand. "The patches around her eyes, they are kind of shaped like her glasses."

"Yeah," Harry said. "Exactly. Also for those of you that have gotten in trouble with McGonagall before; this cat gives her exact stare."

A few of the students chuckled as McGonagall transformed back. "Mr Potter, why don't you go next?"

Harry changed into his wolf-dog and a few people gasped in surprise at his size.

"As you can see," McGonagall said, patting Harry on the head. "Mr Potter is a wolf-dog mix known as a Tamaskan. But his eyes are the same emerald green, which isn't a usual eye colour on dogs. And just here, over his eye, this white patch looks almost like a lightning bolt, distinguishing him as Harry Potter."

"Cool!" someone said as McGonagall smiled.

"Yes, it is very cool, Mr Donovan. Harry, why don't you walk around the class and let them see your form? Mr Weasley, you next." Ron transformed into his wolverine and she moved to stand next to him. "Mr Weasley is a wolverine - but see the intensity of his sapphire blue eyes, and how he has little brown spots on his snout, just like the freckles on his face?"

Ron moved around the classroom at McGonagall's instruction as Hermione transformed next.

"Miss Granger is a red fox. She has brown eyes as opposed to the amber of normal foxes, and the bushiness of her tail reflects her curly hair. Mr Longbottom," she began as Hermione moved around the room in her fox form and Neville transformed into his badger, " — is a badger. See the wide-eyed expression, the brown almost sable colour to his fur, reflecting his hair?"

Neville moved away as Luna changed into her hare.

"Miss Lovegood is a hare. Again, her bright blue eyes distinguish her as different from an animal - and for anyone who knows Miss Lovegood, she tends to look rather dreamy most of the time."

Luna hopped off as Ginny changed.

"Miss Weasley is a red panda. We can say the obvious here, and that the reds and golds of her fur are more vibrant than a regular red panda, as they reflect her own hair colour, but her eyes are also the same warm brown. Like her brother, she has a spattering of brown freckles on her snout."

As Ginny moved around the room to be looked at by the class, McGonagall continued.

"Now, it's easy for me to distinguish them from regular animals because I know who they are and what they truly are. By registering their forms, it allows others to know how to find them as well. Looking at them, you will have no idea that they are witches and wizards unless you look close enough to know the signs."

"Professor," a girl with light brown hair asked. "Is it true that you can be arrested if you haven't registered?"

"Yes," McGonagall said. "It is a misrepresentation of your identity, and if the Ministry were to discover that you had failed to report yourself as an Animagus, you could be arrested, fined, and even spend time in prison. It is a serious offence." She picked up the photos that she had collected and passed them around the class. "As you can see, we have photos of each student as they grew in their animal forms. See how small they were when they first transformed and how they've grown to become fully grown animals."

A few students made 'aww' sounds as they looked at the photos of the baby animals.

McGonagall pointed at a dark haired girl in the front row. "Yes, Miss Jameson?"

"Why did you all want to become an Animagus? I mean, sure it looks fun and everything, but what's the point?"

"Interesting question, Miss Jameson; five points to Gryffindor. Why did the six of you decide to become Animagi? Harry, would you like to answer this one?"

Harry transformed back into himself, making one of the students near him jump. "My dad was one along with his two best friends. I grew up hearing stories about them playing as animals, and my godfather was always changing into his Animagus form of a dog to play with me as a kid. It was great, and I guess I wanted to experience that for myself."

Ron nodded, changing back as well. "I thought it seemed fun. Harry was doing it, and we thought it would be fun if it was something we could all do together."

"I thought it would be marvellous to get to be an animal for a day," Luna said brightly, sitting on the desk of the boy who had been petting her as a hare a moment ago. "It seemed fun."

"Did you get to choose your animals?" a blonde boy asked.

"No," Ginny said, moving to stand next to Harry. "The animals chose us."

"But you're a red panda," Sahni said, staring at her. "That's not exactly an animal that's native to Britain."

"I think the animals choose you based on your personality," Ginny told him. "Like Professor McGonagall said earlier, it's almost like the animal's soul finds you, so I imagine that they must see something in you that makes them decide to choose you to be their host."

"What's your favourite part of being an animal?" the freckled-faced boy in the back asked.

Harry grinned. "I like being able to run. It's freeing and the barking is fun too."

"I like the freedom of movement as well. As a badger I can waddle around or run, and I always have this need to roll over in the grass. The smell of vegetation is just amazing to me, and I find that I always want to bury my snout in the grass," Neville explained. "Plus, because I think like a wizard as opposed to the badger, I like trying to pick things up, thinking I have hands. It's just fun."

"What was the hardest thing to learn as an animal?" Jameson asked.

Ron scratched his forehead. "I think just being an animal. I can't speak for the others, but I noticed that my sense of smell increased as well as my hearing. It was like I was more aware of my surroundings, and it's something that I feel more attuned to as a wizard as well."

"What was the best thing to learn how to do as an animal?"

Hermione smiled. "Eating was fun. In your mind, you think like a witch and I wanted to reach for utensils before I'd remember and have to use my teeth. It's the little things you don't think of because, in your mind, you are still human and not an animal."

"Learning how to bark was the big one for me," Harry told them. "My godfather is a dog, so he would transform into his Animagus to help me practice, and because I was a puppy first, I had this little puppy yip that would make him laugh. He and Professor Lupin taught me how to howl. It was a lot of fun."

The six of them transformed again and prowled around the classroom to allow the students to better examine their forms. When Harry moved past Umbridge, she reached out to pet him. He growled at her, making her jump back in fright, before she scowled and began scribbling furiously on her clipboard just as the bell rang.

"I want you all to write about the pros and cons of becoming an Animagus, due the first class back after the holiday. Have a good Christmas."

The class filed out, everyone talking to each other in turn. McGonagall turned to the six of them with bright smiles.

"Thank you for your wonderful work today. Thirty points to each of you."

"You're welcome, Professor," Harry told her, his eyes on Umbridge.

McGonagall shook her head and urged them to head out to lunch as she turned to Umbridge. "You've already examined my class and my teaching methods, Madam Umbridge. By interrupting so rudely today, what did you hope to achieve?"

Umbridge gave her smug look before she turned, clipboard in hand, and walked out of the room.

McGonagall sighed. "Who knows what that was about."

Harry frowned at her. "Uncle Sirius is meeting with Richardson in January."

She nodded. "It can't come soon enough."

~ ASC ~

 **Harry waited patiently for Defence Against the Dark Arts class to finish up the next day so that he could talk to his father.** As everyone filed out of the classroom at the bell, he headed up to the front of the class with Hermione, Ron, and Neville as Remus turned to look at them.

"Hello, you four. What can I do for you?"

"Uncle Rem, we've been talking about Umbridge lately and how she's inspecting all of these classes and professors," Harry began.

Remus held up his hand. "Harry, we've been over this many times. Sirius is working on it with the Board of Governors."

"No, we know that. It's just that we think we might have a solution to Hagrid's inspection."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "A solution?"

"Once Hagrid's name was cleared three years ago, he was able to use magic legally, right?" Ron prompted.

"Right," Remus said carefully. "He never finished school, but he has the magical and legal ability to use magic now."

"Can't he just write his CRAWLS then?" Neville asked.

Remus stared at them flummoxed for a moment before his face broke out into a smile. "You four surprise me more often than not. Hagrid is qualified by his skill and love for animals, but having him write his CRAWLS would definitely go a long way in making sure that the Department of Education trusted him as a worthy professor."

"And is it true that you don't need to have written final school exams to write the CRAWLS?" Hermione asked.

Remus nodded. "That's true. It's not necessary, as Newt Scamander is the one who came up with the test. He was expelled from Hogwarts himself, you know, so he wanted to make sure that the test was fair to everyone, even those who may not be book worthy in terms of testing."

"He was a genius," Neville said with a grin. "The witch who came up with the PLANTS examination had the same idea. It's about the practical and it should be."

"So, do you think that we can get Hagrid to write them?" Harry asked. "It seemed to be the main educational issue that Umbitch had, that he wasn't officially qualified or Ministry certified, and that he hadn't written his NEWTS. So if he writes his CRAWLS, she can't use that against him."

"I think it sounds like you four put a lot of thought into this," Remus said. "Harry, why don't you talk to Zee and get her to help set up an agent from the DRCMC to set up a meeting and a test with Hagrid. When you have the details, you can let Hagrid know. He'd love to hear it from you. We all know that he'd pass the test easily, despite his bad choice in pets, the man has a big heart, and he knows his stuff."

"Agreed," Harry said.

"I just think that it's foul the way she's targeting all of you!" Hermione exclaimed. "She seems to be going out of her way to nitpick at personal and superficial things, rather than the important stuff. No one cares that Hagrid is a half-giant or that Flitwick is a half-goblin. It's absolutely disgusting that she focuses on that!"

Remus nodded. "Unfortunately, Hermione, blood is always the question. Purebloods and half-bloods are the only good witches and wizards; anyone else is considered lesser. It's awful, but it's still how a lot of people think. Maybe one day the world will see things clearer, but Umbridge was raised on bigotry and she obviously has no desire to change how she thinks."

Harry looked over at his friends who were all nodding at their professor's words. "I'll talk to Zee when I go home on Saturday and we'll see about getting someone out to talk to Hagrid after the holiday."

"Sounds like a plan," Remus said as students began to make their way into his class. "Now if you don't mind, I have a second year class to teach."

Harry nodded as they said goodbye and headed out. The four of them were done their with classes for the day and had planned on heading to the study hall until dinner. They had Defence Club that night, and Harry was looking forward to it. Remus had told them in the last lesson that tonight they would be merging with the Intermediate Level class to duel. It sounded fun, and gave them an opportunity to work with new people. Ron said that depending on how the duels went, some of the students from his group might even be moving into the Advanced Level.

Defence Club was always interesting, as it wasn't only about learning new spells, though Remus always made sure that they had those. It was about learning how to defend themselves. They were constantly duelling and going through obstacles; dodging spells, and doing their best to stay on their toes. It was always rather exciting.

He made a mental note to talk to Zee about Hagrid and followed his friends to one of the study rooms to start his homework. Only three more days of classes until they went home for the holiday and he couldn't wait. He had asked Ginny to come stay with him for part of it, and she had written home to ask her parents. He knew that she wanted to spend Christmas with her family, but he wanted to have her to himself for a bit, as selfish as that was. He tapped his quill on the table, wondering if she'd heard back yet, and sighed.

The holiday couldn't come fast enough.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny had been waiting for Harry to come out of Defence Club that night and just as he came around the corner, she grabbed his hand and tugged him towards her.** His look of surprise shifted into one of those slow smiles that sent heat piercing through her.

"Hi," he said, bending his head to kiss her softly.

She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, deepening the kiss just long enough to make him groan, before she pulled away. She linked her fingers with his again and gestured with her head as she led him along the corridor, out of the dungeons, and up a few flights of stairs before Harry stopped her in her tracks. He pinned her against the wall and captured her lips with his.

She loved when he was playful like this, she thought, her lips meeting his eagerly. His lips trailed over her jaw and down her neck, her hands in his hair.

"Not yet, Mr Potter."

He kissed her neck softly, his eyes full of desire when he pulled away. "What are you plotting?"

Ginny only took his hand again, leading him onward. They stopped to kiss a few more times, before Ginny finally pulled him inside of an abandoned classroom on the third floor, closing the door behind them.

Harry wasted no time in lifting her up onto the desk and kissing her deeply. His tongue danced with hers until he began to plant kisses along her jaw, down the side of her neck. The hot open-mouthed kisses on her skin made her toes curl in pleasure. Harry's mouth moved lower, finding the skin exposed where her shirt was unbuttoned. His one thumb rubbing the exposed skin, where her untucked shirt had ridden up. The other slowly moved to brush the side of her right breast, and after the third pass against her skin, his hand curved inward, wrapping around it.

Ginny gasped, but made no move to stop him as he caressed her gently - nor did she move when his other hand came up to touch her left breast. His thumbs brushed over her nipples through her shirt and bra, and the sensation sent heat through her. Her eyes met his as he rubbed and caressed, pushing them together as he explored, before he captured her lips again.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered. "All I want to do is touch you and kiss you."

She let her own hands slide up his back and around to his chest. "I can say the same."

"You have perfect breasts."

She laughed, the sound of reverent awe in his voice making her laugh. "Oh, I do, do I?"

He kept his eyes on hers and then he gently lowered his head to kiss them through the fabric. Ginny's breath hitched.

"Perfect," he said. "Because they're yours."

Ginny's hands wound their way into his hair; she was surprised at how wanton she felt. When Harry lowered his head and began to kiss her breasts again, she let her head fall back in pleasure. She had no idea anything could feel so good. She imagined him kissing her without her blouse and bra on. Desire raked through her at the image, and as his tongue flattened against her nipple, a soft suck through the fabric made her groan.

"Harry," she gasped.

His emerald eyes met hers. "Is this okay?"

Ginny tugged his face up to hers and captured his lips. The feel of his hands on her made her moan against his mouth. She slid her own hands around and boldly unbuttoned his shirt. He didn't stop her, and as she spread it open, before tugging her lips away from his to look him over. Lean muscles, and happy trail of dark hair that led beneath his trousers made her blush as she thought about where it led.

Harry kissed her cheek, her nose, her chin. "Ginny?"

Ginny stared at him for a moment before she placed both of her hands flat on his chest. "Yes?"

He sighed as her fingertips danced along his skin. She traced the contours of his chest and flirted around a nipple before she played with the dog tags he wore around his neck, tugging him closer.

"This wasn't why I brought you up here," she whispered.

Harry slid his hands down to rest on her waist, slipping under her shirt, gently brushing the skin of her hips. "Oh?"

Their lips met again - once, twice, three times - before she pulled away. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

His lips pressed a gentle kiss under her ear. "I'm listening."

His tongue trailed over her earlobe, tracing her earrings until she pushed him away. "Wait."

Harry's hands were still beneath her shirt resting on her ribs. His hair was in a wonderful mess from her hands, his lips swollen from hers. "Yeah?"

Ginny bit her bottom lip. "You're terribly distracting."

He grinned slowly. "Am I?" He moved in to nip at her mouth again, but she placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"I wanted to talk to you."

Harry let out a slow sigh and Ginny couldn't help but glance down at the noticeable bulge in his trousers before she bit her lip again.

"What's going on, Ginny?"

"I wrote to Mum about staying with you for part of the holidays."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Did she say yes?"

"She says that I can stay until Christmas Eve, but that I have to be home before midnight. She's invited you to come on Christmas Day, of course, but I told her that you had plans with your own family."

Harry grinned. "I'll take you until midnight. When would you arrive?"

"The twenty-first," she told him. "I mean, we haven't been dating that long, barely a month really, and I know that —"

" — shh," he said, placing his finger over her lips. "Time is irrelevant to us, and you know it. I want you to stay with me."

Ginny smiled. "I want to stay with you too."

Harry's hands slid up her back to play with her hair. "Now I want to kiss you again."

Ginny put her own hands back on his naked chest and grinned. "I'm going to kiss you again."

He smiled against her mouth and thought nothing felt more perfect.

They were both a little disheveled by the time they made it back to Gryffindor Tower an hour later. Hermione gave them an amused look as she glanced up from the book in her lap. Ron was destroying Neville in a game of chess. Harry took a seat in the chair next to Hermione. He smiled when Ginny merely slid into the chair with him and snuggled herself into the crevice between his warmth and the arm of the chair. He draped an arm around her and she cuddled closer.

"I could begin to hate the two of you, you know," Hermione said, an amused smile on her face.

Harry grinned. "Nah, you're too happy to see us happy."

Hermione only raised an eyebrow. "True. Harry, any news from Sirius after you told him about McGonagall's class?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Like I said, he's just recording everything for his meeting. I don't know what Umbitch hopes to achieve here. She's very well aware that she's on her last leg. If she's not, than she's even crazier than we thought she was."

"Well, we already know she's crazy," Ginny replied. "But do you think Sirius will really be able to get her removed from the castle?"

Harry sighed. "To be honest, I have no idea, but I think that he has the potential to. I don't think anyone likes her, and from the trouble she's already caused, I can't imagine her doing anything good here."

Hermione tucked a bushy curl behind her ear. "Me neither, but when does anything ever go the way that we want it?"

Harry only nodded. The fact that Hermione had a point wasn't exactly comforting, but there was no way that the Ministry would keep Umbitch here once they learned what she was up to. He was confident that was true, but he also knew that there were no guarantees.

He just hoped that Sirius knew what he was doing.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius came home early the next afternoon and was surprised to find the cottage empty.** Zee had gone back to work part-time last week, but he had become accustomed to having her home and waiting for him. His eyes lit up when he saw her walking over from her old cottage.

"Hey, what are you doing over there?"

Zee smiled at him as he engulfed her in his arms and bowed his head to kiss her. "Just making sure that everything is good. I know that I said that I was going to put the place up for sale, Sirius, but I think that we should keep it. It's the perfect place for my family to stay in when they come to visit. It keeps them close by, but still far enough away for us to have some privacy."

Sirius kissed her again, lingering over her lips. "Best idea I've heard all day."

"You're home early," she said as he linked his arm through hers and they headed through the front door of the cottage.

"Only had Terra Troop training and a quick meeting with the governors to go over the recent news of Umbitch at Hogwarts."

"Any news from Richardson?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, but we have that meeting with him at the end of January. Until then, I'm just recording what I know."

"So," she began. "Ginny will be coming to stay with us for a few days?"

Sirius grinned at her as they stepped into the cottage and took off their snow covered boots. "She is. Harry seems pretty excited about it."

"I'm going to clean up the guest room so that she can stay in there. Put some fresh sheets on the bed."

"I figured that she was going to kip in Harry's room?" At her look, he grinned. "Kidding."

"Sirius, we have to be responsible here."

"Zahira, they're not sleeping together. They've just started dating. The guest room will be perfect."

Zee looked slightly relieved. "I don't want Molly and Arthur to think that we're being irresponsible, either. Harry's never brought a girl home to stay before. Mandy came over for a few hours to watch a movie, but this… she's staying for three nights."

"Ginny has been in this house more times than I can count. She's had sleepovers in the tree house; she's helped me cook in the kitchen. Trust me, it will be fine."

"And the treehouse - I mean, letting them go out there is fine, but we should… you know - make sure that we check in on them from time to time."

Sirius grinned, pinning her against the doorway of the kitchen and kissing her deeply. "We will. Think of all the naughty things we can get up to while they're preoccupied themselves?"

"Not the point," Zee said sternly. His lips moved down her neck, biting down just hard enough for her to let out a soft whimper.

"Can you stop worrying now?"

Zee's hands gripped his waist, slowly sliding up his back as she stared up at him. "Someone has to worry."

Sirius' hand slid up her waist to cup a breast before he flicked open the button on her blouse, slowly parting it open. "I'm worried about the lack of attention your beautiful breasts have been receiving."

She snorted and then sighed when he unhooked her bra and her large breasts bounced before him. " _Sirius_ …"

He lifted her up the wall, holding her in place with his thighs as he bent to suckle. His fingers twisted the one nipple as his tongue worked in tandem on the other. Zee's head hit the wall as she gasped. His mouth wrapped around the mound, eagerly trying to pull as much of it as he could into his mouth just as the Floo lit up behind them.

Zee made to cover herself as Sirius slowly pulled his mouth away. He turned carefully so as to keep her covered, and smiled at the sight of McGonagall standing there.

"Minnie! What a surprise!"

McGonagall looked a bit flustered. "Er - sorry to interrupt."

Zee bit her lip, slipping into the kitchen and summoning her shirt and bra.

"Not a problem," Sirius said, gesturing for her to take a seat.

McGonagall made herself comfortable just as Zee stepped into the living room, fully dressed.

"Would you like a cup of tea, Minerva?"

"That would be lovely, thank you, Zee."

Zee nodded and tried not to blush as she hurried off.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," McGonagall said, clearly embarrassed. "It's the middle of the afternoon, so it seemed like a good time to - never mind."

Sirius grinned at her. "Nooners are the best kind, Minnie."

McGonagall chose to ignore that as Zee came back with three cups of tea. "Thank you, Zee."

Zee sat down next to Sirius as he linked his fingers with hers. "Is Harry all right?"

"Oh, yes, he's fine. Marvellous even, I'd say. He's been looking more than a little happy and lit up since he kissed Miss Weasley in front of the whole school," she said, her eyes smiling even as she tried to keep her stern look of disapproval upon her face.

"Proud of that boy's boldness," Sirius said. "You have to admit: It was a good move."

McGonagall only pursed her lips in response. "I had the six of them in my class on Monday to showcase their Animagus forms to my third years, and Umbridge decided that she needed to crash it." She reached down into her bag and pulled out the handbook. "Here are the new Ministry handbooks detailing educational demands."

Sirius accepted the book and flipped through it, his eyebrows rising. " _Any student not attending class for any reason will be immediately suspended. Any student in a class not their own will be immediately suspended. Any student found not doing homework when not in class will be punished accordingly_. What is this rubbish? Don't get me wrong, obviously students should be attending classes at all times, but there are circumstances? And not doing homework, how much homework does she think they have? They deserve lives!"

McGonagall nodded. "She demanded that the six students I had guest speaking be punished for missing their classes, even though I had already previously discussed it with their professors and with Professor Dumbledore. She rudely interrupted my lesson multiple times, and it was only when Nyx growled at her that she backed down. She spent the majority of my class scribbling notes. I found it extremely disrespectful, not only to my authority as a teacher, but to the students attempting to learn."

Sirius closed the handbook and tossed it on the coffee table. "I agree. This is good stuff, Minnie. This is what I need to take to Richardson along with the other governors. There's only two days left until the students come home for Yule. Let's hope she keeps her ridiculous penchant for trouble in check until then."

"She plans on sitting in on Sybil's class tomorrow afternoon, so I can only imagine how she is going to harass that poor woman," McGonagall told them.

Zee frowned. "What subject does she teach?"

"Divination," Sirius told her. "Should be interesting, anyway."

McGonagall nodded as she finished her tea and stood up. "Well, I must head back to the castle for dinner. I just wanted to let you know - and really, Sirius, next time I suggest you close your Floo off."

Sirius only smirked at her as she disappeared through the fire before he turned back to Zee. "Now, where were we?"

Zee placed a hand on his chest. "I think that we were both about to get very lucky. Close the Floo first, Mr Black."

Sirius did as she asked, grinning when she removed her shirt and bra for him once more. "My goddess."

His mouth immediately went back to her breasts as Zee's hands fisted in his hair, holding him against her. And when his fingers danced along her ribs, over her navel and below the waistline of her trousers, she simply arched into him. She tugged his own shirt off, tugging at his clothes until they were both naked on the sofa. Her hands stroked over his firm bum as she bent and licked him from base to tip.

The groan he made only made her smile as she stood up. "I think it's time you stop treating me like I'm made of glass."

Sirius only lifted an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Zee bent down to kiss him, tugging him to his feet. "I'm not injured anymore, Sirius. I'm back to work, I feel great, and I want you to fuck me. _Hard_."

Sirius' heart pounded wildly at her words and lust shot straight through him. " _Oh really_?'

"Yes," she said cheekily, before she turned her back on him. She moved the coffee table out of the way, sneaking a look at him over her shoulder. "I need you to hold my legs up."

Sirius' eyebrow rose as she bent down to stand on her hands. He gripped her thighs, sending a delicious look to her round arse. "Oh, I like this already."

Zee grinned, wrapping her legs around his waist, her fingers clutching the rug. "Fuck me."

Sirius didn't need to be told twice. He slid into her deeply and she groaned. Sirius' grip tightened on her thighs as he moved his hips, watching her bum bounce before his eyes closed. Merlin, he'd missed her. He'd missed sex. He'd missed this, he thought.

"Faster," she urged.

He did as she demanded. Harder and faster as she gasped and grunted, her bum jiggling with every thrust - and then he slowed, pulling himself out, and falling to his knees. He adjusted her legs at his waist and turned her around before he lifted her legs again and stared at her.

"Lean back on your arms, lift yourself."

She did, and then he was inside of her again. She cried out in pleasure, his thumb working her clit as he drove into her with reckless abandon. She panted his name when she came, shuddering around him desperately, and he followed her over. He collapsed on top of her, moving to the side to face her.

"I love shagging you."

Zee chuckled, sighing into his neck. "I can say the same."

Sirius cupped her breast as he kissed her neck. "I think I promised you I'd leave you in a whimpering puddle, didn't I?"

Zee moved to straddle him, reaching behind her to cup his balls. "You always leave me in a whimpering puddle," she murmured, her other hand reaching up to cup her breast.

Sirius watched her touch herself, and then he put his hands on her waist and tugged her up his body. She moaned when his mouth reached her. Yeah, he knew exactly how to please her, and he planned on spending as much time as possible doing exactly that.

~ ASC ~

 **The next day, Ron was trying not to fall asleep in Divination class.** He jolted when Dean kicked him, gesturing to Umbridge, who had walked in. The four of them turned to watch her, clipboard in her hand, and a falsely sweet smile on her face.

"Professor Trelawney, did you get my note about coming to sit in on your class today?"

Trelawney nodded stiffly, her large coke-bottle glasses making it hard to see her eyes. "I did."

Umbridge smiled. "Well, let's see how well you teach the art of prediction."

Trelawney looked extremely offended. "You do not teach prediction, Madam Umbridge. You teach the art of reading tea leaves and the stars, to look for signs of the future."

"Hmm," Umbridge said, looking to her clipboard to scribble furiously.

Ron leaned into Neville. "I don't think that's a great start."

Seamus snorted. "Whenever she scribbles furiously, I just assume we failed."

Dean grinned at him. "We better pay attention. I think the art of prediction might help us learn how to play better poker, or at least how to bluff."

Ron's eyebrow rose in question. "What's poker?"

Trelawney huffed in annoyance, interrupting their conversation. "Now, let us get back to discussing your dream diaries, and why interpreting dreams is so important to us as witches and wizards in determining the outcome for your future."

"Professor Trelawney, are dreams really worth studying?" Umbridge called out. "Seers are either real or fake, and those in between are not capable of interpreting the signs correctly anyway."

"They are if they are properly taught! The Inner Eye is not for everyone and you, my dear, most certainly _do not_ have the gift!"

Umbridge smirked and made some more notes. "Your grandmother was the great Seer Cassandra Trelawney, was she not? Named after the Cassandra of Greek mythology?"

"Yes," Trewlaney replied stiffly.

"And you are the first in your family to share her gift, is that right?"

Trelawney stared directly at her, her lips pursed in anger. "That's right."

Umbridge merely tilted her head. "So predict something for me."

Trelawney looked flabbergasted. "I beg your pardon!"

"You're a Seer; predict something. Tell me my future."

Trelawney snorted. "My dear, the Inner Eye does not work on command! I cannot possibly just predict something because you declare it so!"

Umbridge rolled her eyes and began to write on her clipboard again, speaking aloud to herself as she wrote. " _Fails to perform the ability she was hired for_."

"Well, I — wait! I think I see something — yes! There is darkness in your future… you're in grave, grave danger!"

Umbridge merely lifted an eyebrow. "Very good." She scribbled furiously for a moment before she looked around the class. "Divination is a huge waste of time, as your professor has just proven. I hope you have a good holiday, Professor Trelawney, because it doesn't look like you'll have a job waiting for you when you come back."

Then she turned and walked out of the classroom with a skip in her step as Trelawney stared after her, eyes wide in shock.

Ron looked at his friends. "She can't fire the professors, can she?"

Neville shook his head, his eyes on Trelawney, who looked like she was going to cry. "I have no idea."

Dean lifted the corner of his dream diary and passed it over to Seamus. "I'm sure Dumbledore won't let her fire Trelawney."

Seamus shook his head. "Dumbledore might not be able to stop it - I mean, she's still here, right?"

The four of them looked at each other as Trelawney ordered them to look at their dream diaries, but none of them knew what to say.

Ron and Neville immediately filled Harry and Hermione in over lunch. Harry's eyebrow rose.

"There's no way that she can fire her! They're supposed to be examining the curriculum, not the professors!"

Hermione shook her head, looking over at Umbridge, who was eating as happily as if she'd made someone's day. "I don't know. Does anyone really know what the Department of Education is hoping will happen by having her here?"

"Oh!" someone shouted.

Harry turned to look and watched as Umbridge jumped up in alarm, her hands over her face, which was covered in blood. It kept pouring from her nose in waves, and she was trying (without much success) to escape away from the table without anyone seeing her.

Ginny slid on the bench next to Harry. "She'll be fine. Can you pass me that salad?"

Neville snorted. "Way to be concerned, Ginny."

She shrugged. "Sudden onslaught of nose bleeding… come on, you guys know what that is."

Harry frowned before it dawned on him. "Nosebleed Nougat."

Ginny wiggled her eyebrows. "She'll be fine."

Harry looked down the table where Fred and George were talking to Lee Jordan and he grinned at them. Fred winked before he turned his attention back to Lee.

"I wonder what spurred that on," Harry said, drinking his pumpkin juice.

"Do they really need a reason?"

Harry had to agree with his girlfriend's sentiment. Fred and George most definitely did not need a reason. Besides, as Ginny stated, she would be fine.

By dinner time, the rumours were flying that Umbridge was suffering from a bad stomach bug, as her symptoms now included extreme vomiting and diarrhea. Madam Pomfrey was doing what she could to assist her, but nothing seemed to be working.

Ginny said as much to Fred when he sat across from them in the Gryffindor common room that night. "Don't you lot think that you've had your fun by now? If this goes on too long, it could be dangerous."

"It could," Fred said carefully. "We gave the other pills to McGonagall, who gave us detention for the next three nights. It seems that Madam Pomfrey _misplaced_ them when ordering up Umbitch's next round of medicines."

Ginny laughed. "Oh, how sad."

Harry grinned at them as he finished writing his letter to Sirius. "You two have decided to play practical jokes on her then?"

Fred shrugged. "A few of them. It was Ginny's idea to levitate the nifflers into her office."

"It only scratched her in her attempt to get her ring off, but she screamed bloody murder," Ginny told him.

Harry laughed. "Don't even try to be innocent."

"In my defence, it was after our Animagus day with McGonagall. I didn't like the way that she spoke to her."

"I didn't either," Harry admitted, sealing the envelope. "I wrote everything in here to Uncle Sirius. He's making detailed notes to present to Richardson in January. She can't stay here. She's horrible."

He wanted to make sure that Sirius had every detail possible so he didn't forget it, even though they were heading home in two days. He didn't want to miss anything if Sirius was bringing this to the head of the education department. He hurried off to mail the letter as Fred tugged his sister over to show her something.

Fred and George's business endeavours were really taking off. Ginny had told him that they were selling products like crazy to not only Gryffindors but all over the school. They were making good money and it seemed like they were coming out with new inventions every week. They were going to be incredible businessmen when they finished school in June.

Harry made his way out of Gryffindor Tower quickly and checked his watch halfway to the owlery, bitter that he had forgotten his invisibility cloak. He had fifteen minutes until curfew and he didn't want to risk getting caught by Umbitch again. With how her day had gone, she'd probably dock another fifty points from him for being out of bounds. He headed up the tower stairs just as he heard a grunt. Harry strained his ears to listen. That definitely hadn't sounded like an owl.

Harry picked up his pace, moving quicker up the stairs, but when he turned the corner to the owlery, he blanched at the sight before him.

Ernie Macmillan was standing over a doubled over Theodore Nott, the former with an erection sticking out of his trousers. Theo's mouth was bleeding, and Ernie's hand was gripped tightly in Theo's hair as he punched him hard in the gut.

"I said, get on your knees, Cocksucker!"

Theo's eyes were full of hate as he slowly sank to his knees.

Harry's wand flashed before he even consciously considered what he was doing. "Flipendo!"

Macmillan cursed as he flipped backwards, flying into the wall of the tower, his wand in his hand.

"Potter, no!"

Harry ignored him and bound and tied Macmillan to the wall.

"I'm a prefect, Potter!"

Harry silenced him and turned to Theo who was still kneeling, mouth bleeding. He held a hand out to him. "Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

Theo shook his head. "No, I — he — I'm fine. Let him go."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Not a chance. Why are you up here _alone_? Malfoy and Zabini are supposed to be walking with you everywhere. Is this the asshat who attacked you last time?"

Theo shook his head. "No — Potter, you misunderstood! We were role playing. I — I like it - Right, Ernie? He's... Harry you can't tell anyone, it's a secret."

Harry stared at him for a long moment. Theo's expression was completely blank and he honestly couldn't tell if he was lying or not. But he didn't like the look of Theo's fat lip, nor the blood that dripped from the side of his mouth. "So he's your _secret boyfriend_? I didn't know that you were gay, Macmillan. How does Sally-Ann feel about her boyfriend being gay?"

Macmillan's eyes flashed in anger before he masked it. "Er, yeah, yeah, she doesn't know. It's… we're keeping it a secret."

Harry snorted. He really didn't believe that, but when he looked back at Theo, he sighed. He had to trust him. He unbound Ernie and nodded. "All right, well, I'm sorry that I misunderstood. It's almost curfew though, so we better get back to our own dorms."

They nodded and Theo headed out the door. Macmillan made to follow, but Harry put his hand on his shoulder.

" _You_ wait a moment."

Macmillan only turned to him. "What do you want?"

Harry stared at him. "There's no way that you're gay, Macmillan. The look of anger on your face at the mere thought of me saying it says it all. I don't know what Perks sees in you, as we both know that you are a self-righteous prick and pompous arse. I also don't know what I walked in on here tonight, but we both know that Theo just saved your arse. Touch him again, for any reason, and I will make you wish you hadn't."

Macmillan snorted. "I'm the prefect here, Potter, not you. I think it's best if you remember who's in charge."

"I think it's best if you remember whose name holds more weight," Harry declared. "Stay away from Theo."

Macmillan sneered. "Just because your godfather blows everyone in the Ministry doesn't mean you can get away with telling me what to do. You may be The Boy Who Lived or the Chosen One or whatever it is they're calling you nowadays, but you don't own me! I'll stay away from Theo when I'm ready to stay away from him, and not a moment before. He's a cocksucker! Perks doesn't put out. A bloke has to get off somehow."

"You're a prick," Harry told him. "But I won't tell you again, and if you think that I'm alone, you're wrong. A lot of people in this school care about Theo, and if I tell even one of them that you are hurting him in any way, you will have the wrath of the school come down on you."

"Going to sic your little girlfriend on me? Like that whore could do anything to stop me."

Harry's fist shot out before he had even comprehended what he was doing, hitting Macmillan's nose with a satisfying crunch.

" _Fuck_! You broke my bloody nose!"

Harry grabbed a fistful of his hair as Snape came in behind Ernie. "I'll do worse if I see you around Theo again."

"What is going on up here?" Snape demanded, a letter in his hand as Harry let go of Macmillan.

"Potter broke my sodding nose!" Macmillan exclaimed.

Snape pulled the prefect towards him and quickly healed it with a loud crack that made Macmillan swear. "Thirty points from Gryffindor, and detention when you come back after the holiday, Potter. Macmillan, get back to your dorm."

As soon as the prefect left, Snape sneered at Harry

"You might think that your above the rules, Potter, but you're not, no matter how much that idiot Black tells you otherwise."

Harry glared at him. "Neither is Macmillan, and yet he's been using his power of authority against Theo. A broken nose was the least I could do." He marched over to Hedwig to send his letter as Snape spoke.

"What does Nott have to do with you punching Macmillan?"

Harry stared back at him. "I found Macmillan punching Theo and Theo claimed that I was 'misreading the scene.' You tell me, _Sir._ "

He sent his letter off and then he stormed out of the owlery before Snape could question him further. He hesitated only a moment before he marched towards the Slytherin dorms. He asked the portrait for the fifth year male prefect and waited, hands in his pockets.

The portrait opened a few minutes later and Draco stepped out, his eyebrow rising at the sight of Harry.

"Potter, what the hell do you want?"

"Well, for you to not be a wanker would be nice, but I'm not here to ask for miracles."

Draco scowled at him.

Harry cleared his throat. "Just saw Theo up in the owlery."

"Is sending a letter a crime? Merlin, don't you have anything better to do than to report to me on Theo's whereabouts?"

"It is when he's alone," Harry said quietly. "I thought that you and Zabini were going to flank him."

"Well, the bastard snuck away."

Harry nodded. "I found him on his knees, mouth bloody, and doubled over in pain, as he was being punched. He told me that he liked it; that he wasn't hurt. I don't know him very well, and maybe that is the sort of thing he likes, but I rather doubt it."

"Who was it?" Draco demanded, his voice like steel.

"Macmillan."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "No fucking way he'd touch that pompous knob head!"

Harry shrugged and reiterated what had happened.

"And you just _let him go_?" Draco asked incredulously. "Merlin, Potter, I thought you were smarter than that!"

Harry stared at him. "I did let him go, because Theo asked me to! And then when Theo left, I broke Macmillan's fucking nose. Now I'm telling _you_."

Draco nodded, swallowing slowly. "Okay."

Harry nodded and turned to leave.

"Potter!"

Harry turned to look back at him as he spoke.

"Thanks for breaking his nose."

Harry nodded. "Find out the truth."

Then he turned and headed out of the dungeons, wondering what Draco was going to do about his friend, and wondering if he had done the right thing. He found Ginny in the common room, laughing with Colin, and he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, can we talk for a minute?"

She nodded, her eyes sobering as she looked at him. "Everything okay?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm not sure. Colin, you can listen to this as well." He reiterated what had happened in the owlery and about his conversation with Malfoy. "Does that sound like Theo? You two know him much better than I do."

"He doesn't like Macmillan. He came into the library once when we were working, and Theo tensed right up," Colin told him. "Unless something changed, I can't see them being secret boyfriends."

Ginny bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "It doesn't sound like him at all, but… why would he protect Macmillan if it _wasn't_ true?"

Harry shrugged. "That's what's bothering me about it. Something is strange about the whole thing. Malfoy said that he would get to the bottom of it. Is Theo going home?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes. He was supposed to stay with the Malfoys, but changed his mind. I tried to convince him to come to the Burrow for Christmas, but he said that he had something important to do. He says that he needs to figure out what's happening with some things. Theo's trying to gain control of his family estate."

"Yeah, I know. Uncle Sirius recommended a lawyer for him. He's not spending Christmas alone, is he?"

Ginny shook her head. "Not if I can help it."

"Good," Harry said, rolling his shoulders. "I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens then. But for now, as long as Theo is going home, we don't have to question the Macmillan thing until January."

Colin and Ginny both nodded, but Harry knew that they were even more worried about their friend then before.

~ ASC ~

 **Draco had kept his eye on Theo over the next two days, barely letting his friend out of his sight to use the toilet.** When Saturday morning came around, he watched Theo pack his bag to go home and took a seat on his bed.

"Are you sure that you want to go home?"

Theo nodded. "I need some time to think and the Nott Manor will help with that. Father is going to be in Croatia anyway, and I have some things to take care of."

"Mother is worried about you spending Christmas alone."

"I won't be alone," Theo told him. "I have Kiki and the others."

"Four house elves are not exactly the same as family, Theo."

Theo ignored him and kept packing.

Draco sighed. "Are you going to spend time with Ernie?"

Theo's shoulders tensed for only a moment. "No."

"Potter told me what he saw in the owlery."

"Potter has a big mouth."

"You let him hit you?"

Theo finally met his friend's eyes. "Look, I've been seeing Macmillan in secret since the beginning of the year. He doesn't want to admit that he's gay so we're keeping it on the down low. Just let it go."

Draco grabbed his shoulder. "Is he the one who beat you up, Theo?" When Theo didn't answer him, his eyes narrowed. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why would you let anyone hurt you like that?"

"He doesn't hurt me!" Theo exclaimed. "Let it go, Draco! What I do with my personal life and who I choose to spend it with is my decision, _not yours_!"

He zipped his bag and stormed out of the dorm and Draco glared at his retreating back. He didn't believe a single word his friend had just said.


	204. Chapter 204

_Author's Note:_

 _Well, I was going to wait and post this tomorrow BUT, I hit 5000 reviews! Guys, wow! Just wow, thank you so much! It means the world to me!_

 _I love you, 5000!_

 _Reviews: To alix33, I tend to visualize breast size based on fruit, don't really know why, but I feel like it best gets my point across. So if I were to break down boob size of my main girls: Zee (cantaloupes), Ginny (oranges), Hermione (grapefruit), Tonks (apples) - hope that helps! McGonagall knows better than to tell Harry she knows he knows about her stare LOL. I think Snape gave the detention immediately for the bloody nose but after hearing Harry's words, kind of thought oh, he was defending one of my boys and let it go because he himself is worried about Theo. To supersandman86, I fully support this (in my opinion, I think Dumbledore has been secretly teaching him since he was expelled, not believing Tom and hoping for the day Hagrid can clear his name). This is 100% canon to me. Hagrid knows a lot more magic than a third year does. To coloredwords: Smith vs Staunton was pretty awesome in the Downtown movie you're right, but I think I also enjoyed it more because I had the McGonagall vs. Umbitch vibe. I'm glad I surprised you with the Harry discovering Theo moment. To TJ Law: chapter 122 is when McGonagall got Nyx, Christmas of Harry's third year. To Steelcode: glad you liked the Animagus class, it was fun to write._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her hard work editing this._

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND FOUR:**

 **When the train arrived at King's Cross, Harry hugged Hermione goodbye and wished the rest of his friends a happy holiday before he slipped his arms around Ginny's waist and tugged her back into the compartment with him.** She smiled mischievously.

"Worried I wasn't going to say goodbye?"

He let his hands slide up her sides, brushing her breasts, before he framed her face. "Nah, I know how much you're going to miss kissing me."

"Cocky, Mr Potter."

He only smiled and licked his lips. "I'm not going to miss you at all."

Ginny pressed herself closer to him, her hand sliding up his arms to link around his neck. "No?"

"No, absolutely not."

She stood on her toes, leaning in to kiss him, only to stop a breath away from his mouth. "I won't miss you either."

When she made to move away, he pulled her back, and she smirked. "Tease."

His hands slid her up her back and into her hair as their lips met, both sighing against each other. He lingered a moment longer and brushed their lips together — once, twice, three times — before he rested his forehead against hers.

" _Fuck,_ I miss you already."

Ginny's brown eyes twinkled triumphantly. "I knew it."

Harry slid his hands down to hold her hips. "Thursday?"

"Thursday," she said, standing on her toes to kiss him once more, before she tugged away. "And Harry?"

His eyes met hers as she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

"I miss you already, too."

His grin was catching and he took two steps forward to kiss her again. "When did we turn into such saps?"

Ginny chuckled as the whistle blew on the train. "Are we that disgustingly happy couple now?"

"I think we might be."

She shuddered in mock horror. "Well, it must stop."

"Absolutely."

They stared at each other for a moment longer, and then Ginny pulled his face back down to hers and kissed him again. "I love your lips. Bye Harry, I'll see you on Thursday."

"Bye," he said, his eyes falling to the sway of her hips as her gorgeous crimson tresses danced down her back when she walked away.

He let out a slow sigh before he grabbed his own bag, and headed off the train. While scanning the platform for Sirius, he saw Ginny launch herself into Percy's arms, where he was waiting next to Mrs Weasley. Harry waved absently at his classmates on the platform, wished Neville a good holiday as he passed, and nodded at Dean and Seamus as Dean followed Mrs Finnigan with his bag. He spotted Tonks a moment later, lips curving at the sight of her.

She was wearing black leather ankle boots with hot pink lace. Her jeans were ripped pale denim and she had black fishnets underneath. She had a red and black plaid flannel shirt tied around her waist and a black leather bomber jacket over a white _Weird Sisters_ tee shirt. She waved at the sight of him and he laughed when she threw herself into his arms to hug him tightly.

"Harry!"

"Hey, Tonks!"

She hugged him tighter, smiling up at him. "Merlin, you're growing like a weed! You over six feet yet?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Probably. I'm sure Uncle Sirius will make me stand in the kitchen and get measured again."

Tonks laughed and looped her arm through this. "I volunteered to come get you. Remus was staying at the school to finish up some marking and then he had plans of meeting with Adrian."

"News?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately no, but he wants to touch base. How was the last few weeks of school? How's Ginny?"

"School was school. Ginny's amazing. Umbitch is evil."

Tonks laughed as they headed out of the train station. "Remus has been telling me. Sirius is working with the board on that."

He sighed. "I know."

"Anything else new and exciting?"

He shook his head as he followed her out of the crowd. "Not really. Shouldn't you have a warmer coat or something? It _is_ December."

Tonks rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, Mini Remus, I was outside for two minutes, calm yourself. I'm fine."

"That's my line."

She elbowed him and he laughed as she held her arm out so that they could Apparate to Sidmouth. "Excited for Ginny to come stay?"

"Definitely."

"You two are good together. We all knew that you would be. I know that we were all teasing you about her, but we wanted you to see it."

"I know," he admitted. "I just had to get there for myself. She's important, you know?"

"I know," Tonks told him as they headed up the drive toward Black Cottage. "Are you sure that there's nothing new and exciting going on, outside of you being with Ginny, that is? So glad that you chose the match by the way, as it caused me to win money off of Zee - and you know how much I love winning!"

Harry shook his head in amusement. He still couldn't believe that they had bet on him - well no, _he could_ \- but he thought that it had been a little over the top. Between Neville placing bets with Dean, on top of his family, it was no wonder it had taken him so long to make a move. Everyone had made him more than a little nervous.

"No, nothing new and exciting. But I did see something strange."

At her look, he quickly explained about Theo. Tonks gave him a look as he stepped into his home with her behind him.

"That is rather suspicious. You say that you don't think Theo would ever be interested in this Hufflepuff romantically?"

Harry shook his head. "Ginny says no, and when I spoke to Malfoy about it, he seemed pretty sure as well. But Theo… he's a good liar, Tonks. He gave nothing away to me. I know that Ginny trusts him, and even _she_ thinks its fishy. I agree with her, as she knows him better than I do. If I thought that it was odd, then her instincts must be right. Plus, Macmillan has always been a bit of a prick. He's the one who instigated the badges against me last year, and the one who helped spread the rumour that I opened the Chamber of Secrets."

Tonks _hmmed_ at him, making herself comfortable on the sofa. "Well, I'd definitely go with my instincts then. If I were you, I might even do some snooping on this Macmillan when you get back to school. He sounds like trouble. Did you really break his nose?"

"You broke someone's nose?" Zee exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Harry! Violence is never the answer!"

Harry grinned sheepishly at her as he plopped down into the armchair. "He called Ginny a whore - I think that he's the one who beat up Theo, not that Theo will admit to it."

Zee frowned, shoving Tonks' legs over to sit on the sofa with her. "Well, good reasoning or not, I don't condone it."

"Didn't you just beam Sirius with a frying pan last week?"

"That was... an accident."

Harry's mouth dropped open. "You hit Uncle Sirius with a frying pan? _Why_? What happened?"

Zee blew her curls out of her eyes, pulling her hair back into a messy bun. "I — yes. We were arguing and it was in my hand and... I didn't mean to, not intentionally, and I apologized."

"What were you arguing about?"

"My health," she said, smiling at Harry. "Don't worry, sweetie, everything's fine. We're both just stubborn and sometimes butt heads."

Harry nodded. He definitely knew that, but he had never really heard them argue before and he wasn't sure that he liked it. "Anyway, Macmillan deserved it and Snape gave me detention, but it was worth it."

Tonks snorted. "Worth a detention with Snape? Well, that rather says a lot."

"I only met Snape the once, but he definitely gave off a wave of unpleasantness. Is that usual?"

Harry grinned. "I think that he prefers it that way, actually."

Zee lifted her leg up onto the couch, reaching around to scratch her calf, and Harry pointed at it.

"How's the leg?"

She rolled up her pant leg to show him the back of her calf, where the large burn scar resided. "It's healed up well."

Tonks scrunched her nose up as she looked at it. "It's a big scar."

"Yeah, it is. I'm trying not to be self-conscious about it which, granted, is easy enough now that the weather is cold - but come the summer, I know that I'm going to think about my vanity more than I should every time I choose a dress or shorts."

Tonks smiled sympathetically at her, lifting her jumper up to show them her stomach. A faded jagged white scar still criss-crossed her abdomen, around her belly button ring. "I do too whenever I decide to show a little skin, but then I remember what we achieved the day I got this."

Zee smiled. "My story isn't as exciting I'm afraid." She shrugged and pulled her pant leg back down. "I was thinking of maybe getting a new tattoo to cover it up."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Can they do that?"

She nodded. "Absolutely. It's a lovely way of hiding scars. I'm not ashamed of it. It's a sign that I survived a dark curse, but having it not so blatantly there would also mean people wouldn't stare at it either."

"What would you get?" Tonks asked her. "I always wanted a tattoo, but I could never decide on something that I wanted badly enough to mark up my skin like Sirius."

Zee smiled. "I've always wanted to put Lady G on my body and I don't know maybe I would do that... I still have to think about it."

"I think that I want to get a tattoo," Harry admitted.

Tonks' eyes widened. "Of course you do! Mini Sirius, this one."

"You just said that I was mini Remus earlier!"

Tonks smirked at him. "Both are accurate."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I don't want to be so covered like Uncle Sirius, no. I just... maybe one day I want to get one to symbolize my parents or something. I was talking about it with Ginny."

Zee's eyes softened. "That would be lovely."

"Not now," he said quickly. "I'm not ready, and like Tonks said, I don't really know what I want, nor where I would want to get it. It's more of a passing thought, really."

Zee smiled at him. "It's still a lovely thought, Harry, and whether you decide to go through with it or not is completely up to you. I'm still working out what I'd like to get and if I do decide to do it, I want to surprise Sirius with it, so let's just keep that between the three of us, okay?"

Tonks nodded, stretching her arms up over her head. "Agreed."

"Where is Uncle Sirius anyway?" Harry asked.

"Ministry," Zee told him. "He had a late night meeting with the Hogwarts Board of Governors. They finally found the newest member of the board and were bringing them up to speed before the holiday. Unfortunately, Saturday was the only day that worked before the holiday. Sirius wanted to fill them in on the new information he had pertaining to Umbitch as well. They are all meeting with Richardson at the end of next month to talk about her, and it's important for the whole board to be informed and decisive on what they want for the inspections at Hogwarts."

Tonks wrinkled her nose in disgust. "She's a foul woman who should not be allowed near a school."

"She's a bigot and a hypocrite and she's afraid of things that she doesn't understand. I almost pity her," Zee said honestly.

"I'd like to see her thrown in prison myself. She tried to have my husband executed because he was bitten as a child!"

Harry stretched his legs out to prop his feet up on the coffee table. "I don't like her either, Tonks, but I just want her out of Hogwarts. I don't know if I agree with her going to prison. Plus, we don't even have one of those anymore!"

Tonks sighed dramatically. "I guess."

Zee smiled at them. "Well, unfortunately, it's not for us to decide."

Tonks nodded. "And we're working on the prison, Harry. The Ministry is still very scattered in that regard and anyone we've arrested is being detained in the holding cells in the dungeons of the Ministry of Magic until they come up with a solution to the Azkaban problem."

That made sense as he did wonder what they were going to do now that Azkaban was essentially destroyed. He wondered how big the holding cells were and if they were strong enough to hold prisoners for long periods of time, but figured the Aurors knew what they were doing.

Zee stood, stretching her arms up over her head as she did so. "Thankfully, that's not something that we need to worry about. Harry, are you hungry?"

"Starved," he admitted, standing up as well.

"Bring your bag upstairs and I'll throw something together for dinner. I don't know how long Sirius will be, so we won't wait for him."

"Can dinner include something pasta related?" Tonks asked, standing up to follow Zee into the kitchen.

Zee grinned at her. "It could."

"Don't let her help, Zee, she'll destroy the kitchen."

Tonks only gave him the two-fingered salute as he headed upstairs to his room, grinning widely. Yeah, Harry was glad to be home.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus sat across from Adrian in the Alpha's kitchen, his hands folded around his tea cup as he listened to Adrian tell him about the plans for the wolves.** The Ministry was working well with them, and so far the wolves were quite happy with the new adjustments.

"The students are great," Remus told him honestly. "They come to see me once a week, but they are adjusting fine. There've been almost no issues outside of the usual first year problems. There was some minor bullying with the two half-fae girls, but the wolves have been largely left alone. They are fitting in great with the other students. Kids are sometimes more resilient than we give them credit for."

Adrian smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Were the two half-fae girls all right?"

"Yes. Snape said that everything was handled well by his prefects. They seem to be fine," Remus told him. "Some of the older students have taken them under their wings in a mentorship capacity and they are all making friends. And you? Sirius fills me in on the Ministry stuff, but I know that there is still a lot of groundwork to be laid in terms of the Phoenix Initiative?"

Adrian nodded. "More than a lot, yes, but it does seem to be coming along. Madam Bones had each Alpha swear an oath into the Wizengamot last week, along with three vampires and four fae. It felt right when we added our blood to the Sovereign Chalice, and chairs magically appeared before us. It was a nice feeling, Romulus. It was like we were being officially welcomed into the magical world. I admit, it's something that I thought would never happen."

"Me neither," Remus admitted. "It's incredible how fast the Ministry has moved in the last few months. Centuries of oppression are being overturned with just a few changes. It's nice to see that kind of thing happening. How are the other Wizengamot members treating you?"

"Fairly for the most part. There are some of course, who look at us with disdain, and clearly think that us being there is tainting _their_ Ministry and _their_ world, but most are very accepting. I know that most of the world still views us as monsters, but I like to think that we're changing that. Allowing Daimon to run his own team in the Terra Troops is one way to help change that."

"What about the fae?"

"We're tolerating each other," he said with a grin. "We all have baggage, and until we learn to put aside our differences, we cannot all become one community the way that we would like. We all have our histories of not trusting each other and now it's time to put those worries aside and come together."

Remus nodded. "Well said."

Adrian bit into the biscuit in his hand. "Madam Bones is discussing changing the symbol of the Wizengamot to represent a more diverse group, but nothing has been set in stone yet. She is a very passionate woman and she wants to do it right. She has very strong views about the Ministry, about how it leads, and how it is portrayed to others. She gave a long winded speech the other day about the statue in the front atrium. The gold one, I believe it's called the Fountain of Magical Brethren?"

Remus helped himself to a biscuit as he nodded. "Yes, I know it. It paints the image of the wizard above everyone else."

"Exactly," he said. "She doesn't agree with it. She claims it to be an anti-feminist and anti-magical creature objectification, which I can agree with. The witch is staring at the wizard as if he knows all, and the centaur, goblin, and house elf are staring at the witch and wizard as if they should be worshipped; as if they are better than they are. Madam Bones said that she thinks it's a symbol of an old and ignorant world and she wants to help change that mindset."

"All from a fountain?" Remus asked in surprise. The fact that Amelia Bones was stretching her mind out that far was very pleasing to hear. "I'm glad to hear it. Does she have any proposals on how to do so?"

"A few," Adrian admitted. "She has some artists coming in to work on a new Ministry image. I don't know what that means exactly, but I think that she's working on some plans in that sense. She did mention the words tree of life a few times, but nothing is set in stone yet."

"And you?"

Adrian merely rolled his shoulders and sighed. "Volk is a complicated wolf, you know that, Romulus."

"But _is he_ at war with Greyback?"

"At war isn't quite the right phrase, he's… displeased with him."

"Displeased is not what you said back in June. It's December now, Adrian, are you telling me that _nothing_ has changed? What about Ivory and Cami?"

Adrian hesitated. "They are strong supporters of Fenrir. They worship him and the ground he walks on. They love him as their Alpha and they love that he treats them like queens, but he did get Ivory pregnant which put a strain on his alliance with Volk."

"Has he still abandoned her, then?"

Adrian shook his head, tapping his fingers on the table. "No. But someone from his pack thought that she was too much trouble, and from the information I was able to gather, Ivory was attacked and she lost the baby. Fenrir claimed that the child wasn't his, and has now claimed Cami to be his mate. Volk is furious and says that he should stand beside Ivory and the child they lost. But Fenrir had never believed in the one mate idea. He has always taken whoever he wanted whenever he wanted. Since he's never found his mate, he has no problem doing this, and seems to enjoy hurting those around him. Echo is doing her best to read Volk, but he's an enigma. He's always supported the more violent side of the wolf. He thinks that wolves should be made more than born and likes Fenrir's ideas of living like a wolf, but he's never been a fan of your Dark Lord. He didn't support him the last time."

"But he didn't support us, either," Remus said. "We need him to pick a side, or at least proclaim neutrality. Fenrir's pack brings enough wolves onto Voldemort's side as it is."

"Echo is working on him, Romulus, but we can't promise anything. Volk is a stubborn man."

Remus sighed. He knew that Adrian was telling the truth in that regard, but it didn't make him feel any better. Volk was Alpha of the largest werewolf pack in all of Europe. He lived in Berlin, but controlled wolves in Scotland, Germany, France, Sweden, and Denmark. Having his support would be a huge blow to Voldemort's forces. At this point, just having him guarantee to not join Voldemort would be a huge help.

"Is there anything else that I can do?"

Adrian smiled warmly at him. "You coming here to check in is more than enough, my friend. Keep an eye on our children and keep us updated on your news and I will do the same for you. Joining your Ministry was a good choice for all of us and being in the Terra Troops an even better one. It is a changing world, my friend, and we are a part of it."

"That we are," Remus said, leaning back in his seat.

But with the changing world also came the bad, and until they knew exactly where it was that Voldemort stood, the changes needed to come quickly; unfortunately, that just wasn't how the world worked.

~ ASC ~

 **Dean had trouble going to sleep that night.** He had come to stay with Seamus for a few days to be there for his friend when he told his parents that he was gay. Dean knew how terrified he had been to do so, but his reassurance had done nothing to comfort him either. But then he had told them this afternoon, the second day of the Christmas holiday, and it had been all right.

Seamus' mother had cried, engulfing him in her arms. She told him that she loved him more than life, and who he decided to love would never make her love for him change. His father had stared at him for a long moment before he had simply hugged him tight.

"Did you think that we don't know our own son? We love you, Seamus."

Seamus had clung to his father in relief. He broke down in his father's arms, telling his parents how worried he had been. He told them all about Will and how they had broken up two months ago so that he could go to the Congo, and how he had hidden his relationship from them for over a year, in fear of what they would say.

Mr Finnigan had cupped his son's face in his hands. "Never hide who you are. Always be proud of who you are. You're a Finnigan and I'm so proud to call you my son."

Seamus had hugged his father again as Mrs Finnigan tugged Dean into her arms.

"And you have a wonderful friend here, Seam."

Seamus nodded. "I know, Mam. He knew how worried I was about telling you, and he didn't want me to be alone."

Mrs Finnigan kissed Dean's cheek. "You are such a good friend to our boy, Dean. You are always so welcome here."

Dean smiled and hugged her back. "Thanks, Mrs Finnigan."

The rest of the evening had been stress free and Dean had watched as Seamus had visibly relaxed. He knew that his friend was finally able to be himself at home for the first time in longer than he could remember. He was happy for him. When he finally did fall asleep, it had been with a big smile on his face. He was glad to see the tension leave his friend. When he woke up to the sound of soft pants a few hours later, though, he wasn't entirely sure what had woken him.

Dean blinked for a moment, unsure of what he had heard before he rolled over, looking up at where Seamus' bed was on his right. His eyes adjusted to the dark and then widened as he realized that Seamus was wanking in the bed next to him. A sliver of moonlight illuminated his pale hand sliding slowly up and down his thick shaft, and Dean watched in amazement as his sweet tip glistened. Dean licked his lips.

"Seam?"

Seamus' hand stopped pumping and his eyes widened. "Er… I thought that you were asleep."

"I was," Dean told him. "Don't stop on my account."

Seamus hesitated only a moment before his hand began to pump again, his rhythm getting faster, and his breath coming out in little huffs.

"Fondle your balls," Dean told him.

Seamus' eyes met his in the moonlight as he reached down with his other hand to do just that. Seamus watched in amazement as Dean pulled his own cock out, rubbing himself and when he started to pump himself as he watched Seamus, Seamus lost it. He came all over his chest in thick waves; embarrassment evident from the flush on his cheeks.

"That was brilliant," Dean said, continuing to pump himself slowly.

Seamus licked his lips. "Dean… aren't you - with Nat?"

"Yeah," he said, still slowly pumping himself as he stared at his friend.

Seamus leaned over the side of his bed. "Why did you want to watch me?"

"Because you're gorgeous," Dean replied.

Seamus' eyebrows rose in surprise. "What?"

Dean let go of his cock, letting it bob for a moment, his eyes on his friend. "I think about you sometimes."

"Oh?" Seamus asked, his face carefully guarded.

Dean nodded, swallowing. "I like Natalie. She's beautiful - and snogging her makes me so hard. She lets me touch her tits, and there's been some heavy petting, sure, but sometimes… I think about you and… I get off on it."

Seamus' breath hitched slightly as he watched Dean trail his own finger down over his full balls, kneading softly. "You get off on it?"

"Yeah. I remember how good your mouth felt."

Seamus slid down onto the pull-out, his hand sliding up Dean's bare chest. "Are you trying to tell me that you're gay, Dean? Because I can't handle this if it's a joke."

Dean shook his head. "Gay? I don't know, Seam. You're the only bloke that I've ever been sexually attracted to and… I don't know what to do with that information."

Seamus slid his hand lower, past Dean's cock to play with his balls. "Do you want me to touch you?"

Dean moaned as his friend's fingers kneaded across his balls. "More than you know."

Seamus trailed his fingertips around and over Dean's testicles, tickling them, as Dean's hard cock bobbed, begging for attention. Seamus slid his hand around the shaft, sliding down slowly. He watched the glistening tip emerge from the foreskin before disappearing as he pumped him, and then he let go.

Dean whimpered.

Seamus lowered his face to his friend's and gently kissed his lips. "I won't hide again, Dean. Telling my parents today, it was what I needed to realize that I can't be ashamed of who I am. I'm gay. And we both know that I've fancied you for years. I want nothing more right now than to wrap my mouth around your big chocolate cock. I want to feel you pulse in my mouth. I want you to come in my mouth and I want to swallow every — single — drop. And then I want you to do the same to me."

Dean visibly swallowed, his cock still pulsating in the air.

Seamus gently slid his hand over his friend's stomach. "But I won't be taken advantage of. You're attracted to me, great… but you have a girlfriend. If you want your cock sucked: Ask her."

Then he got up and went to the toilet.

The door closed behind him and Dean gripped his cock tightly before coming so quickly that he almost startled himself. He cleaned himself up, his eyes on the closed door as he processed what Seamus' words. He touched his fingers to his lips where they were still tingling, and he closed his eyes.

He had a lot to think about.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry spent the next few days getting ready for the holiday.** He, Sirius, and Zee decorated the cottage until it looked and felt like Christmas. They found a tree and set it up in sunroom this year since Zee had cleaned it out, reorganizing the comfy furniture and tables to accommodate the big tree. Zee strung twinkling fairy lights up around the top of the room, illuminating it in a soft glow that made the tree seem brighter.

They listened to Christmas music as they decorated, singing and laughing as they did. Sirius sang loudly and obnoxiously until Harry and Zee begged him to stop. They had a war with the tinsel, resulting in silver pieces everywhere. Sirius measured Harry in the kitchen doorway as Harry rolled his eyes. He topped off at six feet two inches and had proceeded to tease Sirius for the rest of the day (after all, now he was taller by two inches). Harry helped Zee bake Christmas cookies and pies and when Zee went to work, he spent his time in the workshop helping Sirius rebuild her motorbike.

This was where he was Thursday morning, wiping sweat and engine grease from his brow as Sirius blasted AC/DC over the speakers in the work shed. Harry guzzled some water before he went to the wireless to fiddle with it making Sirius shout.

"Hey! No messing with the tunes, Prongslet!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You know as good as AC/DC is, it's not a crime to listen to music from this decade, Uncle Siri."

Sirius only raised an eyebrow. "And what do you think is better than this?"

Harry rolled his eyes again, reaching down to grab the CD that he had purchased in London that summer, and charmed the wireless to play Green Day's _Insomniac_ album. "This is good."

Sirius only gave him a look as he listened to the opening chords for a moment. "I suppose this is acceptable."

Harry turned it up and turned back to the bike. "Zee really has no idea that you have this?"

Sirius shook his head, his feet tapping to the beat of the music. It wasn't bad, he thought. "No. They told her that it was destroyed, and to be fair, it was. She doesn't know that I took what was destroyed."

Harry bent down to help Sirius slide the new frame onto the back, holding the wheel in place. "She's going to cry when she sees it - you know that, right?"

Sirius grinned. "Maybe I'm hoping she will. Harry, this belonged to her grandfather. She was _devastated_ when she learned that it was destroyed. He rode this bike during the Second World War. We can't just let her lose it."

"I didn't say that," he said. He knew how much this bike meant to her. "She's going to love it. Is it going to be ready for Christmas, you think?"

Sirius shook his head. "I was hoping, but I don't know. My initial thought was February, but I've had the time lately and have been out here working on it almost seven days a week - but, there's still a lot of work left to do on it."

"You could tell her that it's a late present, one that is still to come?"

Sirius snuck a look over him, reaching for a wrench. "I could. The thing is, Zee and I, we kind of agreed to this whole no gift rule this year. Neither of us needs anything and we'd much rather just enjoy the holiday."

"But that doesn't mean that you _can't_ give each other gifts, right?"

The grey eyes narrowed as they stared at him. "Shite! She got me something, didn't she?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe."

Sirius wiped his hands on the towel hanging from his jeans, tugging his hair back into a stubby ponytail. He had already taken his shirt off in the warmth of the workshop and his tattoos were visible. "Now I have to find her something and it's four days before bloody Christmas… _fuck_!"

He laughed at the panic in his godfather's grey eyes. "You have this! You just have to tell her it's coming later, she'll get it."

Sirius didn't seem to agree, and Harry tried not to be amused by his panic. He kind of found it funny that they were both secretly giving each other a motorbike. He wiped sweat from his brow again. Sirius kept the work shed extra warm in the winter to balance the cold outside so he pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it in the corner as he opened the mini ice box to pour himself a glass of cold water from the jug.

"You want?"

"Yeah, thanks." He accepted the glass from Harry and drank deeply, eyes on his son. "So, what's this I hear about a tattoo?" He pointed to the ones on his own body. "Want to be as sexy as me, do you?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"No really, you want a tattoo?"

Harry shrugged, drinking his water. "I don't know, maybe."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "I was your age when I got my first tat. I knew what I wanted and I've never regretted it, but most people your age aren't that sure. Tattoos are wonderful ways to express yourself. I love them, which is why I have fourteen of them. I don't want any more. I'm content with what I have, and I only chose to tattoo my arms, torso, and back. Your dad had one. This one, right here in the same place," Sirius said, tapping the Marauder crest on his back left shoulder blade. "It meant a lot to him to get this crest, the same as it did to Moony and Wormtail. But just because we have them, doesn't mean that you have to get a tattoo as well."

"I know that."

He nodded. "Zee mentioned that you were thinking of getting something for James and Lily?"

Harry shrugged again, bringing the water back to his lips. "It was just an idea I was telling Ginny."

Sirius smiled at him. "Well, I think that it sounds like a really nice idea, but until you're a hundred percent sure, and know exactly what you want and where you want it, let's keep it on the back burner, okay? I don't want you putting something on your body that you're not absolutely sure you're going to love. There's no need to rush into anything. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Harry said, feeling relieved.

He knew that Sirius would understand better than anyone what made him nervous about getting it and why. He knew that he wanted it, but he wasn't sure how he wanted to represent their memory. Talking about it with Sirius made him feel better about waiting until he was older.

Sirius handed him the empty water glass and grinned. "Good. Now get back over here and help me get the brakes working."

Harry grinned and did just that.

They were interrupted forty minutes later by the door to the workshop opening. Harry stood up as Sirius adjusted the charm to hide the bike, worried that Zee had come home early. Instead, Harry's grin widened at the sight of his girlfriend.

"Ginny!"

Ginny laughed as he rushed over and picked her up before sitting her on the worktable in the corner and giving her a soft kiss. "Hi, Harry. I came in through the Floo a few minutes ago. When I found the house empty, I followed the music."

"Hi, Ginny," Sirius said, waving a screwdriver at her. "Am I losing my partner?"

"Definitely," Harry told him. "I'll go get Ginny settled in."

Sirius snorted. "Right, _settled in_. No closed doors, you two."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going to make a sandwich."

"Bring me one!"

Harry only nodded, and lifted Ginny down from the table. He led her outside the shed and through the backdoor of the kitchen, shivering in the cold. "Damn, forgot it's cold outside!"

"Where's your shirt? Your coat?" she asked, her hands sliding slowly up his chest after Harry closed the back door of the house.

"It was hot in there! Uncle Sirius overdid it in the heating charms a bit, and besides, my tee shirt was covered in engine grease."

Ginny nodded, her fingers trailing up his chest, over his shoulders and down his arms. "It's _awful_ that you have to be without a shirt like this," she said, fingers brushing over his abs.

Harry lifted her chin with his fingers to kiss her. Ginny's fingers brushed over his navel to rest on the button at the top of his jeans. "I missed you."

Ginny stood on her toes to press her lips to his, kissing him over and over until they were both breathless, her thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans. "I really missed you too. I like that I found you all shirtless and sweaty. It's sexy."

His slow smile made her stomach turn to jelly as he kissed the tip of her nose. "I mean, you can be shirtless and sweaty too, if you'd like."

She blushed and he kissed her cheek.

"Where's your bag?"

"I put it in the guest room already when I was looking for you," she told him.

He smiled. "Good. Come upstairs with me."

Harry tugged her by the hand, up the stairs to his room, and urged her to have a seat while he cleaned up. Ginny chose the round egg-shaped chair in the corner rather than the bed as he headed into the bathroom to get the engine grease off. She let her eyes wander around his room in curiosity.

Ginny hadn't stepped foot in his bedroom since they'd been children, and she could see the changes. His one wall was still covered in photos, patched all over the wall in a haphazard collage. Some of them were old: baby pictures of him with his parents, of the Marauders in their teen years, or of his parents' wedding. Others were of him growing up: standing in Pompeii with Sirius, sitting on the top of Remus' shoulders in the snow, riding a child's motorbike - and the other half included the more recent ones. Photos of Harry with his friends; of Harry riding a horse on a ranch; of Harry with Colt and Flo; Sirius, Harry, and Zee near a waterfall; Harry and Zee with their faces covered in pie; Harry with Misha and Sorcha; Harry and Tonks on a beach in Greece; Harry with Remus on a snowmobile in Norway; Harry with Marauder over the years; Harry flying around the Horntail during the First Task; Harry coming up from the Black Lake with her and Gabrielle on the kelpie, and many more.

Her eyes landed on the one of her dancing with Harry at Remus and Tonks' wedding and she smiled, watching the way his eyes followed her, and she wondered how she had truly been too dense to see it - to _let_ herself see it. He fancied her, and now even after almost two months, the thought still sent a little thrill through her body.

Ginny's gaze moved past the photos to the Quidditch posters, to the Quidditch statistics of the 1993-1994 season; the paintings purchased when he'd travelled Europe, and over the rack on the wall that held his Firebolt. Next to his broomstick was a large map with tiny red pins scattered across detailing all of the places he'd been. She'd found it adorable and felt a little envious that he'd been given the chance to travel so much, even though she had been fortunate enough to travel a few places herself. The bookcase in the corner with random books tossed around it in between old toys and a few framed photos (one of Harry and Neville as children; one of Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Diagon Alley; and one from Harry's twelfth birthday of Harry, herself, Luna, Neville, Ron, Hermione, Dean, and Seamus) and a few souvenirs.

The large bed stood in the centre of the room in Gryffindor colours, a nightstand on one side with a desk lamp and a few novels. A tall dresser stood on the other side of the room.

She looked up when Harry came back into the bedroom. He tugged open a drawer and pulled out a jumper as he covered himself (much to her disappointment). Ginny watched as the lean muscles in his back disappeared beneath the jumper.

Harry walked over to her, holding out his hands. "Did you eat before you came?"

"Yes, Mum insisted."

"Well, I haven't eaten since breakfast, and I'm starving. Plus, if I don't bring Sirius a sandwich, he'll come looking and he'll be grumpy."

Ginny grinned as she let him tug her to her feet. "Well, we can't have that."

Harry nuzzled her neck a moment, holding her in a tight hug. "I _really_ missed you."

Ginny hugged him back, enjoying the feel of his strong arms around her, the smell of him, the feel of him. "I really missed you too."

He kissed her forehead tenderly before he pulled away, a soft smile on his face. "Let's go find some food."

Twenty minutes later, they were curled up in the hammock in the treehouse with a plate of ham sandwiches, salted crisps, and fizzy drinks. They were half lying, half sitting, and Harry had his arm around her, her head resting against his shoulder. A thick warm faux fur blanket in chocolate brown covered their legs as the wireless was on the local WWN station on low.

Ginny popped a crisp into her mouth. "How's your holiday been so far? What were you and Sirius working on?"

"Zee's motorbike," he said, taking a swig of his fizzy drink. "She doesn't know we have it. Uncle Sirius is trying to rebuild it as a surprise, but he's not sure if he'll have it done in time for Christmas."

"He's rebuilding the _whole thing_?"

Harry nodded. "It was pretty destroyed, but he said that the heart of it was still good. It's a 1937 BSA M20, and it belonged to Deda, Zee's grandfather. He rode it in the war in the '40s. It means a lot to her, and she was pretty upset when she learned it was ruined. Uncle Sirius said that she wasn't looking forward to telling her grandfather that the bike had been part of her accident."

"He would understand though," Ginny told him. "I mean, she was attacked by Death Eaters! Her safety is more important than a motorbike."

"I know, but she's sad about the bike."

Ginny nodded, munching on another crisp as Harry ate a square of the ham sandwich. "Is there any news on the Death Eaters who attacked her?"

"I don't think so," Harry admitted. "Uncle Sirius hasn't said much. One of them was Theo's father though. She recognized him."

Ginny paled. "You can't tell Theo that — he'd never forgive himself!"

"I don't blame him," Harry said quickly. "I know that he's nothing like his father."

"Do you know who the other two were?"

Harry shook his head. "It was no one Zee recognized, but she's pretty sure Lady Godiva killed one of them."

"Thank Merlin she has her! That panther saved her life."

Harry sighed as Ginny linked her fingers of her free hand with his. "I know that, too."

"What about the Merpeople? Is she still going to try to talk to them?"

"I think so, yeah," he ventured. "I don't know when, but I know that she's going to try again. It's important."

"And they wouldn't attack her a second time in the same spot?"

"I don't think so, no," Harry replied. "But I'll still be nervous when she goes."

Ginny leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Maybe Sirius will go with her."

"If he does and claims it's to protect her, she'll go nuts. She hit him with a frying pan two weeks ago."

" _What?_ "

He nodded and relayed what Tonks had told him. "It was an accident, I guess. He's worried that she's going to overexert herself. She just went back to work last week, so she's not going to be doing anything for the Order until after the holiday."

"They're guarding something, Percy told me."

"What are they guarding?"

Ginny was quiet for a moment. "Percy wouldn't say. He said that it's Order business, but that it was important in helping to defeat Tom."

"He wants me dead, Ginny. He wants to be the one to kill me, and he wants to show the world that I can't defeat him."

Ginny slid her hand over his ribs, turning towards him more so that she could look into his eyes. "He's not going to win, Harry." When he made to protest, she put her fingers over his lips. "He's _not_ going to win. We're going to find the diadem, and we're going to destroy it. Then when the time is right, we're going to get rid of his snake… and then, he's just a man."

"We both know that he's more than _just_ a man, Ginny."

"Yes, and no," she said softly, kissing his cheek. "He has supporters and he has his own army that he's amassing, but we have something that he doesn't. We have heart. We have something worth fighting for."

Harry brushed her hair away from her face. "When I was in the graveyard standing across from him, when Bellatrix gave me back my wand and he told me to duel him… I was prepared to die. I didn't know how to fight him. I didn't know how to stand up to him and I thought that it was the end of my life - and then I _did_ die, two weeks later - and I was able to meet my parents and my grandparents for the first time in my life, and…"

Ginny rested her chin on his chest as her warm brown eyes met his. "And you came back. You came back to us; to me. Tom won't defeat you, Harry. _He won't_. You have so many people in your life who love you; so many people willing to stand up to him. You stood up to him for me once, and if I ever see him again, I won't back down without a fight."

Harry's eyes met hers, green on brown. "I don't want you to face him again."

"Part of me doesn't want that either," she said quietly. "Part of me wants to hide in a corner and curl up crying in terror at just his name, but _I won't_ do that. Na'eemah taught me that I had to put it behind me to move forward, but that doesn't mean that I forgot about it."

"Ginny…. what he… I wish every day that I had gotten to you sooner."

She slid her hand up his chest, curling her fingers over his heart. "I don't blame you, Harry. I got myself into that mess and… things happened."

He stared at her for a long moment, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. "Will you tell me what happened down there? What he… you've never really said it…"

"That he raped me?" she whispered, her eyes darkening in remembrance.

He swallowed slowly, his finger still stroking her cheek. "I always suspected that he might have I just… I didn't know how to…"

Ginny's eyes were on his, but she wasn't seeing him as she spoke. "I didn't know how to tell you - my friend, the boy who rescued me - something like that. I… he used a bone, but he… touched himself over me and he… I didn't understand until after - and that made it worse, somehow."

Harry's finger was still stroking her cheek as her chin rested on his chest. "I'm sorry that happened to you. If I could make you forget it, I would."

She shook her head, seeming to come back to herself and snuggled herself into his embrace, her cheek resting over his heart. "I don't want to forget it. It's part of who I am. Even the nightmares; they make me remember that I'm strong, that I overcame that."

His fingers danced along arm as he held her. "You're incredibly strong. I've always admired that about you."

"Harry… can I tell you a secret?"

"Always," he whispered.

She was quiet for a long moment and when she spoke, her voice was so low that he had to strain his ears to listen to her voice as it was muffled against his chest.

"Sometimes I think about when the time comes that you want to… become more intimate… that I'll be too scared - or that I'll panic and have a flashback like I did with Michael. I don't _want_ to be afraid to be touched."

Harry tugged her up to his face and kissed her softly. "You're not afraid to be touched, Ginny. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know, and you always have a hug for anyone who needs it. Do _I_ want to touch you? All the bloody time. The other day, when you let me kiss your tits through your shirt… Merlin, it was the best thing in the world - and did I want to go further, yes! Of course, I did - I'm a teenage boy - I think about sex all the bloody time, and I want it all of the time. But _I'm not_ ready for it yet."

Ginny looked slightly relieved by this. "I'm not ready for that either. I like it when you touch me, Harry. I liked it when you kissed my tits, too."

Harry slid his hands up her sides, brushing her breasts, and with his eyes on hers, curved his hands around to cup them in his hands, the mounds spilling over the sides of his fingers through the jumper she wore. "See? This is good. This is me touching you and you letting me touch you. Ginny… you'll tell me when you like something, won't you?"

She smiled and kissed his lips gently. "I'll tell you."

"And you'll tell me if you don't like something?"

She stared at him before she licked her lips. "Only if you promise to do the same."

Harry slid his hands around to cup the small of her back, kissing her deeply. The empty bowl of crisps slipped out of the hammock and fell to the floor along with the empty sandwich plate, but neither of them noticed. Ginny's hands slid over his shoulders as they kissed softly and slowly through long, drawn out kisses that left them breathless. Ginny sighed in pleasure when his mouth trailed down her neck.

"Harry! Ginny!" Sirius called out.

Ginny pulled away from her boyfriend's lips and snuggled back into his arms just as Sirius stepped into the treehouse. He raised an eyebrow at them curled up in the hammock.

"Hey, Zee's back. How do you two feel about going ice skating? The River Sid is frozen solid and we thought that it might be a fun way to spend the evening."

Ginny smiled warmly at him. "That sounds wonderful, but I don't have any skates."

Sirius grinned and waved her off. "No worries. Zee says that she can transfigure our shoes. Come on, meet us in the living room."

He slid down the fireman's pole and Harry smiled at her. "Ice skating sounds fun."

Ginny hopped out of the hammock and bent to pick up their empty dishes. "I think it's exactly what we need."

Harry jumped out of the hammock as well, tugging her to her feet and up against him, his hands resting on her waist. "Are you good?"

Ginny looped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to kiss him. "I'm better than good. I'm with you."

Harry's slow smile made her grin back at him. "Let's go ice skating."

She linked her hand in his, laughing when he lifted her into his arms. She locked her legs around his back and he slid down the fireman's pole with her. Ginny was definitely good, and the sense of relief that she felt after telling Harry about her fears surprised her. _They_ were good.

~ ASC ~

 **"** **Master Theo, there is a lawyer at the front door," Kiki said, making Theo look up from his book.** He had been curled up in the large armchair near the fire for almost three hours reading a murder mystery, enjoying the peace and quiet of the manor. He hadn't been expecting visitors.

"Let him in," he said, putting his book down.

Kiki nodded and he moved to sit up straight in the chair. It had been a week since he'd come home for the holiday and he'd been enjoying himself. It was quiet and peaceful, something that he never seemed to enjoy anymore. He'd worked with the house elves to put up a small Christmas tree in the library and found himself looking forward to spending the holiday alone. Ginny and Draco had both invited him to their homes for Christmas, but he wasn't in a celebratory mood. After what had happened over the last few months, he just needed the time to himself. To relax, to regroup, and to think.

Morrigan had found him again the other day with another letter, and Theo had found himself smiling as he'd read Finn's words. The man seemed very friendly, and he liked the idea of having someone he could talk to without any constrictions. Finn didn't know him. He was a man who loved his niece and wanted to help change the world. Theo admired that, and hoped that if he did manage to get his affairs in order, maybe he could do something to help with that, maybe even to help the Court of Tara.

His thoughts were interrupted when Franklin Smith stepped into the drawing room, taking his top hat off as he did. "Lord Nott, sorry to disturb your holiday, but I thought that this was important."

Theo nodded and gestured for him to take a seat. "Kiki, please send in some tea and bannocks."

Smith smiled as he took a seat in the armchair across from Theo. "That's kind of you, thank you. Is Thaddeus Nott around?"

Theo shook his head. "He knows better than to show his face in England right now, at least I'd hope he does. Him not being here is the main reason I came home in the first place."

Smith nodded and reached into his briefcase to pull out a folder full of parchment. "I guess that makes sense, but I thought that I should ask nevertheless."

Smith looked up as Kiki returned with a tray of tea and bannocks. He waited for the elf to pass him the tea cup, thanking her before she left the room. He put the tea cup on the table next to him and picked up the folder again once the elf was gone.

"I received your reference letters and I must say, you have some pretty great references here."

"I'm sorry that I could only send three," Theo began, starting to feel nervous. "I didn't know who to ask… and well, it seemed like a fair number. I know that you wanted five originally, but I just couldn't get that many."

Smith raised an eyebrow. "You sent more than enough. I have eight here."

Theo's eyes widened. "What? _Eight? How?_ "

Smith smiled as he flipped through the letters in his hands. "Professor Severus Snape claims that you 'are a mentor to first year students, both intellectually and socially, making you a responsible member of society well above your age.' Professor Minerva McGonagall says: 'Theodore Nott is an exceptional young man full of character, charisma, and kindness. As the Marquess of Norfolk, he would do a lot of good for this world.' Lady Narcissa Malfoy says: 'Theodore Nott is the second son that I always wanted. He's intelligent, witty, kind, and has a heart of pure gold.' The curse breaker Bill Weasley writes: 'Theodore Nott is the kind of person that you can depend on. He's trustworthy, kind, and a remarkable young man, more than capable of taking upon the responsibility that he seeks.'"

"Bill Weasley?" he interrupted in surprise.

Smith nodded and continued to sort through the letters. "Molly Weasley says that you 'are a sweet, honourable young man, who I would trust with the world and is more capable than most young men your age.' Lord Sirius Black writes: 'Nott is an intelligent young man who knows what choices he wants to make, and is smart enough to realize that claiming the title he deserves to have now, will help him get away from the dangers that his father, a known Death Eater, poses to not only the world, but to his son. Allowing Nott to become the Marquess of Norfolk is not only a brilliant, responsible move on the part of the wizarding aristocracy, but the ideal choice for Theodore Nott's life and refusing him based on his age would be a terrible mistake.' Professor Albus Dumbledore writes: Theodore Nott is a young man of sound mind and strong disposition more than capable of the responsibility he seeks'; and lastly, Prince Finley Alexander wrote to say: 'Theodore Nott has a kind heart and soul, tender to those in need, willing to offer a helping hand to all who need it, and denying him his birthright is damaging to the good he can do in this world.' Theo, I must say, with references such as these, you are looking _very good_ in the eyes of the court."

Theo was staring at him, his eyes wide. "But I… I didn't send those."

Smith smiled. "They are legitimate, I can assure you. I received the three you sent me from Lady Malfoy and professors Snape and McGonagall. The others arrived separately over the last few days. Each one is a strike in the plus column for you. In fact, my firm believes that it's enough to give you the title."

"I — really?"

"It's not official, not yet. But it's yours, Theo. With the holiday, it's going to be pushed back to get the parchment signed and sealed, but it looks good. On the fifteenth of January, we have an appointment with Praetor Samuels at three o'clock, and we'll plead your case - but trust me, with the names you have on this list here, with these references alone… this looks good."

Theo's grin widened. "Really?"

"I wanted to tell you something good for the holiday, but yes, really. As of the fifteenth, you will officially be the Marquess of Norfolk, and will inherit and have access to all of the Nott stocks, properties, wealth, and vaults. You will have full control over everything under the Nott name and the Norfolk title. I must tell you, that when you sign for it, though, there is a possibility that Praetor Samuels will insist that you turn over your father if you see him," Smith warned him. "I know that the two of you aren't close, but are you willing to do so?"

Theo stared at him. "I can promise you that I won't be seeing him any time soon, Smith, but if I do, I'll arrest him myself once I'm Marquess."

Smith extended his hand out. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Lord Nott. If you are interested in retaining a lawyer to help with your books, I hope that you'll keep me in mind."

Theo smiled, his heart jumping in joy. "Smith, if on the fifteenth - you actually make me Marquess - I can promise you a job for life."

The lawyer blushed, a huge smile on his face as Theo shook his had enthusiastically. "Happy Christmas, Lord Nott. I'll send word after the holiday."

"Happy Christmas," Theo said as Smith closed up his briefcase and headed out.

It was the twenty-third of December, which meant that in twenty-three more days, he would have what he had been struggling to obtain since October. He would be the Marquess of Norfolk. He closed his eyes as he leaned back in the armchair. That meant that he only had to deal with Macmillan for thirteen more days when he got back to school, and then he was going to make sure that prefect paid for blackmailing him.

Because nobody messed with Theodore Nott and got away with it.

 _Nobody._

~ ASC ~

 **Remus finished the last of his shopping that afternoon and felt his panic ease a little.** He wanted to get something special for Tonks, but he just didn't know what to get her. He had finally found something that he thought was perfect and had gotten it gift wrapped before heading home for the evening. He checked his watch as he headed up the drive of the dark cottage. His wife was only supposed to have worked half the day today before being off for the next five, so he wondered why she wasn't yet home.

He stepped inside, stepping out of his boots and hanging up his coat and scarf before he saw the lit Christmas tree from the corner of his eye. "Nymphadora?"

When there was no answer, he sighed and placed his wrapped present beneath the tree. His eyes just about bugged out of his head.

His wife _was_ home.

Tonks was lying on her side, a thick red silk ribbon tied around her breasts in a large Christmas bow. It came in one long strip, dangling from her breasts and wrapping down between her legs, barely covering the essentials. She had a Santa hat on her head and was slowly sucking on a candy cane as she lay half under the tree on a thick blanket, with throw pillows under her arm and near her head.

Remus visibly swallowed as he took in the sight of her. She winked at him. "Nymphadora," he gasped.

Tonks merely turned to give him a look at the two thin strings of fabric that held the ribbon in place across her back and slid between her round arse cheeks. "Come unwrap me."

Remus hardened as he took a step towards her. He stopped when she held her hand up.

"Naked first."

Remus kept his eyes on her as her moist lips wrapped around the candy cane and his cock twitched. He pulled his jumper over his head, dropping it to the floor, followed by his shirt and trousers. He tugged his socks off to add them to the pile before he moved towards her a second time, only stopping again when she shook her head.

"Boxers too, Professor Lupin."

He grinned, slipping them off as his hard cock bounced free and then he knelt down next to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, sliding his palm down her arm and around her back to fiddle with the thin red string across her back… the same one that slipped down her bum, essentially leaving her gloriously naked from behind. His hand slid around her thigh and up over her stomach, his fingers dancing just under the large bow.

"Did you make this?"

"Bought it at a lingerie store when I went shopping with Zee. Do you like it, Professor?"

Remus bent to kiss her stomach. "It looks like you wrapped yourself up for me."

"That's the point," Tonks said, her eyes on him. "I'm even under the tree!"

His eyes darkened as his fingers trailed over her skin. "I thought that we learned our lesson about the tree last year when we knocked it over."

Tonks smirked. "I used a charm to prevent that from happening this time."

Remus licked his lips, bending to kiss her softly. "Mmm," he murmured, tasting the peppermint there.

She glided the wet candy along her skin and his eyes eagerly followed the trail, before he let his tongue do the work, tasting the peppermint along her skin as he kissed her. Remus' lips trailed under her breasts, kissing softly under the bow before his mouth slipped over it, sucking her nipple into his mouth through the ribbon. Her head fell back against the pillow in pleasure.

"Unwrap me," she purred.

Remus ignored her. He continued to suck and nibble through the ribbon, his hand stroking the skin of her hip while the other rubbed deliciously over the ribbon between her legs. His thumb pressed into her, pushing the ribbon in, and the combined friction made her gasp until she was wantonly pressing herself against him.

"Unwrap me," she purred a third time.

Remus licked his lips, moving his head up to kiss her again. "No."

" _No_?" she asked incredulously.

Hot lips touched her mouth before Remus pulled away and rolled her over as his fingers played with the two tiny strings that covered her back. His mouth trailed over her skin, leaving hot kisses over her back and down her bum, sucking and kneading. His tongue slipped in and out of her bum as she squirmed desperately.

He did want to unwrap her. Merlin, did he _want to_ unwrap her. But she looked so deliciously sexy all trussed up like a naughty present. He slid his thick length along her bum, teasing them both, before he looped his index finger under the string, pushed it aside, lifted her hips, and slid into her wet heat. She moaned as he did so, her face pushing into the pillow as her bum rose higher into the air to meet him.

Remus held her hip with one hand, slipping the other around to rub her clit through the ribbon. The friction of the ribbon along with him thrusting was enough to drive her crazy. She was panting his name over and over and he increased his speed before he pulled out and finally flipped her over. Tonks gasped as his mouth dove to engulf a breast through the ribbon - and then he pushed her legs up to her shoulders, spreading them wide.

"Hold your legs, Nymphadora," he instructed, bending his head to kiss her clit, licking along the thick band of the ribbon to where it narrowed into a string. Then he simply pushed the thin string aside and positioned himself over her to slide into her again.

She cried out, holding her ankles tightly as he rode her. He kept the speed deliciously slow before he'd speed up and then slow back down.

"Reeemm," she begged.

Remus turned to kiss her curling toes near her head before he slid his hand down to circle her clit, pumping deeper and harder. She screamed as the orgasm tore through her, losing her grip on her legs as her hands fisted in his hair. She tugged him closer as he followed her over the edge. Remus gripped the blanket on either side of her, burying his face in the large bow over her breasts as he tried to catch his breath.

Tonks slid a sweaty hand over his back, a big grin on her face. "So… do you like the outfit, then?"

Remus chuckled against her breasts. " _Do I like the outfit_? Merlin, Nymphadora, I'm _never_ going to be able to look at a Christmas bow the same way again."

She grinned widely, sighing when he slid out of her and spooned her from the side. "You didn't even unwrap me."

Remus trailed his fingers over her the smooth cheeks of her bum before he lifted his hand and let it come down with a resounding, startling crack. "I like it. I like you just like this," he said, his palm coming down again and making her breath hitch. "Such a naughty wife."

He spanked her a third time before he lifted himself, turning his body side ways as he stroked his growing erection. He lifted her legs, swinging her more fully under the tree before he propped her bum onto the pillow. Remus lifted her hips just enough to change the angle. The sight of her illuminated beneath the sparkling lights made him smile. Remus kissed her knees, her thighs, before he bent his head and used his mouth, pushing the ribbon away with his fingers as his tongue swiped her.

Tonks' fingers gripped his hair and he lifted his head to meet her gaze. Remus held two fingers over her clit… then spanked the nub sharply. Her eyes crossed.

"Again," she panted.

He tapped his fingers over her again as she writhed beneath him, before his eyes caught the candy cane dangling from the tree. He unhooked it, and with his eyes on her, he slowly unwrapped it, before allowing his tongue to trail along the candy as he wet the peppermint. With his eyes on hers, he spanked her clit again with his fingers, and then slid the candy into her. He slid the thin treat along her folds, stroking it along her clit, and slipping it in and out of her in a slow, torturous fashion. Her breath hitched.

"Mmm," he murmured, putting the candy back into his mouth to suck on. "Delicious."

"Remus," she gasped, eyes rolling back. His fingers pumped into her as he stroked the candy cane along her clit in swift strokes.

Her heat was melting the candy, and he whispered a swift melting charm to help it along. Peppermint juices melt into her folds, and he eagerly licked them out, his tongue swiping over every angle as she squirmed beneath him. He licked her thoroughly, fingers pumping her until she was on edge… and then he pulled back, lips trailing over her thighs, as she begged for him.

Remus lifted her legs again, locking them around his waist, and thrust into her. Tonks' feet hit the tree, ornaments jingling above them with each thrust, but neither noticed, nor cared as he held her hips tightly and rode her faster. Ornaments fell from the tree around them. When they came together, he bent his head, using his teeth to pull the ribbon open at her breasts… and finally unwrapped her. Her nipples were pebbled as he rested his face on her right breast, covering the left with his hand. Remus kissed the nipple next to his lips, carefully tugging the ribbon out from between her legs. He tossed it to the side, his hands hitting ornaments, knocking more of them down and off.

"I don't think charming the tree into the place made it better."

Tonks chuckled. He turned to rest his chin on her breast as he looked up at her. "But we didn't knock the tree over this year."

He made an agreeable sound as he kissed her breast. "Nymphadora, I adore you."

Tonks slid her fingers through his tousled hair, her thumb stroking over the grey that was slipping in at his temples. "I adore you, too."

He smiled, sighing in contentment as he stroked his hair. "This is a pretty great way to start off our Christmas holiday, I must admit."

Her fingers continued to gently stroke his hair and his eyes drifted closed at her ministrations.

"I thought so. Do you think that we broke the ornaments beyond repair though? I'm afraid to look. If I broke one of the ones from Mum, I'll never be able to look her in the eye when she asks how it broke."

Remus chuckled as he kissed her breast before he lifted his head to look at the fallen ornaments. Most had merely rolled away, one had broken, some were on the pillows along with pine needles. "Nah. We're fine. Only that ugly one from your Christmas party last year broke."

She laughed when he snuggled back to her breast, tugging the blanket up with them and wrapping them both. "Are we going to sleep here, then?"

"Nap here," he corrected. "When we wake, I'll find something for dinner other than candy canes."

She blushed and kissed the top of his head. "Okay. I know just the place to tie a bow on you that so I can unwrap you later."

Remus grinned, sucking her nipple into his mouth. "Naughty Nymphadora. I'll have to spank you again."

She bit her lip. "Next time, do it when you're inside me."

Remus's eyes darkened. "Careful, love, or we won't end up having that nap."

Tonks only grinned and cuddled him back to her breast. "Nap first, then you're going to make me some food with that ribbon tied into a big bow around your cock."

Remus' lips met hers. "Sounds like a plan."

He closed his eyes against her breast. The smell of her skin, peppermint, and sex made him sigh in contentment. It was definitely the best start to the holiday that he could think of.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius softly kissed Zee that evening, grinning at Harry and Ginny where they were working in the kitchen.** "You two behave yourselves and take care of Zee."

"Where are you going?" Harry asked, turning to look at his godfather. "It's the night before Christmas Eve. Don't tell me that you have to go to the Ministry?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, guard duty for the Order. I'll be back in the morning."

Harry frowned. Ginny had said something the other day about Percy doing the same thing. "Guard duty over what?"

"Zee will fill you in. I'm going to be late. Have a good night, guys."

He hurried off and Harry turned to Zee. "What are you guarding? Did you guys find something?"

Zee shook her head, absently rubbing Lady Godiva's head from where she rested in her mistresses' lap. "No. We didn't find anything, I'm afraid. It's the copy of the prophecy."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Copy?"

"Yes. The prophecy that was made about you, Harry. There's a copy of it in store in the Ministry of Magic," she explained. "Every time a prophecy is made, the Guardian of the Hall of Prophecy places a copy of it inside the hall for protection so that it can be studied and broken down. Sometimes it is obvious what the prophecy is referring to, but other times, it could mean many different things. There are people in the Department of Mysteries who study them."

Ginny looked at her curiously. "All of the prophecies?"

Zee nodded. "Yes, I believe so. Anyway, Dumbledore gave a copy of the prophecy that was made about Harry sixteen years ago, and there is a copy of it there. Our concern is that Voldemort will try to obtain it as it has come to our attention that he is interested in hearing the exact contents."

"Why?" Harry asked as Ginny took his hand in hers. "What does it matter now? He heard part of it back then and it made him kill my parents."

Zee's eyes softened. "And I think that he regrets that, Harry. He doesn't regret killing them, mind you, as I'm sure to a monster like him, that isn't even on his radar. But I think that he regrets acting so rashly before he knew the full details of prophecy. Now you've escaped his grasp multiple times, and after you transformed into your Animagus and Apparated out of the graveyard, he's starting to wonder about this mysterious, great power that the prophecy stated you have. He's wondering if you could be more powerful than him. If he hears the prophecy, he'll understand it better. We don't want this to happen."

"If he learns that he was the one to make the prophecy come to pass, it means that he knows Harry isn't more powerful than him," Ginny said simply, linking her fingers through Harry's when she felt him jerk at her words. "He'll know that Harry is a powerful wizard, but that he's not necessarily more powerful than him. Just _chosen by him_ to defeat him."

"Not only that, but he might realize that he left a Horcrux inside Harry, and that's the last thing that we want."

"Because then he might know that it's not there anymore," Harry pointed out.

Zee nodded. "Exactly. It's a little thing, but if we can keep watch on the Hall of Prophecy and make sure that no one from Voldemort's inner circle tries to steal it, it keeps us one step ahead. As far as we know, Voldemort has never been aware of who gave the prophecy. When Snape originally told him, he didn't know that it was Trelawney, so he was never able to tell Voldemort who the Seer was. We think that he believes only Dumbledore knows it and that there is the copy in the Hall of Prophecy."

Harry frowned. "Why can't we just take it and destroy it?"

"It's not that easy unfortunately," Zee told him, her fingers running along the ears of Lady Godiva. "The Hall of Prophecy itself resides in the Department of Mysteries, and it's a huge enigma to everyone. We know that there is a secret Guardian who keeps track of the prophecies and records them and studies then and from what we understand, the Guardian is the only person capable of placing the prophecy into the hall and removing it. If anyone else tries to remove the prophecy in question, which is stored in a glass ball, it becomes translucent and our hands go right through it."

Ginny let out a slow breath. "So if they can't get it, why bother guarding it?"

Zee smiled. "That is a fair question. We want to keep an eye on it and make sure that there is absolutely no way for them to get a hold of it. It also helps us know that they haven't somehow gotten to the Guardian, and by keeping an eye on things, we know where they are going and what they are doing. We know very little of Voldemort's plans, so every little thing counts."

Harry could understand that. He knew that they were doing what they could to watch Voldemort and his followers, to try to learn what his ultimate plans were and this was one step in the right direction, no matter how small it seemed. He found it interesting that no one outside of the Guardian could touch the prophecy. He wondered why that was. Was it to really keep it from the wrong hands, or was it merely a spell? Or was a curse upon it in some way? Who was this Guardian?

Zee stood up, patting Lady Godiva on the head. "I'll leave you two to finish making dinner, if that's all right? I think Lady G and I are going to walk next door and finish wrapping our presents."

"Can I see the bike?"

Zee smiled warmly at Harry. "Absolutely. I'll show you both after dinner. You can help me figure out how to wrap it while Sirius is gone."

"Do you have a really big box?" Harry asked.

Ginny laughed. "I may have a better idea…"


	205. Chapter 205

_Author's Note:_

 _Happy December all! I will be doing my best to keep posting a chapter each week, but as I'm sure most of you know, December gets a bit hectic, so if I miss a week, please don't hold it against me — I promise, I'm not going anywhere! At least not until I finish this story ;)_

 _I dedicate this chapter to Saz because a) she rocks and b) she needs a little pick me up. Everyone send lots of love her way, thanks!_

 _To answer some reviews: thecapitalbey, thanks for that tumblr page recommendation it's pretty great. In reference to the chocolate comment, it was a throwback to the Deamus teasing I had them doing back in chapter 113 when they were in complete denial over their experimentation ["No!" Seamus said, eyes wide. "What do you think we're gay or something? 'Cause we're definitely not!" "Absolutely not," Dean insisted. "I got up to pee," Seamus said simply. "I found Dean wanking and I told him that it was interesting how different our pricks are, you know? Not just because his is black —" " — Chocolate," Dean interjected. "Right, his prick is chocolate and mine is vanilla, but that they look different. His is larger, and I was a little curious, nothing wrong with that is there?" he demanded. "No," Harry answered quickly as Seamus was staring at him, almost daring him to say otherwise.] As to the boob size by fruit comparison, I thought it was the easiest way to differentiate._

 _A few people have asked me about heights, I always imagined Harry as being fairly tall but short in comparison to Ron. So Harry is 6'2 and will stay that height; Sirius is just shy of six feet like 5'11 and 3/4 (just enough to piss him off ;) lol); Remus, I always imagined as very tall 6'4 or 6'5; Ron will also be 6'5 like Bill is in my mind. As for the girls, Ginny is 5'4 so when she stands on her toes she can curl perfectly into Harry's neck. Hermione is 5'3; Tonks is 5'5; Zee is 5'1. Theo is 5'8. Hope this helps!_

 _To Amor-Fati7, thank you so much for that kind review! I am so happy that so many people are falling in love with my Theo, he has fast become one of my favourite characters to write as well and I look forward to showing you where his story is going. As to the wolf situation, yes, it is complicated. I will provide a little character guide in the end notes of this chapter. As to Zee's tattoos, she has 3: a gold and green tribal elephant on the right side of her ribs; a red and gold dragon down her spine; and a small black niffler on the back of her neck. To PurpleLotus: I thought it would so nice for people to reach out and give references for Theo without him having to ask._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her awesome work editing._

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND FIVE:**

 **Ginny's idea turned out to be a scavenger hunt, and Harry and Zee thought that the idea was perfect.** They tied a large bow around the handles of the bike and decided to make up clues and to hide them between Zee's old cottage and their home. Harry thought it sounded fun as they laughed and came up with the different clues for Sirius to find.

Afterwards, Harry wanted to watch a memory from his memory chest. He asked Ginny and Zee if they wanted to watch one with him. Ginny squeezed his hand and nodded.

Harry dug out the basin and his memory chest, his fingers dancing over the many vials.

"You have so many in here," Ginny said in amazement. "This is the most incredible gift."

"I know," he told her. "That's why I want to savour them. See, I mark on X on the ones that I've viewed."

Ginny's eyes moved over the marked ones. "Which one do you want to view next?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I usually just pick at random, but Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus made a list of them here."

Ginny's eyes scanned the numerical list stuck to the lid of the chest and her finger pointed to one. "What's an Octopus' Garden?"

Harry frowned reaching the vial. "I know that it's the name of a Beatles song, but otherwise I have no idea. Let's view it."

"Are you sure?"

He snuck a look over his shoulder at her. "If you picked it, I'm definitely sure."

Ginny smiled at him as he poured the memory into the basin as Zee came into the sunroom. "We chose one titled 'Octopus' Garden'. Any ideas?"

Zee shook her head as she sat down. "Not the foggiest. I've only seen the one memory from there. I'm as intrigued as you two."

"Thanks for viewing this with me," Harry told them.

Ginny took his hand in hers. "We're honoured that you'd share it with us."

Harry pointed his dragon heartstring and unicorn hair wand at the basin. He found he was equally as comfortable with both wands now, and felt like each of them had moulded themselves to his magic. He still favoured his holly and phoenix feather wand, though he often thought that was more nostalgia than necessity. He projected the image onto the windows of the sunroom and the three of them took seats to view it.

It looked like a living room that Harry thought might be Godric's Hollow. James and Sirius were in the room with baby Harry, who was crying rather loudly.

"Aww, look how cute you were," Ginny said, poking him in the ribs as he put his arm around her.

"Much cuter now though, right?"

"Maybe," she teased, eyes turning back to the memory.

 _Baby Harry was crying loudly. Tears leaked down his cheeks and his bottom lip trembled. His chubby cheeks were rosy from exertion and James was dragging his fingers through his hair in frustration._

 _"_ _It's been twenty bloody minutes, Padfoot! I'm a terrible father!"_

 _Sirius, who was sitting on the sofa with both of his fingers in his ears, shouted, "What is Prongslet's problem?"_

 _"_ _I gave him a bottle, he didn't want it! I tried to give him cereal, he didn't bloody want that! I gave him a bloody baby biscuit, and he threw it at you!"_

 _Sirius grinned. "My Animagus rather enjoyed it."_

 _"_ _Even you being a bloody dog didn't cheer him up!" James exclaimed._

 _"_ _Did you check his nappy?" Sirius asked._

 _James glowered at him. "Yes, I checked his bloody nappy! What do you take me for?"_

 _"_ _How much longer did Lily say that she was going to be?"_

 _James covered his face with his hands as Harry continued to sit on the living room floor and scream. "Who the bloody hell knows? She was working on a potion thing for the Order at headquarters. 'I'll be fine,' I told her. 'Harry and I will be great.' Yeah, well three bloody hours later and we aren't so great! Bloody fucking bollocks!" He exclaimed, kicking the coffee table._

 _Harry screamed louder and James fell to his knees._

 _"_ _Harry," he begged desperately. "Harry, love, Da-Da loves you so much and I want to help you, but you need to tell me what you want. Please!" He begged, picking up his son for the umpteenth time. "Please stop crying, baby!"_

 _He snuggled Harry into his shoulder, crooning softly, but Harry only coughed, gagging on his own tears, and continued to cry._

 _Remus came out of the kitchen with a fresh bottle. "I warmed it up for him, Prongs."_

 _James took it and carefully tried to feed his son, who pushed it away, wiping at his eyes and screaming louder._

 _"_ _He doesn't fucking want it, Moony!"_

 _Remus sighed. "He wants his mum, that's who he wants."_

 _At the sound of Lily's name, Harry sniffled and looked around to look for his mother, when he didn't see her, he began to cry again._

 _"_ _Well, Lily's not bloody here now, is she?" James exclaimed desperately as Remus reached out to take the bottle from him._

 _Remus was quiet for a moment as he stood there holding the bottle. "You could try to help, Padfoot, instead of just sitting there with your fingers in your ears._

 _Sirius stuck his tongue out at him. "Prongs, why don't you bounce him a little, you know, dance or something?"_

 _James nodded, pressing his lips to Harry's chubby cheek as he held his crying son close. He bounced a bit and then he began to sway gently. Harry continued to cry. James kissed his cheek, the top of his head, gently patting him on the back._

 _"_ _Shh, baby, I got you, shh," he crooned. "_ Wise men say, only fools rush in _," he sang quietly. "_ But I can't help falling in love with you _."_

 _Harry hiccuped when his father began to sing, his tear filled eyes staring up at his father._

 _"_ Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? If I can't help falling in love with you _," he sang softly. "I think it's working," he whispered._

 _No sooner had the words left his lips than Harry started to cry again._

 _"_ _Shite!" James exclaimed._

 _"_ _No, no! He loves it when you sing!" Sirius said, his eyes widening. "Maybe he's just not into Elvis!"_

 _Remus nodded, jumping to his feet. He hurried across the room and picked up James' guitar that was leaning against the fireplace. "Pass me little Prongs. You take this. He always calms when you sing to him! He likes the music of it as much as your voice!"_

 _"_ _I did sing! He's still bloody screaming!" James retorted, passing his crying son to Remus._

 _Remus carefully snuggled the crying child into his arms, pressing him against his warm chest and swaying gently as James picked up the guitar. "Try something more fun; something less lullaby like."_

 _James tapped his fingers on the guitar impatiently, his eyes wide. "I don't bloody know!"_

 _Sirius jumped over the couch and started going through James' record recollection. "The Beatles! Harry loves it when you sing him their stuff! They have all sorts of fun songs!"_

 _James nodded, shaking his head as Sirius held up_ A Hard Day's Night _and then_ Help _. "No, none of those are what I'm looking for!"_

 _"_ Rubber Soul _?"_

 _James shook his head again and then grinned when his friend picked up_ Abbey Road. _"I've got it!" He grabbed his guitar again and began to play the opening chord before he stopped. "Wait!"_

 _Remus was still swaying with the crying baby as James grabbed his wand. "What are you doing? Wait for what? Just bloody sing already!"_

 _James shook his head, grinning widely. "No, I've got it!"_

 _Sirius and Remus watched in amazement as James began to charm the living room. Bubbles floated throughout the room as coral erupted from the ground; seaweed grew from the sofa and swayed in the breeze. The room darkened as he charmed the windows so that the sunlight dipped only one way into the room; giving it an eerie, almost underwater feel. Underwater plants and flowers sprung up from the floor, grew out of the walls, and blue and silver transparent sea creatures began to float around. He picked up the guitar again, played the opening chord, and began to sing._

 _"_ I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopus' garden in the shade. He'd let us in, knows where we've been, in his octopus' garden in the shade. _"_

 _Sirius grinned and transfigured the armchair into a huge stuffed animal of a green octopus, floating it up so that it created almost like a tent. Remus grinned and knelt under it with Harry, whose cries had stopped as James sang._

 _"_ I'd ask my friends to come and see, an octopus' garden with me! _" James sang, putting his guitar down and reaching for his son._

 _Remus passed Harry over and pointed his wand at the record player, floating_ Abbey Road _onto the turntable and rotating to the third track._

 _James sat Harry on the ground, holding his tiny hands as he stretched out on his stomach. He flicked his wand at the ceiling, making it look like they were underwater and a storm floated ahead of them; dark clouds rolled in and magical lightning flashed as he sang along with the record._

 _"_ We would be warm, below the storm, in our little hideaway beneath the waves. Resting our head, on the sea bed, in an octopus' garden near a cave. _"_

 _Remus waved his wand over them and levitated a blanket and pillow down as James held his son close, resting on the blanket as Harry gurgled happily, his eyes watching all of the flashing and moving charms in awe._

 _"_ We would sing and dance around, because we know we can't be found! _" James sang, swinging Harry up into his arms as they danced under the stuffed octopus._

 _Harry began to giggle and Sirius and Remus charmed everything until the three of them were dancing with the baby in the middle of the living room, objects of all sorts flying and levitating around as the three of them sang along loudly. James tossed Harry up into the air, then caught him as he laughed; then he passed him along to Sirius, who did the same, and then to Remus, and back to James. Harry giggled madly._

 _"_ We would shout and swim about, the coral that lies beneath the waves _," James sang loudly._

 _"_ Lies beneath the ocean waves _," Sirius and Remus echoed as Harry goggled at them._

 _"_ Oh what joy, for every girl and boy, knowing they're happy and they're safe _."_

 _"_ Happy and they're safe! _"_

 _"_ We would be so happy you and me _," James sang, snuggling Harry into his shoulder and kissing his cheek. "_ No one there to tell us what to do _!"_

 _"_ _What is going on in here?" Lily asked as she stepped through the front door of the house._

 _All three men turned to look at her._

 _The living room was a complete disaster, but also a complete underwater cavern full of floating objects. James' cheek was pressed up against a laughing Harry's as he spoke._

 _"_ _We're entertaining the baby."_

 _Lily looked around at the magnificent cavern that they had created. The large stuffed octopus; the plants and coral that had erupted from the walls and carpet. The beautiful charm work of the night sky seen from below the water, and the storm clouds overhead as magical manifestations of sea creatures floated around them._

 _"_ _Gah do-da!" Harry exclaimed._

 _James covered his son's face in kisses as he giggled._

 _Lily dropped her purse on the sofa and stepped into the charmed living room. She tugged Harry into her arms, snuggling him into her breast as he cooed happily before snuggling herself into James' arms. "I want to play in the garden with my boys. Sing to me, Jamie."_

 _James grinned widely and flicked his wand at the record player to start the song over again. "_ I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopus' garden, with you! _"_

 _And then he was kissing her deeply as the song played behind them and Remus nudged Sirius gently._

 _"_ _I think that they can handle it from here, Siri."_

 _Sirius nodded and grinned at his friend. "I think so too."_

 _He pointed his wand at the record player and turned up the volume a bit. Then he and Remus snuck out the front door._

Ginny kissed Harry's cheek as the memory ended. "That was the most adorable thing I have ever seen. They made an entire underwater garden just to entertain you!"

Zee stood up, stretching her arms up over her head. "I have to agree with Ginny. Those three men were quite clever. That's a lovely memory of your parents as well."

"Yeah," he agreed, a small lump in his throat. They had been so in love and watching his dad tell him how much he loved him had been nice. "Uncle Sirius had his fingers shoved into his ears."

Ginny laughed. "He learned though, didn't he?"

He had more than learned. Harry knew how lucky he was to have had Remus and Sirius in his life. "Still funny. I'll have to rag him on that later."

Zee chuckled. "Of course you do. Did you want to watch another memory, Harry?"

He shook his head. "Nah, that was a good one. I'm good with just the one tonight. Know of any good Christmas movies?"

"Absolutely," Zee said with a smile.

Zee chose _It's A Wonderful Life,_ which was much sadder than Harry anticipated, as the three of them curled up in the living room and ate popcorn. It was after eleven when they headed up to bed. Zee said goodnight and instructed them to say goodnight to each other before she closed her bedroom door behind her and Lady Godiva.

Ginny followed Harry into his bedroom, smiling and curling into his lap when he tugged her down into the egg chair. "I have to go to my own room."

Harry kissed her softly. "I know. But stay with me a little longer first."

She kissed him again. "Okay, but just for a minute."

He stood up, lifting her with him, and sat her on his bed. "Stay there."

Ginny only raised an eyebrow as he moved to his dresser and pulled open the top drawer. When he turned, he had a box wrapped in gold paper and tied with a red bow.

"Happy Christmas, Ginny."

Ginny's eyes widened as she stared at the box. "Harry… it's not Christmas Eve until tomorrow."

He sat down next to her and handed her the box. "It's Christmas Eve in twenty minutes - and I want to watch you open it."

Ginny bit her bottom lip as she carefully untied the bow and tore open the paper. She lifted the lid on the box and her eyes widened at the sight of the small treasure chest. It was made of wood and leather, with Quidditch symbols pressed into the sides. "Harry, it's beautiful," she said honestly, fiddling with the tiny brass broomstick latch.

"Open it," he urged.

She lifted the broomstick latch and looked inside. Her eyes widened at the little compartments, each full of tiny vials, sponges, brushes, and bristles. "Did you make me my own broomstick servicing kit?"

"Only the best for my Chaser," he told her.

Ginny closed the chest, placing it on the bed before she kissed him deeply. "It's perfect! Thank you! I'll take excellent care of the Nimbus _,_ I promise."

Harry kissed her again. "You better, as it's yours."

"For the next three years, absolutely!"

Harry kissed the tip of her nose. "No, it's _yours_. Uncle Sirius donated another one to the school anonymously. You can keep the Nimbus _._ "

Ginny's eyes widened before she jumped into his lap and kissed him. His hands slid up her back and he sighed against her mouth, her legs wrapping around his waist. Harry's fingers were in her hair, his mouth meeting hers for long, deep, greedy kisses that left him breathless. When she pulled away, her eyes were dark with desire.

"You know giving me a broomstick is _too much_ , right?"

"I didn't. I gave you the chest with the servicing kit inside. The broom is simply being donated to you by the school," he said.

Ginny smirked. "It still counts, Harry."

Harry kissed her cheek. "I want you to have it. You deserve it - and I know you've always wanted your own broom. I also know there's no way you'd ever let me _buy_ you one."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest before she promptly shut it again. She kissed him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "You know me too well, and you're the absolute best!"

He hugged her tight, kissing her cheek before she stood up.

"I have a gift for you, too. It's with my bag."

Harry nodded as she hurried out of his room and into the next one, returning a moment later with an average sized wrapped box. Harry took it from her and carefully unwrapped it. It was a beautifully hand-painted wooden picture frame in Gryffindor gold and red stripes. She'd painted little snitches along the sides, and in her neat writing across the bottom of the frame it said: _Our First Kiss, 4th November, 1995._ Inside was a photo of the Gryffindor Quidditch team huddled together, cheering their win. Harry watched as his photo self let go of Katie, his eyes meeting Ginny's before he tugged her into his arms for a kiss.

"Colin took the photo. It's not much, I know but — mmph!"

He silenced her with a kiss, his hands in her hair as his lips met hers. "It's perfect," he said. "I love it. Thank you." He put it on his nightstand, facing his bed, and she smiled.

"Good."

Harry tugged her back into his arms, bending his head to kiss her again. "I don't want you to go home tomorrow."

Ginny smiled up at him. "It's Christmas Eve, that was the deal, remember?"

"Don't care. Come to Moscow with me."

Ginny smiled, her hands sliding up his back. "Harry, I need to spend Christmas with my family, and you need to go have an amazing Christmas in Russia with yours. But maybe one day I'll get to meet them."

"I'd like that," Harry said honestly, kissing her again.

Ginny melted into the kiss, sighing as they stood. For the longest time, they stood there sharing soft kisses before she pulled away. "It's late, I should get to bed."

He nodded reluctantly. "Goodnight, Ginny."

She stole one more quick kiss before she took the little wooden treasure box with her broomstick servicing supplies. "Goodnight, Harry."

When the bedroom door closed behind her, he plopped back down on his bed and sighed in disappointment, his eyes moving to the framed photo. He watched the look of surprise on Ginny's face over and over as his lips met hers and he grinned at the memory.

Kissing her in front of the whole school may not have been his plan, but he had never been more pleased to have done something. He changed into his pyjamas and slipped into bed, his eyes on the photo as he put his glasses on his nightstand. He fell asleep with a big smile on his face, and his head full of Ginny.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius stood next to Arthur in the Department of Mysteries, his body concealed beneath the invisibility cloak from Kingsley.** It was Sirius' third shift as a guard since they had started and so far he had to admit that it was rather dull work. He leaned back, his left foot flat against the wall behind him, and his wand in his hand.

They had erected a small privacy bubble so that they could talk while they listened. But for the most part, they kept their eyes peeled on the door to watch the movements of those who came and left the department.

Arthur stood next to him under his own cloak. They agreed to always work in pairs in case anything did happen. More than once they had witnessed random people seemingly searching along the corridor for someone or something unknown, only to watch them hurry off at the first sight of an Unspeakable emerging from the department. But at night, no one was hardly ever working on this floor - and that was when they thought someone was most likely to attack.

Sirius looked over at where he knew Arthur was standing. "Are you and Molly all set for Christmas?"

"Yes," Arthur responded from his right. "Mostly anyway, but Molly is fretting a bit about Ginny staying with you and Harry before Christmas. She didn't get as much help baking as she usually does. The boys aren't as helpful as Ginny, though they pull their weight."

Sirius grinned. He couldn't imagine any of the Weasley boys in the kitchen, but he knew that Molly Weasley ran a tight household. There was no way that she hadn't made sure that all of her boys knew their way around the kitchen or at least the difference between a carrot and a turnip. "Harry rather likes to cook. He's bloody brilliant at it, way better than me. I left him and Ginny cooking dinner tonight."

Arthur only made a rather noncommittal noise.

"I think it's about time those two started dating, don't you?"

The sigh that came from his right only made him grin.

"Arthur, you're not going to tell me some bullshit line about your daughter and boys now, are you?"

The soft chuckle made his grin widen. "No, I know better than that. Am I happy that Ginny is dating Harry? Well, I _like_ Harry. He's a smart and responsible lad who I would absolutely trust with her life - after all, he saved her life. I can see how much they care for each other, and Merlin knows my lovely Ginny has been carrying a torch for him for much longer than I think she even realizes… but she's my baby. I guess it's just reminding me that she's growing up, and I don't know if I'm ready for that yet."

Sirius nodded. He understood that. "I can agree with that sentiment. Sometimes I have no idea where the time went. I swear I just blinked and Harry was learning how to walk and now… he's a young man."

"I know that they will take good care of each other. Molly is just fretting that they're young, but it's not the age that's bothering her. We were both Ginny's age when we started dating."

"I didn't know that," Sirius said in surprise. "You and Molly have been together a long time, then?"

"Oh, aye," Arthur said. "Been married twenty-five years, together twenty-nine. She had a massive crush on me and well, I found it embarrassing, if I'm honest. Then in fourth year she came back after the summer and _Merlin_ , had she blossomed into a woman — and, suddenly, I was very aware of just how beautiful she was. Ginny reminds me of her sometimes. She looks more like my mother than like Molly, but she has Molly's vibrancy, and her passion, her stubbornness, and her tenacity. Molly wanted to keep her safe, to keep her away from the roughness of the boys. She wanted a little girl who would wear fancy dresses and do girl stuff. Ginny not only threw herself into the middle of the mud, but was often the culprit of most of the things that the boys got up to in the first place."

"I always said that she was a little spitfire," Sirius said. "That girl is not afraid to take what she wants. She's honest and kind, and watching her and Harry… they understand each other on a level that I don't think anyone else can. I know that they're young - and maybe it's too soon to speculate - but that's a love that's going to last."

"Have they admitted that they are in love yet?"

"Hardly, and I can't imagine that they will just yet, but they do know that they love each other. How long it takes them to admit that they are _in love_ is anyone's guess. To be honest, they remind me of Harry's grandparents."

"How so?" Arthur asked in curiosity.

Sirius sighed. It was more of a feeling, and he wasn't sure if he could articulate it properly. "It's hard to explain … Fee and Monty were just the other half of each other. It was incredible when you saw them. They were the parents of my heart, and they took care of each other and of the four of us like we were their own. It was like Fee knew Monty's thoughts; he almost never had to say them aloud. She just understood him, and he her, and it's that kind of relationship that I see between Harry and Ginny. After Voldemort returned in June, Ginny was by his bedside holding his hand, and she calmed him. She kept him relaxed, and when he did panic and stress and worry over what had happened, she kept him balanced. She allowed him to feel what he needed to feel. He does the same for her. In the Chamber… they stood side by side, holding onto each other, each comforting the other in some way. They just make sense. I know that they're young, but that's a bond that will last a lifetime. Neither of them will ever truly be happy without the other."

Arthur was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was low. "I think you're right about that. I think on some level, I've always known that as well - since the moment my four-year-old-daughter told me that she kissed Harry Potter in the park, hugged his dog, and invited him to her birthday. But I don't want to rush them."

"Nor I," Sirius admitted. "I like to tease Harry, as he was obviously pining for her for sometime before he built up the courage to tell her how he felt. But now that they're together, they'll take their time; they'll get to know each other a little differently than as friends - and yes, in ten years from now, I'm sure that they will be married, maybe even have a few kids themselves."

Arthur chuckled. "Let's hope for that kind of happy future is in the cards for all of us."

Sirius nodded. They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments before he reached out to touch Arthur's arm. Someone was coming through the dark, and they could hear movement edging nearby. The corridor was dark, the lights having gone out a few hours ago when the last Unspeakable left the Department of Mysteries. The only light was a soft glow from the end of the hall near the lift. The black marble walls left an eerie glow in the reflected light, but for the most part, the wing was engulfed in darkness.

The sound grew closer, a soft panting almost, followed by the heavy sound of something moving across the ground at a quick pace. Sirius raised his wand, eyes peeled in the darkness, before a startled cry from his right made him light it. Sirius' eyes widened in horror at the sight of the giant python sinking it's large teeth into Arthur's arm. He tossed off his cloak and sent a knockback jinx at the snake. One tooth ripped out into Arthur's arm, tearing his flesh from wrist to elbow… but Sirius was transfixed by a beautiful woman, inexplicably standing before him.

Her skin was like milk chocolate and she was dressed to the nines, her body adorned in jewellery. Her wand shimmered like diamonds in her hand. She smiled coyly.

"Darling, you really shouldn't be here," she said in a voice designed to send lust through anyone that heard it.

Sirius lifted his own wand just as she sent an Imperius at him. He dodged it, eyes on Arthur, who had sunk to the ground, his arm bleeding profusely. "I'm hardly going to let you Imperius me, love."

She smiled, her moist, blood-red lips full of promise. "I don't need to Imperius you." She held up her hand and the snake hissed but stopped in its tracks before coiling back to the opposite wall. Clearly, it was following the woman's instructions.

Sirius swallowed as the woman took a step towards him, her finger trailing slowly down his cheek, over his neck, down his chest, and stopping at his belt buckle. She was good, he had to admit that. She was beautiful and she knew it. She knew exactly how to use her looks to her advantage. "You don't?"

She licked her lips slowly. "Would you like to kiss me?"

Sirius kept his eyes on her dark brown ones. He bent his head a fraction… but then sent her flying back with a jinx that crashed her into the marble wall. "Not my type, love."

The woman growled in anger as she rose to her feet, her wand shimmering in the light.

Sirius pointed his wand at her heart. "Take another step - or allow that snake to move forward - and I'll have the whole DMLE down here in seconds."

The woman seemed to heed his words; she snapped her fingers, the snake coiled around her legs, and they both Disapparated on the spot.

Sirius fell to his knees beside Arthur. He was deathly pale and bleeding profusely. He scooped the man into his arms and Disapparated. A moment later, they arrived at St Mungo's. "Help!"

A medi-witch immediately hurried forward, wand raised. "What happened?"

"We were in the woods and he was bitten by a python."

"A python? _In England_? Are _you_ sure?"

Sirius glared at her. "Well, it was a big fucking snake!"

The witch nodded, summoning a gurney, and Arthur was immediately taken into a room. Sirius sent a Patronus to Kingsley. He and Moody were the backup guard for the night. He looked down at his hands; they were covered in blood, and he paled slightly at the sight of it. He had to tell Molly what had happened.

Sirius informed the witch at the front desk that he was going to notify Arthur's wife of the attack, and the witch nodded in response. He Disapparated and landed smoothly in Ottery St Catchpole. He walked through the grass, feeling uneasy at the sight of the Burrow up ahead. He banged loudly on the front door and was greeted by the tousled hair and sleepy gaze of Percy.

"Sirius," Percy said, his eyes widening as he saw the blood. "Galloping Gargoyles! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It's not my blood. Can you wake your mum?"

Percy paled, his glasses sliding down his nose. "Is Dad… ?"

"Percy, please get your mother."

Percy turned and ran up the stairs. It was only a moment before Molly came running down in her dressing gown, attempting to tie her robe, Percy at her heels.

"Sirius! Sirius, Arthur — ?"

"I just left him at St Mungo's, Molly. We were attacked. He's with the healers now."

Molly paled, her red hair in curlers around her face. "Attacked — he… "

"He's alive," Sirius told her, reaching out to cup her hands. "He was bitten by a snake."

Percy's arm came around his mother as she stumbled slightly. "A snake? What on earth was he doing?"

Sirius' eyes met Percy's. "You know what he was doing, Percy. And yes, Voldemort's snake. The snake attacked with a woman and… they Disapparated soon after. King and Mad-Eye have taken over the post. Molly, get dressed. I'll take you to St Mungo's."

"The children… "

Percy nodded. "Mum, I can take of everyone. We're not kids anymore. Go, get dressed. Dad needs you."

Molly nodded and ran back up the stairs.

Percy only stared at Sirius. "How did a snake get into the Ministry of Magic, of all places?"

"Apparition. It came with a woman, a Death Eater I presume. I'm not sure why she would bring a snake but… they know that we're guarding the hall now."

Percy swallowed slowly. "What does that mean?"

"It means that we were on the right track with keeping our eye there. You have duty two nights from now, do you not?"

Percy nodded. "Yes, with Tonks. What should I tell my brothers when they wake?"

Sirius put his hand on Percy's shoulder. "Tell them whatever you think is best. You know what needs to be kept a secret, Percy, and what you can share."

Molly came running back down the stairs, her curlers gone, wearing black pants and a warm blue jumper. She slipped her boots on and grabbed her cloak before she turned to her son. "I'll send word as soon as I know something. Tell the boys he's okay."

Percy nodded and kissed her cheek. "If you need me… "

She patted his cheek gently. "Thank you, dear. I'll send word as soon as I know something."

She followed Sirius out into the yard before he took her arm, and together they Disapparated to London. Molly immediately headed to the front desk to demand news of her husband. Sirius sat outside of Arthur's room, his head in his hands. He didn't want to get in the way, but he couldn't leave either. Not until he heard news. He knew how deadly snake venom could be, and the amount of blood loss on top of it… he knew that Arthur was fighting for his life in there.

He sent a quick Patronus to Zee to tell her what was going on, and to let Ginny know about her father. Then he sat, his head in his hands - and he waited.

~ ASC ~

 **The Patronus woke her.** Zee turned towards the projection of Sirius' dog, her eyes widening as she heard the message. She jumped out of bed and hurried down the hall to the guest room. She knocked softly on the door before pushing it open just a little. Ginny was sleeping soundly in the bed.

Zee walked over quietly and gently shook Ginny's shoulder. "Ginny, Ginny, sweetie, wake up."

Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she turned, blinking at Zee. "Zee? What's wrong?"

Zee bit her lip. "Sirius just sent a Patronus. Your father was attacked tonight. Your mum is with him at St Mungo's right now. That's all I know."

Ginny's eyes widened as she jumped out of bed. "I need to go to him!"

Zee nodded. "Get dressed and wake Harry. I'm going to go do the same. The three of us will head straight to the hospital."

Ginny gave her a grateful look as she watched Zee hurry from the room. She quickly tossed on warm tights and a large jumper before pulling warm socks up. Then she grabbed her wand and ran to Harry's room. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. Harry was sleeping in nothing but black pyjama pants with gold snitches on them. He had kicked the blankets off and was sleeping on his stomach. The light of the moon reflected on the toned muscles in his back, and she smiled in appreciation. As she got closer she noticed he had some light scarring, barely visible, in soft lines across his back. She wondered if it was from the Horntail, and she ached for him.

She touched his back softly, the feel of his warm skin making her feel warm. "Harry."

He moaned softly, burying his face further into the pillow.

"Harry! Harry!"

His eyes fluttered open slowly.

"Ginny?" he asked, blinking in confusion before his brow furrowed. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"

Ginny fell into his lap, burying her face in his warm chest. "Dad's been attacked."

" _What?_ " he said in alarm, his arms coming around her. He kissed her hair as he held her. "What happened?"

Ginny quickly told him what Zee had said. "Zee's going to take us to the hospital. Mum is with him and Sirius. He must have been on duty with Sirius."

Harry nodded, standing up with Ginny still in his arms. He kissed her hair again, sitting her down on his bed. "Okay, let me get dressed and we'll go."

Ginny's bottom lip trembled as she stood up again. "I'll be…"

Harry took her hand and tugged her towards him, kissing her forehead. "Right here. I'm not letting you out of my sight." He grabbed a jumper from the chair and pulled it over his head before he kicked off his pyjama pants and tugged on blue jeans, oblivious to the way that Ginny's eyes raked over him as he changed. He put his glasses on, sitting on his bed to toss on socks before he picked up his wand and stood up, holding his hand out to her, and she gratefully accepted it.

They made their way downstairs, hand in hand.

Zee met them a moment later with a change of clothes for Sirius. "You two ready?"

At their nod, the three of them stepped into the Floo. They arrived at St Mungo's seconds later. It didn't take them long to find Sirius.

Zee passed him the change of clothes and kissed him softly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. This isn't my blood."

Ginny paled as she took in the amount of blood that covered Sirius' shirt and arms. Harry wrapped his arms around her from behind, his chin resting on the top of her head. She swallowed before she spoke. "Is Dad… ?"

"He's okay, Ginny," Sirius told her. "The healers are working on him."

"What happened?"

"I can't say right now," Sirius whispered. "I'll explain everything later when we're home."

He tugged the blood covered shirt over his head in lieu of the clean one, and smiled gratefully at Zee as she used a charm to wash his arms and hands. Sirius nodded towards the door.

"Your mum is in there with him now."

Ginny's hands trembled before she pulled away and let herself into the room.

"Ginny! What are you doing here?" Molly's voice rang out before the door closed behind her.

Harry turned to his godfather. "What aren't you saying? How bad is it?"

Sirius gestured for Harry to sit next to him; when he was situated he put an arm over his son's shoulders to whisper in his ear. "The snake was there. She bit him. I don't know how bad it is, but they are working on getting the venom out."

Harry's eyes widened. "Nagini was there?"

Sirius nodded. "It doesn't make sense to me either."

"Just the snake?"

He shook his head, muttering 'muffliato' before he continued. "A woman… a follower, I assume. She seemed to be able to communicate with the snake in some way, though she wasn't speaking Parseltongue."

Harry frowned. That in itself was a bit frightening as well. "What does that mean?"

"We don't know," he whispered.

Zee took Sirius' hand in hers as she sat on his other side. "What about the boys?"

"Percy was filling them in," Sirius told her. "He's going to keep an eye on things."

Zee frowned at that, but nodded.

Harry stared at the closed door through which Ginny had disappeared. "They can fix snake venom, right? I mean, they have a potion for that?"

Sirius nodded. "Usually, yes. His arm was torn up pretty bad as well, but there must be something else going on. All we can do right now is wait."

Harry wasn't sure he liked that answer.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny ignored her mother's surprised response and immediately moved to her father.** He was sitting up in bed, his arm in a sling. He looked pale, but alive. She sat on the side of his bed and flung her arms around his uninjured side, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Arthur's good arm came around her, kissing her cheek. "I'm all right, princess. Not even a big ol' snake can knock me down."

Ginny chuckled against his shoulder, kissing his cheek tenderly. "Dad, what happened? You're not allowed to scare us like this!"

Molly's eyes softened as she moved to sit on her husband's other side. "Ginny, you know that your father and I are part of the Order, and there are some things that you are not privy to."

Ginny's eyes darkened. "When Dad is attacked by a giant snake, I don't accept that!"

Molly sighed. "Ginny, I know that you want to know more but — "

"Mum, I'm not a child! None of us are! You can't keep us away from this, not after Dad's been hurt!" she declared, glaring at her mother, "And you know that Harry will find out - and he'll tell me anyway!"

Arthur sighed, snuggling his daughter into his side. "Don't begrudge us wanting to keep you safe, baby girl. We know how capable you are. We know who you are and what you can do, but we're your parents, and we love you, and we just want to keep you safe in any way that we can."

Ginny sighed, but nodded grudgingly. "I still deserve to know."

Arthur's eyes found his wife's for a moment before he shrugged.

"Arthur…"

"No, she's right. Harry will only tell her."

Molly let out a frustrated sigh, but didn't argue.

Arthur turned to Ginny. "I was on a mission and I was attacked by a snake. The venom is acting strangely in my blood. The antidote worked great, but for some reason, the gash that the tooth left in my arm won't heal. There's something about it that the healers can't quite pinpoint, so until they do, they are keeping me on Blood-Replenishing Potions to keep me strong. I'm going to be okay, I promise."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest and then promptly shut it, letting her father cuddle her close. She turned her head to kiss his cheek again. "Thank Merlin that Sirius was there!"

Arthur held her close as his eyes met his wife's. "Sirius saved my life. If he hadn't gotten me here as soon as he did, the venom would have reached my heart."

Molly's eyes filled with tears before she furiously blinked them back. "Do you know who it was, Arthur? Was it anyone that you recognized?"

He shook his head. "No. It was a beautiful woman and a snake. She attempted to Imperius Sirius, and when that failed she tried to seduce him in an effort to get past. I thought that it was working for a moment, but he lured her in to knock her back into the wall with a knockback jinx. I remember him kneeling in front of me, so the woman and the snake must have left. Then I woke up here. I was blacking in and out."

Ginny looked back and forth between her parents. "The snake _just_ attacked you?"

"It was dark and we couldn't see much. We can't keep a light on or it would alert to the fact that someone was there. We heard a sound and suddenly I just saw these massive jaws…" he shuddered. "I'm not too fond of snakes anymore myself, love."

Ginny nodded, her eyes on her father. "How bad did it bite you, Daddy?"

Arthur's eyes softened at her words. His kids had stopped calling him Daddy years ago, and he was surprised at how much he missed it. "Just in the arm, princess, nothing to worry about. They gave me something for the pain, so I don't even feel a thing. I promise, I'll be as good as new in no time."

Molly smiled and reached out to grip her husband's good hand, placing her other hand on her daughter's knee. "As you can see, your father has a very large gash from elbow to wrist, and it's quite deep."

"Mollywobbles, I'll be fine," he insisted.

Ginny smiled at her parents, linking her fingers with her mum's. "Why are they having trouble healing it? If the antidote worked, shouldn't the poison be out of your system?"

Molly nodded. "Yes, but there's something different about the gash. The healers said that it's not simply python venom. They don't know what it means yet, but they seem confident that they can find the issue and adjust a new antidote as needed. He keeps bleeding and the healers aren't sure why, as the poison has left his system. In the meantime, your father will stay here, and stay on Blood-Replenishing Potions. We're hopeful he'll be home for Christmas Eve later tonight."

Ginny let out a slow breath. She could see the worry in her mother's eyes, but she also sensed relief there. Her father was going to be all right, and that's what mattered. She kissed her dad's cheek again, making him smile at her. "Want me to bring you something, Dad? A book or some of those Muggle magazines you like?"

Arthur tucked her hair behind her ear. "That would be nice, Ginny, thank you."

Molly smiled and stood up. "I need to tell Sirius that you'll be sound and get word to the boys. Arthur, I'm staying with you for the rest of the night and day —"

" — Molly, I'm fine. It's late, go home. Get some rest."

Molly only gave him a defiant look. "Ginny, you can head back with Sirius and let the boys know how your father is doing. I'll be home around lunch time. I want to stay and speak to the healers again in the morning before I go home."

"I can stay - we can help keep Dad company."

"That's sweet of you, dear, but I'd prefer you go home and fill the boys in. Let me fuss over your father."

Ginny smiled at her and nodded, kissing her dad's cheek again, before she stood. "I'll make sure that you get some magazines, Dad, and other things to keep you occupied."

Molly nodded, standing as well, and tugging her daughter into her arms. Ginny hugged her tightly. She was the same height as her mum, and she ran her hands up and down her mum's back in comfort until her mum finally let go. Molly kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad you came, darling."

Ginny smiled and hugged her mum again. "Are you sure that you don't want me to stay?"

Molly shook her head. "I need to fuss - you know that. Go, fill in your brothers. Everything will be all right."

She nodded and turned to hug her dad once more before they moved to the door. She knew that he would be fine, but she felt so much better after seeing it with her own eyes.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry jumped to his feet when the door to Mr Weasley's room finally opened.** Mrs Weasley stepped out, tears in her eyes, but her shoulders straight. She nodded at Sirius.

"He's stable. There's something in the venom that they are unsure about, so they have to figure out the right dosage, but he's on Blood-Replenishing Potions hourly - and pain potions until they do. They are keeping him here until they can determine the right potion to stop the venom from spreading further."

Sirius stood up. "Molly, I… "

She held her hand up to silence him. "You saved his life, Sirius. The healers told me that if you had been five minutes later, the venom would have reached his heart. You saved his life. Thank you."

He nodded. "I'm glad to hear that he'll be all right."

Mrs Weasley wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm going to stay the rest of the night with him. Will you take Ginny back?"

Zee nodded as Ginny stepped around her mum and back out into the hall. "We'll get your boys and bring them back with us - make sure that they are fed, and up to date."

Mrs Weasley nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Zee moved to hug the woman, and she clung to her for a moment, nodding in thanks. Harry opened his arms for Ginny, and she gratefully moved into them, allowing him to engulf her in his warm embrace. He felt her relax against him and knew that seeing her parents helped a lot. He kissed her hair, holding her close.

They said goodbye to Mrs Weasley, and Sirius led them to the fireplace to head out. Since Number Twelve was closer, they took the Floo there. Sirius dusted them off when they arrived.

"Harry, you take Ginny back to the cottage. Zee, can you go to Bill's flat and let him know what has happened? I'll head to the Burrow and get the boys. I think it's best if we all stay together."

Harry nodded, his eyes on Ginny. "Is that okay with you?"

She smiled. "Yes, thank you, Sirius." She moved away from Harry and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Sirius glanced at her in surprise, hugging her back. "Hey, of course! I'm just glad that I was there."

Ginny smiled at him as she pulled away. "Thank you."

Sirius nodded at them and he and Zee each hurried out the door of Number Twelve. Harry turned to Ginny, a soft smile on his lips.

"You ready to head back?"

Ginny bit her lip as Dobby came out of the kitchen. He greeted them both with enthusiasm and eagerly took them back to Black Cottage. Upon their arrival, Dobby volunteered to deal with Sirius' bloody shirt. He and Kreacher immediately began to cook a breakfast feast in the kitchen to accommodate the large group that would be joining them soon. Harry pulled Ginny into the sunroom and into one of the large armchairs. She snuggled herself into his lap, sighing when his arms came around her.

"What did your dad say?"

Ginny sighed, her cheek resting against his chest. She looked out into the early morning darkness of the back garden as she spoke. "It was a snake and a beautiful woman. He said that it was dark, and the attack seemed to come out of nowhere. They wanted to get past them and into the Department of Mysteries. Sirius held them back."

"Did he know who the woman was?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, but from what he said about her, her striking beauty - and how she didn't really use her wand, but tried to seduce Sirius into getting past them? I mean, I've never met her… but she sounds like the way Theo described Blaise's mum. And we know that she works for Tom, right?"

Harry's arms tightened around her. "Yeah, we do. I haven't heard anything else about her though. I think that there was a rumour that she was in England, but none of the suspected or known Death Eaters have been caught. The Death Eaters have been very cautious and overly careful about keeping away from any Ministry officials who can bring them in. If it _was_ Mrs Zabini, she knows how to hide her tracks well."

Ginny was quiet for a long moment, her cheek against his heart as she listened to his steady heartbeat. "The snake… it had to be Tom's snake, right?"

"I would think so," he admitted. "But… I know that she's a Horcrux, Ginny. I could feel it. Why would he let her out of his sight like that? And in the care of Mrs Zabini? It seems suspicious."

"For the snake to have listened to her, as well. She doesn't speak Parseltongue or if she does, Dad never heard it, yet she communicated with Nagini. Unless…" Her eyes widened as she sat up, her gaze meeting his. "He used to possess snakes before… what if he was possessing her?"

"The snake?"

She nodded. "Think about it. He has a connection with her, Harry. But he can't exactly walk through the front doors of the Ministry of Magic without causing a ruckus. If he needed to see something, to do something that was secretive - he could possess the snake that already holds a piece of his soul, and go with a trusted follower to do his bidding. It would explain how Zabini could communicate with the snake. It could explain why the snake was there in the first place."

Harry stared at her as things began to click into place. If Voldemort possessed the snake temporarily, he could connect with it. It had been him in the Department of Mysteries. Harry agreed with his girlfriend; the woman sounded like she could be Mrs Zabini, too. He swallowed slowly.

"She would get them into the Hall of Prophecy without Voldemort ever having to formally step into the building. The snake works as a disguise for him."

Ginny nodded. "And it allows him to still protect her."

"That's a scary thought, but it makes sense," he told her.

They both looked up as Ron, Fred, and George came into the sunroom.

"Ginny, Sirius said that you saw Dad?" Fred demanded, his eyes dark with concern.

Ginny jumped to her feet to hug her brothers. "Dad says that he's going to be okay."

Fred nodded, but hugged his sister tightly a little longer. "What happened? Sirius said that he was doing something for the Order and was bit by a snake? How?"

Ron's head jerked at the word snake and he moved over to stand next to Harry. "Snake?"

Harry nodded and shifted closer to his friend. "Exactly what you're thinking. It was his."

Ron paled slightly and sat down on the arm of the chair. "How?"

George was staring at the two of them. "This is bollocks! Fred and I are of age! We deserve to know what's happening."

Sirius stepped into the sunroom with Percy. "All I can tell you is that we were doing something for the Order, and we were attacked. A snake bit your father, and as soon as I was able, I took him to the hospital, and reinforcements took our spot. Until you join the Order, anything we do is secret."

"We want to join the Order," Fred said angrily. "We're old enough!"

"Not until you finish school," Percy reminded him sharply. "Between Bill, Charlie, and I all being involved, Mum has enough to worry about as it is. In June, you can join - and Mum and Dad can't stop you. Until then, sit down and shut it!"

Fred opened his mouth in surprise before he closed it again.

George stared at Percy for a long moment, his shoulders tense, before he turned back to Ginny. "Don't they have antidote?"

"They gave it to him already. The venom is doing something to the wound on his arm and they can't seem to stop the bleeding, or to heal the gash. Dad said that the poison is gone from his body, but it's something to do with the gash in his arm and the tooth that was stuck in there. He swears that he's going to be fine, though."

Harry looked around at the Weasley boys, understanding how they felt. Even hearing that Mr Weasley was going to be okay was still a bit scary. He had experienced the same with Zee, but he knew that they felt better after learning that Ginny had seen their father.

Just as the sun came up, Dobby and Kreacher stepped into the sunroom then, telling everyone that breakfast was ready. Dobby set up the food buffet style and everyone took a plate. They scattered between the living room and the sunroom, since their kitchen table wasn't big enough for everyone. Remus and Tonks came over just before eleven, and finally, at a quarter to twelve, Mrs Weasley came through the front door with her husband.

The Weasley children immediately engulfed him in a worried embrace; Harry sat next to Tonks as they spoke to him.

"I figured that you and Uncle Moony would be here earlier this morning?" Harry hinted to Tonks.

Tonks scratched her ear. "Oh? Well, we had a bit of work to do decorating for Christmas."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "The morning of Christmas Eve? You said that you decorated the first week of December. You even sent me photos at school of the living room all lit up."

Tonks blushed. "Well, it needed extra work this morning and some of the ornaments had fallen off, two of them broke actually and... never you mind."

Harry decided that he didn't want to know, and instead turned to where Remus, Sirius, and Zee were all talking about Umbitch. He listened with half an ear as Sirius explained how they had everything recorded for Richardson, but that it was going to be a long discussion between the board and the Department of Education.

Mr and Mrs Weasley approached Sirius with a grateful smile. "Thank you for bringing my family here. It means a lot."

"No problem, Molly. Did they find the bleeding problem, then?"

Mr Weasley shook his head. "Not exactly. But they've agreed to let me out for an hour or two since it's the holiday. We've tried something else in the meantime."

"Tried what, Arthur?" Mrs Weasley asked curiously.

Mr Weasley shrugged. "Oh, nothing to worry about, Molly, dear."

Mrs Weasley looked as if she was even more worried now than she'd been before; Harry privately though it might be a wise decision to worry, considering Mr Weasley was beaming despite being in pain.

"Arthur, what did you try?"

Mr Weasley looked in the opposite direction, trying to look less guilty. "Erm, well you see, dear, in the Muggle world, they have these marvellous things called 'stitches.'"

Mrs Weasley's eyebrow rose. "Stitches?"

He nodded. "Now look, it sounds dangerous, I know, but… "

"It sounds like someone tried to sew your skin together. Please tell me that's not true."

Mr Weasley cleared his throat. "Molly, there's this young healer there, who I got to talking to when you went to the cafeteria, and he's Muggleborn. He says this is how the Muggles heal things all the time."

"Arthur, are you telling me that you let that healer _stitch_ up your arm?"

Mr Weasley blushed. "We thought that it might help close the wound and stop the bleeding, but mostly it's making me really itchy."

Zee grinned, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "I got stitches once. They do itch quite a bit."

"When did you get stitches?" Sirius asked her.

"When I was eight. I climbed up onto the roof of the barn to try to bring down this cat, and I fell off. I was lucky and only broke my arm, but I did slice my leg open pretty good. Grandpa flipped out and took me to the hospital as Grandma was away at the time. The doctor stitched me up, put my arm in a sling, and assured him that I would be good as new. Well, Grandma came home a few hours later and fixed me right up in no time, lecturing my grandfather on Muggle medicine," she explained with a chuckle.

Zee stood up and moved over to Mr Weasley. "May I see you arm, Arthur?"

Mr Weasley hesitated, sneaking a look over at his wife, before he nodded.

Zee carefully unhooked the sling and bandages, shaking her head as she eyed the oozing stitches that seemed to melt into his arm. "Stitches are definitely not the right plan here." She vanished them, re-bandaging up his arm with a smile. "Let's wait until they find out what the cause is, shall we?"

Mr Weasley nodded gratefully as Mrs Weasley glared at her husband.

"Arthur, no more Muggle remedies! Promise me!"

Mr Weasley looked sheepish, but he nodded. "Yes, dear."

Sirius picked up his tea cup and leaned down to whisper in Harry's ear. "I think that I can finish up the bike today. I just need a few more hours."

"No one will even notice you missing! Go!" Harry whispered back.

Sirius grinned and slipped out of the living room.

Within half an hour, the Weasleys had hurried off and Harry had kissed Ginny goodbye. He felt sad that he wouldn't see her until the new year, but he knew that they both needed to spend the holidays with their families. He wished everyone a happy Christmas and soon he was alone in the living room with Remus, Tonks, and Zee.

"Where did Sirius go?" Tonks asked.

Harry took a seat in the armchair that Percy had vacated. "He's finishing up his last minute Christmas stuff. He'll be back."

Remus grinned. "Last minute indeed. Does he need any help?"

"If it was from you, I'm sure he wouldn't mind it."

Remus nodded and headed out to the work shed as Zee looked at Harry.

"What are you boys plotting out there?"

"Nothing," Harry lied. "Uncle Sirius is just really behind on his Christmas wrapping. He asked me to give him a few hours to stall."

Zee still looked suspicious, but nodded.

Harry stood up as well. "I'm going to go help him too. You two will stay in here?"

Tonks smiled. "We'll be here and yes, we promise not to snoop. Spoilsport."

He grinned at her before he hurried outside to help his fathers. The back door slammed behind him as Zee turned to Tonks.

"Sometimes, I can never figure those two out. What do you suppose they're doing out there?"

"Wrapping gifts?" Tonks supplied.

Zee blew her hair out of her eyes. "I suppose. Anyway, you and Remus were late this morning, everything okay?"

Tonks grinned widely, biting her bottom lip. "More than okay. He _really_ liked my new outfit."

"I bet he did," Zee said smugly. "I knew he'd lose his mind when he saw you in that."

"I set myself up under the tree too, and, well, we broke an ornament or two and knocked tons to the ground during our… movements. But this year, at least I remembered to charm the tree to stay in place."

Zee laughed. "You charmed the tree?"

"With a sticking charm," Tonks told her. "Last year we got a little too enthusiastic; when he had me against the wall, we knocked the whole tree over the sofa. There were ornaments everywhere. It was quite the shock - once we noticed it, of course."

Zee grinned. "Once you noticed it? My, oh my, you two do live exciting lives."

"He spanked me and I liked it," she admitted with a blush. Zee wiggled her eyebrows at her and Tonks cleared her throat. "And you? Are you and Sirius back on the horse, so to speak?"

"Yes," Zee said smugly. "But I'm saving that new lingerie I bought until the new year. I figured that I could save it for Little Christmas and give him an extra surprise."

Tonks chuckled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Zee stretched her legs out, resting her feet on the coffee table. "What do you think about Arthur's arm?"

"They'll get it fixed up in no time. They wouldn't have let him come home otherwise."

"I agree, but the sooner the better, I say. Especially with it being Christmas tomorrow, I'd like them to have a good holiday."

"Me too."

"Speaking of, I'd better get started on our dinner. Want to come watch and drink wine?"

Tonks stretched her arms up over her head, stretching so big that her jumper rose up to show off her dangling wolf belly button ring. "You had me at wine."

Zee laughed and the two of them headed into the kitchen.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry and Remus helped Sirius with the fluids on the bike.** The three of them were all in the hot work shed. When Sirius finally added in the new seat and then painted the bike the same deep red as it was before, outlined in chrome, Harry had to admit that it looked amazing.

Remus wiped engine grease off his chin. "I think I even have grease in my hair."

Harry laughed. "The bike looks incredible though. I think you did a great job, Uncle Padfoot!"

Sirius nodded, critically examining the bike from all angles. "I think with those potions knocking Zee out so much I got to spend a lot more time out here than I thought. It looks good."

Harry glanced up at the clock. "We've been out here nearly four hours."

Remus was still examining the engine grease on his chest. "How did I get so covered?"

Sirius chuckled. "The mechanic always wonders that." He wiped his brow with a grease rag and smiled. "I think that we all need showers."

"What are you going to do with the bike?" Harry asked him.

"I'll save it out here for tomorrow. Maybe I'll put a bow on it."

Harry agreed that was a good idea, and he couldn't wait to see Zee's face when he gave it to her. To be honest, he couldn't wait to see Sirius' reaction to his new bike, either. There were going to be some fun surprises tomorrow.

Remus snuck out of the work shed to get home and take a quick shower as Harry helped Sirius put all of the tools away. Then the two of them went into the house to shower, themselves.

Harry came downstairs just as Remus stepped through the front door, his hair still a little wet under his toque, but much cleaner. The five of them ate in the kitchen, talking about the holiday and the upcoming trip to Moscow. Tomorrow, they would be going to the Tonks' house in the afternoon and Harry was looking forward to that.

Dobby and Kreacher cleaned up the kitchen and the five of them settled by the fire to drink hot chocolate as Remus pulled out _A Christmas Carol_. They took turns reading aloud, chapter by chapter, before Remus and Tonks went home. Harry said goodnight, heading up to bed just before midnight.

Despite the rough start to the day, it had turned out to be a fun filled Christmas Eve and he was looking forward to the rest of his holiday.

~ ASC ~

 **Draco paced nervously in front of the fireplace in his father's study.** It was almost midnight, and he was late. His mother had long since gone to bed, but he couldn't settle himself. He'd spent the morning at Norfolk Manor with Theo. Theo'd told him the good news about his estate and about how Ciara's uncle had written him a reference letter, along with Black, Dumbledore, and two of the Weasleys. He was pleased for his friend and had told him as such. He'd brought up Ernie again, but Theo had shut him down.

Draco couldn't understand why Theo wouldn't talk about it. Theo always shared his sexual exploits. He'd learned more about what Theo and Connor had gotten up to in Anguilla than he'd wanted to know. He had promised Theo not to tell Blaise about what Potter had seen, but he didn't like keeping it a secret. He didn't like not being able to stop it.

He knew that some people liked a little violence with their sex lives. He couldn't spend time at the brothels without understanding that, but he couldn't see Theo as being one of them. He knew that there were supposed to be safeguards with those kinds of things too so that they didn't get out of hand; partners weren't supposed to end up in the hospital wing. But Theo still claimed that he had fallen down the stairs, that Ernie had nothing to do with _that_.

Draco didn't believe him, and that bothered him as well. He and Theo had never lied to each other.

He looked at the clock, cursing under his breath. It was five to twelve, where the hell was he?

The fireplace lit up at that moment and Draco turned in time to see his father step out of the green flames. Lucius dusted himself off just as Draco threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly, and surprising them both. Lucius wrapped his arms around his son, holding him a moment before he pulled back to look him over.

"Your mother?"

"She went to bed. She was tired. You were supposed to be here at six!"

Lucius nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. The Dark Lord wanted us to celebrate the festivities and I couldn't get away. Are you all right?"

Draco shrugged, moving away from him to lean against the desk. "What's happening with the Dark Lord?"

Lucius stared at his son for a long moment. "Father wants us to have a big new year's party, and the Dark Lord will be our guest of honour. He's set to arrive just before ten. We need to all be ready for him. You need to be ready to meet him."

Draco swallowed slowly. "Is he going to ask me to join?"

"No," Lucius said sharply. "You're too young. He just wants to meet you."

"Signora Zabini wants Blaise to join."

"Zabini is a dangerous woman and she always has been. I don't really know how loyal she is to the Dark Lord."

Draco's eyebrow rose. "She seemed pretty loyal to me when she came to see Blaise and insisted he show the Dark Lord respect."

Lucius nodded. "Like I said, she's a dangerous woman. She knows what she wants, and she respects and honours the Dark Lord to a great extent, but she has her own way of doing things. Where's Theo?"

"At Norfolk."

"Why isn't he here?"

Draco shrugged. "He didn't want to be. He doesn't want to meet the Dark Lord a second time, and he has a lot going on. He's legally challenging Uncle Thad for the title of Norfolk."

"Your mother mentioned that. By some miracle, Thaddeus thinks it's a brilliant move. He believes that it will allow him the freedom he needs to move around more, but I don't think he truly sees his son the way we do. Theodore plans to cut him out, does he not?"

"I think so," Draco admitted. "He hasn't said the words aloud, but I think that's his plan."

"Good for him," Lucius said, taking a seat in the chair behind his desk. "Thankfully, Thad still isn't up for travel anyway. He was part of the group who attacked Zacarias. The Dark Lord detained and punished them for weeks."

"Punished?"

"Tortured," Lucius said, his eyes on his son. "You don't fail him and get away with it."

Draco nodded, swallowing slowly. "Have you been seeing Mother?"

"Not enough," he admitted. "Father doesn't let me come home as much as I'd like, and I don't want your mother to get in trouble either. The last time I was here there was a random spot check by the Aurors, and I only just escaped in time. We both have to be cautious."

"But you'll stay, for Christmas morning?"

Lucius smiled. "I will. And you? Things are going well in school?"

"As well as they can be," he told him. "I'm worried about Theo, but he insists he's fine. I broke up with Ophelia."

"I suspected you would. Why are you worried about Theo?"

"He says that he needs help with Norfolk and with the estate and that he has no one to talk to. You're not around, and I think I forgot how much he depends on you, too."

Lucius frowned. "I didn't mean to abandon you boys, you know that."

"We know, Father."

Lucius stood up, putting his hand on his son's shoulder and squeezing lightly. "Tell Theo if he sends a letter with one of his elves, I will help him with whatever he needs in regards to the estate - including how to remove Thad entirely, if he so wishes. In the meantime, it's late. Get up to bed, and I'm going to do the same. We'll talk more in the morning about what to expect when the Dark Lord visits at the end of the week."

Draco nodded and let his father lead him from the room, but for the first time in longer than he could remember, the sight of his father did nothing to reassure him.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny was sitting in the living room by the fire, a warm mug of hot chocolate in her hand when she felt the cushion move next to her.** She smiled at Bill as he put his feet up on the coffee table.

"It's late, Firecracker; what are you still doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "You should be exhausted. Mum said that you showed up to the hospital at two thirty this morning to see Dad. It's almost midnight."

She nodded, sipping her hot chocolate. "I know. I'm just thinking about Dad and what could have happened and what did happen. Sometimes I forget that there is a war brewing, and I guess this just made it hit closer to home."

Bill wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, it did." He kissed the top of her head. "But Dad's going to be just fine. Mum took him back to the hospital this evening when they sent word, and his arm is all healed. Tomorrow is Christmas and we're going to enjoy it as a family. Charlie is even supposed to arrive in the morning, remember?"

"I know," she said with a smile. "I'm glad that you decided to spend the night."

"I think Mum and Dad could use the extra set of eyes tonight," he admitted. "They both need rest and Mum feels better knowing her children are all under one roof."

Ginny knew that was true. "Can we add one more to the list under our roof?"

Bill looked at her quizzically. "Who?"

"Theo's spending Christmas alone."

"Why? I thought that he usually spent his holidays with the Malfoys."

"Normally, but this year he said that he's not going. Just the thought of him all alone in his home breaks my heart, Bill. No one should wake up alone on Christmas morning."

Bill smiled at her. "Get dressed and get your cloak."

Her eyes widened. "But it's after midnight."

"Do I have to say it again?"

Ginny hurried upstairs to do just that. She met her brother outside five minutes later. "I don't know where his home is."

Bill smiled. "I do. Norfolk Manor is pretty famous, Ginny. Hold on."

She gripped his arm tightly as he Apparated them away. Moments later, they appeared in the village of East Barsham in the county of Norfolk. She held her brother's arm as they headed up the path of the massive estate. The fancy brickwork of the ten chimney two-storey estate rose up above the trees and she stared at it in awe. It was massive, she thought; practically a mini castle.

They stopped at the front gates and Bill tapped his wand on the front. It was only a few moments before a tiny house elf came out dressed in a tiny maid uniform.

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Bill and Ginny Weasley. We're here to see Theo."

The elf nodded and ordered them to wait there.

Ginny shivered in the cold. "I can't believe that he lives here!"

"The Notts are one of the richest families in the magical world. Norfolk Manor is often used for Ministry balls due to the sheer size of it. They even hosted Muggle royalty here back in the day."

Ginny's eyes widened as the massive iron gates opened. The elf led them along the path through the large gatehouse (a home in itself) before up the drive to the large front doors.

"This way, Miss, Sir."

Ginny stared around the enormous entrance hall: the marble and stone, the high ceilings. The walls were covered in paintings and large carpets adorned the stone floor as the elf led them to the right through the hall, through a sitting room, and into the library.

Theo was sitting by the fire in his pyjamas, eyes searching theirs in confusion. "What are you two doing here? Are you all right? Did something happen?"

He greeted Ginny with a warm hug and she hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek.

"Nice place to lay your head, Theo," Bill said, looking around at the tall shelves full of books.

Theo grinned. "The house needs some repair, but I'll take care of that. What are you two doing here? It's almost one in the morning. Are you okay?"

Ginny took his hands in hers. "It's Christmas. Come home with us."

Theo smiled at her. "Ginny, I told you - I'm fine. I'm spending Christmas here."

Bill raised an eyebrow as he looked over at the tree in the corner. "And it looks lovely, but we have a full house of people who would like to spend Christmas with you."

"I appreciate that, really —"

" — No!" Ginny said sharply. "I refuse to go home without you! Please, Theo, I don't want you to spend Christmas alone."

"Master Theo," a small voice said from behind them. "We don't want you to stay here alone for Christmas, either."

"Kiki," he said kindly. "I'm fine."

Ginny grinned at him. "Even your elves agree. Come home with us."

Theo smiled at them, relief coursing through him. As much as he had enjoyed his solitude of the last week, he didn't really want to be alone. "Let me just pack a bag."

Ginny beamed, hugging him tightly. "Can I come with you? I'd love a tour of this place."

Theo hooked his arm through hers, smiling at Bill. "Anything for the woman who convinced her brother and mother to write me incredible reference letters."

"Didn't have to convince us," Bill told him. "We were happy to do it. Now lead the way, some of us are excited to see this place."

"And then we're going home to spend Christmas with _our_ family," Ginny said, kissing his cheek.

Theo couldn't help but smile, the idea incredibly appealing. He had a feeling this was going to be one of the best Christmases of his life, and he couldn't wait.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _DISCLAIMER - I do not own the lyrics to "Can't Help Falling in Love With You" by Elvis Presley nor to "Octopus' Garden" by the Beatles._

 _Wolf Characters I have mentioned:_

 _Adrian Roberts (Alpha of Southwestern England)_

 _Echo Simpson (Alpha of Northwestern England)_

 _Daimon (Alpha of Southeastern in England)_

 _Rune (Alpha of Northeastern in England)_

 _Ethan Simpson (son of Echo)_

 _Maia Roberts (wife of Adrian)_

 _Hawk Roberts (son of Adrian & Maia)_

 _Emily Roberts (daughter-in-law of Adrian & Maia)_

 _Nikita Roberts (granddaughter of Adrian & Maia)_

 _Odin Roberts (son of Adrian & Maia)_

 _Rafe Roberts (son of Adrian & Maia)_

 _Clara Roberts (deceased - murdered by Voldemort in first war)_

 _Conan (Alpha of werewolf pack in Norway)_

 _Volk (Alpha of largest werewolf pack in Europe controlling wolves from Berlin, Sweden, Scotland)_

 _Ivory (daughter of Volk)_

 _Cami (daughter of Conan)_

 _Romeo (second-in-command to Echo)_

 _Summer (wolf in Echo's pack)_

 _Hope this helps! Thanks as always and please review :D_

 _PS - photos of Norfolk Manor are now up on my tumblr - breaniebree_


	206. Chapter 206

_Author's Note:_

 _To answer some of those amazing reviews: I know that pythons are constrictor snakes, however, in OOTP, something makes Arthur's wound not heal properly and I was leading off the same idea (not to mention I had Ginny and Harry theorise that because it was Voldemort possessing Nagini, there was some extra magic there including venom through the teeth — Nagini is not your average snake). Thank you, purplevictory: It really does require research on the most random things and I've missed your detailed reviews, so welcome back! To supersandman86: Thank you! It is because of McGonagall that the story has turned in the direction it has. She was the one to save Sirius, who in turn was able to save Harry. It was the beginning of the story for me and how it all just fell into place still boggles my mind._

 _To coloredwords: To be honest I still only have part of Draco's story in my head so I honestly don't know where he will go next. To Wolf's scream: I think Draco is seeing a different side of his father and he hasn't quite figured out how to deal with it, in his mind, he's still thinking only about keeping himself safe and his family, which includes Theo. To speedsONEandONLY: Harry sings, just not well, LOL. I think I mentioned it in a chapter eons ago where Sirius tells him he takes after his mum in the music department, as in he has zero talent. And yes, Draco will find out about Theo staying with the Weasleys for Christmas. To christyannb94: Thank you — I am doing my best to be a minimum of 5 steps ahead, but 12 is even better so I'll take that compiiment! To Pegg7: thank you — I love your reviews and I love you!_

 _I've been having a tough few weeks in terms of stress and being on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. One person at work is giving me a particular hard time and instead of getting writing done on my breaks, I am crying in my car to try to de-stress myself so that I don't snap on this horrible woman who treats everyone around her like shit. Anyway, not important, what's important is YOU — thank you for continuing to read this story every week. It means so much to me and your reviews just make my entire day; give me something to smile about and lately, I have needed that smile. Thank you for being you and for putting up with me._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her awesome editing skills!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND SIX:**

 **When Harry woke up on Christmas morning, he quickly washed up before he headed downstairs.** He couldn't wait to see how his parents were going to react to the two motorbikes that they had inadvertently gotten each other as gifts. He headed into the kitchen to get a glass of juice and he jumped when Dobby appeared with a crack.

"Happy Christmas, Mas-Harry Potter, Sir!"

Harry grinned back at him. "Happy Christmas, Dobby."

Dobby reached behind his back and handed him a badly wrapped package.

"I have something for you as well - one minute!"

Harry retrieved Dobby's gift from under the tree and hurried back into the kitchen to pass it to him. Dobby stared at it in awe.

"Harry Potter got Dobby a gift, Sir?"

"Of course I did!" Harry told him. "Open it!"

Dobby ripped open the package with a big smile on his face. His eyes widened in amazement as he pulled out twelve pairs of new socks. Ginny had helped Harry pick them out in Hogsmeade, and the two of them had made sure that they were the brightest, most obnoxious socks that they could find. Dobby hugged them to his chest.

"Harry Potter is too good to Dobby!"

Harry shrugged. "You deserve them. Happy Christmas."

Dobby hugged him tightly around the middle before he thrust his own package at him. Harry carefully unwrapped it to reveal a pair of bright red socks. They had pictures of broomsticks on the side, and Harry was touched.

"Thanks Dobby!" He tugged them onto his bare feet and Dobby beamed.

"Would Harry Potter Sir like some breakfast?"

"Sure, thanks. Uncle Sirius and Zee are still in bed."

Dobby immediately began to bustle around the kitchen. Harry stretched his arms up over his head, feeling like he had a bundle of energy. After telling Dobby he was heading outside, Harry put on his coat and boots and trudged through the freshly fallen snow to his treehouse. He climbed up the rock climbing wall and down across the net tunnel. Then he hung from the monkey bars before landing in the snow, finding himself energized from the little jolt of exercise. He headed back into the main cabin of the treehouse and did some sit-ups and push-ups. He didn't want to lose his routine just because he was home.

When he was done, he headed back inside just as Dobby served him a plate of steaming scrambled eggs with bacon, potatoes, and toast with jam. He dug in happily and was just finishing when Zee kissed his cheek from behind.

"Happy Christmas, Harry!"

"Happy Christmas," he told her as she took a seat at the table.

She accepted the cup of tea Dobby brought her, but said no to the breakfast as Harry finished up. "Have you been awake long?"

"An hour maybe?"

Zee smiled as Sirius came into the kitchen.

"What? He's awake? And not obnoxiously blaring Christmas carols to get my arse out of bed? Who are you and what have you done with my son?"

Harry shrugged indifferently. "Age has tamed me."

Sirius snorted and wished Dobby a happy Christmas as he accepted the tea. "Where's Kreacher this morning, Dobby?"

"At Number Twelve, Sir."

"Kreacher!"

Kreacher appeared a moment later and wished them a happy Christmas, his eyes focusing on Sirius to receive instructions. Harry and Sirius presented Kreacher with a framed photo of young Sirius and Regulus, and the elf cried buckets in his thanks. Dobby and Kreacher were having their own celebration at Number Twelve, but Sirius informed them they were welcome at Black Cottage. The elves voted to go, wishing them all a happy Christmas once more.

Zee grinned, standing up. "I think that Dobby has had a wonderful influence on him."

"He's still a bit batty," Sirius admitted. "But he's a wonderful elf, though. After he defended me with Winky… he's a changed elf." He clapped his hands together with a grin. "So? Presents?"

The three of them headed into the sunroom and sprawled out on the floor in front of the tree. Harry eagerly reached under the tree for the gifts he had gotten for his parents. He passed Sirius his first, laughing when his father tore into the paper. Inside was a new tool set for his motorbike and new gadgets and tools for him to play around with. Sirius grinned widely.

"Thanks, Harry! This is great."

"It's travel sized too, so you can keep it on the bike with you at all times."

Sirius beamed and hugged him. "It's perfect!"

Harry handed Zee hers next and she smiled warmly. He hadn't known what to get her, so he made her an assorted gift basket with Ginny's help. He'd filled it with two of her favourite wines, one red, one white; assorted bath bombs; some of Mrs Weasley's lotions and shampoos; a few new novels; and a gift certificate for a massage for the Witch Spa in London.

"Harry, this is wonderful!" she said through a tight hug.

"Witch Spa?" Sirius said incredulously. "You think only women can get pampered?"

Harry rolled his eyes dramatically and passed Sirius the envelope under the tree. "I got you a day pass too, Uncle Siri. I wouldn't want you to miss out on putting those cucumber slices on your eyes."

Sirius shot him the two-fingered salute before he hugged him thanks.

He opened his own gifts as Remus and Tonks arrived. He received new clothes: jeans, jumpers, long-sleeved tees, hoodies, button-down tops and a new cloak along with two new pairs of sneakers and a new pair of boots. He unwrapped new underwear and socks with a smile, along with the toiletries he was low on. Remus and Tonks gave him some new Quidditch shirts, showing his support for his teams, along with a new book on defensive spells. Harry unwrapped refills for his broomstick servicing kit and tickets to the Quidditch Cup in May, each of which made him dance in joy. With the way his team was playing this year, he knew that they had a good chance at making it to the finals.

Harry gave Remus a messenger bag. He knew how important Remus' briefcase was to him, but it had been fixed and altered so many times over the years that it was starting to look beyond shabby as it frayed along the edges. This one was Italian brown leather, and engraved along the side in silver lettering it said: Professor RJ Lupin, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Along the strap it read: Best Teacher. Remus smiled widely as he hugged Harry in thanks. For Tonks, Harry gave a new wand holster as hers had broken; he knew that she always needed an extra one for her job. The one he'd found was bright pink with purple polka dots, and she'd laughed at how outrageous it was before immediately putting it on. When he explained the holster had a stealth charm that made it invisible when activated, Tonks stared at in amazement and thanked him earnestly.

Zee finally slipped Sirius the small box under the tree. "I know that we said no gifts this year, but this is for you."

Sirius took it from her, leaning in to kiss her softly. "I kind of got you something as well."

"You first," Zee insisted.

Sirius smiled and untied the ribbon, pulling out the folded parchment. He opened it up and read it aloud. "Your gift can only be received by finding the series of clues I've left. The first clue is: _It's not under the tree, but maybe it's at the top._ "

Sirius grinned and stood up to check the top of the tree, finding another small envelope nestled among the branches with a letter S on the front. He opened it up and read again.

" _The porch of Muggle homes often holds mailboxes. See if there are any surprises on our front porch."_

Sirius stared at her in amusement, but went outside to see what he could find; he found another S envelope stuck to the beam of the porch, and opened it up.

" _The best part about new neighbours is that sometimes they become more than just a neighbour. Check out my old house_."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, but the five of them all put their coats and boots on and headed next door. Another envelope was on the front door, so he tugged it down and opened it up.

" _Go around to the left and see what's on the back door._ "

Everyone followed Sirius around the side of the house and to the next envelope.

" _My shed used to host my bike before you made room in yours. See what it's holding now_."

Sirius moved to the shed and pulled the door open. The moment he did, he realized it was charmed so that the lights came on; his eyes widened. " _Holy shit_! Is that the new BMW K1100RS?"

"If you have to ask - I'm worried about you."

Sirius grabbed Zee and pulled her up against his body, kissing her deeply. "I love you! You're amazing! How did you… why did you… what did — _holy shit!_ "

Harry laughed and led the way inside as Sirius followed him, practically skipping in joy. Sirius examined every inch of it, beaming like a kid on Christmas.

"Look at these angles! It's so sleek and so modern! So different from my other bikes! They say that it can reach up to 220 kilometres an hour in three point eight seconds! Four cylinder, water cooled, cable operated," he lectured as he walked around the bike, examining it. "Fuel injection, manual five-speed with an electric starter. And it seats two!"

Zee was smiling widely. "It's not too much?"

"Of course its _too fucking much_! Merlin woman, you bought me a brand new bloody bike and I fucking love it! If it's possible, I worship you even more!" He tugged her close again and whispered in her ear. "I'm going to show you how much I worship you when we're alone!"

She bit her lip. "I'm glad you like it. It drives like a dream. I had the time of my life test driving it. But I want a ride on the first day."

He kissed her again. "You can have anything you want."

Zee chuckled. "Dangerous words to say to a woman."

Sirius only stared at her. "Not to me. I love you."

Zee kissed him again. Harry, Remus, and Tonks talked about the new bike until Sirius finally agreed that they could leave it safely locked in the shed until the weather was acceptable to take it out for a drive. Then they returned to the house. When they reached it, Sirius grabbed Zee's hand with a smile.

"Speaking of surprise gifts, I have one for you too. In the work shed."

Her eyebrow rose. "I wondered what you were hiding in there."

Sirius led her inside and lifted the concealment charm.

Zee took one look at the shiny 1937 BSA M20 bike and burst into tears. "Oh! Oh, Sirius! It's mine?"

"It's yours. It was pretty destroyed, but I refinished it. I was able to find parts for what was broken. I know how much it means to you."

She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as he bent to lift her, kissing her deeply.

"It's perfect! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Harry laughed as the two of them kissed. "Anyone else find it strange that you both secretly bought each other motorbikes?"

Remus chuckled. "It is a strange coincidence, I'll give you that. But those two are weirdly addicted to Muggle bikes."

"Agreed," Harry said, moving to link his arm through Tonks'. "Hey Tonks, do you think your mum is making any apple tarts tonight?"

Tonks grinned. "She knows you're coming, Harry. Trust me - she made apple tarts."

He beamed at her, and Remus laughed.

Harry thought that overall, it was a pretty perfect Christmas.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny smiled at her mum as Theo helped pull out the turkey.** He'd been eager to help with the meal, wanting to assist in everything possible, and had thanked them ten times over for inviting him. She was glad that Bill had taken her to get him. The thought of Theo spending Christmas alone had bothered her more than she wanted to admit. Her parents hadn't batted an eye to see him at breakfast that morning. Molly had simply kissed his cheek in greeting and asked if he wanted strawberry or raspberry jam with his toast.

At last, they sat down to dinner that evening. Theo was laughing as Charlie told them a story about how this baby dragon - still too young to fly - had escaped the reserve, but gotten trapped in a tent, and set it on fire. Apparently this scared some of the new recruits, who were amazed when Charlie had found the poor baby; Charlie had then scooped him up into his arms like an actual baby to calm him down. The poor thing had been terrified and confused.

After dinner, Ginny, Ron, and Theo played some Exploding Snap, and Mrs Weasley brought out dessert. Mrs Weasley eagerly turned on Celestina Warbeck's Christmas tunes as Ron rolled his eyes.

"Mum's obsessed. We apologize in advance."

Theo chuckled. "I met her once. She's a nice witch."

"You met her?" Ginny asked in amazement. "Where?"

"At some Ministry function, a few years ago. Father sent me in his place. It was rather boring."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Your father sends you to Ministry parties in his place?"

"Since I was ten," Theo told him. "That's why I'm trying to gain my title and inheritance early. I've been doing everything anyway."

"You said that it looks good?"

He nodded, smiling at Ginny. "It looks more than good, it looks fantastic. The reference letters were a big help, and my lawyer says that it's almost a for sure thing. I meet with him again on the fifteenth, and we're going to sit before a praetor who will make the final decision."

Ron moved over to the twins when they called him. Ginny turned to Theo again.

"You deserve it. You said last night that you want to fix up that mansion?"

Theo scratched his chin as he nodded. "Yeah. It needs a lot of work. Father kind of let it go over the years, and it's too museum like in my opinion. I want it to be liveable and comfortable. It's my plan for the summer, if everything works out."

"Your father is all right with you taking over?"

"He seems to be. He thinks that it will work in his favour, but in reality, I plan to cut him out."

Ginny's eyebrow rose. "I'd say that was harsh, but considering who your father is, I think that it's a wise choice."

"I wish Uncle Lucius was around," he admitted. "He's great at that kind of thing - estates and financial advice, and running a large home. Thankfully the house elves will help me out as well, but I could use some advice, that's for sure."

"That's Malfoy?"

Theo nodded. "Yeah, it is. He's oily and sneaky and yet oddly caring and considerate. He's a contradiction but a great father, and he's always been nothing but nice to me. He's been more of a father to me than mine ever was. I spent a lot of time there as a kid, especially after my mum died. Father didn't want me around. I was a nuisance."

Ginny frowned. "I'm sorry, Theo."

He shrugged. "It's all right, I'm making up for it now. This is one of the best Christmases I've ever had. Thank you."

Mrs Weasley had moved over to pass them each a mug of hot chocolate and she beamed at his words. "Theo, you are always welcome here for any holiday or any ordinary day."

"Thank you, Mrs Weasley."

Once her mum moved away, Ginny turned back to her friend. "I know that you asked Snape and McGonagall for letters, so with Bill and Mum, you had four?"

"Eight actually," he said with a smile. "Mrs Weasley and Bill weren't the only surprise letters. Black sent one in along with Dumbledore and I asked Auntie Cissa as well, Draco's mum and well … Finn sent one."

Ginny's eyebrow rose. "Ciara's uncle? The one who you've been writing to?"

Theo nodded. "Yeah. I mean, a reference letter from a fairy prince is a definite bonus."

Ginny grinned at him. "A fairy prince! I bet he's so handsome!"

Theo rolled his eyes. "He's Ciara's uncle, Ginny! He's like thirty or forty years old!"

"Doesn't mean he can't be handsome," Ginny said.

He smiled at her. "Yeah, he's probably gorgeous. Most fairies are, aren't they? He's kind, and I really like writing to him. I feel like he's the kind of person who can give me the advice I need with Uncle Lucius not available and well… it's good to have friends in important places, right?"

"Sometimes, but I think it's more about the quality of the person than what they represent."

Theo looked around at her family and nodded. "I agree with that."

Mrs Weasley walked back over to them, her eyes on Theo. "Theo, dear, I have a gift for you," she said, passing him a large box tied with a green ribbon.

Theo raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Mrs Weasley, you've invited me over for Christmas! That's more than enough."

She waved him off. "It's nothing, and the gift is just a little something. Nothing to worry about."

Ginny grinned at her mother as Theo carefully lifted the lid on the box. He found a dark grey cashmere turtleneck jumper with the Slytherin crest designed in the middle. His eyes widened as he stared at it, looking around at everyone in the living room who were wearing similar sweaters; he was suddenly surprised to find tears at the back of his throat. No one had ever given him anything so thoughtful.

"You - you made me a jumper?"

Mrs Weasley smiled warmly. "Ginny gave me your measurements, so I hope it fits, dear. It's just a little something, like I said, but I wanted you to have it."

Theo dropped the sweater back into the box and launched himself into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank you! This… thank you!"

Mrs Weasley hugged him back, kissing his cheek. "You're very welcome, Theo."

He hugged her a moment longer before he pulled away, his cheeks flushed.

Fred moved to sit next to him with a grin. "Sure, she gives you the fancy Slytherin crest. We just get our initials, like Mum's worried we'll forget our own names. Silly of her. I mean, I obviously know I'm Forge and he's Gred."

Theo smirked at him as George high-fived his brother. Percy muttered something under his breath that made Fred stick his tongue out at him. Theo tugged his own sweater off and pulled the soft jumper over his head, folding the neck down under his chin, the soft warmth of it cradling him like a mother's touch. "It's beautiful. I can't believe your mother made this."

Ginny smiled. "Mum's rather talented with a needle and thread; she can make almost anything." She kissed his cheek. "And the fact that she made you a jumper means that you've been officially welcomed to our family."

He stared at her, his eyes bright in amazement. "Thank you."

Ginny watched him look around at her family with warmth in his eyes. His head rose slightly when Charlie reached down to get something from under the tree. Ginny elbowed him. "Stop checking out my brothers!"

He smirked at her, his eyes dancing. "Charlie has a great butt, almost as good as Bill's. Asking me to not look is like asking you to not snog Harry."

Ginny chuckled. "Fine, but be more subtle."

"Subtle is my middle name."

"No, it's really not," she said on a strangled laugh. "Theo, is that what you and Finn write to each other about? You ask his advice on your titles and finances?"

Theo shook his head. "No, I haven't asked him anything like that. I just meant, I think that he would be a good person to go to about those things since he's a prince. We mostly talk about Ciara, about my classes, about the changes in the Ministry, and I've told him about my friends. He's easy to talk to and… I like having him to correspond with."

"Do you talk to him about Ernie?"

Theo stared blankly at her. "That's private, chick."

Ginny stared back at him. "I thought that we didn't keep secrets from each other."

He sipped the hot chocolate in his hand. "We don't. Ernie and I have an arrangement in secret. I don't go back on my word and I don't break confidences. Potter punching him was wrong."

Ginny nodded, but frowned when she saw his trembling hands as he picked up the hot chocolate. "Okay, I won't bother you about him again. But promise me that if anything changes, you know that I'm always here for you. Always, Theo."

Theo eyes softened and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Same goes, chick. I adore you."

Ginny clinked her mug of hot chocolate with his with a smile. She still thought something strange was happening with Macmillan, but she wanted to trust her friend. That didn't mean she couldn't do her own investigating on the subject, though.

No one messed with those she loved.

~ ASC ~

 **Christmas at the Tonks' was just as delicious as usual.** Sirius still insisted on their annual snowball fight; this year, Ted came out of nowhere and decimated all of them with a stash of snowballs that he'd prepared in advance, making Tonks laugh. Afterwards, they headed inside, cold and wet, to be treated to hot chocolate and dessert. McGonagall had stopped by for late tea in the afternoon before they'd gone to the Tonks' house, and she'd teared up a little at the beautiful blown glass vase that Sirius had bought for her. She'd wished them safe travels and headed back to Hogwarts for the Christmas feast.

By the time they arrived home that night, Harry was yawning from all of the good food he'd consumed. The portkey was leaving the next morning at nine, so Sirius told him to make sure that he was packed before he went to bed. As tired as he was, he was excited for the morning. The opportunity to travel to Moscow, not only to spend time with Zee's family - _his family_ , was exciting.

He packed a bag before he climbed into bed that night. While under his covers, he turned to look at the photo of him kissing Ginny, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Harry woke the next morning to the alarm he'd set and hopped in the shower before packing his last minute toiletries and making his way downstairs. Zee and Sirius had their bags at the door already and were serving up breakfast. They ate, said goodbye to Dobby and Kreacher (who insisted on cleaning up) and headed out with their bags to the Ministry of Magic. They took the international portkey and Harry clenched his teeth at the terrible pull it gave him. Then they arrived in a large atrium in the middle of the Russian Ministry of Magic.

Harry had barely found his balance before he heard Zee cry out, "Papa!"

He watched with a grin as Misha scooped her up into his arms, swinging her around in a circle before he kissed both of her cheeks.

"You all right? All healed up?"

"I'm great, Papa! I missed you."

Misha kissed her again before he let go and moved to pull Harry into his arms. "How's my favourite grandson?"

Harry hugged him back tightly. "I'm great."

Misha hugged Sirius next before he urged them to follow him. "Sorcha is at home preparing for you. She's fretting that you von't be comfortable."

Zee laughed. "Mama doesn't need to worry about that!"

Misha shrugged. "You know your mama."

They stepped outside of the Ministry, and Harry looked behind him in awe. The Russian Ministry of Magic was inside the Russian White House, magically hidden beneath an elegant design. Misha explained how they had one joint unit that allowed for the Aurors to work intelligence with the Russian police - but like in Britain, the Muggles had no idea that the magical world even existed. Misha noted that it was only a short walk for him to get to work every day. Harry looked around the bustling city of Moscow in interest.

Misha and Sorcha lived on the top floor of the Kudrinskaya Square Building, one of the Seven Sisters Towers. They had a large loft apartment where they had resided for many years. The architecture was beautiful, and Harry and Sirius snapped photos of buildings as they walked past. By the time they reached the apartment, Misha was beaming at them.

"Velcome," he said, opening the door to allow them inside.

Harry stepped into a large spacious living room with a Christmas tree in the corner by the balcony. The kitchen was on the left along with a dining room. He had just turned when Sorcha came running out of one of the bedrooms, her arms open wide. Harry hugged her tightly, not even pulling away as she covered his face in kisses.

"Harry! Welcome, darling! Happy Christmas!"

The apartment had two large bedrooms, the master and Zee's old room; a master bathroom and another small bathroom on the opposite end of the apartment along with the kitchen, dining room and a living room. Harry would be sleeping on the pull out sofa in the living room. Misha had erected a magical wall to add a small room to the living room, to give Harry more privacy.

Moscow was two hours ahead of London time, so they sat down for tea and filled Misha and Sorcha in on their holiday activities. Zee told her father how Sirius had restored Misha's father's motorbike, showing him the photos that she had taken. Sorcha asked Harry all about Ginny. He must have been grinning widely the whole time that he spoke about her, because Misha raised his bushy eyebrows with a grin.

"You have a good girl there, da?"

"Da," Harry responded, making everyone laugh.

Once they were settled in and fed and watered, Misha told them that they were going to head to his parents' house in St Petersburg.

"Ve Apparate."

Harry nodded, holding Sirius' arm as he side Apparated them to the address. Harry found himself standing outside of a decent sized home in a nice neighbourhood in St. Petersburg. Zee let herself in through the front door and Harry heard the excited shouts moments before he and Sirius entered, and they soon found themselves full of bodies wrapped in many embraces at once He was hugged and kissed by more people than he could count as he tried to remember all of their names.

Zee hooked her arm through his and brought him around to her family. "Harry, you remember Yuri. He's ten now, but he'll be eleven next month, and old enough to start up at the Koldovstoretz School of Magic."

Yuri beamed at her. "Da, Zee - I can't wait!"

"Yuri is my second cousin, the son of my cousin Mikhail and his wife Ana. Hello, Dinara! You've gotten so big!" Zee exclaimed, hugging the little dark haired girl tight to her. "Dinara, do you remember your cousin, Harry?"

Dinara smiled shyly at him. "Hi, Harry."

Baba and Deda hugged him, kissing his cheeks boisterously as he was led to take a seat in the living room. Papa had two sisters he remembered: Tetya Olga, who was married to Dyadya Dmitri Petrov, and they had two children, Zee's cousin Mikhail who was married to Ana (and they had one son, Yuri Petrov); and Zee's cousin Mila, who was married to Nicholas Sokolov (and they had the two girls, Nastasia Sokolov, who was eight and Dinara Sokolov, who was six). Misha's other sister was Tetya Sasha, who was married to Dyadya Yerik Blok and they had twin girls, Tanya, who was married to Alex Fedorov (with new identical twin girls only eight months old named Eva and Irina Fedorov), and Tatiana, who was engaged to Iosif Kuznetsov (with plans of marrying in the next two years). Ivan and Anya eagerly invited everyone into the house and soon there was much food, drink, and laughter.

Zee told Ivan all about how Sirius had rebuilt his old motorbike from scratch and Ivan beamed at him, looking at the photos in interest. The three of them talked motorbike mechanics for a while as Sirius explained his process in restoring the bike. Harry asked Ivan about how he obtained the motorbike, and he learned that Ivan and his friend Pyotr had been part of the mechanical division of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. It had been their job to get supplies to the army. Harry found it fascinating. He couldn't imagine being at war without magic, and hearing the stories was incredibly interesting.

Baba had made a feast with the help of her daughters and the large dining room table was soon groaning under her plates of food. They had Olivier salad, devilled eggs, pirozhki (meat-stuffed buns), dried mushroom soup, kulebyaka (a salmon pie), and peljmeni (meat dumplings). For dessert, Anya made kutya, a delicious fruit and nut cereal along with priyaniki (gingerbread and spice stuffed cookies with jam), and pampushky, which were doughnuts. Harry was very full afterwards as it had all been so delicious.

After dinner, Deda told stories of Christmas when he was young, how Russia had been different then. Harry listened with half an ear, nodding in and out of his food coma. They exchanged gifts afterwards and Harry was surprised to be given presents.

Baba and Deda gave him a Muggle tourist book on Moscow which he flipped through in interest, and Baba had knitted him a jumper in dark green with a Firebolt on the front. It almost rivalled the annual Weasley jumper he always received (this year's had been Gryffindor red with a lion on the front). Tetya Olga and Dyadya Dmitri gave him a Russian dictionary and a box of sweets. Tetya Sasha and Dyadya Yerik gave him a book on Russian Quidditch teams and a Russian spellbook. Misha and Sorcha gave him a new cloak in black in with silver fastenings, along with a special international portkey called a Familia Portkey, which gave him immediate access to their apartment for any reason at any time and he hugged them tightly in thanks.

Yuri convinced Harry to play rummy with him after the gifts were exchanged, and it was only when Nastasia and Dinara fell asleep on the living room floor that they decided it was time to leave. Zee promised that they would be back to visit before they went back to England; they hugged and kissed everyone again, and Misha Apparated Harry back to their apartment.

Harry woke up the next morning looking out at the Moscow sunrise coming up over the cityscape. He thought that it was beautiful. He found Sorcha in the kitchen cooking and he greeted her with a smile. She bent to kiss his cheek when he sat on the high bar stool by the island.

"How did you sleep, mo ghràidh?"

"Good," he told her. "What are you making?"

"Porridge with fruit. You will eat it and you will love it."

Harry grinned, helping himself to some juice from the ice box. "This place is great."

"We love it. We don't need anything grand. When we return to Scotland we always stay with my parents or with Zee, and here we are close to Misha's work. He has a short walk every day, and he likes it. I work from home mostly, or sometimes I will wander off to a café or restaurant to be inspired."

"What paper do you write for, Grandmama?"

Sorcha smiled at him. "I'm a freelance journalist so I write for whatever paper catches my fancy. I submit my articles around and those who are interested pay for them. It keeps me busy and allows me to not only write about whatever topic I desire, but to write whenever I want to write."

Harry nodded, drinking his juice. There was something that he had been wondering about, but he hadn't wanted to bring it up yesterday among all of the holiday festivities. He stared into his glass for a moment before he spoke. "Grandmama? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, mo ghràidh," she said with a smile.

Harry swallowed, his eyes on his juice. "It's about that curse, the one that Zee was hit with… Uncle Sirius told me that Papa told him it was a popular curse that Grindelwald used, here in Russia?"

Sorcha continued to slice up berries as she spoke. "He did. Your Papa and I, we only know the stories and the history of what happened, as we were too young to really remember what was going on, but he was stronger here in the East. Living here, you hear about it often. People are still dealing with some of the aftershocks of it. Families are still grieving the loss of loved ones. He had more support, more followers, and it was where he was originally from. He attended Durmstrang when he was a boy, you know - but he was expelled for performing twisted, dangerous experiments, and near-fatal attacks on some of the other students there. Misha studied him and his antics very closely. It was a huge part of the Auror program when he joined. The Russian Ministry did not want to be caught by surprise again, so they taught their Aurors all sorts of things that they wouldn't have done a decade before."

"Like what?" Harry asked curiously.

"The darkest of magics," Misha said from the doorway. He stepped into the kitchen and kissed his wife before he sat down next to Harry. "I studied dark magic, dark curses, and dark vizards throughout history. My knowledge of dark curses is much more advanced than I vould like it to be, but it's for the best."

"To use them?"

"Bah! No!" Misha exclaimed, shaking his head. "To understand them. Remember, Unforgivables are the three hardest things to defend yourself against, but they aren't the only ones. If I know the dark curses, maybe I can stop them or save somevone before the curse takes hold. Like vith your mama, I knew vhat that curse vas the moment I saw it, and because I did, ve vere able to save her. No one has used dark magics like that in over half a century, and no one has used them in Britain for centuries before that. Healers in England don't even recognize the signs anymore, not the young vones anyway."

"So it should be studied by everyone?"

Misha shook his head. "No, not everyvone. Aurors should know it, and it vould do good to put it back into the healing textbooks. The problem is that vith the sharing of knowledge, you also run the risk of the dark magic being learned again, and that is vorrisome to some people."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Grindelwald was stronger out here?"

"Much," Misha said vehemently. "I vent to Durmstrang, and he had been a student there. Many of the students supported him and his cause. That sign, that Deathly Hallows, it was engraved everyvhere, on the valls, on the grounds; people called it _his sign_. It's sad how that symbol, not meaning anything bad on it's own, can change into something feared so quickly."

"People are afraid of the Deathly Hallows symbol?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Da, because they see it as a sign of Grindelvald, and vhat he represented. They don't see the sign for vhat it is."

"What did he represent exactly?"

"He vas vorshipped and idealized. He claimed that he vanted to bring about a better vorld; one vhere vitches and vizards vere free to live openly. He claimed that he did not hate people vho didn't have magic, he just knew vho the superior race vas. He claimed that it vas the arrogance of the Muggles, their lust for power, and their barbarity that vould ultimately bring him victory over them."

"And people _bought that_?" Harry asked in disgust.

"It vas very different times," Misha explained. "I know people say that often, but unless you lived it, it is often difficult to understand. The vorld vas a very different place. The Great Var had ended, and vith it brought an influx of vealth and luxury along with civil vars, and here in Russia, it meant the murder of the monarchy - the bringing in of a new system of government that forced the magical vorld further underground for our own safety. Ve developed more intelligence units designed to help us keep tabs on the Muggles. Then the vorld suffered a huge economic depression. People vere looking for a savior and people like Grindelwald, full of charisma, and full of vild ideas; people vere attracted to that. They vere hopeful for change. He offered it. He had great skill in Divination and people say that he predicted the next big Muggle var. He varned that the 'Muggles veren't lesser than us, but other; not vorthless, but of other value; not disposable, but of another disposition.' His mantra vas that: 'magic blooms in rare souls and is only granted to those vho look for higher things,' vho deserve higher things. Grindevald claimed that: the vorld ve vill make for all of humanity vould be for those vho live for freedom, for truth, and for love. He claimed that ve as a magical race vere to rise up and to take our rightful place in the vorld. He claimed that the Muggles vould turn upon us, destroy us, as they destroyed each other, and with the last Muggle var still so fresh in everyvone's minds - and the seeds of a new var being teased - people vere scared."

"He spoke carefully," Harry noted.

Misha nodded, smiling at his wife when she placed steaming bowls of porridge topped in berries and brown sugar in front of him and Harry. "Oh, he spoke very carefully. Only those vho listened closely understood vhat he vas doing, vhat he vas truly saying. Ve studied his speeches in the academy as part of a course on psychological varfare that the Ministry began about fifteen years ago. Ve all vent back and ve vere retrained to help better understand it. Ve read over copies of all of his speeches; breaking down his vords, and seeing his true meaning behind them. But Grindelvald… it vasn't just in our vorld either. The same time as Grindelvald vas rising, the Muggles had equally charismatic dictators taking over like Stalin, here in Russia, and Hitler in Germany, or Mussolini in Italy. The vorld vas changing and ignorance breeds fear, vhich often leads to violence. It vas a very different environment."

"Isn't Voldemort kind of preaching the same thing?"

"To some extent," Misha agreed. "But he's more cautious about it. He vants to take control much in the same vay, but I don't get the impression that he vants to eradicate the Muggles the vay that Grindelvald did."

Harry nodded. "We don't really know what he wants though, do we, Papa? We just know that he wants me dead."

Misha put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Ve don't alvays get vhat ve vant, do ve? Do you plan on letting him kill you?"

"Well, _no_ \- but he's Voldemort!"

Misha smiled at him. "Da, he is. That doesn't mean you just lie down and do vhat he says now, does it?" At Harry's look, his smile widened. "How's Defence Club going?"

"Good. We've learned loads more new spells, plus I've been learning some new spells by taking Ancient Greek as well."

"Khorosho, khorosho! I have more to show you later today, da?"

"Da," Harry said back, making Misha grin.

Sorcha came around his chair, tugging Harry down to kiss his cheek. "Enough sad talk now! Eat your porridge. Papa and I are going to show you the Moscow we love after breakfast!"

Harry beamed at her and dug into his breakfast, feeling a little lighter. Dark times were coming, but that didn't mean that they had to stop living and he couldn't wait to see some of Moscow in the meantime.

~ ASC ~

 **Misha and Sorcha took him out to see the Moscow version of Diagon Alley called Moscovite Alleya**. Gringotts had its own shining branch at the end of the street, made from white marble just like in London. Sorcha showed him the markets, and he browsed in interest at the witches and wizards selling flying carpets and apothecary products. Jewellery was a big seller, and he found himself looking at these dangling broomstick earrings made from lapus lazuli that he thought would look fabulous on Ginny. He bought them and slipped them into his pocket with a grin.

They visited the Winter Palace. A wizard took them on a secret tour through the home that once hosted the Romanovs, explaining how the wizard Rasputin had tried to save them, only to be made out to be a villain by the Muggles before he was ultimately murdered. The wizard used a portkey to continue the tour and took them to the summer palace and finally to Ipatiev House. He explained how the royal family had been kept prisoner by the new government, and ultimately killed. The myth that one of them had survived had spanned decades, and sometimes, people in the streets still hinted that either Anastasia or Alex had made it out of that cellar.

They went to museums, visited bakeries, and then Misha took him on a tour of the Russian Ministry of Magic, otherwise called the Kremlevskiy Magicheskiy Komitet (Kremlin Magical Committee aka KMC) . It was similar to the British Ministry, but at the front entrance was a large statue of a witch and wizard, backs to each other, and wands held high, giving off the impression that they were working together to protect those around them.

Harry was given a personal tour of the Auror Office, and Misha showed him his office. He explained how the bullpen worked and how as Head Auror, he often communicated with the Muggle authorities to help solve crimes. It was completely fascinating, and Harry could see why Tonks loved her job as much as she did.

When they returned to the loft flat, Sirius and Zee had already left on their own tour of the city. Sorcha urged him to sit down for tea as she had Apparated Ivan and Anya over for afternoon tea.

Harry spent the late afternoon listening to Ivan talk about his experiences in the Second World War, and how Anya had waited for him for almost seven years before they could get married. Ivan told him about the war, about Stalin, and about the rise of the Soviet Union. He explained how Misha's first few signs of magic had shocked them, and how when they eventually came to learn that he was to be a wizard, they thought someone was spoofing them.

"Ve vere scared," Ivan told him. "Stalin vas still persecuting people vho vere different; they vould be sent off and never heard from again, but ve knew that they vere dead. Ve thought something vould happen to our little Mikhail Ivanovich, our Misha, and ve worried. But the Headmaster of Durmstrang came and he told us that he vould be safe. Then he came again for Olga Ivanovna and again for Sasha Ivanovna… ve vere blessed to have had such wonderful children."

Anya smiled. "Then our children vould come home and show us the most amazing things. Our vorld vas videned."

Harry grinned at them. He learned that Anya had worked at a soup kitchen during the war, helping where she could, while she waited for word on Ivan. When they were finally able to find each other and to marry, it had been the happiest day of their lives. Sirius and Zee returned and the seven of them had dinner before Baba and Deda headed back home. Misha Apparated them back, as St. Petersburg was over eight hours away.

Harry had hugged them goodbye and promised to write, smiling when Anya kissed his cheeks and Ivan held him in a tight bear hug before they left.

Zee wanted to show Sirius one of her old hangouts and Harry voted to stay behind. The two of them headed out, as Sorcha decided to have a bath, and Misha grinned at him.

"Ve duel?"

Harry beamed at his grandfather. "Da."

Misha moved the furniture around the living room and urged Harry to take out his wand. "You are safe to do magic here. Show me vhat you have learnt."

Soon Harry was dodging spells, rolling and jumping, as their spells clashed in mid air, bounced off shields, and shot around them. They duelled for a solid ten minutes before Misha hit Harry with a tickling charm and he fell to the ground, clutching his sides.

"Khorosho!" Misha said, grinning widely. "You keep getting better and better. I vould like to have you on my Auror Squad one day."

Harry grinned back. "Yeah?"

"You are strong. You keep up vith it, and you vill have the skill to be an incredible Auror vone day."

Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to be an Auror, but hearing that it was a good possibility made him grin. "Thanks, Papa."

Misha put an arm around him, hugging him tightly to his side. "Now, help me fix this room before your Grandmama sees the big mess ve made."

Harry laughed and nodded. He could definitely do that.

~ ASC ~

 **The three of them headed home the morning of the thirtieth of December, and Harry was equally as glad to be home as he was sad to leave.** Zee's family was wonderful and he enjoyed spending time with them. He looked forward to the fact that he could write to them, that they welcomed him so easily, and that he had an open invitation to return whenever he wanted.

Harry unpacked his things in his room, smiling at the photo on his nightstand of him kissing Ginny. He couldn't wait to tell her all about his trip and to hear about her Christmas in return.

He headed back downstairs, finding Sirius in the kitchen making tea. He took a seat at the table before he spoke.

"I'm ready to learn everything. Security, finances, estate stuff - everything. Where do we start?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow as he looked at his son. "That's a good start right there. What do you mean by security?"

"I want to learn how you keep everything secure, Uncle Padfoot. I know that this place is charmed and protected securely from Voldemort being able to find it, I want to know how. I want to know more about the Marauder Charm, about blood magic, and about how you make a place safe."

Sirius smiled as he sat across from him, his fingers wrapped around his tea cup. "All right, let's talk about it."

When they stepped into Number Twelve later on that morning, he felt much more informed. He and Sirius had spent two hours that morning discussing more about his finances, the Potter Estate, and security of the Potter and Black holdings. Sirius had moved on to discuss how all of the security worked at his homes, at Black Cottage, and at Number Twelve. Harry was interested in how they worked the Marauder Charm and mixed in the concealing charms and security measures to make everything so safe. As Sirius explained to him how it all worked, Harry asked to be more central to it and he was pleased when Sirius agreed.

Sirius decided to make Harry part of the blood wards on the study in Grimmauld Place. He explained how the wards worked for him and Remus, but that also meant that anyone with their immediate blood could also be let in, such as a parent, a child, or a sibling. Anything more than that (like a grandparent or an aunt or a cousin) could potentially get through the blood wards, but it would take a lot - and it would take more than just blood; as the blood wasn't considered primary. This charm was great for keeping people out, but if you wanted to hide something from a family member, it wasn't a good idea, as they could easily break through the wards.

Sirius set up a new guard on the charmed entrance and Harry added his blood as Sirius instructed. "See! It's easy. So now, whenever you need to get in here, which shouldn't be necessary - as it's just full of FUVP stuff - but if so, you have full access and you don't need me or Uncle Moony to be here. The lock on the vault is the same as the one at home as well, in case you need to get inside for any reason."

Harry smiled at him. "Thanks, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Now, you know that I have no problem explaining this kind of thing to you, or letting you be part of the security as you are getting older and should be aware of how these things work, but what's with the sudden desire? Did Misha fill your head with too much Auror stuff when you spent time together?"

He grinned. "Maybe a little, but I've been thinking about it for a bit; well, since you told me about all of the Potter stuff and the whole Marquess of Somerset deal."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I know that I go back to school soon - but... can we go to Clevedon Court?"

Sirius' eyes widened slightly before he caught himself. "You… you want go there?"

He nodded. "I do. I want to see where my dad grew up. I want to see the house and I guess, I want to see what's mine. Zee or Uncle Moony and Tonks can come with me if you don't want to go back there. I understand - I mean, why you didn't offer to take me before, that is…"

Sirius' eyes softened, but he shook his head. "No... it's time. I should go back. You should see it."

Harry smiled. "Good. I want to."

"Let's go see if Dobby and Kreacher can make us some lunch. Dobby can come. It might not be a bad idea to put him in charge of your properties."

"How so?"

"Well, your grandparents had house elves as well, but they were pretty old back then. I've had Kreacher stop in on them every month or so to help me keep track and to help keep me updated on your holdings. They had four when I lived there. One of them insisted on going with James when he got married. His name was Cedar and he sadly died of old age before you were born. James cried buckets over him. He'd been around his whole life after all. But there are still three house elves taking care of the Potter Estate. Rosa and Darby still rule Clevedon Court, and Basil oversees the properties outside of Clevedon Court. But Dobby is your personal elf, Harry. He's bound himself to you, which means that he has power over the other elves, he is now the Head Elf of the Potter Household."

Harry nodded. He knew that house elf magic and hierarchy all depended on the elf in question and how long they had been working with the family. But if a witch or wizard chose a personal elf and bound themselves with that elf, that elf became elevated in the household. Hermione had told him how it all worked and he was surprised that he remembered, if he was honest.

"Okay. I'll talk to him."

They headed into the kitchen and Kreacher was more than happy to make lunch for them. He immediately got started as Sirius went to answer some mail he needed to catch up on. Harry asked Dobby to sit with him for a moment.

"How can I help you, Mas-Harry Potter Sir?"

Harry smiled at him. "Dobby, I know that there's not much for you to do here as my elf and well, you're probably bored — "

" — Oh no, Harry Potter, Sir! I could never be bored! I is your elf, sir, no honour is greater!"

Harry smiled at that, the backs of his ears reddening. "Er, good. Um, I don't know if you know anything about the Potters, but I have a lot of properties and a manor house that is mine. Uncle Sirius and I are going to go to Clevedon Court today, that's the house by the way - as I've never been. I think that it would be good for me to see it. There are two house elves there already but... as you said, you're _my elf,_ and as my elf I was hoping that you could help me er - acquaint and organize myself with the Potter stuff."

Dobby beamed at him. "I would be honoured, Harry Potter!"

"Great! You can come with us, as I don't really know what you'd need to do, but we can work that out together, if that's okay?"

If it was possible, Dobby beamed even wider.

They ate steaming bowls of French Onion soup and then Dobby Apparated Harry to Somerset. Sirius appeared next to him a moment later as they stood outside the front gates. Harry looked up at the house in amazement.

It was a huge stone mansion, but he thought that it still looked rather homey. It had a large expansive lawn and a small front porch. Harry swallowed at the sight of it.

"This is Clevedon Court?"

"Yes," Sirius said, emotion rising in his throat as he looked up at it. "Go ahead. You should be able to get through the gate without my help."

Harry stepped forward, opening the gate, and as soon as his hands touched it he could feel the magical pull. He knew that it was tied to his blood, to his bloodline, and he moved forward, warmth rushing over him as he entered. Sirius and Dobby stepped in behind him.

They were only halfway up the drive when the front doors opened and two elves came running out in tidy little uniforms.

Harry smiled politely at them. "Er, hi, I'm Harry."

"We know," the female elf said, staring at him. She had lots of wrinkles around her eyes and she looked positively ancient. "I'm Rosa, your grandmother's elf, and this is Darby. We is taking care of the Potters at Clevedon Court for eighty-five years."

Harry's eyes widened at her words. "Er, wow - thanks."

Rosa turned to Sirius. "The Marquess and Marchioness were so proud of you, Master Sirius."

"Thank you, Rosa."

Harry gestured for Dobby to come up next to him. "Rosa, Darby, this is Dobby. He's my elf. He saved my life, and I would like him to help with everything here."

Darby immediately bowed to him. "We is honoured you would come to work here, Sir Dobby."

Dobby beamed at them. "Will you show me how the house is run, Darby?"

Darby and Rosa nodded, gesturing for Harry and Sirius to go first. Harry stepped into the front entrance and his eyes widened. It was large, with hardwood floors and detailed Gothic architecture on the walls. A large arched doorway led into a huge great hall that Sirius explained was often used for entertaining. Past the great hall was the living room, where there was a huge stained glass window in the front. It had been used as a chapel at one point, but had worked for centuries as the Potters' family room. Past the family room was a huge library that Sirius explained Monty had used as a study as well. The corridor from the great hall led to the dining room and a bathroom. The kitchen was on the other side of the great hall and had its own small table for family dinners. A large staircase led the way upstairs where there were three large bedrooms and a larger master bedroom with its own private bath. The third floor was split in two, but had two smaller bedrooms, still quite grand in size with one bathroom on the right side. The left side was mostly abandoned and used for storage; each side had their own separate staircase.

The house had been added onto over the centuries and there was a secret staircase in the library that led up to one of the towers where Monty kept his Potions room. Another staircase on the opposite side of the house led up to another two-storey tower where Euphemia had kept a small indoor greenhouse. There was a small house on the grounds, detached, which also boasted two bedrooms and a small living room and kitchen kept for guests. The wine cellar was below the house through a huge stone archway and stone steps leading down from the kitchen.

The manor house was beautiful, with its slightly uneven floors and mix of architectural centuries from Gothic to Elizabethan, though it included modern touches. Harry touched the railing of the staircase and couldn't help but smile as he pictured his father sliding down it.

"What do you think?" Sirius asked quietly when they made it back down into the front hall.

"It's not at all what I expected. It's huge and small at the same time. It's… homey."

Sirius smiled at him. "That it is. It's what I liked about it. It didn't feel like some rich fancy manor. I walked around barefoot. James slid down the bannister. We ate sitting on the carpet in the library and in the living room just as much as we did in the kitchen. It was a home. The third floor needs renovating. James was going to do it but after Fee and Monty passed, he just sealed up the place. He wasn't ready to come back here. But it's a beautiful house and maybe one day you'd like to live here with your wife and kids."

Harry blushed. "Er, that's a while off, don't you think?"

"Maybe," he admitted with a grin. "Come on, the grounds are extensive. But there's one part I think that you'll particularly love."

They headed out the back door at the end of the front hall and out into a huge yard. Harry looked out over the gardens, still beautifully taken care of, he noted, as his eyes travelled around the stone fence, the small towers around them.

"What are those for?"

"That little tower on the end is full of gardening supplies. That small little white one is where Rosa and Darby live. Fee had Monty build it for them so that they would have their own space. It has a small living room and kitchen, a bathroom, and two small bedrooms."

Harry grinned at the thought. He had always thought it was strange that Kreacher slept in the boiler room, but when Sirius had offered the elf a chance to sleep anywhere else in the house, he'd refused. He hadn't really thought about where Dobby slept, and he felt a little ashamed of that. He needed to make sure that Dobby had his own space as well.

"That tower on the other end used to be where James kept his Quidditch stuff," Sirius said, pointing at the large field. "As that is the perfect place to play Quidditch."

Harry's eyes widened as he looked at the big yard. He could see the goals at either end and couldn't stop smiling. It was hardly to scale and only a quarter of the size of the Hogwarts' pitch, but still massive. The thought that this house boasted its very own Quidditch pitch made it seem even more incredible.

"Wow!"

Sirius laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty great."

Harry shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked at the back of the house, from the intricate stonework to the steps. It was beautiful, and the thought of living there one day made him feel warm inside. He felt like it could be a home just as much as Black Cottage had always been. "Thanks for taking me here, Uncle Siri."

Sirius put his arm around Harry's shoulders. "Thanks for insisting on coming here. I think that I needed to come back just as much as you needed to see it. I thought it would hurt, coming here again, but it doesn't. It's full of happy memories for me, and that's all that matters." They both stared at the back of the house for a moment longer before Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulder. "Want to make a day of it and see the rest of your properties?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, yeah that sounds good."

They went to Brighton next where a modest-sized manor resided that had once been the home of his great-uncle Charlus and his aunt Dorea Potter. Basil took care of the Brighton Manor, but wasn't there when they arrived. It was two-storeys with three large bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a parlour, and a library. It was much more posh than Clevedon Court and was full of sculptures and art.

"Dorea Potter was very much into ancient art," Sirius told him. "She spent millions of Galleons on sculpture and art to decorate this place. I was only here once or twice, and every time I felt like I was in a museum. She was an avid collector."

Harry had to agree with that assessment. The house was beautiful, but unlike Clevedon Court - it didn't feel homey. They left Brighton and Sirius had Kreacher Apparate them to Southern Italy where the Potters had a large villa on the Amalfi Coast made of large arched stonewalls and columns, with its own private courtyard and ocean view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was where they finally found Basil, who was so honoured to meet Harry, that he bowed as he spoke, until Harry ordered him to stop.

Basil was only too excited to take Harry to the Potter's property in Barbados, where a huge two-storey white manor loomed on the beach full of open balconies and doorways with a private salt water swimming pool. Potter's Paradise, as it was known, had a huge hall made for entertaining that led out into the yard where the large pool stepped down onto the beach. It was beautiful, and Basil explained how he kept the house in shiny, pristine condition while ensuring the pool was clean at all times.

Next, Basil took them to France, where he met the people who worked his winery in Bordeaux under the label _Euphemia's Potions._ It had been a gift to his wife from Fleamont when they celebrated fifteen years of marriage, and Basil explained how the winery produced some of the best red wines in the world: cabernet sauvignons, cabernet francs, merlots, and many blends. The second winery was in Alsace, producing rieslings and white wines that were also very popular. The Alsace winery labelled their wines as _Enchantment_ and had been opened by his grandparents as well - five years after the winery in Bordeaux _._ Harry and Sirius tasted the wines at each winery and Harry introduced himself, smiling at the witches and wizards who were so honoured to meet the owner of the winery.

Next they headed to the Scottish Highlands to the Potter Distillery. They tried the Scotch there, as the place was known for producing _Jacobite Uisge Beatha,_ which translated to Jacobite Whisky. Basil explained how it was one of the most popular whisky choices in Britain for its smooth taste with hints of apple, butterscotch, tangerine, cocoa powder, and peat, and how they had imported it all over the magical world since its inception in the eighteenth century. It was the whisky of choice for most, unless they were looking for the burn and flash of Firewhiskey _._

After leaving Scotland, Basil took them to meet the operations manager of the two Potion making warehouses in New York and in Liverpool. The manager was a witch, who was currently working at the warehouse in Liverpool. She explained to Harry how the warehouses worked and how she oversaw the two companies, travelling between New York and Liverpool every few weeks. He learned a little bit more about the potions and their supplies that had been invented by his family members. They ended the tour back in Devon at the herbological centre called _The Potterer_ where the manager explained how they sold flowers, plants, and herbs to magical and non-magical people alike.

By the time they left, Basil was beaming at him; Harry felt slightly overwhelmed. He thanked the elf and explained about Dobby. Basil immediately nodded in attention and promised to go straight to Clevedon Court to speak with Dobby about his orders.

Sirius put his arm around Harry. "What did I tell you? Everything is taken care of. You are sent monthly reports, but your lawyers take care of that. If you want to read them over every month, all you have to do is ask for copies, but it's not necessary. As to the homes, they are yours. The wineries and the distillery all have suites for you to stay in as well, if you'd like."

Harry only nodded his head. "It's a lot."

Sirius chuckled. "And then some. But as I said, it's nothing that you have to do. It all takes care of itself for you. On top of the lawyers who handle the financial aspects and estate, you now have Dobby, who I think we can trust to handle organizing literally everything else."

Harry had to agree with that statement. "Uncle Siri… where does Dobby sleep?"

Sirius looked at him in surprise. "He has a bedroom in the basement of Number Twelve. I offered him a room on the main floor, but he refused. It's tiny. It used to be a closet, but it has a small bed, a nightstand, and dresser. He insisted it was all he needed. Why?"

"I was thinking of how Nan made that little home for Rosa and Darby and I was worried that I hadn't supplied a place for Dobby."

"That's why I'm here," Sirius said with a smile. "I made sure that he was taken care of. But now that he will be taking on more responsibility within the Potter Estate, you may want to offer him a new place. You can think on it and see."

Harry nodded. He felt relieved to hear that Dobby had his own bedroom. He wondered if maybe the elf would want his own little space in Clevedon Court, maybe a little flat or something. He let Sirius Apparate them back home, and his eyes widened when he stepped into the living room. Colt and Flo were sitting there laughing with Zee.

Flo immediately jumped to her feet and engulfed Harry in a tight hug. "Sweetie pie!"

Harry hugged her close, kissing her cheek. "Grandma! Grandpa! What are you doing here?"

Colt grinned widely from the couch. "We couldn't stand the thought of not seeing you guys on Christmas, so Flo rounded up one of those port-catch thingies, and here we are!"

Harry hugged Colt before he sat in the armchair. "Portkey, Grandpa. When did you get here?"

"About two hours ago," Colt said, stretching his long legs up on the table.

"Your grandfather been's going a bit stir crazy without work."

Colt scoffed at that. "I have not! The woman's always picking at me! I have the ranch and the horses. I'm fine!"

"How are the horses?" Harry asked, surprised at how much he missed them. "Cloud Dancing?"

"They're great," Colt told him. "Zee said that you went to Greece this summer. How was it?"

"Good. We relaxed and spent some time on the beach."

Flo placed her hand on his arm, squeezing gently. "After seeing him come back, I think you deserved some beach time."

Harry smiled softly at her. "Yeah."

Flo bent to kiss his cheek again before she took a seat next to her husband. "Where are you and Sirius coming from?"

"Harry and I have been touring his estate holdings," Sirius said, sitting in the armchair across from Harry. "We've been slowly introducing him to everything he owns and to his responsibilities as a Potter."

"Marquess," Harry corrected, the back of his neck flushing.

Colt's fingers tapped on his leg. "You said that in one of your letters. The Marquess of Somerset, quite the grand title now. Basically royalty, ain't it?"

"No," Flo said, patting her husband's leg. "But definitely a wonderful honour. You said your ancestor was given the title because he helped a king?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, eons ago, back in the fourteenth century. His father-in-law is the one who built Clevedon Court too, the house where my dad grew up. Uncle Sirius and I just came from there."

Harry explained where they had gone and what he had learned.

Zee turned to look at Sirius. "You never told me that Harry owns Euphemia's Potions! That's my favourite cabernet sauvignon!"

Sirius shrugged. "I didn't really think about it."

"It was interesting," Harry told them. "Plus I met the house elves. One of them has been checking on everything I have internationally, and I asked Dobby to oversee the elves, and… well, I guess keep me updated. I'm still learning and working on all of that."

"Sounds like you've been busy, boy," Colt said with a smile. "Learning how to be the man you're meant to be. Very responsible."

Harry shrugged. "I just want to understand how it all works. It seems less daunting once that happens."

"Well, Lord Potter, why don't you tell us more about it then?"

"It's technically Lord Somerset — if you want to be politically correct," Sirius said, making Harry flush again.

Colt's booming laugh had Harry grinning at his grandparents.

This Christmas had turned out to be even better than he had anticipated.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _Just a helpful reminder of who the Zacarias family is._

 _Ivan and Anya Zacarias (Baba & Deda - Muggles — Ivan was the soldier in WWII with the motorbike)_

 _1\. Mikhail (Misha) m. Magnolia Jackson Zacarias (d) m. Sorcha Brown Zacarias_

 _(a) Zahira Zacarias_

 _2\. Olga Zacarias Petrov m. Dimtri Petrov_

 _(a) Mikhail Petrov m. Ana Ivanov_

 _(i) Yuri Petrov (1985)_

 _(b) Mila Petrov Sokolov m. Nicholas Sokolov_

 _(i) Nastasia Sokolov (1987)_

 _(ii) Dinara Sokolov (1989)_

 _3\. Sasha Zacarias Blok m. Yerik Blok_

 _(a) Tanya Blok Fedorov m. Alek Fedorov_

 _(i) Eva and Irina (twin girls identical) (1994)_

 _(b) Tatiana Blok eng. Iosif Kuznetsov_

 _Tetya = auntie_

 _Dyadya = uncle_

 _Misha & Sorcha = Papa and Grandmama_

 _Colt & Flo = Grandpa and Grandma_

 _Only Ivan and Anya are Muggles, the rest are all magical._

 _(Gaelic) mo ghràidh = my darling_

 _(Russian) Khorosho = Good_

 _(Russian) Da = yes_

 _I thought it would be interesting to do some more of a comparison between Grindelwald and Voldemort and what better opportunity to do so than when Harry is in Moscow. Misha and Sorcha were children when Grindelwald's war was going on, but they still know the stories, especially Misha who as an Auror would have it ingrained in him. I took the Grindelwald information as a mix from Pottermore, the Harry Potter wiki, and of course a few direct and paraphrased quotes from the Fantastic Beasts films._

 _Also, a discussion with Dusk over Christmas presents — my family always stressed gifts we needed more than wanted. We always received one or two things we asked for (new books, CDs, movies, games, etc) and then we were gifted with new clothes, new pjs and the like along with a refill of all of our toiletries (shampoo, chapstick, soap, deodorants, perfume, cologne etc.) which is why I had Harry receive the like. I still love that gift as it's a new supply I don't have to purchase myself lol. I voted to keep it in. Just thought I'd explain._

 _Thank you for reading and please review!_


	207. Chapter 207

_Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to Saz for helping me with this one!_

 _I am posting this today as with the holidays coming up, I will not be posting another chapter until the new year. Happy Christmas everyone and I hope everyone has an amazing holiday spent with friends and/or family. I'd say God Bless, but I am a Ginger and therefore don't have a soul so… just kidding (kind of) — Happy Christmas!_

 _To answer some reviews: I apologize for the confusion with the last family tree, I felt it was implied that Colt Jackson was a Muggle so I focused strictly on the Zacarias side of the family due to them only having been introduced in one chapter prior. Everyone in Zee's family is magical except Colt Jackson and Ivan and Anya Zacarias who are all Muggles. Savageness321 feel free to leave a review on each chapter that just says Kudos, I will appreciate it just the same! To Pegg7, thank you so much for your kind words. I write this story for myself first, but I love sharing it with you as you all make me feel important and loved, so thank you from the bottom of my heart!_

 _To Miss Elyon, thank you I appreciate the confidence boost and I know that she is just evil because no one likes working with her, but still it is hard to deal with every day. To scrappy8, thank you! I also love the friendship between Ginny and Theo! To akshutalankar, I have no idea what Vampire Academy is so I couldn't tell you, I just picked Russian names that I liked the sound of from a baby name website. To Wolf's Scream, as a history major, that is exactly what I was thinking of, was how Hitler changed a beautiful symbol into something that is now widely associated with hatred. Harry's parents are Sirius, Zee, and Remus and he's not ashamed to see it that way. Tonks is to some extent, but he sees her more as a big sister than as a mum even with her married to Remus. To zacnelson0628, I did not plan for it to come out for Christmas or I would have made you all wait until actual Christmas to post it lol. It's just where the year landed in my writing schedule. To speedsONEandONLY, yes, silver in colour, Harry would NEVER put real silver on a gift to Remus! And yes, Lady G was in Russia with them._

 _To unngesund, I am sorry I messed up your sleep schedule, but thanks for reading. To coloredwords, Anastasia is one of the best movies ever, I totally agree, but you know that in history, Rasputin wasn't actually the bad guy, right? He wasn't exactly good, true, but he really was friends with the royal family and just trying to help Prince Alexei until the Prince Yusupov and his friends had him brutally murdered. To Steelcode, glad you liked my little Christmas clues, I had fun writing them! To ninaz08, the Horcruxes are known about by Bill, Ron, and Ginny, no one else in the Weasley family has been made aware. The Order knows about the prophecy, but only those in FUVP know about the Horcruxes which does not include Charlie, Percy, Molly and Arthur nor the twins as they are still in school._

 _To those who have asked for pictures of anything from Clevedon Court to Norfolk Manor — it is all posted on my tumblr so please feel free to check it out_ ** _breaniebree_** _._

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills!_

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND SEVEN:**

 **Hermione was lying on her stomach, a copy of Goldman's** ** _The Princess Bride_** **opened in front of her, as she leisurely read it for the tenth time.** She had spent her Christmas relaxing with her parents and grandparents, playing the piano, and just taking some time for herself. She'd finished two books already and was happily re-reading an old favourite. There was nothing she loved more than losing herself in a story that she had read before. It was like coming home after a long day and it helped her relax.

The holiday had been great. She sometimes forgot how much she missed her parents until she came home. She'd told them all about her disastrous date with McLaggen and her father had seemed oddly pleased with the news that there were no new boys in her life. She had decided to ignore him on that front, but couldn't help but smirk when her mother had lectured him on butting in.

Hermione looked up at the tapping on her window, pleased to see Errol there, and rather surprised that he hadn't crashed directly into it for once. She hopped up to let the owl in, and then realized that she'd spoken too soon; he stumbled on the landing and fell off her desk before popping back up as if nothing had happened.

"You're an odd bird, Errol," she said, taking the letter from him.

The sight of Ron's writing brought a smile to her face. She opened the envelope as Errol eagerly drank from the water dish she provided.

 _Hermione,_

 _Hope you've had a great Christmas! Ours has been pretty cool. Ginny invited Theo over and Mum basically adopted him into the family (a Slytherin, can you believe it)? She even knit him a jumper. I suppose he's a nice enough bloke. Bill and Ginny went and picked him up some time late on Christmas Eve. I guess he was spending the holiday alone and well, no one should be alone on Christmas, even Slytherins._

 _I wonder how Harry is doing in Russia? Have you heard from him?_

 _So, I wanted to write to you and tell you about Dad. I didn't think you had heard, but in case you did, I don't want you to worry. Dad was injured during an incident while bird watching the night before Christmas Eve. Luckily Sirius was with him and got him to the hospital on time. A giant snake bit him and took a good-sized gash out of his arm (wrist to elbow). But he's doing well, despite his attempt at Muggle stitches (do Muggles really sew themselves back together? Seems completely loony to me!). He's resting and plans to go back to work after the holiday. They found the antidote in time and were able to heal his arm (there was something about the bite that wouldn't heal in the beginning). Sirius saved his life and we're all incredibly grateful to him. Of course, Mum and Dad won't really say what Dad and Sirius were up to. But after talking to Harry and Ginny (who wheedled more out of Sirius) we have a pretty good idea. It seems the snake was a familiar one and there was a woman with him, who Ginny thinks might have been the mum of a certain Italian Slytherin. I'll explain more when I see you._

 _Anyway, nothing else new is going on. I hope you are enjoying your holiday. Mum loved her present, by the way. She kept raving about how sweet it was that you gave her a gift that she can enjoy all year. It is kind of cool that every month she will get two new romance novels along with a surprise. She loved the blanket and the candle that came with her gift. The mini tool set for Dad was a hit as well. He immediately started telling us what all of the tools were and what they were used for (I think you better explain them to him as I'm pretty sure some of them were wrong). Unless Muggles really do use clobber bats (Bill said it's called a hammer, but Dad insisted clobber bat) to dig in the garden. The book you bought him on carpentry will definitely come in handy. He was very excited to read it and bored us with the details of how to build a table. Mum is worried he's going to build one the Muggle way now._

 _Have you heard from Desi? It's their first holiday without him and I thought maybe you might have written to each other. Well, Fred and George invented some pretty wicked fireworks (according to Ginny) and they plan to kick them off soon to welcome in the New Year. See you at school next week._

 _Ron_

Hermione smiled as she rolled the letter back up. Bird watching? She frowned slightly. Ron had to mean Order business with that, and she wondered how a snake had bitten him. Did Ron mean that it was Voldemort's snake with a Death Eater? That would make the most sense, as Mrs Zabini had been one of the Death Eaters that Harry had seen in the graveyard. But why would they be together? She was glad to hear that Mr Weasley was going to be all right, as she had always rather liked the Weasley patriarch. She looked up when a shadow fell across her open door, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hi, Dad."

"Jellybean," Greg said. "Mum and I are thinking of going ice skating and then out for some hot chocolate before the firework display. Want to come?"

Hermione jumped to her feet. "Yes, please."

"Letter from your friends?"

"Ron," she told him. "He said that his dad was bitten by a snake, but that he's doing better, and will be going back to work soon."

"A snake?" Greg asked in surprise. "Where?"

"I'm not sure exactly," she said carefully. "But it sounded quite serious."

"Do you want to go the Burrow and check?"

Hermione smiled gratefully, moving into her father's arms for a hug. "No. Ron told me that he's doing okay, but thanks for the offer."

Greg dropped a kiss to the top of his daughter's head. "You're welcome, jellybean." He nodded gestured towards the book in her hand. "Now come on, we can play Inigo and Fezzik's game on the way to the Tower rink."

"Mum hates it when we do that."

"Maybe," he said with a smirk. "Feed your cat."

"Dad, we aren't starting already!"

"Steady."

"Dad!"

"Bad."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I hate you."

"Love you too, jellybean."

"I am not your jellybean, but your queen," Hermione replied quickly, making him laugh.

She was glad that she had come for the holiday, but as she followed her father down the stairs to put on her boots and coat, she couldn't help but think about Ron's letter. What had Mr Weasley been doing for the Order and why had there been a snake present? It left her with more questions than she had answers.

Hermione shook the thoughts from her head and slid her boots on. Right now she was home and she was going to go ice skating with her parents and then watch the firework display in London to welcome in the New Year. She'd worry about everything else when she got back to school. Her friends would fill her in when she got there.

Jean pushed a pink toque over Hermione's ears and she smiled at her mum, attempting to shove her bushy curls beneath it. "Thanks, Mum."

"Drum."

"Greg, don't start with that silly rhyme game!" Jean said in exasperation.

Hermione winked at her dad as she put her gloves on. "Lame."

"Reclaim."

"Misname."

"Fame."

Jean rolled her eyes as she headed outside. "I abstain."

Greg grinned widely. "And she's back in the game!"

Hermione giggled as she followed her parents outside. Yeah, she was glad to be home.

~ ASC ~

 **Draco was nervous.**

He found himself fidgeting throughout most of the day, unable to sit still. He had known this moment was coming for months, but having it now before him it still seemed rather unreal.

Tonight he was going to meet Lord Voldemort.

On his father's orders he'd dressed in his best robes. His hair was done and he looked his best as he adjusted the gold watch on his wrist and made his way downstairs. His parents were in the parlour sitting on the sofa holding hands as his grandfather scowled at them. His grandmother sat with her legs crossed in the chair, staring ahead with a blank expression.

"Draco!" Abraxas boomed, gesturing him forward. "About time you made it down here."

Draco nodded and took a seat on the sofa between his parents when they shifted to give him room.

"Now, when the Dark Lord arrives you are to treat him with respect, Draco. He is our Lord, and he expects us to treat him as such. You are to bow to him."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Lucius' hand touched his back and he felt slightly reassured by it.

They waited ten minutes as Abraxas lectured them on not disrespecting Voldemort and making sure that Voldemort would not have any doubts that the Malfoys were an honourable family. A family who would never _not_ support him - in all of his endeavours.

The knock on the front door made Draco's heart jump into his throat and it was only a moment before his aunt pranced into the room. She wore a low cut black top and black pants under her cloak and her dark curls, highlighted in silver, tumbled over her shoulders. As always, it gave him a jolt when he saw her, as she looked so much like her younger sister Andromeda - but the differences struck him just as fiercely. The kind eyes, the soft face, and the love (that still both surprised and confused him) that he always saw in Andromeda was replaced by manic glee in her older sister's expression. He recognized the man behind her as his uncle, though he had never met him. Blaise's mother came in next with Blaise, and Draco felt a little calmer at the sight of his friend.

And then the man behind them entered with two more men who he didn't recognize. He knew immediately that the man at the front was Voldemort. His eyes held a reddish gleam, just like Theo had told him, along with his pale skin and lack of nose, made him look both monstrous and terrifying.

"My lord," Abraxas said reverently, bowing before him.

Isla stood from her chair to do the same, offering her hand to the Dark Lord, who kissed it. Lucius bowed next, followed by Narcissa, and Draco dutifully bowed before the wizard.

"My grandson, Draco," Abraxas told him. "He's fifteen and one of the top students at Hogwarts."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

"Yes, my lord," Draco said, surprised at how calm his voice sounded.

He did what his mother had told him to do. He moved his thoughts around in his brain, keeping them locked away tightly as he replied, while maintaining an air of absentmindedness. He felt the probe for only a moment before it disappeared. He understood what Theo had meant; the probe was powerful, but Lord Voldemort didn't care enough to delve deeper. Draco hoped he never gave him a reason to look deeper any time soon.

"It's an honour to meet you, my lord. My father and grandfather speak highly of you."

Voldemort nodded, dismissing him. "Abraxas, let's go to the dining room. I wish to speak of our plans."

Draco let out a slow breath as Voldemort turned and left the room, Blaise coming to stand next to him. "So that happened," he whispered.

Blaise kept his eyes on his mother as he spoke low from the corner of his mouth. "Mama offered me to him, but he refused. He said that we'd speak again when I was old enough to serve him properly. He thanked my mother for her kind offer."

"Boys, follow us into the dining room," Narcissa ordered. "The Dark Lord wishes for you both to be present."

"Maybe they'll learn something," Abraxas said, his eyes narrowed as he stared at them from the doorway. "Get a move on. It's rude to keep our master waiting."

Draco followed his mother into the dining room with Blaise behind him. He was pretty sure that there was nothing he wanted to learn here, but the news of Blaise being too young reassured him. He was safe.

At least for now.

But as his grandfather's gaze followed him inside, he wondered if safe was really the right turn of phrase as he stepped into a room full of people he didn't trust. His gaze met the steely eyes of his grandfather, and he did his best to keep his expression blank, taking a seat at the table between his parents.

He was safe, he assured himself. But nonetheless, the feel of his mother gripping his fingers under the table made him feel better, safer, as he turned his attention to Lord Voldemort and waited.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry wrapped his arms tightly around his girlfriend when she came into the train compartment on the seventh of January.** He kissed her, grinning widely as she looked up at him.

"Hi."

"Hi," she replied, smiling. "How was Moscow?"

"Amazing," he said honestly, tugging her to sit with him on the bench. He put his arm around her as Ron came into the compartment followed by Hermione and Neville.

He filled his friends in on Moscow and his Christmas, telling them how he'd explored all of the Potter Estate holdings.

"You have your own house?" Ginny asked in amazement.

Harry nodded. "I do and it's quite lovely, actually. I put Dobby in charge and he seems to be pretty pleased with it. He showed up yesterday to tell me everything that he learned and what he wants to do. I told him that I trust him and if it was possible, he looked even happier than normal."

"That elf is completely batty," Ron said as Hermione elbowed him. "Ow! He is!"

"Nah, Ron's right, Hermione — Dobby _is_ batty," Harry admitted. "But he's a great elf and smart. It was Uncle Sirius' idea to put him in charge, and it not only helps me, but gives him something to do while keeping him busy with work, which is really all he wants."

"Well, I suppose that is true," Hermione said carefully. "It sounds like you had a fun and informative holiday. It's nice that Sirius is letting you take on so much of the responsibility."

"I agree. I feel more informed, that's for sure. He set it up so that my lawyers send me biweekly reports to help me keep track and to understand everything. Uncle Sirius says that he'll go over the first few with me and if I have any questions after that, I only have to ask."

"Sirius set up the same for me," Neville told them, scratching his chin. "He was really helpful and I feel much better about Cumbria after talking to him. Even Gran seems more impressed with me lately. She says that I am really stepping up to my birthright."

Hermione smiled at him. "It's nice that Sirius helps you like that, Neville."

Neville nodded. "Sirius is great. He's always been great to me. I used to wish he was my dad too."

Harry smiled at his friend. He knew how much his godfather meant to Neville. Sirius and Neville exchanged letters every few weeks and Harry knew how much Neville cherished that relationship. "Anyway, it all came together well and when we got back, Grandma and Grandpa were at the cottage. They took a portkey to surprise us. Grandpa said they are staying two more days to visit with Zee before they head back to Georgia."

Ron yawned so big that his jaw cracked. "You were able to see everyone then, that's great. We had Theo for Christmas."

"He was all alone," Ginny replied. "Bill and I went and got him on Christmas Eve."

"Good," Hermione said. "No one should be alone on Christmas and from what you've said, it seems like he's been going through some tough times."

"It was nice," Ginny said. "I'm glad he came."

Hermione nodded before she turned to look at Ron. "We have to do rounds."

"I wish that we didn't have to patrol. A nap would be great about now."

Hermione stood up, slapping Ron's knee. "But we do. Let's go, Ron."

Ron gave his friends a look as he followed her out and Neville chuckled.

"Ron is a surprisingly good prefect."

"Right?" Ginny agreed as the compartment door closed behind them. "Who would have guessed it."

Neville stretched his arms up over his head before he stood up as well. "I'm going to head to the loo and then see if Dean and Seamus are around. Be back in about twenty if you want to snog and get it out of your system."

Ginny stuck her tongue out at Neville as he closed the compartment door behind him with a grin. She turned and climbed into her boyfriend's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hi," she said, leaning in to nip at his jaw.

Harry wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her closer to him. "Hi."

Their lips met softly — once, twice, three times — before Harry pulled away. "I have a present for you."

Ginny's eyebrow rose. "You already gave me a Christmas gift."

"I did," he admitted, reaching into his pocket to pull out the small box. "But then I found these at a market in Moscow and wanted you to have them."

"Harry," Ginny whispered as he handed her the box. "I don't need gifts."

Harry leaned in and nipped at her lips. "Indulge me. Besides, technically I'm a few days late for our two month anniversary."

Ginny smiled as she carefully lifted the lid on the box, eyes falling on the earrings. "Harry," she breathed softly, lifting them from the box. They were bronze broomsticks about an inch in length and at the top of each broomstick were glittering lapis lazuli stones shimmering in bright blue. "They're beautiful!"

"I saw them in the market and I could picture them on your ears. They're nothing fancy or anything — mmph," he said as her lips covered his.

"I'm not a fancy kind of a girl," she pointed out.

Harry reached up to play with the three silver hoops she wore in each ear. "It's part of what I like about you."

Ginny reached up to shimmy the bottom silver hoop out of her ear and slid one of the broomsticks in; Harry watched in fascination, surprised that his palms were sweating. Who would have thought that watching a girl put an earring in could be sexy? Once they were dangling in her ears, she leaned in, and kissed him again.

"They're perfect. Thank you."

Harry leaned his forehead against hers, his green eyes on her warm brown ones. It was so easy to get lost in all that chocolate, he thought. Her tongue moistened her lips and his eyes dropped to her soft pink mouth. "I'm crazy about you."

She grinned, her eyes on his. "I'm crazy about you, too." She kissed him. "But no more gifts for no reason. I don't need them."

Harry slid his hands slowly up her back. "But I'm super rich, remember?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Do you think that I care about that? You know that I'm only with you for your bum."

He snorted, making her eyes twinkle in glee. "Uncle Sirius says that I have to be careful now because I'm getting to the age where people are going to start listing me as the Potter Bachelor."

Ginny slid her hands into his hair. "Oh, really? Will I have to fight hordes of girls for you?"

"Maybe a few blokes as well," he teased.

Ginny stared at him for a moment, her fingers continuing to gently run through his hair. "I'll keep my eyes peeled. Harry, in all honesty, I know that you have money. I know that you are going to have a lot of it one day… do you think that I'm only with you because of that?"

Harry slid his hands into her hair, playing with the loose crimson tresses at her waist. "Not even for a second. Besides, you already admitted to me that you're only with me for my bum."

Ginny kissed him. "Good." She reached out to play with the broomsticks in her ears. "But I love these, thank you."

"You're welcome," he told her.

"Now, I think that you should kiss me before Neville comes back."

Harry smiled slowly, that delicious smile that sent quivers down Ginny's body. "Gladly."

And when his lips touched hers again, she thought about how much she loved the feel of them… and then her brain shut off and she lost herself in the sensations of kissing Harry.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny left Harry and her friends in the train compartment a few hours later.** She weaved through the train to head to the bathroom, but when she spotted Malfoy flirting with Padma Patil, she stopped behind them. Padma gave her a look of annoyance as Malfoy turned to look at her.

"Weaselette, Patil and I are busy, scurry off," he said dryly.

Ginny merely crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I want to talk to you. You can flirt with her later."

Padma hurried off and Malfoy frowned at her. "What do you want?"

"Theo spent Christmas and the last few days of the holiday with us."

"Well, that's marginally better than being alone, though I imagine the stink of your hovel may have influenced his brain," Malfoy retorted.

Ginny rolled her eyes. He really was a git and if it wasn't for the fact that she knew he cared about Theo, she'd consider hexing him more frequently. "He wouldn't talk to me about Macmillan, but I think that there's something wrong that we're not seeing. I don't believe that he would date him — even in secret."

Malfoy nodded, his eyes on her now. "On that, we agree."

"Harry told me that he broke his nose, but I don't know if it was enough to keep Macmillan away from Theo."

"Blaise and I are going to shadow him more closely," Malfoy told her, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "We're not going to give him a chance to be alone outside of Slytherin and maybe that will deter it from happening."

"If he is hurting him, I want him punished."

"Looking for vengeance, interesting," Malfoy drawled, leaning against the wall of the compartment. "What did you have in mind?"

Ginny stared at him. "I didn't say that I wanted vengeance. I just don't want him hurting Theo anymore. I want to make sure that he's protected _from him_. We both know how capable Theo is of defending himself, yet he lets Macmillan hurt him, and I don't know why. Why _isn't_ he fighting back? Something else is going on, Malfoy."

Malfoy crossed his arms in front of his chest again and grinned, making his pointy face look surprisingly handsome. "Maybe it's not. Maybe Theo really is just role playing with the git. He can protect and defend himself just fine."

"But he's not," Ginny hissed angrily.

"Protected and defended… you think we should do it for him? Is that what you're saying?"

"I think that we need to make sure he doesn't get hurt again," Ginny told him. "Stop the chance of it happening again."

Malfoy stared at her for a moment. "Would you dare to take that arse on if the opportunity arose?"

"Dangerous words to say to a Weasley, Malfoy. We don't back down from dares easily."

He snorted. "I'll be doing my best to protect and defend him, Weasley — I can promise you that. When he's with you, I'll expect the same. Deal?"

Ginny's eyes met his as she extended her hand to him. "For Theo."

Draco stared at her hand before he accepted it. "For Theo."

Ginny just hoped that they were able to keep him safe because if the opportunity arose for her to defend her friend - she wouldn't hesitate one minute in hexing that prick until he was a puddle on the ground. No, she wouldn't hesitate one bit.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville made their way down to see Hagrid at the end of their first week back.** Hagrid was more than happy to see them and eagerly invited them inside for tea, asking about their holiday. Hermione told him how she had a nice quiet Christmas with her family, how her grandparents had her play a piano performance, how she and her parents watched the firework display in London to welcome in the new year, and how she was anxious for her house elf legislation to get presented to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

Neville talked about how he and his grandmother had visited his parents and then how he had practiced duelling against his grandmother and lost every time. Ron explained that his dad was doing better since the snake attack and how he had played Quidditch outside with his family. Harry told him all about Moscow and his travels throughout the Potter Estate holdings.

Hagrid listened attentively, offering them fresh chocolate chip biscuits and rock cakes along with their tea. He scratched his scraggly beard before he spoke.

"I did get yer letter 'Arry, 'bout takin' th' CRAWLS."

"We thought that it would be good for you," Harry said.

"And what do you think, Hagrid?" Neville asked him. "It would definitely get Umbridge off your back and make it so that no one could question your ability to teach the subject."

Hermione nodded. "Newt Scamander made it so that education was not required to pass the test. It's all about your knowledge of how to care for magical creatures, not school testing."

"And we already know that you're great at that," Harry interjected.

Hagrid beamed at them. "I think that it sounds like a great idea."

Ron's eyebrow rose. "Really? Great!"

Hagrid nodded. "Dumbledor' agreed an' has a magizoologist comin' out ter test me next week."

"That's great, Hagrid," Harry exclaimed. "You'll do brilliant!"

"You four are always lookin' out fer me," he said brightly.

Harry grinned at him. Hagrid was one of the kindest people he had ever met. He deserved this. And he would be lying to himself if he wasn't also looking forward to rubbing the results in Umbitch's face if she went after Hagrid again.

He just wished that he could do something to help the other professors as well.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny met with Draco again soon after classes began.** They had agreed to meet before lunch in one of the study halls on the second floor to see if either of them had managed to get Theo to talk to them. He closed the door behind him when he came in, and Ginny crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Has he said anything to you?"

"Not a word," Draco admitted. "Blaise and I have barely left him alone. A few times Macmillan's been nearby, but he hasn't tried to approach him or anything. Blaise thinks that maybe Potter's muggle duelling tactics scared him off."

"Well, that's a small plus," Ginny told him. "Every time I see his pompous face I resist the urge to pick up my wand."

"You and me both," Draco said hotly. "I heard a rumour that you cast Bat Bogeys from Corner's prick last year; is that true?"

Ginny only raised an eyebrow. "Maybe."

Draco moved to take a seat in the chair across from her. "Well, since it seems Macmillan's prick is the main problem here, why don't we team up to do something about that?"

"About his prick?" Ginny asked apprehensively.

Draco nodded. "Among other things. I don't know if you know this, Weasley, but a man's cock is his most precious limb - and a prick like Ernie? Oh, he's extra proud of his little cock."

Ginny stared at him. "I made bogeys travel through Michael's blood stream and emerge from the head of his penis in flying bats that attacked him."

"Painful?"

"You tell me."

Draco's hands automatically rested over his crotch. "It's a start."

Ginny stared at him. "As much fun as that sounds, it's not my style to plot revenge on people. I'm not going to needlessly hex someone out of the blue, even if they deserve it. I pranked Vane for what she did to Harry last year and that was far enough."

"Afraid?"

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. "Gryffindors aren't cowards, Malfoy. I don't attack when someone's back is turned."

Draco's face flushed. "I thought that you wanted to defend Theo."

"I do," she said carefully. "But I'm not going to go around attacking people in the meantime. Defend and attack are two very different things. Harry broke Macmillan's nose and it seems to have deterred him. Let's just keep our eyes on him and maybe Theo will tell us the truth."

Draco stood up, tucking the chair back under the table. "Letting your boy-toy fight your battles. Some Gryffindor."

Ginny glared at him and bit her tongue as he turned to leave. She did not let Harry fight her battles for her. This was Theo's battle and as much as she wanted to jump in and curse Macmillan with every vile curse known to man, she understood his need to handle it himself. She wasn't going to let Malfoy pressure her into attacking the prefect, but if the opportunity arose, she couldn't say with absolute certainty that her wand would stay locked in her holster either.

She bit her lip as she dipped her quill in her bottle green ink. Of course, she could always break his nose with her fist as well. Not that she would, unless he prompted her to. All she knew was that he had better not hurt Theo again or else she wasn't sure if she could keep that promise.

~ ASC ~

 **Theo opened the letter from Smith at breakfast and his smile faded.**

 _Dear Theo,_

 _Due to a scheduling conflict, Praetor Samuels has had to move our meeting back to Monday, the 29th of January, at twelve sharp. This is nothing for you to worry about. It was an error in his schedule and nothing more._

 _I would still like to meet with you in Hogsmeade on the twenty-first to discuss our plan and what is expected from you. In the meantime, I will be meeting with Praetor Samuels to go over your case and I might have more news for you when we meet. Write back when you can._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Franklin M. Smith_

 _Smith & Davis_

Theo crumpled up the letter in his hand as Blaise put a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright, mate?"

He nodded, looking over at his friend. "Yeah. My appointment with the praetor was changed until the end of the month. It's just frustrating. I thought that by the Hogsmeade trip it would all be over — but now I have to wait another two and a half weeks."

"I get it," Blaise said. "But it's still happening, Theo, and that's what's important."

Theo knew that, but it still made him angry. Morrigan landed in front of him, and the sight of the owl calmed him a little as he reached for the letter.

 _Dear Theo,_

 _Ciara spent the holiday talking all about you. The more she spoke about your loyalty to your friends and your kindness, the more I thought about what you asked me a few weeks ago. I know that I already told you my thoughts on your friend's situation, but I have thought about it some more, and would like to speak of it again. It sounds to me like your friend is very much trapped between a rock and a hard place. This demon who is blackmailing him and forcing him to do something against his will, must be punished for his crimes._ _No one_ _should be forced to do something against their will, no matter how small._

 _I have heard back from your lawyer thanking me for my letter. I was honoured to write it. You have been nothing but kind to my niece, and writing to you is very enjoyable for me. Tell me about your holiday. Did you have a tree? We put a large one up in the throne room and decorated it with dancing balls of light surrounding the walls with smaller trees. We danced all evening in the throne room in a grand Yule Ball. It was lovely._

 _I hope yours was the same, and please let me know if there is anything else that I can help you or your lawyer with in terms of your legal battle. I think that I can say with certainty that you are a good friend and I would be honoured to help you in any way that I can._

 _Finn_

Theo read the letter a second time, feeling reassured by the words. It was the second time that Finn had brought up the blackmail, and his stomach clenched nervously at the thought. He had written to the fairy prince, not thinking as the words tumbled out of him - tumbled out to a stranger, someone who didn't quite know him, and someone who wouldn't know the truth behind his words. But Finn's advice was the same: Get out. His fists balled at his side. He would get out, he promised himself; he just needed a few more weeks.

The twenty-ninth couldn't come soon enough.

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius headed to Remus' office where he was scheduled to meet Fred and George.** They had written him asking to meet claiming that they had something important to talk to him about. He showed the letter to Zee and told her that he assumed it was something joke shop related, but now he wasn't so sure. Wouldn't they have just put that in the letter?

He shrugged, letting himself inside. He smiled at the twins who were sitting across from Remus.

"Hi Weasleys, Moony," he said, closing the door behind him.

Remus stood up. "Padfoot. I'll let you three talk. I'll be in the staff room if you need me."

Sirius nodded as his friend left. He moved into Remus' vacant chair and turned his attention to Fred and George. He noticed that George was growing a bit of a beard, distinguishing the two men, as Fred remained cleanly shaven.

"What can I do for you two?"

Fred cleared his throat. "Remember that space we were looking at in Diagon Alley?"

"Yeah. You said that it looked great and that you were going to check it out a second time?"

Fred nodded. "It is great. But we want something bigger. The owner agreed to rent us the entire building - all three levels, plus a back office, a sizeable workshop, and storage area in the basement."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. "That can't come cheap. "

George shook his head. "No, but we can afford it. We had enough to put a down payment now and the space is ours as of the first of February."

"Congrats!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yeah," George replied. "We're pretty pleased with it, but the thing is, the rent is steep. We know that we can handle it once we get business rolling in, just by what we've already sold here."

"Do you need a loan?"

Fred shook his head. "Absolutely not! You've already gone above and beyond what we ever could have asked of you, Sirius. We're ready to get started. We have enough product made to last us through the first two months of business. We asked you here today to let you know of our plans and because we want to formally cut you in."

George passed the parchment across the table. "This lists you and Harry as our silent partners. Harry made us cut him down to five percent, but we won't let you do the same. Ten percent is yours."

"That's very generous of you, but —"

" — No," Fred interrupted. "It's yours. We won't take no for an answer. With as much as you've helped us get our feet off the ground, it's yours."

"Thank you," Sirius said sincerely. "But I haven't done anything other than help set you up at Gringotts _._ You two have done all of the hard work. I think that you're going to be incredibly successful businessmen."

"We hope so," George told him.

"So you'll open shop… when do you think? Did you talk to McGonagall about leaving on the weekends?"

Fred and George shared a look. "We'll get there. Promise you won't say anything?"

Sirius looked hesitant, but then he nodded. "Not my secret to share. But if you two need anything please let me know."

"We will," Fred told him. "We have a new invention that we'd like to show you."

"I'm intrigued," Sirius said.

George opened the box he held and passed it across to him. "Don't take it out — it's not small."

"A portable swamp?" Sirius read in amazement as he looked at the colourful packaging.

Fred grinned. "It's a fifteen by fifteen swamp. It's full of smells, creatures, and swamp plant life than can be placed anywhere at any time. The magic of the swamp holds everything inside and essentially works as a roadblock."

"We were thinking of putting it at the top of the stairs leading to Umbridge's office."

"Wouldn't a vanishing charm just get rid of it?"

Fred shook his head. "Oh no! If you vanish it, the size of the swamp doubles."

"And if you try to remove it, the smell gets stronger."

"If you try to levitate it, it bubbles and boils over."

"And if you try a combination of any of the three, the animals escape and leave mini swamps wherever they escape to."

Sirius laughed. "Ingenious!"

"We've been putting nifflers in Umbitch's office, as they terrify her. We're trying to steal all of her jewellery just for shits and giggles," George explained. "We swapped her tea cup at breakfast to a nose-biting one."

"She's been slipped all of our sick-inducing candies since before the holiday."

"And every time someone is called to her office for any reason, they buy a prank item from us first. She's been turned into a canary multiple times and had uncontrollable nose bleeds."

"It's been an endless stream of rotten luck really," Fred said sadly.

Sirius chuckled. "Rather unfortunate indeed."

Fred nodded, scratching his hand; Sirius frowned.

"What's that on your hand?"

Fred held it up to show him. Cut into his hand in a choppy writing it said: _I must not pull filthy tricks_. "Umbridge caught us sneaking canary creams into her dessert stash. She made us write lines with this quill and it cut open the backs of our hands."

Sirius grabbed both of their hands to examine the writing. "This is dark magic. Did you go to the hospital wing?"

George shook his head. "No, it just happened yesterday. We have some stuff we've been using. We've also invented an entire line of first aid items just because we need them for the injuries we sustain during product testing."

Sirius nodded absently, but his mind was already going into overdrive. A quill that forced someone to write in their own blood? How was that possible? It sounded like dark magic to him, and he didn't like it one bit. If she _was_ using dark magic on the students, she wouldn't just get fired - she'd be arrested. She couldn't actually be _that_ stupid, could she?

"Writing with a quill that cut open your hands? That's a jinx of some kind and definitely very dangerous. You can't let her do that again," Sirius insisted.

Fred nodded. "She got sick pleasure out of watching it. George and I stayed and wrote our fifty lines, but then we filled the bottom draws of her desk with fireworks."

"She hasn't figured it out yet because, trust me, our fireworks are good; the _whole school_ will know the moment she opens that desk."

"But we figure she rarely goes into the bottom drawer, so it could be a while."

"You two are bloody brilliant," Sirius said honestly. "But that quill is a serious thing! You two are of age, which doesn't make it okay, but _if_ she is using this on children, we have a serious problem."

"When is your meeting with that education bloke?" Fred asked him.

"Not until the last day of the month," Sirius replied. "But you can rest assure that I will be looking into this immediately. Get Pomfrey to look at your hands and make sure it won't scar. Dark magic is tricky like that. Has she made anyone else write lines?"

Fred shook his head. "No, we were the first. She was rather proud to show us her quill. She told us that we were the first ones to have the privilege of seeing how it worked."

"And she hasn't assigned anyone else detention," George explained.

Sirius nodded. "I suppose that's something. I'm going to look into this. Keep a close eye on her. If anyone else has detention with her, tell McGonagall."

George nodded. "We will. In the meantime, we'd like to start moving our finished product out of Number Twelve and into our new shop. The owner said that we can start storing things as of next week, but it's not ours until the first."

"Anything you need. I'll have Kreacher help."

"Thanks, Sirius."

"Yeah, thanks for everything," Fred said.

"Have you told your parents yet?"

They exchanged looks.

"Not in so many words, but Dad kind of knows," George told him. "Mum is just Mum. Once she sees the shop, she'll come 'round."

Sirius nodded. He had a feeling that they were right about that and he knew that Molly and Arthur were going to be incredibly proud of their sons when they realized what businessmen they had raised. Anyone could see that they were brilliant and that this venture of theirs was going to be extremely successful. He was just honoured that he could help them in any way at all.

~ ASC ~

 **Hermione hurried out of the castle, tugging her scarf closer around her neck.** She had gotten distracted in the library and was now dangerously close to being late for Care of Magical Creatures. She was running down the hill when she tripped and went flying over a root. She braced herself to hit the ground and gasped in surprise when strong arms gripped her from behind, tugging her back against their warm body.

"Hey, careful there!" Ron exclaimed, his hand on her waist as he steadied her.

"Thanks," she said gratefully as she regained her balance. "What are you doing? We're going to be late!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "I was looking for you, Miss I Can Never Be Late To Anything Ever Or The Entire World As We Know It Will Implode!"

Hermione stared at him. "Being tardy is just rude."

Ron grinned and linked her arm through his. "Let's head down the hill a bit more slowly, yeah? Being tardy is much better than breaking your neck because you tried to run down recklessly."

"I wasn't being reckless!" Hermione insisted, tugging her arm away so quickly that she stumbled again. Ron's arm returned to her waist, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"What's with you?" he asked her, reluctantly letting her go. "You've been clumsy all day! You spilled your cereal at breakfast, and you knocked your ink pot over twice in History of Magic."

Hermione pushed her hair out of her eyes as the wind blew it haphazardly around her face. "I'm nervous. I can't stop thinking about how they're going to react!"

"How who are — oh, right!" he said, sneaking a look over at her. "Zee's presenting your legislation today to her department."

Hermione nodded, biting her bottom lip. "What if they hate it?"

Ron hesitated before he spoke, grabbing her elbow to steer her away from the root sticking up through the light snow. "Some of them might, yeah. It's a lot of change that you're asking for, and it's not just about bringing the Ministry on board, but the house elves, too. I think that a lot of them are going to love it, Mione. It's well researched and thoughtful, and you are trying to bring good changes to the world."

"Really?"

"I still think that you're a little mad, of course," he said, making her grin. "But yeah, really."

She stumbled again and his arm snaked out around her waist; the sensation made her stomach clench nervously as warmth radiated through her. She'd spent a great deal of time over the holiday thinking about Ron and that kiss. She'd been trying to put it behind her, but the warmth that Ron always had drew her in. He could be so caring and sweet sometimes, and Hermione loved that about him. As a friend of course, she told herself.

"Look, I know telling you not to be nervous isn't going to do anything - but don't be nervous. These things never happen overnight and as soon as the meeting is over, Zee will send you an owl. For now, let's get to class and you pay attention to not tripping over everything. Okay?"

Hermione nodded, letting him steer her onto the beaten path. "I can do that."

"Good," Ron said as they approached Hagrid's hut where Neville was waving at them.

Hermione smiled. "Hi Neville."

"Hermione, Ron. Thought that you might have gotten lost in the library."

"Only for a second or two," she said, making him laugh.

The three of them hurried over to where Seamus and Dean were standing just in time for Hagrid to start the class. Hermione thought that Ron had a good point. Even if they loved it, nothing was going to happen overnight. These things took time, and like Carthaginian had said in class before the holiday, change had to work its way up. One voice may get the ball rolling, but it still took a while to steer the ball in the right direction. If today wasn't the day, they'd try again, because Hermione knew one thing: She wasn't giving up.

~ ASC ~

 **George headed up to McGonagall's office that afternoon, a determined skip in his step.** He was just about to knock on her door when he heard her voice raised in anger.

"How _dare you_ accuse me of such things! My relationship with Sirius Black is _none of_ your business!"

"He was your student, Minerva," the falsely sweet voice answered through the door as George moved closer.

The response was muffled so he reached into his pocket for an Extendable Ear, something that he and George had recently invented to try to hear more about the Order of the Phoenix from Percy and their parents, so far they hadn't gotten much, but the ears were still a great concept. He slipped the ear under the door and the voices became as clear as if they were standing before him.

"Sirius Black is a respected member of the Wizengamot and of the Hogwarts Board of Governors; if he is looking into you, Dolores, it's for a good reason."

"You put him up to it! I am doing nothing but good work here!"

" _Are you_?" McGonagall's replied coldly.

"You are the Deputy Headmistress! It is your job to assist me as needed!"

"I don't believe it is my job, no," she responded. "Weren't you just telling me yesterday afternoon that it is my job to teach Transfiguration, and that I have absolutely _no business doing or assisting in anything not related to my subject?_ "

"Well, I —"

"— So, no, I am not sure how I could help you, unless of course, it is related to the subject of Transfiguration."

Umbridge huffed. "Someone is playing pranks on me, and I strongly suspect the Weasley twins."

"Have you any proof?"

"No, I don't have proof — but they _have_ to be behind it!"

"Even if they are, without proof, I can't help you."

"They turned me into a canary!"

McGonagall's silence was deafening.

"I got better."

"Dolores, you are here to inspect our classes and how well we teach the curriculum. Our personal lives are _not_ your concern, nor your business. I suggest you stick to your task at hand. However, as Deputy Headmistress, I am declaring that _you_ are no longer permitted to give students detention. If you feel they deserve it, assign them detention, and send them to me."

"But the Weasley twins are putting nifflers in my office!"

"Where would they even get nifflers?"

"From Professor Hagrid!" Umbridge exclaimed.

"So now you are accusing a professor of helping them?"

"I never said that he was involved, only that he has nifflers…"

"Dolores, again, unless you have proof, I won't allow you to continue to give them detention. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some marking to do for my NEWT students."

George moved away from the door just in time as Umbridge stormed out of the office.

McGonagall saw him standing near the door and raised her eyebrow. "Can I help you, Mr Weasley?"

He carefully tugged the flesh-like string back into his pocket as he walked into her office. "Actually, I was hoping that we could help each other?"

McGonagall's eyebrow rose higher. "Really?"

George nodded, closing her office door behind him. "No one likes that woman, that much is clear. Her inspections are complete bullshit and we all know it."

McGonagall gestured for him to take a seat. "Your point can be made without swearing, thank you. As to the Department of Education, they sent Madam Umbridge and Madam Raffigan here to inspect the new classes along with the old ones to make sure that Hogwarts is up to date when it comes to teaching educational standards. They have every right to be here and to be doing so."

"Well, Raffigan is now the professor of History of Magic so her inspections are out, leaving that foul woman who is too much of a bigot to look seriously into the educational standards," George declared.

McGonagall tapped her fingers on her desk. "What are you proposing, Mr Weasley? We both know that you and your brother are behind the unfortunate incidents that seem to keep befalling Madam Umbridge."

"Are we? I don't recall…"

At her look, he grinned.

"Professor, Fred and I finish school in a few months, and we plan to open a joke shop. I don't think that this is a surprise to you. We've rented a location in Diagon Alley and we plan to be spending our weekends there getting things together. I know that we don't expressly need your permission to go as we are of age, but I thought that you should be informed nevertheless."

"I'm glad to hear it. You both will be very successful, but you also know that most of your products will be banned from this school," she said sternly, making George smirk.

"And you know that when you ban it, our business doubles."

McGonagall huffed and he grinned.

"Umbridge is a problem, Professor, and I know that Sirius Black and the Board of Governors are working to get her out of this school, but I want to propose to you that you might turn a blind eye to some of the stuff that may happen to her in the meantime."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow again. "I cannot in good conscience allow you to play tricks on her, George Weasley."

George shrugged. "Like you said to Madam Umbridge, Professor: You need proof." At her look, he continued. "Fred and I will be signing out every Friday after dinner and won't be returning to the school until Sunday night." He passed her a business card prototype. "Here's where we'll be if you need us."

"Very well," McGonagall told him. "But if I do find proof, you will still be punished."

George grinned. "Only if we get caught."

McGonagall's eyes twinkled at him as she pursed her lips. "Good day, Mr Weasley."

He whistled as he left her office and crashed directly into someone as he turned the corner. He threw his arms out to steady them, but the whiff of citrus and coconut made him freeze.

"Angelina?"

"George! Merlin, you scared me!"

He grinned. "It's Fred, actually."

Angelina only looked him up and down. "Nice try, George."

"How do you always know?" he asked, genuinely curious. "No one else can ever tell us apart aside from Ginny, and usually only our parents if they look close enough."

"You _do_ have a beard now," she pointed out.

George ran his hand over the soft red fur on his face. He'd only had it for about a week and often forgot about it. "Oh, right."

Angelina smiled. "But you also have a crooked smile and this tiny scar over your right eyebrow from where that Bludger hit you when we were twelve."

He ran his hand over the scar; he'd forgotten it was there. It was barely noticeable. "I guess. You can hardly see it."

Angelina only shrugged. "Where are you coming from?"

"McGonagall's office. I heard Umbitch saying inappropriate things to her."

Angelina shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "That woman has to go! This morning she told me that it looked like I had snakes in my hair."

George frowned, reaching out to tug on one of the long braids. "I like the red and gold beads at the end. How do you make it so intricate on the top of your head like that?"

"Looking for hair tips?"

George tossed his head back; his shaggy red hair fell into his eyes. "Think I could pull it off?"

"No," she said on a strangled laugh. "Did you tell McGonagall that you and Fred got the location?"

He nodded, smiling when she hooked her arm through his. "I did. We're of age, so us telling her that we're leaving school on the weekend is more of a courtesy than anything; and as long we're here for classes, there's nothing that she can do about it. I think that she's pleased, though. She told me that all of our products will be banned at Hogwarts."

"Seems fair," Angelina told him. "They aren't exactly distraction free."

George ran his free hand over his chin. "I'm not sure if I like this. I just wanted to see if I could grow one, to be honest."

Angelina reached up to stroke his chin, wrinkling her nose. "It's prickly."

"Yeah, I think I'll shave it off before bed tonight."

"George?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you plotting?"

His slow smile only made her eyebrow rise. "Plotting? Why would you think I was plotting something?"

"Oh, I don't know… seven years of knowing you, maybe?"

"Let's just say that I'm tired of listening to Umbridge talk to people like they are beneath her. Fred and I don't need to be here, Angie. We have our careers just waiting for us…"

"You're not going to leave?" she asked in surprise. "George, we only have a few months left of school."

He shrugged. "We'll see how the next little while goes. After all, there's nothing here to give me a reason to stay."

He stepped through the portrait hole, missing the look of anguish that crossed Angelina's face at his words.

~ ASC ~

 **Hermione opened the letter from Zee during dinner that evening, turning to her friends as her eyes flew across the parchmen** t.

Harry reached for his pumpkin juice to take a drink before he spoke. "So, what does Zee have to say? How did it go?"

Hermione's eyes continued to roam the parchment before she read it aloud.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _As you know, yesterday was the departmental meeting where I was planning to share your proposal. I presented it to my department and there were many mixed reactions. Some people thought it was brilliant and about time someone decided to try to change things and others… well, they think it's complete rubbish. The thing is, it got everyone thinking, and that I think is the most promising start._

 _The Office for House-Elf Relocation and the Being Division were particularly interested in the idea of hiring a house elf to represent the house elves, and it sparked a lively debate between the departments. As of right now, nothing is being done to make your legislation a reality, but the word is out there and I am going to work as hard as I can to make sure that the word stays on the list of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. We'll be having another meeting at the beginning of March and both the Being Division as well as the OHER have made plans to further discuss the proposal among themselves. They will bring it up at the next meeting._

 _This is all a good sign, Hermione._

 _These things take time to implement, and if I'm honest, I think the place we are most likely to get our start, is with the promotion of a house elf representative. I'd like to start there, and it's what I'm going to press for. Maybe even two or three house elves who can work together in the Being Division to establish order and rules. We're going to take it one step at a time and move from there._

 _Your work was excellent, and when I explained that the work was that of a sixteen-year-old Hogwarts student, people were impressed. In fact, the department head was extremely interested in your work, and made note to potentially discuss a career in the Ministry with you after you sit your OWLs. If that is something that you might be interested in, we can discuss it come September. Amazing work, Hermione. Thank you for letting me be part of it._

 _I'll let you know how it goes._

 _Zee_

Hermione was grinning from ear to ear as she clutched the letter to her chest. "Oh my! The Head of the Department is interested in me! _Me!_ "

Ron grinned at her. "Of course they're interested in you! Who wouldn't be, with a brain like yours?"

Her cheeks flushed at his comment as Ginny leaned in to hug her. "They actually listened!"

"Zee is quite persuasive," Harry told her. "She would have made them listen. That's great news, Hermione! Really, it is. You should be proud of yourself."

Hermione stared down at the letter again in awe. Her legislation was being discussed in the Ministry of Magic! _Hers!_ It was more than she ever could have dreamed of. She clutched the letter tighter in her hand as she looked up at her friends.

"Save me some food, I have to go tell Mum and Dad!"

Ron only shook his head as she ran from the Great Hall, the letter still clutched tightly in her fist. "You think she could at least eat first."

Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother. "She's too excited, and she should be. She's the brightest witch of her age and the Ministry of Magic is potentially looking to recruit her for a job. That's incredible! Her parents are going to be so proud of her."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Hermione's passionate enough to make real change happen if she wants to."

Ron stared after her for a moment before he caught himself. "If anyone's going to change the world, it will be her."

"Speaking of careers," Neville said, helping himself to a chicken breast from the platter on the table. "Did you see we're all scheduled to start career advice with McGonagall this week?"

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Career advice? I heard that. Blimey, I don't know what I want to do!"

Neville shrugged. "McGonagall has pamphlets that she's supposed to be handing out in class to give us some ideas."

"Well, easy for you, Nev. We all know that you're going to write your PLANTS and be an Herbologist," Ron told him.

Neville flushed. "Maybe… I mean, I don't really know, do I?"

Ginny turned to look at Harry. "You still want to play Quidditch?"

"Sure. I mean, it would be brilliant," he admitted. "But it's not exactly easy to get into the leagues professionally. Wood's still on a reserve team. I should have a backup plan, right?"

Ginny squeezed his hand. "It's your future, Harry. You can do whatever you want."

He knew her words had truth in them, but it was more of a scary thought than he wanted to think about.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _DISCLAIMER: That is a little parody from Monty Python and the Holy Grail as well — I couldn't resist._

 _I promise to be back in the new year after the crazy business of the Christmas holidays with a new chapter for you all. Thank you for reading and please review!_


	208. Chapter 208

_Author's Note:_

 _Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday and is welcoming in the new year with a positive attitude and mindset! I am trying my best to do so!_

 _Reviews: Love how worried about Theo and Zee's family everyone is! I will say this — I finished writing fifth year last week and my Beta has all of the chapters ready to go! I can't say anything else on the subject. To Clupeidae: I always thought it was weird they stood watch alone as well and of course Theo got a Weasley sweater! To aNa_5stars: Thank you! That means a lot! To LoveNCIS: I think this is the longest story and I honestly have no idea when it will end so I'm glad you're still reading! To supersandman86: Unfortunately there will not be a trojan rabbit, though you're right, that does have the Weasley twins written all over it! To Wolf's scream: I think Ron is more mature in this story as he's already seen some things a lot darker than he had in the books._

 _To Leaf Ranger: I did put George with Katie and Fred with Angelina in my Beginning Series, but I also had 90% of that series completed (except for the final 2 or 3 chapters of A New Beginning) done before Deathly Hallows was released so some of my ideas change. To FlyMaster.a03: Of course Ginny still has the stuffed dog animal Harry gave her for fifth birthday!_

 _So glad everyone enjoyed my little Monty Python reference thrown in there!_

 _Thank you to everyone for your kind words and show of support!_

 _Thank you to Dusk for her amazing editing skills._

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND EIGHT:**

 **Sirius stepped into his home later on that evening and gratefully kicked off his boots.** He'd spent three and a half hours with the Board of Governors discussing the role of the Department of Education's inspections. His head was pounding. His feet hurt. And he still hadn't come to any sort of conclusion about the engravings on the twins' hands. It had been four days since his meeting with them and yet he hadn't told a soul about it.

He rubbed his knuckles over his eyes as Zee came down the stairs in red flannel pyjama pants and a matching button-down, long-sleeved collared flannel top. Her feet were bare and her toes freshly painted in a bright red that matched her pyjamas; the thought that she would match her toes to her pjs made him smile.

"Hi, love."

Zee stood on her toes to kiss him softly. "Late one?"

"Yeah," he said, tossing his cloak onto the coat stand. "Babe, if I think someone is using dark magic, but I don't have proof of it, how can I bring it up as an issue?"

Zee's brow furrowed. "Who is using dark magic?"

Sirius sighed as he headed into the kitchen, pleased to find a plate covered with a warming charm for him. "Oh, food, bless you!" He carefully unwrapped it, placing it on the kitchen table, and went to find utensils. "When I met with Fred and George the other day, there was something that I left out."

"Oh?" she asked, taking a seat across from him.

He explained what he saw on their hands and how they had described it as a quill that took their blood.

"Blood magic is often considered to be dark, but we both know that's not entirely true. We use blood magic as part of our security wards and the government uses blood magic with the Sovereign Chalice," Zee told him.

"But writing in your own blood… that's something else entirely," Sirius replied.

"On that, I agree."

"Fred and George insisted that they were the only ones she had made write with it, but I can't imagine it will stay that way. But the thing is, I would have to prove that she has it. That could be difficult when I don't understand what it is she is using exactly. They told me that it was a self-inking quill."

"That is interesting," Zee said, tapping her red fingernails on the table. "Did you say anything to Minerva?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to figure out what I was dealing with first, but it's been four days and I still have no bloody idea."

"What are the governors saying?"

"They agree with me that her questions and inspections into the professors themselves are unfounded and uncalled for. Dumbledore's insistence at keeping Sybil Trelawney as part of his staff put her in quite the rage, from what I understand. The Department agreed with Dumbledore and told Umbitch that she doesn't have the right to fire any of the professors without his consent. If there is an issue that she sees as a problem, she's supposed to bring it directly to Dumbledore before going to Richardson; however, she doesn't need Dumbledore's approval before bringing her concerns to Richardson himself."

"How is Richardson feeling about all of this?"

Sirius finished his dinner and leaned back in his chair. "I heard that he gets weekly reports, but he hasn't spoken to the board yet. My meeting with him is still two weeks away. It's this quill that's bothering me… I need to know more about it - but I'm worried that if I accuse her without the proper evidence, it will backfire on me, and we'll never be rid of her. While at the same time, if she uses it on one of the younger students and I had prior knowledge of her doing something like it…"

"Aren't Fred and George's hands enough proof?"

"Sadly, no," Sirius said. "I mentioned it in passing to Augusta, and she said that while physical punishment is frowned upon, it's never been formally outlawed by the Ministry of Magic as a disciplinary tactic in the education system. So unless I can prove that it is one hundred percent dark magic and not an old disciplinary tactic, she can argue that it was simply discipline."

"That's bullshit," Zee told him.

"Agreed. I don't know what to do about it."

"And the Board?"

"They don't like her either, but without word from Richardson, we're stuck."

He picked up his plate, brought it to the sink, and waved his wand so that the sink filled with soapy water and began to wash his dishes. He leaned back against the counter to look at her.

"No wonder I have a headache. Thank you for that Shepherd's Pie; it was incredible."

"Of course," she said. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

Sirius shook his head. "Right now, I just want to think about honestly anything else. How'd the meeting go today?"

"Quite brilliantly I think," she said with a smile. She quickly filled him in on what she had written to Hermione. "I think that she has a job lined up when she finishes school."

"Good for her," Sirius said honestly. "She's a bright witch and she cares a lot about doing good. We need more people like that in the Ministry. Not to mention that they are scheduled to start career advice this week. Harry said that he hasn't really put much thought into it, but I think your father has made him think Auror."

Zee moved to wrap her arms around him, tilting her head back to look up at him. "Papa would never say it if he didn't think he'd be good at it."

Sirius sighed. "He'd make a damn good Auror; Moody's said it to me once or twice after helping out in Defence Club. But it's Harry's choice, and I know that he'd like to play Quidditch as well. Hell, with the Potter name, he doesn't even have to find a career if he doesn't want to."

"But you should encourage him to. He should have something to do that he loves."

Sirius reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Agreed. So… new pjs?"

She chuckled, stepping back to turn in a circle. "I bought them with Tonks when we went shopping before the holiday. We went lingerie shopping and I've been waiting to model this for you."

His eyebrows rose in amusement. "Is that the style of lingerie fashion in Russia? Comfy and cozy?"

"Maybe," she said with a grin. "Do you like them?"

"You always look sexy as hell."

"Yeah?"

He bent his head to kiss her neck. "You could wear garbage and you'd be still the sexiest woman in the world."

Zee linked her hands behind his back. "Flatterer."

"Really, I like this. It's very cosy and it will keep you warm. Did Tonks buy the same?"

"She says that she sleeps next to a personal heater."

"True," Sirius said. "Remus _is_ his own warming charm. Harry used to burrow against him in his sleep and then, about an hour or so later, he'd crawl over to me because he was so hot. Tonks definitely doesn't want to sleep in flannel." He flipped his finger under the collar. "Worried that I won't keep you warm at night?"

Zee grinned. "Not at all." She put her arms around his neck again. "Why don't you take me upstairs and I'll model the new bathrobe I bought as well?"

He chuckled and kissed her nose. "How about I take you upstairs and slowly undress you and then you can model that new bathrobe wearing nothing underneath? Can we do that?"

"I don't know," she said with a seductive smile. "Depends on what you're going to do once you get me undressed."

He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. "I was just going to go to sleep actually."

"Oh?" Zee said casually, turning out of his arms and heading towards the stairs. "Too bad. I guess I'll have to entertain myself."

His eyes darkened as he followed her up the stairs to their room, pinning her against the wall. "Now, wait a minute, you said that I could undress you."

She smirked. "If you're only going to tease me, these flannel pjs are staying on."

Sirius kissed her neck, his hips grinding deliciously against her; proving that he had been lying about planning to sleep. "I'm sure that I can drum up a little energy."

Zee smiled as he carefully unbuttoned her shirt. "It's okay, you can just lie there and let me do all the work."

"Oh really?" he said with a grin before his breath hitched. "Merlin," he whispered, his eyes moving over the red lace hearts that covered her nipples. A thin string tied around her neck, outlining her naked breasts with a red heart patched between the string. "Are you trying to make my heart stop?"

Zee smiled and hooked her fingers in the flannel pants. "I may have bought a few things when I went shopping. The knickers match, want to see?"

Sirius covered her hands with his. "You said that I could undress you."

He slid the pants down and ordered her to step out of them. She wore a matching red g-string and lace knickers with a transparent material that hung from the sides of the bra to cover her hips. She had matching red thigh-high stockings attached to garter clips that made him lick his lips. He slowly slid the shirt over her shoulders and down to the ground as his eyes slid over her fingers, which were teasing the strings that barely held the ensemble together.

"You're so fucking gorgeous," he murmured, his finger slipping under one of the strings. "I need you in this outfit, riding my new bike... I want to hang it on my wall."

"Oh, you think that I'm going to pose for pin-up photos now?"

"Too much?"

She smiled. "You can just use your imagination. I won't be posing for any photos."

His hand slid down her hip, over her thigh, unhitching the strap from her stocking. "How do you want it, love?"

"Hard and fast..."

Sirius slid his hands over her hips, gripping that bum in his hands. "Just the way I like it best."

Then he lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist and walked her back to the bed. She laughed as she fell, bouncing on the mattress and Sirius slid his hands over her thighs, kneeling before her. He lifted her left leg, tenderly kissing the scarred calf through the stocking, his eyes on her.

"Beautiful," he said as he planted soft kisses along her leg.

Zee's fingers slid into his hair. "Get up here."

His mouth travelled up her stomach, teasing her breasts through the bra. "Mmm, not yet."

She sighed as his lips trailed over her skin, down her ribs, and lower, his hot mouth kissing her through the lace. When his fingers slid under the lace and found her wet and wanting, he only grinned and stood. She bit her lip as he tugged his shirt off, dropping his black jeans to the floor and crawling onto the bed with her.

Sirius bent his head to kiss her and she reversed their positions, straddling him, and then she reached down, pulled her knickers aside and took him into that glorious wet heat. His hands rested on her hips as she rode him before he sat up, tugging her closer and sliding a hand down to cup her bum while the other fondled the heart-covered nipple. Zee tossed her head back and his lips found her neck.

"Sirius," she panted.

He flipped her beneath him, pinning her arms above her head and moving his thumb over her as he slowed his pace, his grey eyes on hers.

"I changed my mind," he whispered, his lips against her ear as he moved achingly slow above her.

"What?"

"I don't want it hard and fast," he said, kissing her throat.

Her eyes locked with his and she watched the intensity of his gaze as he unhooked her bra and tossed it aside. He pulled her knickers off, unhooking the straps and then slipping deeply into her until she felt that he was part of her. His thumbs stroked her nipples in slow, steady movements as he circled his hips, his eyes never leaving hers.

She trembled and as her orgasm built, he gripped her chin to make her look at him, and when she cried out, he swallowed her cries with his mouth before he followed her over the edge. He lay over her for a few moments, his heart pounding against hers. He kissed her cheek tenderly before he rolled her with him cradling her against his side, her hair in his face, as she traced the outline of his tattoos.

Zee tried to catch her own breath, pressing her lips to his naked chest. "I love you. I love you a little more every day, and it terrifies me sometimes."

"I can relate to that," he admitted, kissing her forehead. "I thought Fee and Monty were the best thing to happen to me, but then there was Harry, and now… I can't imagine not having you in my life, Zee."

Her fingers traced the lettering of Harry's name over his heart. "This summer, let's go away, just the three of us. Four, if Harry wants to bring Ginny. We'll go to Georgia again and walk along the beach. We'll get away from this darkness and this… war."

Sirius' hand continued to gently stroke her back. "As much as I'd love that, babe, we might not be able to get away. There's too much going on and we have so many Quaffles up in the air and not enough Chasers to keep track of them."

Zee kissed his chest. "We'll talk about it." She let her tongue trail over his nipple and along the edge of the moon chart. "Among other things."

His eyebrow rose at her words. "What other things?"

Zee only smiled. "Future things. _Us_ things." She slid her tongue lower, tracing the motorbike and the three stars before trailing back up to trace the words across his collarbone.

"Something you want to share now?"

Zee's tongue trailed lower again, circling his belly button. "Nope. As you said, there's a lot going on right now and there's no hurry. It can keep." She bent her head and licked below his navel, her tongue trailing over him and he trembled.

"Zahira…"

Her dark gaze met his before she took him in her mouth and he knew that whatever it was she wanted, he'd give it to her. He'd give her the world if she asked for it. She was his world and he couldn't imagine living a second without her in it.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry made his way to McGonagall's office the next afternoon for his scheduled appointment with her.** He still had no idea what he was going to say to her in terms of career advice. After hearing that Hermione might already have a potential job lined up in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the idea of choosing a career seemed even more daunting. He knew that technically he didn't have to work, especially after he had spent his time travelling to the Potter holdings over the holiday, but not working didn't seem like a good choice either. He remembered what Sirius had told him, about finding something he loved to do being just as important.

He took a seat across from McGonagall in her office and leaned back in the chair, staring at the wall behind her. It still surprised him to see some of his childhood drawings up there.

"Harry, as you know, this meeting is to talk over any career ideas you might have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into sixth and seventh years," McGonagall began, her eyes on him. "Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts? Outside of playing professional Quidditch, that is?"

Harry gave her a lopsided grin. "Is that one not acceptable?"

McGonagall gave him a rare smile. "You're an excellent Seeker, Harry. Your skill is amazing, and I convinced Dumbledore to bend the rules for you, letting you play in first year. We both know you have the talent there. This year as captain, you've grown as a player as well as a leader, and I think that if you wanted to make a career out of Quidditch; it would be plausible. There are often scouts who sit in the stands during games. However, as your Head of House, I feel that I should also advise you into choosing a career that is based off your academics."

"Well," Harry began. "I went to Moscow this Christmas and I spent some time practicing duelling with Papa. He told me that I would be a great Auror, that I have the kind of skill he looks for in recruits."

"You'd need top grades for that," McGonagall told him, tugging out a small, dark leaflet from under the mass on her desk and opening it. "They ask for a minimum of five NEWTs, and nothing under an 'Exceeds Expectations' grade, I see. Then you would be required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror office. It's a difficult career path, Harry; they only take the best. In fact, I don't think anybody has been taken on in the last three years."

Harry shrugged. "It was just a thought."

McGonagall nodded. "It's a good thought. I agree with Misha, I think you would make a wonderful Auror if that was truly what you wanted to do. You'll want to know which subjects you ought to take?"

"Defence Against the Dark Arts, I suppose?"

"Naturally," McGonagall said. "I would also advise Transfiguration, because Aurors frequently need to Transfigure or Untransfigure in their work. I do not accept students into my NEWT classes unless they have achieved 'Exceeds Expectations' or higher at Ordinary Wizarding Level. This term you've been bouncing between 'Outstanding' and 'Exceeds Expectations' so I expect you to keep that up; work hard and be ready for your exams. Then you ought to do Charms, always useful, and Potions. Yes, Harry, Potions," she added, with the merest flicker of a smile. "Poisons and antidotes are an essential study for Aurors and I must tell you that Professor Snape absolutely refuses to take students who get anything other than 'Outstanding' in their OWLs, so you will have to work a bit harder there. I know you've been pulling in 'Exceeds Expectations' and 'Acceptable' the last two years, but you'll need to do better to get into his class next term."

Harry nodded. "Will I need an 'Outstanding' in Charms as well?"

"Flitwick does insist on it, yes, but depending on the student, he does also accept 'Exceeds Expectations.' If you are serious in this ambition, I would advise you to concentrate hard on bringing your Transfiguration and Potions up to scratch. I see that Professor Flitwick has graded you between 'Exceeds Expectations' and 'Outstanding' for the last two years, so your Charm work shouldn't be a problem. As for Defence Against the Dark Arts, your marks have been high. Along with the work I've seen you do in Defence Club, I don't think that will be a class you'll have to be concerned with."

"What about Arithmancy and Ancient Runes?"

"Both are excellent classes and could prove useful as an Auror, but once you've achieved an OWL in them, they will not be necessary towards your program. You are free to continue them if you wish, of course, but the workload in your core classes will increase quite a bit over the next two years so I would take that into consideration. Any other questions, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry said . "What sort of character and aptitude tests do the Ministry do on you, if you get enough NEWTs? I remember Tonks had to go to a camp and for a second set of tests?"

"Indeed. As I said, they only take the best. You'll need to demonstrate the ability to react well to pressure and so forth," McGonagall explained. "That's something you always seem to handle well in Defence Club. Perseverance and dedication, because Auror training takes a further three years, not to mention very high skills in practical defence. It will mean a lot more study even after you've left school."

"I know, I remember how much work Tonks had to do."

"Auror Lupin has done very well for herself. She moved up to an A3 almost a full year before she was due. Kingsley considers her one of his elite. I would consider her an excellent role model," McGonagall told him.

Harry nodded and McGonagall watched him for a moment.

"You've been putting more thought into this than you've let on. Have you told Sirius that you're considering becoming an Auror?"

He shrugged. "No. It just… seemed like a good alternative. I'm going to be sixteen in July, Auntie Minnie, and we still have two more Horcruxes to find and destroy… this war isn't ending anytime soon. I want to be ready for anything. As fun as it would be to play professional Quidditch… I want to do something important."

McGonagall tapped her fingers on her desk, not speaking. The way she was looking at him made him want to squirm uncomfortably in her silence, but then her eyes softened. "That's a pretty good reason to become an Auror, Harry, but I want you to remember something. Just because You Know Who has decided to make you his enemy, doesn't mean it's on you to become his."

"But the prophecy —"

"— Is a prophecy, not your future. You defeated him and he disappeared. Now he's back and yes, he wants to kill you, but your involvement stops there. His war, his ideas, his actions, his followers… what they are doing and hoping to do over the coming months doesn't concern you outside of being part of the magical world."

"In the end, Auntie Minnie… it's going to be me and him. I can't let him win."

McGonagall nodded. "In the end, it might come down to you and him, but that doesn't mean that _if_ you ultimately face him, you will be facing him alone. Keep that in mind, Harry."

He nodded, clearing his throat. "So… the Auror thing…?"

She watched as Nyx stood up from her spot against the wall to rest her head on Harry's knee. "You work on Potions and Transfiguration, get your marks up to where I know they can be and then after your OWLs, we'll discuss your options for next term. Deal?"

He grinned. "Deal."

"And in the meantime, I will reach out to the Department of Magical Games and Sports and see about getting some scouts out here to check you out. You never know, you might end up with two excellent career options by the time you finish school."

Harry stroked Nyx behind the ears before he leaned into McGonagall's desk. "Sounds great, Auntie Minnie." He nodded towards the tin. "Now, can I have a biscuit?"

~ ASC ~

 **Harry found Ginny after dinner.** She was talking to Theo in the library where he was seated with Blaise and Draco as the three of them worked on their Transfiguration homework. Harry stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her back against him, making her smile.

"Hi, Harry," Theo said with a smile. "Worried we're trying to steal your woman?"

Harry only raised an eyebrow. "Should I be?"

Ginny turned her head to kiss his cheek. "Absolutely not."

Draco and Blaise rolled their eyes but pointedly ignored them as Ginny said goodbye to Theo, before she let Harry lead her out of the library.

"I have so much homework to do tonight," she admitted.

"Me too," Harry told her. "I missed Ancient Runes today because of my career advice appointment with McGonagall and I have two papers due tomorrow that I haven't even started."

"Oh, right - how did the career advice go?"

"All right, I think. I told her that I might want to be an Auror or a professional Quidditch player."

Ginny smiled at him, taking his hand in hers. "That doesn't surprise me, Mr Needs To Save The World."

Harry stuck his tongue out at her. "It's just a thought."

He tugged her behind a tapestry to kiss her softly.

"Homework," she said again as his lips found her neck.

"Absolutely. We'll work on it… together… in our tower room," he told her between kisses.

Ginny only nodded, but when they stumbled into the tower room and took a seat on the sofa, she was already crawling into his lap, their books lying forgotten on the floor. Harry's mouth moved down her throat, his hands sliding up her ribs to cup her breasts, and she moved closer to him. Their mouths met for long, deep kisses that left both of them moaning.

Harry let his mouth travel along her jawline, kissing the three freckles that made a triangle under her left ear. He planted soft kisses over her neck, sucking on the pulse point of her throat hard enough to leave a mark. His hands continued to caress her breasts as he kissed her; holding them, squeezing lightly, his thumb brushing over her nipples through her shirt and bra, feeling them pebble through the fabric. He loosened her tie so that he could kiss her collarbone, his left hand leaving her breast to slip down her side, over her hip and down to her thigh where he held her closer, his fingers slipping under her uniform skirt to rest more firmly on her thigh.

Ginny tugged his mouth back to hers. The feel of him so hard against her was making her react; and she found herself rubbing wantonly against his knee. He murmured her name, and she seemed to pull herself out of her trance, reeling back.

"Harry…"

His eyes met hers before he leaned in and rested his face against her breasts. "I know…"

Ginny held him against her for a moment. "We're supposed to be doing our homework."

Harry lifted her off of his lap and she bit her lip when she saw the tent in his trousers. "Homework, yes… that."

She stayed next to him on the sofa as his fingertips reached out to trace patterns on her thigh. "Are those Quidditch plays you're tracing?"

He grinned at her. "Maybe."

Harry leaned in to kiss her softly as his fingertips trailed over her thigh through her nylon stockings. "The Chaser flies this way," he whispered as he moved his finger. "She swerves to the left, to the right before she passes the Quaffle to the Chaser in front of her." His finger tip continued to zig-zag across her thigh, sneaking up high only to plummet down to her knee again as he enacted the plays. "Chaser Number Two swerves around the left side, flies under her opponent." His fingertip rose higher. "— and scores."

Her breath hitched when his hand slid under her kilt, brushing the top of her thigh-high stockings, fingers touching the garter clip. His eyebrow rose.

"What's this?"

"My garter clip," she murmured.

"Garter clip?"

Ginny put her hand over his and guided it up the strap to the belt beneath her skirt. "It holds my stockings up."

Harry's breath hitched. "Fascinating."

He trailed his finger along the belt, finding the clip at the back and trailing down the strap to the top of her stockings.

"Do you always wear this under your skirt?"

Ginny bit her lip. "When it's cold enough that I need stockings and my knee-high socks, yes."

Harry let his hand travel back up her thigh, and with his eyes on hers, he slid upwards and around to cup her round bum. The feel of those warm hands touching her bum, with nothing separating them but a thin pair of cotton knickers, made Ginny's breath hitch. He squeezed and she stared at him.

"Can I see it?"

Ginny blushed. " _What?_ "

"The garter clip… can I see it?"

Ginny's cheeks heated, but she climbed off the sofa and with her eyes on her boyfriend, she carefully lifted her kilt to show him the garter clips on her upper thighs.

"Turn around," he told her.

Ginny hesitated only a moment before she did as he asked. Harry let out a slow uneven breath. The garter clip in question was black and made of simple cotton. It rested atop black cotton knickers that covered her perfect bum before she released her kilt and let it drop back down to it's proper place, sadly covering his view.

She turned to look at him and he licked his lips.

"That's the sexiest thing that I've ever seen in my life."

"It's just undergarments," Ginny told him.

Harry shook his head. "Whenever you have stockings on, you're wearing that?"

Ginny's lips twitched as she straddled him, smiling when his hands sat on her hips. "I have one in a nude colour as well."

He groaned. "You're trying to kill me."

"Kiss me again."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. His lips met hers as his hands slid over to cup her bum through her kilt, tugging her closer.

He let his fingertips trail higher, daring to reach the apex of her hip, his eyes never leaving hers. He brushed over the top of her stockings, up her thigh to trace the edge of the garter belt around her leg. She moved in to capture his lips again, letting her own hands make quick work of his tie.

Harry felt her fingers unbutton his shirt and soon her soft hands were on his bare chest, roaming and teasing; when her mouth moved down his throat to kiss his chest, he groaned aloud.

"Ginny…"

Ginny's lips curved into a smile as she kissed his chest in soft hot kisses that made his skin tingle. A vibration from his pocket startled him.

"Shit!"

Ginny grinned as she pulled away. "You're vibrating?"

Harry reached into his pocket, tugging out his mirror and carefully keeping it turned away from Ginny and onto his face. "Hi, Uncle Sirius."

Sirius only raised an eyebrow at him in the mirror. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Er, no… homework…"

Sirius chuckled. "Right, homework. Hi, Ginny."

Ginny blushed and slid off of her boyfriend's lap to sit next to him on the sofa, looking into the mirror to see Sirius' amused face. "Hi, Sirius."

Harry passed the mirror to her as he carefully buttoned his shirt back up so that his father wouldn't notice.

"Harry was telling me about his career advice from Professor McGonagall," Ginny said, keeping the mirror facing herself

"Oh? Is that what you two were snogging about?" Sirius teased.

Ginny only stuck her tongue out at him and handed the mirror back to Harry.

"What's the matter, Uncle Sirius?"

"Nothing's the matter," Sirius said defensively. "Can't a concerned parent just want to say hello?" At his son's look, he grinned. "I just wanted to let you know that I spoke to the board about disciplinary actions and the use of them in the school. We have a formal meeting this Saturday and Richardson is supposed to be in attendance."

"And you think that means Umbitch is going to be gone come Saturday?" Harry asked.

Sirius looked between Harry and Ginny and sighed. "I don't know, but I sure as hell hope so. There's eleven other governors and most of them are on my side, but it does depend on Richardson. He shipped her off to Hogwarts to get her out of his hair, so we'll see."

"But what she did to Fred and George's hands…?"

"I know, Ginny," Sirius said slowly. "I don't agree with it either, but we still don't know what exactly she used - and I will say that I feel good about our chances. I'm not usually wrong about this stuff, but I can't make any promises. Not yet."

Harry nodded. "I guess that's fair. But you'll keep us updated?"

"Promise," Sirius assured him with a smile. "Now, why don't you two go find your friends and _actually_ do some homework?"

Harry snuck a look over at Ginny's swollen lips and smirked. "We were studying."

"Yeah, each other," Sirius shot back, his eyes twinkling.

They said goodbye and Harry slid the mirror back into his pocket before he looked at his girlfriend.

"Do you reckon he's right and we should do some actual studying?"

Ginny licked her lips slowly before she straddled him again, her arms linking around his neck. "Five more minutes."

Harry grinned against her mouth as she kissed him.

He could live with that.

~ ASC ~

 **Theo was heading back from the library alone the Tuesday before the Hogsmeade weekend.** He'd snuck away from Draco and Blaise, desperate for a moment to himself. It had been two weeks since they'd been back at school, and as much as he loved his friends, he needed a break from them.

He knew what they were doing, keeping track of him at all times and making sure that he didn't find his way into Ernie's clutches, and he loved them for it. They weren't stupid and they knew that he was lying to them, but they had backed off. Neither of them had brought it up again and he was grateful, but they also hadn't left him alone for more than a few seconds unless they were inside of Slytherin House.

He shoved his hands into his pockets as he headed back to Slytherin, eyes peeled for any sign of Macmillan. It was just twelve days until the twenty-ninth. That glorious Tuesday - that was approaching quickly - where he would find out for sure if he was to get his inheritance. He just had to make it until then. The upcoming Saturday was Hogsmeade, and he was planning to meet Smith to go over the final details and paperwork that he needed before meeting the praetor a week later in London. He found himself feeling both anxious and excited at the prospect.

He turned to head towards the stairs leading down to the dungeons when he heard the crying. He backtracked a little to see if he could figure out where it was coming from, and he saw Ciara curled up in a ball by an alcove on the second floor.

"Ciara, what's wrong?" Theo demanded, moving to sit next to the small girl. He saw the blood dripping through her fingers and froze. "What happened? Where are you hurt, little duck?"

Tears poured down her face and she turned into him, sobbing. Theo wrapped his arms around her in confusion. Her injuries didn't seem too dire, but he was still concerned. When Theo finally managed to calm her down, he uncurled her bloody fingers from his shirt to look down at her hand; his eyes darkened.

Carved into her skin, as if someone had written it in loopy cursive, were the words: _I never should have been born_.

" _Who_ did this to you?" he demanded.

Ciara sniffed, her eyes on his. "I — I tripped over my robes in the hall and I fell, dropping my books everywhere. My ink pot broke all over Madam Umbridge's robes and she — she gave me detention for — for in — incompetence. She — she took ten points from Slytherin and then she made me write lines. And — and when I wrote the lines with her special quill ..."

She began to cry all over again and Theo scooped her up into his arms. He was halfway to the dungeons when McGonagall saw him.

"Mr Nott, put Miss Casey down immediately!"

Theo ignored her and kept moving.

"Mr Nott!" McGonagall exclaimed, following him now.

"I'll put her down when I get to Snape's office and not a moment before!" Theo snapped, his eyes flashing in suppressed rage.

McGonagall's eyebrow rose in surprise, but she followed him down to the dungeons.

Theo kicked Snape's door until the surly-faced Potions Master opened it.

"Mr Nott, what is the meaning of this?"

Theo pushed his way past Snape, gently sitting Ciara on the professor's desk. He took her hand in his, uncurling her fingers to lie her hand flat in his as he carefully held it out to show Snape and McGonagall. "Madam Umbridge forced her to write lines in her own blood."

McGonagall, who had followed them inside, gasped, her eyes moving to the loopy words written into the girl's skin. "Miss Casey, those words are absolutely not true! Madam Umbridge will be dealt with for punishing you in this way. Why did you earn detention, my dear?"

Ciara began to cry again and she turned into Theo.

Theo rubbed his hand up and down her back in reassurance, letting the small girl cry into his chest. "She told me that she tripped and dropped her book bag making her ink pot break and it accidentally spilled on Umbridge's robes."

Snape frowned. "That's hardly detention worthy, Minerva."

McGonagall nodded. "Severus, can you make sure that she soaks her hand in some essence of Murtlap before that scars over. I'm going to speak with Albus about this immediately."

She stormed out of Snape's office and Snape merely turned his gaze upon Theo. He stared at him for a long moment without saying a word and then he turned to get the Murtlap. Snape gently washed out Ciara's hand in the essence as tears poured down her cheeks. He spread a mixture of ground centella asiatica leaves and aloe vera over her hand before he bandaged it up.

"Come see me tomorrow before your first class and I'll remove this, Miss Casey."

She nodded, her eyes on her hand. "Thank you, Professor Snape."

"Come on, little duck. I'll take you back to Slytherin."

"Theo," Snape said as he watched him put his arm around the small girl. "It was good of you to bring her here. Make sure she rests that hand."

Theo nodded and led Ciara away from Snape's office. He knew that they would handle Umbridge, but in the meantime, he planned on making sure that Finn knew exactly what the Department of Education representative had done to his niece.

~ ASC ~

 **McGonagall stormed past her office just as Sirius stuck his head out and he called her name. She stopped her in tracks.**

"Where's the fire, Minnie?"

McGonagall huffed in annoyance. "I just found a first year with her hand cut open because _that_ — _that foul woman_ — made her write with a quill that split open her hand! She made her write the… most inappropriate lines!"

"Get in here," Sirius said, grabbing her arm and tugging her into her office. He closed the door behind him. "Changing her into food for Nyx is not the answer here."

When McGonagall opened her mouth to protest, Sirius shook his head.

"Listen to me — she used something similar on Fred and George Weasley. I spoke to them about it a few days ago. Their hands said, _I must not pull filthy tricks_. It sounds like dark magic to me. It must be some form of quill that sucks the blood from the user to work as an ink. It's nothing I've heard of before."

"Why didn't you inform me of this immediately?" McGonagall demanded.

"Because I didn't have any proof," Sirius admitted. "Fred and George swore it was only them who had been given the quill to use, and me suspecting it was dark magic doesn't make it true. When I spoke to the board, they informed me that while physical disciplinary action is frowned upon, it's never been formally recused from the law. Without proof that it is dark magic, technically, she can get away with it. I didn't want that to happen."

McGonagall sighed. "I get that. It makes sense, but Sirius… if you had seen Miss Casey's poor hand! It said, _I never should have been born!_ What an atrocious thing to make a child write, let alone think about herself"

He nodded. "I've never heard of anything like this, Minnie. It sounds like dark magic, but… I'm not sure. Have you heard of anything like it?"

"There was a wizard in the twelfth century who invented something called a Blood Quill," McGonagall said slowly. "He used it to take notes during meetings and whoever he wished to torment that day, he had some form of a spell where he would write their name and the quill would then provide ink with their blood. The victim would be sliced up with words, bleeding all over their body, and not know how or why it was happening. He was imprisoned for his crimes and all the pieces of his so-called Blood Quill were destroyed."

Sirius nodded. "Well, she has something similar, at least it sounds that way. I refuse to make any mistakes here, Minnie. I sent word to Richardson today that she is physically harming the students and I'm waiting on word back. In the meantime, no one is allowed to serve detention with her — "

"Sirius, you cannot be serious — and don't you dare say that you're always Sirius!" she interjected before he could respond. "I want her gone from this school immediately!"

"And you think I don't?" Sirius demanded. "I want proof of every detail of what she is capable of! I don't just want her gone from this school, I want her gone from the Ministry! Keep an eye on her and in the meantime, check with your students and have the prefects and Heads check. There have to be others, and I want to know what she has been making them do."

McGonagall huffed in annoyance. "Fine. It's Tuesday. If she's still here on Monday, I will forcibly remove her from this castle myself!"

Sirius smirked. "It might be worth the wait, just to see that."

McGonagall slapped a hand on his chest when he moved. "Don't tempt me, Sirius Black!" She straightened her hat and let out a slow sigh. "Now, I am going to see Albus to let him know what is going on. You get a hold of the Board of Governors and of Richardson if need be. Albus and I are going to have a little chat with Dolores Umbitch."

Sirius snickered at her use of the name. "Keep me posted."

He watched her storm back out of the office and he dragged his fingers through his hair. He was looking forward to having Umbitch removed from the school, but he had to be careful about this. He turned to head towards the fireplace, determined to get a better answer from the board; this time, he was getting in to see Henry Richardson.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny was sitting on the window ledge on the first floor, carefully shifting the window open with her wand.** She had the perfect view of Umbridge's office window three floors above her, and she grinned down at Fred and Lee, who were standing below.

"Window's open, boys!"

Lee grinned, giving her a thumbs up sign, before he carefully levitated another niffler up to the window. Once it was inside, he gave her a thumbs up again, and she closed the window, shivering in the cool air. The nifflers kept attacking Umbridge due to the jewellery she wore, and despite their rather gentle nature, she screamed like a banshee whenever she saw one. Ginny found it more entertaining than she should, and hardly minded helping her brothers put them in her office. Fred and George had showed her their hands, and she was furious that the woman had done such a thing. Apparently Sirius had been equally as angry when her brothers had shown him a few days earlier, but that he didn't know how she was doing it. Ginny knew that if anyone was going to get to the bottom of it, it would be Sirius Black.

She hopped down from the window ledge, carefully taking out the container her brothers had given her, and heading up to the next floor. She had just opened the lid when Fred and George met her.

"Niffler is secure. Nice and easy with that container, Ginny — it expands rather quickly," Fred warned.

Ginny passed it to Fred, who stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, as he flipped it upside down. Ginny watched in fascination as three tiny drops of green and brown coloured water, reeking of swamp gases, filled the air. The drops spread across the stone in a tiny dribble, crashing into each other and doubling in size and multiplying incredibly quickly as the top of the staircase and corridor began to turn into a large putrid swamp. George picked Ginny up by the waist, tugging her back to the stairs as the swamp expanded. Soon, it slipped down the corridor and rose to waist level, sloshing against the doorknob of Umbridge's office.

Fred grinned widely. "Excellent! That should deter her for a while."

"Will she be able to get in?"

"From the door on the other side of the hall, yeah," George told her. "But that's it. She won't be able to use this staircase, which means that she will have to go all the way to the other end of the castle to use the back stairs to get to this floor. As will the students, but the inconvenience to Umbitch will make it worth it."

Ginny nodded in agreement. "And the smell?"

Fred grinned. "Will only increase and drift under the crack in her office door. It's going to smell rather lovely in there."

"You two are geniuses."

"We know," George retorted, making her laugh. "And with the two baby nifflers trapped inside of her office, it should be interesting."

By the end of the day, the whole school was well aware of the swamp that had taken over the entire left side of the fifth floor corridor. The main staircase entrance was now off limits, and access to the library could only be reached by taking the back stairs on the sixth floor. Umbridge had wasted no time in trying to get rid of it. Her spells, however, had indeed made it worse. The swamp had drifted further down the corridor, sloshing up the walls, and the smell had intensified. Her attempts at vanishing it had made the water rise higher, and she had shrieked when an alligator's jaws jumped at her from the edge of the water.

She'd marched down to Dumbledore to demand it be fixed, and Dumbledore had told her that it was a rather complex bit of charm-work; he would trust no one outside of his Charms professor to perform the work. Flitwick had only stared at her and told her that he would be happy to get rid of the swamp, but as she didn't see him as competent enough of teacher in his subject, he thought that it would clearly be best if he practiced his teaching methods instead. Umbridge had been enraged at this and demanded McGonagall to get rid of the swamp.

McGonagall only shook her head and said that since she was only the Transfiguration professor, she was only qualified to deal with Transfiguration-related problems, as per Umbridge's educational assessment. Umbridge had turned purple. She ordered Hagrid to come deal with the creatures, but he had told her that he was still waiting on the results of his CRAWLS and wasn't properly qualified to deal with spell creatures, only real ones. Raffigan tried to help her, but as the twins had warned Sirius, everything she tried only made it worse. Vanishing it, doubled the size. Removing it, increased the smell. Levitating it away from the spot, made it bubble and boil over and spill, which increased the size even more. Animals escaped and created new mini swamps until most of the fifth floor had become inhabitable.

Umbridge raged. She demanded a new office and said that she was writing to the Department of Education to discuss the harassment of the Hogwarts staff. Harry mirror-called Sirius to tell him and his father busted a gut laughing when he heard that no one on staff was willing to help.

Flitwick charmed a small row boat to help students cross the swamp, but made no effort to get rid of the swamp in question. Umbridge fumed from inside of her office, keeping the window open to try to get rid of the awful smell. But by Thursday, she was snapping at everyone and taking House points off left and right.

Ginny had just left the library, wrinkling her nose in distaste from the swamp smell lingering down the corridor and staircase, when Angelina called her name.

"Hi, Angelina," she said brightly, adjusting the strap of her bag as Angelina followed her up the stairs because of the swamp.

"Ginny, great! I have this idea for practice later. I think if you, me, and Katie can arrange a flying formation trick to keep us together, it could really do wonders for our match against Ravenclaw next month."

"Formation flying?"

Angelina nodded. "I was thinking that we can come together to form a triangle with our three points. It might be able to really throw the other team off if we can throw a few tricks in there."

"Sounds ambitious. I'm in!"

"Great!" Angelina exclaimed.

They both turned when they heard the screech, and couldn't help but laugh as they watched the mystical alligator's jaws lock around Umbridge as it jumped up from the swamp. She struggled against the spell, squealing in horror and stumbling when she pulled herself loose; the alligator disappeared back into the swamp. Umbridge picked herself up from the ground, straightening her pink robes and scowling.

She caught them laughing and she marched forward, eyes narrowing.

"You see someone in distress and yet you do nothing to assist them? Disgusting. Thirty points from Gryffindor — each."

Angelina glared at her. "Undeserved. I'll be bringing that point loss directly to McGonagall."

Umbridge only stared at her. "And you will still lose points. Your hair is disgusting, girl! Plait it appropriately for school. No one wants to see you looking like a savage with worms on her head!"

Ginny opened her mouth to say something when she saw her brother coming down the hall.

"Jealous of her gorgeous hair, are you? Can't say I blame you when yours looked like a cat died on the top of it," George declared viciously.

Umbridge turned purple. "How _dare you_ —?"

"You are nothing but a bigot who is afraid of everything that you don't understand! The professors here are all very informative on their subjects and do not need you hanging around to critique them left and right about stuff that you don't understand! No one wants you around, and I am sick and tired of listening to you belittle the people around you!"

"Detention, Mr Weasley!"

George smirked, nodding at Fred who slipped out of her office. "Nah, I think I'll pass on that."

Umbridge's eyes bulged and she opened her mouth to say something, but to say what, Ginny wasn't sure. There was a loud popping sound coming from her office and Umbridge turned to look at the door suspiciously. The popping sound grew, sounding almost like drums now

Buh-buhdaba – buhdaba – buhbuhda

Buh-buhdaba – buhdaba – buhbuhda

Buh-buhdaba – buhdaba – buhbuhda

Buh-buhdaba – buhdaba – buhbuhda

"Make way!" Fred called out as Lee hopped over the staircase railing.

"For Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!" George exclaimed proudly.

No sooner had the words left his mouth before the drum beat tempo seemed to increase.

Buh-buhdaba – buhdaba – buhbuhda

Buh-buhdaba – buhdaba – buhbuhda

"Hey clear the way in the fifth floor hall!" Fred called out.

"Hey, you! Let us through! It's a bright new star!" Lee exclaimed.

"What are you three yelling about?" Umbridge demanded.

George grinned widely. "Oh come be the first in your class to see them shine!"

"Make way! Here they come! Ring bells! Bang the drums!" Fred said as teachers and students began to crowd into the corridor alerted by the increasing tempo of the sound.

George lifted his wand into the air and said. "You're not gonna wanna miss this!"

BANG!

The castle exploded.

Or at least that's what it sounded like.

The walls shook, the windows rattled, and the chandeliers lighting the corridors swung back and forth from the rumbling. The door to Umbridge's office burst open and a light show of every possible colour exploded from the room. Not simply lights, but flashes of bright explosions changing into the most incredible fireworks that Ginny had ever seen, even more amazing than the ones the twins had set off on New Year's Eve at the Burrow.

Fully grown dragons, nifflers, zouwus, lions, and griffins exploded into the air before circling Umbridge and chasing her down the corridor as she shrieked. The fireworks lit up the hall, exploding and crackling on the ceiling, down the hallway and down the stairs, escaping throughout the castle. The loud snapping of them had Umbridge jumping at every loud crack.

"You! You — you stop this right now!" she screamed. "First, you turn this hall into a swamp — "

"Yeah, that was pretty amusing," Fred said, looking over at her without the slightest look of regret.

"You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school!"

" _Your school_?" George repeated with a smirk. "I didn't know that you were running it, did you, Fred?"

"Nah, no clue. Besides, I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself lately," George said lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" Fred asked.

"Definitely," George said.

And before Umbridge could say a word, they raised their wands and said together, "Accio brooms!"

Two broomsticks came flying down from Gryffindor Tower, hurtling along towards their owners outstretched hands as Umbridge shrieked.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred told Umbridge, swinging his leg over his broomstick.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George added, mounting his own broom as Angelina snickered from next to him.

Fred looked around at the assembled students, and at the silent, watchful crowd. "If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated over there, come to number ninety-three Diagon Alley — Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," he declared loudly. "Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear that they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat!" George bellowed, pointing at Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge shrieked, but it was too late.

Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air as fireworks danced all around them.

"McGonagall! Flitwick! Do something!"

McGonagall pursed her lips as Flitwick crossed his arms in front of his chest, both of their eyes twinkling in delight.

"We can only do what is allowed by our subjects, Dolores. This really isn't our responsibility or concern," Flitwick said.

Some of the students chortled at that as Umbridge turned a darker shade of purple.

Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd. "Give her hell from us, Peeves."

And Peeves, to Ginny's shock, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open window at the end of the corridor into the glorious sunset.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the clip of the scene from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I also parodied a little bit here from one of my favourite Robin Williams characters._

 _Fred and George leaving is one of my favourite aspects of their characters so I wanted to add it in. They have left months earlier than they did in Order of the Phoenix, but I think it works. Thank you to Saz for her help._

 _Please review :D_


	209. Chapter 209

_Author's Note:_

 _Thanks to Steel for his suggestion._

 _Thanks to Saz for helping me get my thoughts in order to craft this. I know how long you've been waiting for this._

 _Thank you to Dusk for her wonderful editing skills!_

 _Reviews: Macmillan's balls in a jar (such an image) lol. Aladdin is one of my favourite movies of all time and the new one was wonderful, but no one can beat Robin Williams. I was listening to the soundtrack one day (because why not) and I just heard the intro to Prince Ali and thought that has Fred and George written all over it. To FriedChickenNisha: Thank you! To midnitewanderer: Another Georgia trip would be amazing and I'm so glad that everyone seems to have fallen in love with the family I have created for Harry. Ginny and Harry are moving along and will continue to do so. They are randy teens and curious and they may not be ready for sex yet, but there's lot of other exploration they can do. To supersandman86: Agreed! I wish Peeves was in the films so much! To Leaf Ranger: "Please remove her from the school, if not life itself" omg I laughed at that! To speedsONEandONLY: Harry is friendly enough with Theo, but I don't think he's quite there yet, but in all honestly — yes, Ginny should be more worried about Theo taking Harry than Harry being worried about Theo taking Ginny lol._

 _To magicaltears: Thanks, that's so wonderful to hear and I'm glad you took the time to start reading. To christyannb94: hey sometimes our minds are linked by what we want to happen next LOL and that is actually the best punishment (I never wish death on someone who wrongs me. I wish sudden explosive diarrhea, while on a date, with frequent sneezes) BAHAHA! I love it!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND NINE:**

 **The next day was chaotic.**

People kept saying that they were going to pull a Weasley and take off as teachers attempted to keep their classes under control. The swamp was still in place and Umbridge had enlisted the help of Filch to help her keep guard on her office as thanks to Lee Jordan and Ginny, nifflers kept finding their way inside, despite the loss of the Weasley twins.

None of the professors bothered to attempt to help Umbridge, and had now banned her from sitting in on any of their classes.

Carthaginian had eaten a Puking Pastile and was suddenly overcome with vomiting when Umbridge arrived in her classroom for inspection - forcing her class to be cancelled. Birmingham tried to write on the board to start class, but Peeves came in, throwing spitballs at Umbridge until a particularly nasty one got stuck in her hair; she stormed out in a huff with Peeves chasing her shouting, "Spotted dick in your hair, spotted dick in your hair!" Remus' third years were interrupted by her arrival, and when she realized that Adrian Roberts was guest speaking on werewolf culture, she immediately vacated as if worried that she was going to catch a disease.

Sirius informed Harry that he had finally organized a meeting with the Board of Governors to explain what had happened, including the belief in her using dark magic, and the fact that two students had flown out of the school — just to get away from her. The entire council was on board with removing her as soon as possible. They were just waiting on word from Richardson, who was meeting with them that Saturday afternoon to discuss what to do with her once and for all. Sirius was looking forward to bringing up the use of the quill, which he hadn't told anyone on the board about yet.

The Saturday of the Hogsmeade trip, Ginny hurried off to meet with Harry just as Malfoy and Macmillan came around the corner together on their morning patrol. The fact that the two of them were paired up was suspicious enough in her eyes — but then her eyes widened when she saw that Malfoy was holding Ernie's wand in his hand. The Hufflepuff prefect's hands and arms were covered in what looked like the result of a particularly painful stinging hex.

"Malfoy!"

Draco only glanced up at her. "Macmillan and I are just having a little chat, Weasley. It's nothing for you to worry about."

Macmillan swallowed, his eyes on Malfoy's wand. "Look, as Theo told you, it was just a misunderstanding. We were role playing."

Draco tapped his wand against Macmillan's forehead. "Role playing? How fun. Weasley, want to role play with me? How do you think Macmillan would look if I reversed his knee caps?"

The Hufflepuff prefect paled. "You wouldn't!"

"Weasley over here is quite good at curses to the prick. Bat Bogeys erupting from the head of your cock sounds pleasant, doesn't it?" Draco asked, his voice dangerously cold. "Maybe a little furnunculus charm on your balls? Ever had pus come out of your nose?"

Macmillan was deathly pale now, his eyes darting back and forth between Draco and Ginny. "You wouldn't dare! You'd be expelled!"

"We don't like you, Ernie," Ginny said, moving closer to them. "You're a pompous arsehole who thinks he's better than everyone else — for some unknown reason. Theo deserves better than you. But Malfoy _isn't_ going to curse you."

"The hell I'm not!" Draco declared.

The prefect only stared at them. "Theo calls the shots - not me."

Draco snorted. "Fucking liar."

Macmillan glared at him. "What are you going to do? Curse me right here in the corridor while Potter's whore watches?"

The stinging hex Ginny sent at him made him howl; it broke out across his face and neck just as Umbridge marched around the corner.

"Hexing in the corridors! And hexing a prefect at that! How dare you!" Umbridge declared, grabbing Ginny's arm.

"Let go of me!" Ginny demanded, struggling against Umbridge's surprisingly tight grip.

"After what your brothers pulled, do you really think that I'm going to let you get away with this, you little bitch?"

"Malfoy threatened to perform dark magic on me!" Ernie exclaimed, his eyes gleaming as Umbridge tightened her grip on Ginny's arm.

Umbridge looked over at the three of them, her eyes growing greedy as they stopped upon Ginny; she shoved her hard enough that Ginny winced. "You - Weasley - detention, my office tonight during dinner! Mr Malfoy, I'll be speaking to your Head of House about your involvement in this. Go, all of you. Now!"

Ginny put her wand in her holster, eyes on Umbridge as she rubbed her wrist where the woman had grabbed her roughly. She gave the woman a defiant look before she tossed her red hair over her shoulder and stormed off. Ginny glared at Malfoy when they reached the entrance hall.

"What the hell were you playing at back there?"

"Like you didn't enjoy hexing him, Weasley!"

Macmillan glared at both of them. "You better watch your backs."

Malfoy gripped his arm and Ginny pushed him off of Macmillan. "Let him go! He hasn't bothered Theo all month. Let it go!"

Draco gave her a seething look. "Whatever. Theo's going to meet his lawyer. I'm going back to bed."

"You're not going to Hogsmeade?" she asked in surprise.

Draco shook his head. "I'd rather sleep."

Ginny watched him stomp off, her eyes on Macmillan who was having his girlfriend get rid of the stinging hex. He said something to her that made her frown because Perks shoved Ernie away from her and marched over to her friends. Ginny gratefully leaned back against Harry when his arms came around her. His lips brushed her cheek and she smiled, wrapping her arms around his.

"I have detention with Umbitch tonight."

Harry frowned. "Why?"

"I used a stinging hex on Macmillan's face."

He grinned. "Tame of you."

"I thought so," she said, turning to face him. "I have to report to her office just before dinner tonight."

"Don't write lines."

"I saw Fred and George's hands, I won't. Theo said that she made poor little Ciara write that she never should have been born. Can you imagine anything so horrible?"

Harry shook his head. "Sirius should be sitting down with Richardson and the Board today. He was looking forward to showing them that evidence. Maybe you'll get lucky and your detention won't even happen."

Ginny tucked a loose tendril behind her ear. "I doubt that."

Harry linked his fingers with hers and brought them to his lips. "Well, at least we have today. Want to go to Mangia Italiano again?"

"Mmm, definitely."

He kissed her softly before he tugged her over to the line by Filch. "If we start going there enough, maybe they'll put our picture up on the wall."

Ginny chuckled. "Next time we should invite everyone, go as a big group."

"Want me to ask Ron and everyone now?"

Ginny shook her head, standing on her toes to kiss him. "No. This time, I just want it to be me and you."

Harry smiled. "Sounds good to me."

But as they waited for Filch to check their names at the door, he couldn't help but wonder how Sirius was faring with the Board of Governors.

~ ASC ~

 **Theo stood in Hogsmeade, shivering in the biting cold of January.** He was meeting Smith in the Three Broomsticks to finalize the documents before they went to London to meet with the praetor in eight days. Hopefully the praetor made it official and he would formally be Lord Norfolk, Marquess. He buried his cold nose in his scarf and turned towards the pub just as someone grabbed his arm and he was promptly yanked into the alley alongside of it.

He stumbled as he caught himself against the wall and the sight of Macmillan there made his stomach clench nervously. He hadn't come near him in the days since he'd been back at school. Not since Potter had broken his nose before the holiday.

Theo swallowed nervously. "I'm meeting someone in the pub. I can't be late."

He turned to go, but Macmillan shoved him back against the brick wall hard enough that he saw stars, before shoving his hand over his mouth.

"I'll decide if you'll be late or not."

Theo pushed his hand away. "I can't be late, Macmillan!"

Macmillan's fist shot out, clipping him in the chin. "You set Potter's little bitch on me! Malfoy threatened me and that little whore hit me with a stinging hex so painful I had to go to the hospital wing before I could come here!"

"Ginny's not a whore," Theo said bitterly, wiping blood off his bottom lip. "And if she hexed you, you must have done something to deserve it."

Macmillan gripped Theo by his cloak and shoved him harder against the wall. "Did you tell them?"

"No!"

"Are you lying to me, Theo? You know what I can do to you!"

"I'm not — bloody — lying!"

The back of Ernie's hand hit him with a resounding crack hard enough to split his lip a second time.

"Listen up, you dirty little poofter - get on your bloody knees or I'll make you regret it!"

Theo was trembling in rage. He was so close, _so damn close_ to putting an end to this - and the prefect would dare make him late. He tore his hand free and Ernie grabbed Theo's wand from his holster and tossed it aside. Ernie gripped Theo by the scarf hard enough that he gasped for breath.

"Get on your knees and blow me, cocksucker."

Theo stared at him in hatred, but he slowly sank to the snowy ground, his hands trembling. If he just got on with it, it would be over, and he could still make his appointment. He knew what would happen if he fought him. He'd just suck him off and be done with it. He knelt in the snow as Ernie undid his belt and pulled out his penis then suddenly there was no one there. Theo blinked, almost disoriented, until he saw why.

Ernie was smashed against the brick wall on his right, hanging a foot above the ground as a strong, gloved hand gripped him by the neck. He choked for breath and the hand squeezed tighter.

The tall figure had a large hooded cloak that covered him, and Theo couldn't see who it was.

"Do you like hurting people, you sick little prick? Do you like that? Do you want me to hurt you?"

Ernie was struggling to breathe, his eyes wide in horror.

"How would you like it if someone forced that upon you? Would you like it if someone forced a cock into your mouth? Answer me!"

"N-no," Ernie croaked, tears in his eyes.

The figure let go and Ernie crumpled to the ground, choking and gasping for breath, before the figure grabbed him by his coat, shoved him back up to his feet, and slammed him back against the brick wall once more as if he weighed no more than a feather.

"If you _ever_ do anything like this again to _anyone ever_ , I will find you. I will force upon you the same punishment you inflicted upon this man before you. I call it poetic justice. I will string you upside down by your thumbs — and I can promise you, you fecking arse — no one in this world will even know that you are missing until you're old and grey."

Ernie paled as the figure seemed to glow for a moment before he tossed him aside like he was a bag of trash that he had finished with. Ernie's eyes were wide in abject horror, his lip was trembling; he was whimpering in fear as if could see something that Theo couldn't.

The figure was still emitting a bit of a golden glow when he turned and offered his hand down to the ground where Theo was still kneeling. Theo's eyes were wide in shock and he could still feel the handprint that he knew must be imprinted on the side of his face. He tasted his own blood as he stared down at the pale hand of the man before him.

"Let me help you," the figure said kindly.

Theo swallowed nervously, accepting the hand. The man topped at six feet, giving him four solid inches on Theo as he pulled him up to his feet as if he weighed nothing. Theo gripped his arm for support and the feel of the strong, lean muscles there had him pausing. The man tossed his dark hood back, revealing the most handsome face that Theo had ever seen. He couldn't be any older than nineteen, but he was beautiful. His cheekbones looked as if they were made from chiseled marble. He had a strong jaw with a dusting of gold stubble and eyes the colour of a spring meadow. His golden hair was adorably messy under the green toque, a few loose strands around his eyes. His lips were full and a soft pink, and as Theo looked into his face, they curved into a slow smile.

"I admit, this was not how I wanted to meet you." He took the hand that he was still holding and gently kissed the back of it. "You are Theo, are you not?"

Theo nodded, seemingly to catch himself. "Er, yes — yes I — thank you."

The figure smiled. "You're welcome. I suppose this means that I have repaid our debt. If he comes after you again, I'd be more than happy to make good on my promise."

Ernie whimpered from the ground.

"In the meantime, I suggest that you have him arrested by your government."

"By my — _who are you_?"

The man smiled, his eyes dancing. "I apologize! Amidst all of the excitement I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Prince Finley Alexander, Finn, if you please."

Theo's mouth dropped open. _This was Finn!_ The mysterious fae who he'd been writing to for months, the one who was Ciara's uncle! He was much too young; too beautiful, too sexy, he thought…

"But you… but I… _how old are you_?"

Finn laughed and the sound of it seemed to wash over Theo like the warmth of a bath. "Eighteen. Niamh is one of my older sisters. We're thirteen years apart."

Theo only continued to stare at him.

Finn turned back towards Ernie. He snapped his fingers and Ernie's hands and feet tied together before he was lifted from the ground. "Should we bring him up to your school first?"

Theo stared a moment longer before he caught himself. "Er, yes I — wait, if... if this doesn't go the way I want it to today… I don't meet the judge for another week."

Finn turned and with a gloved hand cupped Theo's injured cheek so tenderly that it startled him. "He will not hurt you again, I vow it upon everything I am."

"It's not him... if people find out that..."

"He was the one blackmailing you, not your friend?"

Theo nodded, his cheeks heating in embarrassment as he realized that Finn knew. Finn knew everything. "I'll lose everything."

"No, you will not. My world is different from yours, Theo, remember I told you that? Spend one full day in my court and you lose a hundred years in your world."

"But you…" He let out a slow breath before he continued. "So he is..."

"Never going to bother you again," Finn said, snapping his fingers and making Ernie levitate above the ground. He still seemed to be stuck in a trance of some kind.

"What's wrong with him? Why is he so compliant?"

Finn gave him a mischievous smile. "I put his mind into a dark world; as far as he knows, he is trapped inside a hell dimension forced to suffer countless torture until I decide to let him go."

Theo's eyes widened. "Oh."

Finn's lips curved. "May I join you in your meeting?"

"Er… what about him?"

Finn only gave Ernie a cursory glance. "He can hang about trapped in the dark world until I see fit to release him. You will have your meeting in peace."

Theo stared at him. "Oh."

Finn snapped his fingers and Ernie faded into the wall. "Now no one will see him." He linked his arm through Theo's. "Lead the way, Lord Norfolk."

Theo stared at the fairy prince walking next to him in awe and thought that he'd never been happier in his life to play a damsel in distress.

~ ASC ~

 **The meeting with Smith went great; Theo signed paperwork to essentially make himself Lord Norfolk.** Smith revealed that Praetor Samuels had gone over the documents and agreed that a face-to-face meeting wasn't necessary to formalize everything.

Theo shook Smith's hand with a grin on his face.

He signed the last document transferring all properties and wealth to his name, and then, he was officially Lord Theodore Nott, Marquess of Norfolk. He dropped the quill.

"It's really done?"

"It's really done," Smith said with a smile. "Congratulations, Lord Norfolk."

"Smith, I was serious the other day. I want you to handle everything. Give me a few weeks to get myself familiar with it, and you'll be hearing from me. I need an estate lawyer I can trust."

Smith beamed at him. "I'd be honoured."

They parted ways and Theo drank his butterbeer, finally feeling it warm him up after the day's events. He snuck a look at the gorgeous fae who was still sitting next to him in the booth. He'd removed his toque and his blond hair was shaggy around his face, his ears pointed just slightly taller than the average human. Those green eyes, the colour of a spring meadow, were watching Theo curiously.

"Thank you. Not just for earlier, but for the letter you wrote as well. It went a long way to get a reference from a prince."

Finn smiled at him. "You're most welcome."

"Did you really come down here just to meet with my lawyer?"

Finn shook his head, drinking his own butterbeer. "No. I came down here to meet Sirius Black at the school to help forcibly remove Dolores Umbridge from the castle and make sure she is punished for what she has done. The Aurors claim that my need for vengeance is not a justifiable claim in allowing her to be brought to Tara. However, they are allowing me to have my say and to press formal charges against her on Ciara's behalf. That foul woman will be locked away for the rest of her sad, pitiful existence."

Theo nodded, wincing when he bit his split lip. "Well, that's still good. Is she going then?"

"Lord Black seemed certain, yes. We're meeting at Hogwarts just before dinner."

"Yet, you showed up in Hogsmeade for one," Theo said carefully.

Finn leaned in closer in the booth that they were sitting in. "I wanted to be here for the meeting with your lawyer. I wanted to make sure that it went well for you and I wanted to introduce myself, officially."

"Why?" Theo asked, his eyes on Finn's.

"Because you fascinate me," Finn admitted, picking up Theo's hand and linking his fingers between them. "Ciara raves about you. She claims that you're intelligent and brave and handsome. So far, I see she hasn't lied to me."

Theo swallowed. "But… I'm no one special."

"A caring heart, willing to help others in need. Someone who is trying to stand up against right and wrong, no matter how often he has to suffer himself to do so… that's a man that I want to know."

Theo blushed under his praise, looking under his dark lashes at the handsome face. "And… and you?"

"What about me?"

"You're a fae. A fairy prince!"

"I am," Finn said, his thumb brushing over Theo's knuckles. "I am also the Head of the Royal Guard, warrior to the King, but yes, I am also a prince — and a man, an uncle, a brother, a friend."

"And you want to be _my_ friend?" Theo asked, finding himself getting lost in Finn's beautiful green eyes.

Finn reached up to gently brush his thumb over Theo's bottom lip; he felt it tingle for a moment before the cut Macmillan had given him healed at the fae's touch. "If that's what you'd like."

Theo blushed and stood up, grabbing his bag. "We should get back to the castle. You left Macmillan in the alley and we… we can't just leave him there."

Finn stood as well. "Shame about that. I look forward to seeing him imprisoned for what he did to you. I'd even applaud the death penalty for this scum."

"But you said… you'd string him up by his thumbs and no one would even know he was missing…"

Finn's eyes met Theo's. "I am good with colourful threats, but I do not condone sexual assault. What he did was wrong and I would never… the fae _don't_ hurt people."

Theo stared at him. "I never thought you did."

Finn smiled and gestured for Theo to walk in front of him. "Good."

Theo led the way back outside of pub and around to the alley. Finn waved his hand and Ernie reappeared, still hanging by the wall. The fae snapped his fingers again and Ernie came back to himself, eyes horrified and wide. Theo wrinkled his nose at the smell, and he realized that Ernie had soiled himself in his fear.

Finn pulled gold cuffs from his cloak and tied Ernie's arms behind his back. Celtic symbols glowed on the cuffs before they clicked into place around Ernie's wrists. Finn tugged Ernie around before taking the prefect's wand and passing it to Theo. "You can hold on to that."

Then he floated Ernie half an inch above the ground and urged him forward towards the castle.

Theo walked slowly behind him, still confused as to what had happened. The day seemed almost like a dream. He snuck a look over at the warrior fae. He wore black leather pants with matching knee-high leather boots under his long dark cloak. The green toque covered his flyaway blond hair and his pointed ears, the green silk shirt he wore underneath the cloak did nothing to hide the lean muscles Theo had felt there when he'd touched his arm. He'd never seen anyone so beautiful in his life, man or woman.

Finn smiled at him, his lips the colour of ripe cherries. "Something wrong?"

He shook his head, stopping to shove his cold hands into his pockets. "No, nothing's wrong. I just… you really want to be my friend, even after… you don't think that I'm a dirty pervert, like Ernie said."

Finn turned and left Ernie floating on the path as he took a step towards Theo, his gloved hand cupping Theo's cheek. "It would be a tad hypocritical, wouldn't it?"

"What?"

Finn's lips curved slowly and then he bent his head until he his lips were a breath away from Theo's. "I've imagined doing this for weeks."

And then those soft lips were on his.

Soft, moist lips that tasted of butterbeer. The feel of the stubble on Finn's chin brushed over his face and he leaned in closer, his lips moving under his. Theo's hands slid under his cloak to rest on Finn's hips and the fae pulled him closer, changing the angle of the kiss; Theo purred against him.

Finn pulled back, tilting his forehead against his. "Now, let's get that filthy excuse for a being up to the castle and properly punished before I make sure this Umbridge is thrown in prison for the rest of her life, preferably locked up with this arse. Then - if it's okay with you - I'd very much like to kiss you again."

Theo nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. "Okay," he whispered.

Finn's lips curved into a slow smile and Theo wiped his sweaty palms on the side of his pants.

Yeah, he was more than okay with being the damsel in distress, he thought as they marched back up to the castle. Who knew that Prince Charming could kiss like that?

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny kissed Harry goodbye before she reluctantly headed upstairs to the fifth floor corridor.** Having to serve detention during dinner seemed a particularly terrible punishment in her book. She was thankful that she and Harry had gone to the restaurant and she had filled herself up on salad, fresh garlic bread, soup, and pasta. She was just heading to the back staircase from the sixth floor to head down to the fifth when Umbridge's falsely sweet 'hem, hem' interrupted her thoughts.

She turned, surprised to see Umbridge standing in the corridor and she merely raised an eyebrow. "I was on my way to see you, Madam Umbridge."

Umbridge only nodded. "Follow me, Miss Weasley."

Ginny rubbed her sore wrist; a bruise was forming where Umbridge had grabbed her that morning. Umbridge's look of satisfaction from seeing the bruised skin made her itch to hex the toad, but she followed the woman down the corridor. The swamp was still blocking the front entrance, so they had to take the back stairs and carefully walk around the swamp to reach the second door. The putrid smell of the swamp seemed much more pungent up close.

Umbridge held the door open for Ginny before closing it and urged her to take a seat. Ginny did as instructed, staring defiantly at the woman. Umbridge had obviously tried to get rid of the swamp stench by spraying perfume - a sickly sweet mix of lavender, vanilla, and baby powder that only made Ginny gag.

Umbridge stared at her from across the desk; Ginny only stared back. She'd take detention, Ginny had no problem with that. She wished that she'd done more than use a stinging hex on Ernie if she was honest. After what he had done to hurt Theo on top of what he called her? No one called her a whore.

Umbridge moved to the table near the wall and brewed a pot of tea, poured two cups, and asked Ginny what she would like.

"Nothing, thanks."

Umbridge only stared at her. "I offered you a cup of tea, Miss Weasley; it would be rude to refuse it."

Ginny's manners kicked in and she nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry, Madam Umbridge. Just a little lemon and honey please."

Umbridge turned back to the table to make the tea and handed Ginny a steaming tea cup a moment later. "I love milk in mine. Are you sure that you won't have a little?"

"Sure," Ginny said, feeling a little uneasy now. The way Umbridge was smiling gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She watched her add a little milk before she moved to sit across, placing her own tea cup on the desk next to them.

"Now, a sweet girl like you, I don't think that you _meant_ to harm that prefect, Mr… ?"

"Macmillan," Ginny supplied. "I used a stinging hex on him because he called me a whore."

Umbridge only blinked at her. "Well, words often sting when they tell the truth, don't they?"

Ginny's eyes flashed in rage, and Umbridge's lips curved into an evil smile.

"Drink your tea, dear."

Ginny lifted the cup to her lips as Umbridge stared at her, her eyes glinting greedily, and the thought _poison_ crossed her mind. Ginny pretended to sip it with a smile. "Mmm, you're right, the milk is good."

Umbridge looked pleased by this and sipped her own tea before she put it down. "You are Harry Potter's girlfriend, are you not?"

"Yes," Ginny said, wondering what that had to do with anything.

"His godfather has been a pain in my arse for some time, causing trouble in the Ministry of Magic for years. Is Mr Potter as much of a troublemaker?"

"Sirius has been doing great things at the Ministry. We're all proud of him, Harry included. Aspiring to be anything like him isn't considered causing trouble," she answered.

Umbridge's eyes narrowed. "Drink more of your tea."

Ginny stared at the cup now. It wasn't poison, she thought as a dawning realization came over her; there was Veritserum in the cup. It was the only explanation as to why Umbridge would make her drink it. She brought it to her lips, her eyes moving past Umbridge to the window. "Is that a niffler?"

Umbridge jumped from her chair in alarm. There wasn't actually a niffler, but Umbridge was searching the office diligently as she hiccuped. "How are those devilish little beasts getting in here? Where is it, girl?"

When she turned to search for the creature that wasn't there, Ginny carefully swapped their tea cups, holding the new cup tightly in her hand. "I heard that they are excellent climbers, but they don't usually open windows. Are you sure that you've kept it locked?"

Umbridge's eyes darted around her office suspiciously before she seemed content that there was no niffler in hiding. She swayed on her feet a little. "Yes, but I will be extra cautious from now on." She looked up as Ginny drank her tea. "How's the tea?"

"Delicious," Ginny said, trying not to make a face. Umbridge apparently liked a pound of sugar in her tea, and a great deal of sherry; she could feel her teeth rotting at the taste. No wonder the witch was clearly a bit tipsy.

The woman picked up the tea cup and knocked it back with a grimace. "This isn't…" She stared at Ginny, her eyes wide. "You took my tea!"

Ginny smiled. She was hardly going to admit to it and at this point, they both knew it was too late. "Madam Umbridge, what were you saying about Sirius Black and Harry Potter?"

"Meddlesome idiots, the both of them. Sirius Black is going around behind my back trying to get me fired! He should watch himself. There's people watching him, watching me. I have friends in high places, you know."

"Fudge?"

"Better than the Fudge! He's fallen high, he has, and the new minister… I know she doesn't like me. I have friends better than her," Umbridge said, hiccuping. "I have friends in You Know Who's inner circle."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Are you a Death Eater?"

Umbridge scoffed. "No, not me, but I _should be_. They'd respect me there. Respect what I do. I get no respect here. Ever since Cornelius was impeached, people treat me like vermin. Me? A respected pureblooded witch - and not the filth they bring into the government nowadays. Fairies and wolves and vampires and all those mixed breeds. It's disgusting!"

She hiccuped, startling herself, and her eyes fell on Ginny.

"And your older brothers… that disgusting swamp out there and the fireworks destroyed my office. Ruined my prized cat portraits! Now that damn poltergeist blows raspberries in my ear when I'm trying to sleep! He sings 'Henry VIII I Am' over and over and over again! And just this morning, he came into my shower and dumped rice pudding on my head!"

Ginny snorted, covering her mouth as laughter threatened to bubble up. "How sad."

Umbridge glared. "And you! Nothing but Potter's bloody whore… the Dark Lord touched you, I heard…" She giggled as if she suddenly couldn't control the laughter in the back of her throat. "Do you let all the boys touch you? Is that really what those prefects were fighting about?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed and her hand clenched her wand tightly. "You don't know what you're talking about. I am not a whore!"

"Your stupid, bloody brothers ruined everything! I was going to do great things here! I was going to revolutionize this school! I was going to be Headmistress!"

The knock on the door surprised them both; Umbridge hiccuped.

"Come in!"

McGonagall stood there with Dumbledore and Snape. She looked at Ginny in alarm. "Miss Weasley, what are you doing in here?"

"Getting information," Ginny said easily. "She tried to slip me a truth potion and I swapped our teacups. I'm learning some very interesting things."

McGonagall's eyebrow rose. "Dolores, is this true?"

"Oh, absolutely," Umbridge exclaimed. "I did give her a truth potion, and if she switched our cups that explains why I keep telling her things that I don't mean to."

"She was saying that she knows Death Eaters and respects You Know Who."

"Smart wizard," she said, nodding. "He knows not to trust these filthy beasts, those half-breeds! I've worked hard my whole life to try to make the world safe from them, and what do I get for my troubles? Demoted! Sent to this school full of children taught by filthy half-breeds and whores! Tortured and picked on! Harassed by a poltergeist day in and day out! These filthy beasts that call themselves children doing nothing but causing trouble and shagging each other like animals all over the castle. When I'm Headmistress, that will change, oh yes!"

"Headmistress?" Snape asked, his eyebrow rising. "That's definitely not going to happen."

Dumbledore stared at her. "How did your bigotry bring you this far, Dolores? For an intelligent woman, you are a sad individual. Minerva tells me that you used dark magic on my students? Is this true?"

"Oh yes, with my special quill!" Umbridge replied.

"Where did you get that quill that you gave to Miss Casey?" Dumbledore asked. His eyes were cold and piercing, not the usual twinkle that Ginny was used to; it sent a surprising shiver down her spine. She was starting to understand why someone like Tom would be afraid to come up against him.

"A family heirloom," Umbridge said proudly. "An invention of my father's. He used to make me write lines with it when I misbehaved. It forces you to write in your own blood, quite ingenious I think. And that little freak never should have been born! By engraving the words into her own skin, it is only a reminder of it."

Snape's eyes darkened. "Have you forced other students to use it?"

"Mostly first years, yes - children too stupid to realize its dangers. Of course, there's that freakish little vampire boy from third year, I made him lick the blood from his hand — he probably liked it, the disgusting half-breed. Fred and George Weasley's hands were nicely cut up by my words. I should have done more to those nasty little buggers for what they've done to me! Flying out on me! Leaving me with this mess!"

McGonagall paled. "Severus, send for the Aurors. I won't allow this woman to stay a moment longer in this school. I want her arrested for child abuse!"

"Wait a moment, Minerva," Dumbledore declared.

"Wait — Albus, are you listening to this? She forced students to write lines in their own blood! She forced a student to lick his own bloody hand clean! She should be locked away in a cell for the rest of her days for child abuse!"

Umbridge hiccuped again. "Who is abusing children?"

"I am not saying otherwise, Minerva, I merely am looking to collect all of the facts. Between you and Sirius I have been kept informed on this woman's more seemly decisions."

"You refused to let her sack Sybil," McGonagall retorted. "But I haven't seen you doing anything else to stop her!"

Dumbledore's eyebrow rose. "Minerva, the Department of Education has a say in who teaches at my school, but as headmaster, I get final word. Sybil does not deserve to be fired. As to the rest, Dolores' bigotry and inspections were nothing more than petty interruptions that I was willing to allow for the department to get her out of their hair, but this is an entirely different level." He turned back to Umbridge, his eyes narrowed. "Why did you force these students to write lines in their own blood?"

"Filthy, mangy little beasts," Umbridge declared. "I hate children!"

Dumbledore looked disappointed in her answer as he turned to Ginny. "Miss Weasley, why were you called to her office this evening?"

"She was hexing a prefect!" Umbridge exclaimed. "Most uncalled for. She said that he called her a whore, but if the shoe fits…"

"Dolores!" McGonagall said in shock.

Umbridge merely hiccuped again.

"I used a stinging hex on him, Professors, and Madam Umbridge demanded that I come to her office during dinner for detention. When I arrived, she prepared me tea."

"How did you know to swap the cups?" Snape asked her, his dark gaze eying her curiously.

Ginny stared at him for a moment. "I didn't know for sure, but I felt like she was too eager for me to drink it. Growing up with Fred and George, if anyone is that eager for you to eat or drink something, there's a large possibility that it may blow up in your face. When she started asking me about Harry and Sirius, I suspected there might be Veritserum in the tea."

Snape nodded, his dark eyes carefully blank. "Ten points to Gryffindor. Who did you hex?"

"Macmillan."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "He seems to be causing some problems this year, Albus. As you know, I came to you before the holiday with news that Potter had broken his nose and claimed that he had physically assaulted Theodore Nott. Without Nott's testimony, I had nothing to trust Potter's claim, but this… I don't know if he's the best choice for the Hufflepuff prefect."

"I can say with absolute certainty that he is not," an Irish voice declared, startling them all. Macmillan, cuffed and gagged, was suddenly thrown to the floor of Umbridge's office.

"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall demanded. "Who are you?"

The tall imposing figure with the face of an angel merely raised a brow as Theo stepped into the room to stand next to him. "This filth has been blackmailing and both physically and sexually abusing one of your students for months now. The only reason he is still alive at this moment is because Lord Norfolk here requests it."

Ginny's eyes narrowed as she took in the Irish angel's words. Abuse? Blackmail? Her gaze sought Theo and he shook his head at her.

"Mr Nott, is this true?" McGonagall demanded, her voice breaking.

Snape only stared at Theo. "It was him all along, Theo, wasn't it? Why didn't you come to me?"

"He was going to tell my father!" Theo blurted out, his cheeks heating in embarrassment. "I couldn't let that happen! I needed to wait until everything came together and everything… it's mine now, Professor. I am now the Marquess of Norfolk."

Snape bent down to pick up Macmillan, shoving him into a chair next to Umbridge. "Looks like the Aurors will be getting two for the price of one today." He ripped the gag from the Hufflepuff. "Anything to say for yourself?"

Macmillan pointed to the Irish angel next to Theo. "He… he… he did something…"

McGonagall raised a brow, turning to the figure. "Who are you?"

The Irish angel stepped forward and bowed. "Prince Finley Alexander of the Court of Tara, at your service, Madam."

McGonagall looked taken aback before she curtsied. "Your Grace."

Dumbledore bowed as well. "You sent word that you would be arriving to see Umbridge removed for using dark magic on your niece, Ciara Casey. How did you come across Lord Norfolk and Mr Macmillan?"

"I found him assaulting Lord Norfolk in the alley behind The Three Broomsticks. I may have used a fairy curse or two to show him what could befall him if he was to ever hurt another soul," Finn explained. His eyes glinted into sharp emeralds as he stared at the prefect. "Though I tend to think that a worthy punishment is the same he reaped upon others, I don't condone it. I know the Aurors will not give him over to my court, but for the record, I vote that he be punished there by _my people_ for the sexual assault he bestowed upon Theo."

Ginny's hands covered her mouth and she immediately moved to Theo.

He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek, and cradling her close. "I'm fine, chick. Honestly." He kissed her cheek again and then whispered in her ear. "A sexy fairy prince rescued me and then he kissed me."

Ginny's eyes widened and he grinned at her.

"Tell you later," he whispered, holding her against his side as they turned back to the room.

"Your Grace, we cannot allow you to bestow that kind of punishment upon Mr Macmillan," McGonagall said, though her gaze was full of disgust when she looked at Ernie.

"Sexual assault should never happen period, Madam, but those who believe themselves to be above the law in such things should be put to death for their crimes. I do not condone assault of any kind on any creature, man, woman or child, but I want him punished severely for his crimes."

"He will be, Your Grace, I can promise you that. But you may bring up your suggestion to the Aurors. Severus, call the Aurors!"

Snape nodded and sent a Patronus out of the room before Ginny could see what the shape of it was. No sooner had the Patronus been dispatched than Sirius walked in with a group of people behind him.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked, his eyes falling on Ginny.

"Sirius, we just called for the Aurors. I want this woman arrested along with Ernie Macmillan, fifth year prefect."

Sirius' eyebrow rose. He immediately stepped across the room and put a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she said, with a grateful smile. "I'm fine. Umbridge tried to give me Veritserum, but I switched our cups."

"Clever little spitfire," Sirius said, gently squeezing her shoulder before he turned to stand next to her. "Why is Macmillan being arrested?"

A man with Ernie's jawline stood in the doorway. "What is the meaning of this? Why is my son handcuffed to this chair?"

"Richard," Sirius began, grabbing the man's arm before he could enter the cramped office that was already full of eight people. "It seems he is to be arrested."

Lord Richard Macmillan, newly appointed member of the Board of Governors, stared at his son in horror. "Ernest Richard Macmillan, what are you being accused of?"

"Rape," Finn said darkly. "Repeated sexual assault, blackmail, and physical assault on Lord Norfolk."

Lord Macmillan's eyes widened. " _What_? That can't be!"

"The Aurors can sort it out," McGonagall said darkly as Kingsley came into the room with Tonks and Higgins.

Higgins picked up Ernie, cuffing him with the Auror-issue handcuffs and returning the gold ones to Finn as Tonks moved over to Umbridge. Ginny knew that Tonks being the one to arrest Umbridge meant a great deal to her after everything that the foul woman had put her husband through.

"Dolores Umbridge, you are hereby being arrested for using dark magic on children, for child abuse, and for providing an underage minor with a controlled substance known as Veritserum. You do not have to say anything, but, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence," Tonks declared, locking the cuffs extra tight behind Umbridge's back.

The white-haired man at the front of the governors in the corridor shook his head from the doorway. "Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, I deeply apologize for the inconvenience that this woman has caused. She was trouble at the Ministry and I admit, I shipped her here as much to get her out of my hair as to get the job done, but I never expected this. I will be handling all curriculum inspections myself coming the first week of February."

"Thank you, Mr Richardson," McGonagall told him.

Dumbledore nodded. "What's done is done, Henry. We don't want her in the school, and I assume that the families will want to press charges against her. Kingsley, Prince Finley wishes to discuss punishment for both of the accused."

Kingsley's eyebrow rose. "The Court of Tara doesn't have authority over this manner, Your Grace. As stated in Bill E72-WD9 Section III Article 2-2 'The Sub-Government of Tara is solely responsible for their court and people including law and order,' and we both know that Macmillan does not fall under your jurisdiction, but mine."

Finn frowned. "Worth a try."

Kingsley smiled. "Any complaints or charges can be brought directly to me in the DMLE. Lupin, Higgins, drag their arses out of here. Lord Macmillan, you can come down to the DMLE with me and we'll talk about the charges laid against your son."

"He's expelled from Hogwarts," Dumbledore said darkly. "We do not tolerate that sort of behaviour in this school."

Lord Macmillan paled, nodding as he followed Higgins and his son out of the room.

Tonks winked at Ginny as she followed with Umbridge, Kingsley behind her.

Dumbledore let out a slow breath. "I imagine that this won't stay quiet for long. Minerva, get Filius to help you dismantle the Weasleys' swamp. We need to get things back to normal. Severus, if you could speak to Pomona about choosing a new fifth year prefect to help Miss Abbott, it would be appreciated." His eyes fell on Theo and Ginny. "Mr Nott - I apologize, _Lord Norfolk,_ I would like to speak with you about the actions of Mr Macmillan, but for now, if you and Miss Weasley could please head down to the Great Hall, dinner should still be going on. "

Ginny nodded and snuck a glance at Theo who held a finger up asking her to wait. She moved to the side of the corridor as Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape filed out with Sirius and the rest of the Board of Governors, all talking avidly. It was only a few moments before she was alone in the hall. She snuck a peek into Umbridge's office, biting her bottom lip as she watched Finn duck his head and tenderly kiss Theo on the lips.

Theo blushed as the fairy prince pulled away, and then he was off, his cloak billowing out behind him. Theo saw Ginny and he moved over to her.

"Did you see him? Did you see him?"

"He's gorgeous!" Ginny said. "I told you that he wasn't some old fuddy-duddy!"

Theo grinned. "He saved me, Ginny! I mean — he _literally_ swooped in all Prince Charming like and saved me from Ernie! It was like a fairy tale and I was the bloody damsel in distress!"

Ginny chuckled. "I can't imagine a more beautiful princess."

He rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "He put Ernie in his place and then he left him hanging by the brick wall in the cold, trapped in some mental dark world, and he took me to meet Smith."

"And now, you're Lord Norfolk."

"I am," he said, beaming. "It's all mine! The title, the name, the wealth, the property… I am the sole owner. My father has nothing; no claim to it."

"And Ernie… Theo, why didn't you tell me or Malfoy or Zabini?"

His face reddened. "I was afraid. He… if my father found out, Ginny… I might not have been able to make a claim on this. It would mean that I would be trapped under the thumb of Thaddeus Nott for a whole extra year. He forced me to meet the Dark Lord in August."

Ginny's eyes widened. " _What_?"

Theo bit his lip. "It was terrifying, chick. I tried to pretend that I was brave and that it would all be okay, but… he's terrifying, and he told me that I would become one of his followers. I knew that if he saw how I really felt or if my father found out that I was gay… I couldn't risk it. It's my life, Ginny."

Ginny moved into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and resting her head against his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Theo. I wish that there was something I could have done to help you."

He hugged her back, closing his eyes. "The first weekend back to school… I was two minutes late for curfew because I couldn't stop thinking about meeting the Dark Lord. I knew about the breakout — and Draco and I, we decided not to share it, because it might look suspicious that they found out after I had met the Dark Lord. I was feeling guilty about it and confused and Macmillan found me and took away house points. I taunted him a little about being a prick and power getting to his head but I… then he had my wand and I was on my knees and he forced me to suck him off… I was so embarrassed. I had _let it_ happen."

"He overpowered you. There is nothing to be ashamed about."

Theo nodded. "When it was done, I thought, that's it… but then he threatened me. He told me that if I didn't give him what he wanted whenever he wanted it, he would make sure my father found out that I'm gay. He told me that I'd lose everything that the Nott name had and… I panicked. I promised not to tell anyone and I let him… do it."

"Theo…"

He shook his head and kissed her cheek. "He liked to hit me. He liked to see me bleed while I sucked him off and it… it wasn't too bad until I ended up in the hospital." He sighed against her hair as she continued to hug him. "I wanted to tell you; to tell Draco, I just… I didn't know how. I thought maybe if I just killed myself, it would be better, but… I don't want to die."

Ginny pulled away just a little to look into his eyes. "I've been there before myself. I know how dark those thoughts can get." She squeezed his hands in hers. "Na'eemah helped me with that. She's amazing and so kind. Maybe, I could introduce you to her one day."

Theo looked like he wanted to protest but then he nodded. "I think maybe I'd like that."

Ginny smiled at him. "And today… Finn said that he found Ernie hurting you in an alley?"

Theo nodded. "He cornered me and pulled me into the alley behind The Three Broomsticks. Ernie said that I'd told Potter's whore what happened and that you hexed him."

"I did, I'm sorry. He called me a whore and I just… _did I make_ him hurt you?"

"No," Theo said vehemently. "He would have found me either way. He hit me. He took my wand and he said some things… I had knelt in the snow and he was undoing his pulling out his penis and I remember telling myself to just do it, that it would be the last time and to just get it over with and then I blinked… and he was gone."

"Gone?"

"Then I saw him being held against the brick by his throat a few inches off the ground by this tall imposing figure in a hood."

Ginny's eyes widened as he explained what Finn had said and done.

"He rescued me and then he asked to come to the meeting. After the meeting, we went back to get Ernie to bring him to the castle and he… kissed me."

"And the kiss?" Ginny could see that Theo was still brimming with excitement over the kiss and knew he needed to tell her more about it.

Theo led her down the stairs towards the Great Hall, his arm still linked with hers. "He said that he's wanted to kiss me for weeks. Ciara sent him a picture of me and her by the tree in the common room and he said that he had already been attracted to my mind, but when he saw my face, he couldn't stop thinking about me. Me, Ginny! I mean, Merlin — _did you see him_?"

"I did, and you should look closer at yourself, Lord Norfolk. Quite the sexy catch, you are!"

Theo kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly outside of the Great Hall. "I love you, chick. You are the best thing to ever happen to me and now I am finally getting the chance to live the life I want. The first part of that is going to be making plans to snog the daylights out of that prince at the next opportunity."

"Which is…?"

Theo blushed. "He's coming to see me tomorrow after lunch. I'm going to meet him in the village."

Ginny grinned. "I want to know everything."

Theo put his arm around her again as they walked into the Great Hall. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

~ ASC ~

 **Theo was still partly in shock the next morning when he woke up.** The shock was intensified by the fact that Morrigan was waiting on his nightstand with a new letter from Finn.

 _Theo,_

 _I look forward to meeting you in Hogsmeade today._

 _Finn_

He grinned and hopped in the shower. He had just finished getting dressed and pulled open the door to his dormitory when he jolted in surprise to see Snape standing there with a raised fist, preparing to knock.

"Professor," he said curtly.

Snape stared at him. "I was just coming to see you. Come with me to my office, I want to speak with you."

Theo nodded. He grabbed his satchel from the chair along with his cloak and gloves before he followed his Head of House up the stairs and through the common room. They walked down the hall of the dungeons to Snape's office and Snape closed the door behind them.

"Have a seat, Theo."

Theo did as he was instructed as Snape moved to sit behind his desk, crossing his arms on the desk in front of him. "Sir?"

Snape stared at him for a moment. "I wish that you would have come to me about Macmillan, but I understand why you felt that you had to handle it yourself. How long was this going on?"

Theo's face heated.

"Theo, I am not here to judge or to lecture you on coming forward. We both know that you should have and we both know why you didn't. How long?"

"Since the first week back," he said softly.

Snape nodded and opened a folder on his desk, passing the piece of parchment to Theo. "You don't need to tell me if you don't feel comfortable, but the Aurors need you to write down everything that happened, everything that Macmillan made you do or did to you. As much detail as possible along with dates would be very helpful."

He felt his cheeks redden even more. "Oh."

Snape stared at him for a moment. "Auror Shacklebolt will be coming by tomorrow morning at nine am to speak with you. He is bringing two officers who will be handling the case. If you could have that done in time, it would be appreciated."

Theo nodded, but didn't speak.

"Theo, I can't imagine that this is comfortable for you, but I would also suggest allowing them to view the memories of Mr Macmillan attacking you. It will be beneficial to your case and it will only help make sure he gets the punishment he deserves."

"Yes, Sir," he said quietly.

Snape tapped his fingers in front of him. "Lord Norfolk, congratulations on that."

Theo's head snapped up to meet his professor's gaze.

"You deserve it. Now the question is, what are you going to do about Thaddeus?"

Theo swallowed. "I'm working on it, Professor."

Snape nodded. "Good luck and remember, my door is always open to you."

Theo took the parchment from Snape and nodded before he let himself out. He knew that he would have to deal with pressing charges against Macmillan and he knew that he would have to tell a complete stranger about it. He thought about what Ginny had said to him about meeting Na'eemah.

He had a lot to think about.

~ ASC ~

 **The paper that morning had quite a lot to say for the Sunday post.** There were three articles across the front page each cut off at the bottom to be continued on a new page. Harry skimmed over the first page that morning with a piece of toast in his hand.

 _HOGWARTS REMOVES DOLORES UMBRIDGE BY FORCE_

 _It seems that Department of Education facilitator, Dolores J Umbridge, was arrested from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry yesterday evening. Aurors were sent to the school to arrest the witch on charges of using dark magic on the students._

 _Umbridge has been causing undercurrents within the Ministry of Magic for years, being the witch to draft the Undesirable Bill two years ago. After losing her position in the Minister's Cabinet, she moved to the Department of Education as a formal inspector to check on new classes and to assess the curriculum taught at the school… (continued on page 6)_

 _LORD RICHARD MACMILLAN'S HEIR ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT - IS THE MACMILLAN FAMILY IN TROUBLE?_

 _Lord Richard Macmillan, prominent member of the House of Lords and Ladies in the Wizengamot and wealthy real-estate developer, was brought into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement last night along with his heir, Ernest Richard Macmillan. The sixteen-year-old-wizard has been charged with physical and sexual assault, resulting in him recently being expelled from Hogwarts. Can Lord Macmillan do anything to save his son?… (continued on page 9)_

 _NEW MARQUESS OF NORFOLK, LORD THEODORE NOTT_

 _The Marquess of Norfolk was officially passed off to the sixteen-year-old-heir late yesterday afternoon. Thaddeus Nott, the former Marquess, is wanted by the Ministry of Magic for multiple violent crimes including calling himself a Death Eater, a follower of You Know Who. His heir, innocent of his father's crimes, has taken over the control of the estate, claiming majority and early inheritance… (continued on page 4)_

Harry put down the paper without flipping the pages to finish the articles. "So much for keeping things under wraps. Theo is going to get a lot of press about Macmillan."

Hermione held up the magazine in her hand. "It won't just be Theo."

At Harry's questioning look, she opened the magazine and began to read aloud:

 _TWO NEW YOUNG MARQUESSES - BE READY LADIES!_

 _With two new men taking on the roles they were destined for, Witch Weekly can't have helped but notice those dark and dashing good looks._

 _Lord Norfolk, 16, has recently taken control over his own holdings since his father, an accused Death Eater, is on the Ministry's Most Wanted List. Lord Theodore Nott, not only is the sole owner of one of the largest manors in Norfolk, but quite the catch!_

 _Keep your eyes on this one, ladies! He's kind as well as rich and handsome!_

 _The Marquess of Somerset has finally reached an age where he is visiting his properties to check in. The owner of The Potterer in Devon was beside himself with glee when he found out that Lord Somerset, better known as Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, or more recently as The Chosen One, was coming to see the herbological centre._

 _"_ _He is the nicest bloke! He told me that I was doing a great job and it made me feel good. I've been working here for five years and had never met the owner until now. And learning it's Harry Potter — blimey! What an honour!"_

 _It seems Lord Somerset made his way around over the holiday, visiting Liverpool, Scotland, France, and a few other establishments. Potter, 15, is the sole heir of one of the richest families in England. With a hero like that in your corner, ladies, how can you go wrong? Tall, dark, and dashing, Quidditch captain of his house team, and with a tragic backstory, your Prince Charming is turning out to be quite the catch!_

 _Keep your eyes peeled for these two young lords! Some lucky witch will be moving up in the world if they reel them in!_

Harry flushed furiously, pulling the magazine out of Hermione's hands. "What rubbish!"

Ginny leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Tall, dark, and dashing... I like it."

He flushed darker.

Neville shrugged. "Well, it could be worse, right?"

"Yeah, like watching ladies attempt to seduce Theo when he has that gorgeous golden prince to do that instead," Ginny added, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Are they dating?" Hermione asked her.

Ginny nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Theo has been completely swept off his feet. He deserves it."

As if one cue, two large owls carried two dozen blue forget-me-nots and placed them in front of Theo.

"That's so romantic," Hermione said as Ginny nodded next to her.

"He deserves to be happy. I don't think that he's ever really been," she admitted, watching his eyes light up as he bent his head to smell the bouquets.

Harry leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Then he will be. Having you as a friend will definitely help that."

Ginny turned to smile at him. "I think having a fairy prince who sends you two dozen forget-me-nots for no particular reason is a good start as well."

Harry figured his girlfriend was probably right about that. He looked over at where Draco was saying something to Theo about the flowers, and he thought that it was about time that Theodore Nott had a smile on his face.

Umbridge was gone and Theo was smiling. Things were looking up.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _The things that Malfoy threatened Macmillan with: knee reversal hex, pus squirting hex (from nose), stinging hex, Ginny's Bat-Bogey hex from the head of his penis, and furnunculus (painful boils and pimples)._

 _For those of you who guessed Finn was not the elderly gentlemen Theo thought he might be, good on you. I've been waiting to introduce him and I hope that this was a good surprise. His likeness is up on my tumblr for those of you interested — breaniebree._

 _Thank you for reading and please review!_


	210. Chapter 210

_Author's Note:_

 _Reviews: To Pavk9918, thank you, a 10/10 is always nice but as to finishing the chapter faster than a shot of vodka, I can't really help you there LOL. I'm glad everyone liked Finn, I've been waiting and waiting for that reveal! His likeness is posted on my tumblr, I picture him as this model named Rudi Dollmayer. To UmiTheForce: I wanted Finn to be falling for him and to get the chance to rescue him. Theo deserves to be swept off his feet in my opinion. To Steelcode: The Bitch and Fucker are gone - what great names for them! LOL. To StacieJ72: Thank you so much for your kind words, that is what I am trying to do, to focus on the things in HP that were glossed over even though my love for the books is so vast already, I wanted the chance to expand on them! To PurpleLotus: I wanted Ginny to get the truth potion, to see that it was dangerous and be the one to get the opportunity to inadvertently take her down. Having Fred and George as brothers most definitely paid off!_

 _Thanks to scrappy8: Our girl did switch the cups and I am also so happy for Theo! To speedsONEandONLY, I feel your squeals lol! To notthatchhavi: There is a model on my tumblr of Finn. To coloredwords: Having Harry lose it seemed too predictable. He's known Ginny longer and I love the idea that he knows when to step in and knows when to let her fight her own battles. To Wolf's Scream: The professors are following Ministry protocol by giving Umbridge power so banning her couldn't happen right away. To LifeonEarth: You didn't know you wanted Theo to have a fairy prince, but everyone is so happy that he does! To christyannb94: Finn did not know that Theo was gay, though he suspected from some of things Theo told him and from Ciara and when they met, the chemistry was undeniable. And no, Ginny is not going to get jealous, Harry and Finn are different and Harry treats her well, besides, I think Theo deserves a little pampering! To Ofglitterandgiggles: Wow, 209 chapters in a week — thank you! To purplevictory: No Charlie for Theo, I'm afraid, I just liked it as a running joke._

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her awesome editing skills!_

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND TEN:**

 **Theo signed himself out with Professor Snape before he headed into the village of Hogsmeade.** He had just taken his seat in a back booth in The Three Broomsticks when Finn slid onto the bench next to him, making his breath hitch in surprise. He hadn't even seen the fae come in.

"Hi," he breathed, wondering if Finn could see his heart beating out of his chest.

Finn smiled. If it was possible, the man was even more beautiful than he'd been yesterday. Theo had partially convinced himself that he'd imagined the whole thing until the flowers had arrived at breakfast. He not only looked even better than Theo remembered, but his eyes, the colour of a fresh spring meadow, were staring right at him, as if into his very soul.

"Hi," Finn said as he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Theo's, interrupting his thoughts. "Did you get the flowers?"

Theo blushed. "They were beautiful. I didn't… thank you."

Finn reached out, gently brushing his thumb over Theo's cheek. "I thought you deserved something to make you smile."

Theo did smile, letting out a slow breath. "You make me nervous," he admitted.

Finn's eyebrow rose in surprise as he dropped his hand. "I apologize."

Theo shook his head. "No, I didn't… good nervous. I think."

The fae's lips curved. "Oh. Well, I'll take that then."

Theo was quiet as he stared into Finn's eyes for a moment. "So, how does this work exactly?"

"How does what work?"

"You and… me?" Theo asked nervously.

Finn smiled, his voice lowering. "Well, I guess that depends on how you want it to work. I like you, Theo."

"Why?" Theo asked before he could stop himself. "I mean… you don't know me, not really."

"I hope to know you better," Finn admitted. "But what I do know, I like. We have been exchanging letters for a few months now."

"Why did you write to me?" Theo asked.

Finn's green eyes met his for a long moment before he spoke, making Theo's stomach clench nervously. "I originally wrote to you because I was mildly curious about the older boy who befriended my niece. I wanted to thank you and then you wrote back and you seemed so flummoxed that I would thank you. It intrigued me. I had to respond and then we began corresponding and I realized that _I liked you_. You were interesting, and I could see that you cared for Ciara. You told me about your friends and I felt like I was starting to know you."

"I felt like I was starting to know you, too," Theo admitted. "But you're not at all like how I imagined."

"Oh?"

"I thought that you were like thirty, maybe forty and… you never told me that you were _only_ eighteen!"

"You never asked," Finn said simply. "When you told me about the trouble your friend was in, I suspected that there was more to the story, but I didn't know you well enough to be sure. Ciara came home and she showed me photos of her and her friends and when I saw the one of you and her by the tree in the Slytherin common room… I wanted to look into those eyes myself and see if I was merely infatuated with the bloke who wrote to me, or if there was a real attraction there."

"And?" Theo breathed.

Finn's lips curved. "When you wrote to me telling me about meeting your lawyer in Hogsmeade, I thought that I would pop by and introduce myself. It would give me a chance to add my weight to the reference that I had already written for you and be an excuse to meet you in person… but then you wrote about that foul woman punishing Ciara. I spoke to my uncle, the king, and he asked around in the Wizengamot and learned that Lord Black was the best person to speak to. He informed me of their process in trying to get Umbridge removed and I insisted on being present. When I got word that it was the same day, I thought that I would try to meet you in person first. I had just arrived in front of the pub when I heard your cry in the alley. I didn't realize that it was you until I offered you my hand."

Theo blushed. "You're the most beautiful man that I've ever seen."

Finn reached out to gently run his fingers through Theo's unruly dark hair. "I looked into your eyes and I realized that the attraction I felt was _very_ real."

Theo stared back into Finn's beautiful green eyes for a moment before he caught himself. "Thank you for what you did for me. The letter… Ernie… I can never repay you - but as Lord Norfolk, if there is anything I can do to —"

Finn's fingers covered his lips, silencing him. "What you can do for me, Lord Norfolk, is allow me the honour of being your boyfriend?"

Theo bit his bottom lip. "I'd like that."

"But it's not a payment," Finn stated. "It would only be because you _want_ to be my boyfriend, not because you feel that you owe me something. But because you want to be with me. Do you… want to be with me?"

"Yes," Theo blurted out, kissing the fingers still resting over his lips. "I've never had a real boyfriend before, just… flings."

Finn smiled slowly. "I'd love to be your first."

Theo felt like his face was on fire as his cheeks heated all over again at the connotation of Finn's words. He shifted closer to him so that they were shoulder to shoulder and then he dropped his gaze to those soft lips. He stared for a moment, before he shifted his eyes up to meet the green ones. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to his.

It was the most amazing feeling. He'd never before kissed anyone who made him feel so much. It wasn't sweet like with Connor, or an excuse to get off like with David, this was… _more_. His heart sped up as his lips moved over his, sighing when Finn's tongue drifted into his mouth and met his in slow, languid strokes that made him purr. The man made him purr, he thought, and he moved closer.

Finn placed his hands on his hips and Theo slid his arms around Finn's neck as they kissed for the longest time before he finally pulled away: Breathless, hot and bothered, and anxious to kiss him again.

"Does that answer your question?"

Finn only stared at him, dipping his head to kiss him softly. "Let's order some lunch and then I want to know everything there is to know about Theodore Thaddeus Nott, including how he learned to kiss like that."

Theo grinned at him, moving back to rest himself against the bench of the booth. "Only if you tell me everything about growing up in a royal court."

Finn linked his fingers with his and smiled. "My life is open to you."

And Theo felt his heart rate speed up again as those spring meadow-coloured eyes locked on his. He had never felt more special in his entire life.

~ ASC ~

 **Dean broke up with Natalie as the cold winds of February swept in.** She'd taken it well, telling him that she understood, but he still felt bad about it. He knew that he needed to make a decision and it worried him that he already had. He and Seamus hadn't spoken about what he'd said since that night over the holiday. Seamus hadn't questioned him - hadn't mentioned the kiss or the words said - and hadn't so much as hinted at anything other than friendship.

Dean was torn.

He had dreams about Seamus kissing him, about Seamus on his knees, bent over a table, spread out across his bed... and he always woke with his cock in his hand. But he didn't say anything to his friend. He didn't _dare_ admit his words aloud.

Dean couldn't stop reliving that conversation. _I won't hide again_ , Seamus had said. Dean accepted that but - was he ready to stop hiding? He wasn't sure. Did he care what people thought of him? Sure, he did. But he cared about Seamus more.

He woke after another randy dream, his hands on his cock, and he pumped himself automatically, gasping slightly when he came. He cleaned himself off, listening to the sounds of his dorm mates snores before he jumped out of bed and went to the toilet. He washed his face and hands and then re-cleaned his teeth, before he just decided to shower. Afterwards, he put on clean pyjama bottoms and headed back to his bed before he turned mid-walk and slid over to Seamus'.

Dean pulled the bed curtains aside and saw his friend sleeping soundly, blankets pulled up to his chin. Dean grinned and sat on the side of the bed. Seamus' eyes fluttered open at the movement.

"Mate?" he murmured, half-asleep. "You okay?"

"I'm great," he whispered back. "Budge over."

Seamus, still half-asleep, did as his friend asked and only stared at him as he lay on his side so that Dean crawled into the bed next to him. "What's going on?"

Dean covered himself with the blankets, turning on his side to face his friend. "I don't want to hide either."

Seamus raised an eyebrow, still looking half-asleep. "Who're we hiding from?"

"No," Dean said, smiling at his best friend. "I don't want to hide. I'm attracted to women, Seam, and maybe I always will be, but… no one has _ever_ attracted me like _you_ _do_."

Seamus' eyes widened. "Oh. You mean —?"

Dean's gaze dropped to his lips. "I wish that you'd let me kiss you."

"Natalie..."

"We're over, you know that. She's already started dating a sixth year. I broke up with her the day before Umbridge was arrested."

"And you waited over a week to tell me that you wanted to kiss me?"

Dean grinned. "Yeah... I didn't want to give you any reason to doubt me."

Seamus shifted closer. Dean smiled as he felt his friend's half-hard cock pressing against his. "So what are you waiting for?"

Dean licked his lips and then he leaned in and gently pressed his mouth to Seamus' for a soft, chaste kiss. He pulled away, his eyes on his friend, before he placed a second chaste kiss on his lips.

Seamus' eyes twinkled at him. "Me mam kisses better than that."

Dean snorted and crushed his lips to Seamus', hard and bruising, his tongue slipping into that mouth. He groaned when he realized that his friend was kissing him back. Seamus' mouth met his over and over and the lick of heat that coursed through his body told him that he had made the right choice.

Seamus let his hands slide over Dean's back. He'd fancied Dean since pretty much his first wank, but he'd never seriously considered that his friend could like him back. He'd fantasized of course, hoped for it, but since the holiday when he'd realized his friend was watching him wank, he'd wondered. Dean's lips were soft and hard under his at the same time and his skin was smooth, soft… he wanted to touch more. He tore his mouth away to move down his friend's throat, sucking hard on his pulse point, and Dean moaned. Seamus let his tongue glide over his throat up to nip at his ear before he kissed him softly.

He could feel how hard Dean was against him and it made him feel powerful. But he wasn't going to rush this. They had started this whole thing three steps behind and he wasn't going to let his friend rush into it. Seamus peppered soft kisses along Dean's collarbone, grinding his cock against his friend's in slow purposeful movements designed to make them both crazy before he pulled away.

Dean's wide beautiful mouth was swollen from his, and Seamus reached out to run his thumb over the thick bottom lip. His cock twitched when Dean sucked it into his mouth. Seamus pulled his thumb free and cupped his friend's cheek.

"Go on back to bed, Dean."

Dean frowned. " _What_?"

"Go on back to bed," Seamus repeated.

Dean's dark eyes looked sad before he masked it. "You... don't want me?"

"No, I want you _too much_ ," Seamus told him, as Dean's eyes flashed in desire. "So go back to your own bed because this thing that we're doing — I'm in. I'm all in, and we're going to take things slowly."

Dean nodded. Slow, sure, that made sense, he thought. "Right… slow."

Seamus kissed him chastely. "Goodnight, Dean."

Dean slid out from under the blankets and watched as Seamus merely rolled over to face the other way and he grinned. "Seam?"

"Hmm?"

"Me too. In. I'm all in — that is."

Seamus turned to grin at him. "Good. We'll talk more about it tomorrow, yeah?"

Dean nodded and padded back to his own bed. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he felt completely relaxed. He looked forward to talking to his friend. His boyfriend, he thought with a jolt of surprise, and he closed his eyes, a smile on his face.

~ ASC ~

 **Neville sat in the library, his books opened around him at the table.** Ron and Hermione had just left for patrol and Neville was a little thankful for it. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that Harry and Ginny were finally together that he noticed it more, but Ron and Hermione were a lot more snippy as of late. Lately, they were bickering more than usual, and without Harry and Ginny around as a buffer, it seemed to be getting more and more intense. He usually found their banter rather amusing, but sometimes they gave him a headache.

He smiled when Luna took a seat next to him. "Hi, Luna."

"Hello, Neville," she said. "You look lost in thought. Have the Nargles found you?"

Neville shook his head. "Nah, no Nargles. Just thinking about stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

He shrugged, his eyes roaming around the library. "Stuff."

Luna watched him for a moment before she turned to see where his gaze was. "That Susan Bones is quite pretty. Her hair is orange in comparison to Ginny's crimson locks, but she's pretty."

"Er, yeah," Neville said, his eyes still looking at the table across from theirs where Susan was studying with Hannah, Mandy, Padma, and Su. "Pretty."

Luna smiled. "You should ask her out."

"Su-Susan?" Neville stuttered.

"If you'd like."

He thought about his goal at the beginning of the school year: To work up the courage to ask a girl out. His palms began to sweat. He looked at Susan's hair before his eyes drifted over Hannah's honey-gold braid, then to Mandy's brown curls and to Padma's dark waves. Finally, he landed on Su's straight black locks and he shook his head.

"Er, no."

"Are you afraid that she'll say no?"

"Um, I don't like Susan like that. She's... kind of mean," he admitted.

Luna smiled. "I'm glad. I've never been very fond of her myself. She's very two-faced. I was worried when I thought that you were staring at her."

"Luna, we should go on a date," Neville blurted, his face flushing.

Luna stared at him. "That would be lovely — but neither of us is interested in the other romantically."

Neville sighed. He hated that Luna was right about that. "We _could_ be."

She reached out to touch his cheek. "Go over there and ask her out, Neville. Use that Gryffindor courage that I know you're hiding."

"I told you, I'm _not_ interested in Susan."

Luna smiled. "And we both know that I'm _not_ talking about Susan."

He blushed and stared down at his Charms book. He couldn't do what his friend asked. She had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who she had been dating since the Yule Ball last year.

"She's Kevin's girlfriend."

Luna's eyes twinkled. "Ah-ha! So you do admit it!"

Neville blushed. "If you knew that I fancied her already, why did you go on about Susan?"

"To take the mickey," she said, resting her chin on her hands. "So, now what?"

"Now, I sit here and do my homework."

Luna squeezed his shoulder as she stood up. "Okay. But I think that you should at least go over and say hi."

He watched her leave, his eyes on his work for the longest time before he moved to the table of girls and cleared his throat.

The five of them looked up at him.

"Hi, Neville," Hannah said kindly.

He stared into her blue eyes for a moment. "Hi, Hannah," he said quickly before he tore his gaze away and locked eyes with Su Li. The words tumbled out of him in a panic before he'd thought them through. "Su, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me in two weeks?"

Su's mouth opened in surprise. "Er, no."

Neville felt his face flush, but he nodded as relief coursed through him. "All right then."

He marched back to his own table and back to his books in self-annoyance. Su Li was one of the best looking girls in their year. Of course she wouldn't want to go with him. He wasn't even sure why he'd asked her. No, he _did_ know, he thought. He wanted to see if he was brave enough to do it, and the girl he wanted to ask wasn't available; so he'd asked the first girl he made eye contact with.

"Can you believe _HE_ asked me?" Su exclaimed, not bothering to lower her voice as she interrupted Neville's thoughts. "I mean, he's a bit of a loser, isn't he? I could do _so_ much better."

"I think he's sweet," Hannah said as Neville tried to pretend like he couldn't hear them.

"Don't let Kevin hear you say that," Susan warned. "You know how jealous he gets!"

Mandy smiled. "I think that you should have been nicer to him, Su. It took a lot of courage for him to ask you out, and you were kind of a bitch."

"Well, not all of us are lucky enough to have a Hogsmeade date with Anthony Goldstein!"

Mandy blushed. "I still can't believe that he asked me to go with him the Saturday after Valentine's Day!"

"I can," Su said and the five of them giggled. "He's tall and so peng."

"Neville's tall," Mandy pointed out.

Su rolled her eyes. "I don't date losers, Mandy."

"He's the future Earl of Cumbria though," Susan said matter of factly. "He'll be a rich loser."

"Susan!" Hannah exclaimed. "What a terrible thing to say!"

Neville put his books away as he felt Su Li look over at him. He left the library before he could hear any more, his cheeks heating in embarrassment. He tried to leave normally, but by the time he made it to the stairs, his heart was racing and his breathing was uneven.

This was where Remus found him five minutes later amidst a panic attack.

"Hey, hey!" Remus exclaimed, putting an arm around Neville.

He led him to his office, closed the door, and sat him in the chair.

"Breathe in… breathe out. Breathe in… breathe out. Yes, just like that," he encouraged.

It was almost another five minutes before Neville managed to calm himself. Once his heart rate slowed down, he stared at his hands, too embarrassed to look up. Remus was kneeling in front of him, guiding his breath.

"You want to talk about it?"

Neville swallowed, keeping his eyes on his hands. "I'm a loser."

"Hey! You absolutely are not," Remus declared darkly. "I don't want to hear you say that about yourself again!"

"I am. No one wants to go on a date with me."

"Ah," Remus said as if everything suddenly made sense to him. "Who did you ask?"

"Su Li."

"And do you fancy her?"

Neville shrugged. "I guess. She's one of the most popular girls in our year."

"She is," Remus said slowly. "But _do you_ fancy her? Do you see yourself with her?"

"No," Neville admitted. "But then Susan Bones said something about me being the Earl of Cumbria so it didn't matter if I was a loser because I'd be _a rich loser._ Do you think that's true, Professor Lupin? Will girls only want to go out with me because of who I _might_ be?"

Remus stared at him for a moment. "Some of them might, but I think that you're smart enough to tell the difference."

Neville raised his head a little. "Gran's always telling me how smart my dad was and how brave and handsome and strong... girls liked him."

"They did," Remus told him. "But I also knew your dad when we were in school. He was two years ahead of us and I remember that girls didn't like him so much when he was your age either. In fact, I believe he never even went on a date until sixth year."

"Really?"

Remus nodded. "I remember because he said something and Jamie made a big speech about how Frank was an inspiration to us all. It led to him asking out Lily, and she obviously shot him down - but James continued to boast about how if Frank could go on his first date in sixth year, it meant that he still had a chance with Lily. We were in fourth year at the time."

Neville smiled. "Oh."

"If you're not confident in yourself, how can you expect others to be? It took me a long time to understand that," Remus admitted. "I know it hurts, but try not to let people like Su Li get to you."

"Thanks, Remus."

Remus smiled at him. "You're welcome. Do you want me to find Harry for you?"

Neville shook his head. "No, I'm all right."

He said goodbye to Remus and decided to make his way back up to Gryffindor Tower. He had just turned the corner towards the portrait hole when he saw Hannah and Mandy standing outside of it.

Hannah immediately waved at him. "Hi, Neville."

"Hi, Hannah. Hi, Mandy," Neville replied in kind.

Hannah smiled at him. "We just wanted to apologize for Su and Suzy. They were rude and it was uncalled for."

Neville shrugged as if it hadn't bothered him. "It's okay."

"No, it's not! If she didn't want to go with you, that's fine, but she could have been nicer. Any girl would be lucky to go with you!" Hannah exclaimed.

Neville's eyes met hers and he felt the back of his neck heating. "You think so?"

"Yes," Hannah answered, blushing.

Mandy smiled kindly at him. "You're a sweet bloke, Neville. You'll find the right girl one day. Don't let Su's words get to you."

They waved goodbye and headed out. Neville watched them go, his heart racing when Hannah turned back to look at him. He couldn't help but smile as he watched them leave. Remus was right. He needed confidence, and he was suddenly feeling quite confident in himself.

Neville whistled as he let himself into the portrait hole. Things were looking up.

~ ASC ~

 **Lucius was sitting in the parlour of Selwyn Manor in Croatia when Thaddeus threw a statue across the room, shattering the ceramic in a thousand pieces against the mantle of the fireplace.** He jumped in surprise, but only raised an eyebrow when Abraxas stepped into the room.

"Excuse Thad, he's throwing a tantrum," Lucius said dryly, his eyes on his father.

"I blame you for this, Lucius!" Thad declared, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You're the reason my son has turned against me!"

Lucius only raised an eyebrow again. "How am I to blame? You thought that it was a great idea to pass everything to your son. I only supported your decision."

"HE'S BLOODY WELL LOCKED ME OUT! OF EVERYTHING! I DO NOT EVEN HAVE ACCESS TO MY OWN HOME!"

Lucius shrugged, feeling a little thrill of pride flicker through him. "Maybe you should have been a better father then, so he'd support you."

"You bloody tosser!" Thad exclaimed. "How can he do this to me? Less than two weeks he's had the Norfolk name and he's removed me entirely!"

"What did the Dark Lord say when you told him?"

Thad paled. "I haven't told him yet."

"Which is wise," Abraxas said as he moved to the cabinet to pour himself a drink. "There's a new lead on that Melusine Seer and he took off with Bella, Rudy, and Crouch. When he returns, you will have to tell him, Thaddeus. The Nott wealth is not a small bit to lose and he won't be pleased. After your screw-up in France with that agent…"

Thad turned so white he looked sick. "I can fix it!"

"How?" Lucius asked him. "The Dark Lord is not going to be pleased when he learns that you no longer have access to Norfolk, Thad. What about your house in France?"

Thad shook his head, his eyes furious again. "He's locked me out completely. I can't even find it on a map and my Floo access and Apparition access have been removed."

"He's magically sealed away every piece of the Nott Estate from you?" Lucius asked, not hiding the pride in his voice. "He's a smart lad. He's the Marquess of Norfolk now, not you - which means that the Ministry is on his side on top of it. You are on their most wanted list after all."

Thad glared at him. "I'll figure something out!"

Lucius only stared at him. "Did you check your personal vault?"

Thad's pale cheeks flushed. He stormed out of the room as Lucius turned to his father.

"Theo's a smart young man, so my guess is that he took everything from Thad's personal vault as well."

Abraxas sipped his drink slowly. "The Dark Lord will not be pleased. You seem proud of him."

"Of Theo? I am," Lucius said rather defiantly. "Theo has shifted all of the power to himself, and good for him. It may not be a good thing for Thad, Father — but you have to admit, it was a smart move on Theo's part. He's an intelligent young man."

Abraxas only pursed his lips. "Your encouragement of Theodore Nott is not surprising, but he seems to be rather shutting his father out, isn't he?"

"That's not my concern; I'm not his father."

Abraxas only stared at him cooly. "I heard rumours that he's not only cut his father out of the estate, but that he's started a relationship with a fae. _A male fae_."

"Has he?" Lucius asked, careful to keep his voice bored.

"Lucius, I think that it's time to get word to Draco that Theo needs to smarten up. I won't have my grandson consorting with _that sort_ of person."

"What sort of person is that, Father?"

"A blood traitor who would not only turn his back on his father but lower himself to be with a disgusting creature like a fae," Abraxas spat out. "A _male_ fae at that… he is the last heir to an important aristocratic family. If he wants to waste his time playing with cock, he can do so - _after_ he has married a pureblood witch and provided an heir. He needs to get his act together. Draco needs to put him back on the right track or he will be dealt with accordingly."

"Theo and Draco have always been like brothers," Lucius told him. "Draco is going to support Theo in whatever he chooses. I raised him to treat Theo as such."

Abraxas merely gave his son a cool glance. "Yes, they have been like brothers and I've always supported that. Theodore is a Nott, of strong pureblood stock - just like the Malfoys. A brotherly relationship was smart to encourage between them, but Cain killed Abel, did he not?"

Lucius only stared at his father as he left the room, his heart pounding in his chest and Abraxas' words echoing in his mind making his stomach clench uneasily. He didn't like where his father's thoughts were. He didn't like them one bit.

~ ASC ~

 **Hermione tapped her fingers on the table in the library in a steady drumming sound, her eyes on the page before her.** She was supposed to be using this time to start revising, but she couldn't concentrate. She drummed her fingers again and Ron's hand covered hers, sending butterflies through her stomach.

"Stop that," he told her.

"Sorry," she said automatically, tugging her hand away and folding it in her lap.

Ron rested his head on his hand to peer at her; she ignored the shivers his touch sent up her body. "What's up?"

"What?"

"You. What's going on? You haven't taken in a single word from that page in at least ten minutes. Where's your mind at? Right, Nev?"

Neville looked up from the textbook in front of him, his eyes blinking into focus. "Huh?"

Hermione bit her lip, turning to look at Neville's slacked expression before she whispered to them, her eyes on Ron. "I've been thinking about You Know Who."

Ron raised his brow in question. "Not what I expected. Go on."

Hermione let out a slow breath, tearing her gaze from Ron's blue eyes to look over at Neville. "I know that we're supposed to be thinking of places where he could have hid the you-know-what — and I know that's important and all — but I've been thinking about him and his followers as of late."

"What about them?" Neville asked, sucking on the back of the Sugar Quill in his hand.

"It's just… we know that they follow him and worship him and listen to everything he says, yet he put a mark on their body… _a permanent mark_ that connects them to him whenever he wants. How does one influence someone strong enough to do that — let alone an entire group of people?"

"'Cause he's a nutter?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Not the word I was thinking of, Neville. Think about it. He not only convinced all of these witches and wizards to believe in him and his cause, but to mark their bodies in this ugly skull and snake tattoo so that they can be summoned to him when he calls as if they are servants - or worse, slaves."

Ron nodded. "It's no different than house elves, really. He's bound them to him and he is their master. His followers are the house elves, so to speak… wait, that doesn't make sense," he added, looking at Neville for help.

Neville shrugged. "No, it works in the context. The Death Eaters are essentially the slaves of You Know Who. He controls them to a great extent - what they do, how they do it, why they do it, when they do it - he is their lord and master."

"But house elves binding themselves to their masters or mistresses doesn't leave a permanent mark," Hermione stated. "Dobby told Harry it just makes them better helpers."

"From a strategic viewpoint, it's rather ingenious of him," Ron told her. "All he has to do is touch one arm from one person who has the mark and he can contact all of them at once. He can tell them where to go, what to do… he can amass his entire army in a matter of minutes and have them appear wherever he chooses. That mark is dangerous for _that_ very reason. The defence system that the Ministry is putting together - it has a lot of potential, sure, but how are they going to get everyone in place when they're needed when he only has to make one move? He may be a nutter, but he's smart as well."

Hermione frowned at that. "How did he do it?"

Ron tilted his head to look at her. "How did he do what? The mark?"

"It has to be a Protean Charm of some kind, right?"

Neville licked sugar off of his lips. "It sounds like it must be something of the sort."

Ron scratched the cut on his chin from where he'd nicked himself shaving that morning. "I would say a Protean Charm mixed with some form of communication charm, and clearly there's a hex component to it. Didn't Harry say that Snape mentioned it faded and darkened based on You Know Who's strength? I got the impression it's painful as well, and I reckon he would've wanted to use that to his advantage when he inked them with his mark. To have the ability to make them feel pain when they don't follow orders or something."

"Ron, you're brilliant!" She leaned in and kissed his cheek, surprising him, before she grabbed her books and hurried from the library.

Neville stared at Ron. "Why are you brilliant exactly?"

"No bloody clue," Ron admitted, his eyes on her bum as she hurried out.

"And where is she going?"

"When in doubt, she goes to the library - and when her brain works a mile a minute, she goes to discuss theory with a professor," Ron said, shaking his head. "My bet is on Flitwick since she mentioned the Protean Charm."

Neville grinned and put his Sugar Quill back in his mouth. "Does that mean we can stop doing our homework?"

Ron closed his Potions book and grinned. "Definitely. Want to head back to the common room and play a game of chess?"

"What about Hermione?"

Ron shrugged as he packed up his books. "Once that brilliant mind of hers connects the dots, she'll find us."

Neville closed his books as well. "Sometimes I think that she's a little mad as well."

Ron nodded. "Sometimes, but her madness always results in brilliance."

Neville made a sound of agreement as he led the way out of the library with Ron on his heels.

~ ASC ~

 **The sun was setting off the coast of Marseille, reflecting in the water like diamonds.** Bartemius Crouch Jr stood outside, the wind rippling through his sandy hair as he watched the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea, and he thought about what his next move was. He'd been here for almost a week, searching for clues and finally, _finally_ they had found him.

The man in question was living in a cave off the coast. Crouch had watched in amazement as the man had stepped into the sea; his legs had transformed into the sea green tail of a merman, and he had disappeared beneath the water only to return an hour later. Then, the tail had vanished; he'd sprouted legs once more before journeying back to the cave.

Crouch had only been too happy to tell his master of his discovery.

Crouch headed back into the cottage they were occupying, moving into the back room and closing the door behind him to lean against it. His eyes gleamed in delight as he watched the Dark Lord throw the Melusine man at Crouch's feet. Crouch couldn't resist giving him a swift kick to the ribs as the man rolled across the floor, blood streaming from his broken nose. The Dark Lord had been torturing him for over an hour and the man lay half transformed in his merman tail, the other half of him a human leg. The Cruciatus Curse had caused a partial transformation, and the pain of it had stopped him from being able to choose one form. Crouch watched the man try to compose himself as the tail disappeared again.

"Bart, I want answers. Do your best work for me."

Crouch's face gleamed at the Dark Lord's words, bowing reverently. "It would be my honour, my Lord."

Ever since he'd killed his father, he'd been itching to get out and play. But with the Ministry looking for him, he had been confined. With the Dark Lord's return, Crouch had eagerly helped torture the prisoners of Azkaban into joining their cause, but _true torture_... he hadn't had the opportunity since he'd skinned his father alive. He licked his lips, his tongue trailing over his bottom lip before he picked up the merman and shoved him into the chair before him. The chains around the chair immediately jumped back onto the merman's wrists and ankles.

Crouch trailed his wand almost lovingly down the man's cheek, over his throat, and smiled. "You'll talk for me, won't you, dearie?"

Bellatrix let out a sigh. "Get on with it, Bart. You know that I've been dying to see you at work."

Crouch glared at her from over his shoulder. "You watched me with my father."

She smiled. "I did. And when you licked the blood from your fingers I knew where your heart truly lay — and people thought I initiated the torture of the Longbottoms."

He smirked. "Well, you did do your fair share."

"Rudy and I were willing to talk, Bart, but then you used the Cruciatus on the woman and oh, the sound of her screams... it was inspiring."

Crouch grinned maliciously. "I thought you and your man were going to start shagging right there if the Aurors hadn't shown up."

Bellatrix smirked. "We would have. You know how randy that makes me. But now... your father was a real piece of work."

"I enjoyed torturing him. I could have kept him alive longer, but his heart wasn't in it anymore," Crouch admitted sadly. "I wanted him to feel like he had some small chance of surviving it and when he gave up, well, it did take the fun out of it."

"Is that why you cut off his prick?"

Crouch licked his lips. "No, I cut off his cock and shoved it down his prick throat because it was oddly satisfying."

He turned back to the Melusine and smiled. "Now, as a part fish, what is best to get you started?" He waved his wand and the area surrounding the merman's chair began to fill with hot desert sand. "Sand is dry, the opposite of the water you crave," he said as if he was lecturing a class. "I wonder what will happen if you're denied water."

The merman began to struggle in the binds of his chair as the sand piled higher, caressing his legs, covering his thighs and rising. The Death Eater stopped his wand just as the sand settled at the merman's chin.

"Now, that's not too bad," Crouch said, putting his hand on his waist. "Ooh, I forgot! If you're going to be trapped in desert sand, you need to have some friends!"

The merman's eyes widened as Bellatrix cackled gleefully. Crouch waved his wand again and the sand began to shift. Scorpions emerged in the sand, burrowing deeper into the pile as the rattling of snakes slithered around him. One of the scorpions made it to the top of the pile, crawling over his cheek; the merman screamed.

Crouch smiled. "That's better!" He turned to Bellatrix and offered his arm. "Should we break for tea while this scum tries to remember what he knows?"

A snake slithered over the merman's head, the rattling tail tickling the man's ear as he continued to scream in panic.

"Should we at least silence him?"

Crouch scoffed, shaking his head. "No. That sound is music to my ears."

The Dark Lord nodded at them when they entered the other room where he sat, his eyes gleaming at the sound of the screams. "Has he told you about the Guardian yet?"

Crouch shook his head. "Not yet. But I'm leaving him alone with his thoughts while we have tea. I bet he'll have something to say by the time we return."

The Dark Lord's lips curved into a cruel smile. "You have such promise, Bart. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next. Bella, why don't you make us some tea before we take off? I think it's time we leave Bart here to work on his art."

Bellatrix pouted. "My Lord, I wanted to watch…"

The Dark Lord chuckled. "Ah, always the student. Get the tea and you can stay with Bart. Rudy and I will head back to Selwyn Manor. I hope it won't take too long to find my answers?"

Crouch shook his head. "If he knows anything my Lord, I will know it within a few days. I can promise you that."

"Good. I expect answers, Bart. I am tired of Dumbledore's little army getting in my way and I want answers. He is the seer that we've been looking for - of that I'm certain - and he knows who the Guardian is. He knows how to access the prophecy and I want to know what he knows. I need to know what he knows."

"And if he doesn't have the answers, my Lord?"

Voldemort stared at Crouch, his red eyes narrowed in anger. "Then you can keep him alive as long as you wish to play, but when you're done with him, I want his head at my feet."

The smile that covered Crouch's face was lit with madness. "That won't be a problem."

Bellatrix served the tea as the merman screamed from the next room. Crouch took a ginger biscuit from the tray as the screams grew louder and smiled at Bellatrix.

"The sunset is lovely here, isn't it?"

Bellatrix cackled, taking a seat and crossing her legs. "Charming."

The sound of the screaming grew more panicked as the man choked on his sobs. Crouch turned to look into the doorway of the next room where he could see the merman as a dozen snakes wrapped themselves around his face.

"Well, I don't even think I'll have time to finish my tea. Pity, it looks so lovely." He waved his wand; the snakes and scorpions vanished as the merman panted, his eyes wide in shock and horror, his face littered in tiny bites.

Crouch stood up and walked across the room to where the merman was still engulfed in sand. "Don't worry. They may bite, but I can assure you, they weren't poisonous. I need you to stick around a little longer, and poison would simply be too easy."

He shoved the ginger biscuit into the merman's mouth and patted him on the head.

"Now, let's start from the beginning. You are a Seer, and not just any seer - but the son of a mermaid named Attina, who is well known to be the first aquatic seer in three centuries. True or false?"

The man only stared at him.

Crouch pursed his lips. "Dearie, I am asking nicely for a reason. If you give me something, I will give you something. Would you like some water perhaps? Or another biscuit? But if you give me nothing, well…" He trailed his wand over the sand and it vanished, leaving the merman chained to the floor and chair before Crouch's wand glided lovingly over the man's left arm.

At first nothing seemed to happen, but then as the wand moved down the shoulder back to the wrist, the skin began to peel like a potato and the merman screamed.

Crouch smirked. "I can assure you, this won't be quick. Are you the son of Attina? True or false?"

The thin line of peeled skin flicked off his wrist as a light trickle of blood slid off his arm. The merman's wide panicked eyes met Crouch's.

"True! It's true! Please — please, stop!"

Crouch turned and smiled at the Dark Lord. "I think we're getting somewhere, my Lord."

Bellatrix clapped as if she'd just witnessed a spectacular performance as Voldemort picked up his tea cup to take a sip. "Peel another layer off, Bart."

Crouch turned his wand back to the merman, his eyes gleaming in pleasure as he peeled another line of skin while the man screamed. The happy little whistle that went along with his work made Voldemort smile.

Nothing made Crouch prouder.

~ ASC ~

 **Ron and Hermione walked in companionable silence through the corridors as they covered their patrol for the evening.** Ron kept sneaking looks to try to figure out what she was thinking. She seemed to be lost in thought since she'd called him brilliant the afternoon before, and she'd spent most of the last twenty-four hours making notes and muttering to herself.

Ron found it fascinating.

One of his favourite things to do was to watch Hermione's mind work. The way she chewed her bottom lip into her mouth. The way she curled her finger around that one dark curl by her left eye. The way she'd sit up straight and bounce in excitement when she figured something out. The way her eyes danced with knowledge as if she'd just learned some big secret… she fascinated him. He just wished that he could figure out what she was thinking.

She moved in front of him with just enough space to allow his gaze to drop to her bum. He couldn't get much of a glimpse under her robes, but the knowledge of that plump arse made him carefully shift his own robes. It had almost been three months since they'd shared that kiss, and although neither had mentioned it again, Ron couldn't stop thinking about it.

He couldn't stop remembering how she felt in his arms - all wrapped around him and wet from the bath. He couldn't get it out of his mind. He woke from fevered dreams where she came to him in the middle of the night, claimed that she needed him and then rode him until dawn. He'd wake rock hard with his hand wrapped around his cock, or he'd wake because the dream had been so good he'd come in his sleep. Ron could still remember what she tasted like, and he'd never hungered for anything more than he did for her lips.

She stopped in her tracks and he almost walked into her, too intent on trying to glimpse her bum to pay attention to where he was going.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, daydreaming," he said hurrying alongside of her.

"Ron, do you still have those fake Galleons that the twins made?"

Ron looked at her in surprise. "Pretty sure, yeah. I think they're on my night table. Why?"

"I think I have an idea - well _your idea,_ really."

"I doubt that it was my idea," he told her.

"In a roundabout way, yes," she said. "Let's check out this last corridor and then I need to see them."

Ron nodded, curious now. He could see that she looked excited and her cheeks flushed a bit in anticipation. They finished their patrol and headed back to Gryffindor Tower before Hermione followed Ron up to his dorm. She'd only taken a few steps when she heard the telltale sound of male groans.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Silencing charms!"

"Sorry!" Seamus called out, sticking his head out of his bed curtains. His hair was tousled from Dean's hands and Hermione couldn't stop the smile as she saw Dean kiss his neck. "Hey, Hermione. Silencio!"

The curtain closed again and it was silent.

"Um, they do that a lot?"

Ron turned back to look at her. "Snog each other senseless? All the bloody time. They just need to remember silencing charms. I don't want to listen to two people snogging, especially when I'm trying to sleep. Thankfully, it's _only_ been snogging."

She chuckled and sat on his bed as he rifled through the stuff on his night table.

"Ah-ha!" He scooped up the five coins and dropped them into her hand. "Fred said that they're just your basic joke item of fake money. They don't do anything, and you can tell they're fake because it says WWW on the head."

Hermione nodded. "I don't need them to be worth anything, so them being fake is actually better."

Ron only lifted his brow as Hermione turned to sit cross legged on his bed, revealing a bit of thigh as her robes parted and her skirt rode up. He hardened and carefully shifted so that she wouldn't notice.

"Sit across from me."

He did as she asked and watched as she placed the five coins in the middle of his bed between them. She picked up one.

"This is going to be the main coin."

Ron nodded as if he understood, but he really had no idea what was going through her brain.

Hermione let out slow breath. "I think that if I perform a combination of the Protean Charm and that communication charm that Sirius did on the mirrors, I think that it can work like a beacon or a pager the way you thought the Dark Mark worked."

"What's pager?"

"A Muggle device for contacting people — it's not important."

"How are you going to combine the charms?" Ron asked.

She blew her hair out of her eyes. "I think that if I do the communication charm first and then add in the Protean Charm and then double the communication charm, it can work. Then of course I'll need to do a deja vu charm on the others and of course add in the notification charms."

Ron only nodded. He could see that her eyes were dancing in excitement over the prospect of it. She was looking to somehow create the concept of the Dark Mark on the coins; it intrigued him, but he still wasn't entirely following where she was going with it or what the purpose behind it was.

He watched as she moved to perform the spells, her wand waving in the complex movements as the magic worked its way over the coin with a glow. Then she repeated the magic on the other coins, making them glow blue, before she handed the first coin back to Ron.

"Talk to it. Tell it a date and time and location."

Ron held the coin face up in his hand. "Nine thirty, fifth year Gryffindor boys dorm, February ninth."

He watched as the edge of the coin lit up in blinding blue, showing his exact words. The coin vibrated and heated in his hand and then he saw blue flash across the other coins. Hermione squealed happily.

"It worked!"

She held the other coins up to him to show the edges reflecting the same words he had etched onto his coin.

"Hermione, you are completely brilliant. That's NEWT level work, that is!"

She blushed and squealed again as Harry and Neville came into the dorm.

Harry raised his eyebrow at them. "What's so exciting?"

"Ron made this comment about how You Know Who can call his followers to him whenever he wants with the Dark Mark, and it got me thinking that if something happens, we need to have our own warning system in place!" Hermione exclaimed all in one breath.

Harry nodded, taking a seat on his friend's bed. "Well, we can use Patronuses for that."

"But not everyone can produce them," Hermione said matter of factly. "So I thought if we use the idea of the Dark Mark, the way that You Know Who did - but made it so that it was an object and not you know — evil… if _could_ work."

Ron held up the coin. "She performed NEWT level work on this. What do you think?"

Harry examined the coin, passing one to Neville as Ron explained what Hermione did and how it worked.

"You should bring this to Uncle Rem," Harry told them. "He'll be impressed, and he can show the Ministry and suggest it for the defence system; that way if something happens, everyone will be on board."

Hermione beamed at him. "You think that it will work?"

"Yeah, yeah I do, and so do you," Harry told her making her grin.

Hermione threw her arms around Harry. "I just can't believe it worked! Think if everyone carried this around… if there was an attack, we could easily get everyone together where they were supposed to be!"

Harry squeezed her tight before he let go. "Always working that brilliant mind of yours, like Ron said. This is great work and you have to take it to Uncle Remus."

"We have Defence Against the Dark Arts tomorrow afternoon," Ron pointed out.

Hermione grinned at him, thrusting the coins into Ron's hands. "You hold onto these. We can catch him during lunch."

Ron smiled. "Sure."

Hermione jumped to her feet, kissing Harry, Neville, and Ron each on the cheek before she wished them goodnight and hurried out of their dorm.

Neville turned to look at his friends. "Sometimes the way her mind works… I mean, did she just take You Know Who's Dark Mark and make it _not evil_?"

Ron grinned, shoving the fake coins into the drawer of his night table. "She's absolutely brilliant is what she is."

"Ever think if she teamed up with You Know Who we'd be totally fucked?" Neville asked.

Harry and Ron exchanged grins and Ron answered.

"That's why we thank Merlin every day that she's on our side."

~ ASC ~

 **Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville met Remus in the Defence Against the Arts classroom just before lunch the next day.** He was putting assignments in his new messenger bag as the eraser magically cleansed the blackboard behind him. He only looked up briefly as they entered.

"Hello, you four," Remus said, closing his bag. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

Harry gestured to Hermione. "We're just here for the ride."

Hermione blushed and elbowed Ron who dug out the coins, placing them on the desk in front of Remus. Remus picked one up, examining it. "Fake Galleons?"

Ron shrugged. "Fred and George made them. It was George's idea to create this area of Muggle Magic tricks for people like dad who are Muggle crazy. Part of it was to create fake money to trick people, and then he had this whole idea where if you find yourself tricked with the fake Galleon, you bring it into the shop and are rewarded with something. I don't think they've worked that out yet, but something free for sure."

Remus nodded. "That's interesting. Those two are incredibly brilliant. But why are you showing them to me?"

"Hermione altered them like You Know Who's Dark Mark," Ron told him.

Remus stared at the four of them. "I don't follow."

Hermione let out a slow breath before she began to explain how she was questioning the Dark Mark and how it worked and what it represented. "He uses it to summon his followers and he branded them with it."

"Accepting the mark is part of joining him," Remus told her.

"I know, but it was something that Ron said about how if something were to happen and he attacked, or we needed help - we don't have a mark that can magically send over our entire army to assist us the way that he can."

Remus frowned at that. "The way that he can?"

"Professor, if the Dark Mark works the way that Harry says it does, he only needs to touch it on the arm of one person, and _all_ of his followers are immediately notified of his message," Ron explained.

"He can summon them at his will, remember?" Harry reminded him.

"And Hermione had this idea that we need to be able to do that," Neville said. "She thought that we should have our own Dark Mark variation."

"It was actually Ron that gave me the idea," Hermione said quickly. "He said that it was probably a mixture of a Protean Charm with a communication charm and some form of hex involved to make them feel pain and it got me thinking. He ingrained his mark into the flesh of his servants, but that was _his_ choice. It's not dark magic. I went and spoke to Professor Flitwick about combining charms and creating a beacon of our own and it got me thinking about how we could use coins that people could carry around - because as good as a Patronus is, you said it yourself in Defence Club, Professor — not everyone can produce them. Not to mention they are tied to a person's emotions and if someone is too scared or too worried, they might not have the energy to think up a happy enough thought to send one."

Ron picked up the main coin. It differentiated from the others by having a thin red stripe down the centre of the golden coin. "Hermione charmed this one as the main outpost. I'm calling it the Commander Coin. Whoever has this coin needs only communicate the location, time, and date needed and it will reiterate the information to what I named the Soldier Coins. Like this."

Ron brought the coin to his lips and whispered, "February tenth, Three Broomsticks, four pm."

The edge of the coin flashed blue and then within seconds, the Solider Coins began to flash blue and vibrate.

"They heat at the touch too in case someone doesn't feel the vibration, they'll feel the heat of it to let them know a message is being sent," Ron explained.

Remus stared as a slow grin formed on his face. "This is incredible work," he said honestly. "How did you make it heat and vibrate?"

Hermione blushed. "I combined the deja vu charm with a notification jinx. The Muggles have these devices called pagers where if you telephone it, it will beep and let them know a quick message or phone number to access and I was thinking along the same lines. Professor Flitwick helped me organize my thoughts on how to crossbreed charms and well… it just sort of happened."

Remus smiled. "Forty points to Gryffindor, and twenty to you, Ron. This is wonderful work and an absolutely brilliant way of thinking. I will show these to Sirius tonight and have him present them to the commanders for use in the defence units. This could really change things, Hermione."

"Professor, I didn't really do anything…" Ron blustered.

Remus scooped the coins up and placed them in his messenger bag. "From what Hermione said, you inspired her and broke down the uses of the Dark Mark. It's that kind of strategic thinking that helps create something like this. You deserve every point, Ron."

Ron blushed. "Er, thanks."

"I will make sure that the Ministry knows who created this as well," Remus told him.

"Maybe you could mark the coins with it, like a patent," Harry suggested. "Something that tells them it was created by Ron and Hermione."

Neville nodded from next to him. "The GWCS — Granger-Weasley Communication System!"

"I like that," Harry said, looking at his father. "A very Marauder-esque name. If the Ministry of Magic is going to use their idea, they should be credited with it."

"On that I agree," Remus told them. "Neville, that's a great name! Harry's right — it's something that Sirius and James would have come up with. If it's all right with Ron and Hermione, I'd like to suggest it when I talk to Sirius tonight."

Hermione's cheeks were flushed pink and she snuck a look at Ron who looked completely dumbfounded. "Anything we can do to help, Professor Lupin."

Ron nodded. "Er, yeah, what she said."

Harry chuckled. "Good, GWCS it is. Now can we please go to lunch, I'm starving?"

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius stepped into Remus and Tonks' cottage later on that evening, leaving his boots at the door as Tonks stuck her head out of the bedroom.**

"There's beer in the fridge, Rem and I are running late."

Sirius nodded and helped himself to a pint before he took a seat in the armchair by the fire. Tonks came out a moment later dressed in purple tights and one of Remus' big grey sweaters. Her toes were bare and painted a dark purple as she plopped down onto the sofa.

"Sorry, I got held up at the Ministry and Remus sent word that he's running a bit behind."

"No problem," Sirius told her. "I didn't have any plans."

She chuckled, curling her legs up under her. "How's Zee?"

"Good," he said. "She sent word that she arrived in France this afternoon."

"Does she have a game plan?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, she does. She told me that she has some preliminary research to do first, but she believes that the Melusine village is still off the coast of the Chateau d'If. She's planning on making her way towards it tomorrow. She has to wait to make contact with the messenger."

"Yeah, from what I've heard, the Merpeople don't associate well with anyone who attempts to enter their villages without an invite. Diplomacy is big with them."

"As it should be," Sirius said. "I wouldn't want someone invading my home without my permission either."

Tonks nodded. "Where's she staying?"

"She'll be pitching a tent. She said that Lady Godiva will be forced to stay on the shore, but she's surrounded her area in privacy and protection charms so that no one will know she's there."

"But you're worried anyway."

Sirius gave her a sheepish smile. "After the way she was attacked in October, do you blame me?"

"To be honest, I'm surprised that you didn't go with her."

He shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to, but I think she would have hexed me if I mentioned it. It's her job, and I have to believe that she can take care of herself. No, scratch that — _I know_ that she can take care of herself, I just have to stop worrying."

"You'll never stop worrying," Tonks said with a chuckle. "It doesn't mean you don't trust her to do her job safely."

"I know," Sirius said, taking a sip of his beer. "I just hope something comes out of this. She's gone all this way and we need to find out where exactly they stand."

"I don't know if they will stand with the Ministry, but they do respect Zee - or at least some of the chiefs do. If she can get even a few Merpeople willing to join the Aqua Protectors, I think it would help."

"Me too," Sirius admitted. "I'm not asking for miracles here, but a few Merpeople on board would definitely help turn the tide in the whole unity concept of the Ministry. The more magical creatures we get on board to be our allies, the better it is for us, for the government and of course, for helping us against Voldemort."

Tonks nodded. "Even if they still proclaim neutrality it will be something."

"Better than joining him, I suppose," he said, tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair. "You have guard duty coming up soon?"

"Yes, but I swapped with Bill and now won't be stationed until the Sunday after Valentine's Day. He wants to do something special for Fleur so I swapped days with him so that he could have the weekend to celebrate."

"I thought Sunday nights were out for you since you work on Mondays?"

She shrugged. "For one night I can bear it. Besides, it's not like I haven't pulled an all nighter before."

"Try to sneak at least a nap in. King will have your head if you're not a hundred and fifty percent at least."

"True. I'll be good. Monday mornings are always desk clearing to start off so if I need it, I can kip at my desk."

Sirius nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

The front door opened and Remus stepped in, shaking snow out of his hair. "Damn, it's really bloody coming down out there!"

"Calling for a good storm tonight," Sirius told him. "What held you up?"

Remus took off his coat and boots and sat on the couch next to his wife. She immediately shuffled over and tugged the blanket down around the two of them. Remus put his arm around her as he turned to Sirius. "Talking to Harry and company, actually — then Rhiannon."

"Everyone okay?"

"Oh, yes, they're just fine," Remus assured him. "Well, I am a bit worried about Neville, but I think my talk with him the other day helped."

"What's wrong with Neville?" Sirius asked.

Tonks rested her head against her husband's shoulder. "Girls are being mean to him and he's such a sweetie!"

Remus shook his head. "It's not the girl thing, it's the little panic attack that followed."

"Augusta's hard on him," Sirius said. "She's loosened the reins a bit since I started helping him with Cumbria, but she keeps pushing him to be like Frank and he's not his father."

"No, he's not. That boy has more Alice in him," Remus agreed. "But one of the girls said something about him being a loser but how it was okay since he's going to be rich later on. It made him start worrying that no one would like him for him and only want to be with him because of his wealth."

"Bollocks! Why are women such a gold-digging bitches?"

"I take offence to that," Tonks said, twining her fingers with Remus' fingers.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I didn't say _you_."

"And do you think Zee's dating you for the money?"

"Tonks, you know exactly what I mean — and Merlin, no! If Zee was in it for the Black money, I think she would have had more to say on me giving most of it away to you a few years back."

Remus chuckled. "Anyway, he just had a little panic attack. I calmed him down and he said that he was fine and I've seen no signs otherwise. I don't know if he spoke to his friends about it or not, but I told him he should. I hope he does."

"So, if it wasn't Neville, what was it that held you up?"

"Well, Hermione and Ron worked out something rather brilliant if I do say so myself - and the four of them brought it to my attention just before lunch today. I flagged them down before dinner just to go over a few details before I told you about it." He tugged the coins from his pocket and placed them on the coffee table. "Communication coins, otherwise known as GWCS — Granger-Weasley Communication Systems — designed to send word to large groups."

Tonks' brow furrowed as she leaned forward to pick up a coin. "To send word?"

Remus nodded and quickly explained what they had done to the coins and how they worked as Sirius and Tonks each examined them closely.

"This is absolutely brilliant," Tonks stated, her eyes lighting up. "I can't believe that Hermione came up with them off of an idea that Ron had. She really is the brightest witch of her age! To think that Voldemort could have done something good like this instead of creating those ugly-ass tats to ink into the skin of the nutters who worship him!"

"I agree," Remus said, his eyes on his friend. "What do you think, Padfoot? You think Scrimgeour will go for them?"

"I think Tonks is right, it's a brilliant idea and I think Scrimgeour is definitely going to go for them. I'll talk to him about it this week and then maybe we can work something out with WWW about creating us a batch of special coins."

"Did you see their Headless Hats?" Remus asked him. "They've taken what I've taught them in Defence Club to a whole new level."

"The Shield Hats are the most impressive. I showed one to King and he ordered five hundred of them for the DMLE. It's surprising how many bureaucrats can't produce a decent shield charm," Sirius told him. "I have them working on cloaks of a similar sort. It seems like we can use the extra help in that department."

"It's mind boggling how many people can't produce a simple Shield Charm," Tonks said in amazement. "The Aurors are good, but Dad said that the officers in his department don't have the skills for shield charms and most are nothing more than a thin wisp that blocks low level stuns. The people without official training definitely don't have the skills."

Sirius nodded. "Well, we're working on increasing our spell repertoire in the Terra Troops and I assume in the other divisions as well. But the people who have volunteered are well aware of what they are going to be up against. Being able to defend themselves as well as others is a big part of that, but I think these coins would be a great addition in helping solidify the defence system."

"Agreed," Remus said, smiling at Tonks when she settled back comfortably against his shoulder. "One of the other reasons I was running behind is that I was talking to Rhiannon. I think she's going to come to the next Defence Club meeting for my Advanced Defence Club and we're going to talk physical defence. I want to start with the broadsword." He jumped a little as his wife's hand rested over his groin beneath the blanket.

"Teach them how to sword fight?" Sirius asked.

"For starters. Rhiannon mentioned that the fae fight with swords and archery as much as magic. She's going to bring in some of the royal guard to help demonstrate."

"It's pretty incredible," Sirius told him. "You missed the demonstration last week. It's like they can move faster than we can and fight off anything that comes their way. The students are going to get a real kick out of that."

"I hope so," Remus said, giving his wife a look as her hand remained in the same spot. "It's going to be the session that falls the week after Valentine's Day or the one after."

Tonks grinned and kissed her husband's cheek. "He cancelled the one this Wednesday so that people can spend time with their significant others because he's a big mushy romantic."

Sirius chuckled. "Maybe he just wants to spend it with you."

"He's still a big mushy romantic," she teased.

"Will Zee be back?"

Sirius nodded. "She should be. She's hoping to be back no later than Monday. It all depends on whether or not they agree to talk to her."

"If anyone can get a bunch of crabby Merpeople to talk to the Ministry of Magic, it'll be Zee," Tonks said.

Sirius tended to believe his cousin was right. He just hoped that things went smoothly for her. He glanced at the clock. She was going to mirror-call him later tonight and tell him how her day progressed. He missed her terribly, and it had been less than twenty-four hours. He stood up to get himself another beer from the fridge. Tonks was right, Zee had this.

Now they just had to wait and see what happened.


	211. Chapter 211

_Author's Note:_

 _Decided to give you a double posting this week — because I have a job interview on Friday and I'm feeling confident about it — so enjoy!_

 _Reviews: I've been wanting to bring Crouch back in since we learned what he did to his father at the Yule Ball, but I just didn't have the means yet. As to astolfo83: um goodbye as well? To Dianne: Here is your back-to-back update, one time only! To Leaf Ranger: Ron deserves to be credited, he's more brilliant than he lets on, he just gets overshadowed. To supersandman86: I forgot all about the ten year anniversary and I like to think Sirius has too. He's moved on from it and has a life worth living, he doesn't want to look back at what could have been, but look forward to the future. To alix33: I have friends that I consider like brothers and sisters — I used to fight with my siblings all the time, but now I consider them great friends. To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: I like to think that story is universal and not necessarily a Muggle invention. To coloredwords: No, they aren't fazed at all, nor should they be, Deamus makes sense. To LordSmidgeon: Thank you! I do think this showed how well Ron and Hermione can work together and yes, Finn is both the perfect gentleman and a dirty flirt at the same time lol._

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her awesome editing skills._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND ELEVEN:**

 **Zee stood on the Marseille coast looking out at Chateau d'If as she let out of a long sigh.** She had been surprised that she'd found the courage to return here. But the Melusine people were waiting for her and she knew that if they had any hope of obtaining an alliance with them, she needed to open communications. The first part of doing that was to find the Merpeople village of Marseille Fond de L'Océan.

And while she did that she couldn't spend all of her time looking over her shoulder as if she feared she would be attacked again at any moment. It wouldn't be of any help and it would only enable her fears — which was the last thing she wanted.

Zee took a seat on a rock, looking out at the sea and she waited. The water sparkled before her, birds soared overhead, and after nearly thirty minutes, she began to wonder if the messenger had stood her up before the head emerged from the sea. The Merman swam forward, spear in his hand and spotted her sitting there, approaching slowly. She tucked her wand away to show him she meant no harm and he moved closer.

"You are the agent from your Ministry?"

"Call me Zee," she said, extending her hand.

The Merman stared at it, but did not accept it. "I am Caspian. I've come to escort you down to the village to speak to Chief Caulder."

Zee nodded. "May I perform a charm to help me breathe?"

The Merman nodded and she hopped down into the water before she performed the Scuba Diving Charm on herself. Caspian took her arm and led her through the sea. They dove deep and she marvelled as they delved further from the shore, past shipwrecks and deeper until she saw the gates ahead. They entered through the front and Caspian pulled her through the gate and into a bubble which allowed her to remove the charm and walk around as if she were on dry land.

Caspian left her alone to get Chief Caulder and she wandered along the edge of the room, admiring the art on the walls and taking in the room. She'd always been fascinated by the culture of different creatures.

Chief Caulder floated towards her and she bowed in greeting.

"Agent Zacarias, you were supposed to arrive months ago."

"I was," Zee told him. "And I sincerely apologize for the delay. I was attacked on the shore by dark wizards and I needed time to recover before I could safely return to you."

"Did you lead them to our doors?"

Zee shook her head. "No, your Grace, I don't believe I did."

The chief stared at her for a long moment before he nodded. "Are you here about River?"

"Is River the half-Melusine Seer that I've heard about?"

Chief Caulder closed his eyes. "We had hoped that the rumours wouldn't reach the surface. Attina was the first seer of our people in centuries and when she mated with a wizard… River has been missing for over a week. There's been no sign of him and we're beginning to worry that something happened."

Zee nodded. "I was looking for him, but only as a way of introduction to you, your Grace. But I'll admit, I was hoping he could help me with information on the Guardian."

"The Guardian is a legend," Chief Caulder scoffed. "Our Seer knew the truth of this and now he is missing, presumed dead."

"I hope that's not true," Zee told him. "Your Grace, I come as a Magizoologist from the British Ministry of Magic to speak with you about an alliance —"

"—No," he answered quickly. "We do not wish to make peace with your kind. We know the dangers that brings to us. We know of what it could mean for our village and our community."

"Princess Sapphira —"

"— trusts you," Caulder stated. "I respect her on that and I do believe that you mean us no harm, but you, Miss Zacarias, are not the British Ministry of Magic. We've been fooled into believing them before - not your Ministry only, mind you - but they took over our villages, stole our weapons, and raked our supplies for themselves."

"With all due respect, your Grace, I can't apologize for what happened in the past. I am here now about a dark wizard rising on the surface. The very dark wizard who once threatened you a decade ago."

Caulder stared at her. "Your war is not our war."

"I'm not saying it is," Zee said carefully. "We are building a defence against this dark wizard and his army. Part of that defence will be on the water. We have fighters and creatures to help us defend our villages and our communities on land, on water, and in the air. I come to you today, on behalf of this new defence, to tell you that the Ministry will defend your villages and your communities as needed from this monster."

"And why would your Ministry do that?"

"To keep you safe and to broker an alliance. The Ministry of Magic is taking steps towards change and the government knows that it cannot change overnight. Things will take time to improve, but if we can work together against a common enemy, we can work together for the common good."

Chief Caulder stared at her for a long moment. "You will have a drink with me and my council."

"I would be honoured, your Grace," Zee said, bowing to him.

"Caspian, bring Agent Zacarias to the council chambers. Her words have intrigued me."

"Your Grace?" Caspian questioned.

Chief Caulder's eyes met Zee's. "I am willing to listen, but I make no promises."

Zee smiled warmly at him. "The fact that you're willing to listen is a great start."

"Get Miss Zacarias a glass of our finest Kombu wine. I want to hear what she has to say."

"Yes, Sir."

Zee watched as the Chief left the room and Caspian offered his arm to her.

"Right this way, Miss."

She accepted the arm and let out a slow breath. They were willing to listen, she thought, and that was a very promising start.

~ ASC ~

 **Tonks stepped inside her home later on that night, stretching her arms up over her head.** The temperature had really dropped outside and she shivered, despite her warm attire. She locked the door behind her, stepping out of her boots and hanging up her cloak, contemplating whether to take a hot shower or to start a fire when warm arms encircled her waist and she turned into his warmth.

"Mmmm," she purred. "This is better than anything I was thinking."

Remus kissed the top of her head as her cold hands slid under his jumper to rest on his ribs making him jump. "You're an icicle!"

She nodded, burrowing closer as he merely picked her up and carried her to the sofa to snuggle her into his warm arms further. He wrapped a blanket over her and she sighed against him.

"This is perfect."

He smiled. "Rough day?"

"No, not really," she admitted. "Higgins and I were just outside a good portion of it and warming charms only last so long before you need to find actual warmth." She rested her cheek against his chest as she spoke. "You are my warmth."

He smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Always."

"It was a pretty typical day, but we think we found a new prison."

Remus' eyebrow rose in surprise. "Oh?"

Tonks nodded. "It was Scrimgeour's suggestion and Madam Bones rather likes it. Apparently it's been in the works for quite a few months now. Have you ever been to the catacombs?"

Remus shook his head, jolting when her cold hands, still under his jumper, slid around his ribs and up his back. "No, and I don't think I'd want to."

"Some of them are used as tourist attractions for the Muggles, but most of them are closed off and abandoned. Scrimgeour was saying that he's caught some dark wizards down there and how it's a labyrinth that should be further explored. A unit was sent down there and I think that they've decided to make it the new prison. A construction crew is building cells as we speak. It will be deep underground, iron cells in cement blocks, with no windows and only torches for light. Each cell will be charmed accordingly based on the punishment of the prisoner."

"How will it be guarded?" Remus inquired, tugging the blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapping her in it as she wrapped her legs more securely around him, burrowing closer.

"That's the question that's still up in the air. There's discussion of hiring guards and Scrimgeour even suggested using Auror recruits as guards as part of their training. Someone else mentioned house elves, but that was shut down quickly. Ideally, a few guards would be needed at the entrance points and that's it. Someone would be assigned to provide meals and healer check-ups, but the prisoners would be left alone."

"Underground cells, trapped without daylight… that is definitely a prison."

Tonks nodded, her cheek resting over his heart, smiling when the blanket was tucked at her shoulders almost cocooning her in warmth. "There was another idea… though I don't know how serious it was…"

"One you don't approve of I take it?"

She shook her head. "It's not that I don't approve of it… it's complicated. For some people, I support it very much, but at the same time… that's my desire for vengeance and I don't know if we should feed into that desire."

Remus frowned. "What's the concept?"

Tonks tilted her head up to look at her husband. "Do you remember the wizard Dante?"

"The thirteenth century Italian poet? Yes. His work was quite popular even among the Muggles, still is today."

She nodded. "Someone mentioned building the cells in a circular pattern similar to his Inferno."

Remus' eyes widened at her words. "As in the nine circles of hell?"

Tonks nodded again. "The concept I think has merit. Each circle would be a different section for the prisoners based on their crimes, but it's the whole punishment per circle that gave me pause."

"They aren't actually thinking of adding hellish tortures to the prisoners?"

"It was suggested," she admitted, resting her cheek against his chest again. "But most people strongly disagree with it. It's horrible and yes - these are criminals - but they are being punished already by living their lives in a cell. Adding torture to them is hardly humane and I think makes us worse than the criminals we are in fact punishing. Madam Bones suggested designing the prison based on the nine circles, with the same fears and torture ideas, as names for the cells and the levels to inspire fear. I rather liked that idea. For example, you could be spending eternity in the Burning Alive Wing or the Frozen in Ice Cell; something that sounds awful. With the Dementors gone, prison doesn't seem as fearful to many - and inspiring fear isn't a bad idea, but they would only be imprisoned. Madam Bones has also stated that better care for their personal hygiene needs to be taken into accord along with more healer checkups, with at least two guards in the room with every prisoner when healers come in. She wants to take all precautions while making sure the prisoners are staying healthy enough to live out their sentences in their cells."

"Hmm," Remus said quietly. "That's interesting."

"What do you think about it?"

"Well, my opinion hardly matters, Dora."

"It does to me," Tonks told him, her eyes meeting his.

Remus ran his hands over her shoulders and down her back. "I like it. I like the concept of a strong prison that cares for the well being of their prisoners while still punishing them and eliciting fear. Using the Dementors was too harsh, a needless torture. Being forced to live underground in a dark cell is quite a punishment on it's own. The concept of say, being told your crime is relevant to being torn to shreds by wild dogs or being burned alive _is_ horrifying - and I think a terrifying concept, if it was handled properly. The fact that they are horror stories rather than real ideas is what's most important, but building nine levels of the prison underground with the worst criminals being at the bottom — is an idea I rather like. It keeps those with petty crimes away from the dangerous criminals and closer to the ground."

She nodded. "I agree. Like I said, construction is set to start on it within the next few weeks, but Madam Bones is hoping that by March, it will be inhabitable for the prisoners we currently have stored in the Ministry dungeons."

"As to the nine circles of Hell, Nymphadora, Dante's ideas are rather old fashioned. In today's world, we hardly agree with treachery being worse than violent crimes or thievery not being as terrible as rape. The levels would have to be appropriate to the worst crimes."

"They will be. King has established a unit to discuss the law with the Minister's Cabinet. They are planning it all out to be discussed with the Wizengamot and passed by the end of the week so that construction crews can get started. Of course, some of the prisoners will fall under multiple categories - so based on the levels of their crimes and their sentences - they will be placed accordingly, but I think that it's going to happen."

Remus nodded. "I think it's a good idea. It sounds like the Ministry is really coming together and getting some things done. Another idea might be to use enchanted guards like Hogwarts has. Stone warriors charmed to defend and protect as necessary. They could even be based on different magical beings and creatures with their powers and whatnot. Obstacles or spell work like Dumbledore used to protect the Philosopher's Stone."

"Oooh, like obstacles to get through to even get down to the next level?"

"Exactly," Remus told her. "It would keep the prisoners under tighter security and would prevent escape. It would have to be adjusted though so that guards could still move freely, maybe with a special charm or something. Unfortunately, nothing is infallible, but as much security as we can have, the better. It will at least alert someone if there ever _is_ an attempt to break in or to break out."

Tonks had to agree with her husband. "I'll tell King your thoughts in the morning."

Remus kissed the top of her head. "Sounds good. What do you want to do tonight?"

"Don't you have marking to do or something?"

"Always, but that doesn't mean that I can't make time for my beautiful wife."

Tonks smiled at him. "You being here is all I really need."

He bent his head to kiss her, losing himself in her a few moments of long, deep kisses that left them both breathless. "Let's go out," he suggested.

Tonks only raised a brow. "Where?"

Remus shrugged. "I don't know, just out. We'll go for a walk, out to dinner, browse some shops… out."

Tonks leaned in to kiss him once more. "That sounds like a date, Mr Lupin. Are you getting sappy because it's Valentine's Day in a few days?"

"Can't I take my lovely wife out on a date when I want to?"

Tonks kissed him again. "Absolutely." She hopped out of his lap, tossing the blanket onto the sofa, and stretched. "Let me just change out of my work clothes now that I'm finally warm and toasty."

Remus nodded as he watched her go, his heart in his throat. Sometimes just looking at her reminded him of how lucky he was. He loved her very much and he wanted to show her as often as he could.

And taking her out on a date for no reason other then that he wanted to seemed like a good start.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry woke mid scream, gasping desperately for breath.** Neville shoved his bed curtains open only a second before Ron did.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said quickly, rubbing his knuckles over his eyes.

Neville put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Been a while."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Go back to sleep, lads - I'm fine. Thanks."

Ron stayed a moment longer, looking over his friend carefully. "If you want to, you know, talk about it… "

Harry shook his head, but smiled gratefully at his friend. "No, I don't — but… thanks."

Ron nodded, squeezed Harry's shoulder, and went back to his own bed.

Harry settled back under the covers, his heart rate finally slowing down. He had been back in the graveyard for the first time in forever. Bellatrix had sewn his lips shut and he reached up to touch them, remembering the feeling of the thread piercing through, pulling his skin tight and sealing his mouth. He rubbed a hand over his arms where the vines had cut into his skin. The cuts were long gone, but with the dream so fresh, he could still feel their sting. He shivered a moment, trying to get warm under the blankets to no avail.

He wasn't sure how long he tossed and turned, but Ron and Neville were both snoring again when he got out of bed. He shoved his glasses on his face and pulled a jumper over his bare chest before he padded barefoot down into the common room. The embers from the fire had died down. He stood there for a moment, wondering what could have sparked his dream.

The last two weeks had been a wonderful reprieve without Umbitch around. Flitwick had gotten rid of Fred and George's swamp in moments, but had left a section squared off under the window with their names on it as a tribute. Colin had taken a photo for Ginny - who had sent it off to her brothers. Fred and George had set up shop in Diagon Alley and were planning to open by Easter weekend. Mr and Mrs Weasley were in a bit of an uproar over that development, but in the end (and with a lot of discussion from Mr Weasley) they respected their sons' decisions and supported them (despite the fact that both still wished their sons had finished their education).

Theo was dating the fairy prince and seemed to be walking on air. He always had a huge smile on his face, despite the fact that his name had been in the paper almost every day in accordance with Macmillan's - and his arrest. Macmillan had been charged with physical and sexual assault along with extortion. Theo (despite his embarrassment) refused to back down, and pressed charges against Ernie for multiple oral rapes and continued abuse. He'd shown the officers his Pensieve memories of the events and Macmillan was sentenced to a combined sentence of fifteen years in prison for the rape, physical assault, and extortion of Theo. He was currently being detained in the dungeon prison cells of the Ministry of Magic until a new prison could be established. His father, Lord Richard Macmillan, was horrified of his son's actions and the paper had stated that he'd disowned his son, leaving everything to his youngest son, an eight-year-old-boy named Evan. Professor Sprout had chosen Justin Finch-Fletchley as the new Hufflepuff prefect with Ernie gone.

Dean and Seamus were also dating, which didn't surprise many people. Harry could see that Dean was happy, and every time Seamus kissed his cheek or took his hand, he continued to look surprised, as if he wasn't sure how this had happened. Harry thought that it was good for the two of them. They had been tripping over and around each other for quite some time and the last week they had been in that new relationship stage of pure bliss. It looked good on them.

The last two weeks had been good ones. Justice was served and nothing bad had happened. In fact, Harry had spent every waking moment (that he wasn't in class or searching for the diadem among the statues) snogging his girlfriend. The diadem was nowhere to be found and they had decided last night that despite Luna's ingenious claim - it wasn't hidden on any of the statues in the castle. The next move was going to be going from room to room again in an attempt to find it, and Harry didn't relish doing that. The castle was huge and at this point, it could quite literally be anywhere.

Harry stood there for a moment, trying to quiet his mind, to understand why the nightmare had struck him so fiercely and so seemingly out of the blue, but no reason came. Sometimes, nightmares were just a plague and he knew that, but he didn't find the thought reassuring. He contemplated heading back upstairs to wake Ron and Neville or taking his mirror and calling Sirius and Zee before he shook his head. It wasn't them that he needed.

He transformed into his Animagus and booked it up the stairs into the girls dormitory. In his animal form, Harry magically opened the door and shoved his snout inside. He used his tail to close the door behind him and moved across the room to Ginny's bed, the smell of her shampoo like a beacon. He changed back into himself and sat on the side of her bed, closing the curtains and putting a silencing charm around them.

She was sleeping on her side. Her long red hair was haphazardly spread across the pillow and on her shoulder. Her lips were parted slightly and though he thought that she looked beautiful, he was suddenly feeling rather intrusive. Harry had never seen her in bed before, he realized, and the thought that he was made his heart race. He reached out to brush her cheek with his finger.

"Ginny?"

Ginny sighed, her lashes fluttering as her eyes slowly opened. She blinked at him for a moment.

"Harry?" she asked blearily before her eyes cleared. "Harry!"

"Hey," he said softly, his fingers trailing along her hip over the blankets.

He wasn't sure if it was something in his eyes, but she simply lifted the covers and waited for him to crawl in next to her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. It didn't matter that they had never shared a bed before. It didn't matter that he wasn't allowed to be up here. She knew that he needed her and he was grateful for it.

Ginny wrapped her arms around him and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent. She ran her hands over his shoulders, up and down his back, and he just sighed into her, relaxing degree by degree with her touch. She was _exactly what he needed_ , he thought. Ginny kissed the top of his head, not speaking. She just held him.

He burrowed a little closer, sliding down and resting his cheek against her soft breasts as her fingers gently ran through his hair. He sighed deeply and then his eyes were closing and soon, he drifted off to sleep.

Harry woke a little while later, his legs bent so that he didn't hang off the bed, the softness under his face making him burrow closer. He smelt citrus and something floral, something distinctly Ginny, and he rubbed his face closer to the softness, before realizing that it wasn't a pillow, but his girlfriend's breasts. Her unbound breasts beneath the thin cotton fabric of her nightshirt - and he felt his cock twitch as he lifted his head to look up at her.

Ginny was staring at him, a soft look on her face, her fingers still in his hair. "Good morning."

"Good morning," he murmured, blinking. His glasses were missing, he realized, but she was clear in front of him; that was all that mattered.

She cupped his cheek. "Did you sleep okay?"

He automatically made to shake his head yes before he realized that it _was_ a yes. He felt like he'd slept better than he had in ages. "Great."

Ginny bent forward to kiss his forehead. "Good."

Harry rested his cheek against her breasts again and sighed in contentment when her fingers went back to his hair. "You were what I needed."

Her fingers continued to gently stroke through his hair. "I'm always here."

He smiled against her breasts. They were soft and warm, the perfect pillow, and when he shifted just so, the steady rhythm of her heart was so calming and such a lovely sound that he relaxed even more.

"I was in the graveyard again," he whispered.

Her hands didn't falter, but he felt her heart race against his cheek as he spoke.

"I could feel the silk threaded in my lips again; it was pulling at my mouth, my lips… It was sewn shut and I could feel the cuts from the vines holding my arms. I woke up and my ankle hurt and it just... it all came back. Voldemort forcing me to duel him… making me bow to him like we were at some formal competition... he was playing with me and I hate that I let him."

Ginny's fingers slipped below his ear to stroke his cheek before moving back to his head.

"I just... it felt too real and I… I didn't want to be alone."

She smiled at him, her warm brown eyes on his. "I'm glad that you came here."

Harry snuggled closer to her breasts, one hand coming up to caress one. "This is nice. Lying here… in bed with you."

"Bold."

He grinned, holding her breast in his hand through the thin fabric of her nightshirt. "Ginny?"

"Mmm?"

Harry turned to look up at her, his chin resting just under her breasts. "I love you."

Her eyes widened before they softened, and the love he saw looking back at him warmed him in ways that he couldn't explain. He felt like he was sitting under the warmth of the sun, warm rays soaking into his skin, heating him from the inside out.

Ginny bent her head to kiss him softly, her hands on his shoulders. "I love you, too, Harry.

"Yeah?" he replied, his eyes lighting up at her words and his lips curving.

She kissed him again. "Yeah. You should know better than to doubt me." She tugged him up to her lips, framing his face in her hands. "It's always been you, Harry. Always."

Harry kissed her, feeling like his heart was ready to burst from his chest, cradling her closer as he deepened the kiss. When they finally let up for air, he buried his face in between her soft breasts again.

"I should go, before your dorm mates wake up."

She nodded, her fingers in his hair again. "You can sleep a little longer. I'll wake you when it's time."

Harry kissed the soft mound next to his mouth and snuggled into her soft breasts as her nipple pebbled next to his lips. He couldn't resist letting his tongue slip out to caress it through the cotton and she let out a soft sigh. He flattened his tongue before he rolled it achingly slow along the peak and her head rolled back as he used his thumb to do the same to the other one.

"Harry," she breathed. "I… my dorm mates…"

His eyes met hers and his mouth curved into a slow smile. "I put a silencing charm up when I came in."

Then he bent his head and suckled her nipple through the thin cotton.

Ginny arched towards him, letting out a small gasp that pleased him. This was better than through her blouse and bra. This was… she felt almost naked under his mouth. He continued to circle the peak with his tongue before he suckled as her fingers delved into his hair. His mouth was hot and wet and his tongue seemed to lick along just right the path and she let out a soft whimper.

Her whimper spurred him on and he slid his hands down the sides of her breasts while his mouth flicked over her nipple, hands sliding over her ribs and then his fingers were teasing under the thin cotton.

Ginny let out another whimper. She had never felt anything like this before. Wet heat seemed to be coming over her. She couldn't breathe properly, and when he lifted his mouth from her breast and raised her shirt, her eyes darkened in arousal. He was destroying her, she thought.

Harry stared into her warm chocolate eyes for a long moment as if in question and then he slowly slid her long-sleeved cotton shirt up her body, bunching it just under her breasts, and bent his head to plant soft kisses over her freckled stomach. His tongue licked around her navel and along her ribs, alternating between sensuous licks and slow, hot kisses. His tongue trailed under her bunched shirt and then he slid the shirt higher and her full breasts sprung free, light pink nipples pebbled.

He stared at them in fascination. They were more beautiful than he had ever imagined, the size of ample oranges and speckled in freckles that had no real pattern. His hands cupped them, feeling the naked weight of them, and Ginny gasped.

"Is this okay?" he whispered.

Ginny met his gaze and then she reached down and pulled her shirt right over her head, dropping it onto the pillow next to her. Harry's eyes darkened, but he kept them on hers as his thumbs stroked a steady tattoo from freckle to freckle, over her nipples and dipping between the two mounds.

His hands were rough from Qudditch and the sensation on her skin was enough to make her arch more under him. As she did, her cotton pants tightened and she found herself grinding against the seam as it fell just so. The hot hardness of Harry's cock rubbing against the seam only exacerbated the growing feeling of need pounding through her. He bent his mouth back down, kissing each freckle before his tongue gently prodded her areola, exploring softly and then a little harder, licking, nibbling - and when he tugged on her nipple just a little with his teeth, the wave of pleasure that came over her completely shocked her.

She cried out as her body seemed to take over, trembling in pleasure and pulsing between her legs as he suckled her.

Harry's swollen lips slid off her breast as his eyes widened in amazement. His gaze moved down her body to her cotton pyjama bottoms. "Did you just…?"

Ginny's cheeks heated. "I — I think so."

"Have you ever before?"

She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head as her face flushed redder, moving down her neck. "No, I… I've come close, but I haven't found the right… you know… to push me over the edge."

Harry's face broke out into a pleased smile. "What did it feel like?"

Ginny blushed deeper until he rested his chin between her breasts, keeping his eyes on hers and she realized that he wasn't embarrassed or horrified, but that he looked downright pleased with himself. She suddenly felt much more confident and relaxed. "I… I don't know. Good. _Really_ good."

Harry trailed the tip of his index finger over the top of her waistline. "Whenever I come, I feel relaxed and on edge at the same time as if I just exhausted myself from a Quidditch practice. But it feels good, _really good_."

Ginny stared at him. "I couldn't control it," she murmured. "It just… happened."

Harry grinned and kissed her nipple softly. "I never knew I could make you come like that without even…"

Ginny had never managed to make herself orgasm before. She'd come close, but it always seemed to slip away from her before she could reach that peak and yet here Harry was playing with her breasts and she'd... but he was grinning, his eyes dancing in delight and she felt herself smiling back at him.

"So... that was brilliant," she breathed.

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah it was."

Her fingers were still in his hair and she smiled. "Take off your shirt, Harry."

Harry's eyes met hers before he sat up and pulled his jumper over his head. Her eyes dropped to the patch of skin he revealed at his waist and lower, to where the prominent bulge tented his pyjama trousers; she swallowed. She let her eyes travel up the dark happy trail to his navel and higher over his dark pink pecs and broad shoulders and she licked her lips. He tossed the jumper on the pillow before he leaned down and captured her lips with his. Her breasts, still tender and tingling, pressed against his bare chest, and she moaned at the delicious contact.

Their skin brushed, hands roamed, and their kisses deepened. They turned, lying side by side, kissing slowly but sweetly, their tongues meeting, caressing, exploring as their hands roamed over each other's bare torsos and backs.

Ginny slid her mouth away from his, kissing down his throat in a straight column, her thumbs stroking his nipples in a similar fashion that he had used on her and his breath hitched. She bent her head to lick one and his hips jutted forward; she was rewarded with the feel of his hard erection, pushing into her stomach of its own accord. His hips bucked, and when she sucked on his nipple, her fingers teasing the waistline of his pyjama trousers, he bit his lip.

"Ginny... I'm gonna…" He bit his lip as he attempted to move away, but she only pulled him closer and she felt him tremble and then he let out low groan that sent shivers over her. She felt the wet heat of it against her stomach through his pjs again and again and again and she goggled.

Harry's breath was still fast as he buried his face in her hair. "That was so bloody brilliant!"

Ginny trailed her fingertips over his shoulder. "Harry?"

"Hmm?" he asked sleepily.

"I really love you."

Harry's eyes fluttered open and a half-smile appeared on his face before he leaned in and kissed her softly. "I really love you too, Ginny."

She kissed his cheeks, his nose, his chin and then his lips before she snuggled into his chest. "People are going to be awake soon."

He nodded and snuggled her closer, his nose buried in her hair. "Uh-huh."

Ginny pushed him. "You have to go."

He kissed her softly once more before he sat up, transforming into his dog. Ginny tugged her cotton pyjama top back on before she peeked out of her bed curtains and seeing the way was clear ushered him out of her dorm. She crawled back into her bed and saw his jumper still lying there so she tugged it on, basking in the warmth that was Harry.

She closed her curtains and then dove back under the covers, hesitantly reaching down into her knickers to find herself sticky. She blushed, tugging her hand free. She used a cleansing charm on herself, feeling better. She had no idea that her body could do that. He hadn't even touched her below the waist, she thought as she snuggled into her pillow.

He loved her. Harry loved her and he'd given her an orgasm! She grinned into the pillow and wondered what Hermione would say. This was _definitely_ something she needed to share before she burst.

She drifted off to sleep with Harry on her mind.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry hurried back up to his dorm, his mind turning over everything that had transpired.** It was only five thirty, but he suddenly felt very awake. He'd made Ginny orgasm and he hadn't even explored below the waist. And she'd let him come! She'd watched him! It was a feeling that he couldn't quite explain. When it had happened with Mandy, it had been great. He'd enjoyed it, of course he had, but this... this was different. _This was Ginny_ \- and it had felt so much more intimate; so much more important.

And most of their clothes had still been on.

He could still taste her skin as he remembered how good her nipple felt in his mouth. Seeing her shirtless was even better than he had ever imagined it would be. Her breasts were perfect, filling his hands, slipping over the sides… he wanted to play with them for hours. He wanted to keep counting those delicious freckles. He'd found fifteen on her right breast, but twenty-four on the left. He wanted to use his hands and mouth continuously, and more than anything he wanted to make her come for him again. He wanted to watch those chocolate brown eyes turn molten, to hear her moan and gasp and his hand gripped his cock as he felt himself harden.

It had been the greatest night of his life.

He grabbed his toiletries and headed into the shower to freshen up (and for a much needed quick wank) before he grabbed his books and went down to breakfast with a skip in his step. He was reading the paper when Neville slid onto the bench next to him.

"Hi, Nev."

"Hey," Neville said, pouring himself a glass of orange juice from the pitcher. "You okay?"

"Great," Harry told him. "I slept really great."

Neville's eyebrow rose. "After your nightmare?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "Thanks for being there when I woke, but you know how those things sometimes grab you by the throat?"

Neville nodded. "I do. Was it You Know Who?"

"Yeah. Just a bad dream and once I managed to quiet my mind, I was all right." He poured himself a second glass of juice before he snuck a look over at Neville. "I told Ginny I loved her."

Neville's eyes widened. "The Big L?"

"Yeah."

Neville's face broke out into a grin. "That's great! I'm happy for you, Harry."

Harry grinned back at him. "She said she loves me too."

"Well, duh," Neville retorted making Harry laugh. "You two are crazy about each other, everyone knows that."

Harry simply turned back to the paper in his hands as Neville helped himself to some breakfast.

"Anything interesting in there?"

"Nothing big, no," Harry told him. "Some people are missing in Leeds and the DMLE is looking into it. The Ministry is addressing the new changes being made and there's a few comments on the latest bills that have been passed."

Neville nodded absently. It wasn't long before the Great Hall began to fill up and Ginny kissed Harry's cheek as she sat down next to him.

His eyes met hers and he let his gaze drop to her chest, unfortunately covered by her blouse and jacket, but he licked his lips. Ginny's breath hitched and she leaned into him.

"Stop looking at me like you want to take a bite!"

"Can't. I _do_ want that."

She blushed and he grinned, linking his fingers with hers beneath the table.

"Hogsmeade this weekend, the Saturday after Valentine's Day," Ginny informed them.

Ron wrinkled his nose. "Ugh. That means there's going to be hearts everywhere and probably confetti."

"Only if you go to Madame Puddifoot's," Ginny said, her thumb caressing Harry's knuckles. "And I, for one, have no plans of spending my day there."

"So you're not going to send me a singing Cupid this year, then?" Harry teased.

Ginny elbowed him in the gut and he grunted. "Ron, can you pass me the bacon?"

Harry only looked at his girlfriend, rubbing a hand over his sore stomach, unable to keep the grin off his face. He couldn't wait to spend Valentine's Day with her this weekend.

~ ASC ~

 **On Valentine's Day, Sirius had a dozen red roses waiting for Zee when she walked in the door.** She'd returned from France on Sunday with news that the Melusine were interested in discussing a potential alliance with the Ministry of Magic pertaining to the Aqua Protectors force, but they had insisted on bringing in other Merpeople communities to assist them. Zee had put them in touch with Princess Sapphira and they were going to network a meeting with Madam Bones and the DRCMC to discuss a potential temporary alliance. Zee had been incredibly pleased and happy to be home.

Sirius was even happier she was home. She'd been gone five days and he'd missed her terribly. The bed was cold and lonely, the house too quiet. He'd been restless and had spent most of his time in the work shed playing around with his new tools and tinkering with the bikes. He'd also spent a great deal of time thinking about the romantic holiday and had decided that he was going to do something special for her this year.

Last year, they'd stayed in and shagged. The year before, they'd cooked dinner together, and then stayed in and shagged. But this year, he wanted her to know how special she was to him and how much he loved spending time with her.

Sirius had woken her that morning with his tongue, and she'd screamed so loudly when she'd come he'd thought that it was a good thing they didn't have close neighbours. She'd been flushed and happy, telling him that she'd make it up to him when she got home from work that night.

Sirius had other plans.

He'd mirror-called Harry to ask him before he'd gone ahead to make them, but he was looking forward to it. Then he'd gone into town to The Potterer and picked out a dozen red roses for his woman. The sight of her eyes widening in surprise when she saw them made it all worth it.

He needed to get her flowers more often.

"Siri..."

Sirius simply tugged her close and kissed her. "Happy Valentine's Day, love."

Zee kissed him again. "They're beautiful. I don't deserve them."

"Why the hell don't you deserve them?" At her look, he rolled his eyes. "Are you still beating yourself up over the frying pan thing? Babe, I know that it was an accident. You did not aim for my head with that pan — because _I know you_. If you'd been aiming for me, that frying pan would have slammed into my family jewels — _not_ my head."

She smirked at that. "Well, that's true..."

Sirius kissed her hand, tugged her close, and slid his arms up her back. "Now, I was thinking... this weekend, we both have a lot going on, but next weekend - let's go away. Harry is letting us use Potter's Paradise for the weekend. Hot sun, hot water, naked bodies, drinking on the beach... what do you think?"

Zee stretched up to her toes to kiss him. "It sounds perfect."

"And," Sirius added with a grin. "We can take my new bike to the island with us and go for a ride."

Zee's eyes twinkled in delight. "I'm definitely in." She slid her hands around to rest on his bum, leaning in to nip at his lips. "You know how much I love to hold your cock while we ride the bike."

Sirius flushed. "You're a danger to society! This is how we crash!"

She chuckled. "I have a Valentine's present for you too."

"Is it sex? Because that sounds brilliant right about now," he told her, nipping at her ear.

Zee grinned. "Later."

She moved out of his arms and he groaned in disappointment, making her laugh. Zee led him to the kitchen and she waved her wand, levitating a biscuit tin down from on top of the cupboard before she presented it to him.

Sirius raised an eyebrow before he opened the lid. Nestled on red tissue were a dozen heart-shaped sugar cookies with red and pink sprinkles. "Biscuits… you know how much I love your sugar cookies."

Zee shook her head. "The bike was a big gift at Christmas and I didn't know what to get you so I thought this would be fun. For both of us. Look closer."

Sirius unwrapped the biscuits to get a better look and then he grinned. Each cookie had something written on it in red frosting and his eyes widened as he read them: Shower Sex, One Striptease, One Lap Dance, Outside Shag, Blow Job, Anal, One Fantasy Fulfilled, Public Knob Job, Table Sex, Rim Job, Sex Somewhere We Shouldn't, and One Do Anything You Want. He licked his lips.

"I like this — I like this _a lot_ ," he told her. He picked up the biscuit that read, 'Table Sex' as he spoke. "So, how does this work?"

Zee smiled at him. "Whatever biscuit you decide to eat is your choice of coupon."

"And once I eat it?"

"You have one hour to begin to make the coupon come true," Zee told him.

Sirius held out the biscuit in his hand and took a bite. "Get on the table, Zee."

She laughed, hopping up onto the table behind her as he offered her a bite of the biscuit. She watched him finish eating it before he tugged his shirt off and unzipped his jeans, standing naked before her so quickly that she chuckled.

"Someone's excited."

Sirius flicked his wand and her clothes vanished making her stare at him in surprise before he bent his head to kiss her breast as his fingers stroked over her, dancing towards the growing heat he could feel emanating from her. It didn't take long.

He gripped her hips and pulled her to the edge of the table, sliding into her in one deep thrust that made her toss her head back as she cried out. He thrusted harder and faster, the table shaking under their weight. He clutched her bum with one hand, his other hand worked her clit until she was screaming, clenching around him as he continued to jerk his hips and he kissed her. Her hands gripped his bum, squeezing as they rode out their climaxes and when they both came down from their high, he kissed her shoulders.

Sirius had big plans for these biscuits, he thought, and he couldn't wait to use every single one of them.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry was on his way down to lunch the day after Valentine's Day when he felt his mirror vibrate in his pocket.** He shifted his book bag in his attempt to reach it and pull it out, moving over to the side of the hallway. He saw Sirius' face there and he grinned.

"Hi."

"Hey," Sirius said, his voice a little higher than normal. "Saturday, do you have Quidditch practice?"

Harry shook his head. "No, it's the Hogsmeade trip for Valentine's Day."

"Right," Sirius said quickly. "Listen, Ginny will understand if you cancel on her, right? I mean — I need you with me on Saturday for something."

Harry frowned. "For what?"

"It's… look, I just need you with me on Saturday — it's important. I'll pick you up at ten at Hogwarts, okay?"

"Uncle Sirius, is everything okay?"

Sirius grinned widely. "Everything is great! I'll see you on Saturday morning!"

He disappeared from the mirror and Harry was still frowning as he tucked it away. He sat down next to his girlfriend in the Great Hall, kissing her softly as he did.

"Hi, Harry," she said brightly. "So for Saturday, I was thinking that maybe we could just walk around a bit, browse the shops, maybe eat lunch at Mangia Italiano before we meet up with everyone at The Three Broomsticks? Is that all right with you? We don't need to do anything special, after all — Valentine's Day was yesterday and we both had classes."

Harry nodded absently before he shook his head. "Actually, no. Uncle Sirius just called me and said that he needs me for something on Saturday. He said that it's important and that he's picking me up from school at ten."

Ginny's eyebrow rose. "He didn't say anything more on the subject?"

Harry shook his head. "No. He seemed oddly jittery though. It was weird. He was rather insistent on it. I know that its Valentine's Day weekend and all… I can tell Uncle Sirius no — if you're mad?"

Ginny smiled, tilting her head to give him an amused look. "That you're ditching me because your father _needs you_ for something important? _Really?"_ She kissed his cheek. "If you get away early, come meet us at the pub, yeah?"

"You're the best," he said, helping himself to some pumpkin juice from the pitcher on the table.

Ginny just grinned. "I know. You can make it up to me next time."

"Gladly," he told her as the charm went off signifying the end of lunch. He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I love you," he murmured against her lips.

Ginny kissed him again, her eyes twinkling. "I love you. See you at dinner."

Harry said goodbye to her and couldn't resist a look at her bum beneath the skirt as she hurried off, his eyes on her nylon stockings, as he felt his cock twitch under the table. Now that he knew what she wore beneath her clothes, looking at her in her uniform was getting a whole lot more dangerous.

~ ASC ~

 **"** **Will you just shut it already!"**

Hermione stopped in her tracks, turning to glare angrily at Ron. "Did you just tell me to shut it?"

Ron stared at her in exasperation. They had been patrolling the sixth and seventh floors of the castle for the last half an hour and Hermione had done nothing but stress about how far behind she was in revision.

"Yes! It's February, Mione, bloody February! I know that you want to do good on your exams - but _it's bloody February_! Studying is _not_ a priority right now! You're going to stress yourself out before they even get here!"

" _No, I won't!_ If I follow a regimented study session to keep myself on top of all of my classes, on top of reading ahead, I can —"

Ron turned and threw his long arms out against the wall on either side of her head, making her gasp in surprise. "Did you learn _nothing_ from that Time Turner fiasco in third year?"

"That was completely different!" Hermione declared matter of factly.

"No, it isn't," Ron stated. "You took on _too much_ and almost had a nervous breakdown!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did," he insisted.

"No," she said firmly again. "I was taking too many classes back then, yes, and now I'm back at a reasonable number!"

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Mione."

"It doesn't sound like it!" Hermione exclaimed shrilly. "It sounds like you're trying to tell me what to do!"

"Maybe I am!"

"That's what I said!"

Ron let out a slow sigh. "Would it be so bad to listen to me for once and take it easy?"

"No, but I'm not — I'm fine!"

She made to move out from under his arm and he put a hand on her hip, making her freeze - and when she looked up at him, she knew that it was her that made the move this time.

Their lips crashed - and just like before - heat seared through her. She moved closer and his fingers clamped at her hips. His lips were soft and he tasted of peppermint. It was like he was burning her from the inside out and she desperately needed him to put out the flame.

His hand shifted, grabbing a fistful of her bum; she wanted to protest, but he tugged her closer, and she found herself pressed up against solid steel. Heat pooled between her legs and her hands slid up his chest, the lean muscles there making her remember how good he had looked shirtless.

 _I need to lie down,_ she thought desperately, _I need to lie down_. His hands gripped her bum more firmly, lifting her as if she weighed nothing. His tongue danced with hers and she moaned against him and nipped at his bottom lip. Ron's lips left hers, trailing down her neck in hot, wet kisses and her fingers clutched his shirt. He kissed his way back up her throat, lips meeting hers again and she tugged him closer as he squeezed her bum. Her legs locked around his waist, her skirt riding up as his hand slid over her thigh and then they tumbled back through the wall, landing on a velvet settee.

Hermione stared at him in surprise. "What... was there a door there?"

Ron shook his head, his blue eyes unfocused before he realized that his hands were still on her bum. He quickly pulled them away as if he'd been caught with his hand in the biscuit tin, the back of his neck flushing.

"A door?" he asked, his eyes on her swollen lips.

"Yes — we… there was a wall there," she insisted, gesturing vaguely to the room around them.

Ron tore his eyes away from her to look around the room. It was large with tall archways on each side and it was full of sofas: Settees, chesterfields, love seats, arm chairs, cots, and even a large bed in the corner near a tall mirror. He hadn't remembered seeing a door either, but then again, once her lips had crashed into his, he hadn't been thinking of much. He let his eyes drift over her again. Her bushy curls were falling out of her bun, dancing along her flushed cheeks. Her skirt had risen up, revealing a great deal of those creamy thighs along with the top of her stockings and her lips still looked full and delectable. He wanted to lie his body over hers and snog her senseless.

"So… what was that?"

"A fluke," Hermione answered quickly, tugging her skirt down to a respectable length.

"We called it a fluke when it happened two months ago," Ron retorted, his eyes on hers.

Hermione bit her bottom lip as she snuck a look up at him. His lips were swollen from hers and the sight made her breath hitch. "We're friends, Ron, and this... it was the heat of the moment... you know that I'm right."

"Bloody hell woman! I just finished telling you that you're not always right!"

"So we kissed a few times, _so what?_ " she retorted quickly. "We're both unattached and… they were _just_ snogs!"

Ron stared at her before he nodded. "Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence… and you're the one who kissed me this time. Three makes a pattern, Mione."

Hermione flushed as she willed her racing heart to stop beating a mile a minute. Ron knew her too well and she knew that if she let herself get caught up in the argument, he'd wheedle her down. He knew her moves, her backup plans, and that kiss... that gloriously incredible kiss... it couldn't happen again. They were friends.

But so were Harry and Ginny, the voice in her head said. But they were different. They were made for each other. They were the other half of each other like one soul trapped between two bodies and she and Ron... Merlin, they were too different. All they did was fight. It was a fluke. A coincidence, like he said, and nothing more…

"Well, we won't have to worry about that," she said quickly as she felt his eyes on her. "There won't be a third time. Now, where the hell are we?"

Ron let out a slow breath before he shoved his hands in his pockets. "A common room?"

Hermione shook her head. "We've patrolled this corridor at least a hundred times and I've never seen it before!"

His eyes met hers. "It's strange ... why would there even be a room full of so many seats?"

"We should show it to Harry and Ginny."

Ron blanched. "So they can sneak up here and snog on every damn thing in sight? I think not."

Hermione chuckled. "Maybe they already know about it. They do always disappear somewhere secret quite often."

"Maybe… but I don't think so. This room is so strange," Ron said as he weaved in between the sofas. "I wish whoever stored this shit made a better aisle to walk through!"

An aisle immediately appeared before him and he goggled.

"Ah, Mione? You seeing this?"

Hermione looked over at him. "Seeing what?"

"Ask for something."

"What?"

"Ask for something!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. She was randy from his kisses and annoyed with herself. She threw her hands up in the air as she spoke. "For what? Bring me my Charms textbook that I should be reading instead of — ah!"

Her Charms book in question had magically appeared in front of her and her eyes sought Ron's blue amused ones.

"So magic room?" he teased.

Hermione let out a small laugh, not even sure how else to react. "It... gives you what you want?"

Ron took her arm in his, turning so that they could both look around together. "It is pretty incredible, you have to admit. I don't know what this place is, but I feel like it's important."

Hermione could only agree. "We have to show this to everyone."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, yeah we do."

She turned towards the door, but his arm snaked around her waist and tugged her back against him. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Ron!"

He stared at her lips, his thumb coming up to brush the bottom one. "Are we going to talk about this?"

Hermione pulled herself out of his arms trying not to think about how much her entire body reacted to that thumb on her lip. "There's nothing to talk about! As I said, it's a fluke and it's _not_ going to happen again. Now let's go. We need to tell the others about this room."

Ron watched her scurry out of the room, her Charms textbook in her hand, and he wondered if watching her walk away was the right choice. A fluke, he thought, but this time — she had kissed him. He licked his lips, remembering how delicious she had tasted. Even when she was the one to kiss him, she still wasn't interested, he thought. _Give it up, Ron,_ he told himself angrily _, she's too good for you_.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and grumpily followed her out of the room, but he kept his gaze on her round bottom and tried to pretend that he didn't know how good it felt in his hands. He adjusted himself under his robes and tried to think of something else, but when she bent to scratch her knee, he licked his lips.

 _She's not interested_ , he told himself over and over - but it did nothing to alter his thoughts, or to help the situation under his robes.

~ ASC ~

 **"** **Harry!"**

Harry looked up at his name and saw Ron and Hermione hurrying towards him. "Done patrol already? You two are early," he said, closing his Charms book.

"Well, we finished a bit early, yes," Hermione said quickly. "But that's because we found something!"

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Found what?"

Ron plopped down onto the sofa next to him. "A room that magically brings you whatever you want."

"What does that even mean?"

"It's hard to explain," Ron told him. "We stumbled across it accidentally, but let us show you!"

Harry jumped to his feet. "Let's go."

They grabbed Neville on their way out of the portrait hole from where he was chatting to Seamus and Dean. Harry urged him out with them, Ron and Hermione leading the way.

"Where are we going?" Neville asked, hurrying to keep up with Harry.

"No idea. Ron and Hermione found some secret room."

Neville only nodded and followed his friends down the hall and around the corner from the Gryffindor common room where they stopped at a large stone wall. "This is a wall."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I can see that, Neville, thanks for stating the obvious." He pressed his hands over the stone. "There was a door here twenty minutes ago."

"There was," Hermione insisted. "We were inside of a large room."

Neville frowned as if he looked puzzled. "Actually… I swore I found a room in this hall once before. Back in third year, one night when I had forgotten the password - I was trying to find a place to rest, as I didn't want to wake McGonagall and admit that I'd gotten myself locked out again - and I found a bedroom with a warm four poster all set up for me. I came back the next afternoon to leave a note of thanks as I wasn't sure who it belonged to, but I couldn't find it again."

Harry's eyes widened. "You're sure that it was in this hall?"

"Positive," Neville told him. "And hey, do you remember when Dean was telling us about that sculpture room he found one night?"

"The one with all of the nude pieces from ancient Rome and ancient Greece?" Ron questioned.

Neville nodded. "Yes. He said that it was down here, but when he tried to find it again to show it to Natalie —"

"—it had disappeared," Harry finished, frowning now. "That's kind of fascinating."

Ron tapped the wall. "It seems to give you what you're looking for. When Hermione and I found it, it was covered in chairs and sofas and beds and you could barely walk around it was so full. I said something about making an aisle and one magically appeared as if it had heard me."

"Full of chairs and seats and beds?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Because I was thinking that I really wanted to lie down!"

Ron nodded, scratching his long nose. "So the question is, how do we get it to reappear?"

Neville frowned as he stood in front of the wall. "There has to be a simple way… everyone stand back a minute."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione did as he instructed and Neville stared at the wall, scrunching his face so hard that he looked a bit constipated. Arms encircled Harry's waist from behind and he covered his girlfriend's hands with his own as she pressed her face into his back.

"What are you lot looking at?"

Harry tugged her around to his side to slip an arm around her waist. "Ron and Hermione found a secret room here."

Her eyebrow rose. "Found a secret room?"

Suddenly the wall before them began to form a set of large wooden doors as if they were being painted into the stone.

Harry beamed at his friend. "You did it, Nev!"

Neville shrugged as he reached for the door knob and held it open for all of them to file in. When they stepped inside, it was a very large room with comfortable armchairs on a thick sink-into-me rug in front of a big fireplace and lots of open space.

"It's a living room," Ginny said.

Neville grinned. "It's actually my living room at home. I stood in front of the wall and I thought that we need a homey space over and over and here it is..."

"So that's the trick then!" Ron exclaimed, looking around the room. "It's so simple yet so ingenious!"

Neville shrugged. "It is a really cool room and I'm not just saying that because it currently looks my living room back home. Harry, do you think Sirius knows about it?"

"I don't know, but I don't think so, as it's not on the map," he told him. "It is a cool room. We can make it become whatever we want."

Ginny tugged Harry down into one of the armchairs with her. The chairs were roomy enough for two. "If only we had some music it would be perfect!" A wireless radio appeared on the table next to Ginny and she grinned. "Brilliant!"

"It is nice to have kind of a secret place to hang out," Harry told them. "But... what's the purpose of the room? There has to be a reason behind it."

"I bet Gryffindor created it," Ron said. "It's in his tower and it seems like the kind of thing he'd do, don't it? A room that can be anything you need when you need it?"

"You're probably right, Ron. It does seem to have his stamp on it in comparison to the other founders," Hermione agreed.

"So how _did_ you two find it?" Ginny asked, her eyes moving between her brother and her friend.

Hermione shrugged. "We just sort of stumbled across it actually."

"And what was inside?"

"Lots of seats — I guess because I was thinking that I needed to lie down."

Ginny's eyebrow rose. "Why would you want to lie down?"

"She was tired," Ron said quickly. "She'd just been telling me that she slept poorly and that her feet hurt."

Hermione nodded quickly, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Exactly."

Ginny stared at them suspiciously. "Okay then." She placed her hand on Harry's flat stomach and tilted her head up to look at her boyfriend. "This place is much closer to the common room if we want to have a good snog."

"Oi!" Ron bellowed, turning to glower at Hermione. "See! I told you that we shouldn't show them!"

Hermione chuckled as Ginny glared at her brother.

Neville turned up the music as Ace of Base sang from the wireless and plopped down into one of the chairs. "So, now that we've found it… what do we do with it?"

Harry shrugged. "Keeping it as a place to hang out works for me. You never know when it could come in handy. We can even use it as a clubhouse of sorts to discuss the hunt for the diadem."

Neville nodded, his fingers tapping his knee. "Any idea where you want to look next?"

Hermione reached into her bag to pull out her notebook. "So far we've made a pretty good start, I think."

Harry reached for the notebook to look down at his friend's neat writing. She'd crossed off the places that they had already looked, but the castle was large and as this room had just proven, still being explored.

\- Potions Classroom

\- Chamber of Secrets & Surrounding Corridors & Aqueducts

\- Swimming Pool

\- Roman Bath

\- Transfiguration Classroom

\- Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom

\- Charms Classroom

\- Lupin's Office

\- McGonagall's Office

\- Staff Room

\- Statues

\- Storage facility of Class Rosters

\- Entrance Hall

\- Great Hall

\- Hospital Wing

\- Office of Hogwarts Herald

\- History of Magic Classroom

\- Library

\- Arithmancy Classroom

\- Ancient Runes Classroom

\- Astronomy Classroom

\- Astronomy Tower

\- Greenhouses (1-7)

\- International Magical Relations Classroom

\- Muggle Studies Classroom

\- Divination Classroom

\- Lupin's Suite

\- Gryffindor Tower

"It seems like we're running out of options," Harry admitted. "Everything left is random classrooms either unused or full of storage, corridors, duelling rooms, closed off suites and rooms, house common rooms and dormitories… we have to be missing something."

"We'll find it, Harry," Hermione insisted, closing the book. "I know we will. We just have to be confident and keep looking."

He knew that his friend was right, but he couldn't help but feel like he _was_ missing it. The thought didn't sit well with him. It had to be here somewhere; he just couldn't figure out where.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _I feel like Harry and Ginny have the kind of relationship where they are comfortable with each other to the extent that they can talk about those things. They can talk about anything with each other and I wanted Harry to tell her he loved her and for Ginny to just smile and say she already knew it because she's in love with him too._

 _And no, it's not obvious to them that this room is the key - they only just found it!_

 _Thanks for reading and please review!_


	212. Chapter 212

_Author's Note:_

 _This chapter is for Hills — feel like she's been waiting for this to happen for a while!_

 _Reviews: To RedheadLover: "I was half expecting Harry to sarcastically say "It's not like we can ask this room, that seems to gives you want you want, for the Diadam on a silver platter." and for it to just appear in front of them to end the chapter on a their stunned/shocked faces." — this did run through my mind as a possible scene LOL, but no that's TOO easy! So many comments on Hermione floating the Nile and I thought it was hilarious! To midnitewanderer: Sex coupon biscuits I thought would be fun, I'm glad you enjoyed them! To MinervaMcGee: A room with hot fudge cream puffs does sound rather lovely. To Sayumil: Sorry/not sorry you stayed up the last week to read this, thanks for the review! To AntiCreator: All That She Wants, but really, both are excellent choices LOL. To LifeOnEarth and HinnyMe: Yes, Harry is definitely a tits man and yes, Ron is definitely an ass man LOL. To hinnyforvr: So honoured you read all week to catch up, thanks! To Mutt N. Feathers: Sirius is sexy and having a crush on a literary character is one of the best things. Thank you for reading and for your offer!_

 _PS — This is a rather steamy chapter!_

 _PPS — I got the job!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND TWELVE:**

 **Ginny nodded, grabbing Hermione's arm and heading up towards her dormitory that evening.** The two of them settled on Ginny's bed. KJ rose her brow before turning to talk to Romilda. Romilda Vane had done nothing but give Ginny death glares since Harry had kissed her in front of the whole school, so at this point, Ginny just found it second nature. She could deal with the death glares, especially since she knew that Romilda wasn't stupid enough to try anything with her or Harry again — not after the love potion fiasco. Ginny tugged the curtains closed around them after KJ and Romilda did the same before she turned to her friend.

"Spill it."

Hermione only stared at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ginny only rolled her eyes. "And now she's lying to me."

Hermione blew her hair out of her eyes. "It was nothing!"

"A pretty big nothing."

"You don't even know what you're talking about."

"You're right, I don't, because _someone_ isn't sharing — but I can assure you, my imagination is talking _very well_."

"I'm tired, Ginny, like Ron said," Hermione replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Ginny only continued to scrutinize her before she spoke. "Ron is a ridiculously good liar except for one tell-tale sign: Every time he lies, his left ear twitches. It doesn't matter how big the lie. He can eat the bacon off my plate and then tell me Harry did it, and his ear twitches. When he told me that you were tired… his ear twitched."

Hermione blushed. "I am tired!"

" _And…"_

"Ginny!"

Ginny bit her lip as she sat back on her legs. "You don't have to tell me, Hermione. I told you, I have a good imagination; when you say that the room appeared for you because you wanted to lie down… after seeing how long it took Neville concentrating on it, my mind thinks that you must have wanted to lie down for a reason — perhaps because you and my brother were… _chatting_?"

"It was a fluke!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands as if she'd surprised herself.

Ginny's grin widened. "You kissed! _I knew it!_ Did he kiss you? Or you him?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. "No — we — it can't happen!"

Ginny only stared at her friend. "Why the hell not?"

Hermione blew her hair out of her eyes. "Ginny, Ron and I are _too_ different. It would never work out."

"Yes, you're different," Ginny said carefully. "But you balance each other and that's just as important."

Hermione shook her head. "No, we're friends and we… _no_. It was a fluke. It won't happen a third time."

"A _third_ time!" Ginny exclaimed.

"There may have been another incident, months ago, and we forgot about it… it's not important."

Ginny stared at her friend for a long moment. "I know that Harry and I are different and that we've essentially been waiting for each other longer than we were both willing to admit. But you fancied Ron in third year."

"Well… I — only for a little bit."

"And you're the one who told me that you were hoping he'd ask you to the Yule Ball before you met Viktor."

Hermione let out a slow sigh. That was true, but that was years ago now. "Viktor made me realize that me fancying Ron was just silly. He's one of my best friends and I wouldn't change that for the world. He was there for me when Viktor died and he's been nothing but supportive."

"Are his kisses bad? Is that why you're writing him off? I mean, I saw him sucking face with Lavender…"

"No! His…" she flushed as spoke. "The first time he… no, no, not at all."

Ginny watched her for a moment and grinned. "Interesting."

Hermione shook her head, eyes meeting her friend's. "All right, enough about this fluke that we will never bring up again because it will never happen again. Tell me about you and Harry."

Ginny leaned back against her pillow and smiled. "He told me that he loves me."

Hermione beamed at her. "Really?"

Ginny nodded. "I love him, Hermione. I mean, I've always loved him and I think that I've been in love with him a lot longer than I realized, and yet it seems so fast. We've been dating three months but it…"

"He's the other half of your coin, you two share a soul. I always thought so."

"Share a soul?"

Hermione smiled. "It's something that my mum always said. She said that when you find that special person who you're supposed to be with, it's like you share a soul between you. You're the other half of each other's coin and you need each other as much as you need to breathe your next breath. I always thought you and Harry were like that. Even when you were both in complete denial over the other potentially having feelings, you needed each other. A touch here, a word there… you were always there within each other's reach, even when you were dating other people."

"Oh," she said, her cheeks heating. "That's kind of deep and romantic."

"And true," Hermione said. "So, what happened after he told you he loved you?"

Ginny blushed. "We… he had a nightmare first and he snuck up here, into my dorm."

"How?"

"In his Animagus. He had no trouble getting up the stairs. He came up and woke me and I could see it in his eyes, you know? I urged him to climb into bed with me and I just held him. He fell asleep and when he woke he told me about his dream and then he just… he told me and when he said the words, I realized that I already knew."

Hermione smiled. "I'm so happy for you two!"

Ginny nodded, biting her bottom lip. "And then we… he took off my shirt and… Hermione, he did things to my breasts with his mouth and hands and tongue and I… I had an orgasm. I've never had one before… I mean… it felt so… good and… _naughty,_ " she admitted. "And then he was, you know, grinding his hips against me and he… we were still dressed…"

"How did it make you feel?"

"Good," Ginny told her. "I know that he's nervous about doing things with me to some extent because of what happened with Tom, but he… I'm not afraid with him, Hermione. I know that he will never hurt me. I want him to touch me and I want to touch him and sometimes how much I want it scares me a little."

"I can relate to that," Hermione said. "I used my hands on Viktor once and… it was so sexy and naughty and I wanted the chance to try it again, but I never got that opportunity. But I think if it's the right person, if you feel comfortable with them, you should do what you want and what they want as long as you're both ready. Don't you think?"

Ginny thought about her friend's words for a long moment before she answered. "Yes, yes I do." She tucked her hair behind her ear and grinned at her friend. "Would asking Theo for advice be tactless?"

Hermione chuckled. "Not if he knows what he's doing."

Ginny grinned at her friend. Theo most definitely knew what he was doing. It gave her a lot to think about. She snuck a look at Hermione who was plaiting her hair down her left side. She was going to keep an eye on Hermione and her brother for the next little bit as she was pretty certain that Hermione was going to be in for one hell of a surprise. If there was one thing Ginny Weasley knew, it was that the two of them kissing was most definitely _not_ a fluke, and she couldn't wait for Hermione to find that out.

No matter how long it took.

~ ASC ~

 **It wasn't until the Friday after Valentine's Day that Sirius found time to talk to Scrimgeour about the coins.** Sirius finished explaining the commander coin with their subservient soldier coins to Rufus Scrimgeour that afternoon. The man's face was contorted in concentration but he gave no tells to what he was thinking. Scrimgeour examined the coins carefully, his thumb brushing over the edge where the information had appeared curiously. Finally, after what felt like forever, he looked up at Sirius.

"A sixteen-year-old-witch came up with this?"

"Essentially," Sirius said easily.

"And how did she think of it?"

"They were discussing the concept of the Dark Mark."

Scrimgeour shook his head. "I honestly don't have words."

"But you like it?"

"I think it's bloody perfect," Scrimgeour stated. "This is exactly the kind of thing we've been looking for. It will help us get people in place when the time comes and in the meantime, we can use it for drills to see how fast people react when they are called. You said that you can get more of these fake coins?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, I spoke to Fred and George Weasley about it on Monday. They are willing to make as many of the fake Galleons as we request, each embedded with a stamp that says GWCS in honour of the communication coin creators."

"Two bloody teenagers," he muttered, dropping the coins into Sirius' hand. "Incredible. We have witches and wizards working in defensive research who haven't come up with anything like this. It seems the new generation is bringing in the good ideas."

"It seems so," Sirius added, tucking the coins away. "I spoke to Hermione and she's willing to charm the coins as needed, but that's a lot of work on top of her OWL year."

Scrimgeour waved his hand. "Yes, yes, she'll be paid accordingly by the Defence Department. I'll speak to the treasurer and we'll work something out. After all, as you said - they created the thing and deserve recognition."

"The Weasleys are willing to drop the price of the fake Galleons down to two Knuts a coin if you up it to five hundred."

"Blimey, those blokes are really making a buck from the Ministry, aren't they?"

Sirius shrugged. "Well, when genius sets in, they know what they're doing."

Scrimgeour agreed to the terms and Sirius grinned as the Auror walked away. It seemed that things were coming together. He couldn't wait to tell Harry that his friends would not only receive recognition from the coin idea, but financial benefit as well.

~ ASC ~

 **When Saturday came around, Harry was incredibly curious as to why Sirius needed him.** He hadn't heard anything back from his godfather since he had called him four days ago and when he showed up in the entrance hall to meet him, he found Sirius bouncing in his shoes.

"Harry! Great!" Sirius exclaimed, tossing an arm around his shoulders even though Harry was taller than him now by two inches. "Thank you for meeting me!"

Harry only nodded, his eyes on his godfather as he followed him out of the castle and towards Hogsmeade. "What's going on? You're acting so weird!"

Sirius grinned. "I'll explain when we get there."

"Is it about Voldemort?"

Sirius shook his head. "For once, it has absolutely nothing to do with him. Hold onto me, I'll Apparate us."

Harry only did as he was told and they soon appeared in the small village near Remus' cottage. "Are we going to see Uncle Rem, because I think that he was in his office this morning…?"

Sirius shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Zee and I are going to spend next weekend at your villa in Barbados and we're looking forward to it, but when I told her on Valentine's Day that we were going away for the weekend — it just hit me, Harry. I'm ready. In fact, I think that I've been ready for a while now, but she wasn't and now… I want this."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I want to ask Zee to marry me."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise as instant happiness soared through him. "Really?"

Sirius nodded. "I've been thinking about it a lot since Christmas. Zee and I, we talked about it in passing after Remus and Tonks got married, but neither of us was quite ready, but now, I am and… I think that she is, too." He pointed to the little jewellery shop at the end of the street. "Remus said that the lady in there is amazing and if I'm going to find her the perfect ring, we should do it together. Zee's taking on the both of us, after all."

Harry grinned widely, moving to hug Sirius. "This is the best news!"

Sirius let out a breath of relief. "I'm glad you think so. I love her, Harry. She's everything I never knew that I wanted — that I never knew _I needed_ — and she loves you so much. We're a family and I want to make that official. I want to be her husband. I want her to be my wife."

"I never thought that this day would come," Harry told him honestly.

Sirius shrugged, rubbing a hand over his rapidly beating heart. "Yeah, neither did I. Ready to help me pick out the perfect ring?"

As they headed to the store, Harry thought he was more than ready to help his father do anything that included asking Zee to marry him.

The elderly woman who greeted them, smiled warmly. "Good morning, gentlemen. Can I help you find anything today?"

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets. "Are you Mrs Copper?" At her nod, he continued. "A friend of mine had you design an engagement ring for him last summer with a moonstone in it?"

"Ah, the wolf," Mrs Copper said. "The ring was quite immaculate; was he not satisfied with it?"

"No, no," Sirius told her. "It's beautiful and absolutely perfect for his wife. They both love it. After seeing your work, I was hoping that you could help me design one for my woman."

She smiled kindly, slipping her glasses on from where they hung from around her neck. "I'd be delighted. What did you have in mind?"

Sirius grinned. "I don't even know where to start if I'm honest."

Mrs Copper smiled kindly. "Well, let's start with cost. How much are you looking to spend?"

"Money is no problem."

Her smile widened. "Then we have infinite options. The wolf wanted pink diamonds and a moonstone. Is your woman a diamond kind of woman?"

"I'd drench her in diamonds if she'd let me," he told her. "I want diamonds."

"Now, there's many different kinds of metals to choose from," she said, showcasing the different types in the display case before her. "We have yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, or platinum."

Sirius glanced over at Harry. "What do you think?"

"I think Zee would like white gold the best."

"I agree," Sirius said. "She has beautiful caramel skin that looks great with white gold."

Mrs Copper smiled. "White gold it is. Now we need to choose a setting. The most common setting is usually the three-stone. Are you looking for something a little different?" At his nod, she continued, opening the display before her. "Depending on what you choose, these are the options. I can shape the diamond any way that you'd like, into almost any shape imaginable. Why don't the two of you browse that display on the left and get a feel for some of my designs and then we'll chat some more."

Sirius nodded as he and Harry moved over to the display she suggested. The rings were shining in beautiful splendour as they looked them over. "A pear-shape is nice," Sirius said absently.

Harry smiled. "It is, but it's not really Zee." He pointed to one in the top left corner. "Look, that one is shaped like a star — you're always joking that you're a star."

"I _am_ a star, Harry," Sirius said seriously. "It is literally my name." But he bent to look closer at the ring in question.

Mrs Copper moved over to see what they were looking at. "Ah, the cathedral star halo set, very beautiful. The centre diamond gleams and the smaller diamonds encompassing the centre make the star shape. That is one of the most expensive sets."

"Price isn't a problem," Sirius told her again.

She nodded and waved her wand around, and soft gold dust began to form a design of the ring in the air. "White gold, cathedral star halo with a diamond… I usually recommend adding diamonds along the side of the ring like this, as it makes the star really sparkle," she said, her wand weaving the dust into a design.

Sirius' breath hitched at the sight. It was beautiful. The way the light reflected off the diamonds was breathtaking, and he could immediately imagine it on her finger — him slipping it onto her finger — and he knew that it was _the_ ring. "That's it."

Harry grinned. From the way that Sirius' eyes had lit up at the sight of it, he knew that it was the right ring. "She's going to love it, Uncle Siri."

Sirius smiled at him. "Yeah, I think she is."

Mrs Copper made a copy of the design before she waved it away. "All right, let's pick out the diamond."

Thirty minutes later, they left the shop and Sirius was grinning like a fool.

"If Zee ever finds out how much money you spent on that ring, she'll hex you."

Sirius only kept grinning at him. "Well, I'm certainly not going to tell her."

"So it's going to take a week or so to make it. When are you going to ask her?" Harry asked.

Sirius rolled his shoulders. "When you come home from school for Easter weekend. It's right before her birthday and… I want you there with me when I ask her."

Harry stared at him in surprise. "Really?"

Sirius put an arm around his son's shoulders, tugging him close. "She's not just marrying me, Harry, she's taking you on as well. I know that you don't need a mum. I know that you're old enough to take care of yourself for the most part. But when I marry her, she will be your de facto mother and I know that you already see her as a mum anyway. Let's make it official all around."

Harry grinned. "I'd like to be there."

"Good," Sirius said happily. "You can hold the ring box out."

"Aren't you going to get down on one knee?"

Sirius snorted. "You know, you're pushing your luck here."

Harry laughed as they walked down the street. "She's going to love the ring and she's definitely going to say yes."

He smiled. "I hope so. She's the best thing to ever happen to me, outside of you. I love her more than I can put into words."

"What are you going to engrave on the ring?" Harry asked him. "Mrs Copper said that she could put anything you'd like on it."

"I have a few ideas. Now, obviously, tell no one of this," he began and when Harry opened his mouth to respond, Sirius sighed. "Fine, Ginny — but _no one else_. I want it to be a surprise! We're going to ask her the first night you come home. When I pick up the ring, I'll show it to you. Deal?"

Harry nodded. "Deal."

"Good. Now, I have a message for you to pass on to Hermione and Ron," Sirius said. "The Ministry loves the GWCS coins. I spoke to Fred and George and they are going to make a batch of them with GWCS carved into the heads. The Ministry will be sending documents for Ron and Hermione each to sign and they are going to be financially compensated for the creation."

"Bloody hell — really?"

Sirius nodded. "Really. I know Ron doesn't think he did much, but he helped Hermione cement the idea and gave the names for commander and solider coins, which means he is getting part credit for the invention. The lump sum will be divided sixty-forty, in favour of Hermione, and Hermione will be paid on top of the lump sum as she will be charming each new coin for the Ministry as needed. As I said, documents will be arriving for them within the next week. I want you and Neville to go over the documents with them and don't let them sign until they are fully satisfied."

"Blimey, Ron's going to be through the roof!" Harry told him. "Do you know how much they're getting?"

"A good amount," Sirius said with a smile. "They deserve it. You and Neville can help them sort through everything. Okay?"

"Okay," Harry said. He couldn't believe that his two best friends were the genius behind these new communication devices that the Ministry of Magic was going to use. It was pretty wicked.

"So, how have things been with Ginny?" Sirius asked, his eyes on his son.

"Good," Harry told him, his lips curving into a smile at just the sound of his girlfriend's name.

"Uh-huh," Sirius said. "Well, when you two were — _ahem_ — studying the other night when I called, just how in depth of a study session was it?"

"We _were_ studying."

"Yes, each other," he repeated his eyes twinkling in laughter.

Harry blushed.

"Do I need to make sure that you can practice the contraceptive charm again?"

"No! We haven't... we aren't..."

Sirius nodded, surprised at the relief that coursed through him. "Good. But when you're both ready, I want you both to be prepared, whether that's next week or next year, got it?"

"Yes." He was quiet for a minute before he looked at his godfather. "I love her."

Sirius smiled at his son's words. "I've known that for years. It's nice to see you admit it. Have you told her?"

Harry nodded, looking at his father as they reached the edge of the forest. "Last week... I had a nightmare and I just needed... _her_. She calms me, Uncle Sirius. I just feel better when she's in my arms."

"And?" Sirius prompted.

"I fell asleep in her bed," Harry told him. "Did you know that if you change into an animal, the stairs don't recognize gender?"

Sirius' eyes widened. "No… clever. So you were in her bed…?"

"Yes," Harry said. "And I fell asleep and I told her about my nightmare and I just looked at her and… I knew. She told me that she loved me back."

"Yeah? It's a pretty incredible feeling, isn't it? Hearing those words from the woman you love."

"I felt like I could fly without a broom," he admitted with a grin.

Sirius chuckled. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Harry," he said back.

"I saw her tits."

Sirius glanced at his son in surprise as Harry's cheeks flushed. "Oh?"

"They're magnificent," he said, almost in reverent awe.

Sirius chuckled. "And you never saw..."

Harry shook his head. "Only in the pictures you have. I was... you know, playing with them and… stuff, and she... I didn't even..."

"She had an orgasm?" Sirius finished for him.

Harry nodded. "It was... wow. That time with Mandy it was... it was so fast and so unexpected, and she did all the work, you know, it didn't even compare… but this... _I made it happen._ "

Sirius smiled at him and draped an arm over his shoulders, "Welcome to Manhood. I consider it an official stepping stone, making your woman come for you. But I still stress caution and being careful. I am too young and too damn good-looking to be a grandfather yet."

Harry laughed. "We're not ready for that."

"Good," Sirius said, relaxing his shoulders. "So, did you get her anything for Valentine's Day?"

Harry shook his head. "She told me not to. She said that it's just a day so not to bother. It was on Wednesday anyway and we had classes and I barely saw her. We're going to have our date when I get back. She said nothing special, as it's just a day."

Sirius raised a brow. "That is a dirty lie. Come with me. We'll find something perfect."

It only took them thirty minutes and Harry was surprised by his father's tenacity. As soon as he saw it, he knew that it was perfect. The owner quickly charmed the gift for him and he slipped it into his pocket.

"Now go, find your woman and spend your Valentine's Day with her."

"Are you doing the same with Zee?"

"We celebrated on Wednesday." Sirius told him. "Now beat it, go find your girlfriend and take her out somewhere special."

Harry grinned at him. "I will. Uncle Siri?"

"Yeah?"

"Proposing to Zee is the best decision you've ever made."

Sirius grinned. "I couldn't agree more."

~ ASC ~

 **It only took Harry fifteen minutes to find his girlfriend sitting in a large booth in Three Broomsticks with Colin and Luna.** He slid in next to her, and when she turned to say hi, he kissed her deeply - just long enough to make Colin whistle before he pulled away.

"I'm sorry, I'm late."

Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she bit her bottom lip. "Everything okay?"

"Everything's great," he said, kissing her again. He took her hand in his before he turned to Colin and Luna. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have delayed Valentine's Day plans with my girlfriend long enough."

Colin grinned. "I suppose - just this once - we can tolerate you stealing her away."

"Thanks, Colin. Have a good day, you two!"

Ginny only goggled at him as he tugged her out of the booth and out into the street. Then, he pulled her through the doorway before he kissed her again.

"What is going on with you?" she asked, sliding her hands up his back as she tilted her head back. "I didn't even think that I would see you at all and here you are just over two hours later."

Harry bent his head to kiss her lips again. "I can't miss my first Valentine's Day with you, and Uncle Sirius says that he's sorry for taking me away."

Ginny smiled up at him. "He's forgiven. I know it must have been something big for him to insist on it."

Harry grinned down at her. "We picked out an engagement ring."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Really?"

He nodded. "It's like a star, which is kind of brilliant considering Uncle Sirius is always claiming that he's a star. It's beautiful — and she's going to go crazy over it."

"Harry, that's wonderful!" Ginny exclaimed, hugging him. "You'll have a real mum!"

He shrugged. "I already do, but I like that he wants to make it official."

Ginny took his arm to lead him down the street. "When is he going to propose?"

"Not until Easter," Harry told her, explaining how Sirius wanted him to be there and how it was right before Zee's birthday. "He said that I could tell you, but no one else."

Ginny snuck a look at him. "I love how happy it makes you."

Harry stopped before he bent to kiss her nose. "Almost as happy as you make me."

Ginny's cheeks flushed in the cold as soft snowflakes latched in her hair. Harry adjusted her toque over her ears, bending to kiss her again.

"I love you, Ginny Weasley."

Ginny locked her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to meet his lips. "I love you, Harry Potter."

They stood there kissing in the snow for the longest time before Harry pulled back. "So, how's your day been?"

Ginny linked her hand with his as they began to walk through the cobblestone streets. "Good. I met Theo's Finn."

"And?"

"He's really nice," she told him. "He's incredibly handsome and completely besotted with Theo. He's always touching him, his hand, his arm, his hair. He's attentive to him and when he talks, Finn looks like he would sit there and listen to Theo tell him the process of drying paint and not be bored."

Harry chuckled. "So he's good for him, then?"

"Better than," Ginny said. "Finn makes him so happy, and as new as their relationship is, they've been writing each other for months. Now they write twice a day. It feels like they've been together a while already."

"So the fairy prince has the Weasley Seal of Approval then?"

Ginny elbowed him lightly. "I just want him to be happy, Harry."

"Me too." Harry stopped in his tracks, bending his head to kiss her cheek. "So, for our first Valentine's Day, I have to make it special."

"No," Ginny said softly. "It's just a day, Harry. Being with you is all I need."

"But it's —"

"— Just you," she interrupted, kissing him again. "Let's go for a walk."

Harry let her lead him down the street of the village, past his classmates, and out towards the Shrieking Shack. It was quiet and open, and Ginny hurried towards the fence to look at the house.

"Do you ever look at it and wonder why the villagers are still afraid of it? It's been silent for two decades now."

"Well, minus our little trip two years ago… they may have heard some howling and thought the worst all over again."

Ginny laughed, glancing back at him over her shoulder. She bent down to scoop snow into her hands, and Harry shook his head.

"Don't even think about it."

Her eyes twinkled at him and he dodged the snowball that went flying past his shoulder.

"Oh, this means war."

She shrieked in laughter as he bent to make his own snowball before she hurried off towards the trees. It wasn't long before he was chasing her, and the snowballs flew at each other. Harry got a mouthful of snow from her Chaser arm and Ginny's back was covered in snow as she ran, laughing. Harry held a snowball in his hand as he ran after her, increasing his speed until he dove forward, grabbing her arm and tugging her down.

Ginny didn't go down easily. She shoved him and they rolled, wrestling in the soft, cold blanket of freshly fallen snow until Harry pinned her arms above her head and straddled her.

"I win."

Ginny rolled her hips and watched his eyes cross before she smirked. "Did you now?"

"Minx," he murmured, bending his head to kiss her.

A second before his lips met hers, she was rewarded with a face full of snow. "Harry!"

Then he was up and gone.

Ginny scrambled to her feet and ran after him. Not long after, she grinned triumphantly when she shoved him against the tree in front of the shack. Harry was laughing as his cheek rested against the cold bark as his girlfriend's hands sat at his waist.

"You didn't see it coming?"

Ginny snuck a look at him from under her lashes. "Maybe… did you?"

He barely raised an eyebrow before cold snow was shoved down the back of his pants, slipping over his bum. He bellowed. Ginny laughed again as she ran off, and this time, when he caught her, she let him. He backed her towards another tree, pressing his body against hers. They were both breathless from the cold as he crushed his lips to hers.

Ginny moaned against him, his warm lips heating her from the inside out. Her hands slid up his back into his hair and he lifted her, sliding her up the tree. He grinned when her legs locked around his waist. Harry's hands slid into her hair, wet and clumped with snow, his lips meeting hers over and over until they pulled apart, gasping for breath.

Harry stared at her. Her cheeks and nose were flushed from the cold, her lips swollen from his. Her chocolate eyes were dancing at him and the look in them made his cock grow harder. He kissed the four freckles above her left eye and she smiled at him.

"Hot chocolate?"

"Yes, please," Ginny said, kissing him again.

Harry held her against the tree, delighting in the soft kisses that made him yearn for more. She was warm against him, soft and layered in her winter garb, and he suddenly very much wanted to remove the layers. He kissed her once more before gently putting her back on her feet.

"Hot chocolate, right…" he said, tugging out his wand. He sent a Patronus off to Dobby and Ginny's eyes met his in question. "Let me have one surprise for Valentine's Day."

Ginny smiled at him. "When did you become all giddy about a mushy holiday?"

"Around the time I remembered my girlfriend compared my eyes to a fresh-pickled toad."

"Harry!" she groaned. "We said that we wouldn't discuss that!"

His eyes twinkled at her. "But my hair is as dark as a blackboard!"

He gasped when her fingers dug into his ribs.

"Stop! You said that you wouldn't bring it up!"

Harry cried out as she continued to tickle him mercilessly. "Divine —" he said in between gasps. "— hero who conquered —"

Ginny shoved her hand over his mouth. "Prat."

He kissed her hand and her eyes softened. "I thought it was sweet."

"Liar," she retorted as he chuckled.

Harry smiled at her. "Let's go back to the castle and get that hot chocolate, shall we?"

Ginny linked her arm with his and they headed back up the path, both of them still covered in snow and shivering in the chilly air. He listened with a smile as Ginny filled him in on her morning with Colin and Luna, and how Colin was spending the day taking winter photos of the village. She told him that she'd seen Ron, Hermione, and Neville heading into The Three Broomsticks and how Dean and Seamus had been in a booth together in the corner.

They entered the warmth of the entrance way, stomping their boots on the floor to get the bulk of the snow off before heading up the stairs.

"Aren't we going to the kitchens?"

Harry shook his head as he took her hand. "No, I had a better idea."

Ginny let him lead her up to their tower room, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw what was there. A long table was set up against the wall, covered in sweets. There were three different kinds of ice cream to choose from (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry) along with fudge and caramel syrup, candy sprinkles, chocolate rosebuds, freshly sliced strawberries, and bananas. There were chocolate chip biscuits and fudge brownies, treacle tart and apple tarts, chocolate strawberry cheesecake, chocolate pudding, and lemon meringue pie. To top it all off, there was a chocolate fondue fountain with marshmallows and pretzels.

Ginny looked back at him in amazement. "What…"

"Having a personal elf really helps me set up the perfect surprise," he said easily, tucking his gloves into his pocket before picking up a marshmallow and dipping it in the chocolate fondue. "And I thought instead of a romantic dinner for two, let's have a dessert buffet." He held the chocolate dipped marshmallow out to her, gently brushing the chocolate over her lips. "Want a bite?"

Ginny let him put the marshmallow in her mouth, savouring the taste before she swallowed and he crushed his lips to hers, licking the chocolate from the corners of her mouth.

"Hmm, you taste good dipped in chocolate."

Heat seared through Ginny as her eyes met his.

Harry unwrapped her scarf, letting it drop to the ground, followed by her gloves and her toque. His fingers drifted across her throat, stroking to the back and then around again and when he let go, she felt something sitting there. She reached up to touch it and felt the chain. Her eyes widened.

Harry smiled. "Happy Valentine's Day, Ginny."

Ginny looked down to see a gold chain with "Ginny" printed in what she recognized as Harry's writing, the bottom of the y curved into a broomstick that sat across the bottom of her name.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "I didn't… I told you - I don't need gifts."

Harry shrugged. "Makes me want to give you more. I remember how greedy you are on your birthday for presents."

She chuckled. "My birthday is a different story, gifts are a must." She stood on her toes and kissed him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, reaching for a slice of banana and dipping it into the chocolate fondue and holding it out to her lips. "Dessert?"

Ginny accepted the fruit with a smile as he kept his eyes on hers and he unfastened her cloak, slipping it over her shoulders and down to the floor. His fingers unzipped her jacket, slipping it off and over and then her breath hitched when he knelt before her and gently slid her boots off. He stood up and kissed her again.

Ginny sighed into him before she moved away. She kept her eyes on his as she tugged off his scarf and hat. She seemed to move in slow motion as she slowly began to undress him. First his cloak, then his jacket before she knelt before him and slowly helped him out of his boots. She looked up at from the floor, her eyes on his as she moved her hands up his legs, sliding them over his knees, up his thighs and deliberately slow as she curved around to grip his bum. Her hands travelled back around to his waist and under his jumper and she stood, pulling the jumper over his head and tossing it on the floor behind him. When she pulled his tee shirt up as well, his breath hitched.

"Ginny —"

She let it fall to the floor, sliding her hands over his chest, along the lean muscles of his stomach. She traced his belly button with the tip of her finger and then she placed a kiss in the centre of his chest. Ginny turned towards the chocolate fondue, dipping her finger in the warm chocolate; with her eyes on his, she wrote her name across his chest, the end of the y circling his left nipple.

Harry swallowed and then gasped when her pink tongue darted out to lick her name away. Her tongue swirled around his nipple, deliberately avoiding the peak of it until her mouth wrapped around it, licking and sucking. The soft sounds she was making with every lick made his cock dig harder into his jeans.

Ginny smiled at him. "Delicious," she said, reaching out to bite an apple tart.

Harry watched her for a moment, trying to compose himself. He hadn't expected her to… and Merlin, he was so hard he thought that he was going to self-combust. He tried to think of anything other than her.

"Try a bite," Ginny suggested, picking up a chocolate chip biscuit.

Harry did as she suggested, but the biscuit only made him want to taste her even more. He waited for her to finish the biscuit before he tugged her up against him and kissed her deeply. Her eyes fluttered when he pulled away, and then he slid his hands down her back to the hem of her jumper.

He looked into her warm eyes for confirmation before he slowly began to slide it up and over. She wore a white long-sleeved crew neck shirt underneath and his fingers teased the hem of it again before he slowly slid it up over her breasts, his eyes on the beige lace as the shirt hit the ground.

Harry stared.

She was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. She stood there in dark green tights and thick black socks, freckles scattered across her stomach up to the lace bra that revealed those lovely firm swells, peppered in warm brown freckles. He put his hands on her waist, letting his thumbs brush her stomach on either side.

"How about some ice cream?" he offered, removing his hands to dip a spoon into the strawberry frozen dessert, and with his eyes on hers, he dropped it on the top swell of her right breast.

She let out a breathy gasp and he smiled slowly.

"Sprinkles are a must," he said, adding them to the spoonful on her breast. "And maybe some chocolate fudge."

Ginny's breasts were rising quickly with her uneven breaths as he added a sliver of fudge to the concoction and then bent his head and licked it off. He swirled his tongue over the strawberry ice cream, nipping at the sprinkles and as the melted ice cream slid into her cleavage. She moaned as his tongue traveled down the crease.

"Harry…"

Harry added a second spoonful of strawberry ice cream, adding a scoop of chocolate to her left breast and adding the appropriate sprinkles before he picked her up, carried her to the sofa and sat her in his lap. Then he bent his head to continue eating his dessert. Her fingers fluttered through his hair and when he undid her bra, she didn't protest. He slid it off, tossing it over the couch as he licked and sucked off every drop. Harry licked his lips, rolling his thumb over her right nipple as his mouth moved to the left one. He let his tongue trail over it, swiping left, swiping right, up and then down and then left and then right as she panted his name.

He moved to her other breast, sucking for a moment before he raised his head to kiss her softly. "I want to make you come for me again."

Ginny's eyes widened and the flush of heat that speared through her. "Harry, I —"

Harry kissed her softly. "I want to watch you as it happens. I want to make sure I know exactly how to do it."

Ginny's breath hitched. "That was… I mean…"

He bent his head to kiss her breast again. "The most amazing thing in the world."

Ginny tossed her head back as he cupped her breasts, stroking and caressing as if trying to memorize them. He kissed every freckle, lifting the underside, kissing between them and around them.

"Harry," she breathed, her fingers tightening in his hair. She tugged him up to her mouth, kissing him deeply. She pressed her breasts against his chest, her knees pressing into the couch on either side of him. When her hips moved a little, he gasped.

"I — I just need a minute," he said, closing his eyes, his breath hitching.

Snape, he thought desperately. Snape sneering at him. Snape kissing anyone.

But the lingering smell of her floral scent wafted towards him at the same time that he smelt her shampoo, a mix of citrus and peaches; he only hardened more. He buried his face in her neck for a moment, breathing her in, and then he felt her shift onto the sofa next to him.

"Maybe we just need to take a step back," she said softly, her breathing erratic.

Harry nodded. As much as he wanted to protest, he was convinced that if she touched him again before he got himself under control he was going to come in his jeans and embarrass himself. They sat there quietly for a long time. The room was full of nothing but the crackling fire and their heavy breathing.

Ginny stood up, picking up his jumper from the floor and slipping it over her head. It dwarfed her, but the sight of her wearing _his_ jumper only made his cock twitch. She moved to the table, making a plate of dessert and a bowl of ice cream with one scoop of each flavour and two spoons and a fork. He watched her add sprinkles to the bowl before she sat next to him on the sofa.

"We should enjoy some of this since Dobby went to so much trouble."

Harry nodded and helped himself to bite of treacle tart, his eyes on her. He chewed thoughtfully and swallowed before he spoke. "Too fast?"

Ginny's head shot up. "What?"

Harry picked up a strawberry from the plate and popped it into his mouth. "Did I move too fast?"

Ginny's eyes met his. "I think I started it."

"You did," he said with a smirk. "And I wasn't exactly protesting, but then I… was it too fast?"

Ginny looked down at the plate of dessert. "Harry… I want to, I do, but I… that night in my bed… I've never felt like that before. I've never… I've tried, but I've never… and then you…"

Harry's fingers lifted her chin. "You've tried?"

Ginny blushed. "And like you haven't wanked before!"

He grinned. "More than I should admit, but I never imagined you… what do you think about when you…?"

Ginny's face flushed darker. " _What?_ "

"What do you think about?"

"Harry… that's not… its private…"

His smile was slow. "I think about you," he said, a flush creeping over his neck. "It's always you."

Ginny's breath hitched and she shoved a spoonful of chocolate ice cream in her mouth. This was the last conversation that she had ever expected to be having with her boyfriend. He only continued to watch her, taking another bite of treacle tart from the fork sitting on the plate.

When she spoke, she surprised herself.

"The first time it was the night before the Yule Ball," she admitted quietly. "I imagined you asked me to dance, that you kissed me and then we somehow ended up at your house and we were alone in your treehouse and you touched me."

"Touched you how?"

Ginny's face flushed bright red. "Harry…"

He leaned in and kissed her nose. "Tell me."

"We were in your hammock," she whispered. "And you were on top and we were…"

His eyes widened. "Shagging?"

Ginny nodded. "It was a dream."

"And you touched yourself?"

She nodded again. "I was very hot when I woke up and my knickers were soaked and I didn't… it had never happened to me before."

Harry watched her cross her legs with a slow grin. "I like that I was the first bloke you thought about. Are your knickers damp now?"

She blushed again and put the dessert plate on the coffee table before sitting back on her legs. Ginny bit her bottom lip, her blazing look meeting his. Then she reached out and touched him through his denim jeans.

His eyes widened.

"Ginny…"

"Can I — can I please touch you?"

Harry stared at her, unsure how to respond. With every fibre of his being he wanted to scream yes as his cock twitched desperately in his pants - but on the other hand, he was terrified of rushing her into something.

"Are — are you sure?"

She nodded, still biting her lip. "I — I don't want to be afraid of this. I'm not afraid of you; of _this_ with you. I want to ..." She closed her eyes for a moment before she spoke again. "Do — do you want me to?"

He nodded, his eyes on hers. "Yes! I mean — of course I want you too — yeah. More than anything."

She smiled coyly. "Have you imagined it?"

Harry swallowed slowly. "Fuck, yeah."

Ginny's confidence seemed to soar and she placed her hand over the bulge in his jeans and began rubbing. The feel of her hand over his hard cock was enough to make him moan. She traced the shape of him through the denim, following the bulge from one end to the other before her hand cupped between his legs, tracing the shape again. Her eyes met his as she stroked up, fingers dancing at the button at the top before she undid it.

Harry's breath hitched as he realized what she was actually going to do. Her eyes were on his as she unzipped him, the sound seeming to echo in the room. His cock twitched against his boxers, trying to escape.

Ginny bit her bottom lip again as she stared at the bulge under his black boxers. His boxers had snitches on them, she noted in amusement, before she reached out and cautiously slid her hand in his trousers, stroking him through his shorts. She could feel the heat of him, hotter than through the denim, and the hardness of it. She slid her hand lower, cupping him. He let out a groan and she smiled, making the strokes firmer. She traced the length of him through his boxers, stroking firmly but gently

Harry's eyes were closed and he was biting his bottom lip, which she took as a good sign. She watched him for a moment as she stroked him and then she slid her hand into the pocket of his boxers and touched him for the first time.

He _was_ hot, she realized, but oddly soft and hard at the same time. She looked up at him and his green eyes were staring directly at her, full of arousal, and all she thought was how much she wanted this for him. She moved her hand slowly, touching and stroking, curiously feeling the length and size of him. He felt big, she thought, but she didn't know for sure as she let her fingers trail along his length.

Then she tugged his jeans and boxers down, exposing him fully, and he swallowed.

Ginny stared at him. It was not what she expected. He seemed bigger up close, too big, too thick, and she wasn't sure if that was her own fears or if Theo had been right and Harry was simply hung. Her eyes moved over the length of him, the mushroom shaped tip of him, and curiosity washed over her. She reached out and with the tip of her finger, stroked under the head of his shaft and he groaned.

Harry was doing everything in his power to keep his cool. The feel of her hand on him was more incredible than he ever could have imagined, and the last thing he wanted to do was make it end. He had been disappointed when her touch had disappeared, but also a bit relieved as it gave him a moment to compose himself. But then she had exposed him before her and the feel of her hand on his bare cock was even more incredible than he had ever imagined it would be. When she wrapped her fingers completely around him, he gasped.

"It's warm, like your skin," she said. "But almost velvet-like." She kept a firm grip on him as her other hand slid around him to stroke his sack. Harry's eyes crossed.

Ginny smiled at him, tugging a bit.

"Ginny," he groaned.

Ginny smiled wider. The sight of him slowly falling apart was more incredible than she could explain. She moved her hand down his shaft to his base and he moaned.

"Like this? Is this what you like?"

Harry's eyes met hers and he nodded. "Feels so good, Gin."

Ginny watched his eyes for a minute. "Show me."

Harry carefully wrapped his hand around her hand, guiding her to his pleasure.

"Ooh, I like that," she told him, feeling his rhythm as she began to pump him.

Harry's breath was coming in waves now. "Yeah… just like ... fuuccck,"

Ginny smiled triumphantly. He seemed to be getting hotter and harder in her hand. She stroked his sack, finding it utterly fascinating how it pulled and shifted as she stroked him. She moved her other hand beneath to caress the sack while her right hand worked his cock, and he moaned.

"Ginny ... I'm gonna come," he told her. "I'm gonna come, Gin — you have to stop!"

But she didn't stop.

She wanted him to come. She wanted him to lose control with no one but her. She was in control here, and she would stay in control. This was Harry and he would never hurt her. He had proven that ten times over already.

"Come for me, Harry."

That was all it took.

Harry's head fell back as his hips arched into her working hands. He erupted, moaning her name as he did so.

Ginny stared at his cock in amazement as he came all over her hands. Some of it had even got onto the bottom of the jumper she was wearing… and she had been the one to make it happen. The sensation sent butterflies through her stomach and she knew at that moment, that she wasn't going to let her past darken her present. "Wow."

Harry's eyes met hers. He was completely relaxed and he grinned at her. "Ginny, that was... are you…?"

She leaned into him and kissed him softly. "Watching you lose control like that was beautiful, Harry. I felt rather powerful."

Harry grinned widely. "Anytime you want to feel powerful again, my cock is at your disposal."

She laughed and kissed him again. Ginny watched as Harry grabbed his wand and did a quick cleaning charm on them both before snuggling her into his embrace. She stared down at his soft cock in fascination as he yawned above her. It was only a moment later before she heard his breathing tell her that he had fallen asleep and she continued to stare at his penis. She'd just given him a knob job she realized. She, Ginny Weasley, had gotten her boyfriend off.

She couldn't stop the smile from crossing her face. She felt deliciously naughty, she thought and pleased with herself as she never had gotten around to asking Theo for advice; she'd done it on her own. Soon she was also drifting off, the smile still on her face.

~ ASC ~

 **Theo shifted nervously in his seat as he waited for Finn in Three Broomsticks.** He couldn't believe that he had been dating the fae for almost a month. It still seemed unbelievable. But then on Valentine's Day morning, four dozen flowers arrived for him - one bouquet for every week that they'd been together (sunflowers, daffodils, matthoila incana, and peonies). Theo had been beyond surprised and completely blown away. Finn was courting him, and he found that he rather liked it.

Draco and Blaise were teasing him that he was the woman in the relationship, but he told them if it meant he got spoiled, he was okay with that. He and Finn wrote every day — sometimes twice. They'd shared their histories and their likes and dislikes. Theo found fairy life completely fascinating.

Finn was a commander in the royal guard which meant that he spent his days running drills. He taught archery and fencing; his team protected the city of Tara from Muggles with magical charms and illusions. He'd explained how time flowed differently in Tara and that when witches and wizards came to visit, they couldn't stay more than a few hours at a time. One day in Tara was equal to a full week outside of the fae realm, and people were thought to disappear forever. The time difference didn't affect the fae. They aged the same in either world, but with the time difference, they were believed to live forever by Muggles who couldn't understand the concept.

Finn and Theo wrote about their childhoods.

Finn was taught how to fight, caused mischief in and out of the court, and taught to control his magic: To heal others with it, and to use it defensively. Theo explained how he barely remembered his mother, how his father had never been around and how he'd spent most of his childhood at the Malfoys or alone in Norfolk Manor with the house elves. He told Finn of the places he'd travelled and the things he'd done. He explained about his father being a Death Eater and how he didn't want that life. He told Finn of his plans as Lord Norfolk and how he wanted to make the Nott name stand for good again.

They wrote letter after letter, but it wasn't the same as seeing him.

Finn showed up every Saturday at noon. Hogsmeade was open on weekends to all students sixteen and above, so Theo met Finn in The Three Broomsticks every weekend. They'd sit there for hours over butterbeer and lunch to talk, and then Finn would take his hand, guide him outside and snog him senseless.

Theo really loved it when Finn did that.

But this was Valentine's Day weekend and he wanted to give Finn a gift. He'd spent the entire week stressing over it and to his surprise it was Blaise who came up with the perfect present. Theo had wrapped it that morning and now shifted nervously again in his seat, the wrapped box on the bench next to him.

Theo's whole body tingled when Finn stepped through the door; he knew that he was staring, but he couldn't help it. Finn slid onto the bench next to him and leaned in to kiss him softly.

"Hi, Theo."

"Hi, Finn," he said, a little breathlessly.

Finn's lips curved and Theo was pretty sure that the fae knew exactly what he did to him.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Theo said, thrusting the small box into his hands.

Finn's eyes widened in surprise. "You got me a gift?"

Theo nodded, pleased to see that he had managed to surprise him. "The flowers you sent, I know that I already said, but they were beautiful and I wanted to get you a little something as well."

Finn looked like a kid on Christmas as he untied the bow and carefully opened the box. Inside was two tickets to see the Harmonious Bastards in April.

"You're always talking about how much you love music, playing the flute and hearing the sounds, and they are the best orchestra in the wizarding world - and I heard that they put on one hell of a show. It's Easter weekend so I'll be home, and I thought I could take you."

Finn leaned in and kissed him. His lips were soft at first and then the kiss deepened and deepened and Theo heard himself moan.

"Sorry to interrupt, lovebirds," Rosmerta said causing them to break apart. "You two want the usual?"

"Yes," Finn answered, not taking his eyes off of Theo.

Rosmerta smirked as she walked away and Theo was suddenly being kissed again. He let his hands slide into Finn's soft hair and lost himself in the feel of his boyfriend's lips, his tongue, and when Finn's hand sat dangerously low on his hip, he moaned.

Finn pulled away, tilting his head to Theo's forehead. "We must behave ourselves in such a public setting."

Theo nodded, disappointed at the loss of contact. "Yes, of course."

Finn smiled, licking his ear and making any blood Theo had left in his body go straight to his cock. "Unless of course we go to a not so public setting..."

Theo stared at him. Be alone with Finn? He wanted that more than anything.

"Yes."

Finn nodded and got to his feet. He told Rosmerta something that made her laugh and then he held his hand out to Theo. Theo took his hand and let him lead him outside. Finn tugged him close, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Theo said without hesitation.

He felt a whoosh and suddenly they were twirling together in the air and then Theo was standing in a beautiful meadow full of flowers at the bed of a mountain, with an ocean sparkling just beyond. His eyes widened.

"Where are we?"

Finn squeezed his hand. "One of my favourite places in the world. New Zealand."

Theo goggled. "New Zealand!"

Finn tugged him close to him, bending his head to capture his lips. "Want to see my cottage?"

Theo was still dumbfounded by the thought that Finn had brought him to New Zealand. Fae magic was powerful if he could Apparate that far without batting an eye. He let Finn lead him to a small country cottage covered in moss and jasmine and in through the front door.

"I thought that you lived in Tara?"

"I do for the most part, but I have little homes to escape to all over the world. Here is my favourite, but I have one in Hawaii, Australia, Jamaica, and Tuscany," he explained as he urged Theo to take a seat on the sofa. "One day I will show you Tara, when we have more time."

Theo nodded and sat down, suddenly feeling nervous. Finn sat next to him, entwining his fingers with his.

"Do not be afraid of me. I just wanted to spend some time alone with you. We are undisturbed here, and any time you wish to leave, you only must ask."

Theo looked into his green eyes and he knew that he most definitely didn't want to leave. He surprised himself when he simply straddled Finn on the sofa. Finn's eyes widened and Theo kissed him.

This time, they knew that no one was watching.

The kiss deepened, tongues meeting and hands roaming. Theo wanted to taste and touch every part of him. He let his lips trail down Finn's neck, sucking and nibbling on the skin there. When he sucked on Finn's pulse point, the moan that erupted from him made Theo rock hard.

The kisses deepened and Theo's fingers slowly unbuttoned Finn's shirt. He pulled away to look the chiseled chest before him. Finn was absolutely breathtaking, he thought. Skin like chiseled marble, lean muscles, tight abs, and Theo let his hands roam over his chest and stomach in delight.

Finn watched him with those cool green eyes, not speaking, so Theo bent his head to kiss his chest. Finn moaned, and that was all the encouragement Theo needed. He let his mouth travel over the skin, the warmth of it making him kiss and lick happily. He kissed his nipples, sucking hard, and Finn bucked under him. His cock brushed against Theo's when he did, and Theo's eyes crossed. He didn't think he'd ever been this hard in his life.

Then suddenly he was on his back.

Finn had flipped him so fast he'd barely had time to blink, and then Finn's lips were on his, and he stopped thinking. Finn's mouth moved over his neck and his collarbone, and then his jumper was being pushed up and Finn was kissing down his stomach, down the happy trail of dark brown hair. His tongue dipped into his naval before continuing its journey south.

Theo moaned and he heard his trousers unzip.

"Finn..."

Finn covered Theo's groin with his hand, those green eyes on him. "I want to make you come for me."

Theo's eyes darkened in pleasure and then he was exposed before Finn. He wanted to say something, to insist that he should be the one to pleasure him, but then Finn's tongue trailed along his length and all he could do was hold on.

Finn's mouth wrapped around him and he cried out. Then it was all mouth and hands, and Theo lost himself in the sensations of it. Every time he got close, Finn would stop and nuzzle his stomach or kiss his thigh until Theo was whimpering. Then, he would take him in his mouth again. He did this five times before Theo couldn't take it anymore and he clutched that blond hair tightly and held him in place as Finn sucked him.

And then he was coming and crying out incoherent words as Finn swallowed all of him. He'd never in his life experienced anything like it.

When Theo finally came down from his high, he watched as his boyfriend's mouth moved off of his soft cock and kissed a trail up his chest before meeting his lips for a long kiss.

"You're so beautiful," Finn told him. "I want to do that again and again and again."

Theo blushed. He reached his hand down to touch Finn through his pants. "Let me first repay you for that."

Finn pushed his hand away. "Later. Today is about you."

"But —"

"—No," Finn said with a smile. "It's about you."

Theo bit his bottom lip. "But you're —"

Finn bent his head and kissed him softly. "Don't worry about me. You deserve the world, Theodore Nott, and I want to be the one to give it to you."

Theo flushed. "You're amazing."

Finn smiled, his hand moving to caress Theo's cock. "Good. I want you to think that."

"Finn..." he murmured as Finn's hand began to stroke him back to life.

Finn's green eyes turned dark and then he kept his eyes on Theo's as he lowered down and took him in his mouth again.

The last coherent thought Theo had was that he had no idea how he had gotten so lucky.

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _The ring Sirius picked for Zee is on my tumblr breaniebree._

 _Thank you and please review!_


	213. Chapter 213

_Author's Note:_

 _Reviews: To Pegg7: It's only too steamy to read in a public library if you show it to others LOL. Great predictions on what's coming next — can't wait to prove those of you right and wrong ;) To Sayumii: Thank you, I agree that they are at boarding school and sex, masturbation, girls, etc. would be discussed and dealt with. I did give Snape someone in my Beginning Series, but this time around, I think not — and what can I say? I like to kill off characters you don't expect me too, Krum was one of them. To Saz J: Glad it was filthy enough for you LOL. To christyannb94: It depends on the relationship and I think it's normal for Harry to go to Sirius for that stuff to some extent… he will definitely NOT be telling Sirius how far he has gotten with Ginny, nor much else, but seeing her boobs was something I like to think just kind of slipped out for him. To LilyBlack18: Thanks for leaving a review, I do agree that Zee is the perfect woman for Sirius, guess we'll have to wait and see what happens. To HPuni101: Thank you for leaving such details reviews after almost every chapter! Very much appreciated and I like to think that it's a running joke between Hinny about that first Valentine._

 _Thanks for everyone who wished me luck on my new job. It is much appreciated!_

 _Thanks to Dusk for her great editing!_

 _This chapter time jumps a bit, a few weeks have passed since Valentine's Day now._

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN:**

 **Draco read the letter in his hand for the eighth time that day.** His mother had forgone using the family owl for safety reasons, and had Binky bring the letter directly to him. The thought that she was that worried made him more than a little nervous.

 _Draco,_

 _Your father tells me that your grandfather is not impressed with Theo's latest actions. The way he removed Thad from everything and cut off the Nott funds from the Dark Lord is (I quote) "intolerable". Thad isn't taking it lying down, and I've already warned Theo that he isn't planning on letting it go. He needs to watch his back and so do you. Your grandfather claims that your friendship with Theo has now reached an impasse and that you need to begin to distance yourself from him. My Dragon, do not abandon the one who is like a brother to you, no matter what your grandfather might say or do._

 _Please be cautious._

 _Mother_

Draco folded the note back up and waited on the front bridge of the castle for Theo to return from Hogsmeade. He'd been attending every Saturday to spend time with Finn since the two had started dating. Draco recognized his friend by the gate and watched as the fae kissed him before he Disapparated. Theo headed back up to the castle, grinning.

"Draco!" he exclaimed as he tugged him into a tight hug.

Draco couldn't help but grin back. After everything that Theo had gone through this year, it was lovely to see him smiling. "Theo. How's Finn?"

"Wonderful!" Theo beamed. "He took me to his place in New Zealand again. We spent the day drinking wine and snogging, among other things." He bit his lip and grinned. "He spoils me."

"You deserve it," Draco noted, looking out across the bridge. "Same place he took you for Valentine's Day?"

"Yes," Theo said. "He has a little cottage there. It's warm and feels like home. We've been three times now. He said that the next time maybe we'll go to his place in Hawaii, since he can just snap his fingers and take us there."

"I like seeing you so happy."

Theo smiled at him. "I like being this happy. What's on your mind, Draco?"

"Mother wrote to me."

Theo sobered instantly and Draco hated seeing the way the happiness vanished from his face. "To me, too. We both knew that my father would want to retaliate, Draco. I knew how angry he'd be, but I did it anyway."

"Grandfather wants me to end the friendship."

Theo nodded. "So, nice knowing ya?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't be a prat." He stared out at the Black Lake as he spoke. "But I might have to pretend that we aren't friends once we go home for the summer."

"Figured as much," Theo said, looking at the Black Lake. "Your mother will have to stop writing me as well."

"Good luck with that," Draco said on a strangled laugh. "Is she sending you letters with Binky as well?"

Theo nodded. "Every few weeks, yeah."

"Father says that the Dark Lord is looking for a Seer, something about some decade old prophecy that he needs to make sense of. They found a Melusine Seer off the French coast, and..."

Theo nodded. "Are they still alive?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't think so, as Father said they didn't have the information the Dark Lord wanted. Or at least, not yet."

Theo stared at him for a long moment. "Are you scared to go home?"

Draco shoved his hands into his pockets as they headed towards the front entrance of the castle. "Not scared, no… maybe uneasy? Father is barely home from what I understand and spending more and more of his time in Croatia. Grandfather barely lets him out of his sight. Mother worries and is alone and… with me turning sixteen in June, who knows what that could mean. But it's only the end of February, and I probably will stay here for the Easter holiday anyway."

"And your aunt?"

Draco let out a slow breath, looking over at Theo. "I can't run away and leave Mother with them, Theo. She needs me there. Besides, I don't even know my aunt… not really."

Theo was quiet as they headed towards the dungeons. "You should make an effort."

"What?"

"With your aunt," Theo said. "You spent Christmas with her back in what, second year — and you've never gone back. I know that she writes to you. For Christmas, she sent you that really nice black leather satchel with your initials and the Slytherin crest, and that blue and silver striped jumper that you love. She's making an effort."

Draco shrugged. "I sent a card once or twice."

Theo stared at him. "If I had a family who wanted the chance to know me, who offered me a place to go whenever I needed it… I would do more than send a card once or twice, Draco. Your uncle works in the DMLE and your cousin is an Auror. You're always bitching about Potter being an arse, so why don't you communicate with them instead?"

"I'll think about it, okay?" Draco told him as they stepped into the Slytherin common room.

"That's all that I ask," he said, snagging an empty chair by the fire. Theo had barely sat down before Ciara rushed over, leaning over the chair to hug him. "Hi, little duck! How was your day?"

Ciara sat on the arm of the chair, beaming at him. "I mastered the Mending Charm today! Julian is still having trouble, but he's doing great with the fire spell. Mila's good at everything!"

Theo chuckled at her excitement. He reached into his robes and pulled out the small box. "For you."

Her eyes widened in excitement as she opened the lid. Inside was one flower. "Is this a ranunculus lyallii?"

"It is. Finn picked it from his garden this afternoon and asked me to bring it to you."

Ciara pulled the bloom from the box and tucked it behind her ear, a big smile on her face. "Isn't his place in New Zealand so beautiful!" She kissed his cheek and hopped off the chair. "You make Uncle Finn really happy, Theo. I love you!"

Theo hugged her tight, surprised to feel moisture in his eyes, before she scurried off and found Draco staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Draco said. "You're making your own family, do you realize that? The Weasleys adopted you, your boyfriend, Ciara, my mother… maybe what Black said all those years ago had some merit. Family doesn't necessarily mean blood."

Theo reached out to touch Draco's arm. "You and Blaise are family, Draco. Always. And no matter what happens, Norfolk is always open to you if you need it."

Draco nodded, his eyes bright. "Hey, it's almost five, you better get going to McGonagall's office if you're going to make that Floo call."

Theo stood up, stretching his arms up over his head. "I'm a little nervous."

"I don't like the ginger squad, but Weaselette has a point, I'll give her that. You should talk to someone about what happened and if she thinks this Namia-whoever can help, it can't hurt."

"Na'eemah."

"Whatever," Draco said, grinning at his friend. "Weaselette introduced you the other day, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but only briefly. I haven't… this will be my first time really talking to her about… _things,_ and tonight was when she was free…"

Draco nodded. "Good luck."

Theo waved goodbye as he headed out. He wasn't sure luck what he needed, but he did know that he needed to talk about a lot of things. Macmillan was only part of that. The problem was that he didn't know where to begin or how it would help, but he trusted Ginny. If their late night talks had proven anything over the years, he knew how much Na'eemah had helped her deal with her first year. He knew how much of that Ginny still carried with her, how much she was afraid to say aloud. He shoved his hands into his robes and headed towards McGonagall's office, wondering exactly how this was going to work and how much help it was really going to be.

But he had promised Ginny that he would try, and that was what mattered.

~ ASC ~

 **Lucius only blinked as the Daily Prophet was shoved in front of his face at the table.** His eyes roamed over the image of the French Aurors standing around a sheet-covered body before his eyes flew to the headline.

 _HALF-MERMAN FOUND TORTURED AND MURDERED OFF THE COAST OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL_

"Someone found my present," Crouch declared, his voice full of excitement.

"Well, his body was bound to wash ashore at some point," Lucius said dryly.

"Read the article, go on!"

Lucius rolled his eyes at the eager man before him, but he flicked the paper open and began to read:

 _A half-merman known as River was found off the coast of the English Channel yesterday afternoon. The Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France have been searching for the known Seer for over a month after the Merpeople came to them with worries when he didn't return to their village. River, whose father was the French Magizoologist, Jean-Pierre Lesperance, was said to have the Sight._

 _He was last seen at the end of January and was missing for weeks on end. After almost a month, the Merpeople approached the French Ministry in hopes of getting help to locate him. After another two weeks of searching, finding his body wasn't what they were hoping for._

 _The body was discovered by local fisherman. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement soon connected the corpse to the missing persons case from the French Ministry. The body of River was brutalized almost beyond recognition, but part of it was recognizable._

 _"_ _We believe the man responsible for the death of the former Head of the Ministry of Magic's Department of International Magical Cooperation, Bartemius Crouch, is also responsible for the death of the Seer," Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt reported to the Prophet. "Bartemius Crouch Jr is dangerous, a strong and loyal supporter of You Know Who, and more than capable of eliciting violent torture."_

 _Bartemius Crouch Jr, 33, is believed to have murdered at least two people after keeping them alive for weeks while he tortured them. Crouch had previously been sentenced to life in Azkaban by his own father in 1981 for his role in the torture of the Longbottom family. Then only 18, he swore his innocence, but his father sent him to Azkaban, claiming he was guilty of more than just that crime. But what other crimes his father believed him guilty of never came to light._

 _The Department of Magical Law Enforcement urges the public to be aware of the dangers this man poses as not only a known Death Eater and supporter of You Know Who, but a known murderer and sadist. If anyone knows of his whereabouts or thinks that they have seen him, please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement immediately._

"I'm famous," Crouch said, smiling brightly. "And a sadist, how lovely."

"Well, they're not wrong," Lucius said dryly, closing the paper. "Bellatrix was bragging that you kept that Seer alive for over two weeks."

Crouch grinned. "I could have kept him alive longer, but he'd lost his use. Besides, the Dark Lord will give me a new plaything soon enough."

"But he didn't give you any information on the Guardian."

"Au contraire," Crouch said gleefully. "I learned quite a lot about the Guardian. That abomination may not have been the Seer we were looking for, but he knew exactly _who_ we were looking for. That's just as important, Lucius. It means that we're on the right track."

Lucius agreed that it made sense, but he didn't find it reassuring. "So what's your next move, Bart?"

Crouch smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Well, dearie, I guess you'll just have to be surprised like the rest of us."

~ ASC ~

 **Tonks stifled a yawn as she looked over at where Percy Weasley and Sturgis Podmore stood guard duty with her that Sunday night.** After the surprise attack with the snake in December, they had decided that having three people on guard was the safest approach, but nothing had happened since then.

"So why are you here tonight and not Bill?" Podmore asked.

Tonks looked over in his general direction. He was hidden under the invisibility cloak that Kingsley had provided the Order guards from the Auror Department. "I told you — Bill wanted to spend the weekend with his girlfriend, so we swapped."

Percy made a light coughing sound. "I think he took her to Paris."

"Wouldn't _she_ have taken him, since she's French?"

"Probably," he admitted as Tonks chuckled.

They had a privacy bubble around them, but it still felt rather eerie to have a conversation with two people that you couldn't see. She stifled a second yawn. They had been standing outside of the entrance to the Department of Mysteries since ten that night. She'd managed a quick nap that afternoon, but now that it was approaching half past three in the morning, she was struggling to stay awake.

It was the second Sunday night shift that Bill had convinced her to trade him with. She didn't mind, not really, as last time she'd managed to kip at her desk for two hours and recharge before she'd powered through her day. The fact that she had an entire day of work before her again seemed daunting, and she wondered if she could con Higgins into bringing her an entire jug of coffee instead of just a cup. Then again, a nap sounded rather glorious if she could get away with it.

"So since Bill and Fleur took another little weekend away for a second Valentine's Day, did you two do anything special on actual Valentine's Day?" she asked, trying to find some form of conversation to keep her awake until she found her second wind.

Podmore snorted. "My wife expected the whole shebang. I brought her roses and took her out somewhere romantic. I even sprang for jewellery. You?"

Tonks scrunched up her nose as she spoke. "We shagged."

She heard Percy blanch and chuckled at the thought that she could picture his reaction clearly despite being unable to see him.

"I can just imagine the look on your face right now, Percy, and I find it absolutely priceless!"

Percy cleared his throat. "I just think that there are some things we don't need to picture, especially when said husband is an ex-professor of mine."

Tonks chuckled. "And how was your Valentine's Day, Percy?"

"Ordinary. Not all of us are married, you know," he stated dryly.

Tonks felt a little guilty at the question. She had forgotten that Penelope Clearwater had broken up with him back in September and she honestly had no idea if there was another woman in his life. "Right, sorry."

Percy sighed. "It's just a day and it was two and a half weeks ago, is it necessary to keep bringing it up?"

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Guess someone didn't get shagged."

Percy glared at her. "No, I didn't get shagged. Look, just because you two are happily married and getting shagged left and right doesn't mean the rest of us need to be doing the same."

Podmore chuckled. "I think we hit a nerve, Lupin. Nothing wrong with being single, Weasley. I love my wife, but sometimes I miss the days of being single."

Percy sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to — I saw Penny today and she's dating a new bloke."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Percy. I know that can be rough."

"I'm over her. I know that. I don't want to be with her anymore. We weren't right for each other. It just… it just reminded me of things. I haven't even attempted to find someone new. In all honesty, I've been sticking close to home. Dad's better, but Mum is still worried. I've been keeping an eye on them and they claim that I'm hovering."

Podmore chuckled. "Parents, right?"

"I just wish that we knew more about this prophecy," Percy said, clearly frustrated. "We know that You Know Who wants it and we know that it's in here so, I don't know why we don't just sneak in and get it? Wouldn't that solve all of our problems?"

"In theory," Tonks said slowly. "But we don't know where it is or how to obtain it. All we know is that the Guardian has control over it."

"The mythical and legendary Guardian that no one knows absolutely anything about?" Percy retorted. "Seems rather sketchy to me."

Podmore spoke after a long moment. "Well, let's go inside then."

"Podmore, we can't just sneak into the Department of Mysteries," Tonks said slowly.

Podmore pulled his invisibility cloak off. "Why not? I work here. Let's go inside and take a look around. It can't hurt anything."

"And the prophecy?" Tonks asked, taking off her own cloak as Percy did the same.

Podmore shrugged. "Weasley's right, let's just _take_ it. If we have it, You Know Who can't get it."

Tonks and Percy exchanged nervous glances as Podmore pulled open the door on his left. Before they could take a moment to contemplate whether it was a good idea or not, Podmore disappeared behind the door.

Percy raised his wand, his eyes on Tonks. "What do you reckon? Should we wait here, or follow him in?"

Tonks let out a slow breath. "Follow him. He has a point. It can't hurt to look around."

Percy nodded and stepped inside after Tonks, closing the door behind them. The second the door closed, all of the torches went out leaving them in an eerie blue light. Percy grabbed Tonks' sleeve as the walls around them began to spin. Tonks could hear his quickened breath at her side and she held her wand out.

"It's just a test."

"Yeah, but now we don't even know what door we came from!"

Tonks gave him a smile reassuring smile. "But Podmore does."

No sooner had the room stopped spinning did the door on their right pop open and Podmore stuck his head out.

"Come on, slowpokes! We haven't got all night!"

Tonks nodded at Percy and the two of them stepped into the door with Podmore, closing it behind them. This room was brightly lit in comparison. The ticking sound of clocks echoed in the quiet as grandfather clocks, tall clocks, small clocks, big clocks, little clocks all surrounded the walls. Hourglasses sat on desks and Tonks watched in fascination as the sand moved slowly and quickly within the glass.

"What is this place?"

Podmore shrugged. "The Time Travel and Space Research Centre. I can't tell you what we do in here."

"Let me guess, you study time travel and space," Tonks retorted.

Podmore only gave her a pointed look. "That's the tip of the iceberg. Unless you are directly involved in the project, no one knows what exactly they are working on. It's completely classified."

"This is where you work?" Percy asked incredulously as he looked around.

Podmore shook his head. "Not in here, no, but I found out where the Hall was the other day when I was delivering something. Stay with me, you two! The Hall of Prophecy is just through here!"

Tonks grabbed Percy's arm when he reached out to touch the hourglass and tugged him through the door behind Podmore. The room they entered next seemed to go on for all of eternity. The eerie blue torches lit up the room again where shelves upon shelves of crystal orbs sat with different coloured smoke billowing through them.

"Blimey!" Percy exclaimed, his hands on his hips. "These are _all_ prophecies?"

Podmore nodded. "Yup. Centuries of them. The Guardian stores them here and well…"

"The Department of Mysteries studies them," Tonks finished. "Podmore, why did you agree to bring us in here? You're the one who told us that if you touch the orb it becomes translucent?"

He nodded. "It's what I thought as well, but I reckon it _might_ be a myth. I heard some of the agents talking the other day about the prophecies and the Guardian… I think the Guardian is someone that is being teased about so that people won't come in here and help themselves. I heard one of the agents talking about it - the Guardian, that is - and it got me thinking. We just need the one prophecy after all… and if we remove it, there's no way that You Know Who will be able to get his hands on it. If the whole Guardian protection thing really _is_ a myth then we can just take it and protect it somewhere else, like maybe Order Headquarters."

"But if it's not?" Percy asked.

Podmore stared at them. "Well, then we won't be able to pick it up, right?"

Tonks had to agree with his assessment. She raised her wand, looking down the long hall. "How are we ever going to find it in here?"

Percy walked over to the shelf, pushing his glasses up his nose as he went. "Easily. See, it's labelled chronologically by year so we just need to find the section from the 1980s."

It wasn't until they reached the row that was numbered seventy-eight that they even hit the twentieth century.

The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop; their footsteps echoed as the blue flames illuminated their path as they moved. With every step forward, Tonks started to feel more and more apprehensive about what they were doing. They were guarding this area for a reason and maybe it wasn't their business to sneak in and try to grab the prophecy. She had just about convinced herself it was time to leave when she heard Percy yell, "Ah-ha!"

She looked up at row ninety-seven as Podmore hurried forward before stopping a few feet down the row and pointing up at the shelf where Percy stood.

"There it is!"

Tonks headed towards the two men and looked where Podmore was pointing, reading the inscription listed beneath the orb:

 _S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. the Dark Lord_

 _and (?) Harry Potter_

It really was here, she thought. All this time, and the prophecy had been sitting here, waiting to be heard. She started to reach for it when a chill ran down her spine. She froze, reaching for her wand.

"What are you waiting for?" Podmore demanded. "Take it, Lupin!"

Tonks hesitated and Podmore reached forward, gripping the orb in his hand.

Except he didn't grip it.

His fingers passed through the crystal orb like it was water.

She was about to make a comment about the Guardian when Podmore screamed, his voice carrying through the hall in an inhumane echo. The hand that had passed through the orb was now starting to blister. Ice spread along his fingers, growing rapidly through his skin as if it had a mind of its own. Icicles sprung up between his knuckles, carved through his flesh like a knife and the tips of his fingers were changing colour. She smacked his wrist away from the orb and the ice stopped moving. His fingers turned reddish purple and Percy stared in horror as Podmore's pinky finger turned black.

"We need to get him to a healer," Percy said quickly.

Tonks nodded. "Send a Patronus to the backup guard and meet me at St Mungo's."

Percy only nodded in compliance as Tonks Disapparated with Podmore. By the time he got in to see a healer less than five minutes later, all of his fingers had turned a purplish black.

"What happened?" the healer demanded.

"He touched something and his hand started to freeze like frostbite. It spread so quickly! I don't know what kind of spell was on it. The icicles sprung right out of his bones!"

The healer nodded, taking Podmore into another room as Tonks let out a slow breath. Percy took her hand and led her to the waiting room, startling her; she hadn't heard him come in.

"New guards are on site. Is he going to be all right?"

"I have no idea," Tonks said honestly. "We never should have let him take us in there!"

"Why did he insist on it in the first place?" Percy asked her. "You were right. He's the one who told us it was impossible to touch it, yet…"

Tonks glanced at the closed door where Podmore was being treated. "I don't know. It was… _something_ was off."

"Do you think someone Imperiused him?"

Tonks' eyes widened at the thought. "I don't know… I want to say no. He was with us for six hours before he even suggested going inside and we know that he wasn't cursed while he was with us. That seems like a long time to wait if he was."

"That's true," Percy said slowly. "I don't think he was cursed. He was just caught up in the excitement of the moment maybe?"

"Maybe…" Tonks said slowly. "But he did say that he overheard something about it in the department… but he didn't say what it was that made him change his mind."

"What was it, do you think? A curse?"

"An ice curse of some kind," Tonks said. "The orb was translucent when he touched it, like a ghost — and you know that ice-cold feeling you get when a ghost walks through you? I think that it was magnified and it's what set off the curse, affecting whatever part of him touched the orb."

"The Guardian placed it on the prophecy?"

Tonks scratched the side of her head. "I honestly have no idea anymore. We need to figure something out. In the meantime, no one is allowed into the Department of Mysteries again. Guarding only."

"Agreed," Percy said. "Look, I'll stay and wait for news on Podmore. Why don't you head back to the Ministry?"

"Why?" she demanded, staring at him. "I can stay."

"I thought that you had to be at the office for seven, and it's already half past six?"

Tonks frowned. Where had the time gone? She shook her as she stood up. "Let me know the minute that you hear anything?"

"Will do," Percy told her.

She left the hospital and made it to the DMLE with only a few minutes to spare. She snuck into the toilet to wash up and try to refresh herself a little, but the worry for Podmore was clear on her face. She'd only just sat at her desk and taken her first sip of coffee when Kingsley crooked his finger at her. She made her way through the bullpen and into his office.

"Close the door," he instructed.

Tonks did as he asked and let out a slow sigh. "Has there been news?"

The parchment, charmed to fly like a bird, flew towards her, wings flapping. The moment she touched it, the parchment opened, revealing the message.

 _Oldershaw family MISPER(S)_

 _Report to 216 Little Crescent._

Tonks' eyes met Kingsley's. "Missing persons case?"

"You know as much as I do."

"But you think it's _him_?"

Kingsley shook his head. "I _think_ that we haven't had any homicides around in years, and suddenly we learn that Crouch Jr is not only alive, but that he tortured and murdered his own father - and then there's nothing again. The French Aurors agree with me that he is most likely behind the murder of the half-Melusine called River. He was skinned alive, Lupin."

Tonks nodded. "I know, Sir."

Kingsley stared at her before he tapped the parchment in her hand. "Dennis Oldershaw, Muggleborn. He married a pureblood witch called Elaine from the Parkinson family ten years ago. She was a distant cousin of Castor Parkinson and was disowned when the family discovered it. They have four magical children, ages seven, five, three, and six months. The distress call came in an hour ago and when the officers arrived, they found the house empty, but with obvious signs of a struggle. They asked for an Auror to be assigned to the case and I want you and Higgins on it. As you know, the longer children go unfound, the less likely it is for us to find them alive."

"Yes, Sir."

"I finished your guard this morning, all was quiet on the mystery front," he told her.

Tonks nodded. "I left Weasley at St Mungo's with Podmore. He's supposed to get back to me with news."

"I look forward to hearing that report once you touch base with Andy. In the meantime, keep your head in the game and grab your partner. I want you at the Oldershaw home no later than oh eight hundred hours."

Tonks glanced up at the clock and saw that she had less than fifteen minutes to find her partner. She sighed. So much for her plan of kipping at her desk. It looked like it was going to be one hell of a long day.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry showed the letter to Ginny at breakfast that morning.** Hagrid had invited them down to his home for lunch. Harry had a feeling that Hagrid may have heard the results of his CRAWLS test. He had no real worries that Hagrid wouldn't have passed it, but he also knew that the man's big heart was open for even the most vicious of monsters, and that could potentially be an issue.

He met Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna in the entrance hall just before lunch and the six of them headed down to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid was beaming at them when they stepped inside.

"Well?" Harry asked, smiling up at him.

Hagrid's grin widened and his eyes twinkled. "Passed!"

Everyone cheered as they hurried forward to hug him in delight. Hagrid wiped tears from his eyes with a large handkerchief as he thanked them for the opportunity.

"You did it yourself, Hagrid," Hermione told him. "We only set the test for you because we knew that you were already qualified."

"And we wanted to show Umbitch there was no way she could sack you, but then we got rid of that mad bint before we could rub your results in her face," Ron said. "Ow!" he exclaimed as Hermione elbowed him in the gut.

"You lot, I couldna have done it withou' ya," he declared.

Ginny smiled up at him. "Don't sell yourself short, Hagrid. You most certainly know your magical creatures."

"How did they test you?" Neville asked, taking a seat at the table as Luna poured them all tea.

Hagrid sat as well, urging them all to sit around his table. "I went teh th' Ministry 'an they tested me right there in th' magical menagerie."

"Oooh," Hermione said brightly. "So you were able to see all sorts of creatures!"

Hagrid nodded. He explained how they moved from creature to creature and had him demonstrate how to care for them, how to greet them and approach safely, and discuss their dietary needs and magical abilities. He'd even been given the opportunity to work with a young dragon that they'd brought in recently from Scafell Pike. She'd been a Hebridean Black and Hagrid got a little teary-eyed as he told them all about her beautiful purple eyes and how they named her Amethyst. When he'd left after the test they promised to owl him his results within the week. He'd heard back the next day.

He pulled the certificate out of his pocket and held it up proudly.

 _Professor Rubeus Hagrid, Magizoologist_

 _Creature Research and Welfare License Standards (CRAWLS)_

 _Certified by Ministry of Magic_

 _Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_

 _February, 1996_

Everyone applauded him and he beamed.

"You should put it in a frame, Hagrid," Hermione suggested. "It would look lovely hanging on your wall somewhere."

Everyone agreed.

"Thank yeh. All of yeh. If it wasn't for yeh lot, I would still probably be in Azkaban! Yeh not only cleared my name, but yeh got me a job I love. Thank yeh."

Harry grinned widely. In his opinion, no one deserved a chance at doing what they loved more than Hagrid. "It was nothing."

Ron nodded. "Definitely. You deserve it."

Luna handed him the teacup she had poured for him. "Now that you're a real Magizoologist, you can teach us about any animal you want. Maybe we can study Jarveys."

"Luna, Jarveys aren't real!" Neville exclaimed, shaking his head at her.

Luna only stared at him. "But they haven't been proven not to be real either."

Harry could see that Neville didn't have a response to that.

Hagrid jumped to his feet and served them cream of broccoli soup with thick slices of beer bread. He filled them in on his plans for his classes now that he was officially certified and when the charm went off signalling the end of lunch, he was still beaming at them.

Harry kissed Ginny goodbye as she and Luna headed towards the forest for their class with Hagrid as he, Ron, Neville, and Hermione headed back towards the castle for International Magical Relations. He was glad that Hagrid had finally gotten the life he deserved.

No one deserved it more.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus came home just after lunch on Monday afternoon, preparing to spend the rest of his day grading papers until his wife came home.** He only had half a day on Mondays, teaching just his seventh years in the morning, and he always enjoyed his slow start to his week. He made himself a cup of tea and opened the first assignment before he found the piano beckoning him. Leaving his work unfinished, he took a seat on the bench and let the music take over. He realized that he'd been playing for almost two hours when the knock on the door interrupted him. He was surprised to see his mother-in-law standing there.

"Hello, Andy."

Andromeda smiled, brushing the freshly fallen snow from her hair. "Hi, Remus. I was hoping to catch you at home."

He stepped back to allow her inside. "Let me take your coat. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"That would be lovely, thanks."

Remus made his way into the kitchen to put the kettle on. It wasn't long before he carried the tea tray into the living room and placed it on the coffee table with some fresh lemon cranberry scones. Andromeda dug her feet into the bright pink rug on the floor.

"This is _so_ my daughter."

Remus chuckled as he served her tea the way she liked it. "It is, yes. I don't mind. I like that she adds the brightness to our home. It makes it feel like she's here even when she's at work."

Andromeda blew on the top of her tea before taking a sip. "I hope that I wasn't disturbing you. I heard you playing when I came up the walk; it was lovely."

"Not at all," he told her, settling himself on the sofa. "I was just fiddling around on the piano, procrastinating about grading papers."

She smiled. "I think it's allowed. Even professors need a break from homework sometimes." She helped herself to one of the scones as she spoke. "I was hoping to catch you alone as I wanted to ask you about Dora."

Remus raised a brow. "Oh?"

Andromeda took a deep breath before she spoke. "I know her job is dangerous and I've come to terms with that. I still worry — every day - but I trust her to be as safe as she can. I heard that after her arrest of Umbridge, she's been tracking down some criminals... that man in the paper who murdered his wife and that robber... the ones believed to be associated with You Know Who."

"That's her job, Andy. She's a dark wizard catcher. They caught him last week and he's been imprisoned."

Andromeda nodded. "I know that. I guess I just want to make sure that she's taking precautions and that you're checking her when she comes and goes, making sure she's not cursed or —"

"— Andy," Remus said kindly. "She's a strong woman. She's smart and resourceful and one incredible Auror. Her partner is great. She has a good team. I worry too, of course I do, but we have to trust her to do her job."

Andromeda nodded. "Edward told me not to come today. He said that I was being too motherly and that you would tell me to sod off because she's a grown woman and married to boot."

"Nah, I understand," he told her. "Just knowing that she comes home to me at the end of the day is all I need."

"She's been good? Her work has been so busy that you've missed the last few Sunday dinners."

"She's good. Been working a lot of overtime on a new case, but good. She headed straight to work this morning after guard duty and I haven't seen her since last night. It's been busy and she's been working six days a week, but I'm doing what I can to make sure she gets the rest she needs."

The front door opened and Tonks stomped inside, snow flying everywhere. She put her boots and coat away and turned in surprise to see her mum.

"Hi, Mum!"

Tonks bent to kiss her cheek and Andromeda scoffed.

"Dora! You're absolutely frozen! Let me put a warming charm on you, love."

Tonks shook her head. "I'm okay, Mum. That's what I have my husband for."

She plopped herself down in Remus's lap and slid her ice cold hands under his jumper and up his back.

"Cold!" he bellowed, putting his arms around her.

Tonks grinned against his chest as she pressed into him. "Mmm, warm."

He pulled the blanket down from the back of the chesterfield and wrapped it around her. "Is this becoming a thing now when you work outside?"

"You're so warm, Rem."

He kissed the top of her head.

Andromeda smiled. "You usually run hot, don't you? I feel like you mentioned that before?"

"I do," Remus said. "My dad did as well. It's handy in the winter, right pain in the arse in the summer."

Andromeda chuckled. "I can imagine. Dora, how was guard duty last night? Did you get any more information on the Guardian?"

Tonks yawned against Remus's chest as she nodded. "A bit, yeah. The Guardian is extremely powerful. Percy and I discovered that he or she obtains the prophecies from all over the United Kingdom - and not only places them inside the orbs for protection, but protects them within the Hall of Prophecy. The Hall has over a million prophecies stored there from over the centuries."

"A million prophecies?" Remus asked in amazement. "How big is the Department of Mysteries?"

Tonks nodded, looking over at her mum. "Big, and us guarding it is smart, as we know You Know Who keeps attempting to get in, but I don't think it's necessary to continue."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "You Know Who wants access to it and you don't think it's necessary? I thought that we agreed that it was an important mission for the Order to take care of, especially after Arthur was attacked."

"No," Tonks said, yawning again. "It _was_ important, but the Guardian has the power there, Mum. Only the Guardian is able to place or remove the prophecy from the hall. Last night, we… we decided to try to remove the prophecy to see what would happen. Podmore snuck inside, as he knows the place the best. Percy and I went with him."

"What happened?" Remus asked, surprised; that seemed impulsive, even for her.

"The Department of Mysteries is more mystery than you can imagine. If Podmore hadn't been leading the charge, we would have gotten lost in there. We ended up in this black room with twelve doors and the whole room spins before you can choose a door. Podmore knew where he was going, though. He took us through the Time Travel and Research Centre Office, the door behind it leads to the Hall of Prophecy. The orb we were looking for is all the way down in row ninety-seven. Thankfully, they are organized chronologically by year."

"So, do you have it?" Remus asked her in amazement.

Tonks shook her head. "Only the Guardian can place or remove it from the hall. If anyone else attempts it, their hands pass through the orb like a ghost."

Remus stared at her. "So you're saying that Voldemort wouldn't be able to pick it up even if he stood in front of it?"

"I don't think so. The only way that he can access the prophecy is if the Guardian gives it to him. Podmore's hand passed right through it and it froze his fingers, like frostbite frozen. Whatever curse is placed there, no one can touch it without direct access from the Guardian. We had to take him to St Mungo's and he lost two fingers to the ice. Part of his hand is scarred from the frostbite. Percy stopped by at the end of the day to update me. Podmore's heading home but… the orb cost him two fingers, Rem."

Andromeda gasped. "From touching it?"

"Yes," Tonks said, yawning so hugely her jaw cracked. "Only the Guardian can access it so us guarding it every night isn't something that we need to continue to do. Unless we can figure out how to break through the curse."

"But _who's_ the Guardian?" Andromeda asked. "Do we have any idea? Does Podmore know?"

"King and I think that's why You Know Who was chasing that Melusine in France. He's looking for the Guardian and all he knows is that they're a Seer," Tonks told them. "I discussed it briefly with King this morning before Higgins and I were pulled away for… for something else."

"Didn't you say that the French Aurors found that Melusine in France?" Remus asked her.

Tonks nodded. "Yes. He's dead. It was in yesterday's paper."

"And it means that You Know Who hasn't found the Guardian yet," Remus said, grinning at his mother-in-law. "That is good news. It means that we can cut the guard back a bit as well, wouldn't you say, Andy? I think Dora is right, it hardly seems necessary given the circumstances."

Andromeda nodded, taking in their words. "I agree with that. I think that we need to do some more serious research on the Guardian. We need to figure out what You Know Who could have learned about them from the Melusine. Has Sirius or Albus talked to Madam Bones?"

"Yes," Remus said. "The Department of Mysteries is a mystery for a reason. The important research they do there has saved countless lives over the years and secrecy is vital to them accomplishing that, but the new department head is on board with helping out in any way that she can. Her name is Miggs, and she is interested in discussing the history of the Hall of the Prophecy, but I don't think that we're going to get much from her. From what Dumbledore said, she wants to help, but she also wants to keep it as much of a mystery as possible. The stuff they do in there is kept a secret for a reason."

"That makes sense," Andromeda said, nodding at Remus. "Is she asleep?"

Remus looked down at where his wife's face was pressed against his heart, her soft breathing making him smile. "Completely."

Andromeda chuckled. "Girl always could be out in a heartbeat. She's been up over twenty-four hours, so I won't keep you. Will you try to come to dinner next Sunday?"

"We'll be there," Remus assured her.

She stood up and said her goodbyes, letting herself out. Remus contemplated what to do with the sleeping woman in his arms before he awkwardly stood up and carried her to their bedroom. He could smell the whiff of a sleeping draught on her breath and wondered on it. He undressed her carefully, stripping her down to just her knickers before he wrapped her up and tucked her in.

He kissed her cheek tenderly before he headed into the kitchen to get dinner started. It wasn't long before he had chicken breasts baking in the oven and the vegetables grilling. He'd just served up two steaming plates when he heard distress sounds coming from their bedroom. He dropped what he was doing and hurried into their room.

Tonks was sobbing in her sleep. She was curled in a ball, tears streaming down her cheeks. He sat on the bed, pulling her into his arms so sharply that she woke and clung to him. Remus cradled her close, his hands gently running up and down her back.

It was almost five minutes before her heart rate returned to normal. Remus kissed the top of her head.

"There now, love, get it all out," he soothed.

Tonks looked up at him, her eyes red from crying and her cheeks puffy, and he bent his head to kiss her softly.

"So beautiful."

She scoffed. "I look like a pufferfish when I cry!"

Remus reached for the duvet and wrapped her up more securely in his arms. "Not at all. I made some dinner, are you hungry?"

Tonks shook her head, letting him press her close. "No. Stay here with me."

He shifted so that he was lying in the bed, holding her tightly wrapped up, her cheek resting over his heart. He ran his hand over her naked back under the blanket. He wasn't sure how long they lay there, but when she spoke he only listened.

"King made me take a sleeping draught before I left. He said that I needed to rest to — to put it behind me."

Remus continued to trail his fingers along her spine.

"There was a missing persons case this morning, a whole family in the South. We went to investigate the scene. The mother and father and the four children hadn't been seen since a distress call came from their home. The officers on scene had searched the house and property and Higgins and I picked up from where they left off. We found them just on the edge of the property four hours later. They'd been tortured and slaughtered… the little children… there was so much blood." The last word came out on a choked sob.

Remus only held her as she cried, her face buried against his chest.

When she finally quieted down, he kissed her forehead. "This is not your fault, Dora."

She opened her mouth and he covered it with his hand

"Sometimes the bad ones get away. It bloody sucks, but you're not to blame. You'll find those responsible and they're going to pay for what they did to those people."

Tonks nodded. She wanted to tell him that they suspected who was responsible and that it was only one person who had hurt them, but she couldn't get the words out. She'd been hunting him for well over a year now and hadn't found any trace of him. If Crouch Jr really was the one behind these killings, he was escalating, and she didn't know _how_ to bring him in. The thought scared her just as much. But there were some things that she just couldn't tell her husband. It was her job and she was sworn to secrecy. But having him hold her at the end of a rough day was exactly what she needed to remember that she was still alive, that she was loved.

"King said that Higgins and I are off until Thursday. He said that we need time." Tonks turned to look up at him. "I can't be here alone for two whole days with my thoughts."

He leaned forward to kiss her softly. "Go visit your mum. She'd love to have you. I'll come home for lunch tomorrow."

Tonks kissed him. "I love you. You're too good to me."

Remus pressed her closer. "I love you too, and that's not possible."

"I have to see the departmental mind healer on Thursday. It's required. If they don't pass me, I can't go back to work."

"Dora, you know that's just a precaution. It's for your own good. Any time there's anything traumatic you have to see one, to get cleared to return to work."

Tears filled her eyes again. "I don't want to go."

Remus covered her face in kisses. "I know, love."

"I feel..."

Remus kissed her again. "Come on. Let's go take a bubble bath."

Tonks nodded and let him pull her to her feet. "That sounds good."

He slid his hands up to cup her breasts, stroking the nipples until they pebbled. "If you're lucky, I'll help you relax in other ways."

A laugh slipped out and she smirked up at him. "Never stop taking care of me."

He framed her face with his hands and kissed her for a long time. "Never." He kissed her one more time. "Go, get the bath ready. I'll put a warming charm on our dinner and get you a glass of wine."

"Oh, Rem, you made dinner and I —"

"—no," he interrupted her. "Doesn't matter. _You matter,_ Nymphadora _._ Go on into the bath. I'll be right there."

Remus watched her head into the bathroom and he sighed. She would be all right. She just needed some time and he knew that King would make sure that she got it.

~ ASC ~

 **When Defence Club came around Wednesday night, Theo was surprised to see Professor Rhiannon standing up at the front with Lupin and McGonagall.** Nyx was at her mistress' feet. Then, standing next to them was a group of four people he didn't recognize; all of them were the most beautiful people he had ever seen in his life. Two were men, one a few years older than himself, one dark and one blond. The other two were women, one with bright blonde hair and the other with hair as black as his own. But it wasn't them that drew his attention - it was the fact that Finn was present, too. He stood at the front in black trousers and a partially unbuttoned white dress shirt, looking sexier then anyone should be allowed to look.

Draco walked into Theo; he'd froze in the doorway at the sight of his prince.

"Move, mate."

"Finn," he said quietly.

Theo moved towards his boyfriend immediately, grinning when Finn pulled him into his arms for a hug.

"What are you doing here?"

"Helping out. I wanted to surprise you," he said.

"I am definitely surprised," Theo told him. "And happy to see you."

Finn kissed his cheek. "Maybe afterwards we can spend a little time together before I head out?"

"Absolutely," Theo said as Draco and Blaise came to stand on either side of him. He let go of Finn, except for the hand he twined his fingers through, and grinned at his friends. "Finn, this is Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. Guys, this is Finn."

Draco held his hand out to the fae and Theo could see that his face was carefully guarded as he spoke. "So you're the mystery bloke that's been stealing Theo every Saturday?"

"Guilty," Finn said with a bright smile. "I'd steal him every day if he didn't have class and I didn't have to guard the realm."

Blaise shook his hand next. "So you know, we worship you for what you did to that asshat Macmillan, but if you hurt Theo for even half a second, we'll kill you, transfigure your body into manure, and spread you in the garden."

Finn chuckled as Theo smacked Blaise in the arm.

"Blaise!"

Blaise shrugged. "What?"

Finn smiled at them. "I like your friends, Theo."

"I used to as well," Theo muttered, giving Draco and Blaise angry looks.

Finn squeezed Theo's hand. "Go on, I think Rhiannon wants to get started. We'll talk after."

Theo stood on his toes to steal a quick kiss before he let Draco and Blaise tug him away. He turned to glare at his friends. "Kill him and transfigure him into manure? _Really_?"

Blaise shrugged again. "You can't say we don't care, Theo."

Draco snorted. "And if he treats you like you shit, we'll turn him into shit — seems like a fair price to me."

Theo rolled his eyes at them as they grinned amongst themselves and Professor Lupin called them to attention.

"Welcome. If you remember, I told you that our next class would be a little different than usual. Professor Rhiannon has come to offer her assistance in teaching you a new concept to defence. I would like to cede the floor to her."

Rhiannon moved in front of Remus to speak. "I am Professor Rhiannon and as some of you know, I teach Wandless Magic. Before I agreed to come to Hogwarts and teach, my job was Assistant to the Mage Brigit of King Talisen's Royal Court of Tara. Part of that job was to help oversee the defence of the realm. Before you today, are five of our best warriors from the Royal Guard who will be here to demonstrate and to teach. I would like to introduce Egan Kerry, Kellan Cork, Fladh Tipperary, Laoise Munster, and Prince Finley Alexander, who is the Commander of the Royal Guard."

Each one of them stepped forward and gave a little bow when introduced.

"As fae, we have magic of our own. Some of this is channelled through wands or staffs, but often we do magic wandless. One of the ways we work with defence is by using tools ancient to us and even used by Muggles. We fight with broadswords and bows and arrows just as much as with our magic," Rhiannon explained.

McGonagall gestured for the students to stand back against the walls. "The Royal Guard would like to start off with a demonstration."

The next few moments were some of the most impressive fighting that Theo had ever seen. The Fae moved like lightning.

Finn was incredible. The broadsword was almost as long as his legs and looked to be about eight centimetres wide. He moved it as if it were part of him. Theo couldn't help but lick his lips as he watched the rippling muscles in his boyfriend's arms when he swung the sword. But it wasn't just the way the sword made him look that was impressive.

Egan and Kellan were shooting arrows at him with speed and accuracy. Bursts of magical energy came from each arrow and Finn deflected them with a swing of the sword as if he was swatting a fly. Arrows vanished around him and then, just as quickly, Laoise's sword met his with a loud clang. Blue magical energy seemed to glow from his fingers as he shot her back, never missing a beat as their swords danced. The two of them continued to deflect arrows as they fought and when Fladh broke between them, two small short swords in her hands, neither flinched.

It was like watching a dance, but if you blinked, you missed something. It was the most incredible sight he had ever seen. When Rhiannon called the demonstration to a close, the five of them stood back, bowing to the class again. Theo could hear his fellow students whispering amongst each other and he knew that everyone was just as impressed as he was.

"As you can see, we use the weapons as our wands just as strongly as you would use your wand," Rhiannon explained. "The point of the wand is to channel your magic, to help give you better aim and better control over what you are doing. But the magic isn't in your wand, it is in you. The wand chooses the witch or wizard, this is true, but the wand is still only an instrument. In the end, you are the conductor. The swords and bows are our instruments, and we conduct them with the same power that you conduct your wands. Each weapon is unique to us much in the way your wand is unique to you. Therefore, we still have the ability to perform magic with someone else's sword or bow, but like your wand, we do our best work with our own weapons."

Everyone was staring at her as she continued.

"Finn has brought practice swords and bows from the training room forward for you today. As practice items, they are not an instrument designed towards a specific person, but designed to work for all as a training tool. However, you will find that one of them is more comfortable to you than the others. If you are interested in swinging a sword, I'd like you to line up on my left, and if you are interested in archery, line up on my right."

Theo immediately moved to the left with Draco and Blaise and he wasn't surprised to see Harry and Ron move over with him. He noted that Hermione had gone to the archery section and the class was soon almost divided equally.

He smiled up at his boyfriend as he listened to him instruct how to control the sword, how to dance with it, and how to use it with your magic. Theo moved over to the swords to choose one, surprised to find them heavier than he anticipated. Finn's hand landed on top of his.

"Not that one."

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You have to choose the sword based on what feels right in your hand. It needs to have the right feel, the right length, the right weight… it should feel like part of your hand, an extension of your arm," he explained, picking up one with a silver handle on the end and passing it to Theo. "Like this."

Theo jolted when he touched the sword. It immediately felt different in his hand. He could feel the power of it. Just like when he purchased his first wand, he could see it in his hand, see himself swinging it…

"You can feel how it pulls on your magic; feel the connection to it as if it were your wand. Do you feel it?"

At everyone's nod, Finn continued.

"The sword is your shield. You will wield it as such. Now, let's try to shoot some basic spells at Theo here and we'll see how well he wields the sword."

Theo stared at Finn, his eyes wide. "But you didn't show me…"

Finn smiled at him. "You'll see."

Draco volunteered, pulling out his wand and sending a stunning hex at Theo before he could blink. The sword moved as his wand would have and he found himself yelling, 'Protego,' surprising himself when he erected a shield around him. The stunning spell bounced off the sword as if it was a magical shield protecting him. He stared in amazement as Draco dodged his own stunner.

Finn smirked at them. "You know how to protect yourselves; this is merely another tool. Everyone grab a sword that feels comfortable. We'll go over some basic dance moves."

Finn's hand brushed his arm as he walked past and Theo discreetly checked out his boyfriend's bum. So far, this whole defence with the sword thing was pretty great.

By the time the session ended, Theo was desperate to get his hands on him. Watching Finn instruct others was so much sexier than he had anticipated. He wanted nothing more than to get his hands on his boyfriend as soon as possible.

As everyone filed out of the duelling room, Theo linked his finger's with Finn's. Finn said goodbye to his friends and let Theo tug him out into the corridor before he bent his head and kissed him deeply.

"You were great in there," Theo told him. "A natural born teacher."

Finn smiled. "It was fun. But now I want to be with you."

Theo led him down the corridor, around to a long alcove that led into a tunnel and out to the Black Lake. He pushed Finn against the stone, standing on his toes to kiss him and Finn's hands gripped his waist tightly as they snogged. Lips met over and over as Theo trailed his hands down Finn's chest until they finally pulled away to grin at each other, both breathless.

"I've missed you," Finn told him, resting his forehead against his. "I hate only seeing you on Saturdays."

"Me too," Theo admitted. "But I love writing to you and telling you about my day."

Finn stroked a finger down Theo's cheek. "I love that too. It was so hard to keep this a secret, but I wanted to surprise you."

"You definitely did," Theo told him. "How long can you stay?"

Finn kissed him again, lingering for a moment. "I have to be back at my post by midnight."

Theo slid his hands up his boyfriend's chest, linking them around his neck. "Good, that gives us a little less than three hours."

Finn groaned when Theo's lips found his neck. "Let's go somewhere more private."

Theo took his hand and led him around the corner to the entrance to the Slytherin common room and pulled him inside. Finn followed him down the stairs to his dorm room, smiling as Theo led him around to his bed. "Is this private enough for you?"

Finn pushed Theo onto his bed, climbing on top of him to kiss him. Theo used his wand to close his bed curtains and murmured a silencing charm between kisses. He loved the feel of Finn's body on top of his, the feel of his muscles, the weight of him pressing down as Theo tugged him closer. They kissed again and again. Mouths and tongues meeting, lips trailing over skin until they were both shirtless.

By the time Finn gave him the final kiss goodnight, Theo was missing him already. He walked him to the front entrance of the school, kissing him goodnight and telling him he was looking forward to seeing him on Saturday.

Finn kissed him again. "We'll go back to my place in New Zealand," he told him. He kissed Theo's ear and smiled. "And we'll pick up where we left off."

Theo blushed as he watched Finn hurry down out the front doors and he placed a hand over his trembling stomach. He couldn't wait to get his hands all over him again at the next opportunity. Theo couldn't remember the last time he had spent over three hours doing nothing but snogging, and it had been absolutely wonderful.

He whistled as he made his way back down to Slytherin, eyes peeled for Filch or Mrs Norris. Even they couldn't stop him from smiling right now.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry thought the Defence Club session was definitely more interesting than usual.** The fae taught them how to swing the sword, using your body weight as a balancing act. The sword felt familiar, but it also felt strange to hold. He had thought it would be easiest to wield since he'd used one before both against the Basilisk and against the Horcruxes. But it was different this way.

He was taking instruction from Egan and he found the movements were precise, sharp and hard. Egan stressed that as much as the sword was being used as a conduit to his magic, it was still a sword. With every thrust and swing, Harry then had the ability to maim or kill someone. That was a little more daunting. But by the first hour, the blade felt familiar in his hand and truly like a part of him the way his wand usually did.

Egan had him use it as a shield, stopping spells and fighting close encounters. Once the hour was up, they moved towards the archers and used the sword against them.

That was something he hadn't expected. He was paired with Hermione, who as it turned out, could shoot arrows quite well. She pierced through his shield twice and swapped between her bow and her wand seamlessly. One of the sixth years attempted to intervene and Hermione took them out in moments, making him beam at her.

It was definitely an interesting class.

Rhiannon dismissed them and Remus announced that they would be adding a portion of sword and archery to their Defence Club for those interested in learning more. Rhiannon would be offering her teaching of both sword and archery at the beginning of each meeting to go over practiced moves and manoeuvres, and the duelling room would be available to any student who wanted to practice.

Harry made his way over to Remus as everyone filed out. "That was interesting."

Remus smiled at him. "I thought it would be a nice change. It allows you to be more versatile if the occasion were to call for it. Any extra help is always a good thing."

Harry nodded. "Are you going to teach the other group as well?"

"No. I think just your group for now. A group of fae from the royal guard are teaching the Terra Troops similar fighting techniques. The wolves especially have found it helpful."

Hermione, upon hearing his words, frowned. "I read that the wolves and the fae are mortal enemies?"

Remus chuckled. "That might be too harsh of a phrase, but there has been a history of animosity. We are working to overcome it as much as we can. It's not perfect, but with the defence unit and the Ministry sanctioned changes, everyone is slowly learning to accept change."

"I'm glad that you're showing us different ways to defend ourselves, Professor. I never thought that I would find something like archery fun."

"Turns out she's brilliant at it," Ron said, making Hermione blush.

Remus smiled at them. "You all did great today. Ron, I think moving you into the Advanced class was a good decision, did you feel all right?"

"Great," he said. "I think I liked using a sword."

Harry grinned at his friend before turning back to his father. "Have you talked to Uncle Sirius lately?"

Remus' brow furrowed. "Not in a few days, something amiss?"

Harry shook his head, grinning slightly. He had wondered if Sirius had told Remus about his proposing to Zee, but obviously he hadn't. "Er, no… just wondered as he was supposed to go to Barbados with Zee, but he said something came up."

"Nothing to be concerned with," Remus assured him. "And they rescheduled. The two of them are taking a portkey out this Friday, only two weeks later than planned."

"Right," Harry said.

Remus only stared at him. "Anything else I need to be worried about?"

"Not at all," Harry told him.

Remus nodded. "All right. You three head back to Gryffindor. The duelling room will be open if you want to do any practicing before the next meeting."

Hermione linked her arm with Harry's as they left the duelling room. "What are you keeping from Professor Lupin?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly, making her roll her eyes. "Nothing, really. Just something Uncle Sirius told me to keep a secret, but I thought that he might have told Uncle Rem by now."

"A good secret?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded. "The best." He dropped his voice lower, glancing around them. "He told me I could only tell Ginny, but I know you two won't tell anyone. The weekend after Valentine's Day, when he came to get me, we picked out an engagement ring for Zee."

Hermione's eyes widened in delight. "Really?"

Harry grinned at them. "Really. He was supposed to get it some time last week, but he must not have because he hasn't said anything. He said that he's waiting until Easter weekend as he wants me home with him when he asks. You can't say anything!"

"No worries, mate. Mum's the word," Ron told him.

Harry nodded, feeling a bubble of excitement in the pit of his stomach again. Mrs Copper had told them the ring would be ready within the week, but Sirius hadn't said anything. He wondered what was taking so long as he couldn't wait for Sirius to pick it up. It would feel more real once his father had the ring. It was still five weeks until Easter, but he couldn't wait.

He knew that Zee's reaction would be priceless.

And then, when she said yes… it wouldn't only be Sirius who would be smiling.

~ ASC ~

 **When Sirius arrived at the little jewellery store that Friday afternoon, the ring waiting for him was even more breathtaking than he had imagined.** He had been getting a bit worried when he hadn't heard back from Mrs Copper after the first week, but she'd sent word that she needed a bit more time to find the perfect diamond and would have it for him soon. When he'd received the owl from her that morning, he was beaming in excitement at the prospect of going to pick it up, and he was dying to see the ring.

Sirius listened to Mrs Copper explain the ring and how she made it. The ring was 14K white gold with a three carat round cut halo cathedral star diamond set into the engagement ring; diamonds outlined in a strip along both sides. He listened to her explain how she could engrave the entire inside of the ring or the bottom part if he wished, and that she only needed to know what he would like to say.

He had put a lot of thought into it. He had considered what he wanted to say. He knew that he was supposed to put something mushy and heartfelt, but that just wasn't him. _It wasn't them_. The ring was gorgeous and he needed the words to be just as much _them_ as the ring was for _her_. In the end, he had decided to go with humorous. He chose the Helvetica typeset that Mrs Copper showed him and gave her the message.

She merely raised her eyebrow in amusement but set her wand to the task.

Ten minutes later, the ring was done and worth every Galleon in his opinion - all 3,061 Galleons, 10 Sickles and 5 Knuts worth. He examined the ring again where it lay in the blue velvet box, eyes wide before he tucked it into his pocket and Disapparated to Hogsmeade where he used Aberforth's fire to Floo directly into McGonagall's office. She only raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned and asked to see Harry.

It took another ten minutes for Harry to make his way to McGonagall's office, where Sirius carefully opened the ring box and watched his son's eyes widen.

"Wow!"

"It's perfect, right?"

Harry nodded, carefully extracting the ring to examine it. "It is. She's going to love it." His eyebrow rose as he read the words carved inside of the ring. "You really put, _'I'm in it for the shagging & I love you ~ S',_ inside your engagement ring?"

Sirius' grin widened. "I did. It's perfect for us."

Harry placed the ring back into the box and handed it back to his godfather. "Have you figured out how you're going to ask her yet?"

Sirius simply wiggled his eyebrows. "Don't you worry. I have it all planned. Well, sort of. A month from now, you'll be home, and we'll ask her, okay?"

Harry nodded, grinning widely. "Okay."

Sirius tugged Harry close for a hug. "I love you. We're a team, remember? I can't very well ask the woman I love to marry me without our son there to cheer us on, can I?"

Harry smiled at him. "She's going to say yes."

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead. "Yeah, I think she is. You'll be my best man?"

Harry's grin widened. "Absolutely."

Sirius grinned at him. "Jamie would be so proud of you, Harry. I know I am. Go on, get back to snogging Ginny."

"I was in class," Harry told him.

Sirius smirked. "Where you were probably daydreaming about snogging Ginny." At Harry's look, he grinned. "Zee and I will be in Barbados until Sunday night, but if you need us, we'll have the mirror."

"Have a good time," Harry told him.

"Get. I'll see you in a few weeks."

Harry grinned back at him. "Hide that in your closet vault, not your dresser drawer."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at him. "I do know how to do this on my own, you know."

But as he watched Harry leave, he thought that his son had a point. The closet vault was a much safer choice and not the dresser drawer that he had been contemplating putting the ring into where Zee might accidentally stumble upon it.

But Harry didn't need to know that he had been right.

~ ASC ~

 **Zee returned home a little late that night.** She had sent word to Sirius that she would be running late, but she was pleased with the results of her excursion. They would be leaving by portkey in two hours to head to Barbados for their romantic weekend away, and she was looking forward to it. She had been disappointed to have to postpone it and thought they both really needed this little holiday away.

Not only had it been too long since she and Sirius had spent a weekend doing nothing, but it had been too long since they'd done nothing _but_ each other. She'd ducked out of work early and spent the afternoon buying a new bikini and then she'd gone to get her tattoo done. She couldn't wait to show him.

Zee found him napping on the sofa and she smiled at the sight of him, bending to kiss his forehead. Her curls tickled his face, a small smile on his lips. Not wanting to disturb him, she hurried upstairs to pack the rest of her bag. She changed into a short halter dress over her new bikini and was admiring her calf in the mirror when he came in.

His eyes met hers in the mirror and the look in them sent desire raking through her.

"When did you get home?"

"Maybe fifteen minutes ago? You looked so peaceful having your nap."

"I was resting my eyes," he said, making her grin.

"Right."

Sirius moved towards her, his eyes trailing down her body. "You look fucking gorgeous." His gaze stopped on her leg, a brow rising. "You got a new tat?"

Zee held onto his arm as he picked up her leg to examine the new tattoo. She had gotten Lady Godiva. She'd done her panther's sleek form in a dark black outline but other than her golden eyes, she'd coloured the panther in with flowered camouflage. Purple perennials and pink tulips, red roses and blue lilacs that brightened her leg and covered every inch of the ugly burn scar to the back of her knee. Deep green vines and leaves surrounded the outline of the panther, framing the words written down either side of the panther in cursive: _I Am Woman_ and on the other side it continued with: _Hear Me Roar._

"Fuck, that's sexy," Sirius murmured, his fingertips tracing the words.

"Yeah?" Zee said. "I didn't want to look at my burn anymore so I wanted to cover it with something beautiful."

"And the Reddy lyrics?"

She grinned. "Points to you."

Sirius let go of her leg and bent his head to kiss her. "I love it. But you were sexy with the scar too."

Zee slipped her arms around his neck. "And that, Mr Black, is one of the many reasons why I love you."

Sirius slid his hands up her back into her hair. "Let's go shag on the beach."

She laughed as he let her go and picked up their bags. "Sounds perfect."

As he walked out the door, she couldn't help but think that she had never loved anyone more than the man before her. She didn't know what the future held for her, but she did know that her future was nothing without Sirius Black and Harry Potter.

* * *

 _End Author's Note:_

 _The ring was 3,061 Galleons, 10 Sickles, and 5 Knuts = £15, 246 and 75 pence. As to Zee's tattoo, I wanted words to reflect her the lyrics to "I Am Woman" to me just scream Zee._

 _Thank you and please review!_


	214. Chapter 214

_Author's Note:_

 _Reviews: Pegg7: Tonks won't be catching Crouch anytime soon. He still has a role to play. I'm glad you enjoyed Blaise's threat to Finn, his friends have to stand up for Theo. To TheOneWithWritersBlock: a) your name speaks to me and b) after Easter all hell can break loose, check! To Steelcode: I wanted Zee's tattoo to be her and beautiful and what better way to explain that than through the lyrics to I Am Woman? To Pottermum: Thank you! I love writing Theo and Finn so much! To phoenixmaiden13 (Lady Phoenix): That is a lot of reading! I'm excited for you all to get to the proposal as well, and no, it's not in this chapter ;)_

 _To alix33: Tonks had taken a sleeping draught, which was also why she didn't wake up when Remus undressed her. To Sayumii: Don't we all wish we just found a Finn lying around? That's exactly what I wanted with Zee's tattoo, I wanted to make something ugly beautiful. To supersandman86: I always liked the idea that anyone who is a true Gryffindor can wield the sword, which is why Harry could use it and why Ron and Neville were able to. As to the 1950s blue police box, I'm not a Doctor Who fan so I never thought of it lol. To Wolf's scream: Agreed, Crouch Jr does not have a single redeeming quality in my book. To Lillyrw2: Thank you! I enjoyed writing Ginny as an empath in the Beginning Series, but she's not going to be in this story. To NotchHero11: Thank you! You created an account just to leave me a review? I'm so honoured! I'm so glad I inspired you and go out and write what your heart desires. To chthonian: No, I don't plan on Zee becoming an Animagus. She's good where she is and she loves working with animals, she doesn't need to turn into one_

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _Thank you to Dusk for her patience and awesome editing skills! This chapter is for you!_

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN:**

 **Ron knew it was a dream.**

He could feel the dream-like quality of the environment around him, but he also knew that he was hard as a rock and that part _wasn't_ a dream.

She was standing before him in the duelling room with her bushy brown curls tumbling halfway down her back, the arrow holster over her right shoulder, a bow in her hands. Her wand holster was high on her thigh and she wore nothing else.

"It's about aim, Ron," she instructed, aiming the bow towards the bull's eye, her lovely round breasts bouncing as she did.

Ron moved behind her, that plump bum looked so delightful. "Show me," he urged, taking a handful. His hand was large and spanned most of her arse, the tip of his index finger teasing between her legs.

She wiggled back into his arms and he groaned.

"Pay attention, Ronald," her voice cut through in that lovely annoyed tone that told him she was tired of explaining the same thing; he nodded.

"I'll pay attention," he muttered. He grabbed the bow from her before dropping it to the ground, picking her up, and wrapping her legs around his waist.

Her brown eyes twinkled at him as he carried her to the wall and pinned her back against it. Then he bent his head and covered that sweet mouth with his. She groaned, her hands sliding up his back, her ample bosom pressing against his chest. He stroked her bum, kneading and squeezing as his finger teased her and then slipped into her. She moaned against his neck, her feet digging into his waist.

"Oh, yes, Ron," she moaned. "Yes…"

He added a second finger and then a third as she cried out, her dark eyes hooded in pleasure as he pumped her. Then he pulled his fingers out, unwrapped her legs from his waist, and spun her around. Her breasts squished against the wall as he gripped that warm, supple arse in his hand and he used his other to unzip his trousers. He slid into her in one deep thrust and she cried out.

"Yes, Ron, yes! Yes! Yes! Ooh…"

He took a breast with one hand and reached around her to rub her clit with the other as he thrusted, holding her against the wall. She whimpered in pleasure and begged for more and he kept thrusting into that sweet spot, watching in amazement as his cock disappeared into her and slid back out.

"Harder, Ron, harder…YES! You're so big… YES!"

Ron grabbed a fistful of that bushy hair, pulling just enough to tug her head back so he could kiss her throat - and then he woke, with his hand wrapped around his cock. It was exploding rather spectacularly over his chest, chin, and headboard. He continued to pump out every drop as he caught his breath.

"Fuck," he murmured as the image from his dream still lingered.

It had been a month since he'd kissed her the second time. Another whole month where they both pretended it hadn't happened. But Merlin, did he want it to happen again. The sight of her in Defence Club shooting those arrows had turned him on so badly he'd had to wank in the loo before he could head back to the common room with his friends. The way her fingers had slid along that arrow, the way she stroked the bow's strings… he'd about busted in the middle of the duelling room imagining those fingers on his cock.

And the dreams had been getting a little more intense as of late.

He'd just finished cleaning himself up when he jumped at the sound of his friend's voice.

"Oi!" Seamus yelled, jerking him out of his dreamy post-orgasmic stupor. "Get your hand off your cock and out of bed, Weasley, or you'll miss breakfast."

Ron blanched as he realized that he'd forgotten to use a silencing charm and hoped he hadn't done more than make a few groans. "Fuck you, Seamus!"

Seamus grinned at him when he poked his head out of his bed curtains. "You wish. Seriously though, it's almost eight."

Ron nodded, grateful for the wakeup call. As he made his way into the bathroom to wash up, he wondered if the warm weather would mean Hermione would opt to leave her robes open when not in class. When her robes were open, he could watch the sway of that arse a little more easily; it meant he could see more of those thighs when she sat down. By the time he stepped under the hot spray of the shower, he had his hand wrapped around his cock again.

He swore she was going to be the death of him and she didn't even know it.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny opened the box with great hesitation.** The sight of the large gift coming towards her had surprised her, but when she recognized her brother's writing on the side, she had immediately frozen. After living her whole life with those two, she knew better than to dive into a wrapped box without being as cautious as possible.

And since Ron's birthday had been last week and his present had quite literally singed off his eyebrows, she thought proceeding with caution was a good start.

Colin craned his neck over. "Ooh, I love presents."

"It's from Fred and George."

Colin immediately moved away and she laughed.

"I don't think that it will blow up in my face, but it's probably wise to err on the side of caution," she warned as she carefully unwrapped the bow and slid the envelope off. She slipped the letter out, unfolding it to read.

 _Ginny,_

 _We just wanted to check in with our favourite sister. The shop looks great! Fred and I painted all of the walls neon orange! Just kidding! It actually looks great. We decided to go with a bright blue and we've already started filling the shelves with our products. Sirius came by the other day to check it out and he was really impressed with our progress. Dad came by as well with Percy. Mum is still a bit sore at us for leaving Hogwarts, but Dad assures us that she's just worried - you know, how we're throwing away our futures, and how we'll be desolate and living on the streets - but after seeing the shop, I think Dad will change her mind. He told us that he was so proud of us and that he supports how we're following our dream. It was nice. We had a moment._

 _Gamma and Papa even stopped by to see the place. We were originally hoping to be ready for business by Easter, but I think that we're pushing it back to the first weekend after school ends. It will give us the extra time we need to stock up and to make sure that we're as prepared as we can be. Not to mention the large orders we have for the Ministry of Magic. Sirius convinced them to let us make Shield Cloaks and Shield Hats for them and we've been busy getting the orders ready._

 _How's Hogwarts been without Umbitch? Lee mentioned that Peeves made her life quite fun those last few days, I'm almost sad that I missed it. He also said something about you being there for the final showdown, which you have yet to fill us in on! What happened? Fred says that he can only imagine how Weasley-worthy it was of a prank (apparently we're using ourselves as the standard now)._

 _Anyway, this box just contains a mix of some of our new stuff that we'd like you to distribute to whomever you think it will benefit. We could use the publicity and it will help us gauge some of the reactions if you could let us know._

 _Write soon and_ _fill us in_ _! What happened?_

 _Love,_

 _George & Fred_

 _PS - there's a red box tied with a gold ribbon in the parcel, can you give it to Angelina? Thanks._

Ginny frowned at the last part, looking at the box curiously.

"Well?" Colin prompted noticing her look up from the letter. "Is it safe?"

"It's safe," Ginny told him with a laugh.

She dug into the box, sorting through the many different joke shop items before she found the long, rectangular red box. She put in the pocket of her cloak to give to Angelina later at practice. She was curious as to what her brother had put aside for their friend.

Ginny and Colin went through the assortment of WWW products in interest, passing them out to people among the Gryffindor table as they went before Colin took off to the Herald. Harry was doing extra Quidditch practice with Ron on the pitch, so she grabbed her bag and decided to go find Theo.

She found him sitting at the back of the library, his books strewn open around him as he made notes. She slid into the chair next to him and Theo grinned.

"Hi, chick."

"Hi, I've missed you. How's life?"

Theo smiled brightly, propping his face on his hands. "Life is great!"

"How's Finn? He's been helping out in the Advanced Years Defence Club the last few weeks, hasn't he?"

"Yes, and it was a wonderful surprise that first night! Finn is... incredible and so sexy and so sweet and I want my hands on my him every second of every day — which I know is completely unreasonable."

She chuckled. "Not really. I feel pretty similar about Harry's hands."

"Hinny does need to be touching, it makes sense."

"Will you stop with the Hinny stuff?" she exclaimed in amusement. "You talk about us like we're connected at the hip."

Theo shook his head. "Never!"

"I'll have to come up with a couple name for you and Finn then. Feo?"

"I will choose to ignore that," he said with a chuckle. "I really like him, Ginny. He's kind and so interesting. He tells me all about his family and friends. He's the commander for the royal guard, the youngest one in their history. Before him, the youngest was twenty-one! He's brave, and Merlin… so gorgeous! And he's just so sweet to me! He's been taking me to his place in New Zealand every Saturday since the one after Valentine's Day. We just Apparate there — he has that kind of power! Fae can apparently Apparate halfway around the world in just a blink like house elves can! And when he kisses me... I just lose myself."

"I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks." He let out a slow sigh. "I spoke to Na'eemah again on Sunday."

Ginny's eyes widened. She had introduced Theo to the mind healer three days after Umbridge had left the school, but she hadn't wanted to pry to see if he was communicating with her or not. She knew from experience that sometimes after the push, one needed time to come to terms with it on their own. "Oh good! How was it?"

He shrugged. "You were right, she has a way about her. I kind of convinced myself that I wasn't going to say much and the next thing I knew I was telling her about my fucked up childhood and my fear of my father. I felt better when I left her. We've met four times over the Floo. Professor McGonagall has been letting me use her office every week."

"Good! That's a start. I just don't want you to blame yourself for Ernie, Theo. Yes, you should have come forward and told someone, but I understand why you didn't. Fear sometimes drives us to make the wrong choices. But you let him hurt you, and that scared me."

"I think Finn is worried about that as well."

"Worried how? Ernie can't hurt you anymore, he's in prison."

Theo shrugged and Ginny thought maybe he wasn't going to answer her. She watched him pick at the corner of one of the library books for a long moment before he spoke.

"We… he goes down on me... a lot. It's amazing and Merlin, when his mouth is wrapped around my… er, but — he won't let me do him. He kept saying that it was because the day was for me. But even the first night after he surprised me by showing up in Defence Club, we went back to my room and we spent three delicious hours snogging. I wanted to go further, but he seemed... I don't know… hesitant… to let me. Every time we've gone to his place, he only pleasures me and doesn't let me reciprocate and when I try… he always stops me, says it's about me and my pleasure."

"Theo," Ginny said softly. "You don't have to rush it. You were pressured into sex early by your father. With Finn it's not necessary to move fast again. You can take your time and get to know one another before you jump all the way in."

"I know," he said. "I just… I don't want him to think that…"

"Theo, if he really likes you, he won't pressure you."

He smiled at her. "You make it sound so easy."

"It is," she said. "Just enjoy the moment. When you're ready you'll know, and you can tell him."

Theo sighed. "I guess. I guess maybe I'm overthinking it. Like maybe he doesn't want me to because of what... happened with Ernie."

Ginny took his hand in hers, squeezing tightly. "Considering that he rescued you from that bloody, pompous arse, I doubt that. Take things slow, Theo. I know you feel like you already know him so well because you write letters and have written letters for four months, but technically you've only been together for a little over one month."

"Two months in two weeks."

"Theo…"

"I know," he said, squeezing her hand back. "But I feel like it's not new. We tell each other everything. There's nothing about me that he doesn't know, Ginny. Nothing. I _really_ , _really_ like him."

Ginny leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Good, but do you know everything about him?"

"I think so, yeah," he said honestly. "Like I said, we tell each other everything. His letters are full of everything. He told me all about his childhood and his sisters, he has six older sisters and two older brothers. Niamh is the second youngest, but still thirteen years older than him - that's Ciara's mum - and he told me how she fell in love with a wizard and how his father was worried about what it would mean for her, but how she was so happy that they couldn't deny her. He's been training how to fight since he was eight as he was groomed to be in the royal guard. He could be king one day, but he's so far down in the line of succession since he's the youngest and his eldest sister, Roisin will rule when their father steps down. Finn's happy about that as he says the idea of ruling a kingdom is a big headache. He'd rather just be part of the team that protects it. He has nine nephews, but Ciara is his only niece and his favourite. He was always close to Niamh and he says that Ciara is like a little sister to him. A lot of his nephews are the same age as him so he considers them more friends than nephews."

"It's sweet that he looks out for her," Ginny told him. "I love that my brothers do that for me, even though sometimes it can also be quite annoying."

Theo nodded. "It is. He loves her a lot. He told her that we were dating and she was so excited. She asks me every day about Finn and tells me that I make him really happy, which makes me really happy and Merlin… I've turned into a sap and it's only March!"

Ginny chuckled. "He makes you happy. You make each other happy and that's a good thing, Theo. Are you nervous about having him come stay with you over the Easter holiday?"

"No," he said. "I thought I would be. I was nervous when I told him about the concert but… I'm not. I asked him to spend the weekend at Norfolk with me and he said that he would."

"Maybe that will be your moment," Ginny told him.

Theo grinned. "Maybe. I'm just excited to spend more than one afternoon a week with him. Having him teach swordplay at Defence Club means I see him twice a week, but he can't always stick around after the meeting and we never get more than a quick snog."

"Maybe Harry and I can double date with the two of you one weekend?"

Theo raised an eyebrow. "You two are not old enough to go to Hogsmeade any weekend you choose."

Ginny smirked. "Doesn't mean we can't be there."

Theo grinned at her. "I'd like that."

"There's this Italian restaurant that Harry and I go to. His parents went there, and the food is delicious. We can sit in a large booth and I can see how the two of you interact."

"You just want to meet him."

"Well, you've been keeping him away from me."

He smirked. "I don't want him to be enchanted by your beauty."

Ginny chuckled. "I think we can both say with absolute certainty that I not only have the wrong equipment for him, but that he's completely besotted with you. My ten minute visit with the two of you on Valentine's Day wasn't long enough."

"Yeah," he said, smiling brightly. "I do want you to meet him, for real, I mean, I know you met him! A double date would be great. Did I tell you what Draco and Blaise said to him?"

"No. When did they meet him?"

"When he came to Defence Club," Theo said, quickly telling her about the exchange.

Ginny laughed. "I'm glad they're looking out for you."

Theo scoffed. "Looking out for me, great — but still!"

"Good," she said, kissing his cheek again. "It's good that they're looking out for you. You are very loved, Theodore Nott. I have to head to Quidditch practice, but pick a Saturday and then let me know. Harry and I will be there."

Theo nodded and grabbed his books. "I'm going to come watch you practice if that's okay? I need a study break."

Ginny beamed at him as he packed up his things. "Absolutely. Just don't stare at my boyfriend's bum the whole time!"

Theo smirked. "Where my eyes wander is out of my control, chick, but I'll do my best."

Ginny laughed as she linked her arm with his. He told her more about Finn as they went up to Gryffindor Tower to get her broom and practice kit before heading down to the pitch. Seeing Theo happy again made her happier than she could put into words.

~ ASC ~

 **Quidditch practice was extra gruelling.** With the loss of Fred and George Weasley as Beaters, Gryffindor took a hard hit. Harry had held tryouts the weekend after Valentine's Day and the prospect hadn't been fun. The first round of tryouts was a complete failure. The only two who showed up, Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirk, were not exactly the players that he was looking for. Sloper had hit Angelina with his bat and Kirke had trouble even staying on his broom, but no one else had come out to try for the position Beater and Harry thought he was going to be forced to accept them. However, Harry's lucky turned around when a second year named Ritchie Coote approached him and asked if he could still try out.

Coote was a lucky find. He was weedy and had an excellent arm for whacking Bludgers. He beamed at Harry when complimented and Harry made a comment about wishing that there were two of him. Coote told him about how his friend Jimmy was rather decent with a bat. Harry had immediately pounced and asked him to bring Jimmy out for a tryout. Jimmy Peakes was also a second year and absolutely fascinated by American Muggle baseball so much so that he was a bit of an amazement with a bat. Harry asked him to join the team within five minutes as Angelina only nodded eagerly at his assessment. Coote and Peakes were exactly the kind of players he needed in his next match against Ravenclaw.

Harry ran them hard that practice, upping the drills and working them around the pitch in such a frenzy that he heard Katie whisper 'possessed by Wood'. Harry chose to ignore this. For the first time since the twins left, he was feeling good about his Quidditch team, and he wasn't leaving anything to chance. That Cup was as good as Gryffindor's this year.

He watched Ginny give Angelina a red box after practice before she approached him. When she got close enough, Harry tugged his girlfriend towards him and kissed her.

"Giving out gifts? Where's mine?"

Ginny chuckled and stood on her toes to kiss him. "It was from George."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "For Angelina?"

Ginny nodded. "He said that it was for her birthday, but that was in October. I think that George might fancy her."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise. "Didn't she date Fred?"

"No," Ginny said. "Fred asked her and she said yes, but she went with George."

Harry frowned. "Did George like her, then? I mean, why would she go with George if Fred asked her?"

Ginny kissed his furrowed brow. "You're thinking too much."

"I just think that's like a big no, isn't it? Like an unspoken rule, you don't go after the girl your brother likes?"

"Isn't it also an unspoken rule not to date your best mate's sister?"

Harry closed his mouth. "Shutting up now."

"Mmm, good choice," Ginny said, standing on her toes again and kissing the corner of his mouth. "I rather like Angelina, and I think she and George would be great together."

"Matchmaker."

She grinned and stretched her arms up over her head. "I'm all sweaty. So are you. We need to shower."

Harry kissed her neck. "Together?"

Ginny's eyebrows rose. "Bold, Mr Potter."

"Hmm, not an outright no, interesting…"

Ginny blushed. " _Separate_ showers."

Harry chastely kissed her on the lips. "Spoilsport."

Ginny hooked her arm through his as they headed towards the changing rooms. "Listen, I told Theo that I want to double date with him and Finn on Saturday. The next weekend is the Easter holiday so this one works the best, and I said that we could go our Italian restaurant."

"Sure — wait, it's not a Hogsmeade trip on Saturday."

Ginny put her hand on the door handle of the Gryffindor changing rooms and smirked at him. "Well, I mean, my boyfriend _does_ have an Invisibility Cloak and a special map that helps him sneak out of the school. Are you telling me that's not possible?"

Harry's smile was slow. "You're a troublemaker."

"And you're not?"

"If we get caught we'll have detention for the rest of the year," he told her.

Ginny grinned widely. "So let's not get caught."

Harry watched her disappear through the door and he couldn't help but chuckle. One of the best things about Ginny was that there was never a dull moment.

~ ASC ~

 **Tonks had barely walked inside the front door of her home when Kingsley's Patronus sent her back.** At his lynx's request, she Apparated back to the DMLE and found most of the bullpen congregating in the conference room. Higgins waved her over.

"What's going on?" Tonks asked him.

"Not sure," Higgins admitted, his eyes on Kingsley.

She only had to wait a moment before Kingsley spoke over the team of Aurors.

"There's been an attack in Piccadilly," his smooth, deep voice echoed. "The Muggles have deemed it from a terrorist organization, but the presence of the Dark Mark tells us otherwise."

"How many people?" someone called out.

"Fifty injured, five dead, four critical. All Muggles. It looks like a combination of a reducto and a bombardment jinx in the middle of the square. It took out part of the tube, two restaurants, and a local tourist shop. I've already sent two Aurors to work with the Muggle law enforcement in finding out the details. The rest of you, come see me for an assignment. You've all been cleared for overtime until I say otherwise. This is the only case we're working on at the moment; everything else goes to the back burner."

Tonks rolled her shoulders as she and Higgins approached Kingsley. She'd already put in a fourteen hour day, but she was ready and alert.

"Lupin, Higgins — I've assigned you two to the scene. I want you to find out what it was they used and how many Death Eaters were there. See if you can speak to any witnesses who may be able to give you something. I'll have Oblivators arriving as soon as possible and those who need it can be directed to them."

"Yes, sir."

Tonks led the way out and gestured for Higgins to follow. They Apparated to an alley just off of Piccadilly. The street looked like a war zone. Fires were still raging inside the restaurants, the street was littered in holes big enough to swallow a person whole, and the smell of burnt flesh was ripe in the air.

Tonks' eyes went to the screen where a Muggle news reporter was claiming terrorists unknown had attacked London.

"Do you think that they're still around?" Higgins asked.

Tonks shook her head. "No. King knows that we won't catch any of them today. They're long gone."

"Why attack this place?"

"To cause fear," Tonks said simply. "There are a lot of people here all the time. It's the perfect place to do just that."

Someone screamed for their child, ripping Tonks and Higgins' attention away from the street. A sobbing woman threw herself over the body of a child. A man nearby was ranting to a policeman.

"They wore masks! They were terrifying and made of gold and silver, almost skull like, and then they pulled this stick out! The stick must have been connected to a remote starter or something because he waved it like this and — BOOM!"

Tonks turned away from the policeman and rolled her neck and shoulders back. "I'll start by the restaurant, you start by the tourist shop. We'll meet in the middle, and by then, maybe we'll know what they used to blow this street up."

It was five hours later before she finally made it back home.

She barely got her shoes off before she swayed on her feet, clutching the wall for support. She stripped off her clothes as she walked through the house, desperately climbing into the hot shower. Tonks stood under the hot spray and finally let the tears come.

Sometimes, the horror of what she saw was too hard to handle. The dead littered the ground… body parts and bodies… and the children. How could anyone do something to someone so innocent? How could they just blow up a street full of people they didn't even know? Sometimes, she wondered how anyone was supposed to cope with seeing such horrors; how she was supposed to cope with it, day after day, knowing that the people who had done it were still out there. That until they were caught and punished they could do it again.

Tonks let the tears fall before she pushed her face under the spray to get rid of the evidence. She lathered shampoo in her hair, feeling better, but even more exhausted than she had been when she'd walked into the house. She finished washing up and shut off the shower. She dried off and walked naked into the bedroom to where her husband was waiting for her in their big bed. Tonks climbed into the bed and Remus opened his arms to her. She snuggled into him as he kissed her forehead.

"Did you get all of your tears out?"

"You and your damn supersonic hearing," she murmured against his chest.

He kissed her forehead again. "Rest. You're exhausted."

Tonks shook her head, her mouth moving to his neck. "No… not yet."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she murmured, her lips on his neck. "I need… I can't sleep yet. Too much energy… I need you first… Please…"

Her hands slid beneath his plaid pyjama bottoms, gripping him. Remus pushed his bottoms down his hips and let her set the pace, watching as she took him into her heat. She tossed her head back as she rode him, her fingers linked with his over her breast, and when she came, she cried out a steady stream of yes, that made her ride him faster. Remus raised his head up to suckle her nipple and she held him in place as she rode out her orgasm. She let out a sigh of satisfaction and Remus flipped their positions. He thrust harder and harder. Her hands gripped his bum tightly as he came, burying his face in her neck as they both moaned.

Remus rolled her with her, snuggling her against his side and she sighed in contentment. He kissed her forehead tenderly and the sound of her soft snores made him chuckle. But he held her close, watching the dim light of the stars cross her face. He just hoped tonight she rested and didn't dream.

But if she did, he planned on being right here when she woke. He wished that he could do more to help her, to ease the things she saw on a daily basis. He knew the horrors of what her work often entailed, and he wanted nothing more than to cuddle her close and kiss them away as he had done to Harry's childhood monsters. But this was her job. Dora was an Auror, and part of the reason he loved her was her unfailing capability to take care of herself. She was a damn good Auror and as emotionally attached as she often was, that connection made her the Auror she was.

Remus kissed her forehead, letting his eyes drift closed as he listened to her heavy breathing. She was an incredible Auror and it was his job to make sure she came home to a loving, relaxing home that could help build her up for her next day on the job. Good food, good sex, good dreams.

That's exactly what he could do.

~ ASC ~

 **Peter watched them.**

He stayed in the shadows, quiet and out of sight and did his best to blend in. He had spent the last few weeks travelling in disguise from Scotland to Russia, watching them, learning their habits. He'd even spent some time in his rat form watching his nephew interact with them; the love that he could see both for and from Harry, surprised him. Harry reminded him so much of James that he felt a pang of remorse and longing that he couldn't put into words. The more he watched them, the more he questioned how much he truly wanted to share with the Dark Lord.

Peter followed close behind the woman, doing his best to stay well enough behind her, to act as if he wasn't following her. He'd been using Polyjuice Potion to change his disguise every few days; in his rat form, he couldn't keep up with them as well as a human. But he'd noticed their routine. After over three months, he'd noticed a lot.

The man left around the same time every day and went to work; he came home at a reasonable hour. The woman, however, was on a different schedule. He watched her go for long walks; sit on a bench and write furiously in a notebook; enjoy a treat at a café... she was the weak link.

And when she slipped into the lift of the apartment complex, he joined her. He was to watch, to learn, to spy. He needed to blend in, but he also needed a bit more. He pulled his wand from his holster carefully. He would stun her if necessary, but he just wanted to chat, to get some information.

At least, that had been his plan.

But she suddenly turned, her knee shifting and slamming into his groin so sharply that he saw stars.

The woman pulled out her wand, disarmed him, and sent him flying forward just as the doors to the lift opened. He slammed into the ground of a wide corridor and landed at the feet of a tall man with salt and pepper hair cut military style. Peter realized he was the Auror just as a boot lifted to hold Peter in place on the ground

"Sorcha, they alvays think they can underestimate you."

Sorcha shrugged, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "My husband may be the Auror, but you don't mess with a Brown. You've been following me for weeks!" she declared, her wand still pointed at him. "What do you want?"

Misha snorted and flicked his wand to cuff the man at his feet, lifting him up. "You think ve don't know vhen somevone is following us? Vhen somevone stalks my wife!"

Peter whimpered under Misha's wand. "I-I-I..."

"He's speechless, Sorcha. How quaint." Misha said before he pinned Peter by his neck against the wall outside of their apartment. "Somevone came after my vife once and I lost her. Do you know vhat I did to the man vho hurt her? Russians, they know that happened to her and they know not to mess vith Misha Zacarias, da, but you, you are not Russian... you follow _him_. That English svoloch' vho calls himself lord."

"I'm not here to hurt you!" Peter blurted, his eyes frantic now.

Misha's eyes narrowed. "No? Then vhy do you stalk my vife?"

"He wants to know — the Dark Lord," Peter said quickly. "When he got word that your daughter survived the attack, he wanted to know more about her — where she came from and who her people are — he wants information!"

"On our grandson," Misha said coldly. He spit in Peter's face. "You think I vill give it to him? Harry may not be my blood, but he is _mine_. You tell your Dark Lord that!"

Peter shook his head as MIsha's fingers gripped his throat tighter. He finally managed to get his bearings and shifted into his rat form, biting Misha's hand before he ran.

"Der'mo!"

Peter felt the spells whiz past his him as he escaped into the hole of the lift and shimmied down the wall. He had enough information, he thought. The Dark Lord would understand why he left.

He made it outside into the biting cold of the Russian winter and attempted to catch his breath. He caught sight of the Auror coming out the front door and let out a tiny squeak. Peter hadn't expected the wizard to follow him. He scurried out across the street, desperate to get away, and when he finally ducked down into the sewer, he let out of a breath of relief.

The last thing that he wanted was to become someone's prisoner again. He needed to get his bearings and then make it back to Croatia. The Dark Lord would be waiting for his report - and Peter realized that the last thing he wanted to do was give it to him.

But what choice did he have?

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius woke up that morning on the brink of orgasm.** He'd been having the most intense dream about Zee and he'd barely had time to blink awake before he realized it hadn't entirely been a dream. His woman had her mouth wrapped around him, and he reached down to grip those caramel curls in his hands as she moaned around his cock. The sound sent shivering vibrations through him.

"Merlin," he groaned.

Zee lifted her gaze to his, her eyes dark and full of desire as she sucked. Those soft lips slid along his shaft, taking all of him and then slowly bobbing her head in a way that made him grip the sheets. Her tongue moved across the head of his cock and he managed to make an _ugh_ sound before he came, eyes on her as she held him in her mouth.

Once he'd managed to come down from his high, he watched her swallow and then proceed to lick him clean. She kissed her way up his chest, nuzzling his neck.

"Morning."

Sirius wrapped his arms around her. "Best fucking morning ever."

Zee kissed his lips. "You were hard against my hip when I woke, and you know how much I love your cock."

"You destroy me," he said, kissing her softly. "Just, you know, give me some time to recover and I'll make you scream."

Zee kissed him again before she shook her head. "You'll have to make it up to me later. I need to hop in the shower or I'm going to be late for work."

Sirius pouted, tugging her back down into the bed when she attempted to stand. "I could join you, wash your back from my knees while my mouth is buried between your thighs, my tongue swiping you clean…"

Zee's breath hitched. "Then I'll be _really_ late."

"I'll make it worth your while," Sirius told her, his hand sliding down between her thighs.

Zee whimpered when his finger brushed her clit. "No, I… I have to go. Tonight. You'll make it up to me tonight."

Sirius sighed as she scrambled out of bed and into the master bath to get ready for the day. He put his arms behind his head, sighing in contentment. It was always a good day when Zee woke him with a blowjob. He stayed where he was, drifting in and out of sleep as Zee hurried around him to get ready. He smelled a whiff of her perfume as she bent to kiss him and then she was gone, hurrying out of the room and down the stairs.

He drifted off to sleep again and woke three hours later, deciding it was time to get his lazy arse out of bed. He stretched before falling to the floor and making himself do his morning routine of push-ups and sit-ups (fifty of each) before he took a shower and washed up.

It was after eleven by the time he padded downstairs in a pair of black jeans, his hair still damp at the nape of his neck. He put the kettle on and decided to make himself a sandwich just as the phone on the wall shrilled, startling him. He gave the device an evil look before he grabbed the receiver from the wall.

"Er, hello?"

"Sirius, good!" Misha's voice boomed.

"Hi, Misha. You know I hate this bloody thing."

Misha chuckled. "Da, but you use it because you know my daughter vanted one. Is she there?"

"No. She's at work. It's close to noon here."

"Good, it's you, I vanted."

Sirius raised an eyebrow as he leaned against the wall casually, holding the phone more closely to his ear. "Oh?"

"Sorcha and I just found ourselves a rat."

"A rat?" Sirius repeated, his eyes narrowing. "Do you mean an actual rat, or are we talking Pettigrew?"

"I believe Pettigrew," Misha replied. "A man has been following Sorcha and I for the last three months or so. I thought that I had even saw him vhen you vere here, but he kept changing his face, so I was only suspicious. Today, he vas brave enough to follow Sorcha right into the apartment building."

"Is she hurt?" Sirius demanded.

"No," Misha answered quickly. "Ve are both fine. Sorcha is not a delicate flower, da, she took him down herself."

Sirius chuckled at the image. " _She_ took him down?"

"Da. Ve didn't get much out of him. He said that he vas looking for information on the family of the voman vho survived in France, the voman vho has become so important to you and Harry. He swore he vasn't looking to hurt anyone. Before I could question him further he transformed into a rat, bit me, and took off. It vas only then that I made the connection as to vho exactly he vas. I suspected he vas a Death Eater, but I didn't realize he vas your old friend until he changed into the rat."

"He's gone?"

"Escaped. The last I saw he vas scurrying down the sewer before I could snatch him. I thought you vould like to know that he vas here."

"I do," Sirius told him, adjusting the phone at his ear. "It makes sense that Voldemort would want to know more about you. He knows how important Zee is now and after she survived that curse… you'll be careful?"

"Da. I've already increased our security and sent some Aurors out to Scotland to check on the Browns. Everyone has increased their security and is being more cautious. Ve know how to stay safe, Sirius."

Sirius nodded, forgetting that Misha couldn't see him. "Good, good."

"You vill tell, Zahira? She can call her mama vhen she gets home."

"Yes, I'll make sure she does. Thanks for letting me know, Misha. Peter is… he's a coward, but I wouldn't say that doesn't make him dangerous. I never should have let him go."

"No, you did vhat you thought vas best. Putting him back in Azkaban, he vould only be free again anyvay."

"Maybe," Sirius admitted, but he wasn't sure that made him feel any better.

"I vill let you know if anything else changes. Have Zahira call. Bye, Sirius."

"I will. Bye," he said as the phone clicked in his ear. He hung it up, running his hands over his face.

Peter had been following Misha and Sorcha in Russia; he had been there when they had been there, watching them. It made Sirius feel both uneasy and infuriated. How dare that stupid rat spy on them after everything? If he ever saw him again, he wasn't sure that he'd be able to restrain himself from killing him; not this time.

Sirius glanced up at the clock. Zee would still be a few more hours at least, but he felt restless now. He put away his unfinished sandwich. He needed to hit something, curse something… anything to get this rage out. He hurried upstairs to grab a shirt and decided that it was a good time to head to the Ministry.

The one thing he was quickly finding with the Terra Troop training was that it was always a handy excuse to burn off some energy, and right now he was itching for a good fight. He hoped Scrimgeour had something new for him to attack, but if not, he was more than happy to deal with the test dummies.

As long as he could hit something and pretend it was Peter's face, he didn't care what it was.

~ ASC ~

 **Three hours later, Sirius was still angry.** He'd destroyed three training dummies before Scrimgeour had demanded he leave. He knew that he should head home, but the rage he had built up over Pettigrew was still so consuming that he found himself instead heading to Hogwarts. He walked quickly down the hall to Dumbledore's office and into the lift statue to take him up. His hands were trembling a little as he pushed open the door without invitation and saw Dumbledore's face show a moment of surprise before he masked it.

"Sirius."

"Letting Snape take Pettigrew was a stupid fucking idea, and you should have bloody well talked me out of it!"

Dumbledore's eyebrow rose. "We agreed that you keeping him indefinitely wasn't a wise choice."

"No, I should have just killed him."

"What happened, Sirius?"

"Voldemort sent him to Russia to spy on the Zacarias family!"

"How did Misha take that?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

Sirius only glared at him. "They're fine. They can handle themselves — that's not the point! He sent them there because of Zee! He's targeting her family!"

Dumbledore nodded. His expression seemed unsurprised to hear this. "It's what he does, Sirius. You remember what it was like before. Anyone considered to be a threat will be targeted. Those who refused to follow him were killed. Zee is part of yours and Harry's family and Voldemort can see that. He doesn't like it, and when she survived the attack in France, I imagine it made him even more aware of her importance."

"So what should I do? Break up with her? Kick her out? Send her to Russia?"

"If Pettigrew was in Russia, I doubt that's a good plan — and from what I've seen of your Zahira, I hardly think that she will simply go because you tell her to. And if you try to send her away, I imagine that you'll have a fight on your hands."

Sirius swore and kicked the desk. "I hate this!"

Dumbledore only stared at Sirius for a moment, his expression giving nothing away. "As to Pettigrew, what happened?"

Sirius explained how he had been following them and how Misha and Sorcha had taken him down. "He escaped by transforming and that's when Misha realized who he was."

"But he didn't hurt them?"

"No."

"That's interesting," Dumbledore said quietly. "That means that he was just observing them. Any idea how long he was doing so?"

"Since at least December," Sirius spat bitterly. "Whether it was a daily thing or not I have no idea."

"That's a long time to be merely observing."

"Stalking is what he was doing! If Sorcha hadn't… he was hoping to get something from them or do something… maybe take one of them hostage…"

"I doubt that," Dumbledore told him. "That would put too much importance on them. I think Voldemort was merely having him observe. We'll see if Severus knows anything."

It was only a moment before Snape stepped out of the fireplace.

"Where the fuck is Pettigrew?" Sirius demanded.

Snape only stared at him with extreme dislike. "He's on an information gathering mission in Eastern Europe. Been there since the middle of December as far as I know."

"What kind of information?"

"I don't know," Snape said. "His mission, his knowledge. I assumed something to do with Grindelwald as the Dark Lord has been talking about finding him."

Dumbledore frowned at that. "Why? He's been imprisoned in Nurmengard Castle for over fifty years. What would Voldemort want to know about Grindelwald?"

"I don't know," Snape repeated. "Something about him having hidden knowledge about something that the Dark Lord wants to know. There have been information gaining missions going on multiple fronts. He's still intent on learning the prophecy as well."

"Does he have the Guardian?"

"No, but he thinks that he's drawing closer to who they are after speaking to the half-Melusine Seer."

"You mean after he let Crouch Jr torture and murder him?" Sirius shot out.

Snape shrugged. "I wasn't present for that."

Sirius didn't think that was an answer. "Pettigrew was stalking Zee's family in Russia, Snape!"

Snape's eyebrows rose. "Why? Do they know something?"

"Because they're fucking Zee's family! He knows how bloody important she is and he... if you see Pettigrew, you tell him that if he harms her family in any way, I will make him wish for death!"

"Noted," Snape said dryly before turning to Dumbledore. "Last I heard, there was word of a Seer in Wales who might know of the Guardian. The Dark Lord was organizing a team to head out there. I heard that there was an attempt to take the prophecy a few weeks ago?"

Sirius nodded, trying to reel his anger back. "Yes. The one who touched it put his hand through some form of ice curse. He lost two fingers."

"The Dark Lord will want to know that. It only confirms his suspicions that no one can touch the prophecy except the Guardian."

Sirius let out a slow breath. "We tried again the other day — not to touch it, but to see if we could lift it down by magic. Bill, Fleur, and Moody — no dice. It was impossible to take it from the shelf. The Guardian is the answer apparently. You'll keep us posted if he learns more about the Guardian?"

"I will," Snape said cooly. "And if I find anything else on Pettigrew I'll let you know."

But as Sirius headed home, he found Snape's words did nothing to reassure him.

~ ASC ~

 **Zee stepped into the cottage only a moment after Sirius and gave him a bright smile.**

"Hi, where are you coming from?"

Sirius tugged her close, lifting her to kiss her deeply. "I love you."

Zee frowned, her face squished against his heart as he hugged her tightly. "What happened? Are you all right? Is Harry all right?"

Sirius picked her up and carried her to the sofa, cradling her in his arms as he sat down. "I'm fine. Harry's fine." At her look, he let out a long sigh. "Pettigrew was stalking your parents in Russia."

Zee's eyes widened as he explained how Misha had called and how he had gone to Dumbledore.

"Letting him go was a bad choice, Zee," Sirius told her. "He was watching them! He was looking for signs of weakness."

"And Mama kicked his arse," she said, chuckling. "They can handle themselves, Siri. Papa is Head Auror for a reason."

"I know," he said. "But I'm angry. It was fucking Peter and…"

"Not your fault in any way. He's long gone by now anyway and we won't have to worry about that."

"I thought about sending you away, trying to break up with you or something stupid and Dumbledore told me from what he gathered about you that would only make me have a fight on my hands."

Zee's eyebrow rose. "More than just a fight. I'm not running, Sirius. I'm not going anywhere without both you and Harry — don't even try it."

He kissed her. "It was a stupid passing thought, I'm sorry."

"Forgiven. But if you even consider that an option again, I'll hex so you badly that you can't walk properly for a week."

Sirius grinned. "Understood."

Zee kissed his cheek. "I'm going to call Papa. Did you let Harry know about Pettigrew?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, not yet. I was too fired up. I went to the Ministry after I spoke to Misha to beat up some dummies, but Scrimgeour sent me home after I destroyed three of them."

She gently brushed a strand of his hair behind his ear. "Talk to Harry. I'll speak to Papa. They're both okay and I'm worried about them as well, but my father didn't get to be Head Auror for no reason, Siri. He can take care of himself and so can Mama."

He nodded as she climbed off his lap to head into the kitchen to use the phone. He knew that she was right, but the situation still infuriated him. Sirius pulled the mirror from his pocket and said his son's name. It was almost a full minute before Harry answered; Sirius tried not to smirk as he noted that his son's hair looked a little more mussed than usual.

"Hi, Uncle Siri."

"Harry, hope I'm not interrupting."

"Er, no… I'm doing homework."

He heard Ginny giggle in the background and Sirius couldn't prevent the knowing smirk. "Hi, Ginny."

Ginny's face appeared next to Harry's a moment later. "Hi, Sirius."

"Sorry to interrupt your quality snogging time, but I wanted to let you know about something that happened today."

"Is this about that terrorist attack in London?" Harry asked. "It was in the post this morning about how Death Eaters had attacked Piccadilly?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, it's something else. The attack was orchestrated in what the Aurors believe was to inspire fear and so far it worked. No, Misha called this afternoon, it seems our good friend Wormtail has been spending time in Russia."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "What?"

"Snape says he's been on an information gathering mission, but Misha said that he's been stalking him and Sorcha for months. He thinks that he even saw him when we were there, at least he thinks it's the same person as he kept changing his face. My guess is that he has a batch of Polyjuice Potion to swap disguises for when he can't be a rat."

"Are they okay?"

"Yes. Sorcha took him down. Zee's on the phone with Misha now. They caught him and questioned him, discovered he's been stalking them, and he turned into his Animagus, and took off. It's what tipped Misha off as to who exactly he was."

"Grandmama took him down?"

Sirius nodded. "Apparently she kneed him in his groin and sent him flying out of the lift into the wall. I guess he was more than a little surprised. But he escaped and we have no idea where he is now."

"Why would he be stalking them?"

"I don't know, Harry. I reckon any information they can gather on the people in your life is what's important to them. The fact that Misha is Head Auror probably says a lot as well. But we don't really know what they are after. What we do know, is that Pettigrew is long gone. Once Misha made him, there was no reason for him to stay in Russia — he knows that's unwise."

Harry nodded and let out a slow sigh. "Any other news?"

"Not really, no. But I'll see you next Friday to bring you home for the holiday."

Harry grinned. "Are you ready?"

"More than," Sirius admitted, his eyes on his girlfriend's profile from the doorway of the kitchen. "Do some schoolwork you two, talk to you later."

"Bye."

The mirror went dark in his hand and Sirius put it on the coffee table before he headed into the kitchen to wrap his arms around his woman. He kissed her neck as she talked to her father.

"I didn't expect you to have seen him again, I just wondered if you had Aurors hunting him," Zee said into the receiver. Whatever Misha said had her raising an eyebrow before she responded in quick Russian.

Sirius nipped at her neck. When she spoke in Russian, it sent an odd thrill through him. He slowly unbuttoned her blouse, untucking it from the black trousers she wore. Zee squirmed against him, shaking her head and pointing to the phone. Sirius ignored her and unzipped her trousers and with his eyes on hers, he slid his hand into her knickers.

"Oh," she breathed. "No, I meant, that makes sense. Yes… Papa, I have to go. Yes, I'll call you again tomorrow. Yes… okay… love you, too… bye." She hung the phone up just as he swiped her clit and her head fell back.

"I need a distraction and I believe it's your turn, love," Sirius said, slipping his hand out to finish undressing her down to her bra and knickers.

Zee smiled at him. "I think you did mention something this morning…"

Sirius rested his forehead against hers. "The bad is coming, Zee, it's coming fast. But right now, I just want you. I want you to distract me from it all. I want to just focus on you."

Zee kissed him softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

He sighed when she shimmied away from him. "Get back here."

Zee merely crooked her finger at him. "I think I'd like a bath. Are you still interested in helping me clean up?"

Sirius chased her up the stairs as she laughed, pinning her against the wall of the hallway and kissing her deeply. Then he was lifting her onto the little table by the wall, knocking the potted plant off and kneeling before her, pulling her knickers down and using his tongue. Zee's head fell back against the wall as her hips arched and the table smacked the wall loudly as she groaned.

"The bath," she murmured.

Sirius only slid his tongue along her folds as he added a finger and when she screamed his name, he grinned against her. They'd get to the bath eventually; he just had a few plans first.

~ ASC ~

 **George finished boxing up the next completed group of Shield Hats and sighed as he looked around the store.** The orders for the Ministry alone had guaranteed them rent for the next year, which was incredibly exciting. He still couldn't believe that he and Fred had done it: They had their own shop. It was everything that he had ever imagined it could be and so much more. But the closer they seemed to get to opening, the more nervous he found himself becoming.

Nervous wasn't quite the right emotion, he thought; he was anxious. He was anxious for the big day. It was still two months away, but he knew that they would be more than ready. They'd been working almost night and day on creating stock, setting up the store, designing the layout and keeping it all fun, easy to find, and accessible. The shop truly looked great. Most of the work was done, and they were ready.

"I can hear you thinking from over here," Fred said as he closed up the box he was packing. "Are you still having doubts?"

"I'm not having doubts," George insisted stubbornly.

Fred only stared at him from across the room. "Write to her."

George turned away from his brother and picked up one of the clothes as he wiped down their work space. "I wrote to Ginny already."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Not to Ginny, you dolt!"

George didn't answer.

"Georgie, look at me," Fred insisted, grabbing his brother's arm and forcing him to turn and look at his twin. "Pull your head out of your arse and do something about it."

"I don't know what you're talking about. We agreed, we don't need our NEWTs to run this place."

"I'm not talking about our bloody NEWTs and we both know it."

George let out a slow breath. "It's too late."

"I told you to say something before we left. You chose to ignore me."

George sighed. "I just didn't see the point of it. She's being recruited, you know. It doesn't seem logical. It's too late."

Fred scoffed. "You are such a coward! You only went to the Yule Ball with her because I asked her out for you!"

"And I had to pretend I was you, didn't I?" George said, glaring angrily at Fred.

Fred snorted. "And how'd that work out for you?"

George turned away from his brother as he heard Fred sigh in exasperation.

"It's our birthday on Monday. I'll send word to Lee. We can sneak into Hogwarts and have a little birthday bash with everyone."

"I don't know, Fred."

Fred was quiet for a long moment. "Hiding isn't going to make it any easier, George."

George chose not to answer.

It was only when the door closed and he realized that he was alone did he close his eyes. The Yule Ball seemed like ages ago, but he remembered it like it was yesterday.

 _"_ _I asked Angelina to go with me to the ball," Fred said, climbing into George's bed._

 _"_ _What?" George exclaimed, eyes wide as he stared at his brother._

 _"_ _I asked Angelina to go with me and she said yes."_

 _"_ _But you — oh — well, have fun."_

 _Fred smiled at him. "Are you going to ask someone?"_

 _George shook his head, pulling the blanket away from his twin. "No, I think I'll just go stag… have fun… you know. Get out of my bed."_

 _Fred ignored him and stretched his legs out across the bed. "I wondered. You never said it, but I knew it."_

 _"_ _Knew what?" George said bitterly, tugging the pillow out from beneath his brother's head._

 _Fred rolled onto side to stare at George. "Go in my place."_

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _I changed my mind, I don't want to go with Angelina. You go in my place."_

 _"_ _I can't just — Fred, you asked her to go out with you. You! We can't just switch on her!"_

 _"_ _Why? She'll never know," Fred said with a grin. "It will be fun, like old times! Remember when we convinced Gamma and Papa that we were each other and it lasted all day until Dad and Ginny showed up and Dad outed us?"_

 _George glared at him. "I won't do it! It's not funny to do that anymore. Now get out of my bed!" He shoved him and Fred caught himself before he fell out of the bed._

 _"_ _We'll see."_

But then the day of the Yule Ball had come and Fred had repeated that he wasn't going to escort Angelina.

 _"_ _Fred, you can't be that much of an arse to stand her up! She's our friend!"_

 _Fred only shrugged. "Not standing her up. She'll have you." He grabbed the bronze tie that George had picked out and handed it to him. "Angelina's wearing bronze, so you better take that."_

 _Before he could protest, Fred was calling after Lee and disappearing. George swallowed nervously. He couldn't take Angelina to the ball and really pretend to be Fred, could he? He put his tie on, nervously fixing his hair before he made his way downstairs. Fred and Lee were talking to Angelina in front of the fire. Lee had his arm around Eliza Miller, his date for the evening._

 _"_ _Ah, here's Fred now!" Fred exclaimed, nodding at George. "You two kids have fun! Let's go, Lee!"_

 _Before George could say anything to contradict him, they were gone and he found himself alone with Angelina._

 _"_ _Er, hi," he said slowly, taking her in. Her black hair was pinned up with soft strands near her face. Her dress was black with bronze horizontal stripes that shimmered in the firelight and left her back completely bare. His eyes dipped automatically to her chest as he realized that she wasn't wearing a bra. "You look beautiful."_

 _Angelina smiled at him. "You look good yourself. Ready?"_

 _George took her arm and nodded. "Ready."_

 _The night had been amazing. They'd danced and chatted and when they went out back for some fresh air, she'd taken his hand and his heart had soared. Angelina twined her fingers with his, smiling brightly._

 _"_ _I had a really great time, Fred. I'm glad you asked me."_

 _"_ _Me too," he said, guilt swimming in his gut again._

 _"_ _You're so much sweeter and quieter than Fred. He's the loud one, isn't he?"_

 _"_ _He's a bit more — er, no, I'm Fred. George didn't ask you to the Yule Ball tonight, Angie, I did."_

 _Angelina only raised an eyebrow before she leaned in and brushed her lips against his. "You're right, Fred did ask me. Kiss me."_

 _George hesitated a moment, but then she pulled his mouth towards hers. It was the softest, sweetest kiss he'd ever had. Better than the first time he'd kissed her, in a stupid game of truth or dare where he'd also kissed Katie and Alicia. He'd kissed the corner of her mouth and she smiled at him, her gaze triumphant._

 _"_ _I KNEW it!"_

 _George stared at her. "Knew what exactly?"_

 _Angelina gripped his chin hard enough to make him wince. "Do you two think I'm stupid?"_

 _"_ _No! Of course we don't think… I don't know what you're talking about!"_

 _Angelina scoffed. "I almost believe you. George, why didn't you just ask me to the ball?"_

 _"_ _I wanted to — er, I mean, I did ask you, I'm Fred."_

 _Angelina nodded. "Okay, Fred, how come you're acting like George? Kissing like George?"_

 _"_ _What? We're twins! Of course we do things the same!"_

 _Angelina shifted and linked her arm with his. "I've known you two for six years. And after we played that little game last year, I kissed the both of you. Fred was… boisterous and eager and you… sweet and nervous and after you kissed me, you kissed the corner of my mouth just like you did now."_

 _"_ _You mixed us up, I'm… Fred."_

 _Angelina reached up to touch the small barely there scar on his eyebrow. "No, I didn't because I wouldn't have kissed Fred. Goodnight."_

George had watched her go and he'd let her go. He'd never quite forgiven himself. She'd never brought up the night again. He'd never asked. He'd told Fred that she'd figured it out, but Fred was convinced that George had caved and told her. But he felt like scum for lying to her. For taking her out when she thought that she was going out with Fred; for deceiving her like that.

And he wished that he'd spoken to her about it.

Instead, he thought of that kiss over and over; imagined kissing her again, kissing those dark shoulders, sliding the thin straps down to reveal her beautiful breasts.

He wasn't a coward, he thought darkly. Angelina was their friend; she had never given him any sign that she liked him outside of being a friend, and after he'd pulled that on her, how could she ever forgive him?

No, it was better this way.

* * *

 _End Authors Notes:_

 _(Russian) svoloch = scum_

 _(Russian) Der'mo = shit_


	215. Chapter 215

_Author's Note:_

 _Thanks to Steel for helping me with the name._

 _Thanks to Saz — it was her idea, and I fell in love with it. I just hope that I did it justice._

 _This is a bit of a smutty chapter. A lot of smut, actually. *shrugs, tries to look embarrassed, smiles instead.*_

 _To answer some reviews: Yes, Fred is always looking out for his twin — they look out for each other. I like to think all of the Weasleys do. To speedsONEandONLY: I absolutely love that Fieo means faithful in Spanish, it gives so much more meaning to a potential ship name, I think. And as to Remus' heightened senses, yes, he will be able to tell when she is pregnant (no, she is not pregnant yet). To Wolf's scream: George is dense and taking a page of denial out of the same book that Ron is reading._

 _Lately, I've had some really great questions on my tumblr so I wanted to supply some of the answers here, in case anyone had similar questions. They will be in my end author's note for anyone interested who does not follow my tumblr or who is just curious. To those who just want to get on with the story, disregard._

 _I mentioned this a few chapters ago and now it is a thing so I wanted to explain it more, because again, my interest in it, and second, because I thought it would be more fascinating that way!_

 _My posting schedule: once a week._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her great editing skills._

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN:**

 **The next morning, Neville nudged Harry on the shoulder.** Harry turned to look at the paper in his friend's hands.

"They finally found a replacement for Azkaban."

Interested, Harry took the paper from Neville to read the article.

 _NEW PRISON FINALLY IN PLACE BY THE MINISTRY_

 _After the two breakouts from Azkaban over the last three years, the last one having destroyed half of the building, the Ministry of Magic has decided that a new prison system needed to be implemented._

 _The fortress of Azkaban (and the use of Dementors) has been a constant battle within the Ministry of Magic almost since its implementation by Minister Damocles Rowle back in 1718. Rowle insisted on using Azkaban instead of building a wizarding prison on some remote Hebridean island as the Aurors originally wanted. Rowle claimed that it was a better idea to put the Dementors to work as guards and to use them as assets to the Ministry, which would save expense, time, and lives. It wasn't long after before light was shed on the prison conditions. Minister Eldritch Diggory was horrified by the conditions of Azkaban when he visited a decade or so later and he formed a committee determined to find an alternative solution, claiming that using the Dementors was inhumane. However, he was met with opposition, as others feared the Dementors would invade the mainland looking for a food source if Azkaban was taken away from them. All decisions to change the prison were dropped after Diggory died of Dragon Pox._

 _Now, with You Know Who controlling the creatures who are supposed to be guarding our criminals, Azkaban doesn't seem like such a safe place anymore. Old plans have been renewed and combined with new ideas and new plans to build an all-purpose Ministry-sanctioned wizarding prison — one fit to house criminals who need to be safely locked away from the population. With two breakouts and the loss of the guards, a new prison seems to be in order._

 _"_ _It was high past time for an overhaul," Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt told the Daily Prophet. "Minister Bones has agreed that using the Dementors isn't a wise decision and Azkaban is no longer our main choice for a prison, though the fortress in the middle of the sea is still being used by the Auror Department for the time being as a temporary holding cell."_

 _The new prison has been built and designed by Magiarchitects Jason Rhone and Madeline Gray. It spans nine levels underground within the London Catacombs. The prison itself is loosely modelled after the Italian poet Dante's Nine Circles of Hell. Each level will be delegated to a specific crime, with the ninth level holding the most nefarious and vicious of crimes._

 _"_ _Without the Dementors, we've had to come up with a different sort of security," Gray explained. "Each level is equipped with its own security and warding. Rhone and I worked with both the Security Department and Gringotts Curse Breakers to make sure that this prison is better than secure. The new fortress is just that, a fortress, and I can promise you this — no one is getting in or out unless the Ministry allows it."_

 _Minister Bones assures the Prophet that the Crypt of Azkaban, as it is being called, is a secure and safe place to keep criminals away from the populace during sentencing. The prisoners who have been in holding in the Ministry of Magic jail cells will be moved to their new home by the end of the week. Since the name Azkaban has been associated with the prison here in Britain for over two centuries now, it's been carried over to the catacomb prison._

 _The Ministry is looking to hire prison guards. For anyone interested, please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement where they will explain prerequisites._

Harry put the paper down and nodded at Neville. "Sounds like the Ministry has finally got their shit in order."

"An underground prison though?" Neville said. "That sounds… ominous almost? Imagine being imprisoned so far under the ground. It sounds way worse than Azkaban, well, minus the Dementors, of course."

Harry had to agree with that. "The catacombs are definitely an interesting find. I think Ginny mentioned that Bill was doing something in them months ago, maybe he was helping design the new prison security."

Neville shrugged. "I think it sounds kind of cool."

Harry looked up when Hermione plopped into the seat next to him. "Good morning, Hermione."

"Hi, Harry," she said, reaching for an apple. "Anything interesting in there?"

"New prison," Neville answered.

Hermione accepted the paper to read the article as Harry grabbed a slice of bacon. "I think it's about time they did something to change the penitentiary system. It looks like they have their ducks lined up in a row."

"Agreed," Harry replied.

"And it's based on Dante's Nine Circles of Hell, that's interesting. Was he a wizard?" Hermione asked.

"Yup," Neville said. "I assume it's just the concept though, I mean, wasn't his work rather dark?"

"Entirely," Hermione said, putting the paper down. "According to Dante, the nine circles were each given a separate punishment based on their crimes. He based them on what he considered to be the worst crimes. The first circle was considered limbo and was for pagans, which is why I'm surprised to learn that he was a wizard. He considered anyone non-Christian and unbaptized to be an abomination."

"That was the version published for Muggles," Neville told her.

Harry nodded. "In the version released in the magical world, limbo was for Muggles and Muggleborns where he thought they deserved to be punished for all of eternity in an inferior form of Heaven. His idea was that they should suffer because of what they lacked, but since they didn't really do anything wrong, they can just live in this limbo. What was the second one?"

"Lust," Hermione replied, looking over at Ron as he sat across from them. "Anyone overcome with lustful feelings was punished by strong winds that would blow them all over the place for all of eternity."

"Third was Gluttony," Neville said, surprising them. "Gran used to like that. She used to tell me that gluttons were punished by being forced to live in a Cerberus-guarded room of constant, icy rain. It was why I had to eat my vegetables and not be a glutton for chocolate."

Harry smirked. "Harsh."

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, spreading jam on his bread. "Dante?"

"You know it?" Hermione asked him in surprise.

Ron nodded. "Don't be so shocked. Dad used to use it as a life lesson. The Greedy are fourth in the circle of hell. Dad used to say that there are two kinds of greedy people; those who hoard possessions and those who lavishly spend their money on possessions. The first are punished by jousting matches where they have to push large weights with their chests to symbolize their selfish drive for fortune and fame and the latter have to drag heavy weights and boulders around with their chests for all of eternity to symbolize that money doesn't grow on trees and only those who spend it wisely will have lives worth living. It was his favourite story whenever one of us asked for something that Mum and Dad couldn't provide."

"You can't buy love," Ginny said, nipping a piece of bacon from her boyfriend's plate. "Why are we talking about Dante's _Inferno_?"

Harry kissed her cheek. "The Ministry of Magic has a new prison built in the London Catacombs and apparently it is loosely based on Dante's Nine Circles of Hell."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"The Prophet says: ' _Each level will be delegated to a specific crime, the ninth level holding the most nefarious and vicious of crimes_ ,' but we were just saying that I don't think it will follow the exact same guidelines," Hermione replied.

Ginny nodded as she munched on the bacon, snagging a second piece from Harry's plate. "I agree with that because isn't the fifth circle a representation of anger? It claims that those who are wrathful and sullen will be punished by drowning for all of eternity inside of the River Styx."

"Yeah, I don't think they plan on drowning people," Neville said. "And six is for heretics and that's hardly a terrible crime in today's society. Dante claimed heretics were to be encased inside a flaming tomb."

"Seven is for violence," Harry said, trying to remember his studies with Remus from years ago. "The seventh circle had three inner circles within it, if I remember correctly?"

Ginny reached for another piece of bacon and Harry's lips brushed her hand as he bit the bacon, making her laugh. "Share, Harry."

He broke the piece off in his hand and handed it to her, "I am. I know better than to not feed a Weasley."

Ginny kissed him softly as Hermione chuckled at them.

"As I was saying, Ginny is right. The seventh circle had three inner circles within it. The Outer Ring was for murderers where they were chased and torn to pieces by wild dogs; the Middle Ring was for suicides, transfigured into trees and fed upon by harpies; and the Inner Ring was for blasphemers who were punished by a desert of burning sand and burning rain. Interesting that those two crimes are comparable to homicide."

Ginny frowned. "It's actually a little disgusting that murder wasn't the worst thing at one time."

Harry had to agree. "Especially that it was only ranked seventh. What's eight?"

"Fraud," Ron said as he swallowed his toast. "I remember this one was broken up as well into some pretty awful things."

"Horror-like," Neville said.

Hermione answered. "There were ten sections or ditches that they called bolgias, and bridges divided them. The first was for panderers and seducers who were forced to march single file around the circumference of their circle while being constantly lashed by horned demons. The second was for those who used excessive flattery and who immersed forever in a river of human excrement. The third was for Simoniacs who were turned upside down in large baptismal fonts cut into the rock and their feet were set on fire by oil flames. The fourth was for those who followed divination and their necks were twisted backward to walk backwards in a circle never seeing a beginning or an end."

Ron goggled at her as she continued to tick them off her fingers.

"The fifth was for blackmailers and they were thrown into a river of boiling tar guarded by demons with grappling hooks to tear them to pieces. The sixth was for hypocrites and they were forced to wear robes made of heavy lead and walk around forever. The seventh was for thieves who were thrown into a pit full of serpents, dragons, and vengeful reptiles to be bitten and torn apart for all of eternity. The eighth was for deceivers and they were continuously burnt alive. The ninth was for those who caused scandals or schisms and were forced to be brutally disfigured and disemboweled over and over again while carrying their own severed head. And ten was for falsifiers who were were punished by diseases like rashes, consumption, leprosy, etc. The entire boligias were said to be guarded by giants to prevent escape."

"How the hell do you remember all of that, Hermione?" Ron asked her. "You just know it" — he said snapped his fingers — "like that!"

Hermione shrugged. "I have a photographic memory."

"No wonder she rarely forgets anything," Neville whispered, making Harry grin.

"Which is why I think they must be designing the prison differently as the ninth circle is for treachery and I hardly think that's the worst crime someone can commit," Hermione continued.

"Treachery… frozen within an icy lake for all of eternity," Ginny said, making Hermione smile.

"Exactly, but Dante took it a step further and divided the lake into four sections," Hermione explained. "The first was named for Cain for killing his own brother, those were frozen at the feet. The second was named for Antenor, Priam's counsellor during the Trojan War, they were frozen to the waist. The third was for Ptolemy, who held a banquet for his father-in-law and his sons and had them murdered, they are frozen to the neck. The last is for Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus of Nazareth, they are submerged completely in ice and are said to be alive and aware the entire time."

"It's quite gruesome really," Ron said with relish. "Do you think each circle will have a punishment similar?"

Harry shook his head. "No way! That would only make the Ministry as bad as Voldemort. But I hope that the ninth circle is reserved for murderers and dark wizards rather than for treacherous people."

"What about for people like Ernie?" Ginny asked. "He's a rapist and a blackmailer."

Hermione nodded. "I imagine that he will be put into a cell on the level for which he's sentenced for the longest crime. That would make the most sense to me."

Ginny huffed. "I wouldn't be too upset if he was forced to drown in human excrement."

Harry snorted. "You'd enjoy the idea of it for a moment, but then you'd feel guilty."

Ginny gave him a look. "Only a little."

Neville and Ron laughed as they finished up their breakfast.

"I'll write to Tonks," Harry told them. "She might know more. I'm just glad that they have something lined up as Azkaban and the Dementors was not a foolproof plan. This sounds much more serious and much easier to maintain control over."

"And less of a chance of someone stealing all of the guards and leaving the prison defenceless," Ron added.

Harry had to agree with that. He just wondered what else the Ministry was doing to make it safe and if they had used the curse breakers for more than just the exploration of the catacombs. It definitely gave him a bit to think about.

~ ASC ~

 **George was sitting in his flat thinking about what his brother had said the other day.** It was their eighteenth birthday in five days and he suddenly felt ancient at the thought of it. He took a long shower and felt slightly better as he used a towel to wipe steam from the mirror. He ran a hand over the rough stubble on his face and voted to go another day before he shaved; he wrapped the towel around his waist and padded into the kitchen to look for a drink of Firewhiskey. He needed something to take the edge off.

The knock on the door startled him.

He looked outside the window to see who was ringing and his eyes widened when he recognized the long dark hair. George waved his wand to let her up, quickly putting the Firewhiskey down and glancing around the flat. It looked all right, he thought, nothing out of the ordinary. Then he remembered that he was only wearing a towel.

George ran into his room to change and emerged in pyjama pants with a tee shirt, being the closest cleanest things that he could find, and then he opened the door.

Angelina stood there in a blue spring dress, smiling brightly. "Hi, George. Fred snuck into the castle for an early birthday celebration, but he said that you were feeling under the weather?"

"Er, yeah, and I guess I didn't feel much like celebrating."

She continued to smile at him for a moment before she raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that's fair. Are you going to let me in?"

George quickly moved out of the way to let her inside. Once the door was closed behind her, she spun around to look at him, her fingers enclosed around the necklace at her throat.

"Why did you send me this?"

"Well, the note said..."

"I know what the note said," Angelina told him cooly. "I'm perfectly capable of reading."

"I know that. I made it."

Angelina stared at him before she let go of the necklace so that the bright blue crystal nestled between her dark breasts. "It's beautiful. But you didn't answer my question."

"Er... well… we're making them for Katie and Alicia too, I just… finished yours first."

"Oh," she said, looking hurt for a moment before she masked it. "I thought — so that's why you sent it through Ginny… I — never-mind. Do you need anything, if you're sick? Want me to make you soup or something?"

"No, no, I — er, I'm fine. How did you get here?"

She smiled. "You taught me a few tricks or two about sneaking out of the castle."

"Oh, right."

Angelina nodded. They stared at each other for a moment before she let out a slow breath. "Okay, I guess I'll go then."

She turned to the door before she stopped and spun around to look at him.

"No! No, I won't leave until you're honest with me. What did you mean by giving me this crystal?

"I told you, it's supposed to give warmth when someone is thinking about you?"

" _Someone_?"

He swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest. "Me."

Angelina stared at him. "It's been warm almost constantly since I put it around my neck. Are you saying that you think about me a lot?"

"Angelina… I miss seeing you every day. I think about kissing you more than a friend should, and I guess maybe I hoped that if I sent you that, you would consider giving a bloke a chance?" George said, his words tumbling out quicker than he expected them to.

Angelina stared at him for a long moment, her fingers wrapping around he crystal around her neck. "I gave you a chance, George. I gave you a chance over a year ago when we want to the Yule Ball together — and don't even try to tell me that it was Fred! I know _he_ asked me and I know that _you're_ the one who escorted me. It was you I danced the night away with. It was you who I kissed under the stars, not Fred, and then you had the nerve to lie to me about it! You never asked me out. You never did anything about it!"

"Angie —"

She held her hand up to stop him. "You left, George. You flew off into the sunset like some bloody hero and you know what, good for you! I'm happy for you and for Fred. I'm so proud of what the two of you have accomplished. I always said that you would be successful and so far you're proving me right. But now you're here, and I'm there, and if my tryout goes as I hope it will next week, I'll be off playing professional Quidditch come the summer."

George nodded. "Angelina... I'm an arse and a coward when it comes to you. I just... please… don't say never."

She only stared at him. "I won't say never, George, but right now, you haven't given me a reason to say yes."

He watched her walk away, and his heart clenched in his chest. And he knew at that moment, with sudden, glaring clarity, exactly how to give her a reason — and he was going to do everything in his power to make her say yes.

George wasn't dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.

~ ASC ~

 **"** **So I still have this one lovely biscuit left," Sirius said as Zee snuggled into his arms on the sofa that afternoon.** Zee had gotten a rare day off and Sirius had decided to stay home and spend it with her.

Neither of them had anything particular in mind to do that day and had voted to slip downstairs and veg on the sofa after breakfast. It would be Easter the upcoming weekend and Sirius knew that Zee was just as excited for Harry to come home as he was. Though he kept thinking about the engagement ring that he had locked in the vault upstairs.

But Sirius had something else in mind for this particular day.

Zee tilted her head to look over at him. "You do, huh?"

"I do. My fantasy fulfilled…"

Zee's tongue darted out to touch her bottom lip. "Ah, I did wonder about that one."

Sirius' hand crept up her thigh to rest on her hip. It was the only biscuit he had left.

They'd covered table sex and shower sex the first day. Zee had done a sexy striptease dance for him in Barbados that had ended in the lap dance. They'd shagged on the beach, covering the outside shag. He'd received the blow job biscuit in Barbados as well. They'd done anal the night they'd returned. The public knob job had been at the last Order meeting when Zee had gotten him off right there in the kitchen while Moody was explaining the attempt to get the prophecy down by magical means. Sirius was positive that Moody's magical eye had been well aware of what was happening, but thankfully the old Auror hadn't said a word as Sirius had tried not to make a sound as his woman got him off under the table.

They'd had sex somewhere they shouldn't by doing it in the training quarters for the Terra Troops (Sirius couldn't believe that no one had walked in on them). The 'do anything you want biscuit' had been Sirius' decision to sixty-nine in bed. The rim job had been the most pleasant surprise, especially when Zee had basically shagged his arse with her tongue as he'd cried out in pleasure. He'd really liked that, surprising them both enough that they'd done it a second time the next night where he'd tried it on her. Which left only one biscuit left — Fantasy Fulfilled.

"Are we talking full on fantasy, where absolutely anything goes?" Sirius asked her.

Zee turned to straddle him, her eyes on his. "Absolutely anything you want me to _do to you_ or that you want to _do to me_ , goes."

The back of his neck flushed and he grinned. "I have one... I've been imagining doing it to you for years."

Zee's eyebrow rose. "Really?"

Sirius nipped at her mouth. "It may have also been the fantasy that I find myself wanking to when you're out of town."

"Mmm, well, now I'm really intrigued."

"It involves my Bonneville."

"Of course it does."

"And you completely naked on it," he added.

The next words out of his mouth made both her eyebrows rise and she gasped at the sudden spark of desire as she imagined it.

"Sirius, I don't think that's anatomically possible."

Sirius' tongue trailed over her jaw to her ear and he gently sucked on the lobe. "I dare you."

The laugh that erupted from her made him grin.

"Is that a yes?"

Zee leaned in and kissed him softly. "It's a fuck yes."

"One more thing."

"Oh?"

"Not in the work shed."

Zee stared at him. "You mean…"

"I want you riding me and that bike outside in the sunlight as it _vibrates_ beneath us."

Zee's breath hitched and she kissed him again. "I'm up for the challenge, are you?"

Sirius tugged one of her curls. "Baby, I was born ready."

She grinned and stood up, holding her hand out to him. "I guess you better eat that biscuit then."

He let his eyes rake over her before finding her gaze as turbulent as he felt. "Race you to the bike."

Zee made a run for it as he hopped off the couch, both of them laughing as they ran outside and crashed through the door of the shed. Sirius pinned her against the wall to kiss her deeply, his hand slipping up his old Queen tee shirt to cup her breasts. He had definite plans for this fantasy, and he couldn't wait to give it a try.

~ ASC ~

 **George stepped into Dumbledore's office the next evening, nodding at McGonagall who was standing next to the Headmaster.**

"Good day, Mr Weasley."

"Good day," he said, taking a seat when they gestured him too.

Dumbledore lifted an eyebrow. "I was surprised when I received your owl. You and your brother flew out of here, leaving quite the show behind for Madam Umbridge in January."

"We did, Sir, and I don't regret that. Not for a moment."

"Then why do you want to come back?" McGonagall asked him. "You and Fred have started quite the business, and from what Sirius has told me about the orders the Ministry has made, you're doing extremely well for yourselves. NEWTs are not something you will require in your future endeavours as businessmen."

George nodded. "I'm aware of that, Professor. But... I want to write them. I want to finish out my year here and help Fred on the weekends."

Dumbledore stared at him, his two index fingers tapping together as he looked pensive. "You understand that if we were to let you return, you would be responsible for catching up on all of the work you've missed if you were to finish the year with your fellow classmates. This includes any papers or assignments that your professors have asked for."

"Yes."

"And that there will be no allowances for mysterious mystical swamps to be dropped in corridors?"

"Yes," he said, smirking slightly. "That was actually Fred." And Ginny, he thought with a grin.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "It's not unheard of, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes on George for a moment. "You may return to write your exams and finish out the year. But as I said, let's keep the troublemaking down to a minimum."

"Three pranks a week?" George asked hopefully. McGonagall's eyes narrowed and he grinned sheepishly. "Kidding."

Dumbledore chuckled. "You may have the evening to do as you wish and to get your belongings. I expect you in class first thing tomorrow. You will meet with each professor after class to set up a time to speak with them about what you missed. If you have any concerns, Professor McGonagall will assist you."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

"Welcome back, Mr Weasley."

George couldn't help but grin at those words. He had big plans for his return.

It took him an hour to pack his trunk and to break the news to his brother who actually seemed dumbstruck.

"You're going back? _Why_?"

"It's just something that I have to do."

Fred looked like he wanted to protest, but he shut his mouth. His twin knew him better than anyone and Fred understood his reasons, even if he didn't necessarily agree with him.

"I'll be back every Saturday afternoon to help out and Sundays if needed."

Fred nodded and hugged him. "You lovesick fool. Now you have to spend your eighteenth birthday in class."

George had grinned in response.

He settled himself back in his old dormitory as Lee filled him in on what he'd missed and then he headed down to the common room. He hugged his sister and smiled at Katie before his eyes scanned for her. He didn't see her so he headed out to her favourite study spot — an abandoned classroom on the seventh floor. Sure enough, her books were spread around her at the large table.

"Hey, Angelina."

Her head shot up when he spoke and she turned slowly. "What…? You're sneaking _into_ Hogwarts now?"

George strolled into the room, took her hands and pulled her to her feet. "No, I'm giving you a reason to say yes."

Angelina stared at him. "I don't... what are you doing here?"

"I'm a student again," he said.

Her eyes widened. "A student? You..." She goggled at him. " _You're back_?"

"To spend every moment with you while we finish our year together." He reached out to tug lightly on her long ponytail. "I came back for you, Ang. Say yes."

Angelina stared at him for a moment before she threw her arms around his neck, leaning in to kiss him and he melted into her, sighing against her lips. She smiled when she pulled away to look at him.

"Yes."

And then she was kissing him again and George knew that he had never made a better decision in his life.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry merely wrapped an arm around his girlfriend when she sat in his lap that evening.**

"So, why is your brother here?"

"Which brother?" Ginny asked, her eyes twinkling.

Harry gave her a pointed look. "You know which brother. One of the twins."

"George."

"Sure," Harry said. He still had trouble telling them apart without talking to them first.

"He's come back to finish his year."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why? That was epic the way the two of them just flew off on their brooms, leaving everything behind like that! Why would he come back?"

Ginny kissed Harry's nose. "For love."

"Huh?"

Ginny smiled. "Because he's head over heels for Angelina and by coming back to school, he's showing her that. He's making a grand gesture, _for her_. She's the only reason he came back. George doesn't care about final exams or coming back to finish the school work, he cares about Angelina."

"Does she know?"

Ginny pat his cheek gently. "You're such a clueless man. She will."

"I take offence to that."

Ginny brushed her lips gently across his. "I'll make it up to you."

"Oh yeah?" he replied, eyes on hers.

"You two are getting a tad revolting," Neville said, moving to sit in the chair across from Harry. "Happy that you're together and love you both, but get a room."

Harry grinned. "We can definitely do that."

Ginny turned in his lap so that she was leaning against his chest. "I won't apologize. I like kissing him too much."

Neville chuckled. "I suspected that on my own, thanks."

Ginny nuzzled into Harry's neck. "I have homework to do anyway."

Harry gripped her hips tightly when she attempted to stand up. "No, stay with me."

Ginny laughed, turning her head to kiss him softly. "Love you, bye."

Harry pouted a little as he watched her hurry over to Colin; Neville laughed.

"You are allowed to be separate from each other."

"I know," Harry said, grinning at him. "Besides, we're going on a date on Saturday."

"I can't believe that you're going to sneak into Hogsmeade!" Neville whispered, his voice aghast.

Harry chuckled. "Ginny wants to get a feel for Finn and well, this was _her_ idea."

"What am I supposed to tell Hermione when she asks where you are?"

"That you don't know works for starters," Harry told him. He loved Hermione, but he knew that if she found out he was sneaking into the village, she would most definitely lose her mind. Hermione was a rule breaker when it worked for her, he thought, but strangely strict at the same time.

Neville let out a slow breath. "Bring me back a butterbeer."

"Deal," Harry said.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus looked up from his desk when the Floo lit up and grinned at his friend.** "Sirius, this is a pleasant surprise."

Sirius dusted himself off, moving to sit in the empty desk chair and propping his boots up on his friend's desk. "How's it going, Moony?"

Remus raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat. "What did you do?"

Sirius chuckled. "Why do you always assume I did something?"

"Because it's usually true."

He laughed. "All right, fair point, but in this case, I did nothing. I just came by to say hi. I'm feeling jittery."

Remus stared at his friend. "Jittery?"

He nodded. "I'll explain later. Right now, I'm keeping it close to the heart. You and Tonks still coming by on Saturday?"

"Yes. Harry's coming home, where else would we be?"

"Right, right," Sirius said, wiping his palms on his jeans.

"Padfoot, what's up with you?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, it can wait. I… it's a surprise. I'lll explain later. What'cha doing?"

"Marking second year papers on Cornish pixies."

"How boring," Sirius told him.

Remus grinned, still watching his friend carefully. "A little bit, I will say. How was Barbados? Did you and Zee have a great time?"

"Incredible time. We needed it. You and Tonks should go away soon, just the two of you. Use Potter's Paradise as well. It was isolated and we were alone with the hot weather and the beautiful beach. It's been much too long since we've had a weekend for sex and fun."

"Been much too long since I've had a weekend of sex myself," Remus admitted.

Sirius grinned. "Things not staying good with the missus?"

"If Nymphadora hears you call her the missus, I won't save you."

Sirius chuckled. "Zee and I had a great time. We explored the island and each other. She gave me those naughty sex biscuits for Valentine's Day and we were still using them up."

"Using them up, indeed, I thought Moody was going to have a coronary at the Order meeting. I couldn't figure out why his eye was twitching so badly until you knocked over your glass of wine. _You know_ that he can see through solid wood, right?"

Sirius grinned widely. "Hey, her hands found my cock all on their own accord. Besides, didn't Tonks blow you under your desk with McGonagall standing right in the doorway?"

Remus flushed. "Just the once."

He laughed. "Well, this was just the once, too. Though, I wouldn't mind if there happened to be a repeat performance. My woman's got wicked hands, though she's even better with her mouth. She rimmed me, Rem. Must say, that was new for me, and fuck me, I liked it."

Remus crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Are we sharing sex stories now? Did we go back to being teenagers?"

Sirius ignored him. "I'm just saying, I never really thought I would like something like that."

"Nymphadora uses her tongue quite well herself," Remus told him.

"So, you've had a tongue up the bum before then?"

Remus flushed a bit. "Merlin, Sirius, are we _really_ talking about this?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm curious. I mean, fuck me, Zee's mouth is wrapped around my cock at least once a week, but this was new, and fuck, she's good at everything."

"Part of the reason, you love her, isn't it?"

"One of many," he said with a smile. "But yeah, incredible sex is part of that."

"Look, Dora and I… yes, the sex is stupendous, and we've done quite a lot of naughty things, including a tongue in the bum, me and her. I love going down on her more than I like to do anything else and if I could spend fifty years with my tongue on and around her clit, I'd be a happy man."

"And with her mouth on your cock."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Just because my wife doesn't blow me as often as Zee does you, doesn't mean that I'm not a happy man, Padfoot. Plus, blow jobs are harder for her — huge cock, remember?"

Sirius gave him a rude hand gesture. "Bragging is rude."

"And what the fuck are you doing, eh?"

Sirius grinned at him. "I miss you, Moony."

Remus sighed. "Come to the cottage after five and we'll have a pint. Talk about something other than our cocks, maybe."

Sirius chuckled as he stood up. "Where's the fun in that? I'll see you later for that pint."

Remus watched him go and he shook his head. His best friend was a man of mystery and sometimes he couldn't quite figure him out. He checked his watch and grinned, but the talk had made him want something else. If he could time it right, his wife should be on her own lunch break right about now. He put his notes away and slipped into the fireplace to head to the Ministry.

He found his wife sitting in her cubicle ten minutes later, a half eaten sandwich on her desk, a quill behind her ear, and parchment spread everywhere. He ducked his head down to kiss her cheek and her eyes lit up.

"Hi!"

Remus kissed her cheek. "Bad time?"

She shook her head. "No, everyone is at some big head honcho conference meeting for the next thirty minutes or so. Higgins and I are trying to sneak our lunch in."

"Good," he said with a smile. "Take a quick break with me. Let's go for a walk."

Tonks raised her eyebrow, but nodded. She told Higgins she'd be back in fifteen before she let Remus lead her out of the office.

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," he told her, tugging her into the empty office on the left and closing the door.

"Remus, this is the office of the Assistant Head of the Auror Department," she whispered.

"I know," he told her, tugging her close to kiss her.

"Who is _at work_ today," she hissed carefully.

Remus glanced at his watch as he knelt down in front of her. "I know, at the conference meeting, you told me. Better hope that meeting lasts the extra thirty minutes or so," he said as he unzipped the leather trousers she wore.

"Remus," she hissed and then her head fell back as his fingers dipped into her knickers. "We can't…"

He pulled her trousers and knickers down and licked his lips. "I most certainly can."

And then his tongue was on her, licking her in long greedy strokes and Tonks was clutching his hair, gasping in pleasure. The smell of her, the taste of her… it was pure ecstasy and as he suckled her, he thought it was exactly the kind of break that they both needed.

~ ASC ~

 **Harry pulled Ginny into an empty classroom on the fifth floor of the castle on Saturday morning and let out a slow breath.** "Okay, the passage into Honeydukes is just behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy. I'll keep watch and let you go first and I'll follow you with my cloak, got it?"

Ginny stood on her toes and kissed him. "Got it."

Harry took her hand in his as they headed to the statue. He glanced down at the map in his hand and ensured that no one was coming before he tapped the statue and watched as it moved away from the wall, revealing the secret passage in the back.

Ginny ducked down behind the statue and into the passage and Harry took one more quick look around before he followed, closing the statue behind him. Ginny immediately linked her arm with his and led him down the passage.

"I'm excited for you to meet Finn," she told him. "I think between the two of us, we can get a good sense of him. Theo is so head over heels for him already."

Harry nodded. "It sounds like he's lucky to have him."

"He is," Ginny told him. "Anyone would be lucky to have Theo. I hope you don't mind that I offered the Italian restaurant as our location?"

Harry shook his head. "No, we said that we would share it with friends."

They talked about what they were going to order for lunch and Ginny filled him in on what Theo had told her so far about Finn.

"He seems happier from what I've noticed," Harry told her.

"I told him not to worry about Finn thinking less of him. He's just nervous about the new relationship and I think he deserves to be pampered. Finn wouldn't think him weak or anything about Macmillan, he's just taking things slow."

Harry shrugged. "It wouldn't make sense for him to, considering how he treated Macmillan, but I haven't met him yet, so I can't be sure."

Ginny only made an agreeable sound in response. They continued to walk hand in hand for another ten minutes before he spoke.

"I admit, I'm a little worried that someone is going to realize we left the castle…"

Ginny squeezed his hand and grinned mischievously up at him. "I'll protect you."

Harry saw the light up ahead from and he pinned her up against the stone, bending his head to kiss her. "My hero."

Ginny slid her hands over his back, moving lower until she slid them over his bum. She kept her eyes on his as her hands slid up his bum and back along his spine. "We still have thirty minutes until we have to meet Theo and Finn."

Harry lifted her, pleased when her legs wrapped around his waist as he leaned her into the wall. "It will only take us five minutes max to make it out of Honeydukes."

She grinned and nuzzled his neck, her lips trailing along his throat. "Plenty of time. I'm sure that we can think of _something_ to do in the meantime."

Then her lips were on his and he lost all track of what they were doing. Nothing else mattered except his hands on her and her hands on him. He slid her jumper up, letting his hands wander beneath it, cupping those breasts in his hands as his tongue danced with hers.

Ginny's teeth grazed his neck and he shivered at her touch, moaning softly, and when she tugged his jumper right over his head, he did nothing to protest it. Her legs were wrapped comfortably around his waist and he could feel the heat of her pulsing at his navel and he urged himself not to grind into her; to keep it together. But then she was ducking her head, her mouth wrapping around his left nipple. He moaned loudly.

The feel of her tongue swirling and flicking over the peak made his already hard cock twitch. One of her hands sat on his shoulder and the other rested just below his belly button, her thumb brushing the top of his jeans.

"Ginny…" he groaned.

Ginny merely lifted her head, her dark eyes meeting his. "Your skin tastes so good, Harry."

He gulped, his hips grinding against her. She sucked his nipple back into her mouth, her thumb tracing every line and groove of the other one, her fingernails tickling. Harry, not wanting to be outdone, lifted her jumper over her head and captured her lips with his.

He kissed her deeply, his hands cupping her breasts through her bra and vest, kneading them in his hands. He trailed down her neck, over her collarbone. His lips brushed against the edge of her top and she moaned. The sound tickled his senses and made his entire body shiver. The power Ginny had over him was astounding, and he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life kissing and touching her.

The tunnel was lit with bright flames all along the way and light crept out from the trapdoor above them that led to Honeydukes. But he only cared about seeing her, about touching her…

"We're going to be late," she murmured as his hand slid up her vest, running along the taut muscles of her stomach.

He didn't care about this lunch; he wanted to touch her.

Harry slowly slid her down the wall to her feet as he knelt before her. He lifted her vest higher so that he could nip at her hip. "You started it."

Ginny groaned as he lifted her top, his tongue trailing over her belly button. "I did... Merlin!"

His green eyes twinkled in delight. He'd felt her tremble under his tongue, the quivering of her stomach muscles sending a shock of lust through him and his cock twitched again. "You like that?"

He bent his head, his tongue slowly trailing over her belly button and below, dipping just slightly beneath the band of her trousers.

Ginny nodded, her hands in his hair. "Come up here."

Harry let her pull him to his feet, letting out a growl as she kissed him and then his eyes widened slightly when he felt her hands on his belt. "Ginny…"

Her eyes met his. "We can't leave you in this condition when we meet our friends now, can we?"

He visibly swallowed as she unzipped him and slid his jeans and then his boxers to the ground. His hard cock sprang free, the tip dripping, and he watched in amazement as she wrapped her small hands around his shaft. Her thumb brushed his tip, sliding the wet along him with her hand, slipping down to cup his sack, and he shuddered.

"Bloody hell…"

Ginny smiled seductively. "Am I doing it right?"

She started to pump him and he groaned, his head falling back to hit the wall.

"Fuck... yes."

He looked down at her hands, watching as they pumped him faster and he knew that he wouldn't last much longer. His eyes met hers, those chocolate orbs staring at him, so full of desire, and he bent his head to kiss her as he came, groaning against her mouth as his hips bucked against her. When he finished she was still holding his cock, and he kissed her again.

"That was so bloody amazing."

Ginny smiled at him. "I think I like doing that for you."

Harry held up his hand. "Accio wand." His wand flew up from the ground into his hand as Ginny goggled at him. He did a quick cleaning charm on himself and his girlfriend before he pulled his jeans up. "I didn't... you know that I don't expect you to take care of me like that…"

Ginny kisses his lips. "I wanted to."

Harry gently ran his thumb down her cheek. "You're brilliant."

Ginny kissed him again. "Zip up your jeans. Theo is going to think we got caught."

Harry did as he was told, wondering how soon he could get his hands on her again. He wanted to repay the favour, but more than that, he wanted to make her feel as good as he did. He remembered the sound she'd made when he'd been in her bed, when he'd stroked and sucked her nipples just the right way, and he wanted to hear her make that sound again. He ran a hand over his crotch and felt his cock twitch at just the memory despite having only just come moments before. _Down_ , he told himself.

He'd get that chance. He just had to be patient.

Harry opened the trap door, lifting his girlfriend to help her through and passing her his cloak. They'd just covered themselves when someone came down the stairs. Harry held an arm tightly around her waist as they edged up the stairs and into the shop. It wasn't until they'd made it to the alley that led to the restaurant that Harry pulled off his cloak.

Ginny saw Theo and Finn up ahead and waved excitedly.

"Ginny! Thank Merlin! I thought for sure that the two of you'd been caught!" Theo exclaimed, taking in the sight of their dishevelled clothing. "Ah, I see."

Ginny blushed and hugged him. "Shush!"

"So where is this restaurant anyway?" Theo asked.

"Just two more blocks this way," Harry told him, taking his girlfriend's hand in his. He smiled kindly at Finn. "Hi, I'm Harry."

"Finn," the fae replied, smiling. "It's nice to meet you. Hello, Ginny."

"Hi, Finn. I'm glad that we're doing this."

The four of them walked along and when they arrived at Mangia Italiano, the waitress smiled warmly. "Harry, Ginny! How wonderful to see you again! Ben tornato!"

She led them to a large round booth and Ginny and Theo both slid into the middle, allowing their boyfriends to sit next to them.

"So, Finn, I want to know _everything_."

Finn chuckled, his arm draping comfortably draping over Theo's shoulders. "He's perfect and he makes me very, very happy."

Theo blushed. "Not perfect…"

Ginny elbowed him lightly. "Take the compliment, he's infatuated!"

Finn's eyes met hers. "Theo told me about your family and how you welcomed him into your home. Thank you for being there for him. I have never really wished harm upon others before, but first with his father and then that disgusting twat who hurt him... I am so pleased that he has people to care for him."

"I am sitting right here, you know," Theo said conversationally.

Harry chuckled. "They don't care."

Ginny's hand found his and Harry squeezed it as the waitress brought them fizzy drinks and they placed their orders.

By the time the appetizers arrived, Ginny seemed content with Finn. They listened as he explained about Tara and what it was like in his world; how he could travel between worlds and parallel worlds, and how the time difference didn't bother him, but how it affected others. Finn explained more about the guard and Harry was fascinated with the way it all worked.

"Theo told me that you have two older brothers, are they in the guard too?" Ginny asked.

"Tiernan is, but he's not as fast as me and he likes to do the training for the new guard. He's the one who volunteered me to be the commander. As for Donal, he is working as the king's advisor, and plans to continue his role under Rosin when she becomes queen."

"Fascinating," Ginny said.

Harry was intrigued to know that Finn and his father were not the only fae interested in putting an end to Voldemort. The fae were not impressed with how the dark wizard was trying to throw his weight around and were looking forward to seeing an end to it.

By the time they finished their chicken parmesan, Ginny kissed Harry's cheek and told him that she and Theo were going to the loo. He watched her go, a soft smile on his lips.

"She is your cridhe agus anam."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked, turning his attention away from Ginny to look at Finn.

"The way you two look at each other; offer a touch or an exchange a glance... it's as if you're part of each other. She is your cridhe agus anam, your heart and soul."

Harry glanced over at where Ginny had disappeared through the door to the toilet and he grinned. "Yeah, yeah she is." He looked back at Finn. "And Theo? Is he your heart and soul?"

Finn smiled at him, his eyes twinkling. "He has my heart, but I don't think he knows it yet. Can we keep that between us?"

"Of course," Harry told him as the waitress came to refill their sodas. "Just don't break his heart, all right? My girlfriend will have your head."

Finn laughed. "I'll remember that."

Harry grinned back. Cridhe agus anam; he rather liked the sound of that.

~ ASC ~

 **Ginny tugged Theo into the toilet with her and closed the door.** "He's wonderful!"

Theo grinned and leaned back against the door. "Yeah, he is. You know, I don't think that I'm supposed to be in here, chick."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's fine."

Theo moved towards her and took her hand. "So, spill it."

"Spill what?"

He gave her a pointed look. "Tell me what kind of naughty things you and Potter were doing on your way over?"

"Nothing," Ginny exclaimed, her cheeks flushing.

"Ah-ha!" he declared triumphantly.

Her cheeks heated darker. "We... he... I was… giving him a knob job."

Theo's mouth dropped open. "No — fucking — way!"

She shrugged. "And… I rather liked it."

He laughed and put an arm over her shoulders. "Was it the first?"

"Second," she admitted. "I didn't really know what to do, but he seemed to like it when I... you know, tugged and pumped him. I used both hands because one wasn't really…"

Theo grinned widely. "He's totally hung, isn't he?"

"I'm not answering that!"

"Spoilsport! So... did he show you what he liked?"

"Kind of," she admitted. "It seemed easy enough."

Theo kissed her cheek noisily. "Those two can wait for us. I have some wisdom to bestow upon you."

"Wisdom?"

Theo nodded. "I'm going to give you some pointers on giving him the best head of his life."

Ginny blushed. "Er…"

"Yes or no?"

Ginny stared at him a moment before she let out a slow breath and nodded. Just because she wasn't ready to go that far didn't mean she couldn't benefit by knowing how to when she was. She looked into her friend's twinkling eyes and bit her bottom lip. "Yes."

He grinned. "That's my girl. Okay, so…"

~ ASC ~

 **Sirius jumped to his feet when McGonagall came in through the Floo for tea on Wednesday afternoon.** He hugged her when she came in and she returned it in surprise.

"Well, hello to you too, Sirius. Everything all right? You never ask me to come over in the middle of the week?"

"Fine, fine — great even."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What have you done?"

"Minnie! Are you accusing me of something?"

McGonagall only continued to stare at him. "I'm not sure yet."

He grinned widely and urged her to take a seat as he called Kreacher in to serve tea.

"Where's Zahira?"

"She had to work late for something with the Aqua Protectors and I wanted to talk to you alone anyway."

McGonagall nodded, watching as he tapped his fingers beside him, his leg jumping to the beat. "Honestly, Sirius, you look like you're ready to burst! What's going on?"

He grinned at her and then he reached into his pocket for the ring box, turning it over in his hand. "I'm gonna ask her, Minnie. I'm ready."

McGonagall's eyes fell to the box and they widened. "Is that what I think it is?"

Sirius bit his bottom lip. "Harry and I picked it out; designed it just for her." He flipped the lid and the ring sparkled up at her. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful," McGonagall said, taking the box from Sirius to examine the ring. "The star shape is breathtaking. She's going to love it."

"Yeah?"

McGonagall smiled. "When it's the right person, Sirius, the ring doesn't matter. You could give her a fifty thousand Galleon diamond or two Knut joke ring… it's the question you're asking her that's important."

"She might be mad if I gave her a joke ring," he said, smiling sheepishly. "I just want the ring to be perfect. She's… I never expected her. There was something there from the beginning and I… need her. Harry needs her. I can't imagine our lives without her. I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy. I never thought that I would marry, and here I am trying to work up the courage to propose."

"When are you going to ask her?"

"Friday," he said, blowing his hair out of his face. "After I pick up Harry. I want us to do it together, kind of. I mean — I'm going to do it — but I want him there. Her birthday's a few days after the holiday and it just seemed like the perfect time."

"Two days away. Are you nervous?"

"Yeah," he said, letting out a long breath, his eyes on hers. "I almost told Remus, but… I want to surprise him with the news. Zee and I… we've talked about it, getting married that is, and we both said that we weren't ready but… I am now and… what if she's not?"

McGonagall reached out to touch his arm. "She's ready. You both are basically married as it is. Are you worried that she won't say yes?"

Sirius let out a slow breath. "No, I'm worried that I'm going to make a fool out of myself trying to say the words."

McGonagall chuckled, patting his hand. "You'll be fine."

Sirius felt rather reassured by her words. "Minnie, I'd like…" he let out a slow breath. "If — no, _when_ she says yes. Will you stand with me where Fee would have been?"

Tears welled up in McGonagall's eyes. "Oh!"

Sirius kissed her cheek. "You're family, Minnie."

McGonagall hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek in turn. "Wild hippogriffs couldn't keep me away."

Sirius closed the ring box and slipped it into his pocket as he smiled at her. "Good. So, when you come for tea on Sunday, act surprised when you see the ring, yeah?"

McGonagall chuckled at him as he poured her more tea. "I will."

~ ASC ~

 **McGonagall was just leaving when Zee returned home.** She waved goodbye as the professor disappeared into the Floo and she stepped out of her shoes, moving to curl into her boyfriend's lap and kiss him deeply.

"Hi," she said, her lips moving over his neck.

"Hi," he said back, grinning when she tugged his tee shirt up. "Miss me?"

"Desperately," she told him, tossing the tee shirt over the sofa and ignoring her panther's growl as she stormed off and out of the room as if they'd personally offended her.

Sirius put his hands on Zee's waist and kissed her. "You don't have to ask me twice."

He tugged her blouse off and unhooked her bra as she groaned. "It's my fault… I accidentally walked into the breeding section of the menagerie and the pheromone levels… the magizoologists had increased the levels to make the animals want to breed and walking in there is so… toxic, like falling into a pit of amorentia and lust potion combined… it made me want to come home and shag you."

Sirius pushed up her skirt, cupping her through her knickers. "I always want to bloody shag you."

Then she was unbuckling his belt and pulling him free. He only groaned as she pushed her knickers aside and sheathed herself around him in one quick motion. He grabbed his wand and vanished her knickers and skirt altogether as she began to ride him hard and fast. She was already so wet and he knew that she was close. He pushed her back, tipping her torso so that she was hanging backwards as she rode him, allowing him to go deeper, to have a better view of those bouncing tits and he swore, holding her tighter as she moved.

He felt her clenching around him and he pressed his finger over her and within a few strokes she was crying out, wildly bucking against him. He soon followed her over, coming hard and fast. He pulled her up, staying nestled inside of her as he nuzzled her breasts.

"You should always come home like this."

Zee made a _mmm_ sound against him. "Who says I won't?"

He chuckled and kissed her neck. "What do you want to do tonight? The weather's nice, want to go for a bike ride?"

Zee's mouth nipped at his earlobe, down his throat and over his collarbone. "I want to ride you."

Sirius' cock twitched inside of her and he felt her lips curl against his throat. "Well, that can be arranged."

Zee kissed his chest, running her tongue over his nipples, tracing his tattoos with her fingers. "I want you to ride me hard from every angle, on every surface, and then I want to tie you to the bed and ride you again."

Sirius groaned, his cock rising to her words. "You'll be the death of me."

Zee kissed his throat, sliding her hands down his back and lower, her fingers teasing the top of his bum. "I promise you'll die happy."

Sirius grinned and kissed her, slipping out of her as he stood. She moaned and shimmied back up his body, pulling his cock back into her and he barely made it to the bannister of the stairs before she was riding him again. "Merlin's balls!"

"No," she panted. " _Your_ balls."

And then his jeans were at his ankles and her fingers were wrapped around his shaft as she rode him and he thought about the ring in the pocket of his jeans… the one he was going to give her this Friday. The thought made him even more desperate for her. He pulled her down to her knees, positioning her over the stairs until she was on all fours as he kicked off his jeans, and then he moved himself behind her and slid into her.

Zee moaned, one hand holding the step in front of her while the other fondled her breast. "Touch me, Sirius!"

Sirius' fingers slid around and into that wet heat as he thrust into her, and when his fingers brushed her clit, she cried out his name in a desperate mantra over and over and over again.

"Yes! Yes, Siri, yes! Fuck — yes!"

Sirius gripped her waist tighter with his free hand and thrust harder, and when she came, her hands slammed down on the steps in front of her. She turned her head, her face flushed from pleasure and smiled coyly at him.

"Come."

The word was all it took and he gripped her hips as he pumped himself into her, coming hard and long as he groaned. As he finally finished, she pushed him back, sitting back on his lap, his limp cock slipping out of her and she kissed him.

"I love you."

Sirius kissed her lips. "I love you. Are you sated now, wench?"

Zee ran her hands up his chest as he fell back against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. "For now."

He moaned as she nibbled on his neck. "I need time to recover, woman."

Zee continued to nibble on his neck. "You will." She kissed his lips once and then smiled widely at him. "I'll make us something for dinner. After we eat, I'm going to ride you again."

Sirius watched her jump up and head into the kitchen and he lay there, sprawled naked at the bottom of the stairs, and wondered what else she had in store for him. She was amazing, and he couldn't wait to ask her to marry him. He couldn't wait to have her as his wife.

But before that could happen, he just needed to have a little nap, and this seemed just the place. He eyed the couch, but couldn't muster the energy to stand and Sirius woke a little while later to the smell of dinner. He turned his cramped neck as he climbed to his feet, regretting his decision to not move to the couch when he stood. He pulled his jeans on before he made his way into the kitchen. He noted that Zee was wearing knickers and his tee shirt.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. "You're incredible."

Zee placed her arms over his. "How was your nap?"

"Needed," he told her with a chuckle. "I hardly expected to be shagged with an inch of my life the moment you walked through the front door."

Zee turned in his arms, her hands sliding up his naked back. "You should. You know how much I crave you."

"What's up with you tonight?" he asked, nipping at her lips. "Not that I'm complaining, but you are quite the little horny wench."

Zee smiled. "I told you, I was infected by some pheromones and it made me a little… needy." She took his hand and slid it into her knickers and he found her dripping again.

"Merlin…" he murmured, sliding to his knees.

"Mmm," she moaned as he slid her knickers down. "Yes, Siri…"

Sirius used a finger and she cried out. "Babe, you are a sensitive mess." He didn't wait for her to respond, he simply used his mouth.

Her fingers clenched his hair desperately as he sucked on her clit, rolling the nub around his tongue, and it didn't take long for her to come. She rocked herself against him, moaning until he stood up and kissed her.

"I think that you said something about dinner?"

Zee let out a breathy gasp as she held the counter for support. "I think you already ate."

He grinned and nipped at her mouth. "Nah, that was an appetizer. I need real sustenance if we're going to pick up where we left off."

She chuckled against his mouth and nodded. It wasn't long before they were eating the chicken and vegetables she had prepared while he snoozed and Zee was telling him about the animals in the menageries.

"You said that they were breeding?"

"The kelpies are in heat and so are the Kneazles. You can't go anywhere in there without feeling the wave of their tension. The breeders use a mix of amorentia and lust potion and release it into the air which increase their pheromone levels and their desire to mate. However, I missed the memo about it happening today and inhaled a bit of it myself as I was leaving. But I have you home to help me with that problem."

Sirius took a drink of his wine. "Always."

"So, what was Minerva doing here? You don't normally have tea in the middle of the week."

Sirius shrugged. "She wanted to talk to me about something and I invited her over for tea."

"Anything important?"

"Er, no."

Zee raised an eyebrow. "Liar."

He grinned. "Not important at this moment, but I'll fill you in when I can."

Zee smiled. "I can live with that."

She finished her wine and stood up, holding out her hand. "We can clean this up later. Let's go to our bedroom."

Sirius stared at her. "How long do these pheromone things last exactly?"

Zee pulled him to his feet and gripped his bum tightly in her hands. "Oh, they've been known to last all night. Now come on, I'm going to tie you up and use you terribly."

Sirius followed her up the stairs, practically panting as he undressed on her command and when she tied his wrists to the headboard and then his feet to the end of the bed, he simply watched her. "Take off that shirt, I want to watch those tits bounce if I can't touch them."

Zee stripped before him and straddled him, sitting on his stomach. "Like this?"

She bounced up and down a little and her tits followed suit making him groan and she smiled, sliding down his body to fondle his quickly growing erection.

And when she lowered herself onto him, all he could do was groan and clench his hands. She was the sexiest sight he had ever seen.

And he couldn't wait to marry her.

~ ASC ~

 **Two days later, it was finally the Easter weekend and Harry was more than anxious to go home.** Ginny and Ron were heading home for the weekend as well because Charlie was down for a whole week. By the time Sirius met him in the entrance hall, Harry thought that no matter how anxious he was, he could see that his father was way worse.

"You haven't caved yet?"

"Listen, smart arse, I said that I wanted you there and I do. Now let's go! If we're lucky, she'll still be at work."

Harry didn't question what his father meant by that as they headed to the bridge to Apparate home.

When they stepped into the cottage, Harry ran his bag upstairs and then went into his parents' room to get the ring from the vault. He saw the box sitting there and he smiled, putting it in his pocket before he closed the vault and went back downstairs. Sirius was pacing the living room as Harry plopped down onto the sofa.

"I've got the ring."

Sirius nodded. "Okay, so she should be home within the hour. I know that she was aiming to be here before six since you were coming home tonight. I've got the flowers in the sunroom, we just need to set them up."

"Why don't you just propose in there?"

Sirius let out a slow breath. "Look, I'm still working on how I'm going to get the words out straight."

Harry grinned at him. "Zee, will you marry me? Easy!"

Sirius only shot up two fingers in response.

Harry jumped up and made his way into the sunroom, surprised to find five different bouquets of flowers. "Wow!"

"I know," Sirius said. "It's a lot, but I spoke to the florist at The Potterer and he said that there's a certain type of flower that represents each anniversary. I thought, Zee and I have been together five years - four technically if you want to base it on when we admitted we were actually dating - but five years overall. So carnations for a first year anniversary," he said pointing to the pink and white flowers on the right. "Then cosmos for second," he continued. The cosmos sat in bright fuchsia next to the carnations. "Third is by the window, sunflowers, and then here on my side is four years, which is geraniums and lastly," he said pointing to the bright pink and purple flowers on the left. "Daisies for five years."

"She's going to love it, Uncle Padfoot, honest."

Sirius nodded. "Let me see the ring again."

Harry dug the box out of his pocket and flicked open the lid. The beautiful cathedral halo-star diamond glittered brightly under the lights.

"It really is perfect, isn't it?"

Harry grinned. "Definitely."

Sirius let out a slow breath again. "Fill the room in candlelight... perfect!" he said as Harry did just that making the room illuminate just so. He went to the table by the windows and opened the wine, pouring three glasses just as the front door opened.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, putting the wine bottle down.

Harry laughed as he heard Zee's voice.

"Harry, you here? Sirius?"

"In the sunroom, Zee!" Harry called out, closing the ring box in his hand and hiding it behind his back.

Zee stepped into the sunroom, smiling at the candles as Lady Godiva prowled over to greet Harry. "How charming!" She moved towards Harry, tugging his face down to kiss his cheeks. "Look at you! So handsome! You grew again!"

He blushed as the panther stretched out in front of the windows, but he hugged her tight, loving how she mothered him. "Hi, Zee."

Zee turned to look at Sirius, her eyes finding the flowers and the glass of wine in his hand. "Flowers? What's the occasion?" She accepted the wine glass before she kissed him softly. "Geraniums! Oh, daisies! Sunflowers!" She mooned about the room, burying her face in each bouquet. "They're beautiful! What's the occasion?" Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "What did you boys do?"

Sirius grinned. "Nothing. Do we need an occasion for flowers?" At her look, he shrugged. "You're the occasion then."

Zee merely lifted an eyebrow. " _I'm_ the occasion? What does that mean? What did you boys do?"

Sirius moved towards her. "You deserve the romance and the flowers, the candlelight and the wine... I don't give it to you as much as I should."

"You always give me enough," she told him, smiling at him.

"I want to give you more. I love you. I can't imagine my life without you. I don't want to have a life without you. You are everything to me; to Harry — to us. I want to make it official. Marry me."

Zee stared at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "What? Be serious."

"I am Sirius, Sirius Black."

She rolled her eyes at his joke. "No, you... you said that you weren't ready yet… we… Harry, _is he kidding_?" She turned back to Sirius, her eyes wide. "Are you kidding?"

"Nah, not even a little. Let's do it, Zee, let's get married."

Harry opened the ring box as he spoke. "Zee, he's totally serious, I mean, he did buy this and all."

Zee gasped. "You have a… oh my… is that an engagement ring?" She whipped her eyes back to Sirius and they widened even more when she saw that he was down on one knee. "Siri..."

Sirius took the ring from Harry and held it in the palm of his hand. "I love you, Zahira. I want to be your husband. Harry wants to be your son. Wanna stop living in sin and do this thing already?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed. "Yes! Yes! A million times, yes!"

Sirius slipped the ring on her finger before Zee gripped both of them, hugging them tightly to her.

"You daft boys! You are my son, sweetie! And you — you're my husband in my eyes already, I don't need a ring to make it real! I love you both more than life!"

Harry kissed her cheek. "I love you, too. But that ring looks damn good on you."

She smirked as she looked down at the ring, really taking it in. "Merlin! I can take someone out with this thing!"

Sirius picked her up and spun her around, kissing her deeply. "It's a star, to remind you that you're marrying one."

"Oh, brother," Harry muttered.

Sirius shot him a look before he turned back to Zee. "I had it engraved. Look inside the band."

She gave him a look before she slid the ring off her finger to look at the engraving inside, reading it aloud before she smacked him in the arm. "You prat!"

He grinned and kissed her. "It's perfect, right? I do really love to shag you as much as I love you."

Zee slid the ring back onto her finger and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're perfect. This was perfect. I love you."

Sirius bent to kiss her again, once, twice, before he waved Harry off. "Go away, Prongslet."

"Mmm... no!" Zee exclaimed wiggling out of his grasp. "Harry, stay! We need to have a celebration dinner! I'm going to be Zahira Black."

"If you want," Sirius told her. "I could be Sirius Zacarias if you'd like as well."

Her eyes filled up with tears again and she hugged him tightly. "Every time I think I can't possibly love you more!" She kissed him deeply and long and then she rested her cheek against his chest. "Zacarias-Black. Thats who I want to be. Thats who I am in my heart."

Sirius held her close and grinned at Harry. "Grab the wine. We've got some celebrating to do."

* * *

 _End Author's Notes:_

 _(Italian) Ben tornato = welcome back_

 _(Gaelic) cridhe agus anam = heart and soul_

 _Some of my tumblr questions and responses:_

 _Q: What made you decide to keep Althea around after she and Sirius ended their presumably friends with benefits relationship? Is she like a recurring/supporting character?_

 _A: Well, originally I knew that she was basically just an excuse for Sirius to get laid, but I liked the way that he used her as a sounding board, the way she gave advice — and I thought, she's a great friend, why should he lose that? Then Xander came to me and I knew exactly why I was keeping her around._

 _Q: Why did Ginny kiss Harry right when they first met?_

 _A: Because she was four and adorable. It's how my friends daughter meets people and I think it's so cute! When you introduce her to other kids she's like you're great! When she saw the dog belonged to him, and realized who he was and his story her first thoughts are he lost his mummy and daddy let me show him he's loved because she has a kind soul. Plus isn't it just cute to think they shared their first kiss in such a sweet and innocent way?_

 _Q: So if you're putting George/Angelina together in ASC does that mean Fred's gonna...ya know?_

 _A: I am not going to reveal which characters are going to die. There will be character death — some the same as the books, some not. You will have to see. Some things I can't reveal, sometimes there's too many spoilers._

 _Q: I know you said you see Harry as Daniel Radcliffe in POA, but is that how you see him at just 13 or how he looks currently in the story?_

 _A: That's how he looked at that point in the story. which was third year — I see Harry the way blvnk-art draws him. Her work is incredible and that is how I picture both Harry & Ginny._

 _Q: As of the latest chapter posted (214?), how strong is Harry? How do you think he will fare against most of his common foes?_

 _A: I think he's powerful and more than capable of holding his own, but he's not super powerful. He just has more knowledge than he did in the books, more spells and tricks at his disposal. Not to mention a second wand and the beginning of sword fighting skills. He's learning how to be a very powerful wizard, but right now he's just an almost sixteen-year-old-student._

 _Q: Since your fic includes gay characters and gay sex (which I 100% support), is it too late for any lesbian characters to make an appearance?_

 _A: I have mentioned a few lesbian characters in passing (some of the international guests who were at the Yule Ball), but my thing with introducing characters is that I have to have an attachment to them and at this moment, there is no female characters that I imagine as a lesbian that I like enough to write about. If I don't have that attachment, I can't write the characters. Hope this answers your question!_

 _Q: I love how you punished Ernie for what he did to Theo. But don't you think that the way you have portrayed Ernie is quite Anti-Hufflepuff?_

 _A: Yes, and no. I always saw Ernie as a bit of pompous arse, quick to accuse, quick to gossip. I never liked his character so I chose him for that reason. But I also chose him because the point I wanted to make is that everyone is capable of doing something horrible; not everyone is a good person, and just because Ernie was in Hufflepuff, doesn't mean that Hufflepuff House can't have a bad seed. It's the same concept that Sirius came from a family of dark wizards, but was chosen for Gryffindor. Whereas Peter was a Gryffindor and betrayed his friends. Just because you've been chosen for Slytherin House doesn't mean that you're automatically evil and just because you're chosen for Hufflepuff doesn't mean you're immediately friendly and good. He had good qualities. In the books when he realized he was wrong, he apologized, but again I just didn't like his character. He was a good student, he was made a prefect, he had friends who he was loyal too (worried about Justin being attacked in CofS), a girlfriend – and in his mind, he wasn't doing anything wrong. Theo was gay so having him go down on him wasn't something he would dislike, so it seemed fine to ask him to do so. As to the violence aspect, I think it came from the fact that it wasn't as easy as Ernie had originally thought it would be and now that he was challenged by Theo, he couldn't back down. I do think once he started to hit him, he found he enjoyed it, and it escalated from there, but I don't think Ernie intentionally set out to harm Theo in the beginning. He just wanted a bj and couldn't see the harm in asking a gay school mate to do it for him. Was his logic wrong – absolutely! But, in the beginning, he didn't see it that way. He saw it as a means to an end, oh this boy likes to suck dick, I want my dick sucked, here's a solution. But when he was denied, it made him angry and like I said, I think it escalated from there. Did he know it was wrong? I think he did, but at this point he was dedicated to his task and like I said – not every single person in every single house 100% has every quality of that house. There are bad seeds everywhere._

 _Q: I absolutely love your fic. You write so well. I was just wondering I know over 200 chapters is overwhelming but a feat to be proud of and I know you aren't going to drop any spoilers but are you able to say if you plan on continuing after the seven books? Or is it just going to end like in canon. You're over 200 chapters already and that is overwhelming but it's so addicting and I know a lot of us are going to be sad when it's over_

 _A: When the war is over, I plan for the story to be over, however that doesn't mean that I won't add some epilogues and time jumps to give us a little glimpse into the future. I love writing this story and I will never say never. As to spoilers — I don't mind giving out a few, just not huge ones such as character deaths. Some things need to remain a mystery, I think._

 _Q: Is Zee Russian? For a while I'd mistook her as Bulgarian_

 _A: Zee is what I like to think of as a mix. Her father Misha is Russian, but her mother Magnolia was American. Her American grandparents are Colt (Muggle) and Flo (witch). Then after Magnolia died, Misha married Sorcha, who is Scottish. She can speak Russian, French, Mermish, and Gaelic._

 _Q: Would you give us a basic species specialities in your ASC universe? Basically a list of all major sentient species you have introduced into the mainstream storyline such as Far, Werewolves, Centeurs, Mermaids etc., and what are their specialities line healing for Far you mentioned that differentiates them from humans._

 _A: What a great question! I can answer it partly, but also some of it I am still exploring myself as I write A Second Chance._

 ** _Fae_** _– they are fairies. In my world, they look exactly like humans, but their eyes are a deeper colour (greener, bluer, purpler, etc.). They have slightly pointed ears and their powers are derived more from nature itself. They are faster and more powerful than witches and wizards on the average spell-work, but witches and wizards have more power over all. As to healing, I think of them as having a fast metabolism, so they heal quickly, and have the power to draw energy from nature which they can use it to heal others, drawing the power from themselves as well if needed. They are warriors and scholars and like house elves have extraordinary power (like Apparating longer distances into any place they want despite any wards that may have been put into place). This is part of the reason why they have been outcast and rejected by witches and wizards who fear them and see them as a threat. They are taught magic wandlessly, but do use things like swords, staffs, and other magical items to help channel their powers._

 ** _Werewolves_** _– I think of them as two varieties 1) the wolf and 2) the werewolf. The Wolf is someone born with the ability to shape-shift into a wolf sometime after they hit puberty. Puberty to them is the time when they begin to shift and then have the ability to transform from human to wolf at any time they choose, but are most powerful during the full moon. As adults they become strong, muscular, and big usually quite tall as well, even the women are usually tall and toned. Wolves have dog-like hearing, amazing eyesight at night, an incredible sense of smell, incredible speed and stamina, and the powers of the witch and wizard on top of it, whether they are transformed or not. A Werewolf is someone who was bitten by a wolf, whether someone born a wolf or a werewolf themselves. The difference is that they are forced to transform during the full moon (I always liked the Whedon mythology of 3 nights: before, during, and after the full moon). However, I believe werewolves have the same skills as a wolf, but some things like incredible speed are only accurate when they are directly in the wolf form. But, as wolves, the Ministry of Magic has denied them the ability to learn magic the way they should be taught, which is where Remus is the exception and the new laws are taking place to teach them the way they should be. But werewolves still pertain the same qualities as humans (not in wolf form): Keen sense of smell, amazing hearing, incredible stamina, etc. along with the often craving of fresh meat which is usually sufficed by eating medium-rare to rare steaks closer to the moon. A desire to hunt when in the wolf form is normal, but only those with a need for power like Greyback would ever intentionally set out to hurt others._

 ** _Mermaids_** _– warriors. They are half-human and half-fish, ability to walk on land with legs for short periods of time, but must always be close to water. Magical powers through channeling of power through items like staffs or tridents. Ability to speak to underwater creatures and control and train them to do as they like much like humans can do with dogs and other animals. They are intelligent and proud; treasure hunters and protectors. They can create and travel through portals in the water, moving into any large body of water they see fit. They can create their own wards and protection, but are no match for witches or wizards who want to break through them. They have constantly been taken advantage of throughout history, their treasures and power stolen over the years, which makes them extremely untrustworthy of witches and wizards._

 ** _Centaurs_** _– I haven't really put much thought into centaurs, but I guess I think of them the same as JKR has made them. Strong, prophetic astronomers who keep to themselves, but if forced to fight, are warriors and can fight if necessary._

 ** _House Elves_** _– like fairies they can go wherever or whenever they want to, though ideally they must listen to their masters. When they bind themselves to a witch or wizard, they can connect to their magic helping them find their witch or wizard at any given time. The magic is what connects them so, one only needs to say the name of the elf, and they will appear, having heard it as if the person were standing next to them. They have strong magic, excellent at Charm work and incredibly powerful defenders when provoked._

 ** _Vampires_** _– as a Whedon fan since I was 11 and a certain blonde-haired sarcastic pun-giving slayer entered my life, I see them as human looking with demonic roots, ability to hide their demon face until they are ready to feed. However, I believe that vampires can mate with witches or wizards and produce normal magical children who are not vampires, but, if a vampire were to mate with a Muggle, the child would most likely be demonic as the magical blood would not be present to say otherwise. Vampires are fast, strong, and dangerous when provoked, excellent hunters, but most just want to live in peace and feed as necessary, not looking to kill. I also love the Dracula-inspired mythology of how they can put one in a trance, feed upon someone and make them believe it to be an erotic dream. But most of my vampire mythology comes from a mix of Whedon and Shayne, the first real vampire-related concepts I took interest in._

 _Thanks to everyone who asked questions and feel free to ask more._

 _Thanks as always and please review!_


	216. Chapter 216

_Author's Note:_

 _Reviews and comments: It's nice to know that most of you enjoyed my little surprise of George returning to Hogwarts (thanks Saz) and the couple-filled moments. To DetroitNate: I posted it on my tumblr, all of my OCs, and who they are. Thanks for all of the lovely comments, I was excited to finally share the proposal with you all. I wanted Harry to be there, but I wanted Sirius to be the one to propose and for Zee to kind of think it was a joke until she realized Harry was in on it and it was very, very real. I felt like it was perfect for them as Sirius isn't really a romantic bloke._

 _Some people have been complaining about the gay scenes in this story and frankly, it has inspired me to write more gay smut LOL. So, warning, if you don't want to read it — skip it. Smut ahead._

 _My posting schedule: Once a week._

 _Thanks to Dusk for her awesome editing skills!_

 _As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!_

 _Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN:**

 **After they had their celebration dinner, Zee spent over an hour on the phone calling her parents in Russia and then her grandparents in Georgia.** She wrote a letter to her grandparents in Scotland to tell them and sent it off with Persephone, beaming at her boys.

"Why didn't you just send them all a Patronus?" Harry asked. "Well, except for Grandma and Grandpa, I don't think a Patronus can go that far, but to Scotland would be no problem."

"I've never been very good at casting them," she admitted.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't realized that all the times he'd seen Remus, Sirius, and Tonks send Patronuses as communication guides, he had never once seen Zee's.

"I can teach you," he offered.

Zee smiled. "People have tried. I just can't seem to master it."

"Let me try. Uncle Rem was a great teacher. He's going to be showing the Defence Club how to perform them coming up soon."

Zee pulled her wand out and nodded. "Okay, but if I don't get it, it's not you, okay?"

Harry led her into the sunroom where Sirius was flipping through a motorbike magazine. "Go away, Uncle Siri, I'm going to teach Zee some new spell work."

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "Um, no… you wouldn't leave when I wanted to teach Zee something earlier."

Zee rolled her eyes. "You mean when you wanted to abandon our son, who had just returned home for the holiday weekend, to go upstairs and shag?"

"Same thing," Sirius said, making her laugh.

She bent over the back of the chair to kiss him. "Harry says that he's going to teach me how to make a Patronus. You'll distract me."

Sirius slipped his fingers into her hair to hold her in place so that he could kiss her again. "Just remember your happy memory is all the things we did together in Barbados."

Zee blushed. "See! Distracting!"

Sirius kissed her again before he stood up. "Fine, I'll be banished. I'm going to take one of the bikes out for a ride. Be back in about an hour."

Harry and Zee said goodbye as Sirius headed out into the garden before Harry turned to Zee. "You know the concept of it, that you have to have a really happy memory in place for it work?"

"Yes," Zee told him. "I have lots of those, but I have a hard time focusing on just one."

"It has to be _really_ happy," Harry stressed. "Like, the happiest you've ever felt in your life. I first tried to use stupid stuff like asking Cho out and that didn't work. Then I realized my happiest memory was when I realized that this was my home; that Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony were my dads, my family; that I was loved. That was my moment."

Zee smiled at him. "That's a great memory to have. Okay, happy memory… happy memory…"

Harry waited for her, smiling as she bounced from foot to foot while she thought. Her eyes fell on the ring on her hand and she bit her bottom lip. "I don't think I've ever felt happier than I have tonight."

"Good," Harry said, raising his wand. "The incantation is 'Expecto Patronum'."

Zee nodded. "Expecto Patronum, got it."

"You have to focus on the memory, Zee, that's what's important. Not the spell or the incantation, but the memory. You have to immerse yourself in the happiness."

Zee nodded again, raising her wand. "Right."

Twenty minutes later, a sleek silver panther danced around the room.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise and the panther flickered out.

Harry grinned at her. "You had it! Try it again and remember, keep the memory!"

When the panther appeared again, it glowed a little stronger, flickering around the room, dancing in front of the windows and Zee was beaming as Lady Godiva merely stared at it as if she were bored.

"I think I've got it," she exclaimed in excitement as they watched the panther dance around the room.

Harry grinned back at her. "I think you're right. Of course, performing one in front of a Dementor is quite different, but you can do it."

Zee holstered her wand and tugged his face down to kiss his cheek. "I love you, Harry."

Harry hugged her tightly, cradling her small form in his arms. "I love you, too."

And he knew that he could produce a great Patronus himself right about now.

~ ASC ~

 **Remus had a book open in his lap that Friday evening, but he wasn't taking anything in from it.** Tonks had been called back into work again and he was worried about the reason for it. Since the attack on Piccadilly, the Death Eaters were believed to be behind two more seemingly random terrorist attacks: One on Westminster Abbey and the second on Parliament, specifically on Big Ben. The British Government was in an uproar and Remus knew that Madam Bones was doing what she could do to assist the Prime Minister in damage control. The amount of memory charms being used as of late was well into the hundreds.

Neither building had been too badly damaged and the Ministry of Magic had managed to intervene and fix it before the Muggles became too suspicious, but it was the scare tactic and the injuries to the Muggles that were causing the problems. Another twenty people were dead between the two attacks, all innocent bystanders.

Tonks had been working twenty-hour days six days a week, and she was hardly the only one. She'd lost weight and Remus was starting to worry about her and the lack of sleep and rest that she was getting. He knew how important it was for the Aurors to be out there and working on the case, trying to make sure that everyone was kept safe, but she needed to be well enough to do that herself.

The front door opened and Remus jumped to his feet, tossing the book on the table as his wife stumbled in. He barely gave her time to close the door before he scooped her up into his arms and slipped her shoes off. Tonks didn't even say a word, she just cuddled into him as he carried her into the bathroom. He sat her on the toilet and filled the tub before he undressed her and then himself. He urged her to step into the tub and he slipped in behind her, pulling her back against him and kissing the side of her neck.

She let out a sigh as she rested against his chest. "Thank you."

Remus kissed her cheek. "I'm starting to worry about you, Nymphadora."

"I know… but with all of these attacks… the DMLE is really short-handed and King wants —"

"— Fuck King," Remus said, holding her tighter against him. He rested his hand over her stomach. "You've been losing weight. You're exhausted. It's the holiday weekend and you're not going in."

"We have that meeting tomorrow —"

"— You're calling in sick."

"Remus," she said, turning her head to look at him. "I love you, but this is my job."

"It is your job and you're damn good at it so, I won't let you burn yourself out and get yourself hurt because you aren't capable of doing your damn job!"

Tonks kissed him. "Two hours. I just have that meeting with the Muggle Police about the attack on Parliament and then I'll come home."

Remus stared at her. "Not a minute longer or I will come get you myself."

"I'm sorry to make you worry."

"Nymphadora, I know how good you are at your job. You're a great Auror. But you have to take care of yourself first or you won't be any good to anyone."

She kissed him again. "The meeting isn't until ten tomorrow. I'll be home no later than half past twelve, I promise. I know that we made plans to do lunch with Harry, Sirius, and Zee tomorrow."

"We did, and Molly and Arthur invited us to the Burrow for dinner. I was thinking that we could stop by Hogwarts in the morning and grab Ginny, then surprise Harry with bringing her by the cottage."

"She didn't go home for the holiday?"

"Molly and Arthur were going to France to meet Fleur's family for dinner and won't be back until this morning; her kids were staying at school until tomorrow night."

"Meeting the parents. Bill must be getting serious."

Remus smiled. "I think he's very serious. Anyway, what do you think? We'll bring Ginny over before you go to the Ministry?"

Tonks kissed him. "Okay."

Remus gently massaged her shoulders as she moaned in contentment. "Good. Now, you relax in here. I'm going to make you a plate of food and you will eat every single bite and then I'm going to tuck you into our bed. You need to sleep, Dora."

"Will you come to bed with me?" she asked, her hand slipping around him.

"You need to rest," he said, trying not to let her distract him as her hand grew busier under the bubbles.

Tonks grinned up at him. "I'm suddenly feeling very awake."

Remus smiled at her. "I can see that."

When she turned to straddle him in the tub, he only held her, and when he emptied himself, she followed him over the edge, burying her face in the crook of his neck and curling into him like a contented cat. Remus kissed her as he caught his breath and then he carefully disentangled himself from her, leaving her in the tub.

"Wash up and get comfortable, I'm going to get you some food."

Tonks smiled happily up at him as she sunk her body deep into the water. He knew that she was going to be all right. He just wished that he could stop himself from worrying so damn much about her.

~ ASC ~

 **Theo waited patiently for Kiki to show up that Friday afternoon.** When he saw his house elf appear in the entrance hall, he nodded to Snape and adjusted the bag on his shoulder. It was only a few moments before she took his hand and Disapparated them to Norfolk Manor. Since the Easter holiday usually didn't have too many students going home (as it was only for two nights), Theo was allowed to simply Apparate home — or in his case, have his house elf bring him home. The familiarity of the manor made him feel slightly better, but his stomach was still churning in nerves.

He had two hours until he was meeting Finn in London for the concert.

He noticed immediately that the elves had already started the work he'd asked. A lot of the dark arts stuff was being removed from the house and was piled in the corner of the front parlour. But it really started to sink in as he made his way upstairs and turned towards his own room, because Kiki steered him the other way.

He was now lord of the manor.

Theo stepped into the master suite and his eyes widened. The elves had moved his room there. It was his king sized bed and his furniture that graced the bedroom instead.

"You are Marquess, Sir, so this room is now yours. Kiki knows the young master wouldn't want the old furniture in here. Kiki put it in the young master's old room. All except that box on the dresser."

Theo's eyes found the tarnished gold jewellery box and smiled. It had once belonged to his mother. "It's perfect, thank you. Kiki, when I come home at the end of the year I want to seriously start redecorating this place. I'm going to send you notes and see how much we can get done before I even come home."

Kiki nodded. "Yes, Sir."

He smiled. "All good things to come, right?" The elf nodded and he let out a slow breath. "At seven thirty, I need you to bring me to the theatre in London. When I come home tonight, Finn will be with me. He is my guest for the weekend."

The elf nodded and left him alone.

Theo unpacked his things and took a seat on the side of the bed. He was both excited and anxious for Finn to spend the weekend with him. After their double date last weekend, the way that Finn had fit right in with Ginny and Harry, he felt like he'd fallen for him a little bit more. Finn made him feel things that he couldn't quite put into words.

Theo made his way to the bathroom where he showered and dressed up a little. It wasn't black tie, but the air of the evening did require a little more than casual. Then he made his way downstairs to find Kiki.

When the elf left him at the theatre, he was alone less than thirty seconds before he saw his boyfriend. Finn strolled towards him, a big smile on his gorgeous face.

"Hi, Theo."

Theo couldn't help but grin back as he took Finn's arm. Finn was dressed in black trousers with a dark green dress shirt and a black cloak. His hair was a little messy from the wind, but Theo thought it suited him.

"You look incredible," he said.

Finn bent his head to kiss him softly. "I can say the same. I love you in blue," he told him, tracing the collar of the ocean blue dress shirt that Theo was wearing. "I'm excited for this concert."

Theo held up the tickets and the two of them walked through the doors of the theatre, presented their tickets, and were led to their seats by a house elf. Theo had splurged on the tickets and had gotten them a private balcony overlooking the stage. The elf brought them wine and appetizers as they took their seats.

Finn reached out to take Theo's hand, and brought it to his lips as the stage lit up. Then it was Theo's turn to watch his boyfriend. Finn's eyes danced in excitement as the Harmonious Bastards walked onto the stage. The group was massive. There were those playing first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, double basses, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones, one tuba, a kettledrum, percussions, harps, acoustic and electric guitars, and one piano player.

A wizard came on stage to introduce them, first explaining that Cai was the conductor. He gave a little backstory on Cai, a Welsh elf, who was a rather tall, thin fellow with dark hair that curled over his pointed ears. He had been writing music since the age of four. He'd formed the orchestra at the age of sixteen and by twenty-five was a world-wide phenomena. The orchestra itself was composed of witches, wizards, elves, and two goblins. They played a three hour set ranging from intense crescendos to raging rock ballads. It was incredible. The music vibrated with each instrument, sending magical sound waves with every stroke that caused dancing lights and flashes and made the audience feel as if they were part of the music. It was one of the best shows that Theo had ever seen.

"That was incredible!" Finn exclaimed as the curtains closed. "The way they played their instruments! I wish that I could make my flute do that! I need to practice making it dance a little and learn how to make the notes come to life with a light show like that."

Theo grinned at him. "You should play for me sometime. I'd love to hear it."

"After a show like that, my playing will hardly impress you," Finn admitted.

"You always impress me."

Finn blushed and took Theo's hands in his as they headed out of the theatre. "Is the invitation to your home still open?"

"Always," Theo told him.

Finn kissed him, resting his forehead against his boyfriend's. "Tell me where I need to bring us."

It was only a moment later before they stood outside the front gates of Norfolk Manor.

"I told you that it needs a lot of work," Theo said nervously as he opened the gate. "My father rather let it fall to ruin a bit and only a few of the rooms are even really livable for the time being, but I'll fix it up. Plus it has a lot of dark magic stuff inside of it, but that's not me, and I'll change it."

"I would never doubt you," Finn said, making Theo blush as he led the way.

Finn stared in amazement as they walked through the gate tower and up the drive the main house. Theo introduced him to Kiki and the two other elves, Clove and Esmerelda, then led him upstairs to the master bedroom.

"This is my suite," Theo said. "The elves moved my things up here after I became Marquess. It still needs a lot of work of course and I want to repaint and change some things around so it's more mine."

"It's perfect," Finn told him.

Theo smiled, feeling rather nervous suddenly. "Er, the room next to mine is set up for you — if you'd like that is."

Finn nodded and took a seat on Theo's bed. "Come sit with me."

Theo sat next to his boyfriend, his heart racing. He didn't want Finn to stay in the guest room. "Or you could stay in here. With me."

Finn's eyes darkened and he leaned in to nip at his mouth. His hand cupped Theo's cheek and Theo turned to kiss his boyfriend's palm. Then Finn's lips were on his and Theo was holding him close, his hands on his boyfriend's strong back and they were kissing. He loved kissing Finn. He loved touching Finn. Everything about the man in his arms made him want, made him need. The fae's body covered his and he slid further back onto the large bed, moaning when Finn settled himself between his legs.

Finn's mouth was on his throat, on his jaw, and when he unbuttoned his shirt, Theo only reached out to do the same. Theo slid his hands over the smooth pale skin, the tight muscles. Merlin, would he ever not be entranced by this man's beauty? He pulled him into a sitting position, letting his hands roam over Finn's shoulders and back, stroking over the raised scars on his shoulder blades. His wings, he realized.

Finn had explained to him that he could make his wings appear and disappear when needed, they would tuck themselves into a pocket in his skin, part of him. Theo also knew that Finn liked it when Theo touched them. He trailed his fingertips over the raised skin and Finn trembled in his arms. He shifted, turning Finn slightly so that he could kiss his back, pressing his lips to the raised line that held his wings and Finn let out a soft moan. Theo trailed his tongue over the scar, kissing around his shoulders, down his back, and pressing a soft kiss to the small of his back. Then he was sliding his hands back around the front of him, kissing his chest and his stomach as he pushed Finn down onto the bed and lowered himself over him. He began to kiss a path down Finn's throat, slipping his own shirt off completely and tossing it behind them. He could feel how hard Finn was, he could feel his hot cock wantonly rubbing against him and he pushed down and ground himself over him. He wanted to feel more.

Finn moaned and Theo took it as encouragement as he began to kiss his way down his boyfriend's chest. When he got to his waist, he unzipped him slowly, keeping his eyes on Finn's lovely green ones as he did.

"I want to use my mouth on you," Finn said, flipping their positions again.

Theo groaned as Finn began to make quick work of his trousers and soon he wore nothing except his green and silver striped boxer shorts. Finn palmed him through the shorts and he moaned. Just touching Finn made him want so badly, but he knew what he wanted tonight — and tonight, he had the time to make it happen. He pushed Finn away and turned him over before straddling him again.

"It's my turn."

Finn licked his lips. "We have all night, Theo, all weekend… there's no need to rush."

Theo pushed Finn's trousers down and found him completely naked. He wrapped his hand around him and Finn groaned. "I didn't say that we were going to rush. I said it's my turn."

"Theo… you don't… fuck!"

Theo smiled, his hand lightly stroking the thick beautiful cock in his hand. "I've been wanting to get my hands on this for months."

Finn settled back against the pillows and made a small whimper as Theo's fingers stroked his sack. He was completely hairless, Theo noted, and smooth. He didn't wait another moment to sate his curiosity; he merely bent his head and rubbed the hard cock against his cheek, nuzzling it.

"Theo," he moaned. "Don't tease me."

It was all the encouragement he needed. Theo let his tongue slip out and he dragged it up from beneath Finn's sack and up along his thick shaft, twirling around his tip as Finn groaned. He let his tongue slide sensuously, covering every angle before he bent his head and licked him again. On the third lick, Finn trembled, and Theo finally and firmly engulfed him in his mouth.

It was better than he had imagined it would be; he sucked slowly, savouring every movement as Finn groaned his name. Theo slowly slid his mouth off, kissing his sack, his tip, his shaft, and slowly trailing hot kisses up his boyfriend's hard abs, over his nipples and up to his lips.

Finn was smiling at him. "You're beautiful."

"I want you to make love to me, Finn."

Finn cupped Theo's cheek in his hand and kissed his lips. "There's no need to rush, Theo."

"I know that. I'm not trying to rush, I just… I'm not delicate, Finn. I'm not an innocent flower and despite what that twatnugget forced me to do — it wasn't my first time."

Finn's thumb stroked his lips, his hand still cupping his cheek. "I know, you told me about the brothel. I know that you're not a virgin."

"And neither are you."

"No, no, I'm not a virgin either," Finn said slowly. "But I'm falling in love with you."

Theo's eyes widened. "You — really?"

"And if I make love to you right now, I don't know if I could ever let you go."

Theo kissed him deeply, his tongue touching every crevice and space as he pulled his boxers off, his hard cock, rubbing wantonly against Finn's. The feel of them rubbing together made him groan in his boyfriend's mouth.

Finn flipped their positions again and Theo found himself staring up into deep green eyes full of arousal.

"Finn, I don't want you to let me go."

"Theo…"

"No," Theo said, his hands gripping the beautifully muscled arms on either side of him. "I started falling in love with you the first time you kissed me," Theo admitted, his heart pounding in his chest. "When you sent me flowers, I mooned over them for days. Every day I open your letter and I have a smile on my face. I imagine kissing you all the time. I don't want you to let me go. I want you inside me."

Finn's eyes darkened and he reached between them, gripping both of their cocks in his hand and he slowly began to pump them. The sensation of Finn's cock rubbing against his, on top of Finn's hand rubbing him, was enough to make him see stars. He watched in amazement as their two cocks rose in and out of Finn's fist and he felt the tightness forming.

"Finn… I'm gonna…"

Finn only rubbed his hand faster and when Theo came, he bent his head to kiss him. He slid his hand over Theo's stomach and chest, a soft golden glow cleaning him before his lips followed his hand. With every kiss, Theo found himself squirming under him. Finn's tongue darted out across a nipple, circled and stroked it, and Theo groaned. He sucked it sharply and Theo gasped.

"Do you still want me inside you?"

The words sent an instant flow of blood back to his cock. He groaned and kissed his boyfriend roughly.

"Merlin, yes!"

Finn kissed him again, over and over, grinding his hard cock into Theo's before he slid his body higher. Soon, Theo found himself treated to his boyfriend's length. He took it in his mouth, sucking happily, savouring him until Finn pulled away, and then he was flipped onto his stomach and that delicious cock was sliding along his arse, teasing him.

Theo whimpered. This was what he wanted more than anything. He had never allowed this to happen outside of that one time at the brothel and he'd dreamed of sharing himself this way with someone he cared about. About sharing himself like this with Finn. The teasing continued, and he groaned into the pillow, but then it wasn't Finn's thick length he felt, it was his tongue — and he cried out in surprise, begging for more. By the time Finn's finger entered him, he was already almost at breaking point, grinding his cock into his bed desperately for some form of friction.

"Finn," he begged. "Please, Finn…"

Finn's tongue returned, stroking and thrusting, licking and circling as Theo cried out in pleasure, his fingers gripping the sheets as pleasure swamped him. Tongue and finger worked together and Theo arched his hips off the bed, pushing himself back towards Finn. His tongue only got bolder, licking more furiously, and Theo groaned in gusto, gripping the sheets tighter, grinding himself into the bed. Then Finn's tongue was trailing up his bum, kissing his cheeks, dancing up his spine and over his shoulder blades as his fingers gently brushed his sack. Lips found his throat and then he was flipping him onto his back, and kissing his lips, his tongue meeting his deeply. When he pulled away, he was holding a little jar in his hand as he licked his bottom lip.

"Coconut oil," he said and then those big hands were covered in oil and were sliding all over him, into him, and the warmth of the oil made him purr in satisfaction as he felt Finn's finger inside of him once more.

He took the oil from Finn and rubbed it on his own hands, reaching down to rub it into his boyfriend's cock. He stroked firmly along the shaft and down his balls as Finn panted above him. Then he let go and Finn was spreading his legs, pushing them up to rest over Finn's shoulders, and slipping into him. Theo groaned. His eyes met Finn's green orbs and he cried out as Finn finally began to thrust his hips. The feel of him, so hot and so perfect, moving in and out of him… nothing had ever felt so good. Theo slid his hands into that soft blond hair, gripping it tightly as he watched his cock harden between their bodies all over again as Finn took him harder and harder with every stroke.

"Again," Finn panted, kissing his mouth.

It seemed that was all Theo needed, to hear Finn's words, because it only took a few more thrusts for Theo to lose control completely and he screamed as he came, crying out as Finn followed him over the edge moments later and collapsed against him.

They were both sweaty and breathing heavy. The feel of Finn's hot breath against his neck made him smile and he brushed his fingers through the soft blond hair.

"I love you," Theo whispered.

Finn lifted his head, green eyes staring at him and he caressed his lips over his. "I'm in love with you, Theodore Thaddeus Nott. I've never been so open with another soul before like I am with you; I've never been so at home in anyone's arms."

Theo turned to snuggle into his boyfriend's warm body, sighing as their legs entwined together in the big bed. "You make me feel safe and loved and happy," Theo told him. "I've never felt this happy in my whole life."

Finn lifted his chin up to press his lips to his. "You make me very happy too."

Theo snuggled closer, sighing as Finn's fingers gently danced along his arm and back and it wasn't long until he was drifting off to sleep with a smile on his face.

~ ASC ~

 **The next morning, Remus and Tonks showed up at Black Cottage with Ginny in tow, which surprised Harry.** Ginny was supposed to be going to the Burrow today so this was the last place that he had expected her to show up.

"We come bearing gifts," Remus said as Ginny took her shoes off by the front door.

Harry jumped to his feet and immediately pulled Ginny to him with a kiss. "Hi."

"Hi," she said, smiling at him. "I hope I'm a good gift."

"The best kind," he said, kissing her cheek.

Remus gave him an amused look before he glanced at Sirius. "One look at his girl and his interest in us is gone."

Harry chuckled and kept his arm around Ginny's waist. "She's prettier than you."

"I can't argue that point," Remus replied.

"I can!" Sirius protested.

Remus rolled his eyes. "She's prettier than you, too, Padfoot."

"I am literally a star! The bright and the beautiful!"

"You are literally a prat," Remus said as Sirius stuck his tongue out at him.

Zee smacked Sirius lightly in the arm. "Oh shush." She hurried over to hug Remus and then held out her hand. "My boys proposed last night."

Remus stared at the ring for a ten seconds before he reacted. "Wow! Congratulations!"

Sirius grinned. "I was going to tell you that I was planning it, but then I thought your reaction would be worth the wait."

Remus' grin widened. "Approved. This is wonderful news, Padfoot. I'm so happy for you two. Congratulations!"

" _And,_ " Sirius said, emphasizing every syllable. " _I — did — not — propose — in — bed!_ "

"In bed?" Ginny asked, her brow furrowing.

Harry laughed. "I forgot that you didn't hear that story."

"I'll tell it," Tonks exclaimed happily. "So it was just after Voldemort came back. Remus and I went to talk to Adrian Roberts about getting the wolves to join us in helping us if Voldemort were to attack. We were going to meet the Council of Elders first thing in the morning so Adrian and Maia let us stay in their guest room. Maia asked to talk to me in private and we spoke about Remus being a werewolf and him being my mate and what that meant. She explained that for us to be truly mated equals I would have to mark him so I thought about it, marking him that is. One thing led to another and we made love and I bit him, marking him as mine. And he was so overcome with passion and love for me that he proposed on the spot."

"They were naked," Sirius told her.

"His fingers were on still my post-orgasmic clit," Tonks said as Ginny choked out a laugh.

Harry blanched. "How come I keep having to be subjected to this story? I don't want to know this."

Remus blushed. "Okay, okay, story time is over and yes, Sirius did a better job at proposing than I did! I admit it."

Sirius grinned broadly and wiggled his eyebrows. "Damn right I did. I even got our boy to hold the ring while I did it. Plus, look at that rock!"

Zee held her hand out again and admired it happily. "I can take someone's eye out with this thing." She smiled at Sirius. "But it's beautiful and it's what it represents that matters."

"A star because I'm _her_ star," Sirius said, batting his eyelashes.

"Oh, brother," Harry groaned, rolling his eyes.

Zee laughed. "I was thinking more along the lines of because we love each other, but yes, Siri, you are my star."

He beamed at her and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "You're my star too."

"I think that's adorable and want to throw up in my mouth at the same time," Tonks said as Sirius flipped her off with his fingers.

"And like you two aren't over the top!"

Tonks only shrugged in response. "So when are you going to have the big day then? I mean, you have a large family, Zee, so I'd imagine that you'd want them all to attend."

"I would," Zee replied, her eyes on Sirius. "I want to take the time to plan it right. Maybe New Year's Eve… we could start the new year together as husband and wife?"

Sirius bent his head to kiss her. "Tomorrow or ten years from now, I'll marry you whenever you say."

Zee hugged him tightly as they grinned foolishly at each other and then she turned to clap her hands together. "All right, I need to hit the market for supplies if I want to bake that dish for Molly. Harry, Ginny, are you two going to stay around the house or would you like to come?"

"We'll stay," Harry told her. "I think we'll maybe watch a movie in the treehouse."

Sirius nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Within minutes, Zee and Sirius headed to the market and Tonks headed to the Ministry for a conference. Remus claimed that he had an errand to run and would be back in a bit. Harry and Ginny were suddenly left alone.

"I'm not sure how this happened, but I am so not complaining," Harry told her, kissing her nose.

Ginny smiled at him. "They just went to the market. They'll be back before the film is even over."

"Don't care," he said, tugging her hand and leading her to the treehouse.

Lady Godiva followed them and spread out in front of the door as Harry set up the film to project on the wall. He climbed into the hammock and gestured for Ginny to come sit with him. They only watched the first five minutes before Harry turned to nip at her lips.

Twenty minutes later, Ginny was lying on top of Harry as they snogged intensely. The feel of her body spread across his was the best feeling he could imagine. The hammock swung beneath them, the film forgotten as his girlfriend kissed and sucked on his neck. The little scrape of her teeth on his throat had him groaning.

Ginny lifted her head to look down at him, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Did you like that, Mr Potter?"

Harry pulled her lips back to his, basking in the sensation of kissing her. Holding Ginny for any reason always made him feel better. His hand slid under her jumper and his fingers flicked the back clasp of her bra open when his father's voice cut through his lust-fuelled haze.

"Well, well, well — what do we have here?"

Harry groaned and buried his face in the crook of Ginny's neck. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

Ginny blushed as she sat up, her arms crossed in front of her chest to hide the fact that her bra was merely hanging on her shoulders beneath her shirt. "Er, hi Sirius."

"Moony, our boy is getting some action out here!"

Remus' head appeared in the door to the treehouse and Harry groaned.

"Good thing we came to check on you two," Remus said, humour in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Harry told her. "I'm sorry that I subjected you to them."

"Ha-ha," Sirius said dryly. "Come inside. We're going to play a game."

"What kind of game?"

Sirius grinned widely. "A-let's-go-through-baby-photos-of-Harry-game."

"Ooh," Ginny said as Harry groaned.

"Uncle Padfoot, why?" Harry protested.

"I wanna see them, Harry," Ginny told him.

"Can't we watch a memory instead? Please don't pull out the pictures!" he begged, his eyes on his father in horror. He knew exactly what kind of pictures his father would pull out to show his girlfriend.

Sirius rubbed his hands together. "Too late. Zee and Tonks are already looking them over. Tonks stumbled upon the photo album while looking for something on the shelf. Come on, it will be fun!"

Harry didn't agree with that sentiment as he watched Sirius and Remus head out. He turned to his girlfriend, who was hooking her bra back into place beneath her jumper, and then led her out of the treehouse. They came into the sunroom just in time to hear Tonks comment on a photo of him covered in chocolate pudding and wearing nothing but a nappy.

Ginny hurried over to look as well and soon the three girls were flipping through photos happily as Sirius and Remus explained what was happening in the photos. Ginny looked from the photo of Harry's first birthday to him dressed as a pumpkin for Halloween to him on the back of Sirius' motorbike at the age of five. She frowned before she spoke.

"Sirius, how come there's no photos of Harry between this Halloween photo until he was five?"

"That's when I was in Azkaban," Sirius told her. "And Harry lived with Muggles."

Ginny looked over at her boyfriend. "With Muggles… and that's…" She trailed off as if she was just realizing something. "They hurt you. It was them that made you scared of my dad all those years ago."

Harry shrugged. "It wasn't great, no. Not until Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus."

"How come Professor Lupin didn't take you in?" Ginny asked.

Remus sighed. "I had no claim to him, Ginny. And the Ministry never would have granted me custody. I could barely support myself at the time and if they had found out that I was a werewolf on top of it..."

Harry stood up. "I'm going to grab a cup of tea."

Ginny made to go after him, but Sirius shook his head and followed his son into the kitchen. Harry was examining the rules on the wall, but not quite focusing on them. It had been a long time since he'd thought about the Dursleys and his life before his home. The feel of Sirius coming to stand behind him and the warm arm that draped over his shoulders, tugging him close, made him feel warm inside, cutting through the cold that had washed over him at the memory.

"I didn't mean to make you sad or to bring up bad memories, Prongslet."

Harry shook his head. "No, no, you didn't... I've... only Neville knows about the Dursleys and..."

"You should tell her," Sirius told him. "I know that's rich coming from me, but learn from my mistakes. Since I told Zee, my nightmares don't plague me as much and when they do, I can tell her about them and it's comforting. She comforts me. I know Ginny already does that for you. You should tell her about them."

"It doesn't matter, it was so long ago."

Sirius turned his head to press his lips to his son's forehead. "Time heals all wounds, Harry, but that doesn't mean that we don't remember the pain of getting them."

"I guess," Harry said. "It's just... I don't think about them. Not really. I haven't even had a bad dream about them in years."

"Doesn't mean you don't remember."

"Yeah," he said. "I suppose."

Sirius kissed his cheek. "You're so grown up, but I look at you sometimes and I still see that adorable chubby faced baby. I remember how scared you were when I found you. I remember the first time you hugged me, the first time you told me that you loved me... and I think back and I wonder what your life would have been like if I hadn't gone after Peter all those years ago. You would have come straight to us. Those asshats never would have set eyes on you."

Harry smiled. "It's okay, Uncle Padfoot. I never blamed you for that. You or Uncle Rem."

Sirius nodded. "You have a good heart, Prongslet. Maybe we should watch a memory or two tonight. What do you say?"

Harry hesitated but then he nodded. "You pick them."

"All right."

Harry followed his father back into the sunroom and watched as he made his way over to the Pensieve and the chest. "We decided to watch a memory or two."

Ginny waited until Harry sat down and then she sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around him. "You okay?"

"Never better."

She kissed his cheek, but kept her arms around him and he held her close, grateful for the warmth of her touch.

"Let's start with this one," Remus said, picking up a vial from the chest and pouring it into the Pensieve.

Sirius nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Remus said, his eyes on Harry. "I came to visit you once after your parents died, Harry. Petunia insisted that I leave and well, at the time, I thought it was for the best. Knowing now, I wish I wouldn't have listened."

"It's okay, Uncle Rem. I never blamed you or Uncle Sirius for me being there."

Remus nodded and projected the memory out. Harry watched as Remus appeared at the end of a narrow street and slowly walked down the road, turning at the gate to Number Four Privet Drive. He was surprised that when the house came into view and within an instant, he recognized it; his stomach dropped.

"This was two weeks after everything… the funeral was over and Dumbledore had told me where he sent you and why he believed that it was the safest place for you, considering the circumstances. Sirius was in prison and… you were my only family left, Harry, and I wanted to just see you that day."

Harry nodded as he turned his attention back to the memory.

 _Remus dragged his fingers through his golden brown hair, shifting nervously in front of the door before he finally lifted his hand to knock._

 _The door opened and Remus immediately recognized Lily's sister. He had only met her the once at the wedding, but her and her husband Vernon had made an impression._

 _"_ _Petunia, Remus Lupin," he said, extending his hand. "I was a friend of Lily and James. We met at their wedding."_

 _Petunia merely stared at him. "You were in the wedding party."_

 _Remus nodded, smiling. "I was. I wanted to check on Harry, see how he was adjusting to life with his aunt and uncle."_

 _"_ _He's fine." she said curtly, crossing her arms in front of her. "I don't really like unannounced visitors coming by the house. I'm trying to keep Dudders and our new guest on some form of schedule. It's not exactly easy to have two children under the age of two."_

 _Remus nodded, sticking his hands in the pockets of his pants. "I understand. I'd just like to see Harry for a moment, just to make sure that he's all right?"_

 _Petunia sighed before she nodded stiffly and opened the door wider, allowing for Remus to step inside. "Fine. But be quick about it."_

 _Remus nodded as she closed the door behind him. He stood in the entranceway of the house just as the boy he was looking for came running out of the living room towards him, arms outstretched in joy._

 _"_ _Uncamoo!" he shrieked, running into Remus' arms._

 _Remus' face broke out into his first smile in weeks as he scooped Harry up into his arms. He ruffled his black messy hair and kissed his chubby cheeks, hugging him close. He pulled back to grin at him and his eyes found the lightning bolt cut on his forehead. He gently brushed it with his finger and his eyes found Petunia's. "Is this where he —?"_

 _Petunia nodded. "From what I understand yes. It doesn't seem to bother him."_

 _Remus nodded. He knelt down on the floor, standing Harry in front of him and grinning at him. "I missed you, Harry. Do you like it here with your aunt and uncle?"_

 _"_ _No!" Harry said sternly, "Go! Moo! Padfoof!"_

 _Tears welled up in Remus' eyes and he choked them back. "Afraid not, little Prongs. This is your new home now."_

 _Harry crawled up his body, hanging off of his shoulder as he spoke. "No! Mumma! Da!"_

 _Remus looked at Petunia and sighed. "I know that he's safest here with you, but hearing him… I want to keep him safe. If Voldemort ever truly does come back… we don't know for certain that he's gone and Harry could be in the most danger if he ever finds out that he's still alive."_

 _"_ _Uncamoo," he exclaimed, his hands moving across Remus' face, fingers in his mouth as he grabbed at Remus._

 _Remus merely grinned. He was the cutest kid. It still surprised him how much he had come to love this little boy. When he called him Uncle Moo in his baby talk of "uncamoo" his heart soared. Nothing made Harry happier than when Remus and Sirius came to visit and Sirius turned into a dog. The 'doggie' would make Harry giggle and laugh and Remus would hold his hands as he rode the dog around. Then Sirius would turn back and Harry would laugh, begging for the Siri to make the Padfoof come back._

 _"_ _Do you have enough stuff for him? Clothes and whatnot?" he asked Petunia, holding Harry close again as he jabbered incoherent baby talk in his ear._

 _"_ _Yes. From what I understand, the house is destroyed so I have whatever Dumbledore brought with him," she told him. She had moved to pick up her own son, who was trying to touch the vase full of flowers on the table. He was a chubby blond toddler who seemed to waddle as he walked._

 _"_ _It was," Remus said. "I just want to make sure that he's well taken care of. He's a very special boy." He kissed Harry's forehead and Harry snuggled into his embrace._

 _"_ _Slooch!" he said and Remus kissed him again._

 _"_ _I'd … I'd like to come by and see him when I can. Maybe once every few weeks or so. I can tell him about his parents and spend time with him. Get to see him grow up and become the great wizard that I know he will be."_

 _"_ _No," Petunia said sternly, moving to place Dudley in the playpen she had set up and crossing her arms in front of her again. "Absolutely not."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry?" Remus asked in surprise._

 _"_ _No," Petunia repeated. "I let you in today to say goodbye to him as a courtesy. I agreed to take the boy in for his own safety, but I won't have it in my house. No magic. No powers. No mention of an evil man who killed his parents. I will let him stay here with my husband and my son if, and only if_ , _I can give him the chance of a normal childhood. No funny business. How am I supposed to do that if you come around here and tell him those things. Absolutely not. I forbid it."_

 _Remus stood up, Harry still snuggled in his arms. "I get where you're coming from, Petunia but … my friends, my family are all gone. Harry is all I have left. I'd like to find a place in his life. Be the uncle to him that I was meant to be."_

 _Petunia glared at him, her hands on her hips. "Then you can take him off of my hands. That's the only way that you can have contact with him."_

 _"_ _I can't take him," he said desperately._

 _"_ _If you won't take him then that's it. Say goodbye."_

 _Tears welled up in Remus' eyes. He understood what she wanted. It was safer for Harry if he had no contact; if no one magical even knew where he was. Dumbledore was right about that. This was Harry's family and they would take care of him. But the thought of leaving this little boy broke his heart._

 _But a broken heart was something that Remus Lupin was used to. He had already lost everything that mattered in his life: his parents, his best friends, his family. Losing Harry was in the best interest of keeping Harry safe and that's what truly mattered._

 _He kissed Harry's cheeks and then the lightning shaped cut on his forehead, holding him close for a hug as he spoke, "If I write to you, will you keep me informed on how he's doing?"_

 _"_ _No," Petunia said sternly. "Either take him with you or say goodbye."_

 _Remus nodded, unshed tears in his eyes. He cuddled Harry close. Harry tugged on his hair and planted a wet kiss on his mouth before he sat him down on the ground._

 _"_ _You'll take good care of him? Keep him safe?" Remus asked her as Harry tried to shimmy back up his leg._

 _"_ _I will raise him to be normal," Petunia told him._

 _Remus nodded, wiping his tears away. "Thank you." He leaned down and kissed the top of Harry's head. "I love you, Harry. Be good for your Aunt Petunia. We'll meet again someday, I'm sure of it."_

 _Harry began to cry and it took every ounce of will that Remus possessed to walk to the door as Harry screamed after him, tears pouring from his eyes._

 _"_ _No! Moo! Go, Moo! Go! Uv, Moo!"_

 _When Petunia closed the front door behind him, he stood on the front porch, tears pouring down his cheeks._

 _Harry would be safe. Nothing else in the world mattered, especially not the broken heart of a werewolf._

Harry stared at his father, the unshed tears glistening in Remus' eyes. "She wouldn't even let you write or visit?"

Remus shook his head. "That was one of the hardest things I have ever done, Harry. Knowing now what happened… I should have taken you and run, but I had no idea that they would mistreat you."

He nodded. He knew that, but he could see that it was obviously something that was still eating at Remus. Harry moved away from Ginny and over to hug his father tightly.

"But then you and Uncle Sirius gave me the best life I could ask for."

Remus kissed the top of his head, hugging him close. "I will still always regret leaving you that day, Harry. I love you very much."

"Love you too," Harry said into his father's shoulder as he held on.

Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry from behind, squishing him between his two fathers. "I want in on the hug!"

Harry laughed when they finally let him free, he turned to see Ginny grinning at him. He moved to sit back next to his girlfriend as Sirius put the memory back and chose another one.

"There's two more that I think that we should view today, if you're up for it?"

"Of course," Harry said, turning to Ginny and Zee. "You two don't mind?"

"Not if you'd like to share it with us," Zee said.

Remus took a seat in the armchair, smiling as his wife made herself comfortable in his lap. "Let's see them, Sirius."

Sirius projected the two memories up.

 _Sirius handed Harry the stuffed animal of a doe that he had purchased for him that day and smiled. "Harry, there's something very important that I want to talk to you about."_

 _Harry snuggled the doe close to him, solemn green eyes on Sirius. "Okay."_

 _"_ _Your parents made me godfather of you which means that they wanted me to take care of you if something bad ever happened to them."_

 _"_ _Like a car crash?"_

 _"_ _Car crash?" Sirius asked, his eyes clouded in confusion._

 _Harry nodded. "Aunt Petunia said my mummy and daddy died in a car crash and they got landed with me."_

 _Sirius pursed his lips. "No! No, Harry, that's not what happened." He ran his fingers through his hair, tucking it behind his ears and turned to sit sideways on the couch so that he was facing his godson. He hadn't imagined that Harry didn't even know what had happened to his parents. "Your mummy and daddy were two of the bravest people I ever knew. But there was this bad man named Voldemort. He was an evil wizard, Harry. He hurt people and he came after your mummy and daddy."_

 _Harry's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, but he didn't speak._

 _"_ _James and Lily, your parents, they tried to hide from him so that they could keep you safe, but he found them. Your dad, he tried to protect you and your mum, but the bad wizard killed him and then he went after you and your mum. Your mummy and daddy tried to save you and the love your mummy and daddy had for you gave you protection from the bad wizard. But it didn't protect them and your mummy was killed too. This scar," Sirius said, gently pressing his finger to the lightning bolt, "is all you got when the bad wizard tried to kill you. Just this scar."_

 _"_ _Oh," Harry said quietly. "How did I get to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house?"_

 _Sirius smiled, gently brushing Harry's hair out of his eyes. It pleased him not to see the boy flinch anymore, but his eyes still watched him warily as if he wasn't entirely sure if he trusted him completely. "I was so mad when I found out that your mummy and daddy had died. I knew someone had done something bad to find them because no one knew where they were hiding except for their friends. So Hagrid, a friend of ours, he took you somewhere safe and I tried to find out why your parents were killed. But I got tricked and then I had to get locked up. So Dumbledore brought you to your mum's sister, Petunia, and asked her to look after you."_

 _"_ _You got locked up? In a cupboard with no lights and lots of spiders?" Harry asked, his voice higher than usual._

 _"_ _Kind of, yeah, but an important friend of mine, your Auntie Minnie," Sirius said, grinning as the words left his mouth. "She helped find out that I was tricked and got me released. So, I came to find you to see if maybe you liked living with your Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon or if maybe you wanted to come live with me instead?"_

 _"_ _Live with you?" Harry asked, his eyes wide. "Live here?"_

 _Sirius nodded, smiling at Harry, tugging him up into his lap. "Would you like to stay here with me, Harry?"_

 _Harry smiled up at him, his bright eyes full of trust as he nodded. "Yes, please. I'll try not to be ungrateful."_

 _"_ _Shh, I don't want to hear you say that. I am so grateful that I have you here with me." He kissed the top of Harry's head, smiling when Harry leaned back against him. "Harry, can you do something for me though?"_

 _Harry turned to look at him, his eyes wide as he nodded._

 _Sirius gently ran his fingers through the thick mess of hair. "Can you tell me how you got those marks on your back? The ones that no one was supposed to see." As Harry trembled, Sirius pulled him closer, hugging him. "I promise no one will ever hurt you like that again, Harry. You're safe here. But you have to tell me what happened so I can make sure that no one ever hurts you again."_

 _Harry's arms wrapped around Sirius' neck and he held on as Sirius gently ran his hands over Harry's shoulders and the top of his back. They sat like that so long that Sirius was convinced that he wasn't going to talk to him, but then he heard the whisper near his ear._

 _"_ _I burned the bacon because Ripper chased me up a tree."_

 _"_ _Who's Ripper?"_

 _"_ _Aunt Marge's dog. He's a bad dog. Not like you. You're a good dog. He doesn't like anyone but Aunt Marge. She told him to eat me so I ran because he wanted the bacon. I climbed up the tree and Uncle Vernon shook the tree so hard I fell out. I hurt my arm," Harry said, holding his arm as if it still hurt._

 _Sirius took hold of the arm Harry was holding and gently kissed the spot where Harry was rubbing and Harry gave him a sweet smile._

 _"_ _Aunt Marge grabbed my hurt arm and pulled me inside the house. She ripped off her belt and gave it to Uncle Vernon. She said that I needed to be taught how to be a good boy, how to behave proper. Then she held me down on the chair and Uncle Vernon hit me. I cried and she hit my cheek," Harry said, tears in his eyes as Sirius kissed the cheek tenderly._

 _"_ _I tried not to cry, but it hurt so bad. And Aunt Marge told Uncle Vernon that he wasn't hitting me very hard so he hit me again and again and then Aunt Petunia came in and she screamed. She pushed Aunt Marge away and pulled me off the chair and into the bathroom She cleaned my cuts and she made me promise never to tell anyone what happened. She said that Uncle Vernon would be so mad if I told. Then she made me go to my cupboard and she locked me inside. She didn't let me come out for breakfast. I had to go pee on my bed," he said, blushing and tears in his eyes. "Aunt Petunia was mad."_

 _"_ _Who's Aunt Marge, Harry?" Sirius asked, feeling slightly relieved that Petunia had at least seen the horror in what her husband had done, at least in terms of embarrassment rather than actual concern, but still angry because she had done nothing to stop it and had locked her nephew in a cupboard to starve him and make him sit in his own filth for Merlin knew how long as if it had been his fault that he was beaten._

 _"_ _Uncle Vernon's sister. She says I'm an ungrateful little brat who deserves rotten shite. Aunt Petunia got mad when I asked what rotten shite was."_

 _Sirius nodded, hoping Harry couldn't feel the anger from him. "It's not very nice, Harry. Did — did Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon lock you in your cupboard a lot?"_

 _"_ _Uh-huh. Uncle Vernon locked the door every night after supper and I never get out until it was time for breakfast. Aunt Petunia gives me five minutes to use the toilet and then I have to make breakfast. But don't burn the bacon or no toast for me," Harry told him solemnly. "I'm sad when I don't get toast, then my tummy hurts."_

 _"_ _Did you get a lot of food, Harry? I mean, what did you eat at Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house?"_

 _Harry shrugged. "If I burnt the food I got to eat that because I'm trash so I can eat the trash. Sometimes warm bread and chunks of cheese. One time I ate a strawberry," Harry said, his voice full of wonder as if a strawberry was the most magical thing he could imagine. "And when I fell at school and hurt my knee, Miss Emily gave me a red lolly."_

 _"_ _Prongslet, look at me," Sirius said, waiting until Harry's eyes fell on him. "You are not trash. You are a very special, incredibly loved little boy who deserves nothing but the best in life. I want you to remember that."_

 _Harry nodded. "Okay."_

 _"_ _Harry, did Uncle Vernon ever hurt you again after that day with Aunt Marge?"_

 _Harry wrinkled his nose. "Sometimes when I ask a question he holds my neck like this." He reached forward and put his small hand on Sirius neck, trying to wrap his hand around it. "He holds me up and it hurts and I can't breathe. Sometimes he just lets go or he throws me in my cupboard or against the wall. It always hurts so I don't ask questions."_

 _"_ _You can ask me a million questions every day if you want to," Sirius told him, kissing Harry's forehead._

 _Harry reached up to touch Sirius' lips with his fingertips, jolting when Sirius kissed the fingertips. "Why do you put your lips on me?"_

 _Sirius' heart broke a little as he kissed his forehead again. "That's a kiss," he kissed Harry's hand and smiled at him. "It means I love you. Sometimes it makes a hurt go away, sometimes it just means hello or goodbye, but it always means I love you."_

 _Harry smiled and gently placed his lips on Sirius' cheek. "Like that?"_

 _Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes as he remembered how freely Harry had planted big wet kisses on all of them as a baby. Remus, James, Lily and Peter — slooch — he would say before planting a big wet one on the side of your face or on your mouth. And now, the poor boy didn't even know what it was._

 _"_ _Exactly like that, Harry, slooch," he said smiling. "That's what you used to call them when you were a baby."_

 _"_ _Why?" Harry asked, eyes full of bewilderment. "Slooch?"_

 _"_ _Smooch," Sirius said with a smile. "It's another word for kisses and your mum used to always say that she wanted smoochies and you couldn't say that so you said slooch." He told him._

 _Harry gently placed a kiss on Sirius' cheek and smiled. "Slooch, Uncle Padfoot."_

 _Sirius kissed his cheek in turn. "Back at you, Prongslet."_

 _The fireplace glowed green and Harry's grip tightened around his neck. Sirius gently ran a hand down his back. "It's okay, it's just the Floo, remember the spinning?"_

 _Harry grinned at the memory, holding onto Sirius as he stood up and a tall, thin man with a long white beard stepped out of the fireplace._

 _"_ _Albus!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect you."_

 _Dumbledore nodded, gently dusting off his robes. "I know, but I wanted to tell you in person about my day at the Ministry. Hello Harry."_

 _Harry buried his face in Sirius' shoulder._

 _Sirius gently rubbed his back and carefully sat him down on the couch, slightly flattered when Harry attempted to hold on before agreeing to sit by himself. "Harry, this is Professor Dumbledore. He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's the school where me and your parents and Uncle Moony went. Can you say hi?"_

 _"_ _Hello, Sir," Harry said quietly, grabbing the stuffed doe and holding it close again._

 _Dumbledore smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling in such a friendly manner that Harry smiled back. "Hello Harry, it's nice to see you again. And what's that you're holding so closely?"_

 _"_ _A doe. Her name's Lily."_

 _Sirius smiled and shrugged at Dumbledore. "Lily's Patronus was a doe and James' was a stag, I thought that he'd like to have the stuffed animals as a reminder, you know?" When Dumbledore nodded, he crossed his arms. "So, what's going on? Did you go to the Ministry of Magic?"_

 _Dumbledore nodded. "I did. I explained to Cornelius that Petunia Dursley had been granted custody of Harry due to her being his only blood relative and that the guardian chosen by his parents had been wrongfully imprisoned. Now that you have been declared innocent and all charges have been dropped and expunged from your record. You are now his legal guardian and therefore should be able to gain status. Cornelius explained how it would be a simple switch, and in less than twenty four hours, you would be able to claim sole custody."_

 _"_ _What did he say about how Harry was treated?" Sirius asked, his eyes on Dumbledore. "I wasn't kidding, Albus. I want them punished."_

 _"_ _I understand, Sirius, and that part is going to take a little longer. I did receive a copy of his medical chart from Healer Althea Castellanos this afternoon. The welts on his back and the malnutrition aside, you have further proof of his mistreatment?"_

 _Sirius nodded. "He just told me some of it before you arrived. Physical and psychological abuse; reminds me of home. Thank Merlin they're Muggles because if they had access to the Cruciatus they probably would have used that too."_

 _"_ _Sirius, no one would use that on a child," Dumbledore said sternly, his eyes dark with rage. "Don't even joke about that."_

 _Sirius thought it was probably best not to tell Dumbledore just how often Walburga Black used that particular method as a form of punishment when he had been a child. "Right, anyway, what's happening?"_

 _"_ _The Auror Department is looking into the case under the guidance of Cornelius' department. The more facts we have, the more crimes we can pin to them. But Alastor says that they can be fined and possibly be looking at time in prison if we push for it."_

 _"_ _Azkaban?" Sirius asked hopefully, an image of that whale cowering under the Dementors alone in a dark cell more pleasing to the eye than it should have been._

 _"_ _Not likely," Dumbledore told him. "A Muggle prison. Alastor plans to present the case to the Muggle law enforcers and then have them follow up on the case. He'll twist it so that no one will come looking for Harry or looking into where he is now. But they will be punished."_

 _Harry had stood up now, grabbing Sirius' hand and squeezing it. "I have to go to pee."_

 _Sirius smiled and lifted Harry off of the couch. "I told you, little man, you don't have to ask. Go on." Harry hurried up the stairs as Sirius watched him go, turning back to Dumbledore. "They denied him bathroom rights, Albus. So much so that he wet the bed his first night here because he was terrified to go to the toilet without permission. And then he was terrified that I would shove his face into his soiled sheets. That shouldn't be a fear."_

 _"_ _No," Dumbledore said, his voice sad. "It shouldn't be. Sirius, I know that you don't want to hear it, but I am very sorry I ever placed Harry there. I thought as his mother's sister, she would protect him and treat him like her nephew if not her own child. At the time, I thought that it was the best choice for the child."_

 _"_ _Sometimes, Albus, your choices are shit. You should have given him to Remus."_

 _Dumbledore nodded. "I'm an old man, Sirius, and sometimes those choices are indeed shit." He reached for the Floo powder and looked around the cottage. "It's very nice here. The wards are strong and it feels well protected. If you ever need anything for Harry, please don't hesitate to ask."_

 _"_ _Thanks," Sirius told him as he watched him vanish into the flames._

The memory dissolved and swirled and changed to once again be in the living room of Black Cottage. Harry was sitting on the couch, his stuffed dog held tightly in his arms and his bright green eyes watching Remus.

"This was only a few days later," Remus told him. "You still didn't trust me yet, not as much as Sirius."

Ginny's hand grabbed Harry's as the memory of Remus spoke.

 _"_ _So, Harry, what would you like to do today?" Remus asked, sitting down on the couch next to him._

 _Harry shifted just slightly away from him and shrugged._

 _Remus smiled warmly at him, trying to ignore the ache in his heart at the thought of Harry moving himself away even only a little. "Is that Padfoot in your arms?"_

 _Harry nodded, smiling._

 _"_ _Aren't you going to talk to me today, Harry?" Remus asked him, still smiling. "If I don't know what you want to do, how are we supposed to have fun together?"_

 _Harry bit his lip and then he spoke softly. "I like your stories, Uncle Moony."_

 _Remus smiled. He did love stories and sharing them with the adorable little boy in front of him was one of his favourite past times. Then he grinned to himself. He had the perfect idea._

 _"_ _I have an idea, Harry. Would you like to go on a little adventure for stories with me?"_

 _"_ _For stories?" Harry asked, his eyes wide._

 _Remus nodded. "Yes." He stood up and offered his hand out. "Do you want to come with me?"_

 _Harry stared at him for a moment and then he placed his hand in Remus' and stood up. "Okay."_

 _Remus pointed to the fireplace. "We're going to have to use the Floo to get there. Uncle Sirius said that you like the Floo."_

 _"_ _It spins!" Harry exclaimed, grinning._

 _Remus grabbed the notepad on the top of the fireplace and scribbled a quick note to Sirius letting him know that they would be back before dinner and then he smiled at Harry, bending down and holding his arms out. "Come on then."_

 _Harry's eyes stayed on his as he let Remus pick him up, the dog still snug in his arms. He was shifted onto the man's hip and he wrapped his arms around him, the stuffed animal smushed between them as they stepped into the fireplace._

 _"_ _Hold on tight, Harry."_

 _Then there was a whoosh and they appeared in The Leaky Cauldron. Remus dusted both of them off, said hello to the barman, and headed out to Muggle London with Harry still in his arms._

 _"_ _Have you ever ridden the tube, Harry?"_

 _Harry shook his head as Remus carried him down into the subway station, placing his money in the slot and leading him towards the train in the London Underground._

 _"_ _It goes very fast," Remus told him as they took their seat on the train. There was only one seat available so Remus carefully sat Harry on his lap, keeping his arms around the boy's waist._

 _Harry looked around at the people in interest. A very large man came through the doors and shoved his way through the crowd. Harry stiffened and he moved closer to Remus, turning his head into his chest._

 _Remus gently ran his hands along his back. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe with me, I promise."_

 _Harry looked up at him, his bright green eyes grateful, and Remus smiled at him._

 _"_ _Look, here we go!"_

 _The train started to move and Harry's eyes flew to the windows, trying to see the objects as they flew by. They were on the train for less than ten minutes before Remus stood up, his arms holding Harry on his hip as they headed out of the station and headed to the Paddington Library._

 _Remus put Harry back on his own feet as they stepped inside the library, holding his hand out so that Harry would take it, smiling when the small hand fit into his own. "This is a magical place full of stories. It's called a library, Harry. Have you ever been to one before?"_

 _Harry shook his head, his eyes wide as he looked around at all of the books._

 _Remus smiled. "This is the place of thousands of stories. Come on; let's go see what we can find."_

 _Harry nodded and eagerly followed him to the children's section. Remus took a seat on the floor in front of one of the shelves and gestured for Harry to do the same. Harry sat down next to him and folded his hands into his lap._

 _"_ _You can look at any book you want. Which one appeals to you, Harry?"_

 _Harry's eyes fell onto a hardcover book with green writing and he pointed to it._

 _"_ _Go on," Remus urged, smiling when Harry slowly and carefully pulled it down from the shelf as if it was made of precious glass. He showed it to Remus with a smile. "_ The Wind in the Willows _by Kenneth Grahame," Remus read._

 _"_ _There's a frog fishing next to a… rat and a… a…"_

 _"_ _Badger," Remus supplied with a smile as Harry carefully opened the book, coming across a full picture of a little house and a map showing the forest._

 _"_ _There's a mole too and he's wearing a coat," Harry told him._

 _Remus smiled. "He sure is."_

 _Harry held the book out to Remus. "Can you read it to me, Uncle Moony? Please, Uncle Remus?"_

 _Remus smiled, surprised at the way that Harry had interchanged his name. "I'd be happy to. But before I do that, let's keep exploring for more books." He took the book from Harry and placed it on the ground next to them. "Because do you know what the amazing thing about a library is?"_

 _Harry shook his head. "No. What?"_

 _"_ _You can pick as many stories as you want and we can bring them home and read them."_

 _"_ _I can take them back to Uncle Padfoot's house?"_

 _Remus nodded, smiling at him. "You can take them home and then after you read them, we can bring them back and you can trade them for new stories. What do you think?"_

 _Harry's eyes brightened. "Let's find more stories, Uncle Moony."_

 _Remus grinned. "Sounds like a good idea to me."_

 _Thirty minutes later, Harry had made his way around the library with glee and Remus was holding ten books in his arms. He smiled at the excitement in Harry's eyes as he realized how many books that he would be taking home with him._

 _Remus led him to the front desk and they signed up Harry for his very own library card. Harry stared at the card with his name on it in awe and thanked the lady when she handed it to him._

 _"_ _Your son is so polite," the librarian said to Remus._

 _"_ _Oh, he's not —"_

 _"—_ _And so well behaved," she continued with a smile. "I hope you enjoy your stories, Harry."_

 _Harry beamed at her as Remus thanked the librarian, placing the books in his bag and taking Harry's hand in his own._

 _"_ _Where would you like to go next, Harry? Are you hungry?"_

 _Harry shook his head. "May I please have a drink of water?"_

 _"_ _Absolutely," Remus said, smiling. They headed to a small coffee shop in the station and Remus pointed at the menu boards. "You can have anything you'd like, little Prongs. You can have water or chocolate milk or maybe some juice or some lemonade? What would you like?"_

 _Harry stared at him in wonder. "I can choose?"_

 _Remus nodded, taking his wallet out of his back pocket. "Of course you can."_

 _"_ _Chocolate milk please," Harry said with a smile as they approached the counter and Remus ordered two small chocolate milks and added two chocolate biscuits along with it._

 _He led Harry over to one of the tables and they took their seats. He opened the milk and put a straw in it, handing it across the table with the biscuit and smiled._

 _"_ _I'm a big fan of chocolate myself," he told him as he broke off a piece of the double chocolate biscuit and took a bite. "And this is chocolate paradise."_

 _Harry licked his lips, breaking off a piece of the biscuit to try it and he smiled. "Mmm, chocolate paradise."_

 _Remus chuckled as he opened his own chocolate milk. "So Harry, do you like living with Uncle Sirius?"_

 _Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "He's nice. He turns into a big dog. And he plays with me and he makes Sirius' Grilled Cheese Perfection. He smells like a forest."_

 _Remus smiled at the description. Sirius did often smell rather woodsy and a bit like leather. It was a mix of the soap he used and the jacket that he always wore and Harry obviously found it soothing. "He's pretty great. He's my best friend."_

 _"_ _Uncle Sirius said my dad was his best friend." Harry told him as he reached for another piece of biscuit, looking to Remus to make sure that he was allowed._

 _Remus pushed the biscuit towards Harry with a smile. "We were all best friends. Me, Sirius, and your dad. I've known them since I was eleven years old. How do you like your room?"_

 _"_ _It's big! And I have my own bed with a red blanket with a lion on it. Uncle Padfoot said its Gryffindor. And there's a poster on the wall of people flying on broomsticks and it moves!" Harry told him, bouncing in his chair as he spoke. "The picture moves, Uncle Moony!"_

 _"_ _It does? Are you sure?" Remus asked him, finishing up his chocolate milk and pushing the rest of the biscuit towards Harry._

 _Harry nodded eagerly. "It does! Uncle Padfoot said that he was going to show me how to fly on a broomstick, but I have to get bigger first."_

 _"_ _It sounds like you are making it a home," he said, smiling. "I'm glad to hear it. Maybe sometimes, you can come visit me at my home."_

 _"_ _Why?" Harry asked curiously._

 _"_ _Well, so we can play and have fun together like we did today."_

 _"_ _Okay." he said with a smile. He finished his biscuit and drank all of his milk and then looked at Remus beneath his lashes, a small smile on his face. "Uncle Moony?"_

 _"_ _Yes, little Prongs?"_

 _Harry's grin widened at the nickname and then he looked more serious as his fingers picked at the jeans that he was wearing. "Is Uncle Padfoot going to keep me forever?"_

 _"_ _Keep you forever?" Remus asked, his eyebrow raising in question. "What do you mean by that, Harry?"_

 _Harry shrugged, his eyes looking up at Remus. "He won't send me back?"_

 _Remus sighed and gestured for Harry to come close to him. "Come here, little Prongs."_

 _Harry hopped off of his chair and moved to stand in front of Remus._

 _"_ _Will you sit with me?" Remus asked him. Harry nodded and Remus picked him up, sitting him on his knee. "Uncle Sirius and I… we both love you so much. You are the most important little boy in the world to us. We want you to be safe and to be happy and we would_ never _send you away._ Never, _" he promised him._

 _Harry was staring at him, eyes wide and Remus leaned down and gently kissed his forehead. Harry flinched, but then he threw his arms around him and hugged him. Remus hugged him back, blinking back tears._

 _"_ _Thank you," Harry said against his shoulder._

 _"_ _You're welcome, little Prongs. What are you thanking me for?"_

 _Harry kept his head on his shoulder as he spoke. "You don't want to send me away."_

 _"_ _Never," Remus said with a smile. "I love you and Uncle Sirius loves you and we will always be there for you. Always."_

 _Harry pressed his lips to Remus' cheek and gave him a small smile. "Slooch, Uncle Moony."_

 _Remus laughed. "That's what you used to say when you were a baby. But I loved your slooches then and I love them now."_

 _Harry reached up and tentatively brushed his fingers across the faded scar on Remus' left cheek. "You have a big scar."_

 _Remus nodded, letting out a slow breath. "I have a lot of scars, Harry."_

 _Harry touched the one on Remus' eyebrow carefully. "And another one here," he said, pushing his own hair back to show Remus the lightning bolt on his forehead. "I have a scar too."_

 _Remus smiled at him. "Yes, you do." He leaned in and pressed his lips to the lightning bolt, smiling._

 _Harry beamed at him and kissed the scar on Remus' cheek. "We're the same."_

 _Remus bit lip as it trembled. This little boy, this precious little boy was beaming at him and Remus felt his heart expand with love. He would never let anyone hurt him ever again._

 _"_ _Yeah, little Prongs, we're the same."_

 _And then he wrapped his arms around the child and tried not to cry._

Tonks climbed off her husband's lap as the memory dissolved and walked across the room to plant a kiss on Harry's forehead. "You were the most incredible child. He needed you as much as you needed him, you know that, right?"

Harry smiled at her. "They're pretty great dads."

Sirius and Remus both grinned at him.

Zee cleared her throat. "They beat you and starved you? They were the worst sort of Muggles imaginable… darling, I'm so sorry."

Harry shrugged, sighing as his girlfriend hugged him. "It was a long time ago, I barely even remember it much anymore."

"Harry... I always knew that something had happened. You were afraid of my dad and he's the most gentle soul I know. But I never imagined…" Ginny trailed off.

He shrugged. "I don't really remember most of it. Just sometimes it comes to me in flashes or in my dreams."

Ginny leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, not caring that they were in the sunroom surrounded by his parents. "You are so loved."

Sirius grinned widely. "She's right. Ginny is a keeper, Harry."

"Actually she's a Chaser, Uncle Siri."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Haha. You're hilarious."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I learned my jokes from you."

"Brat," Sirius said affectionately. He turned to Ginny, "Did you ever see the picture of Harry in the princess dress? The pink frilly one with all the tulle?"

"There's _more than one_ dress?" she asked, her eyes dancing in laughter.

"Oh, yeah, I transfigured all of his clothes into dresses once and he didn't even flinch."

Ginny turned to grin at Harry. "Tulle? I need to see this."

"Sirius, do you still have the one of him running around naked just after he learned how to walk? You know the one where James covers his bits in a towel and he rips it off to expose himself?" Remus asked with a wicked grin. "Now that's an embarrassing photo!"

He groaned and buried his face in Ginny's neck. "What did I do to deserve this?"

But he was grinning as Sirius pulled out the photos and he thought that despite the occasional embarrassment, he had a pretty great life and he wouldn't change any of it. Not even the bad stuff.


End file.
